Super Dogs

Due to Eli's upcoming trip to Florida with Gigi and Bobpop, the boys and I drove over to the fabric store. I make the boys a new blanket every year for Christmas and they always pick out the fabric ahead of time. Elias is a bit nervous about being away from Mommy and Daddy for 10 days so he wanted a blanket that smelled like us to take with him. Unfortunately all of his train blankets are way to big to haul onto the plane. Carson also wanted another sensory blanket to snuggle with so I told them both to find a pattern they both agree on and I would get it. They found a nice doggie pattern that worked and we headed over to the "scrap" material to see if there was anything that matched the dog pattern's color scheme. We found just over a yard worth of solid red that fit perfectly.

After both blankets were finished and slept with overnight, Carson and Elias decided to play "Super Dogs" using their new found blanket capes! They had a blast running through the house saving dogs and pretending to be super heros. Certainly worth the ~$10 spent in fabric and 60 minutes of craftsmanship.

Super Dogs to the Rescue!!

I need a bigger lap

Cloudy with a chance of sharing?

Tonight the boys decided we would have movie night.  I was cooking a feast for dinner and so we finished up at the grocery store and then headed over to the movie rental place.  After much debate they convinced me to rent Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and G-Force.  I picked up The Hurt Locker for our adult movie.  We arrived home and once Al made his appearance, stuffed ourselves on pulled BBQ chicken, homemade four cheese mac and cheese, honey baked beans, potato salad, and slaw.  Yummy!  The boys couldn't wait to have their special movie night and they begged to have a private showing in their room.

Usually this would be a bad idea and lead to someone getting pushed, punched, or hit with a pillow but I was feeling nice.  I set up the portable DVD player in their room and they spread out across Carson's bed with their snacks and blankets to watch the movie.  The lights were turned out and laughter was heard on and off for two glorious hours.  There was no pillow fighting.  No hitting.  No kicking.  No teasing.  I think G-Force puts a spell and children (at least ours!).  Tomorrow we will see if meatballs have the same effect.  It was great to see Carson and Eli enjoying time together and getting to feel a bit grown up.  I know I say this every year but it's so rewarding to see the brotherly love and companionship develop.  Here's to many more nights of bonding to come!

Why you don't run with your shoes untied!

Carson learned the hard way today at recess that you should NEVER run with your shoes untied.  Poor boy is all torn up and looks like he fell off a motorcycle.  How he did this wearing a fleece pullover and a winter coat is beyond me.  We even had to go out and buy bigger bandages!  He's been practicing tying his shoes tighter all evening. 

The String Bean

Eli had a follow-up appointment with his physical medicine doctor this morning and he is growing! I was surprised when Carson had a friend over last week who just turned 7 and Eli was about the same height as him. I guess I shouldn't have been so shocked because he is TALL! He was 45.25 inches today which was quite a gain from his last appt in September. Unfortunately he is only growing up and not out. Our string bean lost about a pound and is down to 38 pounds. This puts him in the 97th% for height and the 50th% for weight. Who would have guessed he was a micropreemie? His weight-for-length ratio could use some work (<3rd%) but we'll get there.

Good news on his CP as well. His tone is a little tighter because of the quick linear growth but our stretching is really helping. He is still toe walking without his braces on but when you remind him he self corrects for a couple of steps. This is great progress. The doctor loved his blue snake AFOs (she had not seen them yet) but it looks like Elias won't be wearing this exact pair for much longer. He has already almost outgrown them and he's only had them since the fall! They think by his next appointment in May he will be ready to get casted for a new pair. Keep your fingers crossed that the insurance battle won't be too long!

Winter Gala

The boys had a special evening planned with daycare for all of the parents last night.  They had put together a winter gala complete with activity stations, snacks, and a performance from the older kids.  It was so much fun to see them beam with pride.  I love those boys!

Eli showing off his snowman picture

Carson standing by his "iceburg" with his penguin drawing

Eli's polar express picture with snowman background

I'm trying to edit the video of Carson reading his polar bear poem in their performance.  Hopefully I'll have it up soon.

Japanese Snuggie

Eli was "freezing" last night and insisted on being able to use my Snuggie to warm up.  Since he has a terrible cold and is hacking like a chain smoker, I let go of common sense for a minute and wrapped him all up.  Of course the traditional method of Snuggie wearing (albeit not extremely attractive) would not work for a 4.5 year old boy.  Elias suggested we "burrito" him like we did when he was swaddled as a baby.  This didn't work either so what were we left to do? 

Meet Kimona Snuggie Elias!

It's Raining Roses

After much anticipation and great adversity The Ohio State Buckeyes reign champion of the 2010 Rose Bowl!  What a game!  I can't wait to cheer on the team in the fall.  Go Buckeyes!

All I want for New Year's....

...is my two front teeth!

I kept telling Carson that it was only a matter of time before his top two teeth wiggled their way out of his mouth.  We were hoping for Christmas but I guess today is close enough.  Our baby lost his third and forth teeth this afternoon about 4 hours apart and is now sporting a wide, toothless grin.  He wrote a creative note to the ToothFairy before bed and left both teeth for her on his nightstand.  The Tooth Fairy may have boosted her usual fare of $2 per tooth since Carson provided a double whammy today.  I can't wait to see his face when he discovers five $1 bills and a note in the morning.  Let's just hope he doesn't try to whistle in excitement!

The Important Things

As I sit here in bed at 11:38 on Christmas night I feel the need to write down the little things from this day that may get forgotten over time.  I want to remember the little things like:

• Eli going to bed with his snow boots on, hat in hand with his Polar Express ticket inside just in case the magical train pulled up outside our house to take him on a Christmas Eve adventure
• Carson jumping two feet in the air when he saw the LEGO city construction box
• Al's loving smile as he watched the boys share their new found toys with each other
• My little sister being taken care of by her new husband since she spent Christmas day not feeling well
• Carson opening Aunt Yaya and Uncle Keith's gift and telling them he loved it but had found it when he spent the night at their house last week and didn't want to tell him and ruin the surprise
• Eli playing for hours on end with the Steaming Thomas battery train that Santa and his elves worked so hard on to make for him
• Hearing Al's parents voices on the phone and wishing they were here to spend more time with us
• Watching all the doggies cuddle together on the couch and take turns chewing on the ham bone outside
• Having four generations together in the same room celebrating the birth of Christ
• Realizing that I am incredibly blessed to have so many friends and family surrounding me in my life and to have the opportunity spend precious time with all of them

Christmas Eve

We tracked Santa on NORAD all evening as Carson exclaimed, "Rudolph really exists!".  Carson and Elias carefully wrote their letter and laid it out amoung cookies and milk.  They plugged in the Christmas lights and rushed to get jammies on and teeth brushed.  We relaxed in my bed (since I'm not allowed up!) and read Christmas books until sleepy eyes were drooping.  After kisses and hugs and Merry Christmas wishes the boys are sleeping soundly at 8:30 Christmas Eve. 

What a magical time.  I wouldn't miss any of this for the world!

Surgery (again)

Yesterday I had surgery and am now at home recovering.  My full time nurse Al is taking excellent care of me in addition to both our boys.  I was having intense pain for the past few months in my lower left quadrant and had chopped it up to pain from my previous surgeries (hysterectomy and endometriomas in my rectus muscle).  Unfortunately it wasn't pain from previous surgeries and my ob/gyn needed to do surgery to see what was going on.  The surgery was originally more involved and complicated but my amazing surgeon worked hard to keep it through the scope (almost two hours) so I wouldn't have to recover from another open lap.  He found extensive adhesions encapulating my bladder and adhering it to my left ovary.  My sigmoid colon was also wrapped in adhesions and stuck to my posterior wall.  After preparing myself to wake up post-laparotomy with both ovaries removed, I was thrilled to not be in surgical menopause and only have three small incisions.  My doctor rocks and I can't thank him enough for working hard to keep everything as least invasive as possible so I can recover faster and be home for Christmas. 

Thanks for all of the prayers and help everyone.  We couldn't do it without you. 

Jam Session

My uncle and cousins came over on Friday night and brought a 12 string guitar and a drum.  They both are incredibly talented musicians and since Carson and Elias are becoming more and more interested in music, we thought a jam session would be perfect for Christmas.  Michael is going to start doing private guitar lessons for the boys in the spring and I can't wait.  Carson found the drums to be more to his liking and played the heck out of them.  Although the 12 string was almost as big as him, Eli was a natural.  It was a great evening with family and fun.  I can't wait to get the boys instruments of their own!

Christmas Boys

Early Presents

Granny and Papaw were able to come up for Thanksgiving and brought along with them the gifts Santa dropped off at their house.  Carson and Elias were shocked when they learned Granny and Papaw were going to let them open their Christmas gifts early.  Carson marveled at Lego City and Elias could hardly contain his excitement when he saw battery trains.  Santa made much too large of a trip to Granny/Papaw and Great Granny's house this year.  We are truly blessed.

Pool Party!

The boys had a birthday party on Friday for one of their little girlfriends. The pool was warm and they both had a blast. Splashing, sliding, and swimming their hearts out alongside all of the neighborhood kiddos. Too bad summer is gone and the pool will be few and far between. Carson and Elias are natural born fish!




Two exhausted boys asleep at Gigi's house post-party.

Fight For Preemies

November is Prematurity Awareness Month. The March of Dimes continues their campaign to prevent prematurity and set November 17th (today) as a day to Fight for Preemies. As everyone knows, prematurity has rocked our universe twice and left a lasting impact on our lives. Carson's arrival ten weeks premature at 30 weeks gestation was shocking as first time parents. We fought through the NICU, attended follow-up appointments, pushed early intervention, and researched like crazy people. As I was being admitted at 23 weeks with Elias we couldn't believe prematurity was going to impact our family once again. Twelve days later at 25 weeks Elias was pulled into this world in an emergency c-section septic from my chorioamniotis secondary to pPROM. Terrifying as it was to be in the NICU again, it was even more frightening to have experience in that strange world and fear going through it all with a micropreemie. Elias has always been a fighter like his brother but he has endured so much in his short 4 years. Prematurity is only one aspect of our children's lives but it has played a substantial role in their direction and experiences.


I found a career I cherish through the experiences prematurity gave me and now have the privilege to care for premature infants through the NICU. The ability to see both sides of the NICU rollercoster is often a blessing in my nursing but bittersweet. Prematurity needs a voice, awareness, understanding for us to combat the continuing rise of early births and their implications on life. Please stop by the March of Dimes and learn more about how you can help the fight.

Lost in Leaves

Down for the Count

This is what happens when an energetic first grader who has been running at full speed for the past two weeks attempts to go color at 7:45 in the evening.



One minute he is jabbering at light speed and skipping to the art supply shelves and then next he is sprawled out across the dining room floor. I guess when you're exhausted you can fall asleep anywhere in a few seconds! Carson didn't wake up when we carried him upstairs, changed him into pjs, or tucked him in. This morning he said that his head hurt so he just laid down when he got to the art bins. I better go clean the drool out of our carpet now.

Thank You

Happy Veteran's Day! Thank you to every brave and honorable man and woman who has served this country and continues to serve this country. God bless America!