The Magic of Christmas

The other day I pinpointed what I love about the Christmas season -- it's the Magic of Christmas. There is just an extra excitement in the air. Everything is so festive and special. 

The miracle of the Christ-child's birth. The expectation of Santa Claus. The family togetherness. The special baking and cooking and preparing. The stillness and quiet. The new-fallen snow. The festive carols and traditional hymns. 

Everything means just a little more. The mundane tasks take on renewed joy.

And this year, with a nearly 3-year old and a newborn, there will be no shortage of magic around.

Wishing your family the spirit and magic of Christmas! 

Looking a lot like Christmas

The Christmas spirit is all over our home!  

We've loved...

Decorating our Christmas Tree,*

Decking the halls,

Lighting the eaves,

Baking holiday cookies,

Sending and Receiving Christmas greetings,

(ours are coming eventually, we promise!)

Working (fervently) on holiday crafts (only 6 more days to finish Sam's stocking!),

Visiting Santa's Wonderland,

and seeing the Jolly Ol' Guy himself!

We have loved our first Christmas season in our new home! 

It is so warm and cozy that both Michael and I want it to always be Christmas here, year round.

We hope you feel the same way about your holiday home.

Christmas Day is almost here!!

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*Adam has loved embellishing the Christmas tree with "snow". He found the bag of poly-fill stocking I'm using for Sam's stocking and has enjoyed "flocking" our tree. It actually kind of works!  

(And don't you just love his new uber-cheesy smile??)

Blood Clot Follow-Up

Last week I went to a hematology specialist to learn more about the blood clot in my leg. Michael joined me, which I was glad for, because he had questions of his own and also to be a second set of ears. (I knew I'd never remember to tell him everything, and if he hadn't been there, he surely would have asked me 'did you ask him this' questions, and I'd be, like, 'uh, no.')

We reviewed my personal and family histories and my current symptoms. There wasn't a whole lot of new discovery since not all of my test results from my ER visit were available (and he ordered two additional blood tests.) I couldn't tell you what all the (total 9) tests were checking for. They all have long medical names and have to do with protein deficiencies and factor mutations. He suspects that one of the tests will reveal an abnormality that led to this clot.

If this is the case, I may have to be on blood thinners for the rest of my life since my risk of developing another clot is elevated, and I'd have to have frequent INR tests which determines the clotting tendency of my blood to ensure proper doseage. But I'm getting ahead of myself. In the meantime, I will be on the blood thinners for at least the next 6 months. I'm currently on Lovenox shots twice a day but I can switch to a pill form (Coumedin) once I stop nursing. I should avoid taking aspirin or any hormone-based birth control. I can maintain my normal activity, though I should be cautious of long flights or car rides. He did not mention using any compression stockings (something we both forgot to ask about).

I'm happy to report that in the 3+ weeks since I've been on the blood thinners, my leg finally feels almost normal again. It rarely bothers me, and when it does, it's often after sitting for a long time, such as after a car ride or after sitting through a movie.* I also feel calf pain if I'm walking too quickly, so until I no longer feel anything from robust activity I am hesitant to start running or pushing myself in any way. I have also gotten over the fear of self injecting. It's a freaky thing to do to yourself at first!

And of course, if (if, if, IF) we were to have another child, I'd have to be on blood thinners and a monitored pregnancy like my sister endured. (It's likely she shares the same genetic condition.) I go back in 3 months for a follow up.

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UPDATE: The doctor's office called today to confirm that one of the blood tests revealed I do have a "clotting abnormality". She did not tell me which test revealed this but we'll discuss at my next appointment. (Follow-up here.) I told Michael that we now have medical evidence that I am, in fact, abnormal. LOL.

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*Off the subject, but the movie Life of Pi is amazing and a must see in 3D if you can. Special thanks to Grandma Dianne for watching the kids so we could go out!

Blessings

So many wonderful, incredible things to be Grateful this year!

• Two beautiful little boys we are blessed to love and raise
• Our new house
• So much family within driving distance
• Amazing friends
• A job that I love
• Good health and healthcare

On Thanksgiving morning I was especially thankful for that last one. I am amazed at the human body's ability to create and grow little miracles of life and am blessed to have birthed two healthy boys safely without intervention. This last time I just had one little issue...

The ER is not where I intended to be on Thanksgiving morning, but nonetheless, it was the best place for me to be. When I woke up on Thursday I noticed a pain in my groin as I walked, especially while going up and down the stairs. This was after feeling calf pain in the same leg since after Sam's delivery. I put two and two together, along with family history, and starting fearing that I had developed a blood clot. Within an hour I noticed that my leg was purplish, and with that discovery we were quickly on our way to the hospital.

Yes, a blood clot. I had a doppler test done and it was revealed that the clot is high up in my thigh and extends down towards my knee. I always thought that a clot was a small round blockage so I was surprised when the ultrasound tech showed me the screen with an elongated clot nearly the length of my thigh.

Fortunately they didn't admit me but I now have to give myself blood thinner shots twice a day. I have an appointment scheduled with a hematologist next week for further treatment. From what I understand, the body will eventually absorb the clot. (I don't know how long it will take; this is a question for the specialist.) In the meantime we're thinning the blood to improve circulation around the clot. I still have pain in my leg and I've been taking it easy, spending a lot of time with my feet propped up.

Considering the size of my clot, it's likely that it started to develop towards the end of my pregnancy. While pregnancy is a cause of blood clots, I also have a family history. The ER doctor ordered seven different blood tests to check for various deficiencies in my blood that may have made me more susceptible to this condition. If any tests come back positive, it's likely that my mother and sister have the same genetic deficiency that caused their past blood clots, too. The outcome of these tests will likely determine any future treatments, as well.

So that was our Thanksgiving morning. While I missed the Macy's parade, I fortunately didn't miss all the family and friends that had gathered for our Gratitude Dinner. 

I truly hope your blessings list is as fulfilling as ours is this year.

Sam, I Am

He's here!  Yes, I said He! IT'S A BOY!

I am so proud to introduce you to our son 

Samuel

9 lbs 1 oz, 21" long

With his first breath he stole our hearts. He is perfect in every way, and I'm late in telling the world since we've been so consumed with snuggling him and introducing him to friends and family.

He's been to the doctor twice now. First for his initial visit and a second time a week later for a weight check. He's a great eater (and an expert on filling his diaper) and is already back up over his birth weight. Believe me, I was stunned when the scale said 9 POUNDS at his birth. I knew this baby would be a little bigger than Adam, but I never imagined he would be over 9 POUNDS!


He's a great sleeper, too, sleeping 2-3 hours at night and waking himself up to feed.

And, yes, if you hadn't noticed, I make hairy babies! We always joked that Adam was born with a part and highlights. Sam was born with sideburns.

When I imagined my life I never pictured myself the mother of two sons, but we have been beyond blessed with our two precious boys. Adam has been hesitant with Sam and has for the most part kept his distance but is starting to come around. He mentions Sam in his prayers and will give him pats and air kisses (not quite ready to go lips to cheek). 

I'll do a future post on his delivery soon. I'm still journaling all the details to have a personal record of the amazing experience. Childbirth is simply one of the most awesome experiences.

In the meantime I'll be snuggling and napping and kissing and loving on my little men.

Waiting

We are anxiously awaiting Baby 2! Honestly, it feels like I am weeks overdue by now because of all the focus I've been getting at work for the office guessing pool and the projects I've been rushing to complete. In reality, I am just now at my due date, and this baby is going to come when it decides it is time.

Last week my friend Christie flew in with her two little ones to stay with us until Baby gets here. She has been so wonderful that she may have missed her calling as a Nanny! We've kept Adam home from school so he can play with 3-yr old Ryan, and Christie has been overseeing them playing cars, doing puzzles, singing songs, playing play-dough, taking them to the park, creating chalk drawings and, well, refereeing the occasional "he's not sharing!" argument. Oh, and did I mention she's even cooked dinner for us three times already? Yep, she's a super Mom.

Truthfully, I didn't think she'd be waiting around with us on Baby 2 for so long, but it was nice to have the weekend to spend together, and a beautiful weekend it was! We took the kiddos to the Cincinnati Zoo, and I figured 5-hours of zoo walking would help launch me into labor. (No such luck.) Adam was requesting to see chipmunks and Ryan wanted to see the elephants. (Better luck with Ryan.) Christie's favorite was the orangutan and mine was the baby giraffe.

And we both loved watching these two monkeys:

We spent as much time outdoors as possible and introduced the kiddos to another Fall favorite -- leaf diving! Fun for hours!

Yes, I neglected to mention that almost-1 yr old Stella is also here visiting. It's been rather amusing watching Adam with her. For the most part he doesn't interact with her much but when she starts touching him, he freaks out a little. "She's touching me! She's touching me!" Oh boy, this little boy's world is going to change here very soon when he has his own little sibling! I hope to share news very soon!

Hallow-wet

After our first Ohio Halloween last year, we were really looking forward to Halloween this year in our new neighborhood. We had hoped to sit out in the driveway with the other neighbors and really have that community feeling as we chat with the parents and chaperones of all the trick-or-treaters.

Mother Nature had other plans. Instead of a beautiful, crisp Fall evening, we ended up with a cold, drizzly night. Miserable. Nonetheless, we tried to not let it stop us.

Fortunately Adam was already familiar with the fireman costume I made for his Fireman Birthday Party after the costume parade at school. (He was one of 3 firemen in his classroom.) He knew to say Trick or Treat! and certainly knew what his pumpkin was to be filled with. Michael and I even got in the fun with simple costumes of our own.

We set up a table in the garage to protect us from the rain. I took Adam next door for his first house, and our neighbor really loaded him up! Adam said Thank You, and then tried to walk inside. Guess he thought it was warmer in there. We went back home and Michael took Adam to a couple more houses before Adam decided he was too cold. He came back and sat on my lap and we wrapped ourselves in a blanket, ate popcorn, and handed out candy.

Mommy's little ones -- Fireman and Peanut (m&m)

Our neighborhood has a lot of kids in the 8-14 year old range. I have to admit, I really missed seeing the cute toddlers in their distinguishable costumes. For many of the kids that came by I couldn't assess their get-ups very well, and they were often in packs, coming in fast and dashing off to the next house in a hurry.

Adam really enjoyed being "a big helper" with the candy. The problem, though, is that he kept wanting to try all the varieties of candy. By the time we closed up shop, he was bouncing off the couch -- literally. We did manage to get his teeth brushed and in bed fairly easily, but even from downstairs we could hear him singing songs nearly an hour later. Then we heard, "Mommy?" and then, "Hey, Babe?"

See, this is his new way of calling for us. It started one night when he was in the tub and I told him to call for Daddy to come up. He stood up and yelled, "Michael?!" followed by "Hey, Babe?"  Hmmm, wonder from whom he learned those?

So we get a little chuckle out of it. You could say he had a little sugar in his system.

Because of the weather, we have loads of candy left. Fortunately we're one of those houses that buys the good stuff. (Or maybe Unfortunately...)  We also noticed that since our house is the first house on a dead-end road much of the traffic didn't bother coming down our way. Hopefully that was just due to the damp, cold conditions. We're already looking forward to next year.

I loved seeing all the pictures of our friends' and family's kiddos in costume. Here are some of my favorites:

I hope everyone had a fun (and warmer) Halloween!

Nearly there

We're down the final weeks before we meet Adam's little sibling! The house has already been readied for the most part, and the hospital bag is nearly packed. I've sorted through tubs of clothes from storage, done loads of baby laundry, sterilized bottles and made room in my cabinets for all of them. There are now burp cloths in the drawer in the living room, in the baby's room, and in our room. The crib sheets are on the mattress. The car seat has been cleaned and assembled and is ready to be installed. We're just waiting for baby. Oh, and I still need to pick up diapers.

Here's a look at the nursery. More decor to come once we know the gender.

Honestly, I'm in no hurry. In all truth I'm hoping for a later delivery date just so I can have my maternity leave go through all the holidays. A later delivery date would also be better for out of town guests.

At 37 1/2 weeks, I am already 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced, but, just like with Adam, this baby is still high up.

I am feeling pretty well, if not getting around a bit slower these days (and grunting when I have to bend over, lol). I haven't been sleeping as well, and I still get heartburn. The Braxton-Hicks contractions I was having quite regularly have subsided, which is good, and I'm fighting a touch of a cold I've had this week. I remember having a terrible cold a few weeks before Adam's birth -- is this a common occurrence in third trimester pregnancies?

Here's a look at what I look like these days.

37 weeks

So... 37 weeks. Guess it's about time to nail down a baby name...

October

We are currently experiencing our last week of Indian Summer here in Ohio. We've had some chillier days and nights, but this week it's back in the 70s for one last Hurrah! before it turns much much much colder next week (Highs of 40s/50s!).

I love the combination of a little nip in the air and the warm sun, and it makes us want to do some Seasonal/Autumnal activities, like...

Leisurely walks in the woods and throwing rocks in the water.

Enjoying our cozy fireplace in the evenings.

And going to the local Pumpkin Patch.

Click to enlarge

The leaves here are at or past peak and it feels like they changed so fast this year. There always seems to be one tree, though, that just strikes me as perfectly changed, and this is the tree this year.

Here's your moment of Zen: