 | Diary Navigation:
|
Introduction
Dec 23 to Dec 29
Gabrielle - 3 years + 3 months
Sebastian - 50 weeks old
** THE DRIVE OUT **
I had laid out the kids' outfits for the day the night before so all we needed to do was feed the kids their breakfast and get them into the minivan. I had put their bag, my bag, the presents, and the pack-n-play into the minivan the night before. All we needed to put in were last minute items (Gabby's activity backpack, snacks, drinks). What's crazy is that Paul decided to wait until this morning to pack HIS bag. So he had more to do than I'd thought. He ended up trying to pack stuff that I'd already done the night before -- the aspirator & nasal drops, Gabby's extra toothbrush & paste. Like I didn't pack the stuff up in their bag or what? Anyway, at least he thought to grab the stuff.
We headed out about 9:30am and it was an okay drive. We put Gabby in the middle row in the middle seat & took out the two side seats. We put Sebastian in the 3rd row on the right so he wouldn't be in the sun. I got to sit in the back with him to play & amuse him. I threw in a couple of the kids' cassettes so we could sing on the drive. Little did I know that the van only had a CD drive in it. ARGH!
Gabrielle did really well on the drive. She just chatted with Paul, colored in her books, and looked for trains. Sebastian needed a little more attention than his sister but it wasn't too bad. I had forgotten to grab a couple of his toys that we have in my car -- we usually hang them on that bar above the seat so he can play with toys and they can't get throw & lost. Anyway, I had to play with him to keep him occupied. What really helped was that at the halfway point of the drive (3 hours into it) we stopped for about 45 minutes and let the two of them run around. Sebastian had a BLAST walking around Burger King. There were a bunch of senior citizen couples in their just watching the little guy walk to and fro. He'd stop at tables and look at the folks, smile, and then walk on. It was quite amusing. We expected him to take a nap after our stop but it wasn't what we expected. He ended up only napping an hour! So needless to say we knew we'd have one tired boy at the end of the day.
** THE VISIT **
We had a great visit with everyone. My folks let us have their room so we could have some space & our own bathroom. There would be no way we could set up the pack-n-play in one of the tinier rooms! But we still ended up sleeping separate each night. Sebastian was a very restless sleeper so Paul and I switched off each night as to who'd sleep in the room with him. The other would sleep downstairs on the couch with Gabrielle.
We did the traditional 7pm service at the church and then went home to open up presents. My older sister, my BIL, and their 3 kids would be additional overnight guests at my folks house. They were heading out to my BILs sister's house the next day to celebrate with his side of the family. Sebastian was already asleep so he didn't open any gifts. My nephew passed out all the gifts from under the tree to everyone and then it was a free-for-all with opening. That's how we do it on our side. Everyone just opens up all at once. Gabby had a blast opening all her gifts. I opened up Sebastian's gifts. They both got a ton of clothes!
Christmas was spent watching DVDs and hanging out at the house. We just sit around and chat and eat and spend time together. No big event....just being together.
** THE DAY AFTER XMAS **
We headed out to IHOP for breakfast. When we visit we usually eat at IHOP at least one morning. Anyway, it was nice to get a meal with us all sitting around together. My Mom is usually running around the kitchen and making sure everyone is eating. When we eat out she can relax and chat. After breakfast, the girls (my Mom, my younger sister, Gabby, and I) went to watch Mona Lisa Smile. It was Gabby's first full movie. She'd been to the theaters before to watch Finding Nemo but had to leave about 10 minutes into it because she didnt' like it. She actually was able to make it through the movie with only one visit to the bathrooms. I think if it had been a cartoon she would have been more captivated by the movie but she did fine even though she wasn't interested in the story. She was happy for a while just eating popcorn, which we don't really let her eat, and sipping on an Icee.
After the movie we walked to Zainy Brainy, which is going out of business. It was so COLD! The wind chilled me to the bone. I felt like I couldn't get warm. We bought a bunch of FAO Schwartz stuffed animals because they were half off. I got Sebastian a little pig because it reminded me of him. He also got a dog. Gabby got TWO dogs! We picked up Subway after that because it was already 2:30pm & we hadn't eaten lunch yet.
** COMING HOME **
We ended up coming home a day earlier than expected. After we got home from the movies, we set out the sandwiches. I took my piece and realized I wasn't even hungry. I ate only about a half of my portion and then sat down. About a half hour later I was vomiting. I found Paul and told him I wasn't feeling well. He then came to sit with me and I promptly vomited again. My Mom came down and made me some tea to settle my stomach. About a half hour after I consumed that I got sick again! ARGH! I then looked at Paul and said "If you want to leave early I'm fine with it." I felt horrible! My stomach was churning and my hands felt weak and achy. Was it the flu or was did I eat something bad? I couldn't tell. All I knew was that if we left early then I'd be able to sleep in my own bed that night. I certainly didn't want to travel the next day if I felt worse! Plus, if we traveled at night then chances are the kids would fall asleep and I wouldnt' have to entertain either one.
Well, when Paul heard me say we could leave early he was all set to go. He loaded up the bags and packed the van in about an hour. We headed out about 6pm! My folks were disappointed that we were leaving early but understand our want to head home since I was feeling horribly. My Dad had just had the flu the week prior and had some extra anti-nausea pills and gave me a couple of them. I certainly was glad to have them because my stomach was not sitting well. My younger sister (who is studying pathology) gave me a couple face masks so I wouldn't breath any yucky stuff on the kids while we were in the car. Can you believe we set out for a 6hour drive while I was sick?
The drive itself was quiet. Gabby was able to stay awake until we hit the mountains about 1.5 hours into our drive. Sebastian konked about an hour into the drive. I snoozed in and out. I did wake up to get sick only once because the curvy roads were a bit much for what was left in my stomach. But I was glad it was only once. When I did get sick I noticed how slowly Paul was driving. I commented on how there were a bunch of cars on the road. He said "It's snowing! This is a first for me." I then clamped up because I knew he was a little nervous about driving the minivan in the mountains while it was gently snowing. It was a little windy too so I didn't want to distract him by talking to him. I just watched as he stayed behind a big rig which cleared the roadway quite nicely for him. Next thing I knew it we were headed out of the mountains!
We stopped halfway through the drive like we normally do to get some gas. Sebastian somehow realized we weren't driving anymore and woke up. He just opened up his eyes and looked at me. I tried to give him a bottle since it was already 9pm but he turned his face away from it. Hmmm...I hoped he wasn't getting sick. Gabby stayed asleep through the gas-up. Luckily Sebastian fell asleep within minutes of us getting back on the road.
Then we were home! It was such a relief to be home. We plopped sleepy Gabby into our bed while we tried to get little boy asleep. He woke and we decided to give him a bottle before putting him down. He sucked it down quickly and went to sleep in Paul's arms without a whimper. He was one tired trooper! I was SO glad to be home. I let Gabby sleep in our bed with Paul while I slept in the guest room. I didn't want to get them sick or disturb them in the event I started to feel nauseated again.
The next day I felt MUCH better. I ended up sleeping under a flannel sheet and TWO comforters because I couldn't get warm. But I slept SO hard that I felt much better. Luckily, no one else got my illness so that made me happy.
** SANTA VISITED? **
Gabby was the first to wake the morning after our drive back. She noticed she was on my side of the bed and realized I must be downstairs. She walked downstairs and I actually heard her quietly open the door and then close it.
Paul told me later that she had inspected the area around the tree because she saw all the presents underneath it. She picked up her doll that sat amongst the presents. It was her old doll Flora that "went way" when Gabby wasn't being nice to her. Gabby had been asking about wanting Flora back. We told her that we'd have to email Santa and ask him to ask Flora if she wanted to come back. Well, Gabby was ecstatic to find Flora sitting amongst all the presents. She brought Flora upstairs & laid back down next to Paul until he stirred.
When he woke up she asked him "Did Santa come when we were gone?" He asked her "Are there gifts under the tree?" She said "Yes there are! Flora was under the tree! I'm so happy!" They chatted for a bit longer about Flora. Then Gabby said "Which chimney did Santa come down? The big one or the small one?" We have two fireplaces, one in the family room which is larger, and one in the living room which is smaller. Paul said "the small one" Gabby frowned and couldn't seem to rationalize in her mind WHY Santa hadn't come down the larger fireplace since he is such a big guy! I later told her that the smaller fireplace was next to the tree so that's why Santa went down that one. She kind of nodded her head like "Oh...that's logical." It's so funny how their minds work!
** DHs FAMILY **
We celebrated the holidays with DHs side of the family on Sunday (12/28). My FIL, MIL, SIL, BIL, and his girlfriend all showed up to open gifts. We do a grab bag for the adults so we only had one person each to concentrate our efforts upon. Of course, we watched the kids open their gifts first. Actually, when everyone showed up Sebastian was down for a nap so Gabby opened her gifts first. She had a TON of toys to open up. What's funny about her is that she's so neat about opening presents. You know how some kids just rip into the paper and toss it all over? My girl gets an edge and then seems to tear off the smallest piece possible and then throws it into the garbage bag. Then she rips the rest off really carefully making sure to get every piece of paper and tape off the box. I just kept on chuckling at her technique because I'm sure Sebastian won't be the same when he gets older.
We woke Sebastian when Gabby was almost done with all her gifts. Paul and my SIL actually opened all of Sebastian's items. It would have taken him YEARS to figure out what to do. He was happy sitting in the middle of the fray with the paper and the ribbons.
After everyone opened their gifts we had some pizza. Turns out that the football game was still important to my ILs. They headed out pretty quickly when they realized that halftime was almost over. The importance of a football game seemed to outweigh just spending time together. Whatever!
The holidays were a bunch of fun even with all the bumps in the road. It's fun watching the events unfold through the kids' eyes. I hope that the kids will find decorated homes as exciting as I still do as an adult. I hope they enjoy the smell of gingerbread, vanilla, cinnamon, and pumpkin as much as I do. I hope that they cherish the time they're able to spend with their loved ones as much as I do. Even though this holiday season has just finished I can't wait for next year! I hope your holidays have been enjoyable!
 |  |
|
want to keep a diary on iParenting?
Authoring a diary on the iParenting network allows you to chronicle your family's story, preserving it for years to come. It's also a great way to get the most out of the iParenting community. Click here to start...
|
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families. 
