a recap

Today I'll give you a recap of the last several days of our Thanksgiving "celebration. "

Wednesday--Rachel and I left mid-morning to run last minute errands and then drive an hour north to pick up my husband from work. He doesn't usually work an hour away, but his company has an office up there and he sometimes has to go up to meet with his co-worker up there who does a similar job. He decided to go Wednesday to put him an hour closer to our destination. He got off at 11:30, so we met him up there and continued on our way to my parents' house. Rachel didn't sleep in the car as we had hoped. She almost always does, but this time she decided to tell us every two minutes that she wanted to "go Gwammaw's house." Over and over and over. If I had a dollar for every time she said it, I'd be a rich woman.

But we finally arrived and she was happy as a clam. Soon after we got here, my brother and his family arrived, and Rachel had a ball playing with her cousins for most of the afternoon. We put Rachel to bed a little bit early and she was more than happy to comply, because she got to sleep in her big girl bed.

Thursday morning we set out to see my husband's family. This year was a little different than usual because not everyone was there and they weren't going to be eating their thankgiving meal until later in the day (which is when my mom's dinner was going to be, too). So we didn't have two thanksgiving dinners like we normally do. Rachel fell asleep on the way out there, probably still tired from the previous day's no-nap. At naptime we drove back to my parents' house, but she didn't take a nap this time. I tried to put her to bed once we got back (she even said she wanted to go!), but she didn't sleep. She sang songs and talked to herself, but at least she was resting.

Thursday evening my brother and his family came back over (they stayed at my sister in law's parents' house), my grandpa came, and my aunt, uncle, and cousins came, who we usually only see at Thanksgiving and Christmas. We ate my mom's delicious Thanksgiving meal and I had my favorite yummy pie. Rachel started crying right before we ate because my husband was setting up the timer to take a family picture. She was "vewy, vewy hungwy" and wanted to eat RIGHT NOW, and when we told her she needed to wait for a minute she started to cry (she hardly ever cries, which is why it's notable that she did it then). So we let her start eating some turkey and drink her milk while he finished up the picture. We put her to bed early, since she hadn't had a nap, and the rest of us played a game, looked at Black Friday ads, and talked until well past our bedtimes.

Friday morning my husband braved the crowd and went Christmas shopping for my presents. He said it was fun, though I don't know any specifics about where he went. My mom and aunt went out for awhile, too. I enjoyed not going shopping and just hanging out with my family, though I was anxious all day, knowing Allecia was in labor, until I heard from her that everything was fine and Marin was born. I also had a frustrating time getting Rachel to nap. She wouldn't go to sleep and kept calling me. After an hour of listening to her alternating singing, calling me, and crying, she finally went to sleep. After she woke up, Rachel spent the afternoon with Alex, since his older two siblings went with their mom and other grandparents to a museum. Alex, who is almost four, loved being the older kid for a change and Rachel loved watching him, laughing at him, and following him around. They were laughing and chasing each other all over Grandma's house. My aunt and uncle left, my brother and his family went back to my sister-in-law's parents' house, and things got a little quieter.

That night I noticed a bag sitting in the TV room and asked my mom whose it was. She didn't know either, so we looked in it--it had a laptop in it, but we weren't sure whose it was. We thought it must've been my uncle's, so my mom called. Turned out it was my cousin's. They were staying at their other grandparents' house about an hour and a half away so we were going to meet them yesterday on our way back home and give him the laptop.

But then my husband woke up Saturday morning sicker than a dog. There would be no going back home. So I did some laundry and hunkered down for another day. Meanwhile, my brother was going to meet them with the laptop instead, because they were heading home. But about 20 minutes after they left, we got a call that my neice had just thrown up in the car so they were going to head back to my sister-in-law's parents' house and spend another night until they all got healthy.

It was a pretty unexciting day. My husband slept on and off on the couch all day long. My dad was in his bed most of the day, too, with a terrible cold. Rachel, my mom, and I hung out watching videos and coloring most of the day. My dad has named this, "The Thanksgiving from Hell."

We're all just waiting to see who else gets it. Hopefully no one, but with so many people sick, it's hard to say it won't happen.

EDIT: Now I'm not feeling well. Oh, brother. I was up getting packed up and ready to leave when I started feeling nauseous. I'm afraid to get in the car, so we may be here yet another day.

ANOTHER EDIT: Yep, I'm sick, too. We're still here. I've been in bed or on the couch most of the day. My husband is feeling a bit better, but still not himself. He'll have to take a sick day tomorrow and hopefully we can finally get back home (provided Rachel doesn't get it, too--oh, I sure hope not).

the best laid plans...

We had planned on going home today, but that was before my husband woke up with some sort of stomach bug. So the poor guy has been laying on the couch all day at my parents' house getting up only to go get sick. Yuck, yuck, yuck. So we're here another day (and crossing our fingers that no one else gets it). My dad has a bad cold, and my brother and his kids aren't feeling well, either (his daughter just threw up in the car on their way back home, so they're turning around and coming back to stay another day, too!), so if we don't catch something from someone, we're apt to catch it from another, but let's hope not.

Ugh.

big news

Going back home today. I'll write more tomorrow.

And the most exciting news in my world isn't actually my news to tell, but since she already put it on facebook, I guess I'm not overstepping my boundaries.....my dearest friend Allecia had a healthy baby GIRL yesterday afternoon! Rachel and I can't wait to go meet baby Marin and help entertain big brother Kaden in a week or two.

Black Friday

Are you going shopping today? I haven't figured out whether I'll be going or not... my husband likes to, but I hate the huge crowds. We'll see if he can convince me to go. I didn't see anything in the ads that I just have to have (for myself or for gifts), so we'll see.

Otherwise we'll be here at my parents' house enjoying lots of family. And more pie! Mmmm....the first bite of butterscotch last night was so delicious--I only get it once a year.

Yesterday was a long, tiring, but fun day. It'll be nice to have a little bit of a down day to recover.

Edited to add: He went without me. He's shopping for me, so that's fine with me! :)

In other exciting news, my friend, Allecia, went to the hospital in the middle of the night to have her baby! Can't wait to get a call (hopefully) this morning!!!!

over the river and through the woods...

...again!

We were just at Grandma's, but we're going back today. Hooray!


Oh, and here is another saying I just heard Rachel say yesterday...but she said it several times, so maybe it's a keeper:

-Good 'dea, Mommy! (idea) --for how long will she be telling me that? I'm sure it won't be long before she's rolling her eyes at my 'deas instead of complimenting me on them!

her latest sayings

Here are a few of the things she's been saying a lot lately.

-Hey guys, whatcha doin' in here?

-I need blanket make my warm.

-I have my hands full! (while carrying all of her babies, or stuffed animals all around the house)

-Look at all deese fings! (all these things)

-Maybe waiter (later)--when I tell her 'no' about something she answers, "maybe later."

-all by MYYYYY sewf (self)

-I got sared! (scared)

-I vewy, vewy hungwy (very, very hungry)--she's never just hungry, but always very, very hungry. Then she eats two bites.

-Dare, dat's bettah! (there, that's better!)

-Good singing, Waytul (Rachel) ....she says this after she finishes singing a song. Nothing like giving yourself a pat on the back!

And lately she's been asking for a "big girl bed." She slept on a mattress on the floor at my parents' house last week, since she's gotten too big for the pack and play she usually sleeps in there, and now she wants one in her room. We hadn't planned on switching anytime soon, since she's still sleeping just fine in her crib and doesn't try to climb out, but maybe we should start thinking about it.

horn of plenty

While at my mom's last week Rachel discovered her cornucopia centerpiece. Grandma told her what it was called and they took out all of the plastic fruits and vegetables inside and played with them.

A few hours later, after it had been put away for awhile, Rachel went up to my mom and said, "Get cokie-cokie-cofia pweeze?" We had no idea what she was saying and asked her to repeat it several times. Suddenly it dawned on me that she was asking for the cornucopia! Now we ask her over and over to tell us what it's called because it's hilarious to hear her call it a cokie-cokie-cofia!

the cape

While we were at my parents' house my mom and I set to work on that cape I was thinking about.

The next morning when we showed her she was so excited.

Her second sentence after, "A Wonder Pets Cape!" was, "Where's my fwy boat?"

So we found her one.

(The only problem with this project is that we had to use glue to put the W on the back because Rachel was sleeping in the room where my mom's sewing machine is, and the glue is really stinky!! I'm hoping the smell will dissipate, but right now I can't stand being anywhere near her when she's wearing it!)

the newest Beatle?

Growing up we had a wig in our dress up trunk. I don't remember why we even had it in the first place, but it was always just there. We used to put it on and pretend we were one of the Beatles and sing, "I Wanna Hold Your Hand."



It was laying around my parents' house while we were there and my parents took turns putting it on and getting a reaction out of Rachel. She didn't know what to make of it at first but then would say, "Grandma has silly hair!"



Finally she wanted to try it on herself. How's she look as a brunette?

In other news, I'm sick. My previous cold, which I thought was gone, or almost gone, has turned into a sinus infection. Oh, how I don't like winter....sickness, cold, stuck inside. Yuck. I'm not ready for this.

at Gwammaw's house

Every so often while we've been here Rachel will stop whatever she's doing, look around with a big smile, and say, "I at Gwammaw's house!!" She's just basking in all of the love, attention, toys, and playmates she has here.

Sadly, we go back home today. But we'll be back next week for Thanksgiving, so it won't be long before she can bask some more!

peg legs

While at Grandma's house Rachel decided to put on these "boots," as she called them....one is the old farm silo and the other is the plastic golf bag. She kept saying, "Help me?" because she couldn't get out of them, but we couldn't stop laughing and snapping pictures, so it took us awhile to get around to getting her out!

the human tornado

If they named tornados like they name hurricanes, this one would be called "Rachel."

Within a couple of hours of arriving at Grandma's very clean and tidy house yesterday,* Rachel managed to turn it into this!

*We're at Grandma's this week because Daddy's gone to a conference for work. We miss him, but it's always fun to be at Grandma's!!

germaphobe?

The other night Rachel asked me to help her change her baby's diaper. So I did...on her little blue stool. A little while later she found my gloves. For whatever reason she decided she needed to wear them (plus her pink baseball cap, backwards....) to change the baby's diaper again.



Perhaps she doesn't like passing germs on to her doll?

a 'cate'

A week or so ago I got a video for Rachel out of the library--it's one I've had out before (in fact, it was one I had on vacation and she watched it over and over again in the car....), but she hadn't seen it in a long, long time. One of the shows on the DVD is The Wonder Pets, a show she doesn't ever watch (it's not on at a time that she's usually allowed to watch a show). She's choosing this one a lot, and gets particularly excited when they put on their capes and get in their "flyboat" to go save some baby animal.

Last week sometime she brought me a blanket and said, "Cate, Mommy? Put cate on?" It took me awhile to figure out that she was asking me to put the blanket around her shoulders as her cape (she does this all the time, but usually it's as Super Bunny and she doesn't call it a cate!). So I put the blanket around her and she said, "Thank you my cate, Mommy." Then she was looking around for something. I asked her what she was looking for, and she said, "I looking my flyboat," which is what they call that red contraption in the picture you see. So we found an empty box and that became her flyboat. For several days that sat in the family room and whenever she'd choose to watch The Wonder Pets, she'd get her 'cate' on and get in her flyboat (then I cleaned and the flyboat went out to the garbage....yesterday she was asking for it again.....oops!).

So next on my agenda is making her a 'cate.' And maybe finding a new flyboat.

her new favorite seat

...Daddy's shoulders!

"Sit up dare, Daddy?" she asks as she points to his shoulders.

Doesn't Daddy looked thrilled with the arrangement?

letter to santa

Dear Santa,

For Christmas this year I'd like a "Kwismiss Twee."

But since Mommy told me we'd probably get one before Christmas, could you bring a "pah-ty" hat for me to wear instead? And some for Mommy and Daddy, too, because I want us all to wear party hats.

Love,

Rachel

I asked Rachel the other day what she hoped Santa would bring her for Christmas. The above responses were her answers!

still sick

My house is full of germs. My cold is much better, but I can't say as much for the rest of my family. My husband is getting worse, instead of better, and Rachel's has stayed about the same (except she's added a cough to her list of symptoms). Thankfully, she's sleeping okay at night, thanks to Benadryl and Vicks. Naptime has been a different story.

Some time ago she decided that her stall tactic for keeping us in her room when it's bedtime would be to say, "I need a kleenex, please." I don't know what started it or why she chose that, as opposed to, say, "I need some water, please," like most kids seem to want. She wants a kleenex. All. the. time. So we started leaving one in her bed with her--that way she can't ask us for one.

But then this cold started, and she'd wipe her nose or eyes with the kleenex, declare it "yucky," and then want a new kleenex! This tactic didn't work, though. We wouldn't go back in to get it for her. So then she started crying. Crying with a horribly stuffed up nose just makes it worse, and Saturday at naptime she had worked herself up into quite a mess. We went in a couple of times, calmed her down, she got a new kleenex, and we arranged her covers again, but before long she was at it again. After an hour we gave up and got her up. We told her she could stay in bed and go nigh night or go in her playpen by herself. Either way, we weren't going to be with her. She chose the playpen. And surprisingly, she played really well in there for another 45 minutes before we got her up and declared "naptime" over.

Sunday's nap started out heading in the same direction. I was nervous. I really, really didn't want the no-nap thing to become a trend. She's too little to give that up (I'm too selfish to give it up!!!! It's my two hours of peace!). Thankfully, though it got off to a rough start, she did fall asleep. I'm really hoping today goes a bit better and we can forgo the bit at the beginning. She's always gone down SO well for naps and nighttime. I don't want all of that to change now, after nearly three years. Maybe it's just the cold. Maybe it will all come back to normal when she's well (like, in April, since she's usually sick for most of the winter....). I'm already tired of winter and it isn't even here yet!!!!

the barefoot artist

She asks all the time now, "Paint, Mommy? I paint now?" We only get them out once in awhile because they're so messy, but I'm sure that now that it's cold, they'll be coming out more and more.

After painting I introduced her to the chalkboard on the back of the easel. She had no idea chalk could be used anywhere other than outside on the driveway...and she was thrilled. Here's how she started,

and how she ended...covering up as much as the board as she could reach.

a birthday wish

meteorologist

A recent conversation with Rachel:



Rachel (pointing to the trees): What happened?

Mommy: What happened to what?

R: What happened to weebs?

M: You tell Mommy. What happens to the leaves in the fall?

R: Weebs fall on da gwound! It's fall time!

M: That's right!

R: In winter time it snows!

M: Yes, it does! What about summer?

R: (silence)

M: In summer it's HOT!

R: Go swimmin'!

M: Yes, you go swimming in the summer when it's hot.

R: Sometimes go swimmin' Gwammaw's house.

M: Yes, you went swimming at Grandma's house.

R: Sometimes go swimmin' Rachel's house.

M: Yes, sometimes.

R: What happened? What happened my pool?

M: Mommy and Daddy put it away because it's not hot anymore.

R: Not hot. Cold! Weebs fall on da gwound. It's fall time!



(and over and over and over....ad nauseam)



We've had this same conversation almost every day for the last week as she's been playing outside in the warm, gorgeous weather we've been having. Sadly, I think it's over (the warm weather....not the conversation).


She's quite the weather enthusiast.


And on a completely unrelated note.....Happy Birthday, Jack!

sick

It's that time of year. We all three have a cold. Unfortunately, Rachel's is the worst. Why, oh why can't babies be born with not only a sucking reflex, but a nose-blowing reflex???? It's so hard, knowing that she would feel so much better if she would only be able to blow her nose and get that stuff out of there. And using a syringe? Not an option. Holding her down for anything is nearly impossible. I'll save it for the really important stuff like checking to see if she has an ear infection at the doctor's office (which we hopefully won't have to do this winter!!).

Mood-wise, she's doing okay. But her energy is definitely not quite there--she's spending much more time sitting on my lap than usual instead of running around like crazy. She's having trouble sleeping, though, which means that of course I'm having trouble sleeping, too. Oh well. This, too, shall pass.

I'm happy to report, though, that illness has not hindered her ability to tell me that she 'wubs' me. I'm hearing it a lot lately, and it's music to my ears.

affection

I mentioned that my mom was here for a couple of days. On the first night she was here, Rachel was just beside herself with excitement. She was running around and around in the play room, showing off for Grandma. All of a sudden, she ran over, threw her arms around my mom, and said, "Gwammaw, I wub you!" We were all so taken aback and excited, because she had never told us I love you before on her own....just repeating it sometimes when I say it to her. My mom, of course, was thrilled to be the recipient of such sweet affection.

She then started running back and forth between the three of us...."Mommy, I wub you," "Daddy, I wub you," etc, and giving us all big hugs, over and over.

Lately she's been calling things her "favwit." The other day in the car with my mom she wanted sunglasses. Hers were in the other car, so Grandma said she could wear hers. "Thank you, Gwammaw, deese are my favwit!" Yesterday she brought her jack-in-the-box into the kitchen where I was cooking dinner. "Mommy, dis is my favwit toy evah!" she told me.

I wub my sweet girl. She's my favwit.

today's top story

The previous post for today posted automatically this morning, since I wrote it a couple of days ago. But I didn't want to leave out the biggest news of the day, which is, of course, the election of a new president, so I'm writing an extra post today.

I'm not much into politics (much to the dismay of my former government teacher, my DAD!) but I did pay more attention to this election than I ever have to any other election in my life. I've voted in all of the major presidential elections since I turned 18, but never was I more well informed than I was this time. (Mind you, I hadn't set the bar very high in the past, so I wouldn't say I was completely well informed, but I did watch almost all of the debates and followed the campaigns loosely--more than I can say for previous elections).

I don't affiliate myself with any political party, and until I walked up to the voting machine yesterday morning, I still wasn't completely sure who would get my vote. I was literally shaking when I made my selection, because I really didn't know if it was the right choice--I wasn't sure if either of the candidates was the right person for the job, to tell you the truth. Before I hit the "confirm your vote" button, I continued to go back and forth in my mind if that was truly who I wanted to see in the White House. I thought about it and questioned my choice all day yesterday.

I surprised myself last night by being more interested than I normally would be in the projections. And again this morning by tearing up when I heard replays of both Obama's and McCain's speeches last night (no, I didn't stay up to watch past 10:00...I told you I'm not that into politics--I cared about this election, but I care about sleep more at this point, since insomnia is frequently a problem and I need to get my sleep when I can get it!).

I don't have anything particularly profound to say about all of this, except that I'm thankful that I live in a country where I'm allowed and encouraged to have an opinion about all of this. And I'm thankful that my daughter will grow up in such a place (and I hope that she is more interested in all of it as she grows up than her mother was!).

trees

I can't take credit for these pictures...my mom took them when she was here.


I've lived here for five years and I don't think I've ever realized what a pretty tree we have in our back yard in the fall. My husband said it's been like this every year (I guess I'm just very unobservant!), but the leaves don't usually stay on the tree long enough after they change to notice. For some reason this year they're staying on the tree longer and we get to enjoy its beauty. Now if I can only figure out how to photoshop that big red sandbox and lawn chairs out of the picture....



A few weeks ago Rachel figured out how to "climb" one of our trees. Climbing it consists of stepping up about six inches into a small indentation between the two parts of the tree and holding on. My mom caught a picture of this.

gag me with a....PB&J?

This is rather gross....don't read if you have a weak stomach. Sorry....but this is what we're dealing with at the moment.

A couple of weeks ago we ate dinner at The Olive Garden. At the end of the meal they bring those Andes mints when they bring your check. I broke off a small piece of one and gave it to Rachel. She started chewing it up with a very strange look on her face (we've since come to realize that she doesn't like mint). Then she started gagging and proceeded to get sick all over the table, her high chair, and the floor. Thankfully I had an extra pair of pants in the diaper bag so I went to change her while my husband cleaned up the mess (What a guy!). She wasn't sick...just gagged, which then triggered her to throw up. She didn't fuss and was as happy as can be after it happened. Very strange.

So yesterday she was eating lunch--PB&J. She had only eaten a few bites. My mom, who is here visiting for a couple of days, and I were trying to encourage her to eat a couple more bites. She kept saying she was all done (this is a frequent struggle in our house). We bribed her with a piece of halloween candy if she ate the rest of the half she had in her hand. She willing ate the rest...all at once. Then she started gagging. And up it all came, all over her bib and tray of her booster seat. My mom got her out (she was crying by this point) and she then got sick again all over herself and my poor mom.

My mom thinks it's all related to her feeding problems she had early on (when she had to drink her bottles laying flat on the floor instead of in our arms because she started choking and gagging). Maybe she has a super sensitive gag reflex. I don't know. It doesn't seem to be anything particularly serious, but it is pretty gross!

Anyone know anything about this problem??

say cheese!

This dress is from Great Grandpa, so before we went to church last week I took a picture of it so he could see her in it.

After we got home she decided she wanted to wear her boots with it instead. I wanted to take a picture because I thought it was funny. She decided she wanted her glove on, and that Polar Bear and Jack-o-Lantern should be in the picture too.

ballet pjs

She's crazy about ballet, so these new ballet PJs from Great Grandpa are perfect. She LOVES them and is so excited every time they're clean and she gets to wear them again! "My banawina jammas!" she always exclaims.

trick or treat

For a week now she's been so excited about going trick or treating. She didn't really know what it was, but she knew she was supposed to say "twick or tweet" and she'd get candy from somebody.

After dinner last night she talked and talked about it, and wanted to put on her costume. Finally it was time, and she was thrilled. She looked at herself in the mirror, stood sideways so she could see her tail, and hopped up and down like a bunny.

A lady who walks her dog in the neighborhood when we're outside all the time knocked on our door just after Rachel got her costume on and said she wasn't passing out candy, but she wanted to give candy to the little ones she knows in the neighborhood (wasn't that so nice?). Rachel was so excited to put the candy into her pumpkin bucket.

Then we went outside to take pictures. The most exciting part was hippety hopping down the sidewalk. She was good and tired before trick or treating even started! The ears flopped every time she hopped--it was extremely cute.

We practiced trick or treating at our house, and Daddy answered the door and put candy in her bucket. She loved it.

When it came time to go, we started at Ethan's house, our next door neighbor, who is about 6 months older than Rachel. She was so excited to see "Spiderman," which was his costume he had been talking about several weeks ago when they were playing. We went up to their porch and Ethan/Spiderman was out, but his mom went back in to get the candy. When she came back out, so did their mammoth chocolate lab, Griffin, who came right after Rachel with a sloppy kiss. Just as she was just getting psyched up to say trick or treat! She came running to me, terrified, and then was all flustered, once things finally calmed down. We had to prompt her over and over again to say it. She finally did, but it was very soft and shy, not like she'd been saying it at home at all. From then on, it was more of the same. She followed Ethan around the cul de sac, and he'd holler "Trick or Treat" as he was walking up the driveways, but it was like pulling teeth to get her to say it, and often she'd cover her eyes when I'd say, "What do you say?" She did manage to say thank you to most of the people, though, so at least she remembered her manners!!

We went around our cul de sac, and to a house across the street to a house where we know the family, and then she was done. Ethan kept going all over the neighborhood, but she had had enough. The part she loved the most was sitting outside with us (it was warm and beautiful! Great trick or treat weather!) watching everyone and seeing all of the costumes. Her favorites were a Dora costume and a Pablo (from The Backyardigans) costume, who she asked about constantly ("Where'd Pabwo go??? Where's Pabwo?") She asked to eat her candy non-stop, and was allowed half a kit kat and a little mini twix, and then sucked on a tootsie pop (which didn't even fit in her little mouth!) for the rest of the night.

From time to time she'd hand me her sucker and go hop again on her hippity hop (she calls it her bouncy ball, but we always called them hippity hops growing up). "I hop in dark," she kept saying. It was quite a treat to be outside in the dark, since she's usually in bed by dark (which will now change with the time change this weekend....more on that in another post). People started calling her the Energizer Bunny, hopping all around on the sidewalk in front of our house.

That's our girl, all right....the Energizer Bunny (who fell into bed exhausted when the night was done--she didn't make a sound!).