Some Holiday Highlights

I'm a bit behind in my holiday posts. I find that I take the same sort of pictures each year...just the faces get older!

Decorating gingerbread men. I cheated this year and bought a kit. It was fun and stress free! I did do a big batch of sugar cookies from scratch though for the hubby.

Snow for Christmas was wonderful and definitely an answer to prayers of little boys at my house!

Bonding with Grandad on Christmas Eve. I was sad that the service at church was cancelled due to the weather. That is my most favorite part of Christmas.

So cute I can barely stand it!

I love the awkward 'man-pass' of the baby in this picture!

Tradition to open gifts at my parents Christmas eve


I am told Chad is now a clone trooper. The Star Wars fan club goes strong with our boys.


My two fine 'big boys'!

Liam brought a lot of joy to us this Christmas.

Next post Christmas Day.....

Our Boy is Home

Well....that was not something I'd like to repeat anytime soon. But what matters most is that Liam is home and on the mend. I've typed out a few of the details of the past few days at the bottom of this post. Like I've said before this blog also acts as my personal journal (and I will print the whole darn thing one day) so it's for posterity!

At home, safe in Mummy's arms.
Loving his puppy.

The hospital room was a tad chilly, hence the coat!

Keith administering the ventalin treatment. We are to do them at home now for 10 days.

He was such a trooper!

On Dec 24th he started with what seemed like an innocent cold which was probably passed along from his older brothers. Each day the cold got just a little worse. Mainly it was the coughing fits that really concerned us. We researched our books and the internet to find that there is nothing to be done for a cold in an infant except humidifier, saline nose drops and lots of TLC. On Dec 27th we decided to take Liam to the walk-in clinic to have him evaluated since his chest sounded a little raspy. The doctor there (with whom I was not impressed) basically told us it was a cold and layed a guilt trip on me for not breast-feeding. Not a fun experience but we were relieved and went our merry way. The night of the 27th Liam grew dramatically worse. He would not settle down and was coughing to the point of gagging and we would tell he was in pain from a raw throat. It just was heart breaking but beyond that really frightening. We decided to call the nurses 24 hour hotline to see what we should do! After relaying all his symptoms to her she told us to get to ER to be assessed right away. So we made one of those dreaded 'middle of the night' phone calls to Keith's brother (THANK YOU MURRAY!!!!) who rushed over to stay with our other children (who were blissfully unaware of any of this night time drama) so we could go to the hospital. This was around 4:00 am.
We made the right decision for sure as we were fast tracked into ER with no wait (unheard of!) and Liam had x-rays and a swab of his nose to test for RSV. The results for RSV proved negative and the pediatrician told us he had a very nasty virus that caused bronchiolitis (sp?) and pneumonia on one lung. And here we thought it was just a cold! We were so upset but at the same time very relieved we were in the hospital now where he could have the proper treatment. He was admitted to pediatrics and has been receiving ventalin, IV, oxygen and antibiotics. Through this entire experience our sweet baby has not fussed or been a cranky sort. Yes he screamed murder through the x-ray, IV and blood test but otherwise he smiles at the staff and basically has had the most lovely disposition. We are emotionally spent and at the same time so utterly grateful for the support of our friends, family. Keith is my hero...he stayed both nights with Liam and let me go home to sleep the night at home. The first time I had uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep since probably early summer and yes...it was fabulous!

Adventures in Living

I am posting from the bedside of my sick baby Liam at Abbotsford General Hospital. There is so much to catch my readers up on! I will just let you know that there will be full details of the holidays and lots of pictures as soon as we are settled back home.
Liam should be discharged tomorrow! His x-ray today showed much improved lungs. If you hadn't heard by now, he came down with a very nasty virus in his airways and caught a bit of pneumonia.
But I will leave you with this....never listen to a clinic doctor when he tells you your baby has 'just a cold' when your gut tells you otherwise. Your gut is ALWAYS right!

As Per Tradition

A new face added to the usual crew. I'm not sure if Nathan will tolerate this next year when he is eleven years old so I thought I'd better get the photo done!

He's Three Months!

Baby Liam is turning into a very lovely baby. Many smiles and coos and much less fussing. We are thankful.

Last night was his longest stretch ever at 6.5 hours of sleep in a row. Wow! The future holds great promise in the sleep department.

Friday was a big milestone for Liam (and Keith) as we took him to be baby-sat at someone's house so we could go for dinner and shopping. Keith hasn't been ready to do this but I certainly have! We left the little man with Kori (whom we trust with all our hearts) and knew he would be cared for and loved. We came back after a wonderful Chinese food supper and successful shopping trip to find that he had been 'an angel baby'. Thanks so much Kori and family for allowing us to have an evening out!

The Weather Outside is Frightful!

I think this is the third straight day of bone-chilling howling winds. It's so painfully cold out there! We are now parking K's jeep on the driveway and each morning we just hope it starts. The cars are used to wet not freeze!

One of our main concerns is the hot tub. A few weeks ago it started to trip the breaker and shut down. Keith emailed Beachcomber and after many discussions and whatnot it was discovered the heater has died. The good news is the part is under warranty and it's easy enough for Keith to replace on his own. The bad news is that the pipes in the tub don't have warm water running through them and we're worried they are going to freeze and crack. The part arrived just an hour ago so just as soon as Keith can, it's going in.

Today seemed extra long for two reasons. This morning as I approached the school to drop off the kids I noticed all the teachers lined up along the drop-off lane speaking to each car. Turns out that the school had no power or heat! So...we turned around and all went back home. The kids were excited to have an extended weekend and possibly spend the day playing their PS2. All those plans went to pot as the power went off just before 10:00 am and didn't come back on until after 3 pm! It sure got cold in our house! I thought about going to the mall but didn't know how to manually lift the garage door. So the boys played board games and I washed my kitchen floor and cupboards to stay warm. My mom came by for a few hours so I could do a bit of Christmas shopping. Everyone else in Abbotsford had the same idea and the mall was packed to the gills!

On top of all this it seems Liam has a touch of the flu. He's been puking a lot and it's more than just his usual spit up. His appetite is dimished quite a bit as well. But he's smiley and not showing any signs of dehydration so we hope it just goes away as quickly as ours did.

Liam did a huge puke on Keith last night!

What Was THAT?!

Last night I attended our staff Christmas party at Tradex in Abbotsford. Kori was my date for the evening as we decided that our spouses would have a much better time at home with their beloved off-spring.

I'll start by saying it was cold....VERY cold with an evil wind chill factor of minus a trillion (sorry Colleen, it was probably balmy by your standards).

The metal box, they call Tradex wasn't warming up at all and I basically had numb appendages the entire evening. Aside from the discomfort, the company was grand. We ladies had a very fun time at our table chatting and laughing. Well, yelling at each other because we were right beside the speakers for the music and entertainment.

You know, I'd actually just call it a party. They took the Christmas right out of it. They didn't play Christmas music during dinner at all. There were no Christmas trees like last year either. The grace that was said before dinner was a confusing yet politically correct travesty! Oh my!

The gentleman saying the prayer is a devout Catholic and I'm not sure how he got his arm twisted to say such an odd 'blessing' on the meal. After he was done, I felt odd....was that a prayer? He basically asked us all to bow our heads and each address our own personal 'spiritual advisor or diety' and beseach them or ask or beg for a good year and some other mumbo jumbo. It was so crazy! Just say a simple grace and get on with it. I don't know of ANY non-Christian that would oppose a simple grace before a meal. And if they do, they haven't mentioned it to me! Or just don't say grace altogether. And he concluded the 'prayer' with saying 'and I ask this all in the name of my personal diety, Jesus Christ AMEN!'.

Weird.

Well, one of the best parts of the evening was the fact that half of our table was lucky enough to have their names drawn for door prizes! I got a $50 gift card to Chapters!

It was really nice to get out. Thanks Kori for taking me and getting us home safe in the horrible weather.

Good to be home with my baby!

Room for Five

One of the many adjustments I had to make when Liam was born was the fact we'd have to give up my beloved Jetta. We had thought all along the pregnancy that three boys would fit in the back seat just fine. It wasn't until Keith actually put in the base and car seat the night before he was born that we discovered it just wasn't going to work out. To fit the car seat in the middle we would have had to push both front seats up as far as they would go. Pretty hard to drive a standard that way. So the car seat was placed behind the front passenger seat. I sit there with my knees against the dashboard. Very cozy. Nathan sits in the middle since Chad is still in a booster and that only fits on the side seat. Let's just say when all three kids are in the car they are wedged in like sardines.

So we set out to find a car that would best suit our needs and budget. After much research (thanks Keith) and test drives we decided that a 2007 Honda CR-V was our top choice. What we didn't realize is that most people LOVE their CR-Vs and there aren't many on the market to chose from. Well, let me clarify...there are lots of 'base' models but we decided that we are old enough to enjoy a few extra luxuries and wanted the middle of the road model. So after about 2 months of searching car lots and websites we found a good possibility...in Victoria. Keith called and it sounded like quite a find. The car is ex-fleet, perfectly maintained, low mileage, and a price that was almost $10K less that the dealership in town here. Hmmmm! We were getting warmer! After much negotiating on the phone the dealership gave their price and we turned them down. It was just a bit more than we wanted to spend and we thought we'd just wait it out for something else to come along. The next day they called back and told us they really wanted our business; brought down the price some more and offered to pick up Keith as a walk-on from the ferry. We decided to go for it. Plans were made, the certified cheque picked up, the ride to the ferry sorted out. The night before Keith was heading out there, the flu hit him with a vengence. Nathan, Chad and I had all already puked out little tummies out the days leading up to Friday and now poor Keith was having his turn. So after a night of bathroom horrors he headed out to the ferry feeling a little green around the gills but okay. The day went well, he got the car, fit in a visit with his sister and headed home. Unfortunately due to horrible weather on the seas the 5pm sailing was cancelled and he had to wait and HOPE he could get on the 7 pm. Low and behold he was one of the last cars on the 7 pm boat and was finally heading home! The crossing was very rough and everyone on board was tossed about. He started to feel pretty crappy again and just wanted to be home as did I! I was anxious to see our new car and felt bad he was having such a long day with no recovery time from his flu. Just around 10:15 or so he pulled up to the house in our shiny new silver CR-V and I sure do like it! I can't wait to take it for a little drive today! We'll be parking it in the garage after today until we sell our current vehicles since insuring three cars is not an option financially. Anyone want to a buy a 2002 VW Jetta (it's loaded and I'll sure miss my heated seats) or a 1999 Jeep with lots of extras?!

And that my friends is the way we got our new wheels.

Our Family Christmas Card Photos

Thank Heaven...Week Eleven!

Hi everyone! I'm the cutest thing ever....so my mom and dad say.

Sometimes I have lots on my mind.

My parents are happy I don't sleep in my car seat anymore. They tell me this is how normal babies sleep at night. Whatever.

Gosh....my parents sure take a lot of pictures of me!

Ponderings

The other day, I heard the announcer on the radio say there were only a few weeks left in 2008! As I am quite wrapped up in my home life at the moment, this took me by surprise. Yes, it's almost the New Year.

The year 2008 was incredibly emotional for me. So many ups and downs.....and it went by in a blur. It seems like I was always waiting for the 'next thing'. Waiting for the the 'pink line' on the stick, waiting for the nausea to go away, waiting to find out the sex of our baby, waiting for the c-section, waiting for Liam to stop crying....and on and on. I seriously wished the whole year away and it's gone by so very very fast!

I am hoping to savor the moments of 2009 a bit more. Just enjoy each day without anticipating what's to come. A big challenge for a worry-wart such as myself who likes to borrow trouble!

We have some big plans for 2009 that will make it very memorable. I'm glad to be able to share them with you on my blog!

10 Week Old Darling!

Liam becomes more delightful with each passing week. Sadly he is not sleeping through the night yet but has gone 5 hours between feeds some nights and this is good progress! He is very smiley and quite content when his tummy isn't bothering him. He's still spitting up a fair amount but we're getting use to it. C'est la vie!

Hanging with Grandad
Cuddling with Grandma

I cannot say enough good things about the relationship between these two. Nate has the most tender way with Liam and it's a beautiful thing to see!

Our cute little elf all ready for a night walk.

I tell Keith that this is a small taste of what it feels like to be pregnant :) A power walk with a 13 lbs bundle on your belly....makes him appreciate me!

9 Weeks

His big brothers did this to him. Poor little Santa baby!
Oh the smiles are delightful!

Wow...I have THREE kids!

Nathan is beyond amazing in his care for Liam. He'll make a wonderful dad one day.

Plump Bits and Pieces

Liam has really packed on weight in the past 2 weeks. At his 2 month check up yesterday he weighed in at 13 lbs 8 oz! He was dressed so one could subtract a bit of that weight but when you consider he was at 9.6 lbs two weeks ago it is quite a dramatic jump!

The doctor told me he is in the 90th percentile for his age. Excellent! It's always happy news for the mum to hear her baby is thriving.

Here's some proof of our growing boy....

Chubby legs (inherited from his mother)

Chubby Cheeks


My favorite...a chubby wrist

Smarties

The dreaded report cards came home yesterday. Both kids were so anxious for us to open them! Nathan was a little nervous because he really wanted to make honor roll. Well, he did awesome and easily made the honor roll! We're very happy that all his (and our) hard work paid off. Chad did amazing as well. His reading skills are superior and he is a very well liked member of his class. Both boys did us real proud!!!

Week 8

I started off the week with a random act of kindness! I had my Dad over for brunch after church on Sunday. My mom sometimes has to work on the weekends and I felt sorry for him going home to an empty house. We had waffles with all the toppings, bacon and farmer sausage. Liam gets to try out a Bumbo chair! He likes it for short periods of time. He doesn't really like the feeling of not being able to kick his legs. Thanks for letting me borrow it Kristin.

We paid a visit to the 'aunties' (Kori & Keri) on Wendesday. Liam was cuddled and loved for the afternoon while I sat back and had a nice break. It was great to have some adult conversation!

Liam is sweet, chubby and smiley...lots of fun. Sure beats all the times he's whining, puking and fussing. It's always a variety show around here. The nights are so-so. He is up only once but often has a hard time falling back to sleep after his feed. He is very restless...not crying but not settling down. Any suggestions, mamas?

We take a walk every evening when the weather allows it. Liam has yet to endure a whole walk in his stroller without crying. We decided to try the Snuggli instead and he slept like a baby the whole time. Genius!