Obligatory Christmas Post

Well, another Christmas has come and passed...and the last one as a family of four to be exact!

We headed down to the grandparents house on Christmas Eve, enjoyed some chilli, watched A Muppet Christmas Carol and sent the kids to bed while the 'elves' could get an early start.

Play jewelry was a real hit with this little girl!

An apron to use when grandma bakes with Eliza

The aftermath

Grandparents did the usual thing most do at this time of year and spoil the kids as they pleased. Matt and I spent a modest amount on the kids. It's easier to do it at this age as most are in the $30 range. Then of course some modest inexpensive stocking stuffers.

Our gifts to Nolan: Ride on Dusty, diecast planes, RC Mickey Car

Our gifts to Eliza: Pony wall stickers, Jake Duplo set, Do-a-dot stampers, 2 Innotab games

A shared gift was the Magna Tiles, which I was able to get 50% off with a personal connection. I know several of these gifts will be played with by both kids, and hopefully, be passed down to the next one. 

It was fun to see Nolan get much more into the fun with this being his second Christmas day. Only problem was...he'd get stuck on one gift, playing with it and ignoring anything else we put in front of him. Not much of what he got didn't have wheels on it. It's fun seeing this stage, as he develops his own interests :)

Now...we can only hope these toys will keep them well interested so mommy can have a moment to herself once and awhile

Eliza-isms (100th Post)

As time passes me by, I feel like I need to document some of these phases of each child. So here are the most recent things Eliza has been stuck on....that may or may not drive me up the wall.

"All myself"
This independance wheeling preschooler insists on doing many things without assistance.

"What's he/her name"
It doesn't matter if it is someone on a commercial, a stranger on the street or a picture of someone. She insists on knowing what their name is. I'll give a quick "I don't know" most of the time, but will have to make up some fake name to quiet the incessant asking.

"Mix-a"
She will chant this over and over when with her food. It absolutely has to be mixed up in order to be fit for consumption.

"We take turns in mommy's tummy?"
Now that she knows there is a baby growing inside me, she will frequently ask for the baby to come out already so she can go back inside. When I tell her the baby is still to small to come out, the curtain is lifted and the drama starts. I'll tell her that its small, dark and no netflix. This still does not convincer her otherwise. Sorry kid, it is a one way door for each!

Santa's Vacation Home

We made our second annual visit to the local Bass Pro Shop...you know, where Santa likes to stock up on wilderness and outdoor supplies during his free time ;)

Manned with the special grandparent garments and a quick change in the bathroom (only to discover Eliza was not wearing any underpants), I fought with Eliza to wear a *gasp* blue dress. Seems like everything has got to be pink these days....

This was pretty much Nolan's initial response to Santa when we started, but quickly simmered down as we went along. Eliza, once being told that you tell Santa what you want for Christmas, was perfectly fine on sitting on the jolly mans lap. What a difference compared to last year where the only shot we could get was her face down, engrossed in Angry Birds on daddy's cell phone while tolerating the visit with Santa. But I love how authentic this Santa looks. Even nicer than the one in the Mall, and his surrounding area for pictures, which are free!

Of course, a visit to Bass Pro isn't complete without a long visit to the aquarium. Nolan was entranced at all the fish, while Eliza used the fake rock front as a climbing wall.

I used some of the other areas of the store as impromptu backdrops for pictures, but finding it is getting increasingly hard to get both kids to look at the camera...especially in new surroundings. Or my feisty three year old thinks its the best time to lift up her dress or pout her lower lip, as if this was such a punishment. But they enjoyed the other entertainment set ups where you could play with some of the toys for purchase.

The best surprise of this trip was finding Nolan was keeping his newsboy hat on the entire time. I got that thing for a steal at Children's Place on clearance for two dollars! And boy, did he work that whole ensemble. I couldn't get enough of him as his biased mother, and could have eaten him up.

So I wonder...what will next year look with three littles! 

Wet Saint Bernards & Cat Doors

Someone once said that giving birth is like a wet St. Bernard trying to squeeze through a cat door. And I am sure most men who have witnessed  a vaginal birth might agree when they try and wrap their heads around the idea of passing something that large through their own loins.

After looking through all my available options and advice from my OB/GYN...we are going to go ahead and make this one a scheduled c-section.

No more induction...

Pitocin...

Back labor...

With many of the perks which come with scheduling your baby's birthday and making childcare arrangements.....outside of the longer recovery and pain connected with a c-section...it hit me a few days ago.

I'll never push a rectangular pumpkin out my hoo-ha again.

...and I got a little sad and had a hard time believing I even did it with Eliza. It seemed like forever to get to 4 cm, and I wanted my daughter in my arms NOW and the blasted back labor to knock off. Matt assured me, that yes indeed, I had in fact pushed her out on my own.

I could put my foot down and travel a good distance to a doctor who delivers at a hospital with VBAC options, and pray I could go into labor on my own...

But let's face it....

I am more closed up than a nun when it comes up to the delivering side of things. And I guess, a real challenge when it comes to epidurals being administered. The last thing I want to do is be in labor before hand and then an emergency surgery where I would be knocked out because my pain level can't be controlled (big gasp)...and be knocked out again for the birth.

....this time around though, I am going to insist on gentle cesarean birth, which gives the mother the chance to see her baby born and immediately bond while being put back together again. That would truly be wonderful this time around :)

2nd & 3rd Pregnancy Guilt

When you're pregnant with your first baby, you are blissfully unaware of the gift of free time to use during your more exhausting phases of pregnancy. You may be working, or staying home...but when you are home, you decide as to just how you want to spend it.

Napping....

Long peruses down the baby aisles as you dream about your nursery coming together....

Catching up with friends on the phone....

Crafting....

Experimental cooking....

Then, you decide to have another baby and reality sets in.

You now find yourself trying to balance the unpleasant side effects of pregnancy with chasing around a toddler in your time at home. The toddler desperately wants your attention all.the.time....and all you can think of is how much longer until you can realistically convince them it is nap/bed time.

Thoughts of your children's future success in school crosses your mind as you put on yet another popular Jake and the Neverland Pirates marathon off Netflix. You have no grandparents or other relatives who live near by to help out and you are not trying to thrive, but survive!

Graham cracker crumbs speckle your family room rug....

The laundry pile is coming close enough in size to challenging the right to vote...

The layer upon layers from the last week of meals on and around the dining table is becoming worthy of the worlds largest petri dish.

....and don't even get me started on the kitchen.

Living in small quarters with a growing family makes trying to do maintenance cleaning a real joke.

Some days we go from pajamas to pajamas, since there is no point in growing more dirty laundry when there are no plans to step foot outside the house.

I have to tell myself each day, "This is only temporary."

But guilt is a tricky thing, when you think about how your baby of the family will become the stigmatized middle child. How you should be making more of your time with just the two kids with crafts and creative play. I would be lying if I said I didn't have any pregnancy regrete. I was so certain that Nolan was to be my last baby as I layed in the hospital bed, recovering from a very hard birth experience.

The expression, "Be careful what you wish for", holds some real truth to it. Yet, God knows what's best and doesn't have second guesses, unlike our imperfect selves.

Toddler & Preschool Toy Review - Amazon

1.Vtech InnoTab 3S $60- $80

If you've been on the fence about getting your child some sort of tablet because you don't want them hooked on it, this is a nice alternative. It can connect to your wifi, control downloadable content, takes picture/video and does ebooks. Its not a huge investment, and does more than a Gameboy. Not to mention, no surprise purchases from any of the games. With the touch screen and direction pad, it also has motion sensing for particular games. 

2. Playmobil Take and Go Dollhouse $50

With many options for dollhouses that can handle Barbie size dolls or smaller, this is a great buy when space is concerned. This house comes with lots of details and accessories to complete the house. No need to buy $30 a room furniture sets to get playing. With a little adult help putting together some initial furniture, this is ready for play on the go.

3. Magna-Tiles $40 - $125

Go beyond wooden building blocks and see where your child's creativity will take them. These tiles have encased magnets around the sides and easily stick together. Strong enough to stay together during active play and still able to fall apart when a toy dump truck runs into it. This toy is a little more of an investment, but will last for years as your tot grows.

4. Bazoongi 48" Trampoline $79.99

Enjoy this trampoline year round without worrying about serious injury that comes with its big brother version. It sits low to the ground and has a removable balance bar for early jumpers. Assembly isn't too complicated and comes with its own special tool to help attach the springs. Easily move it inside for those long winter months when the kids need extra activity It comes with a 125 lbs. weight limit, but strong enough to last for a long time.

5. Schwinn Trike $89.99 

If you like things that last and bring back some of the charm of your first bike, this is for the kids. The seat does have variable adjustment settings and is built solid. Color choices include hot pink and fire engine red. This bike will make it through all the kids or grandkids in your family.

6.Do-A-Dot $14.99 

If open containers of paint around your tots make your nervous, enjoy a little more peace of mind when it comes to art time.

You're a Mean One Mrs. Grinch

Call me what you want, but I'm perfectly okay with it.

This is the time of the year when many families stress out, fight over trivial things and feel like their to do list is never ending. I guess I don't get why we have to over complicate things when of course, the real reason for the season never included all the things which we stress over. Less is more in my eyes, and I don't set the kids up with expectations for each year. If it happens...it happens.

Here is what our family will not be doing this year:

The Elf- Haven't started and not sure if we'll get into it later on as I've heard a lot of kids getting creeped out by it.

Family Christmas Card- I applaud those of you who can successfully accomplish this. I do enjoy getting them from friends and family to grace the side of our fridge, but it has never been something I think of doing in time.**Update**
After taking a families card photo...it got the best of me and decided to just use pictures from this current year. Ah...peer pressure. 

A Tree- Yes, I probably get the most flack for this one. But I'm not loosing any sleep over it. Our place is small, and getting smaller by the day as baby Geddes 3.0 is cooking away. I struggle to keep this place cleaned up and organized in its current non holiday state as it is. There isn't room for one and we won't be home for Christmas anyways. If this wasn't the case, I would probably do everything in my powers to make something work. But for right now, I'll just focus on picking up all the small toys off the ground and not add ornaments to the mix.

A little girl I was watching one day asked me why we didn't have a tree up. I told her we were Jewish....just kidding of course. We do have however, the Little People Nativity scene set......And I am already having to play search and rescue for wisemen, animal control on the barnyard and CPS on baby Jesus.

Toddler & Preschooler Gift Series: Ikea Edition

If you've never stepped inside an Ikea before, now is the time this season.

Items are those in which we have of our own, or talked to those who to own them.

1. Knight's Castle Tent $20

This thing is great! It feels durable with its thicker nylon material and thick tension poles (x4). It takes about 1-2 minutes to assemble it. There are even two mesh windows on the roof so parents can peek in on the kids play.

2. Artist Easel $14.99

This is such a steal at this price when you compare it to the Melissa and Doug or Imaginarium brand ones. It is a great start for any budding artist or parents who want more of a minimalist design when incorporating it into the rest of home decor.

3. Soft Play Fruit and Veggie $7.99 each

These are a nice alternative to their plastic food counterparts. No worries when stepped on when navigating the play area.And you can always throw them in the wash when needed. I especially like the velcro tear away lettuce leaves.

4. Tumbling Matt $29.99

If you have a very active child who is using your couch for doing tumbles and who knows what else....this is a great bargain for a gymnastics mat. Its more durable and thicker to the foam puzzle squares and folds up for storage. Use it as a bonus to sleep on for little sleepover guests.

5. Wooden Train sets $7.99 - $9.99

If you've balked at the outrageous prices of the Thomas wooden train sets or the specialty toy shop lines...this is a great value for wooden tracks. So far, they integrate well with other wooden sets/train cars and are easy for little hands to put together.

6.Cars and Garage $9.99 - $12.99

These cars get a lot of play in our house. Each one can be mixed and matched with other car parts to make your own customized design. The simple design of the garage is perfect for those households where space can be a premium. The garage can be taken part for later storage, but you may want to super glue the pieces together if you have little ones who like to play tough.

T-Day

I was a bad photographer this Thanksgiving...

The camera never even came out of its bag the entire time we spent with the grandparents.

We had been set to leave town shortly after 3pm on Thanksgiving Eve to Matt's parents house. Then we got a phone call at about noon that a tree had fallen on dad's car as he was pulling into the driveway. He was okay for two reasons: 1) He is a man of short stature 2) The car he drives, is built like a tank. But needless to say, with this accident blocking the entire road in/out of the complex and the mounting snow piling up...this made for very nervous parents for their kids.

So we played the waiting game...

Checks of road conditions every so many minutes, screenshots of the roads and snow accumulation were our new hobby. Eliza was chomping at the bit to go and see Grandma, and I had planned the food shopping to not have to deal with a dinner on Wednesday evening. Our parents encouraged us to leave early morning and they'd plan dinner around when we got there.

We are both not morning people..

By 9pm, we gathered that most of the accidents had been cleared up and the snow was going to knock off as we continued our travels.

It wasn't our best travel time, but we made it, safe and sound near close to 2am with only one stop to grab some drinks. It also allowed me to do a breathing treatment since I had been battling breathing for close to 4 weeks.

Thanksgiving morning, I would then later visit the local ER for the first time as my last visit to ours back home about a week prior hadn't been effective enough. Three nebulizer treatments later and script for antibiotics, we were sent home and enjoyed a quiet meal with just our immediate family.

The rest of our time was spent relaxing, shopping at a few stores we don't have near us (IKEA), family time at Billy Bee's and doing some elf work. We brought the Christmas presents from us and my mother along with us so I could have a place to wrap and store the gifts since we'll be returning for Christmas. Not to mention, having the time to assemble a few toys before hand. Knowing we might have to return home on Christmas day at night...the last thing I want to spend my time on is reading directions. Plus, it means less wrapping for me, wahoo!

I'll leave this post with a conversation we had with Eliza in the car.

E: But I miss grandma

Don't worry, we will come back to visit them at Christmas and even Santa will come

E: No, I don't want Santa to come!

But don't you want some new toys?

E: But I already have toys dad.

Then I guess you don't want any new games for your Innotab?

E: Wait, I want games!

Little by little, she is grasping the whole Santa game....but still has this love/hate relationship with the jolly man in red :)