Our Rambunctious Toddler's First ER Visit

Alex is so full of energy and loves to run, alot. Maybe someday he'll be a track star. Unfortunately, today, his favorite past time took him straight to the ER. Running on the wood floor, Alex slipped and his forehead met the sharp corner of the banister. The bleeding stopped pretty quickly with pressure, but we realized it was more than just a scratch so off we went. The cut looked pretty deep but the doctor was able to close it with Dermabond--a glue that holds the skin together. They say the scarring will be visible but minimal. No stitches. They covered the wound with steri-strips and a bandaid. In a few days it should improve and the steri-strips should fall off.

Alex was AWESOME at the hospital. He just wanted snacks and to play with the "inflated" rubber gloves with Brad. His biggest complaints were in regards to 1)the ID bracelet they made him wear and 2)the bandaid he has to wear everyday just over his eyebrow. He was such a champ while they cleaned him up and glued him back together again.

Decorating, Driving, and Dining Out

Today we put up the Christmas tree. We're using a smaller tree this year, but Alex was just happy we were decorating and was happy to help out. Since I am due just a few weeks after Christmas, we are trying out a "low key" decorating approach. The tree and stockings will come out, along with a few other novelties, but certainly not all the decorations. I usually love decorating, shopping, baking, the whole nine yards--but this year I'm a little more sluggish with it all. Next year we'll make up for it and break out the big tree again!

On our way out to dinner tonight, we were rear-ended at a stop light in the new van. Bummer. Damage is minimal and no one was hurt, thankfully, but still a headache.

Dinner was lovely and Alex even brought his buddy "giraffey-boy" to the restaurant. We enjoyed looking at the lights in downtown Plainfield and the surrounding neighborhoods. It has been in the mid-40s so folks are already outside putting up their holiday lights while it is "warm" and sunny.

Black Friday, Lessons Learned

This Thanksgiving we hosted my Mom and Grandma and cooked the free turkey Brad got from work as a holiday gift. We have lots of leftovers but it was a delicious meal with good company and lots of laughs. Alex wasn't really into much of the dinner but enjoyed his pie. He and Grandma Eileen worked on this foam gingerbread house while we were making dinner and they did a fabulous job!

Today (Black Friday), I chose to shop the deals online (good call) rather than running out with the crowds bright and early. Mom, Grandma, and I hit Kohls later in the morning and the lines were atrocious so we decided to go back tonight and pick up our things. Sure enough, at 7 tonight, they still had all the same deals we were looking for and no lines :)

33 weeks

Here's a 33 week photo :) In my defense, it was taken AFTER Thanksgiving dinner!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Haircut Day

Alex loves getting his haircut. Every few weeks his hair starts to look a little "crazy" as he describes it and he tells us each night it is time to get it cut again. This was the first time he did NOT ask for a lollipop while they cut his hair. When he was little, it used to take about 3 DumDums to get through the whole haircut. Gradually he's been requiring fewer until today when he only asked for one after the fact. The only reason he really likes this hair salon is because of all the toys, movies, fun chairs, and he gets to bring home a balloon at the end of it all. I guess we should just be glad that he enjoys going there!

What a Difference Three Years Makes

Things aren't quite as simple as they were when we had Alex. First of all, it is going to be so super cold here in January when Baby #2 arrives, that we had to buy this "Bundle Me" zip-up blanket thing for the infant car seat. In May 2005 in Houston, we didn't exactly have to worry about such silly things. Brad and I wrestled the thing onto the seat this morning and yes, it is quite warm.

We have also realized the time will come where we need to divide and conquer with the kids. There will probably be times where Brad needs to go one direction with Alex and I need to go another with the baby. We have made it 3+ years with one car seat for Alex in one car but finally broke down and bought a second high-back booster for Brad's car. Hopefully this gives us a little more flexibility without having to do the "car seat shuffle" in the garage.

Also, in the past three years, they have apparently found out that the polycarbonate bottles we used with Alex were poisoning him when heated. Great. I have what seems like hundreds of bags of Avent bottles and nipples downstairs so now what? BPA-free bottles are the new thing and decidedly more expensive, of course :) We'll buy a few and see what baby considers acceptable.

The contraption of a stroller that Alex and baby will share is a sight to be seen. You hook the baby seat onto the front and Alex can either sit on a bench on the back or stand on a little ledge and hold onto the kid handles. I don't know why I think it is so funny looking but I think it will be our best bet given how heavy Alex is.

We are able to use most ALL of our other baby gear from when Alex was small and we are thrilled about that. This year, in January, we'll replace the space the Christmas tree takes up with the baby swing, pack-n-play, and bouncy seats.

A Letter to Santa...

Photo from December 2007

Dear Santa,

For Christmas I would like a new motorcycle and a nutcracker.

Love,

Alex

This is funny on many levels considering he doesn't have an "old" motorcycle and I didn't even think he knew what a nutcracker was. Alex's "Santa List" changes daily so we'll see what tomorrow brings!

When we were walking through the mall, Alex asked to stop and talk to Santa. There was no line so we walked on up and Alex got close to Santa but would not talk to him or sit on his lap, or even look at him for that matter! Come to find out later that he was only in it for the free candy cane. I wish I had taken a photo of him next to Santa just looking at the candy cane bowl!!

Today I had a 32 week check up and all is well. Pneumonia seems to have cleared up, although I'm still on antibiotics for several more days. Baby's heartbeat is in the 160s, loud and healthy!

Tomorrow the Buckeyes take on that team from up North and it is supposed to be on ABC. We'll be cheering O-H-I-O all the way!

Just What the Doctor Ordered

When the doctor asked last week if I was "getting enough rest," I had to chuckle :) Was she serious? Bronchitis became pneumonia and we had to call in the reserves for a few days to help out. Alex loved it and so did we! We are eternally grateful!!

Here's a photo of Alex helping me clip coupons. We all love Sunday mornings, mainly because we check out all the deals for the week and get to clip coupons. I'm pretty sure Alex chastised me at one point for not staying on the dotted lines!

Friday we had our dining room painted and I think we'll have the painter back to help us finish the projects upstairs as well. He was very affordable, clean, and fast. With Brad's new job commitments, we'll take all the help we can get!

Sunday we all took Alex to see Madagascar 2 in the movie theater (his first time). He was a good boy and I think he enjoyed the movie overall. Once the lights went down though, I think he was a bit unsure if he was supposed to sit up tall or scrunch down and close his eyes :) I was able to keep the coughing to a minimum by Sunday!

Playing "Cat"

Last night I was doing things upstairs and yelled down to ask Alex what he was doing. He said "I'm playing cat with Scooter". Sure enough, he was crawling around on the floor after the cat, doing everything he did. I believe at one point I even saw him drink out of the water dish, gross! This game went on for a long time...I think until he started chasing the cat around the house as he tried to escape Alex!

Visit with the Zimmerlys

Andrew, 5; Alex, 3; Anna, 2

Saturday night our good friends, the Zimmerlys, stopped by on their way home from the Northwestern/OSU game in Chicago. The kids had a great time playing together and eating pizza. Meanwhile Brad and I enjoyed catching up with John and Kira. My how things have changed since we all went to college together eons ago...

For Becca...

And thus began the downward spiral of the Galant. They just don't make boats, er, cars, the way they used to!

I promised Becca I'd post this photo a long time ago and simply forgot.

"Now I'm a Sibling" Class

This morning we all attended a class at Rush-Copley Hospital called "Now I'm a Sibling". The class was geared towards kids Alex's age and talked about what they can expect when the new baby arrives. They read a story, learned how to hold a baby, and even practiced diapering a baby doll. At the end of the class we took a tour of the Women's Health wing of the hospital. I think Alex's favorite part was snack time, which consisted of cookies and juice. He was very gentle with his baby doll and seemed to enjoy all aspects of the class.

Today's Ramblings

"Mom, do you think eagles and penguins can talk to each other?"
A comment that stemmed from our conversations about penguins having wings but not flying high like other birds do.

We were running out this morning to the Y and Alex hands me this mess of a slinky to "fix" before we left. He was very upset about it though so I humored him and "fixed it" back to its regular slinky shape. Just one of our usual funny delays getting out the door.

I wish I could remember the other funny comments of the day today--there were so many! I need to start writing them down as we go :)

Trick or Treat 2008

Alex and his friends here on our street had a great time trick or treating Friday afternoon. The kids did not want to sit still long enough for a good picture of all of them, but they all looked so cute! It was a balmy 70 degrees so I think Tigger was a little bit warm, but he was a good sport! Once Alex and Josh ran out of steam, our neighbors were kind enough to pull them house to house in the wagon. We have LOTS of candy leftover so I'm sure we'll be eating it for weeks to come. Too bad no one around here likes treats...

Alex's Preschool Music Presentation

On Friday, Alex's preschool put on an adorable musical presentation. The kids did such a great job on the stage and waiting patiently for their class's turn to sing. Each class sang 2 songs and joined together in a grand finale. We were so impressed that each class knew all the words and hand movements to each song and listened so well to their teachers! After Alex's class sang their songs, he was an active participant in singing the other songs from his seat. All of the kids were so excited to put on a show for their parents! After the show, we had a nice lunch at the Crispy Waffle, where Alex had chocolate chip pancakes, his favorite!