Warm Fuzzies

I was sitting in the office, creating, when I saw the mailman pull up and slide some mail into the mailbox. Then, he got out of the car and walked across our lawn. I could feel the excitement rising inside because I knew what he was delivering...my warm fuzzies package! Connor's former preschool teacher (whom I have developed a friendship with, and just absolutely adore) organized a seasonal exchange with several women. The first one we did was in November...Fall Faves. This one was themed "Warm Fuzzies". Wanna' see the goodies I found inside the box???So much fun! The recipes sound delicious, the stickers, stamp, buttons, and ribbon will make for some fun projects, the sprinkles will be perfect for Valentine's Day treats, the popcorn concoction looks yummy, the towels are just adorable, the snowman is just too cute (still trying to decide how I'm going to decorate him), the lotion, sanitizer, and lip balm are perfect for this cold dry weather, and the magazines are going to be such fun to poke through while cuddles up in my jammies! Thanks R!!!

Mommy and Daddy Dates

Yesterday was a special day. Matt took Connor skiing for the day at Massanutten and I spent the day with Carly (After church, we went to brunch with Nonnie, after naptime we went ice skating, and then we ended our day out to dinner with Nonnie again). Below are some pictures to document what a great day each of us had...

Thankful Thursday

It's been such a long time since I've made a TT posting...

I am thankful:

that Connor is back to his healthy, active self. We have been giving him Pulmicort twice daily to strengthen his lungs so we have no more hospital visits

that I am able to attend the RCC Women's Retreat at the end of February

that I will be training for a sales rep position at Bun Bun Bags at the end of this month. Let's get this party started!

that Matt will (hopefully) be home for dinner tonight - the first time since Sunday

that I had the opportunity to visit with my dear friend and her new little boy this morning. He was so snuggly!

that Carly is in the potty training process (thanks Nonnie!) - Pull Ups will be a thing of the past!

that my iPod has 69 songs on it! Now, I just need the headphones so I can listen to them!

that Carly and I get to spend a Mommy and Me day together on Sunday. Matt is taking Connor skiing, so we'll each get to spend undivided time with our children.

for my mother...the things she does for us and our children are endless.

that I celebrated the birthday of a dear friend on Monday

HELP!

OK, so for Christmas I was very excited to receive an IPod. Yup...and this is my first one. Can you believe it!? Anyway, I am very excited, but a little overwhelmed, I must say. Maybe you can help me. What songs you are listening to on your IPod (since I know anyone reading this probably already has one), or what you've recently downloaded??? Let's see if I can get this party started!

Happy Birthday Carly!

It is so hard to believe that our sweet girl was born three years ago. I can remember the day's events so clearly, and the overwhelming joy I felt when Matt and I determined that it was a girl!

She has continued to provide us with such joy in the three years she has been part of our family. Her beautiful smile and contagious laughter are enough to lighten any room. This year, she has gone from toddler to little girl. She has grown so much. This year, she...

learned to pedal a tricycle

felt very comfortable in the water and loves to swim

moved from her crib to a big girl bed

enjoys coloring and using Play Doh

fell in love with Elmo

began role playing with dolls and Barbies

started having tea parties (with people, dolls, and dinosaurs)

loves to dress up

received her first haircut

cut her hair herself three times (UGH!)

shows an interest in dancing and isn't afraid to show you her moves! (she gets her rhythm from me!)

rode in an ambulance and went to the Emergency Room

started potty training and loves her big girl undies

still uses her binky (Nope...she didn't give it up) and rubs her finger through the same tag on her taggie blanket

learned to play (and argue) with Connor

continues to become more and more sweet each day!

To see the photo book I made for her summarizing her third year, follow this link...

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbOGjNk4at2JO

A number of her friends came over to celebrate with us on Sunday. We had a house full of little ones. It was wonderful! They played "Pin the Birthday Hat on Carly" and then they wore their aprons I made to decorate "C" and "3" cookies. I must say they were awfully cute and the decorating process was hilarious! Here are some pictures from the event.

Happy Birthday my sweet girl!

Ready to Exhale

Ahhh...the holidays are over! Although Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I love everything about it, I am always relieved when it is over. It is also exacerbated by the fact that Carly's birthday is today (the 5th), so we always have that on the heels of Christmas and New Year's. (I'll have her birthday post tomorrow...one step at a time!) With all of that said, maybe you will excuse my tardiness and lack of posting.

Our Christmas was absolutely wonderful. Connor was at the perfect age this year. We spent a lot of time talking about the true meaning of Christmas, of Jesus' birth, and I think he really understood that. We read stories about his birth and he was really intrigued and asked a lot of questions. It is such a delight to share stories and answer his questions, as he is really curious and his questions are well thought out.

Of course, Christmas day was so exciting. I don't think Connor slept a wink Christmas Eve. He kept waking up and coming to see me, telling me that he was hearing the bells. I took a lot of convincing to get him to try to go back to sleep. To say that he was excited is an understatement. Christmas morning, as Connor and Carly walked hand in hand down the stairs and into the living room, their eyes grew bigger and bigger and you could see the anticipation rising. Keeping with tradition, we stayed in our new jammies all day. Matt's parent's arrived mid-afternoon (we even convinced them to change into their pj's) as did my mom. We all enjoyed relaxing, eating, chatting, opening gifts, eating, and opening more gifts. Although we didn't do much, we were all exhausted by the end of the day.

Fast forward a few days...we drove up and spent some time on Long Island for New Year's. We all had good intentions of staying up to watch the ball drop...Matt's mom and I dozed off briefly, but woke just in time for the countdown and the ball drop. Then, almost immediately, we all ran into our rooms and went to bed. It's funny how things change as we get older! I think I go to bed (or get tired) earlier and earlier each year!

Some pictures...

Day Two at St. Mary's- Dad' perspective

Leaving St. Mary's last night was not easy. The silence in the elevator was more empty than usual, the gloomy night seemed emphasized by the current situation and arriving home without company was just strange. Nevertheless, I knew Connor and Jenn were in good hands and cared for. So, I tried to get some rest in hopes that his recovery would be progressing through the evening. Carly was at Nonnie's house. It was actually not hard to fall asleep after a day of emotions.

I awoke early and the update was good from St. Mary's. Connor was getting better. Treatments were spreading out and he was sustaining his health and breathing between them. I was relieved. The other bed in the room had remained vacant, which was also good news for them.

In route to the hospital, I made my family update calls and stopped by Panera for bagels for the wonderful nurses and doctors at St. Mary's. As I was approaching the entrance I was greeted warmly by Pastor Rick, the Pastor of our church, who was leaving. He immediately asked me how Connor was and I was a little perplexed. How closely does he speak with God anyway? = ) Actually, he explained that e-mails had been sent and he graciously offered comfort and prayers for which I was appreciative.


It was a relief to see Connor and mommy sitting together and smiling upon my arrival. He was in good spirits and doing well. His morning treatment at 7am was done and we would wait until 11am to see the results.

As we sat in the room, Jenn set an appointment for Carly with the doctor , who had a rough night at Nonnie's house. Wow, what next? Just before Jenn left Connor and I to pick up Carly, an amazing event took place. We were introduced to a gentleman who entered the room with a gift in hand. He was smiling and we listened as he greeted us generously and handed Connor the wrapped present. We didn't know what to make of the situation, but Connor had no trouble with his responsibility. He was ready to find out what this unexpected surprise was all about. He proceeded to open this gift and it was a CAT motorized forklift to play with, which was something that he, ironically, asked Santa for this Christmas. Miracle? Well, this time maybe! The gentleman openly answered some more of our questions and told of his story. He was 8 years old and was hit by a car. He was admitted to the hospital during the holiday season for 6 months. This impacted his life significantly. He remembered the isolation and depressive times there and wanted to impact children here in a positive way during their stay. What an unbelieveable and inspiring story! In short, we could not express our gratitude enough and asked him to pose with Connor in this picture. He is an example for us all.

11am treatment is happening and we are told we may leave soon after. Jenn and Carly are seeing the doctor now elsewhere and those findings are pending. We are hopeful and excited to go home and we will hopefully all be united again very soon. Thanks to everyone for your support and encouragement.

Spending the Night at St. Mary's

I am writing from St. Mary's Hospital, where I have been with Connor since 11:30 this morning. I took him to our pediatrician's office first thing this morning because he (and the rest of us) was up most of last night coughing. Cough medicine wasn't working, neither were the nebulizer treatments, or the steroid he had been on since his croup-y symptoms started on Tuesday. Needless to say, when he arrived at the doctor's office, his oxygen level was far below normal - low enough to have him admitted to the hospital. Numerous Albuterol and oxygen treatments proved ineffective in trying to raise his oxygen level. They sent us to the ER because they had done all they could do. Similar story throughout our 5 1/2 ER stay. Treatments weren't as successful as they should've been so at 5:00 they finally admitted him.
When he first got to his room he had a roommate (a little boy about 5 years old who had had a colonoscopy...eeks!) but he has since gone home and now we have the room to ourselves. Initially he was quite disappointed by the fact that he'd be staying overnight in a hospital room, but as soon as Nonnie arrived with three of his favorite movies, he's been better and more agreeable. The poor thing has not had a nap, and is utterly exhausted, but hyper from the every two hour Albuterol treatments. Tonight they will continue the two hour treatments and begin the three hour treatments at midnight. Should be an interesting night!
I thank God for my mother, who has had Carly since this all started and for Matt who came home immediately after he got my call on our way to the ER.
Right now, Connor seems fine - breathing well and in good spirits. Let's hope that continues.
Thank you to all of you who have called offering support and well wishes. Listening to your messages on my voicemail brought tears to my eyes just hearing your concern and offers of help. I also thank God for you, my dear friends.
I'll update as I have time. Good night!

PreSchool Christmas

Well, today was Connor's Christmas party at school. They completed a basic, but cute, craft, had snacks, and then they exchanged books. Each classmate brought in a wrapped book that Mrs. Hurt distributed to the another classmate. Connor received the book that Ethan brought in and Ethan got Connor's. Hmmm...interesting! Hrs. Hurt must've strategically done that as Ethan is his best little buddy in the class. Afterwards Connor and I did a little shopping together (he picked out a cute gift for Carly) and then we had a nice lunch together. When we got home I was unpacking the bag of goodies sent home and in one small lunch bag was a collection of ornaments Connor had made. UGH...absolutely adorable (see the picture below)! I can't imagine Mrs. Hurt making ornaments with 12 preschool children, especially this many. I just love North Run!

Weekend Recap

WOW...our weekend was jampacked with fun! We celebrated my mom's birthday all weekend and enjoyed many Richmond traditions. I'll highlight some...

Friday evening Matt had an evening activity so my mom and I took the kids to the Grand Illumination in downtown Richmond. It was freezing, so we all bundled up and braved the cold outside of the James Center (the office building where I work) with a million other people. We all watched as the countdown ended with all of the city's lights being illuminated. It was spectacular. Later, Santa, turned on the lights on the enormous Christmas tree and the reindeer scattered across the entire courtyard area in front of the James Center.

Saturday morning, my mom and I went to the Bizarre Bazaar as we traditionally do each year. We both found a couple of goodies. Then Saturday evening we went to the Bethlehem Walk. This is the first time we had been and we were amazed at the elaborate production. We got there at 4pm, which is when it opened and already we were group 22 (they lead groups through every 3-4 minutes). The entire "reenactment" was awesome. Connor and Carly really seemed to enjoy it. Carly was especially intrigued with Baby Jesus...going up "on stage" to see Him up close. While we were there, it started snowing - just beautiful! We ended the evening, covered in snow, at Sal Cataldo's for our favorite spaghetti and meatballs. A perfect ending to a great day!

Sunday, my mom came over for her traditional chicken in wine sauce. Afterwards we spent some time driving around to look at some "tacky" lights.

It was a great weekend...Happy Birthday Mom!!!