This Just In...

Heard just now from the upstairs bathroom: "Hey Lisa! We are having our first 'stop touching me!' moment".... 

Apparently Vince was trying to grab the train that Zoë had in the bathtub, Zoë cleverly waving her arms around to keep Vince from getting it, batting his hands away... pushed him, and he screams what I fear is probably the first of many times we'll hear that lovely phrase. 

Bring on Christmas

We didn't waste any time getting into the Christmas spirit after Thanksgiving.  Luckily we had some helpers, as Mike's sister came for a visit!  Vince and Zoë had fun decorating the house with their Auntie Lisa, Uncle Neal and Noelle and Andrew.

Everyone took a trip to the Enchanted Village and got to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas.  Mike told me the whole way over in the car, Vince was reciting everything he wanted.... over and over.  But when he saw Santa, he went blank and just stared at him, while Zoë started wailing. 

left to right: Andrew, Vince, Noelle, and Zoë

This will make a good card!

 Bath time for everyone!

 And last but not least, Zoë got her first hair cut over the weekend too!  She did good and now has cute little bangs

Thanksgiving on the Couch: 2011

I must say I'm getting very used to the chaos and shenanigans going on around the house, and not being able to lift a finger to help out with any of it!  By the time I can actually get up and do anything to contribute to the daily routine of keeping the house going, I'll be totally fine with never keeping it organized again!  This crash course in letting go of my OCD is working, after about 2 weeks I think I'm cured.  That's better than medication!

I've enjoyed seeing a lot of this however

Yesterday we had 8 adults and 7 kids over for our pre-ordered Summer Shack Fried Thanksgiving Turkey meal.  Fried Turkey=yum!  Everyone contributed with extra goodies and tasty side dishes and it ended up being a really fun evening, and the kids had a ball playing with each other.  One of the favorites to play with was the box that the meal came in.  Forget spending exorbitant dollars on toys this year!  All you need is a cardboard box and the kitchen tupper ware.  

 Our Fried Turkey Dinner:

At first I had this completely irrational vision of how I wanted things to pan out.  The adults would all somehow be able to sit at the table at the same time to enjoy the meal, the kids would sit altogether at the kitchen table (and actually eat), and then we would all take turns saying what it is we are thankful for.  Yeah.... slap me upside the head quickly.... what was I thinking!!?  The reality was just as fun though.  I think my mom and I were the only ones that stayed in our seats for more than 5 minutes at a time, and I don't think the kids ever sat in the kitchen for any length of time until it was dessert time.  I ended up settling for everyone playing musical chairs between the kitchen and dining room, kids agreeing to eat a spec of broccoli only after being promised candy after wards, and Vince loudly declaring that he's thankful for trains.  

Our little girl looking like Cindy Lou from Whoville

Our best at getting the little ones together for a picture

Of course no Silvestro Holiday would be complete without our beloved neighbor Mary, who came over to entertain the kids in a little Ring Around the Rosie

Ring Around the Rosie:


And last but not least, let us introduce our Elf, Gordon (affectionately named by Vince, after one of his trains).  He was sent from Santa a few weeks ago to watch over Vince and Zoë, and to report back to Santa if they've been good or bad...  I told Vince about him ahead of time, and he immediately got spooked at the thought of someone watching over him.  He started looking around the house with wide eyes, crying and mumbling something about not wanting an Elf hiding around the house to watch him.  Oh don't worry, they are friends now.  Everything was made better after Gordon came back from visiting Santa one morning.... and had a ring pop to deliver to Vince as a small token of good wishes from Santa that Vince was being a good boy. 

Halloween and One More Farm Visit

But first, some random cute pictures from the park this weekend:

The kids wearing the hand knit sweaters my mom made

I really need to get the rest of October posted before Thanksgiving in 2 days!  

A few pictures from Smolak Farm, with our friends Marcus, Amy, Aaron and their new little one Maris! 

 Vince insisted on multiple rides in the tractor, while Zoë protested otherwise after one ride

Vince was a firefighter and Zoë was the dalmatian for Halloween this year.  Mike and I dressed up as Ketchup and Mustard but I'll spare you those pictures. 

Vince giving fist bumps to the grim reaper who gave out candy

I'm sneaking in a picture of Mike dressed as Mustard.... I escaped the camera! 

On the home front, I visited the specialist yesterday and he gave me the good news that he feels my cervix is still stable from last week.  I'm 26 weeks pregnant now, only 8 weeks to go before we are in the clear!      

Here's a cute one from my hospital stint, Vince helping the Nurse listen to baby brother's heart beat

Bed Rest: Chapter 2

Hopefully most of you know the good news already, I was able to come home on Tuesday to continue my bed rest!  My original Doctor came in to check on me on Tuesday morning, while our nanny had surprised me with a visit bringing the kids.  He did an exam and determined that he felt nothing had changed from my exam last week, so he felt I could continue my bed rest at home!  When our Nanny Linda heard that, she couldn't have moved faster!!  She had my whole room packed up and placed on a wheel chair faster than I could blink!!  It was perfect timing logistic wise... and after one more stint on the monitor for 20 minutes, and waiting for the Doctor to finish my paperwork, we were off on our way back home.  It was a big celebration!

So, I've planted myself on the living room couch since Tuesday, limited to only the bedroom and living room floors for now.  Needless to say, it's been significantly harder to keep myself from doing anything physical now that I'm home vs. when I was in the confines of my hospital room.  The last couple of days has been a strong lesson in letting go of my OCD nature of wanting everything done the same way I would do it, and the kids being taken care of the way I want.  At least I get to hug Vince and Zoë whenever they run by me, and get to sleep in my own bed.  It's truly an incentive to have the risk of re-admission to the hospital on my head if I don't keep resting.  It's also frustrating however, to know that there is a chance that all this bed rest may not help one bit in lowering my chances of pre-term delivery.  I just need to take comfort in knowing I'm doing everything I can to keep this baby cooking as long as possible.  Here's to vegging out on the couch!  I'll leave you with a small clip of what I captured tonight while on the couch: Zoë dancing to Neil Diamond, and Vince dancing naked with Mary... here's to my little peeps!