Catching Up

We took a long overdue trip to Tennessee last week and got back just in time for Santa's visit at home.

We spent five days in Knoxville visiting Robert's family which was not nearly enough time - it never is it seems.  But the little time we had we did our best to visit with everybody - especially Granny.  Granny is now at home under Hospice care and we're all hoping for daily improvements.  We were happy we were able to introduce Mattie and allow Evan some quality time as well.

Because our trip went by so fast and I can barely remember yesterday I will let the photos do the talking.

We got back late on the 23rd so Christmas Eve was a bit chaotic as I tried to get everything ready for Santa's arrival.  Evan was hilarious to watch this year as he tore into his presents and everybody else's.  Mimi and Uncle Todd spent Christmas weekend with us this year.

Not that this should come as a surprise to anybody, but Evan was most excited by his cars and parking garage.  Even the AWESOME police car we got him did not hold a candle to his matchbox cars.  Go figure.  We could've spent $20 and had a very happy kid.  Hope this lasts.  :)

Before I Forget

MJ had her two month check-up on Friday and I haven't had a chance to jot down her stats.  So real quick:  

weight:  13.13 lbs. - above 95%
height:  23.75 in - 95%
head circumference:  41.5 cm - 95%

The doctor also started MJ on a small dosage of Zantac hoping it will relieve some of her fussiness.  I'm not convinced that she suffers from acid reflux, but at this point, I'll try anything.  It seems we've been doing a whole lot of guessing when it comes to the fussiness and dairy and acid reflux seem to be the only possible causes - but neither are totally convincing.  I have a feeling we'll be guessing until the problem decides to resolve itself.

Santa Claus is in the House

When I got a newsletter from Evan's teacher last week stating their class would be performing in the school's Christmas program I literally laughed out loud.  I have been anxiously awaiting today's event all week and let me tell you - it definitely did not disappoint.

The two year old class was third on the roster of performances.  So while we waited we listened to the three year old class sing holiday favorites such as This Little Light of Mine and Happy Birthday, Jesus and also watched the toddlers sway back and forth to another Christmas tune.  Finally the two year olds took the stage and I seriously about lost it!

The performance was kept a secret by Evan's teachers so we were not sure what to expect.  As the class climbed the stairs to the stage I finally spotted Evan after scanning the class over and over again - I was having so much difficulty because Evan was hidden underneath a Santa beard and hat.  He walked onto the stage and literally just stood back and blankly stared at the audience.

Once his teacher was able to get his attention she motioned for him to move to the front of the stage with the others.  The kids were doing a sign language interpretation of Donde Esta Santa?  They have been learning Spanish and sign language since the beginning of school.  Evan ROCKED!  He danced, or should I say bounced, through the entire performance.  He waved his hands around doing what was supposed to be sign language - not that I would really be able to understand any way.  I was laughing so hard that I had tears streaming down my face.  Most of the blurriness in these pictures is from me shaking while I was trying to take them.

The funniest part about this whole experience is that Robert and my mom were standing in the back of a packed house.  Because of the disguise they never could figure out which one was Evan.  But as the program went on they both agreed that the parents of the kid with the beard would be really proud.

Yes, we most certainly were proud!

Happy Holidays From the Stinnetts

We officially start our Christmas holiday tomorrow as we hit the road and head west to Tennessee.  We will be spending a week visiting Robert's family and making it back home just in time for Christmas.  I usually try my hardest to get Christmas cards out, but this year I fell behind - and far behind at that.  I was proud of myself for even getting our decorations up before we leave tomorrow.

But, as always, the guilt of not sending out cards was eating at me so here's what I consider the next best thing:  a virtual Christmas card.  Most of you will receive this in an email, but if you fail to receive one it's probably because I don't have your email in my address book.  My apologies.

This picture was the best of many attempts.  It's amazing how much effort it takes to get a two year old to sit and smile on command.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

2 Months

MJ turned two months old today and the picture captured exactly how she spent her entire day - crying.  Mama is to blame once again.  I seemed to have forgotten that caesar dressing is creamy for a reason.  This dairy business is about to drive me mad.  Why can't she be sensitive to caffeine or spicy foods?  Those I can do without.  Dairy is my friend - my very good friend whom I miss terribly. :(

Good Girl

We have experienced three consecutive nights of uninterrupted sleep.  Well, Robert has at least.  It seems Mattie is already sleeping through the night  - and I'm not talking 6 or 7 hours - more like 9 or 10.  What parent wouldn't be throwing out a few "hell yeahs" about that?  I do, however, still have to get up to pump so I don't interfere with my milk supply, but I'm still thrilled that we have already reached this milestone.

Next step is to get Mattie sleeping those long, peaceful hours in her crib.  As of right now she only seems comfortable and at ease in bed next to me.  I have literally trained myself to lie completely still on my side in order to make enough room for both Mattie and Robert.  Many times I wake up with cramps and pains in my back and legs from tensing up my entire body to prevent any possibility of rolling over on her.  I am ready and willing to give all that up.  To the crib the baby goes - doo da, doo da.

Update:

First night in the crib was successful ( I'm referring to the mini crib we have in our bedroom)!  Mattie slept 9 straight hours once again.

A Twofer

It was one of those weeks where I told myself over and over make sure you blog about this, but as procrastination would have it (or laziness - take your pick) I've now managed to get behind on my "must blog about" list.  Solution to this problem?  Cram everything into one - much like my packing solution.

First on the list - Mattie J.

What are the chances I would have not one...but TWO colicky babies?  As of November 23rd that's what I've been so desperately asking.  Mattie progressively went from being fussy a few hours at night to being incredibly fussy whenever she was awake, night or day.  Her night time fussiness also escalated to violent crying and in 2-3 hour sessions.  I really thought I was gonna have a few violent crying sessions myself.  Talk about a deja vu nightmare...

Here it is December 5th and Mattie is gradually getting back to her happy self.  She still has fussy periods both night and day but they are completely consolable.  We think Mattie is allergic/sensitive to dairy which I now have eliminated from my diet.  I did this early on too, like in the second week, because she was spitting up quite a bit.  To remedy this our pediatrician suggested dairy elimination and making sure to feed her as upright as possible.  While I definitely saw an improvement in her spitting up, I wasn't completely sold on the dairy idea.  So I pulled a brilliant move and decided dairy was fine and completely overdosed on it over Thanksgiving - I'm thinking that's where it went all wrong and we've been paying for it ever since.  It will probably take another week or so before we can truly assess the situation - but we are seeing a move in the right direction.  Hallelujah - No Evan Jr.

Second on the list - Murrells Inlet Christmas Parade

Today was the coldest day since our move from Florida and we decided to spend a good part of it outside.  With the day's high only in the 40's, we had to make a point to layer on the clothing since none of us own any acceptable outerwear yet.

Murrells Inlet held their Christmas festivities which included a parade, the Christmas tree lighting and a meet and greet with Santa and Mrs. Claus.  The parade took place while there was still some sun shining so we camped out roadside with Evan and Mattie to take part before the cold weather became intolerable.  Evan managed to score more candy during this parade than he did the entire Halloween weekend.  I probably don't need to explain how his behavior has been the past few hours, but our day spent together far outweighs any sugar high/crash.

You know you're in the south when the parade participants resemble this...

O Christmas Tree

I've always wanted to pick out my own Christmas tree and then of course have someone else cut it down.  I googled "Christmas tree farms" and found one not too far away - about 45 minutes - in Conway.  It was a perfect day weather wise - no cloud in the sky, a slight chill in the air - perfect for tree hunting in my opinion.

We didn't realize we would also experience a hayride and have acres and acres of various types of Christmas trees to choose from - bonus.  We eventually settled on a Leland Cyprus.  They have softer needles and they appear to have more texture than some of the other trees.

Evan loved being outside as usual and really liked being involved in picking out our tree.

I really enjoyed the surroundings and took advantage of having my camera in tow.  I edited these photos with various PS actions.

 

A perfect day in South Carolina.