Happy Holidays!

This year we had a very eventful Christmas. We did a lot of traveling, saw a lot of family, ate a lot of food, and had a lot of fun! Even though we did spend a lot of time in the doctor's office. I thought I'd break it down into days to make this post easier to read. I hope you enjoy reading about our Christmas vacation!

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20- CHRISTMAS IN OKLAHOMA CITY

We left Saturday afternoon and headed to OKC to visit Jason's family. We got there and dropped Andrew off (who was starting to develop a little cough) with his Nana and went to Ted's to get our Mexican food fix. After that, we went over to Jason's grandmother's house and had Christmas with her and Ronnie and Mike and Amy and their kids Sarah and Jorja. Andrew had a good time playing with his cousins. He is starting to walk from person to person, but not more then 7 or 8 steps at a time.

Andrew enjoyed climbing on the gifts the most- he was very proud that he could do this!
Andrew's new four wheeler- just his size!

Sarah, Andrew, and Jorja in matching pajama's

Andrew and Jorja playing together

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21 AND MONDAY, DECEMBER 22

As it turns out, the little cough that I mentioned before was not just a cough it was pneumonia. Just a touch of it, but enough to cause us to have to go to the doctor twice. We found this great walk in clinic on Sunday when I had to go for a urinary track infection (glamourous I know). After I had been to the doctor there, we decided that we should take Andrew the next day if he wasn't sounding better. He wasn't so Jason took him- I was out for most of the day due to pain. The doctor gave us a nebulizer and albuteral to put in it that he could inhale. This stuff works wonders! He was feeling great within a couple of days! The downside is that the albuteral wires him worse then a sugar high. He was literally sitting on his knees and boucing up and down for a long time. I guess better that then a sick baby!

Here is Andrew getting his albuteral. He did not enjoy it at all, but he handles it well. We are still doing treatments once or twice a day.

Andrew still participated in gift opening with Nana. If you notice his hair- I had washed it, but didn't want him to go around with wet hair so I dried it with the hairdryer and ta da!

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23- EMILY'S BIRTHDAY

After getting the all clear from the doctor, we loaded up and headed to Conway. Tuesday was Emily's 23rd birthday and we always have a family party at Mom and Dad's house to celebrate. Andrew was still feeling kind of sick, but was glad to see everyone.

Andrew did enjoy one of his Great Aunt LeAnne's Christmas cookies and later a small piece of birthday cake!

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24- CHRISTMAS EVE AND DAD'S BIRTHDAY

Andrew woke up on Chirstmas Eve feeling much better! I guess he knew that Santa was coming! We spent the afternoon at the store for Dad's birthday. We always have a BBQ lunch on Christmas Eve down there and we enjoyed getting to do that.

Andrew says that next year he would like a mule.....so does his Daddy!

On Christmas Eve we had a long standing tradition of getting everyone on my mom's side of the family together for our own Chirstmas Eve "program". It started when my great grandparents were alive and has continued since then. My great grandparents have three daughters (one being my grandmother) so we have our three branches of family that gets together. It is pretty special, because it is difficult to get together with everyone during the year.

Here is Andrew before the party under Mimi and Grandad's Christmas tree.

Our little family on Christmas Eve

Mere and Don (Andrew's great grandparents) got him this chair. It was sitting in the living room and he immedietly went to it and sat down!

Baby Jesus attacking the wise men during the Christmas program! This year our theme for the program was "The Gift". It was in reference to the gifts that the wise men brought baby Jesus. Last year was the proclamation of Jesus' birth by the angels. Andrew was Jesus at the time of the wise men's visit- since it was later after his birth. Natalie was Mary, Barrett was Joseph, John, Mark, and Steven were the wise men.

Andrew loves to play rough! He thinks it is so funny to climb on people and push them over. He just laughed and laughed! I think that baby Jesus probably enjoyed playing with them wise men when they came to visit him in Bethleham!

Andrew wanted to help Don play Silent Night on the guitar. Andrew is now taking more steps on his own- he's getting a lot sturdier!

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25- CHRISTMAS DAY!

I guess Andrew was good this year!

We got up Christmas morning and waited for Andrew to get up! He slept in until about 9:30...you've gotta love that! We opened presents and played with Andrew's toys. We also got a new dog- Biscuit. It's a fur-real friends dog. It can do tricks! I think it's histarical! Andrew thinks it's a horse! We had Christmas lunch at Mere and Don's and stayed there and visited for a while. Jason had to go back to work on Friday so he drove home (with a full truck load) and worked then came back Friday evening.

Andrew enjoyed all his toys- especially the golf clubs!

Like I said, Andrew especially enjoyed the golf clubs!

Auntie Em drew Andrew's name and got him some cute clothes from a store in LA. His shirt is Bruce Springsteen Born In The USA.

Andrew also got a shopping cart that he LOVES to push around. Here he is sitting in it, just about three seconds before he fell out and busted his lip open.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26- CAROL AND JENNY COME TO VISIT

Carol and Jenny came down to visit us. Andrew enjoyed playing with Jenny- or bossing her around and taking her toys I guess would be more accurate. We played a lot and mom cooked a really good prime rib and Mere and Don came over to eat with us. We had a great time visiting.

Andrew decided that he would share his chair with Jenny- after he pushed her out a couple of times.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27

We headed to Little Rock to do some shopping and returning. It was Jason, Andrew, Mom, Dad, Emily and I. We ate at a really good Mexican place. When we got home, Mere and Don and Nancy and Cecile and Natalie came over to play with Andrew. Andrew loves his cousins Cecile and Natalie- we think he said "Natalie". He also loves his great grandparents and his great great aunt Nancy!

Andrew was showing Cecile and Natalie all of his toys!

He loves to push his lawn "mooer". He prefers to do it sitting down instead of standing up- who knows? He also started standing up on is own without pulling up and walking today. It's amazing how quickly they figure things out!

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28- DON'S 80TH BIRTHDAY!

Today was a really special day, it is my grandfather Don's eightieth birthday. We had brunch with family at Michelangelo's in Conway. Don is my grandfather and Andrew's great grandfather. Don and Mere (my grandmother) took me all over the United States in their motor home(s) when I was young up to high school. I loved to travel with them. Don also helped to teach me how to drive- he drove me out to the middle of the pasture at their Texas farm and got out of the truck and started walking to the house. He told me that I could just meet him back there with the truck. So I did. He also let me drive the car all the way back home to Conway. I'm so glad that Andrew gets the chance to know Don. His middle name is Harrison after Mere and Don.

Andrew and his great grandfather Don.

Don with Jason, Andrew and Me. Don gave Andrew a knife that he got when he retired from Riggs. He wants us to give it to Andrew when he turns 21, because that's when Don will be 100 years old. We took it away because Andrew put it in his mouth.

Dad, Andrew, Don, and Jason

Here is our family- Larry and LeAnne (holding up a picture of Thomas and Jenny who were unable to be there) Don and Mere, Andrew, Me, Mom and Dad, and Jason. Emily was in route home to LA.

Also, Andrew is pretty much walking now!

TOMORROW (IN ONE MINUTE IT WILL BE TODAY) MONDAY, DECEMBER 29

I will be taking care of this mess. We have unloaded everything and just piled it in the living room. I'm going to have to sort it out and put it away. Oh what fun!

Andrew is looking up at Ally sitting on the balcony. He loves that cat!

Tubes Are In!!

Andrew's surgery went well this morning. We were in and out of the clinic within an hour and a half. He was furious before because he couldn't eat and furious after because he wanted to go home. Once we got in the car he calmed down and once we got home he was playing with his toys happy as could be! It is pretty amazing, he has been talking constantly (no surprise there!) but the sounds he is making are much more clear and we've actually heard some new ones! He also has been trying to take more steps! He finally took a three hour nap (and so did I!) and has woken up happy and is playing in his playroom right now. You'd never know he had this done, except that every 5 minutes he is NOT pulling on his ears! Yea! We really liked Dr. Lee at NWA Ear, Nose, and Throat. He did a fantastic job and was very quick to get us in and get it done. We'd reccommend him to anyone! Thanks for thinking about us!

Time For Tubes

Today was our visit with Dr. Lee, the ENT. He suggested that it was probably a good idea to get tubes put in Andrew's ears ASAP. So we decided not to delay the process and will be getting them in tomorrow morning. It was either then, Christmas Eve, New Years Eve, or later into January. We decided to go ahead with it and hopefully we won't have any ear aches over the holidays. So we will be heading to Mercy (not the hospital, just the pediatric clinic) to get the tubes in at 7:15 in the morning. I'm sure that it will all go well. I'll update tomorrow afternoon.

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town!

We have finally finished decorating our house for Christmas. We didn't do too much, but we did get our tree up, stockings hung, and house lit! I'll share pictures of the decorations if and when I take them. Here are just a few of Andrew helping.

Andrew was a great big help to Daddy getting the tree up.

He also enjoyed climbling the step ladder to hang the ornaments!

It took him a day or so, but he finally realized that he could grab the ornaments off the tree and....the bows off presents, the ribbon, the garland from the mantle, the wires for the lights, etc...

Andrew also enjoys helping wrap presents. He does a great job with the wrapping paper. He even helps with the bows- notice he has ribbon in his hands that he had gotten from another gift.

On Sunday night we went to Melanie and Kit's for a spaghetti dinner. For those who don't know, Melanie's family is Italian (hince the Massanelli) and makes GREAT spaghetti! She sent us home with leftovers that we ate the next night it was soooo good! Andrew enjoyed playing with Madison and Anniston! He also enjoyed taking the ornaments off their tree, the rocks out of their fireplace (it wasn't lit), banging the remote on Kit's laptop, taking things off their shelves, and laying in Jack's dog bed. I'm telling you- if you want to know if your house is baby proof, just borrow Andrew for a couple of hours and you'll know!

Andrew and Madison listening to The Night Before Christmas.

Here we are at our third doctor visit in six days. The Rocephin shots did not work and we have been referred to an ENT to discuss tubes. It's basically just so he can look at Andrew's ears and tell us when we need to schedule the appointment to get them put in. We're hoping that it will be quick so he will feel better! Oh, by the way, he was sitting in the drawer of the exam table. The doctor came in and thought it was great! I was glad the drawer didn't break- I don't think insurance covers that!

Today was Andrew's Christmas program at school. It was really cute! He was a reindeer- minus the antlers, he took them off! He rode in a wagon (Santa's sleigh) with his best friend Emma.

Andrew was not the least bit afraid of Santa. He went right too him. It could have been because he had a sugar cookie in his hands. That's why you can't see his smile! It was a pretty calm reaction to Santa. I don't think he even realized that he was any different then the rest of us.

Andrew's Ears

Andrew has had what I have decided to call the Neverending Ear Infection. He has had this ear infection since early October in both ears. The problem is, you would never know that he has an ear infection because he never acts like his ears bother him. So I took him in October for congestion and we discovered this problem. It wouldn't have been a big deal, except that we have had other ear infections- I think about three. So, the Dr. put him on amoxicillan for 12 days- which Andrew thinks tastes great, so no problem there- then we went back and it still wasn't cleared up. That time we tried Omniceph (I can't spell these meds. I just do it how it sounds). It didn't work, so we went for the "power drug" Augmentin. Now, I had previously taken that for a horrible sinus infection and it made me SICK- like, miss a day of work sick! Apparently, if you take it with Activia yogurt it doesn't make you sick at all- so Andrew now loves Activia. You would think that the third time is a charm, but you'd be wrong. We went back on Thursday and they were better, but not where they should be so he got a 500 mg (HUGE) shot of Rocephin. He had to go back this morning and get another one, then Monday for his third and final dose. If this doesn't work, we'll be on antibiotics for about a month and then probably on to tubes. I'm not scared of the tubes, but I really would rather not have it done if we can help it. The main reason is that he cannot get water in his ears and if you've ever been around for bathtime, you know that is almost impossible! I'm sure we could get some good ear plugs, but who wants to put ear plugs in their one year old's ears? The sad thing is that the Dr. said he is probably hearing somewhere between 20-40 decibels lower then we are and the fluid could be affecting his balance, which makes since, because right before the infection started he was taking steps like crazy and now, he's not. Or, this could be because he's stubborn- who knows? The good thing is that Andrew feels great and we are still having lots of fun! We went to the square tonight to look at the lights. Andrew really enjoyed it! He especially liked the camels and the ponies. I took more pictures, but they our for our Christmas card, so you'll just have to wait!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving came and went very quickly for us this year. We made it to both families for quick visits, ate a lot of food, and did a lot of driving. The good part was that I got to spend two days home with just Andrew and I while Jason was at work. Andrew and I did a lot of playing, packing, and napping. Andrew doesn't really nap more than an hour at school, so when he's home he'll take a good two to three (yes, three) hour nap at home. So, instead of being productive I nap with him. It's great! On Wednesday afternoon we loaded up and went to Conway for the night. We spent Thanksgiving at my aunt LeAnne and uncle Larry's cabin in the deep woods. On our way home from there we stopped at Wal-Mart and got all of Andrew's Christmas toys!! I DO NOT do Black Friday, Saturday, or Sunday shopping due to my extreme dislike of crowds, lines, and slowpokes. My theory is that I should go ahead and get what I want to get before the holiday rush and while the stores are fully stocked for the days ahead. It was perfect. I got everything I wanted to get for Andrew in under an hour! We stayed in Conway and ate some more then headed home about seven after Andrew was bathed and in his pj's. Jason had to work on Friday so we didn't leave for OKC until 5:30. Andrew stayed awake until we were about thirty minutes away and then passed out. We laid him down and he didn't make a sound until about 8:30 the next morning! Andrew had a great time visiting with his cousins who are three and almost one. They did a lot of playing! It was great to get to see all our family. We hadn't made trips home since July. Here are some pictures from our travels.

Andrew is helping me pack. He thinks that I should take all these necklaces! He LOVES to play with them. I puts them on and laughs. He also enjoys the hairdryer- I don't know why.
Family Thanksgiving picture

This is what I have started calling Andrew's signature pose. He does this when he gets frusterated or really wants something but doesn't know how to get it. I think it's adorable!

The highlight of Andrew's Thanksgiving was not the meal- which he ate turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, and sweet potato pie- but, pushing the foot stool around the deck.

Having so much fun in the car!

Andrew was decked out in his OSU gear for the OSU/OU game. Sadly, they lost, but Andrew and I missed the game because we went to sleep early and watched Nick at Night.

Andrew had a lot of fun splashing in the tub with his cousin Jorja!

Now it's on to Christmas. I've decorated our tree and I'm trying to finish the rest of the house. I'm not doing to much, but I'm doing more then last year. I have to say, I don't enjoy decorating. I am not creative or artsy. I can't make anything. I get these great ideas and then have to rely on stores to have EXACTLY what I'm looking for already made. It never seems to happen the way I want it too. Oh well, somehow Santa still comes and it's a great day! I'm just trying to decide who is going to be the one to tear up the tree...the cats, the dog, or the boy. Stay tuned!

Live From Hollywood

So my 27th birthday was Friday, November 14 and Jason had arranged for us to go to dinner at Bordino's with some friends. He also ordered a fabulous cake from Rick's which was served after dinner. It was a great time to visit with friends. It was a very special birthday, because everyone that was there has helped with Andrew in some way- either by being there when he was born, coming to the hospital with bags of preemie clothes, bringing dinner, sitting with us in the hospital, or taking care of him when things got hectic at work. I just enjoyed it so much. But, just wait, it gets better......

Here are Jason and I getting ready to leave for dinner.
Christina, Cody, Kara, Me, Mel, Melanie, and Kate (the spouses didn't want to join in the picture taking!)

Here is me with my fabulous cake! You are never to old to bust out Happy Birthday in the middle of a restaurant!

This is Andrew at His House day (his school) at our church. I thought he looked like such a big boy in his new clothes! They did a special service talking about raising Christian children. It was really great!

Now for the crazy part...Emily (my sister who lives in LA) called me Thursday (the 13th) and said that she got tickets to see Dancing With The Stars on the following Tuesday. I LOVE that show! I seriously watch it every Monday and Tuesday and have for the past 5 seasons. I asked her if she had an extra ticket and she did. I told Jason and he was like I'll give you my airline miles for your birthday so you can go. So I booked my flight on Saturday and was on my way at 6:55 am on Tuesday. I got to LA at 10:30 and we got ready to go. It was so awesome! I'm not even going to lie I was as giddy as I could be! We ended up getting to sit right behing the judges (you could see us on TV- if you didn't we've got it on DVR) I could reach out and touch Carrie Ann. The best part was that they don't know who is going home until that actual moment. If they did, that would have ruined it for me. Everyone on the show seemed to be so nice and perky. They talked to the people in the audience and just made you feel glad to be there. After the show, we ate dinner at Il Sole on Sunset. We saw Samantha Harris (the host of DWTS) and Hailey Duff eathing there. After that, I was exhausted to we went to bed. The next day we got up and drove down to Santa Monica. We ate lunch on the pier and just hung out in the sun. I had to be at the airport by 2:00 to catch my flight home so my trip was really short, but so incredibly worth every second! The only thing that I would have liked to change was being able to bring cameras and cell phones into the studio. I have no pictures of me being there, but I do have it recorded on my TV- so unless Andrew breaks his 6th (yes, 6th) Cox cable box, then I can watch it over and over again!

Here are Emily and I on the Santa Monica Pier. It was beautiful 80 degree weather. I wish I could have stayed longer, but with a child, husband, and kindergarten class to take care of, it just wasn't possible!

Cancellations, a Hog Loss, and Some Chicken Fried

At our good friends Kit and Melanie's Wedding in September, we decided that we would go to South Carolina to see Elizabeth and Christian and the Hogs play USC. We booked our flights out of XNA together and were set to go.....that is, until 5:45 on Friday morning when United Airlines called to tell us that our flights from XNA to Chicago and Chicago to Columbia were cancelled. We called the airline and tried to work out something that would get us there later on that day, so they rerouted us to Denver then DC then to Columbia arriving at midnight, instead of 4 in the afternoon. We thought this was ridiculous, but managed to keep our spirits up and planned to enjoy our little cross country adventure. We still got to XNA two hours early to see if there was anything they could do for us. Fortunatly, they were able to move us to Delta and get us to Atlanta then to Columba and we'd be there by 6:00. So they moved Jason and I, but ended up not having enough seats for Melanie and Kit. One part of me was thinking that we should stay with then since we planned this together, but the other part was thinking about dinner reservations. Luckly two people didn't show up so they got the seats! They told us to rush through security because we had five minutes to board the plane. THEN, Jason and I got chosen for addition screening. This included all but a full body cavity search. They were paging us through the airport, so we ran and got on the plane only to be met by a plane full of people glaring at us. Once we explaned the situation to the ENTIRE airplane, we were good to go!

Here we are at Mo Mo's for dinner on Friday. We just had a relaxing dinner and walked around Columbia, then went back to the hotel so we'd be ready for tailgating bright and early.

Here are Kit, Christian, and Jason enjoying the evening. It was so nice to visit with friends. Did I mention this was our first time away from Andrew? Well it was!

Tailgating starts bright and early in SC. We had a lot of fried chicken! I think Melanie ate about 6 pieces...no lie. It was some of the best we've had!
Jason and I enjoyed our trip.

Anna, Elizabeth, Melanie, Lindsey, and Me having a great time tailgating!

Our seats were two rows from the top of the stadium. It was a LONG walk up a lot of stairs. My legs were shaking on the way down. It wasn't a horrible game, they played better then they did at the beginning. We really thought they were going to pull off a win. It was still worth the trip, even if they didn't win. You get a great view of Columbia from the top of the stadium.

Go Hogs!

Andrew had a lot of fun too! He spent the weekend in Conway with his Mimi and Grandad. He also visited with Mere and Don, his great aunt LeAnne, and his great-great aunts. He ate some new foods, eggs, beans, and cornbread. He went and visited the store and enjoyed playing with the four wheelers. He also decided to help Mimi clean out her cabinets!