Cecilia's Winter Wonderland!! I'm TWO!

Cecilia's birthday party was Saturday, Dec. 8th at our house. It was wonderful!! Cecilia had a blast!! I can't believe how quickly time flies. Everyone tells you it does... and it is true!:( This sweet girl is so amazing, and she brings us such joy and happiness. She makes me laugh every day with her new dances and songs... and sayings. Her latest when she eats... everything is "nummy licious!! (yummy delicious)." I think she learned this one from her friend Ella.:) We are beyond blessed to have this little miracle in our lives. 

The party theme was Winter Wonderland, and Maurie Hartel decorated. Can we say amazing!? She is talented, talented, talented!! She definitely needs to do this on the side!!! A HUGE thanks to her!!

The Last Man Standing

This title couldn't be more fitting... Should I even type this... I feel like if I relive it, it may happen again!!!

The past couple months have been tiring for Mommy. First Cecilia was hospitalized with a bad stomach virus... then I got a stomach virus on Thanksgiving Day (hey, at least I didn't gain any weight, right?;)) -- this was on top of a cold I had had for about 2 wks.... in the midst of this I was planning a Christmas party and C's second birthday party back to back weekends beginning of December... then the day after her hectic birthday, our little family was headed off to Houston for a relaxing, fun week of shopping and eating yummy dinners while Daddy worked during the day. We even lined up our wonderful sitter Annie to travel with us, so I would actually be able to enjoy myself. I questioned even going because packing for two kids and me just flat out isn't fun. (Posts to come re the Christmas party and her birthday, but I had to get to the more important post --- the trip of death and destruction).

Here is us en route... ohhhh, smiling faces and sunny skies (all fun and games until someone starts puking).

Even Les did great on his very first flight. Like a pro!!

So we arrive... weather perfect, traffic not too bad, zipped over to the house... I was told I had an hour to get ready for dinner (we were staying at the company house and Jonathan Jones and his girlfriend, Paula, were there). They told us to get ready; we were going out for sushi with another couple from Hou. C was acting a little fussy, but we thought nothing of it. Off we go to have our first relaxing dinner of the trip.

Jonathan said he felt a bit queasy when we sat down but we shrugged it off. Within 30 minutes, Annie calls and says Cecilia had thrown up all over the place. YAY!!:( Jonathan realized this may be the explanation as to why he was feeling bad too. We take the keys and get back to the house to find Annie holding Cecilia on the bathroom floor, both covered in vomit while Les slept happily in the swing. Annie showers then takes Les into quarantine mode, and I take over Cecilia... who quickly decides to vomit all over me. I'm consoling her on the bedroom floor and I look out of the corner of my eye --- Daddy starts vomiting exorcist style into the toilet. YAY again!! As I look at him, Cecilia doubles over again and is now dry heaving. Honestly, I started to laugh. Out loud. That's all I could do. A few hours go by and Cecilia is still dry heaving and at this point glassy-eyed, can't walk and ridiculously sluggish. I called our clinic who said the best idea would be the ER. Not the ER again!!?:( I call Jones, and they hurry back to take Cecilia and Jonathan to the ER. I stay with Annie and Les. The doctor said that Jonathan was worse off than Cecilia in terms of dehydration. Cecilia was given meds while Jonathan got 2 bags of fluid. This was the picture update I received from Jones, as I'm trying to clean mac n' cheese out of his carpet. Disgusting.

Poor things!! I feel bad for sweet Ceci. Look at that pitiful face! Daddy will be ok.:)

I call Jonathan's Mom to tell her they are in the ER and his Dad answers... Jonathan's Mom is sick and vomiting!! The plague. Oh and one other victim the same day... Jonathan Jones' grandmother, aunt and cousin hopped on the plane after us. Jones got a call hours after that flight. His cousin was sick, at the doc with a fever and vomiting. Really. Really!! The plague.

The next day, the maid cleaned house. Hooray to a germ-free environment (yeah right!). Oops Carpet Cleaner also came by to steam clean the rug. When Jonathan and Ceci returned to their quarters, the rug was still wet, so I called the guy. He knew our 2 yr old was sick and staying up there. I asked if the chemicals were fine for her to walk on wet. Sure, they are "just fine"... As I'm saying that, C is rolling all over the carpet, rubbing her eyes then starts screaming "my eyes hurt, eyes hurt..." Oh my gosh. Really!? I snatch her up and run her to the sink where I wash her eyes out with cold water. Fortunately, everything was fine. But seriously - the comedy continued to play out.

I told Annie she was quarantined with Les until further notice. They stayed locked in their room on the second floor while the two sicklys came back and were on lock-down on the third floor. NOBODY wanted to go in there. Of course, I had to deliver lots of soup, liquids and meds but LOTS of hand washing went on.  A couple days went by, and the rest of us thought we were home free. Jonathan and C were on the mend, and nobody else was sick. Well, not so fast... This was Sunday and by Tuesday night 10 pm, Annie was throwing up. I took over Les duty on the first floor. By 2 am, I was throwing up. I literally slept on the hard, cold tile floor in the bathroom from 2 am until 6:30 am. At one point I crawled up 3 flights of stairs to tell Jonathan I was dying. I thought that was around 5 am but he informed me I woke him up at 4 am. I eventually got a blanket because I was freezing, but I continued to lie on the bathroom floor until the next morning... sick as a dog. (So much for washing my hands in scalding hot water to ensure germs weren't being passed around. I ended up with second degree-looking burns on my hands for nothing. Nothing!)

The next morning decisions had to be made. I was feeling like death (as was Annie) but Les seemed to be ok. (And Jones scatted out of there in a quick hurry to a hotel. ha!). We couldn't arrange the flight that day, so Jonathan took one of the vehicles at the house and drove home --- 9 hours with a 3 month old!! We had no choice. We were all sick and nobody wanted Les sick too! 9 hours later and Les is in the care of his Mam-ma (Jonathan's Mom). THANK YOU, MAM-MA! Times of desperate need for sure. She was feeling much better, and we decided to it would be ok to have Les there. Well, that left me with Cecilia after a long night of vomiting. I called my friends in Hou to see if another sitter could help. Such last minute notice on a weekday, no luck. Now I really know what it feels like to have no help as a Mommy. At home I am completely spoiled with Mam-ma only five minutes away. Nevertheless with a little Barney and The Wiggles (shoot me), we got through the day. Annie was still recovering in her room probably wondering why she ever agreed to go with us.;)

The next morning, Annie, Cecilia and I flew out. Finally. Got. Home. So basically from the time we landed (an hour in) to the time we got back in my driveway, someone was sick. Dog sick. Wow. What a fun trip for everyone!! Whoohoo to the nice relaxation Mommy looked forward to. And have I bought one single gift for Christmas? No. I was supposed to shop in Hou, remember? I won't dare to say could it get worse... because we do have one "last man standing..." Way to go, Les!! I will continue to pray this little man fights off this vicious bug. Prayers and hand washing... all I can do! (I'll pass on all the details re C and her diarrhea that week. Let's just say I threw a few outfits away.)

I may never go back to Houston. Ever. Just because.

Stay at Home Dad.... NEVER!!

Ok, so I had to quickly post this before it slipped my mind - no time to blog! I've been swamped lately planning back-to-back parties - a Christmas party and C's 2nd birthday. Fortunately, I have the help of my friend Maurie who is doing the decor and all for C's party. THANKS, MAURIE!! 

So Mommy woke up feeling bad. SOOO much crud is going around right now, it is unbelievable. I'm not sure if this season is worst than last, but I feel like every time I turn around someone has the flu or stomach bug (adults included). Anyway, I needed to go to the doc. Mam-ma came over for a few hours to help me that morn, then Annie, our wonderful sitter! Love her!! She could only stay until 2 pm then had other jobs, including a sitting job that night. Then, to my surprise, Daddy actually came home a few hours early to help Mommy. It takes quite an event to pry Daddy away from work --- basically someone has to be hospitalized for him to leave work early or take a sick day.:( Honestly, I don't know that he's ever taken a full sick day (no joke). Either way, I was happy he could make it home at 2:30 pm to help me some. I headed to the clinic (walk-ins only today) at the last minute I could (4:45 pm). This was the first time Daddy had been left with both kids (as mentioned - Annie is unavailable at that point:( ). He has watched Les by himself while I've gone to showers and birthday parties with Cecilia but never the two together. So off I go. Going to the doc at the very end of the day is the ticket to be seen quickly! I thought I would have to wait for an hour min. I was in and out and called home on my way to pick up dinner... called to hear two screaming babies in the phone. So I ask Jonathan - "what's wrong with him (Les), what's wrong with him, Jonathan, what's going on, why is he crying...." He proceeds to tell me that he asked him what was wrong but Les won't tell him. HA. Not funny. Then Jonathan starts laughing (like the scary psycho laugh) and says this is so miserable. Well, well, WELL... we have a taste of what Mommy does every single day for hours and hours. No sick days or vacation days or sleeping in for Mommy, right? Nope. Anyway, so I finally pull back in the drive (only gone 1.5 hrs). Jonathan is sitting in the rocker watching Cecilia play; no sign of Les. Ok, so where's Les?? In his crib Jonathan says. I was super impressed he got Les down. Then I asked if Annie came by to get her rings she left on the counter from earlier that day. Jonathan said she did and that he paid her $10 to stay 20 mins to rock Les and put him down! O.M.G.! I mean, the sitter has somewhere else to be and apparently she walks in to Jonathan wanting to jump off a cliff and two screaming babies. He then asks her to please help him until she has to be at the other house --- which was like 30 mins. SERIOUSLY!???! I leave for not even 2 hrs and Jonathan is coaxing our sitter to stay for literally 30 mins. Hilarious!!

Oh, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy... he said he isn't cut out for babysitting. Obviously.

And did I mention as Jonathan was telling me what all went down, I look over and Cecilia pulled the electrical outlet cover off and was licking the electrical socket. So much for baby-proofing!! I guess I'll need to find covers harder to remove! Heart attack!

End of the day - Mommy is ok and got a Rx, Cecilia didn't get electrocuted, Les was being an angel (as usual) and Daddy finally appreciates what Mommy does all day. Ohhhhh, how fun!! These kiddos (and husband) really keep me on my toes. WHEW. Bed time.

Happy Halloween!!

We had a day!! Cecilia and I were headed down to Gulfport to have lunch with my Dad for his birthday, so the morning was a bit hectic trying to get on the road. Mam-ma watched Les for me - yaaaay, and I actually took a shower that morning.:) Thinking I could separate the two kids for a few mins while I actually washed my hair, I put C in the pack-n-play and Les in the Nap Nanny recliner --- both in our bathroom (luckily we have a huge master bath). The pack-n-play is basically a crib, so C was contained. I faced Les toward C, so he "could watch her while she played," I told the two. And off I get into the shower. Everything was going great, then I heard Les cry. I started talking to him from the shower thinking he's just fussy and ready to be picked up. WELL, I finally take a peek over the top of the shower to find C hurling toys at him from the pack-n-play... at that point, 4 toys to be exact - a plastic beach shovel, a pink princess wand and two stuffed animals. Clearly at least one of the objects made contact for Les to belt out a sudden cry. POOR guy. I am thankful the toys were light and no damage was done. So, as I'm drying off, I ask her "Cecilia, were you being mean to Les or sweet to Les?" I figured I'd at least give her a chance to defend herself if in fact she was trying to share her toys and the crying started prior to the hurling of toys. Her firm, straight-faced answer "mean." And there you have it... The QUEEN Cecilia Saga continues... She's relentless, I tell ya. Here's hoping one day soon she will start warming up to her little brother.

Of course, I am so frazzled at that point --- and running late, as usual, I leave for Mam-ma's house with no make-up on and hair soaking wet. I used her hair dryer then got on the road with the Queen. She was looking cute and me, not so much. Surprise, surprise!!

By the way, Mam-ma is called "Mimi" these days, as designated by Cecilia. She might be called Mam-ma one day. And Mama Jo (my Mom) is "Jo Jo." Cecilia calls the shots.

We came back to Hattiesburg right after an amazingly delicious lunch, and we met friends to trick-or-treat. Same friends and super kid-friendly neighborhood as last year. Good times!!

Cecilia with my family - Uncle Miles, Uncle Jules & Poppy

China Doll!!

Papa (Jonathan's Dad) brought this outfit back from his abroad trip last summer. Love it!!:)

Attempting a group picture was... interesting!!

This is all she wanted to do!! "Daddy, up!!" she says.

2011 Halloween with her friend Lucy Kate

2012 Halloween with Lucy Kate 

Both girls have baby brothers now. Let's hope LK is a little nicer to her brother.;)

Mitchell Farms

Jonathan and I took the kids to Mitchell Farms Fall Pumpkin Patch in Collins last Saturday. Cecilia had a blast!! They were worn out afterward! Daddy took Ceci on wagon and choo-choo train rides while Mommy and Les chilled.

This is what he thought of the pumpkin patch... big yawwwwn.

Lots of folks!!

Yay for the wagon ride!! 

So many to choose from...!! 

Couldn't quite get it off the ground;) 

Daddy helped.:) 

Miss Priss Pot struttin' her stuff... 

Ceci's First Haircut (& Some Drama)

Ok, so the plan was to drop Les off at Mam-ma's then meet Daddy to get a haircut. We went to Daddy's shop since he was getting a trim that day too. Well...that day the bobcat struck again. Cecilia was petting her little brother's head in an "oh-so-nice" way then STRIKE! Again. She scratched his head/face with all five fingers and one ended up in his eye. POOR baby Les. Mommy got very upset. When he got up from his nap, there was a greenish/yellowy discharge from the corner of that eye. GREAT, Mommy thought. Calls into the doc flood (let's be honest; I called the doc as soon as it happened, but they called after his nap - yay - just when I could describe the discharge). Cecilia saw a specialist when she was a preemie (routine retina check-ups for preemies), so I called them. They told me that they would get the doctor back up to the office who had just left... Of course, for me this was good and bad news. Typically, I overreact and call the doctor for ALL questions and concerns (oops), so I thought his office would say to just watch his eye. Nope. They said let's not wait until Monday; we want to see him. Panic. Mode. Set. In. So Mommy dropped C off with Daddy for the haircut, went back and picked up Les from Mam-ma's, then Mam-ma went to the salon to help Daddy. Again, THANK GOODNESS for superstar grandparents who live minutes away. Ahhhhh! Fortunately, Les' cornea was not scratched, and he was just fine. The doctor was shocked at how good he was for the drops and exam. In fact, he said his eyes looked great! He did prescribe some antibiotic drops for that nasty discharge but said he would be alright. I got a little teary at the good news. I would have been very teary at bad news. I guess the sleep deprivation and panic had my emotions running high. AHHHHHH, now Mommy can have a good weekend.

To expand on this before I post pics of the monster's first haircut, I will say that I was RIGHT there when this all happened. I tell myself - Les is going to get hurt by his sister, and people will say "oh goodness, now why did that Mom leave her infant alone with a toddler..." NO, MAAM. I was less than arm's length away. In fact, these fits of rage typically occur when I'm breastfeeding. Of course, Cecilia is starving for attention, and it is difficult. I feel terrible that she's going through this transition and clearly not handling it well. BUT, we have to get through this, and we have no choice but to deal with --- and to eventually like our little brother. Additional problems arise when the toddler, not even two years old, is smart and manipulative. She picks and chooses her times to strike. At times she's nice and at times she's mean... mostly she "plays nice" to get me to react with "Oh Ceci, you're so sweet, Oh Ceci, thank you for being so sweet to Les..." THEN she scratches him. Now, you say, if she always does this then why can't I stop her. Well, every time she approaches her brother, it is hard to say "Stop. No. Go away. Don't touch him." Obviously that isn't a good route either. AND in those moments she changes from nice to mean, I'd have to be a ninja to stop her. I'm so serious. It is lightening fast. I've had to be very consistent and firm with her every time she shows aggression to him or me (or anyone else in the family). It hasn't seemed to work yet (duh), but my hope is that she will soon realize this isn't acceptable. ((Because p.s. about an hour after she attacked him, she came up behind me and pulled my hair and scratched my back)).

My reason for blogging is to use this as their "baby book," but I do know I have a few Mommy readers who comment.:)... And most have multiples. If you have suggestions, THROW 'em out! I realize the closeness in age is a key element, but if anyone has suggestions on ways to combat this behavior, please share!! I've done some reading and all the tricks have failed.

So now for the pics of her haircut... that I missed.:(:( We would reschedule but are taking some fam pics tomorrow.

WAIT, you're cutting MY MULLET? No, I lovvvve my uneven hair!!

 Sweet stylist Mrs. Chris Gaston.

Jonathan has gone to her for years. She tried everything to make Ceci happy. 

Want to hold the comb? Nope. I want my mullet!! 

 Yep. Still not happy. Kind of glad I missed the appointment. HA!

 Even being hand-fed goldfish, Ceci was still skeptical. So glad Mam-ma got there to help!! 

Ok, we have a little bit of a smile after it was all over...

MY GOODNESS... WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH THAT GIRL!!!? 

What?! 2 month check-up already??

Les had his two month check-up last Thursday. Where does the time go, seriously....?! How sad! I can't believe how quickly the time passes. He was a champ, even with his shots. Don't get me wrong, the little man belted out a cry I hadn't heard since the delivery room, but it ended shortly thereafter.:) He has doubled in birth weight and is hovering in the 70th percentile in weight and height. (Cecilia didn't weigh 13 lbs until she was 5 months old!! Now, of course, our sweet girl came into the world at 3 lbs, 5 oz.). Les started out at 6 lbs 7 oz, so I see him climbing the percentile(s) at next visit given he's growing at a quick pace. He's already in 6 month clothes, and we are in size 2 diapers! 

Again, where DOES the time go?! Wow.

Thanks for coming to my appt, Daddy!!

My first pair of shoes!!;) 

And thanks to Maurie Hartel for this super cute outfit...

And Mommy looking... not-so-cute, I'm afraid. What's even worse - this is how I look every.single.day. Poor, Daddy!! Ha!

Our big man!!

Jonathan, Jonathan & Jonathan.

My guys with our wonderful pediatrician, Dr. Jonathan Shook. He's amazing, and we love him and his wife, Susannah.

Couldn't leave without getting a quick pic of his hat with the outfit.:) Of course in South MS, we woke up and it was 46, and by the time we left the clinic it was topping 80 degrees.