Unforeseen

Elizabeth was born with a ventricular septal defect...it was small, and apparently a pretty common birth defect. She got checked out by the cardiologist and we were advised to just keep a trained eye on that VSD and it would probably close on its own.
And it did. She's never had a moments trouble from that VSD.

She was born with another apparently relatively common birth defect too. Elizabeth has a cup ear.
Basically, the little triangular-ish flap of cartilage that is supposed to be standing in front of her ear hole is instead squished up against it. When she was born the nurses and doctors thought it was probably just swollen tissue from being all cramped up in the womb. But the ear never popped out the way it's supposed to have done.
Looking at her, you'd never know. She doesn't look like a freak or anything. It's just a little funny anomaly. It doesn't affect her hearing or anything. It's never been a problem at all....

Until Christmas.

My mom bought each of the big kids their own portable CD players. When Elizabeth got hers out and tried to put in the earbuds...one just wouldn't stay in her ear. The one on the side of what we call her "Crazy Ear"

Oh, my heart broke!
Not because she's not able to jam a tiny speaker into her ear, because most likely her ear will eventually grow bigger and she will be able to pollute her brain with whatever garbage music kids listen to in 2017 and wear those stupid Bluetooth headsets that make EVERYONE look douchey.

My heart was breaking because she just couldn't understand why her headphones wouldn't work. I told her to just hold it up to her ear, but she decided she'd rather share with her brother. So they sat next to each other on Dylan's bed and listened to her music. One ear bud in Elizabeth's non-crazy ear and one in Dylan's ear.

It was so precious.

I told her I'd figure out a way that she could wear both ear buds...but now I can't think of anything!
Suggestions?


ps: see in the pic how the middle of her ear and the little flap of skin closest to her cheek are sort of flat???

The Holiday Haze

Things are happening around here, but I've been so freaking busy lately!
We hosted the Christmas Eve gift exchange. We set the arrival time for noon. Noone showed up until almost 2 pm, which was fine since we scheduled the turkey to come out of the oven at 3. All those hungry people pounced on the food as soon as it was ready, so yeah, maybe making everyone wait three hours for food would have been a bad idea!

We also had shrimp enchiladas since my mom doesn't eat meat on Christmas Eve, the last vestige of her otherwise long abandoned Catholicism.
PS: The enchiladas were a hit, by the way.

The gift exchange was delayed CONSIDERABLY since my father in law didn't show up until past 6 pm....grr. It was annoying but ended up not mattering, though everyone didn't leave until after 9 pm and by then I was so tired....

Anyway...
The kids each got great presents which they haven't stopped playing with since Christmas Eve. Naturally, they are each enraptured with the others' toys, particularly the baby toys. They're just so darn cheery and colorful!

So that's the quick update!
Merry Christmas!

Holly Jolly Christmas

It's the best time of the year???

I'll tell you now that there IS snow, and I'm currently having a cup of "cheer"

We're having a low-key, minimal, small scale Christmas again this year. My mom is going to play Santa, arriving on the 23rd with a sleigh Mitsubishi full of presents.
As for us, well, we've had some Christmas miracles that will allow us to get a few gifts for the kids from us. I've been doing well this month at work so, that's a major blessing. Also, Bob has found a guy who is willing to pay him to help hang Christmas lights on his huge house and do minor landscaping and other odd jobs. So Bob has been working some weekends helping this fellow out and making in a weekend about what he makes in a week working his regular job. This has helped the family finances tremendously, obviously.

Other miracles have also happened which will also help make a nice holiday this year and help us beyond the holiday too...all good things.

Last night it snowed about four inches. School was cancelled and Bob couldn't work so we brought the kids to their cousins' house and they all (Bob included, actually Bob leading the way) made a snow igloo using a plastic storage box as a brick form.
It turned out to be QUITE the impressive sculpture. I don't have pics yet...but will post when I do.

The kids are all over their terrible illnesses, thank goodness. Bob and I and the baby all escaped the horror. Now we'll move onto the next round of illness. I noticed Benjamin coughing a bit today...sigh...obviously he's getting the Tazmanian Flu or something.

There's other new news here, but...eh...another post, another day. And no, I'm not pregnant. At all. In any possible way! :)

"You're ruining Christmas!"

That's what my mom just told me over the phone.

"Jessica Lynn! You're ruining Christmas! I'm a grandmother for Chrissakes!"

And here's why...

In September my mom first asked me what the kids want for Christmas. Yes. September. What can I say, the woman likes to plan ahead.

"They don't need any clothes or any toys," I told her.

"What? No toys?!? OK Scrooge. Good luck with that," she said.

"No mom, seriously. No toys. They have waaay too many toys. My whole house is covered in toys. I wake up under a blanket of toys. No toys. Please, I beg you, no toys."

Through her supreme Grandma powers she guilted me down to no INSIDE toys. All outside and REMAINING OUTSIDE toys would be permitted.

"But mom, I swear, if an inside toy comes into the house it's going right back out. I don't care how much they cry."

She proclaimed me heartless, but I stayed strong.


Cut to tonight...

We've worked out a handy arrangement where no inside toys will come here and the kids will get a big brand new OUTDOOR playhouse with a little kitchen area and I'm very happy with that.
But, of course, Nani isn't giving up that easily.

"What am I going to get these children? What will be under the tree?! They have to unwrap something! What will they unwrap? Socks?!"

"Yes, mom, socks. They need socks. I swear, I swear to God, no toys. No. Toys."

"But, just some little toys..."

"No! No toys! I will take a picture of Dylan's overflowing closet of toys and send it to you. There are so many toys you can't step into that closet. The only way that ONE toy is coming into this house is if you get rid of 20 in its place. No TOYS!"

"Well, they're going to have this new kitchen play area..."

"Mmm hmm," I said, sensing the negotiation beginning.

"...well, do they have pots?"

"Yes mom. They have play dishes, play pots, play food, play spoons, play everything. They will have no trouble furnishing their playhouse. No. Toys."

"Jessica Lynn! You're ruining Christmas! You're breaking Santa's heart."

"Mom, he's not real."

"Oh, you Scrooge!"

Just something I like

I found this gal on Etsy this morning and fell in love with the cute, funny, witty, whimsical prints she has for sale.
Her main site has an even larger selection...everything is super adorable. These are my personal faves...






Not to mention....Ninja Giraffe


I'm totally getting some for the kids' birthdays and Christmas presents...you should too!

Christmas Blur

This last week has been a total blur of presents, wrapping paper and cookies...my GOD THE COOKIES!!!

My mom came into town Saturday with her dog Maggie. The dog is at least 15 years old, so she's slow and low. That is her tempo. She mostly sleeps all day, but my kids adore her shaggy self, so that was an early Christmas present for them!
Sunday we spent ALL day making cookies. Sugar cookies, coconut macaroons, gingerbread cookies, cream cheese cookies...and on and on...it was a Cookie Party! Without that Silverman chick.

Monday was even more cookies to make, and it being Christmas Eve, Bob took the kids to his dad's rural homestead in BFE nowheresville for a lovely Christmas Eve lunch and present opening. They ended up arriving back at home after 6 (well after darkness fell) so Mom and I enjoyed seven fun-filled hours of present wrapping, cookie making, dish cleaning and watching HGTV. Fun fun fun!!
My brother arrived Christmas Eve around 10 pm. The boy runs on his own clock, what can I say. His big adventure was clipping an elk's antler on the way up from Phoenix. In his ex-girlfriend's car! Good times!
Soon after he arrived, everyone went to sleep dreaming of sugar plums and Santa and wrapping paper and cookies...dear Lord! The COOKIES!!

Christmas Day we opened a slew of presents. The most puzzling of which was an Easy-Bake Oven for Elizabeth (she's not yet 4, the E-B O is for age 8+) from my FIL and his wife. Strange. Can I closet it for four years without incident. Perhaps.

I put a turkey in the oven and we awaited the remainder of our company (my BIL and his wife and child). Nice and low-key. While the turkey roasted, Dylan took a nap and Bob and my brother went up to the ski resort to snowboard. Bob used to be an instructor, Greg had never been before. It was about 10 degrees up there. Needless to say, they weren't gone long and it's about an hour drive to get there.
They claimed to have had fun, but we'll never really know!

Everyone else arrived around 3 pm. We opened another round of presents and watched holiday shows while we snacked on hors d'oeuvres (that's OR DERVES).
Then we broke for the evening around 7 pm. My brother left to go back to Phoenix around 6, just after the turkey feast-o-rama.

Since then it has just been hanging out at home, playing with the new toys and going to the grocery store. We're chilling.
There is football to be watched today (damn Patriots!) and a Prime Rib to be made for New Years Eve. Last night we had a big ol brown sugar glazed ham. I think I've gained three pounds in two weeks. Ugh.
At least I can blame it on the blossoming child.
This week is even more fun in store with Dylan's second birthday on Wednesday and my ultrasound appointment on Thursday.

I've just been handed a poopy diapered child, so I guess that's all the update you get for now.
Peace out. Peace on Earth.