Christmas Break - Part 2

So I'm finally back to about 80%... I've eaten some noodle soup, a piece of toast, and 1/2 a sandwich in the last 48 hours and have keep it all down!! Jack and Ella are still battling diarrhea, but neither has thrown-up for over a day. Yeah!!

Here's the bad news... David has finally been hit. He got up this morning not feeling so well, and as the day went on, he got worse. He has probably slept 20 of the last 24 hours and has only eaten 1 piece of toast. I'm praying that he'll have a fast recovery as we are supposed to go to his mom and dad's for Christmas day festivities. My family is coming down Saturday expecting an Italian feast.

This is our first real Christmas since 2005, so I'm hoping for a little Christmas miracle so that we're all healthy and can have the very merry Christmas we've been dreaming of...

Christmas Break - Part 1 - Everyone's sick

Kristy and I were planning on enjoying a nice, peaceful break with the kids. Unfortunately, Kristy, Jack and Ella got sick yesterday. Hopefully, it's one of those 24 hour bugs...

In other news, we did pick up a nice booster/high chair (thanks to Carrie's recommendation). It works much better than feeding them on the floor.


Plus, we decided to give Ella a shot at the sippy cup. She's not quite ready yet.


We set up an open toybox on the wall. It's become the new, favorite zone in the house.


A couple of the many Ella expressions (the first one is actually a yawn).



If we don't post again before Christmas, have a great Christmas.

What a Difference a Year Makes

December 4th was the anniversary of the beginning of my lengthy hospital stay. One year ago on the 4th, David and I went to see Dr. A for a routine ultrasound and got the surprise of our lives... Jack's amniotic fluid was down to a dangerous level, and I would have to be on bedrest at the hospital until delivery.

Of course and that time, the thought was that we were going to lose both Jack and Ella. It was much too early in the pregnancy to deliver, and there was nothing they could do to add more fluid to Jack's sac. If Jack died in utero, more than likely they would have had to deliver Ella prematurely because of the risk of infection among other issues. You know it is bad when no one in the doctor's office can look you in the eyes.

The next several days were spent in a hospital gown, hooked up to numerous IVs and monitors, wearing extremely uncomfortable tights, drenched in tears, and praying that God would not do this to us again. Thankfully, David was beside me the whole time, and Debbie (our favorite nurse ever) knows exactly what to say even when you don't think there is anything that would possibly help.

As you can imagine, this Christmas has a whole new meaning for David and I. Jack and Ella have completed us in so many ways. They've renewed my faith and my outlook on life. I look forward to every smile, every cuddle, and even the late night feedings. This will be the best Christmas ever!!

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday this year... much better than last year's! Here are a couple of pics from the festivities:


This was taken at my mom and dad's house on Thanksgiving day. As you can tell by the picture, there is quite an age gap between the oldest grandchild to the youngest. Of course David and I "waited" a little longer than most to have kids.


This was taken at our house. We hosted David's side of the family the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The ages here are much closer!!

Happy Thanksgiving

We hope y'all have a great Thanksgiving. Jack and I have a lot to be thankful for, including:

A conversation:


A distraction for Ella:


A sister to play with (Jackie learned how to climb too):


And a pair that completes us: