Ear Tubes

I am documenting PJ's ear tube surgery...he will want to know about his one day.

No food after midnight: This was making me the most nervous because P is up around 6 a.m. and ready to eat and drink.  We successfully kept him upstairs and got him out of the house without too much of a meltdown!

8:30: Arrived at hospital for check-in

8:45: We were called back to the room for blood pressure, temp, other vitals, and we put on his gown.  He was very upset about the bracelet they put on his ankle that had his name on it.

9:30: The scheduled time for his surgery, however they were behind!  We played, and I kept him busy with my phone and peek-a-boo for nearly an hour.

 10:20: They finally came to get him.  He wasn't sure about someone else taking him away from me, but they said he did great.

10:45: My pager went off and I met with the doctor to go over things.  He said it went great!  Went back and found an upset P being held by a sweet nurse.  I was able to calm him to sleep for about 15 minutes, and then I dressed him and we left.  He was pretty whiny, but we managed to trudge through the snow and get in the car.

  

11:15: French fries and a milkshake kept his mind off of what had happened!

2 hours later: He was playing and laughing (still clingy but happy)!

Then he took a 3 hour nap this afternoon :)

Hoping for a peaceful night for our little guy!

Sound the Alert-Lily's Octonauts Birthday

Today, we celebrated Lily's 5th birthday with an Octonauts party.  If you aren't the parent of a young child who watches Disney Jr. all the time, you probably have no idea what Octonauts is!  It is a cute show about underwater sea explorers.  Lily was adamant that this was what she wanted, so I went with it (after all-it is her day!).  We had our family and some friends over for lunch and fun this afternoon.

I miss my dear friend Elaine being close because she would have done a cute shirt and bow, but I didn't think to call her in time.  This one turned out pretty good though!

Cupcakes made by my sister and me.  She also made the invites, cupcake tags, and favor tags!

Lily had fun picking out pictures for her board in the playroom.

At the end of each Octonauts show, they do a "creature report" over the animals they discovered.  Lily and I created a report on her for the mantle.  I interviewed her and put pictures of years past.

My sister came to the rescue again with this art activity.  She had an underwater color wonder set and she cut table clothes to look like water.  It is still up because Lily wants to keep coloring!

 

The treasure hunt for party favor sacks was fun!  I made clues and hid them around the house. 

Each bag had goldfish, bubbles, fruit snacks, and an eye patch (because of the character that wears one).

I didn't do a good job of getting action pictures, but the kids also could decorate fish with glitter glue and stickers.  Here is Lily's finished fish.

Of course, presents were a hit!  She got clothes, and dance outfits, and tap shoes for lessons that start this week.

And, of course, wild man enjoyed the fun!

 Thanks to our wonderful friends and family for helping make the party a huge success.  A special shout-out goes to my sister, Sarah.  I owe you for all you do :)

Happy 5th Birthday Lily Bug!

Warning: This post contains A LOT of pictures!  

As I was doing this post and looking back at all the pictures I have of Lily, it was amazing at how much she has changed but also at how she still has the same beautiful smile and spirit she has had since we brought her home five years ago.  It is unbelievable how one little person can change your life forever.  There is something very special about your first born (and yes, I feel a little cheated since I am the second born!).  Your world is turned upside down when you become a parent for the first time.  Your first child is who you are experiencing all the first parenting moments with (for better or worse).  Lily has been teaching me a lot about myself these last five years, mostly with how to be patient and compassionate no matter what is going on.  I am amazed at the person she is growing into, and there isn't a day that goes by that she doesn't do something that makes me beam with pride.  Yes, we butt heads quite a bit (as I expect this will be happening for many more years), but there is nothing like the love of a daughter!

Happy 5th Birthday to our sweet, sensitive, bossy, loud, happy Lillian Marie!  

I have picked out some of my favorite pictures over the last five years (there are so many, but what did you expect after 5 years?).

Here, she looks just like Parker!