Christmases 2008

Well, this year we were the lucky ones who got to celebrate Christmas twice, fully. Due to timing and holidays, we hosted the different sides of the families at different times. We didn't want anyone to feel left out, so we did the whole shebang each time...gifts, chaos, turkey, desert, sleepiness, and recovery, twice. Everyone had a great time, especially Sophia who really got the whole Christmas thing this year. She was so excited and absolutely loved having all of her family around. It was a treat to watch the holidays through the wide eyes of toddler wonder. Jacob, well, this year he kind of slept through parts of it, but next year should be interesting.

CHRISTMAS 1 -THE GERHARDS

This occurred the second weekend in December. Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Adam and Auntie Kristine loaded their Christmas goodies into the Escape and headed West. Seeing that two of the four still have day jobs, they weren't able to leave until said jobs were done for the day, so they arrived late. Once settled, stockings were stuffed and gifts were distributed and sleep was eventually had. Christmas morning started with stockings, led to French Toast, then gifties (which had been eagerly watched all morning, and rescued from indiscriminate opening several times ---hmmm, wonder who that was!?). After all that started the playing with gifties and for some the prepping of the meal. All in all, it was a wonderful holiday which included many laughs, much fun, and just a little Wall-E.
The Christmas tree packed with gifts. Such a temptation for a two year old.

Distraction with Grandpa, a way to keep little fingers from tearing pretty paper.

Checking out the new Doll House. Sophia absolutely loves this gift. Great for little hands and big imaginations.

Finally growing into the Santa hat. Maybe next year Sophia can hand out the gifts.

Jacob hanging with Uncle Adam

Magnadoodling with Auntie Kristine. Not too sure who liked it more.

Showing off Jacob's new threads!

Christmas dinner.


CHRISTMAS 2 -THE MANTELS

Nana and Papa arrived on December 21 and hung out for a couple of days before the rest of the group arrived. No one could ave foreseen the fact that the flight plans of the Vancouver Contingent would be complicated by, of all things, a crazy amount of snow in Vancouver. The already delayed flight of Nan and Papa was further delayed by the weather, so instead of arriving at 11:59 PM they arrived at 2:30 AM the next day. So really, they arrived on the 22nd. Thankfully, the snow only delayed Todd and Dea by two hours, but still the difference in time meant that only some of us were able to make it to Christmas Eve service, where Sophia was an angel and Jacob starred as a pleasantly docile Jesus. With the prospect of a second Christmas morning looming, Sophia was just as excited that Santa was coming as she was at the beginning of the month. Stockings, breakfast, gifts, and dinner were all enjoyed, with the added bonus of the Bear family (Marie-Eve, Kelvin and William) joining us for the evening. William and Sophia had a great time, even if they were exhausted from the festivities. The following day, Todd, Papa, Dea and David braved the crowds for Boxing Day shopping and actually got some stuff. As for Dea, who had never been to the prairies before, Saskatchewan did it's best to welcome her. It never got above -20 the entire time she was here. I have to admit, she did very well for being in a deep freeze.


Our little Sophie Angel with her pal, Karlee. Nothing like being a cutie on Christmas Eve!

Jacob in his festive Santa suit (which fit him perfectly for a change!) courtesy of Jacquie

Sophia's very first nightgown. Thanks Jacquie. She loves it so very much that she is still wearing it at night, and it's big enough that it might just fit next year. Maybe.

Enjoy Robert Munsch, again and again and again.

spending quality time with Uncle Todd. Yes, that's Todd under all that fur.

The family picture...we are a happy bunch

All in all we had a wonderful time celebrating the holidays with our families. We are thankful that all of them were willing to come to us this year. Can't wait to see what next year holds!

leftovers

Turkey always comes with leftovers, and this year, so does the blog. because of Jacob's surgery, a number of notable happenings went unboogged, so you can expect to see a few posts that happened a long time ago. We'll leave them up on the blog for a day or two, then back-date the posts to when the things happened. It will be as if we blogged the day of the event! (it's cheating, I know...)

Jacob in the House

Another second-hand purchase, this time from another mom at one of the big play-dates, this house is self-supporting so jacob can lay down inside it and look up at all the cool stuff dangling in front of his face. He does enjoy spending time in here, and he occasionally bats at something with enough force to make it swing back and forth in interesting ways. Also, he is grabby.

Almost Year End Stats

As Jacob gets bigger and older, he gets to experience the joy and wonder of immunizations. December 11th was the date for his two months shots. He did okay. The first shot brought on a look of mild shock and a little cry. The second shot elicited a look of shocked horror and a much larger cry response. From then on the nurse was eyed with much suspicion. I understand now why they weigh and measure the little ones before the shots. All in all, he did okay. The shots made him sleepier than usual, but that is a much better response than crying uncontrollably four hours later.

We came home not only with Jacob having his shots but also toting a lovely new piece of paper on which to record his stats. Seeing that we had his, we also decided that Sophia should get hers as well. So here is where they stand for now.

JACOB:
Weight -9 pounds 2 ounces
Height -21 inches
(firmly in the 3rd -yes, third- percentile. He is thriving even though he is the weight that many babies are born).

SOPHIA:
Weight -30 pounds
Height -3 feet 1 inch
(nicely in the 75th percentile).

So both are growing fast and getting bigger than we could have imagined. We are exceedingly blessed with these two little ones.

Pictures to come soon!

Christmas Tree Decorating

(For the next little while, you may notice some backdated posts and some posts from a while ago, since we are still catching up)

Because the Gerhard parents were visiting to help out during Jacob's surgery, we took the opportunity to decorate the tree. This was the first tree decorating that Sophie really participated in (she was there for last years, but didn't really do as much as this years). She was very into it, quite seriously deciding where things should go and what should be put up next. She can't reach very high herself, however, so there was a dense collection of ornaments three-quarters of the way around and about 2 feet up. This wasn't really a problem, though, because the next day she took some off and put them in different places, so they had a tendency to spread themselves out a bit. All in all the tree looks great, and I think moreso for being decorated by a toddler.

Some photos, and a video

Santa Visit

Sophia saw Santa quite early this year, since Christmas was to happen on the 13th of December when the Gerhards were to visit, and then again on Christmas day with the Mantels. (Christmas with multiple families gets complicated...) So on the 27th of November, Sophia got dressed up in her fancy Christmas dress and we went to see Santa. We're not really making a huge deal about Santa, but we have participated in that mass delusion. We have told Sophia that he is coming, told her to be good, told her about presents and everything. We know of all of the arguments against it, all of the terrible things it promotes: materialism; trust broken; unjust punishment; parents lying to their children; etc. There are a couple quotes, however, that come from a Christmas book that we have, that make the argument from the other side:

"Was there ever a wider and more loving conspiracy than that which keeps the venerable figure of Santa Claus from slipping away, with all the other old-time myths, into the forsaken wonderland of the past?" - Hamilton Wright Mabie, My Study Fire

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no child-like faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies!
Francis P. Church, The New York Sun, September 21, 1897

And anyway, all cultures have some form of midwinter festival around light. Ours happens to be Christmas, and we as everyone knows, many of the "Christian" traditions have been stolen from other belief systems. It doesn't mean that we shouldn't have some sort of annual festival bringing light (in whatever form) into the darkest part of the year.

So we perpetuate. Maybe we are bad parents, but I want my children to be just as full of wonder as they are full of knowledge.

Anyway. I digress. Santa visit. As we drove to the mall, we talked to Sophia about visiting Santa Claus, and we asked her what she would ask him for Christmas. She didn't know, so we suggested a dollhouse (which we knew she was getting from her grandparents) and she said "Oh, yeah. A dollhouse"

So we arrive at the mall, and since it is early in the season, there are no line-ups there. We approach Santa and Sophia really isn't sure, but she walks up to him, very deliberately, and sits up on his knee. She stares straight ahead. He talks to her a bit, taking his time, and then he asks if there is anything she would like for Christmas. Still looking straight ahead, never having made eye contact, she whispers:

"A Dollhouse"

And so the cycle is complete. Santa gives her a candy-cane, a little gingerbread man toy, and a green reindeer stamp. We have the photo taken, and continue wandering the mall. For weeks afterward, it is:

"I talk to Santa Claws"

"Santa give me a Ginger-man"

I would say it was a success.

Seeing Santa


Smile! (always results in squinting these days)


Look! a Ginger-man!


Pretty Dress


Pretty Hair

A Hernia Fixed

As David blogged earlier, Jacob had his surgery and it was successful. We are home and dealing with the aftermath discomfort. Other than that Jacob is doing really well, and I think once the incision heals and the pain subsides he will be happier for the surgery. I am very thankful for Dr. Saczek and the amazing nurses on Ward 4F (aka the peds ward). David thought I should let you know the first hand experience of the hospital visit.

We arrived at the hospital 6:20 am (yup, AM) to go through admission and then head up to the Day Surgery ward. Jacob wasn't the only child, but he was the youngest one there by far. We hung out in the ward while his chart was created, checked and then double checked. He was scheduled to be the first surgery of the day for Dr. Saczek, so things were done fairly efficiently. Vitals were taken, information was given, and a visit with the anesthetist (who was fabulous). It was this visit that offered us the first and only real complication of the day. When we originally met with the surgeon he suggested that Jacob would only be in for the day and then would be sent home. So that is what I prepared for...a diaper bag with the needed things for a day out. The anesthetist came to take all the information she needed and to fill me in on the procedure for a little guy like Jacob (they give him gas through a mask and then did an IV --which makes sense when dealing with an infant who can't control his ever flailing arms.) Then she mentioned to me that because of his size, that she was going to talk with the surgeon about keeping Jacob over night! What!? After Jacob was taken away to the OR, I waited for the phone call from the OR about the night. So, in the end it was decided that we needed to stay the night.

Actually, it was a good thing to stay. The nurses checked Jacob's vitals every half hour after the surgery and then every four hours after that. They kept an eye on his diaper output to make sure that everything was moving well, and then made sure that he was eating well. He was pretty dopey for the first part of the day, but by late afternoon he was wanting to be held standing up and was cooing and smiling like his usual self. He slept well that night, waking for food and when the pulsox machine went off. I on the other hand, slept fitfully. You see, they had a room for Jacob with a crib but only a pull out chair for me. Which makes sense seeing that I wasn't the patient. It wasn't the worse thing to sleep on, and heck, when you are exhausted you can pretty much sleep anywhere. Not being the patient also meant that there was no food for me...so David had the job of bringing me lunch and dinner. Yum, Probably better than the hospital food anyway.

By 10 am the next morning the surgeon had been back to check on Jacob and to discharge him, and then by 11 am the nurses had removed his IV connections (that they had left in just in case), and removed the board on his hand that kept him from pulling the iv out as he moved. Then we were on our way.

Being at the hospital overnight was a good thing. Jacob was well cared for and I was relieved to have knowledgeable people watching over him in case of any side effects of the anesthetic. It meant that I didn't have to worry as I likely would have. Being home is nice, though. Even better is knowing that Jacob will no longer have to worry about the discomfort of the hernia. Again, many thanks to the Doctors and Nurses who took such good care of our little man.

Surgery

Just a quick update to say that Jacob has had his surgery and is recovering well. It was a more difficult hernia according to the surgeon, because the sack was very thin. But everything went fine and Jacob fed a couple times (briefly) after the surgery. He is very groggy and blinking very slowly, but crying and feeding and sleeping and looking around.

Tricia and Jacob will be staying in the hospital overnight, to watch for sleep apnea. Not that they think he is particularly susceptible, just that it is sometimes possible, and they would like to just keep an eye on him. We are actually relieved that they are taking care of him for a little while longer, so we can be sure everything is fine. His little baby IV needle shunt is still in his hand, but they removed the saline drip that he had had this morning. He has a pulse-oximiter attached to his foot (94-96pox, 130-150bpm, normal more or less) and they will be monitoring that all night just to be sure, then sending him home tomorrow morning.

He will have his dressing on for 5 days, and we are not to change it or look at the wound. He is not to be submerged until the bandage is off, and we will be giving him Tylenol for the next two or three days.

So the long and short of it is that he is doing fine and the surgery was a success. Which, of course, we were expecting, mentally. A routine surgery that the doctor does every day. Emotionally, however, we were scared. It's good to know that he is on the other side of it. And thanks to all of you who gave us your thoughts and prayers this morning.

More updates, and backlogs of blog updates for Sophia, Jacob and the rest of us coming soon. Sorry it's been sparse, we've had our hearts other places.

Snowmen Big and Small

There was (barely) enough snow to make a couple snowmen, so we got our winter gear on and headed outside and rolled some little snowballs into big snowballs. We managed to make a good-sized snowman big enough to hug, and a little guy more Sophia's size.
 
 
 
 

Sitting Pretty

 
 
 
 

Brother and Sister

Getting along famously...
 
 
 
 

Surgery Date

In the last post we told you that Jacob has been diagnosed with a hernia. The only thing we were waiting for was a date for his surgery. Well, we now have that date. He will be getting his hernia fixed on December 1...very early in the morning. So keep him in your thoughts. It's not a particularly challenging surgery, but he's a little guy so good vibes and prayers are appreciated!

Reading to Baby Brother

Sophia has a significant interest in books and reading, and here she is sharing here love of books with baby brother. It's not clear if he (or she) knows what the book is about, but the experience is bound to bring them together (get it, bound? like a book?)

 

Sleeping Jacob

Jacob is so cute when he sleeps, especially when it is on the chest (or belly) of someone else...

 
 
(of course, Sophia needs belly time too)
 
 
 
 
 

And Then He Smiled at Me...

Well, yesterday was a little milestone day for us here at the Gerhard house. Jacob was unusually alert in the morning, as we waited for some friends to come over for a playdate. He was looking around, taking in life and all that is has to offer. As he was hanging out, watching, I took my finger and ran it gently down his cheek. Instead of getting the usual rooting response, he actually twitched a half smile at me. Within seconds the half smile became a whole open mouth smile. It was a magic moment. I actually got him to smile at me twice. I then tried to get him to smile for David, but, alas, it was not meant to be. Since yesterday Jacob has smiled again for me. David is beginning to believe that I am imagining things, because the boy resolutely refuses to smile for David. Sigh.

The couple of weeks have been a little stressful for us. Jacob seemed to be feeding all the time...like once or twice an hour! I couldn't get anything done. This feeding frenzy just marked the 6 week growth spurt, I suppose. He was sleeping well though...one night he even slept six hours in a row! Amazing!

We had our six week check up... I scored just fine and Jacob is growing at a good rate. He is solidly in the 5-10 percentile for weight and height. So, he's not a big baby. But we knew that already.

Here's the comparison with week 2:
week 2
WEIGHT - 3.0 Kg (6.6 pounds)
LENGTH - 46.5 Cm (18.3 inches)
HEAD - 34.0 cm

week 6
WEIGHT - 3.68 kg (about 8.1 pounds)
LENGTH - 51.5 Cm (20.3 inches)
HEAD - 36.0 Cm

So he is certainly growing...


And now for our reason why we haven't blogged in while.
Just about two weeks ago, I noticed a strange bulge in Jacob's groin area as I changed his diaper. It wasn't too big so I didn't do more than just take a mental note of it. Later on in the evening, again as I was changing his diaper, I noticed the bulge was now bigger and quite defined. It was about the shape and width of my thumb. I called David up to get his male expert opinion about the normalcy of this kind of thing. Well, he told me that it wasn't normal and we should probably take Jacob into the doctor. Well, this all happened on Remembrance Day... nothing like a medical issue on a holiday. This meant that our usual walk in clinic was closed. I quickly made the decision to take Jacob into the ER. I got myself ready for the possibility of a long wait. We hurried (me and Jacob, as this happened at bedtime for Sophia) over to the General Hospital. We didn't wait too long. The ER doctor quickly diagnosed Jacob with an inguinal hernia. The doctor got in contact with a pediatric surgeon (the only one in Regina, it turns out). And we were on our way home again (only after an hour and a half --they tend to rush babies in!). By Friday we had an appointment with the pediatric surgeon, who confirmed the hernia and explained the process and risks for surgery. As it stands right now, Jacob is waiting for an early December surgery date. This is a fairly routine surgery, as a good percentage of baby boys have this kind of hernia. They just need to go in, replace the bowel, and suture the hole in the muscle. easy --a 30 to 40 minute surgery. It will be day surgery.

So for now, we gently move the bowel back to it's normal spot and as long as we are able to do this easily we are in the clear until the surgery date. Then little Jacob will be relieved of his discomfort. It's a bit scary thinking of our little, little guy going into surgery, but we trust the doctors and the staff who will be with him. We just want to have the issue solved.

You understand, now, why our focus hasn't been on the blog? Right??? Thanks for your patience.

Here are some newer shots of the Jacob boy.

Newborn Photos

We had our good friend Pam take these pictures when Jacob was just one week old. Pam is an amazing photographer and we are very lucky to have these as a remembrance of just how little he was when he was born.

There are many more but several of them are a little risque for online dissemination. His widdle tushy is sooooo cute, though.