Post Head Trauma Shot=Seeing if the lips work!

No smile....check
Lips working...check

Okay, Thomas, let's roll!

Our 2nd Christmas with Mom, Dad and Drew!

Tonight Mom and Dad, along with Drew, made it over a very snowy and difficult Cascades pass. I didn't know all day if it would happen, as the passes looked awful. They made it over and we enjoyed a quiet late afternoon together. Although everyone was tired, we decided that it would be fun for the boys to open their presents tonight so they could enjoy their toys for the duration. For the record....the Whipples played by the rules and stayed within the dollar amount. The Kings/Vankemsekes cheated and showered us with way too much goodness! It's embarrassing really, but Thomas loved his toys, John and I got exactly what we wanted, and Drew was enjoying setting up Shark Park with Uncle John when near disaster struck!

Thomas takes a HEADER out of his crib! Yep, there's a first time for everthing and tonight Thomas decided it was time to try out his climbing skills-despite the presence of an ever vigilant Nana and his father no more than 8 feet away on the floor. However it started (no one saw him climb up), John saw the ending and I heard it from the kitchen. Mom ran out of the room calling for Jesus and I rushed passed her to see what that thud was. Turns out it was the back of Thomas's head meeting Mr. Hardwood floor-head on-literally!

We haven't had much luck at the ER during the Christmas season, but I truly thought this one had passed us by without the mandatory visit. Four years ago we had to take a baby Drew to the ER with breathing difficulties. Three years ago I spend Christmas day being evaluated with what turned out to be my first (and only) migraine, despite my best prediction that I had to be dying of a brain hemorrage with the intense pain. Last year everyone was sick, including John's cousins that came to town, but to my best recollections, no one had to visit the ER. So, I actually had the nerve to remark to Brad that it looked like everyone was healthy this year, as he made his way up to visit with his family. Hmmmmm....great call!

The ER was slammed that night, but Thomas seemed to enjoy himself checking out the obese lady with the funny mask on her face sitting in a wheelchair, the old lady in her pajamas with her feet propped up on her wheelchair across from us (I couldn't help but think of Bird Flu), the baby being rocked on the other side of us, the water fountain with it's many disposable cups to play with, and the candy machine. He did not like the wrist band they wanted me to put on, and he did not like me changing him on that funny table in the bathroom. He liked playing "monkey" on his hospital bed as the man kiddy-corner to us moaned in pain, and he enjoyed running down the hall right before the doctor came to visit him-finally! What a very expensive popsicle we all shared tonight. And to make matters worse, the crazy woman at John's "favorite" KFC messed up our order on our way home, forcing me to call corporate office and report her for forgetting my chicken for my chicken salad and John's BBQ sauce for his BBQ chicken. Take that, crazy lady!

We missed the cousin's party that night at Punkie's and I felt bad that Drew missed out on a fun evening as he waited for us to return. He was such a great sport about it and I hope that sometime I can make up for his missed party. Bruce and Lil skipped the party to join us at the hospital, but once Bruce had talked it over with us and checked out Thomas for himself, they headed off to fill my folks in on what was going on. I was thankful they came and happy that they didn't miss the whole evening entirely.

As I rode with Thomas to the hospital, and again that night as I lay on my mat beside Thomas's crib, I thought of Jenny's story of Madeline's concussion this summer. Madeline was out of it and threw up after crashing on her head, and Jenny then had a hard time keeping her awake. I knew in my heart as I thought of those symptoms that Thomas was ok, and without that story running through my head as an example, I would have been in a world of hurt. I did sleep that night, checking on him several times, but I had a peace in my heart that all was well and the knowledge that this is certainly not the first time Thomas takes us to the edge.

Thomas, Pretzels and Putting on Your Game Face!

I sometimes feel just a bit guilty about it, but not enough to stop. I remember the pain of it as a child. Dreading the moment when it would arrive, and I would have to sit, sometimes quiety, sometimes with as much fervor as I could muster in my little body. And now, like a father passing on his family name and wealth, I shall too pass along the pain....the pain of weekend SPORTS! (Although with my father it was mostly baseball and M.A.S.H) Yes, Thomas may control the activities of our daily lives, with our schedules, our Nick Jr/Disney television shows, and our freetime, but he does not have much say when the Seahawks play this season. His only choice in the matter has been which jersey he wants to wear, and his choice is Hasselbeck or Alexander. And since his grandpa is NOT an Alexander fan, most often he has been seen wandering our hallway in Hasselbeck, aimlessly trying to distract us with trains, trucks and a whine here and there. He will learn....oh yes he will, and it is not like he is not rewarded for his patience. I have been known to bribe him with pizza and candy, pretzels and other treats. Sometimes it's even been our treat that he goes down for his nap....RIGHT BEFORE kickoff! How amazing is that! And so, yes, I do sometimes feel guilty that Thomas must suffer through a game here and there...but only for brief moments. After all, it's the Seahawks!

Santa Visit, 2005 (21 Months old)

Each time we've gone to the mall, we've taken Thomas up to see Santa, wondering if "this" would be the time Thomas would agree to go up and have his picture taken. Each time Thomas has been more than content to look at the lights and check out "fosty" and his little friends. Today we realized it was crunch time for getting this year's picture done, so we decided to take him to Yeager's sport store to meet Santa there, and if he wasn't into that Santa, we'd take him to the mall for one last shot at that Santa. Well, he wasn't diggin' Yeager Santa, so we tried our luck at the mall. It didn't look good, as just before it was our turn, the tape in the helper's machine ran out, prompting a longer than necessary wait. Yeah, Thomas was running out of patience. BUT, John pulled out the big gun....Thomas's Harvey train, and right then Santa called him up. With John gently coaxing Thomas to show Santa his new train, Thomas made his way towards Santa, and let Santa pull him into his lap. It was a great shot, too!

New Thomas moments

Thomas is changing every day, and never more evident than with his vocabulary. He is saying new words every day, and is quite the one word chatter box in the car these days. He loves to point out the Christmas lights, frosty, icy, snow, smooth, splash, mo-mo (Elmo), Jay-Jay, rain, mulk (milk) choo-choos, andy (candy), Santa, baa (bath), la la (salad), juice, drink, nak (snack) go-go (yogurt) Yesh (yes, which is said with a lot of vigor and was taught to him by his grandma while I worked!) Jesha (Jesus), coffee, and our favorite "wah-poo", which we believe is his Native American word for both fire and pretzel. Grandpa is bubba and Grandma Lil is mah-mah. Grandpa Darrell is Papa and Grandma Marion is Nana. I'm Mommy and John is Dad-deeeee, usually said with much enthusiasm. He loves to read in his crib, and we've had a lot of nights where we've put him to bed, only to have him sitting up in his crib half hour to an hour later "reading" his books and making tractor noises. John and I took him for a late walk through the neighborhood and up to the Pohlmans last night, and when we came back we visited the shop and Grandpa. While in there I noticed that Thomas has a block of wood with different sizes of screws and holes in it, and watched in amazement as Thomas picked out a screwdriver, fit it into the correct screw and then began screwing it into the wood. Call me ignorant, but they're selling huge wooden play toys for kids Thomas's age and here Thomas has the fine motor skills to work it out on his own with the real thing. When I asked Lil about it, she said that he didn't know how to do it last week, but has worked hard at it each time they go up to visit, and now this week he has it mastered. I'll bet money he'll be working the table saw next week at the rate they're going.

Waterfall Swimming!

Thomas waited all day for Grandpa to get back from Seattle today, and when he did come in, Thomas was up the stairs like a rocket to see his favorite buddy. They took off together outside, leaving Lil and I to catch up on the last few day's events. Within a few minutes, I catch sight of Grandpa hauling Thomas back towards the house, and by the sounds of it, Thomas is none to pleased with something. Thomas rarely cries, and and was really going after it, so both Lil and I head for the back door to meet up with them. When we got to the door, I opened it, only to find Bruce holding a howling and soaking wet Thomas, who was flailing his arms and lunging for me. I pulled his soaked body to me, and Bruce and I tried an attempt at stripping the boy, who thankfully was fully dressed but without a bulky coat. As we stripped him, Bruce told me that Thomas had jumped into the waterfall pond. Lil asked Bruce where he was, and Bruce said, "Right beside him." It was so funny, and even as I'm trying to calm Thomas down with soothing words and mama talk, I wanted to laugh out loud. The waterfall and ponds that Bruce build and beautifully landscaped have never been an issue for any of us. We just never let Thomas out of our sight, as you can imagine what a wonderful adventure they hold for a little boy. He enjoys them a lot, and we let him go around them, throw rocks at times, but we're never far away. We're constantly talking to him about them, though, as he'll still try and see how close he can get to them without us pulling him back. So, we'll see how Thomas addresses the ponds tomorrow after his little adventure today. Nothing a hot bath won't cure, that's for sure!

Costco Dog Times TWO!

We went to Costco tonight to get supplies and we had a great time checking out the toys, playing basketball with the display hoop, running down the aisles and eating! It was a good time had by all, especially seeing Thomas polish off a huge hotdog at 8 o'clock at night! I just knew he's sleep well with a belly full of hotdog and lemonade. So, now Thomas likes to hold my hand and take off running and squeals with glee as we run together. So, we took off across the parking lot, and of course, the cold air hits his lungs and by the time we got to the car he was coughing. As I put him in his carseat he's coughing so much he's gagging....and then the fun begins! Costco hotdog comes spewing forth, again and again. As Thomas pukes, I catch it with my hands (I'm trying to keep it from getting on him, me, his carseat or the floorboards.) As I catch the hotdog slime, I throw it out of the car into the parking lot and go back for more, as Thomas doesn't stop with just a few heaves. More and more, and then John gets into the act, as I'm having trouble with the lemonade/hotdog/stomach acids concoction we are experiencing. Finally, Thomas rids himself of all nourishment for the evening, I wipe things up with the spare box of wipies that I stashed in the car, and we're off! Shaking our heads and commenting about how only with your own are you able to handle a situation like that and drive away with a smile and a chuckle. God, can we get a break on the stomach experiences?!!!

Double trouble! Our most horrible weekend!

Saturday morning- This morning I was going to run the Jingle Bell Run, but I woke up a bit late, and decided it wasn't worth the effort with the frigid cold and all. Plus, John woke up and said he didn't feel well. I waited around a bit for him to get out of bed, and played with Thomas, all the while itching to go out on my own run. By 9:30 I'd lost my gumption to go out and the early morning coffee high had worn off, so I was content just to sit around and enjoy a lazy Saturday morning. John finally pulled himself up but he was really feeling sick to his stomach, so most hope of Christmas shopping and festivities quickly went out the window. AND, by 11:30 I was starting to feel a little funny. NO JOKE! By nap time, John had already hit the toilet for the 1st of several toilet competitions (whose turn is it to watch Thomas, who's got the can?) between John and myself. By mid afternoon I'd entered the puke-a-thon, and the race was on to see who could dehydrate the quickest! It's horrible to be sick....it's double horrible to be sick with a toddler who could care less if your insides are threatening to erupt out of your body and you feel like you're being run over by a diesel truck over a bed of stinging ants...it's most horrible when two parents are jockeying for toilet time while trying to keep a toddler content! What a nightmare! I hate throwing up! That's why I've never gotten drunk...because I HATE TO THROW UP! I willed myself to not throw up for my entire pregnancy, despite 9 months of sickness, except for that one time on our cruise when the foo-foo chicken and a high seas storm sent me running. Anyway, by evening, I was practically begging for Bruce and Lil to get back to watch him for awhile, because he really needed time to run around and go outside, and we just couldn't manage it. They did get home and took him off our hands for awhile and Lil cleaned our disaster of a house (God bless that woman!). We felt so sorry for him, as he'd been couped up all day long. I went to bed. I couldn't do anything else. John seemed to manage a bit better, but with two more bouts of can time, I thought I might just end up in the hospital from whatever plague we'd been hit with. Don't think bird flu didn't cross my mind, either. By morning, John and I were both feeling better, which was an absolute miracle, considering how the night went. The body still ached, but the stomach was intact. That was most important. It took John until Wednesday night to eat a small meal, and I finally ate a light meal on Tuesday night. Did I lose weight through it all....yeah, I wish I could have been so lucky for all my trouble. Not a chance! Shoot this one down as the worst weekends EVER! I can't think of one that was worse. And I hope to never write about one again!

Neighborhood fun!

It's very sad to think about, but our times playing with the Pohlmans in our neighborhood are dwindling quickly. They are leaving for Seattle some time next year, and although we have truly enjoyed all our time together since they've moved back, it is even more apparent how much they will be missed now that we know they are going. This morning Jodi called while I was out on my run and wanted to meet up for a walk. It is bitterly cold here, but after getting back home, feeding Thomas and getting him ready, we were ready to hit the hills of our neighborhood. It is a refreshing treat to chat with Jodi, and always fun to share stories since we last caught up. I try not to think about her leaving, as it is very difficult to feel like you're losing something, but as we go about our days, I can't help but think about how short our days are together. I want to really enjoy each and every time we just run up to their house, or she stops by with Lauren just to play, or we hang out up at their house together, or our jaunts around the neighborhood with the kids. I thought we would have many years together, watching our beautiful kids grow up together, but I guess God has different plans for our lives, and a different path for us to travel down. I trust that he will bring peace and happiness in this decision, and will ease the transition with their leaving.

This afternoon, Thomas and I walked up to Jenny's house and played, before leaving to make our way back home for dinner. Of course, Thomas can walk up to the house, but when it's time to go, he's all mama's boy and wants to be held "like a baby", or so he says. I look back and realize what a wonderful day is was, full of laughter and great friends. I couldn't ask for more from a day!

Mommy and Tommy cooking together for the 1st time! 20 Months

Thomas helped me whip up a batch of strawberry dessert that is one of my favorites that both Mom and Grandma used to make. It was a lot of fun having Thomas help me hold the mixer as we added different ingredients. I look forward to having him help out with the chocolate chip cookies next!

Cutting Christmas trees with Friends!

Today we headed out to Mt. Baker highway to cut a tree and hang out with our friends Carrie and Kevin and Kevin's mother Liz. We didn't want to cut our tree this early, but we wanted to spend time with them, as they live in Seattle and we rarely see them these days. Carrie and I used to be running partners, and since she left I have yet to find a running buddy who will meet me at the trailhead at 5 am, in the dark, with our headlamps shining, bundled up in multiple layers to keep the freezing temperatures from killing us. I'm sure Kevin is still heated about me bailing on our Frosty run this morning, I knew my knee wasn't up to it, and the physical therapist has yet to clear me for more than 4 miles. I hope he forgives me one of these days! We enjoyed our time running around in the trees and snow while looking for the perfect tree. The Santa in the shack didn't impress Thomas but the Quad bikes in the parking lot sure did!