Our Best Christmas Yet

Make a Smilebox slideshow

This year we had a very enjoyable, low key Christmas.

On Christmas Eve we went to Bryan's parents house for Italian food and a white elephant gift exchange. Afterwards we headed over to our friends the Kastanis's to read Luke 2 and a really cool book that they read every year called Red Ranger Came Calling. This is the second year we've gone over there for Christmas Eve and we're grateful that they include us in their annual tradition.

Christmas morning we slept until around 9:00 when Bryan woke Ryan up and rounded up the rest of us. Ryan absolutely love his kitchen that we had set up the night before, and for about an hour and a half, we couldn't even get his interest enough to open any other gifts! We took our time opening the rest of the gifts, and Bryan made us a fantastic breakfast.

That afternoon we headed back to Bryan's parents for steak and crab legs, and to open the gifts from Grandma and Grandpa. Ryan got a really cool Little Tikes fire truck that we cannot keep him out of. That night we went back to the Kastanis' to exchange gifts and enjoy some more dessert.

All in all, it was a fantastic couple of days. Having Bryan home for 4 days made it even better. And of course our greatest gift this year, our sweet Annie, was the icing on the cake.

Mesa Temple Lights

Ryan is completely fascinated with Christmas lights, so last night we decided to take him to the lights at the Mesa Temple. He absolutely loved it, and was completely unphased by the cold weather (cold by Arizona standards, I should say...). He also really like the nativity and listening to the story of Christ's birth.

Miss Annie was snuggled up in my front carrier and slept through the entire thing...surprise, surprise!

Grammy and Papa Come for a Visit

Earlier this month my parents came out for a visit to meet Miss Annie (and to see the rest of us, too). We had a great visit, and Ryan had a super fun time with his Papa. The timing couldn't have been better--they were here when I had to go to the hospital with my little kidney stone episode. The kids were able to stay at home and I didn't have to worry about them. When we got home at 4:00 a.m. and I could barely stand up because of all the medication they had pumped through me, my mom willingly kept Annie with her through the night so I could get some rest.

Yay for Grammy and Papa!

All I Want for Christmas...

...is good health for my family and me.

In the last week we have had the following:

~A night in the emergency room when I had another bout of kidney stones.
~A random episode of vomiting, compliments of Ryan.
~Results from a CT that show I have a cavity filled with fluid above my jaw joint. I go to an oral surgeon tomorrow to see what that's all about.
~An impending ultrasound, probably tomorrow, for Annie who hasn't had a significant bowel movement since Tuesday.

We are blessed in many other ways, for which I am extremely grateful. But health issues suck. Especially when it involves your kids. I know in the end we'll all be fine, but for now it's a little unnerving.

Hopefully this coming week Annie and I will get our issues resolved and have a healthy, happy Christmas. We wish the same for all of you.

Some New Photos

All bundled up and ready for bed. This little girl's hands and feet get SO cold, so we try to keep her nice and warm.

Sleeping in the "stick 'em up" position, just like Ryan used to do.

Annie's first Thanksgiving.

Not quite Christmas card worthy, but still pretty cute!

So as you can probably guess, I've been keeping pretty busy with Ryan and Annie. There's not too much to report--Annie is a complete gem and I'm far more rested than I ever would have guessed I would be at this point. Ryan has taken well to his sister and she seems to like him as well.

Hope you enjoy the new photos!

Annie is Here!

So our sweet baby girl has finally arrived!

Ann Elizabeth Colby was born Tuesday, November 18 at 1:41 p.m. She weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long.She has tons of silky black hair and seems to be a very mellow little girl. She is an amazing eater and a good little sleeper, so we couldn't be happier.

Below are a few photos from her first couple of days. Enjoy!

So yesterday our doctor called and confirmed what we pretty much considered the obvious--that Ryan is in fact allergic to peanuts. A number of people have commented that a peanut allergy is a horrible thing to live with and while I know it will be difficult, especially until Ryan is old enough to understand, it really could be much worse. We have a number of friends whose kids have really serious ongoing conditions and illnesses, so really, I count ourselves lucky.

Anyway, the one thing I thought was interesting is that while he is allergic to peanuts, he is not allergic to any other nut. Almonds, cashews, walnuts--those are all fine. So that's a good thing.

I do have to mention the ironic part of this. Over time I have read articles in various places about kids with peanut allergies and I always thought that the moms were a little out of control and overprotective. Well, now I guess I will be joining the ranks of the out of control and overprotective. That's what I get for being judgemental...

All in a Day's Work

So far today Ryan has figured out how to open the cabinet locks and managed to call 911 on my cell phone when it was in locked mode. Awesome.

Phoenix Zoo

We've been waiting for the weather to cool down a little so that we could take Ryan to the zoo. Since Papa Lance was in town last weekend, we decided it would be a good time to go.

The weather was a little warmer than ideal, so we didn't stay as long as we thought we would, but we still had a good time. Ryan loved petting the goats and watching the monkeys and the camels. We got annual passes so when it cools down for real, we can go back and see more.

Harrowing Mommy Moments

Today I experienced a kind of panic that I never before knew existed. It started out simply enough--at lunch time I gave Ryan a peanut butter sandwich. He is not a big meat eater and I'm trying to incorporate more protein in his diet, so I thought we'd give peanut butter a try. Now I am completely aware of the stories that exist about crazy peanut allergies, but no one in Bryan's or my family have these kind of allergies, so I thought it would be fine.

About 10 minutes after he finished his sandwich, he became completely inconsolable. He's had a bit of an allergy/cold thing going on so I figured he was just not feeling well. I tried to get him to cuddle up with me so he could take a nap, but he wouldn't have it. He would lay on the floor and then want me to pick him up. After about 10 minutes of this, the poor kid threw up everywhere--all over himself, me and the couch. My first thought was, "Oh, he's got the stomach flu, no wonder he's so fussy."

I took him into the bathroom to remove the offending clothing and as I sat him on the counter to take off his diaper, I noticed that his face was completely covered in a red polka-dotted rash, and all around his eyes was bright red. I grabbed the phone to call the doctor as I put him in the tub, and the doctor said to give him Benedryl and he should be OK. So I did that, but as he sat in the tub I watched the rash quickly begin to spread down to his neck and shoulders and his chest and back. Because of the allergy/cold thing, he's been congested and I could hear his breathing so I was freaking out trying to make sure he was breathing normally. I called the doctor back and they asked if we could get there in 10 minutes, which we did.

Once we got there the doctor looked him over and confirmed that he was definitely having an allergic reaction. Ryan was given a steroid shot to stop any additional inflamation that could be caused, and we have some additional steriods to give him over the next couple of days. Bryan is taking him in to the lab in the morning so they can do some tests to confirm that he does in fact have a peanut allergy.

Let me tell you that sitting there and watching my sweet baby Ryan experience this reaction was absolutely heartwrenching. He is fine, and I could not be more grateful about that. But it scared me, and it made me realize just how much I love and adore this baby. I absolutely don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to him. He is truly my world. He is what changed Bryan and I from a couple to a family. He is my angel.

After this whole experience, it occured to me how lucky we are. We have access to, and can afford, good health insurance. We have a fantastic family doctor. We have an excellent new hospital within 3 minutes of our house. I know not everyone has these things. I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to have a sick child and be afraid to get them medical attention because of fear of the medical bills. My heart truly aches for parents who have to make those choices.

Take a minute today to hold your babies close and thank Heavenly Father for every moment you have with them. They are truly a gift.