The month from hell, Christmas, New Year's and monkey birthday time

I stopped blogging that first week after Thanksgiving, because the fun just continued on, as many of you already know.

Two days after Tot 2.0 got her follow-up flu shot, Saturday the 6th, we had a beautiful window of relative wellness. Kid 1.0 finally felt better, and I was feeling OK, so we headed out to the tree farm to get our Christmas tree, and then to get both girls' hair cut.

We got through that, and were home by mid-afternoon, when Tot 2.0 spiked a fever. So much for that 2nd shot! Tom finally succumbed as well, on Monday, the 7th. Tot 2.0 rallied on Monday, but by Tuesday night she was getting worse. Tom took her to the pediatrician on Wednesday while I headed off to teach an art lesson in Kid 1.0's class. Of course, she had double-pink eye and a double ear infection and an Rx for 10 days of antibiotics. Tom was the only one who managed to kick the flu without getting a nasty secondary infection.

As if that weren't enough, on Friday (11th), Tot 2.0 was playing around in the jogging stroller, and flipped it over, splitting open her chin on the handbrake. So off we went to the urgent care clinic for two stitches for that. It could have been worse, really, but this was enough for me.

On Saturday (12th), finally everyone was well enough to do something fun! We went to our community association's annual Santa Breakfast, complete with clown, musician, and of course, the big man himself. Kid 1.0 was totally prepared with her list to share, and Tot 2.0 took it all in, and even seemed to enjoy sitting on Santa's lap.

The next day, we finally got our tree decorated (it had been in the living room, in the stand, since the previous Saturday), and started to get back into the swing of Christmas. Fortunately I had done the majority of my shopping, so it was just the decorating and extras that needed to be taken care of.

Monday saw everyone back to school and work, and Tot 2.0 and me hanging around the house, trying to kick the last effects of the flu. Unfortunately, when I took her in on Wednesday to have her stitches removed, she was still running a low-grade fever. I kept monitoring her, then decided to take her back to her regular pediatrician on Friday. The doc gave her left ear a green light, but the right ear was still infected, so we got a new 10 day prescription for yet another antibiotic (yay). It finally did the trick, though, and she was feeling so much better in two days, she was like a new kid.

At this point, we were pretty much able to return to our full swing of holiday activities...parties, preparation and fun. I scaled back my usual holiday decorating to reduce stress and make up for lost time. Tom and I went to our neighborhood's annual progressive holiday dinner. I went with some girlfriends for our annual lunch and downtown shopping day. We took the girls to Snowflake Lane in Bellevue, to a caroling party at a friend's, and to brunch with my cousin Thomas and his fiance. Winter break started on the 21st for Aspen, and on the 22nd, she went to the Young Chef's Academy for a class on peppermint-flavored desserts.

Then it was time to head out on our Christmas trip to Canada. My girlfriend, Charla, had invited us to spend the holiday with her family in Vancouver B.C. So we got up on the 24th and opened our gifts at home, then hit the road to be in Van. by dinner time. The girls did really well with the trip, and we only had to wait at the border for about 15 minutes—a nice surprise. We got to the place where we were staying with Charla in plenty of time to get settled in and ready for dinner with her folks, and her sister's family that night.

On Christmas morning, we woke up to find a series of notes left by Santa directing us to go to Charla's parent's condo to find our stockings. We piled into the car in our jammies and hit the road for the 10 block drive by 8 AM. We had a fantastic morning with Larry & Phil (Philipine), and Charla's grandmother, Nana, complete with piles of gifts, wrapping paper and chaos.

After breakfast, we went up to the mountain for some snow play, then headed back down to the condo for a truly fantastic Christmas dinner of turkey and all the trimmings. We even made a gingerbread house!

We spent the next day (Boxing Day in Canada) being a little lazy. We took everyone out to lunch at a pizza restaurant, then spent the afternoon decorating sugar cookies and packing to head back to Seattle. The girls made the drive back fine, even though it was heavy fog, and then dark. We were all exhausted but it had been a great trip!

Tom had the week between Christmas and New Year's off from work, so we spent the days working on little projects around the house, relaxing, and having play dates with friends. On the 27th, we took the girls to the mall to let Kid 1.0 spend a gift card she received for Christmas to and celebrate Tot 2.0's 3rd birthday with a trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop and dinner at an Italian restaurant at her request.

On the 29th, we headed into the city to explore some of the fun holiday activities, including lunch, a ride on the monorail, and a spin on the Holiday Carousel in downtown.

On the 30th, I took Tot 2.0 to her "well child" check-up. The doctor announced that her ear infection had finally subsided (YAY!). She was 31 pounds and 37 1/2 inches tall, pretty much in the middle of the range for her age.

New Year's Eve saw us at the neighbors at a family-friendly party in the early evening, then home by 8:00 to get little people in bed. Tom and I watched a few movies and toasted with a glass of champagne at midnight. 2010 is looking to be a great year!

On New Year's Day, I took the girls to visit our Mary P. for another Christmas celebration, including more sugar cookie decorating. She showered all of us with wonderful homemade gifts, including baked goods and book bags for our constant library trips.

We resumed our usual routine with back-to-school on January 4. Kid 1.0 decided to try something new this trimester and joined the school's chess club. Both girls continue swimming lessons and resumed gymnastics as well. Tot 2.0 should transition soon from "mom-n-me" classes into the preschool group since she is now three.

I also spent a good part of the week preparing for Tot 2.0's birthday party today (1/9). We chose a theme called "Mod Monkey", since it seemed to describe her so well. I ordered the party supplies and balloons, cleaned house, and created a lemon layer cake with bright blue frosting and a monkey on top to match the party ware. We had about 20 people over, and it was a great time. The kids all sang "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" in monkey masks, and then we tossed faux bananas around on a sheet. Everyone had pizza, and cake and ice cream then on to the presents. Tot 2.0 was showered by wonderful gifts from family and friends, and I don't think we heard a tear from anyone the whole time. It was a great party, and over in a fast and furious two hours.

Tomorrow brings Sunday school and church, and then Kid 1.0 has swimming in the afternoon.

We are all looking forward to what 2010 has to bring, and hope it is a little more predictable and smooth than 2009 was; but then, life is what happens when you make plans.