The Vanessa Reversion.

Back in February, I had a post: The Natalie Reversion. Well now I have the Vanessa reverting back into a semi newborn state. I have to say she is hampering my sleep. Two nights (or early morning) ago, Vanessa woke up at 3:30am crying. I checked up on her and told her to go back to sleep. She was quite for a a little bit but then she acted up again. I went back to check up on her again and this time I realized that she had gone poop. I changed in diaper (in the dark) and plopped her back in bed. By that time it was already after 4:00am and I was wide awake. No point in going back to sleep since I had to wake up in about an hour. Later on in the day, Fiona had called me up at work to tell me that Vanessa's diaper rash has spread to her front. For the past week, Vanessa had a bad diaper rash on her but but it looked like she was improving. Apparently Vanessa was crying constantly throughout the day, grabbing her crotch and saying "poopoo, poopoo." That's her way of saying that her but hurts (because we'll check her diaper and she's pooless). So Fiona made an appointment with the Pediatrician's office to have Vanessa checked out. She has a yeast infection. Fiona got some medicine and hopefully that will help out.

Fast forward to this morning. At about 2:00am this morning, Vanessa woke up crying. I was expecting another poop scenario. As I went into the girls' room, Vanessa was in the sitting position crying out "Momma!" She had apparently lost her pacifier and had been searching for it. I (being in the tired state that I was) was getting frustrated (but I kept a relatively level head only mumbling profanities to myself). I whispered to Vanessa to stop crying and to go back to sleep. I had searched (in the dark) for the pacifier but was unsuccessful. I moved her bed all around but no luck. So I left and Vanessa was still whining for her pacifier. So I went to fetch a flash light and went back into her room. I took her out and lifted her mattress to see if it fell through the cracks. Finally I found it and I quietly lectured Vanessa to not take the pacifier (and clip) off and throw it and to go back to sleep. Throughout the whole ordeal, Natalie was still asleep! It took me about and hour or so to finally go back to sleep.

All I have to say is this better not happen again tonight. I just want to have uninterrupted sleep considering that I am still a little sick.

Musically Gifted?

Lately Vanessa has been humming a song from watching the Baby Einstein series. I'm not sure if it's a Mozart or Beethoven piece (same piece in the episode of Tom & Jerry where they convert the kitchen into an ice skating rink). It's really cute when she does it though. Yesterday she's even added her own version by using "Momma," "Dadda," or both in humming it. So it would go something like:

"Mom-ma Mom-ma,
Dad-da Dad-da..."

It's hard to convey the way it sounds by typing it out but I can totally replay her version in my head. I definitely got to try to get it on video.

Christmas Aftermath.

Our Christmas went relatively well. The only exception is we all ended up getting sick. Getting sick three times (or so) in probably what seems like less than two months is ludicrous. We counted the days down for Christmas and Jadon was just getting more and more excited. Originally I had asked Jadon if he wanted to open his presents in the morning or at night. He wanted to open them at night. I told him that everyone else is going to open their presents in the morning. He said that he was fine with that and that he still wanted to open them up at night. At some point it clicked in his little mind that if he opens them at night, he won't have a whole lot of time to play with his presents. So in the end he changed his mind. On the eve of Christmas, Jadon was just singing away Christmas songs. In his bath he was singing Jingle bells and he even added some of his own words (unintentionally). He had just gone potty and had just gotten in his bath. This is what he sang:

"Jingle bells,
Jingle bells,
Jingle all the way.
My butt is so itchy..."

Of course he didn't mean for it to come out that way. He was singing and than he had some epiphany and just blurted out that his butt itches in the middle of his song. I just busted up and I recited his lyrics. He realized what I was singing and he found it so amusing. So now he sings his rendition of Jingle bells.

On Christmas morning, Fiona and I actually got to sleep in (a little bit anyways). Jadon was eager to go downstairs and open up his presents. We held off until after breakfast to let the festivities begin (we knew that if we had the kids tear into their toys that they were not going to eat or drink anything). Jadon opened up his first present, a four pack of assorted Matchbox airplanes. He wanted to play with those before opening up the rest of his presents but I convinced him to open up the rest before he starts to play with his planes. Next, he opened up presents for his grandparents. They got him a Leapster game console with some extra fixings. He continued to open up the rest of his gifts: 3 Matchbox foldable themed sets, and a Fastlane's parking structure. The parking structure seems to be the biggest hit for him. It has a series of ramps where you can adjust which way your car exits the structure. The girls opened up their gifts and it was their first time actually opening up presents. They ended up getting some leapfrog presents (from their grandparents) and they got a nice kitchen set. The things is they don't really play at the kitchen (with the stove, oven, and sink). They take all the cups, utensils, and plates over to their play table and play there.

In the afternoon we went over to visit my parents (to give them their gift) and then in the evening we went to visit Fiona's parents. Jadon got a laptop from Fiona's parents, some clothes (which he was not really interested in) and some other gifts. Vanessa got a repeating parrot (which at first she like but then changed her mind about it), some clothes, and some other toys. Natalie got a mini laptop, some clothes, and some other toys as well.

All in all it was a pleasant Christmas (and break).

Have A Merry Christmas!

I have a nice 4 day weekend ahead of me and I don't anticipate blogging at all (unless I find myself extremely bored and sitting at the computer). So hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Jadon = Sick Boy

I tell you, I just can't believe how much Jadon has been getting sick. So recently our family just recovered from colds, coughs, and stomach virus'. During that time we have been holding Jadon from school. Well last Thursday he went to school (which so happens to be the last session for him for the remainder of the year). Well by Sunday he was getting a stuffy nose and yesterday he was coughing. Argh! I can understand if he was going to day care or 5-days-a-week school but this is ridiculous. I guess his immune system just isn't strong enough to handle the sick season. Now it's probably just a matter of time before we all catch what he has. Sigh.....

Mall Traversing.

This past weekend I was only crazy enough to want to go shopping at the mall once. Little did I know, I would end up going three times! We went to the big mall, South Coast Plaza on Friday night. Bought a pair of shoes for Jadon and jackets for Fiona, Jadon, and I. Nothing for the girls because they have a lot of clothes (compliments of the grandparents). On Saturday we went to another mall, Main Place, and then after that, we wound up back at South Coast. It was our last day for handicap usage so we wanted to get out the most of it. We bought a couple of books for the kiddies (mainly Dr. Seuss books).

-On a side note, I find it slightly uncomfortable when we go into a Victoria Secrets store. Fiona was looking for some underwear (she has one of those free underwear mailers), and I was browsing for some intimate apparel =) Anyways, I don't feel uncomfortable because I am a guy in a predominately female shop. I feel uncomfortable because I have three kids with me. Sometimes I wonder if people look at me (and the kids) and think "you need to not be in here and stop having kids. This type of clothing is what got you in this mess." -

Lastnight we attempted to go to a Christmas Decorated Boating event. Down in Newport Beach, they have boats decorated in lights parading around the ports. Unfortunately we didn't plan out our trip to the event and ended up driving around for about an hour before we decided to head home. Jadon just broke out into tears. After he had stopped crying here's how our conversation went:

Me: Jadon, I'm sorry that we can't see the boat lights.
Jadon: (Thinks for a moment) That's ok dadda. Why couldn't we see the lights?
Me: There was no parking spots available. It's so crowded with so many cars.
Jadon: Oh ok. Maybe we can go watch the boat lights on another night.
Me: This was the last night. Perhaps next year.
Jadon: Oh ok. We can go watch other lights on houses.

I am glad that he can be so understanding. I love it how it's getting easier to communicate to him (and vice versa). I mean his crying can get to me every now and then but at least I can reason with him and he can understand why things don't work out sometimes.

California Adventuring.

Yesterday, Fiona had the idea of going to Disney's other park, California Adventure. So after Jadon got out of school, we headed on over. Gotta love the annual passports that we got. We parked in the Downtown Disney lot (even though there is a "No Theme Park Parking) because we weren't planning to be there for more then the allotted "first 3 hours free." We went on a couple of rides in the It's A Bug's Life area and then went over to an Italian Restaurant (where Fiona made reservations). After dinner, we walked around, went on a couple more rides (in the Pier area of the park), had some delicious Kettle Popcorn, and finally went home. Disneyland is definitely more kid friendlier and California Adventure is more for older kids and adults. I love the atmosphere of Adventure because it's so carnival like. And I have to say that the Ferris Wheel is really run because of the moving carts (and when I say moving, I'm not just saying that it rocks back and forth, it slides). So all in all, it was a pleasant evening/night. We'll have to go back when the black out dates (restricted on our passports) ends.

Quick Recovery.

I'm back at work after suffering a bout of the stomach virus. It mainly lasted on Sunday. It probably would have lasted longer but my Dad came over and gave me some drugs for the diarrhea and some antibiotics. I had little residual effects yesterday but was feeling pretty good by the evening. After dinner, we took all the kiddies out for a drive to look at decorated houses. Fiona found this really good decorated neighborhood across the street from Jadon's school.

Jadon seems to just about to be 90% recovered. He has been telling us that he is hungary but we are limiting him on the types (and amount) of foods that he can eat. Once in a while he'll tell us that his tummy hurts but that usually leads him to go potty and after that, he feels better. I have been telling him that he needs to be sure that if he tells me that his tummy hurts, that it really hurts because I might have to take him back to the hospital. He ends up thinking about his tummy aches and tells me that it doesn't hurt like before. To go into a little more detail on our visit at the hospital, it started off relatively well. I was expecting to wait for a few hours before we got called in. I took Jadon to Mission Hospital down in Mission Viejo (next to Choc). We arrived at 12:00am. I filled out some papers and was instantly called back. That was fast. The nurse took some stats on Jadon and soon enough we were in our own room. That was fast too. Another nurse came in, asked for some information, and did some blood work. That was fast but that was very excruciating for Jadon. He screamed so loud that another nurse came in to check on things. Plus he was moving his hand so much that the needle came out and blood squirted the nurse. I was thinking that this nurse needs more experience because I kept asking her if I should hold down his arms as well. She only had me hold down his legs. So after the blood was drawn, IV inserted, and some Morphin (for the tummy aches), and Zophran (for the puking) was administered, Jadon was wheeled over to the Ultrasound department. He enjoyed his bedride and likened it to a roller coaster ride. During the ultrasound, he was just telling me how much it tickles. He would give a little giggle everytime the tech moved the probe. After the test was done, we headed back to our room. After a short bit, the doctor came in to tell us that results on the ultrasound came back negative with the exception of some swollenness in a gland in his abdomen. No signs of appendicitis. Great news. Then he told me that all he was waiting on was the blood test results and then we could be discharged. That's when it went downhill. After 30 or so minutes later, the nurse came back in the room and realized that the blood vials were still in the room. Then a while later the nurse came back in wanting to get a little more blood from Jadon. He was definitely not happy about that. At 4:30am. The nurse came back to see how Jadon was doing and told us that we'll be discharged shortly. Well half an hour passed and no nurse. I paged the nurses station and they said that they would track down the nurse. 30 minutes later and still no nurse. I went on to page again and they eventually sent another nurse in. He said that there has been a doctor shift change and the new doctor was being overwhelmed with patients and that he'll get to us shortly. I was so tired and a little cranky but I held myself in check. So during all this time, Jadon was just as chipper as can be. He was talking and yapping away. The drugs must have given him a second wind. I tried to keep him occupied by watching some t.v. I tried to get some shut eye but he just kept talking and asking me questions. Finally the discharge nurse comes in and right then Jadon tells me that his tummy hurts. The nurse tells me that she's going to talk to the doctor so there will be a delay in the discharge process. I ask Jadon does your tummy still hurt and he tells me no. I got a little frustrated at that point because I really really wanted to go home and sleep. I calmly explained to Jadon that he has to be sure that his tummy hurts because otherwise the doctors will keep us here longer and that they might have to do more tests. The doctor came in to ask us some final questions and then the nurse came in to remove the IV line from Jadon's hand. He was not happy about that. After that, we were finally discharged and finally got him at 6:30am.

So now things are getting back to normal. During all of this commotion of tending to all the sickies we managed to buy a tree (Fiona went out on Friday to buy one), decorate it (on Saturday), wrap presents (just me), and finally get my garage organizers installed (yesterday). Hopefully we won't get sick for a long time and we can just enjoy the holidays.

Fun Filled Weekend, Sarcastically Speaking.

I have to say that this weekend was not fun to say the least. It mostly revolved around Jadon and his stomach virus. Puking in his bed, on the carpet, on the couch, diarrhea on the floor on his clothes, on the carpet. Then every 3 minutes he would complain that his tummy hurts. I finally took him to the emergency room on Saturday night. We arrived there at midnight and didn't get home until 6:30am. To top it off, I ended up getting the stomach virus as well. Major diarrhea for me. So here I am blogging on my sick day off. Not completely better but I am recovering.

Poor Little Sheppard.

Yesterday, Jadon was suppose to perform in his first play, a Christmas play. He was one of the Good Sheppards. I had heard that he'd been practicing at school. Well yesterday morning Fiona called me to tell me that she had found Jadon lying in sister's room chilling out but apparently had thrown up all over the carpet. She checked out his bed and he had puked in there too. Yikes!. So she spent most of the morning cleaning up. She had told him that if he had to throw up to try to do it in the bathroom toilet or sink. That wasn't meant to be because he ended up puking in the kitchen and then on the couch (after he ate a small dinner in the evening). Poor kid and poor Fiona (plus she's sick too!). Jadon, as expected, missed his performance. It was quite a bummer because I was set to leave work to watch him. In the afternoon, Fiona took him to the doctor's but she said that it' probably a stomach flu that is going around. I just hope the girls (or Fiona and I) don't get it because the last time was just atrocious on all of us. So as it stands, it looks like Jadon will miss school today. I still have to drop by his classroom and drop off snacks (it was his designated day). I read my blogs from last year and noticed that the whole family got sick right around Thanksgiving, just like this year. I just hope it doesn't become tradition. This sucks!

A Disney Success

So our little visit to Disneyland was marginally successful. We arrived shortly before 1:30p.m. and left a little after 4:30p.m. It was surprisingly crowded considering that this was a weekday and a non-blackout day for annual passport holders. So we purchased a passport for Jadon and I and then we went to the passport center to get our pictures taken. After that we went roaming around the park. I couldn't believe that it has been 12 years since I last went there. No memories lost though. The park was nicely decorated for the holidays. We went on a total of four rides.

The first ride we went on was It's A Small World After All. What was nice about that ride was it was decorated for the holidays as well. Jadon took it all in and enjoyed it. Vanessa was reserved at first but she warmed up quickly. She showed the most enthusiasm pointing to all the moving people and props. Natalie seemed apathetic to the whole ride. She didn't seem to understand what was going on. The good thing though is that all three kiddies didn't freak out or cry. That in itself was a success.

The second ride was on a little roller coaster that was in Toontown. It was a short ride but a fast one. This was Jadon's first ride on one. While waiting in line he would just observe the roller coast and make little comments like "wow that's fast." And he was preparing himself by making screaming noises because he saw the other riders doing that as well. So after a 15-20 minute wait in line, Jadon and I were finally seated. He did his little screams which was cute and he seemed to be enjoying it. But as the ride went faster and the turns got sharper, I could tell that his face was going from enjoyment to becoming terrified. I put my arms around him and squeezed him to assure him that I was right there with him. Luckily the ride ended quickly and got to even ground. He said that it went to fast and that he got scared. I hope that it won't deter him from going on roller coasters in the future because I need a partner to go on bigger ones (Fiona has become a scaredy cat now when it comes to them).

The third ride we went on was the River Boat. On the way to the ride we passed my old work place, The Big Thunder Ranch Kitchen. Fiona was poking fun of me asking me if it brought back memories, or telling me to go over to the bar-be-que area and give the cast members tips on how to do it. I didn't retaliate because deep down inside, I know that at least I got accepted to work at Disneyland unlike other unqualified people. So we got to the triple decker steam boat and it was a welcome rest for Fiona and I. We pretty much occupied the second floor while other patrons were either on the top floor or the bottom floor. So that made it easier to watch the kids roam around which they all seemed to enjoy it. Fiona just took pictures of them and I got a nice breather. It's so interesting that as you get older, the more enojoyable the slower, more touristy rides get.

The last ride was the train that encircles the entire park. Another slow ride. The only thing though is that the girls were really squirmy when it came to sitting on our laps or sitting on the bench. They just wanted to run around. The only thing that kept them in their place was when we'd enter through tunnels. They would get a little scared and start clinging on us. Jadon seemed to enjoy the ride but he'd wonder why we kept stopping.

The kids ended up bypassing their naps which made the outing to the park only marginally successful. The girls got a little cranky, especially Natalie. Her mind wasn't working well at all. She'd ask for water and we'd give it to her but she would refuse it and get pissed off. She kept on asking for it but the same result would occur. She couldn't communicate to us effectively to tell us that she was sleepy. We went to dinner afterwards and that seemed to give the kids a second wind. Then we went home and put the kids to bed early.

In the evening, we plan to go back to Disneyland (I am starting to love this annual passport concept) to watch the fireworks and and Christmas displays.

Garage Painted!

I spent Friday night and Saturday night rinsing (a few times), sanding, washing and scrubbing, and degreasing the garage floor in preparation for Sunday's paint job. Each night I would wait until I put the kiddies to bed before I did my prep. I figure I could get the tasks done quicker. After breakfast this morning, I began final preparations of taping off the wall and the edges. Jadon was so excited. He was mainly a spectator but everynow and then I would ask him to retrieve something for me so he'd feel useful and not get too bored. He would tell me that I was doing a "fabulous job" and I said that we has a good boy for listening to me and not getting in my way. I finished the painting after 12:00pm, had some lunch, and finished off the cleaning up. During my clean up process I decided to wash down our front yard area and water the plants. It's been so windy that there so much leaf and small branch build up in the area.

So now I am just blogging while Fiona and the kiddies are taking a nap before we head out to church. We won't be able to park our cars in the garage for 7 days. And then next Monday, I have the garage organizer people coming in to install some cabinets. Something that I have been meaning to get down over the past 3 months or so. Can't wait for everything to be completed.

For tomorrow, I mentioned to Jadon that we'll be going to Disneyland and he just got totally excited. I'm excited for him. Hopefully he won't get scared (girls included) of some of the rides.