Single Digits - 9 days until Christmas

Yep that is it. Only 9 days, and of course Ryan is just getting over a cold. I am just beginning a cold and I am sure Lyla is about to get one in a couple of days. Ugghh! Nothing I hate more than being sick over the holidays.
Lyla's stocking is almost done. It would have been done by now, but we all went to bed early last night due to the cold. I will post a picture of Lyla's stocking upon completion.

We are all getting excited for Christmas. Even though Lyla won't have a clue what is going on, it is going to be so much fun this year. Lyla has sent her letter to Santa. Soon her stocking will be hung waiting for him to come. It is such a wonderful time of the year.
Lyla and I have one more stop to make and then our shopping will be done. We are hoping to get out today, but we will see how we feel.

Here are some pictures of Lyla's adventure with the Christmas tree. Hope you are all enjoying the holiday season.

Lyla: "Hmmmm, I would really like to get my hands on that ornament."

"MMMM. Yummy. I love the taste of plastic. So good on my gums!"

"That was fun! Muma wants a smile, here is one!"

"Ok, now what can I get my hands on. This ornament looks yummy, even though I am sure muma wouldn't want me to have my little hands around this breakable ornament. If I do it quietly, she will never notice...I'll just stretch out my arms enough so I can get it!"

"Yummy! Sparkles taste so .. so... gritty!"

"Yippee! I got away with it. My muma never noticed me touching the shiny, sparkly glass ornament. I am so smart!" "Drats! Caught again! I swear that muma sees everything!"

Continued blessed holiday season.

Teeth Shot

I just wanted to leave a picture of Lyla's teeth for you all to enjoy!

How quickly the Christmas season is upon us..

Here we are 20 days before Christmas! 20 DAYS! That's it! That's all! I know this date with confidence as each morning Lyla and I advance our advent calender closer to the arrival of Santa Clause.I haven't even gotten all of my decorations out! I still haven't finished Lyla's stocking! I still haven't baked any holiday treats! The only thing is that even though the season is quickly enveloping us, all will be accomplished come the eve of December 24th only to have the holiday gone as quickly as it comes.

Christmas is a magical time of year. This is the only time when we decorate our homes inside and out with shiny glowing lights. Our hearts sing the carols that our ancestor's hearts sang. And the children's eagerness for Santa Clause is contagious.

Speaking of Santa Clause, Lyla had her first visit with this jolly old elf. Last weekend we took a road trip to Frankenmuth. As this was Lyla's "2nd" Thanksgiving, because she already had her Canadian Thanksgiving, we decided to start a new Thanksgiving tradition to go overnight to the Bavarian Inn and visit Bronner's Christmas Wonderland to see Santa Clause.

This was Lyla's first trip to a hotel, and her first time to a swimming pool. She really enjoyed the pool, but more than the water and pool she enjoyed people watching. Lyla is really a people person. She loves looking at people and seeing what they are doing. So while she was in the pool, she was preoccupied with the children and people around the pool.


She had her first tub bath in the hotel and really enjoyed splashing in the water in the tub. She liked trying to get the bubbles that she caused splashing. We went out to eat at the Bavarian Inn restaurant, which was also a first for Lyla. This was her first restaurant visit and to say that she enjoyed this would be a lie. She was not a happy camper at the restaurant, but then again neither was I as I was feeling very sick, and ended up getting sick once we got back. Nothing to do with the food, I had started to feel sick the night before.
We stayed in the Bronner's suite at the hotel. This was in the tower entrance of the hotel, and we in the tower itself. There was a small Christmas tree in the room, which was great because we didn't need a night light with this on. Lyla and I had bought all of us matching pjs for Christmas morning and we brought the PJs for the trip. I am always saying that I wish I could wear Lyla's clothes and this was a dream come true for me, such comfy pjs.

The next morning we got up and were greeted by 6 inches of snow. We got a late check out and took Lyla back down to the pool for another swim. After her morning nap, we headed over to Bronner's for her meeting with St. Nick. She was so cute with Santa, they had a bit of a stare off with each other. She didn't cry though which was so good.

So, that is what we have been up to. It was a good trip away, and this next photo sums up how we all felt after we got home...

I must admit traveling with a baby is a lot of work, and I am not looking forward to travelling over the next couple of weeks. She was tired of driving after 1 hour let alone 4. Which has lead Ryan and I both wondering how Pam and Tom and the kids ever made it to Florida with Jillian just being 2 months older than Lyla! Where you guys crazy!!

I better run and get back to working on Lyla's stocking. I am almost done but I need all the time I can get.
Hope everyone is enjoying the preparation for this busy but joyous time of year...

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Life as the Charge Nurse

Sunday I had the honor of being the charge nurse for my Intensive Care Unit. This is a job that is usually very undesired. This is because of the added duties that one has to perform above their routine role as an RN. You still have the same patient assignment as you would any other day as a staff nurse but you have the multiple added duties that come along with the title of "Charge Nurse". Most of these duties are dealing with problems. Be it trying to get staff to work together as a team, getting staff extra help, disciplinary issues, and dealing with family and staff complaints. I found it to be quite eye opening to see that from my last shift I was a "staff RN" but now with the name of "Charge" people flocked to me, mostly to complain. I thought to myself, I am no different than I was the last shift and I haven't gained any magical power to solve these problems, but now I am the one dealing with every one's issues. To see the role of charge nurse, through the charge nurses eyes was quite eye opening. I never go to the head nurse with daily issues, rather deal with them myself and approach her only to get advice on large issues. But most people I see come with you about everything. I must admit it was an interesting day with the staff nurse fighting with the nurse practitioner, the young 30-something patient who was dying, the overwhelmed nurse unable to get work completed, the teenager suicide patient, the sitter who feel asleep at the bedside, the nurse who doesn't like to transfer her patients because she doesn't want an admission. And this was a Sunday, usually weekends are quieter. As my unit clerk said to me at the end of the day -"What a day to be in charge! It was a crazy day!". I think that sums it up. In the end, I was told of only one complaint that would be voiced to my manager and I was told that in that complaint I would be praised for my attempt to re mediate the problem. This day left me wondering if it is really worth the extra pennies you get on your pay check to wear the name "Charge Nurse" on your lapel. The only good thing is that I do know I can deal with this role, and won't be so nervous when it happens again.

Lyla at 6 months

Where has the time gone. 6 months has flown right by and Lyla is no longer a newborn rather an infant. She visited the doctor for her 6 month check up and so far so good. I was nervous about the whole vaccination deal as we had such a bad result last time, but she has done fine this time. Maybe it was due to the fact that her doctor decided to give her only half of her shots now and the other half will be done in a month. Lyla is growing great. She is 16 pound 2 ounces, and 26 inches in length.

On Monday November 10th, when I got home from work, I could feel Lyla's 1st tooth. The next day, on her 6 month birthday, I could see her bottom right front tooth. I am glad that she got a tooth because she was having problems sleeping this past week, and I said to Ryan, by the end of the week she is going to have a tooth, and sure enough here is a tooth. Now it appears like the left front tooth is coming through as well. I am glad that they are coming in at the same time. The top teeth don't look like they are coming in right now.

She continues to babble away the day. Mum-ma has continued to be spoken. It seems she does know that is me as she will say it when she wants to nurse and be cuddled by me. She will also say it if she wants me to pick her up, say out of her playpen. I am working with her now to get her Dada back, as she doesn't say that as much as she use to.

She is enjoying her jolly jumper, her activity center and her latest toy the Fisher Price cookie jar. She has learned how to take things out of the this "cookie jar" and put things back in. Very cute.. and very smart if I do say so myself....

She continues to add to her diet. We are trying to eat at least 2 times a day, trying to add another in to get her to eat three times a day. She has tried sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, apples and bananas, and is continued on her oatmeal cereal. Tonight at dinner, I was feeding her and eating my dinner at the same time, and she had her eye on my chicken burger. So I put the burger up to her mouth and sure enough she opened her mouth right up for the burger. I guess she would like to advance her diet. ... We are going to try Cheerios and cookies as soon as I buy some.

Ryan is continuing to struggle with her eating when I am at work. She detests anything in the bottle form. Ryan has tried different bottles, sippy cups, different holds, positions, distractions - everything, and Lyla continues to be determined that she does not like bottles. She continues to nurse really well and the doctor says that the 2 days that I work in which she has poor oral intact isn't hurting her growth so he isn't too concerned. It is definitely a blessing that I got the part time position as it is best for Lyla to not have me away for longer than is necessary.

We have enjoyed fall so much. Lyla loves to look out the window and see what is going on outside. She loves to look at her "red tree" outside the window...

As 6 months has flown by, I look back and think of our life without Lyla as a distant memory. Don't get me wrong, that was a great time of my life. But this time as a new family is much better. Seeing Ryan playing with Lyla, the two of them giggling together makes me realize how much more complete we are with Lyla in our lives. We once thought that no matter what - we would be going somewhere exotic this January for our 5 year anniversary, and now we both can't imagine leaving our little girl behind, as she is as much a part of us as we are to each other. I am sure a time will come when we do venture away without Lyla, but right now we are so much in love with being the 3 of us, and we realize that this time will soon be gone away and we will be looking at Lyla as a big girl rather than our baby girl. It is nice to have some family time. Speaking of family time, tomorrow is Ryan's 29th birthday. I have Saturday off so we can celebrate his birthday football style with Ryan.

Anyways, I am off to bed... Hope you are all well....

Mum-ma

She said it, and my heart soared! Tonight after Lyla had been put down to sleep. She was upstairs farting around and I was downstairs on the phone with my sister, and I heard it. She started with the "Muh-..... Muh".. Then with all my teaching and coaxing she put it together. Mum-ma! Then she kept saying it over and over until her Mum-ma went to her and there she gave me the biggest smile when I walked in. Like she knew she had accomplished what we had been working on.

In retrospect she seems to say her first words alone. When she sad da-da, she was alone up in her crib just waking up from her nap. Ryan says that her Da-da is too spaced apart and sounds more like babbling and he says her first word is Mum-ma because it was more compact and definite. We will have to see how she works her vocab now that she has these 2 words in her repertoire.

On another note, she loved Halloween. She is such a people person, and especially a little people person. I mean a kid person. We sat with her at the front door and opened up both doors. Ryan sat with her on the steps and then we put her activity center at the door so she could see all the kids as they came to the door. She would huff and puff excitedly and more her legs excitedly when people would come. It was very cute.