Unwelcome First

First words, first foods, first steps: all things to celebrate.  First trip in an ambulance? No one was cheering.  McKenzie added another notch to our parenthood belts a couple weekends ago when she woke up in the middle of the night gasping for air and unable to catch her breath.  I called 911 and within minutes an EMT was here.  It didn't take long for McKenzie to calm down a little and start to catch her breath, but we were still quite worried.  After a few more medical personnel arrived at the house we decided we would like to take her to the hospital.  We rode in the ambulance to Hartford Children's where she was, fairly quickly, diagnosed with croup.  

It seems that every parent I tell this story to says, "ah, croup.  My son/daughter had that."  Now that we know what it is and how to treat it we will be able to respond a little more effectively next time (if there is a next time).  Perhaps baby #2 won't have to ride to the hospital because we will recognize the symptoms and react calmly.  People always say that they wish kids came with a owner's manual.  The funny thing is, I've read about croup before, been aware of it's symptoms, but that manual didn't do me any good when my baby girl couldn't breathe.

Throughout it all, Kenzie was a champion.  She stayed calm, cool and collected while many different people poked and prodded her.  She didn't cry when they put an oxygen mask on her face or took her blood pressure.  And she even got a new stuffed Beanie Baby toy out of the whole ordeal.  I think she actually enjoyed herself.

Christmas in January

The plan was to celebrate Christmas with my dad's side of the family the day after Christmas, but an unfortunate snow storm caused us to postpone it a week.  Instead we celebrated Christmas and my niece Kaitlin's birthday the following week, stretching our Christmas cheer into the new year.  McKenzie had a great time playing with everyone, especially Kaitlin.  They pushed babies around in little strollers for hours.  The only downside to the postponed celebration was that we didn't get to see Auntie Barbara.  Thankfully the cookies she made for us still arrived intact.

Matthew and Adam prepare for another round of tic-tac-toe. (very cool gift Auntie B)

Kaitlin is like Kenzie's guardian angel, always watching over her.

Cousins enjoy a snack on the step.

Ice Cream and Peas, Please

On my way home from work the other night I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a package of green split peas for the soup I planned to make the following day.  While at the store I remembered that ice cream was on sale for $1.88 ($1.88!!).  When ice cream is that cheap you have to buy some.  So, there I was, standing at the checkout counter with my ice cream and peas, pregnant belly protruding from my too-small winter coat when it occurred to me what this must look like.  I am a walking pregnancy stereotype.  8:00 pm on a Wednesday night and I just have to run out for some peas and ice cream?  I thought about saying something like, "I love the crunchy texture of the peas sprinkled on my cookies and cream," but decided against it.  The look I was getting from the teenage boy cashier was enough to let me know he thought I was crazy.  He just might be on to something.

Anyway, for those of you too far away to watch me grow, here's a pick of my 6 1/2 month bump.

I feel so much bigger than this.  Pictures don't do justice.

Christmas Day

On Christmas day we spent a quiet morning together as a family.

Kenzie couldn't believe that we let her eat a piece of candy before even having breakfast.  

We didn't buy her any toys this year, just lots of practical stuff.  She loves her new sippy cups (especially the one with a straw) and got right to work brushing her baby's teeth with one of her new toothbrushes.

Yah!  Snow boots.  Now we just need some snow so she will understand what all this gear is for.

One of her favorite things was a photo book I made for her.  She has a huge family and we want her to know everyone's names so I threw together a book that has pictures of all our family and a few close friends.  She can name just about everyone and she brings me the book at least once a day to look through.

On Christmas afternoon we traveled to Greenfield to spend the day with my mom and brothers.  They gave her a doll that came with a binky and a stroller.  She has since completely forgotten about her other baby (the one pictured above).  A baby with its own binky!  What could be cooler?

Snackin' with Grammie

Christmas Eve

McKenzie has the good fortune to celebrate Christmas three times each year (four when Dustin's mom is up from Florida) and this year was fantastic.  We started with Christmas Eve at the Ricci's.  It was a relaxing, Italian-food filled day.  When it was time for the kids to open gifts Dustin volunteered to play Santa.  I thought that we had at least one more year before she was a part of the present opening frenzy, but I was wrong.  Dustin had his hands full fending her off.  Every time he turned his back to hand someone a gift Kenzie was busy ripping into whatever was in front of her (regardless of whose name was on the tag).

What do you mean they aren't ALL for me?

After the gifts were open, however, she calmed down a little and enjoyed some time with her family.

Grandma Karen, guarding the stairs.

Auntie Heather gives Kenzie a ride on Joshy's new skateboard.

Uncle Matt knows how to show a girl a good time.

Nice Sister?

Kenzie got a baby doll from Santa at a party at Dustin's school earlier this week.  Should we be worried about bringing a real baby into the house?

 (P.S. that is a balloon animal that has come undone in the background...don't be getting any ideas)

Christmas is in the house

A tree?  In the living room?  This is a crazy holiday.  Every morning, when Kenzie remembers that we have a piece of the woods decorated in our home, she says excitedly,"tee, tee, tee!" (translation: "tree"...and yes, she always says things at least twice, usually more, with a great sense of urgency).

She enjoyed the hunt for the perfect tree, especially because it included a tractor ride up the mountain.

Sad side note: I lost that absolutely adorable hand-me-down puffy vest from LL Bean while shopping earlier this week.
I am so disappointed in myself.

I know she loves the holidays because she gets to do things that we never let her do, like eat handfuls of candy while making a gingerbread cottage.  We had intended this gingerbread-home-making session as a photo opportunity for our Christmas card, but we weren't able to pry the candy from her death grip and every time we asked her to smile a mouthful of purple/yellow/orange drool leaked down her chin.  Not exactly what we had planned.

Her hands and mouth are full of candy.

Her chin isn't always that color.