Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Merry Christmas Baby!







Dear Baby I
Merry Christmas Monster Baby!!! What an amazing time we are having! I feel like you have grown so much this holiday! I was worried you would be in people overload upon arriving in NEPA, but you seemed to have adapted very well. You strut around Noni's house like you own the place, babbling your silly stories to everyone and anyone who will listen, all while toting your box of Teddy Grahams like it is a prized possession. No more Mr. Shy guy for you!!
Your Second Christmas was quite a success! The parties started early on. Last Week your some of your cousins came to play with you and we had a big Sunday dinner. All week long the house was filled friends and family in town for the holidays. You were quite the entertainer. And when not entertaining you can sure keep yourself busy here! All of Noni's cabinets and cupboards were like an early Christmas present! You would empty and refill every cabinet you could pry open,( which was actually very helpful for my video application footage to get your Noni and Nono on "Hoarders" :)
Daddy, Uncle Ronnie and Uncle Ralphie got here on Thursday and from there we were in full holiday swing! Cooking, baking, shopping, wrapping, unwrapping, entertaining, and of course - building the annual Nardell family Holiday pyramid! Good times were had by all!
Twas the day before Christmas and all thru the house you were tearing up the place and eating every thing you could get your hands on! Ugh. Mommy was not a fan of that! Every time I turned around you had a new snack to munch on - cookies, eggs, capeletti, candy canes, carrots, pretzels, not to mention everyone luring you around the house with the can of Puffs!! They are going to roll both of us out of here! By night time you were ready for bed in a big way. You actually went to the stair case and pointed to go up! SHocker!!! Once we got all snuggly in our Christmas PJs (which I must say , you made the CUTEST Christmas baby I EVER saw!!) off to bed you went while Mommy and Daddy helped Noni (and Uncle Ralphie of course) Get the house ready for Santa's big arrival.  Apparently Santa NEVER got mommy's letter a few weeks ago about how we were trying to keep it simple this year. You had presents everywhere! Quite a pile for such a devilish little angel!
Christmas Morning you woke up bright and early - 5AM, right on schedule, and we headed down stairs to see if Santa came. I think Mommy and Daddy were WAY more excited than you. Daddy scurried down the steps first to get the video camera all set up and I was all excited to see your reaction. You got to the bottom of the steps, made eye contact with the pile, and then headed straight to the kitchen to pick up your box of Teddy Grahams. Not exactly America's Funniest Home Videos Material. You did seem a little curious about all the shiny packages for a bit. Especially the unwrapped ones. The Barney and Thomas toys just drew you in, from there it was all down hill. Paper and boxes everywhere - but that was mostly Daddy. :)
 Santa brought you all sorts of goodies - Santa must not have been reading my blog all year!! You got tons of Thomas stuff, Barney dolls, race track and cars, a puppy on a string and lots of clothes and jammies. Im not sure how Santa thinks we are getting all this stuff back to Denver but Im sure he has a plan - or better yet a plane for us!....Rumor has it he even stopped at house in Colorado too!
You seem to be WAY more vocal since we got to NEPA too! You yell at the dog with such gusto! YOu call NONO all the time and I am pretty sure you are starting to put names to faces. You definitely know your Nona!!
All in all we had a great Christmas! You  - and Daddy and Max - played with your toys all day and by dinner time we were all ready for a(nother) good meal and a nap! Its is so fun to watch you play and discover all these new things around you. It really is amazing. I cant help but think of how tiny and helpless you were last year and in a few short months (ok, 12) you are up and running around, ordering people around and rearranging the Christmas Tree. We are a lucky bunch to have you little Monkey Man. Mommy is doubly lucky to have You AND Daddy. We make the perfect trio if I do say so myself!
It really is the most wonderful time of the year, but I cannot help but feel sad every Christmas Day when I think that all the holiday hoopla will soon be coming to an end. Soon we will head home, Daddy will go back to work, and the days will pick up where we left off. But I must remember that each new day I will be watching you grow and exploring the world around you and we will be one day closer to an even more exciting 3rd holiday season! Yipeee!!! Ahh Next Christmas, I have so much to remember!! Most notably, as your dear cousin Miranda told me - Buddy the Elf (On the shelf) Flies away on Christmas Eve!!! How Could I not know that!!?? I better start crackin on the books now!
Well Honey my Bunny in a few more days it will be New Years Eve and we will ring in 2011! Soon after, off to CO we go! I know you wont be able to remember this holiday but it will be one I will never forget!! YOu are an amazing little creature and I am so lucky to have you in my life! I look forward to another fun filled year with you and daddy and all that life has to offer us!
I love you my little baby heat miser!
Love, Mommy

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Enough is Enough!!!

Dear Baby "Death of ME " I.

Well my dear if ever there was a week that made me doubt my sustainability - and sanity - in motherhood this was it!!! As you will remember you woke up with a fever as I was writing my last post on Thusday. That was the easy part. Not only was it a fever - but a fever that spiked at 103.7 and lingered on until Monday. A Sick Isaac is a Cranky Isaac and a Cranky Isaac is a Clingy Isaac - or as I like to say - My Kid Koala. I think I may have actually gotten bed sores from laying on couch with you physically attached to me for 5 days. God know if ever see another episode of the "Wiggles" or "Caillou" I will Go out of my mind!
To your defense I felt so bad for you! You were really REALLY sick. You so were not yourself. All you could do was lay there. OK, Lay ON TOP of me. You were pathetic at best Mr. Monkey. I know you are REALLY sick when you sit through an entire episode of "Curious George"without getting off your chair once! You had the glazed over look, the pale face, and of course the burning hot fever. My poor baby!! I felt so bad for you - but there was nothing I could do. And I have to admit I was beginning to lose my mind strapped to the couch for so long! (I don't know how your Nono does it!!) Even with the Great Uncle Dr. Ronnie out to visit,  the only medical advice I could get was that we had to let it ride and wait it out. I feel like you have been sick since Halloween! You were doing so well too - and then BAM! It comes right back! I thought maybe by MOnday you would be doing better and we would be able to peel you off of me for a bit - but as soon as the fever went down the crazy rash stepped in and it was a whole new ball of wax I didn't know I what I was dealing with. Fortunately The Great Uncle Dr Ronnie diagnosed you with Roseola  - but again - the remedy for roseola is nothing but waiting. Gosh kid! If your going to get sick at least pick something that w can treat!!!!
Tuesday came and you seemed to be on the mend. We had a brilliant 70 degree Christmas season day in Denver. YOu were far from 100% but I as beginning to think our flight on Wednesday was going to be less of a disaster than previously expected. You actually even played with your toys long enough for me to throw a batch of chocolate cookies in the oven. You were being so good when they were done I even caved in and gave you a cookie - or 2! Within Minutes your face was covered with red bumps and I threw the towel in!! I just cant win with you this week!! So either you are allergic to chocolate and/or coconut or the rash was not completely over. Either was that will be the last cookie I give you. You ruined it for  yourself kiddo!!!
SO here it is THursday and we are in NEPA for the holidays. We survived our day of airport travel - even our 2.5 hour delay in the 88 degree airport terminal in Philly. It's cold here - no 70 degrees for sure!! So far so good with you! Although you seem a little leary of just about everyone but Jumper (which by the way, is the only one you need to worried about!!) Right now you are sleeping tight for a mid afternoon nap - Aunt Krissy put in A LOT of effort for this nap so please make the most of it!! We have a lot of family time ahead of us so rest up!!! Nono is also busy sleeping as he gets tired easily from chasing you around with a broom all day!! I guess he is not as impressed with your food- all- over- the-floor antics as the dogs are!
More to come from the Windy cold valley - but for now, sleep tight and we are all going to enjoy this peaceful moment of quiet in the house!!!
I love you MR. Monkey pants! Enough with all this sick business!! We need you to be well and strong and raring to go when Santa comes to town!!! Everyone waited a long time to see you here and we won't have this mopey baby business!!
I LOve you My Little Buddy the elf!
Love, Mommy

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Too Good to Be True...


Dear Mr. Monster
It is 6:43 AM on a Thursday and you and your Daddy are still sleeping. Most people would be concerned with the Daddy sleeping since he has work at 7am, but right now I am more in shock you are still cuddled up in bed. Another tiny Christmas miracle in the making?? - Although Im sure Daddy will not think so when he rolls out of bed! I gave up being his snooze button an hour ago.
Well my baby monster monkey, we are getting closer to Ho Ho time and our trip to NEPA! Just as we planned  you are feeling much better in time for our flight. You wouldnt want your predictable flight cold to interfere with your current cold! Excellent planning kiddo!! At least you are feeling better for now - although that nagging cough is hanging on for dear life. Ugh.
Much like this whole holiday season, this past week has flown by. We started the week off with a mini Hannukah celebration for Daddy after fruitlessly searching all of Northeast Denver for Hannukah decorations. Apparently he is the only Jew in Denver. But we improvised well and I think he liked it. I know he liked his Hannukah bag of Twizzlers, Gummies,  and Fruit Rollups - they were all gone in less than 8 Crazy Nights!!
You and I have been busy around the house too! We have had a full week of playmates and people working on the basement. Finally the basement is all done after the flooding fiasco and I must admit it looks AMAZING!! It's amazing what a little wall to wall carpeting can do. And Mommy's favorite part? THe carpet men accidentally carpeted the staircase too!! Woo Hoo!! Bonus Fall protection for when you decide to take (another) little trip down the steps on your own!
You have been trying your hardest to talk in English rather than Isriah lately. You do say a few words now but not in reference to anything particular. Boppy, Puppy, Baby, Daddy seems to classify everything in your universe. Except for cookies and crackers - they are most definitely "Eh EH EH" with a point to the kitchen cabinet. You have also stepped up your wobbley walk to a little run. Mommy is surely in trouble now!
This past weekend we also met up with Aunt Sue in Boulder to get you your first pair of winter boots! (thanks Aunt Sue!)  You were quite the sight in the Crocs store with all the colors and racks of shoes for you to pull down! We did manage to find you the only 2 non pink pairs of shoes in the store in your size. Mommy will never understand how Crocs can be so expensive for ugly plastic shoes - but they sure do look cute on your little feet! We had a near-missed disaster when we walked out of the tea shop next store to the Crocs store and noticed you were only wearing one shoe!!! We looked everywhere and couldnt find it! We hadnt moved 20 feet!! Thank Heavens for Bruno the manager at the Crocs store! I went in the store to see if we dropped it on our way out and after not finding it in there, he found another pair and gave us a bonus pair of shoes for our troubles!! Thanks Bruno!! Fortuantely we finally found your shoe and Mommy returned the bonus pair. But it just goes to show, some people are just plain nice kiddo!
OK...7:05 AM and i can hear the sqwirmy Wormy that is Isaac in your bedroom. YOu love that you can get off the bed on your own now. You get down and open the door and make a grand entrance into the living room as if you were a making a red carpet appearance.
Ugh..7:11 AM. Fever. I knew this sleeping in was too good to be true. Poor Baby is all flushed and rosey cheeked. I hope its teeth. We dont want another illness and you are still on your antibiotic from the last one. Time to call Noni....
Well kiddo I hope this one goes as quick as it came in! We have a big weekend ahead of us! Feel better my little monkey man. Remember Mommy loves more than the moon and all  the stars - and all the peas under the dining room table!
I hope you feel better soon!! I love you MOnster mash!
:Love, Mommy