Our Christmas - Part 1

We gathered at my moms house on Christmas Eve. It was our usual cozy and comfortable gathering. We all contributed different yummy dishes to the dinner and dessert menu. Our families are growing, not just in numbers, but in sizes of the children. Teens, toddlers as well as the furry pets have outnumbered the rest of us and take up more space than they used to. Small spaces bring us all comfortably closer and closer together.

When we got home that evening, we let the kids open one gift from under the tree. They chose the gifts their Aunt Eva gave them (Rafa's mama). 

 Blocks for Ezra and a Barbi for Esperanza

 yet they ended up reading...

Christmas morning

 We had a few 'un-grateful moments'. The look on Esperanza's face in many of these pictures are priceless.

It was ALL or nothing with this girl. She either LOVED it or HATED it. 

 Ezra loved his new (used) Strider balance bike!

 It'll take awhile to get the 'balance' of things. I'll post a video later.

Esperanza had been asking for a doll house for month and months and months. We looked at a few together because she's very opinionated, and I wanted to get her what she wanted, not what I wanted for her. After looking at several online with her, I ordered one of the ones she said she liked. So I thought. Santa brought the kids each one gift. The bike for Ezra and this doll house for Esperanza. She was disappointed. Said it wasn't the one she wanted. Rolled her eyes and walked away from the box after she took the wrapping paper off. I'll spare you the detailed list of mixed feelings that swarmed over me regarding her reaction.

 And then she acted as though she didn't get any gifts

Ezra enjoyed his Thomas train

Eventually Esperanza warmed up to the doll house and we put it together

Not too warm of course. She said she'll only play with it if Ezra does. I thought that was just the best idea ever since she's usually fighting with him over her things. I'll probably have to remind her of those words often.

Ezra got paints, crayons and construction paper

 Stockings!!!

 Another expressive reaction from Esperanza

Armando got me this beautiful enameled cast iron dutch oven!

The mood lifted and we all got over the doll house disappointment within a few moments. The kids played with all of their new things, we ate puffed oven pancakes for breakfast and lazed around most of the morning and early afternoon. After several unsuccessful attempts to put Ezra down for a nap, we got dressed and ready to head over to Armando's family Christmas gathering.

Light Show Off Of Lake Road

We've been hopping around a lot of the free events this holiday season to save on money. Unfortunately, most of them haven't fared so well because of the weather. Sometimes, you get what you pay for. Other times, you get something back that is priceless. Tonight was one of those nights. 

Just watch and listen!

This is just a typical house in a nice neighborhood down the road from us. Sure it's a nice house, but without the lights, it isn't anything overly extravagant. There's no one standing outside collecting payment or other donation for the entertainment. It's free for all, with nothing asked in return (that I saw or know of anyways). Some random homeowners apparently put on this musical light show during the holiday season. I don't know the specifics, but it seems they have their own radio station to do it. A sign in the front yard says to tune in to a certain station. The light show follows the music on the station while you watch from your car. The lights flow with the beat and rhythm - there has to be hundreds of thousands of lights. Every now and then, new lights/displays would turn on and added into the show, while others would fade off. At the end of each song, the lights go off for a few seconds and darkness/silence fills the night. Then it all lights back up and dances to the next song. Some songs were upbeat techno, while others were slow and mesmerizing - some Christmas songs, most songs were musical but a few had singing. We parked our car across the street from the house, turned the radio up, rolled the windows down and watched in awe at this amazing show. Though the house is located on a residential side street, there was a steady flow of people coming and going. Parking for a few minutes to watch, then moving on to let others take a turn. We stayed probably a little longer than most did. The kids loved it. The pictures and even video really cannot provide the visual effects or emotions you get by watching in person (especially if you turn the music up loud). It's actually displayed so simply, yet so amazingly orchestrated! I want to try to go see this every single night!

A longer video with a little more background commentary. It's just so cool, I want to drive back up there and just watch/listen all night.

My Nephew Chance Is Finally Home

After 8 long weeks, my sweet little nephew Chance was finally discharged from the hospital in and went home for the first time! Since I haven't posted any updates about this dreamy little baby in several weeks, I'll catch you up on all that he has been through, which has been a lot. Hopefully I have the dates and events correct.

On October 30th, Chance underwent his second heart surgery. This time the surgery was much more invasive and serious. It would correct the most major part of his heart defect. Doctors opened up his chest to do the surgery which was to last 5 hours. After 10 hours, Naomi was finally given the long awaited update. Doctors were having a very, very difficult time getting Chance stabilized. He had already received a blood transfusion yet was continuing to bleed out. Things looked pretty grim. When we received this information from Naomi, my mom, sisters and I were devastated. We all thought he wasn't going to make it. Doctors left Naomi to worry about him after that update, and they didn't return with more news for a few more hours. Can you imagine a mothers worry!?

Miraculously, doctors returned several hours later with better news. They finally had the bleeding under control and baby Chance was stabilized. There was still a great deal of risk and fear, for the next 24 hours was a very, very critical time for his survival. 

By morning, Chance was still alive and stable!

A couple of days later, doctors took him back into the operating room to close up his chest. All went well with that surgery. On November 4th, Chance woke up for the first time since his surgery! He had been asleep, with a respirator in and receiving pain medication for a few days so that he could heal and recover. When he woke, he was groggy and sleepy, but responsive and doing well.

Since then, he has continued to heal and get better. There have been a few other set backs with his heart beat and breathing being inconsistent several different times. He wasn't feeling very well when they began weaning him off of a medication a couple of weeks ago and was very fussy during that time period. He will probably forever be on heart medication to keep his heart healthy and strong, and will need future heart surgeries, but for now he is home, healthy and happy with his family.

Here are some photos from the past few weeks of little Chance

 October 31 - day after major heart surgery. The saddest image ever.

 Awake a few days after the surgery, with respirator still in while he continues to gain strength

November 7th - Respirator out, oxygen tube in and still very dazed and groggy from surgery. This surgery re-aligned his arteries that had both been on one side and reversed. If he continues to improve and all goes as expected he wont have to have another surgery till around 6 months when he outgrows the procedures he's already had.

November 9 - becoming much more alert and stronger

November 14

November 15 - A day shy of his one month birthday. First day without the oxygen tube and breathing all on his own. He was expected to go home within the next day or two, but then his heart beat became erradic again. He was put back on oxygen and continued to be monitored in the NICU by doctors and nurses for a couple more weeks.

Naomi continued to take the trek by bus from home to the hospital and back daily to nurse Chance, hold him and spend as much time with him as possible. Chance was one of several babies being monitored in the NICU. Nurses and doctors all commented on how they felt that Chance was doing as well as he was partly because of his mama being there with him and him receiving mamas milk. 

The week of Thanksgiving, while Chance was still in the hospital, our cousin Taylor (my moms brother Craig's daughter) drove to Las Vegas with her family (a 1 year old baby, 2 school age kids and her husband) to meet and spend time with Naomi and Chance for the first time. Taylor lives several hours away in Arizona but also has a best friend that lives in Las Vegas that they stayed with while there visiting. She spent a lot of time with Naomi and Chance, visiting and getting to know them. She brought with her tons of baby clothing and other baby 'paraphernalia' to give Naomi and Chance. Some of it was previously her baby's as well as one of her good friends who donated a bunch of her stuff to them as well. Naomi, who had next to nothing for baby Chance, was extremely thankful and overwhelmed with all of the stuff being given to her. We're all so thankful for Taylor! I'm a little jealous, wish we were close enough to drive there to see Naomi and Chance. Taylor did take a lot of pictures of her visit, but being a busy mom of 3 young children, she hasn't had a chance to send any to us yet. I'll post some when they make it my way.

By the first week of December, Chance's heart began to stabilize again and stayed that way. He was now breathing consistently without the assistance of the oxygen and overall he was feeling much better. 

Finally, on December 10th, Naomi and Phil brought him home where spent his first night away from doctors, nurses, machines and lights - snuggled closer to his mom and dad where he belongs! 

Here he is at home...

Up and ready for the day!

Sleeping in Daddy's arms while mama cooks dinner

 Swaddled and looking around

Brothers - Chance and Anthony finally meet. Anthony is 2 years old (I think close to 3?) and looks like he is already loving his new role as big brother. 

Ezra At 18 Months Old

Ezra is already a year and a half! He is such an amazing and curious little tot.

He talks a lot. Most of it is jibber-jabber sounding. But I'm pretty sure he knows exactly what he is saying. Many words are becoming very clear, but he'll often just say a word once, and he won't repeat it. The other day he and Armando came home from being out and about doing something. He ran up to me with a little toy football, held it up and said 'football'. Loud and clear. But then he wouldn't say it again. He says 'owa' for agua and calls Espearnza mama (probably because I call her mama. I'm sure he's confused). He says thank you, more, hot and poo-poo the most. He has zero interest using the toilet, yet is pretty aware of when he would need to. He has 12 teeth, just 4 more left to come in and then we're in the clear until the 6 year molars. This kid gets seriously ill whenever teeth come it. He spent 3 long weeks sick recently, beginning when 4 molars decided to tear threw his gums at the same time. No bueno!

He sneers, just as good as his sister. He understands most of what is said to him and will eagerly help and do things when he wants to. When something is asked of him, and he doesn't want to comply, he'll turn the top part of his body away from you and mumble "Huh-Uh"! Or he just runs away. But he never says no. Good examples of these situations are when I tell him we need to change his diaper or if he has something he's not supposed to have. He has tons of energy, runs all over the house and loves to climb on everything. His balance is pretty amazing, but still scary. Right now, some of his favorite foods are yogurt, seasoned nuts and seeds, butter, raisins, almond milk and oatmeal. He is full of energy, character, snuggles and spirit. 

His favorite things are books with pictures of animals in them, anything his sister won't share with him, his blanket, going on walks with his daddy on nice mornings, dancing to music, chasing his sister, tearing apart the house, taking baths, helping me cook and clean, brushing his teeth and nursing. Once, after nursing, he lifted his head to look at me with his big dark brown eyes, and said 'thank you' which sounds more like 'tikyu'. Melted my heart!

Happy Half-Birthday Ezra!