Christmas

We had a fabulous Christmas this year!!!I was pleasantly surprised!  We spent it with Gio's family at his Aunts house in Salt Lake. I have to admit I was a little bit of a scrooge this year because we were going to spend it at his moms house and at the last minute they changed it because Gio's cousin Marybelle who is disabled has a hard time outside of her home and they thought it would be easier to just do it at the their house. I understood the reasoning it just ruined the plan I envisioned in my head!  I was planning on spending Christmas Eve with every one and then sleeping at our house in Springville and driving back over Christmas morning. I figured it would be easier than hauling all of our gifts up to Salt lake and back and we could enjoy it together just the 3 of us for the first time.

{One of Gabi's gifts was her new car seat and since we couldn't fit it in the car with everything else she opened it a day early! She was so happy and loves her Big Girl Chair!}

In the past we have drove up there and left at 3 in the morning after we all opened gifts and spent Christmas morning at my parents house. This would also be the first Christmas EVER that I didn't wake up with my parents on Christmas morning. A bit of a selfish moment on my part i know! But I must say i never planned it that way Gio offered so I wasn't going to say no! It worked fine in the past but i didn't want to do that with Gabi so we all slept over. Gios Aunt was kind enough to give up her bedroom which helped a lot with Gabi. Gios family opens their gifts at Midnight. I'm not a huge fan because its exhausting! Because they all stay up late Christmas Day is just a chill lazy day and everyone just naps and watches movies. Its not a bad tradition just not what I'm used to on Christmas. Part of the excitement to me is waiting for Santa to come and being so excited you cant sleep at night This is something I want to keep as a tradition with my kids so  I wasn't about to keep Gabi up that late to open gifts! so we let everyone know before hand that the kids should go to bed so they weren't ornery and whatever the adults  decided to do was fine. I find it funny thought that they cant wait to open them till morning! They all get to excited! So the Adults all opened gifts till about 2am we were spoiled!

{Opening her Christmas PJ's on Christmas eve.I also surprised Gio and finished making Gabi's quilt and she was able to sleep with it that night!}

Gios Mom gave a a card with $247 cash... odd number and we laughed about it. We were very grateful for it because we know it was a sacrifice for her, she told us that she had $250 but she had to buy a card! She wrote a sweet letter and told us that it was for our Disneyland trip in September! Gio also gave me a gift card for $100 to buy me new shoes! Best gift ever! It worked out really well that the adults opened gifts because that gave us more one on one time with Gabi in the morning and its not a very big room to have that many people opening gifts at once!

Look at her cute body! I love tight PJ's on babies!

All tuckered out and nestled in with her new blanket so that Santa could come! it took her forever to go to sleep i think it was because we were in an unfamiliar place and everyone was still up making noise.

Gabi sitting by her loot from Santa! She is sooooo spoiled!

So happy to be able to start ripping the gifts open! it was a fight for weeks to try and keep her away from them!

Opening her stocking she found a smartie and she was content!

Gabi in her new Baby Phat coat! she looks like an Eskimo!

This is my favorite picture from Christmas of Gabi and Dominic in their matching Christmas PJ's and Santa slippers! Gabi's crooked smile and snaggle teeth kills me!

Gabi telling me she is pretty in her new Puma sweatsuit!

Opening Presents at Grandma Hreinson on Christmas Night

This was Gabi's toy from Santa. We forgot batteries so we could play with it until later that night. She LOVES it! She picked up on the cause effect part of it immediately. it plays music and the balls pop out of the top. She danced and dances to it all day long! it gets rather annoying but we have learned to tune it out because it makes her happy!

Once again we are so blessed and really did have an amazing Christmas I felt bad that I had such a negative attitude about everything just because I wasn't getting my way. I can be such a brat! I love being with my family and spending so much time together during such a special time of year. I also cant believe that we have had 2 christmas' together as a family! CRAZY!!! I cant wait till next year because I think Gabi will understand things a little bit more and nothing is better than watching the excitement of your child!

The Walking Timeline!

Gabi is a WALKER!!! such a bittersweet moment! I am so proud of her though she has worked really hard and has proven that she can do anything she puts her little mind to! I posted videos of her timeline it only took her about 2 weeks from the time she started standing on her own till the time she was taking steps. I think that it would have been a shorter time frame if she hadn't gotten sick in between.

Learning to stand on her own (Dec 2, 2011) She was very proud of herself!

Last time walking with the walker (Dec 6, 2011)

Kim her Physical Therapist took away the walker because she thought it was becoming more of a crutch for her. she could control that thing so well and get around very fast. I was a little sad because she loved it so much and it was unexpected. When she told me that she was taking it I started sneaking a few pictures and videos to make sure I captured that stage in her development. We did a few exercises that day in therapy with Gabi sitting on my leg and standing to walk a few steps to the couch. she took 5 steps on her own that day! We kept practicing and made it fun for her and once she felt better she became more and more daring.

 

First Actual Steps alone ( Dec. 19, 2011 ) This was the start of it all! The night before her surgery she stood up on her own and walked across the living room all by herself!!! I watched in shock and didn't dare move or distract her because I wanted her to keep doing it! I did capture some on video once I realized what she was doing!! She was 21 months and 3 days old!

Dec 21st the day after surgery! She practiced and practiced all night long walking up and down the hallway! She prefers something in her hands usually a rag, towel or pair of pants from her drawers! I don't know why! She is getting faster and faster and walks 99% of the time! Its so cute when she takes my hand and walks with me around the house I love it! she is still really timid about walking in unfamiliar places and outside but it wont be long and she wont even know shes doing it! Way to Go GABI!!! we are so proud of you!

Roseola, Ear tubes, an Adenoids

Winter has been a bit rough this year. Gabi has been sick a few times with colds and ear problems. In November we took her in to have her ears checked and make sure that the tubes were still functioning properly. She didn't have infection but her right tube was clogged and not working properly. The Dr said that it wasn't infected and seemed to be OK as long as it didn't get infected . He had me use antibiotics for a week to see if that opened them up and wanted me to come back in another 2 weeks to have them checked. I paid $100 for ear drops, got them home and realized that it was the same ear drops he gave me from her surgery and I still had half a bottle... not very happy that I just wasted $100 on something I already had! When we checked again they were still clogged and they left the decision up to us on replacing them. They also wanted to take the adenoids as well to help with the infection and breathing issues she seems to have while she sleeps. I was really torn on what to do because I didn't want to do it if she didn't need it, but i also didn't want to push my luck and wait till after the first of the year and have to pay my insurance deductible again! We decided to think about it and I told them I would call them if with my decision.

 A few days later I picked Gabi up from her grandmas and she seemed really lethargic and feverish. When we got home she didn't seem like she felt good at all. She felt extremely hot but the thermometer never read over 99, Gabi has the smallest little ears openings and I think that it misreads a lot of the time. the next day she didn't seem much better had a hard time sleeping and super fussy. We put her in bed with us and she was more wiggly than usual and kept going in the fetal position like she was in pain. We had planed on taking her to the Instacare the next morning to make sure she was OK but i started to feel guilty. What if she was really hurting and my selfishness of money was getting in the way. I really hate going to the Dr when she is sick because its so frustrating to go through all the trouble to get there and then they send you home with nothing. Around 5am and no sleep we decided to take her into the ER.

Gabi couldn't Get comfortable so she used Dad as a Pillow!

When we got to the ER she still had a small fever and she was tested for a UTI. I had noticed the rash on her cheeks but she has sensitive skin and seems to always dry out on her cheeks when she is sick. When they put the catheter in for the UTI I noticed her little bum had the same red rash but it looked blistered. nothing like what I have seen before and so as I looked her over again it was starting on her legs and arms too. I was concerned thought it was maybe due to the high fever and mentioned it to the DR when he came back. He only glanced at it and said that it was eczema and that it would go away with some heavy cream and the diaper rash just needed cream as well. We left the ER with no answers other than her ears looked a little red and may be infected (but he couldn't tell) and that she didn't have a UTI so just give her Tylenol if she looks like she needs it. I was furious!

Gabi would only sleep in my arms and she was really irritable moving all over like she was super uncomfortable.

As the day went on her rash got worse and worse, The pictures don't do it justice. Her poor little face and Bum were the worst. I have a bum picture but thought it would be inappropriate to post it online! ;) She didn't act like the rash bothered her though and never cried when i changed her but it looked awful.

Her skin was so bumpy. it had flat little blister like bumps everywhere and it was super dry and rough, she usually has the softest skin and it took a few weeks for it to go back to normal.

After researching her symptoms online the closest thing to her symptoms was a virus called Roseola. it was almost an exact description of what she has and of course the treatment was to wait it out and let it heal itself! I hate that answer! she did start to clear up a few days later and because the ER Dr said that she had a possible ear infection I called the next day and scheduled her ear tube replacement and adenoidectomy she had surgery on Dec 20th. we went in super early and things went smoothly. She of course was the life of the O.R. giving kisses to all the Dr's and Nurses!

Kissing Dad Goodbye before surgery! I love this picture!

Surgery went great! Both tubes were slightly blocked and she has a polyp in her left ear that they had to remove. I was a little worried about recovery this time since she also had her adenoids removed but it didn't seem to bother her at all. The first time she had surgery she screamed bloody murder when they brought her

back (a symptom from the anesthesia) this time she was so out of it she didn't shed a tear! she was a trooper!

She was super sleepy though! We couldn't leave until she ate or drank  something and kept in down but we couldn't keep her awake!

once i changed her out of her hospital gown she started to wake up a bit more and ate a little bit. She was drinking her water fine too but saw my Diet Coke and it was all over from there she took it from me and wouldn't give it back! She loves Soda and knows when we have it even if we hide it from her she knows!

I usually don't let her drink it but i really wanted to leave and i figured it was a drink right! better than nothing! That was her treat for having surgery!

{don't you love her owl beanie! she looks like a pilot!}

Recovery went great she slept off the anesthesia and was back to her destructive self! I didn't even have to give her pain meds! She is such a good baby! Lets hope that 2012 is better in the medical bill department!

Christmas Party

We had our traditional Hiatt Christmas Party at my Moms this year. We had a good time seeing all the Jepsons so i thought I would share some of the cute pictures I capture that night of course they are mostly of Gabi!

Gabi with Dad playing with the cups!

She always has the best pictures with uncle Dakotah!

My Family

Being silly with Aunt Ladawna!

Opening an early Christmas Present. I Made a paper flower as the Bow and she got to finally take it apart....

That was way more exciting than the actual present!

I love this little monkey!