So the big snow storm kept us home for a few days!  It was nice to have Ichiro home for the snow day on Monday.  The kids and I never left the house.  For days! It was nice!

I liked how this flower looked with the snow in the background!

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We hosted Christmas morning at our house!  Brenda and my parents showed up early, real early.  We all wanted to see Noby’s face when he came down the stairs.  Earlier in the week we talked about how we planned to do everything.  We decided that Christmas morning we would only open our stockings and gifts from Santa.  After I agreed this was a good idea, I began to get nervous that it would be over in minutes and that everyone would be bored.  Turns out that wasn’t the case.  Santa had left gifts under the tree for everyone, plus there were so many stocking gifts that they overflowed to under the tree.  We took our time, ate monkey bread and enjoyed the morning.  After we finished we made breakfast and relaxed. We stayed in our pjs almost all day.

Eventually we all went home to get dressed and made our to Brenda’s apartment for round 2.  It was an awesome, relaxing afternoon, and Brenda made a yummy meal!

We even decorated a gingerbread house…

I think Noby ate more candy then what went on the house…

Then it was time to open the crazy amount of gifts…

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Staying in Boston for the Holidays means this year would be filled with new traditions and they were to start on Christmas Eve.  This year Christmas Eve was held at Brenda’s house.  She did an amazing job and made a delicious meal that we all enjoyed.  Besides just being in Boston, one of our new traditions this year was that we opened 1 gift on Christmas Eve.  Something we’ve NEVER done before!  That gift is for everyone to enjoy that night.  We decided it will always be a game that we can play on Christmas Eve and this year we got Hungry Hungry Hippo.  Noby had such a great time playing!!!  Another tradition that we started this year was making cookies for Santa.  This was so much fun to do with Noby!  He had a great time and even sneaked a couple of bites before we decorated them! Lastly a new tradition for us is one that we are actually just carrying on from the Blackburns.  For as long as I can remember we have spent Christmas Eve with the Blackburns and as long as I can remember Christmas Eve ended with Glenn reading everyone the book, Twas The Night Before Christmas.  It has always been a highlight of the night.  So when we decided to stay in Boston for Christmas, I knew this would be how we end the night!  It was perfect!

Noby playing Hungry Hungry Hippo with Daddy…

Koji watching and wanting in on the action…

Buddy and Koji…

Memere and Noby…

Making cookies for Santa!

Roll, roll, roll…

Auntie and Koji helping with the cookies…

Putting them in the over…

Memere and Koji…

Loved this time…

Leaving our cookies for Santa, don’t forget the carrots!

Koji waiting for Santa…

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Last week I was in the hospital for my appendix, Thursday Ichiro’s Jeep broke down on his way home from work, and this morning I had to take little Koji to the hospital!

Koji woke up early this morning. I could tell he wasn’t himself.  I tried giving him his pacifier and he just kept spitting it out.  When I picked him up I realized he was so warm.  It was very clear he had a temp. Ichiro ran downstairs for the thermometer and it was 102.5.  The pediatrician’s office wasn’t open yet, so the emergency operator told us to bring him to the ER.

Ichiro stayed home from work with Noby, while I jumped in the car and rushed Koji to the ER.  What an awful experience!  The nurses and doctors were great but you just feel so bad with all the tests they have to do on your poor little baby.  The doctor explained that with infants you run lots of tests and use the data to determine why the fever happened in the first place.

The first test was for urine.  They had to insert a tiny little catheter to collect the sample. After they had to insert an IV into his hand.  This would be used to draw blood and give fluids if he needed them.  It was hard to watch, especially when the nurse missed the first time and he had to call an expert to do it again.  After this they moved us from the ER into the pediatric section.  The doctor came in and explained that next they needed to get spinal fluid to test for meningitis.  This broke my heart all over again!  A spinal tap?!?!  She explain that the risks were so low in infants that anything would go wrong because of where they draw the fluid.  So they attempt the spinal tap, TWICE and of course they didn’t get any fluids.  She said it could be either that he moved or he was dehydrated.  They decided before they tried the spinal tap again they would give him some IV fluids.  In the meantime Koji’s pediatrician called and we decided to not try the spinal tap again.  Since we had arrived at the ER, Koji’s temperature had gone down.  Our pediatrician thought it would be ok to watch how he did over night.  IF at any point during the night we were concern, if his temperature returned, if he developed a rash or if he acted a little funny we were to bring him back.  At that point they would attempt to do the spinal tap again.  If he did fine during the night, we just had to bring him to the pediatrician’s office in the morning.  I agreed to this because I wasn’t sure I could sit there while they tried to do another spinal tap again.  By 2:30, when we were sent home, Koji was doing so much better!

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I wasn’t able to find anyone to embroider our stockings so I decided to try and do it by hand.  I think they look pretty good, so far!! I just hope I can finish them all before Christmas!

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In some weird way it worked out perfectly that I had my appendix out this week, that Ichiro had to go to NY Friday morning and that my mom came to help with the boys.  It all worked perfectly because my mom was able to see Noby’s first school Holiday concert.  Which I have to say was just so adorable!!  And thank goodness my mom came, there would be no way I could have done it alone!

After the concert and party we went old school and took Noby to Friendly’s!  A concert wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Friendly’s.  This was Noby’s first time at Friendly’s and I think he really enjoyed it!! Especially the snowman ice cream for dessert!

Noby and his friend Emma, doesn’t she look smitten with Noby!

Noby’s class!  Emma’s holding Noby’s hand again…

Singing Jingle Bells…

Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer…

Santa even came!!  Each kid received a book…

Here’s Noby sitting with Memere and Koji. He loved his new book, Danny and the Dinosaur….

After everyone headed back to their classrooms for a little party…

This is their classroom Christmas Tree.  Each child had a homework assignment to decorate an ornament. Noby’s is the forth one down on the very left of the tree.  Painted red with gold glitter!

Someone really loves their Memere!

Check out his eyes when his snowman ice cream came!

Noby got to decorate the snowman ice cream himself…

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We have some awesome friends!!!  When we got home today I found more flowers waiting for me on our door step.  They are beautiful roses from Keith and Megan.  It really made my day and I can’t thank them enough!!  Ohhh right and these beautiful flowers came with the best card ever.  I would share it online but I wouldn’t want to be reported! haha  Thanks again Keith and Megan for making me smile!!

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Moms are the best!  They know when you need them, even if you keep saying you don’t!

My mom kept offering to come help with the boys, so I could try to recover.  The orders from the doctor was that I shouldn’t be lifting anything heavier then a gallon of milk.  HAHA I actually laughed out loud when he said that.  But I did promise to do my best.  So like I said, my mom kept offering to come help but I kept saying no, we had it under control.  Now Ichiro had plans to head to NY for a party on Friday and I think I finally realized that maybe I would need her help.  Ichiro did say that he would stay home if I needed him to but I knew he really wanted to go and felt bad having him stay with me.  He had already missed a couple days of work. So we decided my mom would come Wednesday night and I’m so thankful she did!!

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Ichiro’s parents sent me these beautiful flowers!! It really brightened my day and gave me a little pick me up!!!

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So Monday morning I woke up around 4:30 am in pain. Lots of pain.  It was on my left side and I had no idea what to do.  The night before Ichiro and I ate a bunch of trail mix and caramel candies right before bed and I thought it HAD to be that.  I ended up coming downstairs for some Pepto but nothing seemed to help.  I curled up in a ball and fell asleep.  The next morning when Ichiro’s alarm went off I told him.  He asked me what the pain felt like and all I could say was “nothing like I had ever left before.”  I was feeling better but still a little uncomfortable.  Normally I would just blow something like this off but something told me not to brush this off.  I called the doctor.  I thought I could run in, Ichiro would watch the kids.  I’d see the doctor, she would tell me I ate to much before bed, then I would come home and drive Ichiro to work.  That’s NOT exactly how everything went.

I did call my doctor and she didn’t have any openings but they DID say a different doctor could see me at 9:30.  While I went Ichiro DID watch the boys and that’s about all I got right.  At the doctors Dr Ken started to ask me some questions, he poked around my stomach, and he said it DEFINITELY was NOT the trail mix! haha  The funny part about him poking around my stomach was the pain had moved.  It was no longer on my left side, it was now on my right side.  The doctor said that was concerning and that I needed to go for a CAT scan.  While they called the hospital to set it up, I headed downstairs to the lab for some blood work.  By the time I got back, I think the entire Medford elderly community was there for blood work, I was in pain again.  I curled up on exam table and waited for instructions on what to do.

They gave me directions to the hospital and off I went.  On the way I had to pull over at a gas station because I thought I was going to be sick.  I got to the hospital, registered and headed to radiology.  Once I got there they gave me a funky fruit punch drink.  The nurse explained I had to slowly drink it over the next hour, then wait an hour before the test.  I got sick twice but managed to finish the drink. By this time, Brenda had heard the news and headed over to watch the boys so Ichiro could come find me at the hospital.  It was so nice to have him there, he calms me!

The test was fast and painless and we waited for the results.  Soon the doctor came out and said I had a VERY angry looking appendix and that it needed to be taken out.  He took us down to the Emergency room and we waited there to be checked in and see the nurses.  Around 10 they moved us into a ER room and we waited to talk to the surgeon.  Finally around 11 pm they rolled me into surgery.  I sent Ichiro home to be with the boys.  There was no reason for him to sit at the hospital any longer.  The doctor called him when he finished.

The next thing I remember, I was in recovery.   It all happened so fast.  In the morning I was released and Ichiro came with the boys to pick me up.  It all happened so quickly and I was very happy to be heading home.

Here I am waiting to see the doctor, I’m iChating with Noby on my iPhone!

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