More RSV

Well unfortunately, Kate has now come down with RSV. No matter what I did to keep Alex away from her, it obviously did not work. We are headed to the hospital on the advice of our pediatrician. Hopefully if we get admitted, we will only be there for a couple of days. Alex is finally better and I am feeling much better myself. So hopefully Kate can bounce back quickly.

What a way to spend New Year's Eve.

Not good news

Well we found out that Alex has RSV today. That is not good news. Ther is no treatment and it is dangerous for Kate. Now we have to watch her very close. I hope and pray that she does not get sick. Alex is finally bouncing back. He is much more like himself and he should not be exposing anyone because his coughing has lessened and he no longer has a fever. He did great at daycare today, ate well, played well and seemed back to his old self. We even had a good night at home too. The standoff on the stairs seems to be over for now. He did throw his dinner on the floor while I was feeding Kate. It was slow motion and he did it just out of my reach. Other than that, we had a good night and I am thankful for that. Kate is sneezing and coughing a bit, but seems to be doing well. She was in for a well baby check yesterday and is up to 5 lbs. 11 oz. Our pediatrician said that she is thriving.

We had two showings today and a second showing yesterday. I guess in both cases half the couple loved our house, but the other half did not. So more waiting. I was hoping that this would be it. It has got to happen soon though. One good thing has happened this week, Justin sold my car and we are getting a van. That will be very convienient and I am amazed that just by putting up[ a sign in the window, he sold it a couple hours.

It has been a hard week. I hope that this weekend is better.

Another day of sickness

Alex was too sick to go to daycare again today. He is not doing much better. Justin got a nebulizer for him last night. It makes us nervous and Alex hates it. He struggles the whole time. It does seem like it is helping though. He had an awful night sleeping last night. Justin had to hold him most of the night so that he would relax and try to sleep. We are all very tired. I have been getting up and feeding Kate and with Alex not sleeping well, neither of us have been getting much sleep. Alex has been pulling out all the stops today. He has had three hour long tantrums for me. I can not believe that he can go that long. It is all my patience to listen to his fake cry for so long. He did it for forty minutes straight at one point. The only things that seem to help are listening to his veggie tales cd and watching bob the builder. I hope that he is well enough to go to daycare tomorrow because I think we both need a break from each other. This has been the longest three days of my life!

Sickness

Well Alex could not go to daycare today because he was too sick. He is definately not doing well. He has coughed so hard he has thrown up at every meal today. The poor guy looks just miserable. He has also been very upset that I can not hold him all day. I feel bad, but I have to take care of Kate too. It is hard to keep him from coughing on her. I hope that she does not get sick. Today just about did me in. Alex was refusing to go up and down the stairs and insisted that I carry him every where. He is so heavy. I am defiantely sore after today. Justin took him to the pediatrician tonight because he is having such a hard time with the coughing. I almost cancelled the appointment because I thought that he might not be that sick because he was throwing tantrums for me. Then he threw up on me and Kate and that I do think that he could fake. Hopefully we can figure out what is going on with him and get him well.

My first day with two kids alone

Well today was my first day with two kids by myself. It was a very long day. They both seemed to need me at the same time. I think Alex likes his new sister, but also is a bit jealous. He said no alot and also stomped his feet a few times to show me his displeasure. He is definately coughing more today and I am bummed that he is getting a cold. Hopefully we can keep it away from Kate. Alex also refused to nap today. I do not know why because he always naps, but not today. So I put him to bed right after dinner and he was definately ready. He has been up crying a few times already. I hope he does not have a restless night.

Merry Christmas

Today we spent our first Christmas at home. It was a nice day. We had a nice breakfast, opened gifts and watched the Polar Express. Alex really enjoyed his toys. He also made sure to look at every page in all the new books he got. Kate was not able to open gifts, but we are sure that she will like her ocean wonders aquarium for her crib.

We all took a nap in the afternoon and were thankful to have such a nice day together. Unfortunately Alex seems to be coming down with a cold. Hopefully it will be short lived.

Stitches

Alex is getting his stitches removed today. He should only have a little scar if any at all. I am still pretty worn out. I can often overdo it and not notice until I am really tired. Kate has been just wonderful. She is such a good baby. She is even going four hours in the night between feedings. I am amazed at how calm and peaceful she is.

A day of first's

We did a lot of "first" things today. We went to the peditrician with Kate. It was her first visit, she is picture perfect and has gained an ounce. So she is now 5 lbs. 3 oz. Still tiny, but we are sure that she will start packing it on soon. We also went to drive by our new house with both kids for the first time. It was thier first time in the car together and they both were crying at one point. That was really enjoyable. We literally have no backseat now with two carseats back there. It is just crazy. We alos gave Kate her first bath. She did not like it very much, but does enjoy having her hair washed. She has been really sleepy today, hopefully that does not mean that she will be up all night.

Our first day home

Today began quietly with a good night's sleep and a nice breakfast. Justin and I were both glad that we got to sleep in our own bed and were excited about spending the day with our new little girl. Soon after that, Alex the stair pro, fell and cut his forehead. At first, it looked like just a deep scratch, but then when Justin took him to daycare it bleed through the bandaid and began looking much worse. So he did not stay at daycare and instead went for his first set of stitches. They had Bob the Builder on tv so Alex did very well. He got three stitches and gets them removed on Christmas eve. No clinic close by would do stitches on the face (his forehead) so Justin got to make a trip back to Minneapolis to Children's.

Kate and I stayed home and rested. I feel better each day and will be glad to be back to myself soon. Kate is a treat, she is such a good baby. We definately feel blessed.

Home from the hospital

Today we came home from the hospital with Kate. We got home about 8:30 p.m. Apparently you can only stay 48 hours and our time was up at 1:00 a.m. so we had dinner and left when there was no traffic. Kate did not enjoy the long cold ride home. Justin's car barely started and there was definately a chill in the air. We got home and settled in. Kate slept great and is continuing to be a very peaceful, easy going little girl. We missed out on the hospital pictures, but we took 119 of our own. So there are more than a few good ones! She just get cuter by the day. She is so little that it was hard to buckle her in to the car seat and she is swimming in every outfit that we put her in to. She weighed in at 5 lbs 2 oz today and we will see the pediatrician on Thursday for the first time. She is a good eater so we are sure she will be filling out her clothes soon.

Welcome Kate Elisabeth!

Kate was born today at 1:11 a.m. She came quickly, the whole event was done in less than three hours and she was born just over an hour after we got to the hospital. We are all doing well and Justin and I are excited to have such a beautiful little girl.

Kate Elisabeth Hoff
5 lbs 8 oz
1:11 a.m. December 18, 2005
Minneapolis, MN

House update

I am feeling more like myself today and I finally got two good nights of sleep in a row. I should be able to take on the week ahead! It won't be long now.

We went to the house and were amazed at how much they have gotten done. The ceilings are all finished. The first coat of paint is on. All the workwork is installed except for one room, the hardwood floors are in and half of the cabinets are installed. It is really coming together and definately looks like a real house now. We are so excited to see the progress. It is all locked up now so we can't just stop by anytime, but we look forward to seeing it every weekend. Our closing date is set for February 14. That seems like a long time from now considering how far they are.

A visit with Santa

We went to see "free" santa yesterday at Nordstrom. We could take as many pictures as we wanted and Santa looked like a real Santa. He must have been tired last year because he forgot his coat. Alex was not happy to be on Santa's lap even with a candy cane. Here is our best Santa shot from 2005.

Bob the Builder

Alex is in love with Bob the builder. He woke up badly from his afternoon nap today and the only thing that cheered him up was watching some of his Bob dvd. We always have to read all of his bob books at least three times per day. Justin and I are getting sick of Bob the Builder so we now have three dvd's to choose from. That definately makes it easier to tolerate more Bob. At least it is not Elmo or Barney!

I went home sick today. I had two bad nights of sleep in a row. No baby yet, but with all the pressure I feel, it must be coming soon. Hopefully I can rest and feel better this weekend. I am just so tired and everytime I lay down, the circus starts inside me and keeps me from sleeping. That baby has to sleep sometime!