Merry Christmas Eve

Twas the night before Christmas, and in our little house
Lots of creatures were stirring, I'm sure there's even a mouse (despite Karl's better efforts),
The cookies were set upon the table with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.




The Nonni and Papa have come from afar
And even Aunt Lisa, who bought a Sirius for their car.

Following the bath time, the naked baby found
Lots of presents were gathered in a huge heeping mound.

She wished to look in them, just for a peek
Let's hope since there's no diaper she won't spring a leak!!




Then she turned to look around, and took a short pause
There was a bunch of shiny paper . . . and could it be? Santa Claus!!



Hailey's tucked fast asleep, as it's quite late now
So mommy came to look, and found . . . a tiny MOO COW!
It rocks and and it's soft, just as smooth as some butter
It's got a big bell, and even an udder!!

I guess we'll end here, I don't think I can top this
Merry Christmas to all -- lots of hugs, and a kiss!!!

Doggie Alcoholics

Or should I say Jersey Alcoholic -- Molly didn't drink the stuff and actually seems to by trying to block Jersey from doing so . . . "NO Jersey, Don't Do It!!!" Jersey's response . . . "mmmm...beer"

We're Becoming Regulars!

To my dismay -- after all who wants to become regulars at their pediatricians office???

We were back in Dr.Prabhu's office today, weren't we just there last week?! This afternoon Hailey felt warm and sure enough a thermometer reveled a temp of 101.9, what now?! I called the pediatrician and they told me to come on in -- 30 minutes after I got off the phone Hailey was once again in an exam room. A quick check of the ears, clear, lungs, clear, throat, ah ha -- good and red. The doctor assured me that in 12 years of practice he had never seen strep in a child under 12 months, and therefore it was probably viral, but he ran a test to be sure -- guess he knows his stuff because it came back negative. So the answer, Tylenol & Motrin to break the fever and she should be recovered in 48-72 hours. So were the two illnesses related? Nope, in the doctor's words "just plain bad luck" --I must say she does sick well, had it not been for her fever I never would have known she was sick, just happy as a little clam -- that definitely comes from mommy because daddy is a huge baby when he is sick!! Let's hope the Bug is bug free for our big ski trip -- we leave in T minus 4 days!!!
OH, and she now weighs 16 lbs! That's an extra half a pound since we were there last week!!

Santa Fest

Nonni finally got around to sending us pictures from her and Hailey's day at SantaFest in Ybor. Bout time Nonni! I guess we could cut her some slack since she was in the hospital all last weekend, but as she keeps reminding us she's "Fine". Thanks Nonni! Love ya!

Saturday Morning Cuddle Fest

Is it December?

There are so many things that can be done on a beautiful December day when the weather gets up to 65 degrees. No kidding, 65 degrees! Not that it's going to last, good things in Clarksville seldom do, but atleast it was a break from the bleak, gray, rainy conditions we have been experiencing. Here is a sneak peak at our spring like December day . . .




First, Mommy, Jada and Hailey bug went to the mall -- we wanted to get in the Christmas spirit, and what better place than at the mall! We shopped a little and enjoyed a yummy holiday cookie!








Next it was off to the dog park . . . Karl got off of work early, so he was able to join us! Molly and Jersey played (a little, Jersey was a bit of a bully with the other dogs) and then I was able to train Molly to jump the agility hoop! Jersey however wasn't interested in such mundane things.

Once the doggies had let off some steam at the park we walked over to the playground to let Hailey have a little fun of her own --

First time on a swing -- "weeeee"



We all played a little peek -a- boo in the playhouse



The slide was a huge hit!



"Actually it's CPT Hailey E Sondermann!! Is your parachute packed daddy because we're approaching the drop zone!"

Hope ya'll enjoyed sharing our fun in the sun!

On The 7th Day Before Christmas . . .

My mommy got for me, a cool new Moo Cow car seat!



Sooo, I'm a little obsessed with cows, we all already knew this! I have cows in my kitchen, my dogs name is Jersey (after a type of cow), so it is to be expected that when I found out Britax made a cowprint car seat Hailey HAD to have it, no matter the cost (oh, and there was cost!!) But, I justified it, you see Britax makes the most highly rated car seats, and Hailey is our most prized possession -- and what was that you say?? it comes in cow print?? talk about a great added bonus!! And thanks to Auntie Lisa, Great Aunties Linda and Tracey and Boompa & Grandma for their generous Hailey car seat donations for Christmas it didn't cost me a penny =) Talk about a bargain! And obviously, from the pix Hailey finds it to be quite comfortable!!

And yes, she just so happens to be wearing a little cow print fleece with ears -- did I mention I like cows??

Roseola?!

Poor Hailey baby! After a week of having her "cold" that included a cough, runny nose, a little diarrhea, and a few bouts of fever I awoke this morning to find her seemingly normal again! She was a little on the cranky side, but I figured it was just the tail end of her cold -- so we were up bright and early in attempts to get out the door and to our much anticipated playgroup book exchange. She was totally fine when I was getting her dressed and then about 45 minutes later when I was loading her into her new car seat (I'll blog about it tomorrow -- very exciting), anyhow while loading her up I noticed a rash on her neck, behind her ears and across her forehead. Upon a quick investigation I found it all the way down her back; yucky, blotchy red rash. I may have panicked a little (I'm a great nurse when it's not MY child involved, totally cool headed, but when it comes to Hailey you'd never believe I was indeed a nurse!!)
We ran inside and called the pediatricians office and got an appointment for 1pm. Meanwhile I watched her like a hawk. She was a little fussy but otherwise pretty normal.
So, we went to the doctor, and found out she has Roseola, apparently it's quite common in children under the age of 2. The upside of Roseola is that the rash signifies the end of the illness, the down side is that my poor little baby has been battling this virus for atleast a week now and I just thought she had a cold like the rest of us!! Ohwell, I guess it can be considered a milestone in her development since it's thought that around 95% of people are infected sometime before they turn 2, and rarely ever have the illness again! Goodbye Roseola, bring on the Chicken Pox (JUST KIDDING!!!) -- let's hope that's a long ways off, and that we can all stay germ free for our Christmas ski trip!!

Mischief . . .

Winter hit Clarksville hard last night, so this morning all the streets were paved with clear, glossy, slick ice -- yuck! Karl had to take my Kia to work, leaving me and Hailey bug with another day at home! Luckily it's the beginning of holiday work for Karl which means he will be done at noon! So, we made the best of our morning -- I wish I had video of dumb and dumber (aka Jersey and Molly) slipping and sliding across the deck and down the stairs, but alas I don't . . . Hailey on the other hand I have tons of pictures of, doing what she does best these days, standing and getting into mischief!

Here she is in two of her favoirte spots to stand, the window ledge and "eek" the baby swing . . . which I actually think has improved her balance because she manages to hold on pretty good even when it swings away from her weight.






Then I got a little clip of her in action . . . I think her favorite Christmas song may end up being "Jingle Bells" . . .

Mmmmm Cheerios

Share Daddy???

That look says it all, "No mommy, me and Jersey were here first, there's not enough for all of us"

Santa Baby

We are going to see Santa today!! Figured we'd dress to impress!! You can't see it but her onesie says "I want a pretty pony", just a little hint for the big guy!!

Lunchies with the Ladies

Friday afternoon we spent with Christine and Faith having a yummy Asian lunch, did we mention we LOVE when Christine cooks for us?! Lunch was followed by a little Pedi, Mani session -- Although her day job is as a Respiratory Therapist, Christine is also trained as a nail technician thanks to her Vietnamese roots (her words, NOT mine!!) Hailey managed to become front and center of every picture I tried to take of Christine and Faith during their nail session -- camera shy much Hailey Bug???

We also got to check out Pete and Christine's newest pets. Since Christine isn't into the furry kind of pets (it's pretty funny when she comes to visit my house and runs away from the dogs and cringes at the cat! =)) they keep fish, and now froggies! Here is there little anphibian tank . .



On a side note, we found out last night that Nonni had to go into the hospital!! Seems she had a little "black out" episode, she's had a little bit of a bug and we're pretty sure some hefty dehydration played a roll -- anyhow tests are coming back clear, but she stayed overnight for observation . . . keep her in your thoughts please!! -- Love you Nonni!!

Lovely December Skyline

The Sugar Cookie Debacle

So, deciding to get into the holiday spirit I took to baking sugar cookies last night -- LOTS of sugar cookies. When all was done there were probably about 70 cookies cut into cute holiday shapes, and being that I'm not a big fan of baking ( it's messy, time consuming, requires exact measuring, lots of mixing and did I mention it's MESSY) . . . I was pretty proud of myself! Karl came into the kitchen and was sniffing around, so I told him he could help me decorate them with icing and sprinkles and then he could have some. After decorating 10 cookies he quit and ate one. I had already had several myself and thought they were pretty good, he however made a yucky face and asked what I put in them. Um, the usual, sugar, butter, baking powder, vanilla and oh yeah white / wheat flour. AH HA! "I wouldn't give those away to people, yuck" -- obviously that comment wasn't received too well considering I had been baking (did I mention I DON'T BAKE) for hours. Again I tasted a cookie, tastes fine to me!
The evening ended with Karl apologizing profusely and me refusing to speak to him, decorating cookies alone and watching Elf on USA.
This morning I tasted the cookies again, still taste fine to me. So this afternoon I called Jada, I didn't want to throw out 70 cookies based on Karl's opinion alone (let's be honest he comes from a traditional cookie baking household, so something a little different, ie wheat flour cookies, aren't received too well!) So after feeding her lunch I handed her a cookie, "Eat it and tell me the truth, is it yucky?"
Her response, yummy! Ha, I thought so! And Jada has no reason to lie to me, she's always honest with me even if it's not what I want to hear, so I knew I could trust her!
So now the cookies are going into their little christmas tins to be distributed to friends. Karl doesn't like them, Karl doesn't have to eat them -- Hailey seemed to enjoy them too, she even said "Mmmmmm" when she was eating her little cookie!!

These Boots Were Made For Walking . . .

I just had to share pictures of Hailey in her fancy new boots -- Nonni bought them for her several months ago, but now they finally fit and the weather is such that she needs to wear them! I love them because they're all furry on the inside so we get to skip socks when she wears her boots!! Pedipod makes them and I have decided that the price tag is well worth the shoes, these are the best shoes she owns by far!!

Happy Birthday Daddy

Today is Karl's birthday, and he had to work! So not fair. Hailey, mommy, Jersey, Molly and Sophie on the other hand got to spend the day being lazy and hang out on a lovely rainy Tennessee day.
When he came home we went out for Mexican. Hailey enjoyed a plate of beans and rice, yum, and then we all got some Cold Stone Ice Cream to take home!
Once at home it was bath time, followed up by brush teeth time. I guess Hailey knew it was daddy's birthday because she even shared her toothbrush with him!! So generous!



Then it was story time. Tonight's pick was "Wake Up Sleep Bear", it should have been called Go To Sleep Wakey Bear -- because Hailey was far too awake for bedtime! Daddy had to wrangle her back several times to listen to the story! But in the end she curled up and laid her head on daddy and cuddled up for a long winter's nap!!