Winter (In)Sanity

With all the ridiculous snow we keep getting we've really had to keep ourselves occupied. Grandma Peggie made it here safely and thankfully had one of the flights that was not cancelled. As soon as Grandma got here Rooney ran up gave her hugs and kisses and wanted her to take him outside. So they went. They played for a long time in the snow. Rooney really seems to like to roll in the snow and make himself slip on the ice. He thinks that is great fun.

Yesterday, after about a foot of snow fell, Grandma, Rooney and I decided to make a sled run on our driveway. We went through several sled prototypes before we settles on the Ultra Deluxe cardboard inside a garbage bag model. It worked really well and we made it all the way down the slope. Rooney ended up tuckering out but Grandma and I kept on going. We had a ball. Too bad Mike was working out and missed it. He plans to go today before he shovels the drive. Hopefully we get some good pics.

Rooney vs. the Santa Claus

The nice thing about being basically snowed in is that I have alot more time to update Roon's blog. I think I've posted more this month than in any month since Rooney turned 1. Yesterday it was forecast that a really bad winter storm was rolling in. Winds were supposed to be between 50-70mph in some parts, with wind gusts up to 90mph! Thankfully the forecast was not as grim near our house (winds 25-35mph with gusts up to 50mph), but more snow was forecast for everywhere.

We had tickets to go to the Santa Train yesterday morning. I was a little nervous because of the impending storm but thankfully our tickets were for morning and the storm was due to roll in during the afternoon. Despite my earlier apprehension it turned out to be a good thing because North Bend is where the 90mph wind gusts were expected! Santa Train could have been alot of fun. You got to take a short train ride to Snoqualmie and to where Santa was waiting. After taking a picture with Santa there were cookies and cocoa available plus you could do a little shopping before the train rolled back out to North Bend. This could have been great for photos and a nice little Christmasy family activity. This could have been alot of fun if it was not so cold!

We were a little unprepared. I thought we were dressed warmly, but I thought we really only needed to worry about the short train ride so I didn't worry about wearing heavy boots. I figured it would be heated where Santa was and the cookies etc. and it was. I did not take into account the walk from the car to the train station, through a couple inches of snow, that would start our trek off with frozen feet. By the end I was so cold. I only remember 2 others times being as cold. Rooney was getting kind of fussy and wanting to bounce around when were standing in all the lines and on the train. Of course we eventually started getting annoyed and Rooney started getting upset but we made it through to see Santa. I was not really sure how well Rooney would receive Santa. He is very intrigued by him, especially when he found out he brings gifts, but I think he is an imposing figure. That makes Rooney a bit shy. Roon decided he did not want to sit on Santa's lap but he okayed standing next to him. Santa got Rooney to put his hand on Santa's but unfortunately for Roon he blanked when Santa asked what he wanted for Christmas. Mom remembered but possibly not in order of importance. It wasn't until the train trip back when Rooney said his feet hurt that I realized why we had been so antsy and moody. Of course his feet hurt! They were 2 ice blocks like mine were and I know mine really hurt. Poor baby.

We got him in the car finally and got him all warmed up. He actually fell asleep pretty quickly and that short cat nap was enough to keep him up the rest of the day. That was unfortunate for Mom and Dad because we were hoping to take a little snooze when we got home. The day was exhausting but we did have work to do. Grandma Peggie is due to arrive today so we had some cleaning to do and with the impending storm we didn't know if we would have power in the morning.

The storm came and it was pretty nasty. The wind howled and I watched the trees in our backyard. Every time I heard a crack I ran to the window to make sure the trees were still there. We lost a strand of Christmas lights and Mike will have to scrape the driveway yet again but we still have power! Mike will try to venture out to pick Grandma Peggie up from the airport. I'm sure they will be in for a little adventure. Keep your fingers crossed.

Snow Angels

Our weather continues to be a bit difficult and we received a new fluttering of snow at our house. It was much worse everywhere else so I guess we were lucky. Mike had to work from home due to the road conditions closer to work. I would prefer no snow, but if we're going to have some, I would not have minded a few inches for Rooney to play in. We made do so I snapped a few photos of our morning. I later spent the afternoon making biscotti (my MIL's recipe YUM!). It was a great winter day.

Here's Rooney making a Snow Angel. This is his first one! It took a little bit of practice. He decided to lay head down on the slope of our driveway and had problems getting up without rolling all over his angel.


Getting up is the hardest part




































This is my Snow Angel
























Talk about a Snow Angel...

No Can Do

Since we're all kind of holed up today I wanted to post a few pictures of our morning. This is probably the first real time Rooney has been able to "play" in the "snow" (it's mostly ice). He had a great time throwing the huge chunks of ice that Mike was scraping. I only had to remind him once not to throw it at the windows.


Mike scraping the driveway of death


















Rooney helping Daddy













"The whole driveway?"

Deep Freeze

Help we are in the beginning of a deep freeze! As someone from Southern CA I really have an aversion to the snow and ice and it looks like it will be here for a few days at least. The snow started last night while we were at Mike's Holiday Party. We were staying overnight in Downtown so we weren't too worried about driving home until this morning.

According to the news we were receiving an Arctic Blast. I became very concerned about the dogs (they were home alone) and getting Rooney. Where Annie lives is kind of rural so the roads going out there can be scary. Once we left the hotel the streets in Downtown were absolutely clear and there was no problem getting on the freeway. We have some pretty large hills here (Seattle is built on 7 of them I believe) but thankfully there were no issues...until we got back to where we live.

Dana and Renae were attempting to stop by our house and let the dogs outside for us. We live up another big hill and even though they were following a sand truck they said they were not able to make it up the hill. Now Mike and I had to find the least hilly and most sanded route to our house. We made it with only a couple scary moments. Mike has mad snow driving skills. I was very white knuckled for the whole trip and I think we both agreed for every one's sake it would be best if I stayed home while Mike trekked out to get Rooney.

He just called and said the route was a bit treacherous. He decided to chain up for the ride home. I'm still so nervous but I know Rooney is in as safe of hands as possible. I am pretty sure we'll all be home for a least the next day. The snow stopped but the Arctic Blast should last a few more days to be topped off with more snow on Wednesday. This is really unfortunate because we are supposed to go to our IVF Orientation class that day. I hope they reschedule the class and that this weather doesn't push us back.

Before the nasty weather hit we were able to get out and enjoy the season a little bit. On Thursday this week we went to Snowflake Lane and took in some festivities. Rooney really enjoyed himself and was so excited that he said "It's a Party!". He got to take his picture with Rudolph and really seemed to enjoy the Toy Solider drummers and fake snow that came down. That was a fun night. I originally planned to write more about that night but this stupid snow stole the inspiration. Although we did not have the foresight to take pics of ourselves dressed up for the holiday party there was a roaming photographer so hopefully we'll be able to get some pics of Mike looking handsome in his sweater vest.

In Preparation of Santa

Does anyone else feel like this year is screaming by? Rooney is still talking about pumpkins and here we are decorating for Christmas! Rooney is really getting into Christmas this year. He is talking about Santa, couldn't wait to decorate the tree and loves to look at the lights on the house. He has even sneaked a peek at his presents! Ugh they start so young.

Not too long after Thanksgiving I went into our spare bedroom (where the gifts are hiding) to do something. I walked out and closed the door. I come by the room a moment later & Rooney is coming out very excited and asking to play with the train set he saw in there! Of course I did what instinct tells you to do and lied and said there was no train set and I don't know what he was talking about. It's debatable if I saved this Christmas gift but I am surely driving my son slowly insane. I guess this won't be a Santa gift either.

Roon is definitely now such a kid. He is a real chatterbox at times, and it's generally the "wrong" time to be one. He has found his whiny voice, which I frequently ask him to turn off. We have to look for his listening ears alot and there is non-stop touching of everything (including emergency buttons in elevators). Rooney is also very loving to his Momma and it really pains him if I'm upset. He asks me to please be happy and will try funny faces to make me laugh (they generally do). He is always willing to give me a hug and a kiss- especially if it extends bedtime just a minute or two more.

Speaking of bedtime...this is starting to become a little issue. Now that Rooney is a big boy and we are really trying to potty train we decided that the tiny water he went to bed with was not a good idea. We took the water away and opened flood gates. We didn't realize how attached to the water he was and that it was his soothing device at bedtime. Roon was always really easy to put down. We rarely heard a peep from him once we closed the door. Those days are over now. He no longer asks for the water but the door needs to be opened and then he is talking to us or calling us non-stop for about an hour. Last night Mike and I finished decorating the Christmas tree to the sweet dulcet tones of Rooney's moaning "Momma". Very relaxing. The potty training is going well and we'd probably be done if he would just tell us he has to go. He's still not there but I know we'll get there.

We are now set on our course for baby# 2 (or the "quads" as we jokingly refer to them/it). We have decided on pursuing IVF with ICSI. Although the MD felt I could be successful with others means since we already had a baby conventionally, we all felt the odds with IVF with ICSI would basically be the most bang for our buck. Or should I say Microsoft's? We did not want to run the risk of using lesser possibility methods, with the chance of them not working, and eat up the infertility funds we are allotted. I'm crossing my fingers about this working on the first round. I have already started the suppression meds and should be getting my calendar soon. The first round should be in January. Mike, the MD and I all had a good laugh when we worked out that if the 1st round was successful and given the earlier due date due to C-Section, the new baby should be due on Rooney's birthday! However, Rooney has been asking for a sister and a brother so if that works out then we should be even earlier.

Pretty Pretty Princess

I know you must be wondering what is Rooney up to? It's been so long since his blog has been updated he must be into all kind of mischief. You would be right but he has also been booked, booked, booked and his mom has found very little time to keep everyone up to date.

Last weekend I decided that Rooney was ready to use the toilet. We've been dancing around with this for a long time and someone had to make the decision. Since I'm the mom I guess it had to be me. I started Rooney off in just underwear and took him to the bathroom about every 1/2hr. He did really great the first day and used the potty all day. He never told me he had to go potty but he kept his pants dry until evening when I let him watch Spongebob. As soon as the TV goes on, he is in the zone, and no amount of poop or pee in his shorts would distract him. We started using Pull-Ups that evening. His enthusiasm has certainly waned and I never realized how physically & mentally exhausting it could be. It's been a week now and we're progressing...slowly.

Rooney also seems to be off the naps. I really think he's too young to be done with them so I'm still implementing "quiet time". It is becoming more of a challenge lately though. He's starting to master the fake cry to get me in there and will then let me know, without a tear in his eye, that he is awake. Despite deceiving his mom he is very polite to stay in his crib until I come in there. He is really in there more as a courtesy than to keep himself safe. We will be converting his crib into a big boy bed soon though and I think that may really open another can of worms because Roon has also learned how to open doors.

Since the naps or "quiet time" are now becoming shorter we are having to find things to do in the afternoon. We have been seeing alot more of Vala and April. We are lucky to have them so close (and we hope they don't move away. No pressure but I know you're reading this). Recently when we were over at their house April was dressed up as a princess. She really wanted Rooney to dress up as a prince but he kept saying no and distracting April with other toys. Finally, not too long before we were going to leave Rooney said he wanted to be a Princess Daddy. I wasn't quite sure what that was but here you go:






















Love the shoes!

Obama For Your Momma

What an amazing day at the polls! Here is a pic of Rooney with his Voters Pamphlet voting for Obama with Momma. Maybe that should have been a bumper sticker.

Rooney doesn't know it today, but he just participated in a amazing historical moment and as I believe, made this world a whole lot safer to live in.

Wadezenegger

Halloween has come and gone...unless you ask Rooney. He is still in Halloween mode and wonders when he is going to go trick or treating again. Mike and I have told him a few times that it is done, but he seems dubious. However, for the one magical night that is Halloween, Rooney had a great time. This was the first year he went trick or treating and despite not really knowing what he was getting, he just seemed to really enjoy getting it.

This year we had dinner and then went trick or treating with our friends Vala, Michael and April. What troopers these kids were. They kept wanting to go to the next house and persevered even when their bags got too heavy for them to carry. Afterall there was candy to collect. By the end of the evening once April got to the doorstep she had to drop to her knees. I don't know if that was because she was too tired or her pumpkin bucket was too heavy, but it was refreshing to see none the less. These days so many people are down on Halloween. They want to give out toothbrushes and go hit corporate America for their logo imprinted pens and pads of paper that it really takes away from the fun of the Halloween I remember. Man if we had those Heely's when I was a kid there could have been a turf war! Our roller skates were clunky and you had to be careful running in them. God forbid you hit a sprinkler head. You could have twisted an ankle and possibly ended your night without having to empty out your candy bag at least once. We ran into some kids while we were out this year but nothing compared to the hoards we used to see. Due to the waning enthusiasm I felt so proud to see that Rooney and April had the "ready to do anything for the candy" spirit of Halloween. Just as it should be.

This is a little off subject but something funny happened yesterday morning. I follow a community blog here and posted on there was a Before/After picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger. As I was reading the post, Rooney looked over my shoulder and said "that's my daddy". I giggled as I asked him which one was his daddy (the Before or After) and I think both Mike and I held our breath waiting for his answer. Obviously, we expected to hear the more obvious and funnier answer, but once again Rooney faked us out and pointed to the Before.




I wonder if the ensuing let down in a few years, when you realize your parent(s) are not Super Heroes, would account for the angry teenage years?

Securitas

We've hit our next milestone in the steps we have to take towards bambino numero dos. Before I get into that, and I will warn you if you are afraid of TMI you may not want to read the end of this post, I wanted to share of few other things that have been happening around here.

The Friday before last I came home to police and our community security in my driveway. I noticed them first and as I drove down the street towards my house I was wondering what was going on. My first thought was that they were there patrolling for barking dogs (I won an appeal on a previous complaint). I thought maybe the dogs figured out some way out of the house but that really did not explain why the police were there then I noticed this...

Someone hit & run our tree! They guy turns out to have a warrant and decided to run. Probably not a smart thing to do. Attached to this truck was a trailer and a stump grinder. All 3 were later impounded and will probably cost 1 year's salary to get out. Thankfully we have some insurance coverage for the damage but just like the economy bombing out this was not a great thing to happen right before Christmas. The tree will have to be cut down most likely and the soil near the tree dug up and replaced because the truck spilled oil and anti-freeze. Hopefully the neighborhood cats have stayed away.

As I spoke about in my last post Rooney is getting really excited for Halloween. I think he's really just excited to don his red Power Rangers costume (Felix is going to be Batman). Finally this weekend gave him cause to be really excited because he finally got to put it on. We have two costume birthday parties to attend which are good practice for mask wearing on the big day. Here Rooney is giving us a preview of some of his crime stopping moves:






















Finally the milestone...

On Wednesday I had outpatient surgery to remove the fibroid I wrote about last month. The surgery went well and was successful. The MD's felt it was necessary but due to results from other tests not related to the surgery, it looks like we will probably have to proceed with IVF for the next baby. The good news with the IVF is that it has a higher % of successfully getting pregnant but the bad news is that it is stressful, there will be alot of unpleasant procedures, alot of drugs and of course it is ridiculously expensive. Even with Microsoft's very generous medical benefits we hope we do not need to go past 1 cycle because we will have to make some serious decisions. The medication for 1 cycle I was told is between $5,000-$7,000! Makes my body sick just thinking of that much medication going into my body. Since the surgery I have been had sick stomach and alredy gained a few pounds. It was a real shock to try and put on my pants. I thought I was still being effected from the surgery but now I'm pretty sure that these are side effects from the huge dose of hormones they have me on.

We have a reconference on Oct. 30th and we will come up with our game plan for proceeding. I will be getting this stupid balloon removed and we can talk with MD about side effects. I am currently slated to start IVF in January but we'll know more after the 30th. Check back here for updates...

There Goes His Hero

Today Mike, Rooney and I took our annual trip to the pumpkin patch as a family. I drove so Mike would not have to get stressed out dealing with a crowded parking lot but thankfully the day went off without a hitch. The parking lot was crowded and there seemed to be a sea of people when you first walked in, but I was able to get a great spot (that made leaving really easy), we had the foresight to bring Rooney's wagon and the sea of people seemed to thin out as you got into the fields.


I think we timed this trip pretty well also. Last year Rooney ended up falling apart as we were leaving. I think that memory was still seared into our memories and we did not stay too long. That meant we didn't do the corn maze this year. However, Rooney and I are going to the corn maze at Farm Tots this Friday so he really won't miss out.

Fall, Halloween and crisp, breezy sunny days at the pumpkin patch really make me feel good. I remember this feeling as a kid but the warm fuzzy feeling was so short lived because Fall lasted about 1 day in LA. If you look at the news now the temperatures are pretty warm and they are having wild fires. Can't say I miss those Santa Ana's. Although I might be the first to admit my tune has changed when we are in the middle of our December wind storms!



All the talk of pumpkins lately is really gearing Rooney up for Halloween. This will be the first Halloween that he really goes Trick-or-Treating and I think we're both pretty excited. I was totally set to make Rooney a costume (the best type of costumes in my humble opinion)and I thought a robot costume would be perfect and easy to make. Of course Roon was onboard with that idea until we were shopping at Costco and he saw Power Ranger costumes.

Rooney was so excited by them and talked non-stop about the costume during the rest of the shopping trip that we decided to eventually get him one. Rooney had really big ideas about that costume too. He got the red Power Ranger and had it all planned out that Felix would be the blue one. Unfortunately Rooney did not discuss those plans with Aunt Renae before she purchased Felix a Batman costume. Rooney was only crushed for a moment and now tells everyone, including his MD, that Felix is going to be Batman. This is generally how the conversation goes: (You) "Rooney what are you going to be for Halloween?". (Rooney) "Power Ranger! And Felix is going to be Batman!"

Felix, Rooney's Hero

Best Week Ever?

What a fun week we've had! We celebrated Rooney's birthday on Saturday at the Bouncy Place. Not only did the kids have a good time but most of the adults had a blast too. I've received some photos from Dana and Renae. To view them check here.

On Tuesday we continued our annual pumpkin patch trip with our AMAT. We were so relieved to have great weather and the kids really enjoyed mucking it up in the mud.



Today was a really cool day. We did our monthly tot trek at a nearby Seattle park. We meet with a Naturalist through the Parks Dept. and we always have a new theme. Today's theme was Spiders. Of course just in time for Halloween. All the kids really seemed intrigued. They listened to the Naturalist speak about spiders and their webs with their mouths agape. She showed the kids big rubber spiders, then a real tarantula shell and then the kids were able to pet a live tarantula.

At first Rooney was afraid but once he saw the other kids do it he wanted to try too. My little follower. I think he thought it was pretty cool though.



After our "class" the Naturalist took us out into the park to look for spiders and webs with magnifying glasses. Rooney had a meltdown in the middle but by the end he had perked up and soldiered on for a little more spider knowledge.

How many people get to pet a tarantula...and live to tell about it? Pretty cool week. To view all the pics from the pumpkin patch and the tot trek check here.

In The Year Of The Big Boy

This weekend we celebrated Rooney's 3rd birthday. It's tempting to go through the whole sentimental roller coaster about how fast he is growing up but I'm not going to do that. This is definitely the year of being a Big Boy.

On Friday we took Rooney to his favorite restaurant for dinner...Red Robin (or as he calls it Big Red Bird). We decided not to make a spectacle of him at this point and didn't mention to the staff that it was his birthday. He'll thank us later. We had a good dinner then came home and opened gifts from Mom & Dad, Grandma and Pop Pop and Grandma Peggie. Rooney liked all his gifts and they were all pretty different so it worked out well. No cake on Friday night but Roon got a little ice cream.

Saturday Rooney had his big party at his favorite place on Earth...The Bouncy Place. He got to invite several of his good friends (and mine) and the kids bounced & then pigged out on junk food for 2 hours. Rooney got a lot of really nice gifts and thankfully he did not get too overwhelmed. When we got home we let him play with one of the toys (a fire breathing dragon) until nap time. It seemed that toy would be his favorite but he's against discrimination so he's giving them all a fair shake.

This year was the first year Roonster really got it. He talked about his party before he even knew there was going to be one! He talked about the cake and presents for months and would ask periodically "Are we going to my party?". Now that it's over he seems pretty happy to share the experience and is talking about Mommy's birthday and Parker's.

Rooney is so into birthdays that he is even talking about Nannie's birthday (Aunt Annie), which is in January, and according to Rooney she'll be turning 5.

I'll post more pictures on Flick when they come in!

R-O-O-N-E-Y

(Super Rooney with Power Ranger Sword)

Now that Rooney is almost an official big guy (he's 3 next Friday!) his maturity is really becoming evident. He has entered the stage where he really wants to be independent. We are constantly hearing "I wanna do it!". Sometimes this is great and makes life easier like when he can climb into his own carseat and booster seat at the table or that he can also comfortably traverse the stairs by himself. Of course with the good there is bad and Roonster is now wanting to push the grocery cart instead of ride in it, he wants to walk everywhere including parking lots and he has started the dreaded talking back. So far it hasn't been bad. We are very lucky because he is a pretty sweet kid. Most of the time, although it seems almost counter instinctive, if I get down to his level, speak in a softer tone and explain to him:

a. he is too little for cars to see him when walking in a parking lot then he will hold my hand.
b. that we consider him an "official big boy" once he is potty trained. That means he will have a big boy bed, he will no longer have to sit in highchairs at restaurants, he will be able to walk in stores (not the cart) and finally he an go into the ball room at Ikea.
c. I am the boss and I do the bossing

Point B normally covers most areas and he gets it. He will list all the things that will happen once he's a big boy and potty trained (which he is definitely in the process of). If Point A or C don't cover the rest we rarely, but sometimes have to, resort to dreaded Point Z...timeout. Ugh!

Also now that Rooney is getting older it's time to start learning even more things like spelling his name. I came up with this little song awhile ago- maybe even a year ago where I spelled out Rooney's name! This kid has a great memory (and I know that will come back to bite me) and he remembered it. So this is a short clip of Rooney singing the spelling of his name and letting everyone know its Rooneytime!

The Monster Within...the House

The other day I was casually walking through our office to let the dogs outside. As I was walking back across the room something caught my eye...this something was something large. I gasped and nearly screamed when I saw the biggest, ugliest and strangest looking spider I had ever seen in real life. I suddenly found myself in a real conundrum. How was I going to get this monster out of the house? There is a small child and two small dogs to protect. I'm sure they would have been small appetizers to this thing! I quickly thought "how do you get rid of such a large spider"? Normal spider eradication means would not work. He was much too large to crush, I was way too afraid to get close enough to capture him and even the thought of vacuuming him up left me uneasy. However, the vacuum method seemed the least likely to go awry and I decided to get him with the shop-vac. I know there is a chance of reemergence but I just couldn't see any other way. I got the shop-vac out and was all prepared to take care of business when I realized he was as big, if not bigger, than the hose opening. It was too close for comfort so I decided to get the wide hose attachment. I mustered up all my courage and put the hose over the beast. He struggled a bit but it appeared he was gone. I was relieved and all the small inhabitants of the house were safe...so I thought.

The very next morning, in the exact same spot, there was either the same spider or his brother came out looking for him. Thankfully Mike was able to handle this one. I don't know if my heart could have handled it. Whoo!


This is also really a bittersweet week for all of us. We've been seeing alot of Grandma and Pop-Pop (which is great) but I am sad to say this is their last week with us. I'm still so amazed how fast the month has gone.

In the last week or so Rooney has spent the night over at Grandma and Grandpa's...twice, had several meals with them (along with Mike and I), we got to go to the fair, had a beautiful trail walk and Rooney finally got his great canoe ride on the lake with Grandma and Pop-Pop. Not that Grandma wasn't excited but Rooney and Grandpa seemed really jazzed. You know what they say about men and their boats (although no one has shared what that is with me). We all have such wonderful memories of this summer, that I think it's safe to say, we are kind of dreading Saturday when they leave us.


Finally, my last update on baby# 2 for awhile. I have been scheduled for minor surgery on October 22nd. Once I am healed from this hopefully we will be able to progress with the program. We will know more about how to proceed next month.