But we did enjoy a week off for Thanksgiving before my surgery. I had some pre-op appointments at the beginning of the week, so Eric went to school and Olivia enjoyed a day off at home and a day of Theater camp.
Knowing my surgery would have me out of commission for a few weeks, I really wanted to take the kids on some fun outings during the break. So on Wednesday we took Eric to the zoo for the first time. He is VERY into animals, so he enjoyed seeing them all up close and got his first carousel ride!
On Thursday we did our usual trek between the Woodlands to spend time with Matt's family and Humble to spend time with mine. This year was sort of tough with Eric. We were at a friend's house that wasn't familiar to him, so he was pretty scared and clung close to mom/dad the whole time, mostly saying "No!" and wanting to go outside. Unfortunately we didn't get any pics in Humble but got a few cute ones in the Woodlands.
On Friday we went to the Aquarium. Olivia LOVED this place when she was little and Eric followed in her footsteps. We saw some fish, rode another carousel and took a train ride.
Can we talk about his faces? I love this kid so much. He is like a real life emoji! :)
And then brother got a sitter and the "big kids" went out to dinner! Olivia LOVE LOVE LOVES Aunt Jenny and Uncle Drew...
It was also Eric's 18-month birthday. So we got a little present for him that morning. He does this little scrunchy face "cheese" smile and it kills me!!
Olivia wrote him the sweetest little note. My favorite part is the end: "Biter, no offense."
And did a little cupcake for him that afternoon.
He's so sweet and big at 18 months. He is happy and curious. Friendly, yet cautious. And endlessly adorable! He really can't stay mad. If he starts to get upset or cry about something, you can pretty easily get him to begin to laugh.
1. He says "bup" for up.
2. When you teach him a new word and ask him "Can you say ___?" he will either say "Yeah" and move on, or if he's feeling very brave, he will whisper the word until he gets the confidence to say it out loud.
3. He is LOVING Movement 2 - his new class. He is the tiniest one in there, but his teachers tell me that he is always participating and helping. Like his sister, he seems pretty social and to love his friends.
4. He is a total mamma's boy. Not as possessive as Olivia was - he will go to Matt and let Matt help him. But I'm definitely his preference and I'm not sad about it at all. ;)
His relationship with Matt is really sweet. He asks for him all the time and as soon as he gets home, he rushes to the office door (which he can now open on his own) and bursts in yelling "Dada!"
And Yah-Yah still reigns supreme. He calls for her in the night/morning when he's awake and if he needs something that mommy says no to (snacks, tv, iPad, etc), he knows right where to go. And when I was in the hospital, she totally stepped up to help take care of Eric and while she wasn't quite old enough to stay alone with him, each adult that watched them told me they couldn't have done it without Olivia and her help on how to take care of Eric and what he needed.
And the feeling is mutual. If Matt or I are ever getting on her about something, he will yell "NO!" to us. If she ever is yelling at us, he will immediately join in. I sort of love this stage.
My surgery turned out to be a little more difficult than expected -- I needed a blood transfusion the day of surgery and then ended up catching pneumonia in the hospital. Our 2-3 night event turned out to be 6 days away from my people. It was not fun. But finally we were reunited!
And Eric spent most of the next few days laying on me like this:
Sweet Olivia was the best little nurse I could have, bringing me all kinds of treats - including her new specialty - frozen Junior Mints!
The day after my surgery she told Popo to text me and tell me to look for an envelope in my toiletries bag. I found this. Gah!! This sweet girl! How did I get so lucky to call her mine?
And, I have been trying to make sure that this surgery didn't ruin all the Christmas fun the kids should be having this time of year. Amazing Olivia basically decorated the entire Christmas tree by herself!
Olivia went to see Mr. Popper's Penguins with Naz and Mimi
We decorated a gingerbread house
We also ventured out to see The Grinch one night
And Matt braved the cold and took Olivia and her friend Andrea on our annual carriage ride though River Oaks to see Christmas lights.
(And while we are on the topic of Matt, let me just take one minute to brag on how seamlessly he took over while I was gone. The kids were really struggling by the end but he held them together like a champ - washing clothes, getting groceries, making lunches, etc. All the things we usually do together. We had lots of help from grandparents, friends, and nannies but he really steered the ship when I couldn't. And once I was finally home, he took care of me - setting his alarm and waking up all night to give me pain medicine, driving me to doctor appointments, and helping me with whatever I needed. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Matt Dean is something special.)
We have about 2 weeks left till Christmas and those days are JAM PACKED with activities. Looking forward to all the fun!
