Who Loves Brenner Children’s Hospital?

We do!!!  We love them for saving the lives of two of our tiny, premature children.  So when they called in the middle of the summer and asked if they could come film us waxing poetic about their fine institution, we said yes! 

And here is the result.  They redid their website this fall and we are now on there giving our patient (parent?) testimonials.  As painful as it is to watch and listen to myself talk, I think it came out pretty well. 

Click here for the direct link.  There are four short videos to watch.  If you just go to the Brenner Children’s Hospital webpage, you need to click on the green ‘Healthcare Professionals’ tab and scroll down.  You should see Patient Testimonials on the lower left and you will see a picture of our family.  

Thanksgiving 2010

We didn’t have much going on this week besides Thanksgiving festivities.

Lindy’s class made a full Thanksgiving feast on Monday.  They said she ate turkey, corn, stuffing and loved the pumpkin pie.  If only she ate corn at home.

Tuesday night we took the kids to their first ever Wake Forest basketball game.  I think the basketball season is going to be like football season – not very good.  The tickets were dirt cheap and it was general admission and we didn’t have to worry about the kids having to go to school the next morning.  Uncle Ed and Aunt Jamie met us there.  I’m not sure Lindy saw much but Will was entertained for a little while.  We did end up leaving early.

Wednesday afternoon we headed to Charlotte to spend the night with Drew’s mom and sister.   We got to go out for pizza and self-serve frozen yogurt – yummmmmm.  The kids had a blast playing with the dogs.  Even Lindy warmed up to them.

Thursday we headed to Drew’s Dad’s house for lunch with the Southern family.  Uncle Ed, Aunt Jamie, Corbyn, Molly, Mimo, Aunt Anna, and Suzette were all there.  We had a great lunch.  Later, Suzette’s kids both stopped by.  Her son Eric has a two year old who Lindy enjoyed playing with but Will had nothing to do with. 

Friday morning Lynn, Anna, and I were amongst the crazy folk out doing some Christmas shopping.  We met at 4:30am at Target and enjoyed a morning full of shopping. 

Friday afternoon we packed up again and headed to Asheboro – where I graduated high school -- for a get together with my best friends from high school.   Our friend Virginia got married in Aruba in the beginning of November so we were celebrating her recent marriage.  My best friend Carrie’s parents watched Lindy and Will for us so we could hang out kid-free.  It was a blast to see the girls (and their husbands!).  I only wished we could see each other more often.

Saturday the kids and I put up our first Christmas tree.  I decided to get them a tree this year.  A small one (well more skinny than short) with colored lights and fun ornaments.  They have enjoyed it so far.  Will told us today at lunch that he needed the lights on.  It’s taken lots of reminding to not play with the ornaments. 
Today during naptime I got out a lot of Christmas decorations.  I have a ton but I don’t have a lot of places to put them in this house.  We don’t have as many high places where the kids won’t bother things.  I put out what I could.  It was so cute to watch Will discover everything when we came downstairs.  He walked around yelling, “look more Christmas!”  Christmas definitely is more exciting when you have little kids.  You go through a long phase where Christmas just doesn’t feel like Christmas anymore.  Until you have kids and they get excited about it.  Then it starts feeling like Christmas again!

We were putting out a little nativity scene in their bedroom after nap and we talked about each character.  I was telling them that the reason we celebrate Christmas is that it is Baby Jesus’ birthday.  Will said, “Baby Jesus is 6 and he can eat a piece of birthday cake.”  I guess it is kind of a hard concept to understand at three!

Here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving break.

Another of Will’s neat towers.Lindy helped me do some cooking on Tuesday afternoon.  She helped me crush Oreos for some bon-bons. First Wake Forest basketball game!Wearing Uncle Ed’s hat.Playing with Aunt Anna on Wednesday.

Thanksgiving Day!Checking out the first tree while wearing the first Christmas shirt of the season!!Being helpful??And just because they’re funny!Church outfits today.This is when Mommy started getting a little upset that Lindy just kept playing around.  What a pitiful face!

My favorite Asheboro High School girls!  Katie, Me, Carrie, Virginia (the newlywed who we were celebrating), Wendy, Jamie.

First Taste of Christmas This Week.

I think this is going to be the winter where we are always sick.  We got over the stomach bug and now have colds.  The kids started out with some barking coughs and then the noses started running.  The coughs have thankfully gotten better.   Between the cough and Lindy’s raspy voice, she sounds like she has been smoking for 67 years.  Of course, when Lindy gets a cough, she usually ends up throwing up.  Her nose doesn’t run so she gets drainage in her throat.  She would lay down to go to sleep and start coughing so bad that she threw up a couple times.  Good times around here!  The conversation at bedtime tonight went like this:

Me:  Lindy, are you going to cry tonight going to bed?
Lindy:  Yes
Me:  Are you going to throw up?
Lindy:  Yes
Me:  Don’t you want to go to bed like a big girl?
Lindy:  No!

Then I asked her the same three questions again and she answered the same way.  But thankfully she went to bed fine tonight!

The week was a busy one.  On Monday I had another parent session with Lindy’s teacher and she actually did really well!  She did awesome at picking out the correct card in some sequence stories.  She also did great at telling us a bunch of action words.  I’m so happy she finally did well at her parent session. 

Tuesday was my fun day of the week.  I got to go to Charlotte to the Southern Christmas Show with Drew’s Mom (Lynn), sister (Anna) and sister-in-law (Jamie).  It is the biggest craft show ever.  It’s fun to look at everything and get into the Christmas spirit.

Wednesday the kids had music class and then we had a Thanksgiving dinner at church that evening.  Will ate dinner pretty darn well and Lindy ate a roll.  Oh well, what can you do?

Thursday was the big day for Will this week.  The 3 and 4 year olds at his school had their holiday program .  I’ve been asking Will for weeks what they were singing and he would only say, “Twinkle Twinkle and Itsy Bitsy Spider.”  I really wasn’t sure but it didn’t sound like holiday program music but every time I asked that is what he said.  The big day arrived and GrandBob, Uncle Ed and Aunt Jamie all came to watch Will sing.  The curtains opened and Will was in the direct center of the stage, sitting on the ground.  Everyone starts singing all these songs – everyone EXCEPT Will!!  None of which were ‘Twinkle Twinkle and Itsy Bitsy Spider.’  I think he was a bit shell shocked by all the people in the audience.  He didn’t sing a single word in the entire 20 minute program!  He did sit still like a good boy, but he sure didn’t sing.  In the middle they brought out some bells for each kid and he did ring the bells very well.  How funny.    I was totally not shocked that Will had stage fright.  He is really quite shy around big crowds and new people.   If you ask him if he sang, he says yes.  If you ask him what he sang he still says ‘Twinkle Twinkle and Itsy Bitsy Spider.’  We all went out to lunch to celebrate the singing performance that wasn’t!

Friday was picture make-up day at Lindy’s school.  Her eyes were closed in the first set they sent me.  Which is irritating since it’s all digital and they can see the pictures on the screen.  Her teacher asked if I wanted to walk her over to the gym to get her retakes taken so Will and I walked her over.  We did her pictures and got her smiling and eyes open.  The photographer asked if Will needed retakes and I told him Will didn’t go to school there.  He asked where he went and I told him a church preschool.  Then he said to put him up there that he’d take his picture and not charge me anything!  Score!  Free pictures!  If only I had dressed him in something other than the ‘Monkey’n Around’ shirt I had put on him that morning.  Oh well, can’t pass up free pictures!

Saturday was our last Wake Forest football game of the season.  Lindy slept the entire first half of the game, practically killing my back from holding her!  Will sat with GrandBob most of the game.  This just wasn’t a good year for WF football so I’m glad it was our last game.  Maybe next year will be better!

Today we had church and then we went to the Festival of Trees.  It’s a fundraiser for Brenner’s Children’s Hospital, where the kids spent the first 3 months of their lives.  They had at least 50 big trees decorated by various groups or people in the community and then a bunch of little trees as well.  They had a singing group from Wake there, a children’s play area, a few vendors selling their wares, and SANTA!  I can’t believe my kids got their picture with Santa in November but it was hard to pass up a free picture with Santa.  Lindy sat on his lap but Will didn’t want to get near him.  Drew had to be in the picture with them.  I think it might take Will a few times with Santa for him to warm up.  We talked on the way home about what you tell Santa so maybe next time will go better!  It was an enjoyable hour spent supporting Brenner’s.

Still have the old camera – miss my real camera so badly!

Church outfits last Sunday.Trying to blow feathers.  Are my kids the only ones out there that can’t blow?  Apparently my parenting skills are seriously lacking in the blowing department.  Will thought it was great fun though!Before school on Tuesday.Happy!Will’s holiday program.Picture day outfits.  Being silly!Heading out to the last Wake football game.  Our little cheerleader and football player.Catching footballs is great fun.Hey what’s up Aunt Jamie and Uncle Ed?Today’s church outfits.  My beautiful children!First picture of the season with Mr. and Mrs. Claus at the Festival of Trees.This was the tree decorated by the Brenner’s NICU nurses.  Getting into the Christmas spirit!