Where's Waldo??

You all know the book Where's Waldo, right? The one where there are two pages of a crazy picture, whether Waldo's at an airport, zoo or mall, and you have to find the little funny man in a red and white stripped shirt with jeans on in all the chaos? It was one of my favorite's growing up. I never knew that scenario would happen in my house...with my child! Maybe a pet hamster (if we even had one) or something like that, but not an actually human being, and not actually in my house. So here's what happened....

It was the day after Thanksgiving around 10:30 and I had just gotten back from shopping with all the crazies since around 3:30 in the morning. It had already been a long day and it wasn't even lunch, but it had already been a long week with the trip to the hospital, Thanksgiving, and family in town (I'm trying to paint a sob story picture so this won't be as embarrassing). So anyway, the house was a pig sty and I was trying to get things back in it's place. Dax was playing outside in the back, the washer and dryer were going and I was busy in the kitchen with a sink full of dishes.

I'm not sure if this is true for all first borns, but Dax does a really good job of playing by himself and keeping himself entertained, but always in the same room as me. If I wander into my bathroom, so does he, if I'm in the kitchen, that's where he is at, if I'm folding laundry in the living room, that's where he has all his trucks. He's always close by. It's a good thing. I never have to worry where he has run off too or what he's getting into because he's always in the vicinity.

With the way our kitchen is set up, my back is to the sliding door. I saw Dax out of the corner of my eye coming running in from outside headed to the living room. This is usual, he was probably just grabbing a ball or coming to get his cup. With the lack of sleep, and the noise of running water and the laundry I honestly forgot about him for a few minutes. Then I realized I didn't see him come running back through the kitchen. I turned off the sink water and started calling his name. I headed down the hall to the bed rooms and our office where our computers are (usually a sure spot to find him) with no luck. I ran past the living room to my bathroom where sometimes he plays in my closet...no luck. Then I remember the garage door was opened and I didn't have the chime on the door to know if he had gone outside. I kinda started panicking and I went back past the living room to look in the garage...no luck. I was almost in frantic mode even though it had probably been less than 3 minutes since this whole ordeal had taken place. That's when I spotted him, in the same room I had ran past at least 4 times during this whole episode. So, see if you can find him. Where's Dax??

It's probably so obvious to you, but he has never done this before and wasn't making a peep. I couldn't believe that I didn't see him all those times! I snuck up on him and he had the biggest grin on his face. I knew he thought he had pulled off the biggest prank and was so happy with himself. I think he thought of himself as the bestest little Houdini in town!

Note to self: Next time I lose my son in the house, check the couch behind the pillows!

Family Pictures

With the way last week started, I'm surprised we even made it to Thanksgiving, but I am so glad we did! We had a great weekend filled with lots of food, family and fun! We were lucky enough to eat great turkey dinners with both families! We are so blessed to live by both of our parents. Austin's entire family was in town from Utah and California and the last time everyone was together was probably for Austin and mine wedding 6 years ago (we also celebrated our anniversary this weekend---hooray!). With his family being so big, it's hard to get everyone together, and with all the additions that have come since the last 6 years, we were well overdue for some MacGillivray family photos. I was partially in charge of finding a location that would accommodate our every growing family of 38 kids and grandkids. What a chore! At last, we headed to a neighboring community and found a great little area on a golf course. Of course, there was a complaining Samaritan who called the little golf Marshall man on us and he came and gave us about 10 minutes to wrap up. I wish we would have had a lot more time, but I think overall, everyone got the shots they wanted and everyone looked great!! Here are a few of them minus the big group shot, well, because I was in it!

Grandma and Grandpa with all the grandkids. This is the best shot I took of the kids, but then I noticed that my guy was the one making a huge scene---check bottom left. Thanks Ryan for trying to control him!

The "true" MacGillivray family. From left to right--- Misti, Miki, Lani, Mel, mom & dad, Dustin, Monte & Austin. Aren't they such a good looking bunch?!

Our little family. Dax was working his "cheese" smile, but had a little difficulty actually working the camera! Gotta love two year olds!

I'm thankful for.....

My husband! These last few days have been a little crazy to say the least. It all started Sunday night when Dax woke up crying at about 1 o'clock in the morning. He hasn't done this since we moved into the house and before that since he was about 3 months old. I thought he must have just gotten woken up by something and figured bringing him into bed with us wouldn't be a big deal and he'd be back asleep in no time. I was dead wrong! The child was up until sometime between 4 and 5 in the morning. He was wide awake and ready to play! I had no idea what was going on, but needless to say, no one got any sleep.

Well, when I officially woke up on Monday morning at 6:00 to start work I wasn't feeling great. Figuring it was a combination of being 31 weeks pregnant and getting little sleep I started work. Luckily for me working from home has a lot of perks, and my office just so happens to have a queen size bed right next to my desk. I decided to lay down. I wasn't feeling right but couldn't pinpoint what I was feeling. I decided to leave Dax home with me for the day figuring he'd be a beast with the amount of sleep he had gotten too. By about 9:00 I decided that the best way to describe what I was feeling was cramping. I had just had a Dr's appointment a week or so ago and I remember how the Dr. always asks if I have had any bleeding or cramping. So, I figured I better call the Dr. My Dr. wasn't in, but the Dr. that was said I better go to Labor and Delivery. When I heard that I started to second guess what I was really feeling and thought maybe it was just the exhaustion. When I found myself taking deep breaths through the shooting pain, I realized I was definitely having contractions. Everyone always said when I was pregnant with Dax that I would definitely know when I was having contractions. Since I don't think I ever really had any contractions with him until my water broke, it was hard to convince myself that this was really what was happening.

I called my mom hysterical. She said to get someone to come get Dax and she would drive me to the hospital. My father-in-law was over in less than 5 minutes (the joys of having family so close by) and my mom a few minutes later and we were off to the hospital. What was so ironic was Austin and I took a tour of the new hospital that opened in Sept. where I will be delivering at and pre-registered just this last Saturday. If we hadn't had gone, I would have had no idea where the hosiptal was or where Labor and Delivery was. When we got there I knew right where to go and I was back in a triage room so fast!! It's funny how listening to those promptings of doing things insignifcant can really benefit you even if you don't know the reason right then. The nurses got me all hooked and lo and behold I was having contractions. The great news was, the baby was fine, wasn't in distress at all and everything was exactly how it should be. They can't really tell you why contractions start, but just to stay hydrated and take it easy. I hadn't felt like I was doing anything out of the ordinary, but maybe I was and just didn't know. I guess it was a sublte, and really scary reminder, to slow down. They kept me hooked up for a few hours and my Dr. ordered a series of 3 shots to stop the contractions. Luckily it only took two. The medicine they gave me made my heart race, and feel really jittery, not to mention nauseated, but the pain almost all but went away. They discharged me with Dr. orders for two days of bed rest. YUCK! No doing dishes, laundry, cooking, heavy lifting (including picking Dax up) and no shopping (the nurse amde very sure she thre that in there with her list).

So, the reason I am thankful this holiday season for my husband is the way he has wore so many hats the last few days. He's worked 12 hours days, studied for tests, gone grocery shopping, taken care of Dax, fixed dinner, cleaned the house, done laundry, laid 1800 sq. feet of sod in our backyard (pictures will be coming), made beds, unloaded the dishwasher, cleaned bathrooms and hasn't even let me lift a finger. He's been the perfect "nurse" for this couch ridden patient and I am so thankful for him. In fact, our entire family has really been so great! Austin's family kept Dax all day for me yesterday despite trying to prepare for over 15 house guests and 48 for Thanksgiving dinner, my mom sat at the hospital with me despite her preparation for Thanksgiving dinner, plus brought me and Dax to her house this afternoon to help with him and get me out of my danger zone so I couldn't do any chores around the house, all of my sisters have checked on me numerous times throughout the day offering to come get Dax, and my sister Nicole brought us the yummiest dinner tonight so neither one of us would have to cook. I can easily say this Thanksgiving I am so thankful for my family!! We couldn't be more blessed to have them so near and for them to show their love to us in so many ways!!

Hair today, gone tomorrow

Have you ever had one of those moments you regret the second it happens??? I have. And it has to do with hair. In my entire life I have never cut any one's hair, not even my own when I was a little girl. Not bangs, not a straight trim across the back, nothing. Whatever possessed Austin to entrust me with clippers and let me near his head, I will never know. After we got married he bought himself a pair of clippers. This was the first time I had even seen a set of clippers. Usually he would cut everything the way he liked, then hand me the prepped clippers and I'd go over his head just to see if he missed any spots, hand them back, then he would take the clip off, hand them back to me, and I would trim around his ears and neck. This went flawlessly about two times. Then it happened. He was shaving his head in the bathroom a few weeks after Dax was born and asked for me to come do my famous finishing work. He handed me the clippers like he always had in the past and I started from the nape of his neck and did one smooth upper movement towards the top of his head, just to make sure he had gotten every spot. It was all over by the time I what had happened. Instead of the clippers with the clip on, he had already taken off the clip and was expecting me just to clean up his neck and ears. The man had a total bald strip through the back of his head. I have never, ever, been so scared in my life. He had a cow and I stood there crying not knowing what to do. I mean honestly, what could I do? There was no going back. You couldn't leave his head looking like it did. Everything had to go. He didn't say anything, took the clippers from me and proceeded to bic all of his hair. I was horrified. If you look back through our pictures, there aren't any of him with Dax for a good few weeks until his hair got back to a decent length. Luckily for us, his hair does grow fast and he has a nice shaped head. I'm so sorry honey! It still gives me chills to re-live that experience.

Dax has that same fear of clippers. He can't stand to get his hair cut. With family pictures coming up, I couldn't put getting his hair cut any longer. I decided to take him to Snip-Its where at least they specialize in cutting kids' hair and when he did have his melt-down, which I knew he would, at least it would be in a kid friendly salon where it happens every day. We got to the salon and waited over a 1/2 hour and when Dax got called back the nice lady stuck Dax in his seat and asked "Will he try and climb out?" Uh, yeah. So we strapped him in just like you would in a shopping cart. It was torture from the very beginning. He kept staying "All done" "Ouie ouie ouie" "I stuck" over and over again. Bubbles weren't a distraction, the TV was no good, the Dum-Dum only sat in his hand and got hair stuck to it....miserable! But, the girl did a really good job and was super fast and I got out of there spending $10 thanks to a coupon and one handsome looking little guy!

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

To make myself feel better for putting him through all that I decided I would stop by McDonald's on the way home and get him a happy meal. I guess he was just as dramatized from the whole experience as I was because when I pulled in, he was completely zonked out in the back seat. Poor little guy didn't even get to work his new 'do for all the little ladies in the play area!

Two is better than One!!

I had my last monthly visit with my Dr. today and I am already down to two-week visits! I'm 30 weeks! It's crazy! I'm in the home stretch and I can hardly believe it. We had a quick ultra sound to check on a few things that we weren't able to get a good look at when we found out it was a boy, and by quick I mean, I couldn't even recognize what we were looking at. The Dr. even asked what the baby was, so you know it was all business. We're still assuming it's a boy and we're still shooting for a January 20th due date.
I was so lucky when I was pregnant with Dax and Austin was able to make it to every single one of my appointments. This time around I haven't been so lucky, but he made it today. The Dr. was shocked when Austin told him that Dax was 8lbs. 15oz. and said he definitely wouldn't let me go over with this baby. To most pregnant women, that probably sounds like heaven bells, but for me, I have always felt better towards the end of my pregnancies than any other time. I kinda have this fear about being induced. I just want the little baby to come whenever they are ready and don't want to mess with mother nature. I guess we still have lots of time to think about that!! I am measuring a little on the small side, but between Thanksgiving and Christmas I think I can change that real easy---and I'm really excited to try!! Hence, two Thanksgiving dinners.
Okay, now that I'm done fooling everyone sounding cool and collected...I'm actually freaking out over here! In about 2 months there will be two! TWO! TWO kids! TWO boys!! I will totally be out numbered and Dax keeps me on my toes as it is! (By the way, the word of the week isn't NO anymore, it's "No Way!!") What the heck? How do I know who I load in the car first while leaving the other unattended?? Who do I go to first if they are both crying? How do I make sure Dax loves his brother and doesn't try to smoother him...literally?? How do I stay sane with no sleep and running after a two year old! How will Dax know that he hasn't been replaced? I know it's a little late to be worrying about these things, but any helpful hints would be super appreciated!
However, with all those fears, I couldn't be more thrilled to be adding another one to our little family. Dax has been the greatest joy in my life, and to know another little guy is going to come be with us makes me so happy. I love that I will have two boys to cuddle, to hold hands with, to dress in coordination (because "girls match and boys coordinate", right Jamie?), to watch them rough house, to play cars and trucks with, and everything else I love so much. I think who ever thought of the saying "Two is better than one" was definitely a mother of two boys because I couldn't agree more!!!

Three for the Bee Movie

Well, we finally did it. We took Dax to his first motion picture. I guess technically it's not his first, he was present for a few a couple Christmases back when he was just a little bitty guy, but this was his first children's animated motion picture. I was pretty sure he would be able to watch a full length movie because he can watch TV with the best of them. Austin had had a crazy long week, and I have been "nesting" I suppose so Dax and I had spent most of the week around the house cleaning, rearranging and organizing so I felt we all needed a treat on Friday since Austin gets through with work around 2 in the afternoon.
We woke Dax up from his nap at 3:45 because we were aiming for the 4:00 showing of The Bee Movie. We hurried and got to the theater, and to my surprise Dax was free. Children under three are free...YIPPEE! Something I'm sure all of you knew, but I didn't and was happy to pass the $5.50 on to a bag of yummy, oh so buttery, popcorn!! Double YUM!
We grabbed a booster seat on the way into the theater and we walked in just as the final preview was playing. It was dark, loud and the screen was looking huge as we tried to find a seat. Austin was holding Dax and his face was completely panicked. He looked back over his shoulder towards the door and told Austin, "Go"! I was sure we had made a huge mistake thinking he wouldn't be terrified and to have woken him up from his nap to boot. We grabbed a seat anyways towards the top of the theater and with Dax's death grip on Austin he wanted nothing to do with the booster seat. He panicked a little more as a few credits rolled through to start the movie and was whining for us to go. As the first clip came up of the bee, he suddenly became completely still and totally mesmerized. He basically stayed that way the entire show, eyes glued to the screen. He barely made a peep. Probably four words the entire movie. He didn't even noticed the popcorn I was chowing down on or the soda Austin was chugging (two of his favorite things).
As for the movie, Austin and I could have definitely gone without. Not one of the best, but we knew it was a success when Dax gave a standing ovation as the screen went black. MacGillivray family date night at the movies will definitely happen again!

NO! NO! NO!

Those are the first words I heard from my almost two year old from the moment he got up this morning to his last words he said when I laid him down for bed and said "I love you". And a good 3,146 times in between. All in all a pretty good day! How 'bout you? Maybe tomorrow I'll have something a little more adorable! :)