Well, we survived October. My heart is full this holiday season but October was definitely not our month, lol! Two trips to Urgent Care, one trip to the ER, one trip to the OBGYN, and 5 sets of antibiotics later, we are now all on the mend. The month started with a trip to Urgent Care only to find out that I had a cyst in my bartholin gland. I'll spare you the details but no fun at all. That's what happens when you don't go to your 6 week post delivery check-up! Then Elise starts to get a really high temperature right as I'm prepping for an extraordinary Halloween party that I was cohosting. With the first child you call the doctor for every little thing and then with the second you think they're always going to be okay. Big mistake on my part. Just before we were headed to the party fully dressed, mind you in our Wizard of Oz themed costumes, Luke takes Elise's temperature (it varied between 101-103 degrees under her arm, but she wouldn't stop squirming) and calls the pediatrician. Because of her age, the nurse said we had to take her to the ER immediately. We dropped off the cake and decorations at the party (along with Luke, Ella, and my mother-in-law since there was nothing they could do) and my mom and I headed to the ER with the baby. After almost 8 hours in the hospital, we found out that Elise had pneumonia (although mild, it was heartbreaking to hear). My mom had to assist holding her limbs down as they did chest x-rays and I tried to comfort her and fight back tears at the same time. They kept us until her fever dropped and after shots and a catheter insertion we were finally able to go home around 9pm. I knew that I had taken on too much the past few months, but this definitely sealed the deal. I wouldn't recommend to anyone going back to work when your baby is only 5 weeks old. That being said, my set of circumstances were unique in that I had the opportunity of a lifetime and I couldn't turn it down (knowing that in the long run it's what is best for both of my kids and our family and they can now go to the same school I teach at).
Just as I say we needed to slow down, we also had planned a trip to Oahu to join Luke's Association of Surfing Lawyers two days later. After getting the okay from the pediatrician, although risky, we decided to go to get some much needed quality family time in. As soon as we get to the hotel, I went to unpack Elise's antibiotic only to realize that the air pressure in the plane had somehow unsealed the lid and it had now spilled all over everything without a single drop still left in the bottle. Of course, Hawaii doesn't take out of state prescriptions. I called the ER we had visited to see if there was anything they could do. The ER doctor who treated Elise overheard my telephone conversation with the nurses about what had happened and actually called me back (apparently it's hard to forget patients in Halloween costumes). He was so sweet and had some connection in Hawaii. Long story short, the CVS nearby allowed a one-time exception and we were able to get her antibiotic again without another hospital visit. From that point on the trip was perfection!
We spent most of our days just relaxing at Pipeline and at the pool at our resort. We reconnected as a family again and spent much needed quality time together. The girls loved watching their dad surf and he was thrilled to have gotten some great pictures in the water. You don't really realize how limited you are in terms of sight-seeing when you have two little ones, but it actually forced us to just focus on each other and enjoy one another's company. No snorkeling or Pearl Harbor visits this trip. We never even left the North Shore. Although hot, it rained most afternoons and, as cheesy as it sounds, I forced myself to teach the girls to dance in the rain every chance we got. Even in the pool. I really made an effort to live in the present and to stop and smell the roses. We stayed local and ate at some amazing food stands on the side of the road. Luke got me to laugh so hard one night I was actually bawling my eyes out. He also got Elise to belly laugh which made the whole trip.
Our one huge regret is that my nephew, Jackson Samuel, decided to come early (we were desperately hoping that would come near his due date on the 28th so we could be there). I felt sick to my stomach when my mom called to tell me that my sister had rushed to the hospital on Wednesday night. Of course, I couldn't sleep and stayed by my phone waiting for every update along the way. Not being in the hospital with her hurt more than I could have imagined, especially since her labor was so tough (he was just about 9 pounds)! The good news is that as soon as we touched the ground in LA, we drove straight to my sister's house to meet him and he's even more perfect than in his pictures and in perfect health!
The next day we were back to reality and back to work. I thought I had the flu but quickly realized I had developed mastitis and back to the doctor I went. I never knew how painful a clogged milk duct could to be! Now that I've been on antibiotics, I feel so much better!!! On top of everything else, our house has been up for sale and sold while we were out of town. We've been renting it for the past 3 years and I had pretty much assumed that buying it was a done deal. Luke had a complete change of heart, however, and decided that the money was better spent investing in growing his firm. In a nutshell, you can now hear his firm on the radio station KFI and we are moving at the end of January. Always an adventure over here!
Halloween was a blast and our costumes were so much fun! Ella had a ton of fun activities with her class that day and we both had costume parades at our schools. We decided to go to Oak Street in Laguna (since all of my students through the years said it was the "cool" thing to do). They block off the street and each house goes all out. There really are no words. It's straight out of a movie. We are lucky that one of our best friends lives a couple blocks away so we met up with them and took the kids out for an early evening. We are definitely making it a tradition!
Ellabells, you are a daddy's girl right now! You want your daddy all day every day and he's definitely your hero. I might be slightly jealous but your bond with him is pretty priceless. We have our own special moments when you wake up from your nap every day and Elise is still sleeping. We usually have an hour when we color or read books together. It's our special time and you tell me all about your day and usually about your new friends, Luke and Keegan. Your dad usually gets home around 7pm these days and he gets you ready for bed. From that point on, I don't really exist, lol!
You are full of personality, as sweet as can be but also very feisty. I love that when you forget something or get confused you roll your eyes and say, "silly me!" You always need confirmation after everything you say and nod your saying, "right, mommy, right?" You adore Elise more than anything and can get her smile and giggle more than anyone else can. You're really obsessed with the idea that we are a family and tell everyone, "me, Elise, mommy, and daddy are family" and usually you add, "and no one else" which often sounds harsh when you say it, but it's pretty funny. I know it comes from a good place, or at least I hope :)
Elise, you are as sweet as they come. You smile at everyone and strangers fall in love with you everywhere we go. You were an angel on the plane and flirted with the surfer boys next to us the whole way, smiling and cooing every chance you had. Even when you're sick, you try to smile. You make me want to have more kids because you really are a little dream baby. You love to be held and to sit up. You love when I wear you in the bjorn because you enjoy seeing everything around you. You weren't a huge fan of the ergo because, like your sister, you want to be able to kick your feet :) You love to reach out and grab things now and shocked me in Hawaii when you put your paci back in your mouth all by yourself. I was so impressed! You're a pretty good sleeper going down between 7-8pm and then waking up between 2-3am to feed. You usually wake up again around 5am because you hear me get up (yes, you're back in our room because we have no willpower, but you're in your rock 'n play sleeper). We love you to the moon and back baby girl and enjoy every moment!
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