No Peeing Off the Porch: December 2013

I looked at Katie's ear the other day and it looked funny, I realized that I had grown used to it with the skin tags on and it looked way different with them removed.

So I decided to post my thoughts from the day of surgery.

Katie went through surgery with flying colors. Jake and I were a wreck! Granny was there to support us through the waiting. That is the worst. Second guessing the choice we made to have the skin tags removed that were not hurting Katie. Making the choice to put her under was a tough one, but we felt that she would be made fun of because of the way the skin tags looked. She would also twirl it from time to time and we were kinda worried she would hurt herself. Thankfully she came through fine. She woke up and showed that she was angry. We were standing in the hall and heard her crying for her Mom and Dad. That was rough and made this Mama determined to get back there! Thankfully it wasn’t but another minute before they came back to get us. She let us know she was not happy with us for letting them do this to her. She was very cute being all angry with her head bobbing around. She got hugs from us and then wanted her Granny. They let us go very soon after that. She even played once we got home. Once she got up from her nap she was pretty much her old self. Such a relief! Glad that is over!

Before and After

We didn't tell anyone for a while that we were expecting so here are some of the thoughts and things that happened over that time as well.

10/3 So I have been feeling odd lately, more tired than usual, crazy emotional, crying over dumb things, hungry all the time. So I finally broke down and took the test. POSTITVE! It seems we have another Harmon on the way! I think I am still in shock…but am happy that we are able to do this again! I go to the Dr. on the 14^th. Such a long time away! So much to do to prepare! We have a room to ready! A table to finish, room to paint, clean out dressers, clean out closet, prepare prepare prepare! Yikes! I am glad they will be close in age, hopefully they will enjoy playing with each other. HOPEFULLY we can get Katie potty trained! I do not want two in diapers! So much to do!

Oct.19 We had our apt w Dr. Sepesi today and got to hear the little one’s heartbeat! Dr. said it had only been there for maybe a day or so! CRAZY! Here’s to hopin this one is a boy!

Oct. 28 Starting the middle of last week I have been pretty nauseated all day. I tried popping Tums like they were candy and even Pepto, they both worked for about 20 min and then I was back to being nauseous. Yesterday I read that protein helps, so I ate a peanut butter cracker and it seemed to help. It was awful this morning and I ate a peanut butter cracker and it helped again. So last time I had Tums at the ready and it seems at least for now I will have peanut crackers at the ready! I am grateful that it is just nausea and I am not vomiting all day. It could be so much worse! I also am way more tired that I was the last go round. At least so far, I honestly cant remember exactly when I got tired the last time, but I feel like it was later and not earlier… Oh well, here’s to the new way of life!

This month also has been awesome for the Harmon's, we have moved to a different church and it is closer to home, somewhere Katie can go to church with kids she will go to school with. In moving we went to the newcomers class and met a family with a daughter with autism who is non-verbal and wanted her to be able to go to class. This is something I have long prayed for. I felt there was a need for a community for my kids and their families to come to know God and have people circle up with. I think it is going to be a good experience for the other kids in the room and teachers as well, not to mention that Gwen will be able to go to church and grow closer to God. As well as her family.

November

They say that each pregnancy is different and whoever “they” are were correct. I have had nausea in the evening pretty bad for several weeks now. Thankfully drinking ginger ale is helping with that. I am more tired, but instead of coming home and crashing like I did before, I wait until Katie goes to sleep then crash. It helps to put my feet up and relax and thankfully Jake is very helpful in the evenings to allow me to be resting but have some family time too I am COLD in the evenings, which is new to me? I cuddle up under a blanket and a mug of hot tea and it is a delicious feeling to be warmed from your head to your toes. My snuggle partner is pretty amazing too!

And finally December!

Keeping with tradition, here is one of Little Bug Sleeping!

This month the nausea and being cold have subsided, thankfully! I have to make sure I have a fan for church, otherwise I roast. The family in the row in front of us always talk about freezing during service, well if they would move I would happily sit in their spot, they get there before us and seem to have chosen that spot as their spot. Oh well, I will keep bringing my fan. Other than heartburn this Baby BOY of ours is treating me just fine! I am sleeping decently and trying to not overdo it. We will be happy with a boy or girl of course, but we both really want a boy. We called Katie a “him” the whole time as wishful thinking and it didn’t help, HA, we will see this time!

December brings Christmas and Christmas lights and the craziest of all holidays. I hope that we are able to bring Katie up knowing that she is loved and the amount of presents under the tree do not matter. Yeah right I know, but that is our mission. We have found a few items that we think Katie will enjoy, but mainly I am looking forward to seeing her face as she looks for Christmas lights and the magical things that make this holiday fun! Katie loves looking at the lights and sometimes gets the Christmas lights confused with a porch light. Too cute! She screams "Christmas lights right there!" and as soon as we start rolling to the next house she says "More Christmas lights please." And it is like that until we roll into our driveway!

I have enjoyed watching her talk about the Nativity scene. She knows who they are and talks about them and makes them climb the tree and her favorite is for Baby Jesus to ride the camel.

We found out about a house nearby that went CRAZY for Christmas and decided to go check it out. We went with our friend Danielle and her son Haden.

They had everything you could think of! They didn't charge anything and encouraged you to get out and play with the houses and items they had! It was every child's dream!

They had several houses with different themes with stuff inside for the kids.

Our friend's son thought it would be funny to kiss Mary. Never a dull moment with that boy:) He did say this time that Katie was fun.They watched Katie for us not too long ago and Haden was very ready for Katie to go home and said he didn't want a baby sister or brother anymore.

We baked sugar cookie from scratch this year! We made a huge mess and I cried, thanks to my hormones, the whole time. I managed to get a picture of Katie's face covered in flour. It was a good time! I cried all day Christmas Eve. Stupid songs on the radio made me cry, it was the Duck Dynasty Christmas song, not even The Christmas Shoes song (which i hate), I cried watching Miami Ink. It was pretty ridiculous! I took Jake to see The 2nd Hobbit movie as part of his Christmas and managed to not cry through that movie... hopefully that has gone and I can return to normal, or whatever normal is for me right now.