Gobble, Gobble

I'm sure you've noticed by now it has been a few weeks since I last posted. Our computer which stores all of our pictures, videos, documents, etc. had a near-death experience. The hard-drive was on the verge of completely dying (after only 18 months). Fortunately, we were able to recover all of our photos and videos. We were without the computer for some time, but now we have it back, new hard-drive and all. In addition, my business has been booming right now (no complaints) and there was a pretty major holiday in the middle of all of this. Between that and a reoccurring ear infection for Isabella, time has been a bit of an issues. Having said that (if you watch Curb Your Enthusiasm, you'll get that)... We're back on track and hopefully won't have any major hiccups preventing me from posting.

A little over a week ago we loaded up the car and drove (yes, drove) to Kansas City for Thanksgiving. It is a 9 1/2 hour drive (including a couple of stops and lunch). We bought a portable DVD player and a few Sesame Street DVDs in an effort to make the trip a little more enjoyable for Isabella. We figured she'd spend a lot of the time sleeping since she falls asleep between the grocery store and the house all the time. Boy were we mistaken. In the 9 1/2 hour drive to KC, she slept 45 minutes. Yes, 45 minutes. She was an angel for the majority of the drive, despite her lack of sleep. She started to get cranky as we got closer to my parents' house, but we had no complaints since she waited 8 1/2 hours to whine. Not only was she obviously exhausted, but we were so tired of singing the same 4 songs over and over again. She isn't big into variety right now. She has a handful of songs she likes and requests them over and over and over and over again. Any effort to deviate was promptly denied. As is the case on almost every trip we have ever taken, she didn't sleep well the first night and consequently ended up with a runny nose and mild fever. Fortunately we were prepared. We'd seen the pediatrician the Friday before we left and she gave us a prescription for a second round of anti-biotics for Isabella's ear that hadn't completely cleared. She told us if she showed symptoms again, to fill it, but not until then. After a miserable Wednesday (including a much maligned haircut for Isabella) of whining, not eating and constant nose-wiping, we filled the prescription Wednesday night while we knew the pharmacy would still be open. It made a big difference in her mood. She seemed to feel better the next day. She even managed to sleep until 6:30a or so.

Thanksgiving itself was really nice. We all got together at my parents' house and had an amazing feast. The food really was out of this world. I even made two dutch apple pies. We enjoyed football and watching Isabella entertain everyone. She loves being the center of attention. She showed everyone how she counts to ten(wum - tu - fwee - fife - sefen - eight - nine - teeeeen), most of her 100+-word vocabulary and her love for everything Sesame Street.

Friday we spent recovering and eating yummy leftovers. We watched basketball, football, and played outside with Isabella (the weather was surprisingly beautiful). We were originally planning on leaving Saturday, but we landed two tickets to the Border War (KU vs. MU) at Arrowhead on Saturday afternoon, so we jumped at the chance to see my Alma Mater in action.

We had so much fun at the game - until the last 2 minutes. Damn play-calling. We left early to get home in time to give Isabella dinner, bathe her and put her to bed. It was probably for the best. KU was leading when we left and we listened to the nightmare that was the last two minutes of the game on the radio. I'm glad I didn't have to watch it in person. Thanks Meagan for the tickets - we really did have an amazing time. Just wish it could have ended better...

We'd planned on leaving around 7 or 7:30a to head back home. Isabella had other plans. She woke up at 4:30 and wouldn't go back to sleep. We made the decision to go ahead and leave since we were up anyway. We got on the road at 6:30a. We hit Wichita by 9:30a, Oklahoma City around noon and were home around 3:30. We really made great time. Unlike the drive to KC, Isabella slept 5 1/2 of the 9+ hours. It was a nice change. We only had to sing her songs half a million times instead of a full million. It's worth singing if it makes her happy. She was very happy to be sleeping in her own bed and thanked me with a wake-up call at almost 8:00a. Boy did we need the extra hour of sleep.

Below are some pictures and a couple of videos. In the photo slideshow are some pictures from before Thanksgiving of Isabella being adorable and putting on my clothes and some from a couple of days ago when we got our first (and quite possibly ONLY) snow. In addition are some pictures from a couple of days after we got back home of her discovering that there are, indeed, TWO "Cuddles" (her favorite bear she can't sleep without). The look on her face was priceless. I'd forgotten she had one of the bears in the den and one in her crib. When she woke up from her nap we went into the Den and she went to play with Cuddles. You could almost see the light bulb over her head. She looked at me, asked me to take her to her room and insisted I handover the other Cuddles. With one Cuddles in her right arm and one in her left, she looked at them both with the most elated look I've ever seen. She showered them both with kisses and wouldn't put them down the rest of the night. Fortunately, she forgot about it the next day when I was able to hide the second Cuddles again (either that or she's making me think she forgot - it's entirely possible, she's pretty smart)... Either way, it made for some great pictures...