Party Time

Warning: This post has so many pictures I had to make a Part 2 to keep adding them.  Seriously?  Blogger.com wouldn't let me add one more.  Of course, I could of purchased more available room with a low monthly fee.  What?!  Anyways, back to the real point of the post...REID'S FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY......Finally!

Reid's first birthday party was a great day filled with family and friends.  We themed everything around Reid's pal, Fairbanks Jr.  Fairbanks had a great view of the birthday boy from his own highchair. :)

Since we had a whole teddy bear thing going on, it was only right to make some folks wear ears! ;)

 

 

Bears, bears, bears EVERYWHERE!

 

 

This guy was made from two medium size pumpkins and four of those itty bitty ones in the produce section!  Add on button eyes, felt ears, and a bow tie...and wahla! :)  I love to paint pumpkins!  I painted so many of the pumpkins in  our house shades of white this year for our fall decor. :)

 

My sweet mom made this delicious feast!

 

 

One of my kindergarten kiddo's mom works in a bakery.  She made our yummy cake and cupcakes and I bought the edible bears from a lady on Etsy. :)

 

 

 

"Adopt A Bear" just meant take one home.  These cuddly teddies were the party favors. 

 

 

My mom felt moved to read, "Welcome to Holland" to our friends and family.  She also spoke briefly about how our guy has changed our life so much!

 

 

So.....he wasn't a fan of the party hat!

Happy Birthday!

 

More to come... :)

 

 



Hospital stay....again! :(

I haven't even had time to finish Reid's first birthday party post and now I'm writing about another hospital stay. Boo!  He began to get what appeared to be a cold Tuesday, a week ago, and we took him into the ped's office.  The next night we were back in youthcare because I felt like he just wasn't right.  Sure enough...RSV positive.  Of course since RSV is a virus there isn't much you can do but wait it out and try to make him comfortable with cool mist humidifiers, Vicks vapor rub, tender loving care, saline drops,  and the dreaded bulb suction!  By Friday morning I felt like something had to be done, he was getting worse.  I've learned with Reid that a cold can become a major thing!  He had pneumonia back in August and I'm not sure if he ever fully got over that.  He seemed like our happy, loving Reid, but his chest xrays that followed showed that his lungs never fully cleared after that episode.  Sure enough Friday morning our ped sent us to the hospital to be admitted.  He had the RSV and what appeared to be pneumonia again.  Saturday was terrible and without going into every detail it was decided that we needed to be in a children's hospital that could help him get over everything.  We spent nine days at the children's hospital in Macon, Georgia.  Their PICU team is amazing!!  It took a while and there were scary moments but now our guy is on the mend.  The scarest thing is that he can get RSV over and over just like a common cold.  So, for now, the mom that loves to let her boys get down and dirty is sanitizing EVERYTHING, including two other amazing boys that live here! ;)  We are also looking into a shot, synagis, to help prevent further RSV episodes.  As well as, discussing Reid's care and those xrays with his specialists.  Oh my prayers are that we make it through the rest of cold and flu season without as much as a sniffle in this househould.

Relaxing, watching cartoons!

 

 

Ready to bust out of this joint!!

Happy Halloween 2012



I think it may very well be one of my favorite holidays...HALLOWEEN!  It may be that I begin to believe it's really fall when this spooky night rolls around each year!  Or, is it that I love to see my favorite guys dressed up in crazy costumes?  Halloween usually means fun!  Who likes a little fun?! Guilty!  Last year, Reid was still in the NICU so I dressed my big boys in costumes and ran up to the hospital to hang out with my precious newborn.  So, since he really didn't get to "dress up" last year this year was exciting!  Call him a rooster or a chicken...either way he was ADORABLE!  We had Reid's first birthday party this past weekend (pics are coming soon) and since I have been consumed with the party our "looks" were a little last minute.  Either way Halloween is a fun night and this year was no different!

Love this!  The boys had just let us know that they would not be smiling because they had on beards! Ha!

 

 Briggs decided last week that he wanted to be a viking.  Spencer was undecided and thought he might not even dress up this year....um....what!?  No, no, no, no that will not work.  We must dress up in this family.  Reid and I made a quick run to the costume store while Rico took the boys to practice this week.  I was really on the prowl for a viking beard but came across an "Old School Rapper" ensemble.  I thought Spencer wouldn't mind throwing that on with a hoodie and heading out the door with us.  Wrong.  He took one look at it, laughed, and announced he wouldn't be wearing that! He mentioned something on Sunday about possibly being a viking as well.  I had already begun putting together Reid's and Briggs' costumes and time was running out.  But sure enough. in true Chmielewski style, Rico and I ran around like crazy people on Halloween day, on our lunch breaks I must add, trying to find "stuff" to make a viking. 

 Viking 1

 Viking 2

 

And  just because my husband didn't want a good "Old School Rapper" costume to go to waste...

 Thanks babe!
 

So, there you have it...two vikings and a rooster!

 

 

Just in case you were wondering, bath mats make great "fur" for viking vests, throws, and boots! ;)

 

 

I would love to coordinate our costumes but with the age gap in these boys I don't know if that will be happening or not.  Maybe I should start thinking now for next year's "looks"! :)

Happy Halloween from the Chmielewskis!