So That was 2011 . . .
Posted on December 30, 2011 - Filed Under Personal | Leave a Comment
Is it just me or are these years whipping by at light speed? I can’t believe that tomorrow is the last day of 2011. Overall, it was a pretty interesting year, with a lot of ups and downs. When they call life a roller coaster . . . well, that would be 2011 for us.
It all started out very hectic, with a lot of work and trying to get the kids and Irving visas to go to Canada. It was all good, though. Irving was getting work I had work and we were excited about the coming year.
In mid-March, things came crashing down when what we thought was a simple stomach bug turned into something much worse and Dorian started vomiting blood one night. We rushed him to the hospital where no one knew just what was wrong with him and finally, the next morning, he had surgery to cut the adhesions that had kinked his intestine into a knot and caused a complete blockage. That night, carrying my unresponsive son in my arms as we raced to the hospital, his entire face completely grey, to the point that he had no color in his lips, was the scariest moment in my entire life. I didn’t write all the details on my blog, but it was absolutely horrifying and in that moment, we were faced with the possibility that we might be left with just one child. Fortunately, the surgery went well and he recovered quickly, only to end up with chickenpox a couple days after getting home! Blog readers and family members chipped in to help us out with medical bills and for that, we are eternally grateful.
Shortly after Dorian got out of the hospital, my maternal grandfather died. We knew it was coming, but it was still hard and sad and worse knowing I couldn’t be there for the memorial service which was essentially a family reunion that we didn’t make because the boys’ visas were rejected.
Dorian lost a tooth this year, too, which was exciting, but not as exciting as the second tooth that came out right after the first! Since then, he hasn’t had a single loose one, so I guess he’s not growing up TOO fast! 
He also decided to do away with his long hair (protected post), which was bittersweet and yet another step toward his getting bigger and older.
In June, I wrote a post about how I was not going to have any more babies . . . and three days later my sister convinced me to take a pregnancy test, insisting that my weird symptoms were a sign I was having a baby . . . and she was right! We were in a bit of shock, but were pretty darn happy about the whole thing.
The same month, we got visas for the boys, though Irving couldn’t go to Canada with us. Just a few days before we left, Dorian cut himself badly on a piece of wire and had to get stitches. It hasn’t been his year! I took his stitches out in Canada, which was icky, but not as bad as I thought.
While our flights up north were a mixed bag, Canada was awesome. The boys got to meet their grandparents, their two remaining great-grandparents, plus their aunts and one great uncle and one great aunt. They LOVED Canada, but were happy to get home, too. While we were away, my niece, Evelyn Sofia, was born with Crouzon’s disease and she died at one month old, due to pneumonia, which was not related to her condition, but to the lack of care at the hospital she was at. We miss her a lot.
In October, we found out that our newest munchkin is another boy! Woohoo! While a girl would have been fine, I like my boys and relish the thought of adding another guy to the house. Funnily enough, a lot of people figure we must be disappointed that we still don’t have our girl . . . but we’re thrilled. While the original due date was March 7, it was changed to February 29th after the second ultrasound and has stayed there ever since. My sister, Sarah, is coming for the first two weeks in March to help out with the boys while Dominic makes his arrival . . . if he shows up on time!
Despite surgeries, visas and several deaths in the family, 2011 has been a pretty decent year. And 2012 looks like it will be even better, with the arrival of Dominic and even more excitement. And, since we can’t stop time from marching on anyway, bring it on!
To finish off this post, here is one of my favorite posts from this past year, The Things That Make Us.
Protected: Midnight Fun
Posted on December 27, 2011 - Filed Under Fun, Guatemala, Kids, Personal | Enter your password to view comments
Merry Christmas!
Posted on December 25, 2011 - Filed Under Fun, Guatemala, Kids | 2 International Amigos Said
Bump, Bump, Bump
Posted on December 23, 2011 - Filed Under Mom Stuff, Personal | 3 International Amigos Said
Kids Say the Darndest Things: Episode 32
Posted on December 22, 2011 - Filed Under Kids | 2 International Amigos Said
Holiday Ramblings
Posted on December 19, 2011 - Filed Under Personal, Random Blabbering | 4 International Amigos Said
The Last Benefits
Posted on December 18, 2011 - Filed Under Kids, Personal | 1 International Amigo Said
Happy 6th, Dorian!
Posted on December 14, 2011 - Filed Under Kids | 1 International Amigo Said
One More Sleep!
Posted on December 13, 2011 - Filed Under Kids | 2 International Amigos Said
Cha-Cha-Change
Posted on December 8, 2011 - Filed Under Crafty, Fun, Mom Stuff, Simple Life | Leave a Comment
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