Hey my friends. How are you doing on this Monday? Today is going to be a very casual, candid chat so I can fill you in on the odds and ends of life lately. Here’s a random selection of photos off my iPhone and some captions to go with them!
I took a social media break for the last two weeks of December, so I never shared any of our Christmas photos! Milo was a treat the whole holiday season, and I was reminded how much fun it is to buy gifts for a tiny little person who has no idea what’s coming. As the only grandbaby in the family right now, he definitely had the largest stack of gifts on Christmas morning.
One more from Christmas, because Christmas with littles is just so much fun. The Christmas pajamas, first tastes of holiday treats like peanut butter balls and Christmas morning cream sausage gravy, and the pure delight at playing with giant new Tonka trucks and electric barking dogs and stacking cups…I have so many happy memories from the month of December with this sweet little boy.
Any oatmeal lovers out there? I ate oatmeal nearly every day in my early twenties, and then I just 100% quit. I haven’t eaten oatmeal (except for the little instant packets that I’ll eat in a pinch) in about 5 years. But the craving hit last week, so I boiled oats in a 50/50 mix of milk and water, added a pinch of brown sugar and sea salt, and topped it with toasted pecans, blueberries, and a splash of cream. Heaven. I ate this three days in a row.
I have yet to figure out a way to keep an eye on my child, do my makeup in the morning, AND keep him from destroying my bathroom. See that drawer at top of the photo? Once upon a time it was organized. 😉 He loves grabbing my emory boards and q-tips and carrying them into the closet. I have not yet admitted defeat and installed those magnetic safety locks on the bathroom doors. (They’re in the kitchen and they keep him safe, but they sure are annoying!)
In late December, we found out Nate had to go back into surgery with an inpatient stay. So we got a family favorite for one of our final meals together before he left for the hospital: pizza + salad + dessert from Pieous.
Nate had another surgery last week. For the past 5 months, he’s had a suture line that refuses to close. After talking to more professionals and getting more imaging done, all of the different teams of doctors agreed that there’s a bone or hardware infection in his leg that’s causing the problem. So he went back into the hospital to have some hardware taken out and get a bone biopsy. Since this is his 8th surgery, the skin is totally over it (hey, me too!) and probably won’t close up again, so he has a wound vac again to see if that will help. He had a wound vac for a couple months after the car accident in 2020, so it doesn’t feel all that overwhelming this time…thankful for that!
This is a picture of a medicine ball (nope, not the type you get at Starbucks…). Our fridge is full of them now! The PICC line in his arm is new to both of us. It’s basically a really big IV that’s used for longterm usage (so that he doesn’t destroy his blood veins.) He has to do an antibiotic IV infusion 2X/day for the next 6 weeks. We’ll be regulars at the infectious disease center for the next couple of months. He’s doing well, all things considered, and right now all of this is an annoyance more than anything else. He’s non-weight bearing, not able to drive himself, and hooked up to and IV for 4 hours a day. But if this is the step we need to take to get his leg healed, we’re both happy to take it.
I spent lots of time in the hospital with Nate last week while my mom stayed with Milo and cared for him all day every day and cooked lots of homemade food for us. My freezer is now full of soups for dinner and muffins for breakfast. Thank you, mom!
Austin got snow yesterday, which was a pretty big deal. It was fun to open instagram and see my friends smiling in their hats and coats with family. Snow always brings a little bit of magic to it. Milo, unfortunately, would have nothing to do with it. We have a long way to go before we try to book a family ski trip to Colorado.
But it was a very cozy day inside! I love watching the snow fall while I’m sitting next to the fireplace. My mom made some healthy banana chocolate chips muffins, and I ate these and read a book (I binged my way through Shea and Syd McGee’s new memoir) and enjoyed the rare snow appearance.
And one more of my sweet, sleepy little boy. He’s growing so fast, but some days I look down and him and think “you’re really just a baby, aren’t you?”
I hope you’re well, friends. Keep on carrying on. If you’re in the thick of it right now, here’s a little thought that I’m circulating through my brain all week: “I’m figuring it out and I’m able to do this!” Sending loads of energy and love your way.
