Christmas and NYE

Hoping that everyone reading this had a very merry Christmas this year! December 21st came and went and the world didn't end, but that didn't stop us from throwing a Mayan End of the World party to mark the occasion.  Ben, Alex, Dorian and Wynn had fun hanging out upstairs with Marcia and Dori's nurse Stephanie while we adults had fun downstairs with 30 of our closest friends.  We introduced them to "fire water" (aka Aguardiente) ... I'm always nostalgic for Colombian Aguardiente because it reminds me of my dad (Papi) and all his brothers sitting around telling stories and doing shots of it.

The big buzz on Christmas morning was that Wynnie woke up at 3 AM and saw Santa!!!  When Chris woke up super early on Christmas morning, he says that Wynnie held up his hands and said "SANTA!".  Ben and Alex were amazed that Wynnie saw Santa... it's definitely been a big month for the Wynnster!  :)   This week was his 2 week follow-up and the neurologist said Wynnie's head looks great and his abdominal incision is healing nicely.  It's pretty amazing that in these 3 short weeks, his whole demeanor has pulled a 180.  He happily babbles more, more proactively social, laughs more, reaches for toys and rolls around more, and just overall more awesome than ever.  We are so happy that this operation was a huge success and the old Wynnie is back.

Dorian is having mini meltdowns in the mornings ... he is accustomed to eating, getting dressed and heading off to school.  Since school is out, we stay home and he is NOT a homebody.  He is a worldly man that yearns for hustle and bustle of the streets.  He has had to settle for trips to Target to satisfy his need for action. One of his highlights before school dismissed was having the school wide Christmas sing-along.  Wynnie snuggled with his teacher the whole time and didn't care for all the singing or dancing, but Dorian on the other hand kept looking around, bouncing his body to the beat of the music, and yelling HI in between songs when it would get really quiet.  He is destined for Broadway. Since Christmas Eve he keeps on saying "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" so we think he is referring to Baby Jesus's birthday.  I'm glad Dori keeps Jesus as the reason for the season!

Ben and Alex were gentlemen and took me out to dinner the night before my birthday.  We went to Masu Sushi and enjoyed a delicious Hibachi dinner. They were very proud to pay for the dinner with the money Chris gave them.  Alex was happy there was cash left over, he told me I should keep it and buy myself something.   I said "Don't mind if I DO!"  It hadn't even occurred to me to keep the change until Alex suggested it... that kid has street smarts.   Chris stayed home with the babies and rested up because the next night he took me out to a nice dinner to Del Frisco's (YUM!) and then to the Mavs game.  We had a blast and sat next to a family from Nebraska that were visiting town for some medical exams their son needed (he received a serious concussion playing football).  Small world because he plays for one of Chris's childhood friends in Nebraska (Scott Amen).  What are the odds?  I told Chris we are very blessed to live here in a city where we have so many choices of top notch specialists for the babies -- where other families have to travel for hours to have their children treated by the pros.  So blessed!

The only down side to Christmas this year was that Chris's dad Dave fell and broke his hip.  He fell on December 20th and is still recovering in a skilled nursing rehab facility.  But the upside is that the boys will celebrate Christmas again with them sometime next month or in February once Dave is well enough to come down.  Thankfully he is recovering from his fall and hopefully he'll be better than ever once he's all healed up.

Wishing all who read this a blessed end to 2012 and that 2013 brings you much love, fun memories and vibrant health.  Thank you to all who have played a role in our family life this year -- family, friends, neighbors, doctors, nurses... everyone has blessed us in their own special way and we are grateful for the little things that people do that make a huge difference in our lives.  I hope we have helped or blessed you in the same way.... we are inspired by you all.