Decorative Touch

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Whew - - what a couple of days.  I was lax about updating the blog (busy + tired), so here's a quick recap of the past few days.

We did a pretty nice job of spacing out the Christmas festivities, but Alexa was a constant ball of activity and excitement since school let out on Friday afternoon.  Her energy level is touch to match, especially at nine-months pregnant.  I will admit I let her watch an extra tv show on Monday just so I could snag a quick 30 minute nap.

On Christmas Eve morning, Alexa had a bundle of presents waiting under the tree for her when she woke up, as I had decided it would be the perfect opportunity for her to open the presents from my side of the family.  Alexa was beyond excited to receive an Easy-Bake Oven, even declaring that she will be giving me the day off and taking over dinner duties.  I was ecstatic to hear that until I looked at the size of the Easy Bake pan....I think it would take hours to make a substantial dinner using the 2.5"x3.5" baking pan.  There went my Christmas wish - lol :)

I had to go to the hospital for a fetal monitoring appointment in the morning (this little girl is measuring small, exactly as Alexa did), and by the time I returned home, Alexa and I had to get ready for the matinee performance of The Nutcracker.  The ballet was beautiful, with elaborate sets and costumes, and Alexa thought the sight of boys wearing tights was hilarious.  So much for culture!  We were planning to cap our Christmas Eve with a visit to Damon for dinner at the restaurant, but a late lunch unfortunately changed those plans.  Nevertheless, Alexa and I still had a wonderful Christmas Eve together, and I knew she was worn out when she asked me to tuck her in bed at 8:30pm.

This morning was a rather rushed Christmas morning, as Damon and Alexa had an 11am flight to Fresno (too close to my due date for me to fly).  After Alexa opened her presents from Santa, including the much-anticipated Calico Critters dollhouse and a tennis racquet, we enjoyed a nice family breakfast before I took them the the airport.  I know Alexa was disappointed that she didn't get a chance to play with her toys, but when she returns on Saturday it will be like Christmas all over again - except for the wrapping paper.  Santa seemed to do pretty well this year, as I think she received everything she wanted.  Although I think she was most excited about the two Reese's Peanut Butter Cup trees that Santa left in her stocking; it's always the simple things...

Damon and Alexa's first stop when they landed in Fresno was a very important one.  They headed straight to the cemetery to visit Granty and allow Alexa to impart her decorative (dollar store) touch upon his newly set headstone.  It's hard to believe today marked the thirteen month anniversary of his passing.  I know it was an emotional visit - the headstone reiterates how permanent this truly is - but it was good for both of them.  Alexa knows the cemetery as the place where we go to remember Granty, and Damon mentioned she talked to Granty a lot more now that the tangible reminder was there.  She made sure to use every decoration we'd purchased a few weeks ago, and the finished product was very Alexa-esque.

After the cemetery, Damon and Alexa enjoyed the normal Hovannisian Christmas Day celebration in Fresno, a very festive gathering to say the least.  Alstott and I had a very relaxing day in Scottsdale, taking advantage of the beautiful weather with a couple of walks.  I must admit, it was a nice change tonight to know that I didn't have to wrap any presents, make dinner, figure out a pose for the Elf on the Shelf...in other words, a perfect day of r&r.

Merry Christmas!

Hard at work decorating Granty's headstone....

Very proud of her finished product.
A perfect holiday tribute to her beloved baby brother!

A Big Step

Today I finally began the task I've been dreading....I began to convert Grant's bedroom for the new baby.  Initially I was planning to wait until Damon and Alexa are in Fresno for Christmas, but I thought-twice about that decision, as I was worried that doing it solo during the holidays could make it an even more difficult and emotional task.  I'm not even close to being done, but I was relieved to make the initial step today...this was a huge hurdle for me to overcome.

Alexa was in the playroom, on the other side of the house, and Alstott was snoozing on the couch when I first entered Grant's room.  However, within twenty seconds of me opening the door, both of them were suddenly at my side.  It was an odd sensation - - a rebirth of sorts, as Alexa opened the door to the Jack-and-Jill bathroom separating her bedroom and the baby's room - excited to be so close.  It was the first time in over a year that the door between their rooms was open, but by gauging Alexa's reaction, I could tell it was a very welcome change.

It was a huge comfort to have Alexa and Alstott in the room as I began to pack Grant's clothing and bedding.  Alstott curled up on the rain forest mat, where Granty spent a lot of tummy time, and Alexa played with Grant's stuffed animals.  They were both on their best behavior, as if they knew the significance of being in the room.

I am not ready to put Grant's items in the garage with the rest of our storage items, so I cleared out some space in the built-ins in the master bedroom for storing his clothes and bedding.  I never realized how many clothes that little guy had - many that he never wore.  I remember my brother commenting about Grant's extensive collection of St. Louis Cardinals clothes, and I had to smile as I realized that Grant's collection was far-more expansive than I ever realized....hoodies, onesies, caps, etc.  My brother would be proud (and jealous!)....

It's a tough mental change to transition the space from Grant's bedroom to Baby #3's room.  A part of me wants to leave Granty-esque elements in there as a tribute to him, but I have to remind myself that this is the new baby's room and not a memorial to Grant.  Over time I think this will become easier, especially when we finally meet the newest arrival in January.

One element that will remain in the room....a wooden "G" on the wall.  It's a perfect reminder and subtle tribute to our little guy.

Many good times were had in Granty's room....
and I'm sure we will have many more.

In the Spirit of Giving

Winter break has officially begun for Alexa!  Today was the holiday program at her school - Alexa's class performed "Oh Tannenbaum" - and she happily headed home, knowing she gets two weeks without school.

Alexa and I headed over to Phoenix Children's Hospital later this afternoon to donate the toys that she and Gabriella had selected during our shopping trip last week, in lieu of exchanging gifts with each other.  The toy donation site was adjacent to the hospital, but I knew the sight of PCH would help the idea of giving resonate with Alexa.  Sure enough, as we saw the hospital in the distance, she exclaimed, "There's Granty's hospital - - I see the hand (a hand with a heart-shaped palm is the logo for PCH)!"

Alexa proudly carried the Target bag into the donation center, pulling out the giraffe toy to show the volunteers.  As she loaded everything into a wagon, she declared, "These toys are from me and Gabriella, but she's in Buffalo now."  As I filled out some paperwork, Alexa began to explore the shelves that were stocked full of toys, games, etc...  It was like a Toys-R-Us on steroids, especially because all like-toys were sorted and shelved together.  She shot me the puppy-dog (begging) eyes, and I reminded her that all of the toys were for the sick kids in the hospital.  It suddenly hit her - - "When Granty was in the hospital, he got toys and I got toys too!"  The Child Life department at PCH had been wonderful to Alexa, so I was glad to hear that she remembered it.  After that, the puppy-dog eyes disappeared, and she was very satisfied to have donated the toys to the hospital.  I foresee this being an annual tradition....

As we saw Phoenix Children's Hospital in the distance, it was tough not to get emotional.  The time, emotions and experiences associated with PCH represent the most significant events of my life.  As we drove past, I quickly identified his two PICU rooms on the sixth-floor (his Oncology room was facing the other direction) and said a little prayer.  Damon and I need to plan a separate trip back to PCH to visit - the medical team there (I think I can still name all of the doctors, residents and nurses) became entwined in our lives and touched both of us in a way we will never forget.

Unloading the toys at the donation center...
(tribute to Uncle Steve & Waste Mgmt in the background - lol)

Giraffes Can't Dance

The holidays are kicking into high gear for Alexa....today was the annual holiday party at her school, an event she's been awaiting since Thanksgiving.  The allure of wearing pajamas to school and decorating sugar cookies is tough to beat.  I am glad I will finally be able to stop answering the question of "How many days until the holiday party?"

Another component of the holiday party is the book exchange, something in which Alexa and I invested a lot of thought.  I encouraged her to pick one of her favorite books (last year was 'Purplicious') - a task that was much easier said than done.  She hemmed and hawed for days as she tried to decide what title we should buy to share with one of her friends.  I had to ix-nay 'The Night Before Christmas' - she seems to have forgotten about her desire to celebrate Hanukkah - but she finally made her decision.  She selected 'Giraffes Can't Dance', a wonderful book my friend Molly bought for Alexa last Christmas.  Needless to say, I was thrilled with her selection and immediately bought it from Amazon.com.

As we wrapped the book last night, Alexa grabbed the book and conducted a mock Show-and-Tell for me.   "This book is special to me because it reminds me of giraffes and my baby brother Granty.  He died but is still very special to me and always in my heart."  I couldn't have said it better myself.  I hope the friend who received the book enjoys it as much as we have. :)

If only she could wear pajamas every day......

Creative Cooking

Over the past few days, Alexa has been spouting off recipes of things she would like me to cook....it took a few requests before I realized she was making up these dishes and concocting the recipes entirely in her mind.  Mint seems to be a popular ingredient - I'm sure attributable to the holiday season - as she's proposed everything from mint pie (pie crust, mint and whipped cream) to mint with porkchops.  I'm not quite sure how edible some of her creations would be, but I have to give her credit for creativity.

I've learned Alexa is very intrigued by stories about my childhood, so during dinner on Sunday night, I was recalling incidents from my childhood to encourage her to eat her zucchini.  She was captivated by some of the Niehoff rules - i.e. I had to eat one pea (or lima bean, brussel sprout, etc...) for each year I was old, I wasn't allowed to leave the table until I finished my meal, etc...  As I relayed the stories to Alexa, I started to have flashbacks of some of the meals I used to despise.  I distinctly remember a few meals that led to hours of standoff at the dinner table.  Before I knew it, Damon and I were laughing hysterically, and I had to make two calls to my parents' house for verification of some of my recollections.

Damon was convinced I was making up recipes (probably thinking Alexa was rubbing off on me), but thank goodness for Google.  As I explained the meals to him, supported by the back-up of Gene and Kathy (my parents), he began to Google the recipe names and was shocked at the search engine results.  Sure enough, for every 'nightmare' dish I mentioned, Damon was able to find the recipe, coupled with pictures, on the Internet.  He was incredulous at some of the Niehoff meals of the 80's - Chipped Beef on Toast, Tuna Noodle Casserole, Corned Beef Hash (canned!), Western Rice Skillet, and, Damon's personal favorite (based upon the name alone)....Turkey Divan.  I think these must have been Midwest classics that never quite made it to California.

For the record, my mom no longer makes any of those meals; I'm convinced that she thought the recipes were as bad as I did but had to force us to eat them on principle alone.  Needless to say, I don't think we'll be having a Chipped Beef on Toast night at the Hovannisian house anytime soon. :)

Always up to the task in the kitchen....

Festive Weekend

What a weekend!  Between gift wrapping, online shopping and normal weekend activities, it was a whirlwind weekend.

On Saturday night, Jenny and I took the girls out for a holiday celebration - toy shopping for Phoenix Children's Hospital, a visit to the train park for its holiday lights event and dinner.  Apparently everyone in the metro Phoenix area had the same idea for the train park, as it was packed!  The wait for the train was significantly longer than we ever expected - - we stood in line for over an hour and a half to board (my estimate of a 20 minute wait was way off!).  Understandably the girls were a tired, hungry and a little cranky by the time we made our way through the line, but once they saw the light display, the ninety minute wait was a distant memory....they claimed the display was "the best thing EVER!"  We bypassed the carousel ride and went straight to the restaurant for dinner; I've never seen them eat so well!  Needless to say, we were all exhausted after the long night, and both girls were sound asleep just a couple of minutes into the drive home.

Damon had the day off on Sunday, his first day at home since before Thanksgiving.  Knowing he would be home, I made sure the Elf left a special surprise for Alexa on Sunday morning - a gingerbread tree.  Initially I was looking for a traditional gingerbread house to accompany the house she decorate for Halloween, but Michaels didn't have any pre-constructed houses, so I opted for the easier tree of stacked star-shaped cookies.  Needless to say, Alexa was excited to have the ability to practice her decorating skills (I had to talk her out of decorating it at 7am).  I left Damon and Alexa to fulfill their 'Cake Boss' dreams, as I headed out to complete some errands.  I came home to find a 'beautiful' masterpiece.

As lovely as the cookie tree is, I don't think Damon nor Alexa will be soliciting any phone calls from Buddy Valastro....

Ready to begin her decorating project!

The finished project - under close supervision from Alstott.
(Slightly different than the picture on the box.... :)

Waning Excitement

Since Alexa and I struck out on our quest for an artificial tree last weekend, the task of picking up a Christmas tree had to wait until Damon returned from Las Vegas.  Apparently I've given Alexa the impression that I can do anything, as she was in disbelief that I couldn't unload the tree from the top of my car, bring it into the house and align it in the tree stand without any assistance....for the record, if I weren't eight-months pregnant, I would have attempted the feat on my own. :)

Damon could not get home soon enough for Alexa, so he borrowed one of his manager's trucks and drove to Costco on Tuesday to pick up the Christmas tree - an 8-foot fir.  Alexa was ecstatic when she woke up on Wednesday morning and saw the tree.  I convinced her that decorating the tree at 6am was not feasible, but I ensured her we would decorate it as soon as I picked her up from school.  She held me to my word, postponing dinner so we could begin decorating the tree.  I thought she was going to have a conniption when I told her I had to hang the lights on the tree before the ornaments could be hung.  However, she did show some concern for me, after I was done standing on the ladder and hurriedly wrapping the lights.  As I climbed off the ladder, she rubbed my stomach and said, "I know you're not supposed to climb a ladder, but I think the baby's okay."  Alright - - it was finally time to turn the decorator loose.

I'm not sure if it was the time lag, fatigue or the process of hooking the ornaments onto the tree, but the excitement that had been building for weeks quickly waned.....she hung a whopping six ornaments on the tree before she decided she was over it.  I would have picked up a Charlie Brown Christmas tree if I would have known that!

I asked her tonight if she wanted to finished decorating the tree, but she passed up the opportunity in favor of reading books and applying stickers to one of her dolls.  It looks like I'll be decorating a tree this weekend....

A very sparsely decorated tree.....