Holiday, Vacation, Kids, Etc.

Ah the holidays... Christmas, New Years, etc... What is there to say? I have been putting off this post. I probably wouldn't say anything at all, but this is my only journal right now and one day I might laugh about it. This holiday season was tough on me. We had planned to go out to Oregon to visit Cliff's family since before even leaving Japan so that much was pretty set in stone. We hadn't been out that way for over four years and we were over due. Because we were going out for over two weeks I didn't really both with Christmas decorations or even a tree at our own house in Virginia and looking back now I think that was a mistake. I just wasn't feeling Christmas this year. I guess that after all of the turmoil of the past year, earthquakes and resultant evacuations, traveling all over the globe with small child/children, new babies, new house, new ward, new everything... I have just been waiting for things to slow down and they just haven't. I found myself at the end of this year just feeling tired to my bones. I wanted to just hunker down with my own little family and nest. Nevertheless I was determined to have a good time in Oregon with Cliff's family and make this a fun trip for the girls. Best laid plans, you know.
The day before we were flying out to Oregon Lilia developed a substantial fever. Girlfriend doesn't handle fevers well and she becomes rather sad and pathetic once they set in. I figured it was probably a little cold virus or bug that she had picked up from friends at church or over the weekend, but decided to give the doctor a call to be safe. Given her VU reflux history and the fact that we were flying out the next afternoon I wanted to make sure it wasn't a UTI. The doctor agreed that she should be seen and we were able to get an appointment the morning of the day or our flight. She had no other symptoms besides the fever when I brought her in so we all agreed that a urine sample was needed. TWO HOURS later there wasn't a drop in the little potty that Lilia had been sitting on and I was nearly in tears. The doctor we were seeing was confident that Lilia would have to "go" eventually, but the thing about UTIs is that it often hurts to "go" and Lilia is not potty trained yet. I'm pretty sure we could have sat there another two hours with no results and at this point we had been away from home almost three hours and I had not left Cliff and Ivy with a bottle. I asked them to do a catheter. Mean mom, I know, but Lilia was a great sport and only cried for a minute. The doctor did a quick analysis on the sample and said that it definitely looked suspect. We headed out with a prescription for antibiotics and Lilia got to pick out FIVE stickers. (The culture came back postive for e.coli so it is good that we went in.)
I was pretty bummed. Lilia had gone so long without a UTI and we were beginning to think that maybe she was doing better. To make things even worse we were supposed to be leaving in a little over an hour after we finally got home. The house was a disaster. Dishes need to be done, laundry was everywhere, babies needed to be fed, and suitcases were still being packed with last minute items. I couldn't wait for the day to be over and we still had a two hour drive to Dulles airport and a 5+ hour flight to Portland. Poor Lilia. Poor all of us.
So we survived the drive and the flight. We just did our best to keep Lilia on ibuprofen alternating with tylenol and hoped for the best while the antibiotics worked their stuff. We arrived in Portland around 10 or 11pm their time and about 1 or 2 am our time? After the hour drive to our hotel we were beyond exhausted. We got to the hotel and it was a piece of work. I fully take the blame. Cliff had warned me that the reviews weren't very good and I laughed him off. Surely it can't be that bad! We will save so much money! (We are trying to buy a second car right now.) Looking back today, it wasn't the worst place I have ever stayed but we won't be staying there again. It smelled awful, the sheets didn't cover the mattress, and it was in a shady area with shady guests. I broke down and cried. Everything I had been holding in just poured out of me in messy, soggy, blubbery streams. A horribly scrooge-y-ness set in and I had trouble bucking it for the rest of the trip. It didn't help that both Lilia and Ivy came down with nasty colds halfway through the trip and Ivy's actually landed her in the E.R. for an afternoon on oxygen. (RSV isn't that bad for adults, but babies can struggle with it.) The E.R. doctors were worried about her age and the fact that we were traveling so they put her on an antibiotic to cover their butts and this resulted in horrible diarrhea for my little Ivy for the remainder of the trip. They had CONFIRMED that is was a virus, but wanted to play it safe. I just don't do well when my kids are sick. I don't sleep well. I worry all the time. I am a nightmare to be around. I was so contrary this trip. Poor Cliff. Poor everyone.

The bright side to all of this madness was that Cliff's family was incredibly hospitable. They let us borrow sheets and pillows for the hotel room. They cooked for us every night, they had beautiful, thoughtful, fun gifts for the girls. They babysat for us so Cliff and I could have a little time to ourselves and they opened their home to us.
We did get to see some fun things while we were there. We had to stay in more than we would have liked because of illness, but we were able to go to the Tillamook Cheese Factory and buy some delicious cheese. Lilia loved the factory and seeing all of the cheese on conveyor belts. He favorite part by far, though, was tasting the samples at the end of the tour. She tried everything except the habanero jack cheese. She loved everything, even the extra sharp aged two year cheddar! That's my girl! We also went to Powell's bookstore downtown. This is the largest independently owned bookstore in the country. We always have a blast there and it was fun to bring the girls and let Lilia pick out a couple of books. We got to try some new restaurants and some old favorites and we got to see some friends that we hadn't seen in four years. Most importantly we got to see Cliff's family and spend time with them. Christmas Eve and Christmas were nice. We got to see all of Cliff's family and go to church together. We got to spend time with his grandmother which I always enjoy tremendously. We got to see his sister and her new baby, who also happens to be Lilia and Ivy's only cousin. Baby "Cali" was born three days before Ivy was born and it was a hoot watching them interact. Cliff's parents, Debra and Richard, were loving and welcoming as always and very doting grandparents.
To make a long story short, (OOPS TOO LATE,) traveling is hard. Traveling during the holidays is hard. Traveling with sick kids during the holidays is the hardest of all, but the end results are usually worth it. I'm grateful we have family that loves us and wants us around. Lilia and Ivy are very blessed. We all are.