No! That's what I wanted to shout today while scooping up my baby girl and heading for the exam room door. I didn't though. I sat and listened as the doctor (ENT) told me he wanted to take out Annika's tonsils and adenoids, that we should and he would be sending in his nurse to talk scheduling. I'll back up to the beginning now. In September at Annika's 3 year appointment I asked our pediatrician about Annika's snoring. She's always snored pretty loudly. The doctor asked if she ever had apnea episodes where it sounded like she stopped breathing. I thought maybe yes but couldn't be sure. Kris and I listened a little more carefully and sure enough, she was. I called the pediatrician back earlier this month and asked if we should come in or go see an ENT. We were referred to an ENT and had the appointment today. He seemed like a nice enough doctor, approaching Annika by sitting down so he was level with her, lowering his voice and preparing her for each exam by telling her what he was going to do. First he checked both ears and declared them perfect. Then he looked her mouth. He didn't look long because Annika was not very cooperative with holding her mouth open for him. Then he looked up her nose. And after the 5 minute exam was done he sat back and said her tonsils are pretty big for her mouth. He asked if she breathed through her nose. She does for the most part except for right now because she's stuffed up. Anyway, he wants to take her tonsils out and her adenoids too. I have to admit I panicked a little bit. He asked if I had any questions and my mind froze. I couldn't think of anything to ask. All I could think of was "No!" He sent in his nurse and I told her I wanted to talk to Kris about this before making any decisions or setting up any appointments. As I was driving to my next errand, I called Kris and told him. He sounded ready to sign her up. We still need to sit down and really talk about it but I'm inclined to get a second opinion. Yes, there is sleep apnea in our family (Grandpa Dan has a CPAP machine even) and yes, we've heard her do the stop breathing thing but general anesthesia and surgery? I was hoping the ENT would say let's give it a little time to see if as she grows her tonsils aren't as big relative to her throat or something. Ugh. No. I don't want my baby to hurt. I think I'll call the pediatrician's office on Wednesday, tell them what the ENT said and ask what they think and probably then go get a second opinion from another ENT. Anyone out there have experience with this? I could really use some personal experience!

James is feeling under the weather. Tonight his temperature was almost 101F when taken orally. And he's been sleeping on and off since 1pm this afternoon. He's down again now and I'm afraid what this night will bring us sleep wise. I gave him some infant motrin to hopefully help the poor guy out some. His nose is like a leaky faucet right now too. I don't know if he and Annika are sharing the same cold/virus right now or if he's teething or what. Now that I think about it Annika took a nap yesterday (odd for her) and fell asleep at 4:30pm today and is still sleeping now. Maybe it is a virus running through them both. Right in time for holiday celebrations! Great! Either we can go and risk getting all the other tons of kids sick or we can stay home and miss everything - wow! What great options! Not. I guess we'll be re-assessing again tomorrow.

Dagur is feeling more at home I think. Yesterday and today he's been barking at people, dogs and cars that get too close (according to him) to our house. Apparently the sidewalk outside is off limits to others. You've been warned. And tonight when James woke up crying he came upstairs and into James' room to check things out. Then he made himself comfortable and laid down by the crib. He likes us! He really likes us!

Things are going very well with Dagur at home. He is just a wonderful addition to our family. He is so tolerant of the kids and as he heals from his surgery, he is showing more energy and personality. He is just such a good boy! He doesn't bark or jump on people and the kids have pulled/tweaked/poked everywhere on him (obviously with teaching and discipline from us) with minimal reaction from him. He can be a little stinker though too. He must have been allowed on furniture in his former home because Monday night as soon as Kris left for work, Dagur jumped up on the couch and got cozy. I first took a picture (because how cute!) and then called Kris and we agreed we don't want him on the furniture. So, I hauled him off and showed him his dog bed. He sat down on it but as soon as I sat back down to finish my dinner, he was up and sitting on the other side of the couch. So I made him get down and back to his bed. He slept there for a while. Later in the evening I was sitting on the couch while the kids played with toys in front of me. Dagur woke up, looked over to the couch and saw me sitting there and then walked over to the recliner and climbed up and sat down. Goofball! So I made him get down off that and he walked back over to the couch. No, No, No! Finally he gave up and laid down behind the couch on the floor for another long snooze. Last night he again tried to get up on the couch and I shooed him off again.

The kids have really taken to him too. Annika adores him. Monday night she had to give him a kiss and hug goodnight on her way upstairs. Tuesday night she woke up during the night crying and asking for Dagur. And last night she woke up and Daddy asked if she would like Dagur to sleep in her room. So when I woke up this morning I found Dagur and Annika sleeping in Annika's bed! (she at the head, he at the foot, both curled up nice and cozy) I'd say we're all adjusting nicely.

Last night James waved bye-bye to me! He only did it once and wouldn't repeat it on command after that of course, but he did it!

I've been working on this post for almost a week now. I'll try and catch up to today. Bear with me as this will be a long one.

The funeral Friday afternoon (12/7) was a lovely service. Uncle Dusty gave a very touching eulogy as did a family friend. Great Nana will be missed but I'm glad she has been reunited with Great Papa. The funeral also brought the whole family together again. It was nice to reconnect with some people we don't get to see very often. Annika had a great time playing with her 1st cousins once removed as well.

Saturday was a big day for Annika and James! It was Santa Day! We drove to the Mall of America and caught the light rail train headed for downtown. It would have been faster and shorter to just drive downtown but Kris wanted to give Annika the treat of riding on the train. She was so excited too. When we boarded she sat down on her seat and just glowed. Her eyes lit up and when we started moving she was so giggly and bouncy. Each time a train passed by us on the other tracks she would exclaim "Mommy! A train!" And then she would count "That's 3 trains Mommy!" or "That's 4 trains Mommy!" When we arrived downtown we were only a couple blocks away from Macy's where we were meeting Nana, Papa, Auntie Carrie and Uncle Adam. After lunch and some shopping we headed to the 8th floor to see the Nutcracker display. And after that it was Santa time! I helped Annika up on Santa's lap where she immediately clammed up. That girl was not talking to him for anything! She was so shy! It was as if she couldn't believe he was really there! So, I sat down next to her and asked if she would like me to tell Santa what she wanted. She said yes and I did. Santa asked her a question and without looking at him she just shook her head yes. Then we took the picture quick and that was it! We did a bunch more shopping that afternoon both at Macy's and then the Mall of America. It was pretty cute when Annika pulled Papa all around the Nordstrom Rack looking for red shoes for herself. That's my girl! Into shoes already!

Then last week started out normally. Until Tuesday when Gramme called to say Great Grandpa had taken a turn for the worse and they didn't expect him to last much longer. I went over Tuesday night to visit with him and say my good-byes and Wednesday morning Gramme called to tell me he had passed away. I am so glad I was able to see him one last time.

Friday I had the day off so Kris and I and the kids spent most of the day out and about. We did a bunch of Christmas shopping and then headed down to Fariboult and purchased ourselves a big family Christmas present - a new dog!

Isn't he cute! He's a 2 year old boxer male. Kris and the kids are picking him up today after his vet appointment to be neutered. We are naming him Dagur, who is the Norse God for daytime/sun. We figured with all the sadness of the last few weeks and the happiness that Dagur will bring our family that daytime/sun is a perfect name for him.

Saturday was my grandfather's funeral. Just like Great Nana's funeral, this one was also a lovely service. There were many touching moments, like the presentation of the flag to my grandmother and the involvement of most of the grandchildren in the service. And the wake beforehand was a nice relaxed time to see all the family gathered and the pictures displayed too. My grandmother seemed to hold up pretty well throughout. I'm hoping today is not too hard for her. It's her first real day alone as yesterday more family gathered around her.

Yesterday was more shopping, both for Christmas and for Dagur. We got him a new dog bed, dog food, dog treats, dog leash, dog collar...yeah, we're pretty excited for him to come home!

I've been bad about taking pictures of the kids and posting here lately. I hope to do better starting today. It's time to make new habits! I don't want to lose the cute things the kids say and do as life speeds by.

My posting here is getting worse and worse. I know it's getting bad when Kris comments on my lack of posting. There is always so much to say and yet I run out of time to say it. As you've probably gathered, Kris lost his grandmother last Saturday. She was such a wonderful lady. She was so warm and loving, always with a smile on her face. She will be missed so much. Today is her wake and tomorrow the funeral. It's going to be a very sad couple of days.

Sunday we put up our Christmas tree and decorated the house. Annika helped pick out which ornaments to put on the tree and where they should go. Until she got bored of course and then I finished on my own. She is quite the little rascal sometimes. Last Saturday she told me to "suck it." I hid my astonishment, anger and laughing and asked where she got that from. Once again it was from a movie or something. We certainly don't talk like that in our house. I explained to her that that was not a very nice thing to say and she hasn't said it yet. Did I tell you about when she said "I'm not scared of you!" a couple weeks ago? That was thanks to the Jungle Book movie. She hasn't repeated that again either. She was battling a bug earlier this week too. Tuesday night she fell asleep in my lap at 5:30pm while running a light fever. And Monday night she was complaining her head hurt and wanted some ice to put on it. I'm wondering if her sinuses werent bothering her actually. We've all had colds for a week or two now. She's on the mend though and so are the rest of us I think.

James is a walking machine now. He can walk all the way across the house, squat down to pick up toys, pivot and turn directions while walking, etc. It's so fun to see him make such progress. I think he's trying to figure out "kisses" now. He'll put his mouth on mine but of course his is wide open when he plants it on me. It won't be too long though before he starts puckering! I think it's time to start working on the bye-bye move. He's got clapping down and the sign for milk, I'm sure he can learn bye-bye.