Holiday Ups and Downs

We've had quite an emotional holiday season this year, full of the happiest and saddest kinds of moments. Christmas was absolutely wonderful and everything I hoped for, while New Years Eve was scary and difficult as we dealt with Tahlia's first illness, which was a real doozy.

Mom and Dad arrived just before Christmas and saw Tahlia again for the first time since she was practically newborn. It was great watching them all bond again. Tahlia took to Mom pretty quickly (maybe because she remembered all the songs she used to sing when Mom was staying with us this Spring). But she was really cautious around Dad for the first week or so. Wherever he went, her eyes stayed on him, and she would approach him so sloooowly, to touch his moustache or pet his head, but if when he tried to hold her she'd startle as if to say "Woah, I haven't figured you out yet mister!"

I think this photo is a terrific example of their relationship at the beginning of the visit (check out the look she is giving Dad):

Then Christmas itself was really wonderful. On Christmas Eve, we all went over to the Gradys' house for a potluck dinner and presents. A great time was had by all. And Christmas morning was even better! Tahlia seemed to really enjoy opening up her presents. Here's the tree and the gifts before we tore into everything:

And here we are helping her open up her present from Grandpa and Grandma (or maybe Nana, we haven't decided on Mom's official title yet), then playing with a new toy.

Then Mom and Dad cooked us a beautiful Christmas dinner, complete with a turkey (a la Larry) and ALL the fixings (a la Jenny). We ate and ate and ate! Really, it was the perfect Christmas.

Then disaster struck! The day after Christmas I came down with a really nasty stomach virus, and a few days later Tahlia caught it too. She was unable to keep anything down, even pedialyte, and after a few days was dehydrated and hypoglycemic, so we took her to the ER for some IV fluids. This was the morning of New Year's Eve. It was just so traumatic to see her so sick and helpless, but the people at the hospital did a great job of getting her back on track.

As of right now (day 5) we are not totally out of the woods yet, but we're hopeful that a good night's sleep will have a good effect on her and that she will keep everything down today. Tahlia had never been sick before in her life, not even a little cold. So, we're a bit shellshocked right now. These last few days really reminded me of when she was newborn, holding her all day and night, counting wet diapers, keeping the house quiet for her. But it also feels like we've bonded with her even more than before, and it's made me appreciate her normal boundless energy.

She should be waking up soon, and we will see what this day brings. Hopefully she'll be feeling great and the virus will just be a memory soon.