The Higgins Family: The House of Higgins: November 29

Thanksgiving Week in Austin

After I posted the blog last Sunday I got on the road to Austin to go surprise my sister Tomi who's been living in Australia for 11 months. I wasn't even pregnant with Todd when she left! She thought we were coming in town the day before Thanksgiving so it was so fun to surprise her at my parents house Sunday afternoon! The kids did amazing on the three hour drive! Of course, Todd was asleep for 90 minutes and woke up within minutes after Embry fell asleep, but she stayed zonked when I pulled into a parking lot to nurse T for 20 min.

We were also able to spend Monday afternoon and evening with Kiki and E-Pa before they left town for Thanksgiving. It was the first year they weren't going to be in Austin, so it was good to spend time with them before they hit the road. They also hosted a sip-n-see for friends to come meet Todd and see Embry.

We spent the next few days hanging with family and friends and the kids getting a lot of good cousin time.

We had a scare Wednesday night. Todd had been fine all day and when I put him to bed around 7:45 I told Tomi that he had started coughing while he was eating and it sounded scary. Within 15 minutes he was awake doing a very barky cough and I got him back down. Five minutes later he was back up and making me so nervous I called my mom upstairs. She thought we needed to take him to the ER and I agreed. She said in all her years raising four kids she never heard a baby sound like that. It was scary. We went downtown to Dell Children's Hospital and shockingly it was empty. We got there about 9pm and were seen quickly. The doctor had a baby born one day before Todd (and he was shocked that Todd was only 9 weeks old, haha) so he seemed to take extra interest in us. The doctor diagnosed Todd with croup but was worried that babies as young as him don't usually get it. They did a chest x-ray to make sure that his lungs were clear and they were, thank God. Poor guy was awake most of the time there in the ER, but was quite the trooper. They gave him a steroid to help open up his airways and honestly after they gave him the medicine around 11:30 pm, we never heard the scary cough again. We were home by midnight and rolled in right when Jacob was getting into town. Always something with my kids!

Thanksgiving was a nice, relaxing day. The past 6 years we've had to rush between both families so although we missed Jacob's family, it was nice to have one meal and stay in one place, especially with a sick baby. =(

Friday we spent the day at the Harts house like we did last year and went to see Santa in their neighborhood. For the first time Embry didn't cry! BUT, she was very nervous! Sweet girl. Todd was unphased ;) I'm thinking we'll have a crying baby again next year. Hah.

Saturday we had a great visit with Great Grandma Gordon and Jacob's dad and family before we left town Saturday night to head home. We've learned we don't travel the Sunday after Thanksgiving and we made great time Saturday night. We left right at 7 and both kids conked out immediately and slept the whole time! Hooray!

Last morning with Daddy

First nap at Mimi and Papa's house

Meeting Great Grandma Gordon

Embry's tree at Kiki and E-Pa's house

Triplets =)

Snoozing during the sip-n-see

Playing with E-Pa

Waiting for James to give him her craft

Karly and Greyson came for a visit =)

Major heart eyes for Uncle James

Mimi didn't have any luck giving Toddy the bottle.....

Neither did Gramma Great

Playing with Gramma and Grampa Great

Sweetest siblings! One of my fave pics!

Mimi and Gramma Great chatting with T Boy

Papa and E watching a bedtime show

Papa putting Embry to bed in her "special room" (Blow up mattress in a closet which she LOVED)

More crafts!

Putting on a show for Lucy!

Embry and Ford having a ball

Living the good life at Mimi and Papa's..... chicken nuggets in a bowl watching Bubble Guppies

Ford Sandwich!

The Fanning Grands!

T meeting some of my besties! Ali and Rebecca

Emergency room with Mimi =(

Conked out after his chest x-ray

Feeling good the next morning

She played play doh about 50 times during the week...

Mimi and Papa with their grands

Gramma Great and Grampa Great and their great grands!

Our family =)

Baby Todd and Papa Todd!

Loving Gramma Great

I mean...it really doesn't get cuter?!?!?

Todder Todder!

Smiling at Aunt Tomi

Talking to Papa

Watching Tomi and James do iFly

Dinner at Great Grandma Gordon's House

Grandma Gordon had a belated birthday party for Embry! So fun!

The Higgins =)

Embry- "I want to take a picture with Kayce"

The girls

Christmas Tree Decorating

True to our family tradition, we got our Christmas tree today at Home Depot! It was pouring all morning but we still decided to brave the weather and we made the whole ordeal last a whole 5 minutes. I can already tell this Christmas is going to be one of the most magical ones. Embry is at the perfect age for all things Christmas. We got the tree right before lunch so we told her we'd decorate it later. The second she woke up from her nap she asked "is it time to make the tree pretty?" She was SO fun picking out ornaments, asking about each one, and hanging them up (all in one spot), Hah!