A Very Merry and Healthy! Christmas


After going through so many health issues with my babies this year, I decided it would be fun to have a low-key family get-together. I scheduled a tree trimming party for this past Saturday, with cheesy carol singing, and yummy eats. Unfortunately, the weather had other plans and we got 9 inches of snow. So, no one could get here. Boo.


We tried to make the best of it, and I started decorating the tree, hoping that Gideon and Lucia would join in. Alex had the camera ready, trying to capture unforgettable family moments. Sigh.


First of all, forgive my weirdo hair. Here, Lucia looks like she is trying to help mommy. Awww...so sweet. In reality, she is whining because I took the ornament away from her.
We had Spanish Christmas carols playing. Here I am shaking my groove thing.

Here is Lucia, shaking hers.

A totally staged shot of Gideon being interested in an ornament. He got some Swedish Fish after.

When they were born, we got ornaments for them at the mall. This is Gideon's.

Here I am, trying to show Gideon his ornament, and waiting for him to be SUPER EXCITED about it. I am still waiting.


This is Lucia's ornament.

That's what I'm talking about! Who's my girl?

Hey, who's manly arms are those?



All of this festivity, came on the heels of a really hard time for the Soto family. Most of you know that Gideon was in the hospital for nine days with double pneumonia, and the H1N1 virus. However, not to be left out, Lucia was also in the hospital recently for a possible seizure episode.

Here is my brave boy. Smiling through his oxygen tubes.
He is the sweatiest child. Guess who he gets it from? One guess: he has manly arms.
This is in the playroom of the hospital. Once Gideon was out of isolation, we went there to play. I challenged these to girls to a Jenga throwdown. I am awesome at Jenga. They never had a chance.

This is Lucia on her the first "day", since we technically were admitted at 2 am. She had her head wrapped up so she wouldn't pull the wires out. They glued wires to her head, to monitor her brain waves.


Here is she in her own sleeper. She was a very popular girl in the unit. All the nurses loved her.


Let me tell you, staying at Hackensack Medical during the holidays is a must-do. We got visited by a major league soccer player, and a whole mess of NJ Devils. Also, a couple of groups came by and gave out toys to the sick children. She got a Fisher Price tea set, and a stuffed puppy.

The following are videos on our tree trimming night. You only have to watch these if you are family. I don't want to crush your dreams that I have perfect and lovely children.