Bed Rest

*This was written so long ago, I don't remember when. I honestly can't remember if I wrote it before or after Gibson was born. I know I never finished it, but I figured a year after I went on hospital bed rest was as good a time as any to finish it up.*

In the last post I wrote (before Will's), I mentioned planning to take a bag of clothes with me to my doctor's appointment in case I had to stay at the hospital. Unfortunately, it ended up being a wise decision.

The appointment was late afternoon on Thursday, December 19th. The cervix check revealed that it was now 1.3 cm and down to 9 mm with pressure. At only 31.3 weeks pregnant, that was not a good thing. My doctor said I would not be going home until I was 34 weeks pregnant, and that I needed to go straight to labor and delivery to get a 24-hour dose of magnesium to ward off labor. I wasn't actually in labor at all, had never felt a contraction, but I was going to be put on it just in case.

When the three of us walked into L&D, the nurse gave Liam a big brother sticker. I know she was just being nice, but it kind of freaked me out a little. In my room, I prepared for a full day of laying in bed with an IV drip. It was after 5 pm by then, and Liam was fussy, so I had no choice but to face it alone. The nurse told me all about how horrible magnesium is for some people...how it can make you feel like you're burning, how you can't focus your eyes, or lift your arms. Lovely. I was hooked up to the monitor because Gibson's heart rate needed to be monitored the entire time I was on the mag. Of course, they also monitored me for contractions. I was set up with an IV, only the second one I've ever had. Then I experienced several things for the first time. The absolute worse thing was the catheter. It was necessary for two reasons: since mag is a muscle relaxer, after awhile I would not have been able to walk to the bathroom, and since the mag leaves your body through urine, the nurses had to keep track of my output and make sure my kidneys were functioning properly. I worried about that catheter for at least the first six hours. I could feel it, and the fact that I was trapped in the bed really freaked me out. The ONLY thing I wanted to do was get up and go to the bathroom.

Once I was prepped and hooked up with too many monitors and tubes, they finally started the mag drip. For the first 20 minutes, you get a big dose, and then it is tapered back to the steady dose you receive the rest of the time. During that 20 minutes, I did feel really hot and I could feel the mag going through my body. Thankfully, after that 20 minutes was over, the hot flash went away and I settled in to face the next 23 hours and 40 minutes ahead of me. I was hungry, but you can't eat on mag because it slows down digestion too much. I ended up  going about 30 hours with only one bite of food. I was allowed to drink water the entire time, though. Liquids were encouraged.

On mag, the nurse comes in every hour to check on you, and it's not just asking if you're ok. I was asked the same four questions about contractions and any other out of the ordinary pains. My reflexes were checked, my lungs were listened to, and my urine output was measured. My blood pressure was taken every 15 minutes automatically, so the cuff stayed on. Sleeping wasn't an option. I was uncomfortable in the bed, but moving was hard. I still made the nurse move me every hour, though. For the first 8 or so hours, I was doing ok and could still read and watch TV. I was extremely tired, but couldn't sleep. The nurse coming in meant another hour had passed. When the sun came up, I was about halfway through the treatment. I told the nurse I really wanted some food, so she actually brought a breakfast tray to me. I took one small bite of egg, and my mouth felt dry and so heavy chewing, that I was scared I would choke. So I didn't try to eat any more food.

At some point in the morning, my whole body started feeling heavy and I couldn't really keep my eyes open. When they were open, I couldn't focus them. So I just laid there in the dark, not asleep but not awake for the next 8 or so hours. Around 5 pm, the nurse came in and told me my doctor had given orders to take me off the mag two hours early! I couldn't really move, but I was so happy. I had survived. I was told monitoring picked up a few contractions, but nothing steady or painful. I definitely didn't feel them.

I had to stay in the bed for another couple of hours after coming off the mag to make sure I was recovering properly. They finally unhooked all the cords and tubes from me and called for transport to take me up to my room in the antepartum wing of the hospital. I wasn't allowed to stand up by myself at that point, and I realized why when I had to move from the bed to the wheelchair. My legs worked, but they were weak and tingly once I put pressure on them. I would've fallen down for sure without help. It was now Friday night, Liam was at Parent's Night Out at church, and Will came to visit me just as I was arriving at my new temporary home. That night, I was just so happy to not be on mag anymore, and I was ecstatic that I could walk to the bathroom on my own. I wasn't really thinking about the fact that I wouldn't be going home anytime soon.

It became more real when Will left for the night. I slept pretty well that night since it had been awhile. The buttons on my bed didn't work, and I discovered bright flashing lights on it when I finally turned the lights off. That resulted in three different nurses coming in to fix it, all of them unable to do so. I switched rooms the next day (Saturday), also to a bed that didn't work properly. So then on Monday, I was switched to yet another room, this one with a view of South Dallas, and that was where I lived for the next 15 days.

Unless I was up to go to the bathroom, shower, or down the hall getting an ultrasound, I was laying in the bed at all times. I left the room just three times while I was there, only to get weekly ultrasounds. I loved ultrasound day because it meant I got to leave the room and that I wouldn't have to be monitored that day. Every other day consisted of two NST monitoring sessions to check on Gibson's heart rate and to see if I was having contractions. I learned very quickly how to read the monitors. Gibson had to have two heart accelerations while on the monitor. If he accomplished that in 20 minutes, then we got to get off the monitor. Sometimes he would be asleep and it would take longer to have the accelerations. Several times I had to wake him up by drinking juice, shaking him a little, or playing some Beatles music for him. Thankfully, though, most of the time he cooperated and had great accelerations. After a few days of being there, a monitoring session picked up a contraction. I didn't feel it, but I saw the line go up on the graph, so I tensed up even more. I only had one, which the nurse said was fine and no big deal. Then the next monitoring session picked up one (just one) as well. After that, I developed a small fear of the monitoring sessions. It was silly, but I was so scared it would tell me I was in labor (without feeling it, ha!) and that I would have to get on magnesium again, which I really, really wanted to avoid.

For the rest of my time there, the monitoring sessions would occasionally pick up a contraction. It was always just one and never one I could feel. I still felt anxiety each time the pink and blue belts were wrapped around me. But I was able to pass every session without going back downstairs for more mag. Whew! I looked at my Bible app one day when I was stressing about monitoring, and this was the verse of the day: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10. How perfect! After that, I started reciting that verse in my head when I started feeling anxious. It helped so much. Then I got a card from the prayer ministry at church and it had this very same verse in it. I was meant to know that verse while in the hospital.

*This part is new and was written today, 12/19/14.*

Overall, my weeks in the antepartum unit were very uneventful. The days were boring for the most part. Will and Liam came to visit most days, and I had a few visits from friends as well. I spent Christmas and New Years in my hospital bed. I caught glimpses of fireworks in the distance out my window on New Year's Eve. I was awakened every morning around 6:00 a.m. to be given a pill, which would be followed shortly by a resident coming to ask me how I was doing. They never skipped a day. I watched all of Freaks and Geeks. I played too much Candy Crush and watched music videos on the tablet. I read books and ate hospital food for my 3 meals. I got lonely. I cried sometimes. I wish I could have seen and talked to some other women in the antepartum unit, but we were all confined to our beds.

Will would bring a Christmas present for Liam each day when they came to visit around Christmas so I could see him open them. Thankfully, he was too young to realize he wasn't having a proper Christmas. He did start to expect a present every time he came to see me, though. Oops!

The time passed fairly quickly, and at 34 weeks, I had a final ultrasound to check the length of my cervix. The length had stabilized thankfully, and I was allowed to go home on January 4th. I still stayed on strict bed rest at home until Gibson was born on January 26th. Life actually became easier for us after I had him because I could get up and do stuff and didn't have to be taken care of completely by Will. A year later, I can say all the bed rest was completely worth it!

One Year Ago

Last year on September 3rd, I was 16 weeks pregnant and expecting identical twins. We didn't yet know if they were girls or boys, but I had a strong feeling they were boys. At my 13 week appointment, my doctor (not a trained ultrasound technician) had done a quick ultrasound on a portable machine. Both twins were alive and well and the same size. They both had great, strong heartbeats and were interacting with each other. However, she became concerned that she couldn't see a membrane separating them. We already knew they were sharing a placenta, but also sharing just one amniotic sac is highly dangerous as there is always a chance their umbilical cords could become tangled, resulting in the death of both twins. So I had been anxious for 3 whole weeks, worried that they were mono mono twins and therefore had a low chance for survival. In ultrasound pictures from 9 weeks, I could see something that looked like a membrane in between them. I sent the picture to other moms of identical twins, and they agreed it looked like a membrane. I was obsessing over it for 3 long weeks.

The next day, we went in for the big gender reveal ultrasound. I won't go into the details, since I already wrote about this last year. The membrane was there, of course, but we were given the devastating news that one twin had passed away about a week earlier. September 4, 2013 is a day I will never forget.

The rest of the pregnancy was difficult. Not physically, really, as I was never in pain. September, October, and November had us going to what seemed like a massive amount of doctor appointments. I was having to see a high risk doctor in addition to my regular one. I had detailed ultrasounds on a weekly basis. On that day in September, we had named our twins Collin and Gibson and given them the same middle name. With each ultrasound, Gibson got bigger and bigger while Collin got smaller and smaller. He was still there, though, and would be until the birth. In December, I landed in the hospital on bed rest in order to make sure Gibson wouldn't be born too soon. And then on January 26, 2014, I gave birth to both boys, about 11 hours apart.

We'll always know there was supposed to be another child, one who looks exactly like Gibson. I wonder if Collin's personality would be similar to Gibson's. G is the sweetest baby I've met. He's a snuggler and a fun-loving guy. He laughs so easily. He's definitely more laid-back than Liam ever was. I miss Collin all the time and think about him nearly every day. But there's an occasional day where I don't think about him for whatever reason, probably from being extremely busy. Is that horrible? I know we would be completely fine having three children, but sometimes the thoughts creep in about how much harder it would probably be having three kids. I feel horrible for thinking that, and I know we'd survive, because what other choice would we have? I wish Collin was here with us, but I also know he wasn't meant to be here with us. Are we complete without him? Not technically, although I don't think we will have anymore children. So there's always lots of conflicting thoughts.

Here's what I do know, however. We will never pretend he didn't exist. Gibson will know he has a twin brother. Perhaps he'll even know without me having to tell him. After he passed, I got a really strong feeling that yellow is the color that's supposed to remind me of Collin. I know that sounds silly, and I've never before assigned a color to anyone, but it was just a very strong, clear feeling that I got. So I go with it. That's why Gibson is having a Yellow Submarine-themed first birthday party. I won't pretend I'm not excited about another Beatle-themed first birthday party, though!

So today is a tough day, but tomorrow will be fine. Remembering is always a good thing.


PS: Having two kids and working from home leaves very little time to blog. I have so many updates to write about Gibson. I really feel guilty that his life is not as documented as Liam's was. Of course, Liam doesn't get many updates these days either. Three months without posting is unacceptable, and I promise to not go that long again without blogging...hopefully.  

Liam at THREE Years Old

Seriously. That went by fast. Liam is three! He is no longer a toddler. He is an amazing child. As I write in every post about him, he's really smart. He loves to learn and asks me questions all the time. For awhile, he kept asking me all the time what kind of foods different animals ate. He is definitely Curious Liam. He loves to play with his many trains and imagine different scenarios for them. Usually one train is stuck and another has to help get him out. I love hearing his imaginative narration. He's very much into pretend play in general these days.

Of course his feisty personality is still in place. It wasn't just a twos thing after all, ha! Liam is not what I would call laid-back at all. He's quite demanding and as he says, "I want all that I want." I'd be lying if I said we hadn't given in to his demands just to avoid a very loud display of disappointment! Of course, this behavior usually presents itself when he is tired. Everything is the worst if he's tired or hungry. He definitely gets "hangry" sometimes, but will still turn down the many options for food he's being offered. Anyone with children knows firsthand you can't reason with a three year old, especially if conditions are not perfectly perfect. That's why blogs exist of children crying with captions of perfectly nice and reasonable things you did for them that still resulted in tears. I know I write about this aspect of Liam in pretty much every post about him, but I don't want to think back on these times many years from now and, having forgotten most of it, think he took it easy on us. That just isn't true! I want to remember the good and the bad. Even though I am mentioning the bad, Liam really is good the majority of the time. He still enjoys going to church for different things, and he behaves really well there. So I know he's capable of it!

Some of Liam's favorites:

Food: His favorite meal is definitely veggie "chicken" nuggets and broccoli with sauce (aka ketchup).  Every three year old loves chicken nuggets, right? He just gets the veggie version. Other favorite foods include PB&J sandwiches, breakfast time (which is oatmeal with pureed fruit and veggies mixed in. This is something he started eating a long time ago and he still likes it and it's easy to make, so therefore he still eats it.), cheese, yogurt, bananas, seaweed snacks, and any carb you can imagine. His favorite drink is water and that's pretty much the only liquid he will really drink. He doesn't like to drink milk or juice, but I will usually mix in some milk with his breakfast time.

Toys: He has quite the collection of wooden Thomas trains along with tracks. These are what he mostly plays with (if his room is clean and there's enough room to build a track!). Balls are also a fave these days, and he's gotten pretty good at throwing overhand and underhand. He's also starting to do well at catching balls, but that's a pretty recent thing. He's also decent at running and kicking a soccer ball at the same time. He finally got the play kitchen for his birthday (that we bought a year ago and never put together), so he likes to cook fruits and "begetables" too.

Activity: He loves to do art, whether it's painting with watercolors (the only paint allowed inside!) or drawing with crayons or markers. If he's freestyling, the art is definitely still abstract and he has to explain what he drew. But if I draw a picture for him to paint or color, he has started trying hard to stay in the lines and has also started coloring objects the color they should be. For example, he will paint a tree with green leaves and brown bark. His suns are always yellow, and his rainbows are all different colors (as they should be). Just a few months ago, he had no regard for correct colors. He's still a novice when it comes to scissors. We work on it regularly, and he's starting to get the hang of it, but he still wants to turn his hand upside down to cut or try holding the scissors with both hands, and he quickly realizes that won't work.

Person: I can easily say his favorite person these days is Gibson. For better or for worse, he always wants to be near Gibson. He loves hugging him and patting him on the head. He ends up getting a lot of warnings from us about being too close and smothery. He wants to play with Gibson's toys, lay beside him on the bed, and give him big hugs when he's in his bouncy seat. The love is definitely there; we just have to work on safe execution of displays of love. Liam will talk to Gibson as if he could respond. One day after Liam had to have a time out in his bed, he went over to Gibson and said (sadly), "Mama put me in the bed." He'll also tell him random stuff like, "I'm wearing a red shirt today, Gibson." He shows him his artwork as well. I love that he wants to include Gibson in his activities. He very much wants to play with Gibson, but that really just involves piling toys on top of him. Gibson seems to enjoy Liam as well. He usually gives him big grins, but sometimes he gives him concerned looks too! Liam has also gotten Gibson to laugh twice so far, which is the same number of times I've been able to get the elusive giggles out him as well!

Miscellaneous Favorites: playing outside in the dirt, playing with and talking about his friends (It's so awesome that he knows all their names and can remember details about them.), getting to watch TV (Lately he's been watching Go, Diego, Go and Little Pim Spanish videos.), eating treats like cake and donuts (very rare), putting together puzzles, reading books with mama or looking at the pictures and describing his version of what's happening, playing games on the tablet, and being helpful (He puts away his plastic dishes and cups from the dishwasher and is pretty good at retrieving items you ask him to get.)

Least Favorite Things: taking a nap, having to go to bed at night (although he'll typically sleep about 12 hours or more once he stops fighting it and goes to sleep), pretty much having to do anything that's NOT his idea, ha!

Skills:

-Counts 1-20 (still skipping 15), then says, "100, 0, 80." Sometimes he then goes back and counts 21-29, but he keeps going by saying, "20-10, 20-11, etc.)
-Counts 1-10 in Spanish (Thanks, Little Pim! We work with him on that too, though.)
-Can maneuver his fingers to hold up a number. This is easier with his right hand.
-Can count the correct number of objects in a group
-Sings the entire ABC song in the correct melody, warbling the LMNOP part
-Can write the letters L and I. This is a new skill we're working on
-Knows his full name and recognizes his name when it's written
-Can draw circles and lines, but not really any other shapes
-Can name plenty of shapes including square, circle, rectangle, diamond, oval, and star. He has trouble with the "gons" and usually calls them all "pixagons"
-Can stack block towers taller than his head
-Can jump with both feet off the ground
-Eats well with a spoon and fork
-Can drink from an open cup
-Speaks in sentences all the time
-Pretends to be different animals
-Can brush teeth, but we get a turn brushing them as well
-Can identify and name traits of many animals, including the sounds they make
-Correctly uses "this and that," and "here and there
-Can sort objects by size or color
-Knows all the normal colors
-Knows the difference between big and little, up and down, hot and cold, etc.
-Can pretend play and make up stories
-Knows our real names, but still calls us mama and daddy
-Can sing some songs from memory or makes up words to common melodies like Jingle Bells. He has his own version of Rick Rolling us where we ask him to sing a specific song and he busts out with "Ring Around the Rosy" even though that's not what we asked him to sing!

I'm sure there's more, but it's impossible to remember everything. Some of the skills we are currently working on or will be in the near future include potty training (I know it will be a disaster if it's not his idea, but I think he's close to being ready.), putting on and taking off clothes (still needs a little assistance), cutting with scissors, writing letters, and putting on and taking off shoes.

When he's upset (happens pretty often as he is quite the dramatic child), he will roar at us or sing the line, "Come again some other day!" Or scream. Yeah, that still happens. He will also run away, which is bad if we're in public!

I've been trying to write down funny things he says more and more. For Mother's Day, I got a Q&A book with a question a day to ask Liam for the next 3 years. He doesn't always understand some of the questions as I think it's meant for kids who are a little older, but I still try to get a response out of him. Here are a couple from the book:

What is the wildest thing you've ever done? I can turn into a roly poly. Like this. (on his back with feet on his face) Now turn me back into a boy.

If you could fly right now, where would you go? I can fly like a pigeon. I fly to get ice cream from the ice cream truck. (he's never gotten ice cream from an ice cream truck, btw.)

And some random quotes I happened to write down:

Wow, Gibson is growing up! (5-27-14)

I love piggy bank rides. (5-28-14)

(Waving his "magic wand") I will turn Gibson into a tomato! (5-30-14)

Me: Liam, where are you going? Liam: The wrong way. I'm going the wrong way. (5-30-14)

I want to jump in the TV so I can get some presents. (5-31-14) He talks a lot about wanting to jump into TV and books.

He's not a boy right now. He's a baby. (6-4-14)

His stats at his 3 year check up were 38 inches tall (50th percentile) and 32.6 pounds (50th percentile). So he is thoroughly average-sized.

The night before he turned three:

He's so beautiful. We joke that if could sit still and follow directions, he could be a child model!

These are some cell phone photos from the past couple of months. I need to do a photo shoot with him soon!

Gibson at Two (and a Half) Months Old

Gibson will be 11 weeks old in a couple of days. He is a sweet little guy and still a little snuggler.

He had his two month check up last week and these were his stats:

Weight: 12 pounds, 7 ounces (90th percentile)
Height: 24 inches (the sheet says 99th percentile, but I was told he was actually off the charts!)
Head Size: 16 inches (98th percentile)

He's a big baby! I'm wondering about the percentiles, though. I looked back at Liam's 2 month stats, and the weight and height are exactly the same, but they put him in the 75th percentile for weight and 80th percentile for height. Hmmm...It's a different doctor, but surely they use the same chart. It's pretty cool, though, that they were the same size at the same age. Liam's head was only 15 inches at 2 months, but he also had a large flat spot. I'm still not sure which way his eyes will go. In pictures, they look brown to me, but in person they are still bluish/gray. I want him to have brown eyes. He definitely has a darker complexion than Liam. He's not tan or anything, but I think he will have the ability to tan! Liam has porcelain white skin like I had, and I don't really tan. We think Gibson will end up looking more like Will. He has outgrown all newborn clothes, and wears mainly 3 month and 0-3 month stuff.

A couple of weeks ago, Gibson finally stopped sleeping on top of me at night. Since then, he divides his time between his crib and laying in the crook of my arm beside me in the bed. It's still not ideal, but I do have hope he will continue to sleep for longer stretches in his crib. I've definitely gotten used to having him close by, though. I usually wake up to sweet smiles from him.

In the past month, Gibson has started to do a whole lot of smiling! I'm the one who gets most of the smiles, and all I have to do is smile at him and his face will usually light up. Will and Liam get plenty of smiles too, though. I think I just spend more time face to face with him. I typically get lots of smiles when I change his diaper. No giggles yet, but he does make cooing noises. His first sound has been "agoo" just like Liam's was. Gibson is definitely vocalizing a lot more and does it in response of being spoken to, just because he feels like it, or if he's talking to his teddy bear. When he's upset (which isn't very often), his crying is a lot louder than it used to be. He has definitely been finding his voice this month.

Gibson does like his big brother, but I still have to keep them separated a lot because of Liam. By separated, I mean not touching, not in completely different rooms or something like that. I kind of wish Liam would just ignore Gibson a little bit more, but instead he wants to touch him and mess with him. A lot. Out of love. Out of disobedience to mama and daddy some too. When we try to get him to stop, Liam tries harder. Very frustrating. I tried letting him just see what he would do without interfering yesterday while Gibson was sitting in his bouncy chair. Liam lunged at Gibson and ended up hitting him on the belly. It made Gibson cry, but he stopped as soon as I picked him up, so I think it really just scared him. Still, these days nothing makes me angrier faster than Liam trying to get at Gibson. That's why Liam is getting his own baby doll (yes, a doll!) this week so I can tangibly teach him how to treat a baby. Hopefully that will help.

As a result of Liam's unpredictability, Gibson doesn't get to spend hardly any time at all on the floor. He would surely get trampled. He does tummy time in his crib, but hasn't gotten to play with many toys yet since Liam also tries to take those as well. Such is the life of a little brother, I guess.

I've taken both boys out by myself more this month, as in twice (as opposed to zero times). Both times went well and gave me confidence that I can handle it. Of course, when you have your second child, you realize just how easy a tiny baby is compared to when they become mobile and beyond. So yeah it's alright now because Gibson usually snoozes the whole time! In one day (actually in the span of only 3 hours), I took both boys to have their picture made, out to eat in an "estraunt," and to Gibson's two month appointment. It was exhausting, but everyone behaved.

Also this month, we went as a family to Day Out with Thomas (see previous post) but Gibson slept the entire time strapped to me in the wrap. Gibson and I also took a quick 12 hour trip to Louisiana so I could visit my dad in the hospital. My sweet friend Kelli babysat Gibson while I was at the hospital. He did great on the trip and slept the entire way there and back.

Gibson is still breastfeeding as much as he can and drinking formula to make up the difference. He does well with both and we're both still happy with the situation, and this time around I know that's the most important thing. Any day that he gets even one drop of breastmilk, I will count it as a victory. I can still count on one hand the number of times he has spit up since he was born. He likes to eat, and he belches like a 45 year old man. It's awesome. Gibson has also had eczema at times as well as the good ole cradle cap. Liam had and still has some eczema, which we found out was caused by a cat allergy. Gibson's may or may not be cause by the same thing.

This time around, I'm definitely enjoying this newborn/infant stage much more. I look at Gibson and thank God for him all the time. He is a blessing to our family for sure. At this point with Liam, we were in the middle of thrush, tummy troubles, and still being scared new parents. It's definitely easier and more enjoyable this time. I love having two sons!

Week Five:

Wearing pants accentuates the belly

Looking at Liam wondering what he's going to do next

First trip to Babies R Us

Gibson Flying (V)...guitar joke, guys

Five weeks old

Literally his most favorite place in the world. Literally

Week Six:

Hi there.

Getting messed with

Making eye contact with the camera

Six weeks old

Sleepy face

First family trip to Target (mid yawn). Not impressed.

Week Seven:

Starting to bust out of the newborn clothes

Giving the camera the stare-down

Seven weeks old

Handsome boy

Snoozin' on mama

Week Eight:

Daddy smooches

More snoozes on mama

Trying out our new double stroller. Thankfully Liam hasn't pulled that move while in motion

Had cradle cap between the eyes for awhile

Relaxing on the front porch. Attracted several neighbors.

Sleepy derp face

Sleeping in his crib. The pad is from a sleeper we have but he doesn't use (yet). He does like to lay on the warm, fuzzy pad though.

Liam is always messing with his toys

Eight weeks old

Gibson and Stig

Day Out with Thomas

Yesterday (March 28) all four of us went to Grapevine to an event called Day Out with Thomas. Liam has been OBSESSED with Thomas and his friends since last summer. Thomas only comes around once a year, so we had to wait until now for Liam to see his favorite train in person.

Trying to do anything fun with Liam these days is hit or miss. The likelihood of a meltdown that ruins the day is usually pretty high. We knew we couldn't pass up this opportunity, though, and decided the risk was worth it. We went on a Friday afternoon on purpose. That way it wouldn't be as crowded and the kids would mostly be preschool age since school would be in at the time. Our assumptions were correct, and a chance of rain made for a very sparse crowd.

We got to downtown Grapevine and parked within walking distance of the event. (I bet it's much crazier today on the weekend.) The event is set up like a small Thomas-themed fair. There was a tent with train tables for playing, an entertainer making balloon animals and singing, a large model train set up for viewing, a couple of fair food stands (think funnel cake and corn dogs), a petting zoo, and a small train ride. There was also a blacksmith working, but I think that is part of the vintage feel of the Grapevine rail depot and always there. Of course, there was also the full-sized train ride with Thomas at the front and a chance for kids to meet and have their picture taken with Sir Topham Hatt, the controller of the railway on the island of Sodor.

Walking up to the depot, we could see Thomas from across the street. Liam's eyes lit up and the huge smile on his face while he exclaimed, "It's Thomas!" was worth it all. He was seriously very happy to see Thomas.

Once we were in the event, the first place we went was the tent with lots of train tables set up. Real estate was valuable in this place and the toy trains were pretty much all taken. It was difficult for Liam to find a train to play with and a spot he was happy with. It was full of toddlers and preschoolers who haven't learned how to suppress the urge to grab something out of someone's hand if they see something they want. So Liam had trains taken right out of his hand twice (by the same girl!), and both times resulted in Liam screaming and running out of the tent crying. He has just recently started an extremely bad habit of running away if he gets upset, which is not good at all in a public situation. Will caught him and calmed him down, and Liam still wanted to play. Thankfully, he did find a couple of trains to play with that were not taken from him. The situation made me tense. Little kids are so grabby! Liam was definitely not the only kid having a tough time in there.

We finally convinced him to move on out of that tent, so we looked at the model train for a few minutes. Of course Liam was upset that he couldn't touch it. Pretty soon after that, it was time to get in line for our ride on the big train. Once we found our seats in the vintage coach, Liam started getting super squirmy. The only way to keep him seated was to give him snacks. I'm not sure if snacks were allowed, but they didn't tell us they weren't! Finally the train started moving down the track...slowly. The train ride goes about 10 minutes down the line and then goes back to the station. So you end up sitting backwards for half the ride. There wasn't much to look at on the ride: mainly just trees without leaves, some houses, and you can see the Gaylord Texan and Great Wolf Lodge off in the distance. Pretty underwhelming, but we were riding on Thomas! Unfortunately, I don't think Liam was impressed at all by it.

After the train ride, we walked over to get a closer look at Thomas. There was a line where you could get an "official" picture taken with Thomas, but we opted for just looking on from the side. Liam did not want his picture taken at that point. There were also some large pictures of trains set up, and I tried to get Liam to take a picture in front of one of them, but he wasn't into it. I think I got one of him just kicking the dirt in front of it. We then walked down to see Sir Topham Hatt. Liam and Will took a picture with him and Liam got a sticker. After that, we all took a ride on the little train set up on a grassy area, and looked at the petting zoo. We opted to not let Liam go in with the animals. Maybe next year!

The last thing for us to do there was visit the Thomas gift shop. They had Thomas everything! Liam immediately started grabbing items like he was on a Nickelodeon Super Toy Run in 1992. We reeled him back in and Will held him while we looked around. We ended up getting a 2 DVD set that came with two rare wooden trains for a great deal. We also got him a Day Out with Thomas freight car, but it's a 2012 model so it was really cheap!

All in all, we had a fun time at Day Out with Thomas. There was minimal whining and complaining from Liam, but he wasn't really enthusiastic about it all either (except for the first sighting of Thomas and all the merch!). It was still worth going. If Liam is still into Thomas next year, we may very well go again. I'd say we could skip the real train ride (which isn't cheap) and just go to the event (which is free), but I'm sure once we got there, he would insist on riding the train! I'm marking this one in the success column.

Right after the awesome reaction to his first sight of Thomas

Cranky the Crane in block form

Waiting in line for the train

Family photo taken by "The Conductor"

Not wanting to take a picture with Thomas

Not wanting to have his picture taken here

Literally kicking the dirt

Sir Topham Hatt

Riding the little train