Now what do I have to talk about?

I have had today's blog topic planned out since last Friday when Natalie's friend Hannah and her mother Antonia invited us over for a play date. I thought that for sure an extended outing to an unfamiliar house with all three of my girls would provide more than enough fodder for a nice long post. I thought it had the potential to elicit laughter or sympathy or maybe a bit of both. So, here it is.....

Everything went well. The end.

Exciting, huh?

I guess I should be very happy with the way the play date went. The girls were on their best behavior. Natalie was respectful and polite. They had a great time playing Barbies and Polly Pockets and dress up and the only problem I ever witnessed was when Hannah didn't really want to give Natalie a turn on her bike. Completely understandable. Natalie didn't yell or cry, she just asked Antonia if maybe she could help her get a turn. Vanessa had a great time playing in the living room while the two older girls ran around the house. She wanted to follow them but listened to me when I said I didn't want her going up and down the stairs. She did take a face-plant in the backyard, but was fine. She cried a little and then shunned my offering of comfort, instead going to Antonia and having her kiss her owie all better. I guess even kisses feel better when presented with an English accent (they are from London originally). Allison slept.

We left with many promises to the girls to do it again soon and lots of waves and yells goodbye out the window. All in all it was entirely successful. Just not very entertaining to read about!

A good day.

It is an absolutely gorgeous day. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and my two little hooligans are running wild in the backyard. It is a warm seventy degrees and we are enjoying every last minute of it. I am sitting on the back deck, barefoot, drinking this day in. Let's put it this way, if this day were vodka I would probably be drunk-dialing you right about now. It is just that good.

My older girls couldn't wait to get outside and run. I tortured them by making them eat lunch first and then opened the door. Out they went, hair flying behind them, the sound of little girl giggles filling the air. The were FREE!!! Free to run and climb and swing and slide! Their glee was contagious and suddenly I found myself sitting here grinning like a fool. Because I was just happy. Happy to have such a nice day and such nice kids.

Natalie automatically went to her "castle". The castle is actually a Little Tikes play gym with three levels, a tunnel, and two slides. I'm sure if we had boys we would refer to it as the fort or the hideout or the Playboy Mansion, but here in our land of all things girl it is the Princess Castle. We bought it from a friend of a friend when Natalie was still toddling about on shaky, unsure legs. It was a great deal and I knew if we didn't jump on it then we would be shelling out major money for one some day. I was SO right. It is THE place to be in our backyard for the under six set.

Vanessa ran to the castle too, but not to pretend to be rescued from the dragon by a prince who saw her true inner beauty like her big sister. No, she was headed to her favorite new outside adventure. Sliding. It is the same routine every time. Run like crazy to the castle, climb up until she gets to the very top, and then sit at the top of the slide for awhile trying to work up the courage to go down. She doesn't want help and I have learned not to squat at the bottom to catch her because what I will really catch is an earful of toddler language that I'm pretty sure translates into "I CAN DO IT WOMAN!! NOW STEP AWAY FROM THE SLIDE!!" After a while she scoots forward enough that there is no turning back and she has to go down. Whoosh. Down she goes, lands on her butt, hops up, brushes off her pants and starts the whole process over again. Except after that first time there is no hesitation. It is just climbing up and sliding down. Oh, and a whole lot of prideful laughter.

It is days like this that make me yearn for the Spring. It makes me ready for weeks of warm temps, not just days. We do live in Kansas however, and another cold front is on it's way. I was talking to my best friend on the phone today and she was lamenting more cold weather and wishing she was back living in Arizona where winter never comes. But I am glad our seasons change. It makes us appreciate when the weather is nice. It is like if we were never sad how would we know to be thankful we were happy? Winter makes us thankful for Spring. I am ready to be thankful.

What I really meant to write about today....or.... why it's probably a good thing Natalie is not my youngest child.

On the way to the dentist this morning my five-year-old informed that she was going to go back for her exam by herself. I mean, after all, she IS a big girl now. The way my heart broke when she made that request gave me a glimpse of the future and the way I will feel when she grabs the keys, demands some spending money, and rides off into the sunset with a greasy teenage boy. The situations might be different, the growing up is not.

I was weary of her going back by herself. A couple of weeks ago she had to have a cavity filled (her one and only) and I sat in a chair beside her trying not to cry as they put the bubble gum scented mask on her nose to "relax" her and shot her in the mouth with numb juice. I kept asking her if she was comfortable, if she was nervous at all, if she needed anything. I was trying to put on a brave face for her while at the same time making sure she knew it was okay to be scared. She humored me for a while, telling me she was fine and patting my hand. Then she just got annoyed and informed me in no uncertain terms that she was trying to watch the episode of Sponge Bob that was playing on the TV on the ceiling and could I please just move to the side a bit so she could see.

So I wasn't at all surprised that she wasn't feeling any trepidation about this trip to the dentist. She was actually somewhat bummed when I told her it was just a cleaning and she wouldn't be wearing the funny nose. But I was surprised that she wanted to face it alone. I don't even like going to the dentist alone. I explained to her that if at any time she felt like she needed me with her she was to tell the dentist to come and get me and I would be right there. She humored me again with the hand pat and the head tilt of understanding and then waited for her name to be called. When the dental assistant came out for her I instinctively grabbed my purse and stood up. But she was up and through the door before I even had the chance to move. So I sat back down like the obedient Mama I am and waited.

I love the dentist she goes to. They allow parents to be a part of the procedures, which when researching different offices I realized is not the norm. It is a very open floor plan so when you walk in you can see the main room where the regular cleanings and check-ups occur. Everything is just very inviting and not at all as scary as the pediatric dentist I went to when I was a kid where you were completely separated from your parents the minute you walked into the doors. But, you know, my kid would have probably liked that.

Anyway, while I was out in the waiting room thumbing through an outdated copy of Sports Illustrated I kept standing up to peek back at my child. There she was, laying in the chair with her mouth open wide and her hands sweetly folded on her tummy. She didn't look scared. In fact, she looked down-right comfortable lounging there, watching the TV above her head and having her saliva sucked out with a mini-vacuum. She never asked anyone to come get me.
Finally, when the check-up was complete the receptionist motioned me in. Natalie was already at the appointment counter picking out her toothbrush and prize and telling anyone who would listen about how she didn't really floss all that much. She got a glowing report, on her teeth and her personality. They all gushed about how sweet she was. How polite. What a big girl she was getting to be. I hugged her tight (and she hugged me back because she isn't THAT big yet) and told her how extremely proud I was of her.

As we walked out of the dentist office she exclaimed loudly about how much fun that was. The other mothers looked at me with a mixture of shock and jealousy and I just took her hand and smiled. Because this is my kid. And that won't change no matter how big she gets.

Just something I was sitting here thinking about

I was talking to a friend the other day who was planning on getting a new wedding ring. The one she has is on the small side and since she was married ten years ago her tastes have changed. She was excited to be picking one out that had some size and some sparkle to it.
I understand having a small ring. When Larry and I got engaged we weren't exactly rolling in the dough. In fact, we were lucky to be eating dough. So my ring is not super big. It is not super extravagant. It is a single diamond solitaire engagement ring attached to a thin diamond and gold wedding band. And I love it more then any piece of jewelry I have ever seen.
I just don't understand getting a new wedding ring. I makes no sense to me. I am all for getting new jewelery, even new diamond rings. Since we have been married Larry has given me two other diamond rings and I love them both. But they are not my wedding ring. My wedding ring is what it is because Larry gave it to me when we stood up in front of all our friends and family and promised each other forever. My wedding ring is what it is because I wore it every single day until I got pregnant and my hand swelled so much that it got too tight. My wedding ring is what it is because when Natalie admires it she says with such love that Daddy gave that to Mommy at our wedding a long, long, long time ago.
I am not saying a new ring couldn't be special or that it wouldn't grow to become a part of me like the one I have now has. I am not saying it is wrong for people to want a big new diamond ring when they come to the point in their lives they can afford what they couldn't before. I am just saying it's not for me. If I do, at some point, get the ring of my dreams you won't hear me complaining. But it will have to settle on a less important digit because my left ring finger is taken.

Not exactly what I had in mind

Nat: "Hey, Mom! You wanna come play with Nessa and me?"

Me: "Sure. What are we playing?"

Nat: "House."

Me: "Do you want me to be the Mommy?"

Nat: "No, you be the chair."

A happy little update.

I feel like all I talk about lately are my kids and their various states of sick. So to break up that monotony here is something about a kid that has nothing to do with snot, vomit, coughing, medicines, or lack of sleep!

Allison rolled over today!!! I had just changed the little squirts diaper and she was happily cooing on the floor. I let her hang out down there for a while because who am I to disturb a baby when she is happy? I was attending to the never-ending needs of my other two children when I looked down and there was Allie on her tummy. It took me a moment to process the fact that when I last saw her she was on her back and now she definitely was not. She turned towards me and lifted her head up as far as she could and gave me the biggest, cheesiest grin ever. You could tell how proud she was of this new found talent. The big girls and I got down beside Allie and went on and on about how big of a girl she was now and how cool her new trick was. She just grinned and grinned.

And now for the baby book that I keep swearing that I will update: Allison rolled from back to front on 2-16-09, two days after her three month birthday and in the middle of a nasty case of RSV.

I really don't think I'm ready for my baby to be hitting these big milestones quite yet. Stay small Allie Cat. Don't grow up too quick on me!

Still sick

I'm tired. Really, really tired. Allison is still sick. She has a snotty nose, watery eyes, and the worst cough I have ever heard a baby her age have. Last night was tough. She threw up twice and couldn't sleep unless we were sitting straight up. So back to the doctor we went this morning.
He said it still presents itself as RSV. We discussed going back to the hospital to do another test to make sure, but since we would treat it the same if it was RSV or another virus we decided not to. We did start breathing treatments here at home to see if that would help. They just delivered the nebulizer an hour ago and we set it up and gave Allie a dose. She didn't like it that much but was a trooper through the whole process. It is just sad to see a three-month-old with a tiny mask strapped to her head.
So I am going to go now and try to keep my eyes open.

Just some stuff

We are back to Similac Sensitive formula for Allison. She just didn't seem to tolerate the other formulas well. She would pull off the bottle constantly and then was spitting up 100% more than before. So Mommy made an executive decision and we are back to what we started with. We're going to see how this goes and then decide the next step.
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I am working tomorrow....and I'm excited!! I am going to be a sub at the girls Children's Day Out program. Hopefully I can do the sub thing for now and then next fall become a regular teacher in one of the rooms. That is what I'm hoping for anyway. The director and I have talked a little about it. When Natalie heard that I was going to be there tomorrow she said, "My Mom a teacher?" and then burst out laughing. Thanks for the vote of confidence sweetie.
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Since I am going to be subbing tomorrow the girls all get to go to CDO twice in one week. This would be exciting on a regular week, but it is even better since it is Valentine's party week. They got to have parties on Monday in their regular classes, they get to have another tomorrow, and then Nat has her class party Friday in Pre-K.
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I love yoga. We recently got the My Fitness Coach game for Wii. One of the workouts is yoga and I started with that since I didn't think I should be jumping right into cardio. I want to loose weight and all but I would rather do it without having a heart attack. I lost three pounds in the first week and a half. But then my monthly visitor arrived (if you know what I mean) and I lost all motivation to work out and gained a ridiculous amount of motivation to eat everything in sight. I haven't weighed lately, but my guess is those three pounds are back! I have to get back on my schedule. This is probably the best time of all to do yoga. It feels so good to stretch everything out and just concentrate on breathing.
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I guess that's about it for today. Maybe tomorrow I will actually post something that is interesting and makes sense!

a picture that made me smile.

Happy Birthday Brady!!

Saturday was my nephew Brayden's first birthday party!Natalie and Brayden!

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Loving him some cake.

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Loving her some cake.

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The little girl cousins. Vanessa, 1; Hailey, 2; Natalie, 5

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"Come on guys, we need to ring around the rosey!!" Natalie attempting to get two toddlers to do what she wants them to.

And yes, Natalie did dress herself today. Cute boots, huh?

Trying something else.

Allison has been congested since birth. I'm not exaggerating there. Since birth. She has had a permanent stuffed up nose. For the most part it doesn't seem to bother her. But when it begins to interfere with her ability to eat (especially when she was able to nurse) or sleep she turns into one pissy little baby. I would too if I were her.

I first noticed it in the hospital before we even brought her home for the first time. I asked the nurse and the doctor why her breathing seemed so obstructed. I was told that because she was born so quickly (that is a story for another day) that she hadn't had time in the birth canal to clear things out like babies normally do. Ok, good enough for me. But a week later when we went in for a weight check I commented that she was still stuffed up. He checked her and decided that it wasn't in her lungs and other than sounding snorty she was fine. Ok, good enough for me again. Then a couple weeks later we went back for another check up. She still had a deep, phlegm filled rasp to her breathing. It was again determined that it was not in her lungs at all. It was staying up in her head. The doctor thought maybe it was a sinus infection that wouldn't go away so she was put on her first prescription of antibiotics. She was on them for a while when my older girls brought home a nasty cold from school that we all got. I took the baby back to the doctor and told him that I really couldn't be sure if the medicine had worked at all because we all got sick again so quickly after she completed it. And she was still very congested. We went to another more all-encompassing antibiotic. She hated this one with the fire of a thousand hells. I would squeeze it in and it would ooze back out. She made the cutest little scrunched up face that told me her thoughts without a word. I gave it to her as well as I could. Still no change.

Then the doctor thought it might be a case of reflux. I told him she wasn't really big on the whole spitting up thing and she didn't cry a lot like she was in pain. He said it might be manifesting itself in other ways, like stuffing up her baby nose. So after another check to see if anything sounded anything less than perfect in her lungs (negative) we were told to go the soy formula and see if that worked. First, let me say that formula smells gross. Soy formula, however, smells gross on a completely higher level. This stuff made me almost puke going in my baby or coming out. REVOLTING!!!! And she started spitting up more than ever. And her congestion didn't change. So it was time for another call to the doctor.

In just a minute I am heading out to pick up a different formula to try. This one is hypoallergenic. It is for babies who are allergic to the proteins in milk or soy based formulas. I guess it is not all that common to have that allergy. Many babies with colic are given this particular formula. My baby cries sometimes but not on any level close to colic. So we will try this because I will try anything at this point. I just want Allie to be happy and able to eat and sleep and breathe without any trouble. In a way I hope this fixes it and it and in a way I don't want her to have any food allergies that she has to deal with the rest of her life. Wish us luck.

For all my fellow American housewives

I stumbled across this song by SheDaisy the other day. I am not a big SheDaisy fan, but I LOVE, LOVE these lyrics!!!

Look at me, I'm gorgeous in my housecoat with my coffee cup
I bend to get the paper, every neighbors tryin' to check me out
Look at me, I'm lovely as I wave beside my Minivan
Look at how my diamonds seem to sparkle on the garbage can

God bless the American housewife(How she does it all I'll never know)
God bless the American housewife(She could use a miracle for sure)
God bless the American housewife(Cleanin' up the world for you and me)
God bless the American housewife

Look at how my children play commando in the Cul-de-sac
Look at how my husband has survived another heart attack
Look at all the other mothers envious of all my things
Have to call the plumber 'cause my daughter flushed my wedding ring

God bless the American housewife(How she does it all I'll never know)
God bless the American housewife(She could use a miracle for sure)
God bless the American housewife(Cleanin' up the world for you and me)
God bless the American housewife

Look at me, I'm beautiful and glamorous in rubber gloves
Look how my tiara can be bent back to the shape it was
I can do the laundry and make dinner while I'm on the phone
Look at me, I'm sexy as the devil when I mow the lawn

God bless the American housewife(How she does it all I'll never know)
God bless the American housewife(She could use a miracle for sure)
God bless the American housewife(Cleanin' up the world for you and me)
God bless the American housewife