Moving Right Along.

Today I took Scarlett back to the doctor for her mysterious stomach pain. We think we finally have the problem of high acidity solved!  Basically heartburn/reflux/etc.  of the sort.  She's on prevacid for at least the next two weeks. If it solves the problem she will probably continue on it regularly for a period of time.  If the problem is not solved she will be referred to a specialist.  Other than that, Scarlett's been a happy, healthy bouncy, full of energy, two year old!

Lane's doing great.  Crawling everywhere.  Pulling up to standing.  Not quite stable enough to stand on his own but he does like the supported standing.  He likes to take steps when we hold his hands but again is extremely wobbly!  We just moved him to his own bedroom 3 nights ago.  He seems to be doing well. I can't believe he will be 10 months in a week.  He's growing so fast.  And he can wear anywhere from 12 - 18 month clothes!

Rassie's been doing well in his rehabilitaion.  Walking with a cane and without a cane sometimes.  He's making such progress and I am so proud of him.  You can check out his blog over at Wishes For Rassie.

Babysitting tomorrow, The zoo on Thursday and my moms 50th on Saturday!  Enjoy your week

I feel just awful!

Come to find out, Scarlett never had a UTI or a bacterial infection!   Somewhere between getting her to go potty in the cup we contaminated her pee.  We did everything as right as we could. Washing hands and using the wipe to clean her up first!  But she was not having it.  She didn't want to go to the bathroom. She kepttrying to put her hands down there an drying to pull up her pants.  Needless to say she didn't need the shot.  Which is what I feel the worst about. And she didn't need the antibiotics so we have stopped them. 

Scarlett and Lane did however have a virus.  This is where both of their fevers came from and the blisters in their throats.  They are both doing much better. They have been free from tylenol and motrin since Sunday. Or I should say Sunday they took their last dose.    They've both been eating and drinking great with no complaints on their mouths hurting.

Bad news, Scarlett still complains of her stomach and back hurting.  The doctor called us personally Monday.  If she continues to complain he will see her again by Friday.  So far, she has only complained on Monday.  I am a little concerned though. This complaint has been going on for a while.  It's not every day. It's not always every other day.  But it's always a few times a week at least.  There are times she complains and then goes on to play and other times where she curls up on the couch and you know she really doesn't feel good.   This will just be an issue we have keep pushing. The big thing right now is to push when she's hurting because they're more likely to find something then, then when she's not hurting.

As for everything else? The house is a mess. The yard still isn't finished.  The pipe to the washing machine isn't draining right. We've tried snaking it a few times and using some other thing. There was no luck at first but I think we finally got it.  Well, at least I hope we did because a plumber does not fit into our budget right now! UGH!!!!   Oh, we had a spider outbreak. They're always bad in the spring but holy moly they were everywhere!  We sprayed the house and haven't seen anything but dead ones since! And the poor rolly polly's :(  They're dead all over the front porch now. I have to sweep almost everyday.

We missed our little mini day vacation last week but I am hoping we can get away soon!  Oh, Rassie and I had a date night a few weeks ago.  It was really nice to get out and have dinner without the kids..lol I honestly forgot what it felt like to go to dinner and movie kid free. I don't think we've had an actual date night since before Scarlett was born!  I mean I've left her with my family during the day for appointments, work, things like that but it's different when its just for relaxing!

My kids are saying "FEED ME" so I guess I better get!  God Bless

BUSY WEEK

Monday started out with a well baby visit and all kids healthy.

Tuesday Scarlett came down with a fever and spent the better half of the day on the couch.

Wednesday I took Scarlett to the doctor to find out she had a UTI and bacterial infection.  She got a shot and was put on antibiotics.

Thursday Scarlett complained of her mouth hurting and Lane came down with a fever.  Found blisters in the back of both their throats.

Friday led to the third pediatric doctors appointment of the week and a diagnosis of something in the hand/foot/mouth disesase family. (sorry, I can't pronounce it there's no way I can try to spell it!)

Rassie had physical therapy Monday and what was supposed to be Wednesday was moved to Thursday since I had to take Scarlett in and the appointments overlapped. Rassie also had an appointment first thing Friday morning.  

We were supposed to take a day trip to San Antonio Thursday but obviously didn't make it.  The kids were too miserable and it would have made for an awful trip.   I know we'll eventually make it somewhere. 

I spent the better half of the week spending my time on the couch holding babies because that's what they wanted (and needed) to do.  I needed it too after several exhausting nights averaging 2-3 hours of sleep and running on fumes.

I'll have to give a better update on how everyone has been doing at a later time.  This was just a quicky to say  "I'm STILL HERE!"   I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. 

God Bless & Good Night

Getting There

I think the kids are just about there!  Scarlett's cough is just about gone.  She hasn't had to take anymore meds for 2 days now.  Lane's got worse and now is getting better.  He went from a dry cough and allergy symtpoms to the same thing Scarlett had.  Luckily we didn't have to take him in for an appointment.  We called the pedi and he suggested a smaller dose of Scarlett's med for Lane.  I gave him 1 dose last night and 1 dose tonight.  That's all it's taken and he's doing great! 

Scarlett has been on her iron for 2 1/2 days now.  So far she's doing great and hasn't experienced any side effects.  Today we went ahead and introduced Benefiber for Children into her diet.  I know how iron can be and I wanted to take precautions since she is on such a high dose .  I've also been pushing the fluids. I lowered her milk intake to about 6 oz a day for now.  I've noticed an increase in Scarlett's appetite too.  She's been eating more at mealtimes and telling me "I need something eat" in between. Her pedi said this would probably happen.

Lane is getting closer to crawling.  I've actually seen some forward movement today.  He can't seem to get his hands and knees moving together though.  It's so cute to watch him.  He either moves his hands forwards and not his legs or moves his knees all the way up to his hands and lays down then reaches forward.  Lane has also learned to sit himself up by himself.  I knew this day would come.  He loves to sit up and play but we've been laying him on the floor instead to help him learn to crawl.  But since he's discovered he can sit himself up thats the position we keep finding him in!  He's such a stinker.

Scarlett's making progress on potty training!  She's been doing great during the day for a while now. But now she's doing great during the night as well.  For about 2 weeks she has woken up dry every morning.  And during the night if she needs to go she calls out for me to take her and then goes back to bed.  So we made a very big move yesterday and she wore her first pull up to bed!  I figured the pull ups are alot easier then trying to reuse diapers and the tape wearing out.  Scarlett was very excited about her pull ups and since they all run about the same price we let her pick out the ones she wanted.  She went with Huggies & their Disney Princess ones.

I am slowly making progress on my yard.  I got it mowed this week.  Started on the dog run but I ran out of gas.  So I started weed eating, ran out of gas!  I started clearing clover and weeds out of my flower beds and ran out of momentum when the mosquitoes got out of hand!

Trying to make progress on the house too.  Today I dropped off several bags of clothing at the Ronald McDonald drop. Tomorrow I have to cut a hole in the wall :-/  Somewhere between the laundry room and the garage closet there is a water leak when I run the washer and it flood the closet floor.  I discovered this when I went to clean the garage closet and found a mildew box spring that now has to be thrown out.  And I have to get on the ball because I can't do laundry until I fix the leak.

I am hoping that Saturday I can take the day off and we will just relax all day at home as a family.  Maybe grill hot dogs and hamburgers, play outside and end the day with a movie! If the kids weren't getting over being sick I would get a sitter but I just can't do that to my babies this week.  Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Friday!  God Bless

IRON

Scarlett took her first does of ICAR tonight.  She threw a fit about taking it.  She's been on a medication for her cough and it's got a bad after taste.  She was afraid thats what I was giving her.  But the ICAR is grape flavored. It actually smells really good and I tasted a drop, it's not bad.  Hopefully tomorrow she'll do better. If not I might mix it with a swallow of juice and drink it from a little dixie cup.  I think that will intrigue her.

 I am really hoping this iron isn't too harsh on her system. But any of us who needed extra iron while prengnat know what it can do to you. Nausea, hard stools, the works!  We're going out to get her Benefiber for kids in the morning. Oddly I couldn't find it at Walgreens or CVS but a friend said they buy it at Target so looks like we'll be making a pit stop there.  I'm also trying to up her water intake and fiber into her diet period. 

We also have to get on a good breakfast/lunch/supper schedule.   Since she has to take it twice a day and I have to work it out so that she doesn't get her milk allowance within 2 hours of taking it I have to be careful.  I have been working on phasing morning milk out so I think we're good there.  But she likes a cup of milk before she brushes her teeth and goes to bed so she would have to take it and eat by 6!

After all the fuss over the ICAR it is an over the counter rx but even the doctor thought it was supposed to be scrip only.  The higher doses are prescribed but our insurance doesn't cover it period.  CVS made us mad and we switched to Walgreens.  They quoted us $25 a bottle vs. $30. I thought that was great.  Went to pick it up and it was $36 a bottle and because the doctor had actually written a script they tried to sell us all 5 bottles needed at once for a total of about $169.  They refused to break it up for us, I couldn't pay that much today and so I walked out.  We ended up at the Scott & White hospital pharmacy and it was only $27 and they had it in stock!!! They didn't have to order woo hoo!  Even better, the pharmacy tech who checked me out thought I was an S&W employee.  I even told her I didn't work at the hospital but she insisted on giving me the employee discount anyways.  I ended up only having to pay $17 and she said to come back to her next month and she would help out with the discount again.   I thought that was super nice of her. 

I could go on somemore but my little man just woke up crying. He's still not feeling well. Poor little man.  So I'm off to get him from daddy and see if I can't get him back to sleep.  G'night. Dream Sweet.

Exhausted!

I am so exhausted. I haven't have a full nights sleep in I don't know how long!  Lane goes through phases of sleeping through the night or waking up once for a bottle.  And Scarlett goes through phases of sleeping through the night and waking up for random reasons.  But lately Scarlett's been sick, Lane's been teething and I just can't get any rest!  Tomorrow will be one week since Scarlett started on meds for her cough.  It has gotten better but she still has it.  I'm expecting a phone call from the pedi tomorrow so I'm going to ask what he thinks.  I am just thankful that it is getting better and she's actually sleeping at night  for the most part now because those first few nights were just awful.  Speaking of the pedi calling, we're are actually waiting to hear back on if he can prescribe a different iron supplement for Scarlett.  He prescribed ICAR which is a name brand and supposed to be really good but its also $30 a bottle and we need 5 bottles.  BUT, if he really feels she needs this specific one then we will dish out the money because I would rather my Sweet Pea build her iron up where it needs to be than end up in the hospital with a blood transfusion.  We have gone around and around with the pharmacy and insurance this weekend over this ICAR.  Because of the high dosage you can only get it by prescription but the insurance will not cover it because they say it is over the counter.  Come to find out CVS did not send the dosage through.  So we got that all taken care of only to find out the insurance only covers the pill or chewable forms of ICAR and Scarlett has been prescribed the liquid form. Go figure.  The pedi was out sick today so we couldn't ask our questions about trying a chewable or possibly a generic brand.  We decided we would go ahead and start Scarlett on the first bottle of ICAR to get the iron in her system and get started only to find out that no pharmacy in town keeps it stocked on their shelves and it has to be ordered.  We also called Walgreens and had them get with CVS to transfer her RX over because I was so tired of their rude customer service.  Walgreens should have it by noon tomorrow for us.

Last night, Lane was restless most of the night.  I ended up having to put him in bed with me.  And then I can't sleep because Rassie moves way too much so I can't get to sleep good knowing that I have to keep an eye on Lane and Rassie and make sure they don't cross paths.  Lane had a little bit of a dry cough last night and some today but he also sneezed all day and had red, watery eyes.  I do not think he has the same thing as Scarlett. I really feel that he has allergies.  But on top of that he's teething.  2 teeth are coming in for sure because the tips have broke through the gums.  But I really think there are a total of 4 coming in.  I can feel the hard rounded spots where the teeth are and when I touch there he seems to be sensitive to it.  So tonight after I put him to bed and he started to get restless I gave him a 1/2 dose of tylenol to see how that works for a while. 

With the kids being  under the weather we missed having their pictures taken on Friday.  My aunt works at a daycare and invited us up to have their pictures done but with no sleep Thrusday night and waking up to Scarlett coughing her little head off by 6 am we decided not to go.  We also missed my nephews opening day baseball game Saturday.  He made a homerun and their team won! I am so proud of him. We stayed in Sunday as well.  Today we finally got outside, played, got some fresh air and I mowed the lawn and did a little other yard work.  Rassie took the kids out to swing and play while I did the front yard and then we put them both down for a nap while I mowed the back yard.  We went back out tonight to sit on the swing while Scarlett played on the slide but the mosquitos were just awful so we ended up back inside. Note to self: Buy citronella for the yard! I hate the smell, but whatever works right?  The house is still a mess but improving slowly.  I know one day this weekend all I did was lay around onthe couch and bed with Scarlett while she coughed and slept, was puny and slept, coughed some more, slept.  It was just a continuous cycle.  That day Rassie spent with Lane.  We traded off every now and then but Scarlett wanted her mommy most of the day.

I am so ready for both of my babies to be back up to parr.  Hoping Tuesday will be this weeks Monday and we'll get off to a fresh start and a great day.   Enjoy the rest of your week!  God Bless & Good Night

My Milk-O-Holic

I learned that my sweet little girl Scarlett is a milk-o-holic. Wednesday she was complaining of her stomach hurting again. This time she balled up on the couch and cried. I felt just awful so I called and got yet another appointment.  On top of that she had a horrible cough and congestion thing going on.  Once again her pedi ruled out any problems with the herniated umblical.  He also did a urine analysis that came back normal.  He had a CBC drawn on her.  I was so proud of her. I was really worried about how she would react to giving blood but she didn't even flinch when they did the stick.  We had 2 wonderful ladies.  Scarlett is anemic. And much to my surprise it was due to too much milk.  Scarlett drinks milk like its going out of style.  I can rarely get her to drink anything else.  Now I am only allowed to give her 12 oz or less a day.  As babies/children get older they are no longer able to digest milk as well and too much milk can cause adverse affects such as stomach cramping and anemia.   They tend to see this alot in little ones who love their milk.  I feel so awful like I should have known better.  But now I do and we can fix the problems.  I am really hoping the milk was the cause of her stomach hurting so much lately.  As for the anemia, she is now on 3ml of liquid iron 2 x a day for the next 3 months.  They are going to recheck her labs in 3 weeks to see how things are progressing.

As for the cough and congestion, her pedi prescribed a decongestant. He said because of her anemia it is easier for her to get infections and it always seems like she has a respiratory virus going on.  The past few nights have been pretty sleepless.  The meds seem to be working but at the same time Scarlett has coughing spells where she coughs until she throws up all the phlegm.  Along with getting everything messy and having to clean up it really upsets her.  She cries and cries because she doesn't understand what happen and just keeps asking "why I spit up?"   Yesterday I held her most of the day while she just laid there and rested or slept.  Today she felt alot better but still had a couple coughing spells.  No more fever though. Thank God.  So far tonight, she's in bed and I've heard no coughing.  I also didn't give her milk before bedtime because it's thick and can irritate all the phlegm.  I just want her to get over it and feel better. I wish I could take all her misery away and I would take her place in a heartbeat if I could.

Lane has been pretty fussy latelyt too. Cutting 2 teeth! One of the two nights Scarlett has been up Lane was too.  Thankfully today he wasn't fussy and didn't even need tylenol.  He was a slobber king though!

Say a prayer that my two babies feel better soon. Scarlett to get over being sick and Lane to cut his teeth quickly with less fuss.   G'night and Sweet dreams!

EASTER

We had a wonderful Easter.  We were invited to two Easter parties.  The first one was on Saturday. We were invited by family but it was thrown by an aunt on the other side of her family so yeah.  But it was fun.  It was at Gatti's.  Daddy and Scarlett loaded up on pizza and goodies.   Both Lane and Scarlett got lots of marshmallow treats and stuffed animals and Scarlett had a blast egg hunting.  She was so silly.  After the hunt was over she started throwing her eggs back in the yard so she could hunt again.  I guess I shouldn't have practiced with her like that ..lol but we used empty eggs when we practiced at home and the eggs the Easter Bunny hid has treats in them. That excited her.  Lane loved just playing with the Easter eggs in the grass.

Saturday night we made the Easter Bunny out of cupcakes and made confetti eggs. Which we forgot to take the eggs to Easter on Sunday so they're still on my kitchen counter all sad and lonely. 

Sunday we went to my mom and dad's.  The kids both enjoyed what turned out to be a beautiful day.  Worried after misty weather all morning, the wind blew and things dried up pretty good.  We had hot dogs and hamburgers with all the trimmings. Then the kids hunted eggs.  Scarlett again had a blast.  Lane enjoyed the day too after getting some tylenol in him.  He started cutting his 5th tooth (and today his 6th!) I think his favorite part was playing on a quilt in the yard.  Both of my kids LOVE being outdoors and I love that they love it.. :)  We tried to take pictures in the Bluebonnets but could only find a small bunch at my mom's.  I managed to get a few good pics of Scarlett before my camera died.  And a couple of Scarlett and Lane together with my camera phone. No good shots there though.  Scarlett didn't want Lane to sit by her and pushed him face first into the flowers.  After that I couldn't get either of them to look my way.  Oh well, we might try again sometime this weekend.

Overall, we had a wonderful Easter weekend!  And Rassie walked all day Easter Sunday using the walker. I think that was the best Easter gift of all!  Hope you enjoy the photos below.

Things are going pretty good. Keeping busy but at the same time things seem to be slowing down.  This is just a general post but I'll post about our Easter soon!

Rassie had his last physical therapy session Friday.  We're waiting for an approval to extend it but we all know how how worker's comp likes to play games.  Really hoping it doesn't take too long.  Rassie's doing really well in therapy and is even using the walker here at home.  We're waiting on a brace for him so he can do even more walking!

The kids are doing great.  Lane has passed the 2 month mark of rocking on his hands and knees.  Now he gets on his hands and toes and does perfect little push ups :)  He makes me smile.  I think I'm finally ready for him to just start crawling! The anticipation of the rocking for 2 months is about to kill me LOL.  At the same time I am not ready to have 2 mobile babies. 

Scarlett's doing well.  Boy is she miss attitude some days.  We're working on discipline and what works.  She seems to be listening a little better each day so I think we're finally on the right path.  I love how we talk to Scarlett now and have actual conversations with her.  Most of the time its just silly talk but I love it!   She has also invented a new word : WHOBODY.  It's a combination of who and somebody.  For some reason in her cute little head she has combined them and its "Whobody did this" and "Whobody did that".   I wouldn't change it for the world though.. Her other funny word: NAKIM (napkin) .  She says it so much that I caught myself saying nakim the other day and just couldn't get napkin out! HAHA  Life with toddlers. They rub off on you!

I did not weigh in on Friday.  On Thurday I was down 3 lbs since I first started so 1 lb this week.  But Friday I woke up with a visitor and decided there was no way I was stepping on the scale.  I weighed Monday and it wasn't pretty thanks to Easter.  I gained a lb back. GRRR!! That's ok.  I'm cracking back down now that Easter is over.  Yesterday I worked in the yard all afternoon and did the Wii Fit along with drinking TONS of water.  So it was a good start to a new week.

Enjoy your week as well!

Hives

Yesterday was a pretty normal day. We did the normal things. Ate the normal stuff and put the kids to bed at the normal time: 8 o'clock.  They had been bathed, lotioned and jammied up. Both were in perfect baby conditino.  

Around midnight Scarlett woke up fussing.  I layed in bed with her.  She just kept scratching and clawing.  I didn't think anything of it because sometimes she doesn't actually wake up and is dreaming. I usually just talk her back into a calm sleep.  I did manage to do that. I rubbed her belly and covered it back up with the cool sheets.  She seemed to go back into a calm and peaceful sleep and I slipped back into my own bed. 12:30 rolled around and she's clawing herself again.  I took the lotion with me this time.  I figure she just has one of those itches you can't get rid of and lotion is always soothing.  This time I noticed her tummy felt warm and in the dim light from the hallway it looked really red.  So I decided to turn on the light and investigate.  Her entire stomach was red and around her sides to her back was also.  She had what looked like big whelps.  Her ears were beat red from scratching Both arms had whelps and were red.  Then there were smaller red spots all over her. 

Being the concerned mommy that I am.  I threw on some clothes, put a jacket on Scarlett and wrapped her in a blanket and we headed to the ER.  Thank God it was Sunday night and they were empty.   We were immediately taken back and told she had broken out into hives from an allergic reaction.  The doctor said it was an odd looking rash and he wanted to send another doctor in to look at it.  Hours later a RESIDENT came in.  Told us that it was an allergic reaction to something she had eaten.  They were going to treat her with benadryl and oral steriods. Make sure she was doing ok and then send us on our way. 

I was really annoyed that we had to wait around until 2:15 in morning to see a resident.  It wasn't to get a second opinino at all.  It was because the doctor felt the resident needed to see a case of the hives.  Apparently rashes like this don't come in very often and we were used as a teaching aide.  I really think it was unnecessary to keep us for that purpose.  It's the middle of the night and Scarlett is 2 years old. There was no excuse.

Anyways, around 2:30 the nurse finally came in with the benadryl and steriods.  Then we had to wait around until 3 to make sure the meds were doing their job and be discharged.  I could already tell the meds were helping. And Scarlett was no longer itching and clawing. She was however, wide awake. She stayed awake the entire car ride home and spent about 5 minutes loving on her daddy when we got back.  She went right to sleep when I put her in bed and was up bright and early at 7:30.

We have no idea what broke her out.  I went through everything we ate yesterday and they are all things she has had for over a year.  Biscuits, sausage and eggs for breakfast.  PB&J for lunch.  Chicken and pasta for dinner.  Gold fish for snacks.  Milk and tea for drinks.  No clue! I'm just happy it wasn't worse.

The hives had cleared up by this morning. They started to come back when she got hot so we did all our playing indoors.  We have to follow up with her pedi in a few days. 

The back. You can't really see the whelps in the pictures.

Scarlett's thigh.  It started spreading down  her legs

The top of her arm and armpit were worse but she would let me take a pitcure from that angle.

Greatest Accomplishment

Each morning I wake up to the face of my sweet little babies and all I can think is "BEAUTIFUL ANGELS".   God has Blessed me with two of the most wonderful children a mother could want.  I think back to the days of freedom and fun and I just can't imagine my life without these two little miracles.  I am so Blessed.

I think back to the days when I first became a mother. How happy and complete I felt. Holding Scarlett in my arms for the first time was my proudest moment. She was so tiny.  I used to fall asleep with her on my chest.  Today she's 2 years old and stands3/4 of inch away from 3 ft. tall.  When she lays on my chest now I feel like I can't breathe!  The past two years with her have flown by so fast.

I think back to last July, when Scarlett became a big sister.  When I became a mother of two.  When holding Lane in my arms was my 2nd greatest accomplishment.  Like his big sister, Lane was tiny.  And once again I would fall asleep holding him on my chest.  Days were a little busier this time around because not only did I have an 18 month old but I now had a newborn!  God had once again Blessed me.  The past eight months with him have flown by so fast!

Motherhood is my greatest accomplishment by far.  I would not give it up for anything in the world.  Yes there are days of craziness.  Days I just want to scream, pull my hair out and lock myself in a room all at once!  Days where Scarlett is little miss drama queen and doesn't quit fussing when things don't go her way.  Days where Lane is so clingly and doesn't want to be put down and nothing gets accomplished.  Yet again, a lot gets accomplished.  Memories. Memories that I wouldnt trade for anything you could offer. Memories that make me the woman, wife and mother I am today.  Memories....

Thank you God, for Blessing me with such a wonderful and loving family.  Thank you for my husband, who loves and supports me.  Thank  you for my children, who bring a smile to my face at any given moment.  Thank you for giving me time to spend with them and memories to last a lifetime. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.  

      ~ Amen

Keeping Busy

We have kept pretty busy this week. Even threw in a few last minute appointments.  Along side of Rassie's MWF physical therapy. We added in an appointment for Scarlett to have her belly button checked out and her ears since they were hurting her also. Everything checked out Free and Clear.  We added in an appointment for Rassie because his ears and throat were hurting him!  His ear was a little red and inflamed so he was prescribed the good pink stuff, amoxacillon!  Then we threw in a dentist appointment because Rassie's tooth was killing him and we have to go back next week to get it fixed!  Not to mention all playing at the park, grocery shopping, bank, post office and other minor errands we had to run!

We had a playdate with some friends that I haven't seen in a while today.  Scarlett had a blast and ran herself ragged. That didn't help when it came to bedtime though.  It took an hour and a half before she fell asleep.  I am thinking on Monday we are going to have to initiate phase 2 of the CIO method.  I used this on her before and it worked perfect. But then again she was sleeping in a crib! Ever since we moved her to the twin we have had problems with Scarlett going to bed.  That is mostly my fault.  Since it was so new I layed with her the first few nights until she fell asleep and things just went down hill from there. Agh! We will get it worked out though. 

Speaking of Monday night.  I also plan on moving Lane to his own room.  He has been sleeping in my room since he was born.  He's already upgraded from bassinet to playpen. I move Scarlett out of my room at 6 months and here Lane is going on 8 months! So it's time.  I put it off for a while though because my brother has been living with us and that's the room he's been using.  He's not using it anymore.  Oh and since we're on the topic of Lane reaching the 8 month mark.  He has been rocking on his hands and knees for TWO MONTHS now! How crazy is that????? I love that my baby is taking his time at being a baby but 2 months and no improvement? It worries me just a little some days.  I know everything is ok though and I'm enjoying my time with my baby. 

One last update. I've lost 2 lbs since Monday! I usually weigh in Mondays but the Motivation Mondays group switched to Friday weigh ins and I'm trying to get switched over!  I am excited with my loss!  I haven't stuck to my goal of walking every morning but I have been taking the kids for a walk in the evenings instead.  And then I add in a little yard work on pretty days and the wii fit after the kids have gone to bed.  There was a little slacking on a few days this week and I didn't do as well as I could of. I am hoping to push myself just a little harder this coming week!  GL to all the others who are on the same path as me.

Good Night Everyone and enjoy your weekend.

Just Some Stuff.

So I officially weigh in tomorrow and then I need to switch to Friday's with the rest of the Motivation Monday people!  I don't feel like I did very good at all this past week.  I am hoping to crack down a little more with the start of the new week. One thing I really need to do is grocery shop.  Our cabinets are pretty bare which doesn't leave room for many healthy options. 

This week is already looking like a busy one.  We had our car into the dealership about a week ago for some repairs and recalls. One of the main reasons we took it in for was the spring in the door. It keeps popping out and its really annoying when the door won't stay open and you need it to. They didn't fix it!  And it is such a hassle to have to move around carseats from vehicle to vehicle. I absolutely hate having to do it. But they're supposed to be calling and setting up another appointment to bring our vehicle in.  I am a little irritated too because they are saying that this problem is covered by warranty but a loaner is not covered. Hello! We can't be left carless and stranded. Apparently they're working something out. We'll see. If not, we'll just claim to be car shopping and maybe they'll let us test drive a car for the night :)

Rassie has his physical therapy Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  It takes our entire morning. By the time I get everyone up, fed and dressed. It's time to grab the diaper bags and load everyone in the car. Then we're not out of there until around noon.  That's ok though. Anything for my honey to get better!

Scarlett's been complaining of her belly button hurting her. She had a herniated umblicial when she was younger.  It's healed up quite nicely and her pedi just checked it at her 2 yr well baby.  Everything seemed fine.  But on two different occasions now she has complained.  A few weeks ago she complained for a few days and then again this weekend she has complained at least one time each day.  So, better safe than sorry.  I want to make sure everything is where its supposed to be and A-OK!

Lane has been quite the fussy butt. He's a really good baby and happy most of the day. He's been really clingly lately though, wanting to be held and cuddled. Including at random times during the night! Rassie holds him to put him to sleep for nap and 'forgets' to put him down.  Well, Lane is now wanting to be held during the night when he sleeps and I just can't get good sleep having to do that.  So we're working on breaking that habit.  Lane is also cutting another tooth.  He's a little fussier at teething than Scarlett was.  But that's ok too, I know we'll get through it.  AND if you're wondering, my baby is still taking his sweet, precious time and not crawling.  I am savoring every minute of it though because I know once he takes off I will never be able to turn back the hands of time!

So I think that's about it!  Everyone enjoy the new week. Make it a great one!
God Bless & Good Night

Day 3!

So I told you all that I was starting a weightloss journey.  I'm 3 days in! WOO HOO.  hahaha.  I had a goal to walk every morning.  Monday, I mowed the yard instead of walking. I figure yard work is pretty strenuous and it evened out.  Tuesday, it was rainy all day. But I did make it to Wal-Mart and Lowe's and did lots of walking there.  Today is Wednesday, I had to have Rassie at PT by 11.  After being up all night with a gassy baby and the other one waking up at 6 I was pretty tired.  But I did walk the mall and plan on taking the kids for a walk later on this evening.   I feel like I'm off track already!  On a brighter note, I have been drinking only water with the exception of a glass of tea with dinner.  Eating healthier meals and cut off any food after 7pm.  If I have to have something I have fresh fruit, jello, or no butter popcorn.  Which I haven't been hungry after 7 yet so that's a plus!

Beautiful Days

Has everyone else been enjoying this beautiful weather as much as me??? Ok, so today isn't so beautiful with all the clouds and rain but I know, come mid summer, I will be begging for a day like this.  I got to work in the yard yesterday. I mowed the grass.  There was so much  more I wanted to do with the backyard and didn't get to but I have plenty of time to get to it. 

Everyone here seems to be doing pretty good.  I'm excited to report that Rassie has started physical therapy and has had 3 sessions so far.  I cannot wait to see what improvements he will make by the end of these 4 weeks to come!

Scarlett is as energetic as ever. Tickling the life out of me with her personality, attitude and little things she says.  They're not always the most appropriate things to repeat but I guess that just means Mommy & Daddy need to be a little more careful with what they say around her!  The other morning she told her daddy "I whoop your ass".  As much as we wanted to scold her we laughed.   Thank God she hasn't said it since. She has had a set back in potty learning.  This past weekend. she had several accidents. Including 4 in 1 day.   I have two ideas as to why this is happening.  1) she's too busy with playing to stop and potty and 2) she realized she was no longer getting a treat everytime she pottied.   We've started back with the treats and we've had 2 days with no accidents. 

Lane is my chunky monkey! I love him to death.  He's still rocking on all fours.  Scooting backwards.  Turning circles.  Rolling this way and that.  BUT he still refuses to crawl.  He's coming up on 8 months and still not crawling! Scarlett started walking at 9 months. LOL   I already know that Lane is going to be my little procrastinator.  Such a Ham!  He is babbling dadadadadada now.  Rassie loves this! No mamamama yet though.  And just this morning....he WAVED!  Scarlett told him "Goodbye, wave at me".  She waved at him and he waved back.  It melted my heart.   I'm kind of happy to report that he's a little slower at the crawling/walking stage.  This means he doesn't have to grow up as fast, right?  OH, he can sit up without support too!  He does get excited sometimes and falls over but that's to be expected. 

As for me, well I've decided once again that I need to lose some weight.  My first goal is a small one.  I'm starting out by focusing on the first 10-15 lbs.  If I can lose that I will have some motivation to keep going.  I should have started this sooner because summer is just around the corner.  But that's ok, it shouldn't matter what time of year it is.  I need to get my booty in gear!   I'm starting off my weigh in at 000 because I just don't want to share my real weight!  Maybe once I reach a reasonable goal I'll feel more comfortable about sharing.

Well. That's about it for now!  Hope everyone enjoys the beautiful spring weather that's been coming our way!

Life has been pretty good.  Things have calmed down around here somewhat. Still in need of a LONG vacation or even just a break.  Scarlett is doing great at potty trained and even has the poo poo in the potty down!   She rarely has accidents and when she does its because we don't make it to the potty fast enough and she starts to go but finishes in the potty.  I feel bad when this happens because she gets upset :(  .  Every morning she hollars from her room "I NEED POTTY".  No more sleeping in, not that 7:30 and earlier is sleeping in anyways. Haha!  Scarlett is such a character and has such a bright personality already.  I love her at this stage, it is so much fun.

Lane is doing pretty awesome too.  Still not crawling but he's scooting around and turning like crazy.  He gets up on his knees and rocks too.  I know it won't be long!  He babbles dadadadadada all the time now! It is so exciting.  His daddy and I always say mamamamama to him also.   He is eating most baby foods. He loves his food!  Well, except for green beans, he'll eat them but he's not too hot on 'em.  Lane has such a cute personality also.  He likes to do full belly baby laughs that melt my heart.  And I love how he snarls his nose and shows his 4 little baby teeth when he smiles!

Yesterday Lane had his very 1st snowday!  The first time Scarlett was introduced to snow (just a little) was when she was 6 weeks old.  Yesterday was the first time for a major snow.  Lane wasn't very enthused but we bundled him up and took him out so he could see the snow and his sister could play.   Scarlett was very much in love with the snow.  She told me it was a snowman and it was  Christmas time.  Her favorite things to do with the snow was to make snow balls and either eat them or throw them.  I think eating them was her most favorite though since she loves to eat ice.  Even Rassie went out with use.  We built 2 snowman.  After the 2nd one Scarlett told me she was freezing and so we came back in.  She got to play in the snow one last time this morning before it melted.  Our 2 snowmen is the only snow that managed to make it through the day and will probably last one more night before disappearing for good. 

I don't update often but I wanted to share a little! Hope everyone is doing well!

So, Scarlett has had an accident in 4 days, with the exception of tripping on the way to the bathroom and being unable to control her bladder. That truely was an accident, Bless her little heart. I felt so bad.  She has been doing great at pooping in the potty also.  We give her BIG treats when she does this. Like a whole popsicle instead of half, extra M&M's or specially themed stickers instead of just stars.   There's lots of cheering, clapping, hugs and kisses! And it makes her proud of herself.  I also show her "look you pooped in the potty" And then she flushes!  

Lane is doing great too.  He's starting to scoot backwards when he pushes up. And when he actually uses his legs to kick he ends up going sideways.  He manages to get up on his knees and head and sticks his butt in the air. I have a feeling it won't be long before he's crawling! So excited and sad at the same time but that's to be expected. 

Still haven't managed to get the house entirely cleaned. It's never ending with these 2 kiddos and a daddy who acts just like them :) By the time you finish one room and move on to the next the first room is already dirty again!

We finally got everything back to file taxes yesterday. All I have to say about that is that God was watching out for us and we should be able to catch up on everything and hopefully be worry free for a little bit. Hopefully things will start looking up with this and we'll be able to stay on the upside of things.

Last but not least, Ivy and her family are coming to visit at the end of the month and I am SUPER excited. I can't wait!

Zero, Nada, Zip

Short and sweet!  Scar had zero accidents today. She even pooped in the potty all on her own! So proud of her.

Potty Time is a Success!

I am so proud to say that Scarlett is doing excellent at potty training.  More so than I would have thought.  She is in panties ALL day long and she sleeps in a diaper at night.  Once we run out of nightly diapers we will try sleeping in panties with a plastic cover to see how she does. If it doesn't go well we will use pull ups for bedtime.   I am working on getting her off fluids at least 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime.   She has gone 4 days without having any accident at nap-time so I am hopeful for bedtime.  At first I was putting her in diapers for nap and then we tried the plastic cover over her panties for nap but decided we would try panties only.  She's done great and amazes me with each nap that passes with no accident.   She is very attached to "mommy's potty" though and doesn't like to go when we are not at home.  We have had 2 break throughs though.  She pooped in the potty here at home and she peed on the potty at the hospital yesterday and Grandma's today.   She is also starting to tell me when she needs to potty rather than me asking every 30 minutes.  I too am learning that when we leave the house and I put a plastic cover over her panties she's not afraid to pee in her panties because it prevents it from running down her legs. So no more plastic covers. Instead I put a towel on the seat of her carseat just in case.  So far no accidents in the car and so I pulled the towel out today!!!

Funny story (but not for Scar).   She told me yesterday she had to potty and I told her "Hurry! Run!" as I always do when we race for the bathroom.  She then proceeds to waddle with both her legs straight out and in a tearful little voice says " I can't run mommy ".  Bless her little heart she had already started to poop in her panties and was so upset because she couldn't run with me. I didn't know she had started yet. But at the same time it was the cutest thing ever. I did my best not to laugh because I didn't want to hurt her feelings. Instead I told her it was ok and helped her to the potty so she could finish.

Scar is getting to be such a big girl. I can't believe that just a week ago we started potty training! And today she turned 2!

I Can't Believe It

I can't believe that 2 years ago tomorrow I was at the hospital, in labor in delivery, getting ready to have the most beautiful baby girl I would ever lay eyes on.   These past two years have been amazing.  She has made me the happiest mommy in the entire world.   Watching her grow has shown me a whole new side to life, a life I could have never imagined in my wildest dreams.  I have loved watching Scarlett grow and change.  Seeing her for the first time, holding her, kissing her, dressing her for the first time, her first car ride home, the first night at home, her first home bath, smile, feeling her tiny fingers wrap around my one.  Lots of snuggles, hugs, kisses and lazy days just holding her close.  Growing up, turning over, crawling, taking steps and finally running!  Her first words.  The first time she said "mama" and really meant me and not some random baby gibber jabber.  Oh my! I could go on and on.   Here we are two years later.  No more bottles, No more paci (as of a few weeks ago) and diapers ONLY for bedtime.   I can't wrap my mind around how much she has grown and how quickly time has passed.  I love my little girl with my entire heart and nothing will every change that.   Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!!

On another note.  Lane is getting his 3rd and 4th teeth.  #3 is slightly poked through and you can see #4 and feel it right beneath the gums.  He will be 6 months on the 31st! 

Why must my babies grow so fast?!  I love you Scarlett & Lane.  Hugs & Kisses

Paci, Potty & Teeth

Scarlett is officially OFF the paci. I am so proud of her. It went alot smoother than I expected. We did have our grump, grouchy, don't mess with me days though.  And thanks to Holly and her story of the dog eating the paci Scarlett has been doing great!

Friday we started potty training.  Friday we had no success.  Saturday we had LOTS! She peed in the potty 4 times.  Today is Sunday and we only had 2 accidents.   One, because she is still scared to poop in the potty. I am sure we will get there though.

I am also proud to announce that Lane has not one but TWO teeth.  They are the cutest things ever and he is chewing on everything like a mad man!  He's actually doing very well with teething which doesn't surprise me because Scarlett was not a bad teether either.  I am also ecstatic to announce that Lane is ROLLING OVER!  Hip-hip-hooray!   I don't want my babies to grow up too fast but I thought this day would never come.  It took him 5 1/2 months but he finally hit a major milestone.  He rolls from back to front.  He would roll as long as he had your finger to hold, then he would use his toy bar and now he does it all on his own.  How proud of my little ham I am.

I am so happy and sad all at once.  Doodlebug will be 2 on the 22nd and my Ham will be 6 months on the 31st.  So many happy times, so many milestones, so many memories in such a short amount of time. 

Day 1 of No Paci

We took, or I should say 'I' took Scarlett's paci away today. I was going to do it Monday. But this morning she gave up her paci like nothing.  I knew she would do good during the day while she was awake. It was naps and bedtime I really worried about.  Nap went fairly well.  I guess that's because I felt awful about taking something so special to her away. I let her lay in my bed and watch the Jungle Book until she fell asleep.  It was still a fight. She asked for paci several times.  I just kept her distracting every time she asked. Lots of hug and love!  She did wake up a grump though.  She couldn't find her paci.  I offered her a popsicle instead. That made her happy and she went about her merry way.  Bedtime was a completely different story.  It took an hour and ten minutes to get her to sleep.  She didn't ask for her paci until 40 minutes in though. So I took that as a good sign.  She tossed, turned, cried, scractched, ran her teeth against the safety rail on her bed and drank the water in her sippy cup.  She doesn't usually go to bed with a sippy but I figured I was taking her paci she needed something in return.  She wasn't happy about the water and told me several times "not very good mommy".   She had me hold her, pat her, read an extra story and then hold her sippy for her.  Yes I laid in bed with her.  I couldn't just turn out the light, say prayers and good night and walk out knowing she was going to be so upset over losing something so near and dear.  But, all in all, we survived the first day and I have high hopes for day 2.

Un-Stuffed Bell Peppers

I haven't posted a recipe in a while so I decided I would get one up.  I like to tweak my recipes so that they are done in 30 minutes or less.  This is my quick version of stuffed bell peppers

Un-Stuffed Bell Peppers
1 lb ground hamburger
1-2 bell peppers diced
1 med. onion diced
crushed garlic (or garlic powder) to taste
salt & pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
1 1/2 cups water / chicken broth
2 cans of tomato sauce (I prefer the roasted garlic)
2 Tbsp butter

• Cook rice according to package directions.  I like to use chicken broth for flavor. You can use water or broth.  
• Melt butter in skillet, add in bell peppers, onion and crushed garlic.  Let cook up for about 5 minutes. 
• Add in ground beef, brown and drain any excess grease
• Add cooked rice to beef
• Add in tomato sauce, salt & pepper and any other spice you might like
• Let simmer for about 5-10 more minutes to let flavors blend.

This is a really simple recipe. I always start the rice first that way it will be ready to add in as soon as the beef is finished browning.  You can cook your peppers and onions before you add the meat or just toss them all in together if you're in a hurry, it works either way.  I usually add some type of crescents or garlic bread and a salad as a side dish.

Bisquick Drop Biscuits
2 1/4 cups of bisquick mix
2/3 cup of milk

Mix together until dough is soft and drop by spoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheat.  Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

It's been a While

It's been a while since I have updated.  The family seems to be doing ok.  Scarlett is growing up so fast. Talking up a storm.  We're going to take the pacifier away on Monday!  Ok so we're going to see how it goes.

Lane is growing like crazy. At his last appointment he was up to 17lb 11oz 25.5 in.  Yep! That is my 5 month old for you. He is quite the little Ham.  On his 5 month birthday he cut his first tooth! I was soooo excited. We were not even expecting a tooth. We had checked his gums and nothing. Then he is gnawing on my finger and I feel something sharp.  Believe it or not it was a tooth!

Rassie is doing ok. He got some feeling and mobility back in his left leg on Christmas morning. What a God send. 

We had a good Christmas. It was a little busy but I enjoyed myself and that's what counts.  New Year's went pretty good too.   A few things are worrying me but I am sure everything will work out.