Monday, December 24, 2007

Birthday Pics

Happy Birthday My sweet Princess.

Isabella's Birthday was so much fun. We went to Libby Lu's and they really made it special.

Such a big girl she is now, I can't believe it. She had 7 girls come, and this was the first year she invited actual friends. Previous years it was cousins and more co-ed friendly. We have had parties at Adventure Landing, parties involving Clowns (and not good ones either), we have had parties all over the place. But this was different than any other. It was girls only, and custom planned for the Birthday Girl.


They did hair and make-up. They painted the girls nails and then sprayed it with glitter. They got to choose a dress up outfit. When choosing your hairstyle it also came with a hair accessory. Too cute.

This is Grace Olivia, my sisters daughter, and she is super saucy :) Love her

A girl and her Daddy!

After getting all dolled up, they put on a lip singing concert to none other than Hannah Montana. The girls took turns dancing in the middle and everyone else had to copy them.


Afterwards it was on to to dinner, we had Pizza and soda, and of course cake. Actually it was cupcakes.

Happy Birthday Angel baby!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Six years ago...

At 7:30 pm today my Isabella will be officially 6 years old.

What an exciting time this was for Nick and I. Nerve wrecking also.

I was 1 week over-due. My original due date was 12/12. My doctor and I decided to induce on the 19th. I had an UN-favorable cervix...which basically meant I was close up like Fort Knox. It was scheduled to begin around 7am. Here is Isabella's birth story. The day my life changed forever.

I got up at 5am to call the hospital to make sure they had room for me and then did...Yeah. I already had my bags packed and her bags packed to bring her home (weeks before).
We arrived at the hospital at 7am and they started cervadil so I was bed bound for several hours. Nick was hungry and my Best Friend Heather brought up some breakfast for her and him. I was very hungry also, but they insisted the ice chips would eventually fill me up...as they taunted me with their biscuits.
Nick got out the video camera and annoyed the heck out of us for a bit. He comes up with the craziest questions sometimes. Guests came in and out throughout the first few hours. Everyone eagerly anticipating the first girl grandchild. I was not opposed to having anyone come, all were welcome (I had no idea what was to come, especially not having experienced one single contraction my whole pregnancy).
The nurses came to check me and I was 1cm dilated, they gave me another cervadil...and there I lay for a few more hours. My parents came up, my sisters came up, my friend from GA drove down. I really had a plethora of people come to visit.
Heather braided my hair in piggy tails, we talked laughed, Nick videotaped, it was very relaxing.
At 11am they checked me again and I was a 2, so they decided to start the pitocin. I was on a slow drip to start out and it was no problem. Around 1:30 I started experiencing bad contractions. I had more company in the room, this time it was some I was not comfortable being in that much pain around. My friend Andrew and his brother (who flew in from Seattle and I did not know *that* well). I was trying so hard to still be polite through these contractions. I think they began to see I was uncomfortable and left. I asked for an epidural at this point, but it was still early. After about 2 hours of these contractions I asked to be checked again and I was a 4, so they said I could have an epidural. It is around 5pm when they get everything in and working properly with they epi and I am good to go for a while. They sent everyone home and said at best I would dilate 1cm per hour, so we were looking at about 11pm that night, and said I needed my rest. I had planned for Nick and Heather to be in the room during the pushing/birth. Heather wanted to go home and take a nap (cause she likes her sleep and had got up really early) and I was fine with that seeing how they just said it would be 11pm before I was complete. I tried to sleep, but i was so darn excited I could not close my eyes. Nick however had no problems.
My friend Linda who had drove down from GA was still there and she could not stay for too long. She kept me company. It was about 7pm and and Linda and Nick and I were all talking (Nick was pacing if I remember correctly) and I started to feel major pressure and was adamant that she was coming out at the very second. Nick pressed the call button and went out in the hall, while we were waiting for someone I had Linda (who had 2 children already) look to see if her head was already out. I was crazy! I started to have BAD back labor...I mean worst pain in my life. The contractions were back full force and I was in pain. The nurse came in and checked me and I was a 10 fully effaced and ready to push right then. She then told me that my epidural had fallen out and I could not have it fixed as I was ready to push. To top it off she said I also had to wait to push till the Doc got in there.
Nick took this opportunity to call my parents and his mom and of course Heather who was off in dream land.
The Doc came in and Linda was trying to leave and the Doc said...sorry this room is sterile and she is ready to push...you are stuck in here now. Linda was a good sport and grabbed a leg, and Nick grabbed the other leg. I was in an insurmountable amount of pain, I cannot even begin to describe it.
At 7:30 pm Isabella came FLYING out sunny side up. I had a 4Th degree tear as a result, but she was beautiful, and a healthy 7lbs 1 oz. The nurses spiked her hair with KY jelly cause she already had a curl in it. Nick was in awe of the moment, he adored her from the second she was born. That girl had some lungs on her too.
Our family arrived during my pushing and greeted her when she was taken to the nursery.
I had a long recovery. Nick was wonderful taking care of me. He really nursed me back to health.

That is it in a nutshell.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor has, and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my daughter's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:
I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store. I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy. If you're hauling big ticket items this year, I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools. I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your sister," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the neighbors dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container. If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my daughter saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think she wants her crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch a cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always,
A MOM

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Seasons

This is my favorite time of year. The hustle and bustle, the smells, the feelings in my heart of the people around me. I LOVE my family and friends. The season of giving is upon us and that is what I love the most. Finding that perfect gift for that special person is so thrilling to me.
Isabella was also born on December 19th so that may add into my emotions. What a beautiful, vocal baby she was.
Our tree is up and trimmed with all the most wonderful ornaments. Our star was placed this year by Isabella, and she was elated to do the honors.
I took the girls to see Santa this year and Isabella was so ready (and nervous). Abigail was was so excited to see "HoHo" she could hardly contain herself. Calling out "HO HO" the whole time we were waiting in line. So imagine my surprise when it is our turn and she completely freaks out. I am standing there wrestling her around, all the while trying to tell the girl..."just get it with Isabella...this one's not going to do it" amongst the screams Abby was letting out thinking I was going to make her sit there, the girl did not hear me. So Santa scoots over and pats his hand down in the chair...beckoning me over to him. Abigail looked to be open to the idea, after she was done pretending I was wrestling an alligator. So I sit down on the chair and Abby barely looks up from my chest to force out a smile, her head facing away from Santa. Isabella had her apprehensive smile on. I have my frustrated I am ready to go smile. I get the pictures ($20.00 later) and my forehead is shining like the sun. I was such a mess from that 10 min of her freaking out, that I sat down on Santa's chair and could not even wipe the sparkle off my head. Needless to say, those are not going to be framed.
This is the most wonderful time of the year...

Monday, December 3, 2007

Three

You know that saying "bad things always happen in 3's". This is especially true for me yesterday.
Number 1: I am woken up around 6am to Isabella talking to Nick on his side of the bed, now normally I would be ear hustling, but at 6am that was not happening.. I am so not a morning person and I could care less what she woke HIM up for...right? WRONG. He starts to get upset so I, being the caring wife I am...ask him (halfway still sleeping) what's wrong? He says Isabella just told me she peed in our bed hours ago and was too afraid to wake one of us to tell us. WHAT...WHERE...Oh wait nevermind I know EXACTLY where. On my side of the bed. My hair was wet with urine, my top was wet with urine, the back of my panties were wet with urine...you get the point. I apparently sleep like the dead and never even knew she was in our bed previously. I jump up in a fury and strip down. So she proceeds to tell me...she didn't get up to go pee, cause if I felt her move I would tell her to go back to her bed...YA THINK? So after she peed in my bed, and I rolled around in it for a few hours...she decided it was gross and she wanted to go sleep in her own bed. Furious would not even describe how I was feeling (aside from the obvious...stinky, wet, dirty, grossed out). I am now stripping down the bed, scrubbing the mattress, getting ready for a shower. I made Bella take one with me too, and we talked and she knew there would be consequences for her bad decision. Nick takes the sheets and changes the laundry around...which meant he put Bella's clothes from the washer into the dryer, and then the sheets in the washer. He handed Isabella a bottle of gain to throw away cause it was empty. (now starts the do what I say and do it now)

Her punishment was to clean her room, clean the playroom, and sweep.

Number 2: Isabella comes to me crying that all her clothes are black, she looked in the dryer and all her clothes are black(she is freaking out). I go to the dryer and sure enough...all her clothes are covered in some sort of black marker, pen, oil...not sure what? I mean everything, there was not even a sock that was salvageable. I carefully pulled out everything and expected with every ounce of my being to find a sharpie black marker that exploded. Much to my surprise, there was nothing. I could not find the culprit. I re-washed her clothes and still nothing came out. I get on the phone with my dad of course and he says maybe it is the motor blowing out oil or something, and he wants me to put a wet towel in there and see if it picks up anything. OK done.

Number 3: My dad calls about 20 min after he told me to put in the wet towel, and asks me to check on it. I start my walk through the hallway in front of the playroom (on wood floors) to get to another hallway where the washer and dryer are. I am on my last 3 steps on the wood floors and my foot lands in some slime, wet, slick substance and up in the air my body goes, my phone goes (in which my dad is still on the other end), I let out a obvious "I am falling scream", and boom with a loud thud I fall, and the phone falls. I hit my back on the wall and it was hurting badly...but more importantly...WHAT did I just fall on. I see a little peek out of the corner of the hallway and that Afro hair of hers gave it away. I said Isabella...get in here NOW. I said "What in the world is on my floors?" She says "Remember that laundry detergent Daddy gave me earlier?...well Mom it wasn't empty, and I thought I would clean the floors" "Daddy made me his maid today, so I am cleaning everything". I started laughing...cause what else could I do...right? If I didn't laugh I would cry.
BTW. The towel came out fine, my dad came out and took my dryer apart and there was nothing wrong. Fluke? Probably not, the marker more than likely disappeared. That sounds much better.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

First Concert.

Isabella loved the concert. She said when the Jonas Brothers came out she "boo'd them, and was chanting Hannah, hannah" Of course she was probably the only one who boo'd the Jonas Brothers. Nick did not lose his mind driving that far and back in one night. He said Isabella was asleep about 3 min after they got in the car.
Nick said she really put on a great show, and the Jonas brothers also. Yea, so all in all, it was worth it.


She was belting it out with the best of em.


Hannah Montana

Miley Cyrus

Monday, November 19, 2007

Hannah Montana Concert

The hit Disney Channel show -- which stars 14-year-old Miley Cyrus and her country singer dad, Billy Ray Cyrus -- is about a teenage girl who's a typical high-schooler by day but has a secret pop-star alter ego by night.

The Jonas Brother will be opening for her.

Isabella could not be more excited about this concert. She fell asleep tonight so anxious for tomorrow night. Well actually it is tonight since it is after midnight here. Nick is taking her and he is just as excited I think. I gave my ticket up so another "Hannah fan" can enjoy it also. We were going to all go together but...after seeing how these tickets were sold out in about 3 min. I figured let another kid go and "Get the Best Of Both Worlds" (a song of hers).
I am still un-sure as to what the big deal is. For tickets to be sold for thousands of dollars is just in sane, and unfortunately it is at the kids expense. I know there are lots of parents who tried to get their children tickets and were unsuccessful. So of course they look at places like e-bay or Stub Hub and there lies that $65.00 Ticketmaster ticket...asking $4,000.00 for it. I just don't get it. Anyway, so I saw no sense in 2 adults taking 1 almost 6 year old to a kids concert. Have fun Nick. Now you will have 2 kids and probably singing on your way home "Everybody makes mistakes" haha (another Hannah song). Love ya babe. Not many men will take their little girls to a teeny bopper concert.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

The Zoo...

We have been to the zoo too many times to count, buy yet it still seems so new to the kids. They look at the animals, and play areas like they are all new things they are seeing for the first time. I love it. A beautiful day was a bonus.

Plus having some special one on one time with Meemaw is always a good thing. Isabella adores her Meemaw, Abby does also, but truth be told she is a Pawpaw's girl.

Isabella was tickled pink when I told her Meemaw was coming along on her day off.


You can get so close to the Giraffe's it is amazing. If you come during feeding time, they will let you hold your hand out with their favorite leaf branches, and eat right out of your hand. They will just mosey over and visit without food also. One downfall to being this close is the smell, Isabella's face pretty much says it all.


You can see the branch being held, and the giraffe eating it.

Isabella and I having a snuggle .


Here we were watching this cat pace back and forth very aggressively. I believe it was close to lunch time. Isabella kept asking about the safety of the fence, and if we could move on now.

Abby, the little stinker is such a fast mover. I can take 58 photos and expect for 3 of those to be decent. She was well on her way down in this one and you can see Isabella...the diva...still trying to hold her own pose, and hold onto Abby, and still all the while keep that "fake hurry the heck up" smile. Gotta love it.


They have the cutest carousel at the zoo and you of course choose an animal and get on.

Here is another classic example of Abby on the move, she was sitting next to Meemaw and when I was snapping away she ended up there.

A smile is all I ask for and she had that mastered.

Monday, November 12, 2007

On edge.

Boy oh Boy am I losing it...slowly. After some complications from my surgery last week I have been put on hormones. Massive doses. I am having some fierce mood swings. I am getting really bad headaches daily. I can't wait till this is over with. Just 2 more weeks I keep telling myself. We have had such a rough go at things lately with the girls and then Nick and I. Here is a list for memory purposes.

Abby had her fingers slammed in a door, her nail JUST fell off and I do not hear then end of it.
I have surgery on October 19
Very scary hemorrhaging from the surgery on Tuesday Nov. 6th I think.
The next day on the 7th Nick ends up in the ER with Kidney stones.
Abby gets Pink eye 2 days ago.
Isabella is congested and coughing this morning.

I just have to think how trivial our problems are compared to others. I need to constantly remind myself to stay calm and ask myself "will this matter in 10 years?" If the answer is No, well then I am choosing my battles carefully.
The girls are giving me "the business" lately and I am afraid I am not handling it how I normally would. I need a step back...or 10 steps back. I need a break. It is not their fault my body is jacked up on estrogen and progesterone, and my moods and being affected by it. I am normally so calm and give about 864 second chances, but not right now. Isabella notices the most. Of course Nick does too.
Nick and I had planned on a nice evening last night of just relaxing and talking after the kids went down to bed. Well I walked in the bedroom after the kids were knocked out to find Nick also knocked out. So what does a wife do when she sees this...well what any other normal, sane person would do. I painted his toenails bright pink. :) Fall asleep when we have plans again...? I think not.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Late Halloween

Boy am I a slacker lately. OK so Isabella was of course none other than "THE" Hannah Montana. Abigail was Minnie Mouse. Unfortunately I did not get any pics of Abby on my camera, as she was a very unruly mouse. I do believe my camera happy MIL has some though.


I will show her this pic when she is older and wants to dye her hair and straighten it. She refused to put her hair up underneath that wig. So her blonde locks were hanging out the whole time.

She of course ditched the wig about half way down the street. It was itching.

Now for the Grand Finale. Me and my sister dressed up as Red Necks... I had tattoo's drawn on and the "3" had to be one of them. On my other arm was a heart and a strip through it that said "I love Billy Joe". We both rocked the Mullets. "Business in the front and a party in the back." Canned beer was a must...and I have to admit that was not on hand and a friendly neighbor brought it out to us as a finishing touch. She ducked down in this pic, cause she said you always see pics where the husband is shorter than the wife. So here we are **Maxine & Billy Joe 4 eva baby**. Don't hate.

A small disclaimer: I meant in no way for this to offend anyone who naturally rocks the Mullet, drinks canned Miller Lite, wears overalls, no shoes, or who is named Maxine nor Billy Joe, has a "Dale Earnhardt Senior" tattoo permanently marking their body, or a heart with a loved ones name on it. Thankyouhaveaniceday.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Bait

I lured my 2 year old out of the bathtub with Cheetos. Pretty sad when she puts some pep in her step for food, but won't budge when I tell her nicely "It's time to get out". I am picking my battles while recovering, but when I feel better....it's on.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Pumpkins....

We went to the Pumpkin Patch this morning. I wish it was more Fall like here so they could dress in cute little warm outfits. No such luck though.

We decided this year we are not going to do carving, it is tedious and just a pain in the booty. We found the cutest Mr. Potato head pieces for pumpkins at Target this year and decided to use those. Isabella (rightfully so) got the Diva pumpkin. Abby (also very perfect) got the Clown pumpkin. It was really fitting for both of their personalities. They actually got to do more this way then they would have if we decided to carve them.


So handsome :) He has hats galore. A good friend of ours is in the NFL and every time he goes to another team, well of course Nick gets gear for said team. The Bengals it is right now, hence his trip to Cincinnati a few posts back. I am also loving the new growth he is sporting :)

I could not resist letting Abby still wear her boots, even though it was in the high 80's today. She has a touch of fall. Bella on the other hand wanted to wear a dress and flip flops, I can't blame her.


I think they turned out so cute. They will also last longer than if we carved them. They should last well past Halloween. The only bad thing is we can't light them, but if I remember correctly, we didn't light them last year but maybe one time. They turn to goo so fast when you light them. Plus the bugs, ooohhhhh the bugs.

The girls kissing their pumpkins. The lips on them were HUGE.

The finishing touches, I have to say the Diva needed some blush, she was looking a bit pale. Some mascara and drawn in eye brows and she is good to go.

It went well

Everything went well, I am home and recovering.
I ended up in recovery for about 4 hours cause I could not meet all the requirements IE. go pee. I think it may have something to do with the fact that the nurses insisted on being inside the bathroom with me. My blood pressure was very low and they didn't want to leave me in there alone. I am not a public bathroom goer though. At one point I insisted I was not leaving the bathroom till I went and she (the nurse) had to go check on someone else so Nick came in and then I was able to go....just like that. The nurse came back in and joked that Nick went for me, but I assure you he did not. Although he did offer :)
I do not remember much before and after, funny how everything sort of erases from your mind. I have no recollection of speaking to the doctor in recovery. I was really counting on Nick to tell me everything he said to him, BUT he does not remember everything. He did say he found some lesions or adhesion's and removed them. He found something growing on my pelvic bone and said that could be the source of alot of my pain, and he removed that also. My tubes are all clear and that is all he remembers. He said the Doctor showed him some before and after pictures from the surgery and it was a little much for him to see. I thought that was funny.
He ended up making 3 incisions and the one on my left side is larger than my right side. I am not sure why this is?
My pain is pretty much under control. The hardest is for me to get up and down, and of course out of bed. I cannot lift anything over 10lbs for 2 weeks, so I am worried about how I am going to get Abby in and out of the car to pick Bella up from school. Nick said he would "train" her to get in the car and into her seat by Monday. I really did laugh at that. We drive a Tahoe and *I* have to use the step bar to get in. Amazingly so, she did it. She climbed in the car and into to her car seat, and I just had to buckle her. Pretty neato. Nick said I will just have to lure her to the car with food :) Sounds good to me.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Fears

Life before marriage and children was carefree. I had no fears, you could send anything my way and I would attempt it. I was not scared of flying, surgeries, car accidents, etc.

Now I am total opposite. When me and my family went to Kansas City, we of course booked an airline. I was nervous from the start. Isabella and Abigail were going along and they had never flown before so I was worried about them, and then of course Nick and I. We boarded the plane and I was a mess. Abigail only wanted me and Isabella was in the seat next to me and Nick was across the aisle. Isabella was fascinated, she really was a trooper for a new experience. She must have asked a million questions. I was having serious anxiety though and could not focus on her, I could not answer any questions. When we took off is when I became very tense, we were taking off through a Tropical storm so to say it was bumpy would be putting in nicely. We would being to increase our height only to hit an air pocket and free fall a hundred feet. I began to feel like I was going to throw up, I got my bag out and was fearfully trying to breathe deep. I do remember Isabella saying at one point "wheeeeee this is like a roller coaster". This continued till we reached our destination. Our flight attendant (although having to stay buckled himself most of the trip) was very nice to me and could sense my rising fear. He checked on me a few times and even made a call up to the pilot to see how much longer we had (yes I was acting like a child)....are we there yet? Anyway my point is I thought at first my fear was because I had not flown since 9/11 and you know it was just scary. Then my thoughts shifted to, maybe my fear is because my whole family is on this airplane. Well now I have a new theory. If you have been reading my blog you know I am having surgery in the morning, and I am really scared once again. I think my fear is not of the actual task...but that I am in no control over the situation. I am handing over my life to someone else. I am not sure why this is what it is? I think after having children you are in control of so many things, like their lives and well being. You take care of them, nurture them. You automatically assume this responsibility over every aspect of their lives. They count on you to be there, and not just me but Nick also. He is such a wonderful, devoted father. Not like any other I promise. He is always there for them, he takes the girls on dates, he rearranges his schedule if something comes up and they need him. He is there for physicals...and not because I can't take them, but because he wants to be there with me and them. He has no qualms about having the girls by himself, he is not afraid to step up and do what it takes. All this without any guidance from me. It is like second nature to him to have girls. I do know if anything ever happened to me, they will be in the best hands they could ever be in. There is just something about not being in control over a situation that really freaks me out. What scares me the most is not the actual incisions, but the anesthesia. I mean you are given a dosage that actually knocks you out with no recollection of several hours. That is just so foreign to me. Again, no control. Anyway, I am sure I will be fine, I am sure my doctor does these surgeries all the time. I will leave now with some pics of my princesses.


I love this pic, they are both smiling and loving each other at the moment.

This is what happens when you say "give me the look" it is hilarious. I didn't quite capture Abby's full look, usually her eyes go a bit more down. So funny.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Pre-Op went well.

I had my Pre-Op today and everything went well. The Doctor just went over everything with me and explained all the risks, and dangers associated with surgery. You know the stuff you never wanna hear about. I told him I was sick and he said as long as it does not turn into a Upper Respiratory infection I should be fine. He said the Anesthesiologist (Sp?) will be with me 45 min prior to surgery and if he feels it is un safe the surgery will be canceled. That's makes me feel better. I am not sure if I am getting better or worse, hopefully better.


I also went and pre-registered at the hospital and they did blood work, including a CBC and a HCG Quantitative. I am assuming they want to check for bacteria and pregnancy before the surgery. The latter of those 2 would be nice, it would give us what we have been wanting and also eliminate the need for surgery right now. I know this is extremely unlikely though, so I can't get my hopes up.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

I guess that OLD saying....

When it rains it pours....stands true.

It all starts with Nick being out of town (in Washington DC this time, cause if something is going to go wrong it happens then.) I asked my sister to bring me some Benadryl for Isabella, she had some bug bites from the playground at school, and she is also allergic to grass (just itchy allergic). So me and the girls had our baths and showers and I just really didn't feel like going out. She comes over and the kids (hers and mine) start running around the front yard. Long story short...my sisters little girl shut Abby's hand in the car door. Lindsay immediately runs over and opens the door to get her hand out and she is bleeding....which Isabella notices right away. Lindsay is running in the house with Abby, I am already in the kitchen getting ice, and Isabella is freaking out screaming "my sister, my sister...oh my goodness, oh my goodness" She kept saying "I'm so scared for her" over and over. She runs off and hides.

Abigail's thumb starts swelling really quickly and she is of course hysterical. I am trying to get her to calm down and my sister is looking it over. I all of a sudden begin to feel light headed, dizzy, clampy, weak.....yep, I was about to pass out. I go to sit down with Abby, she only wants me, and begin to feel better. My sister is an RN so she was just fine. Her finger is still bleeding and filling with blood now. Lindsay tells me I should go to the ER to make sure there is not a break and to look at the pressure building up in her thumb. Isabella comes out of hiding holding a orange crayon and this is what she says "mom I am so scared for my sister, I was hiding in her closet and I wrote on the wall everything I love about her" I felt so bad for her, but I could not admire her artwork at that exact moment, nor did I care to check the damage :) She decided she did not want to go with me and instead took off with Lindsay.


The next morning, she is having Pancakes.


In the ER Abby cried for hours, as I sit with her by myself. It was pretty busy, and showed no signs of letting up. I drove to the closest hospital which does not specialize in peds. We eventually got called back for an X-ray and then back out to the waiting room. A few hours later they called us back and the Doc said there was no break or fracture. Great news. He said what concerned him more was the swelling, he said her finger was bleeding internally and there was no more space to expand. He wanted to make an incision to relieve the pressure, but said not tonight cause it would bleed and bleed. They cleaned her hand , and then he wrapped it like a boxing glove to protect it and sent us on our way. So a check-up was in order with our pediatrician the next day.


My pediatrician said she is so happy he did not cut her finger. She said alot of times ER docs that are not affiliated with children are unsure as to what action is best. Anyway her finger is doing better now.
Later that night she starts running a fever and is just overall cranky. I was not sure if it could be from an infection in her finger, or the start to an illness....we WERE in the germ infested ER after all.

Nick got home on Thurs night (actually at like 1am Friday morning) I just sort of watched it the next few days and it is not really letting up. Then Isabella starts running a fever. So we decided today we needed to bring them in (our ped is open all weekend, I love them for that alone) they were both congested and coughing, runny noses. You know your basic cold. Well not so much. Abigail has a double ear infection, and sinusitis. Isabella has blood and white cells in her urine. They had to send hers out for a culture to find the exact cause, which could range from a Kidney infection to a UTI. They are both on antibiotics now. Who knew, I mean Isabella was not even complaining of anything. Abigail was sleeping fine, and never so much as tugged at her ears. She has tubes in there too.
OK now onto me. I am having some of the same symptoms, minus the fever. I have sore throat, congestion, coughing, sneezing. I have my Pre-Op appt. tomorrow morning and I am thinking the doctor will want to cancel my surgery. I am sure he will not want to put me under, when I can barely breathe. I am using my inhaler utleast 2x a day right now. I have to say if he does this, it will relieve some stresses I am having about it. I will also be disappointed in the same breath. Nick has a planned trip to San Francisco the week after my surgery and I have been stressing out about that. You know like will I be 100% enough to do 24/7 with the kids, bedtime baths, cooking...etc. I know he feels terrible and offered to do anything he could to make me comfortable while he was gone. I am sure I will be fine, there is just that "what if" in the back of my mind. IS 5 days after surgery enough time to feel good?
You know when you were little and sick, and all you wanted was your mom? (That's how I was anyway) and she is the only one you trusted to care for you, and you knew she loved you so much and would do anything to make you feel good, and stayed by your side? That is how I feel about Nick, I just want him with me. Besides my mom and dad are in VA at their vacation house. Maybe I am being selfish about the whole thing.
Oh man it is late, what a depressing blog this was.

Friday, October 5, 2007

It is nice!!

I had to go to the Doctor today for some on-going problems I have been having, and he diagnosed me with severe Endometriosis. He said the "stage" he thought it was (based on my symptoms and an US) to the nurse but I did not hear what he said. He said our best option was surgery and scheduled it for Oct 19th. I am scared, nervous, and anxious all at the same time. I am also relieved I have a solution to this problem. I told him we have been TTC for the last 8 months to no avail obviously and he made reference to how "lucky" we are for having 2 healthy children. He also said this could very well be the reason it took us 2 years to get pregnant with Abigail. I mentioned that I am just emotionally drained, and probably ready to just stop trying. He asked me to wait until after the surgery cause he said that most Endo patients conceive within 6 months of the Lap. I got a small glimmer of hope. Even though the kids would be further apart then I had originally hoped, beggars can't be choosers right. Nick and I have always wanted 3 children and I just think that longing would always be there. I am not fooling anyone but myself to say I could give up!! I fought long and hard for Abigail.
I know I have mentioned before about Isabella being so thoughtful and genuine. Well tonight she said, "mom I need to sleep in your bed tonight, cause I need to tickle your belly to help you relax" she is so sweet. So here she is laying next to me right now....sound asleep. She will be moved to her own room shortly, she got a little to used to being in here with me while Nick was gone.
Nick and Abigail on the other hand are trying out a little experiment right now. They are both in the living room right now watching baseball. Nick thinks that if she surpasses her bedtime, she will sleep later...hahaha she is usually in bed at 7:30 so she has definitely passed that mark. I guess we will see how she does in the AM.
I am doing PT in the morning because the doctor also thinks my pelvis is dislocated in some sorts. I hope it will not be to painful, because I honestly don't think I can take any more right now. I am not for certain about the pelvis thing, I think he may just be trying to help me relieve some pain until the surgery. Oh yeah and he also said my C-section scar has some knots in it, and said he wanted to inject some steroids into the scar, he described the process to me and described the severity of the pain I will be in while he does it....ummmmm no thanks. I got sweaty and I could feel the blood draining from my face as he was saying all that. I respectfully declined the procedure. So many problems for me today. I am glad I went and am getting it all taken care of though, but it surely makes me feel like I am aging as the days pass.

Monday, October 1, 2007

You know what I love?

Nick is out of town in Cincinnati for the Bengals vs. New England game. I miss him terribly when he is gone, no matter whether it be business or pleasure, although usually it is business. I have one thing to look forward to (OK actually 2) and that is that Isabella KNOWS that when he is gone she gets to sleep with me. I love it. I love to snuggle her in at night, listen to her sleep talking (yes she really does), and hear her breathing. I know this is something that will surely not last forever. I know she will not be 16 and wanting to sleep in my bed when Nick is out of town, so I am quick to enjoy it now. Abby on the other hand would have nothing to do with sleeping in my bed, she would rather be in her crib than anywhere near someone while she is catching up on her beauty rest. Very independent. OK and the other thing I like is that my house stays so much cleaner when he is OOT. I am not picking up rolled up socks off the floor (which is a pet peeve of mine) I just started washing them like this, because I am NOT going to stick my hand in his sock to un roll it..ewwwww. I am hoping he will take notice to this soon. I am not sure why it is much cleaner, but really it is.

What a bear she has been lately. She and Bella are so different. Bella was a tough baby and is now proving to be a slightly easier little girl. Abby was so easy and is now proving to be difficult. She challenges my every question, my every move, and everything is "mine". Everything is about Abby. This morning I was folding my laundry in my bedroom and Abby was playing babies, or so I thought. I walk into the living room and she had re-decorated my couch in RED permanent sharpie marker. LOVELY. I scrubbed with the cleaner that I got from the furniture store where the couch was purchased, much to my avail no such luck. I mean it did not even fade, it actually bled some of the red in the area I was scrubbing. I have no idea what to do to get this out, but more importantly...what to do with her when she does things like this. I don't even know where she got the marker from? I think she has a secret stash of things she has taken over the last few months IE. 2 remotes, 2 cordless phones, my inhaler tube (don't worry she can't prime without a key piece) she is like the swiper of our family. I saved one phone from near death when I was walking to the car and heard it ringing in our BIG garbage (you know the one you keep outside and can put like 3 trash bags in) yeah, nastay. I called Nick out on that one. I have plates, and forks, and cups missing. I just don't know what to do anymore.

P.S. Maybe I should check that backpack of hers. See below Pic. Dora always has everything she needs in her backpack, maybe Abby is folowing suit by collecting house items.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

In all her Glory!

Abigail has this new found love for helmets, she wants to wear it everywhere and all the time. I think it hilarious, so I thought I needed to share.
She also has her backpack on here. Funny girl.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Sparkly Friday

Our entire day was dedicated to Hannah. Here are our sparkly's in photos.

Isabella has on a diamond sparkly necklace, she also wore hair bows to school for Hannah. She picked out her fancy skirt and shirt and wore pretty pink sandals.

My sparkle's today were actually quite simple, I wore my hair down. I put on makeup. I never do either anymore.
I wore some special flip flops that have a pink polka dot bow, with a green button with my first initial on them. I was "room mom" at Isabella's school and the kids loved it. I got a few stares from adults, but I didn't care.

My next sparkly is a ring that Isabella made me, I got LOTS of compliments on my ring :)

This balloon could not have been more perfect. I love that it had a frog on it and I LOVE the Lilly pad and Lilly at the bottom so much I took a separate picture.


Isabella picked this one out, it had butterfly's and flowers on it and she said Hannah would love to get this Balloon in heaven. Of course we had to have it.

This is the bouquet. Six Balloons total for Hannah.

Isabella changed quickly after I picked her up from school, she was so excited to put on her fancy duds that would otherwise be inappropriate for school. She was done up to the hilt (for a 5 year old of course) Makeup, high heels, hair in braids, fancy dress. I begged her to put on some leggings cause I could see her "fancy panties" also. She declined.

Isabella wrote Hannah a letter and drew her a picture. She completely understood what we were celebrating and was very sensitive to the occasion. She had seen me crying in July shortly after Hannah's accident and asked why I was crying? I explained to her, very child like that Hannah was an Angel now and was in heaven. She is much like me with her emotions, she is very caring, giving, and wants to know that everyone around her is OK. She has a heart of gold and sensitivity like no other. She did this letter on her own, no suggestion from me in any way. I came in the playroom and she had it clipped on here to send to her in heaven.


Isabella said the letter says "Dear Hannah I hope you like your balloon's. I know your dad and mom miss you and I think my mom does too. I drew a picture for you. Love Isabella"

Our beautiful flowers were sparkly's.



Getting these untangled once outside proved to be difficult. Look at Abby she has no idea we are about to let these balloon's go!

Here we go!








I knew she had no idea. I actually had to cut hers, cause she would NOT let it go.

The end to our sparkly night we thought of nothing better to do then drive into the "old city" and take a ride in a horse drawn carriage. Isabella and Abigail were excited, and I knew Hannah would approve.

They are so excited.





Here is our horse, his name is "put put" He was pretty slow, but that made in more enjoyable!

The whole carriage. The rain was coming in when we started our ride, but we asked for the top to be down so we could breathe the night in.

Poor man. I am sure he thought this would be a photo for a family album, maybe a "look at what we did last night".... never posted on the WWW. "Put Put" was giving him kisses after our ride and I snapped at a bad moment. Sorry!We took a short walk on the river and Abigail is showing off her new moves. "Hands in her pocket booty shake"

Isabella doing a fancy spin.



Abigail decided when we got home she wanted to dress up, she put on her fancy dress and trotted around the rest of the night.

Perhaps our most sparkly part of the day was a moment that was missed on camera. As Abigail and I were walking down the hallway into Isabella's school I noticed a a mass on the glass window to the side of us. As I looked that way I saw the largest tree frog I have ever seen. Upon closer inspection we could see his heartbeat, and Abigail was just fascinated. As soon as we got our look and turned to continue on our way, it jumped down and went on his way. I debated bringing my camera to the classroom, but being it was my first time being "room mom" I decided against it, regretfully so.