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Sunday, September 2, 2012

Wow

I've started reading this book, as recommended to me by several mothers, called Bringing Up Girls by Dr. James Dobson. He's also written Bringing Up Boys, if anyone's interested. So far, it's fascinating. He talks about both the physiological differences between boys and girls, in addition to cultural influences and a host of other issues.

Something that caught my attention was his mention of a doll called "My Scene My Bling Bling" Barbie. I finally looked it up, and this is what I found.

Yeah. As if I don't have enough of a battle against media and societal pressure to sexualize girls. This is, after all, fairly terrifying. Obviously, I would never buy such a doll for Audrey. But who's to say she won't be on a play date with a girl who does have one? I can't be with her all the time.

Mattel, this is a big fat FAIL.

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Wednesday, August 1, 2012

No Sweat potty training...yeah, right

Oh, the dreaded potty training. I can't even describe how much I've hated even the thought of it. We purchased a program called "No Sweat Potty Training" by Dana Obleman, since we had such great success with her sleep training approach.

Well, I'm sweatin' it. Audrey's doing fairly well, I think, but it's still nerve-wracking. There's a system of rewards, of course. She gets one dark chocolate M & M for going, plus two for, well, #2.  It's a real treat for her, since she rarely has sweets. She also gets a sticker to put on a special chart, which she really loves.

We started off with the small potty, as Dana suggested, for a week. That first week, we had some great days, and then we had days when she didn't go potty at all...which means, of course, accidents all day. It was (and is) extremely stressful. Then again, there was the day that Gramma fed her nothing but watermelon for lunch, and she went 23 times! Yeah, lots of chocolate that day.

She's doing better, though, since she started using the big potty. Maybe she just didn't want to go in the kitchen with us staring at her. Imagine that. We're using diapers during naps and at night, but otherwise, she's wearing her big-girl underwear. She's still having some accidents, though, which I believe is normal. My problem is, I feel like I can't take her anywhere.  We haven't gone to church since we started, because I hate the thought of the nursery workers having to clean up the floor and her, especially since she gets really upset when she has an accident.

David will, unfortunately, be going back to school in a couple of weeks, and I feel like I will be trapped in the house. I'm scared to take her on any play dates. I don't want her peeing on someone's carpet, or worse, pooping. I just don't know what to do. She's having a lot of separation anxiety since we went to Atlanta, and I know it's going to be hard on her when David goes back to work. That's one reason I'd love to get her out of the house as much as possible.

She also won't use her travel potty seat, even though it's just as cushy as her Sesame Street one. But the thing is so awesome; it even has its own little drawstring bag, which is washable, and it folds up so small. But Audrey wants her other one, which does NOT fold up, and she usually wants her stool as well. What am I supposed to do, lug her potty seat and stool around everywhere?

Ugh...so frustrating.

I just need to enjoy the rest of our beach vacation and stop worrying about it, I know. Easier said than done, though.

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Thursday, July 12, 2012

5 years!!!

David and I recently celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary. Amazing! David really wanted to get out of town for a night, but I was very leery because Audrey's never spent the night with ANYONE. Not even grandparents.

At first, I told him I couldn't do it. There was just no way. But then I realized he'd been planning on it for a long time and that he'd asked my mom months ago to watch Audrey while we were gone. So, I realized how important it was to him, and I gave in. I mean, five years of marriage is a lot to celebrate.

After lots of debate, we decided to go to Atlanta because they have the biggest aquarium in the world...10 million gallons of water. Wow. David and I love aquariums, and we'd never been to Atlanta together before, so we decided to spend one night there. Since we left early one morning and came back right before bedtime the next day, we also didn't have to go a day without seeing Audrey.

As hard as it was to go, as soon as we got there, I was excited. We stayed in an awesome hotel, and when we got there, we both took a long nap. It was heavenly to be between those soft white sheets and blanket. White on white...so calming.

Then we went to dinner.

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That's us before we left. And did I mention how huge this hotel is? We were on the 35th floor. That's right. The place had a restaurant, bar, gift shop, the works. Here's a pic from the bottom floor. There's a huge skylight on top.

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And the aquarium was really amazing. The sea otters were my absolute favorite, but we couldn't get a pic of them because they swam so fast. They're so playful; one was swimming on his back, around and around, with his paw in his mouth. It reminded me of a child sucking on their thumb.

Some of the tanks were giant.

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The lady at the bottom looks miniscule in comparison.


Then, a cool whale shark:
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And another of my faves, poison dart frogs. Unfortunately, they wouldn't cooperate and turn around for the pic. 

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And us as we were leaving. I'm really slouching here, probably because I was so tired.

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We had such a great time that we're hoping to go back in November and take Audrey. She loved the aquarium at Myrtle Beach, so I know she'll be crazy about the one in Atlanta. There's also a children's museum nearby, and she'd love that as well. Great trip!

Friday, June 22, 2012

Cuts like a knife

I am so over Audrey being sick. This has been really bad, and I'm just glad that David's been here to take care of her. Especially since she's wanted nothing to do with me.

For the last couple of days, she's just wanted her daddy. Which is fine, I get it, even though it hurts. We've been letting her watch as much TV as she wants since she's sick. It's been a great distraction for her. As soon as she's away from the TV, she starts crying because she's been in so much pain. We think she's had a virus, with a terrible headache and stomach ache.

I feel bad that I even care if she wants to be comforted by me. I should be glad that she has someone who can do that for her. But when she's kicking me, or poking me in the eye, or pushing me away from her, it's hard to be mature about it. Last night, she woke up, and David and I both went in there. We were singing to her, and we finally got her back in bed. David said he'd lie on the floor beside her crib, and I said I would, too. She pointed to me and said, "Go to door". I thought I knew what she was talking about, since she's said that before. So I asked her if she wanted me to leave, and she said yes. Ouch.

Then this morning, I asked her to choose what book she wanted to read before her nap. She said she didn't want to nap, and then the arrow to the heart..."I don't like you".  I was steamed. Embarrassingly, I raised my voice and said, "Oh fine, you don't like me? That's just great!" and stormed out of the room.

All I can think of now is when she becomes a teenager, and then it will be more like, "I hate you, Mom."

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

About last night...

Audrey's 2-year molars have been giving her fits. They've been hurting, on and off, for months. I noticed that one had broken the skin this week, and the other side is very swollen. I feel so bad for her. And did you know that "2-year" molars can sometimes come in until the age of 5?

Last night, Audrey woke up about 3 am, and she was crying and saying, "Where's my bunny, Mommy? Where's my bunny, Mommy?" over and over again. I went in there, and her bunny was right under one of her other babies. It's very unusual for her to wake up during the night, so I suspected something was wrong. She was also very hot.

Around 5 or 6, I heard her coughing, or what I thought was coughing. Then she started screaming like she hasn't in a long time, like when she used to get her leg caught in the crib slats. I ran in there, and she had thrown up all over the place. This has happened once before, I think, when she actually projectile vomited on the wall.

The thing is...she was more upset about the mess she made than about being sick. It was all over her "big girl" blanket, and she was just freaking out about it. I had to wake David up because I couldn't take care of cleaning up and calming her down.

She hasn't done it again, thank goodness, although she still has a fever. But it concerns me because she gets so upset about messes. I feel like my OCD about cleanliness has rubbed off on her, and that is NOT what I wanted, obviously.

For example, as soon as I took off her dirty pajamas and threw them on the floor, she ran and put them in the hamper. What kid does that when she's sick? If she has a hair on her tray when she's eating (I'm not talking about in her food), she goes nuts.

I'm feeling really guilty right now. I hope I haven't turned her into a mini version of "OCD Heather".

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Yes, she's wearing my socks as mittens in that pic:)

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Fire...or not

Last night, we went out to dinner with my father-in-law and David's brother to celebrate Father's Day. Audrey was behaving really well. Until the fire alarm went off.

Audrey has always been started by loud noises, even when we get crushed ice from the fridge. I was looking at her when the alarm went off, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She was trying to jump in my lap, which wasn't happening because she was strapped in the high chair. It was all I could do not to scream at David to unbuckle the strap, since I was so upset. I couldn't reach it, since she was lunging for me.

I took her outside immediately, because I knew she was going to have a breakdown if we stayed in there. It was deafening, and lights were flashing, and no one knew what was going on. This went on for 5-6 minutes, which is a lot of time. People started streaming out of the restaurant.

I'm just glad we'd finished eating...and, of course, that there was no fire. Some brilliant person upstairs was smoking in the bathroom. Seriously.

Anyway, they finally figured out how to silence the alarm. The restaurant has recently come under new management, and apparently they didn't know how to do it. The fire trucks and police showed up. At least Audrey got a chance to see a couple of fire trucks up close.

It just amazed me how everyone was so clueless when it went off. The staff just froze up, and they were looking at each other in shock. No one stepped up and took control. So annoying, not to mention dangerous.

So I went home with a headache and a sour mood. I don't think I'll be going there again.

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This pic is from February, but it shows what everyone in the restaurant was doing...minus the smile, of course.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Movies

So yesterday, we took our little darling to the movie theater for the first time. She saw her first movie only last week on DVD (Lady and the Tramp), so we thought she'd be fine to go to the free movies at our local theater. They were showing Chipwrecked this week, and even though those little creatures' voices make me squirm, we decided to go. Mainly because Audrey's been obsessed with Alvin since Mom gave her a toy one that came with her (Mom's) Happy Meal.

Truthfully, when I first got up, I wasn't really interested in running out to be at the movies at 9:30. We hadn't had a lazy morning since we got back from the beach, and I knew we'd have to get there early, since those theaters are really packed during the free movies. But we had already mentioned it to Audrey the night before, and she remembered; in fact, those were among the first words out of her mouth that morning.

She did fairly well, considering it was her first movie...that is, until the end. Something scared her, I think when the volcano shook the ground, and I reached over to comfort her. She pushed me away, saying, "Get back over there," indicating my seat. That ticked me off, but whatever. Then she took her water cup and threw it over me, where it almost hit a baby and rolled to the level below us. Unbelievable.

I'm a serious germaphobe, but I also can't stand wasting money, so I knew I had to get it. I had to get on my hands and knees and reach down (shudder) onto the floor in the dark theater. I thought I was going to gag.

Then, at the end of the movie, Audrey refused to leave. She started screaming bloody murder, and everyone was looking at us. Lovely.

She thought we were taking her out to change her diaper, which we didn't realize was soaking wet. I tried to explain to her that the movie was over, that all the people were leaving. She cried and cried.

Needless to say, she got a nice time out when we got home, for pushing both David and me, for throwing her cup, and for acting like a maniac. I was already looking forward to seeing Hop next week, but David said no more movies. Maybe he'll change his mind.

Later on, though, she was perfectly fine.

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Oh, how I love the terrible twos.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Finally!

David is finally home for the summer. What a relief! I was seriously running on empty before his last day, to say the very least.


We went to the beach last week, and it was fun, even though it rained for two days straight. Maybe I'll blog about that in a few separate posts so I can spread them out. I've been hurting for topics lately.

Or maybe it's just all the craziness that's gone on since spring break. David had all these photography commitments (school dances, a wedding, a bridal portrait, not to mention co-chairing the prom), and I had Audrey A LOT by myself. It was really starting to get to me. I was getting depressed and more and more anxious, so the end of the school year couldn't come soon enough.

David was finished with school at the end of May, but it's been busy even since then. I had all these doctor's appointments that week, and then we left for the beach on Saturday. And if you've been on vacation with a toddler (is she still considered a toddler? I don't know), it's not usually a vacation. I mean, you have all the responsibilities of home, except you're living in a place that's not your own.

That's not to say we didn't have a great time, but it's not like trips before Audrey, when David and I could sit on the beach all day and read (me) or listen to music (David).

But we wouldn't trade our little bug for anything, of course. She absolutely loved the beach, just like she has since she was 6 months old.

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This is the fourth time she's been, and we're set to go again later this summer. It feels wonderful to see her enjoying herself so much.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Great day:)

I wasn't looking forward to this day, since David is shooting a wedding. It seems like he's been doing a lot of extra work lately, such as managing the prom at his school, taking pictures at a middle school dance, etc. In the midst of all this, I've been feeling pretty awful. I had a stomach virus that took a couple of weeks to completely go away. I've been weak, so I thought today would be hard, taking care of Audrey all day by myself. Surprisingly, it's been a good, laid-back day. I hate to admit it, but I didn't even take her out of her pajamas today, and she slept in them tonight. Oh well. I'm not even sure what we did....just hung out, and she is such a goofball and a little angel all wrapped up in one. Exhibit A: Image and video hosting by TinyPic She does this kind of goofy stuff on a daily basis. She's hilarious. Exhibit B: Image and video hosting by TinyPic The sweet angel, who's become a lot more angelic since we started getting her to bed earlier. Yes, she definitely has her toddler moments, but she can charm you at the drop of a hat. She's started saying "I love you" a lot, to both me and David. It's such a wonderful thing to hear. And tonight, I had the privilege of putting her to bed. David usually does that, since he gets so little time with her during the day. They have two books they read before bed: On the Night You Were Born and It's Time to Sleep, My Love. At this point, Audrey can quote large portions of each book, so we're basically reading it together. I know them well, too, so we were just looking at each other tonight and smiling as we recited. They're beautiful books. David's always called her (and me) "my love", and the second book just reinforces that. So she'll refer to other people as "my love". I think her Papa Rick was a little taken aback when she said, "What are you doing, my love?" And recently, when David took her to the grocery store, she'd tell him what she wanted in the same way, such as, "Grapes, my love?" So I've been struck once again by the wonder of Audrey, and I wanted to write this post for the days that aren't so great. To remind me that she loves me, no matter how she's behaving.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Withdrawal

Ugh. I'm definitely suffering withdrawal symptoms since David had to go back to work this week. I know, I know...I'm just lucky that he had a week off. But Audrey got used to it, and so did I. She just loves having her daddy home, as you can see.

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It's just so nice not having a schedule. And Audrey feels a lot more secure when he's home. When it's just the two of us, she's constantly asking, "What's that?" when she hears a noise. Seriously, if she just hears one of our neighbors slamming the car door, she gets scared. I don't know what that's about, but she's been scared of loud noises since she was a baby.

Easter was fun. The girls took turns hiding eggs a couple of times for Audrey. Then they helped her find them. When I say "helped", I mean they pointed out exactly where they were and sometimes even gave them to her! So cute. We got some good pics at Easter, but I have to get them from David's camera, so I'll post those later.

So anyway, we're back to the old grind...David only seeing Audrey for a couple of hours each night, which I know he hates. I know that's something that all working parents hate. Sigh.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

This and that

I haven't posted in a while, not since Audrey had that health scare. I've been spending every second paying attention to her, since I'm so thankful that she's okay. I just keep thinking to myself, She could have had cancer, and we could be going to chemotherapy treatments right now. That certainly puts the little inconveniences and problems of the day in perspective.

We found Audrey's Easter dress at Target. It was such a great price, and it's even more beautiful in person. Now we have to find shoes, which I'm definitely not looking forward to.

In the past, we've gotten her one pair of shoes from Stride Rite each season that she basically wears every day. She also has a cheaper pair that she sometimes wears to church. Last spring, we found a beautiful pair of sandals at Stride Rite, and even though I cringed at the price, I knew they would last and go with everything. And they did.

It's different now, though. She's playing outside a lot more, and having just one pair of white sandals is not going to cut it. We don't know what to do. She has very sensitive little feet, but we can hardly buy two or three pairs of shoes at Stride Rite. We'll also need some that she can wear in the water at the beach and the pool this summer.

At least David's spring break is next week, so we'll be able to look around. I can't wait for him to be off!

By the way, I just had to share this picture of Audrey. Recently, she woke up from a nap with her shirt like this:

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I have no idea how that happened.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Grateful (continued)

So, I left off where Audrey was supposed to go to the Children's Hospital to get blood taken, mainly to rule out autoimmune disorders. The night before we were supposed to take her, David gathered every thermometer in the house so we could check her temp. Her pedi advised that we take it orally, under her arm, and rectally (ugh).

Every thermometer we checked came up with similar numbers...in the 96 and 97 degree range. At that point, we were very confused and frustrated. Audrey had been through hell at the pedi's that day. They actually catheterized her to see if she had a UTI.

I decided enough was enough, and that one of us needed to go buy a new thermometer. We had already put new batteries in the temporal one, and it was registering the same high temps as before. So DH trekked out to CVS and bought another one. My reasoning was that the old ones, and who knows how old they really are, could be unreliable because of old batteries or what not. And I wanted results I could count on.

David came home with the new one, and we tried to take it orally. That didn't work out so well. Then we went for under the arm. And guess what? It was in the 96 and 97 range. I can't even describe the relief that swept over me at that moment, yet...the anger about the hell we'd all been through nearly overwhelmed me. David even commented that he'd like to take that temporal thermometer out to the shooting range.

This stupid thermometer is the reason my little girl was subjected to all kinds of unpleasantness at the pedi's office. As if she didn't already hate going there in the first place. And she was also very close to being subjected to all kinds of blood work at the Children's Hospital. We decided to postpone going there the next day, in light of her low temp, and just monitor the situation over the weekend.

I am going to call that company, and heads are gonna roll. I am PISSED. And so happy and grateful at the same time. It's a weird combo, believe me.

Oh, and did I mention that Audrey came down with a cold the day before this craziness, and that I was also diagnosed with a sinus infection at the same time? Oh yeah. This winter has truly sucked when it comes to being sick.

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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Can't take much more of this (but so grateful at the same time)

As you know, David, Audrey, and I have taken turns being sick since the first week of November. Last week, Audrey's illness took on a serious tone, to say the least. I'll go ahead and say that she's perfectly fine (except for a vicious cold), but we didn't know that then.

Audrey and I have been fighting a bacterial/viral infection for several weeks now. It's cost us several hundred dollars in homeopathic remedies. Why not take Audrey to the doctor? Because I don't want her taking antibiotics that are unnecessary. That's why I have to take such strong meds when I get sick, because I took too many antibiotics as a child.

I decided last Thursday that Audrey needed to go to the doctor. She'd had a fever since the first day of February (at least), and I was getting concerned. David took her, since I was sick in bed. I was awakened by a call from David, saying they were on their way home from the doctor's office. I asked what was wrong with Audrey, and he said, "We'll talk about it when we get home."

Yeah, I don't think so. Then he said, "Well, they've definitely ruled out cancer; the doctor wanted you to know that." Excuse me? CANCER? He then told me that we needed to take Audrey to the Children's Hospital the next day for blood work. Our doctor wanted to see if she had a long-running virus or an autoimmune disorder. Again, what the...?

To make a long story short, I completely freaked out. I called my mother in tears to explain what was going on, hoping to pull myself together by the time David and Audrey got home.

Dr. W asked if our thermometer could be the problem. We have one that measures temporally (one that you swipe across the child's forehead). We had wondered that before, when she had an ear infection recently, so we took the thermometer to the doctor. We tested it against theirs, and ours was spot on.

I can't write anymore right now because I am truly exhausted and very angry, but at least you know she's okay. More on this the next post.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Valentines

We had fun making valentines for the grandparents this year. We decided to keep it simple, just to cut out hearts and put stickers all over them. David cut out the hearts, and we just peeled the backs off the stickers and let Audrey place them wherever she wanted.

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Yeah, I definitely live in my robe. Whatever. I'm been sick forever now.

Anyway, we also made one for David on the sly while he was at work. It was so much fun and so simple. Audrey loved it, and so did the grandparents, needless to say.

David and I agreed that we'd keep Valentine's Day simple this year, no gifts, just cards. And that we'd go see a movie soon or go out to eat. Well, David didn't abide by that rule, as you can see.

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He had already given me a single rose on Sunday, which I was perfectly happy with (you can see it to the left of the other flowers in the last pic). He also sent me dark chocolates, which is basically the only sugar I can have, one piece a day (or sometimes two:) So basically, I feel guilty about not getting him anything, but I'm not going to let that keep me from enjoying my gifts!

We bought Audrey three books, and I've read them about a million times since we gave them to her on Sunday. She particularly likes Itsy Bitsy Spider, which contains not only the song, but also an explanation of why Itsy Bitsy is trying to climb the water spout in the first place. It's a great book.

Happy belated Valentine's Day!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Build-a-Bear

Mom wanted to get my nieces and Audrey an animal from Build-a-Bear for Valentine's Day. We did this last year, too, the weekend before Valentine's. We decided to go this past weekend so it wouldn't be too crowded. Puh-lease. That place was packed full of people.

And so many rude kids! Three little girls, who were in line behind Owen, actually pushed him out of the way so they could see the selection of animals. Unbelievable. Somebody asked where their parents were, but I didn't see them anywhere (big surprise).

I think Audrey enjoyed it, although she was overwhelmed. That place is so hot, it's ridiculous. I'm the most cold-natured person I know, but I knew from last year that I was going to be miserable. Even with a short-sleeved shirt, though, I was roasting. I could never work there; what a nightmare. The lights are so bright, it's so loud, and I feel like I'm teaching again when I'm in there. ::shudder::

Audrey got a really cute dog, though, and he has a magnet in his mouth and one paw so he can "blow kisses". Here he is.

Adorable. So I guess it was worth it.

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Friday, February 3, 2012

We're sick again (don't read if you just ate or have a weak stomach)

This is so ridiculous. I mean, really. Can't we catch a break? Around 11:00 on Tuesday night, I was reading in bed and heard Audrey coughing (or what I thought was coughing). Then I heard a lot of moving around, so I decided to run in there. I didn't turn on the light, hoping I could soothe her back to sleep.

I was immediately hit by this sickly sweet smell. I actually thought for a second, Did she sneak something to eat in her room? Which totally didn't make sense, I realize. I turned on the light, and there was vomit EVERYWHERE. Literally. It was all over her, her "babies", the sheets, the crib, and the WALL. Talk about projectile vomiting.

She was on her knees in the crib, staring at her hands, which were covered with...well, you know. She was just totally confused by what had happened, since she hasn't ever really thrown up. Besides the spit up she had as a baby, of course.

Oh my gosh, it was terrible. I immediately scooped her up, and she was so hot. She kept saying "Mess, mess" and I was trying to reassure her that everything was okay. She's become kind of obsessed about messes lately.

I don't want to get into too much detail, but there was some undigested food that was definitely recognizable, and she kept talking about that, too. Okay, maybe that was too much detail.

I started making my way to the bedroom to get David, and he met us at the door. He had to wash everything in the crib, including the babies. Thank goodness we have a duplicate of her lovey she's had since she was a baby. She needed a bath for obvious reasons, and it was around midnight when we got back to bed.

David decided to stay home right then and there, and he started working on sub plans. We didn't know how the night was going to go. Thankfully, that was the only time she threw up.

On Wednesday, I already had an appt with my homeopathic doctor, since I've been feeling so weak and fatigued. Audrey went with us, and Jeanne decided to test her, too. We both have something called rickettsia, which is a virus and bacterial infection all rolled up in one. Double the fun. She also tested David, who didn't have it, thank goodness.

So now I'm giving her drops in water and spraying an immune-enhancing homeopathic into her mouth twice a day. David had the idea to get her to open her mouth to sing, and then I spray it in there. It doesn't have any taste, which is wonderful.

So we go back to Jeanne on Monday to see if it's gone. I pray that it is. Here she is after our wonderful night. Looking a little paler than usual, no?

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Monday, January 23, 2012

Nook

I'm addicted to my Nook. Seriously. Just a few months ago, I would have scoffed at the idea of having one. I have an English degree, I used to teach English, and I love the feel of a book in my hands. I thought that snuggling up with a Nook just wouldn't be the same.

And it's not. It's so much better! I do the majority of my reading in bed while lying down, and I prop my books up on a pillow. This was getting increasingly hard for me, because with the fibro, my hands get tired, especially with hardbacks.

But with the Nook? No problem. I also don't have to angle a book so I can get the best lighting, since it has its own light. It's easier for me to prop up on a pillow. And you can change the text size if you need to.

I have the Nook Color, and I asked for that one with the idea that DD would enjoy some of the children's books. I've been a little disappointed with that, though, since hardly any of them are free. In fact, most of the books aren't. I had thought that some of the classics would be cheap, maybe 99 cents, but most are not.

The good thing is that I have a few gift cards from Christmas, so I can read to my heart's content for now. When those run out...well, I'm not looking forward to going back to "real" books.

If you don't plan on using the Nook for children's books, you really don't need the Nook Color. But if you do, it's pretty cool. I've downloaded a couple of free ones for Audrey, and she really likes them. I think there's also an app that allows some books to be read by the Nook. I have to investigate that, especially for when I'm my voice is getting hoarse from reading! I also downloaded a book about sea creatures (above Audrey's level), but she enjoyed looking at the pictures. The colors look good and sharp.

Just hoping my gift cards last as long as possible, so I don't have to go "old school" again:) And I'm so glad my baby loves books as much as I do.

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Thursday, January 19, 2012

Funny things Audrey's been doing lately

1. She calls hiccups "pickups".

2. "Magazine" is "mazagine". We don't correct her because it's so darn cute.

3. She lines things up. She has this tiny set of Mickey Mouse books, and she will line them up in a row on the kitchen floor. She has the Leapfrog phonics fridge magnets, which are rounded at the top so they can fit in Scout's doghouse. The other night, Mom put the magnets in alphabetical order. After she was done, Audrey turned around the Z and the N, which Mom had misplaced because she didn't know about the round part.

4. She likes to call airplanes and helicopters "airplane-copters".

5. She's come to know my doctor/health care people's names. When I leave, she'll say the name of the person she thinks I'm going to see. Kind of cute, kind of sad.

6. She likes to poop in private, which is pretty common. But one night, she disappeared into the kitchen, and Mom went to check on her. She had gone in there to poop, and when she saw Mom, she said,"Go back in there!" (talking about the den). Hey, a girl needs her privacy.

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Thursday, January 12, 2012

Two-year letter (a bit late)

Dear Audrey,

I know I'm late on this one, but I know you'll forgive me. I don't think I was ready to accept that I have a two-year-old. Plus, one or the other of us has been sick since the first of November. It's been a trying time.

You have changed into a different person in the last year, although many things have stayed the same. You're still a wonderful, sweet, caring little girl. You just aren't as little now. Sometimes I wish I could reverse time and experience your babyhood again, but I know I'd miss the person you are now.

Your personality is so wonderful. You're easy-going, just like your daddy. You're cheerful and playful. You're funny. You're loving. You're everything I could ever hope for in a daughter.

And you're tall! I didn't realize that for a while, since you're not often around kids your own age. But I've been noticing it lately, and my thoughts were confirmed when we took you in for your 2-year checkup. You are in the 93rd percentile for height. Say what? To say I'm shocked would be an understatement. I mean, I'm 5'2" on a good day!

Once thing that hasn't changed too much is your eating habits. You started refusing meat about a year ago, and you're continuing that trend. In fact, you're very picky about food now, much to our frustration. I guess it's just a toddler thing.

You know so many words now, and you've been using complete sentences for a while. Your intelligence and skills of observation constantly amaze me. Your favorite activity is still reading books, which is great. I guess you take after me that way:)

You love your daddy to pieces, and he's often the only one who can soothe you when you're upset. In fact, I can hear you in your bedroom right now chattering happily about Daddy. He loves you so much.

And so do I, little angel. You're my miracle.

Love,
Mommy


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Friday, January 6, 2012

Watch out below!

As I mentioned before, I gave David a mini helicopter for Christmas. Actually, I gave him two (not the plan, by the way). I ordered the first one on October 14, and every time I called the company to check on the order, they said it would be shipped out in 1-2 weeks. Every. time.

Finally, I asked if it was going to be delivered by Christmas. They said it would, but they didn't sound very confident. So I told them I wanted to cancel my order. The woman said okay, and she didn't even try to talk me out of it. I asked her for a confirmation email of my cancelled order, and she said they usually don't do that. Sketchy. The charge stayed on my bank statement, and I couldn't get in touch with them to save my life.

Sometimes when I called, I'd get this message from a girl saying they weren't available. Did I mention that the girl sounded like a high school kid, and she also seemed to be giggling at the beginning of the message? And sometimes when I called, I'd get a message saying the number had been disconnected. Ridiculous.

I decided to buy another helicopter for David, this time a Coast Guard one, since David wanted to be in the Coast Guard at one point in his life. It came quickly. I had it sent to Mom's, since I didn't want David to know.

Well, my brother opened it and flew it around for a while. Guess why? Because he had ordered one for himself, and he thought it was his. So my surprise for David was in less than pristine condition. Annoying.

Anyway, David was really excited on Christmas Day.

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He doesn't really look that excited, but then again, he was sleep-deprived that day.

Now, these things are amazingly hard to control. His doesn't have a remote; he can use his iPod Touch to control it. He had a little trouble with it at first, but when I flew it for the first (and only) time, it was a fail. I kept hitting the ceiling, which David did as well, but mine was worse. Little bits of the ceiling were raining down all over the place. It was so bad that David had to do a major clean-up when it was all said and done. It was really fun, though. I'd like to fly it again, but I don't think David wants me to:)

The other helicopter, from GADGET TV (you suck, by the way), arrived at Mom's, even though I'd cancelled the order. David decided to keep it, too, since I owed him a birthday present or two. Complicated story for another time. Good times at our house, as Audrey and I duck for cover as David practices. Boys and their toys...

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

David back to work :(

Yeah, he had to go back on Monday. He was so bummed out about it, and I was, too (and still am). We had a great time during the holidays, except the last part when I got sick, and it's always so hard for him to go back after a break.

I went back to my homeopathic doctor last Thursday, and things aren't going as well as she expected. I had to take a Z pack a few weeks ago for a sinus infection, and that just allows the fungus that causes my pain to run rampant. The good news is that I'm getting rid of the plaque that's been building up in my arteries. The bad news is...I feel terrible. And, I have a viral and bacterial infection, which means the antibiotic wasn't entirely effective. Sigh.

Starting about Wednesday of last week, I felt like my fibro was back with a vengeance. Pain all over my body with even the slightest touch, no stamina, falling asleep at the drop of a hat. David's uncle had flown in from Connecticut for a few days after Christmas, and I only got to see him for about two minutes, literally. I was in bed when he came over to visit for a few hours, and I was also in bed when David's family had a post-Christmas lunch.

I'm trying not to feel sorry for myself, but it's really hard. Monday wasn't too awful, mainly because my mom came over in the afternoon. She had the day off, and she was supposed to be over here all day, but she's not been feeling well, either. Also, Audrey's got some kind of bug. Her temp's been averaging around 100, and she has a cough that doesn't sound good. At all. We've been using the humidifier in her room at night and during naps, though, and I think it's helped her symptoms. She probably got something during her 2-year checkup on Friday, ironically enough. Or who knows where she got it.

Yesterday was not fun. I was so sleepy and worn out, and I had to force myself to stay awake and take care of Audrey. She was irritable, and so was I, which isn't a great combination.

But, as much as David doesn't want to be back at school, he thinks he's going to have some good kids this semester. He's teaching his class using the Internet, where students can submit work, among other things. The students seem to like this, since they're so used to technology. I hope it's a great semester for him.

Now, I just have to get myself back in a schedule. And I have to pray fervently that I feel better. Audrey's gotten used to going places and being on the move during Christmas break, so she's got to adjust to mainly staying at home all day again. And so do I. Yuck.

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