Little Daredevil

One recent afternoon we got out the inflatable pool to cool off. Reese had a blast jumping over the edge and into the pool. One of the times that she jumped in, she slipped and fell flat on her butt. I laughed, so of course she laughed too. The poor girl has been so attention deprived lately (so she thinks) so she was all too willing to do whatever to keep me laughing and my attention on her. She figured out quickly that if she ran a short distance into the pool that I would laugh. After that it didn't take long before she was running several yards away from the pool and then running and jumping in.

Beach Babies

Though we have had a boat for the past several years and have enjoyed using it, I think that this year will be the most fun yet! Reese loves the boat so much, she asks me everyday if we can go boating. One day, as I picked her up from her grammys we went outside into a dark sky full of storm clouds and winds whipping us in the face and she asked if we could go boating! Both of the kids absolutely love to play in the sand and water. This past Sunday Randy and his parents got the boat out into the water while the kids took an early nap. When they woke up around 1, I got them sunscreened and dressed and Randy met us at the dock to pick us up. We got to the beach and the kids were so busy playing that they forgot to eat. About 2 hours later, Reese complained that she was hungry and finally sat down long enough to eat the lunch I had packed. About that time, Aidan started getting crabby. I tried for 30-45 minutes to get him to lay down and get to sleep on the boat, but to no avail. Finally, I got him some ice which helped to cool him down and soothe his sore gums and he calmed down. We played a few hours longer and finally came in around 7pm. Both kids went straight into the tub to wash out all of the sand and river water. Aidan was so tired he went straight to bed without any supper. After dinner I sat down to watch tv and almost fell asleep on the couch. I had to force Reese to go to bed at 9:30 so that I could finally get to bed! It was an exhausting day, but so worth it!

Aidan 15 months

Today we had Aidan's 15 month check-up. He has gained almost 3 pounds and grown just about 2 inches! He definitely does not look or act like a baby anymore! He has had a cough since the whole chocking incident, so we got more antibiotics to treat the ongoing congestion. We also got a referral for an orthopedist as Aidan's right leg turns out and his foot rolls in so that he is almost walking on his ankle. Though he walks, he almost drags his foot along behind him, never using it as his lead foot. Though the doctor thinks that he will likely outgrow it, he thinks that it might be a good idea to just have it checked out. Finally, his fontinel has almost closed, which helps me to breathe a sigh of relief. After our last visit I researched it and came up with all kinds of scary reasons for the fontinel to remain open or close so slowly. Thankfully, all looks good now!

Beep! Beep!

While shopping tonight, I was walking on one side of the main aisle while Reese kind of wandered around the remaining space. I asked her to move closer to me and hold onto the cart. I was still asking her to get over when she came upon an older woman on her side of the aisle. Reese walked right up to her and said, "Beep, beep!" I say this all the time at home because one of the kids is always underfoot and in danger of being stepped on or tripped over. I was absolutely mortified and sure that the older woman wasvery angry at me and my rude daughter, though she said nothing. I held back my laugh, and reprimanded Reese for being so rude and we continued on our way. It is so hard not to laugh when she uses these phrases in the right context!

Dancing Queen

This past weekend we attended a wedding. Reese loves to dance and was so excited for the music to start and the dancing to begin. During the whole dinner and wedding stuff (cake cutting, bride and groom dance etc) we played with the kids on a deck at the venue. Here she is taking a break from playing.
Finally, when the music started for the dance, Reese sprinted to and was the first one on the floor. At first she just ran around in cirlces, pretty much preventing anyone else from even entering the dance floor.

After a few minutes she was absolutely drenched in sweat and began to do some actual dancing. Awhile later I noticed that she kept leaving the dance floor and leaning against the wall. Upon closer inspection, I realized that she was leaning over an air vent to cool off and watch her dress blow up around her! Here she is standing over the vent with her uncle Derek.

She got her Grammy and Grampy to dance with her.


Towards the end of the night she actually went out to the tables surrounding the dance floor and dragging people onto the dance floor to dance with her! I lost her at one point during the night and started walking around looking for her. I found her talking to some girls, who said that she had asked them to come dance with her! Such a little social butterfly!
We had a long drive home and an early morning ahead of us, so we had to leave around 9. Randy and I packed up the car while the kids danced some more with their grandparents. Finally we said goodbye and loaded into the car. Randy carried Reese kicking and screaming that she was not done dancing yet! I told her that we had planty of weddings and dances coming up this summer. Now everyday as I get ready for work, Reese is asking me if we get to go to a wedding! She also began singing the hokey pokey this morning!

Hairdresser

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have had basically the same hairstyle most of my life. I keep my hair between chin and shoulder length, blow dry it straight and wear it with a part down the middle. Anytime I have looked remotely different, I have had somebody else do my hair. It is not that I love this look so much that I continue to wear my hair the same way, as much as it is that I am completely useless with any type of hairstyling equipment. Once in 8th grade I attempted to trim my own bangs. My hair was still wet, I held my bangs straight out and cut straight across. I was left with about 1 inch of bangs which looked completely ridiculous. I bawled and begged my mom to let me stay home from school, but there was no getting out of it! When I found out I was having a girl, I was excited about all of the pretty dresses and clothes that I would be able to dress her up in, but was absolutely dreading having to do anything with her hair. Thankfully, Randy's sister is awesome at doing hair and loves to do it, so we have had her do Reese's hair for the weddings or special events we have attended so far. This past weekend we had a wedding to go to and she was unavailable to help out. Not wanting Reese to go to the wedding all dressed up pretty in her dress with her wild, out of control hair, I decided to attempt an updo. After washing her hair, I brushed her hair with her part slightly off center. I then took a few strands and braided them. Finally, I pulled the rest of her hair back into a ponytail, leaving the ends secured in the rubberband like a bun. To cover up the rubberband, I used one of her old silk bows. Though it was fairly simple, it turned out very cute! I have a feeling that this could become Reese's go to look for wedding and special events in the future.

Look out world!

As little as a week ago, I was worrying about whether Aidan was still only walking along furniture because he was too scared to let go or because there was something wrong with his development. All of a sudden last weekend he started letting go and walking into the middle of the room! We went from worrying whether or not he would walk to wondering if he will ever sit still again! He usually stands kind of sideways and often he has one hand moving around wildly in front of him. I call it his "Zoro walk" because he almost looks like he is sword fighting someone! So cute! Sometimes he will walk straight ahead and then he looks like Frankenstein. Both of his hands reach out in front to keep him balanced and his little legs quickly kick out in front of him. He is so proud and wears a grin from ear to ear!

Funny Reeseisms

The other day Reese had a massive wedgie. As she picked her underwear out of her butt, she announced to me, "Mommy, my butt ate my underwear! My underwear is just like food!" I about bust a gut laughing. I don't know were this girl gets these things from!

While driving around town last night with my mom, Reese said, "are they f---ing idiots?" I immediately said, "Don't say that Reese, that is not a nice word." My mom didn't hear her and asked her to repeat what she said. Reese obliged and repeated the question, two times. Finally, my mom understood what she was saying and told her through guffaws that she should not use that word! (Sidenote: f---ing idiots is a word that daddy uses with other drivers he is frustrated with.)

No Comparison

This past week has been an emotional roller coaster for me. It all started with my son's choking ordeal on Sunday. I have always been the one to want to take the kids to the doctor at the sign of any illness, while my husband is always saying to wait it out a little longer. When Aidan choked, we weren't sure that he had choked because he had been having symptoms of sore throat for about 24 hours. I felt that if we got him to calm down and quit crying that the barking cough he was making would stop. My husband, after talking to the ask a nurse line, was convinced that our son was dying and needed to be airlifted to the hospital (complete reversal of roles!) On our way to the hospital Randy made several off hand remarks that he was glad he had not been on the road because he did not think that I would have handled the situation appropriately and that he could not believe that I want to run a daycare. He said anything and everything to indicate that he thought I was a horrible mother, though once we got to the hospital, I couldn't get him off of his cell phone blackjack game to watch one of the kids so that I could go to the bathroom.
The day after the surgery I stayed home from work in order to take Aidan to the doctor and get him some medicine. On Tuesday Randy was staying home all day and Aidan was sleeping, so I asked if he would mind keeping the kids with him, rather than taking them to his mother's while I was at work. He decided to keep them with him even though he would be working some from home. When I got home from work around 1pm, he informed me that he thought that he did a better of being at home with the kids than I do because the kids were in bed and the house was cleaned. I pointed out that I clean house while the kids are napping, but they have been up and playing (messing up the house) for a few hours by the time he usually gets home.
Wednesday he informed me that I am not cool, because a mutual friend of ours went out partying over the weekend. I informed him that it was for a bachelorette party which her husband would not have been invited to and was therefore probably at home with their child while she was out partying. Our friend reinforced my opinion.

Piggy Pooped

Today as I am getting ready for work I hear Reese yelling at her stuffed pig, called Piggy. I ask her what is the matter and she tells me, "Piggy pooped all every place. He knows better!" Thinking that she was playing pretend with her piggy I went back to putting on my makeup. A few minutes later I see her playing with an empty juice jug. She had the cap off and was dumping it out. Not wanting her to get an lefotver juice on the floor I go over and grab the jug from her. In the bottom of the jug is a little pile of stuffing (pig poop!) Upon inspection I notice that piggy has a hole in his back and is leaking stuffing. I only wish that cleaning poop up off the floor were that easy!

Body Image

I have always had a very poor body image and battled with eating disorders for several years as a teenager. I know because of my history, my daughter is especially prone to have a poor body image and battling an eating disorder at some point in her life. I also understand that what I do, say and model for her is very influential. I remember thinking of myself as fat and ugly as early as 2nd grade. If my daughter were to follow a similar pattern, I have only 5 more years to instill healthy eating and good exercise habits. I also have 5 years to straighten up my act in modeling these habits and my own positive self image.

I do not want to constantly be dieting or teach her that there are good or bad foods. I have been very careful to try to keep a variety of foods in the house and to cook meals for the family that are healthy. We offer fruits and/or vegetables at every meal at home. When eating out, I have had people at restaurants comment on how great it is that Reese will choose to eat peaches, tomatoes or salad over pizza or chicken nuggets (Aidan is still young enough he eats whatever we choose for him). Whenever we have a snack, we usually grab a piece of fruit or veggies before anything else. Guests to our house have been suprised that my children beg at my feet for pieces of grapefruit, which we usually peel and share before bedtime. So I think that we have done a fairly good job of teaching our kids how to eat healthfully but not made it a chore or diet, but a lifestyle.

I do need to work on showing the kids more ways to move and be active. We do play outside or go to the park now that the weather is warmer, but when we are in the house at night, you can usually find me cleaning or sitting on the couch watching tv while the kids play.

Finally, I need to work on the things that I say. For example, this morning while getting ready for work, I passed a mirror and sighed at myself not liking how the outfit I chose fit. Reese happened to be standing there and grabbed my shirt and told me that I looked pretty. I then asked Randy if he thought the outfit looked ok together and on me? He agreed with Reese and I left for work still feeling uncomfortable in my clothes. I know that I need to not say negative things, especially in front of Reese, but getting dressed is an ordeal for me every day!

How do you instill a positive self image in your children?

That could never happen to me.

Recently I read an article in Parenting Magazine about choking hazards for kids. The article emphasized that hot dogs in particular are a major choking hazard for children because the shape and size are so similar to their little esophagus'. After reading the article I thought to myself that my children would never choke on a hot dog because we always cut them up and because they are such hearty eaters. Aidan usually shoves so much food into his mouth that he can barely breathe, but somehow he always manages to chew and swallow it all down. Last night Aidan choked on a hot dog, which set in motion a series of events which really made me think about some of the things I have gotten more lax about.

Last night we had the grill going and were making brats and hot dogs for dinner. We planned on eating al fresco, but after shooshing away flies for five minutes, we decided to move indoors. Aidan had been eating some pasta salad while Randy cut up the hot dogs to let them cool off. In our rush to move everything inside, we served Aidan his hot dog which was not cut in half (like we usually do) just into bite sized circles. I had barely finished my brat when Aidan became very upset and started trying to get out of his chair. I figured he was done and started to clean him up. He became extremely upset as I picked him up and started crying. In between cries there was a horrible honking sound coming from his throat. I tried to calm him down to see if it stopped, but he would not be calmed. I took him into the bathroom because he became warm and sweaty, and put him into some cool water to play and calm down, while Randy called our ask a Nurse line to see what we should do. Aidan had had a scratchy throat all day, so I hoped he would calm down and breathe normally and we would take him in to the doctor to be checked for strep the next day. The Nurse on the line listened to his breathing and said that it sounded like croup and to hang up and call 911. Being in a rural area and 25 miles from a hospital we loaded into the car and headed to the hospital as quickly and safely as possible. Aidan calmed down immensely but was leaning his head back to catch a breath of air frequently. We checked into the ER as soon as we got there, about 6pm, and waited about 20 minutes before we were called back. The nurse listened to him and decided after hearing the chain of events to take him back immediately. They moved some beds around and found us a room. We talked to the doctor and she said that they would do an x-ray first to see if they could see the obstruction. If they could not see anything then he would be off to the OR to receive anesthesia and have a scope inserted into his esophagus to find the obstruction. We went to x-ray soon after being called back. They got the x-ray on the first try and we were taken back to our room. Ten minutes later they confirmed that they could not see anything in the x-ray and we would have to do the scope. We were told we would have to wait until 11pm so that Aidan would have an empty stomach, so Randy decided to take Reese to his parents to spend the night. Soon after he left, they doctor came in and told us that the doctor and anesthesiologist were called in to a trauma and they wanted to see if he could drink, then they could send us home and we could go to the doctors office in the morning to have the hot dog removed. I was not happy with this new plan of action, so I was so relieved when Aidan spit out the water that I tried giving him. Randy returned about 8:30 and soon after we were told that they were going to get his IV in and ready for the surgery sooner than planned. We went to the OR floor at about 9pm to finish prepping and talk to the doctor and anesthesiologist. At 10pm one of the nurses took him from me and carried him back to the OR. Five minutes later she returned to tell us that the anesthesia helped him to relax his throat and the hot dog fell into his stomach. They returned wheeling Aidan on the bed, and he looked so small and helpless! I don't know how people who have children with severe illnesses or that require lots of medical care handle it! They woke him up and he was coughing and wheezing very loudly still. They determined that he had croup and called him doctor to get a prescription for some steroids to help reduce swelling in his throat. After monitoring him for awhile to make sure that he accepted the medicine well, we were released. We made it home just after 12 and tucked Aidan into bed. I cleaned up dinner and went to bed around 1. I woke him up at 3, administered the next dose of steroids and put him back to sleep. Then he woke me up coughing and wheezing at 6 am. We dressed and got ready to go, dropped some clothes off for Reese and went to the pediatricians. The office opened at 8, but our doctor was not available until 9, so we waited until he came in. They checked his weight, oxygen levels in his blood and listened to his lungs countless times. Finally, they decided it was croup and treated him with a breathing treatment and more steroids. I administered the breathing treatment and they rechecked his oxygen levels, which had improved. After another quick check, a prescription and doctor promising to call later to check on him, we were free to go. We picked up the meds and then big sister and headed home. Aidan ate a little bit of canned fruit and then I put him to bed. He sounds a lot better, as long as he is not upset or being too physically active.

Hopefully he will continue to improve and be back to his normal self soon. I know that I will be a lot more vigilant about how much food I give him and how well it is cut up from now on. I also learned that 5 minutes of crying because he is hungry is a lot better than hours of crying because he has food lodged in his throat!