Funny Face...

Isn't this the cutest skinny minny you've ever seen? So what if she's in the 3rd percentile for weight and at 9 months she weighs a hefty 15 and 1/2 lbs. She's a good girl, takes her punches from the boys and can hold her own.

Today, she climbed up on one of those storage boxes everyone uses for toys...we have one about 6-8 inches off the floor. She was so ticked because she couldn't get off and kept going in these little circles around the perimeter. It was funny in a very mean and un-momlike way. But, maybe she won't climb up again....

Although, she fell down our stairs and still climbs up them.....
:-)

Vacation

We are heading up 6 hours north for a family vaca w/the inlaws fishing. I am petrified as we are staying in a cottage on a lake. I have 2 very curious, ambitious, rambunctious boys. I am going to be a wreck with worry.

Think of me, pray for me, and I hopefully will have only happy posts to share when I get back....(aside from the constant stream of talk from Jack the entire way which may or may not make me want to strangle him)!!!

:-)

In the Back of a Police car....

Foreshadowing, anyone????

Rub A Dub Dub

4 Babies in a Tub (At Brooke's Birthday)......

Fun With Kids

Probably the best photo I've ever gotten of them all together...we were out for a walk.... Wait for it.....Wait for it....Wait for it.....


Yup, he's in the "Poopin' Squat"!

Maddie, prepare yourself for a mauling....

(tough love)
"Hey lady, stop with the DANG camera and tell these clowns to just leave me alone already!!!"

Tow-Nater

Nate is just everyone's favorite guy. Even when he sneaks onto John's work lap top and plinks every key off, hides them, and then wonders why he gets in trouble. Daddy had to creatively persuade himself to getting his computer fixed at work yesterday since half the keys didn't even work anymore. Daddy also had a hard time finding a photo online of what his computer should look like so that he could do some work at all. I just kept saying, "Someday dear, this will be funny....someday."

Yup, Mr. Mischief was out in full force yesterday.....
I love this photo. When he doesn't get his way, that lower lip comes out, he does a great pout, and oftentimes starts a full out wail. Here he's mad because I won't open the garage door so that he can ride his mini-motorcycle, which goes about the speed of molasses and reminds me of a little old lady riding a rascal scooter. Hilarious.

Why I love Chi-Town

In this city, you are not judged by your race, color, creed, career, sex, social standing, car you drive, etc. You are judged, rather, your worthiness as a human being and social circles are created by one thing only: Do you bear allegiance to the North Side, or (Gasp!) the South Side???

Suffice it to say, the RIGHT team won 2 out of the 3 crosstown classic games this weekend.

Rock on!

Sooo spooky

Its an Easter photo. I SWEAR my mother in law or someone has a picture of John's dad with him and his older sister and it's pretty darn close to this. To the point that if we switched out John and his dad, we wouldn't know who was who....EEEEEEEEERRRRRIIIIEEE!!!!

(John's Grandmother also used to say that John looked like her husband---A LOT). Funny how those genes get passed to the Alpha male in the family!!!

Why I already HATE tomorrow

Tomorrow is Jack's last day of school. He has successfully completed a year of "schooling'. Now what the hell do I do? It was the best 5 hours of my week!

Also, I'm sad. Very very sad. I just keep thinking...when he started school Maddie was literally
a few days old. She is my baby...my last, and now she is almost walking and talking.

Tomorrow, I will be given a book of the "scrapbooking" kind that Jack's teachers have been making all year. I will be reminded of his first day of school (the photos of which have been lost from the past hard drive), and I will be reminded of how much he has grown this year. I love it, and yet, I hate it. I love that he is so "grown up" and I hate knowing that I will never have this moment to treasure with him. I love that he is so "independent", and I hate knowing that he will be needing me less and less as each minute goes by.

I feel old.

I feel time slipping away.

I feel my babies leaving me......and it is SO hard.

The Best Mom's Day ever

This mother's day, I felt very blessed. I have 3 amazing kids, and a husband who really works so hard to make his family feel the love.

My Mom's day started actually on the Thursday beforehand. Jack's school had a special Mother's day Program where the kids sang, and it was the damn cutest thing I've ever seen. I think for posterity someone took a photo of all the mom's video taping their kids. Part of me hates to be the video taping mom, and the other part of me is the mom who can't let go and wants to hold these beautiful moments in time forever. Someday they will be cursing me and screeching at the top of their lungs how much they hate me, but for this moment I have my sweet sweet boy blowing kisses, taking bows, and saying "I love you Mom" on video.

On Sunday, John and the boys made breakfast. Scrambled eggs with nary an eggshell...it was delish (take THAT Rachel Ray). The highlight of my day was when John had Nate butter my toast. He did a great job, and then he ate it! It was hilarious, and really it made my day. Jack scooping "Candy Lobe' bits out of a halved melon with a kiddie spoon wasn't bad either.

I got presents too. Maddie gave me earrings and a necklace in her birthstone, which is this funky green gem called "peridot". I hope she liked it, someday it will all be hers (sorry future daughter's in law!!). Nate picked out flowers and I found out later that John had to discourage him from his initial choice of some half wilted, eaten looking dying wilting thing. Whatever...if it came from Nate, it would've been special! Jack made me a flower bottle (to hold my egg carton cutout flowers of course) and a cutout teapot with a poem that said:
"Happy mother's day,
I'll try to do my best each day...
Something something have some tea".

It was cute, the teachers attached a little teabag and I got teary eyed, until I realized they didn't give us anything to put in the tea. Yah, I can forgive you for breaking the window...let me drink my tea with a shot of VODKA in it, right???

To be fair though, I truly loved all my presents. Every one of them was a gift from the heart, and was thoughtful and loving. However, the best part of my day was when I took a 3 hr. nap. Really, in a mom's world, it doesn't get better than actually taking a break, and so I did.

I'll bet you're all jealous of me...not of anything I received that was tangible, but of the fact that I got to NAP!!! That 3 letter word is almost sacrilige in the world of "mom"!!!

I hope everyone's day was as blessed as mine!

Love to all the MAMACITAS!

When a Fart is just a Fart

On the way to the gym to take the boys swimming, an actual conversation:

"Mom, did you bring me extra underwear to put on at the gym?"

"No, why would I do that?"

"In case I poop my pants."

"Buddy, you haven't pooped your pants in a very long time. What makes you think you would do so now?"

"Well, I just farted."

"Oh. Well, sometimes you can fart without pooping."

At the gym, unloading the stroller out the back, Jack is standing up by the door ready to climb out.

"You're right mom! I just farted!"

"Oh....how are you so sure?"

"Well....I sticked my hand down my pants and there was nothing on my butt."

What we'd have done had there been something, I'm not so sure, but sometimes, a fart is just a fart.

This is what it looks like

When John is in Charge and I'm coming home from work and he needs a "break". Yah, all 3 kids are in front of the tv, probably watching Jaws, Major league or something else sporty and manly. The boys were probably eating peanuts too....

Whoa Black Betty... BAM A LAM!!!!

Saturday night I got to pretend for a few hours that I don't have 3 kids up my ass at all times. It was soooo great!

I went to a bachelorette party for the fiance of the guy who was the best man at our wedding. He actually stood up in our wedding with a good friend of mine who was best friends with this girl...yada yada yada, we have a love story wrought of fate.

Anywho, the evening started off relatively tame at my friend Kristin's condo in the city. We did shots, we at egg dip, we did more shots, we played "Pin the Bow tie on the Naked Guy", we filled water bottles with Captain and Coke, and we headed south to the Sox game. Everyone was required to wear a nametag throughout the entire evening, and the nametags changed periodically. Mine was "I Just Pumped". We had a "Black Betty Bam a lam", "Just call me Bob", and some others I won't mention. By the way....It was an awesome game,the sox totally lost 3-0.

After we closed The Cell, we went down to the players gate and met the very very very young Brian Anderson, also known as the no hitting centerfielder who pretty much sucks. He was cool though, he took a polaroid with our Bachelorette and snagged a pen from a ten year old pining for an autograph on his baseball in order to sing our polaroid. Drunk, Pretty Girls have no shame, and we can pretty much get what we want, even if we have to crush a 10 year olds' dream!!!

We headed back North to party in Wrigleyville, and by this time I had several new names: "Nobody puts me in a corner" being the most tame. One girl had to wear the "I made out with Jesus in Cancun" nametag, while others wore "Wall Splits", "Our God is An Awesome God", "I Eat", "Clap your hands for Jesus", "10 inches only" "Put Him in a Body Bag Johnny" (Props to those of you who know what movie THAT'S from), "Exit Only" (on their butt), and some others that are pretty risque to mention. It was fun watching people trying to figure out if we were some weird religious cult, or if we were just some weird chicks out for an evening.

I went home that night, and nothing sobers you more than a 75 minute drive home. Actually, I was drinking water at the game and on, so I was fine but just really tired. Last week left me wiped out, Saturday night semi-revived me, and now I feel like I'm still recuperating. It was totally worth it though.

BAM A LAM!

She will Survive!

After a lot of hoopla, it was deemed that Miss M's kidneys look fine, via ultrasound. They couldn't get a good look at her bladder since she peed, but whatever. I'm pretty sure that's fine also.

On to our next fun adventure, Doc has deemed that her iron levels are really low. Her serum levels were at 18, and they need to be between 37-170, so now she is on iron drops. Maybe this will help clear up any problems, but I almost wonder if since I'm chronically anemic, if I should just give her iron fortified formula instead of breastmilk? The pharmacist today was of no help, really. She just said "breast is best". Sure it is, when mother has enough nutrition to give. I'd hate to give up nursing totally just yet....

Such a dilemma. And all I want to do is what's best for her.

Any advice?

The Saga Continues...

After speaking with a good friend yesterday after Maddie's blood draw, I began to freak out. Actually, she freaked me out. What if due to her adhesion Maddie can't pee all the way and stuff has been getting backed up into her kidneys, or renal tubes? What if because I didn't know better I damaged her for life? Why has no Doc. thought to look into this?

She wound up calling her doc, only because she felt bad about freaking me out and they couldn't believe what happened, so I went there today for a second opinion. Apparently, the labial adhesion would almost prevent a bladder/kidney infection because she is so closed up nothing is getting past the barrier, so everything is essentially coming out clean. What worried the doc at this point was the high fever coupled with the high white blood cell count and no real answers, no ear infection, no cold like symptoms, etc.

So, we put a bag on M. to get a urine culture, but she was uncooperative and didn't pee until I'm sure 5 seconds after we took that bag off and walked out the door.

However, Doc is sending us tomorrow for a renal ultrasound to ensure that there is nothing "anatomically abnormal' which would cause a bladder/kidney or UT infection. And based on the other things going on (fever, et al) there was a rampant infection in her body somewhere caused by something. An abnormality....This could be tube twisting, blockage, etc. My gut says Maddie is just fine, but it feels good just to be sure. In 2 weeks we're going to run a urine culture to get a good reading on if everything is "cleaned out" so to speak.

So, for now, I'll just drink a beer and not think about tomorrow. Actually, the most daunting part of tomorrow is the 1 hr. 9 minute drive to the hospital I need to go to to take care of this, but we do what we do cuz we love them, right?

More On the Hospital

Ran today with Maddie this a.m for another blood draw for her iron levels at the hospital outpatient services. If they don't improve, she may need an iron supplement. Doc says they usually don't even do this blood draw before a year old but...yada yada yada.

Will keep everyone updated on the Divine Miss M's progress.

Checklist

Current Meds as Follows:

Nate: AM- Dose of Antibiotic, CHECK!
AM Dose of Motrin to keep fever down, CHECK!
AM Dose of Robitussin, CHECK

Afternoon: Dose of Robitussin, (Damn he fell asleep)

Still to do: Evening dose of Antibiotic
Evening dose of Motrin
Evening Dose of Robitussin

Maddie:
AM dose of Antibiotic, CHECK!
AM Dose of Vaginal hormonal Cream to open labia (which takes up to 4 WEEKS), CHECK!
AM Antibiotic for eye infection (which if the tear duct doesn't open by June will require a surgery to open) CHECK
Motrin: Not needed this a.m.

Afternoon dose of eye ointment, CHECK

Still to do: Follow morning protocol.

If you're counting and including fever reducers, that's 16 different meds distributed throughout the day (with multiple dosings)

And my husband had the NERVE to say he really doesn't get what it is I think I'm doing all day, or what do I do all day? (Besides, according to him, talk on the phone, which I really can't do because all our batteries die within 5 minutes).

I don't get paid enough for this crap!

Never A Dull Moment

I don't think you can get any more tired than I am right at this moment. Really.

Friday, Nate started a fever...it continued off and on all weekend, spiking as high as 102 +. Same thing with Maddie, but when her fever spiked 104.3 Sunday night I was so afraid of febrile seizures that I packed up both kids and ran to the hospital.

There, we discovered that the children, will in fact, survive. Nate has Sinusitis, or better put, a runny nose.

Next Kid: She's a little more messed up. Because her fever was so high Doc wanted a urinalysis and blood draw done. Blood Draw turned up a really hight white blood cell count, low iron, and borderline dehydration. Had Nate not been there sick with me, they said they may have kept her for observation.

Urinalyisis was a completely different issue, as they couldn't do one. Doc wanted a straight catheter put in, but the Nurse couldn't do it, because as we found out, Maddie has a "labial adhesion". This basically means her labia are "adhered together" and she may or may not have been born this way, but the bottom line is that kids who have this issue are more prone to Urinary Tract infections. So this poor baby could have been pissing fire for MONTHS and we never knew (how could we?) The mommy guilt of not realizing this sooner, is of course in full swing. I was assured however, this has nothing to do with cleanliness, it's most likely a hormonal issue.

On top of this, I didn't here the full word "adhesion". I heard "esion" and in my exhausted, frantic mommy state translated it into "lesions' and immediately was expecting a visit from DCFS because hospital staff thinks I hurt my baby.

Thank God her fever came down in the hospital, otherwise they were going to insert a needle thru her pubic area straight into the bladder to get a urine sample. All I could picture was an amniocentisis type needle plunging foot long into my poor baby. Needless to say, it was a long ride home.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that even if an ER visit wasn't really warranted, it's worth the money to find out about her issues "down there" because we would have NEVER known. I have 2 boys, their parts are easily identifiable for crying out loud!

Is there Anything Better...

Than 3 naked babies in the tub?

No More Markers

This happened a couple of weeks ago, with black Sharpie magic marker. Not only was it all over my children, it was all over the walls, and furniture as well. And Darlene, Thanks, that Magic Eraser is seriously the best invention ever. I don't know what's in it, and I do not care. My furniture is relatively marker free now....

Jack displays his self-imposed tatooes.
Check out THE BOTTOM OF THE FOOT. This little number got sharpie on my new carpeting.
Is Sharpie marker toxic at all?
I can't figure out how to flip the photo, but you get the jist. Nate was Jack's canvass for the day.
The words, "Hey mom, I look like a pirate!" are never a good thing to hear.

Keep in mind that during all this, both parents were home, tending to usual household duties. Also keep in mind that Body Art Part II took place yesterday as I was putting the little ones down for a nap. Jack now has purple spots on his torso and a purple belly button.

I really need to figure out how to clone myself and be 2 places at once....