When we got done, we stopped for an ice cream cone to share. The girls were so cute with the ice cream and of course it was all over them, but that was part of the fun.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Easy Breezy Beautiful Afternoon
Yesterday was such a beautiful day here. It was breezy without being cold and the temperature was just perfect. I had quite a bit of company throughout the day but during the afternoon I packed up the girls and took them to a park around the corner that Brigitta, their sitter, had told me about. It had two baby swings side by side and a cute little playground. It wasn't a busy park and there were lots of trees for shade. We had a great time. This was the first time the girls have ever been to the park and the very first time they have been on the swings or slide. Here are some pictures from our wonderful afternoon :)
When we got done, we stopped for an ice cream cone to share. The girls were so cute with the ice cream and of course it was all over them, but that was part of the fun.
When we got done, we stopped for an ice cream cone to share. The girls were so cute with the ice cream and of course it was all over them, but that was part of the fun.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
All Better
What makes a bad day all better?
1. Cookies .... Homeade (okay, Pillsbury Break Apart & Bake) Chocolate Chip Cookies
1. Cookies .... Homeade (okay, Pillsbury Break Apart & Bake) Chocolate Chip Cookies
2. Bubble Baths, every girls love them!
3. Daddy! Daddy always makes our day better :)
4. A good night sleep! Happy girls from this morning.
Here's to having a much happier day today!
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Irritable and Gross Day - We all have them right?
I am so irritable today. The girls are so irritable today. I don't know what is wrong with us. Here are 10 reasons today has NOT been my favorite.
1. When I woke up this morning William and I decided to run to Walmart. We both needed a couple of things. First I couldn't find my shoes, then I couldn't find something else I was looking for. I was irritated and I knew right then at 8am that it was going to be one of those kinda days.
2. We got to Walmart and I needed some ribbon cut from the fabric department and the lady back there was SO rude. I asked her if she knew if they had any sequins and she said no, not sewn together but they had some that were loose. But then she didn't tell me where to find them and just walked off and left me standing there.
3. When we got home I realized I had forgotten to get a few things at Walmart but was too tired to go back.
4. This afternoon I was talking to William on his cell phone at work. He was on his lunch break in the breakroom. We were in the middle of discussing something in depth when they called him to the front office so he had to let me go for a minute. He called me back and it was almost time for him to go back to work. We were saying goodbye when I hear his boss in the background acting like a jerk and telling him "breaks over" and to "hang up".
William is a manager and is on the phone all day with different companies. Also he has been probably one of the best good punctual hard working employee at this company for years. His break was interrupted while he was on the phone with me the first time and now he is being told to "hang up" on his wife. What a jerk. I am so sick of his boss. He is such a ..... (fill in the blank yourself). This is just one of a million reasons I don't like the guy. He is just full of himself and likes power and gets in these moods where he tries to treat my husband like a child. I could have gone through the phone at that moment. I wanted to tell William to just quit and come home but of course I couldn't because ... we had already hung up.
5. I was making lunch for me and went to put my paper plate in the microwave when I bumped the sink and my coke that was on the counter fell over and poured out its entire contents all over the floor. So I had to clean that up of course :( and by that time my food was cold again.
6. I have been working hard on the girls Halloween costumes for the past two days. Hence the reason I needed sequins (which I never did find) and was almost through when I realized I had messed up and sewn the front side to the back side of the skirt I am making and had to take every machine stitch out by hand and start all over. That sucked. I finally got it all figured out and was finished with it for the day. I put it on a hanger and layed it on the table. Without thinking I stopped and grabbed a coke from the fridge and popped the top and coke of course spashed out onto my newly finished project. That really made me feel bad. I got it clean thankfully so hopefully it will be okay.
7. On top of all the bad luck today, I think I have literally changed eight poopy diapers in the last nine hours since William left for work and I think if I smell or see any poopy diapers again I am going to go crazy. I can't wait till he gets home so he can be on full time diaper duty for the rest of the night. I think I have done more than my share today!
8. We are having a nat problem in the house this week. Usually we only have nats when we have overly ripe bananas on the table. For some reason they pop up when the bananas start to turn brown. But we haven't had any bananas in the house for weeks. We change our garbage out at least once a day and the house is clean. We have no dirty dishes in the sink and haven't for a couple of days. When I sit at the computer desk they fly around my head and to the lit up computer screen. I only see one at a time. If I kill that one another one magically appears. There is nothing around a computer desk I can think of that would attract them. I went to my room this afternoon while the girls were napping and tried to read a book I have just started and guess what ... nats. All around the book and my face. I am swatting in the air like an insane person. I can't stand it. We live next to an orchard so maybe that has something to do with it. A lot of the fruit that hasn't been picked is probably rotting outside now. Whatever the reason, it is driving me crazy!
9. The babies are whining and crying all the time today. If they aren't whining and crying and snatching toys from one another, they are getting into everything and I mean EVERYTHING they are not supposed to.
10. For example, our house is so tiny, so our computer desk in in the corner of the room. It is a hutch with doors on the front that can be closed to keep the girls out of it. At the bottom of it is our printer with paper on it, plus some miscellaneous cords that go to the digital camera and what not. When I sit at the desk. I have to put pillows up to keep the girls from crawling under my feet and pulling all of the paper off the printer and eating it. It is seriously annoying. Today Morgan has taken it on as her personal mission to do everything in her power to get to the desk. She has crawled around the first pillow, behind my computer chair, and comes around in this tiny crawl space between the wall and the desk. I have to keep picking her up from one side of my chair and putting her over on the other side. I keep fussing at her and telling her "no" but as soon as I sit her down on the side where I want her she starts making her way around again. So it is a constant chaotic movement and I can't type because I keep having to move her. I am trying to ignore her now but of course because I am, they are now BOTH in the tiny crawlspace area fighting with each other.
Tonight I just want to cry. I am tired and I am so frustrated. Some days it is so hard having two fiesty exploring cranky clingy babies wanting to hang all over me. Sometimes the workload is just more than one person can handle alone. Don't get me wrong I love them more than life itself and I would rather have 100 billion irritable crazy crappy days than be without them for one second. But it is not always cookies and sunshine being a mom. Some days are much harder than others. I know every mom out there probably feels like this at some point or another so I know I'm not alone. For today, I just can't wait for William to get home so I can crawl under the covers and start tomorrow a different way!
Thank goodness it is almost bedtime now :)
1. When I woke up this morning William and I decided to run to Walmart. We both needed a couple of things. First I couldn't find my shoes, then I couldn't find something else I was looking for. I was irritated and I knew right then at 8am that it was going to be one of those kinda days.
2. We got to Walmart and I needed some ribbon cut from the fabric department and the lady back there was SO rude. I asked her if she knew if they had any sequins and she said no, not sewn together but they had some that were loose. But then she didn't tell me where to find them and just walked off and left me standing there.
3. When we got home I realized I had forgotten to get a few things at Walmart but was too tired to go back.
4. This afternoon I was talking to William on his cell phone at work. He was on his lunch break in the breakroom. We were in the middle of discussing something in depth when they called him to the front office so he had to let me go for a minute. He called me back and it was almost time for him to go back to work. We were saying goodbye when I hear his boss in the background acting like a jerk and telling him "breaks over" and to "hang up".
William is a manager and is on the phone all day with different companies. Also he has been probably one of the best good punctual hard working employee at this company for years. His break was interrupted while he was on the phone with me the first time and now he is being told to "hang up" on his wife. What a jerk. I am so sick of his boss. He is such a ..... (fill in the blank yourself). This is just one of a million reasons I don't like the guy. He is just full of himself and likes power and gets in these moods where he tries to treat my husband like a child. I could have gone through the phone at that moment. I wanted to tell William to just quit and come home but of course I couldn't because ... we had already hung up.
5. I was making lunch for me and went to put my paper plate in the microwave when I bumped the sink and my coke that was on the counter fell over and poured out its entire contents all over the floor. So I had to clean that up of course :( and by that time my food was cold again.
6. I have been working hard on the girls Halloween costumes for the past two days. Hence the reason I needed sequins (which I never did find) and was almost through when I realized I had messed up and sewn the front side to the back side of the skirt I am making and had to take every machine stitch out by hand and start all over. That sucked. I finally got it all figured out and was finished with it for the day. I put it on a hanger and layed it on the table. Without thinking I stopped and grabbed a coke from the fridge and popped the top and coke of course spashed out onto my newly finished project. That really made me feel bad. I got it clean thankfully so hopefully it will be okay.
7. On top of all the bad luck today, I think I have literally changed eight poopy diapers in the last nine hours since William left for work and I think if I smell or see any poopy diapers again I am going to go crazy. I can't wait till he gets home so he can be on full time diaper duty for the rest of the night. I think I have done more than my share today!
8. We are having a nat problem in the house this week. Usually we only have nats when we have overly ripe bananas on the table. For some reason they pop up when the bananas start to turn brown. But we haven't had any bananas in the house for weeks. We change our garbage out at least once a day and the house is clean. We have no dirty dishes in the sink and haven't for a couple of days. When I sit at the computer desk they fly around my head and to the lit up computer screen. I only see one at a time. If I kill that one another one magically appears. There is nothing around a computer desk I can think of that would attract them. I went to my room this afternoon while the girls were napping and tried to read a book I have just started and guess what ... nats. All around the book and my face. I am swatting in the air like an insane person. I can't stand it. We live next to an orchard so maybe that has something to do with it. A lot of the fruit that hasn't been picked is probably rotting outside now. Whatever the reason, it is driving me crazy!
9. The babies are whining and crying all the time today. If they aren't whining and crying and snatching toys from one another, they are getting into everything and I mean EVERYTHING they are not supposed to.
10. For example, our house is so tiny, so our computer desk in in the corner of the room. It is a hutch with doors on the front that can be closed to keep the girls out of it. At the bottom of it is our printer with paper on it, plus some miscellaneous cords that go to the digital camera and what not. When I sit at the desk. I have to put pillows up to keep the girls from crawling under my feet and pulling all of the paper off the printer and eating it. It is seriously annoying. Today Morgan has taken it on as her personal mission to do everything in her power to get to the desk. She has crawled around the first pillow, behind my computer chair, and comes around in this tiny crawl space between the wall and the desk. I have to keep picking her up from one side of my chair and putting her over on the other side. I keep fussing at her and telling her "no" but as soon as I sit her down on the side where I want her she starts making her way around again. So it is a constant chaotic movement and I can't type because I keep having to move her. I am trying to ignore her now but of course because I am, they are now BOTH in the tiny crawlspace area fighting with each other.
Tonight I just want to cry. I am tired and I am so frustrated. Some days it is so hard having two fiesty exploring cranky clingy babies wanting to hang all over me. Sometimes the workload is just more than one person can handle alone. Don't get me wrong I love them more than life itself and I would rather have 100 billion irritable crazy crappy days than be without them for one second. But it is not always cookies and sunshine being a mom. Some days are much harder than others. I know every mom out there probably feels like this at some point or another so I know I'm not alone. For today, I just can't wait for William to get home so I can crawl under the covers and start tomorrow a different way!
Thank goodness it is almost bedtime now :)
Monday, September 11, 2006
Grandparent's Day and an Impromptu Photo Shoot
Yesterday was grandparents day and so William and I got up and decided to take the girls around town to see all of their grandparents.
We went to lunch at a local pizza place and then we stopped at Papaw's house to drop off a card for him. He is my Papaw and the girl's great grandfather. He seemed to really enjoy seeing us and didn't seem to mind at all that they went around the room banging away on this and that.
My mom's house was next, to see Mimi and Poppy. The girls love going over there and we spent about an hour hanging out with them. Morgan took in a few minutes to play a concierto again on the piano and Maddy played happily in the walker, running from this room to that squealing "Dada" the whole time.
When we left my mom's house we headed home where my dad was in route to come to our place to visit with the girls. My dad loves photography and has this fancy Nikon digital camera that takes excellent pictures of the babies. It will hold a few thousand photos so we are in no short supply when it comes to taking pictures of them. So last night William and I had fun setting up the living room to look all fall/autumn like, so that we could take some pictures of the girls. Boy did we ever. I think we took close to three hundred pictures all together.
I love to send out holiday cards to our friends and family and thought it would be fun to send one out for fall this year. It was cooling off outside but then today the temperature shot up again to like 97. Whatever, when it starts to really cool off, I am going to send some out.
As I was saying, we set up pumpkins and corn and watermelons that William got out of our garden and we bought some leaves and flowers at Walmart to lay around and we set up a cute little photo shoot. I am going to post some of the pictures we ended up taking of the girls. Some are so funny and some are just so darling I had to share. Hope you enjoy :)
We went to lunch at a local pizza place and then we stopped at Papaw's house to drop off a card for him. He is my Papaw and the girl's great grandfather. He seemed to really enjoy seeing us and didn't seem to mind at all that they went around the room banging away on this and that.My mom's house was next, to see Mimi and Poppy. The girls love going over there and we spent about an hour hanging out with them. Morgan took in a few minutes to play a concierto again on the piano and Maddy played happily in the walker, running from this room to that squealing "Dada" the whole time.
When we left my mom's house we headed home where my dad was in route to come to our place to visit with the girls. My dad loves photography and has this fancy Nikon digital camera that takes excellent pictures of the babies. It will hold a few thousand photos so we are in no short supply when it comes to taking pictures of them. So last night William and I had fun setting up the living room to look all fall/autumn like, so that we could take some pictures of the girls. Boy did we ever. I think we took close to three hundred pictures all together.I love to send out holiday cards to our friends and family and thought it would be fun to send one out for fall this year. It was cooling off outside but then today the temperature shot up again to like 97. Whatever, when it starts to really cool off, I am going to send some out.
As I was saying, we set up pumpkins and corn and watermelons that William got out of our garden and we bought some leaves and flowers at Walmart to lay around and we set up a cute little photo shoot. I am going to post some of the pictures we ended up taking of the girls. Some are so funny and some are just so darling I had to share. Hope you enjoy :)
Morgan finds a watermelon!
Maddy walks to Mommy!
Maddy makes her silly face!
On That Day
I rarely do anything other than cute pictures and stories of my girls, but today is a different sort of day. Today is the 5th anniversary of the September 11th terroist attacks on America.
Where were you when you heard about it?
I was on my way to work, listening to the radio when the DJ broke in and said the first plane had hit. I remember the weird feeling I had as it took me a few seconds to actually comprehend all that he was saying and then the second plane hit while he was talking. The DJ started yelling on the radio. He wasn't even talking calmly relaying the news anymore. He was relaying it but almost shrieking.
I got to work and everyone was in shock. We had a large conference room t.v. in a closet next to our work room that someone pulled out and plugged in in the middle of two aisles of cubicles. We turned it on and because there wasn't much room left to stand and see. Some of us stood on our desks and looked over the walls to watch the t.v.
We started crying when the first tower fell. We were watching it live. We were in disbelief when the second tower came down. People were walking around with their hands over their mouths. A reporter on t.v. said there were more planes that had yet to comply with the grounding orders and I remember feeling like the world had gone mad. What was happening? Were more planes going to hit buildings and kill more innocent people? And then they did. We were so sad. We were scared. We were in shock.
The day was so somber. I don't think we actually did any work that day. People came and went to impromptu church services all over the city. My boss left and went to her church. Around lunch we went to a huge conference training room and held hands in a big circle and prayed for the families of those lost and hurt. We cried together.
Once home I remember that there was nothing on t.v. for days. For days and days we watched news coverage. We cried watching the families put pictures up looking for their loved ones. We cried listening to the stories of passengers on the planes who called their families to tell them they loved them one last time. One of the first things I remember is that when the regular programming did come back on, we watched David Letterman and he cried on t.v.
Over the next few days we couldn't find yellow ribbons or flags anywhere in the city. The American pride was stronger than ever and we all wanted to show our support. To unite and come together.
It was a sad sad day and I think it will forever affect us in ways we will always feel. I hope we never forget the feelings we had that day. May we always remember those lost and the pain we all felt for those families even though most of us didn't know them. And may we always swell with pride for our country.
Where were you when you heard about it?
I was on my way to work, listening to the radio when the DJ broke in and said the first plane had hit. I remember the weird feeling I had as it took me a few seconds to actually comprehend all that he was saying and then the second plane hit while he was talking. The DJ started yelling on the radio. He wasn't even talking calmly relaying the news anymore. He was relaying it but almost shrieking.
I got to work and everyone was in shock. We had a large conference room t.v. in a closet next to our work room that someone pulled out and plugged in in the middle of two aisles of cubicles. We turned it on and because there wasn't much room left to stand and see. Some of us stood on our desks and looked over the walls to watch the t.v.
We started crying when the first tower fell. We were watching it live. We were in disbelief when the second tower came down. People were walking around with their hands over their mouths. A reporter on t.v. said there were more planes that had yet to comply with the grounding orders and I remember feeling like the world had gone mad. What was happening? Were more planes going to hit buildings and kill more innocent people? And then they did. We were so sad. We were scared. We were in shock.
The day was so somber. I don't think we actually did any work that day. People came and went to impromptu church services all over the city. My boss left and went to her church. Around lunch we went to a huge conference training room and held hands in a big circle and prayed for the families of those lost and hurt. We cried together.
Once home I remember that there was nothing on t.v. for days. For days and days we watched news coverage. We cried watching the families put pictures up looking for their loved ones. We cried listening to the stories of passengers on the planes who called their families to tell them they loved them one last time. One of the first things I remember is that when the regular programming did come back on, we watched David Letterman and he cried on t.v.
Over the next few days we couldn't find yellow ribbons or flags anywhere in the city. The American pride was stronger than ever and we all wanted to show our support. To unite and come together.
It was a sad sad day and I think it will forever affect us in ways we will always feel. I hope we never forget the feelings we had that day. May we always remember those lost and the pain we all felt for those families even though most of us didn't know them. And may we always swell with pride for our country.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Long Weekend
We spent the weekend house/pet sitting for my mom. Since her house is bigger and she has three animals we decided to pack up the girls and our dog and go stay at her place across town.
We had an okay time. It was a lot more work than I thought it would be. From packing up the girls which took forever because there is so much stuff you need for two babies, to taking care of four animals, two babies, and two people. I had hoped it was going to be a relaxing weekend since it was the first weekend that William and I had more than one whole day together since May.
Saturday we got up and William had to go help Tim and Beth move to their new apartment. From my mom's house that was about a 45minute drive, if not more. He was there for most of the day and came back in the early evening. Melissa came to my moms and helped me with the girls for a little while. We had a nice time together and even did a little shopping.
Sunday we got up and went to church at the church that I grew up in. It was nice to see all the familiar faces of people that used to be such a big part of my life. Maddy did fairly well in the service, even clapping and "singing" along with the songs. Morgan did well until the sermon at which point she decided it was too quiet and wanted to make some noise. I ended up spending almost all of the sermon in the foyer letting her crawl around on the floor. After church, William took us back to my moms and then drove out to Tim and Beths to get them to come over for dinner. While he was gone I put the girls down for a nap and tried to do some cleaning, even vacuuming my moms entire house. We didn't take them home until late that night and William got back to my mom's around midnight. We went straight to bed.
Monday was my favorite day. We slept in and then napped all day until about three. In between we just played with the girls and tried to spend time together as a family. We let the girls play the piano and they were like little Mozarts. Okay, well Morgan was. Maddy cried part of the time. Around three we got dressed and went to the mall. We took the girls on the carosel for the first time. Maddy liked it a lot and looked like it was the most normal thing in the world to be doing. Morgan was okay as long as she was sitting behind Maddy but when we tried to put them on their own horsies she was terrified. She spent the whole ride cluching the pole to the horse. It was kinda sad but cute at the same time. We did some shopping and ate a late lunch. Then we went back home and just layed around some more. Monday was the most relaxing day of the whole weekend. I wish we had made more of a point to spend the first part of it like that.
William's job has said that the next couple of months are going to be mandatory Saturdays, meaning that he will be working six days a week until at least Thanksgiving. While I am extremely bummed out about this, I don't know what I can do about it. I think it is good knowing ahead of time so I can plan things but it is also really depressing. I will be alright in the long run, it is just hard knowing that we will only have one day a week together as a family. His schedule is so full with him working between shifts.
Here are some pictures of the girls playing the piano. So sweet! I will post pictures from the mall later. All of the sudden blogger is giving me fits :(
We had an okay time. It was a lot more work than I thought it would be. From packing up the girls which took forever because there is so much stuff you need for two babies, to taking care of four animals, two babies, and two people. I had hoped it was going to be a relaxing weekend since it was the first weekend that William and I had more than one whole day together since May.
Saturday we got up and William had to go help Tim and Beth move to their new apartment. From my mom's house that was about a 45minute drive, if not more. He was there for most of the day and came back in the early evening. Melissa came to my moms and helped me with the girls for a little while. We had a nice time together and even did a little shopping.
Sunday we got up and went to church at the church that I grew up in. It was nice to see all the familiar faces of people that used to be such a big part of my life. Maddy did fairly well in the service, even clapping and "singing" along with the songs. Morgan did well until the sermon at which point she decided it was too quiet and wanted to make some noise. I ended up spending almost all of the sermon in the foyer letting her crawl around on the floor. After church, William took us back to my moms and then drove out to Tim and Beths to get them to come over for dinner. While he was gone I put the girls down for a nap and tried to do some cleaning, even vacuuming my moms entire house. We didn't take them home until late that night and William got back to my mom's around midnight. We went straight to bed.
Monday was my favorite day. We slept in and then napped all day until about three. In between we just played with the girls and tried to spend time together as a family. We let the girls play the piano and they were like little Mozarts. Okay, well Morgan was. Maddy cried part of the time. Around three we got dressed and went to the mall. We took the girls on the carosel for the first time. Maddy liked it a lot and looked like it was the most normal thing in the world to be doing. Morgan was okay as long as she was sitting behind Maddy but when we tried to put them on their own horsies she was terrified. She spent the whole ride cluching the pole to the horse. It was kinda sad but cute at the same time. We did some shopping and ate a late lunch. Then we went back home and just layed around some more. Monday was the most relaxing day of the whole weekend. I wish we had made more of a point to spend the first part of it like that.
William's job has said that the next couple of months are going to be mandatory Saturdays, meaning that he will be working six days a week until at least Thanksgiving. While I am extremely bummed out about this, I don't know what I can do about it. I think it is good knowing ahead of time so I can plan things but it is also really depressing. I will be alright in the long run, it is just hard knowing that we will only have one day a week together as a family. His schedule is so full with him working between shifts.
Here are some pictures of the girls playing the piano. So sweet! I will post pictures from the mall later. All of the sudden blogger is giving me fits :(
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Looking So Cute!
This morning Melissa and I decided to take the girls and go to Old Time Pottery. They were having a big sale and we both wanted a few things we had seen in the ad papers. Since it is such a nice cool day here today (in the 80's) we put the girls in their new jeans that Pawpaw bought them this past weekend. They were so cute I couldn't help snapping a bunch of pictures!
Here we are getting ready to go out!
Yay! We're going for a ride. All strapped in :)
Home again and getting ready for a nap!See my two teeth? One is really showing up now!
Like my lovely updo?
Maddy Grace looking so cute!
If I give a big smile, maybe I can get out of taking my nap?
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Keeping My Word
Where are the cutie pie pictures I promised you, you ask? Well let me tell you about my week so far.
Monday I tried, really I did! I tried to go to blogger to post those promised pics but for some reason the internet wouldn't even take me to the blogger website. I tried again and again to no avail. Finally I gave up for Monday.
Tuesday I was able to get to my blog page and even to the create screen. I uploaded two pictures that I wanted to show you and even managed to get them on there with cute captions for each but .... when I went to post, blogger said that there was a technical error with my HTML code and since I couldn't for the life of me figure out what they were talking about. I hadn't messed with the code at all ... I gave up for Tuesday.
Today is Wednesday and I am here. See I am really here! And when you hear about my night you will be SO PROUD of me. I just know it. You see Maddy and Morgan have come down sick. Remember that nasty cold/flu that I had two weeks ago, well they have it now. Not to be too graphic but we are in full on sucking snot mode here. I called the ped. yesterday because only Morgan was sick. I told the nurse that she had a goopy runny nose and a wet cough. No fever, no other strange symptoms, the nurse told me to give her yellow triaminic. I had already been giving her Benadryl with some relief and tylenol just to prevent fever. But the nurse wanted me to just give her the Triaminic instead.
So last night William and I loaded the girls up and went to Walmart. I bought the Tropical Yellow Triaminic which listed a decongestant and sudafed like ingredient. We came home and gave the girls the Triaminic. It was about 10pm then. At 2am we finally were all asleep in our bed. I was sitting up against the headboard with Morgan asleep on my shoulder. If I relaxed at all and slid down in the bed she would start hacking and choking on the goop. We finally dozed off around 2am. William was holding Maddy because by that point she too was sounding rough and running like a faucet. At 3:33am. I woke up to two very sick babies. No one in the bed was getting any rest and no one could relax. I was drifting in and out of uncomfortable sleep and was seriously annoyed that I couldn't sleep for consecutive amounts of time. So I got up and got out the phone book. I swear it took me six calls to find a stupid 24 hour Walgreens that actually had a 24 hour Pharmacy. Isn't that the point of Walgreens, to be a pharmacy, especially an after hours pharmacy? The only one I reached a live pharmacist at was in the worst area of town but I was so glad to be talking to a human that I could've cared less. I asked the lady if I could give the kids triaminic and benadryl and she said that was fine. So I gave the girls both Benadryl. Needless to say we were ALL awake by this point and the girls were still feeling puny. We ended up staying up till about 6:45 when we all went back to our big bed and tried the sleep thing again. At some point William put Maddy in her crib and we all slept till about 9am. The phone woke us up.
How many hours of scattered sleep did I actually get? Not quite 4!
So aren't you proud that I am even on here? That I am even forming hopefully coherent sentences? I made the girls a bottle earlier and instead of putting the cap on it I kept trying to put the lid to the formula on top of it. Melissa was here and she was like "Um, Mandy, I don't think that is going to fit?"
I am tired to say the least and the girls are not :) They are still sick and Morgan is so pitiful that when I attempt to put her in her crib she just pitches the biggest fit and then that leads to gobs of goop on her face and choking and then in the end I go get her up and hold her.
Some updates I was wanting to tell you about.
Maddy is walking now. I mean not just taking steps but actually walking from one object to another. I was laying on the couch yesterday watching t.v. and she walked right across in front of me. I swear it took me several split seconds to even wrap my mind around what I was seeing. Since then she has been casually walking from object to object in the room as if it were something she'd been doing for months. I noticed that if the objects are too far apart she will start out walking but them stumble a little and crawl the rest of the way. But the big deal is that her confidence is up enough that she starts out walking without any prompting from us.
Morgan's second tooth is breaking through the skin today. So I am counting it as today and am going to fill in her baby book today. She is no longer only a one tooth wonder kid :) Morgan is talking up a storm now. She says "Mama" and "Daddy" and all versions of that. She has started saying "No" and "Yes" and "Hi, pronounced 'I'" and "Hey, prounounced 'A'" and sometimes "Bye" Also Morgan stood up on Monday. During her physical therapy they got her to stand in the middle of the room without propping or supporting on anything. This was the first time she has ever done that. We were so proud.
I am going to attempt to post some pictures now. Hopefully it will work. Here goes:
Morgan stands at couch during therapy - (last week)
(this week)
Maddy and Morgan during PT this past week.
Will perform for bubbles!
Maddy shows off her new fall clothes for the camera.
Doesn't she look all grown up in jeans :)
Monday I tried, really I did! I tried to go to blogger to post those promised pics but for some reason the internet wouldn't even take me to the blogger website. I tried again and again to no avail. Finally I gave up for Monday.
Tuesday I was able to get to my blog page and even to the create screen. I uploaded two pictures that I wanted to show you and even managed to get them on there with cute captions for each but .... when I went to post, blogger said that there was a technical error with my HTML code and since I couldn't for the life of me figure out what they were talking about. I hadn't messed with the code at all ... I gave up for Tuesday.
Today is Wednesday and I am here. See I am really here! And when you hear about my night you will be SO PROUD of me. I just know it. You see Maddy and Morgan have come down sick. Remember that nasty cold/flu that I had two weeks ago, well they have it now. Not to be too graphic but we are in full on sucking snot mode here. I called the ped. yesterday because only Morgan was sick. I told the nurse that she had a goopy runny nose and a wet cough. No fever, no other strange symptoms, the nurse told me to give her yellow triaminic. I had already been giving her Benadryl with some relief and tylenol just to prevent fever. But the nurse wanted me to just give her the Triaminic instead.
So last night William and I loaded the girls up and went to Walmart. I bought the Tropical Yellow Triaminic which listed a decongestant and sudafed like ingredient. We came home and gave the girls the Triaminic. It was about 10pm then. At 2am we finally were all asleep in our bed. I was sitting up against the headboard with Morgan asleep on my shoulder. If I relaxed at all and slid down in the bed she would start hacking and choking on the goop. We finally dozed off around 2am. William was holding Maddy because by that point she too was sounding rough and running like a faucet. At 3:33am. I woke up to two very sick babies. No one in the bed was getting any rest and no one could relax. I was drifting in and out of uncomfortable sleep and was seriously annoyed that I couldn't sleep for consecutive amounts of time. So I got up and got out the phone book. I swear it took me six calls to find a stupid 24 hour Walgreens that actually had a 24 hour Pharmacy. Isn't that the point of Walgreens, to be a pharmacy, especially an after hours pharmacy? The only one I reached a live pharmacist at was in the worst area of town but I was so glad to be talking to a human that I could've cared less. I asked the lady if I could give the kids triaminic and benadryl and she said that was fine. So I gave the girls both Benadryl. Needless to say we were ALL awake by this point and the girls were still feeling puny. We ended up staying up till about 6:45 when we all went back to our big bed and tried the sleep thing again. At some point William put Maddy in her crib and we all slept till about 9am. The phone woke us up.
How many hours of scattered sleep did I actually get? Not quite 4!
So aren't you proud that I am even on here? That I am even forming hopefully coherent sentences? I made the girls a bottle earlier and instead of putting the cap on it I kept trying to put the lid to the formula on top of it. Melissa was here and she was like "Um, Mandy, I don't think that is going to fit?"
I am tired to say the least and the girls are not :) They are still sick and Morgan is so pitiful that when I attempt to put her in her crib she just pitches the biggest fit and then that leads to gobs of goop on her face and choking and then in the end I go get her up and hold her.
Some updates I was wanting to tell you about.
Maddy is walking now. I mean not just taking steps but actually walking from one object to another. I was laying on the couch yesterday watching t.v. and she walked right across in front of me. I swear it took me several split seconds to even wrap my mind around what I was seeing. Since then she has been casually walking from object to object in the room as if it were something she'd been doing for months. I noticed that if the objects are too far apart she will start out walking but them stumble a little and crawl the rest of the way. But the big deal is that her confidence is up enough that she starts out walking without any prompting from us.
Morgan's second tooth is breaking through the skin today. So I am counting it as today and am going to fill in her baby book today. She is no longer only a one tooth wonder kid :) Morgan is talking up a storm now. She says "Mama" and "Daddy" and all versions of that. She has started saying "No" and "Yes" and "Hi, pronounced 'I'" and "Hey, prounounced 'A'" and sometimes "Bye" Also Morgan stood up on Monday. During her physical therapy they got her to stand in the middle of the room without propping or supporting on anything. This was the first time she has ever done that. We were so proud.
I am going to attempt to post some pictures now. Hopefully it will work. Here goes:
Morgan stands at couch during therapy - (last week)
(this week)
Maddy and Morgan during PT this past week.
Will perform for bubbles!
Maddy shows off her new fall clothes for the camera.
Doesn't she look all grown up in jeans :)
Friday, August 25, 2006
Long Time No See? Lots to Talk About
Well it seems like forever since I updated my blog. I know a lot of my readers probably thought I was never going to come back. But alas, I am here.
I had the flu for about a week and a half and it felt like it sucked the life right out of me. I was too tired to even move very much and so I skipped my daily visits to the computer desk. I just mostly layed out on the couch and watched the girls play in the floor. I did only the basics.
The girls amazingly haven't been sick or shown any signs of getting the flu, so that is really good. They have been just growing and playing to their little hearts content.
Maddy is still taking steps toward me and she is spending most of her time standing around the room playing with one toy or another without holding on to anything. I think as her confidence increases we will see her walking more and more.
Morgan has been pulling up on all the furniture and cruising around like a pro. Her PT is so amazed at how fast she seemed to pick up on the cruising. Just two weeks ago we were having to manually move her foot over the other one to show her how to move up and down the sofa and now she is like lightening. She is still doing her head "ticking" but the more I watch her do it the less concerned I am that it is anything more than a comfort mannerism. I seriously doubt it is mild seizures like some have speculated.
I went to the OBGYN today because I have been having "problems" again. If you know me, you are very familiar with my "problems". I have been battling them for eight years now. I saw the doctor who delivered the girls. She isn't my regular doctor and I am not all that fond of her really. She has a tendency to ask you a question and then cut you off three words into it, plus she explains nothing to you. I always leave feeling confused and ignored when I see her. Hence the reason she is not my regular doctor.
I had to be worked in today because my "problems" where leaving me feeling dizzy and weak and I was worried that I was heading in the direction of needing another blood transfusion or sixth D&C. I was half right. My blood count was lower than it should be but not at the critical point that I would need an emergency transfusion or surgery. That was a relief because when I called the nurse she told me not to eat or drink anything till I came in and I was scared they were going to want to do another D&C. She gave me some STRONG medicine that basically stopped the "problems" in a matter of three hours tonight. So I am already starting to feel more like myself again. I am just still fairly fatigued and achy.
Anyway, the doctor said that really I need to decide if I want to go ahead with a hysterectomy. She said that she wanted me to talk to William about it and call back next week to talk with my regular doctor about it. I knew this is what she was going to say, so I am not sure why I am so totally bummed out about it? She did say I could try the Depo Provera shot and that it might, MIGHT give me a three month reprieve to decide what I wanted to do long term. I kept trying to tell her that William and I hadn't really completely decided whether or not we were done having kids.
If it were up to William he would for sure say we were done. But then there is this longing in me to have one more. But I am just not sure where it is coming from? Is it because I feel short changed out of the normal pregnancy/delivery/rooming in process that I experienced with the girls? Is it because I want to have one more to snuggle and cuddle later on and breast feed and really slow down and enjoy? Is it because I don't feel like our family is complete? I don't think it is the last one, because I really do feel a sense of completion with just having the girls. I just don't know. I just don't feel like I am completely ready to have no more chances, no more daydreams about another baby. I don't feel ready to know for sure that there will NEVER be another little one to cherish and snuggle and raise and play with, no younger sibling for the girls to be excited about. I just don't feel ready to make those life long permanent choices. I feel pressured into it.
But really, when I lay it all out on the table, I can't imagine really wanting to take the risk of having another one. I mean I had a transverse C-Section with the girls, so that means I am at increased risk of having my uterus rupture with another pregnancy. I automatically will have to have a scheduled C-Section. I will have to be on bed rest for a longer period because of my water breaking so early with the girls. I am at increased risk of having another premature baby and honestly I can't imagine watching another child struggle through that, what if it didn't turn out as well the next time. I would feel eternally guilty and selfish. If I did have a premature baby that had lifelong problems, that would affect the girls lives in some very negative ways. And God forbid the child not survive, we would be forever changed and heartbroken.
I wonder if all mothers who have extremely premature children worry and wonder about having another after that experience. I think if the girls weren't here, if I had had a miscarriage with them or if they hadn't survived their battles with their prematurity, I don't think it would even be a question as to whether or not to try again. I think I would instinctively try and try again until I had that baby or babies in my arms for keeps. But now that I am blessed with two perfect wonderful little miracle girls, I have to consider them when I consider the risks.
Probably sounds like an easy decision to everyone out there in blogland and to my family for that matter, but to me it is just a pull at your heart, never can go back, lifechanging decision. I have always felt it was unfair to have to be deciding these things so young.
I don't know what I will ultimately decide and really the decision is up to me first and then to William and I as a family. It is my body and my life and I will have to do what I feel is right in my heart for the long term. For right now I think William and I have decided it would be best to try the shot and see if it will give us a few more months to settle all of it in my heart for good.
I can say that I do believe that God is in control of my life and that if I trust in Him all things will work out according to His plan for my life. I do believe that if I am not supposed to have another child, then I won't. Either I won't get pregnant at all or I won't be able to or maybe I will end up having a hysterectomy and then I won't have any more. I just need some time to mull it all over and pray about it, then hopefully I will know the right decision for us and I will be able to feel comfortable with it in my heart.
I am going to do my best to update at least every couple of days now that I am feeling better. So check back throughout the next week and I will post some cute pictures I have taken over the last couple of weeks and haven't been able to post yet :) Thanks for caring about us and for sticking with me :)
I had the flu for about a week and a half and it felt like it sucked the life right out of me. I was too tired to even move very much and so I skipped my daily visits to the computer desk. I just mostly layed out on the couch and watched the girls play in the floor. I did only the basics.
The girls amazingly haven't been sick or shown any signs of getting the flu, so that is really good. They have been just growing and playing to their little hearts content.
Maddy is still taking steps toward me and she is spending most of her time standing around the room playing with one toy or another without holding on to anything. I think as her confidence increases we will see her walking more and more.
Morgan has been pulling up on all the furniture and cruising around like a pro. Her PT is so amazed at how fast she seemed to pick up on the cruising. Just two weeks ago we were having to manually move her foot over the other one to show her how to move up and down the sofa and now she is like lightening. She is still doing her head "ticking" but the more I watch her do it the less concerned I am that it is anything more than a comfort mannerism. I seriously doubt it is mild seizures like some have speculated.
I went to the OBGYN today because I have been having "problems" again. If you know me, you are very familiar with my "problems". I have been battling them for eight years now. I saw the doctor who delivered the girls. She isn't my regular doctor and I am not all that fond of her really. She has a tendency to ask you a question and then cut you off three words into it, plus she explains nothing to you. I always leave feeling confused and ignored when I see her. Hence the reason she is not my regular doctor.
I had to be worked in today because my "problems" where leaving me feeling dizzy and weak and I was worried that I was heading in the direction of needing another blood transfusion or sixth D&C. I was half right. My blood count was lower than it should be but not at the critical point that I would need an emergency transfusion or surgery. That was a relief because when I called the nurse she told me not to eat or drink anything till I came in and I was scared they were going to want to do another D&C. She gave me some STRONG medicine that basically stopped the "problems" in a matter of three hours tonight. So I am already starting to feel more like myself again. I am just still fairly fatigued and achy.
Anyway, the doctor said that really I need to decide if I want to go ahead with a hysterectomy. She said that she wanted me to talk to William about it and call back next week to talk with my regular doctor about it. I knew this is what she was going to say, so I am not sure why I am so totally bummed out about it? She did say I could try the Depo Provera shot and that it might, MIGHT give me a three month reprieve to decide what I wanted to do long term. I kept trying to tell her that William and I hadn't really completely decided whether or not we were done having kids.
If it were up to William he would for sure say we were done. But then there is this longing in me to have one more. But I am just not sure where it is coming from? Is it because I feel short changed out of the normal pregnancy/delivery/rooming in process that I experienced with the girls? Is it because I want to have one more to snuggle and cuddle later on and breast feed and really slow down and enjoy? Is it because I don't feel like our family is complete? I don't think it is the last one, because I really do feel a sense of completion with just having the girls. I just don't know. I just don't feel like I am completely ready to have no more chances, no more daydreams about another baby. I don't feel ready to know for sure that there will NEVER be another little one to cherish and snuggle and raise and play with, no younger sibling for the girls to be excited about. I just don't feel ready to make those life long permanent choices. I feel pressured into it.
But really, when I lay it all out on the table, I can't imagine really wanting to take the risk of having another one. I mean I had a transverse C-Section with the girls, so that means I am at increased risk of having my uterus rupture with another pregnancy. I automatically will have to have a scheduled C-Section. I will have to be on bed rest for a longer period because of my water breaking so early with the girls. I am at increased risk of having another premature baby and honestly I can't imagine watching another child struggle through that, what if it didn't turn out as well the next time. I would feel eternally guilty and selfish. If I did have a premature baby that had lifelong problems, that would affect the girls lives in some very negative ways. And God forbid the child not survive, we would be forever changed and heartbroken.
I wonder if all mothers who have extremely premature children worry and wonder about having another after that experience. I think if the girls weren't here, if I had had a miscarriage with them or if they hadn't survived their battles with their prematurity, I don't think it would even be a question as to whether or not to try again. I think I would instinctively try and try again until I had that baby or babies in my arms for keeps. But now that I am blessed with two perfect wonderful little miracle girls, I have to consider them when I consider the risks.
Probably sounds like an easy decision to everyone out there in blogland and to my family for that matter, but to me it is just a pull at your heart, never can go back, lifechanging decision. I have always felt it was unfair to have to be deciding these things so young.
I don't know what I will ultimately decide and really the decision is up to me first and then to William and I as a family. It is my body and my life and I will have to do what I feel is right in my heart for the long term. For right now I think William and I have decided it would be best to try the shot and see if it will give us a few more months to settle all of it in my heart for good.
I can say that I do believe that God is in control of my life and that if I trust in Him all things will work out according to His plan for my life. I do believe that if I am not supposed to have another child, then I won't. Either I won't get pregnant at all or I won't be able to or maybe I will end up having a hysterectomy and then I won't have any more. I just need some time to mull it all over and pray about it, then hopefully I will know the right decision for us and I will be able to feel comfortable with it in my heart.
I am going to do my best to update at least every couple of days now that I am feeling better. So check back throughout the next week and I will post some cute pictures I have taken over the last couple of weeks and haven't been able to post yet :) Thanks for caring about us and for sticking with me :)
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Under the Weather
I am still sick! I am suspecting that I have the flu on top of a head cold or something like that. Could be a sinus infection and ear infection. My ears are popping regularly and I am dizzy when I stand from the fluid in them. I am, to say the least, pretty miserable and today marks a full week that I have been under the weather. I plan on going to the doc tomorrow if I don't feel any better by then.
I haven't felt like blogging. I have barely felt like getting out of the bed and moving to the couch, but since William has been working LOOONNNGGG hours everyday this week I have had to at least make the attempt to get to the couch and let the girls play on the floor in front of me. Maddy isn't really feeling great either. Neither baby came down with the suspected stomach bug that Aubree had but something is definately up with Maddy. She is clingy as ever, I mean to the point of clutching my shirt and crying if I even step over the baby gate to go to the bathroom. She is sleeping a lot and when up she mostly wants me to hold her and she lays her head on my chest or shoulder. She is drooling a lot so I am hoping it is teething but I am worried she is getting this junk that I've got.
A few things that have happened this week. Morgan cut her first tooth yesterday. She is so cute. She keeps sticking her tongue out to feel it and so she looks like a lizard. :) She also is doing really good with our new PT. On Monday the therapist got her to cruise the furniture for the first time and she has been doing it ever since. She also stood up against the couch without holding on for a while while the PT let her pop bubbles.
Maddy is still taking steps to walk. She is more and more confident with her newfound freedom and is regularly standing in the middle of the room without holding on to anything around her. She will pull up on something and then let go and stand there for a really long time. Today Melissa came by and was on the floor feeding the girls some bananas and Maddy just stood in the floor and ate. I am really excited about her starting to walk. I am proud of her and it feels good to know that the gap between her corrected age and her chronological age is beginning to close.
Morgan has an appointment with a neurologist on September 22nd. I hate that the appointment is so far away but that was the first one available. I am ready to get that over with.
Well back to the couch. Just this little bit of typing has my head pounding. When I get to feeling better I will catch up on all my blog reading and commenting and I hopefully will get back in the swing of things here and start posting daily again.
I haven't felt like blogging. I have barely felt like getting out of the bed and moving to the couch, but since William has been working LOOONNNGGG hours everyday this week I have had to at least make the attempt to get to the couch and let the girls play on the floor in front of me. Maddy isn't really feeling great either. Neither baby came down with the suspected stomach bug that Aubree had but something is definately up with Maddy. She is clingy as ever, I mean to the point of clutching my shirt and crying if I even step over the baby gate to go to the bathroom. She is sleeping a lot and when up she mostly wants me to hold her and she lays her head on my chest or shoulder. She is drooling a lot so I am hoping it is teething but I am worried she is getting this junk that I've got.
A few things that have happened this week. Morgan cut her first tooth yesterday. She is so cute. She keeps sticking her tongue out to feel it and so she looks like a lizard. :) She also is doing really good with our new PT. On Monday the therapist got her to cruise the furniture for the first time and she has been doing it ever since. She also stood up against the couch without holding on for a while while the PT let her pop bubbles.
Maddy is still taking steps to walk. She is more and more confident with her newfound freedom and is regularly standing in the middle of the room without holding on to anything around her. She will pull up on something and then let go and stand there for a really long time. Today Melissa came by and was on the floor feeding the girls some bananas and Maddy just stood in the floor and ate. I am really excited about her starting to walk. I am proud of her and it feels good to know that the gap between her corrected age and her chronological age is beginning to close.
Morgan has an appointment with a neurologist on September 22nd. I hate that the appointment is so far away but that was the first one available. I am ready to get that over with.
Well back to the couch. Just this little bit of typing has my head pounding. When I get to feeling better I will catch up on all my blog reading and commenting and I hopefully will get back in the swing of things here and start posting daily again.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Quick Update and Exciting News!
Sorry for the lack of updates. We have had a CRAZY week here. Morgan is still thankfully fine. We are now 100% sure it was the thickener that she choked on and we have at least temporarily quit using it, till we can find a better solution.
Tim and Beth, Adam and Aubree, have been staying at our house all week. They are having some car troubles and Tim started a new job at the same place William works so they have been here so that William can take him to and from work everyday. Aubree came down with a stomach virus (confirmed by the emergency visit to the pediatrician this morning) yesterday and tonight Morgan and Maddy are starting to display the same exact signs of it :) Yeah for us.
On top of all of that. I have a terrible head cold. The left side of my head is full of yucky icky stuff and my nose is running. My head hurts, my eyeballs are pounding and my throat feels like someone took a razor blade to it.
So I guess that is enough excuses as to why I haven't felt up to blogging this week. Hopefully we will all be back to top form next week and I can get back to my normal routine. :) Thanks for all the well wishes regarding Morgan. She is doing great with her eating again.
Oh my gosh. I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you something really big and exciting. Are you ready?
Yesterday ...
Maddy Moo ...
Started Walking!!!!!
She took two steps without holding onto anything. Beth and I screamed so loud and excitedly that she sat down startled. We scared her. But when William got home from work she showed her daddy that she could do it. He was so proud, but he didn't scream like I did :)
Tim and Beth, Adam and Aubree, have been staying at our house all week. They are having some car troubles and Tim started a new job at the same place William works so they have been here so that William can take him to and from work everyday. Aubree came down with a stomach virus (confirmed by the emergency visit to the pediatrician this morning) yesterday and tonight Morgan and Maddy are starting to display the same exact signs of it :) Yeah for us.
On top of all of that. I have a terrible head cold. The left side of my head is full of yucky icky stuff and my nose is running. My head hurts, my eyeballs are pounding and my throat feels like someone took a razor blade to it.
So I guess that is enough excuses as to why I haven't felt up to blogging this week. Hopefully we will all be back to top form next week and I can get back to my normal routine. :) Thanks for all the well wishes regarding Morgan. She is doing great with her eating again.
Oh my gosh. I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you something really big and exciting. Are you ready?
Yesterday ...
Maddy Moo ...
Started Walking!!!!!
She took two steps without holding onto anything. Beth and I screamed so loud and excitedly that she sat down startled. We scared her. But when William got home from work she showed her daddy that she could do it. He was so proud, but he didn't scream like I did :)
Saturday, August 05, 2006
A VERY Scary Day
Yesterday afternoon I was sitting at the computer chatting with Kathy from All About the Boy, when my phone rang. It was Beth and we got to talking about just everyday normal stuff. I was trying to concentrate on both conversations but was having a hard time because I heard Morgan fussing from her crib. I had put her to bed about thirty minutes prior with a bottle that she had almost finished it.
I heard her fussing and figured she had emptied it as usual and wanted another one. So I asked Kathy to hold on a second while I went to make one for her. I moseyed into the kitchen to make a bottle all the while chatting with Beth on the phone. When I had it in hand and all shook up I headed to the girls room. Morgan was standing up facing out of her crib and was crying or really she was screaming. I layed her down and tried to give her the new bottle but she wouldn't suck on it at all. So I figured she was too upset to eat and I picked her up to comfort her.
When I lifted her up out of the crib I realized she was choking. She was screaming out but then her chest would tighten in my hands and she would look panicky at me like she couldn't breathe. I scanned her crib and the only thing odd in it was a Tigger stuffed animal that had curly cue hair. I immediately assumed she had gotten some of the fuzz down her throat and was struggling to breathe around it. Beth was still on the phone but at this point it was laying on the floor. I turned Morgan over my forearm, head down and started pounding on her back to try and dislodge whatever she was choking on. It didn't work. I turned her back over and swept her throat and nothing came out and she was still choking. I carried her and the cell phone to the living room and tried to pound on her again. Nothing.
I was starting to panic. She stopped screaming but was still grunting in between long pauses of nothing. I hung up on Beth and called 911!
ME: "My baby is choking" I said as fast as I could. "Hurry, please somebody, please hurry"
The lady got my address and directions and then put me through to a dispatcher.
DISPATCHER: "M'ame is your baby concious."
ME: "Yes, but she is struggling to breathe. She isn't getting any deep breaths in and she is going pale"
DISPATCHER: "Okay "M'ame. ... M'ame ... Hello? Are you still there"
ME: "yeeeeesss" I cried between sobs
DISPATCHER: "M'ame, I need you to calm down... Hello? What is your name"
ME: sobbing almost uncontrollably. Still pounding and trying to coax her to breathe. "Mandy" I said. Subconciously I realized she was trying to get me to calm down.
DISPATCHER: "We are going to have to try the hymilech, okay? You ready?"
Click. My cell phone died.
I was online when all of this happened and the reason I called 911 from it was because I couldn't get stupid AOL to disconnect fast enough to get a dial tone to use the home phone. By this point the home phone was back to working so I called back to 911. They put me straight through to the same dispatcher and as she said "Mandy?" The police showed up at the door. I threw the phone still online with 911 on top of the t.v. and never went back to hang it up.
I somehow managed to put Jenny behind a pet gate and let the guy in. Though by this point I was shaking so bad I thought I was going to throw up. Morgan was looking bad and fast. Right behind him were the firemen and the ambulance. About ten people in all piled into my living room. A lady took Morgan from me and said "We are taking her right now to LeBonheur. She isn't breathing well, she has to get to the hospital" I had to use the bathroom immediately so I ran in there, greatful that someone else more qualified was there to save my child should she pass out. The paramedics hollered from the living room "Do you have a carseat?" "Are you hear alone" "No" I called out, "her twin is in the baby bed sleeping in their room" "Can you drive?" "Is your car unlocked?" I got out of the bathroom and they had already taken Morgan to the ambulance and a fireman was at my car yanking the carseats and bases to the carseats out of my car. Both of them.
I grabbed Maddy, the cell, my purse and keys, amazingly, the cell phone charger, and a diaper bag that was thankfully already packed. I had that bottle I had made for Morgan in my hand so I chunked that in the car seat with Maddy. The fireman had to put the carseat base back in my car. He had no idea what he was doing. But we got her in and me in the car. The paramedics did not want me to try and follow them to the hospital because they were going to go fast and were afraid I would wreck if I went through a red light with them.
They told me to head on up there they were going to be several minutes getting her situated and secure in the ambulance. I asked how long and they said there was time enough to run two miles up the road and pick up William. I called on the way. He was waiting on me in the parking lot. I burst out in tears when I saw him and so he got behind the wheel and I moved to the passenger seat. He went crazy! He peeled out of his work parking lot and then out onto the road like a physcho teenage driver. I started screaming at him, while crying, and I think I slapped his arm very hard. "Maddy is in the car. You are going to kill us or someone else. Pleease slow down, pleeasse" He didn't realize Maddy was in the car and had been so worried about Morgan he was practically running off the road. He immediately slowed down and started driving like my grandfather on Sunday.
When we got to the hospital he dropped me off and went to park. I came in to see my child slumped over in her car seat. Nurses all around and an oxygen mask on her face, IV in her arm. I panicked again. The EMT reassured me that once they got some 100% oxygen on her she calmed down and fell asleep. They said her lungs sounded very crackily and bad. They took us to a room with a curtain. The nurse listened to her and said she was improving. Within a few minutes her lungs sounded clear. They were all shocked.
The doctors came and went, asked questions, and eventually sent us for a chest xray. The xray came back fine. They said her lungs still look bad from the Chronic Lung Disease she had from NICU but there was no difference today than before. They saw nothing foreign anywhere in her airway or lungs. The suspicion quickly became that either A) She refluxed some on that little left in her bottle and choked on it or B) She swallowed a small lump of unmixed thickener and it got stuck in her throat and choked her but eventually dissolved. Eventually B) was the reason they settled on because there was nothing on the xray so whatever choked her must have dissolved and even if she had refluxed they would see trace amounts in her lungs.
The doctor wanted her to eat some and if she didn't choke they would release us to go home. But ... Morgan refused to eat. She wouldn't take her bottle of milk, or pedialyte with popcicle mixed in. She fussed and clamped her mouth shut and wouldn't eat. We speculated that it was too loud and distracting in the ER for her to settle down to eat. So they sent us to a room that was quiet and dark ... still nothing. This went on for hours. Eventually the doctor called our peditrician and they agreed that the best course of action was to admit her for observation for 23 hours. Let her get to a quiet room, away from people and see if she would eat. They were concerned that since she hadn't eaten since the bottle around 2:30 at home she might dehydrate and we would end up right back where we started, new IV and all.
So about midnight we went to a room on the fifth floor. We got settled and they brought out the artillary to try to get her to eat. NOTHING. She wanted nothing to do with it. We figured she was exhausted so we went to bed to let her sleep and maybe eat when she woke up. This morning she still wanted nothing to do with the bottle. We started guessing that she didn't like the taste of the premade formula or the feel of the bottle. We cut her nipple to allow for easier flow. We stopped putting thickener in her milk and juice. William went home and got her powder formula and we made it just like home. We tried apple juice. We tried the bottle with her nipple. We tried their bottle and latex nipple. We tried a sippy cup. Nothing. She was not going to eat. Finally someone thought to bring in some pudding. We broke open the pudding and she started eating from the spoon. She finished off the entire cup of pudding. Then I tried feeding her her formula from a spoon and wahhlaahhh, she was eating her milk from a spoon.
We guessed that it must be an aversion to the bottle. To the idea of sucking. Poor baby was traumatized from choking. The attending doctor finally came around and was satisfied that she would at least take something. Something that would be liquidy and hydrating to her. So we were discharged with the intent to feed her anything and everything she would eat and just let her take her time coming back around to her bottle. He said the worry long term is about calories, but short term, as in the next few days it is just to keep her from being dehydrated and having to come back to the ER.
So we are home. Yay! Safe and sound. She has eaten some baby food tonight and William said she finally drank a little milk when left alone in her bed to play with it. Of course now, everytime we hear any noise from her room we run. I am super paranoid now about her eating and the stupid thickener. William has been straining her formula to make sure there are no lumps at all. I am sad for her that she had to endure such a trauma. And I feel terribly guilty that I didn't rush right to her crib the first time I heard her fussing.
I seriously just thought that she wanted a second bottle. That is kind of a usual request for nap time, so I just assumed that was the case this time. How lucky I am that I went to make the bottle. There have been times when the girls have been put down for a nap and have not been 100% ready to sleep. Sometimes they will stand in their crib and fuss for me to come back and get them. I oftentimes let them fuss a few minutes because they usually calm down and go to sleep without intervention from me. I've found that if fighting sleep, I come in the room, the screaming and whining just escalates. So I feel so lucky that I went in there at all because what if she had stood there choking and then passed out in her crib. I could have sat here in the living room feeling completely victorious that she had fallen asleep and instead my sweet baby could have been fighting for her very life.
I am just so greatful and thankful that everything turned out fine and we are all better now, if not just a lot shaken up. It will probably take a while before I feel confident again as a mommy, but that is to be expected. I love my girls so much and honestly I don't think I could go on living even one day if they were not here with me. They are truly the best thing that has ever happened in my life.
I heard her fussing and figured she had emptied it as usual and wanted another one. So I asked Kathy to hold on a second while I went to make one for her. I moseyed into the kitchen to make a bottle all the while chatting with Beth on the phone. When I had it in hand and all shook up I headed to the girls room. Morgan was standing up facing out of her crib and was crying or really she was screaming. I layed her down and tried to give her the new bottle but she wouldn't suck on it at all. So I figured she was too upset to eat and I picked her up to comfort her.
When I lifted her up out of the crib I realized she was choking. She was screaming out but then her chest would tighten in my hands and she would look panicky at me like she couldn't breathe. I scanned her crib and the only thing odd in it was a Tigger stuffed animal that had curly cue hair. I immediately assumed she had gotten some of the fuzz down her throat and was struggling to breathe around it. Beth was still on the phone but at this point it was laying on the floor. I turned Morgan over my forearm, head down and started pounding on her back to try and dislodge whatever she was choking on. It didn't work. I turned her back over and swept her throat and nothing came out and she was still choking. I carried her and the cell phone to the living room and tried to pound on her again. Nothing.
I was starting to panic. She stopped screaming but was still grunting in between long pauses of nothing. I hung up on Beth and called 911!
ME: "My baby is choking" I said as fast as I could. "Hurry, please somebody, please hurry"
The lady got my address and directions and then put me through to a dispatcher.
DISPATCHER: "M'ame is your baby concious."
ME: "Yes, but she is struggling to breathe. She isn't getting any deep breaths in and she is going pale"
DISPATCHER: "Okay "M'ame. ... M'ame ... Hello? Are you still there"
ME: "yeeeeesss" I cried between sobs
DISPATCHER: "M'ame, I need you to calm down... Hello? What is your name"
ME: sobbing almost uncontrollably. Still pounding and trying to coax her to breathe. "Mandy" I said. Subconciously I realized she was trying to get me to calm down.
DISPATCHER: "We are going to have to try the hymilech, okay? You ready?"
Click. My cell phone died.
I was online when all of this happened and the reason I called 911 from it was because I couldn't get stupid AOL to disconnect fast enough to get a dial tone to use the home phone. By this point the home phone was back to working so I called back to 911. They put me straight through to the same dispatcher and as she said "Mandy?" The police showed up at the door. I threw the phone still online with 911 on top of the t.v. and never went back to hang it up.
I somehow managed to put Jenny behind a pet gate and let the guy in. Though by this point I was shaking so bad I thought I was going to throw up. Morgan was looking bad and fast. Right behind him were the firemen and the ambulance. About ten people in all piled into my living room. A lady took Morgan from me and said "We are taking her right now to LeBonheur. She isn't breathing well, she has to get to the hospital" I had to use the bathroom immediately so I ran in there, greatful that someone else more qualified was there to save my child should she pass out. The paramedics hollered from the living room "Do you have a carseat?" "Are you hear alone" "No" I called out, "her twin is in the baby bed sleeping in their room" "Can you drive?" "Is your car unlocked?" I got out of the bathroom and they had already taken Morgan to the ambulance and a fireman was at my car yanking the carseats and bases to the carseats out of my car. Both of them.
I grabbed Maddy, the cell, my purse and keys, amazingly, the cell phone charger, and a diaper bag that was thankfully already packed. I had that bottle I had made for Morgan in my hand so I chunked that in the car seat with Maddy. The fireman had to put the carseat base back in my car. He had no idea what he was doing. But we got her in and me in the car. The paramedics did not want me to try and follow them to the hospital because they were going to go fast and were afraid I would wreck if I went through a red light with them.
They told me to head on up there they were going to be several minutes getting her situated and secure in the ambulance. I asked how long and they said there was time enough to run two miles up the road and pick up William. I called on the way. He was waiting on me in the parking lot. I burst out in tears when I saw him and so he got behind the wheel and I moved to the passenger seat. He went crazy! He peeled out of his work parking lot and then out onto the road like a physcho teenage driver. I started screaming at him, while crying, and I think I slapped his arm very hard. "Maddy is in the car. You are going to kill us or someone else. Pleease slow down, pleeasse" He didn't realize Maddy was in the car and had been so worried about Morgan he was practically running off the road. He immediately slowed down and started driving like my grandfather on Sunday.
When we got to the hospital he dropped me off and went to park. I came in to see my child slumped over in her car seat. Nurses all around and an oxygen mask on her face, IV in her arm. I panicked again. The EMT reassured me that once they got some 100% oxygen on her she calmed down and fell asleep. They said her lungs sounded very crackily and bad. They took us to a room with a curtain. The nurse listened to her and said she was improving. Within a few minutes her lungs sounded clear. They were all shocked.
The doctors came and went, asked questions, and eventually sent us for a chest xray. The xray came back fine. They said her lungs still look bad from the Chronic Lung Disease she had from NICU but there was no difference today than before. They saw nothing foreign anywhere in her airway or lungs. The suspicion quickly became that either A) She refluxed some on that little left in her bottle and choked on it or B) She swallowed a small lump of unmixed thickener and it got stuck in her throat and choked her but eventually dissolved. Eventually B) was the reason they settled on because there was nothing on the xray so whatever choked her must have dissolved and even if she had refluxed they would see trace amounts in her lungs.
The doctor wanted her to eat some and if she didn't choke they would release us to go home. But ... Morgan refused to eat. She wouldn't take her bottle of milk, or pedialyte with popcicle mixed in. She fussed and clamped her mouth shut and wouldn't eat. We speculated that it was too loud and distracting in the ER for her to settle down to eat. So they sent us to a room that was quiet and dark ... still nothing. This went on for hours. Eventually the doctor called our peditrician and they agreed that the best course of action was to admit her for observation for 23 hours. Let her get to a quiet room, away from people and see if she would eat. They were concerned that since she hadn't eaten since the bottle around 2:30 at home she might dehydrate and we would end up right back where we started, new IV and all.
So about midnight we went to a room on the fifth floor. We got settled and they brought out the artillary to try to get her to eat. NOTHING. She wanted nothing to do with it. We figured she was exhausted so we went to bed to let her sleep and maybe eat when she woke up. This morning she still wanted nothing to do with the bottle. We started guessing that she didn't like the taste of the premade formula or the feel of the bottle. We cut her nipple to allow for easier flow. We stopped putting thickener in her milk and juice. William went home and got her powder formula and we made it just like home. We tried apple juice. We tried the bottle with her nipple. We tried their bottle and latex nipple. We tried a sippy cup. Nothing. She was not going to eat. Finally someone thought to bring in some pudding. We broke open the pudding and she started eating from the spoon. She finished off the entire cup of pudding. Then I tried feeding her her formula from a spoon and wahhlaahhh, she was eating her milk from a spoon.
We guessed that it must be an aversion to the bottle. To the idea of sucking. Poor baby was traumatized from choking. The attending doctor finally came around and was satisfied that she would at least take something. Something that would be liquidy and hydrating to her. So we were discharged with the intent to feed her anything and everything she would eat and just let her take her time coming back around to her bottle. He said the worry long term is about calories, but short term, as in the next few days it is just to keep her from being dehydrated and having to come back to the ER.
So we are home. Yay! Safe and sound. She has eaten some baby food tonight and William said she finally drank a little milk when left alone in her bed to play with it. Of course now, everytime we hear any noise from her room we run. I am super paranoid now about her eating and the stupid thickener. William has been straining her formula to make sure there are no lumps at all. I am sad for her that she had to endure such a trauma. And I feel terribly guilty that I didn't rush right to her crib the first time I heard her fussing.
I seriously just thought that she wanted a second bottle. That is kind of a usual request for nap time, so I just assumed that was the case this time. How lucky I am that I went to make the bottle. There have been times when the girls have been put down for a nap and have not been 100% ready to sleep. Sometimes they will stand in their crib and fuss for me to come back and get them. I oftentimes let them fuss a few minutes because they usually calm down and go to sleep without intervention from me. I've found that if fighting sleep, I come in the room, the screaming and whining just escalates. So I feel so lucky that I went in there at all because what if she had stood there choking and then passed out in her crib. I could have sat here in the living room feeling completely victorious that she had fallen asleep and instead my sweet baby could have been fighting for her very life.
I am just so greatful and thankful that everything turned out fine and we are all better now, if not just a lot shaken up. It will probably take a while before I feel confident again as a mommy, but that is to be expected. I love my girls so much and honestly I don't think I could go on living even one day if they were not here with me. They are truly the best thing that has ever happened in my life.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Big Gulp!
So the other night, William and I decided to put the girls in the big tub to bathe together. Since Morgan is doing so fabulous with her sitting, we thought they would be ready for it. We filled the tub with about an inch of water and threw in a slew of toys and two little girls. They weren't scared at all. They were having a blast. William turned the faucet on to see how they would react to the falling water. Morgan wasn't so sure about it so she moved to the other end of the tub, but I wouldn't say she was scared or bothered by it. Maddy was having so much fun putting this and that toy in her mouth. I was trying to wash their hair as they crawled around in the tub. As one would pass by I would scrub a little and then they would move away. It was so much fun and felt a lot more like playtime than the chore that bathtime can sometimes be.
Here's the funny part. We have this cup in our tub that we use for pouring. We were using it to pour water over their backs when they passed by but somehow Maddy got ahold of it. It had some water in it and she proceeded to pick it up and drink from it, like a big girl. She of course choked on the water because it was too much for her and she is used to us controlling the amount of water we give her from our glasses, so she wasn't expecting that much to come out. William had to get her out of the tub to help her and she turned all red. But she made the funniest face after that drink. It was like it was so satisfying in some ways and it was so shocking to her in others. It was just so cute. We managed to snap the following picture and don't they always say, "A picture is worth a thousand words" :)
Here's the funny part. We have this cup in our tub that we use for pouring. We were using it to pour water over their backs when they passed by but somehow Maddy got ahold of it. It had some water in it and she proceeded to pick it up and drink from it, like a big girl. She of course choked on the water because it was too much for her and she is used to us controlling the amount of water we give her from our glasses, so she wasn't expecting that much to come out. William had to get her out of the tub to help her and she turned all red. But she made the funniest face after that drink. It was like it was so satisfying in some ways and it was so shocking to her in others. It was just so cute. We managed to snap the following picture and don't they always say, "A picture is worth a thousand words" :)
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
So Proud
Look at Morgan! Isn't she doing so great with her sitting? I am just so proud of her.
This is her in her first pair of blue jeans, ever. They got these for their birthday and they are still WAY to big, but I think they will grow into them by fall. These are a 6-9 month size.
This is her in her first pair of blue jeans, ever. They got these for their birthday and they are still WAY to big, but I think they will grow into them by fall. These are a 6-9 month size.
So sweet! 
She's doing so good that she's even able to sit up in the bathtub!
Just thought you all might like to celebrate her amazing accomplishments with us!Tomorrow I have something really cute to post about Maddy Moo.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Maddy and Morgan's First Meme Quiz
Maddy and Morgan were tagged by Tonya's darling girl, Randie. So I will try best to get them to answer but I can't guarantee that every one of their answers isn't dadada or hiiiiiii (the "h" is silent) :)
3 Nicknames:
Maddy Moo or Moo Moo - Maddy
Morgan Bear
Honeybunny - Both and William too :)
3 People That Make Us Laugh:
Daaaddaaada
Mama
My Hippo Stuffed Animal - Morgan
3 Things We Love:
Bathtime
Our new Leap Frog Learning Table
Anything we shouldn't have, i.e. waterbottles, cell phone, cords, remote control
3 Things We Hate:
Getting dressed - Maddy
Getting my face cleaned after eating - Maddy
the new vacuum cleaner
3 Things We Don't Understand:
Why we can't eat the same food as Mommy and Daddy
Why we're not allowed to play with cords
Why we can't share a bottle anymore :(
3 Things On Our Floor:
Winne the Pooh Rug
Stuffed Animals
Books we pulled off the shelf this morning
3 Things We're Doing Right Now:
Fighting over a toy
Talking to each other in baby talk
Crawling around each other
3 Things We Can Do:
Pull up on anything and everything
Cruise the furniture - Maddy can stand up in the middle of the floor too
Share with one another (only when we want too though)
3 Things We Cannot Do (yet):
Walk
Dress myself
Use a potty
3 Ways to Describe Our Personality:
Happy and Loving
Determined - Maddy
Usually Easy Going - Morgan
3 Absolute Favorite Foods:
Tomato Beef Dinner
Banana Yogurt
Graham Crackers
3 Foods We do NOT like:
Stage 3 Baby Food
Not a huge fan of peaches - Maddy
Papaya - we like it just fine but mommy can't stand the smell of it
3 Beverages We Drink Regularly:
Formula
Juice
Sometimes water - rarely though
3 Shows We Watch:
The BackYardigans
Blue Clues or Sesame Street
Praise Baby videos
3 Nicknames:
Maddy Moo or Moo Moo - Maddy
Morgan Bear
Honeybunny - Both and William too :)
3 People That Make Us Laugh:
Daaaddaaada
Mama
My Hippo Stuffed Animal - Morgan
3 Things We Love:
Bathtime
Our new Leap Frog Learning Table
Anything we shouldn't have, i.e. waterbottles, cell phone, cords, remote control
3 Things We Hate:
Getting dressed - Maddy
Getting my face cleaned after eating - Maddy
the new vacuum cleaner
3 Things We Don't Understand:
Why we can't eat the same food as Mommy and Daddy
Why we're not allowed to play with cords
Why we can't share a bottle anymore :(
3 Things On Our Floor:
Winne the Pooh Rug
Stuffed Animals
Books we pulled off the shelf this morning
3 Things We're Doing Right Now:
Fighting over a toy
Talking to each other in baby talk
Crawling around each other
3 Things We Can Do:
Pull up on anything and everything
Cruise the furniture - Maddy can stand up in the middle of the floor too
Share with one another (only when we want too though)
3 Things We Cannot Do (yet):
Walk
Dress myself
Use a potty
3 Ways to Describe Our Personality:
Happy and Loving
Determined - Maddy
Usually Easy Going - Morgan
3 Absolute Favorite Foods:
Tomato Beef Dinner
Banana Yogurt
Graham Crackers
3 Foods We do NOT like:
Stage 3 Baby Food
Not a huge fan of peaches - Maddy
Papaya - we like it just fine but mommy can't stand the smell of it
3 Beverages We Drink Regularly:
Formula
Juice
Sometimes water - rarely though
3 Shows We Watch:
The BackYardigans
Blue Clues or Sesame Street
Praise Baby videos
Friday, July 28, 2006
Birthday Pictures
Okay, okay. Almost a week later and I am just getting the pictures up from the party. Bad mommy! I really did try several times and blogger wouldn't let me. But I also was semi-lazy about it and just kept putting it off. Well with no further a'diou, here they are!
Lots of great people came to celebrate the girls first birthday.
On the Left: Aunt Ali
On the Right: The Hurt Triplets. Our pals from the NICU. Marty and Christy, Hayden, Hana Beth, and Hadley pose with me and William and the girls.
Left: Morgan and Maddy open up presents. Yay! The Leap Start Learning Table from Charla. They just love it. I would highly recommend this toy!
Right: Mommy and Daddy help open more exciting presents :)
Our Happy Birthday Cake!
It was strawberry filling on the inside, yummy!
Maddy digging in to her very own miniture cake.
She took the subtle approach!
But still ended up covered in icing! Priceless
Morgan went in for the good stuff. She just put her whole face in the cake.
Why waste icing on your fingers :)
This is super yummy mom!
Look at all their loot. I couldn't fit the clothes and all of this in the same picture. But they got a ton of cute fall clothes too. They got their first ever pair of blue jeans. Makes me wish fall would hury up and get here.
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