Our Five Ring Circus: September 2008

Monday, September 29, 2008

We must take baby steps...

We started redoing our kitchen on Memorial Day weekend.

We're still not done!

Dh and I worked so hard and did it by ourselves. We painted it red, hung new light fixtures, and put down new flooring (see my header pic of the kiddos together). All that's left are a few small projects. Well, one is big, and I hope to get it done this weekend-refinishing our cabinets. After that, we just have to put down the baseboards, some decorative molding, some transition strips, and then put up our new curtains.

It looks amazing, and has the potential to be absolutely beautiful. We HAVE to finish it before Dylan's birthday party on November 22nd. That's my goal.

We will finish it!

One baby step at a time...

Saturday, September 20, 2008

A small victory

They say that a child has to be exposed to a food 10-15 times before they will eat it.

Maybe that goes for most kids. In Lexie's case, it's about 75 times before she will eat it. I could write novels on how picky of an eater she is. It is a source of mental turmoil for me.

We make elaborate breakfasts on the weekends. We have spent many months trying to feed her pieces of bacon. She has never had any meat. Today, I nonchalantly put a few tiny pieces of bacon on her plate, as I usually do. To my surprise, she picked it up, and looked at it. Then, she touched it to her lips. Then she licked it. She put it back down, and I thought she decided it was gross. Surprisingly, she picked it back up, stuck it in her mouth, then scarfed down the other pieces. Grant and I just stared at each other in shock. Tomorrow, when we put it on her plate, she will probably decide she doesn't want it. That is a typical Lexie thing to do. But at least she tried it!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Make that Stairs:3

You would think that after yesterday's fall, I'd be more careful.

I swear, I go down the steps carefully. Somehow, I missed a step today, and broke my big toe.

OUCH!

Two minutes later, Dylan hit his head and got a huge goose egg and cut on his forehead.

Then, we found out Lexie's crib was recalled and we need to get a voucher for a new one.

This day was just bad, all around. With the exception of Grant's raise. That was very, very good!

Stairs: 2 Me: 0

Yesterday, one thing I've always feared, happened.

Stupid stairs.

I had a minor fall down 2 stairs a few weeks ago, but yesterday was the big one, and Lexie was involved.

I was coming down the stairs holding Lexie, and tripped over Grant's shoe on the top step (ahem!). I found myself falling forward, but managed to get onto my back, and hold Lexie above me. I slid the entire way down the flight of stairs, on my back. Lexie was so shaken up, as was Dylan, who was waiting for us at the bottom. I realized that Lexie was perfectly fine, and that I had no broken bones, so I got up, and headed out on our errands. As I was driving, I realized how sore I really was. I had scrapes, bruises, and strained muscles.

Last night was rough, but I'm grateful that I had no serious injuries.

And truthfully, all that matters is that Lexie didn't get hurt.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Mommy, I want to make some music!

We were in the car this morning, and I was listening to my favorite Muse CD. A song came on, and it was a bit too loud and upbeat for that terrible hour of the morning. I switched to another song, and Dylan told me, "Change it back, I want to make music to that song!" I had no idea what he was talking about, so I put that song back on. I glanced back at him, and he was bopping his head around and drumming his fists in the air. "See! I'm making music!" Rock on, buddy!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Happy Birthday to my mom!


Today, we celebrated my mom's birthday. She is an amazing woman, and I felt the need to shout it out here. I adore my mom, and consider her my rock, and one of my best friends. I truly love spending time with her. She is one of those people that would not hesitate to give you the shirt off their back or the last dollar in their wallet if you needed it. My kids adore their Nina, and I am so grateful for all the time we get to spend with her. Happy birthday to my wonderful, beautiful mom. Here's to many more!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Goodbye summer!



Today was the last of our real summer weather. Fall is being ushered in with the high winds.

The kids enjoyed the 90 degree weather today. Lexie wore one of her beautiful sundresses. I have to admit, I am horribly sad when I think about how I have to pack her huge collection of summer dresses away. Dylan played on the balcony at his nannie's house, taking advantage of the afternoon sun.

Tonight, we sat in the front yard, enjoying the warm winds, and even continued to sit as the winds became very gusty. It started to get crazy outside, so we came in, but I'm glad we had that last moment to enjoy the warmth of a summer night.

It's going to be 25 degrees cooler tomorrow. Hello fall!

Friday, September 12, 2008

The problem with shopping during a downpour

I don't know what we were thinking.

My mom and I go shopping every other Friday. It's our thing to do. Today, we had 3 mandatory stops, one of which was our bulk shopping at Costco.

Unfortunately, it was pouring all day. We had Lexie with us, which just complicated matters. This was one of those things where we couldn't put it off to another (nicer) day, because we needed stuff for tomorrow. As soon as we pulled up to Costco we just stared at the rain pouring off the top of the building, in huge waterfalls. We realized the rain wasn't letting up, so I unhooked Lexie and handed her to my mom, then jumped out of the car. I rushed over to the passenger side, and my mom, Lexie, and I ran into the building under the cover of our huge (but slightly ineffective) umbrella. Nothing like soaked pant legs and wet feet to make shopping fun!

Why is it that kids love the rain? My mom and I were complaining about it as we were running through it, and Lexie had her head sticking out from under the umbrella, with her face turned up to the rain, laughing. Silly girl. That's not going to last too long!

After we finished our shopping, we were faced with the daunting task of getting the full cart out to the car. I huddled over Lexie as I pushed the cart, and mom held the umbrella over all of us. We all dove into the van, and then I threw everything into it, in no particular form of organization. When I slammed the back shut, I was greeted with a downpour of all the water that accumulated on the top of the hatchback...on my head.

I dove into the van, and stared at my mom in desperation. We had to endure this 2 more times.

Lexie sat in the back, pointing out the window and laughing. She wanted to do it again.

No. Never again. We'll wait for a better day.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

8 years of marriage


Today, Grant and I celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary. We have come so far in the past 8 years. We went from 20 and 21 year old kids to full-blown adults. We never thought that we would have 2 kids and own a house by now. I am proud that we have lasted this long, never willing to give up on each other during tough times. So here's to 8 years of marriage, and the wonderful blessings we have been giving. And here's to many more years to come!

Monday, September 8, 2008

The day has finally arrived!!!


Dylan is officially night trained. He has been completely day trained and accident free for a year, but had some trouble staying dry overnight. Mostly due to the fact that he's a deep sleeper. He had weeks that he would stay dry overnight, then would have a few accidents overnight, so I just kept him in a pull up at night. It was easier for me! He has stayed dry overnight for 3 weeks now, and on Saturday night he asked to wear underwear to bed, because he didn't want to wear a pull up anymore. I am so proud of him! Go Dylan!

Saturday, September 6, 2008

It's back

I thought Dylan's rash was clearing up. This morning he woke up scratching himself like a madman, and upon inspection of his skin, I noticed red welts all over his back, belly, neck, and face. Lovely. He has had a rash for 3 months! Shouldn't it be going away by now? Seriously, it's getting a bit ridiculous!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

18 month checkup

Little Miss Lexie Bean had her 18 month well check appointment today. It was scheduled during her nap time, and she was starting to get a fever, so she was miserable through the entire appointment. She screamed every time the nurse or doctor tried to do something to her, but had one of her fabulous conversations (I swear, she speaks Swedish!) with the doctor from across the room. My big girl measured 35 1/4 inches-completely off the charts!!! She weighed in at 25 lbs, 4 oz. She obviously has the same tall gene as Dylan!
We did get some bad news...our beloved doctor, who we've seen since Dylan was born, is moving. He is one of the most amazing doctor's I've ever met, and the kids love him, so it's a huge bummer!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Papular Acrodermatitis

Poor Dylan has been sick all summer. Not really sick, but covered in a rash for 3 months. It has been a long, frustrating summer for everyone involved. He started out with minor cold at the beginning of June (which quite possibly started all this). About a week after that went away, he broke out in a rash of hundreds of tiny red bumps, head to toe. A little less than a week later, the skin on his face, fingers, and toes began to peel off. He was on an antibiotic for that rash. When that went away, he got a few patches of severe eczema, followed by another rash. After 2 doctor's visits, they sent us in to see a pediatric dermatologist, who diagnosed him with Papular Acrodermatitis of Childhood (PAC). It is a skin reaction to a previous viral infection. In most cases, it is just a minor, short-term rash, but it can last 12 weeks. In Dylan's case, it was one of the worst cases the dermatologist had ever seen. His skin was covered in red, bloody bumps, and he was constantly scratching. They put him on a prescription to stop the itching and a prescription steroid cream. Unfortunately, the oral anti-itch medicine is also used to treat short-term anxiety, and can cause mood swings. Oh boy. His mood swings were vicious. My previously well behaved child turned into a devil, and most days, I was in tears over the way he was acting. It has been a month since he was diagnosed, and the rash has faded a great deal. He still has it, but it's nothing compared to what it was. He's still itchy, but not nearly as bad, so we took him off the oral meds, and he is back to his well behaved self. I feel so bad that he spent the summer miserable and itchy!

No labor day for us

Dylan woke up this morning with a high fever. It was really hot outside, and he was so lethargic, that we had to give up going to our annual labor day picnic at Grant's parent's house. Grant did go for a few hours, and brought me home a plate of the delicious food and dessert. It was a long day with Dylan. The fever was 104.3 at the highest and 102.6 at the lowest. He has no other symptoms than a fever, body aches, and chills. My poor little man.