Shades of Green

Let's Play Catch Up!

2011-09-14T14:57:00.002-04:00

So it has been several months since I last wrote here, I know shocker right?! Anyway, a lot has happened since my last post. We have all recovered since Maddie's surgery. We have been on our annual family vacation to Maine, which, was as usual, a wonderful time! We got to catch up with my whole family which is always chaotic, but fun. The girls have started preschool again.

This year they are going three days a week, and it is great to have them learning and it gives me time to spend with just Tanner, one on one. In the few short weeks that they have been going they have already learned to write their names, they could do part of them last year, but now they can write the whole thing! Tanner has sprouted two teeth and it appears that about four more might be trying to make their way out, I know one more for sure is because I can see it starting to cut through. He has also started to think about crawling.

He scoots a little and rolls, but more recently he has started getting on both knees and rocking a little and then if he can't reach he will just dive at whatever object he wants. It won't be long until he is fully mobile, something I am NOT ready for. I don't know why parents get so excited to have their children start crawling. For me it is a stress to make sure he isn't eating a littlest pet shop piece or a critter tool. Grabbing trash of the floor, etc. But it is a stage we will get through just like all the others. I will say on the plus side of his mobility he can now crawl/wiggle into my lap when he wants me, that is pretty cute!

The girls finished playing their first season of T-Ball and we are on to soccer again. This season I think they are having fun, because two of their friends are the team and I am coaching them. Soccer is nothing new to me, but coaching 8, 4-5 year olds that is a little something new. Getting them to understand and to listen are a challenge, but I think we are all having fun!

In a nutshell that is what has been going on here.

On the horizon stay tuned for a 9 month update on Tanner and the girls 5th birthday update, I know how can they be turning 5? I am not sure, but they are so I will be enjoying their last few weeks as four year olds! :-)

Just a small break please

2011-05-17T13:48:00.000-04:00

Maddie

Things have been a tad hectic here lately, thus the delays in any posts. Last week Maddie had her tonsils and adenoids removed, new tubes put in her ears and her nasal turbinates shaved down. The goal here was to help her breath better and hopefully help with her snoring and sleep. She has always been a restless sleeper and always seemed tired. We are hoping this surgery will be the fix we have been looking for. The surgery in itself was easy and over within an hour. The recovery has been more than I ever anticipated. I knew she would be in pain, I knew it would be hard to watch and I knew it would take at least two weeks for her to heal. What I did not know, was the extreme pain she would be in. That she wouldn't have much of an ability to eat anything, (lately she has started to eat pretzels and will only drink water and chocolate milk from McDonalds...at least she is eating) I didn't realize how much weight she would lose. She initially lost 4-5 pounds, but has put 3 of those pounds back on now that she is eating, hopefully the other two will come back quickly since she only weighed 33 pounds to begin with and we have fought hard to get her to that weight. I also did not know that her nose could get clogged with some of the thickest, hardest, grossest snot I have ever seen. We had to go to the doctor twice to have it manually removed. The first time some long tweezers were used to extract it, the second time I had to sit and hold her head while she screamed that she wanted it over and wanted to go home and the doctor literally used a small vacuum to suck the stuff out. The things that have come out of her nose are beyond gross and I had no idea things like this could come out of a person. We also had to make a trip to the ER because she couldn't keep anything down and we thought she was on the verge of being dehydrated. Luckily the were able to give her some Zofran and they changed her pain medication and she has been better since. We are currently on day nine after the surgery and she is finally starting to come around. Is trying to eat more foods and is up and playing more and her nose is clear!

Natalie trying out Maddie's Glasses

Natalie on the other hand has an ear infection and pink eye...good times let me tell you! So for now, I am hoping that Maddie continues to heal and Nat gets better fast and that the rest of us don't get the stinky pink eye.

Wow, Four Months Already

2011-05-07T16:08:00.000-04:00

The last month has been crazy and most of it was spent travelling. We went to Florida in the beginning of April and then a mere week after returning from there we went to Ohio for Easter. Tanner is an excellent traveler and follows well in his sister's footsteps, which is a good thing since we travel several times a year. I always get a lot of looks when I travel alone with all three kids, some are looks of pity, others are awe. Travelling with children is really an art, and luckily I have this art down to a T. I am also lucky that all three of my kids are good travelers!

In other news Tanner is four months old already and a big four months at that! He is officially 17 pounds 13 ounces. Just 3 ounces shy of 18. He is 26 inches and is in the 90% for both height and weight and is wearing 12 month clothes already, but at least he is one happy and healthy boy! This month he has started to talk a lot, he coos and yells and laughs. He is very ticklish and his giggles, when we are dressing him are too cute. He is close to rolling from his back to stomach, but hates being on his stomach, so tummy time is a challenge and he hasn't shown many signs of going from his belly to his back. He has found his thumb, but still prefers his pacifier for sleeping, much to my dismay because sometimes he needs it in the middle of the night and finding it in the crib can be a challenge. We are still working on the sleeping "through" the night, and some days are better than others, but we are getting there to say the least.

The girls are still in love with their brother and it is really fun to watch the three of them "playing" together. They like to show Tanner his toys and now that he is able to sit in his exersaucer they like to show him the toys and laugh with him and it is nice to see their relationships growing. We also seem to have finally found a balance and more of a routine. The first few months were a little hard and I had immense guilt over not being able to help the girls with certain things and bed time was a challenge, but we seem to have found the balance we need and I am looking forward to the next several months and what they have in store for us as he starts to move and hit other developmental milestones. I am not wishing this time away though and even when I don't sleep I try to cherish every moment I have since he is our last and he is so fun and lovable!

MIA

2011-03-30T09:07:00.000-04:00

So, I realize I have been MIA lately, but really what is there to report? Let's see the kids were sick, I was sick, we all were healthy for a day or two, the kids were sick, I was sick, we were healthy and repeat. I thought after this last round of sickness we would be able to make it until we got to Florida next week and we could air out, but nope, Maddie has another cold, and it seems like Natalie might be coming down with it as well. Now most people would think okay a cold no big deal, but it seems whenever Maddie gets a cold she also gets either an ear infection or a sinus infection so it is never just a cold. We are hoping this will all be remedied when she has her tonsils, and adenoids out in May. She will also be having tubes put back in her ears. A routine surgery, but one I am not looking forward too, because the recovery is a good 7-10 days and she has to limit her activity, which will be super hard on Natalie. At least Nat will have soccer and school to keep her occupied a few days. I am also not looking forward to it, because Maddie tends to be a little bit of a drama queen, not sure where she got that from :-) But she makes everything worse than it is, so I am sure she will milk this one for all it is worth. From what I understand she will have a pretty bad sore throat and some joint pain in her neck and around her ears from having her head tilted back, but hopefully we will be able to keep it down with tylenol and keep her comfortable and keep Natalie entertained.

The Girls at the St. Patrick's day parade

Other than being sick and visiting the doctor on a regular basis, Tanner has hit all of his three month milestones, which he isn't officially even three months until next week. He holds his head up pretty well and really likes to sit up with assistance. He even tries to pull himself into a sitting position sometimes when he is laying down. He has found his hands and sucks on them all the time, I keep encouraging him to find his thumb because I am not a huge fan of the pacifier, which he enjoys when he sleeps, but for the rest of the time could really care less about, which is good! He continues to grow steadily and is over 15 pounds 8 ounces, it has been a few days since we weighed him.

He does NOT like tummy time which is not the best because he is getting a nice little bald spot and it is supposed to help him strengthen his arms and neck, not sure if he will hit the rolling over around 4 months milestone since he doesn't like his belly, but we keep trying and some days he tolerates it better than others. All in all though the kids, all of them, continue to do really well and we are ALL looking forward to playing on the beach next week with their YaYa, that will be another post since I am travelling alone with all three kiddos, call me crazy if you want, but it shouldn't be too bad, the girls are great travelers and it is a short flight! Anyway, a belated Happy Spring and look for travel reports next week!

I'd say they are siblings

2011-03-12T12:05:00.000-05:00

Not much to report, but I did find some pictures of the girls when they were about Tanner's size and I would say that my kids are siblings for sure! If they weren't captioned could you tell them apart? :-)

Maddie

Natalie

Tanner

62 Day Stats

2011-03-06T10:58:00.000-05:00

Too cute for words really!

Today, actually marks Tanner's 63rd day in this fine world, but since this is his "2 Month" status report, I am going with 62 day stats. On Friday Tanner went for his 2 month check up. He was a trooper for his shots, which he luckily only had to get two of! His official stats were 13 pounds 12.5 ounces and 23.5 inches tall. Putting him in the 90% for weight and 75% for height. He is a growing bean and we love it. Maddie weighed 9 pounds 15 ounces and was 21 3/4 inches, putting her in the 25% for both height and weight and Natalie was 9 pounds 8 ounces and 21 1/2 inches putting her in the 10-25% for both, so this a big change for us, but a positive one all the same!

Starting him reading at a young age.

We are finally past the RSV and are over breathing treatments, which while he tolerated them really well, he would usually fall asleep, it is nice to not have to extend the night feedings or put him through them during the day. I was happy to find out that he shouldn't have any long term residual effects, like asthma or other lung problems, because of the RSV and hopefully he won't get sick again. It was a scary time and while it was nice that he slept a lot at night for those first few days, I didn't sleep, because I was terrified he would have problems breathing or would start to choke on the mucus.

Another little Colt's fan.

Since, lasts month's report, aside from the RSV and growing like crazy Tanner has started to smile and make cooing noises. It is pretty cute, he will just lay there and smile and smile and then start talking. I love it! The girls continue to be great help and they LOVE picking out what he will wear each day or each hour depending on the amount of spit up we are having on any given day. Tanner continues to be an angel and just goes along for the ride, usually literally as we are shuttling girls to and from school or to play dates, he just goes with it. Wednesday and Friday mornings are "our" time when the girls are at school, so it is nice that he gets a little individual attention. Tanner has also attended his first book club meeting and also has seen a movie. Yes, I was "that" person bringing my baby to the theater, but I sat on the aisle and was ready to run out if he started getting fussy, but he didn't make a peep and slept through the entire show, allowing me to have a little quiet time to myself.
Other than that we are still looking forward to warmer weather and our upcoming annual trip to Florida. That one should be interesting since I am flying solo down to Tampa to meet my mom with all three kids, but honestly I am not to worried. The girls are old hats at travel, so hopefully little bean will do well too! More to come soon I hope, I know you can't wait :-)

Declaring this the longest winter EVER

2011-02-22T15:06:00.001-05:00

I have officially decided that this winter came be declared the longest winter EVER and I mean EVER. Between being pregnant and not being able to go outside at the end, for fear of falling and because I wasn't able to stand for long periods of time. To the cold, cold, brutal cold weather that is now keeping us indoors. To all of the sickness we have been suffering I am beyond over this winter. The girls have been sick for a better part of 2 weeks and now Tanner has RSV. We discovered this after a trip to the ER last night. He was a real trooper and let them do all their tests and what not without a fuss. They diagnosed him and then released us home. Today we went to his pediatrician, where they said, he was doing okay, but sounded a little wheezy. So now he is on breathing treatments every four hours, which he tolerated well in the doctors office, he fussed for a few minutes and then he actually fell asleep. Needless to say I am exhausted and ready for some fresh air, the bad germs to be kicked out and for everyone to be healthy and able to go outside! In other news Tanner is gaining weight at an amazing rate, he weighed 13.5 at the doctor today, he did have a diaper on that was probably a little wet, as well as his clothes, so he is probably closer to 13 pounds, but still that is at least a 5 pound weight gain in 7 weeks, he is a great eater and hopefully an eater that gets to feeling better soon!

34 Days

2011-02-07T13:10:00.000-05:00

Tanner

So 34 days is actually the one month update, but I thought 34 Days was a tad more creative than one month, I know not really! Tanner is a growing machine. He currently weighs 10 pounds 15 ounce, yes he has gained 3 whole pounds in one month. The doctor said the average weight gain is 2 pounds a month at this stage, so he doing great. He is now 21.5 inches as well, so an inch in a month.These measurements put him in the 75% for weight and 50% for height, both of these I am not used to...the girls have NEVER been above the 25% for anything so this is a good difference to have. We joke that at his one year appointment he will weigh more than the girls do at their 5 year. He is outgrowing some of his clothes already, including all the new body suits I bought him, he barely got to wear them and a lot of his 0-3 month clothes don't fit either. We wake up a lot at night, but that is okay since it means he is growing and staying healthy. The longest stretch has been 4 hours, and he usually gots 2.5-3.5 hours at a time. I know that the bigger he gets the stretches will also get bigger, something I am looking forward to, at night at least. That is one thing that has been the hardest really is the night feedings and that adjustment of not sleeping, but we are making it through.

Other than that there really isn't much to report. We had a huge ice storm last week, that made us home bound, and then that was followed by about 5 inches of snow this weekend, so we hadn't been out of the house for over a week, which meant today's doctor appointment was a much needed excuse to leave and was followed by a trip to the craft store to get some activities. The girls continue to be great big sisters and they have been very helpful in getting things for me when I need them, hugging and loving on Tanner and just overall being great little girls. So that is all there is to report for now, more soon.

Three Weeks

2011-01-27T13:07:00.000-05:00

Tanner

We have made it to the three week mark. Actually, time has gone by really fast and I am sure it will only continue to do so. I have found that my desire to blog lately just doesn't exist, perhaps I have better things to do. I mean I do have three kids now and all :-) Speaking of which, the transition from 2-3 has been pretty easy, the lack of sleep has been difficult, but the actual balancing of the three kids hasn't been that hard. I am pretty sure that this transition has been easy, because the girls are at the same stage/same age. If they were not the same age, forget about it. I honestly do not know how or why people would have more than two kids if they did not have a set of twins in there somewhere. I think it would be a lot more difficult to balance and adjust if the girls were different ages, so I consider myself lucky. I also do not know why anyone would ever want to be pregnant more than twice! Thankfully, this is something I don't have to think about or worry about anymore since we are done. As for Tanner, he is an angel baby. I was always told I was so lucky with the girls, that they hardly cried, I could put them down and do other things and again, I have been blessed to have another little one who is just like that. He only gets really angry if he is hungry and that is when he turns into "angry Kitty." He gets so upset and yells so loud he sounds just like my crazy cat when she is freaking out, so we all call him angry kitty when he acts like that. Some of his other nicknames, are bean and monkey toes, both given to him by Maddie. I think bean is my favorite just because it is cute. He continues to grow and at the end of his first month I think he will be bigger and weigh more than the girls did at 2-3 months. Yesterday he weighed 9 pounds 5 ounces, he is an eating machine, but that is what he is supposed to do, so that is a good thing. After a few rough nights of him sleeping on me I solicited advice from my facebook friends and the resulting advice was to start swaddling him at night. This has worked like a charm and he is now sleeping 3-5 hour intervals give or take in his swing, one step at a time, but at least it isn't on my chest where I have restless sleep thinking I am going to drop him!

Maddie, Tanner and Natalie

The girls continue to go to school, which has been a good thing since this winter is lasting forever and has been so cold. They get to get out of the house and have a break from our every day lack of activity. I am looking forward to nicer weather when they can play on the swing set and we can go on walks and they can ride their bikes. I also look forward to summer swimming and picnics at the park....summer please hurry! So for now that is what is going on here. Look for a one month update in a little over a week after we have visited the doctor, official stats will be provided then :-)

Introducing Tanner William Stahl

2011-01-11T12:55:00.001-05:00

Tanner

Here is the post you all have been waiting for...just kidding, but really here is the story of Tanner's arrival. Last week was a crazy week of final preparations and waiting. On Monday January 3 I started going into labor around 4:00 at 6:00 I had met my 6 contractions per hour limit and called the doctor. Even though I had an appointment at 8:00 they told me to go to labor and delivery. Tom and I both thought for sure that was it and we would be having a baby that day. My doctor had told me that she wouldn't stop labor once I had reached 37 weeks. Once we were at the hospital they gave me fluids and then a shot to stop the labor. I was a little upset, but at the same time I understood, he was still not "full" term 40 weeks or whatever, but still. So the labor stopped and I was sent home to rest. Wednesday I had an appointment with my doctor for my usual weekly visit. I hadn't been feeling very well for a couple of days and had a headache. Well my blood pressure, at the office was really high for me 158/104 or something crazy like that so they sent me over to labor and delivery again to monitor the baby and to do some initial tests to see if I had pre-eclmapsia. All of my tests started coming back normal and my blood pressure at the hospital was completely normal and level, not elevated at all. Very weird I thought, how is this possible? We began making arrangements to have someone come stay with the girls, because they decided they wanted to monitor me over night...THANK YOU Krissi for helping us out, you were a life saver! Well, shortly after Tom got back to the hospital I started having regular contractions again, I had been having a few, but they were getting more painful. Finally I asked for something to ease the pain because while they were irregular they were painful. At that point the nurse called my doctor and the next thing I know there are 4 nurses and the anesthesiologist standing over me prepping me for the c-section. It all happened very quickly, and since it wasn't an emergency I thought this was odd, but my mom thinks that they probably use non-emergencies as practice for emergencies, which makes since. So we were all prepped and taken back and at 11:17 pm on January 5, 2011 Little Tanner William Stahl entered the world 8 pounds, 20 1/4 inches, pissed off screaming and urinating on all the nurses and doctors. He has a full head of hair and very healthy lungs! The rest of the procedure was over by midnight and we were wheeled back to my room to recover, always a pleasure! We spent three days in the hospital and were released on Saturday to go home. We are making the adjustment, the not sleeping is of course painful and Tanner does not like to lay on his back at night, he does during the day though go figure. The girls have been wonderful big sisters. They do not like to hold him, but they sit with me while we are feeding and they cover him up and bring him is pacifier and other things big sisters do. So for now that is the report and story and while he wasn't set to come for another week, I am sure glad he is here and healthy and we can move onto the next stage!

36 week update

2010-12-27T10:10:00.000-05:00

36 weeks, extra large

Well, here we are at 36 weeks and two days. The longest I have ever been pregnant and wow I am huge! Today I had my doctor appointment and I am measuring 40 weeks, yes 40 weeks. I got to measuring 42 with the girls so if this one doesn't come early I very well could be just as big with one! The doctor said it is long, it grew a lot in the last week. I am also starting to retain water, and my fingers and ankles and feet have started to swell a little, which could be the beginning of pre-eclampsia, the reason the girls had to be delivered. So I am now on the look out for more swelling, and headaches. I am hoping to make it another week even though I am beyond uncomfortable and ready, but I know it is best to make it at least to 37!
So really, no other news, which in this game, no news is good news!

We've made it to 35 weeks!

2010-12-17T12:32:00.000-05:00

35 weeks with the girls...3 Days before delivery

35 weeks now, not as big, but still pretty large!

We have officially made it to 35 weeks. Part of me wants to say it has taken awhile to get here, but at the same time it feels almost like time has flown. 35 weeks was a critical point for us. I can now deliver at the hospital where my doctor delivers, they do not have a high level NICU, so if I had gone into pre-term labor I would have had to go elsewhere and had a different doctor deliver me. I have also made it to the point I made it with the girls, so I know what a 35 weeker looks like and how to respond emotionally if it is an early delivery. Baby is currently measuring 37 weeks, so it has slowed down a little in growth, or was laying weird. Either way, my doctor thinks that in about two more weeks my body will decide it is done, that would be New Years...not sure how I feel about having a New Years baby, but what can you do, it would be better than having a Christmas Baby. I will now start going every week to my doctor, which also helps alleviate some of the anxiety I have been experiencing lately and it is just reassuring to hear the little heart beat. Baby is still breech, but it isn't a concern since we will be having a c-section anyway. The girls are starting to get excited, I think, and they ask when baby will be coming out. I am sure they will be excited until they realize how much it will cry, but you never know, maybe it won't cry and maybe they will be able to tune it out. Other than that we are just passing the time playing games and building tents and doing lots of crafts. It is hard for me to be up and about a lot, because my back hurts and I worry about falling outside in the snow and ice. The girls have been very patient and understanding and really it has been pretty dang cold out to be outside long anyway, so they get their outside time in when Daddy comes home and I get a chance to just relax. So here we are with really not much to report, which is really okay and hoping that I don't have any other baby posts until December 27, when I have my next appointment. Goal, make it one more week and get through Christmas then I am fine with whatever happens!

It didn't even cross my mind

2010-12-14T15:34:00.001-05:00

For the last month or so Maddie has been battling one nasty sinus infection. She has been on two different medications and as of last Thursday there was no sign of the infection left, good deal! Then late Saturday evening she came into my room burning up, fever, sore throat. Here we go again I think. So I treat the fever Sunday hoping it is just a cold with an elevated temperature. Enter Sunday night at 2:00 am, she comes in again fever is 103.4, cold compress to the head snuggle up to my little heating pad. Outside the wind is whipping and howling and I start having contractions. Really? Natalie comes in, because she realizes Maddie isn't in their room. I can't sleep, Maddie can't sleep and Natalie won't sleep. I wake Tom up and ask him to handle Natalie, because Maddie has finally fallen asleep and I need to lay back down and hope the contractions stop. After about 4 in 40 minutes and a lot of water the contractions stop, luckily! Maddie still wakes up with a fever, headache and sore throat. Strep I think, yup okay off to the doctor again. So we are treating her for strep and last night we notice a few little bumps on her bottom, I think it is from her pull ups, she still has accidents at night. Then this morning she has more bumps everywhere, not just on her bottom. Then this afternoon after gymnastics I am changing her and the rash is everywhere, good lord I think what could that be from? Poor thing is itching and scratching and it just looks painful. So I call the doctor thinking she has Scarlet Fever, because it comes from a strain of Strep. A few questions from the nurse and she checks with the doctor and low and behold she is having an allergic reaction. Good to know I say, as I am glad it isn't Scarlet Fever. Then I sit back and start thinking, wait allergic reaction, can't that be really bad, do I need to worry, what if she stops breathing. So I call the doctor again, thankfully, they inform me that she would have already started to have breathing difficulty if it was going to happen and that if she takes the medicine in the future her reaction could be worse. Okay, I am relieved now and we can concentrate on helping alleviate the pain from the current rash and she gets a new medicine for the other symptoms. What amazes me most is that an allergic reaction didn't even cross my mind. I thought for sure it was something else and the sad thing is I read the little drug reaction pamphlet and still didn't think about it. So to all you parents out there, make sure you double check the side effects and allergic reaction symptoms for all medicine, because even though they may be rare, they can be scary and they can happen to you!

Water

2010-12-09T09:04:00.000-05:00

It appears that water really is the key to a healthy pregnancy. When my blood pressure went up over a month ago I think it was because I was dehydrated. I couldn't drink enough water and once I was re-hydrated my pressure went down, my headache went away and I felt much better. Same thing this week with the weird cramping and contractions. I again think I was dehydrated. When I left my doctor on Tuesday she told me to drink lots of fluids and rest. So I drank lots of water and again the contractions subsided and I am feeling better. So I guess the morale of this story is, drink lots of water. If something is wrong or doesn't feel right, drink some water. I am going to try to drink as much water as I can over the next few weeks so I can stay away from the doctor and out of pre-term labor!

Jinxed

2010-12-07T20:52:00.000-05:00

So I jinxed myself by saying this pregnancy had been a piece of cake. Today I started having cramping and some contractions so I had to go be monitored for a little while at my doctors office. Luckily, the doctor thinks I just picked up some kind of viral bug. I was having some other symptoms that I shan't discuss here, but I was told to go home, drink plenty of fluids and to just relax. So that is what I am doing, relaxing while I watch Glee and taking in lots of fluids.

33 Weeks and Counting

2010-12-06T22:11:00.001-05:00

Saturday marked 33 weeks! I can't believe we have made it here without much drama. At this point with the girls I had been to the hospital a few times for monitoring, gone into early labor, spent a weekend trying to have the labor stopped and then being sent home to enjoy the rest of the pregnancy on bed rest. So we are doing pretty good compared! Also, with the girls I was pretty dang big. At 30 weeks I was measuring 36 weeks. Now I am 33 weeks and showing 36 weeks. So I think I will take 3 extra weeks of growth over 6 weeks. Although I am getting pretty uncomfortable, it is no wonder. Really everything is looking good. Knock on wood my blood pressure went down and has remained down, not exactly sure what caused that little spike a few weeks ago, but whatever it was I have been able to manage it by not eating fast food, boo and drinking lots of water and getting rest. My doctor has said we need to hold out hope that we can make it past Christmas. She said I really need to get to 36 weeks, which would be Christmas Day. So of course my goal was to get through Christmas anyway. It wouldn't be very good if Santa was in the hospital so that is what we are crossing our fingers for. I am taking it easy the next few weeks, at least that is the plan and trying to keep the bun baking. All in all I am healthy and baby looks healthy and we are just trekking along enjoying the holidays and the girls who are absolutely loving that it is Christmas time. The Elf on the shelf returned and he has been helping them count down the days to Christmas by bringing them little surprises each morning instead of us doing an advent calendar. We have one that counts down the days, but he brings little treats as well. The Elf has also helped keep their behavior in check, which has been really nice! They have truly become little helpers though and will do things without being asked. Like clearing their places when they are done eating or picking up without being asked. We still have some battles, but they are really coming into their own and are becoming very independent and helpful. More to come later as well as a belly picture!

31 week update with pictures of then and now

2010-11-19T19:22:00.000-05:00

31 weeks with the Girls and I still went 4.5 more weeks :-)

31 weeks now.

Well, we have made it to 31 weeks, our goal is to get to 37 or 38. The doctor said she doesn't like 37 weeks and would much prefer 38, but if labor starts then I am done. As long as we get to 35 everything should be pretty good though, with the steroids, the lungs should be developed pretty well, but there are never any guarantees so the longer we bake the better. The crazy news is baby is already big. It is measuring 4 pounds 12 ounces, 3 weeks ahead of schedule. Baby is 3 ounces shy of what Natalie weighed when she was born. She was 4 pounds 15 ounce at 35 weeks 3 days. Here we are at 31 weeks and baby is 4 pounds 12 ounce. When my doctor saw the ultrasound scans and the results she flat out started laughing. Not just a smile, but a full on laugh. Saying, "and you thought that this would be a an easy pregnancy, because you only had one." So looks like I will be big and uncomfortable at the end, but hey the health is all that matters right? Baby is measuring in the 97th percentile, so that is a change for us, when Natalie is still struggling in the 4th percentile 4 years later, but again health is all that matters. Other good news is that my placenta moved up so that isn't an issue anymore. Baby is frank breach, which explains why it feels like my bladder is being tap danced on all the time and why my stomach feels hard sometimes, because the head is way up by my ribs. The pain under my rib has also been a little hand punching me or pushing on the ribs. Already there isn't much room for the little one to turn over, so I reckon it is good that we are already having a c-section, because I don't have to worry whether or not baby will flip and be in the right position for delivery, it simply doesn't matter. So overall we have a big one, but a healthy one and we are excited to welcome it into our lives hopefully after Christmas!

I Love Christmas, but Really?!

2010-11-12T12:05:00.000-05:00

Christmas is by far my favorite holiday. I absolutely love everything about it. The music, the decorations, the trees, cookies, all of it. But, there is a time and a place for Christmas and that does not start the day after Halloween. I get that the economy is in the popper so Christmas commercials are to be expected on TV, displays in the stores typical, but individuals who have all their decorations out, not really okay. There is a house in the adjoining neighborhood that has their garland around their door with lights on, you can see one going up their banister and they have their tree in the window...really?! Then there is another house that has candy canes up the walk and lights on their outside trees. Finally, the kicker, there is another house that has icicle lights around the house, a Turkey hanging on the door that says Happy Thanksgiving and pumpkins on their porch. Three holidays in one...I think not. Again, I must say I love Christmas, but really is it okay to skip over Thanksgiving like it doesn't even exist? Shouldn't we still be giving thanks and spending time with family. Do you really need to put up all your Christmas stuff two months in advance? Our tree will go up the weekend after Thanksgiving like it always does, as will the other decorations inside and out. We will celebrate Thanksgiving with family and we will give thanks. I wish others could remember to be thankful and not go totally crazy the day after Halloween. Remember folks there is another holiday in there between the two!

29 week update

2010-11-08T08:16:00.000-05:00

Well, we have made it to the 29 week mark! We had a bit of a scare on Friday, but for the moment everything seems to be okay. I had a regular appointment scheduled, which was good because I had had raging headache since Tuesday. I just knew when they took my blood pressure it was going to be elevated, I just was hoping it wasn't. As I suspected it was high for me, but not dangerous. My doctor was worried about pre-clampsia so I had to do a blood test and a 24 hour urine sample test to make sure everything was okay. My doctor certainly freaked me out though, because she said if the blood work came back abnormal I would have to go to the hospital that afternoon for evaluation and possibly to stay until little one is born...that could be 5-6 more weeks if they could keep me pregnant that long. Luckily, the blood work came back fine. This morning I found out I have small traces of protein in my urine, but they said it is nothing to raise alarm yet so I am just to take it easy and watch my symptoms. If the headache comes back or I start to swell I am to call them right away. The worst part about this whole situation was that I was totally worried and freaking out about being away from the girls for possibly such a long period of time. It is one thing to be laid up on the couch or in bed, resting and taking it easy because I can still play with the girls and interact and hug them, but at the hospital not so much. I admit I had a mild break down on Friday when I got home from the doctor because it was just almost to much, since my whole thing has been keeping their lives as normal as possible. I am pretty sure mom being in a hospital for weeks does not constitute normal! So, for now, everything is okay and I am going to take it easy and poor Tom is going to have to do more housework than normal, but we want this one to say inside and for me to stay home! So, other than that everything is still going well. My weight gain is still good, I am sure trying hard on that one and I am measuring at 31 weeks, so there must have been a growth spurt a few weeks ago and the growth has leveled out a little. So my next appointment is in 2 weeks, assuming all goes smoothly this week and we get to have another ultrasound so that will be extra nice to see the little one going into the Thanksgiving holiday. So for now, nothing to exciting to report and lets hope it stays that way!

No Sick Days

2010-11-04T12:56:00.000-04:00

I must preface this post by saying that I love my "job" as a stay at home mom and I never want any other job, ever! With that said, I must say that there are no sick days when you are a stay at home parent. If you work out of the house and you are sick you take the day off and stay in bed. When your job is to stay home you have to keep "working" and somehow make it through the day. For the past three days I have had a headache from hell. It started on the left side as a migraine on Tuesday my medicine wouldn't touch it. Moved to a migraine on the right side yesterday, again nothing would touch it and today it is again on the right side, mild migraine with the mixings of sinus stuff. Not sure what is going on, that is for sure. I went to the chiropractor and she cracked and pulled and did all sorts of things that broke up some of the tension I was carrying in my shoulders and neck, which helped a little, but the dull ache behind the eye is still there. I would love to curl up in bed and sleep, but you can't do that when you have two, four year olds who don't understand mommy doesn't feel well and they want to keep on moving. I will admit on days when I am just not feeling up to par there is more tv watching going on than I like, but I am okay with that if they are happy and safe. Today I pulled out the craft bucket and they have been practicing cutting. Lets just say, the hubs is going to have a nice paper mess to clean up when he gets home, but again they are at least learning and having fun. They have "cut" out dinosaurs, turtles, a cheetah, hair and various other animals. But again things can't be that simple. Maddie chose today to have an accident, lets see, last accident she had was over 6 months ago, so today would be a good day for that right?! At least she was in the bathroom, which I admit did need to be cleaned, but still, when your head is throbbing the last thing you want to be doing is getting on your hands and knees and scrubbing urine off the floor. (She waited to long and couldn't get her pants off fast enough) but we have almost made it to "rest" time which means I get at least an hour and a half where they are in their room either reading or sleeping and I can surround myself with ice packs and lay down myself. It is days like today when I have small goals, after breakfast it is make it to lunch, then make it to rest time and finally just make it until Tom gets home. At this point I will retire to my room and again ice and try to relax. So, so far today we have made it through goals one and two and goal three is mere minutes away and at this point we can basically consider the day a success and hope that tomorrow the headache is gone and we can go back to loving staying home!

The honeymoon is definitely over!

2010-11-02T18:30:00.000-04:00

They, as in researchers, book writers and other people, say that the second trimester of a pregnancy is the honeymoon period. You aren't so big that you are really uncomfortable, you don't have to use the bathroom as much, because the baby has moved off your bladder and isn't so big that it is constantly sitting directly on it, morning sickness is over etc. Then enter the third trimester, for me the honeymoon is definitely over. I have reverted back to the first trimester again. I have morning sickness, can you believe it, I wake up nauseous and have been experiencing actually getting sick. My aches are more apparent, I am clumsy, forgetful and using the restroom constantly, especially at night. All of these annoyance I can deal with better than others, aches, okay, you can stretch, see a chiropractor, take Tylenol if they are horrible and rest. Bathroom, annoying yes, but you can still function. It is the morning sickness all over again that is really driving me crazy. I wake up more nauseous now than I did in the first trimester. I usually would feel bad after eating in the first trimester, but now I can lay there in the morning and just feel yucky and know that it is going to be an interesting morning. Alas though life goes on and I know in a about two months it will all be over and worth it, but boy o boy I hope I find the strength to push through the morning sickness or that it passes and I go back to the "honeymoon" period, because honestly, this is rough and just when you think you are done you go back in time. Two steps forward and one step back I guess.

Identical, I think yes!

2010-11-01T19:19:00.000-04:00

Maddie & Natalie

Having identical twins has always been interesting to me. Yes, they look a like, some days more than others, they have the same DNA, yes, but at the same time it is different. Different you ask, how can it be different? Well, somehow it is, there must have been some mild mutations in the womb while the girls were developing, because while they are identical in theory they are not identical in reality. Maddie seems to have had the most mutation or she just inherited the crummy genes. She has to wear glasses and while her eyes are getting better, she will most likely always have to have some form of help in that department. She also seems to have gotten the worst allergies, she suffers year round, where as Natalie's are more mild. She also seems to have GERD, the poor thing had been "sick" since August and we took her last week to the Allergist, her pediatrician thought it was her allergies still and he scoped her and said her throat is raw and her adenoids are totally swollen. This would explain her restless sleeping and awful snoring. (She was snoring so bad on night that Nat came into my room and said she couldn't sleep because Maddie was snoring to loudly) She is now taking prevacid, which seems to be helping, thank goodness, because if it didn't then we were going to have to look into having her adenoids and tonsils out. I asked their doctor how they can have such different problems and she said she just couldn't explain it, it is just something that happens. The whole different personalities, different likes and dislikes, I totally get, they are after all two different people, which we have always treated them as such. The medical issues though still alludes me and probably will continue to do so. So for now, we go with the flow and handle each issue as they arise and enjoy our little girls each day!

Maddie

Natalie

For the record

2010-10-25T10:28:00.000-04:00

For the record, steroid shots HURT! I had a vague memory of the shots I received with the girls, but again, I was on a lot of different drugs trying to stop the labor and that memory was dim. I recalled it hurting a little, but in all honesty, it is painful. There is the usual pinch when it goes in, but wow there is a burn as the medicine enters the body and an ache long after the needle has been removed. I am sensing that I will be achy later and I get to do it all over again tomorrow. I know it is worth it though, keep little one strong in case there is an early arrival, which we hope there won't be, but you never know, so better to be prepared than not!

27 weeks then and now

2010-10-23T11:45:00.000-04:00

27 weeks then...2006.

27 Weeks Now

Today marks 27 weeks for me and the beginning of my third and final trimester. I couldn't be more thrilled be be 2/3 of the way done. I am not sure what it is, whether it is because I am short, or because I carried twins or what, but my body and pregnancy just don't agree. I get tired easily and I have been pretty sore and stretched out. But alas we are almost there and this little one just needs to keep cooking. My doctor thinks we may be looking at a big baby, but we will have a better idea of that at my ultrasound in a month. For now, she has moved our "goal" to 38 weeks. I told her I was fine with 37 and that mentally that is what I am trying to achieve. She said she may be okay with that, but would like to go for 38, but that if things are really stretched she would do an amnio at 37 and if the lungs are mature than deliver. Today I was measuring 31 weeks, so still 4 weeks ahead, but other wise healthy. I had my glucose test as well, that is one nasty drink to say the least, but I passed without any problems. Which is great, because if I had had to give up sweets and sugar this time of year, I would have been miserable. I did find out that I have anemia, which may explain my excessive tiredness, my occasional dizziness and some of the other things that I have been suffering from. Hopefully a nice iron supplement will help clear up some of that and the anemia can be controlled. Monday, and Tuesday I will get my steroid shots as a precaution to help the lungs mature in case I go into early labor that can't be stopped. A benefit the doctor and I both think is well worth the small amount of pain and soreness that I am going to experience. I had steroids with the girls at 32 weeks when I went into preterm labor and I recall the shots being pretty painful, but I was also on a lot of other drugs attempting to get the labor to stop, so we shall see how painful it really is unmedicated. All I know is that the shots go into the hips and my hips already ache at night, but you gotta do, what you gotta do to help the little one arrive safely! So, as you can see, I am big, but still not as big as I was with the girls and all is still growing and stretching well!

Happy Fourth Birthday Beautiful Babies

2010-10-16T08:47:00.000-04:00

Natalie and Maddie 2 months.

Natalie and Maddie 4 years.

To my beautiful baby girls,
Today, you turn four years old. I am not sure where time has gone or how it is possible for you to be four years old already, but here we are. Four short years full of laughter, crying, temper tantrums, hugs, laughing and most importantly fun. You two are two of the funnest and funniest kids I know. You may be identical twins in DNA, but you have such different personalities and you are definitely individuals, yet you are both so carrying and gentle. Maddie you are our little sports girl. You love playing soccer and swimming without your life jacket and of course your gymnastics. Natalie, you are our artist. You spend time drawing pictures and you prefer ballet over aggressive sports like soccer. You take care of each other and are for the most part so sweet and loving. You have gotten very self reliant and you can do so much for yourself and by yourself. Your imaginations are amazing and the way you two play together is unbelievable. You started school this year and you go two days a week. One day a week you go to the new school at the Children's museum. You love this school and you have learned so much already. The opportunities you are getting at the museum are amazing and you get to see a new exhibit each week and you do crafts and they are teaching you how to do design on the computer. Some of the pictures you have brought home are pretty amazing for a four year old! You spend your other day of school at a nice church school near our house. You enjoy this school as well, but in a different way. This school is more structured, but the things you are learning are amazing. Maddie, you love dinosaurs and my favorite thing is when you ask me what kind of dinosaur something is and I answer and you usually say, "no mom, it is a..." correcting me and telling me what the correct dinosaur is. Natalie you like to create, whether it is drawing or singing or building things out of books or blocks or whatever you are both creative. Smart, beautiful and amazing. We are beyond blessed to have two sweet little angels to bring such joy to our lives on a daily basis and I can't wait for the two of you to become big sisters in a few months. I know your life will change when little peanut joins us, but already you are so great with it. You enjoying laying on my belly and hugging it and kissing it. You like to make the baby kick and you tell it you love it. I can't wait for you to have another sibling so you can teach it all of the things you have learned and look out for it like you look out for each other. My beautiful babies I am so pleased and blessed to have you in my life and I can't wait to see what the next year brings. I love you so much and I hope you have such a wonderful birthday. Happy Fourth Birthday Baby girls, I love you, Mommy

25 weeks and I waddle

2010-10-11T21:11:00.000-04:00

Yup, you read that right I have reached my 25 weeks, only 14 more to go and I am already waddling. I was out shopping yesterday and I caught myself doing it...waddle, waddle, waddle. I couldn't believe it and try as I might to stop it is like my body has a mind of its own and that is just how it is choosing to walk these days. Today I feel like an old lady. Everything aches, I have heartburn and I was finding every day simple tasks, like walking up the stairs to be tiring. I know I still have a long way to over 3 months and I will make it, maybe I need more sleep. Not sure what is up, but I will push on. No other real updates as of today, I don't have another appointment for two more weeks so no growth stats or weight statistics. Just this lovely picture showing how increasingly large I am getting in the front and the back and my new waddle. Good Times :-)

Back Up and Running

2010-10-03T21:03:00.000-04:00

Well, I think we are officially back up and running here at Shades of Green. I am not sure what exactly I did to my template, but it was a disaster, but I think it has now been revived!
In other news, we have made it to the 24 week mark. I am feeling pretty good, although I definitely had a growth spurt this week. I woke up yesterday and felt huge, I asked Tom if I looked bigger and he unfortunately said I did. Not sure what this little one is doing but it is sure growing like a weed. We spent most of the weekend, okay all of the weekend painting peanut's room and cleaning the carpets and trying to get everything ready. I can't decide if we are jumping the gun on getting everything done this early, but I feel like the next 15 weeks are going to fly. The girls turn four in two weeks and then before we know it Thanksgiving will be here followed by Christmas and then we are there. Sometimes I feel like this pregnancy is taking an eternity, but in reality it is going pretty quickly. In a few short weeks I will already be into the third trimester and it is all down hill from there. I am currently on my last few weeks of four weeks between appointments and then I go to every two already. My stretch marks or messed up stomach from the first pregnancy doesn't look as bad as it did before,everything is flat and stretching out nicely. Unfortunately I am not holding out hope that my belly button is going to remain in. It is slowly stretching and I am hoping against hope it doesn't pop, it never did with the girls, but I am not so sure this time. So really that is all that is going in this little world and one of these days I will get another belly picture up since we have really grown in the last few weeks. So for now we are back up and running and more is to follow.

All Messed up

2010-10-01T16:35:00.000-04:00

As you can tell, I was attempting to do some maintenance on my blog and update my template when I screwed everything up. Please bear with this horrible layout as I try to figure out what I have done. As in don't mind the double posting because I have no idea how to get rid of the side bar posting or where my archive disappeared to. Hopefully we will be back up and running soon!

23 Weeks

2010-09-24T13:53:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow marks my 23 week mark in gestation, but wouldn't you know it I am measuring at 27 weeks. Nothing unusual for me since I was huge with the girls, but I still thought I wouldn't be that big this time around. My doctor said that because the girls were "big" for twins that this one might be bigs as well and that I am pretty stretched out. I am feeling the usual aches and pains at the stage. I have had some pressure in the pelvic area, but my doctor said there is nothing to worry about unless there are sharp pains that don't go away. There is always the chance that my first c-section scar could tear, but I am crossing my fingers that doesn't happen, because it wouldn't be good. My doctor is still holding out hope that I will go until 39, but my goal is to make it to 37. I will be getting steroid shots at my next appointment as a precaution to help peanut #3's lungs mature and develop faster just in case I can't hold out. So far there are no indications that I won't be able to, all is going well and my weight gain is pretty steady and I am in the middle of the recommended weight gain for this stage, also a good thing! Other than that my appointment was pretty uneventful and as far as pregnancy goes that is a good thing!

22 Weeks, Then and Now

2010-09-14T21:12:00.005-04:00

Everyone always says that each pregnancy is different and if you take a look at these pictures you sure would think so wouldn't you.

22 Weeks Pregnant with the girls.

Almost 22 weeks pregnant with peanut #3

I was definitely larger with the girls at this point, but just wait for some future comparisons, because I am sure there will be a much bigger difference down the road. As for this pregnancy being different, other than the fact that I weigh about 20 pounds less at this point and I am smaller than last time, by this time with the girls I was already measuring 32 weeks (10 weeks further along than I really was), not much else has been different. I have had the same symptoms and similar/not many cravings at all. So far this pregnancy has been easier, probably due to the weight and my size and I am thankful for that. I am also seeing a chiropractor this time, which I think, whether it is psychological or whatever, has made a ton of difference. Before I started seeing the chiropractor my back was hurting and I wasn't even 12 weeks yet, but now there is very little pain and overall I physically just feel better. We are officially 21.5 weeks now and since I will have a scheduled c-section that only leaves 17.5 more weeks to go. I am hoping with the fall activities, the girls birthday and the holidays that these weeks will fly by, the weight will stay down and I will continue to feel as well I as I do. So look for more comparisons in the next weeks and don't cringe, because my belly was very large at the end with the girls!

Almost one month down

2010-09-14T07:54:00.003-04:00

I can't believe it, but this Friday will make an entire month down for the girl's preschool. So far they are loving it. It seems like they really enjoy the Museum school the most, but like both of their schools and all of their teachers. We ended up signing them up for one day at the Children's museum school downtown and another day at the school here in Avon. So far it has worked out well. They get a little confused on which school they are going to some days, but they have already figured out which one is which once we distinguish between the "museum" school and the "other" school. The drive downtown hasn't been nearly as bad as I had anticipated either and I have enjoyed sitting in a quiet corner of the museum reading for a couple hours a week as well. I discovered a lot of the other moms/caregivers do the same thing, either sit and read or go explore the museum once it opens. I may venture into the museum somedays, but I have just been enjoying the peace and it is nice to just sit and read without distractions. The girls have already started to become a little more vocal after school days and they always have lots to tell us, usually starting with whatever snack they had that day. I am just amazed at how fast time is flying and while I like it to go fast for the pregnancy, I wish it would slow down with the girls. They are growing up to fast and I find myself daily reminding myself to enjoy every moment and every hug because there may come a day soon, when they don't want to snuggle or curl up in my lap, what lap I do have left at the moment. So for now, we are enjoying the moments and the girls are enjoying both of their schools and their snacks :-)

18.5 Weeks

2010-08-25T21:17:00.005-04:00

We have made it almost to the half way point already. It is crazy to think how time is flying, at least right now. I am not sure if time drug with the girls because there were two and I was huge by this point or if time is flying this time because we are so incredibly busy with the girls there is no time to even think about what is coming down the pipe. My mom emailed me yesterday asking if today was the big day. I thought she was talking about the girl's first day of pre-school which is Friday, but she meant ultrasound day. Yep, I even forgot it was ultrasound day, the day we got to find out what we were having, yes we know and no I am not going to post it here for various reasons, but either way we are happy and excited and it is healthy! It is measuring about 5 days to a week ahead of schedule, but that is still okay and all looks healthy. So far my official weight gain stands at about 8.5 pounds, I wish it were a little less, but really I should be happy with that. If I was listening to my doctor I would be upwards around 18-19 pounds, she said a pound a week roughly for the pregnancy. 40 pounds seems like a lot to me for a singleton, so I am trying to keep it down as low as I can. With the girls I was way over 21 pounds and looking a lot larger than I do now. I feel really big, but when I look at the few belly pictures we have from the girl's pregnancy this is nothing. Other than that things are going well and progressing nicely. My placenta is presenting a little low, but my doctor didn't seem concerned. I on the other hand of course want all the information on what this means. She said most likely it will move up as the uterus grows, but that if it doesn't it may be declared placenta previa. For other cases this would mean the person had to have a c-section, which I already have to have regardless, because of the classical incision used to get Natalie out, that in itself is an entire separate blog post. At this point I am like that is okay, since I already have to have a c-section. The doctor then says I may have to be on modified pelvic rest, no lifting, no heavy house cleaning etc. So I could still drive the girls to school and wouldn't be laid up in bed, okay that I can handle. Finally, the doctor says and there is a 40% chance that you might have to have a hysterectomy. Now usually I feel like knowledge is power, but from now until my next ultrasound in 10-12 weeks I get to wonder if this will all happen and how the c-section will go. I am not much of a gambler I could handle the odds of 3-7% chance of us having twins again because they were so low, but a 40% chance of a hysterectomy scares me a little. I mean we are 100% done having kids, but there is just something a little daunting to me knowing my c-section may not be a plain ole c-section. In all honesty I am going to try to not worry about it, because like the doctor said the placenta might move on up and all would be okay and either way, there is nothing that can be done if it doesn't move and I will just have to have faith that all will go well and at least little peanut #3 is healthy and growing and a very active little one at that. I am already feeling kicks and it was very active during the ultrasound. So for now that is the update from our world more to come in the next weeks!

The girl's feelings

2010-07-23T07:32:00.002-04:00

I have had a few questions about how the girls feel about bringing a baby into our family and I believe they are excited. I don't think they understand the whole idea completely, but we have been very honest with them from the beginning. Before we started trying we asked them if they would like a brother or sister and they both said they wanted a sister :-) Then a little while after we found out we were expecting Maddie came up to me one day and asked me if I had something in my belly, like she already knew. Out of the two of them Maddie has been way more into things asking me about the baby and asking to look at the baby books and wondering how big it is today and this and that. She also likes to curl up with me and pat my stomach. This gives me a little comfort since she is the one I am most worried about adjusting. Maddie has always been a momma's girl and one of my biggest fears would be that she hate me if we added another child. So far she has shown that she is going to be a great little helper. They go to all of my appointments with me and the other day they both ran over to my side and asked if that was the baby making noise when we heard the heartbeat. I know we will still have a big period of adjustment when the little one arrives, but the goal is to keep their lives as normal as possible throughout the introduction. I am making plans to ensure that they are able to go to all of their activities and school and that their daily routine doesn't get changed to much. My mom is going to come stay with us so that they get to sleep in their own beds and be around the things that are familiar to them while I am at the hospital. I want this experience to be positive and not a big wrecking ball running through their lives. I know some will see my wishes and desires and "rules" to be anal and controlling, but I know how I want things to go and I am going to do my best to ensure that things are done the way I want them, because I want the girls to feel included and not feel like we have forgotten them. We plan on having them come to the hospital as soon as they can after the baby is born and after Tom and I they will be the first to meet their new sibling before anyone else. We are also making plans to take them to a sibling prep class at the hospital where they get to learn about the new baby and some things to expect when it arrives. Overall I think we will be able to make this experience positive for everyone it is just going to take some planning and dedication from us and understanding from others in our lives as to how we want things handled. For now though life goes on as is and we are just going to a few more doctor appointments than usual and things with the girls are good!

How quickly one forgets

2010-07-21T13:18:00.004-04:00

A few months back back I wrote about the great baby debate that was going at our house, well the debate has been finished and we are happy to announce that we are expecting Stahl Peanut #3 in mid January. At first I was really nervous about our decision, but as things have progressed I am getting more and more excited. I was nervous we would have twins again, a task I wasn't sure I would be able to handle. We only had a 3-7% chance of having twins, but that percentage was enough to make me incredibly nervous for the first 9.5 weeks until we saw the sweet little picture of the ONE! So far things have been going pretty good. I have been pretty sick and I have been anti-neasuea medication for 6 or 7 weeks now. There was one day I was pretty sick and almost had to go to the hospital, but things are getting better and I am less tired and feeling more human. I have found it pretty amazing how quickly you forget things that now seem clear as day. I remember being sick, but I didn't remember being as sick as I have been. I also didn't remember the aches and pains i am already having, but Tom says he does remember and he just laughs at me when I ask if this or that was like when I was pregnant with the girls. Other than the usual aches and pains and expected things all is going well. I have gotten bigger faster this time, but my doctor said I am measuring where I should be and all is going well. The babies heart rate was 166 today and it was great to hear the little heartbeat again. We will have our ultrasound at the end of August where we may or may not find out the sex of the baby. If we do find out we may or may not make it public, we may choose to wait until the little one arrives to make the gender public. We are handling this pregnancy a little different than our first and we are sharing things later and keeping more things to ourselves. I am not sure if it is because we are enjoying our last pregnancy, because this will be the last or if it is because there are so few things in life you can totally control or what, but I promise to post more as the pregnancy progresses, but whether the sex of the little one is announced I cannot guarantee. So that is the news for now and I reckon there will probably be more blogging from me in the near future since I will actually have something to blog about!

Educational Dilemmas

2010-07-08T12:57:00.002-04:00

From a very early age it has been engrained in my that education is one of the most important aspects of life and that you can get a lot out of it and it will help you go far. I don't think this engraining started when I was 3, but here I am making educational decisions for the girls that could affect their futures. I never thought that I would have to worry as much about preschool as I have/do. It is crazy, I spent months and months looking at different programs and schools and finally found one that matched most of our criteria, only to be able to get the girls enrolled one day a week. I was fine with that at first, but as it gets closer to school starting I wonder if they would benefit from an additional day. We have the opportunity to send the girls to a new preschool that is being held at our Children's museum. I have a few hesitations, mostly that it is downtown, which would mean driving the drive every week to get there, but it seems like a wonderful opportunity. It is a Montessori based school, which means it allows for structured free thinking a philosophy that I think is great and one that I wish we could have enrolled in from the get go, but the school out here just isn't affordable for us as this time. This program is and it offers what we want and allows the girls to explore the museum in way that they probably wouldn't be able to with me. My dilemmas you ask? Well, I fear that I will sign them up for an additional day at this school and then I will get a call from the school out here where they will also attend telling me that they have an additional day for them. Then, do I ditch the Museum school, eat the non-refundable deposit, do one day at each school or do three days of school. I know one would think that this shouldn't be a stressful but to me it is. I want the girls to have a great experience early with school so that they don't hate it later in life and I want them to learn as well so to me this is an important decision. Right now I think I am leaning towards signing them up at the Museum and seeing how it goes and crossing the bridge, if I get to it, if there is another day available to them at the school out here. A decisions, decisions, things that you won't find in a parenting book, but that would be helpful!

Boring

2010-06-28T16:44:00.003-04:00

I have decided lately that I am a very boring person. I feel like I used to have so much to blog about, but lately, or really not so lately I just don't have much of importance to share with others. When I do want to blog I find that it would just be me complaining so I resist, why put others through a whine feast unless it is a really good one?! Don't get me wrong I don't just sit on the couch staring at the wall day in and day out, we are very active, but I don't think the few readers I do have need an update daily on the activity we went to that day, unless it is a new and good one. I have a feeling the blog may pick up in the fall when the girls start school, but who knows. They are such silly little things that they say the craziest things, which I often think I should share, but as quickly as I have the thought of sharing it is gone. At the moment they are playing "animals" their favorite thing to do and the cat is making pig noises, while a giraffe is asking for hay to eat. Their imaginations are amazing and I am so lucky that they can go off and pretend play together and it sure is fun to sit and listen to what their little minds come up with. Mud baths and going to the airport, traveling all over and going to the zoo are just a few of the destinations the "animals" have been too.
So anyway, again, not much is going on here, but if I think of something good to write about more will follow, I promise.

Summe Daze

2010-06-13T17:09:00.002-04:00

I have officially already entered into the summer daze. It got hot out way faster than I anticipated for the year and it has been pretty awful. I am not a girl of heat. I like my jeans and sweatshirts and laying by a fire wrapped in a blanket. I don't enjoy sweating when I walk out the door or when I get out of the shower or when the air conditioner isn't set low enough at night and it is almost 80 upstairs when I wake up. We have had the great luxury of going to our Friends the Welch's pool a few time already which has been a great heat escape and we have our wading pool set up outside. It just hasn't been a very great start to summer for me at least. The heat doesn't seem to affect the girls though, they are ready to go outside and run around, be pushed on the swing and to play in the sand box. We are doing a few activities this summer, Ballet, gymnastics and Maddie has tried out soccer. She loves it, but I have been less than thrilled with the "coach" they touch the actual soccer ball for roughly 10 minutes out of 60 and that is not what I am paying far. Not to mention that the facility does not have air conditioning and is a huge warehouse with no ventilation. We may only do one session of that and then try again in the fall, since she really does enjoy it. Other than that not much has really been shaking around here, just relaxing and enjoying the slower summer pace.

Profound

2010-04-29T15:24:00.002-04:00

There are times in life when things happen that are fantastic, then there are other times where your world can be shattered in an instant. My immediate world hasn't been shattered, but it has really been shaken. Yesterday, a young sister and brother of some family friends were killed in a car accident on their way to school. In one split second that families world was turned upside down and nothing will ever be the same for them or their close friend. It is profound to think how life changes, and how other people's lives can change yours. As a parent you always want to keep your children safe and protect them, while loving them at the same time. I never understood this really until yesterday. I mean I love my children and want to keep them safe, but I never really thought about how hard it can be to do this. When we were younger my brother and sister and I used to beg my dad to let me drive them around and we didn't see what the big deal was, but he always held fast and would not let us ride together. I think now it still makes him a little nervous when we all go off together, but we are allowed to. I didn't understand fully why he wouldn't let us ride together until yesterday. I get it now, his "insanity" was his way of trying to keep us safe. It makes me sad that this tragedy had to occur for me to see why my dad did this and it makes me think about my future and how I am going to keep the girls safe as they grow. Aside from never letting them leave the house there are no hard fast guarantees to safety, but I hope that I am able to pass on some of the wisdom that my parents gave me, to them. I also hope that this feeling I have now of deep sadness, loss and confusion, pass soon, but at the same time stick with me and remind me that life can change in the blink of an eye and that you can't take the one's you love for granted, you have to live each day like it is your last and treat people with love and respect. My heart is breaking for this family and I hope they find peace soon and they are in my thoughts and I am grieving with them over their loss.

Winning the battles, but losing the war

2010-03-28T20:36:00.002-04:00

I have been battling my weight for a large part of my life or for as long as I can remember. I am always "dieting" or watching what I eat, and working out trying to lose "X" amount of pounds. Last year I lost almost 18 pounds and I was so proud of myself. Then enter winter and the holidays and here I am about 5 months later and I have gained back 10 of those pounds. Annoyed and angry with myself I can't stop eating. I pick up something bad, think to myself, "don't eat that" and then follow it with eating what is in my hand and then some. It in all honesty is disgusting and I know I shouldn't do it. Each week we get an organic food delivery. Fresh fruits and veggies and other wholesome organic food that is really good for you and for the most part tastes really good as well. Then I follow it up with chocolate or some of the girls bad for you cookies, it is horrible. I negate the the bad food by "working out" I have trained for and finished one half marathon this year a few weeks ago and I am again currently still training for the Indianapolis Mini Marathon. I of course use my training as an excuse to eat more and more bad junk food and it does nothing for me. Not only am I putting on the weight but the weight is affecting my knees, again, which in turn affects my running. When I was 10, 15 pounds lighter it really made a difference, crazy as it sounds it was easier to run, but as the scale goes up, the harder it gets to run and the more I eat because I am depressed. I know I eat for comfort and mostly because I am bored, and boy do I wish that I could stop this cycle. It is horrible and I keep finding myself trapped in the lose/gain battle that has become my life. Now enter Spring and no more excuses. It is the time of the freshest fruits and veggies, great weather and the chance to be outside, walking and playing with the girls till our hearts are content. Hopefully I will be able to get some of these pounds back off and hit the weights to tone up. Then come next fall and winter, the exercise will not slack and the pounds will not come back. so here is hoping I can keep up with goals and ambitions and keeping the pounds at bay and to ending this life long weight cycle.

The Great Baby Debate

2010-02-23T21:28:00.003-05:00

For over the past year there has been a debate going on in our house over whether to have a third child or not. Now, one would think that after a year a decision would have been made, but it hasn't. I wish this were an easy decision and that the answer would just come to us, but we go back and forth. A great deal of my day is consumed with thoughts over whether or not to add that third addition and what it would be like if there were five of us instead of four. Four is such a good number. We aren't outnumbered at this stage, it is easy to travel, shop and do most everything. But really, is that a good reason not to add another? Another sibling for the girls, more laughter and fun each day and during the holidays. More hugs and kisses and "I Love You." Yes, there are these great positives, but there are also the financial hardships, the cost of three college degrees instead of two, Ballet, Gymnastics, Soccer, Piano lessons, etc all times three, how do you know? I think that a lot of my hang-ups are the finances and the way that I was raised. I had a very great childhood filled with travel, and vacations and playing soccer, doing gymnastics and ballet and having opportunities that I want my children to experience as well. We have already started to season the girls on travel and we continue my family's tradition of going to Maine each summer and the girls and I go to Florida in the Spring. They have their activities and they are starting to make friends. How would their life change and would we be able to continue to give them the lifestyle that I had and want them to have. I know people say don't worry about finances and if you wait until you are financially stable you won't do it. But we have been so blessed with two little angels already is it fair for us to want another, or is that too selfish of a move? All of these thoughts run through my mind and I wish we could come to a conclusion because not deciding is really wearing me down. It is almost like I am at the point where I want to say, "okay we are pulling the trigger, let's do it." Or if we aren't, "okay, let's stop talking about it and get on with life and focus on the girls". Ahhhh if only I could see the future and know what the right decision is, ah life, you gotta love it!

Well no wonder

2010-02-04T19:32:00.002-05:00

Today, after having put it off for years, I finally went and had allergy testing done. I was pretty sure I was allergic to the usual dust, pollen etc, but I had no idea I was pretty much allergic to everything in one way or another. It turns out I am allergic to dust, mold, grass, candida (yeast), dogs and cats and a few other things. As my dr. put it, i am severly to moderatly allergic to everything including the cats and dogs, which is pretty comical, because we have two cats and one happens to be a long hair. My dr. gave me some options of using Allegra and Nasonex or starting immunotherapy treatment in the form of shots. I agreed to the allergra and such, but am having to think about the shots. It is a 3-5 year commitment, where the first year you have to go every week to get a shot. That seems like a huge commitment, but in the end it will probably be worth it, so we will see.
My doctor also recommended that there are things around the house I can do to help alleviate some of the household allergies, which most of these things we already do and I really wonder if other people don't?!
1. Vacuum at least every two weeks, can anyone really go two whole weeks without vacuuming? We vacuum almost every day if not at least 4-5 times a week, so once every week is easy.
2. Launder the sheets and bedding once every 7-10 days. The best thing in the world is clean sheets which I change at least once a week or more depending on what is going on, it never really occurred to me that others wouldn't change their bedding as frequently.
3. Keep the cats off the furniture and out of the bedroom. On this one I was laughing hysterically in my head because not only do we let our cats in the bedroom and on the furniture, but my cat, for the last 8 years, has slept with me pretty much right by my face or at the very least at my feet. I was like okay this is one of my main allergies how do I kick her out after 8 years.
4. Eat a low yeast diet. This one will ,if I chose to proceed, be the hardest to accomplish, it basically is a diet of fruits, veggies, meat and nothing else. While this is the hardest to implement for me, a lot of my health issues may be related to this allergy. Headaches, pms, anxiety, depression, Lactose intolerance, fatigue, panic attacks and digestional distress can all be caused from this one allergy and of course I suffer from these almost daily if not weekly. So I am going to start working on my motivation to try that diet, but giving up sugar sounds like and awful hard task and one I am not sure I can handle. I love me some chocolate.
So basically it was a little shocker to actually find out what my allergies are, but at least I have a starting off point and maybe I won't have to spend the next 30 years in pain and depressed because I least have a little idea of what is causing some of my problems. So here is to a very clean house, and a possible diet change that could definately change my life for the better.

Take a Moment

2010-01-26T16:05:00.003-05:00

All to often in life we focus on the negative aspects or the bad things that are going on around us, instead of focusing on the positive and good. I know that I am as guilty as the next person for looking at the negative and for not being happy all the time, but all to often I am down and not truly enjoying life the way I should be. One never really knows how short one's life will be and each moment should be lived as if it were the last. You can't spend your life pleasing others or living for others, but you can live for yourself. You are the holder of your own destiny and if you are to be happy then it is up to you to make sure you follow the path that will bring this happiness to you. Otherwise you will be destined to be unhappy and to live an unfulfilled life. So in the words of Anais Nin:

Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.

So form your dreams and go after them, you only have one life so you might as well life it to the fullest.

Kids really do say and do the craziest things!

2009-07-02T13:40:00.002-04:00

Lately Maddie and Natalie have really been cracking me up in the things they do and say. Their imaginations are huge and wild and I really never know what they are going to say. This was proven both yesterday and today when Maddie, had I been sitting at the time, would have had me falling out of my chair. We have had a bunch of doctor appointments this week between the three of us and I was trying to explain to them yesterday morning what was going to happen when I went to mine, so they would be prepared and better behaved. Well, when we walked in Maddie yells, "Mommy, is this where they are going to look at your boobies?" What an entrance I tell you. Then after a little while she informs me and everyone else in the waiting area that she has to go poop on the little potty. That would have been fine if she didn't hike up her dress and start taking her underwear off as she started running to the bathroom yelling, "I have to poop, I have to poop." There I am jaw on the ground trying to grab my bag and Natalie and get to her to help her out. Good times let me tell you. It was a good laugh after the fact, but it was pretty embarrassing while it was happening. Then today we were at the dermatologist and the girls were very good and we had almost made it out the door without any mishaps. Well, then all of a sudden Maddie trips and hurts herself somehow and I am not sure how, but she tells me her who ha hurts and I need to kiss it. I am quickly trying to usher her out the door as she is holding herself past all the other patients asking me to kiss it....ugh seriously, I tell you what I was completely embarrassed even though I understand that most people think it is funny and cute, but when it is your child, you get a little embarrassed. I guess from now on I will have to be more prepared and know that anything could come out of their mouths and try to teach them that it is not okay to run around screaming you have to go to the bathroom while trying to get out of your undergarments!

Hot, hot and hotter

2009-06-19T13:50:00.002-04:00

I remember saying around February or so that when summer came I would welcome the warmth and wouldn't complain. Well, here I am getting ready to complain. I honestly would take the cold, frigid days of winter over this extreme heat and humidity. It is unbearable over 90 degrees with high, high humidity. It is crazy, so crazy in fact that I went for a run this morning at 8:30 and I could only go for a mile and a half because it was so awful. It is the kind of heat where you walk out the door and your breath is taken away, you start sweating immediately and it is just awful. I can't remember a summer like this where it was this hot already and I long for a summer where you can go outside and breath and enjoy the sunny days and do activities that involve movement without wanting to crawl into a hole. On days like this I sit and think about what it would be like to live somewhere else, somewhere less humid and closer to 4 seasons instead of the 2.5 Indiana has. When I was younger I never thought I would live in Indiana and I certainly didn't think that I would have lived here for 11 years and I have got the itch. The itch for new scenery, new activities and just everything new. I hope that someday in the near future we will be able to take our family and hit the road settle on the West coast somewhere or at least further West than the Midwest and closer to my brother and sister. Ahhhh, but for now I am just crossing my fingers that this heat will pass and the summer won't be so unbearable and we will be able to enjoy the outside and the girl's little oasis that we have built for them...good times to come and fun in the sun :-)

For the Love of Maine

2009-06-11T15:17:00.002-04:00

There is something so great and relaxing about going on vacation and even more so going to Maine. Almost every year we head to the East Coast for a visit to my family's house in Maine. It is so nice and peaceful and the ocean sounds is absolutely great. The weather this week has not been ideal, but it is still Maine and the scenery and food are fabulous. I have been having a hard time eating the lobster this time around due to finding some of them pregnant, which has totally grossed me out and makes me want to become a vegetarian... ah well, at least I got it in twice before I totally got grossed out. But Maine is always fun to sit and relax and see family I don't always get to see and it is just a great relaxing place. The girls have been enjoying fishing and going on the rocks and playing with their Auntie, Uncle and Miss. Grace and of course their Yaya. It has been a good time and I cannot believe we only have a few days left. Why does vacation time go by so much faster than "real" time? Reality will be back soon, but for now, I am going to enjoy the time we have left here with the lobster and the ocean!

We are almost there

2009-05-29T15:27:00.002-04:00

Potty training in our house is almost complete. I knew that Maddie would come around in her own time and so I didn't push her or really even ask her if she wanted to try. She would congratulate Natalie and tell her good job, but when asked if she wanted a diaper or big girl pants she always chose the diaper until this week. She just started sitting on the potty and saying she didn't want to wear a diaper anymore. She has only had a few accidents, and still needs to work a little on the number two issue, but all in all she has entered into the world of big girls. Natalie is 99% there minus a few accidents when playing in water outside, but all in all she is there. It does make planning outings a little more challenging, making sure there is a toilet available and remembering to take them every 45 minutes to an hour, but for the most part it has been a great and easy transition and one milestone I am happy to say is almost complete!

6 Words a Parent Never Wants to Hear from Their Child

2009-05-14T12:17:00.002-04:00

"Mom, I tinkled in your bed!" Yes, you read correctly, my dear little Natalie peed in my bed yesterday! I would say if I had to give her a percentage she is 90% potty trained, but that 10% which she isn't can be a little of an inconvience, such as in my bed, or when we are out in public, like at my cousin's tennis match a few weeks ago, but for the most part she is doing a great job. It is taking a while because I am just not pushing the issue. If they want to wear big girl pants they do, if they don't okay then, fine with me. I know most parents would say when you are ready just do it, but I don't see the rush and when they are ready it will happen.
In other news their imaginations are taking off as well. Most mornings I am greeted by little oinks or puppy dog barks and I have to call them puppy Nat or little piggie Maddie. But this week they have been Cinderella and Dora. My mom got them so new nighties while she was here last weekend, Cinderella and Dora and they have been wearing them constantly. They minute we get home they have to put them on, Maddie especially and the other night she even sat on the floor of the laundry room crying while her nightie was in the dryer because I had forgotten to wash it before bathtime. You would have thought that it was the end of the world.
All in all Cinderella, aka Maddie and Dora, aka Natalie are doing extremely well and they are getting way to big!
All I ask is that you take with you the notion that when you are potty training keep a VERY close eye on your child when she is in your bed, or you too will hear, "Mom, I tinkled in your bed!"

30 by 30

2009-05-03T20:18:00.003-04:00

In January I will turn 30 years old. I cannot believe I will be that old and that the girls will be 3 in October, but what can you do?! Anyway, in order to prepare for this blessed event I have decided that I am going to lose 30 pounds by the time I turn 30. Surly this should be possible, it is roughly 4-5 pounds a month, which is 1+ pounds a week...easy enough. Well, it will be easy enough after I get off my no high impact exercising orders! See I have a stress reaction, almost stress fracture from training for my half marathon yesterday. Which I ran, against Doctors orders, he said I could walk, but I just couldn't not run. Finishing time was 2:37, only 9 minutes worse than last year, but I am paying for it today and crossing my fingers that I will not end up in a boot later this week. If your doctor tells you NOT to do something, then don't do it. But I digress back to my 30 by 30. I have several reasons for wanting to lose weight, but really I just need to control my appetite and what I eat, but not just to lose weight. I soon will be going on Accutane to control my wonder cystic acne. Now this drug is a very powerful drug that can mess with your cholestrol and triclicerides, which I found out this week, mine are somewhat elevated already. So I have to eat low choloestrol, low fat now so that I can continue the acne treatment and basically just to be healthier. So I am going back to my semi-veggie ways, cutting out the red meat and going more organic, less processed and cutting out the fast food. I am not sure who this is going to be more of a struggle for, me or my family. Both Tom and the girls love them some good snacks, chips and cookies, but in reality none of us need it, so we will be cutting that out. The hardest part will be giving up my beloved daily Starbucks. I don't think that I can count the times I have tried to give up the Starbuck, but here I go again. So here is to eating healthier, lowering my cholestrol and losing weight!

Can I get out now?

2009-04-23T15:13:00.004-04:00

A common phrase in our house lately has been "can I get out now." Usually this phrase is said by Maddie, or better yet yelled by Maddie when she has been put in time out. Usually it goes " Moooooom I'm done, can I get out now?" Over and over and over again until her time out is up. Today, however, after 30 minutes of laying in bed for her nap I heard, "I'm done, I want out now" over and over again until I went up to check on them. She just looked at me and smiled and then told me she had lost her paci under Natalie's bed.
The things these kids say anymore crack me up and I find it comical yet disturbing when I hear them repeat something that I have said and not even realized it. For instance, the other day I asked Maddie to do something and she said, "no, no, I don't want to, go away, leave me alone." WHAT! That is right, go away, leave me alone. Yup, this is what I have said to them when I am trying to do the dishes and need them to go in the other room. Please leave me alone girls. Well, that one came back to bit me. Then last week, Natalie had a fever and I said, dang it Nat you have a frickin fever and what comes back, "dang mom I have a frickin fever."
I tell you they are little parrots and they hear and repeat EVERYTHING. Tom and I are truly trying to be more diligent in our language and I just hope nothing else comes out that would be embarrassing, I mean isn't it bad enough that Natalie stands in the carts yelling, "I'm crazy" as loud as she can, while Maddie yells "hey mom, I tooted, I tooted mom." Yes, these are my lovely daughters, who I try to keep in check, yet allow them to have fun at the same time. Good times are ahead I am sure!

Reality Check

2009-04-12T21:19:00.002-04:00

This weekend I truly had a reality check. I have never really enjoyed clothes shopping and it is especially bad when I am overweight or obese as my Wii keeps telling me. So this weekend when my sister, cousin and I went shopping I was pretty excited until I started trying things on and nothing was fitting right and everything was to small and ugh I looked awful. I know that I have really been in denial about how big I have truly gotten over the last year, but this weekend I had to face it, there can be no more hiding. No more living in sweatpants or wearing baggy sweatshirts. I can exercise until I am blue in the face but if I don't cut out the calories and crack down the bad things I eat then what good is it all and why bother?! So today I had my last junk food for awhile. I know moderation will be key and I am not going to cut everything out, but I am going to cleanse for a little while and try to get into the habit of eating healthy. then I will gradually add in little treats, but in small quantities. I also purchased a new bathroom scale as well as a food scale. I hate when I read something and it says 4 ounces of meat or veggies, what the heck you have to have a scale in order to know for sure, so there you go. I won't be dieting, just changing my eating habits and of course until the Mini is over in a few weeks I will still be having pasta and carbs, but just enough to keep me motoring and going. No crashing, but no over indulging. So with all of you as my witnesses, here goes another journey, but hopefully this time it won't just be ANOTHER diet, but instead will be a life change that allows me to lose the weight and learn how to eat healthy so I can be happier and healthier.

Conclusion

2009-04-09T13:52:00.002-04:00

I have come to the conclusion that my scale is broken. I am not losing my mind and I am really losing weight. I relief I must say. How do I know the scale is not working correctly? Well, I am at my parents house this week with the girls and I weighed myself this morning and I was 5.5 pounds less than I was on Tuesday at home. I am pretty sure that I haven't lost 5.5 pounds in 2 days and that I conclude we need a new scale. I was please to see a lower number and even more pleased to know that I am doing somethings right and that the number will continue to go down if I stick with. So when I get home it will be out with the old scale and in with the new...let the weight loss continue!

Is the scale broken?

2009-04-03T09:08:00.002-04:00

As you know I have been actively working out, training for the Indy Half Marathon and trying to eat healthy. One would think that the reward would be a svelte body and weight loss. WRONG! For some reason the scale has not budged. It has been months of this and I have lost maybe 5 pounds total. A very distressing thing to see the scale go down a few then back up. I don't know if I should throw it out and get a new one, stop weighing myself or re-evaluate what I am doing...maybe all three options are in order. I do know it is a frustrating process and a depressing one at that. I am still hovering at my heaviest weight ever, not including being pregnant, but the number I see scares me and makes me sad. I am also sick of looking in my closet and having nothing to wear because I am "to fat" to fit into anything nice. My wardrobe these days consists mostly of sweats and sweatshirts, not very attractive I admit, but comfortable and not depressing since I know the waist band on my sweats will never be tight!
Alas, what to do, I am not sure, but deep down inside I sure hope that scale is broken, the battery is dying or it needs some recalibration because I don't know how one can work so hard and have zero results!

30 Day, Half Way Point

2009-03-11T13:46:00.002-04:00

Well, it is official, I LOVE Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. It is painful, but it works! Stats for 2 weeks down are:
Pounds: 4 lost
Waist: 1.5 inches lost
Hip: 1 inch lost
Calves: +.5 gain
Thighs: 1.5 inches lost
Belly: 1 inch lost
Chest: 2 inches Lost
Arms: +1 Inch gained

That is an overall total body inch loss of 5.5 inches lost in two weeks, with a few gains in the places you hope for!
I am so excited by this workout and can't wait to finish the next two weeks. I have also ordered the Biggest Loser Bootcamp Dvd to add to my routine and of course I still have my mini training!

30 Day Ouch!

2009-02-23T13:56:00.002-05:00

Today, was my second day of Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred. At first I thought this workout would be another sissy dvd, that guarantees x,y and z. However, this is a WORKOUT! 20 minutes, just 20 minutes and I am in PAIN and dripping with sweat. Yesterday I ran 3 miles and then did the workout and I was soaked. I thought most the sweat was from my run, but today I did the workout before anything else...still dripping. Who knows how much I will lose, if anything, but I will give you inches and pounds lost if there are in at the end of 30 days! So if you are looking for a quick workout that will leave you in pain, this would be the workout for you...give it a try and let me know what you think. Also, if you have any other workout ideas of good workouts let me know that as well. It truly is no wonder those people on the Biggest loser lose so much weight, if I am dripping and in pain after twenty minutes, after 6-8 hours I would hope some weight would come off. Ah, another workout program, here we go again!

It's Official...

2009-01-28T12:38:00.002-05:00

It's official, I am truly 100% allergic to my wedding band. How might that be you ask, well at first I didn't know either, how after 3 years I could all of a sudden become allergic, but I am. It appears that some white gold jewelry is made with palladium and some is made with nickel. My Engagement ring was made, it appears, with palladium and my wedding band, purchased from another location, with nickel. So, I have a nickel allergy, which causes me to get red, itchy, open wounds whenever I put on my wedding band. At first I thought maybe I had somehow gotten into poison ivy or something else that could have caused the rash, but after waiting a few weeks and letting it dry up and heal, I put the ring back on and tried again. Once again, rash, horrible, horrible rash. I have tried several more times, but to no avail. It is very disheartening to not be able to wear my wedding band, it makes me feel like I am still engaged or something and sometimes I wonder what people thing when they see I have two kids and only an engagement ring or no ring on at all?! It now appears like we are going to have to get a new wedding band, some day in the future...really it is sad, this ring has been nothing but problems since the day we got it. The first day after we were married a stone fell out of it and we had to send it back, while we were on our honeymoon, to have it fixed. At that time we got a little silver ring, that was probably $10.00, because Tom said it was like we weren't even married and we were on our Honeymoon so I should have some sort of ring. I have been wearing this ring on and off throughout this whole allergy thing, but it has started to give me rashes as well. So I am hoping that we will be able to replace the original wedding band, and that I won't be allergic to it. Luckily, I am only allergic to the ring and nickel and not my loving husband!

Baby Mania

2009-01-27T20:56:00.002-05:00

I feel like lately everyone around me is pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant. I have at least 4 friends who are already currently pregnant, and a few others who are thinking or getting ready to try. It is crazy....I know we are in that time of our lives for sure, but it makes me jealous a little. I am still not sure if we will ever have any more kids and if we don't it will be the best decision for our family and especially our little lovely girls. However, part of me finds myself living vicariously through my friends who are pregnant now and will get to hold their little joys in the near future. I am, however, VERY lucky that both my girls are still snuggle bugs and they love hugging me and telling me they love me and I can honestly say that, it is the highlight of my day and life, when one of those little voices says, "I love you mommmy." It is way to cute and makes me melt. So, to all of my lovely friends with little buns in the oven CONGRATULATIONS and I look forward to meeting all of your little bundles in the near future.

For Fun or Competition

2009-01-21T20:51:00.003-05:00

This year I am registered for my 5th Indianapolis 500 Mini Marathon, even though each year after I complete it, I say I will never do another one again. But, here I am, a little over 3 months away, and I find myself debating whether I want to run this year, or run/walk. I get very competitive, mostly with myself and I find it difficult to allow myself to walk, even though just finishing is an accomplishment and I have already run it, 4 times previously. Last year I had the time of 2:15 in mind that I wanted to accomplish, but I finished in 2:28, after discovering I had eaten and not even noticed I was eating about half a package of reduced fat Oreos. Needless to say, I was not in top form race day and did not complete my goal time. This year I signed up with my good running friend Sheri and my movie and book club friend Lindsay. I now find myself debating whether I want to run or walk. I think I would have more fun if I walked, but I don't want to regret not running and beating my time from last year. I go back and forth each day and have talked to both Lindsay and Sheri about what they want to do and Sheri wants to run and Lindsay is fine with walking. Of course this doesn't make my decision any easier. I know most of you are probably thinking this is a petty thing to be hung up on, but to me it is a big deal and one I think of often. I currently am leaning toward running about 3 miles, walking 1 mile and repeating. I think if I break it into smaller pieces it won't seem as daunting and I won't poop out, or hurt myself like I normally do. Did I mention that I usually take a 3-5 month exercise hiatas after the mini as well because I bang myself up so badly...another reason to walk right! :-)

Updated

2009-01-12T15:37:00.001-05:00

Well, it has been over a month since I have last posted. I seem to be enjoying facebook to much to write here. I am much better at the one line status updates than I am at keeping up with a daily blog! Not much is shaking here really. Natalie is basically potty trained, Maddie could care less. Both girls are in their big girl beds and life is good. They have discovered a new love for swimming and ask daily to go, as soon as they wake up. Luckily we have a membership to the rec center so I can take them whenever we have time. So, that is really all that is going on here. As you can tell I have a new look here at Shades of Green. It doesn't really go with the title, but I thought it was time for a change! New Year, New Blog...same ole, same ole!

Potty Training

2008-12-06T18:01:00.000-05:00

Well, Yesterday we started potty training. To be blunt, it is A LOT of work and is not very fun. Much to my surprise Natalie has totally taken to it and has only had 1 accident. I am very surprised at this because Maddie is the one that tells me when she is wet or has gone number 2. Natalie never talks about it, but she has done great. Each time she goes in the potty we praise her and she gets up and cheers and claps and does a little dance. It is pretty darn cute. Right now our reward system is: one chocolate chip for sitting on the potty, two for actually going and three if a poo is made. We haven't had that accomplishment yet, but hey you gotta start somewhere. I am hoping Maddie will catch the excitement and she will start to follow Natalie. I have no advice or wisdom to offer as we are only in day two and we are just doing what seems to work for our family. So, here's to hoping that this process doesn't drag out and both girls catch on and we are diaper free soon!

VomitLand

2008-11-26T12:48:00.002-05:00

Today I was faced with possibly the grossest event of parenthood I have experienced to date. Little Natalie got sick. Now this was not a little puke, it was full blown vomit, all over herself in her carseat, all over both of us in ballet and again all over both of us after I had just cleaned us up at ballet. The smell was horrific and I can usually tolerate such things, but this was almost to gross. So now the girls are safely home and they have had toast for lunch, a nice warm bath and I am in the process of cleaning the clothes and carseats that were victims of the morning's events...ahhh well. I am hoping she is better tomorrow for Thanksgiving, but what can you do? Just love your children really! So Happy Thanksgiving to all and sorry to be so gross :-)

We're Still Here

2008-11-19T09:56:00.002-05:00

Yes, we are still here, just way to busy. The girls have been sick for what seems like forever, I think in reality it has been two weeks. Maddie has another ear infection, we will probably be headed to see an ENT at some point this winter. She also has bronchitis, which has been making it a little difficult for her to breath at night, so the sleeping has been touch and go. Natalie has what appears to be a general col, at least that is what the doctor said, but she has also had it for two weeks.
Other than that we have taken a week off from all of our activities in order to keep the germ exposure to a minimum which has also lead to a little cabin fever on the girl's part, but we are surviving as usual...I mean we know what it is like to be on "house" arrest medically speaking, so we will be doing lots of coloring and other crafts...at least the girls love doing that.
I have been busy trying to get back into shape, no easy task and the holidays are not helping and getting things ready for the upcoming holiday season.
Tomorrow Tom turns 29, not sure how he feels about that :-) But he can take comfort in the fact that I am only a few months behind.
So that is what is going on here, nothing really new to report or exciting, but yes we are still here.

Happy Birthday Babies

2008-10-16T20:45:00.003-04:00

To my little angels,
Today you turned two and I cannot believe how fast the last two years have gone by. It seems like yesterday you were born and oh how tiny you were and so sweet and innocent and unknowing. Now you can talk and boy do you ever. There seems to be a constant conversation or song going on in our house now and it is the cutest thing in the world. You can say each other's names and you are almost always loving and polite with each other. Natalie you call Maddie by her name and Maddie calls you Nat. A lot of us do, but it is the cutest Nat ever. You already love to help mommy cook and you like being my little helper, getting your shoes or your jacket and helping each other out. Natalie, you always like to wear your jacket. It is the first thing you ask for when you wake up and you never want to take it off, even for your naps. Luckily for your birthday you got a lot of new sweatshirts that we can let you wear as jackets! Maddie, your one true love is still your blue monkey. He does everything with us, including ballet. Today we got Monkey a shirt and you were so proud of that shirt, you couldn't wait to get home and show Daddy. You kissed him and hugged that little monkey and it is too sweet. I never would have imagined all of the fun you would be at this age or your capabilities. You two are so amazing and you bring so much joy to our lives. I cannot imagine life without you and I am so glad we have you to hug and kiss us. You are the sweetest little girls ever. Happy Birthday Babies, I Love You, Mama

Still Here

2008-10-14T20:11:00.002-04:00

So I realize it has been like a month since I last posted. I'm still here, crazy busy, but here none the less. A few weeks ago, I had a migraine for about three days, then Maddie got sick and of course had an ear infection. We then headed to Wisconsin for my grandma's 80th Birthday. Where of course Natalie got an ear infection...yes minute clinic time it was! Then back here and a week of trying to get the girls back on schedule, when my mom and grandparents came to visit, then the girl's second birthday party...can you believe they will be two on Thursday? Then this week we have been trying to get back into the saddle and back into our routine. I have also realized that I blog a lot more during the winter when the weather is not good and I am looking for more ways of entertainment. So maybe the blogging will increase, who knows though. Those little girls of mine are keeping me VERY busy and it is more fun that I ever could have imagined. They are talking up a storm, I never could have imagined they would be talking as much as they are, but they mimic everything and are putting together sentences and all sorts of crazy things. So that is what is going on here, busy, busy, busy. More later gators.

Same day and everything?

2008-09-12T10:35:00.002-04:00

Over the last two years we have gotten a lot of, "Are they twins?" Which at times we answer calmly, "yes." Well, we always answer calmly, but then we go off into little tiraids when we are alone. I mean seriously, how many children look exactly alike, are the same height and weight, etc? Well, this week and last week have been no exception, only Wednesday was a cake topper. The girls and I are taking a "mommy and me" ballet class in Southport. It is really cute and Maddie at least loves it. Well, last week the teacher asked if they were sisters. I answered yes. Then this week when she came in, she checked us off and said, "they are sister's right?" Yes, I answered. Then she asked, "are they twins?" Once again I respond yes. She then looks at them and was like, "oh yeah I guess if I had looked hard enough I would have noticed they are the same size." Yup, I wanted to say, but I just smiled. Later we were at Kohls and this guy walked by and says, "are they twins?" Yes, I answer. He then, get ready for this one...asks, "Same day and everything?" Seriously? I just said yup and kept walking. I mean, yes I realize that they could have been born on different days, but seriously, the odds of that happening are extremely slim and I just could not believe that...Same day and everything? Come on, what is this world coming to? I hope to instill in my children some common sense and the ability to mind their own business when they grow up and first and foremost, to think before they ask questions!

Ignorance Is Not Bliss

2008-09-08T13:02:00.002-04:00

Today I found out that for about a year we have been using our car seats incorrectly. How can that be one might say? Well, who would have thought that two college educated individuals would not fully read they manual and realize that if you use your LATCH system you have to use all THREE tethers and latches. I had always known there was another tether on the back of the car seat, but I did not realize that the LATCH is supposed to form a triangle and that the three are actually supposed to be used together. Yes, that elusive third tether is supposed to be latched to a third latch that can either be located on the ceiling, floor, or in my case the back of the seat that the girl's car seat is on. Soooo, if you are a parent and your child's seat uses the LATCH system, make sure you are using all three tethers!

I CAN'T Wait

2008-09-04T20:43:00.003-04:00

Okay, seriously, I cannot wait until real tv comes back. I just saw a promo for "Grey's Anatomy" and I am soooo excited. I am hoping that this season will be better than last season, but the promos sure made it look exciting. I am also eager for Private Practice, Eli Stone, Desperate Housewives...not sure really about this one anymore. The Big Bang Theory and I hate to admit it, but so far I have enjoyed the new 90210. Oh, and I must not forget Ellen!
Just a few more weeks, I CANNOT Wait!

The benefits

2008-08-27T08:37:00.004-04:00

I have decided that while exercising in a group or with other people can be possibly one of the most embarrassing and humbling experiences ever it is the best thing for me. I have discovered that when I am held more accountable and I have encouragement from others I push myself harder, I am more apt to actually begin the workout process and I actually have fun. I was introduced to the Stroller conditioning class, which should be named Stroller boot camp, by Jeanelle. The first time I participated I was pretty sure I would not be going back, it was ridiculously hard and I felt so out of shape. But I have been going back and now I LOVE it. It is great to be able to work out with the girls and other moms who are in the same place that I am. Most of the mothers have children right around the girls age and it is just a great bonding thing. The instructor is fabulous. She is hilarious and is such a motivation. Now this class is not just walk and push your stroller and chat. Oh no, it is sprinting and lunges, squats, push-up, tricep dips and much more. It truly is a boot camp, but with a free babysitter because the instructor entertains the kids while have our booties whipped into shape. Jeanelle and I have also been attending a Pilate's class, which I love as well. The instructor has to be in her 60's and she is in the best shape. The class is 60 minutes, which is in itself a challenge sometimes and my legs feel like jelly when I am done, but I know that I am getting toned and more flexible. I like this class because there is no jarring on my body parts and while it is a strenuous workout for me, it is also at the same time relaxing as well. I like these two classes because I have people to talk too. I am making friends, but most of all I feel like I really need to work and not slack because there are other people there who will encourage me and keep me going. So if you are lacking motivation go and start a group class somewhere and you will find that the benefits far out way the temporary embarrassment that you may feel in the beginning.

What's that puddle?

2008-08-26T17:45:00.003-04:00

This afternoon has been a little rough. Maddie feel off the couch and bite her lip, it of course started bleeding and getting plump so I gave both the girls some ice to suck on. Well, a while later I went into the kitchen to start dinner and there was a puddle on the floor by the fridge. Natalie was standing there and I asked Tom how the floor had gotten all wet, while Natalie proceeded to slip and fall. Tom told me it was probably from the ice. Once Natalie was back on her feet she kept looking down and saying "oh no." At this point I realized it was not water, but that her swim diaper was leaking and it was dripping all of the floor, Natalie and now me. Ugh I said and started to take it off of her, at which point a huge puddle of pee came flying out, all over my hand and the rest of the floor. At least she didn't run, but it was pretty gross to know that she had gone slipping and sliding in a puddle of urine and not plain old ice water....gross, I am ready for the potty training to take effect.

One, TWO...

2008-08-25T08:24:00.003-04:00

I always knew the day would come, I mean it is a milestone...Right? Counting that is, or mock counting. Our discipline method is 1,2,3 magic and it works great. I love it and wouldn't change it and would do it over again, but now that the girls are learning to count, Natalie especially mocks me. If I say One, she automatically says, TWO and smiles. It really is hard to not laugh or say good girl when I am trying to get her to stop doing some "bad" behavior, because I mean seriously it is pretty cute. So for now I am trying not to laugh at her in the middle of the discipline process, but I am pretty proud of the little one, I mean soon we will be able to ask her how old she is and she will be able to say, Two!

Fall is a comin

2008-08-21T07:40:00.003-04:00

Over the last few days I have started to notice suttle changes in the leaves around our house and our walking path. Each day the colors seem to be changing and there have already been some leaves on the ground. I can't say that I mind too much, I love fall. The ability to wear jeans and a sweatshirt, (I HATE shorts and hot weather). Sipping warm drinks and not over heating and eating Carmel apples. The girls have already discovered that they enjoy crunching leaves under their feet. They will step, step, step and then stop and listen and say, ohhhhhh. Pretty cute. I just hope this year we have a fall and we don't dive into winter, the cold doesn't bother me, but the messy snow. Pretty snow is okay,but the messy kind is not cool. So I hope the leaves take their time changing and we can enjoy lots of beautiful colors and some cool nights and days. I am just thankful that I can sit in my nice house and actually see the trees this year and will be able to see all the prettiness around me as mother nature paints her next picture.

Speak out: The r-word

2008-08-13T19:31:00.002-04:00

Well, I had this big long blog all set complaining about how annoyed I was at our eye doctor and our hour and 45 minute wait today, but something more important has arisen, so I will share that instead!
As some of you know, I used to work at Special Olympics Indiana. It was a great organization and the athletes are amazing. This evening I received an e-mail from one of my friends who still works there telling me about the new Ben Stiller/Jack Black movie and how it uses the "r-word." Here is some of her e-mail:

Lots of you may have heard about the controversy surrounding the new Ben Stiller/Jack Black movie Tropic Thunder, and its depiction of people with intellectual disabilities.

Without going into too many details, the gist is that the movie completely makes fun of and demeans people with intellectual disabilities. The “r-word”, retard (it makes me cringe to even type that word!) is used over 20 times in the film. I find it shocking and appalling that this is considered funny. I love a good joke as much as the next person, but to make fun of the most vulnerable population in the most callous way, in a format that will reach hundreds of thousands of people, is simply mean. And in no way funny.

Special Olympics, Best Buddies, Down’s Syndrome Association and many other disability advocacy group are strongly protesting this film. One of the ways in which Special Olympics is doing that is through the petition “Change the Conversation…Stop using the r-word.” You can visit http://www.r-word.org/ and sign an online petition to not use that word and to help erase it from the popular vernacular.

I agree with her and many, many others and cannot believe that this word is still being used. So if you get a chance visit the the above site and Speak out against the use of the "r-word."

Oh the Noise

2008-08-11T10:12:00.003-04:00

I am not sure why, but for some reason our neighborhood is unusually LOUD this morning. It has not been like this all summer and today it is nuts. Cement trucks and the community people mowing the community grass and big dump trucks driving around and around. Of course today would be the day that I decided to go cold turkey on the coffee and to try to start potty training the girls. What was I thinking? I am so sick of changing diapers that I may be a little crazy in thinking they are ready, but when they go they tell me, after the fact, so I know they know what they are doing. We will see though I hope to last through the week, not many plans or outings so it should go okay. I mean really, is it a big deal if they have an accident in the sand box or on the grass?! As for the coffee thing, I was hoping to have kicked that habit while we were on vacation, but I think it only became worse so here I am trying to go cold turkey, which I have an immense feeling will be horrible and won't work. So here I sit, wishing for one of those nice quiet days were we can hear the birds chirping and the occasional airplane fly over instead of the cement trucking be cleaned across the street. Oh well, it could be worse, and at least it is sunny and the temp. is awesome!

Dear Allison

2008-08-06T20:12:00.003-04:00

Dear Allison,
You are now among the angels, but will never be forgotten here on earth. I was fortunate enough to be a part of your life in the blogging world and I wish that I had had the opportunity to meet you in person. Your strength, courage, love for life and for you husband, family and friends was truly amazing. I have learned so much from you over the last few years and you will be missed. You are a woman who walked through this life with grace, style and a beauty that is unbelievably hard to find. I am so blessed to have stumbled across your blog and you and Tom have taught me more about being loved and loving another. The love you two shared was a special love, a rare love. So as the sun sets on this chapter I want to thank you for all that you have done to teach people about loving, being loved and about fighting cancer and know that your lessons will continue and that you have touched more people, more strangers, than anyone I have ever known. Allison, for now I say good bye and thank you, thank you for being strong and inspirational, thank you for sharing your story with so many and for letting us into your life. And as they say, you may be gone but you will never be forgotten.

Bite, Bite, Bite

2008-08-05T08:12:00.002-04:00

It seems like not only have we entered the terrible two's, times two, but Maddie has entered a biting phase. Let me tell you, I will take the terrible two's over this biting thing, because it is painful. Yesterday, we were out for our usual walk and all of a sudden Natalie was screaming. I looked at her arm and she had a very fresh and deep bite mark laid into her arm. I couldn't believe it. They had not been fighting or anything, actually there hadn't been any noise at all until she started screaming. I was none to pleased. Then last night I was laying on my bed and Maddie was trying to climb up and I guess I wasn't helping her fast enough because she bite my leg. Into time out she went, laughing the whole way there! Once her time out was over I was having her say she was sorry and she bite me AGAIN. AHHHHHH, back into time out she goes, once again laughing. Thankfully it stopped there, but I could not believe this. She has bitten me a few times before, but it has gotten serious now. I guess I will have to enforce that it is not allowed at all and hope that this phase passes quickly, because it is a pretty painful phase and I am sure even more painful for the little sister!

Life Can Be Sad

2008-07-27T20:03:00.003-04:00

Last night I experienced a sad moment. There wasn't anything that directly affected me that was sad, but none the less it impacted me none the less. See my grandma was on the phone and you could tell it was one of those conversations that wasn't going well. Later we were all outside and someone asked if she was crying. Indeed she was and none of us really knew what to do, including my aunt, her daughter. We all sat there for a while and let her compose herself and then finally I journed up to the porch to see what was wrong. Both she and my grandfather were sitting there very sullen. It turns out that one of their long time friends had suddenly passed away of either a stroke or a heart attack. She said the news was very shocking because out of most of their friends the one that passed seemed to have been the healthiest. To me it was one of those moments where you are just kind of like, okay what do I do now. This is one of the rocks in my life and her she is down and needing me, but how do you comfort one of those people you are so used to looking up to and going to in your own times of need. It was some what distressing, but at the same time it was an eye opening event, because once we were all together on the porch my grandma started talking about life and she was like, "see you never know what is going to happen in an hour or tomorrow so that is why I am living this moment to its fullest, here with my family." It was just another one of those times, where you have to remember how precious life is and how quickly it can be taken and to always be grateful for what you have and the people who are in your life, no matter how long or short they are with you, because you do really never know when it might end. So to all of you, I am grateful that you are in my life and I hope we have years of memories ahead of us!

I still can't believe it

2008-07-18T12:04:00.002-04:00

As many of you know I have a huge addiction to Starbuck's frappacinos. You also know that I am trying to lose weight and usually these two do not go hand and hand. Well, wouldn't you know it, but I actually found a diet plan that INCLUDES Starbucks. That is right. It is the snack all day diet. Similar to the eat all day diet, the theory is that you eat about 200 calories every two hours from 8 to 8, totally around 1400 for the day. Well one of the snack sections is actually a frappacino. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that it would be possible to really lose weight and feed my addiction, but now I can!

One Long Weekend

2008-07-14T13:26:00.002-04:00

This weekend was exceptionally long. I know, usually one is excited for the weekend and they always go by to fast, but this weekend was a long one. Around 11:00 am on Friday Natalie came down with a fever of 103.8. I started medicating her and called the dr. They said to just treat the fever, so I did. At 4:00 it still was really high so I called again, this was after Natalie literally laid on the couch all afternoon. Wouldn't eat, drink and her eyes kept rolling back in her head because she was so tired. They once again said to alternate Tylenol and Motrin. Saturday morning the fever was still high so we were off to the dr. to find out that she had an ear infection. Who knew?! She hasn't had a cold, runny nose and wasn't pulling her ears. That afternoon when she woke up from her nap her fever had risen to 105. Off to the ER we went. Let me tell you, there are some very interesting/weird people at the ER on a Saturday afternoon. After a little over an hour of waiting, we were called back and what I saw was truly shocking. It was like a movie with beds and people laying in the hallway. Very different if you ask me. So there we sat on one of those beds in the hall. The dr. finally came over and said she was fine and to just keep treating the fever. UGH!
Well, yesterday she was doing better, still on the tylenol and motrin but getting better. Then yesterday around 11 or so, Maddie starts the same fever. How can this be possible? Ear infections are not supposed to be contagious. So again today I was back at the dr. to find out that Maddie does indeed have an ear infection as well. We maybe going to see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist because this is the 5th ear infection they have had in less that a year so if they get one more they may have to have tubes. Once again though it was ironic to me that they managed to get ear infections at the same time without sharing a cold. But needless to say all the trips to the dr. and the ER made for an interesting weekend.

The Great Debate

2008-07-08T08:22:00.003-04:00

For the last several months Tom and I, but mostly me, have been going back and forth and back and forth on whether we want to have another child. Tom has said several times he doesn't care either way, but that he might like to have a boy. I thought this was funny, because after the girls were born he said he was fine with all girls. I on the other hand don't know, at all. It feels like there is so much that has to go into the decision. I sit and wonder, literally for hours, whether we are being selfish in having another child. For financial reasons, for economic reasons, world temperament, but mostly will it be fair to all the kids. The girls already have to share time with us, what will it be like if there is a third? We have a great family dynamic at the moment, and it is hard to picture that family if there was another child added to it. Also, the girls get along so well, what would it do to them to add another? I wish there was some button you could push that could give you the answers and that there weren't so many uncertainities. I fear that we could have twins again and I don't think we could do it, well we would, but I don't know if I could carry them and wow 4 kids would be a lot for us. I don't want that surgery again, but it would be a for sure thing we if decide to have another. I know that a lot of these questions all parents ask themselves when they decide to expand their families, but I feel like it is a huge weight that is sitting on my shoulders ready to drop at any moment. It may even be years until we truly decide, but then again there in lies more problems, because if we do have another we don't a huge age gap, so once again we are forced to think carefully about what we are doing. I guess I don't want to look down the road in years and say I wish we had had another child and we didn't, but I am sure in the end the decision we make will be right for our family, all of us, because that is what is most important our nice little family and making sure the girls are happy, safe and secure. Ahhhh well, so here is to my great debate...if you have anything to say I would love to hear it, it really is a hard decision, one that we know can only be answered by us and hopefully will some day.

Even when its hard

2008-07-02T21:00:00.002-04:00

I have decided that even on days like today when it is hard being a mom, I wouldn't change a thing and I am the luckiest person alive that I get to stay home with my girls. Today would have been a day where Maddie got a time out for throwing things down the stairs. Natalie got one for throwing her good shoes into the pool. I had to give Maddie one in the grocery store for screaming and throwing items out of the cart. Okay, how do you give a child a time out at the store, well, let me share that with you. I had to take her out of the cart, put her in a corner, near the trash can at the end of an aisle and turn my back to her while she had her time out. Crazy I know, but the behavior was not acceptable. So one would think that time outs would have been the last of it to make it a bad day, but oh it gets gross, so hold on. Maddie made a mess in her diaper while we were outside playing after dinner, so I thought why waste a diaper and just let her run around with her body suit on, thinking nothing more could come out. I was wrong. By the time we got up to take a bath she had managed to go again and it had been ground into the body suit and pieces fell out all over the floor. So while I was trying not to rub it into her anymore, there was little Nat, walking around and almost stepping on the pieces....GROSS!
But we managed and laughed about it and while I am tired today, I am so thankful that tomorrow I get to wake up and their smiling little faces will greet me in the morning. That they will tell me they love me and give me hugs and kisses and to think, that is my job. My job is to love them and hug them, and play with them. Can I ask for more in life? I think not, I think that even though it can be hard there is no other place on earth I would rather be.

While Mommy is away:

2008-06-27T13:10:00.003-04:00

The other day I left the girls home with Tom for a little while so I could run some errands. When I was almost home Tom called me and asked me where I was. I told him I was almost home. He said, "good because Maddie has something to show." Okay, I thought this is interesting. Well, when I walked Maddie ran up to me and had pen all over her legs and her feet. Natalie had a little pen on her also. I laughed and asked her what happened. She just hugged me, too cute. I asked Tom how long they had had the pen and he said he didn't know, less than 5 minutes and that it wasn't on the walls. I laughed again and said okay. Later that night as I was cleaning things up, I saw that there was pen all over one of their babies, all over the box pictured above and then worst was on our green foot stool. Of course I just kept laughing. Tom was really upset, but ah, kids will be kids right?

The Great Sunscreen Debacle

2008-06-23T16:32:00.002-04:00

So it is obvious to most that Sunscreen is not to be applied to one's eyes. It is also very clearly marked as such on each package. Today, however, we had our first really big sunscreen in the eye adventure. Typically I will use the tear proof stuff made by Banana Boat. Today, however, I used water babies, one would think that something made for babies would be tear proof, but this turned out not to be the case. As both the girls started rubbing their faces the sunscreen that had just been generously applied to their arms, hand, legs and face made its way directly into their eyes. I thought for sure this wouldn't set them back and out to the pool we went. Maddie played for a little while, but Natalie just sat in my lap and kept her eyes closed. So after about 5 minutes inside we went to the sink. Now let me tell you hold an almost two year old under the sink so you can drench their eyes with water is a task, times that by two and by the time I was done I couldn't here myself think. I thought that the water drenching would do the trick so we sat down for a snack. Of course the water bath didn't do any good so we had to go upstairs to the shower, where the girls could let the water beat down on them and rinse their eyes out throughly. After about twenty minutes in the shower the girls seem to be able to see now. Both their eyes are all red and swollen, but I don't think there will be any permanent damage, but I can assure you I will NEVER use any sunscreen on or near the face that doesn't say "Tear proof."

All It Takes Is A Picture

2008-06-22T18:40:00.002-04:00

I have heard people say before that all it took for them to finally lose the weight was to see a picture of themselves and they knew they had to do something. Today, I had one of those moments and saw one of this pictures. I had been doing really well, losing weight and keeping up with my running for the Mini. After the mini, like always I stopped running. Yes, I had my infected toe and was actually told by my doctor to take some time off, but I haven't gone back. In all I lost about 15 pounds from Thanksgiving to the beginning of May. I have now gained probably half of that back. I walk everyday and I am trying to make sure to get 10,000 steps in, but my eating is out of control. While I was training I was diligent about tracking what I eat and keeping my calories under control. Now, not only am I not tracking what I am eating, I eat everything in sight and I am not running there fore I am not burning what I need to be. I have a friend who said, "why do we always put things off?" Which, who really has the answer to that, but I am no longer putting this off. It is time for me to make a life change, not only for myself, but for Tom and the girls as well. I need to set a good example and eat healthy so that the girls eat well. I also need to have a positive body image so the girls have a positive role model. I do not want them to be 4 or 5 and thinking they are fat or need to lose weight. I don't know how much I will write about my struggles and triumphs, but if it keeps me accountable or I find great ideas or recipes I will share. I know a lot of you want my pumpkin bar recipe, so I will get that out one of these days!
So wish me luck on my life changing endeavor and if you have positive advice or things that have worked for you, I am all ears!

Still Here and Tagged

2008-06-18T07:42:00.002-04:00

Awhile back, okay a very, very, very, long while back I was tagged by Jeanelle and here I am finally getting back to her tag and answering some questions.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago:
I was 18 and just graduating High School. I cannot believe my 10 year reunion is in July. Not to excited about that to be honest with you. Anyway, I was headed to DePauw for college.

2. 5 snacks I enjoy:
Anything with chocolate, pretzels, especially the big ones, gold fish crackers...this can be dangerous now that we have kids and they are always around. Triscuits and apples with peanut butter.

3. 5 things on today's to do list:
Get Maddie's glasses fitted so they actually stay on her little face.
Play date at Jeanelle's, can't wait for that one
Take a nap when the girls do, Maddie woke up at 4 this morning, ugh
Run errands
Make dinner

4. 5 Things I would do if I was a billionaire:
Pay off our house and cars
Put money away for the girl's college and their future
Help my parent's with my sister's college
Pay off my bro's mortgage
Go shopping and save the rest

5. 5 jobs I have had: I am going to give you 6, so enjoy :-)
Administrative assistant at Innovative, not a very good job, but at least I met Tom there!
Wardrobe assistant for the Indianapolis Ballet, before it went bankrupt
Administrative assistant for University of Indianapolis
Development Assistant for Special Olympics
Client Coordinator at Scofield Editorial
Mother, best job in the world. It may be hard at times, but I LOVE it, every single part of it and I am so glad I get to stay home with the girls and do it....thanks Tom!

6. 5 Bad Habits:
I have a little OCD and need things organized
Biting my nails
Speeding
Talking on my phone in the car
Eating junk food

7. 5 Places I've lived:
Fort Collins, Colorado, ahhhhh Colorado, some day again in the future.
Medina, Ohio
Colchester, England: Study abroad for 6 months, awesome, awesome, awesome
Greencastle, Indiana
Avon/Indianapolis, Indiana

8. 5 people that also need to be tagged?
I am actually going to pass on this one, so all you readers out there, you luck out and you don't have to participate!

Well, I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about me....and I promise to write more soon. We were out of internet for a week and I feel like I had a ton to write about, but now that it is back, I can't think of anything good, so anyway, Happy Wednesday.

Time Better Spent

2008-06-10T14:24:00.002-04:00

Today, I have spent most of the girls nap time trying to figure out why our satalite isn't working correctly. It is highly annoying, not that we need to be inside on this gorgeous day, but it is nice to have music and stuff on when we are eating lunch. I have tried everything that the DirectTv website suggests and called to speak to a representative and at least now we have channels, before about every other channel wouldn't come in, but now our DVR is not working. I am guessing something happened during that huge storm we had last night. Seriously, I cannot believe how bad it was here. At one point there was such a huge crack of lightening that one of the girls toys that plays music when it hears noise or vibrations actually went off. I jumped so high I could have been a high jumper. But I digress and my frustration is still seething. The wonderfully intelligent representative on the phone told me that there wasn't anything else he could do was send a technician out, NEXT Tuesday and that it will cost us $79.00. UGH. come on people, give me a break please. I am hoping Tom can fix whatever is going on when he gets home, if not out the door flies more money we weren't prepared to spend, I love unexpected costs!

They May Be Identical, But They Are Not The Same!

2008-06-04T21:56:00.002-04:00

As a parent of multiple children one always strives to treat each child as an individual. As a mother of identical twins it is especially important to remember that the girls may have the same DNA, but that they are different. I have always thought that Tom and I have done a good job of treating the girls as individuals. I mean, to us they look nothing alike and they never have and boy do they have different personalities. But when it comes to the girls health it has been hard to look at them differently. Of course they go to all their appointments together, they do everything together, but it has really been hard lately to remember that even physically and health wise the girls are different. You may be wondering where this is coming from so I will tell you. A few weeks ago I noticed that Maddie's eyes seemed to be going crossed eyed when she was eating. Then it appeared like she had a lazy eye, especially when concentrating, so I asked Tom if he had noticed it. He did so I called our Dr. and got a referral to an eye Dr. Today we took little Mad's and found out she is far sighted. All her crazy cross eyedness and lazy eye finally made sense and luckily she won't have to have surgery, just some super cute pink glasses. She will probably always wear glasses or contacts, but that is okay and we are glad we caught it early. While we were at the Dr. I asked him if we should be concerned about Natalie and he said to just watch her like we had with Maddie and since we already know the symptoms if we see them in Natalie to make her an appointment as well. He said she is at higher risk, but not to expect it to happen. After the appointment I started researching identical twins and health issues and I found it most interesting that even though the girls share the same DNA, during gestation and even after birth that same DNA can have slight differences that make the girls different physically, emotionally and mentally. I found this fascinating and somewhat relieved as well. Lately I have been thinking a lot about how, heaven forbid, one of the girls got seriously sick, would the other one as well. The articles I read put my mind to ease a little since the girls are really starting to show physical differences. Mad's eyes, Natalie has the "Knauer" gap in her teeth and of course their personalities. This is definitely something I am going to do more research on and I am excited to learn more. Also, as it has been said before and I am sure you have heard it, not only should you treat all of your children as individuals, but you should also trust your gut and don't wait when it comes to your own health or your child's. We very well could have waited 6 months until they went back to the Dr. but I am soooooo glad we know what we are dealing with and that in a week she will be able to see better and we don't have to worry any more. So never doubt your feelings no matter what people say, I mean really what is a co-pay even if it wasn't needed if it can save someone unnecessary pain.

I Did It!

2008-05-29T17:15:00.003-04:00

Before
After
Today, after months and months of debate I finally did it. I cut 9.5 inches off my hair to donate to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths. I only needed 8 inches to donate to their program, but I still am not sure if I like how short my hair is, 9 inches is A LOT. But it is just hair and it will grow back, and I know that I have helped someone else have the chance to have hair and that means and says a lot, or at least it should. So here are the before and after pictures. Please pay no attention to my very wide shoulders and back!

"Welcome???"

2008-05-21T19:24:00.002-04:00

Apparently we have a sign on our house that says, "Welcome" to ants...we must send out some secret sent that allows them to follow us. I am not sure what it is, but ugh it annoys and disgusts me for sure. Don't get me wrong it is now were near as bad as last summer in that dreaded apartment, just in our kitchen and a rough ant on the wall going up the stairs to the second floor...I know right, how the heck does an ant make it across the kitchen, living room and up the stairs? I am not sure, but they do. But, in all honesty the girls did turn on this welcome sign. Tom and I have been trying for days to figure out how they are getting in the house and what they could possibly be after, I sweep after every meal and snack that is eaten inside, so 3-5 times a day and we vacuum about everyday as well. So today after dinner there seemed to be more than normal so I got out the vacuum and started going to town on everything. I then looked under the stove...ohhhhhh YUCK. There was an old rice cake, not sure how old, but it was back under the stove and it was covered! It was so gross. So I had to pull out the drawer, vacuum really well, even got out the flashlight to see better and then mopped. After the girls went to bed I set up some ant traps also, I am hoping this will help eradicate the problem and we can go on living ant free. Ahhhhhh, gotta love nature and all the wonderful things it brings with it. Hope none of you are having this problem, but if you are and you have kids, just look under your stove!

Before and After

2008-05-20T20:15:00.004-04:00

Before
This past weekend we decided, even though it was nice out, to paint our office. I have been going insane because everything in our house is white. I mean don't get me wrong, i enjoy all the brand new paint and cleanliness, but it is contractor's white that if you touch or walk by it leaves a mark. So we added a little color, just one room at a time, but I love it!
So here are some before and after!

After

Support the Fight

2008-05-18T18:40:00.002-04:00

Today, I was going to post before and after pictures of our office that we painted, but as I was doing my blog lap I found something much more important to write about. It is that time of year again for Relay for life and it is such a great cause to support. While I have never met her, Ali, is such a brave person and I admire her for her positive outlooks and strength. Her family has formed a Relay for life team called Ali's Allies which needs your support. You can go to this page to support Ali and her battle as well as to support others. Hopefully one day cancer in all its evil forms will be eradicated, but it can't be done without your help!

Calling all readers

2008-05-06T07:15:00.002-04:00

Last night one of my friends and I went and saw "Made of Honor" it was a very good "chick" flick, and it had Patrick Dempsey in it...need I really say more! Anyway, before we went to the movie we were walking around Target and ended up in the book section talking about all the books we liked to read when we realized we both wished we were part of a book club. We then decided to start our own! So if you like to read and want to join us let me know, we will probably get together once a month or every 6 weeks or so for fun, food and laughter!

There are people made to run, then there is me

2008-05-04T17:53:00.002-04:00

The Mini is over, my months of training have come to an end and I honestly do not know what to think. I am a little disappointed with myself. I was about 8 minutes off of my goal time...after you take off the 5 minutes I wasted using the restroom. (This was a first for me and I was very angry that I had to stop) A note for the future and to any other runners out there. I racked my brain trying to figure out what I could have eaten to upset my stomach and there wasn't anything out of the ordinary until I looked in the pantry yesterday afternoon and noticed the reduced fat Oreos. At this point it hit me...I had eaten a few more than I should have the day before while making a dessert that required them. I then hobbled out to the garage and told Tom I had figured it out and that the Oreos had ruined the race for me. A lesson learned I reckon...and it WILL NOT happen in the future. Do I see more races in my future...I think so. I am pretty sore today, my knees and my toe nails are all bruised, I guess my shoes weren't big enough even though they are a full size larger than I normally wear...I guess I still need to go up. So I think in a week or two when I am healed I will really start thinking about more longer distance races.
So that is my story and now for my thanks. Thank you to my girls for putting up with my training. They went on many a run in the jogging stroller, most 3-4 miles and didn't fuss to much or they played in their pen while I ran on the treadmill. Thank you to Sheri who pushed me more than I would have pushed myself and for doubling back after you finished yesterday and for finishing AGAIN with me. That really says a lot about your character, you as a person, friend and a competitor. I am so glad you have been my running partner and I am glad you say you will still run with me! So Thank you! Finally, thank you to Tom, who helped me watch the girls so I could run on the weekends and at night and for always supporting me. I love you and couldn't have done it or much else without your support.
I will be posting a few more posts about running gear and some things I really found helpful, so if you care look for those later this week! Finally, I hope the rest of you who did the mini had a great race as well and that you enjoyed yourself and are not too sore today! Congrats!

Anticipation is Building

2008-04-30T08:23:00.002-04:00

The official countdown clock is 2 days 23:05:45 while I sit and write this to the Mini Marathon. While I have run this race 3 or 4 times prior to this year, for some reason I am really getting excited for this race. I think it is because I am in the best shape of my life, even better than before the girls were born and I have shaved 2 minutes off my usual pace. I have gone from 12 minute miles to 10 minute miles. I attribute this achievement to two things. The first is pushing the double jogging stroller and the additional 45 pounds of the girls and to my great running partner, Sheri! It is great when you find a good running match and she is mine. She pushes me when I want to quit and her pace naturally is faster than mine, but she slows down when I need to and has really helped me excel this year. My goal is to finish the race in 2:15 or under, that is my best ever time that I achieved my first time running the mini. So look for the results on Saturday or Sunday! Also, good luck to all you other runners out there that are attempting this great race!

It's Done!

2008-04-29T16:29:00.002-04:00

We didn't let the wind get us down and by Sunday afternoon the girls were able to play on the play set. They love it and I am glad. We will be spending a lot of time out there this summer. I have figured out that I can place a chair in between the swings and sit and push them. Now I just have to figure out how to push two swings and read a book or magazine at the same time :-) Here are a few pictures of it. We still have a few cosmetic pieces to fix and install, but the structure is secure and safe and ready for playing!

There's Good Luck And Then There's Our Luck

2008-04-25T19:46:00.002-04:00

Tom and I have always wondered if we just breed bad karma, or if we have natural disasters flags on us, because it seems like we cannot have anything nice. We get a new car and within a year we are in an accident. 5 out of about 7 over our cars in our lives have been in accidents, none our fault. We build a new house and it is flooded. We spend around 12-15 hours putting together that swing set for the girls and a huge gust of wind comes along and knocks what we have done over, splintering pieces and breaking other things. It was heart wrenching I tell you. Tom has been spending a few hours each evening working on it and then I put in about 4.5 hours today, mostly while the girls napped, and then with one gust over it goes. We cannot believe it and needless to say we are pissed and saddened. It isn't like it is ours, it is for the girls. Couldn't they have something nice or have we passed our bad luck onto them...I REALLY hope not. Don't get me wrong we have very blessed lives, but we have faced a lot of disappointments to. Anyway, back to the swing set. We purchased it at Toys-R-Us...our first mistake. We should have gone with the one from Lowes, but it was more expensive, so we thought we would get the one we did, which also had more features. I guess you get what you pay for. Our second mistake was trying to put it up ourselves. We should have just shelled out the cash and had someone do it, then it would have been finished and maybe the wind wouldn't have been able to pick it up and toss it like a rag doll. We are now in the process of piecing things back together and trying to jerry rig things so they are sturdy and the girls will have a safe place to play!

When is it worth it to hire an installer?

2008-04-21T20:21:00.003-04:00

Lots of wood that WAS NOT Labeled AT ALL
Swings etc

Yesterday we purchased a play set for the girls. In an attempt to save money, so we can build a fence, we decided to install it ourselves. Today when I was unloading all the wood and Tom came home to a mess in the garage we looked at each other and I asked him when it was worth it to pay someone to install the thing for us. He laughed and said right now. From the pictures you can see that the garage is taken over at the moment with wood and piece, but hopefully by the end of next weekend we will have swings and a slide for the girls. Look for more pictures throughout the week, and probably some complaining too!

18 month update

2008-04-16T13:34:00.002-04:00

Today the girls turned 18 months old. I cannot believe how fast time is flying and that in a few short months they will be two years old already. It is really amazing how time flies and how fast they grow and change. They had their 18 month check-up last week and they are as healthy as can be. Maddie is now 30 and 1/4 inches and 23 pounds and Little Natalie has surprisingly surpassed her sister in height and is 30 and 3/4 inches and 21 pounds. We were finally able to turn their car seats around and they love it...they were in complete awe and kept smiling because they can finally see where they are going instead of where they have been. Other than that it seems like they are learning a new word daily and are up to about 30 or more words. Natalie's favorite word at the moment is "No" and it is the cutest no in the world, although I am sure this will change when she becomes more defiant. Maddie likes to say "mamma" and to take your hand and hold it while she leads you to whatever it is she wants. Today the overwhelmed me with pride when they were able to put together "more, please" during lunch when they wanted more crackers. While this was just sign language I was so happy that they put the two together. We just started working on the please and they have really caught on, between the sign language and their ever developing speech, communicating with them has gotten much easier. Other than that all is going well and we are waiting for spring to unpack the warm weather to stay and to get approval from our Home Owners Association so we can put up our swing set. This summer will be a busy one for us, but I am looking forward to some travel and keeping the girls busy and out of the house. So that is all for now, but look for more some day down the road.

Disappointment

2008-04-10T20:20:00.002-04:00

Today, I had a moment of great disappointment. What could cause such disappointment you ask? Well, earlier this week Ellen announced that she would be filming her show in Chicago sometime in May. I couldn't believe it, I was so excited. I had asked Tom if someday if we were ever in an area where she was taping if I could go and of course he said yes. So I immediately e-mailed him asking him if he could take the day off to watch the girls if I was able to get tickets to the Chicago show. At this time I didn't know when the taping would be. Today, they had the Chicago taping up on her ticket section and wouldn't you know it...it is the day of the Indianapolis Mini Marathon. I cannot even begin to explain to you how disappointed this made me. I will admit, that even though I have put months of effort and training into this race for a split second I thought about not doing it and still trying to get tickets. I then realized I couldn't do this to myself, or to Sheri, who has been the BEST training partner ever and who has trained even harder than I have. So I guess it wasn't meant to be and hopefully someday in the future, the near future, I will have another opportunity to see a taping of the show. For now though I will have to be content with watching it from the comfort of my own home!

Tag I'm It

2008-04-02T19:32:00.003-04:00

A few days ago I was "tagged" by Chantelle so I guess I will oblige and tell you seven things about me. I will then pass along this nice tag and make a few others "it" :-)

1. I was born in Fort Collins Colorado, where I lived for fourteen years. I was then uprooted and moved to the great land of Medina Ohio. I lived there for five years at which point I moved to Indiana for college and have lived here since.

2. I have travelled to over 18 countries including: England, France, Switzerland (my favorite), Spain, Greece, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Trinidad, Tobago, St. Lucia and I won't name anymore!

3. Maine is one of my favorite states in all of America and I especially love Camden, where both myself and my Aunt Kim were married and Friendship, where I have been going since before birth.

4. Tom and I meet at my first job out of college and we were the "office" romance...tisk, tisk...my how that worked out. I guess I should also add for those who care or are keeping tabs...he was just supposed to be a rebound from a long time boyfriend whom i had just broken up with, but here we are happily married almost 6 years later!

5. 99% of the time I will delete any sort of forward that is sent to me, even if it is from my Grandmother...I just find that not much useful information can be found continually forwarding messages on, especially chain letters.

6. I never used to believe in Self Tanner, but I simply cannot stand the thought of being pale and I do not want to age myself anymore or risk cancer so I won't go to tanning beds anymore.

7. Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite authors and I always pre-order his books and read them within a few days of receiving them, I mean what more is there to do since Harry Potter is finished :-)

I now "tag" Tom, Sheri, Kelly , Maya, and Jeanelle. I look forward to reading seven new things about you all and sorry if you have been tagged before!

Warning to all Moms who wear makeup

2008-03-30T11:48:00.002-04:00

As promised I am back with something actually important to say. I was reading an article/letter in a new magazine, Green Guide I found at borders. One section was called Just Ask! and a mother had written in about her worries for her three year old twins having lead in their play makeup. Well the answer was that if you are going to let your child play with make up you should let them use yours, but that it should be made with plant-based dyes and petroleum-free. Why you might be asking, because there is actually lead, yes dangerous levels of lead in makeup. As much as 47% lead has been found in some products. I was very shocked to hear this, especially with all of the lead concerns and children. The article made a very valid point, that a child could actually eat makeup, such as a tube of lipstick and become very ill. So, if you do not want to buy the recommended make-up you should treat it like any other poison or medicine and make sure that your child cannot get their little hands on it, this is something I am going to take to heart and make sure the girls do not have access to my stuff for sure!

What a week

2008-03-28T08:55:00.002-04:00

Well, this has been a week for sure. Maddie as mentioned before went to the dr. on Tuesday for an ear infection. Yesterday I got to take little Natalie, who also has a double ear infection. Thankfully we are still 2-3 ear infection away from having to see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. When I went to pick up the prescription at Target for Natalie, they were like do you have any questions and do you know how to use our new syringes? I just laughed and said, yes this is the third time this week we have been here and I have the same meds for the other one. I understand she was being polite, but I wish we could get a direct line from our house the pharmacy at the rate we have been going. Oh well, hopefully the warm weather will help us all heal and we can move on. Speaking of weather, all of us are anxiously awaiting better days. The girls love being outside and even when it is chilly or drizzling, like yesterday, Natalie never wants to go in and will say no and shake her head and then proceed into a tantrum when you try to get her to go in. I can't wait to fence in the yard and put up a swing set for them so can play in the yard instead of walking up and down the sidewalk!
Anyway, hope everyone has a great weekend and hopefully next week I will have some inspiring words or great advice to write about!