Pink Eye & Toddler Beds

That sums up our week so far. Tuesday, I got an email from Penny asking if Maddy had done something to her eye. By noon, Mike had her at the Little Clinic - diagnosed w/Pink Eye. Sounds so much cuter than it is. We've been wiping every hard surface w/Clorox wipes and/or spraying them w/Lysol 2-3 times/day trying to make sure none of the rest of us get it.

Our feisty little monkey is not a fan of the drops. She stalls as long as she can..."I want to lay down over there, Mommy" / "Maybe if I sit up" / "I want to do it after I brush my teeth"...but when I give up & pin her on my lap, she thrashes & screams. Ok, so I'm not a fan of the drops either. I almost think it's pointless because by the time I get a drop on her eye, she's crying it right out. But I guess it's getting in there - the pink is gone & it's only slightly glassy-looking as of this morning.

The other big news is that our 2-yr old is now in a toddler bed. Both our girls are out of diapers/Pull-Ups -wearing 'big girl panties' and sleeping in beds - not cribs. (Well, Maddy's is just her crib with one side taken off, but still.) I had barely mentioned to Mike on Tuesday night (3/9) that I thought she was ready - after several close calls of her climbing/jumping out - and a few nights of her sleeping on her floor. I blinked & the rail was gone. One look at the site of the crib-turned toddler bed, and I was a mess - crying all over my hubby's shoulder.

Madalyn was so excited to realize she was 'a bigger girl, Mommy - I'm a bigger, bigger girl!' - so excited to come to our bed in the morning instead of just yelling 'I'm awake, Mommy!' - And her big sister thought it was quite cool as well - they played on it for a good hour yesterday - piling it high with as many dolls & stuffed animals as they could.

My 'babies' aren't babies anymore. I have NO clue where the time has gone since starting our family. It's just not fair how quickly it goes. Although I wouldn't trade a second for anything in the world. Those two girls have brought such sunshine to our life...and I'll just have to soak up as much as I can as we go.

The mullet is gone!!

Our sweet Moo. She has what they call Trichotillomania. ~She pulls her hair out. Sometimes it's worse than others...started out when she was a baby - she always had to wrap my hair around her fingers/hands - didn't pull it, but it was obviously comforted her. As she grew her own, she would often play w/hers - if she found hair on the floor (ew) - she had to wrap her fingers. She had her first haircut last July...a month into being 2 - and right after that (if you see the pictures, it was clearly an upsetting experience), the pulling started - clumps. The poor thing - whenever she got upset / tired / frustrated, you'd see her hand reach up & yank a clump out. She'd wake up with a handful. She looked quite bald for a while there.

~Well, apparently it's not altogether uncommon, so we were able to find some helpful information (THANK YOU TLC - trich.org!!) and tried several ways to curb her pulling. Slowly, but surely, her hair started filling in. Of course, she pulled the most on the top - evidently couldn't reach the back as comfortably, so when it grew, it got longer in the back. Our baby had a mullet. And ya know - I hated that thing - but I was NOT going to chance another upsetting haircut to spark any steps back in the progress we had made.

Anyway, one sweet, sweet day a couple weeks ago, the girls stayed w/Aunt Brie & our Madalyn actually ASKED her to cut her hair. She was very specific - no spray bottle - don't touch the front - just the back. And the mullet is a thing of the past! Maddy has an adorable little bob now...and she feels 'so pretty'. Thank you Aunt Brie! :)

Here's an honest post...just needs to be.

They make me want to pull my hair out. Such immense amounts of love I feel for these little sweeties - truly - beyond any measure I could imagine...but no one on the planet can push my buttons like my monkeys. -I have to ask myself - what on earth did I put my parents through for Karma to come 'round to bite my bootie like this??? ~So maybe there is a little extra drama in that question than needs to be there - I have absolutely nothing to complain about - healthy, happy kiddos - we're super-duper blessed & well aware of it. ~I'm just taking a moment to 'appreciate' the 'down' with all the ups.

My mom has told me there were times she wished she could freeze-dry us & stick us on a shelf to thaw while she cooled off. I guess it's different for some. My fantasy of late is to have some sort of remote control that worked on them. So I could pause them from time to time...both in the cute moments I wish could last forever - and in the really frustrating moments when I'm aware a little breather would be nice.

Mike told me he knows his cue to trade off is when he hears me say 'are you frickin' kidding me?' Eh...not sure I really want that to be a comment my kids hear me say to them. It reminds me of Mike's mom telling me that when her youngest was little, after one of her 'sheesh' moments, she let out a 'damn it' and Paul cutely said something to the effect of 'Mommy, I'm not damn it - I'm Paul'. -I can just imagine Penny (my bff who watches the girls) getting a chuckle out of Izzy or Maddy one day yelling a frustrated 'are you frickin' kidding me??' at the other.

We're finding it interesting that Izzy has a personality quite like mine - Maddy has a personality much like Mike's - and we handle / they respond to the 'unlike' one of us much better than the one 'like' us. Maddy & Mike tend to struggle a bit - Iz & I have our little clashes...when I'm unintentionally riling her up, Mike can say one thing & she'll start chillin'...and the same w/Maddy & Mike - they push each other's buttons & I can occasionally get her to respond & settle down. That's not to say it's a catch-all...just something we're noticing.

Isabelle Mae is all sensitive & passive agressive. Her form of rebellion is usually ignoring me w/a little smirk to boot - which - SO gets under my skin. Or when I tell her to look at me when I'm talking to her, her eyes get all wide & after a split second of looking into mine, she smiles & her eyes shoot up to the right. My. Oh. My.

Madalyn is a hitter and a yeller. She can belt out a 'NOOOOOO!' like nobody's business. When we put her in time out for hitting her sister, she glares at us & throws a smack at the wall. She also growls. She'll squish up her face w/ pursed lips & furrowed brow & literally growl. In the heat of a reprimand, it's not funny. But there have been plenty of times we've had to excuse ourselves to laugh our booties off. She is a trip & a half...if ever there was a strong-willed child, she hath been born to us. My initial reaction is 'holy crud, we need to nip this in the bud or the teenage years are going to be hell!' - But the part of me that wishes I hadn't been such a wimpy push-over all my life - secretly wants to whisper in her ear - 'YOU GO GIRL!' - She isn't going to let anybody push her around - she is smart, sweet, cuddly-lovie - and determined to be in control of her own destiny. She's not afraid of anything (except the occasional loud noise of the vacuum/blender/toilet flushing). She is fiercely independent. Just this morning, she got dressed almost entirely herself - picked out the clothes she wanted to wear & put them all on w/minimal help - even put her own coat on - zipped it up & got her socks & boots on (seriously - just the slightest bit of help was all she needed).

They're both awesome kids...complete w/all kinds of 'spirit' & spunk - the good and the bad kinds.

Our Izzy Mae

Izzy is all fairy tale. First thing when she wakes up in the morning -she has to put on her dress-up clothes for breakfast & when we get home in the evenings, the first thing she does is strip down to put on dress-up...sometimes adding some 'flair' -bracelets / necklaces / headbands / a purse / various kiddo bling. She prances about - all priss - calls her daddy 'Prince', proclaims that she isn't 'Izzy' - she's 'Cinderella' or 'Princess Dora Izzy' or any number of other fancy names. She wants to dance all the time :) ~ & she particularly likes to dance w/Mike - usually starting with a proper bow to 'Prince Daddy.' If you've ever read the 'Fancy Nancy' books - that's our girl. She simply MUST wear tights & a dress each day. If God-forbid, Mommy hasn't had a chance to finish the laundry & she has to wear pants, such a face of disappointment - and a sure bet for a fit follows the news. When she wants her adorably curly-Q hair up, she asks for at least 3 different hair bands - all with a different color & girly thing on them - a flower / a butterfly / a heart / whathaveyou. I'm continually amused & a little shocked at how much of a girly girl our sweet first born is. I remember liking pink & purple as a kiddo, but they were usually paired with red or some other bright color - I was almost always a mis-matched kid in my choice of clothes - and almost never wanted to wear a skirt because I hated the feel of tights. Not our Isabelle. - Sorry, 'PRINCESS Isabelle'.
I get quite a kick out of her little sister too - while she is usually up for doing just about anything Iz asks of her, she has had her fill of dress-up. & there is heck-fire to pay if Izzy tries to say Maddy's a princess too. -'I'm NOT a princess - I'm Maddy!' - She'll be a cat or the prince all day long, but don't ask her to put on that Tinkerbell outfit again! -fake make-up / necklaces / purses / babies - all good stuff, but she wants her pants & hoody fleece sweatshirt...that girl is all comfort. :)
Last night was fabulous. We had the whole fam dancing in the living room - Izzy decked out like Cinderella, dancing w/'Daddy Prince' - singing at the top of her lungs like a girly rock star, Maddy spinning all over - singing with the happiest, brightest smile - spilling life & energy all over the room. Recently, Izzy has decided her favorite song is no longer a Veggie Tales number - or Little People - or a song from the CD that came w/her baby Bible...her fave is currently Taylor Swift's 'You Belong With Me'. She calls it 'the I do song' & it'll bring her out of almost any fit. She was crying dramatically for a good 15 minutes on the way to Penny's yesterday because she had fallen & hurt her knee before we left. Smarty pants Mommy had the delayed 'duh' thought to turn on the song...within the first few bars, Izzy excitedly says 'Mommy, this song makes my knee feel better!! - Will you turn it up please??' -Mike didn't understand why I bought the CD until he saw them singing last night...best ten bucks I've spent all year! - They certainly keep us smiling/laughing - so proud of our princess & our firecracker - in such awe at how wonderful two little ones can be...how much joy a few minutes of a day can bring. :) :) :) Love, love, LOVE those girls!!!!

Sweena-na the trouble maker

Mike & I got quite a chuckle last night - well, a few chuckles to be exact. We've been thinking lately that Maddy is probably on track to stop taking naps...so for the last few weeks, sometimes we'll let her take one, sometimes we'll stretch her. ~Not really pushing the issue...but last night was one of those nights that made us think it's time to cut them out. She was up - wide awake up - until just about 11pm! She was happy to stay in her crib, which was a good thing. She was a busy bee...reading several books to all of her babies & stuffed friends. Singing them songs, changing their diapers, carrying on conversations, laughing...overall livin' it up. Hilarious to listen over the baby monitor to her fabulous imagination - giving each baby a character in the books they were reading, asking sweet questions, then saying 'OH! uh huh' & a number of other adorable things I wish I had written down as we were laughing. Of course, every time we went to her room to say it was time for her to go to sleep, she would cheese it up - those beautiful smiles she flashes (I swear that girl lights up the room every time she smiles...so bright & warm...even when she has that big ol' hint of mischief at the same time...I melt -that's all there is to it). She blamed her baby 'Sweena-na' (her Cabbage Patch Kid, 'Selina') for keeping her up at one point - 'Sweena-na won't go to sleep - she needs to sit in time out and calm down...uh huh.' Each time we tucked her back in, we thought she would finally settle down, but after about 3 minutes, she'd be talking again...laughing, etc. Finally around 10:50, we heard a sweet yawn, 'I'm reawwy tired' and out she went. What I would give for a camera in there to have watched those couple of hours.

Time...Wow - Really?

My niece, Alana, turned 9 years old last week. NINE.
I still remember getting SO excited every time I got to see her - hold her - my sweet baby niece. How our previous identities of 'Mike & Kate' were replaced by 'Uncle Mike & Aunt Katy' - and my brother & sister-in-law changed from 'JB & Brie' to 'Mommy & Daddy'...How excited Mike & I got to learn the new Alana saying - 'OKay suura' (while emphatically nodding her head) / 'Make goofy faces w/Unca Mike' (whenever she saw me w/my camera...she & Mike would pose over & over together) / 'Hey - whattayou doin' ova dare?' / 'Ya wanna go jellyfishin' with me?' - Oh, the list could go on...such warm little memories I have tucked away in my noggin. And now she's almost a decade old.
And we have our own babies.
And our siblings are learning our kiddos' sayings. :)
Uncle Paul (Mike's younger brother) got married over the weekend - to a God-send of a sister-in-law. Thoughtful, kind, funny, and so in love w/our Paul. We're all thrilled they found each other. The girls are crazy about their new Aunt Marsha. & due to this happy weekend nuptual, we've been fortunate enough to have the Ross folks & Nana Maytum (from Canada) in town w/us for the last week. -Extra reasons for Paul & Marsha to make the trek from Shelbyville for dinner the last couple nights. :) ~ While sitting around the table last night, I got the warmest of fuzzies listening to them talk about all the times they quote our girls sayings & facial expressions...brought back all the happy /funny times Mike & I quoted Alana...how special all these times are. How fast time is flying.
Alana is NINE. Izzy & Tucker will be FOUR in January & Maddy is TWO. Still looking for the pause button. :)

Our first - and hopefully LAST trip to the ER

Our wee Moogaloo got a boo-boo last night (9/23). While visiting Great-Gramma Kasey, Maddy was playing in the hose on the patio when we decided to go in to play. Moo had other ideas (man that kid likes the water). Anyway, I held her hand & started trying to lead her inside. A decent fit began. Izzy on my hip & Maddy's hand in mine, I started walking - pulling up on Maddy's hand at the same time she decided to throw herself to the ground. I felt...a snap. :( Screams - oh the sad little screams. Sweet Gramma just thought Maddy didn't want to come inside. My baby held her arm quite motionless - bent in front of her - determined not to let me see it. She covered it with her blanket, calmed down a bit & tried to play. She wasn't using it, didn't want us to look at it & to hear her tell her sister, 'Mommy broke my elbow'. Now, in the moment of ultimate freaking out when I thought I had indeed 'broken' my baby, I rushed the poor thing to the ER...leaving a terribly frightened Izzy & concerned papa at home to wait.
Of course, upon arriving at Kosair, my sweet thing started waving her arm about proudly saying 'I'm going to show the doctor my arm - to make it all better'. Should have known there - all was well. But no - better to check her out. We signed in, got through triage pretty quickly. Super-smart & uber-funny nurse chick did a quick diagnosis - 'sounds like nurse-maid's elbow, but we'll let the doctor check her out to be sure.' She assured me we could be seen in the 'express' area which had been moving fairly quickly so far. Not so much. Maddy had a blast running around - back & forth to see the two fish tanks. She enjoyed using the big potty & thought the foamy soap in the bathroom was too cool (which made me oh-so-happy to have her use it over & over again during our visit). After 3+ hours of running around an ER lobby packed w/pitiful little kiddos - obviously carrying the flu and various other yucky illnesses & owies (one poor little guy had a knot on his forehead bigger than a golf ball - reminded me of a picture of my brother after he leap-frogged into our bathtub as a kid), it was 10pm & the doc could finally see us. It took her all of 3 seconds to look at the slight swelling on Maddy's elbow & hear my description of how it happened to determine just what super-smart & uber-funny nurse chick had told us to start - nurse-maid's elbow.
So, Maddy & I were tired & hungry (having survived the ER on only a granola bar & some water) when we finally headed home to find a concerned big sister waiting up w/Daddy. Maddy showed Iz her 'bracelet' (the hospital band), we got a little 'chocolate yogurt' (Juice Plus Complete mixed in yogurt) in her, scrubbed her down (the girl had been rolling around on a hospital floor for Pete's sake - EW! & to bed they went. No worse for ware - just not the way any of us would have preferred to spend the evening. Now we need to be sure to be extra gentle with that arm...well, I'm sure we'll be gentle w/both - and Izzy's too. Hoping that'll be our only hospital experience!