3 Year Well Visit

Today was Maddy's 3 year well visit with her pediatritian. Good thing we went today because as it turns out, she has a double ear infection. *sigh* Looks like no more swimming for a while for her. She weighs 37lbs and is 39 inches long. The dr said she's in 85 percentile in height, and weighs a bit more than he'd like. =[ He said she's not overweight at all, but with the amount of running around she does, she should be thinner. She does eat a lot, but it's a lot of good food. For example, she'll eats oatmeal in the mornings, she snacks on apple slices, bananas, raisins, carrots. She eats lots fruits and vegetables. She LOVES clementines! I don't buy red meat, and I don't fry food. We'll have to work on her portion sizes, I guess. She's doing great developmentally. Talking in sentences, potty trained, hopping on one foot, jumping with both feet, following instructions (when she WANTS to), vocalizing wants/desires, among other things. She did get a Hepatitis A shot today because it's required in Hamilton County before entering Kindergarten. She's pointing to her boo boo in the photo above. So all in all, a good visit.

Happy Birthday, Madeline

Maddy is 3!

Night 2

PJ's, book reading, teeth brushed--check, check, check 8:58PM: Hugs, kisses, good night 9:03PM: Waaaaaaaa... 9:05PM: "Mom, I need a Dada kiss!" Adam gives hugs and kisses 9:09PM: Waaaaa..... 9:13PM: Silence 9:14PM: Shadow against the wall. Maddy's up. I get up and put her back in her bed. Hugs and kisses. Good night. 9:17PM: "I don't want to sleep! Ehhh...Waaaaaa!" 9:21PM: Silence 9:25PM: More silence 9:38PM: Asleep YES!

Go To Sleep, Baby

I will be the first to admit that I love my sleep. I've always had this "rule" that the children belong in their room, in their bed. But I haven't been good about putting them to bed. Mainly Maddy. She needs one of us to lay down with her until she falls asleep. This has been ok with us, but I don't want to do this til she's 16. I keep saying I'll get her to fall asleep alone in her bed for months. Something always comes up. I break my elbows, get sick, etc. Well I decided today would be the day she would fall asleep in her own bed. We read books, brushed teeth, and I tucked her in. She patted her pillow and said, "Come on, Mom." I kissed her head and said she's a big girl and has to sleep on her own in her big girl bed. She happily said OK and layed down. Confused, I walked out of the room. 15 minutes later she calls me and tells me I have to lay down. I repeated to her and said she's a big girl now, and big sister is in the room with her. She put her face in the pillow and cried. I sat near the bedroom door and listened. 5 minutes later there was silence. I then heard her get up and lay back down. 5 minutes later, she was asleep. She got up to get her babies. I know it won't be this easy every night, but I was so happy it wasn't a drawn out fight with her. I felt so bad doing that, but she has to learn to fall asleep on her own. She had her nightlight on, and big sister is in the same room. But still, I feel sad. Do any of you have any idea/tips or things that you have done to help your children fall asleep on their own in their own beds? I know the main thing is consistency, and I'm determined to stick to it. Please feel free to share.

A Maddy Update

Thank you for thinking of us and keeping Maddy in your prayers. Wednesday night was rough because we had to wake her up every 4 hours to give her Tylenol/Motrin and her Albuterol breathing treatment. She slept most of Thursday. But boy was I happy when she said she wanted some "toasted bread with no butter". (Direct quote). I was hesitant because it was so dry for someone who hasn't eaten in 2 days. But she had 5 slices! By the time the nurse called on Friday afternoon, she was fever free, eating real food, and breathing a lot better. She's still on her antibiotic until Saturday, and we continue the breathing treatments every 4 hours, but the cough/wheezing is almost gone, and she is back to her playful self. We are so relieved!! There isn't anything I wouldn't have given up to make her better. On a side note, I have been running a fever since Thursday and have a horrible sore throat/chest cold going on. But as long as the girls are better, I'll live. =]

In an Instant

That is how quickly things can change. After church on Sunday, Maddy had a runny nose. Later on that night it turned into a wheezy cough and a fever over 101. We started the breathing treatments and saw the dr on Monday. Sure enough, she had an ear infection. He said she is too old for tubes.The key is to prevent her allergies. So once she gets better we'll have to revisit the allergist. He put her on an oral antibiotic, an oral steroid, antibiotic ear drops, and her breathing treatments. But it doesn't end there. Her ear was better by yesterday, but her breathing worsened. She began to cough and wheeze even more. She couldn't finish a sentence without coughing. We kept giving her breathing treatments every 4 hrs around the clock. We went back to the dr today. He said she isn't well and close to hospital admission. Her oxygen saturation was a little low, and her white blood cell count was average. He said it looks like she's coming down with Pneumonia. He gave her a shot of Rocephin, and changed her antibiotic to a stronger one. He also increased her dose of pulmicourt, and added Singulair to the list of meds for her to take. So far she has to take 7 meds. We have to call him tomorrow to check on her. He said she should be better by Friday, and if not they have to consider hospital admission, since all we're doing isn't working. Another thing is that she hasn't eaten or had anything to drink since noon yesterday. I've tried crushed ice, popsicles, and she refuses. Her fever is starting to climb, and she won't drink anything! I don't know what to do. I can't even hold her because of my arm. She's so tired and miserable. This is just heartbreaking.

McBrien Food Drive

I received a phone call from my daughter's principal yesterday, telling me Debbie will be on the news last night (and this morning) to discuss the food drive. Debbie was chosen because she brought in the most lbs of food per student. We were so happy for her. You can read/watch the story HERE.

Cross Country Meet

Today was the county Cross Country Meet. Debbie ran with 223 5th grade girls. The girls ran a one mile course that included going up hills and a windy track. She came in number 144. We are very proud of her accomplishment! Here are some pics.

Coach Cowell with some of the team

Coach Cowell explaining the course

The girls warm up

Go Mustangs!

The "starting" line

And they're off!

Maddy and Adam look on

Debbie coming in

Tired, but thumbs up!

Debbie and her teammates after the meet

Our Athlete!

Safety Patrol

Debbie has landed a position as a Safety Patrol Officer at school. So watch out. She'll be watching.

Kids Will Be...Emgergencies

I had an appt with the eye doctor today. If any of you have ever had your pupils dilated, you will know that it leaves your vision blurred for hours. While I could see, I couldn't focus or see from close. In this crazy, hazy moment, Maddy tripped and fell. She hit her face on the edge of the bookshelf. Naturally she screamed, and screamed, and screamed. I held and rocked her, but I couldn't see her face. It was all so blurry. I put an ice pack on her head, and let her relax. But then she began to throw up. After cleaning her up, I rushed her to the car, and off we went to the pedi's office. I tried to call on the way, but I couldn't see the numbers on my cell phone. I couldn't call anyone. Long story short, she has x rays and nothing is broken. Just a minor concussion. We finally get home, and my focus is finally becoming sharper. My heart broke when I was finally able to see her pretty little face. She has a bruise above her eye and on her cheek. She is such an active child...always crashing and falling into things. I wonder if I can wrap her in cushioning

The Invasion

I remember our neice, Victoria, being really into dress up and Disney Princess. I told myself that I don't think I would allow a daughter of mine to become greatly involved in something like this. Well,

Maddy loves anything with Princess on it. But I have realized that it's not hard to find princess stuff. It's on everything! In fact, it is harder to find something that doesn't have princess on it. This has, however, aided in her potty training. You see, she runs to the potty so that she doesn't "go" on her princess underwear. This is Maddy's FAVORITE thing to wear. In public, too.

A Rare Sighting

This is a picture of Lindsay and Maddy before heading out to church today. This is probably the only picture I have of Maddy with a hair bow. Not that she doesn't like doing her hair, because she loves it. But because she wants to do her hair herself. This pretty yellow ribbon didn't stay put long. She pulled it out on our way to church and was really upset when she couldn't put it back up. This was meltdown #1 of the day. It was quickly resolved when we arrived at church and mommy fixed her hair in the car. We were all happy and content as we entered church. That is, until we reached the nursery door. That was where meltdown #2 took place.

24 Month Well Visit

Today was Maddy's 24m well visit appointment. She weighs 32lbs 6oz and is 36 3/4 inches long. She's in the 98th percentile for both height and weight. Her pedi was pleased with all the words she knows in English, Spanish, and signing. He said he was very pleased to see her, and has missed her. For those who do not know, she was a frequent patient during her first year of life because she was always sick from her Asthma. He gave us the green light in beginning to add dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, pudding, and ice cream this week, as he believes she outgrowing her milk allergy. We have to stay away from cow's milk until she sees the allergist next week. We also have to wait on nuts and fish.

Maddy is growing and changing fast. She loves to sing, dance, read, color, "cook food", feed the dog, make animal noises, and clean. Her favorite song is "The Wheels On the Bus", and loves the hand motions. Her favorite movie is the original "Aladdin", and her favorite doll is Princess Jasmine. She takes her everywhere. She has begun using the big girl potty, and loves to flush and wash her hands. She loves the water, and she believes she's a fish. She did get her first sunburn yesterday (OUCH!), but doesn't seem like it bothers her. Even with SPF 45 sunblock, she is really red. Looks like she's inherited her daddy's sour cream colored skin and height. She can name her family members by looking at their pictures. She still isn't a fan of nursery at church, nor of being left without Mom or Dad. She's a true princess, and we love her!