What a Difference a Day Makes!

Wow. I can't believe how much different today is from yesterday. Yesterday, everyone including the dog was sick. Today, everyone feels so much better. Bella has had no more accidents today and seems to be much more playful (a blessing and a curse) and the kids are full of energy with no more snotty noses! I even felt like actually cleaning today...something I haven't done in days. My house is no longer a disaster and I even managed to package up old toys and clothes to make room for new ones at Christmas. I almost feel like myself again and am so thankful for that. My mom comes home on Wednesday and I have to drive 3 hours to pick her up at the airport and I was not looking forward to the drive while being sick. In case your wondering why she isn't flying into our local airport, it's because it was so much cheaper to fly her into a bigger city than our local airport. I was able to talk my step mom and my sister-in-law into splitting the babysitting duty so it works out for both of them and they will be able to watch the kids at our house, so I won't have to drag them out with me either. I'm looking forward to the drive and some much needed piece and quiet! Things are just so much prettier today! Let's hope the trend continues!

The Day After Thanksgiving...and Beyond!

We had a pretty wonderful Thanksgiving this year. This was the first year my mom and I didn't cook in what seems like forever, so Anthony & I were able to just lounge around the house most of the morning with the kids and relax before the hectic afternoon at his Aunt's house. Justin and I both started getting sick on Wednesday so by Thursday I was in desperate need of sinus medication. Thanks to Mucinex D, by the time we got ready to go leave, I was able to function and had plenty of energy all day. Dinner was great (what I got to eat of it thanks to children who wanted to cling to mommy) and it was fun spending time with family. The only down side was that my brother-in-law's six-year-old is a monster and her parents are worthless! I took toys for the kids to play with as I know that Anthony's Aunt's house is not childproof and they get bored easy there. My niece (aka Damien) kept taking them away from them and refused to share. At one point she actually socked Justin in the face. We are talking closed fist to the nose and my poor little man just didn't understand what the heck was happening. I can understand that kids will push and shove a bit, but the whole aggressive thing is hard for me to take, especially from a six-year-old. I tried not to make a big deal of it even though I was fuming inside. I tried to explain to the little girl that she needed to share the toys and that she couldn't hit the kids. She quickly shouted, "I didn't!" and when I told her I saw her, she shrugged it off and said, "Oh...it was an accident." At that point her mother, who watched the whole thing without saying a word, got a little huffy with me because I corrected her child and then sent the little girl outside to play. I'm not big on disciplining other people's kids, but I refuse to let unruly children bully my kids. I just don't understand parents who allow their children to behave that way. Of course, with my sister-in-law I'm not surprised. Her six-year-old is still in a diaper, why would I think she would be able to control her child at all?

Friday was a pretty good day. I planned to get up before the sun came up for Black Friday shopping, but since I was still feeling pretty lousy, I decided to sleep in instead. Christmas shopping can wait. The kids seemed to be recovering quickly from their colds and my niece (Alexis's favorite cousin) came over for the day. We spent hours playing outside and even though neither of my children took naps yesterday, they had so much fun. Alexis roller skated and rode her tricycle. I was so excited because she finally pedalled on her own! She still doesn't quite get it, but it's close. She was so surprised when she did it that she stopped, but soon I think she'll be riding everywhere. Justin had his first day of sidewalk chalk and loved scribbling on the ground. Of course he loved eating the chalk even more and desperately wanted to roller skate with Alexis, but settled for riding on the power wheels instead. Hopefully he'll learn to push the button on his own soon. My back is killing me from bending over to make him go. My niece ended up staying the night so the kids were up really late which meant mommy had to stay up late too, so I was exhausted by the time I went to bed at 12:30.

As if the sick kids and me being sick wasn't enough, Bella decided to get sick too. Last night she had to go outside what seems like every 30 minutes. I bet she squatted to pee 10 times or more every time we took her out. The last straw was when she peed on the bed. Off to the kitchen she went whining and crying the whole way. Poor Anthony ended up sleeping on the couch with her so I had to get up extra early when he left for work to stay with her. I wasn't terribly mad because I knew she wasn't feeling good, but there is nothing worse than having to change the bedding at 5 am and get up at 7 am after very little sleep. Plus it was downright cold last night and I froze every time I had to go outside. My vet was closed this weekend! Grrr. I ended up taking her to another vet in a neighboring city that was super busy since it was a Saturday, but I managed to get her in. As soon as we pulled into the vet's parking lot, Alexis got sick. She threw up everywhere...but most of it was on her. Today was the one day I decided not to pack extra clothes, so I had to call my step mom to meet me at the vet with a change of clothes. Unfortunately, I didn't explain how severe it was and she only brought a shirt, so I ended up running to the store to buy some pants so Alexis didn't have to run around covered in vomit. I think she was just car sick because she seems to be fine now. She ate well at lunch and is running around everywhere, so I'll just have to watch her. Anyway, 4 hours and 67 dollars later, I'm finally home and hoping that the kids will nap. The vet determined that Bella "might" have a bladder infection and gave me some antibiotics, but since her bladder was empty they couldn't find out for sure. Hopefully she'll get better soon because I don't know if I can handle much more. I'm physically and emotionally exhausted. Time to take the kids to the bedroom and see if we can all take a nap. Cross your fingers!

Thanksgiving

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I thought today I should take a few minutes to post about all of the things in my life that I am thankful for. All too often I focus on the negative things going on and forget that I am truly blessed in so many ways.

I have a wonderful husband. No one ever said that marriage would be easy and there are times when things are so strained between Anthony and I that I just want to run away from it all. But the truth is...I wouldn't have it any other way. It is the hard times and the obstacles that we face together that help make us and our relationship stronger. No matter how hard things get, I love him with all of my heart and could never imagine life without him by my side. He is my best friend and will always be one of the greatest blessings in my life. I love you honey!

We have a wonderful family. My mom is the most selfless person I have ever met. She has always supported me and always went out of her way to be there for me. She is the same way with her grandchildren and Justin and Alexis will have in her someone that will love them and help them to be better people. I love her so much and am so greatful for all of the love she has given me, all the things she has done for me, and all the sacrifices she has made in order to make my life what it is today. I have a wonderful older brother in Illinois that I miss so much. I never realized how big a part of my life he was until he moved 2000 miles away. Now I get it. I miss him every day and look forward to seeing him at Christmas. (Less than a month til he gets here!) I love you Ted and am so thankful that God gave me an older brother like you to watch out for me! I also have 3 younger brothers who are blessings in their own right. When my parents separated I never thought I'd have younger siblings, but God had other plans and now I have 3. Michael, Christopher, and Matthew. You all have so much potential. Embrace it and go out and be the best that you can. I love you and believe in you and am so thankful to have you in my life. I have other family members, aunts and uncles and cousins, the list goes on an on, who are all so special. Even though I don't see many of them as much as I would like, I still think of them often and am very thankful that God has given me such a loving and caring extended family. I got so lucky when I married Anthony, not just because of how great he is, but his family is pretty wonderful too! My sister-in-laws, my brother-in-laws, my mother-in-law. With all of the horror story one hears about in-laws, you would never imagine that your significant other's family could be so loving and so accepting and so willing to make you a part of their family. Yet, they have and after only 4 short years of marriage, they feel like my family too; a family that I've always been a part of and one that I will always be a part of.

I have awesome friends. Many of our friends live great distances away and our only contact is a phone call here, a Myspace message there, an email here, or a a text message there, but they are true friends. You know the type: the ones who are the people you call when something goes wrong or the ones you call when something goes right. They are then ones that matter all the time and no amount of time or distance will ever separate you. We love you all and know that even when there are large stretches of time in which we don't see or talk to you, you are still in our thoughts, our prayers, and our hearts. For the many wonderful online friends I have made, know that though we may have never met and in many cases never will, you all are just as special to me and are a great blessing in my life.

In time of great economic uncertaintity, we are fortunate. Anthony has a job. With all it's flaws and problems, it pays well and gives us the things we need and the things we want. We have a beautiful house with nice things. We have food to eat and never know what it is like to really be hungry. We have beds to sleep in and clothes to wear. We are truly blessed.

I have beautiful, wonderful children. I saved them for last because they are probably the biggest blessing in my life. I always wanted to be a mommy, but I had no idea how wonderful it would actually be. Alexis and Justin are the greatest children a mommy could ever ask for. They are well-behaved (most of the time), sweet and loving (when they want to be), and just incredible kids. They do so many cute and funny things and every day they make me laugh and smile and every day I as I watch them becoming a big girl and boy, I realize what exceptional little people they are becoming. I am so thankful for them and for the opportunity to stay home with them and watch them grow.

Of course, there are many other things that I am thankful for, but alas, duty calls and I must change diapers, vacuum floors, and play with playdough. So today, the day before Thanksgiving, take a moment to think about and enjoy all of the things that God has blessed you for and remind the people in your life how much they mean to you. Though they may already know it, sometimes hearing it is the greatest gift of all. Happy Thanksgiving!

Alexis...The Master Manipulator

I like to put my kids to bed between 9 & 10 every night. I've gotten into the habit of laying down with them and cuddling til they go to sleep and then getting up. I usually start with Justin because he is by far the better sleeper of the two, even though lately he has been starting to fight sleep a little. I should have known the night was going to be a disaster at 9:30 when both of the kids showed no signs of being tired. Nonetheless, at 10 o'clock I dutifully took Justin to his bed and laid him down. Half an hour later, after much cuddling, fighting, lullaby singing, and a sippy cup of chocolate milk (yes, I'm a horrible mother), the little man finally rolled over, hugged his Teddy and fell fast asleep. I hoped at this point, that Alexis would be getting tired and would readily go to bed. Tonight was just not meant to be an easy night and I realized that Alexis has learned to manipulate both me and the situation to make things happen the way she wants them to. When I first mentioned bed she immediately feigned starvation and shouted, "I'm hungry! Please make me a sandwich." How could I say no when she was so polite and I couldn't bear the thought of her going to bed hungry. She really must have been famished because she ate half a salami sandwich, a pack of twinkie bites and 3 banana nut mini muffins before declaring she was "full". So off to bed we headed once again. This time we actually got laid down in her bed, but sleep was still not to be had. She begged for her entourage of stuffed animals. She needed Green Puppy, Black Puppy, Mr. Bear, and her rabbit in order to go to bed. Fifteen minutes later after searching through the closet and her toy box, the required animals were located and put in bed. Once again, I attempted to lay down and cuddle. Her next request: "I have to pee!" Okay, so what I really wanted to say was, "Go to sleep!" but what if she really needed to pee? We've been working so diligently on potty learning, that I once again allowed her out of her bed to go to the bathroom. Much to her credit, she didn't try to play in the restroom and managed to sit on the potty for almost 30 minutes. Of course, she didn't pee either, so we finally put on her pullup and climbed into bed. She spent the next 15 minutes trying to get me to talk to her and further increased the time she was allowed to stay awake by hugging, kissing, and professing her love to me. For those of you who don't know Alexis, this might seem like a normal thing, but my child is not a love bug. She gives a fair amount of hugs and kisses, but most of them require much coercion. Not tonight. She was so sweet and cute and I couldn't resist stealing kiss after kiss. So a little over an hour after we first headed toward her bedroom, she is finally asleep and I realize that my little girl completely and totally played me like a fiddle tonight and she was so good at it. I've watched her do it to Daddy and Nana, but never imagined she would be able to work me over like she did tonight. I'll have to get much tougher with her now or else bedtime will be a nightmare. Especially since she and Justin still sleep in the same room. Sometimes I wish I were strong enough to make them cry it out, but I know in my heart that will never be me.

Update on Anthony's New Job

A few weeks ago I had written that Anthony was really struggling with his new job and that the management was really giving him a hard time. I am glad to report that things have turned around and are getting much better. He has finally proved himself by working hard and never complaining. It appears that he has won the respect of both management and his fellow employees and is starting to feel like this job will be at least tolerable until I finish grad school. There are a couple of other perks to being a mail carrier. 1) He is walking A LOT! In the past month he has lost nearly 30 pounds and is really starting to get back in shape. It's been great for his energy level and I'm sure it's making him much more healthy too. 2) The money is pretty wonderful. It is quite a bit more than he was making before which has helped emensely with our finances. I am so thankful that everything is starting to look up.

What Were They Thinking?

My kids are disgusting! I know they are only 1 & 2 and don't know any better, but still. Here's the story. Our St. Bernard puppy, Bella, is being trained to ring a bell that hangs on the door knob when she needs to go outside and she is doing pretty well with the exception of a few accidents here and there. (I'm sure you already see where this is going) Yesterday morning while I was doing dishes she apparently had an accident in the playroom. I'm thinking she is somewhat like a child and got so wrapped up in playing that she just forgot to go to the door. Not a big deal as accidents happens and she isn't even 4 months old yet, so if Alexis had come to the kitchen and told me Bella had pooped, cleanup would have been swift and things would have been fine. Alas, for whatever reason, both kids decided it was a good idea to play with the poop. I understand Justin doing it because he is still very much sensory motor oriented and explores things with his hands and his mouth, but Alexis is usually so much more advanced than that. She usually will tell me not only when Bella has an accident, but also when Justin needs changed. "Momma, Justin's stinky!" So I would think that one or both of them should have realized the very stinky poop was not a good idea to play in. So out of the playroom come my dirty children, covered in poop from head to toe. (St. Bernard's have big poops, even at 4 months old) I promptly stripped them, threw them in the bath and proceeded to wash them. Then I put them in the playpen (oh how they screamed at being "caged") and went to the playroom to access the damage. It looked like WW III had hit the kids playroom. Poop was on the walls, smeared into the carpet, just EVERYWHERE. It also had made it's way down the hallway and boy did it reek! So after 2 hours of carpet cleaning and odor/stain removers the kids were finally allowed out of the playpen. Unfortunately, the playroom was off limits for the day because of the wet carpet, but at least everything was clean and sanitary. As for Bella...her punishment was the kitchen all day except when I took her out to pee and poop. By the way...no more accidents yesterday or today. I'm thinking she didn't like all day in the kitchen yesterday. I still wonder what my kids were thinking. I would so love to be in their little minds and see how they work!

Silver Treats Free Jewelry Contest

Handbag Planet is launching a sister site that sells jewelry called Silver Treats. Like the handbag contest last month, Silver Treats will be giving away a free jewelry set for the first 12 days of December. You can enter the contest here! Good Luck!

Heaven is a bath!

The kids are finally starting to take their naps at the same time, so today, in lieu of my usual nap, I opted for a bath. Not just your regular, get in the bath, wash, and get out bath, but instead, lots of hot water, bath salts, and an hour of uninterrupted soaking. I forgot how much I love baths! It was so nice to relax without listening to screaming and yelling and without Justin throwing everything but the kitchen sink in the tub. I think I may have to start doing this once a week because I feel so refreshed and ready to take on the world again.

My Children are Driving Me Insane!

I love these little boogers more than life itself, but I don't know what has gotten into them today. Justin is climbing on/in everything. Not just regular things either like the couch or chairs. He has a leapfrog music table that he keeps turning upside down and getting inside (where he immediately gets stuck and cries and screams and throws a tantrum). Then there's the sing-a-long stage that he is climbing up on. The worst one is this Mickey Mouse saucer chair we have. He either stands up in it and tumbles over or he turns it upside down and gets stuck inside the legs. I don't get it. I know that climbing is a developmental milestone, but Alexis NEVER climbed like this! Is it because he's a boy? And the incessant fits and crying. He's only 15 months and I swear he's in his terrible 2's already. He gets mad when he can't do what he is trying to do...he gets mad when I won't hold him when he wants me to...he gets mad when Alexis won't play with him...he gets mad when he trips over his feet. It's awful. Alexis is another story. She is constantly hitting, slapping, kicking, and just plain out abusing Justin. (Could be why he is crying so much) I thought she was done with her terrible 2's. Apparently not. Then when I get on to her for misbehaving, tears, tears, and more tears. I've never seen her cry as much as she has the last few days. The funniest thing was when she started crying because Justin was "looking at her". Yep, she was crying like she's had been beaten and was screaming, "Stop looking at me! Justin's looking at me!" She didn't have much of a nap today so maybe that explains why she is crying over everythhing todaay, but it really is driving me crazy. I know this doesn't seem that bad, but for me it is HELL! My kids are usually so well behaved, with the exception of a few little fights or fits so this out of control, fighting, constant crying behavior is pure torture. I'm afraid it's the beginning of a trend and that I am going to have 2 children going through their terrible 2's. Let's just hope I don't lose my mind before they grow out of it. Did I mention that if I have to watch Racing Stripes one more time I'm gonna scream? Yep, Alexis's favorite movie and we've watched it a grand total of 4 times since 8 am. She gets on her little rocking horse and pretends to be racing. Complete with her Elmo bicycle helmet. If I can figure out how to add a video, I'll post some from my cell phone from last night. The quality isn't very good and I hate that I'm talking in them, but you get the idea. It really is super cute, but annoying beyond belief after the three millionth time.

Maybe I'm just overreacting because I'm sick, too. It's just a cold and my body seems to be trying to fight it off, but I'm exhausted and my head hurts and I wish I could go to bed and stay there for the next week. Not gonna happen, but a nice thought anyway. Enough of my whining. The kids are both crying again. Wish me luck!

Last Night....

was so awful. We all went to bed around 10 which was already later than I wanted, but the kids took an extra long nap, so I figured I was lucky it wasn't later. I wasn't very tired, but neither of them wanted to go to sleep without mommy, so we all curled up in my bed and went to sleep. Alexis woke up for the first time around 1am. Her nose was stuffy, she was having trouble breathing, and she just couldn't get comfortable. She asked for some milk and went back to a very restless sleep. I think my ribs are bruised from all of the kicking. When she woke me up at 3am, she felt like she was burning up. I took her temperature and sure enough, 103.7. A little high, but not really anything to worry about quite yet. I gave her some motrin (as we haven't had a lot of luck with tylenol and high fevers) and tried to get her back to sleep. Not more than 5 minutes later, she started gagging and told me she was going to throw up. We hurried to the restroom which is mercilessly close to the bed and she proceeded to vomit for a few minutes. She was such a big girl about it. Nothing like the girl last year who cried when she threw up all over herself. When it was over, she said she felt better and wanted to watch tv, so I gave her some gatorade, put a cold, wet rag on her forehead, and laid her down on the couch. At this point, Justin was awake and was thinking about getting out of bed. I turned off the light and told him to go back to sleep and surprisingly enough, he did. Alexis said she was hungry and managed to keep down some string cheese (her choice not mine) and we watched Sprout until about 6am. It took almost that long for her fever to go down, then I put some vicks on her chest and carried her back to bed. When Justin woke up at 7am i thought I might die. Not really, but i felt so extremely tired and still do. I think we are still a couple of hours from a nap and after 4 shots of espresso, I don't feel too terriblly bad. In fact, I think I'll start cleaning soon. Alexis seems to be feeling better. She is a little grumpy and more whiney than usual, but she is playing with Justin and her fever seems to be gone. I thought it was a cold, but now I'm thinking this is a side effect of her flu vaccine. I would have expected her to get ill sooner if that was the case, but then again, it was the nasal spray so maybe it affects kids different than the actual shot? I knew I should have insisted on the shot. The virus in the shot is inactive, while the one in the nasal spray is active. The doctor insisted that though it was active the chances of it making her sick were minimal as it is a virus that is manipulated that needs cooler temperatures than those in the body to survive. Alexis's puppy dog eyes and cute little voice saying, "I don't want a shot" along with the doctor's assurances were more than I could handle, but next year...it's the needle! Anyway, I hate when the kids don't feel good, but it looks like she is on the upswing. She even managed to eat some toast and drink two glasses of chocolate milk, so I'll take it as a good sign. Hopefully, Justin stays healthy. I'd hate for them to both be sick together, especially since tomorrow is Anthony's only day off for the week and it would stink if he had to listen to them fight on our one day to enjoy the whole day as a family.

The dreaded doctors office!

Well, just like every other time that I take my kids in for their well-child visits, they are once again sick. They both had their flu shots on Tuesday and after a 2 hour wait in the office surrounded by sick children, both of my babies woke up ill. The doctors and nurses are so wonderful, but the office staff is inept and rude. And because it is a clinic they are constantly overran with walkins. You would think that the appointments would take precedence, but they don't. It's still first come first serve, so appointments don't mean anything. They went to bed last night as happy, smiling, children and woke up this morning as coughing, sneezing, runny nosed, whiney, crying kids. I should be used to this because it happens every time, but I'm just getting annoyed. Not just by the sick kids, but by the long waits and not so friendly office staff. I love the doctors and the nurses and will surely miss them, but I think it is time for a change. Anthony & I will really have to start talking about it, but I think we will be changing the kids doctors in hopes of preserving my sanity.

Taking Care of Babies and Other Random Thoughts

Boy the last couple of days have been exhausting. As most of you know, my mom is retired and lives with us and is a humongous help with the kids. She left on Tuesday to visit my brother in Illinois for a month and boy am I feeling her absence. It's not that I can't take care of the kids by myself...it's just that I have gotten so used to having help (she's been with us or should I say we've been with her since before Alexis was born) that I forget how difficult it can be to keep up with both of them and still manage to take care of Anthony, the dog, the house, and myself. I am exhausted, but we are adjusting. It's been very difficult for the kids, especially for Alexis since she is nana's girl, because they miss her. Mostly it's hard at night when Alexis wants Nana and she's not home, but I know we will all be alright. There has been one good thing about Nana's vacation. With just me and Daddy around, we are finally getting on a regular schedule and we are getting a little more organized. The kids are going to bed around 9 (very early for both of them as they are night owls) and we get up at 6:30 (also very early, but it's been really nice to have a cup of coffee with daddy before he goes to work). We've done doctor's appointments and trips to vets, grocery shopping and even walks in the evening. Daddy takes care of baths in the evening, so I can do dishes and then we read before bed.

Last night was extra special. Uncle Ted and Uncle Earl sent the kids "Where the Wild Things Are" for Halloween. There were some hangups (specifically a dishonest internet company) in us getting the book though we received the stuffed wild thing a couple of weeks ago. We were gonna hang onto it for Christmas, but Uncle Ted insisted we read it to them last night. Alexis was terrified of the stuffed animal. Seriously, we asked her if she wanted to hold it while Daddy read the book and she nearly cried. She quickly picked up a stuffed dog and told us her hands were too full. Since Justin is not quite old enough to be scared of non-living things, he gladly held onto it. Alexis loved the story and we must have read it at least 5 times last night. We decided that the book would be Alexis's and the stuffed animal Justin's. He finally had a gift that Alexis wouldn't take away from him. However, Bella likes the wild thing too and figured that since she was part of the family, she should get a turn holding him. We spent some time chasing her around the living room to get it back. Here are Daddy and the kids reading.


Justin is really becoming a handful. I can't believe how many things the kids gets into and OMG the climbing! My laptop is now broken thanks in part to his climbing. Last night he moved his LeapFrog music table over to the couch so he could use it to climb up. He then proceeded to hop up on the tv tray where the laptop is and sit on it. It's just the enter key and can probably be fixed with some super glue, but boy has it been annoying trying to type without it today. You don't realize how much you use it until it's gone.

I must take at least a moment to mention how proud I am of Alexis. She is becoming such a big girl even though she still won't use the potty. She was doing so well, but since my mom has been out of town....NOTHING! Today, I had to take Justin to the doctor because it appeared that his eye and eyelid were swelling. Actually, it looked like part of his eye was hanging out of his eyelid, but thankfully, it is just an infection and should clear up in a few days with some antibiotics. I was completely freaked out this morning when I first saw it and spent a good ten minutes crying after I made Justin's doctor's appointment. After making Alexis sit in the doctor's office on Tuesday for 2 hours, I really didn't want her to have to sit there again. I called my little brother and asked him if he could come sit with Alexis for an hour and he was hesitant. (He's freaked out by dirty diapers and was terrified that she might choke on something. To make a long story short he did come, but with my ex-stepmother, who Alexis hasn't really spent much time with. Alexis took it like a champ! She didn't cry, whine, or complain when I left with Justin. She simply said, "the doctor will take care of my brother", gave me a kiss, and went off to watch tv. This may not seem like a big deal, but you must understand that I NEVER leave my kids with anyone except my mom and Anthony. Leaving her alone with someone else should have completely freaked her out, but she was so good. My baby is growing up and though every day is something new and exciting, it also makes me sad.

On a side note. I'm sure many of you are wondering why I'm not complaining about the outcome of the elections since those of you who have talked to me lately have been forced to listen to me bitch and whine. Well, I've decided that complaining about it isn't doing any good. It's not gonna change anything and it isn't making me feel better...in fact...it's just making me angry, so I've decided to accept the things I cannot change and move on, hoping and praying that things will all work out in the end. Ce lest vie.