Happy Birthday Mommy!!!

Today is my Mommy's birthday!   We got her two cards, one from all the boys and the animals.  Another from Dennis and I, and Heather and Jeremy... 

I saw this card - and I knew I had to get it.  Heather has been expressing a lot of regret, a lot of guilt, over not voicing things with her parents.  It's "too late" and she can't tell them now, and she regrets not telling her how much she loved them, how much she appreciated the things they did for her.  How her Mom sat by her and supported her, holding her hand, through chemo.  How she was her biggest fan and person who told her she could do it...  reminding her that everyday.  (I do remember her expressing how much she appreciated that!) ...  How she wished she could tell her (step) Dad how much she appreciated all the love he poured into her, how he would read her stories when she was little... how he would always drop everything to come and pick her up if she needed, and everything he did as a parent.  He was not her parent by blood, but he was her Dad just by importance.  He was the only Dad she ever knew, and he was the perfect Dad to her.  She was his little girl, just as much as she was her Mom's.  She feels like she didn't tell them that she loved them enough, that she appreciated them enough, there weren't enough hugs, there just wasn't enough ... and time took what she thought she would still have, away, a lot sooner than anyone expected. 

So having these discussions with her, I saw this card, and I knew I had to get it for my Mom.  

And then I wanted to get her a fun card from the boys and the animals!  So I looked and looked and looked a lot...  and I saw this one....

Minus Kale & Shila and the girls, all the kids signed on their own...   and I just thought it was funny ... I wrote Kale & Fam's names on the pink side - usually because Nathan does his name large, I wanted to make sure he had room...  well, because I had put their names over there first, and then had all the other kids sign it ... ALL OF THEM wrote their names on the pink side.  (Smacks Head!) ...  so all the animals went on the green side.  LOL...  

We also go her this...  she works a lot with sewing and other stuff, and sometimes she needs a magnifier.  She has this large magnifying lamp she likes, but DB had wanted to get something for him when he's working with electronics and needs an extra *umph* in magnification, and he saw this on Amazon, thought it would work great for him - and then said "We should get one for Mom too!  I'm sure she'd use it!" I agreed it was something up her ally for sure...  so we got her this thing for her birthday gift.  It comes with different "lenses" for different magnifications ... and an LED light ... you can do the headband or the full head strap ...  

I know it's not the most amazing thing for a gift, but my Mom really likes practicality too..  so I thought it was kinda perfect.  Especially now because she's getting more time on her hands to be a little more crafty now.  

So with all that out of the way ....... now I shall talk about my day... 

So after last night's puke fest ... which was VERY unpleasant - I can't even begin to go into details because I would lose the one reader I have...... not that I really write this for anyone but me, but still.  I miss getting comments.  Bah!  ANYWAY ..... Chinese doesn't feel good coming up, let me tell you that.  So I ended up falling asleep shorting after getting sick, and then I ended up sleeping until 9am (ish) ...  

It has already been pre-discussed that Nathan was going to stay home today, he's been having such stomach issues and after his DR appt - we needed to get his bowels moving again.  So either we can do it slowly or we can do it quickly and we opt'd for quick because we don't want him missing a lot of school.  So the plan was to give him a suppository this morning and let him work it out.  

And that's exactly what I did.  Didn't feel good, but he got up, he tried to poop, and he couldn't he said.  So I figured it would be a great time to get that puppy in there and help him out of his tummy ache I knew he had. 

Nathan monopolized my laptop for most of the day.  I feel like I'm so behind on blogs right now.  I have to finish them in order, so I have almost fully written blogs, half written blogs ... now two blogs I'm completely behind on because of my being too sick that day to do much of anything.  This is my place to purge it all - and I need it right now.  Trust me... I need it.   Just when I am behind three, I blink and I'm behind 8...  I thought about just ...... skipping.  But I'm not willing to give up yet.  

Anyway - so Nathan got the "Poop Rocket" and he went to poop right away, I told him no, and had to basically pull him off the toilet before he immediately pushed out the full suppository.  I reminded him he needed to "hold it" as long as could... he tried again ten seconds later, and was met with the same message.  After he pooped, the first time, his tummy was hurting pretty bad.  So he came back in the bedroom, and he laid down by me, he was watching YouTube on my laptop and I slept off an on. 

At some point, I had messaged DB and told him I was still in really rough shape.  I had barely drank, everything just hurt.  My lungs legit hurt from the powerful upchucking... everything hurt on the way "up" ... and then I woke up, he had responded.  I guess he seemed a little panicked and he was - he ended up pulling Cal out of class early and going to pick up Kaedyn early (which Bubba was NOT NOT NOT happy about.) ... and coming home. 

They got home and ...  I ate a little bit ... managed to drink a bit.  Nathan pooped again.  So while I was having a moment of feeling a bit better than I had been, I decided to go ahead and do what I had planned on doing a few days ago....  

Yeah. I did a little something.  Yep.  I did that. 

So .... the line I feel like I'm saying a bit.  For those who know me, know I'm obsessed with red hair.  I'm Irish, and I feel JIPPED! I always wanted red hair.  I had fantasies about having a daughter with red hair.  But I ended up with this weird hair that changes colors on me.  Red just wasn't one of them. 

I started out with this jet black hair....  

I had a brief time with red hair... when I was transitioning from black (dark hair) to blondish

More blondish .... 

And then as I got older my "golden brown" hair (dishwater blonde) just kept getting darker .. 

mostly I was light to medium brown ...

Every time I dye it red, it does this ... where it looks like hinting red

This is what it'll get like in the summer....  when the sun bleaches it

But this brown........ oye this dark brown just gets to me.... 

It bores me soooooooo much!!  

So I bought this ... well two of this.  I'm used to having heavy thick long hair that I need 3 or 4 boxes for...  I figured with how my hair thinned out and how short it is right now, I'd only need one box.  BUT I figured two was a better bet.  So ...  

But when I looked at it .... I didn't expect this.  I am used to thinking it's going to turn out red, and it turning out a more milder red....  so I just didn't expect this... 

So I was really shocked and kinda excited, kinda feel like it's crazy .... 

It's going to take some getting used to.  AND ... I find it kinda sexy.  Although ... I found some spots where we missed putting dye all together!  Whoopsie ...  eeps. 

And then I talked to my Grandbaby to show her what Nonna did.  LOL....  she saw me and she started to smile and then got a weird look on her face when she smiled.  LOL...  I just love that little girl so much.  She was eating some mick-d nuggest and fries and she had herself some chocolate milk. 

Oh and Miss Elly had some pie today!  Some sort of lime meringue pie ... I thought it was Lemon Meringue but Shila said it was lime.   But Elly's face at the end when she tasted the pie - PRICELESS! LOL....  anyway - these are all Shila's photos with the pie.

So at med time, I was checking Nathan's G-Tube (typical cleaning) and last night I had put on gauze under his belly pad (not a normal anymore) but he has been oozing out of his stoma more and I just wanted to make sure.  I also put some cream around his stoma and stuff.  So when I snipped the gauze open (it was taped up so it didn't fall off) I took it off and it was pretty soaked.  I also realized it was pretty loose ... so I debating about changing it (the whole Mic-Key button) but usually the changing of the tube causes Nathan a lot of anxiety and he likes to be warned a few days before hand, and the night before.  So a few days ago when I ordered the kit (but there was a few day delay thanks to insurance), I warned him that we'd be doing it in a couple days. I told him again, when I got the kit, that we'd do it at the end of the week (tomorrow) and so tonight I decided to not give him a feed (as to not irritate his tummy or the tube tonight) and would change it tomorrow.  So after a little bit he was complaining that his tummy really hurt, so I asked him if he wanted me to change it tonight - expecting him to say not.  But to my surprise, he said yes.   I wasn't ready or set up to change it tonight - but I got set up as quick as possible while Nathan kept his eyes clamped shut, with his anxiety face exposed..  So first I cleaned it really well (with the tube in because the stoma will close really fast) and then I drained the water out of the balloon ... and I'm walking him through it, telling him everything I am doing or he's flinching at the silly stuff (like the cleaning that we do often) ... and so I pull his g-tube out and I put some silver nitrate on the granulated tissue (we do not use this a lot but he had a lot of build up right now) ... and I lubed up and put his new g-tube in and filled the balloon with water.  Whew.  Soooo much easier SO MUCH easier than the last tube change which was really rough.  REALLY rough.  I struggled to get the old one pulled out, and had more trouble getting the new one in.  It was getting close to rushing to the ER to get them to get it in.  THAT's how quickly things close and change with g-tubes.  It's scary.  Anyway ...

I did notice that I missed patches of hair.  I guess that's what happens when you do it at home - right?  Funny thing is - DB helped me miss them.  LOL.  

I showed DB who said he loved it.  It's imperfectly perfect, just like me.  He say she likes it with the brown peeking out, but me - and my OCD - I'm like....... ummmmmmmm I need to dye it again. Now. It's not right.  So I'm fighting that.  Plus, I don't have anymore dye.  Plus it took like a half hour to get all the dye to stop running out of my hair.  

And that is exactly what he said to me.  Exactly .....   I am always saying that we are imperfectly perfect.  We're imperfectly perfect for each other.  

DB and I watched a little bit of TV ...  we watched a couple episodes of Supernatural ....  These are the episodes I've watched today ....  DB and I watched Asylum together (before he went to sleep) 

 7 "Hook Man"

 8 "Bugs"

 9 "Home"

10 "Asylum"

11 "Scarecrow"

And then I watched Hell's Kitchen and Top Chef before midnight struck......  

I was really late at writing my mom her sappy "Happy Birthday" facebook post.  Even though I didn't post it until after midnight (tech. the 3rd) I am leaving it here.  Because I *meant* for it to be today.  

So it is now Feb. 3rd. I have had a rough couple of days. But my Mommy knows I didn't forget her birthday, but I hadn't had a chance to wish her a HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY ... so I wanted to (belatedly) wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY and tell her how much we all love her how much she means to all of us. My mom has worked incredibly hard all her life. She was a single mom at 21, but luckily she had the support of her parents, who took care of me, while she finished school, and worked really hard. Most of her life she has worked many jobs at once. Today she "retired" too... she still has a part time job, and she's got some amazing sewing things she will be working on. She's used to being a busy bee. She's always worked really hard. She has supported me through a lot. When I got sick at the age of 16, she never doubted what I was telling her - and she pushed hard to get answers. She has made sure she was there for me, for the birth for all four of the boys - she had to travel from WA to WI for Noah, Nathan & Kaedyn's birthday. She was there for me and my family for the births of the preemies, and she did whatever I needed her to do. She took care of Calahan so I could stay in the NICU for Noah because that is where I needed to be. She stayed with Cal and Noah when Nathan was in the NICU. We were really really lucky to have her willing and able to come watch the boys so I could focus on the baby in the hospital. And when Nathan was born, there was the extra challenge of Noah also almost dying that week and his round the clock medication he had to take after he got to go home. I honestly don't know how I would have survived without my Mom. I don't know how I would have ever gotten through all the tough times in my life because my Mom isn't just my mom, she is my best friend and I tell her everything. And even though Mom does play favorites with the boys, I know she loves them all! Nathan just holds a really big space in her heart. I was supposed to be a boy, and named Nathan Allen, and so when Dennis and I finally thought about naming him Nathan (although she fought for the Allen too!) ... she was so happy. She'd begged me both pregnancies before for a Nathan. And then Nathan came out looking like my Mom, so it was perfect. Noah was *ALMOST* born on my Mom's birthday. We were rushed off to the hospital to have Noah delivered the following day (we were transferred on Feb. 1 and he was supposed to be born on Feb. 2) ... and so Mom was excited to get her "birthday present" the next day, but we got to the hospital and found out the conditions were too bad inside for Noah and he needed to be born right now - so he came even earlier than his already early arrival. I tease Mom that he just wanted his own birthday, but I'll tell you what, he never forgets Nana's birthday! Regardless. My mom has been my support, my anchor, my confidante, and my friend. I love her so very much, and I appreciate everything that she has ever done and continues to do. I honestly don't know what I would do without her. Two years ago her best friend died, and although it was a horrible time in our lives, I finally got that sister I had been asking for since I was four years old! Mom told Heather that she was HERS now, it would be what her Mom would have wanted. Heather and I grew up together anyway. So it's a good thing I wasn't born Nathan Allen because Heather and I would have been in an arranged marriage (yes, we've heard this all our lives.) ... anyway - it's a good thing I wasn't Nathan, because then my "wife" would have become my sister! Anyway ... I just wanted to tell my Mom how much I adore her and appreciate everything. I couldn't ask for a better mom. I really couldn't. <3Love you Mom! Happy Birthday!! Sorry it's late!! 

Happy Friday the 13th! and a lot of SIMS

Let's first address the fact that it's.......

Woohooooooooo one of my favorite days of the year!  Whenever it hits!  It just so happens that today is ALSO my best friend's birthday.  Of course J is having a really rough go of it this year...  she's still in the depths of the most gut wrenching grief possible.

She's been waiting and waiting and waiting for the funeral home to call to say they can come and pick up their baby's ashes in the little blue shoe urn they picked out.   Every day for a little while now she would mention how she was hoping that they would call to tell her they could go pick him up.  So of course, they called yesterday - after they were done running around for the day - to say they could go pick him up.

So they weren't going to go back out right then - so they decided to pick him up today, on her birthday of all days.  ......  Happy Birthday!  Here is your dead baby!   (she said that, I'm not being crass)

But in a way .... it is kinda a gift.  I know how much better she'll feel just to have him home, with her.  Yeah, it's his ashes, but it's HIM.  He belongs with her..... breaks my heart too.

I spent my sleepless moments early on writing her a very heartfelt message of how I feel about her.

"I know you said today was going to be awful, and you basically wanted to forget today was your birthday, so I am here to remind you. Please make sure your seat belt is fastened and remember to keep your arms and legs inside at all times, this may be a bumpy ride. 15 years ago, we met. I shamelessly pursued you, demanding you be my new BFF (the old model wasn't around much and would eventually be abducted by aliens, never to be heard from again, because how could anyone ever want to stop being friends with me?) Like all amazing relationships it feels like we've known each other forever, and feels like we just met yesterday. We have been through major life events together.. preemies, pregnancies, miscarriages, TTC, babies, divorces, Internet long distance dating, marriages, deaths, a fire, crazy drama filled friends, a psycho neighbor, moves, cheating, not-cheating, amazing addictive games, vacations, legal issues, custody issues, child support issues, crazy-mother-fucker ex issues, family issues, medical ups and downs, winning the lottery.....wait, crap, that was wishful thinking....scratch that one off the list... regardless. ... we have been each other's supports through the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows.. we may not always agree, or like the same things.... but when it comes down to it, our bond is stronger than chains made of the strongest metal ten inches thick. You are my rock, my life preserver, my anchor and my (sometimes) voice of reason. You are the arms that hold me tight when I can do nothing but sob, and the voice that cheers the loudest when I am soaring high. I want nothing more than your pure happiness but I am here whenever your knees are weak, holding you until you are ready to try and to stand again, staying right beside you, supporting you, reminding you that you CAN do this, you got it, until you can stand strong fully on your own again. I want nothing but your dreams coming true! Today you aren't another year older, you are just one more day older, just like everyone else on the planet.... today is just the anniversary of the day you caused your mother the greatest pain of her life because you left her womb. Today you are still the most amazing, beautiful, kind hearted, compassionate, soft hearted, intelligent, well spoken, bestestest friend in the whole world. I love you, I would still pick you as my best friend if I had to do it all over. You are and always will be my person. I wish you felt as special today and as you are to me. I could not imagine my life without you. Seriously. Happy Womb Exodus Day."

I sent it to her, I know she doesn't even really want to acknowledge her birthday at all.  She just doesn't care at the moment.  But I feel as if I need to tell her today - just how important she is to me.  I am so honored to be her best friend, and to have her as my best friend.  We literally talk about anything and everything.  She is my person.  (Those who watch Grey's knows what that means.)

So she did end up picking him up and bringing him home to her.  She said that her, her hubby, and both my nieces kissed the little shoe urn before they put him in the safe place where they are keeping him and all the little mementos they have at the moment.

Moving on .... Nathan looks so sweet when he's sleeping.  Regardless, he's feeling better so he's going to school today.  Today is his swimming day, and he loves the days that he gets to go on the bus to the YMCA for swimming.

So today I continued the rest .... and all both of our cats, and Jaxson kept me company.

DB had put the pill case infront of Alyvia because he's like "don't cross this line Jax" ... but really, if he gets near her at all she starts to hiss at him and bat at him with her paw.  He totally leaves her alone, lol... but she just doesn't like him.  Little hissy.  Marshmellow, though, is just like ... you leave me alone, I'll leave you alone.  But he makes Alyvia very uneasy.  But she tolerates being near him, as long as he's not too close to her....

I sent this picture to DB because their paws are touching.  LOL.  He had come up at one point and said that pretty soon we're going to find out Marshmellow curled up with him.

DB only has one class today, Cal doesn't have classes on Friday at all.  So they are both here helping today.  I have Cal getting some cleaning done.  Sucks I can't get out of bed much.  I'm dealing with the pain from the pancreatitis okay, not taking many pain pills now, just cuz I don't like taking them during the day if I don't need them.  So as long as I don't move around much, the busted foot and the busted organs are okay.

I'm really proud of DB ...  I just have to say that.  He's getting it done.  He's following through.  He's feeling better (with his Fibro) and is learning how to control it and live with the constant suckass that Fibro is.  I did that for 18 years ... and then BAM, I just can't deal very well anymore.  This flare up, I'm pretty sure just isn't going to go away.  I'm not lazy, I wish I could get up and do things that I want to do - like the cleaning and laundry and everything else.  Even just sitting downstairs.  It suck that I spend most of my life in bed right now.  But it is what it is.  I want to go back to school now ... but I'm just not sure I can handle it.  I need more spoons and less pain and fatigue.

But there was a lot of SIMMING going on today!

So last night I left Alyvia and her husband with the twin girls, Bella & Bekah.  Her and Trace were enjoying teaching their girls to walk, and talk, and potty training ....  even Alyvia's sister Aubrey was helping out while she wasn't working on being a straight A student in high school.

But wait......  Alyvia is pregnant again!!

Between taking care of the girls, and everything else, she found a little time to paint here and there.

But you can give the Toddlers a bath or even a bubble bath...

But I discovered that the toddlers could get up on the furniture....

 They even get into trouble by playing in the toilet ...

 The look on her face (ROFLMBO)

This is when I found Bekah upstairs and thought someone took her upstairs ...(but really she went up there herself)

The toddlers can DANCE too!!   It's pretty awesome!  We have dance parties now!

Potty training!

Sitting around chatting....

Teaching them to talk ....

So the bigger dollhouse is the one that was in game for the older kids.... the smaller one was added with the toddlers.... but the toddlers (and everyone else) can play with either one.

Alyvia is having the baby!!  Oh boy!!!

No really ... oh BOY!!   They had a boy, and his name is Boyd.

Needless to say, they didn't wait six weeks ...  (cough cough) ....

Look who's pregnant again ......

She tells Trace, and the look on his face....  I could not stop laughing!!!

Daddy and Boyd time!

Getting ready to tuck the girls into bed.

Feeding the girls (peas)

Boyd is aged up.  All three of the kids....  Boyd, Bekah and Bella.   Boyd has the Charmer trait.  Bekah has the Independent and Bella has the Inquisitive trait.  Bekah is all over the place, she explores and I will find her in funny places.  Like in the girls room upstairs, playing with the big stuffed dragon or the doll house upstairs.  She likes to just run around.  Bella is really interested in learning and she tries to learn stuff on her own too.  However, she gets really sad if there isn't a parent around.  When the kids get sad or angry, they do special little things.  Like, when they are sad you have the option of them crying because of this or that.  When they are angry, the have the option of throwing a temper tantrum.

Alyvia is VERY pregnant...

Her back hurts a lot during this pregnancy.  Here she is potty training Boyd.

Here is Bekah coming down the stairs in the house.

All three kids playing outside in their little play area just outside of their room.

So you have the option of hiring a "Nanny" too.  They come and introduce themselves as Nanny So-and-So.

Alyvia is ready to have the baby ....

The kids (Bella) asked her to teach her something.  Bekah watching and Boyd is running around.

Brynn is born....

And Brooke!

I think I'm gonna have to start up their story on my SIMS blog!! Now that I'm playing again.

So I'll do that now, instead of here.

But that's where I ended for the night.

I am really happy with the way they did the toddlers.  It's a lot of fun and definitely more things to do than in SIMS 3.

I did finally download some custom content.  I only have the base game at the moment, so I don't have a lot of choices.  But something I download make the body invisible.  Ha...  *sigh* ... crap.  So I have to fix that ...   So Mom & Dad got some new looks.