Tree vs. Toddler

Can I just say - at the end of the day, my arm is KILLING me from that tetanus shot :(  (insert mini violins here) ... just thought I would share that.  Just sayin....

So...  I had a conversation with Calahan today ... it went like this.....

Me:  "So Calahan, what are you getting Dennis and I for our anniversary"  (remember, Dennis is Cal's step-dad and doesn't call him Dad on a regular basis but every now and then he does)

Cal: "Huh? I thought you were suppose to get each other something?"

Me: "Well we are but you are too, I mean, you could offer up free babysitting for example!"

Cal: (looking shocked and confused)  "WHAT?"

Me:  "Bay-Bee-Sit-ting" I said it slowly because obviously he hadn't quite understood me. 

Cal:  "I'll do it for a buck and that is my final offer"

Me:  "Or how about getting up early and letting us sleep in?  Make us breakfast in bed."

Cal: "I don't think so, I don't know how to make breakfast unless you want cereal."  Obviously we need to work on cooking more!

Me: "How about a big banner that says HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM & DAD"

Cal:  "I'd need good paper for that."

At this point I'm almost laughing out loud but I'm totally trying to act serious so that would be silly.   So I dropped it then, and he quickly ran away.

So... I am NOT sure that my tree - or the precious ornaments on it that hold tons of memories...  is going to survive this year.

See - Nathan is so fascinated by the tree and the lights that you can catch him just starring at it - not doing harm per-say - just watching... 

 Even Kaedyn loves looking at the lights and checking out the ornaments....

 

 Well today...... Nathan TRIED to climb the tree..... seriously?  SERIOUSLY?  Come on... not this... luckily the tree and Nathan have survived....   the two of them just spell....

T-R-O-U-B-L-E .........

Kaedyn says ...  "Be-careful - the FISH get it next!"

Today .... Sat-er-day......... (Halloween Photos)

 What to do on a blistery cold Saturday?   We're having a heat wave!  It's 9 degrees at 10am!  YAY!  It might get up to double digits today!!!   The boys are having free days.  Nathan is watching cartoons, playing and coloring (as usual) ...  Noah is suppose to be cleaning his room but I have a feeling that he's not.  Calahan is on the computer (where else would he be?) but he has to take out the trash and pick up the kitchen floor for it to be swept yet.  Kaedyn is... well, being Kaedyn.  He's currently hanging on the edge of Daddy's desk watching Calahan play.  He's almost ready for his morning nap.   Both the babies have bad bad colds :(  They have crusty faces - so not nice.  Nathan looooooves to have his face washed, it's like a massage to him.  Kaedyn how ever acts like you are wiping his face with acid.  Kaedyn takes the cold meds like a champ though and Nathan puts up more of a struggle.... and when I say struggle ... I mean he gets it out of his mouth any way he can -which includes spitting it out which is always fun because of his cleft palate it comes out of his nose too.  However, to give the kid credit - he has been taking it very very well the last few days, and I have a feeling it's because he can't taste.  So we are always sure to express what a good boy he is when he takes it so well.  YAY Nate!!

So far......... today... I have had flying donut holes (they had a treat this morning for breakfast, not normal) ... a lamp that got pulled over and a very bewildered Kaedyn standing over it going "huh?" ...  dancing on Nathan's coloring book (by Kaedyn) who thought it was hilarious he was pissing Nathan off...  and later, when he did it again, Nathan just ignored him...  an entire cup of chocolate milk shaken out of a cup (Nathan can only drink out of soft tops thanks to his cleft palate so they are easy to dump) onto the kitchen floor... always the highlight of my day!  I thought he was hiding in his cupboard in the kitchen not spreading chocolate love!

And now, while the kids have their free day ...  I'm going to do my best with continuing to get my blog back to "normal" .. lol... I'm working on my blog list right now.  I'm going through all the blogs that I follow and post the ones that I read (I am more likely to read you if you read me and note me, LOL, I love to get notes just like anyone, and I leave them if I read your blog) ...  I'm also going through them all to grab everyone's buttons because I lost all that stuff when I re-did my blog layout the other day.  So I lost a bunch of blogs that I read because they were on my blog list and not on my follow list.  :: sigh ::  Oh well huh?  What can a girl do?  I hope I find them again though.   So I'm slowly but surely getting my blog back in order.  (YAY!  I am through the A's and onto the B's... and suddenly thinking, I have way to many people to follow! LOL, but I'm going through each one deleting ones that are no longer there, or haven't been written in - in over a year or whatever...etc... and collecting buttons)(1pm, I'm done with the B's - yay!  Onto the C's...  but I'm taking a break to make lunch for the family first!  This may take some time!  Like, DAYS! LOL)

Can I just say that anytime I take pictures Nathan has to come running to my side and help me? LOL... he looooooooooves to look at the LCD screen!   So when you see pictures of him grinning like a loon, well, mostly likely it's because he's looking at himself in the LCD screen flipped for him to see. 

And with that said, I will share some more photos from the past couple months.   From Halloween this time.....

Nathan and Kaedyn dressed up ... bet you can't guess what they are? LOL...  It took us awhile with Nathan for him to be able to put on his costume and be happy.  The first time we tried it to make sure it fit, he screamed and screamed,  so it hung on our closet door for a month or so - so that he could see it everyday.  Eventually, HE started to ask for it to be put on.   Kaedyn - well he just goes with the flow.  LOL..

Here is Calahan and Noah - Cal just wanted something scary because being 13, he just wanted to hand out candy this year, and Noah was a black Power Ranger ... 

 Nathan LOVED going up to each house trick-or-treating!  He walked our whole road almost by himself, and he got upset if Dad picked him up to quicken the pace (cuz it was very cold) ...  Noah always loves Trick or Treating and Kaedyn just wanted to dig into his basket! LOL

Our bowl of candy to hand out.  It was empty by the end of the night and Dennis had to run to get more.  We were giving out handfuls of candy though.  Cal did all the handing out until we got home from trick-or-treating and then it was Noah's turn, and Noah had help by Nathan which was really cute.

A Day full of Needles: Ramble... and an Award!

 Let me start out with the awesome new award I got from Shelly at Attic Girl  ... Thank you so much Shelly for thinking of me!

With this award, I am to be honest about 10 things in my life:


1:  I always wanted a little girl, didn't care how many kids I had or how many were boys as long as I got ONE girl.... but I got all boys (and a step-daughter I've never met)

2: I hope to foster kids someday down the road.   I think I'd be good at it.

3:  I love Ghost shows (Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, The Haunting, etc)

4:  I met my husband online

5: I never drank until I was 29 years old.  My friends tried and tried and I'd have sips of stuff but - never liked it.  Then after separating from my ex-husband, I dated a bartender for a brief time and for the first time in my life - drank.  It lasted about 6 months, and I haven't drank since ... Dennis and I drink the Welch's non-alcoholic champagne, that's about it...  

6: I got sick when I was 16, in Highschool with an auto-immune disorder. It still effects me now.

7:  My lucky number is 13.  It's followed me all my life.  I have 13 letters in my full name, I ended up giving all my kids 13 letters in their first and middle name - first 2 were completely un-planned, 2nd two were planned because I realized I had done it with the first 2.  Dennis has 13 letters in his first and middle name.  I could go on and on and on but I won't.  It's just my lucky number and that's that.

8:  I look at the clock all the time at 12:12 am.  What does that mean?  "12:12," I would say.  "Witching hour." Then I would watch until it turned 12:13 am and I would say "12:13, next best thing."   Dennis thinks I died at 12:12 in a previous life and that I have to watch until it turns 12:13 so I know I'll live another day. 

9:  My Grandma was psychic and so am I ... lol..  but I don't let it out much, I fight it to much.  Don't believe me, I have many many stories with in my life ... ones that have been witnessed.

10:  I am very honest about my feelings and writing (blogging) is my therapy.  Just because I feel something one day, one way, doesn't mean it won't change later on because I am just spewing feelings I need to release and work through.  Sometimes by doing so, I see the other side and realize that I'm wrong, or that I'm not thinking around it right. 

 And now to reward it to others ...  I decided to go with some new blogs that I really like - because I honestly thought they could use some blogging community LOVE!! 

1: Kimberly at The rantings of a Drama Queens Mum ~ I have a drama king, does that count? LOL
2: WeloveTucker at Stay Home and Play 
3: Christie at Baby Tea Leaves
4: Lindsay from Once Upon a Mommy
5: April from Southern Sass

Before I forget, I totally changed my blog around and lost everything on my sides ... oye!  So I have to go around and collect buttons for those I enjoy reading!!  I hope that if you enjoy reading my blog, you grab my button!  But I'll be working on getting buttons here this weekend since it's so cold I don't think we are leaving the house!

 I've been having some trouble writing lately.  I am in this spot in a new book I'm working on where I am just ..... S-T-U-C-K ........ and I'm not sure where to go.  I wish I had more time to write, but I am enjoying the time with my kids right now too.  I can't complain.  Maybe I'll have some more time to devote to it soon. 

It seems to be a pretty good book so far.  Who knows.  Dennis really wants me to try get publish something.  I'm mighty afraid to.  I really am.  It's one thing to write for me, for the enjoyment of it, to share with friends, but now it's like....... I donno.  I don't write well under dead-lines.  LOL

 I've been missing my family - and when I say that, I mean that I've become extremely nostalgic of the fact that when I grew up, I was surrounded by extended family and I miss that.  I wish I had a big enough place to invite the family who lives around here, but I don't.  No one bothers to have a "Day" family Christmas to catch up and such.  Sure, we get together once in awhile when other family comes to town, or just cuz, but I wish we did something for the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas - regardless.  See, I grew up in a HUGE family.  I might be an only child for my Mom, and the middle child for my Dad, but I have 2 step-parents also, that I love.  They are all out in Washington state.  Our kids are the only grandkids that my Dad & Step-Mom currently have and my Mom and Step-Dad too.  So, it's hard.  I wish I could be with them all for the holidays.  I wish we could go there, and see them.  Let them spend time with the grandkids.  It doesn't seem fair.  Dennis' family are in North Carolina.  We want to move by family.  My MIL has other grandkids, some who live right by her.  I am being pulled, very strongly, to move to Washington.  I know their Grandparents would LOVE to have the kids around.  I'm tired of not having those crazy boisterous family gathering that drive one to drink and start smoking because of the craziness.   It's hard.   I asked Dennis where his gut told us to move, he said New Mexico.  LOL...  I could see visiting there, but not moving.  We do want to get down and see his family in the spring, and move sometime after that - when, I don't know.  I think it's time. 

 So since having Kaedyn, since Dennis started culinary school, since I had my surgery - I have been slacking on myself.  Since my surgery specifically, I have been gaining more weight then I did during Kaedyn's pregnancy.  I ended up getting Gestational Diabetes with Kaed and after it went away.  I have been keeping an eye on my blood sugars periodically.  They have been normal.  Well, up to a few weeks ago.  One day I was sitting at my desk, talking to Dennis on IM while he was at school and I was feeling really sick.  Headache, feeling dizzy while sitting down, and various other things.  Dennis told me to check my sugar and it was a little while after I had eaten, and it was 262 (or somewhere up there) ...  scared me, I had NEVER seen it that high, not even while I was pregnant.  So I have been monitoring it and it hasn't gone down.  I called my regular physician and made an appointment - which is next week.  Today I had my blood panel.  Blood sugars, thyroid, cholesterol... etc.  My fasting blood sugar that I took this morning on my monitor was 303.  (I think it's calibrated wrong)  My blood test it was in the 180's . So yeah, according to my OBGYN who I saw today said that puts me in the Diabetic category.  I asked him to look up the test results.  The rest of my test results were great.  My good cholesterol is great, my bad cholesterol is very low (in fact it's lower then "normal") .. my thyroid is good, my white blood cells and such were good.  So, I really have to work on losing weight and getting both my High Blood Pressure and my Diabetes under control and GONE.  (at least I hope gone)...  so whole at my OBGYN for my "yearly" he told me I was overdue for my tetanus shot.  Yay... so they were nice to harpoon me there after I had already gotten jabbed by the vampires this morning.   I told Dr B he was mean and he laughed.  He said "Look at it this way, they took out earlier, and now we're putting back in."  LOL

 Yes, I am TOTALLY a Reality TV addict.  I was happy with who won Amazing Race, I cannot WAIT to see Jake on The Bachelor and when American Idol starts - YAY!  But Ellen replacing Paula?  Hummm.. (don't get me wrong, I love Ellen, I think she's a funny funny woman) ... I am watching the Teen Mom series on MTV because I caught a marathon of 16 and Pregnant and got addicted.  I watch the Kardashians (and am not to afraid to admit I had to look that up to spell it!) ...  I watch Tori & Dean when it's on, The Hills, The City, and so much other junk that Dennis goes "hummmmm" when I watch!   He says it rots my brain!  Train Wreck TV Is AWESOME ..... I tell him it's because I am studying human nature for my books!  After all, not everyone can act like ME!  LOL  ...  But I have to mention Survivor for a moment....  Russell, I just don't know about that guy!   And that's my blurb on reality TV for the night.

Josie Brooklyn Duggar born 1lb 6oz @ 25 weeks

Yes you read that right.  Michelle Duggar had baby #19 last night - a new baby girl named Josie Brooklyn - she was born at 25 weeks gestation and was only 1lb 6oz.  Michelle was put in the hospital earlier this week because she was having issues with gallstones (something I can relate with, I had started getting pregnancy induced gallstone attacks when I was 9 months pregnant with Calahan and I thought I was having heart attacks, it hurt so bad.)  but apparently (according to a friend of a friend of the family) Michelle also developed pre-eclampsia and they had to take the baby out via emergency c-section last night.

My heart goes out for this family because I know what they are going through.  With Noah being born at 1lb 12oz and Nathan at 3lbs 4oz ...... I know how scared they are and how much they are praying.  We're all praying with you Michelle and Jim Bob.  

I actually heard about it last night a few hours after Josie was born, but wanted to see it confirmed just incase it wasn't true. 

This is what TLC has up on their website.   (Taken from TLC Website Here)  There is also an E! News article.

Duggars Welcome Baby 19

12/11/2009

Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar welcomed baby 19 earlier than expected on Thursday, December 10, at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Michelle, who has been in the hospital recovering from a gallstone, was taken to the OR for an emergency c-section. Daughter Josie Brooklyn was born at 6:27 p.m. weighing 1lb., 6 oz.
Michelle is resting comfortably and baby is stable and in the NICU for extended care. The most important thing right now is for Mom and baby Josie to get as much rest as possible.  The family is grateful for all the prayers and well wishes during their recovery. 
Leave your well wishes in the comments and TLC.com will be sure to pass them on to the Duggars.
Looking for good information about preemies? Start with our preemie resource guide.
Did you have a preemie? Share your story here.

Watch this space for updates.
-TLC.com 

Kaedyn turned One...

 Oh yes, oh yes I know..... he turned 1 THREE months ago, what is wrong with me.  As it so happens, I'm a horrible horrible blogger...  I admit my faults...... sometimes...... and right now it happens to be the fact that with homeschooling, and the boys, and being sick..... I can't keep up, but I want to and I'm going to try HARDER.... I even signed up for ICLW ...... so I shall play a little "catch-up" right now and share some of the important things from over the last few months.  First off, Kaedyn turned the big ONE 3 months ago yesterday.  That's right, I'm the proud mother of a 15 month old... phhhhhhhhhhh ...

The morning started out with me sneaking into his nursery and just standing at the crib watching my sweetness sleep and thinking back of the day he was born.  I was 38 and a half weeks pregnant and so ready to have him.  I spent the morning cleaning frantically and making sure we had everything we could possibly need packed (including a playpen for Nathan depending, but we never even pulled it out of the car, lol) ...  I was having contraction after contraction after contraction and they were irritating me more then anything.  Some hurt, some I had to stop for... but man my belly was tight.  Then it came time to leave for the hospital, to do the amnio, to see if he would be born that day.  On the way into the hospital my hopes weren't soaring as they had been the week before when we thought for sure he would have been born.  But we made our way across the parking lot, and in the middle of the road infront of the hospital, this massive contraction gripped me.  I had to stop and breath and just not move.  Dennis was walking infront of me and suddenly turned around, said "are you having a contraction?"  ... I looked at him, and said "No, I just thought it would be a good idea to stop in the middle of the road."  Sure enough, I was in labor.  After my DR saw I was having contractions every 2 minutes, he decided to check my cervix and found out I was 3 cm dilated already ..  I finally get a chance to go into labor on my own!!!!  YAY......when they least wanted me to! LOL ...  so everything became a rush, and pretty soon I was whisked back into the OR and Kaedyn came out screaming and peeing all over the place.

And there, that morning, my sweet little mini-me slept so peacefully ...

Then I thought about how after I brought him home, between the breast feeding gone wrong (he wasn't getting enough and constantly at the breast) and the lack of sleep, the fact that HE wouldn't sleep anywhere but on me or in the swing for short periods of time...  and was colic and ... oh the first three months of his life was hell on me.  I think I actually did get PPD with him, but not bad enough that I really needed any sort of help.  Just enough that I was completely out of sorts.  Not to mention, trying to learn to juggle taking care of Nathan AND Kaedyn...  and the other two boys.  It wasn't easy. 

Then I decided I didn't want to think about it anymore and went to bed.  LOL...

Later, we gave Kaedyn a little personal cake.... his big birthday party was over the weekend.  So that day, we just did a little mini-photo-cake-session...

He REALLY wasn't all that impressed with the cake and only picked at the frosting.  So that weekend we invited people over, only had a couple people show up ...

We decided to IGNORE the fact that they spelled his name wrong - Kaeyden ... er.. it's suppose to be Kaedyn - LOL ... and fact is, I think it had been Kaeiden and I had made the i a y and that's why it looks a little off.

We had my everyone asks for it - 7-layer salad, and Dennis made a home made Carnita Bar (it's like tacos only with pulled meat) ... we made a home-made salsa which is uber stuff, and we had carrots, ranch dip, a corn salsa... just all sorts of stuff.

 He didn't like being in his highchair in the kitchen with people walking in and out so he sat on the floor in the living room with everyone else...

Then Kaedyn had cake...

And that's a little run down of his first birthday ... 

Buried In Snow

 Wisconsin was blanketed in a blizzard the past couple days ... a blizzard, it's not the amount of snow but rather the wind and visibility that classify it as a "blizzard"... regardless, we got right around 15 inches of snow in less then 24 hours and let me tell you, we haven't gotten dumped on like that in a LONG time. 

See, snowmobilers up here have to have a least a foot of snow on the trails in order for them to be open.   The trails have been open for only short times over the past 6 years, if even at all.... sometimes not until late in the season because there isn't a foot of snow.  Seriously, around my area has not been the snowmobiler's delight in the winter.  So I'm sure they are THRILLED right now.

Regardless, I don't ever remember us being under a Blizzard Warning, ever, and we were under one from noon on Tuesday to midnight Wednesday night/Thursday morning.    I'm not saying that we've never been, but it's been a long long long time. 

I checked out the situation at about 2 am - the photo at the top was taken then, along with this one...

 The snow is just waiting to fall off our roof - it's sticking over the edge about a foot... WOW huh?  It was down by morning along with a 4 ft snow drift at our back door...  Here is Nathan looking outside in awe .. at about 8 am Wednesday morning.   Mind you, we have STEPS going down from our back door to the sidewalk through our back yard....

Our lawnmower was completely buried ... whoops - that should have gone in the garage :( 

 There was about an inch of ice on our front storm door.... 

 The bush next to our front steps....

Nathan looking and watching the snow Wednesday morning

 Kaedyn checked it out when he got up too

It's been long, but I need to plea for prayers.

The Brother and SIL of one of my good friends is going through a rough time.  The whole family is.  If you have read my blog previously, you know that I have 2 kids with medical needs.   Noah and Nathan.  Nathan's medical issues are wide spanning and some serious ones.  Noah's started out pretty dang serious but have leveled out.  I share Noah's story as much as possible.   At 18-19 weeks I found out that the baby I carried had a rare genetic disorder called Mosaic Trisomy 16.  I was told half way through his pregnancy that he wouldn't survive the pregnancy, and if he did, he would have very little quality of life, and was told I should "interrupt" the pregnancy.  Took me a moment to realize he was suggesting I get an abortion.   I looked him in the eye, and said "that's not an option."  At 33 1/2 weeks of pregnancy Noah came into the world weighting only 1lb 12oz.  Because Noah doesn't have the extra chromosome in all of his cells, he had a chance.  If he had been full Trisomy 16 - odds are he wouldn't survived through the 2nd Trimester, if even into it. Regardless, I knew there was a chance that my hope that I clung onto with every fiber of my being may not happen, and I would end up not bringing a baby home.  I had a hard time through the pregnancy buying anything for him.  So I didn't.  Others did, made sure that I had what was needed to bring him home, but it was hard.  Miracles happen, and Noah is one of them.  Today that little baby who wasn't suppose to survive is almost 8 years old.  Yes, he has medical issues, I watched him fight for his life in 2007 the same week his baby brother Nathan was born in the same hospital he had been born, and put in the same bed in the NICU to protect his frail 3lb 4oz body...  but Noah is strong, he's a fighter, and I never gave up on him.  I had fears and doubts that crept in, but never did I give up hope.  Every ultrasound he would wave at me, as if to say "I'm right here... I'm okay.."

With all that said...... my friend's SIL found out that their baby has the characteristics of Trisomy 13 or Trisomy 18.  It breaks my heart, I've been there, in those shoes..... being told there is no hope but having the hope regardless because there is no other choice for me.

I want to ask you all who read my blog to send prayers and support their way.  To PLEASE keep this family in your hearts this season and  believe that a miracle can touch them!

Mom's Blog is here Pearl Music

I'm going to end with a very emotionally faithful video that I've shared before of Eliot, a miracle born with Trisomy 18 and a tribute to his life and how he touched those around him.

A lot going on....

 Sorry I haven't been around much, we've had a lot going on here.  Between my surgery, and recovery, the flu going around (Dennis brought it home from school) ... and my immune system seems to hate me so I'm still sick.   Had a visit from my mom, and she's coming back in a few weeks, had Halloween, and medical tests for Dennis... and finally got a little bit of a diagnosis there (however we STILL feel there is more too it, but he's feeling better right now so YAY - we'll take what we can get!) ...  the baby is walking up a storm, Cal had to have oral surgery, Nathan is currently waking up from surgery (Dennis took him and I stayed home with the baby and other two kids) ... I started a new book, changed my email, going to start a new blog, and try to keep up with my old blogs ( ha ha ha ) ...  gotta get homeschooling back up and going now that I'm recovered (now if I could just shake being sick) ...   OYE!!   I just wanted to say HI - drop a line and make sure you all know I didn't fall off the face of the Earth.  Updates will be coming soon!