May 14, 2008

Sometimes it's the small things that really brighten your day, isn't it?  This morning Kaitlyn and I were walking (well, she was in the stroller), and Nathan and James drove by on their way to school.  There really isn't much better than seeing your toddler yelling, "bye!" out the window and waving at you.  It's just one of those moments that you never want to forget.  These days when they are small are going to go by so quickly, everyone tells me this, so I'm really learning to focus on the best parts of my day.

Kaitlyn is a bit sick again.  This time it's a drippy nose and small appetite.  Man, if it's not one thing with her, it's another.  

James did a great job at school today with big boy pants on!  No accident, but I don't think he went to the bathroom either.  At least that's what he tells me.  I can't believe his first year of "school" is already almost over.  I have to admit- it's been a fun experience, which was all I hoped for when signing up!  Thanks Methodist School!

May 13, 2008

Kaitlyn's second word? Daddy. Figures. :)

She has also been hiding the fact that she cut a molar without anyone knowing. It just appeared a few days ago. Hmmm. Her personality is developing every day, and she's just so dang cute.

I think someone switched James. We have a stranger among us in our house this week. Wow. He really doesn't want to do anything we ask him to do. Tonight Nathan went to Big League (hair place for men where they have sports on the television), and James decided to cry, hard, and scream for about a half an hour. I rode out the storm! I kept my calm, tried to tell him to calm down and play with his toys, etc. Eventually after two time-outs he finally calmed down enough to play. GEEZ. Seriously, someone switched out my child.

I did, however, get a hysterical video of James today while we were sitting to eat lunch. I'll try to get it uploaded, but no promises. He was saying silly things, then after he ended, I would give him a goggly-eyed surprised look on my face. He was cackling!

I've had a super busy week, and with Nathan leaving for Tampa on Thursday, things will probably stay busy. I enjoy having a lot to do, it keeps me positive (at least that's what I hope... ha).

May 11, 2008

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there! I had a fabulous day. I got to sleep in, had breakfast served to me in bed along side a beautiful new orchid, got to work out, go shopping (Target AND Bed, Bath and Beyond), had dinner made for me, and now I'm getting to watch ER! What a day. My kids drew a special card for me and everything! I wish every day was Mother's Day! ;)
For the last few days James has been really tired at night and decides to throw a fit. We usually let him watch a TV show while we clean up from dinner and Nathan walks the dog. Then we give him a bath, and put him to bed. WELL... whoever is the one to turn off the TV is now James' enemy. He cries and cries and tells us that he wants to go talk to the other parent, and that other parent is then asked to give him a bath. Once getting into the bathroom and turning on the water, James gets upset again and says that he doesn't want to have a bath, he just wants to go to bed. Ok, so we go to his room. Then after the diaper goes on, but before the jammies are on, he decides AGAIN that he wants a bath. Oh, two year olds.
This afternoon when I was giving Kaitlyn her dinner, James told me, "C'ya later, I'm going to go tell Daddy..." and headed upstairs. It was so funny. C-ya later.
I took a series of pictures of Kaitlyn shoving lasagna in her face tonight. I'll try to get them edited and post one or two sometime. She was so red, it was hysterical! She's back to eating a ton of food after being sick. There is no stopping her!
I am putting together a photo album for my dad of his childhood photos. The original one was a true scrapbook that his mom had put together. I'm re-doing it though because it was falling apart and got even more torn up when we rifled through it taking out photos for his 60th birthday slideshow. I was looking at pictures of Dad when he was two... it's a bit freaky how James looks JUST LIKE HIM. Dad, I'll have to show you these when you get home. You'll be amazed. I love looking at the old pictures of my parents and seeing the family resemblance. It's amazing. Kaitlyn has the same facial characteristics that my Grandma Casey had! Weird.
Well, the power is out, better go sit with the kids.

May 9, 2008

It's almost midnight and I can't sleep. I thought about writing in the blog earlier, but was so tired I went to bed instead. Then I just laid there thinking about all kinds of stuff, so here I am.
James was feeling much better today. Not good enough to go with Kaitlyn and me to our Friday play group, but better. By tonight he was running around again and all hyped up. He and Daddy were playing "Captain" on the couch. They were conquering the stormy seas, battling pirates and scaring them away with hangers (you'd have to ask James about the reasoning behind the hangers, 'cause I have NO idea). They sailed all the way to Ireland to see Grandma and Papa! Can you believe that? All the way across the Atlantic in 5 minutes.
I got roped into playing "Captain" while Daddy made us a feast of scrambled eggs and pancakes. That was a treat. I love having breakfast for dinner. Ha.
Kaitlyn and I went to our play group today and met some friends at a park. We had a good time, but the hot summer is looming. It was good to get out of the house though, so we also made a trip out the the mall this afternoon. Kaitlyn was back to saying hi to all of the nice ladies that were helping me with whatever I was shopping for, it was quite entertaining.
I'm gonna get in trouble for this when she's a teenager, but after Kaitlyn had a bath tonight, I let her walk/play around naked for about two minutes. What an experience! She had so much fun that she left me a present on the hallway carpet! At least it was solid. Ha ha ha. I remember the first time I let James run around in the bathroom before his bath without a diaper on, he peed twice, and pooped, all within a minute! What on earth are my kids doing to me?!? No more bare buns for Kaitlyn.

May 8, 2008

Last night at 1:00 a.m. I heard someone calling, "Mama Bear! Mama Bear!" James was calling me upstairs to get him a drink of water. This is the second time he's called me Mama Bear, I think it's sweet! He's getting that from the gobs of Little Bear that he's been watching on Noggin. Sick kid= TV overtime. Ha. Poor thing couldn't do anything else.

He's doing better today, but wouldn't you know he seems to have a cold now on top of the strep.
Kaitlyn has been saying her first word for about two weeks now (maybe three). She says, "Hi!" It sounds more like "I" than "hi", but it means hi for sure. It's so cute to see my little girl walking around saying, "HI!" She says it to me when I walk into the room, and she loves to say hi to people when we are at the grocery store and such. People are taken aback. They won't be paying attention to us, and then they'll hear a little "hi", and then they turn around and see this little girl beaming at them the cutest little smile. They can't resist and then laugh and say hi back. It's so funny.
Kaitlyn likes to wander over to the island in the kitchen and scoot the stools on the floor. She was sitting there today doing it over and over again, in a very steady rhythm, making that annoying errrrrrr, eeeeeee, errrrrr, eeeeeee sound with the chair and James says, "Mom! Kaitlyn is making music!" Music to my ears.

May 7, 2008

More days of sickness continue, James still had a temp of 103.5 this morning when he woke up.  Kaitlyn developed a rash on her belly and back, then it spread to her forehead and temples.  That warranted a call to the doctor's office.  No big deal, probably just a side effect of the antibiotic that she's on.  

Kaitlyn had a few milestones today!  She has started to understand to give me kisses when I ask for them... slobbery, wet, open mouthed kisses, and it's adorable! :)  She has puckered up a few times though, which is also adorable.

Her second one was when she was sitting in her high chair this afternoon.  Usually when I ask her to make her silly face, she does it after I do... but today, she did it first!  On her own!  I just said, "Can you make your silly face?" and she did it!  I'm going to find a picture to portray this....

Happy Birthday Alex Powell!

May 6, 2008

Nathan got home last night! What a relief, and it was great to see him. I think he was glad to be home too. James sure lit up when he walked in the door! Harrison had sent a present too! A coloring/activity book about IOWA! Cool! Thanks Harrison!
The kids also went back to the doctor yesterday for re-checks. Once again, Kaitlyn's rapid Strep test was negative. The doctor thought she heard a little something funky in her right lung though, so we just put her on an antibiotic to be safe. She's MUCH better today, not quite back to herself but definitely better. She's making up for lost weight, she's putting down the food today! She's almost eaten a entire (small) can of green beans. Goodness.
James is back to normal today... thank the Lord. The doctor yesterday totally cracked me up. She looked into James' throat and said, "Dude... dude... DUDE.. that's a red throat!" The fact that my kid's pediatrician was saying "dude" just makes me laugh. She's got teenagers, so they probably have her versed with all the lingo of a teenage Floridian.
We decided that James has a penicillin resistant strain of strep. We had to get him a new antibiotic... for about the cost of half a cow. !!! Geez.
I've had an amazing day. I did a photo shoot this morning for designer Sharon Gilkey. We had a blast, experimenting with different settings/locations, and also different hats. A hat is Sharon's trademark. She looks great in them too. We got some fab shots!
Back to feeding the girl that won't get full. 1/2 PB and J, 1/2 grapefruit, a whole small can of green beans, and now I think I'll got get her some cheese. Good thing Nathan just went to the grocery store. :)
One more funny: the other day after James had watched some TV, he stated that, "I'm too sleepy to think anymore!"

Spiders and Monsters, OH MY!

One way we can get James to eat is to pretend that his hands are spiders. He dances them around the table and says, "SPIDERS! SPIDERS MOM!" Then I have to say, "Well let's see if this bite of ____ will make them stop!" He amazingly LOVES this game and falls for it every time. It's so funny.
The other game is when we pretend that he has turned into a monster, and a bite of whatever will turn him back in to MY JAMES. Wouldn't you know? It works! ;)
We used to have the luxury of getting him to eat his green vegetables by playing the game where everyone takes a bite together. Mommy has broccoli, Daddy has broccoli, James has broccoli, 1...2...3... go! He won't do that one anymore, so now I'm wondering how long the spiders and monster game will last. We're going on two months now, I'm afraid it's gonna be gone soon! NOOOOOO! :)
He actually LIKES green vegetables though, to my amazement.

May 5, 2008

Ugh, poor Kaitlyn. She won't stop crying. She has been crying the same way for a day now, and it translates to, "Mom I don't feel good and I don't like anything right now, not even you." Poor thing.
We're going back to the Dr. today for re-checks. James has been on an antibiotic now for 48 hrs., and last night had a temp of 104 with Ibuprofen in him. Thankfully it didn't get any higher during the night when his meds wore off. So now I want to get K checked for strep again, since she really isn't improving, and make sure James is responding to the antibiotic.
Both kids slept in this morning, which is good since I didn't get to sleep for real until about 2 a.m.
Nathan comes home tonight... we can't wait to see you Daddy!
I've finished updating my photography blog from last year... www.meredithwilckephotography.blogspot.com. I've actually had time to do stuff with my kids down and out. I'm thanking God that I haven't gotten it... yet.
Hope everyone else is well.

May 3, 2008

We went to the Dr. this morning because, even though I try not to take them there, a little voice in my head told me to do it anyway. You know... that voice actually has a name... Kathy. :)
Turns out James has strep, Kaitlyn has a virus (at least that's what we think as of now). Such a mystery what a hodge podge of germs are at the YMCA children's center. Ha ha.

May 2, 2008

This morning is our MOMS group playgroup, and I'm afraid we'll have to skip it. James still had a fever yesterday, so I don't think going to a "splash pad" with lots of water and other kids would be good. I really want to go though, so maybe we'll swing by in the stroller... but I can't imagine going by there and James not pitching a fit that he's not in the water... so maybe we WON'T go after all. Can you tell I keep going back and forth about it?
What can you do outside of the house with a sick toddler? Hmmm....
James had his picture taken the other day by Tom Marshall at shool... Tom does them every year, of every child. I always thought that they were kinda cheesy, since the are all the same, black and white and cocked to one side. BUT, James' picture is adorable, of course, so I'm suckered in (just like every other mom of a Methodist School kid) to buying an 11x14 PROOF that they sent home for $25.00. It's irresistible. Remind me again now why I don't do this for a living? ;)
Kaitlyn is walking more and more every day. She's so cute, I can't stand it. She's eating us out of house and home, putting down just as much, if not more, than what James eats. She eats everything, which is opposite of James who doesn't eat much variety, and is scared to try anything new. Kaitlyn wouldn't eat scrambled eggs though, until last night when she put down a whole eggs worth in about two minutes. Of course they had cheese on them. Ha. THAT'S the secret. Right now she's crawling OVER Kona to get to her toy piano. Maybe Grandma Kathy finally has a musician in the family. The hope is alive!

So now it's 7:21 and I feel like it's 11:21. James skipped his nap today, I'm not really sure why. Have I ever stated that I really dislike the over-tired two-year-old mentality? I love my James, but when he's over-tired, I see the demons come out. I can't imagine putting up with this on a day to day basis as so many parents do that don't let their kids get enough sleep.
After Kaitlyn's blissful hour and a half nap, the three of us headed out to do some stuff. We went to the New Balance store, and got Mommy some new work out shoes! Woohooo! Maybe they'll help me stay a bit more steady when I'm doing my lunges. Ha. Then we went to the toy store to get Kaitlyn some new Robeez. I picked the pink ones (um, are you surprised?!?) that have a brunette princess on them. How cute. Of course James threw a fit when we left, I actually had to put him in the stroller to go 30 ft. to the car because he wouldn't walk. F-U-N.
Then we went to Publix (grocery) to get something for dinner. Melt down city happens when an over-tired two year old doesn't get his chocolate in the checkout line. He finally settled down for a green balloon... and the choice of which color to pick literally took two minutes.
The funniest parts of the day were when James was CRACKING Kaitlyn up with the balloon in the car. I'm not even sure what he was doing, but she was laughing so hard. Another humorous moment tonight happened when I gave them a bath together. My ring accidentally scratched James leg slightly, and he whined. Then I heard him say, "I'm having a bad day." That makes two of us. :)

April 30, 2008

Today was interesting... James had school, and ended up coming down with a fever this afternoon. Now Nathan is packing and getting ready for his trip to Iowa tomorrow, and my parents left this morning for Ireland. These next 5 days for me will be tough, being alone with both kids, but I know I can do it. I've done it before! :)
I had/have all these plans for us to do things while Daddy is gone... playgroups, play dates, photo sessions... but with James being sick now, that's not going to happen and we're going to sit here in the house, which is what I feared would happen. I just hope we don't have to trek to the Doc's office on a Saturday morning. Ha.
Kaitlyn is walking all over the place now. She's such a goon... she stands up, laughs, and falls over, and then does it all again. She's a trooper, and keeps on trying. She does a very good job of walking, and it's funny because she walks with her left hand straight out in front of her, and her right hand on her chest. Every time. I guess it gives her balance. ha.
James is still a stinker and still funny even when he's sick. He asks me things and tells me things every day that crack me up. One thing that comes to my mind right now is the story of the other day when I sent James in to wake up Daddy. Nathan came out to tell me that while waking Daddy up, James kept saying, "Yo, buddy. Yo, buddy, wake up." Now who does that sound like?
He's also into saying "No-sir-ee!" and thanks me every time I give him something to eat. What a sweetie.