The May starring as Shrek

Friday my bff Jessica came over with her kids. We took the kids to the park . While we were there The May was playing in the sand. She of course had her shoes off because she hates shoes. She started screaming and grabbing at her foot. Well, by the time I got to her she had stopped crying and I didn't see anything so we just kept playing. We then went to my moms to let the kids jump on her trampoline. That is when I noticed that The May was turning into Shrek right before my eyes. Her little ankle was beginning to swell and she had around 10 bites on it. I tried not to panic because she always reacts strangly to bites. Well fast forward to 4 hours later and now she has rash, hives, and her ankle is HUGE. After talking to the pediatrician and giving her some benadryl she went to bed. The next morning she had the same thing and was running a low grade fever. I called the pediatrician again and emailed her some pics of her ankle and the hives. I gave her more benadryl and put her to bed (which she could not sleep because apparently benadryl has a reverse effect on her). Her ankle is now back to normal. You would have never known that the girl had an allergic reaction to whatever bit her because she did not slow down one bit. I am worried about the future though because what if she gets stung or bit by something else and her throat begins to close. Then what will I do being stuck out here in the woods; 45 min away from a hospital. So at her 18 month appt. (which I need to make because she turned 18 months yesterday) I will ask if I can get an epi-pen just in case. It is very scary not knowing how she will react to something. I feel very uneasy taking her outside because who knows what might get a hold of her. So, tell me have any of you dealt with any kind of allergies and what do you do about it?

Toothpaste Troubles

For the last few nights The Belle has not wanted to brush her teeth. Now hear me out she never really wants to brush her teeth but she usualy doesn't mind. Everytime I come near her with a toothbrush or even mention anything about brushing her teeth she FLIPS out. She starts crying and saying: "I want don't want to brush my teef." (Here lately when she doesn't want something its: I want don't want). She clutches both hands around her mouth and begins to run away from me. I have no idea what the deal is. She claims that she "wants don't wants that toofpaste." We use the "My friends Tigger and Pooh" kind of toothpaste. She has never complained before. So, husband asked her what kind of toothpaste do you want? Her response: "Minnie Mouse". So, now I have to find some Minnie Mouse toothpaste so her teeth won't rot out. When we forced her to brush it was very similar to the "Steel Magnolias" scene that I previously posted about. I am sure it is not good parenting to just run out and buy the kind she wants but good gracious it would make my life so much easier. So, what kind of toothpaste do you use?

Easter Fun

The girls are completely over their sickness! We had a GREAT weekend. Husband had Friday off so we decided to do some yard work. We began the day off at Lowes. The Belle helped me plant a vegetable garden. She made the stakes to put in the garden which turned out very cute. We planted squash, tomatoes, and peppers. Husband decided to burn some tree piles that we had cut down over a year ago. We both got the junk scared out of us when a tree beside the pile caught on fire. We have 4 more piles to burn. Next time we will have more reinforcement here. Saturday we went to a birthday party for my friend Milissa's little boy. The girls had a great time! Sunday was a fun and busy day. The girls began the morning by eating candy out of their Easter basket. Then we headed off for church. We went to Grandmama and Pappy's for lunch. Josh, Sarah, Margo, Jude, John, Emily, Reba, Grandma, and Paw Paw were there. We hunted eggs and played outside all afternoon. Then we headed off to my parents for dinner. The girls got the cutest bathing suits from Nana and Papa (I'll post pics. later). They dyed eggs and hunted them. Both girls were EXHAUSTED so we headed home. The May fell asleep in the car. I think the poor thing was in a sugar coma. She ate candy from sun up to sun down. All in all we had a wonderful weekend.

Matthew 28:6-7 "He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and, behold, He goeth before you in Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you."
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Update on The Belle

You know the scene in the movie “Steel Magnolias” when Julia Roberts’ character (Shelby) has her low blood sugar attack in the beauty shop and her mom is forcing her to drink orange juice? Well, I have been living that scene every 4 – 6 hours since Sunday. Yep, The Belle is still sick. She refuses to take any medicine. I literally have to lay her on the floor and sit on top of her to make her take Tylenol. It typically takes about 3 times for her to take it. She screams, kicks, hits, gags, and sometimes throws up. It is so frustrating. You would think I was forcing pure acid down her throat. The ironic part: The May begins to scream and beg for the Tylenol. Husband and I took The Belle to her ear Dr. today. He said there is some fluid build up but their not infected. The tubes should be out within 6 months. We go back in September to see the status. For now, I am just praying that The Belle just has a virus and that I won’t end up at the pediatrician’s office anytime soon. I am going to go enjoy the fact that my husband is home with us for the rest of the day.

Survival Mode

The Belle started running a fever after church yesterday. She ran a fever ALL night! The one time she let me take her temp. it was 103.5. That worries the junk out of me. I am not going to take her to the Dr. because she has an appt. for her tube checkup tomorrow so I figure if she has infection, strep, or anything else he will be able to give us something. My motherly instinct tells me it is probably the virus that The May had last week. She is not eating anything but The May sure is. Everytime I offer to make something for The Belle I hear The May say "uh uh I do" so she has been eating all morning. Sleep was scarce last night so we are off to take a nap.

This Week In Review

Monday:
Cleaned House! (which is currently a mess)

Tuesday:
I had a VBS Director’s meeting and while I was gone husband stayed with the girls. When I returned around 8:00 The Belle met me at the door and said “That stupid cat ran under the porch”. Apparently husband was changing the light on the front porch and our cat Coal ran outside. Now let me give you a little history on the cat. We got Coal when he was 6 weeks old from my husband’s uncle in Baton Rouge. We were on our way home from a football game in Houston when we stopped to get him. He is half Persian and jet black (hence the name; Coal). He had never been outside and we automatically made him an indoor cat. Right before The Belle was born we got his front claws declawed and had him “fixed”. So, him escaping has been a big concern for me. We live in the middle of the woods and have all kinds of creatures prowling around here (raccoons, possums, deer, foxes, etc.). I tried to get him out from under the porch and he hissed and swatted at me. The look in his eyes was scary. So, I decided to leave him outside. I felt so bad for him because the next night he was standing at the door crying to get in. But, its too late! So, now we have an outside cat. I must say it has been bittersweet. I don’t have to worry about cat hair, changing a litter box, him waking us up to play, etc. But on the other hand, the girls keep asking for him and every time we go outside they follow him around. As you can tell it has been a difficult transition for all of us except; husband; he is thrilled that Coal is outside.

Wednesday:
I took The Belle to her new big girl gym class. Long story short: we will be back at the mommy and me class next week. Thank you scary assistant man coach.

Thursday:
The may woke up screaming (which never happens; she usually wakes up singing “The B-I-B-L-E”). When I went and got her out of her crib she was burning up with a fever. She laid on top of me all day; what is about a sick baby that is so heart breaking. I put her down for her nap at 12:15 and I finally went and woke her up at 4:00. Once again, she was running a fever this time it was:102. After her fever broke she seemed a little better.

Friday:
Expecting The May to be sick we woke up to a perfectly normal baby girl. She had a little rash on her stomach and after talking to the Dr. on the phone she came to the conclusion she had a mild case of baby roseola. The May had roseola several moths ago but, it was much worse (fever for days, no appetite, and lots of rash). My Mom (Nana) kept the girls while husband and I went to dinner at Applebee’s and a little shopping at Target.

Saturday:
We woke up bright and early so the girls could go to the Easter egg hunt and church. It was great. The hunt was only for babies 0-4 years old. We didn’t have to worry about the kids getting trampled and it was very relaxed. The Belle had a great time putting the eggs in her basket. The May had a great time: EATING! Once she figured out there was candy and animal crackers in the eggs that’s all she did. It was so cute; she stood in one place and ate. The girls are now napping and in about oh T minus 5 minutes I will be too!

Weekend Recap

Hold onto your hats because this was a BUSY weekend but, lots of fun.

Friday Night: We went to Playhouse Disney Live. The girls LOVED it! When Mickey Mouse came out on stage the girls were in awe. Tears literally came to my eyes because they were so happy. The show was absolutely adorable. I am so glad I took The May. She enjoyed it just as much as The Belle. There was lots of music and dancing. I have to admit both girls have lots of rhythm. The show started at 6:30 and we were in the car leaving at 8:00. The Belle has asked every morning since then if we can go back to see Minnie Mouse. (BTW: on the way to the show we stopped and ate Mexican, which was DELICIOUS.)

Saturday: My friend Jessica and myself had volunteered to work at the Mom 2 Mom Sale (a huge children’s sale of gently used and some new items). We volunteered to work, which meant we got to shop early on Thursday. BTW: I got The Belle a brand new Gymboree outfit (with the tags still on it) that originally cost $ 61.50 for $12.00 and lots of more great deals. After we worked I dropped Jessica off and quickly got home to pick up husband and the girls. We went straight to my in-laws for our big treasure hunt that we have been planning for a month (although I must say I was not involved all that much in the planning; I basically showed up for the fun). Husband and myself, his sister and spouse, and his brother and spouse all bought Pappy (husband’s dad) a new (well used but new to him) truck. We sent him on a hunt all around town to find the truck. It was GREAT! We had so much fun and Pappy was clueless to what was going on. His reaction was priceless! We then went back to my in-laws for supper and played awhile with everyone and then turned in early due to the time change (which we are still trying to adapt to).

Sunday: We drove separately to church on Sunday because husband had to be in both services. So, I got both girls and myself ready for church and arrived only 5 minutes late. After church we ate lunch at my in-laws and headed home for a much needed nap. Husband’s deacon ordination service was Sunday night. It was a very special time because his Dad preached part of the service. The majority of husband’s family was there so that too made it special. We had a reception afterwards that the church gave. This was a nice ending to a very eventful weekend.

Play Day

I took the girls over to my friend Julie's house today. She has 2 little girls who are around the same age as The Belle and The May. They had a blast. I don't know what it is about kids enjoying other kids' toys. We have the majority of the same toys that Julie has and my girls acted as if they had never seen them. Matter of fact they don't even play with them at our house. The Belle did find this little tutu and she wore it the entire time (BTW: not the one pictured). She was so good when I told her we had to go she just took it off and said "it's not ours". I thought it would have been a battle but she did great. So, now I am on the lookout for a tutu for her birthday. We did go outside and play...the weather is BEAUTIFUL here. I LOVE this time of year! While we were outside we ran into some MEAN dogs which scared the life out of The Belle (and me too). The Belle is such a scardy about some things so it made me feel better when Julie's little girl got scared too. Both girls are napping now. I have just reached the bottom of my cherry coke so, I too am going to go lie down.

It's All About The Cookies

The girls and I were thrilled yesterday when Husband arrived. He came in toting a huge box of…GIRL SCOUT COOKIES! I knew he had ordered some but apparently, he ordered the variety pack. We went through an entire box of peanut butter patties within 20 minutes. The Belle and I like the peanut butter patties the best. The May likes the thin mints and husband likes the caramel deLites. What’s Your Favorite? If you are having a hard time deciding, we have the sampler available.

Relaxi Taxi Weekend

We had a nice weekend. Friday night was spent catching up on some down time with the girls at home. Saturday morning I helped "spring clean" the nurseries at church. Husband's sister and brother-in-law and their kids came over and ate lunch. The kids all had a great time. We all took much needed naps. Saturday night we went and ate supper with Nana and Papa. Sunday was great. After church we all took LONG naps. We went back to church. Cleaned up a little. Went to bed. Today has consisted of more cleaning and naps. BTW: For those of you that don't know the saying relaxi taxi is off of Friends; DUH.