Got Milk?

My girls LOVE milk. They both drink milk all day long. When they were sick I would not give them milk in fear of more stomach troubles. Well, now that everyone is well it has become the land of MILK and honey around here. They cannot get enough of it. The May drank 5 sippy cups full of milk this morning. I literally think I could milk her. Husband and I were reminiscing on The Belle’s milk vocabulary last night. When she was very little she called milk “mook”. Then when we introduced chocolate milk to her she called it “mook mook”. Well, then we started buying the half - gallon chocolate milk (which we mixed with white milk) and she called it “brown milk”. If we put chocolate syrup in her milk she calls it “chocolate milk”. I have explained to her that brown milk is chocolate milk but she cannot bring herself to admit it.

I am so excited about this weekend. I am going with two friends of mine to a Christian women’s conference. I know we are going to have a great time. We bought tickets months ago and it is finally here. It could not have come at a better time seeing how I have been at home so much here lately. I am hoping that it will be a “boost” that I need.
I hope all of you have a nice weekend!

Freedom Never Felt So Good

We are all WELL! The last time The May threw up was Tuesday night. She is now digesting food and is back to her sneaky little self. Since I did not want to spread the vicious stomach bug I kept the girls home an extra 36 hours after the last throw up. So, after 11 days of being stuck at home we flew the coop. It felt so good. For all of you Mom's the feeling was very comparable to the first time you left the house after bringing your newborn home. I'll tell you what, there was no stopping me today. After a much needed trip to Target I did something I NEVER thought I would do with the girls. I went and got a haircut. Keep in mind my children are 3 and 18 month. God bless Leigh-Ann (my hair girl) for putting up with them. They were fairly good. The Belle sat very still in the double stroller and ate her McDonald's. Well, The May was a different story. She ate her gummy bears for a little bit and then the fidgeting began. She threw her baby and her cup down 1 million times (and Leigh-Ann was so sweet to pick them up 1 million times). Then she pulled a fan down on top of her face and the screaming began. Luckily, my cut was finished and I quickly told Leigh-Ann that she did not have to dry and fix my hair (the quicker we got out the better). Then she cut The Belle's hair. This was her 2nd hair cut and she did so good. She loves to get her hair cut and sits very still. She looked like such a big girl sitting there. Her hair is sooooo cute. It lays right at her chin and is very summery looking. We made it back home in time for The May to get her much needed nap. I have to say after 11 long grueling days, today was a good day!

Garden Fairy

Well, today makes day # 11 of throw up patrol. The May got sick again last night. I am praying that she will not get sick today. I am DESPERATE to go somewhere and I will not take her anywhere until she is symptom free for at least 24 hours. I thought I would never utter these words but I WANT to go to Wal-Mart. I know its crazy. That is how desperately insane I am going. The girls have actually been very good considering they too have also been locked up in here. One thing that has made the day a little better is our garden that we planted about a month ago. It is crucial that if you live in the South you must have a garden of some sort. It’s like a topic of conversation. No kidding the last time I was at church (which seems like ages ago) the big topic was everyone’s garden. We discussed types of fertilizer when and how much to use and whether or not 37 degrees will harm the plants. This is the first year we have ever planted a garden. Please don’t get the wrong impression; our garden is VERY small (as you can see in the above picture). We have a row of tomato plants, a row of peppers, some squash, and some sunflowers. We planted them all from seeds except for one tomato plant. I had to have something that I could actually see when I was just watering the dirt everyday and wandering if anything was going to grow. The girls both help water the garden everyday. The Belle has especially taken pride in it since she did plant the seeds. The May finds it as time to get wet (which she loves). Today, the garden fairy visited. She has somewhat of a green thumb. Don’t you think every garden should have some fairy dust sprinkled on it every once in a while? I also included a picture of the garden fairy taking a break. My sisters bought The Belle the chair and umbrella for her birthday. I can’t wait to take it to the beach this summer.

Snake Baby

The May is still puking every 12-24 hours. This makes day # 9 of cleaning up puke. These walls are beginning to close in on me. I want to get out so bad but, I know the second we go somewhere someone will puke. So, I am going to stay here at Alcatrez for now. Unfortunately, Margo came down with the stomach flu and is having to take her seizure medication because she is runnning fever. Hopefully, this will pass soon. On somewhat of a brighter note, The Belle said the funniest thing last night. The May has to have her blanket, paci, and a baby when she starts feeling sick and or sleepy. It doesn't matter which baby, just a baby. (I have no idea where she got this from but she loves her babies and it is so cute.) So, since she has puked on the majority of the babies I asked The Belle to go find her glow worm baby to give to The May. The Belle comes running back like 5 minutes later and says "Mama I can't find that snake baby anywhere! " It was hilarious! I have no idea why she called it that but it was so funny. How weird would that be if there were a snake baby; ugh gross!

Widespread Pandemic

After 6 days of the stomach flu I am feeling much better. This has been one of the worst weeks of my life. The Belle had a wonderful birthday party last weekend. It rained the first part of the morning and then cleared up enough for us to party outside. It rained the night she was born, her 1st birthday party, 2nd birthday party, and now her 3rd party. But, all turned out well until Sunday. On our way home from church Sunday night The Belle threw up in the car. (Unfortunately, husband was at church in a meeting so I was riding solo with both girls.) The Belle threw up from 7:00 Sunday night until 3:00 Monday afternoon. Luckily, the Dr. gave us an anti-vomit pill that was wonderful. I was also sick Sunday night until early Monday morning. I know we got the stomach flu from my friend Jessica and her family at The Belle's party. I thought it would last about 24 hours. Boy, was I wrong. This mess has lasted 6 days. As of today the following people have had or still have what we have entitled "widespread pandemic": Me, The Belle, The May, Husband, Papa, Nana, Grandmama, Pappy, Sarah, and Jude. If Josh and Margo come out of this without getting sick it will be a miracle. The worst part is watching your kids get sick and feeling completely helpless. The May was very close to dehydration. She ended up going to the Dr. on Wednesday and after lots of going back and forth we decided to not give her an IV and a bag of fluids. She too began the magic pill, which helped her. On the way back from the Dr. my car broke down. I felt so bad for The May because she was so sick. I coasted in to a Wendy's parking lot where the two of us were pouring down in sweat because it was SO HOT. (I debated on taking her into the Wendy's but figured the dining customers would not appreciate me (who was covered in throw up) bringing my 18 month old (who was also covered in throw up) in.) So, we sat in the car and The May continued throwing up all over the two of us until Husband and The Belle arrived to get us. (Husband couldn't leave right away because The Belle had diarrhea and couldn't get off the toilet.) Luckily, Papa fixed the car. The Belle's response to the car being broke was "just go buy a new one". I wish it were that easy. Now, the disinfectant stage begins at our house. This could take weeks. Husband wants t-shirts made for The Belle's party next year that say "I survived The Belle's 3rd birthday." I think that sums up this week.

SICK

Throw-Up and Diarrhea! ALL.OF.US. Honsetly, the worst thing that could EVER happen. More when I can hold my head upright for more than 3 minutes. I know you are all anxious to hear about it.

Happy 3rd Birthday

Dear Belle,
It is hard to believe that it has been 3 years since you entered this world. I could have never imagined how wonderful life would be with you. Although some days are very difficult, I thank God for you everyday. Here are just a few things that I love about you at 3 years old:

You have become very independent. You like to do things yourself. Especially, picking out your clothes and getting dressed.

You have become very "motherly" towards The May and you love her dearly. For example, tonight when she went to bed I told her to go give you a kiss and she carelessly walked by and you said "you better come over here and kiss me".

You ADORE Minnie Mouse and I love it when you pretend to be her.

Just within the past few months you want to dress up and wear your hair specific ways. This morning when we were getting ready for gym you asked if I would give you two braids. You have never asked for braids so I was happy to do it. You LOVE to wear lipstick which you call "mipstick". You are very particular about which shoes you wear. The first question you ask when you find out we are going somewhere is "which shoes am I going to wear"? Every day you ask if you can wear a skirt or dress.

You love going to gym and you are actually good at it. I always hear the other Mom's say see do it like The Belle does. That makes me very proud. But, you have no idea that they are bragging on you which makes it even better.

You are very detail oriented. You are always asking questions. When we are getting ready for church you always ask "Mama are you going to teach my class today"? Then you ask "whose house are we going to after church" and "who is going to be there"? You can pick out a Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse from a mile away. You are always very attentive.

You love to help me. Anytime I ask you to do something to help you say "sure I will". You especially enjoy helping me fold clothes and putting them away. You also enjoy watering the plants and vegetables outside.

You LOVE to be outside! You beg me everyday if we can go outside.

I could go on for days about all the wonderful qualities God has given you. I am very proud to be your Mama and I can not wait to see what the future holds for you. Please know that I love you with all my heart and I hope that every birthday is as magical as this one.

Thumbs Out

I am very hesitant to post about this. But, I can't contain myself anymore. It has been 2 1/2 weeks since The Belle has sucked her thumb. I am so excited about this. The Belle began sucking her thumb religiously at 3 months old. She would take her pacifier out to put her thumb in. Eventually, she began to only suck her left thumb. I can't remember when she did this but I am pretty sure it was before her first birthday. I just knew that she would be one of those kids that sucked their thumb until they are like 10. I mean she was addicted! She has a huge callous on her thumb and her teeth were beginning to buck. From day one I said she would stop by her third birthday (which is next Thursday). I really was worrying about this until thank God she got a splinter in her left thumb. When I removed the splinter her thumb bled just a little so she just had to have a band-aid. That night she asked to suck her thumb and I told her she had a bo-bo. The girl has not put her thumb in since. Although, she is still wearing a band-aid and may be wearing it for a while. I have heard it takes 21 days to break a habit and we are just a few short days away from that so, I hope I'm not "jumping the gun" on this one. I really have to say God knew my heart and he answered my prayer. I know some of you may be thinking this is not a big deal but it was to me and I am so thankful this is almost past us. Now, I have to make her first dental appt. That will be a top priority on my prayer list. Does anyone have any tips on the first dental visit?