Things don't seem right....

There are a few things that have come to surface in my life lately that just don't seem quite right...

1. Landen started preschool yesterday. PRESCHOOL! wasn't he like, JUST BORN?!? How is he old enough to be starting school? The night before, he just up and decided to write his name. He wrote every letter, in the right order, and it was totally legible! He also drew a picture of himself that consisted of a head with his glasses, eyes, and a mouth, a body, two arms with hands and fingers, two legs with feet and toes.

   

    ***More about Landen's first day at the bottom of this post***

2. Flexible drinking straws are apparently dangerous devices that can be abused by or cause injury to children younger than middle school age. Who knew?
3. In order to pick up Landen from school, we have carpool signs. After looking at his sign, I realized that the school inadvertently renamed my child. What's worse, though was the fact that I showed it to Keith and he thought it looked correct...
4. We went to the library yesterday (Brayden, Declen, and me) while Landen was at school and we didn't disturb anyone. No one ran away, no one screamed, no one ran or jumped off anything; it was a calm, pleasant experience. The librarians even commented on how calm we were!! It's amazing what having the same number children as I do arms`can do for public behavior!!
5. We were in the car driving to Declen's 9 month doctor appointment and Landen randomly starts asking questions about ant eaters... where on earth did he hear anything about ant eaters? About five minutes after the ant eater discussion, Landen asks, "What does blood taste like?" Where do these thoughts come from!?
6. Landen had to go potty while Declen and Brayden were eating yesterday, suddenly in a very excited voice Landen calls out, "HEY!! I have Mickey Mouse poo-poo!!!" Me, thinking I had to have heard that wrong: "WHAT?!?" Landen, still super excited: "Mommy, my poo-poo looks like Mickey Mouse! Come look! It's so silly!!" I chose to refrain from viewing the septic childhood icon, and just told him I'd take his word for it, though the mental image haunts me. I don't think I'll look at Mickey the same way again.

Landen's Goes to Preschool

Bright and early in the morning

Landen has been so excited counting down the days to preschool. I have been scared excited for him, too. I had everything planned out in my head as to how it would play out... none of it happened that way though.

• Meet the Teacher - Though it was no one's fault, we had quite possibly the world's worst meet the teacher experience:
• The kids were starving, Brayden and Declen had disgusting diapers, Declen had just received his round of shots and felt icky, the kids had pent up energy from being confined all morning at the doctors office, we were in a new environment FULL of meticulously organized toys and books (none of which were appropriate for a 9 month old or a 2 year old), and mommy was attempting to listen to the teacher's parent presentation. The classroom was destroyed, there was screaming, crying, arguing, choking on tiny Legos, stinking, and interrupting... not to mention, Declen crawled under the table and bit the toe of one of the other moms! Then as we were starting to leave, Landen and Brayden ran away... down a hall in a building I was completely unfamiliar with... TWICE!
• First Day - the morning experience:
• See, when we got to the school, Landen hopped right out of the car said, "I love you, Brayden" and walked right on in without looking back. You read that right. He said I love you, BRAYDEN, not mommy. Ouch! (Given, he DID say I love you, mommy like 500 times at home and on the way, but once we got to the school, it was Brayden). Brayden was a bit traumatized that Landen left us and that Brayden didn't get to go to school, too; He cried and I fought back tears. All day, I kept thinking: "What if he doesn't like his teacher?" What if his teacher has already made her impression of Landen based on Meet the Teacher?" "What if the other kids are mean... don't share... laugh at his glasses... etc?" "What if he has a potty accident?" "What if he gets homesick?" "What if he can'at get his lunch box opened?" "What if he doesn't have enough food in his lunch?"
• First Day - the afternoon experience:
• We waited in the carpool  line for what seemed like an eternity, though we were car #9 so obviously it wasn't' really that long for us. Then FINALLY they walked Landen out to our car. He was SO HAPPY! SO PROUD OF HIMSELF! SO EXCITED! As he got in the car, I told him how proud of him I was and how I missed him. He climbed on in to his and said, "I didn't miss you at all, mommy!" Ouch, AGAIN! Then he looked at me and said, "I said the wrong words mommy, I did miss you today, a lot, but I had SO MUCH FUN at school!!" YAY!! My heart melted. All of my worries were gone! And he still needs me :) (I know, just a selfish little need of mine, to still be needed by my babies)

 

Icky Day UPDATED

Disclaimer: This post discusses some gross topics... You've been warned


Today, Tuesday, January 28th, has been one that I would NEVER like to relive...

Actually, it all started last night.

By the time I arrived home after work, I was feeling pretty lousy. I was having all the symptoms of your classic cold... headache, congestion, exhaustion, sore throat, cough, etc. Thankfully, my precious hubby offered to take care of the kiddos which allowed me go to bed WAY early. 

While I was in the bed, Landen apparently had an accident while attempting to make it to the potty. He ended up going potty in his pants and on the floor. Keith got Landen out of his soiled clothes and ran the clothes upstair to start a load of laundry. While Keith was upstairs Brayden decided to be daddy's big helper, by wiping the poo up off the floor. Unfortunately, when a (almost) two year old tries to be a big helper, it isn't usually helpful. Brayden managed to smear the poo ALL OVER the floor. 

When Keith returned downstairs (he was only upstairs for MAYBE two minutes) he discovered Brayden's masterpiece. Obviously, at this point Brayden needed a bath. So, Keith stripped Brayden's clothes off, threw the clothes in the washing machine, gave the boys a bath, and returned to the scene of the crime to clean up the poo. After that, things seemed to calm down...

Side note: Declen's schedule was TOTALLY off because he had been held by nearly everyone in the family on Sunday, he had a GI scope done Monday (yesterday) morning, then he went to visit/meet my grandmother yesterday afternoon. 

Declen fell asleep soon after I got to my parents house to pick him up after work and was out for the night, sleeping through EVERYTHING (diaper changes, car rides, etc). He remained asleep until 12:30 am, at which point he decided to wake up and SCREAM on and off until around 4:30 am. From 2:30 am until 3:30 am, Keith woke up and graciously gave me a break. At 5:00 am I told Keith to get up... 

Keith was still asleep when he got up and transferred the clothes from the washer to the dryer. After starting the dryer he looked into the washing machine and saw what he thought was a clump of mud. He reached in bare-handed and grabbed the "mud," discovering that it was actually a wad of poo which  had apparently hidden in Landen's clothes. Keith immediately ran to sanitize his hand, but in his sleepy-stupor thought to himself that he hadn't NOTICED poo on the clothes when he put them in the dryer, so they must be fine - totally disregarding the fact that whether they had visible signs of filth, the clothes had been "washed" in nastiness and needed rewashing. When the dryer buzzed, Keith ran upstairs to find that he had effectively cooked the poo into the load of laundry. At which point, I discover the disgusting mess that developed overnight. YUCK!

Oh... and of Keith's two pairs of work pants... one pair was in the poo wash. While Keith was working to fix the mess... I fed the boys and left for work.

There have been weather advisories out for the southern half of the state, but we were supposed to get FLURRIES in Birmingham.  

At around 9:00 am, the flurries began. By 9:30 am it was downright snowing. By 10:00 am the streets downtown were white and schools began announcing early dismissal. Around 10:30 am we began receiving reports of roads/bridges icing. 

View from parking deck crosswalk at work

At 10:55 am, we were given permission to leave work. I called daycare to let them know I was on my way to pick up the boys.

Roads downtown as we left work

Upon getting in my car I saw that I only had 1/8 tank of gas, something that on a normal day would have been plenty for me to get home. Because of the weather, I decided I needed to fill up my gas tank. In the 10 minutes it took me to travel to the gas station (8 blocks), cars were already sliding through intersections. By the time I pulled out of the gas station, traffic and roads were a mess.

I made it to the I-65 on ramp and realized what a mess we were all in... the interstate was moving slowly, but the cars on the ramp were at a standstill. The pickup that was midway up the ramp was struggling. Then I saw the door open and the driver step out. As his foot hit the ramp, he immediately lost his footing. The driver was still holding on to his truck and was able to regain his footing, and began evaluating the situation. He took his hand off the truck to get a better look and almost simultaniously lost his footing again. This time, he went sliding to the bottom of the ramp. The truck was unmanned and I knew there was no chance of getting on the interstate here.  

I decided to try a different route. Unfortunately, upon getting to a different on ramp and seeing a car facing the wrong direction, I realized that route was no longer an option either. At this point, I get my dad to give me directions for a third route. 

US 11 - Route # 3

My third choice route was relatively successful and I was able to travel 10ish miles in 2 hours with minimal sliding. The roads were white with snow, but it had already frozen and the cars were not making tracks on the roads and the street lines were no longer visible. I reached a point that even when I was idling, my car would slide sideways. I was in a rough part of town and I knew I needed to go a different route. My dad talked me through getting to I-20/59. I was so excited to finally get on the interstate, where the bridges were at least sanded. 

I-20/59 was moving very slowly, but for the most part it was steady and people were generally driving decently. Things got much slower as I approached I-459, and it wasn't long before I knew why. The ramp from I-20/59 to I-459 was almost entirely iced over. Every car/truck/semi was sliding all over the place. 

*NOTE: I had not been to the bathroom since I woke up this morning and it was now mid-afternoon. I couldn't pull over anywhere and there was nothing I could do. I peed, in my car. UGH! Finally, I made it onto I-459 and continued on my way. Traffic was again moving very slow, but it was moving. 

I made it to exit 6 on I-459 and it was pretty clear that I wasn't going to make it home. I took exit 6, initially thinking I MIGHT could make it to my mother-in-law's house, but quickly discovered that wasn't possible. I changed my goal to finding a fire station, but that didn't work either. I knew that it would be getting dark farely soon and I had to find SOMEWHERE to go. 

Every business I pulled up to was closed or unreachable. I spotted a CVS with lights on and got SO excited! I knew I could purchase SOME KIND of clean undergarment and I could get SOME KIND of breast pump. (note to self... if you're a nursing mamma and there's a chance of bad weather TAKE YOUR BREAST PUMP!) I pulled into the CVS parking lot and jumped out of the car... only to find that CVS was CLOSED! Utter disappointment does not even come close to how I felt. I completely lost all composure. 

My meltdown... there's no where for me to go, my kids are stuck at daycare, my milk ducts are nearing explosion, I'm covered in urine, I've been in the car for 4 1/2 hours, Keith is stranded on Hwy 31, Dad abandoned his car and walked home... it was all too much.

I texted Rachel to tell her where I was and she offered to let me come to her house, assuming I could get back to the interstate to backtrack to her exit. 

A glimmer of hope!

I made it to her exit, she talked me through getting to her house, and I made it to the bottom of the hill at the entrance to her neighborhood. That's where I stopped... not by choice... but because there were SEVERAL cars in front of me that were completely blocking the road, due to sliding back down the hill. There was no option of going any further. I was either going to have to stay in my car until the weather broke and the ice thawed or I was going to have to abandon ship.

I rolled back down the street and found a place to abandon the car. I took a deep breath and climbed out of my warm car. 

One step into the ice/snow and I IMMEDIATELY regretted wearing smooth-soled dress shoes with no socks. My pants and feet were wet and freezing!! I walked about halfway up the hill and this precious good samaritan man, who had a 4-wheel-drive truck parked at the top of the hill offered to drive me to Rachel's house!!! THANK YOU GOD! We walked up to the top of the hill and climbed in his truck... HEAT!! It was SO WARM! Rachel met me with her car at the end of her street and I transferred over to her car. 

I was so cold, it hurt. We drove to her house and at 4:05 pm (FIVE hours after leaving work) we went inside. Rachel, precious Rachel. She let me take a hot shower, fixed me dinner, washed my nasty clothes, gave me clothes to wear, and is letting me stay the night! (not that leaving would be an option, anyway)

For the rest of the family....

Keith made it within a mile of daycare. He abandoned his car and walked the mile, to get to the boys. He's staying at daycare with our oldest 2 kids tonight. Dad abandoned his car a couple miles from my parents house. He walked the remaining distance and is home with my mom and Declen. Our cats are just going to have to be hungry tonight... glad we fed them this morning!  

Thank you, Lord! We are all safe and warm tonight.

Update: I reached a point of shear desperation (and PAIN)... we went to a few of Rachel's neighbors and found an awesome woman who let me use her pump! Oh goodness... SO.MUCH.RELIEF!

14 oz

The “Other” Call You Never Want To Receive…

Landen has entered a phase of “I hate wearing clothes of any kind.” To some degree it’s cute, because he’s still 2 and can get away with it. To some degree it’s practical, as we are potty training and taking off clothes to get to the potty in-the-nick-of-time can be challenging (so there is more of a likelihood of success in timing if the clothes are no longer an obstacle). To some degree it’s just not great, as having a completely nude child running around can get kind of awkward, playing has an increased potential to be hazardous, and finally any potty accidents that would normally be caught by clothes/underwear/diapers could quickly result in disastrous situations. This is where the phone call you never want to receive enters the picture.

Preface, there have been two instances of urinating on the floor previous to today’s event, but they were when we first began potty training and we pretty much chalked it up to drafty air. Today, however, is well into the potty training regimen, where I feel confident in referring to Landen as being potty trained (at home).

The phone call: I’m sitting at my desk at work carrying on with my usual tasks when the phone rings. I look to see who is calling and notice it is Keith. Keith has been able to stay home for the past two weeks with the boys and really work with Landen on potty training, (He’s a wonderful husband and daddy!) so I was expecting the usual call from him once Landen woke up for Landen to say “good morning” and to tell me about the days plans. Today was different. Keith didn't sound like his usual laid back self. Landen was crying in the background. I ask Keith how things were going, and he responded with, “Well… Do you want to hear a story? It’s kind of… um… gross.” I braced myself, but made the unfortunate mistake of giving him the “go ahead.”  Keith explained that today was one of those Landen refuses clothes days, and that all of the sudden he hears Landen calling out, “I pooping, Daddy!” Normally, when Landen calls out such an announcement, it is as he is running to or sitting on the potty. Apparently, this was NOT the case today. By the time Keith made his way to Landen (I have NO IDEA what part of the house they each were in that caused the delay), Brayden had already discovered the pile. OH THE NIGHTMARE! Brayden had it on his hands. I cringed. As Keith continued with the explanation of the degree of this disaster, all I could think about (and say) was PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TELL ME BRAYDEN DIDN'T EAT IT! Keith stopped what he was saying (I think), and very un-confidently assured me that he didn't THINK Brayden ate it because Brayden didn't have it on his face, but he wasn't certain. Oh my word! I have no clue how the remainder of the conversation ended. I have no idea what part of our house now needs to be quarantined. All I know is that Keith said he took care of it and that Brayden PROBABLY didn't eat Landen’s poop.

Yuck.

Sometimes you just gotta go... even if it's in your own driveway...

I DO thoroughly enjoy all the stages my kiddos go through as they grow, BUT sometimes the stages overlap (i.e. potty training of the oldest and utter curiosity of the youngest) and that part, well, is rather unpleasant.

Eggs Benedict & a Peach Smoothie

Warning: if squeamish avoid reading the last bit of the blog... just look at the pretty pictures :) Don't say you weren't warned

Landen is making some awesome progress with potty training. FINALLY! He gets SO excited about wearing big boy underwear! We are so proud of him! He does, however, not have much success using the potty at school. I think it’s a pressure thing… At home, he knows mommy and daddy are trying to help him with a goal that HE wants. At school, it’s more of a forced issue. He is really cute getting excited about his underwear. He keeps running up to me/Keith/anyone saying, “I wearin unnnderwear! Wanna see?!” then proceeds to show off is undies with the biggest smile on his face.

Landen (not wearing his glasses bc he was cuddling with me)

Brayden is such a precious little guy. He just LOVES his big brother (who absolutely ADORES him, too!)! They are learning how to really play together now, and it is such an awesome thing to watch.  We initially thought Brayden had a virus last week, but the more investigating we do, the more it seems he is having some milk sensitivity. Previously, we had been giving him formula (or breast milk) and that seemed to be fine. Then we started mixing a little milk in with the formula (still okay). Once we started mixing more milk and less formula, his diapers started going rotten.  Last week, we really began the 3/4-7/8 Milk to formula ratio. Things went bad, quick. Terrible diarrhea, vomiting, gas, fussiness, etc. all entered our lives. Over the weekend, we were at my mother-in-law’s house and we gave Brayden just straight milk with no formula and he starts projectile-vomiting, all over Keith’s mom. (SORRY!!!)  Keith’s mom and brother are both lactose intolerant, so it wouldn't be entirely out of the question for one of our children to be. We've decided to try soy milk for a while and see how that goes. Last night, Brayden had soy milk and kept it down fine. Time will tell.

This just makes me laugh...

Brayden playing on brother's tricycle

Keith just finished his first clinical rotation. He did SO well and I am so incredibly proud of him! He has the next two weeks off, so he’ll be keeping the boys home with him. This couldn't be better timing, with Brayden’s digestion issues and Landen’s potty training.

And finally….

We’re having another baby!

 Being pregnant, for me can be a bit frightening. I've had some crazy complicated pregnancies so far and that can be unnerving for anyone involved, but I know that whether I have preeclampsia again, a full term normal pregnancy, or something completely different, I know it’s in God’s hands. With that, I find immense peace! It’s been a bit of a bumpy ride so far. Aside from having morning (all day EXCEPT morning) sickness and my typical bizarre cravings, I have had some a lot of bleeding/cramping. It started on Friday, 4/26 and lasted through Sunday, 4/28. Then I had a terrible (like the worst one ever on planet earth) 24 hour stomach bug. I had a little spotting after that, but not bad. Then, on Saturday, 5/4 I woke up bleeding, it was a little more than spotting but not significant; by Saturday evening, it was EXTREME. As of last night, the bleeding had stopped completely. So far, after exams and ultrasounds, there is no known cause for the bleeding/cramping and baby looks just fine! BUT because of the bleeding, I am not allowed to lift anything = not my kids, not groceries, not car seats, nothing bigger than a 5 lb bag of sugar. On the upside, I have gotten to see the little peanut several times, and I have to go back this afternoon for another peek.

Please keep this sweet baby and my body in your prayers, as he/she is trying to have a safe little home in the body that doesn't seem to want to cooperate.

Cravings so far:

•         Beef stew
•         Eggs Benedict & a Peach Smoothie
•         NOT banana sandwiches (it may be a while before I eat one of those again)
•         NOT rice & beans (again with the time-to-recover)
•         Green grapes
•         Lumpless yogurt… I can’t explain it other than the fruit chunks aren’t going over well
• Filet Mignon