Santa was a success!

For the first time ever, Santa was a success! Addison wrote a letter to Santa with clipouts of her favorite toys that she had been waiting forever to give to him. I never thought she actually would! :)

I think that, in combination with having her sister there, gave her the new found confidence. That being said - once she got up there she just kept asking for "a barbie car".. Keep in mind that my Christmas shopping was completely finished but there was no barbie car in tow. I had to venture out in the 40 degree weather yesterday to find one... We couldnt have her very first brave face turned sour because Santa didnt follow though now could we?

Thomas made it to the surgeon today and can go back to work next Monday! Halleluia! Praise the Lord! Christmas has come early! Dont get me wrong.. I love my husband very much and was terribly worried and felt very sorry for him for the first few weeks. But now... I just want him out of the house and back to work! :) haha!

Not a psycho weirdo...

Well, every day is getting more and more back to normal... whatever that is.
Thomas went to see his lung doc yesterday and his lung is still fully inflated! And his Dr - whom I absolutely LOVE - said everything is great! Good news!

Monday he goes to see the surgeon and if all is well, then hopefully he can get back to work and be driving right before Christmas!
*****

So, I did a very liberating thing today and debated on posting it, seeing as some people may think it is too personal.
But it was such a great experience that I am going to post it and I hope more moms and busy women with overwhelming lives decide to give it a try.
I made an appt with a therapist. Not a psycho therapist weirdo but a nice counselor. And it felt really good.
I mean, between taking care of 2 small children, trying to be a good wife and have a healthy marriage, working full time in a looming layoff atmosphere and keeping up with a big family and those obligations leaves me with about .2 seconds every week for myself.

This doesn't allow me to be the best me I can be. (tongue twister)

It felt good to have an entire hour just about Jennifer. To talk and get a completely neutral opinion and some great coping mechanisms to get me through a hectic schedule. All this PLUS my insurance pays!!!!
How wonderful!
Anyway - I have great aspirations for growing and becoming a better person and I think this is a great start. And I highly recommend it!
Who cares about the stereotypes?
Heck, we all know it works! And it definitely wont hurt! Ill keep you all updated on how it goes...

Santa this weekend.... Perhaps Holiday Sea World.... And lots of present wrapping....

Pics of Thomas in the hospital...

Getting back to normal...

Well, thank goodness life is getting somewhat back to normal these days. Thomas is back home and getting stronger every day. He still cannot work or drive until after Christmas but at least the driving back and forth to the hospital days are over!

Kirstynn has another little cold. I love Christmastime and winter but the germs and runny noses are endless! She was up at 1 in the morning last night crying her little heart out because she wasn't feeling good. At least it is the weekend now so I don't have to worry about trying to get off of work.

I have to get Christmas shopping done this weekend. I have only attempted to get a few very small items for the girls. I still have everyone left to buy for. AND... Thomas cant be home alone with the girls and Addison is too old to take with me so... I haven't decided how I am going to do this. I thought about buying online but it just seems to take all the fun out of it. I might be forced to go there anyway. And good thing is my sister in law told me about some great deals so that might be worth it. Amazon has no taxes and free shipping if you buy a certain amount. It is sounding more and more appealing by the minute.

Jury duty for me on Monday. I'm not too thrilled but it should be better than last time. A few months ago I had to go for a different jurisdiction and was still pumping during the day and had to sit in the gross bathroom stall for twenty minutes while nursing. Glad those days are over! Heck, maybe I'll even get picked for a cool case!

Thomas

Thomas isn't coming home today unfortunately. There are still some small bubbles coming out of his chest tube that suggests there still might be a small hole in his lung. So, if it closes today, maybe we can come home tomorrow. I am thinking perhaps Sunday just so I don't get my hopes up too too much.
He's definitely getting around more and walked a good 3 rounds of the telemetry floor with the physical therapist yesterday.
Kirstynn didn't have an ear infection thank goodness. There was fluid in her ear but it was clear and the doc thought its probably just popping a lot and that is what is causing the fussiness.
I finally slept last night. Almost too hard. I didn't get want to get out of bed.
Well, at least it's Friday and I won't have to worry about missing any work to see my husband. Its such a tough line to draw right now with more lay-offs looming off in the future....

Telemetry

Thomas was transferred to telemetry yesterday so they could keep an eye on his heart! He still had a small leak in his lung yesterday but I think it should be closed by today. He was up and walking around which is a HUGE step. He is exhausted and wants to come so he is working hard and I am very proud of him... He had a little fever yesterday and they have to watch him close for pneumonia.
Plus, a nice bonus. Kirstynn has an ear infection now I think. She keeps pulling and has been fussier than ever. My wonderful sister is going to take her to the doc today for me since I am walking the line with my time off...
Our family has been more supportive through this process than I could ever ask for and I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank them. I am so lucky to have them.
I will keep posting as I have time and will let everyone know when he gets home!

Surgery

His collapsed lung is called a pnuemothorax! Thomas is having what is called a blebectomy and a talc pleursis (sp?) today at 11am. Basically they make 3 small incisions first to see if they can find this bleb that keeps bursting with a mircoscope (a tiny fluid filled sac) and staple it. If they cannot find it, they will have to make one bigger incision and go into look for it that way. Then once that is taken care of, they spray a talcom like powder to the outside of his lung so that it was stick to his chest.
He will be in ICU today but hopefully after tomorrow, he can get back into his very nice VIP suite that the president of the company worked out for him and then with fingers crossed he can come home by the weekend.
Please keep us in your prayers! xxx

Update

Thomas's lung did collapse. We are headed to the hospital. Keep us in your prayers.

thankgiving day pics - courtesy my AMAZING photographer cousins Sierra and Paige

Weekend mess

Well, our Thanksgiving weekend has been a bit of a mess.
The actual day of Thanksgiving was good, however we did spend over 5 hours in the car driving back and forth to Del Rio. That in itself was a true adventure. For the last 30 minutes, Kirstynn cried bloody murder. And honestly, it drove me to the insane asylum.... She is usually so good in the car so that is why it was so unexpected.
By the time we got back onto 1604 inside San Antonio, I gave my parents and sister a show in the car lane beside us. I was sooooo frusturated (Addison was now crying too) and all I could do was laugh. I rolled down my car window and hung my head out grabbing my throat and acting like I was being noosed. My parents thought it was hilarious but we sure got a few stares from the other holiday travelers...

Fast forward to Friday and I now knew why Kirstynn was crying so much - she came down with a full fledge cold! And I was so nervous because Thomas had had strep throat earlier in the week so I drug her to the ER Pedi clinic to make sure she was ok before the weekend started. Luckily (and FYI for my mom readers) the pedi said it was VERY VERY rare for infants to get strep - so she didnt have that and her ears and throat looked good. Paid my $30 co-pay to find out it was an old-fashioned cold and that it would be better in the week and to treat with tylenol. Whew... Worth it for the piece of mind.

Saturday evening Kirstynn was acting more like herself so we took off to Schlitterbaun to see their version of Winter Wonderland. Thomas and I even gave up box seats to the Spurs to go see this thing.
Now - first I must say we were very appreciative to our step siblings for getting us free tickets and inviting us.
Second - the first 5 minutes were beautiful and magical. After that - chaos.
And I spent all day talking up snow to Addison and it ended up being bubbles.... So crowded and there were stairs galore *NOT good for people with 2 strollers*!

Anyway, we left and were planning on having my parents babysit and going out for a friends birthday party. BUT on the way home, I started getting the chills and coughs and yuckiness all over. I told Thomas that I know were were planning on being grown ups for the night, but with Kir sick and me sick - lets just call it even and go home. So we did.

Fast forward once more to today and I am so sick I can barely get out of bed and am practically biting everyone's heads off because all I want to do is sleep and drink my NyQuil...
Well as much as I wanted it to - that doesn't happen - wanna know why?
Because now my husband cannot breathe.
Keep in mind he had a "pnenmothorax" or collapsed lung a year ago and there is a significant risk it could happen again. So - as I write this in my flurried panic to keep myself busy and in between blowing my nose and checking Kirstynn for a fever, Tjee is in the ER getting a chest xray to see if he has to spend the next 5 days in the hospital with a chest xray.... UGH!! SOMEONE PINCH ME!

For the icing on the cake, my step dad woke up a cold leg (and he has had strokes in the past) so he went to the emergency room too.
Thank the heavens for my dear mother who has been helping keep Addison so she doesn't get this and letting me rest while little KiKi rests... I adore her.
We'll keep you updated on the latest.

Princess Party

2 hours 42 minutes

Well, I did it. I ran the 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 42 minutes. I didn't beat my old time, but I didn't take longer either. I did it in exactly the same time pre-Kirstynn. And it was all worth it.

With 30,000 people running it, we started in a pretty big traffic jam and were finally let off on the side of the highway and walked about half a mile to the starting line. Once in the starting line, there were 30 corrals and I was in 19 so I didn't start until almost a full hour after the first gunfire went off.... But once we got there, it was awesome.

I felt the surge of emotion almost immediately.. I got teary not at the end when crossing the finish line, but at the beginning - knowing I was really doing this and the pride was amazing. I ran non stop and without getting very tired until mile 7. The crowd was cheering and the bands were playing....

Mile 7-10 was tough... I was then counting the minutes and looking HARD for the mile markers. Toenails and calf muscles started hurting...

Mile 10 was a breaking point. I walked. From there until mile 12 was a walk/run race... I did my best, but I was tired.....

We finally got our gelpack around 12 and I got my surge seeing the finish line and jogged my way to 13.1!

Then the pain really started (NOTE: pain from running comes after running endorphins stop.... )but I immediately started planning for next year!

All in all, I am a proud woman, wife and mother. This is something I can show my children-where not everything feels good. Where sometimes the intrinsic reward and hard work alone is worth paying $90 and feeling close to your breaking point for.

And I hope I get better and faster. And in the years to come, Addison and Kirstynn can be at the finish line waiting for me and can be proud of me too. Heck, maybe even one day we can run it together....

On a side note, Kirstynn has said her first words... Bye bye. She opens and closes her fists and says buh buh. Its so darn cute! Cant say that I wish it wasn't Mama, but I'm working to make sure that is next.... :) Or trying to although Addison keeps after me saying "No mom, she's gonna say sister".... That would be ok with me too....

Dentures?

Well, our trip was actually a success! Addison wore her panties without any plastic protection the entire way with NO accidents! Yeah! I am so proud of her! She has "trouble" every now and again and its usually because she is playing and doesn't want to stop but overall it has been easier than I thought.

This Sunday is my big day to run my 13.1 miles in the San Antonio First Annual Rock N Roll Marathon. I am really excited and a little bit nervous. For those that don't know, I actually ran one once before a few years ago after Addison and my time was 2 hours and 42 minutes. My only goal in this race is to beat that one! There are 30,000 people running and bands playing every mile!

Kirstynn is pulling up and even attempting to climb up the stairs now. I am having to gate everything up now and watch her constantly. If I remember correctly - this is the hardest time. Until they can understand "no" and learn how to talk - they are a recipe for disaster. Everything goes in their mouths and they can crawl so fast that it doesn't take even 20 seconds for her to get across the room. Keeping me on my toes, that is for sure! Still not teeth though.. I am wondering if we are going to have to buy her dentures for her first date!

God Bless the U.S.A.

Addison is doing really well with her potty training. There have been a few accidents (only #1 - not even one for #2) but most are because she is playing and just doesn't want to stop. I am learning along with her and pretty much know I must MAKE her stop after about 25-30 minutes and make her go.
We are taking a 3+ hour trip to Houston this weekend for my step sister's baby shower and I am really debating with myself as to whether I should go for it and just make frequent stops or do it the easy way and throw on a pull-up! I would just hate for her to have an accident and then have to sit in a wet carseat the rest of the way. They do have these plastic panties though and that would be a compromise and still save her chair so I will probably do that.
Kirstynn got her first taste of apple juice last night and today has had the runs and an awful diaper rash. I guess she just wasn't ready or we didn't water it down enough. We just thought we were shaking it up a bit and giving her a little treat. Go figure - we end up abusing her and making her poor little bottom red and sore...
Work had 500 layoffs this week so it has been tense and difficult. I have kept mine for now and am extremely thankful. We cannot control what happens so I am just trying to stay focused and do that best I can. Its just very sad because a lot of close friends were affected and it doesn't seem fair.
All in all though, I am optimistic and exciting about the future. Obama is our next president of the United States of America and I have faith that change is coming! God Bless the USA!

Halloween

Halloween was a success but we have been crazy busy since. I will post more this weekend but luckily got some pictures from my great sister in law from Adi's party.....

Potty news!!!

Well, this has been a very big week for my sweet little Addison. She is officially potty trained!!! :) This has been a little bit of a controversy for the last six months because a lot of friends and family thought that waiting until 3 years old was too late to be potty training. But Addison's babysitter told us from the very beginning that she didn't do it until they turned 3 because she felt only then were they truly mature enough and really ready. Well, God Bless her. I have seen a ton of my friends struggle for weeks trying to get it down... Addison has a few small accidents on the first 2 days (we started Tuesday) but by Thursday, she had it down. She has been doing awesome!! We even had a friends birthday party yesterday and with all the excitement, she still remembered to go! I am so proud of her I could almost burst! And I am glad I didn't succumb to the pressure and I am glad I waited until now when she can be really proud of herself and not struggle through the process!!
A couple other hints that might help for my fellow mothers of toddlers - my babysitter (who I again will add has done this for dozens and dozens of kids for years and years) advised no pull ups during the day. She advises these are just like diapers and don't allow them to feel the sensation of being dirty.. and this is the sensation that allows them to know its time to go. She also recommends asking them during the beginning part of this process that you ask them if they need to go every 45 minutes. But not to have them sit there ALL day long or nag when they say they don't have to go. This must be their potty training... and they must take responsibility for it. Finally - and this is obvious, but it doesn't hurt to be said - LOTS AND LOTS OF PRAISE!!!
Well, that's our big news for this week. 5 days until Halloween! I cannot wait!

My little girl turned 3....

My little girl is now officially 3 and I think that technically means she is no longer a toddler, but a true little girl.

Well I am happy to report that Addison's 3rd birthday party was a utter and complete success! All the kids were so good and the bouncy castle was a huge hit! My sister in law's cake was phenomenal and we had plenty of food. She got tons of dress up clothes, make up and barbies. And she has been in high heels and snap on earrings ever since. It really is cute. She keeps saying to me... "Mommy that was a really good party". I feel vindictated for all the hard work... :) And I even think all the adults had a good time.

Yesterday we took the kids to this cornmaze and pumpkin patch in Hondo, Texas and it was a lot of fun and good to be outside and get some good country fresh air. I wish it would have been a little cooler though because the heat brought bees and, as we all know, Adi is terrified of those so that was a little bit of a problem.

Afterward we went to this little restaurant named Sammy's in Castroville and had a good meal while discovering that Kirstynn now knows how to drink through a straw!!!! We are in big trouble because there will be no more eating in peace. If she sees the straw - she wants it and definitely knows what it is. I wish she'd get some teeth now. Almost 8 months and still looking like Mr.Burns with no hair and no teeth!

I am off today to celebrate Adi's official birthday and Im thinking of just taking her to a little quiet lunch and getting her some of her favorite mac and cheese and coming back to the house to play some candyland and dress up. As I told Thomas... it wont be long before she is telling us she would rather do ANYTHING than hang out with her embarrassing parents- so lets take advantage of the time right now.

Did I write that I went to the New Kids on the Block concert Friday night? And did I mention that it was completely unreal... I wanted to go for a good time, but it ended up being seriously one of the best concerts of my life. The energy was so high and the guys looked great and sang live and completely in tune!!! As you can see, we got pretty close.

Update

Again, not much time but thought I would post a little update...
Addison is have a Disney princess themed birthday party. My sister in law is making this AMAZING cake for her and we are getting one of those bouncy castles that she has been asking for since she started seeing it in the kids music channel on cable. lol. It started out small but of course, nothing ends that way with the size of our family and great friends, so now its an all out bash! :) Addison is so excited and is asking for make up, purses and a plant.... ?!?!?! Dont ask. I only claim to HALF of her genes... ha ha!
Kirstynn has gotten SO good at this crawling thing - therefore making it really really hard to do just about anything around here so I can keep my eye on the two of them. I was so worried with being gone that she wouldnt come back to breastfeeding, but the second I got back I put her to the breast and she did great. I actually think I might just make it to my year mark after all! No one said it was easy - but it is possible.
My house is a bit - ok, a lot more than a bit - of a mess from being gone and busy since I have been back. I am so stressed about getting it cleaned I might just get someone in here to do it for me. Any suggestions?????
Ok - well off to the races of getting the girls dressed, hair brushed, lunches packed for me and phones remembered. ha ha! (speaking of I dropped mine in the sink in Seattle and now have a horrible 10 year old version I am trying to deal with)...

More photos

And Kirstynn is officially crawling.. Well, she start while I was in Seattle. It was a really nice touch to add to the guilt of already being away. I can already tell what I am in for once she reaches adulthood.....

We are getting geared up for Addison's 3rd birthday party on Saturday and my New Kids on the Block concert on Friday....

I'm back...

a lot to write but wanted to post a few of the pictures my AWESOME brother in law took...

Seattle

I am off to Seattle at 7:30am tomorrow morning! Poor Thomas is going to be alone and playing the single parent role for 5 days... Anyone up for inviting him for dinner or giving him a call to check up would be appreciated. I know he'll do great but I cannot help but worry. I am going to miss everyone so much!

Tonight my awesome brother in law is taking some family pictures for us. I am so excited. He did our wedding pictures and is SO good at it. We are taking outside ones so as soon as I get them done I will post.

Yesterday we spent some time at Sea World. The girls were so good and we had a blast. I am posting some pictures from the days.

Friday I working for UNited Way at the State Hospital and we through a hawiian festival and I got to teach the residents how to hula. I think they really enjoyed it and it sure makes you thankful for healthy children....

After that we went and sang some kareoke. I sang some Frank Sinatra and some Patsy Cline.. lol - more pics to follow.

Still addicted to cha cha too. and almost done with book number three in the Twilight series.. I just got my brother in law Peter to finish the first one and he took the second one last night!!!

I'll update everyone on my trip when I get back. TTYL....

Kirstynn's Halloween Costume

Shooting Range!

Did I tell you guys that Thomas took me to my very first gun shooting range on Saturday too? To shoot a pistol?
I thought -ok, no big deal... I can do this. I got there and it was AWFUL! I had a mini panick attack. Seriously. The gun shots were SO loud that I had no control over the convulsions it sent my body into every time it went off. Plus I didnt realize that shells flew all over the place so I felt like I was getting shot at. My body got so tense that I pulled a muscle in my back and it still hurts. I cannot get over that some people do this for fun!?!?!
Plus, the guys at the front desk that we PAID to use their "shack" and "dirt hill" to shoot at looked like something out of a bad Oliver Stone movie. Not good. Really.

Anyway, I am just thinking about it cause my back is killing me... Never again.

By the way - paid for my half marathon yesterday! Officially in! And cannot wait!

Lastly, the news is freaking out about my work. Hartford stocks have dropped dramatically although I am sure it is all fine. It just makes for a soap opera like atmosphere for a few days!!!

Bob

It's Monday again and I cannot believe how fast time flies... Our weekend wasn't too eventful although we got a lot done.
Saturday I got my hair cut and loved it SO much I told everyone I knew how great I looked. I got a longer bob cut and did chunks of blonde and brown...
HOWEVER...
why is it that your hair always looks SO much better when the stylist does it? I have not been able to recreate what she did and its ticking me off. I loved it on Saturday and now its just bleh. So annoying. I guess I will just have to keep practicing...

Yesterday I took the girls to finish getting everything for their Halloween costumes. They are both going to be ballerina's. Addison is a pink and white one and Kirstynn is a blue and white one. They are going to look adorable. And, of course, I bought my fangs so that I could continue with my obsession with vampires..

Speaking of, I finished book 2 last night and am onto the third, Eclipse! I am going to start it today and am excited but getting more sad that it's half way over...

Lastly, my sister told me about this texting thing called"cha cha". It is the coolest thing to me since sliced bread. Seriously. If you know me, you know I am addicted to texting. And this allows you to ask anything and everything to a REAL person.... Everything from "what should i dress up as for Halloween?" to "Whats the number to the Walmart by my house"...
they keep track of the questions you ask and write you back. You get a different person everytime but its awesome. Try it.. it's free as long as your wireless provider doesn't charge you to text!

We are kicking off our United Way campaign today for work. And Friday I am going over to the state school to volunteer for the day and put on a Luau bash for the people who live there. I am in charge of teaching them to hula. This should be very interesting considering I have no idea how to do this myself... :)

And the planning begins....

What a week this has been so far!

Monday night I spent all evening at the emergency pediatric clinic cause Kirstynn had a fever. Turned out she had ear infections in both ears. Poor baby.. We got her some antibiotics though and she is on her way to feeling better! But that night, she was up screaming the entire time and it was rough...

Tuesday was an extremely busy day... But the most exciting part of it (again maybe TMI, but I have a lot of girlfriends who will want to know) - I got my new copper IUD. I was so nervous all day that I almost backed out until right before. Luckily as I have said before, I am totally crushing on my OB/GYN, so that was a little bit of an incentive. lol. I thought it was going to hurt so badly. It didnt. And it is the most effective and widely used birth control method in the world. And it is hormone free. So it doesnt interfere with breastfeeding, no pills to remember to take and it last for something crazy like 10 years! Best thing on top of that was my insurance paid for it and it only cost me $30!

I sent out the invitations to start the process of getting ready for Addison's 3rd birthday party. It is such a struggle because Thomas and I love throwing parties and having people come, but its such a large party that during present time, it seems absurd to have that many people there. I always feel like the guests must think that we are spoiling her and asking for more presents than any toddler needs. But with family, it seems like if one brings something, another has to...etc. But, its a celebration and we decided to invite everyone and leave it to them how they want to proceed. Addison is just going to be excited to have a cake. She has been talking about her birthday cake since the last one!

I'm in the middle of my second book in the Twilight series... its called New Moon. And yes, I am still obessed. And now Thomas is too. He was up until midnight last night reading. He couldnt put it down either. They are on sale at Walmart people. Get out there and get them! :)

Just get it...

Well, I finished my first book in the twilight series. It is amazing. I am NOT exaggerating! Go buy it. You will be hooked. I want people to read it so we can start a fanclub and sit around drinking wine and talking about our love for Edward. And trust me, you will love him. I even got a guy friend to begin reading and he admitted almost having his first "guy crush". If you dont want to bw with him, you want to be him. Just get it.....

Wanna hear something weird? As I was laying in bed last night finishing it, I heard this posycho laughter coming from my bathroom.... it went on for about 20 seconds. My heart just about jumped out of my chest.... I think I may have even stopped breathing for a minute.
Once it stopped I realized it was one of Addison's babydoll's that went off. But it's not supposed to laugh unless it is squeezed. Spooky... I am blaming it on possible failing batteries but come on... how may scary movies has there been about this type of thing?? Either way, I still havent gone in to touch it or move it. I am too scared. lol.

Well, off to take care of my weekly grocery shopping. Just off the hook fun I tell you! I live on the seat of my pants these days... :)

Kirstynn is 7 months old!

Well Kirstynn is officially 7 months old today! I can hardly believe it. It has gone by so quickly. Too quickly. I wish I could make time stand still for just a little bit. Ok, a lot bit. Even with the complaining about sleep and tears and messes, I know this is one of the sweetest times in my life. And it just slips you by...

I have booked my flight and hotel for Portland and Seattle in 2 weeks. I am starting to look forward to it. Of course I will miss my girls and my husband, but it will be nice to get away. My sales rep called me today and asked what, if anything, specific I want to do for our last night in Seattle. Our company is really cutting costs and has decided underwriters will no longer be travelling. I am trying to think and the 2 things I most want to do is eat at a really good local seafood restaurant, head over to the Space Needle and walk around Pike Street Market. I doubt I will have time for all of that because work keeps us pretty busy, but at least my rep loves a good martini so I know I am covered there.

We have been in our house for a year this weekend! So, Thomas stayed home from work today and got all the last 1 year warranty items fixed. After this, we are fully responsible if something goes wrong. At least any of the cosmetic stuff. Foundation work and big stuff is 10 years, but still!

Went for a good run at lunch today. I am getting to where it is truely enjoyable because I am so in shape now... well my heart is anyway. You don't quite dread it like in the beginning. Plus, the weather has been so nice this week that it is amazing what a difference it makes. I am off to run 6 miles this weekend! The half marathon is only 2 months away!

Also, got some pictures from our fun night out last weekend. Thought I would post.

Twilight

Wow, even as I write this my eyes hurt more than I can explain!
Kirstynn was up from 2am until 5am last night. And not just up and being her normal chipper self, but crazy mad and upset!
The only way we could get her to sleep was to lay her on our chests - skin to skin! And that is fine for her - but there is no way to get comfortable with a 16 pound baby laying full on dead weight at 3am.
I still am not 100% sure what her deal was but I really really hope it is better tonight. And something is telling me that it is finally teeth! And she is now (all by herself) going from laying down and then sitting up. No help from us! We are in big trouble!

Ok - side note. I am reading this book called Twilight right now and I am absolutely entranced. And I am in love with the character. His name is Edward and he is an amazing, sexy, articulate VAMPIRE! It is a series of 4 books and I am only half way through the first, but I am hooked. I even think I am going to make my husband dress up as this man for Halloween. Seriously - I am not going to spoil any of it, but if you read. Even a little bit - go get this book!

I stayed home from work on Tuesday because I was in mourning and also not feeling well at all. If you have a weak stomach or think girlie things are gross - stop reading HERE.
But since most of my readers are girls and mothers at that. I have to post. This was a momentus and sad day in my life.

Ok - so I have been without a period since I was pregnant with Kirstynn. That was June 2007. Breastfeeding keeps aunt flow away and I took it for granted how much I like her being gone. Well, with my milk flow dropping a few weeks ago and all the stress of our house lately, TOM (time of the month) came back. Yes, all you women out there who feel my pain... let's bow our heads. I can only hope that since my milk is back on, maybe she'll just stay for a short visit and be gone again.
Ok - enough of that.

Speaking of milk though, a friend who came across my earlier posts gave me a wonderful recipe for lacation cookies. She also said they were delicious. I thought I would post in case anyone was interested in trying them:
Lactation Cookies
·
· 1 cup butter
· 1 cup sugar
· 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
· 4 tablespoons water
· 2 tablespoons flax seed meal
· 2 eggs
· 1 teaspoon vanilla
· 2 cups flour
· 1 teaspoon baking soda
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 3 cups oats
· 1 cup chocolate chips
· 2-4 tablespoons brewer's yeast
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix the flaxseed meal and water and let sit for 3-5 minutes.
Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar well.
Add eggs and mix well.
Add flaxseed mix and vanilla, beat well.
Sift together flour, brewers yeast, baking soda, and salt.
Add dry ingredients to butter mix.
Stir in oats and chips.
Scoop onto baking sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes.
Let set for a couple minutes then remove from tray. Makes 4 1/2 dozen.

Enjoy!

Sunday Funday!

Sunday, Funday... and I am just totally depressed that the weekend is already almost over! :) Last night was a definite adventure. We went out for a bit with our brothers and a good friend from work after the kids fell asleep. It ended badly with some blood, bile and break ups... None of them mix.... I will save the names to keep from incriminating anyone... We've all been there though...

The girls are still sick. We have a house full of snot and more dirty kleenex's than I care to think about it. I think all the congestion is finally breaking up though... I toted both of them to the doctor's office Friday afternoon to get them checked but of course I got the same old "it's just a cold - let it run its course" song and dance. Paid a pointless copay. :)

We have so many people in from the Houston area who can't get home to their stuff still because of all of the hurricane damage. They say a lot of them won't have electricity for weeks. I feel so bad for them. It's so hot here and humid and just gross.

Well, I need to head off and start cleaning and doing laundry. Oh the exciting life of a mommy of 2!

My milk came back!

Well, it's almost the end of the week again and now we are on our way to a rainy windy maybe tornado-filled weekend. Ike is supposedly heading this way at one time or another. And everyone is kind of buzzing and looking forward to it. I guess that happens when you dont really get rain on a regular basis. The funny part is I am not worried, but excited and my family, including my husband, is running around for batteries and flashlights. Oh the drama. :)

Both the girls have their colds back and that also means Kirstynn isn't sleeping through the night again. It's a lot to take, but at least I know it is short lived. I'm definitely tired though...

Great news... my milk came back!!! I was on a mission and with the help of some cool herbs and the night waking, I am back up to my old self. I am definitely proud! And I decided Keeks will just have to get formula for the 5 days I am on travel and I will pump out there and just resume when I get back. I really want to feed her for a full year and it looks like I am going to make it.

It sure is amazing the amount of people who just don't really appreciate the benefits of it and like to make the "well i guess it's just time" and "isnt she a little old for that already?" comments. In my mind, I'm like she is still a baby! She isn't even crawling yet! Give her some time to be a baby! lol.

I just know now from my previous daughter Addison that time just flies and this time when they are willing to cuddle and just be close to you is so short lived. And I am going to take advantage while I can!

My mom picked up the kids last night from school cause we had an appointment and accidently scratched her with her ring. It was nothing but Thomas thought it would be funny to send this to her cause she tends to feel overly bad about everything! lol

Well, off to shower and get ready for another late day 10am - 7pm. Ugh. It's just awful....

Flies and Chucky - oh the madness!

Well, this weekend was a full one!!!

Saturday morning we had our coffee and fully committed to cleaning the house top to bottom! And I am proud to say we did it. From dusting and vacuuming to toliets and mopping the floors... It took about 4 hours, but was worth it because the heavy stuff had been neglected for a little while.
Of course, there are already toys everywhere, but I'd always rather have messy than dirty any day!


Then following the cleaning spree, we attended 2 family birthday parties. The first was at Chuck e Cheese and was a mess. Addison hates it - she is just absolutely terrified of any people dressed up in the big cartoon characters.
As soon as Chucky came walking out, her head was buried in my sister's chest and wouldnt come out until we left... Who knows why she is scared of it. But at least it gave us a good reason to get out of there quickly.

Our second party was a little better except it was outside at Chris Madrids and Addison is also terrified of flies and was not having it. There were lots of the black flying friends and she couldnt focus on anything but that. It didnt make for a relaxing time, that's for sure.
And, to top it off, you know I am a complete celebrity addict! Come to find out, Thomas Gibson (from Criminal Minds and Darma and Greg) was sitting right next to us the whole time and I never even got to see him. I was too busy chasing away flies and feeding green veggie glop to Kirstynn. :)


Finally, on a very very sad note, I am having a really hard time with my breastmilk. The last week has been a little stressful and it has all but dried up. I could tell Kirstynn was upset and still hungry all day yesterday and when I tried to pump a little last night, it was literally just tiny drops.
Not even a full ounce after 20 minutes. I was a full on mess.

I read somewhere that you can take fenqueek, this herbal supplement, to increase your milkflow and I am trying that and not ready to give up yet. She is not even 7 months and I am determined to make it to a year. I am going to do my best to get it back until Friday and if, by then, I am still struggling, I guess I am going to have to quit. Ugh. Just writing that bring tears to my eyes.....
I have to start getting more though because I found out I have to make a trip for 5 days to Seattle at the beginning of October and if I dont have enough pumped, she will have to go on formula.
I dont even have enough now to feed her for today, much less pump for later....
Any ideas or anything that worked for you????

Austin

Well, Kirstynn is well on her way to making my life completely nuts. As you can see from the pictures, she is sitting up and now can get up on all fours and rocks back and forth. Once she actually starts crawling and I have to keep up with both her AND Addison, it's done.

The good part is I signed up for a weight loss challenge here at work with about 40 people. We each put in $20 and the one with the highest percentage wins 90% of the pot and highest number of pounds wins the last 10%. I am on a mission and with 2 mobile children that can't really take care of themselves yet, I am bound to run it off.

Austin was tons of fun last weekend and it was great being back there. I can honestly say it is one of my favorite cities in the world. There is just a completely different aura when you drive into it. I want to start getting the girls up there to enjoy some of its culture as soon as they are old enough to start appreciating it.

Here's a few more pics that I haven't posted.

Sitting up

Sorry haven't been able to write for those that are keeping up. We have a lot going on at the Donbavand house, but I wanted to post a few pictures of Kirstynn starting to sit up and a few from the game on Saturday!