The Final Frontier of Potty Training!

Yes, the time has come once again in this household for potty training!   Although it began without my desire to do so just yet.  I know I know - it will be way easier in the end when she is potty trained, but I just was enjoying a few more months of not dealing with the hassle.  But in my attempt to play the Diaper Roulette game of running out of diapers and the wait time for the next delivery - I lost.   Last diaper used (except for the hold backs that I had for bedtime)   and so I broke out the Pull-Ups... and well she told me she needed to use the potty and she went!     Then a little while later she said she needed to go again... and she did!   She clearly was ready!

And so it began a week before she turned 33 months old, Mae began potty training.   I had previously stocked up on some padded underwear, broke out the blankets to be sat out,  babylegs to keep her warm, and began the every 10 minute nag reminders to try going potty.    Since she had already had the early success of going in the potty, she kinda had an idea of the feeling.    The first day we had wet training pants as she would not hold it long enough to go all in the potty, so we slowly went from a 50/50 to 30/70 into the potty by the end of Day One.    Pretty darn good.    

With Ace I was adamant to not use Pull Ups once we began the potty training except for at naptime and bedtime.   We also 1.  avoided going anywhere for several days, 2. He was a boy and if we were outdoors he just went outside, 3.  He was older (we went full force right after he turned 3) and followed instructions a bit better than sister.       So for Mae my sanity we have engaged Pull Ups into the equation of potty training this time a bit more frequently.   

Like most kids Mae does not want to go poop in the potty.  This means that in the morning or around naptime she'll usually go in her Pull Up.   This is trending similarly to Ace had when he began to potty train.    Mae has had success a few time to use the potty for poop (oh yes, on the potty training post of course we talk about that.)  In fact on the first night of full blown potty training she said her tummy hurt and she sat down and went right away!  Hooray! 

Our incentive program is the same that we did for Ace when he was potty training.  We have a doorknob hanger and stickers that she gets to put on whenever she goes - a little one for peeing and a big one for going poop.   The first few days she had a sticker every time she went (Brother enjoyed counting all her stickers.  Brother also is an awesome encourager for Mae and her progress.  The first time she went he was right in there with us telling sister she had done a great job!)    As time has gone on in the last week and a half she isn't seeking a sticker after every time she goes pee.   She does however love to show us she went.    She also has Bear go with her on his potty next to her.  

Day two of potty training happened to be a Sunday and Mae went to church in a Pull Up.   We told her teacher it was Day Two of PT and to help us out but no worries if it didn't work.    Mae informed her teacher when asked if she needed to go that she only uses the potty at home.  Hmm... there was an accident of course, but that's ok.    After church I did get her to sit on the potty but with no success and quite a bit of protest.     This past week though she did much better, still armed in a Pull Up.  She told her teacher she needed to go, but teacher said she tried but didn't go. (I think she just didn't make it, as it was wet when I checked.)  After church was over I asked again if she needed to go and she went with me and I held her on the big potty and she went!   Progress!  HOORAY!

Mommy admits the Pull Ups are part lazy, part furniture protection, part make-it work sanity protection.  Mae tends to be a tad more stubborn and outright refuses to go sometimes - resulting in the accidents.  Much easier to deal with in the Pull Up.   Much easier to go to the store with two kids if I still am not fearing an accident.    I know I know I have to break free from them soon(ish) and I will... but with my stubborn girl, we're building up to it.    Yesterday, I noticed she was becoming lazy again and had more accidents than previous days in the Pull Ups, so again this morning we're back to the padded underwear while we're home. 

Yesterday, I acquired the Nighttime Pull Ups and so as of yesterday we are 100% officially done with diapers! You heard it here first after FIVE YEARS, ONE MONTH, and TWENTY DAYS we are a diaper free household!!!!  Ahem I digress... Nighttime Pull Ups: Now if she needs to go potty before she falls asleep she doesn't need our help to put the diaper back on.   She's been averaging 2xs after we put on the diaper at night telling us she needs to go potty - which is GREAT that she's acknowledging the feeling, holding it, and going in the potty!  Hooray!  

The deal remains the same for Mae as it was for Ace - when she remains dry all day with no accidents - she gets to go to the store and pick out her very first pairs of big girl underwear.    We're not there yet, but yesterday while at the store we went and looked at them for some added incentive.  They have Doc McStuffin, people! She's serious now!  ;) Overall she's doing great.  She tells me when she needs to go if she isn't somewhere she can do it herself.   She remembers all on her own to go and makes it 80% of the time by holding it, and she has stayed dry over 50% of the time during her naps.   

"I went potty all by myself!!"

Next up is getting her more acclimated with the big potty, she's so tiny though I am more hesitant with than I was with Ace.    So baby steps for Mae and Mommy.

So while we're diaper free, we are not yet disposable product free just yet... but we should be during the daytime before Christmas and that is all that my goal is at the moment.    Super proud of our little girl and she is super proud of herself!!!  Great job, Mae Mae!  You're growing up so fast!

Thanksgiving

It was another fine festive Thanksgiving with family around us!   The morning began with the boys participating in a football game and I introduced Mae to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!   Ace watched a bit and SIL joined in as well between playing with the kids. 

We hosted the meal at our house and Loving Husband and The Brother-In-Law did all the cooking!   Yes, BIL and LH had a good time in the kitchen and the 'women folk' stayed out of their way.  It was blissfully awesome!     The food was delicious with dishes such as turkey meatloaf (it's really yum!) and a molassas and pomagrant glazed turkey.    Gran and Pop Pop joined us along with SIL who came with BIL of course! 

After much prepping over the span of 4 hours (not too bad compared to the hours some people put in the kitchen on this fine feast of a day!)  then it was time to chow down.    The table was set with a bit of decor - mostly the kids' handprints cut from some finger painted pages that Mae and Ace had done a few weeks back.   Sort of a hand-leaf smattering about, some wooden trivets, and a centerpiece that I pieced together with some gerber daisies and random other bits I had laying about.

After most of the meal was consumed there was a bit of familial frivolity while those of us married in refrained from participation for a more an amused spectator role.    Ace thought it was great fun and decided to try himself, although it was ruled his nose needed to grow a bit more.  :)

Overall a wonderful evening!  A nice blessing to gather all together.   Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Halloween 2012

Halloween with kids is always so much fun!  Mae this year trick or treated for the first time and she was hardly shy.  She held up her bucket right away, occasionally venturing into people's homes (eek!) to get herself some room with all the kids that were with us.    It was adorable.  Ace this year equally as  fearless and had a great time collecting candy from the houses.   Sadly there was a casualty of a Thor hammer that was lost along the way, but plenty of candy made up for it.  They were so excited and happy.   It's hard to observe Halloween any other way than visually so of course here are some pictures to take it all in.  :) 

 

 

...TREAT!!! ..... Nank You! (Thank you)

Until next year!!  Which Ace said a few days after Halloween "Next Halloween I'm going as Iron Man...and the next Halloween I'm going as the Hulk... and the next Halloween I'm going as Captain America... Because Halloween is supposed to be SCARY!!!"

Nineteen Months old

Mae this month has really expanded her vocabulary.  Including her first phrase of "Hep me!" (Help me!)  It started out as one word but I think she now recognizes that it is two words.   I have since lost track of every new word she has but some of my favorites whether new or old are:  Luv you,  tick-all (tickle), Pix-uhl (Pixel), and Mommy! 

New things for Mae in her 19th month:  her first ice cream - which now she asks for regularly "creeeam... bowl... taebull(table)"  It's cute and watching her eat the sticky mess was a lot of fun too!

She sings in church, loves to dance when there is music on, folds her hands to pray - and constantly say 'more' when any of it ends because she always wants more singing, dancing, and praying.   I  love it! 

She LOVES her brother and wants to do everything he does.  He makes her laugh and she is pretty good to not bother him TOO much.   Mae loves to do school just as much as her brother and we sit at the dining room table with her in her high chair and do school all together.  :)

Mae is still itty bitty in size but she's feeling heavier and I'm  happy for that that she's growing!  She LOOKS bigger and as of today (even though I'm woefully late on posting her 19 month blog!)  She was 18lbs and 1oz!  Hooray!   She also has had seven weeks of totally healthy and I'm so thankful that we've avoided any summer colds!!

This past month has also been an experience with tantrums.  Mae also has received a few more time outs this month.  A time out for Mae is in the Pack-N-Play.  Since she sleeps in her bed or our bed, the PnP is really only for TOs.   She's nearly 2 now so the time out is 2 minutes.   On one venture to the pnp she decided to strip all her clothes off in protest.   Silly girl... a few days later she upped the atte and stripped off the diaper too and then fell asleep.  lol.   She was out cold and so I was able to put a new diaper on her before any accidents occurred but oh my!    Never a dull moment!!!

I cannot believe that we're rapidly approaching her second birthday.   With the holidays looming that milestone will arrive even more quickly!    She's a joy and SO happy! She wakes up with her BIG EYES and just smiles as bright as the sun.   She still loves her mama milk and to snuggle next to me all night.    Can't wait to see what is next for her!

Mae recently has been able to recognize TWO of something and can hold up two finger - she often wants TWOOOOOO crackers.   She can count two things.. although not ... 1, 2... just look at it and say TWO!  Very happy with a giant smile.  :) 

Mae's teeth count of fully in teeth is 5, but she's got 3 more broken through and descending rapidly, one of those being a molar.  The other molars are just about to break through and we're looking forward to that so that she can enjoy eating more variety in foods with better ease!    Eating wise she does ok - still eats like a bird many meals but then at other times we're wondering where on earth she's putting it!  Quite the adventure!!

Eighteen Months Old

My little girl is a year and a half old! She's growing up so much and it's so adorable to see her expand her world, vocabulary, humor, and joy on a seemingly daily basis!  

In just a month not much has changed, but when you look back at the last six months SO much has changed!

New firsts for Month 18: first chipped tooth, first full day away from mommy, a new puppy, another tooth finally breaking through, her first Popsicle and more words!

Yes, Mae has had an explosion of words including: shows, Pix (Pixel), coak (coat), hep (help), cap (clap), shoe (often said 'SHOOOOES!' very excited), cheese (the food this time, not just to take a picture), eat, poop, sheesh (fish), car, Pop Pop, Brrrr (bird, which has evolved from 'Bah'), wah (water), boo/book (she alters), cook, hiiiiii (she has become far more enthused saying hello), mar/more, uh oh,  ball, rock, owww (owl), cheek, ear, eye, mouw (mouth), aff (off), cam (come), wak (walk), liiin (lion), chair, two, teat (treat), bed, nigh-nigh, doll, piggy, wee-wees (this little went wee wee wee all the way home!), hawt/hot (everything is hot even things that are cold) ... and I know there is more but that's all I've got for the moment.  :)

In the teeth department we've had quite the excitement as well.  She already was born with her front tooth fused with another one - causing a super giant front tooth that was misshapen.  One evening when both her and her brother were sick and out of sorts - Ace was already in bed trying to sleep and Mae climbed up on him - he rejected this by pushing her off the bed and thus her overly sized malformed tooth became chipped - it now has a canine tooth look to it but isn't overly sharp.  Here's hoping her adult tooth is normal up there!   Mae also this past week FINALLY had a fifth tooth break through on the bottom.  Hooray!  Her brother by 18 months already had 12 teeth including his first set of molars.   This has drastically limited Mae's ability to chew foods...

In the eating department - when she's not sick - she does pretty darn well.   She loves chicken nuggets, fries, english muffins with peanut butter, cheese sticks (often if I ask if she's hungry she asks for "cheeeeeese" which is super adorable) she loves to suck on goldfish crackers and suck off all the salt (she is her mama's daughter!) and occasionally she'll consume them.   She happily eats cookies of several variations.  Yogurt is often consumed and where we hide her liquid vitamins! :)  She enjoyed her first popsicle the other day at a BBQ and she did pretty good consuming some of it before it melted away.   Mae for the most part will eat a little bit of anything but quantities are really sparse.  So we try to entertain high fat/calorie concentrated foods.

Health wise we continue down a similar course of cold catching and continue to hope for the virus season to leave our home!   She never truly gets out of sorts whenever she is sick and is so happy in spite of it all!   She's such a sweetheart!  We're hoping that the summer months will give us a break in colds. 

Mae and her brother (and the parents) recently got a new puppy and he's tiny.  Which is good because he loves to jump on Mae and although she is tiny, he's smaller and that's good.  Mae has really warmed to him.  Loves to pet him, bring him his toys, and recently wanting to give him his 'teat' (treat) which she does very well to let the dog lick out of her hand.   It's pretty cute.  

In the play department she wants to do everything her brother does. :)  She does pretty good climbing up on things at the playground, at the lake she wants to wade in despite the consequence of going face first when the water gets too deep, and she loves to go on walks.   On her own she loves to play with her dolls, be flipped upside down by her dad, and play 'wee-wees' which she'll ask for by name while wiggling her fingers over her toes.  Yes, the timeless 'game' of 'This Little Piggy Went to Market'   :)  She is adorable and will do it to me too.   She still loves her piglet but she's not as exclusive anymore with him.  At bedtime she often wants multiple friends to hug and fall asleep with.  She loves to read books at bedtime and her favorite still remains Goodnight Gorilla.

Mae this month also finally started to let me do her hair and leave it in longer than three seconds!   If I just put a clip in on the side she'll still yank it pretty fast but pony tails of various heights and location seem to remain all the time with some varied results when she's in her car seat.

Mae is such a joy and we love her.  She loves to jump (bounce up and down) and go for walks, and she knows almost all of her 'pieces' (head, nose, etc..)  Every day she surprises us and always is smiling!   We can't wait to see what the rest of this year brings us!

Seventeen Months Old

As the days speed past us every day is new and more of an adventure with Mae.   She is becoming her own little person.  Gaining speed, vocabulary and attitude!   :)  Her smile is huge, her laugh is adorable, and her scowl is just plain funny and so pronounced!

New things in her 17th month:  Attended her first baby shower and was an adorable little lady, and lots more words!

Mae has had an explosion of words in this last month.  She's really gotten the parroting thing down and tries all sorts of new words.  Her favorite is "NO!"  She says it with a cute sing-song melody often and it's adorable, but for the connotation attached to it. :)   She also really likes the word 'lello' (yellow) and GO!   Other words she squeaked out this past month include:  puppy, booo (blue), kieee (kitty), eat, skoo (school), sheee (sheep), loouv (love... she curls her little tongue up and it's so adorable to see her try), blow, two (which is her amount for anything and everything when you ask her how many?)  you, boo, choo choo...

Yes, if you're familiar with children's literature those last few words will be a bit more obvious in theme.  They are all words from the book Peek A Who?  Mae loves to read this book over and over and over during the day and she can say all the words except when I prompt her to say 'moo!'  she says 'MEEEE!'   It's adorable and silly and I love it.  Her other favorite book is Good Night, Gorilla.   She is adorable when we read it because when we get to the part opening her eyes in the dark after all the animals say good night back to her,  Mae every time will mimic the gasp sound that I typically make on that page - although for Mae it's more of a grunt and it's adorable.

Mae loves to say her prayers.  She folds her hands and closes her eyes and often will repeat the beginning of the prayer 'De-Ja' (Dear Jesus) and then at the end she will say 'Mon' (Amen)   it's adorably sweet and this past few weeks when we're done praying she will sign for more and fold her hands awaiting my starting of more prayers.  It's seriously the most adorable thing and I love that her faith, while likely not growing in understanding just yet, is growing in eagerness and anticipation!

In trending toward two, Mae has started to enjoy and invoke the rite of passage with some tantrums.   She is extremely dramatic and a slight grievance is often met with massive yelling, screaming, water works - her physical self seems to remain mostly still - although she has gotten down and laid on the floor a time or two for dramatic affect.   To date though she's avoiding the head banging that Ace did during this phase of his life.

Growth wise she is still itty bity - 17lbs and 8oz.   She just had a weight check at the doctor and to check for an ear infection which she was cleared of, apparently she just likes to tug on her ears.  :)   Her coughing continues and we're working through yet another cold.   She still just has the 4 teeth although I can start to see the bulges where the molars are going to come in.   She still loves her mama milk on demand and I'm happy to oblige - although I'd really love for her to sleep through the night! 

Sleep wise she's no different - still wakes a few times a night wanting milk or comfort.  She does start out in her own bed every night but often is in our room by midnight.   Rarely do I get to bed before she's coming into ours.   But I don't complain.  This season is fleeting and if she trends like her brother then we have less than a year before she's in her bed full time.  We'll see though :)  

Speaking of her brother - she loves him.  She loves to climb on him, crawl on him, play with him, get in his way, smack his head, and lay in his bed.   She is a typical little sister and Ace is very patient and loving with her.  

She continues to be my climber - she can freely get herself on the couches, beds, and now knows how to use those heights to get other places.    Eating wise she is very opinionated on the subject.   She's not picky - she eats spinach, she LOVES pasta, and has easily eaten 4oz of steak (I'm not exaggerating!)  in one sitting - but there are times where she just doesn't want to eat without a battle.   To say it's frustrating is an understatement, but I'm hopeful that we're on the downward trend of this phase as well and I'll continue to endure her stubborn ways... I don't really have a choice otherwise. ;)

Mae is a great hugger, she's got a good grip around your neck and she likes to say 'blow' when she blows kisses.  Even if she kisses your cheek she will do it as she says 'blow!'   It's adorable.   Her hair is crazy long but sparse and thin and WILD!  She likes when I do her hair and she leaves it for about 3 seconds.  :)  She loves to try and put her own socks on and she can successfully put on her own pants.   She wants to dress herself often and loves purses, hats and her stuffed animals.  Piglet remains the top favored friend, but she loves to rock and cuddle lots of different ones.   She is adorable and we love her!

A Sunny Walk

In early April on a sunny Saturday, Mae went on her first walk with her dada (and the rest of us came along too!)  Her big brother has long enjoyed walks with his father and now Mae gets to enjoy them too. We walked to a local park and played on the playground, picked flowers, ran across the fields and enjoyed a sunny weekend afternoon as a family.   It was delightful. 

Mae's First Dentist Visit

Yes, our little girl has had another first:  her first trip to the dentist!   I was planning on waiting until Ace's next appointment in May - but as that second top tooth descended upon us it became more troubling to this mama that something just wasn't quite right.   It was chipped? Cracked? Malformed? Unsure - but I thought it best to get her in before 8 more weeks went by and so after dropping Ace off at preschool mommy and Mae headed to her very first dental appointment.  

Our big girl strutted into the office as if she owned the place - receiving oohs and ahhs from all around.   She was quite happy to be there.  She walked back to the dentist chair and since she's small we did a repeat similar to how we did Ace's first visit.   We brought along M's lovie for comfort and she received a new toothbrush which she happily took and began chewing on all the while sitting in mommy's lap, while cautiously observing the room.  

The dentist came over and checked out her mouth.  Mae fussed as she was leaned back and had her exam but recovered quickly when it was all said and done.   She received a fluoride paint on her teeth and was given a thumbs up for her dental health.  Now about that pesky tooth.   It's not a chip and it's not a crack.  It is possibly two fused and malformed baby teeth.   We really won't know until she can have x-rays to determine.  

+Typically the first x-rays are done when they're around 5.   My kids however receive theirs early since they've already got 'teeth issues' and Ace received his first set at 3.  Mae will have the same done.  So until she's three we won't really know the true issue with her teeth but there isn't any reason to be concerned except to be extra cautious with brushing the area where there is the fuse/fold line.  This is a 'rare' thing that she has (of course) and this could mean she has an extra adult tooth,  fused adult teeth, or even a missing one.  We won't know until the x-rays.  Nothing to be done, so nothing to worry about for now.

She received a bath toy and we scheduled her next appointment for 8 months out (so that her and her brother's would match back up properly.)    After the appointment she was super snuggly and nearly fell asleep on my shoulder.  Although when we got in the car she perked up and played (and chewed) on her new toy. It was a good trip and she did great! 

Mae's First Birthday

Hooray Saturday was the day!  The day that this mommy plots from early on in her children's existence.  Yes, the famous 'First Birthday' party.    Since our little girl from day one has been referred to as Owlie due to her head that turns extremely far and her big eyes that she can make - it only seemed appropriate that that be the theme.   As it turns out - there is a HUGE market for a certain owl-themed 1st birthday set - so my inspiration began there.  

Decorations and such were all obtained or made this past week or so and the execution took place on Friday.    I made the cakes on Saturday morning - above you are looking at 3 tubs of frosting there.  The little owls were made out of crafting foam that I traced and put together with hot glue.    They made for excellent decor for the cakes.  

Across the mantle I strung her month photos - along with a photos on top of it of Mae when she was 10 days old and one that I took on her birthday in a similar pose.  The circle garland are just a lot of felt circles cut out and just sewn together.   The strands of lights have little cupcake wrappers on them as little lamp shades.    The wreath I made using a foam circle that I wrapped with yarn and then hot glued another foam owl I made along with some of the circles.    I ordered the balloon, plates, and pinata in the official line of 'Whoo's Turning 1' themed stuff.      The pull string pinata is stuffed with toys (all of non-choking hazard size)  for the 3 and under crowd to enjoy!   With everything in order the party was set - food was set out (forgot to snap that picture) and let the merriment begin with snow falling in the background!

The birthday girl was ready to party in her special outfit.   I got her shirt from BowDaciousBaby and it's darling!   Although I won't lie - I do have a complaint, they didn't preshrink the shirt before doing the applique/embroidery and so it's not totally flat now.   Hmmph.    Still darling and she looked too cute for words in it!   She had a great nap before the party and was ready to enjoy the festivities!

People began to arrive as the snow continued to fall.   Grammie had thankfully avoided any issues arriving from  her flight here that morning, so she was busy helping me get everything ready.     Ace was so excited for the snow and was itching to go outside.    He had fun throwing snowballs at the window for the party guests to watch.   

With snow hampering some guests' arrivals and the urgency for our current guests to get home - we began opening presents.  Mae got a lot of cute things.  She loved the stroller, but really thought it should be for her to sit in and not for the doll.   

A family picture was obtained (see the snow falling in the background?) before the cake festivities began -  Mae was distracted by something to her left, that was far more interesting than the camera. 

With Mae in place the cake was set in front of her to grab a picture before we lit the candle and sang happy birthday.    Well she wasn't interested in any lit candle, in fact it was the first thing she grabbed - so with the formality of it over and this picture snapped we let her have at it - while we sang Happy Birthday.   

I'm done with this.

After she had sufficiently and timidly smashed the cake to her liking we grabbed a few pictures with friends, so they could get on the road... as we had a few other guests arrive during cake festivities to say the roads were getting pretty precarious out there.   Pop Pop arrived to say he'd be sticking around a while because of it - and another friend of ours arrived having had a small fender bender and left after consuming a slice of cake and dropping off a present (he had driven close to an hour to attend too!)   Dern that snowy weather!   We also decided to skip the pinata and decided to save it for a play date when all the little ones could attend and participate.

Next up was bath time, followed by a few more presents, and little bit of time with the grandparents that were around for the festivities and then the party was over!  What fun she had!  Cake was consumed, presents were opened and she spent the remainder of the evening playing with all her new loot (along with Ace who very much enjoyed playing with all the new toys!)   Thanks to all her fans who ventured out in the snowy NW weather to attend her special day!!

Elephant in the Room

It's funny how life can change so quickly.   How one incident can result in a life-shift in not only behavior, but mindset, mannerisms and more.    Our journey into allergies began on Christmas day with a phone call to 911.  Our little girl was in mild distress and covered in hives after consuming a certain food.   We knew that even after that shot of benadryl by the paramedics that further doctors would be examining her and tests would be run.   I knew it was just the beginning...

On Tuesday afternoon my little girl and I headed to the allergist.   She was a picture perfect patient.  She was happy toddling around the room awaiting the visit from the doctor and she happily cuddled up against her mommy as the nurse did the test on her back.  She didn't even budge from my chest to see what was going on.  She didn't fuss one bit.   Then we waited and she happily tore apart my wallet while we waited for things to unfold.  

15 minutes later it was confirmed that Mae has allergies and that Mae would be prescribed an Jr. Epi Pen.   We went over procedures, check lists of when and if to use it,  what foods to avoid, what were ok.  Having had allergies pretty much my whole life all of this wasn't that overwhelming to listen to.   It is however the catalyst to paranoia:  What's in that?  Ace you can have that but Mae can't.   Mae can have this as a substitute.  Her cheeks are rosey, did she get into something?  and on and on it goes.  

It's a whole new and enduring world - allergies.    It causes you to really have to stop and analyze everything that a child consumes.   As an adult I have one food allergy to pineapple - I read a lot of labels - I find it exhausting because I never read a label once. I read it three times before consuming anything that remotely might contain pineapple - and I can recall many missteps I've had in consuming pineapple unsuspectingly and the consequences for that.   It's frustrating, but I'm in control.  I know what's the result of my intake of pineapple.   It's another whole world when it's my job to read the labels for my daughter, to insure that she is safe.   It is also my new job to carry the benadryl and the jr. epi pen. 

Epi... they make it sound so simple.  Not like the big scary word of epinephrine, a jolt of adrenaline.   The reminder from the pharmacist that it "only buys you about 15 minutes of time, so be sure to seek immediate emergent care" is reminder enough that it's not so simple.  The demonstration of use alone is jarring... nevermind that if I have to administer it - it won't be in the adult's thigh that it was just demonstrated on but my 16lb (nearly) one year old instead.     But as traumatic and scary as it all sounds - I'm honestly not afraid.  I just feel that this Jr. Epi Pen sits there is like a giant elephant is in the room.   This undertone of heavy weighted reality that I have a child with a moderate allergy and a this elephant that sits on a shelf awaiting a reaction.

I don't live in fear, but I do feel a heavy weight carrying around this pen (no not literally.)   However, I don't let it consume me.  I know that life is not in my control, but God's and whether this be a life long challenge for Mae or a shorter one mostly for her parents - it will be used for His glory and within His protection.  I pray that the allergy discovered is it, that there are no more to be discovered by traumatic means.  I pray that she outgrows what she has.   I hope one day to be rid of the elephant in the room, and my purse, my car... and soon to be in a couple of other places as well.  After all elephants are quite cumbersome.

Our Christmas

First let me say we had a WONDERFUL Christmas.  In spite of many things...   

We began our morning in prayer and then head downstairs.  Ace was so excited!  He just couldn't wait to get down there and get into everything.  His excitement was infectious.  :)  Mae, still battling a cold and not really understanding was content to go along for the ride.

Downstairs we went and it was a frenzy of wrapping, stockings, and excitement! Mae enjoyed a cautious observation, but was quite happy with things in her stocking.  I got her a wallet of her very own - and she pulled the cards in and out.  It was adorable.   Ace was SO excited about everything.   I loved it.  His smile was genuine and his joy was present.   I love the 'magic' of Christmas.

We all opened our presents from Ace - mine were beautiful flowers that I had already received the day before.  Ace chose them especially for me.  Ace picked out a pair of flashlights for his dad so that he and his father could go for walks in the dark with them.  For his sister he got her some weebles.  Excellent choices as she absolutely loved them and played with them repeatedly throughout the morning.     He did a good job choosing with some guided direction - inexpensive (roughly $5 presents) for his family members. 

Another exciting present was from his Auntie Dawn... a few weeks into Christmas a catalog arrived in the mail and he was flipping through it and came upstairs going on and on about how he didn't want a camera or a swarmfire (gasp!) but that he really wanted THIS: a remote controlled car.   He probably stared at that picture for a solid ten minutes, taking in every angle, every picture (all 4 of them) and I'm sure just imagining the possibilities - his Christmas present had already been purchased by us though, so I shot his Auntie an email and she happily made his Christmas wish come true and the reaction was so great!

Mae was adorable and very observant and watching everything that was going on. She participated in paper unwrapping with curiosity, but she was certainly more interested in the item within the wrapping than the actual paper. She wanted whatever was under that wrapping and she wanted it out of its box for her to manipulate/play with right away. She got books, dolls, puppets, and a tea set and she has since played again with them all, but her favorite by far was that wallet.

Ace all month has been showing us various things he has been wanting - but one stood out over all others: the Nerf SWARMFIRE gun!  Yes, literally - he had a hawk eye for it in the stores, he could find it without fail in any advertisement, and he was so excited by it.  When I asked him what he thought his dad would like for Christmas his answer was "A swarmfire!"  Um No.   Same thing was his answer when his father posed the question a few days later about what to get for mom.  Amusing and quite smart!  No fret young anxious one...  His Aunt and Uncle bought it for him and remained 'hidden' until the end of unwrapping this morning.   It was quite exciting!

Now this Christmas I seemed to be batting a 1000 in the prepared department - on Christmas Eve minutes before it was rolling over to Christmas, Loving Husband asked where the other part of Mae's ladybug was that he was supposed to blow up.   What are you talking about, LH?   Apparently, there were two pieces of Mae's present and I failed to get the main portion of it.   Siiigh.  Oh well, she had her stocking, and a sad deflated ladybug 'mat' for the time being.    Then after all the excitement of the swarmfire: the build up, the opening, the unwrapping.. I grabbed the C batteries... all four that I had gotten for the gun that required six!  Are you kidding me????  Sheesh.   Our calls to the neighbors turned up nada - the boy and his dad would have to head to the gas station to get the other two.   Siigh.  Oh well funny memories for later... Later.

After presents were unwrapped, Loving Husband got to cooking and we enjoyed some breakfasts and phone calls with various friends and family members.    After that, around 11 we got a bit of excitement - about 30 minutes after breakfast Mae broke out in hives and coughing - 911 was called - paramedics arrived - her and her mommy were carted off in an ambulance to the hospital for monitoring - and 90 minutes after that we were headed home!  Oh yah! No lie.    It was quite the ordeal - she's ok and we'll have some follow up appointments with the doctor this week.   What a way to make a statement for your first Christmas, baby girl! 

After that it was a low key afternoon - nap times for both kiddos while LH played video games and I watched some Christmas movies with a sleep healthy Mae.   Followed pretty closely by dinner and then we gathered around to watch How The Grinch Stole Christmas one last time before Ace's bedtime to close out Christmas on Ace's 4th Christmas and Mae's 1st.    And what a sentiment to close on - on a day we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the joy of family, and the health and safety of our little girl.     Merry Christmas indeed!