First trip to the ER

We reached another milestone, not one I ever wanted to reach. We had our first trip to the emergency room. Yesterday, around 5:15, the kids were playing while I cooked dinner. They were in the rocking/recliner laughing and playing. I heard AG give her "stop" scream and looked up just in time to see AG go flying over the armrest. She landed on the tile floor and hit the top of her head (at the hairline). I scooped her up, she did the cry, hold breath, cry thing....but halfway through the 2nd cry she passed out! It was like she just went to sleep. She was cradled in my arms so I have her a gentle shake, she woke up but her face was completely grey. The whole loss of consciousness lasted maybe 2 seconds. Then she signed "milk," drank a bottle, and acted like her normal self. It was surreal.

I wasn't sure if she needed to be seen....she *seemed* perfectly normal, but the loss of consciousness was scary. The pediatrician's office had *just* closed, I called the pediatric urgent care center and they said they would not see her. Losing consciousness was not something they could deal with. They directed us to one of our local hospitals, the only one with a pediatric emergency room. I also consulted with a friend who is a nurse and a mom, she suggested the same ER. So off we went.

Austin was able to leave work early and beat us to the ER. Sprout was still acting like her normal, happy, toddler self. It seemed that the triage nurse didn't think we needed to be there but once I explained about the passing out she zipped us straight over to the pediatric side of the ER.  The ER dr was great. In fact, everyone who dealt with us was great, really, really, great.  AG had a great time making lots of new friends.

AG got to have a CAT scan to make sure there were no hidden injuries. The scan technician got to hear Austin & I sing the ABCs and a customized Wheels on the Bus medley while AG cried the most heartbreaking cry. AG *hated* being strapped down on the swaddle/immobilizer board thing. When she saw someone carrying it 5 minutes later she started to freak out again. Poor Girl.

Thankfully the scan results confirmed what we all suspected, that aside from a bump on her head, she was fine!

We got home just before 9pm and the kids got to have fast food for dinner before being tucked into bed. Per Dr's orders we woke her up a few times throughout the night. She responded appropriately each time.

The picture above is from when we were waiting for the CAT scan results.

FYI it's kinda hard to keep a happy, bouncy, daredevil toddler confined in a small room with a curtain as the divider. Thank goodness for my diaper bag being a bottomless pit with some snacks stuffed into the crevices.

Waiting for Daddy to get home.

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Summer Update

A photo explosion of what we've been up to this summer 

Sprout now feeds herself with a fork

Bug enjoying popcorn at the Friday Night Fireworks
(our summer tradition for Friday nights: stay up SUPER late,
meet up with friends in a parking lot to let the kids play and watch the fireworks show)

Showing off his new Perry the Platypus Shoes

Waiting for Open Gym to begin, another Friday tradition

Bug got a new haircut (and found the joy in colored hair gel)

Bug started Basketball, his first organized sport. 

Brought his friend "I" to VBS and who then spent the night
 (yes, we have entered the "sleepover" phase)

AG now has enough hair for the MOST adorable pigtails EVER!! 

"Shhhh puppy is sleeping!!"

Weekly library trips has meant that Bug has discovered
The Berenstain Bears (He has his very own library card)

AG discovered the joys of "dot art"

Helping me pack for our trip to Dallas

All dressed up at Aunt Jennifer's wedding but refusing to take a picture together

so handsome!

not feeling particularly photogenic 

We stopped in College Station to visit Grandmother Eaves and
AG got to meet two more cousins! 

This is what happens when I go to the bathroom by myself.
To quote the childcare workers at the Y, "She's a climber!" 

"Mom I Love You" - best love note EVER! 

Yankee Doodle Baby....waiting for Brother "BuhBuh" to ride in the kid's parade

They gave me a sucker!! 

un-happy camper in the kid's 4th of July Parade

Dribbling practice

 Dribble around the cones, then shoot

Summer Bucket List

Our Summer has officially begun!!  I'm still in the honeymoon phase right now and relishing the thought of having SO MUCH time with the kids. This is the first summer in two years when we haven't been in "crisis mode."  We're going to have so many adventures this summer and never have a dull moment or run out of patience or or or...

The reality is that we DO have a schedule in mind, but it's a kind of "free & easy" summer. We'll try and get out of the house in the mornings before the heat of the day turns us into hot, cranky, puddles. Our weekly routine will include swim lessons for both kids, basketball for Bug, story time at the library, open gym at the local gymnastics place, and the YMCA.  We'll come home for lunches and Sprout's naps then hang out around the house until Daddy gets home. I've created a list of activities to do around the house and out of the house. Lots of focus on developing Bug's fine motor skills and hand strength. Lots of focus on find out "what happens when...." and trying to think outside of the box.

To that end we have created a Craft Room in the house, complete with a desk/table *just* for Bug. The cabinet (old computer armoire & bookcase) is stocked with my sewing stuff and all the craft supplies for our summer art projects. It will be gated off so AG can't get into things but C will have an all access pass. And BEST OF ALL!! There will be a large project/sewing table in the middle of the room for MY projects! The Craft Room is the formal living room and just across the entry way is AG's own playroom (aka the formal dining room).

Yes, I actually have a "Summer Bucket List" saved on my computer. It includes things like: go to the zoo, go to the Space Center, Children's Museum, bowling, movies, and the beach. Bug will also go to Vacation Bible School at our church (this is the first year that he's old enough to attend "big VBS." Since I'm not volunteering he'll be on his own). He'll also attend the preschool Creative Arts Camp at our church for 4 mornings.

My personal bucket list is to sew a nap mat for AG (because somehow my sweet baby girl is going to be in the Duck class next year and will be napping at MDO). Other ideas floating around in my head: sew decorative pillow covers for the living room throw pillows, sew curtains (20 ft long??), hang things on the walls (like family pictures), decorate the upstairs and downstairs 1/2 baths (because they are literally bare except for toilet paper and a soap dispenser). Oh, and to clean/organize my pantry!

Besides house & kid stuff my other goal is to be a regular attender at SOME sort of work out. The podiatrist gave me the "all clear" last week for my ankle/foot. I'm not 100% but I'm probably about 85% so that's a start and a big step up from 4 months ago. I can't believe how long it's taken for my ankle to heal.... 4 months for falling off a curb? Insane! (Now is probably not the time to mention that today I shut the van door on my thumb which immediately turned purple and doubled in size.)

We started out our summer with a bang by making our own play dough!! Why in the world would I make play dough? Because regular play dough contains gluten (I'm allergic) and because it's a fun thing to do! The recipe is from A Year of Slow Cooking blog but with a few changes. 1- I used 2 packets of unsweetened kool-aid to add color (we'd planned on making red first because it's the first color of the rainbow (Bug's idea) but this came out pink instead). I think next time I'll add some gel food dye to make the colors bright and vibrant. FYI it smells amazing but it's *really* salty. Really. 2- it cooked in less than 30 minutes. Maybe my crock pot runs hot? 3- I needed probably double the corn starch (I kept having to add more as I kneaded it because it was sticking to my hands).

Alright, I've rambled on long enough.... here are some pictures and a video from "Awesome Kids Day" today at school

Bug & his friend showing off their awesome dance moves

Enjoying watermelon for the first time

Eating Watermelon at AKD is a tradition.... must maintain traditions =)

I <3 these ruffles!!

Weekend Away

I'm a few short minutes away from my first weekend away in.....ever??  I'm heading north to hang out with my awesome friend and former roomie, Charissa. We are heading for some serious shopping in Canton. The mini-van has been stripped of ALL unnecessary items to make as much space as possible (Hi, I have a house with LOTS of bare walls and rooms). I've packed a cooler of Gluten Free (GF) foods and Charissa has mapped out GF Restaurants and planned a GF meal from one of my favorite blogs.

48 whole hours without husbands or kids or laundry or naps or dirty diapers....BLISS  (I'll miss the first two on that list but not the rest!)

PS- before you start feeling sorry for Austin, he's PUMPED about getting this special two-on-one time with the kids and he's planned some special things to do with them.

two words

AG has begun putting two words together. Yesterday was "Eat breakfast," "Love you," and "crazy baby" today was.... oh crud, I forgot what she said today! but it was cute, I promise.

long time, no see...

I can't believe the last time I posted here was before Christmas! I'm working to bring it up to date but somehow life gets in the way....

Updated posts include:
All About Me: Bug
All About Me: Sprout
AG's first birthday
AG's first birthday pictures
Bug's Preschool Christmas Program
Christmas 2011

(i'm amazed at all the things I can get done when stuck at home with a contagious kid for 3 days straight...things like updating the blog. Interestingly enough the laundry STILL isn't done....hmmmm)

All About Me: Bug's 4 1/2 Years Editions

Bug is 4 1/2 years old. He continues to eat his vegetables and protein so he can"grow tall as daddy" despite me telling him I didn't want him to "grow ANY more and no more veggies!" The biggest milestone is that he can read. He's been reading fairly well for several months now and is mostly self-taught. His pre-school teacher tested him in January and he was reading at a 1st grade level. He's in pre-k 3 this year so he has another year of pre-school before starting kindergarten. I'm sure his math skills are up there too. His writing/drawing skills aren't as advanced but mostly because that's not something that interests him.

Much to his dismay he started swimming lessons a couple weeks ago. He believes that since he can float at Nanie & Papa's pool he already knows how to swim (forget the fact that he's wearing a swimsuit with built in floaties).  He was *very* scared for the first several lessons but he's making amazing progress in conquering his fears. He now goes underwater and pops back up and has done a mini dive off the side of the pool. In June he'll start playing basketball at our local YMCA. This year he'll be in the "small stuff" league where the kids practice for 30 minutes then scrimmage for 30 minutes immediately afterwards. He's definitely got his daddy's sports skills and is counting the days until basketball starts. I can't wait to see all those kids running around having fun.

He loves being a big brother most (but not all) of the time. We have tried from the outset to limit sibling rivalry between them (given their opposite genders and personalities makes it easier) and so far, so good. We read the book "Siblings Without Rivalry" before Sprout was born and tried to implement it's ideas as much as possible. It makes my heart melt to see him randomly give her a hug or step in and protect her from something dangerous or try to make her laugh when she's sad... He tries to be tolerant when she's getting into his things (he usually tries to distract her with something else before calling for help but hasn't quite figured out that including her leads to a lot more fun).

Bowling is still his absolute favorite activity, Main Event should offer us a discount since we go there ALL THE TIME.

Yup, he's pretty much the most awesomest kid ever!!


Random Recent Pictures:

Wrestling with Sister

Playing at the park (he went through the entire structure to make sure it was safe for AG)

Bowling with Papa (Nanie & Daddy too)

So proud of his Easter Eggs

Swimming Lessons

Drawing of our house

All About Me: Sprout's 15 Month Edition

Sorry I've been lax about updating the blog, we've been a tad bit busy =)

Sprout is 15 months old and every bit the toddler. Her life revolves around getting into things, climbing on things, putting things in her mouth, putting things into other things, taking things apart.... you get the picture. She is into EVERYTHING and most of the things she's most curious about are things that are not safe. She is our little daredevil drama queen.  The funniest part is that she knows when she's doing something she shouldn't (like secretly feeding the dog from her highchair) and when you catch her at it she just gives you a BIG smile, a giggle and a slow blink (which is her version of winking).  

Remember how much Bug liked to bounce? That's how much she loves to climb. Unfortunately she's not quite as cautious as we'd prefer so we spend a lot of time with our hearts in our throats debating if we should intervene or not.  It also means she has at least one skinned body part at all times, and usually a couple of bruises to match.

Dogs and birds make her extremely happy. She knows the signs and sounds/words for both and will enthusiastically point them out until you get just as excited. It's also a great way to keep her awake for those last few minutes in the car. "Look sweetie! See the dog?! over there a dog!" (doesn't really matter if there is one, just keeping her awake to search for one is what matters).

She's also obsessed with buckles, keys and locks, door knobs, and wheels. She hates the trampoline unless you are holding her and is determined to ride Bug's big wheel as soon as possible (right now she just pushes her self backwards in a circle with her feet but that is *not* satisfactory). She loves being outdoors but tends to run up and down driveways (into the street) if you aren't right there to stop her. Going up and down stairs is also very entertaining (but she will NOT crawl downstairs, she walks, face first....heart in throat moment). Speaking of walking face first... she walked off the couch face first two times before she decided it hurt less to just crawl/climb down. Did I mention she's a daredevil?

This is kind of funny from my perspective but she thinks her "Toots" are HILARIOUS and will walk around imitating the sound for several minutes afterwards. She also tends to toot when you tickle her which makes the rest of us laugh even harder.

If she stands over you with her hand above her/your head she's telling you she wants to give you a "high five" and you'd better comply or she'll bop you on the face (yes we are working on that).

She also LOVES her shoes, she likes to pick them out (a different one on each foot), and she likes to wear necklaces (we have mardi gras beads floating all over the house and somehow she always finds one that coordinates with her outfit).

Her words: "Dada" "Mama" "done" "kook" (Cookie), "duh" (dog), "cheap" (bird), "hi", "crah" (cracker), "oohs" (shoes), "desssss" (yes), "yay" 

Her signs: all done, more, dog, bird, airplane, sleep, milk, bye bye, baby, apple, banana 

Her Favorite Foods: beans (any kind), green beans (cold), cooked carrots (cold), peas (cold), avocado, frozen waffles, cookies, crackers, and whatever it is that you're eating.

She's our dramatic daredevil but she's happy and vivacious and WE LOVE HER SO MUCH!!

Random Recent Pictures:

First Haircut

Stole a potato from the pantry and ate it raw

Playing Basketball with Daddy & Brother

Found the cookie stash and left a trail of evidence

Looking for something....

Helping find eggs at Brother's class Easter party