In case I forget...

Let's try this again.

2011-04-07T07:21:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to blog for quite some time. I have good intentions and then, well, I just don't. Josh is supposed to be making me a custom .com but he's busy and I'm tired of waiting. We all know patience is a virtue that I don't possess. Let's play catch up.

Cohen is now 16 months. Already? He's currently getting his bottom molars and is a cranky beast. He doesn't want up, he doesn't want down, he doesn't want to play, blah blah blah. Cranky toddlers suck. He likes to eat, follow me around, and play with Pierre.

Ellie is going to be 3 in two months. Again, already? She's a typical middle child, full of sass and energy, snuggles and smiles. She's pretty cute, especially when she's not throwing a fit. She enjoys following Emme around, whining, "helping" me cook, and snuggling.

Emme just turned 5. She had her birthday party at a gymnastics studio and all the kids had a blast. I made her some super cute rainbow cupcakes.

We decided to combine birthday gifts for the girls this year and we went with a swing set. They have (had) so. much. stuff. and didn't want to play with any of it. We bagged up 3 trash bags of toys and decided no mas. They get to keep the "classics" like their doll house, kitchen, books and puzzles but other than that, it's all gone. Can I get an "Amen!"? Josh is being slowly killed by the swing set assembly but it should be done Friday, just in time for a nice weekend to stick them outside. Em is finishing her last year of preschool at St. Matthew's. She absolutely loves it and so do we. It was a good switch for us, no doubt. She's learned so much and has made a few really great friends. I'm excited to send El there next year. I enroll Em in Kindergarten in just a few weeks, I'm not sure I'm ready to let her go. I'm not ready for her to lose her innocence. Not to mention, I'm not ready to have to watch shows like iCarly and Hannah Montana.

I've been enjoying some great new recipes lately. Have I ever mentioned how much I love food? Well, I do. A lot. Here are some great things I've made this week.

Braised chicken thighs and mashed cannellini beans. This meal was superb. I think next time I'll make a slurry and thicken the braising liquid. I'll also double the beans- they were the perfect accompaniment.

BBQ Beef Shepherd's Pie. I made this for us and some friends that just had a baby. I really enjoy this dish because it's hearty, comforting, and has BBQ sauce. I live in Kansas City so loving BBQ sauce is a requirement. I served this with a fresh spinach salad.

Southwest Sloppy Joes w/ honey lime coleslaw. Ummm...yeah. Delish. And easy. I don't put the black beans in my sloppy joes because Em detests beans so I serve them as a side, jazzed up with some cumin, chili powder, garlic and onion powder, and salt and pepper.

I also made a yummy mushroom risotto last night. I made some extras to make into risotto cakes this weekend. You just take your leftover risotto, add some egg, cheese, a few more herbs, coat in panko and pan fry. Risotto is so darn cheap and can turn into such a decadent meal. I highly recommend 'er!

Well, I've got the girls set up at the kitchen table with bowls and assorted ingredients letting them "cook" so I'd better balance the budget while they're occupied.

2009-11-26T11:58:00.000-08:00

Cohen Joshua Swank
11-21-2009
3:23am
8lb. 14oz.
21"

2009-11-05T11:45:00.000-08:00

We got no decent pics of the girls from Halloween. Oh well. 'A' for effort, I guess.

I went to the doc today and am still a 2 and 70%. I'm going to buy some evening primrose oil and raspberry leaf tea this weekend. I'll be getting membranes stripped next Friday and I plan on walking the mall and getting a pedicure afterward. I'll spare you the rest of the details. :) Of course I'm still feeling huge and fat and sooooooo ready to not be pregnant. I can't wait to fit into cute jeans and tops again. And cut off my hair!

Ellie has her speech evaluation tonight for speech therapy. Hopefully she will qualify!

2009-10-31T07:59:00.000-07:00

Wow. I'm tired. No, beyond tired. Utterly exhausted would be good to say. I can hardly get anything done and our meals have been...well, less than divine. Sorry, family! But I'm like 20 months pregnant now and Cohen is huge so everyone needs to suck it up.

I hope he comes soon. I'm contracting like crazy and just need him o-u-t. I went in for a NST the other day and was only hooked up for 20 minutes. In that 20 minutes I had 4-5 contractions and 2 of them were off the charts. I'm 36 now but only 2cm and 70%. Better than nothing I guess! Next week I should be able to get my membranes stripped.

Here is a pic of the nursery Josh worked so hard on. We don't have any Red Sox decor yet but at least it's painted and clean.

2009-10-09T13:31:00.000-07:00

I've been beyond tired lately. It's getting a little ridiculous, honestly. That being said I've pretty much completely slacked at cooking this week and after a few days of eating junky stuff, I'm ready to peel my lazy butt off the couch and cook dinner. Or as ready as I can pretend to be.

Saturday-Saturday, in no particular order:

The Pioneer Woman's lasagna with caesar salad (making an extra for the freezer)
The Pioneer Woman's steak bites with baked potatoes, and green beans
BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, broccoli slaw, and baked beans
The Pioneer Woman's pan fried pork chops, broccoli, and salad
Leftovers
Grilled brats, corn, and Lipton pasta side in the cabinet
Beercan chicken, peas, and another Lipton rice side in the cabinet

2009-10-08T06:55:00.000-07:00

I don't care if it's Thursday, I have to do a "Not Me!" post. It's just required. And because I'm so not computer savvy and don't have any earthly idea how to add the link to my blog post, know that I got this idea from MckMama.

It was definitely not my child who tried to poke the poor dogs eye out earlier this week. Definitely not Emme.

Emme absolutely, positively did not try to set the house on fire during nap time by melting a plastic tube of cold sore medicine on Josh's nightstand light. Nope, not her.

Nor did she wake up at about 5am today because of the thunder and lightning, proceed to come in the living room and turn on the lights, pull all the blankets and pillows out on the floor, make a bed for herself next to the dogs kennel, take off her pull-up and put on a swim diaper, get all of her Play Dough out and spread teennnnyyy tinnnnyyyy little pieces all over the carpet (all while using her new kids cookbook, of course), and spill a huge cup of water on the kitchen floor. She totally didn't do that. I have such great mommy senses that I always know what my children are doing, even at 5am.

And I'll go ahead and assume Ellie just did not shove half of her snack cup of Rice Chex into Josh's speaker. Sorry, Babe.

2009-08-30T05:38:00.001-07:00

Here is the other blog/group I own with 2 other ladies. We originally started on babycenter.com (and are still there) but we keep getting blasted (in a good way!) with new arrivals asking the same questions. Hopefully this will serve some purpose for all the new parents dealing with the reflux, allergy, MSPI, etc. roller coaster. It's a long, sucky one, that's for sure. It's got everything you need to know about medication, dosing, formulas, reflux, MSPI (milk-soy protein intolerance), procedures, oral/feeding aversions, etc. Check it out if you're needing some help!

In other news, Grandpa passed away peacefully about 2:30am Saturday morning in the comfort of his own home. My mom, grandma, and his sister got to be with him in the end. I got a text from my mom about 3:10 and went over there to be with them for a few hours. Left Grandma's about 6am, went to the grocery store, and eventually took a nap. Services are going to be Monday and Wednesday this coming week. Oh, funny story. We were going for a viewing of him last night with the family. The whole way there we were explaining that Papa is up in heaven now totally healed and feeling better again, so we wouldn't see "him" necessarily (try to explain that to a 3 year old!). We get there and she's sitting on Josh's lap, she looks over at my Grandpa laying on this table all done up, looks at Josh utterly confused, and says, "Is THIS heaven, Daddy!?" Lol! It was the cutest thing ever!

2009-08-28T12:32:00.001-07:00

I'm in the mood to bake again. Not that I haven't been the past few months, it's just that doing anything other than a quick batch of cookies is pure hell. Really. I feel like I'm standing in the depths of hell smoldering. See, it's hot in Missouri, err...usually. It's been uncharacteristically cool this summer and the next few days the highs are in the 70's! And since the lady at the gas station already told me I looked like I was "going to pop" (read: freaking huge), I'll give up any glimmer of hope I had at keeping my weight gain under 30ish pounds this time. And because I like to do things the right way, what better way to exceed my expectations than making cinnamon rolls!? (I'll let you know how they turn out.)

2009-08-27T12:54:00.001-07:00

So I lied, a salesmean just came by and awoke me from my sweet slumber. I'm too lazy to fold the laundry sitting in the basket right next to me and it's too early to work on Meg and Rob's dinner. I get a little bored browsing Babycenter and answering the same old "is this reflux? does my baby have MSPI?" questions in my spare time so I thought I'd finally update the blog. (It's kinda funny that I'm so bad at this whole blog "thing" because people who have known me for a few years will know I'm addicted to my computer.)

There has been a lot going on. Less than two weeks ago we found out my grandpa was diagnosed with the big "C". A few days later we learned that it wasn't just in the adrenal glands and slightly on the liver like though, but literally all over his body. Eesh. He's been home for almost a week (tomorrow) and is slipping faster than you can make a gooey s'more. (My life revolves around eating, ok!?) It's really sad to see but we all love seeing him uncharacteristically sweet and loving. I mean, he's always a nice guy, but he's like me (or I'm like him- whatever); sarcastic and dry. We've all been praying that he'll go Home soon, seeing him suffer is awful. Thankfully after a few bouts of "escaping" they have a 24 hour nurse there to help him with whatever he needs.

I'll spare everyone (all 2 of you) the boring details of Ellie's latest battle but gooooodddd Lord! can it be taxing dealing with her. It started off with a reaction to chicken (yes, chicken) which then turned into a Total Elimination Diet (where she can only eat 5 things for at least two weeks) which turned into an ear infection from all the drainage. Think that was the end of it? No, no, that'd be entirely too easy. Then she decided (ha!) to have a reaction to the medication she was rx'ed. Finally after getting the meds right and her food under control, she's on her way back to semi-normal. Whatever that is for Ellie. And over the weekend she though as if her constant fussing/whining wasn't enough, she learned to throw temper tantrums and fall on the ground over every little thing that doesn't go her way. Ohhh...the joys of toddlers. (Can you believe that she's a toddler now!?) So in between stepping over her and tossing her in the crib to scream to her hearts content (yes, I'm a mean mommy like that), it was a long weekend. But, she's still ubberly cute. And I still want to gobble her little cheeks up! Yummy! Oh, and she started clapping for herself when she takes her medicine. It's the cutest thing! We'll open her Nexium cap (for reflux) and tell her "medicine". She opens right up, takes the meds, and then claps for herself. She also occasionally says (not signs) "all done" at dinner. And she shakes her head no (too often). She also says dog and hi and is thoroughly excited to wake her Big Sister up in the morning.

We had a rough few weeks with Emme also. She was having a really, really rough time with obeying and having a good attitude. Hey, who can blame her, I hate it when people tell me what to do, too. But that's another post...and she's 3. We've really been working on first time obedience and answering when she is called/spoken to. Surprisingly these two things have really helped her not have a red bottom like before. She just adores to help me in the kitchen. It's probably her favorite thing to do and it always reminds me of being a little girl and helping my grandma. She's been a great, great helper with picking things up before Josh gets home and singing a song "clean up, clean up, eh-body share" over and over and over and over and over and over (really). It's cute but after hearing that line 55 times my blood starts to kinda simmer. She's obsessed with all things Princess and has entered the I'm-never-my-real-name phase. She had Parent's as Teachers yesterday and the lady agreed that she seems stuck in a 5 year olds body.

And because I haven't shared meal plans in ages, here is what I have for the next two weeks (Saturday-Friday):

Potato-Bacon Torte with salad (same thing I'm taking Meg and Rob)
Roast (I do mine like a roast beef with gravy, not the classic veggie one)
Tortilla soup w/ spanish rice
Eggs w/ bacon, potatoes, and tomato slices
Multi-grain pasta w/ meatballs and salad (I just use the meatball recipe)
Leftovers x 2
Parmesan and herb tilapia w/ brown rice and fried corn (without sausage)
Chili w/ cornbread
Beer and onion chicken w/ sauteed green beans and homemade bread
Grilled cheese on homemade bread w/ tomato soup
Grilled chicken w/ steamed, mixed veggies and mushroom rice
Salisbury steak w/ mashed potatoes and broccoli

2009-08-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

I will post someday soon. Really, I will. Until then, look at these sweet eyes and delicious cheeks!

Oh, while stopping at the gas station for Pepsi and Aleve, a lady (with two children of her own, mind you) informed me that I look like I was "going to pop". From there she proceeded to ask if I was 8.5 or 9 months along. Thanks a lot, lady. I'll enjoy this King Size Snicker's bar even more now.

2009-08-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

This girl is efficient!

2009-08-06T16:27:00.001-07:00

Embarrassing things Emme has said recently:

An African American lady was checking us out at Target and Emme proceeded to tell her she had a funny nose.

A lady was checking my receipt at Wal-Mart and Emme asked why she had those two big "molds" (moles) on her face.

Tonight at dinner we ran into an old family friend we hadn't seen in a long time. Emme then asked her if she had a baby in her tummy...

Please tell me how you parents make it through these beyond horrifying things...

2009-08-06T14:17:00.001-07:00

Well, Ellie officially failed her milk trial. It's unfortunate to say that the makers of Neocate will continue to rob us blind. Eesssh! These kids. I did buy some coconut milk today and she's been drinking that pretty well. Hoping to get some extra calories in her! I've gotta head back to Nature's Pantry or Whole Foods and just browse the aisles for some snack-y things for her.

Went to the doctor today and he confirmed my fears that he thinks Cohen is going to be freaking huge. See, I had a Level 2 sonogram on July 22. According to my very first sonogram, I should have been about 20 weeks and 5 days at this time. He was measuring closer to 22 weeks measurement-wise and 23 weeks for weight (17oz). And this was 3 weeks ago...For those of you that don't have kids and this means absolutely nothing, just take it as I'm afraid...very afraid. I got an email last week saying "your baby should be approaching one pound now" and I literally start to panic! "He was over a pound two weeks ago! What is this going to mean!?"

I did mention that Josh is a chronic ITPer so he's calling the perinatologist (again) to see if we have to do an amnio. Just when I though I was able to escape this awful test! I guess if he does have elevated platelets (which we have no reason to think he does) that will mean c-section because vaginal births are very traumatic on ITP kids. I'm just choosing to not focus on possibility of having an enormous needle stuck in my stomach.

2009-07-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

Ellie started kissing us today! How sweet! I asked for a kiss and she just leaned down and kissed me (open mouth, of course)! Emme ask for one and she leaned over and kissed Emme, who happened to be more than grossed out that she stuck her tongue out. :P Ahhh! I love sweet, slobbery, baby kisses!

2009-07-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

I wish I had some great excuse as to why I haven't updated in over a month but I don't. I mean, I do have two small children, two puppies, a house, a husband, and am pregnant again so that should count for something, right!?

I had my 20 week u/s done on July 9 and found out it is indeed a BOY! I was so excited I accidentally shook the poor tech! He was not shy about showing us his "parts". (I think modesty is something we need to work on in this family; both girls were spread eagle for us, too.) He (Cohen Joshua, by the way) also measured quite a bit bigger, somewhere around 21.5ish weeks then. They did find a small cyst on his brain so I had a Level 2 done last week. Everything looked fine and sure enough, he was still a big boy, weighing about 17oz.! Because I didn't have regular cycles my dates are so up in the air, we should have a little guy somewhere around the ladder part of November. Josh is thrilled to say the least. We're starting to plan the nursery (Red Sox theme) and I'm hoping to get a jump on it within the next few weeks!

Ellie started walking a few weeks ago. It's taken her until now to get used to being on her feet and learning to balance but she's doing really well. She got in a fight with my hot flat iron last week and burned the heck out of her upper right arm. I know, I know, bad mommy. In my defense, the flat iron was off and the cord was on the counter- she just stepped on the scale to wrap her little finger around enough of the cord to pull it down. She's got one really nasty burn and then a smaller just-as-nasty one below it. She seems to be healing well and it doesn't seem to bother her. Her reflux and allergies have been under control lately and we're even starting to trial an ounce of Alimentum in her bottles to see if she can tolerate trace amounts of milk yet. *crossing fingers*

Emme is at the best, and worst, age right now. 3 is so fun because she can use her imagination, have conversations, be a helper, etc. 3 is not so fun because she can talk back, whine until she's blue in the face, and throw a fit like you've never seen before. Granted she's learning rather quickly that throwing fits in this house = horrible idea. Her favorite thing to play is Mom and Baby. She likes to play the mom and we have to be the baby. She likes to get us medicine, sing us songs, and read us books. It's rather cute. She loves to play outside, help cook, watch Bob the Builder (Josh is convinced that is on repeat in hell), and play with her babies.

Josh and I are going with 9 (?) other couples this coming weekend on a canoe trip. I'm terrified to say the least. I've never done anything outdoors before! I mean, I can sit on a beach with no problem. Floating down a river, sleeping in the woods, and walking to the bathroom in the pitch black? Not so much. I know it's going to be a blast just because of who we're going with but I'm still scared. Wish us luck!

2009-06-23T05:01:00.000-07:00

I don't have long to post (I really should be folding laundry before everyone gets up!) but wanted to report that Ellie's weight gain wasn't great. Again, just a few ounces. We're seeing a nutritionist on Friday at Children's to get some ideas on how to fatten her up. Hopefully they'll have some ideas for us because honestly, I'm lost on what to do.

2009-06-17T06:53:00.001-07:00

Meg,

Here is a reason why to not leave your clean laundry in baskets on the floor.

Emme was searching for her Cinderella costume and Ellie thought it'd be a great idea to throw the rest of the clothes out.

Ellie is now one! I can't believe it. Her birthday went well and the carrot cake with rice milk icing was delish! Really, it was! I think I actually prefer the rice milk icing vs. cream cheese icing because it's not as rich. She was a little crabby Friday because of the wheat but we made it though! She started saying, "Hi, dog!". She just adores the puppies. She's always at their kennel talking to them and if she gets the chance to play on the floor with them, she's just as happy as can be! She's getting 5 more teeth (those will make 12 total). She's eating me out of house and home these days! These girls can e-a-t! But I guess that's the way it goes when you can't have carb-filled food. We can also add peanuts on our allergy list. Whoops! We went to Five Guys a week ago and they cook their fries in peanut oil. I said to Josh in the car we can't give her any fries and as soon as I get home, what did I do? Yep, gave her a fry. I swear...We have her one year checkup on Friday so we'll know more about weight gain then (pray she's gained a decent amount- she was stuck at 17# since January!).

Emme is awesome! She's just cracking me up with all she says. She's entered the monsters-under-my-bed phase. She's also completely and utterly terrified of thunderstorms- she stays awake the WHOLE time it's storming. She's really into playing dress-up/pretend these days. Today she is Cinderella, I'm Princess Eric (supposed to be Price Eric from The Little Mermaid), Josh is the king, and Ellie is Michael (the little boy from Peter Pan). She almost always refuses to take off her costumes so off to Target/Walmart/Hy-Vee we go with the costume and glass slippers on. She loves to help cook anything. She enjoys playing outside as much as she can. She likes to torture, I mean play with, the puppies. She is definitely a Mama's Girl!

3 new additions!

2009-06-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, everyone, I wasn't lying! There are 3 new members in the Swank household! Let me clarify: 1 real member and 2 furry members! Yay!

I'm 14 weeks prego with #3. I don't know why I've waited so long to post it- I guess I just get so busy and forget! We told our immediate family on my birthday. We had a onesie made for Ellie that said:

I'm a big sister!
No, it wasn't a surprise.
Yes, my parents are crazy!

Needless to say everyone was shocked! I think everyone thought we were done. done. done. after this past year with Ellie, but we refuse to let her "issues" take over our life. But we will for sure be done after this. I've already got written in my charts I want a tubal at the hospital! Ha. As far as the sex goes, I'm totally lost. Our boy name is Cohen and our girl name is Eisley (pronounced Eyes-lee). Her nickname will be Izzy. I'm feeling great so far- not sick, not too tired. I go back to the doctor next week.

As far as the two furry members, Josh got suckered into 2 free puppies yesterday from a lady at work. They're brothers and are 8 weeks. Their mom is 1/2 Pom and 1/2 Dockson and their dad is Jack Russel. Janet (from Josh's work) got them on a really good routine so you know I'm thrilled! So far they've been doing great! Their names are Pierre and Jack. See, when Josh was 3 he asked his mom and dad for a dog. They asked what he would name the dog and he said Pierre. Now that he has his own dog, it was just a must!

Ellie is turning one next week (already!?) and we're planning on having our immediate family over for carrot cake cupcakes with "safe" icing (made from powder sugar and rice milk) and sorbet! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures.

2009-05-14T05:07:00.000-07:00

I swear I feed her. Really, I do!

Ellie is doing well overall these days. It's so refreshing! We haven't been to the doctor in a whole entire month! She's crawling and pulling up on everything. She desperately wants to walk and run after Emme but I think it'll be another month or so before she's off and going. She started waving and saying "bye bye" a few days ago (but she says "bababababa"). Her eating has finally started to take off and boy!, can she eat! I've found that most of Nature's Goodness foods (Walmart generic baby food) are milk/soy free so that's been great. I've also had to make a trip here and there to Whole Foods to get her some "safe" snacks. All in all she's doing really well. We were also blessed with a month of free formula from the Fox 4 Love Fund for Kids. So if you've ever donated to them, thank you!

Emme is doing great. She says the funniest things. It's a great age...most of the time. She calls me "Babe" now. I don't remember the last time she said Mommy/Mama. She's totally and completely obsessed with anything Cars, The Little Mermaid, and baseball (Rex Sox). In fact, the other night, Fever Pitch was on and she looks right at Josh and says, "Hey! Dad! That's the Red Sox!". Do you think we watch too much baseball in this house? She's also learning the players names. It's hysterical. We're taking her to her first game of the season tomorrow night and she is beyond thrilled. We're going with some people from Josh's work and will tailgate before the game. I'm just praying with all that I am that she'll be totally enthralled with the game and make it until the fireworks. Lord help us all when the meltdowns kick in because she'll be so overly tired (and she never goes to bed late)!

Guess this is all for now. I've got a lot to get done today before my baby sister (one of them at least) graduates tonight! Yay for Halsey!

2009-05-04T07:23:00.001-07:00

Saturday:
L: Big Momma’s
D: pizza, salad, corn
S: whatever you can find!

Sunday:
L: Chef Burger
D: Sandwiches, steamed veggies, fruit
S: banana/cheese and crackers

Monday:
L: Lean Cuisine
D: BLT’s, macaroni
S: apple/oven chips

Tuesday:
L: grilled chicken Caesar salad
D: tacos/nachos, guacamole/salsa
S: fruit snacks/cheese

Wednesday:
L: sandwich, chips, banana
D: roasted chicken, hash browns, steamed veggies, salad
S: cookies/strawberries

Thursday:
L: leftovers
D: steak, corn, rice, garlic bread
S: banana/baby carrots with dip

Friday:
L: whatever we need to use up!
D: Halsey's graduation party
S: fruit/at Hals' party

2009-04-28T17:28:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd take a minute and post about my delicious quiche. Josh is mowing, Ellie is in bed, and Emme is in the bath because she peed her pants. *sigh*

Quiche couldn't have been a better meal for tonight; it was definitely a busy one. I searched the fridge for what I had that needed to be used up and came up with some super tasty ham, red pepper, onion, garlic, and Italian cheese blend. Add some S and P, a splash of milk, and 6-7 eggs (I think I used 6). I baked for 27 minutes and am currently enjoying. I should really get Emme out of the bath and feed her but my, oh my, the energy that takes!

2009-04-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

My good friend Courtney has inspired me to share more of my beloved food adventures. I decided to go easy and just start by listing my weekly menu.

Saturday:
L: leftover BBQ
D: eggs, bacon/sausage, toast, fruit
S: cheese and crackers

Sunday:
L: Hot Pockets and salad
D: Sandwiches, steamed veggies
S: whatever you can find

Monday:
L: Healthy Choice Steamers
D: Tortilla soup, chips
S: apple/cheese

Tuesday:
L: leftover soup
D: Quiche, salad
S: melon/cottage cheese

Wednesday:
L: leftover quiche
D: BBQ meatloaf, salad, rolls, steamed veggies
S: orange/crackers

Thursday:
L: leftover meatloaf and sides
D: Hotdogs, potato salad, beans
S: cheese/cookies

Friday:
L: Sandwich, chips, grapes
D: out/leftovers
S: whatever you can find!

I don't normally plan breakfast because it's usually the same things: eggs, toast, oatmeal, muffins, cereal, etc. I always do my shopping on Saturday's. I try to plan my weeks menu by the sale ads and this has really helped save money. Sure, I could do better, and I did when planning/buying for two weeks at a time, but my cart would get so big and full I had to stop before I had everything!

The great thing about quiche is, not only is it amazingly delicious, it also allows you to use whatever you have in the fridge and do so for very cheap! Sometimes I do lunch meat (turkey or ham), cheese, garlic, onion, different spices (whatever looks yummy that day). Sometimes we do veggies one. Sometimes it's just cheese. It's an amazingly versatile dish that yields even better results. Did I mention it's super cheap?! Generally I like to grease my pie dish, use about 6-7 eggs (depending on how much/many filling(s) I have), bake at 350 for 25ish minutes (until the middle is set), and then let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

*Blogger is being weird and won't let me attach links so here they are:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Chicken-Tortilla-Soup/Detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/BBQ-Glazed-Homemade-Meatballs/Detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Red-Skinned-Potato-Salad/Detail.aspx

2009-04-13T18:37:00.001-07:00

And no, I don't favor Ellie. Emme refuses to cooperate for any pictures the last 6+ months.

2009-04-06T08:45:00.000-07:00

Apparently Baby Einstein just wasn't cutting it...

2009-04-03T05:01:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, these past 10 months have been everything but easy when it comes to Ellie. I'm happy to report that we are 95% certain as to what is going on...finally. The reason we are only 95% certain is because Children's Mercy (sense the sarcasm?) didn't properly perform the tests (really- don't get me started).

It's a very safe assumption at this point to classify Ellie as one with Eosinophilic Disorders (specifically Eos. Gastritis, Gastroenteritis, and Colitis). In very, very basic terms, it's an allergy to a white blood cell that you create. These disorders are very rare and therefore often go misdiagnosed for things like Delayed Gastric Emptying, severe reflux, poor weight gain, bloating of the stomach, severe abdominal pain, blood in the stools, anemia, etc.- all of which Ellie has, and has had since birth. Though people think she's chubby (because of her cheeks), she's actually very small and has only gained a few ounces since January (which is just part of the disorder). Unfortunately, there is no cure for these disorders. You can go into "remission" but if and when the disorder flares up, it usually does so with a vengence. Aside from the EGID (the initials for Eosinophilic Disorders), they are thinking she has Celiac Disease (an allergy to gluten- a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye).

Treatment: The only thing we can do is keep her on a restricted, elemental diet until she is old enough to drink a specific product Neocate makes (they're like Vitamin Water for older kids but with all of the nutrition they need). We were told yesterday that she will continue on Neocate (a whopping $47 a can for a 2.5 day supply) until she is at least 18, most likely 24 months. Please pray that insurance will stop fighting our appeals and they will eventually cover this formula for her. We are confident that God will provide; He always has. After she is to the appropriate age, she will need to maintain a mostly Vegan diet with occasional food challenges.

Josh and I can't thank you all enough for standing by us these last few months, they have definitely been hard. I appreciate all the ears that have listened to my pleads for sanity when she was screaming non-stop, day and night. You all are our rock and we can't expess how thankful we are for each and every one of you.

Lots of love!

Josh, Britt, Emme and Ellie
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This is the email that I sent to most of our friends and family. We are so beyond thrilled to finally have a name for what is going on with Ellie. As I said above, it's unfortunate that we wasted all the time, money, and put Ellie through all that pain for the tests to not be properly performed but what can ya do? I'll explain more on that a little below. Though this diagnosis may seem grim, we're really not phased by it as we've already had to guard what she eats. Our biggest challenge: What the heck do we make her for a birthday party? If she can't have milk and soy, rice, wheat, oats, fruit with pits, blah blah blah, what does that leave to make a cake out of? Nothing. The poor thing! So I guess, at the end of the day, if all we have to stress about is what we're going to make for a birthday party, things are pretty good.

As far as the tests go: When I had the meeting with the Chief of GI before her procedures, I told him that we (Josh and I, our Ped, and our Ped Allergist) wanted to have her biopsied for EGID. (They would take a biospy and look at it under the microscope for clusters of eosinophils- the white blood cell.) He, of course, was very rude and said IF he did it, he would ONLY do the last 1/3 of her colon, because that is the most common place for them to be clustered. But it's very common knowledge that the whole entire GI tract (from the esophagus to the rectum) should be biopsied. (Again, that just goes to show that whole GI department doesn't take any of us seriously.) Just because they aren't clustered in the last 1/3 of the colon doesn't mean they're not clustered in the stomach, esophagus, and small intestine. I have a friend whose daughter has EGID and was only diagnosed when the whole GI tract was biopsied, not just the last 1/3 of the colon. So there is mistake number one.

Mistake number 2: They didn't have her on a gluten/wheat diet a week prior to procedures. Of course Celiac didn't show up on the biopsies...she hadn't had any grains since November! So now (starting yesterday) for the next week, we have to give her things with wheat. It's been a disaster so far. We started with some bread yesterday at lunch, followed by some saltine's for an afternoon snack. She was in so much pain by dinnertime she couldn't sit still. She was just writhing all around and fussing non-stop. Ugh. Another week of this?! But it is necessary and hopefully it will be long enough to make her bi-monthly blood work stand out when she has her Celiac panel done.

I'm sure some people are wondering why we suspect (or basically know) EGID and Celiac when we don't know 100% for sure. Well, our Ped and our Ped Allergist have both had a single patient with EGID. They both said it presented itself in the same exact way it's showing with Ellie. If you look on their website, she has virtually every disease/disorder that it goes misdiagnosed as. As far as the Celiac, the fact that she gets so, so fussy after having a small amount of grain is a big sign right there. Again, she has every single symptom of Celiac. Yes, these are just professional assumptions, but I trust them nonetheless (aside from the fact they've had patients, she meets every qualification for the disorders). Plus, it's virtually impossible to get hives with everything like she does and not have these things.

Ellie weighed 17.3lbs and was 28.8" long. Tall and skinny!
Emme weighed 29lbs and was 38.8" long. Really tall and extra skinny!

Emme is having her friends birthday party tomorrow so I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!

2009-03-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not updating. I wish I had some great excuse as to why, but I don't.

Ellie is doing wonderfully! We stopped the Erythromycin a few weeks back (we are now thinking she was allergic/reacting to this) and started her on a natural, organic calming supplement for babies which has been great! (We heard about this from a Chiropractor.) She has pooped almost every day since starting this supplement! She's been able to eat more solids (still no prunes/plums and peaches) and has been much, much happier overall. It's been a much needed break! We attempted a milk trial the Thursday before last and that was a disaster so she's back on just Neocate again! She's trying to crawl, too. She gets up on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth but has yet to figure out that she needs to move her hands to get somewhere. Most of the time she ends up looking like a dying, flopping fish on the floor. And no, I don't help her. It's too funny to watch! Sorry, El.

Emme is great as always (er, almost always). She's really getting into imaginary play. Last week was the first time she pretended to be an animal (a puppy) and would only answer me by barking. She cooked her own egg a week or two ago- really, all by herself! I cracked it on the pan and she did the rest, she even flipped it! She's really been enjoying playing outside (though it's too cold right now). I've found her countless times digging the dirt out of my herb window box to make dirt/mud pies. I should mention that she insists on doing all of this while in her dress up white wedding shoes. It's really a sweet thing to see.

Josh has been slammed at work lately with lots and lots of project deadlines. I'm so, so thankful he has a job where he enjoys what he does and enjoys the people even more! It's a really great company and we're so fortunate. He's also planning on teaching for two weeks in April at the tech school he went to. I know he had a lot of reservation before receiving the material thinking he'd have to make all the lesson plans, etc.. Little did he know that they plan each night out for you, provide every material needed, all the lesson plans, projects, etc., etc.. Talk about e-a-s-y money! I know he'll do a great job.

Hope you all have a great week. I'll try not to wait another almost-month before updating. :)

2009-02-16T17:07:00.000-08:00

So after a few months of random toes turning purple, Josh finally made me schedule to see my podiatrist. She comes in, sees my toes are purple, and tells me I have Raynaud's Phenomenon (but not a serious case as of now). The way to fix it:

Don't excercise
Rest as much as possible so I'm not stressed
Drink red wine every day
Let Josh massage my feet

I told my mom all this and she said to go back again, maybe this time she'd tell me to buy a whole new wardrobe!

2009-02-13T06:26:00.000-08:00

STL was ok. He thinks her main problem is major food allergies and it's causing everything else (crying, not pooping, reflux). Aside from the food allergies, he is looking more into liver function. The first time she had blood drawn her liver protein was low and this last time she had it drawn (2-2) her liver enzymes were high. I have no idea what that means but he said it definitely warrants blood work. He's trying to get all the slides and actual scans from her tests at Children's Mercy (not just their results) and look over them. Once he has those and the blood work is back, we'll have to go back to meet with him and the allergist on the same day. He mentioned her most likely having FPIES. I also just found out yesterday when talking to my grandma that her mom had a lot of liver problems and she specifically remembers it was something with liver enzymes. My grandma also lost her first baby because she was still born. They did an autopsy and it was determined that she died for liver problems. They didn't investigate it any further because at the time there was no need. So that's about it for now! When STL calls with the blood results I'll let them know this info. Who knows...maybe something is connected? I don't know! :)

In other news, Ellie is starting to army crawl. She's getting to be pretty quick. I told Josh I think in another two weeks she'll be crawling. I'm not ready! I forgot how much you have to keep off the floors! Before I know it she'll be walking and then graduating high school!

And yesterday, Emme decided that she needed to take a purse with her...for the first time. *sniff sniff* She's too little to want to take a purse with her, right?! It had all the essentials though; a car, her watch, a few rings, a pretend snake she named "Silly Snake", stuff like that. Kind of weird but yesterday was the first day Emme took her purse and yesterday was the first day Ellie said "mama". She just says it when she wants me. She'll go "mamamamamama". It's different than her normal babble because that is usually just "babababa". I love it!

Well, I need to go lay on the couch. I've got a killer sinus infection.

2009-02-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

Sorry, that post of Ellie screaming was for Dr. M to watch. But you all are more than welcome to listen to her scream! ;)

Another day spent at Children's. Had to drop off a stool sample and go to medical records to get alllll of El's test results and labs to send to STL. After they get up from nap I have to go to my OB and get my records from being prego with her and then go to Lee's Summit to get even more records. That should be all (ha!) I need and I'll overnight it to STL tomorrow! Talk about a process.

We got her lab results this morning. Everything was fine on the ultrasound and blood for the most part. Her liver enzymes were elevated. Now, I'm sure this isn't accurate, but I'm starting to wonder about liver stuff. Last time she had her blood drawn (Sept) her liver protein was high, along with her platelets.

When we were last at the Chiro Ellie pooped (as she usually does after being adjusted...?) and Peggy (Chiro) noticed the color. Her poops, 97% of the time, are still meconium-like. She told me to ask about liver stuff the next time we go to GI so I did on Monday. Hence the reason for blood work.

At any rate, this is where we stand. And keep standing. It's hard to not get your hopes up when you have specific appointments but as parents, we always do. And every time we get the call that everything is normal, we get disappointed all over again. How much longer of waiting and guessing? Should kids really have this hard of time pooping? I think not. *sigh* What can ya do though?

Just a glimpse of the screaming I always talk about.

2009-02-03T16:37:00.000-08:00

2009-02-03T11:04:00.000-08:00

The girls are finally napping so I thought I'd jump on here real quick.

Yesterday was an eventful day! Emme woke with a fever but I wasn't about to cancel our GI appt. with Dr. Cocjin so I packed her up and made her come along. (Sorry, Em!) You read below about the visit and his thoughts. I mentioned he sent her for blood work and a urinalysis but didn't get to tell the gross story with it. I know, you're excited! We get to the lab and the sweet girl was just trying to make it as easy as possible for Ellie. About 5 minutes after inserting the first needle, Ellie's vein burst because of the pressure being built up from using a too small of needle. Needless to say blood starts squirting everywhere (literally) like a horror film. As soon as Emme saw this you can imagine her reaction. She was hysterical. I think she thought someone was killing Ellie! Not to mention she was sick and whiny to begin with, add squirting blood and it doesn't settle well. By this point it was almost 2pm (got there at 10am) and no one had had anything to eat or drink since 7:00! We were all having meltdowns! Oh, and with the urinalysis, they have to put a bag over her "parts" to catch the pee. They didn't stick the bag on right...4 times...so she had 4 times worth of pee all over her. I don't think I need to emphasize how thankful we were to leave there and come home for a nice quiet afternoon of napping.

I finished the night off right: I met a girlfriend for dinner (had an Amaretto Sour for my troubles), we got a great siding and window estimate, and I e-filed our taxes. All in all, I felt semi-successful.

Josh and I are planning on taking the girls to Chicago on April23-28. We're in dire need of some time away and what better place to get that then The Windy City. Plus I'm salivating for an amazing Chicago Dog. Please don't ruin it and remind me of the episode I watched of Dirty Jobs where they made hotdogs. *shivering*

Josh is also going to be teaching for two weeks in April at Centriq Foss (the school he went to). I know he'll do an amazing job. He's naturally talented with teaching abbilities. And the money he gets!, that's always a plus!

I'm going to take a much deserved afternoon nap right now.

2009-02-02T19:15:00.000-08:00

The biospy results are in and...

they're normal. *sigh*

Here is my email to Dr. Mellick regarding our appointment today:

What a nice guy! He explained how pooping works. He said he doesn't think there is anything serious going on because biopsy results were fine. He thinks she can't relax to go poop (but that doesn't make sense to me because she's never had a big, hard, painful poop that would make her want to hold it). He had a urinalysis and blood work done today to check things and she's having an abdominal u/s tomorrow Downtown. He said to stop EryPed (Erythro replacement) because eventually you build a tolerance up and he wasn't thinking it was working anyway. Doesn't think she has DGE because she doesn't vomit on a regular basis. Gave us a script for Neurontin to fill if the blood work and u/s are fine in thinking that this might help desensitize her pain receptors (he said she could be hyper sensitive).

I need to know your thoughts on all this. Do I keep pushing for answers? Should we keep the appt in STL? Do YOU think there is something going on? You gave her a rectal exam and could feel she was full of stool, could she get anything out from that? No. Am I crazy? When is enough enough? When do we stop?

Britt

2009-01-30T20:04:00.000-08:00

I still hadn't heard anything from GI so I left a message at 8:30am today. Still hadn't heard from them at 2:40 and they stop returning phone calls at 3, so I left another message. Did I get a call back? No. THIS is why we're going to STL for care. So ridiculous.

2009-01-29T11:24:00.000-08:00

Still waiting...These people must have no idea what this is like. Having to carry the burden of something possibly being terribly wrong with your infant, testing for it, and then having to wait until they feel it's convenient to share the results- it's just cruel! I've baked and chopped everything in sight. I've baked gobs of mini muffins, two batches of homemade granola bars (so much better than store bought, super easy, and without all the horrid preservatives), chocolate chip cookies (I even froze dough balls to have for another time), and angel food cake. Our dinners have been superb and semi-lavish (compared to the normal spaghetti and macaroni and cheese). I've actually caught up on the laundry. The girls had their bath. I'm doing all I can to pass the time but I'm running out of things to do! *sigh* I guess I'll keep waiting...

Tonight were going to the Hereford House to celebrate my moms birthday. I'm really looking forward to their amazing food! I saw they had a lump crab and asparagus salad and a four berry one. Mmmmmm! I think I'll pass on the meat tonight, though. I've had it a few times recently and am in the need of a break. I do love me some veggies!

I'm starting to get my plans and lists together for my vegetable and herb garden in the backyard. Not to mention the flowers! I can't wait for Spring to come bless us with its presence. I long for the mornings where I can run to the back porch in my robe and smell the dew while I'm picking my fresh basil for our eggs.

So this is where our journey ends today. Thanks for listening...er, reading. I'll post results as soon as I know them!

2009-01-27T12:00:00.000-08:00

Waiting is so hard. Day 6 and no results.

The girls are doing well today. They spent the morning playing together while I gathered insane amounts of tax information. Good thing I like dealing with numbers.

El has a mysterious rash on her face and nose, one that she only gets when she gets a hold of some food. But she hasn't had anything and Emme swears up and down she didn't give her anything. Who knows!? Maybe it's a reaction to the new med. I sure hope not, then my 2 hours in the car would be for not.

2009-01-26T12:19:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have those days where you're just so tired that you can't seem to get anything done? Yeah, it's one of those days. It doesn't help that the sun isn't out, either. I always do better when the sun is out. This isn't to say I haven't done anything productive today, because I have, just not what was at the top of my list.

I made mini muffins this morning and put them in snack baggies. It really saves money and helps with portion control. Who knew that a $1.69 box of muffin mix would make 13 snacks? I also sliced and bagged our blocks of cheese and summer sausage. I sliced and diced my snack veggies and a few other items. I feel mildly successful. Don't tell anyone! Oh, I did manage to do the dishes and start a load of laundry. But that's all folks, we wouldn't want to aim too high now would we?

Emme and Ellie have been playing together lately. Other than a few attempts to tackle and lunge at Ellie, Emme has been so kind and loving. She tells her all about the toys and "Baby EinSCine". She calls her "sweetie pie" and "honey". I got Ellie belly laughing on tape at Emme the other day. It was just t-o-o sweet. What a cool gift to give them; a sibling. I hope they are close.

I think we need to be checked into the looney bin. Josh and I have started talking about another kiddo. I know, I know. It's crazy. It really is. We both keep saying, "Are we nuts!? NOW!?". I guess it's defeinitely in our cards though. If it sounds like a good idea during all of this, it's probably meant to be. I mean, that is, if God thinks it's meant to be. (Did I really just write that? I'm normally such a private person. Hmmm...must be the crazy person talkin'.)

The week is shaping up to be pretty boring. And I'm thrilled! I hope to do some more baking with Emme. Maybe some random organizing (who doesn't love a perfectly organized closet or bathroom drawer?!). Tomorrow I'm going to a vegetarian cooking class with my girlfriend, Courtney. It should be an exciting time. I just love to cook and am thrilled with any adventure to further my knowledge on this subject. I heart food. I'd like to learn more about wine. Not sure why, really. I don't care for drinking it (I'm a Amaretto Sour kinda' girl). I guess I just feel the need to be well-versed on all things food. The whole cheese avenue doesn't really interest me, though. Again, I'm not sure why. Maybe because it's stinky and bitter. I never want to eat anything that has a tendency to smell like Frank H----'s feet. I'll pass on this one...*shiver*

We still don't have Ellie's biopsy results. I guess God is doing all he can to teach me patience. I'm far from patient, but much, much closer than I was before. Hopefully we'll know in the next couple of days...?

Well, I should run. Tonight I'm making Imperial Chicken for dinner and I need to go spruce up my bread crumbs. I know, it's exciting. What can I say? I like to live on the edge.

2009-01-25T13:37:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I think God hates me and shows it by my interactions with the CVS pharmacy here in Raytown. I mean, seriously, I've never been around so many incompetent people before. I honestly don't say that to be rude, but they really are. To make an obnoxiously long story short, I tried to fill an RX on Wednesday of last week. They said it wouldn't be in stock until Friday. We go to pick it up today, Sunday, do they have it? No. Was it ever taken off hold? No. They told us not to worry, the CVS in Independence had the medicine (only 30 minutes away). Halsey and I run to Independence and get the meds. As I'm sitting in the van examining the bottle, I realized I didn't recognize the generic name. Or the strength. Seriously!??! I push the call button to ask why the strength is different. She says that it's not, she filled it for what the sheet said. I asked to see it, she points to the top one. That would've been great if I needed the drug that was on top! AAAAAAHHHHHHH! Blah, blah, blah, they don't have the drug in stock- no one has the drug in stock. I called every other pharmacy around. No one has this drug. So I just drove 30 minutes out of my way for a medicine they didn't even have. To make matters worse, the only way Ellie will get this medicine is by us (me) driving alllll the way downtown to the Children's hospital to get it.

Have you ever seen those SNL blurbs from "Weekend Update" where Seth Myers and Amy Pohler do the "SERIOUSLY!?!?!" sketch? Well, this is exactly one of them.

Needless to say CVS will be getting a very lengthy call from me in the morning.

Oh, and while we were at the drive thru trying to get the meds in the first place, the two moron teenagers that worked drive thru window 1 at McDonalds decided it'd be a great idea to drop a chain of napkins out the window and the LIGHT THEM ON FIRE! SERIOUSLY!?!??!?! You do this crap when there are cars in plain sight!?

I'm convinced everyone is just...well, ignorant would put it kindly.

*sigh* I feel better. Thanks.
--------------

Don't worry, I've saved the day and won a MOTY (Mother-Of-The-Year) award!

2009-01-22T07:49:00.000-08:00

Ellie sleeping off her anesthesia.

The only good picture I've been able to get of Emme lately. She's always whining or making a weird face.

Ellie stealing Emme's oatmeal bowl. Whoops...

Smiling at Daddy!

In desperate need of a nap.

Isn't she just too cute?

I have no idea why this keep underlining! Ahhh!

We don't have too much happening today. Ellie has her monthly allergy appointment at 11:15. Other than that, I think we're just going to take it easy and watch a movie. We can all use the rest!

We'll be sure to keep you updated on the biopsy results.

Why the heck is this underlining!?

2009-01-21T11:40:00.001-08:00

We're home. All was fine. No problems with anesthesia. Gave her an enema before the procedures and it took her an hour to pass it (after everything was done). Just watching for more blood in her diaper. She's pretty cranky. Just laid her down and we're all hoping to get some rest. He said there appeared to be nothing "grossly abnormal" just from looking but the biopsies will tell everything. Pray we get some answers.

2009-01-21T04:26:00.000-08:00

Sorry for keeping you on pins and needles with no update.

The meeting with the Chief went well. I'm glad he's not our normal GI (very arrogant) but I got my concerns addressed and my questions answered which is all that really matters.

He already added on an endoscopy for tomorrow. I'm glad. I don't wanna have to sedate her more than once. Her biopsies will be tested for Hirchsprung's, Celiac, Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis and Colitis, and allergy inflammation. She will be given a saline enema at the hospital since she reacted to the one last week. Only anesthesia can answer our questions as to how they will put her out because she's violently allergic to soy and most likely egg. Only anesthesia can answer if she'll have to stay longer to be monitored. It should take 3 business days to get the biopsy results back. If the biopsies don't show anything, which he thinks they'll show at least allergy inflammation, then we'll just keep our appointment on 2-2 with their motility specialist, Dr. Cocjin, and talk about motility studies/scans then. (A motility problem is when the muscles in your stomach don't contract as they're supposed to to move the food along the GI tract.)

Yesterday was rough in general and I know today will be no different. El's appointment was at 1pm yesterday, and her nap is at 12:30. So needless to say she didn't sleep but one hour for her afternoon nap once we got home. Talk about cranky! She cried herself to sleep (which she hasn't done in a long, long time) and woke this morning at 5:30 crying. We tried to comfort her but she didn't want anything so we just left her. I couldn't go back to sleep so here I am! She can't have anything to eat until this afternoon. She can have Pedialyte until 8:45am but I don't think she'll be too happy with that. Oh well...

I'll keep you posted!

2009-01-19T11:09:00.000-08:00

Since last Thursday there has been a lot going on...as always. But hey, I can't complain. As annoying and frustrating as this all is, if this is all we have to worry about, we're doing pretty well.

After Ellie got her enema last Thursday she broke out in a horrible rash. Surprise, surprise! Yet another thing she's allergic to. We gave her some Zyrtec in hopes of calming it down but had no such luck. We've been lucky so far that none of the reaction are anaphylactic (sp?). Close, but not quite there. We gave her a suppository on Thursday night before bed and Ellie was just screaming and crying. She was finally able to get something moving but had quite a bit of fussing to go along with it.

Friday morning Dr. M calls to see how Ellie is doing and tells me she's waiting to hear from the GI doc on call. El isn't really doing any better at this point, not eating much, etc. One day (maybe it was Friday...? IDK, they're all a blur) she only had, and kept down, about 4 ounces. She says either she or GI will be calling me to set up an appointment to see Dr. F for that day. A little while later a nurse from GI calls and wants to set up an appointment to see the NP, Kathy. I kindly told her that we (Dr. M and I) were told that Dr. F would be seeing us and we were told that we'd most likely be admitted for the weekend. She said she wasn't aware of that, she'd talk to him and then call me back. I hurry and leave a message for Dr. M clearly knowing this isn't what was supposed to have happened; Dr. F told her on Thursday during their conversation that he'd see us. GI calls back and says Dr. F was just under the impression that she needed to be evaluated and the NP was going to see us. *sigh* Whatever. I then politely tell her that I've been seeing an NP since September and get nowhere with them, except a new list of drugs. Obviously she can't do anything about it, so my bad for taking it out on her. Sorry, Lady. I get in touch with Dr. M as we're dropping Emme off at Nana's and she is so upset. Dr. F told her that he personally would see us. She decides to call the head of GI and ask him for a favor since she rarely sends kids to them. He said he would make sure we 100% see a physician. We get there, the NP comes in and asks questions about the past few days, and goes to talk to Dr. F. Did we ever see a physician? No. Their suggestion: try Lactulose. Mind you, we've tried everything else that thers is to try, nothing works. This isn't going to be any different! Not to mention we've been advised from EVERYONE to not use this because of the stomach pains that come with it. They said they can admit for the weekend to monitor Lactulose or we can go home. Naturally we decide to go home. They also want to do a flex sigmoidoscopy and rectal biospy but can't do it until this Wednesday, admitted or not (I don't believe this). *bigger sigh* I call Dr. M on our way home and leave a message. The first thing she says when she calls back is, "I canNOT believe this! You need to call the Chief of GI (gave name and number) and patient advocacy to file a complaint." As soon as I was near a phone I left a message for C of GI and a patient advocate. This care is just getting ridiculous! Fast forward to today...

I get in touch with a patient advocate who is more than compassionate with the less than satisfactory care we've been given. She says she will page Dr. F to call us since I had quite a few questions. It's so crazy because instead of calling us, he wants to see us tomorrow at 1! It's amazing how things work when you have a patient advocate on your side and the doctors are afraid of getting in trouble...

So as of now, that's all the juicy news I really have. El still won't eat hardly anything. She's had 8oz. total today and it's almost 2pm. I'm thinking we'll end on 12-13oz. today if all goes well.

Oh, I forgot to say, Dr. M wants us to consider her having Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis and Colitis. We won't know for sure until Wednesday when they run the tests (are trying to schedule an endoscopy, too). It's basically where you're allergic to anything that enters your gut. For Ellie it's both areas; from stomach to bottom. For now, we'll err on the side of caution and avoid all food. This isn't something you're ever cured of but you can go into remission. If she does test positive for this, she'll most likely have to avoid any and all food for a long while and have a good chance of having a feeding tube so she can get the needed nutrients and calories. Eventually you do a food challenge to one food at a time and see how they do. I know a lady whose 2 year old can only tolerate Neocate!

Anyways, I'm in need of a little rest!

2009-01-15T13:31:00.000-08:00

As always, this week was filled with more excitement than necessary. Be warned that this post might be a little TMI.

On Tuesday, Ellie started vomiting randomly. We, and the Ped, determined the cause to be from an extreme back up in her system. Because she couldn't keep much food down, we gave her some Pedialyte in a syringe. Tuesday night we tried a suppository to get her some relief but got nothing. Wednesday was an okay day with only one bottle refusal. We tried another suppository- nothing. We considered taking her to Urgent Care but knowing that they don't know our story and it's way, way, way too long to tell them, we opted to not. Josh got her up this morning to feed her and as he put her on the changing table to change her diaper she vomited again, even though she hadn't eaten in 12.5 hours. This time it was pinkish brown. Needless to say we hurried and got our showers, LeAnn came to stay with Emme, and we rushed her to the Ped. Our overly amazing Ped gave her a rectal exam (no thanks!). She could feel a lot of stool in there and El was pushing had to get it out. Still nothing. *sigh* So we head to Children's Mercy South to get a tummy x-ray to make sure there are no bowel obstructions. Once we leave there with an okay, we were told to give her an enema. Talk about nasty. The box says it works in 1-5 minutes. It took Ellie 40 minutes to go. When she did finally go after straining and straining and screaming, it was just colored water. I call Dr. M as I was supposed to and let her know what's going on. She says to try another suppository tonight and an enema in the morning and call her afterwards. This poor girl! It's terrifying how much she's had inserted into her rear! :( It makes me so, so sad to see her in pain. I burst into tears at the office this morning because of all this. It's just been SEVEN months of trying to get her to poop...on her own. It's pretty upsetting to say the least. Our Ped is calling one of her friends from Children's who we have an appointment with on 2-2 to get his advice (he's a motility disorders specialist). This is getting old and my sweet baby needs help now. I don't need a new list of drugs or new things to try. Obviously what we're doing isn't working. There are more serious problems going on.

Please pray that God provides accordingly to pay these bills. I know He will, as He always does, but it can still be scary!

I think Emme is having a great day with her Nana. She really enjoys spending time with her. I'm so thankful for the special bond they seem to have. I can't wait to get her and snuggle her tight! She's just too darn cute.

2009-01-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

For myself:

4 hour schedule finally achieved at 6.5 months.

7am: wake and feed
830-11am: nap (meds at 10:15)
11am: wake and feed
1230-3pm: nap
3pm: wake and feed
445-530pm: catnap
630pm: feed
700pm: bed
-------------
Ellie has an appointment at the STL Children's hospital on 2-10. They're reading over our case this weekend and are going to call Monday to say if they know of what tests they'll run, etc. We're still going to Columbia for the reflux stuff (as far as I know right now at least) but have decided to cancel our appointment with the Ped GI there because he won't read her case or anything beforehand. She's also started shaking within the past week. Not terrible but shaking nonetheless. Shaking like you do when you haven't eaten in a while or have had too much caffeine. Hopefully we'll figure something out. I've found a few things I'm going to ask about but don't want to post them yet so no one freaks. Lol. :) Better run. Emme needs a snack! That bottomless pit!

2009-01-07T07:18:00.000-08:00

Wow! Talk about exhausting. That's just what this last week and a half has been.

Josh's family was in town from Chicago so we spent most of our free time last week hanging out with them. I love them all dearly and cherish the time we have together but loathe the chaos that comes with it. I'm not a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda person. I need a plan; something to look forward to. I'm sure it's crazy but Cheryl understands, right?! The week was spend playing many games of Dominos and eating way, way too much food. All in all it was a great visit.

I wish I had more to say about Emme. :( She's old enough now where she doesn't hit a milestone every day or week. She keeps cracking us up with her funny sayings. We have the silliest conversations sometimes. She had Josh almost in tears last night laughing. She's pretty darn cute! I mean, but would you expect any different? She loves her dollhouse (or "dollShouse" as she calls it). She's really into me reading to her. She loves music. She's very bossy to her little sister and sometimes attempts to talk to us that way. She's my sweet Princess and I love her more than life!

Ellie is...well...Ellie. I'm sure you've figured out that nothing good lasts for long. Things have been getting pretty bad again the past two weeks with the screaming and not pooping, etc. She's not napping well and is very unhappy. Long story short I decided to try and get in to the Ped. GI that specializes in her field (GERD, motility and Celiac disease). He had a 3 month wait but I name dropped our Pediatricians name and we got in in two weeks. :) Gotta love the connections! A few months ago, before our first GI appointment, I wrote out Ellie's whole story (dates of doctor visits, what was said, what we went for, meds, formulas, reactions- everything). I decided that it was time to update it and combine her "story" with how her GI visits have been going. It was 4 pages long! Yikes! There is a really, really awesome website called MARCI-Kids. They're a very up and coming research group on GERD and motility problems in infants. I decided, "Heck, I have Ellie's whole story written out for our new GI appointment in two weeks. I'm going to send it to them and get their input as to if they have anything specific I should ask for (med, tests), add, etc." I didn't figure they would respond as I'm sure they get tons of emails a day asking for their input. I sent it to one of the research doctors that deals with the medicine/drug side of things and another research doctor who is the professor of childrens gastroenterology. Come to find out they are based out of MU!!!!!!!! I about peed myself with excitment when I found out that world renowned doctors are just an hour and half from us! Luckily, I made it to the bathroom in time. :) Ok, so, I emailed them her story. You'll never guess what! I got a reply from one of them within 20 minutes! Ahhhh! AND, what's even more shocking is he is out on research until the 19th. So the fact that he checked it and emailed me back right away was incredible. He said he wants to see us asap, so we're in the process of getting an appointment set up. They'll probably admit Ellie for a few days to run a wireless pH probe and do a few other things to see why she can't poop.

So in a very small nutshell, that is our exciting news! Hooray! Please pray that God will provide accordingly for the costs of all of this and that Ellie will do well with all of the tests, etc.

2008-12-30T07:25:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go? I didn't realize it had been so long since I've posted. Oh well. :)

Christmas was great. Emme made out like a bandit. So much so that we had to clean her toy box out and gather up a trash bag of toys to take to Goodwill. She got a dollhouse, lots of clothes, books, hair stuff, etc. You know, all the girly necessities! Ellie got clothes, diapers, a few toys, stuff like that. It was a really great day! No, I didn't get any pictures. Yes, I know I'm a bad mom.

Emme is doing great. She's just talking up a storm. Sometimes I just forget how little she still is. Josh got me a card for Christmas where you can record a message on it and Em left, " I love you, Mommy! Merry Christmas!". I just burst into tears like a blubbering idiot. It's so easy to forget how tiny their voices still sound, especially when you talk with them everyday. She is currently obsessed with Ratatouille (the movie) which she calls "Gooeyrat". She loves, loves, loves to cook (she really is my child) and Papa got her a Sesame Street cookbook for Christmas. I know she is going to have a blast using it! She is starting to be somewhat bossy with Ellie. When Ellie starts fussing she'll say, "No, Ellie. No crying! I'm right here!". It's too funny. Or if Ellie is sitting on the table in her Bumbo and tries to grab something, Emme is quick to correct her and remind her that she is just too little for M & M's.

Ellie is super. She got another tooth the other day. Can you believe it!? She's almost 7 months. She's doing super with her solid foods. We can add sweet potatoes and bananas to the allergy list. Her banana reaction was bad, too! I'm really not looking forward to having an EPI pen in my purse for her, but hey, it could be worse. Better safe than sorry! She's having quite a few good days now. She's babbling a lot. She loves to jump in her doorway jumper. (Thanks, Dad and Shannon!) She's rolling allll over the place. I put her at one end of the rug in the LR this morning and she was at the other end in a few minutes. She's got the chubbiest cheeks ever. She doesn't have dimples like Emme so her smiles is a MAJOR wrinkley nosed smile because the cheeks have no give.

Better run for now! I'm in desperate need of a shower!

Congrats to my dear friend and her hubby on expecting their first! I couldn't be happier for you! Love ya, girl!

2008-12-18T11:46:00.000-08:00

Ellie had her 6th month checkup today. She weighs 15 lbs. and 4oz., is 26" long, and she had to get 4 s-h-o-t's. Dr. Mellick (literally the best Pediatrician in the whole KC area- we drive 30 minutes to see her) said to start her on carrots (one of the least allergenic foods). She was fussy before it was time to eat her bottle and it hadn't been long enough for her medicine to kick in so I gave her some carrots and she devoured them! It was too cute. She ate about 3/4 of the jar! She just loved them and tried to grab the bowl from my hands.

I forgot to update about her allergy appt. that she had last week. It went really great. The doctor we saw was just so kind and compassionate. He said to keep trying her on oatmeal (she had only been on it for 2 days before we went) and then call him if we think she was reacting to it. Sure enough, all of her symptoms started creeping back. We took her off oatmeal (this is her 3rd day off) and she is back to going to the bathroom all on her own and not being overly fussy. Dr. M. said today it's likely due to the high carb content and they are just hard to break down as is. When you add an overly sensitive GI tract on top of it, it does nothing but cause trouble.

Oh, I forgot to say Ellie's first tooth broke through the gum last night! Such a big girl!

Emme has just been cracking me up lately with what she says. She asked me today in the car if Daddy was being frustrating (after we hung up the phone). I said no and then she asked, "Oh, Daddy talking kindly?". LOL! Unfortunately we have decided to pull her from the preschool program she was in. We had just noticed a lot of aggressive behavior, extremely bad attitude, and just plain being mean since she's started. I know this is normal behavior when starting school but we kinda' feel like preschool isn't necessary at 2 years old and if we don't have to send her, we shouldn't- at least right now. Now, next year we'll reevaluate and see how she's acting then but until then, we just really need to buckle down and get this bad behavior under control. All in all she's a great kid, it's just the little things like this that need to be nipped in the bud right away before they become even bigger.

Well, the girls are asleep and it's gloomy outside. I feel the need to go lay on the couch and rest for a bit myself!

2008-12-15T12:12:00.000-08:00

I won't lie- being a mom is hard. These past two weeks have been especially challenging. Well, really, these past 6 months. We were so thrilled to have Ellie (and still are, don't get me wrong!) but she is just so...hard. Something is always wrong with her and I feel like I'm constantly walking on egg shells. Heck, I don't even have her cries figured out yet! In the 6 months she's been here, I can remember one full week where she was happy and nothing was wrong. When she's happy, she's sooo happy. But when she's flaring, not eating, can't poop, etc., she's just a total crab. And I can't blame her- at all- but it doesn't make it easier to listen to the crying. She's also started separation anxiety, which Emme never had (until she was 2.5; weird kid) so that's hard also. She's very attached to her Daddy. I can see why! He's awesome! And just when I think I have things under control *BAM* something happens to throw me all off course again.

You see (and most of you know), I'm a control freak (I come by it honestly). It's a terrible thing. It really is. I have a plan, a schedule, a rhyme to the reason. When it goes array (doesn't that sound like you're saying 'away' with a speech impediment?), I don't know what to do. I don't know how to handle the stress other than to get overwhelmed. I don't know how to just let things go. I can't relax in a messy house, but at the same time, know I need to get over it and used to it with having small kids. I don't want them to grow up and remember all I did was clean and never have fun but I don't want them to not take pride in their things. How the heck do you find a balance? Too bad I wasn't wired with the who-gives-a-crap mentality. Oh well...

But then you have funny conversations like this and get barfed on and think, "Oh, it's not really that bad after all.". At least I'm blessed with a family to even complain about and stress over. They're the best and they're my life.

-----
Me: Emme, I'm gonna go potty. Stay in your chair and eat your pudding.

Emme: YAY! Mommy, you did it! You peepee'd in big potty! I so proud you! Mommy, you push your peepee out by yo'self! Hooorrrayyyy!
----
Emme: Mommy, talk.

Me: Talk or be quiet? (She was reading a book.)

Emme: No, talk.

Me: What do you want me to say?

Emme: Ummm...see...? (She had her finger on her mouth and looked puzzled.) Princess things!

Me: Like what?

Emme: Ummm...Santa.

2008-12-14T06:48:00.000-08:00

2008-12-09T07:07:00.000-08:00

Emme at 6 months.

Emme (33 months) and Ellie (6 months). I know it's not the best picture, it's just the only one where they're both looking at me!

I can't believe the difference in Emme and Ellie at the same age. By this time Emme had been eating solids for 2 months and sitting up by herself. Ellie is just now starting on cereal (started oatmeal today- watching for allergies) and can barely sit on the floor folded in half. I know it's hard to picture, but I took one and I'll try and post it later. Emme is/was super laid back (most of the time) and Ellie is very tempermental. The one thing they have in common is sleep; they're both great sleepers! It's funny to see how different siblings are, even when they have the same parents!

In other news...Emme is sick with the stomach flu I had on Sunday night. I got sick after eating some chicken so that has only furthered my desire to be a vegetarian. I've never been a big meat-eater (I don't have a problem with the meat "thing" itself, I just don't really care for it. You'll definitely never see me supporting PETA.) I seceretly enjoy when my kids are sick because it means a relaxing day in PJ's and lots of snuggles. Emme doesn't want me to snuggle her right now so I'm on here posting. I hope she starts to feel better soon. It's cute how she says she doesn't feel good. She says, "Mommy, I full good". She's too cute.

Ellie is teething. Her bottom two teeth are trying to break through and she is in full blown slobber and chew-on-everything-in-sight mode. She started oatmeal cereal today and actually gobbled it down. She's only thrown up once so far so that's good. I'll be watching for the same things she had with her rice cereal reaction (hives, inconsolable screaming, stuffy/runny nose, watery eyes, etc). She goes to the pediatric allergist on Thursday for a consultation and possible testing. (We've met our OOP expense for the year so we're trying to schedule all we can before the end of the year.)

Josh went to the allergist yesterday. It was much needed. He only tested environmental stuff yesterday and goes back Monday for food testing. He's definitely allergic to mold and dust mites (which we already thought). He also had a horrible sinus infection. They gave him a nasal spray to try for the next week and a medicine for his sinus infection. I hope he can find some relief. My poor fella was so miserable!

We're having his family birthday dinner tonight at Mama China in Raytown. Mmmmm! We're all looking forward to that!

I guess I had better run. Emme wants to get on Disney's website and play some "princess" games. Hehehe.

2008-12-05T06:50:00.000-08:00

I've talked to Courtney multiple times in the past few days. She seems to be doing so-so. Some days better than others, of course. Please continue to pray for her as her husband has to go back to work for a few hours on Monday and the rest of her family will be gone. We're going to the memorial service at their house tomorrow. I'm so glad we can be there for them in some small way. Baby Girl was 6 lbs. 3 oz. and 20" long. She looked just like her big sister. They were able to have a few hours with her and got her pictures taken. I'm so thankful they were able to have that short, sweet time with her. Again, please continue to pray for them.

2008-12-02T15:08:00.000-08:00

I have an urgent prayer request...

My good friend Courtney had a still birth today. She was 37 weeks along and due on Christmas day. My heart breaks for her, her husband, and daughter. Please lift them up in your prayers during this dreadful time. The drawers were full and her name was on the wall. They were all ready to go. Though we don't know God's reasoning for this, please pray they take comfort in knowing it was just His will; as hard as that is to understand sometimes.

And all day long I was venting my frustrations about my babies...I guess this is just Gods way of letting me know to stop taking it for granted, as I do far too often.

Please, go hug your babies.

2008-12-02T09:22:00.000-08:00

Can you say, "Chubby Cheeks"?

First rice cereal a few weeks ago. We're trying oatmeal this week since she's allergic to the rice.

"Two daughters" as Emme would say in bed with Daddy this morning. Emme has become a nudist since being potty trained. We'll have to work on that...

2008-11-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

Yikes! I didn't realize that it's been almost two weeks since I've posted. Things have just been a little busy around here!

Ellie has been having some rough bouts again with her DGE and reflux. To top it off, she's most likely allergic to her rice cereal. Blah. We got her meds adjusted and don't go back to GI until January (hopefully).

We got a new car! Yay! We broke down and got a van. No, it wasn't our first choice but there just aren't any practical 3 row SUV's. It's really nice and we love it. We got a 2008 silver Kia Sedona. We got an awesome price and rate and best of all, they weren't totally annoying.

Emme is on break this coming up week from school for Thanksgiving. I'll say it will be nice to not have to rush around like a mad man next week. I'm sure she'll miss going but we'll have fun at home.

We attempted to celebrate Josh's birthday last night with some friends and coworkers. We went to Matsu (a sushi and Japanese restaurant in Westport) and had a great time. We were then headed to Power and Light but when we parked Josh realized he didn't have his wallet. By the time we'd get home to get the wallet and get back downtown it would be almost midnight, so we (really Josh) opted to stay home. I know he was a little disappointed. Darn it! :(

We got a lot of our Christmas shopping done. Well, all of the kids are done at least. Emme, Ellie, Karson, Kennedy, Leah and Tommy. We got Emme a really cool dollhouse. I can't wait to see her open it!

We've got a few busy weeks coming up. 'Tis the season, right? We had Josh's thing last night, a drama writing thing at our house tonight, a haircut and dinner with a couple at our house tomorrow, Thanksgiving next week, Josh's dads birthday next Friday, Josh's family dinner next Sunday, Josh's actual birthday on Monday, two Christmas parties the next weekend (5th and 6th), work Christmas party and a wedding. Whew! I'm tired just typing it all out.

Well, I need to get off here. I've gotta make the grocery list and my weekly menu!

2008-11-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

Here is Emme's super cute Winter coat from Chocolate Soup. Thanks, Sharon!

This was our happy girl first thing this morning. Something happened throughout the day and she is having a horrible reflux flare. We're praying it's not due to a sickness (flare ups are usually caused by sickness or learning a new skill). If it is, oh well, we have our monthly GI appt. next Monday. I'm getting so excited thinking about giving her cereal next month. But I'm also filled with reservation because of a whole new battle solids will bring. (There are certain fruits and veggies that are very acidic and with her delicate tummy it can cause horrible things. :) ) I can't believe she's already 5 months. Where, oh where, does the time go? I swear they'll be getting married next week.

Emme is obsessed with Christmastime already. She doesn't even know what Christmas is! (Or I don't think at least...) Every 5-10 minutes (literally) she says, "Almost Christmastime, Mommy? Getting there? Snowing, Mommy? Almost?".

2008-11-07T07:35:00.000-08:00

Things I'm thankful for:

- My hard working husband who truly desires to make our lives as enjoyable as possible.
- My beautiful girls.
- Josh got a significant raise! Woohoo!
- We get to keep our fantastic health insurance (his company got bought out last year so they thought we might switch).
- I'm able to do hair from the house.
- My friends.
- My warm home with warm clothes and food to eat.
- Slobbery kisses, sweet I-love-you's, and big wrinkly nose smiles.
- My life.

2008-11-06T13:11:00.000-08:00

Emme is currently 2.5 years old. She's got the darkest brown eyes and beautiful golden hair with perfect large corkscrew curls. She has Daddy's dark Cherokee coloring. She really likes watching baseball with Daddy, Sesame Street, Dora, The Wonder Pets, and anything Disney and Pixar. She's Mommy's Girl and can be very sweet. Can being the key word. She's full of energy and usually happy. She loves to help cook and feel important. She loves to make you laugh. She sings at the top of her lungs (so sweet!) and can recite two memory verses already. She can count to 11 and knows her ABC's. She's very sensitive and dramatic (I have no idea where she got this from ;) ). She hates to disappoint you. At the same time, she is 2.5, and can be extremely testy. She has an extremely large vocabulary and talks as well as a 3.5 year old most of the time. She's bright, smart, and hard working. She can get easily frustrated with a task (something we're working on). She's a nurturer. She loves playing with her sister and her babies (who are all named "Daughter"). She's a true joy, my sweet sunshine, and the light of my life.

Ellie is almost 5 months...already! She's been doing so good lately. She is "talking" more and more each day. She's recently discovered her tongue. Every time I look at her she's got it out wiggling around. She's trying to blow raspberries. She loves, loves, loves watching her big sister. She is a Daddy's Girl- flirting with him whenever he's around. She just learned to roll over. She hates the carseat (usually). She loves to be in the midst of all the action. If I'm in the kitchen with Emme and she's in her bouncer in the living room, she'll throw a fit until she's brought into the kitchen. She's got the sweetest chubby cheeks and the most beautiful long eyelashes (like her Daddy!). Her eyes are hazel right now and she's got dark brown hair. She has Mommy's light coloring. She's simply perfect.

And then...

Josh had a dream last night that we had a boy. Dundundunnnnn!

No, I'm not pregnant. Don't bother emailing to ask.

2008-11-04T07:53:00.001-08:00

Ellie has learned to roll over! I went to get her up Monday morning and she was on her tummy. She was a little frustrated because she wanted to go back to sleep and she couldn't manage to get her thumb in the proper position to suck. Hehe. I can't believe it's already that time! From now on I'm sure she'll start doing new stuff each week.

Emme has been...well...a little testy to say the least. Wow. I feel like we've spent the last week in major correction mode. I guess it's better to do it now than later.

I enjoyed a fun girls night last night. We (Me, Meg, Missy, Mel and Angela) went to Teocali by Children's Mercy. Now, I'm not one to be easily impressed with Mexican food but W-O-W. This place was outstanding. By far the best fajitas around. Mmmmm...And for the price you get sooooo much food. It was nice to catch up with the girls (Meg was my old co-worker and roommate, along with Mel). I won't mention how many chips we ate. It's way too embarassing. All that to say, you need to go and check it out. Yum!

Of course I went and voted today. I got up and was ready to go by 7:10. It was semi crowded but not too bad. The whole process took me about 45 minutes and Josh 15 or so. Since Josh is a total politics junkie, I'm trying to get all I can done around the house while Emme is at school so we can just relax and watch MSNBC tonight. Hopefully Ellie will cooperate and take good naps so I can get the touch up painting done that I've been needing to do.

I'm so proud of myself. Although the house was still kinda cluttered yesterday when Josh got home, I felt like I got so much done! I took our couch slip cover and our down comforter to the laundry mat yesterday to wash them in the gigantic washers. I patched all the little nail holes that were left on the trim all around the house. I washed our shower curtain and painted the spots where the curtain rod rubbed off. It was just a bunch of little stuff like that. I hope I can get a lot of it done before this weekend so we can work outside. We need to touch up the paint on the house and boring stuff like that. We're also getting family pictures taken...finally.

I should run. Ellie is getting fussy and is ready for a nap. Hope everyone has a great week!

2008-10-30T09:36:00.000-07:00

Enough already!

2008-10-30T07:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry. This isn't meant to be anything exciting. I need to write down Ellie's schedule so I can reference it in the future. :)

-----------------------

A few weeks old to current (4.5 mo.):

7am: wake and eat
8-10am: nap
10am: wake and eat
11-1pm: nap
1pm: wake and eat
2-4pm: nap
4pm: wake and eat
5-6:15ish: nap
6:15ish: wake
6:45pm: eat
7:15-7:30pm: bed

* waketime just extended to an hour around 4 months
* eating about 5.5-6oz. each feeding
* STTN at 10 weeks (DF at 10pm)
* totally STTN (no DF) at 4.5 months (12 hours)

2008-10-30T06:49:00.001-07:00

Ugh. I hate chaotic mornings. They just set the mood for the day and I do not like it.

Ellie woke a little early today. While Josh fed her I jumped in the shower. When I was done I ran to the kitchen to wrap up Em's cookies for her party at school today, got Emme up- took her to the bathroom, got her dressed, did her hair, put shoes on, then I had to throw my clothes on. All this time Ellie is screaming bloody murder in her bouncer. Yeesh! It was 7:55 and Nana was going to be here at 8:15 to pick Emme up for breakfast and take her to school. (They've started doing this every so often on Thursday's.) I get my clothes on, ask Josh to make another ounce for El, run to the kitchen to make Josh and Emme's lunch. Done. Whew! Grab Ellie and put her down for a nap so Josh can leave, grab a Mountain Dew and then Nana is here. Send Emme out the door and collapse on the nice, comfy computer chair with my glorious Mountain Dew to enjoy the peace and quiet. That is way too much to be done by 8:15am. I'm already in need of a nap!

In other good news, Josh ordered the Roku box from Netflix. I know he's really excited to get this, and I'll admit I am too. It sounds really neat. It has like 12,000 shows and movies on there that you can instantly watch. Plus you can stream in movies that are on your queue and watch them right then. I'm sure that sounds a little confusing but I think it's really going to be fun to have.

We've got a busy weekend ahead. It's full of fun stuff though so I can't complain. Tonight LeAnn is going to come over and watch the girls so Josh and I can go to a movie (I think we're going to see Pride and Glory). Tomorrow we're getting insulation blown into the attic, going to have lunch with Josh, taking Em Trick or Treating at her school, then taking the girls to Mimi's and we're going to go see some old friends that are having a Halloween Party. (Our friend Jace is back from getting his Master's at MIT and we'll be going to his office space/loft downtown. It'll be sooooo good to him again!) Saturday we have hometeam event at Tim and Carrie's. Sunday I have to work in the nursery both services (yuck!), do Halsey's hair, and then we're going to Jeff and Tracy's for a BBQ. Hopefully Monday will work out and I'll be going to meet some good friends at The Melting Pot for their amazing cheese and chocolate Happy Hour. Mmmmm! Like I said, busy but fun.

Well, I better run. I know you all are so bummed I can't share more boring details of our life right now. :) But I have some laundry to fold, a kitchen to clean and some never-ending organizing to do.

2008-10-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

I finally got a real meal! Yessss! It's the little things in life that make me happy. :) Josh and I figured out that if he sucked up the numbing mouthwash in a syringe and pushed my tongue down with the formula scoop that he could shoot the meds right on my ulcer. As soon as I got it swished around and spit out, I'd run to the table and eat as much as I could as fast as I could before the meds wore off. Then we'd repeat. I was able to eat some peas and 2 pigs in a blanket. Mmmmmm. It sure beats the 3 mini donuts and 1 scoop of melted ice cream I had yesterday. I thought I was going to die if I didn't eat a real meal sometime soon- the last meal I had was last Wednesday (vegetable lo mein).

Emme was in rare form today. She was just being so mean! I think she knew I wasn't feeling well and thought she could get away with more. Grrrrr...

Ellie is doing great. She only refused 1 bottle today and took great naps. She is a tttaaalllkkkeeerrrr. She babbles nonstop. It's really, really sweet. Josh and I just love listening to her- especially because we thought she'd never make it past the screaming to get to the talking. But she has and it is a sweet sound to our ears. She's full of smiles, too.

Well, I better run. Josh's allergies are going crazy. I think he might need some ice cream to make them go away. :)

2008-10-26T17:29:00.000-07:00

Another exciting weekend at the Swank household. Yesterday Josh took care of the house and girls so I could get some much needed rest. The doc prescribed Vicodin to help with the pain (yes, it's that bad) so that knocked me out anytime I took it. I only ate biscuit top and a few bits of plain oatmeal yesterday and then threw that up. This morning when I had been up and around for a little bit, the pain became unbearable. So back to Urgent Care we go. I'm barely able to talk to the doctor without wanting to burst in tears. He said my ear canals were red (ear infection?) and that I have ulcers (about 20) in my mouth. Ha! I could've told him that! He gives me a z-pak, some kind of steroid and a medicated mouthwash that is beyond disgusting, but works. (Imagine swishing rubbing alcohol flavored glue around in your mouth. It's made me gag every time.) I was able to get to the store late in the afternoon but only because there was nothing (literally) to eat in the fridge or cabinets. Sooo...not like I had a huge choice there. Josh has been my saving grace when it comes to the house and such. He's done such a great job and it's going to be so nice to get up tomorrow morning to a clean house. Thanks, Babe! You're the best!

2008-10-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

Papa Gary came over tonight to eat pizza. He went in to get another piece and came to sit back down on the couch. Emme said, "More pizza? BIIIGGGG tummy!".

Last Friday when we were at Home Depot this really large man was checking us out. (When I say large man, I don't mean fat but extremely tall and big boned.) She kept looking up and down at him. She finally said, "BIIIIGGGGG man, Mommy!".

2008-10-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

I'm not kidding when I say we can't catch a break. Ellie has her first ear infection (one of the many I'm sure she'll have with reflux) and I have Strep. Hehehe. I'm just thankful that God has provided us with great insurance! We've sure been using it this year!

2008-10-22T17:18:00.001-07:00

Emme can now sing ABC's by herself and recite "No more monkies...". Too cute!

2008-10-21T12:28:00.000-07:00

Mom, remember my picture like this? She did this all on her own! :)

2008-10-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

2008-10-20T15:26:00.001-07:00

El had a great check up. For once she has gained a great amount of weight. She's now 14 lbs.! She has tripled her dose of Erythromycin (this is why we had the bottle refusal- needing higher dose), got a new script for another reflux med (Zantac) for flareups and then got her last script for MiraLax (it's OTC, but it's sooo much cheaper through a script). Go back next month! Yay! Oh, and to top off the good visit, Ellie had her first real belly laugh and it lasted 10 minutes!!! She was laughing at the exaggerated handmovements to The Wheels on the Bus.

What a weekend.

2008-10-20T06:16:00.000-07:00

Where do I even begin? Friday was nice. We (Josh, me and Emme) ran to Home Depot to get a few things for the house. (We're starting to winterize.) Then we ran to DQ to get some ice cream to eat while we carved our pumpkins. Emme was up super late but I think she had a good time. I'll try and post some pictures of pumpkin carving later today.

Saturday the girls went to LeAnn's so Josh and I could get some stuff done around the house. We changed the hardware in the kitchen, insulated the front picture window, dusted everything, blah blah blah. I also had a highlight and haircut to do so it was nice the girls were gone for that and I could just get it done without being interrupted. While the girls were at LeAnn's, she called and said that Emme was running a fever. She's an aggressive fever runner and it usually doesn't go right away with Tylenol every 4 hours (and I didn't have any Motrin). So when she got home I just snuggled her and we rocked. I'll admit that I secretly love when they get sick- I can put everything on hold and just cuddle my babies! Around 6 Matt and Amber came over and we just enjoyed some pizza and catching up. There was a Boston game on so we were watching that in the background. (Josh is obsessed with the Red Sox if you didn't know.) It's always nice to have a relaxing day at home, especially after the chaos that comes with trying to do stuff around the house. Why does it never go as planned?

When Emme woke up Sunday she still had a fever. I had tried to take her Saturday evening to the Walgreen's clinic that they have but they were closed. So the girls and I stayed home from church and I decided I'd take her as soon as they opened on Sunday (1oam). (Forgot to mention this whole time we thought she had a UTI because she was having to push to go pee, unexplained fever, saying her tummy and potty hurt for a few weeks, etc.) Right before we head up there to the clinic, I had her try and go to the bathroom. She somehow managed to trip in the bathroom and fell flat on her face this time busting her top lip and nose so good I thought her nose was broken. Poor thing! Of course she was gushing blood and Ellie was screaming because she wanted to finally eat (our newest battle is bottle refusal) and Daddy was at church on call for their IT dept. I called him and told him I needed his help and he came right home. As soon as he got home and I got Emme semi-calmed down, we headed up to the clinic. We get there and she tells me that they can't treat a UTI in a child her age. Ugh. So off to Children's Mercy Urgent Care we go. We get there and they get us right back (which is you've ever been you know it's a rarity). They give me a cup for her to try and pee in. Ok great. She just chugged a juice box on the way there so I thought it would be a breeze...Not so much. She had a total of 4 juice boxes and 1 cup of water, hadn't peed in over 4 hours and still couldn't go. We tried 3 different times, 20 minutes each time, and she couldn't go. We tried a bowl that she could pee in (looked like a toddler potty), me holding the cup, turning on water. Nothing. The doctor came in to talk and finally said they were going to have to use a cathedar to get a urine sample and then send her for a tummy x-ray. I, of course, had to leave the room. I couldn't watch my baby go through that pain! I was standing in the hallway and she was screaming, "Mommy! Help me! Mommy! Mommy!". Talk about gut wrenching. They get the sample, I come in and save the day and calm her down, and we head off for the x-ray. It just takes a quick minute and we're back in our room. Then she says she has to pee! Ok, great! We run to the bathroom (since she hasn't gone in 5 hours at this point) and she gets a drop out and starts screaming bloody murder. That was the end of that! The doctor comes back to the room after a bit and says that the problem is she's so constipated that she had nowhere else for her poo to go. He showed me the x-ray and was giggling when he was talking to me. Her whole colon was filled and she had gigantic gas bubbles. It was amazing. I couldn't believe the picture! Anyways, the reason we thought she had a UTI (which she didn't) was becuase she was so constipated and it had nowhere else to go but push on her bladder. I didn't really understand what he was saying when it came to why she was having pain while going pee but it's something about the colon and her tummy being so filled that it was causing pain when she had to go...I dunno...? He wanted to do an enema right then but I just asked if it was totally necessary at this point as she had already had a cath. He said it wasn't right this minute, I could try and give her MiraLax for 3 days and if that didn't/doesn't help, we'll go back. She had a full cap yesterday, a cup of pear nectar today, and she'll get another dose in a minute- still nothing though. When we got home (4:00) we both collapsed and then I went to dinner with some girlfriends. I was a muccchhh needed dinner!

Ellie goes back to GI today. We'll see what she weighs and possibly adjust meds accordingly. She's really been refusing the bottle (about 4 of the 6) and so we'll talk about that. Probably get a feeding specialist to come to the house or something. I'll keep you updated!

So that was our crazy busy weekend. It's kinda refreshing to be back in the swing of the week now! Maybe we'll get some rest. Haha

2008-10-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

Josh wanted me to clarify from my post on Monday that he is not "running around with crap in his pants" which I guess I made it sound like. :)

Is that ok, babe?

2008-10-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not weird. Emme has been making me take pictures of everything lately. Bottles, her toy barn, her lip, my bloody sweatshirt...You get the idea.

At the pumpkin patch.

The naked chef.

Wish I had more to report but this week has been pretty dull. Busy but dull.

I went to a friends house last night for a cooking lesson (she went to culinary school) and learned how to make some really great lettuce wraps. Mmmmm! Whats even better is she put the meat in a Food Saver bag so all I have to do for dinner tonight is heat it up and make some rice! My kind of meal!

It's cold and rainy today. I'm so glad that I got all the housework done so I can be extra lazy today. I'm already ready for a lonnnnggg nap. Tonight is going to be fun because Ellie is spending the night with Mimi for the first time (by herself) and Mommy and Daddy and Emme are going to carve pumpkins. Emme is super excited!

Today while making breakfast (french toast), Emme somehow slipped and fell off the chair she was standing on. She busted her lip really good. The only thing that made her happy was knowing we were going to make cookies today and to call Daddy. I know that sure made him feel good! ;)

It's definitely Monday...

2008-10-13T09:17:00.001-07:00

I'm convinced that my sole purpose of existence is to clean up poop. Seriously. Emme decided to poop her pants today. As to why, I'm still not sure. Then we ran to the store (because I literally have like 5 minutes a day to devote to laundry and Daddy needed some new and clean underwear) where El proceeded to have a massive poop explosion in her brand new, white onesie that Mimi got her. So we had to rush home to take care of that. Wow...

Now the trashy neighbor is out there revving his truck (like he does every single day for about 15 minutes), Emme is crying (she cries about everything these days) and there is a stupid cop at the end of the street trying to wave people down to give them tickets. The kitchen is a disaster, there are about 5 more loads of laundry to do, it's Monday and I'm trying to have a good attitude. :)

"Somebody's got a case of the Monday's..."

2008-10-09T12:40:00.000-07:00

Wow. What a day!

LeAnn took Emme to get breakfast and then to school for me today. Ellie and I had chiropractic appointments at 9:45 in Overland Park so we did that, then fed her in the waiting room. Then we took Daddy a cake. Then it was time for Ellie's 4 month checkup. She weighs 12.9 and is 24" long. A little on the small size but as long as she keeps gaining they'll be ok with it. She got 4 shots and did fairly well with those. She's finally getting a good nap in, which I know she's thankful for.

Emme had fun at school, as always. She painted a cute picture and got to play outside. She decided to pee all over the kitchen floor when we got home, even though I asked her when we got home if she needed to go. Oh well...

Sorry this isn't overly exciting. I'm in desperate need of a nap!

2008-10-07T13:52:00.000-07:00

Nothing much to report this way. I made some super yummy chicken and wild rice soup with beer bread last night. It was the perfect meal for a chilly, gloomy day. Nothing is better (in my book) than fresh beer bread slathered with butter. Mmmmm!

Parents as Teachers are coming today. I'm sure they'll just tell me how cute and smart my girls are. Duh!

I'm not sure what has gotten into Emme the past two days- she's been so nice! Normally when I pick her up from preschool she's a total monster and just plain mean sometimes! (I know you'd never guess it. ;) ) But when I got her yesterday she was so sweet! She kept saying "Love you, Mommy! Miss you!". Then today we were cooking breakfast together she told me that I cooked like Rachel Ray and that the house was nice. Hahaha! I swear, she really did! She must want something...(Can they already know to manipulate like that at 2?)

Well, I better go. I've got a list the size of Mt. Everest to get done before naptime today.

2008-10-06T17:27:00.000-07:00

Here ya go, Carrie.

2008-10-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Aunt Halsey for taking these awesome pictures! Please excuse my blog incompetance and the multiple posts...I'm guessing it has something to do with the size of the pictures...?

2008-10-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

2008-10-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

Grocery shopping can be so depressing! Ugh. Seriously- how do they expect people to survive and stay semi-healthy with prices like these!? I just got back from the store and wanted to throw up. And I only got the things that we needed. Ridiculous. I'll have to go back to work to simply keep up with these insane prices.

2008-10-04T05:43:00.000-07:00

Because Emme has the chicken pox, we aren't able to go to Apple Fest in Weston today. So we had a special time last night and roasted hotdogs and marshmallows outside! Emme even had her ice cream before her hotdog and got to stay up until 8:30 (which is super late for us- 7:15ish is the norm). It was a lot of fun!

2008-10-03T06:50:00.000-07:00

I'm convinced that we just can't catch a break! It seems that Emme has chicken pox now. I guess that explains the fever she had earlier this week and the insane irritability! Oh well. At least I have a good excuse to put the chores on hold and just cuddle and play. I had better run, though. Emme decided it would be a great idea to color all over herself with a pen. (Ever since potty training she has become a nudist.)

2008-10-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a day! Ellie seems to think she doesn't have to take a nap. The effects of that are an overly tired baby who then cries even more because she's so tired. Thank the Lord for headphones and loud music otherwise I might be more insane than I already am. :) She may have finally given up though...go figure; she eats in an hour. I had to post a picture to remind myself of how cute she can actually be. :) I know all you moms understand.

Emme was back to preschool today and was just thrilled because they got to learn about firetrucks. She had a lot of fun the past two nights watching baseball with Daddy during her "cuddle time". She's really catching on and actually understands the premise of the game. Such a smart girl! She is convinced that every game that is on is Nunu's "balldame" and when they (the Red Sox) hit the ball she screams, "YAY, NUNU!". Too funny. I'm sure Uncle Daniel doesn't mind being mistaken for a Red Sox player.

Hals- You've gotta download "Come All Ye Weary" by Thrice. I love it.

Well, I've gotta go collapse on the couch for a bit.

2008-10-01T05:38:00.000-07:00

Two sweet sisters.

Here is Ellie holding "Daughter" (that's her name) along with some dryer sheets, socks, a few onesies and a blanket. Emme was convinced she needed all these things.

Emme seems to be feeling better so far. The fever was still looming yesterday but not nearly as high as it had been. Thanks Aunt Pam for finding out about dosing those two meds together!

Ellie has been talking and cooing a lot lately. She was flirting soooo much with Daddy last night- and I could tell he was eating it up. She'd just smile and smile at him and kick her legs so happy. She loves her Daddy! She even holds his hands while he feeds her. One of the side effects of the Erythromycin for the DGE is loss of appetite so it's been kind of frustrating trying to feed her sometimes. I'm going to call today to see if there is something to counteract that. She's small as is so it's not like we can just let her be done when she wants.

I got the girls' closets cleaned out yesterday. You can't imagine the enormous pile of 0-3 month clothes that Ellie has. It's just insane! I feel so accomplished getting that done. Emme needs some more fall/winter clothes but we'll get those little by little.

Well, I need to go and make Emme some breakfast. I'm going to try and take them on Friday to get their pictures done...finally...Cross your fingers that no one is sick. (That's why we haven't done it before now- someone always gets sick!)

2008-09-30T06:07:00.000-07:00

Josh and I last year in STL for our anniversary.

This is my favorite baby picture of Emme.

Well, I wish I had something super exciting to share today. Hmmm...Yesterday Emme got sick. She woke with a slight fever so I gave her some Tylenol and then by lunch she was just miserable. She's got a pretty aggressive fever as it won't even totally go away with Tylenol. I've been dosing right at every 4 hours in hopes that it will break soon. We made french toast this morning, so I'm sure that'll help. :)

Last night we had NuNu's (Uncle Daniel) 18th birthday dinner. It's always nice to sit and chat. We did have to leave a little early because Emme broke down and just begged to go home.

Josh is in class this week at JCCC learning a new language for development. He gets out at 4 and it's so nice having him home a littler earlier in the afternoon. He sure is an awesome Daddy!

We're going to Applefest in Weston this weekend with a bunch of friends. I think we'll let Em pick some apples and a pumpkin. This is such a fun age because she actually gets excited about doing these kinds of things. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures. I need to look for a cute fall outfit for both of them!

I think Em is going to be Tinkerbell for Halloween. We've been practicing "Trick or Treat".

I know most of this is about Emme but right now all Ellie does is sleep and eat. Just a few more months...

Guess I better attempt to get something done for the day in case the sickness rears its head again.

2008-09-29T06:34:00.001-07:00

Emme on her first day of preschool. Doesn't she look 4 and not 2.5?

It's a monumental day in our house. This is Ellie's first ponytail.

The torture has already started- and she's only 3 months here.

I thought I should start a blog to keep track of what the girls are doing. It gets so hard to keep everyone updated so I thought this might come in handy. Now it's all up to you!

Ellie is doing so much better. She was diagnosed with a severe milk allergy, severe silent reflux and Delayed Gastric Emptying (DGE). She's on Neocate (it's a RX formula) for the allergy, Nexium for the reflux, and Erythromycin for the DGE. The day she started the Erythromycin she was so much happier and has been pretty much since then. Thank you, Lord! I think He knew Josh and I couldn't take much more of the screaming! We're still having trouble getting her to go to the restroom like she should, but I'm sure that will all work out with time and getting her tummy on track...finally.

Emme is showing her personality more and more each day. She's very dramatic and sensitive...I have no idea where she got that. ;) She says the funniest things. The other day while I was taking her to preschool, the stoplight had just turned green and she told me, "GO LADY! YOU KIDDING ME!?". It was hilarious and after I contained myself I had to tell her that we didn't talk to Mommy that way. She has been having a bit of an attitude lately and is the epitomy of Miss Independent. "EMME DO IT!", is what she always says. She's doing awesome on the potty and has woke dry most mornings. I'm sure she could go all night without a diaper but right now I barely have time to take a shower, much less wash her sheets every day. (Maybe I should get off here then?) She, unfortunately, has started liking Barney. I've heard her the past few days singing the "clean up" song while she was picking up her toys. She's able to say her first Bible verse which she learned at preschool. She calls me "punkin'", "honey" and "buns" most of the time. "Doing, Punkin'?" "Hi, Buns!"She's getting better and better at counting- when she wants to. She has become an extreme Mommy's Girl lately- which I'll admit can be very overwhelming. Sometimes I just want to pee in peace! I don't feel that's too much to ask! :)

We don't have anything too thrilling going on during the day today. I need to get some storage tubs to clean out the girls closets and get that all stored away. There is always tons of laundry and dishes to be done. Bottles need to be washed. We all have to get baths. Blah blah blah. The list is never ending.