This and That

Sorry to have left you all hanging since Thursday!

So let's see...what has been up in Christy's world since I left you with horrid images and emotional scars?

I realized that Lilly's diarrhea has gone on much longer than is normal for a child who is just suffering from teething. So I took her to the pediatrician and he agreed. He felt her up, weighed her and all that checked out okay, so he handed me three small vials of liquid, two pair of latex gloves and about eight tongue depressors. This didn't look good.

So I pony up, figuring that sampling diarrhea into three small vials honestly cannot be any worse than scraping it off of her toosh, legs, sheets, clothes, mattress, my bathrobe and anywhere else her violent spray decided to land. Well...I'm here to tell you...it is worse. I removed the foul diaper, cleaned up the baby and then went to work at the kitchen island. I gagged the entire time, even while holding my breathe. I was sure I wasn't going to be able to finish and was begging Scott to say ANYTHING to make my mind wander away from the foul task at hand. He was no match for the shredded wheat like poo that I had to handle. *gag* So, suffice it to say, I did the deed and transported poo to the Children's Hospital lab for testing. They want to make sure it's not a parasite that we're dealing with, and at this point I'd take a parasite so long as it was a diagnosis that we could remedy! I'm tired of being knee deep in poop.

Then Friday was Abby and my "Girl Night Out" with my Aunt Penny and cousin Sara. Then we had a sleepover at their house and came back the next afternoon. It was super fun! Abby and Sara went to the movies and saw Madagascar 2, which we hear was quite funny. I like my women chunkay! Hee hee! Pen and I had a great time catching up and being all deep and stuff. Ahh...coffee with Pen is awesome! She's ma girl!

So then we got back yesterday afternoon and Gramma Hartman came over to spend the night. She brought donuts! Woohoo. About 20 minutes after Zach ate part of a donut he broke out in a rash. We all assumed it was an allergic reaction, so I dosed him with some Benadryl. Half an hour to an hour later he spiked a fever and was out of it. Dang it! Can't we get a break?! So all night long Scott and I were up with one or both of them. At about 2:30am they both decided they were wide awake and wanted to get up. So I got up and we stayed awake for about an hour or so, and then after that it was Scott's turn to get up and down with Zach. I heard thirteen times within an hour. Most of that was just reassurance that him just whining and wanting reassurance. Not that it makes it any easier to be woken up for every two to five minutes.

Today has been a slow day. We didn't go to church because we aren't sure what we're dealing with in Lilly and Zach still was fevering and rashy. So we've just been milling around, eating, taking care of our babes and talking economy.

Anyone else thoroughly sick and tired of Obama-mania and Doomsday CNN news? I'm tired already of worrying and hearing about our sour economy and how we're all going to be deduced to scavangers within a few years. I know it's a reality and every now and again it smacks me in the face and I can't help but worry. I know we're doing everything possible right now though to prepare for the worst. I'll expand more on that later. But seriously. What is with the Obama commemorative coins already?! It's like he's bigger than life and I gotta tell you...it's creeping me out. It's starting to feel really end times-ish to me.

So, for now we're hanging out as a family, pulling inward and trying to make sense of it all. Oh, and try to make sense of this! I found this sprouting out of Abby's bathroom sink this morning. She was washing pumpkin seeds in her sink a few weeks ago and apparently one found a home. :)

The Minute That Changed Me

Today I have done all the normal things I usually do. I had the morning coffee, I dressed and fed the kids, I picked up carpool and dropped the older kids off at school with a wave, a smile and an "I love you." Then I zoomed over to the preschool to drop Zach off. As I pulled into the parking lot I saw that part of the lot was marked off for a funeral. How sad, right? Funerals always make me sad and cry, even if I don't know the person from Adam's cat. Someone died and that leaves an empty space in this world, and it's always sad for someone.

So I get the kidlets out and start toward the door when another mom shuffles past and murmurs "prepare yourself." I thought she meant prepare yourself for the usual coffin and flowers and such. It must be too early to actually be having the funeral, what with all the preschoolers coming in. They certainly wouldn't be having a funeral until after the kids classes started.

I walk in the doors with the kids and am greeted by two big poster boards filled with pictures of a baby girl. Kaylee, I think was her name. Oh my heavens, someone lost their baby. How awful! My heart sank a little more than usual and I tightened the squeeze on Lilly in my arm.

And then I looked over to my right where something else caught my peripheral sight. It was a little casket...with a little baby girl in it...with a little pink hat on. Goosebumps ran all over my body and my blood ran colder.

She was so pretty and chubby lying there. I didn't look for long but it was long enough to see that. You really couldn't see much difference between her and the baby doll someone had placed in a sitting position just to the end of the casket.

I quickly ushered Zach by the hood of his jacket down the hallway and away from it all, but I felt so numb all over. My mind was moving and telling me to do all the things that we had to do, but my body felt sluggish. Turn left, go to the bathroom to wash hands, hang up the coat, get him to the door. All the while I knew my life had been changed. I just saw a dead baby...and even as I stand here now I don't know how to process it.

I see my perfectly healthy, chubby baby here with Pop Tart goo all over her face and hands, chattering away in nonsense...and know there is another Mom just minutes away from me preparing to put her beloved child into the ground. As far as I am concerned, Lilly can scream her head off and wake me up every twenty minutes for the next year, and I won't be happy about, but I'll be grateful. I'll be grateful for her life and for God putting her in my arms to care for and love. And when I hear someone complaining about how awful their kids are and I want to chime in to say, "yea, but at least they are healthy and alive" or "their lucky they're cute or we'd kill 'em"... I'll remember this minute of my life when I saw a baby who died at nine months old. A baby who did not have a chance to flush a wash cloth down the toilet, or smear jelly on the walls or sing a Christmas song in a holiday program at school or any of the beautiful and chaotic things that kids do.

I realize that this post is polar opposite of the last post where I likened by cherubic faced baby to a werewolf. I absolutely do not recant my feelings from that post. Life with a teething toddler and two older children is sometimes just that awful. But I do think that today I have been changed a little in the parent department. Made more grateful for life, especially the life of Scott and my babies.

Someone Put Me Out Of My Misery

The past 24 hours or so have been complete misery. The kids are absolutely climbing the walls and Scott and I are too. It's like being caged up with four other snarling animals. In fact, I'm pretty sure Lilly is about to sprout fangs, a snout and gnaw on our bones like teething toys. She's wicked mean right now. Srsly. She's lucky I nursed her and created a maternal bond with her b/c if I hadn't I may be too tempted to take her to the fire station and drop her butt off.

Scott and I are stressed to the ceiling too. Scott's walking around bored to tears b/c he can't run or play tennis and I'm dying to get out of the house and do ANYTHING that doesn't involve groceries or kids. Neither one of us can seem to make the children happy for any good length of time, so we both end up lying on the couch or floor with two or more of them bouncing on us while we stare numbly into space. We had a plan to get out together last night, but our sitter fell through and instead we threw emotionally poisoned darts at each other until bedtime and went to bed mad. I love those nights. NOT.

Today has been a smidge better but only by a hair.

Thank God tomorrow is coming soon. School, work, routine...thank you, Jesus!

I do have a personal shopping/errand day planned for Wednesday. The in-laws (hi Mom!) are coming to play with the kids from Noonish til dinnertime and I hope to get some fully needed alone time and Christmas shopping done. I've got a short list going in my head of the places I want to go, but I'd better write it all down and plan. I've done this before...had a few hours to go do things and ended up walking circles in Walmart like an old lady who lost her car in a parking lot, wondering what in the H I was suppose to be getting. Before I knew it, it was time to go home and I'd done MAYBE one thing on my list. I will not do that this time. :)

If I had a glass of something good to drink I'd hold it up and propose a toast to better days, but I don't. So I'll just go crawl back into my corner and wait for tomorrow. Hurrrrry.

You're Probably Spending Too Much Time Online When...

You open your panty drawer and there are none. Of course Zach walked in just as I was in nude mode and searching the basket at the end of the bed.

Zach: Mommy! What. Are. You. Doing?

Me: I'm looking for underwear to wear!

Zach: (circling to look at my rear) Mom, can I smell your butt?

Me: Uh, NOOO! We don't smell butts in our house.

Zach: (turning circles trying to smell his own butt)

You know it's going to be an interesting day when you're forced to go Commando due to your own laziness.

Well, it's Obama...I guess.

Now, I'm not saying that I didn't partially want Obama to win. I kinda, way back in the cobwebbed part of my mind want him to win, despite his being Democrat, just so I could watch what the hell he's actually going to do. He's a slick one on T.V. Greasy and waaay too slippery, if you ask me. Every time I watched him speak, ever single time, all I could feel was "this is smoke and mirrors." And don't you get that feeling when you're around ANY politician? Yea, somewhat. But this dude just felt a little more quick and slick. Anyone else feel that?

On the other hand, I'm proud that we'll have our first black president. I do hope he inspires the young black men he's been appointed to govern and be a role model for. I hope that he continues to take up T.V. time to relay heart moving speeches to America about making changes in their lives and the lives of others. I REALLY hope he follows through on encouraging young people to give back to the Veterans and give service to America in order to pay for their college tuition. I hope he is a man of his well written for him words and follows through. Although, jerking the U.S. out of this war kinda scares me. I agree we need to get out and soon, but when he said "when I become President, I will end this war" I felt a bit scared. Please, Obama, no knee jerk movements!

And just for the record: I didn't feel 100% comfortable voting for McCain either. I watched his speeches as well and he didn't sway me at all. I didn't feel any passion coming from him only statistics and bashing. So when I voted yesterday, I just voted down my party line. Not because I was mindlessly using my right to vote, but b/c I didn't feel comfortable with EITHER candidate so I just stayed within my conservative rails.

So, he wasn't MY pick for president, but I am a little excited to see what will happen. I will submissively fall in line with the new Commander in Chief and pray for him and not speak ill of him. BUT, if this country goes to the dogs...I didn't vote for him! *wink*

There has been A LOT going on around here lately. At least it seems so anyway!

Scott's recovering well from his ankle sprain. He was walking on it gingerly yesterday, but is still wearing the aircast and using the crutches for today.

Lilly's butt is in great working order again, but now her new chompers are causing major grief and a fever. Last night she was at 102.1, but today she's had a reprieve.

Still no progress on the potty training with Zach. This dude just doesn't want to poo on the toilet. I've done everything in my motherly power, right down to begging and bribing WHILE he's dumping in his pants. But his will is really strong. And at the risk of scarring him emotionally I've even tried forcing him to sit on the toilet for extended periods and bending him in half to do so. At this point it's a defeat for mom and I have to resign myself every day from the war. Some people say it's just a matter of him being emotionally ready to stop crapping in his underwear and some say it's a view of things to come (like maybe he'll be 12 and still not pooping on the potty?) Either way, I'm just trying my best to reassure him that it's okay to sit on the toilet every day and trying my darnedest NOT to have a complete psychotic meltdown when I have to wipe big boy poop off of his toosh. Poor Scott had a major offense the other day while on poop duty and couldn't scrub his thumb hard enough to get the stench off. GAH!

I voted today, although not eagerly. It just is what it is at this point. *sigh* Watch and see, I guess.

On the emotional front, for some reason I'm all sappy about missing my Dad lately. Over the years of not seeing him, it's just because life to be numb to not having a relationship with him. A protective measure, I'm sure. But for, oh, I'd say the past six months, off and on I've had this heavy feeling of just wanting to be near him. I got the green light from hubby today to look at airfare prices for tickets out to my Dad's place, but even with a sweet deal of $300 per ticket (plus friggin taxes, baggage and breathing prices) I'm having a hard time pressing CONFIRM. It's just a lot of money for us right now, esp in light of our recent moves to economize our living/spending. So...I wait. Maybe I'll regret it, but maybe I won't. I'm not saying I won't go ahead with going, I'm just gonna wait and pray a little bit.




Trick or Treat was super fun! Scott's parents surprised the kids by coming dressed as clowns. Gramma Sandie was totally unrecognizable with make-up and no glasses and a big red nose, but Papaw...no so much. Abby handed him the candy, took another glance and then said "HEY! WAIT A MINUTE!" and ran after him. Hee hee.








And then my mom dressed up as a witch
and handed out candy at our house.
She loves this holiday. She's already planning for next year. :)








Now it's time to start focusing on Thanksgiving meals and the Christmas Season. I just adore these holidays! It's definitely a focus on the family and friends time.
Here are a few photos of the kids and our beautiful tree in the back yard. It's leaves look GORGEOUS this time of year!

Can I Get a Medic?

I just want some silence, please. Okay, so I did get an hour nap today and it WAS lovely and refreshing and all that. But then I woke up again to the ear piercing shriek of my daughter Lilly and her sidekick brother, whiney-butt Zach. Honestly, if it's not one crying, it's the other. Last night the two of them took turns crying and waking up. So much so that I didn't get to sleep until almost 11pm and then was ready to get up at 5:30am. Wouldn't it be great if I got to sleep a whole hour in that stretch, but Lilly just wouldn't hear of it. I feel terrible that she's most likely in pain, really I do, but dang...a woman needs her sleep! And let's just face it people, at this point, I'm ready to beat somebody up.

And I'm not kicking a guy while he's down, but my dear husband sprained his ankle this weekend. Thanks Wilson shoes! He thinks it was because of the new shoes he just bought, the sole is already peeling away and caused him to roll his ankle while making a hard stop on the tennis court. So he is not in full, butt-kicking order anymore. And God bless him, I know he would MUCH rather be wrangling the kids than have a sprained ankle, so I'm not blaming the guy...just pointing out the handicap.

So. Let's recap. We've had two weeks of rancid, butt mangling diarrhea running through Lilly's diapers, then Zach's quick run with puke/diarrhea, Abby's and my 24 hour vomit sessions and now we get three big molars coming in at one time and a sprained ankle.

We are SO ready for quick vacation from our sick life.