Our Weekend with Wiggy

This past week was spring break week for most of Conway. We didn't have plans, mostly because we were passing around whatever nasty cold or flu has been running rampant around our city. Well, about mid-week, Carter and I started to feel human again. Or at least back to ourselves. Libby FINALLY stopped whining about and for everything (don't you just love sick kids:).

One of the doctors I work for was going to take a weekend trip to Texas to visit some friends and needed someone to watch her Boston Terrier, Wiggy. Dr. J and I had talked about us keeping Wiggy before, because we used to have a boston and the kids would enjoy it. Well here he is.............




The sleeping arrangements.



Playing tug with an old pair of socks tied together.



Poor Wiggy looking more than a little worn out Sunday afternoon.


Thanks for all the fun Wiggy! (and thanks for letting us keep him!)

Up and Running........sort of

Tutus For Tuesday is up and running. Well, more like a brisk walk.

One of the doctors I work for, Dr. Johnson, was kind enough to buy a tutu for a birthday gift for someone. So, Tutus for Tuesday now has $5. Yippy! Thanks Dr. J!

There are now 2 tutus for sale on the site. They are identical. So we're going.

I hope to get more done within the next few days.



On a separate note:
Poor Libby has been sick again. No hospital, but just the crud. Just a piece of advice for anyone who doesn't live near here. DON'T COME HERE!, at least not for a while. Everyone is, or has been sick. And just a friendly reminder, if you are sick, or think you're getting sick....don't come to my house! I ain't joking........we're tired of being sick.

Please welcome our newest addition.........

Welcome George to our family. Just hope hangs around for a while and doesn't float anytime soon. We all want a dog, but can't get one right now for several reasons. Carter is really wanting a hermit crab, but that just gives me the creeps thinking about that crab getting loose. You know he would!........a certain 4 year old would let him out. So here's George.

Food for Thought

Apparently it is the day to post something about food, because some of the blogs I follow were related to that hot topic. Or cold topic. Or...well you know!

Here is all I have to say about food today.

We had eaten supper and I splurged yesterday and got some chocolate to make smores. mmmmm...sounds good, doesn't it? So I started making the smores and I was going to ask Carter if he wanted one. He was in my bedroom watching "shows". The conversation went a little something like this:

ME: Carter, do you want a smore?

CARTER: Some more what, Mom?

Really, need I say more? I love my son.

Home....(for real this time)

We were told at about 10am yesterday morning that we were going to get to go home. They had even taken off her pulse ox at about 4am. So we were just kind of hanging out TRYING to get some sleep.

We hit the road yesterday afternoon at 4:45pm. Slight time delay, I know. And yes, it was rush hour on I-630 and I-430...ahhh, wonderful.

We made it home and she is doing pretty well. Playing with Carter...Carter bugging her. You know, the usual.

Ahhh, Home...........well not really home

In case anyone has been wondering where I (we) have been. And of course everyone who is patiently waiting for tutus on etsy. I am sorry, but you may have to wait a few more days.

Last week, Carter had a terrible cold. Fever, cough, runny nose, whiny....the whole nine yards. He feels much better now. Of course, he has a normal immune system and more importantly...healthy lungs.

Carter and Libby, just like all good natured, well behaved children, share everything.

I mean everything!

I am blogging from my home away from home. Arkansas Children's Hospital.

We did almost set a record at FIVE whole months without a hospital visit, but we are about a week short. Good try, though.

This stay is just a blip on the screen in comparison to the other stays we have had here. We are not in the PICU. Hell, who am I kidding, last night we didn't even get a real room. The hospital is on what they call "critical status", which basically means -- we ain't got no room for you. We bunked in the express care unit last night.

Ahhh, express, sounds wonderful, doesn't it? Well as we all know (and for that matter I really know, ms. lpn!), express doesn't happen.

Picture the room. Approximately 6 feet wide. 8 feet long. Warm! metal crib, couch(if that is what we are calling it), iv pole, pulse oximeter, oxygen and all our crap surrounded by a CURTAIN! Yep, you read it right......surrounded by a friggin curtain. To top it all off, our neighbor (also surrounded by a curtain), was an infant with a vomiting/diarrhea bug who was supposedly on isolation! Is that really isolation? A polyester curtain? I don't know, but I'm not convinced.

Libby is no longer on oxygen as of the moment. Keep your fingers crossed. She was initially diagnosed with pneumonia, but they just came back and said after they looked at her x-ray again, it looked more like bronchiolitis. That can be non-rsv or rsv bronchiolitis.

Is this road sounding familiar to anyone else? Anyone who has been reading this blog for a while, or anyone who knows Libby personally, knows that is what she has been diagnosed with each time it was actually aspiration. Isn't that why she had surgery nearly 5 months ago? And isn't that why she is tortured with everyone but her getting to drink whatever they want? I don't know if she is refluxing that bad to be refluxing and then aspirating that or if she has had that much snot that she could have sounded that bad? Who knows..........I'm not a doctor, but I did stay at a holiday inn express last night!


Oh, wait! That wasn't Holiday Inn.........it was Children's. My mistake!

FINALLY....tutus!!!

After sewing machine problems, I finally have some tutus ready. I mean look at my machine...why would I ever have problems with it. It is circa 1970ish...I lovingly call it "pepto".

I finally resorted to hand sewing them. Then I did one with the tulle cut and hand tied on. I want to put a stitch in them for security, but it turned out so cute!!

Hopefully tomorrow after work I can get them on etsy and get going. I mean it sounds like the perfect plan...starting Tutus for Tuesday on....YEP, you guessed it...a TUESDAY! How genius.





Be sure to check the For Tuesday blog for a giveaway...a tutu! (i think i may do this one)!

Things that make me happy...Really!

As a woman, wife and foremost a mother, it really isn't hard to make me happy. Here are a few things that I am very happy about today. Tomorrow is another story...I'm sure.

IT MAKES ME HAPPY WHEN..............

I get to take an uninterrupted 5 maybe 10 minute shower.

I'm ecstatic when I get to pee by myself.

My kids are happy (& of course when they are well behaved).

Double coupons at Kroger!

I can make it through the morning without something on my clothes I didn't intend to be there! (i.e. boogers, food particles..you get the picture)

My husband doesn't snore! (hehe...sure hope he doesn't read this post)

Of course a good sale makes me happy. 4 rolls of toilet paper for $0.99, then I get to use my $0.35 coupon which you will double...yea buddy

...it's not Tuesday or Thursday (I work T,Th)

...it is Tuesday and Thursday(I get to talk to real adults...and I get paid to do it)

...I have people that are reading my blog that I don't even really know. That may be weird, but it's true. No one would take the time to blog if they didn't want anyone to read it. (except maybe the anonymous one I said I was going to start)

and of course Momma is always happy when there is cake
.
.
.
or chocolate, cupcakes, candy...well you know that entire isle at the store! But of course I'll need a diet coke to wash it all down with!

Tutus For Tuesday

If you haven't done so already, please click on the button to the left "For the Love of Tuesday". It will take you to a blog dedicated to her. It is also for mentioning all the wonderful people and organizations raising awareness and money for pediatric cancer research.

I pitched my idea to the wonderful woman who runs the blog.

I even got mentioned in today's post!

That made me want to get my booty in gear. So here it is www.TutusForTuesday.etsy.com

Now I just need volunteers to help me sew what I hope is hundreds of tutus.

Funny, funny little man

Carter is just...well, hillarious - to say the least. Yes, he may have a few words in his vocabulary that a preschooler shouldn't. But I love him!

Here are a couple of conversations we had in the van this week while en route to somewhere:

#1
Carter: "Where is Jump Zone?"
Me: "It's next to Wal-Mart."
Carter: "Oh....(pause)...Hey! Wal-Mart is by $5 Subway."
Me: (giggling) "Yes it is."
Carter: (now singing) "Five Dollar Footlong."
He used the hand gestures and everything! I promise. Cracks me up.


#2
Carter: "Momma, when Libby gets big, she's gonna be my sister."
Me: "Well, she's your sister now."
Carter: "Well(sarcastically), I'm gonna let her be my sister again."
Smarty pants.

#3
Just for good measure I will tell you about the bike trail last night. We are riding along and Carter starts to lose his balance or something. I really am not sure what provoked it -- maybe it was the large crowd. He blurted out "Oh SHIT!"
Some guy nearly fell off his bike laughing and turning around to catch a glimpse at the kid using profanity at the family park.

That would be MY son.



P.S. sorry to the B in the ABCB blog family....no pictures......just words. Bummer!

Insert Cute Title here for Libby (use your imagination)

The Libster just had her 15 month well check up. She did fine. On the other hand, me coming up with a cute title...not so good.

She was wheezing this morning -- of course. When was the last time she had wheezed? Who knows. It may be because she and Carter are getting a cold (thanks, jump zone!). OR, it may be related to the HUGE drink of diet coke she got yesterday. Oops, sorry Libby. Who knew those 8 inch legs could move so fast? And then who knew she could suck from a straw?

Well, I sure as hell didn't!

Here are her stats:

Weight: 21 pounds (wow!)25%

Height(if that is what we're calling it): 29 inches...drumroll please...10%

Head Circumference(as if anyone is worried about this):17.5 inches 10-25%
So, to sum it up. She's short. Her weight is a bit much for her height, but I personally think she carries it well. She's alive and doing pretty well, so I'm happy.


On a completely different subject you have to read this blog...she cracks me up and it is so true. click below, you'll be glad you did. Or, you may need to copy & paste. http://eminpursuit.blogspot.com/2009/02/ww-yo-democracy-dont-be-dodo.html

Free = One Happy Momma

I ordered this pendant from etsy a week/week and a half ago. I ordered this particular one because part of the proceeds is going to Tuesday's family and memorial fund. That is why I ordered it and I thought if it's not that cute, it's okay, because it was less than $10 including S&H.

But I love it!

See for yourself. Do you want to know the even better thing about it?
If I blog about it, I get one free including a chain!!!!!

Go check them out www.homestudio.etsy.com

Perfect! well, um, maybe not perfect

Carter had his 4 year well-child check yesterday. We saw Dr. Baker. I worked with her for 5 years at APC, but she had recently changed clinics. I decided to change the kids and keep her. I struggled for a long time about that decision. I mean I know nearly everyone at APC, because I used to work with them. With Libby's history, I wanted to stick with Dr. Baker. I don't know, I may regret it later. But I am sure they will take us back. Business, not personal.

Anywho, Carter weighs a whopping 38 pounds. He was a ginormous 41 inches tall. Just in case you were trying to do the math, his BMI is 15.9. He is right in the middle of 50-75% on everything. He is growing perfectly....now to work on behaving perfectly......................

Right.

He got 4 shots. As a consolation for having to get those (one of which I am pretty sure hit the bone - anyway), we headed to where every kids wants to go.

The place where parents cringe at the germs floating through the air.





Yep, JUMP ZONE!
Carter, Ashley, and Libby had so much fun!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy V-Day everybody. It is about 12:30 am on the 15th at my house, so I guess I am a little late with the greeting. Sorry. I can't sleep, so what do you do when you can't sleep. You blog.
I guess I had a pretty good Valentines Day... I got to go do a little shopping BY MYSELF!!! It was nice to not have to tell anyone how much longer it would be until we went home. Wayne and I went to eat together and rented a couple movies. Carter and Libby, yes Libby, went to spend the night with Aunt Paula.
This is Libby's first sleepover. It is only the second night I have ever spent without her, so I am sure that is why I can't sleep. The only other night I've been without her was when she was in the hospital for nearly a month...I traded with Wayne for a night to actually get to see Carter. Paula assured me that she would take pictures, so hopefully I will post the sleepover soon.

She can smile!!!

Anyone who knows us, knows Miss Libby is very hard to get a big reaction out of. She is not easily impressed (that's my girl). Lately, I have snapped some pics of her actually, yes, smiling. These are from bath time last night.
I just hope that this little bitchy attitude like "you gotta work it hard if you want to make me happy" continues at least until she is in the (!GASP!) dating scene. I can hardly even think about that.

Actually, I'm pretty sure a xanax would be great right about now after talking about that! Hehe, just kidding. Or am I?

4WD ODYSSEY?

Okay, so I got home from work today at about 5:45. I knew Carter has been wanting to ride his bike so bad. It has been raining here for a couple days. Well, I told him we would load his bike up in the van and would drive the 0.2 miles to the bike trail to save time because it would be dark soon. Carter, Libby and I arrived and whadda ya know -- no parking in the parking lot. I went to the side of the parking lot where, on busy days, you frequently have to park. I thought to myself, "Man...this looks muddy."
We had our quick walk/ride for about 20-30 minutes. We loaded everything and everybody back in the van. I backed out and I felt us sink a little. I then felt the tires slip a little. I thought, okay what now? I have something called "traction control sensor" on the van. I turned that on and tried to drive forward. Can you guess what is next? Yep, you're right...it didn't do anything. My tires slipped a little more. I said well, "Let's call Daddy. We're stuck." Carter told me, "Momma, why you get us in the mud?" Really Carter? I should have told him I just wanted to see what this baby could do in the mud. Really? Is this what I get for trying to save 2 minutes and/or being lazy? Is this what I get for not wanting to cross a busy road with two kids (one of which, still had pj's on -- another story)? YES...yes it is!
It took Wayne entirely too long to get there. Ya know 0.2 miles for a man is different than 0.2 for us. I know I had people looking at us. "Why is this crazy ass lady got her f----g mini-van parked in the mud?" Again, I would tell you haters I wanted to see what the green goddess would do when strategically placed in the mud.
Well, don't go looking for us stranded tomorrow at the track. My wonderful husband and his real 4WD truck got us out.

Blogger's anonymous class?

Okay, so I am a bit of a blog addict lately. I am enjoying the moment, because I am sure this will be like the time your kid ate that crayon. You rushed them to the pediatrician and what did he/she tell you..."This too shall pass."
So, back to blogging. I am really into it now, probably for several reasons.
1. Tuesday. My wheels are turning trying to think of ideas to keep the things she brought to us vivid in our minds. Keep checking...
2. Facebook. I know, I know...I'm on it now. Check me out. And then teach me how to check myself out. (really celeste, i might need help)
3. Humor. I have read several blogs and then laughed out loud. Then I think, "damn, I wanna be that funny." So, I strategically place the word damn to get a reaction -- did it work? let me know...I'm working on it.
4. I have also been contemplating the idea of starting another blog, an anonymous one where I can say things like "damn" and other bad things when I feel the need. Or if someone really pushed my buttons today...I can say it...and not really give a damn.
Those are the reasons I have been a big blogger lately (not intended to be a fat joke). I am sure there are plenty more, but those are the highlights. And the picture is just because it cracks me up. Libby naked, jamming to Carter's MP3.

DISCLAIMER: The word damn is used 3 times (ooops, 4 times) in this blog. Deal with it. OOOH Yea, I said it...I'll do it again...deal with it!

Carter's 4th Birthday Party...02-07-09

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Our Wagie Ride for Tuesday

Okay, so this morning we headed out to the park for a bit to participate in our little wagie ride for Tuesday. It was a beautiful day here today. A bit windy, but not too cold or raining...thank goodness. It only took us a few minutes to snap the pictures and then the kids played for a while. Sorry, we don't have a wagon, but you get the idea!

Tuesday on my mind

Last week, one of the girls at work, Celeste, showed me a blog about a beautiful little girl named Tuesday. She was a little over 2 years old and was in the middle of a battle for her life with a stage 4 neuroblastoma. I teared up when she showed me the blog for about 45 seconds. I then went on about my day at work, but I couldn't stop thinking about her. We spent more than enough time at the children's hospital here in Arkansas I had thought. But I just couldn't stop thinking about their family. I was wondering what I would do if we were in that situation. Tuesday's mother seemed so strong, so determined. I got home that night, and after I thought I had a few minutes sort of to myself, I went to the Whitt family blog and started reading about the struggle this beautiful little girl and her entire family had to endure. I sat there and read for quite some time. I was crying uncontrollably. How can you do that? I had never met this family, but I could just feel the pain, the frustration, the unknown that they were going through.
Tuesday died January 30, at 27 months old. She left behind her twin sister, two older brothers, her parents, and I am sure many, many other family members and friends. Just in case you want to check the blog out for yourself it is www.half12.blogspot.com. Please be forewarned, you will need at least one entire box of tissues if you plan on reading.
Why am I telling you this? I know there are plenty of families here in Arkansas and probably even in Faulkner county battling with this demon right now, but I don't know why, but this is just something I have felt compelled to do. I guess because her struggles were in writing in front of my face. I had pictures of a wonderful family to put with those words of agony and struggles. Please bear with me.


After reading about Tuesday on several different blogs I had been to I came across this one and definitely thought it was something we could do even here. The blog I copy and pasted this from is http://eminpursuit.blogspot.com/2009/02/tt-power-of-many-pulling-as-one.html. Please read and do it if you can.


Grab it. Post it. Spread it.

And on Saturday, have a little wagon ride yourself. No wagon - go for a bike ride. Too much rain - jump in a puddle. Too much snow - pull a sled. Heck, throw the pooches in the back of a pickup and take a slow drive.
On Saturday, February 7th at 11:00 a.m., the Whitt Family is holding a celebration in Parker, Colorado. They're having a wagon and bike parade to honor Tuesday with one of her favorite things to do - "wagie rides."

We all can't be there physically, but we can be there in spirit.
Whatever you do - as one person, as a couple, as a family, as a group of friends - take a picture and post it. Then come back here or to Lee on Monday, February 9th, and add your link to Mr. Linky.

The goal is to create a virtual parade for Tuesday, to show her family and friends how her brief life touched so many. To offer support in their time of need. And to maybe bring a smile.

We hope we did not over step our bounds in this effort. It is heartfelt, and it is pure. We both felt the need to do something, anything to help these hurting hearts.

We hope this does in one small way.

Now grab that button and spread the word!