And 7 months later....

A new post! The kids have grown, we've done some fun stuff, we've thought about interesting topics.... that about catches you up! On to post #2...

Why did I ask?

Me: "Fischer, do you think I'm beautiful?"

Fischer: "When you are wearing earrings, you look beautiful."

Me: "What's the most beautiful thing about me?"

Fischer: "Your earrings. You really should've worn earring's today."

Seriously! Why would I ask such a loaded question?????

Product Review: Spiral Spin Top

Maddie and I had the chance to review Infantino's Spiral Spin Top. Ebeanstalk sent it to us to see what we thought. The toy is for 6 months and up, Maddie is 7 months.

I have to say that while she wasn't that interested in pushing the top down, she did like sliding the whole toy across the floor. The button on top is hard to push down if you don't push it directly on top. She liked turning the whole thing on its side and rolling it around, and she spent some quality time trying to figure out why she couldn't grab those little balls.

I found it to be sturdy and safe, but I wish that she could make it work.

We happen to have a similar toy from a different company, and I found that one to be easier for her to operate, and it had a more pleasing sound while spinning.

Neither brand of spin top has held her attention for very long. I probably wouldn't buy one of these for a friend, but it is a fine toy for playing with and passing along to the next little kiddo.

Ebeanstalk is a website dedicated to selecting great toys for 1 year olds and toys for 2 year olds. They have a team of moms and a team of child experts that help them pick out toys by age, so you can be sure your child gets toys that have been specifically matched to his or her age!

I'm sucking at the blogging.

It has been so long since I posted that I kept thinking that I had to post something really fabulous.... which now feels like too much pressure. So I'm getting this "first post" over with... so I can move on.

I could tell you about all of the things I've been thinking about blogging about... you know, when I plan my blog posts while laying in bed, washing the dishes, or taking a shower... but now I forgot what they were. They were some amazingly deep and very moving prose though, I'm sure.

Instead I'll tell you that I think that:

• All Rice Krispies treats should be made with 5 cups of Krispies... never 6.
• Quinoa is pretty yummy and makes a good sub when you are super sick of putting rice or pasta with every dish.
• I bought that milled flax seed at Costco and am beginning to use it as a sub for eggs, butter, or oils in my recipes. So far, I've tried it in pancakes in place of oil... they were great!
• We can eat an entire bunch of bananas in one day, and Andy hates bananas.
• I would like to submit Gerber Graduates Puffs to the USDA as a new food group so that I don't feel so guilty for how many of them Maddie eats in one day. They are wonderful because not only do they fill her tummy a tiny bit, but they keep her busy!

I'll try to think of the deep stuff for next time. ;) Phew... got that post over with! Now maybe I'll be able to start writing more and reading yours! I've missed you.

We Are The World 25 for Haiti

We are the world 25 for Haiti

Pain in the butt

After I posted the last Maddie update, she got sick. She had diarrhea and some vomiting. No fevers. It lasted way too long, poor baby. The diarrhea caused a major diaper rash. I'd never really seen diaper rash before, Fischer never had it, this was sooo terrible and appeared to be incredibly painful. I was trying anything and everything to relieve her pain, but the diarrhea kept coming, making it worse.

I had kept her lathered in Boudreaux Butt Paste, which has been my cream of choice for both kids. In fact, I credited Butt Paste for the fact that Fisch never had diaper rash... that and my amazing mothering skills -HA! Sorry. The rash started to look like tiny blisters which then popped... once there were open wounds, the Butt Paste seemed to be painful when applied to her tiny bum. The poor sweet thing screamed and looked at me in shock that I would do something to purposely hurt her! I cried too!

The wipes seemed to hurt her sore tush too. I tried everything to get her healed up. I started using wet paper towels and trying to pat her clean, I tried Vaseline, Desitin, Balmex, Neosporin, lots of baths (that she just kept pooping in - ew) and every combination of them that I could think of. Nothing really helped.

Finally the winning remedy was Balmex Healing Ointment and Maximum Strength Desitin. I put the Balmex on first and the Desitin on top... she was totally protected and started to heal. YAY! The great thing about that Maximum Strength Desitin was that it stayed on between diaper changes, whereas some of the others seemed to either get absorbed or rub off on the diaper.

Did you know that when you use diaper creams you are supposed to apply them like a paint rather than a lotion. You aren't supposed to rub them in. I didn't know that with Fischer.

Overheard

Fischer and BFF were sitting at the kitchen table having lunch and discussing who BFF's little brother, X-man, should marry...

Fischer: "Maybe X-man will marry Maddie."

BFF: "Maybe he'll marry Baby Evelyn".

Fischer: "Maybe he'll marry me."

BFF: "No, I'm going to marry you, remember!"

Fischer: "Two boys can get married."

BFF: "No, because you need a mom and a dad."

Fischer: "Or you could have two moms or two dads."

(I absolutely LOVE listening to them talk to each other.)

Growing up Maddison

Maddie Moo is five months old! I cannot believe it, she is growing up too fast! She is also growing like a weed! ... a long round weed!

Here are some Maddison Facts:

Nobody ever calls her Maddison. It is Maddie Moo, Maddie Cakes, Maddiekins, Moose, Gorgeous, MadDog, Madd, Pumpkin Bread, Punky Punky, the list goes on...

Maddie LOVES her daddy! She lights up whenever he walks into the room. She can't take her eyes off of him! He makes her laugh so hard she turns bright red and gets the hiccups!

She also ADORES her big brother. Almost everything he says or does seems to delight her and evokes a smile or a laugh. She seems to be studying him always.

Maddie Cakes almost ALWAYS has cold feet. No matter how she is dressed, her feet are like little ice cubes. They warm up when you rub them, or in the tub, but socks, jammies, booties, you name it - none of it can warm up those frigid little tootsies!

She has really small feet. She fits nicely into 6-9 month clothes but her tiny feet can still wear some of her newborn shoes.

She slept in her car seat in order to be upright because of reflux for the first four months of her life. She was in the car seat, in the pack and play, in our bedroom. Now she sleeps in her crib in her own room.

She sleeps like a champ! TWELVE hours a night! I shouldn't brag, I'm sure to be jinxing myself as we speak... but WOW! Fischer never did that... he still doesn't! She goes to bed at 7 pm and usually wakes up around 7:30 am.

On Christmas she rolled from front to back. She hasn't rolled from back to front yet, and doesn't seem to feel the need to do so. Also, she is also perfectly content to not put an ounce of weight on her feet. Who needs to stand?

At her four month appointment, the doctor said that at 26.8 inches, she is completely off the charts in height, well over the hundredth percentile. And at 15.4 pounds, she is in the 95th percentile for weight. He did say that she was "the picture of health". YAY!

She loves to be upside down and especially loves to watch football upside down. I really need to capture that on film.

She doesn't cry often, but when she gets really wound up and inconsolable, the sure-fire trick to calm her is to take her into the bathroom with the light on, the fan on, and the shower on.



She still loves to be squished into the sling like a tiny baby. She'll take a lovely nap, if she can do that.

She loves to "talk" and "sing". She makes lots of fun noises that Fischer is quick to interpret for us.

When we are outside, hiking, playing at the park, etc. She prefers to have her head covered... as shaded as possible. Even in the Snugli.

She already has a best friend of course, her little X-Man. He is 2 1/2 months older, but they are very close in size. X-man is BFF's little brother.
This week she tried rice cereal for the first time. She liked being fed with the spoon, but didn't actually swallow anything. In the end, she was just annoyed at the whole thing... because she was HUNGRY!

Maddison can brighten up a room and light up my life with just one of her happy smiles.

A goal for the new year

Ok, here is my plan, thanks for your advice. Instead of running for 365 days, I am going to exercise for 365 days minus 52 days (one day off a week). So, I'll be exercising for at least 30 minutes for 313 days in 2010.

I'll be doing a lot of running to get ready for another marathon in October, but by using the term "exercise" I can do stretching or yoga if I am sick or injured (good idea Lauren).

Do you have any fitness plans for the new year, or fitness plans that work for you now? I'd love some ideas and advice to keep myself motivated. There is a 6 week plan in the Women's Health magazine that I think I'll incorporate at one point, and I'll do the Couch to 5k plan too. I'm thinking that if I keep changing it up, I won't get bored. Also, short term goals are good.

So this is where I am starting... I can always amp it up... but this is my overall goal.

I'm prepping right now by cutting out all of the sweet treats and refined sugar in my diet for a few weeks. December had me addicted to cookies! Seriously, they are THAT good! ;) By the way no sugar for me means real withdrawals, like headaches, grumpiness, and ravishing hunger. Yikes!

Christmas in Review - and at length

We had a wonderful Christmas and were totally spoiled... but hopefully we're not too rotten... yet!

Fischer and Maddison had their Christmas pictures taken right after Thanksgiving.

They also got to see Santa! Although he was super excited to meet Santa, Fischer was pretty shy. He didn't ask Santa for anything, in fact he didn't speak at all... and it was a struggle to get him very close to Santa's lap. The rest of the month, anytime someone asked him what he asked Santa for he'd reply "I'm just going to see what he brings me!" Not too helpful for Santa...

We celebrated Hanukkah earlier in the month with GrandmaBetsy. Fischer loved opening presents for both he and Maddison. His favorite gifts were a Geotrax Cars racetrack and a headlamp. Maddie loved a noisy butterfly toy and I loved her new cozy jammies. Andy and I were drooling over our new Dyson vacuum! Ok, maybe I was the only one drooling! Fischer loved lighting all of the menorahs and listening to Grandma sing the prayers. We had a yummy dinner complete with latkes and applesauce... and of course enough chocolate gelt to go around.

Fischer and BFF had a sleepover the week before Christmas. We took them with my parents to see Christmas lights at a Festival of Lights. They loved it! They ooohed and ahhhed at all of the displays. Then they got to go to McDonalds playland late at night, I thought for sure they'd be the only kids there! It turns out, they were the only ones in their pajamas but the place was packed! Needless to say when they got home they were totally hyped up and silly! I don't think they fell asleep till 10:45! The next morning they popped up bright and early ready to go to their friends' joint birthday. They celebrated two birthdays at a gymnastics gym - so fun!

My Uncle Dick came into town from St. Louis as a Christmas surprise to us all. He is my dad's twin brother, and came to spend the holidays. We were all so excited to see him!

A few days before Christmas, Fischer got sick. He was running a fever (which he never does) it fluctuated with Tylenol between 99.9 and 102.6. It came on Monday night, stayed through Tuesday... where he laid on the couch all day complaining of a tummy ache and a head ache. That night both of our thermometers stopped working, and Andy was at hockey. Maddie was crying, Fischer was crying... they both felt hot and I was getting nervous. I called my dad to bring over a thermometer and he, my mom, and my uncle all showed up with brand new thermometers! We spent the next hour taking each others temps with all three new-fangled expensive thermometers... and let me tell you that none of them work! Not one consistent reading in the bunch. One was a temple thermometer, one was a forehead thermometer, and one was a regular oral/armpit/rectal digital thermometer ... no we didn't test out the rectal feature ... geez you are gross!

Anyway, by morning nobody had a fever (I think), but Fischer was complaining of abdominal pain in the middle and on the right side. Our pediatrician sent us to the ER, for fear of a appendicitis. The ER doc, was suspicious of the same diagnosis. He wanted to give Fisch a CT scan to find out for sure, but told me that a CT scan is enough radiation in a pre-schooler that he had a chance of developing cancer later in life as a result. Ummm? Really? I'm being asked to make a decision about giving my son cancer when he is a grown man?.... Nobody tells you this kind of stuff before you have kids. Well, I decided to have them treat him for constipation, just in case, and wait a little while to see if his pain gets worse. Thankfully, that seemed to do the trick... Praise God. Nobody wants their baby having surgery over Christmas.

We laid low Christmas eve and skipped out on church and Aunt Beth's annual party, Fischer needed to be home to rest and get well for the next day. We watched movies, made cookies and prepped for Santa.

Christmas morning, Fischer woke up to find that Santa had brought him all kinds of goodies. He actually allowed him to come down our chimney this year. Fisch opened both his and Maddison's presents from Santa, Granddad and Grandmom, BFF and X-man, us, the dogs, etc. Definitely spoiled! Maddie just laid on her Daddy and watched all the action. They both received fun toys, clothes, games and ornaments.

Then we stayed in our pjs and headed over to my parents' house to open presents with Grandpa, Grandma Barb and Uncle Dick. We ate cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate as per tradition as we opened and opened and opened! Fischer was in present heaven and quickly turning into the Christmas Monster! After all the gifts were finally opened he was able to open the GIANT present that Uncle Matt and Aunt Jana had sent.... the anticipation had been killing him! It was a kitchen set, he was delighted! "Cuz why I love kitchen sets!" We ate a lovely breakfast together and then headed over to Andy's Grandma's house.

More hoopla at Grandma Pearl's with food, presents and fun. Finally we headed home where we all took a nap. Then gussied up to head back over to grandma and Grandpa's for Christmas dinner with Uncle Dick. We were able to see Uncle Matt and Aunt Jana on Skype. It looked like they'd had a great Christmas too!

Now to chill and enjoy the rest of the holiday break. So great! We are so thankful to God for our friends, family and many many blessings. We hope you all are enjoying the holidays too!

Deep thoughts

• It is impossible to bake cookies and not eat any of them... or most of them.
• "Your hands feel like feet. " That's what my mom always told me whenever she touched my hands when they needed lotion. Right now they are so dry from washing them millions of times a day. The skin under my wedding ring is cracking!
• One time I was holding the choir book in middle school and the girl next to me told me that my thumb looked like a big toe. Try holding a book open to share with someone else while hiding your thumbs from view... it is very hard... especially if the book is heavy.
• Also, one time in middle school, it was the first day of school and I went to sit down at a desk in my math class, and a girl whipped around from the desk in front of me, pointed to the other side of the room and said "You and your little friends can sit over there!" I was totally shocked at her tone. It could only mean one thing... I went home and announced to my mother that I had just discovered that "I'M a NERD!" Then my mother responded very matter-of-factly with, "You can't be a nerd. I'm not a nerd. Your father is not a nerd. Therefor, you cannot be a nerd." So there you have it - it is genetically impossible for me to be a nerd - take that you middle school girl!
• Sophie has a little tumor or something on her lower eyelid that is poking her in the eye... apparently the vet wants $550 dollars to remove it... and clean her teeth of course. What the? I said, I'll wait till Sophie starts winking at me because it is bugging her. Is that wrong? After all remember the million dollar procedure (and teeth cleaning, of course) that Kaia had to have a few months ago?
• My family is asleep, my to-do list is a mile long... and yet, I've picked right now to finally write another blog post.
• I like my own sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies better than yours. Don't worry, everything else you make is better than mine... but not these cookies.
• I'm contemplating setting an impossible goal... running 365 days in 2010. This is big, since I've only run three times since April. BUT I really want to run the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco next October, and I don't want to be as crappy as my last marathon... so it'd be nice if I shed some pounds and got my groove on instead of just talking about it. I think I'll start with a Couch to 5K plan and go from there. Also... I was thinking that for everyday I run this December, I'd allow those to be my buffer days next year. Like, if I run 5 days now, then I'll forgive myself for missing up to 5 days next year... I'm still thinking about it. I think my stipulation would be that I have to be run/walking for at least 30 minutes. Then, as soon as I can run for 30 minutes without walking... the stipulation would change to running for at least 30 minutes. Do you think 365 days is too big of a goal for this all-or-nothing chick?

I'm back from temporary indecisiveness

I started thinking that I should make the blog private.... then I thought about quitting altogether... then I got over it. I hadn't invited anyone to read it... I just sort of turned it off... for a few days.
I was thinking that if I went "private" then I could be a little more specific on certain things. I'm stinking at keeping up on the baby books... so I thought I could at least make sure I document things here, so I'll have the info went I want it... when I have time to scrapbook again someday.

Anyway, sorry about that. I hope you find me again.

Oh... and I guess blogging everyday in November just wasn't in the cards for me this year! Oops!

Happy Birthday MOM/Grandma!

So, I told you my mom was a rock star.... why you ask? Well, actually she is a self-proclaimed rock star, BECAUSE she has just realized that this year I have come to respect her infinite motherly wisdom! :) Actually, it is true. Somehow, my mom finally seems to know a thing or two about life, motherhood, womanhood, family, marriage, friendship, faith, health, etc. It is so amazing.... she went for years (especially my teen years) where she knew absolutely nothing! Poor thing! So basically she is rocking the advice these days... and I'm listening!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Congratulations on your Rockstardom! You are too fabulous for words, too twisted for color TV, and the most beautiful person I have ever known. I am so glad that you are my

Rock Star Mom!

Mom and me a million years ago.

Soup and straw

A friend of mine has her kids drink up the "juice" in their soup with a straw! Why didn't I think of that? I was always straining Fischer's soup to make it "juice-less" - now he drinks up and eats up! He thinks it is so fun!

Lovin' these links.

Lately, while I haven't been feeling quite right, I've been enjoying these sites:

• Color Me Katie - for her joy and creativity
• Improv Everywhere - for making me wish I lived in New York and could join!

Enjoy!

TGIF

Maddie and her X-Man

Do not read.

Posting every day leads to a post like this one.... ummm... I don't know what to say. I want to tell you about a few things, but the posts in my mind take a little more thought than I'm willing to give right now and photos that are not on this computer. So, instead, I'll waste your time by posting absolutely nothing... from my bed, before I go to sleep.

Have a great night!

Happy Birthday Grandpa/Dad

I'd just like to wish a super happy sixtieth birthday to my dad today. Thanks for being my rock and the most amazing grandpa ever! Pretty hot for 60 eh?

Get in Shape Girl

So, in an attempt to stay sane AND get in shape, I'm getting my groove on. Apparently an hour of exercise every day can possibly be just as effective as medication and/or counseling. As if I actually needed another reason to get my butt in gear... feeling like a crazy lady has given me that last little shove.
Running and a variety of The Biggest Loser workout videos from the library... and I'm well on my way to a new healthier and happier me. I will give my Bod a shout out for losing about 50 lbs after Maddie was born. Way to go Bod! My Bod deserves a little kudos after being so stubborn and refusing to lose weight after Fischer was born! Remember how I even ran another marathon between the two kids? NO weight lost!... or at least not any worth bragging about.

Ummm, wait a minute, did she just say she lost 50 pounds and still needs to get in shape? Ummm, YES - thanks for pointing that out! Jerk.

This is it, there is no reason to wait. I'm not having more kids, I don't need to gain more weight... I can only go up from here right? Or rather, go down from here. I'm outing myself as a chubby mama, now you know. BUT... oh just wait, soon I'll be outing myself as a card carrying member of the "HOT MAMA" club! In fact, on that day, I shall take a picture of myself in a white unitard and post it proudly... nothing to hide! See, now you are rooting for me... just because you want to see me in white spandex. Thank you for your support, and I forgive you for making that sarcastic comment about my 50 pounds.

GoD and DoG by WJ Francisco

Thanks for the link, Ray.

It is not all or nothing....

I need to remember that. So often I put a plan into place, then when I make a mistake, I throw the whole plan out the window. I do it every time I'm trying to form a new habit, like daily exercise, not eating sugar, daily laundry, etc. So here I am trying to blog everyday for a month... and I missed yesterday!

I am going to go against all that I am and keep blogging every day for the month. It is a lesson in forgiveness for myself.

Here are a few of my random thoughts for today:

• I found out today that fireman do NOT wear jammies at the firestation. Yes, I had to ask.



• Maddie is only noisy in church if everyone else is quiet.



• I can now run fabulously without any pain in my pelvis.



• Kaia cannot run anymore, it makes her too limpy.



• My mom has become a rockstar.



• Fischer and BFF must wear boots and snow pants if there is even the slightest chance of encountering snow.



• Maddison looks so stinkin' cute in babylegs... I just want to eat her up.



• Fischer just told me to write : "February 27th we should go to Hawaii, for my present and my birthday party."


• That's his birthday, I think he is right! That would be a great present! Ummm, I'd like to go there for my birthday too! Hmmm... someday.


• We're on round two of the fall cold... only a few days of wellness in between. How does this happen when I am so careful to keep our hands washed and sanitized? Maybe because my son licked the doors at JCPenney's.

A month of Halloween

October was such an eventful month, despite how I was feeling. We had a great time celebrating fall and HALLOWEEN!
Fischer and Maddie went to a scarecrow festival with friends and Fischer played played played: bounce houses, giant slides, tunnels, haunted houses, games, treats, pizza, petting zoo and pony rides! Maddie slept through most of it.

They also went to an apple orchard to see how cider was made and a very fun farm with more games, animals, rides, jumping, and slides! Maddie slept through a lot of that too.

Fischer and BFF had a fabulous time at a pumpkin patch, with a maze, a spooky pirate ship, creepy decor and a tractor. Maddie slept through most of that too!

Fischer got into the spirit of Halloween with haunted tattoos (I can't believe I forgot to take a pic of all his tats!), glow in the dark fingernails, and festive toes.

Fischer and BFF put on their costumes to go to a Halloween birthday party with all of their friends. They were so excited! Fischer had been dying to wear his "knight in shining armor" costume next to "Princess Aurora". I don't know how many times he told me that he would be able to save BFF from dragons "cuz why she is a princess and I am a knight in shining armor in real life!" They were so cute together, even if they didn't hold still for pictures.

Maddie and X-man went too. They mostly just wiggled around on a blanket till their legs got tangled together.

On Halloween day, we carved pumpkins as a family - Fischer designed them and wanted to make sure that his and Daddy's looked EXACTLY the same as one another. Fischer and I made pumpkin cookies to take to a friend.... he was in charge of the frosting colors.

Then it was time to dress the knight and the ladybug and meet up with our trick or treating buddies.

Our friend Ann was in town, so Danae, Ann and I rounded up all of our kiddos (which takes 2 minivans now) and drove them to all of the grandparents' houses. First stop was Ann's parents' home.

P7 and Q5 were some kind of Star Wars clones (forgive me for not knowing my Star Wars characters), then their was our knight, I3 was Tinkerbell, BFF was Aurora,

Maddison was a ladybug and X-man was a skeleton (his hat says "bad to the bone").

Next stop was Danae's parents' house.

Then we went to GrandmaBetsy's house.

Finally we stopped at my parents' house to play for a few minutes while Maddie and X-man ate some dinner. Afterward, we picked up pizza, and had dinner at Danae's. Andy met us there and then we all bundled up a little and headed out for door to door trick or treating. We met up with their friends T n' T and they all ran around Danae's neighborhood collecting loot. SO fun! What a great Halloween... and I must say that our little knight did a fantastic job protecting his tiny ladybug from dragons!