Arrrgh! Pirate Rebecca!

Here is a picture Hannah took of Rebecca this morning with her new camera. I just cracked up and had to share!

Goodbye Molly

It was with a heavy heart that we said good-bye to our kitty Molly on Friday. She finally started showing intense signs of her hyperthyroid condition and we made the decision to end her battle. She was 12 years old and could be so sweet. She could be a little high strung and definitely did not like kids or other female cats! But we will still miss her. She was laid to rest by her brother Noot under the yellow butterfly bushes.

So we are down to one kitty now. Sylvester looks a little sad and lonely. I told Chad today that I might have to make a trip to the SPCA soon . . .

What a busy week!

I am always amazed at how fast the weeks fill up. Chad and I always groan when we see an empty month on the next page of my daytimer. It looks so relaxing and inviting. Then reality sets in and those days fill up before we have time to open our mouths!!

Such was this week. Tuesday we went down to visit Grandma Rissmiller and say howdy to a visiting Aunt Carol. The kids were, as usual, rowdy and very excited to see Memaw. I was so grateful to have Aunt Carol's help in at least keeping track of them as Zachary has been a regular Houdini.

Here are the girls the morning before we went to Grandma's. Hannah absolutely loves her baby sister and can't wait for her to start playing. She asks me all the time if Rebecca is old enough now to play. So sweet!



Zachary's ECI worker came on Wednesday to get us set up in the program. Zach's assessment with the speech therapist will be on Feb 20. All the appointments will be in our home and, thank you Lord, they will be free since we will only be on the program until his third birthday in May. Yippee!

We enjoyed another fun-filled MOPS play day on Thursday at our house. The kids always have a great time, especially when Aunt Amy, Aidan and Keely get to come. The kids decorated sugar cookies and made a Valentine flower craft.

Friday, Donna daughter Makayla came for the day. Hannah loves Makayla, who is about 18 months older. She gets a lot of Makayla's clothes, many of which have princess or Dora references. If you haven't talked with Hannah lately, let me fill you in on a secret. She LOVES princesses and Dora!! So the kids played and watched some movies. I got a big laugh when I dug out the video that I did the voice overs for in 1999. Makayla sort of understood that it was my voice with the animated characters but Hannah kept telling me that the girl in the movie was NOT mommy. Later in the day I had a sad appointment, but that will need its own post.

Today was a very fun day. We took a family trip down to Allen to let Hannah pick out her prize for pooping in the potty three times. She is probably fully potty trained now but I still haven't switched her out of pull-ups at night. I am so proud of her!

Here is my big girl this morning. She just loves to dress up and "look cute" as she says. Chad lamented today that he fears that her wedding is going to be very expensive. :)



So her reward for potty training was a V-Tech Kidi Zoom Camera. This thing is just like our digital camera except hers also adds sound effects and borders to the pictures! It even takes movies and has games on it!! Here Hannah is showing it off.



In addition to getting Hannah her camera, we purchased some new door knob covers for Zachary's room. I laid him down for a nap and he amazingly popped the new covers off in less than five minutes. Last night we had to run him back into his room for about two hours. He has even learned how to move an object over to the gate and scale it to get over the closed gate. Somehow he will make it to his third birthday, but it will take a lot of self-control on my part!! We also picked up some paint for Zach's room and will paint as soon as time permits. I can't wait to show off his morphing John Deere bedroom.

So I am just plumb tired as I review this entry. I might just take a nap!

It's a Tongue Thing

My goodness, but this has been a busy week! We started on Monday with a trip for Zachary to the Ear, Nose & Throat specialist. The two hour appointment was tedious but Zach was a real trooper and only had a few minor melt downs. My favorite part was when we were in the sound proof booth and they were checking Zach's hearing at different decibels. The tech gave Zach a small calculator to use as a distraction between checks. It was obvious after a few minutes that he thought he had been given the remote control to the toys that turned on with her voice. It was very hard not to crack up. He passed his hearing test with flying colors.

The problem appears to be with his tongue. When he sticks it out it only goes down. He has never been able to raise his tongue much beyond his upper lip, so there appears to be a flexibility issue. So the next step is being assessed by Early Childhood Intervention Services. That will take place in the next few weeks.

We enjoyed a little white stuff in the middle of the week . . . too bad it was ice and not snow. It did make for some pretty pictures. The picture below really doesn't do it justice. The sun was shining on the trees and they all looked so magical. Sorry about the yucky pond. We just haven't had enough rain in awhile and it's starting to show it. The blue heron that visits our pond has easy pickings nowadays!






We had a MOPS play day on Thursday at Angela's gorgeous house. The girls all dressed up in princess costumes. They looked so darling! Hannah was of course a ham and wanted me to take her picture - several times - and then look at them!



We ended the week today with a scrapbooking party with some ladies from church. I didn't have a lot of creativity today so I can't say that I accomplished much but I sure did enjoy all the conversations. It was such a wonderful event that we are going to try to set up a craft night once per month up at the church. Maybe that will help jump start my tired little brain!

Goodbye Newborn

Can you believe that Rebecca turned three months on Wednesday? I remember the first three months of Hannah's life went by so slowly as I waited with anticipation what new nifty thing she would learn each day. Now life is so busy that I have to remember to keep an eye on the baby or I miss tons of stuff!

This picture was taken on our beautiful 75+ degree Thursday. She got to wear one of her darling hats that Aunt Lacey gave her.



This was from today. You can't see it, but her hair is still doing that funky thing. It lays down right after a bath but inches its way up before too long. It still looks oh-so-cute with a bow clipped to it.



So we have left the newborn stage for good. I'm a little sad that it zoomed by because it really is a sweet stage when you get to just sit there and rock them while they snooze away. She is officially an infant and only two months away from solids (I have decided to wait until 5 months this go around). She is already rotund enough. I certainly don't need to add any more calories to her diet! Is it just me or does this girl look identical to her sister? Hannah thinned down so maybe there is hope for Rebecca too!!

Movin' On Up

After months of trying and stopping and trying and stopping, Hannah is finally embracing potty training. She moved up to panties today. Woohoo!! She peed in the potty four times this morning with no accidents. :) It got a little hectic after lunch when I got on the phone for a bit and that, of course, is when she had an accident. But she really is doing fantastic! We have thrown some enticing toys out there for her to ponder if she will also poop on the potty. That may take a little longer though. In the meantime, we are finally starting to save a little money 'cause diapers and pull-ups sure ain't cheap!!

When Hannah is better with this, I am going to start on Zachary. I think Daddy's going to have to help on that one because I don't have a lot of experience with little boys!!

Locks of Love

I gleefully donated 12 inches of my hair to Locks of Love today. It was such a joy to simply be able to finally get my hair cut and also donate it to such a wonderful group.

Here is a picture from last night. I actually had 14 inches, but the stylist was a little conservative when she cut off the ponytails.

Here I am with one ponytail cut off.

Here is an after shot.

I am still trying to figure out how to style this new cut. I haven't had short hair in five years! The stylist cut it a little shorter than I requested plus she gave me gigantic layers in the back when I asked for "just a little layering." I'm not sure if I don't know how to explain what I need, I have difficult hair, or I am just exceedingly picky, but I swear that I have no memory of a hair cut where I said, "Yes, that it is exactly what I wanted!" No matter because I am just so excited to finally get a hair cut.

Mama Kitty joined me for the cut to take pictures then she treated me by watching Rebecca while I shopped for a couple of hours. I was truly footloose and kid free for almost three hours. Total bliss!!

If you would like more information on Locks of Love, visit them at http://www.locksoflove.org/.

On the mend and off to Austin

We are finally on the mend around here. After a week of eye drops in both eyes three times a day for two screaming kids, I am relieved to say that pink eye has passed. Zach takes his last dose of medication for his ear infection tomorrow. Chad went to the doctor yesterday and is finally getting his voice back. Rebecca has been a bit fussy but did not contract anything. I have a barking cough and a little congestion left. In the end, it all passed quickly. Thank you Jesus!!

So here are some updated pictures of our little Rebecca. I took this photo just this morning. She is definitely a little Smith!!



Here she is on tummy time smiling for Daddy.



And this is how you handle three kids who all want Mommy.



And just to make the morning exciting, Hannah stuck a YoGo up her nose. If you unfamiliar with the snack, it's about the size of a green pea. What possessed her to do such a thing is beyond me. I thought I was going to have to take her to the ER, but it finally started to dissolve and she was able to blow it into a tissue. Never a dull moment around here.

Chad is staying busy busy busy. He got through to the SBOE this morning and he will be testifying before the school board in Austin next Wednesday regarding the evolution and public schools issue. You can read more about it at
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=29374. I am so incredibly proud of him. Please keep him in your prayers as he will most likely be in the minority of those speaking.

Hope everyone is staying warm. It was 18 degrees this morning. Brrrrr!!

Happy Ending to a Long Week

Regretfully, there are some weeks that I really wish I could erase from my memory. Until 8:00 tonight, this was one of those weeks. It has been such a long week that I may have some details wrong, but you'll get the gist. Beware this blog - lots of gross details included!

Tuesday morning, Zachary woke up with lots of eye goop and a super high fever. Since we've had yucky allergies around here, I figured his tear duct had clogged again. I cleaned him up, the fever disappeared, and he was just fine. After naptime, he had some more eye goop and a low grade fever so I figured it was one of those mysterious illnesses that come and go so frequently with kids. All appeared normal . . . except for the poop incident. I was downstairs talking on the phone and looked up to see Zach at the top of the steps frantically calling for Daddy (yes, that's me right now). As I ascend the steps, Zach paces back and forth and I see that he is leaving little brown footprints all over the lovely cream carpet. Much to my chagrin, I discover that it is poop which has escaped his diaper and run down his left leg. So he gets a quick bath and I frantically called for Daddy (the real one this time) who swoops in with the Bissel to spiffy up the place. Have I mentioned how awesome it is to have him working from home four days a week now?

By the time Wednesday arrived, I pretty much figured that Zach was going with me and Rebecca while Hannah went to Mothers Day Out on Thursday. He just seemed a little puny and now his eyes were puffy. He looked like he needed a major dose of Benedryl. I was stumped on what was happening. And I was very distracted by Hannah's goopy eyes. I had a nagging fear that my MDO was slipping away from me. Hannah went to Awana and all seemed just fine. She had not been my favorite person all day, so I must admit that I did not take note of the condition of her eyes or she never would have left the house. Around bedtime, Chad said something about her eyes being bloodshot. A bell went off in my head and I immediately inspected her. My fears were confirmed. Pink eye. This is her third case. I suspected Zach also had pink eye, though his symptoms were different and this would be his first case.

So Thursday dawned and I cancelled my hair appointment and set an appointment with the pediatrician. As we drove past MDO at 10:30, I longingly looked at all the happy children on the playground. Did they have to be out there just as I was driving by?? So after sitting in a room with the kids for 30 minutes telling them not to touch everything or destroy the blinds or leave the room or fight over the doctor's cool swivel chair or remove anything from the drawers or lick the furniture or lay on the floor . . . the doctor arrived. He confirmed that both of them had pink eye plus Zach had an ear infection. He also checked me and Rebecca and we were fine.

So off we went to McDonald's for the kids and Taco Bell for me. Then we went by the pharmacy only to learn that they had not yet received the fax from the doctor. Later in the afternoon, I learned that the doctor faxed to the wrong pharmacy. So we got it all worked out and Chad picked it up on his way home from work. But about 10 minutes after he left Brookshire's, the pharmicist called to apologize profusely because he chatted with Chad about Zach's ear medication and left the eye drops out of the bag. We had a mechanic at the house peeking at Lacey's Doodle Bug and he needed to talk with Chad, so I had to go back out and pick up the medication. Did you know that the nearest grocery store is 15 minutes away? And woe to the drivers who were on the road while I was out there because my night vision is just about gone.

After I returned from the pharmacy, I had horrible chills. To better explain, let me say that I have had massive chill attacks, if you will, after the birth of all my babies plus major surgeries. I also have them when I have super high fevers. Since the first two are a big giant "NO" then it must be a fever. Chad checked me and sure enough it was 101.1. I was so cold that I got in bed with my PJ's, robe and socks, then covered up with a sheet, quilt, blanket, AND my heating blanket. As the night progressed, I removed layers. The fever finally broke around 4:00 AM.

So Friday arrives and I am finally feeling better though a little tired. Somehow I have managed to keep diapers changed and feed everyone. We did have a challenging time at lunch. Rebecca had another blow out in the bouncy seat. She is five for five this week. I took her upstairs to clean her up and she puked all over herself. So I gave her a quick bath. In the 15 minutes that I was gone, the kids managed to get their candy basket down and eat every last piece of candy in it. I know because I found all the wrappers in the trash can. Sweet of them to clean up their mess. I wouldn't have noticed right away except Zach proudly handed me the empty basket and I looked over at Hannah to see her tipping an M&M container back like she was downing a shot of chocolate. There are no words to describe how I felt at that moment. Suffice it to say that naptime was not long after the incident.

Sadly, Chad announced this afternoon that he was not feeling well and it looks like he has the virus now. But there was one bright spot in the week. I started potty training with Hannah again on Tuesday. Tonight at 8:00 she finally peed in the potty. A real pee. Not just some tinkles. I was positively giddy. I can only shake my head in amazement as I think about how different my life is now that I have kids. Five years ago, I never would have thought I would be doing a potty dance with my daughter. But now I say, bring it on!

Old and New

There's just something really neat about seeing your kids playing with the toys you had as a child. It's so wonderful to watch Hannah as she creates her own story lines with the same toys that brought me and my sister hours of fun. Here the kids are playing with the Fisher Price Little People, some old (okay, only three decades) and some new. Hannah is actually playing with them, Zach is just using the ramp on the garage to drive all his cool cars on!