Why? No! I Don't Want To Mom!

That is what I hear out of this sweet little boy's mouth.
All. day. long!
It is exhausting!
He doesn't usually fight too hard if I try to distract him but I am tired of trying to find creative ways to get him to do what I want.
I just want him to listen and respond immediately.
All.the.time!
Is that realistic?
Yeah, I know.

Yesterday, Erik and I went shopping for treats for his "reward bucket".
He was informed that when I ask him to do something he will earn a sticker if he responds, "Yes, mommy/daddy and gets up and does it."
If he collects 3 stickers he gets to pick something out of his reward bucket.
He started this project with great enthusiasm which waned quickly throughout the day.

We will keep trying but PLEASE share any other ideas you might have that might curb the back talk from my 2 year old!

I know I need to come up with some good ideas because Erik is Mr. Laid Back so I am sure any back talk I get from him will be minor compared to Miss Fiest coming up behind him!

P.S. Sorry for all the headaches I gave you from ages 2-18 Mom and Dad! :)

Green Family Fun

We have had lots of visitors during the past two weeks including Grandma K, Grandpa B, Uncle Daron, Feifei, Aunt Amy, Joan, and Liz! Very nice.

Grandpa (Papa) helped us build a raised bed and start a garden. Erik thought this was so much fun. It had all his favorite things...tools, dirt, seeds, playing outside. The weather was very nice so mom helped prepare veggies on the grill.

Studying the directions for building a raised bed

Laying out the master planAll ready to help plant the seeds!
What next Papa?

All done!

10 days after planting the seeds the carrots, lettuce, and peas are starting to sprout. It will be interesting/fun to see how green our thumbs are. Thanks for your help Dad!

9.5 month stats

We finally made it in for Lainey's 9 month check up today. There are no concerns. She has been stable on her Prevacid so we are going to try to decrease her dose from 7.5 mg 2x a day to 7.5 mg once a day. Her ears are clear again after her 4th ear infection.

Her official stats are:

Weight: 18 pounds 6 ounces (35%)
Height: 28.75 inches (80%)
Head Circumference: 17.5 inches (60%)

Busy Baby; Brave Boy; Basketball

Erik was very brave in swim class today. While wearing a life jacket, he was willing to swim by himself for 15 minutes! I am excited about this because it will be easier to take both kids to the pool by myself this summer if he can be somewhat independent.


Lainey has a new trick too! Take a look.

Have fun cheering for Kansas State in the elite eight this weekend!

Fit Friday

One more week is down. It was a long week. The kids and I have colds. I have had a headache for 3 days. No fun! My goal for becoming more fit this weekend is to catch up on sleep. Lainey is fussy and very snotty so I am afraid she has another ear infection. (I can't check because my super cheap otoscope is broken -- hint hint Daron!) We may end up in the doctor's office again tomorrow (I have been trying to hold out until Tuesday when I have her follow-up appointment).

The weather was beautiful and we have had lots of fun visitors which I have been meaning to update on but haven't had time/energy -- look for those updates soon!

I hope you have a good weekend!

Notable Quotes

Erik and I made chocolate chocolate chip cookies this afternoon. While they were baking I was talking to him about how cookies were a special treat.

I asked him, " What are some foods that help you grow strong and healthy?"
He replied, " Like a grown-up, Mommy?"
Me: Yes
Erik: Cookies, chocolate, cheese, and butter

As you can tell, I have taught him well.

Miss Picky!

Lainey is opinionated -- particularly about food. She has never been very willing to eat anything that required her to fed by someone. This past week though she has seemed to decide that she doesn't want table food either -- except for rice crackers and puffs. 9 1/2 months and getting almost all of her calories from breast milk.

Today I tried to feed her a fruit smoothie- no luck. She appeared to eat a bite of broccoli but I found the broccoli tucked into her cheek 15 minutes later. Stinker!

She is teething so I am hoping once her teeth erupt things will improve. I think she is gaining weight fine but I am getting frustrated.

Here is a video from today's attempts..... Lainey eating

Notable Quotes

I think I am going to make "Notable Quote"a regular post for things the the kids do/say that I don't want to forget. Here are a couple of funny Erik quotes from the past week...

1- " Don't pee on your pants Dad! or your jacket!"

2- As we were going through the McDonald's drive through, to get the ice cream I had promised Erik if he cooperated in swim class, he placed the order by himself. " Ice cream with chocolate on top, no sprinkles."

I thought that was funny because Erik usually LOVES sprinkles (good thing he didn't want them since McDonald's doesn't have any) and Erik usually is shy or quiet when talking to people outside of our family. Apparently, talking to people through a speaker doesn't bother him! He also talked over the loud speaker when I mentioned to the pharmacist at CVS that I had two tired kids in the car (hoping they could get the medicine together quicker). Erik chimed in, "No, I am not tired." Funny kid! He fell asleep about 2 minutes later.

Zoo Trip

The kids and I took an impromptu trip to the zoo this morning. We had a great time. It was overcast and cool (50's) so we were almost the only people there.

Cute kids in a stroller.
Erik walked/ran the entire time we were there.
I took this picture on our walk back to the car.

The animals were really showing off. The panda bear was walking in plain site for 5+ minutes. The elephants were close to the fence eating lunch. The animals in the small mammal house were running all over. Even the cows are running up and down in their "field".

The gorillas and chimpanzee stole the show though! The gorillas (4 of them) were all very active in their pen. There was a baby chimp who was climbing the trees and fence. It's mom was watching closely and when she got nervous she ran up the tree and grabbed the baby and flung it on her back. She carried him/her that way for a while and then walked over to where we were watching and walked back and forth in front of us 3-4 times. Erik was clinging to me but excited about it.

We left the gorilla house just as they let the Chimpanzee's outside to play on the O-line (a ropes course that is suspended over the zoo that they run and climb on). So we watched them run/swing across the entire line. Very fun!

Both kids fell asleep on the way home. Erik slept for 3 1/2 hours; Lainey slept for 1 1/2 hours and then spent the rest of the day whining. She is tired and teething -- leads to a crabby baby. Overall, it was a great day. Trips like this make me so happy to be a stay at home mom.

Spring Time Fun

I hope these two sweeties always love the outdoors as much as I do!

Fit Friday

We have had a wonderful week. It has been sunny and 70 every day and the kids are healthy again. I forgot what a blessing it is to be able to spend most of the day outside. I think everyone is happier when we can get out and play.

I have completed 60 days of p90x. I am starting to notice a difference. I can do real push-ups now and even did one pull-up (first time in my life)!

Here are the 60 day measurements...

Waist:
Day 1- 28 inches
Day 60- 27-27.5 inches

Hips:
Day 1- 36.5 inches
Day 60 - 34.5 inches

Thighs:
Day 1 - 19.75 inches
Day 60 - 19.25 inches

Arms (peak of biceps):
Day 1- 10.75
Day 60-11.25

Weight:
Day 1 - 139.5
Day 60- 137-138

I will add photos soon--didn't get to it today. Victor took the day off so I spent the day spring cleaning --- cleaned the coat closet, pantry, junk drawer, and garage. I am tired!!

Playgroup Friends

I am so thankful for the weekly playgroup we are part of -- lovely group of woman whose friendships I cherish. Here is a photo of our big kids from James' birthday party this weekend.

(L to R) Katie, Sean, Cullen, James, Erik
March 2010

One year ago.....

(L to R) Katie, James, Erik, Cullen, Sean
with their pregnant mommy's (except for Cullen)
March 2009

9 months

You are growing fast sweet baby girl!

Health:

You had a tough month. Both you and Erik had an awful virus with fevers lasting for 6 days. This resulted in another ear infection for you. You are on the mend now. I am thankful. Your reflux is still well controlled on Prevacid.

Eating:

You still love to nurse. I am nursing you about 6 times a day plus 1-2 times at night. You do not like being spoon fed. You usually tolerate 4-5 bites but then you clamp your mouth shut, arch your back, and cry. If I give you table food you will eat it. Your diet is somewhat limited since I can't give you dairy or eggs yet and you have no teeth so it has to be quite soft. You diet mainly consists of beans, avacado, banana, organic puffs, cheerios, diced up frozen meatballs, peas, carrots. I am in a rut and open to any ideas for other easy finger foods.

Mobility:

You are an expert crawler. This month you have also figured out how to cruise along furniture. In the past few days you have started to let go of the couch and stand up on your own for a few seconds before sitting down. You still have not figured out how to crawl up the stairs.

Personality:

You are a sweet, fun baby. You are very playful and love interacting with anyone who will play with you. You don't laugh out loud much but smile lots and make lots of funny faces. You love Erik and want to be with him always. You are still quite fiesty and opinionated. If you want something and can't have it you fuss a lot! Very cute (for now at least)! You have just started to show some signs of separation anxiety, crying when I leave the room; no stranger anxiety so far though. You are happy to go to anyone. You also like to wave at everyone and say something that sounds like, "Hi!"

Favorite things:

Sippy cups with a straw, Erik, Erik's toys, the remote, my phone, pulling all the the books and DVDs off of the shelves, your plug (this will hopefully be a distant memory a month from now if your mom can find her backbone)

Size:

You fit into 9 month clothes
You are a long, lean baby
Weight (3/12/10): 17 pounds 14 ounces (35%)
Length (at home): 28.5 inches (80%)

We love you lots and are so thankful that you are part of our family!

Unfit Friday

Unfortunately, the level of health in our house hasn't resumed to normal yet. Erik is much better but still more tired then normal and lacks an appetite. He is sleeping more and coughing less though so I am thankful for that.

Lainey is a couple days behind Erik. She is still coughing and had a low grade fever still this morning so I took her back in. She is once again on antibiotics for the 4th ear infection in three months. Poor baby. At least she should feel better quickly now.

I felt like we had one "normal" day this week. It was beautiful out and we spent most of the day at the park. I can't wait for more warm spring days.

Work-outs have been still less then normal which is frustrating but I think things should be back to normal soon. I am still working on p90x-- in week 9 now. I will do the 60 day measurements next week. I am not optimistic about much change. We will see.

I am thankful that my kids are overall healthy kids -- I can't imagine the stress of having kids with serious chronic illnesses.

Thankful Thursday

I'm stealing this idea from my cousin Julie's blog.

Truthfully, I have not felt thankful for much this week. I have been tired, frustrated, disappointed, and a little overwhelmed. Some of the things leading to these feelings are.... super sick kids, missed vacation, broken phone, parking ticket, missed workouts, dead battery in my camera when I wanted to take a picture, isolation in my house, kids that won't sleep at night, etc.

I focused on these feelings for a few days feeling quite justified to be in a not so pleasant funk. That is not pleasant for anyone though and certainly not very productive. So I decided I need to instead focus on/remind myself of all the huge blessings in my life.

Here are a few things I came up with....

1- Loving husband
2- Sweet babies
3- Financial stability
4- Warm house
5- Good Health
6- Supportive friends and family
7- The luxury of being able to stay home with my babies
8- Healthy Kids
9- Springtime -beautiful weather
10- Fever free kids
11- Playing with my kids in the park
12- Sweet little Erik who out of the blue asked me this morning, "Are you okay, Mom?" Yes, I'm okay honey. "Mom, do you need a hug?" That would be great. "and a kiss?"
13- Wheel of Fortune -- my favorite way to unwind at 7 pm

That is only a short list. Now my "complaining list" doesn't seem so bad does it?

30 Months

Happy 2 1/2 year birthday Erik!
(looking excited about the cake but still tired from being sick all week)

Here are a few changes I have noticed since your 26 month update....

Potty training:

You are completely potty trained with the exception of night and school. I don't have to cue you very much anymore (although sometimes you need encouragement to get yourself to the bathroom). I don't think you have had an accident for a month or so. You most certainly could go to school in underwear but you are too timid to communicate your needs to your teachers.

Language:

You speak very well now -- use pronouns correctly, ask why, speak in full sentences and are easy to converse with. Birth to 3 evaluated you and at 29 months your language skills tested at a 36 month level.

Personality:

You are still my sweet, tender, shy boy. The teachers say you are a very laid back, go with the flow kid however you don't talk to them much. They also said you are a dawdler/pokey --the straggler who takes his time to get from place to place. If they ask you to hurry you say, "I am coming." but make no effort to speed up. I love your gentle personality but you most certainly did not inherit a bit of it from me!!

Erik and I went on a "date" one night.
I had a great time with the cutest guy ever.

School:

You like school although sometimes prefer to stay home with me. You talk a lot about your friends at school and seem excited to see them. You can count up to 15 now but you can't translate that skill to counting up actual objects yet. You will point to items in a book and count them but you like to start with the number 3. We are working on that. You recognize the letters E, O,D, M, and W consistently. You like to spell your name out loud ---ERK. Cute! You always skip the I. I am considering putting you in the 2 morning a week program next year as you seem ready for a break but still have 2 months to go. We will see.

Stats:

Height: 36.25 inches
Weight: 28-29 pounds

You are wearing 24 month/2T clothes. Your pants are falling down now since you lost a little weight after being so sick. Today you told me, "Mom, I am going to the store to buy a belt." Ha!

You are loved lots!

Virus Update

Erik

Ate for the first time in a week. Good thing because his 24 month pants are now falling off of him and according to our scale he dropped from 29.5 pounds to 27.5 pounds. Fever free for 24+ hours. He went to school for 45 minutes today with Victor for the "Father's Day" activity. He came home and fell asleep on the couch for 3 hours. Still coughing but on the road to recovery!

Erik is feeling better but not normal. It always seems like
he is the most defiant/crabby during this phase of an illness.
Hopefully, he will be back to his normal sweet self soon.

Elaina:

Fever of 100 degrees this afternoon (120 hours) however tonight she is fever free. I am hoping that sticks. She is still coughing a lot and fussy. I think she may have an ear infection (I can't tell for sure because her ears are SO waxy) but I am going to give her another 24-48 hours to improve before I take her in again. I am hoping it clears on it's own. She did crawl around outside for a little while today -- she tackled the grass, wood chips, and sidewalk without any hesitation.

Happy 70th Birthday!

Wish we could be there to celebrate with you!

(November 2008)

daddy daycare at the viral buffet

hey where did you get
that green marker oh my gosh
kids take turns sleeping

Erik: fever free! junky cough still

Lainey: Cute as a bug; temp of 101 still (96 hours); hoping she is fever free tomorrow

Sick Day update

Erik:

His fever is lower today -- around 99.9 or so (120 hours with fever). He is still not feeling better though. I did take him out on a walk which he slept through and then still asked to take a nap about 1 hour later. He is still fasting although drinking liquids fine. I have even bribed him with cake, popcorn, and watermelon (his favorite foods) but he won't take more than 1-2 bites. He did throw a temper tantrum this morning which indicates to me that he has a little more energy than before but spent most of the day on the couch or in bed. Poor baby!




Elaina:

Her fever is a little higher - around 100.5 (72 hours with fever) and she is coughing quite a bit. She is as spunky as ever though. Hasn't stopped moving all day. Refusing to nap at the moment. She is a girl after my own heart! :)

Me:

On a stress-induced/house-arrest carbo-load. I am hoping to get back to normal activity level soon. I did get out for a walk today and have managed to make dinner which is an improvement over the past few days.

Erik and Elaina Update

Erik:

Temperature is about 101 (96 hours with a constant fever). Still coughing but it is controlled. He has eaten a few crackers and is tolerating liquids again without it triggering a coughing/vomiting episode. His brain cells are slowly dieing due to all the TV he has watched during the past 5 days.

Elaina:

Temperature is about 101 (48 hours in). Still coughing but not slowed down too much. Won't sleep in her bed again -- on the couch with Victor. Still won't say mama! :)

Video:
Sick but slowly recovering babies

Thankful

We had to cancel our vacation today. Erik had a fever of 103 most of the day. Worse than the fever though is the horrible coughing spells he had been having the past 24 hours. Since around 3 pm Friday his little body have been overtaken with a horrible, barking cough -- these episodes would last for around 45 minutes, resulted in vomiting and left him gasping for breath. He had around 10 of these episodes prior to his doctor appointment this morning.

On Saturday there is only one doctor available. Of course, it happened to be the only terrible doctor in the practice (out of 10-12 providers). Dr. Incompetent spent about 2 minutes examining him and deemed him healthy. No signs of anything concerning at all. The coughing spells -- due to post-nasal drip. I doubted this and questioned her a little bit -- do you think he needs a chest x-ray or nebulizer? Nope - not necessary. Is there anything else we can do to help him with his coughing spells? Nope.

We go home. I watch my poor baby struggle through another 45-60 minute coughing spell. It is now 12:05 pm - clinic is closed. I call the on-call phone number. Great. Dr. Incompetent is still on call. I explain the episodes to her again. Is there anything that can be done? Nope. He is fine. Keep him hydrated. Stop giving him so many liquids at once (the kid had probably only consumed 5-10 ounces in the past 12 hours). If no urine output for 12 hours you can take him to the ER.

I hang up the phone. Help Erik through one more coughing spell. No way am I waiting another 12 hours. Drive him to the pediatric ER -- on the way I have to pull over to help him through yet another coughing/puking episode. Watch his face turn purple. He falls asleep before we get to the hospital holding his dirty puke bucket.

Pediatricians in the ER are wonderful, competent. I explain what has been going on to them -- did not tell them that he had been seen earlier that morning though. The resident and staff doctor listen to his chest and both say they hear a few scattered wheezes but are concerned that he might have pneumonia in his right lower lobe (this was what I had heard as well). Chest x-ray is obtained and found to be normal. Yeah! The doctors give him a Popsicle and observe a coughing/puking episode. Agree that he most likely has viral croup/bronchitis and give him oral Decadron (steroid).

We go home feeling relieved and listened to (not just a psycho parent like Dr. Incompetent makes you feel like). Erik had one more coughing/puking episode on the way home. I was worried that he might not have absorbed all the steroids. I was wrong. My sweet little boy is now SO much better. He is still coughing but has not had another puking/gasping episode in the past 5 hours. For the first time in the past 4 days he has requested food and water. I am thankful!

Both kids still have low-grade fevers. Lainey has a course, junky cough but nothing like Erik. I am hoping and praying that they will continue to get better. The pediatrician in the ER said the steroids should help Erik for the next 72 hours. Hopefully, the virus causing the bronchitis will be gone by then. He tested positive for strep on Thursday so he is on Amoxicillin as well.

I am planning on talking to the practice manager at Erik and Lainey's pediatrician's office about Dr. Incompetent as this is the second time in a row she has misdiagnosed my kids. I have never done anything like that before (complained about a doctor to their "employer") - any suggestions as to what to say would be welcome.

Go squeeze your sweet babies!

Unfit Friday

There has NOT been a lot of health in this house this week. Erik is still really sick -- his temperature is about 102 despite Ibuprofen, Tylenol, and Amoxicillin. He hasn't eaten anything since Wednesday morning (he is even turning down popsicles). He cough is worse and he is frequently vomiting/gagging with the coughing episodes. I am going to take him back in tomorrow if he doesn't seem better in the morning.

Lainey is coughing quite a bit too. She has a low grade fever this afternoon -- 99.7. That is how Erik's started so if she is going to get worse we will probably know soon. She is still energetic and playful at the moment.

Why won't he play with me?Lainey loves Erik so much.
I have been trying to keep the kids separated but she is determined to be by his side.
I set her up in a different room with a bunch of toys -- 30 seconds later she was standing by his side. We repeated this about 10 times. She thought it was a fun game.
Sweet baby!

Victor and I are still healthy -- at least virus/bacteria wise. My workout routine has been halted completely as I have spent all my time caring for Erik. When he is sleeping I have been trying to sleep as well. Oh well. I will resume my workouts soon enough.

We are still hoping to fly out on Sunday morning at 8 am although it is not looking likely at the moment. If we don't go we will lose out on a fun trip in addition to $800 of non-refundable fees. I am feeling frustrated/anxious/disappointed but trying to keep things in perspective. This helps remind me that there are more important things in life.

Kenya Compassion Trip

I would still of course prefer to have kids healthy enough to take on vacation.

30 month Stats

As mentioned in the previous post - Erik saw the doctor today. His stats are probably off slightly but I wanted to record them anyway....

30 months:

Height: 36.25 inches (60%)
Weight: 29.5 pounds (45%)
Weight for Height ratio: 37%

Sick Day

Barky Cough
105 degree fever
Occasional episodes of vomiting (due to the cough)
Positive Strep Culture

Popsicle
Lightening McQueen crackers
Digger Movie
Amoxicillin
Still Smiling

Sleeping Beauty
Coughing/Sneezing
Snoozing on mommy
No fever yet
60 hours left before we board an airplane to Florida
Hoping we are still able to go on our cruise
Please pray for our family to regain health
Thanks!

Notable Quotes

Erik has gotten to a really fun age. Of course, I think every age has been fun (minus the 2-3 weeks he spent throwing world class tantrums). The below quotes aren't that funny however they all have a story behind them that makes for a funny situation.

"I Am Coming."

Erik had his first conference at school this week. He is doing well. Mrs. Bedford did mention that Erik is slow/pokey. He is always the last one to get to wherever they are going -- music class, the gym, etc. Mrs. Bedford said he likes to look at all the art projects on the wall and seems to be studying his surroundings. When she tries to encourage him to hurry he just sweetly, but firmly says, " I am coming, Mrs. Bedford. I am coming." No need to be in a hurry I guess. This is certainly NOT a trait he inherited from me.

" Don't say momma, only dada!"

Erik has quite a sense of humor now. He wipes his kisses off of his face when I tuck him into bed and giggles and giggles about it. He tells me to, " Be sad, Mommy" and giggles when I pretend cry. He has heard me try to get Lainey to say momma -- so he tells her frequently throughout the day, " Don't say momma, only dada!" as a big joke. Cute boy!

"I made broccoli for Jesus."

No story behind this one I just thought it was cute. Erik loves broccoli so one would assume that Jesus does too.

"I am calling Papa."

Erik got ahold of my phone the other day and told me he was calling Papa (grandpa B). I let him play with it for a few minutes. Later that day I tried to call Victor but couldn't find his name in my address book. I looked back at the call log and Victor was listed there as a SECRET number. Somehow Erik programmed the phone to label Victor's work and cell numbers as secret. You can't see the phone number at all and Victor is taken out of my contact list completely. I tried to take the "secret" label off of his number but you need a password and I don't know what Erik set it as.