Forfeiture

Sometimes as a mother I look back at some of the choices I've made or reactions I've had and cringe. Those who know me know I refer to this as "forfeiting the mother of the year award". I usually do this several times a year. Don't get me wrong, I know mistakes are to be made, but there are those bigger ones, like I said, that make me cringe. Like the time I heard some strange sound come from Mary Ella's room in the middle of the night. There was no crying, so I didn't go check on her. Well, I went in the next morning to find she had gotten sick and vomited in her bed...then fell back asleep. GUILTY! Then allowing Addy's condition to persist for 2 months under the assumption that she had a fissure causing the bleeding (even though in my heart I knew that was not the correct diagnosis). Again...GUILTY! The one that takes the cake is Mary Ella getting attacked by fire ants in her bed (way too long of a story, but it was bad). I could go on and on, but what is the point about living in the past, right???? Well, we went to the allergist this week and did some very limited skin testing to find she does not have IgE-mediated responses to everything but eggs. That means most of this is an intolerance...very good news because her gut should eventually mature and grow out of this. However, when the doctor looked in her ears, he notice a lot of fluid in her right ear. Anyways, they did a tympanagram and the result......a flat line.....THREE times. AhhHaah, come to think of it, she has been tugging on that right ear and having some balance difficulties. You would think I'd catch on to this. So she is on Omnicef to try and hopefully it clear up. Hindsight is always 20/20, isn't it?

Good news is because of the positive outcome of the allergy testing the gastroenterologist wants to challenge Addy with whole milk instead of Nutramigen on March 5. I am holding my breath because realistically we don't think she will be able to tolerate it due to the "chicken episode". It is definitely worth a try and we can certainly hope and pray Addy's gut has matured enough to handle it. After all, many kiddos with this condition seem to get better spontaneously. It would be so great if we are able to go to milk vs. Nutramigen. I might just do some celebratory "silly" dance when that happens (and, no, it won't be pretty).

Sense of Style

As the mother of one child, I often found myself doing more for Mary Ella than I had to only because I subconciously didn't want her to grow up. When the second came along, every little bit of independence helped. Whether it was dressing herself or going to the bathroom without being entertained. I've also learned some battles aren't worth engaging in like the way we do her hair or letting her watch TV all afternoon every once in a while (usually she gets bored with this anyways). I call this "energy conservation". Well, Mary Ella is now asserting her own sense of style and even dressing herself before she comes out of her room in the morning. This is how she presented herself this morning.

MMMmmmm, is this a battle worth engaging in??? This child cracks me up.

Happy Valentine's Day

This is Mary Ella's school picture we just picked up. That's our baby...striking a pose!

Yep, I am a day late. I have my women's Bible study on Wednesday mornings which has been wonderful. I have been so blessed by having fabulous women as friends and these women are no different. I did treat myself to some Starbuck's coffee while I was there. We got home and I received a phone call from my sweet husband saying he wouldn't be home until 9:00pm at the earliest. He had left the house at 5:00 am, so that is a 16 hour day for him. I broke the news to my daughter who was anxiously awaiting her "valentine" from us, so I went ahead and gave it to her. After I put Addy to bed, I got out some paper and colors for her to draw Scott a valentine picture. She decided to draw a heart and wanted me to show her how. I showed her and she did it. She was so proud of herself and I was just happy she met that little milestone on Valentine's Day....how appropriate. I also thought it appropriate that she was drawing it for her daddy since she is SO in love with him.

He got home at 9:00 with red eyes and an empty stomach, but still greeted us enthusiatically. Some couples say they drift apart once having children, but I love my sweet husband much more than I ever thought possible. Seeing him as my husband and a father is the most humbling experience and makes me fall in love with him daily. He is able to come home from his hectic, long days and be a husband/father with such an unselfish heart. All these great things help keep all the "little" things in perspective (99% of the time).

Awww Chicken Scratch

Or should I say scratch chicken.....Maybe last week's post was a little overly optimistic, that's me, Polyanna. Addy Scott is allergic to chicken. She began exhibiting her symptoms of colitis again after 4 days. Too bad because she loved it! We are taking her to an allergist to rule out IgE-mediated responses to any other foods. It is likely this is still an intolerance (not IgE-mediated), but we just need to rule it out. MEANING: If all the skin testing is negative, then this is not a true allergy, just an intolerance which she has a greater likelihood of outgrowing. Even if she is positive, she still might outgrow her reactions. How do you raise a child without macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets???? I guess I'll learn. Addy Scott has made best friends with the ball and her Brown Bear, Brown Bear book. She is beginning to sit still for books and hasn't progressed passed taking 1-2 steps before falling down. I don't think her size 2 feet provide an adequate base of support. They are so tiny! I just love to kiss those little toes.

Mary Ella with her friend Christopher. These two have been inseparable since they started Mother's Day Out together last year.

On the flip side, Mary Ella had her Ice Cream social at school last Thursday. She wanted chocolate ice cream with m&ms, sprinkles and cherries. She ate all the toppings and not much of the ice cream...go figure. After they ate all this yummy, sugary stuff we were told to make sure they didn't run around the gym. Don't they know that open space + sugar = a great game of chase. Needless to say, Mary Ella's sugary impulses proved to be too much, so we had to leave. Fortunately it was time to go anyways.

Mary Ella has also become her sister's avid defender. I had to say "no" to Addy Scott the other day and Mary Ella responded, "Hey, don't talk to her like that!!!" Never mind the fact that she had just had her in a headlock she thought she was concealing as a hug! On a sweeter note, Mary Ella was holding Addy Scott's hand in the car this morning and Mary Ella said, "Awww, mom, Addy loves me and I love her too." It all balances out, doesn't it???

Progress

Well, we've made progress people! I realize I haven't given an update on Addy Scott's health in a while, so I figured I would do just that. She is doing GREAT! She is 11 months, EATING, and growing! Wow, I know I started with lots of exclamation points, but we are excited! We went for a growth check this morning and she is 18 pounds and 27 inches. She gained a pound and a half and gained an inch since last month. This puts her at the 5th percentile for height and 10th for weight. I never thought I'd have a petite baby, but we do (Lord knows she didn't get it from my side!). She is eating fruits, veggies, chicken, oats and wheat. So she looks to be outgrowing some of her allergies and will have her special chocolate, allergen free cake for her birthday (with sprinkles of course). She has taken her first few steps much to her sister's delight as this means she's one-step closer to playing chase. She is also saying a few words. I do believe we will have two talkative little girls (that probably does come from my side).

Imagination Station

Imagination station....that is what you can call our house these days. Mary Ella looked at me after breakfast and said, "I want to dress up as.....something". It is now 11:00 am and Mary Ella has already been a princess, Dorothy, and a mommy. I found her baby in Addy Scott's bed all tucked in when I went to lie Addy down for a nap. I just got her into her regular clothes. I am certain they will be off within the next hour when the next idea hits her. She can't even clean up her toys without pretending. Last night we were cleaning her room before bed and I turned around to find her setting up a picnic. Then she was eating her snack while sitting on the bar stool and within five minutes she was pretending to be riding on Crush (the sea turtle from Nemo). I want to jump in and play, but she moves so fast, I can't keep up! Nope, life is never boring around here!

Miracles

My sweet friend Jillian called me yesterday and told me about this blog my other sweet friend, Stacy (Seago Family) had written about. She told me to check it out and to get lots of tissue. It is http://noahsteven.blogspot.com/ and it is powerful stuff. It is written by a mother who just lost her 7 month old son to an unknown, lengthy illness. After an hour of reading, the tears were falling and even though I don't know her, my heart breaks for her. You see, in the end we are all brothers and sisters in Christ....a community intertwined. Although sad for her, I was also refreshed by the faith and grace she exhibited throughout her son's illness.

Right now many people are praying for Mary Ella's friend, Caleb. In the Fall, he was diagnosed with an inoperable, malignant brain tumor. He is currently undergoing an experimental treatment and the tumor has not grown in two months. We are praying for a miracle. We don't know what that miracle will be, but know God has one in-store for little Caleb and all those who know and love him. So please add him and his parents, Annette and David, to your prayer lists. You can check out his website www.ingram-family.net for updates.