On the Mend?

Poor Katelyn

She got her MMR and chickenpox vaccines last Monday and has been sick ever since. Firt she got a fever-which I attributed to her shots. Then it got worse. So we took her in to the doctor (pause, while I tell this story.)

The appointment was at 3:10pm. I had to go early to do a UTI test for Kate, so it was 2pm. Naptime for both kids. Kate was sick and grouchy (read: screaming her head off). I walk in and they hand me the stuff for the urine sample. Surprise! I get to put it on this time, instead of them. They have no baby changing station (at a pediatrician's office!)So we head outside to put it on in the car. Kate is NOT impressed. We go back in and Kaden runs to play on the playground in the waiting room. Kaden got pushed off the playground (and landed straight down on his head). So I give Kaden Kate's sippy (only way to calm him down) Kate didn't like that. Kaden guzzled it so then he had to pee. He won't pee with his shoes on and I wouldn't take his shoes off. (we are now working on that problem) So by the time we leave the bathroom, Kaden has NOT peed. Both kids are screaming bloody murder (and I'm pretty sure I've been reported to someone for some kind of abuse by the sounds coming from that bathroom!) So i take them and go for a drive (we were trying to get a urine sample so i didn't have to be in the waiting room-just had thought, THOUGHT, it would be easiest). Drive doesn't help. Not at all. Kate is screaming so hard I thought she was going to throw up, so we come back to the office and I rock kate in he parking lot and leave Kaden in the carseat and call daddy in for backup. After daddy got there he was able to convince Kaden to potty with his shoes and pants around his ankles, and Kate was happy to be away from MOM. We go into the dr at teh scheduled time (Luke had been there maybe 5 minutes...thank goodness he came!) and come to find out she has an ear infection so getting the dumb urine sample is pointless because she'll get antibiotics either way. SIGH.

back to the original story. So that whole dr visit was because her fever was up at 104.2 all night-even with meds. So we started her on antibiotics-fever still doesn't break, and 3 days later (and 7 days after the shots)she gets a rash. We can't tell if it is hives (allergy to amoxiccillan?) or rash (reaction to live vaccine)...sooooooooo back to the dr we went. No answers. We changed antibiotic in case (and Dr told me to try amoxiccillan again sometime when I can "watch for a reaction" umm. No thanks, I'll do the blood test.) Anyway, we got a new antibiotic which seems to finally have kicked in and her fever is gone. She finally took some good naps yesterday (good thing, cuz this momma was low on patience!)

She still has the rash and is itchy, but we're hoping that will be gone in a day or 2. needless to say, we won't be hanging around other kids for a few days!!

On a side note. It is kinda cute to watch a one year old rub her head and back on things to "itch" them-once you get past the feeling super sorry for them!

Mother's Day

Luke took Kaden shopping for a Mother's Day gift this evening after dinner. I wondered how he was going to keep whatever it was from slipping out of Kaden's mouth. He's not the secret type. Or the quiet type. OR the forgetful type. I gave him 30 seconds to ruin the surprise...

Sure enough he walks in the door and announces, "Mommy, Daddy bought you a present!" (He was very excited.) Luke asks him to tell me what the present was for and, since we are just coming off Kate's birthday, he couldn't remember what they had rehearsed the whole way home and said "For your BIRTHDAY!" I asked him if it was a secret he wasn't supposed to tell. He said yes. Then promptly announced that he had gotten me a necklace. He was proud. And it had been about 30 seconds...

I laughed so hard. SO SO hard.

Also, after he got the secret off his chest, for the rest of the night he talked about Mother's Day. That secret just had his brain in knots.

Before and Afters

Here are some before pictures. They aren't the best...and I jumped into this project without knowing how much we were gonna end up doing so i didn't take before pics! (It all started as a tear off some wallpaper and paint project.) Notice the carpet in the dining room, and the ugly linoleum (which had lots of paint spilled on it) in the kichen! I wish I had up close of how BADLY done everything was. And I hope these pictures do justice to the absolute drab-ness of the whole room.




It turned into a tear off some wallpaper, fix some walls, paint, tear out some floor, tear out some more floor, tear out even more floor, put in a floor and replace the trim, and paint again project. Luke may never let me start something again! Here are the afters. (We still have some decor to find, some curtains and rods to hang, and a new chandelier to find...)



this last photo is to show off the bookshelf Luke made me, and the perfect baskets I found for it. Also, that wall is white to help offset so much orange :)

Kate is ONE!

For the next 2 1/2 months now I have a 1 year old and a 2 year old.

I was welcomed into this "Mom of a one and two year old" phase of my life by Kaden peeing all over the bathroom floor (accident?? I think so.) on the morning of Kate's birthday. Awesome.

Speaking of Kate's birthday. It was a fun party! We had it the day after her birthday so my parents could be here with us. We had a few other people over and had brats (the meat-we didn't eat the kids), polish dogs, hot dogs, potato, pasta and green salads, lemonade, and chips. Of course, it snowed.

I didn't get a lot of pictures, but managed to get a good one (or 2) of the cake. I was proud of it! Just cupcakes made to look like flowers. Then I made a little spot of mud where I wrote Happy Birthday Kate. For months I had looked at cake ideas and didn't like anything I saw...finally found just a picture of this one and knew it was perfect for Katelyn. It took a lot longer than I thought it would to frost and put together, but it was totally worth it!


She truly enjoyed every lick of frosting and can now be considered a frosting-aholic. SHe KNOWS what frosting is now!



She got lots of cool toys too! Ironically-everyone got her Melissa and Doug brand. Kitchen toys and sandbox toys. Kaden is pretty sure it was all for him.

I FAILED!

Love this video! Watch HERE My favorite part is about 3 minutes in probably, but it's all good!

I FAILED, I FAILED, I FAILED!

This is one of my favorite comedies ever!

And after I fail I often cheer myself up by thinking of this!

So...having said that. I failed to do "basic cleaning" and once again, found myself spring cleaning.

It went through my head, "I FAILED, I FAILED, I FAILED!"

If you don't get it, refer to previous post.

I Have Problems - Right Here at Home

Last year, today was my last day before having my beautiful baby girl, Katelyn Joy! You might think this post is gonna be about her...but it's really not. Really, what I mean by that is, I was doing the exact some things last April as I am this April-except everyone accused me of nesting. I really don't think I ever truly nested with either child BUT in April every year I get this crazy spring cleaning urge.

Urge, really, is not a strong enough word. I am absolutely overtaken by the forces of the spring cleaning bug and I cannot fight back.

So, here I am, once again spring cleaning (nesting if this was last year.)Problem is, I have company coming. So, here's what happens. I go downstairs to get the guest room clean (you know, the normal, vaccum, dust, make the bed, etc) and come back up having completely sorted every drawer, the closet, the scrapbooking stuff, etc..

Then I restart. I have lunch or something and re-focus. "Ok Bethany. The goal here is a clean house for company. They won't be going through your deepest drawers." You know the talk. So, geared up to just do the basics, I head down.

So far I have completely re-organized, de-cluttered, and re-drawered my files. I have gone through all the drawers and closets in the entire house; re-organized my Pampered Chef inventory/supplies; decluttered my travel bag(YES, PEOPLE, MY TRAVEL BAG); Kaden's AND Katelyn's clothes have been gone through and weeded out-including halloween costumes, and winter wear. I've repacked my Christmas decor into a nicer tub...people-I've done everything!

Or so I think. Until I go down to SIMPLY dust and vaccum...and then I find another thing!

So, all that to say. My house is not clean. it needs vaccumed in the worst way. It is extremely dusty (Except the ledge that leads to the file cabinet..which I was dusting and is what brought me to the wretched file cabinet which sucked me in)... yes, that ledge is dusted.

So..I'm headed down to attempt this "basic cleaning" again. I have mapped out areas to stay away from. The laundry room for one. It's basically clean, but I just know it could suck me in. The shelf has a FEW things that could be reorganized and...well..you know. The storage under the stairs is another. The DVD rack---yes...even that is not safe. The refridgerater is a definite stay away from item.

Maybe I should just let myself be sucked in and apologize to my sneezy guests and explain why I didn't get the place dusted? (You see, this is the argument that GETS me sucked in in the first place.)

It's an evil bug. I love to hate it, and hate to love it.

BUT-I am planning to have a garage sale SOON-and I won't be finding things I wish I'd remembered to put in! I've found them!!!!

Also. I am NOT (I repeat, NOT) for hire.

Kadenisms

"Awfuls" ---Waffles
"Kung-uhl"--Tunnel
"Nah-nuh"---Banana
"Katewin"---Katelyn
"Percy Juice"--anything in his Percy sippy cup
"Kick-up"---pickup
"Trabis and Lebi"--his cousins Travis and Levi
"tuit"--foot
"potato"---tomato or potato (good luck guessing!)
"gakkett"--jacket
"WHAAA WHICH"---(said in a horrible voice) Sandwhich
"yangya"--lasagna

For the most part his words are very clear. There are a few that he just kills us with!

Also, we are "chasing" whichever car we are following in our car.

His bed "kicks him out" at times.

And, if you ask, Katelyn is always "10 Months" while he is mostly "2 and a half" or "almost free, but i'm 2" while holding up 5 fingers.