Momma's Little Helper

It's strange to me how the same little boy who runs around the house knocking pillows off the couch, DVD's out of the rack, every toy emptied out, etc. can desire to be so helpful. I've really enjoyed watching Lucas' desire to help bloom. Here are a few things he has done the past few months:

• He saw Lydia was fussy because she was hungry and I wasn't moving fast enough to get her meal ready. So, Lucas went to the refrigerator, peeled a clementine orange and gave it to her to hold her over. So sweet!
  
• He loves to help unload the dishwasher. Usually I let him put away the silverware and plastic dishes. Yesterday, while I was sauteing mushrooms for Lydia's breakfast my knife wasn't very sharp, so I attempted to sharpen it (I think I made it worse). Later in the morning as we were unloading the dishwasher I heard a strange noise. As I turned around I saw Lucas "sharpening" the handle of a butter knife with one of the attachments to my hand held beaters. I got such a chuckle out of that! So observant!
• When Lydia falls down he tries to help lift her back up. We've been trying to teach him that he needs to put his hands under her armpits to lift and not around her neck. (Hmm, maybe he's not trying to help...)
• For a long time now he has enjoyed assisting us in brewing our morning coffee. He just loves to help grind the beans (under extreme supervision of course).
• Vacuuming is like play time! Together we chant "push, pull, push, pull" while he helps guide the vacuum. It takes forever, but I sure don't want to squelch the desire to help clean. I'll take all the help I can get!
• And like most boys, if Brian is working on a project that involves screwdrivers, hammers, etc. he is daddy's right hand man!

I just love watching him grow and seeing his personality develop. He is such a cheerful, energetic, loving guy! What a treasure!

Plan B

Our Easter weekend was a bit crazy... in a non-busy sort of way. Lucas came down with a fever on Friday with no other symptoms, so I decided to wait to take him to the doctor. By that evening his temp was 105.1! Luckily, we were able to get his temp down with a combination of Tylenol, Motrin and gettin' naked! Over the weekend, his temps stayed between 101- 102 during the day and then they would spike at night leaving him delirious and inconsolable. He only slept decent if he was in bed with us, which is fine with me. I love to snuggle his little body! On Saturday night I was up nearly every half hour between both kids. Sunday night was a little better. By Sunday he had a white tongue with red spots, a fine red rash from head to toe and his lower legs kept turning dusky blue (yikes!). So we were going to take him to Urgent Care on Sunday (Happy Easter, kid!) but I spoke to a triage nurse who thought it would be okay if we waited until yesterday morning. He tested positive for strep and started on Amoxicillin. He looks much better today!

Obviously, we decided to postpone our festivities. I think I might give them their baskets this coming weekend and we'll have Brian's family over for dinner another time. We still ended up celebrating in different way: snuggling on the couch, watching favorite cartoons or DVD's, playing with Lego when he felt up to it. And Brian and I had a crazy Easter dinner- not very nutritious, but oh, so yummy! We picked up a pizza, made guacamole for tortilla chips, popped up some kettle corn and finished it off with ice cream. Don't cringe! We don't do this often. It was kind of fun!

Despite all of the sickness I was able to sneak in some time to get a few things done. The grout on our kitchen floor was driving me nuts! I've tried and tried to scrub it clean to no avail....until now! Amber, a good friend of mine, introduced me to Shaklee's Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste. It worked wonders. I scrubbed the grout lines with a toothbrush and this paste and it looks so nice now. There are still a few stains, but it is much improved! I have also used this on my glass stovetop and it takes the baked on crusties right off! I'm hooked!

I also had a few minutes to make this pint sized purse for Lydia's Easter basket. It took about an hour and a half, but I think I could now make one in an hour. It was just something I dreamed up and I think every little girl needs a purse. I found a small stuffed bear and a small photo book to fit inside. I'm pleased with the end results!

Even though Easter didn't go as planned I am thankful that we were still able to celebrate the true meaning of Easter. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
(Romans 5:8). Through his death and resurrection we are able to have eternal life. Now that is something to celebrate!

Grateful!

Isn't this Gerber Daisy beautiful? This was a birthday gift to me from a good friend at work. It has become her standard gift because we all love it so much! I love the simplicity and beauty of it! Each time she brings this gift it is a different color, but equally as breathtaking.

Well, on to great news! Lydia's test results came back fine! One of her white blood cell markers was high, but it's the one that indicates allergies, so we were not surprised. We are still waiting to hear about the Celiac panel, but I'm much relieved that we are not dealing with something serious. We are scheduled to meet with a dietitian on April 22nd. In the meantime, we will be trying all kinds of food combinations to put some weight on her! We are so grateful she is healthy! In the words of Lucas, "Da-do, Jees!" (Thank you, Jesus!)

Big Tests for a Little Girl

Many of you know our little Lydia is.... well, little for her age. We've been taking her to the pediatrician once a month for a weight check to monitor her progress. She's doing okay for height- about 10th percentile, but her weight is what has the doctors concerned. She's not even on the growth curve and not only that, but she is heading downward. She's a good eater, but her allergies keep us from being able to feed her foods that have higher fat and protein content.

Our Nurse Practioner called me yesterday to say that she consulted with two physicians and as a group they felt it would be best to run some test to make sure there isn't a disease process happening. Our test is scheduled at the hospital on the morning of March 19th. They are going to collect urine, blood and sweat to test her electrolytes, blood count, liver and kidney function. They are also going to test for diabetes, Celiac disease and Cystic Fibrosis. We should know the results in 24 hours. If all the tests come back negative we will be paired with a dietician to help us provide the most nutritionally sound meals and adequate calories.

Obviously, this is a little scary. I haven't allowed my mind to wander. I'm just waiting....there is no use in going down the path of "what if". I know God created her body and he knows what is behind this poor weight gain. I just need to trust Him and leave her in His hands. After all, He loves her too!

Muddy Boots, Happy Hearts!

Yesterday we had wonderful weather! A balmy 60 degrees! Of course with 8 inches of snow melting away it was a gooey, muddy mess, hence, the black rubber boots. Perfect for getting down and dirty!


After the kids naps we headed outside to see what kind of mess we could make. Initially, we started out in the backyard, but that didn't hold their attention very long. So, we ventured to the driveway where a big snowdrift beckoned us to make snowballs. Lucas and I took turns throwing snowballs at the garage door, while Lydia practiced walking in her boots. She didn't enjoy touching the snow! I noticed some of my tulips, hyacinths and daffodils are starting to poke through the ground. I can hardly wait to see them!

Eventually, we headed off to the park which is within walking distance from home. There were a lot of puddles to splash in along the way. We spent some time swinging and climbing, but mostly they were just having fun walking around (or in Lydia's case, falling down). The 2 hours we spent outside flew by! Boy, have we missed the fresh air! It was already an hour past their normal dinnertime so we headed home...tired, hungry and dirty! But our hearts were satisfied with sunshine, happy spring sounds, and good memories!

So Last Year!

Yes, it's true...I've finally done it. I've started a blog. My thinking has been that blogs were for others to write and for me to read. But my friends and family started encouraging me to start my own. I thought, "What in the world do I have to blog about!", but then the ideas began to come. I realized I don't have to be profound, humorous, well-versed in English (what is a present participle anyway?) or ....perfect. Even if I only add 4 entries a month, those entries might allow my friends and fellow readers to learn something about me that they otherwise wouldn't.

The other night my husband was having a friendly card game at our home and one of the younger guys playing (maybe early 20's) saw me looking at my friends blogs and setting up my own. He shared with me that blogs are "so last year!" I was so tempted to say, "Look buddy, I'm almost 33 years old. I'm not worried about being cool anymore!", but I didn't. I just smiled and said something corny about "respecting the blog". Someday he'll understand.