Thursday, August 19, 2010

Falling In Love.

This afternoon Amelia and I were eating lunch while listening to music. She apparently was listening to the lyrics and told me the girl was singing about falling in love.
I asked her, "Do you know what that means?" She replied, "No. What does it mean?" Thinking carefully I replied, "well, it's like when I met your dad. We liked each other and he asked me on a date...then we fell in love," Looking very inquisitive she asked me,"was I there? In your tummy?"
I smiled, "no, you weren't there. You were born after Mom and Dad got married." Pausing, she thought for a moment..."and then did you fall in love with me?"
Still smiling, "I sure did."

Woke up a 3 year old...

Amelia turned 3 on August 7, 2010. When she woke up she ran out into the living room. I said "Happy Birthday!" She said with a big grin..."Mama, am I THREE??"
Here she is on her new bike (from Grandma and Grandpa Turrell) looking so big and so three.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Big Sista!

1-24-2011. Amelia is going to be a big sister!! We are almost 12 weeks already! 28 to go! Here is Amelia proudly sporting her new big sister t-shirt. So proud. And the next photo...well, tonight Ford went in to check on her and found her like this...asleep with her baby (doll) in her tummy. She must have been thinking about baby brother or sister when she fell asleep. So sweet.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

If I were...

Below are a few unprompted quotes from Amelia...

"Hey Dad! I can smell the sunshine! If I were a superhero...I would fly up into the sky, lift my head, and smell the sunshine."

"If I were a butterfly...I would stay in a cage so I wouldn't be so tickly."

Just cute.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Pink Medicine

Much has happened since my last post. We moved. We moved from a condo on a golf course where we lived for almost 6 months into a town-home where we will reside for probably a year. We are hoping Ford will land a summer job next year at a firm out of town, and if that's the case we will move again.
A lot of moving for a toddler. For an adult too. :) But Amelia has handled it all really well. The fact that summer is here helps since we have been spending a lot of time outside. We have even taken a few trips to the beach and Up North. She is a true Michigan kid. Looking forward to the rest of the summer.
We have been blessed with good health this past year. I feel especially blessed that Amelia has been such a healthy kid. Just a few days ago however, she began sneezing, the dark circles under the eyes appeared and her little hands felt warm to the touch. I knew something was coming. She awoke the next morning with a fever and a full on runny nose. She's has low grade fevers with a runny nose before, and sure it slowed her down, but she pretty much played right through them. Not this time. She was on the couch or in my arms the entire day. She did her best to play but would collapse with exhaustion and frustration into my arms after a few minutes. Hard for a little one to understand why they feel so bad.
We took her to the doc and to my surprise she tested positive for strep throat. Strange since she never complained of a sore throat, even when asked. So we were prescribed a round of antibiotics. I knew what this meant...
She was quite excited at the though of pink medicine and wanted it right when we got home. Great, pink! Her favorite color! I told her she could take it after she ate dinner. I held her and Ford gave her a taste on the spoon. She smiled, bubblegum flavor. He gave her the rest. Her face shifted and she began to cry and gag at the same time and then...up it came, with all of her dinner and all of her juice. All over her, all over me, all over the floor and counters. Two times a day for ten days? Right.
I called the doc and they said the alternative antibiotic was even less tolerable. I hate this.

When she was one, she was prescribed the same medicine for a bacterial infection...and the same exact thing happened. I tried hiding it in her food. She knew and would not eat it. That time the doc said don't worry about giving it to her. She made a full recovery and all was well.
But step is much more serious. She has to take the medication.
I made the mistake of giving it to her in full form. Should have hid it from the start.
So, that night I made a milk shake and put some pink fizzy in it along with the antibiotic, hoping she wouldn't notice the pink bubblegum flavor she had previously puked up. (She's NEVER had soda in her life by the way...I was desperate). She drank it, hesitantly. She acted suspicious. I told her to drink all of it. She said, "why, Mom, why??"
Yesterday morning it was smoothie. Last night another milkshake. 8 more days of this. Come on.
When I asked what our alternative were...the answer was "injections." Plural?
So, I will do my best to lie and hide and sneak pink medicine into yummy foods and drinks.
It's going to be a long 8 days. :)

Monday, May 17, 2010

More tales from the potty...


It finally happened. I don't think I've blogged about this before but today is the day.
Amelia is pooping on the potty.
Hallelujah!
Today is day 4 and there's no stopping her.
She's been peeing on the potty for a long time now, no problems there. But #2 was another story. She refused. She cried and whined when we encouraged her to try to go on the potty. And while we haven't had diapers in the house for months and months, there were still the trusty Pull-Ups on hand. Always conveniently there when she had to go.
When asked why she didn't want to poop on the potty she said it was just "too scary." Why, I still don't know, other than the first time she did poop while on her potty seat last winter, she freaked out at the sight of it...obviously not ready.
After giving it some time since that incident, we tried everything. Encouragement. A Poop Chart. Talking about her friends who pooped on the potty. Asking her friends to leave her messages on my voice-mail about pooping on the potty and how awesome and totally fun it is. Bribery with jellybeans (her favorite). But no matter what, it was always a no go.
Sometimes I pushed, and other times I just let it go holding onto the notion that it would just happen one day. Now I will admit, I did have some concern always in the back of my mind that I would have a 5 year old in kindergarten who refused to poop in the toilet and would ultimately end up holding it for the entire day until she got home. Thoughts of tummy aches and constipation. A poop saga.
As of late I've been in one of my "let it go" stages, I had even taken the poop chart down off of the bathroom wall...and then it happened. Just like that.
Ultimately, I think she just surprised herself. She got up to pee and it just happened. The look on her face was priceless and she laughed out loud! It was great. We cheered and clapped. She got to put stars on her poop chart and we proudly hung it back up on the wall.
So, like the suckie, the diapers, the sleep issues (well, most of them) these things just resolve, in time, with patience, and encouragement, and love. Even when you think there is no possible way it's ever going to happen...that your child will be married with a suckie in her mouth, snuggling a mommy shirt, and wearing adult diapers...it just happens.
And when those moments do finally happen, they are great, and prideful, and unforgettable. :)