The Extent of our Pet Ownership...

If you didn't know before, you do now: we're not "pet people".  Don't get me wrong, I love animals.  We're zoo members, I've dog-sat, owned animals in the past, and have an obsession with little, fluffy fur-balls.  However, I just don't have the space, time, or patience for a four legged pet right now (and there's no way I'm getting anything that flies, slithers, or crawls).  What I did think we could handle was a 2 gallon tank, 3 new additions to it, and a canister of fish food.  With no further adieu, I give you, our fish:

Mady's fish that she, undoubtedly, named "Nemo"

 My sucker fish that William named "Dora"...of course I love a fish that cleans! 

William's fish that he named "Diego"

 William's so excited that his job is to feed the fish (here's hoping they make it to their first feeding)! Sean and I figured this would be a good way to ease them into the responsibility of pet ownership, with hopes of one day getting a dog.  However, I'm pretty sure our next step will be some hermit crabs!

Madelyn's Procedure

 Madelyn did GREAT this morning with her procedure! I was worried she may not lay still during the whole process, but she surpassed all my expectations.  The dentist and hygienist kept saying how they wished everyone was as good of a patient.   The whole thing took about an hour, and I got to sit in the room and make sure everything was going well (as if I could do anything if it wasn't, right?!).  Thank you, everyone, who prayed for peace and safety.  Our prayers were answered!

All gassed up and chillin' out.

 The new baby she came home to- a surprise for being so good!

Resting up, and watching "Nemo" with her new baby.

Update in pics

The kids and I "ran away" to the country for the weekend.  We ate well, played well, and unloaded all our worries and stress.  Seriously, being outside here makes me feel so close to God.  I totally get it when people say that the outdoors, and being close to nature, makes them feel closer to their Maker.  Yep, being here (and the beach) makes me get it.

Also, while you're praying for Madelyn, could you please just go ahead and pray for both my babies? The day after Mady's dental procedure, William has an appointment with a pediatric ENT.  I noticed a few months ago that his tonsils are HUGE.  I'm not even kidding...just to prove my point check this out:

The size of those bad boys, combined with his horrible night's sleep, hyper/bad behavior, and snoring, makes me thinks he has sleep apnea.  I've already prepared myself that they'll probably want to get them out, and I'm actually OK with it.  We've struggled with William and his horrible sleep habits for so long that I'm actually excited that he'll be able to get some rest- even if it means surgery.  Now, William is terrified of going to the doctor for even a check up, so please pray that we'll have the wisdom to know how to handle this situation (if it, in fact, does prove to be what we think it is), and that he'll have peace.  I'll keep y'all posted on both kids and let you know what we find out! Thank you, thank you!

What's up, buttercup?

It's been a busy week already! Here's what's new:

I went to the orthopedist yesterday and had an ultrasound and x-ray done of my knee where the mass was.  They were able to see that it was a fluid-filled cyst and then aspirated it.  I'm not even going to sugar coat it, THAT HURT LIKE CRAZY.  It was totally worth it though, because I now know that it was benign and it is now GONE! Yay! The doctor said that it may fill back up but, if it does, we at least know what it is and it won't have to be removed again unless it causes problems.  Praise God for answered prayers, and thanks to all who sent well-wishes!

Moving on, Madelyn had an appointment this morning with her new dentist.  We decided to switch a few weeks ago after just one appointment with our previous one.  Whew, what a mess that was!*  A few weeks ago, we found out she needed to have cavities filled.  We expected a treatment plan from our dentist, but were not given one.  Instead we were given a dental tray napkin with a list of pros and cons for fillings vs. crowns.  Seriously? Those aren't equal methods of treatment and I'm not a dental professional! How am I supposed to make that decision?

The next day I took Madelyn to my dentist for a second opinion.  He agreed that there was certainly no need to get her crowns- that fillings would definitely suffice- and then referred me to the dentist we say today.  Let me just say that they are amazing! I've had several conversations with their staff over the phone and I was actually looking forward to meeting them today! They have been so helpful in answering my many questions and putting my mind at ease.

The first dentist required all children to be sedated and strapped to a board in order to get anything filled- regardless of how well behaved the child was.  That terrified me because Madelyn is laid back and very good at the doctor/dentist.  Can we say over-kill? Our new dentist doesn't sedate and only uses the board if absolutely necessary.  Also, I was not allowed back during the procedure at the first office, but I am at our new one.  Again, our prayers have been answered.

Please keep Madelyn in your prayers over the next few weeks as we prepare for her procedure.  She will have her fillings on Thursday, February 9th at 8:40 a.m.  If, for some reason, they are not able to do the fillings there because of how she reacts to the "happy gas" and drill, we will have to reschedule her appointment at the Children's Hospital where she will have to be put under anesthesia.  Please specifically pray that she can get all the work done safely at this appointment and that she does not have to go to the hospital.  Also, pray for peace for her so she just drifts off to sleep while the doctor does her work, and that she has a perfect and healthy outcome.

Thanks for reading and keeping our family in your prayers!

*(At her very first check-up, we found out four of her front teeth are affected by cavities.  Let me just say, I WAS DEVASTATED.  Now, I know there's bigger things to get my panties in a wad about, but teeth are a huge deal to me! I've had only two cavities in my entire life (due to sealants cracking) and couldn't believe that my daughter had twice as many on her first appointment! Let me just tell you, I felt like such a failure.  I couldn't believe that my daughter would have to undergo a procedure because of MY lack of care, especially when I tried so hard to do everything right: no bottles, no soda, teeth brushed twice a day, etc.  Anyway, we found out her cavities were because of the sippy cup of juice she had through out the day (come to find out, even 100% fruit juice cut with water, reeks havoc on teeth) AND she shares her daddy's enamel (or lack-thereof!).  We were properly schooled by our new pediadontist and she's only allowed juice at meal-time and now has water the rest of the day.  I am also learning to forgive myself for my mistakes as a parent, because none of us our perfect, right?)

Halloween Flashback

Have they really gotten this big? How is this possible?! I'm so glad I "suffered" through taking their annual pumpkin patch picture yesterday.  Every year we go to the same farm to get our pumpkins.  This year, between soccer and all the rain, we didn't get a chance to go and settled for (gasp) grocery store pumpkins.  I realized yesterday (Halloween) that we hadn't taken our yearly "how tall this fall" picture.  I felt horrible yesterday (101 fever), but knew I'd kick myself if I didn't have my yearly reminder of how much my babies have grown.  The kids cooperated wonderfully and I am so, so, so glad I didn't miss it this year! Hope you all had a fabulous Halloween!

9 months

It's crazy what changes nine months can bring. An entire person can be grown in 9 months, and you go through three whole seasons.  In this girl's case, you can go from a barely walking baby to a fast running, non-stop talking, silly dancing, finally enough hair to hold a bow in, fun-loving toddler.  Siiiiigh...

Right now.

I've got the prettiest girl in the world snuggled up beside me.

What makes you happy?

 

How did we get here?

How is it possible that my Mady-Pie is big enough to be out of a crib? This just blows my mind (wipes away tear and sighs)...

Piggy Tails

I think it's safe to say, these are quite possibly the most forced piggy tails...ever! I'm tickled though that Sassy has enough hair to gather in an elastic :)

Bittersweet

Madelyn has self-weaned.  I have mixed feelings about this.  Part of me is thrilled to have my body completely back to myself after exactly four years (I got pregnant with William in July of 2007 and since then I have either been pregnant, nursing, or both).  I don't remember what it's like to not have either a baby growing inside me or giving nourishment to one.

For the past few months Madelyn's only been nursing once or twice a day, usually at bedtime or first thing in the morning.  Then it turned into once every few days to get her back to sleep when she wakes up too early.  This week Madelyn has denied every single offer to nurse.  Once she even shook her head "no" and pointed at the sippy cup on my bedside table...now if that doesn't mean "get that thing away from me", I don't know what does!

So here I am, just me and my body, wondering why there is a twinge of sadness within.  You'd think I'd be happy to have my hormones level out and shed a few "milk producing" pounds, but all I can think about is the fact that my baby's not such a baby anymore.  I don't even remember the last time we did share our special bond, and that makes me sad.  Oh, Mads, where did the time go?

With William, I felt more guilt than anything because I could no longer nurse him and be pregnant with his sister simultaneously...and it wasn't like I was going to kick her out! I felt like I cut him off, but could still justify it because of the "new baby".  Well, now there's not an addition taking her place (and I sooooo do not want that right now) and it just feels weird.  Don't get me wrong, there's definitely a sigh of relief being let as we speak I type, but the twinge is still there.  I guess that's why I titled this post "bittersweet", because it definitely is.

The View From Here...

...My two little "TV zombies"

Same old, same old...

I haven't really blogged in awhile because there's not too much going on around here! Also, if you're my friend on Facebook, you know I keep ya up-to-date on there.  Anyway, I thought I'd show you a shot of what I found blooming in my backyard today:

 Mmmm soon these pretty yellow flowers will be tasty tomatoes! 

W&M played outside most of the afternoon while I went through 7 (yes, that's right SEVEN) little matchbooks trying to light the charcoal. We ran out of lighter fluid, and my Trader Joes bag of charcoal said that I could wad up newspaper and put it underneath.  WRONG.  That does not work. You know what else does not work? Trying to strike matches in the wind.  Yep, that's how I went through a zillion matches in an attempt to grill hamburgers.  Eventually, Sean came to the rescue with more "boy girl scout water" and the burgers were in our bellies 30 minutes later.  Yum! 

Here's Wip using his grill to make some tasty burgers of his own:

Mady-Pie's new obsession: her 4 wheeler:

Hope everyone's doing well! Happy Monday! :)