Quick updates

Just to update on my previous post...Alex ended up having a sinus infection, so she's on amoxcicillan (sp?) and doing so much better now. She got to go back to school on Wednesday (just in time for her Wednesday gymnastics class at school), so she was excited!

Kellan has been taking more and more steps and I think we can technically call him a walker now! This afternoon and this evening he walked across the living room, across the kitchen, and even down the hallway--although crawling is still his preferred method of transportation as of now.

Kellan flying high with daddy

Playing outside with chalk on the one warm winter day we had

Kellan experiencing playing in chalk on the driveway for the first time

Kellan at 11 months...

This post is just a tad early, but it's close enough! Our little man is 11 months old--it's hard to believe! He continues to follow in his big sister's footsteps by being on the go ALL THE TIME. He continues to make new sounds and try new foods. He has started eating some baby ravioli, more diced fruit and veggies, and oats that I ground up and soak in water. Most importantly, last week he started taking his first steps!! He's taken up to 4 or 5 at a time I think--he is so proud of himself and gets so excited he usually falls over. He loves pushing the walker, Alex's ride-on Dora bike, or anything that he can move around the the house. He particularly likes to push something towards the dog while she's eating and corner her while she growls at him. I think Sophie is realizing Alex is not so bad after all--at least she doesn't find pleasure in picking on her!

Kellan continues to be a demanding little boy with a good set of lungs on him. If he doesn't like what's happening, he'll let you know it by screaming, squealing, or whining loud enough for everyone to hear him. He has never been one to take long naps--his standard is 45 min. to an hour each time (I'm hoping this improves once we drop to one nap!!). He's truly a boy's boy--he loves to play with his cars, bang on things (and be loud in general), and knock stuff over. He's our little tank and we love him dearly! We are looking forward to celebrating his birthday next month with both family and friends.

Alex has been a little under the weather for the past 2 days--we have an appt. to see the doctor tomorrow, but she had a cold that has developed into a really yucky cough. She had a fever over 100 all day today, but after I bribed her into taking a bath this evening she started to feel (and act) MUCH better. We're hoping she gets a good night's rest today because she was pretty miserable all day today and yesterday. It's very unlike her to lie down ALL day and not want to do anything at all. She was acting more like her old self before we put her down to bed (early)--I think I actually got a smile for the first time all day, which made me feel better. It hurts her so much to cough and it was hard to watch her struggle all day long--such a tough part of being a parent--wishing you could take away your child's pain for them!

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day! I took Alex to a Princess Party at the local mall (it was hosted by the local dance company) and we all enjoyed a nice family dinner at home. Talk to you all later!

Dentist Update

Just wanted to share a cute photo and an update on Alex's dental saga. I thought it would be fun to recreate one of Alex's photos with Kellan--and below is the result. Alex was a little older than Kellan is in her photo (I may try and take another photo in a few months) but I still think the similarities are cute--the arm motion was not posed, nor was reaching for the bear's bow.

As for Alex and the dentist, Marlon took her to a pediatric dentist this morning for a consultation. We decided that switching her over to a pediatric one for the cavities was a necessity. We made an appt. for mid-March to get the cavities, sealants, and possibly a crown, and she will be calmed by conscious sedation (complete with IVs and restraints--a little more info than I wanted to know, but the restraints are for her safety so she doesn't try to put her hands up to her mouth while they are working on her, since she will be awake but very drowsy). As much as the idea of having her sedated and not being able to be with her (parents must wait in the waiting room during the entire procedure) makes both of us nervous, we want to do whatever is best for her and will keep her from being traumatized from this experience. You can believe we are religiously flossing, brushing, mouthwashing, the works. The good thing is that the teeth aren't bothering her (at least not yet), so we are just going to pray that this goes smoothly and is a success. I am sure I will post about it when it happens, but thanks to all who gave me advice--it was much appreciated!

My little guy

His chubby feet

The Dentist is our friend--right??

Alex went to her first dentist's appointment this week, and although she did great with her first cleaning we got some bad news. My poor little girl has 2 cavities!! I'm thinking she must have gotten my teeth, which means she may be in for a long future of cavities. Despite having my teeth sealed when I was young and being pretty good about dental visits, I always seem to end up with a cavity. They were able to get her in this morning to have her cavities filled, so I was the lucky one to take her. I didn't sleep well last night knowing what she would be facing--I was just glad she didn't know what she was in for. I myself dread getting a cavity filled, but I tried to talk about the experience with her to make it as un-scary as possible. Her appt. was for 8:00 this morning. She did great getting the novacaine (sp?) so I was getting my hopes up that she would be able to handle it OK. The dentist showed her the instruments, turned them on so she could hear what they sounded like (they say the sound of the drill is what usually freaks kids out). So far so good. Unfortunately, when it came time for the drill to go into her mouth, she lost it--crying, refusing to lay down in the chair...the works. Her stubborn streak came out full force and after about 10 minutes of trying to calm her down and get her back in the chair, we realized it just wasn't going to happen. If a 3 1/2 year old doesn't want to lay down and hold her mouth open wide, it's pretty hard to make her! So now we have to come back AGAIN, this time filling a prescription for some medicine that we have to give her to make her drowsy with the hopes that this will work. How awful!! I really wish they'd just knock her out and fill them so she doesn't have to go throug the trauma. Marlon is going to take her next time with the hopes that he can keep her in line better than I can. I've been honest with Alex and told her that although we had to leave today, we WILL go back and she WILL need to have the drill go in her mouth. I'm going to take along headphones and music next time with the hopes of trying to drown out the sound of the drill a bit. Our dentist is a family dentist, but I know there is a pediatric dentist in town, and I am just wondering if I should have taken her there where they may have been able to do more to relax her. I just hope she doesn't have to go through this again for a LONG time.

The trials of being a parent!!! All I can say is make sure you get your child to the dentist! Alex didn't complain at all about the teeth--she only once mentioned one was cold when she ate something sweet but that's it. One of the cavities was really bad--who would have known! I will be brushing this girl's teeth until she's 18. We let her brush her teeth too often by herself I guess--now we brush her teeth every time and let her brush them when we finish. She also brushes them every day at school after lunch. Guess she's just unlucky to have my teeth. Lesson learned.

Searching for the perfect pair of jeans

I, like many women out there, have always struggled to find the best pair of jeans that fit my body type. Having long legs, I can't typically shop just anywhere for a pair of jeans--I need to find somewhere that has a good selection of long sizes. I found this website through a blog that allows you to plug in some info about your body type and give some of what you want in a jean, then it gives you a list of styles/brands that are best for you!! I got 85 different types of jeans recommended to me, right down to the style, everything from Old Navy to Lucky and everything in between! Just wanted to share with anyone else who, like me, struggles with this (they also have bra fitting info too!).
Along with the style theme, Big Mama's blog has fashion tips every Friday, and her posts are fun to read--if you're looking for a new blog to follow.
Just thought I'd share with you all!

Randomness...

So I have a little break in my day and needed to think about something other than crying babies, bottles, and diaper changes. It's freezing cold out and pouring rain here--no snow or ice--I can't wait for spring to arrive!

I am a little behind on posting some recent pictures--I love how our new camera brings out such bright colors. I'm still learning how to use it but slowly getting better!

Daddy and Kellan playing together--the boy loves cars!

He enjoys playing with stuff on top of our now empty coffee table (he knocks everything off so we just decided to leave it bare until this phase passes!)

He enjoys playing in the cabinet that contains our pots and pans. He makes a lot of noise but has fun while he's at it!

Marlon's college roommate, Greg, and his family came for a visit on Sunday. They just live up in Pittsburgh so it's not a far trip. They have a little boy Alex's age and a little girl a few months older than Kellan--the kids are looking out the kitchen window waiting for them to arrive!

This is how we get Alex to give us a real smile for pictures--you have to tell her "DON'T SMILE" and she starts with this goofy face, which then becomes her cute, genuine smile. Hey--whatever works!

Kellan has enjoyed the fact that the bouncy seat is out in circulation again for Brady, the baby I watch. Kellan has learned to climb inside it and bounce up and down--since his jumperoo has been banned to downstairs to prevent overcrowding in our living room, this is Kellan's next best choice for bouncing.

I'm going to run and enjoy the few quiet minutes I have left before one child wakes up from their nap (most likely mine!)

SNOW

This is a little delayed, but we got our first significant snow on MLK day, along with so many other people. Alex had the day off from school and I didn't have to babysit, so we got to play out in the snow. Alex helped me shovel and was rewarded with some sledding in the backyard. Our little hill is the perfect size for her! Here are a few pics of our time outside. Unfortunately we didn't have any good snow gear for Kellan, so we opted to keep him inside.