Nothing a Little Dye Won't Fix

Towards the end of my pregnancy I was going into the hospital twice a week for NST's. My trips to and from the hospital were my only "outings" and my only times that I was able to get out of bed (Besides the obvious bathroom breaks.). Every day that I drove to our local hospital I drove past Toys R Us and Target-two stores that I really enjoy shopping at. I so wanted to go inside the stores and look at baby "stuff". At this point I had done very little baby shopping and I had defiantly begun the "nesting" phase of the pregnancy, well before I had began the NST's. Everyday that I drove past the two stores the "itch" became a little harder to scratch-so to speak.

Finally, one day, on the way home I pulled into the parking lot of Toys R Us and sat in my car contemplating on if I should take the risk and just go on in. I played the scenario in my head. I would only go in for five minutes. No, I would allow myself ten. Scratch that. I would need at least fifteen minutes to properly scan the baby section. (Yeah, right!) I probably sat in my car for a good half an hour before I decided that I just couldn't risk it. I was disappointed but I knew that if something (anything) did happen with the pregnancy, even if it were a week or two down the road, I would blame myself and my choice to shop when I was suppose to be on strict bed rest. The same day that I sat in my car battling with the idea of shop or not to shop, I went home and got online-and I shopped. I ordered Sophie the Giraffe which I had originally seen in the Mothering magazine that I get, a couple of really cute outfits and a beautiful knitted unbleached organic cotton blanket.

Blankets seem to be the number one gift that people give. Everyone seems to find the cutest of cute when it comes to them. I too, have gave my fair share of cute ones and never complain when a new one comes my way! Baby blankets are a lot like shoes-you can never have enough! Over the last two years we have received a lot of blankets as gifts and truthfully, I have kept them all. Justin's Grandmother has made Vada several blankets (and sweet hats and dresses that all go together), my Grandmother has as well. Annie made Vada a sweet heart blanket, Rhonda from Mud Puddle Roo's (ONE GREAT LITTLE SHOP!) also gave Vada a beautiful blanket and there are many others to add to this list. I can easily say that Vada is well stocked on beautiful and meaningful blankets and we use them all or we will use them at some point in time.

 The blanket that I had ordered however, seemed to be the one that was always grabbed (That and one of Grandma's). I used it to lay Vada on. I used it to cover her up while I was nursing her (After I gave my Hooter Hider away.) I used it to keep her warm, to keep the girls warm and to keep me warm as well. It was a well loved and extremely well used blanket!

At one point in time the blanket went from unbleached to bleached and then bleached again...and again. Still being a beautiful blanket-just a bit whiter than its original color, it traveled with us wherever we went. Because we did use it on a very regular basis I felt that it should go to the hospital with us during Vada's heart surgery. I knew it would probably get some stains on it at some point in time but then I figured I would just bleach it again. What I didn't consider was Iodine. Bleach does not remove iodine from fabrics-in case you were wondering-I tried and tried and for the heck of it I tried one more time before admitting defeat.

I hated that I had these ugly stains on Vada's once beautiful blanket. I felt as if I couldn't take it in public anymore because it looked dirty. I knew that I couldn't justify going out and buying a new one because we have so many others to take its place. Not willing to throw the blanket away I held onto it and for the last couple of weeks it has sat on top of one of my dryers in the laundry room.

Two days ago Justin happened to be standing with me as I was doing a load of whites. He noticed the blanket on top of the dryer and asked if I wanted to wash it with the rest of the load. I began to explain the situation  and told him why I was having a hard time letting this blanket go. I guess, the blanket  has become somewhat of a comfort to me-probably more so than I claim it to be for Vada.  After telling Justin why I was holding onto the blanket he suggested that because I liked tie dyed things that I should attempt to dye the blanket. The next day I bought a kit, brought it home and we began the project of saving Vada's/Momma's blanket!

We began dying the blanket around four in the afternoon. The kit said to let it sit for at least twelve hours after completely covering what areas we wanted to be colored.  The funny thing is that this morning around two, when I was nursing Vada, I did the math in my head. It had only been about ten hours! Needless to say, I was excited to see what Justin and I had created together. So, once he got home this morning I asked if he wanted to go out and take off the rubber bands, rinse off the blanket and check it out. He was excited too, so he needed no real persuasion.

 The blanket ended up beautifully! Much brighter and even louder than it once was but its one of a kind and Justin and I did it together for our baby girl and some what for me as well.

On a final note, I want to thank my Jazzy girl for her help with this project. She took some really good pictures while Justin and I were in the dying process and she also pushed Vada on the swing while keeping her entertained so that we could focus on finishing things up quickly. Thanks sweetie, without you we wouldn't have been able to do the whole project..., including this post! You Rock and I Love You!

Not A Wordless Kind of Day

Yesterday was the official first day of summer and the day here, was beautiful!

Vada and I took our second trip (this week) to Peoria-yesterday afternoon. On Monday we met with the Cardiologist and the heart surgeon and yesterday we met with the Neurologist. From all three doctors Vada was given a clean bill of health, which was the first time for that! As long as her health remains in tip top shape we get a break from the long drives that have become like second nature for me to take. Vada is scheduled to go back in September, that's three whole months of just enjoying our girls, our family and our time together! I am so excited!

Next week, I'll set up her vaccination appointments. Ive mentioned before that I choose to get my children vaccinated but for Vada I have chose to do a prolonged vaccination schedule, basically it means that she will only get one vaccine injection a month. Luckily, I didn't have to find another pediatrician, because hers  agreed to do it the way that I wanted it to be done. Plus, I had the Peoria specialists backing me up on this one.

Here's the best part that came with the two back to back trips-Vada was taken off of all of  her restrictions! That's right..., she can be out and about! Were are going to keep her out of the church nursery however, it would be the only nursery that she would ever be in-at least at this point. Until she is up to date on her vaccines we want to take some extra precautions. Once she is up to date then she will get the chance to join her friends and play while Mommy and Daddy get to fully listen to the sermons. We will also be slowly reintroducing her into large groups but for the most part our lives have returned to normal-whatever that may be!

Oh, I almost forgot..., during the check-in part of the doctors visits Vada was weighed and measured again. Currently she is twenty-seven inches long! She grew! She also weigh's 17 pounds-11 ounces and for those of you who aren't familiar with her age, she is 15 months and 3 weeks old!

Vada has two very special friends who she has been excited to meet and now that she has recovered, she can! One friend is still in the process of recovering from her very own heart repair and the other is just ready to play!

As far as my personal doctors visits go..., well, they have just begun! This morning I went back to the ENT and we set a date to have my tonsils removed! On July 18th I am going to be saying goodbye to these bad boys who are constantly causing me problems! The doctor mentioned doing it sooner because the tonsil is still enlarged and causing some minor discomfort. Plus, I am still having a hard time fully opening my mouth. However, the process of healing from the surgery will actually interfere with some pretty important summer plans, so I asked to push it back just a bit.

Jasmine had another ball game yesterday. Vada and I got home from Peoria fifteen minutes before she had to be on the field  for practice! I was so glad that I had made it home on time to take her and I was even more grateful to be able to watch her play!

There are very few things that I don't like about watching softball. The heat and humidity are the worst and if its too hot,, then its no fun! I love this time in the season however. It's when the girls are all warmed up to the game. They are fully practiced and they know their rolls in their team. Its about this time that the games get really exciting. However, it is also close to the end of the season. Jasmine and her team played beautifully yesterday! They truly kicked some butt! I was proud of each and every girl, especially mine!

On a serious note, I thank God for the coaches that Jasmine's team has, there are three of them and each one is kind hearted. They push the girls to play their best but still allow them to enjoy the game that they are playing. That's how it should be! The team that the girls played yesterday was less fortunate and that's just...sad.

Vada was able to get a little extra time with Grandpa and Grandma during Jazzy's game as well. She of course enjoyed that time and I think it's pretty safe to say that they did too!

This has already been one full week and I am grateful to be able to say that it has also been a pretty great one-my tonsil issues aside!

Behind the Scenes

I don't write much about Justin, my husband. He's not in a lot of the pictures that I take and I don't have a lot of stories that involve him-that I share through the blog. He says that he works behind the scenes and I guess in many ways that its the truth. I may not mention him as often as I mentions others but he is undoubtedly, one of the most amazing and important people in my life. He works two jobs and has a third "side job" to add to those, making three jobs total. He does it all for us, his family and for me so that I can stay home with our girls-which is a job that I want more than any other.

Justin does some of the most incredibly loving things for us. He has made it to almost every single ball game that Jasmine has ever had, which is damn near a miracle considering his work schedule but he does it! Coming from a childhood where my parents weren't present, his presence will be something that the girls will remember, even if its not the most important thing to them now. When I was on bed rest-for 12 weeks, with the help of his parents he took care of everything and I do mean everything! He worked his jobs, he picked up the girls and dropped them off at school, he did the laundry, dishes and prepared all of our meals. He even did extra things like tend to my cravings. He was constantly buying fresh fruit and vegetables for me. He would cut them up and put them into baggies so it was easy for me to just grab something and go lay back down.

There has been a lot of things that have happened between us and to us over the past year in a half, sometimes I have taken the lead but but when this happens he is always right there beside me. I feel so blessed to have him and I am so grateful that the girls have him as well.We have been married for almost three years now but he has been a father for almost six. He loves unconditionally. He is always here when we need him and he is what I hope that my girls will someday find when they are ready to marry.

Today, on Father's Day and every day that passes I will forever be grateful to call him my husband, my friend and the Father of my children.

Happy Father's Day Justin, Thank you for all that you do for us, your family. We love you so much!

ER Rooms and ENT's

This Thursday (I was originally saying it was on Weds. but I mixed up my days) I went to a local walk-in clinic. I had been having a sore throat for five days with the pain increasing considerably each day. The pain was only on the right side so I wasn't concerned with it being strep throat, although I was tested for it a total of two times by the end of this story. The doctor who saw me looked into my throat barely long enough to shine a light in it, told me it was red on both sides (It wasn't) and then told me since my strep test had come back negative that it was just a cold and it would run its course. I hate when doctors (any medical professionals) get on their high horse and think they know everything! If this guy would have really looked into my throat he would have seen that only the right side was swollen, as well as the roof of my mouth. He could have prevented all of this with prescribing me an antibiotic, but he didn't. In stead, he blew me off and sent me home. He told me that if it lasted longer than two weeks to go to my family doctor. Again, this was on Thursday. Friday was worse. Saturday was unbearable, so unbearable that I had Justin take me back to the walk-in, where we saw a different doctor. This doctor shined her little light into my mouth and pulled back a second later looking very concerned. She told me that I had a Peritonsillar Abscess-an abscessed tonsil. The problem was that it had gone untreated too long and was spreading down my throat, through/across the roof of my mouth and into my gums! We were directed to go to the Emergency room.

The emergency room visit lasted a few hours. I was given a CAT scan to see how far the infection had spread and was put on IV antibiotics and electrolytes because I could barely swallow let alone drink at this point. Actually, at this point my face had begun to swell.

Turns out that our ER room is not equipped for dealing with things like this-its an ENT's "area" and our hospital has only one ENT on call once a month and this wasn't his time of the month! There was talk of sending us to Iowa City but the doctor working my case was able to get a hold of an ENT across the river who was willing to see me first thing in the morning, which was Sunday and may I remind you also Father's Day.

Justin and I were nervous that the ENT would be unpleasant, with having to meet us on the weekend and a holiday of all days, but he was so incredibly nice and patient too. He numbed my throat-kind of and then drained the area which hurt more than I care to describe! He told me that I should be feeling better soon and that I should also come back to see him this Wednesday.

I slept throughout the remainder of the day (Sunday) and by that evening I was able to eat some soup. Today, my throat does feel a lot better! I am off of the pain medication and it feels like a little scratch in there, except I still cant open my mouth fully, doing that hurts.

There are two things that I am left with that concerns me. I now have a tooth ache where part of the infection happen to be sitting, so I have to go to the dentist to make sure there wasn't any root damage and then the next thing is the removal of these tonsils. When I go back this Wednesday we will be discussing a date to do it. The ENT didn't say that it was absolutely necessary but guaranteed that I wouldn't have this particular problem or the other problems that I commonly have if I did have my tonsils removed. His confidence was enough to convince me!

Here's the best part and I did save it for last because it is with out doubt the highlight of the weekend. Vada and I were apart for most of Saturday day and then that night as well. When I came back on Sunday she was sipping/sucking from a sippy cup and was eating solids like a champ! She was amazing! AMAZING! It was so exciting. She wasn't cranky because she hadn't nursed. She was content in all of the new things that she was trying and she seemed to really be enjoying herself too! Don't get me wrong, she hadn't lost interest in nursing. As soon as she saw Sunday morning she wanted me and shortly after being in my arms she was ready for some milk and trust me, it had been a long time, I was ready to give her some! The greatness of this side story was that she was sipping and eating not just "gumming" but fully digesting food! This is huge! It a leap forward, not a step!

Justin's parents live a mile or so away from us but we all stayed at their house on Sunday night anyway. It was really nice just hanging out with them. They enjoyed playing with the girls, I was able to continue to rest and Justin and his Dad were able to hang out as well. Vada ate a great dinner and nursed before she went to bed on Sunday and then slept for four hours before nursing again for the second and last time during the night. Today she has nursed four times, drank from a sippy cup, ate lunch and a great dinner and is in bed now (which could back fire on me tonight). It has been so exciting watching her figure out how to eat. She's getting it and its becoming second nature to her. Have I told you that this girl is amazing? Well, she is!

Kid's Say the Funniest Things

The girls and I pulled weeds and laid mulch for close to three hours this morning! I was so proud of Jasmine and Kiliegh. They worked really hard and did it with very little complaining! I ended up taking a quick break to feed Vada and then I laid her down for a nap before I rejoined my mini crew. We made a lot of progress and when Justin came home he seemed pleased to have had some of the work already done for him.

During dinner we were talking about our garden and saying how excited we were to use our own vegetables to make homemade salsa. Kiliegh began telling us that at her dad's house they too had started a garden. I asked her what they had planted and then I told her that she would have to let them know that she could help out with their garden when she was there. She looked at me like she was confused by what I had just said so I explained that pulling weeds was important for having a healthy garden. I got that same confused look for a second and then she replied with "Oh, no Momma, I can't tell them that." "Why?" I ashed. "Because, if I told them what I did here then they might think that I could do it there too and I don't want to pull weeds there too." I smile at her and said that I understood. Inside I was having a good laugh! I think its safe to say that she didn't enjoy the manual labor of gardening and lawn work today. It makes me wonder how many other things she does that with between the two houses. Either way, it was funny and clever on her part.