Repeated conversation

Here is a conversation that Layton and I have fairly often:

Layton: Mama, what's for dinner?
Me: Lasagna
Layton (looking down at his shirt): What,what's on me?

One day he'll realize that the meal is called lasagna, but until then we enjoy his innocence.

A priceless moment...

The other day I was feeding Ava and looked into Ainslee's room to see Trey sitting on the floor with Layton on his right and Ainslee on his left in front of Ainslee's kitchen that she got for Christmas, pretending to cook supper and handing cups and plates to each. He was making sink noises and stove noises and they were having so much fun. All of sudden Layton comes running into the living room, crying, saying, "Daddy won't share the toys!!" Trying not to laugh, I told him to tell Daddy that Mama said he had to share. So Layton, in his most tattle-tale voice went back and said, "I told on you!!" I'm not 100% sure, but I think I heard Trey say, "Well I had it first!" Oh goodness...

January...whew, it's over!...Maybe

I do not consider it an exaggeration to state that January has probably been one of the hardest months Trey and I have endured since we've been married. The majority of hardship came from sickness. It actually started Christmas Eve. Layton was sick, running a high fever, and of course, being Christmas Eve, nothing's open! Luckily, during the month of November, with a little $ problem, we couldn't see our regular doctor and had seen a different doctor in town, who takes phone calls at his house, even on a holiday! So we put in a call to him and wall-a, he called in a Rx to the only open pharmacy in town! Then New Year's rolls around and we find ourselves ringing in the New Year on the pediatric wing of St Michael's hospital with our Ava, our then 2-month old. She had RSV and was quite a trooper, even though her apnea monitor did go off once, making my own heart stop! We go another week and are at the UAMS center her in town with Ava again, seeing a cardiologist for a heart murmur that thankfully we learn is harmless. We make it a couple of weeks with low-grade fevers and few wheezing spells from various children, but nothing serious, until the next big round hit, Friday, January 25. Ava's running fever, still considered mildly serious since she's not yet 3 months of age. We take her to the doctor to get blood samples, chest X-rays, urine samples, etc. only to be told that it's "just a virus." Whew! Sunday, Ainslee wakes up with 102.2 fever, and we assume that it's also "just a virus."...Monday, Tuesday no fever, but no eating, drinking, and almost no tee-teeing. OH and Trey comes home Monday from work with fever, chills, aches, and throwing-up. Wednesday rolls along, Trey's still home sick, and Layton wakes up with a 102.4 temp so we decide enough is enough and take him and Ainslee to the doctor (back at the regular doctor now) and after blood samples, urine samples, and chest X-rays, learn that Layton has the flu and Ainslee has a urinary tract infection, which is considered serious under the ripe ol' age of 2. So we go home with Tamiflu for all and pray that Ainslee starts tee-teeing so that she does not end up in the hospital as well. Thursday we get a call from the nurse saying the urine sample came back yucky and they need to do a catheter on her to make sure it's not actually as bad as they think. They hold her down, put the catheter in, draw some urine and tell me that it's cloudy, probably caused by bacteria; they'll know more after a culture grows on it for 24 hours, but give me a glimmer of hope because sometimes bacteria doesn't grow on the sample and all is well. Phone call comes Friday; bacteria is already starting to grow; they'll know more Monday. That's where we are right now. I THINK that depending on what type of bacteria is growing, we could be facing something serious or not so serious. They said that they'll have to run more tests more-than-likely that will include a sonogram of her kidney to make sure that no permanent damage has been done yet and another catheter to inserts dye so that they can watch what happens when she uses the bathroom. We'll know all that Monday...Today is Saturday and we had a great day! We played outside all morning in the nice weather, with only sniffles. Kids nap well, eat somewhat well, and seem happy. We pick Ava up from her nap and she feels warm...uh oh...here we go again!

Stitches

We had our first experience with stitches today, and wouldn't you know it, it was Ainslee who needed them: our little dare-devil. She actually was not doing anything daring but walking. She fell and split her lip open on the edge of a play table. Mrs. Joyce called and said she'd fallen so I went and got her and took her to the pediatrician's office. He told us that he didn't want to sew her up, that she needed to be under anesthesia and needed a plastic surgeon to do it so off we went to the ER where they told us that the ER doctor would be holding her down and doing the stitches with only local anesthesia! I very kindly told them that no he would not, that Dr. Burns had sent us to see a plastic surgeon. So the ER doctor called and got one to come over. However, the plastic surgeon was detained by someone with more of an emergency than a busted lip; so the ER doctor and 4 nurses held my precious baby down and stitched her up. It only took two and she was quite a trooper. I think it was much more traumatic for me than for her. They said she shouldn't eat until midnight but she wanted a cheeseburger so a cheeseburger she got! She'll get those stitches off on Wednesday. The doctor assured me that I would be the only one that ever noticed a scar. We'll see! Luckily I invested in accidental injury insurance and am very happy that I'm getting to use it without a major accident!

The Wiggles

Ok What's the deal with The Wiggles? We have just recently been introduced to these men and are a little confused. Who is the pirate? the dinosaur? all those other people dressed like pirates? And why do they shake their pointers all the time? And what's up with the guy sleeping? We can't really figure out the point of the show, but Layton really loves it! It has pretty much replaced Barney!

Thanksgiving

We survived our first Thanksgiving with 3 kiddos. The day started with me attempting to make cinnamon toast, something that we do fairly often. I buttered the bread, sprinkled some sugar, and began to sprinkle what I assumed was cinnamon, only to discover that it was chili powder. Then we watched part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and made a mad dash around the house trying to get everybody bathed and dressed and off to my sister's house. We had a lovely lunch. Then Layton and Ainslee went to play, and my sister and mom took turns holding Ava while Trey and I played cards with my brother-in-law, cousin, and aunt. It was very nice to have some adult conversation over what to buy the kids for Christmas! At about 3:00 when we had put off naps as long as possible, we headed home. All 3 kids fell asleep on the way home so we put the kids in their beds and took power naps as well! Couldn't ask for anything better!

Has it really been 3 months?

Wow! Has it really been 3 months since I posted my last blog???? A lot's happened in that time! I grew to twice the size of a normal woman, birthed a 10 pound baby, had my tubes tied to make sure that never happens again, and started living in a house with three (all ours!) children!

Seriously, we're doing great! Layton LOVES Ava! He calls her 'nother sissy (since he calls Ainslee sissy), and Ainslee is starting to notice that the little bundle that squirms and moans isn't going away!

Ava is a good baby. She does have a crying fit between the hours of 8 and 11 pm most nights so be sure not to call during those hours! Her belly button stump has already fallen off! Is that normal since she's only a week old? She LOVES to be swaddled and hates to be cold!

Hopefully it won't be 3 more months until my next blog! I'm going to try to pick it back up and keep people up to date on our family (assuming people read this thing!) Until next time...