Feeling Fortunate

Fortunately, February has been less dramatic on the health front for us starting with a clean bill of health for Camille on February 1st. It seems that the unexplained bruising was a combination of factors: amoxicillin allergy, Vitamin K deficiency (temporary it seems) and a string of relatively minor illnesses (stomach bug, a persistent cold and an ear infection). We were so grateful to be able to leave the appointment with the hematologist WITHOUT having to make a follow up appointment. We then headed downstairs to the second floor of Duke Children's for Camille's annual appointment with the Cleft Palate Clinic Team appointment. More good news! We didn't really need to have the team tell us that Camille was developing fine but, it's always nice to hear compliments!

Here's the little punkin' testing out Ethan's teething toy.

 
It's February, already? February brought the three month mark for Ethan but no well check so we don't know his stats. That said, he is weighing around 16 pounds and wearing mostly 3-6 and 6 month clothes so he's growing fine. He is at day care two days a week until I go back to work full time, around late March. Fortunately, I have been able to divide my maternity leave up. So, I'm learning the positives and challenges of working part-time. More on that later...

 I wonder how many requests I'll get for this picture!

Sporting the hair-up-glasses-on-hole-in-shirt look a lot lately, but it was nice to be reminded recently to have pictures taken of yourself with the little ones. So true.

First she chooses my socks, then she gives me all of these toys? 

Months of the "Ear"

Arriving home sometimes brings the cutest little jingles!

Days of the week

Clearly Ethan loves his teacher already!

A few more gray hairs

Ironically, over the three days (yes, it takes about 3 days to accomplish small tasks lately) I had been hoping to find time to cover my gray hairs (mid-highlight treatments, you know), I probably doubled the number of silver strands on my head. It was a weekend of: stomach virus hits mommy first, then Camille. Camille starts breaking out in an unexplained rash that gets worse along with bruising. Late Sunday night, Eric takes Camille to Urgent Care, texts me that Camille has an amoxicillin allergy and Eric promptly faints after pressing "SEND." Ethan and I drive to Urgent Care to pick up the ill pair (not feeling all that great myself). So, now just as I am recovering from the ickiest part of the stomach virus, Eric (who valiantly washed every speck of laundry we own practically) gets hit. Ethan, thank goodness, was spared all of the experience. Back home we trot, I put everyone to bed (praying they all stay there) and I have something like cereal for dinner.

So, we got Camille's rash figured out but we still don't know what was causing the bruising. The initial round of blood work came back totally normal, for which we are very grateful (believe me, sleep deprivation and health scares such as those that require blood word do not mix well). We have an appointment with a hematologist in a few weeks and hopefully this drama will end! Fortunately, the stomach bug is G-O-N-E!

(Insert picture of green Hexdalls here...on second thought, let's not). Here's a shot of the healthy boy (with baby, placed by his big sister!)


A few days later, I celebrated my 37th (!) birthday by cleaning bathrooms (yeah, not all that birthday-ish but the deep clean did feel good, nothing like cleaning the bejabbers out of a toilet bowl until it sparkles to make you feel good again! Die stomach virus, die!!). Maybe it is the fact that I haven't been able to "nest" with Ethan due to our "we're-moving-no-we're-not-we're-moving-no-we're-not-we-'re-waiting-until-we-find-the-third-time's-a-charm-house-please-come-soon" phase of life that cleaning and organizing has become a passion. I digress...the birthday ended brilliantly with lots of warm wishes via postal and email and phone and sweet comments from our now recovering little girl. "Happy Birthday, mommy!" has got to be one of the best phrases to come out of an almost three-year-old's mouth. Eric and Camille cooked a delicious meal topping it off with my favorite, creme brulee. Sure, it's not going to help that baby weight (which is much less now thanks to that stomach bug! What's that saying, you're just one stomach virus away from your goal weight! Gross.) but boy, it is heavenly. So here is a funny picture of me and the darlings, and the dessert.

I wish I had written this

http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/04/2011-lesson-2-dont-carpe-diem/#respond

Happy New Year!

Our Christmas break was delightful, peaceful and cozy. We missed seeing family for sure but it was memorable to be a family of four for the first time. For New Year's Eve, we had our close friends Anne and Dave and their darling duo, Soren (36 hours older than Camille) and Simone
(9 months), over for pizza, conversation and chaos (two toddlers in a confined area made smaller by holiday decorations and gifts). 2012 is off to a good start and will certainly be a busy year -- Camille turning 3 (!), an infant changing daily, a house hunt, likely changes in child care (with change in house) and hopefully lots of visits from family and friends! Here are a few images of the past few weeks. Happy New Year everyone!

December 1st actually...

Camille's "big" gift was a kitchen, that we put, well, in the kitchen. No bow or anything (Eric and I were on our last legs wrapping and putting out presents around 11:00...Santa doesn't do well deprived of lots of sleep), just as is. In retrospect, that may have been why we got the, "you-want-me-to-start-cooking-AND-stay-in-bed? look" on Christmas morning!



Do we have any Caillou fans out there?

Beloved siblings!



And...New Year's...


Every photographer needs an assistant!


And the 2 month-old...

One Day...

I started this post when Eric and I were going through some trying toddler behavior, especially around sleep (nap and night). As I put the finishing touches on this list, we've been fortunate to have a string of good days. When I began the post, it was really about looking forward to happier, less stressful days. But then I started thinking more about each of the difficult issues, realizing I am fortunate to have these challenging issues in my life. Having it dawn on me (possibly at dawn) that this too shall pass, I began writing the caveat for each challenge. Thus, one day...

One day our daughter will not cry herself to sleep. One day our daughter will not want us reading to her before going to sleep.

One day I will have regular showers. One day I will wish I didn't have to see the muck in the shower on a daily basis, knowing I need to clean.

One day I will not put piece of a candy cane in our daughter's morning "car ride" snack thinking, "ooo! minty fresh breath, that counts as brushing her teeth, right?" One day I won't have conversations about the lake that is dirty on the way to school with our daughter.

One day I will not look at our couch and wonder what bodily fluid still remains embedded in the fabric. One day I will ... hmmm....not sure I will miss this one! Yep, pretty sure.

One day Mabel's jingle jangle of her collar at 3:00 AM will not startle me or the baby so much to rouse us from a slumber. One day I will not have the companionship of Mabel's soft fur and deep brown eyes in the middle of the night, providing reassurance that only a four-legged friend can.

One day I will see a movie again, experiencing the feeling of total escape from reality. One day I will go to a movie and think to myself, "why did I waste my time on that?"

One day I will be able to go to the bathroom by myself. One day I will wish the people helping me in the bathroom were cute, little and told stories about the towels and toothpaste. (I'm hoping I grow weary and old with loved ones caring for me but I'm sure there is some actuary who will tell me something different!)

One day I will get more than 2 hours of sleep in a row each night. One day I will really miss hearing Ethan's mumbles, coughs, coos and snorts beside me, and Camille's need to be covered up again that seem to be timed exactly when Ethan is back in the pack-n-play and I have just put my head on the pillow.

One day I will not feel clausterphobic in our home, as I trip over a space station, a dog (real) and furniture (which serves to remind me of said bodily fluids - see above). One day I will miss Camille saying, "Shall coss WAY!" each time we turn onto our street.

One day I will not have to scrape encrusted raisins off the seats of my car (those were raisins, right?) One day I will be in someone's immaculate vehicle that shimmers and shines and I will think, "how boring!"

One day I will be able to find the bed under all the laundry that has literally quadrupled in volume since Ethan was born. One day I will pass some baby clothes in Target and long for the day of endless washing.

One day I will eat a meal without rushing through it for fear of not eating (a nursing mother HAS to eat!) before a) the baby cries, b) the toddler walks in the kitchen seeing me eating my secret chocolate stash, or c) I have been sitting long enough at the kitchen table to see black bean juice encrusted (why do things have to get encrusted?).

One day I will miss these ages, this home, this part of a wonderful life. But I wouldn't mind having a maid!