Some old snow pics of Bailey

Just realized that we took these pictures last time it snowed and I never posted them. Jonathon brought a snowball inside for B to play with. She thought it was okay to touch but then he got the bright idea to put it on her leg and she flipped out.





Also I posted some pictures of our yard from today on my other blog. And along the same lines (um not really) if you need a Phase 1 report done, you should check out DGC Associates.

I don't know if I want snow

The forecast is for it to start snowing today, like mid-afternoon, and we could get up to like six or seven inches. In St. Louis, that's a freakin blizzard. I can't decide whether I want all this snow or not. I want to go to my nursing mom's group today, and maybe just leave by mid-afternoon before the bad weather starts. I am supposed to deliver Avon to a new customer between 3 and 4, so I don't want to leave the house just for that. Jonathon works at a school, and if Parkway gets a snow day tomorrow he will probably get a snow day as well. Also, I am supposed to watch Alison tomorrow, but her dad works for a school district, so if they are off, I don't have to watch her. The school district that he works for is always one of the last ones to get called off, though. I really don't want to go watch her so I am kind of hoping for the bad weather, but we need the $100 that I would get for watching her.

I guess I will just keep watching the weather and see. Also if it is bad out tomorrow but their school isn't called off, I don't want to drive me and Bailey through bad weather just to go watch someone else's kid. Maybe that sounds selfish but I value our safety a lot more than a twice a month job!

9 Month Checkup

B had her official nine month checkup today with her pediatrician, who (whom?) I love. I have to admit I spent the first part of the visit whining about how Bailey doesn't sleep anymore, she is grumpy, snotty, etc. I seriously thought it was teething. So the doctor checks her lungs- good. Nose- good. Eyes- good. Left ear- good... Right ear- infected.

Dumb mommy. I should have known something was going on. Doctor said that it was probably only the third or fourth day and that wasn't bad. Bailey is taking amoxicillin now, and she loves it. After just two doses, I can tell a difference in her attitude. This is her first antibiotic ever, but I guess I'm glad we managed to make it this long. Also, I am *deathly allergic to penicillin, so we had to watch her really closely (Read: She could not nap in another room) in case of an anaphylactic reaction. So far she has had two doses and doesn't show any signs of allergy. The pharmacist said that if she were going to have a severe reaction like me, that it would probably be within the first few doses.

Anyhoo, on to the good stuff... measurements.

18 pounds 1 oz (50%)
27 1/4 inches (45%)
head 17 3/4 (90%)

I knew her head was pretty big, because we always struggle to get her shirts over her head. Even the ones that unsnap on the shoulder!

No vaccinations today- she will get her next round at her twelve month checkup. We have to go back in two weeks to get her ear checked to make sure it has cleared up. She is meeting/exceeding all the developmental milestones. She encouraged us to start trying finger foods and sippy cup but I told her we already do those regularly. LOL

*Anaphylactic shock, the most severe type of anaphylaxis, occurs when an allergic response triggers a quick release from mast cells of large quantities of immunological mediators (histamines, prostaglandins, leukotrienes) leading to systemic vasodilation (associated with a sudden drop in blood pressure) and edema of bronchial mucosa (resulting in bronchoconstriction and difficulty breathing). Anaphylactic shock can lead to death in a matter of minutes if left untreated. Yep, that's what happens to me. Not just a little headache. Hospital via ambulance, complete with IV's and oxygen, and defibrillator on hand.

Wordless Wednesday- Trying on a hat

Jonathon is going to an allergist! Woo hoo

Thank God. Since I have known him, he has been sniffling and hacking about 75% of the year. He got a new PCP and they referred him to an allergist. Today he goes and sees this allergist for the first time. He THINKS they are going to do allergy tests today but my guess is that it will just be an initial consultation. Please God, let this fix his nasty sinuses and nose.

Has anyone had allergy testing done as an adult? DO they still do all the needles in your back like they did back when I was a kid?

Kiddie Kandids pic

Last week when my mom and I were at Babies R Us, the photographer asked if she could take some pictures of Bailey (for practice and to enter in a photography contest, supposedly). They just opened a Kiddie Kandids studio there a few months ago.We got a free 8x10 out of the deal.

Normally, I get her pictures done at JC Penneys for a lot cheaper. That's where we went this morning for her Valentine's Day pics. There was a new photographer there this morning, and she did a really good job. I even ended up ordering one pose with both me and Bailey in it. I hate pictures of me lately.

But anyway, here is the one they took last week. I think it turned out really cute :)

Church Nursery

Okay, so normally I am very happy with our church nursery. Well, not that I'm NOT happy today, but there's a story here. I work in the nursery every other Sunday morning, as I have for four years now. I also do paid childcare at church on Tuesday mornings and on Wednesday evenings. So I'm there a lot. I know how things work, or how they are supposed to work. Once in a while, things don't go according to plan, but it's usually not a big deal.

Today Bailey was in her little classroom and did surprisingly well when I dropped her off. She has been having her separation anxiety issues at home when I am not near her, but she seems to do better when we are somewhere else. She is much more independent away from home, most likely because there are new things to explore. Which is funny, because my friend Amy's little girl is the opposite. We were discussing that the other day. But anyway, I dropped her off and she seemed okay. I was working in another classroom during the first service but poked my head in at the end and she was still okay. I wondered if she would last through Sunday School because it would be her naptime, and last week she was fussy then. I kind of expected to be paged.

So I am sitting listening to announcements and my pager starts vibrating. These things really get your attention, but like I said I wasn't surprised. I picked up my purse (so I could show ID) and walked to the nursery. As I passed the front desk I asked if she was having a hard time. They said no, that she had gotten hurt! What? My baby got hurt in her classroom?

When I got to the door of her classroom, she was sobbing and one of the ladies was carrying her around and trying to distract her with a book. She had a big cut spot on her forehead and it was already starting to bruise. Of course she wouldn't let them put ice on it. Her nose was snotting all over her face and mixing in with the tears. My poor girl. What happened was that she fell somehow (Jan, my guess is that she was trying to pull up or cruise along the cabinets but I guess I never asked)... anyway she bumped her forehead on the ONE thing in the room that could have possibly hurt her. I have never questioned whether the classrooms were safe, but there is a small hinge on the edge of the cabinet and of course her head collided with like that half inch spot in the entire classroom that could have hurt her.

I ended up taking her to the nursing room and sitting with her a while, letting her eat and calm down. We went back to the desk and talked to Kelli, and I decided to keep her with me for a little while. She was over it, but I wasn't. This was her first actual injury, I mean one that left a visible mark at least. And of course she has pictures scheduled for tomorrow morning. Time to break out the concealer. After walking around with her for a bit and then trying to sit with her in church, I gave up and took her back to the nursery after all for like the last fifteen minutes.

My mom picked her up afterwards and asked why she got hurt, if the teachers weren't watching or if there were too many kids in there. I told her no, that it could have happened at home. Those things happen so fast. Even when you think the area is totally safe, the kids will find the one spot that can hurt them. It's just bad luck and part of being a kid to have those bumps and bruises... but it did really make me sad. I almost cried, and I know Bailey forgot about it hours ago but here I am blogging about it. I'm really not mad at all or upset with the nursery. She's a busy girl and pulling up and getting into everything, so I'm surprised it didn't happen before now. But this also means she is getting bigger and becoming more of a kid and less of a baby.

Anyway, if you made it this far I am impressed. Sometimes it just helps for me to get my thoughts written out. You should see how many posts I have that never made it out of the draft stage.

This picture was taken in Bailey's old nursery classroom just before Christmas.

Refusing to Pose

My kid absolutely refuses to sit still while I take her picture. The other day I thought she looked so cute and grown up in her "big girl jeans" and I wanted to get a picture of her before we left the house. This is what I ended up with:

Little Bird is here!

Congrats to Guy and Canape on the arrival of their Bird. We are all so happy for you. Can't wait to see pictures and hear all about him. I know he is wonderful.

7 Things Meme

I was tagged by my friend Harmony for this one-

Seven Random Things About ME:

1. I have secret crushes on weird people. In the past, they have included Simon Cowell, George W. Bush (no throwing tomatoes), Donald Trump, John Stamos, and Kurt Cobain.

2. I have a degree in Communication, which I haven't used in years. I was registered for grad school (M.A. in Speech Comm) and was going to teach public speaking to fund post grad endeavor, but I decided I was tired of school and moved back to the Lou instead.

3. I have a Monica closet. And a Monica room, and drawers... my house is always very neat looking, but if you open any drawer or cabinet it is likely to look like a tornado struck. It drives Jonathon crazy, whereas he is just obviously sloppy.

4. Some of my best girlfriends are ones I have met online. We talk, we share secrets, we send gifts, we email, we read blogs. I have learned that you can find people just like you, and totally different, and connect with them and support them in a very real way.

5. I love reading celebrity gossip. I enjoy knowing who got dumped by who (whom?), whether Lindsay is in alcohol rehab again, and my FAVORITES are "Stars, they're just like US" in US Weekly and "Fashion Police" in People.

6. My favorite food is basically anything that can be dipped in a sauce, like cheese or honey mustard or ketchup. Probably explains my love for The Melting Pot!

7. My left pinky finger keeps falling asleep.

I am tagging Baby Makes Three and Happily Ever After, two girls who don't usually do this kind of stuff. We'll see if they play along :)

First hairclip and sharing a popsicle with Daddy

Today I was getting Bailey ready and decided to experiment with her hair clippies. Until now she has only worn the headband bows, except for her Christmas picture when I managed to get a bow clipped in her hair. She didn't want to hold still for me to put this in, so I did it while she was in the highchair having lunch and she never noticed once it was in. I can't believe how much more hair she's gotten recently!

Aren't I cute??

Bailey has been so crabby I can hardly stand it. We are pretty sure it's her teeth. Sometimes Tylenol or Motrin helps and other times, it doesn't. Plus I don't want to just drug her up all the time, but I want to try to keep her comfortable too. We had been using Orajel and then a pediatrician I know said it doesn't do much anyway, so we haven't been using it much lately. Bailey loves to chew on cold teething rings so today Jonathon let her try his popsicle. She loved it! He will let her suck on it and bite tiny pieces off. They finished a whole popsicle together and she cried when it was gone, so they had a second one.


She sure does like to take her shoes off!

I am giving up

on my weight loss blog. I never update it, and it has not inspired me or kept me accountable like I hoped it would. So from now on, my weight loss updates will be here. So far, I am down about 5 pounds from when I started. I think I am going to put a weight loss ticker on here when I have a few minutes. Right now my daughter is being very demanding! Also I started two days ago with writing down ALL my Weight Watchers points again and I know that help my eating habits.

Wordless Wednesday- Sleeping Baby

I love that she sleeps with her little bottom in the air, always.

New Activity...

Hey look! I can see you guys through here! (Looking down at Daddy, who was standing at the top of the first flight of stairs).


What would happen if I put this toy through here??

Ahh, never mind. You guys never give me my toys back anymore when I drop them. I'm going to hang on to this guy.


**This activity was carefully supervised, but thanks for asking**

Amby Baby Bed

I am thankful that Bailey was never colicky or even a horrible sleeper. Sure, she went through her phases, but I know some people who have to buy special baby beds just to get their kids to sleep! This one was sent to us to try, and I got a few pictures of her in it. It's the Amby Baby Bed, and the website says that it is recommended for babies who have colic or reflux or who are preemies, restless sleepers, or short nappers. When the baby moves, the bed bounces on the spring that it is suspended from and kind of bounces/rocks them back to sleep. Also, we discovered that you can kind of adjust the angle of the hammock or incline so that the baby can sleep more or less upright in it.

Here is our bed when we first got it set up:

Bailey wasn't really sure why we were putting her in here. She was busy exploring.


Hi, guys!

And here she is finally resting in the bed.

The website says it is for up to 24 months, however I think that she could climb out of it now, so I would not let her sleep or nap in this bed if I wasn't right there. I am glad we don't have sleep issues with her, but for someone with a smaller baby who wasn't a good sleeper I think this bed could be a lifesaver!

Tomorrow

Please say a prayer for this beautiful and brave woman. She is fighting breast cancer and has surgery scheduled for tomorrow.

http://toddlerplanet.wordpress.com/2008/01/21/tomorrow/

Belated Christmas Pics

Here are our pictures from Christmas in Oklahoma City with Jonathon's parents. They are pretty blurry because they were taken with our video camera (so no flash) because we (I) forgot the memory card for our digital camera. I tend to do that. So here are the memories from the horrible week. Apparently we ONLY took pictures on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I guess we didn't even want to remember anything else. LOL

Taking a bath in Grandma's sink on Christmas Eve. Let me tell you we had to seriously scrub that sink before putting her in it. Their kitchen makes me want to vomit.


Checking out what Santa brought- Christmas morning- this was her first gift (from Mom and Dad obviously).



Yay, Mommy!

Opening our presents on Christmas Day




Stopping to check out the Christmas tree :)

Opening more Christmas presents


We spent Christmas afternoon/evening with Jonathon's cousins and aunts and uncles. They are all much more normal than his parents. In fact his parents are really the only weirdos in the family. I don't quite understand. Anyway here is Bailey's cousin Grace and great uncle Marvin.

Bailey with cousin Isaac, who was one in November.

Tomorrow is my day off!

This morning I called Jonathon and said, "I just wanted to let you know, I am taking tomorrow off. I will be leaving soon after I wake up, and I'll be home by five."

LOL this followed on the tail of an argument we had at about 4 a.m. and me saying that I JUST NEED A BREAK! He said he would be willing to give me a break but I never let him know when. Sure I get breaks here and there to meet a friend for dinner or to do things that need to be done like grocery shopping or Avon or (total necessity here) blogging. But I just want a day for me. Maybe that's selfish and maybe not. I think it makes me a better mother, when I have time for myself and can relax. I come back so anxious to cuddle with Bailey and do everything with her.

So far my plans tomorrow include going to the gym, returning some stuff at Kohl's, and getting a new book at the library and sitting and Bread Company and reading. At some point my friend Faith is meeting up with me there for coffee.

And of course I can't sign off without sharing some new pics of my Bug in her Pooh dress.




Jonathon should be excited about watching her. I love it, I feel like anyone should be honored to watch MY kid :) He'd probably do almost anything to put off doing his performance management stuff for work.