Doctor's Appointments & French Fry Dilemas

Marc and I have been concerned for awhile now because our two year old daughter, Bella, is not speaking very well. She has a vocabulary of only 6 words and she does try and repeat words that we say but the words always come out sounding mumbled and jumbled. My son, at the age of 2, had a huge vocabulary and was speaking in full, clear sentences. Now, I am not comparing the two because I know that no two children develop at the same rate, however, 6 words is also way below where she should be as far as milestones go. Bella had a long period of Cyclic Fevers (which is a post all in itself) that lasted for about a year in which the fevers would come on a regular cycle and would exceed 106 degrees for days at a time. So we were concerned that her hearing could have been affected by the fevers and that could be the reason she is not talking well yet- she just doesn't hear us and understand what we are saying in order to repeat them. I brought up my concern to our pediatrician at our last visit and he felt my concerns were justified and referred us to the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Specialist that we saw today. We had an appointment with an Audiologist first to perform a hearing test on Bella. The Audiologist stuck a series on tube/plugs in Bella's ears and played sounds on a machine to see how Bella reacted. She then stuck another instrument in her ears to see if Bella had any fluid in her ears. The right ear was fine but there was a substantial amount of fluid behind her left eardrum. Next, the audiologist put Bella and I in a sound proof booth to do a more in-depth test. This booth was tiny! Not good for me who is claustrophobic. It was in the shape of a triangle and at it's largest point was probably 5 or 6 feet long. It was like sitting in a walk in shower with a ceiling on it and a solid door. Yuck! There were big speakers in each corner and the Audiologist could see through a tinted window as she made noises and spoke to Bella through the different speakers. Most of the time the sound (ranging in pitches and volume) would come from one speaker at a time but a few times it would come from both. It was very interesting to see how- and how often Bella responded. She didn't do well with the real low pitches or the low volume sounds.
Here is what the booth looked like.
This is showing one corner of the booth where the speakers were. On top of the speaker was a little box that would light up and inside was a bunny that played the drums every time Bella would respond correctly. You can see just how small this booth is because I couldn't even get a third of it into one shot- teeny!


This is where the Audiologist sat during the test. She could look through the window to see Bella but we could not see her.

And of course as we were wrapping up big brother Kyle had to get in on the action too!

Bella did amazing throughout the entire test- I couldn't even believe it! The hearing test lasted over 45 minutes!!!

Next we went to an exam room and waited to see the Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist. Dr. "R".

While we were waiting the kids decided to explore the room and check things out. For as many doctors we have been to I have found that this is the best thing to do- let them explore and get comfortable with the surroundings- they do better once the Dr comes in! And this chair was a lot of fun!

The ENT examined Bella, explained the results of the hearing test and the concerns with the fluid behind her eardrum. The fluid is not infected (yet) but it is there and it will continue to be there because her canal isn't shaped right to allow for easy drainage. What makes it more concerning is that Marc (and his side of the family) has issues with hearing problems and hearing loss. The Dr said he wanted to take the most proactive approach and have tubes put in her ears. My heart sank. I know, I know, it isn't terrible............. it could be so much worse. The thing is, it is a surgery- a 20 minute outpatient surgery- but still a surgery! A surgery with anesthesia! And potential risks. I think of everything she has been through over the last year and think that this is just one more thing. You would think that we would have to drag her into Dr's appointments kicking and screaming after all of the Dr's, specialists, tests that she has had but she is a trooper. My brave little trooper.

After we left the appointment we walked through the humongo parking lot, loaded the kids in the van, buckled them both into their car seats and drove a mile up the road and went to our pediatrician's office. I scheduled an appointment with him because Bella has had a fever again since Monday and a bad cough whenever she lays down to go to sleep. He examined her and said that he wanted a chest xray just to be sure. So, we walked back through the little parking lot, loaded the kids back in the van, buckled both of them in their car seats and headed back to the hospital branch a mile down the road, walked through the humongo parking lot and into the waiting room to get the xray. The receptionist told us it would be about 10 minutes. Huh. Thirty five minutes later we still hadn't been called, it is after noon by now and the kids and I are hungry, they are tired and we are approaching baby meltdown in 3...............2.......................1- BAM! Both kids fall out at exactly the same time. Kyle fell and hurt his knee while trying to run away from Bella because he just stole her kitty. So they are both crying, screaming, moaning. And I didn't even try to make them be quiet. Nope. Sure, I soothed them but didn't make any attempt to hush them. It was amazing how fast we were taken back to x ray after they started their fits! Bella once again did great with her x ray and within 10 minutes we were headed back to the pediatrician's office. Walk back through the humongo parking lot again, buckle both kids into car seats, drive 1 mile up the road, park the van, unbuckle the kids and walk through the little parking lot. Dr pulls up Bella's x rays on his computer- everything looks great. Given orders to give Albuterol treatments up to three times per day, as needed, for the coughing, check back in a week. I asked the pediatrician (whom I trust 100% due to the relationship we have built) about the tubes. He agreed with the ENT/ specialist and said that he is one of the best pediatric ENTs and if he says get them- we should get them. Talk to the girls in the office for a few minutes and head out the door. Walk through the little parking lot, buckle both kids into their car seat- AGAIN and Kyle is begging for french fries. Drive through Wendy's, my son proceeds to yell out his order from the backseat causing the poor girl at the mic to not be able to hear a thing and confuse everyone within earshot.

"Welcome to Wendy's, can I take your order?" Wendy's

"I want french fries!!" Kyle

"Kyle- please be quiet!" Me

"Can I help You?" Wendy's

"But I want FRENCH FRIES!" Kyle

"What size fry do you want?" Wendy's

"Ky please!" Me

"I want 4 fries!" Kyle

"Ok but what size for your four fries?" Wendy's

"NO! We don't want four fries- we only want two orders of fries. Ky- please stop talking! I am trying to think!" Me

"Fine then. Let me know when you are ready to order! Geez!" Wendy's

"Crap! No- not you! I was speaking to my son, he is trying to order, sorry- I know what we want." Me

"Oh, okay then- go ahead with your order." Wendy's

"I would like 2 small fries, 2 chicken wraps.........." Me

"I WANT 4 ICE CREAM MILKSHAKES PLEASE!" Kyle

"4 frostys? What size and what flavor?" Wendy's

"Kyle STOP!" Me

"I'm sorry- what flavor?" Wendy's

"Large pink ones please!" Kyle

"Kyle!" Me

"I'm sorry we don't have frostys in strawberry- chocolate and vanilla only" Wendy's

"I want pi..............." Kyle

"HUSH! NO MORE!" Me

"Lady- would it be easier for you to come in the store? You have my line wrapped around to the road." Wendy's

"NO! No it would NOT be easier to come in the store! GIVE ME TWO SMALL FRIES, TWO CHICKEN WRAPS, TWO CHOCOLATE FROSTYS AND A CHEESEBURGER! That's all please. Thank you." Me

"Okay, pull around." Wendy's

Oh how I did not want to pull around. I did not want to pull around and show my face. OH! Big sunglasses............ that will work.

Pull up to the window hand her my credit card....

"Sorry Ma'am our credit card machine is broken- we can only accept cash." Wendy's

"Are you kidding? I have no cash! Seriously!?!?! You have got to be joking!" Me (on verge of break down)

"Here's your food ma'am- you just go on now and have a good day." Wendy's (with eyes bugging out of her head like she was now afraid of the crazy lady with the large sunglasses and loud child shouting orders from the backseat.)

I swiped the bag and headed home. Who knew french fries would be so much work! And by the time we got the french fries and milkshake guess what- both kids conked out cold in the back seat. Didn't touch the first fry. ARGH!!!!!!!!! But I did get to listen to my own radio station all the way home. That was a treat!

Boy, I am SO ready for a nap.

~Heather :O

My Dirty Lil' Secret...

I have been working on a painting project for weeks now. My husband and I picked up a china cabinet from Craig's List and I whined and moaned for three weeks before my husband was finally able to get help to move it up the stairs to our apartment. Within 15 minutes of it sitting in our dining room I had a coat of paint on it and was starting the doors. I was SO excited! Well, here it is almost another 3 weeks later and I am still not finished painting it and have grown tired of walking around with white paint in my hair- resembling a cross between Kitty Bartholomew and Cruela Deville. I have been working on this thing every spare moment I can steal. Being that we live in an apartment I have to do all of the painting in the apartment- which means: while the kids are sleeping. I keep saying "One more coat and it will be done." But being the anal retentive perfectionist that I am, that one more coat just never looks good enough. Plus, I am now working on painting the inside of the cabinet- not easy. Here is a sneak peek at my progress.......


Yesterday I sat and stared at the cabinet, knowing what had to be done but dreading opening up that gallon of white paint again to add "just one more coat", So I decided I needed inspiration. I thought if I could go look at my beautiful tea pots and antique china that will go into my cabinet that maybe that would motivate me to get the painting finished. Well, my teapots and china are being stored (with what seems like everything else) in our den. A.K.A. "The danger zone" One drawback of living in an apartment is that we don't have a basement to store things. So, our den is currently being used to store my china and collectibles, baby clothes, all decorations for the baby room, fabric that I am going to use to decorate and make bedding and curtains for the baby room etc. Plus, I am using it for a work room of sorts to paint the doors for the china cabinet and keep them away from little fingers.

So behind these closed doors..................

Is my Dirty Little Secret......................

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!! I know! Isn't it terrible? YUK-EEEEE!!!!!!! Needless to say I walked into this danger zone yesterday, and didn't even attempt to look at my china. Seeing this mess again was inspiration and motivation enough to run back out, open up the paint and slap another coat on the cabinet. You see, I am not a messy person. This site makes my skin itch- literally. If I am in a messy environment too long I literally break out in a rash similar to hives. In my home I believe in the "A place for everything and everything in it's place" philosophy. It's comforting to me to have myself surrounded by organization.

This bugs me....

This is typical me.................

All cabinets, closets, dressers, nooks and crannies are organized, aligned, and labeled.............

Yes, those are labels. Sad I know. I label everything. At first it started out as a joke because my husband was always telling me he didn't put things away because he wasn't sure he knew where to put them. Well, everything being clearly marked now, that is no longer an issue. Occasionally the pink silicone bake ware still gets mixed in with the large casseroles but it is better. At one point the labeling got so bad that I was coming down the hall with my label maker just looking around and heard my husband say "It's OK kids! I'll protect you from mommy and her label making machine of terror!" As he stretched his arms out to shield the children I proceeded to print off a label that said "goof" and stuck it to his forehead.

Needless to say the office mess is leaving me very itchy and feeling like this........

Unfortunately I have a series of projects to do and they have to be done in a certain order. In order to put my china away the cabinet has to be finished. In order to put baby clothes away the dressers have to be painted, in order to paint the dressers the den has to be cleared out of stuff and the walls have to be painted first, etc etc etc. I am sure you get the point. It all comes down to this obnoxious china cabinet that I was so excited about. Until it is done- nothing else will get done. So... I guess I better go get busy. Wish me luck............. I think I am going to need it.

Wishing you all the motivation you need...

~Heather :)

Cute Soap!

Okay, I know I already posted today but this is so cute I just have to share. Well, it's cute to me. I hate having things out that aren't decorative. If it has to serve a purpose I prefer it be in a pretty package as well. Despite my best efforts to put the dish soap in it's place under the sink when it's not in use- it always ends up staying on the edge of the sink. Let's face it....... those bottles just aren't all that pretty. As I was making dinner this evening I kept looking at that dish soap and it bugged me. The big old plastic bottle all cluttered with it's wordy label. So, I had a light bulb go off! I took one of my small oil and vinegar bottles, filled it with the dish soap and VOILA!!! I have a pretty bottle that is also functional, that I won't mind having out on the edge of my sink. How handy is that? Now if I could just figure out how to decoupage the coffee pot... :)

I Am So Stumped

Last night we had someone pick up our entertainment center that we sold on Craig's List. I was SO excited to get that big honkin piece of furniture out of my living room- finally! It was a dark cherry color stain and was seriously gynormous- it took up an entire wall. It was like this big dark hole in an otherwise light and airy space and you almost hated walking near the thing for fear of being sucked up by it's dark force... never to be seen again. Okay, exaggeration I know- so let's just say it didn't go with the look I am seeking and I am really really really grateful that it is now gone. After it was moved out my husband flipped the sofa to the other wall... brought in my beloved over sized wicker chairs that have been in storage and rearranged the tables. We were both pleased with the new look but something was not right. We both were sitting down looking around, then we stood up and looked around, sit back down- look some more. Hmmm What is it? Oh yeah! It's the big honkin wicker chairs. These bad boys are so over sized that they perhaps don't really fit the scale of anything else in the room. My husband suggested we paint them white so they won't stand out so much. Hmmm- painting wicker? I already have a million painting projects on my to-do list but I kind of think he is right. They are a dark stain now and they kind of are scratched up from storage and being moved around so much....... I don't know. I have walked past them all day today and still haven't been able to decide. I'll think about it later.
I am still painting the china cabinet! The bottom section is done, I need one more coat on the four doors and today I put the first coat on the top section. Not fun- a lot of glass that can not be removed- therefore a lot of trimming in a very tight space. It's like twisting yourself in origami. Not so easy to do at 5 months preggers. As frustrating as it is that this thing is taking soooo long it is also very gratifying seeing it come together and everyday making progress. What I thought would take two weeks has turned into.......................... well, that's embarrassing so we'll just say longer than two weeks!
And my BIG STUMP of the day- or the decade- is the master bedroom. My husband and I have moved a lot in our almost 5 years of marriage and one thing I have found is that the master bedroom is always the last to get done/decorated. Why is this??? It needs to be my happy place! It needs to be serene and our little haven. It needs to be done and not look like a college dorm room. Actually, I can guarantee that half of college dorms in America look better and more inviting than my bedroom does right now. I always try and decorate all of the rooms first that other people will see- the rooms you are in the most. And then by the time we get to the master bedroom I am out of time, money and ideas. I have so many things and purposes for this room that it is hard to put it into a gallon of paint and a few yards of fabric. I want it to be restful, serene, bright and cheery, comforting, romantic. I want to walk in and go "Ahhhh....." I want it to be such a wonderful room that I am going to want to put all the laundry away as soon as it comes out of the dryer as opposed to leaving it sit in a hamper by the bed. I want it to be so calming and restful that I can go in and lay in bed and fall asleep instead of laying awake trying to figure out how I can change it and make it better. I want to walk into the room and feel like someone just wrapped an old quilt around me. I want my husband and I to want to spend time in there. I have painted this room more times than I care to admit, brought home countless bedding sets, curtains, and accessories. We just sold our brand new bedroom set to purchase old antique dressers- which is what I want but they aren't pulling anything together like I had hoped. I have seen pictures of bedrooms that I love. The most recent one I saw is along the same lines. Blue and white bedding, toile wallpaper, vintage accessories. I have a pattern! It must be what I should do! But I CAN'T!!!!!!!!!!! I have tried and tried for the last four years to order toile wallpaper for our bedroom and as soon as I am right there to do it I freeze up and chicken out. What if it looks too busy? What if my room ends up looking like an old granny's room? What is that? Why can't I just do it? Well, I am a chicken. A very cheap chicken in fact. Wallpaper isn't cheap like a gallon of paint. The paper I want is SO not cheap at all. And once it's up on the walls there is no turning back. Sure you could strip it off and throw $500 in the trashcan but I can't! And I don't want to do that! The paper is gorgeous, my husband says go for it (a man that doesn't mind toile?) and I can see the whole room in my head and it is lovely. Problem is I have these images of rooms in my head from time to time and they are lovely but once it is put into reality- well, they aren't so lovely. So what happens if our room is one of those rooms that looks great in my head but not in real life? What is wrong with me? I have thought about toile wallpaper forever and now I am being a chicken. (Ok I have been a chicken forever too) Am I starting to fear making a design mistake? I used to be fearless when it came to decorating! Of course, I used to have a lot more time to make and correct design mistakes without 2 small children underfoot. Or am I just allowing the financial part of it keep me from doing it? After all, I keep going to that website.....staring at the wallpaper.........I just can not bring myself to hit that "submit order" button. Hmmm.... and I wonder why the master bedroom is always the last to get done?? I'll keep ya'll posted if I have a revelation. he he he For now I am just stumped.

~Heather :)

Some Weekend Projects

My husband was gone all weekend doing a bathroom remodel for a relative so I decided to do some projects of my own. I washed 8 loads of baby clothes and put them away, recovered a chair for my son's room, hung pictures in my master bedroom (finally), potted all of my plants and decorated my balcony, hung shelves and reorganized my kids closets, cleaned my son's room, reorganized the coat closet, hung a towel bar in the bathroom, hung some mirrors and did some more painting on the china cabinet-which at this point feels as though will never be done! I got a lot accomplished but here are a few things I wanted to share with you.
First, I took an old chandelier that we have had laying in the garage for a couple of years and gave it new life. It started out black and brown and gross all over.......

And with a couple coats of white paint, some crystal prisms and a red and white toile scrunchie sleeve that I made for the chain it is now a beautiful feature in our dining room area.

Thank You to my darling husband for hanging it for me!

Next I gathered up a bunch of my old mismatched mirrors that were hidden in a closet or hanging in other rooms and painted them all white and hung them together in my hallway. I was inspired by Cindy at Romantic Home and Kim at Dear Daisy Cottage to do these mirrors as these talented ladies have the most beautiful collections that I just swoon over every time I visit their blogs. If you haven't been to Cindy and Kim's blogs you should really check them out- AHH-inspiration and beauty abound.

How did I do?

Now keep in mind that my camera is not very good- and the photographer is even worse. But hopefully you get the idea! These projects were a lot of fun and with all the work I got done this weekend I feel like I am that much closer to completing my to-do list and getting my home to where I want it. 14 items checked off............... 36 to go. Geez.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

~Heather :)

Stuck in the Middle and My Poopy Picasso

Thursday and Friday evening we drove around rounding up clothes for our upcoming arrival. We found some ads on Craig's List for baby girl's clothes and decided to check them out. You see, last summer we decided we weren't going to have any more babies- at least not for a few years- so we got rid of everything from clothes to toys, highchairs to car seats. Well, right before Christmas we got a little surprise. I decided I was not going to spend a ton of money on baby clothes this time because this WILL be our last child so I wanted to do second hand. Thursday evening we drove to one house and the stuff was........well........... nicely put- it was junk. Friday we drove to another house and hit the jack-pot. I ended up with 5 big boxes of clothes for $30! All were gently used or still had the tags on them. We stopped at the gas station on the way home to fill up and as the kids and I were sitting in the car while my husband pumped gas my son (3 years old) said (in the most pathetic voice) "This isn't fun anymore. " Assuming I had misunderstood I asked "What did you say, honey?" He repeated "This isn't fun anymore."
"What's not fun anymore?"
"All we do is drive around, drive around, getting clothes for baby Cali and she isn't even here- but I am here!"
(Hmmmmmmmm. Where is this going? Tread lightly Mommy.) "Oh. Well, would it be more fun if we were driving around to get clothes for you?"
"Umm, yeah!"
"Well sweetheart, you have a lot of clothes but when you get bigger we will buy you more clothes."
"But I don't want to get bigger!"
"You don't want to get bigger?"
"No. I just want to be Kyle."
"Well honey, we all get bigger. Mommy and Daddy used to be little and we got bigger. Bella used to be little and she has gotten bigger. It's good to get bigger- that means you are healthy!"
"But I just want to be your little boy."
"You know, buddy- no matter how big you get you will always be mommy's little man. Always."
Daddy gets back in the car....
Kyle: "Cool! Chips!" Conversation over.
I sat there on the way home in a daze. I could not get his words out of my head. How awful! I keep thinking of how hard it is for me to watch my kids growing so fast- getting big right before my eyes and it is heartbreaking. He will be 4 in July and it does not seem possible! Where did all of that time go? But you know, I never once thought about how it effects him/them. He is stuck at this age between being a baby and being a big boy. He has been learning and absorbing like a sponge. Every new song he hears he has memorized in no time. Within the last few months he has learned how to recognize, sound out and write all of his letters, most of his numbers, tell time, he has been potty training, riding his bike, cleaning his own room, etc. Maybe he is doing too many "big boy" things too fast????? Maybe I see him and how much he has matured and therefore treat him like he is older. I need to step back and remember sometimes that he is only 3. I do expect a lot out of him most of the time- I always have because he has always acted older and done things way before he should. Maybe we both need to step back and enjoy the stage he is in a little more and ease into that big boy phase to make it easier for all of us. I think he made me realize that as hard as it is for me to see how big he is and how much he is learning and maturing it is equally- or more- difficult for him to be getting bigger and more mature. But now that I know, I will be able to nurture that a little more so that he will be more accepting of change and excited about who he is becoming instead of feeling like he is "stuck" in the middle.

Just a warning: The following story is not for the weak of stomach.
My daughter hates clothes. She loves shoes and she loves loves loves handbags (wonder where she gets that) but she despises clothes. Well- wearing them anyways. She does fine when we are out in public but the second we walk in the door everything comes off but her diaper. Recently though- within the last couple of months- the diaper has become an issue as well. This is a very frustrating thing for me because I can not convince her to leave it on nor can I stand messes. Uh huh. During the day is never a problem. It is when she lays down for a nap or when she gets up in the morning you walk in to find her butt naked and bouncing around like she just won the jelly bean lottery- free of the garbs of man! My little nudist hippy. Some day I will find the crib and everything in it soaked with pee. Ugh. Pick her up, throw her in the tub, get her dressed, go strip the bed, clean the mattress (thank God it's plastic) and then remake the bed. This has become a part of my daily routine- sometimes twice a day! It's like she is a dog marking her territory. I have tried everything short of wrapping duct tape around the waistband of her diaper to cover up the little Velcro closures. And the only reason I haven't done that is A. I am afraid she would mess with it and get it stuck to her body or B. (OK- 2 reasons) She would probably figure out how to get out of it regardless. I carry the monitor around like I am the C.I.A. listening for any indication that she is awake so I can run in and bust her in the act or keep her from doing it altogether- no such luck thus far. She is sneaky! And really, really quiet! You walk in and find her soaked with pee, bouncing up and down and laughing! She doesn't care- why should I? Well, because it is disgusting. Not just cleaning up the mess but the fact that it's all over her. Yuck! But it gets better........... actually worse. Much worse. Today- once again, for like the 5th or 6th time now- she pooped in her crib. But she doesn't just take off her diaper and poo in one corner like a Guinea pig or a rabbit would in a cage. No, not my daughter. You walk in to see it everywhere- and by everywhere I mean everywhere. She plays in it, she flings it across the room and she finger paints the crib and the wall with it. My little Poopy Picasso. Now I have never had a weak stomach- there is pretty much nothing that grosses me out. But this........... this grosses me out beyond being grossed out. I seriously do not think this can be normal. In all the years I have babysat and done daycare I have NEVER had a child do this. To think that she is playing in it and...YUCK-IE!!! Bacterial hazard! Bio hazard for goodness sake! When I tell family or friends about her doing this they laugh. The first time she did it was when my husband was at work and I called him to tell him and he laughed. Well, that following Sunday when he went in to get her out of bed in the morning- guess what he walked into. Uh huh- Poopy Picasso. Apparently- by the reaction he gave and the look on his face- he must have thought I was kidding or even exaggerating. He learned. There are certain things that your children do that you can look back on afterwards and laugh. When they color on the walls or themselves, dump all of the dish soap on the carpet or stick a piece of corn up their nose, but this................... this is not funny. It wasn't funny the first time and it isn't funny today. I see it as a health risk. Did I mention she is 2 years old? Old enough to know better!!! So my question to you is- did your children ever do this and if so, how did you get them to stop? Or should I just chalk it up as another mommy drama or mommy right of passage? Yuck. Sorry for the icky post but this has seriously got me stumped. I am desperate.

Wishing you all clean spaces and pleasant smells,

~Heather :)