Cranio-rectosis

Well, we survived Christmas. The girls had a wonderful time and thankfully it wasn't over-done. The big hit with Elizabeth was the Dora the Explorer umbrella that was in her stocking at Boop's house. Who'd have thought a $6 umbrella would be **the** big hit?! Katherine loved the ribbons, bows, paper and tags - typical baby!! Although, she did love her baby doll from Santa, too; just not as much as the ribbons, bows, paper and tags!

Now we just need to get all evidence of Christmas out of the house. The tree is driving me nuts. It's been up for a month...time to go! However, I'm taking a mommy vacation today (Brad has E with him) and as soon as they get home from my sister's, I'm out the door. I may take Nin with me, but I'd really like a total mommy vacation -- leave everyone home with Dad and let me go do some "me" stuff (i.e. Scrapbook Corner is having their pre-inventory clearance sale and I'm feeling the need to shop for stuff). And I'm out of coffee, which is just wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. How could I have let myself run out of coffee? Apparently I'm suffering from cranio-rectosis (head up the butt disease) and that's the only reason I could've let it happen.

I've uploaded a "scrapbook page" of the year in review. Trying to learn Hello which is apparently a pain in the butt - even for those of us who pride ourselves on knowing IT applications.

Now I know how they feel

A little over a week ago Elizabeth had an eardrum that was about to rupture. This morning mine did. I spent the majority of last night "tugging" on my ear and trying to determine if it was a Eustachian tube dysfunction or if it was a true ear infection. Now I know. It's no wonder they scream and cry when they have ear infections. It hurts!

Thank goodness I'm in tight with my family doc and he had a spare Z-Pak at his house! Now let's hope Katherine and I don't get thrush.

It wasn't the Kool-Aid® and what did he mean???

First of all, it wasn't the Tropical Punch Kool-Aid® that made Elizabeth hurl. She had a "raging" ear infection (to quote the pediatrician) in her right ear. It was so bad that she ended up with a Rocephin shot on Friday morning when we saw the ped. Her right ear drum was bulging from the pressure behind it and he told me her ear drum might rupture. He said if we didn't do the shot, it would *definitely* rupture. My big girl was *miserable*!!!! I said, "Then let's do the shot." I know they hurt like hell (I had one when I had pneumonia a few years ago) - but they kick in so quickly and make such a difference. And I wanted to get her on the road to recovery as quickly as possible. She slept almost all day on Friday, but by 7:00 she definitely had some of the sparkle back in her eyes and was starting to be my happy girl again. We started oral antibugs on Saturday. She's still a bit whiney, but definitely better!

Sunday was Katherine's baby dedication at church. The service was great, even though there was little glitch in the PowerPoint presentation. I love the additional things we've done to make it more personal - a photo of the family and then a photo of the baby with a passage of Scripture. The choir softly "ooohed" "Silent Night" and the orchestra played as Jeff called each baby's name and we came forward. Afterward, I gave each family a copy of the slideshow on CD and a high quality print of their slides (on acid-free paper, of course, it's the scrapbooker in me!). They were thrilled to have it and it was a fun thing to do for them.

So, after baby dedication, a friend of mine approached me with tears in her eyes and said, "When I saw you walking down the aisle with that baby I thought 'There's Gina! With a baby! And her second baby at that!' After all those years we thought it wouldn't happen and prayed that it would. Now you have TWO!" Then she grinned and asked, "And number three?" I laughed and told her not to let Brad hear her ask that question because he says he's done, though I'd like one more. After Kay walked away, Brad asked what she'd said and I told him. In response to the #3 question he said, "You have seven months." What? "You have seven months to get pregnant again. You have to be pregnant again by the time I turn 40." So...does that mean he's okay with the idea of another baby? What would YOU take that to mean? Sounds like permission to "go for it" to me!

Thank goodness for OxiClean!

Tonight (okay, technically last night since it is 1:45a.m.) was the 2nd time in her life that my child has had Tropical Punch Kool-Aid®. Tonight was the 2nd time in her life that she's vomited. Once upon a time, that would've had me hurling as well, but I didn't care. All I knew was that my baby was retching and it was tearing my heart out! I think it grossed-out my husband to no end that quite a bit of it landed on me (clothes, body and hair all wash, son...calm down!)

At 10:30p.m. I heard her moaning in her sleep and I could tell she was beginning to run fever (she moans and talks in her sleep when she's running fever). At 11:00p.m., she woke up so I got her out of bed and gave her a dose of Children's Motrin. Now, I realize that an allergy usually won't make one run a fever...but I find it incredibly strange that both times she's had the Tropical Punch flavor (which is really, really red) she's hurled. She can drink Strawberry and Cherry flavors just fine. But *both* times she has had the Tropical Punch flavor...I've had to change her clothes and wash Bankdee (her purple blanket). Thank God she didn't hit Beh Bear or we'd be *sunk* (he's surface washable only...and I had to get the Woolite Upholstery Cleaner after him last time). At 11:45 I talked to the nurse because her fever was climbing. At midnight, it was down despite her having hurled the Motrin. When she was throwing her basketball and bouncing it off my head then laughing about it (the first time I didn't think she'd done it on purpose - however, when she giggled the next time it happened I knew she was being an imp). You're fine, you're going back to bed. Read her a few books then laid her in her bed. She asked for Bankdee. I told her I'd go get him out of the dryer and bring him to her. I walked back into her room less than a minute later...you guessed it, she was out like a light. Good, because Bankdee was still damp. The vast majority of red emesis landed on Bankdee so he needed a good soak in OxiClean and hot water. But, he looks brand new now! I love OxiClean!

I have friends who swear by the Mr. Clean Eraser (one friend even gave me one but I haven't used it yet). I'm one of those moms who swears by OxiClean. That stuff has gotten some major league stains out of things around this house. Two thumbs up from me and two more from my spousal unit...so that's a total of four (in case you can't do simple math) thumbs up from the Egg crate. Okay, get that glazed over look off your face. Jiminey crickets!

On another note...can I just say I'm ready for Eliza to get kicked off the island (or wherever they are on Survivor)?

Insomnia just sucks!

I haven't been to bed before 2:30a.m. for over two months now. Well, I'll go to bed around 10 or 11 a couple of times a week - do what I was there to do then get up (yes, that) until I realize it's 2:30 and if I don't get into bed, I'll have a ticked off husband. Every morning when he calls from the office he asks what time I came to bed and let me tell you, 3:45 NEVER sits well despite the fact that he was asleep and never realized I'd slid into the bed. I mean, he's asleep why does he care when I came to bed?! Oh well...I'm trying to do better, which explains why it is 1:30 a.m. I have two scrapbooks laying on the chest and I'm working on both of them plus blogging. Yes, I slugged a cold cup of coffee at about 10:45 tonight (it had been sitting by the computer since 10:00 this morning).

Katherine is doing the commando crawl all over the house - that means we now get the vacuum out at least three times a day. Haven't had to do that for about 18 months! Elizabeth dropped a huge hunk of chocolate chip cookie this evening and Katherine was on it before I realized what had happened. Let's just say she is definitely my child...she loved it and she wailed when I took it away from her. The kid doesn't have a tooth in her head! She can't have cookies yet!!! She's also finally sitting without support and tries to get herself into a sitting position but hasn't managed yet.

I'm ready for Christmas to get here and be gone. I'm ready to take down my tree and focus on decluttering my house...yeah, just after Christmas and a 2nd birthday...declutter...right. What planet did I come from?!

Wonder what they'll make on Iron Chef tonight. Right now, Rachel Ray is doing Seattle on $40 a day. Will she blow her budget?! Ooooh, the suspense!