I AM BELLA!!

The power was out for most of the morning. We survived without too much trouble until it came time to leave for church. I had no idea how to get the car out of the garage. Luckily I thought to call Matt and he patiently explained to his "blonde" sister that garage doors have a manual pull to open the door--just for such emergencies. After the use of a little brute strength (which I was quite proud of) we made it to church. It was dark there, too.

All that effort was worth it to hear Belle declaring very loudly during the sacrament: "I AM BELLA!" repeatedly. I was trying to sush her all the while trying hard not too laugh out loud. Then there was her asking for butter for her bread, and immediately looking around for "Water..Water...Water..". Then returning immediately to "I AM BELLA" declarations--just in case someone missed it the first time.

Two big things

Keith's big thing this week was sleeping 11 hours straight. That was last night after two days at Nanna's and Papa's, his first trip there. He only cat-napped yesterday 15-20 minutes at a time so maybe that had something to do with it. He was exhausted. He got a huge grin on his face when Uncle Matthew L asked him if he was watching over him while on his mission. We'll take that as a yes.

Belle's big thing is potty training. She had been complaining that her diaper was 'scratchy' all last week. So I explained to her that she wouldn't have to wear diapers anymore if she learned to use the toilet. Then she could wear panties. So she wanted some panties. I told her we would get some next time we went to the store. For three days she talked about "green panties", "purple panties", etc. After Keith's Dr appt on Monday we went to the store for panties. It was in the middle of a snow storm and I would have skipped the store if it weren't for my promise to buy panties. I still had no intention of actually having her wear them this week. I thought maybe in a couple months---I should have known better. This is Isabelle we are talking about here. The first thing she did when we got home was take them out of the shopping bags and ask to put them on. I guess I could have said no. But I made a quick decision to let her try it. The rest of the story is--she hasn't had an accident of any kind in three days. She has even been dry at night. GO Bella! (she is still wearing pull-ups for nights and car rides and church, etc...I'm just not ready to trust her with that quite yet...

Go away, you're bugging me...

Says Keith to Belle...
She has several times protested against him. Today, for the first time, he protested her. He has a good excuse--he went to the Dr today and got his first round of immunizations and was feeling rotten. Here he is--tired, feeling yucky, and hungry and trying to eat when a loud and boisterous sister comes up and talks way too energetically for his mood right at Mom (which happened to be right by his ear). He stopped eating very abruptly and made some noises that could only--very unmistakably--be interpreted as "go away, you are bugging me". And when it happened again 3 minutes later he said..."seriously--this is my Mom, I'm feeling rotten, stop talking in my ear! I don't care if you want to draw blue circles--just go away!!". Poor little guy.
(or should I say BIG guy--13 lbs. 12 oz. 24 1/4 in. long) Yes--my 2 mo old weighs almost 14 lbs.--

Worst...to Best

For the last month or so Sundays have been the most stressful, tiring days of the week. (i.e. the post of a few weeks ago about it was 'one of those days'), and I was starting to dread it. I officially labeled Sundays as "the worst days of the week". Trying to get myself and two little ones to church on time and then survive the 3 hour block and the tired worn-out afternoon(all of us tired and worn out)once it was over was just plain yucky.
So yesterday I decided that it just wasn't right that the Sabbath stirred such negative feelings for me, and that I wanted to do something about it. So last night after dinner I bathed both kids, and once they were asleep I showered as well--eliminating that step from the morning craziness. Then I read scriptures, and went to bed--hoping to get enough sleep to feel rested for the crazy day ahead. The sleep part didn't work out so well--but we did make it to church on time.

As we pulled into the parking lot Keith was crying in his car seat (he hates the car seat--cries more in it in an hour than the whole rest of the week), and Belle was looking sleepy which is great potential for grumpiness. I sent up a desperate plea for help.

Well, that help was sent in a number of different ways:
1--Baby sleeping during most of sacrament meeting.
2--patient nursery leader who will give Belle some one-on-one attention so she will stay in nursery for the WHOLE time--a record.(helps that there were only one or two other kids there today).
3--Primary President who decided I should be released from my calling--which at first I didn't really feel that was necessary--I thought I could do something to serve. And I probably can. But having that one less stress for an already difficult day made a HUGE difference in my ability to feel the Spirit and get strength out of going to church. I think I need that more than they need me to be the primary music leader.
4--teenage girl who sees me struggling with diaper bags, car seat, and toddler and carried said toddler to the car for me.

We actually stayed all three hours at church.

After church I focused on the kids and took it slow--didn't rush naps for anybody, or didn't rush Anything, actually. I asked Belle if she wanted a nap first or lunch first and she said "sucker first" (The teenager who carried her to the car gave her a Tootsie Pop). So she had a sucker first. Tomorrow I will have to practice "being the parent" and saying 'No' when it might not be the best idea--but today anything went. I did make her take off her dress first to not get it sticky.

The result: With a little extra effort and a little more exercise of faith, the worst day of the week turned out to be the best. As it should be.

STUFF

You can currently find the following items in my closet:
Old running t-shirts from as far back as 1996 (Some with several holes).
A few sweaters I bought in high school, and the suit jacket from my senior "interview suit" and portraits. A few sweaters and pants from college. Clothes I bought when I was working full-time and wearing business causal every day (haven't been worn in over two years). Dr. Martin sandals I can't bring myself to get rid of. An old pair of sandals from my mission that I will most likely never wear again. A cheap pair of flip flops that I only wore for about 10 minutes and decided they are too uncomfortable. etc., etc., etc.
I'm not boring you with this list to complain about my current (seriously dilapidated) wardrobe, but to confess...I AM A PACK RAT. I am either just too sentimental and emotionally attached to odd things like...an old pair of sandals; or think that someday I'll need that half-filled notebook from my first year of college.

This sort of odd assortment of old and hardly used things can be found not just in my closet, but in most of the closets, drawers, and boxes around here. It is only magnified by the facts that 1-David is a pack rat too and amoung other things has old game ticket stubs from who knows when and can rattle off scores and key plays of the games they are from, and 2-we are living in my parents house and we have our stuff filling in the cracks around their stuff. For example, a couple months ago I cleaned out their overflowing medicine cupboard and thew out anything that expired over 10 years ago. The cupboard was then half empty. (Must be were I get it from=).

David & I have had several conversations about this problem. Sometimes I get on a kick and start throwing things out...only to find I would have used something I got rid of as different things still sit unused in drawers. At least I throw out expired coupons. We had another conversation about this problem just last night and committed to each other to do better and help each other just get rid of it.

So today I added a new slideshow to the blog. Because I just couldn't bring myself to replace the old one.

Being TWO

Belle has officially started in on the "twos". She has been shouting things at me like "DO IT ALONE". This has evolved from the original "Do it self" because I would respond with "Ok, you can do it yourself, but let me help you". Not wanting help, she now uses "do it alone". Then there's the "MINE" when it comes to things like the camera, makeup, cell phones, and other things she shouldn't be playing with.

It has it's cute moments. Like yesterday when she didn't want to get dressed, and asked to wear this instead:


To me it seemed uncomfortably small and hot, but she didn't seem to care. She hoped right up on the piano bench and started playing and singing "Doe Me So Me" like Marie does in the movie.

And Here's my cuties(randomness):

If you give Belle a nugget...

Have you ever read the children's story "If you give a mouse a cookie"? Well, here's our own version:
If you give Belle a chicken nugget, she will want some sauce to dip it in. Dipping her nugget will remind her of dipping carrots in ranch, and she will want a carrot.
When you get her the carrot, she will want to make circles in the ranch on her plate(and her nugget in the sauce).
Making circles will remind her of her crayons and coloring, and she will want to get down and color.
When you let her color, she will want you to draw her a kitty.
If you draw her a kitty, it will remind her of her toy kitty. She will want you to get it.
If you get her the kitty, she will remember she likes to ride her horse with her kitty. If you let her ride her horse, she will want to get out all her farm animal toys. When you get out her farm animal toys, she will want to get out the blocks and make a pen for the animals.
If you make a pen for the animals, she will want to kick it over.
When she kicks it over, you will remind her not to kick too close to her brother, and she will want to play with her brother.
If you let her play with her brother, she will notice he has turtles on his clothes. And she will want to read the story about the turtle named "Simon James Alexandar Ragsdale the Third".
If you read her the story, she will want to sing the song that goes with it. When you sing the song it will make her want to dance. And when she dances she will sing "Shall We Dance" from the King and I.
Dancing will make her want to bounce, and she will want to go outside.
If you take her outside, she will want to bounce on the trampoline with the balls. If you let her play with the balls, she will remember she left a ball inside, and she will want to go inside.
If you take her inside, she will decide she is hungry, and want a nugget.
The End.

another thought...

Looking at the picture of Keith made me remember to mention...he now weighs 12 pounds!! 3 pounds in 6 weeks! If he keeps this up he'll be 30 pounds by his first birthday! Today he wore 3-6 month size shirt that fit a little snug, and 6 mo size pants. I bought a brand new 3-6 mo size sleeper 10 days ago that won't fit much longer. David just says wait until he's 13--then try and keep him in clothes!

Count your blessings

Today was one of those days that in order to keep my sanity I had to make a conscious effort to be grateful for the good things. It started with both kids being awake several times each in the night and bascially went downhill from there. So here is what kept me going today.

1-Keith's smiles. He has started doing this more and more and this time was even accompanied by cooing that just melted my heart. The only problem is with the delay on the camera the picture didn't get the best part of it.

2-A silly little girl who wears pink sunglasses upsidedown all through breakfast and three pairs of socks all afternoon because "Petey Lou and Whistle Nobble are cold". (in case you don't know who Petey Lou and Whistle Nobble are--it comes from a rhymn for your toes similar to the "pigs".)

3-Primary kids who pick the same song every time I ask them to pick a favorite. But not because it's their favorite, but because it's mine.

4-A husband who calls just because he misses us.

5-Enough leftovers in the fridge to not have to cook.

Something...or, Nothing

Ever since my 20 week ultrasound with Keith we have been hearing these words about the excess fluid in his kidneys. It could be something, or nothing. Over and Over. We kept hoping and praying for "nothing" but bracing ourselves for "something".

Well, this week we finally got our answer. It did not come easy. Our sweet little guy was strapped down to a board, arms, legs and waist held down by small sandbags, pocked TWICE to get an IV, and a cathader inserted, and rolled into one of those full body scan tubes. And laid like that for 45 minutes. I have never in his life heard him cry like he did during the IV insertion and I hope never to again!! He doesn't normally cry much, but he was absolutely histerical. Thus the need for the sandbags. You can imagine how my heart was breaking for him. I was nearly breaking down myself--It's a good thing I had David there to hold my hand. The Dr performing the test tried to reasure us by saying "he'll forget this as soon as it's over. YOU'LL remember it for the rest of your life!" Then he inserted a radioactive material mixed with a fluid that the kidney's naturally filter from the blood stream into him. Radioactive!! My six week old!! The machine then took a picture of the radioactive stuff every 15 seconds for the whole 45 minutes, creating a movie of how his kidneys empty and then drain. Whew! We were releived when that was over! For the whole time we were watching the screen the left kidney was obviously bigger and brighter than the right. We braced even harder for "something".

Then we went to X-ray. They left the cathater in and after we doned our lead vests (and commented for about the third time how grateful we were Belle was NOT with us), they filled his bladder with a dye that they could watch where the fluid in the kidney travelled--to find out if there was any reflux from the bladder back up into the kidney. This time the radiologist informed us this tested out normal. No reflux--good news.

Friday we took another trip to Primary Children's, this time to see the Urologist and get the answer. Bitting our nails we waited for the Dr. She came and took the utrasound film we brought with us from the Tooele hospital, and came back in a few minutes later...and pronounced him completly normal!! We couldn't beleive it--WHAT?? We asked "What about the left side being obviously bigger than the right?"
Here's the answer: Keith's left kidney fills and drains at the same rate as the right. Meaning there is no obstruction in the drainage, etc. It just happens to be, well, bigger. The kidney has a slightly abnormal SHAPE, making the cavity that holds the fluid larger, and causing all this concern that there might be an obstruction preventing it from draining...cutting off blood flow...causing dead spots in the kidney...but HOORAY!! none of that to worry about!!
No more amoxicillian (that he had been on since he was six days old), no more ulrasounds! No more pocking and proding and making him cry!

It makes all that poking seem so much less dramatic, and makes me feel 100 pounds lighter, to finally know that the answer is...it's NOTHING.
Thank you for all your prayers. They were answered.

By request...the Maughan Macroni & Cheese song

I tried to get a better video of it but she wouldn't cooperate today. When she really gets going she spins continuously while singing it.(and spinning her hands. That's the closest to the real thing she can get)

The boy snores...

notice...

The slideshow of favorite pictures only features Isabelle. I added this slideshow before Keith was born. Just so you don't think I have favorites. Keith is now the headline pic to make up for it. I'll be adding more shortly...when I have more time...right now both kids are in bed and I am heading there, too.

Here we go...

I started this blog over 2 years ago and it never went anywhere but random, scattered posts here and there. Never worth sharing with anyone. So I've gone back and deleted all those old random things (saved a personal copy, of course), and I am going to try my hand again at blogging. Good Luck to me!

new video!!