Addi says what

Sometimes I'm convinced that this child makes up stuff to say to me only to see if Im paying attention to what she says. Like she's saying to herself, " I'm gonna throw together some meaningless word and catch her off her game, that will show her who has the brains in this family."

Case in point:

Me: Addison, please don't play with your food and just eat your lunch.

Turns back for a second to concentrate on my own lunch

Addi: Because if I don't, a fly will go down the drain and then the TV won't work anymore and it will be time for SISTER to take a nap?

Me: Yep........ Wait, what?

Addi: Hehe

Shes sniffing around to expose my weaknesses to devise a plan for her teenage years.

Send spyware

And wine

I *may* be breaking child labor laws...... But I have clean carpets.

For Addison's 2nd birthday she received a vacuum. See picture below

It was absolutely the HIT of the party. We realized, rather quickly, that children's favorite toys are often sound nightmares for the parents. Up until this gift, we had managed to avoid the most offensive playthings. I'm not so much bothered by toys that have "Twinkle Twinkle" available to a toddler at the push of a button. ( until the batteries start to die and it becomes twwiinnkkllee twwwwwwwiiiiiinnnnnkkkkkkkllllllleeee, then that toy gets put on a very high shelf in the off position.) this vacuum, however, was a 1.5v sound nightmare. Eeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeee at a high pitch all over the darn place. Needless to say, that thing was hidden when I ran out of patience for the sound. I'd bring it back out, and two days later I was hiding it again. I was so happy when the batteries finally died. Ahhhhhh, they still love to push it around, but not it doesnt push their sweet (ahem) mother to the edge of her sanity. Bliss


That all changed today. Today is the day that I fell in love with this miniature home appliance.

I'm somewhat "challenged" when it comes to home upkeep. I'm clean, but I'm rarely Tidy. My husband, is very clean and very tidy. I have great intentions everyday, but then, you know, the couch happens to me. One of my husbands FAVORITE things is to come home daily to a freshly vacuumed living room. We have a dog, do I have to vacuum at least 3 times a week anyway. But again, the couch. So it's been rough. Today I noticed that this mini vacuum ACTUALLY picks crap up! Like a good amount of crap!

Aaaaannnnndddddd...... It makes those really super cool ijustvacuumedcuzimanexcellenthousewife marks. Win.

Now accepting donations for C batteries.

We have been busy, jumping right in to summer. I finally feel like I'm settled back into a routine being back at home. Im not sure why it too so long for it to sink in but it has. Now were off and running.

The girls are getting so big, and I can tell its going to be a great summer. Filled, no doubt, with crazy things they say and do. On that note I'd like to share with you a few things that I have said, OUT LOUD, in the past week. I couldnt make this stuff up.

Please don't play with Mommys butt, I'm trying to clean

Take your underwear off your sisters head

It's not nice to put banana inside your sisters nose

Why are you sitting inside the sink

Please put that tampon back in my purse

It's not ok to pee in your friends yard

See? It's gonna be an interesting summer

Check the box

Y'all are due for an update, I think.

1.) We confirmed Delaneys allergies to Dairy, Egg, Soy, Wheat and a few other foods. She is also allergic to pet dander. Gage now get weekly baths. He thinks we are trying to kill him every time.

2) We had taken Delaney off infant formula because of the soy. She lost almost a pound in a month (despite eating well) so she is back on formula. The soy doesn't seem to bother her nearly as much as the dairy. Dairy is a NO GO.

3) I have an epipen, and I'm not afraid to use it.

We had a doctors appointment this week to check her weight. After her weight loss from the week before, I was just praying she had a gain. The formula worked, and she had gained a little bit back. Wa hoo.

So, the doctor presented me with "one last test" we should do to just " rule it out". All of her tests are coming back normal. She does not have renal tubular acidosis, she doesn't have celiac, she doesn't have any autoimmune problem. But I get the nagging feeling that the doctor thinks she does have something. So, we have an appointment on Monday morning for a sweat test. It basically tests her sweat for sodium chloride. It's a test to detect cystic fibrosis.

I can see why he wants to have her tested. It explains many of her symptoms. Failure to thrive (I'm pressuring the doctor to re term it " thriving at her own pace" but he says there's too much paperwork involved, every party's got a pooper) the mucus stools( I'd just like to point out that the word mucus makes me want to vomit, also the word vomit) and the milk protein intolerance. However, it seems highly unlikely as a diagnosis. First, I was tested while pregnant and came back negative as a carrier of the gene. Secondly, newborns are screened for CF in Colorado. However, the doctor points out (as well as google) that there are between 1000-1500 (depending which article I read) mutations of CF and only the most common show up on the screenings. So we will go on Monday to be tested, and when it all comes back fine, we will check that box and celebrate. And I'll convince the doctor that she is fine. She is a teeny tiny girl with some food allergies, and she is perfect.

 I've been thinking of a battle cry for her. Here's what I got so far:

I'm lean

I'm mean

Move over ( but first, if you wouldn't mind, reaching those dairy/egg/wheat/soy free goodies for me? Thanks)

It needs a little work, but it gets the point across. And never underestimate the power of politeness.

I also came up with:

Hell No

We won't GROW

But it didn't seem age appropriate.

Love, Jami

Blogging at my own pace

The Tiny Chronicles

Something isnt right with Delaney.

Its not that something is wrong, its just that something isnt quite right. And there is a huge difference between something being not right, and something being wrong. But a Mommas heart still hurts with not right.

So, we have been working really hard to find out what it is. Its been quite a journey so far, and I havent really known the words to get it all out. But I have to get it out. This big old Mama heart is aching, and I just got to get some of the pain and fear out, to make room for the joy and hope. So here are the facts:

She is, I believe, quite allergic to Dairy and Eggs. Just a touch of dairy and her diapers are tragic. Its all mucusy and sticks to her bottom and gives her a blistery diaper rash. One bite of egg, and she is a puke machine. But I know that there is more, oh so much more, that she is allergic too. 

Something is just not quite right.

On top of that, she is tiny. Teeny Tiny. She has been slowly dropping off the growth cart since her 6 month appointment. So we have been watching it closely. In December, she started rapidly dropping. Then, at our last appointment, she had actually lost weight. 

Something is just not quite right.

So we have had lots of blood work done, some x-rays, and other tests. Now we are waiting. And each day I hope for an answer, but each day I am told to wait. 

The waiting is impossible.

Here are the things that we suspect:

1.) Her poor growth could be a result of a condition known as "Renal Tubular Acidosis". Some of her tests have come back indicating that she may have this, but some have come back normal. She has an alkaline phospatase level that is 5 times higher than it should be.... not quite right. The Doctor told me that her results are "confusing"

2.) She tested positive for allergies to EVERYTHING. Oh, except Shrimp and Cod. Her blood work showed high allergies to Wheat. So we have removed all suspected allergens from her/our diet. But I will probably not be feeding her Shrimp and Cod.

3.) Some of the tests suggest a Vitamin D deficiency. So we had bone x-rays done to test for rickets. But, some of her tests come back normal.

4.) She is continuously dehydrated. No matter how much she drinks. Her lips are cracked and bleeding. All the time. I chase her around with the best lip balm money can buy. This may suggest the problem with her Kidney.

Today is Valentines day, Im not much for Valentines Day. Not in the typical, highly commercial sense. I will probably never purchase my husband a valentines gift, and instead of a "special" valentines dinner out we will most likely be eating gluten free/dairy free homemade chicken nuggets. And I will probably mess it up. But what I do like about this day, and all the pink hearts I see around, is that it reminds me to open up my heart for the love and joy of life.

To love others, and be kind. 

Even to the appointment lady who told me they would be happy to make an allergy appointment for Delaney in FOUR TO SIX MONTHS. So instead of doing my typical, jerky Jami, yell at the lady who has no control over the Allergy appointment system. I started shaking, let out a squeal of frustration, and hung up on her ended the conversation before I was a jerk.

You know, because today is all about Love.

Ahh, sweet little Laners. She is chomper-challenged. Just two little teeth, like a sweet, cute cuddly, bunny. She is so innocent

Or is she.....

 Look how cute and sweet I am. I just have two little tiny teeth, they cant hurt you.

See..... I'm sweet, I cuddle dolls and make your heart melt

 Peek-a-boo. Here I am, not scary at all. Just me here, with my two little teeth. You don't have to be afraid

 OR DO YOU?

 So after 5 months with no teething, she is getting some new pearly whites. As a matter of fact, she is getting 4 ALL AT ONCE! Seriously, we couldn't have spread this out over the past 5 MONTHS????? No?

 She has four, distinct, swollen bumps on her top gums. Super.

All I'm sayin is watch yourself, she is deceptively adorable. But she bites like a Rottweiler.

Sweet December

 Blessed December

 

My little Laney bug started walking! She is the teeny tiny-ist little thing, but she is on the move.

The biggest thing about her is her blue eyes.

 And she is ONE: see

 This was the first year that Addison really understood about Christmas. We read the Christmas Story, over and over. And of course, wrote a letter to Santa:

 It went something like this:

Dear Santa,

This is Addison.

Please bring me my Cart.

Over and Over again.

He got the message

 Christmas Eve we set out Milk and Cookies for Santa. And a few carrots for the reindeer too.

 We also got all ready to go outside to sprinkle "Magic Reindeer Food" on the grass, so the reindeer would know where to come first.

 The magic worked

Love,

Jami