Merry Christmas

Okay, I know I'm late..... But, I wanted to say it anyway :)

We have had a wonderful holiday so far and it will continue tomorrow with a New Year's Eve Party at our house. I won't bore you with all of the details, but here are a few highlights since our last post.

December 18 - We celebrated an early Christmas with Dave's family since this was a Houston Christmas year. We had a wonderful dinner (yeah Panera Bread!) and fun spending time together. Our nephews, Jack and Kyle, were very sweet and spent some of their own money to get Emma special Christmas presents. They got her a baby doll and doll stroller (they even went out on Black Friday to find the stroller) and it was her favorite toy of the night. After opening the stroller and doll, Emma wasn't all that interested in her other gifts and she played with the doll and stroller right up until it was time to leave for the airport.

December 19 - Dave's Mom and Dad gave us a lift to Midway and we headed to Houston to spend a week with my parents and Grammy Davis. With all of the heavy snow storms back east and snow in Chicago, we were a little late leaving, but had a smooth flight. Emma even slept on the plane.

December 20 - 23 - A busy few days! Dave and I had to finish our Christmas shopping while Emma got quality time with Gigi and Grammy, presents had to be wrapped, cookies had to be baked, and family was visited. On Sunday, we got to see my Great Aunt Millie and Uncle Kenneth when they came out for dinner. We missed the big family party this year because of when our flight got in, so it was great to get caught up everyone's news. Monday was another big dinner at the house. Rhonda and her family were there and so were my Uncle Bill, Brittany, Ryan, and his finance Anna. The kids had a blast playing together! Tuesday found Dave, Emma, and I headed up to Cypress to see Dave's family. Another yummy dinner and fun games with Pete, Judi, Lisa, Matthew, Kevin, Missy, and some of Missy's family.

December 24 - Christmas Eve! We headed into Friendswood to my cousin Melissa's house for the Buchanan family party. My Grandmother has 14 Great Grandchildren. 12 of them were there and a large number of those kids are under the age of 5 or 6. They all played really well. Emma did have an adventure with a bunk bed - she climbed up after one of the older girls and couldn't get herself back down. We found out when we heard Emma crying..... All and all she did okay, but separation anxiety was in full force - poor kid!

December 25 - Christmas Day!!!!

We had to wake Emma up and it took a little while for her to realize Santa brought things for her, but she figured it out really fast once she saw her new suitcase. As we opened gifts from under the tree, Emma would fall in love with one toy and it would take some coaxing to get her to open the next one. She did learn a new word though.... Open (opie in Emma). All of the bows Emma had gotten in trouble for playing with all week could finally be ripped off with abandon and she loved it. She even turned herself (and me) into one big bow. The favorite gift of the morning had to be the purple puppy sleeping bag from Gigi and Poppy. Emma laid down right away and kept saying "off" as she pulled on the puppy.

After a breakfast of homemade cinnamon rolls (thanks Grammy!) we headed over to Rhonda's where Emma wanted to play with Drew's toys! Drew was a very sweet big cousin and gladly shared his Handy Manny workbench. After more gifts were opened, the kids all played well together as the checked out their new toys. Hannah got Pictionary Man and let me tell you - that game is HARD!!!

December 26 - 27 - I think there is a reason people say traveling at Christmas is hard! Everyone was so generous with Emma, Dave, and I that we had to ship several boxes home. The biggest items were Emma's, so she will have a mini Christmas all over again next week when our poor UPS man delivers everything. One the 27th, we put ourselves back on the airplane and headed home. The weather in the Chicago area cooperated and moved on before we did, so our flight was on time and roads clear. Emma slept most of the way home which made for a restful flight for Dave and I.

December 28 - 30 - We've been busy beavers since we got home. One Monday, I had to make the dreaded after vacation trip to the grocery store. A good note was that we got to see Dave's Uncle Ken, Aunt Jackie, cousin Carrie, and her family on Monday over at Julie's. We had yet another wonderful meal and great visits! By Monday night, I had us all unpacked (3 suitcases, 2 boxes, and a duffel bag) but not put away. Yesterday and today, we have worked on finding homes for Christmas gifts and things that just seem to never get put away. We have also worked on getting the house cleaned and ready for tomorrow night.

I guess I lied about not boring you with details.... Good night!

Emma Likes...

Jeremy Piven?!?!?! Actually, she doesn't even know who Jeremy Piven is, but she did buy his most recent movie "On Demand" this morning. It was a little before 7:30 and I was headed downstairs to make my breakfast when Dave headed upstairs to bundle up and take the trash to the curb before he finished getting ready for work. This meant Emma was by herself in the family room for a few minutes. This usually isn't a problem because she likes to watch Playhouse Disney and play with her toys. But, Dave had left the TV on the Today Show and not the Disney Channel... and that is where the adventure evidently began.

I was in the kitchen when I heard sounds from the family room that didn't sound good, like a little someone was climbing, so I headed downstairs. Sure enough, Emma was trying to reach some of the decorative items on the bookcase. After I scooped her up, the TV caught my attention. I remember thinking "I haven't heard anything about him having a new movie lately." Because I was thinking that Jeremy Piven was on one of the morning shows. Then I noticed the dreaded "play" on the DVR and realized that Emma was standing next to me saying "Spout Peas." "Spout Peas" is Emma speak for "Sprout Please" and after asking Dave is he had bought a $5 "On Demand" movie, we figured out what happened.

Emma didn't want to watch the Today Show, she wanted one of her shows. So, she tried to change the channel using the remote that had been left where she could get it. She has seen us get to the "On Demand" kids stuff (the FREE kids stuff) enough that she hit the "On Demand" button. After that, we think she just kept hitting the "okay" button and somehow bought the movie.

We go through the "Emma has the remote" dance almost everyday and get it put up where she can't reach it, but this is the first time she really did anything with it. Dave and I learned a $5 (plus tax, I'm sure) lesson about ALWAYS putting the remote away.

SNOW

We woke up Monday morning to a snow covered world. It wasn't a very big snow and by lunch time the driveway and streets were clear, so Emma and I ventured out to the grocery store. It's a good thing we did, because when we got up on Tuesday, we had even more snow... Since it was snowy, but not TOO cold, Emma and I bundled up then went out to play before lunch. She really liked the snow, but she didn't like the idea of making a snow angel and hopped up as soon as she laid down in the yard.

The worst of the storm came in Tuesday night with lots of wind and snow. We could even hear it hitting against the windows! Wednesday brought MORE snow, enough that we needed to clear off the driveway. Poor Dave had to work late, so after dinner I used the snow blower to clear the driveway while he got to spend some time with Emma. I'm SO glad we have that snow blower, but it still isn't an easy job! My very sweet hubby had a bid mug of hot chocolate waiting for me when I came in. It tasted so YUMMY!

Today we started out with single digit temperatures, but for the first time all week, we get to see the sun! With the bright sunshine outside and our hard working furnace, you can almost forget how cold it is outside. But, all it takes is letting to dog out to remember - she doesn't even want to stay out longer than she has to.

Thanksgiving Stay-cation

This year we spent Thanksgiving at home and had ourselves a mini vacation. Dave took a couple of vacation days and extended his holiday time, so he was off from Wednesday through Monday. Emma and I really enjoyed having him home with us during the day!

We spent Thanksgiving day with Dave's family at his parent's house and had a great day with lots of yummy food. Friday and Saturday were spent decorating the house for Christmas. Friday we concentrated on the inside of the house. Our neighbor, Rebecca, came over to play with Emma while Dave and I worked. Between naps and Rebecca's help, we were able to get the tree, stockings, and most of the decorations up. On Saturday, Dave got all of the lights up outside. The weather was cool, but beautiful, so it was a great day for doing that.

Sunday saw us at church - Emma LOVES going to the nursery! - then we braved the mall to do a little shopping. We went to the Bolingbrook Promenade, so I think the misty weather kept the crowds at bay, and we had a nice shopping trip.

It was a great extended weekend and we were all sad when Dave had to go back to work this morning. The good news is that Dave only has to work a day shy of 3 weeks before he gets to be on vacation for Christmas!

Emma's Animal Sounds

At 20 months, Emma has identified the start of her favorite things list. One thing she REALLY like is animals and she has learned the sounds that some creatures make. Here is a list of responses we get when we ask her...

Cats = Meow

Dogs = bark, bark

Ducks = quack, quack

Lions/tigers = Roar

Dinosaurs = choo choo train

She does really well until we get to Dinosaurs.... I think the confusion comes due to the fact that 1) trains are one of her other favorite things and 2) she likes to watch a show called Dinosaur Train on PBS.

Santa, Football, and Cookies

We had another fun and busy weekend at the end of a busy week.

On Friday night, we headed to the Promenade in Bolingbrook for dinner at Go Roma, a visit to Santa Clause, and a nice walk. It isn't very often that is warm enough in mid November to spend much time outside, so we really enjoyed it! We decided to avoid the mall this year and visit Santa at Bass Pro Shop. He was a good looking Santa, but Emma was not impressed and cried. The free 4x6 turned out cute, but so did the snap shot Dave took.

Saturday was the BIG day... Dave, his Dad, and our nephews headed to South Bend, IN to watch Notre Dame take on UConn. It was the last home game of Notre Dame's football season and they all had fun. Emma and I had a good day too. We took advantage of the nice weather and spent part of the afternoon using Emma's swing. We also did laundry, house work, and made cookies.

Sunday was a quiet, but busy day. It was Dave's turn to tackle chores around the house and he did a great job... the light post in our front yard works for the first time in a long time! Emma got to use her swing for the second day in a row and we made more cookies...

I am trying to alleviate some of the stress of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons this year by planning ahead. The addition earlier this year of the freezer in the garage has been a huge boon to the preparing process and it now has 4 different batches of cookies in there. I only have one more to make... then before we head out for Christmas, I will make the goody boxes we share with our neighbors. We are really looking forward to the fact that Dave has a short week at work and will have a nice long break before going back next week.

Busy Bees

The last couple of weekends have had us hopping... some of the things have been normal everyday chores, others have been fun, and a few have even been celebrations.

Last weekend (Nov. 7 and 8) our biggest chore was tackling the leaves in our back yard. Some progress was made on Saturday before we had to dash off in other directions and thanks to Terry (Dave's Dad) we were able to finish up on Sunday. We ended up with 15... yes 15... backs full of leaves and twigs from our back yard. Thanks to the nice weather, the whole neighborhood seemed to have done the same thing. I felt kind of bad for the garbage guy who had to pick all of that up!

The 7th also found Emma at the pediatrician for her seasonal flu shot (they won't be getting the H1N1 Vaccine, we have to go to the county for that) and our sweet little girl didn't cry at all. I also had to go to the dentist for my six month check up, but the highlight of the day was a trip to Max & Erma's where we met up with Dave's family to celebrate his birthday.

Sunday the 8th also included my monthly DAR meeting. We honored Veteran's day by bringing items for care packages for active duty troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dave had a rough week at work, with a big deadline at the end, but we ended the week on a high note. We met Dave's family at Maggiano's for a wonderful dinner to celebrate the conclusion of part of the case resulting from Terry's accident in February. It was wonderful to celebrate Terry being well again and a great opportunity to count our blessings.

This weekend also included chores around the house, visiting with friends, and cooking baking. This week will be an opportunity to relax a little and play with Emma. It looks life will continue being busy from now until the end of the year.

Postponed Potty Training

After approximately 3 weeks of trying to get Emma potty trained we have figured out that she probably is really ready and have decided to postpone our efforts until after the first of the year. Emma caught on to needing to "hold it" and go on the potty pretty quickly, but she never seemed to get the idea of needing to tell us she needed to go. I was having to take Emma periodically and sometimes she'd go and other times she wouldn't, but she was starting to get really frustrated with me. Dave and I talked about it and decided that it's not worth making everyone crazy to keep trying right now. We'll let Emma get a little older and try again in a few months.

Happy Halloween

While this was Emma's second Halloween, this was the first year she dressed up and went Trick or Treating. She was a Chicago Cubs Cheerleader and it didn't take long for her to figure out that the candy bowl was a good thing! Almost as soon as Emma was dressed, she went right up to the candy bowl positioned by the front door, reached in and said "trick or treat" as she grabbed a handful. We went to a few neighbor houses and each time the door opened Emma said "Hi" instead of trick or treat. Oh well!

We headed over to Julie's in the afternoon so that we could see the boys all dressed up and everyone there could see Emma. Jack went to a trick or treat party with his friends while Dave and John took Emma and Kyle to a few houses in their neighborhood. Emma really enjoyed the Halloween experience! She found a stray package of Skittles yesterday and ran up to me saying "Trick or Treat."

Saturday's Halloween festivities were just part of our busy and fun weekend. Saturday morning started with Dave and I attacking the leaves in our front yard. We filled the empty space in our compost bin and then still filled 5 yard bags... this weekend will find us tackling the back yard. On Sunday we were back at Julie's to watch the Bear's game and enjoy a wonderful dinner of homemade pulled pork sandwiches. Jack and Kyle were nice enough to bring some of their Thomas the Tank Engine tracks and toys up for Emma to play with and she had so much fun!

Potty Traing and a busy weekend

Emma continues to work on learning how to use the potty. She did great Saturday afternoon and only had one accident. Go EMMA!

We also had a busy weekend. Emma got to go see Grandma and PawPaw Saturday while Dave and I went to a Halloween party. We all had a lot of fun! Sunday started with a trip to Morton Arboretum for the fall festival and Trick or Trees. Emma and our nephew, Jack, seemed to have fun. They even painted a small pumpkin to bring back to Kyle who's fever kept him from going with us. Dave and I were a little disappointed in the Trick or Trees aspect of the outing and have decided that next year we will go on a different weekend and just enjoy the Fall Festival. We went to Dave's parent's house after the Arboretum for chili and to watch the Bear's game. Emma had so much fun playing with her cousins and the chili was great, but the football game was embarrassing. The Bear's should be ashamed of themselves!

Being busy and out and about all day meant that Emma took a break from potty training on Sunday. We were a little worried that would set her back, bust she did great yesterday! She had two accidents, but both were because I was just too slow in getting her to the potty. The first accident happened as I was on my way to get her to go and the second happened not long after she had dinner. I had just gotten to her and was trying to convince her to go try and the accident happened. Considering that we are still in the early stages of training, I am very proud of how Emma is doing.

Potty Training Day 2 + 3

Our second day of the journey called Potty Training went significantly better than Day 1. We still had lots of accidents.... carpets and hardwood floors alike took punishment yesterday. But, we had significant success yesterday as well. Emma went #2 on the potty twice yesterday and we made it to the potty in time to pee twice as well. The first time she made it, it was me deciding it had been awhile since she'd gone and we'd try. We got in there and magic happened almost right away. The second time, Emma asked to go by getting a little fussy. Again, she went almost as soon as we got into the bathroom.

Today seems to be a repeat of the early stages of yesterday afternoon... Emma is already on her third pair of trainers, but we are going to keep trying!

Potty Training Day 1

Yesterday was the first day of our journey to get Emma potty trained. The morning went great and we didn't have any accidents, but we didn't have any huge success either. It seems Emma doesn't have to go much in the morning.

Between lunch and afternoon nap time, things didn't go so well. We went through several pairs of training pants because Emma didn't tell me she needed to go. Every time I put her on the potty, there wasn't any action and then 5 minutes later, we'd have wet trainers.

Dave stopped at Target on his way home and picked up more training pants so that laundry maybe only has to get done once a day until Emma gets the hang of things. Our evening went a little better with only one accident and one success. Emma went pee on the potty right before her bath... after a day of trying without any success, this felt like a major victory.

It was only day one, so we are trying not to get discouraged and will keep trying.

Hello Fall

I know we are past the halfway point in October, but this weekend was the start of our fall house and yard work as we begin to prepare for winter. We were blessed with beautiful weather all weekend and did our best to take advantage of it.

Saturday was mow the lawn/pick of leaves day for me.... I was counting my blessings for the Toro mulching mower!!! I started with the front yard and by the time I was done with the back yard (with a break in the middle to get Emma up from her nap, fed, and tucked into her stroller outside) the front was covered in leaves again. Mother Nature has a good sense of humor! Dave put our new storage unit to good use and packed away the patio chairs and Emma's wagon for the next several months. He then moved on to the house heating and cooling systems; he got the air conditioner covered and the humidifier maintenance done. We were very productive!!

The beautiful weather has continued and we have taken advantage of it. Emma had a grand time yesterday afternoon when we went outside after lunch. She thought playing with and chasing the leaves was fabulous. Today, we took a walk in town after her park district class to get a few errands run. I really enjoy our little downtown area. It's so easy to drive in and then walk to get everything done.

Bell's Palsy Update

Earlier this year (January), my face was going nuts with twitches, spasms, etc. The neurologist I had been seeing ordered a MRI and more blood work. When those came back fine, she pretty much gave up and sent me to an ENT. The ENT confirmed that I have Bell's and sent me to Dr. Choi at the Eye and Facial Clinic. Dr. Choi has a ridiculously long title..... When I saw him in March, he was the FIRST doctor who told me that he could see all of the involuntary things my face was doing. He also explained some of the facial movements I was doing that were making the bad connections between nerves and muscles worse. The biggest peice of his treatment was a series of Botox injections in my forehead.

This treatment worked! With the help of the Botox, I have learned to control some of the facial movements so that I don't do them unconsciously anymore... at least not as much. That change has caused all of the involuntary ticks and twitches to stop... at least to the point where they are no longer visible on the surface. For SIX whole months, it seemed like the Bell's had quieted down and we had reached a status quo to live with.

In mid September, I had my first "Bell's headache" in a long time (where the headache is contained to the left side and my face is very sore/tired at the same time). I also started to experience more muscle tiredness and fatigue on the left side and a few random eyebrow twitches on the right side. All things that made me nervous! So, I finally gave in and called Dr. Choi.

I had my appointment with him last night and the news was good and not so good.

The good news:

Involuntary ticks and twitches on the left side are NOT visible! The right side eyebrow twitch is a random thing that happens to everyone and not something to worry about.

The not so good news:

The time period for nerve healing is pretty much 12 months, so what I have in terms of recovery is probably all I'm going to get. The muscle tiredness and fatigue I feel sometimes are just the way things are now. The headache issue is more of a tension issue that the Bell's just makes the left side more susceptible to.

The plan:

As of now..... Do Nothing. I do have another appointment with Dr. Choi on December 1. If things stay the way they are, I will probably cancel the appointment. If things decline, I will keep the appointment and we may redo the forehead Botox treatment. He said at this point that the Botox would not hurt anything, but that he wasn't sure it would help me at all. The bad nerve muscle connections are still there (my mouth moves if I raise my eyebrows and my eye moves if I pucker my lips), but these are now conscious movements, so the chances of the nerve firing random signals are slimmer.

Thanks to everyone for all of the prayers and positive thoughts during the ordeal that has been Bell's Palsy.... They have been very appreciated and helpful!

Emma and Susie

We had a pretty big day yesterday... We made the drive up to Sawyer, MI to meet up with Dave's family for the day and had a lot of fun picking apples and getting pumpkins. Emma and Susie were both real troopers! Emma was pretty much in her car seat or the stroller most of the day. I think one of the reasons she did so well all day was having her cousins (Jack and Kyle) to keep her company most of the day. Susie definitely earned herself an extra milk bone by being very tolerant of the amount of time she spent in her pet carrier.

We've been taking it easy today and got to see one of the cutest things... Emma found the dog leash this morning and kept trying to attach it to Susie's collar. Dave helped get that part done and then Susie (very dutifully) let Emma "walk" her in a loop through the kitchen, living, and dining rooms. Emma's grip on the leash wasn't tight at all and Susie could have easily walked off if she wanted to, but Susie was a great sport and let Emma have her fun.

Before Emma was born, we were a little worried about how Susie (being an older dog) would adapt to the new addition. It's been a relief to see the two of them become friends and get along.

Emma Stories

I realized after I made my last entry that I left out the funniest part of Emma's check up. During the physical exam, Emma was sitting in my lap and the doctor was looking in her mouth and Emma says "I no want," basically telling the doctor to get the tongue depressor out of her mouth.

Tuesday was our weekly Tot Rock class. Emma seems to be enjoying it and is learning a lot, even how to put toys away after playing with them. The kids in class have to take the toys used back to the teacher several times and that has translated into Emma helping clean up at home. We have to be pretty specific about what we want her to do, but she does help out. In this weeks class, a little boy actually tried to flirt with Emma by trying to hold her hand... It was pretty cute.

We had a little bit of a scare on Tuesday night... Emma was playing and we noticed that the light in our family room was moving. As we started to correct Emma by telling her not to play with the lamp, it started to tilt and eventually crashed to the ground. Thankfully, Emma was behind where the lamp fell so she wasn't hurt. Unfortunately, the globe of the lamp crashed into a million pieces and we had to go get another lamp. I really think our family room lamp situation is cursed. Dave had the first lamp we used for years before it finally died and now we are on our second lamp in 6 weeks and neither of the newer lamps works as well for the room as the first one.

18 Month Update

Emma had her 18 month check up this morning and she did great! She now weighs 24 lbs 12 oz and is 33 1/2 inches tall. That puts her in the 75th and 95th percentiles respectively, so she is staying on the curve where she's been for the last several check ups.
The doctor gave Emma a general thumbs up and said that she's right where she should be developmentally... maybe even a little ahead of the curve. Go EMMA!
We've been so lucky with our little pumpkin. She seems to catch on to things quickly and loves trying new things, so she is always doing something new.

Another full weekend

We had full and action packed weekend!
Saturday started out with a trip to the Morton Arboretum in Lisle to do some exploring of the walking paths and Animal Houses exhibit. We weren't able to walk and explore as much as we wanted because some of the prepared trails are cleared areas lined with wood chips and aren't conducive to a stroller. We still ad a great walk and got some wonderful ideas for sprucing up our backyard in the ground cover garden.
The rest of our Saturday was very uneventful... Mainly because Dave spent the afternoon working. BOO!

On Sunday, Dave and his Dad went to pick up our "new" freezer and got it set up in the garage. Emma spent some quality time on her swing for what may be the last time this fall. That afternoon, we went to Jack and Kyle's birthday party and everyone had a blast. The boys got a ton of cool gifts! Not long after we got home, we started seeing tornado warnings on the TV. While we never had bad storms here, it did rain and got super windy. The wind continued throughout Monday and it's down right chilly today...

Project SHED and another notes

Last weekend was dedicated to eye appointments and getting our new storage shed put together.
We went to see Kris (one of Dave's good friends and our eye doctor) on Saturday. He gave my left eye a little extra attention because of the Bell's - he said everything looked good. The funny thing is that my eye sight has actually improved since we saw him last fall. I guess not staring at a computer for 8 hours a day 5 days a week has helped!
When we got home, Project storage shed went into high gear. Dave and his Dad got the area behind the garage ready for the shed. They actually put the shed together on Sunday. We haven't had time to put anything in there yet, but it will be so nice to create the extra space in our garage/house.

Emma had her second Tot Rock class this week. She did well, but she learned a bad habit from one of the other students. There was a little boy in class who was tall enough to reach the light switch, so he would drift away from the circle and go turn the lights off. Emma has now started climbing one of the kitchen chairs to do the same thing while I am trying to cook dinner at night. SIGH.....

Our poor little pumpkin has had a couple of rough nights this week. She is working on cutting all four of her eye teeth, so there were a couple of nights where the Tylenol and Oragel wore off in the middle of the night and she woke up very upset. She's been okay since then, but we can't help for feel bad for her.

Swingin!!

Back in the early part of the summer, we bought Emma a Little Tykes swing. When my parents were here in June, we made a trip to Home Depot and got the materials to hang the swing from one of the trees in our front yard. Dad climbed up into the tree and got everything set up and Emma HATED the swing.
For the rest of the summer, she would play with the swing when it was sitting in the entry way of the house. She loved to climb in and hang out. She even liked the swing when it was hanging in the tree... as long as we didn't try to put her in it!
We FINALLY had a swing break through! On Thursday, Emma and I were at the park and she was very curious about the swing set. She wanted to try the "big" swing, so I got her up there and we both held on as I gently guided her back and forth and she liked it!
We tried the Little Tykes swing on Thursday night and Emma liked that too! We were absolutely amazed... Even more amazing is that Emma actually asked to go swing on Friday afternoon and today we had her in the swing and she didn't want to stop!

Misc Notes and News

It's been a fairly quiet week or so around our house, but there were a few things of note...

On Friday, Emma gave me a little bit of a scare and I thought we might be having our first real tummy bug. There were 3 incidents in about an hour, but nothing after that. Since it was the weekend, I did call the pediatrician and was given notes about what to do. Poor kiddo had a weekend of very bland food and no milk until Saturday night, but she has been fine since then.

Saturday found Dave over at his parents helping to put up a small storage shed. Since the storage buildings were on sale at Menard's, we ended up going over there and bought one too. Once it's put up behind the garage, it will be really nice because some of the larger and less frequently used items and seasonal items will be able to move out of the garage and into the storage unit. That will give us a little more room throughout the house. WOO HOO!

Sunday was my first DAR meeting of the year. They are always enjoyable, but they fall right in the middle of the day which makes it seem like the day just slips away. Emma had a grandparent day on Sunday. Dave's Dad came over for a little while to help get our storage building picked up and the pieces stored in the garage. He and Dave also started site prep behind the garage. While I was at my meeting, Dave and Emma went over to his parents for a little while so Dave could then go get his haircut. We also ended up talking to my parents via Skype, which Emma loves. Unfortunately, she also loves pushing buttons on the computer and ended up hanging up on Mom and Dad and shutting down the computer! All of the "busy" made the weekend just fly by and Monday got here way too fast.

Today was Emma's first Park District class... We went to a 40 minute Tot Rock class. It was a fun session! There were about 15 kids and parents/caregivers in the group and we had great time watching the kids play, helping them play with musical instruments, sing nursery rhymes, and dance. We have 5 more Tot Rock classes this fall. If Emma continues to have fun, we will look into another class in the spring.

We've made a few changes to the weekday routine around here, mainly more time with the TV turned off. I'm not sure if it's the changes we've made or if it's just where Emma is on the developmental curve, but she has become much more affectionate lately and has been adding more words to the vocabulary. The newest additions are "apple juice" and "blueberries." Good luck understanding her if you don't know what she's going for, but it's neat to see her try. Emma has also continues to try using the potty, but we still aren't really pushing the issue.

End of Summer

We had a nice, but busy Labor day weekend.
Saturday was my day to get my haircut, so Dave took Emma to the park. She had fun until she ran into a little boy bully who wouldn't let her even get on the play set. The kid;s Dad didn't do much about the behavior, so they left.
Sunday we were all at Julie's for Canasta. It was a lot of fun, even though Dave and I both lost more than we won.
Monday we were back a Julie's for a cook out. We had fun visiting with everyone and Emma had a blast playing with all the kids. Having two big days in a row was a lot for Emma and it showed. She didn't sleep that well Monday night and she wasn't all that excited about play group yesterday. She played and seemed to have fun, but she was definitely willing to leave after about 30 minutes.
It's hard to believe that another summer is in the books, especially since we didn't have much summery weather.

Emma's Big Bad Day

Yesterday after Emma and I went to the grocery store and got everything put away, we took her Fropper ride along toy outside to play. I wasn't sure it was a good idea, but I let her and we regretted it. The Fropper just isn't an outside toy and one of the front wheels got caught on a bump on the side walk. The Fropper tipped forward and Emma went over the handle bars; Thankfully, she didn't get hurt too badly. The fall scared both of us and she does have a scrape on her little nose, lip, and chin. There was no blood, so hopefully she'll be all better soon.
Later in the afternoon, we went to Yorktown Mall to have a mini "Girls outing" since Dave was at at Bears game for "Guys night." We took a walk around the mall and did the few things we needed to do at the mall before heading over to play. We were very disappointed in the play area because it just wasn't set up for younger children. The tree house and slide were really neat looking, but much too big for Emma. She did find a little play house for kids her age, but it was occupied by a VERY possessive little boy who decided he didn't want to share, so he pushed Emma hard enough that she fell down. It wasn't long after that when we left and headed for the food court and dinner. After dinner and more walking, we headed home.
Emma did have a few good parts to her day. She added a few words to her vocabulary: Grocery store and book, and she used the potty again like a big girl.

Potty Training?

We've pretty much gotten back into the swing of things post vacation and things have been pretty quiet. Last weekend we took a few things over to Julie's house for a garage sale. There wasn't a whole lot of traffic, but Dave and I did sell enough to pay for most of his workbench. The funny thing was, we actually came home with more than we took over...
Julie had some of her kids old things in the garage sale and we ended up getting some things for Emma. Thomas puzzles, a Thomas movie, several books, and a bear that plays peek-a-boo. Emma loves Thomas and even though she's too young for the puzzles now, the are definitely worth holding onto for her.
The exciting part of the weekend came on Sunday. I had come in from mowing the grass and was downstairs cooling off when Emma decided to come down too. She kept going to the hall bathroom and saying "bath" and since I thought she was just practicing her words, I kept telling her that yes it was the bathroom. Then she started doing a little dance outside the bathroom... squatting like a frog, the standing up, and then squatting again. I called Dave down to see her funny little dance and he had the idea to ask if she need to use the bathroom. Her response was to clap her hands and walk into the bathroom. So, we held her up there and she went #2 in the potty!! We were very proud of our big girl!
Sunday afternoon, Emma and I went to Target and got her a padded potty seat. She gets up there at least once a day and has gone #2 on there one time since Sunday. We aren't going to push potty training just yet, but we are going to keep an eye on Emma to encourage her if we catch her going. We have also gotten her the easy up trainers (the next stage from diapers) and a potty training book. We still need to get her a potty seat of her very own, but that will probably be our next trip to Target.

Vacation Update - Part 2

To continue our vacation story... The first part of the week we played tourist. The second part of the week we got to visit with family.

Wednesday, August 19... Family Visit and the Astros Game
We headed up to Deer Park (where I grew up) on Wednesday morning to see my Grandmother Buchanan. When we got to her house, we discovered that she had been cooking - a lot - there was honestly enough food to feed about half the town. All of that food was to feed us, my Aunt Denise, my cousin Brooke, and her husband Jeremy. It was good to see everybody and get to meet Brooke and Jeremy's new little girl. It took Emma a few minutes to warm up, but once she did she was moving non stop! We were curious about how she'd do with baby Makenna, but she did great. Emma was very gentle with her and other than getting confused about who's binky was who's, the girls did really well together. All of the excitement had Emma calling a time out a little after 1 in the afternoon. She started telling everyone "bye bye" and she did something for the first time. As she reached for me, she actually said "Mommy." I was so excited!!!!
We headed back to Mom and Dad's and later in the afternoon, Dave and I headed back out for a "date." We went to the Houston Astros game at Minute Maid Park to watch them play the Marlins. Our seats were out in right field, but were pretty close to the field. The pitching wasn't terrific, so it meant that we actually got to see a lot of action in the outfield.
Emma really enjoyed herself too. She stayed with Mom and Dad, played well, and did great at bed time. It was the first time someone other than Dave or myself had put her to bed, so we were a little worried, but there was no reason too.

Thursday... Visit with Dave's family
We took it easy in the morning and headed up to Cypress to visit with Dave's family in the afternoon. Emma had gotten to meet Pete and Judi earlier in the summer, but it was the first time she had gotten to meet everyone else. We had a great visit and a great dinner!

Friday... Cousin Day
Rhonda had to work on Friday, so Mom went and picked up Hannah and Drew and brought them back to her house. The kids had a lot of fun playing together and watching movies. Hannah and Drew were really great with Emma! I was impressed with how gentle Drew was with her... especially since he is only three. After a fun day of playing, we headed into Friendswood and met Rhonda and Chris for dinner at Luna's. Emma was the entertainment at dinner... she had her own little plate for chips and queso and kept trying to lick the cheese off of her plate like a dog. The topper was when she put the plate on her head like a hat!

Saturday... Coming home
The morning was tough. Emma seemed to know something was going on and she got VERY unhappy when she saw us packing away her toys. There were lots of tears and I really don't think she wanted to leave Gigi and Poppy's house. We got the car returned, luggage checked, and through security at the airport without any issues only to find a BIG problem when we got to our gate. Our flight was delayed nearly 2 hours because of FAA random inspections. We got ourselves some lunch and managed to keep Emma entertained, but just barely. We finally got on the plane, got settled, and were on our way. Shortly after take off, Emma fell asleep. Her little head was just bobbing away and she looked so uncomfortable in her little harness. We got her unbuckled and laid her head on her stuffed animal and her feet in Dave's lap. Poor little girl was so tired that she slept for about an hour. After the delay at the airport, Dave and I needed the mental break, so the nap was a good thing for all of us!
We made it back to our house and have been working on getting back into the swing of things.

Random Emma notes...
I've noticed with Emma that her vocabulary seems to grow very quickly when we are around other people for a few days and the same proved true with this trip. She added at least three new words and learned a new song... not the words of course, but she gets excited when you start to sing "If you're happy..."
We also saw Emma's imagination blossom on this trip. Because Hannah is 9, Drew is 3, and Emma is 1, Mom has a wide range of kids toys and they are all mixed together. One evening Emma had a mid size box and decide to use it as a table to have a "tea party" It was really cool to watch! She knew exactly what to do with the little bowls and utensils and kept herself occupied for a long time. It makes me a little sad because all we have here are "baby toys" and I wonder if they are challenging enough for her.

Vacation Update

We had a great trip to Houston! We got to see and visit with family and play tourist, here are a few highlights....

Saturday, August 15...
We had a good flight from Chicago to Houston.... Emma had her own seat and was buckled up using the CARES system. She didn't really like it, but it was a safer for her to be buckled during take off and landing because she is a wiggle worm! Our friends at Southwest out did themselves and we arrived 30 minutes early! Hannah and Drew were at Mom and Dad's when we got there and Emma had fun playing with her big cousins. Rhonda, Chris, Uncle Bill, and Aunt Kim all came over too and we had a yummy dinner and great visit.

Sunday.... The Zoo and Herman Park
Mom, Dad, and we all went to the Houston Zoo and had a lot of fun. The primate exhibit has been redone since I was there last and it was really nice! The new exhibit is all outside, but there are tons of shady trees so that you aren't being cooked by the sun all day. Even though the primates are still in cages, you can get pretty close to them. Emma seemed to enjoy the exhibit, she was waving and saying "hi" and "bye bye" to all the animals as we walked through. We stopped for lunch by the duck pond. Mom remembered being able to feed the ducks on previous visits, so she got a bag of popcorn, and off we went to feed to ducks. After a few minutes and the ducks not seeming interested, we looked around and noticed that no one else was feeding the ducks and that's when we saw the sign about not feeding the animals. OOPS! Emma had gotten to try popcorn for the first time by the pond and she knew that Dad had the bag, so as we continued to walk around the zoo, she would look for Dad and go "Pop, Pop." I'm not sure if she was trying to say "Poppy" or "Popcorn," but her message was pretty clear... She wanted more popcorn!
After leaving the zoo, we headed over to Herman park for a train ride. We knew that Emma was starting to like trains, but this was her first time to ride one. During the ride itself, we weren't sure what she thought, but poor Emma cried when we had to get off the train.

Monday.... Palm Beach at Moody Gardens
Rhonda, Chris, Hannah, and Drew met us (and Mom) at Moody Gardens and we all went to Palm Beach area. It's $11 to get in, but it's worth every penny. The kids had fun running around the splash pad in the toddler area. Emma wasn't sure what to do at first, but once she saw Hannah and Drew running around she got it figured out. She was fascinated by the difference between the wet concrete and the sunny/dry concrete. It was really cute watching her trying to figure out what was going on. We also went over to one of the "big" pools. Emma didn't like having to wear her life vest, but had fun once she was in the water. It was fun for us too, the way the pool is designed, we were able to just hang out in the cool water. This is the way to go to the beach!

Tuesday... The Downtown Aquarium
The Aquarium wasn't exactly what I expected from looking at the website, but it was still fun. Mom had found BOGO coupons in the paper, so Mom, Dave, Emma, and I met Rhonda, Hannah and Drew out there. By having the coupons, we were able to get the whole "experience." We had fun walking through the aquarium exhibit and Emma even got to touch a small shark and a sting ray. She thought that was really cool and giggled when she touched them. We also took the Shark experience train ride and that was awesome! We took advantage of our experience passes and rode the Ferris wheel (Mom and Emma sat that one out) and Mom took Hannah and Drew on the carousel. I thought about taking Emma, but she hated the idea at the zoo earlier this summer, so we didn't try. After lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, we piled everyone but Rhonda into Mom's Highlander (3 adults and 3 kids including a car seat and booster seat were a tight fit) and headed back to Mom's while Rhonda went to the doctor.
The vet had to come check on some of the Alpacas, so Dad got home just after we did. The part of town Mom and Dad live in has needed rain all summer and they got a lot during the vet visit!! This resulted in the vet's truck getting stuck by the barn and Dad had to tow it out with the tractor, but the battery in the tractor had to get a jump from the lawn mower first... What a day for it to rain!!!

I need to get moving and get a few things done around the house. I will post an update on the rest of our trip soon.

All quiet on the home front

Things around the Breese household have been pretty quiet lately. The biggest piece of news is that Dave is nearly done with building his work bench in the garage. This week will be a preparation week, Saturday we will be on a flight headed for Houston and a week of vacation. It will be a nice trip. We are going to visit with family, take in an Astros game, and visit other tourist venues.

Fun Weekend

We had a really fun filled weekend...
On Friday night we took Emma to the All Aboard Diner for dinner and she LOVED the trains. She kept talking about the "choo choos." After dinner we went to Downtown Downers Grove and enjoyed checking out the car show and sidewalk sale.
On Saturday, we took advantage of passes Dave got at work to go to the Morton Arboretum. We really only spent time in the Children's Garden and Emma had a lot of fun. We ended up buying a family membership for the next year. It will be one more thing that Emma and I can go do during the week and I think we will really enjoy being able to take little trips over there to explore.
Sunday was another action packed day....... Sunday morning, we went to church and Emma did great in the nursery. She hardly even notices when we leave and she has so much fun playing that she almost doesn't want to leave. I had my first experience as a lay reader and survived :) Sunday afternoon, we took Emma over to Julie's so we could go see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Emma had a blast playing with Jack, Kyle, and one of their friends. Dave and I were a little disappointed in the movie and how closely it followed (as in it didn't) the book. Even though we were disappointed in the movie, we did enjoy being able to go out on our own for a couple of hours.

Emma Updates

Emma took advantage of the quiet later half of the week to show her stuff. She has added several new words to her vocabulary just in the last few days. She has add Gigi, juice, and socks to her list. She also has started saying something that sounds like "do do" which we think means Susie (sometimes called Sue Sue) since she only uses it when Susie is around.
She was very energetic tonight, running around and having a great time playing with all her toys when she suddenly just stopped, looked up at me and said "baf." She was done playing and was ready to take her bath and go to bed.
It's been amazing to watch how much Emma changes everyday. Just a couple of months ago, she was barely walking, now she's running around like crazy and being more and more independent.

Michigan Mini Vacation

Dave, Emma, and I spent the last couple of days in Michigan with Dave's parents, sister and her family. We were in a rented house near Glenn and it was a very nice get away. We were able to just relax and enjoy the cooler than normal summer weather, explore the local community, and play family games.
The house we rented had private beach access along Lake Michigan, but the beach wasn't very big. We took stairs down to the dunes and depending on the tide, the lake either came right up to the bottom of the dunes or the beach might be 5 to 10 feet wide. Our nephews, Jack and Kyle, loved every trip they could take down there... Emma didn't like it nearly as much. Emma seemed to like the sand and loved being NEAR the water, but she cried if we tried to put her in the water. She liked it if one of us held her and stood in the waves, but didn't want her little toes anywhere near the surface of the water.
As nice as it is to be connected to the world through e-mail, facebook, etc, it's also very nice to go a couple of days without thinking about those things. We had a very pleasant drive home and get back to the routine tomorrow.

Susie and Emma

75% of the time, we worry about Susie and Emma. Our little dog is getting older (she's 9 1/2) and tends to be a little cranky. It doesn't take a whole lot for her to get irritated with Emma over things that are complete accidents and then overreact to simple little things. This usually results in Susie being exiled from the family room until her attitude improves.
But, the other 25% of the time we can see how much Susie loves Emma. Almost every morning, Susie is the first one in Emma's room. If Emma isn't awake yet, Susie sits there for a minute then leaves and continues to go in a check on her periodically until Emma wakes up. There's been more than one morning where we think Emma is still asleep until Susie goes in and the first thing we hear is "Doggie."

4th of July

We have had a very nice extended 4th of July weekend. Dave took Thursday as a vacation day, originally to go to Six Flags with Julie, but their plans changed. So, we took a family day trip to Geneva, IL.... very cute little community... and it was nice to do something different.
Friday we went up to Gurnee, IL to play canasta with Dave's cousins up there. Dave's Mom, sister, and brother-in-law were later leaving than planned because Buddy (the dog injured in February) had an emergency trip to the vet for a fever. Dave, Emma, and I left on time, but ran into horrible traffic, so we were much later getting up there than we intended. We had a lot of fun, but our late arrivals meant a later night getting home. Miss Emma was a real trooper and did great all day. She ran around and played, but was also willing to hang out in the pack 'n play while we played cards. She crashed on the car ride home and slept through being put to bed.
Susie (our dog) ended up spending Friday night at Dave's parent's. She had been there with Dave's Dad, our nephews, and the other dogs just in case we were later getting home. We were a little worried that stopping to get her would wake Emma up, so Susie stayed where she was. Poor Emma knew right away when she woke up Saturday morning that something was wrong. She kept looking for "doggy" and was upset when she couldn't find her.
We celebrated the 4th over at Dave's parents and had a really nice day, even with all of the rain... Emma was very excited to get there and not only see Susie, but the two big doggies too. She had a blast playing with big cousins Jack and Kyle! She was having so much fun, that she only took one 45 minute nap while we were there. I think there was just too much going on for her to want to rest. The rain finally stopped late afternoon and we were able to go watch fireworks. I was a little worried that Emma would be afraid, but she hardly even seemed interested.
The only downside of our wonderful weekend was the strange noise the car started making on Friday as we went up to Gurnee. Emma is going to get quality time with Jack, Kyle, and Aunt Julie tomorrow while I go see the Hyundai dealer to try and find the problem. We are headed to Michigan next weekend, so we want to get whatever issue there is corrected before we go.

Well Baby Visit and Other Notes

Emma had her 15 month well baby check up today.... She got an overall thumbs up from the doctor for being a healthy baby. She weighed in a 23 lb 16 oz (75th percentile) and is 33 inches tall (95th percentile). Yeah Emma!!! She did have to get three vaccinations, but she did great! She cried when the nurse gave her the first shot, but she calmed down as soon as I put her skirt back on and was cheerful by the time we got back in the car. Emma's reward for being such a good girl was getting to have lunch with her Daddy.

Other Notes......
Things have been pretty quiet around our house. We had the pleasure of seeing Pete and Judi Coffey (Dave's cousins from Houston) twice in the past 2 weeks. We have also celebrated Father's Day and Dave got his much desired Blu-Ray player and even got it all hooked up! Yard projects took up a large portion of the last weekend. Dave revamped the final neglected flower bed around our patio. It looks so much nicer out there!!! With this work complete, most of the major house projects are now complete. It's a great feeling to know that after 2 1/2 years, we are finally entering the normal house maintenance projects vs remodeling and improving.
Emma still doesn't like her swing, but we have made progress. Every time we go outside (almost everyday) we take the swing with us and hang it in the tree. At first she wouldn't go anywhere near it, but now she will go up to it and push the empty swing. When I ask Emma if she wants in the swing, she shakes her head no or cries if we try to put her in the swing. So, still no swing for Emma.....

Gigi and Poppy Visit

Mom and Dad arrived last Thursday and had a great visit, here are some of the highlights....
Thursday
Mom and Dad arrived right around dinner time and Emma was a little shy at first, but it seems like showing her Mom and Dad's pictures everyday has helped, because she warmed up in just a few minutes. Before we knew it, she was giving hugs and showing off all the toys in her room.
Friday
We had originally talked about going to Morten Arboretum in Lisle on Friday, but Dave wanted to go too, so we decided to wait until Saturday. On Friday, we headed to Home Depot to get supplies for hanging Emma's swing in one of our trees. The $25 swing, cost $40 to get supplies to hang. Dad had the everything up in the tree within about 45 minutes and Emma HATED the swing. As soon as we put her in the swing, she started crying and saying "no, no, no." So, we gave up on the swing for the time being! We all went out in the back yard and she loved playing with the bubble machine Mom and Dad brought for her. That evening we took Mom and Dad to Giordano's for Mom's birthday. The pizza was great, but the waiter forgot Emma's dinner! By the time her chicken fingers arrived, she wasn't hungry!
Saturday
We woke up to gray skies and rain, so no trip to the Arboretum for us.... We ended up going to the Dupage Children's Museum in Naperville. Emma had fun, especially with the air system toys. But, I'm not really sure she's old enough to enjoy it enough for the price of admission.
Sunday
Emma was baptised at First United Methodist Church. Grandma and PawPaw Breese and the Havemann's (Aunt Julie, Uncle John, Jack, and Kyle) met us at the church and Emma did really well. It's a good thing that the baptisms were early in the service, because I'm not sure how long Emma could have continued to sit still. After the baptism portion of the service, Emma went to play with her pals in the nursery. To celebrate Emma's big day, we all went to Egg harbour for brunch. That afternoon, Mom and I got out to do some birthday and father's day shopping. Later, we all took a walk to the park and Emma had tons of fun on the slides... She still didn't want to try to swings though.
Monday
We all went to Brookfield Zoo and had a great day. Emma enjoyed the Children's Zoo and wasn't scared of the Dinosaurs Alive Exhibit at all. We thought Emma would like the carousel, but she didn't want anything to do with it. We tried several different places to ride, but I ended up having to hold her to finish the ride.
Tuesday was a quiet day, we all just relaxed and Mom got caught on laundry before they headed out on the next leg of their journey (to Ohio to visit Alpaca ranches). When Mom and Dad left on Wednesday, Emma waved and blew kisses. When we came inside, I think she realized what was going on and she started to cry, but she still went done for her nap. The worst part was after she got up from her nap.... Every room we went into, she looked for her Gigi and Poppy and started to cry.... I felt really bad for her because she was so sad....

Walk Update

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back here.....
The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer - Chicago was last weekend and here are a few highlights....
Friday - Event Eve
This was Emma's first stay in a hotel and she did really well. She seemed a little overwhelmed by everything around her she loved watching the planes take off/land at O'Hare. We took her down to the lowest level of the hotel where there wasn't much going on and let her run around for a while. That seemed to help her burn off some energy, but she still didn't want to go to bed. Dave ended up putting the pack in play by his side of the bed and draping his arm in and she settled down.
Saturday - Walk Day 1
Other than Emma, we didn't sleep tat great, so I think it was almost a relief when the alarm went off at 3:30 AM. I got myself dressed and my gear and I left the room about 4:45 AM to go get the bus to Soldier Field. Once there, it was breakfast and the Opening ceremony. The actual walk kicked off at 7 AM (why we had to be at Soldier Field so early, I don't know). The first part of the walk took us along the lake and it was amazing! I was in the middle of the 3,000 person pack and as we followed the curve of the lake, I could look out and see the front of the group. After we left the lake, we were in several residential neighborhoods and everyone came out to cheer for us. It was a nice feeling knowing that what we were doing was important to people. Dave and Emma were at the first cheering station around mile 7.5 and that was a nice boost for me. I felt good walking up to the lunch stop. I made the mistake of taking my shoes and socks off at lunch and noticed blisters starting on my toes and I put band aids on them.... that was a mistake. After I left lunch, my toes starting to hurt a little more. I stopped at the half marathon rest stop and had the medical tent to have the toes looked at. The blisters weren't poppable, but they did doctor apply moleskin and off I went. Dave and Emma were waiting for me waiting for me around mile 14 and that kept me going during what was the loneliest stretch of the walk. After leaving them, I struggled a little more and when I got to the mile 15 quick stop, I decided to hop on the sweep van to the next rest stop. At the rest stop, the toes were still hurting, so I took the bus to the final rest stop and then walked the last 1.3 miles to the Wellness Village. After getting me gear and getting the tent set up, I headed to the shower and then to medical. The blisters still weren't poppable, but the medical staff did provide me with mole skin for the next day. I then took advantage of the spa zone massage chairs and had dinner. Saturday night, I crawled into my sleeping bag and actually slept pretty well. Mylar blankets are a godsend!!
Sunday-Walk Day 2
When the alarm went off, I actually felt rested! I got myself ready, had breakfast, and got ready to walk. We left our campsite at 7:30 AM and headed off to walk some more. We went through the Loyola University Campus and it is amazing!!! The blisters were bothering me more and more, so I stopped at one of the rest stops around mile 5 and had the feet tended too. When I left the rest stop, I wasn't sure I could make it the whole way because I was really hurting. From that point on, I never really stopped again. I went through the quick and rest stops and kept my water bottle full and grabbed lunch/snacks as needed, but I just kept plugging along. We walked through some really nice areas on Sunday, by the Lincoln Park Zoo and along Lake Shore Drive before we starting getting back into the heart of the city and Old Town. Dave and Emma were waiting for me at Millennium Park, just before mile 12 and that's where I was trying to get. By the time I reached them, I was really starting to hurt. We headed off as a family and we finished the walked. The last .1 mile was really emotional because there was a huge crowd waiting for us and complete strangers were saying thank you and patty me on the back. After finishing and getting my gear, I went to take off the walking shoes and socks and was shocked at the size of the blisters on my toes. One of them was so big that the medical staff decided to pop it. When we got home, I was so STIFF and my feet HURT. I soaked my feet, drained the blisters, and rested.
Post Walk
I was amazed on Monday when I woke up that I actually felt pretty good. I was even able to wear real shoes yesterday (Wednesday)!

Getting Ready for the Big Walk

All this week, I have been attacking chores around the house, especially upstairs because Mom and Dad will be here next week and this weekend is the big walk. I think some of the effort to get the house ship shape has also been burning off nervous energy related to the walk.
I'm very nervous about this weekend!!! I'm nervous about being able to make the distance and I'm nervous about leaving Emma. It will be the first night she and i have been apart since she was born!!! She'll be with Dave, so I know she'll be okay.... it's just the first night without Mommy....
I think it will be harder on me than on her!!

I'd like to say a big Thank you to everyone who has supported the walk efforts - both with financial support and moral support. I couldn't have gotten this far without any of you! Special thanks go out to Happy Dog Barkery, Bark N Beauty's, and Dr. Fred McGuire. They are local business who answered the call for financial support of the cause. A VERY special thank you goes out to Dave for being extra supportive and taking Emma duty every weekend so I could get my long, long walks in. :)

Updates

Sorry I've been lax in updating things lately... It's really been pretty quiet, but here are a few highlights:
-Dave and I had a rare "date night" for my birthday and we went to Mon Ami Gabi for a very nice dinner. We don't have too many Emma-less dinners out and it was a very nice treat. Emma had a good night too, she got to stay with Grandma and PawPaw Breese and play with the Havemanns.
-We discovered on Memorial day that Emma has allergies; She woke up with a runny nose and sneezing. After a call to our pediatrician, we now have her on Children's Zyrtec and that seems to be helping her.
-My own allergies started going nuts Monday night/Tuesday morning and my issues continued for the rest of the week. I finally gave up on Saturday and went to the urgent care clinic because I wasn't feeling any better. The doctor prescribed a nasal spray and Zyrtec D and I was amazed that I felt better Sunday morning. I'm still not 100%, but I am on the mend.
-The Avon walk for Breast cancer is this coming weekend and I have raised all of the $1800 needed, except for $35. Given how tough things are for everyone, I am very grateful for all of the support!

Tellin' on Emma

This is probably one of those stories that's only funny when you are there, but I still thought I'd share.
When I went to put Emma down for her nap this morning, I noticed that she needed a new diaper. I took care of the diaper issue and decided to be lazy and not put her pj bottoms back on because I knew I would be changing her clothes when she got up. Fast forward to 9:30 AM... I hear Emma wake up, but she wasn't fussing, so I decided to finish getting ready to go. Normally, this wouldn't have been a big deal and would have taken 5 minutes at the most. Well, my Mom called and I ended up talking to her until I heard Emma starting to get mad. I hang up the phone and discover 20 minutes has past. Oops! I go into Emma's room and she was mad ..... and..... DIAPERLESS. It took me a minute to figure out what was wrong, why Emma didn't look quite right before I realized that the kid was naked from the waist down! Then I noticed her wet diaper on the floor outside the crib. I don't think the diaper had been off for very long because there weren't any wet spots in the crib. The lesson learned is that Emma has to wear pants (or at least something that fastens) to keep her little hands away from those diaper tabs!!! I'm not seeing nightgowns in Emma's future until potty training time.

200 Miles

I had errands to run in our village "downtown" today and I needed to do a training walk. So, I decided to combine the two... Once Emma woke up from her morning nap, we headed into town. We got our errands done, enjoyed the beautiful day, then headed home. I was surprised to see that I had walked 4.5 miles during our little round trip stroll; 4.5 miles that put me over the 200 mile mark for training walks.

I also hit a fund raising milestone today and crossed the $1500 mark. I still have a ways to go before I reach the $1800 required for the big walk, but I am starting to feel a little better about getting there.

15 Miles

I hit a new milestone in my training for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer-Chicago today... I walked 15 miles in 4 hours 45 minutes. I have to admit that I'm a little proud of myself for completing the distance under the 20 min/miles pace I had set for myself.

Another news... Our house got a little bit of a face lift today... Dave and his Dad edged out the front flower beds and added nice new dark mulch. It looks so much better!

Annoyed with Wells Fargo

About a month ago, Dave and I called Wells Fargo (our mortgage company) and started their no closing costs refinancing program. By doing that, we didn't get the lowest rate available, but we will still be saving about $150/month. Well, we did our part and sent in all the documents requested. Over a week ago, our case manager asked for one more document that we'd already sent him, so we sent it in again and expected to hear something. We didn't hear anything, so we sent him an e-mail and he never replied, so Dave called today and found out that the guy had quit. Our refi had just been sitting there.....
Needless to say, we are a little frustrated. Because they are our current mortgage company and will be the new mortgage company, they have no incentive to hurry up with the process because we are making the higher payments.
Grrr..... it would be really nice to get all of this taken care of... I mean who can't use the extra money every month?

Dave to the Rescue

When I got up yesterday, I knew it was going to be busier than normal, but I never imagined just how crazy things would get!
Emma and I left the house about 9 to head to my DAR board meeting. Even though we left with plenty of time to get there, road construction slowed us down and we were a little late. After the meeting, we stopped to get gas and a bite to eat for lunch. So far, so good. Other than a slightly tired Emma (who took a mini nap in the car) I was doing okay.
Then I decided to go to the grocery store. For some reason, I did something that I normally don't do, I used the remote to lock the car and put the keys in my purse after I opened Emma's door, but before I got her out of the car. Normally, I would have waited to lock the car until I had Emma out. I put my purse (with the keys in it) on the floor of the backseat while I went to unbuckle Emma and I noticed her diaper was really full. So, I grabbed a dry diaper out of the bag and was going to change her diaper in the cargo area. With Emma on my hip and the dry diaper in hand, I closed Emma's door and went to pull up the tailgate and that's when I realized what I had done.
The people inside Jewel were very nice and they let me call Dave who thankfully was at his desk. Since it was right around lunch time, he was able to leave work to go home and get the back up keys for the car and then he came to rescue us at the grocery store. While we waited for Dave, I used the store's diaper deck in the washroom to get Emma's diaper changed and we did the shopping that I could remember from the list. Once Dave got there, I had just a few things that I had missed from the list and to check out. I felt like I was wearing a big "stupid" sticker the entire time I was at the store.
I did redeem myself during Emma's afternoon nap though.... I got the lawn mowed (front and back) before the evening's thunderstorms came in.

Quiet Week

It's has been pretty quiet around here the last week or so...
Emma continues to do something new almost daily... Dave and I think they are all cute, of course, but everyone else would probably be bored to tears if I listed them all! One pretty neat thing that I will share is that Emma got to sit in a fire engine (they aren't trucks, they are engines) for the first time. One of our neighbors in a fire fighter for the village and they had a small party last night and included the guys on duty at the firehouse for dinner. That meant that a fire engine and ambulance were in the neighborhood for a little while last night. Greg, our neighbor, was very generous and let Emma sit in the drivers seat for a picture. Thanks Greg!

I am continuing to train for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. After a little bit of a training set back last weekend, I walked 12.75 miles yesterday. That's my longest walk to date and I am a little stiff today, but feel pretty good. My total training mileage is now up over 150 miles.
I am also continuing my fund raising efforts. Friday was the first day of my raffle to raise money. I have 4 prizes and every donation over $15 received in the month of May gets an entry. I received several checks on Friday and Saturday, so my total is now at $1170 out of $1800 with roughly a month to go.
I'd like to say a special thank you to Dr. Fred McGuire (our fabulous dentist) for helping in the fund raising efforts.

Emma's first virus and other stuff.....

Emma had a milestone this weekend that we would have preferred to not experience. She ended up with her first virus... It wasn't too bad, but we are sure glad it's over. Things started Thursday evening with a low grade fever and that continued into Friday morning. Nothing else seemed to be wrong. Emma was playing, eating, and drinking well... The only thing that was unusual was that she was sleeping a little more than normal. We thought the fever was related to Emma being close to cutting several new teeth, but by Friday afternoon her temp had jumped to 102.
I talked to the pediatrician's office Friday afternoon and I found out that there is a virus going around where kids get a fever and nothing else seems to be wrong. The advice from the nurse was strictly supportive care (Tylenol, fluids, and tepid baths) and that got her temperature down on Friday, but it was back at 102 on Saturday. Thankfully, towards the end of the day Saturday the fever seemed to be coming down and it was gone this morning.
We ended up not going to Steve's 40th birthday party on Friday night. We just couldn't take the chance of Emma passing along her bug to someone else or her picking up something else while her defenses were down. We did make it to Ed Kregor's 90th birthday party today, but Emma was very tired by the time we headed home.

Lots of progress was made with house projects this weekend too. Dave finished painting the upstairs bath and got the new towel ring installed. YIPPEE!!!!! This means that the bathroom update is ALMOST done. We also got to mow the grass for the first time this season. It was "fun" this time, but I'm sure that feeling will wear off soon. We have lots of plans for sprucing up the yard and are really hoping to get to enjoy it more this summer.

13 months and other updates

Emma turned 13 months old Sunday and it just slipped by. Now that the first year frame is full, we almost missed her little milestone. Emma is definitely starting to look and act more like a little girl instead of a baby; Her style of play is changing and her hand eye coordination is getting better. The ring stacker is now a fun toy. Emma gets the first ring put on there and likes the reaction she gets so much that she takes it off and puts it right back on.
Emma is also walking more and more. I took her outside yesterday afternoon to show her the pretty spring flowers and she walked in the yard holding my hand. When we got back to the driveway, she let go ahead of my hand and took a few steps before falling to one knee. Last night we took a trip to Anderson's bookstore and Emma had the best time walking from stuffed "Doggy" to stuffed "Doggy" saying hello, petting, and even hugging on them.

My training for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer continues. To date, I have walked 126 miles to get ready for the walk. The five and six mile walks I do during the week are getting easier and easier and I am up to 10 miles on my long weekend walks.

100 Miles

As of today, I have walked 105 miles in preparation for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in June. It's taken 6 weeks to get that far.... I actually have one more walk in week 6, so the total at the end of the week will be between 115 and 120 miles.
When I'm going on one 5 mile walk, it doesn't seem like that much. But, when I look at the total mileage and realized that I still have 7 weeks of training left, I wonder if I lost my mind when I signed up for the walk.
Then I think about why I signed up.....
The last year and a half (since the gestational diabetes diagnosis in Dec 2007) has been full of doctor appointments (Physical therapy too) and I have been so blessed to have access to good doctors. The gestational diabetes was a pain (literally) to deal with between finger pricks and all of the extra doctor visits, but it was so worth it because Emma arrived a very healthy baby. The odyssey that started the night my face "froze" and we began to learn about Bell's palsy has been less than fun. But, again, I have continued to have access to good doctors and all of the necessary tests.
Learning what some of these tests and procedures cost has been very eye opening. And as I started to get more frustrated with the Bell's, the more I started to feel like I needed to do something to "Payback." That's where the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer comes in. One of their big missions is to help fund public hospitals, which in turn provide care for cancer patients who don't have insurance. Combining this with the efforts to find a cure and spreading the word about early detection, it seemed like a cause I could support and do something positive for myself in the process.
I am so grateful for all of the love and support I have received while dealing with all of my health issues in the last year and a half and while I've been training for the WALK. If anyone wants to help financially, please go to: http://www.avonwalk.org/goto/Elizabeth_Breese

Easter

This was actually Emma's second Easter... In 2008, we had JUST come home from the hospital with her on Good Friday. We went to the early service at church and she did really well in the nursery! I think she and the other little girl there had a lot of fun playing with all of the toys. We met up with Dave's parents, sister, her family, and her in laws for a yummy breakfast at Egg Harbor before heading over to Dave's parents.
The kids had a fun Easter Egg hunt. Emma seemed to have an idea of what was going on, but she didn't want to walk. She knew to hold onto the eggs and to put them in the basket if her hands were full and she wanted to hold another egg.
Emma seems to be catching on to the idea of present opening a little bit more and really enjoyed finding all the goodies in her basket. She especially liked it when Jack and Kyle went outside with her and blew bubbles!

Home Improvements

Our house got a mini face lift today. We splurged and had a landscape company come and do our spring yard clean up for us and our yard has never looked better. We are excited by the potential to continue sprucing things up and really enjoy our yard this summer. This includes getting Emma's Kangaroo Climber put together so she can enjoying it...
The master bathroom update also made a lot of progress this week. Dave finished replacing the drywall and painted above the vanity. The brand new mirror is now on the wall and looks fantastic.

My Avon Walk for Breast Cancer training continued this week and I logged a new long distance walk today... 10 miles. I am now over 90 miles with training walks.

First haircut

Emma went to Snippets at Yorktown Mall today for her first haircut. She didn't have much hair to cut, but her bangs were trimmed and the back was cleaned up. She did great!
Emma got to sit in a little yellow taxi cab during her haircut and the only time she fussed was when the lady went to cut her bangs. I had to hold Emma's head still and she didn't like that much. Her reward for being so good was going to visit the Disney store and visiting the bear at the chocolate shop.

Walking, Drywall, and Flowers

We have two walking updates....
1) Emma is getting better and better at walking and tries to walk to get around, but sometimes she gets in a hurry and decides to crawl. She is always on the go... there are days when it wears me out to watch her!

2) I completed week 4 of my training for the Avon 3 day. I logged 9.5 miles today in addition to the 6 and 5 mile walks Emma and I completed earlier in the week. Walking outside is a lot harder than the mall walks Emma and I do during the week. I'm hopeful that the weather will stay warmer so that Emma and I can move our walks from the mall to the park.

Drywall....
Last week Dave started replacing the mirror in our bathroom and discovered holes behind the mirror, so today, he spent the day cutting the old drywall out and hanging a new sheet. Everything is taped and mudded, so we are halfway to the new mirror!!!

Flowers....
Everywhere we look we are seeing small signs of spring. Plants that have been dormant for the winter are starting to pop up and show their little green faces and a few flowers are even blooming. I was able to get out and work on cleaning so of our flowerbeds out and was surprised by just how many of the plants in there are starting to poke up. It's amazing how they just know it's time to grow.

Busy week.... Long update

It’s been another very busy week at our house…. Furniture has been rearranged, a TV has been installed, doctors have been seen, holes have been discovered, and it snowed!

Our family room is currently a disaster area… Nothing is where is should be right now. On Wednesday, we rearranged all of the furniture to create more of a sitting/conversation area and to make room for the new HD TV. On Thursday, the Geek Squad came and actually mounted and hooked up the new LG set…. It looks awesome! The guy from Comcast was here today getting the new cable jack installed and upgrading our service. After today, we will have their digital voice service instead of AT&T. Now that the cable is done, we will be able to get everything sorted out so that it looks like a family room again!

Both of our “kids” had check ups this week. Susie went to the vet on Saturday and Emma to the pediatrician today. We actually took Susie to a new vet, Arboretum View, and she did great! She even relaxed enough to lie down on the table. The vet said that other than some mild arthritis in her hips, Susie is in great shape for a 9 year old dog. Emma did great at her pediatrician visit too. She grew an inch (30 ½ inches tall, 90th percentile) and gained a pound (22 lb 8 oz, 75th percentile). Emma had to have two shots today, a vaccine for chicken pox and one for meningitis, and she hardly cried at all! As of now, Emma can try any food she wants except for nuts and anything she might choke on. Because of my allergies, we are going to be a little more careful introducing eggs, but she will be trying them soon too. The only thing we are going to do differently with eggs vs. other new food is make sure we are home for the day when she tries them for the first time just in case she has a reaction. I was really proud of what a big girl Emma was at the doctor today!

We finally found a new mirror we liked for our upstairs bathroom, so Dave tried removing the old mirror on Saturday. The first problem he discovered was that the old mirror had been glued on…. Then he discovered a hole in the wall. Evidently the bathroom had been updated before and a medicine cabinet removed before the current mirror was installed, but no one ever patched the hole. The old mirror currently looks like a window prepped for a hurricane (i.e. criss-crossed with duct tape) and duct tapped to the wall. Drywall has been purchased and a 4’x4’ section of the bathroom wall above the vanity is due to be replaced. Poor Dave……. This “easy” bathroom update has turned into a much more difficult project.

Our spring like weather earlier in the week gave way to cold and blustery on Saturday. That didn’t stop me from getting out and completing a 7.5 mile training walk, but later in the day it started raining and got even colder. When we got up yesterday morning everything was white. It looked really pretty, especially the trees, but it started melting by mid afternoon. It’s supposed to warm up again this week, but there are still chances of snow next weekend.  I’m so ready for spring to get here and STAY!

Bell's and Other Updates

I had a visit with Dr. Choi (the eye/plastic surgeon) and he said that he notices a difference in the left side of my face since the Botox treatments earlier in the month. He pointed out that since we made it so that I can't raise my eyebrows, and not activate the bad muscle connection with my mouth, the left check doesn't twitch as much. We talked more about trying Botox around my left eye to break the bad patterns there, but I'm just not ready to do that yet and I don't know if I ever will be. I have decided to call the physical therapist that I worked with over the summer to see if he can help me get a better understanding of the exercises I found on the Bell's website. I have been doing some of those exercises (the ones that I clearly understand) and have gotten some better control over the goofy eye movements. I'm hoping that with some expert help, I could understand the other exercises better and get more control over all the goofy things my face is doing.

Happier updates.....
We are finally going High Def! We have had new TV money set aside since the tax refund we received in 2008 and we finally found a set we like in our price range. It's an LG LCD 1080.... blah blah blah..... Dave said it's cool, so I'll take his word for it. He will be picking it up tomorrow night on his way home from work and Best Buy's Geek Squad will be here on Thursday to hang it on the wall and hook it up. Comcast is coming out on Monday to work their magic so that we will have a DVR and actually get the HD channels.

I have completed week 2 of the training for the Avon 3 day in June and am making progress. I walked 6 miles yesterday morning and actually felt really good the rest of the day and wasn't sore at all today! I haven't been able to do much road walking because of the weather, so I've been walking at the mall. Emma and I are getting to know some of the seniors who walk there too. They all love to say hi to Miss Emma! Hopefully the weather will be getting better soon so that we can walk outside more.

Emma's Big Week

Our little princess had a big week! Emma continues to practice her walking and is up to 10 or 15 steps at a time. She has also mastered climbing...over barriers and up the stairs, she's definitely a girl on the go!
Emma turned 1 on Thursday. Dave took a vacation day and we had a great family day. We went to brunch and took Emma to Toys R Us for her birthday club surprise, which was a crown and balloon. Other than that, it was a quiet day enjoyed by all.
On Saturday, we had Emma's birthday party. Our guests were Dave's extended family and Emma had a grand time playing with all of her cousins. She was also a real trooper during the party and only fussed a little bit towards the end of lunch. Opening presents perked her up - and she got lots and lots of goodies. The highlights of the day were Elmo and the Radio Flyer wagon from Aunt Julie. All of the kids loved the Radio Flyer! After a trip outside to try out the wagon (thumbs up were given by all!) it was back inside for cake. Emma knew JUST what to do when the pretty pink smash cake was put in from of her! After a few dainty little bites of icing, she dug right in and had cake everywhere! After a bottle, some ice cream from Celine, and more playing, the birthday girl was down for the count.
Emma also got a Barbie ATV for her birthday and Dave put it together tonight. As soon as it was done, Emma made a beeline for it and climbed on... she was ready to go for a ride!
Her other big gift was a Kangaroo Climber and Slide, but it will be a few weeks before she will get to try that out. We need to get the back yard cleaned up and ready for spring before we set up the Climber.

Progress

We've been making progress on our various projects this weekend.
*I completed a 6 mile walk this morning as part of my training for the Avon 3 day for Breast Cancer in June.
*Dave has spent sometime today on our master bathroom update. He has been working at getting our new toilet installed. Yeah!!! This project require the removal of old wallpaper from behind the old toilet, but the steamer helped with that! It will be so nice once the bathroom is done... it's our last really bid project around the house.
*Emma continues to practice her standing, walking, climbing, and overall mischievousness. She still needs something to help her stand up, but once she's there, she can take about 10 steps by herself. We have also discovered that you have to be VERY aware of what Emma is playing with because she will try to push things together and climb places that she really doesn't need to be. She also like to reach up and press the buttons on the stereo........ I have a feeling that the fun is JUST starting.

Walking

Walking has been a theme at our house lately! Yesterday was Day 1 of my training program for the Avon 3 day in June. Emma and I went to Yorktown Mall and joined the local seniors in walking laps. According to my pedometer, we walked 3.5 miles in 1 hour and 20 minutes. I should have done 5 miles, but Emma was getting bored with cruising the mall.

Emma has also been working on her standing and walking. She is getting braver and braver about standing up and letting go of whatever she used to stand up and balancing. She has also been taking a few steps here and there walking to her Daddy and I. Before I know it, I'm going to be chasing her around the house!

Emma likes Cheese

Emma tried cheese today and discovered that she likes it. She tried the mozzarella string cheese sticks cut up into smaller pieces and she ate about 1/3 of a stick before she started sharing with Susie (which usually means she's full and/or tired of whatever she is eating).

We also had our first really warm day of the year today, it got up into the mid 60's and it felt wonderful after all of the cold weather! The past couple of days have been sunshiny and warmer and we have really enjoyed it. It's been so nice to be able to open up the windows and air the house a little. The downside is that winter is ready to give up yet, so we have a flash flood warning for the whole weekend.

Bell's Update

I had my appointment with Dr. Choi (the Ophthalmology and Oculofacial Plastic Surgeon) tonight. Dave and Emma ended up going with me. He did his exam and the results are in:

1) My eyes are healthy - and he dilated them to prove it!

2) The muscles around my left (the Bell's side) eye are just as strong as the muscles around my right eye.

3) He agreed with the ENT that I have sykenisis (cross wiring of the facial nerve/muscles) and he proposed a treatment plan.

Part 1 of the plan addresses the fact that the left side of my face tightens and my mouth lifts when I raise my eyebrows. For this he suggested using a small dose of Botox in my forehead to help me learn to not use and/or minimize the use of raising my eyebrows. There were minimal negative side effects (mainly bruising at the injection site), so I decided to go ahead and give this a try.

Part 2 of the plan addresses the left eye closing when I pucker or make certain shapes with my mouth during speech. The doctor suggested using a small dose of Botox around my eye to slightly weaken the muscles and prevent them from reacting when my mouth moves. There are more potential negatives to this treatment, primarily the risk that my eye could look/behave the way it did right after the Bell's started. I decided NOT to try this treatment right now. I am going to continue to do the exercises I have to see if I can continue to gain additional control over the eye.

Part 3 of the plan addresses things I didn't even really know where going on - Dr. Choi mentioned that he noticed small involuntary twitches and muscle spasms in the left side of my face and one of the muscles in my neck. He would like to treat that with Botox as well. At this point, I don't think I will follow up on Part 3 of the plan. This are things that I wasn't aware of, so they must not be too bad.

I go back to Dr. Choi in three weeks to follow up on the Botox injections that were done to my forehead tonight. If there is any news, I will let you know.....

4 steps

Emma took her first 4 steps today! She had been standing/leaning against the couch watching the end of The Price is Right. I sat in the floor in front of her and held my hands out to her, she grabbed my finger and WALKED to me taking 4 steps!!! It's the first time she's taken more than one step on her own....

No Binky and No Blinky

Emma had a big night on Thursday, she slept all night without her pacifier (aka binky). She went to bed with it as usual, but when I went to check on her before turning in for the night, she had spit the binky out. So, I moved it (like I do almost every night) so I could find it when she wanted it in the middle of the night. I was amazed when Emma woke up at 6:30 AM and had slept all night without the binky!!!

Dave was also able to resume work on out upstairs bathroom "fix up" and he replaced the light over the vanity. He is getting very speedy at replacing light fixtures and had the whole thing done in less than 2 hours! After replacing the light, Dave was out the door to go with his Mom to Arboretum View Animal Hospital. Poor Buddy has developed a pressure sore and needs to see the vet.....

Avon Three Day

I set a big challenge for myself today. I signed up for the Avon Three Day for Breast Cancer in June. By signing up, I have agreed to walk at LEAST 26 miles and as many as 39 miles over June 6 -7, 2009 and raise at least $1,800 to help people with Breast Cancer.
My motivation for signing up for the Three Day is two fold: 1) To help raise money for Breast Cancer patients. 2) To jump start my efforts to lose weight and reduce my risks of developing Type II diabetes.

If you are interested in helping the cause, please check out my personal Avon web page...

http://walk.avonfoundation.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1780&px=4588810

Busy weekend update

It was the typical busy weekend around here. Sometimes the weekdays seem to drag by, especially when the weather is yucky and Emma and I don't get out much.
Here are the basics:
Friday night we went over to Dave's Mom and Dad's house to celebrate Terry's release from Marion Joy (rehab). He still has his cast and is VERY sore through his ribs and shoulder, but we are all so grateful that he is home!!

Friday night is snowed buckets, so Saturday morning Dave headed over to his folk's house to help clear their driveway. He also got to go over to Arboretum View to see Buddy. The vets are now hopeful that Buddy will regain the use of his right hind leg! Saturday afternoon after Dave got home, I got our snow blower out and cleared our driveway. I know, some of you out there are shaking your heads on that one --- me with power equipment (I had to have a refresher course on starting the thing, but it's a 4 cycle engine, so I can do it!!).

Today (Sunday) I got some Mommy time and met my girlfriends for breakfast. Then we all headed over to Dave's parent's house to hang out with Terry while Carol went to visit Buddy and check in with his doctors. While she was there, Buddy used part of his right hind leg to push his rear end up a few inches. It seems like everyday he has a small improvement that may mean he won't be completely paralyzed. This evening, I attended the new members class at Downers Grove First UMC. I will become an official member of the church (by way of transfer) next Sunday.

We have a busy week ahead.... On Tuesday, I have the third and final appointment to replace one of my crowns. It will be nice to not have a sensitive tooth anymore. I am also hoping to finish making the party favors for Emma's birthday party.

11 months

Emma had her 11th "monthday" yesterday! I've been working on a photobook for her through Shutterfly (I have a coupon, so it's free!) and I have been amazed to look at how much she has changed.
Emma is still working on adding to her tooth collection. She's up to 5, but 3 more are lurking. She has also started pointing to things... Sometimes, this means she wants something. But, I think it also means she wants to know what it is. Emma is also practicing her standing up and she's getting good at it, but she's not trying to walk yet.

Bells and the ENT appointment

I had my appointment with the Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor today regarding the Bell's Palsy. He checked my latest MRI films and did an exam... He confirmed that everything is okay, except for the fact that I have Bell's.

To address the pain/facial discomfort.... Since the pain is related to the facial nerve, I get to call the neurologist back tomorrow. The last prescription she gave me makes me feel worse than the facial discomfort, so we need to try something different.

To address the cross wiring between my eye and mouth (there's a word for this, but it's unpronounceable, so I won't use it) the ENT has referred me to yet another doctor with an impossible to spell or pronounce title. This new doctor has expertise using botox to help facial paralysis patients with cross wiring issues. I am also to continue doing the facial exercises I found on one of the Bell's websites. The ENT is going to work with Rehab Institute of Chicago to try and find a physical therapist who has expertise with Bell's... It is possible that this person doesn't exist.

I go to the new doctor on March 3.

We also have a few updates on Dave's Dad and Buddy...
Terry (Dave's Dad) is expected to come home from Marion Joy on Friday. Yippee!!!!!
Buddy had to have surgery today. The abscess on his rear end wasn't healing, so the vets were planning to remove his anal sack. When they did the surgery, they discovered that the anal sack was ruptured, so this has probably been contributing to the poor dog's fever. We continue to pray that Buddy will be a miracle dog and walk again.

Something New

Emma got to try something new for the first time today. We went to church and left her in the nursery. She was playing happily when we left, so she didn't even notice that we were gone. When we went to get her after the service we found out that she had been good for the most part, but she did try to take another child's pacifier even though she had her own in her hand. We're going to have to work on teaching Emma what belongs to her and to not take other people's things. Emma also got to try gold fish crackers for the first time. She was evidently kicking up a little bit of a fuss and the volunteers in the nursery didn't realize that she had her own snacks in her diaper bag. That's okay though, variety is good for her.
Once Emma gets up from her nap and has her lunch, we will be heading to Wheaton to see her Paw Paw. Terry is doing well and working hard at the rehab center. We are hoping that he will be able to come home soon. Buddy, the dog, is in good spirits at Arboretum View. They have him working with a doggie wheelchair at the animal hospital and he seems to be doing well. He has been measured for his own little cart to have when he comes home.

Bad News

We got bad news this evening regarding Buddy's MRI. His injuries are compromising the blood flow to his spine and he is paralyzed from his ribs down. At this point, we do not know what that means for his long term situation, but we continue to pray for him.

Friday Updates

On Wednesday, Dave's Dad moved from Good Samaritan Hospital to Marion Joy (a rehab facility) in Wheaton. He seems to be doing well there and they are making him work hard. They have had him practicing stairs and getting in/out of a practice car inside the facility. We are hoping that he will only be there about a week.
Buddy continues his stay at Aboretum View Animal Hospital and has shown small signs of improvement. He has exhibited small movements of his tail and legs. Today, Friday, Carol and Julie drove Buddy up to Buffalo Grove to a specialist/neurologist vet for an MRI.

Emma continues to grow like a weed! It's hard to believe that she will be 11 months old next week. She has started standing up on her own for a few seconds at a time.