The migraine from....

From hell pretty much. I typically suffer from migraines every time I get my period. Some months are better than others, but this month was no exception.

For those of you who have never had a migraine, consider yourself blessed. Seriously. When I get my migraines (The really bad ones!) I get nauseous, dizzy, am very sensitive to sound and light. Put it this way, I'm a better person if I am allowed to shut myself in a very dark room with earplugs in. And typically sleep is really the only cure. I haven't been on migraine meds since right before I got preggo with Ella b/c I just don't like them. I have never found the right med and they make me feel pretty yucky usually. And Tylenol or Excederin do nothing for me. They don't come close to the pain. Once in awhile, Vidocin or Percocet do the trick, but I have a very addictive personality and I try to keep those drugs out of sight, LOL!

So anyway, I had been fight a period induced headache starting Tuesday but it wasn't unbearable. Yet. I figured it would go away by Wednesday morning. It did for a bit but came back. I think it was the candle I lit that triggered my migraine. Some types of smells can trigger my migraines as well. Like cigarette smoke, perfumes or candle smells. I guess I will have to toss my peppermint candles! By Thursday morning my tension headache had turned into a full blown migraine, and oh yeah, Magellan was in New Paltz! I spent the better half of the day laying on the floor in the living room doing my best to keep the kids entertained. Or laying in CJ's bed while Ella and CJ played in the hallway while watching Elmo. Thank God for Elmo! It kept Ella quiet for quite some time, which is what I really needed. By 4pm I was next to death, not literally, but I was in a lot of pain and it was only increasing. So I called my dr's office and begged for the PA to write me a script for something for migraines. I said I didn't care what it was, just something to please help me. Finally at 430p my script was ready and I got the kids bundled up and off we drove to the pharmacy. Now, I really hadn't left the house so I had no clue how bad it was outside either. Halfway to the pharmacy I think I shit my pants. Honestly. It was that bad out. You couldn't see 5 feet in front of you, it was complete white out conditions even though it wasn't dark yet. I couldn't even see where the road ended and the ditches started. It was pretty scary. And it didn't make matters any better when CJ fell asleep and was no longer paying attention to Ella, who decided screaming at the top of her lungs was a brilliant idea.

It took us 20 minutes longer than usual to get to the pharmacy, but we made it in one piece. I ran inside and got my meds and downed two as soon as possible. Now the time could start to be more manageable. I only had 1.5 hrs before Ella would be going to bed. The ride home was a bit better b/c I knew what to expect and Ella had calmed down just the slightest bit. Although it took awhile for the meds to kick in, it did provide some relief. The only bad thing is it messes with my sleep. After the drowsiness disappears, the meds give me some serious insomnia. So needless to say I did NOT sleep well. Oh and our house was freezing and Magellan thinks sleeping on top of me is the answer to that problem. NOT! I like my space when I sleep, I don't like to cuddle or snuggle when I'm trying to sleep. After almost 12 years of being together he still hasn't caught on.

Today I was really hoping that my headache would miraculously be gone, but no. I finally gave in and took some meds and took a short nap, but here I sit with that lingering yucky medicine feeling.

Here's hoping tomorrow is much better, because really it couldn't get any worse!

Can I just scream now?

Well, CJ brought some funk home, I'm sure from school, and now Ella has it. It's weird b/c its only runny poo and nothing else, but add to it Ella's newfound clinginess AND independence AND her two bottom molars poking thru the gums and I seriously want to hide.

In.a.dark.room.all.by.myself.

Can I scream now?

It's been a rough week still with Ella. She is either literally attached to my hip or running away from me as I try to get her coat or hat on. She is either very clingy or trying despertely to put her own shoes and socks on. And no matter how simple the task, it always ends with a screaming fit. Not by me, of course! But by the Diva herself. Good lord, if ever there was a picture to describe "mentally exhausting" Ella's would for sure be there. With her shit-eating grin of course.

Her dr appointment by the way went just fine. No infection in her incision, everything looks just the way it should so far. We go back to the plastic surgeon in a month so they can see how her scar will be at that point and then hopefully after that we won't have to go back! Oh, and the biopsy came back for the cyst and its just a bunch of blood vessels, nothing to worry about at all. *breathing a sigh of relief now*

Ella had her 15 month checkup last week, which I am JUST NOW realizing I never blogged about. Go ahead, say it, I suck! So, here's the good news:

Ella is currently 31.75" tall, making her in the 85%tile for girls (where did this Giant come from!), is 22.5lbs making her in the 50th%tile for weight. There is some speculation and discerepencies on her weight as Ella has been weighed 3x in the last two weeks. Twice at the hospital before her surgery and once at her checkup. She is too big to be on the baby scale and barely stands long enough on the big person scale to register. Both times at the hospital the numbers were very close, and at her ped's office she just about jumped right off the scale. Her weight barely registered and she was one foot off when it did. So, I'm going with the hospital weight for now. Ella has met all of her 15 month milestones and is pretty much ahead of everything when it comes to her gross and fine motor skills. She is jumping, spinning in circles, attempting to feed herself, can stack blocks, puts Legos together, loves to read, tries to dress and undress herself, can climb up and down stairs, opens and shuts doors and cabinets, can climb up and off furniture, loves her baths, loves on all the animals, and is still very addicted to her blankie and milk. But we are completely bottle free!! I finally threw all the bottles away b/c it was quite obvious Ella was too big for them, lol! Ella is starting to become a snuggler, really enjoying our "rock" sessions before bedtime and naptime.

CJ is doing awesome in school! He recognizes all his letters and numbers and is starting to learn what sounds the letters make. He can read double digit numbers and is working on triple digit numbers now. He can tell time, spell out simple yet short words. CJ has some trouble cutting with scissors but is making good progress. I can't believe how far he's come so far in his second year of preschool.

So, thats it for now.

Can I scream now?

How is it possible....

I had the intention of updating my blog this weekend since Magellan really didn't have too much to do. However, someone else had other ideas, LOL!

It seems Miss Ella has hit the terrible two's, and need I remind you that she is ONLY 15 months old? I mean, is this a joke? AM I being punished for something I did? Come on God, help me out here! Her tantrums can be downright ridiculous. CJ always had some bad ones, but his did not really start till he was about 2 1/2 years old. Ella absolutely HAS to have her way at all times. And she makes it known when you aren't giving her her way. She will scream, screech, and wail and the throw herself on the floor if all else fails. The only thing I can do right now is to ignore her and walk away. I mean I can't really put her in time out, and I am NOT a big believer in spanking. Most of the time I believe it sends the wrong message, but we don't need to debate that subject. To each their own.

Besides the tantrum issue Ella has once again begun nap strike. The last four days have been pure hell. Just sayin'......I mean I might get about a 30 minute nap out of her in the morning and that would be it for the day. I have tried cutting out her morning nap, thinking she might be ready to drop it, but nooooooo. When I attemped that before our playdate on Friday, she napped for only 45mins total. And that was after being up for more than 4 hours too. You would think with her being my second I might have a clue but I really don't.

So back to two naps it is! We shall see what today brings, especially since the Princess was up at 530a! So NOT like her either. I can almost see her two bottom molars underneath the gums and Magellan thinks he sees her incisors coming in too. Oh the joys of teething.

CJ's last day of Gym class is today and he will be doing a final routine to show me and his teachers all that he has learned this semester. I can't wait to see him show off his stuff! I am going to try and remember my camera!! Then next week he starts dance class and gym class at the higher level. His teachers think he is DEF ready for a challenge so he needs to move up to the higher level.

As for me, I'm ok. I wish by now my wrist didn't hurt half as much as it does. Sadly I don't feel like it has healed much. I have some good days, but the bad/pain ful ones are far more common. Still keeping my fingers crossed for no surgery.

Magellan is almost done with New Paltz. I think two more weeks maybe....and now I don't know what I'm going to do with him home during the day again, LOL. I much prefer him being gone all day long so I can get things done around the house and not worry about having to be quiet. And for those of you wondering if he has stayed the helper he swore he would be....well take a good guess. I will give you three tries and the first two don't count. Let's just say he leaves a lot to be desired some days!

Well. gotta take CJ to school. Excuse my typos!!

Wordless Wednesdays

Tasteless Tuesdays!!

Yes, it's back!


Even though I still have a cast and can't type very well, I HAVE to get back to this. The stories have just been building up!

Tasteless stories courtesy of my Transformer:

"Mom, I told you none of the girls in my gym class were cute today. They were all gross!"

"Guess what I did today? I wiped my own butt!!"

"I only like tattooed girls like you,mom."

A Tasteless Story courtesy of my Ladybug:

I often let Ella run around naked after a diaper change or a bath. A few weeks ago, after her bath she started wandering around upstairs. I was getting out a clean diaper and jammies when I realized how quiet it was. NOT a good thing with any toddler. It can only mean trouble. Well, I called out her name with no response. There was no noise coming from mine and Magellan's room, which is odd. Our room is typically the first room she goes to. She enjoys shredding my magazines and rearranging our nightstands. I peaked in the doorway and she was very quiet walking around to the other side of the bed wiping her hands as if they were dirty. Oh boy! All of a sudden out of the corner of my eye I see this brown "pile", and thought Good God the dog shit in the house. Well, as I got closer, putting my shirt over my nose all the while, I realized it was Ella's shit! And I realized she had walked in it, and walked all around our room with poopy bare feet. And remember those dirty hands I mentioned...yup take a guess! I have never been more grossed out in my life. And it takes a lot these days to make my stomach turn. I had to quick grab Ella and give her bath, and manage to clean up the mess before my dog could continue with her snack.

LMAO, how was that for being gone for so long?!

Ella's mugshots

My baby, a few hours after surgery, you can see the swelling starting to set in.

The day after surgery. I wanted to cry when she woke up that morning.

A good view of her incision, it's at least 8" long.

Two days after surgery. At least she can see out of both eyes!

Three days after surgery, swelling is minimal, but she looks so darn cute!

All kinds of updates!

I hate being so behind in blogging b /c it will take me FOREVER to update! But here goes, first things first....my baby girl's surgery.

So Ella's surgery was scheduled for Monday the 11th at 715a, and we had to be there by 615a to check in and sign paperwork. Shockingly enough the two kids did fantastic having to be woken up at 530a! CJ fell asleep immediately in the waiting room (he is a narcoleptic!!), and Ella just smiled and waved at everyone. My silly girl! They called us back to her little cubicle area while we signed some more papers, talked to her nurse and her plastic surgeon. Ella seemed to do pretty well and really liked jumping up and down on her bed! Randy and I had to take turns sitting with her separately b/c they don't allow other children in the back areas. And obviously we had CJ so someone had to sit with him too. At about 730a the nurse and anestethiologist came to take Ella back for surgery. I was starting to get choked up, and was just waiting for Ella to start screaming b /c I had to hand her over to a strange man to be walked back. Well the little tough girl didn't make a peep and I was left there to wipe tears!! Do ya think I was nervous?? She probably loved all the male attention anyways.

About 45 mins later her surgeon came out to say they had successfully removed the entire cyst with no complications, and they would be sending it out to make sure it isn't cancerous or anything. Normal procedure I guess. Well, I got the biggest shock of my ENTIRE life going back to see Ella when she woke up in the recovery area. I could hear her all the way down the hall screaming bloody murder. A horrible scream, it broke my heart! There were 3 nurses trying to wake her up and calm her down, and they all had to stay even after I took my baby into my arms. Apparently babies do not wake up well from the meds (but who doesn't??) and she was SOOO out of it. She wailed for about 25mins and was thrashing all over the place, kicking, hitting, arching her back and just trying to get away. She had no clue I was holding her either. I almost started crying, it was so hard and even harder to see her big incision.

I finally got her calm enough to realize it was mama, and she cuddled right up to me and wouldn't go. She was really pissed off I had to let go of her and put her into her carseat. She cried almost the whole way home. The only time she was quiet was when CJ would sing to her! It was so cute. She was a bit better when we got home. She was still woozy from the meds and it made walking very hard for her, but nothing was going to stop that girl from eating! She ate for about 2 hours straight!!

Tuesday, Ella's entire left side of her face was very swollen, we called her our little alien! Her right eye was completely swollen shut, but it did not phase her one bit! She was completely back to her old self. She wouldn't take any medicine, and even with one eye was running around like a wild woman! She took real good naps and even went down to bed just fine. She did wake up 2x before 11pm, but then she slept soundly the rest of the night.

Today her eye was open and she could see out of it, but she has a lot more bruising, poor thing. Looks like someone knocked her out in a boxing match! But you would never know the girl had surgery. She hasn't once attempted to touch her stitches or incision, and I even have to lather the cut up a few times a day with Vaseline. She just really could care less, LOL! I did have to venture out in public with her today b/c I had an appt at the hand dr to get my cast off and get more xrays to see if my wrist was healed. Everyone we came in contact with naturally wanted to know what had happened to her.

So, what a bummer my Dr's appt was. I got my cast off and my thumb and wrist actually hurt like hell. Of course it was tender and sore, but ached like heck. I had a bunch of xrays done, and lo and behold it's not healed. The fracture goes almost from one side of the scaphoid to the other. This is not a good thing. My Dr said I have a nonunion waist scaphoid fracture so I got a pretty black cast for FOUR MORE WEEKS!!! Yup, you sure read that right. Four more freaking weeks. And then they will xray my hand again, and if it still doesn't look healed I will have to get a bone scan to get a better look at the fracture and there is a possibility of having a screw put in to help the bones heal together. Pretty freaking dandy if you ask me! And not to mention I've been in pain all day after having my hand jerked around again. UGH! And to think when i fell my hand didn't even hurt.

OK, so enough updating for now. Tomorrow I will post pics of my pretty new cast and Ella's "mug shots".

Tomorrow is D-Day

For Miss Ella that is. Tomorrow is her cyst removal surgery and I wasn't at all nervous or worried.

Until now...

I don't know why. It's supposed to be a quick, relatively painless surgery. It should only take an hour, but still. I don't like the idea of her being under general anesthesia (sure that was spelled wrong!) being so young. Plus, I worry about how she does with the dressing on her head where they cut her head open. She has a fit when I put a hat on her, Lord knows she will have a fit with gauze wrapped around her head!! And I know this is totally superficial, but I also wonder if they will have to shave some of her hair off. They have to do a cut from ear to ear right at the top of her forehead where her hairline starts. Although its better than the alternative (making a cut in the middle of her forehead only to leave a nasty scar), I just don't like the idea of it.

I'm worried about how much pain she is in too. Because she's so little, she can only have infant Tylenol or Motrin. I don't even give her that for teething, it never seems to help her.

Ugh, being a parent is so tough.

I will try and post tomorrow after all is said and done.

Oh, and yes Magellan does have to go to New Paltz this week too. Luckily he won't be leaving till Tuesday, but it still could be a long week for Ella and I.

Pray for her!

Houdini strikes again!

Back in the day when Ella was a wee little one, Magellan and I used to call Ella "Houdini". She could some pretty amazing things, and we never did figure out why. She choose to do these random baby things usually when we left the room.

Well, after about a 9 month hiatus, Houdini is back. This morning, on the way to CJ's school, Ella managed to get her diaper off her rump, all the while sitting and buckled into her carseat. I can remember halfway there she was screaming like someone was stabbing her and I was saying to myself, "Why can't you just like the car?!"

I felt this really oddly shaped lump in her jammies on her left leg while carrying her in to drop CJ off at class. For the life of me I had NO CLUE what the "F" was in her jammies. Well, as I was buckling her back into her seat I realized she had no padding around her womanly parts. Low and behold it was her damn diaper hanging down around her knee. And by the time we got home she had absolutely pissed everywhere. Figures the way my luck is these days.....

I don't know how she did it, but lately ripping the diaper off is her new fascination. She will take off every chance she gets before I get her fully dressed and rip the diaper off. I really think she likes airing her girlies out. But who doesn't, right?

So I have a feeling this is the beginning of a long string of magical "mishaps" to come.

Stay tuned!!!

Oh and PS: Note the picture where she is standing behind all the kids waiting to grab someone's leftovers!!

WoW!

I have never been a big believer in teaching an old dog new tricks, but Magellan has proved me wrong. Hopefully this will be the one and only time he does that, cause man I HATE TO BE WRONG! It must be the Hitler side in me coming out.



I can honestly say Magellan has really been helping out, and without much prodding. It's nice to feel like I have some help now when he is home from work. This weekend for instance he even let me sleep in, AND, let me nap! I know, totally shocking. But I think Magellan really does enjoy his Ella time. She's getting to be so much fun now, and is really doing a good job of communicating what she needs/wants. I mean for goodness sake the girl even tells you when she poops her pants! And the times that Magellan let me rest this weekend were a nice surprise too. There was no warning! I'm much happier when I get my sleep too! So if I'm happy then we are all happy.



Oh, and I caught CJ's annoying cold. Just knocked me on my ass out of nowhere too. Last week I not only had a broken wrist, but a cold AND my period AND period induced migraines. Not a good week, which meant no sleep either really. Even with the aid of Tylenol PM and those things nothing was letting me rest.



So thank you, Magellan, for coming to my rescue. I think I really will miss you while you're gone this week.



Only 9 more days of this damn cast being on. I can't wait to resume a normal life again. I'm actually used to it now and have made no attemps to cut this one off. Wait a minute, did I even get a chance to telll you all that I cut my other cast off? NO?! Well stupid me sure did. I was so in denial about the whole fracture thing and pissed off that the swelling had gone done in my arm that the cast no longer fit. I could basically almost pull it off and it was rather obnoxious. So Xmas Eve while everyone was askeep, I cut a nice long slit in my cast and pulled it off...



Relief, right??????



Oh so wrong.



I woke up the next morning to get a huge tongue lashing from Magellan and my mother. But really, I already knew the stupidity in my mistake. My wrist hurt like hell. I had to start taking Vicodin again and I was absolutely miserable. I made Magellan shove it back on, and yes that was painful too. But after an hour in the cast, my wrist was feeling back to home. Yes, I'm a stubborn blonde, what can I say?



So Monday the 28th, I went in for a new cast, and this one fits a lot better. Really its not that bad. We have an understanding now......I won't deface the cast as long as it makes the bone heal by the 3 week mark so I don't have to wear another cast for even longer.



I think it might have worked....here's hoping right

Potty Training

First off, I should totally be sleeping and trying to get rid of this cold, but instead I thought I'd attempt to do a quick post.

Secondly, let's just say the New Year is NOT off to a good start. Did I tell you all I'm sick? AGAIN?? I just had the stomach bug the weekend before Xmas, and now this wretched cold that I just know CJ gave to me on Xmas Eve. Ick, go away!

Yes, the title says it all. I am attempting to start potty training Ella. She's almost 15 months and I've been told girls are way easier than boys. Plus, believe it or not, she has a serious fascination with the toilet. So why not, right? She's very bright and picks up on things rather quickly. So, I've started putting her on the potty right before I put her in the bathtub, and lately, that's every day! She is now in the habit of sitting on the toilet, she knows enough when I am done undressing her to try and sit. Of course at the moment, she thinks its funny, but she has gone pee once on the potty. My mom says its a good habit to start, so why not? I mean she was peeing on the floor the second the diaper came off while she would stand in front of the bath tub.

Oh, and I almost forgot that she lets me know when she poops in her diaper. She will walk up to you, and touch her butt and say "OOOhhh!", then walk to the stairs. Smart girl she is!

CJ is doing great. He's had 2 weeks off from school and actually it's been nice to not have to play chauffeur for awhile. But back to the grind next week! He's been really good while Magellan's been in New Paltz; listening real well and helping me out when he can.

Ella is really starting to show how much she understands lately. And she listens very well. I give her a snack and tell her to go sit down and eat it and most times she does. You ask her where her milk is and she goes and gets her cup. You ask her where he blankie or Elmo are and she will go look for them too. She is now doing 3 signs, one for drink, one for more, and one for all done. It's completely useless to show her the sign for eat since she literally eats nonstop! She goes down for naps and bedtimes with zero fuss! I am super excited about this now, not even a whine. She still loves her sleep, making sure she gets her full 12 hours and then some sometimes. Her naps are really hit or miss still, and she has 2 molars in. Still waiting on the bottoms to come in. She will eat anything and everything, she doesn't care what it is,but def has a sweet tooth!! She'd live on brownies and cookies if she could. She's a real sweetheart, she knows just how to make you laugh, and is really becoming quite the snugglebug. Though, still not with me! She gives kisses on command, can tell you what a cat and dog say, knows where the nose and mouth are and when you tell her she's pretty, she runs her fingers thru her hair!! Ella is totally into shoes (thank GOD, cause so am I) and she loves to dig thru her shoe bin and pick out what shoes to wear. I help of course to make sure they match. Her recent fave are the fake Ugg booties her Grammy bought her. They are sooo cute, and she wears them EVERY DAY!

Magellan and I are doing well. Things are still on the up and up so here's hoping they stay that way!

Be back soon~

Happy New Year!

I'm trying to get better about posting even with my bum arm. Sometimes I can do it, and others I can't.

So Happy New Year! I can't believe it's 2010. WoW!

Hope you all had a safe but fun New Year's Eve!!! I have some funny things to share with you all, but it will have to wait till I have more time for the 'puter.

Take care!