Leave me alone

Just kidding...

Well sort of I am...

I know it's been almost a month that I haven't blogged. Obviously y'all miss me or something, I miss you too. I wish I had something to write about, or had the energy or motivation to write. But sadly, these days I don't. I attribute it to the shitty weather that puts me in a funk, and the fact that I have had migraine after migraine, and all I do is watch the kids, and when they go to bed, I go to bed. Its been tough to say the least. But here are some updates I'm sure you've all been waiting for:

1. I had another appt with my hand dr, sometime in the beginning of April. My days all mesh together lately. I had been having pain again in my wrist and in my middle finger, that's called "trigger finger". I've already had two cortisone shots for it, so I didn't really think there was much the dr could do. Well, to my surprise he wanted to try one last shot and go from there. I also got a pretty little cortisone shot in my wrist too. Both hurt like hell, not gonna lie. And the comfort has been short lived. I still have my good days but also the bad days are back. Next step from here is surgery. At least for my trigger finger. It's a short 10 minute surgery, but still not looking forward to that. Next step for my wrist could be another shot and if that still doesn't help then they cut my wrist open, put a scope in to check the tendons out, and possibly cut off damaged tissue or scarred tissue. Sounds fun right? I should know more at my next check up which is next week.

2. Ella currently has both of her bottom incisors in! YAY!! 'Bout time, dammit. She's been working on those for at least a month now. She is back to sleeping semi good. Still 12 hours, but just recently started waking at 11p and 2am. Not good habits to get into, and she cries for someone, she isn't just waking and talking to herself. So, I've been letting her CIO, and so far so good. Well, for some of the nights. Last night was the first night she didn't wake up and cry. All she really wants is some milk, but I don't want her making that a habit either. She gets a sippy cup of water in her bed, but I guess that just isn't good enough sometimes.

3. Ella had her 18 month check up on April 12th. She's still a horse, can you freaking believe it?? I can't. I don't get it. She is 24lbs, in the 50th percentile, and is 33" tall! She's in the 85th percentile for that. I just keep looking back to CJ's baby book and his stats at 18 months was 21.12lbs and 33" tall. For a boy he was obviously very skinny and average height. Ella is almost out of all of her 18-24m clothes. I was just noticing that half the pants she owns no longer have any "slack" in them. They were a bit baggy but not anymore. And I've come to notice that Ella also has a very long torso. Where that comes from I will never know. She is still every bit a tomboy, she loves playing cars and dinosaurs, but loves dressing up in dresses and having her hair down. Oh and she is a true shoe hound now! She obsesses over her shoes, and if I don't let her pick them out for the day she has a tremendous temper tantrum! Sure takes after her mama in the shoe department.

3. CJ has about 2 months left of preschool. He recently had some testing done to see what he's learned through out the year and he is doing excellent. Out of 100 questions he only got 2 wrong, I could hardly believe it! They consider him to be in a 6-7 year old level, which is amazing. Can't believe how smart and old my baby is getting! So sad to think he will start Kindergarten in a few short months!

4. I am now the proud owner of a mini van. Yup, traded in the Explorer and got Chrysler Town and Country. I love it. It's awesome, has a ton of room in it, and the kids still have a DVD player in it. I think they like it even better b/c of where it's placed in the van. I just like the fact that the doors are automatic and slide. No more dings into someone else's door, courtesy of CJ. And no more assholes making it virtually impossible to get Ella into the Explorer b/c of the big bulky doors they had, which happened all the time b/c half the world can't park or stay in the lines! I highly suggest the Chrysler for anyone with more than one kid. I can actually put two diaper bags in the car and not have it look jam packed!! I also think the kids like it better b/c the windows are wider and longer and they can see out of them better. Ella still gets excited every time we pass a car or she sees a dog in someone's yard, even tho we've now had the van for almost a month!

5. I traded in my old wedding set for a new set, which most of you know via facebook. You've seen the pics. I'm still very happy with it! The only thing I still can't get used to is how big it is. My old set was very pretty and different but this one is more Karats. Randy actually chose this set, if you can believe that. I had a very pretty set all picked out, and Randy says to the sales girl, "Oh let me see that one. I hadn't noticed that one over there yet." First thing I said was, "Oh it's gonna look weird cause it's so big!" But it looks great with the wedding bands I picked out. I do two, one on the bottom and one on top. My old set had the diamond wedding band, and the top band was my birthstone, blue topaz. This one is just diamonds on both bands. I also switched to white gold, previously I had gold. I kind of like it better, I guess b/c it stands out more. But the most important part is I have a lifetime warranty on the diamonds. My previous set we got from a place that ended up going out of business a few years back, so of course if I happened to damage my set or lose a diamond we would've had to pay outright for it. And you all diamonds are pricey! So, it was a win-win I suppose. Leave it to Randy to HAVE to have the big and the best. But he did pick a good set tho!

6. I recently went to my normal dr for my migraines. They are getting worse and are coming at other times of the month than just when I get my period. It hasn't been fun. Not only was I out of medicine, but I hated the way my current meds were making me feel. It would make me super groggy, and then a few hours later would make me bounce off the walls, also making it impossible to sleep. So we talked about a few options, the first being that my dr put me on a prednisone, have no clue what it's called, which I am now taking 2x a day every day for a week, hoping to ward off the frequent tension headaches I get. Then we are trying Imitrex for when I do get migraines. The dr also said I had some very sore, tender pressure points that can cause inflammation in my neck and that contributes to migraines so he suggested PT and possibly cortisone shots in those spots. Not crazy about getting a shot in my neck or shoulder to be honest with you, makes me nervous too about the spots it would go in. So hopefully that's a last resort.

Well, I guess that's about it! I'll try and be more diligent about updates and pictures!! Sorry!

Five Question Friday

So, it's about that time, to learn a little bit more about me, as if you didn't already know enough, right??

Thanks to Mama M at www.fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com, you get to read my responses to some interesting questions.

Here we go!

1. Do you sing out loud in the car when you're driving?
Yes I do! Every chance I get. Sometimes I even tell the kids to be quiet so I can sing in peace and quiet.

2. What would you never be caught doing?
I'm not sure about this one....picking my nose I guess.

3. Will you go #2 in a public restroom?
If I absolutely couldn't hold yet, yes I would. Otherwise, I do my best to hold it and go in my own bathroom. It kind of freaks me out to go #2 elsewhere.

4. Have you ever broken a bone?
Now you ALL should know the answer to this one. For those that don't...yes I have. Just this past December I broke a small bone in my wrist, but it's one that has a tendency to take forever to heal, cause years of pain and possibly cause you to get early arthritis. Good times, eh?

5. Do you prefer cooking or baking?
Much prefer cooking. I'm pretty creative when it comes to cooking and not afraid to try new things. But I can't even bake brownies out of a box the right way, so I'll stick to cooking.

Tasteless Tuesdays

Yes, Finally, my gross story about Ella! I've been patiently waiting for Tuesday to come along. Ya'all are going to love this!

A few weeks back, I had forgotten to lock the bathroom door. Unfortunately, if you ever come to visit you will need to make sure you ask for the key to the bathroom first. Each bathroom is locked in our home b/c Ella has an obsession for toilets and garbage's. So, back to the story. I was in CJ's room and he said, "Uh, Mommy I think I hear Ella in the bathroom." I said, no way, I had thought I had remembered to lock the door. SO not the case!

I walked into the bathroom and saw the most disgusting thing...well, not the most disgusting thing Ella has ever done, but close enough. The girl was STANDING in the toilet. I kid you not...everyone I've told this story too can't believe or figure out how she got feet first into the toilet. I haven't a clue, this girl is sneaky and crafty all at the same time. I'm not sure what she thought she was going to do once she got into the toilet. So, as I was giggling but trying to be the disciplinarian at the same time, she was getting nervous b/c she couldn't get out. I grabbed by the arms and then proceeded to wash her feet off.

Good thing the toilet had just been cleaned or the situation might have been much more gross than it was!!!

Elmo Live!

We actually ventured out of the house yesterday, which is rare for us to do, as a family. Here are the photos from our evening, seeing Elmo Live on stage. Enjoy!

Miss Ella, excited and ready to go!

At the show before it started!

Ella and Daddy sitting together, before the show started.


The show started and was a bit loud for CJ. He's the uber sensitive one!


Ella wanting a better look at Elmo on stage.


Elmo came to the end of the stage, and Ella wanted him to pick her up, lol.

Elmo!

Elmo and Cookie Monster, Ella's two favorite characters!

Oscar and his girlfriend

Daddy letting Miss Ella stand on the bars in front of the stage.

The two of the goofiest kids you will ever meet!

Daddy and Ella watching Elmo again together! Amazingly enough, this is how Ella was the ENTIRE show!!

Had to take a picture of the Ladybugs!!

It just really gets my Goat!

I have some issues I will admit. I'm not perfect just like everyone else in the world. Sure, I like things done my way most of the time, who the hell doesn't? I try to be nice and treat people the way I'd like to be treated. The one thing I will NOT tolerate is someone who treats me like I'm less of a person than they are and then want me to treat them as gold in return.

Do you have anyone in your life like that?

I sure do! I'm sure we all do as a matter of fact. I won't tell you who it is, most of you that know me well know exactly who I'm talking about. It's the one person who, still, after all these years thinks they can walk into my house, ignore me and then call ME the bad person. This is the same person who could give a shit how much mud they track around my house (cause they know I'm the one cleaning it up, and apparently they're too good to take their shoes off most days), could give two shits how much they torture my children. I just don't like it. I don't like people who feel as if they walk on water. I don't need this in my life, I do my best to ignore it, but I will be damned if I'm going to feel like I owe them something, especially when it's in my own house. I will not be made to feel as if there's something wrong with me.

It's been a rough weekend, can ya tell???? A lot has gone on, and I'm hoping when I wake up tomorrow it will all be just a bad dream. A very, very bad dream.

So, Friday night Magellan actually put Ella to bed while I ran errands and took CJ to his open gym class at The Little Gym. About 10p, she woke up, screaming and was burning up. Actually her temp was 102.8 to be exact. She was not a happy lady, she only wanted to be snuggling up with me. Obviously the fever made me very nervous, given the fact she has MRSA. I did get her to lay back down, only to have her wake BACK up at midnight. So I turned on a movie in our little play area in the hallway upstairs, and I let her sit with me, eat crackers and drink some milk. She was such a happy girl, being with her momma after having taken some teething tablets and motrin.

And is it just me, or does it seem like this girl is CONSTANTLY teething? Her bottom molars just freaking came in, and now she's getting her incisors. Those are apparently the worst for her! With CJ, we didn't even know he got them until they broke thru the gums. Naturally Ella has her own way of doing things.

So, Ella was up for a good two hours. Yep, two hours. At 2am she finally was ready to go to bed, as was I. I'm sure you can all guess where Magellan was. Yup, fast asleep. Mothers have never ending jobs. She slept till 6am and I was way beyond exhausted when she woke up. Oh, I guess I forgot the part where we called her ped's after hours line b/c her high fever got us worried about her MRSA. But they said if she seems dehydrated and her fever gets above 104 to bring her in. But to call and get an appt in with her ped's office first thing Saturday morning. Thank GOD for Saturday hours. They do come in handy sometimes.

Anyway, I took Ella downstairs with me while Magellan slept in (BIG SHOCK THERE!), and she didn't leave my hip. Not for a second. I basically had to pee with her on my lap, poor thing was so warm again, she was drooling up a storm and screaming from the pain. She didn't want to eat or drink anything. I felt so bad for her, and she was so tired too. Four or five hours for a girl who normally sleeps for 12 is not good. Our appt was for 9am so all of us piled into the car and drove the 20 mins there. CJ kept us all entertained of course, and Ella just sat in her carseat, not making a noise.

The best part of the appt was seeing how much Ella weighed. The little heffer weighs 23.8lbs. And I think at her last appt which was early Feb she was 22lbs, so she's packing them on. But she's so tall she really doesn't have too much chub anymore. Anyway, they took her temp and it was at 101.2. Her ped felt strongly it wasn't a urinary track infection or from her MRSA. In fact, the only possibility we even think it is from is her incisors coming in. She tested negative for strep, didn't have an ear infection and her breathing sounded good. The dr thought maybe Roseola, but I'm pretty sure you can't get it again, and Ella already had it a year ago.

Saturday for dinner the kids and I (big shock Magellan stayed home) went to my aunt's to see my Grandfather who was in town from Virginia. He's getting old and not doing so well, so my mom really wanted him to see CJ and Ella. He has never seen them except for in pictures. And boy was he so impressed with them both. CJ sat right on Grandpa Bill's lap and they chatted up a storm (I could see it make my Grandpa so happy), but being that Ella was not feeling well, she wouldn't go near him. We had pizza and wings and still Ella didn't eat much. She only had 2 bites of pizza and a few pretzels. Oh, she did steal my Fresca though, the little soda junkie.

We got home around 7p and I dropped the kids off so I could run to the grocery store. I did help Magellan get Ella ready for bed, gave her all her drugs and I left. Ella actually slept all night long, probably till almost 630a. She's been getting progessively better as the day goes on, thank goodness. And when I put her to bed, she was back to her old self, being silly and laughing with me.

So here's hoping that my baby is done with the pain and sickies soon. Cause I really need to catch up on my beauty sleep!

My poor ladybug

Thursday did not go as I had planned.

Heck, does anything ever go as planned?

Nope, not in my life. At least not lately.

So you all know Miss Elle had another appt with Dr E yesterday. I guess I didn't really know what to expect, but what happened sure was NOT what I had thought I may expect. As usual Ella is chatty and nosey, and wandering around the whole exam room. It was a different one this time than last so it was a new place to her. New=Fun!

Fun it certainly was not 5 minutes later.

Dr E said he thought Ella's head was looking better since the last time he saw her, which was a huge relief. That was one thing I was praying he would say. And at this point, I was no longer saying "hope for" b/c hope hasn't been getting me anywhere these days. Little did I know, this would be the only good part of the appointment.

Dr E proceeded to tell me that the rest of the scab on Ella's head had to come off. TODAY. I probably went white as Dr E said, "You don't have to be in the room for it, but in order to get it on the right track to heal, the infected parts need to come off. And then I'll use the silver nitrate sticks that I showed you last time to control the bleeding."

I really had no idea what I was in for. Neither did poor Ella.

So, Ella and I sat down together on in the examining chair. I knew I would have to hold her down b/c there was no way this little strong spirited girl was going to sit still and let the dr touch her head again. I am sure she remembered from last time, and quite frankly, she was probably getting sick of people touching her head and pulling on the scab. As soon as Dr E got close to us, with nurse in tow, Ella started screaming. I wrapped my arms AND legs around her body and the nurse had to hold her head still as Dr E washed and soaked the scab. Then he proceeded to pull every last inch of it off....pure torture as I am sure any mother can imagine. I was in tears as I had to listen to Ella's blood curdeling screams. I am sure people in the NEXT building heard the poor thing. It seemed to drag on forever.

Naturally there was a lot of blood. I have to admit I had to catch quick peeks of what was going on whenever the dr stepped away to grab more gauze or more silver nitrate sticks. It honestly has to still be the most disgusting thing I have ever seen. Well, after all was said and done, there is this rather large hole on the side of Ella's head as the Dr got the scab and gunk off of her head. I was very worried at the pain Ella might have been in, but Dr E assured me she was more pissed off we were holding her down. And he was right. As soon as the nurse left the room and I took my hands and legs off of Ella, she calmed right down. And hugged her beloved Elmo, who might I had, has seen better days. He's in pretty rough shape too. Perhaps that's why Ella dragged him to the dr's appointment that day!

Yes, I did take more pictures of her head wound. I am trying to cover all my bases as legally, we are not sure what we are going to do about this situation. I will post the most recent picture at the end of the post. I don't want to gross you all out before you finish reading! What fun would that be?

Ella isn't doing much better today, poor ladybug! She has been very snuggly, which she only does when she doesn't feel good. She's had a low grade fever and has had no interest in eating. Another sign you know she's out of sorts. It could be her antiobiotics, could be her head hurting her, could be the teeth she's getting in (those damn canines!), or could be she's just so worn out from everyone bothering her, LOL. She even took two long naps today and is already out cold. She hasn't been sleeping too well, waking up a few times a night just wanting to cuddle. I feel so bad for her. No one, not even a darn baby should have to go through this. Especially when it's something that could've been caught in time and prevented, or just kept from getting this far.

And it's especially hard when you're doing it all on your own. I have almost no help from Magellan. He's actually been on the job working, shocking as it is. And doing estimates, and at the end of the day he just doesn't feel like doing any type of parental duties. So I typically get little if no break. Some days it just really sucks, but I keep reminding myself that Ella is my baby girl and didn't ask for this to happen and being her mother, I have to help her through it, no matter how tough or trying it is for me.

I can't wait for it all to be over!

I have to go and pick CJ up from Little Gym, but then I will add the pictures of Ella's latest wound!

This was yesterday right after we got back from the appointment.

This is today's photo. Not a good view, she does NOT want me taking pictures of her head. Do ya blame her?!

And she is really like, STOP IT MOM!

Sad today

I really did have a very funny, tasteless Tuesday story for you all, but it's been a sad, exhausting day for us here. I guess I'm just not in a funny mood.

We got the results from Ella's culture on her incision today. It was not the news I was hoping for, though I guess I don't really know what I was hoping for anyways. She definitely has a staph infection as my surgeon thought, but she has the worst type you can have. She has what they call MRSA Staph infection. It is very resistant to many types of antibiotics, and it's got the dr and us a bit worried as she is so young and still has an immature immune system. Right now, the best bet is to put her on a Sulfa med, which is another concern in it's own. Both my mother and I are allergic to Sulfa meds, and while Ella's pediatrician (they had to make the call as to which meds to put her on) swore an allergy to Sulfa meds isn't hereditary, I can't help but still be nervous about her being on them. So, obviously we are also keeping an eye out for any allergic reaction to the antibiotics.

Right now, the major concern is the staph infection spreading to either other parts of her body, or to me. The fact that I have 3 incisions me and catching the infection would NOT be good as I'm sure you can imagine. The one big concern for Ella is if she itches her wound and then touches her eye and it somehow infects her tear ducts. It could scar them for life and she would permanently tear, something that can't be fixed. There is also growing concern of another surgery in her future because of the severe scarring the scabs can leave. So much to worry about, and Miss Ella just keeps trucking along. She's a strong little thing I'll tell you all that!

In fact, here is a really yucky picture of her head after Dr E pulled half the scab off. Obviously all the red stuff was under the skin, like blood blisters, and it is a big bald spot now. The stuff to the left is the scab that he didn't get to.




And then you can see the scab before it was touched by anyone. This is probably the best picture I have to show how bad it really was. The pic just doesn't do it justice. It was huge, and gross and stuff was draining out of it.

My poor girl, I don't know how she's handled it so well. She rarely touches it, and I'm sure it must itch like crazy.

Ella goes to see Dr E this Thursday to take a look at it again. I talked to Ella's pediatrician this afternoon and he said if her infection doesn't look better or gets worse within the next 3-4 days then we have to call immediately to bring her in to get looked at again. And I don't know what they would have to do at that point. No one has really discussed it yet.

I think we're all kind of afraid to at this point.

I will keep you all posted. Thanks for listening as usual.