Christmas with Our Children

Memorial Hospital has an annual Christmas party for the children of the employees. We took Lillian last year and thought it was really nice. So, we took her there again. She seemed to enjoy herself. However, she wasn't a fan of Santa. She waved at him and gave him kisses, but wasn't really into sitting on his lap. Anyway, Lily got to see reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Winnie the Pooh. She liked them all, but wasn't about to leave daddy's side to get a picture with them.

Crazy things that make up my life

Where do I begin since my last post?? Let's see, Thursday I was sick. When I say sick, I mean head in trash can, butt on toilet, weak, temp, chills, headache....yeah, that sick. I woke up at 3am with what I thought was acid reflux, I took some tums headed back to bed and well you know what quickly progressed. John said that he would come home a little early to take care of me....well, I had him on the phone at noon telling him to get home NOW. So, John got home and we got me ready to go to the ER. I spent the next 5 hours there hooked up to an IV. I was very dehydrated, I couldn't keep any food down, let alone any medication down. I felt a little better when we left, but mostly just drugged. You know that feeling. Anyway, I came home and went straight to bed. The next morning I felt so weak with the biggest headache. Saturday was better, but Sunday I didn't feel too good again and today started like Thursday, but not even nearly as bad. So, I'm looking forward to this bug to completely go away!!!

Friday, John took off work early and took Lillian to her 18 month check up. Yep, I am right, she is 18 months. Geez, where is the time going? Her measurements are 32 1/4 inches long, 21 lbs 10 oz. She grew a little more than 3 inches in 6 months!!! She is very petite for her age though. Dr. Bies said that her verbal skills were advanced for her age. Which of course John thinks she is a genius. I always worry about her since she isn't going to daycare and stuff. I just want her to learn!!!

Saturday was John's 30th birthday. We had a small dinner at the house with his family and some friends. I was very exhausted to begin with, so it was a very long day for me. I think John enjoyed himself. I know Lily did!! She is the most sociable little girl. She loved having company over.

Right now, I have been doing a lot of praying. I don't really know how to explain how I am feeling. I have a lot of emotions built up right now. I feel that my life is in need of a change. I am not big on change either, so this is a hard step for me. I have seriously had the worst year of my life when it comes to my health. I am constantly sick. First, I had my gallbladder taken out. Then head colds and stomach bugs. It's never ending. So, I have thought about my life and I just feel that I have too many unnecessary stressors in my life. I will explain my life: I married a wonderful man that is from Montgomery, IN. When we met, I was working/living in Evansville and at a job that I was happy with. However, John is not a "big city" guy, so I made the decision to move up here to be with him and his family. I do NOT regret this decision. However, with this decision, I am at least two hours away from my hometown and my family and friends. My mom doesn't do a whole lot of driving, so I never get a visit from her (or my hometown friends for that matter). Right there, I feel isolated. I have friends here, but it's not the same sometimes. If I want to see them, I have to arranged my schedule to go home....which isn't for a long time and hard to do with a child. Then, John works crazy hours. He is always on call (when they have turkeys), so he never gets to chill out. Which stresses me out because he is always on edge. He likes what he does, but not so much the hub where he is at (old equipment, etc). Then, I have a wonderful little girl that I have no idea what I would do without her. She is my everything. However, I get NO time off. Being a full time working mom is hard, especially with a husband who works crazy hours. John's mom watches Lily when I'm working or have appointments, but we don't have the greatest relationship (will not go into detail, but let's just say I can never do anything right.) and I don't want to overuse her. Then, I work in the ICU. The most stressful place I could possibly work. Add sleep deprived and brain dead to the mix and it's a long 12hrs. So, I have decided that I am going to leave my position at the hospital. I am starting to apply to other places that isn't so stressful. Please say a prayer for me. I am in desperate need of this change. Something has to give....so I am hoping this will help!

Happy Halloween

This year we took Lillian to Illinois to go trick or treating with her cousins Dillon and Braden. Eldorado does trunk or treat and thought that would be a better thing to do than to pack her up and go house to house here. Plus, Dillon really wanted Lily to go with him. I was really excited to take her this year because she understands a little more of what is going on. Lily had a great time!! Mommy and daddy were quite exhausted by the end of the night. My mom really enjoyed having all her grandkids there. Plus, we also celebrated my mom's 55th Birthday! Anyway, here are so pics of our fun weekend in Illinois!

"Trick or Treat"

Lily's goodies from Nana

Dillon, Lily, and John

Dillon and Lily

Dillon the Airplane

Braden as a Tiger



Our Little Family on Halloween

Lysol is my new best friend

Sickness has spread quickly in our household this week. Lily was the first victim. Tuesday night, we laid her in bed, she was doing fine. At 11:30, I was headed to bed when I heard her cough a couple of times and then screamed. I went to her room, opened the door, and immediately knew what happened. The smell was unbelievably nasty. I turned on the lights to find her bed covered with vomit. So, needless to say, Lily got a bath. John stripped her bed and put it in the laundry. While I was putting on her new clothes, she vomited again. Well, you see the trend. We went two hours straight of this. Poor Lily, she couldn't stop. John was begging me to take her to the ER. So, at 1:30am we went to the ER. The doctor gave her a dose of Zofran and immediately....she stopped!!!! WoooHoooo!!! No temp, no diarrhea, and no dehydration, so we were free to leave. We got home at 4am. I slept 3 hrs, got up and headed to work for a health screening. Yeah, that was fun.

John and I had plans to go to Brown County to spend the night for our anniversary on Wednesday night, but decided that it would be best to stay home with Lily. So, we cancelled. Thursday, Lily was doing better, so we left Lily with Grandma and we took off to Evansville for early Christmas shopping and dinner for our anniversary. We went to Toys R Us, Hobby Lobby, Gordman's, Kohls, dinner at Outback, and Target. While we were in Target, John started getting grumpy and I noticed him starting to look pale. John said that he was ready to go home. So, I finished up our shopping and headed to the checkout. Of course, we get the lady that didn't have a clue how to check out. John was antsy and finally just took off to the bathroom. Well, I didn't think much of this because John ALWAYS has to pee. I'm not even kidding you on this. So, he comes out and says, "WE GOT TO GO HOME NOW!!" So, we take off to the car in a very fast walk, I kept asking him if he was alright. He just kept saying, "I don't feel good." Finally we get to the car and John is saying that he is going to throw up. Luckily, I had an emesis basin in my car from when I was pregnant, so I handled it to him. So, I knew he felt bad, but seriously, when John doesn't feel good he always acts like he is dying. So, of course, I'm not taking him very seriously on the matter. We got to the Lloyd Expressway and John let loose. Needless to say, it was an hour and a half in the car with John violently throwing up. My stomach hurt just listening to this. When we got home it was another 3 hrs of this. I gave him a double dose of zofran and then phenergan before he finally stopped. I thought I was going to have to take him to the ER.

The next day, he was doing a little better. However, we found out that John's mom was up all night with vomiting. So, after hearing this, I knew I was next. Sure enough, Saturday morning I wake up to abdominal pain, diarrhea, and nausea. Thank goodness, by the time it got to me, it wasn't as bad. I missed work Saturday and Sunday. However, I am feeling a lot better.

In other news, last weekend we took Lily to Lark Ranch in Loogootee. It was nice, but of course we pick a hot day to go. I think we stayed a total of 2 hrs. Lily had fun riding a horse with daddy. It was a fun day until I got stung by a bee. It was certainly not the highlight of my day. Of course, it got me on my middle finger. I couldn't bend my finger because it was swollen, so here I am flipping off people. Not fun!!!

Just in case I don't get on here later this week, I want to say Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband John of 3 years!!! Thank you for always being there for me and Lillian. You are the best husband and daddy! I can't wait to spend many more happy years with you! I love you!!

So far, so good....

John and I are trying to potty train Lily. So far, we are doing pretty well. I bought the potty back in August, but just tried to introduce her to it. In my mind, I wasn't going to start this potty training thing until after Christmas. However, Lily seems to really like her potty. She seems to do #2 a lot in it. So, I haven't really been stressing about her going peepee on it yet. However, two weeks ago she pulled me into the bathroom so she could go peepee in it. I was shocked!!!! Then on Monday, while giving her a bath, she said, "potty" while pointing to it. So, I thought she needed to use it. Sure enough, she went. WOW!!!! Then, today she screamed for the potty while we were at Home Depot. WOW again. Don't get me wrong, she still goes in her diaper, but she is starting to realize when she needs to go. This is a huge step!!! I thought about getting pull ups for her, but John doesn't think we are ready for that step yet. I understand, she is only 16 months. I can't believe how big Lily is getting. It makes me happy and sad all at the same time.

These will probably be the only pics of her on the potty.....I haven't decided yet if this is appropriate or not.

Playdates are so much fun!

My friend Kelly and her son Eli came over on Saturday. I love to get Lily together with other kids. She and Eli both had a great time. It was so good to talk to Kelly. John got the pleasure of pulling the kiddos in the wagon....did I mention he was a great dad??

By the end of the playdate, both kids were tired and cranky. I wish I could say Lily slept good that night. However, she is getting another tooth and woke up in the middle of the night! Anyway, we are hoping to get the kids together again soon! Thanks for coming over to play Eli!!

I am thankful

I have a friend that isn't doing well in her personal life. I am trying my best to be there for her and to be a good friend . At the end of each conversation, she always tells me that I'm so lucky. Well, it got me thinking......

I am a pretty lucky woman....I may not always say it or show it, but I am very thankful. I'll explain:

I have the best hubby. He is everything I have always wanted in a man. He is very honest, loyal, and understanding. I'm not saying he is perfect because nobody is, but he is close. I couldn't see myself with any other man. We hardly fight, but when we do, we are very eager to straighten things out and get back to normal. He does the little things that mean so much.....he definitely pays attention to detail (unlike myself). He takes care of me and is happy to do it. He calls me at work or while he is at work just to see how my day is going. Sometimes, when I'm really good, John will bring me Sweet Tea to my work. (doesn't take much to get on my good side) He thinks I am beautiful when I look my worst. John does his best to help out around the house. To top it off.....he is an AWESOME daddy!!!!! I love my husband!!!

I am very thankful for a beautiful, healthy baby girl. She is my world!! I had a worrisome pregnancy with her and thought multiple times that I would lose her. I thank God everyday for her. She has the most beautiful smile that can light up a room. She loves her mama and her dada! I love to watch her learn and explore. I am thankful for her hugs and her kisses!!

I am thankful for a good paying job. I may not always enjoy my work, but I do have a job that I can support my family with. I have money to put food on the table, clothes on our backs, and a little extra to spoil Lily with. I also have good co-workers that has your back when you need it the most.

I have a house to live in. It may not be the best or the biggest, but it's my home. My very first home I have ever bought with my hubby. This is the place we came to after our wedding and this is the place we brought Lily to after leaving the hospital after she was born. It may not be perfect, but it's our home.

I am truly thankful for my family and my friends. I may not see them as much as I would like, but I know they are there for me when I really need it. They lift my spirits when I need it and praise me for a job well done. I love them all!!

I am truly blessed with the gifts God has given me. It is so easy to get caught up with "keeping up with the Jones." You always want what you can't have or you are jealous of those who do have it. Many of times I have to step back from all that and do a reality check. So, now I am trying my best to be thankful for the things I have and not worry about the things I don't.

Pigtails and Cinnamon buns

Today was the very first day that Lily let me put pigtails in her hair. She likes NOTHING on her head or in her hair. She is one particular little girl. However, I tried again today to put pigtails in and she let me do it. Yeah, I'm still in shock over it. The top of her hair hasn't caught up with the bottom part. It looks kinda of funny...but cute at the same time!

Side note: I made homemade Caramel pecan sticky buns last night from scratch. Basically it's a cinnamon bun. However, never made this before. I really wanted to see if I could do it. I had failed attempted on Sunday due to old yeast. I tried again after buying fresh yeast.......OH MY! They were good!! What do you think?

You're invited to a Tea Party.....

When I was about 5, my grandma had a little table and chairs made for me. I would spend hours and hours writing, coloring, or playing with them. My grandma gave me these table and chairs right after John and I got married. She told me to save them for whenever I had kids. Well, John and I did store them. Today we got them out of storage and gave them to Lily. We decided that Lily was probably old enough to use them. So, the rocking chair got moved out of her room and the table and chairs were put in it's place.

It wasn't long until they were put into good use. See pictures below........

I'm sure this will be the first of many tea parties for daddy! Let me tell you, I think daddy had more fun than Lily!!

Fall is coming!!!

Well, I have been blessed with a pretty deceit schedule the last couple of weeks. I am on a 5 day stretch off, so I can't really complain there. Again, work has been crazy busy.....I really don't think that will ever change. That is pretty much the norm anymore.

Last week, I got Lily's Halloween costume in the mail. I was really surprised because they called me and told me that it was on back order until Sept. 20th. I really liked the costume and told them I would wait until then. Then, a couple days later I got an email saying it was shipped. WOW!!! Anyway, Lily looks so stinkin' cute in it. I hope it gets cooler because I think Lily will be too hot in it. Oh! Well, I guess I should tell you that she is going to be a cow. Last year she was a turkey, this year a cow.....next year I'm going to get my way....she will be a princess or at least something more girlie.

Last weekend, Lily started to get sick. She woke up Saturday morning with a low grade temp. Of course, we did the whole Tylenol alternating with Motrin for the day. She seem to do pretty good with that. Then Sunday morning at 1am, she woke up. Usually on the nights I work, John gets up with her. I heard him turn on the lights and say, "oh my." I knew something was up. I got up and Lily was drench with sweat. We took her temp 104.8. John immediately started freakin out saying, "we are going to the ER." Well, I'm not taking her to the ER without treating the temp first. So, I gave her Motrin waited an hour, it was 103.3, gave her Tylenol and Pedialyte and took her temp again an hour later 101.2, and then waited another hour it was 100.1. Remember me saying that John gets up with her on the nights I work......John and I were both up with her that night. Needless to say, 2 hrs of sleep was not fun and then working 12 hr shift. I was dragging all day. She did run a temp all day though. Monday morning she woke up with a temp again, 102.5. I called Dr. Bies and we were seen that afternoon. Well, Lily just had a virus, which I thought she probably did, but it didn't hurt to get her ears checked anyway. By Wednesday, she was back to normal. Thank goodness!!!

John and I are still in the talking stage of building a house. We have land and a building plan, but that's about it. John wants to build a house now while the interest rates are low, which I do agree with that. However, in 2 years, we will have a lot less debt. We will have all of our credit cards paid off plus one of my student loans, with another one almost paid off. So, I do want to wait, that way I can get what I want in the house and not worry so much about it. I really hope by then, the interest rates aren't 7%.

A couple a days ago, I reached this panic state. I don't know why or how it happened, but I just realized I needed to lose a lot of weight. Yes, I am overweight. I know this, I have always known this, but the reality hasn't really sank in. I'm not looking to be a size 0, but I really would like to be a size 6. Why wasn't I blessed with the high metabolism genes??? I really do have a lot of issues that I don't know that I can deal with to actually have time to exercise. Just like all mothers out there......who is going to watch my child??? I'm not going to get a good workout, if I'm constantly watching to make sure that Lily isn't into everything....I'm not going to hire a babysitter for 1-2 hrs. By the time John gets home, I have housework to finish that I couldn't get done before he got home. Plus, I have to make dinner and do dishes. I work full time at the hospital 12+ hrs 3 days a week. My job is beyond stressful. Seriously, how do people do it???? I have tried the workouts with your child...the only thing I can do that Lily will let me do is walking....However, it has been so hot this year that I won't let Lily be outside for long periods at a time. I'm not making excuses.....I just telling you the obstacles that I don't know how to overcome. Suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

I was going to post pictures of what I looked like in high school, college, before Lily and after, but I got too depressed. Maybe later!

Well, I hope everyone has a good week!!

Say Cheese!

John and I have been teaching Lily the phrase, "say cheese!" We have been taking lots and lots of pictures of her and she would never smile, now I think she gets it!!

Everytime she sees my phone or camera she will point to it and say, "CHEESE!!" We might have created a monster!!!

Busy Busy Bee

Yes, I say this every post......I have been very very busy. Between work and activities with Lily, I feel like I have NO time off to relax. Work has been more and more busy. The patient load has been unreal. I can't even explain to you how stress out I have been here lately. Not so much the patient's sickness that I have been stressed out about, it's how DEMANDING they have been. Can you tell that I am not enjoying my job anymore???

During the last couple of weeks, Lily and I have been busy. We had dinner with my friend and co-worker for her bday. She has a son that is 8 months old, so Lily and Eli had a good time with each other. It was nice to spend some time with her outside of work. Then, the next day, Lily and I went to Evansville to spend some time with my friend from home and her son. It was absolutely HOT!! We didn't get to go to the park or anything. I felt so bad for Lily. She was hot and miserable. The next day, John was off and we took a drive to Patoka Lake. Lily liked the outdoors. Again, it was HOT!! However, it was a nice drive. Something to do to get out of the house.

On August 8th, Lily turned 15 months. I can't believe how fast she is growing up. She is so active. I can hardly keep up with her sometimes. I love her more and more everyday!! I really don't know what I would do without her. My big girl has gone potty 3 times, twice in the big potty and once in her potty. She is not quite ready for potty training, but we are trying to get familiar with it.

Yesterday, we went to see our friends down in Evansville. It was a good time. The bad thing is, I hate that they are central time and we are Eastern time. It really messes with Lily and her schedule. Anyway, we went to Babies R Us and get her a new umbrella stroller. It wasn't really the one I wanted, but I wasn't willing to pay $150 for the one I wanted. There was really no need for me to buy it, so I got the plain one for $30. You just can't beat that price.

Next week I have 4 days off, so John is taking off as well. I bet I will have a tons of pictures and more to blog about then!! Hope everyone has a good rest of the weekend!

Sweet Home Eldorado

Lily and I made our way back to Illinois this week. We went to visit my mom. We had to take her to Missouri for a doctor appointment. Driving 2 hrs for a 30 minute appt and another 2 hrs home just doesn't justify itself. However, my mom likes this doc, so go figure.

Lily and I got to visit with my sister and my nephews while we were home. Lily does so well with little babies. She doesn't get jealous at all. She actually wants to hold the baby and giving kisses. I am very surprised, but hey, I will take it. She kept pointing to Braden saying, "baby." I would say, "yes Lily, it's a baby." Then she would pucker up and give baby kisses. Then, she constantly wants to pet the baby like its a dog or something. She is very good with him. Kind of makes me feel good knowing this, so when we decided to have another baby, she will be alright.

My nephews, Lily, and me

Well, I have had a head cold for a week now. It gets better and then worse. I have a constant headache with this. Sometimes it is just pretty dull. Then my head feels like it is going to explode!! I have taken everything. I'm so over this headache thing.

John and I almost have all of our bedroom furniture in. Yes, I know.....John and I had bedroom furniture that was over 3o years old and it was a full size bed. Our bedroom isn't big enough for the bedroom suite that we really like, plus it was like $5000. So, we decide it would be fine to keep what we had. Well, my sister had this furniture in her spare room, but had to get rid of it to make room for Braden. She asked us if we would buy it off of her. Ok, the furniture is nice, not really our style, but for the bed with mattress, dresser with mirror, side table, entertainment center, and a deep freezer for $500.....we really couldn't pass up that opportunity. I think it really looks nice in our room. I just have to get new curtains, a table for John's side of the bed, and we don't have the entertainment center yet. It is really nice to sleep in a queen size bed!!!

Our new bed

Our new dresser

I just want to say Congratulations to my cousins Becky and Henry. They welcomed Kyle Nathan Eirich into the world July 21 at 9:51 am. He weighed in at 7lbs 4oz and was 20.5 inches long. I can't wait to meet him!

Lily in my old rocking chair at Nana's house.

My pretty girl...she is getting so big!

Anway, here are some pics from our visit to Illinois:

Visiting Great Grandma and Grandpa

Lily and her buddy Dillon

Lily and her new ride at Nana's

Eating a popsicle