11.27.2013

Our November Recap

I'm seriously waiting for life to slow down a little...and it won't! November started out a little crazy with Keith working a lot of evenings and weekends and my work getting busier and busier. But luckily the kids were happy and healthy :-)

Keira and I tried out a Gymboree class and she loved it! Unfortunately we don't have any time to fit a class into our schedule right now, but hopefully soon!

Keira's happy...Dylan pouts...just part of our "everyday".




Then I made the kids a ball pit to help keep Keira entertained...Dylan liked it more...

For Keith's birthday we went to Top Golf with the Hyde's and the boys (the little ones and the big ones) had a blast.

Selfies with mommy!


Keira managed to wedge herself between a table and the couch...Dylan helping Daddy put up my new curtains...

Then the kids got sick... First it was Keira with a pretty bad double ear infection. She was out a day and a half and looked awful. Then, last weekend, Dylan started urinating literally every 1-2 minutes. He wasn't complaining of any pain and seemed to be my usual Dylan, but we couldn't go anywhere because as soon as we got in the car, he'd have to go again. We went to the dr and the UA was negative for a UTI, so we were sent home with instructions to "wait it out" and give him Tylenol for any discomfort. The rest of the day and the next were spent the same...with us stuck at home and Dylan running to the bathroom to pee ALL DAY LONG. Sunday night Dylan couldn't fall asleep because he kept saying he had to potty, except this time he actually did look sick, so we rushed him to the ER clinic where another UA came back negative. Luckily the ER doctor decided to prescribe us an antibiotic anyway and within the next 2 days he was still going often, but not nearly as much as before. Problem solved, right? Nope...in addition to the frequent urination, Dylan also started fighting us at bath time, having tantrums at bedtime, and saying he didn't want to go to school anymore, all totally uncharacteristic for him. Was this all due to the possible UTI? Or were all of these behaviors due to stress or anxiety, also causing the frequent urination? I've come to realize that Dylan has A LOT of anxiety, probably more than the usual 3-year old should have, to the point where it can affect his daily life (class parties, haircuts, dr visits), but I have no idea how to help him with it. Even talking about it in advance and giving him fair warning doesn't help. I couldn't figure it out and I was literally driving myself crazy over this. I didn't eat for 3 days and my anxiety level was at an all-time high (gee, is that where Dylan gets it from?!?!). I couldn't explain his sudden odd behavior at home (since nothing at home was different) and wasn't sure if something happened at school. Thankfully the director at his school and Dylan's teachers (past and present) were able to meet with me on such a short notice and let me voice my concerns and ask my questions. But most importantly, I just needed to talk/vent (and cry) and they let me do that, and they listened to me. I really needed that. They also reassured me that Dylan is doing great at school, aside from his usual quirks. Dylan has slowly gotten better. He's peeing on his usual schedule again...he's still refusing a bath, so now we do quick showers...and he'll still whine and say he needs to go potty before nap/bedtime, but we're attributing that to avoidance behaviors and give him the chance to go "one more time". Overall, almost back to normal! Did he really have a UTI and it just wasn't showing up in any labs? Who knows...the nurse who works at my school used to work for a urologist and she said it's definitely possible. Of course she also warned me that if it comes back, it could mean something worst, so I feel like I've been stalking him in the bathroom, making sure he's really doing/feeling okay. To say it was a stressful week for me is an understatement, especially since work wasn't slowing down either. So so happy to be off for a week with my babies! And Keira is doing better too, just dealing with a lingering cough and some congestion. We're working on getting her to sleep through the night in her crib again...she prefers to snuggle with mommy and daddy at night instead. Which is why we're so exhausted...but its okay, as long as both of my babies are happy and healthy again!

Enjoying some donuts after being home all weekend...and buying a cup for himself with money from Grandma B!



Love this pic that Dylan took!

We had a great visit from my parents and Jackie this past weekend and now we're getting ready for Thanksgiving. Our house is all decorated and ready for Christmas...with everything that has gone on the past 2 months, there is still SO MUCH to be thankful for :-)

11.10.2013

Keira Addyson - 8 Months


Keira has had a very active month! She started crawling about 3 weeks ago and is now going non-stop...and she's fast! Dylan never crawled so we're still trying to get used to this. And if that wasn't enough, she's also started pulling up and cruising on furniture...ahh! Slow down! She's getting pretty excited about finally being able to keep up with Dylan (he's not). Keira started eating cookies and rice crackers and loves them, but still has no interest in her sippy cup.

Keira also tries stacking blocks now and loves to knock towers over. She is such a happy baby and laughs at everything. She has also started saying "mamma" over and over again. I don't think she says it with the purpose of calling me, but it's still cute to hear. She's recently also started saying "dadada". She's started napping in her crib more, which is has been nice. She still has no teeth, but teething has been in full swing because she's gone back from sleeping through the night to waking up once or twice every night and will not go back to sleep unless it's on us or in bed with us. It doesn't help that Dylan and Keira keep passing their colds back and forth to each other. We're trying really hard to break this habit, yet we also want to sleep. Keira also celebrated her 1st Halloween and dressed up as Tinkerbell!

11.04.2013

Our October...

Wow, it's been a REALLY long time! As always, Keith's work schedule gets crazy this month and it's left me with little to any "free time" to get the non-essentials done...yes, blogging is a non-essential in my life...but not taking pictures! So here we go...

My kid's fashion: Dylan in his new shades (my sunglasses) and Keira ready for the cold weather!


Cruising around with Big Brother!


Loving some cookie :-)



"Mommy, I'm coming!"


She loves playing on Dylan's piano...

 Playing at the Perot Museum for Drew's Birthday party!


Playtime in Dylan's room in their PJ's!

Keith was really busy this month (as he always is during the month of October) and especially the week of Halloween. Usually we carve out our pumpkins, but with Keith not being home that week and me not really wanting to deal with the mess carving 3 pumpkins (with an infant and a toddler...Pass!) I decided we would paint our pumpkins instead. They didn't look as cool, but at least it was an easy clean-up!
Taking a picture of his pumpkin...


Keira's handprint on her pumpkin :-)

This year for Halloween Dylan decided he wanted to be Fireman Sam and Keira was Tinkerbell. Dylan had a Halloween party at school (which he was so excited for and later decided he wanted nothing to do with) and in the evening we met up with James and Jackson to do some Trick-or-Treating. I love how every year the boys get more and more into it...Dylan actually ate some candy! And next year, Keira will be running right behind them :-)

Even though Keira's class didn't have a party, Ms. Nancy still dressed them up for some fun!


Dylan and James at their 1st house...



"Come on James!!!"




A little bit later, Jackson joined us on the fun...




Keira's 1st Halloween!

Unfortunately, 2 weeks ago, I was rear-ended on my way to work and my car has been in the shop ever since. I'm hopeful it'll be ready by next week (maybe even by the end of this week), but in the mean time I stalked every Enterprise in the DFW area trying to find a Camry to rent...I was so out of my element in anything other than a Toyota. Even thouhg I've fallen in love with my rental, I still miss my RAV-4 dearly and can't wait to get it back!

And that was our October...we are ready for the 2013 holiday season!!!