Sick house

We have sickness at our house. Tummy aches for a few of us, and colds for us all. And Tyler has croup. Poor little guy was up at 3:00 am coughing, or should I say "barking." He had it a couple years ago, and was having such a hard time breathing I took him to the emergency room. He did not want to be there, and kept saying "I want to go home." So the next night when he woke up crying and coughing I told him if he didn't calm down we'd have to go back to the hospital. It worked. He calmed himself down enough so he could breathe again. So that's what I told him last night, but he said "I want to go there." Because his chest and throat hurt so much he wanted something to help him. I felt so bad. But he made it through, after sitting in a steamy bathroom for ten minutes.
Everyone advised us to keep Allie home, not to take her out because she could easily get sick. But I knew that really it wouldn't matter because most of our sickness comes home with the boys from school anyway. And that's exactly what happened. So in a way I'm glad I didn't lock her away because I would have been really frustrated if I had, only to have her get sick anyway.
Poor sad girl. She has a horrible diaper rash, a fever and a runny nose. I don't expect to get much sleep tonight.
Didn't I knock on that wood??

I didn't forget. We've just had computer issues, and more importantly I ran out of ideas. I stayed up late last night to put a little video clip on here, only I couldn't find the wire thingy to connect the video camera to the computer. So then I had to delve into our very much hated "wire box" to search for it. We hate it so much because it looks a lot like that basketball-sized knot Clark Griswald finds in his christmas lights on National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. So then I had to organize said wire box, which is lovely now. If I were a serious blogger I would have taken a before and after picture, then covered the box in fabric. :)
And I didn't even find the wire because apparently it doesn't exist. So instead I had to order an adapter thing on ebay, and it's coming from China, so it may be awhile. But at least it was only 99 cents, plus free shipping.

See? Out of ideas.
But I did come across some really awesome old video clips that Jared's brother took. I will post one now, and think of something good for tomorrow.
This is Jason, with Tyler, Joey and their cousin Ashleigh in the background. It's pretty lousy quality, but oh my gosh, so cute! I hardly remember them this little.

Hemangiomas

A few weeks after Allie was born I noticed a red mark on her forehead. It looked like her skin had been pinched and there were broken capillaries under the skin. I figured she had scratched herself, or they'd done something at the hospital. You can see it here, it's a light red spot.But it never went away. And when she was being discharged from the hospital the doctor told me it was called a hemangioma, that it was just a bunch of extra blood vessels that build up sometimes, that it was normal and harmless, and would most likely be gone by the time she was 5. Though she did say it might get huge. And with a smile she said if it bothers me, just stick a bow over it. Well, it didn't get huge, and I know because I made the mistake of googling it, and saw what amounts to a horror show. But it did get much bigger. And I did take the advise of the doctor of sticking a bow on it.

This is what it looks like now. I do keep it covered because it's not very attractive and I want people to look at her cute face. It's also kind of awkward, because people are too polite to mention it, but you know they're thinking "What the heck?" and kids ask about it, but I don't know how to explain it to them. Words like "hemangioma," "blood vessels," and even "birth mark" don't mean anything to them.

And also the headbands are really adorable.

She also has a little one on her right eyelid, one behind her ear, and one on her back. They can be treated with lasers or steroid shots, but since they are usually harmless, they are just left alone. The only concern is if they are in a bad spot, like on the lip or eyelid and interfere with vision or eating. Apparently one day they will just start shrinking, and in a matter of a couple weeks they'll be gone forever, and often the skin looks as if nothing was ever there.

I like baldies, but I admit I can't wait till she has hair to cover it up.

"I'm Adorable anyway!"

This is an old picture, but I like it. And no, she doesn't sleep with that stuff, I'm not an idiot. It was just for the picture.
I think it's safe to say that she's really sleeping through the night. (Knock on wood).

There were just so many reasons for her not to before. First, she was so little and pitiful and fragile. Then she got sick. It was just a little congestion, but she couldn't breathe, so obviously she couldn't sleep. Then my milk supply was dwindling, and she wouldn't take a bottle, so I fed her at every opportunity, even 3:00 am. Then she was starving, so again I fed her as much as possible. Now the stars have aligned. Don't get me wrong, she's been sleeping good, I shouldn't complain. And she's been sleeping through the night off and on, but this time it feel like it's going to stick. It feels so awesome to wake up in the morning after being in bed all night, not being woken up by the baby at unholy hours.

It's been nice.

Knock on wood again, for good measure.

Trying food

I think I've decided to only give her vegetables for the first year or 2, so she has no choice but to like them. I'm only kidding about that. Kind of. I'm actually a little bit serious. I'm just sick of picky eaters. So far she has tried carrots, an obvious choice. She liked them raw, wasn't so happy when she bit off a chunk of the steamed variety and gagged on it.Loves real green beans. Hates baby food green beans. Can't say I blame her. She has also tried broccoli, sweet potatoes, bananas, mangos and peas. So far it seems her favorite is red bell peppers. Weird, right? I never would have thought of giving this to a baby, but my sister suggested it, and it was a hit. Obviously I'm doing something different than the regular purees. It's called Baby-led weaning, and you just give them regular food. At first they really just chew on it, play with it, get the flavor and texture, but don't really eat much until they're older. I love the idea! My sister did it with her daughter, and she is a great eater. I wanted to do something completely different with Allie because the old fashioned way didn't turn out so great with my boys. Plus I HATE spoon feeding. Hate it. So far she has only been interested in a few things, mostly chucked food on the floor, and frustrated me. Because I want her to hurry it up. But that's not the idea, and I'm learning patience. It is encouraging to me that she really has enjoyed these few things, even though she hasn't eaten much. And she looks so stinkin' cute munching on real food.

Look what I can do

Cute little girlLook mom, no hands! And with a little help from mom . . .

It's funny how she's trying so hard, but that dang arm is in the way.

(Sound track courtesy of Tyler).

Never Again!

Am I a little slow? Dense? PR? Have I learned nothing in 10 years of raising children?
Never have Silly Putty in the house! never never never never never. This poor T-shirt wasn't the only victim, either. There's a fleece blanket that will never be the same, and a little pair of pants with this stuff stuck to the butt. Grr! Now I have to go google how to get it out. And I can't even blame Santa, because I was the one that gave it to them for Christmas.