Hannah Monkey

Layla Cakes

When I was young, every Spring and Fall my mother would make us do this big cleaning in our house. She would say, "Spring Cleaning time".. or "Fall Cleaning time". Begrudgingly, we would have to wash walls, scrub floors.. the whole shebang. I always said that when I grew up.. I was never going to put my kids through this. I have to say, for the most part, I have kept my promise.. that is ...until yesterday! Lately I feel like the toys are overgrowing the family room, the drawers are a mess and the kids clothes need to be transferred to bins. Overwhelmed? YES! We started with organizing some of the toys and rearranging the living room. Why do I do this? I dont know, because it always ends up rearranged back the same way, as there are only so many spots you can put a couch~ We then went up to Hannah's closet and tackled that. Baby steps...Kerri.. Baby steps!

Then the girls played in the yard as Hannah insisted they must wear their tu-tus. We ate a quick dinner and then headed for a nice long walk. The weather was perfect yesterday evening and both the kids were out cold by 7:15. I have to say that I love walking with them in the cool weather. I bundle them in their pj's and blankies and off we go. Hannah often talks to me about all the things she sees or she will bring up something we saw in the past on our walking route. Her favorite is the "Scary Tree" whose routes have torn up the sidewalk. She always looks for it and shouts it's name the instant she sees it. I really enjoy these walks with them and I am hoping that I can get a bunch more in before the first snow fall.

Do I have Divas or what?

Han posing in her bedroom..

Pretty in Purple

She was very inquisitive about the leaves

And I got her grabbing her ear on camera? Again this is constant!

One funny thing about dinner last night was that I had served Hannah first. As I was walking Layla's plate over to her, I started laughing. The peanut had fallen asleep in her highchair! It was only 5:15! Hannah and I got such a kick out of it as it was quite funny to see! We woke her up and tried to feed her, however, 10 minutes later, she was back to sleep. .. sitting straight up! Poor kid was tired!

Layla could give Grandma Rose a run for her money! She is almost walking on her own!!! (Sigh...my baby is growing up!)

And this is what she was doing while she was supposed to be napping today!!!

Baby Addy in her onesie and bow!

Tell Me These Two Shouldn't Have Been KFC Models!

All clear!

Okay, so we got the blood work back for Layla Grayce and it came back fine! (Big sigh of relief here) So I guess this leaves us back at square one trying to figure out what is wrong with her. At this point we are going to have to assume that her uncomfortableness and fevers are all due to teething. Which in retrospect, does make sense, however, I am glad that we ruled out everything else. I am thinking that this little ravioli is having a difficult time because her teeth seem to be taking their sweet time in moving down. She will be a year old next month and she still only has her bottom two teeth with no sign of any others ready to pop out in the near future! She is still tugging and pulling on her ears CONSTANTLY and maybe this is because that is where she feels the teeth trying to come down? (Not sure if that makes sense!) Anyway, I will just keep my fingers crossed that she can pop a few more teeth and start to feel better! I hate the fact that she is in discomfort. Thank you everyone for checking in on her, we certainly appreciate your phone calls.

On the home front, the meatball (Hannah) is doing well and went to bed very easily last night. She most definitely is tired now as soon as 7:15 hits and I believe that after a full day, she finds it easier to fall asleep, which is good on all ends! She fell asleep last night with about 5 stuffed animals skewed across her face and it was quite comical. I ran to grab my camera, but unfortunately, the battery was dead!

Both girls were asleep by 8 and Billy and I were left with a much needed nice quiet evening together! We are certainly enjoying this cooler weather today as I feel that Fall is in the air! Thankfully, the weather will make it easier for us to get our outdoor projects done before Layla's birthday party, as there is much to do in order to get the backyard presentable!

Have I mentioned that season premier "The Biggest Loser Family" airs tonight??? Wheewhhhooo.. I have already been to Dave's to pick up my low fat yogurt, cottage cheese and rice cakes! HA!

Song for the Day "Love Remains the Same" Gavin Rossdale

I love Hannah's expression in the picture as she was just about to fall when I took it.. we laughed until our bellys hurt after! Layla looks as though she has totally had it with me and taking pictures! LOL

What a weekend!

Ahhhhh finally on Saturday, Julie's big day arrived! After months of planning and many stressful moments, my sister's Baby Shower went off without a hitch. The weather held out for us and the day could not have been more perfect! Bistro by the Sea was phenomenal in all its charm and elegance! A more enchanted place could not have been found. Dwayne was a dream to work with and so very accomodating to those last minute changes! The gerber daisies were just right for the tables and the candy apples and Dippalicious treats were extraordinary! (Thank you Jennifer and Amanda!) All the colors tied in well and even the cake, as neutral as could be, came out fantastic!

How cute it was to watch Miss Julie and Mr. Mikey walk down the breathtaking gardened path! Even though my big suprise wasnt such a suprise, I knew Julie was thrilled to be having her special day at the Bistro. So many beautiful things she received for my new niece or nephew! Our guests seemed to enjoy themselves as well and it was so wonderful to have everyone there to share the day with Jules as well. Even my new little neice Addison made her appearance!

I am so glad that it all went well and a little bummed out that it is over! Oh well.. I have a first birthday party to plan!!!! Holy cow.. Layla Grayce is almost 1!

Hannah had her first soccer game on Saturday and Billy said it was hilarious! She did well and seemed to really enjoy herself. We can't believe that she is at the age to already begin her sports! Wow.. the time is just flying by. It is great to see her involved in these activities as I have got to get back into a dance class as well this week. Soon enough she'll be on skates this winter too..... on her way to her hockey career as Billy puts it.. my baby girl is a growing up! It is really alot of fun to relive my childhood through her and I know Billy agrees.

Sunday was just as busy as well, as we went to an early Mass and then out for breakfast. Home to make another apple pie.. yummy and then off to Nonnie and Papa's for the game. Wheewwhooo Matt Castle held his own and I am still in disbelief that I wont see Brady play this season. I will be positive though and say that the team can still be great. In the words of one of Hannah's favorite movies (The Polar Express) ....I believe!

Layla is still not herself and I am waiting to hear from her doctor in regards to her blood tests. If I dont hear by noon time, then I am going to have to be a haunt!!! We tracked her fever all weekend and although there were 2 normal readings..the rest were between 100 and 101 degrees. What is up?

That's all for now folks.. as the ravioli is crying for me!

Update on Miss Layla Grayce

Thankfully, Dr. Sowa just returned my phone call and she agrees with me that close to 4 weeks of a fever is a bit excessive. It could be nothing.. or it could be a range of things from a reoccurring viral infection to a urinary tract infection. So from here we go to the doctor tomorrow morning to have her go through a urinary procedure to check to see if that is okay. Also, they will be doing some blood work on her to double check everything in that department as well. Hopefully these procedures wont be too traumatic for her as I think I may be a pro at them from my dealings with Hannah's condition.

I definitely feel reassured that they she is treating my concerns proactively and I will be tracking her fevers for the next several days to see if we can make sense of this all. (insert sigh of relief here)

Fingers crossed it is nothing at all but at least if it is something, then we will be treating it accordingly!

On another note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sister Julie, who turns 29 years old today! We love you! Enjoy your last year of being twenty-something before you cross over to the thirty-something dark side!!! LOLOL

Concerned

Okay, I am really starting to get concerned about Layla. She just has not been herself these past 3 1/2 weeks and I dont know what is up. 2 weeks ago I took her to the doctor expecting a diagnosis of an ear infection. She had a fever between 100 - 101 and had been tugging on her ears, cranky and restless during her sleep. No ear infection was detected and we were sent on our way. I chalked it up to teeth and kept going. Yet, the fever stayed and no teeth are even the slightest bit detectable. Yesterday, I took her again since nothing had changed and her behavior was still the same and fever still there, even though low grade. Again.. nothing. She looked for a sign of teething and she too, found nothing.
I am just not comfortable with this "Nothing's Wrong" diagnosis because her behavior is telling me otherwise. Not that she is inconsolable or cranky all the time.. just more so than she has ever been. Is it a stage or is it something else? Last time I checked, stages dont come along with fevers. I am at wits end trying to figure out what is wrong. I know that my past experience with Hannah has certainly made me a bit more worrisome, but at the same time, if it werent for my intuition with Hannah, she wouldnt be here. If I hadnt persisted and switched doctors... aye...(sigh) It is not just me noticing these differences either. Every time I start to get comfortable with the "Nothing's Wrong" diagnosis, someone else will hold her and tell me otherwise. 3 other people and Billy as well, have held her in the past couple of days and have told me that she feels warm. Billy also agrees that she is not herself.
I have a call into her Pediatrician because the last two doctors I have seen have not been the one Pediatrician I totally trust and the one that helped Hannah. They are all great doctors, but I am so partial to Dr. Sowa because she knows firsthand what I went through with Hannah. She is off today but I am hoping that she will call me first thing tomorrow and we can go from there. I am just so unsettled about all of this.

What life is all about

I have a few friends that I often talk to and they always ask, "How do you do it? Aren't you so tired with work and raising two children? How do you keep up?" I have to say that having children certainly can keep you on your toes and there are some days when you just want to soak in the suds of a bubble bath and throw in the towel. But I have to say, although parenting may have it's crazy and tiring moments, the rewards surely outweigh the trying times. Last night, was one of these times.

Hannah can be quite tough to put to bed at night. She is doing great with her bed time, yet, she still gets in moods where she begs one of us to lay with her. Last night, we went upstairs and I read her a book. We talked about her day at school and then I told her it was time for sleep. She started to protest and then asked me to get her a stuffed animal that she had left downstairs. Upon me returning to her bedroom, I saw her eyes closed but her mouth was moving. I asked her whom she was talking to and she replied, "God. You know, he is always with me." The warm and fuzzies came over me as again, this was proof, that Han was surely in the right school. We continued to talk a bit more before she started to speak of heaven. When she told me that her bed in heaven would be pink with a purple pillow, I started to cry. I tried not too, but even just the smidge of that thought was very overwhelming for me. She consoled me and told me it would be alright and physically wiped my tears away. I told her that although heaven was the most beautiful place she would ever see, I was not ready for her to go there any time soon. After composing myself, I told her only a few more minutes and then I would have to go downstairs and she would have to fall asleep. Usually this would cause her to get agitated and she would continue to beg for me to stay. Not this night. Instead she said again, "That's okay Mommy, I am not scared, God is with me and I will talk to him." I asked her to close her eyes and I did the same. A few moments later I opened mine to see if hers where shut. Indeed they were however, she was waving up at the ceiling. Again, another warm fuzzy moment.. not without a few internal giggles on my end. A moment later Hannah sprung up to a seated position and said, "MOMMY.. if God is always with me.. what happens when he has to do grocery shopping?"

I kid you not that I somehow mustered out of my mouth that he has "people" to do such things because that is all I could think of at the time. I am sure there are some much better answers for this question she asked, but the humor in the moment was completely overwhelming and I just hugged her as tightly as I possibly could. That moment right there, took away all the frustrating moments I can sometimes have with Hannah in the course of a day. It is times like these, that I realize, how very special Motherhood is and how fortunate I am to have my girls. Times like these make me love my children even more than I thought my heart was capable of. Times like these, that I know the true reasons why God sent me Hannah.

Song for the day.. "I Saw God Today" - George Strait

Hmmm I could use something to eat here...

Oh you caught me Mommy!

Hannah and Mr. Leo.. cuddling

Big girl Layla Grayce

My little chef, Hannah

The meatball.. making meatballs

How she loves to cook. We made a delicious apple pie on Sunday too!

TUB TIME!

Busy Busy Busy

Well we have been quite busy these past few days! I have hardly enough time to write! The girls got to meet their new cousin over the weekend and they are very excited to add baby Addison to their girl group! She is a very sweet little baby and you should see the head of hair on her! Arielle seems very content being a big sister as well. Moreover, Billy is very proud to have been asked to be her Godfather! Ahhh the miracle of new life!