Saturday, August 25, 2007

Suicide or Murder?

Katie's latest favorite thing to do is play in the toilet. After realizing that she is now in this phase, I have instructed everyone that the doors to the bathrooms need to stay closed at all times. Apparently, however, either someone forgot to close the door, or Katie has learned to open the doors, too. Today, when Phil came in from mowing the lawn, he discovered this doll floating face down in our toilet. Was it murder, or suicide? We don't yet know. The autopsy results are still pending...

Thursday, August 23, 2007

First Day of School

Sarah and Emily went back to school on Monday. This was both good and bad for me. I no longer have to listen to them fight all day long, however I've also lost all of the help with the baby I've become accustomed to. Plus, I think Katie was very happy having her big sisters around to entertain her all summer.

This year, Emily is in the 5th grade. She is at the top of the food chain of elementary school kids. She is also a patrol this year, which gives her even more power on campus. She is very proud of this. Emily has gone back to her old school this year, because we just weren't happy with the school we are zoned for. This means I have to drive her to and from school everyday, but it is well worth it for us.

Sarah is in 7th grade this year. This is her second year of middle school, and unlike last year, she already has friends there, which made going back to school much better for her. She was nervous about things at first (like having PE everyday!) but she seems to be getting more comfortable with things. And so far she likes her teachers, which really helps. Sarah is also continuing with her playing of the violin in the school orchestra. She really seems to enjoy being a part of the orchestra, and I'm glad for her. I never really got to participate in many school activities, especially at her age, so I really like that she gets to.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

I'm So Tired

I can't believe it's been nearly two weeks since I've blogged. I guess it's because things have been so crazy around here. Not only have I been very busy trying to get Sarah and Emily ready for Back-to-School, but Katie and I have also been sick.

Katie has actually been miserable. Last Tuesday, she started with a runny nose and sneezing. No big deal, right? Probably allergies, I thought. Then it progressed to a runny nose and fussiness. Maybe she's teething, I thought. Then by Thursday night, she was so miserable that she keep me up all night long. So, I took her to the doctor Friday morning, mostly just for reassurance. The verdict - My baby has Strep Throat!!

Her doctor said she probably got it from me, since I was the only one in the house who was even remotely sick, so he gave us each a prescription for penicillin. At first, I thought that would take care of things. But as the weekend progressed, I realized that it would definitely not. Katie started running a high fever that just wouldn't go away no matter how much Tylenol and Motrin we gave her. By Sunday night, she started vomiting, which meant she was not going to get any benefit from the penicillin if she couldn't keep it down.

So, back to the pediatrician with her I went Monday morning. Her doctor confirmed that she was worse, and agreed that the only course of action was to give her a penicililin shot. He said that it should help her to get better faster, too. Of course, here we are at 3:30 in the morning on Wednesday, and we are still not sleeping much at night. She is getting better though, since before today she would not sleep for more than a half-hour and now she's up to three hours. Also, her fevers aren't so high and they are easier to get rid of with the medicine.

Well, Katie just went back to sleep, and so must I. I have a big day ahead of me, but I'll post about that later. Also, I'll post about Sarah and Emily's first day back to school, which was Monday.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Katie's Party

Today was my sweet baby girl's 1st birthday party. We had just family and my two BFFs (who are considered family) over this afternoon for a hot, wet, and terribly smoky time (*cough*cough* Phil you've got to get a handle on your grilling!). Yes, against doctor's orders, I braved the great outdoors - also known as our backyard - to have a water-themed party. Katie loves the water, but that is not why I had the water-play set up in the backyard. All but one of the other children at the party are well over seven years old and would have been bored to tears and/or destruction of my home if entertainment was not provided for them. Also, putting them outside made for more room for the adults inside my tiny house.
Katie got lots of new clothes, and considering that almost everything was from Carter's, she only got double of one outfit, so I don't have to return a ton of stuff. She also got some great PINK toys. Toys 'R Us carries this cute line of pink toys that I am in love with. Katie seems to like them, too. She also got some cash, or as I like to refer to it, giftcards to ANYWHERE! Since it's still tax-free week here (tomorrow is the last day) I rushed out to Children's Place to snatch up this cute outfit I have been eyeing for Katie. She's such a doll! This particular line of clothes has also just gone on sale, which it was not last weekend when I bought a bunch of stuff from it, so now that I have found my receipt, I will be promptly returning the get my refund of the difference.

Sick

I'm sick. What's new? you ask. Well, I am currently so sick that my doctor has put me back on steroids, since nothing else is working. Phil and I saw her at the same time (he has a tear in his tibialis tendon), and when I remarked about how I hadn't needed steroids in years, she told Phil that I would now be able to kick his ass again. Ha-ha! I'm glad she has my sense of humor.
Also, on the "how sick I am" front, I was also ordered to stay inside - do not leave the house. Apparently the current atmospheric conditions (read: summer in Florida) are hazardous to my health. I mentioned how I felt like I was going to die at the Ford Ampitheater (outdoor concert venue) on Tuesday for the John Mayer/Ben Folds concert, and she suggested that I stay home and let Phil take the girls to the Aly & AJ concert next weekend. He just laughed. So, I will be taking the girls myself, but at least I'll be all hopped up on steroids, so maybe I'll be feeling a little bit better by then. Ha! Yeah, right!

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Stupid People


Last night, Phil and I attended the Bend Folds and John Mayer concert. The concert was amazing. These guys are two of the most talented guys I have ever heard. Ben Folds is a piano GENIUS, and John Mayer is an amazing guitar player. This concert was totally worth the near $200 we paid for our two tickets.
That being said, I was rather pissed off during the concert because two rows in front of me sat some people with a BABY!! He couldn't have been more that 12 months old. WHAT WERE THESE PEOPLE THINKING!?! I'm all for exposing your children to great music, but come on! This is a LOUD ROCK CONCERT! You hear all the time about people who have hearing damage from going to rock concerts. Let's get a jump start on our children's hearing loss by taking them to loud concerts before they've even reached their first birthday! Could these people not get a babysitter? Or did they actually think that taking their baby to a rock concert was a good idea? Either way, they shouldn't be allowed to raise that child. They've already proven that they aren't capable of putting their child's health above they're own selfish wants.
Meanwhile, the guy sitting next to me had his 10-year-old (I'm guessing here) son wearing earplugs during the concert. Way to go, Dad! Apparently there are some responsible parents left in this world.

Happy Birthday, Katie!


Happy Birthday to my sweet, sweet baby Katie! I can't believe a year has gone by already since you came into this world. You make your Daddy, your sisters, and your Mommy so VERY happy every single day. We love you SO much.

Today is Katie's first birthday. This past year has gone by so fast, I almost can't believe it. We will have a birthday party to celebrate this momentous occasion on Saturday in our back yard (weather permitting). Katie is very social and loves it when people make a big fuss over her, so hopefully there won't be any birthday party meltdowns.