And my heart melted

Sophia took off crawling for good on Monday as there is no stopping her now! She officially started crawling the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but she's been pretty lazy since that Saturday and until Monday would only scoot a few feet if she really wanted something. And, scoot is the key word as she learned to crawl up on her knees the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but she pretty much resorted to scooting until Monday.

Despite her new found independence though, she still needs her mommy! On Sunday, I left the room while we were eating dinner. Her eyes followed me as I left the room and she babbled "Ma-Ma." She had babbled "Ma-Ma" months ago although it completely had no meaning to her. And then she stopped babbling for awhile. But, she's really been babbling quite a bit lately. It has mostly been "Da-Da" with an occasional random "Ma-Ma" though.

Though I'm not certain yet she knows her Daddy is "Da-Da," I am fairly certain she meant to say "Ma-Ma" as I left the room on Sunday. Or perhaps it was just a coincidence.

But, my heart truly melted last night when this sweet girl who was oh so very sleepy started fussing and babbling "Ma-Ma, Ma-Ma, Ma-Ma" as she crawled her way across the room to find me. She still needs me, and I love it!

I don't remember Annabelle ever doing that, although I am sure she probably did. But, that Sophia of mine truly melted my heart last night! It is still smiling!

As I rocked a fussy Sophia to sleep last night, I smiled and wondered why my heart was so unsure of this child a year ago. And last night my heart actually ached at the thought that God could possibly make this our last child. Although there are many days that I feel I am not worthy to raise any of His children.

All I want for Christmas

is my two front teeth! Sophia can now wish you a Merry Christmas!

Tooth #2 officially popped its way through on Tuesday, a week after the first tooth.

In a Nutshell

Here is a recap of our week:

1. Annabelle had skin tests done on Monday to test for allergies. As I suspected, she is allergic to pistachios. Cashews actually came up clear, but we'll still stay away from those as the doctor said the two nuts typically go hand and hand. In other words, if a child is allergic to cashews, they are more likely than not allergic to pistachios. The coconut skin test also caused a tiny mosquito type bite as well, but the doctor didn't seem too concerned and said that a coconut allergy is very rare. He said she is one of the rare few who is allergic to a tree nut, but not allergic to all tree nuts. Most kids are allergic to all tree nuts if they are allergic to one. I have to schedule to have some blood drawn to confirm her allergies to the tree nuts though. That should be fun.

2. The allergist wrote her a prescription for an Epi-Pen which I am thankful to have based on the last time she actually had a pistachio. I didn't think she was allergic to them because she had them in the past, but after a sample at Sam's, she started getting a rash around her lips along with a cough, and her throat started to swell. I called the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta hotline, and they told me to call 911 immediately. I had already administered Benadryl, but the nurse said we needed to hang up, dial 911 and to not attempt to even drive her to the hospital. Fortunately, the swelling of her throat was already decreasing when I hung up the phone, so we didn't end up dialing 911. However, after a scare with cashews while visiting Andy's Granny in TN, I am thankful to now have a prescription for an Epi-Pen. After we had all been snacking on some popcorn, I looked at the package and noticed that it contained cashews. His Granny lives in the country, and I had left the Children's Benadryl at home. Fortunately, she didn't have a reaction at all.

3. Annabelle also had skin tests done to test for allergies to molds, cats, dogs and dust mites. He tested for dust mites since I told him we lived in an older home and that it seemed to me she is allergic to something in the house. Unfortunately, she showed no signs of allergies to any of those. I say "unfortunately" because I was really hoping she would be allergic to cats.

4. Annabelle has been doped up on antihistamines all week to reduce the itching caused by her extreme case of eczema. On Friday of last week, the dermatologist diagnosed her with nummular eczema which he said is difficult to treat. She also has Gianotti-Crosti Syndrome. It sounds rather life threatening if you ask me, but it is actually just a rash caused by a virus that she has apparently had recently. Per the dermatologist, it just has to "run its course." The rash related to the Gianotti-Crosti Syndrome could last for 1-2 months.

5. Annabelle's behavior is quite extreme as a result of the antihistamines. Atarax to be exact. The dermatologist wants her to continue on this medication until we see him again in January. I may lose my right mind! Her terrible behavior is really driving my patience. 4 year olds are not supposed to act like this on a daily basis.

6. Sophia's first tooth shined its way through officially on Tuesday! It is her middle, bottom, left tooth. If you are looking at her, it is her middle, bottom right tooth.

7. Sophia was very constipated Wednesday night. I called the Children's Healthcare hotline again when it seemed she was never going to push that mess out all on her own. The nurse on call recommended Fleet Pedia-Lax which is a liquid glycerin suppository. Since it is for ages 2-5 years, we were to use only half of it. I sent hubby to the store while I stayed home and tried to comfort a screaming Sophia. She finally fell asleep nursing in my arms. But, it did make administering the suppository that much easier. We went through this with Annabelle too when she was a baby, but Annabelle wasn't even in quite as much pain as poor Sophia. It is either that or Sophia is just a wimp! Poor baby! I hate to see them hurting! With Annabelle, the rice cereal caused her constipation. But, Sophia didn't start having constipation issues until I started her on the sweet potatoes, squash and green beans. Now does that make any sense at all?

8. Sophia is such an angel baby! An angel baby with a very definitive temper! I'm not sure what that means for her toddler years. Of course, her nights are still rough, so she ends up in the bed with us before the evening is over. I've never really wanted my children to co-sleep with us, but Sophia is making her way into our bed very quickly as her Mommy needs a little shut eye!

What's in a name?

Who'd thought we would pick the most popular baby name for any of our children? We definitely were avoiding a popular name 4 years ago when we picked Annabelle. And oddly enough, Annabelle is now listed as one of the top 100 baby names for 2010, with a rank of 69 to be exact! Seriously folks? You couldn't be original when you chose that name? I never knew another Annabelle until after Annabelle was born!

http://www.babycenter.com/top-baby-names-2010

We were definitely not going with the popularity of the name when we chose it 4 years ago. I always hated that I was one of 4 _ _ _ _'s in every class, or so it seemed.

But, we chose Sophia because it is such a beautiful name, and we just liked the antique charm of the name. And since Annabelle has its own antique charm, Sophia was a nice match. And, honestly, we already knew it was on the top 10 list for 2009. Who'd thought Sophia would be the #1 name for 2010 though! I think we'll definitely start calling her Sophie now as Sophie is ranked way down on the list to #45.

Of course, I think all of my favorite names are on the top 100 list because apparently antique charm is the rage.

I am going to seriously have to think up something original before our next girl comes along? Hmmm. How does Drucilla sound? I don't think we can get much more original! And it still has a little antique ring to it, doesn't it?

I bet that name will never top the top 100 list! But, I bet she'd be one sweet and determined young woman one day! Because you see, that was my grandmother's name. And you cannot get any more precious than her. Annabelle was almost Samantha because my grandmother's name was Drucilla Samantha. Unfortunately, hubby butchered the name Samantha long ago so I had a hard time getting past his sense of humor. And he had to butcher it pretty bad for me not to want to use the name because I absolutely adored that woman!

Light Sleeper

The fat cat just knocked the t.v. remote out of the entertainment center onto the floor and woke up my light sleeper. Aarrgghh!

Same said fat cat almost knocked down the brand new high definition t.v. with her fat a$$ too! Hubby, you may want to secure that thing as this is not the first time she's done that this week.

Isn't your second child supposed to sleep heavier than the first? Not Miss Sophia! If Annabelle wakes up crying, I expect to hear Sophia crying within minutes.

And guess who is the heavy sleeper in the family? Clue: It is NOT me!


"_ _ _ _, you just don't understand. I've never been this tired in my entire life." Hubby's famous quote that I hope to never forget stated after our first night home with Annabelle. He was responsible for washing the breast pump supplies. I was responsible for nursing and/or pumping every 2.5 to 3 hours for 45-60 minute feedings. Thank goodness my second child is a fast eater! It is no wonder I was much more exhausted when Annabelle was a baby (versus Sophia).

He is going to kill me for sharing that with everyone. But, hey, it is my blog, and I don't ever want to forget that comment! It is just too funny! I did finally learn that hubby is much more helpful when he gets a good night's sleep though. This is why I handle all of the nighttime wakings (unless, of course, Annabelle has wet the bed). That and because he has to go to work everyday (for pay).


Aarrgghhh again! The darn mantel clock that has been haunting us since we got married just woke up Sophia again with its midnight dinging. Hubby, please discontinue battery replacement in that thing!

Oddly enough, I think I may cry when it gets tossed. It just brings back too many fond memories. Like our first night home from our honeymoon in our new apartment. We couldn't sleep through it either! Okay, I couldn't sleep through it! And then when people spend the night on a rare occasion, they cannot sleep through it either. We are so used to hearing it now that we don't even notice it any more. Memories!

Sophia was back to sleep within seconds, fortunately! She just wanted to let me know that it had woken her up.

Multi-tasking

I used to pride myself on my multi-tasking skills. I now consider them my biggest enemy. Oddly I just mentioned to hubby last week that I think our house falls apart quickly when I multi-task because I never completely finish what I originally started.

As a result, it seems that dirty clothes find their way into every single room of our house, stained clothes don't get treated until I finally decide to wash that particular color, toys and books are scattered everywhere, the dishes never seem to be completely put away, and the list goes on and on.

Then I was reading up on flylady.net this evening and realized that I just may be onto something. This is what she had to say in her Holiday Control Journal:

"The secret to helping this work for you is to quit trying to multi-task. We pride ourselves on being able to do two things at once, but the truth of the matter is that something always gets left undone. So you have all of these unfinished projects all around your home piling guilt on your head."

It always seems that Sophia manages to have an explosive poopy diaper just as we are about to walk out the door or just as I have sat down to read to the girls or play a board game with Annabelle. As a result, the outfit gets tossed aside in hopes of being treated later. But then it is often too late as set stains are harder to remove.

That is just one example of not completing a task because I'm trying to do too many things at once. If I would just complete the task that took priority initially, my life could eventually start running a little smoother.

Tonight I'm praying that God will give me the wisdom to better prioritize and complete tasks immediately to restore a little peace in this place we call home.

Patience

This is NOT my strongest virtue. In all honesty, I am very much lacking in this department. I'm not quite sure when it happened. Well, I have somewhat of an idea. I started losing my patience with Annabelle around her 2nd birthday. Up until then, I was actually quite calm and very laid back with her. I honestly think it had something to do with hubby traveling every week back then in the fall of 2008 and Annabelle's clinginess to me and the fact that she turned 2 amidst all of his traveling. She wanted me to do everything, and I had a harder time telling her no since hubby was only around on the weekends with him typically leaving again on Sundays before dinner.

And then I got pregnant. And I was feeling horrible. And yet again, hubby had to travel during the peak of my morning sickness. Yet again, my patience was very much lacking with this high energy, non-stop talking drama queen of mine.

And then came Sophia. I've tried so hard to be patient. And, fortunately, besides the first few weeks after Sophia's birth, hubby has not been traveling as much. (Hubby, with the birth of the next child, I strongly encourage you to wait at least 6weeks before traveling, if possible. Remember, the hormones are still raging dramatically up until then). Yes, I know, I just totally jinxed myself! But, my patience is still severely lacking. She just takes way too long to do anything!!! And she finds every possible way to annoy her Mommy because, well, that is what girls do to their mamas.

I just realized lately how often Annabelle says "I'm sorry Mommy" when she spills her drink or drops something on the floor or gets paint on her pretty dress. Perhaps I've been a little overbearing lately because I'm a bit overwhelmed myself and cannot find time for everything I feel I need or want to do. I'd like to think I'm just raising her up right. But, I can tell by the look in her eyes that she is just waiting for my response hopeful I want get upset or angry.

So last night I prayed. I prayed that God would remind me that most everything I fret over on a daily basis will not matter in 5, 10, 20 or even 50 years. What does matter? The respect I show my children. I impact their lives dramatically by my reactions because they are constantly watching me.

And, today, today was a great day! Despite our setbacks, the following was accomplished:

1. Grocery shopped (spent $17.59, but saved $31.80 (65%)!) Pigs, you've created a monster! But, you are still my cheapness idol. I still need to pick your brain for more grocery saving tips. Your $40/week grocery budget still intrigues me. How do you do it?
2. I made crock pot mac & cheese for a dinner party this evening.
3. Annabelle and I baked a homemade pound cake while Sophia napped.
4. I laughed with Annabelle when I normally would have found her behavior that much more annoying and she giggled even more.
5. Annabelle and I watched and cheered Sophia on while she progressed in her steps to crawling. She is now starting to push herself forward occasionally! She's been pushing herself backwards for awhile, but she is quickly learning how to move herself forward. Of course, she pushes herself forward with her knees, but then her arms fall underneath her and she plummets chin first to the ground.
6. Annabelle dressed Sophia up as a pumpkin, and I took their pictures.
7. We made it to the dinner party by 5:15 p.m., only 15 minutes late! Yes, I hate being late, but it seems inevitable for me, especially considering hubby was out of town this weekend and the pound cake had just finished baking at 4:35 p.m., it needed to cool for 10 minutes before I could dump it from the pan and then cut it into pretty slices, and at 4:45 p.m., I had to nurse Sophia again. Excuses, excuses, I know!
8. After the dinner party, we stopped by Kroger for me to grab their list of participating items for their Mega Event Sale because I received a rain check on a few items, and I needed the list to show to the cashier in the next 30 days to claim my 50 cents off each item if I purchase 10 participating items. Blah, blah, blah, you'll understand if you start couponing by the book!
9. Trip to Target after Kroger to get another rain check on my favorite Sterilite 70 quart clear boxes. It wasn't the best price I've seen, but I need to pack away some summer clothes for two cute kiddos I know.
10. Both girls in bed by 10:00 p.m. (old time). Okay, well, I don't think Annabelle actually got in bed until 10:30 p.m. (old time), but that is Annabelle for you!

In this next picture, Sophia tried to take Annabelle's lollipop from her. I captured the picture at the tail end of the action, but it was still pretty funny. Annabelle was laying on the floor originally, but then turned upright when Sophia grabbed her lollipop. "No! No! Sophia!," she exclaimed!

So this weekend I have learned that a little prayer goes a long way! Well, I guess I knew that, but it always seems so enlightening.

And I learned yet again not to judge others as you really have no clue what they may be experiencing behind closed doors. Instead, put your faith in the Lord. Wow! Maybe things are starting to click with me. A little Bible reading goes a long way!