Filling In The Gaps

I can't believe it's already September! And the middle of September at that! We've been in our own little world little, completely enjoying our little ones, and amazed by how fast they are growing. Let's start with Adam.

Conversations with Adam are hilarious! He is potty trained now and only wears a diaper at night and if we are going to be out an about for a long time. Other than that he has done fantastic. We can't remember the last time he had an accident. We went to a Rangers game recently and he was just amazed! He's been to a few, but this was the first time that he really knew where he was. He was all prepared with his Spongbob glove, but was so disappointed that he didn't catch a ball. He would tell us "I catch ball now." He is such a sports fanatic....I wonder where he got that from? He loves his Sissy so much that as soon as he wakes up he runs to her bed. If she cries he runs to her to tell her she's ok. If she wants something he brings it to her and says "Here go Sissy".

Isabelle has grown so much in the past month! She was once a quiet watchful baby, totally content to sit in your lap and watch the goings on. Those days are OVER! She began scooting along at 7 months or so. She'd get up on all fours and just fling herself forward. Then she began to pull up on stuff. Next thing we knew she was crawling! All that and she sprouted three teeth too! Our baby is thriving and healthy. She has been wearing her eye patch since early August and we're hoping too avoid surgery. She was fine wearing it until a couple weeks ago when she began crying about it and falling asleep. Well, then the patch isn't doing any good. So, the sitter now puts it on her each day and she does much better. I think it helps that she has the other kids there to distract her.

I celebrated my 32nd birthday on Aug. 21st. Did you hear about the fun I had? Yep, it was lots of fun and I'm glad that it's over! It was another great year for me. Our princess joined our family and she's like the gift that keeps on giving. She's brought so much joy and certainly completes our family. Daniel and I also celebrated our 14th anniversary of togetherness. 14!!!!!

Work is so busy! The walls for the expansion are all up and business is continuing to increase. That's great news, but not when they haven't increased the personnel. And to top it off, we have a weeklong audit next week. Good times!

On the 25th, Daniel and I will be married for 10 years! It's hard to believe it's been so long. I remember all the preparations, the excitment, and that first year of marriage. Yeah, that was rough. I went from living with my parents to living with a husband and the responsibilities of everything! I remember wondering what the heck I had gotten myself into. Isn't that awful? I'm glad we stuck it out, we grew together and found out how to compromise. I'm also glad we didn't have kids right away. It gave us time to grow up and find out who we were as individuals and as a couple. We've had lots of ups and downs, triumphs, and heartbreaking tragedies, but we made it through them together. When I've experienced the worst pain imaginable, he was there. He's stood beside me through some of the most terrible mistakes a person could make and I adore him for it. He's a great father, husband, provider, and man. I sure am glad I married him! I love you baby!!!! We will be celebrating by going to Hot Springs for the weekend. I can't wait! We haven't had that much alone time in years! I sure hope we have plenty to talk about since we won't have kids to fill in the gaps.

Many Firsts

Isabelle has gotten her first tooth! I love the fact that she's running a little slower than Adam did. Adam grew so fast that he quickly was a little boy soon after he was born. He always looked older because he had so much hair, he rolled over at 11 weeks, he crawled at freakin' 5 months, had two teeth come in at 5 months, and walked at 10 months. Isabelle is taking her sweet time and I love it! She's almost 7 months now and she's almost crawling. She gets on all fours and rocks and then she'll creep her knee up and .....fall back on her tummy. She is totally different than Adam in so many ways. She clings to me like a little koala bear. She is a total people watcher and is content to watch us or even cartoons. Oh, and she absolutely adores her big brother.

We also got a new family member. His name is Lucky and he is a Yorkie. He's got lots of hair and is a total furball. He's already housebroken and he is fitting right into the family.

Las Colinas Medical Center had a NICU reunion this Saturday and we took Isabelle. They had so many cute things and the nurses were great. It was the nurses that worked the event. Everything from food, to pictures, and they visited with all the families. They had face painting, clowns, balloon animal artist, small games, and a big backdrop for momento pictures. The birthing experience between Irving Baylor and Las Colinas is astounding. Irving Baylor was fine, don't get me wrong, but they didn't seem to go that extra step in providing outstanding care. Las Colinas on the other hand was a great experience. Every single nurse I had was willing to help and did it with a smile. They truly cared about me and the things I was going through. I didn't get to see Isabelle for over a day because of the c-section and the effects of the epidural had me so sick. My nurse Tina, sat and talked to me about it and helped me work through the emotions I was having. The NICU nurses there made cute cutouts with Isabelle and even Adam's names on them. They sent us home with everything that wasn't bolted down and one of the nurses escorted us all the way to the car snapping pictures along the way! So, it was fantastic to see the nurses and all the babies. We saw the neonatologist that assisted in Isabelle's birth. They probably didn't form much of a bond with us since we weren't there many days or weeks like some of the families had, but I'm glad for that! It was just amazing to see the connection between the families and the nurses that were so instrumental in the care of our babies in such a heartbreaking time.

Adam is doing great. He's potty trained, but has the occassional accident. His speech is getting better and better. He loves the number 2, he'll spell his name, and he is so polite nowdays. For the longest time he refused to say thank you. Now, he says it everytime his request is met. He will say he is sorry for bumping into you or running over your foot with his toys. He's definitely headstrong and I see alot of Daniel in his actions. I tend to be more reserved where as he'll dive into any situation.

Life has been hectic lately and sometimes I wish I could slow it down. We've already been discussing school options for Adam and first birthday planning has already begun for Isabelle. It's amazing how the time has flown by!

Can't Shake This Feeling

After last week's horrible experience with the increased Metformin and beginning to take Zoloft, I backed off the Zoloft. I started it back up on Friday so I haven't seen any difference yet. I wish I'd had it in my system because today has been rough. Today is my daddy's birthday. This has left me feeling very blah and just kinda doing what I have to do to get through the day. I just wish he was here. He was only 44 when he passed. 44! I dread the year that I turn 45, that will mean I lived longer than he. See, this is why I wish I had the anti-depressant in my system. Perhaps I wouldn't think such thoughts. I woke up in the middle of the night and whispered happy birthday into the dark. This morning when I got to work, I logged in to the computer, and as I was waiting, the bulletin board on my desk that was leaning against the wall, just fell forward on it's own. It's never done that in the months it has sat like that. I took it as a sign that he was around me today. He's been gone almost half my life and I miss him terribly. One good thing about all these emotions lately is that I have been making an effort to take better care of myself. I was fortunate to have my daddy until I was 15. I have memories of our time together. I want to make sure my children have memories of their mother.

Holy Heart!

Today was Isabelle's 6 month cardiology appointment. So, we drove to Medical City and patiently waited. They had redone the office and even the office staff was much more pleasant than I remembered. The nurse took her stats: weight 17lbs. 8 oz, 26 inches long, blood pressure, pulse, etc. She got her all set up for her EKG, all of which Isabelle quietly and inquisitively enjoyed. She was such a good girl. Next, the doctor came in and listened to her heart, and listened....and listened.....my heart is beating out of my chest....is this good news? or bad? Then she looked up and said that she didn't hear the heart murmur anymore. We went off to the echocardiogram room for a further look. She searched and did a very thorough exam. It was amazing to see her tiny heart beating and knowing what we were looking for and not seeing it! Her VSD is completely closed. This is such a relief. The next hurdle is her eyes. The pediatrician has recommended we see a pediatric opthalmalogist. His diagnosis is esotropia, but the opthalmalogist will be the one to actually determine this. So, in August we go to have her eyes fully examined and determine the course of action to correct it. Her eyes have shown a lot of improvement, but we want to avoid any vision problem/learning problems that may arise from this. So, we'll be pretty aggressive in trying to prevent any issues further down the road. All the literature I've been reading says that the earlier the treatment or sugrgery, the better the results usually are. My sweet baby girl. She's gone through so much and yet she's such a happy baby.

Adam has changed so much. He surprised me the other night. We were doing flashcards and the number eight popped up. I thought he wouldn't know it, but he shouted out "8!" He knew animals that I didn't even know he knew. Most four legged animals besides dogs and cats were called cows. Now he is telling the difference when it's a bear or hippo. I was surprised. Potty training is still an ongoing process, but he's getting it. Everytime we get into a routine, we interrupt it with a trip or something changed in his routine.

Daniel and I crossed over into the world of iPhones. I went from my Blackberry (which I LOVED!) to the 3G. WHICH I LOVE SO MUCH MORE!!!!!!!! I wish I could easily send pictures to people, but it's a minor tradeoff for the many other things I can do.

I had my yearly physical last week and it was quite an eye opener. She simply asked how I'd been doing and I broke down crying. She seemed surprised and asked how long this had been going on. Between two babies, chaotic work, busy home, and the constant worrying I inflict on myself.....I had no idea when I'd begun to feel like this or that it had crept up on me. Sure, I'd have days when I just felt blah or feeling like my world was crumbling, but doesn't everyone at one time or another? She diagnosed postpartum depression and prescribed me Zoloft to help me with my anxiety and depression. She also increased my diabetes medication because I haven't been taken very good care of myself. Well, we left for Houston that same day. I took my new meds and they made me sick, so I chose to skip them while on the trip (except I took the diabetes medicine I had been taking). So, on Sunday and Monday I went back to taking the new ones. I woke up Tuesday and felt AWFUL!!!! I stayed home from work. I couldn't focus on anything, the room was spinning, I was throwing up, and dry mouth. UGH!!!! I'd rather be mildly depressed than deal with that. So, now I'm trying one at a time, I'll take my diabetes pill for a few days, then I'll introduce the Zoloft once I've adjusted to that. I've never had such side effects with anything.

Other than that, everything is all good on this home front!

Go Sit!

Last night's hilarious conversation with Adam:
Me: "Adam, let me get your plate before you drop it." (he was wiping clean his highchair )
Adam: :"No!"
Me: "Adam, before you make a mess, let me take the plate to the sink, please."
Adam: *raises index finger* "No Mommy! Go!" *points finger to sofa* "Go Sit!"
Me: *holding back from laughing* "Adam, you don't speak to Mommy like that, you are a little boy."

Daniel and I wanted to laugh so badly!

Wednesday's storms kept me in a tizzy. Now, anyone who knows me well enough, knows that I am a nervous nelly, especially when there's severe storms. Daniel just indulges me on my need to run around like a mother hen and prepare for the apocalypse that I'm sure is heading our way. He actually even packed up the diaper bag with the essentials: diapers, wipes, water, formula, bottle/cup....oh wait, he left those out. Lot of good that would have done us once said apocalypse had come! I got the flashlight, got Adam dressed and with shoes. Daniel sat there completely not understanding that, but to me it made since. Duh, Adam can't walk around with glass and debris everywhere. I know, I'm such a worrier. But, the news doesn't help when every second they are saying there's a tornado a few miles North and they even issued a Tornado Warning for places that hadn't even been rained on yet. The wind howled, electricity flashed off, then back on before I could reach the dang thing, flashes of lightning at every blink of an eye, but no end of the world came. THANK HEAVEN!

Today at work, I felt like I was inside of a brushless car wash. It looked like a dang hurricane! The area outside my window faces the South and is under construction. The dried up desert that was there yesterday is now affectionately known as "South Lake" . Clever huh? Well, the lake got bigger and bigger, and as the wind whipped around it actually had white caps. The rain flew in horizontal and would slam into the window. It would lighten up and the the next wave. I've not seen storms like that in years. Usually a line blows through and we're done, but it just kept coming. I will try to post a picture tomorrow of what the lake looked like at the end of the day. There were no planes leaving of course, but once the weather cleared it was back to business as usual and I always enjoy watching the planes. I'm such a geek! Show me a 777, 747, or a new 767 with winglets and I'm amazed. Now I know where Adam gets it from. I'm one of those people that would sit on the hood of a car, pondering life's possibilities while gazing at the planes on final approach for hours! Or enjoy the rush of watching a plane takeoff at max power and wonder where all those people are going. See, total geek.....

Tonight we were playing with Adam and he was getting way to wild. So, I said "Freeze!" He kept spinning then would say "Freeze". The other day we were driving and saw a train. He was in the back and said "Train! Toot Toot!" We laughed. Isabelle has begun to say "mamamama". Oh, how quickly you forget all these little things. When you come home from a crazy chaotic day and your kids smile and giggle, you know you've accomplished the greatest in life and God has to offer.

Up!

Looky here, I finally check in. What excuse do I have? TWO KIDS!!!!!

Alot has been happening in the Spencer world....let's recap in no particular order.

Adam's potty training is going well. He is officially on week two, but is quickly catching on now. He's wearing undies now and says "Pee" when it's time. This morning he went first thing and then Daniel got him dressed. So, he's walking around talking and starts saying "Pee". I start convincing him to walk to the potty, but it was too late, he had already had an accident. Poor little guy, he felt so bad. Although, to watch him waddle his way to his room was quite funny. Like he'd just gotten off a horse! Anyway, while changing him he had the saddest look in his eyes while we explained that it was an Uh Oh, and big boys only go on the potty. We'll see how he did throughout the day.

Adam listens to the radio and loves the Black Eyed Peas song Boom Boom Pow. Daniel had told me he'll sing it, but I hadn't heard him. So, driving home yesterday it was on, but then went off. He quietly tells me "I want Boom Boom Pow". It was so cute that I had him repeat it and he did. He's becoming much more clear spoken and such a sweetie. The other day, Daniel was slicing cheddar cheese (which Adam loves). Daniel gave him his slice and Adam held his hand up and said "and Mommy?". Daniel gave him another slice and Adam ran over with the biggest grin and said "and Mommy". I didn't realize he had asked for a slice for me until Daniel told me....to which I cried. Yep, cried. I guess because it was the first time that Adam did something out of kindness for another person. Sure, he's nice, he shares, and all, but this was different. He actually thought of asking for a slice for me. To me, that means I just may be doing something right!

And as for Baby Belle, aka Lil Mama, she's just a doll. She rolls over like a champ! She loves gazing at her hands. Her feet are new to her and she just loves to play with them. Her newest thing is so cute, but I think we'll soon have teeth popping up. She rubs her gums together, which makes her look like a baby bulldog. Her bottom lip comes up a little bit as she raises her bottom gum to her top and she'll just concentrate on rubbing. It's funny! This also makes her cheeks all the more irresistable to pinch. She gets so excited at things that she's begun to flail around, thus punching and scratching me. I'm surprised I still have a top lip. She also went swimming this past Sunday for the first time. She donned her little pink ruffly bikini and floated for a bit, but then she wanted to be next to me. Adam also swam and he's now earned his gills. He was fetching in his one piece flotation device with an additional pair of arm floaties (Cars, of course). He was nervous at first, but within 5 minutes he was having a blast. Ever the daredevil, he was jumping into the water and into Daniel's arms. This makes me nervous, but all I get is an eye roll from Daniel. So, now Daniel can be the official lifeguard of Adam so I don't get gray hairs yet!

In other, non Spencer household news, my sister is officially getting divorced! THIS IS GREAT NEWS! All that read this should already know the history behind this, so I'll spare those details (and save you from hearing my ranting). The papers will be signed by her tomorrow and he should be served within a week or two. They are going to expedite this since they know where he's at right now- in jail. No surprise there.

This past Saturday, my sister kept the kids while Daniel and I had a night out. We ran around like crazy! We saw the new movie UP! It was very cute, somewhat sad, and funny. It's full of color with all those balloons too! How funny is it that we went to a Disney movie without the kids? We ran around for a while, making sure to visit Mandy as she recuperated. Then visited Hooters for a breat cancer 3-day walk bake sale. It was really awesome to see the goodies and the other handmade items they had. I'm sure Daniel enjoyed checking out the couple of Hooters girls that came out while he was there too.....not that he was looking or anything.

Well, I think that sums up quite a bit. I hope I didn't leave anything out. Til next time!

Rest is for the weary

Well, well, well, another week has gone by and not so much as a post. Sorry, but I've been busy. Since my last post, Adam officially turned two and we had our big road trip of 2009. We had doctor appointments before we left and all went well. We dosed them both up with Tylenol in preparation for shots. Adam got lucky and avoided them. It seems he was all caught up and didn't need any. Yeah! But, Isabelle got 4.....wah wah wah. I was glad that it didn't affect her mood because she did great. No fevers, no fussing, she was all smiles.



Adam has been Adam. What can I say? One moment so sweet, the next wreaking havoc. During a recent night while we were in Milwaukee, we had dinner with my nephew and his friends to celebrate. My adorable little boy was winding down his busy day in my lap. Happily snuggled up on my lap. All of a sudden, he sat up, pursed his lips to give me kisses. So sweet, right? Well, then he looked at me, pursed his lips, and kissed each cheek then my lips again!! I have no idea where he got the idea, who or when he may have seen this, but it was about the most heart melting thing EVER! He knew it too, cause then he kept on.
Conversations with a two year old are pretty funny! They go something like this:
Daniel: Adam, what do you want to wear?
Adam: Cars!
Daniel: Motorcycles?
Adam: No, I want Cars.
After this conversation he came to me and said:
Adam: Mommy, Cars! *points at shirt*
Me: That's way cool!
Adam: And bints.
Me: And what?
Adam: bints!
Me: Sorry, but I don't understand, show me.
Adam: Bnts! *points to his pants*
Me: OH!!!!! Yes, pants. Thanks for being patient with Mommy.
When we're all ready to leave:
Us: Adam, it's time to go, are you ready?
Adam: No, I play

It's amazing to think back to how he used to just be a baby. Now, he tells me what he needs and wants. He knows all the flashcards that we've been practicing, except he calls the picture of the king Daddy. Hmmmm, do you think Daniel told him this once or twice? I wonder. When you ask him how old he is, he tells you "I'm two". Sometimes at night I hear on the monitor when he's tossing and turning. Sometimes, I hear him mumble "mommy" in his sleep. That's how I know he loves me and needs me. I know then that I am with him all the time, even in his dreams.



The trip went well. Adam did much better on the trip. In fact, there was very little crying in the van. This made me very happy. Both kids did good in the van actually. Poor Isabelle though, all cooped up in that carseat. But she was a trooper. Daniel drove all the way there and back, but he really doesn't mind all that driving. I felt bad though because after all that driving he didn't even go to the graduation. See, Adam had "one of those days" and Daniel took one for the team. It ended up being the best thing to do because the day we had was hectic. Left the hotel at 7:30, drove downtown, parked a couple blocks away, 2 hour ceremony, then walked back to the car, drove to the campus quickly (after getting lost first) to find parking, ran to Subway and ate quickly, then rushed to the degree ceremony at 2. Then came the tears and saying goodbye. Adam would have been terrible and the seats were so crowded! I'm short and my knees were nearly touching the head in front of me! Adam surely would have kicked someone. Instead, Daniel and the kids stayed in the room, relaxed, watched movies, ordered room service, and spent a non chaotic day together.

We visted the Harley Davidson Museum.....three times! Let me explain. Everyone went the first time and looked at everything. Well, as much as Adam would let us. He wasn't handling the reading very well because all he wanted to see was "kye kye" (translation: cycle). We visited the souvenir shop and bought a few things. We forgot to call Aunt Janie and David to see if they needed anything. She happened to call shortly after Daniel decided he wanted a different shirt. So, the following day we made another trip to the museum to exchange shirts and pick up ones for Janie and David. We got back to the hotel and discovered that Daniel was given the original shirt back! So, after the full day I had at the graduation, Daniel and I headed back out to the museum to exchange it again. They were super nice and gave us a few freebies- 3 stickers and a lapel pin! How nice was that?! And we finally got the right shirt to boot! The museum has lots of cool exhibits with a wall of engines that you can push a button to hear, a wall of fuel tanks from the different models, and tons and tons of bikes! It was interesting to hear the true Harley riders talk amongst themselves. Now I can speak pilot talk, but this Harley talk was a whole different language! I wish I knew what they were discussing because it sounded pretty interesting.

Princess Isabelle is growing. I looked at her weight in comparison to Adam's at her age. Adam was a whopping 16.9 lbs! She's two pounds lighter! She's begun rolling back to front now and is such a giggle box. Adam makes her crack up as she just watches him play. Soon enough, she'll be running around behind him stealing his toys. That's going to be fun.

Well, this has been a long one. I've tried to include the highlights and I hope I haven't jumped around too much. Til next time!