Random Beck

I Can't Pind It

2010-01-05T20:49:00.003-05:00

I love that Katie is 2 and talking up a storm. I also love that she pronounces "P" for "F" sounds. So all day long she says things like this:

"I got someping on my poot." (foot)

"I can't pind it." (find)

"My pinger's stuck!" (finger)

Maddy's Least Favorite

2010-01-05T20:39:00.006-05:00

I try at bedtime every night to ask Maddy her favorite part of the day and her least favorite part of the day, just to have a chance to talk about things on her mind. For the last several days, when I ask her what her least favorite part was, she says,

"Not going to Disneyland."

Bear in mind that all day long, there has been no mention, discussion, or anything anywhere about Disneyland....I'm afraid she's going to be disappointed for quite some time.

Katie Cuteness

2009-12-01T22:26:00.005-05:00

I had to get this down before I forget it. I took Katie out to see the moon the other night and told her to say hi to the moon.

She said, " Hi, Moon. How you doing? I Katie."

It's times like those that I could just sqeeze the stuffing out of her.

Not ME! Tuesday

2009-10-06T15:20:00.003-04:00

For those of you wondering what this is, MckMama over at mycharmingkids.net does a meme called "Not me Mondays" where you can 'fess up about some of your not so perfect moments as a mommy. For example, I most certainly did NOT accidentally tickle Katie's armpits while washing her in the tub causing her to SLAM her face into the shelf on the back of the tub gashing her lip. I always practice by the book tub safety procedures. Then I absolutely wouldn't ever be indecisive about something like my baby's health and ride around with her in the car for another hour trying to decide what to do and ending up letting an off duty nurse friend look at it and advise me to skip the ER. I can ALWAYS surmise a situation at a glance and know the absolute correct course of action. I also didn't waste an hour of time sitting in a flu-infested waiting room just to find out that her lip is fine and I totally overreacted with the trip to the doctor's office. NOT ME!!!! Just because a cut to the lip looks deep and oozes blood for twelve hours doesn't mean it's in the least bit serious and in need of medical attention. NO SIR!!!!! I also didn't secretly think it was funny that my self-absorbed four year old, Maddy, was running around in her panties with wet hair saying, "I'm cold. Can I have some chips? I don't want to go to the hospital. I don't like the hospital. Can I have some chips? I'm cold," while I was trying to call the doctor and figure out how to stop my two year old's lip from bleeding. It would be COLD and CALLOUS and CRUEL to be able to find any humor in that whole situation. Right? I also did NOT find it funny that my husband totally couldn't deal with the whole thing and rather bluntly told Maddy that it "WAS NOT ABOUT HER RIGHT NOW" while she was running around worrying about her creature comforts while her sister was bleeding like crazy. Because the rule in our house is NOT "whoever is bleeding gets the attention". That would totally ignore another child's needs and ego and self-esteem. We would NEVER have a rule like that. All I CAN do is thank God that her lip isn't too sore and doesn't seem to be hampering her appetite much at all.

Scary cookies

2009-06-29T19:11:00.003-04:00

After I went to Maddy's room the third time last night, around 5am, I asked her what she dreamed. It went something like this:

Me, "What did you dream about this time?"

Maddy, with terror in her voice,"Cookies!"

Me,"Cookies are NOT scary."

Maddy,"A dinosaur ate up all the cookies and then he ate ME!"

Sigh. I so wish I could just turn her imagination off at night.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 11)

2009-06-19T10:55:00.002-04:00

1. We have been sick for a LONG time now. I had a cold leading up to Maddy's birthday, Katie caught that cold the day AFTER Maddy's party which turned into a sinus infection (I think); then we both picked up a nasty stomach bug. Tomorrow makes two weeks since Maddy's party and we're just now all getting back to normal. I'm feeling just a wee bit cracked after all of this.

2. Speaking of stomach bugs, I highly recommend that anyone with children keep a supply of hospital-type gloves on hand. (Literally! I love puns.) Anyway, everytime something disgusting happens that I REALLY don't want to touch, those gloves save me.

3. Katie has a tendency to throw up in her bed in the middle of the night. (She didn't this time around but it's something she's done since she was itty bitty.) I never have a clue until I get her up the next morning. She's very neat about it, I have to say. She obviously sits up, makes a deposit at the far corner of her crib, and then lays back down to sleep. She usually just has a tiny bit on her sleeper at her feet. Clean hands and face. I don't know how she does it, but I appreciate not getting a 2am wake up call.

4. Another thing I love when the ickies are at our house is my ultimate crib sheet. Anything gross goes down in the crib and you've got this great waterproof sheet attached by snaps around the crib bars that shucks right off.

5. Maddy, on the other hand, is a hysterical puker. (Probably why Katie's method always leaves me so surprised.) She only does it about once a year and she has to be really sick for it to even happen. It is always spectacular (in a bad way) and extremely upsetting to her.

6. Don't you hate carseats that are never the same after you've had to majorly dissassemble and the reassemble? We found a great deal on a carseat/booster, but after one big mess, it was just never quite the same again. Note to self: Always stick with Graco.

7. I guess that's all for today. I'll have summer fun to blog about next since we're attempting a Dollywood trip next week. This will be both girls' first go at a theme park. God be with us. You can see everyone else's Quick Takes at Jen's blog.

Definitely a dog

2009-05-28T20:59:00.004-04:00

This little post is about my two girls' first experience with kittens, as in just a few weeks old, still teeny-tiny kittens. We went to visit a friend of mine whose cat had had five kittens. They were finally old enough to be petted and such, but still really small. Maddy of course was all gung ho and picked one up immediately. I was a bit distracted with Katie and all the kittens running around, but I thought I saw her unceremoniously drop it onto the floor. Since I wasn't 100% sure, I didn't say anything, just watched her more closely. Sure enough, she picked up another one, and suddenly tossed it onto the floor. I realized that since these kittens were so young, their claws were doing that little pokey thing when you picked them up. Maddy would pick one up, get poked by their claws and throw it down. I took her to the side and explained the new "only holding kittens while seated and no tossing them" rules. Meanwhile my friend's daughters looked vastly relieved when they heard me say that we couldn't EVER have a cat since my husband is allergic. I'm sure they would have lost sleep if we'd taken one of their kittens home. Heck, I would have lost sleep, too.

Katie, on the other hand, was very gentle with the kittens and would mostly bend over and squeal at them as they played, earning her suprised little kitten expressions that probably meant, "Why are you screaming at me? What did I ever do to you?". She would occasionally touch one, but usually with only one finger. She could definitely do the cat thing. Alas, with Maddy's tendencies toward wild enthusiasm and playing rough, we will have to eventually get a dog. A very sturdy dog.

Encourage me!

2009-05-18T12:39:00.003-04:00

I think the girls and I need more structure. I've always been good about mealtimes being fairly regular and bedtimes being strict, but in between it's always been kind of a free for all. I think that's one reason I don't get as much done as I should. So, today after I fed them breakfast, instead of getting sucked into blogs, I actually stole that moment's peace and read my Bible a little. (I think even that was interrupted by a fight between the girls, but at least I got some Proverbs in.) And then, hold your breath....this is kind of miraculous....we went for a walk! It has finally occurred to me that the easiest way for me to exercise will probably be WITH my children. (I tried the other day to grab 30 minutes of treadmill in the basement during Katie's nap, but it's unnerving to know that Maddy is up here skipping through the empty house even though it's kid-proofed. Yes, I told her to stay in her room and threatened her soundly. It didn't work. Plus, she had to go potty, etc. It's always something.) Anyway, Katie enjoyed kicking back in the stroller, and Maddy walked. She's finally old enough to obey and not get herself flattened in the middle of the road and the exercise was good for both of us. So here's to more structure in our day! Today was a good start. I'm hoping to continue until we get into a new routine. If I can get in daily Bible reading AND exercise, I'll be a whole different person.

And Katie, too!!!

2009-05-12T20:25:00.004-04:00

Lest you think it's "all Maddy, all the time", here is a little update on Katie-isms.

Katie has started singing the theme song to Elmo's World, except she sings "la, la, la, la ...... ELMO!". It's really cute.

Katie is also starting to sport some terrible two's attitude here lately. One of her new things is throwing herself in the floor and rolling around to express her displeasure. If she were actually screaming, I would have to stop it and punish her; but as it is, she just sort of flings herself onto her stomach and rolls around while giving me this challenging look as if to say, "There, mom, what are you going to do about that?". I usually end up laughing because she just looks silly.

I'm thinking of seeing if I can sell Katie's scream to some sci-fi special effects guy to use for some kind of alien. You know, the kind that usually emerge all icky from some poor unsuspecting persons stomach and emit strange hideous shrieks. When she's really ticked off or hurt, it's amazing the sounds that can come out of her. Luckily, she usually saves them for home-use only, so most people are unaware that my sweet girl can sound so other worldly.

The girl loves black olives. Great, big, black olives. I can just cut 'em up and throw 'em on the high chair tray and she will scarf them down. Just like her mama.

Kate shares with Maddy. Yes, they fight the normal amount, but nine times out of ten if you give her two crackers, she'll take one to her sissy. I like that.

Four year appointment

2009-05-07T13:43:00.005-04:00

Maddy had her four year check up today. We didn't see our usual doctor, a very sweet man with a calm, quiet demeanor. We saw a doctor that we had only seen briefly during her babyhood, a gregarious, Scooby Doo-tie wearing doctor. It was kind of funny because Maddy's naturally boisterous ways seem to elicit an "Oh my!" reaction from our usual doc, but since today's doctor and Maddy were like peas in the same outgoing pod, he actually said he was "thrilled with her social and developmental progress". Ha! It's funny to me how some people think she's a bit much and others revel in her craziness. She weighed 43 pounds, putting her at about 95th percentile for weight , and was 40 1/4 inches tall, putting her around 75th percentile for height. Quiet doc told me last time to keep an eye on her BMI, gregarious doc told me this time that she obviously wasn't fat, just solid. Isn't perception a funny thing? I kind of agree with both of them because I know she has a deep and enduring love for all things salty and crunchy ( ie. fries, chips, popcorn, etc.) but I also know that she has been on the upper end of the scale since she was about six months old. So I will try to be a better mother and cut back on some of the salty, greasy goodness, and, if this monsoon comes to an end, give her more outside playtime so that she can chase butterflies and run herself ragged in the backyard.

Oh, the drama...

2009-04-28T14:20:00.003-04:00

Dear Maddy, who will be four next month, has more drama in her pinky finger than I have in my whole, still need to lose pregnancy weight and wasn't skinny to begin with, body. We had a lovely outing at the park today with our playgroup from church. It was a great park with lots of slides, swings, and a good sidewalk for scooter-riding. We brought Maddy's scooter along since I knew that two of her friends were bringing theirs and wanted to avoid being the heartless, forgetful Mommy that doesn't remember all things that bring her joy. Anyway, we had been there only a few minutes when she fell and scraped her knee grandly. Blood and all. However, she was too intent upon scootering and such, so she ran off before I could even produce a wipey and survey the damage. We continued to have a good playdate and came home. She went to her room for "quiet time", which is just time in her room during her sister's nap during which she is expected to amuse herself and give me a modicum of peace. After being in her room about five minutes, she emerged hysterical, condemning me for not snuggling her after she had been hurt "real bad". After examining her knee, she decided that she was horridly injured, needed a bandaid, and may even have to go to the hospital. Oh, the tears and drama and snot that ensued! She is now ensconced in her bed with a snack of blueberries, grapes and crunchy carrots within reach since she may never walk again. Bless her dear little overly dramatic heart. God help me to help her. I have a feeling the teen years are going to be epic.

And she sleeps...

2009-04-09T14:16:00.003-04:00

I am very pleased to report that my EIGHTEEN MONTH OLD finally sleeps. She has been sleeping good, UNINTERRUPTED, 12-13 hour nights now for a little over a week. She has dropped that weird 5-6am bottle that helped her not wake up as a grumpy little troll all by herself. That makes us both bottle-free and sleeping like real people for the first time in her life. I just wanted you all to know that. It only took a year of her crying it out, getting back on track, getting screwed up everytime she got sick or the time changed, getting back on track, randomly waking up at 2am to cry, etc. Something has finally clicked and she has realized that nighttime is for sleeping and that 5am snack is unneccessary. It really does make me wonder if she needed that snack though, since it's taken her so long to sleep this well. Anyway, I'm sure some expert would say that "no, she's just been in a bad habit and it's all your fault." Whatever. We're on track now. Now I have to be a productive human being because I'm getting the sleep that I have been SO desperately craving ever since I was pregnant with darling, dear Katie.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol 10)

2009-03-27T14:34:00.004-04:00

Oh, where to begin....

1. Katie is the queen of kisses. At eighteen months old, she kisses everyone and everything. It's really too cute. I think it's because she has the urge to bite a lot, and then changes her mind because she knows that the kisses are more acceptable behavior. I do believe the sweetest ones she gives me, though, are the ones I get when I'm trimming her toenails. Yes, dear readers, trimming her toenails. I have her sitting on my lap facing forward and I'm leaning over her shoulder snipping away at the teeny nails, and she turns her head and plants a big one right on my cheek. I love it.

2. Maddy has outgrown her last pair of jeans this week. I find this frustrating because I really hoped that pair would get her to shorts weather. They fit fine the other day, and then today she sat down and they popped unsnapped. Darn. I picked her up a pair at Walmart in the size she wears most everywhere else and they're too big. Double darn.

3. On a lighter note, I bought a mop. When I was picking it out, Maddy asked me what it was. (A sure sign that I don't clean nearly enough.)

4. Billy, my dear husband, could use some prayer. His psoriasis has flared and he is very uncomfortable right now. (By the way, I just learned the other day on another blog that the "DH" I'm seeing in all these women's blogs stands for dear husband. I knew they were referring to their husband, but I had no idea that's what it meant. I think it's a little much. They're not dear all the time.)

5. I actually sat down and had some Bible time with Maddy the other day. This was big for us, because honestly, I'm horrible at just making the time to read it myself. I sat down to read a bit, then she came along and started interrupting and asking questions. I started to get irritated and then realized, well instead of just reading, I guess I could act upon what it said. So she flipped and randomly asked me what things said and we went through a couple of Psalms. If I said "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord", she'd go "Woo HOO!". She acted out a few verses and we had fun together.

6. Katie wakes up grumpy from her nap almost EVERY DAY. By this I mean, about once every two weeks or so, she'll take a good long nap and wake up happy. The rest of the time, she wakes up crying and an emotionally fragile wreck. We usually grab a snack and put something on TV that brings her joy and I hold and coddle and pet until she can get a grip on herself. This usually takes at least 30 minutes.

7. All of you out there with kids who have normal poopy habits, thank your God right now. It's something so easy to take for granted, but we're going into year four of Maddy's issues and while she goes regularly now, we still run into her trying to hold it, etc. (Of course, it's really hard to hold it when you're on 3 teaspoons of Miralax a DAY. Therefore I have to wash out panties quite regularly. I refuse to put her back in pull-ups because then, she thinks it's all good and not a problem to have little accidents on the way to the potty.)

Feel free to check out the everyone else's quick takes over at http://conversiondiary.com.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 9)

2009-03-20T11:30:00.001-04:00

1. We saw the Parthenon when we visited Nashville. I have to say, that big ol' Athena was pretty impressive. I've been a mythology nut since I was about ten, so seeing her was pretty cool. I was a little bothered by her face, though. It didn't go so well with her body. What do you think?

2. Maddy is in the "knock knock joke" phase. Need I say more?

3. I have learned to make homemade mac and cheese (as in no box and no orange cheesey powder). I wish I hadn't. I don't make it often but when I do, I eat ginormous amounts of it. The sauce is about a million times better than the boxed stuff and I just lap it up.

4. Katie has reached the point where she thinks she's speaking understandable English, but those of us who live with her beg to differ. So I end up with her in the high chair pointing randomly around the kitchen screaming something that sounds like "oooooo" and getting more frustrated by the minute that I don't understand. This happened today and when I got her out of the high chair, I discovered a heinous, large pOOp that was burning her bottom up. In my defense, when I asked her to say poop, it sounded nothing like what she had been saying in her high chair.

5. I am going to read a Joshilyn Jackson book. I have a link to her blog on my blog and I think she is hilarious. It's not often that I read something and laugh out loud, but she makes me. My favorite quote from her post yesterday is, in reference to her cat, "Boggart is hell’s twinkie and he has DEMONS where the cream filling should go." Is that not funny?

6. Have I mentioned that I tend to avoid Christian fiction? I have trouble reading any book that isn't written well. I have read Christian fiction that is well-written, but not very often. I have to say that Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is a good one. And, of course, anything C.S. Lewis has ever done is great, including his science fiction.

7. My oldest has a lot of OCD tendencies. One of her most recent adventures in anal retentiveness involved her stuffed animals. She has quite a lot of stuffed animals, large and small. She has two plastic bins in her closet, one for the large ones and one for the small. After telling her repeatedly the other night to straighten up her room, I walked into her closet and just tossed them into whichever bin they happened to land in. Right before bed, she noticed this and lost it....to the point that I realized she wouldn't even be able to sleep with them in the wrong places. So after threatening to make her go to bed without redoing them, I let her put it to rights while I put her sister down. She finally climbed into bed and I noticed a couple of small stuffed animals that had not been put away, I grabbed them and tossed them into her closet. She proceeded to want to get out of bed to check and make sure that I put them in the right place. I assured her that I had and then looked her in the eye and said, "Mommy does not LIE. If I told you I put it in the right place, I did." She has trust issues, too.

Keep on keepin' on

2009-02-18T21:10:00.005-05:00

So we saw a hepatologist in Nashville at Vanderbilt just to get a relationship started with them since when my husband needs a transplant, that's the place we'll go. He has Hepatitis C and has had it for years. (Pay attention, kiddies, don't ever experiment with drugs.) Billy sees his gastroenterologist here but we just wanted to meet the doctor in Nashville and get them on board with monitoring him. It went well. We're looking at a transplant in ten years or so, depending on the progression of the virus. The doctor in Nashville basically just said live as healthfully as possible, lose a few pounds, exercise regularly and make some dietary changes. Our goal is to get him off his prescription meds for blood pressure and diabetes, and it's totally doable if he starts a good exercise program. Also, of course, no alcohol, tobacco, etc. Anything you put into your body that God didn't make is processed through your liver so the fewer drugs you take, the less stress you put on your liver. All in all, we praise God that things went well. Everytime he has an appointment and they go over all the symptoms he could have and the only thing that is bothering him is fatigue, I'm so grateful. He could be facing jaundice, fluid retention, chills, fever, and fuzzy thinking, just to name a few. We can work around fatigue. Anyway, there's my update. Thanks for the prayers! It was an encouraging trip. To quote the doctor, he said to my husband, "You still have some tread left on you." And that's good enough for me.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 8)

2009-02-13T11:35:00.000-05:00

1. I started a teeny cross stitch project last night. It will have my wedding date and my husband's and my name on it with a wreath of flowers. I thought it would make my husband happy when I finished it because I am SO not crafty. So far it says," they lived happily". I'd have to say it's pretty accurate.

2. My mom bought Maddy, my three year old, a pretty little jewelry box yesterday at Target, the kind that's heart-shaped and has the little ballerina that spins when you open it. I wondered what Maddy would keep in it. Her potty prize button collection? Her Hello Kitty little girl jewelry? Or two rocks? I bet you can guess which one she chose.

3. Maddy slept in today. My husband was already in the bathroom getting ready for work when Maddy busted into our bedroom. She usually climbs into bed for a snuggle and a little PBS before we start our day, but today she chose to fling open the bathroom door on a very naked, very startled Daddy. He screamed like a little girl. I love it when this happens.

4. Is anyone else horrified by those Kidzbop CD commercials? They play on Nickelodeon and show tweens singing current hits. For example, three 9-10 year old girls singing and dancing to "When I Grow Up" by the Pussycat Dolls. Inappropriate anyone? And I wonder what they do about the line in that song that says "I want to have boobies"? We're sticking with Choo Choo Soul, thank you very much.

5. I love facebook. There, I said it. I read on so many blogs how much people hate facebook, but it has actually helped me be closer to the people in my life. Especially my church family. So many people you know at church, you may not know well enough to call regularly (and who has time?) but on facebook I can get all the little updates and know if someone needs prayer, has a sick kid, etc. Then when I DO see them in person, I'm better informed. I think it's great.

6. I shaved my legs last night. I don't mean, took a quick shower and ran a razor haphazardly over them. I took a real bath, exfoliated the heck out of them with a scrub meant for feet, and really did a good job. I even lotioned after. (And it had nothing to do with s*x. I just needed a little pampering. I think it had been two weeks since I'd shaved. I know, ew.)

7. We go to Nashville next week to get my husband in the system at Vanderbilt so that when the time comes for a liver transplant, he already has a file started. We're not apprehensive about this trip, but prayer over his liver in general would be nice. His last report from the doctor said we'd probably be looking at a transplant in about 10 years. Mommy that I am, I'm doing the math in my head thinking, "Okay, a thirteen year old and an eleven year old. I hope I'll be able to help him and my kids through this when/if it happens." And of course, since I lost my father at a young age, I'm praying that God will let us keep him at least until they're grown.

Maddy's version

2009-02-11T22:17:00.002-05:00

So tonight on the way home from church, Maddy tells me she knows "Goldilocks and the Three Bears". I asked her to tell it to me. This is how it went.

"Once upon a time, there were three bears and a little girl named Goldilocks. The end."

Then she said she also knew "Little Red Riding Hood". This one is even better.

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Little Red Riding Hood and a wolf came and blowed her down. The end." (It took me a while to understand the word blowed. She still pronounces her l's as w's.)

I love this kid.

Loser

2009-02-10T14:51:00.002-05:00

So, I've discovered that I'm a much better blog-reader than blog-writer, but does anybody really care? I don't think the blog police are going to come get me. I just wish I was better at throwing random things about the kids on here because I'm going to forget all their crazy little ways. For example, the other night at 3am Katie asked me for Benadryl. Yes, the child that can't talk let me know exactly what she wanted. She was pinching her nose, which usually just means that she needs it cleaned, and pointing at her room door over and over. Finally I said, "Do you want medicine?" and she did this little maniac giggle that always means yes. So since we've had colds pretty much non-stop this winter, who am I to question the kid that knows better than anyone else what's going on in her little sinuses? I gave her a hit of Benadryl and she went right back down. No more drama. And Maddy, where do I even begin? She went to a princess birthday party over the weekend and came home with a "princess" voice. I can't even describe it. She speaks much more properly and ends everything with this lilt in her voice. (Let me add that she has seen NO princess movies. She can't handle anything intense.) And she also starting referring to me as "Princess Mommy". At least she's not elitist. She even called her daddy "Princess Daddy", my mama "Princess Nanny" and Katie was "Princess Katie". I like that she didn't take it all to mean that SHE was somehow more special than everyone else. Equal opportunity royalty, gotta love that.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol 7)

2009-01-16T13:58:00.004-05:00

1. I memorized the Jabberwocky in its entirety in eighth grade just for fun. It's still in my head, with all its brillig and slithey, and manxome. I thought it might come in handy some day. So far, not so much.

2. I have been eating hot Grape Nuts cereal lately. For those of you who do not know, Grape Nuts are kind of like gravel when eaten cold. I actually laughed out loud at my husband who asked if they tasted grapey at all. Why in the world they're called that, I'll never know. But for those of you who would like to give it a try, here's the recipe for hot grape nuts: 1/2 cup Grape Nuts cereal, 1/3 to 1/2 cup of milk (depending on how juicy you want them), and a squirt of honey (again a purely personal preference). The directions I read online said you could microwave them for 30-60 seconds depending on the texture you prefer. I go sixty. It softens them up enough, but still leaves the center al dente. YUM-O! (I've been watching Food Network, can you tell? That was a little Giada, a little Rachel.)

3. My mother in law cleaned my kitchen when I took Maddy to see "Elmo Live" this week. She came over supposedly to visit with Billy and Katie and I came home to find her PULLING MY REFRIGERATOR OUT to clean behind it. She then proceeded to clean my kitchen floor with a bowl of soapy water and a rag. On her hands and knees. Besides the obvious amount of clean she left behind, I also could tell she had been there from the zip lock bags left to dry on my dish rack. Not really a habit of mine, washing used zip lock bags. I have mixed emotions on all of this. They run the gamut from grateful (who wouldn't be?) and shame. I think I will just stick with grateful. This is how she shows love. I would rather sit and chat over some sweet tea, hear what's been on your heart and mind; she would rather work her butt off to show you that she cares. Either way, it's done out of love.

4. Maddy, my three year old, is on Miralax and has been from an early age. Prayers would be appreciated. We've had a rough couple of weeks in that department.

5. I get ridiculously excited when I see OPI nail polish on sale. Seriously, though, I've had a couple of bottles since before my Maddy was born and they still work fabulously. They have yet to get all gloppy and separated. So while it's a little pricey, it's so worth it. And their colors are gorgeous!

6. I'm actually making a list of books I want to read this year. I'm the worst to see a book recommeneded by someone, think it looks like a great read and then forgetting all about it. So I'm trying to keep a notebook by me when I'm checking out blogs so that I can write down anything that looks interesting.

7. Maddy has decided she likes to clean her room. It is kind of wonderful and weird all at the same time. It's great to have her actually pick up after herself on occasion but after she picks her room up, she gets all crazy OCD and won't let her little sister touch anything for fear that Katie will wreck the now clean room. No happy mediums with this girl!

Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 6)

2009-01-09T10:24:00.002-05:00

1. My 15 month old is obsessed with hygiene. You can't even say the b-word (bath) without her running to the bathroom and attempting to pull her own clothes off. It goes further, though. She also wants me to clean her ears and will sit very still and let me. The same goes for her nose. If she has something bothering her in her nose, she will point to it and let me know something needs to be done. She has also become obsessed with getting her teeth brushed. Now at every diaper change, she will yell at me until I get her toothbrush and put some of the fluoride-free baby teeth cleaner stuff on it. I try to get away with just the toothbrush, but she doesn't ever go for that. I always lotion her up after bath and she will sit there on her cute, naked tushy and scratch at her lower back so that I know exactly where she needs the lotion. Bossy? Katie? Never!

2. My resolution is taking better care of myself and all that stuff that falls under that category. You know, healthier eating (which has to translate into weight loss, because I mostly eat crap), exercise, more sleep, even little stuff like shaving my legs more often and doing my nails. You have a baby and all of a sudden, they're the only ones who really looked groomed. I'd like to look like somebody who really loves me is taking care of me, too.

3. I am de-cluttering. We have stuff that we have not unpacked since we moved to this house almost two years ago. Obviously those things are entirely unnecessary to our existence. I intend to go to the basement and make a garage sale/Goodwill pile. (Who am I kidding? I always do Goodwill because I dislike the early morning effort a garage sale entails.)

4. I have figured out the huge appeal of Elmo for toddlers. They can say it! How many one year olds can say "Barney" or "Diego"? But they can all get something out that sounds like "MO" for that little red monster! Mine has gone Elmo crazy. It's the only thing on TV that she will sit down and watch with rapt attention. She has gotten a little too smart about it, too. She will bring me the remote and say "Elmo!" I can't remember my first being quite so tech savvy. Of course, she had no competition, so she didn't have to make her requests so forcefully known.

5. Speaking of what's on TV, we got Maddy, my three year old, a Choo Choo Soul dvd and cd for Christmas. We all love it and the music is so rockin' that my Maddy always dances around like a crazy fool every time.

6. My husband is bubble retarded. I mean, when it comes to blowing bubbles, for some reason, he's really bad at it. And it's not the fault of the bubble liquid because I can use the same stuff and get a bunch.

7. Maddy, my three year old, got a vanity table with a mirror for Christmas. After staring at herself for an unspecified amount of time, she came into the living room and announced that she had lost a tooth. Poor baby, we had to explain to her that she just has such a big gap between her front teeth that it looks like she's lost a tooth. (I actually had an eleven year old boy at church ask me if she'd lost a tooth already.) I think it's cute on her. She's got enough character to pull something like that off.

Check out the other quick takes at http://conversiondiary.com/.

Resolutions

2008-12-31T22:09:00.007-05:00

Okay, blogosphere, I want to hear your plans for the new year. I plan to eat more healthfully, trade Katie in for a baby that sleeps, and put Maddy on Prozac. Just kidding about the last two, although I have wondered aloud if it's too late to take Katie back. She's been a mess after being sick for a whole MONTH. (Two back to back colds and a stomach virus.) Last night was officially "let her cry and get back on track" night, which basically means if she pops up too early, I just ignore the noise. I'm fine if she wants a bottle around five or six am since she tends to need an extra long night to be a happy baby (I'm talking a 13 to 14 hour night), but if she is not ill or having a bad dream I refuse to get up at midnight, 3am, etc. She's fifteen months old, people. This is ridiculous. Last night it was her 3am wake-up call. It lasted until almost 5am. She is quite tenacious, I'll say that for her. And being her mother, I could tell it started with an "excuse me, I'm awake, service please" grumble that escalated into flat-out ticked off screaming because no one was at her beck and call the way I was for the last month because of illness. Once she stopped trying to wake the neighbors, she slept, popped up for that early bottle at 6:30 then back down until around 9. And woke up so sweet and happy that you never would have known that she and the shrieking devil from 3am were the same child. (Speaking of devil, she texted my brother "666" while she was playing with my phone once. It totally freaked him out. I, however, was not so surprised.) Anyway, let me know what your plan for 2009 is and I'll be filling in more details on mine when I am a bit more well rested. I leave you with this picture. This is my hope and prayer for my baby and myself tonight.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 5)

2008-12-12T13:31:00.005-05:00

1. My mother doesn't trust the internet. I don't mean she doesn't fall for the "You've won the lottery in France" emails. I mean we found an awesome deal at Amazon.com on something she'd already bought and she refused to return the gift bought in a store and order from Amazon. To the tune of saving around $35. She just can't believe that it's the exact same product and it's that much cheaper.

2. You remember how I posted that my children don't ever do real sign language? Well, I tried and tried to teach the baby the sign for "more" because when she's in the high chair and wants something else to eat she tends to point and scream at me like I'm deaf. I tried this for literally weeks and then gave up. I haven't even attempted to show her that sign again in forever. Lately, she's been trying to say lots of words, even trying to say "more" when I prompt her. My mother visited today and I asked Katie to say "more" to show off her blossoming speech skills and she SIGNED it. And consistently signed and tried to say it the rest of Mama's visit. That little rat.

3. My three year old told me yesterday that she didn't like me. I'm obviously doing my job as a mother. She also apologized at bedtime and said, "I'm sorry I said I didn't like you, Mommy. Sometimes little girls don't like their mommies." Wow. I didn't think she'd make that discovery until at least the preteen years.

4. My one year old has ANOTHER cold. She hadn't even had any totally snot-free days since her last cold that came right before Thanksgiving. I think maybe God giggled when He made her and threw in a couple of slug genes just for fun. She is the single-most mucous producing child I have ever seen. Not the constant clear drippage of an allergic child, but you let her get a cold and her body's only defense seems to be as much snot as her little nose can crank out. Not even a nice little fever to help fight it off, just snot, snot, and more snot.

5. I kind of wish we could get cat. I know the girls would love something furry in the house to love on. I'm not quite ready for a dog, but cats are low maintenance enough that I think I could handle one of those. On the down side, my husband would probably have to move out or his eyes would be permanently swollen shut, hideously bloodshot (stuck with a hot poker bloodshot), and he would start having trouble breathing. When you weigh it all out, it's just not quite worth it.

6. I so need to wrap presents. No, not one is actually wrapped. And no, they're not even all bought.

7. Would it be bad if I toted up all the little people in my house (little people toys, not actual midgets) and just hid them in the basement and brought them all out on my baby's second birthday as part of her gifts? My oldest is pretty much done with them, and the little one isn't really into them yet and I'm so tired of organizing them into their little sets. Okay I rarely do it, but it's such an exercise in futility that I'd like to not even see them for a few months.

See the other quick takes at http://conversiondiary.com/.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 4)

2008-12-05T13:42:00.005-05:00

And away we go!
1. I drank whiskey last night. I'm not a complete teetotaler. I will have a drink once a year or so, but last night was purely for medicinal reasons. I have bronchitis and a friend of my mother's sent me some whiskey to try and quiet my cough. It was somewhat effective, but I couldn't help but wonder, when I got that slightly loopy feeling, what's the lure of this stuff? Why do some people like to go out and drink and get all crazy? I didn't even get the giggles. I always just feel like I need a nap. I would so not be fun drunk. I actually had someone tell me once that since I tend to be fairly happy sober, I would probably be a lousy drunk. I agree.

2. My house is dirty. Let me clarify: dirty-er than usual. I have had bronchitis for a week, both the kids have had colds, and the oldest has had some sort of weird potty training regression that almost made me lose my mind. If my energy levels ever return to normal, I have got some serious cleaning to do just to get us back up to plain old dirty, instead of almost unliveable conditions.

3. You know the buttons that come with clothes so that you have a spare button should you lose one? I have carelessly tossed these buttons, still in their tiny ziplock bags, in the top drawer in Maddy's room since her birth. She recently discovered them, has started calling them her "treasure" and will honestly have a stroke if I dare to mess with them or deny her access to them for any reason. I mean literally a jumping up and down, freaking out, fit. She has already had a time out in her bed today purely because of the fit she threw when she thought I was going to take them away.

4. My one year old licked the glass door at a McDonalds play area tonight. Ew. I could only see her from behind while she was watching her Nanny purchase a SECOND happy meal because they dared to give my three year old a boy toy instead of a purple pony unicorn. I should have had the baby lick a petri dish after just to see what would culture out.

5. Poor Britney. That's one screwed up girl. That's all I've got to say about that.

6. My pastor's wife posted on Facebook for everyone to fill her in on their favorite song. The ONLY song that jumped into my head was "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix a Lot. I shuffled through a few Christian songs in my head and then decided I was just trying to think of a way to suck up. Honestly, "Baby Got Back"? I haven't even heard that song in forever. But I really do love it.

7. My husband has finally succumbed to the billions of germs floating around in our house. Pray for me.
Sorry, almost forgot to add the link. Here's everyone else's quick takes: http://conversiondiary.com.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 3)

2008-11-29T20:28:00.008-05:00

Wow. I can't believe this is already my third quick take. Time is flying by me this month.

1. I think time is flying by so fast because of all the holiday food and sickness in my house. This week we have had two Thanksgiving feasts, three colds, and two stomach viruses. (Mild tummy troubles, thank God.)

2. I had the best wedding cake of my life while I was pregnant with Maddy. I craved a lot of sweets with her and had the joy of attending Lindsay Bowie's wedding reception. I didn't know the bride at all so I wasn't very emotionally invested. As a result, I was LOVIN' the food at the reception. When it became cake time, I was so excited. My husband even let me have his cake so everyone wouldn't have to see the HUGELY pregnant woman go through the cake line twice. And, may I just say, that was the best cake I've ever had in my life. I understand that part of it was those crazy pregnancy hormones that make you crave stuff. But since that night, I have yet to put anything in my mouth that tastes so good and is so satisfying, all at the same time. The cravings and the hormones and the cake all came together for a strange kismet that I know will never again be recreated. And that makes me a little sad.

3. My three year old has strong tendencies toward hysteria. I have spent most of her life talking her down from emotional ledges. So a couple of weeks ago, when she was picked up from her Sunday school class in hysterics, I didn't get overly concerned. If you didn't know her well, you would assume she had been beaten or otherwise traumatized; but, knowing her as I do, I figured something set her off and she just hopped on the crazy train for a long ride. We finally got out of her that she had been put in time out and she didn't know why. Well, I figured that someone just told her to get in her seat and she interpretted that as time out. We did a little investigating and that was exactly what happened. Well, the following Sunday she tells me the same thing. So I facebooked her teacher and told her that if Maddy really got put in time out to let me know, otherwise I would just assume that she was told to get in her seat again. She facebooked me back to let me know that Maddy really did get put in time out that time. Sheesh. In Maddy's words, "Teacher just put me in time out, she didn't give me a smackin'." (She calls spankings "smackin's". It makes it sound much more brutal that the one swat she gets on her bottom for disobedience.) Three year olds can be so stinkin' crazy.

4. My one year old is allergic to air. She was born with a heinous milk allergy and was just super sensitive to everything. Thankfully, she has outgrown the milk allergy, but her current list of allergies includes avocado (Seriously, who is allergic to avocadoes? The chick at the pediatrician hadn't ever heard of a reaction to it at all. She was very interested to know what an allergic reaction to avocado looked like.), eggs (only if she eats a whole one, she can handle a few bites), and something in spaghetti sauce. I'm thinking maybe garlic? She also broke out when I made Chicken Helper fried rice. So garlic is the only thing I can think that those two things might have in common. I've gotten to the point where if we go somewhere out of the way, where someone else has cooked, I just keep the Benadryl in the diaper bag and look for the hives to start.

5. Two words that strike fear and dread into the utmost depths of my being: Christmas shopping. I've barely even begun.

6. We had this awesome writing spider that lived on our porch at the end of summer and on into fall. The girls and I would visit it every day and get excited if we got to see it sucking the life out of something. I kept thinking with the first frost it would shrivel up and die but it hung out with us until just a little before Thanksgiving. Just before Halloween it moved it's web from just outside the porch spindles to right beside the front door. My mom was so freaked by a spider that big by the front door, but it totally stayed in it's web. It was a gorgeous black and yellow spider. I miss it.

7. Ugh. I'm coughing. I have cold #2 of the week.

If you'd like to check out the others, visit Jen's blog at http://conversiondiary.com/.

Pinkapalooza!

2008-11-26T21:09:00.003-05:00

Okay, I have two girls. I am okay with femininity in them and in me. Seriously. They wear dresses, bows in their hair, Maddy's first room was even painted pink. I am okay with pink. So I was at Toys R Us last night and for some reason all the pink toys enraged me. Not the stuff that is SUPPOSED to be pink. Dolls, and barbies, and things of that nature were fine. But have you noticed that now there has to be a pink version of everything? Your classic shape sorters are now available in bright basic colors and shades of pink. Snap beads, ball poppers, lego blocks even! All in pinks and purples. Even a freakin' pink Ouja board. Like you need just the right shade of pink so you feel all girly while you open your doorway into the demon realm. I'm not sure why it ran all over me so much. I guess because there's just no good reason for it. No research says pink is the best color for stimulating your baby. Everyone knows that bright colors and lots of contrast are best for baby. All this pink has nothing to do with the child it is intended for. That's what gets me. Because I know, out there somewhere, is some chick in a pink Mary Kay car, with a little dog wearing a pink collar in a pink pet carrier who will reproduce and her poor child will be subjected to a Pepto Bismal colored LIFE.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol.2)

2008-11-21T10:00:00.001-05:00

And we're back to Seven Quick Takes on Friday. Here's the blog that started all this quick takes fun: http://conversiondiary.com. You can go there and link to bunches of quick takes from different bloggers. I've been a bit foggy, but my brain feels back on track today. (Could it be because my thirteen month old has, for the first time in her life, slept all night long with no random crying? For three nights in a row!) So here we go:

1. I now feel like a real blogger. Three people that I don't know in real life have read and commented on my blog. Why this gives me great joy, I'm not sure. And one of those people was Jen of Conversion Diary, which is a blog I love. I think I was more excited about her actually reading and commenting that I would have been to meet (insert celebrity here). I think it's because she's someone whom I respect and who writes well. Let's face it, you may have a fabulous message, but if I don't enjoy your writing style or can't get past your grammar, I'm just not going to be able to be a fan.

2. Do you ever read people's blogs and wish you were their friend in real life and then realize that you probably wouldn't be their friend in real life because they just don't walk up to total strangers and recite blog posts? For example, if I met you in the grocery store, I would not launch into a diatribe about my baby's poop. That would be just weird.

3. My kids have been a joy to be around today. I may have to mark it on the calendar. The pleasant self that they usually save for the general public has been bestowed on me today. I'm not sure why, but I am going to bask in it.

4. My husband and I took our real honeymoon about 4 months after we got married. I think that all newlyweds should do the same. We went to Yellowstone National Park, which entailed huge amounts of driving and encounters with wildlife while driving. After being startled by a mule deer that decided to cross the road at an inopportune moment, my husband decided the best way to continue was in the middle of road. For the rest of the trip. Had this been a few days after the wedding, my reaction probably would have been, in my head at least, "Whatever he thinks is best, after all God chose me for him and him for me. God is in control and I am going to be a good submissive wife." However, after living together for 4 months, the gloves were beginning to come off and my reaction was more like, "What are you DOING? Now we have to worry about both oncoming traffic AND suicidal deer! We're going to die! Get over get over get over!!!!" Not that God was any less in control. I had just had time to realize that my husband was all too human and deathly afraid of mule deer jumping out in front of the car. My point is, the honeymoon can be much more of an opportunity for growth in the relationship if the butterflies and googly eyes have had a chance to settle down. We really did learn a lot about each other on that trip and got better at working things out.

5. Do you think teaching babies sign language is weird? I didn't teach either of my girls any signs, but they both taught me a few. Beyond "poop face" and "Granny scares me", I mean. My oldest made up her own sign for "no". She would make a motion like the "safe" motion in baseball, but only using one arm. My second child pats her leg for "all done" or "all gone". Her Nanny once patted her leg twice as she told this child that someone who had been outside was "all gone". Now she uses it in the high chair when she wants down. Inspired by their use of signs, I tried with each to teach them some real signs, which they both totally ignored.

6. Have you signed a petition again the Freedom of Choice Act yet? I signed one online this week. While I have always been pro-life, I haven't been very active in defending the rights of the unborn. With the recent changes in government, those of us who have only thought about the victims of abortion are going to have to stand up and fight for these babies. It's not enough now to just vote pro-life.

7. I love cheese. I once heard Rachel Ray say she'd never met a cheese she didn't like. I couldn't agree more.

Trusting God

2008-11-20T21:15:00.005-05:00

So lately I've been thinking more about people that trust God with their fertility. A la Catholic style. Perhaps because, thanks to Jen at Conversion Diary, I've been reading Catholic blogs? We Protestants don't really hit on this one much. I think it falls under a little known "none of your beeswax" verse. The only thing is, I've never read that verse. I have my reasons for only two children and they make sense. Out there in the world, even in my church. My husband and I have a decent age difference, he has hepatitis C so we're looking at a liver transplant in the next 10 years or so, my last pregnancy kept me a depressed weepy wreck for 8 1/2 months, etc. I could go on and everyone I know would nod their heads and totally agree with me. The thing is, I know that these people who do trust God with how many kids and when don't have a special certificate from Him stating that they will live long, prosperous lives. None of us have the promise of tomorrow. So I guess it comes down to the fact that my faith is weak. I really don't trust God enough to do that. (Even if I did, my husband would think it's the nuttiest thing I've ever come up with.) So I guess I say all that to say that I greatly admire the faith of people who do allow God to determine the size of their family. I know that there is a special blessing in store for them.

Seven quick takes (Vol. 1)

2008-11-15T19:19:00.000-05:00

So I got this idea from one of my favorite blogs http://conversiondiary.com. (I hope I just did that right.) Anyway, she challenged her readers to do a seven quick takes blog entry on Fridays like she does and link back to her. So since I didn't have a decent entry, with any thought involved, I thought I'd give this a shot.

1. I have realized recently that a friend of mine is officially a Martha. Clean house, totally organized, lives to entertain, even has a blog about it. My questions are: (A) why does she even like me? Is it because she's never seen my house?, (B) How do people live that way? I couldn't take the pressure. My daily To Do list generally goes like this:
Keep the children alive.
Make sure the kitchen is neither on fire, nor growing anything gross.
Put the towels in the dryer before they get stinky.
And that's about it. Oh, and facebook obsessively.

2. I was inspired by this cleaning/organizing blog and while the kids were in the tub threw out some old hair/makeup stuff in the bathroom. Do you realize I still had banana clips? You know the hair clips that automatically gave you a faux mo, kind of like a horses mane down your back. Especially if your hair was rolled, a little teased and SERIOUSLY hairsprayed. Like mine was. These clips had to be 20 years old. No one, not even me thank goodness, has worn those since about 1988.

3. I love my Dyson vacuum cleaner. Some day I will write and post a poem to its awesome suction and genius in design.

4. Today my three year old started an annoying laugh. It sounds like "heh heh heh heh heh" along the lines of Beavis and Butthead, but not so nasal. How do I make this stop? It's driving me crazy. It's a full blown habit and I would feel guilty if I actually punished her for it.

5. I have to pee.

6. I copied this from the awesome blog I linked to, but have you seen the anti-God advertisements that some humanists are putting out? The big catch line is "Just be good for GOODNESS sake." Because the atheists were feeling a bit left out during the holidays. Seriously....these people say there is no absolute truth and then pick the term "good" to use in their catchphrase.

7. I LOVE the Veggie tales song about s'mores. We sing it in the car at the top of our lungs. Even the baby grins when it comes on.

Coffee day

2008-11-07T13:38:00.000-05:00

So I started my day with coffee today. I'll let you guess why: (a) I always start with coffee. I'm that kind of person, (b) The nip of fall in the air gave me a craving, or (c) This cursed time change has ruined my thirteen month old. For those of you that guessed (c), you get the prize. (I'm too tired to come up with a witty prize yet. Give me time.) And I guess tonight we will return to the tried and trusted "cry it out" method for resetting my baby. It's so much easier with the clocks. And quieter. I wish Katie had a button for daylight savings time, too.

On snake handling

2008-10-31T22:30:00.000-04:00

So, I was raised Pentecostal. Speaking in tongues, slain in the spirit, hair down to your butt, if you wear make-up or pierce your ears you're going to hell Pentecostal. Not that I subscribed to the hair, make-up or earrings rules. My mama figured she had jurisdiction over those things and if she thought I was modest, nobody else was going to tell me I wasn't. But we didn't do the snake stuff in church. I've just been kidded about it my whole life. I think that's more of a West Virginia religious activity. My snake handling came about in a totally different way. I knew a guy once who volunteered regularly at Bays Mountain Park. I was immediately interested (in the volunteering at the park, not him). He worked with the birds of prey. So I went up, met a few volunteers and got a gander (so to speak) at the birds. Large birds. Who rip up little furry creatures with their huge curved beaks and razor-sharp talons. BUT I loved this park and the idea of helping there really appealed. Until I filled out the volunteer information sheet and saw,(cue angelic music from heaven) , that reptiles were also a volunteer option. Oh happy day! So I skipped out on the big scary birds and signed up for snakes. Basically I'd show up a couple of times a month and just wear a sweet snake in the herpetarium so that visitors could pet the snake, ask questions, etc. It was wonderful. One of the most fabulous things I have ever done. If I could do that everyday and afford to feed my family, I would. Because, you see, the snake broke down boundaries. Here I was in my little Bays Mtn polo shirt and khakis, and scary looking people, (lots of tattoos, piercings, black clothing, and general attitude) would talk to me. With their guards down. They would not see me as someone from another layer in society. We would share our interest in the sweet snake I happened to be holding or wearing at that moment. It was so nice to be able to do that. I'm pretty friendly in general, but you know how it is. Some people just assume that YOU don't necessarily want to talk to THEM and don't give you the eye contact or opportunity. Not so with the snake in play.

I also got to do school programs for the park one spring. Which was SO fun. I would have a room full of kids on a field trip and get to tell them all about snakes. And after my spiel, would get to watch the wonder of a little kid petting a black king snake and seeing the pretty checkerboard pattern on his tummy for the first time. One of my favorite incidences from my field trip days was when I had opted for a larger snake to hold during my talk. (You can hold any age group spellbound if you're letting a snake roam free over your upper body while you talk.) This was a beautiful chocolate brown pine snake. I think she was only about 3 or 4 feet long, but pretty powerful. I was talking and not paying attention and she looped around my neck. Not attacking in any way, I was just a warm, mobile tree for her. A little girl in the back raised her hand and said, very timidly, "I think she's trying to kill you." So then I had to go into the whole "what I did was bad, don't ever let a snake wrap around your neck" routine.

One last anecdote, I had a tendency to wear my hair twisted up in a clip at the time. While holding the smaller king snake, the little devil slipped up through my hair UNDER the clip and popped his head out the top of my hair. (This is the same snake who got so tangled in my bra once, I had to go to the back and take off my shirt to get him untangled.) Now snake scales lay a certain way. It is very hard to finagle a snake backwards through something like hair that hangs on the scales. So in order to precipitate his removal, I stepped into the bathroom, looking a little like a young Medusa. Some poor, unfortunate woman happened to be relieving herself and missed my entrance. She exited her stall, saw me in front of the mirror pulling a snake out of the top of my head and just hit the door running. She didn't even wash her hands. Not very hygienic, if you ask me. That's all on snakes for now. That was for you, Angela.

I'm a blogger?

2008-10-30T12:55:00.000-04:00

I never thought I'd be doing this. This sort of thing never really appealed to me until I started reading some blogs of people that I don't know well, but really like from a distance. So, here I am. Don't expect much. I have mommy brain and much of my life is composed of poop, major developmental milestones, and CareBears dvds.
Today I have been feeling the irony. The girls and I have had a more quiet week. Not so much running for once. And I have been feeling like such a better mommy. Less TV, lots more veggies on the girls plates, things of that nature that make mommies feel competent. And the irony is: All these wonderful veggies are tearing up Katie's tummy. Maddy has always had the digestion of a goat. Anything could go in, no change in potty habits. Katie on the other hand, now has a red bottom from being set free by the veggies. Poor baby, she loves them so much. And it's not even anything exotic. Just corn, green beans, cauliflower. So I suppose I'll just hope that her system adjusts to a healthier diet and layer on the Desitin. Does anybody really want to read this? Seriously?