Kidbits.

One funny. The other funny - but not so funny. First, the funny. :)

I was rocking Mercedes the other day & Jaguar was looking on admiring her. Suddenly, Mercedes stretched her arms straight out above her head & opened her little hands wide open. Jags, noticing Mercedes' position, smacks her on the palm & yells "high five!" LOL. Cute. :)

And now for the questionable funny -

Conversation today at lunch between me & Audi.

Me: "Audi, would you feed the baby for me so I can go lie down?" (joking of course)

Audi: "I'll feed her! I might have to put her on my lap to give her her milk. And I don't give a crap if she spits up all over me!" LOL! Kinda. :)

That one prompted a brief discussion. :)

Alrighty then. :)

No answers but positive appointment.

I feel like I've been beat with a whip. :)

The ultrasound went great. Mercedes slept through it. I attempted to. :)

Then we went across the street to the Endo's office. We didn't get any answers today, but we did get a positive update. The dr. was able to view the ultrasound & the good news is Mercedes does have a thyroid & it looks normal. They still are unable to tell us if this is a temporary condition or lifelong. Time will tell. Every 2 months we have to go back to the hospital for a check up & bloodwork to monitor her numbers. She definitely will be on medication until at least age 3. Reason being, as I mentioned before, the thyroid is crucial to brain development. At age 3, the brain is developed & it's not as important. They might try to wean her at that time, but it all depends on how the next 3 years go. This year she goes every 2 months. Next year it's every 3 months. Funny...in 7 years we have never been downtown to Cook Children's. Since Mercedes came we are learning the hospital very well. :)

Then we went down another floor for the lab work. This was a horrible experience! The PKU bloodwork is always taken out of the baby's foot. When we went for lab work to test strictly the thyroid, they attempted to get the blood out of her arm (because a greater amount is necessary) but had a very difficult time finding her tiny veins. However, after several attempts & more experienced nurses, they were successful. Today they were not. They hurt my baby today! They couldn't find the veins in either of her arms or wrists, so then another nurse was called. This was after they had already poked my baby & actually did hit a vein, but the blood stopped flowing. The other nurse didn't even attempt it because Mercedes' veins are just too tiny. So, they had no choice but to get the blood out of her foot. Which took forever because it is a drip by drip "flow" & they literally had to consistently squeeze her foot with all their might. It was horrible! The nurse who did it had so much of Mercedes' blood everywhere, I actually had to get in the medical drawer to hand her some supplies. Awful. Hubby knew something was wrong because we were in the back & he was getting nervous. Not to mention trying to control two totally impatient wee ones. :)

Her weight today was 10 lbs something oz. I forgot to write it down. Her weight gain has slowed down a tad. Whew! Her length is 21 inches. She is 50% in both areas so she's still just perfect. :)

The other good news is that they really believe we did catch this in time. If she was, say, 3 months old, & we were just going in for our first visit, then they would probably assume she would have some developmental delays. But because we got her there within 5 weeks, hopefully she'll be right on target & have no delay in milestones. This "congenital hypothyroidism" (I hope I spelled that right...too tired to look) is the only issue where medication can actually & completely prevent mental retardation. The NP said she has seen children born with no thyroid at all, have their elevations in the 900's (Mercedes' is 17.something), yet on this medication they are not delayed one bit. So that is very encouraging news. :)

The lab work will be in next week. Mercedes' number won't be "normal" yet because she has only been on the medication for 2 weeks - but they want to make sure the number is coming down. And even though we pretty much have to stand her on her head (literally) & struggle with her the entire time (this particular medication is extremely chaulky & she hates it), I make darn tootin' sure every bit of the medication hits the tummy. 99% of the time it has so I feel confident there will be a change in the number.

Other than that they said she is thriving in our home (well, of course she is! :) & she looks great. We shall return the end of April. :)

Mercedes' ultrasound tomorrow.

We have to be at the hospital @ 8:30 a.m. for Mercedes' ultrasound. Then we have another appointment with the Endocrinologist after that. Hopefully we'll get answers to both issues -

1.) If her thyroid problem is temporary or lifelong.

2.) If the thyroid medication is working.

I'll post tomorrow afternoon.

I'll say this...our beautiful baby is doing great! :)

2 things.

I lied. It's 4 things. lol :)

1.) According to Bentley, the most important first. He has a "program" Monday evening & is suppose to dress up like a plant. Now call me stupid - but I really have no idea how to accomplish this. The only thing I could think of was spray paint him green. :) We've already discussed how uncreative I am so I'm hoping you girls could & will shed a little light for me & offer some suggestions. Let me add, I don't want to spend money (or barely any money) on this. I don't do green & I'm pretty sure Bentley won't need to be a plant again anytime in the near future. :)

2.) This thought just crossed my mind last night. I'm thinking of making my blog private. I can do this 2 ways - a.) I can password it & you'll have to have my password to view it (which is really easy...you let me know you still want to read my blog & I'll give you the password) or b.) I can change the name. Blogger makes it super easy to change the name & I could do it lickety-split (again, I'd email you the new address but you'd have to promise not to give it to anyone or I'd have to kill ya :) or c.) I could just leave well enough alone.

3.) I am in search of new blogs to read. This is my favorite pasttime now. I am a little picky though & I enjoy blogs that have photos & are updated regularly. Not necessarily daily, but regularly. I like good, interesting topics. I love inspiring blogs (like Tara's). Adoption, children, funny/happy blogs. Any suggestions?

4.) I can't believe I'm going to say this - but I'm thinking of giving digital scrapbooking a shot. My Sunday School teacher has been at me to try this for a few years now. I always say no & wrinkle my nose at her. :) But since it is fast (from what I hear) & can be done via the computer & not 7 hours spread out with junk all around me, I think I'm ready to try. Like one. Baby steps you know. :) Michelle is a pro at digital scrapbooking & her pages are beautiful. Recently I have seen some that are done though & they are awful! They are so overloaded/cluttered with "crap" that you completely lose focus of the beautiful photo. So I have learned one thing already. Simple. There's that word again! :)

Ok, for now I go. Thanks for your help! :)

**Christine, that is brilliant! Thanks! Would you believe me if I told you I currently have 25 silk plant arrangements in my garage awaiting my garage sale? Voila! And of course if my blog goes private you will know about it. I wuv you. :)

**Haha April - all is well. :) No one has ever left a nasty comment on my blog. I'm sure many have thought about it though. lol :) Thanks for the blogs! I can't wait to check them out. :)

**Elizabeth, I accidentally deleted your email. Could you send me your email address again, please?? Sorry. :(

Thank you.

To all of you who comment on my blog, thank you.

Thank you for the time you take to comment, the encouragement, the support, the advice, & for being a friend.

Blogger for some reason doesn't "release" email addresses, so I don't have them. I'd email you back if I did. If you do comment on my blog, please email me your name & email address for future reference. :) ***********@sbcglobal.net

Your comments are very important & very appreciated. :)

7 weeks old today.

Love this photo. This is *her* look. Notice the tongue? Love it!

Here it is again. :)

Notice her fingers are two-toned. The tips are much browner! I love it.

And the famous sloppy, open mouth smile. Priceless. :)

Oops, I see I forgot to crop this one. :)

Gosh. Almost no words. I love my children more than life itself.

Now it's a maybe.

When I picked Bentley up from school today, Miss B was waiting to talk with me. We did, for about 10 minutes, but it never should have happened in front of Bents. She put me on the spot.

She told me everyone else was going to the swim program (she's assuming...all permission forms have not been turned in yet but there is still plenty of time) - I told her this is a life lesson, Bentley will not always be able to do what his friends do. She agreed. I also told her I'm not the other childrens' mom, & she agreed.

She told me it is very safe, to which I informed her accidents happen. And this was a serious risk. She agreed. She said they all wear lifejackets, but again, those are no guarantees. She agreed.

We talked about the length of the permission form - 6 pages - & I told her there was a reason for that. I explained the last field trip permission form was 1/2 page - I told her there was also a reason that one was so short. She agreed.

She told me this swim program is part of the PE TEKS - so I asked her if Bents doesn't go, would he fail. I then informed her that the permission form stated this program is not mandatory. So...would he fail if he doesn't go? She said no, but all the other children will have the training & he won't. Whoopie.

She stated there are lots of lifeguards to which I told her that I was informed there would be 3-4. She said the children are broken into small groups & there are lots of lifeguards. I explained yes, maybe, but accidents still happen. And we are talking about drowning. She agreed.

She also informed me I was more than welcome to come to the program. According to the permission form, I must sit upstairs in the spectator's area. She said no. I was more than welcome to come & sit on the side of the pool.

She stated the children are in the pool for a short amount of time. And then they leave & go to a park. "They go to a park?" I asked? She replied "oh wait, no I don't think we/they do". Hmm.

I asked her what Bents will do if he doesn't go. She said she really had no idea, because all the children have always gone. She assumed he would go to another class, or I should just keep him home. Alrighty then.

I informed her that Bents has had swimming lessons, he has been raised around pools, & that I have been to the Natatorium & I know exactly how deep & large the pool is. She agreed, but said the children are not allowed in the deep end. Ok, but there's a lot of children there & again, accidents happen. I told her about my dr. that had a nanny & 5 older brothers, yet her daughter drowned. She agreed.

We chatted a while longer & it's as if I almost had her thinking "why does the district allow this?" lol. She actually agreed with all the points I tried to stress.

So now, Bentley has heard that everyone will probably go but him. He is 6. And he is extremely sad. And that makes me sooooooooooooo sad. We are in a very difficult situation. Husband's heartstrings are now tugging on him & he said he will take that particular day off & go to the Natatorium & stay for the entire program. I'm fine with that if that's his choice.

What I don't understand is why are we going thru all of this for a swim program? How is swimming & pool rules detrimental to my child's education? Will his future depend on swimming programs? No. Not at all. Swimming has nothing to do with education. And it is my understanding they repeat this same program in 3rd grade. Oh joy. I can't wait.

So as it stands now we have until 3/7 to make a decision. I absolutely despise this district.

Reality check.

Thank you guys for your comments regarding Bentley & the swimming pool field trip. I appreciate all your help & I thank you for confirming that I'm doing what is best. Especially Christa - because she's a public school teacher! Low & behold you won't believe what message was just left on my machine.

"Hello Mrs. B? This is Bentley's PE teacher. I understand you have some questions regarding the swim program on Friday the 7th. I assure you this is a very, very safe program. There are a lot of lifeguards - about 3 or 4 at a time. We have done this program for a couple of years now, so I can assure you it is safe "thing" (yes, she used the word thing). We wouldn't do it if it weren't safe. The kids wear lifejackets, & you can even come & hang out too. So please give me a call so we can discuss this. This is part of the PE TEKS, so the kids are really suppose to go if they can. My number is (she doesn't know the school's number & had to turn around & ask someone...duh)..."

1.) I don't have any questions. I never said I did. I simply sent an email to his teacher informing her that Bentley will not attend because the risk (of losing his life!!) is too high. Period. Done & over with.

2.) A lot of lifeguards? 3 or 4? That's even scarier as there are several classes going! There would be approximately 60 children for 3 or 4 lifeguards??? Now I know I made the right decision!

3.) The kids really need to go? Then why is there a "permission form" to sign? And why does the form state "mandatory attendance is not required".

4.) I can come & hang out? Then why does it state on the "questions & answers" part of all the forms (6 pages for the particular field trip...what does that tell you) sent home regarding this *safe* field trip that parents are allowed to come, but "asked to sit upstairs in the spectator's area". And that I quote from the forms.

5.) All the kids wear lifejackets? Ok, I just reread the waiver & I obviously misread it the first time. It does state that each child is required to wear a lifejacket unless the waiver is signed (I thought they didn't wear lifejackets unless requested). That's great. That's the way it should be. However, what happens when a group of boys start goofing around (come on, these children are 6 years old!) & one of them takes off their lifejacket? Accidents happen. All the time. Daily. Every single second.

6.) My son knows pool safety. Not only has he taken swimming lessons (which is none of their business) but we've had a pool in our frickin' backyard since he was born. Not just this house, but our previous house too (which is none of their business). As far as I'm concerned, pool safety can be taught in the classroom if they feel it's that pertinent.

7.) And the thing that infuriates me the most is that they are probably discussing all this with Bentley- upsetting him even more!! He is fine with it (for now) & they are probably resurfacing his disappointment! Now that makes me angry.

Well, they have ruffled my feathers again. Why can't they leave well enough alone? I've said this a million times - never could I have dreamed public school would be this difficult. Never could I have imagined it would be like this! And my oldest child has only been in school 2 stinkin' years! 1/2 day last year & now all day this year, & the year isn't even over! The money they (school) demand for this/that/the other, the amount of papers/nonsense that are sent home daily (it's unbelievable actually - some days it's more that 4 days mail that I receive & I receive a lot of mail), do this/do that, fundraiser this/fundraiser that (hubby & I recently had to reimburse some people out of our own pocket for fundraisers paid for but not supplied), pizza night for this/go-eat-here for that, school program & costume needed, sign this/sign that, party here/party there, blah, blah, blah. Holy cow! I've said this too, how am I going to do this with four children?

My stars respect me as a parent - if I choose for my child not to attend, so be it! Be so kind to inform me if he will stay at school or if I need to come & pick him up. Simple. Move on with life, do your job & don't even attempt to do mine! Never in my life will I compromise the safety of my child(ren). And I will not change my mind on the swim program trip.

She's beautiful.

My other girl. I love & cherish my girl. She is so adorable & now she's potty trained! We started this task before we knew Mercedes was coming, but we halted when Mercedes arrived home in hopes it wouldn't be too much for Jaguar. One drastic change at a time. :) And now she's so proud to be wearing her cutie panties. So cute! She went up to play today & I told her "Jaguar, now don't you tinkle in your panties"...she looked at me, pointed her finger at me & replied "I won't, I pwomise!" & up she went. Such a big, big girl. :)

When she gets older, she's going to be amazingly beautiful. Not that she isn't already. :)

What salt mom? I haven't seen any salt. (check out the hair...heehee :)

I said no.

Right, wrong or indifferent, I said no.

Bentley has his 2nd field trip next week. Believe it or not, it's to a swimming pool for 5 hours. Supposedly it's about "pool safety"...but...I just can't do it.

Bentley still swims with his life jacket on except here at home. Where I am. Where husband is. Where we are constantly paying attention. He is getting really good at swimming without the jacket, but not good enough yet. Not good enough to be alone with strangers. It only takes such a short amount of time for someone to drown. I know, because my gynocologist lost her daughter she adopted from China to a drowing last year. If it can happen to doctors, it can happen to anyone.

In my heart, I just can't risk it. They are going to the Natatorium & I have been there - the pool is seriously huge & deep. They have swim meets there. Granted there is a shallow end (Bents took swimming lessons there a few years ago) but none the less...I said no.

Accidents happen. And even though I could state on the permission form (which for this particular field trip is 2 pages long - listing doctors, hospitals, etc.) that he must wear a life jacket - to me it's just too big of a risk. He is disappointed & I feel bad for him. Especially if all the kids go. As of today, only 5 children (out of 19) had returned their permission forms. So maybe there are many skeptical parents besides just me.

I could never forgive myself if I let him go & something happened. I'm just trying to follow my heart. I can't live without my Bentley. I don't want to. And I'm not saying something would happen - but it could. Quite honestly, I really can't believe the district would allow such a liability trip.

I hope Bentley forgives me someday. Do you think I made the right decision?

Mercedes' weight gain.

I have another post to do, but I wanted to post this information so I wouldn't forget. :)

Mercedes, as you know, has gained weight quickly. Audi was a fat, chubby baby. So cute & so fat (I prayed for that, by the way :). I pulled his baby check ups to see if he gained as quickly as Mercedes. He did. :)

Audi -

At 2 weeks - 6 lbs. 10 oz. (He was 6.0 when born)
At 2 months (which Mercedes will be in 2 weeks) - Audi weighed 11 lbs. 3 oz.
At 4 months - he jumped to 16 lbs. 4 oz.
Keep in mind too, Audi had very, very severe reflux. Medication did not help him, so basically he put on this weight while barely keeping any formula down.

Mercedes -

At 2 weeks - 7 lbs. 4 oz. (She was 6.6 when born)
At 1 month - 8 lbs. 12 oz.
She is now 6 weeks so she is somewhere around 10 lbs.
Mercedes also has severe reflux, but is on daily medication. This baby now takes medicine 7 times a day!

Also to note is the amount of formula Mercedes is drinking. Typically, babies drink 18-24 oz. from the get go. No, we have not been feeding her 40 oz. of formula a day. :) Because she is sleeping thru the night now, she is getting 5 feedings a day, increased to 5 oz. According to the 2 month check up information, at 2 months babies typically get 24-32 oz. She just now is at 25 oz., so to me, she is getting just the right amount. :)

Ok...I'll do another post tomorrow. Finally - we get to get out tomorrow! We haven't been out of this house in 4 weeks because of illnesses. We are READY to go somewhere, even if it is to Wal-Mart! Yeehaw! My little Audi is thrilled. He said "oh good, I'm weady for some fwesh air." :)

There Missy - now we both should feel better. :) :)

RELIEF!

Oh my gosh you guys, I feel like a ton of bricks has been lifted off my shoulders.

First off, thank you to everyone for praying for our Mercedes, & thank you all for the wonderful, encouraging comments & emails. I can't tell you how much your prayers, comments & emails have meant to me & my family. Sometimes I doubt if there really are any good people left in our world & never again will I doubt that there are not. There are! It is an honor to be associated with you ladies. :)

Mercedes' appointment was early this a.m. & believe it or not we got an amazing doctor! I love, love, love him & that is very unusual for me as I tend to shy away from male doctors. Well honestly, males in general. :)

He started Mercedes on thyroid medication today. Charlene - it's the same medication your son is on. :) In 2 weeks we go back for an ultrasound. At that time, we will know if this condition is temporary or lifelong. Worse case scenario (at this time) is that she will be on medication for the remainder of her life. I'll take it! So many other families are put through so much more & it's heartwrenching. We are blessed that we are only dealing with a thyroid issue.

The other thing that remains unknown is if we "caught" this in time & began treatment in time. The thryroid is very crucial to brain development, but the dr. wasn't overly concerned. Fortunately, Mercedes is on track for a baby her age. At 5 weeks there's not much to be on track with (such as focusing on faces, tracking objects, etc.) but at least for now she is where she should be. He assured us we did everything right & said we probably couldn't have gotten her in any sooner without all the bloodwork that needed to be done prior. That was reassuring.

So now we continue to pray. We adore this little girl & whatever God has in store for her, we are in it for the long run. It doesn't matter what is tossed our way (with any of our children) - God has chosen this path for us & we will walk the walk. Unconditionally.

So again, I thank you all. And now before I get all sappy, I'll sign off & go feed my peanut. :)

**Forgot to mention, that the dr. said Mercedes' weight gain is not related to her thyroid. My little peanut weighed 9 lbs. 12 oz. today! Huh?!?! That is a one pound weight gain since Monday! Four days! Now keep in mind the scales are not the same as our pediatrician's, but come on now! She needs to go on a diet! :) I guess her not having many clothes was a blessing in disguise - I have a funny feeling she wouldn't have worn that smaller size for long. :) And did I tell you she has slept 7 hours at night for 2 nights in a row now? What a doll. :)

Her results are in - update.

Well, the pediatrician phoned while ago with Mercedes' results. Her thyroid level is still elevated. Evidently there are two numbers - T43 & TSH. The T43 is normal, the TSH is elevated. And in my opinion, the number is way high. This could still be a false positive; however, since this is test #3 & all 3 show elevation, a false positive is not likely.

Tomorrow a.m. I will be making an appointment with an Endocrinologist. I'm not really nervous, but at the same time there is one thing that makes me a tad on edge...our pediatrician "isn't talking". I have a very close relationship with all doctors & nurses at our pediatrician office & for them to kind of tight lip it does make me wonder.

I know nothing about this elevated thyroid other than it is treatable. I cannot google this right now & when I do research it, I want to be able to read & devote my full attention to this condition.

Does anyone know anything about this that you can share? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

**What I have read so far has now scared the crud out of me. Now I know why the pediatrician's office would not say much. Please, please, please pray for our Mercedes. Pray, pray, pray that it is still soon enough to begin treatment & that treatment will be successful. The fact that she is already 5 weeks old worries me. I think she may have already needed treatment by now. My poor girl - her journey has been such a difficult one. I do know though that God is bigger than this.

**Mercedes' appointment is Friday a.m. We got the lab work faxed to the hospital & a dr. was "pulled" to review. Because he (dr.) did not say for us to bring her in immediately - I'm going to take that as good news. Evidently this dr. is on call tomorrow & typically does not work Fridays, but he does want to see Mercedes before any more time passes. I need a little relief so I'm going to try to not worry between now & then. Surely if he thought she was a dire emergency, they would have had us come to the hospital today or at least tomorrow. I could be way off base - but that's what I'm going with. Thanks for the prayers & keep 'em coming. Our Mercedes needs them! Now I'm going to go collapse into bed for 30 minutes before I have to get going again. :)

Our little mood ring.

Remember mood rings? They changed colors depending on your mood? Heehee...we now have one. Her name is Mercedes. :)

Our baby Mercedes is 1/2 AA & 1/2 CC. It is the cutest thing - she actually changes colors! One day she's brown, the next day she's white - husband & I just laugh & laugh. Precious! :)

Here are her previous weights:

Born 01-06-08 - 6 lbs. 6 oz.
Visit 01-11-08- 6 lbs. 0 oz. (Jaundice check)
Visit 01-17-08 - 6 lbs. 7 oz. (follow up)
Visit 01-24-08 - 7 lbs. 4 oz. (2 week check up)
Visit 02-11-08 - 8 lbs. 12 oz. (1 month check up)

Personally, I think she is gaining weight really quickly. That said, her percentages today are 25% for weight & 25-50% for height. So, I guess she's right on track. Her thyroid results should be back in a day or two. The pediatrician is not concerned as she sees many "false positives". However, it is treatable should there be an issue. Everything else is fine. :)

We love, love, love our new girl. Oh she is just darling! :)

Is it time to change me?

Are you bored? Here's a nice, hefty read for ya. :)

Let me start by saying I got one hour sleep last night. I have something weighing on my mind & when that happens, my insomnia kicks in & I watch the clock tick. All night long. I fed Mercedes @ 2:00 a.m. & again @ 6:00 a.m. By the time I fell asleep, it was time to get up. I had to have Mercedes at the doctor @ 9:45 a.m.

I fly out of bed & am greeted by a sunshiney Bentley. Wow! Does he look better or what? The best I've seen him look in days. He tells me he feels great, hubby got him some pancakes, & I ask him if he wants to go to school. Of course, he said yes. I told him I would try to get him there but wasn't sure....I had planned on taking him for a dr. visit & didn't plan on him making it to school.

Upstairs we go. I get him dressed for school, get Audi up who also looks better, get him clothes, get Jaguar up, get her dressed, send those two downstairs to the table for breakfast while I brush Bentley's teeth & wash his face. Down we go. I get Bents going on a breathing treatment, toss all three of them Motrin, give Audi & Jaguar some oj & warm poptart & I head in to finish dressing me & brush my teeth. By this time it's about 9:10 a.m. I just don't know if I can get Bentley to school & Mercedes to the dr. in time.

Bentley finishes his breathing treatment, I go start the car, have him load up his backpack & his supplies for his Valentine's party (that I had to go buy this weekend...grr) & I get Audi & Jaguar going on their breathing treatments. While they are on the machines, I put their shoes on & get jackets ready. Then I fly in our room, get Mercedes up, get her dressed, pack the diaper bag, prepare & heat a bottle, go load all that & then place the baby in her carseat.

Ok then. Running out of time. Breathing treatments are almost done, so I cut them off early. Jackets on, baby in car, everyone loads. I count children. Yes I really do this, especially when I am extremely tired. Off we go flying to Bent's school. Park outside the door, run him in & run back out & fly off to the pediatrician's office. Sheesh.

Ok then. We wait. I make Audi & Jaguar a dr.'s appt. for this afternoon just to be on the safe side & have them checked out. We are only seeing a nurse today for Mercedes' one month check up (she got a shot :( ) & we are to retrieve lab paperwork so we can get more bloodwork done to check her thyroid. So we get that done, & head back home to feed Mercedes - it's now about 10:45 a.m. Audi & Jaguar are still looking better than they have in days. I get Mercedes fed, changed & put back in her carseat. I decide to cancel the dr.'s appointments I just made & give Audi & Jags another day. I'll reevaluate tomorrow. I phone the lab to get directions since I'm not sure exactly where we are going. Ok, out the door we go. Again.

We arrive at the lab at approx. 12:10 p.m. They get us right back which makes me really happy. There now will be plenty of time to get the kids some lunch & a nap & get Bentley at 3:00 p.m. from school. The girl then tells me they will be taking blood from Mercedes' arm, not her foot (which is typical procedure). The girl is real sweet but can't find any tiny veins in Mercedes' arms. Oh joy - they will have to take the blood from the foot & the lady who does that, well, she's out to lunch & her stuff is locked up. Darn! The girl suggests we just "hang out" & wait. By now it's 12:35 p.m., the kids are hungry, I have no bottle for Mercedes because I thought we'd be home in time, Audi & Jags are seriously needing nap & not feeling 100%, & I'm just about to get ticked. I'm tired. I'm wiped. And I live too far away to go home & then come back again.

Call faithful husband. Ok. He'll get Bents from school. I load all three children back into the car (why does everyone think this is such an easy task??) & drive off while trying to figure out what in the heck I'm going to do. Find a Sonic. Want to eat Sonic? Yes? Yay! Sonic it is. And believe it or not, I pulled in the "mystery stall" to order so we got our food free! That was good because I was beginning to wonder why in the heck God was so angry with me & continued to punish me. :)

Back to the lab we go. By now it's 1:30 p.m. They are waiting for us - this time two different ladies help us. This is where the fun begins. We go in the tiny room & I get Audi & Jags situated on a chair & I place Mercedes' carseat on the floor because there is nowhere else to put her. I notice one of the ladies bends down & begins to remove MY newborn from her carseat. Uh, no! I'm the mom, I'll do that. I sort of push my way in & push her over while removing MY child from the carseat. I laid Mercedes on the table where I noticed they had cleared a spot for her (since they weren't nice enough to tell me - in the other room I was sitting in a chair holding her). While doing this, I notice neither of the ladies had washed their hands before attending to my newborn. The ladies are talking with Audi & Jags & really couldn't have cared a less that I was there. Um...hello!? I then begin to ask about taking the sample from Mercedes' foot. The lady then informs me she will check the veins in the arms first. Didn't we already do that? Like an hour ago? Mercedes begins to get upset & I'm trying to hold her & console her while the other two ladies yell back & forth about how to get the blood going. Thank goodness it worked. All the while they are being very short with me, like I'm a pain in the butt that I'm even there. I dunt like that kind of treatment. As I'm dealing with Audi & Jaguar, the one lady takes MY newborn & sits her up as if to "play" with her while Mercedes' head falls face forward (down). Steam just about came out of my ears. Audi & Jags are now losing their patience (as am I) & I notice one of the ladies pick up MY newborn & begin to place her back in her carseat. You have got to be kidding me?! The lady has no idea what she is doing & she actually unhooks Mercedes' head supports that are in her carseat while commenting "oh I hate these things!" By this time I'm pretty much calling the shots, using my "Melissa-mode" to move the lady out of the way so I can take care of MY newborn. What in the sam hills was that lady thinking? Why in the sam hills would anyone handle someone else's newborn without asking permission? What in the sam hills would the lab do should that lady have dropped MY newborn or somehow injured her? And what in the sam hills am I doing being ignored & pushed aside when I am the mother? And better yet - what in the sam hills am I doing letting all this happen & not saying anyting?!?!?!? The two ladies then turn to Audi & Jags & continue to coo all over them because they are just so dadgum cute & the ladies give them stickers, blah, blah, blah. After the tacky comments I had to endure at church a few weeks ago, & after the "fight" I got into with one of the nurses at our pediatrician's office a few weeks ago (I never posted about that experience) & then today, I was just ready to get the hell out of dodge. And we did.

I get in the car & phone hubby just to release some frustration. Again. Poor hubby. Someday he'll learn not to answer his phone when I call. :)

So here I say again - I just don't get it. But then maybe, now I do.

Everyone knows what a friendly person I am. It's no secret, I can't hide it, & I don't even try to be nice, I just am. I'm a people person. It's the way God built me & I really like who I am. I simply adore friendly people & I'm proud I happen to be one. I'm always chit-chatting with the receptionists, people in the lobby, people at the store, etc. People typically talk to me too because I've got some cutie-patootie kids. :) People generally like who I am. I always here "oh we just love her!" or "oh she's so sweet!" when others are referring to me. It's very, very sweet of people to say. I really appreciate it & it means a lot to me. But being so nice, as I have learned, isn't always a good or positive thing. I've learned that because I'm nice, people tend to take advantage of me, or attempt to take advantage of me. My friendliness is often misconstrued - "oh, she's so nice, she won't care" or "oh it's just Melissa, it's ok". Which I'm sure they mean in a good way, but on my end, it's not always so great because people think I just smile & laugh all the time (which I usually do :) & don't mind "things" when really in fact, I do. Things bother me a great deal more then others will ever, ever know. I just don't say anything.

I came home, put Audi & Jags to bed & popped into bed myself to catch maybe a 30 minute nap. Like that happened. Hubby came home with Bentley & informed me he was going to take our taxes to our CPA & then he was coming back home. Yay! I can rest some more & take a long, hot shower while he tends to Mercedes. So I laid in bed thinking.

If I want, or expect, some of this treatment to change, maybe it's time to change me. Maybe I need to make a point to not be so friendly, in hopes others won't get the wrong impression & maybe I'll receive a tad more respect. Because as it stands, I don't think I get much respect at all. I don't think people tend to take me seriously. The comments I heard at church regarding Mercedes pretty much shocked me. And of all places...church! I know what they were thinking though - "it's just Melissa, she jokes all the time". But to go somewhere where obviously everyone knows I'm the mother, & my baby is a tiny infant (not that size/age matters), & have others/strangers take control & handle my baby all the while ignoring me/the mother - well - I would never, ever do that! That is disrespectful & for crying out loud, it's not their baby! That is just common sense to me. Does anyone have common sense anymore?

I have decided to write a letter to the head of the lab we used. I'm not going to write it to the branch I went to, I'm going all the way to the top. Probably won't do a bit of good, knowing the society that we are living in today, but maybe they will think twice before they inflict the same treatment on someone else. And that's good enough for me.

However, I have to wonder -

Is it time to change...me?

Hooray!

Since our new printer is broken, we went & bought another printer. Believe it or not this sucker just zooms & I have 1/2 of my Typepad blog copied! Yahoo! 2007 is copied & I will complete 2006 tomorrow. I am relieved. At least I won't lose anything!

I am wiped so I'm off to bed. :)

*My old blog is copied! Yay! It took 500 sheets of paper. lol! One whole packet of paper. :) Why is my blog music not playing? Hmm.

As of today, Bentley has a fever again, Audi has a high fever again, & Jaguar now has a fever. Tomorrow I have to take Mercedes for her 1 month check up & I've decided I'm taking the whole crew. Time to check for ear infections and/or strep throat. This is dragging on...it's just too much! I hate seeing my children miserable. Also, I found out Friday that Mercedes has a thyroid problem (I told you she was gaining weight too quickly!) so we'll address that tomorrow as well & go for more bloodwork.

Happy Monday! :)

It's official.

I have died & gone to hell. LOL! :)

Let's see here. I am still sick - I'm almost certain I now have a sinus infection. I'm pretty sure everyone in our neighborhood is tired of hearing me yell - my ears are so stopped up I can't hear nuttin'. Heck, maybe I should go back to the dr. Heck...I'm too tired to go back to the dr.! :)

Audi is actually was worse off than Bentley - he had a 104 fever Wednesday night. I didn't freak out because I already knew what it was. I alternated Tylenol (I hate Tylenol!!!!!) & Advil & Thursday he had much improved. He is still sick but on the mend. Bentley is still sick but on the mend. Jaguar now has an awful cold & I'll probably be putting her back on breathing treatments this afternoon. Believe it or not Mercedes is still well! It's a miracle! :)

On a happy note - our "at risk" adoption time frame is almost up! Mercedes is our first ever "at risk" adoption & though I wasn't really nervous, it's nice & reassuring no birthfather issues are going to arise. And that's good 'cause she's mine & I'm keeping her! I love my little peanut. Who's still naked. :)

Regularly scheduled programming should resume next week. :)

*******************************************************************

To: Heather, Shari, Cynde, Julie, Lynn, Carol, Sonya & Laurie - don't give up on me...I promise I will email all of you back soon! I still have all of your emails & I apologize for the long delayed replies! Thank you all for emailing me!

Julie - I hope you have good news to report! :)

Laurie - your email made me cringe & I will be responding to your comment soon. :)

Are we having fun yet? - update.

NO!

I am still sicker than a dog, husband now has the flu, Bentley is upstairs trying to throw up, Audi & Jaguar are now looking as if they are getting sick. UGH!

Mercedes seems ok but is 1/2 naked, as she has hardly any clothes & what she does have, I'm having a difficult time keeping clean. And I can't get shopping because everyone is too sick! When Jaguar was one, I gave away ALL of her newborn clothes/necessities to a family adopting a baby girl who ran into financial difficulties. So here Mercedes is with no clothes!

Alright - enough complaining, I'm off to get Sprite! :(

Ok, let's see here. I'm s.l.o.w.l.y. improving. But boy is it slow. I'm coughing so bad that when I am able to get some sleep, I can't sleep. It is sooooooooooo frustrating. Hubby is fairing well. Bentley is in bed with a very high fever. Audi is in bed with a medium grade fever. Jaguar seems to be getting a cold. Mercedes is naked but ok. Haha! :)

Thanks for the comments. :) eBay is a great idea, I have seen some of the cute outfits on there! It's just so maddening that Mercedes doesn't have enough clothing - I'm angry with myself for giving away hundreds of dollars worth of little girl newborn stuff (but then again, I can't be too angry because my friends really needed help) & since we didn't know Miss Mercedes was arriving, I wasn't able to get any items in advance. That is frustrating especially since now I can't get to any stores. It will all be ok though. :)

Finding the time to eBay will be difficult - admist all of this chaos, my old blog expires in 12 days & I have nothing transferred. I have a new printer, but we're having a difficult time getting it to work. Hubby has installed it 2 times & still there are problems. I was hoping to print out my blog as to not lose 200 posts & photos! I'm getting nervous about that. I don't want to lose any of our "history". :)

Mercedes also has become quite the screamer if she's not being held. It's such a soothing harmony (not!) while running around crazy trying to keep everyone quarantined in their own rooms. :) It's actually the sweetest thing I've ever seen - you can grab her in any position & tote her around - she'll go with you happy as a lark just as long as she is in your arms. She's so content being held. It's just adorable. :) That said, she despises her bassinet which I insist in making her sleep in since I am a devoted "head rotator" person - so most of the time we are battling each other. Occasionally I do let her sleep in the bouncey & there is peace... :)

I know the worst is almost over so if we can just hang in there. And while we're hanging in there - I need to remind myself to refrain from attending church in the winter months! When will I learn? That is where all this mess started. But that's another post, huh Kristy? :)

Thanks Christine!

Christine's last comment was:

"Wow! I was thinking, here she is with a newborn baby keeping her up half the night, three other little ones running around and she has time to buy all those wonderful supplies and arrange them so beautifully! I think it's a wonderful idea but I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you that I was relieved to find out you hadn't actually made that arrangement. (That's the part of me that constantly compares myself to others in order to validate myself...sick I know!) Hope you do get to make that some day and if you do...invite me over, I love to color!"

Haha Christine, girl I needed a laugh, so thank you! You made me smile for the first time since Wednesday! :) I ain't makin' nothing over here but a whole bunch of moaning & groaning & griping & complaining!

No I didn't invent that cute arrangement & I probably never would have thought about it! I am the most uncreative (non-creative?) person you will ever meet in your life! I do not have the knack & I do not wish I did. :)

And guess what? I loveeeeeeeeeeee to color too! I could sit for hours coloring with my kids! :)

On my to do list.

"In celebration… I decided to create this very functional and FUN centerpiece for the island in my kitchen. I saw something similar to this in the Rachael Ray magazine this month… I don’t normally look at this mag as cooking isn’t my thing (see last post!!) but my mom was in town and she loves it. this was something that they showed for a dinner party w/ kids… that you could line the table w/ butcher paper and let them color during dinner etc. well, I decided that it would be the perfect cure for boredom for my kids. They love to sit and draw, write and color. Nothing is more inspiring than a whole bunch of art supplies and a stack of white paper! I bought this serving tray at target, along w/ the plastic cups, new markers, pencils and crayons… and well, I had to buy the gobstoppers cause they looked so cute with the dots on the tray. I think it’s important that the kids practice math, journaling, spelling… that kind of thing. I am trying to come up with a ‘routine’ that even I can stick with that will include some constructive activities… But when all else fails… quincy quiet for ½ hour coloring is golden! Easy enough.I am loving the bright colors! Just had to share…"

I saw this on Heidi Swapp's blog last year & I meant to do this little "art center" task then, but forgot. So now, since I have nothing to do but sit at the computer, I copied the photo & post from her blog to remind me to do it. Isn't this the cutest thing you've ever seen? And what a great idea for my children! I am not good about letting my children explore & create with paper, crayons & the like so hopefully this will change that. Too cute! :)