Mia's doctor's appt

So, my poor little Mia has been struggling with a nasty stomach bug since Tuesday. The weird part is that she seemed to get better after only 24 hours, only to fall back into a way worse "version"...wretching up stomach bile because she the only thing she had had to eat in two days was Saltines and a little bit of a banana. I began to get worried and on Friday afternoon, I became more discouraged when she threw up again - after almost 24 hours of nothing. She was crying in the middle of the night, Friday night and had some major poo issues. She was listless and refused water. She took a little with some coaxing. It was at that point that I called and spoke with a pediatrics nurse at Emanuel Children's Hospital. She said this had gone on a little two long and I should take her in today. I continued to give her little bits of water throughout the night, and only a couple of times did she refuse it totally.

The doctor wasn't our regular one but I have had him a couple of times before for Keira and he is a very nice older man. He thought her symptoms were a little odd...starting and stopping but he doesn't think it is really anything more than the flu. He was concerned about something else, though. He noticed that when she had come in in February for a bad cold she weighed less than she had at her 18 month appt, just one month earlier. Now, she weighed even less - partially because she was sick, but he is mainly concerned that she keeps dropping weight instead of gaining it. He said it is normal for kids to stop gaining for a while, but it is not normal to drop weight. He said we could do a blood test to see if she has a wheat allergy. I opted not to do that right now and he said that was totally fine. He wrote in her chart that she should come back for a weight check in one month and if she is gaining, then there is no real need for concern. My gut feeling is that she is probably okay, being how she is normally such a good eater...but you never know. It would be LAME if she does have a wheat allergy, but there are so many things that could be worse, I would be thankful that it is something that can be workable - we would just have to adjust our eating habits. That probably would be for the better anyway!!

So, no barfing today...both girls are napping right now. Mia's eyes still have that sick look but she is in great spirits. I took her to Freddies on the way home from the doctors office and every time we went down a new isle she kept shouting, "OH yeah!!" People were cracking up. I am hoping and praying we are on the uphill swing of this thing and that both my girls will be back to their healthy, rambunctious selves. Keira has been her spunky self all day, which has been one relief.

The strangest feeling...

Yesterday morning I woke up and felt like I had dreamed about my dad. I couldn't remember the dream, although I wish I could have. Later in the day, I was looking at some old pictures and I saw my dad in one. Instead of feeling the usual sad, lonely feeling of knowing how long it has been since I've seen him, I had the strange feeling like I had just talked to him. It was like a content feeling like I can't explain. Content doesn't even really describe it...it's just the only word that I can think of that somewhat resembles what I'm feeling. The closest thing I can use to describe it is a fictional illistratation from The Shack. A girl had passed away and God let her play and interact with her siblings in their dreams. I know that is fictional, but who knows, maybe that is something that does happen? I don't think I can explain how I'm feeling very well. Someday, I will be able to know the truth...but probably not in this life.

March Birthdays

So I have taken a big long break from blogging because I have been frusterated and discouraged with all the time I spent trying to upload pictures only to have them not turn out the way I'd hoped. I'm going to take a "picture break" and at least start getting some posts back up here.

So, March had three family birthdays - Keira's on March 11th, my brother Patrick's on March 21st and mine on March 28th.

My big girl Keira turned 4 and I was nervous to get her excited about anything - considering the horrible birthday we had when she turned three and we were all sick. This year, however turned out MUCH better. Her and I had such a fun day. We dropped Mia off at my mom's and then I took her to Starbucks for a kids cocoa and a donut. Then we dropped off her paperwork to enroll her in the pre-school down the street from our house. We took a potty break and then headed to West Linn. There is a salon there geared especially for kids called Sit Still. I had booked a manicure there for her. She was SO excited. She loved the special treatment. Then we met my sister and her daughter at Red Robin for lunch. Then we went to their house so the kids could play for a couple of hours. They were both beyond ecstatic. Plus, I was looking forward to some time to be able to chat with my sis without having to watch out for little Mia. Afterwards, we went to my mom's to pick up Mia. When we got home, Keira took a little rest and then it was round two. Trav's mom came over and we met his sisters' at Izzy's (house) for dinner. The day turned out perfect. I thanked God repetitively for such an amazing day. Everything worked out so well...it totally made up for last year.

We had a small b-day party for Keira on Sat. March 14th at Papa's Pizza. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and the kids had a blast playing in the kids area. It was nice to just be able to get there, set up, have the party and leave. The only bummer is that we had a two hour time limit so we couldn't just hang out as long as we felt like it. There were other parties booked in our spot. Saturday is a crazy day there! Although, I would highly recommend going there at opening time - 11am. It worked great in getting our food fast and making the most of our time there.

My brother's b-day was so fun. He turned 34 and wanted to go rollar skating! We got our family together and went to Buster's Bbq in Milwaukie. It was SO good. Then we headed to Oaks Park and I whipped out those old roller blades and we all went skating...well everyone but Travis and Mia. Poor little Mia didn't understand why she couldn't go out there with us. I think Trav was a little frusterated having to watch her. I think she would have a blast doing that when she gets a little bigger. We all had so much fun we decided to make a girls skating night. It's good excercise, too!

Lastly, my 33rd birthday was SO much fun. I started celebrating the day before by going out to breakfast with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Kendall, Travis and the girls. We went to the Hotcake House on Powell. Sort of spendy but pretty good! We used to go there a lot with my parents. Then, later that day, we went to dinner with my mom at the Macaroni Grill. She had a gift card to there. OMGosh - it was amazing. All the food tasted so good.

Travis and my mom were in "kahoots" (sp??) together and got me a laptop for my birthday!! I am using that right now as I type. Trav had researched prices and found a really good deal with a $100 off coupon and it is SO nice. I was ecstatic. He even uploaded all of my pictures on it and put some programs I would use on it - basically he did everything he could to get it completely ready for me to use. I was VERY impressed.

On my actual birthday, I met my sister for a day of shopping. I am so NOT a shopper - she is WONDERFUL to go with. She helps me stay focused and has so many great ideas. I got so many cool things that were great deals. I am now accesorized with scarfs, dangly necklaces, and a hat and have some WAY cool additions to my wardrobe. I feel a lot more confident that I could go shopping on my own and do alright although it will still probably be overwhelming for me. We had such a fun time and she has such a great eye for picking stuff out!

Trav and I and the girls were going to go out to dinner but I was ready to rest. Plus we found out the restaurant we were going to go to didn't open until 5pm and the girls were taking late naps. We opted instead for Burgerville cheeseburgers in front of the tv. lol. Then we were off for round two of b-day fun. We dropped the girls off at Nanna's. Nate and Teresa dropped Kambrie off there, too and went out for a fun night of bowling! We had the best time - we laughed so hard. Trav's sisters showed up for a bit and Meghan bought me a very potent drink. It was very yummy, though!! After bowling, the four of us went to Buffalo Wild Wings to hang out for a bit. They had these very goofy hats that we all had to try on.

Oh, and my sister bought me flowers, too - which...I might add proudly, are still alive on my kitchen table without my cats eating them! That is an accomplishment in and of itself. :-)

March was a fun month in our family. :-)