Out of Commission

I jinxed myself. Yes I did. I know better than to open my mouth and brag about things but I did. Here's what happened.

I sent Jeremy's mom an e-mail last Wednesday afternoon just giving her an update on the girls like I always do. I basically went on about how the girls were FINALLY healthy and Jeremy was getting over his sinus issues. Fast forward to Thursday morning as I am getting ready to head out the door to get Mollie dropped off at the sitters. I was spitting out my toothpaste and when I raised up I felt a POP!! And wham...I hit the floor. It was one of the worst pains (second to kidney stones but worse than childbirth) I have ever felt and tears sprang to my eyes. I slowly stood up and thought ok you ol' mare...what did you do??!! I really thought I had just pulled something and all would be ok if I kept moving. Wrong!! I made it to the sitters...to Versailles to do some work and that was it. I couldn't function with the pain. I went to the Lexington Clinic in Nicholasville and after a 3 hour wait and some x-rays I was told I have a strained or slipped disc. They can't be for sure what it is exactly without an MRI, which my insurance won't pay for until they try to treat the symptoms. Bunch of bologna!! So Friday, Saturday and Sunday I stayed on my back as much as I could. I felt a bit better this am but sitting here at work the pain is back but not as bad but now I have numbness in my right leg. I plan on making an appointment with my GP this week and hoping that they can help. Mollie isn't to happy as I can't lift her like normal and swing her in the air like Daddy can. Riley is worried about me which is typical sweet Riley. And she has been a HUGE help!! I couldn't have made it thru without her! Hard to believe my big baby will be 8 in 10 days!!
So until then this Ol' Gray Mare is out of commission!

The smell of bleach

My house smells like a Clorox bottle blew up. But in my world...that's a good thing. Poor Riley has been pretty sick. Yesterday as Mollie Moo and I were headed to Ms. Julia's, school called. Oh oh....not a good sign. It was the nurse saying Riley had thrown up before she even made it to class. And her poor teacher. 3 cases of chicken pox, strep throat, a couple ear infections and pink eye. Add this to the list. I took Mollie to the sitters so she would get the least exposure as possible and then picked Riley Roo up and got her in the bed. She got sick a few more times but slept for a pretty long time. She seemed better last night and even ate some toast. But in the wee hours of the morning the diarrhea set in. And it has been non stop all day. She finally peed which was making me pretty nervous that she hadn't. I am pumping fluids to her like crazy and making her do nothing but rest. Hopefully she can head back to school in the am and I can go back to work. But until then I have scrubbed this house upside down with bleach water to kill whatever this nasty thing might be. I hate when my babies are sick. It's probably one of the worst feelings ever. So say a few prayers my Riley Roo is on the mend and life can to return to normal...whatever that might be. Oh and Mollie Moo doesn't get it either!

A Great Weekend

Sometimes a fun weekend is just what I need to re-charge. And this past weekend was no short of fun. Friday night was "Girls Night Out" and boy did we have fun. Lauren (aka Larry), Mary (aka MERZ), Kristin (aka Pixie) and I all met up at Saul Good. The first thing we ordered....Pixie stick Martinis. Yummmm. And it has given Kristin her new nickname! After a few of these she began to GIGGLE!! And she was a hoot. We ate pizza, salads and steak but topped it off with some awesome desserts!!
Here is my Kahlua cupcake....

It was sooo good!

Here is Pixie and her drink...she LOVED it!

Pixie and Merz

                                                                    
                                                             Larry and Izzy

After we stuffed ourselves we then headed to Target where we browsed (and some of us bought) from baby clothes to movies. But the fun had just begun. We piled up in the truck and headed to Hustler. OMG!!! Hilarious!!! I won't post the pics on here (you can thank me later Larry) but we laughed until I almost wet myself!! We then parted ways with promises to do it again really soon and headed home. All I kept thinking about on the drive to Nichvegas was how blessed I am to have such wonderful women as my dearest friends in the whole world. And the next one we have our sweet Meg (can't wait to get a nickname for her) will be there to.

The rest of my weekend involved sports. I watched as much stuff as I could that involved NASCAR...from practice to the Nationwide race to anything that talked about the 500. My heaven. Then on Sunday Jeremy's parents and my mom came over to watch the big race. JR had a good race until he got wrecked. I swear that boy has a black cloud over his head. But I think his season is going to be better. Keeping my fingers crossed at least.

I had such a great weekend and believe me it was MUCH needed!!

My funny Riley

Last week was kind of a crazy week as both of the girls were sick and I could only take off one day of work. Jeremy was (as always) swamped with work and could not take off either. So on Thursday I needed some one to watch Riley. My step-dad gladly volunteered and then he ended up meeting my sister in the afternoon so she could spend time with Riley and I would only have to go to Versailles to get her. Now at this point in the week Riley was about over her virus and was pumped she was going to get to see Aunt Becca. At one point in the afternoon Rebecca sends me a text and says "I bought Riley new tennis shoes...hope it's OK." Sure!! One less thing on my plate. But here is the funny thing about that. Fast forward to this past Sunday and Jeremy and I are picking up the house for his parent's annual Sunday visit. Jeremy sees Riley's new kicks and jokingly asks "How did you con Aunt Becca into new tennis shoes?" Riley shrugs and says"I told her my old ones didn't fit and my gym teacher was mad." My mouth fell to the floor!! Her old shoes are the same size and the teacher isn't mad...she just wants her to actually wear tennis shoes instead of her Uggs!! Riley is a turkey!! A true diva but I have to say...she is my sis made over!!!

Maybe if we do have a 3rd child I might get one like me this time......yeah right who am I joking!!

Valentines Day

I am over due an entry but have had my hands tied with pageants and the girls being sick. But today as I was messing around on AOL I found this awesome letter from a mother to her daughter and wanted to share it:

Dear Valentine,

Years ago, as I reclined comfortably on an examination room table, an attendant jellied my belly with sonogram goo and, within a few seconds, I heard a sound I would never forget for the rest of my life: your rapid, sparrow-small heartbeat.

Even though the heartbeat was strangely distorted in it's muffled amplification, all I heard was life -- precious, vital life. There was life inside me -- a heart beating inside my womb! It was so hard to believe a human being's heart could beat that fast, but, then again, you were no bigger than a hummingbird at the time. Yet, there you were, alive, inside my body, making your presence known. You were undeniable.

When I first heard this manic, throttling little drum, I immediately and instinctively understood the power it would forever have over me, and I knew, also, that you would look to me as its source. Accepting this grand responsibility came as natural to me as breathing, and, before you were even born, I had already fallen deeply, unshakably in love with you.

I recognized the racing beat of your heart as the sound of love itself. And, at that moment, I knew you were my one true love, my valentine girl.

Months later, as I screamed and screeched you into this world, all the blinding pain that accompanied your birth was silenced the moment I saw your face.

Something dramatic was going on "out there" in that hospital room -- a big fuss was being made with heart monitors, forceps and doctors. There was craziness and faces were covered by blue masks. But you and I were already in our own little world. Nobody could touch us, nobody could enter.

Something intensely awesome had just occurred, something -- miraculous. Still, amidst the hysteria, we experienced a frozen moment in suspended animation: I touched you, you felt my touch and we both knew all the drama of the world would forever melt away in the bliss of this true love. My valentine was born. My forever girl.

I held you so tightly -- and didn't loosen my grip for years. I walked with you strapped to my body and dangling like a goofball in that Baby Bjorn, my back aching, my nose eternally sniffing the top of your sweet head. I'd know that smell blindfolded, even today.

As I watched you grow, my heart expanded with each new step you took. And every time you fell, I felt the pain in ways only a mother can understand.

Then, of course, there was that awful day the doctors misdiagnosed you with leukemia. They told me you were going to die if you didn't get immediate treatment, and all I could think of was, "No! My baby cannot be this sick. She's only 7 years old!"

I rode with you in the ambulance all the way from Key West to Miami Children's Hospital that horrible night. I held your hand as the tubes went in and out of your frail little body. You endured test after test, and I sat there, hiding the reservoir of tears behind my nervous fingers.

But you were so strong.

When the nurses brought you a selection of toys to keep you occupied, you smiled at me and said, "Wow, Mommy. I thought this was the worst day of my life, but now I know it's the best day ever."

One silly little toy was all it took to change your outlook. I almost crumbled in the face of your courage.

As it turned out, you didn't have leukemia at all, but an acute case of ITP, a blood disorder that occurs when the body is not producing enough platelets. Serious, for sure, but not leukemia-serious.

Still, my poor little boo. But it was nothing you couldn't conquer. You moved on, like the radiant pulse of energy and love that you've always been. You learned to read, write, act and dance. You think deep thoughts, groove on music, challenge me daily and surprise me constantly.

You are a survivor.

Every day my heart walks around outside my body. I miss you when you are at school, yet I delight in your independence. And, when I pick you up each afternoon, the second you park that 12-year-old body in the passenger seat next to me, everything in my life suddenly becomes better.

To this very day, when you walk into the room my heart beats for you. My only child. You're just a few months away from being a teenager, but, still, I never pass up an opportunity to check in on you as you sleep. Your face? Purity. Your breath is all the peace I will ever need in this world.

You are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. Your life has given me something I will never, ever lose. You've brought love into my life, a love that will never fade. You really are my true love, and, after all, isn't that what Valentine's Day is all about?

True love.

Happy Valentine's Day, my forever girl.

Now I know that this is a mother that has only one daughter or an only child but I know that all mommas out there feel the very same way even if you have a son. I know that Jeremy loves me...he truly loves me but my girls love me like no other. They love me unconditionally no matter how many times I screw up as a parent or how strict I am. When they look at me with those very big brown and blue eyes I see something in them that I have never seen in anyone else. It's a little slice of me that no one can ever take away. My true Valentines.

Happy Valentines Day everybody!! Love to you all!!

Snow

When I was a kid I was not the type to be out playing in the snow. I don't like being cold. And now as an adult I am the same way. I'm good in a 4-wheel drive vehicle but if I have to actually brave the elements I become a major wuss. I think I really must have been a bear in a former life......I'm great at eating and sleeping during the winter. Which brings me to the whole working out thing...I am eating better. Watching my portions and calories. I have done a few workouts here and there but with all this dang cold and snow I just want to cook and be lazy. And organize my house. It's my new obsession. And Riley and Mollie aren't very good at helping me with this. So I will continue to complain about it and just enjoy my messy destructive girls while they are young. And I will continue to wish for Spring!!

The New Year

Yes....I know. I am not good at this consistent blogging thing. Well...I have 2 New Years resolutions which is highly rare for me because I typically do not believe in such things. But this year...I need to set goals. So here they are.

#1-lose weight or basically get my butt back in shape.
My clothes fit tighter than they did when Mollie was 2 months old! I have gained about 15 pounds since I stopped nursing. Not good. So I am eating a tad bit better (more portion control and drinking lots of water) and Jeremy and I are starting P90X as soon as it gets here. Looking very forward to the results and I know it can only make me feel better. Now this is not to say I still won't eat my cookies or cakes but just not 4 at a time.

#2-GET MORE ORGANIZED
With 2 kids I sometimes, OK who am I kidding ALL the time, feel like a chicken running around with it's head cut off. I work 37.5 hours a week and I usually don't get home till 7. So it's rush rush rush to get dinner done, baths for the girls, lunches done for the next day and clothes laid out. Not to mention if there is laundry that has to be folded or washed. Plus Mollie is a tornado and leaves a trail of destruction every where she goes. So I follow her around till she goes to bed picking up toys or other items so we don't break our leg tripping over them. Then when it comes time for me to per say breathe I just want to lay down and watch TV. Hence the no blogging thing! So I am going to try like the devil and manage my time better. How I am going to try this I don't yet know BUT...it will be done. I'm very stubborn when I set my mind to something.

So hopefully my two dearest girls (you know who you are) won't have to say "Update your blog!!"" Haha!!

I am looking very forward to the New Year as I get to ring it in with my best friends and their families. We are going to Mary and Joey's for some food and fun!! I can't wait!!!