It's Been A Week...

It's been a week since I last posted, so I thought I'd check in with everyone...

Everyone is still healthy (thank God), so maybe we're past the winter-time crud!! Wouldn't that be nice?!?!

On Monday the girls and I went up to the flight line to visit with Bryan and his classmates. Another wife and I were "volun-told" that we would be taking the class photo with the T-6. Tamara (the other wife) is an amazing photographer. Together, we got some good shots of the guys. Since we were all there, and had a T-6 parked just for us, we took some "couples" shots for everyone... Of course, we are the only ones with kids, so we did a family shot, too. Here are a few of the photos from that day:












We got to go have lunch yesterday with Bryan and the guys from his flight. The wives all made a potluck-style Italian lunch and took it to the flight room for them. Since we all contributed, we decided to stay and eat with them. The girls had a GREAT time!! In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I made a chocolate Guinness cake that was DELICIOUS!!! Everyone enjoyed it!! :-) Sorry, no photos from lunch!!

Today, the girls and I have just been hanging out. I let Amelia play in the ball pit with Maddy, and I think they had a great time together!! What do you think??









With it being Lent, I am trying really hard to include Maddy in the no meat on Fridays thing this year. I feel certain that she's too young to give anything up just yet, but as a family, we can abstain from meat one day out of the week. For lunch today, I decided to give fish sticks a try with Maddy. Guess what?!?! She LOVED them!! The ketchup helped, of course, but she ate almost everything on her plate!! :-) Yay for new options!!!




And, just for good measure, here's a photo of Amelia wishing she could have fish sticks, too!!



Tonight, we're having Supreme Bean Burritos... Since Bryan isn't Catholic, he doesn't technically have to abstain from meat... However, since Maddy is 2, I think it would be very difficult to explain why she and I are eating PB&J and Daddy gets to have a steak, so he is joining us this year... at least when he's at home. Rumor has it that there was a big, juicy burger in his future for lunch today!! ;-)

I think that's about it from us!! Hope to hear from all of you soon!!

Love you guys!!

Silly Maddy

My crazy sleeper has struck again... TWICE this week!!!

On Tuesday, I found Maddy napping like this (can you find her??):



Then, today, here she is:



And if this is not Bryan's child, I don't know who is...



Not too much new going on with us... We're just ready for this weekend. There's a big St. Patrick's Day family-oriented party on base tomorrow evening that we are planning to attend. Other than that, we're just hanging out. The girls have been healthy for over a week now, so that's FABULOUS news!!! :-)

Hope everyone has a fantabulous weekend!!

Love you guys!! :-)

Firsts...

Today was a day of firsts for Amelia...

We'll start with the "first" that unfortunately has no photographic evidence...

A little background to start with: For the last couple of weeks, when we would go in to get Amelia out of her bed, she had rolled from her belly to her back. If we put her on the floor on her belly, though, she would just arch her back and cry until we picked her up or rolled her over. We knew that she could roll from her belly to her back, but she wouldn't do it if we were watching. That all changed today, though!! Amelia was laying on a blanket on the floor on her belly while Maddy and I were sitting next to her. I was doing Maddy's hair. As I looked over to make sure Amelia was still okay, I caught her at the end of her roll over!! I rolled her back to her belly, and she rolled back to her back. She did this several times!!! I DID put a video from my phone of it on Facebook, but I can't ever get those videos to load on here... So, YAY!! Mobility is beginning!!! :-) (Remind me of this excitement in a few months when she's getting into EVERYTHING, please!!)

Our other first is a 4 month go-ahead milestone. 4 months is when it is deemed acceptable to start feeding babies rice cereal. Since Amelia had her check up yesterday (more on that in a minute), and everything looked great, I bought a box of rice cereal today!! Tonight when we were finished with dinner, we put Amelia in the high chair and gave it a go... I must say that I think she enjoyed it even more than Maddy did at this age!!! The first time we tried it with Maddy, she didn't seem sold on the idea. She warmed up to it eventually, but it took a little time. Amelia was like a little bird. She just kept opening her mouth for more!! :-) Maddy even got in on the action and helped feed her!! Both girls did a GREAT job!!! Here are some photos!!



The very first bite. I believe her face says "What the heck are you about to do to me?!?!":



Are you sure about this?!?!:



Ok, this isn't so bad... More, please!!:



Big Sister Maddy helping!!:



Amelia's 4 month check up yesterday went great!! She weighs 15 pounds, 4 ounces and is 24.75 inches long!! That puts her in the 92nd percentile for her weight and the 58th percentile for her height!!! We have a perfectly healthy growing little girl!!! The doctor said she had no complaints about her development and said everything looks great!! She continues to hit her milestones just as she should!!

Amelia also has 2 teeth already!! I must say she's a little behind the power curve compared to Maddy who had 4 teeth at her 4 month check up, but the average baby doesn't start getting teeth until 6 months of age, so she's still ahead of the average kiddo!! :-)

I guess that's about it for now!! The girls are fast asleep, and we've had some long days and nights lately, so I think I'm going to get some sleep!! I hope you're all doing well!!

Love you guys!! :-)

We're Still Here..

I know some of you may have been wondering if we were still here... My apologies for being MIA lately. We've had a lot going on!! :-) We'll start with the bummer news and move to the happier news...

~*~*~Illness~*~*~

This winter has not been kind to my sweet little girls. About 3 or 4 weeks ago, Maddy and Amelia were coughing with runny noses and just overall feeling under the weather, so I tried to take them to the doctor. The doctor on base was all booked up (it was a Friday), so they gave us a referral to go off base to a different pediatrician in town. I took the girls, and we saw a Physician's Assistant. She told me that Maddy had Bronchialitis and Amelia was okay. She put Maddy on a nebulizer with Albuterol. This was the weekend that Bryan had to go out of town with work. Oh boy!!! Maddy did so much better than I expected with the breathing treatments, but the side effects from the Albuterol were TERRIBLE!!! Maddy was not my sweet little girl. By Sunday night I had had enough and I stopped the breathing treatments. She no longer sounded like she was wheezing (which I had heard before the PA told me that she was), and on Monday I called our regular doctor. We saw the family practitioner on base and he advised that she no longer needed the breathing treatments, and she was good to go!! He also shared that there is a different medication that can be inhaled through the nebulizer that doesn't have the awful side effects, so next time we should ask for that one!!

Fast forward to last weekend... On Thursday afternoon Maddy was playing on the floor with Amelia and out of no where started vomiting. We trudged through and after less than 24 hours, she had no appetite, but the vomiting had stopped. Sunday morning, we decided that she really hadn't eaten anything since lunch on Thursday, so she needed some calories. We gave her some Gatorade and no sooner did she swallow, she was asking for her bucket back. This momma had had enough!! We took a little trip to the ER where we were given antibiotics (to take 3-5 days at our discretion???), Zofran (for nausea) and one other medicine for stomach cramping (which I repeatedly told them she was not suffering from). We gave her one dose of the Zofran and did the antibiotic for 3 days. She immediately started keeping popsicles down and perked up pretty quickly there after.

Wednesday of this past week, the girls both started coughing again and had runny noses. Given that we had been down this road just weeks earlier, I called the doctor's office first thing Thursday morning, and was told they had no appointments (I was the 2nd person to call that morning), but they had one appointment left for Friday. I took the appointment for Amelia and we pushed through one more night. Friday morning, I loaded everyone in the stroller and we walked to the clinic. While the doctor was checking out Amelia, I asked her to listen to Maddy as she woke up that morning sounding wheezy to me. She hesitantly listened to Maddy as this was an appointment for Amelia, not Maddy. Upon listening to her, she realized that I was right... She was wheezing. I gave her the short version of what had been going on and she immediately ordered a chest x-ray!! What?!?! Yes, a chest x-ray to make sure Maddy didn't have pneumonia. When we got to radiology, they asked if Maddy would be okay going back alone. I gave them an "are you crazy" look, and they told me that Amelia was too young to go back. They matter of factly told me that my choices were to send Maddy back alone or leave Amelia in the stroller in the hall alone. Really?!?! You're making me make this choice?!?! I sent Bryan a quick text message, he talked with his instructors and was there before they called Maddy back!!! My knight in shining flight suit came to my rescue!! Once everything was said and done, the doctor diagnosed Amelia with RSV (a respiratory virus) and Maddy with Bronchialitis (again). Maddy was once again put on the nebulizer (we're getting our money's worth out of it). She suggested the Albuterol and I told her that wasn't an option and I wanted the Xopenex. After explaining what happened before, she agreed. She also put Maddy on a Predni-boost steroid. Steroids are no fun as they cause MAJOR mood swings, but this should hopefully knock everything out once and for all!!! As for Amelia, we tried a breathing treatment at the doctor's office, and her oxygen levels remained the same, so it seemed to do nothing for her. The treatment for Amelia is simply time because she is so young.

I am pleased to report that both girls are doing MUCH better!!! Both are still coughing and have a little runny nose, but things are definitely on the upswing!!! Here's a photo from my phone of Maddy being a trooper with her breathing treatment!!




~*~*~NEW STROLLER~*~*~

Bryan and I have been trying to find more things to do as a family on the weekends. Since our time together is so limited, we want to make the best of what we DO have. Bryan enjoys running and since this last little bit of baby weight (some from Maddy, some from Amelia) isn't going away, I thought I'd give it a go. I have been very careful not to overdo it because the last thing I need is to blow out my knee... For a 3rd time!!! So far, so good!! We only had a single jogging stroller before, so there was no way that we could all go jogging at once. When we filed our taxes and saw that we were getting a refund, we decided to purchase a double jogger. The girls LOVE it!! Maddy asks to ride in it whenever we go ANYWHERE!! I have run a couple of times with it, and I, too, love it!! We went for our first family run yesterday, and while Bryan had to go a little slower than he's accustomed to, I think this might just work out for us!! Here's a photo of our happy girls hanging out in their new stroller!!



~*~*~Jesse Hair~*~*~

Yesterday morning I knew that we were planning on our family run, so I didn't want to take a shower until after that, and my hair was a MESS from sleeping on it, so I had to do SOMETHING!! I decided to braid it (the high was 92 yesterday). When I came out of the bathroom, I asked Maddy if she wanted her hair braided too and showed her mine. She took one look at it, and said she wanted "Jesse Hair". It took me a minute, but I realized that the only person she's probably seen with a braid is Jesse from Toy Story!!! LoL. You never know what will come out of that kid's mouth!!!! :-)


~*~*~Track Select~*~*~

Bryan is almost finished with his T-6 training!!! We couldn't be more excited!! That marks the approximate halfway point of training!! Woo Hoo!!! On April 1 we will find out which plane he'll be going to next. There are 3 options... T-38's which are the track that you go if you are interested in flying fighters... T-1's which are the track that you go if you are interested in flying "heavy's" (pretty much anything other than fighters and bombers)... Or T-44's which are the track if you are certain you want to fly something in the C-130 family. Laughlin AFB (which is where we currently are) has T-38's and T-1's. The T-44's are at Corpus Christi Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, TX. If we go T-44's, we'll be moving... The move could be as early as 6 weeks from now!! YIKES!! Bryan will get to fill out a "dream sheet" to tell his instructors what his preferential order is for these planes. We have talked at great length about what he wants (and a little bit about what I want), so we'll see what the final verdict is when he fills out his dream sheet... shortly followed by what the Air Force thinks is the best for us!! Keep us in your prayers that the best option presents itself!! I am sure it will, but I'm getting anxious!!

I guess that's about it for now!! Sorry for the lengthy blog, but it's been 2 weeks!!!! I hope that some of you will blog soon!! I miss hearing from you all!!!

Love you guys!! :-)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

Maddy...



and Amelia...



wanted to say Happy Valentine's Day!! :-)






Aren't they just the cutest things you've ever seen?!?!

Love you guys!! Have a GREAT day!! :-)

SURPRISE!!

Ok, so really this is just a teaser for the surprise that will be here on Valentine's Day!! The girls and I have a little something up our sleeves, and I am having a hard time keeping my mouth shut... No, I'm not going to share it now, but I am going to share that it's coming!! Ok, so, to both of my devout readers... Can you hold it together until Monday?!?! HaHaHa...

Also, just wanted to check in with everyone (or both of you as the case may be)!! We're rockin' right along... The girls are both healthy. Maddy went in for her flu vaccine today and was SUCH A BIG GIRL!! She even thanked the nurse after her shot!! She's so crazy! I suppose it helped that I had a little treat waiting in the wings if she was a big girl!! ;-) Hey! A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!!

Yesterday, we had the kids from the neighborhood over to decorate cookies on a stick for Valentine's Day. I tried to do heart-shaped cookies, but they turned out looking like butts. Oh well... The kids said they tasted good, and seemed to have a GREAT time!! I'm planning to do another project for the kids next month. I'm not sure what it'll be yet.. More cookies?!?! Cupcakes?!?! Individual pizzas?!?! The options are endless!!! Sorry I didn't get any good photos. I thought Amelia would be napping while the kids were here, but she wanted to join in on the party, so between carrying her around and keeping the icing on the cookie and out of Maddy's hair, a camera just plain wasn't feasible!!! :-) Maybe next time!!

One other bit of news... Bryan's sister Patty just gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy this past weekend!! Collin Rainey Moyers joined the world on Saturday night... weighing in at a whopping 8 pounds, 15 ounces!! (And to think I thought Amelia was big at 8 pounds, 8 ounces!!) Everyone is doing well!! Congrats Patty and Micah!!

I guess that's about it for now!! I'm not sure if I'll be back to check in between now and Monday, but rest assured that there will be a surprise waiting for you on Monday!!!

Love you guys!! :-)

Who Doesn't Like...

PLAY DOH?!?!

Maddy got to play with her Play Doh that Santa put in her stocking for the first time today. Mommy thought Play Doh was a great idea when she saw that Santa had given her a tub of it, but then quickly changed her mind when she considered the potential mess... Today, though, we took the plunge, and know what?!?! Maddy did GREAT!!!! :-)

Well, we started out a little rough... I put the Play Doh in front of her at the kitchen table on some wax paper, and this is the FIRST thing she did...



LoL... I quickly let her know that wasn't what we do with Play Doh, and after a very short Play Doh 101 lesson, Maddy was on her way to being a Play Doh expert!! She LOVED it!! She was very careful to keep it on the wax paper, and she was entertained for almost an hour!! In the life of a 2 year old, that is a pretty successful toy!!!! Amelia even got in on the action a little, too. I put her in the high chair with a blanket around her, and she was able to sit and watch Maddy play. She LOVED it too!! I told Bryan when he got home from work that I think today was the first day since Amelia entered our lives that I thoroughly enjoyed my day!!! Don't get me wrong. Every day has had it's good moments, but sitting at the table with the girls playing was SO MUCH FUN!! I was so thrilled that everyone enjoyed themselves!! Here are some photos of our adventures with Play Doh!! Enjoy!!










As I'm sure most of you have heard by now, last week wasn't a banner week for us. Bryan worked lots of hours, and was out of town Tuesday night, then again over the weekend, and both of the girls were sick. Maddy wound up being put on a nebulizer with Albuterol because she started getting wheezy... Like I said, last week was ROUGH. Plain and simple!! I am pleased to report that Amelia never had more than a little runny nose (which I'm now thinking could be her teething), and I took Maddy back to the doctor yesterday, and she's not wheezing anymore, so we're all done with the breathing treatments!!! Can I get a Woo Hoo?!?! We were supposed to do the breathing treatments through Friday, but the Albuterol had some very unpleasant side effects, so I took her back early to see if there was anything else we could do for the wheezing... Apparently, Albuterol can cause "excitability" in users. For Maddy, "excitability" came with hitting, yelling and throwing things. She was NOT acting like the sweet little girl that we all know and love. Quite frankly, it was a little frightening that the medicine had this much of an effect on her. I am so glad that I opted to check with the doctor!! Phew!! Thank goodness THAT'S over!! The doctor also gave me the name of another medicine that can be used with the nebulizer if we ever have this problem again. He said that it shouldn't have the same side effect... DOUBLE PHEW!!! Like I said, today was FANTASTIC!!!!

I guess that's about it for now... I am hoping to blog a little more frequently, but this is by no means a promise... simply a hope!!

I hope that everyone has enjoyed/is still enjoying all the snow this year. We haven't gotten any of the white stuff in Sunny Del Rio, and don't anticipate getting any. We did get a pretty intense thunderstorm last night, though. Poor Maddy (who has lived in Texas her entire life) has never really experienced a storm like that, so it woke her up and she was a little afraid. To make matters worse, we were without electricity for a couple of hours overnight, so when I went to her room to comfort her, she kept asking me to plug in her nightlight. I don't think I ever explained it in a way that she could understand, but I finally remembered that MoMo the Monkey has a light that's battery operated, so I reminded her to push the button and MoMo could light up her bed. That seemed to do the trick!! The storm brought with it MUCH colder temperatures, but I am pretty sure we'll be back to the 60's or 70's by the weekend!!

Ok, I said it before, but this time I mean it... I guess that's about it for us...

Love you guys! :-)