Look who moved in...

This is the face that Madeline has been giving us most recently. I pray that it is because of her final one year molar. It can not cut soon enough.

September 19

Anyone know anything about teeth? Madeline has her four front teeth and both first year molars on top. On the bottom she has three front teeth, one molar and is working on the second. There is no sign of her cuspids (i.e. fangs) on the top or bottom. Should I be concerned? I guess this rules out vampirism or becoming a werewolf, huh?

mg

Balloons

I am trying to catch up with some back logged photos. So the next few posts are a little dated.

I have always wanted to go to the Great Forest Park [hot air] balloon race's balloon glow. The night before the race they fill the balloons and light them with the gas burners usually meant to float them. Until this year there was always a reason I couldn't go. (Mainly that reason was forgetfulness.)

This year Kev and I found a sitter [aka. my parents] and headed to FoPo.

September 19-The organizers blow a huge horn about every 2 or 3 minutes so that all the balloons light at the same time. It is so much prettier in person. (That dark spot is a black balloon... not as pretty as the more colorful ones.)

My two favorite balloons:

I think we will go again. Next time I want to pack a picnic dinner so we can see them blow the balloons up. Very cool. I love StL.

mg

Fall Festival

Yesterday was our town's fall festival. It is a community event with barbeque, music, and some inflatables for the kiddos. We didn't go.

So why am I blogging about it? The festival is just down the street from our house and at 9pm they shoot off fireworks. Lots of fireworks. About 400 yards from Madeline's bedroom window. Did I mention they were loud? And aplenty?

So at 9pm when they began shooting them off Kevin and I prepared for the inevitable. Last year Madeline slept through the fireworks, but they were smaller in scale and she was only 5 months old. This year we knew that she would be up almost immediately.

But she wasn't. She, who wakes up if I go to the bathroom during a nap, slept right through it. Not even a peep, or a rustle or anything!

I think she is a super hero. Her magic powers are the power of sleeping and the power to make her mommy and daddy smile even when we don't want to.

mg

Have I told you lately...

That I love you.

My dear blog friends you are wonderful. I share my woes and you raise me up. Just like that Josh Groban song, but with more respect and less sap. I don't post the bad stuff so you can validate me and rub my head to make me feel better. But you do it anyway and I am oh so grateful. My heart is full of love for your kind words and know that I really truly appreciate it!

Madeline is still great. She spent most of the day with her Grandma and Grandpa at the park and visiting with G G. (Kevin's grandmother.) She is a total trooper in every sense. And adorable too.

One more thing: Although I feel guilt because of this elbow incident I am not laboring under the assumption that it makes me a bad mother overall. If anything it has proven to me just how good of a mother I really am. (And how good of a father Kevin is too.) I am proud of how we handled our first medical emergency. I think in this case we managed to avoid lifelong scaring. For now...

mg

I've been disqualified as mother of the year 2008*

Yep. It's official. I am out of the running.

Last night I was horsing around with Madeline before dinner and I swung her side to side by her arms. I was holding on to her wrists. She was smiling ear to ear but once I put her down she started crying. I had put her down because I thought to myself "I am going to hurt her I shouldn't swing her by her arms." Opps. I was too little to late.

I put her in her high chair because it was time for dinner anyway and that is when I noticed that she didn't want to use her arms. I called the Ped and they suggested waiting and watching but when I explained to them that she cried (like, CRIED) when I moved her arms, they suggested I take her to the ER.

At this point I had already been in tears. I hurt my baby girl! I was both sad and embarrassed. When they said 'ER' I lost it. Part of me doesn't even want to blog this story because of the embarrassment. I mean I feel like I totally should have known better. I felt as if I was going to get to the ER and the staff was going to report me to DFS- or have the hospital social worker in my room STAT. This is only exacerbated by the fact that my mother, in an attempt at humor, asked if they were going to hotline me. (I am smiling now Mom.)

So why do you ask am I blogging? I hope to save at least one other new (or experienced) mother the heartache of hurting their child like this.

So what happened? When we got to the ER the RN in triage (doesn't that word just make your skin crawl? Triage...) said it was most likely Nursemaid's elbow. The doctor confirmed that, but because she still wasn't using her arms after his exam he wanted to get some x-rays to rule out breaks. Three and a half hours, some tylonol and 6 x-rays later we got the answer that she had no visible breaks and that the nursemaid's elbow had likely resulted in elbow sprains. Yep, sprainS, it was both of her arms. Guilt, guilt, guilt.

She fell asleep in the car on the way home and slept through the night. As of this morning she is doing just fine. She is using both of her arms and I haven't noticed her in any pain or with restricted motion at all.

So after feeling totally guilty for hurting my little baby girl, I made her some promises. First, I would never swing her by her arms again. (I hope you all make this promise too.) Second, I would make her pancakes for breakfast. (Which I did and they were yummy. Mmmm... guilt pancakes...) And finally I think I may have promised her a puppy. (I think we might have to settle for a stuffed one though.)

*Alternate post title: My First... trip to the ER :(

mg

My First...

TOASTED RAVIOLI!

Toasted ravioli is a StL specialty. I can't believe it has taken us this long to introduce it to Madeline! She's had Ted Drewes, Gus', waffle cone, Gooey Butter Cake, pork steak and Imo's. And she's liked them all. (for the most part.) The only thing left is an AB product, but that will wait 19 1/2 years! (at least, assuming they still exist.)

September 19- I think she likes it.

mg

3 pounds

That is how much weight Madeline lost when I changed her diaper this morning. I guess drinking two full sippy cups of liquid before bedtime will do that to you.

Not much going on today. Kevin and I are battling some sort of illness. Kevin more so than me. He is off at work and I hope he is doing ok. He was pretty miserable overnight with a sore throat and major head ache. I have a tamer version of the same. I am here taking care of Maddy Lou today. She is happily watching Sesame Street while I want to plug my ears with cotton, now that Elmo is on. I really despise that squeaky little whinny voice. And don't even get me started on Mr. Noodle.

I have a load of laundry to do and the house is a wreck, so I guess that is how I will spend my day. That and I have four lesson plans to prepare! Did I mention that I am taking on a fourth class in two weeks?!?! Yep, I'm crazy.

Happy Monday everyone... let's roll.

mg