Testing

Don't mind me. I'm testing the new blogger app for my iPhone.

Paige + Sucker = Entertainment

Oh, Paige.  She definitely does her own thing, without conforming to anything!  We were at Toys R Us yesterday, and Paige found this sucker.  I can't pass up the opportunity to get these things for her, because it truly is entertaining to watch the way that she eats suckers or popsicles.  I've tried to explain to her the whole "sucker" concept, but she prefers to do things her own way. :)  Enjoy!

The Right Stuff :)

A few months back, I saw that Jordan Knight (former New Kid On The Block) was coming to Chicago.  I contacted Andria and Michelle and we decided to get tickets.  We had NO idea what to expect, but ended up having a more than fantastic time!

Enjoying a night out!  

Poor Michelle!  She was freezing!!  Once we got dancing, she was fine without the coat, hat and gloves...

We were right by the bathrooms, and saw a bunch of ladies pointing their camera's at the door.  We realized that Jordan was hitting the potty before he went on.  I attempted to catch him coming out, but there was a bit of lag time on the camera. :)

Still an excellent performer!! :)

He even did us a favor by pulling out "The Right Stuff!"

We had such a great time!  Andria and I even pulled out our Zumba moves at the end there...Michelle took video, but I'm hoping it remains unpublished. :)

Revelations, An Update

Previously, I'd written about the change I needed to make in our daily lives (The Book of Revelations, Mom's Version).  I am more than proud to say that things are looking up around here!  The girls are moving ahead pretty well.

First off, Paige is no longer in diapers!!  Not during nap time, not overnight, never.  I cannot tell you how happy that makes me and her as well!  She's so excited to be a big girl.  I'm happy to not have to be cleaning poop out of her diapers!  I'd look at her as I was cleaning her off, and just kept thinking that she was too big to be doing this!  Clearly, she agreed. :)  Her naps have not been altered which is also a plus, AND she's still sleeping her 12 hour nights!!  Woo Hoo!

On a side note, I recently read that the average four year old asks 437 questions (do I feel sorry for the person who had to do THIS study).  I decided to start counting Paige's questions.  By 10:30 AM, she'd asked 350 questions.  I stopped counting.  She blows THAT stat out of the water, and she won't be four until August.  This girl definitely craves knowledge!!!

As for the bottle situation, We're doing well...for the most part.  The girls are on one bottle at night (only because Reagan still REFUSES to drink milk out of anything for a bottle, and I have to make sure she gets some).  Payton has taken to the sippy cup, even with cold milk.  My neighbor just suggested a new sippy cup for Reagan to try, so we'll be trying that one next.  Fingers crossed!!

I'm feeling very good about where we are right now, I'll definitely take it. :)

My Tiny Dancer

Payton LOVES to dance.  A tune comes on, and she will start rocking to the beat.  We were watching Ellen the other day, and Seal's "Let's Stay Together" came on.  She was doing this new squat move, so I just had to share!

Botox?

 This is the post I have been trying to write for the past 12 hours, but didn't even know where to start.  I believe I've mention in past posts that Reagan has been successfully pulling her left foot out of her AFOs.  I had been in touch with her physiatrist, and she wanted to see her before I just stopped her from using them all together.  That was probably mid-end November.  As usual, getting an appointment took a few months, but we waited...as patiently as possible.

Reagan and I made the trip to the city with her snoozing the whole way there.  On a side note, it's always an eye-opener when he head to RIC (Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago).  For as much as I worry about Reagan, I see children and adults there that are going to struggle more than we'll ever understand.

I was truly thinking that we were only heading there to see how the AFOs were fitting, show the Dr. that Reagan can walk (when she chooses to), and have her tell us that the they were no longer needed.  However, my hopes were shot down.

Dr. Gaebler informed me that she still saw a lot of tightness in Reagan's left side.  While Reagan was sitting on my lap, she showed me how her right foot moved around loosely and her left foot stayed pretty tight.  She does most of her walking and balancing using her right side more than her left (which Mark and I had noticed).

Then, she threw it out there.  She wanted to treat Reagan's muscle tightness with...wait for it...Botox.  Yep, Botox.  I was stunned and not quite sure what to say.  She said that it would help with the stiffness and allow her body to relax and also help with the muscle spasms that were causing her pain.  I was stunned.  She wants to inject poison into my baby girl.  I ridicule (I know, not nice) the people that put Botox in their faces to make themselves look younger.

I asked her if this was a one time thing, and she did stay that she thought Reagan would be a "golden case", where she truly believes after one small dose, she'd be done with them.  We scheduled the appointment for next month, and she told me I was more than able to change my mind, but that they have been doing this successfully since 1992.

Along with that, she wants her to wear the SMO's (the inserts that go inside her AFOs) 24 hours a day to help with the muscles.  Ugh.  But, she did say that Reagan is doing well, although I wasn't feeling so positive when we left.

I was pretty numb driving home, and didn't want to think much about it yesterday.  I didn't want to hit google up for answers, I didn't want to find side effects of what this could do to her, and I surely did not want to obsess about my daughter being in pain.

Mark and I have a lot of discussing to do.  We have to do what's best for her.  I've already started placing calls for second and third opinions, however, it's back to the initial waiting game.  MONTHS to get into physiatrists.  All I keep thinking is that these are crucial months for her development, and will waiting delay her further down the road??

I really was so excited for how well she was doing on her own.  I know that walking isn't her favorite means of transportation, but I was sure she'd get there.  At least we have a few weeks to figure it out, or find a physiatrist for a second opinion.  I'll even get on a plane (yes, I said it!) to head somewhere else for someone to get us in to either agree with this form of action, or tell me that it would be a bad idea.

I'll say it again.  Ugh.  Not sure where we go from here, or what else to even say about it at this point  We'll keep the SMOs on her as much as possible (she finagled her way out of them last night at some point), and hope that we can figure out what will be best for her.  Wish us luck.

She was never a big fan of the AFO's, and more than happy to get rid of them.

They were quite large, and we were up 2 1/2 sizes on her shoes to get them in.

These are the small SMOs that she has to wear at all times.  Hopefully we'll notice a change with her wearing them all the time....

This and That

These are just a few random photos that I found, not each post worthy on their own - sans the last one - so I thought I'd just throw them together.  Enjoy!

The girls getting a kick out of watching Mark pick up Rudy's "treasures"...  They thought it was hilarious!  Mark, not so much. :)

My blue eyed babies!

Paige all prepared for the Superbowl!

Last night after the girls went to bed, Paige and I went to the mall to get her a cookie.  I promised her if she was good all day and didn't tell me "no", we'd have some Mommy/Paige time.  As per usual, we made a stop into the Disney Store.  The minute we got in, "Bibbity Bobbity Boo" came on, and Paige started doing her recital dance!  The ladies who worked there enjoyed the show and even started dancing with her.  She then found the dressing room and wanted to know what it was for.  I explained it's where she gets to try on clothes.  So, she went to pick out a t-shirt to try on, but I one-upped her with Cinderella's wedding dress.  Needless to say, the conversation went as follows:

Paige:  I don't want to try on a dress.

Me:  Come on, it'll be fun!

Paige:  I don't want to be a princess.

Me:  Oh Paige, every little girl dreams of being a princess at some point.

Paige:  No Mom.  Not EVERY girl wants to be a princess.  I want to be an astronaut!!

I was speechless, but so proud that she's not a conformer (I know, at three!)  Now to inform her that NASA had to cancel the space program...uh oh... :)

Fort Time!

On Sunday, Paige was obsessed with the idea of building a fort.  Papa started by building one in the corner between the love seat and couch.  It worked well until we tried to get all three girls (and myself) in the space.  However, it turned into a lot of tears, and pushing so we decided to wait until the girls went to bed to build Paige one.

It was nothing spectacular, just four kitchen chairs and a blanket.  :)

Paige and Nana definitely had a good time having a picnic in the fort!

All smiles!

Confidence

One of the things that I believe holds Reagan back is her lack of confidence when it comes to walking.  She doesn't do a lot of walking all by herself very often.  She LOVES to hold onto someones hand and walk circles around the upstairs...over and over again.

The past few days, she's manifested the confidence to start trying it on her own.  She's doing amazing!  She's done this completely without the AFO's, and I definitely see an improvement in the quality of her movements.  We head back to the physiatrist on Wednesday to check her out, and see what steps (if any) are needed at this point.  I'm hoping if they do want her to continue to wear the AFOs, they will get her different ones so they fit better.

Here's a video from this morning of her flying around the house.  When she falls, she gets frustrated immediately until I help her get back up on her feet, but continues on.  I love the end where her and Payton share a few kisses!

IHOP Breakfast

 This morning, we decided to brave the cold and take the girls out to a not-so-quiet breakfast at IHOP.  We figured that it'd be crowded, and if the girls started acting out we'd still blend in.  Fortunately, we did not have to worry about that.  The girls were fantastic!  I think they were just happy to be out of the house. :)

Our munchkins.

On weekends, there is a man who does balloon animals.  Paige got this frog, and has not let it out of her sight ever since!

Snow Day

Friday was the winter storm that the news had warned us about.  I didn't think "storm" was the right word.  The snow fell slowly and quietly, which made it stunning outside.

The beauty of nature at it's finest.

Reagan waiting patiently for Paige to wake up to play with her.

Payton's picnic for one.

The girls and their potato heads.  I REALLY don't like them...at least the cleaning up part of them...but alas, they make the girls SO stinkin' happy!

Rudy daydreaming out the window.

Princess Reagan.

Paige was rockin' my Coach boots.  I think they go quite well with Tinker Bell.

When Mark got home, he and Paige went outside to shovel the driveway.  Paige was LOVING the snow.

Catching snow with her tongue.

The girls were pretty jealous that she got to play outside with Daddy.  However, a few runny noses and too cold temperatures kept them inside.

Mark and Paige wrestling in the snow.  **On a side note, we were going to make snow ice cream (Thanks for the idea Megan!!!) but Paige decided to fill the bowls with already fallen so.  Looks like we'll have to try again next snow fall. :)

Payton determined to get outside.

Oh Reagan, the grass isn't always greener (or the snow isn't always whiter).  Enjoy the warmth!

Paige's rosy (the jury is out on the spelling because this doesn't look right) red cheeks after she came in from outside.  

Paige was cracking Payton up.

Reagan raiding Mark's wallet.

Payton modeling Paige's hat.

All in all, the snow didn't bother us much.  We were able to make it out for coffee and breakfast Friday morning (the girls and I), and then came back before the snow started.  It's going to be pretty warm tomorrow, so I'm sure the majority of it will melt.  I'm sure we'll get more before spring!!

They Grow Up So Fast

 I was just sitting here reminiscing about how much has changed in the past year.  I was looking through old pictures from this time last year, and can't believe the difference a year makes.  You would never know that they were ever preemies!!

Reagan is the queen of faces, especially lately.  She has started her speech therapy and it's amazing the difference two sessions can make.  She's making new sounds, and attempting to repeat everything we say!  I went back to find a post about her from this time last year...click HERE to enjoy!

My little hippy chicks.  I love the way Payton is eyeing the chair as Reagan is about to get up.  She just sits there and waits!

I love this picture, but it breaks my heart at the same time, because she looks like a little girl!!!  Such a sweet face, always so full of mischief!!  Click HERE to see her blog entry from last year!

Oh, Paige.  Three going on 30.  She's still testing us every chance she gets, but she has one of the sweetest, kindest hearts you will ever come in contact with.  We just need to work on not being so rough (even when giving hugs, or just playing) with the girls.  Of course, click HERE for her pictures from last year. :)

I absolutely LOVE the wave/curl in Reagan's hair.  I can't wait to see what it's going to turn out looking like. Of course, having bone straight hair, I'm quite jealous! :)

She is climbing on EVERYTHING.  She's using anything she can find as a stool.  She attempted to stack four pillows on top of each other to climb over the gate.  Oh dear....

Such dolls!!  

Lastly, click HERE to see the group shots from the same time last year.. These girls are definitely three of the four best things in my life, hands down.

Pinterest

Pinterest.com.  It's my new obsession.  I can find everything from fashion, to food, to crafts!  It's an online pinboard where other people can share ideas and opinions on everything.

As everyone in this house knows, I don't cook.  I can't find the time, and hate trying to find recipes, deciding if they are good or not.  Pinterest has tons of recipes that people have tried and enjoyed.  It does all the work for me, searching blogs, finding reviews, etc.  The first crock pot recipe I found was:  Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes (I used my own recipe, because I'm partial to Pokorny mashed potatoes). :)

I doubled the ranch and soup, and the recipe turned out fantastic!  So easy, so delicious!!  I'm looking forward to trying many more recipes and crafts (I'm working on Valentine gifts for Paige's school).  Love it!

MLK Day

I think this is the most difficult time of the year.  We get so spoiled with all the holidays and days off.  Monday was the last of the holidays for awhile, so we enjoyed our time with Mark home at the mall.  Woo Hoo. :)

Enjoying McNuggets after shopping.  The girls were great, and we were able to get some great shopping done!

My Girls

 Nothing too exciting has been going on the past few days.  The cold weather has kept us pretty locked up.  So, here are just a few pictures from my cell phone taking randomly through the weekend.

Payton makes KC look goooood!

 

My little chubs.  Those cheeks are just made for kissing!!!

Molars make her drool - check out the collar of her shirt.

Saturday night, Auntie Krissy and Matt came over for dinner.  While I was doing Payton's hair, Reagan decided to UNfold all my laundry.  Thanks, Reagan.  :)

It's all about accessorizing.

Hilarious.  Paige is screaming, Payton is laughing.  Payton is such the instigator!!