This asthma is driving me crazy!

I hate asthma! It is SO frustrating and annoying and scary. Isabel has been on Pulmocort pretty much since her last wheezing episode in December. As per the pediatrician's orders we slowly weaned her down to 1x/day as she got better. Yesterday she started wheezing again, so the nebulizer is getting a steady workout. The crack, I mean albuterol, that she gets every 4 hours makes her jittery, have the shakes and generally become crazy. Well crazier than a 2.5 year old already is. Last night she was up ALL night and then at 7:05 am I hear "Mommy, I AWAAAAKE!" How is it possible for a toddler to get less sleep than an adult? I really wanted to take her in bed with us last night because she was having such a hard time, but Brian and I decided that she needed to be on the movement monitor. There was a case of RSV in her preschool classroom this week, so I took her to the doctor to try and rule that out. Not that it would make the treatment any different, but I was worried about our planned trip to Houston this weekend and exposing Lucas, who could in turn expose new baby. That would not be good. So they did an RSV test. What I thought was a simple nose swab turned out to be a nasal irrigation. I was at the doctor's office by myself with 2 hungry kids for an hour and a half. The nasal irrigation completed our less-than-pleasant trip and was not super fun. We'll get the results in 1-2 days. Hopefully before tomorrow night so that we can decide whether we'll go to Houston or not. If we don't get results we won't go since it's just not worth the risk. If Izzy's breathing isn't under control in about 5 days she'll start another round of oral steroids. Fun times. I'm apprehensive about giving her so many meds, especially the albuterol, but the doctor assured us that lung scarring (a result of extended lung inflammation) is much worse than the drugs and is irreversable. We did get switched to a different rescue inhalor, so hopefully she won't get the shakes like she does with albuterol. It's seriously like watching someone on speed when she has it. I get hopped up, but can still sleep after I take albuterol, so her reaction is scary to me. Well, I could probably sleep anytime/anyplace, so I'm not a good example.

Between my insomnia, the crazy thunderstorms Tuesday night and Isabel's asthma Brian and I are going on very very very little sleep. I can handle getting 4-5 hours a night now that I've been doing it for years, but 2-3 is a little rough. My coffee consumption has about tripled.

It's a beautiful day outside, but I'm not comforatable having Izzy run around today, so we're inside watching shows and movies. Boring. Logan isn't impressed. Poor thing desperately wants to go outside and play.

You Just Have to Call Grandpa

So we tried to see 'Architecture of Air' last Friday. It's this really cool exhibit of light and space that involves blown up structures. We planned on meeting Brian downtown around 12:30pm after eating a picnic lunch and going to the exhibit. Brian saw that they weren't selling tickets until 2pm and called to tell us that. This was right after I showed Izzy the awesome blow up building they had constructed for the exhibit. We distracted her with lunch and climbing up 'mountains' (hills around the Long Center). As we were leaving I looked in the rear view mirror and saw that she was visibly upset and looked very sad. I asked her what was wrong and she said 'I just weeely wanted to go in those houses.' I told her that I was very sorry but that the tickets were sold out and we couldn't go. She thought for a second and then said 'You just have to call Grandpa. He has money, he'll buy tickets.' Freaking hilarious.

Stories and Singing

Isabel has come up with some super elaborate stories lately. Yesterday Brian dropped me off at the grocery store (NEVER go to the grocery store on a Sunday) while he took Izzy and Logan to the park. When they picked me up Izzy had some serious stories to tell me about a Tiger and Lion that tried to get her at the park. It was so funny and detailed. She had us cracking up. At the end of her made up stories she usually goes 'I just joking!' to let us know that it didn't really happen.

Izzy is still being a rock star in her big girl bed. She took our instructions of 'don't get our of the bed' pretty seriously and won't leave the bed until we get in her room. It's great, but also sort of annoying. She calls us in when her Thomas falls off the bed or when her blanket isn't covering her properly. She could really just reach down and pick them up, but she won't. I should be thankful that she's not running around upstairs all the time when she should be sleeping. We still have her movement monitor set up on the new bed and it's working great.

Izzy unfortunately inherited our singing genes. Basically that means that the girl can't carry a tune. She tries like the best of them, but it's SO painful to listen to her carry a tune. I mean, it's great to hear her sing, but poor thing has no musical ability when it comes to singing. She loves to sing and makes up funny songs about her day. She reminds me so much (so much!) of Jenn at this age. I distinctly remember my sister singing and talking and singing and talking and talking some more at this age. We used to tell her to be quiet and she would say 'I'll keep talking, but you don't have to listen to me.' We were so mean to her, but she never got deterred. Izzy has that same confidence. I wish I could bottle it up and give it back to her when she turns 12, 13, etc.

Logan is giving the 'cute' looks now. He's still such a hip baby and just wants to be held and cuddled. It's challenging at times, but I love that he wants to snuggle and cuddle all the time, especially when Isabel is sleeping or at school. He's down to one nap a day, but it's pretty short. He goes down around 2pm and is up at 3:30 or 4pm. Compared to the girls this is a super short nap. He goes to bed around 8:15pm and is up around 8am. Not too bad. He usually needs at least one cuddle/paci reset/pat on the back at night, but goes back to sleep relatively easily. He's understanding pretty much everything we say, but is still using just a few key words. His favorites are:
baby
bye bye
mama
dada
hello
hi
here go
thank you
That's about it. He's not an early talker, for sure, but I'm not worried. Vivian and Isabel were not early talkers and Isabel is talking up a storm these days. Logan loves his Mama and Dada and is still a little hesitant around other people. He did give a ball to a random mom at the park today. It was so cute and such a big step for my little guy!

Other than that life continues to go on. We've all been missing Vivian a lot these days. Brian and I often talk about what she would be like/look like/like/dislike, etc. Sometimes I get really pissed off that she's not here to straighten Izzy and Logan out when they need it. I know she would be an awesome little 6 year old dictator right now. We pass the elementary school and Izzy always asks if that's 'her school' just like Vivian did. It makes me smile and my heart hurt at the same time. I used to tell Vivian that would be her school in '3 years' and now that I'm telling Isabel that same thing I can't help but think 'if you're still alive.' Morbid? Absolutely. But that's what happens when you lose a child.

In happier news, we are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of the newest cousin! We packed up some baby toys for Lucas' brother and will take them to Houston this weekend. Joanne is staying with my parents until the little one is born and goes back to China (mid-March). Major props to Joanne and my parents. I can't imagine it's easy living with your in-laws with your toddler son, pregnant and away from your husband and family for so long. She's a tropper for sure. I also can't imagine that it's particularly easy to host a toddler and her pregnant Mama either, so props to Grandma and Grandpa too! I know they're loving it though! It's hard being in Austin knowing Lucas and Joanne are just a few hours away in Houston, so we're heading to Houston this weekend to spend some time with them. We'll be back in a couple of weeks to celebrate the new baby's baptism and Lucas' 2nd birthday too!

Christmas, Singing Songs, Body Parts

We got back to Austin after a great 10 days in Houston Monday afternoon. We were lucky enough to spend some time with Matt and Lindsay pre-Christmas in Austin for a day. Isabel really took to Lindsay and they had fun playing together. After Brian got off of work Friday, December 23rd in the afternoon we loaded up the car to the brim and took off for Houston. GGB, Aunt Jenn, Aunt Joanne, Uncle Rich, Lucas and Grandma and Grandpa were all waiting for us. We arrived just minutes after Aunt Jenn did. All the flights were on time. Christmas miracle! We met Greg, Matt and Lindsay dowtown Saturday morning for a tour of the St. Arnold's Brewery. It was really fun and the beer was great. Santa Claus found us in Houston and delivered presents that night! Woohoo! Isabel and Logan watched the Polar Express Christmas Eve and loved it. It was pretty cute. Santa brought lots of great toys including a pink big wheel and Tangled dvd/giant coloring book (as requested) for Isabel and lots of Elmo for Lucas and Logan. Santa even ate the cookies and drank the milk we set out. Oh, and his reindeer like candy canes. Christmas Day we went over to Grammy and Papaw's house and exchanged presents with them. Mommy was feeling a little overwhelmed and may have had a slight meltdown, but that's ok, nothing was broken. Grammy served a delicious meal and we all stuffed ourselves.

Other things we did over the holiday included-saw 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (great!), went to the Children's Museum in The Woodlands twice (once for the NYE party), ran 16.5 miles, ate way too much food, hit up the mall, ate sushi with Jenn, played Monopoly with the electronic banker (game changer), played way too little Pinochle, drank way too much, hit up the spa, played with Lucas and Lila, bought Christmas outfits for next year, did NOT overspend on presents this year. Sorry about that everyone, but this lady stuck to a budget and did not budge.

It was a really great holiday and break from the normal routine. Unfortunately Logan is still at the age where he's tough to manage and just wants his regular people (me and Brian), so that makes things tough for everyone else when we're gone. Logan is definitely happy to be back in his home and environment. He's my tough cookie, but I love that little cuddle bug.

Isabel kept talking about her new big girl bed on the trip back to Austin. We briefly mentioned it to her a while ago and she must have heard me talking about transitioning her after the holidays because she knew that it was 'after the holidays' and time for her big girl bed. Brian and I tried to tell her that we would see about buying one sometime 'this week,' but it was very clear that she wanted it ASAP. After her afternoon nap the day we got back to Austin we went to Buy Buy Baby and let her pick out a pink princess bed. To say that she loves it would be a huge understatement. Right after Brian finished putting it together she told us 'night night' and wanted us to leave and let her go to bed. When she gets upset or frustrated she tells me that she wants to go upstairs and sleep in her princess bed. It's freaking awesome! I'm crossing my fingers that the novelty doesn't wear off anytime soon. Bedtime and naptime have been so (so!) much easier these days.

Isabel has also just begun singing songs. She actually remembers the words and sings with some sort of melody. It's ridiculously cute. Her favorites are 'the ABCs.' 'Jingle Bells,' 'Jingle Bell Rock,' and some Princess song that she made up. She busted out 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer' yesterday and did a damn good job of it. Talking to her has been getting more and more fun. She's super fun and I love to hear what she'll say next. We're still working on aggressive behaviours with her, although this week they've been directed at her preschool teachers and not her friends. It's funny, her teacher says she's the first one over to comfort a hurt friend, but also the most aggressive. I guess it's all or nothing with her. Wonder where she gets that trait from? She's been SO much better with the biting and didn't bite Logan or Lucas over the holidays.

Logan is learning his body parts! This is so exciting! He loves to show off his 'head,' 'mouth.' nose,' 'tummy,' 'toes,' 'hands,' ears,' and 'eyes.' He also loves to give hugs and is trying to give kisses. He's sort of blowing kisses and is waving bye and hi. Sometimes. His vocabulary is still a little small, but all of my kids have been slower talkers. These are the words he's saying regularly.

Mama

Dada

Ball

Uh-oh

all done

dog

He also shakes his head for yes and no. Mostly for no.

Today we took Tank in to the vet to get the mass removed that suddenly popped up last weekend. Seriously it appeared overnight. We took Tank tot he ER Vet on NYE and they did a needle biopsy, but couldn't tell what it was. So we scheduled Tank for a much needed teeth cleaning and mass removal today. Tank needed 19 teeth removed. Yes, 19. He apparently has 42, so NBD (no big deal), right? I picked him up and he's suprisingly chipper and has been eating like a champ. Tank has cut into any vacation/disposable income for the year, so AWESOME! We can't complain too much though, because in the 9 years we've had him this and his prosthetic eyes have been the 2 biggest expenses. I'm hoping that the old dog hangs around for a while longer so that the teeth cleaning wasn't all for not. I kid. Sort of. On the plus side he doesn't smell like death rot anymore. People can actually stand to be in the same room with him for more than 30 seconds again. It's amazing what a good teeth cleaning/rotten teeth removal will do for your social life.

Thanksgiving 2011

We headed to Houston for Thanksgiving again this year. Thursday I got up and did a 12 mile training run that included a 5 mile 'Run Thru the Woods' in The Woodlands. The run was great, but my one and only race picture from the event it horrible. Like, the worst picture of myself ever. Yeah, I'll pay $45 for this POS picture of myself, sure! Gross. We went to Grammy and Papaw's for a delicious meal around noon. We got to see Aunt Jennifer, Uncle Greg and Lila for a little bit before they headed out to Dallas. We watched the A&M game (Brian did, I actually fell asleep) and were thoroughly disgusted. Got up from my nap just before midnight and headed to Walmart to try and get a Black Friday deal that started at midnight. It started out innocently enough, but having tons of people swarming a pallet covered in cellophane waiting for the clock to strike midnight is not a good idea. The fact that this was at Walmart makes it infinitely worse. There was pushing, shoving and people got knocked to the ground. We 'rescued' this hysterical woman who was stepped on and who seemed to be certifiably crazy. We left empty handed. Actually I almost ran out of there I was so skeeved out by the whole thing. I'm almost certain I'll never go into Walmart again and I'm 100% certain I will not be there on a Black Friday ever again. We ended up driving past a Target because the line was too long and going to another one with an even longer line to get into the store. I stood in line. After making it into the store we had to wait in another line to purchase any electronics. It made for a VERY long night, but SO much better than Walmart. There wasn't any chaos. It was all very calm and respectful. I love Target. We got what we needed after waiting in line for 80 billion hours. Went home and slept for a couple of hours and got up to hit up Baby Gap. Um Baby Gap, you did not take 50% off of everything in store like last year. No wonder no one was shopping there on Black Friday. You lose Baby Gap, you lose. After going to the mall and finding it not crowded at all we did some more shopping. It was all very nice and orderly. I didn't get everything I needed, but crossed lots of stuff off of the list. I love getting up early and shopping on Black Friday. 4am, sure! But I do not like the deals starting at midnight. :-( Boo.

Isabel and Logan thouroughly enjoyed the new dual DVD players on the drive back to Austin. The drive was 100% more enjoyable without Logan screaming 70% of the time. He won't sleep in the car, but at least he's old enough to be entertained by movies now.

11-11-11

Since I couldn't think of a better title for the post and I distinctly remember my Grandma Betty telling me I should write a letter on 8-8-88.

Isabel is coming up with the funniest stuff these days. Brian and I will just sit and listen to her and try not to crack up. Today she was flipping through the DirecTV manual and was saying 'He loves me. He doesn't love me' as she was flipping through each page. I guess it's her take on the 'he loves me, he loves me not.' I don't know where she gets this stuff. She also said 'damn it. damn it. damn it.' at lunch today. I should have just ignored it, but it caught me so off guard that I told her that's not a nice thing to say. What does she do? She says it over and over again until she goes to time out where she says it some more. The novelty finally wore off.

We're getting family pictures on Sunday so this meant that Isabel had to get a fat lip today. I have no idea how she did it, but I think she opened the bathroom door right on her face. She told me the door hurt her. Silly girl. I think it should be fine by Sunday. I'm so glad it's supposed to be 82 degrees so that we'll be nice and properly dressed in our long sleeves and sweaters.

Logan has been trying SO hard to eat the Fall centerpiece on the dining room table and today he finally got a nice big bite out of a gourd. I hear Isabel saying 'brober's eating it.'

Halloween!

We got some serious mileage this year out of the great Halloween costumes that Grandma made for Isabel and Logan. We had the big mom's group party, paraded around a nursing home, had a playgroup party, went to Goblins in the Garden, and went trick-or-treating. Everyone loved the costumes, as usual. :) Logan was a big hit at the nursing home. He just ran around to all of the old folks, got a horsey ride on some old dude (tried to pull out his catheter), and ran around the dementia wing. Isabel clung to my leg and wouldn't let go. It was great to see the smiles on the old timers' faces and watch the kids interact with them. We're going to go back next month and sing 2 Christmas songs with bells. Should be fun!

Goblins in the Garden was ok. I read in the paper that it was free, but we ended up having to pay the $8/adult fee. Not worth $16, but oh well. Isabel and Logan both liked the guy singing and playing instruments to kids songs. He was really good. We ran around the area for a bit and then Isabel got bored and Logan was done. Brian took Logan back to the car while Isabel and I walked around some more. We were standing in line for a balloon animal, but they cut the line off and we didn't get to do that. Bummer.

Trick or treating was really fun this year. Isabel didn't understand what was going on at first and was pretty confused. After a couple of houses she was like 'we go to another house and get candy?' Then it was all fun and games. We hit around 6 houses. Luckily Izzy is still young enough not to really care about the candy, so we had no trouble tossing her entire bag. I wasn't comfortable letting her have even the 'safe' candy in a bag full of M&M's and Reese's. The only 'safe' candy is Willy Wonka stuff. It's the nasty tootsie pops, laffy taffy, sweetarts, etc. The only good candy that in those bags are Dots. I always hated the houses that gave away that crap when I was younger. Now we're 'that' house. At least it's the cheap candy!

In other news: Logan has a new girlfriend. Her name is Vidia and she lives in the 'Tinkerbell and the Fairy Rescue' movie.