Family Day

Today we went out as a family. Peter was very happy about going to Chuck E Cheese. It's been so long since he has been there. Anna had fun running around - she kept daddy on his toes. It is so nice going to Chuck E Cheese so early in the day, because nobody is there and you pretty much have the whole place to yourself. After Chuck E Cheese we went out to lunch, and then we went home. Peter and Anna were tired running around all morning, that both of them fell asleep.

Mommy finally gets a break...........

well, since the kiddos are healthy - it's time for Mommy to take a break and for daddy to spend time with the kiddos. Mommy went out this afternoon with her sisters, nieces, and mom. It's a tradition - where we all go out and go to different "establishments" (restaurants/bars) to play Superbowl boxes. It was fun, but it was a long afternoon too. Mommy was planning on being home by about 7-8 o'clock, since we started this at 3pm - but mommy never made it home by then. Mommy carpooled with her sisters and mother - so she had to wait for everyone to be ready to leave. We even did dinner out - which was nice. But, mommy must be getting old or something, because boredom sunk in real quick and mommy was ready to go home after dinner. You have to keep in mind, that mommy was still working on catching up on her sleep - or lack of sleep with the kids being sick for the past couple of weeks. So, grandma (Margaret's mom) was finally ready to go home - YIPPIE! so was mommy.

Once home - mommy was very happy to see the kids, but was surprised that they weren't in bed yet - especially Anna since it was past her bedtime. Peter and Anna just kept on hugging mommy and Peter kept on saying that he loved me. It was so nice to be missed. As for Daddy he was crabby about mommy getting home so late (9:30pm), but instead of saying - "I appreciate everything you do" because he got to see first hand what is involved in watching the kids and doing the chores and cooking dinner, and keeping on top of diaper changes, etc. Daddy just remained crabby that mommy was gone for 7 hours - it wasn't the time I got in - it was how long daddy had to watch the kids for - thats what it really boils down too. Mommy just ignored daddy and got the kids ready for bed. Daddy will never admit it, but he knows doing Mommy's job is not easy at all.

The following day, daddy went out with the boys (his brother in laws) to play Superbowl boxes. Mommy and the kids had fun playing games and painting. Peter is such the artiste. Daddy came home after dinner, mommy was surprised to see him home so soon. But daddy said he was tired and wanted to come home.

We finally got out of the house............

hey all, well the kids are all healthy - so we are out of here! LOL. Anna's butt is still healing, but Peter and Anna are healthy enough to get out of the house. We went to Grandma's and picked up lunch on the way. It's been a long time since Grandma saw Peter and Anna. Anna was soo excited to see Grandma. We left grandma's house just in time for naps - Peter and Anna fell asleep before just a few minutes after leaving Grandma's.

Anna definitely does not take anything from her brother. When Peter tries to take something away from Anna, she is right there holding onto it so he can't get it. But Anna does like doing the same things her brother does. We have to keep on reminding Peter not to do certain things, because Anna is going to do it too.

It's nice having my healthy kiddos back. Anna is back to her typical stubborn self and Peter is back to his "power ranger" self - getting into everything and climbing onto everything.

Wooo Hooo, Mark it on the Calendar..........

Wow, who would of ever guessed - this evening was the first time that Daddy gave Anna a bath. Yup - it's hard to believe - Anna is 18 months old and Daddy finally gave her a bath BY HIMSELF. Mommy is definitely marking this on the calendar, because it'll probably be a LONG time before it happens again. Mommy went out this evening for Open House for Peter's pre school next school year. So Daddy couldn't talk his way out of it. When mommy came home - Daddy asked where we kept the baby towels and washcloths, because he didn't know where they were (hmmm, maybe if he did more baths he would know). So instead he used two dish towels. Hey, I am happy that he gave Anna a bath. OH trust me, when mommy went out this evening she took full advantage of it - and went to the library to get Peter some new DVD's to watch and even went to kohls and did some shopping - it was nice to get out of the house for a little break, since mommy has been home for the past couple of weeks with sick kiddos. But, daddy did miss mommy and called her to see where mommy was - so mommy said she was heading home after picking up Anna's other prescription - daddy was happy to hear that, because he thought I would of been home much sooner. LOL.

On a better note - the Ped. Dr. called mommy this evening to inform us that Peter's chest x-rays came out negative so he does not have pneumonia, and Anna's sonogram was negative also so her kidneys are functioning fine. We already knew this on Monday, because the technicians told us, but that was "unofficial" we had to wait for the Dr. to call us to confirm it. We also discussed the Amoxicillan that Anna was on both times when she got UTI, so the Dr. did confirm that some girls do get UTI for being on Amoxicillan, so in the future Anna will not be put on Amoxicillan again - just to prevent her from getting another UTI. Since Anna has been on Amoxicillan and now an a strong Antibiotic to clear up the UTI, she now has a yeast infection. Due to the yeast infection Anna's bottom is sooo soo red and sore - it looks soo soo painful. So her Dr. prescribed a cream to clear up the yeast infection. It'll be a very happy day when both of my kids are healthy again.

As for sleepless nights - it has gotten better. Anna still does get up and scream and cry, but mommy would check her diaper and it would be fine. So Anna is just crying/screaming because she wants to sleep with mommy like she has been for the past two weeks. So, now mommy has to break Anna of that habit - so she goes back to sleeping by herself in the crib. Peter's prescriptions (3 of them) are finally working - so he is not coughing as much where it sounds like he is going to get sick, so he has managed to sleep in his own bed by himself - unless if he has those "bad dreams about monsters" then he climbs in with mommy and daddy. Slowly, mommy is catching up on her lost sleep over the past weeks - and luckily (knock on wood) mommy is still healthy. As for Daddy - he knows he can never take NyQuil ever again. Sunday night daddy took NyQuil "because his sinuses were bothering him". Well, both kids were up most of that night screaming and crying and both needed mommy most of the night. Mommy tried waking up daddy to help - but he was not moving and the light in the bedroom didn't bother him one bit. Mommy was trying to keep Anna away from Peter - so she didn't get what he had too. But, since daddy was not helpful this night - mommy had no choice but to have both little ones sleep with her in Peter's bed - just so some of us can get some sleep. So, needless to say - Monday morning when Daddy woke up - Mommy told him that he didn't have that option when both kids are sick, because he needed to be a dad last night to help. Oh trust me, daddy knows that mommy was pist!, and he won't be doing that again. If mommy didn't know better - I would swear that daddy purposely did that, just to get a good night sleep, but daddy denies that.

I look back over the past couple of weeks - and I laugh when I think how mommy and the 2 kiddos managed to sleep all together in Peter's twin size bed - along with the Max (our dog) on a couple of occasions. I honestly have no idea how I managed to take care of both kids 24 hours a day with the very little sleep I got each day ( we are talking about an hour here and an hour there - very little sleep). Good thing for nap time - because on many occasions mommy took advantage of nap time too.

Well, we are almost at the end of the road where both kids should be healthy and cleared of all their ailments. It'll be happy to have my Active Happy kids back. :) It'll also be nice, to get out of the house with them too and have some fun. I know Peter is starting to get restless for being in the house for so long.

Thanks for following along while the kiddos were sick. I'll be happy when this is all past us.

So guess who is running a 104.2 temp now?

You guessed it - Peter. Saturday night/Sunday morning, Mommy decided to catch up on her emails and groups on line - until about 2am when Peter was crying for his mom. Peter had dreams about monsters and couldn't get back to sleep. When mommy checked in on Peter he felt a little warm, but daddy thought it was from his room being so hot - like a sauna. So, mommy slept in Peter's room. Peter couldn't fall back to sleep, he kept tossing and turning. Then mommy felt how hot he was. Mommy took Peter's temp to find it at 104.2. Mommy immediately gave Peter motrin to bring the temp down, and then mommy woke up daddy to help give Peter a bath. At this time, Peter was like a sack of potatoes and was talking about a whole lot of nothing. - due to the temp being so high. Mommy gave Peter a bath to help bring the temp down. We managed to fall asleep about 6 am with Peter's temp lower.

Sunday, Peter and Anna continued to run temps, so mommy kept them on motrin or tylenol to keep the temp low. Luckily, Anna slept most of Saturday night - so mommy was able to take care of Peter. When Anna woke up at 6am Sunday morning - daddy watched her to mommy and Peter could sleep.

Since Anna was running a temp today, as per her Dr's request - she would be going on Monday to got a sonogram to get her kidneys checked - to make sure they were still functioning the correct way. Peter was coughing all day and was just miserable. So mommy knew he was going to the Dr's on Monday as well. Sunday afternoon we all had that needed nap - mommy was soo tired from being up for so many nights. Mommy felt like a new person after that great nap.

Sunday night - Peter had a hard time falling asleep with the constant cough - the poor little guy. Mommy stayed with Peter to make sure he was okay. Anna woke up screaming/crying during the night. Mommy went to change her diaper and check her temp. For once Anna was not running a temp, but her diaper did need changing. Mommy put Anna back in her crib to tend to Peter. A couple of times, mommy thought Peter was gong to get sick, but he didn't. Anna continued to cry/scream until about 2am - then she finally fell asleep. Peter was up most of the night coughing. Mommy tried holding Peter so he can get some sleep, but no luck. Mommy rubbed Peter's back - and he fell right to sleep until about 8am Monday Morning.

Monday morning the Dr's office opened up at 9am and mommy called them to see if there was an appointment open to bring Peter in. Mommy brought Peter in, and the Dr. told mommy that Peter has bronchitis and both ears were infected with all the fluid he has in him. So the Dr. prescribed 3 different meds for Peter to take. She also requested that Peter get a chest xray done to make sure it was not pneumonia. So, mommy and Peter headed back home, where daddy was watching Anna. We called and made appts. for both Anna to get her sonogram done and for Peter to get the chest X ray done. Anna was great getting the sonogram done, and the technician said that Anna's kidneys looked fine - she said that it was unofficial because she really isn't suppose to say anything. Peter was a little scared when he walked into the room to get the chest X Ray, but he got them done and the technician told us that if we wanted the results we just had to wait a few minutes and he would have them. So, I said okay - I'll wait for an answer. Peter's lungs were fine. YIPPIE!

We are very happy that both test came back negative - that is a relief. But, now Anna is still running a temp while on an antibiotic for her UTI - so it just might be a viral thing that she has - where no antibiotic will clear it up - only time will. Tomorrow when Anna's Dr. calls us with the official results, mommy is going to talk to the Dr. about the temp.

well, it's almost midnight Monday night - and I am exhausted. Both kiddos are sleeping and I need to take advantage of this time while they are sleeping to catch up on my sleep also.

good night. Hopefully in a couple of days - I'll have some great news for you - that the kids are Healthy.

Margaret

Finally got the results............

Okay, so last night wasn't much better than the other nights. Anna definitely had a temp during the night, but mommy couldn't give her anything, because she was just given something for her temp 2 hours ago, so Anna was sweating the temp out. She was so uncomfortable, it just broke mommy's heart - because there was nothing else mommy could do, to make it go away. I even offered Anna another baba (bottle), but she didn't want that - and Anna never says no to baba or food. She woke up Peter, so Peter went to sleep with daddy. So mommy and Anna slept in Peter's bed - not to disturb daddy and peter sleeping. While Anna was sleeping she kept on tossing and turning, but she was so cute - the couple of times she did wake up - she looked at mommy and smiled and then put her head on mommy's shoulder and fell right back to sleep.

This morning mommy woke up, waiting for the Dr. to call to confirm the UTI or not. At 11am no phone call, so Mommy called the Dr. The Dr's office said that the results were "still pending" I was like what - they had the urine sample since Wed. So, mommy being mommy and determined to get answers, decided to call Quest herself. The lady who answered the phone was very nice, but told me what our Dr. told us. I asked the woman how much longer would the test take, she was not able to tell me. I explained to her that the results were for my 18 month old daughter who has been miserable for days. I told the woman, if it was for me - I would just suck it up and deal with it and wait until Monday for the results. The woman understood my concern but was not able to tell me when the results would be available. Well, about 10 minutes after mommy hung up from Quest, Anna's Dr. called to let us know that Anna definitely has UTI. She asked how was doing, I told her that Anna was still running a temp and was miserable and really hasn't had a good night sleep. The Dr. was concerned about the temp still being here, so she said if Anna has a temp tomorrow (Sunday) then she wanted Anna to go in and get a sonogram done to check her kidneys - just to be on the safe side. sigh - so that is where we are at now with Anna.

After getting off the phone with the Dr. Mommy googled UTI and infants and found out a lot of info. One thing mommy does know - is that Anna will not be put on Amoxicillin in the future, because that can cause UTI, and the last time Anna had UTI - she was also on Amoxicillin. I mentioned this to the Dr. and she agreed and said that she would make a note in Anna's folder about it.

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers - even though I didn't ask yas. :) It's greatly appreciated. Anna's is a trooper - so this too will be soon behind her.

I'll keep you posted on what Monday brings.

Margaret/Mommmmm (as Anna would say)/Maaa Maaa (as Peter would say)

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine............."

Well, I don't know how many people like that song, but Anna loves it and it keeps her from screaming and crying. Last week (1/6) mommy brought Anna to the Dr's because mommy knew something was wrong with Anna. Well, mommy's ESP was right - Anna had infected sinuses and a badly infected throat. She has been on Amoxicillin since. The other day, mommy brought Anna back to the Dr's because she just wasn't herself and again, Mommy's ESP was right, but this time the Dr. requested that a urine sample be sent to Quest to be tested. Anna is on Amoxicillin but is still running a temp. so the Dr. thinks it might be a urinary tract infection (UTI), she said that is common with baby girls in diapers. Please keep in mind, that mommy is very good about changing Anna's diapers - especially since Anna has such sensitive skin - if she sits in urine for the littlest time, she'll break out with a rash. And when Anna does a poop, big brother enjoys ratting Anna house and lets everyone know that Anna pooped.

So, mommy got the urine sample (that was a fun experience LOL), and daddy dropped it off at Quest Wednesday morning before going to work. The past few nights Anna has been having a very hard time with being so uncomfortable. She would fall asleep then wake up screaming and crying. For you ladies out there, that have had UTI - you know how painful this is - even for the smallest little girl. Last night, nothing was calming Anna, she managed to keep the whole house awake. About 2am, Peter went into bed with daddy, so mommy and Anna took over Peter's bed. Even then Anna wouldn't calm down and fall asleep - so mommy started to sing..........."you are my sunshine, my only sunshine........" and Anna stopped crying/screaming and laid there and just listened to mommy sing. Trust me, for those of you who don't know me - I sing as good as I play the clarinet - horribly. LOL. So, Anna blinks kept on getting longer so Mommy stopped singing..........then ooops - big mistake - Anna started to scream/cry. So mommy kept on singing "you are my sunshine........." until Anna was sound asleep - which was bout 4am.

Well, today is Friday 1/16/2009 - Anna woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Mommy tried food, milk, snacks, etc. nothing was working. So mommy started singing that Brady Bunch song...........oh yes, remember the Brady Bunch - we always laughed at that show with "6 is enough".........where mommy's family had 18 is enough. So mommy started singing "Sunshine day........everybody singing...........sunshine day........" don't ask where that song came from - mommy just started to sing it. LOL But Anna loved it, and she calmed down and started to eat her breakfast. Today we were to find out the result of Anna's urine sample. Well, 4pm strolled around with no word. So mommy called Anna's Dr. to see what was going out - after several calls - the Dr. called mommy back to let us know that Quest did not have the results yet, but she would call me in the morning once she gets them. SIGH - I was like what. I explained to the Dr. how miserable Anna was and how she still had a steady temp - even being on Motrin and Tylenol. So the Dr. said she would call the pharmacist to get Anna another antibiotic to start treating the UTI tonight. The Dr. said she would call us tomorrow morning with the results, and if its not UTI, then Anna would have to go for other tests. Well, since mommy's ESP has been right so far - I am betting on it being UTI - and hopefully after a couple of days on a stronger antibiotic Anna will be back to her usual self.

Mommy hopes this is no indication how the winter will be, because the winter just started.

Hopefully tonight will be a good night for everyone to get some sleep.

Will You Pray for Abby...........

I wanted you to know about Abby.
She was adopted from Guatemala. At three years old, she was diagnosed with a high-risk, aggressive form of Leukemia. Certain genetic complications have put her chance of surviving the treatment at about 20%.
I am praying for her and her family. Would you pray for them too?
You can find more about Abby here, on her family blog: http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/2009/01/about-abby.html

This little girl is only 4yrs. old and is sick and weak from the chemo. So I am writing you to ask you to do whatever it is that you do for this little angel to make it through this - cross your fingers, make a wish, whatever it is that you do - please do it. God can work miracles and I am praying that she is one of his miracles that he heals. Just reading about Abby has brought tears to my eyes, I can't imagine how hard this must be for Abby and her family.

Thanks for your continued support - it has been greatly appreciated!

Margaret.

Happy Three Kings Day!

wow, how time flies. This time last year - Peter and I were in Guatemala visiting Anna with the other mom's who were in the middle of adopting their little angels. We celebrated Three Kings Day with Edwin (our lawyer) and his wife Jacqueline and family. Peter had soo much fun playing with the other kids and feeding all of the family pets. So, to keep with the Guatemalan Tradition - we too celebrated Three Kings Day here in New York. We made the bread - and it came out great! (see pics and story below).

What is Three Kings Day.....

This is a Christian holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Three Kings who followed a bright star of Bethlehem to bring gifts to the Christ Child.

In the story of the Bible the Three Kings, named Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, brought gifts to the new baby. They brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Three kings Day is also known as The Epiphany. In Spanish and in South America it is referred to as El Dia de los Reyes.

When is Three Kings Day Celebrated?

Three kings day is celebrated on January 6th. This is twelve days after Christmas, which represents the twelve days of Christmas.

Why on January 6th?

The Western Christian Church adopted December 25th as the day of the Feast of Christ's Birth. This change was how the twelve days of Christmas arose. The Eastern Christian Church recognizes January 6th as the celebration of the nativity. The physical birth of Jesus was kept on January 6th in Bethlehem.

What happens during the celebration of Three Kings Day?

On the twelve days before the Three Kings Day, the children dress up in kings outfits and the custom of star singers takes place. Children go from door to door holding a star and dressed like kings, singing carols and telling the biblical story of the Three Kings. The children receive sweets, treats, and money for this. They keep the treats, yet the money traditionally went to the unemployed craftsmen, yet today the money goes to the charities of the churches.

In some places there is a parade in which they celebrate three kings day, this occurs on January 6th and the proceeds still go to charities of the church. The parade takes the tradition of the star singers, yet some counties still celebrate both.

The night Before

On the might before three kings day, traditionally, there are prayers, blessed dried herbs would be burnt, and the aroma would fill the house with wonderful smells. Doorways are sprinkled with holy water and in some homes the head of the house would write with chalk above the doors C + M + B (the three kings names) and the year.

Children would put their shoes out and wake up early the next morning in hopes of finding gifts in their shoes. The aspect of shoes is similar to the American tradition of leaving cookies for Santa.

On Three Kings Day

On Three Kings Day the children open their presents and in some families, those who have tress, the Christmas tree is taken down. *

A popular tradition on Three Kings Day is serving the Rosca de Reyes - crown shaped sweet bread decorated with candied fruits to resemble jewels. Before baking, one or more tiny figures of babies - to symbolize the Baby Jesus - are hidden in the dough. Serving the Rosca de Reyes is a festive occasion celebrated with large groups of people, family and friends, gather to partake in the sweet bread. Each person cuts his or her own slice including the children.

As tradition goes, whoever gets a piece of the Rosca de Reyes containing a baby is obliged to host another party on or before February 2nd. This date is called El Dia de la Candelaria (or Candlemas), and this traditional Christian celebration, also known as the Presentation of the Christ Child, marks the official end of the Christmas Season.

Many families go to church on this day and prepare a large dinner before.

Who celebrates The Three Kings Day?

This is a tradition in many families and homes across Latin America. The traditions and celebrations vary throughout the cultures and communities, yet the story and the purpose stays the same throughout every culture.

* January 6th is also known as "Little Christmas" where all the Christmas Decorations would be taken down on this day. When I (mommy) grew up we celebrated Little Christmas and we never took down any Christmas decorations until January 6th.


What a fun day we had..............

Today Chef Peter made the Three Kings Day Bread and he did a wonderful job. We made it by stratch and Peter managed to make a mess of himself and the kitchen. This is a tradition that we will continue to have in our home - because we had so much fun and Anna had fun eating the bread. Next year Anna will be old enough to help with the baking.

Feliz Navidad & Happy New Year!!!!

Wow, how quickly Christmas came and went. This Christmas was soo very special. Peter knows who Santa is and this was Anna's First Christmas Home.

This year, we added a new "tradition" to our Family Christmas - "Elf on the Shelf". Peter just loved the little Elf, and next year Anna will be old enough to enjoy it also. The Elf on the Shelf is about this little elf that hangs around the house and goes back to the North Pole to report to Santa each day to let him know how the children are - if they've been bad or good. When the Elf returns to the house, he sits at a different spot - so when the children wake up they have to look for the elf. Peter enjoyed looking for the Elf and it was funny - Peter was especially good in the room where the Elf was watching him, so Mommy had to remind Peter that the elf knows what he is doing wherever he is.

Mommy had her family over Christmas eve for dinner & Dessert. In Guatemala on Christmas eve, they have big fire works go off, and then they open gifts. Since fire works are illegal in New York - mommy did the next best thing (it too is really illegal, but not a big thing) we lit sparklers outside in the front yard and song Christmas songs, then we went inside to open gifts and have dessert. The evening was fun.

The kids went to bed, so Santa can come. The next morning, Peter woke up early and climbed into mommy and daddy's bed - not noticing that Santa already came. Peter fell right back to sleep. When Peter woke up in the morning - he asked if he can relax and watch T.V. in our room, Mommy reminded Peter that he might want to check to see if Santa came. With that, Peter jumped out of bed and ran into the living room and his face just lit up! Mommy went to go get Anna - who was still sound asleep. Everyone gathered around the tree to open their gifts. Each gift Peter opened - had a "NO WAY" Mommy and daddy has no idea where those words came from, but it was sooo cute to see Peter open each gift with "NO WAY". Anna was happy with her baby doll and dragged that all over the living room. After the gifts were open, we had breakfast and then daddy got to work in putting some of the toys together so the kids can play with them. We got ready to start the Christmas day.

Mommy's family has a tradition - that starts off with everyone going to Grandma's house (mommy's mother's house) where gifts are received. Then we start going house to house to house to see everyone and their Christmas tree. It's a long day, but a fun day. At the last house is where we have our Christmas Dinner with most of mommy's family. On the way home, Peter and Anna fell asleep, and mommy was able to carry them right into their room's and put them to bed. Don't worry we didn't forget Daddy's side of the family - we got together with Daddy's side of the family on the Saturday before Christmas for brunch at our house.

Christmas is such a wonderful time of the year for Children. I can't wait until next year when both Peter and Anna are old enough to enjoy Santa and Christmas.

We want to wish everyone a Very Happy 2009.

Peter at 3 years 3 months old, he is getting so big!

Anna 17 months old - with Frosty.

One of her many Holiday dresses.

Oh Christmas Tree with all the gifts.

Daddy always wanted a train track around the Christmas Tree.

Anna enjoying her new toy at Grandma's house.

She loved this dress, it felt soo soft.

Anna was in awww with the Christmas lights and

she was so good in not touching the ornaments or lights.

Peter trying to peek in the bags for his gifts.

Grandma & Anna - on Christmas this was the best we

can get with Anna posing for the camera - she was on the go.

Peter & Anna at a Christmas Party

At the tree farm cutting down our tree,

Peter picked out the perfect tree.

ohhhh Prettttttyyyyyy!

At 17 months old ~Anna did just fine opening her gifts.

Feliz Navidad to All

The Family at a Christmas Party with Grandma

Holiday Events in Town.

Pictures, Pictures, and more Pictures..........Disney World - Florida

"A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes".....

"This is Love & Happiness"........PRICELESS!

Cooling off at the Sprinkler Park

"If I sit on the sprinkler, it won't be able to get me in the face again"

" Hey, this is a cool fort"

"I Love Mickey!"

"Hey Mickey!"

"Power Ranger - Mystic Force"

Do the Pose.

"Oh Drats - it got me"

"Cheese"

" "We are having F...U...N..... FUN!"

"Mickey Mouse"