Strawberries!

To celebrate the lovely spring weather, we met up with some friends and went to pick berries in Lexington. We had a GREAT time. The kids have eaten about a pound and a half of the 6 pounds we picked. Bryson keep trying to pick the over ripe berries. And Mikayla was so happy to be out there, she kept skipping the good ones!

Do I have to have a title?

The hardest part of the posts for me is coming up with a title. I don't like them!

Sally is back in the hospital. She's feeling very weak and can't make it to the potty by herself. The doctors suspect that it is the cancer on her spine that is causing pressure on her spinal cord thereby making her legs weak. She's slowly losing her ability to form coherent thoughts and is having trouble finding the right words to express her thoughts.

Spring Break is half over and honestly, I hadn't known it had begun. With all the Sally stuff going on, there isn't much time for anything else. I've decided the kids and I are getting out today, even if it's only to the local park for some running around time!

Ahh.. Children.

Bryson loves to sleep. Unless he's anyplace that isn't home where he is without his crib. He can be dead tired, but WILL NOT sleep. He doesn't fuss. He doesn't cry. He will play nicely in a pack-n-play for two hours, but he will not sleep. At least mama got some time without said kid stuffing elbows into overly sensitive nipples.

Mikayla hears everything you think she can't. And nothing you think she can. Aren't all 5 year olds that way. Whisper something to your husband across the room from said child, with the water running and the TV blaring, and she'll manage to hear it. IF however, you say the same thing, directly to her face, in a quiet room, while she's looking right at you, and she'll pretend she didn't hear a thing. DRIVES ME NUTS!

Independence is a wonderful thing. I realized yesterday, that if I died, my children wouldn't starve. Mikayla decided it was time for her and her brother to have a sandwich. What type of sandwich you ask? Why a peanut butter, raisin and marshmallow sandwich of course. And she even cut it in half so they could share. They would, however, only have water from the bathroom sink to drink. She's not allowed in the fridge by herself and she chooses to observe that rule!

Where did the day go?

We woke up around 8, had breakfast and I started work around 8:30. What seemed a short time later, I looked at the clock and it was 11! What the heck! Sat on the couch with the kids and I fell asleep. For TWO hours! When I woke up, Brad had fed the kids and put Bryson to bed (ain't it grand!) I had lunch and worked a bit more. Then it was FOUR! Got Bryson up and we went to run pre-birthday party errands. Man, we got home after seven. The day went by way too fast! My how time flies when you're consumed with mundane tasks!

Positive note: We did a 15 minute cleanup after dinner and now the house looks like we live here, but a tornado does not. For those who do not know what a 15 minute clean up is..You set a timer for 15 minutes and clean until it beeps. When it beeps. You're done. That's it. No more! Now that's my style of cleaning!

Baby, Cancer and Life

I had my second OB appointment today. I've gained SEVEN pounds since the last appointment! This is crazy for me. I normally lose weight up until the last two months (months 7 and 8 for me). Oh well, maybe it means I won't spend the last half of this pregnancy in bed (one can dream right?). My blood pressure was normal. What a relief! I'm supposed to start taking it twice a week just to make sure it isn't starting to creep up. Like loading up two kids and traipsing off to the local WM or Kroger isn't going to make my BP rise. Anyway. Then it's time to listen for baby. Baby isn't cooperating. Mikayla wants to "see" the baby and asks for an ultrasound. Dr. Anna says that she has lots of patients to see and not much time. I say, "Well, I want to look anyway" and explain the situation w/ my MIL. Dr. Anna quickly puts the doppler away and says "Well, we can't find the baby. Guess we get to look!" Off we go for a quick US. Baby is doing fine. Heartbeat is good and strong. This little bean is all curled up with arms and legs tucked under in the classic fetal position already. Baby's legs/arms are facing down and back is facing up. EXACT same way I carried Mikayla the ENTIRE pregnancy, up until they pulled her unwillingly from my body. I'd scan in the pic, but I can't figure out how to make our OOOOLLLLDDDD scanner (like pre-baby) work on the new Mac!

In other news, my mother-in-law was released from the hospital on Monday. She also began her cancer treatment the same day. I really feel for the lady. She's undergoing weekly chemo and daily radiation right now. She's got radiation focused on her brain and upper spine. The cancer doctor told her today that the cancer in her spine is growing very rapidly and he's concerned she may become paralyzed from it. The doctors do not normally do chemo and radiation at the same time, but due to the type of aggressive cancer Sally has, it is her only hope of remission. And even then, the hope is only a tiny little glimmer in a vast ocean of bad news. Keep her in your prayers!

In life here.. I am so thankful that Bryson loves to sleep. Honestly, I don't know may 2 year olds that LIKE going to bed. You tell him it's bed time, he says "Night Night" and runs off to his room ready to climb into the crib. He loves his crib. Really, he loves it. I've tried converting it to a toddler bed, but he just cries that he wants the side back on!

Bryson has really started talking more now! He's in the middle of a verbal explosion. Just tonight at the store, I told him not to hit me cuz it hurt and then called him a "mean little monkey" and he repeated it back to me. I've started calling him George just because. Now everybody is George. Sissy George. Mama George. DaDa George. It's really quite funny!

Mikayla is her normal self. One minute she's all smiles and laughter, the next it's DRAMA time! Any little thing can set her off, at any time. Normally, she comes right back out of it though. Her birthday party is Saturday. My baby girl is going to be FIVE! Where did the time go? I remember bringing her home from the hospital wondering how in the world spring managed to happen while I was in there with her. I remember having to keep her in a onesie, a sleeper, two knit hats, a pair of socks on her hands and feet AND wrapped in two blankets to keep her temp constant (she was 4 weeks early after all!) I remember how big she was at her first birthday party. She was already a little girl. Baby hood was WAAAYYY behind that little girl. Sentences were coming from that precious tiny mouth. She was running up and down the halls. She was the size of a two year old! Now, she's turning 5. She'll start school in the fall. And I'm excited and anxious and scared of letting go!