Happy Birthday

to me!!!

(I had posted this on May 30, but for some reason it posted on Mason's blog)

Today I am 28 years old!! :) haha. That would make my mom 50 years old.

My parents are over and Craig is cooking up a lot of good food. My mom spent the day with Mason and Maddox so I could do some shopping for myself. that was exciting and refreshing.

My mom made a wonderful salad and 2 desserts that I can actually eat!! I can't wait!!!

Mr. Maddox has a full blown cold right now. And had a bad reaction a couple of nights ago. We were at Mason's end of the year banquet for Awana's and Craig had eaten some food with dairy in it. He held Maddox and Maddox chewed on his finger and broke out in horrible hives all over his face. By the time we got home he had thrown up. It was scary. Thankfully my wonderful friend Stephanie was home. (her son has food allergies) and I was able to talk to her about it and later talked to the allergist. (between sobs)

Oh, and today I realzed we have been using "Milk" and Honey handsoap for the last 6 months. Might explain a little bit about his rashes.

Mason is done with this year of Awana's. He loved it! He is excited about starting up again next fall. Mason also made up a game of throwing balls into a box. But you need to pay him 10 cents or 10 dollars (you can choose). We've got a little Carnie in the family :)

Overall, I am having a great birthday. Maybe Maddox will give me a birthday present and sleep tonight :)

Milwaukee Memorial Day

Well, I didn't get out to enjoy the beautiful weather (in the high 70's today), but I did make some great progress on the kitchen. This thing has a life of it's own, it seems. I also mixed in a bunch of packing. If you haven't heard, I'm planning on moving to Madison. My close friend, Randy and his wife are going to rent my house. All I need to do is find a place to live. By the way - Madison is very expensive to live. I may have found a place - I'll keep you posted. So for now here are a few "teaser" pics of my labor for the weekend. Here's how you take a crisp white re-hab'd door (14 of them) and add some interest. Have a great week everyone! *********************************************************
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Just When We Thought...

Just when we thought the nights couldn't get any worse....they did. Oh my goodness. We were trying EVERYTHING to get him to sleep. But no go. He kept scratching his head and thrashing about so maybe it was because of something I ate. Or it's the teething thing. Or it's the reflux acting up. Not too sure. He wanted to play at 2:30 and was all smiles and babbling while laying in his bed (after we gave him Tylenol...so maybe it is the teeth).

I think Craig and I got about a total of 3 hours of sleep. Thankfully, Mr. Maddox is happy during the day even though he is sleep deprived. If he were a bear that would be terrible. It's wierd because he is happy all day and fine. But at night he gets all uncomfortable and upset. Crazy.

Aunt Janis....Here goes on Mason's blog. www.masonsfirstblogwithmaddox.blogspot.com

OK, it turned colors this time. I think it will work.

We went to Barker's Island this afternoon and hung out my parents. Mason fished a little with Craig. That was fun. Good to get out of the house.

We are planting seeds and plants tomorrow. Mason and I are very excited. Cathy...he is dying to plant his seeds and wear his gloves. Thank you for those.

Aunt Janis...I heard you know a little about snails. Do baby snails have tiny little legs that look like cilia? and are they striped or speckled? We have hundereds of them swimming in our snail home. 2 snails died. One of the dead ones was eaten by the last living snail. (gross). so I'm not sure when these eggs were laid. I hope they are baby snails and not some larvae of some flying bug or anything. All we need is a swarm of insects in the house :)

Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful memorial day!!!! Can't wait to read about everyone's weekends!!

mason has a blog

mason's blog is

masonsfirstblogwithmaddox.blogspot.com

Another One Bites The Dust

this song has been in my head for weeks, and I think it is because my brain cells are dying off. As each one dies off, this is the song it sings.

Last night was a rough one. And I haven't showered in 2 days. Maddox was up every 2hours, and was uncomfortable when awake. and didn't nap yesterday. I'm not sure how much more my body can take the sleep deprivation. I'm not even sure if things really happened....Ok I'm back. I was gone for a while because Maddox threw up. I . think it was real throw up. Probably caught the flu at Mason's Dr. appt yesterday....more on that later. Or maybe it is related to the teething. these first 2 teeth are really causing him problems.


anyway, i cant tell if things really happened or if I dreamt them. For example...I guess I ate some salmon and liked it a few nights ago..but I thought I dreamt I ate it. Crazy.

Mason was at the Dr the other day because of his toenail. It looks all fungus like and has since he was a baby. We have seen 2 dermatologists, but they could never get a big enough sample so this time I lwt the toenail grow out. Well the Dr took a sample, but he said if it came back negative we may want to consider seeing a podiatrist and having the toenail removed to see if it will grow back normal.

Is it me or do we have a lot of stuff going on? I feel slammed medically. And I am tired of my children being ill or uncomfortable.

And they are so sweet. Maddox gives the best smiles and is so excited to see us. His laugh is like music and Mason is always finding wild flowers and picking them for me.

There is really nothing like seeing your little boy running toward you in his puddle boots, hair blowing all over in the wind wearing clothes that don't match that much with a handlful of little johnny jump-ups saying "I picked some flowers for you mom!!!!" with a huge smile. All of the hard work, sleep deprivation, food deprivation, etc...is all worth it.

Mason is in the kitchen right now peeling and cutting rhubarb he picked for a rhubarb cake we are going to make this weekend. Madoox is in a comfortable position and is sitting next to me making sweet noises and pushing his feet on me. Life is good.

hopefully a picture is here

Real Life Mystery

So I am awakened this morning to loud banging/thumping sounds. The room was shaking. It took me a few minutes to actually wake up and start thinking and then I was thinking "Is Mason locked in the bathroom? Is he locked outside? Is someone knocking at the door? What is going on?" I start running downstairs and meet Mason on the stairs and then I remember....He made a hopscotch in the kitchen the night before. I ask "Were you playing hopscotch?" "Yep" he replied. Mystery solved.

P.S. Mason is THRILLED that people are replying to his posts!!! I am going to use this blogging as part of our homeschooling. When we get a faster service this fall, we'll use pictures as well. He was pretty excited that he was typing on his own, and got quite savvy with the computer.

Well, baby woke up and isn't too happy Craig went up to help him.....Duty calls :) But it's a wonderful duty!!!

mason's post

i went down the fire pole and i went across the monkeybars. and i went down the sand slide
and i made hopscoch and won mom at monopoly 3 times.and mom lost at monopoly love mason

Mason's Book

Here is Mason's book. He is reading it to me as I type it and is very excited that it will be on the blog.

Chapter 1 When Jon Finds the Mysterious Noise

When he went into the cave and heard a noise and he said "Is it a-a-a-tiger?" he said. So he ran out of the cave because he got scared and his friend came and said "It is just a rock" he said. Then Jon felt better and he wasn't scared anymore and he went into the cave with his friend and he wasn't scared. The next time he went into the cave with his friend he wasn't scare anymore. The next time with his friend he found the mysterious noise and his friend was right so he wasn't scared in the cave anymore. So they went home and had hot chocolate and that was a good day.

Chapter 2 Jon Finds His Dog

He was looking for his pet dog. He asked his friend for help to find his dog and they went off to find his dog. So they went off. So they did and they found his dog "AAH! AAH!" "Whew! Whew!" "I'm glad it wasn't a monster!" "Oh! It's my dog! I found him! My dog. I been looking I missed you dog. Let's go home". On the way home his dog got lost again so they went off to find his dog again. So they went off to find his dog again. So they went off to find his dog.

Chapter 3 When He finds How His Dog Gets Lost

When he took a walk with his dog the dog got lost again so he went off to find his dog again. "Huh! Raspberries is it. I have to get rid of the rasberry bushes quick and now and fast!" So he went home to get his trimmer. And he did and cut the rasberry bush and he did. His friend came and said, "What are you doing?" he said. And Jon said "I'm cutting the rasberry bush" so his friend went and got his trimmer and he helped him cut the rasberry bushes too and he di too. So they did. They had fun.

This book will eventually have 100 chapters. Mason drew pictures to go with each chapter, but I can't get them on the computer

i hope you like my book. love mason

Brotherly Love

Mason and Craig were reading a Mercer Mayer book the other night and the Little Critter was saying something about not wanting to watch his little brother or play with his sister and Mason was perplexed. He just couldn't figure out why he wouldn't want to do those things. He talked about it for quite a while. I thought it was very sweet.

He and Maddox ADORE each other. I pray it stays that way. Maddox will laugh the hardest for Mason and Mason can't get enough of Maddox. Although Maddox is pulling hair now, and pulled a few big chunks out of Mason's head. (Mason thought he had some bald spots and was anxious that it wouldn't grow back)...but Mason is still patient with him and everything.

Mason is dying to have Maddox share a room with him. And loves it when Maddox will lay on his bed with him. Today Maddox was fussing a little in the car seat, and Mason went over, and rocked the car seat while singing to Maddox. It was so sweet. Maddox will barely eat if Mason is around because he needs to see what Mason is doing.

A side note on Mason...He is doing musicals while playing with his Transformers. The Transformers sing to each other. The bad guy will sing in a deep voice "I am the bad guy, I will beat you" then the good guy will sing in a higher voice "No you won't, I will always win" and so on. I got some of it on tape, but it was hard to hear. It is hilarious!!

Maybe It's the Peppers?

Well, Maddox's issues are NOT affected by the cookies...Thank you Lord!!...although I am certain eating 24 of them in one day does not help!

I think he is allergic to Red and Yellow Peppers and Peas. I read that people can be allergic to the peppers if they are allergic to white potatoes and that people can be allergic to peas if they are allergic to peanuts. I am going to avoid them for a week and then try one of them to see what happens.

But last night was a good night. He slept 5 1/2 hours and just ate and went back to sleep. Then he was up every 1 to 1 1/2 hours after that to eat, but went to sleep right away. At 6:30am I just laid him in our bed without feeding him and he fell right asleep and stayed sleeping until 7:45am.

He loves to sleep on our pillows. I think he likes how the pillows crawdle the back of his head. i know everyone out there does not recommend this sleeping arrangement, but I am desperate and the child doesn't move, and I make a barrier around him.

But his cheeks didn't turn bright red in the middle of the night or ooze like they were doing again and the crust on his head went away. I eat a lot of red and yellow peppers on my salad, so I can see how that could be bothering him. His cheeks would ooze every now and then in the middle of the night. It's all crazy.

I talked with our Doctor's nurse about the delayed schedule for vaccines and she didn't seem to keen on it. Maybe she didn't understand what I meant. Our Doctor's regular nurse just left, so I haven't met this woman yet. I hope she is nice. I had really liked Barb and she had even suggested doing the shots one at a time the last time we were there. I feel like these people are good friends, seeing how we are at the clinic all the time. Even the scheduling people know all our infor when I call.

Well, Maddox is sleeping, so I am going to catch some zzz's as well and pray for another great night and day!!

Some fun things Maddox is doing:
He is almost rolling over onto his stomach. He is soooo close. He is rolling to his back, but sometimes forgets how to.

He loves to put EVERYTHING in his mouth, and I really think he is beginning to teethe. He was chewing on this baby bath toy stegasoraus dinosaur tonight, but the horns kept going up his nose...had to take that one away.

He loves to blow raspberries and is beginning to stick his tongue out now while spitting.

He spits/blows raspberries when he is frustrated or angry. In fact, last week sometime (I think) he was angry that I was putting him down for a nap without rocking him and when I walked away he yelled, then blew a huge raspberry and shot his pacifier out of his mouth. It made a "popping" sound. When I turned around he was lying very still and just staring at me. He's got spunk!

He loves to play peek-a-boo and if you say "Where's Maddox?" he'll bury his head in your neck then pop up, smile, and wait for you to say "peek a boo" and then laugh!

If I say "Patty Cake", He'll grab my hands to play the game.

My Little Sweetheart

Mason and I have been having a hard time lately...mainly because of me being overwhelmed, exhausted, preoccupied, and hungry as I figure out my new diet. He's really been acting out and I think it is because it is the only way to get attention...which is very sad.



So yesterday I really made an effort to spend quality one on one time with him. Maddox actually took a couple of naps 45 minutes to 1 hour long (a miracle) and Mason and I were able to have fun together. We played Monopoly Jr....which he is kicking my butt at. I have not been able to win and I try!! The boy is always rolling doubles, landing on Chance and picking the good Chance cards, and buying the best properties (they are ticket booths in the Jr version).



Yesterday went well and last night Craig and I prayed about him and today was another great day with him. We walked to the park and hung out there and Maddox napped the entire time in the stroller, then Maddox kept napping when we got home...a total of 2 hours!!!!! Mason kicked my butt again at Monopoly Jr. (he should be playing Crapps! just kidding)



While I was getting supper ready I had him go through the clean laundry that wasn't folded and pick out his clothes, fold them and put them away (every a.m. he wakes up surly or crying because his only comfortable pants or shirts are not in his room...I figured this would help with that)

So he's working like a trooper and singing and humming and tells me not to come into the living room. When he is finally finished he tells me to come in and he runs out of the living room saying "Do you see anything missing!?" with a HUGE grin on his face. He had folded ALL the clothes and put ALL of them away!!! I just about cried. He was so proud of himself. So tonight when I was looking for my PJs, I found the bottoms folded up in my dresser drawer and the top was on a hanger in my closet. My heart just welled. How did I get so blessed with such a sweetie

I Shouldn't Have Said Anything

Cathy, thank you for the wonderful books for Mason!! We loved them...as usual!! And the wrapping was a nice touch!

We are wrapping up our school stuff...and I was going to end with a worm unit study..but maybe a unit on explosives could work as well?

I was just reading about the delayed schedule of shots for children with allergies. There are a lot of similarities between pet dogs and children...that is crazy. But you are not a Crazy Dog Lady.


Well, since my last comment...Maddox hasn't slept. Not going to bed until 10:00 or later, needing to be rocked to sleep, getting up every 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours and staying up for hours, not napping more than 20 minutes or so and waking up not so happy. It is either from the wildrice I have been eating the last few days, or the 2 boxes of chocolate chip cookies I ate (there are only 12 in the box and they are as big as a tablespoon...no exaggaration and they have no allergens in them...the chocolate is even milk free) It is so frustrating with all the food stuff...because you just never know. He could also be teething. Seems like when one thing clears up for him...another one starts. Poor guy.

So tonight we were trying to put him down for the night and he was very upset. Craig was up with him and Maddox was inconsolable...which is unusual for him..so I went up to help, took Maddox and he stopped crying immediately, looked at Craig and smiled. Yep.

He is now laying on the living room floor playing, babbling, blowing raspberries and laughing...but at least happy. He is saying "baabaa" now and when upset he does say a sort of "maaamaaamaaa" .

Well, I think am going to lay on the living room floor and go to sleep next to him. It is almost 10:00. We are trying to get him to sleep in the crib at night...but no go. He is WAY to big for the bassinet..looks like a giant...but we didn't want to put him in Mason's room until he was sleeping a bit at night. But, it is time. Mason will have to sleep in our room for a couple of nights on an air mattress until Maddox gets used to the crib at night. He does fine for naps though (when he naps)

Take Care!!

Hello out there

Well, it has been a while. It was fun reading some of the posts, I'll need to go back and read more.

Lots of stuff going on around here. I'll just get to the medical part for now. I do have fun stuff to blog, but I'll get to that later.
Just a medical update here:

Mason is going to need a patch on his eardrum, because it is not healing properly from the rupture in Jan. They will probably so it next Spring. We are praying that it heals between now and then.

Little Maddox, it turns out has FOOD ALLERGIES. Poor little guy. He is allergic to: All Dairy, Eggs, Soy, Peanuts, Goat Milk and White potato.

He has been miserable for months, but we thought it was just the reflux. Then his head started leaking this clear oily fluid and a patch of skin on his face was leaking...we thought it was the baby acne still hanging on. Turns out it is eczema, due to the allergies. All of this info is quite new, so we are adjusting and trying to figure it all out. Hopefully he will outgrow most of these (probably not the peanut)

Since I have stopped eating those foods, he is doing MUCH better!! That is why I am able to post now. He went to bed at 8:00pm tonight and is STILL SLEEPING!! He is starting to take naps and is enjoying playing with toys and having some time to himself. Poor guy. He was a lot more miserable than we knew. It is just heartbreaking. we are hoping he will sleep better at night soon and take longer breaks between nursing (he is still nursing 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours all day).

We are grateful to have answers now and are thrilled to see Maddox more comfortable and happy. He was still happy when he was miserable, but now he is REALLY happy.

Overall, things are going well. Mason is a hoot and loves Brett Farve!! It's hilarious!! He is always coming up with inventions and ideas and has started writing a chapter book. So far he has written 3 chapters along with illustrations and chapter titles. I'll post the book later...Mason will love to know I am doing that. He is so excited about his book.

Well, take care!!
I hope to be able to get on the computer more often as Maddox heals up and feels better. I miss reading everyone's posts regularly!!

Happy Mother's Day

Since I seem to be talking to myself around here, I'll post a picture of one of my new friends here on the river. We think that he's a woodchuck.

Ginger hasn't found him, yet.

So, have a Happy Mother's Day, and I hope that you are all out doing something fun!!

And, at this very moment, it looks as though Fort Collins is the COLDEST place on the weather roster. =)