Putting things into perspective

DQ's doctor appointment on Monday was more traumatic than the original accident last week. The doctor agreed she probably had an infection on her cut, but wondered if something else was going on to make her eye red. He ordered blood tests from the lab to check her white blood cell count to see if she needed a shot of antibiotics or just a prescription. This test involved taking blood from her arm - not a finger prick - from a 2 year old that is already mad about being there. The first time they tried, she pulled it out of her arm and there was blood squirting out. Thank God the King took her into the lab - I probably would have passed out by this point and ended up with a cut on my head. It took 4 lab techs and about 20 minutes to get her held down in order to take 3 vials of blood. All that time she was screaming at the top of her lungs for her blanket and her mommy. I just sat in the waiting room with my head down. Was this test worth it? Looking back, should I have just requested she get the shot instead of going through all this? What would it have mattered? I think I would rather go through labor - without drugs - than to hear one of my children scream like this again. Once that ordeal was over, we had to go back to her doctor and wait for the results. She was a total mess by this point. She just sat on my lap whimpering and crying. Her white blood count was high so they ended up giving her the antibiotic shot and eye drops. He also tried to drain some pus out of the area that is glued which involved more holding DQ down. He then stated he wanted to see her again the next day. If things were not looking better she would have to go through more blood test and another shot. Luckily she started looking better and we got out Tuesday with just a prescription. Now she is back to her normal spunky self and getting into all sorts of trouble.


DQ after a 4 hour nap Monday afternoon.

As we sat in the waiting room on Monday there was another mom with her baby - I assume the baby was 6 months or so. She was making some small talk with us stating how kids are wonderful, but they really tear at your heart when things go bad. She said her baby had spent several days in the hospital last month and she was worried they were going back again. I didn't ask her any details, mostly because I was focused on my own child and getting her calmed down. Thinking back about that mom now, really puts things into perspective. This event, even as traumatic it has been on both DQ and me, is small stuff. It makes me very aware about how thankful I need to be that my kids are healthy.

I am thankful that the most traumatic thing either my kids have had to go through is are cuts and bruises. Although it totally breaks my heart to see them hurt, at least I have never had to see my kids hooked up to monitors, tubes or in a hospital bed.

I am thankful that I can count on one hand the number of times my kids have seen a doctor outside of their normal checkups. I can probably use the other hand to count the number of days I have had to take off work because one of them have been sick.

I am thankful I have never had a bottle of children's Tylenol get emptied before the expiration date.

I am thankful my kids are strong, both in strength and will. Seeing DQ this past week, I am pretty sure no one is going to be able to push her around.

Deep thoughts from Your Royal Highness...

DQ - Monday Morning update

(Wow, what a bad picture....sorry!)

We have an appointment late this morning.

DQ update - From bad to worse

DQ now looks like she was in a fight... and lost. Today her face began to swell up where her injury is. Looks like we will be heading back to the doctor tomorrow.

DQs bad day

DQ has had the worst day of her life today.

First she had to go for her 2 year checkup at the doctor. She had get one shot and her finger pricked. The entire clinic knew she was not happy about any of this.

Next we stopped by her new preschool she will be going to starting in September. She was enjoying the toys in her new room when all of a sudden she tripped on her own two feet and fell onto a corner of a table. She got a cut right below her eyebrow and we went back to the doctor's office. Instead of stitches they glued her owie shut. I know realize that the past two years of her screaming were only practice for this day. Even the nurse and doctor commented on the strength of her lungs. It took both the nurse and I to hold her still for the doctor to put in the glue.

DQ took a good nap after all this trauma and got up and played with her sister for a few hours. I figured we were in the clear - she was over it. However about 6:00 tonight she started acting really whiny and kept saying OWIE...I tried to give her some Tylenol, but she refused (the bottle expired in 2006, but I am sure it would still work). She went to lay down on the couch instead of eating dinner. Any of you that has seen DQ eat, knows this is EXTREMELY odd for her. I picked her up to put on her PJs and noticed she was burning up. I took her temperature and it was 102.5. Yikes! I am hoping the fever is a side effect of the shot she received today and not some kind of infection setting in. I did finally force some Tylenol down her and she is now sleeping.


The glue actually makes the wound look bigger than it actually is.

Pigtails!

DQ finally has enough hair for pigtails! Since Princess refuses to let me do anything with her hair, DQ is going to wear these EVERY DAY! She thinks she is pretty cute with them in her hair. I would have to agree with her.

Princess in training

There is no use fighting it. We will soon have two princesses in this household. I know the King has secretly hoped that DQ would not be as girly as her big sister, but it is going to happen whether we like it or not.

Princess helped DQ get into her dress and showed her how to twirl and dance in her beautiful dress. DQ then asked for her crown. Princess was calling DQ "Anistacia" all evening. For those of you who don't watch Cinderella 2-3 times a week, Anistacia is one of the wicked sisters...

Happy Birthday Drama Queen!

Today's is DQ's birthday. We had a fun day today just hanging out together. We didn't do anything special, just had mommy and me time.

Thank You

Dear Brother –
I just wanted to send you a thank you note for the wonderful birthday dinner you cooked for me yesterday. The food was fabulous and we all had a good time laughing at the fact DQ could eat a cob of sweet corn faster than any adult. After all the years of you not even recognizing I had a birthday, this was a really nice gesture.

It was also very thoughtful that you helped DQ with her present for me. This morning after breakfast, I went downstairs to do a load of laundry. Like usual, she started to follow me down the stairs. About half way down, she said “yuck”. I went to see what she was talking about and saw a brown skid mark with corn kernels going down 3 of the steps. That’s right... She FILLED her diaper with corn and then slid down the stairs leaving a trail for me to clean up. What a great birthday present. The best part is –this was just minutes before I had to leave for work. Needless to say, I was over 15 minutes late because I had to clean the kid and then carpet.

Happy Birthday to me…
Your Royal Highness

Another milestone

Our little DQ is growing up. This weekend we converted the crib into a toddler bed. Princess was nice enough to sleep with her the first night to make sure she wouldn't fall out. I could still hear them giggling at 10:00 at night so I don't think there was much sleeping going on.

I am going to miss her yelling "MOMMY" or "DADDY" from her crib when she wakes up in the morning.

Red, White and Black & Blue

DQ is bursting with American pride this Independence Day. She has decorated her entire body with red, white and blue during the past week. Friday she planted head first into the sidewalk to give her face a nice red accent. She also has bruise on her face from an different incident. Her legs are full of scratches, scrapes and bruises.

Unfortunately for DQ... I think she received her gracefulness from me, and it is not something I have grown out of.

Ice cold milk and an Oreo cookie...

Two reasons why I cannot have OREOs in the house:

1. I think I could eat an entire bag in one day. I have an oreo addiction.

2. THIS:

Thank God we ate outside tonight.

Outdoor fun

It was a gorgeous evening tonight.


DQ's favorite thing to do outside is to take a walk with her stroller and baby. Tonight each girl had their own little stroller and baby and we walked for about 4 blocks. Now if I can only find a stroller big enough for me to fit in...they can start paying me back for the years of pushing them around.


All the kids in the neighborhood love to ride either their scooter or bike. Princess is anxiously trying to learn how to keep up with them.

Another princess?

All of a sudden DQ is wanting to wear dresses every day just like her big sister. Will we end up having two princesses in this household?

Even the naughty one can be cute.

A letter to the queen

Dear Drama Queen,

You know I love you to pieces. You have a crooked little smirk of a smile that just melts my heart. I love it when you get excited over the little things - seeing a dog, swinging, jumping, taking your pants off by yourself... It also makes me so proud you are starting to get interest in potty training. Tonight you pooped in the potty and wore your big girl underpants to the store without an accident! Great job!

But, DQ? You are not even 2 yet, but I feel like we have been going through the "terrible twos" for over a year now. I know you are just advanced for your age, but the screaming and tantrums makes your mommy crazy. So knock it off. I know you get frustrated when you can't do something, but you don't need to throw a fit. Let me help you. And can you work on your listening skills? I know you can understand me when I am talking to you. Please just do what I say and move on to something else. You don't have to say NO all the time. There is no reason to scream and cry every time I leave the room. I know you love me and want to be with me all the time, but sometimes I just want to use the bathroom by myself. I will be right back I promise. You don't do this with daddy. Please don't do it with me either.

Also, please do not fight with your sister. Can you just try to get along? No more hitting or pushing. When you do stuff like that both of you end up crying. Wouldn't you rather just play together?

And while we are talking, let's take a moment to review table manners. When you try something you do not like, please do not take it out of your mouth and put it on my plate. Mommy doesn't want it either. When you finish eating, do not throw you plate on the floor. I don't don't want to sweep the floor every single night. Just leave what you didn't eat on your plate and I will take care of it when I am finished. If you food is too hot, make sure you blow on it to cool it off. Spitting on your food just makes it soggy and it grosses the rest of us out. I am really proud that you are now drinking out of a big girl glass, but please remember to swallow your milk. Do not spit it out of your mouth. I know it feels cool to have milk run down your face, but it is really messy.

One more thing. Please limit the amount of time you spend picking your nose. I understand it is a great way to past the time, but it is not very lady like. If you do pick your nose and dig out a prize, I don't need to see it. I am sure you are proud of your find, but please just keep it to your self. Or wipe it on your daddy, that would be okay also.

We are going on vacation next week and I am worried about these issues while we are away from home. There is going to be a lot to do and lots of people around. Please be on your best behavior. You are going to have a lot of fun. It's okay to take a rest when you get tired. You do not need to keep up with the older kids.

I know we don't spend very much one on one time together and I will try to change that. Maybe we can make a deal. If you scream and cry less, I will be more willing to take you places. Sound good?

Just some things for you to think about.

Love,

The Royal Highness

Tonight's episode of Dancing with the Stars.

Here is a recap of tonight's episode:

The opening act was a playful number with both finalists.


In Round 1, the princess started out strong with the Salsa.

DQ danced the Fox Trot and got a little carried away with her props, but had a strong ending.

Next up in Round 2, the Princess danced the Quick Step. Her choreography was flawless. Perfect 10s from the judges.

DQ must have gotten a little nervous from the Princess's perfect performance. DQ tried to entice the judges with a strip tease dance.

She was later disqualified.

CSI: The Castle

There has been a crime spree in the castle the past 24 hours. Our investigators have been hot on the case.

Yesterday evening the King's wallet was taken out of our bedroom after the girls were sweetly sleeping in beds. The intruder removed nearly everything from the wallet including credit cards, pictures, punch cards and his drivers license and left the empty wallet in the middle of our hallway. The intruder must have felt sorry for the King and left his $4 in cash. Later we found the the contents of his wallet in the princess's bed. We believe the looter was trying to frame the princess since there was no way she could have have done this since she was asleep at the time of the crime.

Today when the King was home with our little angels alone, vandals came into the house and smeared the King's lotion all over the princess's bedroom. Evidence of the vandelism was everywhere.



The King was beginning to worry that he was the target of all this crime activity. However this evening, shortly after I had cleaned our kitchen floor, a graffiti artist decided that our white floor needed some color.



Our officials have one suspect in custody and are currently questioning a possible accomplice. No motives are known at this time.

Fashion Dos and Don'ts from the Castle

DO wear monochromatic outfits for a slimming look.



DON'T wear a casual jacket with dressy clothing.




DON'T try to make a statement by wearing common items in a slightly different manner.



DO wear your hair up so it is out of your eyes.



DO wear a dress at all times if you are a princess. Even while exercising.



DO wear tutus if all your dresses are at the cleaners.


But DON'T wear tutus without pants.

Spring

Last weekend we planted seeds in front of our house. The girls thought it was a lot of fun, especially watering the dirt!

Today I was too broke to buy a pop at work

And this is why:

I gotta wear shades...

Here are the girls showing off their new Sunglasses from the Easter Bunny.