Wow!! It's been a while! :o)

I just realized how long it has been since I have posted on here about my babies! :o) Well here is the biggest change of all... I have been a stay at home mom since April. Very big change for us! Another one of our big changes is Jason got a promotion working with the water plant. That meant making the switch to the night shift. It's a big change, but worth it. The nights that he isn't working means he gets to spend more time with the kids, and of course he can now hunt during the week. It has been rewarding and challenging, but oh so worth it! McKenzie was at home with us until August when she STARTED PRE-K!! That's right, my baby is in school now!!! I can't believe how big she is getting! She is writing her name, as well as others. She can write her sisters, Grammy, Daddy, Mommy, and a few kids in her class. She is recognizing names and letters everywhere we go. I think she will be reading by the end of her school year. She truly is eager to learn. She is always coloring, making list, or just doodling. Taylor has gotten a case of the "learning bug" as well. She is talking up a storm. Her favorite of all is "papa" this little girl is obsessed with her Papa. Taylor is my handful baby, hands down. She is a climber, every time I leave the living room she is on top of the coffee table, lol. I love it, she keeps me busy! I can't believe how fast they are both growing. In about 4 months I will have a 5 and 2 year old!! Jason seems to think this means we should have another one. I on the other hand thing he is crazy! haha!! That's about it for now. I will have to be better about updating this more!!!


Here are a few new pictures of the girls:

McKenzie in her ballet outfit from her summer recital of Swan Lake.

All ready, she wore this to school for Halloween! :) She even looks like a princess!
My big girl!!!
Taylor bug!!! All grins!


MY GIRLS!!! It was so hard to get this picture, and Taylor still isn't looking at the camera!

These two are so funny!! This is Taylor's cheese face!

They call me "Ye of little faith"

Oh goodness...I am not even sure where I should begin with this one...so I will do the most logical thing and just start from the beginning.
Sunday I wake up with a fever of 104. Feeling terrible I sit around the house feeling terrible and getting NOTHING done. Lovely. My parents come down and have dinner and help make me feel better by just keeping the kids happy for a little while. Alright, well wake up Monday still sick and get off work around 9 and go straight to doctor. They inform me there that I have strep and that I must, she actually said MUST, get my tonciells removed. Lovely. So, I get my shot in the hip and 3 prescriptions and go pick up my children and go home. End of horrible day...or so I thought.
I get home around 3:00 in the afternoon. Jason suprised me by taking the rest of the day off to help me by taking care of the girls so that I could get some rest. I am EXTREMELY thankful for this because the events to follow would have been so much harder without the 2 hour nap I was able to take because he was home.
Jason takes Taylor and puts her down for a nap. Which should have been my first clue that she wasn't feeling well, since she NEVER ever takes 2 naps in a row. So, she goes to sleep and sleeps for almost 4 hours. DING DING....she wakes up and I already have a clue that she isn't going to be feeling well. I just kept thinking, "Damn, I gave her strep." I get her up and take her temp, it is 105.7, at this point I am starting to worry because she is just laying there and hardly moving. So, I call the oncall at our peds doctor. After not getting a call for 2 hours I back up ship and take Taylor straigh to the ER. *****This is when I tell my mother that I am FOREVER thankful for her meeting me at the ER, without her there I seriously would have LOST it.******
SPECIAL NOTE: This is when the story starts to get good....
I arrive at the ER at 8:15PM, check in and get settled for what I was sure would be a long night, but usually children are seen pretty quickly so I didn't think it would be more than 3 hours or so. My mom arrives and we enjoy watching Dancing with the Stars and some other crap while Taylor is passed out on my chest. She is at this point running a temp of 103.7, this was the lowest that it EVER got this night. At about hour 4 or maybe it was 3...I have no idea. Taylor starts having this horrible spazums. She is shaking and jumping and all this scary things...well...then she starts vomiting, so I go get a nurse and again ask what the hold up is. She takes me to some room where someone takes her temp (AGAIN) and then runs off to find someone. At 11:58PM (sorry mom you didn't get to yank the date over) we get called back to a room. We meet Dr. Trevena...seems nice enough. He asks up all this crap that we had been over again and again. Says that he thinks it is just a virus and because I told him about her vomit spell he is telling us that he thinks it is a tummy virus. But, I am assuming this is to passify my mother and I, he tells us that he will run her urine and see if it is a UTI, which is the most common thing with little baby girls. Whatever. He says that AGAIN he thinks it is just a virus and not to be upset if we leave without answers because that happens a lot. I tell him that I really am not comfortable with this because I know my daughter and I know when she isn't ok. I requested that he run some blood work to check her white blood count. He refuses telling me that he will not preform a test that he doesn't believe is needed. Something about how the "old School" doctors are the ones who go by test to see if there is an infection. **Please keep in mind that the whole time Taylor is for the most part laying accross my lap lifeless.** He then says that because she appears to be ok (laying lifeless) and since he can't find anything it must be a virus. He comes back in a little while later to say that she did have some white blood cells in her urine but he isn't convinced that she has a UTI, so we should just WAIT for the 48hr culture. So, he gives her some meds to stop throwing up and tells me...let her run a fever. We don't want to treat the fever, I should just let her run a fever. SERIOUSLY!!!!! Sends up home with "Let her run her fever, she can run a fever for up to 10 days and then it will start to ease up, this is very common with viruses." (JERK)
Well, I am not supposed to know better, I mean afterall he is a doctor!! So I take my horribly sick child home content to believe it is just a virus. At this point it is 3AM!
Next day, 12:00 in the afternoon. We wake up, because we have been awake all night. And her fever is once again 105, and having the horrible shakes again. So, I call our PCP, and make an appointment. When we get to Dr. Roberts, he takes his looks and does a strep test (which is negative) he asks me some questions about the night we spent at the ER and is blown away when I tell him how Dr. Trevena treated us and treated the whole situation. He tells me that I need to go over to the hospital and get blood work done and a chest X-Ray. He says that the blood work with check and see if it is infact bacterial and the X-Ray is to check for Pneumonia, he said just because she sounded ok doesn't mean she doesn't have it because Pheumonia has a tendency to hide. Ok, fine with me. He also gives he a shot of antibiotic because he doens't like the fact that she has been running a fever that high for so long.
OOOOOOk, we are now at about 330 in the afternoon and sitting at the hospital again. After another terrible wait and messup caused by paperwork not correctly done, we finish up. I report my complaints to everyone who will listen to me and finally get the Charge Nurse, who takes my statement with the promise to get back to me.
We go home.
Her fever continues to be high, but we were told that the shot can take up to 24 hours.
The next morning we wake up and she is FEVER FREE...thank god...well know we know that it is BACTERIAL, since the shot broke her fever. We go throughout the day with her slowly starting to feel better. At 2:15 Jason takes her to the doctor to get the results from the day before. AND....drum roll please...she has PHEUMONIA.
At this point I just am blown away because of how wrong Dr. Trevena was. I keep thinking if I would have listened to him and waiting the 10 days he said then would Taylor still be alive???
We are on day 3 or 4, and now that we have the cause and all this wonderful stuff, she has been treated correctly with a high dose antibiotic. She kept her dinner down for the first time tonight. So, here is to hoping that she is finally getting better.
I have been on the phone all day talking to different his and hers of the higherups at the hospital. I was last told that Dr. Trevena was told this morning by the Cheif of Staff of his mistake. I am awaiting a call tomorrow from the head of the ER to find out where we are now. But I will NOT sit by and let this be dusted under the rug. I am beyond pissed that my daughter was treated and dismissed without listening to my as her mother!! I will keep everyone updated on where we are with all this. But, as of right now....Taylor is doing SOOO much better!!

****Once again, I need to thank my mother SOOOO much for sitting at the ER with me from 9pm-3am, going home to frost her cupcakes and then go to work almost 3 hours later. I really don't know what I would do without you! Your the best mommy ever! Thank you thank you thank you!!! MUAH!

And I have tried to spell check this, I wrote it very quickly and all that good stuff, so I am so sorry for all the mess ups and misspelled words. :)

ITCH be GONE!!

My poor children have been "blessed" with my skin. There is absolutely no way that I can look at that as a positive, being that I have been cursed with eczema since I was 12. It is the most aggravating and at most times painful skin issue ever!! The only way that I can describe how it feels while having an outbreak is like a small area is being burned. It is almost as if there is a small fire brewing on your skin. It is controlled or at least helped with creams. But, it is gross and painful. I guess most people look at it as extremely sensitive skin, and extremely dry skin at the same time. Whatever, and however you look at it, it SUCKS.
So, with that said...
Both of my girls have it, but McKenzie's isn't and hasn't ever been anywhere near as bad as Taylor's is. With McKenzie we finally found a cream that takes care of her outbreaks and we know what triggers them. So, when she gets a spot that hurts we can fix it up in a day or so.
With Taylor, we haven't been that lucky. She first say the dermatologist at 4 weeks old. She was put on oral medication to help with the itch as well as some creams to try until we were able to find the right one for her. Lucky for us the 2ND one that he gave us worked. She isn't able to use ANYTHING that has a fragrance to it. Including lotions and bath wash. She has to have a bath with all those free and clear soaps, and she can only use ONE type of cream. It has been an uphill battle...right now with the weather (mostly) cold her skin feels like sand paper. The only thing that I can do for her is keep her all greased up and hope she doesn't hurt. If anyone can help with suggestions I would love them. Unfortunately, the doctors mostly say give her time and she should grow out of it. Which is the case with most eczema suffers...lol. They say it is most common with small children, they then grow out of it...only to have it return when they get older. LUCKY US! lol.
It's just one of those things you have to deal with. It could be worse! lol!!
Please don't think I meant this blog as a big bitch fest...I would LOVE some advice or tips if anyone has them. Just wanted to share our skin fight with others incase it could help someone else.

Oh how they grow!

This is my one of my favorite pictures of my girls. They have so much fun playing together. There really isn't any issues of jealousy or anything like that. They just love each other and they just have fit as sisters since we brought Taylor home from the hospital.

McKenzie is still my little diva. She is still in ballet and LOVING it. She was in the Nutcracker in December and was just brilliant. She rocked the whole thing! So far the idea of being a ballerina still appeals to her. We go every Monday after school, and as of right now we are in the Spring performance of Swan Lake. I can't wait to see that one. She is doing wonderfully in school also. I can't believe that she is going to be in Pre K next year! My little baby is growing SOOO fast. She has learned a few letters, though not as many as I would have hoped for her to know at this point in her education, but we will stick with it and I am confidant she will learn very quickly once she gets a hand of things. She got the tag reading system as well as the computer cool school for Christmas and I am convinced that it is teaching her SOO much. She has a wonderful teacher at school, and with the aides that she has at home I think it will be great for her little mind.

McKenzie and Santa 2008: This was the FIRST year that we didn't have her freaking out over Santa. Only took 4 years but she finally sat without bribery or anything!

McKenzie all ready to head off for the Nutcracker, with all her makeup on (minus the red lipstick) She is SOOO beautiful!

I am please to say that Taylor has finally gotten the hand of this "crawling" thing. She has discovered that she can get ANYWHERE in the world (well her world at least) with just a little push and pull! ;) It is so darn cute to watch her move her chunky little self as fast as she can when she sees a door open, in hopes that she will make it out before it closes again! lol. She is starting to pull up on things but hasn't quite mastered the balancing while banging on whatever she is messing with. I love watching her explore the world and learn how to move her adorable little self. We are still fighting with her ears. I was really hoping that she would be like her sister and once those tubes went in the infections stopped, but doesn't seem to be the case. She got her tubes Christmas Eve and had her first infection since then on the 18th or so of January. It was the longest gap between infections that we have had in 4 months. I have to say though, of all the things she could get a ear infection is small potatoes. McKenzie was such a sick baby that this just seems so easy! I hate that she can't seem to shake it but the doctors are all very positive that this was just a one time thing. We can only hope. Right now we are dealing with teeth. She cute her bottom 2 as well as 1 on the top a few weeks ago. Right now there is one more coming in on the top that is giving her the most problems.

Taylor and Santa: Christmas 2008.

SHE LOVED SANTA...I am telling you this baby is not your normal child. She loves Santa, the sound of vacuums have her chasing after them instead of away. She is just the HAPPIEST baby in the world! We are SO lucky and she is the perfect last piece to our family.

She was laughing so hard...

She played with this sock in her mouth for almost 30 minutes. She thought that she was hilarious when we couldn't stop laughing at us!! Just the cutest thing ever!!

Well, that's about it for the girls...

I plan on keeping this updated as much as possible. Between work and my babies I don't know how much I will be able to write...but I will try. Jason and I are just enjoying our children, and want to be able to share their accomplishments and joys with all of our friends and family!