It's That Time Again

So, some of you may know, but some of you may not know, I wear a wig. I've always been very open about it when asked. Believe me, it's no big deal. I was born with Congenital Ectodermal Dysplacia. Basically this just means that my hair doesn't grow and my fingernails and toe nails are different than most. My case is very mild. It affects my sweat glands too, hence sweaty armpits more often than not. It's a dominant hereditary disorder passed down from my mother's side of the family. Each of my children had a 50% chance of getting it, but surprisingly neither did. In fact they were born with full heads of black hair!

CED really doesn't affect me too much. In fact I didn't wear a wig until I turned 21 and was preparing to go on a mission for my church. I thought people might think I was a cancer patient and be afraid to talk to me, so I wanted to be sure that didn't happen. Now I'm just so used to it that it's normal for me.

There are definitely some benefits to CED. I've shaved my legs twice in my life. They haven't needed it more than that. There is no need to pluck or wax eye brows. When it comes to doing my hair every day I literally brush out the wig and plop it on my head. It takes 2 minutes tops. Let's not forget I can change style, length, and color whenever I please. Which leads me to the topic of my post!

It's time for a new wig. Wigs wear out in approximately six months if worn constantly. I can usually make mine last for a year. Short haired wigs can last even longer. Long haired wigs last less time, unless I'm really careful with them.

This past year, and also the year before (I ordered the same one two years in a row) I've been wearing this wig.

I've decided it's definitely time for a change. Perhaps one more youthful that says "HOT MAMA!" My boys have definitely worn on me. I have my first wrinkle or more than one and I LOOK like a Mom! The following photos are wigs that I really like. I'd love to get your opinion. No matter which wig I choose, I'll be going blond, a little more blond than my wig is right now. My natural hair, the little there is, is VERY blond.

Wig #1 Wig #2

Wig #3

Wig #4

Wigs tend to be a little bit longer on me than they appear in the pictures. I seem to have a small head. None of the wigs have bangs because I tend to look really bad with them. Below are some pictures of me with previous wigs so you can compare.

Wig #1-I'm the girl in the white and blue sweater.

Wig #2Wig #3-Same as wig #2, but cut and trimmed in the back.

Wig #4Wig #5

Wig #6-Layered & a little darker. Wig #7-Obviously from the first picture on the post, you can tell it's pretty worn.
Have fun! Can't wait to see which wig you choose!

That's Renae today!

Kick Off to the Holidays

Our kick off to the holiday season started today. It was a fabulous Thanksgiving. All four of us were home for the entire day. That in itself hasn't happened in almost a month. Before breakfast I asked Owen what he was thankful for. His reply: "That Jesus came. I saw him. He had boo boos." My heart melted. What a little guy way of being thankful for the Atonement.

After breakfast we all played trains. Here's Adam with his Thomas the Train. And here's Owen with his trains.

The two have yet to find a way to play trains together without someone getting physically hurt. Owen doesn't know how to share and Adam LOVES to taunt Owen.

The day before Thanksgiving I was able to make jello, allergy friendly brownies (for the boys), allergy friendly banana bread, Ginger Squash soup (for crock pot), pumpkin pie, and chocolate fudge pie.

Today I worked on the rest of the meal. But my favorite part about preparing for dinner was decorating the table.

I love my Fiestaware-so versatile for every holiday! The tablecloth and napkins were a wedding gift from my Grandmother.

Owen painted the place mats. They turned out absolutely beautiful.

Our Thanksgiving dinner was completely allergy friendly. The Plainville Turkey for $53.83 was definitely worth the expense. (We only purchased this turkey so both boys could eat it.) It was the most delicious turkey I've ever eaten. Adam thought so too. The squash soup turned out well. Then there were roasted potatoes (mashed are a no no for the boys), Basmati & Wildrice Pilaf (a replacement for stuffing), corn, asparagus, jello, allergy friendly cornbread and allergy friendly banana bread. For some reason it looked much better in person.

All of my preparation paid off. Adam enjoyed trying just about everything.

Jason's mother, Rosemarie, and Jason's nieces Marissa and Shannon joined us for dinner.

Poor Shannon had braces put on yesterday. She was determined to enjoy the meal no matter what.

While everyone continued to eat, Adam started playing in the living room. I found him sitting in a chair. He must have gotten there all by himself.

Adam has been making great strides with his verbal and motor skills. Today he surprised us and pulled himself up into the standing position from sitting without the assistance of any furniture or adults. Then without warning he started to walk, taking at least 5 steps. We are so proud of our little man!

After dinner and some socializing it was time to start our first round of Christmas gifts. Rose brings Christmas gifts at Thanksgiving because we don't see her at Christmas, but on New Year's Day instead. Today she brought a few for each of us but has said there are more coming on New Years Day. We are very excited.

Owen opened up a present first. He received a Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Beginner's Set, which included tracks, Thomas the Train and Baggage Car. We were thrilled for more tracks and Baggage Car. Owen loved everything, including a second Thomas the Train.

Adam opened up a gift next, with help from Marissa.

He received Thomas the Train Bathtub Squirters.

The minute Owen saw Adam's gift he darted straight for the trains and quickly took them away. Mommy and Daddy had to intervene. Luckily there was another present waiting for Owen. You can still see him pouting in the picture below. Nonetheless, he opened his gift and loved his new Clifford The Big Red Dog movie: Doghouse Adventures.

Adam received a movie as well: Thomas & Friends Hop on Board Songs and Stories. We've already watched both movies.

Jason received a new sweater and socks. I love the sweater. It will look great on him!

Then it was my turn.

I received a Christmas sweater, a new calendar for the year, and my favorite item: Faith Hill's Joy to the World CD. I'm listening to it as I type. Faith Hill is one of my FAVORITE singers. She is so talented and SO BEAUTIFUL!

Adam liked the CD too!

We then gave Rose a gift basket we had prepared. More gifts will come from us on New Year's too.

It was such a great Thanksgiving. Dinner was great. The company was fun. And we got to open presents! I'm sorry, I'm the biggest kid when it comes to Christmas, so to be able to kick off the holiday already was AWESOME!

Here's Shannon and Adam. They seem to hit it off pretty well, meaning that Adam will actually let Shannon hold him and not want Mommy or Daddy right away.

Shannon is 13. She plays basketball, is a swimmer, and loves horses. Now a teenager she's liking boys, music, and clothes. So typical!

We can't forget Owen and Marissa. They have a special bond. The two of them played all night long.

Marissa is 9. She plays the piano and french horn, dances hip hop and participates in Girl Scouts. Quite the busy girl. Marissa is girlie all the way!

It's so fun spending time with my nieces. For such a long time I was either pregnant of just had a baby. This did not earn me "cool" aunt status. I was pretty miserable. But I'm thinking now I may have a chance still. Hopefully we'll be able to have the girls over soon for some fun.

The last event of the night was dessert. My chocolate fudge pie was HUGE success. The other pies looked delicious too, but honestly I couldn't eat anything more after just one slice of the chocolate fudge pie. It was so rich. I'm sure I'll have some pumpkin pie and perhaps even some apple pie either later tonight or tomorrow.

Until then here's to the kick off to the holiday season!

That's Renae today!

Health Insurance

I am an individual who supports a nationwide health plan. To be honest, I don't really care what the minute little details are, as long as it helps my family. There are many who are fine with their health insurance plans because they don't get sick. Others are fine with Medicaid because it works for them. Neither works for our family.

In September we learned that the boys did not qualify for Medicaid anymore. This was the same month that we learned Medicaid would no longer pay for Adam's prescription formula. Oh, and let me not forget that this was the same month that we no longer qualified for WIC, which covered the formula that Medicaid did not cover. Hence why we went through a month of trying other non dairy drinking options with Adam, that all failed.

As of October 1st, the boys were put on Jason's insurance through work, along with Jason and I. We were officially self sufficient. Definitely a reason to celebrate right? WRONG! Granted, Jason's insurance will cover Adam's formula with a $50 copay each month (definitely better than the $500 it would cost us) but still, that's $50 each month. In November, besides the formula, each boy went to the doctor's twice, a $25 copay per kid each visit. Then both had prescriptions filled, another $10 each. Adam had blood drawn today. Yet another copay. I had them bill me because I didn't want to know how much the copay was. Adam has surgery in two weeks. This is the same surgery that was scheduled in September, that had to be cancelled because he was sick. It would have been completely covered by Medicaid. Now we have a $50 copay for the pre op appointment and a $150 copay to the hospital the day of the surgery. Are you noticing something wrong with this picture?

To make matters worse, Jason's employer announced that health premiums have gone up AGAIN, causing them to have to switch insurance companies. Our new monthly payment for health insurance: $500 for the family, WITH high co pays. The other option, a $250 monthly payment, but the first $3000 worth of medical expenses are all out of pocket. Which sounds worse? Trying to be positive, I think to myself, that the $500 we pay each month will be the $500 that goes towards Adam's formula, and anything else is extra, but this still doesn't help me get rid of the anger, desperation, and frustration. Oh, and let me not forget to mention I have no idea if the new insurance company will even cover Adam's formula.

So, Jason and I have decided that we'll go on the high insurance plan from work and try to get the kids on Child Health Plus. This sounds good until I think about the details. Adam can't see the specialists he needs to see, because they won't accept Child Health Plus and Medicaid. They most likely won't cover the formula, because they are branched out from Medicaid. And, I can't even apply for Child Health Plus until the kids have no insurance. Adam can NOT go without insurance, even just for a day! AHHHHHH!

My next thought: Jason is in the process of discontinuing his LDS Family Services practice because he needs the time to spend at his day job, which is much more important. We're just waiting on more permanent foster kids to come into our home. If Jason ends his second job, perhaps we'll qualify for WIC and Medicaid again. Isn't this a horrible thought process? WIC will cover Adam's formula. Medicaid will pay for all of the co pays and medical bills, except that he can't see the specialists he needs to. AHHHHH AGAIN!

So then I think to myself, what if I worked out of the home? Would the income help? I've checked out the day care prices and I'm looking at a bare minimum payment of $500 a week for both boys because of their ages and special needs. Then we would need to purchase a second vehicle so I could get to work. Already, I've outspent my paycheck, especially having a Bachelor of Arts in Music. Besides, if I did have a job, I would have been fired because I would have taken so much time off because of my children's medical appointments and issues.

So, as you can see, anything sounds better than what we're dealing with right now. We're too rich to be considered poor, but too poor to pay for basic co pays. Anyone have any words of wisdom? I'd love to hear them!

That's Renae today!

Allergies

Today was one of those days. I'm not sure what the first trigger was, but there were so many... Monday is grocery shopping day. Normally, I pile the boys into the car and we go to the grocery store together. The managers know us well and are so accommodating when the allergy friendly check out line isn't open. Either they open it for us or lead us to the 10 items or less counter (with our entire cart of groceries) and explain that it's okay for us to check out there. But starting in November grocery trips have become very different. You see, due to the holidays, grocery stores bring out all of their peanuts and tree nuts (there is a difference) and tend to place them in the most convenient places. At Wegman's, the only store that offers allergy friendly food here in town, these nuts are located in the produce isle, out in the open for people to grab and bag. They are at the perfect level for Adam to touch and possibly eat. Some may say, "Well, can't you avoid them, just not go down that isle?" That's easier said then done, especially when they are directly across from peppers, parsley, lettuce, spinach, and so many other essentials. Then one must consider that other people bring their shopping carts down the isle too, causing us to have to move even closer to the nuts. Okay, so a possible next argument, "Just make sure he doesn't touch them!" Easier said then done, especially when there are two toddlers to tend to, while grabbing food. Adam is a professional at grabbing cans, jars, boxes, and whatever else he can find, off of shelves and bins. I can not guarantee he won't touch anything, unless I don't bring him at all. So, my shopping trips take place late at night, after the kids go to bed. I've enjoyed the alone time and definitely appreciated the time to study labels more closely, but the inconvenience of not being able to go to the grocery store when I want to is quite annoying. Especially today. Jason worked late again.

We ran out of allergy friendly cereal, a staple for the boys for breakfast and snacks. We are out of allergy friendly hot dogs for Adam and chicken nuggets for Owen. We are out of french fries, yet another staple. Owen's allergy friendly milk is down to the last drop. And snacks... It's hard enough trying to come up with meals with such limited diets! I'll admit. I panicked today. What was I going to feed my kids? It's not like I can just give them anything. Fortunately, Owen likes homemade allergy friendly french toast and Adam likes cinnamon toast. I had a few allergy friendly chocolate chip cookies still in the cookie jar which helped. But still... It was a long day!

While Owen was napping, Adam managed to get hold of Owen's apple juice sippy cup. Adam knows how to drink from a sippy cup. When I found Adam, the juice was completely gone. Panic again.

I won't go into more details, but there were more than three other incidents today involving crackers, bread, and leaves. Fortunately all did not have to do with Adam. Both boys ended up being medicated.

I think I do so well with the boys and the challenges they have come with, but days like today make me second guess just how well I do. Tonight I found myself very emotional about everything. I cried as I read other allergy blogs. Living with food allergies is SO TOUGH! Especially when there are so many. Even if Adam is diagnosed with Angioedema and he is treatable, all of the allergies won't go away. The doctor says they'll just be more manageable. Again, that's if the type he has is treatable. I'm hoping to get him tested tomorrow or Wednesday. Results shouldn't take too long. I'm guessing a week at most.

As I was reading other allergy blogs tonight, which by the way, is the best medicine ever, I came across some pretty amazing things that I LOVE and want to share. I've found that it's so hard for close friends and family to fully understand the kids' allergies and the impact they've had on our lives. Some may think I'm overly protective or obsessed. Others just try to bring comfort when I need it, yet have no way of understanding and so the comfort doesn't come. I really do appreciate all the support we do receive from family and friends. It's just as hard if not harder for Jason and I to have to accommodate the boys' allergies. It's been a complete lifestyle change.

Lately I've been asking myself questions, partly in fear of the future. Can schools really provide a safe environment for the boys, especially Adam, when it is time for them to go to school? I've read up on 504 plans etc..., but Adam has SO MANY allergies. Will I have to home school? The boys started toddler time at the library. We went once and then learned that there are parties with treats. Picture twenty 18 month old to 3 year olds having a party with treats. I had to dis enroll because the environment was so unsafe. There are posters placed in the nursery at church listing approved snacks that the boys can eat. All of the other nursery children and their parents have been asked not to bring any sippy cups or other snacks in, because they pose a danger to the boys. If the nursery leaders can't provide a safe environment for the boys, then we can't be there. We have stopped attending all ward activities and functions, because they all have buffet meals and snacks. With so many people and so much activity, food is everywhere. It dawned on me the other day that the boys may not be able to serve missions. I asked the Elders when they came for dinner one night. They said, "Most likely no, with the raising of the bar." After, they did mention that they could probably serve missions from home, most likely in Palmyra, just coming home at night. That gave me hope. I was talking to my best friend on the phone expressing my frustrations about the allergies and mentioned that I was worried that the boys would be looked upon as so different, unable to participate in so many things. Would they ever find a wife who would love them and take care of them? I know this is all stuff in the FAR future, but it's real. So tonight, as I was reading through posts, I stumbled across this and wanted to share it. It comes from a website www.allergymoms.com, listed on a website www.itchykidsclub.com.


10 Things Children with Food Allergies Want You to Know
By Gina Clowes

1. I long to be included. I would like to look, act and eat like everyone else. I’d like to buy my lunch and sit wherever I want. I know I can’t, but I am so happy inside when someone cares enough to provide a safe potato chip, cookie or Popsicle for me. It’s nice when I can have something similar to what others are eating but I love it when I can eat the same thing as everyone else. Whenever it’s possible, please think to include me!

2. I’m scared I could die from my food allergies. I’ve heard my parents and teachers mention “life-threatening” food allergies and I remember having some reactions where I felt very sick and really scared. I could see how frightened my parents were too. Sometimes, I could use a little reassurance that I will be okay.

3. I feel like I’m the only one sometimes. If you have a support group or another way to arrange for me to meet other children who have food allergies, I would really like to know that I am not the only kid who has food allergies. Having another friend with food allergies in my classroom or at lunch time helps too.

4. I get confused when grown-ups offer me food. I know I’m supposed to be polite and listen to grown-ups, but my parents have told me I am only supposed to take food from them. When you offer me food or especially candy, I’d like to take it but I’m not sure about what I am supposed to do.

5. I get itchy spots sometimes when grown-ups kiss me after they’ve eaten something I’m allergic to. I get itchy spots when your dog licks me too. I’m not quite brave enough to tell you this so I’m hoping you will remember that if you have just eaten something that I’m allergic to, I may get hives if you kiss me soon afterward.

6. I’m embarrassed when people fuss over what I’m eating. I know I have to eat my own safe food, but it’s easier for me when I’m not singled out. Sometimes, it’s embarrassing when grown-ups ask lots of questions. I love to fit in more than anything.

7. I hear all adult conversations about my food allergies. My ears perk up when I hear grown-ups mention my name or food allergies, so don’t pity me or act terrified because then I get scared. Food allergies are just one part of me. Let me overhear you talk about all the other wonderful things about me!

8.Sometimes I’m sad about having food allergies. It’s hard to be the only kid in class not having a cupcake and eating something different from my box of “safe treats” especially when there are about 20 other birthdays in my class. I know it’s not the end of the world, but from my perspective, it’s tough at times.

9. I’m watching you—Mom and Dad! You may think that I’m too little to notice, but I see that you went back home to get my Epi-Pen® when you forgot it. I see that you read the ingredients on the Smarties every time. You are my role models and I am learning how to manage my food allergies from you!

10. I will do about as well as you do. My parents “can-do” attitude will help me cope with the challenges of living with allergies and ensure that food allergies don’t stop me from being everything I was meant to be!

Even as I read this through a second time, I tear up. Okay, so now to the good stuff!

The Itchy Kids Club website is WONDERFUL!!! I found so many great products that I LOVE and WANT for the boys. It opened me up to a whole new world of possibilities. At this point, it's pretty much impossible for Owen and Adam to understand their food allergies. Owen knows when we tell him not to eat something, because it will make him sick, that he shouldn't eat it, and he's such a great help with Adam when it comes to Adam sticking everything in his mouth, but he doesn't know what an allergy is and he doesn't know what he can and can't eat. It is going to take a very long time to educate him and an even longer time to educate Adam. It's funny, we make a point to avoid books, games, and toys that are foods or about foods, just because of the confusion it causes with the boys. An example is the board book: Yummy Yucky. Foods that the book teaches are yummy are very dangerous for the boys. But did you know that there are amazing books, videos, and music out there to help teach the boys about their allergies? I guessed there was a book or two, but definitely not music.

So here are a few things that I REALLY REALLY WANT to help the boys, family, friends, teachers, and myself cope and become more educated with allergies. Feel free to check them out on The Itchy Kids Club website,especially the CD of music. You can hear samples of every song. The books are available on Amazon. These products really brightened my day and helped me to have fun with food allergies again, despite how NOT fun they can be.

1. Music CD: You Must Be Nuts! Music All About Food Allergies, By Kyle Dine
2. Book: Ask Before I Eat, By Ellen L. Ferrell
3. Book: The Bugabees: Friends With Food Allergies, By: Amy Recob
4. Book: A Day at the Playground with Food Allergies, By Tracie Schrand
5. DVD: "I'm Not Nuts": Living With Food Allergies
6. Book: Sophie-Safe Cooking: A Collection of Family Friendly Recipes that are Free of Milk, Eggs, Wheat, Soy, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Fish & Shellfish, By: Emily Hendrix
7. Book: One of the Gang: Nurturing the Souls of Children with Food Allergies, By Gina Clowes

Just recollecting the contents of each book, DVD and CD I feel better already!

That's Renae today!

New/Old Photos

Bill Lockhart, our good friend and amazing photographer, came over to our home for dinner a few months ago. He asked if he could bring his camera. He loves taking pictures of our family. Today I received a CD with some of the best pictures he took. Have a look! I love them!
That's Renae today!

Think Happy Thoughts!

The printer is broken, (prohibiting me from uploading new photos, printing out Christmas letters, family pictures, and helps for Primary Music time tomorrow). It won't even turn on.

Adam is upstairs screaming in his room, after being woken up by Owen AGAIN!

Yet I'm going to think happy thoughts. I had a WONDERFUL day and this is not going to ruin it. My best friend and I had a girl's day out today. She met me at my home this morning before 9 AM and we returned about 5 PM. Jason watched the boys. I have not spent a day without the boys and Jason since before Adam was born. It was SO nice.

Jen (my best friend) and I shopped. Without strollers and toddlers, finding our way through crowds of people, and waiting in line for 30 minutes at some stores wasn't a bother at all. We talked and laughed and... It was wonderful. There's just something about spending time with a best friend, especially one who's known me my entire life. Our friendship has endured SO MUCH! Life without Jen would be like... I don't want to think about it!

So what did I buy? My first stop was the Dollar Store. I've had the urge to put up Christmas decorations this week, and it finally won over last night. Sadly the decorating took less than 10 minutes, and most of that was spent unwrapping the darn things. We've never really focused on decorations in our home. All the decorations I had were given to me by my mother (with the exception of one), because she didn't want them anymore. It was all very depressing. After looking at the house with the decorations, I decided to take them down. That's how bad it was. Showing Jason the pathetic display I whined, asking him if I could get some new decorations. My reasoning: The focus of every holiday in our home has been food. This can not be anymore. So why not use the money I would have spent on ingredients to make treats, on decorations for the house! He said it was fine. So... After brainstorming ideas and discussing my plans with Jason, we agreed upon what I could do. The Dollar Store had almost everything I needed! A. C. Moore had the rest! Hopefully it will all look right. I think I drove Jen crazy trying to decide everything. Perhaps I'll put it up tonight. Maybe.

There is this one plaza in Auburn that I love. The Dollar Store is there, along with so many others. My next stop was Marshall's. Not looking for anything in particular, I stumbled across an amazing deal! For our kids' two year old birthdays we give them a new bedding set for their big kid bed. We try to match it to the theme of their 2nd Birthday Party. Just recently I decided on the theme for Adam's 2nd birthday party-Race Cars. He LOVES them. Despite the fact that he rarely gets to play with them because Owen takes them all away, while Owen sleeps, he plays with them for hours. It's really quite cute. Adam has shown interest in trains and race cars, but not really construction or emergency vehicles yet. Not like Owen did. So... I found a beautiful twin size race car quilt on clearance for $30. Then I found a pillow sham that matched on clearance as well. They were the ONLY ones left of their kind. I've gotta check to see if it will match the walls in Adam's room still, but it looks to be quite the purchase!

There were a few other stops we made too in the same plaza, but nothing big. Lunch was next. I don't remember the last time I was able to have a sit down meal without scarfing down my food as fast as possible in between trying to take care of two toddlers. When the salad came and I started the same ritual, I had to remind myself out loud that it was okay to slow down. The meal was very enjoyable; the company being the best!

Next on the list of places to stop was Kohl's. I had received a $10 gift card in the mail I wanted to use. My entire purchase came to just that. I now have 5 plastic Christmas place mats to use at the table!

Finally, Jen and I headed to the outlet mall! I had coupons/gift cards for Carter's and Osh Gosh, each worth $10. Adam now has a new set of pajamas to replace the pair that has a broken zipper, along with two new long sleeve shirts and a pair of pants to replace the ones that have been stained so badly with grape juice etc...

I also was able to purchase gifts for my parents for Christmas and do a little window shopping from myself. Jen had a gift card for J. Crew. It has been years, if ever, that I've been in that store. Today I fell in love with almost every item I saw there, especially the dresses. I think it's my new favorite clothing store. (Mind you, it's an outlet, so everything is literally half off.) It helps that I know I won't be having more babies and getting pregnant again, and that I am working my way back down to the body I desire. Maybe someday I'll have funds to shop for myself. Technically I could MAKE funds available to do this, but what mother puts herself first before items that her kids and husband need? I will admit there was a little part of me that was tearing up because I didn't really have money to spend on myself, when I actually liked so many clothing items in one place. But I keep reminding myself that Christmas is coming, perhaps I'll be able to shop for myself after the holidays. I don't remember the last time I purchased clothing for myself. Let me see... Spring... I had literally no summer clothes that fit. The new clothing items included two pair of capris, a pair of white jeans, and three shirts.

The day of shopping ended well. I was pleased with my purchases and heading home to yet another delight. One of my closest friends, Melinda, from CO, recently moved to central New York with her husband and six children. We met while I was attending the University of Northern Colorado. She called a few days ago to say she was heading to Palmyra and wanted to stop by and visit afterwards. What a treat! In preparation for her visit, I prepared dinner in the crock pot and made a homemade pumpkin cheesecake (even the crust) for dessert. Though the visit was short, it was so nice to see her again and chat. She hasn't changed a bit. It's been over 4 years since we've seen each other. Jason was gone working, so it was really just us girls... and Owen and Adam. Melinda brought with her a 90 year old woman, Helen, from church. Helen definitely had stories to tell as we chatted about children, child birth, pregnancies, etc... I can't imagine the experiences this 90 year old woman has had. Just the ones she shared were funny, heart wrenching, and amazing.

They left just in time to try to put the boys down for bed. I say try, because as I've been writing and chatting with a friend on line, I've had to go upstairs and tell Owen to go to sleep 4 times. After Adam did finally go to sleep, Owen has woken him up twice. Toddlers!

It's too bad I don't have these kind of days more often. They are really great!

That's Renae today!

Potty Training & Talking

Owen started potty training a couple days ago. I've been procrastinating this task for a long time, finding every excuse not to start. What pushed me to start now? He was running low on diapers and the impulse NOT to buy more took over. Instead I purchased pull ups.

Day 1 was pretty rough. I had prepped Owen well, or so I thought. He was excited about not wearing diapers. All of his underwear were placed in a bin on the floor. A variety of Marvel Action Heroes, Disney's Cars, Thomas the Train, and Bob the Builder underwear won him over. We tried going potty several times throughout the day, but with no success. By the end of the day, Owen had gone through 6 pears of underwear and pants.

Day 2 started out well. Owen was excited to wear his underwear again. We sat on the potty frequently while reading books, singing songs etc... But still no success. Owen held it for 3 1/2 hours. The last 45 minutes he was literally bouncing in his chair while holding himself. I tried to get him to go on the potty, but nothing came. It was nice to know that he didn't like wetting through his underwear and pants, but I don't think this was a better option. FINALLY Owen did have success. It went everywhere I might add. I've realized that Owen is petrified of actually letting the pee pees come out in the potty.

We went to Walmart after his success, with him in a pull up, to pick up 2 Hotwheels cars to celebrate. Stickers and candy don't work with Owen. After naps I put underwear back on. Again, Owen held it for 3 hours. Despite sitting on the potty frequently, he finally wet his pants. Luckily, afterward it was time for bed and I put a pull up on him for the night.

A few hours after I put Owen to bed, he woke up and told me he had a tummy ache. Owen had not had a bowel movement in two days, since he started potty training. I decided to change his pull up and replace it with a diaper to relax him. Within an hour he had his bowel movement.

Potty training really stresses Owen out. So we've decided to take a break. We ask him if he'd like to wear underwear or diapers. He knows there is a bowl full of Hotwheels cars in the kitchen for him to choose from when he decides to go again. For now he's completely content in diapers. We'll try again in a few months.

Adam is hitting some milestones too. He's talking so much! This week's word is, "Uh-Oh." He knows it's meaning too and uses the word constantly. It's really cute. I did take video of it, along with video of him walking with his walker all over the living room, but of course I can't get it to upload for some reason.

We have started using the sleep easy solution AGAIN with Adam trying to get him to sleep through the night AGAIN. It appears to be working when Daddy doesn't spoil him. Adam's not sleeping through the entire night yet, but he is sleeping more than he was, so we're grateful.

Today is the last day of the boys' antibiotics so I'm hoping we can do Adam's blood work this next week. We will keep you posted with the results.

That's Renae today!