Tackle It Tuesday

Wow...it's been a while since I participated in Tackle It Tuesday, but this week I have a laundry list a mile long that needs to be completed. You guys are my accountability!

1. Continue working on the family room--cleaning out, reorganizing to suit new needs, and getting rid of items we no longer need or storing items we may need in the future (ie baby stuff!). Deadline for clean-up to be finished is next Thursday evening!

2. For the love of God, clean the kitchen! It's a disaster and I need to cook!

3. Cut up all fruit and veggies for this week--do this with Monica on Tuesday. Also, bake a few loaves of bread and return some items that were borrowed or left on accident at our house to Monica and Andrea.

I think that should cover it! I'm very excited because the house is almost where I wanted it to be...we still need to install some landscaping, clean out the garage (for the July city-wide cleanup) and paint the bathroom..which we never seemed to get around to earlier this year!

And Reagan's big girl room is finished for the time being! Meaning, she is in there! We are planning to 1. install some shelving above her bed for all of her knick knack stuff; 2. put in white window ledges; 3. repaint her toy box in pink, green and white; 4. take out those horrible silver curtain tiebacks (they really did match the room when it was a guest room..just not now!); 5. put some additional fluffy pillows on the bed; 6. have a bench seat made for the top of the toybox; and 7. make the corkboard a bit more girly with ribbons! Here are a few pictures! (Ignore the paint that some how....no idea how really...ended up on the carpet!)

New update on Reagan

We went for allergy testing on Thursday and guess what? She has allergies! I'm the most ecstatic mom in the world to find out her child has allergies..because at last I know why my poor child has been sick for the last six months.

She was tested for 40 allergens and reacted to almost every one except the foods (thank goodness!). Her allergist says that she is probably allergic to much more but at the moment he wasn't going to continue testing her because she is so young, she will probably develop more allergies the older she gets, and for now, the fact that she has allergies, is enough for him, so he can begin to treat them.

Currently our treatment plan includes two medications for her allergies, an additional one if she becomes sick, one medication for her asthma, an additional one if she gets worse with that and treating her environment.

At the moment, we are working on a plan to keep the cats. We are planning on buying gates to contain them to the non-carpeted area of the house. We are getting our ducts cleaned (tomorrow), carpet cleaning, major dusting and we have gotten rid of all our commercial cleaners (almost all) and have switched to dye and frangrance free detergent and fabric softeners. We can't have candles; I can't wear perfume or scented deoderant and we can't use nice smelly lotions, shampoos, soaps and conditioners--everything has to be hypoallergenic.

We're in the process of purchasing a steammop so we can clean without chemicals, a hepa air cleaner for her room and some 'healthy' cleaning products--like electrostatic mitts for dusting instead of using Pledge; and baking soda and vinegar instead of Clorox and Windex.

We're also working on making her room a safe haven for any episodes..a 'clean' room for her to go to when she has an attack. This includes encasing everything from dust mites and even keeping the majority of her books contained in tupperware containers--as ink is a major source of allergies for most people and it also attracts A LOT of dust! Who knew??!

It's a process that is taking some time, but we're working towards making our home a little better for Reagan to breathe and live in. Any suggestions related to making our home more of a safe place for her are welcome!

On the homefront...

Just an update for everyone! The weather is finally getting nice in Indiana, so we're spending more time outside...which means less time for blogging, forums and the like..which I think is a really good thing for me!

Yesterday Josh and I purchased a TON of red brick landscaping material to edge out our bushes...and what a steal! It was only $1.00 for each 16 inch piece--WOOHOO! It was a closeout item, so I seriously hope we don't need anymore!

We're still working on the backyard--getting the extra dirt that was displaced during the work on the new fence, smoothed out and re-seeded with Kentucky Blue Grass...a gorgeous grass if I do say so myself...and also a real bargain since we're using seed and not sod!

I also purchased some fence pieces and a seed mat roll to make a small garden area on our patio. It has a cutout in the concrete for a gas grill...which we don't use, so it's becoming a flower bed. The flowers are going to be gorgeous in a few weeks I'm sure. I picked the "Sunny Cottage Garden" with lupines, daises and a dozen other flowers I don't know the name of. My mother in law says they are perennials so they'll come back next year and they're also pretty invasive plants so they'll grow large (shh, don't tell Josh!)

We're also working on Reagan's big girl room finally! I purchased a gorgeous pink paint for her room which Josh says looks like Pepto Bismol..but I assure you it is actually much lighter and it's called "Cherry Cream!" I can't wait to show off the finished room! Give me a couple of weeks though, we have a ton going on!

After Reagan wakes up from her nap today, we're going to plant flowers and read a few books about gardens, which we picked up from the library this morning! Should be very exciting!

Reagan also goes in for her allergy testing on Thursday, so please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Will update once we know more!

God Bless!

Our new fence!

I'm so excited because today we had our new fence put up...it surrounds over very TINY backyard but it's wonderful because reagan can go out and play and be contained since we're on a pretty decently busy street.

After Josh comes home and cuts the grass (we've had to wait due to utility line flags being all over the place!), we get to put Reagan's 'new' toys out back! I'm super excited--not only about her toys but about the great deals I got on them!

She has a turtle sandbox--free from a friend who is moving!
A Little Tikes climber/slide combination--$10!!!!!!! from craigslist!
A cool new 'kiddie' pool with a giraffe that spits water at you and a slide!--ok this was $30 from Target!

Now I just need a child's swing for her!

I'm so happy that she'll get to go outside and enjoy herself!

Two years ago today..

I got my first BFP!!!! For those of you who AREN'T members of women-dominated forums, that means "big fat positive!" and it's in reference of course to a positive pregnancy test.

I had never been so unsure of my eyes or so excited in my entire life! We had just gotten back from a hike with our new friends, Kelly and Ben, and I thought, well, I might be. I'll just go ahead and POAS (pee on a stick!) and see what it says...although I was sure it was going to be negative.

The faintest pink line I have ever seen in my life gradually started to appear--at which point I promptly freaked out and started screaming so loud I'm sure the entire neighborhood heard me! Josh came running into the bathroom (I'm sure he thought I was being murdered) and I said "do you see it? Is it really there?" He smiled and said "yep, you're pregnant!" "But it's so faint." "Well, we just won't consider it for sure until you take another one tomorrow." (This said completely calmly!)

Of course, by the time 'tomorrow' came we had already celebrated and jumped around like crazy people. Another test, and yet another, oh yeah, and another, confirmed that I was indeed pregnant.

And...two years later, we have a beautiful, smart, incredible little girl that is the best thing that ever happened to either of us!

Menu Monday

This week's menu is especially challenging because Reagan's eating habits have been going straight downhill for the past couple of months. Of course, she's been sick so much, I really can't blame her for not eating, but she's lost two pounds in a month---soooo, I'm struggling to find foods to entice her to eat.

Don't worry--she isn't starving. She's 23 lbs but she's also VERY tall--we are guessing 34 inches; so she's still tiny for her height. At any rate, here is the menu for the week. Feel free to leave any suggestions geared towards a picky toddler.

Monday: Mac & Beef casserole (used to be one of her favorites), salad (I may hide some veggies in the casserole to get some extra vitamins into Reagan)
Tuesday: Reagan will probably have a Gerber Graduates or Leftovers and I'll probably toss together a salad for myself!
Wednesday: Shepherd's Pie--may use sweet potatoes on top instead of white, due to the vitamins and Reagan loves sweet potatoes
Thursday: Chicken Pot Pie (adding egg to this for extra protein and some vegetables)
Friday: Any leftovers, otherwise I'll make a veggie and hamburger or chicken calzone.
Saturday: We're celebrating mother's day out and about!
Sunday: Either eating out or grilling out!

Breakfasts: Cottage cheese and fruit, muffins that I'm sneaking veggies into, morningstar farms breakfast items, cereal, yogurt, oatmeal, waffles--ie whatever of those I can get into her!
Lunches: Crackers, cheese and meat; quesadillas with cheese and tomatoes; leftovers; meatballs; gerber's graduates; salads; baked potatoes with cheese and broccoli
Snacks: Reagan's Special Mix, yogurt, fruit, cream cheese, sweet potato cubes, crackers and cheese and deli meat, applesauce

Snacky goodness!

I wanted to share Reagan's new favorite 'blend'. She usually ends up getting this at least once a day because it's one of the few things she'll eat anymore.

1 string cheese stick, chopped
raisins
cranberries, dried
animal crackers

That's it! Just make sure the cranberries aren't too large for your little one. It's really yummy and healthy!

Some new news....

Yesterday I took Reagan to a new doctor. He's an allergist, an immunologist and a former pediatrician. To make a very long story short, he diagnosed her with mild asthma and believes that she does have allergies and it is not an immune problem. This from reviewing her test results from her pediatrician.

She also has an ear infection (which she either didn't have or her pediatrician didn't catch on Tuesday). So our game plan for now is as follows:

Continue with albuterol and pulmocort breathing treatments 2xs daily. (He doubled her intake of pulmocort).
Take azrithromycin for 5 days to clear up the infection.
Take allegra twice a day.
Take singulair once a day.
Take tylenol and advil as needed for the pain while the infection lasts.

In two weeks we will go back to Dr. T (as I'll refer to him, her regular pediatrician is Dr. D) for allergy testing. Four days prior to the testing, I am to remove her from the allegra and singulair so that it will not skew the results.

The allergy tests this time will be skin/scratch tests. Once we receive those results, we will move forward with working on her environment/treatment or if the tests are negative we will move forward with continued immune testing.

Today she is already so much better just after a little of the allergy medicine and the antibiotic.

We also are going to wait on the CT scan and x-rays and immune blood work at this time. We still have a follow-up/well baby check up in a couple of weeks with Dr. D.

On other news, Josh and I have decided to forgo adoption at this point in our lives. I'm working to get healthier and we plan to meet with my doctor to get her opinions on another pregnancy and making sure that I will be well monitored if we go that route (I'm assuming this will be a high-risk pregnancy).

So that's it on the home front for now. Please continue to pray for Reagan. Love to all!

More on Reagan...

Well last night was absolutely awful. She didn't go back down to sleep until 3 a.m. and woke up at 7 a.m. I spent the majority of the night yelling at her and this morning she woke up with a slight fever. So not only am I completely stressed out at this point, I feel like the world's worst mother and that I should be lined up in front of a firing squad and shot.

In addition to the CT scan, her doctor also wants some x-rays of her tissues in her neck..not sure if I mentioned that earlier. At this point, I have decided to veto the CT scan (temporarily) in favor of having a specialist see her. We have an appointment at 1:30 today with an allergist/immunologist, who is going to evaluate her and possibly run some tests.

HOWEVER, and here is the kicker, because she's on antihistimines and other medications, they CANNOT do allergy testing because it can give a false negative. Interesting...because when we did the allergy testing a month or so back, she was on the same medicine....AND we got a negative. I'm guessing it was a false negative.

So perhaps all of the last two months of agony and sickness could have been avoided. I'm really hoping we get some answers soon. Reagan is coughing so much that she has red spots around her eyes from the strain and her nose is a continual river. I just want my baby to feel better. Please keep praying for her.

New Reagan update

At our doctor appointment yesterday, her pediatrician decided he wants to have a CT scan done on her sinuses, as well as some x-rays on her neck tissues. We also decided against putting her on anymore medication--oral steriods and antibiotics included.

Opps...she just woke up..will continue later

Update on Reagan

Gee, guess what? Reagan is sick again. I am beginning to feel like the world's worst mom ever. Yesterday she finished a 20-day supply of antibiotics from two weeks ago when she was sick with a respiratory infection..since then she's had the stomach flu and now has the respiratory infection again. Obviously, the antibiotics are not working and I believe she has developed a resistance to them.

On top of that, we're also doing her Ceron drops, pulmocourt and albuterol breathing treatments through her nebulizer and Rhinocourt nose drops..as well as conventional treatments like Vicks, VaporBath, humidifier and saline nasal spray.

We have yet another doctor's appointment this afternoon..luckily she isn't rattling as much in her chest..yesterday was awful..but inevitably she gets better before the doctor hears what I hear in her chest.

I think we're going to request a referral to an ENT, even though her doctor says they really do not like to get involved until the age 2--simply because allergy testing is inconclusive at this age and anything they do..such as removing adenoids, grows back.

At this point, however, I want to see them and get some other viewpoints. I do not want to put her on antibiotics again. And I was told by a nurse I know that going onto oral steriods would just depress her system more (although she is on an inhaled steriod).

We are still doing ongoing immune deficiency testing and she is due for more bloodwork in two weeks. She also has her 'well baby' (if she can ever get well) checkup next week for her 15-month appointment---she'll be well over 16 months and on her way to 17 at this point.

If she continues to get better througout the afternoon, I may wait to take her in until her checkup next week. Wish us luck and please keep Reagan in your prayers.

Veggggggggggggggggggggggggieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Reagan is so funny! She absolutely loves Veggie Tales...I swear, they are her favorite thing in life! When she wants to watch them, she'll go grab the DVD/VHS cassette and start pointing...as soon as they go on she screams "VEGGIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!" and she'll even sing along with the opening song at times. I get the biggest kick out of her! She goes around saying "Bob, Bob" and will even point out Bob and Larry if you ask! It just cracks me up!

That being said, here is my menu plan for the week, including some great veggggggggieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!



Monday: Chicken and Biscuits and vegetables from the freezer
Tuesday: Reagan and I may go out to eat!
Wednesday: Josh and Reagan can fend for themselves since they never eat what I leave anyway! ;) I'll be having soup and crackers and fruit at the office!
Thursday: Shepherd's pie and salad
Friday: Chicken Chimichangas with Green Sauce
Saturday: Potato Beef Croquettes and Broccoli
Sunday: Leftovers!!!

Breakfasts: Oatmeal, fruit, bacon, eggs, pancakes
Lunches: Leftovers
Snacks: Fruit-fresh and canned, homemade baked goods, cheese, vegetables

Mac and Tuna Casserole

1 package mac and cheese
1 can tuna, drained, flaked
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese
parsley, optional
vegetables, optional (I used green peas!)

Prepare mac and cheese according to package directions. Stir in soup, tuna and milk (and any veggies you like!). Pour into 2 qt dish. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Note: You can also skip the oven directions and cook this directly on the stove top..but use less milk!

Some updated photos!

What a week! It's been quite busy here with ongoing home projects so I haven't blogged as much as I normally do! I promise to correct that and will blog at least three times a week in the future! (Have some interesting topics to talk about!)

In the meantime, I leave you with these new photos of my gorgeous girl!

Reagan waking her 'brother' Porthos!

Reagan chillin'!

Reagan standing on her head! (Learned courtesy of her friend Catherine)

Reagan is so happy to be outside!

Where's Reagan!?

Reagan at playtime!

Reagan loves to swing!

Just a quick note...

Well, I think the stomach flu has finally made it's rounds and we're all recooperating, Josh included. Luckily it seemed to be only about a 12 hour bug, although Mommy seemed to have gotten the worst of it! (Oh well!) We're still dealing with bouts of naseau and of course, weakness and soreness..but we'll get back to normal eventually!

Josh and Reagan are taking naps while I attempt to do the massive mound of laundry..I swear almost every towel in the house was dirty along with most of the blankets, sheets and a good pile of clothing! And I think we've gone through every glass too!

My mother in law and father in law were sweet enough to go pick up some groceries for us to help get us through the next few days...let's hear it for Ginger Ale and Saltines! WOOHOO!

I hope you're all having a fabulous weekend!

And the Circle of Life continues....

Many, many years ago an event happened. I will not go into all of the details. It is sufficient to say: we were young, stupid and a little out of control. The important part of the story (at least in relation to this particular story I'm about to tell you) is that I threw up in my best friend Stacy's bra (among other places, such as my car, the steps to our apartment, etc, etc, etc).

This morning I woke up to Reagan throwing up and, well, explosive diahrea (poor, poor kid). This evening, the throwing up continued...and, much to my chagrin, the circle of life also continued and she threw up in MY bra.

There is nothing quite like having warm, sticky, smelly bodily fluids, along with chunks of partially digested banana, cascading over your skin. It's quite enough to make you want to thrust everything from you and run at breakneck speed into your shower.

However, being a mom, I held my baby close and told her it was going to be ok...while she puked down my bra a second time. Now, if that isn't true love...what is?

Wow! It's Wednesday already! (and a yummy recipe!)

Good morning everyone! I can't believe it's already Wednesday...is it just me or do the days seem to pass super-fast (yes, that is a Little Einsteins' reference!) as soon as the weather gets nice? I'm sure there has to be a scientific theory on this!

Reagan had a doctor's appointment yesterday--it was going to be a well-baby check-up, but instead was a sick visit. Allergy testing came back negative and so we continue on with immune definiciency testing. Her doctor has been keeping up on this and her last numbers were low. Yesterday she received a booster vaccine and in six weeks, we'll do more blood testing and see how her immune system is doing then.

On the up side, her doctor really believes she doesn't have an immune deficiency problem, it's more likely an anatomical problem and when she turns two, we'll go in for an ENT evaluation--and perhaps tubes and surgery to drill small holes in the bottom of her sinus cavaties.

Also, this has been a really bad year for being sick, but even still, he said she shouldn't be sick THIS much. So please keep Reagan in your prayers. Josh and I really optimistic that it's just a problem with her sinuses---we both have allergies and I have super enlarged tonsils.

Reagan is supposed to be taking a nap at the moment, but I can hear her giggling and squealing in her room! So I'm off to go get her up and maybe shoot some hoops in her new basketball set!

Later today (or maybe tomorrow) we're going to be making this:

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the egg, oil, yogurt and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in bananas and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

This recipe is courtesy of Taste of Home.

**I'll probably be baking this as a loaf instead of muffins..let you know how it goes!**

It's been a few days!

Well the fam has been sick (myself included) so I haven't blogged in a few days. I'm really hoping this is the last of the winter colds. I really really really am tired of Reagan being sick, and us being sick too!

News on the homefront:

Reagan has nearly scratched the lower part of her back completely off and we think it's because her diapers are irritating her. So we've decided to move forward with cloth diapering. I've been doing tons of research and a friend even sewed a diaper for Reagan and is sending it to us to try it out. Once we figure out which diaper works best for my little water-loving monster (she goes to the bathroom A LOT!) we'll be able to buy several and stock up. And hopefully (since they're quite expensive to begin with) use them for child #2.

Now, please don't think I'm starting to become a hippie-loving, save mother earth, eat granola and don't shave-mother or anything--I truly could care less about global warming or cooling (because HELLO! the earth is on it's own natural cycle!) and I think Al Gore is perhaps one of the biggest idiots I've ever had the privelege of listening to (I'm very depressed that he happens to be a Southerner!). I just want to do what's best for my daughter.

This disclaimer has to be put out there because I picked up an issue (to my deep sorrow) of "Mothering Magazine" which is about the most liberal, anti-formula, anti-discipline, anti-EVERYTHING, organic, holier than thou magazine I have ever read in my life.

Just so everyone knows, if you can breastfeed, please do. BUT do not tell me I'm the world's worst mother because I had to feed her formula. And don't tell me she's going to become a sloth because she gets a cheeseburger every once in a while and doesn't eat organic plums. And don't expect me to change my whole life just because you think that using disposable diapers is illegal and ruining the world.

I could go on and on, but needless to say, Mothering Magazine is about the complete opposite from most of my views....in fact they even have an article entitled "How to be an Authentic Parent"....join with me in rolling my eyes here!

Ok, rant over.....just as soon as I go make my donation to the Heritage Foundation, along with my apologizies for funding the far left movement with my above mentioned purchase.
******************
As for adoption, we're slowly moving forward. Our application is almost completed..however I do need some information from both sets of grandparents and a current family picture. I really hope we can get the form submitted this week and get our intake interview done and then schedule our homestudy. I'd like to be on the waiting list by the end of this month!

Other news: Josh is plugging ahead with his masters program and doing quite well. We're having a new fence put in and some fun playtoys for Reagan.

I think that above covers it for today!

Oh, I did want to do a quick menu for monday...even though I'm not posting it to the main link!

Tonight: Chicken pot pie and green bean/carrot blend, low sugar millionaire pie for dessert (loaded with good stuff..fruit, nuts!)
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Soup and sandwhiches
Thursday: Salmon patties and vegetables
Friday: Casserole with ground beef and veggies
Saturday: Roast
Sunday: Out to eat after Church? or BBQ sandwhiches

Toddler Thursday! -- Pudding Paint

Welcome to the first weekly Toddler Thursday!

As a SAHM, I frequently find myself thinking that Reagan must be bored to death with me (especially during bad weather when we're stuck in doors all the time)and I'm always struggling for us to find something new and fun to do! I hope some of the ideas that I've found (and Reagan and I have experimented for you) will give you some great new ideas to do with your toddler! Please leave comments or questions! And feel free to join in every Thursday!

This week's fun toddler activity is Pudding Paint!

Materials:
small containers
food coloring
vanilla pudding (I used premade pudding cups!)

Put a small amount of pudding in each container and mix in 2-3 drops of food coloring for each color. Tape construction paper down to your toddler's high chair or table and let the fun begin!

I recommend stripping your toddler down to his/her diaper or undies for this project!

Here are Reagan and I enjoying pudding paint!




This week, Reagan and I also enjoyed a new snack-English Muffin Pizzas! They were delicious and really not that messy! The recipe is below:

English Muffin Pizzas

2 English Muffins, split
olive oil
spaghetti sauce
shredded cheese, your favorite type is fine

Preheat oven to 350. Brush the muffins with olive oil and spoon on spaghetti sauce. Top with shredded cheese and bake for 11-13 minutes, until cheese is melted and the muffins are browned on the bottom! Let cool before serving to your toddler and enjoy!

A big girl room!

Since we are hoping to adopt sometime in the next year and a half, we've decided to transition Reagan (slowly) to a big girl room. So far we've purchased the bedding and rugs, which are just gorgeous and very girly. Next, painting the room and her daddy's old dresser, purchasing bookshelves, table and chairs and a toy box/bench. I'm really excited about this new room for Reagan. I envision it being a place she can go to play without hearing the word 'no' and where everything that she wants to play with is in reach. Here is a picture of the new bedding!



If you have any suggestions for her new room, feel free to post! I would love to hear any thoughts or recommendations!

Happy Easter!!