Why are you so grumpy?

Ohhhhhhh....
Perhaps our week of mommy torment hasn't just been a bad case of the grumpies.

I got clued into that last night at 1am when the first round of vomiting began... And if that wasn't enough of a shout out from Megan perhaps the fever solidified it. UGH!

Let's just say it was a long night.... for all of us. Poor Megan was miserable and I felt horrible for not being able to help her feel better (and for taking her to the nursery last night when she was symptom free, but probably contagious). UGH again! She was so lethargic this morning, won't eat or drink, hadn't been to the bathroom (or had a wet diaper) in over 15 hours, was complaining that her stomach hurt and to top if off said, "I go to dr's office mommy." wow. So off to the Dr's we went this morning.... no news there - could be a virus, could be strep. They did a culture and it came back negative but the Dr. thinks that strep would account for all her symptoms so they are going to see what grows over the next couple of days. In the meantime I have to figure out a way to get a urine specimen from her (in her obviously dehydrated state).... hhhuuuummmm, this could be interesting. They gave us some zofran for her nausea to hopefully keep something in her. I hope that works, She fell asleep in the car on the way home from the Dr's - I hope it's a good refreshing nap!

So, no gym camp today.... laying on mommy and watching tv has been the trick to keeping her happy and not crying. I just hate that I know how miserable she feels with a fever.

To top if off, Tom just walked in and told me that I felt warm and should go take my temp.... great.......

Kelly, Tom and Granddad

With all the excitement and preparations for our trip to MN, I never had a chance to post a special happy Birthday to my own dear husband and sister-in-law, Kelly. Or a Happy Father's Day to my Dad (or Tom). So now it's all belated - but the memories live on... The kids wanted in on the action when Tom and Kelly blew out their joint birthday candles.

And my little choc-o-holic loved the Birthday cake!!!!!!

And the occasion wasn't complete without some lovin on Granddad for Father's Day!

Somehow Anna escaped all my pictures from the celebration..... all except this one. I couldn't leave my sweet niece out, so here she is giving her mom some special attention for Kelly's birthday.

Hard to believe we are about to start up the next round of birthday celebrations. Happy almost birthday Mom... when you read this it probably will be your birthday. We are thinking of you and excited about our next family gathering for your special day!

MN revisited

Finally, I got the last part of our MN trip uploaded. The second part of our trip was spent in the twin cities at Tony and Dawn's (Tom's Cousin). Megan loves visiting Uncle Tony and Auntie Dawn and their 3 cats!
Auntie Dawn even let Megan help her take Bear for a little jaunt outside. And then, every girl needs a spin in the convertible!

Auntie Dawn even unpacked some skates for Megan.... Megan the skating bubble blower!

Uncle Tony even turned on the sprinkler and Megan gave her car a little wash down.

Megan loved her new camera (Thanks Auntie Dawn) and spent much of her time "taking pictures"... and wow was that the greatest travel toy. We'd pass a cow and Megan would start asking for her camera to take a picture. We had HOURS of amusement with that in the car.

On July 3rd, we had a get together with several of Tom's aunts and uncles. Megan got some good snuggle time in with Uncle Paul.

Then on the 4th of July, we headed to Dawn's parents farm for a cookout and some farm fun. Once Megan heard we were going to a farm she was beside herself with joy about getting to pet the cows.... it took a lot to get her to understand they had lots of corn but no animals. She got over it though when she got a ride on the "mule."

And a jaunt in the cornfield....

Uncle Tony even gave her a big lift in the BIG tractor!

And a little playtime in the little tractor kept her very happy on the cowless farm!

And once we got home, Megan made sure to give Bebe some 4th of July hugs!

Bebe is an old lady cat so Auntie Dawn always helps Megan be very gentle (good big sister practice).

Then of course, we had to get some more energy out.... so here comes the skating queen. Now I have to say, this brings back lots of memories for me because I remember having a pair of skates that you put on over your shoes.... Megan still loves them Auntie Dawn!

In the morning, Megan would snuggle up to Bear and they'd watch the bunnies and birds out the window.

And I think out of our whole trip... we got 2 family pictures. One at the reunion and this one at a rest area on our way home. We had a great trip and have lots of memories (and pictures) to pass on!

PT update

I know - you are just hanging on the edge of your seat waiting to know how it's going in the world of big girl undies and potties.....

Awesome!

I'm totally shocked that Megan has done so well. Especially after a few of our days last week - just a total battle of wills and power struggles. But although I get daily reminders that she is 2 years old - she's handled potty training like a pro. As a matter of fact, today was our first full day of wearing Dora undies all day. She has moved on to coming to tell me (or running by me) when she has to go to the bathroom. Wow. She loves her undies (thanks Auntie Dawn) and even asked to wear them today. We are still using diapers or pull up's at night (especially since that is when she's starting having some poopies - need I say more?). But during the day, we are IN real girl undies. She's been dry during naps for a good while - that's how we knew she was probably ready - that and the fact that she kept asking to go to the potty when we were swimming, and actually went.

Now next week she has gym camp 2 days.... I still haven't decided about that yet. :^)
I promise - eventually this won't be our life... and I'll move onto other subjects.

Olivia

Tonight I got a girls night out and went to a neat coffee shop to hear my friend Natalie's, nieces play a few songs. They were there as a benefit concert of sorts for their friend Olivia King. Olivia is waiting for a liver transplant, that's not covered by insurance. Crazy. She just turned 13 and is cute as can be. It's just so neat to see these 17 year old girls play the keyboard, guitar, and sing - all to help raise money for Olivia. What an awesome spirit of love and giving. I've added Olivia's caring bridge site to my blog list. Check it out and add her to your prayer list.

Update 2

Friday - good day
Saturday.... oh my goodness - we actually spent the whole day in big girl undies (Dora!). I've been shocked at how great she's doing. I know this may just be another honeymoon period, but she's actually been telling me when she needs to go. WooHoo!

I promise I'll get the last part of our MN trip posted asap.
I'm selling some things in a consignment sale next week and I've been working my rear end off trying to get it all ready. We'll see how it goes.

And you can say a prayer for me, I think my iron levels have plumeted again - I've been so drained and exhausted - not your normal pregnancy/chasing a toddler exhausted - I mean debilitatingly exhasted. I'm trying to get back on my iron supplements - you know, the ones I stopped taking because they were making me so sick.... Ugh.

PT Update

I've gotton several emails and phone calls checking on the potty training journey so I thought I'd just post an update...
So today was day 4. Here's a recap of our week from MY perspective...

Monday... pretty good day. Even stayed dry when out and about. Had 2 accidents in the evening, but overall pretty good. Megan was excited and happy.

Tuesday... thought about calling in someone to perform an exorcism because I don't know what happened to my child, but I'd like her back. Seriously, by 9:30 am I was wanting to just sit and cry with her. If I wasn't pregnant, I might have just downed a bottle of wine. Oh my gosh, this is the most horrible experience ever!!!!!! BUT, I will perseve... if for no other reason - because I can't imagine having to stop and then relive this day and have a baby to take care of at the same time.

Wednesday.... Awesome day! No accidents, stayed dry all day! We even went to a water park and she went to the potty there 3 times! WooHoo! No screaming (ok, just a little bit, but compared to the experience on Tuesday it was not an issue).

Thursday.... I'm ready to wake up from this potty training nightmare. OK, now in reality - the potty issue isn't that bad. She stayed dry all day. Had one accident - but even that was a bizarre sort of accident but a huge step. I'm doing the "bare bottom around the house" approach - but we had company so I put on some Dora undies and at one point she went into the bathroom and pooped in her potty... unfortunately, she forgot to take the undies off first. BUT, she pooped in the bathroom and on the potty - all alone! So, although it wasn't "perfect" still, it's a battle won in this war of the potty. The problem is that Megan has realized that she's losing control in some way and has become the most whiney, screaming, crying, needy child I have ever seen. It's overwhelming!

Friday.... ????
I'm praying for a good day. Let's just say - that I'd totally pay someone else to do this. It's been the biggest challenge I've ever faced in parenting so far. I thought her biting stage was bad... oh no - easy peasy compared to potty training. I see this as the biggest plus for day care... oh how nice it would be to have someone else helping me with this during the day!

Now I'm not writing this to scare my friends who are headed down this route - it's really for my own memory so that I can remember the stages when baby #2 hits this part of the journey. A friend of mine said her pediatrician counseled her that day 1 is good, then on day 2-4 they realize you are trying to control them and take away their control and they revolt. It's a process of breaking their will. I totally understand what he was saying. Megan knows what to do - it's all a matter of if she does it. We have some rewards set up and she knows that she'll lose a reward if she pottys on the floor/chair/ whereever (especially after I remind her to go every 15-30 minutes). And since Tuesday, she's done that... but she's pitched a fit the whole time. I'm praying that each day forward gets a little easier! I have always known that Megan wasn't "laid back" really - she's a type A personality at 2 (she told the lady at the store yesterday that she was 2 1/2.. where did that come from?). She's very very strong willed - and boy howdy, we are seeing just how stubborn and strong willed she is. I am praying for some easier days to come!

Family Reunion

Our trip up North to MN was a lot of fun and it was nice to finally go to a Blaisdell family reunion. Tom's has a couple of Uncles and some cousins that I hadn't met, so it was nice to finally meet them, and see some family that lives elsewhere and our paths rarely cross. Megan had a great time being with everyone and making lots of new friends. I think I took about 300 pictures so here are some highlights....

Megan loved helping Papa water his garden and plants...
At the first family reunion cookout, Auntie Mary was her playground tour guide - Megan ate it up!

Papa's cousin Margie and her husband Jack stayed at the house too, Megan loved getting everyone involved in some play doh action!

We had lots of time for snuggles and hugs with Grandma...

At the reunion we celebrated Megan's Great Great Aunt Hazel's 90th birthday...

And no reunion is complete without a family shot...

Megan loves seeing Haley again. I'm still trying to figure how what Haley is from a relationship standpoint... Haley is Tom's cousin Tony's daughter.... are the 2nd cousins? Or first cousins once removed? Anyone??? At any rate - she's dearly loved by us!

Megan got Papa on the floor with her to build with her duplos (Thanks Uncle Dan).

And somehow she learned about Bubble beards....

Papa got out Tom's old wagon so that they could take it for a spin...

Megan thought it was so much fun that she'd be the driver....

OK, Daddy was a little big so Grandma had to be the caboose. Then Daddy took over the driving and once again fun was had by all!

We even braved a cold day and headed down to Lake Superior to take a little tour of the Edna G. She's an old tugboat that used to help get the ore boats docked.

Megan thought the inside was pretty cool. Peek a Boo!

Then up the hill to the train museum.... If you ever saw Iron Will (movie about the dog sled race with, one of the train stops was filmed here. A claim to fame (sort of), and fun trains to look out. Which Megan loved!!

She even had some interactive fun....

Don't trains bring out the best in all toddlers....

The gift shop by the train station (which is still a working train station for scenic tours out of Duluth MN) also has a giant moose. Megan wasn't totally sure what to think about him at first, but finally warmed up for a hug!

We also had a fun time throwing rocks into Lake Superior. It was way too cold to actually think about dipping our feet in there. When we were at the Edna G (tugboat) I asked the man how cold the water was and he said that at this time of year it's about 35 degrees. Eeekkkkk!

But with all that rock throwing, Megan got her hands extremely dirty - so Daddy had to come to the rescue and show her how to wash her hands with minimal water contact. No toddlers in the frigid water today!

Thankfully Grandma and Papa have a fun park around the corner from their house, so we made a few trips over there...

And what's a trip to MN without some snowmobile action...... (OK, in June/July you have to be creative)...

Before Uncle Dan headed back to his town, he made sure Megan was raring to go with a lot of love and some sugar - in the form of a great ring pop).

Grandma got to take Megan for her first trip to Dairy Queen... Yum, need I say more!

It was a fun way to say goodbye to Two Harbors!

That was only the first part of our trip.... after the reunion and time with family in Two Harbors we headed to the Twin Cities. You'll have to stay tuned for some scenes from city life!

It's Potty Time

Before we left for MN, Megan and I headed to Ikea to get a "travel potty". Megan was so excited to pick out a pink potty. We bought it to have in the car once we started potty training (a recommendation given to me by many of my moms friends who said it was a good thing to have for those last minute "mommy I have to potty" moments when you are in the middle of nowhere). She loves her potty - we took it to MN and she used it a bunch. And today we officially started potty training. WooHoo! We'll see how it goes, especially since we have been on the go. But today, even with an outing, she stayed dry from the time she woke up till she fell asleep at about 1:30.... WooHoo! It's just good to have started the process.

Cross Country Driving

I have so many picture to go through from our trip to MN, but I had to post a few of the drive. I remember thinking how cool it would be to drive across the US at some point - see all America has to offer. I've been to about 18 countries, but have seen less than 1/2 of my own. How wierd is that? But this trip - we managed to clock some road time in several states that I've never driven through. And we saw some fun sites...
Like the Superman water town in Metropolis IL. They even have a Superman museum, since it's his hometown and all... but when you're trying to cover as much road as possible while your toddler is happy - you don't stop for anything!IL is also the home of the World's Largest Cross.... you'll see that in Effingham. And I have to say that IL is one of the most boring states (sorry if you live there). We drove the state in it's entirity from South to North on the way up, and from West to East on the way home (because we HAD to have a different route, the road construction was horrible on the S to N trip!!!!). Finally after HOURS of nothing... we saw lots of windmills.

Then we passed the blessed line into Wisconsin - a welcome relief to the road construction and the monotony of farm after farm after farm. The landscape was very different and unexpected. Megan traveled well (thank you Lord) and we had a good trip...
She even slept past the spot in Tilden WI where you are 1/2 way between the equator and the North Pole. Very fun..... you can't really see the sign well, I was speeding by (once again, trying to cover as much ground as possible while Megan slept).

And when we finally got to Superior Wi, it was not only beautiful, but it was also a welcome relief - knowing that we were less than an hour from our destination.

The road trip was fun - we know we'll do it again - since we'll take advantage of the summer to drive and not fly now that we have to pay for Megan's airline ticket, and before too long, another one. But we'll definitely try some different routes. This was sort of a scouting expedition to know what's along the way. At some point we'll do the "Lincoln" tour (since IL is the Land of Lincoln), and Mammth Cave in IN (I liked driving in IN much better than IL). At at some point we'll go through St. Louis to try that route. It was fun, but with a combo of 40 hours of drive time (round trip), we were really ready to be home!