Stylin' in Sunglasses

The kids pulled out Conall's Tigger sunglasses from Conall's room. Caitlin was fascinated! I think I'm going to have to get her a pair. They kept fighting over who was going to wear them. Finally, I came and played referee (such a fun job).

Once I said I was getting the camera to take their picture, Conall shaped up quite a bit. He didn't mind sharing if he got his picture taken! In fact, Conall wanted me to make a "movie" of him and Caitlin and his sunglasses.

Does the Glass Slipper Fit?

Conall went and got Caitlin and her sandals this afternoon.

Conall "Come on, princess, its time to put your shoes on"

Conall "There you go, good job!"

Caitlin sat there and held out her foot for Conall and waited while he put her shoes on.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Matt!

(Caitlin's godfather, serving in Iraq)

Updated at 7:46 p.m.

The Daddys

Caitlin and I really enjoyed our mommy/bug time this morning. She brought me a Wiggles CD to play and we were having fun dancing and singing. The funniest thing, though, is that when Caitlin sees "The Wiggles" picture or hears their voices, she calls them "The Daddys." Isn't that cute?

Mean Mommy

Stu and I decided to try giving Caitlin a shower instead of a bath tonight. I wonder why? Anyway, she was of course, horrified and cried and screamed. She kept pulling the shower curtain and liner back and trying to climb out. So, since I was already as wet as she was, and I wanted to avoid an emergency room visit and stitches, I got in with her. She soon stopped screaming and seemed to enjoy her shower.

Caitlin grabbed the only bath marker that had survived the poop bath and was drawing away on the walls. I let her have it as we got out and I got her into a towel. I then handed her off to daddy and took the marker away since she was trying to draw on herself. She had a death grip on it, but I managed to get it away. She cried all the way to her room and then while daddy held her, she kept saying "Mommmmmmy. Mean. Mine. Mean. Mine. Mommmmy. Mean. Mine" over and over. Boy, she's learned early, hasn't she?

What Is It About Water?

Conall and I were enjoying a nice evening trip to the library tonight to pick up some books related to what he is learning in school this week. We had some great mommy and Bear bonding time.

On the way home, Stu called me to tell me how his last hour or so had gone for him and Caitlin. Stu was giving Caitlin a bath when he realized that she'd done it again! She'd pooped in the tub.

Stu tried to get her out in time, but wasn't able to, so he ended up holding her over the edge of the tub while she pooped. Isn't that such a lovely mental image? Anyway, not knowing what to do with a wet, naked pooping Caitlin, Stu took her to her room to put a diaper on. She then grabbed for the window, leaped out of his arms and face planted.

Daddy couldn't clean the tub while Caitlin was running around (been there, who could?), so he drained it, thinking it would make it easier to clean! Note to anyone who ever goes through this -- DO NOT DRAIN THE TUB WITH POOP IN IT! This makes it much harder to clean as the poop smears as the water drains and it then clings to everything. Always leave the water in the tub, then you can just scoop the poop. Can you tell I've done this before?

After sanitizing the now cleanest tub in the world, Conall is taking a bath. Caitlin is screaming at the top of her lungs because she doesn't want to go to sleep. I wonder if we'll get to clean puke tonight, too?

Bye Bye Train Table

Stu and I have been fed up with the state of Conall's room lately. We think Conall probably was too. He was grabbing his toys and playing everywhere but his room. Ugh -- again!

While we were looking for a sword to go with Conall's Halloween costume (I know we're really early, but Conall knew what he wanted to be early and I had a great coupon for that costume), we spotted a kid size Cars table and chairs with an umbrella on clearance at the toy store. It is really similar to the one Beth bought earlier this year for her house.

Of course, Conall also saw the table,too and really wanted it! So, the deal was, if he cleaned up his room (with help) and got rid of some toys and his train table (which he's been using as storage and not playing on), then he could have the Cars table and chairs.

This afternoon, Conall and his daddy cleaned his room, cleaned out some toys and moved the train table out. A lucky freecycler picked it up within a few hours of our posting it.

Conall ate dinner at his table and did his "homework" on it. I think this is the best dinner he has eaten in months!

At one point, he went and got a "snack" to share with Caitlin. They shared a package of raisins, which ended when she started throwing them on his floor. He was very upset with her for messing up his room!

Another Trip to the Doctor

We took Caitlin back to the doctor today (thanks again Aunt Amy for watching Conall). Last week, the doctor had said that if Caitlin wasn't "significantly" better in a week to bring her back and they might draw blood for food allergy tests. Since she puked every other night, we thought we'd better take her back just in case.

Luckily, the doctor didn't feel like it was a food allergy and didn't draw blood. Today's doctor said that sometimes it takes 1-3 weeks for the reflux medicine to make the vomiting go away completely. He really felt like it was acid reflux, but also thought that maybe sinus drainage was making it worse. So, for a week, she takes a super-dry you-out antihistamine at bedtime to see if it will help. If so, then, she just takes it as needed.

Since Caitlin has improved, the doctor really felt like the reflux would continue to get better. If it were a food allergy, she would puke every time she ate that particular food.

Caitlin will take reflux medicine for 2-3 months to take care of the puking and to heal up any problems it may have caused in her esophagus. Oh, and the other good news -- her stool sample tests came back negative, so she doesn't have the bacterial infection they were testing for.

Caitlin Smurf

Stu fed Caitlin this afternoon while I took a shower. He said she threw a fit when he tried to take the blueberry yogurt away from her, so he let her have it for a while longer. When I saw her, I told him he was going to have to clean her up.
Stu knowingly asked me for a warm wet washcloth, convinced he could get all of the yogurt off of her that way. There weren't any clean kitchen washcloths, so I had to walk back to the bathroom to get one. By the time I did that and wet it down, Caitlin had smeared the rest of the yogurt on her face into her hair and all over her face and eyelashes. It was horrible, so of course, we took a picture of her screaming about it.
Here it is.

Mommy I Need Help!

Conall says "mommy I need help" probably a dozen or so times a day. As you can imagine, "help" doesn't have the true impact on me that the word usually carries.

So, when Conall yelled "mommy I need help" this afternoon, I didn't come running. I usually don't.
Me "Conall what do you need?"
Conall "I need your help"
Me "With what?"
Conall "Caitlin's poopy"

With the urgency with which Conall said this, I rushed into the living room. Conall was sitting on the floor dumping his shoe out like he had got something in it. Caitlin was climbing on the couch. Then, I saw it. Several dark, roundish things on the floor. I, of course horrified, said "Oh my gosh, what did you do Caitlin?" Stu came running. But, Caitlin still had her diaper on. I looked closer and realized that the roundish things were raisins. The kids had gotten into the raisins while I was in the other room talking to Stu. We nearly died laughing!

Caitlin was poopy and I changed her diaper. I still have no idea what was in Conall's shoe. The reason he really had yelled for my help was that Caitlin had climbed up on the couch and grabbed his juice box.

Look Good

Tonight at dinner, it looked like Caitlin was finished eating, so I asked her if she was done. She pointed at Conall, who was eating a homemade strawberry yogurt pop, and said "look good". I laughed and asked her if she meant that she wanted some strawberry yogurt pop and the answer was a very definitive "yes." I got Caitlin a yogurt pop and she ate the whole thing.

Eating Lunch With Doll Doll

Here's Caitlin eating lunch with her "doll doll" (as she calls her) the day Conall got sick (why I haven't posted it before now). I'll update this later and post the whole story.

Updated 8/22/02 6:25 p.m.

Caitlin was walking around with her baby doll "doll doll" in the stroller and playing with her. When it was time to eat lunch, she was hungry, but she wanted to sit in the high chair with doll doll. She fussed, so I let her sit in the high chair with the doll while I fixed her lunch.

When it came time to eat, she still wanted doll doll, but she also wanted her lunch (yum yum). She screamed either way. I was tired and knew it wouldn't be long before we had to get Conall from school. So, I pushed a chair up and put doll doll in it.

This wasn't enough! Doll doll needed yum yum, too. So, I got Caitlin's play car seat/high chair seat and put doll doll in it with a piece of play strawberry. Caitlin looked at me and looked at doll doll and I could see the wheels turning in her head, just like Conall does. I got one of Conall's old folders and folded it in half to make a tray for the doll. She seemed quite pleased with this set-up and ate her lunch. Then, she wanted doll doll's yum yum.

Blog Name

Stu thinks I should rename our blog from "The Bear and The Bug" to "Puke and Poop" after the last few days and my posts. Maybe he is right.

Spoke Too Soon

Ok, I spoke too soon. Caitlin puked tonight -- right as I was finishing my last post. Go figure. Luckily it wasn't as much as it has been, so maybe her body is just getting adjusted to the medicine. One can only hope.

Done

Caitlin spent most of her nap time today yelling "Mommy! Mommmmmmy! Mommy?" Once she gave up on that, she started howling. I went in to get her, hoping that she wasn't old enough to give up her naps yet. She looked at me and said "done." She was done with being in her crib awake. Of course, just like Conall used to do, she had pooped, which kept her from sleeping.

Just Prince and Princess For Now

Conall and Caitlin both had a puke-free day. I'm guessing the stomach bug has moved on. I just hope Stu and I aren't the next place it inhabits.

Conall had another good day at school. So far, they've gone to music, "exercise," and computer lab. They've also already had one assembly. I'll see if I can get anymore out of him tonight about today's class.

Optimism Fails Me

As Conall was eating his Frosty from Wendy's and very excitedly feeling better (he is running around the house and jumping), I was giving Caitlin a bath. Stu was eating dinner and I was walking back and forth from the living room to the bathroom with my hamburger.

I walked out of the bathroom to get a sip of my drink when Caitlin started screaming. I thought maybe she was upset that I'd walked out of the room (she's done that before). Nope, she had pooped in the tub. And, not just a little bit. There was poop from one end of the tub to the other. Luckily, it was mostly solid.

I had to shut the bathroom door, wrap Caitlin in a towel and fight Conall from coming in to see the poop. Finally, I had the presence of mind to scream at Stu for help (he was in the living room eating -- he had heard me say she'd pooped and seemed unconcerned) as I was scooping poop out of the tub with a paper cup, Caitlin was crying and shivering, and Conall was happily screaming about the poop.

Stu got Caitlin out and kept Conall out while I joyfully bleached, scrubbed, sanitized, and rinsed. I had just bleached and scrubbed everything this morning from the post- puke bath last night. Still, when it rains it pours. I wonder what is next tonight? Optimism has failed me.

Prince Puke Goes to the Doctor

Conall, aka Prince Puke, couldn't keep anything down this afternoon, so daddy took him to the after hours clinic. He has a virus and they gave him some medicine at the clinic and then he gets more later tonight (thank God). We also have a prescription for more for later if needed.

Luckily, most of the kids who've caught this are better the next morning. Hopefully, that means he won't have to miss school tomorrow, but we'll see how the night goes. And, hopefully, that means Caitlin had it last night and that's why she had her puking episode. Lots of hope there, huh? Oh well, maybe I'll learn to be an optimist yet. Maybe not. I guess it all depends on how sick everyone gets and if Stu and I get it.

Prince Puke

Conall was grabbing his shirt around the area of his stomach all the way home from school today. He wouldn't tell me anything except that "I can't make it" (we walked) or "I've lost my energy". I asked him if his stomach hurt and he'd tell me no, but he did tell me he needed some "special milk" which is what he calls Maalox. I gave him some and about 3o minutes later he headed to the bathroom.

As he was flushing, he made a sound like he was going to vomit. Sure enough, a few minutes later, he did. And did, and did (thank goodness he's old enough to try to make it to the toilet -- and did this time). I'm starting to think maybe the kids have caught a stomach virus and that's what was wrong with Caitlin last night (on top of the reflux). Ugh, I hope it passes quickly. I hate for Conall to miss school his first week.

Princess Puke Strikes Again

We had another rough night with Caitlin last night. She ate a really big dinner and seemed to be fine. She had her medicine on time and everything was going well until we went to put her to bed. I'd read her bedtime stories and she was drinking her milk when she handed me the sippy cup and started crying and screaming. Next thing I knew, Caitlin, the chair, and I were covered in puke. She'd had Gerber baby meat sticks for dinner (like Vienna sausages but without all of the bad stuff) so you can imagine how disgusting it was, chunks and all!

We got Conall out of the tub and her back in (and me, since the majority of it was on me). Conall immediately started calling her princess puke and "the puke princess" again. We had a really hard time getting her to sleep last night and she woke up on and off all night long. I think around 3 a.m. we gave up and brought her to bed with us.

We're going to try giving her the reflux medicine before she eats dinner tonight and see if that helps. If it doesn't go away soon, we'll have to go in for food allergy tests. We're still waiting to hear about the bacterial infection (it will be sometime next week when they get the lab tests back). Please keep her (and us) in your prayers.

Aunt Dorothy

For those of you who've been following how my Aunt Dorothy is doing, I got an email from dad last night that said she was released from the hospital in Oklahoma City Friday. They stayed in a motel through the weekend to make certain she still had no internal bleeding or other complications. If everything went well, she was to head home Monday.

Apparently, there is still a risk for internal bleeding for 30 days after the surgery. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

Looking in the Mirror

Isn't it funny when you look at your child and feel like you are looking at a younger version of yourself?

We had to wake Conall up for school again this morning, and once again, he didn't want to get up. He didn't want any lights on in the living room, he wanted to sit on the couch under the blanket and didn't want to eat anything yet. Conall told me he had to go potty and when I thought he'd been gone too long and was too quiet, I went to check on him. He'd gone back to bed! He was all snuggled up under the blanket with a stuffed animal in each arm.

If you'd told me a year ago that he'd do that, I wouldn't have believed you. I always thought Conall was my morning person since he was always up early and was always the first one in the house to wake up.

I remember my dad sending me to my room to get dressed for school and falling asleep sitting up on my bed with my school clothes still folded on my bed next to me. One of my favorite things about staying the night at my grandmother's when I was a child was that she let me wake up when I was ready and often let me stay up late to watch "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" with them. Conall is always wanting to "stay up late."

Anyway, this morning when I found Conall back in bed, it was like looking in a mirror and seeing a younger version of myself.

Afternoon of First Day of School

Conall really seemed to enjoy his first day of school. He was a little upset that he and Kanton didn't get to eat lunch together like the teachers and principal told us. Otherwise, I think he had a ball!

Here's what I've pieced together from what he said to me, his daddy, Aunt Amy, Kristie (our neighbor) and Kanton. He went to music class and sang "Good Morning to You." He made friends with Wally and Luke and sits next to Mike in the morning circle. He told Aunt Amy that he made friends with Elizabeth, maybe that is his new girlfriend. He got to play with the tool bench with the other kids. The teacher read them The Kissing Hand, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Froggy Goes to School. He read a book about apples before they started the morning circle.

They had Cheetos for a snack and had two recesses. He only ate his peaches and drank milk at lunch -- I guess he was too excited to eat. I'm not at all surprised.

When Stu asked him what his favorite part of the day was, Conall told him "the nap." We asked Conall to repeat it and he said the same thing -- we have witnesses. I'm not sure why he liked it -- he told us that he didn't nap. Although, Caitlin got a really long nap and I got a short one.

We saw Kristie at the school picking up Kanton, so we all walked home together again. The boys and Caitlin played outside for a couple of hours and had popsicles after school.

All in all, Conall seemed to have a good day and so did Caitlin and I. By 5 p.m. he was already one tired little boy! He went to sleep really well tonight.

Just Call Me Princess

Caitlin didn't puke last night, so maybe the medicine is working and it is just acid reflux. Then, she can go back to just being called "princess" instead of "princess puke."

First Day of School

Conall wasn't ready to wake up for school this morning. He told us "I didn't get enough sleep" when we went in to wake him up at 6:30. Boy, how many times I've thought that when I've been hit over the head with a pillow, stabbed with a toy sword and the latest -- had a cold frozen yogurt pop put on my face. I guess I can save those ideas for other days when he doesn't want to get up!

He yawned just as I took this photo

What? Let's go!

We got him fed and dressed, woke up Caitlin and met Kanton in the front yard.

They've built a huge track all over my front yard using toys from both of their collections.

Once we got Caitlin and August (Kanton's little brother) loaded up, we all walked to school together. Conall kept eyeing a sprinkler on the way there, but I was able to keep him out of it. We went the back way, through the playground, which the boys enjoyed. When we got there, I made Conall stand in front of the school so that I could take a picture. He wasn't very happy with me for making him wait, as you can see in the photo.

He isn't upset at school, just wanting me to stop taking pictures and let him go in.

We got there a little early, so they sent us to the cafeteria to wait until the teachers were ready.
Kristie asked Kanton if he wanted her to come eat lunch with him today, and as Kanton shook his head yes, Conall very loudly said "no." We got the impression that Conall wanted to make sure that we knew he didn't want us there for lunch -- we might cramp his style. The boys played in the cafeteria for awhile and then it was off to their separate classrooms.

Walking down the hall together.

In pre-K you have to sign the kids in when you drop them off, so Conall immediately noticed that Kanton wasn't right beside him.

We got his name tag and went in.

His teacher has a specific routine for mornings, which should be really good for Conall. We sign him in, he puts his lunch box in the orange bin by the door, he puts his folder in the slot with his name on it and then he sits down and signs his name on the sheet of paper with his name on it and puts it in a certain box.


Then, he finds his name on the mat, picks out a book and sits on his spot with the book. It already seemed to give him comfort to have a certain routine to follow. Conall responds so well with routine that I think the way this teacher does things will be really good for him.

Anyway, he didn't seem at all bothered or concerned that we were leaving. He looked like he was ready for us to go! We'll see how he does when we pick him up.

Princess Puke and More

We took Caitlin to the doctor today (thank you Aunt Amy for watching Conall) to see about the puking. He said it could be several things, but most likely since she had it as an infant, it is acid reflux. Apparently, once you've had it you are predisposed to get it again or to have a sensitive digestive system. He prescribed some medication. We also get to collect her poop (what a joy to be a parent -- I'm so glad she still wears diapers! As Aunt Susan said I'm now "Queen Poop" and Caitlin is "Princess Puke", there you go Conall, you ought to like that!) and take it in for lab tests to rule out a bacterial infection. If the symptoms aren't better in a week, he wanted us to bring her in for food allergy testing -- luckily just a blood test and not the horrible scratch tests I remember from my childhood.
After a nasty encounter with our prescription insurance company, we got her prescription filled and had her feeling better. (The insurance company refused to pay for the disolvable form of her medicine and suggested an over-the-counter pill. The pharmacist explained that it was for a young child and she couldn't swallow the pill. They pretty much told us tough and didn't recognize the pharmacist as expert enough to override their decision -- it would have to be the doctor and without it, the prescription would have been $192 for 3o days worth! Finally, between the doctors' office and the pharmacist, we got a different prescription that she has to take twice a day instead of once. I think we can handle that at $10 a month instead of $192 a month!)
She ate a really good dinner tonight (the first time all week) and kept asking for more food. She kept going from Stu's, Amy's and my plates begging for food and eating it (she hasn't done that in a long time). She went to bed pretty easily tonight, so we'll see how the rest of the night goes. If this is it, then the doctor seemed to think she'll start napping and sleeping better and eating better. Yippee! I hadn't realized how poorly she'd been eating or napping lately until we were talking to him today (having Conall home every day all day for 3 weeks will do that). I'll be glad to see my good little eater return.
On another note, Conall starts school tomorrow. He is so excited! I'm still not sure he's gone to sleep even though he's been in bed since 8 p.m. (it is now 9:30). We plan to meet the next-door neighbors in the morning and then we'll all walk to school. In pre-K they require you take your child in and sign them in every morning. There isn't much parking around the school and we can't pull into the drive, so the experienced moms have told us that walking is much easier if the weather is good. He has to be there by 7:40 so hopefully the weather will still be cool enough. Wish us luck!

The Puke Princess Strikes Again

Caitlin puked again tonight after going to bed. Stu and I are going to take her in tomorrow to the after hours clinic to see if they can figure this out and fix it. We both suspect acid reflux, but we'll see. We'll let you all know once we've been in and found something out.

The Puke Princess

Conall has nicknamed Caitlin the "puke princess." That sounds just like a big brother doesn't it?
You guessed it -- she threw up again tonight. I'm not sure what caused it, but she is now "the puke princess" to Conall.

Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY POP POP!

Snuggling With Pop Pop

Caitlin loves her Pop Pop and has so much fun playing with him. She also really likes snuggling with him.

Enjoying the Pool

We went to Aunt Amy's parents' house this weekend to swim. Conall was so excited because I had told him that another boy was going to be there to play with.

As soon as we got out of the car and to the pool, it started to thunder. It kept thundering and raining on and off for about an hour and a half. Amy's mom kept checking the weather to see if the storm passed over. The kids did really well with the waiting and staying out of the pool until it was ok to get in (especially Conall).

Caitlin LOVED the pool and the water. It was everything we could do to keep her from walking straight into the pool! Conall didn't want to get in at first. But, then the oldest of "Amy's kids" (as Conall calls them) finally was able to convince him to get in. He spent most of the time in the float that he called a canoe, but he had fun. We finally had to get them both out because their teeth were chattering so bad. I think they would have stayed in all night.

They both were so worn out that night that they went to sleep almost immediately after going to bed!

Conall trying not to run around the pool.

Caitlin LOVING the water!

Conall and his new friends riding in the "canoe" and "fishing"

Sebastian Bath Art

Conall worked on this bath art masterpiece for quite some time last night.

It is Sebastian the Crab from the Disney movie The Little Mermaid.

Here's our conversation as he was getting out of the tub last night
Conall -- "Mommy?"
Me -- "Yes?"
Conall -- very quietly "Don't erase Sebastian."
Me -- "Ok"


As soon as he was asleep, I ran into the bathroom and took a photo of his Sebastian picture. When NaNa came to visit today, he ran into the bathroom, pulled a stool up to turn the light on, and climbed into the tub to show her his drawing. He did all of this before she even made it down the hall! He has really enjoyed drawing lately.

Beetle and Sword Rackcophagus

Conall was drawing at his art table this afternoon and drew a really cool picture of a beetle. I asked him if it was for me and he said no, but showed me another one that was "just for you". I asked what it was and he told me it was a "sword rackcophagus". Not sure what that means, but it was just for me.

Beetle

Sword Rackcophagus

Baby Luke

When we got the art desk for Conall off freecycle, there were a lot of other things in the bag with it. Typically on freecycle, if you want something, then you take the whole bag of stuff offered and then they tell you to freecycle what you don't want. Anyway, the bag with the art desk also had a lot of toys in it (I know, the last thing we need!). It had about 5 or 6 baby dolls in the bag.


Conall has named one of the baby dolls "Baby Luke". He keeps putting Baby Luke down for naps, feeding him, pushing him in Caitlin's stroller, etc. His favorite place to tuck him in seems to be the basket in the living room that I keep throw blankets in. Here's a photo of Baby Luke tucked into my basket.

Bath Markers

Na Na got Conall some bath markers. The first night we used them he had played at Kanton's until dinnertime. When he came home that night, he wanted to "stay up late". He didn't want to take his bath and whined and whined and whined, etc. I started drawing the bath water and I brought the markers into the living room to show him. He ran to the bathroom and stripped as quickly as he could! He didn't want to get out and kept wanting me to make a movie of him drawing with them.

He drew on the shower wall, on the tub, on his bath toys and on himself. He also made a train track for his train bath toys. Here's a photo of the track.

Prayer Request Part 3

Please continue to pray for my Aunt Dorothy. On Saturday, they moved her back to ICU due to internal bleeding. As of last night, they think that it may have subsided and have moved her back to a regular room. They are keeping a close watch on her because of the internal bleeding. Originally, they were afraid they might have to do surgery again today to stop it. Please pray that they found it, it has stopped, and that she will be able to begin recovery from the surgery and treatment for the cancer.

Conall's Pumpkin

Conall drew this pumpkin today at his art desk. He kept telling me that he didn't want me to look at it until he was finished. Now I see why because it is really good (I know, I'm just a proud parent). I asked him if I could put a scan of it up on our blog for everyone to see. His answer was "yeah, sure."

Why Rusty the Cat Goes Everywhere

Conall -- Why does Rusty go everywhere I go?
Me -- I don't know. Why?
Conall -- Because he is a guard cat. He guards everyone's house he goes to. He guards our house, Grandma's house, NaNa and PoPo's house, everyone's house. He keeps everyone safe.

I LOVE Freecycle

Ok, I think I may be getting addicted to freecycle. We just got a dresser/kids size armoire for Caitlin's room tonight from freecycle. Now, I have something pretty to hold Caitlin's clothes and to replace the changing table that is going to Aunt Brooke. And, I didn't have to buy it! How cool is that?
I'll post a picture of it in her room once we get it cleaned up and put together. We may need to paint it.

The Cats Are Giving High Fives

Conall came running into the living room from our room tonight all excited.
Conall -- Inkspot is killing Derby!
Stu -- What?
Conall -- Yeah, the cats are giving each other high fives!
Stu -- What? (he goes to check to see what our cats are really up to)

I'm in the kitchen making dinner and Conall comes running in:
Conall -- Inkspot, Derby and Daisy are giving each other high fives.
Me -- Well, that's really cool Conall. How are they doing that?
Conall -- You know, they are giving each other high fives with their paws.

About this time, Stu comes back from our room laughing. Apparently the cats were having a slap-cat fight over a spot on the bed. Who knew that was giving each other a high five!

Registered for Pre-K

It is official -- we registered Conall for pre-K today. He is so excited. While we were in the office, he kept saying that he wanted "to go play here and have fun." He also wanted to go see the caterpillars.
The school has a get-to-know other families pizza party next Thursday night and a get-to-know your teacher and class next Friday. He is excited about going and can't wait for school to start. I'll have to remind him of this when he's older and complaining about how much he hates school.

Puke Strikes Again

Caitlin had another one of her bedtime puking incidents. We still aren't sure what is causing it -- teething, drainage, reflux, virus or just plain behavior. Oh well, back to washing vomit-covered laundry and then I'm sure Conall will have more wet sheets and blankets for me again later.

Prayer Request Part 2

Aunt Dorothy had her surgery today. She is doing well from all accounts. They think they got most, if not all, of the cancer. They will keep her for 7-10 days to make sure she doesn't have any internal bleeding. They won't know much more about the cancer until they run more tests. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

Monster Hands

Both of my children are horrible about grabbing and touching everything. Some people would say that they are tactile learners. Right now, I really don't care. I am so tired of everything having to be put up high, hidden away and even then, still they find something to get into. Last night, I remember Conall having my glasses and putting them on and putting them on his cat. I was busy at the time and I remember demanding them back. For the life of me, I can't remember where they were put. I have turned the house upside down today and I still can't find them. Little monster hands must have gotten them!

Update: They've been found!

Sparkle Shoes

When I got Conall's art table from the freecycle site, a few more things came with it. One of them was a pair of sparkly princess-like shoes. Of course, Caitlin loves them.

Puking -- Again

Poor Caitlin. Tonight is the second night she's woken up puking. Last night it was just a little bit, so we didn't think much of it. Tonight it was bad -- it was Conall worthy. And, you all know how bad that is. I'm still trying to get the smell out of my skin and out of the house.
The weird thing is, if this is a stomach bug, it makes no sense. It doesn't follow normal virus patterns. We'll see.

Edward art

Conall used his drawing table non-stop this morning. He even ate breakfast on it!
He drew picture after picture after picture. He wanted me to put all of them on the refrigerator door! Here's the one I liked best -- Edward the train. The scan really doesn't do it justice.

Drawing Table

Last night, I got some really cool stuff for the kids from Freecycle (I love it). For those of you who don't know, freecycle is a local web community where people post things they want to get rid of or things they want to have, all for free. It was created to help keep things out of the landfill.


Conall got a kids lap art table, the kind I've been wanting to get him for awhile. It has a place to store his supplies and paper and fits around his lap. It might even work in the car for long trips, but I'll have to check and see if it fits.


He has been using it to draw this morning and to teach Rusty, his stuffed animal, how to draw.

Prayer Request

Please say some extra prayers on Tuesday for my Aunt Dorothy. She is going to Oklahoma City for surgery to remove most (they think they can only get 80% of it) of her liver cancer. There is danger of internal bleeding because the area is so vascular. She is in good spirits, but has asked that we all pray for her.

Friday Morning -- What Month Is It?

Here's the post I lost:

First thing this morning, Conall asked me what month it is.
Conall "What month is it today?"
Me "August"
Conall "It was July yesterday?"
Me "Yes"
Conall "Let's go to Jefferson"
Me "School doesn't start until August 18, today is August 1"
Conall -- silence --I can see the wheels turning, I'm sure he'll come up with something later today relevant to this

Watermelon and Blueberries

Caitlin loves her "yum yum". She saw me bring in a container of fruit that Grandma sent home with Conall and had a fit. It was a container of watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, red grapes and apples. Grandma and Conall had eaten them during their tea party at Conall's patio table.

I couldn't dish the fruit out quickly enough for her. One bite after another was gone. She loved the watermelon, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. So much so that she ate all of the watermelon in one sitting and wanted more. The watermelon and blueberries seemed to be her favorite, so we went the next day and got her some more.