Team Katrina
This weekend the kids and I went to a fundraiser for team Katrina. She was a mom who died in childbirth. It was great to see people come together for her family. Today Mark is sick. He is so sad and also very nice about it.
Andrew
Andrew almost always seems to have a cold. So today we are trying to figure out if there really is a reason he can never be in daycare or if he has allergies.
Sick
So maybe I didn't just barf all night last night since I am pregnant. I'm grateful to Carrie for watching Danielle at church. Mark got another bath and asked for his pajamas.
Now it's cuddle time for our little old man.
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Dear Friend, Sunday Thoughts Edition
who hasn't been guilty of a jumper and flats?
Dear Friend,
I was just writing to talk about how glad I was to go to church today. John had a fever of 102 last night and I thought I was going to die but we came. I know it's only a virus because I'm already on a prescription decongestant and antibiotics and allergy medicine. maybe it wasn't super bright to bring our seemingly healthy kids since they slept pretty much all day after church. You will be happy to know that Mark seems better from his ear infection and even slept through the night last night, which John did not. Either way I was way more laid back than usual at church. I guess all that cold medicine helps me be more mellow. My only problem is that I think it inspired unnecessarily random thoughts. No wait- I always have those. The cold medicine just makes me more confused about things that people are trying to explain to me.
Anyway today I was reminded of my mission. You see today I thought of my plans for a second mission, where I shared the important message of a bra that fit properly. I think the properly fitting bra could almost as dear to my heart as my religion. Hello- line those bras ladies! Because seriously a bra that flattens, cuts in half and sags you all at the same time can ruin you life. Actually just one of those things is enough to ruin your day, so all three= you need an intervention.
Seriously I feel like this bra fitting mission could change someone's life for the better. That someone being you. Also: the message that no Jumper is the right kind of jumper. Now I have to admit, I was guilty of the Jumper wearing. I borrowed one from my companion and it was the most comfortable thing I put on. On a hot day the air just blows right up that jumper and cools you off. Of course the resulting billowing is not particularly flattering. When I was in Germany during the hottest summer in 140 years I was seen in two glorious jumpers and gifted one by Sister Reynolds, bless her soul. But you know a lot of things are comfortable, like the Ugg boots I wear around the house. Most of you have probably never seen my capri sweat pants with pockets and they are comfortable. We are talking about full thickness pockets here.
Anyway I was a little confused today because I saw your jumper and I'm betting you learned about their magic on a mission or in a hot place but your jumper was tight. If you take a jumper and add tightness you have destroyed the inherent beauty of the jumper, which is minimal to begin with.
I was thinking I could get together with you some time and go to the mall to a little store I like to call victorias secret. I know you think they are porn but maybe in this case you can look past that to get a decent bra. We could go to macy's, I won't judge. I'm thinking under wire could really rock your world.
almost enough to make that jumper passable.
almost.
Love,
Janae
I was thinking I could get together with you some time and go to the mall to a little store I like to call victorias secret. I know you think they are porn but maybe in this case you can look past that to get a decent bra. We could go to macy's, I won't judge. I'm thinking under wire could really rock your world.
almost enough to make that jumper passable.
almost.
Love,
Janae
I loved this jumper so much Sister Reynolds gave it to me. She. Was. Awesome.
Modified Thanksgiving Menu
Since everyone in my family is now sick I have decided to revise my Thanksgiving menu.
For Me: Peppermint Popcorn I made with Claire. Lots of it.
For Everyone:
Saltine Crackers
Applesauce
Pedialyte Popsicles
Pedialyte
Toast
Bananas
Saltine Crackers
Applesauce
Pedialyte Popsicles
Pedialyte
Toast
Bananas
Last time Danielle had to flu she got REALLY dehydrated. I've also never dealt with a breastfeeding baby who has the flu- I was doing really good trying to wean him and he isn't keeping much of anything down so should I keep trying to wean and throw more saltines at him? Because this baby DOES NOT CARE for saltines. I read this article about how you should continue breastfeeding so the push to wean is going to get moved back again. Do you ever feel like life looks at your well made plans and laughs at you? It took me such a long time to come to the decision to wean Mark and I've been so wishy washy about it. How. When. Where- these questions are much less solid than it was to decide to breastfeed. I had to work so hard to be able to do it I never thought about how it would end. Although just like with breastfeeding I appreciate the crap loads of unsolicited advice I've received. he he- and the solicited advice. why is it that the people who are the most opinionated and pushy are the one's you don't actually ask?
Overall I think Mark has moved backwards in terms of weaning- from 4 times a day back to I don't know how many but I know I've done three loads of throw up laundry today. John has also done some, before he joined the sickies.
My kids are so sick and sad. Danielle wanted me to hold her but at one point she smelled too bad so she got to take a bath first. Danielle learned to swish water around her mouth to get the bad taste out. she wanted to go to bed tonight. She also made it to the bathroom several times to throw up and I'm really proud of her. Mark has had several baths.
Oh well- it gives me more time to make the rainbow jello Danielle wanted, and explains why I felt so sick all week. Sometimes when you think you could be accidentally pregnant it is really the flu. Other times just your standard monthly crazy paranoia.
Still good to keep lots of pregnancy tests on hand. and Saltine crackers. Read more...
Sunday Thoughts
It's like they say Children, like little petri dishes.
speaking of which once we visited my friends and he was growing something in a petri dish that he had scraped off of his kitchen sponge. I was fascinated and grossed out by cultivating bacteria in your closet. also glad that I refuse to own a kitchen sponge because they smell bad. always.
Kitchen sponges and rags that people use in their sinks- probably some of the most disgusting things on earth. which is why god invented the paper towel.
Well we have lived here over a year, so why does everyone have a cold again? John has some disgusting sore on the back of his throat and I'm convinced it's flesh eating bacteria. Maybe it is this same vigorous paranoia that makes me want to throw up about sponges.
My throat is totally hurting today. Although I probably should even talk because I've got nothing on open sore man.
Today I pondered how interesting being a parent can be- Danielle has decided she wanted to be carried everywhere today. Seriously I can't even carry my baby everywhere, which is probably why both of my children learned to crawl fairly early. I feel like she just realized that she has a sibling and it annoys her so she climbs up on the furniture to hide from him. Usually with his toys. Mark is also afflicted with open sores and some of the worst diaper rash ever. second only to Danielle when she was younger. It is harder to have him be a free range baby than it was with Danielle- mainly because of Danielle.
What is up with the horrible diaper rash? With Danielle supposedly it was disposables. I don't know if it's because we used disposables for a day or because I changed my cloth diaper detergent to hard rock detergent or if it's because he started drinking cows milk or because he ate some strawberries a few days ago but we have a serious problem on our hands here. Poor baby Mark is so sad, but he tends to be rather sensitive.
It is a miracle I got the dishes done today, although I didn't get the laundry put away. and since we canceled lunch with our friends today I have a lot of vegetarian bacon in my fridge that I am going to have to find a home for.
How was your Sunday?
Dear Doctor
Dear Doctor,
I am so glad that you had time to fit me in to your schedule today. You can imagine my shock when you had no idea I was taking a drug you prescribed. I remember back when you asked someone if their stomach pain could be from pregnancy after looking at their abdomen with an ultrasound. I guess you can never be too sure.
I want to introduce you to a little thing I like to call a clock. When the short hand is at the nine that stands for nine o clock. Most clocks need to have a reference point- they should match other clocks in the world or at least the area. If you have an appointment for nine, for example, you should be to work at nine. You should also try to avoid having more than one meeting at the same time. When I arrive for my appointment at 11:00 that does not actually mean seeing you by 1:40 was my ultimate goal.
Another thing you might want to know about is math. Let’s say you have 60 minutes and 10 patients scheduled during that time. How long can you spend with each patient? 45 minutes was actually the wrong answer.
You should know that you office staff is probably the nastiest bunch of beasties in the world. Have you ever read your own online reviews? I don’t want to make you feel bad because people like you, but getting one star out of five for your office staff usually means they aren’t very good. I have never met a more horrible group of women. Your personality is so pleasant it almost makes up for them. However, that one nurse practitioner who doesn’t know that two year olds should get flu shots doesn’t so much make up for the wait.
You should know that the chairs in your waiting room look stained and the faucet in the bathroom leaks.
Please stop telling me you will do things for me, like following up or referring my baby to an eye specialist. Just tell me you have nothing for me and I can take a flying leap. Thanks for telling me to come in to your office to pick up some samples when you didn’t actually have any. I am glad you told your office staff to expect me so they wouldn’t treat me like I was hallucinating when I arrived.
The last thing I wanted to tell you is that a little piece of my heart goes out to you when I read your letter about the shortage of doctors in the area. I am so grateful that I have medical care and can even get an appointment.
There is a spelling error in the letter. It won’t stop yelling at me.
janae
Read more...Good Morning: I have a cold
Well Since I've had several people tell me my post last night seemed cryptic I decided to post today. I really just have a cold. My brain seems really foggy. I've been a little bit sad this last week. I started training for a half marathon with Claire- then when may rolled around and we finished I gained five pounds. I guess if your activity level drops that much you gain lots of weight. Maybe I should just start training for another run. Hugely depressing. Well this morning the scale informed me that I lost three pounds this week. Today I started on weight watchers so we'll see if I can stay consistent. I was shocked- I've been really good at slowly losing weight since Mark was born (like a pound every three weeks after the first 6 weeks). I still want to lose weight from Danielle. I've thought a lot about trying to be happy about the changes that happen from pregnancy- like now I can do a sit up, when Mark was born- not so much. I am shocked at how hard it is to get your body to cooperate and do the things I'm used to being able to do. Running was the perfect exercise because it doesn't make me feel depressed about things I used to be able to do- I could never run.
End discussion of weight that I obsess about daily.
In good news I was on the front page of etsy today- or rather Eli my nephew was. I knew he was a good model. I was pretty happy about it. I can't hear much of what is going on today because I am stuffed up, and Mark is sick. He likes to wake up every two hours in the night. That is rude. Mark has never really liked going anywhere and it is sometimes just easier to stay home. So I've become a little bit of a hermit. I'm finally getting friends here that drag me out of my cave to go places, which I really like.
Erik had lots of ideas about etsy and things I could make- I hope I'm able to make more things. I'm part of a really awesome treasury group called Curation Nation but I still need more in my shop.
see that cute little boy in a bear shirt? That is my nephew. He is DARLING.
Success
The last few weeks have been a little rough in the Madsen household. For instance, today Danielle had three victories over mommy. My victory was getting her to take a nap- in your face Danielle. Probably not the best thing to tell a child.
Right now baby Mark is asleep- I think for the night. He will wake up again around one in the morning, then at five and finally for the day at seven. I think our friends Mike and Diane helped by watching Mark in the morning. He wakes up and after trying to keep him away during the day I just couldn't do it some mornings. I usually want to sleep all weekend. Well on Sunday I got to sleep but baby Mark didn't. Thrilling.
It's nice to have friends who seem to like babies. I thought I was just feeling pretty bad from lack of sleep but after Mike and Diane left and I threw up a few times I called the doctor. A new breastfeeding milestone for me was getting my first breast infection. Since I pumped with Danielle I didn't go through teething and getting sore again. I don't know if it is normal to have trouble at teething but Mark has been quite the fussy boy. I was feeling guilty that John stayed home one day and then Thursday Melissa came over and watched Danielle and cleaned my house. Seriously? how nice is that?
I always thought I wanted lots of kids but it seems so hard. I don't know how people do it. I miss living near my family when I am sick. Carlie is coming out to help me next week even though she has a baby- so nice. I am excited to see another squishy little baby and let John catch up on school (hopefully).
But in the positive news I ran 4 miles last Saturday and I am still alive. NOT DEAD FROM RUNNING THIS WEEK. Shocking I know- I took a few days off for the breast infection but I am still training for my half marathon. Danielle is loving our new favorite treat of carrots and hummus. When she can't climb up on the counter top and get the nutella out and hide under the table and spread it everywhere.
Freedom
I probably give my daughter too much freedom. For example she once again has been wearing the bug pants for several days. I ask her if she wants to wear her pretty pink sleeper and she says "no sanks". This is also the response I get when I ask her if she wants to go to bed. Danielle gets to pick her own clothes. She gets to select what to eat for dinner. Once she chose to go home from church. Danielle frequently decides to feed the dog junk food. She is very fast. For example just the other day I went upstairs to feed the baby and Danielle opened a bag of candy bars. Austin was really appreciative that Danielle didn't like them but I was a little sad to lose all my butterfingers. Despite all my attempts I haven't been able to replicate the consumption of a bag of candy in ten minutes. I wish I could say it is infrequent that Danielle gets food she shouldn't- but this is one of her recurring toddler victories. I can blame sleep deprivation I hope.
I am a little bitter right now about being sick and never sleeping. I know that eventually the baby will sleep for more than three hours at a time but it doesn't seem like the endless wakefullness will ever end. Mark can't really sleep with his baby cold.
Well I think I finally have pink eye and the cold everyone else has had for a while. Danielle is done with the medicine and Mark is halfway through. Also Danielle has an ear infection. Every sickness Danielle gets can aparently be solved with the use of a bandaid. from stomacheache to pink eye, many bandaids are used. I just hand them to her and let her figure it out. Usually if they ever make their target they are finished with their miraculous healing in ten minutes when she decides to remove them and attach them to the carpet.
Tonight Danielle was being super cute and we played in the garage all night- she was making a "puzzle" out of the rock climbing holds. I forgot that she can play with those things for hours on end. I know what we will be doing all morning tomorrow.
Sad Girl
Danielle woke up freaking out because her eyes wouldn't open. We cleaned out her eyes and gave her medicine and an ice cream cone. I'm glad we decided to call the doctor and ask for medicine last night, because Danielle was so sad. She asked for a picture of her ice cream cone. Of course this is ten minutes after Mark finally fell asleep. Danielle has decided to stay up so hopefully her eyes won't puss shut again today.
I love medicine and a good doctor that will let us call her anytime.
and my left eye is really itching. Probably sympathy itching.
Dear Girls
Dear girls that sit out in the hall during Sunday School,
Thanks so much for playing with my daughter on Sunday. I really appreciate all the time I was able to set up people coming to help us move. Without you I would have had to run back and forth after Danielle who loves to run away. My beautiful Marc Jacobs shoes cut a little bit on one of my toes and running around church would not have worked.
The only downside that I could really pinpoint in your 20 minutes of free babysitting is really a minor detail. It happened over and over again, and Danielle has done it before. I'm not exactly blaming you... Please don't let Danielle jump on you or pretend that she is pushing you over. Maybe she really is pushing you over. Not that I'm against wrestling or think that baby body slamming is evil in some way. It's me. I don't like to be body slammed. Those little baby elbows she throws at me can really hurt.
Danielle doesn't always understand when she can and can't run into people with all of her might. For instance today she tried to ram into our friend's dog who thought (correctly) that she was trying to wrestle and knocked her over. She didn't cry but I think that she was less than thrilled. I know that dog was confused. Think of his confusion next time you pretend she is "getting" you.
The day after her little party in the hall I had a bit of a cold and when she rammed me in the stomach I sort of threw up all over her. Luckily we were already in the bathroom so I didn't have to clean the carpet, but it wasn't a pleasant feeling. I guess my stomach muscles just don't hold it together anymore. I had no idea that a Danielle to the side could induce vomiting.
It was messy to clean up and a little hard to explain to Danielle, who was less than thrilled with the "big mess."
Luckily after an hour and a half long bath with bubbles Danielle forgave me. I think I forgave myself a little later, although I still feel guilty that it was a little funny. Who throws up on someone and then laughs about it a day later?
On the plus side she hasn't body slammed me since the incident with the throw up, so maybe she can learn to be a selective rough kid.
Thanks
Janae
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