Vacation 2011

Well, we are home from two weeks of vacation. It was GLORIOUS! (as you can see from Lucy's expression above) Well, not all of it, but I now firmly believe that 2 weeks of vacation should be mandatory for everyone. I don't care if you just go to the motel 6 that is 25 miles down the road-GO!

Our little trek started off not so great. We woke ready to go and guess who had a fever? I know you are shocked that our little Lucy was ill, right? We decided to go ahead and go to Florida to Mimi and Papa's house. There weren't any doctors open here on a Sunday anyway. We would shoot her up with some ibuprofen and hope for the best.

The halfway point between here and there is Birmingham, which is where Bryan and I went to school (Samford). We decided to stop there and let Lucy run and play and stretch. Good call, as she was nuts after 4 hours in the car AND being sick. We stopped and had a little picnic at the campus. It was nice to be back there. We have some amazing memories of when we met and the years we spent there with some of the best friends/experiences of our lives. Lucy and her daddy took a walk down the same uneven sidewalks that he and I used to walk down. PRECIOUS!

We took some pictures and managed to get a semi-good family photo. It was so hot (we'd forgotten about THAT humidity.) After our little mini-break, we got back in the car and trudged onward. Thanks to Clifford, Lucy was able to nap a bit, but let's face it, a car is no place to nap comfortably.

When we were about 45 minutes from Mimi and Papa's house, Lucy sort of lost her mind, but I can't blame her. 9 hours is a LOOOOOONG time to be in a car. How many times can you tell a two-year old, "We're almost there!" before she stops believing you? It is approximately 27.

We were so very glad to be in Florida. Lucy had a fever, STILL, but we haven't seen Mimi and Papa near enough. We did however, have to find a doctor for Lucy. One walk in clinic later, she was on antibiotics for a red, irritated throat. She hadn't eaten well in several days, which made sense when we found out she had the sore throat. So there we were, fingers crossed that within 24 hours, we'd have a girl who felt better. Not so. Although, she wasn't so sick she couldn't dress up. Check out Tinkerbell doing the sprinkler.

Well, a couple of days passed, and Lucy still wasn't better. Fever still present, meds were being given every 3 hours, and Lucy had moments of perkiness. She is obsessed with airplanes and helicopters, which is perfect since her Papa works on them. During a moment of perkiness, we took her to the base where Papa works. He got to show her off, and show her some flying machines. She even got her picture taken with a REAL pilot!

The next morning, still riddled with fever, we took Lucy (drugged up) to the train depot. She loves trains (I guess all things transportation related) and she really liked the red caboose. She drove it and everything!

Still a bit worried about her fever, we took Lucy to a local pediatrician. I mean, she'd been on antibiotics for 4 days, and still had 103ish fever ALL THE TIME. I was really starting to worry. The pediatrician was really nice, and said her throat was still very red. He didn't want to do bloodwork since she was on antibiotics. He said that even if it were viral, she needed to stay on the meds. So, we left and hoped for the best. I would like to let you know that although Lu was quite perky at times, she was attached to my neck when she wasn't. Carrying a 27 pound kid (without a handy dandy kangaroo pouch) is not easy. In fact, I didn't pee all week without her. It was so lovely.

Lucy had been sick for 4 days now, no relief, still not eating, and still worrying me. We were having to wake up every 3-4 hours each night to give her meds, and we were exhausted. If you will remember, we had not been sleeping for the several weeks BEFORE vacation due to her lack of interest in sleeping in her bed. UGH. Lucky for us that day her fever broke! She woke from nap cool as a cucumber!!!!

Later that night Lucy got take her first boat ride!!!! We went to visit some great family friends who live on the water. They had a great paddleboat, and Lucy was primed and ready to go-Dora lifejacket and all!

She was a bit stiff in the lifejacket at first, but was able to manage a smile and wave! She did NOT want the little ride to end either. It was cute!

The next day, we decided to amp it up a bit. We went to the Navy boatdocks and rented a little motorboat and took Lucy on a ride down the Blackwater river. She was more comfortable in her little lifejacket this time, and had a blast (until she voiced, "I'm all done with the boat" about an hour into the trip). Oh well. We trudged on to Grandma's pool after the boatride. I think Lucy was afraid I was going to make her do "swimming lessons" so she wasn't too thrilled to be there. She did love to wear all the gear though! We also got her in an itsy-bitsy teeny- weeny, red polka-dot bikini. This bikini has been worn by generations of Moore women. It is so cute! I think part of her problem that day was that by the time we got back home, her fever was back. SUPER!

We kept Lucy chilled out and inside more that day. She seemed to perk up a bit by dinner time. Before we had dinner, she HAD to try to use the massive bubble she got at Toys-R-Us (Did I mention that her Mimi and Papa had taken her on a free for all there?) Anyway, the bubbles were great fun!

The next day, Lucy's fever was sort of ok. Not super high, but still hanging around. We decided that since she was somewhat perky, we'd take her fishing. Mimi had bought her a cute pink Dora fishing pole, and she still had that trendy Dora lifejacket to wear as well. We drove to a place called Bear Lake that was beautiful! We got Lucy all rigged up with her pole and worm, and VIOLA! She caught a fish within seconds of her pole going in the water! It was PERFECT-especially for a 2 year-old with a short attention span! She was so thrilled at her catch. Granted, it was not my dream 6 foot shark, but she did catch the biggest fish of the day!

Our trip to Mimi and Papa's had been full of stress and fun. We got to see many old friends, and meet some new ones as well. Lucy had many "firsts" while she was there, and although she was sick for a lot of the time, she was a trooper.

Our trip to Milton ended with a journey across the bay to the ER. Lucy's fever was still high, it had been a week, and still no changes. I was done. Bryan was done. We were going to a hospital and we were going to get answers. Poor Lucy had blood drawn, her throat swabbed, AND got a catheter since she wouldn't pee in a cup for a urine sample (Um, hello! What 2 year-old does that?). You can imagine how fun this all was. 4 hours later, all tests were clear and good. Lucy just had some type of virus that was hanging on FOREVER according to the doctor. Poor kid had been poked and prodded for NOTHING. At least we had some sort of definitive answer/diagnosis now.

After her little party at the ER, we loaded up the car and drove the 50 mile trek to Destin to meet my parents. It was a nasty, rainy day, but Mommy was ready to see some sand! Seriously, the beach is my most favorite place on earth. Too bad my hubby was raised there and isn't all that impressed with it. Anyway, you can imagine Lucy's mood. NOT a good one. To top it all off, when we were literally 15 miles away from our destination, we got stuck in a horrible traffic jam and it took us an HOUR AND A HALF to go those 15 miles. By this little trip, telling Lucy,"We're almost there" was no longer working. She was just pissed.

We made it eventually, just in time to throw some spaghetti down our throats and put Lucy to bed. Not exactly the wonderful reunion my parents were hoping for, but it was life. Lucy's fever broke AGAIN that night, and our fingers were crossed that she was finally well.

Our week in Destin was not as adventure filled as our week in Milton. Our big plans included parking our butts in the sand and watching the kid have fun.

Things turned out to be pretty good and relaxing last week. Lucy was back to her normal self by about Monday, and we had many good times on the beach. Our kid is definitely a beach bum like her Mommy. We found several more trains for Lucy to ride, and went to the harbor to look at what the local fishermen were catching. We got her a little blow up boat/raft thingy that she seemed so totally interested in when other kids were playing in theirs. However, it wasn't such a huge hit when she got in hers in the ocean. Oh well, $12 down the drain.

Bryan caught a little fish in the pink net for her one day. She was thrilled and watched "Dorothy" as she "took a nap" in her little bucket. Poor Dorothy. She met an untimely end. Lucy stayed pretty busy digging, swimming, throwing sand, talking to the folks on the beach, and eventually crashed on the beach for nap time. She definitely didn't mind getting sandy and some seaweed in her swimsuit. We also got some great family photos on the beach. Lucy was our little "pop" of color!

Lucy was mostly back to normal and eating by the end of the week, but still not SLEEPING. Doesn't she realize I go back to work in TWO WEEKS?!?!? Our ride home was uneventful, unlike last year's. You may recall the "Poop Explosion of 2010." That was not fun. This year, our biggest issue was that I was craving some brownies and there were none to be found. Not too bad I guess!

I'm Pooped (Part 2) Yet Still Crafty!

Perhaps the true reason I am exhausted is that Lucy is in another one of her "phases." Bryan reminded me the other day that she has gone through many "phases" like this one, I just tend to block them out. Her latest phase is one in which she does not sleep too much at night. Yes, gone are the days of 12 hours of peace and quiet. Lucy now wakes up 3 or 4 times each night, and will NOT go back to sleep. She wants Bryan or I to stay in her room with her, and when we do, she still takes FOREVER to go back to sleep. She is also having lots of active dreams and nightmares (which the doctor reassures me is totally normal-super!)

My little independent spirit has become very clingy again too (I am reminded of months 9-11). She wants me to hold her all the time, and seems to be leery of a lot of things that in the past would not have bothered her. I think THIS part of the "phase" is normal, as she is now aware of fear and being afraid of different things. (Thus the reason swimming lessons are not so fun right now, despite my best efforts and the efforts of my sweet friend Katie.)

If you will remember, she has been in a toddler bed for about 6 months.

The transition was so easy! We had a couple of rough nights, but she didn't get out of bed until we got there, slept all night, and seemed to love it. However, about a month ago, all of that changed. Lu is having all these crazy nights, and I feel like I did when she was a newborn-kind of in a fog, and drinking lots of coffee. I NEED SLEEP!!!! Most people I think can probably do on 6-7 hours, but not me! I am a 8-9 hour girl, and I have some major deficits in that area.

So, not only am I NOT sleeping (I should interject that Bryan is not sleeping either, but hey, this blog is more about me than him ;-), but my body is also suffering due to this craziness. If you will notice in the picture above, Lucy's bed is a toddler bed. SO, when B or I go into her room we sit in the floor next to this bed and try to comfort her and let her know she can go back to sleep. Let's stop and take a minute to review what we know about the floor...1. It is hard, 2. It is NOT a great bed, 3. It has no soft sheets and cozy pillows.

So picture me, trying to sleep on the floor next to Lucy while rubbing her back or holding her hand all the while my body going numb. It is such a treat! Almost a month into it, we have had enough.

Enter even BIGGER big girl bed. We are done horribly hard floor, we are done.

If we have to sleep with Lucy, it won't be in our bed, and we won't be going numb anymore either. Let me say this ON THE RECORD...I don't want to enable my child to not be able to sleep by herself. However, when she's screaming her head off or has had a bad dream and is freaked out, I am not going to just let her scream. Please be reminded of the fact that when she was a baby and we were told to let her "cry it out" she cried it out for 3-4 hours (of course we did go in and comfort her during these HOURS, but the child is hard headed and doesn't give up after 15 minutes like most normal children do). So, we're going in her room , trying to comfort her the best we can, and are no longer going numb.

Now, on to the crafty part of this entry. When we put the new bigger big girl bed up, we realized Lucy needed some sort of end table. Well, please note we are poor. Really poor right now. (You can feel free to take a moment to cross fingers, say a prayer, poke a voo-doo doll, whatever floats your boat-in hopes that after finishing his student teaching in December, Bryan will FIND A TEACHING JOB!) So, how do I get a table that is cute and funky AND CHEAP? I scoured the town and found this table on clearance at Hobby Lobby:

Note that I am in the spray paint aisle. I loved the table as it was, very shabby chic. However, it didn't really fit Lucy's room. After 30 minutes in the backyard with a can of spray paint, we now have:

This very cute pink side table. It is the perfect size for Lucy's lamp, clock, and bedtime story- book Bible. So cute!

P.S. Lucy woke up at 1:00 last night, and I fell asleep in her bed almost instantly (as did Lucy). Woke up at 7! Success :)

I'm Pooped! (Part 1)

It seems like we've been going non-stop for weeks now. Some lovely person pointed out that last week summer was halfway over. How is that possible?! I suppose all of our summer craziness has really proven that old adage to be true-"Time flies when you're having fun!" I actually can't believe how "stay-at-home mommy" I've been acting lately! Planning crafts and outings and playdates (which is a word that disgusts me, but everyone is using it, so...)-who am I?!?!?

We utilized our zoo passes again. We actually got a shot of Lucy and I that was decent!

We also saw this lovely guy.

We trekked out to Farragut in search of this "Splash Pad" and McFee Park we've heard so much about. This place is our new FAVORITE place to be.

Lucy is totally in love with the water and playground. It could use some more shade, but it really is an awesome place to go on a hot day.

We also had a lot of fun over the July 4th weekend. Lucy helped my mom cook one of my favorite childhood desserts (Strawberry Pretzel Surprise), and of course had to sample.

We went to a community picnic and did a few activities. The first picture below is Bryan whispering to my mother that Lucy will NOT do well on this merry-go-round thingy. The next picture is our child (and her Mumsy) on the ride. Please note Lucy's eyes. Also, please note how OVERLY excited my mother looks. She got a big fat "WE TOLD YOU SO" when it was all said and done.

We also made Lucy go down the world's largest inflatable slide (bet the same factory made our pool!). She went down with Bryan, but wasn't too thrilled about it all. How can my crazy child be so fearful of all these fun things?!?

We had our little picnic after all the crazy "rides" and even ran into my oldest friend and her husband and baby. Aren't they beautiful?

Lucy chilled out in her fireman's hat (backwards of course, as she can wear nothing as it should be). She danced for a bit to the blues band, but it was SOOOOOOO HOT!

The next day, the 4th, we went back to Farragut (if we were richer, we'd just move there) for the parade. Lucy psychotically loved it.

My dad and I took a lot of pictures. A lot, really.

We saw the Mayberry crew.

And one of my all-time favorite students and her family.

Also, we saw this person. Still very unsure of its gender.

Lucy wanted her picture taken with the cows.

And Wendy.

And Snow White.

And the pirate.

It was quite a day.

We hope your family had as much fun as Lucy did!

Never Say Never...

I can still remember the first time I saw it. There was this mother with her very small child (maybe a year old) in the line in front of me at a consignment sale. The baby girl had no shoes on, a swimsuit and a little skirt over it and a hairband. She also had (wait for it...) painted toe nails!!! I was just appalled at how inappropriate it looked. I just sort of thought it looked a bit trashy. Am I too uptight?? She also had her ears pierced, which I decided I won't do until LUCY decides SHE wants holes punched in her ears forever and ever. I swore then and there that I was NOT going to paint my child's toes until she was at least 4 years old. I just don't think a sweet, innocent little girl needs her toes painted. I also don't agree with 12 year olds wearing shorts and pants with the word "JUICY" across the butt either, but that is a whole other issue.

So fast forward to now. We are having WWIII at our house (you may also hear me refer to it as "The War Over the Potty." If you've read my past blogs, you know this war has been going on for months now. Lucy goes to the potty all day long at school. She wears "big girl panties" and has not one accident. Then, we come home, and she full on refuses to go to the bathroom in the potty. I am talking arched back, screaming, fits and crying. (Lucy also gets very upset). It is awful. I keep getting LOTS of advice-just wait until she's ready, don't force it, read to her, distract her, blah blah. Let me tell you, if she is going all day at school, that little chick is more than ready. She and I are locked in a power struggle!

Well, it has been a rough week at our house. B and I are a bit stressed about life, money, etc. Lucy has not been sleeping well, and I think she's not a huge fan of her new class at school. She started swimming lessons which I think was stressful for her as well. All in all, it has sort of been a weird week. So yesterday I decided that I was going to offer some type of new reward, as M&Ms, jellybeans, etc. are not working. Enter nail polish. I painted my toes red for the 4th of July weekend, and Lucy loved them. As much as I didn't want to do it, I told her that if she went to the potty 3 times IN THE POTTY, I would paint her toenails. EEEK! Actually, I wasn't too scared because I really didn't think she'd do it.

I was wrong. She went 4 times. CRAP.