:o( :o( :o(

So....it is MRSA. Son of a gun. Sucks, but it is what it is.

On a positive note, his sore looks SOOOOO much better. It's all healed over and no longer draining. He still hates his antibiotics but after whining for a second or two, he gives in.

Poor little Mook :0(

Carousel Festival

Today was the annual Carousel Festival. I was trying to think how many years we have been going and I think this was the fourth year. In the past we have gone with friends or my parents, but today it was just us.

It has been unseasonably cool here the last few days which was perfect. Mid 70's to walk around and play on rides without sweating and getting worn out. We were able to ride all the rides, walk around to see the different exhibits and even enjoy some great fair food. With this festival all the rides are free but with face painting, food and snacks the money in my pocket went quickly.
M is obsessed with Cars and there was a ride where he could 'drive' car around the track. He was in love!
The twins always enjoy getting their faces painted by the same guy year after year.

Poor Mook!

S - 3 yrs 9 months
K - 2 yrs 1 months
M - 1 yrs 9 months

I am not a fan of antibiotic use. The above is how long each of my children have gone into their life before being given their first antibiotic. I am pretty pleased with those numbers.

I am a true believer that we over use antibiotics and this is why we are now dealing with the super bugs we are. A sniffle, sore throat, cough...run to the doctor and get a drug. Hand sanitizer, soap, laundry detergent, baby wipes...all with added antibacterial compounds. These behaviors and products have led to our immune systems being out of whack and cause the bacteria to mutate and strengthen. I am a HUGE believer in natural immunity and you won't find any of those antibacterial products in my home.

Now, all that being said, I'm also not one of those parents who deny my children needed antibiotics when they are truly needed. K received her first dose when she was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia and a double ear infection. S ended up with a large, very painful abscess to his upper thigh when he received his first dose. And now, Mook. He also has an abscess.

This stupid thing started as a small 'pimple' which was covered by his diaper. I tried antibiotic ointment, hot compresses and expressing the material, but in the end I conceded and took him to the doctor yesterday. By then it was very angry looking and he was starting to feel like maybe he was running a low grade temperature.

The doctor took a look and right away said MRSA - which pisses me off. If you want to label my kid with MRSA, you better darn prove that's what it is. She did take a culture and I guess I will hear this week. what grows. As I held down my baby she 'expressed' the hell out of it. And as a nurse, I can tell you the stuff that came out was NASTY. Poor Mook screamed through the whole event. This picture was taken right before that procedure and I can tell you that this does not give it justice. The lump was quite large and there was much more redness than this picture shows.
Now we have 10 days of antibiotics. Since this is a pretty big infection - and surgery was even mentioned - he's on pretty heavy duty drugs. Problem is these drugs taste vile and it's horrible trying to get them down my 21 month old three times a day. I will continue to force them though, because I want this to go away...without surgery and without an additional course of antibiotics.

Poor Mook!

My Kindergarteners

A New Baby is on the Way!!

Not me...I wish!

Our little donor family is growing. One of our families is expecting another baby in April. I've know for a few weeks but she finally had an US today and it showed a healthy little bean.

This will be baby #13 for us. We have 8 families with a current total of 12 children. There are 6 boys and 6 girls. So far I am the only one with twins. Me and another mom each have three a piece. This new baby will be baby number three for this family, but the second with our donor.

I am excited! There is another family who is TTC baby #14. Maybe I will sneak in baby #15 at some point :)

I am Surrounded by F'in Idiots....Part II

I have written a bunch about how immature and irresponsible my sister is. She just never grew up. After 'graduating' high school with a 1.9 GPA and then never going to college she never really even got a job. She goes from home to home until that person is tired of her living off them and she moves on. Awhile ago I discovered that she had conned a man out of over $3000 claiming to have a child and having no money for xyz. In exchange for him sending her money, she sent him naked pictures of herself. If I found out about this one guy, I wonder how many others there are.

Well she has also had her share of relationships. About 3 years ago she met an NFL player in a club and since has been 'bouncing' around pro/college athletes. She had been with two Panthers, a Spur and two college players that I am aware of. W, is a college player who she has been off and on with the most.

For probably the last year they have been 'seeing' each other. He is never in the same town she is, so it's more like they hang out for a few days, talk for a few weeks, break-up and then restart the cycle. In early summer they broke up for good because he cheated on my sister and supposedly got his ex-girlfriend pregnant. I'm sure J was no angel but this is the version she told. She then started going out with another college player who was in the draft.

At this point I will include that my mom never has a problem with this behavior and actually encourages it. Whomever J is with, she talks about marriage and babies within the first few weeks of the relationship. It's actually quite odd and concerning that my mom would do this. It's so weird and contrary to the way I remember her being when I was a child. Why on earth would she encourage such irresponsible and erratic behavior in someone who obviously has no moral compass or direction of her own.

So this summer when she was with D my mom went on and on about how they should get married (in total I think the relationship lasted 6 weeks to give you perspective). She even posted something about a June wedding on her FB page and many people actually thought J had become engaged!

Well about 6 weeks into their relationship...guess who gets signed to the NFL? Yep, W. So suddenly W is fine, he did nothing wrong and J dumps D like a hot potato and suddenly LOVES W again. Apparently W is dumb as a box of rocks for not realizing that the only reason J went back with him is because he now has a contract with $$$$. And my mom is 100% fully on board with W now.

This all occured about 2-3 weeks ago. Fast forward to this weekend. J goes to visit W with my mom who is uber impressed with the hotel and other 'material' things he provides for them while they visit. On their way back, the two of them call me and asked me if I had any more ovulation tests left because J is moving in with W and they are going to try and get pregnant!

WTF???

So yes...my mom is totally encouraging and supporting my 21yo sister who has never had a job, responsibilities or quite honestly can wipe her own ass without help to have a baby with someone she has never spent more than a few consecutive days with at a time, and who she has only been back with for a few weeks. I don't even allow J to watch my kids because she has shown multiple times that she can't handle it.

I told my mom that I absolutely did not want to ever hear about this horrible, selfish, asinine plan again and I hung up on them. I literally am at a loss at how my sister could possibly be doing this, and how my mother could be okay with it. I don't know if they think that since W will have $$$ it won't matter if it doesn't work because then J will always get the support? I have no clue. Regardless of the reason the outcome will only be tragic. A child born to two people who have no idea what commitment or responsibility is who is being used as some sort of pawn in a game. My prediction is that if this does happen, my mom will be paying for it big time. Because unless W continues to do well and J can afford a nanny...my mom will be the one who gets to raise this baby.

I am Surrounded by F'in Idiots....Part I

Okay, give me some lenience with these next two posts. I have avoided coming here to rant and rave about my opinions but I have to let them out somewhere where my family/friends don't know exists and is my place.

In the last week three people have announced their pregnancies. Everyone came about 2 or 3 days apart and each announcement was more and more aggravating. The reason...I firmly believe that when someone tries to conceive a child, they need to do so knowing the can care for that child in all ways. Physically, Emotionally, Mentally and Financially. In addition that child needs to come into a home with love and stability. A child is not a tool to fix something. It is a gift, and should be looked at with the knowledge that it comes with great responsibility and not something to fill some selfish need you have to fill.

Situation One: Married couple with one child. This couple is probably the best prepared of the three to have another child. BUT I was ticked off when shortly after she announced her pregnancy, commented about the frustration with applying for pregnancy medicaid and getting her current child medicaid who up until now had no insurance.

Situation Two: Married couple with 5 children. They have major struggles financially. I'm sure this stress impacts her marriage as she is also commonly bitching about her husband who works a lot - which makes sense with a family of 7 people now growing.

Situation Three - By far the one that bothers me most. Married couple with two children. About a year ago husband got arrested for stealing from his employer. He lost his job. To say this family struggles financially is an understatement. They were struggling before the job loss. No one has insurance, except the children who are on medicaid. They receive food stamps and WIC. Their marriage is in shambles since the arrest. Not long ago the wife described their marriage as "room mates at best" But then guess who announces their pregnancy this week and is all smiles about it?

I don't get it. From speaking to some people, I think my opinions are more popular than many will admit. No one wants to say it because it makes them sound petty and I guess...bitchy. People don't want the reproductive rights of others to be controlled and I do agree with that, but there has to be a middle ground. Everyone likes to be all smiles and happy around pregnancy and babies. But look at society and children. So many come from dysfunctional families and then are propelled into schools, workplaces and society with baggage and issue.

People who read know I want another baby and may feel that this rant is about jealously. Maybe that's part of it, but I really don't think it is. I could start next month with TTC and most likely within a few months be pregnant. But I'm not. And I'm not because that would be unfair to S, K, M and the future child. I can care for the three children I have. If I were to add another, that would be in question. I need to have certain things taken care of before I can TTC again, which is why I haven't completely ruled it out, but definitely placed on the back burner for now.

I guess my aggravation is why do I hold myself to this standard when it is clear that so many do not?

Baby Stats

I stole this from another blog. I thought it was cute :0)


1.Age? 5

2. Name? S-amuel K-eegan

3. Birthday? Feb 14th 2006

4. Time of birth? 1:01p

5. How long did labor last? Scheduled Section

6. Who was in the room when baby was born? Doctors & Mom

7. How long did you push? No pushing!

8. Weight? 6lbs 8oz

9. Length? 19"

10. Any hair? Dark Brown/Black Hair

11. Who does baby look like? My guess would be me

12. Be honest…how much weight did you gain during pregnancy? Lost 60 pounds

13. Was baby early or late? Born at 36w4d

14. Who drove you home from hospital? I drove myself home

15. How many baby showers did you have? two

16. When did baby start sleeping through the night? Um...4yo maybe?

17. Did you breastfeed? Wouldn't latch :( I pumped for 3 months

18. If not, what kind of formula? Enfamil

19. Who keeps your baby the most? Mom at first, but Nanny Q

20. When do you wanna have another? I liked the idea of another right away but didn't seriously consider it until around 2yo.

21. How did you pick the name? Always loved the name. Middle is after a child I loved who died from SIDS.

22. How did you know when it was time to go to hospital? I was admitted a week before the birth due to illness.

23. What was your pain management? Spinal

24. Did you go home or somewhere else when you left the hospital? Home

25. Anyone spend the night with you first night home? Mom, Me, twins


1.Age? 5

2. Name? K-aidyn A-shlyn

3. Birthday? Feb 14th 2006

4. Time of birth? 1:03p

5. How long did labor last? Scheduled Section

6. Who was in the room when baby was born? Doctors & Mom

7. How long did you push? No pushing!

8. Weight? 5lbs 8oz

9. Length? 18"

10. Any hair? Barely any hair - reddish blond

11. Who does baby look like? Who knows!

12. Be honest…how much weight did you gain during pregnancy? Lost 60 pounds

13. Was baby early or late? Born at 36w4d

14. Who drove you home from hospital? I drove myself home

15. How many baby showers did you have? two

16. When did baby start sleeping through the night? Um...4yo maybe?

17. Did you breastfeed? Wouldn't latch :( I pumped for 3 months

18. If not, what kind of formula? Enfamil

19. Who keeps your baby the most? Mom at first, but Nanny Q

20. When do you wanna have another? I liked the idea of another right away but didn't seriously consider it until around 2yo.

21. How did you pick the name? Just loved the names

22. How did you know when it was time to go to hospital? I was admitted a week before the birth due to illness.

23. What was your pain management? Spinal

24. Did you go home or somewhere else when you left the hospital? Home

25. Anyone spend the night with you first night home? Mom, Me, twins



1. Age? 1

2. Name? M-ax G-rayson

3. Birthday? December 10th 2009

4. Time of birth? 3:14a

5. How long did labor last? 9 hours

6. Who was in the room when baby was born? Doctors & Mom

7. How long did you push? About 5 minutes

8. Weight? 8 pounds

9. Length? 20.25"

10. Any hair? Dark Brown/Black Hair

11. Who does baby look like? Me

12. Be honest…how much weight did you gain during pregnancy? About 30pounds

13. Was baby early or late? Born at 38w6d

14. Who drove you home from hospital? Dad

15. How many baby showers did you have? two

16. When did baby start sleeping through the night? He sleeps through the night if I am with him. Started around 18 months.

17. Did you breastfeed? Still breastfeeding

18. If not, what kind of formula? None

19. Who keeps your baby the most? Nanny Q

20. When do you wanna have another? I wanted another one right away. Still do :0(

21. How did you pick the name? This name would have been K's name if she was a boy

22. How did you know when it was time to go to hospital? I was told to go for an induction.

23. What was your pain management? Staydol.

24. Did you go home or somewhere else when you left the hospital? Home

25. Anyone spend the night with you first night home? Dad, Mom, Twins

Updates

Sigh...I have totally sucked at the blog thing lately. I really need to work on that.

So...what's going on with everyone...

S - He is doing well. He started school 2 weeks ago - kindergarten - and so far he really likes it. He is REALLY into dinosaurs. I think we watch Jurassic Park III about once a day and when he's not watching it, he's reading his books or playing in his 'Dinosaur World' that he created in his room. Right now his desire is to be a Dinosaur Scientist and dig up dinosaur bones. He is growing quickly. While he can fit into M's shorts, he needs a size 7 pants for length and his feet are a size 1.

He is really a cool kid. He is so smart in science. He seems to struggle though with writing and reading and I worry that this will stifle him in school and cause him not to reach his full potential. Around here there are several schools with 'special focus' and one is a science focused school. Once he is a little older this may be a good option for him.

K - She is also doing very well. Of course she also started Kindergarten recently. Her and S are in the same class. She likes her teachers but talks more about the friends she is making. K seems to enjoy social interaction more than toys or any specific subject. She likes to play reading and grammar games with me, but won't sit and play these same games on her own. She says she will be a vet when she's older. She is also growing quickly. She is in a size 6 pants for length and a size 12 shoe.

K seems so mature for her age. She is also very smart and has an incredible memory. She is doing well with writing and pre-reading skills. She is making lots of friends and always asks me to sit and just talk with her.

M - My goodness, what to say about the Mook. He is hilarious and such a handful! He is receiving speech therapy twice a week and his vocal skills are improving week to week. He usually picks up a new word every day or two. Mook is very charming and cute...and he totally knows it! He can manipulate himself out of any situation! He is fiercely independent and thinks he can and should be able to do anything the twins do. He loves his sister, but he idolizes his brother. It is amazing to see the boys together. M has even picked up the love of dinosaurs so that he can spend time with his S. It's really just too adorable to describe.

Mook can be quite the handful. Even though he doesn't speak he is quite opinionated and has an attitude that can fill a room. His favorite word is 'Uh-uh' (NO) and he uses it often. He tests his limits constantly and will do something he's not supposed to, until you walk towards him and he runs away laughing. He is a HUGE fan of Bubble Guppies and Team Umi Zoomie. He will dance to the music and completely zone out on the couch when they are on.

Of course, sadly, my baby is growing up too. He will be headed into 24/36 month clothes and size 6 shoes. He still nurses to sleep, but even that is hit or miss lately so we may be completely weaned soon.

There isn't too much exciting going on with me. I fear that if I tried to write an update it would be filled with more bitching than anything so I will leave it for now.