The Mouse is in the House

A friend's daughter turned 4 last Friday and as always I was in charge of the cake. You may remember her sisters cake from here. This little one was having a Mickey/Minnie party. Minnie appeared in her best dress, pink and purple of course. I put pink food coloring in the cake mix and the cake was about the same color of pink as Minnie's dress.
It was a hit, she loved it.

And for her actual gift from us, a pink and purple tutu. Home made by yours truly...

with a princess crown to match!

Now I just have to make a tutu for M1's future wife, her birthday is fast approaching!

It's a Jungle in there....

You know what (one of) the best things about being a Mommy and owning your own house is? Getting to decorate your house however you want, even if that's with 'kids eyes'.

You see when I was a child I wasn't allowed to hang things on the walls of my room or my bedroom door. I wasn't allowed to paint the walls or anything like that. My room had white walls, mauve curtains, blinds and carpet. With, guess?, a mauve bedspread. Needless to say I hated that. When I got pregnant with M1 his room was decorated with dinosaurs, M2's room is with rockets (I'll take pictures and share some day). And their bathroom, well it's decorated with a bit of a Jungle theme. Actually if I remember correctly it's called 'Monkey Business'. How fitting!

This is the shower curtain, looking into the bathroom from the hallway it looks pretty basic right?
Wrong!! The newly painted 'Vanilla Chocolate' walls got another paint job. A palm tree, a monkey, a giraffe, some grass, flowers, a cloud and a ...
...bird have all moved into the bath. I LOVE every bit of it. Every time I walk in here I have to smile!!

Here's the sink and accessories that match the shower curtain....

The monkey is swinging from a palm tree branch that is behind the mirror and sink.
Doesn't he just look so ornery?
And seriously!?!? Could think guy look any happier? I mean he is just oozing with cheery-ness (is that a word??)

Doesn't that face just beg you to be his friend?

This is the rug that matches the accessories. I am seriously considering painting the vanity that blue color. It's the standard oak vanity but the sides of it are a little scratched up.

I also think I am going to paint the trim of the medicine cabinet in a zebra strip to match the sides of the soap dish. It's oak and boring!!

All in all this project cost me NOTHING! We already had those bathroom accessories, shower curtain and rug, I free handed the animals in chalk from looking at the shower curtain and then used craft paints that I already had to paint the chalk outlines. After the paint dried I took a black paint pen and outlined everything. I did the animals and the tree during nap time, and added the flowers, grass, cloud and outlines after the boys went to bed. All in all it took me maybe 4 or 5 hours.

If I wasn't so in love with my own bathroom I would definitely move into this bathroom!

I'm up to my ears in stickers!

As I mentioned last week, M1 gets a sticker for learning his Bible Verse at school every week. So far we are 2 for 2. Not to mention he manages to score stickers every where we go, and he usually leaves Target's Dollar Spot with a sheet every time we stop in there.

Most of the stickers end up in a basket with his coloring books and he uses them as he colors. Seeing those stickers he's getting for reciting his Bible Verse took me back to childhood. I remember sitting in my friends room showing each other stickers from our sticker book and suddenly I felt M1 Had.To.Have a sticker album. One problem, they don't make sticker albums like they use to! (Wow, I sound old!) These days stickers come in a book, no blank pages to stick stickers!

So I made one!
I picked up a sketch pad from Michael's (using a 40% off coupon of course)
Picked out some scrapbook paper measured it to cover the front and wrap around to the inside cover as well.

I attached using Martha's Brand of Mod Podge stuff. If I were to do it again I would use something different to attach. This made it too wet and even after it's dried you can tell it was too wet. But it's for a soon-to-be 4 year old, who will carry it around and probably trash it in no time so I'm not overly concerned.

I sat a heavy book on the top while it dried. (Adult Beverage is optional) Waiting for it to dry was the hardest part!!

After it dried I decorated it with, well, stickers and ribbon!

I also added some of his stickers to the first couple pages to help get him started!

I had so paper scraps so I added those as well for color!

Update: This was part of his birthday present and he went nuts!! He loves his book! More on his birthday to come, it was a John Deere theme party!!

Has anyone seen my soapbox?

There it is!!

Give me a minute let me climb up here.

I don't do this often but every once in a while I just gotta get it out!!

~~Jon Gosslin, you are an ASS! I mean seriously??? You can not go on national TV (thanks ABC) and say that you despise the mother of your children and then follow that up with everything I do is for my kids. Hey Moron, they are going to see that clip some day!! And the twins are old enough to understand what you just said.

And really? You don't know why every one thinks you are out drinking and partying all the time? Are you seriously that stupid. You, at a bar, drinking and smoking with girls hanging on you are on the cover of every tabloid. Those tabloids might make stories up, but those photos speak for themselves. Is the partying, drinking and smoking for the kids too?

And one last thing douchebag, you called the cops on the MOTHER OF YOUR CHILDREN!?!?! How are you going to explain that to the kids!?!?!

Ok, I lied, this is the last thing. Kate just got a Playboy offer. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!

~~The Haters of Duggers. Yes, they have 19 kids. That sounds like a lot to me, but I can barely handle the 2 I've got. Have you seen how good those kids are? If my kids were that good I might have 19 too! (Hubby, I'm just kidding!!) So everyone is bitching that they have too many kids. But guess what people, you are not raising those kids, the Duggers are. The kids seem happy and they are getting an education. And guess what?? They DON'T collect welfare. Leave them alone!

~~OSU Buckeyes, Could you bring your game on Saturday. Please?!? You are going to be playing USC on Saturday. U.S.C. Got it?? Try not to forget how to play ball. Yea, you won last week against Navy. Barely. It was Navy! Try not to get your faces smashed in this weekend!

~~M1, when did you get this big? Seriously, you are (almost) 4?

Wasn't this picture taken a week and a half ago?? (Not to bad for 18 hours of labor huh???)

I know this picture was taken last Saturday, right? This was your first OSU game, you were 3 days old. This was last Saturday before the Navy game right?? Right???

How can he really be almost 4????? John Deere Birthday Party on Sunday, Birthday on Monday!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

FOOTBALL SEASON!!!!

Here in Buckeye Country Football Season started last Saturday. Our beloved Buckeyes have taken the field, and the season has started.

With Football Season comes a change in decor!! It's easy to decorate for a sport. Just show your team colors!! Just like the inch worm here.

These little guys were added to the Scarlet and Gray collection last year. I just love them. The big guy did have a buckeye around his neck but I think a squirrel stole it from him last year. I'll have to pick another from the Buckeye Tree and stick back on his necklace.

Yes, we have a Buckeye Tree.

New this year is a wreath for our front door. I struggle every year to find a 'not so tacky' scarlet and gray wreath. This year I think I have succeeded. I used the same idea as this wreath, and TA-DA!! I LOVE IT!

Also new this year is this GINORMOUS OSU Flag for the garage.

And of course, no garden is complete with out a Garden Gnome. This one just happens to be a Buckeye fan as well! And that garden flag we have had since the first year Hubby and I were married. It's looking a little bad but it's bad luck to change a flag in the middle of the season (or something like that) so it will be retired at the end of the season. Which hopefully (although doubtful) will last until January.On to the inside....
This little guy has decided to spend Football Season on my end table.

See the football decor here?

Need a closer look? The football is taking a break until next Saturday in my Scarlet and Gray Longaberger Basket.
And these are the Cat's Meow of the Buckeye Decor (HAHAHA, Get it?)
We have 5 doors leading into our kitchen and the Buckeye Cat's Meow sits on 3 of them. These guys are out year 'round.

Do you decorate for football season?

My Little Buckeyes

My Preschooler

In all the madness of the last 2 weeks I just haven't sat down to blog. But in honor of Labor Day weekend and all of the laboring around the house Hubby and I got done, I'm turning over a new leaf and blogging!! I have sooooo many fun projects to share. We truly had the best 'working weekend' ever and I think we both felt very happy with all we got accomplished over the weekend.

In other news M1 started preschool last week. He's going to the local Christian preschool 3 days a week in the mornings. It's the same school he went to last year. Last year he only went on Fridays, and he didn't start until December so this is a little different.

He was clearly traumatized and didn't want to leave the house in the morning for school.

I think M2 was upset by it all too!

He was absolutely miserable on the drive over to school...

I think he just didn't want to go in...

I don't think he wanted to leave the parking lot...

He even stalled once inside...
M2 did too!
M2 also made himself comfortable in the class room.

I'm not sure he will be alright all by himself....

So clearly he was really excited, he still is and seems to really enjoy it. Thank goodness!! I'm so happy for him. They have to learn a Bible Verse a week and recite it to the teacher on Fridays. He learned his on the first day and told anyone that would listen. He even told his Sunday School teacher and our Pastor on Sunday. If they know the Bible Verse they get a sticker. I think we are going to end up with a pretty large sticker collection.

The first day Hubby, M2, Mama and myself all took him in. The teacher (who I LOVE) took a family picture of all of us. I can't wait to see it. I think that was such an awesome idea. But she's been the teacher there for 43 years so I'm sure she has a lot of awesome ideas. I am looking forward to a very exciting school year!!

Well....

I would like to update you on how things in the Complex Airway Unit at Cincinnati Children's Hospital are, but I don't know how they are. M2 isn't there.

I would like to tell you he is at home in his bed sleeping comfortably but he's not there either.

He is however at home, running around the living room like a crazy little boy, playing with all his new toys while watching Noggin and eating fish crackers and drinking milk!!

I guess that means he has recovered from surgery?!?!?

We got home around 3pm M does seem to be doing just fine. He is on modified liquids but is allowed to have any types of solids. He goes back to Cincinnati on Sept 30 for his follow up.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. So far so good

A New Airway

Things here in the Complex Airway Unit at Cincinnati Children's have finally calmed down and M2 is finally asleep. Finally!!

After a 2 hour car ride M2's surgery was pushed back over an hour because the surgeon was tied up. M2 held up well with no food or drink and went into surgery in pretty good spirits. His surgery took about 3 hours and he was in the recovery room for over 2 hours. He did struggle while in the PACU (recovery), I have to admit, I was a little scared. They just couldn't get him to stabilize He had a very hard time coming out of the anesthesia and couldn't keep his pulse ox up.

He was transferred straight to a 'floor room' with no ICU stops and was never on a ventilator. He was on oxygen for a little while but it was at a very low percentage and he was weened off that over night. All very good things.

He did eat some pudding overnight and did keep that down but so far is not really interested in eating too much. Although that is strange for him (he IS an eater) I'm sure he has a VERY sore throat and just isn't interested in making it feel worse. All in all he is doing very well, the doctors and the nurses are all very impressed with him. The surgery appears to have worked although we won't know for sure until everything has healed and tests are run in 6 weeks.

M2 certainly has a NEW airway.

But all in all, I think he did very well, and will be just fine. As always M2 has proven that he is a strong little boy and can get through anything. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. We appreciate all the support.

It's Surgery Day!!

This is a scheduled post.
Well the day is finally here. Surgery Day. 1 day shy of exactly 17 months old and M2 is having surgery. He’s had several surgeries, we’ve done this before, we know the drill.

But this surgery is different from all others. This isn’t the surgery that he was taken to the OR from the NICU and back, this isn’t outpatient surgery either. This is the BIG surgery. The check in and stay awhile surgery. Today, August 19th, my Precious Little Sweetie gets a NEW AIRWAY! We’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.
When M2 was first born we were given hope that although he was born with vocal cord paralysis, he might grow out of it quickly. When he was 5 weeks old we were told he wasn’t growing out of it as fast as the drs thought he would and that we should have the trach surgery and go home to live a ‘normal’ life. We were told that as he grew his vocal cords might start working and he would be just fine. But he needed a trach to leave the hospital.


In December of 2008, when he was just 9 months old, those hopes were dashed and we were told there was nothing the drs could do, his cords just weren’t moving and he would live with a trach his whole life.
In March of 2009, just 2 weeks before his first birthday, we found a new surgeon at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital who told us he could perform a surgery so that M2 could have his trach removed. We were told that he might lose part of his voice, and he might get winded easily, and he might have to have some speech and occupational therapy as a result of the surgery but the trach would be out. But he was too young for the surgery. This dr wanted to see him back when he was 16 months old.
On July 20, when M2 was exactly 16 months old we went back to Cincinnati. M2 was old enough, healthy enough, big enough and strong enough. Surgery was scheduled for today, Aug 19. 8 years and 1 day after Hubby and I were married, 1 day before M2 turns 17 months old. Today is the day that changes everything, not only for M2 but for our entire family.

As you can see M2 is the happiest baby in the world. He’s my little lover. He hugs and kisses everything. He smiles and waves and blows kisses at everyone he sees. He lets his Mommy (he can say Mama, ‘around’ his trach by the way) cuddle him and hug him and kiss him constantly. If he walks past me and I’m doing something he almost always stops and hugs my leg quickly and then moves on. He makes me a better Mommy.

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t remember the time he spent in the NICU, or the PCIU, or all the procedures he’s gone through, or that terrifying ride in the squad. All of those memories flood my mind everyday. And everyday I am brought to tears to think about how my sweet little baby has spent the last 17 months of his life. And then I realize that he doesn’t know, or care about any of these things, all he cares about is that he is loved. And he is. More than I ever thought it possible to love someone. M2 brings joy and laughter and smiles to our loves daily. I could sit and watch him dance for hours. I love to watch him eat. He has the cutest mannerisms I’ve ever seen. And no matter what he’s doing he is laughing or smiling. And those smiles carry over to everyone that sees him. He just has that effect on people.

He loves to play in the bathtub, and the sand box. Stuffed animals and pull toys are his favorite things to play with. He sleeps with 3-4 stuffed animals every night. He carries them around with him and hugs them constantly. He is way too attached to his pacifier, he takes it out to eat or drink and then puts it right back in.

He loves to ride on his rocking horse and his bull dozer ride-on. He thinks his brother’s toy kitchen is one of the best toys on the planet, and he loves all of our pets. And he LIVES in his crocs.

So today, ‘My Little Sweetie’, my little M2; with the name bigger than he is, gets a new airway. I will be the Mommy sitting in the waiting room, a nervous wreck during this 3 hour surgery, and then I will be the Mommy sitting in the rocking chair cuddling her baby with the new airway.
Please keep my Little Sweetie in your thoughts today, this is going to be a pretty big surgery. I can't wait for this to all be over and for that trach to COME OUT!