A Penny Saved 2.0

Last year I posted about our 2016 savings plan. You can read about it here. Well since this plan worked for us last year we are going to try it again. If you want to try it with us here is the new chart for 2017. Click view image then save as. Best of luck to all!

Summer to Fall

After several months without IGG she started to have terrible mood swings and anxiety. We chalked a lot of it up to her not feeling well without the IGG. It just kept getting worse and worse. Then we got a call in late August that her immunologist wasn't taking her insurance anymore, delaying the re-testing process. Since we couldn't count on IGG leveling Squeaker out we decided to have her see a therapist. We found a counselor that specializes in kids, and in a few weeks Squeaker was communicating her fears and needs to us better. Trey and I were better equipped to help her through her issues without constantly fighting. We still have have issues from time to time but we are much happier family by working together.

Fall started out pretty good. We celebrated Squeaker's 6th birthday. That was quite the event. It was the first time we invited friends. There ended up being 55 people that showed up!! A lot of that was adults but boy was it a party. At one point it got pretty noisy, common there was 55 people there, instead of melting down Squeaker grabbed her earmuffs to help block the sound. She kept them on for the rest of the party and had a grand old time. I was really impressed with her maturity to recognize the issue and cope with it all on her own.

A couple days later Squeaker had her 6 year check up. She weighed in at 41.5 lbs and measured 45.5 inches. Everything was looking good at the time, it was a nice easy visit. Next it was time to see the o the dentist. When I made the appointment the plan was to fix a cracked filling. It would probably be a soft filling since it was a baby tooth. When the dentist started to remove the old filling he saw a lot more damage than anticipated. A LOT more. Right then and there in the office Squeaker had a root canal and a crown put on. She was pretty miserable until

after she had a 3 hour nap. By the next day your would have never known she had a major dental procedure done. What a trooper.

There were a couple run in with sinus infections over the next month or so. In October we met with a Geneticist. And with the basic screening she is genetically fine. That doesn't mean there isn't an issue in her DNA somewhere but the most common chromosomes are in good shape. Which points to it being an immune system function issue. A few weeks later we met with the new immunologist and she sent out for a TON of new labs. She wasn't to figure out where the core issue is. We don't go back until mid January but that's okay. Having waited this long I'd rather see the testing process through before we go on IGG so that we don't have to but Squeaker through this ever again.

Why you may ask? Because it's sucked. Granted we've been blessed that Squeaker has been decently stable without IGG but right now we are back in the hospital. That's right we went 5.5 years without being admitted to the hospital due to illness and in 5 months we've done it twice. This time it looks like a respiratory virus is to blame. She's lost a lot of fluids in the last few days and it's taking a some larger doses of meds to keep the fever down. Given her history the doctors don't want to play around with it. Squeaker is currently here on a 23hr watch but if her fever won't stay down who knows what the will do. To top it off it's finals week for Trey. Thankfully his projects are team work and 99% done and I don't have to work right now. Still it stinks.

It Happened

The first part of July Squeaker was hospitalized due to an illness. It was the first time she had ever been put into the hospital strictly for an illness issue. As sad as it was to be there it was still a big win. We did 5.5 years without having to be held overnight, f due to illness, for an immune deficiency kid this is really big.

What happened was Squeaker had a wonderful (note the sarcasm) sinus infection for several weeks. She was on 2 rounds on antibiotics and on the last day, day 20, Squeaker was looking really well. No runny nose, no pain, and happy disposition. We thought we were in the clear. We were even on track to start the prophylactic antibiotic again later that week. That was a Thursday.

Friday morning she was fine. Then she went to lunch with Trey and didn't eat. When they got home Trey made sure she took a nap. A 5 hour nap later, Squeaker had a fever. 101 fever.... 20 minutes later it was 104. We gave her some meds and called the doc. Another 20 minutes her fever was down to 103. Finally talked to the doctor and it was agreed we had better head to the ER.

They thought about doing an abdominal ultra sound because she was complaining so much of stomach pain and just in tears. Not our normal Squeaker, even when she hurts. A chest x-ray, a bunch of labs, a dose of fever reducer, an IV and still having a 102 fever it was decided to keep Squeaker for a little while. While we were in the process of being admitted some lab results came back. She testing positive for Para-influenza 3. A human born flu for which there is no vaccine and the virus can live on hard surfaces for up to 10 hours. The biggest concern for Squeaker was that she seemed very dehydrated and that Para-influenza 3 commonly leads to pneumonia or bronchitis.Which Squeaker is pretty prone to get. If it hadn't been decided before Squeaker was most certainly staying in the hospital for a day or two. Alright so we are admitted and finally get settled into a room at 4am I think it was. I'm glad we all took naps that day. 

I Was Away, Overnight!

I was given an opportunity to go work an event in Indianapolis. Specifically the Indy 500. It would mean long days, short nights and being away from the family. It was the first time ever I spent the night away from Squeaker. Honestly the longest I had even been away from Squeaker before was about 12 hours. So to suddenly be gone for days at a time would be a huge change for all of us.

Guess what, we survived. It was hard, we had some challenges, and there were tears but we made it work. We learned that Squeaker wouldn't go into major meltdown mode. Which has been known to happen when mommy leaves.

Next step, Mommy and Daddy go somewhere together overnight. It will be quiet a while before we try that one but we see the light.

In other news, Squeaker is sick. Sadly being without infusion is taking a toll on her little body. We've

had GI issues come up we haven't seen in almost 2 years. Last week she started complaining of a sore throat, had cough, mild ear ache. Then Sunday mix in lethargy, vomiting and a slight fever we had a rough night. Monday we saw our family doctor she was hoping it viral but gave us a antibiotic if the fever went up, she was even more fatigued or symptoms worsened. The doctor was hopping we wouldn't need it but alas we did. Oh and Squeaker had lost weight just about 2lbs in one day. From vomiting and not eating I'm sure. Its just so hard to put on weight an loss is hard.

Hopefully she starts to feel better soon because next week we all head to Cub Camp. Squeaker is going to be attending their day Camp I'm working in the Kitchen and Trey is getting caught up on some school work. For us this is will be like her first day at Kindergarten. She will be on her own with kids her own age, but no family. Its a big deal, we are very excited

Changing, Again...

I am well aware that life is perpetual change. Most changes are small, some are very large and then there are the in-betweens. Where at the moment seem huge but really it's not so big. Or as I like to say, "At first it was life changing, now it's just life."

Small changes:
The weather is nicer which means it's time to climb the trees. This makes Squeaker very happy. Grumpa now calls her stuck-monkey. As you an imagine from time to time she gets in a spot she can't figure out how to get down from.

Poor Squeaker was waking up a lot of days with neck pain. One Saturday we spent about an hour trying out new pillows. Found the perfect fluffy, but firm, memory foam pillow. Since then we've been having to see the chiropractor less often. I was very thankful for the sale at Kohls that week. Making it a $12 pillow instead of $30.

Big Changes:
My new job. I worked at Churchill Downs for the week of Kentucky Derby. My shortest day was 8hrs. My next shortest day was 14hrs, the rest were 18hrs- 20hrs. I missed home and I was missed by Trey and Squeaker. The restaurant took me on full time after the Derby. My days are much shorter now but it is still a big change.

We are taking a break from infusion. In order to get new lab work, and check titers we have to stop he IGG therapy. The stuff has a 21 day half life which means a minimum of three months off. It will probably be 4 months once its all said and done. There is a chance Squeaker won't need to go back on therapy. These could be some very big changes.

The In Betweens:
Lots of medications. We've had some adjustments to medications the last couple of months. Each time requiring a change in routine. We quickly found a new normal with all of it.

Chores, chores and more chores. We are trying to teach young Squeaker how to be fairly normal. So she has chores and responsibilities in the house. Most are brush your hair, brush your teeth, get dressed, things of the nature. She is also required to fold and put her laundry away, empty the dishwasher, and set the table. These are all unpaid responsibilities. There are a few other things on her list that are harder tasks that if she does them we pay her 25-50 cents. These include but not limited to, sleeping in her own bed, making her bed and emptying the trash each week. Squeaker has had to learn some things, and do things when she doesn't want too. Overall she is learning about contributing to the household.

Last on our list today is reading books. For ages Squeaker has had very little interest in books or stories. I think she didn't like them because in order to read you had to sit and slow down. Slowing down made her sleepy and sleep is a scary thing for her. Well in the last couple of months Squeaker has started to like reading and being read to. Much to my delight she enjoys listening to me read Harry Potter to her. Trey bought me the illustrated copy for Christmas and Squeaker likes to see the colorful pictures. The downside to her love of the story is we read very little at a time. Just before Squeaker falls asleep she likes me to stop reading, that way she doesn't miss any of the story.

Karma

Karma

noun

(in Hinduism and Buddhism) the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences.

Over time people has restated this as "what goes around comes around". How ever you want to think of it or call it, it's real. This past week I have felt like a little good cosmic karma has come my way.

About three years ago I made an awesome Minecraft Theme BINGO game. You can find it here.  It is a very nice set with 20 cards, a master card, and covers. As of today it has been re-pinned 2500 times, viewed on the blog 37,673 times, used in no less than 6 different countries, and with 203 comments made. Most of the comments state how much they enjoy a free finished printable. We all know that can be hard to find. Well this week I found a free printable I needed.

I found Star Wars printables for movie night. On a wonderful little site called Sandy Toes and Popsicle.

Okay let me back up just a second. The reason I wanted Star Wars stuff was for our movie night. With Squeaker's issues it can be really hard to take her to a movie theater. Lots of people close by makes a momma nervous. Also because she is so small she has a hard time sitting in the seat comfortable. Meaning she won't sit well for long, and often can be disruptive to others around her. Combine that with the fact the Star Wars came out in the middle of winter and everyone was sharing germs, well Squeaker didn't get to see Star Wars in the theater. The rest of us took turns and did, she felt pretty left out. We started watching the other movies at home and then she pleaded for us to take her see the new one. It just wasn't happening.

Well here it is a few months later and the video is out. I got it in my head a few weeks ago we should do a viewing party for Rayne. Make it a big deal with snacks, and special stuff. So she can feel the excitement we did. I was trying to find Star Wars themed snack ideas and that's when I found the printables.

This lady is a genius! Instead of making whole new snack she just renamed them. Then she made the labels to share with everyone. That's my karma. I sent awesome into the world and it came back to me when I needed.

The only changes I made was the chip cans. In the original pattern you have to cut the cans down to size. Well the short stack Pringles cans are just about the right size. Not the super small ones, the ones that from a distance look like full size, but when you get close you realize they are smaller. Those ones are perfect, no resizing needed. I also bought a giant bag of Gummy bears and put them in sandwich bags instead of buying the pre-sized bags from the store. The other major change I made was I used Ginger-ale in bottles not the traditional cans. The labels didn't fit as well but they worked.

I hope everyone enjoys these as much as I do. Please leave her thank you notes too. These things are hard work and pats on the back are greatly appreciated by their creators.

May The Force Be With You!!!

Very Tired

We are back to having nasty sleep anxiety issues. Most night I am up past 2 am. 3am is happening a lot too. I'm also still working which means no nap for me. A lot of nights I'm stuck under Squeaker. If I move just a little she wakes, and the process starts over. Thankfully I am blessed with a TV, laptop, tablet, and smart phone. Which means I have access to a lot of things, and I can get a fair deal done. I wish i had more time to sew or do other projects but oh well. She will only be little once. She will only want me around for so long. I'm going to try to enjoy it. 

Rare Disease 2016

 We greatly enjoyed it. I made new shirts for the whole family. Took treats into work and a sign to
help my co-workers know about the day. Once I came home we gave Squeaker her presents. Then off to dinner and bowling as a family.
We raised a little awareness about Rare Diseases and celebrated our
own little zebra. There was very little fighting, arguing or sadness. We just enjoyed our time as a family. It's days like today that make all the rough days. All the procedures, blood draws, and doctors appointments fade into the background. We understand that without all of that Squeaker wouldn't be healthy enough to leave the house but some-days it's just nice to not let the disease control our lives. It's just apart of it.

Rare Disease Day Sign

I made this sign to go with the treats I'm taking into work tomorrow.

Something Normal

   Once and a while something "normal" happens. This time it was lost teeth. Squeaker has now lost two teeth a completely normal way. They went loose and then came out.
   The first one was a big surprise. It was about a month ago and I was getting ready to leave for work

and Squeaker came down saying her mouth hurt and it was wet. I look at her mouth and a bottom tooth was gone. My response was "Oh my gosh you lost your tooth." I asked Squeaker what she did with it and she said I spit it out in my room. Sure enough we go in there and on the floor is her tooth.
   What made it even funnier was I had to look up what a normal lost tooth looked like. All of her other teeth were pulled. Leaving large holes in her gums and giant roots on the teeth. This looked very different. It was normal... so strange.
   Then it happened a couple again a couple of days ago. This time we were prepared. We watched the tooth as it progressed. Watched it loosen and move around in her gums. Then "pop" it came out. A lot less blood this time. Squeaker even called me at work to let me know it happened. She really is adorable.
   Our life usually anything but normal. Which makes us appreciate the little "normal" things that happen.

A Penny Saved

For a couple a years now Trey and I have wanted to do a "savings plan" that go around every year. Where you increase the amount you saved every, week, month or whatever. But each year we look at them and they just don't fit our budget. By the middle of the year at the latest we are cutting directly into gas and food money, having already lost our limited fun budget to the savings plan. This year we found one that will still require self control but we can do on our budget. It's the "Penny Saver Challenge"

You've probably seen it. For the day of the year, based on the Julian Calendar, you put in that many pennies. The logic is as follows; January 1st = 1 Penny, January 14th = 14 Pennies, May 7th= 128 Pennies, October 14= 248 Pennies. By the end of a leap year you have $671.19. For a non leap year it's $667.95. Now this idea sounds all well and good until you think about keeping that many pennies around. Not to mention remembering to count out that many pennies each day, ugh. For me I knew that was just setting myself up for failure. I really want to save up some money so I needed a new plan.

I made myself a chart. A chart that said each week what I needed to put in the jar with a little box for a check mark to track my progress. I found a large jar at Dollar Tree and taped my chart to it. I now have a savings jar. I'm thinking of doing it backwards so my highest amounts go in first. Don't we all seem to have more money at the beginning of the year? Or if I get a bonus pay a larger amount. Leaving the smaller ones for weeks with less money. I'm being pretty fluid now that I know what needs to be paid. I figure as long as I have a check mark for each week by the end of the year then I'm good.

You may wonder what am I using this money for? We are being practical. It's going to be our cash reserve fund. It won't go in the bank it will be cash we keep for emergency needs or emergent times. For instance when the power is out in most of the city and stores only accept cash. Or you are going to the fair and you don't have time to go to the bank and don't want to pay the ATM fee. We've never really had a cash reserve and it's time we got our act together. You can use it for whatever you want but that's our plan.

Here are the two charts I made.
Option 1- Download JPEG or PDF

Option 2- Download JPEG or PDF

They are pretty big they are 6.5in by 7.5in. You can try to shrink it but it gets harder to read. I like the larger size. If you are putting in on a bottle just make sure you get a bigger one.

If you are just moving the money from checking to savings in a bank account you may want to print the chart put it on the wall and mark it as you go.

Faith Restored!!!!

Not quiet a month ago Squeaker lost her iPad. I mean LOST her iPad. We were at Costco and she had been playing with her iPad for most of the ride over and in the store. As we are leaving Costco he iPad got left in the cart. We didn't notice until we made our next stop. It was only 10 minutes and we were back at Costco looking through carts for it. No luck. Talk to the guys taking the carts in, they hadn't seen it. They even radioed in to customer service to see if an iPad had been turned. No news. We went on our way. Ran our errands, saw the family, initiated a remote lock down on the iPad. The remote lock down would even flash a message saying "This iPad is lost please call ------". I Even called Costco a couple hours later and still no one had turned it in. Squeaker was heartbroken.

I spent the next 3 weeks trying to figure out if I could afford to replace the iPad. The new $50 Amazon tablet looked promising. But once you purchase a warranty and a case it is still just about $100. Which is almost my entire Christmas budget. I could make it work. We have most of Squeaker's presents already, and Trey and I don't need much. But I was hoping to do some fun things for us since it's been such a rough year, and clothes. I like to do clothes at Christmas. I thought about not getting a new tablet of any kind but Squeaker is far more likely to do her school activity apps on a tablet that is hers. When she asks for mommy or daddy's phones she usually like to play fun games or watch videos. That is what we taught her though. The iPad was for school and our devices were for play. I really wanted to get Squeaker a new tablet for Christmas but I wasn't sure I wanted to use the budget for it.

Then comes today. Squeaker, Gma and I went to Costco. The first time since she lost her iPad. Squeaker insisted that we ask if they had found her iPad. I tried to explain that the iPad was gone and that Costco probably didn't have it. She continued to insist that we ask, so we did. I made her actually ask the manager. All Squeaker said was "Do you have my tablet?" That's pretty good for her. I then explained what it looked like. The manager went and checked the lock up in the office. Guess what? It was there. I'll be honest I about cried and Squeaker jumped for joy. She even said that she would try her hardest to not loose it again. A pretty good promise for a 5 year old.

There are so many things in the world today that make you wonder where has humanity gone. Well today, with a little help from Squeaker, I was reminded that there are good and honest people in the world.

Throw Back Thursday

Facebook and Time Hop Apps like to remind you of the past. I think it's pretty cool to know the exact day something happened years ago, or to see trends over the past few years. Today I was reminded of a very important day in our past.

5 years ago today Squeaker was diagnosed with LM. She was 2 months old. Every breath she took she made noise. She couldn't keep food down. She didn't sleep for longer than 2 hours at a time, and would be up for an hour before going back to sleep. She wasn't putting on much weight less than 3 pounds since birth. We had seen her pediatrician almost constantly trying to figure out what was going on. Finally on this day we saw the Cardiologist and Pulmonologist. The Cardiologist did an Echo, and her heart was perfect. A few hours later we met with the Pulmonologist and withing a few minutes of walking in the room he had Squeaker diagnosed. A few minutes after that we had a treatment plan. For the first time I had a real answers. I knew it was far from over and done with but I felt like I could face it.

This memory is very important today. Today was the first time, the first November 5th that LM has not been a part of our lives. In January I wrote about the resolution of this condition. Need a refresher you can read about it here. I look at the picture of Squeaker when she was 2 months old and I see so much.

Her sweet little smile, and big brown eyes. Which reminds me how much I love her and although she struggled how sweet of a baby she was. I also see the swelling and darkness under her eyes, and it makes me sad. To think at a such a young age she was already sleep deprived and unwell. In my head I can still hear the gasping sound she would make while she slept. Maybe someday I will forget it. For now I am content that I don't have to listen to it in real life anymore.

As I type Squeaker is laying next to me in and out of sleep. Even though she is sick her breathing is quiet. Not just quiet but silent, I can't hear her breathe. I can see it. I can watch her chest and shoulders move but there is not real sound. Silence never felt more golden.

Wowza!

It has been 30 days since my last post and boy what a time we have had.

It started off with a miracle. We were told that Squeaker qualified for 1 free month of Infusion

 medication. We had applied a couple of months ago to the IGIQ program and we had received a letter saying that she wasn't approved. Then one day out of the blue we get a call asking us where they can send her medication. Trey spent two days and many hours figuring out where it could be sent and getting updated information to the company sending the medication. It was shipped to a local specialty pharmacy where all we had to do was walk in and pick it up. AMAZING!! We started to see improvement within a few days. Sadly we also saw it wear off early because it is still building in her system. But each week we get a little better. Squeaker's insurance also was approved a couple weeks later. The people at IGIQ are helping us get the medication with her insurance. Talking to the specialty pharmacy, and the doctor for us. Hours of work we don't have to do. It is wonderful.

We also had the big yard sale. The neighborhood has yard sales twice a year. And because it's the
whole area lots and lots of people come. Sold most of the stuff we don't need anymore and put a lot more out in the trash. Made some money and had a lot of fun. I'm just glad that all our stuff has gone to loving homes.

I had a grand adventure. I spent TWO whole days immersed in Harry Potter. The local Science Center had a Harry Potter movie marathon on their 4 story IMAX screen. Trey bought me tickets to go by myself. Saturday was movies 1-4. It was a lot of fun, but boy

at the end of the day was I mess. **Spoiler Alert** Cedric Diggory still dies. Every time I watch the movie or read the books some part of me hopes maybe this time he won't die. I know it's crazy but I just love the character so much. Sunday we watched movies 5-8. Yup. Not a dry eye in the place by the end of it. When the final movie ended you wanted start all over. Yes we were all that crazy. We also had costume contests, trivia, and general discussions about the books and movies. It was a lot of fun. I hope they do it again in a few years when maybe I can take Squeaker or a friend.

The other big thing was I made Squeaker's Halloween costume. It was much easier than I had anticipated. A LOT easier. It took only about 5 hours to lay out, cut, and sew. I keep thinking I missed something or it will fall apart. But so far so good.

Here's to continuing finding the good in the world.

I Almost Forgot

I almost forgot how rough life was before infusion. Okay so I didn't really forget. I remember being exhausted. I remember countless doctors visits, and driving a lot. I remember feeling like nothing and yet everything was happening. But what I did forget about was the fear.

Maybe I didn't realize it at the time. I was afraid all the time. Afraid of germs, afraid I could give the wrong dose, afraid I would miss a doctors appointment, I was even afraid I wasn't counting all the calories she was eating. You name it I probably was afraid of it. I've started to notice those feelings coming back. I'll tell you it's not helpful at all! I don't know how I lived like this for years I'm sure. Poor Trey what a mess he had to deal with.

After we started infusion these fears started to go away. Squeaker wasn't sick every single day. Which made me feel it was okay to go a day or two without waging war on every germ in my house. We weren't having to see a doctor every 2-3 weeks, which was very freeing. And then a few months in Squeaker started putting on weight, and I stopped counting calories.

Since it has been about 2 months without infusion slowly but surely the fears have been coming back. At work I constantly am cleaning my hands and my desk to make sure I don't bring any germs home. I worry about when I can get in to see the doctors, and I am paying very close attention to what and when she eats.

Thankfully this time around I'm recognizing the signs and how irrational it is. I can't make it all go away but this time, this time I will keep it in control. I will use everything I have to keep the fear at bay. I will rest, I will take time to relax, I will prayer for strength, I will voice my concerns to the family, and I will not let it run my life.

Survival

I See Blessings Everywhere
It is the only way I can survive. Life is hard. In the best of times life is hard. But you have to find ways to enjoy it. I like to look for blessings.

It's been about 6 weeks since Squeaker has had her infusion. She is having a hard time sleeping, and is achy all the time. Even with pain relievers and sleeping medication Squeaker has a hard time falling asleep, staying asleep, and wake early in the morning. The blessing in all this? It didn't start until my shift at work moved from 7am to 9am. 2 hours may not seem like a lot but when you are up until 2am those extra hours are very helpful.

Trey was slowly running out of his medications because our insurance hasn't kicked in yet. Sadly just a few days without his medication and the vertigo and headaches were coming back and fast. We just decided to talk to the pharmacy and see what cash prices we could get. Our blessing? That day a new discount card came out and we were able to get both medications, 90 days supply for about $60. Not as cheap as a copay but do able. Very do able.

Sunday night I was on the brink of tears. Just worried, tired, and stressed about how I was going to keep being a working mom. All I wanted to do was stay home and take care of my little one. I feared I wouldn't be able to do the job. Then to come home and take care of everything I needed too. I was worried sick. What blessing did I find you may ask? I realized as much as this may suck I had a job. A job that was close to home, with decent entry level pay, and allowed me to be home during the evenings so that Trey can go to school.

Without the silver linings life is dull, irritating and a pain. I have found that if I can find a few happy things, or blessing everyday then I can make it through. Because life is hard. I can't state that enough. But it is also amazing and worth getting up for everyday.

A Perfect Moment

Life has been crazy. I'm back to work, Trey is a stay at home Dad. Family birthdays, family visits, merging into a new household. Today was crazy all by its self. We cleaned bathrooms, vacuumed, argued, played, did laundry, went grocery shopping and even put all the food away. Tonight though there was a perfect moment.

A moment where all was calm and everyone was happy, it was the dinner table. We were slurping our spaghetti and just enjoying the company, and I realized how blessed I was. Squeaker, as messy as it was, was slurping spaghetti. 2 years ago she couldn't even eat spaghetti. She would choke and gag on it. We'd have to use another type of pasta.Thin noodles would get caught in her airway, but not anymore. All I could do was smile.

I then looked at the other side of the table and there was Trey. My wonderful husband. Who had helped me make dinner, clean the house, and run errands. He worked all day and ya know what Trey didn't need his cane. He hasn't a vertigo day in a couple weeks. Trey still gets dizzy from time to time and he still tires pretty easily most days but in general he is getting better. Again all I could do was just smile.

There is was a perfect moment. Life is far from perfect but those moments make it all worth it.

She's Given Them Up

     Squeaker officially gave up her bottles today. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.... a 4 year old has no need to use a bottle, I am destroying her teeth by letting her use a bottle, 4 years old is WAY to old for a bottle how did you let it go that long? So this isn't a big deal, she is 4. Well guess what this is a big deal for OUR 4 year old.
     What makes it even more awesome is it was her choice. We've been working for months on getting Squeaker to give up her bottles. But to her they aren't just bottles. They are security. Taking away her bottles is the same as taking away a child's toy or blanket that they sleep with all the time. We didn't want to just rip it away from Squeaker. We were trying to use less and less bottles. We'd make her wait certain times before giving her more. It's been a struggle. But little by little it's been getting better. The last month or so we've been offering to buy her a new a new cup or bottle for night time. We aren't opposed to letting her have something to drink during the night it was just time to move on from baby bottles. Well today she did it.
     We were at Wal-Mart and I decided to take her by the water bottle section. Just to see if there was something she wanted. As usual she found a bottle she liked. I told her the deal was I would buy her the new Elsa bottle she wanted but she would have to give up ALL her baby bottles. Usually at this point Squeaker gives back whatever she has picked out. Then tells us she will stick with her baby bottles. Today she didn't. I checked with her several times. Making sure she understood the commitment she was making. I even said we were going to go home and throw out all her baby bottles. There was no going back.     
     Once home Squeaker wanted to gather up all her bottles and throw them out. We did and as luck would have it is trash night. She even helped me take the bag to the curb. And when it came time for bed she wanted her new bottle and we snuggled up. No fuss, no fight. She has even had one wake up so far. She didn't ask for her baby bottles, she just wanted a quick drink, fussed for a few minutes, and then back to sleep.
    I'm still in a little shock and awe of how quickly this happened. I mean it shouldn't, Squeaker has always been one that once she decided she was going to do something she did it. Today was the day she gave up baby bottles.
   Time to get back to work. Moving day is in 5 days!

Time Flies

It's really late and I need to get to bed but I couldn't not post this.

I was making a collage of pictures for our Gastroenterologist. Tomorrow is our list time seeing him before the move. It's a little heartbreaking since he's the doctor we've had the longest. Not to mention how much of a driving force he has been in getting Squeaker the right treatment.

I decided I would make a card with pictures to remind him what much he has helped our Squeaker. As you can see she has grown up wonderfully. She is still skinny but puts on weight much easier than she used to. She sleeps better and the circles under her eyes are gone most days. I am continually amazed by her ability to love life one moment and the next be in full meltdown mode. I guess that comes with the 4 year old territory. oye...

Overall while sorting pictures and deciding what I wanted to use I couldn't help but be a little sad. Squeaker is growing up so fast. She always had a great personality but is now healthy enough to share it and tell us what she is thinking. Squeaker always wanted to be on the go and still does I don't know how she goes to far on so little sleep. Chemically I know it's the adrenaline in her system but I still think she is one of her super powers.

Mostly I was thinking about how much I love being her mom. Sure it's hard some days in general I love it. And honestly I love it more now than when she is an infant. Some of it I'm sure is there is less stress and more sleep. But I think a lot of it has to do with just getting to know her. The real Squeaker. Her thoughts, ideas, the stories she tells, and her laughter. What a sweet laugh to go with a sweet smile.

With all the crazy going on in our lives right now it was nice to take a few minutes and just remember how blessed we are. We have love, laughter, and a fantastic daughter.

The Crazy Continues

I had very much intended to write a post in May. Sadly I missed that deadly. It feels as if May blew up in my face.
May 1st- My laptop died and we had to run out and by a new one. I am now using Windows 8. I am not a fan! Thankfully Windows 10 should be launching soon and I qualify for the free up grade.
May 2nd- The BAKE! The Baby And Kids Expo was my first time working the Juice Plus+ table. I spent all day talking to people about what Juice Plus+ is and how it can help the body. Squeaker stayed with Trey all day. A little scary for me but we all made it just fine.
May 5th- I finally breakdown and call the sleep doctor. For that 2-3 weeks prior Squeaker had been waking up at 12-1am and being awake for 2-3 hours. Yes folks that was as miserable as it sounds. We tried everything we could think of and it wasn't helping. Which meant it was time to call the doctor. The doctor thought about it for a day and then changed her Clonodine. It's now 1/2 Tab in the afternoon, 1 Tab at bed and 1/2 Tab 4-5 hours later. The goal being to get Squeaker back to sleep as quickly as possible. Not only does it get her more sleep but it helps re-train her brain. So far it's been going well. It's been a month and already she doesn't need that third dose every night.
May 7th- Left for Indiana. 7 HOUR DRIVE!!!! Stuck in traffic for 2.5 hours!!!
May 9th- The wedding! A sweet quiet little ceremony followed by a private luncheon. The full reception was planned for later when more of the family could come.
May 10th- Mother's Day. Drove to Nell and Jim's new house. It's wonderful to have them within 2
hours. We look forward to seeing them more often.
May 11th- Spent 3 hours re-writing my resume. And started applying for jobs close to my parents house. I'd already been applying in Alabama for 2 months with no luck. I figured it couldn't hurt.
May 15th- Started to get sick. Trey had already had flu symptoms for 2 days. Mine presented more as a sinus problem.
May 18th- Made it home in a normal 5 hours. Wahoo!
May 20th- Took Trey to get have some medical tests done. We've been waiting months for these tests.
May 21st- Full blown sinus infection and swollen lymph-nods, even took a nap by myself. What a gift.
May 22nd- I was notified of a job interview back in Indiana. For the following Thursday.
May 23rd- Very busy day and forgot it was my brother's birthday. #awfulsister
May 25th- Memorial Day. Our plumbing stopped working. The kitchen sick, the dishwasher, the laundry were all not draining properly. Just dandy. The day was so crazy we forgot to do Squeaker's infusion.
May 26th- Plumbing was fixed and I was able to start doing laundry so I could pack for Squeaker and I to go back up north. Trey was going to stay behind to take care of the animals.
May 27th- Took Trey to the doctor because he still wasn't better and his results were in. All normal... annoying. Had some lunch, drove Trey home and then Squeaker and I hit the road. 8 hours later we made it.
May 28th- Have my interview. It's actually a direct hire, so pretty much if you show up you are hired. So I have a job!!! Wahoo! Means we are moving. I don't know when the job starts yet so the moving plans are still up in the air.
May 31st- Drive around the area to see what places are safe to live.

Can you see why I feel like May blew up?? It's a little nuts.

As for June so far the crazy continues

June 1st- I was getting ready to go home when I get an e-mail to go interview for an even better job in Indiana. Wahoo! I decide to stay one more day.
June 2nd- Have the interview, pack the car, drive home, mow the lawn, pull some weeds, make dinner and do infusion for Squeaker.
June 3rd- Get an e-mail from job #1 that training starts June 10th. I have to option of waiting until the next training class but it's not scheduled yet. I became physically ill thinking about trying to move in a week. I passed on this training. 5 minutes after I decided to pass I get a phone call from job #2. This is a better job for our family. Better hours, more steady work, I wouldn't be on my feet all day. And it would allow me work around Squeaker's appointments. Well, I was offered the job. I do have to be up north to sign some
paperwork on June 10th, but the training doesn't start until July 26th. Plenty of time to pack and move.

Now we are busy packing the house, stripping wall paper, and making plans to move. Life is just a little nuts. But it's looking pretty good.