The case of Norah and the iPhone

Norah has a phone addiction. Like bad. She throws fits to "spell" (her spelling app), look at pictures or watch Sophia on my phone. She moves apps, randomly replies to texts (jibberish), occasionally deletes a photo or two (perhaps more but I haven't noticed), definitely takes self portraits and on an occasion or two has blogged. But lately she's discovered how to make calls. And she cannot be stopped.

It all started Friday. Claire handed her my phone when she was having a for in the car. Seemed harmless until I heard the phone ringing from the backseat. It's not just that she dialed, but she figured out how to put it on speaker AND turn it off Bluetooth, rendering me incapable of stopping her antics. She feverishly called my mom, my sister and Mike. She reached my mom and that was it - an addiction was formed. She made conversation for a couple minutes and my mom hung up. But it wasn't enough. She called back. And called back. And called back!

Now she is a maniac. She says she wants to look at pictures but in reality she wants to make calls! Now everyone answers the phone "hi Norah" because she does it so much. What's better is her conversation:
"Hi gwanma...I got mommy's phone!"

Hopefully this little habit begins to die down or I'm going to kill all my minutes!

What happens when Norah takes my phone...

No more bugs!

I've been behind lately. Between Mike traveling back-to-back weeks and the virus that swept through our house, not much free time.

Regarding our "bug" status: Friday was our first day out of the house. We went to boot camp and enjoyed the fresh air with friends at a park afterwards. While it was great to be out, I noticed both girls were still snotty and just off. I took them to the doctor and both had sinus infections. Felt good knowing they would really be on the mend. Since starting Suprax, they've really returned back to themselves. I feel relieved. It was a LONG two weeks.

The weather was beautiful Sunday so we decided to picnic. Our friends, the Kramers, joined us. While there we stumbled upon a church group singing. They brought a collection of instruments to share with the kids. I can honestly say it was a unique experience. We coined it an "OIT" moment (only in Texas). The randomness and Evangelism topped with the marketing push (yes they handed me a card) just made for a great memory. Norah really loved playing the maracas and Claire really took to the triangle!

This week marks the countdown to my half marathon! Lisa and I did a great (and challenging) 5 mile run today with all 4 kids in tow. As Claire is staying the course with potty training, I have found we make lots of random and frequent potty trips. While on mile 2 today, Claire screamed from the jogger she needed to go. So I did what I needed to do and had her squat in the bushes alongside the trail. She was a little hesitant at first but she did it! We finished with no more potty breaks which was great. Just lots of flung items (shoes, socks, cups...the usual) making minor setbacks. We followed the run with playtime at our house. The kids had a blast and it was great to have time with friends to break up the long days.

Hoping to stay strong until daddy gets back Thursday. But we are healthy!

Underwear is fun to wear!

Let us mark the day, February 18, 2013, as the day Claire actually wore underwear all day and was (somewhat) successful on the potty!!!

We had a few mistakes (ok like 6) but she was accepting of using the toilet. She beamed with the utmost pride every time she went...a true smile from ear to ear as she would pee. She was proud but more than that she knew WE were proud! She even initiated the majority of her potty trips (and even had a #2 today). So here is to officially going forward and not turning back!

Family Plague

I haven't written in so long but for a valid reason - sickness has ascended upon our house. It first began with Claire. Like a storm on the horizon, you could sense the sickness brewing. The night before she fell ill (Tuesday) turned to me and said, "I have a weird feeling Claire is coming down with something." I hoped it was allergies but all hopes were dashed when she awoke the following morning. So Wednesday (February 13) she woke up with pink eye in her left eye and a runny nose. I immediately called the doctor and they got her in within 45 minutes. Nothing serious but he suggested I follow up with her ENT because he was concerned about her raspy voice. As the day progressed, she steadily became worse. She had a fever and she was not as spastic as normal. The next morning she woke up with both eyes swollen shut! The fever continued, the drainage worsened and she began to cough. I had planned this grand Valentine excursion with the girls but there was no way I was taking her out. Then Friday she began to have a bark cough. I wasn't familiar with respiratory issues so I took her back in. Turns out her tonsils are super enlarged so we left with steroids and a minor sense of relief.

We seemed to be turning a corner Saturday which made me happy. It was a rough few days and seeing Claire so sick never settles well. But then at bedtime it seemed like Norah was a little off. More fussy than normal and not her happy self. She normally fights to go down but once she's out she is out. 2 hours into sleeping she began to cry...I ignored it thinking maybe she had a bad dream. It stopped within a few minutes. But then the three o'clock hour struck and I heard screaming. I ran to get her and she wasn't making sense. She was crying, "my cake pop momma. My cake pop!" As she searched her crib for this figment of her imagination, I scooped her up and instantly felt how scalding her little body was. I didn't need the thermometer to tell me what I already knew - Norah was sick. When I did take her temp it was 103! I gave her Tylenol and cradled her in my arms. It felt like forever for it to break but when it did she finally fell asleep. Holding my sweaty baby, I feared what the days ahead would bring. Norah's only experience with a fever has been the result of two instances before - during ear infections (she now has tubes) and when she had roseola (a horrific rash ensued). She is sensitive but your mind always thinks the worst.

The next morning was rough. After an uncomfortable night's sleep, she was crabby. She didn't have any drainage like her sister, but her fever persisted and she was lethargic. I think she spent the majority of the morning in either mine or Mike's arms. She even passed out at random as I held her. I knew then she was really in bad shape. It seemed like every 3-4 hours her temperature would return accompanied by horrible chills. It was around 4 that everything changed though. Her voice became hoarse and she developed a barky cough and wheezing cadence to her breath. Never dealing with this before, I panicked. I remembered my mom taking me into a steamy bathroom as a kid so I did the same. Rather than help, she seemed to become more agitated and began to sob. The sobs seemed to make her worse so I tried my best to calm her. Everything in my guy said to take her to see a doctor. So around 6:30 pm I took her to the ER. So glad I did. Her pulse ox was 90 and she was really gasping for air. The nurses acted fast and got her a breathing treatment. She cried during the entire thing but she sounded a little bit better. The doctor prescribed steroids to help her throat and chest. We were sent home by 8:30 pm and poor Norah was beat. Terrified to take my eyes off her, I kept her with us. It was such a rough night. W tween the fever and wheezing, she couldn't get comfortable and cried ad cried, making her breathing worse. I held her close, praying for some relief for her. Hours later she finally found comfort like a small cat and curled up at the foot of them bed.

Today was not as bad as yesterday but she was still sick. She sought a lot of affection and stayed more on the lazy side...until this afternoon. Claire wanted a playmate because she was now feeling better. Buuuuut Norah would wheeze every time they ran around. I didn't like this and worried she wouldn't rebound. At dinner I noticed her seem to struggle for air and gag some. She kept saying she was ok so we trusted her (insane I know to trust a 22 month old!). Shortly thereafter I tried to give her the steroid. The nurse told me the steroid tasted horrible. I never thought about it because Claire took it no problem. But the instant I put that in Norah's mouth, she instantly gagged and threw up everywhere! Tons of mucous too. Once she finished crying, we were able to see she sounded better. Less wheezing than she had been. I am certainly hoping we begin to turn a corner and she's restored tomorrow. I hate seeing my babies sick.

Naked Norah & Small Victories

I often dread hearing that Mike needs to travel. Normally he goes and something happens. Claire had her only ER trip when he was gone. Both kids decided to climb out of their cribs when he traveled. Norah usually gets some mysterious virus that no one else has ( roseola, really?). Aside from that it means I am on call 24/7 with little to no chance to catch a breather. Mike says I have a three day threshold - day 1, I am good; day 2, I begin to unravel; and day 3, I have hit breakdown mode. I admit he's mostly right. There are always joyful moments to the day but they also come with stressful ones too. I need to work on patience a bit more...

This particular travel week has flown by, and I am proud to report I haven't hit meltdown mode. In fact, I haven't unraveled. It's surprising given Norah's new trick. Norah has grown fond of taking off her clothes, diaper included. Most mornings as of late I have greeted a naked Norah. Not only is she naked, but she has soaked her bed in pee. I cannot be certain at which point she strips down because there is lots of pee...but irregardless it's an unpleasant way to start the day. I thought it was a fluke on Monday. Tuesday I thought it was coincidence. But when I heard Claire tell Norah "oh no Norah mommy be so mad" on Wednesday, I knew she was testing me. I tried backwards diaper, slip on diapers, pants and underwear over diaper...but nothing could stop her reign of terror. So I took sage advice from my friends and put her in footed pjs but backwards! If Houdini could escape this then I knew I needed to call a priest for an exorcism (I kid but seriously that would be pure evil). So last night I hatched the plan and put it into effect. She seemed irritated immediately and kept crying "I can't take it off mommy" as she looked like a dog chasing its own tail. As my mother-in-law so aptly put it, it resembled a toddler straight jacket. So true!!!! I couldn't help but revel in this because I have washed far too many sheets, blankets and pee-soaked clothing and lit far too many candles to remove the unpleasant stench. It was a small victory for momma (especially after she peed on my bed twice). Proud to report a dry bed today but uncovered a sweaty toddler. I have to find some lightweight ones but until now I will crank the AC!

We have just enjoyed one another. Lots of outside time, play time with friends and good rounds of dress up and building blocks to make the time go fast.

Last night at dinner Claire said "I miss my daddy." It's one of the first times she gets that he is gone. Sure she normally repeats he's on an airplane for work but she's never expressed how much she misses him. It's sweet.

On a sweeter note, she told me as she wore a new dress that it is her wedding dress and she only wears it when she marries Norah. Oh Claire!

Our week alone is soon ending (tomorrow at dinner time), but it was a week of mini victories. I successfully completed a week without unraveling! And I tackled a problem without Mike's help (or complaining to him incessantly). A small victory that I am maturing as a mom and learning more and more how to go about it on my own.

Passion for Fashion

Claire has always been eccentric when it comes to style. At a year, she would literally wear 20 headbands around her neck like necklaces. Often times we would wonder how she could breathe with them all on but she would not take them off. She then graduated to actual necklaces and would wear them in abundance. Then came the purse fetish (she still has it) followed by our current heel phase. She was gifted play heels by DeeDee and would wear them everywhere till they were threadbare. Now she has built a collection 8 pairs deep which is impressive for a 2 year old.

I used to see pictures of Suri Cruise and judge Katie and Tom thinking they were spoiling their child. But as I've learned the hard way, never judge another parent because you never know the full story. Suri is a fashion pioneer for toddlers paving the way for little divas such as Claire. You see, this urge for style is ingrained in their DNA. I think I've worn heels around the girls a handful of times and my accessories as of late are my running belt and Mizunos. It is painfully evident she isn't emulating me.

So lately Claire is insisting on dressing herself. I encourage this because she is learning independence and creativity. However, some of her choices are just way out there. Claire has a passion for glitz and sparkle. She loves her party dresses from Aunt Shannon that have rhinestones and glitter as well as her gold high heels.

She also loves to pair favorite clothing items that don't match. The other day she wanted to wear her pink Hello Kitty shirt with orange shorts. Yes it clashed but it was also 44 out and not at all weather appropriate. If you tell her she can't wear anything an epic battle ensues. I pick my battles but her rebuttals are always full of whimsy. Why do you want to wear this? "Because it's perfect." Why do you wear those heels with shorts? "They're so cute!" Do you really need to wear that sequined dress? "It's my favorite."

Even though we go through 4-5 outfits per day, I love seeing her personality shine through. From her insistence on telling people her name is "DeeDee Shannon" now (oh how very true!) to her need to wear two different earrings because she can't decide which she likes more, she's turned into the funniest little character.

Valentines Photos

I will admit that I have become a smidge obsessed with professional photos of the girls. Mainly it's been fun having a photographer that the girls love and has been great with them. But I also love seeing how much they change over a few months.

We did Valentine pictures to send to our family back home. Per usual, Norah was all about photos ad Claire was not. We have a zillion "stoic" photos of Claire. She ne'er smiles. In all the sessions, we had only one smile. And this session brought ONE smile. She didn't even want to sit for the session. She cried and tried to run away all the while Norah gladly posed for her own session. I kept hearing "cheeeeeeese" from the studio followed by self applause and "I did it!" after every single shot!

I was desperate to get just one picture of the girls together. I honestly exhausted every option (snacks, candy, iPhone) and couldn't get Claire to sit with Norah for a picture. Then I utilized her weakness - shoes. I told her that if she took pictures she would get a new pair of shoes. Instantly she sat down and said "cheese." It wasn't a genuine smile...but it was something other than her normal expressionless self.

I always say "just one good shot" but I would like to eventually have options. For now I will settle for this!