Kenidi's Allergy Test

On Wednesday I took Kenidi to the Allergy and Asthma center. Dr. Auxier gave us a referal to see them. He was concerned about her getting sick so frequently. The Doctor was extreemly helpful, they did a skin test on her back, they tested her for all sorts of things like Bermuda Grass, Three different kinds of weed, five types of tree, cats and dogs, three kinds of Mold, and six different nuts. Kenidi was so brave as they pricked her back almost 30 times. We had to wait for 20 minutes to get the final results, they were kind enough to put Elmo on for her to keep her mind off of the terrible itch! While she laid there waiting, I was watching as the pricks turned into swollen bumps, one in particular was huge it looked alomst like hives. I asked the nurse what that one was, and sure enough it was for peanuts! She ended up testing positive for Almonds, Black Walnut, Cashew, Peanut, and Hazelnut. They didn't want to overdo it with the test so they only picked a few of each thing, but I am sure if they had a larger variety she would have tested positive for them as well. One thing that really concerns me is that she tested positive for a very common Mold called (Aspergillus Fumigatus) this is a mold that is Airborn and is especially present when it rains!! It makes perfect sense, when we lived in Wichita she was sick constantly, like every few weeks!! Go figure it rains almost every week out there sometimes more when the season is right .Whenever we would come visit Arizona she would be healthy, especially when we moved to mesa this past November. She had no sign of a cold, or cough! She was healthy for almost three months, that was by far the longest she had gone. Until it recently started raining out here, infact she got sick the same week that it had been raining!!! This is such a relief to finally get some answers to the questions I have been having for almost three years!! So now we have a plan of action to prevent her from getting so sick, the doctor said that if we keep her nasal cavity cleared with saline as well as her lungs open to prevent any bacteria from growing then we should be good, he said we need to get Zyrtek so the next time she says she has that itchy throat I can treat it then and there before it festers into some crazy illness that lasts for weeks. They gave me several forms of information one of which was an action plan for the next time she accidently has peanuts. It had three zones categorized by color, each telling you what to look for and what to do- The first is the green zone, which is good and she has no reaction- Yellow zone is the next, which is caution and gives specific actions to take, then the last is the-Red Zone, which is Danger these symptoms would include things like trouble breathing, wheezing & decreased awarness! Kenidi had all of these symptoms when aunt Shanna accidently gave her a candy bar with peanuts in it, the plan of action to take should have been to call 911 and inject the Epi Pen Immediatly. I feel so blessed that my little Kenid was alright, all we did for it was give her some benadryl, I truly believe that angels were with her that day! I am sure thankful that I have been properly educated on how to handle this in the future, and I am happy to say that I now carry an Epi Pen in my Purse and have one at home as well. I am seriously so relieved to finally get to the bottom of all this, words just can't describe but when you see your kid so sick all the time and you feel helpless to do anything it really just makes your heart ache for them. Hopefully those days of worry are now behind us.

All Grown Up

This morning while I was preparing breakfast, Kenidi asks me if we can watch the news. I asked her why she wanted to do something like that? I tried to convince her that cartoons would be more suitable for her. She said "No, I just want to watch the news." I couldn't believe what I was hearing! She told me that she likes watching adult shows! Here I am thinking to myself, what kind of kid would want to watch the news first thing in the morning? I have always know that she is very mature for her age, she is always requesting that she play with kids who are older than her, she usually ends up getting frusterated with the kids her age. I know it is very true, she can definatly express herself to older children and has the ability to share and compromise.

When my mom got home from work I told her the story. She said "We have a future president of the United States." My dad is always telling me that I need to let the kids listen to Rush Limbaugh and watch Glenn Beck so they can be properly informed with what is going on in the world today. One of my biggest fears for putting my kids into the Public School system is knowing that they will be brain washed by Moronic teachers! Which is exactly why kids need to watch the news, and the right kind of news. Yet I still don't feel like Kenidi is ready for that, I don't want to rob her of her childhood, I realize there is a time and a place for everything. For now I think we will stick to Little Bear, and Franklin. We still teach her about the president and what he is doing to this once Free nation, she knows very well that he is not a good guy- infact anytime his name is brought up she say's "We don't like Barack Obama!" She says that he is a bad man! I just love it, I find myself hanging on every moment of the sweet little things she says and does.

Childhood Memories

Today I went to Barnes & Noble to find a comic book for Adam. I have been pulling random stuff together to create a care package for him. Once I finished making my final selection I went over to the children book section where Kenidi was playing. We were on our way out when a very familiar book caught my eye. It was Amelia Bedilia, written by Peggy Parish. You may be familiar with this story of a hardworking, charming houskeeper who does exactly what the Rogers family asks her to do. When she's told to "draw the drapes," Ameilia Bedilia gets out her pad and pencil. When Mrs. Rogers asks her to "dress the chicken," the family dinner winds up wearing overalls and socks. She always has her own way of following instructions. These books are hilarious!! The instant I saw this book a flood of memories came rushing through my mind, memories that I didn't even know I had. I don't know why but I seem to have a very disinct memory of certain books I read when I was a kid. Shanna and I have been talking a lot lately about our childhood memories, It seems that she remembers so much & I have forgotten a lot. So I was very happy to say that I hold the memory of reading this book close to my heart. I have such a vivid memory of us kids all sitting together while our mom would read to us. I remember laughing at the silly things she would do. I am so excited that I now have the opportunity to create a wonderful memory for my children :-)

It"s a Girl

Yesterday I went to The Fetal & Women's Center of Arizona and had my first ultrasound. The first thing the Ultrasound Technician asked was if I wanted to know the gender, I responed with an eager YES! It was funny because when she went to put the doppler on my belly, the first thing she noticed was the babies hands up to her face.... she said that was a classic girl thing. It makes sense I still sleep with my hands up to my face. It was most definatley a girl! She looked just like Kenidi, the same profile and everything! She was curled up in a ball, and was not willing to move. The technician kept wiggling my belly to get her to move but she was stubborn. She was very reserved about showing her girl parts and had her foot covering it most of the time. The heart looked healthy as far as I can tell, sometimes it is hard to see what they are seeing though. The technician said she was a big baby, already 2lbs 9oz! I went online to babycenter and found that according to my 26 week gestation the baby should weigh about a pound and two-thirds. I know every baby is different and the reading was not 100% accurate, but I still have to wonder. They asked me if I have Gestational Diabetes, so they could better determine why she was so big, I just had the glucose test the day prior though and I still havn't found out the results. Diabetes does run in my family, my cousin had gestational diabetes with her first, so now I am starting to worry. I guess if I don't hear from my doctor then that is a good sign and there is no need for an alarm. Kenidi is so excited to have a sister to play with:) I went to sams club today and bought matching Easter dresses for next year, I was so excitied when I found the dresses becasue I have a matching dress just like it with pink, brown, and white stripes & come easter of next year the three of us girls will be matching!! Now I have to firgure out how we will spell her name we know we want to name her Britian, but I havn't decided if I want to spell it that way though. We also need to pick a middle name, I am going to start looking in our family history to get some ideas. I am so thrilled that we are having a Girl, we are a balanced family three boys and three girls if you include Harley :)

NEVER ENDING PLAGUE OF SICKNESS!

My poor little Kenidi is sick! She started getting sick on Saturday. Her first symptoms were itchy throat, which is exactly how all of her illnesses begin. My first thought was that she was starting to get allergies, and with the season changing into spring it made perfect sense. By sunday she was coughing and had a low grade fever. Come Monday she seemed to be doing better. she was playing with kaden, her fever seemed to be going down. Tuesday she acted fine, then right around five in the evening she seemed to be getting worse, she looked pale, lethargic, and just plain miserable. Her fever was back up again, so we gave her some medicine. I finally put her to bed, and that is when she started coughing even more (They were deep coughs and very frequent about every minute) So I asked my dad if he could give her a blessing, after that she seemed to do a little better & I certainly had more of a calm peacful feeling. It was nice to know that while Adam is away we can still recieve the blessings of the priesthood. Wednesday she was very lethargic, sleeping all day, had a low grade fever, which eventually climbed up to 102.9! I felt like we had been through this exact same thing before, It seems like this is how all of her illnesses are..... they start with a mild itchy throat and then days later progress into something huge!! So come wednesday evening, my mom gets home and says that she could have Pneumonia. I listened to her chest and noticed some wheezing. It was about 7pm at that time which was when I finally made the decision to take her in and since Gilbert Pediatrics has Twilight hours, I decide it would be for the best. They got her in right away, the doctor listened to her chest and lungs and determined that she did in fact have Pneumonia!! I couldn't believe what I was hearing, then I started to think back to all the times she has been sick in the past, they have all been like this where she is sick for days on end high fever and coughing. She wrote up a perscription for her and sent us on out way. Once I got into the car I couldn't help but break down, and as the tears started to roll all I could think about was how terribble of a Mother I am. I knew I should have taken her in sooner, I even had an appointment scheduled for her on Monday but canceled it because I thought she was getting better. We went to Walgreens to pick up her perscription. While driving there I just kept racking my brain, why is she always so sick? I am so worried about her, she is cronically ill- every few weeks to a month, why? I felt Anger as I thought to myself how much she has missed out on being a kid because her illnesses run her life, we are constantly keeping her home from church, She still has not had the opportunity to go to playgroups and make new friends everytime we do she ends up sick :( It is so draining on me as well to have to see her go through it, and for such long durations. I am thankful that we have health insurance so we can finally get to the bottom of this, I have a feeling we are going to be at the doctor a lot more now. I already have an appointment for Friday, and I am going to talk to them about getting some blood work done for her, since that is what the doctor last night suggested we do. All we can do for now is have faith that she will one day be healthy. It is sometimes easier said than done, especially when all you feel is discouraged. :(

26 week checkup

I finally went to the doctor!!! It was so good to finally listen to the heartbeat, that's right heartbeat, not heartbeats.... We were starting to wonder if we were gonna be having twins, but I measured right at 26 weeks. It was very reassuring to finally go, the nurse practitioner couldn't believe that I hadn't been to the doctor yet. I am sure they thought I was crazy! I was not happy about my weight gain. All I can say is no more sweets for me! I have an ultrasound scheduled for this thursday so we can finally see our little pea, and determine the gender!!! I am debating whether or not I should tell Adam, we will see. Until then I will be anxiously waiting for the big day:)

Valentines Day

This years valentines was a bit depressing....with Adam clear on the other side of the country!! I went shopping for Valentines the day before, all I could notice was men shopping for roses for their wives. I kept eyeing the flowers wishing I could have them, but even more I was wishing I could be with my Valentine!! I was very excited though to recieve my first letters from Adam the night before :) Kenidi was sick that day with a cold, so I had to keep her home from church, she was so excited to give her valentines to the kids in her primary class, and I had to be the bearer of bad news. She had a low grade fever and a congested cough. She was very lethargic that day. When we brought the Valentines out she seemed to muster up more energy. Kenidi stayed in her pJs the whole day, you know she is not feeling well when she doesn't bother getting dressed for the day..... usually the first thing she does after going potty is get dressed for the day! Poor girl, but I must say we are starting to improve considering that she hasn't had a cold or any kind of sickness for the past three months! She would usually be sick every few weeks, so I am hoping that her immune system is starting to mature.

Cupcakes with the kids

Tonight for family night we decided to make cupcakes. The kids had such a blast making them! I couldn't believe how laid back I was about the whole process, Kaden was pulling eggs out of the carton, and sticking his hands in the batter, Kenidi kept sneeking licks from the sides of the bowl. They ended up making a pretty big mess!! Kenidi was upset that she got some batter on her shirt (she does not like to get dirty). I found myself telling her that it would be alright and that it's okay to get a little dirty sometimes, besides we can always wash it later. I have been realizing lately that a lot of my stress comes from me getting worked up over petty little things, and as I heard myself saying those words to my daughter I realized that life really isn't all that hard, If you have the right frame of mind! It was so much fun watching the kids figure everything out, My dad and I were having a blast too.... each of us with our camera's in action! We didn't get to put the frosting on the cupakes yet, that will be a project for tomorrow. Kaden sat here for about five minutes trying his hardest to get the package open, he is quite a determined little bugger!

Who knew you could do finger painting with cake batter, I am thinking we will do this again!
After all it is a much easier clean up then actual paint.

A Fun Filled Day

Today we went to Freestone park in Gilbert. I love this park it has a playground, and Large Ponds for the kids to feed the ducks, and the best part of it all is that on the weekends they have fun rides like a mini Ferris Wheel, and a Merry-Go-Round. We went to Shem's and Andrea's before going to the park, so they decided to come with us and brought they're miniture pintcher with them, they were also doggy sitting for Andrea's brother so they brought both dogs with them, I felt bad because I didn't bring Harley I am such a bad doggy parent! It would have been cute to see the three miniture Pintchers together though. The kids had so much fun! And as of right now Kenidi is out for a date with the Grandparents, they went to Movie Theater to see Partly Cloudy With a Chance Of Meatballs. Here are some of the picture I took, as always I take tons of pictures!

I am such a brave mom, notice the color of shirt Kenidi is wearing! Not only that but the kids still hadn't had lunch yet, It was lunchtime however. I guess sometimes you just have to live a little!

I love taking pictures of this little guy, he has always been very photogentic or maybe the right word is animated! You can just see the excitment in his little smiley eyes :)

Growing Pains

I recently started watching my little nephew Nixen, who is a perfect little angel and the kids really enjoy having him around. It's constantly a fight over who gets to help me with what. Kenidi is really good at entertaining Nixen. She loves to tickle him and sing him sweet little Nursery rhymes and he just loves every bit of attention he can get! Kenidi is gonna be such a good mommy someday, she has always been a very nurturing little girl. I know I can count on her to help me out when the baby comes, not only is it helpful to me but I always notice a boost of self esteem when I give her opportunities to show me how responsible she can be, In fact I notice it in Kaden as well. On the flip side, life has been a bit of a challenge, I feel like as I progress in my pregnancy, and my waistline increases It makes my everyday routines a stress. I am now to the point where it is almost too painful to walk! I have this bruised feeling, and my hips are spreading, and then to make it worse I feel like I have a siatic problem which causes me to feel like my legs are gonna give out on me when I walk around. I am not the only one in the family who has been having these pains, Kenidi has been having them too. She has been complaining that she has an achy body, and she thinks it is becasue she is growing! I have been finding myself giving her a massage every night, when I am in dier need of a massage myself! The sacrifices we make as mothers :) Oh that reminds me of something that she said to me last night. So we were getting ready for bed and she was complaining of a bloated belly. I asked why she felt so bloated. Her response was that she thinks the eggs inside of her belly were growing and that she will be having a baby soon!!! I could not contain myself, she says the funniest things sometime. She has always been very curious about where babies come from, and I decided the best way to describe it was that all girls have eggs inside of them but they don't start to grow until after they are married. I figure for now that is the best way to describe it, afterall it is true. I had to remind her that her eggs wont be growing anytime soon and that a big part of her having a baby is being married first!

What's for Dinner

That is the question of the day! Five oclock is the time of day I dread the most. I am not creative when It comes to meal time, I feel like far too often I feed my little ones the same thing every single day!! So just about ten minutes ago I started going through my head what we could have for dinner, I decided to ask Kaden. First I asked if he would like Pizza, he most definately did not want that, then I continued down the list. Chicken, Mac n cheese, Sandwiches, Spaghetti ect... you get the idea, then I said (green beans) since he had already been saying No,No,No he automaticaly responded the same but then looked at me and instantly changed his mind. He has always been a green bean fanatic, just like his daddy!