Garynation

Wordless Wednesday

I was really hesitant about putting up this picture, but I thought maybe it could help someone who didn’t know what hives looked like or an allergic reaction looked like. Last night, I brought Marielle to the emergency room when we found her looking like this at 9:30: Her eyes were almost swollen shut and she had hives all over her body. She was talking and breathing fine, but complaining that her tummy hurt. She told us her tummy was bothering her, but we didn’t have any kids pepto or anything and thought we could give her a half of a tums to settle her stomach. We both went into her room and Jon picked her up and put her on his lap. Even though there was no light on, I could immediately tell that something was wrong with her eyes. I turned on the lamp and knew it was a tree nut reaction immediately. (We found out in February that she is allergic to tree nuts; pecans, cashews, hazelnuts – any nut that comes from a tree. Not peanuts, those grow in the ground, not the same thing.) I

My 31st birthday was Sunday, July 18. It was a great really relaxing Sunday and I enjoyed every minute of it. Jon’s nephew was staying with us, so he was able to help with the kids and I got my breakfast in bed. It was yummy – French toast with a fried egg, ham and cheese atop, a banana (with “I love you” carved in it) with a strawberry on top (Jon’s “strawberry tree”, but it looked like a weird phallic symbol to me) and a wedge of watermelon. Very creative. And weird. Anyway, after breakfast we brought the kids to my moms, got take-out sushi and came home to watch movies. We watched one at home on the couch, went to a movie in the theatre, then watched another movie at home on the couch. That is one thing you never really get to do with kids – lay on the couch and watch movies. So that is what I wanted to do on my birthday. Then we went back to my mom’s for cake and to pick up my cute little girls. It was a really great day and I’m glad I got some good alone time with my hubby to ju

I’m in the 5th week of being jobless and staying home with my girls. Everyone asks me how it’s going and if I like it. First of all, it is really going great. I’m settling in and getting used to it. The first 2 weeks were hard, mostly because I didn’t really venture out much, except to go to the gym. That third week, I started to go places and bring the girls. I was nervous, but my nerves have since calmed. I was so scared of the unpredictability of 2 kids under 2 years old. I mean, I’ve got to have diapers for 2, formula, baby cereal, animal crackers, sippy cups, bottles, spoons, towels, etc. Trust me, the list goes on. Depending on where I’m going and how long I’ll be gone, I have to plan and bring so much. But really, I can’t go far and I can’t go for too long. Aliza still takes 3 naps a day, and she won’t sleep on me or anyone else. She has to be REALLY tired to sleep in the car. So I can run about 1 errand at a time and go to the gym in one interval, and make sure I’m back home fo