Funny Little Fact

I forgot to mention something we have learned over the past week. We have had a few trips to the Dr's office with both girls and learned that Shelby finally passed Kadence in weight. I thought it was going to happen sooner to be honest. Shelby is 28.8 pounds and Kadence is 25.5 (Without brace). I can't believe Shelby is 19 months younger and bigger than her big sister. Too funny!

Kadence

Today Kadence went to Shriners to get an x-ray and set a 'game plan' for the next few months. It wasn't until after the x-ray that we were told her Dr was stuck in Iraq. (possibly Iran because we heard both) The guy we were talking to was kind of funny. When I said that didn't sound like much fun he said,'Ya it isn't like being stuck in Denver or Iowa....Iraq is a little different.' So we were a little upset that David took the day off of work and we weren't even able to talk to the Dr about the next few months. Then we looked on the bright side and realized we did get her x-ray so we could do the rest over the phone and most people who come to the SLC Shriners come from Montana or the East Coast. We didn't have a long drive or a plane ride to be frustrated over so we feel pretty lucky. The doctor is supposed to be getting back the beginning of next week and will be calling me. The Dr who did look at the x-ray and talk to us said he is pretty sure it is time for another cast. Her curve is back up to 66 degrees which isn't great news. Also most kids are only out of cast for about 6 months and Kadence is at 5 months. Naturally the child grows and they need to get them in a new brace, but since Kadence's curve progressed they will do a few castings first to try and correct the curve a little. So when the Dr gets back he will most likely call to schedule Kadence next casting. Probably right in between Halloween and Thanksgiving.

After the appointment, we took Kadence to the zoo. She LOVES going to the zoo and it is a good bribe too. We took her on the train for the very first time and she was so funny. Her little smile was so cute as she told us all about the train and the different animals she saw. Then we went to see the baby elephant and baby giraffe. Two of her favorite animals and how often do you get to see baby animals at the zoo?


On a side note, Shelby is feeling much better and is doing her breathing treatments without too much fighting.

Shelby

So Sunday Shelby started to get the cold symptoms and since she was exposed to swine flu on Friday (For the second time) we decided we might want to watch her closely. I called the wee care and asked if there was a benefit to taking her in and without saying no, the MA said no. She said that to test that early, we would get a negative whether she had it or not and some pediatricians aren't giving tamiflu anyways. So we decided to just treat her at home.

Monday she started with a pretty high fever and was having some trouble breathing. We took her in and the swine flu test came back negative. The doctor was a little surprised and decided to do a strep test. It too came back negative. While he was hesitant, he started telling us it must just be a virus and we would have to let it run its course. Right when he finished he said he wanted to get a chest x-ray. While he was giving us the 'usual virus speal' he was watching how quickly Shelby was breathing. We went and got an x-ray by the coolest guy EVER! He was Russian but sounded a lot like Borat and even said 'Very Nice' I couldn't stop laughing. The x-ray showed that Shelby had pneumonia. He started her on an antibiotic and wanted her back for a follow up the next day.

Yesterday we brought her to her follow up and the doctor (A different one than the instacare who is partnered with the girls primary pediatrician) told us that by looking at the lung shape in Shelby's x-ray she could tell right away that she has asthma. She did another swine flu test because she was sure Shelby had it too. Again, negative. She told us that she is almost positive that she has it although the tests keep saying she didn't. She had us give Shelby a breathing treatment before we left to see if it could help her breathing any. That was an experience to say the least. Shelby turned into one of those demonic children you see on 20/20. We haven't ever seen a kid act that way at all. It was absolutely crazy. Yelling, hitting, kicking, headbutting.....anything to get away. The dr came back in and said ' I gather she wasn't too fond of that.' Which was pretty funny.

Today Shelby woke up without a fever and actually ate a few bites of her lunch. She is a little cranky and stuffy, but worlds different from the past few days. Hopefully she only goes up from here.

Crayons

To make coloring a little more interesting for the kids, I found a way to mix the colors and make them into shapes. The main reason people do it is to use up all of the broken old crayons instead of throwing them away.

Start by unwrapping crayons and breaking them into pieces. Place about 2-3 broken crayons into a muffin tin. I used the disposable kind because it seemed like it would be easier to get them out.

Bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees. You can burn wax so be careful. Take them out of the oven and allow to completely cool. They only take about 10-15 minutes to cool and you will notice the edges will start to pull away from the muffin tin. Gently pop them out and enjoy!

These are a few of the 'rainbow' crayons I made.

After taking the first batch out of the oven I noticed they were a little thin. I used 3 crayons instead of two and it made them substantially thicker and more durable for little hands. Let your kids help pick the color combos. They will enjoy seeing what color comes from it. I used a toothpick to stir the hot wax when I took it out of the oven to give it a little more character.

Scarecrow Tostadas

For family night last Monday we put up all of our Halloween decorations as our activity. To get in the mood I made scarecrow tostadas for dinner. I got the idea out of a Pillsbury Halloween magazine and although it didn't turn out as cute as the picture in the magazine, the girls like it.

You put down the tostada and top it with ground beef and refried beans. You put a tortilla chip at the top for a hat. You put two dollops of sour cream topped with sliced olives for the eyes, a baby carrot stick cut in half for the nose and a slice of tomato for the mouth. Between the hat and the eyes place shredded lettuce and shredded cheese to act as the 'stuffing.' Kadence thought it was so great she didn't want to eat the face, but eventually I coaxed her into it.

Pumpkins!

This year I decided not to let the girls help us carve pumpkins, but paint them instead. It gets so cold out by the time David gets home and they aren't able to help as much as they want to. Painting gave them the opportunity to do it 'all by themselves' which I think was their favorite part.

Shelby loved to 'splat' her paint on....which happens to be why it is all over her face.

Kadence took the more delicate road. She was very serious about her painting.


We bought some pre-cut cookies so the girls could help put them on the pan without the mess. They loved it!

I handed Kadence a cookie to put on the cookie sheet and turned around to get Shelby a cookie. Right as soon as I turned around, Kadence took a bite of the cookie dough. David, Jeff and I were laughing SO hard. Then she thought she was in trouble and spit the piece she ate out onto the pan. What a character. We all had a fun time and the girls were so proud of their pumpkins.

Kids

I write about a lot of things, but usually not the little things my kids do.

Yesterday Kadence was being such a good mommy to her baby. She is such a sweet little thing. She has even mastered holding the baby with one arm while patting the babies butt with the same hand and playing with another toy in the other arm. She told me how beautiful her baby was and told me she wanted to smell her hair. (I guess she does notice when I smell her~ I like the way little ones smell.) She was singing to her and just being so sweet.

Today while I was trying to calm the girls down for nap we went through our usual routine. The girls get to watch a 'show' on TV while laying on a travel size pillow with their blankies. I went in the other room to clean up after lunch and both girls were being SO loud....happy, but loud. I came to see what all the ruckus was about and found Shelby sitting on Kadence. When I asked her what she was doing, she just laughed and laughed which made Kadence laugh. It is so strange that both girls came from the same parents. Kadence is so mild mannered and sweet and Shelby is a rowdy trouble maker. Either way, I love them both so much and love the way they can make me laugh when I have a bad day.

Ok, maybe this will work

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Swine flu

So Friday my family was exposed to the swine flu at a family birthday party. I wasn't too concerned since none of us were in close contact with the people who came down with it. Unfortunately, yesterday Kadence woke up with a stuffy nose. I figured it was because of the rain and checked her temperature. She was her usual 97.2. I watched it close all day because Kadence is more susceptible since she has asthma. She threw up during nap which we figured was because she coughed too hard. (Not unusual for her) In the evening I noticed she had a rash on both legs and both arms. This isn't a primary indicator of swine flu, but it did alert me to take her temperature. Of course she did have a low fever. We called the Dr and got her right in. The doctor was pretty convinced that she did indeed catch swine flu so he ordered the rapid test. It came back negative. He told David that this didn't mean she didn't have it because it might not show up if you test too soon. I kept telling myself that it is just a cold and not swine flu. This morning she can't even walk 3 steps without crying because her body hurts so bad. She has been on the couch all morning which is SO unlike her. I read on the CDC's website and it says that the rapid test is very sensitive and only about 10-70% accurate and does NOT rule out having the virus. Bummer! I kept trying to convince myself that she just had a bad cold not swine flu but unfortunately I think she does. The doctor told David when to seek more medical treatment. (Fever that doesn't go away within 4 or 5 days, labored breathing, etc.) So I guess we will just treat her at home and hope nobody else gets it. Wish us luck!