Positive Reinforcement

There are certain times that I think I am actually doing a pretty decent job raising my kiddos :)

I was just upstairs getting ready for the day and I heard Izzy say to Drew, "Drew, just try the egg. You might like it, or you might not, but you won't know until you take a taste. If you don't like it then you don't need to eat it. It will make Mommy really happy if you take a taste. Mommy will be so proud of you for trying it, Drew."

I came downstairs to find a couple of bites of egg on the floor. Drew told me, "I taste Izzy's egg and I spit it on the floor! I not yike eggs!"

Bless the child for trying and for his great sister for encouraging him to try a bite. I just love them to pieces!

On a side note: Drew ate a TON of salmon the other night for dinner, while Izzy chowed down on half a ribeye steak. I don't know if Drew liked the salmon or the big deal we were making out of him eating it? Regardless I was over the moon he was eating something so very good for him! Slowly we keep trying new foods and some days they like them, and other days they don't. Heck, some days they don't even like the foods that are my surefire goto foods.

A Visit From Grandpa Dave

Grandpa Dave came to visit us this past weekend.



We were very excited because it was his first trip to our abode in NC. Truth be told, my poor dad doesn't really get to spend as much time with his grandkids as the other grandparents. It seems that whenever we visit Cleveland he only gets a couple hours here and there. Poor guy. So, we were sooooooo happy he was able to come and hang with us for a weekend.

Due to Izzy's limited mobility we really didn't do much of anything. That's okay, Grandpa Dave was just happy to hang and play with the kids. He brought some great gifts for all of us. Izzy's shapes and color Bingo was a hit with the whole crew. Many many bingo games were played over the course of his visit.



Drew proved to be in rare form and kept us all thoroughly entertained the entire weekend. My dad had trouble keeping up with all of Drew's many character roles.



Grandpa Dave left today, but not before he took Izzy to school with me. Izzy was super excited for GD to see her school and meet her teachers and some of her friends. Check out her fun striped sock over her cast. The kids at school were so funny when they saw Izzy today thinking she had a new striped cast. Izzy just giggled this silly little giggle and told them "it is just a sock guys" ;)

Booger

Last night as I was sitting on the couch, Drew turns to me and asks, "Mama, can I eat my booger?"

With a chuckle of disgust I say, "Oooh, no. We don't eat boogers. That's just gross Drew. Gross! "

Drew opens his mouth, sticks out his tongue which clearly has a booger on it, and says, "puh-lease Mom! I just eat this one booger. PUH-LEASE!" It was if he was simply asking for me to please just say yes so he could shut his mouth and swallow.

I've said it lots lately...he's gross!

So once Pete got home and I was retelling him the story Drew chimed in that we don't eat boogers because it is "gross. gross, gross, gross!" Exactly kid, so why did you even ask the first time?

Cast Update

Today began with Izzy going to school. Hooray! I took her in her stroller and apparently she stayed in it all day (3 hours). When I dropped her off I told both Izzy and the teachers that if she wanted to leave to just call me and I would pick her up. I had a feeling once she got into the swing of things she would be fine. Today was also Show and Share and she LOVES show and share day. She was not able to stay for Lunch Bunch and Jingle Jam however because she had a doctor's appointment.

The doctor ordered another set of x-rays to see how she was healing. Report: Looks wonderful! Izzy will have another set of x-rays taken on March 11th and if all looks good then the cast will be removed. 1 week down and 3 weeks to go.

While we were there the doctor made a comment that Izzy has the cleanest white cast he has ever seen on a 4 year old. He also commented that he expects he will be seeing Drew for a cast in the near future. Once I turned Drew loose out of his stroller he was a madman! He wasn't misbehaving, he just would not stop moving. He is a climber, a risk taker, and not smart enough to recognize danger. Yup, he will be fit for a cast soon.

When we got home Izzy had received a fun letter from our friend Lauri Lyn and her son Tyler. They made her a card and sent her a gazillion stickers! Thanks guys, as you can see Izzy LOVED decorating herself.

Look...we now have a PINK cast!




This picture I had to save because I think her "good" leg looks so long - which is so not how I see Izzy. Do you think it could have anything to do with the fact that her other leg is bent and I haven't seen her stand upright in a week?

Day 4 & 5 With Cast

Originally Izzy said she wanted to go to school on Monday, but once it came time to get ready she had changed her mind. Fine by me, let's stay home!

I wish that I had some exciting things to report, but I do not. We did crafts most of the day. I knew there was a reason I saved popsicle sticks. Izzy made lots of rafts today - I think one for every friend she has. I really did very little as she was content to just glue and cut away.




We also worked on her birthday thank-yous. I addressed all the envelopes while she got to putting stickers on her note cards. I was then going to write the thank you and she would finish them by signing her name and sealing them. Well, things didn't go as planned because when I checked on her she was sealing them all up. Oh well, I can't be upset because she was working so hard and it kept her busy for quite a while. I also can't possibly mail them so it looks like I will have to now go write them all on my own. I can't possibly make her redo them. ...and look how proud she is.



Izzy got lots of fun tub toys for her birthday. Unfortunately she can't take baths these days so we had to get creative. Here she is with her tupperware Barbie pool.



When I put Drew down for a nap I decided to wash Izzy's hair. We set up our make-shift salon right in our kitchen.



For the record, Drew decided not to nap for the 4th day in a row! But look how cute he is - you would never know the kid didn't nap.



Monday afternoon Stephanie and RC were kind enough to come over so I could run to Costco. I figure I can do the grocery store with a double stroller and only getting a couple things, but there was no easy way to do Costco. When I came home from Costco everyone jumped out from various hiding spots and yelled "surprise"! They had some really silly hats on that they made while I was gone.


Tuesday morning found us doing more of the same. Crafts, crafts and more crafts!





We also had a couple visitors. Delaney stopped by and brought Izzy a movie and Katerina stopped by and brought all sorts of fun "sitting" activities (puzzle, coloring book/crayons, book and stickers). Izzy also got some fun presents in the mail from our friends Todd and Alisa in Denver. She got Fancy Nancy colorforms, a coloring book and a cool princess book with stickers. Thanks friends, you sure are helping Izzy feel better by keeping her spirits up!

So tonight Pete will be having dinner out for work so the kids and I are meeting up with some friends for dinner. Three moms and 5 kids 4 and under. Good times! ...I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

Izzy's attitude to date is still spectacular! We have yet to have one meltdown, though I am not naive to think it won't happen. Last night also marked the first night Izzy slept back in her bed. She did great. No night wakings and slept til almost 7:30. She has told me she wants to go to school tomorrow for show and share. I am undecided as to whether I will take her for the entire day or just part? She also has a follow up appointment with the doctor tomorrow afternoon.

Later~

Her Maiden Voyage

Well, the last few days have been quite hectic as you can probably imagine.

Thursday night was the unfortunate leg breaking incident.

Friday morning found us up at 7. That wouldn't be too bad except for the fact that Izzy didn't go to bed until after 11. She had a couple night wakings, but neither lasted too long. Her leg was hurting and she couldn't get comfortable. A couple other times I heard her say, "Mama, I love you" at random moments. She really is so very sweet.

So, that morning we got up and went to Izzy's school Valentine party. We just stopped by to hand out her Valentines and wouldn't you know I forgot half of them! I had to finish up her Valentines for her that morning and when I put them in a bag I forgot to add the ones she had signed herself. The teachers saved me by giving me some random goodies to put in the kids treat bags. Once we left school we headed to various Redbox stands to find some movies for the day. After that a quick trip to Toys R Us was in order. Pete said to buy Izzy whatever she needed/wanted and so off we went. Drew picked out a guitar so he could be Rooney Doodle and Izzy picked a $4.99 princess ball. Finally we headed back home for lunch and naps. I really wanted a nap, but no one else did :( At 3:30 my savior Stephanie came over with Riley to watch my kids so I could keep my hair cut/color appointment. Friday evening then found us all curled up watching Madagascar 2 before heading to bed.

Saturday quickly turned into a long and busy day. Since it was Valentine's Day we started the morning with the kids in our bed opening presents. I had planned on giving them some roller blades that I bought them as Christmas gifts and never game them, but due to the circumstances I had to scramble and find something else. Luckily I have lots of loot hidden that I have stocked up on. So the kids both got really cool flashlights (just like the one Izzy got when Drew got his Handy Manny Toolbox), a new book and then another small activity. Drew got ABC Dr. Seuss flashcards and Izzy got a very cool reusable princess sticker learning book. Pete and I got Starbucks :)

After breakfast Izzy and I headed out for some retail therapy. Our first stop was Toys R Us. Izzy said she wanted a guitar like Drew and of course Pete said "sure" :) From there we headed to the mall. I was looking for some clothing that would fit over Izzy's cast. I didn't do too well. I got a skirt and pair of really loose capris. I think a trip to Target or Walmart will be in order for some clearance pants that I can cut if need be. We also went to Claire's for some fun legwarmers and socks to wear over her cast.

We made a quick stop home and then had to head out to a birthday party. Wouldn't you know it was Delaney's party (her best friend) and it was at an indoor tumble place. We got there and Izzy immediately got sad and said that she couldn't do anything. My heart broke and I told her we would find something she could do! Thankfully we did the parachute and then she was able to pull herself up and crawl on some other things. Finally she got to be put in a harness and swung. I wish I had pictures because it was really cool and she asked to do it again, but each child only got one turn. I am hoping to get a few parents together so we can "rent" the place out for an end of the year school party.

That brings us to today. Pete has taken Izzy to the zoo while Drew and I stayed behind to clean.

We are on day three of the cast and Izzy has been a trooper all the way. I could not be more proud of how well she is handling her inability to move. Today is the first day that she hasn't had significant pain and hopefully she will soon learn how to get around a bit on her own. So far she has crawled a little bit but not too much more. She is able to balance upright while leaning on something so that I can wash her off. I have yet to wash her hair, but figure I will have to do so tomorrow. My plan is to wash her hair in the kitchen sink while she lays on the counter. I did order her a cast cover so that I can put her in the shower/bath.

Tonight we are heading to some friends house to play. Stephanie and I are "babysitting", if you will, for a friend who has a birthday dinner to attend and needed a sitter. So, Stephanie and I are going to do it together. It should be fun. Our friends have one of the most fun playrooms EVER!

I leave you with a picture of Izzy making her maiden voyage in her cast. She crawled from the family room floor to the bathroom (let me tell you how difficult going to the bathroom with a full let cast is for a girl!). ...she always has a smile. Gosh I love her!

Izzy's Unforgettable Birthday Party

...and what a party it was! Izzy's 4th birthday party will be a day that none of us will ever forget - except for maybe Drew?

Izzy invited her entire class as well as 4 other friends to a party at an indoor bounce house facility. We had the bounce area for 1 hour and then the party room for 45 min. The kids had SO much fun running, bouncing, jumping and sliding. Things couldn't have been going better for the first 55 minutes.

Bouncing




Sliding




And taking a quick breather. I just love how rosey red Izzy's cheeks are - she was playing hard!






I was in the party room getting the food, drinks, cupcakes, etc. ready for the gang when I heard Izzy's cries. Pete was carrying her and she was clearly very upset and injured. He passed her over and she just kept grabbing her leg and telling me it hurt. What she couldn't do was pinpoint an exact spot. Thankfully for us, one of the little girls in Izzy's class came with her daddy. Guess what, her daddy is a doctor in the ED! He came in to have a look at her leg. While Izzy screamed, he tried to feel around on her leg to see if he felt anything. He said he didn't feel any hot spots.

Well, I wasn't sure if Izzy was seriously hurt or if she was just hurt and very emotional so I tried to continue on with the party. I set her down a couple times and tried to feed her, but each time she would be okay for a minute and then start crying again.

Look how sad she is :(


Drew is oblivious to everything going on around him. He is perfectly happy with some pizza.


I started to become more concerned because as I would carry her, if my hip would make contact with her heel then she would cry harder. I walked over to the good doctor and started talking to him and as we were talking he watched as I wiggled Izzy's toes (without her knowing) and tried to move her foot/leg. Well, when I went to apply pressure to the top of her foot she lost her mind! At this point it was suggested we take her for x-rays.

Of course I was upset to leave the guests, but it was a group of mom's (and the doctor) so they all understood. Dr. J called the hospital to see who was on call in the ED. He alerted them that we were on our way. Pete stayed behind with Drew to clean up and say goodbye to the party guests before heading to the hospital to meet us.

We got to the ED at the hospital and things moved quite quickly. We got into a room within 5 minutes and then were quickly taken for x-rays. Dr. J dropped his daughter off at home and then met us at the hospital. How awesome was that? Izzy's tibia was broken just below her knee. As far as the break goes we are fortunate that it is a clean break which is expected to easily heal.

So, Izzy got a very boring plain hospital white cast. I guess that is all that is available in the ED. If she ruins it for some reason and we need a new one then we can pick a color.

So, we headed home to get Izzy settled and finally open presents. Thank goodness we had presents for the little lovey to open after all that she had to endure.

Reading the card so that a proper thank you note would be sent.






Here is the one and only picture I got with my birthday girl. She is such a trooper!


Once she opened them all we headed up to our bedroom so she could camp out there for the night. I figured that we might be in for a long night. However, once she was asleep, at just after 11, she slept okay until 7 the next morning. Just a couple of night wakings due to not being able to roll over.

So the only thing that anyone may still be wondering is exactly how did Izzy break her leg? Well, we aren't really sure. How bout that? We know where she was, and what she was doing, but not how it happened. To the best of our knowledge she fell about 3-4 feet off an inflatable and must have landed exactly wrong. ...and her leg broke. Unfortunate as it was, and not a fun way to end a birthday, we are thankful it wasn't something more serious!