Hurray for Halloween!

The day was filled with activities and fun. Fia began her day with her cousin Henry and accompanied him to Fredrick Meijer Gardens. Stella wore bunny ears most of the day.

I thought she would take them off immediately, but she kept them on all day.


A dark haired Cinderella...with a birthday crown


Stella Bella Bumble Bee!


Fia and her cousin Grant. She decided that a blue ribbon in her hair would be more accurate. Nevermind the fact that Cinderella is not Asian. Maybe Mulan would have been easier for her to pull off.


My two girls!

Following Father's Footsteps

If any of you know my husband, he is an avid soccer fan. I usually prefer the word fanatic and sometimes freak (sorry Peter). He primarily follows Major League Soccer (MLS) and the English Premier League (EPL). Needless to say, he has made sure that our children will also become soccer fans so that he can take them to games. We had our first family MLS Chicago Fire soccer game back in June. We all had a blast and can't wait till next season.

The Chicago Fire had their first playoff game tonight and Peter let Fia stay up late to watch the beginning. He made it an occasion with jerseys, cheering, and even popcorn. I fear that he's already created a monster.

Sorry about the lighting in the video, our camera is very old. Its mostly the audio that I want you to hear.

Pumpkin Carving

We finally carved our pumpkins tonight. We all had lots of fun.


Getting our hands dirty


Okay, so Fia doesn't like to get her hands dirty


Fia picked the pattern. She wanted a scary face!


Daddy helping with the hard part


The finished products

Dentophobia

Dentophobia: The fear of dentists

I went in today to be fitted for my crown and was reminded of a few more of my pet peeves and general frustrations. I don't know if this is as prevalent in your life, but I have had my fair share of dentist visits with double digit fillings, 4 root canals, & four crowns...not numbers that I am proud of. Unfortunately, I feel somewhat like an experienced patient. I hate almost everything about the dentist. These are the top 5 reasons why I dread the dentist.

#5. The taste left in my mouth is terrible. Not minty toothpasty fresh....more of a toxic cleaner masked with a mint flavor.

#4. I leave their office and my teeth, gums, and entire jaw all hurt. They didn't necessarily hurt when I walked in. Shouldn't the idea of dentists be that they make you feel better?

#3. They tell me my gums shouldn't bleed...well, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't if they hadn't just jammed floss between them so hard that they carved right into them. I bet the same would happen to them if I sliced into open flesh with a strong piece of string.

#2. I get berated by the techs and the dentist about how I don't brush or floss enough. I don't share my opinion about how they should lay off the donuts and cookies. I politely keep my mouth shut about their growing waistlines and depreciating appearances....while they are allowed to hammer me about my dental hygiene....so leave me alone. I brush twice a day and floss once every other week (at best). I will not change my routine.

and the #1 reason......

#1. Why must the dentist or tech ask me questions when I have 8 pieces of hardware sticking in my mouth? Not only is my mouth open so far that my lips are tearing, but you have a water line, a suction thingy, a mirror, a drill, a set of fingers, and/or a very sharp pick in my mouth all at the same time. Not to mention the two sets of beady eyes staring down into my mouth at a very clausterphobic distance. Now is NOT a time to ask questions or start small talk. My concerns during that moment are not gagging, not gleeking, and not whimpering from the pain they are causing. Somehow I feel this should be obvious to them. Grrr......

Tummy Trouble Update

Well I had an appointment with my GI doctor yesterday....here is an update

Colon

The results from my C-Diff (Clostridium difficile) test came back negative. He thought the c-diff was the bacteria responsible for the Pan/Ulcerative Colitis (UC). My colon biopsies also did not tell us much. He is leaning towards Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), not to be confused to Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome (IBS). The two main forms of IBD are Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. I do not have Crohn's. Crohn's can affect any part of the GI tract and UC is mostly restricted to the colon. Again, I still have follow up appointments so this might change. Chronic means that I will most likely always have it and have to manage it with medication when I have "flare ups." I am taking medication right now and hopefully it will send it to remission. If it does not, then the next step would be a higher dose med...which would then be a steroid. I hope that I do not graduate to the next class of meds.

Bile Duct/Liver Enzymes

My liver enzymes still remain high. We will continue to monitor them. If they do not go down, the next step will be a liver biopsy.

How I Feel

I had a bummer day yesterday with a unexpected root canal. I am feeling much better today and my headache is subsiding. I am finished with the antibiotic I was taking for a possible colitis cause. Now I am only on the IBD meds. I am slowly improving and remain positive about my GI issues. And my doctor gave me the OK to slowly introduce lactose back into my diet....so (slowly) bring on the cheese baby! If only I could keep my bad teeth in order.

Tooth Troubles

I have had a recent string of bad luck. Last week I started to have a bad toothache. I tried to ignore it fearing the worst. On Monday evening it went from bad to worse to unbearable. I was taking vicodin all night, but all it did was make me puke. I literally did not sleep one minute that night. I just had my 4th root canal yesterday. I will get fitted for a crown tomorrow. Not fun. If anyone wants good luck, then do NOT hang around with me.

Think Outside the Box

Stella loves to find boxes and sit in them. I don't know why, but she loves to play with empty boxes. I love this because boxes are free and don't make noise.

We Love our Steaks

Another quick Fia Funny. Every time Sofia sees an American flag she says "Mommy! A flag for America!" She also has informed me that she knows "its for the United Steaks of America. Just like how Papa likes to eat steaks. Yummy!"

Who Needs Fiber?

Every time I walk into Stella's room she is standing up and greeting me with a huge smile. Sometimes she uses her mouth like a third hand for balance while hanging on to the side of the crib. I always thought this was cute until the other day I realized that she was eating the crib....kinda like how hornets eat my in-laws wood deck. So I guess she's getting her fiber. Less veggies.....more crib.....mmmm.....crib.

Droopy vs Brit Hume

Maybe I'm crazy, but every time I see Brit Hume I think he looks like Droopy. I think his cheeks sag a bit when he talks and I swear he has the same eyes and pout. Brit even has a monotone voice just like Droopy's. It makes me giggle. Tee hee!

Wiper Madness

Everyone has pet peeves. I am sure that I am not alone when I say that I have several pet peeves associated with cars and driving. The clip below addresses some of these common pet peeves. One particular pet peeve of mine is when windshield wipers are on the highest speed when it is only slightly drizzling or "misting" as it so often does in the beautiful state of Michigan. I think the constant movement is more distracting to the driver's visual field than the obsessive need to clear the tiny drops away. Not to mention I have to hear the stupid "Eeeerrr....thud..thud..thud...thud" over and over while watching the windshield get dirtier because their is more dirt than fluid on it. So, if you are guilty of this....just remember that almost every car does actually have wiper speeds....they are slow, medium, and high. These speeds are designated for light drizzling rain, moderate rain, and downpour. Please adjust accordingly.
DBTG

This film is a bit old. The website dontbethatguy.com has some more funny videos. This is the original car version, which I think is better than the newer one.

The New Language of Text

I am a text message idiot. I am proud to say that I know how to send a text message, but I am completely lost on all the new abbreviations and lingo. Unless the word I am abbreviating is VERY obvious, I will text the entire word. I only just learned how to use the T9 or !TapEng function on my phone...which, btw, is awesome. Apparently, there are hundreds of new abbreviations, but most of them seem entirely useless. If you're going to go through all the trouble to have a text conversation, then why don't you just call the person?

Tummy Troubles

I thought I'd post a random update on my Tummy Troubles. I've had gastrointestinal (GI)problems that began at the end of February. It began with a clogged bile duct and has dominoed into a whirlwind of GI fun. Here is a quick run down

4 - ERCP Procedures (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography)

3 - Emergency Room Visits

1 - EGD Procedure (Esophagogastroduodenoscopy)

1 - Colonoscopy

1 - Gallbladder Removed

2 - Sets of X-Rays

1 - MRI

1 - Cat Scan

20 - Pokes (at least) in my arms for blood & IV's.

18 - Pounds I've lost in the last month

0 - Food Options for myself

I'll spare you the details of my symptoms as they are related to GI problems and more gross than fun. The good news is that I believe they figured out 1/2 of my GI problems. The most recent finding is that I have bad pancolitis (or ulcerative colitis). I am now on meds to hopefully help it go into remission. The other 1/2 of my problems still involve my clogged bile duct and high liver enzymes. For now, I am restricted from lactose, which happens to be in every food that is delightful and good. I am also restricted from foods high in fat because of my bile duct. So that leaves me to eat lots of dry toast. I meet with my Doctor on Tuesday and he will hopefully have more answers with biopsy and test results. I am not in any immediate pain, but obviously have trouble digesting food. I still have lots of be thankful for, so please don't think I'm looking for pity. I just thought I'd post an update.

Milky Minutes

I'm not a huge fan of AT&T. I don't personally have them as a cell phone carrier, but my husband used to work for them and so I felt his frustration dealing with a corporate giant to get things done. This commercial, however, makes me giggle every time it is on. I think its pretty creative.

Time for Billy Mays to Retire

I don't know about any of your tv's, but some commercials are WAY louder than whatever program I was watching. There is one guy, Billy Mays, that seems to be in every commercial that needs to be muted. I'm sure you have all seen him advertise at least one product. Why does he need to yell? Does he assume that his potential customers are hearing impaired? He embodies the I'm-A-Cheeseball-But-People-Buy-My-Product-Anyways industry. He is most recognized with cleaning products such as Orange Glow and Oxy Clean. Unfortunately there is a huge list of people who actually wanted this guy to pitch their product.
Aquapel Awesome Auger, Ground Aug, Weed Auger, and Power Extender gardening tools Bedazzler Big City Slider Station Black Swan Furniture Bloomin' Onion Maker
Buddy Putty Calcium Lime Rust Currie Motors Chrysler Credit Hotline Cutco Kitchenware Ding King automotive dent remover Easy Off Bam! Energize energy supplement
EngraveIt FixIt car scratch remover FoneFree wireless cellphone headset Foodsaver FreeFone wireless phone holder Gator Grip Gopher reach extending tool Handy Switch Hercules Hook wall hangers iCan Benefit Group, LLC Kaboom Lint-B-Gone lint brush Liquid Diamond car waxing product Mantis Roto-Tiller Micro-Men Duster Mighty Mend It Mighty Putty Never-Scrub tile cleaner Orange Clean, Orange Glo OxiClean Quik Strip wire stripping tool Ragazzi's Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria Samurai Shark knife sharpener Sandstrom OnTV Sealtite Tire Sealant Simoniz Fix It Scratch Remover Slider Station Burger Maker Steam Buddy Street Options Auto Accessories Swiffer SweeperVac Tommy and Rumble Turbo Tiger vacuum cleaner Vidalia Chop-it Vidalia Slice-it Vidalia Slice Wizard Zorbeez absorbent towels

Everyone Poops

I know that politics are always important and that I should care about them...especially the upcoming elections. But I selfishly have too much other stuff going on in my life to give any energy to politics. This is probably because I stand on the opposite side of many of my friends and my entire family. So if you want to debate or discuss politics with me any time soon....this is about how I feel.......


Random Note: This is actually a t-shirt from Threadless.com. I recently got one that says "Meat is Murder. Tasty Tasty Murder" They have some other funny ones too.

Stella: The Happiest Baby Around

Stella might be the happiest baby I have ever known. Even after a bout of sickness and projectile vomit, she smiled at me as though nothing was wrong. She especially loves her older sister, Fia. Fia has displayed absolutely no jealousy or ill feelings towards her. So perhaps that is another reason why she is so happy all the time. This is an older video clip. Stella is only about 5 1/2 months. But I don't think I ever got Fia to laugh like this before she was over a year old.

My Little Bluejay

When I was in first grade, our class was divided into 3 reading groups: the Bluejays, Cardinals, and Sparrows. You can guess which group was the best. I began as a Blue jay because I had several books memorized and could zip thru them. I was subsequently demoted to the Cardinals and then to the Sparrows once my teacher figured out that my reading skills were NOT those worthy of the beautiful Bluejay group. Clearly, I'm still a little salty about it. I don't think Fia will follow in my footsteps. This is a little old, but it makes me smile. This past summer she would read me books all the time.

Fia's Funnys

Sofia has always been quite articulate. She began speaking quite early and has since been making me laugh on a daily basis. Just a few examples are:

1. When she was about 1 1/2 she tipped over a container of crayons. I asked her if she tipped it and she said "no". Then I asked her if she was lyin' and she responded with a very loud "RRROARRRR!!"

2. "Mommy, singing is just not your gift"

3. "Mommy has to go to the blood-er store. That's where she gives her blood"

4. "I have big guns (muscles) and you have short ones"

5. When she was first potty training...."I made a BIG stinky and a small stinky and they can be friends just like me and Stella are friends!"

6. "Mommy, stop being a wuss"

7. "They're not in the east lands, they're just my cousins!" (about her cousins with the last name Eastland)

8. "I'm not clever, I'm just a girl!"

9. When asked if she wanted toys or clothes for her 3rd birthday, she responded with "I just want brownies"

Toys: the Space Wasters

The other night I walked into Stella's room to grab something and stepped on a toy that proceeded to light up and play some ridiculously loud and annoying jingle....which of course woke her up. Stella has several similar toys that don't even have off switches, so the slightest touch sends them into some sort of over-stimulating production of whistles, lights, and vibrations. I have been trying to avoid toys for my girls since Fia was a baby. After hand-me-downs, birthdays, and Christmas we have accumulated quite a few. I can't stand them. They take up too much space and the annoying noises drive me nuts. Nowadays, most toys have brightly colored shapes that dangle and move with various textures to stimulate your baby's sense of touch and vision. But just incase you didn't catch the initial blinding color intensity, these shapes also will light up with blinking or color-changing lights. The "best" toys also make some sort of noise. This is because they are installed with the most irritating baby giggle, phrase, or sound effect known to man. I can only compare it to when you are in your car and happen forget to strap your seat belt and your car starts reminding you with a high pitched "ding" every 3 seconds....enough to make any sane person go crazy. I can only hear "Hey Diddle Diddle, the Cat and the Fiddle! Tee-Hee-Hee-Gurgle-Ha-Ha!" so many times in one day. What especially bothers me is that both my girls will play with them for about 5 minutes and then move to something else. I honestly think it stresses them out because its impossible to focus on any one thing because there is always ten different things happening at once. Perhaps I am starting to sound like my father and his "When I was a boy..." stories. But I do have to say "When I was a little girl....I played with blocks, rubber band guns, and the dirt outside." So I guess all my complaining is to tell people to stop wasting their money on such toys. I am convinced that Stella only wants things that she knows she's not supposed to have....like our tv remotes. My girls always preferred wooden spoons, Altoid tins, and measuring cups. So save your money and let your kids play with these toys at their friends' houses.

Are They Really Sisters?

3 1/2 years ago, I was blessed to have my first girl Sofia NamHee. As I am adopted, she was the first person in my life who truly looked like me. She was a hefty 9 1/2 pounds and covered in hair...so much that she looked a little like a tiny gorilla.

9 1/2 months ago, I was blessed with my second girl Stella Patricia. She weighed in at only 8 pounds and well....looks completely different from my first. She was bald, has pale skin, and looks nothing like me.

Here are a few side by side pictures of comparative ages.

Just a few days old. They are wearing the same shirt!

5 months



9 1/2 Months

The Healing Powers of Comedy

Some of you may or may not know that I have recently had a few...uhh...digestive problems. They have interfered quite a bit with my daily routine and have led me to be in an almost constant state of frustration. One of the best things for me to do is laugh. I always feel better. Peter can usually make me laugh with his corny jokes, but sometimes I also turn to the professionals. I have seen these videos several times, but they never fail to make me laugh every time I see them. I think both of them were originally forwarded to me in an email. Hopefully they'll bring a smile to your face too. The first is Jim Gaffigan. Pretty much all of his stuff is hilarious. He also does a very funny one on Hot Pockets.



Next we have Jim Breuer's bit on Alcohol. I believe this was first sent to me by my sister-in-law....so thanks Les!

Paulson's Pumpkin Patch

Our family decided to go get a pumpkin this afternoon. Our usual tradition involves Robinettes, hot cider and delicious pumpkin donuts. We decided to try something new this year because we didn't feel like waiting an hour for donuts and end up paying way more than we intended on pumpkins, cider, and extras. So we headed out to Paulson's Pumpkin Patch. It was a longer drive, but definitely worth it for us. We got two pumpkins, a bag of apples, and a pepper for only $6. Both Fia and Stella had a blast.

Huge Pumpkins!


Stella smiles no matter what


This is clearly Cinderella's pumpkin


Not sure what that is Fia....let's just put it down.....now


Hayride time!!


A much needed family picture. We haven't had one in ages.


Fia is roller coaster ready


Stella sat still for about 2 minutes, but then kept trying to crawl off the moving wagon.


Fia found the winner