Y'all Are My Valentines...

Y'all are my Valentines...

My only Valentines...

You make me happy when skies are gray...

Y'all will NEVER know, how MUCH I love you both...

Thank you God for my Valentines today!! (and every day!!)

I...

Love...

These...

Two...

Faces...

...more than anything!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

TWO NEW POSTS: Kaki and My Medela!!

I can't believe I've got two posts to put up today... it's almost like I should wait... stagger them. But I have never been one to be able to do that... so check them both out...BELOW!!

Scroll down to Happy 7 Kaki Lou and work your way back up! (this note is for the grandmas of the group!! wink!)

Me and Medela... an Ode!

This is a little ditty written on behalf and in fond and not-so-fond memory of my friend, Medela, the Pump 'N Style. May those who have found then lost a similar friend be blessed/vindicated by this ode.

DISCLAIMER: My apologies for the not-so-nice, and at times uncomfortable language... please know this is for the author's special effects and is not intended to offend the male-species or the sensitive-eared or eyed. Thank you!

Me and Medela

Oh that Medela Pump 'n Style

I haven't seen it in a while.

In fact it's been ten whole days

Since I've heard the tune it plays.

The soothing rhythm of its song

Is certain to stick around for long.

Uh-uh. Uh-uh. Uh-Uh it goes

Watching the milk as it grows.

How many ounces will I get today?

Caden saying, "no pump, let's play!"

Just enough to fill a bottle,

As I turn the knob full throttle.

The speed increases and so does the sound,

And the milk it seems should abound.

When it did I'd shout for joy!

A good session meant more to enjoy.

Those darn white circles, flanges and tubes,

All pieces so near and dear to the boobs.

If only more cat-like they could wash themselves

Rather than hoarding steamer bags off the shelves.

Soap, scrub, 2 ounces and zip...

Don't overfill, or it is certain to rip.

3 minutes in the micro seemed like forever

When I wanted to sit and watch something clever!

"I hate pumping!" I used to shout and say,

Until I had to do it to feed Baby K.

The irony of motherhood never ceases to amaze.

Just wanted me a breastfed child to raise.

So grateful am I for the woman who knew

Scissors make holes and mommies need two!

Hands free pumping is a gift from above

And it's definitely a look only a mommy can love.

Men seem fascinated by my friend the pump.

They sit and stare like a big 'ol lump!

I am certain a cow is the first to mind

As they listen to the machine squeak and grind.

A chuckle and laugh and dirty little joke,

Oh the fun they'd sure like to poke.

Cups, jock straps and two handed cover-ups

Is all I have to say to those weak pups.

If ever we'd suggest to them that they too

Should hook it up like the boobs and you

They'd run for the hills as tears fell fast;

Not even one day they'd ever last!

So mommies who've pumped their days like me

Tough in my eyes you will always be.

It's not for sissies I'll tell you that,

So give yourself a nice big pat!

And if you're sad that you can't make it work

Don't hesitate to turn and run with a jerk

The secret is out and formula's good too

It's raised many a baby tried and true

My pump and I had moments twofold

Love and hate like sayings of old

But that pump sure did what she could

To give my girl the greatest of the good

It might be nice to keep it around

Just to listen to its soothing sound

Pull it out from time to time

Plug it in and relax to its chime

But on second thought I think I'll pass

And give it a good swift kick in the ass

It's been real, it's been fun

But certainly never really fun

I'll miss you! Not! So, so long old friend

Me and Medela, The End.

Happy 7 Kaki Lou!

No, Kaki's middle name is not Louise, but nonetheless I call her Kaki Lou... just another nickname... and this one is catching on. I have heard both KK and Justin call Kaki, "Kaki Lou" and Caden is always quick to join in when I start singing..." Kaki Lou, Kaki Lou, Kaki Lou-ya, praise ye Lord! " Ha!

So now that that's all explained... Sweet Kaki Lou has been 7 months now for nearly two weeks or maybe it's over two weeks? I don't know, but she's done been 7 months for some time now. But I couldn't stand the thought of doing a post without sweet pictures of my girl! Especially when I have something as superb as a picky sticky to document her growth with... it is a must!

Today the sun is out... finally and she is not snotty... FINALLY, BUT alas she does have a scratch on her face, courtesy of me (sigh!), but what are ya gonna do? This is real life!

So Kaki Lou... what are you up to? I am just going to write about what you are doing right now, TODAY and not try to separate out what you were doing before the 27th of last month... it would get too confusing otherwise. You are a sweet, sweet, sweet... do I need to say it again? SWEET girl! You are so happy and content. It is still so alarming when you really cry because I just am never sure what to think... typically you cry when...

You are hungry, tired, constipated or have just gotten hurt... so once I run through those options... should she be hungry? Is she ready for a nap? Has she pooped today? Where is Caden? (Actually, to be fair I think I have unintentionally hurt Kaki more than anyone... go figure!)... so once I filter through those questions and I still haven't come up with an answer it troubles me!

One of those time signaled her first fever... SO sad! She had that fever for 5 stinkin' long days and then it broke just like that and she's been good ever since. So I guess we can say that Kaki Lou had her first official sickness this month... complete with the nasty upper respiratory junk! And today when we were at the doctor getting her 2nd flu shot I had the doctor look at a rash she's had for a while... turns out sweet girl has a yeast infection... poor thing! I don't know how in the world that happens... especially since the only time Caden has ever had one is after being on antibiotics, but the doctor said it can happen.... even to wee ones! Before Caden had one I thought it was just a girl thing... yet another live and learn!

But I must say I'll take the fever, the cold and the rash over the host of other things that could keep my girl down! I am so very grateful for her health each day that we have it! I am so thankful that she continues to grow and grow... I swear each morning when I go and get her out of her crib she has aged... like days! She is looking so old!

Her hair is starting to come back in... she has some light pieces and some darker pieces which I think can chalk her up to being a dirty blond... similar to me. Her eyes are the real killers... they are lethal... truly! Piercing blue beauties! They light up her entire face. She is one pretty, pretty girl... and as much as I don't want her attributes to be focused on the exterior I cannot help myself sometimes ... I just want to tell her how pretty and gorgeous and beautiful she is over and over again. It truly captivates me and I cannot think of anything else to say!

She is continuing to find her voice and at times can be very loud... but mostly she is pretty quiet... just taking in the scene. She has been with us to a few parties lately and she just sits and plays, watching the rest of the action pass her by... she is definitely a fan of people-watching and she makes it very easy to take her places...

She sat up in a high chair at a restaurant for the first time on a family date recently and did so well. She is loving PUFFS although we are still seeming to think that she likes to throw them on the ground more than in her mouth. But I think just in the past few days she's realized that they are kind of fun to eat which has been disappointing news for the dogs since they are the puff clean up crew!

She is still just eating two solid food meals a day and usually 4 bottles although sometimes just three. I officially stopped pumping last week... :( and :)... mixed emotions for sure! I think I'll have a separate post just for my beloved pump... ha! When Kaki was battling her cold for so long we kind of got held back in the food department since she wasn't really interested in eating her bottles much less real food. We're gonna start stepping it up again and get her taking more and more in. I really need to go back and read what I did with Caden... you would think that with my second I would be more on top of things, but I truly feel like I am flying by the seat of my pants with Kaki way more than I ever did with Caden! Strange huh?

Kaki is a book lover like her brother and will sit still and let us read fairly long books to her. Kaki got a full library stock at Christmas and we have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all of our new character friends... girls books are oh so much fun!

Kaki loves Mickey Mouse more than any other show we watch but has also been known to smile at Special Agent Oso and the Wiggles. I need to be better about playing her Praise Baby DVDs... Caden LOVED them for so long! And they are much more soothing for all of us! :)

She has been to the church nursery several times and has done great! She is usually being rocked or in the swing... she doesn't like to nap at church or at MOPS but that just means she takes a longer afternoon nap so she does make up for it. She is really flexible with her schedule. There are times where she misses her morning nap for days in a row and is always good to take a longer afternoon nap to catch up and give her the strength to get through the day. She is a 12 hour sleeper... from 7:30 to 7:30 sometimes 8:00... so thankful that I have good sleepers. She is one that wakes up occasionally during the night but usually it is nothing more than a paci pop that she needs and she's back out.

When she was sick we had a few nights where she was up and I couldn't figure out what to do to help her so I would try a variety of things... well one night I happened to turn on her light-up lady-bug that projects the stars all over her ceiling... oh my goodness... worked like a charm! And oh so funny! She didn't take her eyes off of it ... it instantly calmed her down and eventually helped her back to sleep... one of those nights I put her in bed with Justin and I... and I brought the ladybug too... Justin woke up to a sea of purple stars on the ceiling and laughed... ha! :) Not quite what he was expecting! Stinkin' Daddy can sleep through ANYTHING!!! And he wonders why I am too nervous to leave my kids at home with him overnight... a freight train could plow through our house and he'd never know it! :)

What else, what else? She likes her bouncer and her door... she loves playing with things while sitting on the floor... she is starting to really reach for things like flat on her belly reach... but as far as moving or crawling... nada... she doesn't even like to stand... I think her record is like 20 seconds... seriously. She is a happy sitter and that is A-OK with me. Justin was trying to teach her to crawl the other day and I said... STOP! :) No need for that... she'll do it when she's ready...

She's a sometimes-tummy sleeper... she learned that when she is congested it is much better to sleep on her tummy ... and many nights she gets comfy in the in-between and sleeps on her side...it is so so cute!

She is a flirt and commands/demands attention from people by batting those baby blues and smiling in their direction. The other day when we were out shopping she was trying her hardest to get the lady behind us to talk to her... it was hilarious!! So I finally helped a sister out and clued the lady in that she was trying to smile at her... then the lady was flattered and started talking back and Kaki was THRILLED!

OH! The Bronco kick... Kaki has this bucking bronco thing she does with her feet. She picks them up and then SLAMS them down, especially when she is in bed... it seriously sounds like a grown man clomping through the house... it has scared me many a times and then I remember... the Bronco... it's just Kaki! Phew! Such a funny little girl! She is a kicker all the way around... she kick, kick, kicks and points her little toes when she gets really excited!!

Of course Kaki loves Caden... especially when he plays with her which he is doing more and more. He loves playing catch with her and loves playing on the other side of her big door... peaking in and out of the window and playing with all of the sounds. He loves to kiss, hug and tickle her and of course make her laugh! That is his favorite! He is a great big brother and always asks how she slept, how her day was, and calls her all sorts of pet names like pretty girl, cute girl, sweet girl... it melts my heart! :) AND he talks to her in the highest pitch voice to have ever come out of a male... it is crazy high! BUT he obviously deems the voice necessary for he and Kaki's communication! :)

I could seriously go on and on (clearly!) about my girl! She is full of life, curiosity, joy and beauty! I love her to the moon and back and back again! She is a bundle of LOVE!!

Now for the pics...

A bit shy...

Not sure she's ready to pose...

Warming up...
Model face...
Sheepish grin...

There we go... there she is...

And now a few no bow pics... I love my natural Kaki the most of all...

Sweet...

UM wow...

Those eyes...

TOO MUCH sweetness...

My love...

Kaki Lou!

Happy 7 months sweet girl!!

Where we've been...Long story short

We have had a tough few weeks at the Cox house... and at this point I think we can say that we are sick and tired of having sick and tired kiddos! Thankfully, Justin and I have been spared this time around unlike in December when each one of us seemed to have our own version of whatever cold virus we were passing around.

Poor Caden has been through it! He started with a double ear infection two weeks ago now, that we didn't treat with antibiotics per his pedi's suggestion. Last year he was on an antibiotic from October to April... almost straight... and this is no exaggeration. So with the upcoming cold and flu season we were hoping to avoid excessive antibiotic use and instead be able to weather the infections the best we could without the help of any medicine. Apparently, when kids reach 3 they are more able to handle these things on their own. So we went with it.

The next week for him was tough... he was battling a nasty cold which gave him the infection to begin with and was also seeming to be a bit uncomfortable with some ear pain, BUT he was seemingly getting a bit better and was able to return to school last Thursday.

Well...

Then a series of events that included waking up in vomit, high fever, pain and NASTY ear drainage led to the diagnosis of a ruptured eardrum by Monday morning.

Apparently, that untreated ear infection led to a REALLY BAD infection and a ruptured eardrum... FAIL! Live and learn, my friends... live and learn. So two antibiotics later he was doing better...

And then yesterday we got a call from the ENT we saw on Monday saying that Caden's cultures from his ear fluid had come back and one of the bacteria was resistant to his current antibiotics that we had already been on for 4 days. So they called in a new and stronger antibiotics that he will now get to take for 10 days! POOR THING!! So when we first tried to avoid antibiotic use that would have been a 7-10 days treatment has now involved three different antibiotics over the course of 14 days... go figure! :)

We follow up with our ENT again on Wednesday, 8th to talk about our options... which have been proposed as another set of tubes and adenoid removal... :( BUT I can honestly say that after the ruptured eardrum mess I am MUCH more open to talking about surgery than I once was. It has been so sad watching my lil man be so miserable. AND to top it off the kid cannot hear well AT ALL! Justin and I are praying that this is just temporary and that all will return to normal once the infection clears up.

So what about Kaki??!!

Well sweet Kaki caught the nasty cold Caden had too. She was super snotty and congested... much worse than she had been with her first cold in December. She was a sad little snot ball when she tried to eat, but overall was doing well UNTIL... day 10... yep, on day 10 she developed a fever... a pretty high one. I, of course, was concerned since this was her first official fever... SO I took her to the doctor to get checked out.

NOTHING! They tested her for RSV just to be safe but that was negative... so we just chalked it up to a run of the mill cold virus... she had a fever for 5 days straight and then on Wednesday it was gone... just like that! Weird!

Now if we can just help her get one of those pesky teeth she's working on to push on through we'll be VERY grateful! And I know she would be too... teething for Kaki has been much harder than it ever was with Caden... and I'm not sure what I can do to help?!?!

So sorry for the delay in all of my posting... Kaki is going to be 7.5 months before I get her post up! I've been waiting to take her pictures until she isn't snotty anymore... BUT this time of year that may just be impossible! :)

Throw in a heavy dose of the terrible threes with all of the sickness and you can see that we've had a lot of excitement around here lately... although we have not be overly excited about any of it, I can assure you! :)

But nonetheless we are grateful for two overall healthy and happy kiddos and the grace of God to keep Justin and I healthy and strong during the midst of it so we could take care of our little loves! AND we are also thankful that God always seems to send KK just when we need her... although that hasn't seemed to work out very well for her as she took a piece of Caden and Kaki home with her that she wouldn't soon forget... sorry for giving you the snots KK... as always, we appreciate you taking one (or TWO, or three) for the team!

Happy Friday y'all!!

Officially Caught Up... Three New Posts Today!

Catching up... and maybe I can even say that I am now officially CAUGHT up?!! Can it be? Hurray!

Enjoy the last three posts mostly dedicated to my big THREE year old!! Scroll down and check 'em out! More on Kaki coming this week with a sweet little one who will be 7 months old on Friday!!

Potty Training H-E-Double Hockey Sticks!

(The following post is ALL ABOUT poop... this is completely for my own records and reflections and not intended for the masses unless you are so inclined... you were warned... Thank you!)

Pardon the title but... really... it's been hard! But wait, I thought he filled his potty jar and got to go to the hockey game? Right... he did, BUT he did that by adding one potty penny at a time... for the pee pee, not the poo poo! Oh the poo poo, the poop, the big #2... why, oh why is it so hard?!

Well, I guess we should go way back... about 27ish years ago when a sweet little girl named Katie was learning to go #2 on the potty... her parents had tried everything... but alas, they had no luck. So they did what any good parent would do... they doped her up with miralax and forced her to sit on the potty for 30 minutes at a time... screaming, crying, begging to get off and poop in a diaper... oh please! For the love! Can she just poop in a diaper?!!

Seems cruel, doesn't it?

Well, when we first started potty training Caden it became clear very early on, like day one, that he wasn't going to be easy when it came to pooping on the potty. My every day pooper and sometimes twice a day pooper was becoming an every FOUR day pooper. I know that sounds terrible, but I was operating under the assumption that what goes in WILL eventually HAVE to come out... and so I waited, and waited and waited... and then when I knew there is NO way it wasn't coming out we sat, and sat, and sat on the potty... screaming, crying, begging, to poop in a diaper. No go... tried a suppository or two... BUT I couldn't hold him down in order to get it in well... flailing, kicking, screaming... the kid is STRONG! Even KK was visiting during one of these times and the two of us together couldn't do it... and during that particular struggle I decided that was IT... I couldn't do it any longer. I could NOT listen to my sweet baby boy scream ANY longer. It was torture... for him and for me and I was over it. So I gave him a diaper... and made a habit of giving him a diaper every 3 days if he hadn't pooped... which of course he never did.

Well, then came the potty incident of 2012, when we exploded all over my brother's nice new rug... nice one! Clearly, our plan was getting us no where and I knew that. So I talked to his doctor about it one day when we were there for Kaki's well-check and she suggested I do Miralax and not fight the issue... she told me and I quote, "If you try to fight him on this one, you will lose!!" FINALLY, someone who was understanding what I had been saying... we are LOSING this battle. She had given me the out I so desperately wanted... I didn't want to have to be tough on him!

So I went home, got some miralax and we started. Well, miralax makes your kids a smelly, tooty mess. Or at least it does for Caden, so I decided that I didn't really like that, plus I felt like it was making him not feel well...but basically it was me just making an excuse not to use it and thus not having to worry about Caden pooping on the potty at all... at least not by torturing him to do it... or forcing him... or whatever you want to call it.

Diapers, diapers, diapers... that gets old too. I mean a three year old who is eating the same food I eat really shouldn't be pooping in a diaper anymore, you know?! Or even worse... a kid who says, "Mommy, I need a diaper so I can poop!" REALLY doesn't need a diaper to poop. I mean he obviously knows it's coming... I mean, hello!

I was feeling pretty good about our diaper deal and I had learned my lesson in Nac and was letting him have a diaper every other day and wasn't forcing the potty issue at all. Well, he QUICKLY (like overnight) got used to the fact that he was going to get to poop in the diaper without a fight on the potty at all. And then he got even smarter and realized that he could ask for a diaper ANYTIME he needed to go to the potty... like he could ask for one two, three times a day... even when he didn't REALLY need to poop so he could pee pee in there too... that way he wouldn't have to interrupt his playtime and could just go... I mean, duh!

Well, I guess I look dumber than I actually am because I caught on to this pretty quick... it was earlier this week, while KK was visiting us that I was discovering that Caden was outsmarting me... BIG time. So I had a little pep talk/pow wow with KK and I decided that enough was enough... I had tried it all... NOTHING was working!

Aside from buying him his own COUNTRY, I had offered to buy him everything... take him anywhere... let him play with ANYTHING and NOTHING was a big enough motivator. I even started taking away his favorite toys every time he used a diaper to poop... BUT nothing! I mean his favorites... the trumpet, the Baylor flag, the drum... and while my life was much quieter for those few days... I was getting NO WHERE! Pretty soon his ENTIRE playroom would be up on a shelf and he would still be pooping in the diaper... NOT ok!

So... I decided it was time... I was going to INSIST that he do it on the potty... no more diapers NO MATTER WHAT! So, all day Friday I pumped that kid full of juice... and not juice mixed with water... straight juice... he was eating lots of fruit... it was just a matter of time. So Saturday comes along and he is obviously VERY gassy... which means that he is trying with ALL HIS MIGHT to fight the urge to poop. Not to mention he has had a double ear infection this week, so with all of the YUCK coming out of his nose and down his throat plus all of the meds he is on, we knew he was REALLY needing to go. Justin and I took a deep breath and said ... "Here we go... we are about to enter potty training h-e-double hockey sticks... we can do this! We are going to win!"

5:30 pm, Saturday evening... started on the mini potty in front of the TV. A new tactic after Caden seeing it in the garage and asking to use it to poop. So we tried it...

30 minutes later we are still sitting on the little potty... and nothing. He asks if he can move to the big potty... SURE, we say! And so he does...

6:00pm It's dinner time at the Cox house and so we all sit down for dinner... EXCEPT for Caden who we make continue to sit on the potty. We thought this isolation tactic might work to our advantage. So Justin, Kaki and I all sat at the table with Caden in the bathroom... crying, yelling at times, asking over and over again to be done. Spankings were his alternative... seems harsh I know, but we had to do it...

6:45pm Caden is STILL sitting on the potty. By this point I have spent over 30 minutes singing, praying, rubbing his back, trying to calm him down and make him relax while on the potty. Justin took a turn once, but it was Mommy who he wanted to "come see me." And so I did. After sitting there with him for over 30 more minutes Justin felt like we needed to take action... so we put in a suppository!

We have had to use suppositories on Kaki a few times lately and it never has taken longer than 15 minutes to work although the bottle says it can take up to an hour... so we were hopeful that by 7:45 or so, we'd have a happy kid who had just pooped on the potty and we could feed him some dinner and get him to bed. Oh please say that it will only be another hour at the MOST! And by the way... Daddies are REALLY strong and a HUGE help when trying to put a suppository in! Praise God for Justin!

7:45 rolls around and still NOTHING! NOTHING! He has managed to still hold it in and refuse to let it out. Again, we spent the hour going in between singing, praying, talking, being firm, saying "PUSH, PUSH..." I felt like a labor and delivery nurse... We were counting and pushing, and counting... I could tell when he'd try to push and when he wouldn't... a few times we got a little something during a good push, but still no actual poop!

8:00 it's been over an hour, the kid is tired, his hands are red and hurting from holding himself up on the potty for so long so we decided to let him get off and eat dinner. Keep in mind that we have let him get up to take a "break" a few times, but each time he runs right back to the potty because he can tell it's coming... it really was the most frustrating thing to watch him RUN back to the potty knowing that it was coming out and then get there and not actually do anything to go!

8:15pm...

Caden is eating dinner at the table by himself. Tough love people... we were trying to keep it up although it was killing us. So sweet thang sat there and chowed down on his pizza all by his lonesome. If he turned around we'd tell him to watch the microwave... isn't that sad?!

8:30pm back on the toilet. Justin took a shift. As I was pouring myself a glass of water (don't worry I had already had a glass of wine with dinner) I heard Justin say, "Caden, if I put a diaper underneath you while you try to poop will that help?"

From the kitchen I scream, "NOOOOOOO! No diapers!!! We are NOT going back there! Absolutely not!!"

I was thinking that Justin had surely lost his mind. It had been THREE long, painful hours at this point... NO WAY were we going to give up now... NO SIR! You are going to do it!!

9:00pm VICTORY... but not in the way we KNEW it needed to be. It was actually kind of a pathetic excuse for poop... BUT we didn't think we could change the rules and now say that while he DID poop it wasn't enough. So we said YAY CADEN! Celebrated for a few minutes and then sent the kid to bed, without a bath...

9:15pm Caden is asleep... SO TIRED!

9:45pm Justin and I are asleep... BEYOND TIRED! I think it may have been the most mentally exhausted I have ever been. Truly!

Which brings us to today...

Juice... mexican food for lunch... Sprite... chocolate milk... miralax... oh yes I did!

1:30pm Caden starts crying and screaming, "I am pooping... I am pooping!!" But he's in his playroom and not on the potty. So running... he climbs on the potty with just a little bit of a mess in his undies and sits...

Justin is coaching him through it... you can do it Caden, you can...you need to... it's coming!!

It's COMING!!!

And boy... did it EVER come... not sure where it all came from, but he did it!! And it was glorious!

And we clapped and cheered and Justin drove him straight to Sonic for an ice cream treat! He didn't have to take a nap because he had pooped in the potty! It was SO exciting! And it made the night before not seem so bad... because it had worked... we had won! He pooped... no diaper!!

Now... I don't consider us cured... and I know that we still have more long, painful, stand-offs on the potty in our future... BUT we're moving in the right direction and I don't think there is ANY way that he can outsmart us on this one!

All of this to say... that being a parent IS tough and sometimes we have to do things we HATE doing and those things may even make our kids sad, cry and scream BUT at the end of the day we all cheer, hug and eat ice cream together and that's what really matters!! So I guess that means that even potty training H-E-double hockey sticks has its rewards... Way to go Cox Fam!!