Chicago!

We went on our first kid free trip, ever.  We have done one night stays in downtown Detroit and Port Huron but this was the first time it really felt like we got away.  I didn't take too many pictures, but I did get a few.   The trip was joint-purpose for my 30th birthday and our 5 year wedding anniversary.  We went in October for a long weekend and it was a great time to go.  The drive was absolutely beautiful since the colors were just past peak.  I didn't mind the cooler weather but it did rain quite a bit while we were there which was not ideal. 

Plaque at Museum of Science & Industry

 I could have stood and watched these hatch all day...

I took this video at the Museum of Science & Industry to show Rebecca that Daddy plays with robots at work.

A comet in the milky way.  It doesn't take much to humor me.

Yolk:  Best. Breakfast. Ever.  (We went twice)

Rob after he got suckered in at American Girl. 

 Freaky old lady at Harry Caray's.

The gold couch in the hotel lobby.

 Rebecca cried when I called and told her there was Chocolate World in Chicago.

 Taken from inside our moving car, this was the closest I got to the bean.  Rob walked to see it when I was at the spa but didn't take any pictures.

What a nightmare!

Last night Rebecca had her first bad dream.  Of course I felt bad for her but listening to her idea of a nightmare was nothing short of downright hilarious.  It went something like this...

"Mommy, I had a dream and it was a bad dream.  I was at the zoo, with Daddy, and my bike was going too fast and I went into the thing with the lions and the crocodiles.  And I was trying to get away and Daddy jumped over the fence but I couldn't jump over the wall. And there was no door and I couldn't get out.  And I was stuck in there and I was really scared and the animals were scratching on my back." 

The only think I can think that triggered it was going to the zoo boo last weekend.  Tonight she was talking about it again and telling us how she can't get it out of her head.  Poor thing, I hope she forgets about it soon.  

Fall Colors

We met Rob's Grandma in Cadillac this weekend.  The leaves were just about peaking and it was a beautiful drive!  We didn't do a whole lot of anything, but it was nice and relaxing!

Indian Summer

It was nearly eighty degrees today, so we soaked up the Sun and Fall colors at the zoo!  It was really fun to see Emily check things out, I think she loved the amphibians and butterflies the most.

The big 3-0 brings my first cosmetic procedure...

No Botox, but I did get some injections!  I have long been wanting to do something about my spider veins.  Sometime in my mid 20's I noticed them starting to appear.  They weren't dark, and nobody else really noticed them at first but after 2 kids they have started to be more noticeable.  Specifically one cluster on my right thigh.  I have gotten so insecure about it the past few years because it looks like a large bruise and if I would wear shorts or a bathing suit people will often ask me what happened.  I can't remember the last time I wore shorts in public, I don't even own a pair of shorts. 

So Monday I went for my first Sclerotherapy session.  I had actually bought it as a Groupon so I got 1 vial of the solution.  I didn't want to get my hopes up, I figured the vial would be small and not go far.  I was hoping it would be enough to at least lighten my worst spot on my thigh.  I did look over my legs before I went and tried to prioritize which spots I wanted him to get to in case there was enough to do more than just the one dark cluster. 

Before I bought the Groupon I did my research to make sure the guy wasn't a creep working out of a strip mall.  He was a reputable vascular surgeon who has been in practice for over 30 years, and when I arrived, to my surprise the vial was actually quite large. 

After a consultation and a little test to make sure I wasn't allergic to the solution, he got started.  He was able to treat all of the spider veins that are visible to the naked eye!  He was super nice and offered me a discount to come back in 6 weeks to follow up with a laser treatment to get any spots that are left.   I wish I would have taken before pictures of all the spider veins, but since I didn't think he would get all the areas I only took one of the worst spot.

Here is the dark cluster on my right leg before the treatment.

Here it is right after the injection. 

Here is my full leg 24 hours later. 

Here it is 72 hours later. 

I am not going to lie, it hurt.  Not while he was doing it but for the rest of the evening my leg was really throbbing.  By the time I woke up the next morning it was feeling a lot better and now is just sore to the touch.  I am super excited to see how they look once all the bruising is gone!  I will update when it clears up and after my laser session!

One year stats

Yesterday was Emily's one year well visit.  I pretty much have this taking 2 kids to the pediatricians office thing down.  Or at least I thought I did...

Well visits always take an eternity so now I pack snacks for everyone, sippy cups, water for myself, coffee too if it's in the AM and I've learned the exam rooms are like little ovens so I always dress light or else I am burning up and that adds to the misery.  First the nurse comes in and measures and weighs the child.  Then she asks you several questions before leaving you to wait for the doctor.  In my experience for a well visit the wait for the doctor has been anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and the wait for the nurse to come back and do the vaccinations can be even longer.  I go prepared with a list of questions/concerns because while I'm trying to juggle both of the girls I can never remember anything, let alone hear a thing the doctor is saying over Rebecca's desperate need for all the attention.  I remember Emily's 9 month visit very vividly because Rebecca was feeling very left out and constantly interrupted the doctor.  So yesterday while we waited for the doctor I had a nice talk with her about how important it was for her to sit quietly while Dr. Spider was in the room because we had to have a very important talk about how Emily was growing.  

This was our shortest wait to date for the doctor.  Within just a few minutes she came in to do the exam.  Rebecca was great.  She stood quietly and watched the doctor examine Emily, she politely asked a few questions and at the end told Dr. Spider about how her baby had an ear infection just like Emily had one last week.  The doctor was kind enough to squeeze Rebecca's baby into her busy schedule and gave her a little work up.  After checking her ears, nose and throat she informed Rebecca that she was right and her baby did indeed have an ear infection.  She swaddled her up for Rebecca in a little paper blanket and prescribed the baby lots of love and hugs and kisses.  I don't think I have ever seen Rebecca so excited.  I was so relieved that I actually got to ask all the questions I had and hear what the doctor had to say.  She left the room and as we waited for the nurse I was feeling really good about how the appointment went and acknowledging in my thoughts how taking them both to the doctor is getting easier. 

Then Rebecca peed her pants. She has been potty trained for a year and has never had an accident in public.  I don't even carry a change of clothes for her in the diaper bag.  It was not just a little leak, it was a full on accident.  Her pants were soaked, even her socks and shoes were wet.  And the floor, it was all over the floor.  Emily is not walking/standing yet so I am trying to juggle her while I stand there in shock, having no clue how I am going to get her cleaned up and out of there.  I was so shocked that before I did anything to clean it up I sent Rob a text message that went something like this "FML, Rebecca just peed her pants in the exam room and I have NOTHING to change her in to".  I thought about just making her sit in her wet clothes until we left, but it was dripping all over she was wearing light colored jeans so there was no hiding the fact that her pants were wet.  Then I thought about having her squeeze into the 18-24 month leggings that Emily wore in because it would be easier to wrap a coat or scarf around Emily's smaller body.  I decided that would look ridiculous because even if Rebecca could pull them up, they would look like shorts and I would look like a freak.  After a few minutes of panic I came up with a plan.  I stripped her from the waist down, cleaned her up with wipes, wiped up the floor, sat her in the stroller and covered her with my coat.  I have these little plastic bags for soiled diapers so I bagged up all her wet clothes and tucked the back into the stroller basket. 

Just as I got everything situated, the nurse came back in to give Emily her shots.  Rebecca sat quietly while we finished up and then we packed it all up and headed out.  While it was a little bit of a struggle to push the stroller out of the building while carrying Emily (I have to go through 2 sets of doors), but we managed and poor little Rebecca was able to get out of there without anyone knowing what had happened. 

As for miss Emily's update.  They called her my "Bingo Baby" she was in the 75th percentile in all areas.  She weighed in at 21 pounds, 4 ounces and was 30 inches long.   Her big sister was just 17 pounds, 15 ounces and 29 inches at 12 months.

Finger Paints!

Yes, I let my 12 month old finger paint.  

Rebecca has never liked finger painting.  She prefers to use brushes, rollers, sponges etc so she doesn't get dirty.  But once she saw Emily doing it, she finally let loose and got her little hands dirty!

Cranbrook Institute of Science

Rob was getting the itch to have a family fun day, so I suggested the Cranbrook Institute of Science.  I have been wanting to take Rebecca and I hadn't been since I was a nanny years ago.  It is not a hands on center but there are still a lot of things to keep Rebecca interested and they have some great programs for preschoolers in the planetarium.  Before we went I did a little research and we decided on getting an annual family pass.  The girls split the cost 50/50 with birthday money they had saved from Geega and Papa.  The best part is the pass to Cranbrook gets us admission and full access to over 300 science centers around the country, we will certainly be hitting a couple on our trip this Spring.   

The pictures aren't that great because I took the point and shoot which is newer so I am not very familiar with it and the battery was low.  But at least I remembered a memory card which is more than I can say for our trip to the Hands On Museum in Ann Arbor a few weeks ago. 

I tried to get her to act scared, she wasn't cooperating.

T-Rex teeth.  She would not reach in and touch them.

So daddy tried and his hand wouldn't even come close to fitting.  It was pretty funny.

 We had to miss naps because they're only open 12-5 on weekends but Miss Emily was a trooper!

The next few pictures are equally disgusting and fascinating.  (Note you can always click on the images to see them enlarged)

 

We came around a corner and nearly ran into this girl.  Rebecca was taken aback at first but then fascinated once she learned the owl was injured and therefor could not "get her". 

The only proof I have that Emily did indeed get out of the stroller and/or sling.