My cousin Jenn posted this 11 Step Program on her blog. I think she received in an email from one of her friends. Once I read it I couldn't help but share. Its too cute! Sometimes my days may feel like this but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world!
11 Step Program for those thinking of having kids:
Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.
Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.
Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.
Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)
Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.
Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?
Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.
Time allowed for this - all morning.
Lesson 6
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.
Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.
Lesson 7
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.
Lesson 8
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.
Lesson 9
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.
Lesson 10
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.
Lesson 11
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Two Hemangioma Photos
Below are two photos of Grace's hemangioma that her dermatologist sent over. There are many more but she sent them in a powepoint and I can't figure out how to upload it and it takes forever to download each individial photo. So here are two that she sent; the first one they ever took and then the one they took Tuesday.
#1:
#2:
Isn't the difference amazing? God is good!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Christmas at Nanny & Papa's: Part I
We originally were suppose to go to Nanny and Papa's in Williamston the Sunday after Christmas, but due to all of the snow we had to wait until the Sunday after New Years! Papa fixes the BEST BBQ Chicken! After we get our belly's full in Papa's kitchen we head into the house for presents!
I LOVE that surprise face!
My computer is only letting me upload 4 at a time so I'm having to do this in more than one post, sorry!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Hemangioma Update
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wow- its almost been two months since I've blogged. I guess one of my new years resolutions (along with traveling and getting organized) should be to blog on my personal blog more (especially since I'm so bad at finding time to scrapbook now)!
I wanted to sit down and write about Grace's hemangioma appointment before I forgot anything, here goes...
Today Scott and I took Grace to Duke Dermatology for a check up regarding her hemangioma. She hasn't been since February 24, 2010. Wow. We have been very pleased with the look of it and glad that it didn't start to grow back once she was off the propranolol. We knew in the back of our minds that laser would probably be needed eventually and around her current age based on our last appointment, so we were anxious to see what the doctor said.
Dr. Bellet was amazed at not only the looks of Grace's hemangioma but also by how much she's grown. Its been 10 1/2 months since we were there last so she's certianly done some growing. We began the appointment by looking at the first photos that Dr. Bellet ever took of Grace's birthmark. I was amazed at how bad it really was. Now its barely even noticable. I signed a medial records release for Dr. Bellet to email me the photographs that she's taken at each appointment. Once I get those I'll post them so you can all see the change. It will amaze you! I wish I had been better about taking photos of it but I'm glad that Duke has record of it and will share it with me!
Even though Dr. Bellet is pleased with Grace's hemangioma she said our next step / option was to begin more laser treatments to treat the hemangioma further. This would break up some of the vessels, as well as soften some of the scaring that she got from the previous ulcers. This laser treatment is sort of the same as the laser she had on her ulcers, yet different too. Its a lighter laser and instead of just doing the laser in certain spots (like the ulcerated spots) the entire hemangioma will be treated. Because of Grace's age she will have to have general anesthesia during the treatment. Before she was young enough that I could just hold her and she didn't fight back (much) but now she's just too old and mobile to sit still for it. The area being treated will be bruised for up to two weeks following the treatment and improvement can be seen for up to two months after treatment. Once she has her first treatment and the doctor sees the difference from the initial laser that will determine how many of these treatments she'll need. If more are needed then they will probably be scheduled within 2 months of each other.
Our other option was to wait a little bit (~6 months or so) and reassess. Dr. Bellet said even then she knew that laser would probably need to be done. Scott and I discussed our options and decided to go ahead and have her first laser treatment as soon as we could. We wanted to have it done now, rather than in the summer when schedules are busy and it was bathing suit weather as she couldn't have any sun exposure to the treated areas for a few weeks. My main concern was Grace having to be put under anesthesia. Dr. Bellet assured me that it was ok and she wouldnt be under long. She said the procedure will take up to 10 minutes and then she'd be in a recovery room for about a hour (to get completely woken up) and then we'd be able to take her home. She said that most children are back to normal that afternoon, jumping & playing! My other concern was what sort of pain would she be in after the procedure and Dr. Bellet said none. That some bruising would occur but that she wouldn't be in pain. She wont have to wear any bandages like before (because there are no open wounds: ulcerations) So, Grace's first treatment has been scheduled for March 24th. We are unsure of the time and probably wont know until the day before, but I will try to keep all informed!
On a better note- we had a great Christmas and are excited about 2011! What are some of your new years resolutions?
Love to all,
Megan
I wanted to sit down and write about Grace's hemangioma appointment before I forgot anything, here goes...
Today Scott and I took Grace to Duke Dermatology for a check up regarding her hemangioma. She hasn't been since February 24, 2010. Wow. We have been very pleased with the look of it and glad that it didn't start to grow back once she was off the propranolol. We knew in the back of our minds that laser would probably be needed eventually and around her current age based on our last appointment, so we were anxious to see what the doctor said.
Dr. Bellet was amazed at not only the looks of Grace's hemangioma but also by how much she's grown. Its been 10 1/2 months since we were there last so she's certianly done some growing. We began the appointment by looking at the first photos that Dr. Bellet ever took of Grace's birthmark. I was amazed at how bad it really was. Now its barely even noticable. I signed a medial records release for Dr. Bellet to email me the photographs that she's taken at each appointment. Once I get those I'll post them so you can all see the change. It will amaze you! I wish I had been better about taking photos of it but I'm glad that Duke has record of it and will share it with me!
Even though Dr. Bellet is pleased with Grace's hemangioma she said our next step / option was to begin more laser treatments to treat the hemangioma further. This would break up some of the vessels, as well as soften some of the scaring that she got from the previous ulcers. This laser treatment is sort of the same as the laser she had on her ulcers, yet different too. Its a lighter laser and instead of just doing the laser in certain spots (like the ulcerated spots) the entire hemangioma will be treated. Because of Grace's age she will have to have general anesthesia during the treatment. Before she was young enough that I could just hold her and she didn't fight back (much) but now she's just too old and mobile to sit still for it. The area being treated will be bruised for up to two weeks following the treatment and improvement can be seen for up to two months after treatment. Once she has her first treatment and the doctor sees the difference from the initial laser that will determine how many of these treatments she'll need. If more are needed then they will probably be scheduled within 2 months of each other.
Our other option was to wait a little bit (~6 months or so) and reassess. Dr. Bellet said even then she knew that laser would probably need to be done. Scott and I discussed our options and decided to go ahead and have her first laser treatment as soon as we could. We wanted to have it done now, rather than in the summer when schedules are busy and it was bathing suit weather as she couldn't have any sun exposure to the treated areas for a few weeks. My main concern was Grace having to be put under anesthesia. Dr. Bellet assured me that it was ok and she wouldnt be under long. She said the procedure will take up to 10 minutes and then she'd be in a recovery room for about a hour (to get completely woken up) and then we'd be able to take her home. She said that most children are back to normal that afternoon, jumping & playing! My other concern was what sort of pain would she be in after the procedure and Dr. Bellet said none. That some bruising would occur but that she wouldn't be in pain. She wont have to wear any bandages like before (because there are no open wounds: ulcerations) So, Grace's first treatment has been scheduled for March 24th. We are unsure of the time and probably wont know until the day before, but I will try to keep all informed!
On a better note- we had a great Christmas and are excited about 2011! What are some of your new years resolutions?
Love to all,
Megan
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
SNOW!
Christmas night a bunch of snow fell! We decided to get out in it the next day. We didn't venture far but we did get as far as Big Daddy & Gigi's house.
Big Daddy and Gig's house in the snow! This year was our first Christmas in their new house!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Santa Came!
Grace must have been a good girl, Santa was very good to her!
She had to have her morning juice in her new Toy Story cup, asap!
After we see what Santa brought we go to Nonnies in our PJ's for breakfast and more presents!!
She had to have her morning juice in her new Toy Story cup, asap!
After we see what Santa brought we go to Nonnies in our PJ's for breakfast and more presents!!
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