Temper Temper Temper

All I have to say is wow. We started noticing a bit of a temper in Tia several weeks back.  It is very hard not to laugh at times because it is so stinkin cute, BUT the fact that she gets so mad is not something we want to see already.  She has some toys that she tries to move around and if they don't move the way she wants them to, she'll grunt and throw the toy. Of course, we get a stern voice and say no, and she gives us that look as if she knows and just looks down.  This weekend, she went to grandmas for a couple days and when we picked her up, we visited my mom's house.  I let her crawl up the stairs and when I wouldn't let her do it anymore, she threw the biggest temper tantrum we have ever seen.  She sounded like a motor trying to start, arching her back and rocking too and fro, grabbing her face and clawing herself...I calmly set her down on the ground and let her do her thing.  She seemed to snap out of it...no tears...and then when we wouldn't take her to the stairs, she started the tantrum up again. I am NOT saying that it had anything to do with going to Grandmas because her temper has been escalating the past several weeks. Rather, I'm saying since we hadn't seen her in 48 hours, it was not the ideal mood we wanted to see her in. Of course, we left shortly after thinking maybe a nap would do her good, but when we got home...she was in rare form.  We looked up some forums of other parents to see what they have experienced and it was a bit comforting to know that many people have experienced the same thing. Not every baby goes through it, but several.  Chris and I are both discipline types and we want our goal to be to nip this in the bud before it almost gets out of hand.  Our technique that we are agreeing upon is to carry her to her crib, no eye contact, not say a word, put her in, close the door, and let her calm herself down.  We have heard that this tactic has been the most successful for the majority of parents. If you give in, it makes it worse and can affect them as adults as well.  Soooo, we'll see how it goes.  I talked to daycare about it and they have never seen Tia have a temper tantrum. The only thing they have seen is a grunt when someone takes a toy away from her, so at least they had forewarning and I told them our tactic and I think that is what they'll use as well.  It is VERY hard not to laugh because it is cute, but for her good, we have to stay strong and be consistent in our approach.

Is She Like mommy or Daddy?

Every time Tia does something, either Chris will say 'Just like mommy' or I'll say 'Just like daddy'...and of course we giggle because it was either cute or ornery.  I admit that Chris is more of an affectionate person that I am, and I'm pretty affectionate.  I think if we could be holding hands or hugging 24-7, Chris would be just fine with that. Me, on the other hand, I have sweaty hands or get uncomfortable when I get hot and so I tend to pull back or stop holding hands at that point.  Of course, there are always situations when it doesn't matter if I'm hot or sweaty. Generally speaking though, I will shrug off Chris. Well, the other night Chris said he was hugging Tia and he hand his hands on her legs. He said, she gave him the same look that I do, put her hands on his and pushed them away.  He said he even said out loud to her 'You ARE just like mommy'...'what are you hot too' and of course when he told me, we were both laughing.  There are soooo many things that she does and I can see myself in her, but there are numerous things I see Chris's little personality too.  I will say that her facial expressions to resemble me and Chris thinks so too. The wrinkled forehead when she is giving you a 'whatever' look...yep, that's like me. The many faces of Tia have a lot of similarity to me. However, I will say that when I get Tia up in the morning, she is just like her daddy.  Squinty eyes, can't wake right up, very groggy, sort of groans...lol  So when people say she is an exact mix of me and Chris, they are absolutely right.  I know some kids favor one parent versus the other, but I will say that it is a sure toss up right now. I know our families have their own opinion, just like my dad and others will probably always think she favors our side and Chris's family will always say she favors theirs. But no one can dispute how stinkin cute she is!  She just makes me smile every day and I am so thankful to God and Chris for such an amazing baby girl!

My Name is Eeee-Uh

So Tia's first official word was most definitely Da-Da and of course she says Daddy and Mommy, Momma, and several other words. She can even sing the E-I-E-I-O from the Old McDonald song.  Lately tho, she has been saying Eeee-Uh a lot and of course we didn't pick up on what she was saying until her teacher said, 'Have you heard her say her name?' and at first I just said no, but when she had Tia say it and it came out Eeee-Uh, it hit me that she was saying her own name. So the past couple nights she has been saying it over and over. She'll say Mom-ma and Dadd-da and Eeee-Uh.  So cute!!

She's My Little Helper

Every morning, we have the same routine. I get ready, get all of her school stuff packed up and bottles washed, then make her a bottle. I walk into her room and turn on the light. I grab the clothes I need, get everything put back in order. Most of the time, she slowly wakes up and honestly looks exactly like Chris with squinty eyes like the light is too bright, bed head, and very groggy. Once she realizes what is happening, she gets all excited and stands up in her crib or sits up. I pick her up and we are on our way to the living room. I lay her down on a pillow and give her the bottle.  She will hold the bottle, while I take off all of her PJs, then I change her diaper.  Even though she is holding her bottle, it is super cute that she wants to help mommy out. She will hold her feet straight up in the air while I change her diaper. When I grab her feet, she'll stick her foot out so I can put her sock on and then she does the same with the other. Once I have her pants on, I go to put her shirt on. She'll hold the bottle with one hand and help me put her other hand through her shirt and into the sleeve. I'm always very encouraging saying 'aw, you want to help mommy, don't you?' and of course I say thank you. She always gives me some big eyes back and sometimes she smiles.  She even helps me put on her coat and gloves.  If I put a hat on her, typically she'll take it off and try to put it back on.  She is going to be one that wants to do everything herself, which will be super cute because it just shows how analytical she is.  This morning at daycare, I put her on the floor standing up by herself to see if she'd walk. She gave me a funny look so I put my one index finger out. She grabbed it and held it just barely and walked all around.  She is there and it is crazy that she is walking!!!! My big Girl.

She's Walking

So for a couple months now, Tia has been walking a few steps, then falls into your arms or grabs hold of something close.  We know she is virtually on the point of just walking on her own, confidently, but she just hasn't done it yet.  We haven't pushed her into it because it is my belief that all kids will get there in their own time and so I just wanted her to come into her own when she was ready.  On Saturday, she was walking along her play gate almost with no hands taking about 10 steps and every so often, she'd touch the wall.  A lot of times, she'll be standing in one spot, she'll go all the way down and then back up...I call it, doing her yoga.  Yesterday, at church, we were heading to pick up Tia from the nursery and what is super cool is they have tiny window so you can peak in to check on your children. So we went over to see her and we both looked in right as she was walking across the room towards one of the caretakers who had a plastic toy in her hand. She even grabbed the toy, turned around and then walked back the other way. It was one of the warm fuzzy mom feelings where you just know she is growing up.  So the rest of the day, she was showing off her walking abilities and even this morning when I dropped her off at daycare, she instantly was wanting to walk. What is super cute is that she has a big ole gummy grin on her face because she is also proud she knows how to walk.  Love it.

Stinky Feet

I have to take the blame on this one and admit that Tia got her Stinky feet from me.  I look at  her and see so much Chris (and I love that). I know the girl has my nose and her eyes are slowly starting to get more Asian like, but I love that she is a hybrid of us.  I see so many kids that look exactly like one parent. Right now, it is a big toss up who she'll end up favoring because she has so many of each of our qualities.  To me, it has always been a miracle when you see yourself in your children.  But, ever since I started putting shoes on Tia for about two months now, when I take them off at night, her poor feet are sweaty and stinky.  I do recognize the smell and I know that comes from me, and I get it from my dad, and so on.  My dad is even proud of that fact...I guess he knows she's a legacy of his, even if it comes down to getting his stinky feet. I, of course, over the years have taken proper measures so I don't have stinky feet. I wear the right socks, my shoes are not that tight, and of course I wash them.  The thing is, is that I have sweaty palms and sweaty feet.  We could be in the dead of winter (we are right now) and my hands are clammy and my feet are moist.  It is a trait I have not been that fond of because when shaking people's hands and playing sports...my hands are always a little damp.  I can tell that Tia has the same thing going on and she'll see as she grows up how I deal with it and maybe she'll pick up a habit or two.  All in all, the poor girl has some stinky feet.  Last night, I took off her shoe and put her foot up to my nose and smelled and went 'peeee yewwww' and she just laughed. Then I had Chris do it. I think he about fell over too, lol.  She's my little stinker! 

The Dangers of Phenylpropanolamine

I urge you to review the list of medicines with PPA and avoid these medications. All drugs containing PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE are dangerous. You may want to try calling the 800 number listed on most drug boxes and inquire about a REFUND. Please read this CAREFULLY. Also, please pass this on to everyone you know. STOP TAKING anything containing this ingredient. It has been linked to increased hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in brain) among women ages 18-49 in the three days after starting use of medication. Problems were not found in men, but the FDA recommended that everyone (even children) seek alternative medicine.

The following medications contain Phenylpropanolamine:

Acutrim Diet Gum Appetite Suppressant
Acutrim Plus Dietary Supplements
Acutrim Maximum Strength Appetite Control
Alka-Seltzer Plus Children's Cold Medicine Effervescent
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold medicine (cherry or or ange)
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine Original
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Cough Medicine Effervescent
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Flu Medicine
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Sinus Effervescent
Alka Seltzer Plus Night-Time Cold Medicine
BC Allergy Sinus Cold Powder
BC Sinus Cold Powder
Comtrex Flu Therapy & Fever Relief
Day & Night Contac 12-Hour Cold Capsules
Contac 12 Hour Caplets
Coricidin D Cold, Flu & Sinus
Dexatrim Caffeine Free
Dexatrim Extended Duration
Dexatrim Gelcaps
Dexatrim Vitamin C/Caffeine Free
Dimetapp Cold & Allergy Chewable Tablets
Dimetapp Cold & Cough Liqui-Gels
Dimetapp DM Cold & Cough Elixir
Dimetapp Elixir
Dimetapp 4 Hour Liquid Gels
Dimetapp 4 Hour Tablets
Dimetapp 12 Hour Extentabs Tablets
Naldecon DX Pediatric Drops
Permathene Mega-16
Robitussin CF
Tavist-D 12 Hour Relief of Sinus & Nasal Congestion
Triaminic DM Cough Rel! ief
Triaminic Expectorant Chest & Head
Triaminic Syrup ! ! Cold & amp;am p; Allergy
Triaminic Triaminicol Cold & Cough

I just found out and called the 800# on the container for Triaminic and
they informed me that they are voluntarily recalling the following medicines
because of a certain ingredient that is causing strokes and seizures in children:

Orange 3D Cold & Allergy Cherry (Pink)
3D Cold & Cough Berry
3D Cough Relief Yellow 3D Expectorant

They are asking you to call them at 800-548-3708 with the lot number on
the box so they can send you postage for you to send it back to them, and
they will also issue you a refund. If you know of anyone else with small children,

13 Months Old Today

All I have to say is OMG!  I know my little girl is 13 months old, but it just seems so weird at times.  There are times when someone is holding Tia and I think 'aw, what an adorable baby....wait....that's MY baby' and then there are times when I see boxes that say '9+months recommended' and I think, 'Tia is not old enough...oh wait...she totally is'.  I was dropping her off this morning and I'm telling you that she doesn't miss a beat.  When I say over and over how analytical she is, I am not joking.  My friends have always said how perceptive I am and how I don't miss anything, well, my mini-me is even worse.  The kid is going to be very street smart!  We got to her classroom and I pulled off her coat, gloves, and set them down next to her bag on the table. I also had her binkie in my hand. She leaned forward towards the table and I thought she wanted the binkie, but she didn't. Then she leaned again and I knew she didn't want her coat, gloves, or bag.  The teacher said, 'it is that cheerio' and I looked closer and low and behold a tiny cheerio was in the middle of all of her stuff and so the teacher hid it. But Tia was smart enough to know what to do, she pointed to the high chair knowing that she'd get some cheerios.  First, how did she see it..I even missed it.  Second, the girl wants food all the time, the little piggie.  Then when she was in her chair going to town on her cheerios, I leaned down and said, 'bye Tia, give mommy a kiss' and she leaned in and laid one on me. SO cute.  We are also trying to hold out two more months to turn her car seats face forward. Her long legs hit the back of the seat and she is almost needing the legroom. Personally, I can't wait because I know she is bored to tears facing the seat and with her 'doesn't want to miss a thing' attitude, she'll love seeing where we are going, etc.  But, all in all, my baby is getting big.  I just love her so much and I am so thankful she picked me to be her mommy.

Tia's a Happy Baby

I have to admit, Tia is usually pretty happy.  She rarely cries and when she does cry it is because she wants something or she hurt herself and we can get it resolved pretty quickly. Other people have commented on how happy she is too. I do have to admit, she is a super happy baby with her cute little mannerisms and sounds.  She loves playing and she loves directing you to take her places.  In the morning, if Tia wakes up before her normal time of 6:00am, I usually will just let her fuss for a few minutes and she will go back to sleep. But this morning, at 5:15am, she was crying loudly.  We didn't have the baby monitor on because honestly, the past several months, she has been in the same routine and hasn't needed us before it is time to get up for school.  However, this morning, I could hear her crying from her room.  Now, we have a fan and a humidifier going. Tia has a humidifier and a sound machine....but as many of you know,  have super sonic hearing and yes it is a curse. So I can hear her wailing from the other room. I just rolled over and was going to give her some time to settle herself down, and normally, she just goes back to sleep.  I just kept hearing her, so I got up and checked on her. She was standing up in her crib sobbing.  I picked her up and asked her what was wrong and it took her a good 10 minutes to just catch her breath.  I haven't cried like that in a very very long time, but I know that feeling of not being able to catch your breath after crying heavily. I just felt so bad for my baby girl. I didn't see any tears, but I could tell her eyes were a bit red.  And normally, I can snap her out of a funk quickly by making her laugh or taking her to see her favorite pictures in the house, but I could tell she wasn't happy with me.  I did my, 'give me five' and she just looked the other way. She was seriously giving me the silent treatment.  I just felt so bad for her because I hadn't seen her like this in a very very long time.  So we went and made her a bottle and then she was all happy. I changed her and got her ready for school. I put her in swing and put her favorite Baby Einstein DVD on and I was off to get ready. I was kissing her more than usual and I think she was catching on...I looked over and gave her a big smile and she gave me one back. I said 'that's my girl'.  She is just a sweetheart and I hope she continues to remain a happy baby for the rest of her days...I think happy people enjoy life more and I definitely want her to enjoy her life!

Obsessed about Stairs

Tia has loved crawling up the stairs ever since the first time earlier this year. Almost instinctual, she flew up the carpeted steps as if she knew exactly what to do. Ever since then, when she sees steps of any kind, she points her hand in that direction and gives you a little grunt to take her there.  But, you have to watch out because if you let her do it once, she'll wear you out wanting more and more.  This past weekend, we were at my dad's in Springfield, IL for Tia's cousin Janelle's 5th birthday.  His living room is two steps lower than the rest of the house and there are three different exits that have two carpeted steps.  She was in love!  She learned how to go down the steps which was cute because she would go sideways down the first, then backwards to the next.  She definitely had her fill of going up and down the steps.  She's my little monkey!

What Happened the Year Tia was Born: 2009

President of the U.S.:
* President Barack Obama– USA, Barack Obama, the United States first African American President was sworn into office on January 20, 2009.

Top News Stories:
Michael Jackson, the self-described “King of Pop” died of an apparent heart attack on June 25th. It was later found out that he was under heavy sedation at the time his heart stopped in a controversy that will surely continue for the next year. Jackson was one of many celebrities who passed away in 2009 which was included other high-profile deaths including: Farrah Fawcett, Natasha Richardson, Bea Arthur, Dom DeLuise, Karl Malden, David Carradine, Patrick Swayze, John Hughes, Ed McMahon, Walter Cronkite and Don Hewitt, Senator Edward Kennedy, Britney Murphy, Authors John Updike, Frank McCourt and Dominick Dunne, blues legend Koko Taylor, Ventures guitarist Bob Bogle, Mary Travers of Peter, Paul & Mary, guitar innovator Les Paul , Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein. NFL players Steve McNair and Chris Henry, veteran basketball coach Chuck Daly. Former U.S. Housing Secretary Jack Kemp, Oxiclean pitchman Billy Mays and Gidget, the Chihuahua best known for hawking Taco Bell.

The World Health Organization declared the H1N1 Virus, otherwise known as the Swine Flu, a pandemic. By the end of the year, the predicted vaccine shortages and potential large death toll proved not to be.

What Things Cost in 2009:
Gallon of Milk: $3.75
Gallon of Gas: It went up and down a lot this year but averaged about $2.50 a gallon.
Loaf of Bread: Approximately $1.60
Movie Ticket: Average price $7.25
College Education: Private – $26,273 per year Public: $7,020 per year.
House: $217, 400(Median Home Price)
Car: Average price is $26,300 for a moderately priced new car or SUV.
Diapers: Approximately 18 to 28 cents a diaper.
Baby Food: Between 18 and 28 cents for commercially available baby food
Babysitter: Approximately $12 – 15 an hour for someone over age 18.
Sunday Paper: Average price $2.50 to 3.00 or free online.
Postage Stamp: 44 cents
Price of a home computer: $519 for a laptop, $569 for a desktop
Average price of a family vacation (family of 4): $159 a day

Tia says Eeee

One of the cutest words she says is 'Eeeeeeee' and she gets this super excited face too.  She often will extend her arm pointing at the thing or place she is Eeeing about and will scream out Eeeeee. When she does this, Chris will usually say 'you are my mini-me' because Mini-Me from the Austin Powers movies would say Eeee. Another thing she says is Da and Momma.  When she wants something that is more nurturing, she'll say mommammma and which means she wants me.  But when she is playing and she is having a ball, she'll scream out Da and that usually means she wants Dad.  It is cute that she knows our names and knows sort of our roles to her too.  When we watch baby Einstein, she has other words and sometimes it really does sound like she says the word.  The other night, she sang 'E-I-E-I-O' and we even caught it on video and will have to post soon.  We've noticed that if you say or sing something, she'll do the same.  It will be super amazing once we start having conversations, but until then, I am enjoying her baby babble.

Tia's First Paycheck

Wouldn't it be nice to know that when I was less than a year old, that I made almost $400 bucks for being a cutie?  I will have to admit, her first paycheck is more than all of my paydays up until I was at least 12 or 13 when I started babysitting for $50 a week. Luckily for Tia, her modeling gig for CPI Corp (Sears Portrait Studios) paid off, literally.  After paying out commissions, she made $380...wow!  I'm so proud of my baby girl. They did say they wanted her back once she started walking.  If opportunities present them self for Tia to do a little modeling, then great, but I definitely do not want to spend countless hours taking Tia to auditions and sending her photos all over. I know, she is the cutest baby ever! But that is what all parents should think of their babies. I'm a proud momma and I'm excited Tia had this opportunity!

Tia's First Department Store Page

Chris worked at Home Depot for about 6 years until the arrival of baby Tia.  I wanted him to be home with our baby girl more so he wouldn't miss out on any of her milestones (I also wanted help :)  So he quit a month or so before Tia's birth and as a second job at Home Depot, Chris met a few friends along the way.  One friend he talks about a lot is Laney.  The other person is Connie. Connie, ironically had been bowling with me for a couple years prior to me ever meeting Chris.  When Chris and I got engaged, he showed Connie the picture of me and she said 'My Angie?' and of course asked him a few questions to verify. Such a small world that Chris worked with Connie at Home Depot and I bowled with her on Tuesday nights. One Saturday afternoon, we decided to head up to Home Depot and see if anyone was there to show off our baby girl.  We walked around the store and at first, we didn't see anyone. But after a little more determination, we finally spotted Connie helping some customers.  We waved and motioned that we'd be back.  So we headed up front and Chris saw some fellow workers and of course all of them commented on how beautiful Tia is...and to Chris's happy surprise, Laney walked over.   Then all of a sudden, we hear Connie on the intercom system say 'This is a customer page for Tia Norris, please return to the appliance section at your earliest convenience, again this is a page for Tia Norris.'  So cute...but since we were tied up at the front, Connie made her way up to meet us.  So Tia had her first customer page.

Big Girl Car Seat

I've noticed that Chris and I get into the same habits with our life, as well as with Tia.  It isn't that we don't want to change things up, but rather that we get used to how we do things and it just becomes routine.  We have known for a long time that we needed to get Tia a big girl car seat and rid her pumpkin seat, but we just  never really made or found the time. Daycare has been commenting the past month on how strong I must be to carry a 1 year old in a pumpkin seat along with all of her bags into daycare every morning. I took that as my subtle hint that it was past time to get her upgraded. We have been looking but honestly, we weren't exactly sure what to do AND we knew we'd have to spend $300+ on two car seats. We found the one we liked, Safety 1st Alpha Omega, and of course the one I fell in love with was pink flowers and brown suede.  Chris settled on the gray and black colored one, but we both agreed on the same exact car seat. We knew we still  needed one that could be rear facing for the next few months and one that had a high maximum weight so she could use it for a long while. Luckily, for Christmas, we received enough money from her Great Grandpa/Grandma Harp for one car seat and also enough money from her Grandma Tharinee for the other car seat.  Now it was just about buying them. I found a good coupon and got mine from Babies-R-Us and Chris ordered his from online (he despises Babies-R-Us).   He installed and tested mine over the weekend and this morning, Tia had her first ride in her new car seat.  She was more tired than usual this morning probably because she was up at 4:30am, hungry.  She looked so adorable when I put her in. She had her new Princess coat that Katma got her and her new hat and mittens that her Aunt Sam got her. She had her new sparkly pink shoes on and looked just all cozy sitting in her brand new car seat. So adorable!  When we got to daycare, I walked in with Tia and the Director Jill said 'was this your first day in your big girl car seat Tia' and when I said yes, she along with another lady clapped and yelled 'yay Tia!'  I think they were really happy we finally made the change.

Tia's First BFF

I am fortunate in my life to have so many wonderful best friends who care for me and are there for me when I'm in pain or need.  Namely, my #1 BFF Lisa, who has been there for me through thick and thin the past several years, among other best girl friends who all know who they are!!  Luckily, Tia also has a BFF in her first year of life.  When Tia started, I noticed another little girl named Violet who was about the same size as Tia.  I found out that they were born the exact same week and seemed to be on the same milestones.  They have seen each other almost every day for the past 9 or 10 months at school and teachers have commented on how they are Best Friends.  Violet proved how much of a best friend she is yesterday when Tia was getting her treatment for her Bronchiolitis.  They had the nebulizer on Tia giving her a dose of albuterol and of course Tia was crying a bit.  Violet was standing right by her and she started into a full out cry just looking at Tia in sadness.  All the teachers were saying that Violet thought that they were hurting Tia and that is why Violet was crying.  That just melted my heart!  I have so many friends who would cry along with me if I was ever in pain and it is good to know that even at age 1, Tia has the support of a close friend.  Isn't that so sweet!

Brushing her Two Teeth

As we all know, Tia is a late bloomer in the teeth department, but that's okay. So was I!  She has two teeth about a third of the way through on the bottom. They are darling and I'll never forget when she realized they were there. She just kept feeling them. Chris loves when she bites into a cheese puff and you can hear the crunch of her two front teeth on the treat. He just loves that sound.  So when he was at the doctor, the week of Christmas, the doctor asked how she was doing with brushing her teeth. Of course, Chris had a deer in headlights look because as we've done with pretty much everything, we think 'should we be doing that?'  So I went and got her a baby tooth brush and baby toothpaste.  We've been meaning to start but we just forget with the business-ness of our nightly routine and especially with the holidays. So last night after we fed her, bathed her, and gave her the nebulizer Albuterol treatment, we decided to try it out. Chris puts a dab of baby toothpaste on the toothbrush and sticks it close to her mouth. She looks at it with a tightly closed mouth, has a wrinkled expression, and just looks right back up at him with a 'okay?'  So I grab my toothbrush and toothpaste and start brushing away at my teeth, really over emphasizing what I'm doing.  So she looks up at Chris and then back at her toothbrush and then opens her mouth really wide.  We had to laugh as we were brushing her cute little teeth, tongue, and gums.  She didn't seem to mind at all. Yay!  Another milestone started and starting off successful!  Let's just hope she does it every day for the rest of her life!

Tia is a Big Girl

When Tia turned a year old, we made the transition from formula to whole milk.  I was thinking that it would be sort of a big adjustment for her, but to my amazement, she transitioned right over with no problem.  We drink 1% at home, so for a bit, we gave her that until we remembered to grab some whole milk at the store.  Now, she drinks it down!  I noticed at daycare that they don't heat the milk up and she still scarfed it down which is good to know. In the morning, I still like to heat hers up a bit so it is warm and yummy.  The other great thing about her transitioning off of formula is that we'll save $20 to $25 per week (sometimes two weeks) on buying formula. Of course, we'll still have to buy a gallon of milk for her, but daycare provides whole milk! yay! The other nice thing about daycare is that they provide all of her food and snacks. They provide parents a menu for every day of the month so we can see what snack, lunch, and breakfast they are eating.  If there is anything we don't want her to eat, we can just tell them.  I noticed on Tia's chart that they have her on a regular schedule now. It was almost a serile feeling knowing that she has grown big enough to have a set schedule at daycare. She's getting big and everyday we notice it. Chris was saying how she reacted last night when he said no to her. She wrinkled her brow and looked down and did a slight whimper.  She knows what no means, but I think now she understands that we are serious when we say no and she doesn't like it, lol.  I always think of the t-shirt that says, 'I know my name is no-no', because I am sure all kids go through that stage of being told no more than yes.  This morning, when I was giving her the bronchiolitis/albuterol treatment, we were watching Baby Einstein. As soon as the first note of the song came on, she started clapping. The song was, if you are happy and you know it clap your hands. I was just amazed!

Tia has Bronchiolitis

My poor baby girl is sick yet again. In addition to an ear infection, she also has what is called Bronchiolitis, which is a virus that forms mucus in the lining of her airways.  She must have caught it around Christmas time because the week before Christmas the three of us were all sick with a common cold, so her immunities were down over the holidays.  Her cough has sounded different the past few days and so we decided to get her into the doctor yesterday. Luckily, I was off and they were able to get her in.  They didn't really give me fair warning to how horrifying it is to give your own child a nebulizer treatment for Albuteral. They showed me how to pin her arms with one arm, put her legs between my legs to hold her down, and with my other hand to cup the mask of this nebulizer on Tia's chin, so she breathes in the Albuteral via the nebulizer.  It was absolutely horrible for both of us. Tia screamed out in the worst cry the entire time and my heart broke having to force to have this treatment. They made me do it for almost 10 minutes.  They only comforting thing was that I knew it was going to help her and the more she cried the deeper the Albuteral would get into her system.  When it was over, she hugged me like she has never hugged me before and I wanted to just ball.  I got her smiling quickly after and I was happy because my heart seriously broke. It broke even farther when the doctor told me we had to do this to her 3 times a day for 10 days. My heart sank and I knew telling Chris was going to make his heart sink too. Chris went and picked up the nebulizer ($100 if you have to buy a new one) and all of the viles of Albuterol. They gave us 540 viles and I was thinking to myself - I am not going to make her do this 540 times BUT I am sure they give you extra because 4 to 6 times a day is the max dosage and I guess if you have to buy a nebulizer, might as well get extra medicine to use in the future. Luckily, we just borrowed the nebulizer we have.  So the doctor also wrote a note for daycare...because she has had Bronchiolitis for a bit, she is not contagious and can go back to daycare (wfew), but they will have to give her the mid afternoon dose. Chris gave her the dosage last night and I could tell it pained him so much.  It was a hard sight to see. He first, waited until she was asleep and placed the mask over her nose and mouth, but she woke up. He knew he was going to have to force it on her.  It was late and I was already in bed, but when I heard Tia cry, I knew what was happening. I decided to go help and her face and his face just was hard to see.  Chris gave her a little over 5 minutes and I did about 3. She hated it!  When it was over, she wanted me and I think Chris felt like he was the worst dad in the world, but contrary to his feeling, he was an awesome dad to go through this and not show his sadness to her.  She hugged me again with such strength and Chris wanted to get a hug too, to know she wasn't upset with him. He took her against her wishes and we both knew she would ultimately hug him and she did.  I read up on other parents tactics and got a lot of great advice, so I'm going to try a few different ways to get her to breathe the medicine. This morning, I did it while she was drinking a bottle and watching Baby Einstein. She seemed annoyed, but she didn't cry.  It worked, but I think it will only work in the morning, so we'll see how it goes at daycare and again at night. Ultimately she'll deal with it and it will be good in the end. It is just hard to force something on your child when they don't want it. Her ear is starting to drain, she is coughing out the toxins, and her voice will be hoarse during the next week, but hopefully soon, she'll rid this awful Bronchiolitis. She's our Angel and has a rough year, but I know that this will make her even stronger later in life.

Focus on Faith

First of all, I do believe in God. However, I have not attended church on a regular basis for quite some time. I did go for several months back in 2006, but I have not gone on a regular basis since I was in high school (over 15 years ago). I have been meaning to get back into a regular church routine, but of course I have had so many excuses and reasons over the years from lack of time, late Saturday nights, other things, waiting for the right moment, to waiting until I started a family, to being just plain lazy. Whatever my reason was for not going to church, I have still remained faithful to God in that I pray almost every day. I am thankful for all of God's blessings and all that I have in my life and because of this, I pray for my thankfulness, for people or loved ones who I want to be looked over, or just for random thoughts. I would not consider myself to be the most religious person on the planet, but the truth is that I'm not ashamed of my religion nor my relationship with God. A bit of history about myself...my mom is a Buddhist who defines the Buddhist religion as a belief out of fear...my dad is an Atheist who denounced God during his childhood being a preacher's kid who had to sit in church almost everyday while he watched his father not practice what he preached. Luckily for me, my parents have been supportive of me finding my own view on religion and I was fortunate that my Grandma on my dad's side was a church goer. I do remember my dad taking me and my brother to a church in Texas when we lived there, but I remember that we'd walk or he would drive us and then he'd go home, but I do have to give him credit for getting us involved regardless of his own feelings for God. When I lived with my Grandma in second grade, I remember attending church with her, as well as when we'd visit her on holidays. Then when we moved to Jerseyville permanently in 6th grade, I attended the First United Methodist Church every single Sunday. I loved Church camps and Sunday school and being a part of a family oriented church.

I had always told myself over the years that I would reacquaint myself with going to Church when I started a family...it was a promise I knew I had to keep. But of course, the excuse that hovered over me and Chris was moving to our long term location. We said, once we moved to Ballwin/Fenton/etc, we'd attend several different types of churches and settle on the one we felt the best about...but our one year in Arnold as a married couple has turned into almost 3 years and still our excuse for not finding a church was dwindling.

A new friend via Thirty-One, Laurel, has been talking to me about her church for several months now and everything she was explaining was exactly what we were looking for and even better, the church is within a couple miles of our house. My view on religion is that all religions based on the bible are essentially the same but have a different theme or format to how they serve God. I am open to becoming any religion based on the bible whether that was Methodist to Catholic, I just wanted it be something that I truly felt inspired by. I had most recently attended the Journey, which to me has been a wonderful experience because it is an urban church meaning that they teach scripture in a way that you feel inspired, compelled, and moved...it is not about what you wear or where you came from. I really loved going there, but after I moved to Arnold, there wasn't a close location.

So this past Sunday, Chris, Tia, and I attended Laurel's church. We arrived at the South Telegraph Christian Church and I was a bit nervous and excited. We walked in and saw a buzz of people. We weren't sure where to go and we were of course behind schedule. We were directed downstairs where we would find the nursery. To our amazement, it was a computerized check-in system where we'd enroll Tia into the computer, get a barcode printout to stick on her back and we'd keep the associated tag to check her out when we went to pick her up. To me, it was very cool and we felt it was really secure. I could tell Chris was impressed as well and even more so when Tia went willingly to the girl who would be watching her. I think Tia knew this was a whole new experience and she was intrigued enough to see what it was all about. Knowing that the ladies watching Tia are ones whose kids were grown or who never were able to have kids, they'd give her lots of love and attention for the hour with her, we felt good.

We found the sanctuary and the minute I set my eyes on the ginormous room with a stage with a 6 piece band already playing some music just hit me so hard. Admittedly, I broke out into tears and I hate to say it, but I could not gain my composure for almost the entire service. I was royally embarrassed that the water works were a flowing and the more I heard, the harder I cried. They were happy tears and the whole experience made me happy. Happy I was there, happy Chris was by my side holding my hand, happy he was enjoying it as much as I was, and happy that I found a church similar to the Journey. My friend Laurel was on stage almost the entire time singing in the band and seeing her really made me feel at home. Kleenex were magically placed in the pocket in front of me which almost seemed meant to be. When we left, we both really felt nothing but goodness about our experience. We are going to check out their classes starting next Sunday and see if we want to join as regular members. We are going to take it week by week and attend when we can.

I told Chris, I wanted us to attend together because we both want to, not out of obligation and he completely agreed. So I am thankful I am going to have a chance in 2011 to work on my relationship with God. I think Chris and I both agree that we were really meant for each other and one aspect is to help each other become closer with God. Chris is Catholic and although he hasn't attended church on a regular basis, does want to help our children be introduced to the church and have their own choices when it comes to religion.

What I do want to comment on from what I learned from this week's service related to setting goals:
Be Wise When Setting Goals
(1) Know Your Limits
----Start small and build. Can't automatically be perfect or you'll be setting yourself up for failure.
(2) Be True to Yourself
----Choose attainable goals. For instance, if you choose to accomplish a goal during inopportune times, you won't have a chance at accomplishing your goal. If you do your best mid-day, set to do the goal mid-day.
----Know what you can do and what is best for you, so you can achieve it.
----Set goals that stretch you a little bit. Have to be something to reach towards. Setting yourself up for success, but also setting yourself up for a challenge.
(3) It's Okay to Fall Behind
----Understand that at some point, there is going to be a hiccup. That's okay.
----Your goal is to accomplish it, not to stay on track. If you fall behind, don't worry about catching up, just start where you left off to get you closer to your goal. If you keep falling behind, you will get deterred and often will give up because you can't catch up. Don't just plan for a day in the future to start over. Set yourself to get as close to a goal, not an obligation staying on a schedule.