My Baby Girl

Today my baby started First Grade. I am still trying to figure out where the time has gone.


I had the first day jitters big time. Even down to the nightmares last night. I don't think I caught a wink of good sleep! Alex was fine though. Very exctied. Anxious to see some of her friends and her dear Mrs W (her classroom aide that moved up with her). She was also very excited to wear a fancy dress. Nothing short of a holiday dress was going to cut it for her today. So this was our best compromise. I'm glad I caved. She was so proud of how she looked. And giving her self confidence may just be the most important thing I could offer her. (And yes, she insisted on the oversized bow as well.)

Ready or Not?

Most definitely Not.

School starts in under a week and I couldn't be less ready.  I mean what is so exciting about having to have two kids ready and out the door by 7am?  Not much.

But it is just around the corner and will be here whether I am ready or not.

The one thing that makes me most nervous is that we have had a wonderful and PEACEFUL summer.  We have had our share of incidents, but nothing like last school year brought.

But this is a new year and hoping for new and better experiences.

The first step toward making that happen was getting in with a child psychologist and trying to figure out what exactly is going on with Alex.  Which we've begun.  And today, an official diagnosis.

So here's to hoping First Grade is a huge success!!!!

A Look Back

Looking forward to a busy weekend!  We didn't think we'd get around to this trip after just getting back from Tennessee, but how could we resist.  Not when those huge dark eyes light up and sparkle at the near mention of Elmo!  Even Alex has been begging for months to take Cullen to Sesame Place.  So off we go.  

I also couldn't help but to take a walk down memory lane and look back on our first trip to Sesame, and the following year when we eagerly returned.  I think I am just as excited as the kids!!!

Gabi and Alex- Sesame Place 2005

Weren't they adorable!  And those were the days when they actually let us dress them.  And of course they had matching Sesame ensembles for each day we visited.

And the following summer- 2006

The Deep Freeze

I don't know about you, but I am so tired of being cold.

And thank GOD this week is almost behind us. Talk about crazy. Since 2001 when I started working in the gas industry, we have not experienced this degree of cold over this large of an area for this length of time. Our systems have been in a state of emergency since Wednesday and will continue through Monday. It's been a zoo at work. Utility companies issuing continuous alerts, gas pipelines transporting their absolute maximum amounts, prices going haywire, etc. At the same time, it's been exciting. Each minute has brought a new problem to solve and a new fire to put out. There were laughs and there were many, many moments of near tears. But we made it through.


And despite the bone chilling temps, Alex did look pretty darn cute waiting for the bus yesterday morning!

The vacation that almost didn't happen...

What a night it's been! As many for you know, both kids have been sick. Alex has had the worst of any of us. The latest started on Sunday with uncontrollable coughing, gagging (and eventually throwing up). After 2 days of this, she was given a breathing treatment and sent for a chest x-ray which confirmed she has pnuemonia. Lovely. That was as of 5pm last night. Then at midnight, she began violently vomitting. It continued every 5 to 7 minutes through 4am when we took her to emergency. We spent several hours getting her hydrated with IV fluids and an anti-nausea med was give, which helped immensely. They don't believe the two were connected and think it was/is some sort of a tummy bug. Her school called and said 30+ kids were out today with something similar. (So consider yourself warned Heather.)

But the docs were all very confident that we should proceed with the trip as planned and that the zofran would work and help keep her comfortable until it passes. So off we go to Florida in hopes of leaving all of this poor health back in NY!

Cruise sets sail tomorrow afternoon, and hopefully we are all back to good health by then!

The vacation that almost didn't happen...

What a night it's been! As many for you know, both kids have been sick. Alex has had the worst of any of us. The latest started on Sunday with uncontrollable coughing, gagging (and eventually throwing up). After 2 days of this, she was given a breathing treatment and sent for a chest x-ray which confirmed she has pnuemonia. Lovely. That was as of 5pm last night. Then at midnight, she began violently vomitting. It continued every 5 to 7 minutes through 4am when we took her to emergency. We spent several hours getting her hydrated with IV fluids and an anti-nausea med was give, which helped immensely. They don't believe teh two were connected adn think it was/is some sort of a bug. Her school called and said 30+ kids were out today with something similar. (So consider yourself warned Heather.)

But the docs were all very confident that we should proceed with the trip as planned and that the zofran would work and help keep her comfortable until it passes. So off we go to Florida in hopes of leaving all of this poor health back in NY!

So, we are off! 12 uninterrupted days as a family!!!!! Life doesn't get much better than that. This evening we'll arrive in Orlando and embark our a cruise tomorrow.

Week in Review

Hmmm....let's see. It all started last Sunday about 7pm with a call from mother-in-law. She was frantic, but clear. Dad was bad. Send Shawn down NOW. I threw him his keys and he ran out of the house in sock feet. Mother-in-law thought this just might be "it". We all thought it might be. But once again, grandpa rallied and pulled through. And after a five day stay at Hotel General, grandpa is back home. Seems this is the new routine.

But the excitement didn't end there. Cullen has a never ending cold and Alex came down with her very first ear infection. After one completely sleepless night she was on meds and appeared on the mend. That is, until Thurs when her eyes started seeping with what looked like neon snot! Turns out, the antibiotic wasn't working and her ears were draining right in her eyes. EEEWWW! So another day home from school and another new med and they too started to cleared.

All was well and she was feeling better so we went to Booville at Darien Lake on Saturday. She had a great time, trick-or-treating, running through the maze and picking a pumpkin to paint. And then it happened. The hives. First with her face. Then neck, back and eventually her entire body. This isn't the first time that hay has caused such a reaction, but it doesn't always happen, which is puzzling. A security gaurd did mention that it was treated with a flame retardant, so perhaps that was the cause. In any case, she was one sorry looking little girl. Poor thing has been so uncomfortable. Fortunately though she is still symptomatic at times, the zyrtec and Benedryl seem to be keeping itching at bay. So now we realize that ontact with hay is simply off limits for her.

Despite our little run in with the contaminent, we were able to have a nice day. Here are a few pics.

A Special Day

Today was a very special day for two very special children...mine!

Alex's teacher has given each of her students a "special day" in which they are the helpers and where they can share a bit about themselves with their classmates. Alex has been counting down the days until her "Special Day", September 25th. It finally came. And she was so very excited. Mommy came in to school and made little books for each of the students containing facts about Alexandra. We read one of Alex's favorite books to the class and she introduced her brother to all of her friends. I wish I had borrowed a camera and captured the fun!

But Daddy had our camera in Texas for another very special day, Cullen's adoption finalization. The agency that Cullen's birthmom worked with is based out of San Antonio. So Shawn flew in yesterday in order to be present at today's court appearance, in which Cullen David Reardon was offically declared OURS!!! And it is with tear filled eyes that I type this news. I look at my two beautiful children each day in amazement and wonder how is it possible that we have been so blessed!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I just can't help myself....

I've already been searching for ideas for Cullen's "Big Boy Room". Premature, maybe. But it will be here before I know it and in true Sue fashion....I want to be prepared. So I have had my eye on this darling set at Pottery Barn Kids. It is exactly what I would want. Simple, yet colorful and oh so "little boy". I have been watching it for a month or so and just noticed the first item become unavaialble. And I just can't take the chance of missing out on getting it! So since I worked some extra "call" in September, I am allowing myself the splurge!

Tonight, after work we'll take a trip to Pottery Barn Kids and I get to buy the Quilt, Sham and Sheet Set. This so incredibly foreign to be me. I will actually be paying FULL price. I don't pay full price for anything. But I MUST have it!!!

In other news, Lily and Family are doing beautifully. The little stinker has to be woken up at night to eat or she would sleep straight through. That is just wrong. My 6 month old is just now sleeping through the night!

Also, Grandpa was released from the hospital yesterday. The good news is that he is home. The bad news is that he has some additional health challenges to contend with now on top of everything else. He should get into a specialist soon and hopefully being around the family will help lift his spirits.

Shawn is back from Chicago, YAY!

Next week is Finaliziation, even bigger YAY!!! Shawn will be flying to San Antonio, TX on Wed for a Thur court appearance.

Alex is doing well in school. Kindergarten is a lot of work and she is coming home exhausted each night! She also earned her blue belt a few weeks ago and she is super psyched about that. Her new goal is not only to earn a black belt, but to then make the Demo Team. You go baby! Reach for the stars!!!

The Eve

Supplies are bought. Clothes are laid out. Book bag is packed. Lunch is made.

Sounds like I am ready.

I should be ready.

I've have known for 5 years that this day would come.

But I am just not.

On this very important eve, I laid my baby boy in his crib. And rememberd back to the day my precious baby girl slept in that very spot. Her long fingers peeking through the sleeves of her rosebud jammies. I can still smell the scent of her just after her bath. I can hear the babbles that call out from her crib. The laughter. The smile. Where did the time go. It was too quick. I find myself pleading with God to turn back the hands of time.

But life doesn't work that way. She is ready. And I need to be too. I want to be ok with this. I really do. But it hurts. Every day I can see her slip further and further away from the baby she was and into the young woman she will one day become.

That's the obvious progression.

It's what is supposed to happen, right.

Then why is it so hard?

Just Because

As a child, one of my fondest memories was when my parents picked me up one night and announced that we were going to Chuck E Cheese's. Not only did we go, but they also coordinated it so that we met up with friends of mine. It wasn't a special event, and I didn't have to beg. It was "just because". And that is what made it special.

Fast forward to present day. Alex spends half of the year planning and obsessing over what to be for Halloween and the other half over what theme she'll choose for her next birthday. Well this year, she has been into Ariel. She lost "The Little Mermaid II" movie in our move last year and has been begging for a new one. Thanks to our friend ebay, she is now the proud owner of another copy. In addition, Disney just released the prequel, "Ariel's Beginning". So I decided to throw a bash. Just because. Because my daughter loves Ariel. Because I love my daughter. Because soon princesses will be a thing of the past. Because she is growing up too fast.

So I planned a surprise shindig. Complete with princess decorations, a Melody (Ariel's daughter) cake, favors, and more. I invited 5 of Alex closest friends and we've had a "Movie Night". And it has been a blast. We've eaten pizza, cake and an assortment of other treats, played tag, chase and duck-duck-goose outside, colored in mermaid books, read stories and laughed ourselves silly. We've had so much fun!

It'a now 10:30. Half of them are asleep and no one has asked to go home. I am counting that as a success! More tomorrow :-)

It's not easy being Green

Poor Alex is having such a hard times these days with motion sickness. I have a whole list of things to try and so far, most are failing miserably. So if anyone has any suggestions or experiences, I am so willing to give it a try. And Alex is such a good sport about trying things. She will do just about anything not to feel so sick. We go to the doctors next on 9/16 and I was hoping to talk more about this with them. But sometimes it is a good idea to go in with information/ideas already on hand. Besides this being a total nightmare for weekend trips and my car paying a dear price, we are very nervous that the cruise in November is going to be complete misery for her.

Things we've tried
Seat positioning- does nothing
Eating light meal/crackers- nothing
Opening a window- nothing
Looking out window- nothing
Gum or mints- nothing
Sea-bands- if anything made it worse
Children's Bonine- little to no effect
Dramamine(original formula)- works sometimes, but not always

Meds to reseach and potentially try
Zofran
Vistaril
Phenergen
Scopolamine Patch
Meclizine
Marezine
and Gravol...but the risks and side effects looked pretty severe on that one

I was also going to try the Queasy pops, but I don't hold out much hope.

Electronic Wristbands are also an option, but they are pricey ($200 from manufacturer) and their eveidence of working is not terribly convincing thus far.

A Peck of Pickled Peppers

Alex and Cullen had a wonderful time at my sister's house last week. While Shawn and I enjoyed dinner, Alex had fun with Uncle Tim looking for fish in the pond and picking vegetables from the garden. I don't think any of the green beans made it to the table though, as Alex ate them just as quick as they were picked. She saved the shiny peppers for our salad, which she was very proud to help make.

Afterwards, she and Cullen did some wrestling outside.

Happy 5th Birthday, Alexandra!

I think Alex is probably a bit more interested in automotives than the average little girl. I guess we can thank her daddy for that. Well, with this interest, came a fascination with convertibles. She points them out whenever she sees them and talks about how neat they are.
So yesterday Shawn brought home this sporty little number. Alex was in awe of it. So she and daddy took a spin around the neighborhood. And tomorrow they plan to take it to Taekwondo to Wow all of her friends.

And after her birthday dinner tonight at Carrabba's Alex received her big gift from Mommy and Daddy. Her very our princess convertible!!! Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

Alex's 5th Birthday Party

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Beauty and the Beast

My little Beauty celebrated another milestone yesterday. She graduated preschool! She has been practicing her graduation walk for some time now, but kept secret the songs and activities they had planned. How did this happen? When did this happen? I swear it was just yesterday that she fit in th crook of my arm.And the boy...or should I say The Beast! That kid is growing like it is his full time job. In three months we have already outgrown 3 sizes. I was amazed to see that all of his 3-6 month jammies are too small. So I spent the weekend washing all of his 6-9 months stuff. He definitely won't be the peanut that his sister is! And look at that boy in his saucer. He looks like a 6 month old! Slow down buddy!And shhhhhh! Don't tell my husband. But I was lonely last night with him out of town. So I invited another man to bed......

Super Cup 2008

Today, Alex participated in her first ever Taekwondo competition, the Super Cup. There were three categories: poomse, board breaking and sparring. Alex competed in the latter two. In practice they have always used a foam piece that splits apart when hit hard enough. So you can imagine our surprise when we found out that the competition would require the use of REAL wooden boards! And she DID IT...she broke her very 1st board with the axe kick!!!! You go baby! She took home second place in board breaking and first place in sparring. It was a very long day and she has been practicing so very hard. We are so proud of you, Alexandra!!!!

Above is a picture of Alex and her trophies once we got home. I had fortotten the battery to camera, so I will have to wait on my aunt to upload her pics. But I may try to put together a few minutes of it up to youtube. We'll see.

Mom's Makeover

Yesterday, I received a lovely makeover, compliments of Alex. Her preschool class held a Mother's Day event in which the children did makeovers for the moms. It was adorable! They had little hair, nails and makeup stations set up. Alex was, of course, in heaven amoungst all that glamour. As you can see, she did a fine job!

Her Mother's Daughter

Apparently my clumsiness has defied genetic barriers and I have passed in on to my darling daughter. Alex has been queen of the mishaps this year and summer has only just begun! A few weeks ago she took a nasty spill on grandma's driveway and with it went her nose and arm. Then yesterday I get a frantic call at work that Alex fell at the playground and might need stitches. In the end, we opted for a good 'ole butterfly bandage and hoped for the best. Then today I get called out of a conference because Alex fell off a chair that could be no more than 12 inches off the ground. But it must have been face first, because she somehow managed to split her nose open in two places!!!! My poor girl. Just wait until her daddy sees her.

Before & After

New Wheels

It was another beautiful day today. A perfect day for a bike ride. Since Alex has outgrown the baby seat, dad splurged today and bought the two person pull behind trailer. Cullen is still a bit too little for it, but Alex took it out for a test run. She and daddy rode to the playground at her school and mommy and Cullen took the car. And yes, there is a chunk of Alex's nose missing. I think she left it somewhere on grandma's driveway!