Boutique Night

My fingers are raw.  "Why?" you ask.  Because I'm making bows for Boutique Night, AND you should come see me!  Since I know you all are dying to come, here's the information to get your booty to me...

The best part, it's a come and go event.  You won't be stuck there all night listening sales pitches.  You come in, shop, converse with me (of course), and head out.  Let me know if you plan on stopping by.  If you are looking for some specific colors for your girl, shout it out and I'll get 'em made.

A Tale of Two Labors

One never really knows what labor will be like until you go through it.  Then you experience labor and you expect your second labor to be similar to that of the first.  Or at least I did. 

With Little Man I started having contractions around 3:00pm on a Sunday afternoon.  After hours of Steven tracking each contraction I called the on call doc.  She said if I could walk around just fine I probably wasn't in labor, but if I tried to go to bed at night and couldn't sleep I would need to go to the hospital.  I could walk around just fine so I thought for sure it wasn't real labor.  I really didn't want to be one of those first time moms who make multiple trips to the hospital with false alarms.  So I tried to go to bed.  I tried to go to bed for an hour and a half.  I tried to go to bed until Steven kicked me out and told me we were going.  He got all my stuff, pushed my very pregnant self in the car and very calmly drove me to the hospital. To my surprise I was in labor.  I was only dilated to a 4, but I got the good drugs and sailed through the rest of labor.  In the end I came home with a beautiful baby boy.

Little Miss was a much different story.  I was supposed to be induced with her.  She had her own plans though.  At about 4:00am on the morning I was to be induced, I woke up with gas pains. Those 'gas' pains started coming every 5 minutes.  I began to realize it wasn't gas, but contractions.  Since Little Man's labor was about 15 hours start to finish, I figured I had time.  I got up to pee and had a pee pee pants reenactment.  Only it wasn't pee.  My fluids were beginning to leak.  I decided I was going to shower, get ready, and then get Steven up to drive me to the hospital.  I didn't want to wake him since I just began labor.  That was a good plan until my contractions started coming every two minutes and I could no longer stand in the shower.  This was in a matter of 30 minutes.  The contractions were coming much faster and much stronger than I had experienced with Little Man.  Somehow I managed to dry my hair and get dressed while Steven called his dad to come stay at the house with Little Man. 

Steven's dad arrived about 30 minutes later, and I was having contractions every minute.  Steven helped me to the car and drove like a madman to the hospital.  He was so rattled.  I kept telling him to calm down.  He said he was calm, but when he pulled up to the emergency room, he dropped me off and DROVE AWAY.  As I'm standing at the entrance, I wondering where in the world he was going.  Thankfully a nurse had seen us pull in and wheeled out a wheel chair for me.  Finally Steven came back.  Instead of parking the car in the emergency room parking lot, he pulled all the way around to normal parking and came running like Usain Bolt to me.  He track star days weren't finished though. I never knew wheel chairs could handle speeds over 50 mph, but apparently they can.  It was great that my husband was so interested in getting me to labor and delivery in a timely fashion after the parking fiasco, but he was running so fast he passed the elevators. 

God must have been watching this whole thing because all of a sudden a man appears out of nowhere from inside and elevator and yells, "Sir, Labor and Delivery is this way.  Hop on."  Steven comes to a stop so fast I almost fly out.  He wheels me around and shoves me in the elevator.  I look up to thank the man when I realize it's a parent of one of my former students, AND I work with his wife.  He is cracking up, and I am dying from pain and embarrassment.

We finally got to where we were going.  After the admittance process, I was dilated to a seven.  When the anesthesiologist finally arrived an hour later, I was at a nine.  I was praying it would kick in just in time for the pushing, and it did.  Five minutes before.  Two pushes and Little Miss was out.  I came home with a beautiful baby girl.

If I could choose my labor for Baby #3, I would go with Little Man's plan.  Fifteen hours of slow labor was much, much better than five hours of hard and quick labor.  All I know is we will do yet another run to the hospital and this time I hope my husband remembers how to get to Labor and Delivery and where to park.  On that note, maybe we'll do two practice runs.

Menu Monday

Welp, I saw The Help.  It is safe to say the movie did not disappoint.  All the actresses hit the characters spot on.  I really didn't think it was possible to dislike Hilly Holbrook anymore than I did in the book, but I thought wrong.  I wanted to reach into the movie screen and slap her at least a hundred times.

The storyline paralleled beautifully to the book as well.  I was relieved. As my all time favorite book, I doubted I would like the movie, yet it now resides in my Top 5 Movie List.  All the yummy southern cooking didn't hurt either.  Unfortunately, I can't cook like that so you're stuck with my Oklahoma version of cooking.

Monday-Creamy Chicken Spaghetti, Green Beans, Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Tuesday-Lemon Honey Grilled Chicken, Cheesy Biscuits, Spring Potato Salad
Wednesday-Smoked Salmon, Broccoli Cheese Bites, Honey Bread
Thursday-Zucchini Bake, Salad, The Bread
Friday-Marlboro Man's 2nd Favorite Sandwich, Sweet Potato Fries, and Fruit Salad
Saturday-Good 'Ol Fashion Fish Fry @ the Kueny's
Sunday-Dinner @ Mom's

I Survived {Little Man's First Day}

After much fretting, I did it. I not only survived Little Man's first day of school, but I did well.  He walked right in and started playing with what he was most excited about, the kitchen area.  What can I say?  He's watched (and helped) me make dinner one too many times.  I've said it once and I'll say it again, he will make his wife very happy one day.

I didn't even cry.  Maybe a little emotional, but no tears.  He was too happy for me to cry for him.  Of course I missed him deeply, but time went by fast.  He's on his second day today, but here's his first day photos.

It's THE Day

It's hard to talk about so I'll just show you pictures.

{A good scrub down the night before his first day}

 {Daddy and Little Man.  He's so happy about starting school}

{He was getting busy on the puzzles} 

{Grammy and Little Man.  He's just a few classroom's down from her room. 

Can you tell she's excited?}

Maybe I'll be able to share the details of his first day tomorrow after I hear them from him of course.  We'll see if I can see my computer screen through my tears.  Tears over my boy growing up.  We're so excited for him, but sure do wish we could keep him little forever.

He's Too Sexy

Do you remember this song?

Well, it's Steven's new theme song.  His dark hair, skin, and eyes just seem to have a way of whoo-ing women.  He just doesn't see it in himself.  I tell him to go look in the mirror. Shirt off of course.  Then he rolls his eyes at me and tells me I have to say that. Then I admit that if he had slidden down the ladder in the looks department I wouldn't tell him.  After all, he doesn't tell me.  He values his life too much.

Anyhoo.  Steven had a crazy day at work on Friday.  He was checking on a job site for some exciting safety regulations and ended up having to stay the rest of the day.  Like the awesome daddy he is, he came straight to the hospital as soon as he could.  Ring around the collar and all.  The poor man had been sweating in his work clothes all day long, but he wanted to check on his little girl.

Meanwhile, Little Miss and I were making do with little items of entertainment we had in my purse.  Our nurse was really wonderful.  She came right in as soon as Little Miss needed her IV drip checked and got her anything she wanted or needed that was available.  There were about 4-5 other nurses at the station right outside our door, but only our nurse came in to check on Little Miss' progress.

I stand corrected. Only our nurse came in to check on Little Miss' progress UNTIL my darn sexy husband showed up.  He hadn't been there five whole minutes before another nurse I had not seen comes knocking on the door.

"Oh excuse me.  Is that her machine beeping?"

"No ma'am.  My daughter's is just fine.  Thanks for checking."

"You're more than welcome, sir."

I found it a bit weird, but thought maybe our nurse stepped out a bit and she was asked to listen for the IV drip.  Steven and I continued playing with Little Miss for a few minutes. Then another knock came.

"Are you guys alright in here?  Do you need anything at all?"

"Uhhh, (looking at me) do we need anything? (Shook my head no).  Nope, we're doing just fine."

"No problem.  You're daughter is just beautiful and has been such a trooper for your wife."

"Thank you.  She's a brave one"

"You let me know if you need anything, m'kay?"

At this point, I was beginning to catch on.  Not my husband.  He was super impressed with the care of the nursing staff.  He was about to open his mouth and say so when our nurse walks in and closes the door.

"This is highly inappropriate to be telling you, but all the girls at the nursing station cannot get over how handsome your husband is.  They have all been gathered at the nurse's station waiting to catch a glimse."

Sure enough, when I stepped out to use the restroom there were about 8 nurses/staff workers sitting there.  I thought some even got a case of whiplash when I opened the door.  Much to their dissappointment, it was just a pregnant lady looking for the bathroom.  Too bad for them.  Thankfully, they were all still gathered around when we were dismissed so they got one last glimpse of the stud holding his little girl.  But, this time they got the back view.  Trust me.  It's almost as good as the front.  Almost.

Little Miss and a High Fever

Last Friday proved to be pretty eventful at the Torres household.  Little Miss went to bed Thursday night with a slight fever.  She woke up Friday morning with that same slight fever and complained her ear was hurting.  No biggie.  A little ear infection maybe and we'd be better in no time.  I made an appointment for 11:30am. 

At 11:35am her fever was no longer a little one.  It was a big one.  104.7 to be exact.  Never in my life have I ever had one of the kids with a fever that high.  After a battery of test (strep, urine sample, and two tubes of blood drawn) we had no more answers than when we arrived unless you count 'something viral' as an answer. 

We were just about to head out with a ton of Tylenol and Advil in hand, when the doctor read the lab work and mentioned Little Miss was slightly dehydrated.  Now I was really frustrated.  I am pretty good about watching the intake of liquids and dietary elements in the kids, and Little Miss had been hydrated.  After asking the doctor how this could be, she said Little Miss was tiny and her fever was so high the liquids in her body were evaporating.  She recommended I take her straight to the Children's Day Hospital for IV fluids for 4-5 hours.

I have to stop and say at this point, Little Miss had been my little rock star.  She didn't fuss or cry at any of the tests.  Not the nasty swabbing.  Not the pricking of her finger and the ungodly amount of blood the squeezed out of her finger.  Not having to pee in a cup.  Nothing. She was brave and tough and strong.  I was impressed with her.  However, I was concerned about the IV.  Plus, I had NOTHING to entertain her with at the hospital.  This was going to be a l-o-n-g 4-5 hours.

On the way to the hospital I immediately called my mom and asked her to say a prayer for Little Miss and myself.  Turns out her prayers worked.  When we arrived, the nurse was waiting for us.  She told Little Miss everything she was going to do and she just watched.  Not one fuss.  Not one squeal.  Not one cry.  In fact after the IV was placed and wrapped with a bandage, Little Miss held up her hand and said, "Ma-Ma, look at my pretty bracelet."  What can I say?  She's my girl.

Now you'll have to excuse her hair in this pic.  It was after her restless 20 minute nap in an uncomfortable hospital bed.  She tossed and turned and rubbed that hair all over the place.  I didn't realize how ratty it looked until after we got home.  Oh well!  I wasn't really concerned with her beauty.  I was more concerned with keeping an almost 3 year old busy.  I did find some Pictureka cards in my purse from a Chick-fil-a Kid's Meal.  We played Eye Spy and drew pictures on old receipts.  Like I said before,  I was not prepared to entertain a child for 4+ hours.  It all worked out though.  We were in good hands, and Little Miss was a trooper.  I think I just survived. 

Thankfully, Little Miss is completely mended and back to her sassy self.  We still don't know what was going on in her little body.  She had not one symptom except the fever.  Crazy, crazy stuff. 

Now tomorrow, I have a funny story related to when my darn sexy husband arrived at the hospital.  I found it quite comical.  Steven found it down right embarrassing.  He just doesn't know how his Latin Lover Looks affect the womenfolk around here.