Busy, Busy, Busy

With April and I back to work and finally the student back in our classrooms, things get a little hectic. It has been a few days since I have had an entry.

Kylee has at least three teeth coming in. She just turned three months yesterday. Ayden was also three months when she started cutting her teeth. What can I say, they are like their daddy, overachievers, haha.

I don't know why, I am watching the Ted Kennedy memorial service. Somewhat of a historical happening. How often do you see that many political figures in one place at the same time?

Ayden got herself a big girl bicycle. It has Tinkerbell on it. She likes it. It is at dad's shop for her on Fridays. She has trouble riding it. It will take her a while to get the hang of it, like it did the tricycle, but she will. She will grow into it.

The four of us are somewhat snotty and stopped up. I think it might be allergies or a head cold. Nothing major. Just aggravating this time of year. Other than that everything is going very well.

Gotta run. I have to finish some things for work. No rest for the wicked, so they say. Who are "they" anyhow? Oh well, trying to tie up some loose ends and get some things together.

I promise to post more often and get some recent pictures on here soon.

Life is good, I'm just along for the ride!

What a Weekend Already

Got home from the first day back to work to find a frozen up air conditioning unit. I was going to change the filters and removed the cover and WOW, there was a big bunch of ice.

Called the technician and he said let it thaw a few hours, replace filters, and turn it back on. Check. I did it. The girls were sent to cooler climates. Ayden to mom and dad's. Kylee to Will and Pam's. I miss them when they are not here.


I made sure the drain was cleaned out, and that it was free of ice before turning the unit back on. At about 10:00 I turned it back on. It doesn't seem to be cooling like it should. I went out today, and the filter was wet. I tried to get in contact with Ross and Williamson and as of now, 12:47, I have not heard back from them. It is cooler in the house, but it was exceptionally cooler outside last night.

Debbie and Pam called and wanted to know if they could come by until time for Sara's party. She is having a Welcome Home Party for Zach. I think it starts about 4. Debbie lives near Columbus. They came in a little early to see the girls.

April left to collect the girls so they would be here once Deb and Pam arrived. They got here about 1:00. It is always nice to have them visit.

The past few days I have been feeling really strange. I can't explain it. It's like I'm living in a fog. Like my brain is on a 10 second television delay. I don't know, just trying to stay as "normal" as possible. Whatever that is.

I ordered Ayden a LL Bean Book Pack for preschool that she is going to start on Sept. 15. It is pink. That is the color she wanted. Imagine that.

The air conditioning is fixed. Needed refrigerant, they said there was probably a leak and that they would be back during the week as not to incur a large call out bill. He put enough in to get us to then.

We had a wonderful time at Sara's welcome home party for Zach. There were several people there. A lot of his friends and a lot of our family. It was good. There was a little boy there that was Ayden's age so she had a blast. I manned the grill. Wow, I cooked several pounds of beef. There was tons of other food there also. Just the way a good cookout should be. The weather was great. It cooled down in the evening and we were all outside watching the children run and play tag, color on Sara's carport with sidewalk chalk, and just be funny kids. It was nice.

We stopped by mom and dad's on the way home and talked to dad a while. Mom was gone, and the girls were sound asleep in the truck. We got home and fed Kylee and I don't think Ayden even stayed awake to get her gown on. She played hard. April and I are exhausted. I'm ready for bed. I'm planning on going for a day hike tomorrow. We'll see how I feel when I wake up.

Two little girls, one doctor, and some shots...

Monday was going to be a rough day no matter how it started. So, why would it start smoothly? Ayden and Kylee both had checkups with Dr. Miranda at 2:30. That meant I had to leave here at about 1:15 to allow for traffic and the like.

I had to feed, dress, and bathe both girls. Kylee got up at 9:30 and wanted to eat immediately. Ayden got up at about 10 and wanted cereal. She, of course wanted to go back to sleep because she said she didn't get enough rest. I kept trying to get her to the bathroom and she kept finding excuses not to go. Most excuses revolved around her being too tired and not getting enough sleep.

I finally got her into the tub. She wasn't happy. Everything I did was wrong. I let the water out and left Ayden to play and went to fill Kylee's bath water in her little sink mounted tub. I dressed Ayden and combed her hair then bathed Kylee. I dressed her and it was time for another bottle. 12:45, right on schedule. I finished feeding Kylee and started getting the girls ready to go out the door. Ayden was putting her shoes on while I was putting Kylee in the car seat. She asked me if she had her shoe on the right foot. I told her to switch it. I assumed that she did, since she always does. I looked as I was asking her to grab Baby Sissy's passy off of the chair and she had both shoes on the wrong feet.

I asked her why. She said I had told her to put them on those feet. Sure. It took several minutes to get this situation under control. It was almost a Level 3 Ayden Meltdown. We got that straightened out and I was still attempting to get Kylee in the car seat. I kept asking Ayden to grab the passy. I finally got Kylee in the car seat and started toward the chair. Ayden jumped in front of me, headed for the chair. I almost knocked her down, tried to grab her, and ended up smacking her in the face. She grabbed her face and just looked at me in disbelief. If I hadn't felt so bad about it, it would have been comical.

April had a faculty meeting, so she didn't know if she would make it to the appointment. Since both girls would be getting shots; Ayden was getting one, and Kylee was getting 3, I thought it would be wise to get someone to go along to help. I stopped by and picked mom up from her office. I didn't have any Infant Tylenol so I stopped and Ran in CVS to pick some up. We always gave Ayden Tylenol before shots and it seemed to help. We gave her and Kylee a dose yesterday.

Ayden weighed 33 lbs and was 36 1/2 inches tall. Kylee weighed 11 pounds and was 22 inches long. We had been guessing that Kylee weighed around eight to eight and a half ponds. Boy, were we wrong.

We had opted to deny the chicken pox immunization for Ayden. Research was showing a lot of females that had received the vaccine were getting chicken pox while they were pregnant which is really harmful for the fetus. It was also being found that if children received the vaccine did contract chicken pox later in life it would usually be severe enough to mutate into shingles.

But, wouldn't you know it, the law has changed. In order to start Kindergarten, children now have to have the chicken pox immunization. It is two doses. She had to have the first one yesterday. She overheard the nurse and went into DEFCON 1. Total armed readiness. She watched Kylee get all three shots. She held her hand and petted her head. She was great. Kylee screamed for a total of about 1 minute. For all three shots combined. As soon as Kylee stopped, Ayden started. It was very loud. If we hadn't been at a doctor's office, I'm sure I would have went to jail for child abuse. And I didn't even touch her. By this time Kylee had went to sleep.

I had to hold Ayden down for the nurse, not only did she get a shot she got a Flu Mist. It is a mist up the nose. Boy, she liked this less than the shot. If that is possible. It took some petting, really soothing talk, promise of chicken nuggets, a Pinwheel, 2 packs of Smarties, and a My Little Pony Sticker to even get her to walk and stop screaming. She takes this after her mommy.

We hadn't gone two blocks toward mom's office and both girls were sleeping soundly. Ayden slept until we got home and Kylee slept until about 6:30. She only ate three times yesterday. She even slept through the night. She is running temperature from the shots and is a little cranky. She slept until 11:00 this morning. She has only eaten twice. It is odd to see her so cranky. She is like Ayden in that respect. Always happy and sweet. Not usually in a bad mood.

Saturday/ Sunday August 15-16, 2009

Whomever coined the phrase "Terrible Twos", obviously didn't have a three year old. I don't mean to make this sound bad, because its not. It just drives me nuts.

We went to the Beach Fork Pool on Saturday because it was HOT. And of course there were tons of skanks there. There was even one woman that obviously didn't get enough attention at home. She had a drain coming out of her back. Probably because she had an infection of some sort. The tube ran down to a bag that was hooked on to her cut-off jean shorts that were a really good paint job. I didn't see her in the big pool but I did see her standing under the water sprinklers of the baby pool. I did hear the the women that were with her, after examining the tube exit, ask her if she had hit it while she was in the large pool. You should have seen the act she put on when one of the small children hit her leg, her leg, not even close to her back. Of course, the lady standing next to her might have tapped her back, I don't know. I just know that she probably should not have been parading around in the open with nothing but a gauze 4x4 covering the tube exiting from deep inside of her. Just my opinion.

Ayden and I went out to the truck to eat lunch. I had packed a picnic and she was getting hungry and tired. I had to carry her all the way there. We ate and fixed April a Turkey sandwhich, grapes, Sun chips, and some cheese cubes to sneak into her. We took it into her and Ayden ate all of the grapes, even though she had eaten six or more at the truck. They were good.

Kylee was good. When she got too hot we would walk her under the sprinklers of the baby pool or sit on the edge of it. Ayden was really good she would cup her hands and put water on Kylee's legs and stomach. It was funny.

We left a little after five. Both girls were getting tired. We took everything out of the gate and I went to get the truck. When I got back April and I loaded Kylee and the towels. I told Ayden to sit up out of the stroller so I could put her in her seat and she said, "NO". I told her to sit up again, and she said, "I am resting first". I told her that if she wanted to come back to the pool she would sit up so I could sit her in the truck. She told me that she would wait till we were gone and she would leave and come back by herself. OK whatever, where does she come up with this stuff.

We got home and starting cleaning the girls up. Kylee was going to mom and dad's and Ayden was going to Will and Pam's. April was trying to get Ayden in the bath and she was throwing her normal fit. Then it was so funny. She asked April why she was so hateful. And we thought Ayden was the one being hateful.

We finally got her out and I put her into the living room to watch cartoons and watch for Pam so she could come and get us when she got here. I packed Ayden's bag and clothes for her to wear to Granny Doe's birthday party on Sunday. I went back to the Master Bath to help April with Kylee. She holds her in the shower and I wash her. Kylee actually loves it. She laughs and kicks. She has a great time.

I heard Ayden yelling Grammy so I went back into the living room. She had her head stuck out the front door yelling, "I miss you, Grammy" over and over again. I asked her if Grammy was here and she said no, I just miss her.

We got Kylee ready and I ed her before mom arrived to get her at about 9:30. It was odd to have both girls gone. If one of them is gone we usually always have the other at home with us. Unless of course we are at the hospital.

April and I had big plans. We were going to go to Rocco's to eat but it was too late. We then decided to go to Buffalo Wild Wings, the food is good, and they are open late. We thought we wanted to go to a late movie, but none started late enough. So we went to eat. We chatted and talked to one of April's former students. We went to Rt. 60 Wal-Mart. By this time it was around midnight. We were both really tired. April was falling asleep in the passenger seat. I was falling asleep driving. I don't know how we made it home. I thought seriously about stopping and getting a room in town, just so I wouldn't have had to drive home. We are getting old. Just not the party animals we once were.

We got up this morning and just kind of lounged around. It was nice. We started getting ready to go to Dunlow. Mom and dad had gone to get pizza at Domino's and a cake for Granny Doe. Today is her 70th birthday. We visited with everyone and ate. We brought Kylee and came home. Ayden stayed with mom and dad so she could play with my cousin's little girl. She is about a year older than Ayden.

I just talked to mom and asked her to bring something that we had forgotten home with her, and I heard Ayden say, "I want to talk to my daddy right now!" I told mom to tell her not to be so bossy. Mom said that she had given her the look and that was all that it had taken.

Friday, August 14, 2009

It has been a few days since my last blog entry. It has been a little busy. April has got her first week back to work for the fall under her belt, and I have one more week until I go back. I'm actually looking forward to getting back in the swing of things.

Ayden went to mom and dad's last night so she could go to the shop with dad today. We had left April's car in town yesterday evening and we rode home together since we both had to be back in town early this morning. We dropped Kylee off with Will and Josh. They were going to watch her today. I had two doctors appointments today. Everything went well. I go back to Dr. Ahmed in 3 months for another check up on my Chiari Malformation. The medications seem to be really helping. He gave me a couple sample packs of a new medication to try instead of the injections of Immatrex. It is a tablet, so it will be easier, no doubt. I just hope it works as well. It is supposedly better.

April backed into a parked car in one of Marshall's parking lots yesterday. It was my fault. She came to give me a ride from there to Old Main to order transcripts for a job at the State Department I am going to apply for. It was an older car that was pretty beat up anyway. I called MUPD and they came over and were pretty shocked that I had called them and not just driven off. I took several pictures and made sure that they agreed that we hadn't done any damage to the other car. They took down April's information and left a note, along with the parking ticket, on the other instructing the owner of the car to call him if they had any questions. He said he would call us if the owner of the car contacted him and he would fill out an official report. We haven't heard from him yet. I doubt we will. April's car just has one perfect circular dent in the corner of the driver's side rear bumper. It is about the size of a softball. I had to laugh at her. I thought she had hit a kid on a bike. We had one of those days yesterday.

We left there and went to April's doctor appointment. She is on a few new meds and is really watching blood pressure and weight, aren't we all. She has to really watch her kidney's. It wasn't the greatest news, but by all means it could have been a lot worse. The news was a lot better than we had anticipated. We were relieved. It won't hurt either of us to eat healthier and be a bit more active. I am really proud of her. She is 30 pounds lighter than she was before she became pregnant with Ayden, over 3 years ago.

The past two nights Kylee has slept through the entire night. It is more than I can say for myself. I haven't been sleeping well. It comes and goes. I have lost so much sleep lately that my eyes are constantly burning and I have a headache. Not the same kind as the Chiari, Migraine. But aggravation none the less.

April and I rode to town together this morning. It was fun. We have been like a young couple just starting to date lately. We have been talking for hours on end. I was always afraid that after you were married for a while and had kids and so on, that you would just kind of talk about the necessities; what's for dinner, who's going to pick up the kids, I'll be late this evening, and so on. We have been so busy and worried lately that that's kind of what was happening, but the last week or so we have been talking about everything. For hours on end, until we would both fall asleep. I really enjoy it. I know that sometimes she just wishes I would shut up.

I ordered two new phone cases for mine and April's iPhone yesterday evening from Amazon.com. They were pretty expensive, but hey, they are Italian leather ;). You can also put your ID and Debit/Credit Cards and cash in them. They are called the Sena Wallet Book. Hers is red and mine is black. They are faux alligator skin. NICE. Anyway, I ordered them yesterday evening at about 7pm and they were on my porch by 3pm today. That's what I call service. They are pretty nice. For one, I won't have to carry my phone and a wallet now, and two, I haven't seen anyone (other than April) who has a case like this. Considering they were $50 each I probably won't either. That's a lot for a cell phone case you say. Well, we don't have a house phone because we choose to use only our cell phones. We have the iPhone which is a PDA, ipod (plays music, think Sony Walkman, only I have 2000 songs on mine), phone, camera (I have almost 300 pix of the girls on mine), I even have some really neat educational games for Ayden to play while we are traveling, and it is a miniature computer with Internet. These phones are amazing. I wasn't a big fan of them until I actually got one for Father's Day. The case protects the phone as well as replaces the worn out wallet I have been carrying for 3 years or longer. So, if you need a new phone, I would consider the Apple iPhone. If you already have one, I would recommend Googling the name of the case, it is really nice.

Thanks for reading.
Let the ones you love know it.
Tomorrow is not definite.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The second day that April has been back to work, the second day that I have had the girls all alone. It has been nice. I have secretly been brain washing them while April is away. Ayden and I have been having long discussions about getting a puppy. She is set on it. She mentions it at least 10 times a day.

We had a good day, we played and played and played. I fixed her breakfast and fed Kylee. Kylee slept most of the day today. Although, she did poo twice within 30 minutes of each one. Not a real eventful day just a good one because I woke up and am blessed to have three of the best women in the world under my roof.

Ayden has been making up stories and songs. She inserts the appropriate name to fit the person that is with her at the time. She sang me a song that went something like, "I love my special daddy, he is the best daddy, that takes me to the potty and fixes me milk". I know, sweet

She read April a story when she came home. It was the same sort of story with mommy inserted. Pam is out of town so Will and Josh came over to have pizza with us. It was good to have company. Ayden was sure glad to see them. Kylee like when Papaw Will comes to visit. She gets a lot of attention.

After showers and when I was fixing Ayden her nightly cup of milk, she came into the kitchen. She said, daddy, and batted her big blue eyes. I said what honey. She looked me dead in the eye and said I think I want a puppy...or a kangaroo...or a giraffe. I lost it. I cracked up. I tried to get her to tell April what she wanted but she said that mommy would laugh at her. I had to explain that I was laughing at her because she was cute. So then she told her. We are still laughing about it. I guess, at least she doesn't want a tiger or a King Cobra. It could always be worse.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Last night Ayden pulled another first. April was in the shower and I was in the bed playing a game on my phone. Ayden had been in her bed for some time. Kylee was asleep in her crib that is in our room. I thought I felt something bump our bed, but I didn't see anything. I started counting and nothing. I got up and walked around and said, "Ayden better not be in here or she will be in big trouble". Still nothing. The bed spread was off of the bed and in the floor. I just happened to pick it up and there was Ayden hiding under it. She immediately said, "I was playing hide and seek from you, daddy." She has been doing that a lot lately. She hides in the hall and at the doorway. I think she figures we will just give up and let her just jump right up in the bed with us if she makes us mad enough. Hate to tell her that it's not going to work.

Today is April's first day back to work from summer break. I don't go back to work until the 21st. I think. I am here, alone, with both girls. They depend on me to survive, which does nothing to ease my nerves. It wouldn't be nearly as nerve wrecking if it wasn't for all of their basic needs. Of course, Ayden can tell me when she needs to go potty or needs something to eat. Kylee, on the other hand, just screams. I have gotten fairly good at deciphering the screams. Which one means hungry or wet and so on.

I woke up this morning to feet and knees buried into my back and a screaming baby in the crib. Thinking, where in the world is April? Oh yea. She went to work. Kylee wanted to eat immediately and so did Ayden. She wanted pancakes. Dry, which means no syrup. That is good. A habit we have tried to get her into. I fixed a bottle as I was fixing the pancake so I could feed Kylee as soon as I gave the plate to Ayden. And that was none too soon.

As much as Kylee was screaming while all the preparation was going on she sure was content once she ate. Like a different baby. Ayden is now running around the living room playing with a stuffed Lady from Lady and the Tramp. I have been telling her we need to talk mommy into letting us buy a puppy. An Akita pup. If it wasn't so close to time to go back to school, I think I would. If I had a little more time to house train it I believe I would get one, "for Ayden".

I have talked to April a couple of times today and it seems that she is having a pretty good day. She is unpacking and getting things organized in her new office. the new office is really nice. I ordered her about ten 8X10 and one 13X19 prints from Megan Duncanson, the same artist I ordered her a couple of paintings from for her birthday, for her office. We will have to get them framed because they are prints but they are still really interesting and full of color. They should be mailed out today and arrive sometime later this week. I also ordered another original painting for here at the house. Bringing our grand total to 3 of her originals. April and I have became pretty big fans of hers.

I really think Ayden may be a tad warped. She has seen more than her fair share of surgeries and hospital stays to April and I and even grandparents. She is running around here playing doctor. Unfortunately, I am the failing patient. She is taking my blood pressure and looking in my ears and eyes. She has a couple of Disney Princess dress up outfits. She just told me to button it because it was her princess doctor outfit. WHATEVER. Where does she come up with this stuff? I tell people all the time that she is already smarter than I am at 3 years old. It really is not a joke. I blame Noggin. Maybe I could sue them.

Picture this, she is walking around the living room right now with her Princess "doctor" top, skirt, and high heels on. She has flashlight that moos every time you squeeze its tail and she is combing her hair.

There is never a dull moment in the Copley Household. I love it.

Saturday Evening, August 8, 2009

We arrived at Will and Pam's and helped with some preparation of the food and the setting of the table and things like that. It was a while before Sara and Zack arrived. Ayden was about to wear us out waiting on them. She was wanting to hide from Zack so she could scare him when he got there. Sara called when they pulled in the driveway so Ayden could run and hide. They came in and started looking for Ayden and you could hear her laughing and snorting around the corner. She was so excited she couldn't be still.

It was a good visit. Zack brought pictures and after what I must say was an excellent meal we sat down and looked at a lot of them on the computer via a slide show. Unbelievable. Afghanistan is beautiful but deceivingly dangerous at the same time. Zack and I discussed getting dogs. I've really been wanting one for some time now, but there are just too many more cons than pros at this time so I think I should probably hold off for the time being.

Sara and Zack brought Ayden her birthday gifts since all that is and has been going on we aren't going to be able to have her a party here. We had her cake and stuff at the beach, but we just have too much on our plate to do one here. Plus, it is just to long past her actual birthday. They bought her a set of story books. By the time we had left I think she had read each one about 1o times. There was also some sort of game with ducks. From the time I got the batteries in it, Zack was in the floor playing with her. Later, after dinner, (steak) Ayden wooled all over Sara and Zack on the couch. When Josh was tickling her, she yelled for Zack to come and save her. She really likes him. It is funny. Ayden and Sara caught up on lost time arguing. Ayden needed to go to the potty and would not let Sara take her. She layed in the floor of the bathroom and cried because Sara tried to take her. Later, Ayden wouldn't let anyone take her but Sara. I think it was on purpose because on that trip, Ayden ran her out of the bathroom. Sara had to turn the fan on and then clean out Ayden's little potty. She said it was completely full. They act like sisters. It is fun to watch.

Sara and Zack left out before we did, he had to leave out early Sunday morning to head back to Indiana for a couple of weeks. Then he will be back for a little while. I'm not sure what will happen after that. He has a couple of job opportunities.

We left and we were going to stop by mom and dad's but they weren't home. I was almost out of gas so we ran to BP to fill up. The way things are going, I could see me having to leave in the middle of the night because of an emergency and not having enough gas to get to the hospital. We pulled in and Ayden said,"Too many lights". April told her to close her eyes. Well, she did. And went to sleep.

Kylee was asleep most of the day. Except for when she was arguing with Josh. She was even pointing at him. It was hilarious. He was tickling Ayden and she was screaming and laughing. Kylee started giving Josh the stink eye and pointing at him. Then she would look away and we would all laugh. Then someone would tell her to tell Uncle Joshie to stop and she would look right at him and point her finger and glare at him. She did this five or six times. It was really funny. That was the extent of her "awakeness" today.

After we filled up, we stopped by the house to use the bathroom and let April grab her phone. April was feeling so well we decided to go for a drive. Since her Nanny is out of town we decided to drive to East Lynn and check on things. It was a good drive and we just talked. Something that we don't get to do much lately it seems. We got there and I checked the doors. Everything seemed to be fine.

On the way back, my cousin, Kent had just pulled into his driveway so we stopped and talked to him and his girlfriend Tiffany for about 30 minutes or so. They just bought a house and I hadn't talked to him in a while. He had done a lot of work and the place, from what I saw, looked nice.

We got home around 11:30pm and Ayden woke up just long enough to see her eyes while we were putting her pajamas on. Kylee woke up while we were changing her, but she always does. It was a relatively still night in the Copley Household. It was nice. April has to go back to work on Monday and I'll be here with the girls by myself. I don't know what I am afraid of more. April going back to work and over doing it, or me being here with the two girls by myself. I'll be fine. And so will she.

Saturday Morning, August 8, 2009

Yesterday was a very emotional time here for us. I can't elaborate now but will in the days to come. Just know that we will make it through because we love one another and our children and we will be here for each other no matter what.

On a lighter note, Zack is in WV until tomorrow morning. We are having a cookout for him later today at Will and Pam's. We are glad he is home safe and sound.

Ayden had a major meltdown last night because she wanted to sleep with us. She was in the floor screaming and crying. I picked her up to carry her to her room when she started kicking. She has never done this before. She landed a foot right in the business. I have to admit it was a good shot. I almost dropped her. April led her the rest of the way to her room. We both discussed with her the importance of sleeping in her own bed. She finally fell asleep. Thank goodness.

Right now she is imitating the dancers on television while eating her cereal. She is over it. I think part of it has to do with her sleeping with her grandparents when she goes to their houses. I talked to dad earlier this morning and he said he would have her a bed by the time she stayed there again. Now we just need to talk to Will and Pam about it. Not that it is a big deal, we just can't have her pitching a fit every time she comes back from staying the night with someone.

Ayden called Zack this morning to talk to him. She told him that she had a surprise for him at her house and that she would see him later. She is so funny, she held her arms out and told Sara she loved her this much. It was funny.

She is now retelling the story to April. April asked Ayden who she talked to this morning and she coyly said Zack. She is now telling how she told Zack that she has a blue present (the gift is in a blue gift bag) and a card for him. She said she can't wait to see him today at the cookout.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

April had a follow up with Dr. Jennings, the doctor that performed her appendectomy. He released her to go back to work on Monday. He said she looked like she was doing very well. He also told her to watch what she lifted and to take it easy for a while longer.I found out on Wednesday that I am to undergo a series of injections in my spine for my back pain. They are some sort of nerve block, epidural. There will be three of them given once a month. If, after the second one, they don't seem to help, they will discuss inserting a tenze unit into my back. That is a stimulator that sends electric signals into the spine to release the swelling and pressure placed on the nerves. I'm up for whatever gives me some relief.

After April's appointment today we went to buy some welcome home gifts for Sara's boyfriend, Zack. He landed in Indiana today, back from an eight month tour of Afghanistan. He is a really good guy. We got to spend a lot of time with him over Thanksgiving and Christmas before he was deployed. We are glad he is back safe. Ayden really likes him. He is really good with her. He always brought her some little something every time he came to visit. He hasn't got to see Kylee yet, I'm sure she will love him just the way Ayden does.

Today marked yet another milestone as parents. Ayden got her first haircut and style. It was great. Sonny was really good with her. He has cut my hair for several years. Today he cut mine, April's, and Ayden's. He does a really good job.

We stopped at Wal-Mart to get a card for Zack and some odds and ends and both girls were asleep so I stayed in the truck with them. April might have made it in the door before Kylee started screaming like a banshee. I knew she was getting hungry. I pulled to the end of the parking lot and proceeded to fix her a bottle. I fed her and she burped well half way of the bottle. She ate the second half and I noticed that she was passing an excessive amount of gas. It was really stinking. I started to put her on my shoulder to burp her and had a present in my hand. This is why I had started carrying hand sanitizer in my truck a while back. She was so generous with it she had it up the back of her outfit and boy did it stink. Luckily, April had made it to the truck by this time. She helped me get my hand cleaned off so I could at least finish burping Kylee. We put her on the changing pad and changed, what had to have been in the top 5 worst diapers ever. It was so bad I wish I would have gotten a picture. We didn't bother putting a new outfit on her, we just put a new diaper on her and headed home.

Jake stopped by to try to finish mowing the grass. It has been difficult with the rain and my mower. I have had it to Kenny Queen's twice, and it is still not running right. I was assured this last time that it was fixed. It is not. I am going to stop in there in person tomorrow and have a talk with them instead of calling on the phone. Not that will help any. It should last more than five years. It is a Lawn Boy, not some fifty dollar piece of junk. Oh well.

Here are some pictures of Ayden getting her first hair cut:

And we were afraid she wouldn't like it. She had been telling us for a couple of weeks that she wanted to get her hair cut.

Still doing great. She acted as if this was the 100th time instead of the 1st. We even let her go first instead of watching us.

After he was finished he told her he was going to style it for her just like a big girl. She ate this up and sat there for the whole thing.

And of course, we topped off the day with the best chicken nuggets on earth, Chic-fil-a...and ranch...and milk.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Wow, what a busy day. April is resting. She is very tired since her renal biopsy yesterday. She said it was more painful and she is more sore than when she had the appendectomy last week. I fixed Ayden cereal this morning then got April up to the couch. I fed Kylee and got her situated. I took all of the trash down because today is trash day. We went to Sam's and have a lot of boxes to get rid of so I was glad to carry them down. Of course it was raining. Once I got back in, I fixed April a grilled cheese and some OJ. By this time Ayden is hungry again and I fixed her some milk and a grilled cheese. I fixed some tuna salad for me and fed Kylee again.

I just fed Kylee again, changed her diaper and clothes and put Ayden down for a nap. She did not want to go. But my sanity needed her too. So she went. She must have sensed the urgency. It is amazing. I had to spank her at the beach and since then all I have to do is give her "the look" and she immediately says "sorry daddy". Kinda nice, because now I don't have to spank her. Kylee is awake. I hope she stays this way for awhile that way she will sleep during the nite. Not that she is doing bad, but there is always room for more sleep when normal people are supposed too. In my opinion.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Today was a good day. April continues to heal. She was up and around more today. Ayden wound up on my side of the bed last night. It was a long night. She was up from 3:30am until about 5am. But then she and April slept until about 11. I brought Kylee with me into the living room at about 9 so they could sleep. April really needs too.

Once they woke up I let Ayden help cook her breakfast. She loves it. It also allows for her to eat more of a variety of foods. She helped make scrambled eggs. She put the butter in the pan and watched it melt. I then let her crack the egg and put it in the pan. She also did a very good job of stirring it. Finally, she put shredded cheese on her egg. She was so pleased with herself. As were April and I.

Kylee had a really good day. Although she doesn't eat very well for me. It is a fight to get her to eat half of her bottle. April believes that she gets too comfortable and falls asleep. She does do this, but she also squirms and fights and spits out as much as she takes in. I don't know what I do wrong. I can't remember Ayden being that way with me although April says she was. Probably.

On a little personal note here, Kylee can give any full grown man a run for his money in a belching or farting contest. No joke. It is amazing.

Ayden went to stay the night with Will and Pam. They came over earlier and brought April her birthday present that had just arrived. It was Vera Bradley for her new office. It was a complete set with wall hanging, note pad and all. It was a combined gift from Them, Sara, and Josh. They left and would come back later for Ayden.

We played all day. We tried to get her down for a nap but she was having nothing to do with it. She is doing this thing now where she wants to climb all over me. I don't mind it. Well, she took full advantage of me not seeing her for a couple of days. She climbed on me for a couple of hours today. I don't know about her, but my legs are really sore. I guess I'm just getting old. Will came and picked her up around 8pm. She is going to the Clay Meeting with Will and Pam tomorrow. It is easier for them to get her up there than us here and then them coming to get her.

I'm glad April is doing better. I was worried about her in the ER on Wednesday. But like I posted before she is a strong individual. She can take a lot. And has. After both girls and her tumor surgery the only pain medicine she would take was Motrin. I would have been screaming like a little girl. I don't know how she did it. This past surgery is the only time that I know of that she has had morphine. It was rather funny. They had given it to her in the recovery room. She didn't get sick like she usually does. That is one reason she won't take pain medication. But she is a trooper.

Kylee is sleeping well, time to get some rest before the next feeding.