5 Facts

Here are 5 random facts about our family this past week:

1) Erin (9 mos.) got her 6th tooth!
2) Ella is evidently wise enough to keep a running list of inappropriate words. The other morning at breakfast, she broke the silence by asking randomly, "We can't say G*d-D*mnit, right?" "Right."  replied Derek.
3) No more than 10 minutes after calling Derek "an idiot" for chewing up our welcome mat in the snow blower, I busted off my car's side mirror while backing out of the car.  Foot in mouth.
4) After spending the weekend with an insane number of kids (carnival/cousins/bday party), it is no surprise that Ella came down with a stomach bug and I got some kind of respiratory flu.
5) Derek has so generously snowblowed our neighbor's driveway (the one who shares her flowers and herbs with us) all winter long, and this week she stopped by with a few gifts for him!

That's all, folks!

Fun Weekend!

It's going to be hard to beat a better weekend than this one! Friday night, we went to a school carnival in town, Saturday/Sunday we stayed in a hotel with a swimming pool for a family reunion, and Sunday afternoon we attended a birthday party. This is probably the most fun we've had since summertime!

Squishy girls in a squishy hotel bed

 Ready to hit the pool!

A Nice Little Pick-Me-Up

"You're beautiful, Mom Jo Gustafson!" ~Ella

Mama Ella

Big Sissy worked so hard all morning finding a quiet little corner for all of her babies and animals to take a nap. She covered them all in clothes and blankets. She barely stepped away and Erin decided she wanted to take a nap with them too!

*Bleep*

Derek: "You need to use a rubber whisk!"
Me: "I can't find one! Actually, I can't find any of our whisks! It's probably in Ella's crap."
Ella: "What crap? Mom, what crap? What's my crap, Mom?"
Me: "Your kitchen toys."
Ella: "Why's that crap?"

Ohhhhhh my mouth needs a mute button.

Lil John Deere Girls!

Derek hit a great sale at John Deere's store and picked up a couple shirts for the girls; matching pink camo sweatshirts and purple "tractor girl" shirts. Of course, they loved them!

Bad Genes

Erin's breathing issues are finally clearing up. Yippy! As we continue to monitor it, and suspect whether it'll become an asthma related issue, we can't help but question if it is one unlucky trait Derek may have passed on to her.

In the same week I think about this, I look at Ella who is currently covered in a rash on her sides, yet again. While it could just be accompanying something viral, it is more likely that a change in detergent or soap may have agitated her. Regardless, it had her in tears at 7am this morning. Sorry Ellers, you got your mama's (sensitive) skin.

Big Week

 Two exciting things in our family this week!

1) Erin has started to say Ma-Ma. It is so heart-warming to hear it. I have to admit that since she's already saying "Da Da," I've been mildly jealous until now. :)

2) For the last 6 months, I've been juggling the registrar position 5 hours a day and spend my afternoon doing Human Resources work at a second building/desk. It was never easy making that transition every day, and I certainly hated the cold, snowy walks!

The HR office is implementing a brand new system July 1st that is changing their whole world, and since they were short staffed anyway, this has changed my focus! Beginning today, I am Human Resources all day, every day, forever. It is going to be a very big change of pace and I have a lot to learn. I am very sad to leave my registrar job and coworkers, but I'm excited to have one desk/location/job again. I think the new technology is a much needed shift for the agency. I enjoy the work I'll be doing, and I'm ready for the challenge. In my first week, I'm jumping in with both feet as I have five full days of "new system" training with the group.

Er-Bear

Erin has had a bumpy road this winter fighting off colds!

Around Thanksgiving, she came down with a cold (with the rest of us). When this happened, her cold symptoms eventually passed but she wheezed for SEVERAL weeks. She was sick during her 6 month check-up, but they didn't do much because they never give medicine for colds. The second time I brought her to the doctor, they told us to try nebulizer treatments several times a day. 2 weeks later, I called to report no change and we tried pednisone. When that didn't work....I took her in for a chest x-ray which showed nothing in her lungs. When all was said and done, it took 6 weeks for the wheezing to stop.

This Sunday, Erin came down with a cold again. Her symptoms are now gone, but she is still wheezing terribly, similar to a few weeks ago. She does it so loud, she seems uncomfortable when she breathes. Nebulizer treatments haven't helped, so after today's appointment and a concern about her oxygen levels,  we begin the prednisone again in a larger dose.  We'll take her in tomorrow for them to see if anything has changed.

They're starting to wonder if she has early childhood asthma, but it's too early to diagnose. It is something she could grow out of...but in the mean time, we might be seeing frequent flare-ups.

It really makes me wonder if this could be related to her wet lung/respiration issues when she was born?

Strange Conversations

I stayed home on Tuesday with both girls, who were sick. In the afternoon, I found myself folding clothes in a quiet house while both girls were napping. As I was upstairs, Ella woke up from a nap in our living room where she found herself alone:

Ella (yelling): “…..MOM?”

Me: “I’m upstairs!”

(quiet)

Ella: “…….MOM?”

Me: “Yeah?”

Ella: “Are you having a tea party up there?”

Me: “………….no………..?”

4 Generations

This is a photo of my grandpa "Papa" and his great grand-daughter, Erin at a family gathering this weekend. I can't decide who is cuter! Definitely a photo worth keeping.

Taken by Lindsey Schaefer :)