Nothing like starting your day out with a little torture...

So I have been going to physical therapy for my elbows 2 times a week for the past few weeks and I tell ya it's close to torture sometimes! Not a fun way to start your day! I have these random pains in my elbows. Could be arthritis due to my sjogren's syndrome, but who knows. A few years ago it was my left elbow. After dealing with the issue off and on for close to a year I had surgery. They were unable to figure out what was causing it and eventually it went away. I got so used to accommodating for the fact that I could not straighten my arm out, my muscles were and continue to be very weak. Now the same issues are happening with my right elbow. It gets so bad that I can't get my elbow past a 90 degree angle (if that, when it's really bad). This makes caring for a toddler somewhat difficult to say the least. My rheumatologist put me on a high(ish) dose of steroids which worked wonders. Luckily I wasn't on the meds too long because there are some crazy side effects from steroids! So, the dr ordered the PT to try and prevent my right arm from getting as bad as my left. It does seem to be working, but it's hard, especially after going a few days without it. Hopefully it doesn't keep coming back like it did with the left, but we shall see huh?!

So any Bachelor/Bachelorette Fans out there? I am embarrassed to admit, but I don't think I have missed a season of this stupid show since it started. Why I waste my time watching this crap is a mystery to me, but I can't help it. It's like a car wreck on the freeway that you just can't help but stare at when you drive by! I can't help but laugh when the people in the beginning get so upset when they get the boot and talk about how "in love" they were. Seriously..give me a break. So, the previews make the upcoming episodes of this season look pretty juicy! Make it look like one guy has some "issues" in the bedroom! (wink! wink!) They always show everything out of context, so it's probably just some guy not wanting to stay in the "fantasy suite" with her or something as equally lame as that. The foot fetish guy was a big crazy tool and I am glad she got rid of him. I think he was still there for the ratings. The Wes guy seems like a tool as well. Sounds like he is only there to boost his singing career. If I hear that stupid song he wrote for her again, I'll have to hurt myself!

When you thought it couldn't get any worse, it has...they are starting a new bachelorette-like show for the heavy-set. I read an article about that show and they said it's a "dating show for the rest of us!" LOL!

This blog hasn't turned into much about life with a toddler much huh?

Happy Father's Day

We had a great Father's Day weekend! My company gave out free tickets to the zoo this weekend, so we ventured out Saturday morning before it got too terribly hot. I HATE being hot and can be huge whiner when out in the heat, but I have to admit it wasn't so bad since we got there when it 1st open at 9 AND as long as we were in the shade. Caroline's favorite animal was the tiger! The tiger was actually sleeping when we went by the exhibit, but she kept yelling "tigga, tigga" and continued to do at all of the cat exhibits, whether it be a leopard, lion, jaguar whatever...she kept calling for "tigga!" She also really liked the zebra, elephants, and giraffe. She kept doing the signs for elephant and giraffe and making the sounds for all of the various animals we saw. She loved the petting zoo (or "goat petting") and got into their big water bowl at one point. She has this fascination with water bowls...we can't leave Bo's water out at home or she will be all into it. She even tipped over one of my dad's bird baths today and got quite a surprise and was pretty soaked!

Sunday we went to church and lunch with the Martins and Dunhams. Kate and Caroline sat together at lunch and I totally felt sorry for the people that had to clean up after them! I am sure they were cursing us by the time we left...I know I would have! There was food everywhere! After lunch we went over to my folk's house. I got my dad some stuff for his new found hobby since retirement....birds! I swear I think all retired people love birds. It must be a prerequisite for retirement. So my dad seems to be doing a little better, but just looks so pale to me. I am going to take him to the dr tomorrow for his antibiotic shots. My mom's uncle passed away early this morning, so she will be headed up to Dallas and flying out with my aunt to Arizona on Tuesday. It was a total battle to get him to "agree" to let me take him to the dr tomorrow, but I finally wore him down I think and am just going to show up. He surely won't turn me down then.

I am excited about the cool gift I got Thomas for Father's Day! It's a cooking class for us at this place called Hubbell and Husdon in The Woodlands! Thomas is an amazing cook, so I thought this would be fun for us to try out. We will be cooking lobster, steak, asparagus, soufflés. I will probably not do all the great, but should be fun!

I will end this post tonight by saying that I am very lucky to have Thomas in my life and the father of my children. He is such a wonderful father and I love nothing more in this world than to see he and Caroline together. Her eyes light up when her father walks in the room! So here are some of my favorite pictures of them together! Enjoy!

So I changed the title!

I don't need people thinking I am pregnant quite yet, so I changed the title of the blog. It's not very creative, but oh well.

So update on my dad...he actually went yesterday and got the x-ray done and the dr indicated that he had double pneumonia (pneumonia in both lungs). Normally they would put people with double pneumonia in the hospital, but with him having leukemia, the dr was very hesitant to do for fear of him catching something else. So..they are loading him up on antibiotics. He gets antibiotics via 2 shots every day, as well as the ones he is taking orally. He is supposed to do this through Friday and depending on how things are Friday, maybe even over the weekend. Talked to him tonight and he thinks he may be feeling a little bit better, but not much. We actually had to end our conversation tonight because he was coughing so much he thought he would throw up. KILLS me to hear him like this! His dr was also supposed to be talking to his oncologist today because he thinks that dad may need another round of chemo after he gets through this, which is contradictory to what the oncologist told them last week. So more to come on all of this. Thanks for your kind words and prayers! =)

My mom needed a break from my dad yesterday, who apparently is a very difficult patient, so she picked up Caroline early from daycare and came back to our house. Caroline just loves her Mimi. They had a blast together. It is so sweet to see them together. Mom brought her several new books for us to read to her. I hope that she decides she likes these new books because we are getting tired of reading the same books over and over again multiple times a day! There are a couple of the books that are just plain dumb and I even found some spacing errors in the book. She is VERY particular about the books she likes to read. What is funny is that she will hand you the books she wants you to read and then get upset and throw a small fit if it turns out to be one she doesn't like. One of the books she really likes is the Richard Scary's Big Book of Words. She likes the Zoo page and can actually point to all of the animals as you name them and say most of the animal names on the 2 pages. It's pretty freaking amazing to me! I have this on video and will post it once I figure that out too!

Are there any So You Think You Can Dance fans out there? I am a HUGE fan of this show! This season has started out to be one of the best I have seen. It's "buck!" Thomas refuses to watch the show...he says he will lose his man card, so I have to go to our bedroom to watch. (eye roll) I hope they go on tour again after this season. I am so there! Watching the show makes me want Caroline to want to dance so bad!! Can't wait to start her in dance classes...she will look cute in her little ballet outfits!

Well that's all for tonight!

Does the title of my blog make it sound like I am pregnant?

Thomas told me last night when I named this thing that he thought it did and then my 1st ever comment on here said the same thing. I guess I could change it if I could figure out how...let me know what you think if anyone else actually reads this thing!

So I had a rough day today. My dad has been sick all weekend. My mom was able to get him to the dr today. So the dr sends him over to get a chest xray and he ended up leaving the freakin office before he got the x-ray done because he had been waiting for 30 minutes! I was so upset when my mom told me this. I worry about him so much. He has Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, which affects a lymphocyte in his bone marrow. It develops in the lymph nodes, and normally fights infection. In CLL, the DNA of the cell is damaged, so that it can't fight infection, but it grows out of control and crowds out the healthy blood cells that can fight infection. The dr says he has a really bad sinus infection, but wanted him to have the x-ray to determine if he has pneumonia or not, which they think he does. After talking with him tonight, he says he will go get the x-ray done tomorrow, but who knows what he will do when tomorrow gets here. I think he is worried that this may be something more serious. He kept saying he was more concerned about what the follow-up x-ray would show after the infection had cleared up. He is a smoker and has been for the majority of his life, so I think he thinks he may have lung cancer. I am trying to be positive, but I can't seem to get the thought out of my mind that it is more serious. I know there is no reason at this point to I pray that it is not anything more serious. So...... keep my dad in your prayers if you don't mind.

Well I caved...

and have joined the world of blogging! I will warn you now, I am not a funny, creative writer like some people I know that have blogs, but think this is a great way to keep family and friends updated on what is going on in our crazy little world! Like my profile said, being a mom is the most amazing and challenging experience in my life (so far). I work full time, so add that into the mix and things get hectic! So welcome and I hope you enjoy!

This weekend was pretty low key, which is nice for a change! Got Caroline's 19 month pictures taken on Saturday. I went in with pretty low expectations thinking that she would be all over the place and I was right, she was, but the photographer was very good and got some great shots! Once I figure out this site, I will post some for you to see! Thanks to my MIL who came and helped out with Caroline AND took us to lunch! Went and had Mexican food Saturday night and Caroline was super cute as she flirted with everyone in the resturant. Thomas tried to teach her to say "Hola" to the waitress and she actually said it a few times.

Today we took a family outting to the grocery store and it was entertaining to say the least. I could hear Caroline screaming "mommy" several aisles over on a few different occassions. Went to the pool after both of us took naps. I was exhausted and slept for 3 hours! The pool was fun. Caroline really likes it. Thomas takes her down the slide over and over again. I need to suck it up and let her go down by herself (with us at the bottom to catch her-of course) but what can I say, I am one of those annoyingly overprotective moms and am not ready for that yet, but feel I will get there soon enough. I also have pictures of this as well and will post one of these days!I know the overprotactive things is annoying, but hey I least I can admit it's a problem and that's the 1st step huh??


Have a very busy week ahead of us! Caroline starts a new room at daycare tomorrow and I pray that it's better than the room she has been in! More to come on that I am sure....