A First Aid Kit: Travel Edition

In a few days, my little family will be headed across the country to celebrate the wedding of my sister-in-law. We are all super excited, but I am also dreading the packing process.

Can somebody else just come over and make sure we have packed every single thing we may need? I just know I will forget something essential, like the girls' flower girl dresses.

With a 1 year old and a 3 year old, my packing list is about a mile long. Oh yeah, and we are flying… normally this would be a welcomed change, but I'm so not looking forward to being inside a small space with 2 crazy girls that don't always act like little angels in public. Plus, how am I suppose to pack everything we need into 2 pieces of luggage?! No, really. How?

I figured I would start with something easy and work my way up to packing our main luggage. Without a home base, we will need a stash of first aid items to help mend little boo-boos and soothe tiny tears.

Many of these items are not needed for everyone's travel first aid kit, but they are essential for our travels. Purell and wet wipes are a must for anybody traveling with small children, as are tissues. My oldest has eczema that randomly flares up, so we always travel with some sort of hydrocortisone cream and a thick lotion. Another essential that every parent should carry while traveling is a thermometer and children's tylenol. I have too many extra thermometers from buying one while traveling because somebody gets a fever. I also always throw in adult tylenol because momma always gets a headache while traveling.

Last, but certainly not least, band-aids and neosporin. BONUS: Band-aids can double as stickers to occupy restless toddlers on long plane rides.

Now that that's done… I guess it's time to stop procrastinating and start packing all of our clothes. So many clothes.

THIS POST WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY NEOSPORIN. I WAS NOT COMPENSATED FOR THIS POST, HOWEVER I DID RECIEVE A SAMPLE FOR MY REVIEW COURTESY OF INFLUENSTER. ALL OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ARE VERY MUCH MY OWN.

I'm on the Juice

Currently, I'm stuffing my face with all things carb and filled with sugar. Okay, not really, but my dreams are filled with doughnuts and cinnamon rolls. Isn't it funny how you start craving certain foods when you're about to go on a diet. Oh yeah, I should mention that I'm about to go on a diet. And I won't be eating anything for the next week. Not one thing. No, I'm not going to starve. I'm going on the juice. For the next 5 days I will be drinking raw fruits and veggies only. That's it. It's not really a diet or a cleanse, just a little push to reboot my system and get me back on the clean eating path.

Ever since the holidays, I have been making up excuses to indulge in my favorite sweets and breads putting off a sugarless diet until tomorrow. When tomorrow came, I would announce that I would once again cut the sugar out of my diet "tomorrow". I fell of the wagon and then the wagon sped up and I couldn't catch up to hop back on, so I'm hoping this juice reboot is just the thing to get me caught up and clean eating again. I'm following the 5-Day Juice Reboot by Joe Cross. If you haven't heard of him or juicing, go watch Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead! Incredibly inspiring, at least to me. After watching this the first time, I dramatically cleaned up my diet and cut out sugar. Last night was the second time I saw the documentary and now I am motivated to cut out the sugar once again. Wish me luck! I'm going to need it… beginning the juice reboot also means I will be ditching coffee for the next 5 days. I might be binging on pots of coffee tonight just to get in my last fix before quitting cold turkey. Just maybe. Linking up with Venus Trapped in Mars today.

Workin' on my Fitness

Whomp. whomp. I've hit a plateau in the weight department. Sure, I haven't been super strict with my diet lately, but I don't think that's quite what's causing this pause on the scale. I believe it's the whole working out thing. As in, I need to start working out. For months, I've been kidding myself with "playing with the kids is working out", but it's not. I have been losing weight every month by eating healthy, so I saw no use for adding an extra hour to my day to sweat. I need to get off my lazy butt and start running again or, at least, try a video. The thing is, I hate working out. It's not really the actual workout that I hate, but all the things that surround working out. I've come up with 5, but there are probably 100 things I hate about working out. Is it just me?

Now, I'm off to start my week right by sweating through a workout video. Oh, and I might not get a chance to shower until Tuesday, so I apologize to anyone I run into ahead of time. Smelly, but in great shape. Sounds fantastic. Linking up with Sarah from Venus Trapped in Mars today.

Sick Days

Has sickness been going around your house? We are hanging on by a tissue over here. The only things that helped us get to Sunday were my mom (thanks for visiting Mommo) and bottomless cups of coffee. 
So, instead of watching the Super Bowl, we are hoarding kleenex and warming up by the humidifier while dreaming of a day when we can smell again (and sleep again). 
Surely, nobody will be checking in today, but if you happen to be reading this… any tips to help get baby over a cold? She is the only one that can't really take any of the congestion relief medicines. Poor thing.

A Fresh Green Smoothie

With this cold weather, I just want to stay indoors by the fire and eat carbs all day. Cold weather doesn't exactly scream salads, am I right?
To get more of the green stuff in my diet and to keep my little ones busy, I'm forcing myself to get back on the green smoothie train. My go to recipes for green smoothies can be found here.
Unfortunately, I'm not really clear on whether or not almond milk is safe for baby, so I'm avoiding it to be on the safe side. Lately, we've been making smoothies for the entire family (baby included) and this is our new go to:

Do you have any veggie rich recipes that you crave during the cold months? I'd love to add some tasty veggies to my stack of go-to recipes.
Stay warm y'all! And drink all your veggies :)

5 Unique Ways to Use Coconut Oil

I am obsessed with coconut oil. I really think that it might just be the cure to everything. Just kidding. Well, maybe. I have only used it a couple of ways, but I am willing to try all of the uses below (although I am highly skeptical about some of the claims - I'll keep you updated on my results).

Face Wash Yes, I wash my face with coconut oil. I read about another blogger's skincare routine (wish I remembered where) and she raved about coconut oil as face wash. I had some in the pantry and ran out of face wash, so the only logical thing to do was try it. I'm hooked.
Oil Pulling I just recently tried this one. Just recently being yesterday. Essentially, it's using coconut oil as mouthwash. You just swish oil around in your mouth like you would mouthwash for (ideally) 20 minutes. Not hating it so far. We'll see how I feel about this in a month.
Energy Booster There are multiple claims on the internets about this one. The most common recommendation that I have read is to mix 1 tablespoon of coconut oil with 1 tablespoon of chia seeds and ingest for a quick energy booster. One website even warns not to do this at night. Interesting. Looks like this tired momma will have to try this one in the morning.
Helps Avoid Sunburn Not totally sold on this claim, but I'm willing to give it a try. It's actually recommended that you eat a balanced diet (including coconut oil) to see the full benefits, but coconut oil is also said to have an SPF or 4… couldn't hurt to try it. Coconut oil can also help prevent peeling after you get a sunburn.
Weight Loss Would love it if this one was not a myth. Again, I'm skeptical, but willing to try it out - for the sake of science, of course. Miranda Kerr has even raved about coconut oil in the past. Now, I know she probably also has genetics + a personal chef + a trainer on her side, but… again, it's worth a try. 
There are endless possibilities of coconut oil uses it seems. My favorite everyday uses include cooking, using as lotion, and use as face wash. There are also a couple of kookier uses that I might try some day like use as a creamer substitute in coffee and a natural deodorant.
Do you use coconut oil? What's your favorite way to use it?

Give me a little Sugar

On second thought, don't. 
I've had a headache all day and couldn't pinpoint why I was feeling so bad. It actually felt like I had a slight hangover. The problem was that I hadn't had any alcohol in a week (maybe more). 
What is wrong with me? I must just need more coffee. Maybe it's caffeine withdraw?… but I'm on my 3rd cup of coffee today.

Then it hit me like a pound of - sugar. That was it. The sugar. This weekend has been filled with sinfully sweet doughnuts + soda + lots of bread and rice. It's all no good. And I realize now that all of that junk has left me with maybe a few extra pounds and this dern headache. 
A sugar hangover. All of the symptoms of an alcohol hangover, except I didn't stay up until 2 am dancing those calories away.
So while Sarah is nursing herself back to health after a fun night of drinking with friends, I'll be over here detoxing after a weekend filled with sugary treats.
Why are foods that taste so good always so bad?!

I've Got An Excuse

This past week was rough. A sick baby means I didn't get any sleep + ate poorly + had an excuse not to exercise. Sleep deprivation can make you throw all those healthy living choices out the window. So, today's 'Get Fit' post is dedicated to all of the excuses that I've had over the years.

• I'm just too tired to workout today.
• I'm too busy. I can't fit exercise into my schedule.
• There's nobody to watch the kids while I'm working out.
• I don't have time to meal plan today.
• Eating super healthy is just too expensive.
• There are no healthy choices on the menu and I won't be home until after dinner.
• We're on the road and the only places to eat serve unhealthy food.
• I don't want to waste food… I'll just finish off this ice cream and start new tomorrow.
• I worked out this morning, so I deserve this cupcake.
• It's too hard.
• I've already cheated today anyway.
• I have eaten healthy all day, so there's no need to workout.
• I drank too much last night, so I need some greasy food to get over my hangover.
• I'm stressed.
• It's that time of the month.
• It's just easier to pick up takeout tonight.
• Not sure when I'll be able to shower, so better skip this workout.
• I'm still hurting from yesterday's workout.
• I don't have a gym membership and it's too cold to run outside.
• YOLO

If you hear me use any of these excuses, please call me out! No more excuses.

Operation Get Fit 2014

It's that time of year again. The time when everyone decides that all of the gluttony during the holidays was not such a great idea. Everyone's dieting. Everyone's joining a gym or starting a new workout video.

Fine. I'll jump on that wagon.
If I absolutely must, I might as well drag y'all along for the ride. Yes, I'm protesting my journey back to the healthy side of eating. You see, I love how I feel when I'm eating healthy and getting active. BUT I also love everything about the comfort of really unhealthy sweets in the moment. Instant gratification is my downfall.
The transitioning is the difficult part for me, but I'm going all in. I'm even joining Sarah every other week here in blogland to help keep myself on track (love her blog, btw. You should go read it now!). Here's to strawberry-kale smoothies and avoiding temptations!
Anybody have suggestions or plans to follow? I'd love to hear how you are planning to transition into healthier habits this year.

A Little Naptime Spa Day

Hi there, friends.
Are you shocked?! I'm making an appearance 3 days in a row. On a Saturday, no less. I know, I'm just as surprised as you are. I guess I've got a little bit of my blogging mojo back.
Some of this renewed blogging energy is probably due to my recent at-home spa day. I don't have a lot of free time away from the kiddos, so I fit my relaxation time in during the rare moments when both of my girls are napping at the same time.
One unusually warm day in December, this little miracle occurred. I found myself with two sleeping kids and a box full of goodies.

The perfect ingredients for a 30 minute Spa Day... because busy moms have to fit in their relaxation time between naptime and cleaning up the unbelievable mess that two girls under 3 can make.
A comfortable headband to keep the hair out of your mud mask, but goes with your mom uniform in case you forget to you have it in your hair. The aforementioned mud mask. I especially loved this one because it was more of a mud infused paper mask (all of the skin benefits without the mess).
Bonus points if you have time to paint your nails! I only had a chance to get one coat done before the littlest one woke up, but it looked great… for a few hours. Maybe I should have taken the time to add a top coat?
If you do remember to take the headband out of your hair, you can easily spritz it up with a little dry shampoo. We all know that it's probably been a week since your hair has seen real shampoo (only a fellow momma can truly understand what it's like to have no memory of when your last shower was). 
And no spa day is complete without a nutritious treat; however, I was not a big fan of this product. I usually find most SOYJOY snack to be quite delicious, but this one just didn't excite my taste buds. Disappointing, but at least I actually had time to try it during my naptime spa day.
What about you? Any mommas out there have a go to relaxation routine when naptime comes around?
This post was brought to you by Influenster. All opinions are always 100% my own.

Top Ten | What to do with Old Toothbrushes

The general rule for toothbrushes is that you should replace them every 3 months… at least that's the rule in my head. However, I am a bit of a hoarder penny pincher and I find it a little hard to toss my toothbrush when it's bristle are still intact. I see you judging me! 

Don't worry, I have now replaced my 6 month oldish toothbrush with this fancy new one. By fancy I mean, it cleans my teeth better with less effort and I am sure that tons of research and all sorts of new technology went into it… but I just know that it cleans my teeth well and I don't feel like I have just had an arm workout after scrubbing my chompers. Love my new toothbrush!
So, now what do I do with my old toothbrush? I have come up with a few simple ideas, so go get a new toothbrush and put these ideas to use with your old one:

1. Exfoliate your lips.
2. Repurpose as an eyebrow brush.
3. Potato scrubber.
4. Ring / jewelry cleaner.
5. Scrub brush for your cheese grater.
6. Scrub your shower drain or faucet or tile grout.
7. Use to help remove tough stains on clothing.
8. Remove scuff marks on shoes.
9. Root touch-up brush for dyed hair.
10. Use to clean the track of your sliding glass doors.

Just don't use one old toothbrush to do all of these things in this order. :)

This post was brought to you by Colgate #SlimSoft. All opinions are 100% my own.

Weekly Wishes | Running

Before I get into my wishes for this week, let me give a little update on last week's weekly wish. No, I didn't exactly accomplish this goal, but I did get a kid break that helped to recharge the batteries. My incredibly helpful mom took care of the girls for a few hours while I attended a bridal shower and continued to keep us all entertained on Saturday (even though she wasn't feeling 100%). I love my girls, but sometimes a few hours away from them can do amazing things for my energy levels.  I'm still sleep deprived, but it's getting better and I know that this will not last forever.  This week, my wish is to get running! John and I are both signing up to run an 8k in November, so I really need to jump on the workout train. The plan is to run three times a week without the kiddos. A little mommy break + workin' on my fitness = win win, right?  Gotta run - literally. :) Linking up again with The Nectar Collective's Weekly Wishes. 

Clean Eating | Pizza + Smoothies

Y'all, I have to make a little confession. After last week's clean eating post, I took the weekend to get back on track and was doing pretty well. I say was because I threw everything out the window on Monday night. 

I was all set to cook a healthy meal and then the hubby ask if I wanted to order pizza. Well, you don't have to ask me twice. Pizza was up there as one of my top five foods (along with ice cream, of course). You'll notice I said was again. You see, after a prideful moment of only eating 2 slices for dinner as opposed to my normal half a pizza, Tuesday morning happened. 

All of the junk that I had been eating for the last month + that darn pizza made me feel awful. I woke up on Tuesday with a puffy face, more tired than usual, and pants that felt tight - haven't had that feeling for a few months. Plus, I noticed that my 4 month old's skin was breaking out a little (whatever I'm eating, she will eventually consume through milk). 

I know that all of this wasn't just the pizza, but my body was telling me that all of the salt in that pizza and that greasy cheese was not welcome anymore. I spent most of yesterday drinking large quantities of water and oddly craving green smoothies. I ended up making a green smoothie for breakfast and another one for dinner. 

I've always been a pizza kind of girl, but things have drastically changed over the past few months. . .  and I'm not hating it. 

I promised a smoothie recipe, so here it is. This is the base for most (if not all) of my green breakfast anytime smoothies. 

1-2 big handfuls of spinach (frozen or fresh)

1 frozen banana

1 cup of almond milk (or water)

Directions: Blend until smooth and drink up!

Simply by adding a spoonful of peanut butter, you get one of my favorite morning treats. 

To the basic recipe, you can add all sorts of fun things (berries / kale / soaked chia seeds / coconut oil) to make a completely different smoothie. 

Just use the basic smoothie recipe as a guide and add whatever flavor combinations that you think would work. I usually put half spinach / half kale in my smoothies, but spinach will give beginners a smooth and creamy texture to start. Kale makes the smoothie a bit gritty unless you have a super fancy blender, which I do not. 

I really do crave these smoothies now and they are so easy to make. Also, you can buy spinach in bulk and pop the entire bag in the freezer for smoothies. I easily go through an entire (frozen) bag for smoothies, when I use to toss half of it after letting it go bad in the fridge before I discovered smoothies. Veggies for breakfast. . . definitely not a bad thing. 

Do you have a super delicious + healthy smoothie recipe you'd like to share with me? I'm always looking for a better variety for the hubs - I could stick to the PB smoothies everyday and never tire of it, but I'm a little odd like that. 

Clean Eating: A Bump in the Road

It's been a rough couple of weeks. Not rough for me or my family, but definitely rough for my eating habits and health if I continue down this path.

It all started with that wonderfully relaxing beach vacation. I did what most people do, I took the week off from eating healthy and stuffed my face with all of the junk that I had just spent weeks training my body not to crave. When we got back from the beach, I made excuse after excuse to continue sneaking in the junk and then I spent a week in Charlotte with my mom. It was great to spend time with her, but I ended up eating a bunch of sugar filled treats that she no longer wanted in her house. Darn you, SUGAR!!

I have gained 3 pounds, which isn't that bad, but it has just added to the reasoning behind my excuses. I keep thinking 'I've only gained a few pounds, so it's okay if I have that candy bar - I'll get back on track tomorrow'. I know I'm not the only one whose tomorrow turns into 4 weeks off the wagon. I feel awful and tired all of the time. Even though I am eating all of the foods that represent comfort and joy, my husband would probably agree that I have have been Mrs. Grumpy-pants with a capitol G.

So, today is the day I get back on track. Green smoothies in the morning and clean eating all day long. I have learned that even a drop of sugar will cause me to start the excuses. Goodbye sugar - you taste so yummy, but you are not a very good influence. Back to the basics - fruit, veggies, yogurt, and protein for this lady over the next few weeks.

Clean Eating Update

It has been about a month and a half since I started this clean eating adventure. Honestly, I didn't think that I would still be on this journey. There have been a few hiccups, but I got right back on track after my body clearly let me know that all of the junk I was trying to sneak in was not good for me.

The 17 Day Diet was great to jumpstart this thing, but I haven't really stuck to that particular diet past the first 17 days. My rules now are. . . and I hate to call them rules because that just makes my stubborn self want to break them right away. So, we'll go with guidelines. My guidelines now are:

Occasionally, I'll take a bite of my daughter's pb & j or finish off her bowl of rice, but I am proud to report that I am no longer craving any of those bready starches. We even have a bag of Sister Schubert yeast rolls (my FAVORITE!) in the freezer and I have absolutely no desire to sneak a bite of one or two - or the entire bag as I probably would have done previously.

No, I'm not superwoman (because that what you were thinking, right?). I have had some cravings and I have given into every one of those cravings - in moderation, of course. Following a not so pleasant experience after indulging in a bowl of ice-cream and a horrible headache after eating a veggie pancake made with white flour, I think I have learned my lesson. I am now focusing on replacing my bad-habit cravings with healthy alternatives. Here are a few of my favorite healthy replacements:

Y'all, the sweet craving thing has been the hardest for me. I still haven't found a good snack to satisfy my sweet tooth fully. All of the above snacks work pretty well, but I find myself craving sweets again about an hour after I eat my sweet snack. I even tried a raw chocolate bar this weekend from a local vendor, Triangle Raw Foods. Unfortunately, I ate the entire bar within 30 minutes. . . it was supposed to be my sweet treat to last the rest of the week. Ooops.

This is starting to feel more like a lifestyle change and I am loving the benefits! No more migraines: I have suffered from migraines since high school and they have disappeared (with the exception of that small headache after eating white flour)!  More Energy: I no longer wake up in a fog with a puffy face and dragging my feet. Better Skin: I am just now starting to see clearer skin. Initially, as my body was detoxing, I saw more breakouts. Weight Loss: The most dramatic weight loss happened during my first 17 days on this adventure, but I have continued to lose weight. Down 24 pounds since starting! Loving it!

Side Note: Not surprising, I discovered that I am definitely a stress eater. As in, I make very poor eating decisions when I am stressed. John was gone this past weekend, so I was left to entertain two little ones with no break for the entire weekend. After one night and an early morning toddler wake-up call, I was ready to stuff my face with cake. Instead of stuffing my face, I recognized that I was stressed and not actually hungry. I ended up putting the littlest one down for a nap and distracting the toddler with playdoh before pouring my self a cup of coffee and sitting down to read a few of my favorite blogs in peace and semi-quiet. It was just enough me-time to recharge my batteries and keep me from diving into a bowl of brownie batter.

I hope everyone else is succeeding in their clean eating! And if you're not, or haven't decided to clean up your diet, enjoy a piece a cake or two for me.

It's not a Diet, It's a Lifestyle Change

For the past 17 days, I have been working on a little self diagnosed addiction. You see, I am a recovering SUGAR ADDICT.

That feels better. The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, right?  The truth is, I never really knew I had a problem until recently. It all started with my mom (don't all things seem to start with a little idea your mother put in your head?). My mom had noticeably lost some weight and she just looked overall healthier. My sisters and I asked what was up?  A new fad diet? A boot camp class? How about a miracle skinny pill? Nope. She just cut out the sugar. That's it. After she emailed my sisters & me about all of her health numbers heading in the right direction due to this no sugar thing, I was ready to jump on the bandwagon. It sounded so simple. No sugar = healthier self inside & out.

Instead of just cutting out any added sugar from my diet, I decided that my body needed a safe reboot. I have never been able to stick to diet and I think a huge part of that is that I get a taste of something sugary and decide to throw in the towel… you know, before devouring the rest of the chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream that I purchased as a reward for doing so well on my diet that week. I decided I needed to cut out all the junk in order to make this work.

I don't know what happened in my head to get the will-power to actually stick to a healthy eating plan this time (especially since we had doughnuts in the house). I guess I was just ready to make it happen. I picked up the 17 Day Diet from our local library & started eating clean the very next day. Lean meat + veggies + fruit + yogurt = one happy & healthy me.

Oh yeah, I also lost 16 pounds already. Say What?! That's one way to keep a girl motivated!

Seriously, I have never felt better. I feel more alert and energized and rested when I wake up in the morning - even with a night waking baby. After watching a few documentaries on health (Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead being one of my favorites), I have decided to never go back to my former eating habits. I feel too good and I'm thinking to clearly to put my body through that again.

I am no doctor, but eating a plant-based diet can't be the worse thing for you… as opposed to a pizza and ice cream based diet. Here's to staying on the wagon this time & eating clean. What have you done to help improve the way you feel? Yoga? Relaxation techniques?  Clean eating, perhaps?

it's only Wednesday.

After a two sleepless nights for Ellington (which meant two sleepless nights for me as well), we headed to the doctor to figure out what was causing this sudden need to cry out in the middle of the night.

Does this look familiar?  Thankfully, we didn't have to take a trip to the hospital this time.  Just a little breathing treatment at the doctor's office and we were sent home with an inhaler for the next week or so.  Other than a healthy baby girl, I hope this also means a little girl who is back to sleeping through the night.  Fingers Crossed!

In my sleepy fogginess, I came up with this brilliant idea to take on a new project today.  Because that's what normal sane mommas do, right?  They decide to do manual labor instead of napping during their child's 1st extended period of sleep in the last two days... I must be delirious.

I am not quite finished, but here is a sneak peek of my newest creation:

Any guesses on what it could be?  Okay, maybe it's just a piece of wood right now.  I would be shocked and I will send you a custom print from my etsy shop if you can guess what I am creating. :)

Wait, You're Still Nursing?

Recently, I have had to defend my decision to continue nursing my 13 month old (insert eye roll here).  I always try my hardest to stay cordial when people question this decision, but what I really want to say is:

"Excuse me... Are you a mother? No? Well, then shut up already! Did I ask for your opinion? & how is this any of your business anyway??"

I completely understand their point of view.  I felt the same way before I had my daughter.  Heck, I never thought I would even attempt to nurse.  Before I had Elli, I had all of these negative feelings towards nursing and thought it was absolutely disgusting to nurse past 4 months.  The pre-baby me was going to stick to formula from the start!  Ha!

After the encouragement of everyone to nurse for the baby's health and a few selfish reasons (helps promote weight loss, no fumbling for a bottle & formula & warm water & cleaning the bottle, oh and it's FREE), I was determined to do it for the first 6 months.  After 6 months though, it was going to be formula all the way!  Six months came and went and I was still nursing.  So, I then proclaimed that nursing would be over as soon as she grew more than 2 teeth.  She now has 8 teeth and I am still nursing.  As soon as she is able to ask for milk, we're switching to formula!... Sign Language doesn't count does it?  Then, I decided that at one year I would stop nursing and whole milk would be her drink of choice.  (Sigh) She now drinks whole milk, but I am also still nursing.

With all of this said, I have decided to let Ellington decide when she is ready to stop nursing.  I still have ideas in my head that I will stop nursing in the next few months, but I know that it is really not my decision.  I am not committed enough to be one of those women who is still nursing a 3 year old, but I'm not judging them either.  It's their decision!  Also, nursing in public... not such a big deal people.  I am not comfortable enough to nurse in public & probably never will, but it's really nothing to fuss over.  Everyone wears hooter-hiders nowadays, so I don't really understand why people get disgusted if they can't see anything.

This is just a little something that I have had to get off my chest (so to speak), so thanks for listening to my little rant.  I am not saying that anybody's decision is right or wrong and I am certainly not saying that anybody's opinion is right or wrong, just that passing judgement before you have been in the same situation doesn't really help your case.

If you are not asked to weigh in on the situation, please keep your opinions to yourself next time!  Or at least have the decency of a true southern gal and talk behind the person's back. :)

Just a Little Trip to the ER

We had a little unexpected adventure yesterday that left us exhausted and very thankful for a happy and semi-healthy little girl.  Ellington has had this nasty cough for the past few days, so it was off to the doctor to get some medicine and probably a recommendation for rest and more fluids... so I thought.

Ten minutes into our visit I knew it wasn't just another cold.  The nurse checked her oxygen and said it was low.  What in the world does that mean???  Then the doctor came in to listen to her lungs, but decided that a lot of the gunk he heard was from her stuffy nose and ordered a breathing treatment to clear her up.

Ellington was a trooper at the doctor's office

She did surprisingly well with the mask and even held it on her face all by herself.  After the breathing treatment, the doctor could still hear gunky stuff in her lungs.  Fortunately, he thought it was just bronchitis (not pneumonia).  So, we get a prescription and are on our way home... right??  Nope.  They checked her oxygen again and it was still low (80%).  Another nurse came in to put her on oxygen and the doctor called the hospital to send an ambulance for transport.  They don't mess around when it comes to the health of little ones, so it was a must to go by ambulance so she could continue getting oxygen.

Hanging out in the ER

After a scary-for-me fun-for-E ride to the hospital, her oxygen intake was high enough to get rid of the oxygen tank.  They monitored her oxygen and sent her for a chest x-ray to totally rule out pneumonia, which they did indeed totally rule out.  John met us at the hospital with one of his doctor friends, which made me feel a lot better about everything.  It appears that our doctors were just being cautious (scary, but very thankful about this).  A few hours and a burst of energy later, we were sent home with an inhaler to help with Ellington's breathing during the rest of this nasty cough and a good story to tell her about her first trip to the ER.

We have a walker...

There's no denying it now.  We have officially had a walking baby for about a month.  This past week, she happily walked around her grandparents' houses and "helped" baby proof.  At her Halmoni & Harabujee's house, she pulled out all of the night lights and repeatedly went through the soil of the indoor plants.  At Grandma Wade's house, it was paper / magazines & cabinet doors.

Happy Monday!