Finally, Some Progress!

We had a follow-up visit with Dr. Mike today.

Since our last follow-up a month ago, I've been keeping a journal chronically her behavior and sleep patterns. I noticed that I was forgetting to mention a lot of things that happened in the previous 4 weeks, I was really only focusing on what had happened in the last week or so.

Of course, when it was time to leave for the appointment, I couldn't find the notebook. I haven't been able to find it since we've been home, either. However, I was able to recall some of the recurring themes in Lily's behavior and sleep patterns.

We're going to try something to help Lily's irritability and aggression. This is what gets her in trouble the most at school.

Lily also has trouble sleeping. She doesn't sleep through the night most nights. It's been this way her whole life. It she sleeps until 5am, that's a successful night.

I was doing some preliminary research on "irritability in preschoolers". That's the exact phrase I typed in. The very first link was Sleep Apnea in Preschoolers which is what I suspect is a large part of Lily's behavior issue.

We're going to try this for 2 weeks and go back. I know it doesn't seem like it's all that great, but it feels like we're finally getting somewhere. Like we're on the right path to getting this taken care of, hopefully for good.

Saving Money on Groceries & More

A couple of people have asked how I save so much on groceries. Here it is...

Tip: Watch store ads. Sales on things like meat and produce usually run in cycles. Some stores rotate their meat sales. Stock up on sale items and enjoy them when they aren't on sale.

My favorite site to use is My Savings. It's pretty user friendly, and has the deals from Smart Source and RedPlum.

I also get coupons from store websites: Kroger, which has some that you can load directly to your Kroger Plus card, and Target, which offers Target store coupons.

I also use i heart cvs for information on upcoming sales and how to structure transactions to get the best deals. I will never pay retail for toothpaste again! Erica also authors the sites i heart wags for information on sales at Walgreens and i heart rite aid.

Note: Target lets you "stack" coupons. You can use a Target coupon and a manufacturer's coupon for extra savings on a single item.

These sites let you "load" coupons right to your store card. P&G eSAVER and Cellfire.

Shop Local is pretty new to me, but it has the ads, as well as links to coupons.

A newer thing is coupons that load onto your Smartphone. Shooger has apps for iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry.

There are some companies that have coupons that you can get on their site:
Betty Crocker
French's mustard, Frank's Red Hot
Lysol

Just when you're at your wit's end, renewal is in sight

I really don't talk a lot about what we've been dealing with, with Lily lately. Honestly, we still don't have a lot of answers. It's still a lot of trial and error. There are times when it feels like we're making a lot of progress, times when everything seems to be fine, and those moments when it feels almost impossible.

I started keeping a journal a couple of weeks ago. It's a timeline of Lily's day. When she wakes up in the middle of the night, what time she gets up in the morning, her bahavior, when she goes to bed, etc. Patterns are starting to emerge.

After some things that others have shared about their children, and the children of friends, I have a nice battery of knowledge on what I think might be something we're dealing with. Armed with that, as well as this journal of information on Lily's personal behaviors, I think that I have a strong case to present.

But, yeah, back to the "wit's end" part for now... :c)

Baked Pumpkin Fruit Salad

So, I'm baking pumpkins galore when I realize that both...yes, both...of the recipes that I'm making call for brown sugar. I haven't had brown sugar since Christmas.

I look up a recipe on making a brown sugar substitute, which calls for molasses. Really? If I had molasses on hand, I'd probably have brown sugar, too. So, I looked up a substitute for molasses. Now, we're getting somewhere!

I found this recipe for Baked Stuffed Pumpkin and it called for a fruity filling, rather than custard or pumpkin pie filling. A couple of modifications for things we have on hand and things we like to eat, and we have a tasty treat.



BAKED PUMPKIN FRUIT SALAD

1 medium sugar (pie) pumpkin
4 apples, cored and chopped
1 cup walnuts
1 (14-16 oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks
1 (15.25 oz) can unpeeled apricot halves
1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make sure oven setting is center rack.

2.) Cut off the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds.

3.) In a large bowl, combine the fruit, nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon mixture into pumpkin.

4.) Place pumpkin on a baking sheet or baking pan. Bake for 1 hour & 30 minutes, or until the pumpkin starts to get soft. After it's baked, stir the mixture to get some for the soft pumpkin flesh mixed with the apple mixture.

Meet our son, Nicholas David-Alger

I know that I haven't written a blog in forever. Life has been crazy busy, but I'm going to *try* to make the time to do it a little more often. We'll see how that goes.

IT'S A BOY!

October 11th was my BIG ultrasound to see how the baby was growing and to see if baby would show us the goods to find out the gender.

As soon as the tech got a clear shot of the baby in my belly, it was very obvious that baby was a boy. Very obvious. Throughout the ultrasound, he would wiggle and roll to show off his baby boy bits.

His measures a little bit big, but the radiologist wasn't concerned. He'll probably just be bigger than his older sister was.

Either way, the name was picked out. Both honored family members.

His first name, Nicholas, is Daddy's middle name. As for the first-middle name, David, that is Daddy's first name. Alger is a family name that goes back at least 3 generations. Nick will be the 4th generation to have the name Alger.

We get to take another peak at Baby Nick at the beginning of December. Nicholas is due to arrive February 23, 2011.

Lily's First Day of School

Today was Lily's first day of preschool. She was so excited and we were both up shortly after the alarm went off. She was dressed in no time flat and ready for some breakfast.

We arrived early and just walked around the sidewalk for a bit. She wasn't too interested in talking to me. She really wanted to explore her new school and go inside.

Once the doors opened, she was running full-steam ahead to her classroom. She was so ready to play in the house. After I got her to hang her backpack up, she settled into the stations that they're going to be doing every morning.

I left, with a quick hug and kiss. No tears. I went grocery shopping while she was in school. On the way, I felt the tears start to come, but I told myself that she wants and needs this.

When I picked her up, she was just as excited and wired. I think this is gonna be good for her.

Baby Gender Poll

What do you think Baby's gender is?
	Boy
	Girl
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Prenatal Check-Up @ 14w5d

Everything is good. I've gained 6 pounds.

My iron is low. It's at 10.6, which should be remedied by be eating more iron-rich foods. If that doesn't fix it, I will have to be on iron supplements.

I don't remember what the baby's heartrate was. It was healthy, but in the lower ranges (like the 130s). Baby was probably napping because it's usually in the 140-150 range.

Back in 4 weeks. Hoping to schedule the BIG ultrasound then.

Two Thumbs Ranch Annual Cookout

We went to the annual Two Thumbs Ranch cookout, like we have for the past 6 years.



I thought dinner was at 5. It was at 6. I was a very hungry, pregnant lady. Did I mention that we didn't eat before we came because I knew there was gonna be a ton of food? But, I thought we were eating at 5, not 6. Torture!



Tres, the youngest human that lives at Two Thumbs.



There was a cow milking contest/demonstration set up that Lily absolutely loved. Several times, she would go over there to see if she could get any milk out of the cow. Minus the teet that was blocked, she didn't do bad for a 3-year-old.



We really looked forward to the hayride. The last couple of years, they haven't been able to have one. I think this may have been Lily's first one at the Ranch.



Cows! They came up to the fence expecting food, but all they got were people with cameras. Poor cows. Hopefully, Lily will get to pet one next time we go.



Lone, leafless tree in the middle of a hay field. Just a lovely evening for a hayride.



The only thing that would have made this bonfire better...S'MORES.

Not Me Monday! : A Picture's Worth 1,000 Words

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I would never post a picture of my child playing innocently on "the firefighter slide", only for it to be taken out of context. I, of course, got completely angry and lashed out at those who saw humor in the picture. I'm just that kind of Mom. I refuse to see the humor in it.