Mother's Day Weekend in Chicago!

AH...a relaxing Mothers Day visit to Chicago!!! I just think it would be a little more fun going without a 3 year old to keep track of! One of these times, I will get away with just the girls or something and enjoy walking around without nearly having a heart attack when Emily sees something she likes and bolts for it! This really neat attraction is at Millennium Park. I just thought that it was really neat!Little miss in a taxi! The very first time I got to experience a cab ride was in Chicago last time we went. Emily loves the taxi rides! We managed to make it to Navy Pier this time! We had a blast! Spent a few hours down there and got to learn a lot of history about Chicago. I didn't even know this place existed!
Rob had looked into boat tours online before we had left, but they all were expensive. We just want a cheap weekend getaway and didn't want to pay $100 for a 20 minute boat ride on Lake Michigan! While walking down the pier, I spotted a sign that said children 3 and under were Free! I was VERY excited! Adult passes were cheap too, so we decided to take the tour. It was even 45 minutes long! Learned TONS about Chicago. Even that the Sears Tower will no longer be named the Sears Tower in a few weeks, but will be called the Willis Tower. How sad is that?! Chicago is a very interesting city with tons of history. If you ever get the chance to visit Chicago, I highly suggest going to the Navy Pier and taking this boat tour...highly informational! A lot of exhibits to go into and everything. I loved it! It was a tad on the windy side that day too! The poor girls were freezing. It really let us know why they call it the windy city! Speaking of the Sears Tower...or shall I now say the Willis Tower...her is the amazing view from out in Lake Michigan! I love the skyline!
And oh, the temper tantrums that can be thrown from little miss! She wanted a drink of coffee, but with her heart condition, she is not allowed caffeine! So, she stormed off in the middle of Chicago to sit at this little table that was 50 feet away from us in a little park area! She threw a fit for well over 20 minutes over this coffee. I just thought that she looks so cute right here. This is the beginning of the fit. Crying and screaming were added 5 minutes later!! Oh the joys of motherhood!

Emily is a very picky eater to begin with, but when she is sick, it becomes nearly impossible to get her to eat. We had gone to the store to find out if they sold Ben and Jerry's ice cream, and Emily spotted the produce. Oh my goodness the child wanted a banana! So, a banana she got and ate while we walked down the street! One of the reasons I call her monkey sometimes!
After being at Navy Pier all day, she crawled up into bed and passed out for a while! Her blanket and her dog that has to go to bed with her EVERY night!

And of course the sugar high! After drinking the coffee, Emily got the whipped cream and a sucker! Is she ever SPOILED!!!

The weekend was so much fun and the best Mothers Day weekend I have had so far. I will be taking Emily to the doctor yet again tomorrow to find out why she keeps getting sick. This is the 3rd cold she has had in 2 months...each lasting 10 days or longer. She is on day 10 with this cold so far. Poor kid. She has been sick more than healthy in the past 3 months.

March of Dimes

Kind of a general idea of how many people were there, however, there are tons more that were behind us! It was a HUGE event and was so much fun! Little miss walked 3 out of the 4 miles! I carried her on my shoulders for the other mile. She did amazing.

While standing in the arena, Jen spotted the University of Oregon flag! Of course I had to look for the Oregon State flag, but they didn't have it. But, I did have to take a picture of the Oregon flag at least!!! GO OREGON!!!

The kiddos waiting to walk. They had fun too...shocking! Kenny wasn't so thrilled with wearing a purple shirt however, but he wore it the whole time!

Emily's t-shirt was an adult small!! She now wears it as pajamas, but she wore it ALL day. I tried to take it off of her when we got home, but she told me no and said, "Mommy, my purple shirt, no take off!" So, she wore it all day!

And what is a walk without an injury! Within the first quarter of a mile, Emily fell and scratched her knee. I had to take a picture of if so there was proof that she put all of her might into this walk!

The walk was so much fun. Every 1/10 mile, they had a sign that said, "Week 1" for the first 1/10 mile. For the next 1/10, the sign said, "Week 2." By then I figured out what they were doing! The walk was 4 miles long and for every 1/10 of a mile, they posted the baby's development in the womb!! How awesome is that?! I remember while pregnant with both girls I would look up online what they were developing that week. Kind of wanted to know what my baby was looking like and able to do! It was neat to read the signs as we were walking. Brought back many memories. I am already looking forward to doing the walk next year!

A Few Random Pictures

I will admit, I absolutely HATE Emily getting dirty. I guess it is because I always hate seeing kids dirty and never wanted my children to be dirty. Odd, I know, but hey...it is me! I went to work one day last week and left Emily in the care of Uncle Rob and Aunt Jen as usual! Now, they know how much I hate her being dirty and always make fun of me when I go to clean her up right away. Jen had made spaghetti for dinner and this is the picture that I received on my cell phone while I am work! I about died! Sadly, my first comment was, "I hope she is cleaned up now!" After I found out she was cleaned up, then I thought that the picture was cute!

On our way to Canada 2 weekends ago, little miss comforted her baby! Sadly, we left this baby in Canada. Luckily, she has yet to notice. Lets pray that she doesn't notice!

And this is when I knew she was really sick. Easter Sunday I had given her a bath and then Jen and I had to run to Walmart to get some groceries for the upcoming week. I got back home about an hour later, and this is what I found! Tina said that after I left, Emily went down to her bed, grabbed her blanket and her puppy dog and went all the way up to Tina's room and fell asleep on the floor. I thought that it was too cute and had to get a picture before I picked her up and carried her down 2 flights of stairs to put her to bed!

And Rob took this picture of little miss while we were at Burger King on our way to Baldwin a month ago. It is just so her and thought that I would post it.

Bad Parenting?!

Went to the nutritionist today!! All I have to say is that lady is VERY lucky I only yelled for 5 minutes!! 2 months ago or so, I was told by the WIC nurse that Emily is obese. Hmm...she may be 2 -3lbs heavier than an average 3 year old, but at what point did they stop to think that she is also 3-5 inches taller than the average 3 year old? Any ways, I had to go meet with this nutritionist today. Little miss wasn't feeling good to begin with and I didn't want to take her out. But, I had to. So, after sitting in the waiting room for over an hour, they call us back. First thing they do is get Emily's weight and height. 39.8 inches tall and 39.2 lbs. Now, I have no idea what she weighed last time, and I thought that she weighed 39lbs last time. Get into the next room, the lady graphs it out for me, and come to find out, she is below the BMI line now and has lost 3 lbs!!! I was happy because I figure she has nothing to complain about now. Oh...I was SO wrong! Instead of getting lectured on how my child was obese, I was being questioned on why and how my child has lost so much weight!!!!! WHAT?!?!?! My last appointment I was being a bad mom because my child was overweight, now you are accusing me of starving my child? Are you serious? Needless to say, me being VERY tired and frustrated because I hate them making a big deal about BMI at such a young age, I went off on the nutritionist!! She was trying to make everything all better by saying she wasn't calling me a bad mom by any means. But, she will sit there and accuse me of starving my child? Are you kidding me? So, I pointed out that obviously Emily had gone through a growth spurt and now that it is nice outside, she is able to go outside and run and play on all 3 acres between our yard and her grandparents yard. The lady then apologized and said that there was no reason to see us again and to just make an appointment to see the WIC nurse in June as needed. UUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!! I was one very angry mom! Why in the world would they even make an issue about a 3 year olds weight any ways? They are 3...not 13!!!! And they wonder why so many young women grow up with eating disorders!!
Had to leave that appointment and go see her pediatrician. I have lucked out with little miss and have NEVER needed to go to see a doctor other than for shots. She has been so healthy. She has had a cold for almost 5 weeks and she just kept getting worse. Her uncle went to the doctor the other day and he found out he had bronchitis! So, I decided little miss needed to go to the doctor. Took her in today and she has a severe ear infection and sinus infection! The doctor said her ear infection is so bad, she is surprised that she is not constantly holding her ears and screaming out in pain! I feel so bad for waiting so long to take her in, but she hasn't even acted like she is sick other than her couch and runny nose. Just seemed like another cold to me. She is now on amoxicilin and hopefully she will get better. I have to take her back next Wednesday to see if the medication is working, and if it isn't, then she has to add another antibiotic!! Poor baby!!
And then to top of my wonderful day....I got called into work!! I just wanted to come home and cuddle with my daughter and spend time with her, but I had to go to work...again. But, I left her with her uncle "Wob" and they hung out together...both very sick.

Easter!!

We had just gotten back from Canada, so grandma and grandpa Casto set up the Easter Egg hunt for the kids this year! Grandma had filled all of the eggs, and grandpa hid them as soon as he knew we were home! Emily had so much fun finding the eggs. I don't know how many times she took out all of the eggs out of her basket and linded them up in a row! Emily also got a package in the mail from nana and papa Rider...which I will have to post pictures of later! She loved her package from nana and papa!

Weekend in Canada

We got away!!! Little miss got to swim in her "Waterpark" and actually did it by herself...unwillingly!!! It took a little bit, but she ended up hanging on the noodle by herself and kicking!!! I was so proud!

And of course we had to go to the Arcade there. Rob, Kenneth and I got to play 3 rounds of laser tag and had a blast. Jen hates the idea of laser tag, so she was more than happy to stay and play games with little miss! Of course, this time at the arcade, she had more fun with putting the money into the machines than actually playing the games! She would deposit the money and then let everyone else play!

Tomorrow we have to go see a specialist that the WIC people have set up because they say that Emily is obese!! So, as I sat and tried everything to get her to eat this weekend and she refused EVERYTHING, I wondered what they would say about that! UGH...obviously I am a very upset mom!! What gives them the right to classify a child as obese? Having had weight issues my whole life, I am VERY sensitive about this stuff and refuse for my child to grow up overweight! I am very picky about what she eats and when she eats it. Drives me insane when her uncle and aunt sneak her treats! Even though they are constantly reassuring me that she is not overweight and that she is just a kid. She WILL outgrow this. However, I never did, and I am constantly worried that little miss will have a weight problem like me. Which, is why I am working out and dieting. I want to set a good example for her so that she will be healthy and never have to go through what I did.

Preparing for Change

Here is my life in a nutshell lately:
I recently purchased my first vehicle since moving to Michigan! Completely excited to finally have my own car again. First time driving something other than a Honda since I was 18, but that is ok! Today I was driving to work, and the check battery light came on and the RPM's kept wanting to stay high when I would clutch in...hmm...I think that my alternator is going out. UGH. Stupid used cars. I just need to find a rich guy and get pampered!
Finally found out the results to the biggest loser contest. Yup, 2 weeks later! We won! GO US! I came in 2nd place in the end of all of it. I wish the story ended there! HOWEVER...all of the money that we were supposed to get, someone in the company embezzled it. Ugh...but the company did come up with enough money to at least pay the teams that won. It isn't about the money, more for my health, but when you are depending on that money to pay for your trip to go home in the summer, it kind of sucks! But, I am still continuing my workout, and added tons to my routine since joining the YMCA and loving it! Not losing much weight right now, but trimming down some. Will have to post some pictures of the changes I have made since just joining the Y.
And, last but not least....I am moving!! Well, not far...but getting my own place! I am so excited to have my own place again. I went on a tour of apartments in the area today. I love the size of apartments back here! And...they have pools at both apartment complexes that I like! Little miss will have her "waterparks" close by! Not planning on moving until June, but we will see. I have TONS to buy to just be able to live! UGH!!! Again, I need to find a rich man!!!
I have a much needed 3 day weekend this coming weekend...after a little trading of days of with my favorite co-worker! We are going to attempt to go to Canada Friday morning for the weekend before you have to have a passport to go starting June 1st. I LOVE Canada and really hope to go. Will see how cheap we can get everything to see if we go. If not, I will still get a 3 day weekend!!!
Emily is getting so big and is so smart. She has this little laptop that I got her for her birthday. Teaches her the alphabet, spelling, numbers, etc. She is getting so good at it. Her vocabulary is expanding every day it seems like. She is loving the daycare at the Y and hates it when I come to pick her up. I think 2 hours is more than enough, but she thinks differently! She is keeping me busy and reminding me every day that she is a very independant child and needs no help with ANYTHING!! I don't know what I would do without her...she makes my life so amazingly happy!