What a week... and it's only Wednesday!

This has been quite the week. Mya was extremely irritable on Monday. She didn't nap well, didn't sleep well, didn't drink much, and got up around 10:30 pm screaming. I also noticed she had a few redbumps on her legs and ankles. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I chalked it up to teething and perhaps irritated skin.

I went to work Tuesday morning. Matt had left me a message saying she had only taken a 5 minute nap... I don't even call that a nap. It seemed very odd. When I arrived home, my sister and her boys were outside playing with Mya. I unloaded the twins (see previous blogpost!) and was excited to have a "playdate" in the frontyard. I noticed that Mya's rash had gotten much worse. It was now completely covering her legs, arms, wrists, feet, and she had what looked to be a watery blister-like spot on her upperlip. GREAT! I am a complete freak when it comes to any kind of rash. I have grown up with extremely sensitive skin and have gotten a zillion rashes in my lifetime. You would think I would be use to them.... I'm completely the opposite. I always assume its some flesh eating bacteria or something! I was also panicked because I had the twins at my house. How do you keep 3 crawling babies away from eachother, the pacifiers, and the toys? THANK GOODNESS FOR MY SISTER!!! She was able to watch the twins while I took Mya inside to call the doctor.

After speaking to the nurse, she was able to do an "over-the-phone" diagnosis. She said she had Hand, Foot, and Mouth. UGH! She assured me that she was actually no longer contagious and there wasn't much we could do about it. Tylenol would be the only thing that may help with the pain (sore throat). After screaming for 20-25 minutes, she finally fell asleep for an 1.5 afternoon nap. THANK GOODNESS!!! She had a good night and has taken 2 naps today. She seems to be feeling well... although she now whines and reaches for the Tylenol.... hope she's not an addict!

On a positive note... I think... Matt has gotten another job. Yes, I said another job and not a new job. In addition to working for Castle Inspection, he will also be doing some IT work for Pampered Chef (I REALLY hope we get a discount!). He will doing the 3-11pm shift. Totally stinks for familytime. BUT, he will be making more money and we will now have way better insurance. I will finally have maternity insurance.... which actually kind of scares me! We will try to make it work as long as we can. Hopefully we can save some money, fix up the house, and add to our family while we sacrifice our time together. It will be a strain, but I think it will ultimately be worth it! My wonderful husband is a workhorse.... this makes 4 jobs for him...5 between the two of us! You'd think we'd be rich. Hmmm... I wonder if we could Mya a job?

And Some Pictures From the Week.....

I found Mya standing like this screeching towards the cat. I think she was trying to lure her down the stairs. Jasmine was staying put!

This is how I "rig" Mya's dresses so she can crawl. I thought she looked pretty funny!

Ok, this one is going to royally embarrass me. Mya got into the laundry I was folding (clean!). She, of course, grabbed my granny underwear and thought they were hysterical...as does her dad! She had them wrapped around her feet, played peek-a-boo with them, and ended up playing with her toys with them around her neck!

"All Done"

I think I mentioned in a previous posting that Mya likes to throw her food onto the floor. After careful observations, Matt and I decided that she typically did this when she was all done with her meal. It was her way (her OCD way) of cleaning off her tray so we would know she didn't want to eat anymore. Although this wasn't the end of the world at home, it was pretty embarrassing when we go out to eat at a restaurant or someone else's home. I had to think of a way to stop, or at least minimize this behavior.

I have heard of people teaching their babies sign language. I know that a popular sign is for "more" so that babies don't scream out for more food. I did some research and found the sign for "all done." I started doing the sign with the words, "all done" at the end of every meal or snack. When she would start to throw the food, I would say "NO!" and then do the sign. At first she looked at me like I was completely insane. Why is Momma waving her hands like a moron? BUT.... THEN.... she did it! She didn't throw her food. Instead, she did the sign or at least her interpretation of the sign. I wasn't sure if she really knew what she was doing. So I tried to put more food into her mouth. She gently pushed my hand away and again did the sign. OH MY GOSH! I know it's not like I taught her how to perform brain surgery, but it was awesome to see that she actually had learned something that I taught her! She does still occasionally throw a piece of cheese, noodle, or grape. I think she still likes to see me reaction! We are working on rewarding her for signing. I am so proud of my little communicator! Matt and I smile everytime she does it! We think she may just be a genius! Are we biased?


Mya signing after her afternoon snack.....

Mommy Goes Back to Work... Kind of!

I have always known that I wanted to be a stay at home mom. My mom was always home with Andra and me. I think it is so wonderful to be able to give your child the gift of your love and nurturing on a day to day basis. But, let's be honest. It just simply isn't always possible. Reality is that most families need the double income coming in. That goes for the Wiegman's too. It was my goal when I went on "maternity leave" to find a way to extend my leave from 2 years to an indefinite amount of years. I simply didn't make enough money to pay someone else to raise my children. If I made millions, it may have been a little more difficult to throw away my career. BUT- I don't.

My friend, Kelly, had the perfect "stay-at-home" mom job. I was always envious that she was able to teach 6 hours a week, get out of the house for awhile, make money for the family, and yet spend tons of time with her little boy. I knew this was the exact kind of job I needed, I wanted. Luck was on my side, I got a call from her during my pregnancy. She told me there was another job opening doing what she was doing through Harper College. I was ecstatic! I interviewed for the 6th/7th grade Science position. Anyone who knows me, especially as a teacher, knows that I am not exactly a scientist. But- this was too good to pass up. I knew I had to do it.

Last year was a little rough. I went on maternity leave 2 weeks after school started. I planned and graded for my sub (my sister-in-law) while trying to figure out how to be a mom. Luckily newborns sleep a lot, which allowed me to get some things done.

This year, I am continuing to be the 6th/7th grade science teacher. I feel so much more confident with the curriculum and the way the program works. The school added an 8th grade this year, which meant there had to be an 8th grade teacher. I declined the position due to not wanting my perfect job to turn into more of a full-time job. They hired a friend of a friend of my sisters. She is a mom of 14 month old twins. We decided it would benefit both of us if we were able to provide daycare for one another. We worked out the logistics and are TRYING to make it work. She watches Mya for my 2 classes while I watch Brooke and Addison for her 1 class. 1 for 2 and 2 for 1!

It is hysterical and chaotic while the 3 play together. They are basically on the same page as far as development goes. Crawling, babbling, and into EVERYTHING.... which make for an interesting hour. It is basically like having triplets! How do Jon and Kate do it???

It is nearly impossible to get all 3 to look at the camera at the same time!

All 3 girls trying to get the snacks off the couch at the same time.

Usually all 3 play together.... It's when they each go different directions that I am in trouble!!!

Happy Pre-Birthday, Dink!

We celebrated our Dink's (Mya's) birthday a little early this weekend with Matt's family. Because we have 3 weddings to attend in September, it was nearly impossible to find an open weekend in which we could celebrate. We opted for this weekend over the last weekend in September, thinking we could make it a birthday/pool party. Nature had a different plan, and gave us a fall-like day. Regardless of the breezy, cool weather, the day was actually pretty pleasant. Although, who knew we would be wearing our fall jackets in August?

We had over 30 family members at the party! It was a big group! Mya was on top of her game... entertaining and shmoozing them all. Luckily, she took 2, 2 hour naps so she was ready to party! Matt, Grandma Diane, and I worked all morning cooking and cleaning to get ready for the guests. Mya even helped a bit, too!

Playing with the papertowel roll kept Mya busy while Mommy cleaned the bathroom.

The invitations to Mya's ladybug party!

The favors for the guests were chocolate ladybug suckers. I made these out of 2 different types of chocolate. They were SUPER cute...if I may say so myself!

The table is set with favors, appetizers, and Mya's 3 month Snapfish Photobooks

I made a timeline of Mya's "monthly pics." It was fun to see how much she's grown!

Auntie Amy and Quentin are ready to party!

Mya in her birthday dress. I am bummed I didn't get a better shot of the dress. Maybe a reinactment will be necessary!

Matt's AWESOME ribs! He made 7 racks and they were gone in minutes!

Q and Mya enjoying their dinner! They are too cute together!

Mya in her birthday hat. She wasn't so sure of it!

Mya's birthday cake.

Mommy helping Mya make a wish and blow out her candle. Matt and I confessed to eachother later that this part of the day made both of us a little teary-eyed. Our baby is growing so fast!

Mya wasn't sure about her cupcake.
She wanted Momma to try it firs so she fed me a bite. These were actually egg-free cupcakes. They were yummy and tasted just like "regular" cupcakes!

She finally dug in! It's hard to see, but she has pink frosting all over her face.

Mya with her Daddy! She ate some of the cupcake and threw the rest on the floor!
Mommy and Mya opening her birthday gifts. She sat with me the entire time and looked at each card and gift. She is very thankful for her family coming to celebrate with her and for all of her great gifts! THANKS EVERYONE!!!

Lots to Share!

It's been awhile since I posted so there's is lots to share! I, of course, took lots of pictures. So I will let them do most of the talking!

Last Friday, I was so lucky and was able to go to the City to celebrate my friend, Mira's birthday! It was a great "girls" night out! Brittany and I began the adventure on the train with our "tall boy beers." Then, off to a pub for some more beer and apps. Finally, we ended the night at Mira's friends, Alicia and Kathy's for even more apps, beer, and games! SOOO fun and MUCH needed!

Mya has been so busy exploring our house. She has rearranged every cabinet and has found new toys that she loves! She can't get enough of her car. She hangs on tight to the steering wheel and goes for ride. It is absolutely hysterical when Matt pushes her around our house. She hangs on for dear life and I laugh uncontrollably! I will catch it on camera soon and share! :) This is her after her joyride!

We have been working very hard at getting our house ready for Mya's 1 year birthday party on Saturday. We are having over Matt's entire family, over 3o people. We are excited to have everyone over to the new house, but I am STRESSING OUT big time! Matt was working on the yard and I was pulling weeds. I decided to put Mya in the grass to play. All she needed was my purse to tear apart and she was happy! She loved the sensation of the grass (Why haven't we played in the grass before now???). This kept her busy for at least 45 minutes! We got a lot done, believe it or not!

Like I said, we have been feverishly working at getting the house ready for the party. While Matt worked at painting Mya's room a couple of weeks ago, it needed some "TLC" from "Rachel's Perspective." So, Matt took Mya to Grandma Diane's while Mommy worked on the room! It is almost done! A couple of finishing touches (window treatments, hanging the heavy mirror) and it will be done. It is AWESOME! The pictures don't really do it justice because you can't see the size of the room, it's huge! Seriously, I wish it was my room! Move over Mya, Mommy is sleeping with you!

11 Months Old and Into EVERYTHING!

My precious baby girl is 11 months old now! I'm a little behind in my "monthly birthday" post. I have been busy chasing, cleaning, and keeping up with my little girl on the go! I may say this every month, but I feel like she has change drastically this month. She has had a month of first- including, crawling, standing, talking (momma/dadda!), and waving. It is bittersweet to think my baby is growing and developing so quickly. I always think, "I can't wait until she can......" but then when it happens I think, "Oh, just another step towards my baby growing up." I never understood why anyone would want to do "this" again. The looooooong pregnancy, the painful delivery, the sleepless nights? Why do this all over again? But, as Mya gets older I somewhat miss those days. If I knew I could have 10 babies like her, perhaps I would do it again and again!

So, one more month before my baby girl turns the big 1! I can't imagine what changes will occur by then....walking....more talking.....we will see! I have a feeling the best is yet to come!

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

Wanted: Housekeeper/Personal Trainer

I had 2 revelations today.

1.) I need a housekeeper. I know, I'm a stay at home mom. Why can't I clean my own house? I can. I don't want to. With Mya now being a crazy crawler, she is into EVERYTHING!!!! She is into a drawer, closet, cabinet, laundry basket, or bag pulling EVERYTHING out before I can finish putting everything away from her previous adventure. I feel like I am constantly picking up after the little tornado. I am so pooped from picking up that I have no energy to actually "deep clean" anything. Let alone do the laundry or dishes!

2.) I need a personal trainer. I know, I am a stay at home mom. Why can't I get on the stupid eliptical that is collecting dust in my bedroom while Mya naps? I can. I don't want to. All it takes is trying on dresses and then seeing yourself in some photos. UGH! I am ashamed of myself. How did this happen? I am sure having a baby didn't help. However, I can no longer use that as an excuse. I see other moms and they have lost the weight. Girl...GET YOUR REAR IN GEAR!!!!