Happy Birthday Thanksgiving

Happy Birthday Thanksgiving!

We couldn't figure out whose birthday it was yesterday...but Lily kept saying Happy Birthday Thanksgiving all day long. Finally, we decided it must be the turkey's birthday. Obviously...it was his last!

We had a really great day and I just can't believe it was our second Thanksgiving as a famiy of 3!

Again this year we went to church with Suzy and Sheila. It was good to take time to thank God for all of our many blessings!

In the afternoon we went to Mary Beth and Ed's for our annual Thanksgiving feast. As usual, it did not disappoint!

Picture perfect!

I promise I'll use better table manners!

We get all that great food and this is all poor Bailey gets to eat???

Really....I didn't need a nap today. I could party all night. Honest!

Take a quick peek back at how much our little turkey has grown since last year!

Leaves

I love autumn. I love everything about it...wearing sweaters, drinking cider, and even raking leaves! Today Tony did most of the leaf raking...that made me enjoy it even more!

At first Lily was a little hesitant to play in the leaf piles. That didn't last long...neither did the neat little piles that Tony had made!

Check out how much Lily has grown since last Fall.

Chock-a-chick Cookies

Last night after dinner Tony, Lily, and I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies...or as Lily calls them chock-a-chick cookies.

Lily absolutely LOVES to cook and is always asking to help me make dinner. Yes, you read that right. I did say help me make dinner. Believe it or not I am cooking dinner quite often these days! Trust me, no one is more surprised than I am!

There is one little problem...our kitchen is tiny. I mean really tiny. We're talking the shed in our backyard is bigger than our entire kitchen. No, I'm not kidding! So, cooking means we spread out in the dining room and make a mess in two rooms instead of one. Mess aside we have a lot of fun and Lily stays amazingly focused on the task at hand.

Lily's favorite thing to do when we're cooking is to crack eggs. She does a surprisingly good job at it and, of course, we always have a strainer handy in case we need to sort out any of those pesky shell pieces!

The three of us had a lot of fun making cookies last night. Lily loved packing the brown sugar into the measuring cup and said, "Look Daddy, sand castles!" when she dropped the brown sugar into the bowl.

The best part came when the cookies cooled down and it was time to sample our creations. I asked Lily if she wanted to try one of the cookies we had just made and she said, "Umm, no. Can I have a Fig Newton?" Is she too funny?? She did take a nibble of Daddy's chock-a-chick cookie but that was it. She liked her Fig Newton better. Go figure!

My Throat Feels Sick

Beanie, do I look sick to you??

Saturday night Lily had a REALLY rough night of sleep. Lily never fully woke up but she tossed, turned, and called out all night long. That should have been the first clue.

I dub thee...Knight Lily.

Sunday morning when Lily woke up she appeared to be her usual sweet, happy self...and much better rested than her mom and dad! Sunday afternoon after her nap Lily didn't seem quite herself...kind of quiet...but that was all. That should have been our second clue.

Tony and I both knew something wasn't quite right with Lily but that didn't stop us from heading up to Aunt Patti's for Don and my birthday dinner. (Feel free to nominate us for Parent's Of The Year). While we were at Aunt Patti's Lily walked up to me with a sad face and said, "Mommy, my throat is sick." My poor baby!

Let's just say Sunday night made Saturday night look like a walk in the park!

I'm happy to say that as of today, Lily seems to be doing much better during the day...nights have still been a little rough...and it's not helping that Mom and Dad now have the sniffles, too!

RB...my future husband???

Aunt Pappy, what do you mean you don't think RB will wait for me?

Lily's Kimneys

We were very fortunate to get an appointment this afternoon with the Head of Pediatric Surgery/Urology at the University of Maryland. To be honest, as much as I wanted Lily to see the very best doctor I was also a little intimidated by the idea. I didn't need to worry. Dr. V was absolutely WONDERFUL! He was kind, patient, and gentle with our sweet Lily...and with me and Tony, too.

When we told Lily this morning we were going to the doctor this afternoon she told us repeatedly she did not like Dr. V and she did not want him to check her "kimneys". Turns out Dr. V won Lily over in a matter of minutes. Perhaps Mommy's not the only one with a soft spot for men with salt and pepper hair (and a New Zealand accent)!

Here's what we learned today:

Lily has one kidney stone in each kidney. The stone in her right kidney is 3 millimeters. The stone in her left kidney is 4 millimeters. They are small stones...but Lily's ureters are smaller.

According to the doctor there are 3 probable outcomes. First, and the most unlikely, is that the stones will dissolve on their own. Second, the stones will get bigger and need to be "dealt with". Third, the stones will dislodge and "pass."

Obviously, we are hoping and praying for the first (and most unlikely) outcome...that the stones will dissolve!

We did not delve too deeply into what it means to have the stones "dealt with". There was discussion about placing stents in Lily's ureters and using a Ureteroscopy to retrieve the stones should the need arise. At this point my eyes were welling up and my ears were shutting down. I was so glad that Tony was able to come to the appointment so we had two sets of ears to take everything in.

While I was already in shut down mode we discussed what would happen should a stone (or stones) dislodge. Dr. V told us that the symptoms would come on suddenly and that Lily would be "doubled over and writhing in pain." To say the very least I never want Lily to endure that! Dr. V asked that if this should happen we bypass our local emergency room and bring Lily directly to the University of Maryland ER so he can manage her care. Of course, we agreed.

Dr. V was quite honest with us about his lack of knowledge regarding Melamine exposure. He told us that he is trying to educate himself as data becomes available. We are also trying to do the same thing. Dr. V also told us that Lily is his first patient that has had probable Melamine exposure.

As an aside, Dr. V told us that in recent years there has been a steep increase in the rate of kidney stones in US children. I believe the words he used is there has been an "explosion". I thought that was really interesting.

Right now, we are waiting for the results of Lily's urinalysis. Unless the results show something significant, the plan is to monitor the stones by having a renal ultrasound and follow-up with the doctor every 6 months.

Dr. V requested that we check with our insurance company to see if they will cover Lily having ultrasounds performed at the hospital. While he was pleased with the quality of Lily's ultrasound films he is concerned that each time she returns to American Radiology a different radiologist will review her films. Dr. V said that there is a pediatric radiologist at the University of Maryland who is "the very best" and he wants that doctor to review Lily's films each time. I'll be calling our insurance company first thing Monday morning.

One of the things that the doctor stressed is that we make sure that Lily stays well hydrated and drinks plenty of water. The doctor told us he knows how challenging it is to get kids to drink water. Obviously, he doesn't know Lily drinks up water like a sponge!

To be honest, I was hoping to hear that there were no stones and that the initial radiologist's reading was wrong. However, since that's apparently not the case I'm glad we found a doctor that we all feel comfortable with. I will let you know if we learn anything more.

Melamine

By now I imagine most of you have heard about the melamine-tainted powdered baby formula in China. If not, here are a few links that outline the issue:

China Daily
Wikipedia
Danwei
World Health Organization
New York Times

When the story broke I felt two very strong emotions. First, heartache for the babies that had died or became seriously ill as a result of the tainted formula. Second, complete outrage that a company would knowingly put a chemical compound used as a flame retardant and fertilizer into baby formula.

I knew that, Sanlu, the company that was under investigation made the brand of formula that Lily was given while in China. However, I thought the melamine contamination was a fairly recent and not ongoing problem. I was wrong. In late October I did a little more research and learned that there is evidence that the formula contained melamine as far back as 2005!

In the over 18 months since we've been home Lily has shown no signs of kidney problems. However, I still thought I should call Lily's pediatrician, Dr. Lane. I discussed with Dr. Lane the protocol listed on The Center For Adoption Medicine's website for testing children for melamine exposure.

Dr. Lane agreed with the recommendations but thought we should test Lily even though she was asymptomatic. Dr. Lane ordered a urinalysis and renal ultrasound. If either of these test came back with anything to be concerned about Dr. Lane would then schedule Lily for blood work. Dr. Lane's goal was to avoid Lily having to have a needle stick if it wasn't 100% necessary.

Lily had the renal ultrasound done last Friday. The technician was wonderful with Lily, the test was non eventful, and Lily enjoyed having "pictures" taken of her kidneys...even telling them to say, "Cheese!"

Late this afternoon we got the results back from the ultrasound. It turns out our little pumpkin has what appears to be very small stones in both of her kidneys. I'm in shock and more than a little weepy. First thing tomorrow morning I will be calling to make an appointment with a pediatric urologist that Dr. Lane recommended. I will let you know as soon as we know more.

I know our Lily girl will be just fine...but please keep her in your prayers!

You Know You're A Mother When...

...the highlight of your birthday is your daughter going poopy on the big girl potty!!!! I really had a great day and that was just the icing on the cake. (Ok, I'll admit that was pretty gross!)

Thus far, Lily has shown absolutely no interest in potty training. None. Zip. Zero. Lily will tell me when she has a "soaky diaper" or when she needs to go poopy but that hasn't equated to a desire to actually use the big girl potty.

When I ask Lily if she wants to wear big girl panties or use the big girl potty the answer is always, "maybe later" or "not yet". I'm not interested in pressuring Lily into potty training. I know it will happen when she's ready and not a minute before.

Look, I'm wearing big girl panties!

So, how is it that she went poopy in the big girl potty today? Well, I was trying (unsuccessfully) to collect a urine sample (I'll explain why in a later post)...too bad it wasn't a stool sample I was after!

Lily was so, so, proud of herself...and Mommy was pretty proud, too!

Ok, enough potty talk!

Last night Tony and I went out for a very nice romantic dinner to celebrate my birthday. We split a yummy bottle of wine (split in the sense that Tony nursed one glass while I finished off the rest), enjoyed a delicious 3 course dinner, and just having some quiet time for the two of us.

Katie came over to watch Lily and they had a great time together. I think it's safe to say we've come a long way since our first date night!

Today, Lily and I went out to lunch with Mary Beth and Patti. We had a great lunch and some quality girl time.

I had planned to make dinner tonight but Tony called and said, "Honey, you've been cooking too much lately. You deserve another night off. How about the 3 of us go out and get a bite to eat?" So, that's what we did. I mean...how could I refuse?!?

Wait. You don't believe that's how it really went down??? Hey, it's MY birthday...MY blog...I'm telling the story MY way!

Mommy says I'm the best present EVER!

Just look at how much Lily has changed since my last birthday. I just love that she's getting older...and I'm NOT!

Leaf Hunts And Other Fall Fun

We had a great weekend filled with Fall fun!

We went on a "leaf hunt"...


...to the Ch-Irish Festival...


...rode the mini-trains again...


and Daddy and I even squeaked in a date night!

The Other Last Night

I know I just did a post on funny little Lily-isms but this one is too good to pass up.

Yesterday when I was making breakfast Lily said to me, "Daddy's not bald." The way she said it almost made it sound as if I had just told her Tony was bald and she was disputing the fact. It was funny and completely out of left field. So, I sort of chuckled and said, "You're right. Daddy's not bald." Lily then looked at me and said, "You know, Dad Dad has hair but he has some bald peeking through." Well, that did me in. I think iced tea actually came out of my nose!

Naturally, I had to call Dad and tell him what Lily said. He got a good laugh out of it, too!

As for the title of this post, the other last night is how Lily refers to any day that isn't today... whether it was yesterday or 6 months ago. She will say things like, "Mommy remember the other last night when we went to preschool...or... Mommy the other last night when we were at our vacation house."

It is so much fun laughing, learning, loving, and living life with Lily!

The other last night I went to the pumpkin patch with my friends.

We Didn't Catch Any Fish

Lily has been saying some of the cutest things lately. My mind has turned into a complete sieve so I thought I better write them down or I would forget them.

Sorry about the completely random little excerpts:


• The other day Lily and I were one of the first cars on the scene of a pretty serious car accident. The next day when we got in the car Lily said to me, "I hope the road is real careful with cars today."



• When I came home from getting my haircut a few nights ago Lily said, "Wow. Mama has a sassy new do hair." Not hair do. Lily also calls the hairdryer a dry hairer. For the most part Lily's speech is very clear with very few hints of any kind of baby talk any more. I think that's why I love it so much when Lily says things like this.



• We were at an outing with our Parent's group and April, one of the other moms, had her new little baby with her. Lily looked at the baby's scalp and asked April why the baby had crumbs on his head. April very sweetly explained that it wasn't crumbs it was called cradle cap. Lily shook her head and just as sweetly said, "No. They're crumbs." and then ran back to play.



• With the shorter days Lily has been more aware of the sun setting. The other day as she was watching the sun set she said, "Mommy, see the sun is ready to set...Go!" You could actually see the wheels turning in Lily's cute little head. Then she started saying, "Sun...ready, set, Go!" I tell you she was cracking herself up. I wonder if the sun even knew it was in a race.



• One of my favorite times of the day is when Lily first wakes up from her nap. That is when she actually takes a nap...but that's a subject for a different post. Anyway, after her nap she's all warm and snuggly and loves to sit on my lap facing me. The other day she put her hands on my face and in the saddest voice she said, "Poor Mommy. You have crinkles and bumps." Out of the mouth of babes.



• The other morning I was taking a shower and Lily pulled back the shower curtain and said,"Mommy, you can play with my tubby toys if you want to." A few seconds later she pulled the curtain back again and said, "I'm being a good sharer. Aren't I?"



• Now, for the last one. Today when I told Lily we were going to go vote she was EXTREMELY excited. She even said, "I'm real excited." I thought it was a little strange but...hey, it's her first election so who knows?? So, anyway I go in and vote and Lily is looking all around expectantly. I finish up, Lily gets an "I Voted" sticker and away we go. On our way out we ran into some of our neighbors. I told them how excited Lily was to go with me to vote. Lily said in her really sad voice, "We didn't catch any fish." Mary, Reid, and I gave each other...and Lily...a puzzled look. I asked Lily why did she think we would catch fish and she said, "Last week Daddy went on a boat. He caught fish. We didn't catch any fish." The poor little thing thought we were going on a BOAT...not to vote.




I'll stop now. But, trust me...I could go on and on!

Happy Birthday Don!

Today is my big brother Don's 45th birthday!

Happy birthday Don! We love you!!

Happy Hollowleen

No, that's not a typo. That's the way Lily pronounces Halloween. It sounds incredibly cute. Speaking of incredibly cute...check out this sweet picture of Dorothy:

I just fell down and scraped my knee. Good thing Toto didn't get hurt!

Lily has never seen the Wizard Of Oz and has no idea who Dorothy is or why she would want to dress up like her. The same goes for why her mother would dress up as the Cowardly Lion and her father like the Scarecrow. Despite all of that, Lily seemed to enjoy Halloween.

Mary Beth found the cute little Dorothy outfit at a yard sale and we had the lion and scarecrow costumes from a Halloween Party we went to with Laura and Rich, Lily's Godparents, several years ago. Sorry Rich...but Lily made a much cuter Dorothy!

We definitely got Mary Beth's money worth out of the Dorothy costume. Lily wore it to B*by L*ves Disc*, to preschool on Thursday, for Halloween, and to a costume party last night!

Check out these cute pictures of Lily at preschool:

Dorothy had a very busy and fun Halloween. We started the day having breakfast with Dad Dad at the diner. I dressed Lily in her costume and she got quite a kick out of showing Miss Mary her fancy red shoes!

After breakfast we headed to a nursing home with our stay at home parent's group to do a little reverse trick-or-treating (we brought the treats).

The nursing home we visited was the place where my mom worked for years while I was growing up. I was completely unprepared for the flood of memories and emotions that accompanied our visit. Truth be told I was a weepy mess the entire time we were there. I was shocked that several people from my mom's time still worked there. In fact, one woman said, "Of course you're Mary Agnes' daughter. You look just like her."

Despite her emotionally unstable mother, Lily had a lot of fun at the nursing home and the residents just ate her up. I was so surprised by Lily's behavior. She was not the least bit intimidated even though some of the people were quite infirmed. Lily just walked right up to each person and said, "Hello! Do you want a treat?" and asked quite a few people, "How are you feeling?" Could she be any cuter?

One of the ladies took quite a shine to Lily and actually gave her "walker rides" up and down the hallways!

This is fun Miss Jane!

You bet we'll be back, Miss Marie and Miss Jane. This place is GREAT!

In the early evening we went trick-or-treating. Lily got quite a kick out of going door to door. We went to about 8 neighbors and I think Lily thought she was going on some kind of "Halloween Tour of Homes". Our little snoopy sniffer either walked in or stuck her head into every house. Tony and I always tease that we should have named Lily...Nosey Rosey!

Lily didn't really understand the whole concept of trick-or-treating. Lily liked taking candy from people but she also wanted to give them candy...more like a candy swap. It was very funny.

Our neighbors are so sweet and several of them had special treats just for Lily. Lily's favorite was the Werewolf flashlight our neighbor Venera gave her. She has used it so much since Friday night the battery is already dead!

Suzy and Sheila came and joined us for trick-or-treating and dinner. Lily loved visiting with them and Nai Nai and Aunt Sheila got to enjoy a little dinner show from our overtired, overstimulated Dorothy! Lily was quite a hoot and thoroughly enjoyed having a new audience.

Here are a few pictures from our night out:

If you want to see how much our little pumpkin has grown in the last year take a look back at this post.