Sunday, January 31, 2010

A Week of Vomiting!

Just a quick update without any photos! I know how much people want to see them, but I haven't had the time this week! We have had a crazy week! We have both been sick and spent two days at home and neither of us are 100% yet! It's that time of the year when the kids seem to get one thing after another!
On Tuesday I woke up feeling terrible but having planned some activities for Australia Day I was determined to suck it up and get on with the day. As we were eating breakfast however Mackenzie threw up...my first sign all was not well! I figured at that point we would still go as it wasn't a huge vomit and she seemed her normal happy self. So there we were both in our Aussie shirts when Mackenzie threw up for a second time, this time it was a lot so I called out and got her a doctors appointment. The doctor said it looked like she had the gastro bug that was doing the rounds.
We stayed home Tuesday and Wednesday. Then on Thursday we went back, but unfortunately her vomiting changed. Now it was as she coughed. This is still continuing, but is beginning to settle down now that we have been back to the doctors and have some medication. The doctors seems to believe that she has an upper respiratory infection, which fortunately for us has not gone into her lungs. She gave us some medication to hopefully dry up all the snot which is dripping and causing her to cough and in turn throw up! We have been sleeping on towels all week and don't go anywhere without a spare change of clothes or two.
Now to some more up beat news! She's trying really hard with her walking! This weekend she's been pulling herself up and walking around the furniture. She doesn't yet have the confidence to walk too far from something to help her. The funny thing about it though is that when she does move away from the furniture she is walking too fast so of course she ends up losing her balance! I'm trying to tell her to slow down, but she looks at me with that I'll do it my way look so I let her go.
Not much else to report. Still no word on when John is coming home. I guess from facebook they had some of the people from Avatar go out to the ship to meet with them and show them the movie. I'm not sure if John got to see it yet, but that was a nice thing for them. Not much planned for this week either, just keep your fingers crossed for us that we get back to feeling 100%!!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Daddy's Care Package!


All packed up and ready to go see Daddy!

I'm attempting to put together a little care package for John for Valentine's Day and thought it would be a cute idea to get some pics of Mackenzie in the box. Of course she was a willing participant as she loves to climb into anything these days! So I guess I'll try and send her to Daddy, dirty face and all!

"Surprise Daddy!!"

I'm doing my best to process the news of John being extended. I got to talk to him last night and he is not taking the news too good. I have never experienced him down like this, so I'm trying my hardest to stay positive for him. They haven't been given a date for going home, so at the moment he's a little pissed off with his decision to join the ship. It was tough talking with him because he wanted to know about Mackenzie, but then I could tell he was upset about what he's missing out on. Please keep him in your thoughts and keep your fingers crossed for us that we get a date for home coming soon.

"I hope you like these Daddy, I picked them myself!"

Yesterday we went to visit my friend Brittny and to see her little baby. He's so cute and so little. It was kind of hard to comprehend that a year ago Mackenzie was his size and I was in their place. We had a nice visit and Mackenzie had fun pigging out on her snacks and eventually warming up to Brittny and Dave. Unfortunately though later that night Mackenzie threw up and I was in a complete panic that I had taken some bug over to Dj. Brittny said he's fine and so is Mackenzie so I think she might have just had eaten too much or eaten something that wasn't good for her.






Saturday, January 23, 2010

Wet Week


All ready to go to school in the rain

This week has been a crazy one for us! San Diego rarely gets rain and this week I think we might of got a years worth in one week! We had storm after storm after storm! There was wind, hail (only sometimes), flooding, thunder and lightning! It was totally a week where I wish we could have just stayed at home! Unfortunately we didn't have that luxury so we braved the weather along with everyone else. I was most concerned about driving. I'm sure I've mentioned it enough times here that driving in San Diego is scary on a good day, and when it rains it's even worse. People don't seem to know how to slow down and they also seem to think that they are the only person on the road with somewhere to go. I just told myself to go as slow as I needed to and we were able to make our way safely every time we went out. I'm really glad to see the sun today however!

Finding her hand again!

Mackenzie is doing great at school and for the most part has settled into my class. There are occasions however when she just wants her mummy and she throws a tantrum, but we've become good at ignoring it or offering her cheese to calm her down. The other day she actually went back to her old classroom on her own and ended up staying there for lunch and a nap. I guess she doesn't need me as much as I think she does! She is now able to point to her nose, although some times she sticks her finger up her nose which isn't too attractive, and she has become quite the artist. She gets very upset with us if we try to take away whatever it is she might be using. She is also handling herself with the other children. Within the group we have between the two classroom there is probably a six to seven month age difference and she plays with the older kids and tries to boss them around as well! She's just growing so quickly!

A smile for school!

At home on the other hand it can be a little stressful. This week I've seen a lot of tantrums and everyone keeps telling me to ignore her and she'll get over it, but she seems to have a real stubborn streak in her so I think she might be winning those battles at the moment! She wants what she wants and I'm left wondering what I did wrong!? She is the fussiest eater ever and refuses to eat most regular food I put in front of her, which in turn leaves me offering her several options which I told myself I wouldn't do! Today for instance she ate very little breakfast, but tried to talk me into giving her a cookie. (she didn't get a cookie!) So what do I do? Do I continue to offer her the food, then give her the baby food when she won't eat, or do I give her the one option and if she doesn't eat it that's it?

At school last week in her Chargers outfit...we lost! =(

Hanging with her boyfriend Deuce!

Playing with her kitchen

I got to have a decent conversation with John last week for the first time since he left! I have spoken to him before that, but it's always been very short calls where we either get cut off or he runs out of credit for the phone. He's doing good and is still out to sea. I was beginning to look forward to the idea that he will be home soon, then I went on facebook yesterday and read that they have been extended to who knows when! The captain posted a note saying that because the navy has sent so many resources to help out in Haiti that there is no one to replace them, so now they have to wait out there. I don't even have the words to express how pissed off I am! (sorry Ruth) All these people were posting comments after the note saying go navy and all this other stuff and I wanted to write ARE YOU FRIGGING KIDDING ME!! I WANT MY HUSBAND HOME! Why should we have to sacrifice because the navy is spread too thin!?! So now who knows when he'll be home. Now he misses yet another Easter, another birthday, possibly another anniversary and who knows what else because we have no idea when they will be coming home. When I married him I knew that we would be spending time apart, but I never imagined it would be like this. I guess this is the life I chose for myself...please keep your fingers crossed for us that we find out soon when he'll be coming home!

"Anyone for a cup of tea?"

Thursday, January 14, 2010

A New Play Spot


This is where I found Mackenzie on Monday!

In John's attempt to baby proof the house in the short time he was home he moved the cleaning products from under the sink and put them out of reach, then filled that space with paper towels. Over the past few weeks Mackenzie has enjoyed opening up the door, then tossing out all the rolls for me to clean up, and on the odd occasion she has ripped some up. Then on Monday as I was cleaning up and getting our lunches ready for the next day I turned around and this is how I found her! She was actually almost all the way in at first and she looked so cute!!
Now when I'm in the kitchen this is where she likes to sit. She gets very unhappy with me if I'm trying to do the dishes!

"Peek-a-boo Mummy!"




I like how her bib is also turned back superhero style!!

We had a short day at work/school today. Unfortunately one of our friends came in on Monday a little under the weather and before we sent him home he managed to spread his germs to the majority of our class, not to mention the classrooms on either side of us! Today thank goodness by the time we left because Mackenzie was sick there was only two other children from our class. Mackenzie had a big sleep and seems to be doing a lot better although she still has a very runny nose and a rather nasty cough...just in time for our long weekend!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Big girl class!


All dressed up and ready for her first day in the big girl class!

Another week over with and can you believe that by the end of next week we will be half way through January already! I kind of hope that the time continues to fly like this so that John will be home before we know it! This week was our first full week back at work/school in about two weeks so we were both exhausted by the end of it! I was lucky to be staying awake long enough to get Mackenzie to sleep at night. This week saw Mackenzie move up into my classroom and it went better than what I expected it too!
Monday and Tuesday went great, but from Wednesday on wards she began to throw little tantrums whenever I left the room. This got a little tough at times because we have to leave the room to change diapers/nappies so she got to test out her lungs and peoples patience a bit for the last three days. I think with a little more time though she'll get there. We have begun to call her a cheese junkie because if she's pitching a fit before lunch or afternoon snack we give her some of her cheese and she's happy!
Funny story about her obsession with cheese...the other day we were at the store and I got her a small block of cheese because she loves it so much. She held onto it the entire time we were there and got very unhappy with the cashier when we had to take it away from her. I gave it back to her and she held on to it all the way home!

Taking her nap on Monday!

She loves to go outside and she's holding her own with most of the big kids. I have to admit I get a little nervous when I see her approach them, especially the ones I know can be mean, but so far they have been nice with her and the other little ones and she doesn't seem to be scared to "tell" them when she's not happy with them. She also loves arts and crafts and each time we've done it she's gotten very mad at me when I've had to take the crayon or marker away from her. She also has joined the dancing club. I like to play a lot of different music for the kids, not just all the kiddy stuff all the time. She loved the Grease soundtrack from yesterday and has also become a Michael Jackson fan along with the other kids. It's so funny to see them when the first beats of Billie Jean begin. They all start bopping their heads! Other music they like to hear is of course some country (Taylor Swift is very popular) and some ABBA!

Taking a nap with her friends

Snack time

Mackenzie also has another new word. One of her friends is called Deuce (it's his nickname actually) and she began to say that yesterday. She refuses to say Mama, but she'll call out to Deuce every chance she gets! I guess John will have to meet her little boyfriend when he gets home.

Sitting next to Deuce for snack

Apart from work/school there is nothing much to tell you about! I'm doing fine and I'm making sure I try my best to maintain Mackenzie's school schedule here at home. Today she's had her lunch and is off for her nap (in her own bed) so now it's time for me to do all the stuff I have to do around the house! If we continue this way I might even get some time for myself again!
John is doing fine and still out to sea. I have no idea when he will be pulling into port, but they haven't had a port call since October so I imagine it won't be too far off. They are still shutting down the email system every other day it seems so we don't hear from him a whole lot, but I did get to talk to him last week which was nice. Mackenzie also got to talk to him but didn't say anything. I think she's going to be in for quite a shock when he does come home and she sees that he's not just a face in a photo!
Hope you all like the pics and I'll have more for you next week!

This is how we found her napping yesterday!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Sophie's Birthday


Enjoying something to eat at Sophie's party.

Yesterday we went to Mackenzie's friend Sophie's party. Sophie's mum is one of my good friends who I used to work with. Unfortunately she no longer lives in San Diego so we don't get to see our friends as much as we would like, but yesterday we made the very long drive to their house to share Sophie's special day. It took us an hour and a half to get there and luckily for me Mackenzie slept nearly all the way there. On the hour and a half drive home she slept most of the way so the trip wasn't as bad as I thought it could be.

Sophie opening her present from us...I loved this outfit and bought one for Mackenzie too!

Mackenzie had a great time at the party. This was the first time she actually played and had fun. Every other time we've gone somewhere she would get all shy and not move from my lap. At the party she played with Sophie, talked, played and had a lot of fun. I think a lot of it had to do with Sophie's ball pit...Mackenzie loved it! Sophie's ball pit was this cool blow up bus and Mackenzie spent most of the time in it. It was actually nice to see her interact for once and for everyone else to see the happy little girl that I see all the time!

Her static hair!

Looking through the door of the bus!

"Mummy you have to get me one of these!"



Sophie about to dig into her birthday cake!

Me and my girl

So tomorrow we are back to work/school and we have to go for a full week! I don't know if either of us are ready for that. It's been nice having three day weeks. Mackenzie is in my room and is all ready to go. She has new big girl shoes and a great big blanket, and I only hope she will be good and allow me to do my job.

Back at home having a drink on the steps.

John is doing fine and we have had the chance to talk to him this weekend which has been nice. Mackenzie got to listen to Daddy told although she wouldn't talk to him. Anyway I need to go take care of Mackenzie as she's pitching a fit...stay tuned for the end of the week and I'll let you know how Mackenzie's first week as a big girl goes!

Friday, January 1, 2010

First Steps, Temper Tantrums and Words!!


Mackenzie sitting on the bench at the zoo last week!

The final week of 2009 has been an interesting one for us! Mackenzie seems to be making that transition into becoming a toddler before my eyes and I don't know if I'm ready for it! This week I've seen her take her first steps, throw a huge tantrum and come out with a few new words! It's all bittersweet as this whole year has been because as exciting as it is, it's sad that John has missed out on it all.
On Monday Mackenzie's teacher approached me and said "Guess who has taken some steps?" It was exciting news, but at the same time sad because I missed seeing her take her first steps. As a teacher myself I personally make sure the parents have seen it first so as not to disappoint them in missing out on seeing something for the first time, but as you may have picked up from previous posts me and her teacher don't always get along! She was able to get Mackenzie to do it again so I could see and we have practiced at home. She takes a couple of steps with a lot of prompting and encouragement, but she is not at the stage yet where she is using her own initiative and taking steps on her own.

This is my new favourite photo!!

Monday as saw Mackenzie throw the mother of all tantrums!! I am trying to wean her from being breastfed which is proving to be next to impossible. I have how ever managed to get it down to where she only feeds at night. (any tips in this area are appreciated!) Well on Monday when we got home she wanted a drink and I refused. Normally I distract her and she gets over it, but that day for some reason she just wanted what she wanted. So I quickly got dinner ready while she screamed in my arms, then went to put her into her highchair and had yet another battle on my hands! After a short fight I was able to click her in and I put her meal in front of her. Because she was already pissed off I gave her foods that I know she likes so as not to upset her even more. She had chicken nuggets, cheese, peas and corn and peaches. She settled down and began to eat and I went about trying to get myself something to eat. I realised that I didn't put her bib on her and went back to do that....big mistake! She went off again! She was screaming and trying to get out of the chair. She threw her cup down, then picked up her plate and threw it, all the while looking at me and screaming! I told her that we don't throw our food and proceeded to pick it up and try and put it back on her tray. She then picked up her chicken nuggets and all the while looking at me ripped them up in her hands and threw them! I was a little taken aback by this and with her getting louder and more upset I gave in and took her down and fed her...what else could I do!? After that I knew that she has me wrapped around her little finger. I don't take this crap from the kids I look after, but I somehow can't control my own child. Where did I go wrong!?
After she had managed to get her own way she settled down and began to play. It was then that I heard some new words...she says "there" "baby" and has also begun to sign "more". My baby is growing before my eyes! I guess I can't call her a baby any longer.
Today I also got another nice lesson in how much she is growing. We were reading one of her books called Little Possum Magic (thanks Amanda she loves it!) and when we got to the page with the snake on it she began to hiss like a snake and then when we got to the kangaroo she made a jumping motion. We have read this book a thousand times and every time I have made those sounds and actions. It just blew me away to have her repeat them! I work with this age group and know what to expect, but to see it in my own child is exciting!!

Enjoying a chocolate chip cookie...her new favourite food!

The remainder of our week has been quiet. Yesterday we hit the mall as we needed to get a few things. We saw 2010 in together three hours early when it turned midnight in New York (they are ahead of us) then Mackenzie went to sleep. She did however wake up at 11:59 so we were able to see the new year in together before she got her drink and drifted back off to sleep. Tomorrow we have a birthday party to go to and then it's back to work/school for our first full week in two weeks. Mackenzie is moving into my classroom on Monday so I am excited/dreading that. I'm hoping that it will only take a couple of weeks for her to settle in and realize that I have to also look after the other children. I am also hoping that she will continue to do the things at school that she refuses to do at home such as eat her food (she eats anything at school...at home not so much) and sleep in her own bed. She will also be going outside to play now and will start doing more arts and crafts. I am hoping to be able to get more photos of her at school now that I will be seeing more of her.
I hope you all had a nice New Years and that 2010 is good to you!