10 Months Old!

Last Saturday, Moses turned 10 months old. Wow, time flies. On Friday night, since we were still dealing with stifling heat in the house, we decided to trek out to the mall – to enjoy a little AC. We got Moses his first shoes as an early b-day present. Size 6! What a fat foot!

Saturday was sooo freakin’ hot. So while we were suffering in the heat, we noticed the half bath toilet was leaking. We figured it was the wax ring (given all the heat, especially on the main floor, it seemed the most likely culprit). Being broke we decided to tackle the problem ourselves – which is much harder when you have 3 kiddos under foot and yucky toilet water everywhere. And it’s 90+ degrees in a teeny tiny little bathroom that one person can barely turn around in. We moved the floor fan to just outside the bathroom to help cool us down. Of course the girls wanted to watch. We noticed it was getting hotter… probably took me 30 minutes to realize the girls had turned the fan off! I asked why they did that and they said “Too loud, mommy.” Darn kids! Anywho we got it all “fixed” and I did all my disinfecting of the floor and surrounding surfaces.

Later in afternoon/evening we swung over to our friends’ house – they graciously offered to host us in their AC. We had a nice visit. The girls had a lot of fun. In fact all week they’ve been asking to go back to Colton’s house.

When we got back from our play date, I decided to check on the toilet and low and behold… more water. Darn rookie plumbers that we are! We took the water out of the toilet to prevent further leaking and tasked ourselves with fixing it after all the kids went to bed. The second time around went much smoother and quicker. And so far no leaks. But we didn’t get to bed until 1 a.m.-ish in the morning. Ah wells.

Sunday wasn’t as hot. Only in the 80s. I took the girls to the store to get a sprinkler. They had a lot of fun playing in it, and watching worms try to swim to safety in the little river we created on the sidewalk.

As far as the AC is concerned. Monday came with no word. So Richard called in the morning. They told him the part would come in on Tuesday (hmm, Thursday, they said Friday, then Saturday, then Monday). Then they called back later and said they would fix it on Wednesday? I was pissed at this point. I left a nastygram on their Facebook page. It wasn’t long after that, that they scheduled the fix back to Tuesday afternoon. Just in time for the temperatures to drop anyway. Doh. So a new tech came on Tuesday and fixed it within 2 hours. We only had to pay $131 total (the part the other guy broke was valued at $1200). So the new tech said we “lucked out” in that we basically had a brand new indoor unit for “free.” Hmmm, not without a fight, headaches, and my kids sweltering in heat for several days…

Just glad it’s finally fixed for when summer really kicks in to overdrive.

In the meantime. Moses finally has his top two teeth! He’s cruising on the furniture and pulling up on everything. He’s walking stronger now, but still has jelly-legs every once and a while. He gets frustrated when he wants something and can’t have it. He likes playing with both of his sisters. He laughs and smiles at them more than anybody else! He wants to be where they are all the time.

We haven’t really been pushing potty training. The girls decided on their own several months ago to go sans diaper during the night. We rarely have accidents. But during the day was different – always diapers. Occasionally they’d just randomly pick a day to go pee-pee on toilet. But nothing steady. Well Saturday, Grace decided she wanted underpants and hasn't worn diapers since. That doesn't mean we haven’t had accidents! Poopy and pee-pee. But she’s getting better. Wednesday evening we were at the park and she went in a public restroom – big girl! She only had one accident yesterday, so here’s crossing fingers she masters it soon. I’m hoping Frances will follow suit quickly once she sees Grace doing it all the time.

Memorial Day Weekend and AC Woes

Well, we had a busy and fun weekend. Grandma and Grandpa Parry came to visit for the long weekend. We spent a lot of time at the petting farm. Much to the delight of the girls. They even had their first pony rides! And even though the pictures show some serious faces, they really did love being on the ponies. The weather was actually rather chilly. Fortunate, since our AC is on the fritz. Moses fared well with his grandparents. Much better than the girls used to at his age.

Grandma and Mo - looking like a such a "big" boy 

 Whenever grandma and grandpa come, it always seems time goes by too quickly. The girls were sad to see them go on Monday morning. To lift the girls' spirits I took them to the store to get a couple kid-sized rakes and trowels. We bought some begonias and the girls helped me plant a couple hanging baskets. Oh they loved it - especially the dirt ;-)

Frances and Grace "Green Thumbs" Wacha

Our continuing issue right now is waiting for the AC to get fixed. Our stroke of luck with the cool weather ran out. It wouldn't be so horrible if the kids weren't stuck in the house sans AC all day, but they are. We brought the fan down from the attic and it helps a bit. And we have the ceiling fans on high in the bedrooms. We're really annoyed at BGEHome. We've had a service contract with them since 2007 - we pay monthly. This is the first time an issue has come up with our unit, usually we just have our run-of-the-mill inspection and all is good. They said $131 for a replacement part and that it was an "easy" fix. Well, the rookie tech they sent over last Friday, spent 5 hours on it only to realize he couldn't do what he needed to do and had further damaged our unit (set off fire alarms in the process!). He said, the new part he had to replace would be "on the company" since it was his fault... and hopefully they'd have it fixed by Tuesday or Wednesday. Well, Wednesday came with no word, so Richard called. They said they had ordered the wrong part and had to stop by to get the serial number again - a 2 minute job. It was 90 degrees on Wednesday. We notified the nanny, kept calling back for status updates, and no one came. Finally, late in the evening, the tech calls and says he'll have to come first thing in the morning on Thursday - yes, for a 2 minute job, while my kids are continuing to suffer. So he comes Thursday morning, gets the number, and places the order. Later in the morning Richard gets a call from BGEHome saying the part will be in on Friday and it will be $1,000!!! Richard asked why they were quoting him the cost since the tech said THEY would cover it. The customer rep gave him the run around so he asked for a manager to contact him. So the manager calls, hemming and hawing about how our unit is "old" and hard to find parts for, and copper is expensive. Well, Richard says, "Not my problem, your tech broke it." I pointed out to Richard that BGEHome installed the unit brand new in 2005, so it's not even 10 years old yet. What a racket. Plus, they broke that extra part! So long story, a bit shorter, they agreed to only charge us our original quote of $131. But not before trying to convince Richard to shell out $6000 for a new unit. I have to force myself to find time to register a formal complaint to the company, the state agency that oversees them, and the Better Business Bureau. In the meantime, they had said they would fix it on Friday and now they say Saturday, but more likely, Monday. What? Sounds like they are trying to "teach us a lesson"?? About what? How douchey they are? Believe me, lesson learned, at least on my end. Anywho, can you tell I'm annoyed?

Anyway the kids are sweating it out yet again, as well as the nanny. And with temps in the 90s through the weekend... yay! Extra cranky kiddos. Trying to convince Richard to clean up the basement so the kids can play down there where it's much cooler. We shall see.

I took Francie to the dermatologist today (Grace tagged along). She has had a bump on the middle of her eyelid for about 5 weeks now. Apparently it's molluscum contagiosum. Kind of like a wart but not as big. It's a virus. She had one before on her foot. The doctor said kids with eczema are more susceptible to these skin viruses since their skin immunity is lower. So she gave us some retinoid cream to put on twice a day to help "wake up" Francie's immune system to fight the virus. Ah well. Hopefully it will go away with-in the month. It is contagious though so I have to keep an eye out for other bumps on her or her siblings. But no worries. It will pass.

On the way back from the doctor this morning.
Wearing dresses that grandma bought them.
(Frances on left, Grace on right)

On the Moses front, his top two front teeth are finally coming in! He's pulling up like a champ and starting to cruise. He seems more agile in general than his sisters were. I have heard him say "ribbit" for frog a few times (no one believes me!). But that's about all that's new on the speech front. He understands "No" and can shake his head no. He loves clapping. And he really loves chasing after and playing with his sisters.

The Elusive Bead and Attack of the Blabberwockies

Well, I was taking Francie's beads out last weekend and I brought up the "bead incident" from the weekend prior. I said, "Doesn't it feel better to have that bead out of your nose?" She said, "Mommy, I had a boo-boo. I had TWO beads in my nose!" And proceeds to stick both fingers up her nose to demonstrate. Oh no. So I figured I'd play it safe and take her in to see the pediatrician. Plus, there is this bump on her eyelid that hasn't gone away in, now, 4-weeks. So we trekked over to the doc's office.

The nurse practitioner looked with that light they use to look in your ears and nose. She said she couldn't see anything, but that she can only see so far, hardly even past that first bump in the nostril. She said we could either wait it out or go to an ear, nose and throat specialist. I decided we'll just wait it out. She said it might have even passed into her poop already. Hahaha. Gross. Anyway, we'll just keep an eye on her and see what, if anything, unfolds.

As for the bump on her eyelid. She said it didn't look like a pimple or a sty - that maybe it's a wart (darn dirty playground haha)? So we're heading to the dermatologist just to see what it truly is and if we need to do anything about it, or just wait it out.

In the mean time, Moses is talking more. He's been saying "Mama" and "Dada" - but just in general, not really towards us. He also likes elephants. I usually do an elephant sound and raise my arms like a trunk. He likes copying. And he's so serious when he does it. Too cute. He doesn't do both at the same time though. He'll either raise his arms or make the noise.

Here are some funnies from the mouths of babes this past week:

Grace to Frances (quite frequently, I might add): "Francie, no! You go right in timeout! Look at the wall! Two minutes!"

Mommy: "What do you guys want for dinner?"
Grace: "Beef, tables, and carrots."
Mommy: "Tables?"
Grace: "Yes, Tables."
[Wracking my brain here...]
Mommy: "Do you mean 'po-ta-toes'?"
Grace: "Yes. Po-tables."

Frances to me: "I don't like you!"
[I give a sad face.]
Frances comes and gives me a big hug.
She's been doing it a lot this past week and it's like a game to her. She smiles the whole time too. Poor mommy... what a sick and twisted web these toddlers weave.

Welcome Baby Zekiah!

Eveck, Paul and baby Zekiah

Me and my new nephew!

Welcome baby boy, Zekiah Otwon Magomu-Wacha! Born yesterday, 5/14 at 9:26 p.m. at 38 weeks old via emergency c-section. 5lbs. 7.5 oz and 19.5 inches long.

Mommy Eveck is doing well - she's one tough cookie! Baby is all happy and healthy. And Daddy Paul is all smiles. I feel so blessed that I was actually able to be there to share in this special day! It was a wonderful experience to be on the "other side" of delivery for once and being able to soak up that baby cuteness right away!

Here are some pics (you don't need a facebook account to view them, just click the link): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151384551575474.1073741827.509305473&type=1&l=b51af96cda

Congrats and welcome to the newest member of the family!

Mother's Day times 3!

Wow! My first Mother's Day weekend as a mom of three!

Saturday was rainy so we hung out inside pretty much all day. At nighttime I've been in the habit of brushing the girls' teeth in front of the big mirror in Moses' room. So I'm brushing Francie's teeth. She's facing me. I say, "Okay, now I have to get your back teeth." She turns her back to me. I say, “What are you doing?” Looking over her shoulder with a big ol’ grin, she says, “So you get my back teeth.” And then she starts giggling. I ask her, “Are you being funny?” She says, “Yes, I funny.” I tell her, “Oh you think you’re sooo smart.” And she just gives me a big cheeseball grin. And then I realize, wow, this is a whole other level of humor we’ve reached… I’m in big trouble! Hahaha. What a silly girl!

Sunday morning Moses did us a favor and slept all the way until 7:30 a.m.! Whew! It was nice to sleep in for once J We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary for Mom’s Day. We go to the farm every weekend. And usually we go on Saturday, but the weather was so bad, I promised them we’d go on Sunday. I normally take the girls by myself and Richard stays home with Moses. But Moses was upset seeing the girls leaving so Richard said we should all go, so we did. One big happy family.

It was sunny but chilly due to the wind. Moses ended up conking out in the stroller. It worked out better this time, than the other time I took them all by myself, because one of us was able to sit with Moses so he could truly sleep, while the other was chasing after the girls. The kids are all still dealing with a nasty head cold. And the girls still aren’t proficient in blowing their noses so of course that means a lot of mucous ends up in the belly. Well, Francie was running around, which triggered coughing, which started the vomiting. At least we were outside. BUT she just stood straight up and puked down herself. I kept telling her “Bend over.” And trying to help her but she was stiff. Poor kid.

In that same instance, we had another revelation…

First, a bit of back story. My sis-in-law came to do the girls’ hair two weekends ago. Just two days later, on Monday, when I got home from work, Frances tells me “Mommy I has a boo-boo in my nose.” I touch it and look at it but don’t notice anything out of the ordinary. So I try (as best as you can with a 2-year old) to ascertain the problem. She says it’s a bead (they wear little beads in their hair). So I look up in her nose and don’t see anything. I pat her on the head and just tell her to go play. So every other day she mentions her nose boo-boo. So I finally get a flashlight and look up in there and don’t see anything. So again, I ignore it. Well, ever since this head cold set in, she’s been complaining more about her nose boo-boo, but I’m thinking she’s really means a stuffy nose boo-boo at this point.

So back to the farm puke story… so in the midst of coughing, puking and a big ol’ sneeze, a whole bunch of nasty comes out her nose, including a blue hair bead!!!!! Poor girl. Richard and I were like “What the hell?!” We felt bad that she had suffered with it in there for so long, but at the same time we were glad she got it out. So I guess this cold and all the mucous were actually good for something (definitely helped lubricate an exit and propel it out – ewww gross!!).

The rest of the day passed with much less excitement (thank goodness). I went grocery shopping and treated myself to a Boston Crème Pie Parfait J. The girls and I called grandma to wish her a happy mom/grandma day. Uncle Raw-knee brought me some flowers and played with the girls.

Richard and I are looking forward to future Mother’s and Father’s Days when we can actually relax! Is that even possible? Please tell us there's hope! hahaha.

On a side note: Moses loves clapping. He even knows the word "clap" and will do it on command. And really loves playing Patty a Cake. He also likes reading and turning pages. And "singing" along to the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star book that grandma and grandpa recorded.

Moses is crawling... bring on the Red Sea!

Well it's official: Moses is crawling... bring on the Red Sea! hehehe. 9 months, 1 week, and 1 day old. Quicker than his sisters, even though he's much bigger.

The girls were cheering him on, "Go MiMo! You can do it! Come on!" -- until he started getting in their stuff and under their feet. Now they are more annoyed with his new skill. So now we have to start being more cautious about heavy toys being stored up high, small toys on the floor, food on the floor, and all the stuff we really haven't had to worry about in awhile (like leaving the basement door or stair gate open). Yay! Oh the fun.

Moses is enjoying his new found freedom. He made several almost successful escapes from the girls' room last night when we were getting them ready for bed. And this morning he traversed the whole main floor of the house. Oh the fun. Now the real work for mommy, daddy and nana has begun! hahaha.

On another note: all the kiddos are sick. Nothing like spending the morning trying to wash buggers out of curly hair. Yuck! I swear they rolled in them all night! Hopefully we get better soon (just in time for mommy and daddy to catch it haha).

Trochanteric Bursitis ... obviously...

So I finally had my appointment with the orthopaedic doctor. His diagnosis: Trochanteric bursitis (http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/tc/trochanteric-bursitis-topic-overview). Which explains why I have pain while sitting, standing, walking, moving around/picking up the kiddos. Just constant, even when sleeping. It’s, as I knew already, a result of my pregnancies. Hormones are released when you are pregnant that loosen the ligaments and tendons to prepare for delivery. After pregnancy, hormones go back to normal and things tighten back up again – in my case they tightened up wrong on the left side of my hip. So my bones are pushing into each other causing the pain. In fact, when laying flat, my left leg appears 1 inch longer than the other, as a result of how the iliotibial ligament reset itself. So every time I walk/stand I’m lopsided and that leg pushes into my hip more as a result. Of course my gluteus and lower back pain are directly related to my body compensating for this hip issue. So anyway he gave me a set of exercises to help loosen the muscles and stretch the ligaments back out.

For pain management I’m stuck with Tylenol for now. I have an appointment coming up with a GI doctor to see if I’m suffering from reflux – so I can’t take any anti-inflammatory drugs till I get the okay. He offered me some muscle relaxers but I really can’t afford to be dopey on a full-time work and mom schedule, I’m already dragging at the end of an average day.

So the plus is that the pain can be improved, managed, and even cured! Although he said he reserves the right to assess me with disc problems. Right now, we’re just gonna work on fixing this and see if this is the answer to all that ails me – at least back and leg-wise.

As for the diastasis recti… He concurred with the first OB – NO abdominal workouts: no crunches, no sit-ups, nada. He said that will just make it more pronounced and will cause disc issues. So his advice: yoga! Woohoo! I love yoga. So I’m glad he gave me the all clear. He said yoga is good because it’s a prolonged stretch and strengthening of the core muscles – not the short bursts like crunches, which can cause damage. So there we go! It still won’t ever close without surgery, but if I can have some strength return, that would be nice.

So on to the GI doc in a week… hoping for some more good news.

Mo's 9-month Check-up

That's right, time flies! Richard took Moses to his 9-month checkup today. He’s doing well, aside from the food allergies. But even with those, his eczema is improved immensely and we’re doing well at avoiding the culprit foods.

He only has 2 bottom teeth. The two top teeth should be next to come, but nothing is even brewing yet. His sisters had 4 teeth a piece with more brewing at 9 months.

He has been sitting up by himself the past couple weeks – getting better and better. He gets into the crawling position with his belly off the floor and goes up on his tippy-toes trying to move forward. Sometimes he does, by pure luck though. He tends to get frustrated and just roll his way around to where he wants to go. I think within the week he will be crawling. His sisters started crawling around 10 months, so it will happen eventually... and then the real work for us begins! Hahaha.

Here are his 9-month stats:

Weight: 23 lbs. 4 oz. (on an empty stomach no less! 94^th percentile)

Height: 29.3 inches (86^th percentile)

Head circumference: 47.5 cm (97^th percentile – right on par for our big-headed children hehe)

For comparison, his sisters weighed about that much at a year old! Granted, girls are on different charts than boys, but still… he’s a big dude.

At 9 months old, Frances weighed in at 21 lbs. 3 oz.; was 28.5 inches long; and had a 46cm head.

Grace was 21 lbs. 4 oz.; 28 inches long; and 46 cm head.

At 9 months old, cousin Ben weighed in at 22 lbs. 7 oz. and was 30 inches long.

Savannah??

Time will tell if Moses will continue to be a big boy. His sisters have thinned out considerably. In fact, Grace only weighs about 9 oz. more than she did a year ago! While Frances has gained about 2 pounds. So we shall see. Although I’m content to wait as long as possible because these kids are already growing too fast! Haha.

I forgot to mention that on April 8^th we welcomed a new baby cousin, Juliet, to the family, weighing in at a whooping 11 lbs. 9 oz.! Beating her “big” brother! Something tells me she’ll be off the charts on her well visit check-ups J.

Moses' Allergy Update

I have been poor at updating since Moses was born. I had been breastfeeding him religiously until he started having bloody diarrhea like his sisters used to. I knew it was food allergy. I had been told that most kids don’t present with food allergy when breastfeeding since so little of the food protein actually passes through breast milk. But alas, I guess my kids are hypersensitive to food proteins.

I was put on a strict diet: NO dairy, corn, pork, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, gluten, fish, shellfish for a month and a half. His bloody poopies went away but his eczema continued. And it was bad. Head to toe. No letting up. He was still in our room and he would scratch and scratch ALL night long. He couldn’t sleep. And he didn’t nap during the day either.

We saw several doctors over the course of 3 months – the pediatrician, my allergist, and a GI doctor. When he hit 5 months old and my strict diet showed no improvement in his skin, the GI doc told me we had to switch to formula. I was devastated but I wanted to do what was best for him (even though it broke my heart that we wouldn't have our “special” time anymore). He got bloody poopies on the Alimentum so we switched to the prescription hypoallergenic formula, EleCare. It took awhile to transition (breastmilk is sweet, this formula tastes like wet saltines smell, bleh). He was on the formula for a month with NO improvement in his skin. By now my milk had dried up so I couldn't go back to breastfeeding. I was even MORE devastated that I had quit “for no reason.” I realize now I can’t dwell on it, have to move forward, it is what it is.

Anyway, the GI doc ran some other tests to make sure his liver was functioning well, and it was. She told me she wanted me to see the pediatric allergist at Johns Hopkins – Dr. Wood – not only does he focus just on pediatric patients but he’s an expert in food allergies. That was the end of January and his first available appointment wasn't until April 2! Let me tell you between the Johns Hopkins GI doc and the JH pediatric allergist – they've drained our wallets – but you pay for quality care, right? Oh what we do for our kids – I guess it's mother’s guilt for giving them allergies in the first place.

We went to the appointment with Dr. Wood. He was a very nice and informative. Actually, for the first time, even since the girls were diagnosed with their allergies, I feel more knowledgeable about it all. He gave me an awesome regimen for helping Moses eczema – and it has been working like a charm! We have an arsenal of steroid creams and an Rx for Hydroxyzine that we only use when necessary (he said Zyrtec doesn't help with the itchy skin). I mean he still gets itchy but nothing like before! He’s even slept through the night a couple times! Let’s hope it becomes regular at some point J

We also had blood work for his food allergies. First, the good news: he tested NEGATIVE for corn and pork – whew! The bad news, he tested POSITIVE for: dairy, wheat, oats, soy, peas, sesame seeds, peanuts. Seems horrible, but most of these are readily labeled – so much easier than dealing with a corn allergy. I’m just so thankful it’s not corn!!!

We are to strictly avoid the dairy, peanuts and soy for now. The other ones were low-levels so we can wait until later to try them and see if he can handle them – if he has a reaction – then of course we will avoid them. For right now I’m cutting out peas because he was super itchy and rashy a couple weeks ago when we were giving him peas. And in the past week his skin is looking much better, so all of the pea protein has finally flushed out of his system, and he’s looking better.

Right now the nurse said we are to introduce the fruits first, one at a time: apples, bananas, pears, peaches, the typical baby fruits. Then move to yellow/orange veggies, of which he’s already had: squash, carrots and sweet potatoes. Then we can introduce rice cereal, since rice is the least allergenic of the grains. After that we can intro meats. By then he’ll be about a year old and we can reassess his formula/milk situation and see where to go from there.

He’ll have another allergy test at 18 months. She’s mostly worried about his peanut allergy, the other ones he can outgrow eventually, most by 5 years old. Being as we already have twins with SEVERE peanut allergies – we know what we’re dealing with – just wish we didn't have to deal with it. Poor kiddos. And poor mommy and daddy having to watch them at the playground or at the farm and make sure no kids have left peanut butter smears on the slides or toys, etc. Blah. Or last weekend when I was on the playground at the farm with the girls and another mom was eating peanuts and throwing the shells on the ground. We had to high-tail it out of there. I carry the epi-pens with me at all times. Just hoping they all don’t have a reaction at the same time – I don’t want to act out Sophie’s Choice between 3 kids if I’m solo.

And the stats for Moses at his appointment on April 2 at 8 months 1 day old – 22 lbs. 11 oz. (90^th percentile) but I didn't get his length, I forgot!

Easter Weekend

Oh we had a fun weekend with my folks. I was off from work monday and tuesday as well. Woohoo!

Saturday we did a lot of store hopping. I needed to get new sneakers for the girls and my parents wanted to treat them. We went to several different stores but alas, the girls tend to want the same style and it's hard to find 2 in the same size or for them to agree on a pair for that matter. We ended up at Walmart and got them some sparkly leopard print sneakers with lights! oooooohhh we love those shoes. And they are wearing size 9 now! Wow, so crazy how big they are getting.

On Sunday we went to my aunt's house for a mini-family reunion/baby shower for Carrie. Uncle Rawknee had bought some dresses for the girls on Saturday, so the festivities on Sunday were the perfect reason for the girls to parade around in them. It was nice to see everyone again. The girls enjoyed putting their stuffed bunnies under their dresses and pretending to be pregnant like Aunt Carrie. Too cute. I can't believe another baby will be joining the family in less than a week now. Crazy! Uncle Eug and Aunt Jane were able to make a visit and enjoy the craziness of all the little ones we having running around Aunt Sig's house now. Between Ben, the girls, Moses and Ajanja. Kids galore. It was nice to see them, and looking happy and healthy I might add! Yay!! Aside from eagerly snuggling Aunt Tiana, Moses had some serious stranger-danger to just about everyone else, so Richard happily took him downstairs, away from folks (gave daddy a chance to catch up on some NCAA and hockey, so he didn't suffer too bad).

Monday morning Francie wasn't feeling so well. She complained about her belly. I changed her diaper and she had mucous filled, bloody, diarrhea poopy - typical of a food allergy reaction. Given that we had eaten several different things on Sunday, at home and at Aunt Sig's, I wasn't sure of the exact culprit. She felt better later though. I'm assuming it was something soy. Right now, we're thinking it was pancake mix because she felt yucky again on Tuesday and that's the only common denominator between the two days. I read the label but ya know, companies are only required to notify on the ingredients, not if the product was produced on equipment shared with potential allergens. So who knows. Anywho, no more pancakes unless they're from scratch!

With her "belly ouch" gone, we headed out to the petting farm up the road from us. It's the first week they were open. Moses stayed home with daddy. The farm wasn't crowded and it was such a beautiful day. Right now is when all the little babies are being born so we saw a couple babies, but I saw some goat mamas hauling some big ole bellies so I know there will be more babies on the way. Sooooo cute! The girls showed grandpa all around the farm (it was his first time there). Then we went on our first hayride! We went through the whole Enchanted Forest. And we went through the Pine Tree Maze for the first time. All in all, it was a good little field trip.

Yesterday Richard and I took Moses for his first allergy appointment at Johns Hopkins. We had exhausted all the testing the GI doc could do and she preferred that he see an allergist that specializes in children only and, specifically, food allergies. That was back in January and the first appointment available was yesterday. Crazy, right? Anywho, it was a very informative visit. It's nice to finally talk to someone who knows the ins and outs of food allergies and seemed to actually feel my pain. I feel more confident in general going forward. He ordered new blood tests for Moses. Oh of course Moses cried, but got over it pretty quickly. We should know the results in 7-10 days. Anywho, he said that if Moses shows an acute allergy to corn it could explain why his eczema has continued - the main ingredient in EleCare (his super expensive "hypoallergenic" formula) is corn. I told him I relayed my corn concern to the GI doc and she said the formula shouldn't bother him. He said, well it is a heavily processed corn but a small amount of protein can always remain and if he's highly allergic, he will have a reaction. He said corn is a terrible one to have though, so let's hope not! So I'm trying to not get overly concerned before we even know the results.

On the plus side, the doc said most food allergies and eczema are outgrown by 5 years old. He said it's not like turning off a light switch, it's a gradual thing, but that it eventually gets better (except for peanuts - they stick around forever). He said that while there is no magic cure for eczema, they can try to improve comfort to 80%. He said if anyone had to choose between eczema and asthma, asthma would be the lesser of two evils because asthma can be controlled with the various treatments available, where as there is no set cure/treatment for eczema. So now I'm armed with an arsenal of steroid creams and a detailed plan of action. He said, theoretically I can use the same eczema treatment plan on the girls. I feel so empowered. So here goes!

The doc said, as we have been accostomed to hearing between our girls and Moses, that most kids with food allergy suffer from malnutrition or failure to thrive -- but just as our children have been unfortunately blessed with food allergy genes, they have been equally blessed with "hearty" genes and grow reallllllyyyyy well despite the allergies. So that's good.

Moses turned 8 months old on Monday. Yesterday he weighed in at 22 lbs. 11 oz. (it was on a full stomach mind you). I didn't catch his length, but he's definitely longer than the girls were at this age. Big boy. And he's officially wearing 18 month clothes now which are fitting perfect length and width-wise. Insane. The girls were on the same track when they were his age (quite a bit shorter though, used to have to roll up shirt sleeves and pant legs). The girls have definitely thinned out since hitting 2 years old. I'm assuming Moses will do the same, so I'm not overly concerned about obesity issues, but keeping an eye on him just the same.

Us girls - grandma, Francie, Gracie and I - went to Target on Tuesday night to get some hooks to hang some decorations on Moses' bedroom wall (yes, we hope to get him in his OWN room this weekend! Finally!!). We walked by the kids clothes on the way to the back of the store and the girls were fawning over the dresses. Oh I have total girly girls. I guess Sunday just opened up a whole new world of dresses for them. Of course grandma couldn't resist and asked them which ones they wanted. They were so cute and holding the dresses up to each other and saying "ooooooo so pretty!" Funny girls. My mom also bought them some little kid nail polish so they were actually able to paint their toenails AND their fingernails. Oh man, are we colorful.

My parents left yesterday. It's lonely without them. Can't wait for them to visit again! I definitely appreciated the extra help around the house. 

Black Mold Attacks Again!

Due to Grace’s severe dust allergies we finally had someone come to clean the air ducts in the house. I had them cleaned the day after we bought the house because the previous owner had a dog. At the time though, our HVAC unit was basically new. So I figured it was a good idea to get it all cleaned again since we had done a lot of dusty construction projects since we bought the house. We have a service contract with BGE Home but they wanted to charge $350 for full house and only 10 vents. So I scanned through a dozen flyers for duct cleaning companies and this one seemed to have the most honest advertising ($245 for full house and 15 vents). So when the guy arrived I took him to the basement to check out the main unit.

We have a whole house humidifier that we’ve never used and I thought I might want to try it out. He said no problem and he opened it up. It was COVERED in black mold. I was scared as crap. I asked him if that was because we never used it so the moisture just sat in there. He said he thought it was indicative of a bigger problem. I thought, Crap. So he opens up our main unit and sure enough. Black mold EVERY WHERE. So black mold on the incoming and outgoing. The air coil… covered in black mold. He said I shouldn’t even be running my furnace with that much on there, it’s just blowing spores everywhere. We had the windows replaced upstairs due to a black mold problem. Now I know where that black mold was coming from. Crap crap crap.
Richard popped home from work and the guy showed him all the mold. He said he couldn’t clean the ducts without cleaning the mold first but that mold remediation is expensive. Oh great. I said, well what if it grows back, how long would it take? He said sometimes it’s six months but that our basement is really “moist.” It could be sooner. We had known about our moisture problem in the basement due to plumbing we had done a couple years back and the plumber said we had a lot of pipe condensation and we should get a dehumidifier for the basement. Doh. Hindsight is always 20-20. The duct-cleaning guy said he could install a UV light apparatus that would purify the air and prevent mold from growing (but that cost money too). Anywho, long story short, we couldn’t in all good consciousness leave the mold. So we elected to get everything done: the mold remediation, the duct cleaning, and the UV light purifier system installation.

We may be a large chunk of money in the hole BUT you wouldn’t believe the difference. I cried this morning. Moses slept the whole night without snoring and I didn’t have to use any nose drops (which I usually have to constantly give him). And his eczema is looking better. It’s too much of a coincidence to not be related to getting that crap cleaned out. On the plus side as well is that our upstairs is warm again!
Needless to say, I’m glad we procrastinated on buying Xmas gifts since all our savings is going to financing this… but a healthy house, with healthy kids is the best Christmas gift ever. God, that sounds so sappy. You just wouldn’t believe how guilty Richard and I felt that the kids (and the nanny) have been breathing this crap in every day, ALL DAY long. I’m just glad it’s clean now and we know to keep an eye on it. Now our plan is to work on the moisture producers in the house. Hopefully with a tax return we can pay off this cleaning and afford to buy a dehumidifier for the basement and maybe think about venting the bathrooms and the stove hood to the outside.
On a happier note from yesterday, my bosses gave us their 2-year old pre-lit artificial Xmas tree for free! And I found a nickel on the ground at the gas station! So the day wasn’t a total bust!
Now for that Powerball! ;-)

Introducing Our New Addition...

We are happy to announce our newest family member...

Moses Ogwang Wacha

Born August 1, 2012 at 5:01 p.m.

(via scheduled c-section at 37 weeks)

8 lbs. 3 oz. and 20 inches long

Mommy and baby Mo

Big sisters! Gracie (holding Moses) and Francie.

Proud papa with his hands full!

Our stay in the hospital was relatively "normal" this time around. It is nice to have baby in-room instead of in the NICU, that's for sure! He came home with mommy and we're all tired, but happy.

Happy 2 Years Old!

Happy 2 Years Old (yesterday) to my "baby" girls. My how time has flown by. What will the next year have in store (especially with a new baby brother on the way in a couple weeks!)?

We're Having A...

BOY! We're excited to add a boy into the mix and hope his big sisters will be equally as excited once he arrives. Everything looks great for the little guy so far. Had my OB check-up and, assuming I don't have any complications, we'll try and schedule the c-section for 37 weeks (August 1st-ish). Yay!

Mild Winter!

Grace (left) and Frances (right)

Gracie

Francie

And Baby Makes 5!

5 people in our family, that is.

Well, we're expecting again! I've had two ultrasounds -- no mistaking -- it's just ONE baby this time. The 40 week due date is August 22. Due to my prior fibroid surgery and previous c-section I'm considered "high risk" again and will deliver between 36 and 37 weeks. That puts my delivery between July 25 and August 1.

This will be our last pregnancy, not only because I'm sooo done being preggers, but it's also doctor's orders given my previous surgeries and coming c-section.

We're more excited now that the news is out. We will find out the sex at the end of March. We're thinking it's a girl. Just a feeling...

A Year and a Half!

Belated post on the girls turning a year and a half old on January 18. They had their 18 month check up at that time and are doing fine.

Grace’s stats:
25 pounds 10 ounces (70th percentile)
32 ½ inches tall (75th percentile)
48.5 cm head circumference (90th percentile! Hahaha)

Frances’ stats:
26 pounds 4 ounces (75th percentile)
32 ½ inches tall (75th percentile)
47.5 cm head circumference (80th percentile hehehe)

We had noticed a hard spot on Frances' heal awhile back (probably August). But thought it was a callous or something. And subsequently forgot to ask about it at the 15 month checkup, so I remembered to ask at this one. The pediatrician thought it might be a wart! Poor Frances. Too much playing at the playground and library without shoes or socks on this summer. Lesson learned. So anyway, Richard took her to the dermatologist who confirmed the diagnosis and said the treatments available are too painful. So either we subject her to crazy pain or she rides out the wart pain until it disappears on its own (whenever that is). In the meantime she had been limping from an injury to her other foot. Turns out it was a sprain. But we're better from that now.

The dermatologist also prescribed a steriod cream for the girls' eczema. The hydrocortisone just wasn't cutting it. We had some horrible horrible eczema in the diaper area that resulted in numerous "horror" scenes of us finding blood on crib railings and sheets from the girls (especially Frances) just itching and itching. Poor babies and poor, helpless mommy and daddy too! But this cream has been AMAZING. So happy now :-) And we don't have to use it everyday. Whew!

The girls are changing so much. The pediatrician said the language explosion occurs between 18 and 24 months and man-o-man it's like a light switch turned on. A lot of the change is verbal, they can say more things. A lot is cognitive; they understand so much and can point out so many items when you ask where x, y, z is. Grace is so crazy good at that. Frances loves counting. Albeit, not in order. She has favorite numbers to say: 2, 4 and 8. Funny girl.

They also are playing with each other so much more now. It is so amusing. They like our Michael Jackson CD and love to hold hands and dance to the music. So cute. I know, need videos - but they stop everytime we bring the camera out!

Frances likes the song "Bad." She sings along, "I'm bad, I'm bad..." It's so funny. You can ask her, "Frances, are you bad?" And she says, "I'm bad." Hahaha. So cute.

We are also getting practice at "timeout." Trying to ween them out of the whole "the world revolves around me" phase. It's hard, but so far timeout is working - we'll see how long that lasts! Ha.

We put them on the scale last night and they both weighed 27 lbs. 2 oz. Chunky monkeys!

A Thing Or Two About Twins - National Geographic Magazine

Interesting National Geographic Magazine article several people have recommended to me, "A Thing or Two About Twins"

Teaser: "Twins could reveal how genes and the environment interact to make us who we are."

There are a couple links to photo galleries of twins on the left side of the article.

Sisterly Love? And Cousins Galore!

So I was playing in the hallway with the girls yesterday. They were having a grand old time, laughing and giggling. Grace was laughing extra hard - ya know, head thrown back and everything - and she lost her balance and went face first into the door trim, subsequently bounced off, and fell on the floor. Hard. It looked painful. So I wasn't surprised when she started crying. She wrapped her arms around my legs, sobbing, and I rubbed her head saying "Awww. It's okay Gracie. You're okay. I know it hurt. Awww poor baby."

Frances immediately comes up behind Grace and puts her chubby little hand up to the back of Grace's head and starts moving it back and forth over Grace's hair and commences to say "Awww. Awww. Awww." It was the funniest thing. It was all I could do to refrain from laughing - I didn't want Grace to think I was laughing at her misfortune (development note: we have embarrassment issues now).

So after a quick consoling from myself and Frances, Grace was back off running. Then I hear Richard ask, "Annie, what's on Grace's face?" And sure enough she rounds the corner of the kitchen with a big bloody smile. Literally. She got a big ol' busted lip from her ordeal. Poor girl. She's a trooper though.

So who knows if Frances really felt sympathy towards Grace or whether she was just copying mommy? Usually when one falls and cries, the other immediately performs their best fake fall and cry (also very very amusing).

Fun times with the Wacha girls.

And we're excited to hear we have a new baby cousin on the way. My how the family is growing all of a sudden!? Can't wait to meet Baby Songha this summer! Congrats Tiana and Sega!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

Richard and Frances & Ann and Grace