The Daily Hailey

I’ve mentioned it on here a few times, but seriously, if you haven’t tried out the pretzel pizza from Little Caesars yet, you need to. Its unbelievable! Brady is driving home with some right now so I will make this quick!

Today sort of got a hold of me. I did a lot of crying today. For those of you who knew me years ago, I have always been an easy weeper, and I come by it honestly. Thanks, mom 😉 I’ve never been embarrassed about it. I feel like crying is incredibly healthy and freeing and we should all do it once in a while. However, its also not a secret that I’m far from the best mental and emotional health that I’ve ever been in. While I feel emotional and I tear up often enough, I rarely have a good cry anymore. I actually wish I did more often. It felt so much better. Anyway, I chatted with my mom on the phone today and through all of my hacking and snotting, I bawled my face off. I blubbered about all kinds of things that are and are not important, and while I’m not sure she could even hear everything I was saying, she prayed for me and let me cry. It met a fabulous need for me and weirdly, I feel the healthiest I’ve felt in weeks! Like even cold wise! So thank you, mom, for taking care of me still. I hope to do the same for my kids as they grow up.

After getting my weepfest out of the way, I cuddled with and fed my children before putting them down for a nap. That was pretty seamless today, so that was really nice! Then I decided to spend this afternoon making plans, and I’m pleased to report that there isn’t tons and tons left to do. I’ll talk a bit more about having to pick priorities and stuff soon, but not today. Some things just got nixed off of the list, and it now seems a lot less ominous. I’m sad to lose a few of those things, but mostly I think its a pride thing, and having to admit defeat somehow. So I will now openly admit it! I choose family time and going for walks and getting well and wrapping presents over baking and cleaning and spotless planning and all of those other fabulous things. Doesn’t List A sound like way more fun anyway?!

This week, I’ll need to make one more trip to the city, which will be nice and short and enjoyable for all involved. I have to buy a few gifts and a couple of other things that I needed to buy before Christmas but didn’t get to yesterday. And then at home, I need to finish wrapping/labelling gifts, go laundry, and pack for our trip. Done! Totally doable, right? Right?!?!?!

I’m so ready to be eating my pizza now. C’mon home, hubs! The kids and I are hungry for PIZZA!!!

Seriously, you’d think I have shares in the stuff, or like I was being paid out some other way. But you neeeeed to eat this pizza.

Things have to get done eventually, so Brady and I made plans to run a few errands this afternoon. Being the responsible parent that I am, I slept in super late, and there wasn’t a lot of playtime before it was going to be nap time. Normally, I would just push naps back a bit but couldn’t afford to lose them and then bring my two sick kids into the city. So instead, we just played good and hard while the kids were up. My plan had initially been to let Dekker skip his nap so he might doze on the drive into the city and wouldn’t be a total bear, but would also still get a bit of a rest. But he was really pushing my buttons and I knew I needed a bit of a break, so I decided to put him down instead. It was going to be a super short nap as it was, so even if they both just played in there, at least it would be some quiet time for me.

Jokes on me. Both kids were asleep within minutes. I embraced it and wrapped just about the end of the gifts for this year. We had a few more things arrive in the mail, so I attacked those, and labelled a couple. So far they all just have sticky notes on them. But I really didn’t have much time. I did a few things but quickly had to get myself upstairs and into clothing and makeup. When it did reach that time to go get the kids, I actually had to wake them. Dekker was super gung ho to get dressed and go to the city, so I started getting him ready first. Laela observed through the bars from her spot laying on her tummy. Eventually, she sat up and shimmied out of her blankets. She stood and waited for her turn. Both kids were revved up and ready to go when it was time, so we were out the door nice and quick.

We met Brady and he sat with them in the van while I went and got my legs waxed. I always enjoy that, which I know sounds crazy to many of you, but its luxurious to me now. Plus I love the girls club that is my waxing place. Good people that do a good job. I’m always out of there early, so it wasn’t long before we were back on the road to Superstore. The kids did awesome there, and we picked up everything we were looking for pretty much. When we went over to the bakery, the kids were ready for cookies, but not in a way that they had begged and pleaded the entire time at all. Just excited. The woman from behind the counter came and brought us two cookies, and Dekker said a very polite and even audible thank you! He immediately started eating his. Laelas eyes grew as she stared at hers. She turned it over in her hands a few times before she lay into it. I’m not going to lie. Both kids were covered with crumbs, chocolate smears, and snot in no time, but they were two incredibly happy kids! We left Superstore having paid less than I thought we would, so there was even an added bonus there. Yay!

Walmart was next, just for one or two things. We ran into a friend there who I haven’t seen in a few years, and we caught up briefly in the furniture section. She greeted Dekker and he got so smiley and goofy! It was nice to see him respond so positively to someone he has truly never met! He got all shy and for whatever reason, dropped down on all fours and crawled away, but it didn’t last long before he was back for more attention. I found the whole thing pretty endearing. Minus the part where Laela got her finger stuck in part of the little seat belt thing and cried an amazing amount of boogers and tears on me. Poor munchkin is still so sick!

We took the kids out for supper to Wendys, and even post-cookies, the kids ate a lot! Laela was more thirsty than anything, but Dekker ate every bite of his kids meal, which was awesome. We all appeared to be starving and ate everything. It really hit the spot anyway.

We drove home separately, since Bradys work van was obviously in the city from earlier that day, and listened to some Christmas music while the kids chatted. I love that neither of them slept. I have high hopes for a solid night around here. The more sleep the better!

So all things considered, we brought our sick selves into the city and we survived the trip! None of us are feeling 100% yet, and it shows, but we still had lots of fun and playful moments. The kids laughed a lot, and we found and purchased pretty much everything we were going for, so I’m calling success! Now, onto the rest of the week, where I will do nothing. Except laundry, finish presents, and pick up the house. As of Saturday, we’re on the road for Christmas with Bradys parents! Gotta get prepped for that!

Who out there is bored of all of my talk of sickness? I know I am! I’m not all the way better, but definitely not as rough as the last two days. I slept until almost 11:00 this morning, which was unbelievable! Obvious kudos to Brady for letting me be the sick whiner I am for yet another day. But luckily, I didn’t spend the entire day in bed today! I got up and cuddled with my wonderful kids, conversed with the family, and even took a phone call. Big successes for this one 😉

I’ll be the first to admit that we’ve watched a lot of tv these last couple of days, but today was probably the most fun. Instead of just watching what was on, we put on Little Rascals. Since we’ve been appreciating Netflix more and more, we’ve gotten out of the practice of looking in the $5 movie bins, but I happened to glance in and see this gem the other day, and I’m so glad I snagged it. Dekker LOVED it and talked about it for the rest of the day.

While the kids napped, Brady and I had another hot soak in the tub to clear us up mid-day. I think my favorite thing about being sick at home is multi-bath days. We just steamed ourselves in an overly hot bath and watched some Greys Anatomy. It was pretty glorious for being sick.

Once the kids were up, Brady offered to make supper. He played guitar with Laela in the kitchen and kept an eye on supper while Dekker came and hung out with me in bed. He got really cuddled up and sweet, with his head on my chest and my arm wrapped around his body, and we watched a bit of YouTube and chatted. He was so content. And my goodness that boy is growing!! His big strong legs and his chunky torso just blow me away. When he got a little too warm from all the cuddles, he moved over a little bit and propped his head up on his hand. I don’t know, but he looked like such a little teenager. I really hope we can still have these times years from now. I know people say to enjoy the cuddles because they don’t last forever, and that may be so. I know our cuddles have changed, but they haven’t gone away. And I still love to cuddle with my mom! So I’m sure holding out hope!

We ate supper forever, it seemed, and it was already approaching bedtime. We’ve had our tree up for a while now and keep putting off decorating because the kids are in rough shape, or in this case, we are in rough shape. We were going to do it this evening but then supper took too long. We finally decided to do the tree after the kids went to bed. Now some of you are probably shaking your heads at this, because its supposed to be a family affair, but here are two things to consider. Firstly, its getting to a point where I’m annoyed when I look at that stupid empty tree, and this relieves some of that for me. And secondly, our kids wouldn’t actually enjoy the experience. As much as we’d love to include them, Laela wouldn’t be allowed to handle many of the ornaments, and Dekkers hates how pokey the tree is, so even though he is capable of hanging ornaments, he likely wouldn’t do it.

So once the kids were tucked away, we decorated the tree. It looks so pretty and sparkly and colorful! At least the top half 😉 We know Laela will likely give us a bit of a run for our money this year so the bulbs that won’t break are at the bottom, as well as a few that jingle or are meant for the kids to play with. Its not perfectly even in that way, but it works. Now to add the presents at the bottom!!! Not quite everything is wrapped, but sooo close to it. Hopefully soon. Not tomorrow, but soon.

Not tomorrow, because we actually have to surface at some point tomorrow. Brady will go to work, obviously, but I’m going into the city for an appointment at 4:00. That has us leaving at 3:00 (can’t wait til that commute is shorter!) and the kids usually nap at 1:30. However, being that it takes Dekker a while to fall asleep, and that its such a short nap anyway, I think Dekker will be given the option to stay up instead of napping. That way, he’ll maybe doze in the van, or just be fine. And Laela will probably fall asleep sooner on her own as well. So I’ll have him on my hands all day, and no spare time to wrap gifts. But soon, I hope!

All in all, today was better than the last couple of days for sure! I could have done without this hiccup so close to Christmas, but hopefully we’ll all be better by the time the season is in full swing. And I hope the same for all of you guys and your families!

I slept last night! It wasn’t the best sleep I’ve ever had, but it was ok. I was out by 1:00am, and I woke up quite a bit between 2-4:00am. I peed probably four times in those two hours, which was insane and annoying, but I’m glad that my body is hydrated anyway. Then I slept from probably 4-8:00, which was great. The kids were kind of lulling but very quietly, and Brady woke up feeling surprisingly chipper, so we lay in bed and watched some tv.

The crud in my throat loosened a bit, so there was some relief there, but my neck and throat still felt incredibly pressurized and like they might explode. Any turn of the head or tilt of the head resulted in a mad coughing fit. Not ideal, but again, liveable.

After the kids ate, we went downstairs for yet another lazy day, but I didn’t last long. I couldn’t find a comfortable spot to sit in, I was constantly hacking and blowing my nose, and in between fits, I was falling asleep. My loving family sent me upstairs to bed, where I have been most of the day. I know I sound pity-party-ish, but hear me when I say very honestly that I am currently in the worst shape around here. I truly would not say it if it weren’t true.

Once again, Brady is feeding the kids and sitting at the table with them while I lay in bed. I hope to surface with everyone for the evening, but having this day tucked away has been quite helpful and as comfortable as can be expected. We’ll see how the rest of the day plays out. Wish us all luck! None of us are feeling 100% yet, so another night of sleep would be the best thing for everyone. I’m so pleased that we still have tomorrow to recover before regular life starts back up on Monday.

I mentioned yesterday that I had a sore throat and that the whole family was starting to feel sick. Well, our colds escalated quickly in the evening and I went from a sore throat around supper time to completely incapacitated by bedtime. I kid you not, I lay awake until 6:30, when I finally began dozing in and out. I did this until around 8:00 when the kids woke up. So it was definitely not my finest night.

I’m sure I’ve had a cold and pregnancy at the same time before, but this one hit SO FAST! I can’t lay on my stomach because its insanely uncomfortable. I can’t lay on my back, or even reclined, because my belly is big and squashed my organs so I can’t breath. Laying on my side was hard too because one pillow didn’t raise my head enough but two was too tall and hurt my neck. On top of that, I can take almost nothing. I have a humidifier next to my bed, so thats a pro, and I’ve been taking Tylenol on schedule, but other than that, there’s not much I can do. Especially considering I got sick after arriving home, and we have no pharmacy or anything of the sort out here. Its been a definite challenge.

Because Brady actually slept in the night, and because he is able to tale DayQuil and all that good stuff, he left me in bed and got the kids fed and up for the day, which was a HUGE gift to me. I couldn’t sleep, but I took my time getting up. A fun surprise was that the kids were in much better shape today. Laela is chipper and cute, with a bit of a dry cough, but thats about it. Today was Dekker’s snot faucet day but he also seems pretty fine otherwise. Just doesn’t care for having his nose wiped like most kids. Brady and I are definitely in worse shape than the kids, but thats as it should be. We’re more so at the point of not being able to breathe through our noses, but breathing through our mouths hurts our throats sooo much!

The day was fairly uneventful, to tell you the truth. We sat downstairs and poked each others belly buttons and watched some TLC. The toys didn’t even really get messed up.

One thing that is wonderful about our kids feeling sick is that they napped for over three hours this afternoon! We ran a tub and soaked for two hours, which was awesome. We’ve eaten soup and toast for pretty much every meal and/or snack today, including in the bath. Yes, we ate soup in the tub. Challenge accepted. When the kids woke up from their nap, the baby monitor was quite shocking actually!

Boogers boogers boogers!!!

The sad reality of our crazy colds is that we had a really busy Sunday planned, and the whole thing is over. We had to call in last minute back up to cover us for leading worship, we dropped out of the plans our small group put together for a fun social event, we’ll miss our usual time with my parents, and we’re even in the process of rescheduling something we look forward to with each and every pregnancy – the 3D ultrasound, which was supposed to happen Sunday afternoon. While it will be good to know we don’t have to surface again until Monday, its still a bummer.

However, we have high hopes that today was “our day” and that, like our kids, we’ll have our one particularly gnarly day before we start getting better faster than expected.

This is all I have the energy to post right now. Time for another bath and some kind of snack that will scratch my aching throat. Or soup. Again.

As I wrote on Facebook earlier today, Laela was feeling sooo much better this morning! Her nose was still runny but not even close to the snot faucet it was yesterday. She was chipper and a normal temperature. Yes, her jammies were covered in hardened boogers, which was a treat, but nothing that a load of laundry couldn’t handle. While the kids ate their breakfasts, I gathered all of the bedding from the kids room, as well as their jammies and all the other laundry lying around, and got started on the day. I also got cleaned up and put on makeup. I accidentally bought a beautiful new lipstick from Mac the other day and I was sooo excited to rock it today! I feel so festive and put together with it 🙂 Brady had worked really hard on the last house to get it done in time to make it to my doctors appointment this afternoon, but as things happen in life, instead we planned that he would work his morning and then come home and be with the kids so we didn’t have to take Laela out into the sick city and spread her around to others.

This turned out to be a great decision, as the clinic was FILLED with sick babies. There was a two hour wait for walk-ins. I was so pleased that I had an appointment, and got in right on schedule.

As for my baby stats this week, I’m 28.5 weeks and still going strong. Good baby movement, and not as many braxton hicks as I was having maybe a month ago. It seems things are a bit calmer in there, but in a good way. I’m gaining weight faster than “average,” and just generally faster than I’d like to be, but I know I’m not the most responsible in choosing the times that I eat, so probably the amount that I eat so late into the night is likely what my problem is. C’est la vie. My blood pressure is still nice and low, and babys heart rate is in the 130s. It all looks good. I’m sad that I’m fully losing my battle with acid reflux, though. Dr. Guselle wrote me a prescription for something stronger today, so thats good. However, the pharmacy said it would take an hour to fill, so I didn’t actually leave with it. Maybe Monday. Zantac will hold me over until then. But all in all, its looking nice and uneventful. I’ll see her again in the new year, but I have no weird restrictions or anything to worry about over Christmas.

I ran a couple of little errands after my appointment but then headed to spend a bit of time with my mom. We’re leading music at church on Sunday, and we like to have a mid-week practice if we can help it. So we played through it all, and then travelled over to the church to get the music copied and bundled for the right people. It was nice to spend a couple of hours with just her. It so rarely happens. Not only are we both busy, but there are usually beautiful but attention-seeking little minions vying for her attention as well. Not this time 🙂

After getting home, I learned that not only did I have a sore throat, but so did Brady and Dekker. The whole family is currently loaded up on Tylenol. The kids had breakfast for supper, which is a heavy favorite and guarantees that they’ll eat a decent amount, and Brady and I have plans for grilled cheese and soup to soothe our achy throats. I can’t lose my voice this time around. I need a voice for singing in church! So any and every prayer against that would be greatly appreciated. I’m thankful that its only Thursday though. I have two days to give getting better a shot before I need to be better. Two days of no real schedule at all. Just home days.

Time for soup and a soak and a bit of TV. Early to bed.

It took a lot of work getting Laela to sleep last night. She was just miserable and we couldn’t figure it out. An extra bottle and diaper change later, she was still sad. I finally stuck my fingers into her mouth and discovered two new molars growing. We gave her some Tylenol and watched a bit of YouTube with her before she went down. Noticeable relief. Except that she lulled multiple times. She easily went back down on her own, but she did not sleep soundly at all.

The kids let me sleep in until around 8:30, which was very sweet of them. When I went into their room to get them, they were both chipper and playing Blankets, but Laela’s whole face and jammies were completely soaked. The best part was that they were soaked in the special substance that was pouring out of her nose. That same substance has poured from her nose all day long. She was covered in snot and hot to the touch.

So I got the kids their breakfast and gave Laela some Tylenol. And truly, she was unbelievably good considering how she was obviously feeling. She sat on my lap a bit more than usual throughout the morning, but that was about it. At first, she just wanted quiet. So she would go from my lap to the complete opposite side of the basement to play on her own. She would come back over when her nose was runny, get it wiped up, and then go back. A pretty endearing system, if you ask me.

The kids are now tucked in, my hands have been thoroughly washed, and I was eager to come write here about having a really good problem 🙂 No ones goal is for the illness of one kid to travel through the family, obviously. But today, Dekker knows that Laela is sick, and he is working like a dog to help her feel better.

She had her bottle while laying on my lap today, so I could try and help her hold head up. While she was drinking, Dekker began bringing her toys. I suggested her wait until she was done drinking (I’m trying to get her as fluided up as I can!) but he was quite insistent that she wanted to cuddle. He pulled out a bunch of stuffed toys, and of course, she was distracted and wanted to sit up. And then the kissing began. He wanted to kiss her and hug her, and he made all of the stuffed animals kiss and hug her. Now I don’t know about you guys and your families but in this house, we kiss our kids on the mouth. No weirdness if you don’t, but we do, and we love it. So everything was being pushed against her mouth/nose around, which is a pretty icky, wet space. I wanted to stop it, but he was sooo sweet to her, and she was LOVING it! Giggles all around, and lots of returned hugs and kisses. He even gave her bites of his prized ham sandwich at lunch. He wants sooo badly for her to feel better!

So, all in all, both kids will likely be sick by morning, lol! But I guess we’ll just rock it. At least we’re not going anywhere for another week and a half. Hopefully we’re all cleared up by then.

While the kids rest, I’m doing my best to get some gift wrapping started anyway. So much pretty new wrapping paper that I’m excited to break out!

I woke up at 5:00am to Laela rolling into the bars of her crib. It happens once in a while, and never phases her that much. However, the only wall that she has access to now is the one that we share, so I heard it LOUDLY. Being jarred awake, I didn’t drift right back out. I lay in bed, listening, and I heard her sort of whining a little bit. Nothing huge, but it carried on consistently. I finally went to go check on her, and she had sat up, and was now folded in half, bawling into her blanket. Poor dear! I rocked her a little and tucked her back in all soft and cozy. But it took a couple of tries before she was convinced and fell back to sleep. Since I was up a handful of times in a short period of time, I was officially up for the day. But because of how yesterday was, I had really determined to make today better. So I sat up, played some computer stuff, and had tea. I got to actually talk to Brady before he left for work, and I felt weirdly refreshed and positive 🙂 Best day ever!

Breakfast was smooth, and the kids have been adorable all day. We’ve had some lumps and bumps here and there but are definitely doing way better than yesterday. Dekker is using his manners and Laela is communicating so well! This morning was sooo easy to keep a good attitude. Both kids even went down for their naps well!

But then I had to walk upstairs about a half hour after they fell asleep. Yes, they BOTH fell asleep almost right away! They’re not super light sleepers, but Laela woke up. That was about 45 minutes ago, and she is WAILING! No, I haven’t totally neglected her. I’ve gone upstairs to cuddle her, I gave her milk, I changed her diaper, and she will not be satisfied. She’s laying her exact same spot, looking wiped out, but crying and crying. The last time I went in there, Dekker woke up. Oh, and I smashed my head on megabed. I’m finding it very, very difficult to keep my attitude where I want it. VERY. After such an early start, whether I’m handling it well or not, my body is feeling fatigued and I need rest. Today of all days is a day where I need my kids to nap, because I need to rest. But nope.

So I can’t pull out all of the gift wrapping stuff as planned, because I’m about to give up on their naps right away here and I’d put it all away at that point. Instead, I’m sitting in a recliner, blogging, hoping desperately that Laela will be asleep by the end of this post, but its not looking good.

Any uplifting thoughts or prayers for our evening would be much appreciated! Today is definitely the day for Brady to bring supper home. Noodle bowl, please!! Wish us luck!

My kids were crying and upset before we even left their room this morning. I immediately grew a horrid attitude and started feeling sorry for myself.

And then I grew up and spent the afternoon cuddling them. When we’re all whiny, sometimes we sort of just do better apart, but today, they both wanted to cuddle, sit on my lap, and be cozy. It was refreshing. At one point, Dekker wanted to play upstairs on his own, so we all got some time apart from each other as well. Considering the morning, our lunch and afternoon went very smoothly.

I had some plans to try and be productive during their nap time but instead I’ve decided to catch up on some relaxing and YouTube videos. My braxton hicks are demanding that of me, and I am listening. So my feet are up, my baby/uterus are relaxed, and I’m calmer than I’ve been all day. Soon, the littles will lull and be up for the rest of the day, and that will be ok. I feel in a MUCH better position to care for them now than I did earlier.

I apologize for my recent posts. I’ve been a downer, I know. I have a ridiculous amount of things to be thankful for, and I know that compared to many of you, I lead a very relaxed and non-stressful life. But we all handle things/cope differently, and I am struggling. I will be on the mend soon, I promise. Plans are in action, and I will be better 🙂 Thanks for all the love and support.

Brady and I stayed up waaay too late last night after I got home from the Christmas banquet I spontaneously attended. It turns out that our usual routine of being together from 7:30 on every evening changes when I’m home three hours later, and we have to stay up three hours later than usual. Oops.

We both felt pretty dead to the world this morning but still got up and made it to church. Without being total shallow losers, I was really pleased that the kids were dressed completely adorably today, which is always a fun part of going to church on Sundays. Dekker wore his skinny jeans, and a preppy vneck tshirt under a brand new hoodie that was gifted to us by a lady in the church. Laela wore a very cozy cable knit beige sweater dress with super cute pink and red patterned leggings underneath. They were sooo cute! The service was full of lots of good stuff, including Christmas music, a baptism, and taking communion. And while those things are reasons why we go to church, I have to say that my biggest thrilled of the morning was seeing my son, Dekker Thomas, interact with people. Happily! WILLINGLY! He smiled at people, visited with others, and even pounded fists with someone. Twice! These all sound like small things, but I was sooo happy to see him be friendly in such a full crowd of people. And, to those of you who actually were lucky enough to be part of Dekker’s interaction this morning, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for continuing to seek Dekker out and to forgive him time and time again when he’s screamed at you or cried in your presence. It is YOU that is truly helping this slow process along, and we are so thankful.

Our usual Sunday plans are to spend the day with my parents at their house, but just this morning, we invited them to our place and they happily agreed to change up the plans. We all drove to our house after the service for a lunch, created by Breakfast Man (Thanks, Brady!) of pancakes and bacon. It was super delicious. Our kids love pancakes, and so do the rest of us kids 😉 Lunch was delicious, but lead into a frustrating afternoon of both exhausted kids refusing to nap. We left them in their room for quiet time and Brady, my mom, and I discussed Christmas while my dad napped in the recliner. When it was time for everyone to get up, we played upstairs for a little bit while the crock pot finished doing its thing. When the cheesy chicken and rice was all cooked up, we sat down to a really yummy supper, if I do say so myself. It always feels like a total cheat meal, but why does that have to be a bad thing? Its delicious! With a bit of cucumber salad on the side, we were golden.

Eventually, the day had to end, and my parents headed back to their place. The kids went down a tad bit late but not unbelievably late at all. Our dishes are done, our bath is ready, and I couldn’t fit a snack in my body at this point if you paid me. Ok, maybe if you paid me. But it wouldn’t be a good idea anyway. Time to call it for the rest of the evening and be lazy. Its been a few really big days in a row it seems, and Brady is back to work tomorrow.

Back to reality. In a few hours.