Thursday, April 30, 2009

DAY 120: A is for Addicted


April 30th 003, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

OK...so, this is a rather simple rendering done by Elena. Not a lot of time, nor drawing talent was put into it (she has much more prowess than this), but the message here was a bit of a startling one. Do you know what it is? It's a parade. A whole big parade, with dogs and animals. It's a very exciting parade that is trotting right by. See that funny little person off to the side? That lone person down on the bottom right? That's Mommy. That's Mommy with her puter. She's missing the parade. Out of the mouths of babes....

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

DAY 119: Check Up


April 29th 028, originally uploaded by Kikigill.



Just thought I would update you on Elena's check-up today. Our doctor is VERY concerned about Elena's weight. She's way off the charts for weight while being still at 50% for height. He wants us to attack it right now. Otherwise, she is headed for diabetes and other weight-related issues.

The good news is there is a medical condition they can treat that will help. She will be starting on Prevacid because Cigno believes she has been suffering with reflux for a long, long time..the cavities she had clinched this diagnosis. In addition, the constant hungry feeling and the hunger upon waking are signs that she is "raw" in the stomach. Children with reflux all the time actually feel the erosion as hunger. Poor baby!! And, it feels better when they eat, so then they eat ALL THE TIME and, he says, it becomes an obsession. Also, because their stomachs only feel good when they have food in their stomach. By constantly putting food in their stomachs they quiet the hurt. Unfortunately, this means her stomach has stretched to...let's just say too large of a capacity.

So, he wants us to break the cycle.

For the next 4-6 weeks she is on an extreme eating regime (I am intentionally not calling it a diet). She is to eat three meals a day ONLY. LOW, LOW carbs (not more than 2-4 slices of bread equivalent each day). No more nuggets, no more hummus, no sweets, no processed foods if at all possible. Veggies are free, she can eat them all day long if she wants. I am also going to get some sugar-free popsicles and low fat microwave popcorn. He doesn't even want us to let her drink too much water, though, as it will further the stomach stretching.

I'll let you know as I develop more strategies and dietary ideas. Off to google communities for parents with overweight kids!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

DAY 118: Hey...Look at Me


April 28th 008, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

So, this is certainly not a stellar picture of either of my children, but it tells a story. The story was that I was snapping pictures of Liam, which I seem to be doing a lot lately (since he is so damn cute!!). Well, SOMEBODY did not like that I was photographing him. First she asked me, "Mommy, Mommy...what are you taking pictures of???" (She suspected it was her cute little bro.)

When I answered, "Liam," her fears were confirmed. I saw her cute little body edge into my view finder. She's showing pictures of the deer she spotted in our back yard (which she has NOT stopped talking about for days.) "Look at ME, Mom! LOOK AT ME!" Ok, little girl, Mommy's looking and loving it.

Monday, April 27, 2009

DAY 117: Drinking it In...


April 27th 028, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

Wow. This weather. I have given up wine as a birthday present to myself. I am going to take an evening walk with my kids instead. It should be healthy all around. Tonight we walked to the park. It was gorgeous. Look at the magnolias! Aren't they such a sight? Couldn't you just get drunk on their smell? I could!



April 27th 024

April 27th 023

And here are my walking companions who, somehow, have learned how to ride in the stroller together after almost three years. I anticipated fussiness on the walk home from the park, so I stopped at our local favorite restaurant and got an order of chicken tenders for them to share. When in doubt, feed them...makes for great moods!
April 27th 018

Sunday, April 26, 2009

DAY 116: The Tears of a Clown


April 26th 047, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

Had to post this one too...

DAY 116: Arts and Crafts on the Back Porch


April 26th 042, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

Elena was calling him Mr. Blueberry.



April 26th 041

April 26th 040

April 26th 038

And Elena is working on a paper mache dog:
April 26th 022

April 26th 024

Saturday, April 25, 2009

DAY 115: Doe A Deer


April 24th 039, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

This was about 10 feet from our back window tonight. Elena spotted him. It was a highlight for the whole family who tried to quietly crowd around the windows. We weren't that quiet, but in the personality of deer in our area, he was brazen.

April 24th 043

April 24th 041

Friday, April 24, 2009

DAY 115: Cherry Blossoms


April 24th 026, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

I cannot resist a cherry tree in full bloom...or a crabapple...or a dogwood. Soon, it will be my birthday and I will be 39. It seems like just yesterday I was 29. Time flies. Fleeting, like the blossoms on a cherry tree...beautiful for a moment and then gone.



April 25th 003

April 25th 006

April 25th 007

April 25th 008

April 25th 010

DAY 114: How to Clean Practically Anything


April 24th 001, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

So, recently our dryer shit the bed. It turns out it didn't REALLY shit the bed, but the entropy that is our laundry room conspired to knock out the plug to the dryer and we surmised the thing had broken. It wasn't anymore broken than it had been, which is not great. It turns out the dryer vent also had become disconnected. Mom undertook the challenge of climbing in the no-mans-land that is the space between the washer and dryer.

Luckily, one of the first things she found was what we call the "grab-nabbers" which are a vestige from one of my dad's hip surgeries. They were handy for pulling items out from the back of appliances. The first thing she pulled out is in the laundry basket in the foreground...it had us all in stitches of irony. Can't see what it is? Here...let me show you:
April 24th 002

April 24th 006

Thursday, April 23, 2009

DAY 113: First Visit to the Dentist


April 23rd 022, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

Elena went to her first real dentist appointment. It went great! She was such a trooper! Of course, it helped that the dentist was a pediatric one and was just awesome with kids. Two thumbs up for pediatric dentists!! Booooo for six cavities caused by acid reflux as a toddler.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

DAY 112: Bathtime for Liam


April 22nd 001, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

They love the bath so, don't know why I hate bath time. I think it's that feeling I get being prisoner in the bathroom. I want to run and do things, not sit in one place, but at bath time, that's what's expected...just sitting...getting splashed upon. At almost three, we are getting to the point where it's actually ok to leave Liam (who chats non-stop anyway) for a moment or two to shuffle off to, say upload some pictures to the puter or fix a snack. He's so constantly noisy that the barrage of constant noise keeps me aware of his aliveness. Thank goodness for that...sometimes.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

DAY 111: Whitestone Bridge in Fog


Whitestone Bridge in Fog, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

First day I actually agree that this big metal bridge should be called the Whitestone...

DAY 110: Forgot a Picture Today


April 19th 068, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

So, a bonus one from yesterday...here they are skipping stones. I love that big boulders by the river bank has huge rusty spikes sticking out of it. Really safe! But, at least it made for some pretty cool photos!

DAY 109: Time Out


April 19th 095, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

We had a lovely day. We had lunch at the GW Tavern in Washington, CT and the weather was spectacular. I took the kids down to the river edge to skip stones. They were really into it...pitching rocks into the water. It was only when Liam threatened to pitch himself into the river (after being repeatedly warned NOT to go down the bank) that he wound up in time out. As is his way, even his time out was cute and punctuated with conversation.

"Mommy, I don't wan be bad. I don't wan get in twouble!" Um, too late! Poor little bug...

Sunday, April 19, 2009

DAY 108: Peep Casualty


Chimnea, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

Photo essay...What happens when a Peep meets the chimnea?

Peep Tragedy:
Peeps in Mourning

Peep Gather at the Crime Scene to Investigate:
Mourning the Loss

Peep Coffin:
Peep Coffin

Note: do not try roasting Peeps like marshmallows. The sugar on the outside gets so hot and looks tasty, like it's been caramelized, enticing the roaster to touch it. BAD IDEA. The blister on my finger doesn't look like anything or I would have a picture of it too!

DAY 107: The Bronx Zoo


April 17th 080, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

It's so hard to pick a single picture to represent the day when you have an eventful one like I did on Friday. At seven in the morning, I picked up my friend Lorraine, who had just flown in from Seattle. I had the kids with me and we went to get breakfast and then headed to the Bronx Zoo. Just as it's hard to pick a single photo, it's also hard to name our favorite animal! I think it was toss up between the baby giraffe named Margaret, the litter of river otters and the African Wild Dogs. There were plenty of beautiful species and the zoo was glorious in 70 degree weather and full sun. Heaven!

Margaret:
April 17th 091

Litter of River Otters:
April 17th 116

African Wild Dog:
April 17th 098

DAY 106: Catch of the Day


April 16th Shrimp, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

This is currently my favorite of our little animals. Isn't it cute???

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

DAY 105: My Diet Doesn't Have a Name


April 15th 010, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

I have been on a low carb diet for over a year. It works for me. I have cut out things that used to be highly addictive to me such as bread and sugar. After the first few months, which were very strict, I allowed a few carbs back in. I eat corn chips for example. It is only in the last few months that I have allowed kettle corn. I might have to NOT allow kettle corn in the future since it is so yummy it teeters on the edge of addiction.

Oh well, I can eat because (and this is what I always say) my diet doesn't have a name and thus, there is a not a book written on it, nor rules to follow. I don't have to answer to any one or feel guilty or bad if I make up a new guideline to follow...it's all part of my diet which is really nothing more than a healthier way of eating.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

DAY 104: Grandpa Sassano's Style


DSC03344, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

Liam was needing to get ready for bed tonight, but I realized I hadn't photographed his new sneaks yet. I got out the camera and got him out of his clothes. All of a sudden, I was transported to seeing my Grandpa Sassano in his shorts, dark socks and sneakers (or dress shoes) back in the day. A nod to you up there in Heaven, Grandpa! We love you!

He loses his Grandpa look when you see his whole bod...
DSC03345

Monday, April 13, 2009

DAY 103: The Face of Unconditional Love


April 13th 012, originally uploaded by Kikigill.

I think I blogged about this before, but oh well, here goes. This is Lambie. Lambie is my son's lovey. He sleeps with Lambie every night. We actually have three lambies to ensure we always have a back up. In case you don't this little gem of wisdom, never have "back-ups" of a child's lovey unless you intend for them to attach to snuggling multiples of said lovey. That's exactly what happened to us. We can get by with one Lambie, but two is always better. And, as was the case this evening, sometimes he has two and wants his "second" Lambie (which really means third).

Anyhow, I played around taking loads of Lambie shots this evening. I had fun with poses...Lambie in repose, Lambie serious, Lambie smiling, Lambies getting some action...etc...Liam was checking out the pictures I took and immediately had to have his "Wammies" NOW...He trotted off to get them and proceed to come back down with two. He used them to make a "widdle garage for his Lightning Dequeen car" and then proceeded to announce, "Awwwww, wook Mommy! Wightning is sooo happy is his widdle Lambie garage!" Gosh, I love this age!

REPOSE:
April 13th 013

LOVE:
April 13th 004

April 13th 022

April 13th 023

LITTLE GARAGE:
April 13th 028

April 13th 031

April 13th 032