One More Time...

Since last September, I've been working on a top secret mission to move the blog one last time.  Now that I have my business blog, http://www.cadelinephotographyblog.com/, I have the liberty of using that same template for a personal blog as well.  Finally, I have the freedom to create the site I've always wanted.  But, that means moving the blog one last time.  Back in September, I swore I wouldn't make the new blog "live" until I had every single post I've ever written switched over.  That means taking everything from the Xanga site AND the Blogger site and putting them on the new blog.  Unfortunately, it isn't just a matter of exporting those blogs and importing them to the new one.  No, that would be WAY too easy.  So, I've been manually adding the posts to the new blog for the past six months in all my spare time.  Ha!  Spare time...  Now, I've finally accepted that it's time to just switch to the new one and update it with old posts as time warrants.  I have updated it, pictures and all, up to mid June of 2006.  That's one thing I wanted so badly, for people, specifically other parents who are currently going through a similar experience as ours when the girls were in the hospital, to be able to read our story and hopefully take comfort in it.  With this blog, they'll easily be able to do that.  Long story short, I'm moving the blog, ONE MORE TIME.  Scout's honor.  So, for all you faithful five or so readers, when you need a Patton fix, now you can head on over to http://www.fourhappypattons.com/.  Isn't that cute?  I love it.  That's what we are; four happy Pattons. 

http://www.fourhappypattons.com/

Interview With A Three-Year-Old

Well, actually two three-year-old's. A couple weeks back, the girls and I were lying on the bed, talking and giggling about all kinds of things, when I decided to try and "interview" them. I'd tried this several months back, just to be able to have a record of who they were at that age by the way they answered the questions. They must have been too young, though, because our interview sessions was not very successful. This time around was much better; a few of the answers even made me laugh out loud.

Question #1: What is your favorite food?

Maddie: Hmmm...macaroni.

Cadie: Ooh! Macaroni, too!

Question #2: What is something you don't like to eat?

C: No chicken! (An answer that makes no sense because the kid loves chicken. Must take after her Uncle Keke.)

M: I don't like to eat raw eggs! They're yuck! (WHAT? At least we've taught her something...)

Question #3: What is your favorite color?

M: Red. 'Cause it's my favorite color.

C: Green, purple, and red. (When I prompt her for a reason why, I get a sassy response.) Because!

Question #4: What is your favorite movie?

M: Jumanji because I love it my WHOLE life!

C: Troy & Gabriela (High School Musical) because Lolo got them for us. (No, she didn't!)

Questions #5: What is your favorite game?

M: The play mat. (I think she's referring to the Yo Gabba Gabba dance mat they used to have until the broke it.) Because it's so cool. There's lots of words in the name "cool"! (They're starting to get squirrely...)

C: The balls and the sheep game. (I ask her if she's talking about the Hungry Hippos game because that's the only thing I can think she might be talking about.) Yeah! The Hungry Hippo game!

Question #6: Where is your favorite place to go?

M: The tea party! Because it has so much decorations at the party and it's my most wonderful, fun place! (The girl loves her adjectives and boy does she get excited.)

C: At Oklahoma. Why? Because. (As she rolls her eyes. I'm boring her...)

Question #7: Where is some place you don't like to go?

M: (At this point, they're flopping all over the bed speaking gibberish and being very silly. I try to bring them back in.)

C: (She's ignoring me.)

Question #8: What is your favorite song?

C: (Now I've got her attention. Cadie LOVES music.) Walking on Sunshine! (She loves the mash-up version of "Halo" and "Walking on Sunshine" from Glee.)

M: Mamma Mia because that's my favorite song. (It's true. I can just see her up on the hearth, pointing her finger out and singing, "I was cheated by you and I think you know when!"

Question #9: What is your favorite toy?

M: The big school bus. Huh? The one that's usually big. The one that isn't a play toy that moves outside. (I think she's talking about a regular school bus. She's dying to be a big girl and ride one.)

C: Plane. How come? BECAUSE. (Okay, now she's getting irritated with me.)

Question #10: What is your favorite thing to wear?

C: My Snow White dress! (Okay, maybe she's interested again...)

M: Dress up! Big girl dresses.

Question #11: Who is your best friend?

M: Ivy and Claire and Cadie. Because they're my friends. And Emmy is my favorite friend, too. And every friend I love. (She's a little social.)

C: Uncle Julius is my best friend because.

M: Actually Uncle Julius is MY best friend.

Question #12: What is your favorite TV show?

M: "Chuggington" and "Dora". Because they're my favorite videos to watch. My favorite.

C: "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" and "Diego". Oh, and "Spongebob" too. And "Hannah Montana". (Yes, my children already know of Hannah Montana. Thanks, Daddy.)

Question #13: What is something that makes you angry?

M: Throwing up. It makes me angry. (Bless her heart, Maddie has thrown up a lot. She's never complained, though.)

C: My belly. (?)

Question #14: What is something that makes you happy?

M: Dora makes me laugh and smile.

C: Uncle Julius because I love him. (Aww...)

Question #15: What's your favorite thing to do outside?

C: Play with my kite and swim it around. (Cadie is a hardcore outdoor girl. She'd spend the entire day, rain, shine, or snow outside if I'd let her.)

M: Play in the snow, too. (Yeah, right. Maddie isn't a fan of being cold.) And fly my kite in the snow. And play. And, that's it.

Question #16: What is your favorite book?

M: The one that scare me. (When I ask for clarification, we agree she's talking about The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.)

C: D, D, D, Dora!

Question #17: What is something that makes you scared?

M: Doggies. Because they love me. (A little contradictory. Maddie is actually terrified of about any animal, but especially dogs. I'm not sure why. We used to have two dogs and she did just fine with them. She always clarifies that she's only afraid of real animals, though.)

C: Monsters. Then I gotta run out of my bed and get in your bed!

Question #18: What is your favorite thing to do at school?

M: Play with my friends and have fun with my friends.

C: Play with the toys. Learn. (Yes!)

Question #19: What is your favorite thing to drink?

M: Tea and water.

C: Water and root beer.

Question #20: What is your most favorite thing in the whole world?

M: Disney World! And I can't wait until we go again! (We're trying to plan a trip for December. Looks like we better make it happen.)

C: Princess Snow White.

Their patience (and interest) definitely ran thin toward the end of our little interview. It was fun, though, listening to their answers and watching them act like such little adults. They're growing up entirely too fast. This time next year I plan to ask them the same questions. Something tells me I won't get the same answers.

Little Miss Fix-It

While we were recovering from ensuring our family wouldn't grow, the girls spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday with Grana and Poppy. Grana had just had some dental work done and was having some trouble with one of her teeth. Maddie tried to make her feel better by rubbing her face and asking how she was Wednesday evening. Thursday morning, Maddie couldn't stand it any longer, so she asked Grana if she could see the tooth that was bothering her. After a quick peek, Maddie stated that she could fix it, no problem. Grana asked how and Maddie responded, "Well, my Mama has a bunch of toothpicks and we can just put a whole bunch of them in there!" Though tempted, Grana decided that the toothpicks would likely exacerbate the problem rather than relieving it. That evening, as they lay in bed, Grana in the middle, Maddie asked her if her tooth was feeling better. Grana replied that it wasn't, but she thought it might if Maddie prayed for it to. Grana says Maddie sat right up, clapped her hands together, closed her eyes, and said, "Dear God Jesus, please make my Grana's mouth feel better where that tooth was that she didn't need anymore." The next morning, would you believe it actually felt better?

Just the Four of Us

After the girls were born, Jeff and I had every intention of having more kids. Once they were home, though, and the shock of everything we'd just gone through had worn off and reality had set in, we both started to wonder if more children would be asking for too much. We'd just escaped a life-changing potential disaster. We were lucky and blessed to not only bring both girls home, but to bring them home healthy and without any permanent damage.

After that realization was fully absorbed, I waivered back and forth between contentment and still wanting more. Jeff, though, seemed to have made up his mind. Last fall, I finally reached a point of agreement. We're so content, our little family of four. The girls will always have one another, so they won't be without a playmate. We have years of doubling everything ahead of us including school, cars, college, and weddings. We'll be able to offer them so much more, just the two of them. A nicer home, more family trips, a better education. We'd come to a place where we felt the same. So, last Thursday, we took a big step toward ensuring our family wouldn't grow any bigger. There's no need to go into detail, but just to say we'll forever be a family of four. I worried that maybe I would regret our decision once it was too late, but I don't. We already have two amazing little girls; who could really ask for more?

Insurability

Today marks our first day of new insurance. That's right, after over a year of me fighting to find more affordable (and less ridiculous) insurance for my family, I've succeeded! A couple months back I discovered that Community Care had begun offering individual products for health insurance. Our health insurance since the girls' were born has been Community Care HMO through Jeff's business simply because that's all we could qualify for. Companies would take one look at the girls' medical history and run hysterically in the other direction. Never mind the fact that they've both been perfectly healthy since fall of 2006. I digress.

So, I bit the bullet and filled out an online application for each of us, expecting much of the same responses we've received from other insurance companies. I wasn't disappointed. I was even given the surprise of being rejected myself. That's right; they rejected all three of us girls, but accepted Jeff with open arms, offering him the preferred rate. Ugh. Not one to give up so easily, I chatted with the Community Care representative, Myra, who happened to be very nice. She explained that I had been rejected due to an annual exam from the previous year and the girls had been rejected for the same old thing, ROP and Cadie's VAD. I explained that I'd had a normal exam in the fall. She said, "Oh really?" I provided her with my doctor's name, then me moved on to the girls. I explained that we had a letter from Dr. Benner detailing her 100% recovery from her bleed and the resulting VAD debacle. Her response, "Oh really?" I obliged her with a faxed copy. And she replied, "Well, I think we have enough here to completely relook at this application." I was shocked and thrilled, but still not expecting much.

A few days later, I listened to a message from Myra on our answering machine stating that they were set to go with Jeff and "the twins". I couldn't believe it. Really? I've been fighting this fight for so long. Could it really be over that quickly and easily? Who am I to argue, though. I was scheduled for another annual appointment for which we would be waiting for results, but I didn't want to take any chances on them looking at the application and going, "What are we thinking insuring these children?!" So, I called Myra up and told her to push their applications through; we'd deal with me later. Luckily, my results were received only a couple of days later and before I knew it, all four of us were good to go. I'm not sure what happened to the ROP issue, but you can bet I'm not going to bring it up.

So, as of today, we will no longer be paying $600 a month for health care. That's right, $600 for just the four of us. Instead, we'll be paying $300. It could have been even lower, but the girls and I didn't earn the preferred rate. Oh well, it's something to strive for, I guess! I've since started reminding Jeff daily of how much money I'm saving us every month. I think I've earned at least a pedicure every month, if not a massage, too. A girl can dream...

Distractions

Not too long ago, I wrote a post about my decision to adjust my priorities and put my family first when stress and pressure from my business had become overwhelming. I'm happy to say I did that. Since that decision, I've adjusted my editing scheduled, reminded myself not to take on more than I can handle, and it's worked. Work stress has all but been completely eliminated. Being the human that I am, though, I instead began devoting my "spare" time to distractions, rather than where they should be. They really are everywhere, distractions. TV, computer, internet, telephone. And what do they really matter? They aren't distractions of important nature like laundry, dishes, and cleaning. Even though they're much less enjoyable than browsing through website and the TV Guide, they're at least necessary. Every time I have a chance to sit down and just enjoy some free time, I steer myself (many times unintentionally) back to my computer to check my routine list of websites, oftentimes for the third or fourth time that day. What could possibly be that important? Nothing. Definitely nothing more important than spending quality time with my children.

And what better to reinforce this realization than a swift quick from Mother Sinus. The day after our tea party, Maddie was struggling with some form of cold/allergies. The next day, Cadie and I were suffering much the same. Fast forward to a week later, and even though the girls seemed to be feeling much better, I was down for the count. I had woken up that morning with a debilitating headache; one so bad that my teeth hurt. I hurt everywhere. In my temples, my ears, behind my eyes, in my jaw, in my glands. Everywhere. Like any stubborn stay-at-home mom, I tried to fight through the pain and carry on with my daily duties, but by 1 o'clock it was painfully clear (literally), that I couldn't handle anymore. I called the doctor, praying for an opening that afternoon, but nothing was available until the next morning. Remembering a nearby Urgent Care center that my mom had told me about, I drove myself over and left Jeff home with the girls. After a short wait, the doctor took one look in my left ear (the better one at this point) and said, "Oh my, you have a SEVERE sinus infection!" Apparently, whatever junk I had been battling played dead, fooling me into thinking I was getting better, while secretly setting up camp in every sinus cavity in my body. My poor sinuses were so badly impacted, the pressure was growing and growing, causing my headache pain. As a white flag, I accepted the prescription for a decongestant and antibiotic, then trotted myself home for some much needed rest. I spent the next two days in bed doing nothing but sleep, while the girls spent some quality time with Grandma (Thank you, Grandma!) Talk about an eye-opener. I can't remember the last time I was so sick I couldn't do anything but sleep the day away. Usually, I read a book, watch a movie, or play Nintendo. Not this time. This monster of a sinus infection eliminated any and all distractions, making it very clear to me that even though I'd essentially eliminated the work stress from my life, I'd allowed something else to fill that space. Something that shouldn't. I've been blessed with two miracles; two warm-blooded, full blown miracles, and I've allowed myself to be distracted.

Some antibiotic and A LOT of nose-blowing later, I once again feel like my priorities are in check. I'm forcing myself to slow down. I don't have to be moving and productive all the time. There's always something I COULD be doing, but not necessarily something I SHOULD be doing. There's so much more I could be missing, and it would be a shame to miss out because of a silly distraction.

A Spot of Tea

The girls have been having tea parties pretty much since they were old enough to hold a tea cup. These tea parties usually take place at Grana and Poppy's, among other places. This year, we decided to celebrate Valentine's Day with a Mother/Daughter Princess Tea Party at Grana's house. We honored the royal theme with elaborate decorations and dress, including a fancy new tea set, heart princess scepters, and glittery tiaras. The food would have impressed even the snootiest of English elite, including PB & J, turkey & cheese, and chicken salad sandwiches; chips and dip; a veggie tray; and cheeseball. For dessert -- the most important part of any tea party -- we feasted on chocolate chip scones, chocolate cake, cheesecake squares with flower candies, and other scrumptious goodies. We sipped our tea and punch, chatting about our social calendars (Lolo has been attending the shopoholic committee; the same one Mollie recently fell off the wagon from) and enjoying the company of our impressive guest list, including Grandma, Nana, Grana, Auntie Lolo, Mollie, Beth, Julie, Cadie, Maddie, and Grace. Who knew so much fun could be had over a simple spot of tea?

Maddie, Lolo, and Cadie

Maddie, Cadie, and Grace

Cadie, Grandma, and Maddie

Maddie, Nana, and Cadie

Maddie, Mollie, and Cadie

Maddie, Grana, and Cadie

Maddie, Mommy, and Cadie

Always taking pictures...

Teaching proper tea etiquette...

Grace and her Grandma

Lolo's scary face!

Jules & Me

Me & Mollie

Jules, Grace, and Beth