Molly the ballerina

I was changing Molly out of her church dress into some play clothes when she ran to her closet and grabbed her tutu! She's never really worn it (I'll explain in a minute) and I didn't think it would even fit anymore... But sure enough, it does! Molly LOVES Angelina Ballerina. L.O.V.E.S. So she spent the next ten minutes dancing around like Angelina before she had to go down for a nap.

Gah! I lover her too much....

The story of this tutu.... When her Aunt Tracey was visiting us in Utah, when Molly was 2 months old, we came across it and Tracey bought it for her! Tracey insisted that we had to try it on her even though it was 6-12months. So that's what this picture is. Then when Molly was big enough to wear it - it was January and a little too cold to be prancing around in it... And she wasn't really into it anyway. But now, she is! :) Good thing it still fits!

Dairy, dairy quite contrary...

Well the time has come. We have come to the conclusion that Molly is allergic to dairy and eggs. This has been a VERY long journey - so glad it's over - and now we can go on with our lives... DAIRY FREE.

This all started when Molly was about 3 months old. I remember noticing that behind her ears were really dry, and red. We were living in Utah at the time so I just figured she had dry skin. I just made sure that we washed really well behind her ears, and lotion-ed them up well. She also had a pretty bad problem pooping. She would usually always cry or scream when she had to poop. Again, just thought it was nothing.... she's a baby, she would grow out of it, right?

We moved to Oregon when she was 4 months old. Her pooping situation grew to EVERY. TIME. she needed to poop. She SCREAMED. She turned red - it was AWFUL! Someone had to hold her while she finished her business, and it sometimes would take 15 minutes!

I remember this one day so vividly- she was about 11 months old - I was in the kitchen fixing lunch and Molly was playing on the floor next to me. I looked over and she had a death grip on the fire place and her face was starting to turn red. I ran over to her and held her so tight to me. I was trying to console her. She screamed and cried and she held her body stick straight for over 20 minutes *this is where it gets pretty graphic* .... I ran downstairs with her to the changing table, pulled off her diaper, pushed her knees up to her chest, and THEN she was able to relieve herself. It was AWFUL going through just that 20 + minutes. I thought "THIS IS NOT NORMAL!!!!" I called my sister-in-law, Jenny (who I always call for all my medical needs!) and told her what was going on. She advised me to call the pediatrician. I called and made the appointment.

Enter Doctor who I am no longer fond of.

He told me that she was just constipated and it was no big deal. He told me to start giving her Mirolax. Every day. I thought, "ok, whatever, this will pass, she won't need to be on this for long..." I then brought up her rash behind her ears that she still had since she was a baby. He said she has eczema. And told me to put hydrocortisone on the rash three times a day til pretty much - always.

Okay whatever.

I wasn't happy with that meeting... But I didn't really have any other answers...

I did the cream -didn't work. I used the mirolax - did work. However, she couldn't NOT take it. Which I didn't like.

MONTHS later, I started noticing she had really red arm pits. Kinda rashy. At that time I couldn't remember how long I had even noticed them. So I just really made sure we cleansed her really well, and used lotion after every batch.

At every well visit check up, I brought up all these issues. And every time the doc told me the SAME thing... eczema and constipation. "Keep using the hydrocortisone cream EVERY day."

FINALLY- When Molly was almost 2 - I started noticing that her diapers would smell really bad. Not poopy - PEE. You know when you can tell a baby pooped, by how bad the smell was? Well I could tell every time Molly would pee, just by the smell. WEIRD. At first, all I could think of is maybe we weren't washing well enough down there. or maybe we weren't changing her diapers as frequently. AND she had a really bad diaper rash that would NOT go away. This went on for at LEAST 3 months. Probably longer.... So then I was thinking maybe she was allergic to the diaper wipes, or the lotion. SOOOO- I made all natural baby wipes And all natural lotion! Yes... I went THAT far! (sidenote- I absolutely LOVE the wipes, and will no longer be buying wipes. Actually, I love the lotion too. Never buying store stuff again) Well those things didn't help clear up anything, so obviously that wasn't it.

I took her back to the pediatrician. He ran tests for bladder infection and urinary tract infection. Both tests came back negative. So what was his suggestion for how to help my sweet little girl?!

NOTHING. He said absolutely nothing. I brought up EVERY LITTLE THING that she has a problem with: the rash behind her ears, the rash under her armpits, the constipation, the smelly urine, AND the diaper rash!! Come ON!!!!!!!!!! He just told me to keep using the rash cream and the Miralax. I brought up my thoughts on a possible food allergy and he said there was "no way she has a food allergy" because if she did "she would have hives or her tongue would swell....". But if I wanted a recommendation for an allergist, he would give me one. I pretty much said,

"GOOD DAY, SIR"

Next stop: my Auntie Carolyn. She graduated as a naturopathic doctor last year. She definitely knows everything! :) I talked to her last month and she recommended taking Molly off of dairy, wheat and eggs for three weeks. THREE WEEKS. yikes. So we did. I won't get into that... just know that it was VERY hard! But we did it! (YAAY) After the three weeks we were to introduce her to dairy for one day. After three days from that - ALL OF HER SYMPTOMS CAME BACK. I was shocked - and very relieved. Relieved that we had an answer to her issues! Then we added gluten. After three days - nothing happened. (Woo hoo!!) Then we added eggs. After three days- sure enough rashes under her armpits surfaced, and her diaper rash came back.

So there you have it. That is our last month's journey to Molly's health!

No more dairy and eggs for this girl! (which is a blessing!)

So in conclusion: I am very proud of us for sticking with this strict 'test' with Molly. I'm so thankful for everyone who supported us. It truly helped us stay motivated! I am SOOOO proud of Molly for being so receptive to all of this. She ate some pretty weird stuff this past month - and she was a champ! :)

I love her so freaking much. And I'm so thankful we found the reason for all of this so she will feel better.

P.S. I will no longer be going to her pediatrician. I am shocked of the lack of support and advisement we received. :(

because I love you...

You might remember this video I posted on Facebook a few weeks back...

Well this has been a common phrase around our house since then.

So common, in fact, look what a cute little someone has started doing???

My new smile....

I have been so unhappy with the way my front (nasty, white-trash) tooth looks. In fact, whenever I have a picture of me with my smile, I HAVE to edit the color before posting, or sending, or printing... And it actually drives me nuts when other people take pictures of me, because I know I won't be able to edit that stupid tooth!! Sad, I know.

EVERYONE always would tell me, "Oh, I haven't ever noticed it before!" And what I have to say to that is: YEAH RIGHT.

So, I finally did something about it.

Here is the beautiful BEFORE picture right before I went to the dentist....

The AFTER!!

TA-DA!!!!! My award winning new smile! And I *LOVE* it! Woo Hooooo!

So here's what happened... When I was 17, I had a root canal on that tooth. The dentist wasn't able to finish it in that appointment, so he put a temp filling in until he could finish it. Well he never did. A few months later, it was turning black. I then went to Dr. Packham, and he fixed it up. He bleached it from the inside out, and finished the filling and sent me on my way. Over the years it had faded again. So a friend of mine works at Dr. Gregson's, and referred me to him. He cleaned out my nasty tooth, and bleached it from the inside out, three times (over the course of a week and a half). Then he closed up the tooth, added some sort of bonding to the bottom of it so it matched the other front tooth, then polished the front two teeth and got rid of the jagged bottom! (Yeah, I know... I'm so technical with my verbiage!) If you want to know the actual terms and things that were used, check out that link above. They posted pictures of the process of my tooth, with what was actually done. :)

All in all, I am so thrilled with the outcome! Dr. Gregson did an AMAZING job. And was so awesome through the whole process. Made me feel so comfortable, and explained everything so well to me as we went. Oh, and I can't forget his team too! Just great!

Sometimes I catch myself looking in the mirror at my teeth... :)

My birthday princess

molly, mollykins, baby moo moo, missy moo, princess toodles, whatever you want to call her, she's my baby girl that turned 2 today! I can't believe it's been two years. It honestly seems like I just had her! Seriously... I don't know if it's because my labor was so amazingly easy with her, or what, but I remember that day, REALLY, like it was two days ago!

My Mollykins is truly hilarious. She does the silliest things, and replies with the funniest words, or sounds. She is constantly making us laugh! Maybe it's because she is just so full of life.

She is so sweet, and you can tell she's very caring. She is very quick to share with Cohen, or give kisses or hugs, or even snuggles!

Is it common for a 2 year old to carry a tune?? She loves singing! And she can sing along and actually stay on tune! It is sooo cute. The best is when we're driving and there's no music on... She'll start singing, and jeff and I can understand what songs she's singing!

I love watching her and trying to figure out what's going on in her head. She's very smart, and knows a lot of the alphabet, and can point letters out.

I just love that sassy little girl!! And I'm so blessed to be her mommy. Truly.

This morning, Jeff had a meeting so it was just Cohen and me until Molly woke up. Before she did, I helped Cohen wrap his present to Molly. He was being so cute putting stickers on it, and coloring it. All his idea! :)

When she finally woke up, Cohen and I ran in to sing happy birthday! We brought her downstairs to the plethora of balloons! She was so happy! We then ate pink waffles, and Molly's had sprinkles on them.

Cohen just couldn't wait for the party later that night, for molly to open his present! So she got to open it before church. Cohen gave her a Rapunzel barbie doll.

Her new doll, and doll bed

Her awesome tent from Auntie Allie, and Uncle Nick

she loves her uncle Nick! No, really! :)

The sleeping birthday princess.... She's holding her Rapunzel doll, and she's snuggled up to the blanket I made her. Oh, and new jammies! :) Ahhhhh... I love her!

My favorite moment was when she was opening the blanket. I am very proud of that blanket, and for some reason, thought she would be excited to get a new blankie! She ripped the paper just half off, and she dropped it, said very calmly, "no..." and walked over to her toys! Ha ha!! It was sooo funny!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET ANGEL!!!!

I'm a mom

Today is such a wonderful day. I think I've said this before, But I think Mother's day is better than my birthday. Today gives me time (thanks to my husband for doing everything so I can!) to truly be grateful that I have been given the gift of being a mother. It is an amazing blessing that I have received, And I definitely don't take it for granted.
I L.O.V.E. being a mom. I guess it kinda helps that I have two of the most cutest, sweetest, funniest, smartest, silliest little kids in the whole world! But none the less, I love it. I am so thankful that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with a body to carry and deliver babies.
This is the hardest job I've ever had. It is challenging, stressful, frustrating, pretty much all of the above, but I would NEVER trade it for anything.

When I became a mom for the first time. Words truly can not express that moment.

When I became a mom for the second time. Actually, words can not express that moment either!

So yes, of course I'm thankful to my mother who brought me into this world and raised me so that I would be able to one day be a mom myself. And for all my Aunts, and sister-in-laws, cousins and friends that are such wonderful Moms - you are an amazing example to me.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Oh the little things...

On this particular night, Jeff was working pretty late, so it was just me and the kiddos. I had a boot camp class, so I brought the kids with me to the kids club at the gym. After class, I noticed the sun had come out, and it was a beautiful evening. So I took the kids to the park.
Molly ran straight for the swings, and Cohen ran off for the play structure. After being at the park for barely 2 minutes, I hear an outburst from Cohen. I look over and he's walking towards me with soaking wet pants! I look at the slide, and there was a huge water puddle at the bottom! Poooor little Cohen!! I told him we had to go home, because I didn't have any extra pants. He was really sad. Not mad, Sad. Which is worse. Molly threw a fit! She just didn't understand.
So when we got in the car, I looked back at Co, and he had huge alligator tears in his eyes. I was seriously heartbroken! I remembered that the night before, Jeff and I bought a tunnel for Molly for her birthday. So I told Cohen that I had a surprise for them when we got home.
I pulled out the tunnel, and they acted like it was Disneyland!! It was hilarious! For the next 30 minutes, all I heard were squeals, laughter, and lots of running around!

So you might be thinking I gave in... but are you kidding?! It was TOTALLY worth it!

(look at his cute little buns in that tunnel!)

Easter

What a fun day this was for us! So many fun traditions started this year. Sadly, I took a lot of pictures of dying eggs, and them finding their easter baskets, but I got a new phone since then, and I haven't taken the pictures off the old phone yet. :( One fun thing that we did was after we dyed eggs, we had Cohen take the carton of eggs out to our back porch. We told him that if he set the eggs outside, hopefully the Easter Bunny would come get them and leave him a treat. So in the morning he ran downstairs and looked outside, and sure enough there were the kids' easter baskets! Cohen thought that was so fun!

Here is Molly and Cohen in their Easter outfits. Molly's dress came from Grandma Lish (an early birthday present!) And Cohen's vest came from my cousin, who donates all her kids' clothes to us! :) Oh, Cohen had to pose with his cars, of course!

After church, we headed over to my parents house for an Easter egg hunt, and then a scruptious dinner with my whole fam.

The day was just beautiful. And I just have to add that in YW's, my friend Jennie, taught the combined lesson. She did the whole week leading up to Christ's death, and then resurrection. It was just awesome. And now thinking about it, I dont' think I ever told her how amazing it was, and what a great job she did! The spirit was so strong, and really set a wonderful tone for the rest of the day.