Advice Please!!!

Okay, so today I started to get nervous about having more than one child. I'm nervous about how I'm going to coordinate things, schedule things out and attempt to keep everyone somewhat content and happy. If there's anyone out there who has more than one child, PLEASE tell me your secrets to how you manage life with more than one child! Avonlea is at an age where she's learning patience, but it's really easy to pick her up and comfort her whenever I need to. Soon, I won't be able to stop whatever it is I'm doing and do that. Any advice is greatly appreciated. :)

Counting Blessings...

Here are all of Avonlea's medications-yucky! Poor kid.






There's nothing worse than having a sick little one and wishing it was you who was sick instead of them. Avonlea wound up at the doctor's office three days ago after waking up at 10:45 in the morning. She normally wakes up between 7:00 and 7:30am. I let her sleep because I thought she might have had a long night or something (she was coughing quite a bit, but never cried for me to come and get her). Anyway, being new at this, I wasn't sure what to do but after waking her up and feeling her forehead and entire body burning up, I immediately called the pediatrician. They said to bring her right in. She had a temp. of 101.6 and her pulse-oxide was 92 (it's supposed to be 100) meaning she wasn't getting enough oxygen through her lungs. They gave her two breathing teatments (nebulizer again) and some medication. We were there for 2 hours!!! She kept falling asleep (very unAvonlea-like) in my arms as nurses were rushing around her checking stats, etc. I was NERVOUS! They sent me over to the hospital for a chest x-ray to make sure it wasn't pneumonia (yikes!), but luckily it wasn't. Being pregnant, I wasn't allowed in the x-ray room and poor Avy had to be held down by the x-ray techs. while I waited outside getting teary-eyed. Not a fun day. We had to keep her on meds all through the night every four hours and the following night as well. Last night she actually got a full night's sleep (praise the Lord) and she's much better today with the acception of her coughing and occational wheezing. She'll be on medication for the next week and then breathing treaments (a steroid called Pulmicort) until April. Hopefully we'll get this nipped in the bud, not only for her sake, but also because Lincoln will be making his way into the world June 11th, if not before.

As far as how I'm feeling...nights aren't a restful time anylonger. Getting up to pee 4-5 times a night and rolling around trying to get comfortable isn't my definition of a good night's sleep. That's not to mention listening to the baby monitor making sure my little girl is still breathing okay. I thought life as a stay-at-home mom would be easy...um NO! I find myself more in charge and responsible for things. I constantly calling people and making appointments for the house addition (contractors, etc.), keeping the house spotless so that at the drop of a hat, people can come and view the house (which has been happening-yea!) and trying to teach Avonlea as much about being patient, waiting, and how to handle frustration as possible before little linebacker shows up.

It's weird. I was on the couch last night watching American Idol (will Sanjaya please leave!!!) and I could feel Lincoln's foot kicking hard. I pressed in and he kept pressing out, like we were playing a little game or something. It wasn't until last night that I started getting ancy to hold my little boy. I had a weird dream last night that his foot was sticking out of me (strange) and I was walking around with a foot hanging out of my belly! I've also been "nesting" lately with washing the new clothes we've received, sorting through Avy's old stuff seeing what he can wear (green/yellow/white onesies, socks, bibs, etc.) I have so much to do: packing up our entire house, moving and picking out what the kids' bedrooms are going to look like (I'm a nut and think that both kids' rooms will be completely done by the time the baby comes-NOT!). It's times like these that I have to hand everything over to God, trusting that HE will take care of things, including my sanity. I've always strived to be a "Proverbs 31 wife/mother" and have to remind myself that it's okay to mess up once and awhile. It's okay to ask for help, to cry, to need time for myself, etc. I'm only human. It's times when I'm just having an "off" day that I have to remember that there are so many mother/wives out there who have families just like I do and can't give them the healthcare, the nutritious meals, the safety and all the things a mother/wife should be able to give her husband and kiddos. It's those times that I thank God for His provision and blessings.

**Take time today to thank God for allowing you to be a free American, fed, clothed, educated, allowed to voice an opinion, opprotunities, healthcare, employment and able to worship God freely. We have so much to be thankful for and yet how often do we really thank God for all that He does in our lives?

More Asthma for Avonlea

Pretty toes!

Riley is so patient with Avonlea when she pulls her tail and jumps on her. What a good dog!


Poor Avonlea!

It's weird having little boy clothes around! I did a little shopping for Lincoln the other day since the little guy doesn't have anything to wear yet.


Last night, Rob and I woke up to Avonlea coughing on and off every hour or so. I took her into the doctor's this morning and found out that her coughing was asthma again (poor kiddo). I had already returned her nebulizer to the doctor's office (I just checked it out from them) so they gave me a new device to use. It's plastic and kid-proof so I can let her play with it during the day and "practice" on her dollies and stuffed animals (which the doctor suggested). It's basically a puffer (inhaler) for kids and takes a lot less time to administer versus the nebulizer. It's not as efficient and works about 80% as well as the nebulizer, but it's portable and much cheaper. If Avonlea's asthma really begins to worsen then we'll have to purchase the nebulizer machine through our insurance. Hopefully we won't need to .

Avonlea is doing well besides her nasty asthma. She's counting to ten (starting at 3 and going up to 8 most of the time, but we're working on it), singing songs that have fun movements such as: Where is Thumpkin?, The Wheels on the Bus, If You're Happy and You Know It, Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes and a few others. She is realizing that things have colors and so far her favorite color is blue. She doesn't know the actual color, but likes saying "blue". She loves going to the library on Fridays and Wednesdays, seeing other kids, listening to stories and singing songs. I've gotten to know quite a few moms which has been neat.

Rob and I got final blueprints this week and although it's a stressful time (making decisions, finances, etc.), it's also a time of blessing and we feel so blessed to have this opprotunity. There's no way we'd be able to make it with 2 or more children in this itty-bitty house. It's definately time to move on and we've felt that for some time now. We're really looking forward to having more space, a bigger yard and the list goes on. I'm so excited about the little things! Right now, I have only two cupboards and no way to plug in appliances (I have to plug in appliances on a chair in the dining room-yikes!). I'm just looking forward to having cupboards and normal-sized closets. :) Our home that we're in right now was built in 1920 so if you know anything about older homes, you know that there's NO storage.

Lincoln is kicking and growing like a weed. He has much stronger kicks than Avonlea ever did so we may have a little soccer player on our hands! We shall see. I've definately grown out of my second trimester pregnancy clothes, can you tell? :)

Every time I turn my head, something new is happening in the Bates house. Not only is Avonlea getting bigger and bigger each day, but so am I!! Here are a few updated "belly pics" that I tried to take of myself. Right now, my digital camera is our video camera so the pictures aren't very clear, but Rob and I are saving up for a nice digital that will take really clear pictures. I love my Minolta with its awesome lens. It takes great photos, but it's a pain having to wait to get the film developed. Hopefully we'll get the new camera before Lincoln arrives. I'm wearing overalls so it's a bit hard to see the full extent of my belly, but it's there! The lady that came to install our sprinklers and measure for our sod asked if I was having TWINS! (I would never ask someone that, personally.) I politely said "no" and told her I was due the first week in June. I guess I'm just showing a lot more with this little guy than I was with Avonlea (they say that can happen).

Lately, some of the things we've been up to are:
1.) keeping the house spotless (which is so hard to do with a toddler) due to people coming to see the house (there's another showing today at 5:30-yeah!).
2.) going to doctor's appointments every 2 weeks now. I have another one tomorrow (just a simple heartbeat check). During my last visit, I got to drink that orange sugary drink and get blood drawn (not fun). I used to hate getting my blood drawn, but now I'm quite used to it. I do ask for the "butterfly needle" which is a small needle nurses can use and it hurts so much less.
3.) reviewing blueprints for the new house. They arrived yesterday (with a heafty bill!) and we're very excited because now we've been making calls to set up appointments for contractors to come in a bid prices on the construction. We're hoping bids are low (obviously).
4.) teaching Avonlea responsability. She's learning to take things to the trash can when they need to be thrown away, she brushes her teeth by herself (with a follow up from Rob or I of coarse-she doesn't brush them that well). She loves to help me cook (it takes longer, but it's fun) and set the table. She helps clean up and we have a special song (korny, but it works) we sing and she really does like helping to clean up. Rob plays the piano (for those that didn't know) and he's so creative in making up songs for the simplest things that Avy does (brushing teeth, cleaning up, going potty, etc.) We were joking around the other night saying how we should record them and sell them someday. WE'll see. Avonlea follows me around when I'm doing household chores (laundry, etc.) and wants to help. It takes so much longer when she does, but I'm in no hurry and it's more worth it in the long run to show her at an early age how to do things so that she'll be independant, something Rob and I want to instill in her at an early age.
5.) Bible study and MOPS at church. We go every Tuesday from 9:30-11:30am and it's so great. It gives me a little break from Avonlea (she's in the nursery with all her little friends and LOVES it) and allows me to interact with other moms as well as stay focused with my Bible study. For anyone who hasn't attended MOPS before, it stands for Mothers Of Preschoolers and no matter if you work or stay at home, there's always a meeting available (at least in our city) for ladies to attend. We talk about "Mom Stuff", how to stay organized, raising our kids, crafts, etc. It's a lot of fun. Check out my link on the blog (I just added it).
6.) the Ultimate Party and Play Zone. It's just up the street from us and after going for the first time today, you bet we'll be back. It's $8.00 ($3.00 per additional sibling) per child and you can go for the whole day! Check out the link and you'll see what I mean. It's totally worth the money and we never run out of things to do. It's much bigger in person when you see the facility. Hard to imagine because it already looks so big online.

Rob and I really enjoyed our vacation this past weekend in Orlando. We stayed at the Hilton in Walt Disney World and although it didn't compare to the Omni Resort (we're stayed there a few times), we had a blast. Rob and I were just talking last night about how we've never paid full price for any vacation we've taken. We always go on Priceline.com and book our vacations there, for cheap. Give it a try if you haven't already. I'm going to take in the film to be developed this afternoon so stay tuned for more updated pictures.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

So, this Saturday is St. Patrick's Day. Rob, Avonlea and I are going on a little family vacation to Orlando so it should be fun. The only downfall is that Rob is sick (allergies-the oak leaves/pollen are falling here in Florida and everyone is getting sick) and Avonlea (just found out this morning) has asthma! We went to the doctor's this morning (Rob noticed Avy wasn't breathing well) and sure enough, they put her on her first breathing treatment and sent us home with a Nebulizer (the machine that gives off the medication through steam) and a prescription for Albuterol, which loosens up the lungs and helps Avonlea to breathe. She has to take her treatments every 4 hours until the symptoms (wheezing, coughing) subside. It's just a mild case, but only time will tell how bad she'll have it as a teen/adult. Often times the asthma can disappear (which is my prayer) and children out grow it. Let's hope so!



Anyway, here are some cookies I made for the people at Rob's work. I made them last night along with some cupcakes (didn't get a picture of those). Everything was green for St. Patty's Day. I guess the guys loved them because Rob said that most of them were eaten by 11:00 this morning.

Spring Is Here!

Okay, so all of you who don't live in sunny Florida, I'm apologizing now but I am SOOOO glad that our warm weather is back!! I think that if we had snow, winter would be more fun but we don't so bring on the sunshine and the beach! Much has been happening at the Bates house lately. We're had our house up for sale and on the market for a weeka and a half now, but only 3 calls. It's a tough market out there so we have to remember to be patient. We're awaiting the final draft of blue prints from our contractor (love him! He's so honest and gives great advice on space usage) this week. After we receive these, it's off to call contractors for bids. Whoo-hoo!

Avonlea and I have been enjoying the outdoors a lot the past two weeks. We've been swimming in her little paddling pool on our backyard patio. She loves to swim. We're also planted a veggie garden out back as well. We started the plants in pots since we're moving and didn't want to clear out a big chunk of our new sod (Yeah for sod! It's finally in and finished.) We have tomatoes and green beans growing (well, just sprouting is more like it) along a trellis and carrots and pineapple in bigger pots. The pineapple won't produce fruit for maybe years so that's especially why they're in pots, so we can take them with us when we move in May. It will most likely be the week of May 21. We might be moving into an apartment though while the construction begins seeing that we'll have a 20-month-old and a newborn baby. I don't think that drills, jackhammers and construction noise will mix well with two parents who will have been up all night with a new baby, not to mention the dust and lack of privacy! God will lead the way in the timing of everything. We're getting so excited about the changes.

The three of us took a trip to the Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa yesterday. What a fun outing! The aquarium held Avonlea's interest for a short amount of time (eventhough she loves to watch fish), but there is a whole seperate kid's section on the side by the water where we stayed and played for two hours. It was totally worth it! Luckily I had packed a swimsuit and swimdiaper just in case. WE had a blast and are thinking about buying annual passes (they're so reasonable for what you get).

Avonlea is just in the very early stages of potty training. We haven't put underwear on her yet (although I bought some Elmo-her favorite-underwear for her the other day). We also got her a potty and a few potty books to start. She knows what her potty is and loves to just run into the bathroom and flush the big potty. She gets a kick out of the noise. A friend of mine also suggested the DVD Elmo's Potty Time. She's watched it a few times and it's very cute and straightforward about using the potty. I'm hesitant to start her full-fledge though because she can't tell me when she's wet and I'm not so sure I'm ready for pee-pee on our carpet. :) When I start, I plan on being very consistant and just using the underwear. I potty-trained a little boy whom I used to be a nanny for and this worked SO well. We skipped the pull ups altogether because they felt too much like a diaper. Stay tuned for more "Potty News". (he he)

(This is a really long blog, but I've got much to share!)
I found Avonlea an Easter basket and gave it a little touch of my own. Lately, she has been practicing with some plastic eggs we got at the store. She loves it when I hide them around the house and she goes to find them and put them in the basket. Needless to say, she'll be ready to hold her own this Easter during the Easter egg hunts.

Last news (I promise), through much thought and research, we have decided to go ahead with a second C-section for Lincoln Cole this June. Unless the little slugger decides to come early, Dr. Cuadra (she is AWESOME and delivered Avonlea) will be delivering Lincoln on June 11 (Monday) at 5:00p.m. With the move and everything, things are going to be pretty crazy, but we know that God is in control and everything will work out just fine. I'm a little worried about how we're going to care for Avonlea (a C-section's recovery time is a full 6 weeks) afterwards, but Rob and I are the best team and I know we'll work together to keep Avonlea a happy camper. He's planning on taking off work the whole week and we're playing it by ear the following week. I'm just a little worried about lifting Avy, since she's quite the clingy girl lately.

Well, I'm signing off. Have a wonderful week everyone and I hope that as you are preparing for this year's Easter, you remember that it is CHRIST'S RESURRECTION that we celebrate!

Mushroom Fans Only!

One more recipe I have to share is one I found in my (of coarse) Paul Deen cookbook. It's for stuffed mushrooms, but Rob hates mushrooms and loves bell peppers so I did some stuffing for both.

Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms

24 fresh mushrooms, stems removed
One 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach
2 ozs. cream cheese
4 ozs. feta cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion with tops (optional)
Salt to taste
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wipe mushroom caps clean with damp paper towel. Thaw spinach in colander; squeeze out as much moisture as possible. In mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except mushrooms and Parmesan cheese. Mix well. Fill mushroom caps with mixture and place on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm.

The Best Meal EVER! (It's Easy)

I must admit that with staying home, I've found a new passion...cooking! I never had time for it before but needless to say, Rob loves me for this new-found art and I've broken down meal-planning to a science. I print out a monthly calendar from Microsoft Works on my computer and use two cookbooks (the best 2 in the world- Paula Deen's and the one I helped create for our school) and try new recipes. It does up your grocery bill a little the first two weeks, but once you've accumulated all the ingridients (the little spices and things you never used to use), it's cake-work. Here's a new recipe that I just HAVE to share. It's great for any night, but especially during football season! I got this from a friend of mine when I was teaching at the school. Her name is Laura McDonald and the girl can cook!

Carolina BBQ Pork (You'll need a crockpot)

Meat:
3-4 lb. Boston butt shouler roast with or without bone
3 onions chopped

Rub:
2 Tbsp. brown sugar (I use more)
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Mixture (combine the following):
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
4 tsp. Worcestershire sause
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard (I don't use this)
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (I use regular pepper)
*I also use "liquid smoke" (about 1-2 Tbsp.) - this stuff is awesome and it's located in the baking aisle with the marinades/steak sauces at Publix.

Apply rub on roast. Place in crockpot. Pour 1/2 of the mixture over roast. Cook on LOW for 10-12 hours (I can cook it on high for 5-6 hours and it still works). Take out meat; pull apart (shred) and add remaining sauce.

The Bates family likes to buy Publix brand rolls in the bakery aisle and make sandwiches. :) Enjoy and let me know if you try this and like it. (I'll bet you will.)

I've also become a HUGE Paula Deen fan since a friend of mine I used to teach with (love you Corlee) bought me her cookbook (The Lady and Sons).