Waiting on Madison to get out of school. She loves to get in the front seat with me, or in this case, Mimi!
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Emma Bear
You are such a snuggler and we can't help but smile when you are around. I wish I could pull off crazy headbands and sunglasses as well as you do and that I had just a smidgen of your energy!
Waiting on Madison to get out of school. She loves to get in the front seat with me, or in this case, Mimi!
Waiting on Madison to get out of school. She loves to get in the front seat with me, or in this case, Mimi!
Adam
Every year Madison develops a special "crush" on a a little boy in her class. She never forgets about her previous friends, just adds new ones to the list. =) Her first year of pre-school it was her sweet friend, Carter, last year it was Jack Henry, and this year the lucky boy is Adam. At Madison's parent/teacher conference Ms. Singleton asked us if we ever hear about Adam because the two of them have taken quite a shine to each other. She told me that Adam was one of the "good ones" in the class so he was an ok boy to have a crush on, lol! I've talked to his mom a few times and she has assured me the feeling is mutual. We were quite excited to attend his magician birthday party last weekend and even his grandparents told me they had heard a lot about Madison. I think we are in trouble with this girl!!! So far I've been very happy with her "choices" so hopefully she keeps it up in the future. Her type seems to be sweet and a little shy. She tells me she likes the boys because they are funny and make her laugh.
Skippyjon Jones
Last week I took Madison to the Dallas Children's Theater to see Skippyjon Jones and it was so much fun! This was our first time to the theater and we will definitely be back. My aunt gave Madison a gift card for her birthday (last March) which I put in a drawer and just recently found a couple weeks ago. I freaked out because it said on the back it expired at the end of 2014, and I literally found it on January 2nd, but I called and luckily we were still able to redeem it. The best part was after the show when all the characters were out in the lobby to sign autographs and take pictures. Madison ate it up! Thank you Aunt Tricia for a fun outing!
Skippyjon! Love her excited smile
Skippyjon! Love her excited smile
At Least Someone Thinks I'm Funny...
Madison made this at Girl Scouts when they were talking about compliments. I'm so glad she thinks I'm funny and not a crazy drill sergeant like I feel half the time. =)
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Emma's Hospital Adventure
Over the summer I started noticing blood in Emma's stool on a very regular basis. Dr. Hieber referred us to Dr. Michael Russo at Digestive Health Associates of Texas. He is an amazing pediatric GI doctor who is so so nice and he took great care of us. When Miralax wasn't making a difference the only thing to do was a colonoscopy to see what was going on. Today was the day, and although super never racking, everything turned out just fine. Dr. Russo suspected Emma had a polyp and that's exactly what he found, a surprisingly large one for her age measuring 20 mm, but he removed it with no problem. A polyp is a growth that sticks out from the lining of the colon causing bleeding when anything passes by it. Luckily they are painless and Emma never complained of anything so it didn't bother her, just me! Neither Madison or Emma have ever been under full anesthesia before so that part made us nervous. We were able to sit with her and hold her hand while she wore the "Darth Vader" mask to fall asleep and then stepped out so they could put in an IV and start the procedure. It only took about 25 minutes from start to finish so it was quick and literally painless for her. She has no idea what went on today and by lunch she was her crazy self again. Dr. Russo actually showed us the polyp on the way to pathology and said it looked completely normal and benign so shouldn't result in any other polyps/colonoscopies in the future. He will call with the full test results next week but was not at all worried. They took us back to recovery while she was still asleep so we could be there when she woke up. We totally should have videoed her because she was hilarious coming out of anesthesia. So glad it's all over and we have a solution. Thank you Dr. Russo!
Just in case you are wondering what a polyp looks like. That large bulb mass is NOT supposed to be there.
Yesterday was her "cleanse" day and I was really worried about it because of how much she likes to eat! All she could have was broth, Jell-O, Popsicles, and clear liquids. We never eat Jell-O so she actually really liked it and easily downed a whole can of broth between lunch and dinner. And who doesn't love Popsicles??? We were supposed to stay away from reds, purples, blues, and oranges so that really only left us with lemon and lime flavors but that didn't bother her. Luckily she didn't have to drink anything gross like adults do because that would have been a nightmare. She did have to down several cups of Miralax but she is a chugger so she did most of it with no problem. The last half glass was the hardest because she was full and her tummy hurt.
We had to check in to Medical City Children's Hospital at 6 AM so Gram came over to spend the night and get Madison off to school this morning.
Before the surgery...When we checked in a child specialist brought Emma a stuffed Dumbo which she loved, especially since we just went to Disney World, and showed her the mask she would be wearing during anesthesia to fall asleep. She hugged Dumbo the whole time!
"Loopy Emma" coming out of anesthesia. She could hardly hold her Popsicle and was slinging it all over the place. She immediately asked where Dumbo was and then noticed him at the foot of the bed under a towel and said, "Heeeeee's Hiiiiiiddddddding," with a big goofy grin on her face. Chase and I were cracking up!
Heading home! Way to go my big, brave girl! Emma did so amazing and never freaked out or shed a tear. We talked about it as much as we could before hand and it really helped.
Emma's sweet pre-school teacher stopped by after school to check on her and brought her a giant Frozen balloon and a stuffed unicorn, which she lovingly named "unicorn." =) Thank you Mrs. Ward!
Just in case you are wondering what a polyp looks like. That large bulb mass is NOT supposed to be there.
Yesterday was her "cleanse" day and I was really worried about it because of how much she likes to eat! All she could have was broth, Jell-O, Popsicles, and clear liquids. We never eat Jell-O so she actually really liked it and easily downed a whole can of broth between lunch and dinner. And who doesn't love Popsicles??? We were supposed to stay away from reds, purples, blues, and oranges so that really only left us with lemon and lime flavors but that didn't bother her. Luckily she didn't have to drink anything gross like adults do because that would have been a nightmare. She did have to down several cups of Miralax but she is a chugger so she did most of it with no problem. The last half glass was the hardest because she was full and her tummy hurt.
We had to check in to Medical City Children's Hospital at 6 AM so Gram came over to spend the night and get Madison off to school this morning.
Before the surgery...When we checked in a child specialist brought Emma a stuffed Dumbo which she loved, especially since we just went to Disney World, and showed her the mask she would be wearing during anesthesia to fall asleep. She hugged Dumbo the whole time!
"Loopy Emma" coming out of anesthesia. She could hardly hold her Popsicle and was slinging it all over the place. She immediately asked where Dumbo was and then noticed him at the foot of the bed under a towel and said, "Heeeeee's Hiiiiiiddddddding," with a big goofy grin on her face. Chase and I were cracking up!
Emma's sweet pre-school teacher stopped by after school to check on her and brought her a giant Frozen balloon and a stuffed unicorn, which she lovingly named "unicorn." =) Thank you Mrs. Ward!
One thing I've learned is that no question is too weird and no act is too gross when it comes to the well being of your child. Like fishing poop out of the potty with a spoon, putting it in a container, and rushing it to your pediatrician because you know something is not right! Oh, a mother's love....
1/26- Dr. Russo called today to verify that the polyp was indeed benign and no further assistance was needed. We don't even have to go back for a follow up. Emma got on the phone and said, "Thank you for fixing me Dr. Russo!" I think that made his day. =)
Happy New Year
Happy New Year! I think this is the longest I've ever gone without blogging. I wish I could say that we've had a healthy start to 2015 but that is not the case. Tis the season for germs and the Culp girls have had their fair share! Emma started off with a nasty cold that turned into croup. Dr. Hieber prescribed 3 days worth of steroids that she loved so much she projectile vomited all over the kitchen with her first dose. We don't do medicines well over here, why do they have to taste so bad? Meds do us no good when they are all over the floor!
Pitiful Princess on the way to pick up big sister.
The next week Madison came down with the flu so we were back at the pediatrician's office. Her fever was ridiculously high and she was pretty miserable so we filled the $244 script for Tamiflu. They really get you because liquid Tamiflu is only sold in 60 ml bottles, however, Madison needed 75 ml to complete a 5 day treatment. So, we had to buy two full bottles even though we only needed two doses out of the second bottle. So irritating! (and expensive.)
This is how we take our medicine. It too is horrifically disgusting so we had to get creative. A bite of rainbow sherbet, followed by a sip of Tamiflu "smoothie", followed by an immediate sip of gingerale. C'mon Tamilfu, if you are going to charge me an arm and a leg I'd expect you to taste half way decent!
After 3 days home from school she was ready to go back and see her friends.
And finally poor Emma had to have a colonoscopy early this morning which I will do a post on later. Hopefully we have paid our dues for a while!
On a happier note, Madison is still loving school and reading up a storm. She constantly surprises us with her reading ability and is definitely reading above the kindergarten level. She has picked up reading all on her own and I hope it continues!
OBSESSED with Monster High! She is also still obsessed with having things exactly in their place. We had to cut out the picture of the Monster High castle and have had to look up some accessory pictures so she can put the pieces exactly where they go as shown on the box. I keep reminding her it's a toy and she's allowed to move everything around!
This is her first year as a Daisy Girl Scout so she has been enjoying fun activities and, most recently, selling cookies! Our troop is super laid back and we all decided since this is our first year we would only order 30 boxes each, which is the amount needed for the participation patch. I think I'll order more next year because they went really fast amongst family and a couple neighbors.
These two pictures are actually from December when their troop went to see The Nutcracker. I was home with the flu so Mimi was the next best thing and gladly took her girl to the performance.
I think her favorite activity thus far was the "Princess for a Day" event. Frozen themed of course.
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Daisies has been a great way to meet some cute kinder girls and their moms. I've found that in Kindergarten it's much harder to get know the kids and their parents because you literally drop them at the door and keep on going. It's not like pre-school where you are in and out every day and know everybody within the first couple weeks.
Emma likes being the Daisy sidekick. lol!
Madison loves to eat at Rosa's and lives for Taco Tuesday!
She's still involved in ballet/tap and gymnastics. Tights are not her thing so we sometimes drive to dance kicking and screaming because she thinks they are too tight! Gymnastics is more fun for her I think and just this week her teacher said she was ready to move up to Gold level. This makes me a little nervous though because the girls seem much older.
Madison got Taylor Swift's "1989" for Christmas. It is officially our new favorite CD and has replaced the Frozen soundtrack in my car. Chase and I both have a copy so the girls can sing their little hearts out whenever we're on the road.
She has to take exactly 20 sips of water before going to bed each night, hello OCD!
Madison does not like to be wrong and hates being corrected. Lately it's been her way or the highway and her hardheadedness about does me in some days. She's a perfect angel for everyone else which is great, I just wish some of the sweet Madison would come home with her!
Both girls love to take pictures and videos on my old phone. You never know what you are going to find on there!
Our TV show of choice early in the morning is Scooby Doo and then once we drop Madison off at school Emma loves to watch Little Bear. Peppa Pig is our favorite pre-bed time show. And the Hannah Montana movie has replaced our weekly watching of Frozen. Both girls love this movie and happily so do I, it's super cute.
Having a picnic? "No, it's a feast!"
Emma is still hilarious and is still a total mama's girl
Her favorite phrases are: "I'm still hungry"-she is definitely my little eater and is hungry all the time
"I want yoooouuu," meaning me. She's still stuck to me like glue
"What the heck?"
"What time is it?"-She has developed a recent fascination for time and asks me constantly what the time is. Like time means anything to her!
"Tickle Me!"-Emma LOVES to have her tummy, back, arms, and legs scratched softly while watching TV.
I don't know what it is about mealtime but as soon as we sit down to eat, whether we are at home or out, Emma immediately needs to pee.
Emma has zero patience. She wants what she wants when she wants it. Heaven forbid I tell her to "hold on a sec."
She is one of the most animated and expressive people I have ever met.
Believe it or not Emma is a great hand holder when we are out. In fact as soon as we get out of the car she is reaching for my hand. A year and a half ago I would have totally pegged her for a runner.
She is enrolled in ballet and gymnastics and is doing great at school 2 days a week. I think we are finally over all the tears at drop off. So far so good in the New Year.
My little fashionista! She LOVES these earmuffs and wears them every day when we leave the house. And as you can tell from the two on her arm she also loves purses.
Totally asleep in this picture. They have stopped having nap time at school because none of the kids really sleep and she has pretty much stopped naps at home as well, except for the 2 minute snooze to get Madison. This has helped with her getting up several times in the middle of the night and now she usually sleeps right through.
Modeling her new Samantha dress even though it's a couple sizes too big. American Girl, you have us for the next several years!
Pitiful Princess on the way to pick up big sister.
The next week Madison came down with the flu so we were back at the pediatrician's office. Her fever was ridiculously high and she was pretty miserable so we filled the $244 script for Tamiflu. They really get you because liquid Tamiflu is only sold in 60 ml bottles, however, Madison needed 75 ml to complete a 5 day treatment. So, we had to buy two full bottles even though we only needed two doses out of the second bottle. So irritating! (and expensive.)
This is how we take our medicine. It too is horrifically disgusting so we had to get creative. A bite of rainbow sherbet, followed by a sip of Tamiflu "smoothie", followed by an immediate sip of gingerale. C'mon Tamilfu, if you are going to charge me an arm and a leg I'd expect you to taste half way decent!
After 3 days home from school she was ready to go back and see her friends.
And finally poor Emma had to have a colonoscopy early this morning which I will do a post on later. Hopefully we have paid our dues for a while!
On a happier note, Madison is still loving school and reading up a storm. She constantly surprises us with her reading ability and is definitely reading above the kindergarten level. She has picked up reading all on her own and I hope it continues!
OBSESSED with Monster High! She is also still obsessed with having things exactly in their place. We had to cut out the picture of the Monster High castle and have had to look up some accessory pictures so she can put the pieces exactly where they go as shown on the box. I keep reminding her it's a toy and she's allowed to move everything around!
This is her first year as a Daisy Girl Scout so she has been enjoying fun activities and, most recently, selling cookies! Our troop is super laid back and we all decided since this is our first year we would only order 30 boxes each, which is the amount needed for the participation patch. I think I'll order more next year because they went really fast amongst family and a couple neighbors.
These two pictures are actually from December when their troop went to see The Nutcracker. I was home with the flu so Mimi was the next best thing and gladly took her girl to the performance.
Daisies has been a great way to meet some cute kinder girls and their moms. I've found that in Kindergarten it's much harder to get know the kids and their parents because you literally drop them at the door and keep on going. It's not like pre-school where you are in and out every day and know everybody within the first couple weeks.
Emma likes being the Daisy sidekick. lol!
Madison loves to eat at Rosa's and lives for Taco Tuesday!
She's still involved in ballet/tap and gymnastics. Tights are not her thing so we sometimes drive to dance kicking and screaming because she thinks they are too tight! Gymnastics is more fun for her I think and just this week her teacher said she was ready to move up to Gold level. This makes me a little nervous though because the girls seem much older.
Madison got Taylor Swift's "1989" for Christmas. It is officially our new favorite CD and has replaced the Frozen soundtrack in my car. Chase and I both have a copy so the girls can sing their little hearts out whenever we're on the road.
She has to take exactly 20 sips of water before going to bed each night, hello OCD!
Madison does not like to be wrong and hates being corrected. Lately it's been her way or the highway and her hardheadedness about does me in some days. She's a perfect angel for everyone else which is great, I just wish some of the sweet Madison would come home with her!
Both girls love to take pictures and videos on my old phone. You never know what you are going to find on there!
Our TV show of choice early in the morning is Scooby Doo and then once we drop Madison off at school Emma loves to watch Little Bear. Peppa Pig is our favorite pre-bed time show. And the Hannah Montana movie has replaced our weekly watching of Frozen. Both girls love this movie and happily so do I, it's super cute.
Having a picnic? "No, it's a feast!"
Emma is still hilarious and is still a total mama's girl
Her favorite phrases are: "I'm still hungry"-she is definitely my little eater and is hungry all the time
"I want yoooouuu," meaning me. She's still stuck to me like glue
"What the heck?"
"What time is it?"-She has developed a recent fascination for time and asks me constantly what the time is. Like time means anything to her!
"Tickle Me!"-Emma LOVES to have her tummy, back, arms, and legs scratched softly while watching TV.
I don't know what it is about mealtime but as soon as we sit down to eat, whether we are at home or out, Emma immediately needs to pee.
Emma has zero patience. She wants what she wants when she wants it. Heaven forbid I tell her to "hold on a sec."
She is one of the most animated and expressive people I have ever met.
Believe it or not Emma is a great hand holder when we are out. In fact as soon as we get out of the car she is reaching for my hand. A year and a half ago I would have totally pegged her for a runner.
She is enrolled in ballet and gymnastics and is doing great at school 2 days a week. I think we are finally over all the tears at drop off. So far so good in the New Year.
My little fashionista! She LOVES these earmuffs and wears them every day when we leave the house. And as you can tell from the two on her arm she also loves purses.
Totally asleep in this picture. They have stopped having nap time at school because none of the kids really sleep and she has pretty much stopped naps at home as well, except for the 2 minute snooze to get Madison. This has helped with her getting up several times in the middle of the night and now she usually sleeps right through.
Modeling her new Samantha dress even though it's a couple sizes too big. American Girl, you have us for the next several years!
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