Friday, January 30, 2009

Singing and Counting

What a week this has been for the O'Dell girls! It seems as though everyone is finally healthy again, and we are doing everything we can to keep it that way. Emmalee has her milk challenge on February 9, and she cannot be on any medications other than her daily meds at that time, or the test will be cancelled. Keep your fingers crossed for a healthy ten days!

Emmalee has decided this week to be a big girl and take showers instead of baths. She has always enjoyed taking showers, but this week she has been a big girl and gone solo. It is hilarious to be in the bathroom giving Tori a bath at the same time Emmalee is showering. She sings songs while she is washing and checks in to make sure she has rinsed all the shampoo out of her hair. So grown up! Tori doesn't mind too much, as she gets the big tub all to herself!

Tori has done her fair share of big girl things this week. She has been counting to three for some time now, but this week she took me by surprise. I was asking her to pick something up, and she responded that she didn't want to. I asked her again and started to count, so she knew I meant business. I said one, and she started in at two and counted all the way to ten. I was too stunned to correct her for her sassiness. I thought perhaps I hadn't heard her correctly, so I had her repeat herself in front of daddy too, so I had a witness. Usually she is not one to perform on command, but this time she indulged me and counted to ten again. I was pretty impressed. And in case you were wondering, she also indulged me and picked up her mess!

Other than the grown up moments we had this week it has been pretty calm. The girls scored lots of new books as the book fair was at mommy's school, and I had also just ordered from the elementary book order I get sent to me every month. We have spent lots of time this week reading new books. Emmalee is really getting into chapter books and looks forward to finding out what happens the next night-she even asks if she can go to bed so she can hear more of her book. This from the child who did her very best to not sleep at all the first two years of her life! We'll take whatever we can get!

Friday, January 23, 2009

Sinus Infections, Sleep (the lack of), and Surgery

Sickness has hit the O'Dell home. Last week it was me with something that had me at the emergency room once and back the next night for another round of IV antibiotics, along with another visit to the Dr. and strict bed rest for the weekend. Emmalee went to the Dr. Saturday and had a sinus infection. Tori started feeling bad and ended up at the Dr. Tuesday with a sinus infection and a severe case of bronchitis. She didn't sleep at all last night, as she is still not feeling very well. She is not very enthusiastic about using the nebulizer for breathing treatments, and is certainly not as content to have them as her big sister always has been. Of course, for Emmalee it has been a way of life since she was 15 months old.

While Tori was at the Dr., my mom, who took her because I had missed so much work last week, asked the Dr. about a bump she has on her right eyebrow. She has had it since she was born, and we were told it was nothing to worry about. As she has grown, so has it. Now she cries inconsolably when she bumps it. The Dr. said we need to have it surgically removed and gave us the name and number for a pediatric surgeon. He is not at all concerned about it, even though he calls it a cyst. He just thinks it will be easier to remove while she is younger and it won't leave as big a scar. I am not very excited about this, as she had surgery back in October for her MRSA, and Emmalee had her tonsils taken out almost two years ago, and neither experience was at all pleasant. I am sure everything will be fine; I just hate the thought of it.

Other than the sickness, the girls are doing great and continue to be full of energy and fun. Emmalee is loving school and learning so much. Tori is learning new things every day and loves to surprise us with the big words she can use. She pretends to be much older than she actually is! There is never a dull moment at the O'Dell house!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Deana, Dancing, and "Dot you Mama"

So this past weekend we had Aunt Deana come over to play for a while. The girls love to play with her, and she enjoyed playing with them as well. They played beauty salon, where Emmalee and Tori took turns using mommy's make up on Aunt Deana and each other. This was actually quite hilarious, and I am sorry I didn't get a better picture of the end product.

Here Emmalee is putting princess hair glitter in Aunt Deana's hair, after she has styled it with a hair bow.

If you look closely, you will see that Tori does in fact have a mow hawk in this picture, courtesy of Aunt Deana!


Here is a picture of my crazy girls dancing before bed on Sunday. These two love to dance, no matter the time, the place, the music or lack there of... And yes, I know Tori's jammies weren't zipped-never are. Her security object, in addition to her bankie (aka blanket) and her Abby Cadabby doll is, of all things, her belly button. Crazy, I know, but this kid loves her belly button. Someday I am sure she will outgrow it; I am just too amazed at it to figure out how to break her now.

The last part of the title to this blog was "Dot you mama." This is the sweetest little thing Tori does when she wraps her arms around my neck, especially when she is almost asleep. She usually whispers it, and for some reason, she hasn't quite got the "G" sound down yet, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's the little things that mean the most!

Monday, January 5, 2009

And so it goes...

Well, our mini-vacation has come and gone, so I am now back to work and the girls are back to their daily commute with daddy. Emmalee was the only one at all excited about this, as she has been anxiously awaiting the start of preschool again since early last week. This eager anticipation and strong desire on her part to be in school has brought me to the realization that in very little time (not nearly enough for this very sentimental mommy), she will be leaving the nest and going to kindergarten. While I know, from a teacher's point of view, that this day is inevitable and yes, even good for her, I do not want my little girl to grow up so quickly. I am sure this sentimental state of being is common, but I hadn't expected it to hit me so early in the year. I cried all the way to work today, and I am sure it won't be the last break down I have between now and August!

Our time at home was great but obviously went way too quickly! The girls had a great time together and played more together than I have ever seen them play. Tori has become quite the "big girl" in her own way, and she reminds me often through her actions that I no longer have a baby at home. She is as different from Emmalee as I could have ever imagined. I loved every minute of being at home with them (well, some moments reminded me of being at school, which wasn't so great, but...) I am looking forward to this summer when I will get some more time at home with them, but in the meantime, we will savor every moment we have together. We are looking forward to a blessed, healthy, and happy 2009, and we hope 2009 brings all of you the same!