In case you ever wondered what an allergic reaction to an antibiotic looked like, here is an example for you. Surprise, suprise Henry is allergic to something else- amoxicillin. 

When he broke out I called Evie to come look at home since she is a frequent hive-getter herself and she told me to call the doctor. I did and the nurse practioner told me to give him some Benadryl and not give him anymore antibiotic. I am taking him back in to be seen by the doctor tomorrow morning and for the rest of tonight I need to watch him to make sure he doesn't get worse. The Benadryl cleared him up but I am worrying about him. 

I will let you know tomorrow what I find out. 

Cough Cough

There is a lot of coughing going on around here. We went back to the doctor this afternoon, for Lucy and Henry this time. Henry has bronchitis and an ear infection, he is getting antibiotics and an inhaler. Lucy has a cold and she is on balancing on a thin line between getting better or getting worse. She could go either way so Dr. Hartle gave me a prescription to fill for her if she gets worse. Dr. Hartle also did a quick check on Freddy and he is doing great. He will probably be coughing for a while yet to clear out his lungs but as long as he doesn't get a fever again or start wheezing we don't need to worry. Oh, and something new for Henry! She recommend giving him a few sips of water in between feedings because the extra fluids will help break up all of his congestion. He found the cup itself very interesting and he kind of licked at the water. He even swallowed a bit of it, which he promptly spit back up because he had gulped some air with it. Not bad for a first try though. 

Now what you really want to know, how was Christmas? It was great overall, but there were a few, um, not great things (the kids were sick, Ganny went in the hospital for a few days, and Kristy and Nick had a stomach flu so a good portion of our Christmas Eve group wasn't there). Really it was amazing though, the kids were so happy with everything! Henry got lots of new teething toys and some stuffed animals of his very own. Santa brought Lucy a dollhouse and Freddy a wooden train set. The train set was the biggest hit with both big kids. Freddy didn't even want to open any more presents and he has been spending all of his time since Christmas morning driving around and around and around. Lucy spends more time yelling at Freddy not to mess up her dollhouse than she does playing with it, but when she relaxes and lets him play they have a great time with it. I could promise you some pictures but if I am honest I probably won't get to it. I can't even walk across the living room without stepping on toys so I doubt I will be getting around to posting pictures anytime soon. Sorry!

I know there is lots I am leaving out but I can't pull too many thoughts together all at one time. :) I almost forgot an important one, Henry has one or maybe both of his front bottom teeth about to cut through. All of this translates into a very tired Mommy. I am off to bed so I can try to catch up enough to stay awake on New Year's Eve. 

Eek!

Sorry I haven't posted much lately, but things have been pretty crazy here. I have spent very little time on the computer because when I am not with the kids I have been working (mostly sewing) my tail off for Christmas. I am afraid I must have forgotten something because I am DONE!! The gifts are made or bought and wrapped. The house is mostly cleaned, and I am picking up the last of the groceries today.

Here is a quick run down on what we have been up to:
-Freddy has pneumonia and Henry is cutting a tooth so between them I am getting very little sleep. But don't worry, my coffee maker is working just fine. ;)
-Today is Lucy's first day of Christmas vacation, she has 2 weeks off. She wants to go to the office and Diner to celebrate.
-Henry's skin has been doing well, until two days ago. I have fallen off the wagon a bit. The cookies beat me and I ate a few. Henry broke out and I am using his cream to keep him clear until the holidays are over. There is a whole giant pile of guilt with that.
-So far we know Henry is allergic to soy, wheat, dairy, perfumes and detergents with perfumes in them. Oats are okay, almonds are probably not okay but I'm not sure about them.
-I missed Lucy's Christmas party at school because I was at the doctor's with Fred. Fortunately, Oma was able to go in my place.
-We had our Little House Party at our farm on Tuesday. It was nice to relax for awhile. You can see a couple of pictures from the party HERE.

There is more I am sure but I am making us late by staying to type more. Today is the Office Christmas party, so I have a little running around to do for that this morning. I am pretty sure that tomorrow we can chill- well chill as best as little kids can two days before Christmas. :)

So, Freddy has pnemonia. :( He looks pretty happy in this picture though because I just gave a fresh from the oven gingerbread cookie. When he asked me this morning for more gingerbread because "gingerbread my favorite. Gingerbread yummy." How could I not put everything else aside and make him cookies. I can barely resist him when he is well. :)

A brand new do! Now that Henry has been grabbing her hair, Lucy decided to get a shorter cut. I love it!!!

Par-tee!!!

Come one, come all!!!! Dave's annual Little House Party will be on Tuesday, December 20th from 5:30-8:00. This year the party will be at our farm. Join us for a bonfire, cocoa, stew, a hay ride (if the ground freezes), petting zoo, and Christmas Carols. Come for the whole time, or stop by for a bit, just be there! :)

I just remembered that I never psted this picture of the kid's letters to Santa. Dave Helped Lucy spell hers, it says that she would like a dollhouse. Freddy drew a picture of what he would like. In case you can't tell it is Thomas the Train. All of the long lines are tracks. :)

It's finally winter! We only have a dusting of snow but it is very cold this morning. 

This is Henry's first time in the swing. I figured his bulky snowsuit would keep him sitting up in it. He seems to like it. :)

While Lucy is at school this morning Freddy is doing some painting. 

Happy Sinterklaas!

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He looks pretty excited to see Santa :)

Happy birthday Haley!!!!

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Allergies

It is beginning to look certain that Henry has some food allergies. :( I think this is my 3rd week on the elimination diet and we have tried a few foods only to have him break out. So far the list of things that bother him seems to be: soy (which is in everything!), wheat, the horse, and perfumes/detergents. Wheat and soy are really the only foods I have tried adding back in so this list may grow.

This diet is not really hard to stick to, but it is depressing sometimes. Also it takes a lot of planning and food prep time. I can't eat out or eat processed foods. I can't make a sandwich, or call for a pizza (something we used to do quite often). I can't eat baked goods, very depressing this time of year! I keep reminding myself that this a healthy diet though. Vegetables, protein and only a small amount of starches (rice and potatoes) are the foods we are supposed to eat, and my rapid weight loss is proof of that. Oh! I checked the label on the candy canes and it looks like I can eat them!

In other news, the kids and I all have colds; we have a birthday party to go to today; we are going to get our tree tomorrow; the gingerbread house contest is tomorrow; Monday night is Sinterklaas; I am trying to decorate the house, keep the dishes and laundry done, shop for presents, and make presents. I need a nap, but that isn't going to happen!

Monday is Henry's four month old well child check up and our chance to talk more with the doctor about the allergy situation. I will keep you updated!

Our entry in this year's gingerbread house contest. Freddy did the right side of the roof, Lucy did the left side and the peak, and Dave and I did the rest. 
If you are in town I highly recomend checking out the competition! It is from 1-4 this Sunday at the Town Hall. 

This morning we are making our Christmas wrapping paper and listening to Christmas music. I couldn't be happier! :)

Happy Holly Trolley Day from two little elves!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!

This is the look of a proud baby, he rolled over!!!! :) I was starting to worry because he didn't even seem close to rolling. When I finished typing my earlier blog post, I emailed Julie and then I put Henry on the blanket with some toys amd he rolled right over from his belly to his back. I am so proud of him!!

Aahh quiet

The big kids are still at Kim's, Henry is asleep, Dave and the dog are at the farm. I can't remember the last time my house was this quiet. Since I don't want to ruin the silence by doing anything productive, like laundry or working on Christmas gifts, I thought I would update the blog.

It has been more than 48 hours since I last put the cream on Henry and he is still looking clear skinned and handsome. Today we are going to try testing another possible allergen: soy. I am going to eat a whole bunch of soy for the next two or three days and see if he breaks out again. The great thing about this test is that vegetable oil is made of soy and since I can only add soy back in for now, Dave is making me french fries later! Also, I took my vitamin today (which has soy in it) and I am going to eat some edamame (which is really good if you have never tried it, our grocery store sells it in the freezer section and they have dried ones for snacking like nuts).

Henry is up now and wants to play. I can't wait to hear about Lucy and Freddy's sleepover!

My house!!!!!!

The big kids are off for a sleepover at Kim's house. I had to take them over earlier than I had planned on because I couldn't take another minute of them asking if it was time to go yet. :)

I thought I had better check in and write an update on how things are going.

We are all...okay. I am hesitant to say how we are because Freddy and Henry both slept terribly last night. I don't know what was going on with Henry although it is possible he is cutting a tooth. He is even droolier than normal and he has been chewing on any one's fingers that he can get.

I am worried that Fred might have another ear infection, or more likely his ear infection didn't clear up and is back again. I have learned the hard way that if he is sleeping poorly he usually has an ear infection. So if he is up again tonight I will be heading back to the doctor's office. :/ Fortunately on Saturday mornings our doctor does a walk sick clinic so you when you wake up and they are awful you can just head right in.

The elimination diet is going as well as it could. We are lucky to still have some awesome steaks in the freezer! :) The other night Dave took a flank steak and put spinach and roasted red peppers (I checked the label they are just peppers, salt, and water) on it then rolled it up, cut it into slices, and grilled it. It was so good! The hardest part for me is breakfast. I like my breakfasts to be starchy and sweet, so rice and meat are tough to get down. And in case you were wondering plain rice cakes and plain potatoes are awful! I keep reminding myself that there are so many people in the world who would be thankful to have those foods and that just about cures my complaints. Plus, I haven't given up coffee and I ate a couple of apples. I've never heard of anyone being allergic to apples and the doctor told me I could put vinegar on my salad. Vinegar is made from apples, at least the kind I have is so I figure apples are okay. I am going to make some applesauce this afternoon, that will be a treat! Unfortunately we had to cancel our dinner out with friends since I can't eat any where but home right now. I don't want to risk screwing it up at this point!

Dave convinced me to alter my original plan a bit. I was just going to do this diet through today, but we decided to use the prescription cream on Henry's head for a few days to get the eczema cleared up. I have put the cream on him for the last three days and his head is pretty clear now. This also gave a chance for anything I have been eating to clear our systems. So today I won't use the cream and I will stick with the diet for at least a couple more days. If he breaks out again right after stopping the cream, it will mean that he is allergic to something in the environment and not something I am eating. We might have a good lead by the end of the weekend! Right now the top three suspects are soy, wheat, and the dog.

Speaking of the dog, HE ATE MY COMPUTER!!!! Two nights ago I came downstairs from putting the kids to bed to find a whole bunch of keys missing on my netbook(the small laptop). That is all I can say about that without just breaking into a string of swears!

One last item. Lucy and Freddy have been playing so well together all week! I have hardly played with either one, they are so involved with each other. They have been playing house and school, pretending they are birds, coloring, and who knows what else. This morning they have been playing farm, they are both farmers and they herded up the cows (the pillows from the couch), then milked them and brought me cups of fresh milk. I am loving it!! 

I have been so caught up in writing this post that I am late getting us started for the day, and it is a school day so I had better fly!

First time in the Johnny Jump-Up

This is how we roll around here. Sunglasses, flashlights and excessive glue. 

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A Challenge

Henry is so...Henry! He is fantastic and a challenge. The current challenge is his rash, which has been getting worse everyday. We went to the doctor this afternoon and it is definitely eczema, and he is allergic to something. What is the million dollar question.

They don't do allergy tests on babies, we have to figure it out by process of elimination. So for the next five days I am on an elimination diet. I am only supposed to eat meat, rice, potatoes and plain veggies, mainly salad. Then I can start adding foods back in one at a time and we will hopefully find what it is he is allergic to. Also, it could be the dog or the doggy shampoo we use. I have to give Gus a bath with Cetaphil and make sure that I set Henry down on clean blankets that the dog hasn't been on. All of this is easier said than done but I am going to google elimination diet and hypo-allergenic diet now for some tips.

Oh! There is good news about his allergy, it is only superficial. Whatever is bothering him is not causing gastro-intestinal problems. Henry was kind enough to oblige by having a poppy diaper while we were there which she checked for traces of blood and there were none. That is the good news of the day, this problem is an annoyance not a danger.

Freddy is working on his evil laugh. 

He is so handsome despite his rash!
P.s. All three kids napped today! At the SAME time!!!!! In fact the big ones are still sleeping!

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This the back of Henry's head, you can see how bad his rash/eczema/cradle cap is. :(

Blah!

Oh how I hate the person who invented daylight savings time! (Was it Ben Franklin?) We have not been sleeping great to begin with, then we changed the clocks, and we got a cold! :( Lucy, Freddy and I have been sniffling and coughing, not bad but very annoying. I think this cold is called the Creekside Cough, named after preschool, it seems everyone there has it. I kept Lucy home yesterday and we all chilled and tried not to fight with each other. Extreme crankiness and an aching head are my main symptoms. :/ Henry seems to have a runny nose this morning so I guess he has it now too. I was fairly certain he would catch it, the big kids like to pet him. :)

As far as sleep goes it is pretty non-existent for me. I guess that is bound to happen when you have 3 children under the age 5! :D Last night all of them were up at different times. Henry was up every 2 hours. Freddy was up twice, the first time to go to the bathroom, the second time I don't know what was wrong but I laid in his bed for a little bit and he was fine. Lucy, who almost never wakes up at night, woke up crying and she told Dave she had a bad dream, so she was in our bed with us. So, yeah, I didn't sleep much.

Today I am thankful that we just have a cold and not a stomach bug!!!!!! (Knock on wood!)

In other news, Henry's scalp is a mess, almost worse than before. I put the cream the doctor gave us on him for a week like she said but as soon as I stopped the cream it came right back. I did some internet research and I think it might be eczema not cradle cap. So on Sunday I stopped eating dairy, which is the most common food to give babies trouble. As of today I am going to try to eliminate peanuts too. I am going to try this for a couple of weeks and see if it helps. I haven't seen any improvement for him yet but I have lost a little weight, so there is an upside! :)

We have to get ready to go to the Diner now. Linda had the nerve to go on a vacation and the kids, who are used to seeing her almost everyday, are really missing her. Today she is back and they both picked out tie-dye shirts to wear for her. :)

This morning we had a playdate at the farm. It is something I have been wanting to do but it seemed overwhelming but yesterday the invite jusy popped out of my mouth. :) It turned out great! 
This is Nathan, he and Freddy are the same age and will be classmates next year. 

This is Lucy's friend from school, Natalie. After they walked Potato around and around they brushed her. 

Weird things we find entertaining at our house. Lucy and I made our babies dance together. :)

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OINK!!!

We have an orchard! Tonight we plned two pple trees that Grandma and BobBob gave Dave for his birthday. 

Our Halloween tradition, hanging out with Kim! 

Happy Halloween!!!!

Lucy is trying out the fun dip she got at school. They have already filled my biggest mixing bowl with candy and they still want to go trick-or-treating tonight. Yeah for sugar! :/

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Lucy and Aunt Karen are reading every book in Gandma's house. :)

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Here is the before photo. Make sure you scroll down to see some in process pictures and then the final product. :)

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Boo!

Lucy's art project from school today. I love it! The kids all made whatever creature they wanted to, I saw a bunch of leaf monsters which were cute, but Lucy's is so sweet!

Good grief!

There is some serious goofiness going on around here this afternoon!

Knock Knock

Lucy just made up a hilarious joke!
Knock knock
Who's there?
Witch
Witch who?
Witcha doing?

She also made up a nonsensical pumpkin one, but the witch one rocks!

P.s. An update on the sicko: Freddy is totally miserable because he has a double ear infection. I don't think the one he had two weeks ago cleared up and it came back with a vengeance! He is on antibiotics for the next 20 days! That is going to be tough on my brain to remember for that long.

Also, Henry's scalp has been a mess so I had him checked out yesterday too. He figured out how to itch his head and was scraping it up. He has run of the mill dermatitis so he got a prescription for hydro cortisone cream. He probably got the dermatitis from the dandruff shampoo we were using on his head to clear up his really bad case of cradle cap. Getting rid of one problem caused a new problem. :/ The cream seems to be working already though.

The big boy isn't feeling so hot today. He is going to the doctor at 2:30, I suspect his ear infection is back.  :(

They even got to go on an airplane!! A very kind pilot from Jet Blue talked to them and let them go on board his plane for a very quick look around.   We also got to go in the room where they monitor all of the cameras at the airport. I was surprised they took us in there. It was more cool for the adults than the kids though. 

Henry went with us and happily rode around in the wrap. Freddy stayed with Oma and Grandpa, they started getting the Christmas train out. 

Another field trip and another friend. This is Emma and they are at the airport. 

By some weird coincidence Julie and I both made the same type of baby carrying wrap a couple of weeks ago. So here is a picture of how you use it with a sleeping infant. His head is tucked under one side so it doesn't bounce around while he is sleeping. It is very snuggly and comfy for me because his weight is spread across my whole back. 
Now I have to go play trick-or-treat with Lucy and Freddy. We are pretending each room is a different house and taking turns giving out and getting candy. I am craving some chocolate now. ;)

Um yeah, Henry IS on the table. Where do you keep your baby? :D 

One man's trash is another's treasure. Lucy used   these empty yogurt and frosting containers, some paper scraps and some fabric scraps and she made goldfish in their own tanks. 
Sometimes I hate the mess they make but this is why I keep lots of different craft supplies out for them to use as they please. These fish might be favorite project that Lucy has come up with!

This was all I was able to get done for KCWC. I got all the pieces for Freddy's dino tail cut out. Guess what he is going to be for Halloween. 

A third post for today. I thought you might like to see Henry in "action". :)

Today we went on a field trip to the NYS Transportation Museum. If you a train lover in your family I highly recomend it. We got to ride a real electric trolley and go inside of a few different kinds of train cars. This is Lucy and her friend Madison sitting on the running boards of an antique truck. They are two very cute girls!

This morning the kids begged to play play-doh. Here are 2 of their creations. On the left is Fred's camel, it has humps and lots of legs. On the right is Lucy's caterpillar, all the little holes are legs. 

Day 3 project done. Super cute but too big. Better too big than too small though. :)

Here is Lucy's dress that I screwed up but then re-did. This my day 2 project for Kid's clothing week Challenge, I also worked on a birthday present for my Dad. Hopefully I will get to make something today, but it's not looking good. No one has napped or even had quiet time today, I tucked them in but they were not quiet. :/ I think I will try to think up some kind of Halloween decoration to make with them.  Wish me luck!

Freddy decided to have a picnic amd he let Lucy and Henry join him. Notice that they even got a plate for Henry, Lucy said it was okay for Henry to have the cake on the plate because it was "only pretend cake Mom!" :)

This week I am participating in the Kids Clothing Week Challenge at elsiemarley.com. To participate all you do is commit to sewing clothes for your kids and work on it for one hour a day each day this week. It's inspiration/a kick in the pants to actually accomplish something. I made Freddy these pants today. I love them because, well, first of all they were fast and, second I made them from an old Crossroads t-shirt. They have jogging Lima beans on them! :) 

I also wrecked a skirt for Lucy, but after she cried we picked out new fabric and I started over. Hopefully I can finish it up tonight!

Lucy's view of dinner at Tom Whal's last night.