Feet Licking

*WARNING*  This may contain images that are too graphic for some.

It starts out all sweet and innocent.  She reaches for Maggie and wants to touch her.

Then Maggie takes it too far and start licking.  I can’t stand licking!  I think it is the grossest sound ever!  It literally makes my skin crawl and drives me up a wall!

 

 

And more licking…

The next time you see Miss Mallory’s bare feet – I suggest you resist the urge to put them near you mouth!!

You never know when Maggie licked them last!

 

But Mom!  I like it when Maggie licks my feet!!

Grandpa Visits

When Mallory was first born Jesse’s Dad wasn’t so sure about girls.  Yeah he thought she was really cute and had to check out what little outfit she was wearing.  But he liked to view her from afar or have her hold onto his finger. 

Now that she is quickly turning into a little person he can’t get enough of her!  It is so fun to watch them!  Saturday afternoon he called and I answered the phone and he says, without even saying hello back, “What’s Mallory doing?”  I started laughing and repeated it.  He says, Yes, what’s Mallory doing?  At the time she was just sitting on the floor playing quietly while Jesse took a nap next to her. 

Grandpa had seen a picture of her and was missing her so he decided to call and see what she was doing.

Sunday it was snowing and yucky and we didn’t go to church – so Grandpa didn’t get to see his girl in church.  Later that afternoon guess who showed up!  Grandpa!  He needed to see his Mallory! 

This is what happens when you take a photography class and learn things and then forget to put your camera back to its original setting… yucky blurry photos!  And how many times did my instructor say, “Now don’t forget to put your camera back!”  Ugh. 

Look at my new tricks Grandpa!  I can stand!  Now I don’t want to sit!

Checking out the snowplow truck going by!  Grandpa also drives a snowplow truck and was making fun of the poor guy that was working and he wasn’t. 

More toys! Look I’m wearing shoes!!  And they haven’t fallen off yet!

Getting sleepy.  He made a snuggly little nest for her to take a nap.

But she needed to keep one sleepy eye on mommy.

After the nap guess who had to go and plow some snow!  Grandpa!

The Results

Jesse went to see the Chiropractor yesterday afternoon to go over the results from the CT scan.  He is okay!!!

The CT scan was much clearer and he doesn’t have half the things wrong!  Which is a HUGE relief!

He does not have fused vertebras!!!  His vertebras are angled which made it look like there was no spacing between them on the x-ray. 

The bone growth that was growing up towards his brain… is actually being blocked by another bone that you could not see on the x-ray.

He does have bone growths.  But they are not a concern because they are growing out.  If they were growing back into his spinal cord then they would be concerned… and they actually said he wouldn’t be walking if they were growing in.

He still does not have an arch in his neck.  Which we already knew from a couple years ago.

He does, however, have a broken collar bone!  He doesn’t know when or how that happened.  It doesn’t bother him though. 

All of this is extremely good news and extremely relieving for us!  I was very scared and whenever it was quiet around here I had moments of horrible thoughts of being a single parent.  I even joked around with Jesse that I could not be a single parent to the dog! 

Jesse scheduled an appointment for an MRI and to meet with a neuro-surgeon in February.  I asked Jesse to keep those appointments for a second opinion – he told me he didn’t think he needed to do that.  He was fine.  Then he talks to his Dad, his Dad asks him to keep those appointments because it still doesn’t explain why you are having those vision problems.  Then he calls his neuro-psych friend and his friend tells him to keep the appointments!  I think we have convinced him to keep the appointments.  And if they tell him he is fine- wonderful!  Then we really know he is fine!

I can’t thank you enough for all your prayers and support!! 

Thank you!!!

Lil Stinker

I read on a friends blog that her nephew (who is 7 months, I think) is already crawling!!  Mallory is showing no interest in crawling so I have been trying to teach her!  : )  I get her up on her hands and knees and let go and she lets herself slid down on her belly again.  I do it over and over… and every time she lets her knees slide down until she is on her belly again. 

Mallory?  Mallory?  Are you sleeping?  Where’s Mallory?

Here I am!! 

Mommy I’m not going to crawl, can you just pick me up already!

Maybe she should wait to crawl until after February 1st anyways, when my work hours are different.

Jesse Update:  No News!  He had a CT scan yesterday afternoon and now we are just waiting to go over the results. 

Jesse Update

I give you all kinds of updates on Miss Mallory and I even throw in a few updates on myself… so I thought it was time for an update on the man of the house! 

Lets start with the fun!  He bought a snowmobile at the end of the year!  You have to have something to do in the winters around here – and snowmobiling is way fun!  I haven’t seen his snowmobile yet because he has to keep it at his brother’s house (along with all his other treasures and toys that he doesn’t have room for).  I finally got a picture of it yesterday from my sister-in-law.

He has the yellow one.  The other one is his brother’s. 

He has only gone out riding two times and I think he has already logged just about 300 miles!!  Yesterday he went riding and it was so nice out – I was a bit jealous that I couldn’t go along – there is no back seat on it!!  We need to work on getting me (and Miss Mallory) a seat so we can play too!

Now onto the more serious…

Jesse has been having issues with his eyes for a while now and it just seems to be getting worse.  His vision will swirl and he will see shooting stars.  He made an appointment to see the eye doctor two weeks ago and they told him his eyes are perfect.  He could even read the last line on the chart!  (I can’t even see the first line!)  The Dr. told him that he was probably having ocular migraines which could be brought on by stress.  That was the day we really decided we needed to change our daily routines and we went ahead and made plans to reduce the stress in our lives immediately. 

Tuesday he woke up with a cramp in his neck and had a hard time turning his head.  He was not getting better and he thought he just needed a good adjustment from the chiropractor so he made an appointment for Thursday morning.  (He hasn’t been to a chiropractor in about 3 or 4 years.)

In usual fashion x-rays were taken before he could receive an adjustment.  The x-rays revealed a mess of problems.  He does not have a curve in his neck – it is actually straight and starting to curve the wrong way.  He has two vertebras fused together.  He has lots of bone growths on his spine.  One grows out, makes a loop, and grows back into the bone!  Jesse said it looks like a worm has taken over his spine!  And the worst… one of the bone growths is growing up towards his brain!!

The chiropractor would not touch him after he seen the x-rays.  He told him he needs to get an MRI and see a specialist.  The chiropractor says he has seen this before, but nothing like it. 

The chiropractor and his office are arranging and scheduling all the appointments that he needs.  They are taking it very seriously, but didn’t act like it was an emergency.

Jesse doesn’t seem to be too worried about it.  Concerned –yes.  Will they be able to ‘fix’ it?  Will he have to live with chronic pain the rest of his life?  Those are the things that he thinks about.

In the meantime we are just waiting for all the appointments to be scheduled and waiting for the MRI so they can see the full picture of what is going on.  The chiropractor thinks the neck issues could be causing the problems with his eyes and some of the pain he has been experiencing.  We won’t know more until he sees more doctors and specialists – hopefully soon. 

I’ll keep you posted on my guy!  In the meantime – he is still riding his snowmobile (even though I lightly suggested that maybe he shouldn’t until we know more) and trying to grow his business!  He is attending a trade show in February and he submitted his product into to a contest and he has made it into the finals!!  I keep teasing him that I reduced my hours at my job to work more for him!  : ) 

Hmm-Yum! Paper!

The other day, as usual, I’m doing 15-million things at one time.  I’m at work instant messaging with a co-worker, typing an email to my graphics guy, Mallory’s sitting on my lap reaching for all the paper on my desk.  I’m fighting with her to keep the paper away.  Mallory finally leans forward to get the paper in her mouth and *BAM!* takes a bite!  I pull the paper away yet again and notice the huge piece missing.  Start to giggle and look at Mallory, who I can see just swallowed.  Paper gone.

I finish chatting with my coworker and finish up my email and then start to think about that paper chunk Mallory ate.  I decide to look in her mouth.  I lay her down in my lap – which she just picks her head up anyway because she doesn’t want to lay down.  I’m trying to pry her mouth open and I can see the paper in there stuck to her tongue!  I do eventually win the battle and get the paper out!

 

But then there are moments where she patiently waits for Mommy to get done with work.  And it is so sweet and makes me want to stop working right then and there and snuggle her.  But I can’t because I have to work from 10am to 5pm.

 

And this folks is why I am DONE with this!!  Starting February 1st I am going down to 10 hours a week!!  I don’t even have words to describe how excited I am!  My goal is to work during nap times and to only work 2 hours a day!

If I had to keep working like this I think my husband would send me to the nut house.  I’m about to explode and as a matter of fact – I exploded last night while he was at the gym and I was home to feed a hungry baby and listen to Maggie pace around the house.  So I put Maggie outside, who instantly starts barking at everything she sees.  I pretend like I don’t hear her and feed Mallory.  15 minutes later she is still barking and my boiling point is rising rapidly.  I open the front door and yell (um, pretty much at the top of my lungs) MAGGIE!!!!!  SHUT!!!!  UP!!!!  Little did I know that people were walking by (because it was dark out) with their little dog and that is what was setting Maggie over the edge.  Maggie comes to the front door and I tell her “Get in the house you are driving me insane!”  So not only does my poor husband have to deal with a crazy woman, but the ENTIRE neighborhood now thinks that a crazy woman lives in that blue house and be careful when you walk by because she could pop her head out the front door and yell at any random moment!  I’m not a yeller!  I promise!  Growing up I had a younger sister and much younger brother and they use to drive me crazy and I would ‘yell’ at them and turn around and burst into giggles.  There is just too much stress going on these days and it is time eliminate the stress for 2010… starting off by cutting back some work hours!  : )

Ahhh… 10 more full work days left and life will be wonderful again!!  10 more days… 10 more days… I can do any thing for 10 more days… right?!  : )  I already have plans for my first week ‘off’ – I am NOT setting the alarm!  I’m sleeping until my baby wakes me up!  I can’t wait!  I might even take a nap that week!  *grin!* 

7 Months!

I don’t know what is about this picture (above) but all I see are my Dad’s eyebrows!  And that look – I feel all Hemmer in that look.  Anyone else?

At 7 months she weighs in at 17 pounds.  She is in 9 month clothing, and doesn’t know how to keep socks on!  She most definitely will not keep shoes on.  I have the cutest boots for her – but she some how kicks them off no matter how tight I strap them on.  The left one is always the first to come off.

She eats just about anything now.  The pediatrician told us we could start to introduce meat.  I have found something to do with our leftovers now!  Left over chicken breasts (lightly or not seasoned) can be pureed with some left over veggies… wha-la Mally meal!  : ) 

She is very dedicated to working on her abs!  When you lay her on the floor she instantly goes to work on her abs!  Now if I was only that dedicated!  ; )  She seriously holds her head up like this (above).  Most of the time her feet are in the air as well!  I’m telling you I could have rock solid abs if I did this as much as she did.

 

No signs of crawling just yet.  Her Auntie Steph bought her this butterfly (above) for Christmas.  It is suppose to encourage crawling.  It rolls around on the ground, flaps it wings, and giggles.  Except as soon as Mally gets a hold of it she sucks on the eyeball!  Or she holds onto the wings and won’t let them flap.

She’s been swimming!  We have a membership to the gym/pool at the high school and they have a huge pool.  We took her swimming and I think she liked it, as in she didn’t cry.  No dunking here for this Mom!  I don’t like it one bit when they dunk babies under water!  Freaks me out! 

She plays pick-a-boo.  She can stand by holding onto your fingers.  Now she doesn’t want to sit – she wants to stand all the time.  She loves to jump in her jumper.  She is also very wiggly when you hold her.

She is no longer sleeping thru the night anymore!  This whole week I had to get up and feed her.  I’m not a fan.  You can’t sleep all night long for 6 months and spoil me and then decide your hungry and need a snack!  But all I have to do is give her a bottle and she’ll go right back to sleep.  We have no idea why she is doing this all of sudden.  If she is just having a major growth spurt or if teeth are coming.  (I’m very afraid of teeth – I’ve heard too many horror stories of babies getting there teeth.)  She is also up early too.  I want my baby who sleeps back!  If you are thinking she must take naps since she isn’t getting a good nights sleep… hahaahaa… no.  : )  She is happy during the day for not getting a whole lot of sleep, which is a great perk!