Addison and Fischer had their 2 year check ups today. I'm happy to report that everything went great and Doctor H. said they look "awesome." That makes me happy!

We talked about their language development, eating habits, milk, behavior (which is the most challenging thing!), potty training and many other topics.  She said we can go ahead and move Fischer to fat free milk (he's currently on 2%) and give that a try with Addison too. If she still can't tolerate that milk, we need to start her on a fat free soy milk, which has been difficult to find!

We also got the go ahead to give them more fish - including shellfish. I cooked a shrimp and pea risotto dish (yes, I cooked! And it was good!) last night and we tried to get them to try shrimp but they just weren't into it. They did both take 1 tiny bite, but I think the texture was enough to make them not want anymore. They also had fish sticks for the first time the other day - Fischer LOVED them (making his Gpa Suttle proud). Now that they can have more seafood, it gives us a lot more meal options!

Doctor H. also looked at Addison's rash and didn't seem concerned. She said sometimes people just have "wacky" reactions to certain sicknesses and a rash can be one of those. It seems to be going away, and Addison was feeling much better today. Yay!!!

I was surprised when we got their weights. They don't weigh as much as I thought they would - I guess because they NEVER hold still.

Here are their stats:

Addison:
23 pounds 8 ounces (12%)
33 inches (32%)
BMI - 15.4

Fischer:
24 pounds 3 ounces (9%)
33.25 inches (24.5%)
BMI - 15.5

I think it's crazy that their BMI numbers are pretty much the same! I really did expect them to weigh more, but these weights are consistent with how their past weights have been on the growth chart.

They also got their toes pricked for blood tests - they handled that like champs! Poor Addison's toe just wouldn't bleed and the nurse had to squeeze her toe a lot to get enough blood. Of course, as soon as she was done, it started bleeding a lot. They were testing their iron and lead levels, which were great, so yay for that!

All in all, it was a great appointment. We will go back in 6 months for a quick check up. Normally they don't go again until 3 but our doctor likes to do well visits at 2 1/2, which is fine by me. I was getting a bit anxious thinking it would be an entire year before we would go back!

Here are a couple pictures from today. I tried my best to get a picture of them together - like I said, they NEVER hold still. :) The first picture is Fischer playing with a toy that is in the "to be sold" bin... of course they found the bin and are acting like they are the best toys ever. Oh well, whatever works!  The last picture is of Addison trying to color her belly button.  These kids are funny.

Oh, what a few days it's been. I mentioned that Addison had (still has?) the flu.

Last Wednesday morning, we went to My Gym as usual. We came home, had lunch and the kids napped. When they woke up, I went in to get them. When I picked Addison up, she was SO hot. I immediately knew she had  a fever, which turned out to be almost 104.  I was so confused because she seemed perfectly fine before nap. I gave her Tylenol right away and she went and laid on the couch. Her nose started running and her eyes were watering - it looked like she was crying even though she wasn't. I called the doctor's office and got an appointment for an hour later. I didn't have time to get someone to watch Fischer, and Scott was out of town, so I had to take both of them - not really a fun thing at this age since there is always a lot of waiting involved.

We finally got called back and they did the flu swab, which came back positive. My first question to the Doctor was "How can she have the flu when she got the flu shot??" Apparently, this year, the flu shot was much more of mismatch of the actual strain than normal. That is so frustrating because I hated watching them gets those shots, and I hate seeing them sick!

So, we left with 2 prescriptions for TamiFlu - 1 for Addison and 1 for Fischer (he is getting half the dose as a preventative). I went to our normal pharmacy and they were completely out. I freaked out. I raced across the street to another pharmacy because they had a little bit left. But, she said it wouldn't be ready until 2 hours later - which would be past Addison and Fischer's bedtime. But, I didn't have a choice. Poor Addison was feeling so bad and I knew she needed that first dose of medicine ASAP. She was shaking and saying "cold" even though she was burning up from her fever.

Finally, I got their medicine, got them home, settled in and to bed about 2 hours later than normal.  I had to give Addison Tylenol at midnight and 4 am that night in order to keep her fever under control. Thursday, we woke up and her fever was much lower and she seemed to feel much better. As the day went on, however, things went downhill. Fast. Her fever shot up again and wouldn't go down despite giving her Tylenol - it stayed around 104 most of the day. I gave her cool baths and kept cool wash cloths on her face (which she hated). She started throwing up and ended up not keeping any of her medicine down, which is not good when she needs the antibiotic and the Tylenol for the fever. So I called the nurse night line and she said we needed to do a suppository for the fever. She said not to worry about the TamiFlu dose until the next morning.

Scott was driving home from Kentucky at this time but wouldn't be home in time to pick up the suppository from the pharmacy. I couldn't go because Addison was throwing up everywhere. I tried oral Tylenol one more time and it didn't stay down. So, Jim went and picked up the Feverall (suppository) for us. We owe him big time!!! Scott got home right as she was ready for that dose, so we did what had to be done and it definitely brought her fever down.  She was still shaking and very out of it and so tired. We finally got her to bed around midnight (although she had been sleeping on and off on the couch).

Ever since then, she has been getting better, slowly but surely. She still isn't herself and is very tired but the fever is gone! Unfortunately, when the fever left, a rash came.  Luckily we have another appointment tomorrow (2 year checkup) so that will serve as a flu follow up and the Doctor can check out the rash while we are there. We won't be getting any shots tomorrow though because they are both still on the antibiotic, so we'd rather not put even more stuff into their bodies. It's not a big deal to go back later for a nurse visit, so we are going to do that. I have to say, I am not sad at all that they'll be skipping their shots tomorrow!

It has just been a very tiring few days, and it's so hard seeing your child so miserable.  Fischer has been here the whole time to keep me laughing (even if out of frustration). He has definitely been vying for my attention and he was confused a lot. He didn't understand why I couldn't take him outside to play when Addison just wanted to lay on the couch. He didn't understand why Addison wasn't in her crib those nights (and he was VERY upset about that).

He also gave the doctor quite a show while she was examining Addison on Wednesday. He got a bag of goldfish out of my purse (I always take food for entertainment in those types of settings).   He dumped the whole bag out, stepped all over them, then laid on the floor and ate some of the crumbs. Right off the floor in a doctor's office. Gross. It's a miracle he isn't sick yet. But, like I said, he's kept me laughing! :)

Hopefully tomorrow, Addison will be feeling even better!

We have been stuck at home for a few days because Addison has the flu. Even though she got the vaccine. That's frustrating to say the least. I will write more about that adventure later.

Tonight I am just going to do a quick house update. Scott ventured over today to check in on things. Changes are happening everyday.

As of today, they have finished the screened porch, for now. The boards and screens will come later. Here is a picture from inside the dining room, and then from outside.

They have also installed the guest shower, and Addison and Fischer's tub/shower is ready to be installed.

And I wasn't expecting this yet, but they have put in the lights that will be in the kitchen, dining room and living room. All of these lights will be on dimmers, which will be nice. We'll also have a ceiling fan with lights in the living room.

Next week, they will start putting the shingles on (they were going to be delivered today or first thing Monday morning). I can't wait!

There have been more changes with our house since last week. They finally started working on the screened porch, which I am so excited about having! Here it is, as of yesterday. The second picture is looking at the porch from the dining room, which is where the doors will be.

We also bought our first appliance for the new house! Scott sort of stumbled across this appliance, but it was a deal we couldn't pass up! He went to Sears to get an estimate for our whole list of appliances. The salesman told him he couldn't quote the microwave we had on our list, but that he had one in the store (also KitchenAid but a different model) that he was trying to sell.  Scott looked at it, and after calling me, decided to buy it. It's normally a $1,700 microwave (what?!) and we got it for $499.  The microwave can also be used as a convection oven, which is why it has such a high price tag.

Are you wondering how in the world we got it for so cheap??  Well, it turns out that someone bought it and installed it in their house. However, she returned it, saying it didn't work. It turns out that her friend installed it for her and didn't do it correctly. After being tested many times, the people at Sears decided it was fine to be sold to someone else. We got all new accessories to go with it, along with a year warranty (which is their standard warranty).  We really like the way this microwave looks, and it's always nice to save a little money!

We've also made a few electrical and plumbing decisions this week. We are getting closer and closer to a finished house everyday!

Well, it happened. My 2 babies turned 2, on 2-22-2011! :)

I think they had a good birthday. This morning, they got to open their first presents after breakfast. Addison got a Jessie doll and Fischer got a Woody doll, both from Toy Story.

For some reason, Addison didn't take to her doll right away, but by the time they went to bed tonight, she was in love. I even saw her making Jessie and Woody kiss, making the kissing noises and everything. Where do they come up with these things?! Fischer was attached to Woody right away!

You may remember that last year at the birthday party we did donations for the Ronald McDonald House instead of gifts. This year, we decided to ask for donations for our local animal shelter. We love animals, and since we got Sassy at a shelter, we felt like it was the right thing to do this year.  We got so many great donations, including several checks!  Just look at all this stuff!

This morning, we took the donations to the shelter, then stayed and played with some puppies for awhile. I could've stayed and played with puppies all day. Addison and Fischer said "more puppies?" all the way home.

After nap, they got to open another present, which was a Melissa and Doug puzzle.

The afternoon was relaxing, and included a nice bike ride once Scott was done with work.

After dinner, we had some leftover cake and sang Happy Birthday. Both Addison and Fischer gave me funny looks when I took their pictures during the song...

But they were so excited to have some more cake. Anytime I asked them what they wanted for their birthday, they would say "cake." At least they know what's important. :)

After cake, they got to open their last presents. Fischer got the movie Cars and Addison got A Bug's Life.

We watched a little of A Bug's Life tonight and they seemed to like it. Maybe it will give us a little break from Buzz and Woody! Although, they went to bed with their Jessie and Woody dolls, so probably not.

It was a good day, and it's definitely sinking in that my babies are now 2.  (The first 2 pictures below were taken by Nixie at the party).

As I mentioned, Saturday was Addison and Fischer's birthday party! We rented the Robert Mills Courthouse here in town and had a great time with family and friends.

I kept the decorations simple. I used red, yellow, blue, green and yellow table cloths, forks, napkins, cups and balloons. It made the room really bright and was perfect for a child's birthday party! The food was simple (but good!) too - Scott grilled hot dogs, made homemade baked beans and slaw, chips and cake!

Nixie, of Nixie Miller Photography, came and took pictures during the party. This was one of the best decisions I made because I didn't have to worry about taking pictures and could concentrate on other things. She got some great shots too. She's the one that took our family pictures in June and October, so it was great that she was already familiar with the kids.

Here come Addison and Fischer, ready to party!

We also had M&Ms and rainbow goldfish on each table (to follow the theme of bright colors). Fischer became addicted to the M&Ms after his first one... this pretty much sums up the party for him (we found him on the tables many times):

And after he was officially full of sugar:

Addison looked adorable in her tutu and loved watching herself in the mirror:

She also loved just sitting and taking everything in:

And here are a couple others:

She took close to 500 pictures, so this is just a small sampling, but I sure do love them!!

We had a great time at Addison and Fischer's birthday party yesterday. I will have some pictures to post soon.

But for today, I just wanted to say Happy Anniversary to Scott! We have been married 7 years today - so much has changed in the last 7 years and I can't wait to see what the future has in store!

I hope you are all having a good weekend!