Happy Birthday Maddyn!!!

Maddyn turned 2 on Friday!!! It's hard to believe she's 2 already!! We had a little gtg with friends on Friday and went do the "bounce house place' she loves so much. Then we had a small family party on Saturday.

I have pics to upload later this week, but here are just a few cute ones quick!!!

happy birthday little girl!!!

Disney: Days 2 & 3

Tuesday was one long day!! We started out the day at Hollywood Studios. The rides were limited since we know Maddyn doesn't have the tolerence for the 3D glasses. We did Toy Story which was ok and then Playhouse Disney which she LOVED. Pooh, Mickey and Tigger- she was in heaven :)

Our mishap for the day happened when Maddyn decided to unbuckle her stroller straps and get out while we were still moving and she fell and skinned her knee. She got a Mickey band-aid from 1st aid, but that's all we've been hearing about for 2 days now. Boo Boo on my knee, mommy. I have a Mickey band-aid. Other than that, MGM was lots of fun.

We came back in the afternoon, napped and headed to Mickey's very Merry Christmas Party. It was SO much fun!! We first saw the parade. It was great b/c it was better than the electric lights parade, and all Christmas themed. Maddyn was in awe. We had front-row curb seats and sat with friends. She was all smiles! After the parade, we went back and rode some rides. Most of the audience left after the first parade or went to line up for the 2nd parade, so the rides were EMPTY. We walked right on to everything. Maddyn took a great nap and had a second wind so it was perfect! We also got to meet Minnie. We were a little weary b/c Maddyn doesn't really care for characters. She was scared of Minnie at first. I got out the camera and got a photo, but then as we were walking away, she gave Minnie a High 5!! I was so bummed I missed it, but she was all smiles!!! We might have had a breakthrough :) We caught the fireworks and then left. A very late night- with Maddyn asleep in the stroller the way back to the car.

Today we slept in b/c of our late night last night. Then because it was so warm out (high 80s) we swam in the pool this morning. It was sooo nice. Maddyn is such a fish, she loves that water!!! We napped and then headed back into Magic Kingdom. Today we did a few of the 'lesser known rides' that we usually don't do. Dave got a chance to do Space Mountain, and it was just a very relaxed and low key evening.

Tomorrow the plan is to hit Animal Kingdom in the morning. We were going to skip that one, but doing MK tomorrow and Friday (and pretty much every day this week) gets a little old, so we wanted to mix it up. So the morning AK, swim in the afternoon and then we have a fun dinner tomorrow at Hoop De Doo Revue. It's an interactive dinner that will be lots of fun. We might (if we have time) hit the MGM Lights festival, we'll just see.

That's it for now!! I'll check in tomorrow or Friday :)

Disney Day 1 & 2

We got into Disney yesterday. It was a great flight and we got 1st class upgrades so that was nice (all those trips paid off). We got down here though, to find it much cooler than we expected!! We arrived at the house we are renting and were pleasantly surprised. It is BEAUTIFUL!! Just perfect. Very modern in decoration, huge spaces, gourmet kitchen, big bathrooms, 2 masters, 2 kids rooms, private screened in pool with jacuzzi and they also had a free baby package so we have a high chair, pnp, baby monitors, etc. Each room has a flat panel tv and there is a game room with fooseball, pool, huge flat screen, etc. We are only 3 miles from Disney, so it's about a 15 min drive from the house to parking. Not bad at all!!

Yesterday we went to Magic Kingdom. It was a big mistake. It was a Sunday which meant weekend crowds and it was Mickey's very merry Christmas Party (MVMCP). We didn't stay long, but had a good time just remembering the rides we loved. We did Small World, the Carousel a few times and Winnie the Pooh. It was so pretty seeing the Magic Kingdom all decorated for Christmas!!

Today we went back to MK. We were soooo happy. The crowds were gone and it was the Disney we remembered. For starters, it was 20 degrees warmer and sunny today. Yay! We hit all of the rides, more than a few times. Maddyn still has love for those "horsies" so we did the Carousel about 4 times, but Pooh about 3 times too. There were no lines, so we were lucky. She did the roller coaster in Goofy's land and some other fun rides like Tea Cups, Jungle Cruise, Snow White, Philharmagic, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.

Near the end of the day, we decided to hop over to Epcot. There are only 2 rides that she's age appropriate for, and we did those: Nemo and then Crush. She loves them both! Then we ate dinner in Mexico and called it a day. Epcot is also beautifully decorated for Christmas. The tree is huge and beautiful and there are all kinds of pretty lights everywhere.

Today, I forgot my camera. I was so bummed. You all know my love for taking photos and so it was a tough pill to swallow. But it is what it is, and I'll make up for it the rest of the trip :)

Tomorrow we plan to hit Hollywood Studios in the morning, swim here and nap in the afternoon and then tomorrow night, we head to the MVMCP ourselves!! Looking forward to it, should be lots of fun :) I will bring the camera, for sure!!!

Here's a picture I took of Cinderella's castle last night in the meantime:

Loooooong Overdue

So, it was brought to my attn that the blog is way overdue for updates!! So here you go :)

November was a crazy month, but full of fun. We were able to meet up with lots of friends and family and have some great times. We got a visit from Emily, Luke and Henry at the end of October - and that reminds me I still have to upload those photos!! It was lots of fun to just hang out and catch up with my ole bestie!! Megan's turn is coming next ;) I also was able to go to NYC with a bunch of my girlfiends one weekend to visit a friend who moved to Manhattan. We had so much fun and Maddyn and Dave had a great daddy/maddy weekend :)

Maddyn was busy hitting birthday parties and bounce houses and having lots of fun. I think she's been deemed the bounce house queen by her friends, lol. We also had a fun trip to the circus. Loads of fun, but all we heard for days was: Circus?? I wanna go to the circus... She was very disappointed when it was daycare instead.

We were able to see lots of family over Thanksgiving, and that was a nice break. Dave got a new job at a place in West Chicago that is only about 20 min from home. It was a promotion and he started on Monday. Things are going great so far, and I can tell already that he misses his "retirement"- but that he'll enjoy working here.

Maddyn's 2nd birthday is coming up on December 18th. It's hard to believe she's going to be 2 already!! Instead of throwing a big bash this year, we are taking her back to Disney World for a week. We leave on Sunday (We're going the week before her bday to beat the crowds) and are gone for a week. I'll try to blog daily again and load up some photos. We're really excited- warm weather in December will be nice.

I have been playing with my camera more and invested in a backdrop set and lighting. I'm still playing, but had some fun with Maddyn last weekend. All of the photos are up on the Shutterfly site, but here are some teasers.

Hope all is well with everyone!!

Dancing & Singing

I updated the Shutterfly sight with lots of new photos. But what I wanted to share here are some new videos. Some priceless Maddyn moments... definitely some good laughs!! Enjoy!!



This one is my favorite- the combo of the dancing with the singing is pretty darn good :)

She loves to Shake it!

And more shakin' it:

And the last of the "shakin' it":

Back to "Tonight's gonna be a good night". Backstory here: Maddyn loves to do "seat jumps" at gymnastics class. They do them on the big trampolines. She also loves to do them on the hard floor- Ouch! But it doesn't phase her! Silly girl!

Finally caught up

I'm finally caught up on photos!! All of Sept is now posted on Shutterfly. Maddyn's hair is finally long enough for pig tails, so I was able to get some photos of her sporting her new 'do :)

Maddyn has been obsessed with babies and dolls lately. Since her birthday is around Christmas, we didn't let her open all of her presents last year b/c it would have been gift overload. We let her open one more of her gifts tonight, her 1st Cabbage Patch Kid. She was in love at first sight: "Babyyyyyyyyy!"

I grabbed some photos- the full set is on Shutterfly!

21 Months Old

Time flies, it's hard to believe Maddyn is almost 2! We've had lots of little get-togethers with friends and family lately, so it's kept us busy. I know I'm behind on photos too- sorry! Going to try to get some Labor day ones up here shortly.

I have gotten a couple of cute videos, I'll post them below!!!

Uncle Kevin got Maddyn some of her first "fireworks". So Dave and Maddyn went outside to set off sparklers and 'snappers'. I got some video of Maddyn and Dave trying to make the snappers pop :)








Maddyn has been sick the last few days. Went to the dr, and they told us it's just a cough/cold/fever combo. But on Saturday it still wasn't gone so we took her back to find that want to put her on the nebulizer again (we could have bought 2 of them by now with as many times as we've had to have the thing) and steriods to strengthen her lungs. We go back again next week to see if she's doing better. So yesterday, I waAs trying to keep her spirits up with the Doodlebops (if you don't know who they are - be very.very.happy.). She was singing along- and I got some of it. You can hear how hoarse she is, but it's funny.

Busy August...onto September

August was a crazy month! With birthdays, picnics, etc. it all flew by. I finally uploaded all of our August photos onto the Shutterfly site. Work decided to let us know that we had to use all of our vacation this year- and they only gave us 6 months to use it all. (We usually have a carry-over policy). So, its been forcing me to take some days off. I've been fortunate to get some family time in!!! Lots of gtgs with friends and fun family time at museums, zoos and pools.

September started out with Dave's birthday on the 1st. I had to be in California last week for work, so I wasn't home. I tried to get Maddyn to say Happy Birthday Daddy for him. He got some video- you can see how well it turned out, lol!!! She tried :)

More uploads!

Since Hawaii, we've had a full calendar. Birthday parties, gtgs, water parks, and family visits. I've uploaded a hodge podge of more photos from all these gtgs to the shutterfly site. I did end up posting that funny Luau video up on Shutterfly for those that didn't see it. It was just too large to put here!

However, I have some more videos to share. The first is of Allie and Maddyn splashing away at our house one Saturday. They were having such a blast, its pretty cute. The other is of her eating a watermelon, or should I say inhaling and sucking the juice out of a watermelon!! Enjoy!!!

Day 8: Waikiki Beach & Diamond Head- Last Day

Day 8 was our last day in Hawaii. We spent the day enjoying Honolulu. We walked around Waikiki that morning, enjoying the shops and the beachfront. It was hot out, so we decided to cool off in the fountains- lots of fun for Maddyn!! She had a blast.

We wanted to get in one last Hawaiian Shaved Ice as well, so we headed over by Diamond Head and had a treat. Such pretty scenery, it was worth the detour!

Our flight back was a red-eye, and a long one. Even for First Class, 9 hours with a toddler is a long flight. But we made it home and overall, everything went well.

I'd highly recommend both of the hotels we stayed out. The customer service was fantastic, the rooms were spacious, luxurious, and modern. The pools were amazing, the locations were great at both! If you need more details, please let me know!

As for taking a toddler- I'm glad we did. Maddyn had a lot of fun, and really enjoyed seeing the beach, fish, waves, mountains, etc. It did make our days harder as we had to work around naps- but with Mom there, it helped tremendously!

I'd love to go back to Hawaii. I'd probably chose 2 different islands...like The Big Island and Kauai, but am so glad we did Maui and Oahu first. There was so much to do and see- we truly enjoyed it all!!! We now need a vacation from our vacation ;)

Day 7: Pearl Harbor, North Shore and Pooltime

So Sunday, Day 7 was a super busy day for us. We started out the day at Pearl Harbor. Mom being a history teacher, was very excited to see this. Both Grandpa Don and Pa (Dave's paternal grandpa) fought in WW2, so both Dave and I were very educated on the war growing up. It was truly an amazing experience just being there. I can't explain it, but just being surrounded by those ships, the memorial, etc is something surreal to experience if you get the chance.


After we spend the early morning at Pearl Harbor, our plan was to tour the island. We wanted to head up to the North Shore and drive around and see the beautiful parts of Oahu. We first headed up to Waimea and saw the Bonzai Pipeline. The waves were huge- and to think that folks said these were nothing compared to what they get in the winter!! We then went up to Turtle Bay for lunch. We were able to see some of the places that "Lost" got taped at, pretty cool. Then we drove around the rest of the island making quite a few scenic stops on the way. I was able to get lots of pretty scenery photos on the drive. It was just so beautiful!!


Maddyn was pretty well rested after all that car time, lol. So we went back to the hotel and spent the later part of the afternoon at the pool. It was great. I have some videos I'll try to post below. For dinner, we ate at the Outrigger Reef Resort, at a restaurant called the Shore Bird. I highly recommend it!! We had a table right on the edge of the restaurant, so it's right on Waikiki Beach, and the view was simply amazing. We were pretty much staring right at Diamond Head and the Ocean- it doesn't get much better than that! We ordered our meal, and the restaurant's gimmick is that you order your meat- they bring it out to you raw- and then half of the restaurant is filled with big grills- and you cook the meat yourself. It's pretty cool!!! Dave didn't think so, cuz anyone who knows us all knows he is the only 1 of the 3 of us who can cook. So mom and I had a blast watching, LOL. But the ambiance was fantastic and we had a lot of fun!


When we got back from dinner, and Maddyn was down for the night, Dave & I went out on the town. Waikiki has a fun night life and some cool shopping and bars. Our hotel was right in the middle of it all - so it was perfect for a nice nightly walk and a few drinks! The weather was perfect for it!!



Some photo teasers from Day 7:







Some beach and pool time videos:

I was not able to get the funny Luau ones posted b/c the files are too big. If anyone knows how to 'crop' a video to make it a smaller file, please let me know!!

i just have Day 8 left, so I will try to update that tomorrow evening, so I can finish up with this Hawaii stuff ;)

Day 6: Leaving Maui, Going to Oahu

I've been trying and trying to upload Day 5 videos, but the good ones are too large. I will put the ones I can at the end of this post, but I will keep trying. One of the big ones is really cute! I just don't know how to make it smaller.

On Day 6, Saturday, we spend the morning enjoying the pool and beautiful hotel. We toured the grounds again and just walked along the Ocean It was so pretty, and I really got some amazing photos!

We sadly left Maui and flew over to Oahu. I had heard that Oahu was very "mainland" like, so wasn't sure what to expect. We flew into Honolulu and sure enough, it was much like Denver. Mountains in the background, and city right there.

When we got to town, I connected with an old college sorority sister, who has lived on the island for awhile. She gave me a great itinerary for our days on Oahu, and really directed me to the places to go and places to avoid. Thank goodness- b/c this totally made our trip!! So thanks C!!! When we landed, we decided to head to Kailua and see the beach there. The H1 East is a VERY scenic drive. Wow. Out of our whole trip, I believe the views on this drive were my favorite. The cliffs, the ocean, the mountains- it was so very surreal and beautiful.

We got up to Kailua we just loved it! The beach was so huge, clean, soft and pretty! The water was turquoise blue and clear- just gorgeous!!! We played around for a bit and just hung out. What a great afternoon. We ate at a local Mexican restaurant, Mexico Lindo - which was delicious.

We took a different way back- the Likelike Hwy (b/c the Pali Hwy was closed) - which also produced some really pretty views of the middle, more mountainous part of the island.

We finally arrived in Waikiki Beach where our hotel was. We stayed at the Embassy Suites. We were met with Leis and mimosas- not bad :) They gave us an upgraded room and were so nice. The hotel just added on a brand new branch so everything is very new and gorgeous! Our room was a high floor, corner room with 3 balconies, ocean view, and it was just huge. We were all in shock at how big, spacious, and modern it was! The hotel is right on BeachWalk- so right in the middle of all of the action, and right there by the beach. Perfect location!! There was a gorgeous pool on the 3rd floor and restaurants and bars galore. I'd highly recommend the hotel to anyone heading to Oaha/HNL/Waikiki Beach! (And I'm not normally a huge fan of Embassy Suites- this one is by far the top notch).

I've put our Day 6 photos up on Shutterfly, and threw some teasers below. I've also added a few videos from the Luau on Friday. I'm going to try to finish up the last 2 days of photos here this weekend, so I can catch up on newer items!!! Stay tuned!

Firedancer...

Day 5: Shopping, Relaxing, and Eating (aka Luau)

On Friday, our 5th day in Maui, we decided to spend a day just relaxing. We were trying to cram so much into such little time, it made it tough. Dave and I were going to go golfing, but we were just too tired! Sad, b/c the courses in Wailea are just jaw-dropping beautiful!!!

So Friday was pretty uneventful. We went shopping in the morning for our souvenirs, and spent the afternoon by the pool. Dave and I did take Maddyn down to the beach- but she hated it. The little daredevil got spooked by the waves. There were some pretty big ones that day, and so there was no convincing her. Back to the pool we went.

That evening, we went to the Luau. The food was SOOOO good. I was pleasantly surprised. Maddyn got to taste her first virgin Pina Colada as well! I was afraid everything was going to be covered in coconuts (which I can't stand) and I was thrilled to find out everything tasted delicious!! The dancing was just amazing, and I've included a few videos from the Luau (ETA- had a problem uploading the videos, I'll do that Wed night in a separate post). Ones of Maddyn having a blast dancing herself, and ones of the fire dancer.

It was our last full day in Maui and just so much fun to relax and enjoy!! :)

I've updated Shutterfly with Day 5 photos as well. Just 3 days left to go!

Day 4: Road to Hana & Splash Park

On Thursday we decided we would do the Road to Hana in the morning, and then hit the pool in the afternoon to relax. We had heard that the Road to Hana was going to be tiring. Everyone was right!

Thanks to our friends Kristen and Elysia- we had a great book which helped guide us through the trip. It's called "Maui Revealed"- it's a great book, giving all of the secrets of where to stop and see the best waterfalls, scenic views, etc.

We knew before we headed out we were only going to try to go to the Kinnae Peninsula. Having Maddyn along, we knew it would be tough to do the whole Hana trip. We ended up going about 3/4 of the way, and turning back. We just hit a point where we needed to turn around before Maddyn became unruly, and since we stopped so much along the way until that point- we were all pretty exhausted.

I have to admit, I had some favorite spots (like the Kinnae Peninsula), but overall I think I enjoyed the earlier places we stopped. Maybe it is b/c I had more energy, but it just seemed that it was easier to get to some of the waterfalls, etc. But we did a ton of hiking and I walked away with some AMAZING photos.

When we finally made it back to the hotel, we decided to just hang out at the resort splash park. I have a few funny videos I grabbed of Maddyn with my tiny point and shoot camera. You might have to turn your head on some (I didn't realize the videos don't rotate automatically, LOL- sorry!). They are cute.

That evening we were so exhausted we just at the Cheeseburger Island Style in the Shops at Wailea, then topped it off with a trip to Lappert's ice cream shoppe. Very casual and just what we needed!

I've put some videos from Day 4 below and am working on uploading the Day 4 photos - but I went a little crazy and have over 200 (hide)...so I need to find the better ones to post! Coming in a little bit!

Day 4 Photo Teasers (rest are being uploaded to Shutterfly site right now):

Day 3: Maui Ocean Center

On Day 3 we went to the Maui Ocean Center. It was much smaller than the Shedd, but so very neat! They had quite a few exhibits where you can put your hands in the tanks and feel the fish. This was by far Maddyn's favorite part of the whole trip. She just had a blast! So we pretty much took our time and let her take it all in- it was lots of fun!!

After a morning a the Ocean Center, we headed back to the hotel. Maddyn napped and then got some time in at the pool. We were lucky b/c the resort had a huge 'splash park-type pool" with waterfalls and playground type of equipment. This kept her entertained, and she was able to play with the other kiddos over there. It was lots of fun.

That night, we went to Ruth's Chris for dinner. Oh so good!!! We lucked out that they had a special for an amazing deal, and our resort also gave a discount. Talk about great timing!!! It pays to eat early, lol.

It was a great day, and we really had such a blast! I've uploaded all of our Day 3 photos to the Shutterfly site, and posted some teasers before.... another day down, 5 more to go, lol!

Day 1 & 2 Photos Up!

I am starting to get through the photos. I managed to edit Day 1 and Day 2 this evening. I already posted about Day 1 and Day 2, so to quickly summarize:

Day 1: Flight to Maui and basically checking into the hotel. We ate dinner at a great local Italian restaurant in Wailea called Matteo's. Very good, kid friendly and close by!

Day 2: We went up to I'ao Valley State Park and then headed to the Maui Tropical Fruit Plantation. It was a day filled with lots of walking - but beautiful scenery!! Just amazing.

For dinner, we headed up to the Hard Rock Cafe in Lahaina, and walked around town. It was very active and we were able to get to see a good amount of Lahaina.




I've posted all the Day 1 and Day 2 Photos on the Shutterfly Site. Here are just a few teasers!

We're back!!!

Ok- so I'm really behind on photos and updates, I know. With the 5 hour time change I quickly realized that staying up late to do photos was not happening!!!

We had an amazing trip- it was much too short, but so enjoyable! We've decided we want to move somewhere with mountains or a beach now- if it has both, it's a bonus!! :)

I am going to try to upload and post my photos a little each night. I'm going to do it by day. I'll try to post Day 1 and possibly Day 2 tonight. I have some videos too.

So stay tuned and keep checking back in!!!!

Aloha!!

Welcome to Maui!!!

We made it to Maui safely on Monday. Maddyn did awesome on the flight. Everyone, both passengers and the flight attendants kept coming up to us telling us how awesome she was. That was a huge relief. She wouldn't nap- and so for the full 9 hours she was playing or doing something. But overall, she was happy and did great! Since 1st class was so roomy, she had much more room to play and move around and I think that helped.

We checked into our hotel room- and it is gorgeous!!! We were upgraded to an oceanview room and the view is just breathtaking! The mountains over by Ma'lea and the ocean make a beautiful view, especially at sunset. It was very windy, but warm and just wonderful!

We ate dinner at Matteo's Italian restaurant- it was delicious. Kid friendly, and reasonably priced. After dinner we walked around and got to see the sights of the hotel and Wailea. After the 9 hour flight and 5 hour time change - and no Maddyn naps- we were all beat.

We woke up today and dove right in!! We first hit up Iao State Park. It is free and has some beautiful trails. We saw the "needle" and some creaks and awesome scenery. I have plenty of photos -just gorgeous. After we hit Iao we went to the Maui Fruit Plantation. That is where they grow all kinds of fruit, from pineapple and mangoes to lichey(sp). Again, lots of trails to walk around and very pretty scenery.

We went into Kuhuli to do some quick shopping- aka, Wal-Mart for groceries and such. Grabbed a lunch and headed back to the hotel so Maddyn could nap. Mom & I walked the trails along the ocean. Wailea is neat, b/c the entire way south and north of the hotel, there is a walking trail parallel to the ocean. You can see all the resorts, beaches, and ocean views and it's great. We got a good workout in, and still felt like 'vacation'.

Our resort is in Wailea, which we found very quickly is the more "hoity-toity" part of the island. Kanapali/Lahaina get a majority of the tourists from all over the place, which makes it more family friendly. The restaurants and shopping selections are much more reasonable up on that part of the island. Wailea has quite a few 'fancy resorts' and overall the restaurants and such are less family-oriented and more expensive. So we ended up going to Lahaina for dinner, and that was a great drive. Lots of little towns on the way, and view of both the mountains and ocean- you can't beat that! We were able to walk around in Lahaina as well, which is very cute.

I have loads of photos already (big surprise, huh?), but I am so beat I won't be able to upload any yet. Maybe tomorrow. The time change is still affecting all of us. We have all been crashing early.

Tomorrow our plan is to either hit the Maui Ocean Center or do the Road to Hana (though, we only plan to do part of it- with Maddyn a full day would be too much). We figured we would see what time everyone wakes up and go from there.

I'll see if I can post photos tomorrow!!

18 Month "Pro" Pix & Updates

I finally got around to taking Maddyn's 18 month pro shots. A few teasers below, the rest are on Shutterfly!!

Latest in the life of the Wags'...

Maddyn has started Potty Training! She has gone a handful of times on the "big potty" at daycare and at home. This caught us by surprise, since we thought we had a little more time- but she is the one pushing it. She has much excitement towards the potty right now. Whether it will last, who knows- but we're going with it ;)

Dave and I are hoping to make a decision on the medical tests in early August. We have weighed our options and really are just taking time to watch Maddyn right now and continue to track the progress (or lack thereof) of her symptoms.

She's counting and doing the alphabet!! A kind of funny story- the other day we were walking and I asked Maddyn to count to Three. She did. After that, I said, what comes next- Dave jumps in and says 4! Maddyn goes... 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 10! We both about fell over. I had know idea daycare had taught her the numbers to 10! So much fun!! This month they are doing the alphabet. She knows A, B, C, D and W, X, Y, Z so far. LOL- she's getting there.

Lastly, our other family news is that we just booked a very last minute trip to Hawaii!! We leave in just a few days. I was able to book the entire trip - first class non-stop airfare, hotels, and rental car- ALL on miles and points. Traveling for work can really stink when you're away from home all the time. So it was nice to be able to cash those in for something nice. I'm a little nervous about the long flight, but I think once we are there, it will be worth it!! We are hitting Maui and Oahu.

I'm in NJ this week for work, and we leave shortly after I get back. I will be sure to post updates from HI if I can!!

Health update: More doc appts

Where to start….in addition to Maddyn’s 18 month appt, we had a visit with the pediatric allergist and also the pediatric neurologist. Our appt from November was pulled up!

First, the allergist. We had the basic food and outdoor allergy items tested for. Overall, Maddyn didn’t test positive for any allergies. We were thrilled at the results. The allergist seems to think her severe eczema is something she can grow out of. We are now using the Mustela Stelatopia line- and can I say, it is AMAZING. Pricey, but worth every penny. We’ve tried everything from Aveeno, California Baby, Cetaphil, etc to bathe, on top of her Aquaphor 3 times a day and Cortizone ointment, and nothing has helped. This is by far the only thing that has made a huge impact. The Milky Bath Oil seems to be the kicker, but we are also using the Cream Cleanser. If your little one has bad eczema, I’d highly recommend these.

So we left the allergist relieved we could cross something off the list, and hopeful that it means that this massive drinking is a fluke and that her purple/blue hands/feet/mouth episodes are due to an immature circulatory system like the cardiologist suggested.

We went to our 18 month appt, and filled the doctor in. She still wanted us to see the pediatric neurologist. So we kept that appt. It was pulled up from November to Monday, June 29th.

On Monday, we went and met with Dr I. He was very thorough again, and listened to Maddyn’s history, symptoms and looked through her test results. He was surprised that we hadn’t come in sooner, as thirst and nerve episodes are both usually neurological symptoms. He said that often the autonomic nervous system functions can go forgotten. He does think that both the drinking an the purple/blue episodes are related.

He was concerned about Maddyn’s hypothalamus. He said together, the purple/blue hands/feet/lips and the excessive drinking could most likely be a symptom of hypothalamus misfunction- which could cause Maddyn other problems later in life. He wanted to do a series of follow-up tests. First an MRI, second a tilt table test, third an EMG, and lastly, if those tests do not provide enough insight, he strongly suggested we consider more invasive procedures.

Of course, he went into detail, and I'm just summarizing, but I’m still digesting it all. We are making an appt with our pediatrician to also discuss this plan of action with her. Dave and I are a little torn right now, as Maddyn’s symptoms seem to have gotten much better- the frequency of the episodes is becoming less and we are really working to cut down her fluids and are at about 70 oz on avg daily- sometimes even less than the 64- we're almost there!. With this progress, it makes us both hesitate to do these invasive tests and put our poor baby through more hell, only to find out it might be ‘nothing or ok’- which is what we hope. That said, we’d both be devastated if we didn’t do these tests and she has problems later in life b/c of something we don’t treat now. B/c she is so little, even the basic MRI will require putting her to sleep and having the MRI done.

We are looking into getting a second opinion from another Pediatric Neurologist as well. I’m sure that will take another few weeks/months, but at this point, I think it’s necessary before we move forward.

We will continue to keep everyone posted! As you can imagine, we have a lot of discussing and decisions ahead.

Jared's Married and Updates!

Well, what a week! Jared is now officially married. I've thrown tons and tons of photos up on the Shutterfly site. It was great seeing everyone last weekend! The wedding was insane!!! The day started out in the 90s and very humid. Storms on the way. They decided to move the wedding inside- and thank goodness!! About 15 min after the ceremony ended, terrible terrible storms plowed through! The power at the Hotel went out---AND never came back on!!

So the entire reception was in the 'dark'. Thank goodness for the DJ, who ran and got a gas-powered generator to keep the music going. The candle centerpieces lit the room, and although it was super duper hot- everything else went smoothly... until about 9:30. At 9:30 the hotel's emergency backup lights all went dark and they lost all backup power, which triggered the fire alarms. Next thing we know about 10 fire trucks show up. But, it turned into a great photo op :)

A few other glitches, but honestly it was a fantastic wedding that we are still laughing about! It will surely be memorable!

Maddyn did awesome as the flower girl. She walked by herself and even managed to dump some flowers!! What a cutie she was. Since I was in the wedding, I don't have many photos at all. I'm really hoping that the professionals grabbed some. We should see them in about a week. I'll be sure to share as soon as I can!

For Father's Day we headed up to 6 Flags Great America with some friends. It was Maddyn's first trip and she loved it. In fact, she rode the 'little kid rides' and was bored out of her mind. Once we got her on some 'exciting rides' she was in heaven!!! I put those photos up on the Shutterfly site too.

Lastly- a small medical update. We went to the Allergist last week and had a slew of tests done. She came back showing no allergies to anything they tested her for. That was a great sign. And, since the nephrologist appt we have really really been cutting her water back. We're down to about 70-80 ounces a day--- MUCH better than 120/130. Almost at the 64 we need to be at. Whew. And there have been quite a few days she'll even be at the 64. So we're wondering if she is growing out of this. In fact, the purple hands/feet/lips are happening much less. We charted only 11 times last week- a massive improvement.

We were able to get our pediatric neurologist appt moved up to Monday (From November) so that was a great sign too. We saw our doctor for our 18 month appt today and she feels that since Maddyn's signs are improving and that the cardiologist, nephrologist and allergist all felt that this is nothing to be greatly concerned over (assuming we get her liquid intake down), assuming the neurologist gives the all clear as well, she is just going to have us check back in 6 weeks again. She really feels that the purple deal is an immature circulatory system result and that is nothing to be concerned about. As for the excessive drinking- she said it could have been lots of things- just a 'comfort crutch', she might have caught a viral thing, it might have been weather or dryness/humidity related, etc. She told us to keep an eye on the total intake, get down to 64 ounces and just be mindful of it until August.

Maddyn's stats from today:
Height: 35 inches (Still off the charts)
Weight: 27lbs even-- 75th percentile

I'll be sure to post some wedding videos here- I have to clip them. I'll also post an update after the neurologist on Monday!!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Rehearsal Dinner & 18 months old!!

Tonight was Jared and Amanda's rehearsal dinner!! The weather has been hot, humid and stormy- so we're hoping that tomorrow brings better weather- despite what Tom Skilling says ;)

The Rehearsal Dinner went well, and it was great to see everyone, especially Aunt Janine and Uncle Bill who flew in today too!

Maddyn got to practice walking down the aisle. We all were worried, but she actually danced down the aisle, lol. Who'd have thought. She had so much fun! Now, let's hope she'll do that in front of about 170 people tomorrow ;)

I uploaded the Rehearsal Dinner photos to the Shutterfly album. I didn't take many, and Dad took some with my camera too. I'll try to get some tomorrow when I'm not busy being a bridesmaid :)

Today was also Maddyn's 18 month birthday! 1.5 years old- man is she growing up quick! I'll be taking her "pro" photos this weekend.

Andddddddd---- A special Shout Out to Cindy and Paul. They had a baby boy, Ben, this morning!! Mom and baby are doing well :) He's a cutie pie!

Pediatric Nehprologist

After many long weeks, we finally got to see the Pediatric Nephrologist. I understand why it took so long to get in- he was the most thorough doctor I've ever met. We were there for more than FOUR hours! And he was with us for about 2 of them.

The appointment consisted of everything from the most detailed recollection of Maddyn's medical history to more tests. Dr K was definitely thorough, and he really combed through each and every test result of all the numerous tests she had done. He looked up all of the side effects of her medications to see if that could be playing a factor. He looked at lots of things and really felt that these were not kidney-related causes. He ruled out central diabetes insipidus and nephrologic diabetes insipidus-- two of the items that were inconclusive on the original urinalysis tests. He said that the ratio was throwing the tests off, but that the ratio in a toddler is always going to be 'off' but that the bun/creatinine levels were normal individually and he didn't see this as the cause.

However, he did inform us that she's too young to drink that many ounces of water every day. He said - at max, 64 ounces a day- or it would lead to kidney damage by diluting out the medullary concentrating gradient(?).

He felt that the purple hands/feet/mouth was not related to the drinking, but referred us to a pediatric neurologist, as he wants us to get that checked out. He is concerned of an autonomic phenomenon (?) and wants the neurologist to review Maddyn's tests. Though, he warned us it's possible it will take awhile to get in and the issue might resolve itself before it does- he still encouraged us to do the follow-up.

He also felt the allergist was the next right step to take. So, in summary- the good news is it appears to not be a kidney problem. The bad news- we still don't know what is going on. We are going to try to eliminate 2 ounces a day from her current intake and see what happens. We need to try to avoid dehydration, but get her down to the 64 ounces. Anyone who has seen her lately knows that will NOT be pleasant, as she is miserable, hysterical, and irritable (nicest way to say this, but consider it an understatement) when she's thirsty and doesn't get fluids. I am waiting for pulled up dates on the Allergist and Neurologist, once I have those I will share.

On a pleasant note, we had our annual Memorial Day BBQ last weekend and it was great to see good friends and family. This weekend we have our "ladies night" with the aunts/cousins/family, and then Brenda is coming to visit for a few days. So it should be a fun week. Jared's wedding is getting closer, and June is filled with graduations, bachelor/ette parties, baseball, the wedding, swim lessons, etc. Looking forward to it! :)

Pediatric Cardiologist

Yesterday we received a call from the Pediatric Cardiologist, saying they had a cancellation for today and could get us in way earlier than planned. We jumped on it!!
So today we went in and met with Dr P. He was very thorough, and really sat and listened to Maddyn's medical history (lord knows that took awhile to walk through). We explained the purple hands/feet/mouth and how drastic it all seemed. We also walked through the other symptoms she is experiencing. He was able to view her results from the previous tests as well.

He did an EKG on her today, and the first one came back abnormal. This was likely b/c we were having a problem with the leads, since Maddyn was hysterical. She obviously doesn't remember the months of living with the Apnea monitor on her (ha ha). So they ran another EKG and it came back normal. He suggested we might have another in a few weeks just to be safe, but overall he really felt that the problems she was experiencing were NOT due to a heart problem. He thinks that she might just have an immature circulatory system, or that this is being caused by something else- but not the heart.

That was good news for Dave and I to hear, considering the severity. We are very relieved. However, it didn't provide us with any conclusive answers-- it just crossed another thing off the list. Our next appointment is with the Pediatric Nephrologist. That's on the 26th.

The more I research this, the more I hope it's allergies. The Clarinex doesn't really appear to be helping fully though, so who knows. There's a reason I don't have an MD ;) I just hope that we continue to cross things off and get closer to some answers. I'll continue to keep you posted.

In the meantime, here is video Dave took of Maddyn this morning, playing in my shoes. It's cute, so thought I'd share!!

Videos from Disney

I'll try to upload the few videos we grabbed...

First- from Breakfast with Mickey, Lilo & Stitch and Pluto. This was one of her only happy moments...dancing to the music:

The next set of videos is of her on the Carousel. You can see how happy she is! Hence, why we rode it no less than 40 times in 8 days (I wish I was kidding!)

Day 8: Going home

Our last day at Disney was a relaxing one. We slept in, had our Tonga Toast and Mickey Waffles one last time. We hung out by the pool for a bit, and then took some remaining photos by the pretty waterfalls in the hotel. It was a great week, although definitely not the lazy vacation that Dave and I have been known to take. I feel like I need another vacation now, just to rest!!!

I have posted the 'final' photos on the Shutterfly site. I have lots more to sort through, and just edit, but I probably won't do those for a little while. I'll post here when those final photos are added and edited!

I will also write a summary of 'tips with a Toddler' when I get a chance, since a few of you asked.

Last night Dave and I went to the city to have a great dinner out and went to our friend's birthday party. It was loads of fun, and we stayed out much later then we're used too. LOL- almost 1:30 am by the time we got home- how in the world we used to do that all the time, I have no clue (Man, do I feel old!!). But it was a great way to end vacation. Back to work I go and Dave's going to finish the list of household projects (he's redoing our Mud room, finishing up the cut outs in the basement, building shelves in the storage unit in the basement, adding our kitchen island light, and then finishing the garage if there's time). I doubt he'll get to it all, but he enjoys it, so that should be fun for him until we learn more on the job!

Day 7- Magic Kingdom and the Cinderella Dinner

It’s hard to believe that a whole week has gone by. Today was our last full day at Disney. Magic Kingdom had the Extra Magic Hours, so we arrived there right at 8 when they opened. We hit all the rides in Fantasyland again (and yes, that means the Carousel a few more times). Dave has decided he needs to figure out how to build a Carousel in our backyard, lol. Maddyn had to ride the teacups 3 times (And all three teacups made it onto photo in the Shutterfly album). She was just a hoot.

Unfortunately Dave lost his Sunglasses on one of the rides, and we are hoping someone turns them into Lost and Found tonight when they clean. Fingers crossed.

All in all it was a fun and packed day. Since we had extra time, and used the Fast Passes well, we did a few new rides today too (Pirates of the Caribbean—her first ‘waterfall’- which might have scared her a little, but she didn’t mind. Also, she did the race cars today. I have photos of that, but she was shorter than the dash, so all you see is her hat, lol).

One of the things we have talked about this whole time is that Maddyn had been carrying around an Elmo doll all week. We couldn’t pry it out of her hands, without getting an “ELMO!!” screech at the top of her lungs- NO joke… We blame Aunt Kris and Grandma for this latest Elmo obsession ;) Anyhoo- we’re at Disney- and our kid isn’t carrying around Mickey or Minnie or Pooh, but Elmo. The one non-Disney character. So today, we decided to bit the bullet and get her a Mickey doll…cuz you know, Elmo was like sooo ‘this morning’. She’s past Elmo now (well, for the next few hours at least) and is now head over heals with her Mickey doll (eyeroll).

Tonight we went to the Cinderella dinner at 1900 Park Fare. It was our second character dining experience. As you saw from the photos of the first one, it didn’t go so great (well, it was comical at least). This one was about the same. We honestly thought it was just b/c of the big heads of the characters that scared her...but even the ‘real’ ones with normal bodies and just costumes, she was still pretty freaked. We have more photos to add, but she’s pretty much crying in all of them. Funny though!

So tomorrow morning, we plan to hang out by the pool and grab some breakfast before hitting the airport. I probably won’t post the final blog update and photos until we get back, if you’ve been following along. Something tells me we’ll have to spend some “family time” with Rylee tomorrow night when we get home ;) I’ll try to do it later tomorrow night or Saturday morning if we have time (we’ll be in the city Sat night).

And while it’s fresh… (I know a few of you have asked opinions and pointers, so I’ll be sure to think about those and post those later), but I did want to say one thing. I totally underestimated Disney. It was much better than I expected it to be. This is the PERFECT time of year to go. I don’t think we ever waited in line more than 10 minutes the entire time. The weather was hot- 90s- but not really humid. The hotel was fantastic. We visited all 4 MK resorts, and really liked Polynesian the best b/c it’s on the monorail (the one downside of Wilderness), huge rooms (supposedly the most square footage of the MK resorts), cute pool, themed, and so easy to get to. It also had great restaurants, concierge and all that jazz. We saved SO much money by doing the Dining Plan- we can’t believe how much in total. Between the dining plan and the free 3 nights of Park Tickets and Hotel, we saved a bundle. If you’re thinking of going to Disney – go now! You can really get a great deal- we sure did! We were really happy with our stay here, they have been more than helpful… or as they like to say “Magical”. LOL

Day 6: Magic Kingdom and Whispering Canyon

Not much to write about today. Magic Kingdom again, and boy was it hot!! We did the usual rides --- yes, that includes the Carousel again few more times. But we did Pooh and Dumbo and the other fun ones too. Dave went on Snow White’s Scary adventures by himself to test it out for Maddyn, and said he thought it might freak her out. Lots of dark witches and such. So we decided against that one. I think we’ll do the same thing tomorrow and just hit all the rides she loves again. No real plan since we’ve pretty much hit everything by now. It’s been really nice being able to just come and go on rides as they open up and not try to cram it all in. If we ever get to come back to Disney, I hope we have as much time- that’s really been to our advantage. The 8 days is flying by quickly!!

Unfortunately for us, the day started out with a little drama. Maddyn had gotten sunscreen on her hands somehow (the non-tear free kind) and rubbed her eyes. Her poor eyes swelled shut and burned. Took us awhile to get it all rinsed out and her in the mood to go anywhere. Quite the morning, but the day ended up quite nice.

Tonight we went to Wilderness Lodge and ate at Whispering Canyon Restaurant. Highly recommend it. Delicious food- Still full and oh so good!!! The atmosphere is like an Ed Debevic’s but a little ‘nicer’. It was a nice boat ride away from our hotel and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Wilderness looked like a very nice resort to stay at too- our only complaint is that it wasn’t on the monorail- we have been spoiled by being on the monorail!!

We caught the fireworks and ship parade tonight on the way home. We were able to view it from the Polynesian’s beach – very convenient and pretty!

Our last full day is tomorrow, so we’ll see what the day holds. MK? Epcot? HS? Pool? Not sure yet… probably some mix of the above!!!

Here are just a few photos from today- not much to take photos of, since we did it all before. Dave grabbed video of Maddyn on the carousel that was hilarious, but I didn’t bring a card reader for that type of card. So I’ll load it when we get home.

Disney Day 5: Magic Kingdom & Luau

Today we went back to Magic Kingdom. We hit all the rides. We started over in Fantasyland with Peter Pan, and then hit Winnie the Pooh, It’s a Small World, Dumbo, Mickey’s Philharmagic (This was a Pleasant surprise- so neat!), back to Peter Pan & Winnie the Pooh (thanks to Fast Pass), and the Carousel for the tenth time (Maddyn’s obvious favorite). Then we headed over to Adventureland and hit the Magic Carpets of Aladdin and the Jungle Cruise. Before we left, we went back to the Cinderella’s Carousel two more times (eyeroll). It was a fun day, filled with lots of smiles and laughs from Maddyn. Tomorrow we’re going to head back and just do the same thing, with lots of rides again. She’s definitely an adrenaline junkie for those rides. Wonder where she gets that from ;)

We hit the pool a little bit this afternoon and again this evening. But for dinner, we went to the Spirit of Aloha- the Luau that our hotel (the Polynesian) puts on. Wow. Just WOW. The luau was amazing. The food was simply delicious, and the dancing was so cool. Maddyn was dancing to the beat of the drums, loving every minute. Very neat.

We’re starting to wind down here, with only 2 full days left. It’s hard to believe we’re already at day 5. The last two full days are going to be spent b/t Magic Kingdom and the pool, possibly a stop at Epcot again- not sure yet- and just relaxing and family time.

Some random photos from today (a little obvious that I'm pretty much always the one behind the camera, lol)

Disney Day 4- Animal Kingdom

Day 4

Today we went to Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom reminded me of a big zoo, with rides. Though, I really felt it catered more to the older child. Maddyn was tall enough to only ride one ride (which she rode and loved). The shows were all very long, so we knew she wouldn’t sit through the whole thing. She did love the petting zoo, but her allergies went haywire. So we only spent a few hours there, and headed back to the hotel.

Honestly, I probably wouldn’t do Animal Kingdom again with a Toddler if they go to the zoo enough. Maddyn gets to the zoo pretty often, so it probably wouldn’t be worth the money to do AK unless the child is old enough to do rides and shows or understand some of the teaching elements.

I expected to see wondering animals, and they did have some which were neat. Don’t get me wrong, the place is gorgeous, well-kept, and full of animals. It’s just that for the only parts Maddyn could do, it really compared to Brookfield.

When we got back from AK, we hit the pool and just hung out tonight. Lots of fun. We’re planning on a full day at Magic Kingdom tomorrow, so a low key evening was just what we all needed. Tomorrow night we also are going to the Luau at our hotel. Looking forward to it!

Now that we've hit all 4 parks, I think our plan is to just hit MK a few hours the next 3 days. It's really the park that there is so much for her to do, it's close to our hotel, and we feel it's the best use of our time. Hopefully the weather will continue to be beautiful!

Here are a few photos from today:

Disney Day 3- Just relaxing....

When we switched rooms yesterday, they gave us a PNP this time, instead of a crib. So when we went to bed last night, Maddyn would not sleep. It was a very late night, so we decided to let her sleep in today, and we just took it easy today.

To start the day off, we did the character breakfast at O’hana in our hotel. Characters included Mickey, Goofy, Lilo and Stitch. Those that saw the Easter Bunny photos won’t be surprised. Maddyn was scared to tears! We figured out how to get some good photos- just have the characters come up behind her and she didn’t notice. LOL. But when she did, she would start screaming. Funny for us, not so much for her.

After that, we hit the hotel pool and beach. Maddyn was having a blast playing in the pool and toddler water fountain. She’s a true fish. Loves the water.

This evening, we did dinner at Epcot and since we have decided that we’ll probably skip it for ‘rides’ and such, since she’s so young, we got there early and got took some photos. Dinner was in Mexico at the San Angel Inn- great food, and pretty neat inside.

We ended the day by hopping over to Magic Kingdom to see the SpectroMagic lights parade. We hit a few rides first… the Teacups, Small World again and the Carousel (again). Maddyn could ride the Carousel all.night.long. The smile on her face was permanent! Too cute! The parade was really fun too. Definitely a must see.

Tomorrow our plan is to go to Animal Kingdom. We had dinner reservations at one of the Steak Places, but we are going to cancel and just do a casual dinner. We need an early bed night for Maddyn one of these nights, and tomorrow seems like a good one. So pizza or something fun and maybe the pool again.

We got a crib today, and Maddyn napped for a few hours, and went to sleep right away tonight. So that was key!

A few photos from today at the Breakfast and Epcot and Magic Kingdom. If you want a good laugh though, go to the Shutterfly site and check out the full set of photos. The ones from the breakfast will crack you up!! TOO funny!!

Day 2 at Disney-- Hollywood Studios

I'm wiped out! Today was another fun, yet long day. It was very hot today- 92 they said. We went to Hollywood Studios (aka MGM). Honestly, we had originally planned to hit HS more than once, but there are not too many 'rides' for the little ones. There was Playhouse Disney, which was a hit!!! The Little Mermaid- not bad, just over Maddyn's head, was also ok. We lastly took her to the Muppets 3D adventure. We waiting about 20-30min in each line- so not terrible.

Maddyn loved the bubbles. Every show we saw today was with bubbles. I think HS is a great place, and so clean and organized, but to get the most of your visit- it would be better when Maddyn was older. All the 'rides' were fun. Oh, and Toy Story had a 90 minute wait. We went to fast pass it and it gave us a time of around 6:30 at night (we did this at 9am). Crazy!!!

For dinner we went over to the Boardwalk and ate at Big River Run Brewery. It took an hour to get there... we had to walk a few miles and take a mix of transportation-- painful! So we'll see what we do Monday. The restaurant we are planning to dine at will have a similar accessibility issue.

Tomorrow we had originally planned to hit MK again- for the day. But we have decided to just make it a pool day. We have a character breakfast in the morning, and a dinner at Epcot for the evening. So we figure a day to sleep in, catch up on good naps, etc is exactly what Maddyn needs. We are also going to cut Epcot from our list of parks to hit. As fun as it is, the rides just are not geared to 16 month olds. We'd rather spend time at MK a few times, where we know she loves it!

Just a few quick photos from today!!!





I"ll throw the rest that I edited up on Shutterfly in a few minutes!

Disney World- Day 1

After a very crazy week, we are finally on vacation. I was sick earlier in the week and worked some insane hours to get things done. But it paid off, b/c we are finally on vacation!

We arrived in FL early this afternoon, to a beautiful sunny and warm day. We checked into the Polynesian hotel- it's amazing!! The grounds are just breathtaking, and the staff is so awesome. The concierge was able to get us another character dining experience, so Maddyn should have fun. We are in a room without much of a view, so they are going to move us tomorrow for the last 7 days of the trip, to an upgraded room. So nice!!! And this room is fantastic, so we are thrilled!

By the time we got settled we decided to take it easy tonight, so we ran over to Magic Kingdom to grab a quick dinner. Funny enough, we ate rather early (since we missed Lunch with the flight), and when we were done we noticed SO many rides had NO lines. So we rode It's a Small World, Cinderella's Carousel and Winnie the Pooh all this evening. Note to others- we think that is when people were eating, so the lines were great.

On our way out, we took a boat ride back to the hotel and were able to witness the fireworks. So pretty! Today was a day of 4 firsts for Maddyn. First Bus Ride, First Plane Ride, First Train Ride, and First Boat Ride. :) She was ALL smiles!!

Just a few photos I took and edited, I'll throw the rest on Shutterfly. I'll try to update the blog each night and journal our days!!