a complete and utter random update

-Liverwurst makes Tripp growl. Loudly.

-While liverwurst makes Tripp growl, chocolate makes him "Mmmm-mmm",

and it makes me scream when I see him eating a huge chunk of it in his crib...

-We are in the stage of an independent four year old wanting and willing to dress himself, and a mom who (for the most part) doesn't care. Until the unexpectedly need to make a quick visit to the hospital and the mom flushes pink when she glances down and sees her son in a pink striped shirt, a bright blue hoddie, bright green high-water sweats (that hit above the ankle), white athletic socks (slightly hued rusty orange from the red dirt), and black Toms. The mom can't decide if she is more embarrassed by that, or the fact that she's holding a baby who is still in his jammies at 10am and has bananas crusted into his hair. And then there is the middle kid... who silently disappears out into the hallway and the mom is about to flip when a nurse discovers him right outside the room; tucked away in a little alcove just waiting patiently and very slyly to be found.

-I referred to Baby's new dress as "just like the one Glenn Close worse in Fatal Attraction... you know, the one that she's wearing when she tries to kill him? Only it's a different color, so it's all good"

-Finn has gotten good at falling asleep anywhere. When he does, we take pictures and give him bunny ears:

-I have an American Girl doll. I received her as a Christmas present when I was 9 yrs old. I loved her, and adored dressing her in beautifully replicated outfits sewn by my talented grandma. After dolls became childish, I boxed her up and she's remained put until recently, when I got her down for the boys to look at. They were interested for about 4 minutes. So boxed up she went again... until now. I just purchased some of my grandma's last remaining outfits (she decided to retire from creating doll clothes this last year), and I am excited that I get to not only pass along my doll to my little girl, but also the heritage of her great grandma. But those dresses... they are calling my name. They are MADE to be worn... I must try them on her just once. I guess dolls aren't so childish after all...

-I think this may be my favorite picture of the season:

-Will New Years ever be a big deal for me again? I didn't even want to stay awake until midnight. And I wasn't boycotting or anything... just wasn't impressed with the thought. However, being wakened at midnight by a crying kid in the closet and another with a tummy ache let me hear the fireworks going off, and it did instill in me a little bit of excitement for the New Year.

-Do your animals need to wear undies, too?

-I have been getting Magnesium IV's every other week to help my heart arrhythmia. It seems to be helping, and my heart is much calmer for the first week and a half after each session. Hopefully the symptoms I've been experiencing will continue to die down, and my heart will cooperate during labor and delivery.

-We continue to monitor Tripp's leukocytes in his urine, making sure no infection is beginning. We no longer can do the urine dipstick test at home, as it shows elevated leukocytes every time. This does not mean there is an infection, but it is caused from all the inflammation and irritation done to his system. This means we have to send his samples to the lab to be cultured each time. It is a great way to make sure no unhealthy bacteria is growing, although it is very time consuming with with so many lab runs. I will be so grateful when he outgrows this!

-Other than that, not much has been happening around here, besides catching the cutest little varmint the other day on the sticky mouse trap: