Today I got to meet ...

Well today I got to meet two of Tanner Williams Fire Dept's finest, and not in the physical sense! I was getting the girls ready to leave the house, Kallie was strapped in her car seat and Kennedy Jane was playing in the front seat. I had the passenger side door open and was coming and going putting stuff in the diaper bag and cleaning the car out. When we were ready to go I got Kennedy Jane out and shut the passenger side door, when I went to open Kennedy Jane's door I realized it was locked, as were all the other doors. Inside the locked car was my 10 month old baby, the keys, and my cell phone. GREAT! Luckily my neighbors were home, I borrowed their cell phone and they came over to help. I called my husband who was 30 minutes away with the spare keys. My next call was to the FD to see if they could help, at this point I would have paid anything to get my baby out of the car. They got there and after about 10 minutes of work they had the doors unlocked and the baby out of the car. Here are the good things: the car was not running, the weather was neither too hot nor too cold, and Kallie never got upset.

Lesson of the day: Never shut all the doors when your children are inside and ALWAYS have a spare set of keys where you can get to them!

My love affair with Publix

My friend Andrea turned me on to Publix, coupons and saving money and I have to say, its become a challenge for me to see how much I can save, and hope one day to be as good as she is at it! This last trip was my best by far, I spent $66 and saved $70, its always nice to save more than you spend! I got a few other great deals last week:
Target: They had their razors and refill packs if purchased together you got a $5 Target giftcard and I had a coupon for a free razor with the purchase of a refill pack so I saved $12!
Walgreens: Last week they had their toothpaste and mouthwash at 2 for $6, with $2 in register rewards (that can be used as cash at Publix) and I had $2 in coupons so I paid $2 total for mouthwash and toothpaste (Colgate and Scope!) And then this week they had Crest toothpaste for $2.99 with $2 in register rewards, I had a $.75 off coupon so I paid $.25 for toothpaste!
Its really exciting to get great deals like that, because I plan to use my $5 Target giftcard with a coupon for buy one "My Little Pony" and get the 2nd one free, they are about $5 so I will not pay anything for 2 my little ponys for KJ's Easter basket!

I haven't made my shopping list for this week yet, they put out their new ads on Wed I think! I use a website called www.iheartpublix.com and its a wealth of information!!

Two interesting theories about Ichthyosis

I have two new theories, one I created in my own uneducated mind and one that another mom suggested.

1. Developmental Patterns: This mom who has a 4 or 5 year old child with Ick discovered that her son would slow down his growth and development in the winter months and she related that to the fact that he had to use more calories to keep his skin going and did not have enough calories to put towards weight gain and development but in the spring and summer months when his skin was easier to maintain he went through big growth spurts and developmental milestones! I find that very interesting and encouraging. Kallie was growing great, staying off the charts for height and in the 95% or so for weight, but from Nov - Feb (6-9mo) she dropped into the 75% for weight. She also has not managed to learn to crawl, until the last few days when she has decided that army crawling works just fine! LOL She has started eating bigger solid meals and is sleeping better as well. So maybe we are on to something and the next few months will be good and exciting ones for us!

2. Teething: Kallie's skin regenerates at a much more rapid pace than ours does, that's why it is so thick and scaly. Kennedy Jane had her first tooth at 4mo and while I know all kids are different, Kallie still doesn't have a tooth. There is one that has been trying to come through for a few weeks now and I wonder if her gums work the same way her skin does? Could her gums be regenerating faster than the tooth is moving, thus delaying it from breaking through? I have to go the dentist on Wed so I am going to ask him then.

Just a little interesting food for thought!

Update on Us

OK so we have not fallen right off the face of the earth, just been really busy! Where to start?

Kallie: She is doing great, growing fast and just getting too big and too rotten. She will be 10 months old a week from today, my how time flies. At her 9mo check-up she was still off the charts for height but had dropped down into the 75% for weight. Dr. Calametti was not overly concerned as this is a transition time between baby food, solids, and nursing, however, it concerns me a bit as I worry that she was using too many calories keeping up her skin and is losing weight. She seems to be eating a lot better lately so maybe she will put some weight back on now that the weather is nicer. As for her skin, its come SO far and is looking so good. Her back and belly look fantastic, her arms are almost scale free, just a few here and there. Her lower legs still look pretty scaly but overall have come a long way too. She is such a beautiful little girl, with such bright deep brown eyes! She is still not crawling, lazy girl, but she does army crawl. Not threat of walking any time soon!

Kennedy Jane: My big girl will be 3 years old a week from tomorrow. Its amazing that she is 3 years old. She is so smart and incredibly sassy! She got into St Lukes Episcopal School and we couldn't be more excited! She will be in Ms. Thomas's half day two day a week class for PK3. We are having a Princess Party with just a few little girls and a bounce house, I am sure she will have a great time!!

Ali & Ryan: Their wedding is fast approaching, May 26th in Cabo. Her friends had a paint party wedding shower for her and that was a good time, I realized that I made a good decision when I chose not to go into art in any way! Scot and I, Ryan's parents, and Amy Polio hosted a Stock the Bar Party at our house a few weekends ago. That was a great time! We drank 8 cases of beer, 50lbs of crawfish and all sorts of yummy dips and sandwiches inside! They got a lot of great gifts and had a good time! We are having a tea for her next weekend at the Spot of Tea! The bachelorette party is in a few weeks in Destin and I cannot wait!!

Scot: He won Circle of Excellence again this year so not only does he get to go to Hawaii in a few weeks but we also get to go to ROME next year! I am so excited, that's a dream trip for me! I am passing up this trip to Hawaii b/c I don't think the girls are ready to be left alone with Mom for a week and so he and Ryan are going together. He has also been through some rough times lately as his dad passed away of brain cancer a few weeks ago. That was really tough for him but he seems to be doing better.

Me: I have gotten into photography and am really working on developing my skills and my business! Check out my site: www.katinelsonphotography.com Its been a lot of fun and I am really enjoying it! Now I feel like I have caught up and can start blogging again, hopefully, from here!