What a Day!

I've done a really good job of cutting down on the number of activies in my life (sometimes due to sick kids), but today was one of those crazy days that you just can't do anything about. It started off with having to take both Steven and Michelle to the doctor for their 15 month and 2 month appointments. While it makes sense to have back-to-back appointments, it is chaotic.

Steven was hungry and tired. He got up "early" (9:30ish, which is early for him), and we only had time for him to eat cheerios and have two cheese slices. I packed cheerios, applesauce, and a nutrigrain bar in the diaper bag, but that's just not the same as getting a hearty breakfast like he's used to. Michelle was fine, until she got tired of just being in her diaper (eventually wrapped in my hoodie since I didn't think to grab a blanket for her). The nurse weighed both of them at the beginning, so she had to hang out that way for a while :(

I took the double stroller, which took up most of the exam room, and Steven hung out on the exam table with a container of cheerios (which didn't stay in the container for long!) after he got weighed on the big boy scale, which he was very hesitant about since the place where you stand is wobbly. I kept him occupied the best I could while waiting for the doctor, talking with the doctor about Michelle, and then waiting for the doctor again. (She had to take care of another patient for a few minutes in the middle of our appointment--that's what happens when you're late.)

Steven wasn't sure he trusted the doctor, so he wasn't overly thrilled when she listened to his heart (he pushed the stethoscope right off his chest), checked his ears, or stuck a stick in his mouth. He seemed to partially remember the room from the last time we were there. Michelle, on the other hand, did pretty well. I went over our concerns about her with the doctor (nothing too too serious, but one thing that baffled the doctor--she had never seen it in her 15+ years of practice).

It wasn't until the shots that all chaos broke out. I had given both kids tylenol before we left. (Steven LOVES that stuff--he kept signing more, more, more.)I pulled out the tylenol from the diaper bag to give him a bit more (and to distract him). Unfortunately, it was pretty much gone, but it did distract him for a few minutes. I decided to have his shots first, so he wouldn't get freaked out when he saw Michelle get hers. Umm. . .that didn't really work. He calmed down pretty quickly after his, but he started freaking out when she got hers. How to do hold down a 2 month old and calm down a hysterical 15 month old??

The good thing? Steven's next visit will be his last for a while. The bad thing? The day only got crazier (and grosser) after we got home :( I'll spare you the details, but lets just say that it involved two unplanned baths due to two diaper blowouts, including one far worse than anything I could have imagined. Mark was so lucky to be at work! (And my sister was unlucky because she had come over for the afternoon!)

Tomorrow should be better. The babies and I are heading up to Flint to spend the day with Auntie E and their siblings, and Michelle's getting her ears pierced. Yay! I'm so excited, but probably not nearly as excited as Auntie E :) Don't worry, I'll post pictures as soon as I have them!

**Please pray for tomorrow's visit. I'm praying that I will get a chance to talk to Auntie E about God and our faith. The social worker didn't get anywhere in her conservations with her, but I'm praying that it will be different for us (and we already had a very general talk about it in the past). Thanks for your prayers!**