ALMOST 17lbs`

Cady is 21 months... and is ALMOST 17 lbs :)

Sound like she's way too small? Sure does! Cause for concern??? To me-YES!!!To her daddy- NO! To her pediatrician- not so much! To her GastroInterologist-not at all! To her Nutritionalist-NOPE!

There are reasons that a Pedi, GI specialist, and Nutritionalist would have cause for concern for kids this small (failure to thrive, failure to gain weight, etc) but Cady IS thriving (exceeding some milestones -shout out to my potty trained 21 month old- and she IS gaining weight. Her body is proportioned (which they checked today), her brain is developing, she eats just fine and is not a picky eater, and is overall a normal, smart, 21 month old girl.

When you look at a typical growth chart, Cady's weight isn't on there! In fact, she in the -1.65% for children her age as far as weight is concerned. Though she has always been small, she was in the 3% at one point, lol.

Ever since she was about 6 months old i've asked the doctors is her weight ok... what do i need to do to make her gain weight... why is she so small... when will she gain weight, etc. Her pedi wasn't too concerned bc of the simple fact that she was growing at her own "normal" and that as long as she's "growing on a curve" she is fine. Well, she IS growing, and she IS, growing on a curve. She's just growing at her own pace. Her pedi is really nice and old and experienced and he basically would tell me that i have no cause for concern. He reminded me that in order to have the standard curve and averages, they have to have BIG kids, and SMALL kids in order to come with an average. I took math, and though i've never been good at it, i know that the average of 100 and 0 is 50! ;) I loved the fact that when I have a concern, he ALWAYS goes and study's her chart before he gives me an answer.

I wouldn't really press the issue UNTIL her next dr.'s appt, then we would start the cycle of Q&A all over again. In between appts I have been known to call and double check i'm doing everything right, lol. Chris would then lecture me on how we have done everything "right" and she's just little and healthy and CADENCE and perfectly created by God to be small.

Though I've continued (and will continue) to feed her healthy meals, and not a lot of junk, i admit that I do try to put a little meat on those bones, lol. I buy her the bread with the most calories and then slap butter on it, i often feed her peanut butter (which i learned too much PB can cause a child to develop an allergy, oops, bc the Lord knows the last thing she needs is another food allergy), and for the past few months I've been feeding her 1 avacado per day (high in fat and calories), and she also gets a heavy heavy snack (like oatmeal, or something that will stick) right before bed.

Well, Monday I took her to the pedi (she lost her voice) and i brought the issue up YET AGAIN. I got the same answer, "let me study her chart" and when they come back it's the normal "she's fine, just small" and they try to calm my nerves and say it's ok, she's little, don't worry, etc. And they suggest ways to add more calories to her diet. Well, typically, those "ways" involve adding a type of instant breakfast drink (which she can't have bc she's allergic to milk), or feeding her ice cream (which she can't have) or something made from milk (which she can't have, lol).

I kinda pressed the issue and finally, the dr set us up to visit the GasteroInterologist (sp?) who is part of the Cooks' Children's team. Luckily, someone cancelled a appointment and we were able to go today (wednesday). IDK why i was so nervous... i couldn't think of Cady's birthday :( That was the FIRST question they asked and i BOMBED it! It's worse than forgetting how to spell your name! lol.

As soon as they took us back, they made us strip Cady down to her bday suite and step on a scale. It read 7.7kl which converted to "almost" 17 lbs. They put us in the room and Dr. Keng (the gi specialist) came and gave Cady a physical evaluation, which included pressing all over her tummy. Cady was NOT feeling it at all! Then, Dr. Keng asked us a billion questions about her general health, family history, what she eats, etc. She looked at Cady's growth chart and said the same thing her pedi said, she's growing on her own curve, which is a good thing. Her conclusion??? She's perfectly normal and genetics is probably the reason why. I later called my mom and my grandma who confirmed that I was indeed super small growing up (where's that problem when i need it, lol).

Wait, let me back up, the FIRST THING we noticed when they put us in the exam room was this special "CHART" which showed the 7 types of poop... I spent about 5 minutes trying to identify Cady's poop number on the chart. Oh, the joys of motherhood :)

I asked Dr. Keng if Cady is underweight... She basically said, if i compare her to a normal child, yes... but when i compare her to HER chart and where SHE is supposed to be... NO, SHE IS AT HER AVERAGE! Even though her average is smaller it's fine since she IS growing (apparently, i didn't get the message the first few times she said it).

Dr. Keng ordered blood work (7 tests) to double check that there's no underlying issue with her kidneys or anything. I asked her if the weak vessel in the umbilical cord could have anything to do with it and she said no. Which is a major relief. IDK why, but i would have so much guilt if MY pregnancy caused any health problems for her.

Next, we met with a nutritionalist, Adriane (pronounced Audrey-on-AA) who spoke with this BEAUTIFUL Mexican accent. We went over what she eats, i told her how i try to fatten her up and she told me i'm doing a great job :) Both her and the Dr. wondered where I learned these "tricks" from and i told them good old google! :)

The GI specialist gave us some high calorie drinks (that are milk protein free) and Adriane, gave us a few more (thanks because i'm sure they cost a lot of money since you have to special order them through the pharmacy). She also gave us this powder type of stuff to boost caloric intake. She also gave me this Ensure type of drink which i learned (after reading the label) is used for the food when kids have feeding tubes. We got a few juice drink type of juice boxes that have 200 calories vs the normal 70/box drinks at the store... again, will need to be special ordered (and don't taste too great).

So after over an hour and a half, both the Gi specialist, and the nutritionalist concluded that Cady is perfectly fine and perfectly healthy! MAJOR RELIEF and I could see Chris give me the "i told you so" look.

I will have to call Adriane once a week to give her a rough idea of what Cady has eaten, and will do a 2 day study over what she eats so that they can analyze to see if she's getting all the vitamins and nutritions she needs. I GOT THIS! MY CHILD EATS THE RAINBOW :) Every food group and color is more than covered :)

The nutritionalist gave us a list of ways to boost caloric intake. Here is a sample of what's on the list AND I DID NOT MAKE THIS UP (though i am paraphrasing):

- add butter, more butter, and mayo! it even says to put butter on warm bread bc the butter will melt and allow you to add MORE butter, lol

-use sour cream and jelly (and honey if the child is over the age of 2) often

-top pudding, pies, and dessert with cream or whipped cream

-provide double strength milk (which i learned is whole milk with powdered milk mixed in)

-add Carb supplements like Karo Syrup to drinks

-give milkshakes over juice and water

-bread and fry meats and veggies

-eat marshmallows

-add dry milk powder when cooking (i have the can of calorie booster for this)

-add instant breakfast to milkshakes

-boil eggs, chop them up finely, and add to gravy

-choose dessert recipes that contain eggs

-spread peanut butter on fruit, sauces, shakes or as a topping for ice cream

THE DIET I'VE BEEN DREAMING OF MY WHOLE LIFE!!! lol

Though I will be incorporating some of these ways to boost her caloric intake, my goal is not to "fatten her up" but it is to hopefully get her to gain some healthy weight. I see the GI dr. in 3 months and i hope she's gained at least 2 pounds by then. If not, it's fine :)

Do u know how hard it will be for me to feed her a billion calories a day in all types of foods that i'm not supposed to eat and actually NOT eat it myself? I just got through eating half her fruit snacks :/

We did get another allergy test done on her to see if she is still allergic to milk and eggs. Prayerfully she's not!

I'm just glad that they confirmed that she is HEALTHY "just small" and i know the blood work will say just the same!

Speaking of bloodwork, Cady told the lady to "TAKE IT OUT!!!" talking about the needle, and it was hilarious!

Well, let me try to get her to drink one of these supplements... while I avoid trying to taste it ;0

-Our primary care physician is Jesus!!-

"Big momma"

how to (potty) train a princess

I've heard billions (ok, not really billions) of stories of parents and their potty training techniques. I've read up on it, i've asked about it, i've even made up a super cute and cool POTTY DANCE ... all to prepare for THE experience known as POTTY TRAINING :)

Well, let me save you time, energy, effort, and the shock value by sharing these valuable lessons that you won't find in a book OR on the internet... i'm talking about the TRUTH of training (ok, so i may exaggerate a little bit, but it makes for a great read. lol)

take notes: you will want to remember this stuff!

1. skip pull ups! It's pretty much the same as a diaper for a toddler, and they cost twice as much :( I went straight to undies. the problem with that was Cady was (is) too small to buy them so we had to get them special made. It was fun, I got to pick the print :) ha! Now, she is in some special ordered Gerber 18 month training panties (shout out to my mom for finding and ordering these for us), and though they are still a tad too big, they will get the job done :)

2. You know how fast you would JUMP if someone yells "FIRE!!!"... well, that's about the speed you will RUN when your child yell's "POTTY!!!" and you won't let ANYTHING get in your way! You will grab that child so fast by anything that is attached to her body and hurl her on the closest toilet you can find! This may mean leaping through the air over a dog, or a miniature pony or doing an awesome football move to get your husband out of the way. By any means necessary ;0

3. Bribery works!!! I like a good bribe, and so do kids :) I used M&Ms and turned it into a learning experience. I tried to do the -if you do #1, you get 1, if you do #2, you get 2- method, but it always ended up with her getting 2... but she only got them if I (or she) called out and chose the correct color. My child likes brown ones for whatever reason. Chris called himself laying down the law and told me "NO M&Ms BEFORE 9AM" but that changed when Cady pooped in the potty first thing in the morning. he sure did get her 2 pieces of Candy before she had breakfast! Um hum... But I sometimes use stickers :)

4. Public restrooms can be a NIGHTMARE!!! I think you know what I mean so I will not have to explain any further!

5. Speaking of public restrooms.... know the EXACT location of every restroom in every store that you ever plan on being in!!! AND KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY STEPS AND MILISECONDS IT WILL TAKE YOU TO GET THERE!! Even if that means you are WWWWAAAAYYYY by the frozen food section at Kroger and the rr is WWWAAAAYYY by the flowers, you better be prepared to push that cart clear across the store and in a HURRY and don't let the slow shoppers, elderly, or children get in your way! Remember: YOU ARE ON A MISSION!!

6.... EVEN if half of those grocery store marathons are false alarms (my child says she has to poo poo potty when she really just has to pass gas, lol)

7... EVEN if that means that you are right in the middle of loading a basket full of groceries on the conveyor belt! You better do a one arm swing motion to throw all that crap back in the basket while breaking all the eggs and squashing all the bread and back up into someone else who has an even bigger basket of groceries and everyone is looking at you like you are crazy but then you get the smile of approval from other moms who have been in the same boat and feel your pain... sigh :(

8: take your child to the rr RIGHT BEFORE you leave the house and AS SOON AS you get to your destination, even if it's a 2 minute drive! A toddler bladder has to be the size of a mustard seed!

9. If there's only 1 rest room, and your child has to use it as the SAME time as a pregnant woman: THE PREGNANT WOMAN WINS ALWAYS!!! I remember what that was like... you could not have PAID me to hold my bladder when I was pregnant... shoot, towards the last trimester, your child could move in a new position and the floodgates could open without you even knowing it! I feel you preggers, i do! And it's way more socially acceptable for a child to pee on themselves than it is for a grown woman! And, chances are, the child has a change of clothes and won't have to walk around wet... think about that one! :( I Feel you, i do!!!!

10. keep a small potty conveniently located throughout the house! We have 3 rr's in our home.... and 2 additional potties!!! And they are ALL equally as necessary!

11. ACCIDENTS. WILL. HAPPEN!!! Let your child know you are disappointed, but don't scold them for it! Chances are, they are disappointed in themselves

12. When driving down the middle of I-20, your child WILL tell you they need to use the bathroom, and you WILL panic just a bit, and you WILL pray that you can pull over or SOMETHING before the flood gates open. Sometimes you will be lucky, sometimes not so much :(

13. if you're taking your child to a park, take a potty with you for convenience sake (and to avoid public park rr's)

14: Enjoy the experience! You will have plenty of stories to share, and plenty of memories to remember! Have fun with it :)

15. Potty training is not a competition. I think as long as your little one is day trained before school you are doing GOOD :) Though I am excited and proud that we bought our last pack of diapers when Cadence was 20 months old (hopefully those were the last) understand that not every child will be as easy to potty train and that is OK!

16. Speaking of "potty training" the hardest part is training the parents, lol

17. Ask God for wisdom along the way and He will give it to you! That goes for EVERY situation and while you're at it, thank HIM for your perfect gift (your child) whom He created and loves more than you THINK you do :)

And THAT, my friends, is what it is :)

Love, just another potty training parent

Ballin on a budget!

So... i love couponing as you probably already know :)

Well, today, I decided to tackle CVS to see how much money I could save and here's how I did:

I got 2 bottles of contact solution. Each bottle was regularly Priced at $7.98, but they had a CVS store credit thing for $4 off, and i had a $3 off coupon (i combined 1 set of coupons for each bottle of solution)... so I got each bottle of solution for just $.96/piece :)

Revlon nail polish: regular $6.29 but it was on sale for $3.99 and they gave you a $3 store credit thing and I combined that with my $1 off coupon... so it was FREE!!!

I got a $3 bottle of eye drops for FREE thanks to my cvs coupon

I got a thing of Mentos candy for $.29 thanks to my $.50 off coupon

Wipes: Regular $7.99 for the big pack but I had a $1 off coupon and combined it with a free wipes coupon ($2.50 value) thing so i got 4 packs of wipes for $7

Box of Huggies was on sale for $20, i had a $3.50 off coupon so i got a BIG box of diapers for just $17.50 :)

I had a a CVS $2 off baby items coupon

AND i got a FREE umbrella stroller for spending $25 (before coupons) on baby items :)

Before my coupons and sales prices using my CVS card, my total was about $76.50... AFTER my coupons and using my CVS card and getting prices, i paid about $26.50... SCORE :)

and THAT is how I save money :)

the crazy coupon lady

I remember a time when I used to brag about how much money I spent on stuff.... not that I ever really spent THAT much money on anything. Though I thought I was pretty ok growing up and i never needed or wanted for anything, I did come from a single parent household so i know we weren't balling out of control!

My college days were a little tough. Not horrible horrible because I did make it, but there was a year when I made around $615 take home every month and my rent was $460... that was the time when I made the criticial decision to get on food stamps. I'm not ashamed on it! I was EXTREMELY THANKFUL for my $76 worth of food stamps every month! And I am thankful for government assistance and think it's GREAT for those who NEED it... but the people who take advantage urk my nerves something terrible!

Anyways, my days on food stamps taught me how to budget for groceries and since i got married FRESH off of my food stamps days, i brought those lessons into my marriage.

Anyways, I am THE CRAZY COUPON LADY!! Every sunday, i clip my coupons, scan through ads, and head to Kroger (which is where I shop about 90% of the time). Kroger always doubles coupons valued at $.40-$.50 and triple coupons valued at $.01-$.39.

We are a family of 3 and our weekly grocery budget is roughly $50. Some weeks I spend $35, some weeks i spend $75, just depends on the time of the month usually. I.E. at the beginning of the month, i usually buy the bulk thing of toilet paper and paper towels.

In couponing, there are some things that i hardly have to pay for! I.E. Toothpaste... i can't remember the last time I paid for Colgate or Crest toothpaste because in combining a coupon with a sale, it's usually free! :) Same goes for Bounty paper towels, and SoftSoap handsoap.

Anyway, today I went to the store and had a good old time! Chris kept the baby and I was in my ZONE :)

Here is a list of some of the items I got for extra extra cheap:

Puff's facial tissue with Vicks. Regular $2.29/box. It was on sale for $1.99/box and I had a coupon for buy one box get one free and another coupon for $.50 off which they doubled to $1 off. So, I got 2 boxes of Puff's with Vicks for $1 (fifty cents per box!!)

Biore facial strips and cleanser: The strips were on sale for $7.99, and the steam activated facial cleanser was on sale for $7.99. I had a coupon for buy strips, get the cleanser free so I saved $8 :)

Purex complete 3-in-1 laundry detergent. Regular $7.99, on sale for $4.49, and I had a $3 off coupon which brought my total to $1.49 for a months worth (or more) of laundry detergent :)

Cheerios and Chex were on sale for $2.18 per box, and I had a $.50 off coupon (for each box) which they doubled to $1, which means I got the cereal for $1.18 per box :)

Fiber 1 yogurt was on sale for $1.98 per 4 pack. I had a $.50 off coupon which they doubled to $1, so I got the yogurt for $.25/piece :) And BONUS: it was key lime pie flavor. and DOUBLE BONUS: It's only worth 1 WW point :)

So in this one shopping trip I spent about $50 and saved about $48!!! :) And that is our groceries for the week :)

Remember, God is a provider and gives you all that you need, but YOU are responsible for how you handle what He gives you! I am SOOO THANKFUL that He provides more for me than I could provide for myself :)

x0x0- The Crazy Coupon Lady

1 year, 8 months, 1 week, 2 days, 11 hours, & COUNTING

WARNING: FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY:

1 year, 8 months, 1 week, 2 days, and 11 hours ....

you're probably thinking i'm talking about the age of Cadence and though that is exactly how old she is, i'm talking specifically about how long i've been a milk maid. Yes, i'm talking about (music dund dun duuunnnn) BREAST MILK!!!

Yes, it has been a LONG LONG road, and yes, I think i'm ready for this road to end.

There are MANY benefits of breastfeeding (though I didn't "nurse" i pumped and bottle/cup fed) and NOTHING in the world can compare to the nutritional benefits that a child receives from their mother's milk. No formula, vegetable, fruit, nor milk is full of more nutrients than breast milk.

As far as providing milk for your child is concerned: THE LONGER, THE BETTER!!! Most women are gonna quit within the first month... Let me encourage you... KEEP GOING! and when you wanna give up, just go one more day because LITERALLY, every ounce counts! And a common misconception is that you're not producing enough milk. That is EXTREMELY RARE!!! If you are nursing, you cannot base your milk supply based on how much you're pumping (unless, like me, you exclusively pump). I was a pumping machine! I was blessed enough to donate over 1,000 oz to the north texas milk bank which supplies milk to sick and premature babies in the NICU. You have to be screened thuroughly in order to be a donor and the milk is cleaned. Though you may not see "immediate" benefits, breast milk sets a foundation for a LIFETIME of health benefits and i'm glad that not only did I provide for my child, but many many others.

Anyways, like most extended breastfeeders (and for lack of a better word, i'll say breastfeeding, though i pump) I never EVER intended on going this long! I thought, i'd go 6 months. The American pediatric association suggests and recommends infants go 6 months on breastmilk exclusively, no other food or drink, for optimal nutrition so that's what I decided to do... AND breast fed baby poop is water soluble (dissolves in water) and that made washing cloth diapers a breeze! so I knew i'd go at least 6 months! 6 months rolled around and I decided to go for a year :)

I actually had an episode after my myomectomy (surgery on my uterus) when Cady was 7 months old. The first day back home, my body went into shock from the pain and i COMPLETELY stopped producing milk! I mean, i went from pumping 10 oz in 20 minutes to pumping 1 ounce in an hour! I called every lactation consultant in DFW crying bc my dr was off that day. I prayed and prayed and PRAYED and pumped enough to make 2 bottles before I got in touch with my Dr. who told me what herbs to get and then prescribed a medication to bring my supply back! The lesson learned: After surgery, when your doctor suggests you stay in the hospital one more day DO IT!!!

Well, like I said, i only planned on going until she was 12 and then switching her to whole milk. 2 days after her first bday, we learned that Cady was highly allergic to milk! It was by the grace of God that we found out about her allergy before we ever gave her any milk. (We knew she was allergic to eggs so she got an allergy test via blood work and that's when her milk allergy showed up). Then I said i'd pump until she was 18 months. All the while I've been preparing my body for the change. I went from pumping 5 times a day (at the beginning) to 4 times, to 3 times, to 2 times.

This week... i'm down to pumping just one time a day which means eventually I will dry up and will be DONE for good :) Whoo Hooh, right?

Honestly, it's bittersweet. For starters, i had my milk analyzed and found out that I burn 20 calories per ounce of milk that i pump!!! It's free exercise! lol Man, at the beginning, i'd EASILY pump 60 ounces a day!!!! That made losing my 45+ pregnancy pounds a whole lot easier to lose let me tell you! I would eat and eat and EAT and still lose weight!!! I lost all 45 lbs in about 10 weeks!!!

Anyway, i've been on a mad hunt to find a milk alternative for Cady because she, like all toddlers, need it in their life. I've tried soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, and coconut milk. And i have not been successful :( She won't drink it!

So, we have decided to make her homemade yogurt smoothies at least twice a day and that will be considered her dairy beverage. Lucky her right!!! You know how much Jamba Juice charges for fresh fruit and yogurt smoothies, lol! Oddly enough, she doesn't have any reactions to yogurt but she does react to yogurt beverages like Dannon, etc. It sucks! Her milk allergy affects her internal organs so we can't SEE her reactions like we can see her egg reaction. It usually starts with stomach pains and then she poops (black) which means her organs are bleeding. It's kinda scary to say the least but usually, once all the milk is out of her system she's fine.

Anyways, I'm down to pumping just once a day and it's bitter sweet! My morning "sessions" have been WONDERFUL... it's quite, just me, and it's the perfect time for bible study/devotion! It's not like I'm going anywhere, so i give my undivided attention to God.

Last week, I told Chris that I was going to stop (my supply is dwindling so it's not like I have that much of a choice) and i actually cried! I never thought i'd be emotional about it and still don't really know why i cried but I did. But my mind is made up and nature has ran it's course :(

Oh, and just remember, JESUS WAS BREASTFED :)

xoxo ~ you can call me COW and I won't be affended

worst date EVER.. a trip down memory lane

Today was "date day" for me and Chris.... well, that was the intention of today anyway. We all slept in late. I went and got a massage. Came home and found Chris at the table on his laptop in the EXACT same spot I left him earlier.

The plan for today was to go to breakfast and a movie sans la bebe. So I took Cady to Stephanie's, went to my massage, and came home... Instead of breakfast and a movie, we went to brunch and an oil change, lol.

Chris fell asleep on the 7 minute drive home, got straight in the bed and is still sleep :( I folded 2 baskets of laundry, threw a load in the wash, unloaded the dishwasher, and spent a few minutes on the net.

Some date day, huh!

Well, today's date is about A BILLION times better than one of our early "young and in love" dates.

Picture this: summer 2002, San Antonio Tx

Chris and I had been dating for about 7 months or so. It was summer time and he moved back to S.A. and i moved back to Waco for the summer. We couldn't stand to be without each other, lol. so every other weekend, I would hop on a 4 hour bus ride to go visit him for the weekend.

On one trip in particular, Chris decided to surprise me with a romantic date to the park.

He told me we were going to one of his friend's house and so when he pulled up to an apt complex I was like ok... but when we got out of the car, chris walked to the trunk and pulled out a blanket and told me that we were going to have a romantic date on the pond. We were in the honeymoon stage in our relationship and though it was a good idea, it was an EPIC fail :(

He decided we would walk around the pond and feed the ducks or something like that. I remember walking, and other people were walking, and because it was surrounded by a complex, other people were everywhere... and their brought their DOGS!!! What am I afraid of most??? DOGS!!! People had their dogs on one side, and ducks were walking up on the other side. What else am I afraid of? DUCKS!!! So basically, I walked huddled under his arms terrified to look both ways, walking as fast as possible, wishing the date would just end already!

We finally find a "resting" place and Chris lays out the blanket and tells me he would be right back. Yep, he left me alone (for maybe 2 minutes but in duck-ville, and dog-land, it felt like an hour). He came back with strawberries and homemade icing (he knew of my love for sweets so he got kuddo's right??? WRONG!!!! The icing was HORRIBLE! He tries to pull that "close your eyes and open your mouth" business and i was sooo in love, I did :( It was disgusting!!! After I took a bite, he tells me that he thinks he messed up the recipe! NOW U TELL ME!!! lol

So basically, we ended up packing everything up and going back to his parent's house.

I wonder if he remembers that day. maybe i'll ask him when he wakes up ;)

x0x0, still young, still in love,

e.j.knox