Playdate and making a house

Today Melissa came over and brought her daughter Amelia so Everett and Amelia could have a playdate and we could chat. Everett's toy of choice-the Idog. Amelia's-the cell phone.

They rode Elmo and the ladybug and they played together pretty well except for the problem of Everett not sharing very well.

Tonight, we went to family fun night at the library and Everett and I made a gingerbread house.

If the truth is known, I did most of the work and he watched and ate candy.

He did help put some special touches on the roof.

"E" for Everett.

Baking Cookies

Tonight, Chance, Everett, and I decided to bake cookies. We made the cookie dough and put it in the refridgerator to chill.

Everett licked the beaters.We took the dough out of the refridgerator and rolled it out.Then we used cookie cutters to cut out cute Christmas shapes. Everett ate some raw cookie dough (don't worry it didn't have eggs in it).
Even so, I took it away from him and he cried.

So I gave it back and he pouted while he finished eating it.
We made the icing.He tasted tested it.Several times.Then we iced the cookies after they were baked and cooled.
We decorated them with sprinkles.
Everett ate a cookie.

We saved the rest for later!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Busy

The E man has been busy. On Monday the 28th he help me put up our Christmas tree. Apparently it's a much better idea to throw the Christmas ornaments at the tree and hope they'll hand somewhere and stay instead of using the hooks and delicately placing them.

On Monday, Chance took Everett to SportsClips for a much needed haircut. He was getting pretty shaggy.

Wednesday was a day full of appointments. Our appointments started with JCPenney portrait studio at 10:00. Everett has recently decided he HATES cameras so we had a difficult time getting usable pictures. The photographer was great. She was very patient and understanding, but there's only so much you can do when the kid screams and runs away every time you aim the camera at him. She did manage to get some pretty good ones, but none of his genuine, lights up his entire face smile. He had to take off his glasses because she was getting a glare and was forced to take any shot she could get before he started throwing a fit.

After that it was a check-up at the dentist. He's been once before, but this time they cleaned his teeth. He was not a fan of that. He bit the dentist several times and I felt really bad for her, but I don't really blame him. I don't like strange people's hands in my mouth, either.

After the dentist we had just two more stops-the pediatrician for his second dose of the H1N1 vaccine and the optical to get his glasses adjusted-yes, again. He did better with the shot than he did with the pictures or the dentist, and of course getting the glasses adjusted was a breeze.

Thursday we rested and baked cookies. Chance and I went to a Christmas party thrown by one of his co-workers. My friend Melissa came over and watched Everett for us. It was the first time we've left him with anyone since we moved here, so it was nerve wracking, but he was asleep and he never knew we were gone. We had a lot of fun.

This morning Everett had to be at the Cardiologist at 8:30 for his check-up and boy was it cold!!! We checked in and took him for x-rays. Arkansas Children's has this horrible contraption they put him in for the x-ray. He sits on a bar, they close plastic around him to keep his arms in the air and keep him still and then they used tape to keep it close. Yes, tape. It was ridiculous. He didn't really throw a fit, but tears were running down his face and he was saying "Please, Mommy, please". It was utterly heartbreaking. At Dallas Children's he just laid down and the x-rays they got were perfectly fine. At the next x-ray I'm going to ask them to do it that way.

His lungs were clear since being taken off of the diuretic, and his heart size was normal. Dr. F did an exam and deemed Everett to be in excellent heart health. He will continue being on Enalapril to reduce his afterload and Aspirin to thin his blood indefinitely. We go back in 4-5 months for an echocardiogram and if all looks good we don't have to go back again for 6 months. We were thrilled to get a good report. I always breathe easier after a good Cardiology visit.

Eye Appointment

Today Everett and I had a busy day. First, we went to storytime at the library and picked out some books before we went home. Then, we went to Arkansas Children's Hospital for his eye appointment. Dr. L said that he didn't notice much improvement in Everett's eye at all and that he wanted to try another step to correct his vision. We will be putting a drop of medicine in Everett's left eye every 3 days. The purpose of this is to dilate the eye and make his vision blurry making him rely on his right eye and hopefully, in turn, strengthening it. We will add this to our regime of eye patching every other day and wearing the glasses as much as we can keep them on his head. He was such a good boy at the doctor today. We pulled up at the hospital and he said "doctor". He is really good at remembering places I guess. He was very cooperative while the different staff members examined him and took measurements. We go back in 3 months to see if this new treatment is working and to figure out what the next step is.

After we left the hospital we went to the optical to get his glasses fixed because he twisted an earpiece until it was pointing the wrong direction. He fell asleep on the way home and while he was sleeping we went to Kroger to get his prescription filled. He woke up unhappy and we still had a few minutes to wait. Then we came home and I was hoping he would finish his nap, but he had other plans....

New glasses and burns

Yesterday, Chance picked up Everett's new glasses. He now has two pair. The new ones are more casual and are supposed to be indestructible! He looks a little like Harry Potter in them.

He also burned his hand yesterday. He climbed on a stool to touch a hot burner on the stove. I took him to the pediatrician and he has mild 2nd degree burns on his fingers. It could have been MUCH worse! The doctor prescribed some cream to help him heal and to keep away infection. He's fine today. He really didn't cry much at all when it happened, either. He's tough!

Halloween!!!

First of all, Happy Halloween everyone! As you can see, Everett was Mickey Mouse for Halloween. He LOVED his costume!Everett and I have spent yesterday and today celebrating! Yesterday, we went to North Little Rock and trick or treated with Abbey, Rafe, and Sapphire and Melissa and Amelia. We had a lot of fun, but it was also a LOT of walking. It was during the day and the businesses' and churches that line JFK blvd handed out candy.

At a gas station there were lots of characters, and Batman was the only one that didn't frighten E. Then, we ran into this precious little girl dressed as Minnie so I HAD to get a picture.

Tonight, we went to Trunk or Treat at the First Baptist Church. They handed out candy, but they also had a cake walk. Everett picked a cookie for his cake walk prize and he enjoyed it. The church also gave out hot dogs so Everett had one of those, too. Then, we went to the fire station. The firemen were letting the kiddos play in the fire trucks.

Everett checked out the equipment in the back seat, and he drove!

Then, we went trick or treating in a neighborhood near our house. Everett got SOOO much candy. Some of the houses were giving out full size candy bars. He ended up with about 4 full size candy bars, a bag of chips, and popcorn ball plus TONS of other candy. Add that to his candy from yesterday and the candy from trunk or treat at the church and you get an obscene amount of candy!

Everett had so much fun. He loved going door to door and holding out his little candy basket. He grinned everytime someone put candy in it for him. Chance had to work yesterday and today so Everett and I were alone tonight for the festivities. Chance worked on Halloween last year, too. Hopefully he'll get to come trick or treating with us next year.

In other news, we went the ENTIRE month of October without any doctor's appointments. We didn't have any Pediatrician appointments, no sick visits, no Opthamology appointments, not even a Cardiology check-up. Honestly, I can't remember the last time we went an entire month without any doctor appointments. It was nice!! November brings an Opthamology check-up and a dentist appointment.

Everett got his H1N1 vaccine on Thursday. We have been patiently waiting for his pediatrician or cardiology office to get the vaccine, but they still haven't. The health department was giving them out at a mass flu clinic so we went there. We waited in line a little over an hour. He did not have any kind of reaction whatsoever. His little thigh was sore, but that happens any time you get a shot. He'll need another dose in 28 days or so. I'm hoping his pediatrician's office will have the vaccine by then.