Again.

I started getting sick again. Yesterday on my birthday of all days. Not sure if it was the Blade 2 Mutant Vampire Virus from two weeks ago. But I'm not feeling very creative. I probably won't comment on many blogs in the next few days either.

I could keep you mildly entertained over at Pretty Dang Exciting. Anything that comes up in the next few days has already been scheduled.

But there probably won't be any blogs posts from me again this week.

Hope you all are feeling well.

Again.

Countdown to Cinco - T Minus FIVE!!

Thanks to everyone sending their well wishes to my daughter after the horrendous birthday she had last week.

We're at 32 weeks now into this pregnancy. That means we have about FIVE weeks until the baby will get here. That's five weeks to get everything in order.

We need to make more room somehow. I plan on getting some free boxes off craigslist and pack away a lot of clothes that aren't fitting anyone right now. But the thing with that is, eventually it will fit someone again. We don't know the sex of the baby, so if we pack away all the boy's clothes we'd have to get them out again eventually if we have a boy. If we have a girl, we'll just let the new one wear the current baby's clothes.

The current baby is wearing her big sister's clothes. The baby just turned one and she's wearing 3T. Not that she's one of those big babies that used to be on Maury Povich all the time, the clothes have shrank overtime and don't fit that bad on her. She only wears them to lounge around the house in. But you might see pictures of the new baby wearing 24 mos. clothes in her first pictures.

This being our fourth child in five years, the family has pretty much distanced themselves from us. With my daughter everyone was all joyous and excited. An uncle kept asking us "When are you going to have another one?" Every time we saw him. He was one of the first ones we told when we found out we were pregnant with our son and he was super excited. A year later when we were pregnant again, he was like "That's cool." When we told him a year later that we were pregnant again, he pretended he didn't know us.

Not that I'm looking for baby showers or gifts or anything the such, but a baby shower has not even been discussed by anyone. Our babies no longer excite or bring anyone joy . It makes me think that people just hate The Duggers for having so many kids. I don't know how they get invited anywhere. But then again, their kids have life skills. My kids skills consist of jumping off furniture, digging in plants and breaking lamps.

Maybe that's why we don't get invited anywhere.

Have a great week my friends.

Countdown to Cinco - T Minus FIVE!!

Worst Birthday... EVER!!!

Thank you all for your very nice comments and birthday wishes for my daughter. I just wish it was as happy as it should have been.

Yesterday was supposed to be filled with cupcakes, streamers, ribbon, torn wrapping paper and presents. Yesterday was my daughter's first birthday. But it turned into 100 plus degree fevers, possible UTIs, catheters, partial dehydration, and an evening emergency room visit.

She had a fever the day before. We did the Tylenol thing, and the fever came and went. She woke up on Thursday grumpy and not wanting to eat or drink much. Her Nana was going to take her for her Birthday Pictures like she has done for the other kids, but the baby just didn't feel like smiling.

She came back home and KC took her to the pediatrician. That's where they determined she was dehydrated and took a sample of her urine via catheter. Needless to say, she was not very pleased with the process. They told us her urine was too concentrated to be able to yield any results that day. We'll have to wait through the weekend to get the results.

Later that day, she wouldn't drink. We were concerned about her getting fully dehydrated so we took her to the children's ER. We couldn't get her to drink the Gatorade or water and thought she would have to get an IV.

The ER doctor checked her throat and there were a lot of bumps and sores back there. It turns out it's STOMATITIS. Somehow she got this virus that caused the back of her throat to break out, have a fever and possible UTI.

Did I mention that all this happened on HER FIRST BIRTHDAY?!?

She is still not drinking much. We have meds and we're told it should subside in the next few days. She's not a happy camper. She does devour popsicles as her primary source of liquids. We have to rotate the Tylenol and ibuprofen every three hours. We have some antibiotics and meds for the throat pain.

We had to cancel her birthday party for this weekend. I'm kind of cool with that part. First birthdays are such a beating. We'll schedule it for a later date.

My wife, being the awesome mother that she is, found out the perfect distraction to the crying baby. Whenever we need her to be quiet so we can change, feed, or medicate her, we turn on....

It works perfect. I know some parents hate those from Gabba Land. But I'm cool with them. Plus I'd rather have them playing constantly than for her to be crying at all hours of the day.

Have a great weekend my friends.

Worst Birthday... EVER!!!

Happy Birthday Beautiful..

Happy Birthday Celi,

I know it's a cliché, but I can not believe that you are one year old today. It doesn't seem all that long ago when we were surprised with the knowledge of your forthcoming. I was still trying to adjust to the fact we only had your brother for a few months before we knew about you. And even after that, having the two babies seemed like it was the hardest job in all of existence. Then you were coming later in the year and I didn't know what I was going to do. If I figured out what I was going to do, I didn't know HOW I was going to do it.

When your mom was pregnant with you, I think it went by so fast on account that I wasn't there much. I was focused on making ends meet, that I would sometimes work 25 hours overtime a week. I didn't go to the doctor visits as much (if at all) like I did when your mom was pregnant with your brother and sister. I was a new manager and I was required to be at work. I just couldn't fit everything into the balance of my life.

Then when you came home, it took a while for me to connect with you. Maybe it was the long hours I was working. Maybe it was that we didn't know your gender, and I didn't connect with you because I didn't know what to call you in the womb. I started school a couple months later, and more of my focus shifted from you. Your mom would mention ad nausea about the fact I had not given you a nickname yet. It wasn't until a couple months ago when I started calling you "Celi" and "Celi Belly".

"Ladybug" and "Disco" came so quickly with your siblings. Was it this lack of connection that I constantly thought that you did not like me? You would cry when I sometimes tried to feed you, only to stop once your mother took you.

The only time we really spent together was at 3:00 AM as I was crawling out of bed for your feedings. I did catch up on Lost, Burn Notice, Leverage, Wrestling and The Office during this time. We would fall asleep on the couch with you in my arms and I started to look forward to these insane feeding times of yours.

Your mom would also give me a hard time because I have yet to make a "video" of you. I did the "Peanut Butter and Jelly Time" videos for your older brother and sister. Your sister got her poem. Your brother got his two videos. "Where is the baby's??" My excuse was that I was all burnt out. It's like I set the bar high when I did your brother's birth video and the subsequent "Disco Seth" video.

But honestly, I had something planned. Your mother doesn't even know this. Throughout the night when your mom was in labor with you, I would sneak away at times and record video updates. The goal was to put these together and make a documentation of the day you were born. I don't know what happened. Maybe just the stress I was putting myself through trying to be "Super Husband" and "Amazing Daddy", but I ended up dropping the whole idea. And for that, I am sorry.

I love our relationship now. I love it how you come running to the door when I come home. You even cry when I leave.

When you come up to me and put your head in my lap, my heart melts. I love it how you want so badly to play with your brother and sister and they just plow over you because you're not able to always keep up with them. But you're getting there.

Your infections smiles bright my day. You are a great daughter, and I squeeze you very very much. You are going to super big sister very soon.

This family was nowhere near complete as it was before you joined us. I can not even think about what our family was like prior to you being born.

I love you very much, Celi. I hope your day is as beautiful as you are.

Love Forever,

Daddy.

Happy Birthday Beautiful..