Day 4

Too tired....

Breakfast - pop tarts and refill cup hot cocoa $0

Lunch - burger, fries and soda 13.40

Dinner - sandwich, chips, apple $0

Snack - dole whip float $5.32

Day 3

5:30 am - early wake up to go to the conference

6:30 - board the bus for the conference center

7:15 breakfast at Swan hotel (full buffet $25.55) they had delicious pancakes and juices from their juicer/ I tried the antioxidant with carrot...so good

8:00 - 5:00 sessions 

I had a quick sandwich in the room made from groceries

5:00 pool

6:00 pizza from the food court at Caribbean beach $8.19

day 2

My allergies are terrible. I may have to buy some cold and sinus meds on our luxurious Wal-Mart trip.

6:00 am - wake up
6:30 am breakfast in the food court
- bagel $2.99
- fruit on the bottom Greek yogurt $3.49
Total: $7.01
8:30 pick up to universal

Notes:
Mears Transportation was the best! We rented a luxury sedan and driver for pick up and drop off and a Wal-Mart stop. It was far more affordable than a taxi cab and our driver was the best. His name was Emile. I got his card in case anyone needs future transport in Orlando.

Universal Studios Islands - this place was amazing. I literally gasped when I walked into Hogsmeade.  We rode Harry Potter's Forbidden Journey and Battle of the Dragons. Both rides were great, but not for the faint of heart. In Seuss Land we ate at Circus. Magurkus and rode the trolley and the Cat in the Hat ride. In Superhero land we rode the Spider-Man ride. I highly recommend doing single rider.  We waited a max of 20 minutes in some of those lines.


11:30 lunch - spaghetti and meatballs with bottled water $8.20

2:00 Universal pick up

2:15 walmart stop

2:40 back in room

3:00 pool

4:00 back in room

Dinner will be groceries from Walmart. Sandwiches and chips. Groceries cost $30.71

Work trip in Orlando at a Disney Resort - Day 1

5:00 am - left McAllen airport for DFW
8:00 am -
- landed in DFW and a nice man gave us a ride on his golf cart to our next gate
- grabbed a quick breakfast from au Bon pain (egg white and cheddar, dr pepper) $7.77
- saw a cool Benefit cosmetics vending machine
- met up with Zory, my sis-in-law and gave her $20 cause she had to check her wallet and she was really hungry
9:00 am - boarded our plane for Orlando and got to use WiFi on the plane
1:05 pm (Orlando time) - landed and made a mad dash for our luggage in one Terminal and then had to walk to another to get Disney's Magical Express
2:30 - checked into Caribbean Beach Resort
Overall opinion of the resort
- love the pirate decor and the fun Port Royale pool area
- the rooms are like little Vintage Florida rooms with a Finding Nemo theme
- we are in Aruba with a private beach and our own village pool
- the pool was full of teachers
4:00 grabbed a late lunch/early dinner at the resort food court- I had a Royale sandwich with pasta salad $10.64
I also purchased a refill cup for the resorts $17.99
4:30 - took a nice swim in the pool and listened to some teachers talk like sailors
5:30 went to Downtown Disney and saw my dream Vera Bradley backpack
7:30 back in the room and booked a car for our Universal trip in the morning $99 (round trip and a Wal-Mart stop
I project sleeping by 9:00 pm

Fractured Wrists

We survived a month of having our 17 month old in a cast for a buckle fracture on her left wrist.  It was easier than I thought, but definitely not fun, nor is it something I ever want to do again.

We aren't exactly sure how it happened.  We know that when she came home from daycare she was holding her arm a bit strange.  My husband moved her arm when he was holding her and she started to cry in a way we'd never heard.  He began to examine her arm and discovered that her wrist was purple and a bit swollen.

We took her to our General Practitioner because they have an X-Ray machine.  The Doctor discovered that it was a fracture and referred us to an orthopedist.

Unfortunately for us, the pediatric orthopedist was on a week long vacation and the receptionist at the GP did not think it was in our best interest to wait.  Lucky for us, her husband is an RN at an orthopedist who specializes in hands.  We got an appointment less than 24 hours after her initial Xray.  Since she's so young, they had to put a cast all the way up to her armpit.  She cried during the whole process even though I'm sure it didn't hurt.  E is not a great patient at any doctors appointments.

We were warned by the RN and several people that her arm was going to start getting really smelly by the time her cast came off.  I was determined not to let my child be the stinky one at school.  I researched ways to keep the cast from smelling and it really all boiled down to not letting it get wet inside or out.

She had about three showers a week and each time her cast was wrapped in a towel at the top of her cast and then a Subway sandwich bag was placed on top.  If I felt that it was too damp at the top after the shower, I used the blow dryer on the cool setting and blew air on it.  E really seemed to like that.  I did not allow her to play outside or do anything that might cause her to sweat.  I was a success!  She did not smell one bit.  (Of course when the cast came off, the area around her palms was another story.)

Her wrist has healed very well and I'm pretty sure she isn't going to need therapy.  We have a follow up appointment in a week just to make sure.

I always thought it would be C who would get the fractures or the breaks, but E is definitely proving me wrong in a lot of ways.

Webkinz - Lil'Kinz - $1

We went to Dollar Tree yesterday cause Jorge needed to get some dish scrubbers.  Apparently Dollar Tree has the ones he likes most.  As soon as we walked in I saw a bin that said "Webkinz - Item of the Week."  I had to do a double take, then I shrieked at Jorge to come look.  Unknown to many, I have a Webkinz addiction.  I love playing the games online, decorating their rooms....I used to do it a lot more when I didn't have kids.  Now C loves to play with me.  Needless to say, I bought quite a few.  That's really a bargain.  They had bunnies, frogs and canaries which will look cute in cousins Easter baskets.

7-14 months...I'm terrible at this!

Okay, so when people told me I wouldn't take as many pictures of my second child as I did of my first I laughed at them and told them I would.  I did, I probably have more of her than of my first...mainly due to a failure-to-backup issue....but I enjoy taking pictures of my kids.

However,  when it came to this blog that was supposed to be like a baby book.  I have failed.

So here's the recap:

7 Months

-teeth starting to peek through
-sitting on her own
-experiencing ear infections at least twice this month
-I began making really awesome hair bows ;)
-went to Tia Cata's graduation and the Aquarium

8 months

- Eating lots of table food
- Ear infection free
- Went to the beach, Sea World, first play date, zoo

9 months

- 21 pounds 7 ounces, 28.5 inches long
- Loves crawling, standing and swinging
- Eats very well
- Ear infection free (out of daycare, so I'm detecting a pattern...)

10 months

- loves taking a bath
- will take any food her brother leaves in reach
- Saw a baby sea turtle release
- Finally switched to her big girl car seat (still rear facing)

11 months

- Still a great eater
- walking while gripping furniture, but not about to try it herself
- bring on the ear infections  :(

12 months

- Still not walking
- Talking quite a bit
- Hand gestures and dancing are her favorite things to do 
- Dressed up as Snow White for Halloween
- Had a daycare birthday party and a small family party at Chuck E. Cheese's


Now:

She is finally walking at 13 months!  Yay!  As of 14 months she is bottle free.  I thought that would be a lot harder, but her Daddy sure did a great job.

Let's see if I can post at least three times a week this new year.  :)