In love with Mary

Mary Poppins, that is.

We couldn't help ourselves, and let the little women open the presents from us (as opposed to Santa) yesterday morning. We figured we're going to have such an incredibly busy day on Christmas Eve anyway, why not? 

Cran's gift from us was "Mary Poppins." Ever since they got that get-well card from Nene those few weeks ago, she has been asking and asking about that movie. The card was a musical card that played "Spoonful of Sugar" and, despite never having seen it, Cran was already in love with it because of the music. She is very musically oriented. She loves anything with a good tune.

Well, they loved the movie. Maddie especially. She is constantly singing "Jolly Holiday" and "Chim Chim Cheree" these past 2 days. It makes me want to try other musicals like "Sound of Music" and "Annie" because of her appreciation for all the music and dance. She tells me, "Momma, Mary Poppins has such a beautiful voice."

*****

Cran sounded out the words "limes," "potatoes," "Zoe," and "Elmo" today while looking at her number book with me. She was so very proud of herself for "reading."

Little chef

My little Remy.

Cran is so excited to start her Holiday baking this weekend and into the early part of next week. She is counting down the days until Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We talked to her the other night about the real significance of Christmas, and she sat there very quietly listening and concentrating. She loves hearing stories, and was extremely interested in knowing the other side of Christmas that is un-related to Santa.

We've been spending a lot of time at Barnes and Noble lately due to this nasty weather. They just love it there. Maddie sits on the chair there and combs through book after book of cupcake decorating, cake decorating, and all of the kid's cookbooks of course. She is always on the lookout for a recipe that she and I could try that looks "easy" for us. We got her the Sesame Street cookbook as one of her Santa gifts, and I have a feeling that that will be one of her most favorites. 

She talks to "Santa" (Grampa) on the phone from time to time, and he has told her that his favorite cookies are oatmeal chocolate chip. So, she is excited to make those Tuesday afternoon. She and Beebster picked out the bags of carrots for Rudolph at the store on Friday, and of course she'll set out ranch dressing like she did last year. She is desperate to try making  these marshmallow snowmen and some decorated pretzel sticks that she saw in a Holiday cookbook the other day.

Too bad the kid's cooking classes would be another fee to pay, otherwise I think we'd have to enroll her. She loves her dance class though, and we can only afford to do one class at a time, so in the meantime my little chef and I will keep ourselves quite busy.

Crandaline Q.

Crannie making quite the elaborate "set-up" on the top bunk during her rest time.

Crannie sledding

Crannie sledding part 2

Finally her Crannie self

Finally! My little Cran is feeling almost 100%. She looks much skinnier to me, but maybe it's all in my head. She definitely has been affected though by being so sick, and I think this poor child has been completely traumatized from the severity of her stomach virus (and who knows what else it was) and the excessive throwing up, that she still has bouts during the day where she will cry and get very worried that she needs to throw up yet again. I don't think she's feeling nauseous though, I truly think she just is so worried now because she knows how awful it is to feel that way. She's been very, very slow to want to eat her normal foods again, and after she tastes certain things which are typically her favorites she will ask me, "Momma, do you think this will make me throw up?" I made pancakes this morning at their request, and she took a few bites only to sit and worry about what the consequences might be. Poor thing!

She was so incredibly anxious to go to dance class yesterday. I knew then that she had to be feeling much better. She was so happy to see Miss Dawn, and she told Miss Dawn that "some of these new steps are tricky" when they were learning their new tap moves. Haha. 

We went to see Santa at the mall last night, and Maddie thought this was great. She was a little stressed at first because she forgot to bring her list, but I assured her she could just tell Santa what it is that she wanted. She didn't even lift her head to say "cheese" for me when I tried to get her picture because she was so focused on telling him everything she wished for this year. Dan was standing by their side, and he came back to me laughing hysterically. He said Maddie did not stop talking from the second she sat on his lap, but yet had her head hung down and was muttering everything so softly. It was too funny.

She's been back to her crafty nature. She told me out of the blue the other day that "we forgot to give Super Nene a bracelet and a necklace" and then that turned into that she wanted to make them for all the "girls" for Christmas. So, she is busy making them and storing them in their jewelry box until Christmas. She made a little popsicle stick frame the other day for Dan which has become little sis' new favorite thing because Maddie drew pictures of the 4 of us which Faith loves. I let them paint today since it was ridiculously cold and windy outside, and we were housebound regardless. And, she's been so excited to be working on her lowercase letters again, which she calls the "little brothers," so I know that she's definitely feeling much better!

Make that 33 lbs

A tell-tale sign of Maddie's afternoon and night last night?

She lost one entire pound in less than 24 hours. 

Just yesterday when we took both she and Faith to the doctor, Maddie was 34 lbs. I ended up having to take her again today, and she was 33 lbs- same sneakers, same jeans, shirt and sweatshirt just like yesterday. I couldn't believe it. Then again, at the rate she was throwing up yesterday, I can believe it.

They're getting some stool samples to check for worse viruses than the common gastroenteritis bug and also to check for bacteria. She hasn't even wanted to go to the bathroom though since we got home, so I am not quite sure how I am going to get them this sample. But, I'll find a way.

My poor, poor Maddie.

If it's not one, it's another

I should learn to live with this fact!

Crannie was not feeling well this morning, but was almost 90% by the time her "rest time" came around at 1pm. In fact, I was quite convinced she was back to normal because she didn't take a nap for the first time in 3 days, which is more like her! She played with her Potato Heads and was singing Mexican kid's songs to them in her room. Her diarrhea has continued throughout the day, but she hadn't thrown up or had a fever.

I took them to feed the ducks this afternoon and to the playground. They need their fresh air. We took them for a little bit yesterday too, and it really seemed to do them some good, even if only for half an hour. But, she was having a blast today (bundled up from head to toe) with Faith-y and running from the geese. They watched a little of "Lady and the Tramp 2" when we got back, and it was then that I noticed that Maddie had her back turned to us and her face towards the couch. She told me her head hurt when I asked her what was wrong. That's about the 5th time now she has said that since yesterday. I knew it was time for their Tylenol since it was 5:30pm, and I'd been trying to give it to them every 4 hours just to prevent their fevers rather than chase the symptoms once they appeared. She started crying hysterically that she was "shivery" and I took her temperature. It was 100.6. I had planned on giving her a warm bath with Faith after dinner, but I figured it might not be a good idea to have wet hair then and have to get out from the warm water to the cool air. 

She asked to go to bed at 6pm. She wanted her cozies, and she passed out within a minute on the couch. We ate dinner with only one little girl at the table, a very unsettling feeling.

I don't think I would worry so much if it weren't for these darn fevers that don't seem to want to decrease. Not to mention, the headaches and she also had a bizarre symptom this morning. I noticed her right eye wasn't tracking me when I would talk to her this morning. That was concerning to me, although I'm sure it could be that she was totally out of it this morning. Needless to say, I will be calling their doctor tomorrow if things don't change. I feel awful that she and Faith are still feeling so crappy.

*****

On a much brighter note, Cran has had some eventful weeks lately. She had SO much fun with her Cheese Mouse, Guero, and all the "beautiful ladies with blondish hair, Momma." Hahaha. She asks about them constantly, and is insistent that she can now speak a "smidge of Spanish." 

She had a blast at Sesame for Faith-y's birthday, and also at Chuck E Cheese. She has requested now that we spend her birthday at Chocolate World. I think it will work out perfectly since they are having a Sesame Live show up in Hershey right around her birthday. She tells me constantly that she doesn't want to be 4, doesn't want to grow up, and always wants to be "your little Crannie." I tell her, "Maddie, you will be our little Crannie even when you're 83!" She responds with, "Mommmmmmma! I don't want to be 83!!!!!!! EVER!" I think I need to stop telling her all the time that I like them so little and don't want them to get older, because she takes it all to heart! Yet, at the same time, I'm glad she's like that and appreciates her childhood!

This little woman is so very dedicated to her new baby brother/sister. She is constantly worried about the baby and asking me if I am ok, and if anything I just did hurt the baby (I had to get their Playmobil bin out of the very bottom of Maddie's closet today and she was so worried about any effects on the baby). She asks me al the time when she'll be able to feel the baby kick, so that will be something really neat to share with her when the day comes.