Our Crazy, Transitional Period

Hi, Everyone!

Life, as usual, has been quite crazy!  There's almost too much to share for just one post.  But let me tell you, things have been quite wonderful around here in the Ingrassia household.  Here are a few fun things that have happened the past 3 months.


1.  We bought a house!  We were wanting to move out of our condo and into a house with a yard because face it... having a great dane mix in a condo with a tiny yard isn't exactly ideal.  Plus, Eva loves being outside, so we wanted to have a nice yard for her to run around and play in.  Looking forward to buying a swing set soon so she can swing in her own stomping grounds.  Swinging is pretty much her favorite thing in life.  There's a lot of work that still needs to be done, but I am looking forward to sharing pictures once we get a little more settled.  There are still boxes everywhere!

2.  I got accepted into SLU's accelerated BSN program! Crazy thing though, I start in just over a month.  I don't think my brain is ready for this yet.  Still so much to do to get ready.  Kinda bumming though, because we are going to have to take out some student loans. Cheers to being extra frugal these next few years :D

3.  Thirdly, since I will be going back to school full time, we were going to need some more childcare options.  Currently, we have tweaked our schedules to where I only work when we have baby sitters.  So far, it's worked well.  But in less than 2 short months, we were going to need more availability.  I started my search as soon as we found out they accepted our offer on our house, and I found an amazing daycare that exceeds all of our expectations and wants.  I was at such a loss when I first starting looking at options.  I didn't know what I wanted or what to look for.  Luckily, a friend from work told me about this place her friend takes her kids.  I looked into it, and it was amazing! I am so excited they had just gotten an opening in one of the classes for Eva also!  It was such a blessing, and I am excited for Eva to start.  I am a little nervous for her, but I know she will end up loving it and do awesome.

4.  Today (4/3/15), I decided we would take Eva's binkies away for good.  The past year or so, she only got them at nap time and bed time, but I thought with her starting daycare soon, it would be good to get rid of them.  I'm not the type of person who cares if your 3 year old still carries their binky around all day, I just thought it was best for us to move on.  I didn't want her to drop them and have some other kid stick them in their mouth, or have some other kid steal them from her, or have to make her teacher take them from her after nap time.  Plus, it's just one less thing I'll have to remember to pack every time before she goes to daycare.  This is how we did it.  I told her that her binkies were sick and that they had to be thrown away, but she was going to get a new toy to replace them.  We went to Toys R Us this morning, and she picked out a new baby doll and a blue adirondack chair to sit in with us outside on our patio.  She named her baby "Baby Lou-Lou," and she now carries her all over the house.  After coming home with our new loot, I sat her down and explained to her (I prepped her for this for the past few days) that her new toys were replacing her binkies.  I then got some scissors out, and cut all the rubber off each binkie one at a time.  I gave her the cut up binkie after each cut, and she got to kiss each one and throw it in the trash.  I think it was easier for her to grasp what was going on if she was able to have a part in the process.  It took her a while to get settled for nap time today, and she cried for a bit, but after a little reassuring and cuddles, she eventually settled down and fell asleep.  She is actually still currently sleeping!  I think it's a WIN!  Hopefully tonight goes as smoothly, and every day after should be easier and easier.  Honestly, I think I cut up the binkies more for myself, so I wouldn't be tempted to give them back to her if she was unable to fall asleep.

So those are some of the major positive things that have been going on in our lives.  (Okay, so the binky thing isn't that major, but it is to Eva!)  My little girl is getting so big!  On a more somber note, we went to see the pediatric cardiologist a couple months ago.  Turns out, Eva's atrial septum has a hole in it.  The specialist thinks it is too big to close up completely on its own, so she will have to have heart surgery to close it.  We are so upset at the news, but we are encouraged that it is not anything more serious.  In fact, the surgery is not needed until she gets a little older, like around school age.  We are praying that it will close on its own, but the dr does not think it will do so.  At first, I wondered why we would even need to get it fixed if we were able to wait so long without risk.  Unfortunately, if you don't get it fixed ever, that can lead to severe dilation of the chambers of your heart due to the increased pressure, and that can damage it.  The doctor actually showed me some dilation already present in Eva's poor little heart.  Luckily, once surgery is performed, the dilation is not permanent and will go back to its normal size.  Just hoping it closes on its own, so we don't have to deal with an open heart surgery after all.  Prayers are appreciated!

There are so many seasons in life.  Right now, I think we are in a tumultuous, crazy, busy season.  But it's full of SO MUCH LOVE and plenty of joy.  It makes all the long days seem like great days.  This is my favorite season so far :)  I get to spend it with this crazy little sweetheart!

Just a little update from Eva

O haiii! It's me Eva! I decided I wanted to post a blog too just like mama!  I like to do everything mama does.  I think I might bother her sometimes because I never leave her alone.  I just love her soooo much!  But that's okay because I know she loves me too.  

Let me tell you about some of my favorite things lately!  

I loooove gymnastics!  I get to go every Tuesday.  Sometimes I wish I could go more often so I could see my friend Anna.  I talk about her alllll week.  I like to run a lot.  The beam is fun too, but it's kind of scary.  Not as scary as that nasty pit though!  I won't be caught dead in there.  Mommy climbs in sometimes, but I cry because I want her to get out.  Sometimes I throw the foam blocks in though.... that's kinda fun.  I'm getting stronger too because now I can hang onto the bar for a really long time!  Maybe soon I will be tall like Mama too so I can reach the drinking fountain by myself.  All of the other girls can do it by themselves, and it makes me sad that I can't reach it.  My favorite part is the trampoline!  I could jump all day.

Also, my other favorite things are fruit snacks, reading books, singing, and talking.  I like to talk... A LOT.  I love learning new words.  Also, I can say my whole alphabet now!!! I think the letters H,Q, and W are kinda hard to say, but I try and Mama likes that.  

Apollo is still my best friend.  I like to use him as a stepping stool to help me get on the couch.  He doesn't seem to mind.  Plus, he eats all my food that I don't want to eat when I throw it on the floor.  That way, Mama doesn't have to clean up as much!  Win win!

My favorite TV shows are the ones on Netflix.  I like Super Why, Sid the Science Kid, and Oct-No's (Octonauts).  Mama doesn't let me watch tv very much, but that's okay because I can't sit still very long.  I like my toys much better.  My favorite toys are my kitchen, bowls and spoons, tea sets, my ice cream cones, and my cash register.  I like to play with the Munneeee (money).

My days are pretty awesome.  When I wake up in the morning, I play with my stuffed animals for a while until I get bored and ask Mama and Dada to come get me.  Then we go downstairs and eat oatmeal and fruit, sometimes yogurt eggs.  I loooove OATMUH!  It's the best.  Then we go get dressed and I get to pick out my very own hair bow... every day! Sometimes there's so many that it's hard to choose which one I want to wear.  I don't really like wearing clothes or shoes, but I do like dresses.  They are so pretty! After that, my days sort of vary as to what we do.  Sometimes I run errands with Mommy, Tuesdays I go to gymnastics, and some days I go get to see my friends Everett and Lyla.  When Mama and Dada both work, I go to Yaiyai or Grandma's house.  It's soooo much fun! When I go to Grandma's house I get to see my cousins.  They're pretty cool gals. At 1:00 every day, I get to take my nap.  I used to fight nap time, but now I love it! I feel so much better when I wake up after.  The evening varies, but usually I get to eat dinner with Mama and Dada and Apollo.  I like dinner time because I get to see Dada!  Sometimes I don't see him all day so I miss him.  At dinner, Apollo has to stay on the rug and wait until we are finished eating, but after dinner he gets to eat the stray pieces of food I threw on the ground for him.  Then it's bath time or story time! I love my books.  My current favorites are "Turtle Opposites," "Pinkalicious," "Who Dunnit," and "Curious George."  Then I get to go to bed and sleep until morning.  Sometimes mama comes in and checks on me while I'm sleeping, but I pretend like I'm asleep so she doesn't know.  If I lay real still and pretend I am asleep, she gives me lots of kisses.

I guess that's all for now.  Before I go, Mommy wants everyone to pray for me because I have to go to another doctor now.  We got the results back from my echo, and I have to go to a cardiologist now, whatever that means.  Something about a septal defect in my atrium.  Hopefully it means more stickers and prizes from the treasure box!  Wish me luck!  

Love, 

Eva-Diva

One point five

This is what she does when I ask her to smile....

Take two... pretending to be a rhinoceros

Eva is 18 months!!! She is growing like a little bean sprout, in more ways than one.  Her personality and vocabulary has made leaps these past few months, and her legs are finally starting to grow a little bit.  She is as sweet as she is feisty.  I think we have our hands full.  I probably say this every post, but THIS is my favorite age so far.  She learns a new word or two every day.  I really have to watch what I say around her.  She is my little clone and repeats every word I utter.  She does so many things each day that make my heart smile.  I want to take her picture 100 times a day when she does these cute little poses or has an adorable expression or basically anything she does.  I'm pretty much obsessed.  I guess it's like this for every mom and their first born.  She just feels extra special to me because she's my first biological family member I've ever known.  My one and only blood connection to this earth.  Seems pretty special to me :)

We started baby gymnastics this month!  The first week didn't go very well.  She has been extra clingy lately, and gymnastics was no exception.  It was hard for me to put her down, so I was basically holding her the whole time while she cried and told me which things she did NOT want to do.  The next week went a bit better, and this past week even better.  She is warming up to the class and the people.  She's the youngest and the smallest one there too, so she can't do as much as the other girls, but I think she will enjoy everything once she warms up and tries it.  She even made a little friend!  She smiles every time I say her name :)

We had her 18 month appointment recently as well.  Poor little girl is below the 1% for her height! Guess she's going to be short like mama :)  Unfortunately, the doctor noticed a heart murmur that she never heard before.  She said it's most likely nothing to worry about, and that Eva will most likely grow out of it.  However, she's sent us to Cardinal Glennon for an echo to get things checked out.  I was so proud of my little nugget.  She didn't shed one tear, and she laid completely still on my lap while the tech stuck electrodes on her back and checked out her torso with the ultrasound.  We are still waiting to hear the results from that, so any prayers until then would be much appreciated!  

Goodbye to the old, Hello to the new

" Without action, you aren't going anywhere."  - Mahatma Gandhi

2015.  This is my year of action.  A change of paths.  Beginning a new era.  It has been a long time in the works, but it is now all starting to come together.  I am leaving behind my Exercise Science background and pursuing my real passion- the medical field.  I've had a lot of doubts, regrets, and questions over the past few years upon making this decision.  But I know that it is the right one for my family, but also more importantly me.  That sounds selfish when I type it out, but it's true.  How can I be 100% to my family if I am not truly happy with myself?  When I am often thinking about what if, if only, and I wish.

My goal in life is to reconcile all regrets.  I am not naive enough to think I will die with no regrets, but I would like to think that I can come to terms with some of them.

   -  What if I hadn't gone to Lindenwood?

         I  may not have gotten to marry my best friend.

         I wouldn't have had a full scholarship, and would probably still be paying off student loans for the          next 10 years.

   -  If only I had chosen a medical profession from the beginning?

         Actually, I did, I just minored in it.  Unfortunately, I was unaware that certain science classes expire after a certain amount of time when you are trying to apply to future programs.

   -  I wish I had chosen a different major.

          Only because I knew I didn't want that to be my career.  I loved the major, loved my classes, loved the people I went to school with.  I loved that I could major in a field that I had a passion for, as well as minor in one that took care of the prerequisites I needed for my future education.  I just didn't love the future career choices.  Or the salary.  Live and learn.  I also love that I have this wellness background and the community that I have gotten to meet because of it.  I feel like it was important choice and benefit to myself and my future family.

That is the past, and I am finally moving forward.  I recently sent in my application to SLU for their accelerated second BS in nursing program.  If accepted, I start this summer as a full time student, which will be a crazy jump for this family of 3.  Once completion of the nursing program, I am going to apply to their nurse practitioner program.  Luckily, it's mostly all online, so I can start work right away as I finish up my schooling.  They have a masters program as well as a doctorate program.  I am leaning more towards the doctorate program, but the masters program would be quicker.  Luckily, I have time to decide.  Another plus is that I have a dear friend from high school who is also undergoing the same career change as me... this year!  Even though we are far apart, I won't feel so alone in this upcoming life change.  

This is the first time I am making this knowledge public to anyone besides my closest friends and family.  Partly because I wasn't sure I would be able to do it.  Partly because I am not sure if I will get accepted into the program.  But also, mainly because I was afraid what people would say.  In my head, I hear people judging me for going back to school full time because I won't be able to be at home with my daughter as much.  Or laughing that I didn't get it right the first time.  Or that I will be swamped with homework and school, and not working so I won't contribute financially to our household.  So, this is me openly sharing my hopes and dreams for my future with you.  I have a lot of goals set for myself, and this is just the beginning!  Any prayers along the way would be much appreciated as we undergo this journey.  It is going to be a definite change for us 3, and I can only hope that Eva is able to handle it okay.  It will hopefully make it easier for this momma to deal with, because I know I will be missing her like crazy! 

That is goal number one for 2015. Get accepted into SLU and get my BSN.  The nurse practitioner goal will be for next year.

Stay tuned for my other New Years Goals :) 

And here's a picture of Eva--

       

The Holiday Season... Whoop Dee doo!

We've kept busy throughout this holiday season.  Andy's unit got activated for Ferguson, so I was flying solo for about 2 weeks during Thanksgiving.  Needless to say, I got a little behind on schoolwork, cleaning, and Christmas shopping.  So, by the time he got home, I was in full on catch up mode.  Up until December 23rd, I felt like my schedule was jam packed! Luckily, I was able to pull off buying and wrapping everyone's Christmas presents, and it ended up being a really enjoyable Christmas.  

We got to spend a lot of time with family, and Eva had a lot of fun eating good food and opening presents.   I think it was a combination of getting to spend so much time with family, all the extra treats around, and the new toys, but she was in baby heaven.  She wasn't a big fan of Santa this year.  I took her to the mall, and she cried the instant I set her on his lap.  Even when Andy's dad dressed up as Santa this year, she freaked out.  Poor traumatized Eva-Diva.  Speaking of Diva, check out this super cute "throne" she got from Andy's parents!  She loves it... absolutely loves it.  She likes to run over to it and say "sit."  Or climb on top of it to get things off of the table.  She has become quite the little monkey these past few months.

(toes pointed)

(cousins)

(dancing)

Which brings me to my next topic, the fateful ER visit.  A few weeks ago, I was wrapping Christmas presents on our kitchen table.  Eva has figured out how to climb up on the chairs by herself, and she likes to sit and stand on them.  Unfortunately, on this occasion, she was wearing tights, and she slipped right off of the chair next to me and hit her head really hard!  She started crying, and within 7 seconds, started projectile vomiting all over her dress, my shirt, my arm, her tights, my jeans, my Uggs, and the floor.  I ended up stripping all our clothes in the sink, changing clothes and taking her straight to the ER in case she had a concussion.  Andy met us at the hospital, but luckily all they needed to do was monitor her for 3 hours.  She got graham crackers and apple juice and even a little coloring book and teddy bear.  Keeping her occupied in a room for 3 hours was a bit of a struggle, but she did fine.  In the 10 minute trip home, she fell asleep.  I felt bad waking her, because she decided on this special day she was only going to nap 45 minutes.  So, I laid her on the couch under a blanket for 15 minutes while I got dinner ready.  I went to wake her up, but she was so crabby!  She didn't want to be woken, but I figured it was the right thing to do.  As soon as I picked her up though, she puked all over my shirt again and all over the floor.  Yay.  I called the hospital pediatrician back again, but they didn't seem concerned, and said kids vomiting after a head injury was normal but to follow up with my normal pediatrician the next day or call back if something changed.  Followed up with her pedi and everything ended up checking out fine.  In fact, a lot of people in my family ended up spreading around a stomach virus right after that too, including Eva.  I'm wondering if it was a complete untimely coincidence.  Who knows, but it was definitely a scary moment for the both of us!

As far as New Years goes, we rang in 2015 in our jammies.  Eva tucked in bed, and Andy and I were in bed at a reasonable time too.  I worked on New Years morning at the hospital, so I needed to get to bed early.  I did get to head over to my parents afterwards for our annual eggs benedict brunch.  Such a fun family tradition that I look forward to every year!

Next post will be Eva's 18 month update as well as some New Years thoughts and plans.

Adventures of Eva Diva

I am so fortunate to have wonderful family to watch Eva while Andy and I are at work.  I am even luckier to have a professional photographer for a mother-in-law to document everything I miss.  Here is a little of what Eva has been up to lately:

My little clone. . . . 

     

13-15 Months

These past 3 months have gone by crazy fast.  Obviously, I'm behind on my blogging! Summer class came and went, and now fall classes are in full force!  We tried to transition Eva to one nap a day when she turned 1 year old, but it just wasn't happening. Little one seriously needed her sleep!  She was miserable.  When we tried to keep her awake long enough before her first nap, she wouldn't sleep long enough to make it worth while.  So instead of putting her down for her second nap, we'd hold her off until bedtime.  She'd be so crabby and tired that we'd put her to bed a half hour early, but then she would wake up even earlier in the morning.  That wasn't too bad, but then she'd want to take her first nap all the earlier the next day because she had woken up so early.  Then we'd try to hold her off to that first nap until later, and it was just a mess!  Up until about the time she turned 14 months, she was still a 2 a day napper.  Now she is almost exclusively down to one nap a day, and it's pretty amazing.  I get to get a lot more done in the mornings before nap time, and we get to enjoy a lot of outdoors time as well before the sun gets too intense.  

Our little girl is so spunky!  She is so opinionated and active.  This girl never sits still!  She is always running around corners, grabbing things off tables, wanting to be chased... it's never ending!  Sometimes it's tiring playing all day with her, but it's also so much fun.  She can say a few more words now, and she understands even more.  Sometimes I'm amazed when I will ask her to do something, and she will do it.  It kinda freaks me out.  Apparently, I need to start watching my French a little more carefully now.  She can respond "uh-huh!" to our questions, and she will shake her head no when she doesn't want something.  We've been working on her telling us when she's "all done" with her meals.  She knows how to do the sign, but for the most part she lets us know in her own non-polite way.  Basically, she just starts picking her food off her tray and throwing it to the dog, or flinging it off her tray in big swipes.  Luckily, we have a dog, so he cleans up any mess she makes on the floor.  She has also learned how to sign for "please," and it's the cutest thing ever!  Since she knows how to say thank you, I won't teach her that sign... but I kind of think it would be adorable if she knew how.

She has learned dozens of animal sounds/moves, I need to start capturing them on video.  I say sounds/moves because some animals I can't think of a noise to go with them, so I just make up something.  I'll do a hand movement or a gesture so she knows what I'm referring to.  Otherwise, she stares at me or points at the animal until I come up with something clever.  My favorite ones that she has learned to mimick are:

1.  Rhino:  She will point her finger and stick it on her head like she has a horn
2.  Turtle:  She will knock on her head three times, as if she were knocking on its shell
3.  Moose: she puts her hand up by her ear like she has antlers
4.  Whale:  makes the Dorie whale noise
5.  Manatee:  she says "moo" because manatees are often referred to as sea-cows
6.  Walrus:  She puts her finger up to her mouth and says "tusk tusk tusk"
7.  Puffin:  she says "puff puff puff"

Above is a picture of us on one of our daily runs.  I was recently training for the KT82, which was an 82 mile relay trail run.  It may sound crazy, but it was seriously so much fun.  Eva enjoyed all of our runs, and so did my doggie Apollo.  I also just finished my second Tough Mudder which was a blast as well!  Otherwise, our days have been spent stacking blocks, doing flash cards, playing with her fake food in her shopping cart, riding her rocking giraffe we named Ichabod, playing at the park, fake cooking in her play kitchen, and running errands with me.   She is such a joy to have around, and she does so many cute things all the time I can hardly stand it.  Sometimes, I just look at her and can't help but smile because she's so stinkin adorable.  I love my little munchkin, even though she's a feisty one.  Below is a pic of me and the hubby before we ran the Tough Mudder.

We started working on trying to teach her not to do things or else there would be a punishment.  It's definitely a work in progress.  She likes to pick on me.  I think it frustrates her when she sees me being able to do things that she is unable to or can't.  So sometimes she'll come over and hit me.  Other times she'll pull my hair, shriek at me, pull down my shirt, or try to stick her hands down my shirt.  Not really sure why she likes to do that.  She's definitely going through the hitting phase, so we've been showing her how to be soft, telling her to say sorry, making her give us cuddles, and as a last resort a time out.   It's starting to get better, but when she is super tired and cranky, the hitting comes out. The time outs aren't really effective yet, but someday I hope they will be.  Trying to establish a routine and a consistent consequence for her actions, but we'll see how she reacts when she gets a little bigger.  The looks on her face when she knows she's done something bad is priceless.  Sometimes she gives you a smarty pants smirk, like "what are you gonna do about it?" And other times, when you give her a stern look, she'll start crying before you even say "no."  It's really hard not to laugh sometimes when I'm trying to be serious and teach her not to do something.

    

These two, are seriously best friends.  She loves him so much.  And he, well... she's his constant food source.  So he likes her too.

Those thighs....

We took Eva to the zoo for the first time last month.  Her favorite part was of course the water fountain.  She was briefly entertained by the animals.  We even went to the children's petting zoo part, and all she wanted to do was put her hands in the mud that was littered with goat poop.  Needless to say, that ended real quick. 

We have spent so much time outside lately.  Despite my dislike for cold weather, we are LOVING the crisp fall air.  I broke out Eva's Uggs the other day... she loves them!  She always asks to put them on when they are out.  This girl knows her fashion already.  Oy vey! 

Lastly, her chalkboard photo.  These are going to come about every 3 months, but I will try to update more often.  

Taking pictures is hard work....