Weight: 19 lbs
Length: 27.5 in
Clothing Size: 6-9 Month
Nicknames: Audrey, Little Girl, Missy Prissy, Babycakes, Q calls her Audg
Sleep: You have 2 naps a day, sometimes 3. One is at 10 am, the next is at 2 PM and then maybe a little short name around 5 or 6 PM. Bed time is about 8:00 PM and then you just wake up in the middle of the night for a bottle ever 3 hours. You always go right back to sleep. But if that bottle doesn't come fast enough you let us know.
I Love... Mickey Mouse. You will giggle when he comes on, and if you are crying I can turn it on my phone and you immediately stop and start laughing. Love playing with Q, he is still the only one that can really get you to laugh. You have started smiling at other people more, but still hold the stoic face when new people are around.
I Hate... Waiting for your bottle, and laying down if you want to sit up and see whats going on. You also hate being left alone. You want to always be apart of the action. When you angry your ball both of your fists and grunt really loud. its pretty funny.
First: CRAWLING! Before you were going backwards but now you are a pro crawler. We also went to the Ocean for the first time and played in it.
Other facts: We did give you some egg for dinner the other night and your had an allergic reaction. It was sad, your face turned all red and spotchy and you got hives all over. I am praying that your only temporarily allergic and not really allergic like Q.

Weight: 17
Length:
Clothing Size: 6-9 Month
Nicknames: Audrey, Little Girl, Missy Prissy, Babycakes
Sleep: You have 2 naps a day, sometimes 3. One is at 10 am, the next is at 2 PM and then maybe a little short name around 5 or 6 PM. Bed time is about 8:00 PM and then you just wake up in the middle of the night for a bottle ever 3 hours. You always go right back to sleep. But if that bottle doesn't come fast enough you let us know.
I Love... Mickey Mouse. You will giggle when he comes on, and if you are crying I can turn it on my phone and you immediately stop and start laughing.
I Hate... Waiting for your bottle, and laying down if you want to sit up and see whats going on. You also hate being left alone. You want to always be apart of the action.
First: First trip to St. George, Started Rolling over consistently,
Other facts: You are the HARDEST baby to get to smile. You just stare at people and look so unimpressed. Its a big deal if someone can get you to smile or laugh. Of course Quentin and Mom get those all the time, but other people not so much. We went on a hike and you just had a blank face, it was so funny.

We bought Q one of these for his birthday a few years ago! They are awesome!

I am not a very good writer. I always read other blogs and articles wishing I could write the way they do. Whether that is with humor and wit or just getting a point across in the perfect way.

This article is the latter. She is able to get a couple of points across that I haven't been able to put into written word.

First she starts off by talking about how she is in a meeting and someone makes the comment that they should "steer clear of those crazy allergy parents". Unless you are a crazy allergy parent you wouldn't understand how much this hurts. Q and I have been uninvited to playgroup, birthday parties and other events because people didn't want to deal with his allergies.

She then goes on to explain exactly how it feels every day of my life. "Every single day I send my daughter to school, I say good-bye to her knowing that her life could be jeopardized because of what someone else chooses to eat. Every day I wave good-bye to her on the bus I think of the countless ways her airway could be compromised because of someone else’s snack or sandwich. If that’s not enough to make you crazy, I don’t know what is…so yes, I suppose on some level I am a crazy allergy parent. I’m crazy about keeping my daughter safe.”

I dont send Q to school yet, and in the fall when he starts preschool I am sure I will be on edge, so please be patient with me. EVERY DAY I worry about him. Going to new restaurants stress me out. I am on high alert the entire meal and dont end up eating anything myself, because every little cough or scratch sends me searching for my Epi Pen. I dont hire babysitters because I worry that if he eats something on their clock they wont give him the epi pen or realize whats wrong. I also worry about what that type of situation would be for them. So if you can imagine worrying about those things 24/7 for 365 you might understand why we are crazy.

She also mentions that she doesn't want her daughter to be defined by her allergies. I dont want Q's life to be a life of I cant do that, or missing out and only playing with me. I always am willing to bring snacks just for him to parties or playdates. I think he should still get to have friends and experience everything a typical 3 year old boy should, even with his allergies.

Her final thought is that she grateful for her friends and family. I dont think I have said how truly grateful I am for my friends and family. My friends have strengthened me whitout realizing it. They have given me vegan cookbooks, made me vegan meals so I can start making things for all of us, sent me articles about studies they find. They have invited Q over for playdates and deep cleaned their house before he shows up. They have taught their own children to ask if Q can have certain food so that he has other kids looking out for him. These same kids came running when Q took a drink of someones Milkshake to tell me what happened. When I have been in the hospital with him, or just pushed to my limits we have gone to Starbucks for a venting session or just texted me letting me know they were there for me.

I dont think I can say enough how grateful I am for my family. Whenever we go to my moms in California the first thing we do is make sure Q has plenty of options for food, and if we are going to a restaurant that I'm unsure if it is safe for him, we have driven across town for McDonalds and they have never complained or rolled their eyes. They have visited me in the hospital, prayed with me in the hospital and over the phone. They are my strength. I have to name someone- Donald is amazing with Q's allergies. He is always telling people they need to wash their hands or their lips before playing with Q. He is aware of everything that has butter and if someone ate it or touched it, he is reminding you to wash up. It is SO NICE having someone else being the 'dairy cop' and knowing that someone else is watching out for Q just as much as you are.

I know that as Q gets older I will need to have more faith and trust that Q and people he is associating with will be watching out for him. I pray every day that he will be safe and that he will have angels protecting him.

"So please, the next time you feel inconvenienced about packing an alternate lunch for your child on the day of the class field trip, or your child gets assigned to an allergy free classroom, or heaven forbid, you have to bring in an allergy free snack, please stop and think about the possibilities…do you really want to endanger the health of a child to make your life easier? And please… before you complain and start a protest about not being able to serve Reese’s candy hearts on Valentine’s Day, remember…you’re dealing with a bunch of crazies; don’t bite off more than you can chew!"

So for the month of February we are going a little crazy. I'm not sure what I was thinking, but its only day 4 and I already am wondering when will the month be over.

First I decided I wanted to do a month of no spending. This means not ordering anything on Amazon or going out to eat, and buying anything that is not an absolute essential. So to go along with that I thought it would be a good time to try Whole30, because if I have to cook every meal then we might as well give it a go. Since Q is highly allergic to meal, it just made sense that I make meals he can have too.

Like I said. Its only day 4 and I am wondering if this month is over yet. In these 4 days I realized that I use food when I am stressed or as a reward. Example: Audrey had to go to urgent care- on my way home i really thought "I deserve an ice cream for how awful my day has been" OR both kids have been screaming all day- i dont want to cook dinner- lets go out!

I haven't given in to either of these, and this first week has been a doozy. BOTH kids are sick, and Audrey really did have to go to Urgent Care last night because of coughing and struggling to breathe. Did I mention she still has a minor bladder infection? I think I deserve something sweet. Or a Large Diet Coke from McDonalds. Or the entire row of oreo cookies. Curse my sweet tooth!

In general its gone great. I have loved the meals I have made and as long as I start them in the morning and just have to throw them in the oven at 5, its worked out great. I am going to find a lot more crock pot dishes because that will be a life saver.

Here are my notes:
- Honeycrisp Apples and bannanas are my new go to stress food.
- I hate chicken.
- I dont miss dairy or carbs... I just want sugar.
- Q only like the teriyaki chicken I made. He wont eat anything else. Maybe that will change.
- We had the sister missionaries over and they loved everything I made.
-I dont know if I am going to be strong enough to say no to food when we go to some parties with our friends. eek. Or erics work party. We will see!

I haven't weighed myself since I started but I feel lighter... thats what matters right? 25 more days to go.

Last Saturday Mike's work had their Company Party at the Museum of Flight in Tukwilla. He had passes to get into the museum for free and invited us to go! Before we left though we watched the cutest niece while Donald and Emma went to the temple.

 

Have I mentioned that I LOVE my car?! We had all three kids in carseats on the same row! Look how happy they are! Quentin loves Ellie and she adores him. They were chatting up a storm the entire ride.

 Eric was with me, and we felt adventerous so we took all three to Costco. We had a ton of people do a double take when we walked by. And some people commented that they cant believe we had three little kids. Most people just asked where the groceries were going to go. (They went underneath the cart or Eric carried them)

To celebrate a successful day with the 3 kids we went to MCDONALDS!

Once Ellie was back with her parents we headed to Tukwilla.

 Q only wanted to see the Space Ship. He was so excited and it was pretty much all he talked about.

 They have a kids section where the kids can fly different planes. He thought it was fabulous. Although he did ask why he wasn't in the sky. Apparently he really thought he would fly. Poor kid.

 Proof that Audrey came too. We were walking through Air Force One. Eric photobombs in the back.

 More Spaceships!

 Flying a fighter plane with Dad.

 

It was so fun! We spent about 3 hours there and with Q and A thats all I think they would have lasted. Eric would have spent the entire day walking around and reading all the signs. 

Weight: 13lbs (10%)
Length: 27 in
Clothing Size: 3-6 Month
Nicknames: Audrey, Little Girl, Girly, Missy Prissy, Missy,
Sleep: You still wake up every 3-4 hours to eat. We have been giving you Formula more and I think you have become a happier baby and your naps have gotten longer. Your not waking up every few hours to eat now.
I Love... Quentin. You LOVE him. You watch everything he does and smile and giggle. So far you only really giggle for him. Especially when he is being crazy!
I Hate... Waiting for your bottle, and laying down if you want to sit up and see whats going on. You also hate being left alone. You want to always be apart of the action.
First: Urgent care trip, weekend at Grandmas without mom and dad
Other facts: You got bigger! But you also had a UTI this last month, your fever got up to 103.5. You were the happiest sick baby ever. You just wanted to cuddle and be held. No crying or screaming. We took you to get an ultrasound today and the tech was so impressed with how happy you were and didnt throw a fit while he was running his tests.

A few years ago (yes you read that right) Eric won a 2 night stay and free flights to LA. So for Christmas I set up the trip and decided that while we were there we would go to DISNEYLAND! I asked Mike and Sue to watch the kids, and made it a little get away weekend for Eric and I.

Our hotel was AMAZING. It was downtown LA right across from the Staples Center. 

Forgive all the pictures because they are selfies and not the best pictures. We got to the park around 9 am and went straight to Hyperspace Mountain for our FastPass. We then ran around the park going on any ride we wanted to. We had lunch at Cafe Orleans and had the most amazing Monte Cristo sandwich and beignets. Starting to droll just thinking about those!  The lines were not that long which made it all the better, and the weather was great! We had light jackets on and that was all we needed.

We even met Goofy, with a sweatshirt that makes me look HUGE. O well. It was so soft!

 It snowed last Sunday at Mike and Sues house! So we had to get our gear on and sled!

 Making a Snowman!

 He is a golfing Snowman.

 The lake behind their house was frozen. Eric of course wanted to see how frozen. Q was looking for frozen fish.

Admiring their handy work. Audrey was inside sleeping.

For Mikes Birthday we decided to get him an adventure! We took him to an Escape Room. Eric and I had been wanting to do one for a long time, and when Brianna said she wanted too, it was decided. 

I found a place in Redmond that has the escape room where you try to steal the Mona Lisa. You only have 60 minutes to try and complete the 2 rooms. It was SO much fun! We want to go back and do it again, so if anyone wants to join us let me know!

 

Trying to solve the puzzles. 

 Using the book to try and open more puzzles.

 It is an intense room.

 More Puzzle solving.

 Finally made it to room 2!

 We did it!! We stole the Mona Lisa in 44 minutes!

So we got to write on the wall. Just looking at these pictures makes me want to go back!!

You cant post about all the great things going on, without posting about the bad. I really try to post honestly about my life. This post is one of the bad ones. When we went to Maltby cafe for lunch I went to change Audrey's diaper and noticed that she had a fever and a rash over her entire body. After calling the doctors they told me to take her to Urgent Care right away. Since she was so young and had a rash they were very concerned for her. So Sue, Chelsea and Brianna took Quentin with them and I went to Urgent Care.

AUDREY

They coudn't find anything wrong with her. (No ear infection, no red throat) So they thought it was just a virus or something. That is until the doctor hear her cough. Now she has had this cough since she was a month old. Seriously. I have taken her to the doctor but they keep telling me it is just reflux or a cold draining down her throat. This doctor however immediately ordered a test for Whooping Cough (Both of my kids have been vaccinated). She is young enough that she hasn't recieved all the vaccines yet, so if someone had it and was around her, she could still get a mild case of it. The Mama Bear in me was furious! But that is another story. So she took the test and we went home praying the test came back negative.

Quentin

Quentin has had Ezcema since he was 3 months old. When he was that young it was so bad that it became infected with staph. We went to the hospital and given steriods and medicines galore to try and fight this. The staph infection went away, but the fight to control his eczema is an on going battle. It seems to always be worst at night, while he is relaxed. So every night around 12am he wakes up screaming and itching his entire body. The same night Audrey went to Urgent Care Q woke up screaming. I started treating him the same way I do every other night. Lotion, cuddling, then if that doesn't work he gets a bath/shower, (yes we take showers at 2 am) more lotion and cuddling. This night was different though. His skin was so red and swollen, and he kept screaming at me that he hurt. Usually he just says it itches. He kept crying asking for me to help me. It was breaking my heart and nothing was working. So I woke Eric up to tell him I was taking Q to the ER. (Urgent Care was closed) I prayed the entire way there. I was tired of being angry about his skin situation and I needed help. We got to the hospital and the doctor was amazing. He said he was have one of the worst flare ups the doctor had seen on a 3 year old. (Poor Q) He gave us some medicine and something to help Q not be in pain and we were on our way. LOVED OUR DOCTOR.
 

 Needless to say the next day, after 2 trips to Urgent Cares and ER's and getting a total of 3 hours of sleep I was drained. I was praying all day, every time it ended in tears. I was trying to find out what I was supposed to be learning. I was heart broken that my children were in pain and I couldn't do anything about it. Serious tears people. After I picked up the Sugar Free Cookies for Q. (Gluten Free and Vegan) from a bakery in Redmond I was needing a food pick me up. I went to the Starbucks drive thru and ordered a Hot Chocolate. When I got to the pay window the barista told me that the lady in front of me had paid for my drink. I instantly burst into a new set of tears. I'm sure the barista didn't know what to do or say. I said thank you and drove away.

I knew at that moment that even though I was going through this trial with my kids that God was still mindful of me and trying to help me through this. God is good,  the church is true.  Since then I have made more of an effort to prayer continually throughout the day. Even though we still have trips to Urgent care (Audrey went on Monday with a high fever) and Q still has eczema, I know that God is behind the scenes prompting me and giving me strength to continue on.