Polka Your Eye Out

If your reading this, your probably wondering about the title of this blog. I will get to that in just a moment. This past weekend Ryan and I went to Hot Springs, AR with our good friends Hilary and Kevin Austin. This is the second year we have headed south with the Austins and enjoyed two days of "intense" horse racing, lots (and I mean lots) of food, and the occasional beverage. The worst part about the weekend was the weather. It was cold and wet. Both Hilary and I had planned for nice weather so we were a bit disappointed we weren't able to wear our cute outfits. Because of the weather, we weren't able to enjoy our walk through downtown Hot Springs on Saturday morning. However, the guys were nice enough to drop us off at a few of our favorite stores.


Now, back to the title of my blog. Friday evening we had reservations at a German restaurant in Hot Springs. The food was really good and the atmosphere was definitely different. We were all hoping for a little entertainment to go along with our nice meal. Boy did we get entertainment. "It" consisted of a husband and wife. He played the tuba and she played the accordion. They played mostly polka music and both sang.....if that's what you call it. We really had a great time listening to them and laughing at them. Seriously, you had to be there to understand. If you know Hilary and I, then you know that we like to capture moments like these with a picture. So, that's what we did. This "band" had postcards made up so Hilary and I took a couple of those and later searched their website, www.polkayoureyeout.com. Please do me a favor and visit this website in your free time. That is all I have to say. It speaks for itself.


Saturday, Ryan and I had a great day at the races. We won several races and overall, only ended up down $30 for both days. Saturday night we ate dinner at a Hibachi grill and it was delicious. We then went over to the casino at the track where I introduced Hilary to the world of slots. Now don't worry. She only played a nickel slot and after one hour of playing on just a $5.00 bill, she was up $10.00 and cashed out! Congrats Hil on your first "Big" win on a Wild Cherry Slot Machine. Watch out Vegas.......here she comes!!! We then ventured across the street to Players for some live music. The band (again just a two person band) was awesome. That was an interesting evening to say the least!


The entire weekend was lots of fun and we are looking forward to next year!

Hot Springs 2008

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Happy Easter!

What a GREAT Easter! I can hardly believe that another Easter has already come and gone. On Saturday, Nana and Grandpa took Charley to their church for a puppet show and Easter Egg Hunt. From what I heard, Charley was a vicious Easter Egg Hunter! She had so much fun with Nana and Grandpa. Today, Ryan and I took Charley to church in her adorable Easter dress and actually worked in the nursery. We weren't able to attend an Easter service, but it was nice to at least be able to go and see all the kids dressed up in their cute outfits. We were even able to take the kids in our class across the hall to the petting zoo. Ok, there weren't any animals except baby chicks, but Charley thought that was great! Then we headed back to Nana and Grandpa's for a DELICIOUS meal. Thanks Nana!!! After another quick Easter Egg Hunt, we went home for a little R&R. After a nice long nap, we packed up again and headed over to MeMe's and PaPa's. Charley's cousins, Haley, Allison, and Emma also came over and Charley had so much fun hunting Easter Eggs with them. Then, we all had a Chili Dog's. Charley LOVED those hotdogs MeMe and especially the cupcake! I know she wishes that PaPa could have been there. I am so thankful for my family and I hope everyone's Easter was as blessed as mine!

Easter 2008

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The Emergency Room, The Doctor's Office, and Two Nights in the Hospital..........ALL IN ONE WEEK!

What a week! That is all I can say! This past week was one of the most traumatic experiences that myself, Ryan, and especially Charley have had to endure. Monday evening Charley began vomiting and screaming non-stop. After about two hours of this, Ryan and I decided to call Urgent Care and based on Charley's symptoms, we were advised to take her to the ER. I will spare you most of the details, but Charley was given an IV to help replenish her fluids. She also had an X-ray taken of her lungs. After seven more hours in the ER, Charley was diagnosed with Pneumonia and sent home. Since Charley had been vomiting, I was advised to give her only clear liquids the following day and then follow up with her doctor on Wednesday.

We finally returned home and Tuesday was a pretty normal day. In addition to her liquid diet, I did allow Charley to have some saltine crackers. I was so glad that Charley was back to normal.

Wednesday morning I went in to get Charley ready for her doctor's appointment and she was almost unresponsive. She was unable to stand while I dressed her and could barely keep her eyes open. I immediately put her in the car and we headed to the doctor. Once we arrived, her doctor could clearly see how sick Charley was and ordered several tests. All of the labs came back normal except for her hydration levels. Her hydration level was only at a 12 and a normal level is anywhere between 25 and 35. Her blood sugar had also dropped to a dangerous level. Charley's doctor decided that the only thing that would help her would be an IV. Easier said than done! After four attempts, the nurses were unable to get an IV started because of how dehydrated Charley was. As you can imagine, Charley was very traumatized by the whole event. Because they were unable to get an IV started, the doctor felt it was best to admit Charley to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital around 2:00 pm on Wednesday. The doctor came in and said that because Charley had already been stuck four different times, he was willing to try two more times and if that didn't work, Charley would have to be given a feeding tube down her throat. Luckily, on the sixth try, a nurse was able to get an IV started. The bad thing was that the IV was put in her right arm, which is arm she needs access to in order to suck her thumb. This created a HUGE problem for Charley! She was very upset that the one thing that had always comforted her had all of a sudden been taken away. On top of all that, Ryan had been home all day sick with a stomach bug and I had to leave Charley at the hospital that night because I got sick as well. Luckily, Nana stepped in to help and stayed the night with Charley. We later found out that Charley did NOT have pneumonia, just a bad virus. Don't ask me how a misdiagnosis like that happens. Your guess is as good as ours!

The next morning Ryan and I were feeling better so we headed back up to the hospital to see our little girl. We were told by the doctor that if Charley could eat and drink a sufficient amount, she would be able to go home that evening. Unfortunately, Charley wasn't up to eating or drinking very much that day. So, her IV was put back in (thank goodness in her other arm with sucking thumb access)and fluids were started again. One of the only "good" parts about Charley's stay at the hospital is that she received some balloons (Elmo was her favorite) and a cute kitten from her best friend Zach. Thanks Zack, Hilary, and Kevin!

I stayed with Charley at the hospital last night and it was heart breaking to see such a little person laying in a hospital bed clearly unaware why she was there and why she continued to get tortured by evil hospital people (and believe me, some of them are truly evil). We were fortunate enough to return home today and Charley has been back to her old ways. There is just something about that dog food that she loves!

This whole experience really made me thankful for my life. I realized how lucky Ryan and I really were. There were children in the hospital dealing with far worse and I can only imagine what it must be like for their parents. I am also so thankful for grandparents!!! They really pulled through and were there at every moment needed. Charley is so lucky to be loved by so many. I am also a firm believer in the power of prayer and know that our prayers and the prayers of others were answered!

We love you Charley and are glad you're home!



The two pics above are of Charley's arm after the ER visit.


Looking up at Nana


Sad Face


Bum Arm....and no Thumb!



New IV with Thumb Access!


Wagon Ride down the Hall




Balloons from Zach


Finally at home with new kitty from Zach

Build A Bear..........Or A Cat!

Today, Ryan and I took Charley to Build A Bear Workshop at the mall. She was having kind of a "sad" day, so we decided to cheer her up with another stuffed animal. Charley picked out "Cha Cha" (the unofficial name of the cat) all by herself. She was a little confused at first as to why her cat was so deflated, but I'm pretty sure she would have been happy with just that. She watched in awe as stuffing was added to Cha Cha. Cha Cha was given a heart and dressed and then we were on our way. Charley is enjoying her new friend and especially likes for Cha Cha to ride in the stroller with her. If we could just keep Cha Cha's skirt from falling down we would be doing good!

Build - A - Bear - Workshop

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A Fun Day At The Park!

Today was an absolute beautiful day! As a way to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather, we took Charley to Sequiota Park. You would have thought that someone at the park was giving away a million dollars to everyone that showed up. It was packed! Charley really enjoyed looking at the ducks........and eating their snack! She also liked petting all the dogs that she could. What a great day! If only every day could be spent like today!

At The Park!

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Charley with...........Straight Hair?!

So, today I decided to do a little experiment with Charley's hair. As many of you know, her hair is extremely curly. Since I have never seen her hair straight other than in the bathtub, I decided to straighten it. Now don't worry, Charley was not harmed in this experiment and I have no intentions of doing it again anytime soon. I was surprised by how long her hair actually was. It was so funny to see Charley react to her new look. She wasn't sure what to think, but new that something wasn't quite right. In fact, she was so uncomfortable with her new look, I could barely get a picture of her. She is already developing a conscience about herself!

Charley's New Pajamas

Last night Ryan and I bought Charley an adorable nightgown. Since it was so warm today, we decided to let her wear it for a little while before bed. Needless to say, Charley felt extra special with her new "monkey" nightgown. Girls are so much fun!


See my new nightgown!


Enjoying a bedtime snack!


Admiring my new "jammies"!