The Story of the Mystery Poop

Warning: There are details of poop, obviously, in this post. If you are eating...I would recommend coming back to this later.

 

Okay, the story begins the day after we got home from Michigan.

 

I must note that on our trip Ali had a very healthy poop schedule. She was going a little more often than normal and it was a consistency that was unlike her, but not too weird.

 

On Tuesday night, Ali had the runs. The weird thing was, it was white.

I, for some reason, didn't think much of it.

 

The next day she was acting a little different. Not sick really, just didn't have a big appetite and was a little more snuggly than usual. She pooped again, more solid this time, but it was still white. I knew it wasn't normal and called the doctor. They of course wanted her to get in right away.

I love our pediatrician. LOVE.

He wasn't too alarmed and explained to me things to watch for. He explained that light colored poop usually means something is wrong with the liver or there's a blockage of some sort. He said he felt that it was okay because she was not jaundice at all and not uncomfortable. If it were a blockage, he said it would be super painful and her tummy would be bloated.

I left the office confident she was fine, like he said, and that things would start getting normal.

 

That night, at about 1:00 am, Ali woke up crying. I went in to check on her and she had puked all over. We got her cleaned up, Scott gave her a priesthood blessing and we all went back to bed.

That morning, she was super sluggish, refused to eat and was a little fussy. That night, she seemed to be more upset about her tummy and that it was bothering her. I was not sure if she had a bug or if it was the start of something the Dr. told me to watch for. (she never did get jaundice)

 

This is what our Friday looked like. Poor girl was so sleepy. She pooped again and it was still white, so I called the Dr.

Our pediatrician wasn't in but another Dr in his office saw us.

That Dr. wasn't sure why she was acting the way she was. She had no signs of anything serious but he felt we needed to have some blood work done. He wanted to check if there was inflammation anywhere, any virus and check her liver numbers.

I was so upset and worried how she would do. She was super irritable with the Dr and was traumatized just by his examination. I knew the blood draw would not be pretty.

And I was right. It was horrible. I am naturally a very emotional person, so when it comes to my kids, it is magnified by 1000.

I had to hold her in my lap and restrain her while they drew her blood. We were both crying so hard. I am grateful for the wonder phlebotomist that got it done as quick as she could and didn't seem to judge me too badly. Hahaha

 

After it was all over...She slept.

 

The next day, Ali seemed to be doing better. She was eating, playing and acting like her happy self. She continued to poop white, but was acting normal. YAY!

The results came back normal on everything. What a relief!

We just had to deal with white poop...That's easy!

 

On Saturday morning, Cam woke up and was not hungry. He just wanted to lay on the couch and be left alone. I knew he must not be feeling right, but didn't think much of it. He ended up throwing up all over and then fell asleep on the couch watching a movie.

 Poor guy was so tired and sick. 

 

Ali was so sweet and so worried about Cam. She adores him and could tell something was wrong. She was constantly rubbing his back or his hair and talking softly in his face. It was so precious to watch. The love they have for each other was so evident, from the both of them, during this time. Ali learned how to care for Cam because that is how he cared for her during the couple days before.

 

Well, after a couple days and few more times throwing up, Cam was back to normal. I think whatever Ali was sick with earlier in the week was actually a virus and that is what Cam got. (Although that does not explain the white poops.)

 

As of today, she is finally pooping normal!

 

I am so grateful for my kids. I am grateful they are both healthy and happy right now. I am grateful we have the ability to see a Dr we trust and have easy tests done when needed. I am especially grateful for the power of the priesthood and that we have it in our home. Both kids received blessings the first signs of illness and I know, without a doubt, they were blessed by our Heavenly Father. I am grateful that Cam is aware of that and know he will teach Ali the same. I am grateful my kids have each other and that they care so much for one another.

 

I am grateful Ali is pooping normal...I just wish the mystery was solved.

Ali Bug

I wanted to post some things about you so I don't forget them as you get older. I'm grateful that I wrote about the little habits and characteristics that brother had when he was your age. Reading over them helps me re-live those great days!

You are gorgeous! I could stare at you all day. You are even precious when you are sad!  You have what we call a Boo Boo lip.  If something upsets you, you stick out your lower lip and, after 5-10 seconds, burst into tears.  While it's sad to see you so upset, the whole process is just so cute to watch.  Your heart is just so sensitive.

Everyday, I place some sort of bow or clip in your hair.  You hate them and can't stand to have them in.  You always seem to find a way to take it out while I'm not looking.  Sometimes you even rip it out to tease me while I am looking.  You always get a kick out of that!

You are a chatty girl and babble often. You are great at rolling your R's. You make Daddy proud, he is sure you are going to speak spanish easily. :)

You are growing up fast and when you turned 1, we put you in a big girl carseat. You have enjoyed it a lot, but haven't really slept in it like you would the baby seat.

You are a cuddle bug.

Depending on the day, your hair gets curly in the back. I love those days.

You are a Mommy's girl, but when Dad gets home all you want is him. I remember Cam being the same way. It's a great balance!

Out of everyone in the world that you know, including dad and me, you prefer

GRANDPA.

You are insanely obssessed with him. As soon as you see him, wherever we are, you reach your hands up and start whinning until he grabs you. We have to literally peel you off of him when it is time to go. Heartbreaking for both you and him.

As soon as we go to Grandma and Grandpa's house, everyone runs to greet you and get their kisses in because, as soon as you see Grandpa, you want nothing to do with anyone else.

Usually, they ask him to hide for a bit in order to get extra time with you.  

You have finally started crawling on your knees. You have been an army crawler for some time now and seeing you on your knees is so cute!

You love cruising the couch. You are just most content on your feet.  You have a talent for finding the thumbs of the person closest to you and using them to pull yourself up.  You especially love when someone will walk you while not letting go of their thumbs. Usually when that gets started, you won't stop without crying.

You say "cheese" so cute when we take your picture.

It's more like "sheeesss"

You are still in your stranger danger phase. If new people are around, you need to be right next to mom or dad.

Even when doing something fun, like riding in the bike trailer.

You seem to be a homebody. When we are out or at Grandma's you constantly need someone around you and tend to get cranky fast. At home you are content and can play alone for as long as needed.

You love to eat. You will eat anything and everything. Especially sweets.

You are busy busy. You are always on the go. You have to be entertained constantly or you are up wiggling and whinning. Much different than Cam.

You are never picked up without being kissed. You are always being loved on by everyone in the family. I'm glad, because that has made you a very affectionate girl.

When you are being held, you grab the collar or shirt of whoever is holding you.

You are a great sleeper. Always have been, thankfully. You sleep great at night and put yourself to sleep during your morning nap and night time. Your afternoon nap, I still need to hold and snuggle you. If you are in your crib, you will only sleep an hour. If I hold you, you sleep 2 1/2, which is needed because we don't have time to give you an after-dinner nap. It's hard to tie myself down to hold you every afternoon with all the things I need/could be doing, but I know it won't be forever. And I know I won't always get to feel you breathe so close to my face, see you sleep so soundly, see you switch your bink back and forth as you fall asleep and just snuggle you so closely for as long as I want, so I will take it all in now and count my blessings.

You are a bink lover. I'm afraid for the time to come when we'll have to wean you off of it.

You hate water. Always have. You just barely started taking a bath in the big tub with brother. You will only do it while sitting in your baby bathtub though.

You hated going swimming and cried anytime the water touched you.

You were content sitting next to me watching and waving to Dad and brother.

You adore Cameron. He makes you so happy. You always want to do what he is doing and you make that very clear.

You are sensitive to him and, if he is upset, you start fussing with worry.

He makes you crack up in the car and teaches you fun ways to dance.

You are best friends.

That being said, you are starting to be a little jealous of him at times. If he is near me and you want to be, you pull, scratch, and even yank on his ear to get him away.

You can say Mama, Dada, Papa, puppy, oink, hi, bye-bye, bubblebutt (Robs fish name), cheese, mas, brother (sometimes), No and Knock-Knock (Cam jokes).

You fold your arms so cute when we pray and instead of 'amen' you scream 'ahhh' at the end of prayers.

You are such a joy to be around. You are my favorite girl and I can't imagine my life without you. Seeing you grow and change everyday makes my heart happy. You are loved so very much!

Big brother, the comforter.

I need to catch up on my blog! It is a little discouraging...and then makes me procrastinate even more.
I have decided that I am going to start doing current posts and work on the 'catch up' posts when I can.

Ali was playing today, standing by the couch. She had grabbed my ipad while I wasn't watching at dropped it right on her foot. It was so sad. I'm sure it hurt so bad!
Cam was so concerned and ran over to her while I was trying to comfort her. He inspected her foot and made sure it was ok. He then kissed the top of her foot and leaned in to hug her. She loves her brother's hugs and this was no exception. It was so cute. She calmed down quickly and just laid in his shoulder.
I hate when either of my kids are in pain, but to have moments like this, make them worth it just a little.
I love what a good brother he is. I love watching him take care of her. I love how much she wants him to love and take care of her.

Regional Conference

We had an amazing opportunity to go to regional conference at The Conference Center downtown. Elder Holland and President Uchtdorf were going to speak to us. They gathered over 30 stakes throughout the state to attend this session. It was great to be gathered together on a beautiful Sunday to listen to our apostles.

They shared great stories and lessons for us. I am so grateful to have attended and be in their presence. 

 

I only wish we could have taken pictures with them!!

Great Grandpa Talbot

We were able to take a weekend trip to St. George to visit Grandpa and Joyce. It was such a fun trip to spend time with just our little family and visit with them.

 

Cam and Grandpa have always had a special relationship. They connected even when Cam was a baby. Since Grandpa lives in St.George we don't get to visit too often with him, but Cam has always been so comfortable around him.

 

Grandpa is the coolest Grandpa ever. He is so funny and makes the funniest jokes, mostly about his good looks.

He is very attentive to the kids, especially Cam, and is always willing to play with him. This trip, Grandpa introduced him to this fishing game. They played it often.

 

Grandpa is a great golfer. He was so kind and gave Scott an older golf set a few years ago so Scott could start playing. Since then, Scott has really enjoyed golfing and has introduced Cam to the sport.

We got Cam a golf set for Easter and brought it with us on this trip.

Grandpa was so excited to take Cam to the driving range. Cam was more excited!

I love these pictures of him teaching Cam the proper way to hold the clubs. He was so patient and sweet. Cam was in heaven.

Grandpa took us to the carousel that day too and Cam insisted on riding on the bench by him.

 

 

Best of friends!

 

What a great trip. I love Grandpa. He is such a special guy and I am so grateful I am part of his family and he has been so loving to my kids. I am so glad we took this trip and captured all of these shots for Cam to have someday. I want him to remember what a special great grandpa he has and how much he loves him.

January in Pictures

Since having the ipad I take way more pictures. It is so convenient and actually takes decent pictures.

It always makes it so I don't blog as much. I can easily upload and post pictures to facebook and instagram and forget to blog them.

 

Here is what we did in January...

 

Of course Ali admiring Cam.

Pulling out all the Chuggintons a zillion times a day.

Dr's appointment...

Ali always has her tongue out!

Watching a show and sitting like Papa

:)

A decent weather day meant a bike ride without freezing! Ali enjoyed going on a walk too.

Playing with brother's ear. One of her first things to grab on people.

Lots of naps! Ali won't sleep long in the afternoon for her nap unless she is snuggled in my arms. 1/2 hour versus 2 1/2 hours. Yeah, I will just hold her.

Love these cheek pictures!

Kangaroo Zoo with Porter and Emily.

Scooter Cam!

He named himself and slides all over the kitchen saying, "Here comes Scooter Cam!"

A little more tongue...

Ali playing

Peek-A...

BOO

for the first time. So precious.

Sibling love.

The opening of BWW made me so happy. It reminds me of home so I insisted we go opening weekend. In MI there was BWW right next to the Galyan's I worked at. A lot of nights after we closed the store we would all go over to eat and play. Being at this new one brought back so many memories for me and made me miss all my MI pals. 

Who doesn't love a Cameron sandwich?

Just happily playing together.

What a great month we had.

The countdown continues...

11 more months until Scott graduates!

Happy New Year

We are pretty boring on New Year's. We are lucky if we stay awake long enough to watch the ball drop. After texting my family at 10 pm my time (midnight their time) I am usually ready for bed.

 

We just hung out at Scott's parents and ate yummy food.

I don't mind low key nights...

 

I can't believe we are starting a new year. A year that will be so busy. Cam will start preschool, Ali will continue to grow up and change, Scott will be graduating....GRADUATING! and I will be probably just trying to get through the nights when Scott is in school.

 

Happy NEW YEAR!