A little story by Campbell

Preschool

Campbell started preschool. She loves it and was totally great with being away from mom. I think it affected me more then her!

And Taite takes a nap the whole time that Campbell is gone:)

Campbell, oh Campbell!

Campbell being a bat for the day (she picked out the entire outfit)

I have said before that she has some spunk! Here are some latest developments.

Conversation at lunch:

Me: Campbell did you eat any grapes?
Campbell: No, I don't like grapes. (she does)
Me: Campbell you need to eat some fruit.
Campbell: I'm a fast eater. Chicka-chicka-wa-wa.
(giggles ensue)

moments later:
James: Mom, Campbell said I am gross.
Campbell: Chicka-chicka-wa-wa.

Campbell has started answering with "yes, sir". I have absolutely no idea where this came from, but I like it better than a mumbled "uh-huh".

She has also started referring to her friend Bekah as Becky. I have questioned her and she has no explanation as to where it came from. All she says is "she likes it when I call her that". When asked if Bekah asked her to call her that she said no.

We love our unique little firecracker and get a kick out of all her antics.

This is for all the Grandma's out there. . .

who are coming to visit soon. She was sitting no less then 5 feet away from me when this happened. And they weren't washable. I threw them away so it can't happen again. But take this as a warning. She is cute and sweet most of the time:)

Evolution of "Why did the chicken. . .:

In the car today Campbell was telling jokes. The best one by far was:



C: Why did the chicken cross the playground?

Me: I don't know.

C: To get to the other slide!

I think she came up with it herself, I had never heard it before.

So . . . thirsty!

Last night when we were going through the bedtime routine: p.j.'s, brush teeth, tucking in, kisses, Campbell told me she wanted some water. We are trying to bedtime potty train so we are cutting out the sippy of water at night. I told her no turned off the light and shut the door. Bill later went to check on the girls and gave them each a sip of water. We try to not be horribly cruel.

This morning when the girls woke and climbed in bed with us I asked them each what they dreamed about. And guess what Campbell's response was? Drinking fountains.

We had a good chuckle.

All In Good Time

I know this is going to be embarrassing for Campbell one day but it had to be taken. Of the 3 childhood memories that I have one is of sitting on the potty with a bottle filled with root beer. She is actually drinking Dr. Pepper (what a reward!), that is one of the things she had me put on her Christmas List. I don't know where she came up with it! Well, we would like to announce that Campbell is potty trained! Last week we were running errands and got into a situation where I didn't bring a spare diaper and she wanted to try to go potty. Ended up going commando and then James' school was let out early and I totally forgot about Campbell not wearing a diaper or underwear. She was dry for 2 and a half hours and then she went on the potty. And this was the turning point. She won't go back to diapers. During the day at least. She has fought us on the night time diaper but she isn't staying dry yet. She won't have anything to do with pull ups. I don't know if it is because they are princesses or she just doesn't like them. I am so happy and lucky that my kids are so easy to potty train! On Thursday it will be a full week of panty wearing and she will get to pick out a special toy. We'll let you know what she gets. It always surprises me what she can come up with. I mean Dr. Pepper on your wish list? Really?

Campbell and her friend.

Campbell was reading her dinosaur book to the kitty yesterday.It was really cute, the kitty likes dinosaurs! Then the cat got a little interested in the popcorn.

And Campbell wasn't too sure about that.This morning James brought these things to me. She told me she found them under Campbell's pillow. Last week Bill was getting Campbell's bed situated for bedtime and under her pillow he found lots of trinkets. Including my barretts that I have been searching for! She is a little collector, and she knows where to keep them hidden.

The rest of the brithday party.

After the cheesecake we headed to Navy Pier to go to the Children's Museum. It was lots of fun. Digging up dinosaur bones. Playing in the water.Pretending to be a turtle eating fish.Overall I would say Campbell got to do her favorite things and hang out with her favorite people for her birthday (well, not all of her favorite people).

Halloween and Campbell's Birthday

This was our 6th Annual Halloween at the VerCautren's. We all always have fun. And just 3 years ago we were celebrating before Campbell was going to join us the next day.Here is a better picture of the girls costumes. They were super easy to put together and they loved them. Win-win for everyone:) Now, for Campbell's birthday we met my parents and brother Luke at Jay's Beef. We ate a great lunch and then headed over to the Eli's Cheesecake World (the actual factory where they make the cheesecakes, they have an outlet and a little cafe where you can eat) to celebrate. Luke and Campbell in front of one of the Chicago Cows at the cheesecake factory.
Family picture: Luke, Dad, Mom, James, Campbell, Bill and me!
The VerCautren clan and the Wicke clan.
Campbell, candles and cheesecake!After the celebrations we went to the Chicago Children's Museum. I will post more tomorrow!

The Bean turns 3!

Campbell is three today. I really can't believe it. (I guess lots of things are surprising me with how fast life flies by) We have a day of fun planned with family and friends. She is such a wonderful little girl and we can't imagine a day without her. She recently started doing a new chore. All on her own. I couldn't find her the other day in the house so I called out her name and she was in the basement. I asked her what she was doing (the basement is unfinished). She replied "I'm cleaning the kitty's poo-poo." I had to go investigate. Sure enough, she had scooped all the poop into a bag, and didn't really make that much of a mess. I guess that I wasn't that surprised because she can always do more then I think she can. What a big helper. At that moment I vaguely remembered her telling me earlier that the cat needed to go pee-pee, I guess that sparked her concern for the kitty litter. She always has to help with with EVERYTHING. Cleaning, cooking, reading. And she is no follower. She will always come up with her own answer and break away from the group. We love our little spunky Campbell Colleen (she really takes after her great aunt Colleen, what big shoes to fill!).

ps I will post pictures later of Halloween and the party.

Blomster Overraskelser

I have accepted this new past time that makes getting things done around the house easier for me. Campbell, my little 2 yr old (almost 3!), can pretty much navigate her way around any web site. So, I often set her up on the computer playing Nick Jr., pbskids, starfall, up to ten or Polly Pocket. Some days as I walk by the computer I notice that she has figured out something new, like watching episodes of Go, Diego, Go or like this morning she had changed the language on the Polly Pocket web site to Danish. So she was playing Blomster Overraskelser instead of Flower Surprises. I guess she is trying to get back to her Danish roots. Such a smart little cookie. I enjoy hearing her yell new Spanish words back to Dora or Diego and she is really improving her fine motor skills. I know she will be typing in no time!

This age is so much fun because her vocabulary is really starting to take off. It reminds me of James at this age and it just blows us away the words she picks up and can apply in her conversations. I love children that communicate well! Yesterday at my mom's James was coloring and there were words to describe the simple pictures. I asked her what the word said and she was able to spell it out and then sound it out herself. I had no idea she already can sound out. So we will be working on reading! It is so exciting when they learn something new. Especially this HUGE, reading, it just opens up the world to you.

Argh, matey!

The other day James was helping Dad cut up some wood and she told me she got a piece in her eye. We washed it out and gave it a day, then we went to the doctor. He put some antibiotic drops in and gave her a pirate eye patch. She didn't like it at first. Now she won't let me take it off. Last night the girls were running around. I love getting pictures of them exploding with joy and mischief. Yesterday James graduated from Preschool. The two sisters have so much fun together.The little mortar boards were so cute. Teachers are so creative! She will miss all of her preschool friends when we move and her teachers (who are amazing people, if I could buy them and have them live with us I would!).

Campbell found a snake.

Campbell has started this new thing of going outside, by herself. It's not the greatest thing and I don't let her be out there for more then like 2 minutes. The other day she went outside and was standing right by the side door. Then she says "Mom, a snake, a snake!" I go outside and ask her where it was. She pointed and this is what we saw:I guess we need a biology lesson. Although I was impressed that she even thought it was a snake.

Sleep, child, sleep!

I don't think Campbell understands the importance of sleep yet. James has always been such a sleeper. Bill says that James is more like him and Campbell is more like me. These pictures were taken at 10 o'clock at night. Campbell had spent 3 hours making noise, intermittent crying, and peaking her head out of the bedroom door until she finally just came out and sat on the couch. We usually don't give in. But she is so dang cute! Especially when she is so tired and loopy. Last night she was pulling the same tricks. I went in and talked to her a little about how she needs to go to sleep. Then I started humming her a song. She asked to be in her bed and if I would sing "Wheels on the Bus" (her favorite bed time song, I think because it has so many verses, or the repetition helps her fall asleep). After I was done I tucked her in and she fell asleep, not right away but she didn't make any more noise. I hope this works every night.

holes in the knees

Today James successfully broke through her first pair of jeans. When I picked her up from Preschool she said "mom, I have holes in my jeans." And sure enough, she does!
Sometimes I just need to be brought back down to earth when I am thinking about how wonderful my kids are. The other day I noticed that James had placed this bath toy on a mirror in her room. I asked her what it was. She replied "The Reflection House and my polly pockets live there." Me, totally impressed, asked her what they did there. She said that they reflect. The next day I caught part of a movie she was watching and found out where she got the idea of Reflection House. Check out the Mariposa, there is a reflection cave.
Last week we made a cake for Spring. The girls loved it!
James made glasses out of pipe cleaners. One pair for her Webkinz Ribbit and a pair for Campbell. Harry Potter-esque.
My wonderful Grandma, the girls Great Grandma Bell (James calls her Special Grandma, I think because she lives in California and James loved it when we visited.), has Alzheimer's disease. She recently started quilting again to keep herself active. With help from my aunt and cousins she has made quilts for all the grand kids that didn't receive one when they were born. Campbell was so excited to get a package. And she loves the blanket so much she wouldn't even look up for a picture! Thanks Grandma!

Signs of Choking

Choking occurs when something blocks the airway. When the airway is completely blocked, the child cannot breathe. Choking can be a frightening emergency. But if you act quickly, you can help the child breathe.

If the child can speak or cough loudly, the child's airway is only partly blocked. You should not try to open the airway. If you are worried about the child's breathing, Phone 9-1-1.

Signs of choking in the child with a completely blocked airway are

• The child suddenly begins to cough, gag. or have high-pitched, noisy breathing
• An older child may make the choking sign (holding the neck with one or both hands)
• The child has bluish lips or skin

Campbell gave us a little scare on Saturday. She was eating a hard candy and suddenly stopped breathing. Having seen this before (at a Valentine's Day party my friends little girl choked on a sucker) I instantly picked her up to do a couple back slaps and give gravity a chance to help. My mom tried the finger sweep while yelling instructions to Luke to call 9-1-1. Campbell's face had turned purple. Starting from her lips it moved out to her whole face. The finger sweep had dislodged the candy and she started crying. We were very shaky for the next two hours from all the adrenaline. It was so scary and every time I look at her I just think about how differently it could have turned out. I've watched enough ER that I think I could have possibly done a trach if needed, my parents live way out in the middle of nowhere and it would take an ambulance forever to get there, I think about these things. Just so you all know, the finger sweep is not what you are supposed to do. It could lodge the object further down the throat or propel it into the larynx. It is a knee jerk reaction to get to the object. The Heimlich Maneuver actually makes your body cough so the object can be expelled.

I saw her swallow the candy whole. I am thankful that I was in the room at the time it happened. I don't know if it is because there is so much more room in her throat now that her tonsils are gone that she tries to swallow larger things. We have talked to her a lot about chewing her food and not swallowing big pieces. Bill said that Campbell is the boy that we haven't had. She sure is a spit fire. Not even 15 minutes later she was getting her shoes on to go play in the backyard, by herself, in the snow.

A Tribute to Blue's Clues

We have a little thing that goes on at our house everyday lately. Campbell is obsessed with Blue's Clues. She is partial to Steve. I know that she shouldn't watch so much T.V. but I justify that she is learning so much and it is just so entertaining to watch her interact with the show. She even started rolling her "l" when she says "clues" (which is said just about 4,965 times a show) and it is just so cute. Let's not forget that it also makes it really easy for me to get stuff done around the house. Minor bonus.

Campbell has also started coloring all the time. When I haven't heard her for 5 minutes I look around and she is in the computer room with her huge coloring book working away. James has become quit the artist also. Preschool has helped her learn how to draw people, like the important parts: hands, feet, eyes, ears, hair. (Last year she brought home a picture from church that she had drawn of Bill. It mostly looked like a circle with some lines and shapes off of it. Bill commented on the tie that she drawn on the picture of him. She very nonchalantly said "that's not a tie, that's you peeing." Note: The door to the bathroom has been shut on her ever since she became fascinated with Bill peeing around the time she was 18 months old, so it was all from memory.) It's great. I love watching their creativity!

We're home!

Wednesday, Campbell was getting pretty feisty because she was on a clear liquids diet until 9:30 am, then she couldn't have anything until after the surgery. She was demanding food. She might look small, but she is a firecracker. Most of the schools were closed because the temperature was -27 (I'm not sure if that included the wind chill). We made it to the hospital, played with some toys, then they brought us to our room. We were there for maybe 3 minutes then we saw some balloons walking towards us. Our friends, the VerCautren's, sent Campbell some balloons and a little stuffed kitty. She loved it. She got her hospital gown on and we went down to the pre-op area. We talked with the ENT, Anesthesiologist, and the nurse. They gave her some Versed and she got really slow. They wheeled her away at 12:40 and we went to wait. The doctor came back at 1:30. She did great. Her tonsils were HUGE. He also did her adenoids, which were also huge. They had her on a breathing machine during the surgery (this scared me), but she was off of it when the doctor came to talk to us. He told us her oxygen levels will be a little up and down because her lungs aren't used to processing so much oxygen. (this was our other big concern with the big tonsils, that it was making her body work harder to just plain breath.) I was able to go back and see her in recovery about 10 minutes later (she was apart from us for about an hour, it was so fast!). She was freaking out a little bit when she woke up. But she calmed down. We were back in her room at 2:30 pm. I was amazed because she was already talking and asking for food. She was just a little disoriented. They let her eat a popsicle. She is such a trooper!

She enjoyed her evening by eating more popsicles and ice cream. She also jumped off the bed once because she wanted to go for a walk, only 2 hours after surgery. She ate a pancake at 9 pm and stayed up until 10:30. She asked for yogurt and ate all of it then fell asleep. You might ask what did she have the biggest problem with? Taking the medicine? The nurse taking her temperature every couple hours? Being stuck in a little tiny room?
The IV stuck in her hand? No, the thing that really got to her was that little oxygen sensor stuck on her finger. It was like a little band aid with a red light in it. She ripped it off multiple times until the nurse put it on her toe. That lasted about 2 hours. We were able to let her not wear it until she fell asleep then we put it back on. Her oxygen levels when she was awake stayed around 97%, but when she fell asleep they would drop to the low 90's. If they went below 90 the sensor would beep and the nurse would come in. The congestion in her chest would settle and make it harder for her to breath. If she coughed a couple times the O2 levels would go back up. This episode happened about twice every hour. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep. Campbell slept through most of it.

In the morning the doctor came by at 7 am and said we were good to go home. Campbell wouldn't eat anything except for pancakes, with butter and syrup (she insisted). We ordered some from the cafeteria and it took about 45 minutes to get to our room. I put the butter on (with her eating some in between spreads) and the syrup. Then she instructed me to cut them up with the fork and knife. Once they were cut up I was to put a bite on her spoon so she could feed herself. The quality controller was demanding. Too big, too small. She is such a Wicke! After the pancakes were done, we were able to go home!

She has been great. She needs to be held a lot, but we were expecting that. She is great at taking her medicine and the sisters are happy to be together again. We are so thankful that everything went so well and that Campbell is doing so good! Thank you for your thoughts, and prayers!

Q: What did one tonsil say to the other? A: Get dressed, the Doctor is taking us out tonight!

We have a surgery date. Next Wednesday, January 30th, Campbell will be tonsil free! Yipee! Her sleep apnea has gotten worse. I went to check on the girls the other night after they were asleep and she was pausing for 5-7 sec every third breath. It was really unnerving. So, we are thankful that they were able to find a sooner surgery date (we were going to have it Feb. 8th). They say recovery takes 7-10 days. We will be staying at the hospital for 23 hours to make sure there is no bleeding after the surgery. I can't wait until she can breath like a normal person!