Nini and the Squirts

I'm particularly proud of this post's title because it has a double meaning. Nini is Brady and Ella's new babysitter so "the squirts" could very well refer to the kiddos. Unfortunately, when I wrote "the squirts," I was referring to the incurable case of diarrhea that has plagued my house for the last week and a half. If I ever hear the phrase "BRAT diet" again, it will be too soon. And I'm pretty sure if my 3-year-old, who poops like a 30-year-old doesn't start dropping his grossness into a toilet, I'm moving out until someone potty trains him.

He's cute. But he stinks.

So, back to Nini, AKA: Stephanie. She's been watching Kiski teachers' kids for-ev-er and we were fortunately that she had an opening this year. She's local, her house is stocked like a daycare, and it's kid-proofed to the hilt. She truly enjoys watching and caring for kids which is something I can't quite wrap my mind around; I took any other job in the world in high school just to avoid having to babysit. We took the kids over last week for an hour to get used to her and the house and although they BOTH cried when we left, by the time we got back, Brady had decided he didn't want to leave and Ella was content playing with stuffed animals and the other little boy Nini watches, Cooper. I'm excited for this change, and I think it'll be good for the kids, too. Nini is only sitting 1 day a week, as opposed to Ms. Lisa's 2 days last year, so that should help in the event that Nini is unavailable. When Ms. Lisa called off both days (which she did often...), it really screwed up my work week. But, Nini seems much more reliable and has a back-up plan in place if her kids (who are school-aged) get sick. Me likes.

I need to take a class that teaches how to style little girls' hair. I suck.

And, as I'm sure you were hoping, I'm going to discuss poop some more. Ella started it; I thought she was just teething, but it got so bad, we had to put her on the BRAT diet. Her runs went away, only to turn into a horrific diaper rash. The writhing and screaming during a changing was so bad that I started skipping the wiping altogether and just throwing her in the bathtub. It was incredibly time consuming, mostly because she loves the bath and would gladly play in it for hours.

With a ball and club, naturally.

We're still treating Ella's rash which seems mild in comparison to poor Brady. He was on the BRAT diet for two days, and then woke up covered in puke and poop one night. (That was really a lot of fun, by the way). So we had to give him a modified BRAT diet that wouldn't make him vomit, and filled him up with fluids. The vomiting stopped, but the crapping did NOT. It is day 6 and just an hour ago did we have a semi-normal BM. The poor child is starving and begging for "normal foods." I called the pediatrician and described all the gruesome details, but no one but me was concerned. I guess there's a virus going around and many kids are going through this bug. That doesn't make me (or the kids) feel any better, but at least I know it's something that will eventually work its way out. But WHEN? Really, when? No more bananas. No more rice. No more applesauce. NO MORE CHANGING BEDDING AT 3 IN THE MORNING!!!!!

She loved pulling that wagon!

Despite the massive amounts of grossness coming out of my kids, we braved another photo shoot with my gal pal Jessica. We met at a local park, and I am just so super happy with the photos! What I love most is that Jess actually seeks out my kiddos to try new poses and locations, refuses to let us pay, and then just gives us the pictures!! I  guess I have gotten her a lot of business, so she's hell bent on repaying me with free photos. I am A-OK with that!

Doesn't get much cuter!!

Tomorrow is the first day of school for Kiski. That means Zach will no longer be at the kids' disposal. It's not going to be pretty. His in-service days proved quite difficult for Brady, who was used to Dad greeting him in the morning, taking him places in the afternoon, and pretty much playing all day long. In response to Zach's "disappearance," Brady quickly morphed into a demon, lashing out at his sister and defying me. The worst part is that he's given up his nap even though he clearly still needs it, AND he's waking up SUPER early. So basically, he's running on fumes all day. This all but guarantees a disaster. I just pray it's a phase and he'll get back to being the best sleeper ever very, very soon.

He fell off after the picture. I laughed because I'm a terrible mom.

I love the tree in this one!

 Much luck to students and teachers as we embark upon yet another school year. Before we know it, it'll be Christmas vacation, and then spring, and then the summer will be back. Until then, I'm ready for colorful leaves, bulky sweaters, and crisp morning air. I am NOT ready for Brady to go to pre-school next week, though I'm sure it'll make for some interesting blogging. God help us all.