Yesterday, I saw Mila sitting quietly watching TV. No dancing, no squirming... I looked over again and she was out cold, sitting up.

Robby thought she was cute, so he kissed her. Then he changed the channel.

$15 dollars! 1 yard of apron fabric ( black and pink flowers ), 1 yard of stretchy pink stuff, 1 yard of black flannel with glow in the dark bears, 1 yard of chinese print, 3/4 yard sports print, 1 yard of flannel roses & hearts, 1/2 yard fall print, and 3/4 yard of pink flannel plaid.... Plus 4 hanks of elastic and three 6" zippers!

Meet our newest addition to the family! We got tired of lugging huge flats of water up to the apartment, and the extra $3 in eviro fees, and the huge amounts of waste... So we bought a water cooler and reusable bottles.

Rundown on the Baskets

Meep, you are *so* right. I am a basketcase. And that's okay.

The first shot is the pantry. Two baskets and a cardboard tray. Its helpful to be able to flip things around to find in a slightly too deep & tall pantry.

The shoe basket is fairly obvious.

Mila's baskets are green with a purple ribbon. They will also have purple liners when I get around to making them.

I need some new makeup and a new way to store it. The pink basket holds our toothbrushes & toothpaste.

Robby not only has multi colored baskets ( they go on sale every year at Stupid Store for a dollar. This year again I will be stocking up ) but he has a white Ikea hanging thing. Obviously... it needs more baskets in it to corral things appropriately.

On top of the entertainment center is a portable diaper changing station. The only thing it really needs is a changing mat for those really nasty diapers. Already in there : diapers, wipes, hand sanitizer, and spray diaper cream. If you don't have spray diaper cream... get some!

Toy bins and block baskets. Easy to corrall the toys that *must* stay downstairs. I'd love to have no toys downstairs, but its not exactly possible. Alright... its not possible *at all*. So... once or twice a day, I scoop everything into the bins and I feel better about it.

The tiny white baskets hold syringes usually. We are a bit out of syringes at the moment - they are all sitting in a bowl in the sink waiting to be washed. That's on my to do list today.

On top of the microwave are two green baskets. One holds Robby's reusable juice boxes and the lids & straws. The other holds Mila's bottles & sippy cups, with a smaller basket inside holding rings & silicone nipples. This is my solution for never being able to find the right top for anything. Its working really, really well!!!

And um... I'm going to the dollar store today for more baskets... The wash clothes / towels next to the sink need a basket, and Robby's hanging thingy needs some.

Baskets

More Pictures

Roasted Red Pepper & White Bean Dip. It was pretty darn spicy, but she loved it. Too bad she broke out into a rash after we gave it to her - anywhere it touched her!

Chocolate. Yum.

Quicky

Just wanted to get my Monday Meal Plan in...

Sunday : Cornflake Chicken with Rice & Salad
Monday : Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce with Spicy Italian Sausage, Garlic Bread, Salad
Tuesday : Chicken Stir Fry ( Broccoli, Peppers, Carrots, Onion, Teriyaki Sauce )
Wednesday : Quesadillas ( Alex will eat when he gets home )
Thursday : Tuna Salad
Friday - Monday: Away At WEdding!

Wellllll... huh.

We had company last night and they had a sleepover. It was tonnes of fun! I've let themknow they are welcome anytime - we never got the the scrabble game we've been looking forward too... we are so lame that scrabble is fun for us. Who woulda though ten years ago that scrabble would be one of my favorite things to do?

Tonight, we had the inlaws over for dinner. Much fun and good food was had by all. ( Next time, I will add more salt to the chicken. I don't know why it was so bland tonight. The rice, on the other hand, was perfect. For once. ) After dinner, an expensive fruit and custard tart was brought out. Since it was covered in strawberries, I declined to eat it, and grabbed a 100 calorie pack of cookies instead.

My mother in law asked for one. Robby asked for one. Mila asked for one. Robby asked for another. So did Mila. Robby grabbed a handful. Well then, fine. Every time I went to take a bite, either Robby or Mila demanded to have it! I think I got two tiny cookies out of the whole bag. I told my MIL that I would call it 50 calories instead. Just then Robby came over and took the last one!

Fine. I took a 1 point chocolate stick. First Robby demanded a piece, much to everyone's delight. Then Mila demanded a piece ( which she thoroughly enjoyed... ). I got one tiny bite of that. Everyone was rolling on the floor. Poor me! I finished my coffee and decided they were trying to tell me I wasn't staying OP. ( Sausage and fries for lunch! Pancakes for breakfast! I can't imagine why I'm not OP. )

Everything else is status. The house is looking great, so its likely I'll be taking pictures of that soon!!! Oh, and I need two pretty baskets for my bathroom counter. MORE BASKETS!

How to be Thankful...

Yesterday, Mila came so close to eating her entire daily calorie needs.

I am so grateful that she's making progress.

We were able to pull her tube for her comfort overnight, before it leaked, and before her cheek was too damaged.

I am so grateful that she's sleeping again.

My friend Chrystil ( who was my one Canadian friend for a very long time ) is moving near Edmonton.

I am so grateful to have like minded friends nearby.

Her hubby helped Alex and our neighbor move the washer and dryer.

I am so grateful to be surrounded by strong and generous men.

Robby snuggled with me last night, and told me he loved his new room.

I am so grateful for a son who adapts easily, speaks his mind, and is generally happy.

I snapped at Alex when it got so late that I was falling asleep. He just laughed and put me to bed.

I am so grateful for a husband with both a sense of humor, and a huge heart.

I could go on and on. I am feeling so happy these days, and the sense of being overwhelmed is fading. Mila's issues could easily crush a family - she was dying and grief rips aparts your heart in ways no one can understand. For a long tiem after surgery, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. What would be next? What emergency would come next? Would the mitral valve give way? Would the repair narrow? Would her GI issues be so bad that it interfered ( more ) with her growth? Would she be developmentally delayed? Would her personality suffer?

Maybe its the extra sunlight. It was light till after 11, and the sunshine began just before 4am.

That's when Mila got up :-)