Whatevs

I never did write the blog post about my new blog name (Remember, it used to be "The Libby's Three"?) back when I originally changed the name, but I think it speaks for itself. I thought about using "Mad Libs," but didn't know if people would get that I was going for the fill-in-the-blank game, not being a generally angry person.

So I chose "Ad Libs" (Thanks, John!) . . . like when you ad lib, you're just flying by the seat of your pants. My blog tends to be about whatever I feel like, whether it be home decor, parenting, recipes, rants, whatever. And the fact that it's a play on words with my last name? Bonus!

This post is definitely in that vein. Pretty much about nothing and everything, a throwback to stream of consciousness assignments in college.

I feel like the whole month of January has been a month of catch up. Catching up on the house after the holidays, catching up with the kids after having a million projects to do, catching up with John after being far too busy . . . and it's been good, but I'm ready to move on and get back into the "do-ing" groove again. Nothing extreme, but the color purple is going to be exiting my living room in the near future!

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Jude is going to be six months in a few days, and that lil' boy is developing some personality . . . getting so fun! He has a couple games he likes to play . . . talk about a good natured kid, what a turnaround from his first few months.

Game #1 is the Cough Game and Game #2 is the Click-Click Game. Both involve lots of super gummy smiles, which are so stinkin' adorable.

The Cough Game usually takes place when Jude is sitting in his bouncy seat in the kitchen and I am busy cooking or doing the dishes. Jude's bouncy seat is old school and doesn't run on batteries, so he kicks his right leg to get it bouncing. When he gets tired of bouncing, he starts doing an occasional little dry cough. Then the cough gets louder and more frequent, and when I finally look over he gives me a big grin and does a final cough or two. I cough back, he grins, and kick-bouncing resumes.

The Click-Click Game is one that Jude starts when he decides he is done nursing, but still wants to hang out with Mama. He stops nursing, gives me a giant toothless grin, and clicks his tongue. His goal seems to be to get me to click back, so I do, and we go back and forth clicking until Jude decides he is bored and we are done. The cutest part is that he keeps up his grinning the whole time.

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The name "Terrible Twos" really does describe Sophia's behavior these days, but then there are little moments when my Snuggler makes an appearance. When we went to get Jude out of bed this morning, she asked if we could "cuddle him up." So the Snuggler, Cuddler, and Mama all piled into my bed for some quality cuddle time. Sophia LOVES her brother, and is so good with him. I am grateful that he is never on the receiving end of any "Terrible-ness."

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We are getting ready to leave for Sophia's latest allergy appointment in a little while. Ever since she had a really horrible allergic reaction on Labor Day, we have been operating under the assumption that she is allergic to blueberries. The only other possibility was Cheerios, and she for sure isn't allergic to them!

First step in testing for a blueberry allergy: skin prick test. That came back negative, so the next step was to have her blood tested, which was also negative. Final step today, the food challenge. Sophia can't have anything to eat after 10 a.m., and then at our 1 p.m. appointment they will feed her blueberries . . . first just a tiny bit, then more, and more, and more as long as she doesn't react. If she does react, then it's an official allergy. Seems like a lot of rigamarole to me!

I pretty much think that the blueberries were the culprit for her reaction, but am also convinced that it was some external factor, and not the actual blueberries themselves. Confused? I mean maybe some residual pesticide was left after they were washed, or perhaps a couple were moldy and we didn't pick thru them carefully enough (Confession: they were a little old, and non-organic . . .).

Whatever the reason, off we go to see the allergist today, one quart (yes, a quart!!!) of blueberries in hand. I am hoping that we will leave knowing that Sophia is NOT allergic to blueberries, because selfishly, I have been missing blueberry pancakes! Sophia loves them too, so I can't make them in front of her, thus have only eaten them once since September. Not that I mind sacrificing for my girl!