What the crap is wrong with my face?!?!

So do you guys remember a little less than a year ago when I posted about me getting Cellulitis? Durham friends, I ended up removing my post because there were just too many HIDEOUS pictures of me on it... and all taken in a melodramatic fashion like this picture you see below. To make a long story short, I would not wish Cellulitis on my worst enemy. It was one of the most painful experiences of my life and I just wanted to cry, like all the time. In fact, I'm pretty sure I did cry all the time. To this day, I still have a little redness and scar tissue from my cellulitis site. But at least I don't look like Bozo The Clown, Roudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, or a severe wine bibber anymore. And the pain is gone. That's all I care about. Anyhoo... here is a little pic from that.

I kind of looked at that whole experience as a "That was the worst thing I've ever experienced" sort of thing but got past it since it is gone and make up can cover the remaining redness now.

But alas, my friends, I have had yet another issue come up with my dear face. It's called Bell's Palsy. Basically, it's the inflammation of the 7th cranial nerve that you get from a virus (I had a teenie, tiny cold) and you just happen to be unlucky to have it enter that part of the nerves in your face. The result? Paralysis or weakness on one side of your face. I am EXTREMELY lucky that I do not have full paralysis like a lot of Bell's Palsy patients, but I do get to have the facial weakness. Symptoms are supposed to last about 6-8 weeks and in rare cases, they may never go away.

So here's my little story...

About 2.5 week's ago my hearing in my right ear became really muffled and I had no idea what it was. A doctor checked it out and he said it wasn't fluid or wax and said it should return back to normal in a little while. Oh, and another thing, is my right ear is EXTREMELY sensitive to loud noises... which doesn't help when you have two little girls who like to do high pitched screams for fun :) And THEN, about a week ago I noticed some slight changes in my facial muscles that weren't exactly quite right. A few examples:

• If I flared my nostrils, my left nostril would flare out a lot more severely than my right.
• I couldn't lift my upper lip on my right side like I could on my left... not a huge difference but it was noticeable to me.
• My left eye was going CRAZY. When going out in the sun, it would instinctively shut almost completely without me being able to do much about it and my right would only squint a little. Also, if I closed my right eye to take a picture looking with my left eye, I couldn't do it. It would take EVERY bit of eye strength to keep that eye open and it still wasn't enough to look through the little peep hole. When I would laugh really hard or cry, my left eye would just shut really tight and I kiiiiind of look like a crazy person.

Nate was gone for an interview most Thursday, Friday, and he came back Saturday. I told him about all the weirdness on the phone and he just said to go in on Monday to have it looked at. But when he came home Saturday and we were at a Duke basketball game, he got a good look at what I was talking about and he was like "Um, maybe you should go in tonight". Which, in Nate terms, is like "What the crap is wrong with your face"? Plus, I guess the longer you wait with these things, the more likely you are to risk permanent damage. Not cool.

So, we found someone to watch our kids while we went into Urgent Care and to make a long story short, (not to name-call or anything but) the guy was a moron and said to me "Well, not everyone's faces are symmetrical". Really? You think after 25 years of living, I would choose to go into an Urgent Care on a Saturday night because I am suddenly upset because I don't have a symmetrical face? I don't think he understood that it USED to be symmetrical. I wanted to punch him in the face. To add to it, he told me it was DEFINITELY not Bell's Palsy, he thought I was fine, and that if I am really worried (which I was), I should go into the ER. So we did.

Long story short, after seeing 2 nurses and 3 doctors (including a neurologist) they finally concluded that it was, in fact, Bell's Palsy (I should write Urgent Care guy a letter). The docs thought that was what it was but they weren't sure about my issues with my left eye and seemed a little worried about that. But the neurologist said it was because my left eye was trying to compensate for my right, which makes sense. And they said that's most likely why my hearing went to crap as well. So, they put me on some crazy steroids and some anti-viral medication and sent me on my way. Bell's Palsy sounds like such an old-person's disease and so to add humor to my situation, I tell Nate in my oldest sounding old lady voice "I have the Palsy"! Probably doesn't sound funny but at least it makes us smile :)

So here are some pics...

My "relaxed" face. This was taken the day I went into Urgent Care/ER. Notice my "little eye" on my left side and my droopy face on the right? I'm a babe.

This is what I look like in the sun when my left eye goes REALLY tiny... (phone pic & in the car)

These next two photo's are taken from my computer and are a flipped/mirrored pic. So reverse me.

Also, the next two were taken tonight. I think I am looking much better. My face gets worse when I am tired or in the sun. But other than that, you can't tell THAT much. Right? :-/

A smiling pic...

My relaxed face again...

So, at this point, I don't think you can really tell unless you are really looking at my facial structure or my crazy flaring nostrils (but who does that?) :) The medicines are just supposed to "speed up" the whole returning back to normal thing. I think I have seen SOME improvement and it doesn't take as much effort opening my left eye while my right is closed as it did before.

And just to add some cherries to this post... Both Lyla and Ruby have some wicked coughs. They are getting a little better each day and seem to be coughing less. Ruby had a slight fever but that could have been because she got 2 teeth this last week. Fortunately though, both are still their happy, loving selves. And then Nate is super sick as well. Luckily he didn't have class today and he stayed in bed for most the day. Hopefully he will be better for an interview he has in Atlanta on Friday. PRAYERS PLEASE!!!!

My addiction

My name is Kelly Wright and I am addicted to Baked Lay's: Southwestern Ranch chips.

I know this sounds silly but I do have a serious problem here. It started off with Baked Lay's in general. They are the only chips I really eat. And unfortunately to me and my body, I think these are healthy. I feel good eating them. If they are not baked lays, chips generally gross me out. Even Baked Ruffles.

To further my problem, I have now become a Baked Lay's snob, only choosing the Southwestern Ranch flavor. They. Are. DELICIOUS! They are a little spicy and I used to keep Lyla from eating them because she doesn't like spicy things and so she'd inquire what I'd be snacking on and I would just say "Oh, these are my spicy chips", knowing she would just walk away. This made my snack even better... one I didn't have to share with the kiddo's!

I know I have a problem because I pretty much eat these several times a day, every day. And if my bag is running low, I go and buy a new one to stock up. I always have these delicious chips in my house. I just crave them all the time! One bad thing about them is they can really taint your breath. But I don't mind because I can still taste it's deliciousness in my mouth and that makes me happy. Nate would probably say that he does mind... especially before we head to bed and he has to lay next to a stinky breath girl, even if she brushes her teeth. Sorry, babe! I wish I had an intention of stopping, but I don't. So, friends out here, if I have particularly spicy breath when I talk to you, you'll know why. ;)

Lyla's first day of Preschool and some fun pics

A group of my mom friends out here and I got together and decided to do a little preschool for our littles and today was Lyla's first day! She LOVED it! I told her about it on Sunday and she had not stopped talking about going to school until she walked through the door. The only thing that she was more excited about was her new (to her) Dora backpack! She rolls that thing everywhere she goes in the house! And yes, it is a "roller backpack" and the inner nerd in her is so excited about it!

Her first "First day of school" photo! Love the forced smile! She look so worried!

Being a dork for the camera... I love her!!

All the little kiddo's. Lyla and Izzy's smile are SO FUNNY in this pic!

Thanks for the pic Emily!

These pics of Lyla were taken yesterday because she was so excited about her new backpack. I tried getting her to smile for the camera and she did this...

and this...
Finally a laugh/smile from her that looks genuine!

And here are a few of Ruby...

First of all, her hair is getting so LONG! Her bangs are at least an inch past her eyes and always in her face. I'd cut them but then I feel like I'd have to keep cutting and cutting. They just need to grow and I need to train them stay to the side. Anyway, for now I am trying to get her hair out of her eyes and while she was drinking her bottle this morning, I did these pigtails on her and they go nowhere but UP! That's all her does when in an elastic. So, although she looks a little silly, she still looks super cute!

And because Lyla got a new backpack, we also gave Ruby a new (to her) purse, which she loves to carry around with her as well...

Today is actually the first day she started to say "cheese" and smile along with it! I'm such a proud mommy!!

Isn't her hair great in these pics? I did it before Nate left for school and he said, "Ruby, I'm sorry I leave you at home with your mom all day long".

Love my sweet and funny girls!!

5 Year Anniversary!!

We celebrated our 5 Year anniversary at the end of December and it was magical! Nate's sister, Lizzy, was still in town and so she lovingly volunteered to watch our kiddo's so we could go celebrate! Thanks Lizzy!!

We started our day off with a lovely couples massage at Massage Envy, which was quite amazing!

After our massages we went home to shower and get ready for our dinner. My stud of a husband took me to one of my favorite places, Ruth's Chris. This is definitely a special occasion restaurant for us (and most people) and I was SO surprised and excited to be eating there!! I am a lucky, spoiled girl!

Anyway, we ate, talked about our "Top 5's" of several categories throughout our 5 years of marriage, and laughed about some fun memories we've shared.

Here's a pic of Nate's delicious salad... it was SOO stinkin' good!
And my caesar was huge and quite delicious as well. I ate almost the entire thing!
5 years! The old couple in the background were actually celebrating their anniversary as well! We talked about how one day we'll be like them, but then before we left we asked them how long they have been married and they said, 10 years!!!! Maybe we don't want to be like them after all!! We'll shoot for being married 50 years instead :)
And our delicious dessert that was complimentary for our anniversary. It was probably the best cheesecake I have ever had!! Mmmmm, my mouth is watering just looking at this picture.
After dinner we had planned to go to a movie, but we ended up not feeling very well and were pretty tired and so we decided to go home instead. It kind of made me feel old making that decision, but I had already had such a wonderful day with the hubs that it didn't seem to matter.

I don't know how I got so lucky to have a man like Nate decide to marry me. He's smart, funny, kind, loving, a great father, a loyal friend, an optimist, a great priesthood holder, hard-working, handy with household stuff, eager to learn, strives to be better, and an uplifting companion. And he is mine. :) I love you babe!

Bedtime update

Okay so I guess I should send out a little update, but to tell you the truth, I have not wanted to jinx our luck! The very first night after I wrote the bedtime post, Lyla has been an ANGEL going to bed (knock on wood)!! We started putting her down b/w 7 and 7:30 and we thought it must have been the bedtime. And then we had a late night and we were DREADING bedtime because we thought it would be business as usual and she was totally fine! Maybe it's because we cut potty treats. One thing we did do is the night I wrote the post she was kicking and crying and we didn't acknowledge her at all. I don't know. Anyway, thank you to EVERYONE for your awesome advice.

Changes we are making: earlier bedtime and cutting sweets. And not that we have changed this but we're really praising her for doing so good.

Hopefully this awesomeness continues!!

Ruby's Kicks: A sad, sad story.

Earlier this morning the girls were out playing in the backyard as I watched from the back door. Ruby would occasionally come and hit the door excitedly as if to say hi, get a hug, and then she would be off again. So about 30 seconds after one of these cute encounters I hear Lyla yell, "Ruby's playing in the water"!! So I quickly run out there and find Ruby on the side of the house, sitting in the middle of a puddle of mud and water, splashing around like it's bath time. GAH!!! She was COVERED in mud in her brand new outfit she got for Christmas and brand new WHITE shoes we got for her this past weekend. So I quickly run to grab her and I strip her down, Nate grabs her shoes, and I get her in the tub for a bath while Nate scrubs away at the shoes.

I get Ruby all clean and warm again and Nate successfully cleans the shoes so they look brand new! Nate sets the oven to 150º and turns it off and sets the shoes inside so they can dry quickly. Disaster resolved.

Anyway, as dinner time approached I was feeling a little stressed out and tired and I had two little girls who were feeling especially needy, I had no idea what I was going to make for dinner, and my patience was running thin. So finally I decided on a baked potato bar and set the oven to 450º. I start to clean some dishes that had piled up in the sink and realize that the oven was sort of smelling a big. I thought it might have been because the oven was at such a high temp. I decide to double check my temp to make sure that you really bake potatoes at that temperature and realized that I needed to cool it off to 350º. So, I go to reset the temperature and open the oven to cool it off a bit and realize smoke is pouring out of the stove top. So I quickly think "Crap, was there already food in there?" and I throw open the oven door.

Smoke comes POURING out of the oven and as it starts clearing away I realize "Oh my gosh, the SHOES"!!

So I quickly grab a pot holder and try to take the shoes out and they are STUCK to the rack! I start panicking and yelling for Nate to help and he runs down thinking one of the girls must be choking or something (I hate to see what I would be like in a real emergency) and by the time he gets there (less than a minute after I opened the darn oven) the kitchen and the hallway leading to it was just filled with smoke and smells like burning rubber. Awesome. Anyway, we pull the rack out, take it outside, open all doors of the house and go through all the "How the heck...", "What on earth..." and "I can't believe I did that" stuff. Hopefully we can find another pair Ruby's size... she LOVED those shoes!

Anyway, here is the damage...

the poor shoes

Luckily, after the oven rack cooled off, the remains of the shoe rubber peeled off easily.

Destroyed

Advice Needed: Bedtime

I'm calling out for advice because we are seriously at a loss of what to do. Here is the problem...

Lyla has been seriously fighting bed and nap times like she is fighting for her life.

I have no idea what happened. She used to be so good at going to bed. She is an awesome sleeper (and still is once she actually falls asleep). But for the past 4 weeks or so, Monster Lyla, comes alive any time she heads to bed or for a nap. She usually fights putting on pajama's because she knows that pj's mean bedtime, but I think this part is actually getting better. But once she is upstairs, all hell breaks loose. It typically goes something like this:

Lyla: No, I don't want to go to bed. I don't want to go to bed please. (Fake crying begins) Please, can I not go to bed?

Us: Sorry babe, it's bedtime and your body needs rest.

Lyla: (Panic arises as she wraps her arms around our neck, not wanting to let go) No please, I don't want to go to bed, please!

Us: I know sweetie. I'm sorry but it's just that time.

It kind of goes back and forth from there.

We set her down and quickly walk out so we can lock the door before she comes at it kicking and screaming.

This is a big problem. Besides the obvious that it is exhausting, frustring, etc., it is also a problem because she shares a room with Ruby. Sometimes Ruby will just eventually tune her out and fall asleep on her own. But it keeps Ruby up for longer than we would like, and she has to witness her sister turn into a crazy, thrashing toddler. For example: As I am typing all this, Lyla is upstairs screaming and crying to get out of her room and is KICKING the door really hard and then yelling "Ouch, my foot hurts!!!!". Well of course it does sweetie, you are forcefully pushing it into a wooden door. Duh! Regardless... This. Needs. To. Stop.

Things to consider:

• We follow a bedtime routine. Dinner, bath, pajama's, brush teeth, family scriptures, family prayer, books. Occasionally if Lyla does a good job not complaining about getting her pj's on, we will let her play for X amount of time as a reward(usually 5-10 minutes).
• She behaves this way regardless of whether or not she has taken a nap.
• She sleeps around 11-12 hours a night.
• We have tried the reward system (ie: if you do such a good job going to bed tonight, you will get ____ tomorrow.
• We have tried explaining why she needs sleep.
• We have explained that bed time and nap times are not consequences.
• We usually go up a couple of times during her 30 minute tantrums and try to calm her down. 75% of the time she does better and is quiet in bed and eventually falls asleep.
• Tonight we decided to try and not to say anything to her at all during her tantrum.
• We've tried consequences if she fusses.
• We have tried holding her, singing to her, rubbing her back for a little bit while she lays in bed but as soon as we leave, the tantrum starts back up.

Basically, I feel like we have tried everything. Am I missing something? Have we done something wrong? Please feel free to be brutally honest. I really am hoping this is just a phase but a month long phase makes me feel like we need to change something, do something more effective, and just find some way to stop this behavior so Nate and I have a peaceful evening rather than one filled of headaches and exhaustion.

If you're still reading this, do you have any advice? Anything? I'm feeling a little desperate here :)