A Christmas Surprise

So happy for our editor, Raquel Kelley and her new journey into her own I Guess I'm Due moments!

Be sure to stay tuned for some great posts from our very own mama-to-be! 

Cheers,

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A Rainy Day...

With rain in our forecast, the girls and I decided to have a nice girly afternoon. With a nail session and a tea party on the agenda we were all pretty excited.

We had so much fun raising our pinkies, sipping politely, and using our British accent.  I even managed to squeeze into my prom dress for the occasion! So when the rain falls, let loose, embrace the moment, and be a kid again (you'll be surprised how much fun it really is).

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A Week of Firsts...

Well, like some parents this week, we survived our first week back to school. It took a few days to get back in the rhythm of waking up early, packing lunches, picking outfits, and making it out in time, but we did it! This week also marked the first time in six years, that we will have all three in school for two out of the five days. This new found freedom seems strange to me. But, I'm sure it won't take long to enjoy some lunch dates with the hubby, tackling house projects without interruptions, and taking some time out for me.

This week also marked the first day of dance class. As you can see, with one diva and one class clown, this new experience already came with some I Guess I'm Due moments! Raina refused to take off her favorite blue t-shirt until the very last second. I was pretty convinced, I was going to have to ask to the ballet instructor if she would make an exception to the dress code, just this one time. Thank goodness Raina changed her mind!

So from one parent to another, here's to a great week of firsts and here's to a great school year of I Guess I'm Due moments!

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Another mystery...

No matter how much I try to protect my little ones, sometimes I just can't catch every fall. With one broken leg already checked off her list, this little bruiser has a mystery injury on her arm. Leaving the orthopedist with no fracture, but crying every time she moves her arm, Raina is not too thrilled to be spending the next 10 days in a sling. I'm considering having Raina wear padded suits and a helmet from here on out. Now on to the next I Guess I'm Due moment...

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A Case of Mommy Brain

You know you have a serious case of mommy brain, when you show up for summer soccer camp four weeks early! Oops!! Now, how do I explain to the kids why mommy apparently can't read a calendar?! Looks like this I Guess I'm Due is on me! 

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Goodbye Kindergarten...

It's hard to believe that my son's first school year has come to end. I feel like I am still adjusting to the "kindergarten world" and now, its over! I just can't seem to keep up...

This year has brought its I Guess Im Due moments for sure. Like, learning to juggle school work, sports, and family time.  Adjusting to early mornings and learning how to get three little ones (and myself) ready for the day with a morning time crunch has been challenging. I had to learn how to set aside all my fears and apprehensions while my son was at school and trust that he was in good hands (and yes, lots praying helped). 

With the challenges, also came Kindergarten triumphs. Jakson has mastered new skills, he's reading like a champ, and has become more independent (two months in he insisted on being a bus rider)! He's motivated to go to the next level, and if you ask him, when he grows he wants to be a biologist!

It's been a great school year, and who knows, maybe next year letting go will be a little bit easier...probably not.

Goodbye Kindergarten and hello summer! We're off to the next chapter...

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Three Mini Moments

Meet Erika. This hilarious mommy of three, and creator of her own mommy blog, Damnit Hank,  shares with us three mini I Guess Im Due moments that many momma's out there can relate to. Enjoy her real-life mommy "drama" in her own words below.

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So since becoming a parent 5 years ago, and twice more since then, I feel somewhat of a reliable source to be able to give some tips on parenting. Actually, these might be some really weird tips that you never come across, but just on the off chance you do, at least you'll have some go to knowledge before resorting to 'Google' only to find out it isn't considered normal, and you should definitely have a specialist check, recheck and multiple test for it. So before I get back to cleaning butts, diapers and dishes, I leave you with these three I Guess Im Due moments and hope you find some relate ability, some empathy, and most definitely, some hilarity...

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                                                                          12 WEEKS

Finding out your pregnant is like one of the coolest feelings in the world, is it not? I mean, even when your ' not expecting to be expecting' and it's a total shocker, it is still such an amazing feeling knowing there is a tiny little human being growing inside of you. It becomes even that much sweeter everyday your belly gets bigger, and bigger, and those flutters turn to kicks, and the kicks into somersaults. What I found to be the most wonderful point in my pregnancy (each time really) was that 12 week appointment. This is when I really started to think " Omg it's real, it's a real little person...I'm so in love.." [translation : ' HOLY SH*# it' a real person, a real f*&*^% little person... I'm so in love, and so terrified. jk .] Yes, that beloved 12 week appointment, when you hear that sweet little swoosh of a racing heartbeat... oh and it's the first time of many that you'll be felt up by a total (ok not TOTAL ) stranger. 

The day I went in for my pap/heartbeat appointment, I was so nervous for a number of reason. 1. who ISN'T nervous before a pap, I mean who LIKES that thrill of goopyness and huge pads? and 2. for the last 11 weeks I have not slept thinking, "OMG I hope they are able to find the heartbeat..." So I go into the room, get all dressed in the snazzy robe, which to my embarrassing surprise, I have put on backwards, and laid on the table for what felt like an eternity. Lot's of emotions ran through my head, including how cold my ass was and 'Why would they make the front open the whole way like this?" Then there it was, a knock at the door, in comes the Doctor, and with her, some adorable little Med Student. Doctor explains who she is and asks if it's ok if she's in to 'assess'. Of course that's fine, I would have agreed to a colonoscopy by this time because I was so damn anxious and excited. So did I mention I was a little hormonal with Stella’s pregnancy? Keep that in mind. Anyways, Doctor says," Why don't we get the fun part out of the way because I know you've been waiting! " I could have jumped (the rest of the way) out of my clothes!...

"Steady, strong little beating at 171..CONGRATULATIONS!" OH at these words, I can only explain to you the adrenaline rush I experienced. First I cried, then I laughed, then I cried some more...then I shrieked a little as I realized they were ready for the pap. Doctor told Med Student to hang up by me and hold my hand, or whatever support I needed, that poor woman, not only did I clutch onto her hand the entire time I was being felt up by another woman but , me : still smiling ear to ear.. I kept on holding her hand as they proceeded to the breast exam.. So let's just say, I could NOT control my cry/laugh/smile emotion and the Doctor made her do one of the exams, so literally the whole time she was poking pushing and prodding my boob, I smiled, laughed and cried all the while looking right in this woman's eyes saying " Oh it's so beautiful!.." "I am so in love!.." And a whole bunch of totally awkwardly timed sayings. That poor student, I wonder if she continued OBGYN after that awkward ménage cry fest I pulled on her.

For sake of extreme awkwardness, always choose the pap first.

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                                                           UHG IS THAT .....BLOOD

SO breastfeeding for me, was, for lack of a better term...tedious. I had a very hard time with latching, and creaming, and cracking, and engorging.. I was awful ok? I tried so hard and I did pretty good, but mostly I was just too hard on myself.. I pumped from about week 2 until about week 12 when I dried up. After a few sessions with lactation consultant Emily, who was wonderfully patient by the way, I finally got a good routine going. She helped me manage a decent diet so I could get the extra calories in and everything. Since that diet mostly consisted of fruits, veggies, and liquids, I thought I hit the jackpot of ideas at Kroger when I found the V8 fruit fusion! I mean, 8 servings of each in one glass?? I mean COME ON why isn't this on the how-to pumping manual!?? So I bought about 5 of those baby's in Strawberry Banana, and in about 2 1/2 days they were all gone...

I was feeling good! This new diet was great I had lots of energy, I was producing pretty decent, and she seemed to be reacting well to the milk I produced! Hell Ya!.. Until the day I sat down, started pumping and about 4 minutes into pumping I looked down and there was red liquid squirting out of my nipple and filling the bottle! I RIPPED that funnel off and stuck a pad on my boob which was continuing to let down, and ran through the house yelling "MARINA [Marina is my little sis] MY BOOB IS BLEEDING.... MY BOOB IS PRODUCING BLOOD!!!!!!!!!!'' Omg I was having a full blown panic attack. Like I could barely function while telling Marina of the horrific scene that just took place, as if she couldn't already tell by the way my chest was covered in red stained nipple pads.. After she calmed me down and brought me back to reality, I was swinging the bottle of red liquid at her saying " OMG am I bleeding internally? Did I feed Stella BLOOD and not know it?? Oh my gosh, I'm going to be sick!" So we did the smart thing (child one, when you still call the hospital first before Google...) When I reached Lactation Emily, I explained through tears how I had to be doing something wrong and I will probably need a transfusion and that I was O negative just in case.. She quickly calmed me down and ask one simple question. "Is it clotting or just staying like tomato soup?" when I replied 'Just tomato soup' she then asked if I had been eating or drinking anything with red # 40 in it... I quickly ran to my V8 fusions and realized other than juice from concentrate that Sh&^ is like all red #40!

Emily explained to me that if you consume anything with a lot of dye's in it your breast milk can become red, blue or green. She also told me it's totally safe for the baby to drink if I felt comfortable giving it to her.

I definitely dumped that shit out.

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 DO NOT LOOK.. THEY'RE FINE

During my first go at labor, I guess you could say I was a little overzealous because I , like many, pushed to hard, and went and got myself 3 stitches and a hemorrhoid. Ugh, what an awful feeling.. I was told everything was great, and the stitches would be gone in about 2 weeks, and I was a little freaked out by all that, but as soon as they put that sweet 7#4 oz. beauty in my arms.. all that pain went away. I didn't even remember it, until about week 2...

I had been doing really great with my 'squirt bottle cleaning' and my witch hazeling, and my gigantic ice pack padding's... And not to mention, great at re applying the small canoe sized pad and fish net undies.. But right around week 2, I started to feel something I never thought would be a problem.. Itching. Holy Crap, I remember changing one pad one morning and about half hour later I was so sure I snagged one of the stitches because I was now itching so bad I figured I had probably caused mass hysteria down there.. My husband, and Marina begged me not to look. They told me " I’m sure it just means they are healing! " " I'm pretty sure that's normal, especially with stitches" " Just don't look, it might be weird!" So I listened, for about an hour when I couldn't stand the itching anymore and I was REAL freaked out..

What I saw in that bathroom, with that tiny mirror, on that cloudy day will never be spoken of again..

I walked out and both Marina and Chad said " DO you feel better?" As I burst into tears and crazed pandemonium over "whatever the hell I just looked at..." I pleaded that there was "NO way that was my vagina..." and "I don't know if a stitch even snagged but I don't even care.. "

Called the Doctor about an hour later, turns out the itching is TOTALLY normal, and all it means is that the last of the stitches is dissolving...

So please, for sake of your mind, eyes, and husband..."Don't Look."

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Thank you so much to Erika for sharing some funny mommy experiences with us!  Don't forget to show Erika some love on Facebook and visit her blog at www.damnithank.com.

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one more ride...

Meet Jenn. For this momma, the definition of being a mother was redefined after her son experienced a terrible accident. After the dust finally settled, Jenn's I Guess Im Due moment was found in the unexpected. Enjoy her story of tears, prayer, and triumph in her own words below...

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It was our favorite time of year, Rodeo Weekend. Jake, my 10 year old, especially loved this weekend, he had been going since he was a baby.

 He loved the rodeo, but what he really loved was camping on my uncles’ 40 acre property on the Peace River for the long weekend. We picked the kids up from school early on Friday and spent 3 fun-filled days riding 4-wheelers, playing manhunt, swimming in the river, and just having as much fun as you can have in the great outdoors.

After three days, my husband and I, were ready to get home, take a long hot shower, and a very long nap. We had packed up all 3 tents and had the truck ready to go. We drove the truck up to the pole barn to say our goodbyes to the rest of the family. Then Jake rode up and asked that question that we’ve all heard a hundred times… “One more time?”.

Since Jake had been out riding 4-wheelers with the 12 year old neighbor boy all day, we allowed him that “one more ride”. Five minutes later, the neighbor boy came riding back, alone. Written all over his face was fear and panic, and we all knew this couldn’t be good. “Jake is hurt,” he yelled out. Everybody ran. We found Jake laying by a tree limp and bleeding. It turns out that Jake had hit a bump that flipped his body over the 4-wheeler. As he fell in mid air, Jake held onto the front grill while the 4-wheeler collided into a tree. Thankfully, one of my uncles who was still at the campsite is a doctor, and my cousin a local paramedic. We knew we needed to take him straight to the hospital. My husband stayed back with my mom, while my uncle and my dad carried Jake to the car. I can still remember how he was, white as a ghost, but still with a smile on his face. “I’m OK, Momma!” he told me several times on the way to the hospital. As we drove to the hospital we were thinking we wouldn’t need to be there too long. He was probably just going to get his leg patched up and need plastic surgery down the line. As we were walking into the ER, Jake asked me if they had a cafeteria, and if so, he wanted to eat there when we were done. Little did we know that all of this was far more serious...
 
Thirty minutes later, the ER doctor broke the news to us that Jake had sustained multiple injuries. He fractured his pelvis in two places, had a fractured ankle, and had three broken ribs. He would be helicoptered immediately to a larger hospital to undergo surgery. In that moment, I remember thinking, this can’t be happening. This kind of stuff doesn’t happen to us! He has a smile on his face, I just need to get him something to eat. Then as I watched them start pumping him full of morphine, I thought to myself, he’s going to be by himself in that helicopter! How did I let this happen?! I just wanted to go back in time and say “No, Jake, not one more time.” My head began to spin and I actually thought I was going to faint. I left the room and headed to the bathroom. I splashed water on my face and pulled myself together. I just wanted to cry, but I knew that wasn’t going to help anything. I did all I could, I said a prayer and asked God to be with Jake on that helicopter ride.
 
Jake underwent surgery the next day to reconstruct his leg. After his surgery, he spent a week in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. For the next two weeks, I spent my days and nights watching my son recover. It wasn’t easy seeing him laying in a hospital bed in pain, hardly able to move. Having close family coming to visit helped our long days in the hospital room seem a bit easier.

 When he finally came home, we knew we had a long rode ahead of us. Jake was confined to a wheelchair, still in a lot of pain, and needed nursing care around the clock. Unfortunately, since we didn’t have a live in nurse, I was the one that had to give my 10 year old son a shot full of burning medicine in his stomach twice a day. It was going to be a hard couple of months at home.
 

The doctors told us he’d be confined to his chair for at least six months. But Jake was a fighter! He exceeded everyone expectations, that boy healed so well, and so fast. God is so good! In just three months Jake began taking his first steps again and in five months began running. We had so many people praying for him. It’s amazing how people come together to help those in need. We were overwhelmed with how we were surrounded by so much love and support from friends, family, church, and school. We couldn’t even believe it.

Jake’s school started raising money by selling “Team Jake” bracelets and all the proceeds helped out with medical bills. My sister-in-law started a Meal Train and friends and family came together to bring us delicious meals and encouraging words. Did I mention that my mom took a month off of work to help take care of the baby (who still didn’t sleep through the night)?! The thank you list goes on and on and on! For me, my I Guess Im Due moment was not the accident, but rather it was the MANY people that helped make this accident into a loving, humbling experience for our family. We will be forever grateful.

This March, marked one year since Jake's accident. So much has happened in just one year. And today, despite everything, Jake is that same sweet boy who loves the outdoors and a good ol' rodeo! 

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An Easter Surprise!

The Pullaro family has always had all their eggs in their basket...a well oiled machine! An organized, smooth running family. However, when the Easter Bunny decided to drop in a bit early, he left them caught in their very own I Guess Im Due moment! Read on to discover just what happened to this family of four. 

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A Tale of A Chilly Philly Morning

Mornings with little ones can get crazy, sometimes they are even unpredictable. On this particular freezing morning, the Taylor family found themselves in a domino affect of I Guess Im Due moments. This story proves that some days are better spent in the warmth of your own home. Enjoy their story in this mommy's own words below.

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Yesterday was the coldest day for the last year on record... A lovely 2 degrees and felt like 10 below. The baby cooperated quite well through the night, waking up only at 4am to eat... which meant I knew I wouldn't have to feed him until 8:15 when I got him to day care.

Unlike normal, we were running on time and left at 7:33. Because it was so cold and we were leaving early enough, I convinced Marshall to drop us off  at the office so he wouldn't have to deal with train delays from the weather. Plus, since I didn't have a phone, I thought this way it would be mutually beneficial.

So, we got on the road and merged on the interstate next to a semi truck. Trucks tend to be loud, so when we heard a terrible loud sound we chalked it up to the semi. Until out of the corner of my eye in the side view mirror, I saw our entire tire rolling off of the car and down the highway!

That's when the sound got worse, but on an interstate in the middle of the city with no emergency lanes on the side we rode it out on the rim for half a mile until we could exit. And then found somewhere safe to stop. Sure enough, the tire was toast. To top it off, the jack was frozen. So even if we wanted to bear the below freezing temperatures to attempt to put the spare on, we couldn't!

So we call AAA... After 30 minute trying to get to the right person who can help (oh yes, you first get routed to a number based on your phone number), so after waiting 16 minutes we got a Florida/Georgia representative, only to get to be transferred to the right region so you can wait on hold again! Great, we report the assistance needed and are told a 120 minute wait time for someone to come help... Seriously!?!

You better believe I played the "I have a newborn in the car and it is like Antarctica outside"... but it only bought me an hour. So naturally at 8:30 am the baby got hungry and started waking up. Fortunately, it was not until then that he woke up. His bottles were still ice cold, so the only option was to nurse. So we snuggled in what was a very uninviting atmosphere in an attempt to feed the baby.

We still had him in his little white oso, since we were trying not to have the car on to conserve gas. And while eating he started to show signs of needing to push out some poop. And sure enough, in the midst of pushing some gas out and some other stuff came out too. It was such a stinky one! I realized that although the conditions were not favorable, I couldn't in my right mind leave him in a messy diaper. So I took off his oso, and was given a big yellow surprise. Apparently, it wasn't just a tire blow out but also a serious diaper blow out. You know, the kind that is all up the back with all the little mustardy particles?! And slipping a onesie off filled with all that is almost impossible, much less when doing it in the front seat of the car!!

So poop was everywhere... his head, his arm, his back, my hands, the seat, the changing pad. But we were resilient we thought. After a box of wipes to recover from the ordeal, we got everyone in their seats to continue our journey into the office.

We eased out of the parking lot and onto the sensation of a car on hydraulics. The shaking could be chalked up to the computer in the car not having recovered from the earlier trauma, or just that the car is a money pit and requires more repairs. With the check engine light flashing, Marshall made a rash decision and almost an illegal U-turn on the interstate in front of a cop, to call it a day. With all these I Guess Im Due moments we considered it a sign that today was not meant to be, called our offices and the day care and headed home.

So we bounced our way home slowly but surely, in hopes that the rest of our day would be salvaged. 

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The Snow Tubing Blues

The day had finally come! We were headed to the Poconos for our tubing adventure. As a typical Floridian mom, I had the kids snug in ten layers of clothing. They were ready to take on the snow. Anticipation was high as we reached the belt to take us up the mountain. That's when our  I Guess Im Due moment began...

Snow from the snow machine began to pelt us in the face the entire way up. We literally felt like we were caught in the middle of a blizzard. Frozen tears began flow from the little ones. When we finally made it to the top, with icicles forming from our face and jackets, it was clear that not everyone was happy to be there. We managed to capture a picture on the top of the mountain. Can you tell who was having the most fun on our tubing adventure?

Both Lilly and Owen refused to go down the mountain. After ten minutes of persuading, coaxing, and pleading, Raquel and I somehow managed to make it down with two crying kids.

I guess some kids are made for the snow,

and some just aren't.

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Seeing Double

 Meet Abby. Being a first time mommy for this chick was as easy as pie. Since the first go around was so smooth for her, having a second was a no brainer. However, Abby's plans for having another only baby left her seeing double. Enjoy today's I Guess Im Due moment in her own words below.

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Sometimes, your first baby is easy. Sometimes she's not. We got very lucky the first time around...good sleeper, good eater, not too fussy. I started to think myself, "I was MADE to be a mom, this is so much easier than others make it look"!

Wow, was I wrong. We were just. simply. lucky. Since our first daughter was so easy, we decided we could do it all over again rather quickly. When Eleanor was 8 months old, we discussed trying again. The first time around took us awhile and we wanted our kids close in age.
 
On Eleanor's first birthday we found out we were pregnant. She would just be a couple months shy of 2 when the baby was born...perfection!

The second pregnancy wasn't as easy as the first. My belly got really big, really fast this time around. I also experienced much worse morning sickness (let's be real: that shit lasts all day). However, I was assured by friends, family and doctors that this was all normal with a second pregnancy. "Maybe it's a boy this time around?!?"
 
After a Christmas Eve trip to the ER for IV fluids & really bad winter storms postponing our ultrasounds, we finally found out at 21 weeks the reason behind my terrible pregnancy symptoms...we were having twins! TWINS! At 21 weeks! How can that be? Somehow, two babies under 2 seemed doable, but 3 babies?!? We knew we were in trouble! And we have been ever since...

The twins, Ingrid and Odette were born in early June. Eleanor was 20 months old...such a good kid, but still a baby herself. And as karma, baby gods, or whatever forces determine infant temperament, would have it, we got our challenge! Granted they are twins, with a two-year-old sister, but they are not easy babies.
 
I stay home with the girls now and we all do our best every single day. Recently, they took turns hating sleep, even our perfect sleeper of two years joined in on the fun. We've worked through gas issues, reflux, teething, and more sickness circling around than I ever could have thought possible in 6 short months. But we are surviving.

We love each other, we have fun together, and we cry together. I'm no longer the mom who feels confident in every decision or even in my ability to leave the house some days. But, thanks to my hardworking husband and my supportive family, we are surviving.
 
Staying at home has been a journey that's been filled with I Guess Im Due moments. I never thought it could be as difficult, or as rewarding, as it is. My truest struggle in staying home turns out be just feeling like a human. From the moment they wake up, I am changing, feeding, bathing, soothing, and playing and, well you get it. And it seems that there is only one night a week that all of the girls will go to bed and stay asleep.

With all this chaos, I end up forgetting to take care of myself. My New Years resolution is for 2015 to be MY year. I won't skimp on baby lovin, but I WILL take time to exercise, prepare meals, get my hair cut (!) and do my nails. I can't help but think 2015 has some awesome adventures in store for my little family. My husband and I are excited to watch our babes grow and learn, while we feel the pressures that comes with raising healthy, polite, and kind little ladies.
 
It is definitely not easy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!

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In addition to being a full time mommy, Abby is also a Jamberry consultant. To make sure you start your year off right, Abby will be doing an I Guess Im Due giveaway! Be sure to check back here on Friday for all the details!

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A New Years Adventure

Call me crazy, but I'm headed to Philadelphia to bring in the New Years, in the dead of winter, on a plane, by myself, with my three kids. This should be interesting...

Stay tuned for my I Guess Im Due tips to surviving plane trips with kids. Yup, I'm crazy loco! 

Happy New Years!

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Some Hives and a Little Super Glue

Excitement was rising. It was just two days before our day to set sail on our first family cruise! I had meticulously packed and organized four suit cases for our five day journey and felt confident that our trip would be a success. I was determined to have our trip be I Guess Im Due free!

The next morning, my confidence was soon deflated when I awoke to see Lilliana’s face and legs covered with hives. 
Just great. I can’t take her on a boat for four days with an unknown rash. We were staying at my Mom’s before we left for our trip, so going to our pediatricians was out. With the advice from my husband, I took her to a walk in clinic to have her checked out. After spending an hour an half at the clinic the doc prescribed her an antibiotic and assured me that all would clear up soon. Ahh, I could finally breathe again. Our family trip was saved!

The following morning we packed the car and headed to the port. I could smell the sea air already! We boarded the ship and quickly got ourselves settled in our little room. As I got Lilliana dressed for dinner, I noticed that her rash was getting worse instead of better. It had now spread all over her body. Just perfect. Lilliana was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. So much for this clearing up quickly. Luckily, Jason had come prepared just in case this happened (yes we were a walking pharmacy). We loaded Lilliana up with some meds to counteract the allergic reaction and prayed that Lilliana’s voyage would soon get better. Twelve hours later she was beaming like her normal self.

I was determined that life was going to be grande on the ship for Lilliana from then on. Between kids camp, swimming, playing with cousins, and fancy dinners, she would have a blast. 

The ship arrived in Cozumel, Mexico on our second day at sea. We gathered our things and headed to a water park resort. This place was truly paradise. Water slides, pools, a wading area, inflatable water obstacle course, beach side lounging, and a water playground. My mother-in-law, Lisa, took the youngest three to the water playground, while I supervised the three older kids at the water slides. After the kids seemed waterlogged from sliding, they decided they wanted to try out the playground area. As I walked towards the playground, I excitedly perused the equipment to spy my little ones. That’s when I spotted Lisa waving me down. In her lap she held a screaming Lilliana. Two paramedics were standing over her as Lisa gripped Lilliana’s bloody chin. Apparently just minutes into playing, Lilliana was so excited that she slipped on a slide and fell chin first, busting it open. Luckily, Lisa, being a nurse, in her calmest voice she asked me to run and get Jason (doctor Daddy).

With Daddy investigating the situation and discussing what needed to be done with the paramedics, I felt like I could finally breathe as I held my injured baby girl. I was so thankful that Lisa was there for the initial incident, because yes, I would have been that hysterical mother. And I of course, was relieved Jason knew what his daughter medically needed (otherwise Lilliana would have ended up in a Mexican hospital with stitches- apparently most physicians in the U.S. don’t use stitches on kids faces.) 
 
Since the paramedics didn't have steri-strips that Jason needed, they patched her up with some butterfly tape for the meantime. Within an hour, and with some hugs, kisses, and a few virgin strawberry daiquiris, Lilliana perked up, played in the sand, and even got a fancy hair braid. 
On our way back to the ship, Jason stopped at a Mexican Farmacia and grabbed some materials he needed to seal Lilliana’s chin. And wouldn’t you know, with a little bit of Mexican super glue and some medical tape Lilliana’s chin was about as good as new.

It’s funny to think (now it is), that most kids come home from a trip with a souvenir, like a trinket or a toy. But not Lilliana, her souvenir, was well, the sweet memories of hives and her newly super glued chin. She’s so proud to tell others that in Mexico her Daddy had to superglue her chin shut- a memory that will literally last a lifetime.

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