Me, You, and Ducky, too

New uses gor old things

2011-11-20T21:11:00.002-05:00

A new edition....will be adding more later, but here's what I've got that's new right now:

On a search for better dishcloths, I simply cut up some of the older stained kitchen towels. Voila! Smaller than regular dishcloths, they are easier for me to handle and work with than others I just bought.

Update on Sam

2011-09-03T20:43:00.002-04:00

While I am grateful to be back in the Orlando area with doctors that know Sam and everything he endured as an infant/toddler, I do NOT have faith in the school system we are part of. A shining light so far has been the assistant principal.

After a discussion with the sped coordinator at the school, where I was informed they'd be removing the "developmentally delayed" coding from his IEP and placing him under "speech and language impaired," I set about making some phone calls. I should note here, I registered him for school the first week of August and here it was the start of September and they had not yet requested his records from his school in Michigan. All they had was his IEP, no evidence of testing. ????? I gave her the name of the school, telephone number and the name of who she needed to talk to. Why was she so surprised that I knew this information?

Anyway, first I called and left a message with the pediatrician's nurse. I stated I needed to know what could be in Sam's file to help me do more than just an SLI coding. I got a phone call after hours direclty from the pedi. We spoke briefly and he said whatever I needed from him, including forms to be filled out, he'd do. (he's incredible, truly incredible)

My next call was to the pediatric neurologist. Thankfully, because it was less than three years (barely) since his last visit, they could still take him with his insurance. Got him an appt for yesterday.

When the school called again to say they were sending home paperwork for his IEP, she indicated they had a medical form. I asked for two so the pedi could do one as well as the neuro.

The appt with the neuro went very well. It was with one of hte Nurse Practitioners, but NPs down here are fairly common and we have yet to have one at a specialist's office that wasn't well-qualified. They picked up right where we left off in December 08.

An MRI with blood work is ordered (scheduled for Oct 20) and a referral for a neuropsych evaluation has been made. Just have to find one close enough.

When Sam had some work done three years ago, one urine test came back weird, so they want to redo that one. The MRI will give them a study of his brain to see if there's any seizure activity.

While so far no one believes Sam is ready for a full Autism diagnosis, he is definitely still on the spectrum. Keeping the PDD diagnosis was what was best for him at the time. There are tendencies, but nothing huge or outward. He just doesn't fit it.

Why I took a part-time job

2011-08-11T16:25:00.003-04:00

It seems more and more companies are hiring fewer full-time employees. Why? It costs more....by the time you add in whatever benefits package that FTer has, it could feasibly just be cheaper to hire 2-5 PT employees.

However, a company will often hire part-time people with full-time employment waiting in the wings. They want to test you out first. Hiring and counting on a FT person that doesn't work out wastes WEEKS of training on that person, as well as the time involved by the trainer, human resources and subsequently management who has to rehire.

Disney now first offers FT spots to its PT Cast Members before ever heading externally. This way both sides gets to try the other out. Like being PT? Great, deny the spot. Don't really want to leave the PT spot you have for a FT spot elsewhere because you're holding out for FT at your location? Great again. But, get offered that prime spot you've been wanting? BONUS for you.

You get the spot you originally wanted and Disney gets a CM that truly wants to create a magical experience for its Guests.

Me? I want to be backstage. I loved my role as a CoT, even the one I didn't excel at the way I wish I had. But I still learned about myself, others, and about Disney as a company in that experience. Even more backstage is a position that would allow me to work more closely with training development and with management.

THIS is where I dream to be. Backstage, helping others learn how to create the magic. Making sure Disney Cast Members have the tools and resources available to them to make a special vacation moment turn unbelievable.

Like this: My parents took her and my sister to Disney World in May 1999. As they approached Winnie the Pooh, he took one look at this beautiful baby (she really was a cute baby) and rather than simply stand next to my sister for pictures, Pooh sat down on the ground and held my niece for pictures. Pooh's friend said he rarely did that, Pooh was still rather a stand-up gentleman after all.

Part-time employment gets your foot in the door. Sure it makes paying the bills a whole lot harder, but I know at least at Disney, there are extra hours available, especially if you are willing to work parade control or custodial. (which I am)

I'm aiming high, but will take my steps into the Kingdom any way I can get them.

WOOHOO!

2011-08-01T20:52:00.001-04:00

Got a job. Granted, it's part-time, but it's back at Disney and that was a goal of mine. So, YAY me for goal accomplishment!

Feeling incredibly incompetent

2011-07-30T15:51:00.003-04:00

I love my children, I love my husband. Why is it so bad to want to spend a bit of time away from them and outside the four walls that make up our apartment? Why is it bad that I feel energized by being away? It sounds horrible, but when I'm here all the time, I think everyone (including me) takes that for granted.

Mom will kiss the boo-boos. Mom will make dinner. Mom will vacuum and do laundry. Later I'll read that story to the boys. Later I'll spend some adult time with my husband.

Yet, I apply and apply and apply for jobs and no one seems interested in me. I did get THREE rejection letters. Sadly one of them was from Target. The other two came from the hospital I had the boys at. Apparently I'm not qualified to serve food or clean hospital rooms.

I'm considering checking out Rosetta Stone for Spanish from the library. Every other job posting is looking for someone that's bilingual.

I hate being unemployed. I don't feel useful. I don't feel needed by anyone outside the family. And while I am needed inside the family, I don't necessarily feel appreciated.

Yes, that's important to me.

Kitchen BEFORE pictures

2011-07-24T11:51:00.003-04:00

I won't have AFTER pictures for a while, but I wanted you to see the before pictures.

The silverware drawer. I have a nice Reed & Barton set of silverware, to include all the great serving pieces and ICED TEA spoons. As you can see, we only have a little drawer thingy. I have the boys' spoons in an Ikea container and the boys' forks just thrown in. My R&B steak knives are in a plastic bag. Pathetic huh? Bed Bath and Beyond has these great organizers, can't wait for that unlimited money day because I will be buying at least three different organizers.
The specialty drawer. Yep, that's a mini cake pan holding most of the specialty stuff like ice cream scoops, corn pickers, spatulas, the boys' bumpy name labels and several other miscellaneous items are in this drawer. Oh, yeah, and the plug for hte griddle. (which btw also needs to be replaced.)

Junk drawer. Wow, it's a narrow drawer. But, it's a great place for charger cords, scotch tape, batteries and the Ikea clips.

Six years ago ................

2011-07-18T19:41:00.003-04:00

I was in the hospital, getting all drugged up for my first birth. It had been an ungodly hot summer that year and I was working outside at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon. I went for my 40 week check up and the dr didn't like what he saw in terms of my measurements.

So, I got an ultrasound right then and there. It showed my amnio fluids, which had been high all along, had dropped significantly. As in from 22 down to 5. L&D readers will know what that means....all I knew is that it meant I was being sent to be induced.

My mom (herein known as Nana) had flown in and gone to the appt with me, we swung by the apt to get Eric. I spent the next few hours getting prepped and checked, got my epidural and slept for a while in between contractions. Honest to God, I have no recollection if Nana and Eric stayed, or just Eric or just Nana.

It was a restless night. I was a day from my due date and just wanted it to be over.

The story of Sam's name:
Samuel comes from my great-grandfather on my paternal grandmother's side. It was a middle name, but we liked it for a first name.
Anthony is Eric's middle name as well as his dad's. FIL actually goes by Tony.

So, while I had a restless night ahead of me, I at least had an email from my sister wishing me luck, my mom, and my husband.

Around 10p.m. I was begging for food. Prior to my 11a.m. appt, I'd had poptarts for breakfast. Nothing since. So, the dr came to check me. Yeah, 3cm. *rolling eyes*

My mom went down to find some microwave food for me....it was actually decent mac-n-cheese.

More tomorrow....the day of his birth!

honey banana whole wheat bread

2011-07-15T14:23:00.001-04:00

OH MY YUMMINESS! Will come back to post a picture.

Maybe I'll actually get my bathroom cleaned today. The boys' bathroom is fairly clean as is their bedroom, but their closet is a freaking disaster zone. I have a mini war zone in the kitchen from making bread, but at least the dishwasher is clean.

So far today............

2011-07-14T12:22:00.004-04:00

I fed the boys and then took them to Walmart to check a few things off my list, cleaned up the disaster that was known as the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, made a double-batch of laundry soap, put together a floor lamp, and hung a wall clock.....all before noon.

The rest of the day SHOULD include:
~~washing our sheets~~
making two loaves of bread....one white wheat; the other banana at least I have ingredients now
~~vacuuming~~
~~wiping down the table~~
~~sewing the other half of a large quilt~~
designing/sewing a tooth fairy pillow for Sam (he picked fabric to match his tec me blanket)

LIBRARY to update my resume so I can stop copying and pasting into a Notepad document. We don't have Office on either computer and I don't like the Open Office programs. So I'll be going to the local library this afternoon while my boys relax with Daddy.

I'd like to clean the bathroom, but I don't see that one happening.

I am happy to report, however, I checked off a floor lamp for the living room and a desk lamp for the bedroom this morning. I will be SOOOOOOOO glad when we have light in those rooms tonight. and it was so nice!

Updated at 11:20 p.m. with what I accomplished today. VERY happy with decision to go to library.

Today is day number TWO

2011-07-12T14:52:00.002-04:00

Of Henry spending 2+ hours in his room and not sleeping. OKay, yesterday, he did in fact fall asleep at 2:35....having been in there since noon.

And I'm a HORRIBLE mommy because I checked on him, smelled the stench and decided to leave him be. I cannot change that child with a poopy diaper while he is sleeping, certainly not when he's only been asleep for 10 minutes. Sure enough, I had to hose him down because it was front to back. We're doing a juice reduction day today. AS in less than 2 oz. He's NEVER been like this unless sick, so we'll have to see what else comes my way.

However, he's still awake after 3 hours and I'm not getting him. It's quiet around here. I'm getting some Tec Me Quilts stuff done and Sam has read to me and practiced writing his numbers and name. (5 weeks off has done a ton of harm to his handwriting, I am 100000000% convinced he's a natural leftie)

I made bread!!!

2011-07-12T09:52:00.004-04:00

Here's the recipe for my Breadman. I love this recipe. It makes AWESOME toast, but wouldn't use it for french toast, the density seems to just absorb all the egg. But add some Nutella and oh my, I'm in heaven.

I lay out all my ingredients first. It just seems to be time-saving for me. Kind of like on the cooking shows. I just know if I take my time to measure out everything first, I don't worry about screwing up the recipe while I'm trying to count out 6 tsp of yeast, kwim? And yes, it's also in the order I have to put it in the pan. The water and oil were measured out when I needed them, which was first. Then sugar, salt, baking soda, bread flour, wheat flour, bread machine yeast.

Everything's in the pan, the pan is in the maker. This particular setting makes a 2-lb loaf in 59 minutes. Which is great because I can set it up during nap time and by dinner we can have cooled, fresh bread!!

The finished product!! Absolutely the best loaf I've ever made. It came out of the pan easily, the mixer thingy even stayed in the pan, not the loaf. I don't have a cooling rack, so I made my own using my grease splash guard and a dinner plate. LOL Worked out great.

Fwiw, I've made bread a bunch of times before....I just wanted to document it this time.

Found a new place to order fabrics~

2011-07-11T00:42:00.002-04:00

And I already have new ideas running through my head, including Tooth Fairy pillows since Sammy lost his first tooth this afternoon. Head over to the new Fabric Fairy site and check it out. They have fabrics, notions, patterns and MORE! And can check out Fabric Fairy on Facebook too!

Sam & HJ updates

2011-07-09T13:59:00.003-04:00

Sam
Sam's repeating kindergarten this fall, but it will be a completely different program in a totally different state/district. In fact, it will be full day and he'll eat lunch with the same kids he spends all day with.

His speech is coming clearer every day and most people that don't know him really don't notice the delays. Until they see him around other 5/6 year olds and then it becomes more apparent. He's doing a bit more toe-walking and excited jumping, but really, it's only while he's playing a game on the Wii. We make him sit down and that usually works for a while.

His eating habits are improving. I sneak in things like pork by telling him it's "special chicken nuggets". I finally have him eating ham regularly on pizza. We've eliminated nightshades from his diet almost completely. Daddy lets him sneak chips or fries on occasion, but for the most part he gets the whole "not Sammy safe" explanation. I guess it's kind of helped that he has friends with nut allergies at school.

We're noticing a difference in his eczema. It's just amazing....especially when three days after chips or fries, his legs are all red and bumpy again. We read labels carefully. Certain things are okay, like Cheetohs and Goldfish, but others like CheezIts are not. His favorite foods right now are pizza (just ham and cheese), cookies, green beans, peas, and watermelon. His favorite drinks are chobby (chocolate milk) and Crystal Light Focus Natural Citrus Splash (after discovering mine!).

We also see a difference in his understanding. Granted, we still see temper tantrums, but he seems to be catching on to other ideas and remembering things more easily. Since alkaloids affect the neurotransmitters and we're eliminating them.....his brain is seeing more activity. Can't wait to talk to his neuro about it!!

Shirts: 6/7
Pants: 4/5 with elastic band....the 6/7 fall right off
Shoes: 12.5
Height: 44"
Weight: 46 lbs

HJ
Henry has a re-eval for speech on August 2 down in Lakeland. Sucks we have to drive that far since Orlando is much closer, but I get the whole county jurisdiction I guess. I'd rather take him to Celebration Health and have him see whoever they have there now. It's only a few miles from us.

I'd say his speech is understood by me about 75% of the time and by everyone else about 40-50% of the time. But I'm with him 100% of the time these days. I credit sending him to day care for a few months earlier this year with his development. He is definitely a kid that needs the social interaction with kids his own age. I have a friend that is moving to the area later this month with kids between the boys....so that should be much better for both of mine!

HJ is constantly telling us he has to go potty, but just wants to play in there. I wish there was a way to do the 3-day PT trick, but with carpeting? I don't dare try it. I really think he'd get it.

Henry is my good eater, will eat just about anything, except kiwi and green beans. He loves raw carrots, squash, hotdogs, and cookies. His favorite drinks are milk and juice.

Shirts: 3T
Pants: 2T
Shoes: 8
Height: not really sure
Weight: 29 lbs

As I return to blogging

2011-07-08T20:08:00.003-04:00

I'm left wondering what to write. Some say I write too much personal. But this is my blog to write, not theirs.

Ask my parents and my siblings, I've been an open book for as long as I could open my mouth. I've learned to filter, but probably not as much as I should. However, I also believe that if you don't tell someone that you are having a problem, then they can't help you.

This is a concept I've struggled with for a LONG time. I don't know exactly how to ask someone for help. Especially asking for help and then letting go of the idea that someone is actually going to help me and it might not be exactly the way I want it done.

Take my husband for example. He tries so hard to help me sometimes. but I get after him about doing it wrong, then he just gives up. Today, I took the boys shopping, came home with two gallons of milk. Eric just pops them into the fridge. Not bothering to bring the near empty container to the front. So, I just told him "thanks for helping, babe, but things need to go in certain places."

I have few friends that I have asked for help and that know me well enough to say "how do you want it done?" or "Is this way okay?"

I know it's a control freak thing. A counselor once told me that the less someone tries to help me, the more controlling I become. That I need to accept the help and let it be.

Much easier said that done.

Updated pictures!

2011-07-07T22:07:00.000-04:00

Henry, 2 years 4 months

Sam, 5 years 11 months

Unlimited money, I would buy the following at.....

2011-07-07T21:29:00.012-04:00

Ikea
2 Trofast with shelves, not bins
kitchen utensils
11" square fry pan (perfect for cheese quesadillas for Sammy)
another set of black dishes because I refuse to buy anymore paper plates
another set of kids plates because they are great for lunches
a roll of paper for the easel
some kind of storage ottoman
three sets of wooden hangers
lightweight covers for the boys' beds (they love their dinosaur comforters but they're heavy)
might even look at some fabric!

Bed Bath & Beyond
Tervis Tumblers--enough for each of us to have two
drawer organizers....my silverware drawer is an atrocity right now (~$60)

Target
~~lamps~~ 7/14/11
shorts--living in FL you need more than 2 pair
removable shower head....so Eric doesn't have to constantly move ours
trash can for the kitchen
2 laundry baskets or even a laundry sorter
Shark
scale
grill pan (square stove top pan for grilling---I want some grilled salmon!)
welcome mat
kitchen mat
bath mat for the boys' bathroom (fishy pattern)

Walmart
curtains & tension rod I found last week for the boys' room (total $25)
rug for under our dining room table ($20)
Ivory soap to make homemade laundry soap
Aveeno baby
~~Oil of Olay Ribbons (pink)~~ 7/14/11

Costco
Nutella (best deal anywhere)
BOB books for Sammy. Have two sets, just need the other three.
diapers
wipes
trash bags
ziploc bags of all sizes
Cascade

Thoughts on Casey Anthony

2011-07-05T20:27:00.003-04:00

1. She's guilty

2. The jurors had an incredibly tough job. The law does not allow for what we believe to be admitted as evidence. If so, Casey would be looking at a death penalty right now, not walking out of jail with time served. (Because you know that's what is going to happen.....4 counts of lying to law enforcement, each carrying a MAXIMUM sentence of 1 year. She's been in jail three years now.)

3. The media sensationalized this case from the start. Didn't help that we had people like John Morgan, Jose Baez, and Leonard Padilla involved either. Add in Nancy Grace and you've got America tuned in for YEARS.

4. If a parent can be prosecuted for their child skipping school, then a parent who fails to report their missing for 30+ days should also be prosecuted for neglect and abuse.

5. If a parent LIES to police about the whereabouts of dead child, causing time, money and volunteer efforts to be wasted searching for said child, she should be held criminally liable for any resources that could have been used to search for and/or save other missing children.

6. The entire state of Florida is NOT to blame for Caylee's death or Casey being found not guilty. That was decided by a jury of her "peers". Please see #2.

7. A jury of her peers would have included more women with young children, not saying all 12 jurors should have fit this, but more of them.

8. If you wish to blame someone for Casey winning her case, blame the Prosecution. They didn't provide enough information, viable evidence, or shoot holes through the Defense's claims of a drowning and of abuse.

9. I don't believe for one hot second George Anthony abused his daughter. She has been proven to be a pathological liar. I do believe that he has known for some time that his daughter was involved in Caylee's death and couldn't prove it.

10. Cindy Anthony is undoubtedly involved in this just as much as Casey. I'm sorry, but who the hell (aside from a teacher or student work on a project) googles "chorophyll"???

I need to revisit this

2011-03-23T14:01:00.002-04:00

this post and experiment needs to be revisited. by both of us.

Now see that's more like it

moving?

2011-03-23T13:57:00.003-04:00

I want to move. BADLY

I found three great places at great prices.

IF you know me, you know why I'd hesitate. I've placed calls and emails....hopefully somethign will come through!

maybe even a full-time spot at the bank.

Henry is a busy body

2011-03-22T08:29:00.003-04:00

As in his body is always busy!!! He's so curious about everything. He acts like each morning he wakes up, it's all new again. Forget the fact that we've been living with my parents for nearly two years now. the only thing he is sure about is there are ice cream sandwiches in the freezer. (btw, if you have little ones.....a bottom freezer might not work out so well if you don't have latches. he's in the freezer 6-7 times a day until he gets ice cream. can't tell you how many times we've actually caught him trying to unwrap one!)

Sam is consipiring with his BFF at school for a playdate, already has his teachers convinced that I've scheduled it today. And it doesn't matter which "today" it is, it's always TODAY. So I finally wrote a note last night to the mom to ask for a time to get together.

Patience and return calls pay off!

2011-03-21T22:06:00.002-04:00

So, last summer I took Sam to see Alvin & the Chimpmunks or maybe it was Shrek 4. Doesn't matter. I was paying for our tix and the kid asked "anything else I can help with?"

I jokingly replied, "yeah, if you know anyone who does day care in Mason, I'm all ears."

To which he said, "my mom does it!"

So I took his number and forgot for a couple of weeks. I finally called her, but unfortunately at the time, Henry was still an "infant" and she didn't have room.

Well, last night I called her again. when I told her my name, she asked if I was the one that talked to her son at the theater. When I said I was, she said, "I'm so glad you called, I've had an opening but couldn't find your number!"

She knew Henry was turning 2 after the first of the year and he'd fit into her designation then.

So, YAY!!!!! We can do full or part-time, and fi she has space I might be able to do Sam too this summer. Her husband is a teacher for the district and helps then.

I'm so very excited, she's just blocks from us!

Sam's health

2011-03-20T23:01:00.002-04:00

After a particularly volatile sickness event back in December, I told the pediatrician here that I had had enough. I couldn't continue to change sheets three times in a month, even if it was 3-5 weeks apart now. (fabulous considering how many times I had to do it in a single week when he was a baby)

Well, we finally had the appointment iwth the pediatric GI this past week. We did a full medical review starting with his failure to gain appropriately, all the formulas we tried, the barium swallow at 8 months, everything. We talked about whether Sam had headaches, the timing of the vomiting (almost always after he'd been in bed for a while), the foods Sam would actually eat, and even what might stress Sammy out. (um.....how about reading the last paragraph of the previous blog entry)

Anyway, he ordered a full blood draw to include food allergies, thyroid, celiac and some other things.

He also has scheduled a full endoscopy inthe OR. This is because it's safer in the OR for a child of his age and with his delays. After the scope is done, they will insert a tube in Sam's nose that will go down the back of his throat and esophagus all the way to the little opening. It's a 24-hour probe that will track how many times, if any, that Sam refluxes. Sometimes, they don't do it at all even though there's other signs (hence the reasoning for doing it at the same time as the endo). Other times, kids will have repeated refluxes. Anthing over 50 is considered "failing".

The dr's best explanation for Sam is either night reflux or allergy-related reflux. Between the blood draw and the two tests scheduled for April 27, we should find out which it is, or possibly something entirely different.

At the same time, we have also cut out nightshades from Sam's diet. He no longer eats potatoes, tomatoes, or other foods from that family. We did this to see if it would have an impact on his eczema and after a very scary incident that I personally believe tied back to a fresh, raw tomato. His legs are smoother and the eczema patches are relatively gone. I haven't been great about reading labels, but just the elimation of fries, spaghetti sauce and pizza sauce have made a huge difference.

update on the boys

2011-03-20T22:05:00.003-04:00

Okay, so it's been a while. Sorry.....life's gotten a bit busy. Here's a 6-month update......

Sam (aka Duck)
Sam is loving kindergarten this year. His teacher is incredible and we are just so lucky to have had her this year. He loves to tell stories, asks what letters different words start with, and has progressed from squiggles for his name to clearly writing each letter. (the "S" is backward most of the tiem, but it's still a distinct letter) Tonight he sat trying to read Dinosaurs Love Underpants to me. We read it probably 3-4 nights a week and he has the gist of it down fairly well.

We get a new book from school each week that is supposed to be easy enough for him to learn and that's going well. We're workign on the difference between letters and words. Of course "I" and "a" are a bit troublesome, but he's learning that if it's more than one letter, it must be a word. Sight words are coming along. Need to work on that a bit more.

Sam can count to 20 fairly well, though 14-16 trips him up.

Due to his delays and low muscle tone, Sam struggles with his pencil grip. This makes writing a challenge sometimes. His teacher has goen so far as to write the words for him in highlighter so he can trace them. It's a bit easier to see than dotted lines, but at the same time, he has to pay attention to what he's doing because she does use yellow, not blue or green.

Sam will do a "bonus" year of kindergarten next fall. We're all good with that decision and I'm hoping that we'll get him into a program this summer that will help retain the skills he learned, so he can at least not start completely over.

Henry (aka biscuit or biscuit butt)
I don't know how my dad came up with either of those names, I call Henry "turkey" because he's my little butterball. At 9.5 pounds, I think he weighed more than any turkey I cooked during our 5 years in Florida.

Henry is receiving speech therapy services through EI. While not anywhere near the same level of delay that Sam has/had, Henry is behind his age peers. He turned two last month and wow, I guess I'd have to sit down and think about what words he actually has. I mean, it's quite a few. He does a lot of mimicking, which is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO nice to see/hear.

He does, however, have one hell of a mean streak and temper. I think once we get him back in day care, we'll see that improve because he won't be bored. With Sam gone all day at school, it leaves Henry with the run of hte house, which is good that he doesn't have anyone to compete with for Nana's attention, but it's bad because he doesn't have a pint-sized playmate either.

(should have seen them tonight.....they were playing ring around the rosie in the kitchen tonight and aside from Sam going a little fast, they were doing it really well and without fighting.)

Where I think we did a better job as parents was getting Henry tubes much earlier than Sam had them. Sam's were put in July 09 just before his 4th birthday. Henry got them in June 10 at 16 months of age.

Henry's favorite words are cookie, more, milk, and tick-tock (for all faced clocks).

and us.......
Our seventh anniversary is coming up next month. SEVEN YEARS!

There's so much I could write here, but every time I try, I either say too much, say something stupid or I start crying. So, I will tell you this: IT SUCKS living apart. It sucks that we felt we had to make the decisions that were made, regardless of what they were. It also sucks because we are really trying to make a plan to be back under one roof and the finances just never seem to work out right.

on sweet potatoes......

2011-03-20T22:00:00.003-04:00

First, to the mommy that commented back in January I apologize for not getting back here sooner about Duck's sweet potato allergy. The first time he had sweet potatoes, Sam had a single streak across his face. A few days later we tried them again and he was head to toe with hives, his face swollen. It was the only new food he'd had all week and the only other foods he was eating were Nutramigen (hypoallergenic formula) and rice cereal.

Three years ago, we were in a buffet-style restaurant and picked up what had been labeled "pumpkin pie" for Sam and it turned out to be sweet potato pie. Thankfully we were around the corner from our apartment because by the time we'd gotten home, he had small hives on his stomach.

Sweet potatoes are not a common allergy, but it does exist.

What a way to end a week!

2010-10-09T20:57:00.002-04:00

Sunday 10/3: After being told that Jesus lives within all of us, Sam tells his CCD teacher that we need to get him out so he can be with Lucy (MIL's dog).

Monday 10/4: Sam is eval'd by the local pedi rehab speech therapist and qualifies for additional therapy through them. He'll get one-on-one sessions in addition to his group sessions he gets at school.

Tuesday 10/5: Interview at 5th/3rd for a temp job.......about 5 hours later I get the call I was selected for the position!

Wednesday 10/6: Filled out background check for Adecco :)

Thursday 10/7: Found a pretty good deal on some books I want to buy for Sam for Christmas

Friday 10/8: Henry had a fabulous speech session with Ms. Lisa. Got some great fabrics and deals at JoAnn's for new quilts and Santa Sacks.

Saturday 10/9: The Spartans beat out the Wolverines for the third year in a row! Go GREEN!

Could it be true? Could some good things really be finally coming around for this family? (though I know Eric is a bit disappointed in UM's loss)

Now it's party time!

2010-10-04T17:01:00.003-04:00

Because Sam qualified for more individual speech therapy through the hospital. The therapist will be able to do some stretching exercises and other stuff to help him develop his tongue, cheek and jaw muscles. YAY!! That along with other stuff too.

It's really sad when you're pleased that your child is low enough to get services. but it's the crap part of having a special needs child who sits on the border.

I could have him classified further and he'd get even more help, but I don't think that's necessary. A wise mommy told me once that just because the someone else wants a diagnosis, doesn't make it true. I've never felt Sam fit into a specific category of delay, nor have I thought he'd be a year of service and be fine type of kid.

happy dance time!!

2010-09-27T17:01:00.002-04:00

For the past year, I've been working on getting Sam evaluated by a medical speech therapist again. Someone who could address his facial hypotonia and really work on the muscles to help him form the words/sounds he should be able to at this age.

We got the referral here in July, they called in August, I called them in September. Teh last contact said it would be NOVEMBER before he got in.

Well, they called today and they had a cancellation and can see him on Thursday at 1:00! I'm so very excited.

Will post an update after the initial session. Wednesday Henry has play group for the first time, so we'll see how well that goes.

pacifiers

2010-09-26T21:26:00.003-04:00

I'm hoping if I put it in print, I can continue to talk myself OUT of buying Henry a pacifier. I mean, he barely took to a Soothie when he was an infant. But right now he's all about sucking on an empty bottle or sippy cup.

and he ENJOYS it.

how do I know he enjoys it?

because it's QUIET, no screeching. No baby pteradactyl. No trying to wake the dead half-way around the world. he wants to watch the world around him.

why is it that complacency is required later on in life, but we don't allow our toddlers a little bit of it? yes, my 19mo still sucks a bottle. Sam got rid of the paci at 4y 10m. He doesn't ask for it, he is talking and telling stories and learning "big" words.

I just needed to write it out so I don't actually go buy one or 14.

Sammy writing

2010-09-25T21:32:00.002-04:00

I think Sam's teacher can tell which paper is his because it's the one with the scribbles for a name.

We meet next month for his IEP and I want more details about his writing in there. But for now, I've gotten out the dotted letters his teacher sent home last year. he actually practiced his name all by himself tonight. It's on each paper five times (maybe four), but he did it without being asked.

Writing is hard for him, he just never grasped the concept of gripping a pencil/marker/crayon. Those have only been recent additions ot his interests. (on the other hand, Henry loves to draw with the magna doodle and tries to with a capped pen)

Mrs. Z is using the Letter People program, which makes us VERY happy. Especially since I found a few of the books at Hidden Treasures over the summer. Sam got a lot of joy out of his Letter People creations.

Kids and dawn

2010-09-25T07:51:00.002-04:00

Does God give kids some kind of special instructoin that they must be up before the crack of dawn until they're 6? Actually, I think if Henry wouldn't wake up so damn early, Sam might sleep later.

Granted, I knew when having children I'd lose some sleep. And really, I don't mind the loss of sleep on occasion. But the sheer act of being woke up by a screaming banshee isn't my idea of a great start to the morning. Really I'd love it if Henry would sleep til 6:30/7:00 and just wake up nice/talking/giggling/whatever, just anything but the shrieking.

Thankfully, though, both of my children do get up fairly well. By this I mean, they're ready to go. I don't spend hours trying to get them motivated. While Sammy could stay up for hours on end at night liek his daddy, he very much can get up the next morning and do what's necessary.

Speech therapy

2010-09-23T23:01:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow is Henry's second speech therapy session. It should be a bit calmer now that Sam has been moved to the AM kdg session. Henry really likes his therapist and should be fairly cooperative. Lucky for me when it's time for her to leave is the same time as Sesame Street coming on. (woohoo for new season on Monday!)

We missed play group this week....sucks but what can you do when he doesn't sleep because he can't breathe which means you're up all night too? Thankfully playgroup is weekly and we can start next week. So, Henry will get one hour of play group each week and one hour of one-on-one every other week.

We re-eval in a few months to see if we need to up it.

With the addition of FB to my life

2010-09-19T06:56:00.002-04:00

I have experienced the loss of my blog. I apologize to my THREE followers. I hope you'll stick with me and come back to regular reading.

Much as happened in the past *gasp* three months. Not even sure where to begin:

Henry got his tubes in July, noticed a big babbling explosion about 3-4 weeks later.
Started Henry with Early Intervention. We have speech therapy for one hour every other week and therapy play group every week for one hour. An average of 90 minutes a week, I can handle that for now.
Sam started kindergarten. We've gone from our zoned school for AM, to school of choice PM, to school of choice AM. VERY happy with our kdg teacher. Sam really enjoys her class, comes home talking about her every single day.
Since school has started, I'm back to subbing.
I've started a new hobby/job making "tec me blankets". I'll post that story tomorrow or Tuesday. In the middle of three right now.

It's tubes for Henry!

2010-06-08T00:08:00.003-04:00

Yes, he's getting tubes. After being unresponsive to some low tones, but passing the tympanogram this morning, we met with the ENT. We discussed the recent EI and reactions to the antibiotics. He agreed with the pediatrician that tubes are the best route right now. So, Henry will get his tubes on the 24th of this month. I did ask the ENT to check Sam's tubes while we were there since he'd just had an EI as well. They're good. (makes me think the EI was connected to the croup he had last month)

So, hopefully, we can keep him EI free for the next two weeks.

Memories: the good, the bad, and the painful

2010-06-04T22:25:00.002-04:00

When you move away, you get a fresh start. You can really be the person you want to be, the person you think you should become, without familial interference.

Moving back brings back memories.......so many memories. The good.....like getting to see old friends and reconnecting. The bad.....like I hate the bad roads and salt on my car. The painful....like remembering people in your life that you had tried to put out of your mind.

It's been a crazy couple weeks

2010-06-03T14:56:00.003-04:00

I'll post some pictures later, but basically, Henry had reactions to three antibiotics this month. Amoxicillin, Omnicef and Zitrhmax. nice huh?

My poor baby had hives coming and going all because of a double EI. So, we're seeing the ENT on Monday to discuss tubes.

Sam is doing INCREDIBLE. Last week he walked intot he bathroom at Penney's, closed the stall door in my face, locking it, saying "I do it myself, mama". I damn near cried. He did it all by himself, well, except for getting his pants up all the way, but he tried. The next day he did the same thing at a restaurant & that time he did it start to finish by himself.

So much for my "delayed" chid. Not even 5 years old yet and thinks he's "man enough" to go potty publicly on his own. Yep, that's right, he thought he was even going to go into the boys' bathroom w/o me! Think again little man!

My favorite phrase lately is "use your big boy voice and your big boy words." Amazingly, it STOPS the whining and screaming. I know I know, I have talk calmly if I want him to! J/K

But seriously, it really does work. I also have been using a lot of Harvey Karp's techniques outlined in Happiest Toddler on the Block. Have I ever mentioned that man is a genius? I really believe it! The best part is that HTotB can be used at any age (even with husbands).

There's more to come tomorrow, with some details. Right now I think I have a graham cracker mess to clean up.

CHD (Congenital Heart Defects)

2010-05-23T20:37:00.002-04:00

I'm dedicating this week to bringing information about CHD to the forefront of your mind. Why?

Because my friend, Amy, lost her little boy Jack to CHD on October 31, 2008. Amy and I met online through a popular public message board, then migrated over to a private board for those with children in the toddler age-range. Jack was just two weeks shy of his third birthday when he passed away. He'd be just a few months younger than Sam.

You can read more about Jack here at Golf 4 Jack or here Jack's Facebook page

Here's a link to what CHD is according to UM/CS Mott's Children's Hospital: click HERE

An update

2010-05-18T15:01:00.004-04:00

Sam
40 pounds even (croup and an ear infection took a couple pounds off last month)

41" tall

Size 4 pants, 5T shirts and I'm fairly certain he'll need a size 11 shoe, if not 11.5

Just cut his hair for teh early part of summer. Probably the best haircut I've given him. He even sat still and did well while I used the mini clippers around his ears and on his neck.

His big thing right now is coming home on the bus saying "I had a great day at school mama." That's 8 words in one sentence. Not too shabby for a kid who two years ago could barely say 10 double-syllable words.

Famous last words? "I wanna be good mama" Yes, we all know you WANT to be good Sammy, but WILL you be good?

Still on the fence about what to do about the fall. Kindergarten or continuing the special ed pre-K program. I'm not interested in sending him to kdg just to send him to 1st grade next year. We know it would mean a repeat of kdg next year.

I'm probably just fairly disappointed we left Kissimmee last year and wish he had a similar program this year.

Henry
26 pounds (he's a chunky one)

31.5" tall

Purely in 18 mo clothing. Which kind of sucks because Sam went from 12mo to 24 mo in one season, so we're buying some things I was hoping to avoid. But at least that means the 24 mo fall/winter items I have will fit him later on. He'll likely be needing size 6 shoes soon.

You already know he's walking, better and better everyday. It's only when Sam starts running around him egging him on to chase him that Henry gets all excited, tries to run and well, is unsuccessful as he lands on his rear end.

We're contemplating a call to early intervention. Henry doesn't have any words yet, but he is communicating his wants, desires, and distaste. He'll give a kiss on command (to Papa or the baby in the mirror), he lets you know when he's finished eating/drinking by feeding the floor, and if he's in the play yard and you walk by, you had better acknowledge him or you'll have the screech of your life.

Us
Well, there's really not much to tell. Eric's restarted the process to join TSA here. He's working part-time for a big security firm, but again, it's just part-time and in reality it's "per diem". I view per diem work as feast or famine. You get work for a few weeks, then nothing for the longest time.

I've been applying for teaching positions as well as jobs with teh state of Michigan. It's not like it used to be though. Used to be able to take the Civil Service exam and then get on the roster based on your score. NOW? Now you apply and sit back and hope to God someone likes your application materials enough to send you to take the exam. All I really need is that chance to take the exam. I've tried three different temp agencies. Yeah, rather unsuccessful there. I have a part-time job, but it's just part-time and no opportunity for full-time or advancement.

My boys and I need me to find a full-time job. For so many reasons.

Henry's 12-step program

2010-05-07T09:47:00.002-04:00

1 Wife + 2 sons + 7 years = 1 changed man

2010-04-06T06:07:00.004-04:00

I initially typed out this big long blog about how Eric has changed, but really, why should I? I know how my husband has changed and I shouldn't have to explain it or point it out for others, they should see it. What is incredibly sad is that there are those out there who don't see it.

New bike for Sammy

2010-03-22T21:22:00.001-04:00

He's 40"/41" tall and it's a 16" bike. Such a big boy!

Outside time

2010-03-16T19:46:00.004-04:00

Having patience does pay off

2010-03-07T00:05:00.002-05:00

It appears that my husband has turned over a new tree. Yep, a new tree. Mind you he told me he'd do this a few years ago. He didn't just want to turn over a new leaf, but a whole tree.

Over the past two weeks, I've really only had to pack my breakfast and lunch for work. He's done a great job of taking care of pretty much everything else:

washing bottles for the next day
filling bottles for the next day
making chobby for Sam
deciding on dinner, then making it
cleaning up the kitchen
picking up the boys' toys
taking the boys to the sitter's if he goes to work later than me or not working (I pay the same whether they go or not, so they go in order for him to take care of stuff)
calling me to say "I'll pick up the boys, just come on home"
respecting that I gave up pop and fast food for Lent by making sure we meal plan during the week
told me to use three nights this past week to just veg in bed and watch my fave tv shows and he took care of the above for me

If it had just been a couple of days, I'd think it wasn't going to stick. But I think he secretly *enjoys* doing things for me and helping me relax. The less I have to do at night, the more time I have to spend with him.

You can never understand a relationship you're not in. And you don't know what you'll do until you're deep inside it.

I am so glad I have continued to have faith in myself and my husband.

To the kind person at Meijer

2010-02-27T16:25:00.003-05:00

Thank you oh so much for finding Henry's hat and turning it in to Lost and Found. It's been two weeks since we lost the handmade hat Nana made for him, I thought it was really gone. But, I took a chance and asked when I was in the Livonia/Novi Meijer this morning.

Emily, the customer service attendant, welcomed me down to the "found" bin and let me watch her go through it. I described the hat and she started pulling all sorts of things out. (if you lost a black glove, chances are it might be at that Meijer, they have a TON)

I was surprised that she let me look with her. She took that extra initiative to let me know that she wanted me to see for myself and that she wanted to be sure she found the right hat.

AND SHE DID!!

Pure relief and joy set in as I saw the hat. It's sitting in the pile to be washed, but at least it's safe and sound where it belongs.

So, thank you, to whoever found it, whether it was a shopper or employee. I'm incredible grateful!

HE'S POTTY-TRAINED

2010-02-15T02:15:00.002-05:00

Finally! 100% of the time, he's wearing underwear full-time, going on his own for the most part, flushing, putting the seat/lid down, no accidents in at least a month, going poop too.

I would have thought with all the stress in our lives the past couple of months, especially with me back to work full-time, that he would have regressed. Nope, he's plugged ahead and done wonderfully.

I tell him every day I'm so proud of him for being my big boy. Next step: getting rid of the pacifier.

************************

In other fabulous news, Henry is now standing up in his crib, pulling up to stuff and 4-point crawling. No more Army crawling! I'll bet he's walking very very soon.

Still alive after potty-training

2010-02-05T20:44:00.002-05:00

We're on to underwear at night! Wahoo! Okay, so admittedly I didn't want to put him in underwear because we share a bed and I didn't want him peeing on me in the middle of the night. So, this past week I took the brave step to have him wear them. His bed is double-sheeted, so we took the chance.

And? He's been dry every morning!

Death by Potty Training

2010-01-14T21:28:00.002-05:00

Potty-training Samuel is going to be the absolute death of me. He has the most incredible days, including ones where he TELLS me he has to go rather than being reminded every hour on the hour to go.

Two days ago I took him to the library to take back videos we'd checked out. He had JUST gone to the bathroom at Target. JUST as in right before we left and drove straight to the library. Anyway, I'm looking at the videos and he's playing with the toys, then all of a sudden, he says "mama I wet"

UGH!

I go to the check out counter and tell the man "we had an accident". I don't think the man had kids because I had to explain what "an accident" was.

Then today he'd done FABULOUS, going every hour, no problems. It was just me with the boys tonight and Sam was playing online while I fed Henry. I'm watching the clock, and I said "go potty" and I hear "but mama I wet"

UGH!

Why winter coats and car seats do NOT mix!

2010-01-12T08:22:00.002-05:00

Please please check out this demonstration of a car seat tech and her daughter on why winter coats and car seats don't mix.

Let's revisit car seats and winter coats

great new kid sites.....

2009-12-22T22:41:00.003-05:00

scratch that.....not just "kid" sites, but REALLY REALLY cool sites that kids under 6 will enjoy and parents can feel their kids are safe and learning.

pbskids.org (okay, that one's a given)

uptoten.com (out of Australia.....truly an amazing site, Sam loves it)

iknowthat.com (for all ages)

Naps

2009-12-09T00:01:00.002-05:00

There are certain things that moms feel are sacred. Nap time is sacred to me. That means 10-12 in the morning is pretty much a time I prefer to be at home with Henry sleeping. It's why I have gone to 9:00 mass (helps that the church is across the street too). If he doesn't get that first nap, the whole day is shot.

Why? Because like most infants his age, he gets clingy, only wants mama and really nothing makes him happy except being on my hip. I'm trying REALLY hard to break that, but it just results in more whining.

Santa bags

2009-12-03T20:46:00.003-05:00

For each bag:
2 yards of fabric
2 yards gold cording
letters for name

Santa leaves stuff in the stockings and generally presents. Well, our stockings are in the great wonder known as "the storage unit". So, with Mom's help, I figured that I could wrap fewer presents if the boys had bags to leave out for Santa to fill.

So, I put my new found sewing skills to use and made Santa bags. The bags are ready to go, now all we need is some cookies and the jolly old fella to stop by!

Yep, my life is over

2009-11-26T01:37:00.002-05:00

Now see, that's more like it

2009-11-14T23:29:00.003-05:00

Have you ever read Gary Chapman's "The Five Love Languages"? It's an incredible book that basically tells you and your partner what your currency is. You know, that thing that Dr. Phil talks about, everybody has it. We all need something that motivates us. For some it's a simple touch of the arm, others it's the act of picking up after a child, and still others the almighty dollar.

Anyway Eric and I read the book a while back (maybe two years) and we learned that his love language is affection. And it's definitely not just the affection you would think a guy wants. It's the little things, like a kiss or just a soft touch on the arm. Little bits of affection from me to him tells him that I love him.

For me? I'm a service person, when he does things for me or the kids, unrequested, that means a lot. It means, he's thinking about something other than himself at the moment.

There was an experiment this weekend that he didn't know about. Friday night he was extremely helpful. When I arrived at the house, he came bounding out to help me bring in everything. He'd ordered pizza ahead of time, helped get kids ready for bed after. So, affection was exchanged.

Saturday morning came. Out to breakfast we go.....again, same thing, LOTS and LOTS of help. I probably asked him to get into the diaper back 5-6 times and he did it without complaint or getting huffy about asking me if I had everything (a typical pre-experiment response). Took the boys to the store, no problems. More affection.

So, that's more like it. We've exchanged things based on our love languages.

Henry eating cheerio-crusted bananas

2009-10-22T23:25:00.002-04:00

4am close up....Henry was awake, so I snapped a pic

2009-10-19T20:10:00.003-04:00

Dr. said it might have needed a stitch, but as long as we keep it clean and he doesn't rub it, should continue healing "nicely".

eye update

2009-10-18T13:45:00.001-04:00

Well, it's a "rug burn" on his high cheek bone and three separate chunks of skin/openings on the lid. I had to con him into letting me clean it up a bit with a q-tip and water, but I definitely need to call the Pedi just to get it looked at since his eye is watering and it can't dry out at all.

Questionable injuries

2009-10-18T10:06:00.004-04:00

Sam was playing "hide and seek" with MIL and his puppets, spun around and lost his balance (like mother, like son). The following pictures are the result of Sam's eye meeting the corner of the sun room chair. It's split and scraped, no damage to the eyeball itself.

Everyone knows I'm probably a little quick (okay, okay, no little about it) to jump the gun on dr appt. But when you get an injury like this one, I do take a step back. After all, nothing they can do about it. Stitches aren't necessary, I gave him Tylenol and he seems to be settled down. A bit leery, but settled nonetheless.

He has what appears to be a blood bubble on the lid and when he cries, it moistens and bleeds into his eye.

So, the question is whether or not to call the pedi in the morning to have him checked out or even to go to Urgent Care to have him looked at today.

Lactose-free living

2009-10-15T19:34:00.002-04:00

PediaSure and PediaSure Nutripals drinks are lactose-free. Which is great since it's about the only way I make sure Sam gets the nutrition he needs on a daily basis.

A few months back, my friend Susan told me about Breyer's having lactose-free ice cream. I was amazed because I hadn't seen in the store. Then again I wasn't really looking.

I found it and we started letting Sam have ice cream as a treat without worries that he was going to puke 30 minutes later.

Then genius struck last week after his IEP meeting. Chocolate PediaSure + Breyer's Vanilla Lactose-free Ice Cream = chocolate shake!

He gets three things: nutrition, treat, speech therapy......all in a small glass with a straw.

I'm a very lucky mom!

2009-10-13T09:22:00.002-04:00

Most kids by age 4 are asking for anything they see on tv or in the store. Not mine. I'm not sure why though. Is it because of his delay? I don't think so because we'll go to the store, we'll look at toys, he'll like something, but he doesn't ask for it. He doesn't quite grasp the concept of Santa, probably because he's only done two visits with Santa and both were when he was very young. He doesn't even ask for things for his birthday.

Perhaps it's because he gets very little commercial-ridden television. We watch Nick, Jr. (formerly Noggin) and PBS Kids. Neither of which have commercials for sugar cereal, toys, or other crap.

We've generally tried to stay away from character toys, which living in the Orlando area was tough at times, but I'll bet he has less than 15 toys/plushes that are name brand. If he saw things like Spiderman or Transformers, it was at school or birthday parties.

Yet, he doesn't come home asking for it.

Maybe it's because he doesn't get a lot of things, maybe he just knows better than to ask. He's a very appreciative little boy. As my MIL put it, he doesn't care if you gave him a ride-in car or a box of new crayons, he's happy.

He'd rather have a wagon to ride in with his baby brother. He's discovering all of his old baby toys and showing Henry how to play with them. (some days better than others)

Mostly I think it's a combination of all three: his delays, commercial-free television, and he gets what he needs, not just what he wants.

Sam's annual IEP

2009-10-08T11:58:00.004-04:00

They started with the OT, and when she said that it was group setting, I kind of stopped the whole IEP. I started by saying to the teacher that I had challenges and that if we needed to talk after the meeting, that was fine. They let me go on. I let them know I wasn't all that happy with the program and that while I didn't want to be the pain in the butt parent, I felt that his services were being reduced even though he'd been making great progress. that the more progress he made, the less he was getting. Granted, that's what we want, but it seems that the older he is, the less services he's receiving one-on-one. And in order for him to continue on the same pace, he needs the same level, not less.

I told them that in the last 18 months he's gone from daily one-on-one services to none. That I understood we went from a phenomenal EI program supported by Arnold Palmer Hospital (Orlando's big children's hospital) and a school district with multiple elementary schools to a district with only three elementaries and one pre-k special ed program. This program is our only option right now unless I look at school of choice and make my own transportation arrangements. (which is something I may look into depending on the job hunt....if it meant a better program, I'd work 2nd or 3rd shift)

ANYWAY........
They responded by telling me that with a small class (8 kids) and already two adults, the kids are getting 1:4 help. When the OT is there, she has an intern, making it 1:2. They also sometimes have half the kids at gym, making it 1:1. I felt MUCH better after this.

Then they said they wanted to change his ~~diagnosis~~ classification. No one felt, after having spent 5 weeks with Sam and looking at his scores from May 08, that he needed the "developmentally delayed" label. They have now placed him solely in the "speech and language impaired" program.

This made my heart very happy that we could get rid of the PDD label for now, but sad because it was really something Eric needed to hear.

They all agreed that Sam's main problem is (and always has been) his expressive communication, but there is a receptive communication problem. Knew this, but okay.

The teacher said that she feels Sam needs visual cues for listening. Almost like he's still trying to learn to read facial cues. I said it could be that he had to read faces to listen before getting tubes that it's almost like a crutch for him. She said he sometimes doesn't respond when she talks to him if he's facing away from her. We agreed that some of that was probably selective, but that the majority of it was that he just really needs to face you to hear and understand what's being said.

I had every intention of asking for him to be retested since it's been 2.5 years and he's an entirely different kid. But they brought it up first saying they would redo it in the spring if I felt that we needed to.

We talked about kindergarten readiness for next year. And that's where I feel more of my frustrations came out. His program last year was ALL about getting every kid in the class ready for kindergarten, with or without services. They did a lot of academics, he was doing the Letter People, cutting/gluing/coloring/writing, even some math. The teacher admitted their program is basically a preschool for special needs kids. It's the only program in the district and right now Sam is one of the higher functioning kids, whereas last year he was middle ground.

The speech therapist gave me a few more ideas of how to get Sam's face muscles working harder. She also gave me an explanation of why my kid thinks he needs to shovel food in. With the low muscle tone, he's not feeling the stretch in his cheeks until it's bordering on way too much in his mouth. She said to use the electric toothbrush on the insides of his cheeks to get them stimulated.

Eric and I are fine with him going to kindergarten next year (w/ or w/o services) and repeating the following year. He turns 5 in July, so while he'll be ahead of the deadline (Dec. 1 in MI), but that doesn't mean he'd be totally ready. I told the teacher today, I'd be fine with him doing two years in her class then kindergarten in 2011 at age 6.

I signed my papers, happily that I got my frustrations out and that they understood where I was coming from.

I'm a sub now

2009-09-30T12:32:00.000-04:00

Officially signed up to sub in five districts in my county. All because I can't seem to find a full-time job (surprise) yet. But that's okay. I'm ready to take sub jobs in any of the districts. I can even tell the system when I can and cannot work, like on days I don't have child care or the boys have appt.

Everyone has a talent

2009-09-23T22:07:00.002-04:00

One thing I always hear in church is that we need to use the talents God gave us to help others.

It's as simple as exchanging services with a friend. Eric's not handy with cars, and that's okay, neither am I. I only know enough to take it to the dealership to get the oil changed. (which is great because Saturn will WASH my car in addition to changing the oil) Anyway, my friend P's husband is good with cars. Couple years ago, before they moved back to Illinois, C changed the oil in my car, I just had to get the parts. In exchange, I "helped" them pack. Well, I guess I was more of a social outlet for P and I brought Sam along to entertain their son. My point is, one service exchanged for another.

Everyone has a talent, everyone has some time in their day to do something for someone else. Even the workaholic that goes to school and still finds time to bake cookies for her kids' class has a special talent to share. (did ya catch that? she made cookies for school....that's her talent)

Or how about the family that's having another baby? Chances are, a package of diapers will cost you the same amount as that adorable outfit you want to buy. Sure, those diapers are going to get thrown away, but there's a near guarantee that they'll get worn whereas an outfit might sit in a closet unworn because the baby and the outfit didn't match the season.

Food pantries are emptying faster than they can be filled. I know someone who found a 10 for $10 sale on loaves of bread. Know what he did? He spent $30 on bread and dropped it off at the shelter.

Speaking of food pantries............if you donate at your church, why not reach out to the office staff and ask if they know someone benefiting and ask them if you can donate fresh fruits or veggies to the family. Pantries stock non-perishable items for a reason, but families still need the fresh stuff. (don't get me started on assistance programs, they're way overloaded and too many working poor don't qualify anyway)

A place to start? Craigslist has listings of people looking for things they need done. Me personally? Last year, when MSU was playing in a Florida bowl game, I was looking for someone coming down for the game anyway that was driving a truck and could bring a crib and bed down. I was willing to pay for their service and add in Disney tickets. I got NO TAKERS.

So, what's YOUR talent? What can you do TODAY that can help someone else today or tomorrow?

you know you're a parent when....

2009-09-21T21:07:00.002-04:00

you have no problem asking the color, shape, and consistency of poop. Of course it takes a somewhat obsessive parent to actually be in the bathroom when it all happens. And one with a strong stomach, I might add.

I'm so proud of Sam. A few weeks ago, I had to go to CVS and get suppositories. He'd been withholding again and I got so upset and fed up with withholding and changing poopy pull-ups, I thought I had to do something "drastic."

That's when the sticker chart came to use. I love that he gets so excited about pooping. Nowadays he tells me how many he wants to go.....did you know there's a number called "thirty-teen"? No? Me either. I just tell him, "let's start with one."

Sure enough, he's staring me down and we hear the fateful "plop" in the toilet. And he squeals with delight "yay I pooped, no medicine."

As of tonight, his sticker chart is completely full. Three weeks of daily pooping. THREE WEEKS!

You can't argue with FREE daycare

2009-09-16T14:53:00.002-04:00

So many people think we're nuts for having moved back to Michigan with the current economic climate here. Especially without jobs.

But, you can't argue with free rent and daycare. Although, the rent's not really free. I personally do all our laundry, try to cook dinner at least one night a week (or we buy the $5 pizza from Little Caesar's), clean up the kitchen regularly, pick up things at the grocery store for the house.....lots of things. Let's not forget the general stress of moving back into your parents' home at 36 with two kids and no real job. I love my parents dearly, but I don't think any of us really expected us to be in this situation.

I've been looking for a job, had a few interviews, even got set up to sub for the county and for two local private schools. But, it's hard to look for a job that would take me out of the area since we do have free daycare right now. I mean, if we moved anywhere but here, then I'd have to find some way to pay for full-time care for Henry and half-day care for Sam. (and we all remember what it was like to find Sam care last year at this time he was going to school all day, I just needed after school) After talking to my friends about what they pay for care for two kids, I can pretty much guarantee up to $1000/month.

So, you can't argue with free daycare. Right now I can work or sub, my mom keeps the baby while Sam is at school and can get him off the bus mid-day.

I don't know when we'll be living together or where, but for right now, my plan is to stick around here for now.

I'm so happy with Sam

2009-09-14T04:17:00.003-04:00

First....if you don't like hearing or reading about bodily functions....stop reading right now. Come back another day.

Okay, with that warning out of the way, I have to share that Sam is nearly half way to winning the war on constipation. Sure, we're still doing Miralax every day, but unlike previous attempts, he's now going every single day, on the potty without tears. My big boy has even abandoned the Elmo potty ring!

I need to be better about putting the Miralax in juice rather than milk and about giving it to him at lunch rather than bedtime, but neither of those have interfered with his progress.

Here's a picture of his chart from earlier in the week:

Of course, you have to know there are three more stickers there since this picture was taken on Thursday last week.

We have the chart and the stickers taped to the bathroom mirror so he can see it all the time.

First day of school

2009-09-08T11:32:00.003-04:00

All better mama, all better

2009-09-07T23:40:00.003-04:00

Aside from a slight discoloration that will probably take another week to clear up completely, Sam's reaction/infection from the last vax is gone. Nine days of Keflex three times a day will do that I guess.

and we're making GREAT strides in the potty training realm. In fact, accidents are a rarity now. The best news on this front? SEVEN (7) days in a row of pooping. Last time that happened was probably 2 years ago when he first went on Miralax. But I'm not changing a diaper and he's ASKING to go poop.

We started a reward chart today. I told him each time he got to 7 days in a row, we'd go for ice cream. (the local ice cream shop has soy ice cream) If he goes three weeks (there's 21 boxes on the chart), we'll go to the zoo.

Tomorrow is the first day of school. Yes, I'm going to try and follow the bus to the school. Not sure if he's the first or last getting on the bus. Oh, get this.......his class is the only one on the bus. The district actually has a special bus for all the special ed pre-k kids since they're program is a bit different in time from the regular classes. So, he'll get to ride the bus with the kids from his class and ONLY the kids from his class.

****************************
Henry cut his first tooth! It came in on Saturday, just in time for Pompou's (FIL) birthday. He's been eating solids for a couple months now. We started with rice cereal, then moved on to fruits and veggies. I'm making it again. In fact, aside from prunes, he's only had homemade baby food. Peas, green beans, squash, and peaches. I have zucchini, cauliflower, yellow squash, pumpkin (canned) in the freezer to be tried.

I did go ahead and buy bananas, mangoes, and pears in Gerber because they were on sale and my pears didn't turn out right and bananas don't last long around here and mangoes tend to be on the expensive side. Oh and since I really didn't want Sam too close to them, I bought sweet potatoes in the jar as well.

Vax reactions

2009-08-31T18:30:00.004-04:00

This was his leg in July. Kid never reacted to a single vax until we moved.

This is his arm currently, from a chicken pox vaccination 6 days ago.

Secondary uses for baby items

2009-08-25T14:59:00.003-04:00

I've gotten inspired lately on how to use baby items that I won't be using after Henry. This is due to Rachel Ray's "double duty" segment on her show. You know, like the lady whose husband uses his drill to help turn the handle on the juicer or the mom that uses chip clips to close off the end of tortillas for her kids.

So, what would I do with...........
Travel formula containers? Use them for small snacks for my toddler/preschooler. Things like M&Ms, mini-marshmallows, Cheerios, Coco Puffs, Gerber Puffs and goldfish. I'd use this over a small bowl because it would offer my child a choice of what he might want, plus I wouldn't have to carry two separate containers for my infant and preschooler. Puffs in one spot, Cheerios another, and M&Ms another.

Take-n-Toss containers? At under $4 for 7 bowls with lids, sure you can pitch them, but these small bowls are great for other things! Perfect for school lunches or even Mom's lunch. Need a small container of dish soap for the office or for a road trip? How about using one for the water for water colors? or even for tempera paint? (hey did you know that if you mix powder tempera paint with Dawn dish soap you can make washable finger paint or regular paint depending on the consistency?) And, they're cheaper than the name brand reusable lunch containers and come in cooler colors.

Diaperbags? Use them to keep a change of clothing for the kids in the car, with all the internal pockets, you can even keep toothbrushes, dry snacks, individually wrapped wet wipes, small bags (like small trash can bags on a roll.....scented ones for poop accidents), and a small blanket or two for the kids on late nights.

Old videos? Keep them handy, you might have visitors or grandchildren some day that fall in love with Teletubbies all over again.

Baby blankets? Cut them up for scrap material for any kind of item, maybe a patchwork quilt to follow them to camp or college. (same goes for clothing items you can't part with)

Bottles? Donate them to a battered women's shelter or a church. Throw in a few packs of brand-new nips though. (liners too if they're the drop-in kind)

For my 36th birthday

2009-08-13T19:25:00.002-04:00

I have decided to "donate" my birthday this year! I've posted about my friend Amy's little boy, Jack before.

Jack is an angel (literally and figuratively). Jack had congenital heart defects and passed away October 31, 2008, just two weeks shy of his third birthday.

I mentioned the Golf 4 Jack outing on August 29, 2009 in Ann Arbor, MI before. The outing is just two days after my birthday weekend.

I think often of Jack's family, even more now that we're back in Michigan. With the wonderful world of the internet and Facebook, I am trying to raise money for Jack's foundation.

You can donate to the cause by clicking here Jack's Cause for Andrea's birthday.

I'm so frustrated!

2009-08-10T13:21:00.002-04:00

The two products that were ESSENTIAL in getting Sam the right amount of fiber, protein and fruit in his diet are no longer being made.

Nestle is no longer producing Juicy Juice Peach! Though I can say so far Welch's Naturals Peach has been an acceptable replacement in Sam's eyes. (not mine, though, not fruity enough for me)

Abbott Nutrition is no longer making the PediaSure NutriPals bars! These were lifesavers in getting Sam to eat anything at school! His teacher knew if he flat out refused to eat hot lunch or even whatever I sent him, that she could always give him water and a NutriPals bar.

If I'm not mistaken, wasn't there a HUGE ad campaign for the bars? They were great for protein for my chicken-only kid.

Both companies apologize for any "inconvenience". Hmmmmm, can ya suggest something else for me to try?

Potty training successes

2009-08-08T22:50:00.002-04:00

Really, truly, potty training is all about how ready your kid is. Even if it's after his 4th birthday! Since Sam's birthday a few weeks ago, we've been hitting PTing hard. And just this past week, I bought big boy underwear. Little tighty-whities! Okay, they're not white....they have Diego, Thomas, and Lightning McQueen on them, but still. I swear there's nothing cuter than seeing your kid wearing underwear and realizing you don't have buy a pack of pull-ups every week. (well, at least not until the next child is ready to PT)

Sam's had 2 accident free days this week. We've gone out and run errands and he's gone potty at Target, Sam's, the ENT's office, Grandma's house and only had one accident at Michelle's house.

I've been most worried about his delays and thinking, he won't be able to tell me that he has to go.

Well, once again, my worries proved unnecessary. Three times this morning, he said, "mama I wanna go pee." TOTALLY amazing.

We are still using pull-ups, but it's just at nap and bed time. Completely normal from what I understand. And, he's waking up dry after those times.

Another benefit to homemade baby food

2009-08-03T10:00:00.002-04:00

He's come a LONG way in the last 2.5 years!

2009-07-30T13:05:00.006-04:00

I recorded this 5 minute video of Sam talking to me and Henry the other day. Not bad for a kid who couldn't even say "mama" at 18 months of age. I am so proud of him I could cry. In fact, there are days when I do cry thinking back to those days of the single tone "babbling" that we hear from Henry at 5 months.

Past updates
February 12, 2009

December 24, 2008

October 23, 2008

September 13, 2008

May 23, 2008

March 31, 2008

My new favorite blog

2009-07-28T23:08:00.001-04:00

This is my new favorite blog to read:

Recruiter Uncensored

VISIT. She's even from my hometown! LOADS of great information.

Prayers for Elliott

2009-07-27T13:19:00.005-04:00

My friend Christy's little boy Elliott needs your prayers. He went to the pedi with a slight fever on Thursday, July 23. She though it might be an ear infection. Something didn't feel righ to the pedi. MRI and CT Scan revealed Elliot either has a Wilm's Tumor or Neuroblastoma that is the size of a football on one of his kidneys. Removal is not yet possible due to his high BP. A biopsy has been scheduled. Elliott is 16 months old.

Golf for Jack

2009-07-26T01:32:00.003-04:00

http://www.golf4jack.com/

I know Jack's mommy through an online mommy group. If you golf and are in SE MI, consider golfing for Jack! Or just make a donation. :)

Why 3?

2009-07-23T13:53:00.002-04:00

"things come in threes"

"leaves of three, leave it be"

"I'm going to count to 3!"

and on the popular show, "Charmed" they had the "power of three"

So why 3? I'm guessing because that's the magic number of things that we can remember at one time. When does the magic three come into our lives? Actually it's very early in life.

In fact, I just realized that even feeding an infant is about every three hours.

But I'm more thinking about shows like Oobi, Dora, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Special Agent Oso......the preschool shows. Everything is done in three steps. Do you know WHY?

Because when evaluating young children, they look to see if the child can do a sequence of three things, both related and unrelated.

I tested this out with Sam yesterday. He wanted to play, but we were at the doctor's (more on that in a minute). So I told him, "doctor, lunch, play". After telling him 5 or 6 times......I asked him, "we're at the doctors, what's next?" He replied "lunch!"

He's come a long way!
***********************************************

4-year-old Check up stats:
Weight: 36 pounds, putting him back in the 75th percentile since BIRTH
Height: 39.5 inches, putting him in the 50th percentile where he's always been

Physically doctor said he's perfectly fine, glad to know he got the tubes last week and they split up the vaccinations for us. I was positive Sam would cooperate for a needle in each leg, but not two in each. So, when I take Henry for his 6-month check up, Sam will get his other two.

Developmentally, we're calling it PDD due to speech. He'll be going to school here in Mason in the fall. When I have more information on what he's going to be getting there, I'll revisit doing speech through the insurance company in addition to school.

Paying it foward...........

2009-07-21T14:39:00.003-04:00

I've been the giver and receiver a few times on this.....for example, when a friend lost her job and her husband was trying to work three to support their four kids, I picked up her baby shower gift, along with fixings for a full meal and a grocery gift card. I purposely asked her not to open the card until I left. I didn't get a half mile down the road before she called me.

Three weeks later, when Eric and I were having a tough time and I found out I was pregnant with Henry, I found a card with a grocery gift card in it, it was from a different friend.

Paying it forward doesn't always come in terms of finances......when I was trying to get the apartment ready to move and Eric was in MI, a friend stopped by to visit. It was time for me to get Sam, but I didn't really want to have to take Henry with me. She stayed an extra 30 minutes so I could leave Henry at home.

Today? today I got home from a trip to the in-laws to visit Eric and I got on my mommy board. I had a message from a friend asking if I got a package. She's in Switzerland, but she had paid attention to something I recently said about shoes. That I buy for comfort, not appearance.

With a 6th lumbar.....that has my pelvis cocked weirdly, I tend to stick with rubber soled shoes and I can never find anything cute.

So, when I was modeling my outfit for an interview I had (no didn't get the job), there was a comment about my shoes. I wasn't offended, I know they're not cute, bt I like them. ANYWAY....later there was a question about size of shoes (because now that makes sense).

And today, I got a new pair of Earth Origins shoes in the mail.

SUPER comfortable, TOTALLY adorable.

I am *in love* with these shoes.

Sammy's tubes

2009-07-14T13:38:00.004-04:00

Sitting with Daddy before surgery.

Sitting with Mama before surgery.

Surgical hats for Sammy and the "twins".

Post-op with Daddy, Sammy was NOT a happy camper at this point.

Everything went really well this morning. We arrived at the hospital at 6:00 and were back home by 9:30! I didn't think it would go so fast, in fact, when they came to get us just 15 minutes after I left him in the OR, I thought something was wrong. Nope, they were just finished is all.

His right ear was a bit worse than the left, but nothing to worry about. He was incredibly cranky coming out of the anesthesia, but once we had him out of the hospital, he was better.

He came home, played on his Leapster for a bit, had some lunch, then passed out on the couch.

Sammy's getting tubes tomorrow

2009-07-13T14:52:00.002-04:00

Eric will probably think I'm crazy, but yes, I'll take the camera.

It's been a long haul to get to the point of Sam getting tubes in his ears. We were without good insurance for a long time, then the ENT we saw in Orlando wasn't sure tubes would help. Now, though, the ENT here in Lansing thinks it will do a lot of good.

So, Sam gets his first set of tubes tomorrow morning. Not sure how all that will go, but I can assure you that my baby will be asking for his chobby all the way to the hospital and all the way home. Glad I found a comparable juice to give him since Juicy Juice is no longer making their peach flavor. (Welch's has a new small bottle of Welch's Naturals called Peach Planet)

Adjusting

2009-07-07T18:16:00.003-04:00

Things I'm adjusting well to:
No ants, cockroaches, or termites.
No geckos.
No screaming kids behind the apartment at 10:30 on a school night.
No wet carpet.
Cool nights for open windows, even in July.
Nice deck/patio to sit on any time of the day.
Parking in a garage.
Two vcrs at my mom's house, one to play and one to rewind

Things I'm not adjusting well to:
7-digit dialing on the telephone, I keep forgetting I don't have to do that here.
Having to decide if it's warm enough on a summer day for Sam to be in the water.
Not having all my clothes together in one closet.
Keeping my children quiet until at least 8:00 in the morning. HA! Not when they're up at 6!

Dapper Snappers

2009-07-02T14:01:00.001-04:00

Please vote for Dapper Snappers!!! click here

These are the COOLEST thing in the world! I need to get some for Sam for school this fall.

Salsa chicken....this stuff is GOOOOOOOOOOOOD

2009-06-30T18:39:00.004-04:00

After reading RAVE reviews from my online friends on this recipe.....I decided to try it.

2 large chicken breasts, corn, black beans, and salsa all thrown in a crockpot.

It was freaking AWESOME and makes a TON of food. We each had the equivalent of two large tortillas full (I used Tostitos Scoops) and I have two freezer containers full as well.

Reading to Daddy

2009-06-28T22:44:00.002-04:00

My friend needs your help

2009-06-24T20:16:00.003-04:00

I belong to a few online groups and feel extremely close to the women I've come to know since becoming a mommy. An online friend, Jenny, and her husband, Eddy, were due to have twins in February, but they arrived much too early in December.

Genevive and Lillian were born December 29, 2008. Genevive became suddenly ill and passed away on January 1, 2009. Lillian is thriving at almost 6 months.

Jenny and Eddy are asking for help purchasing a headstone for their sweet Genevive's grave. Jenny blogs about her experiences with the girls at http://delekatala.blogspot.com/

I feel so lucky to have two healthy boys, any help you can give this family would be greatly appreciated. Donations can be made at Genevive's headstone.

Thanks!

More on the Apnea

2009-06-09T14:27:00.003-04:00

Got the results.....actually, I got them right before we moved and well, just haven't had time to update.

The pedi's nurse called and said "mild obstructive apnea" and that since we were moving, we could wait a month or so before getting him into an ENT in Michigan.

I got the paperwork and it says "moderate obstructive sleep apnea" and that we should see an ENT as soon as possible.

Well, we still had the move to consider. Now that things have calmed down a little, I called an ENT that my mom has seen (since there are no pediatric ENTs in our network up here). Henry's going on June 24th for his appointment and at that point we'll find out what we'll be doing for his apnea.

He's still incredibly congested. One of the pedis back home thinks his nasal passages are inflamed or narrow. He's not showing signs of needing suctioning, but you can hear his difficulty breathing all the time.

So, little man will be getting his 4 month shots on the 23rd with the new pedi (my old one) and seeing the specialist on the 24th.

It's been almost a month

2009-06-05T10:53:00.002-04:00

Sorry it's been almost a month since I last updated. Well, the move occurred and we're trying to settle in.

Sam is still adjusting to being an hour from his daddy. Every bedtime is a bit of a struggle because Eric used to lay with him. Plus, now it's "sshhhh the baby is sleeping" since we all share a room. But Henry pays him back in the early morning hours by getting up at 6/6:30 every day.

Sam has a few new phrases:
I can't
No, papa
No, nana
no, x, you out now
wook at me (look at me, because that's what I always tell him to listen)
I want please x (rather than I want x please)

And, of course he found Nana's stash of Teletubbies videos. He just LOVES them. Henry really likes them too. It's a nice way to entertain both of them so I can get some "unpacking" done. And by that I mean, going through boxes, trying to find everything.

Henry is SO much more vocal than Sam was at this age, which we knew would be the case. He's a very happy baby and only fusses when he's tired. Nana has been a really great rocker for him. He's almost to the point that he'll only go to sleep for her. Sometimes, though, he just wants his mama.

Henry goes for his 4 month check up on the 22nd and Sam will go for his 4 year check up on the 23rd next month.

Sleep study test

2009-05-07T09:44:00.003-04:00

Original blog: Apnea?

Update:
Took Henry for a sleep study last night. Actually called on Tuesday and got him right in. Didn't get the office I was hoping for, but at least the office we went to wasn't too far away. And I lucked out again, given that Eric is in Michigan right now, that my friend Ashley was able to stay with Sam overnight.

Little man did very well. He actually fell asleep on the way to the sleep center, stayed asleep during the hook up and pretty much through the night except to eat twice.

The tech that was covering Henry's study was AWESOME! He had given up doing these studies on adults to work with kids. He said that Henry was the best baby he'd done in a very long time. They had 6 kids under 2 in the center last night and he said Henry was by far the easiest to hook up. I think the fact that he slept through the whole thing helped a lot.

The only challenge we had was that the oxygen monitor thingy was too big on his toe and kept coming off. He even tried to use that sticky ace bandage stuff......Henry got that off the first time, but not the second.

Then, just about when the tech was going to come in and wake us up, Henry went into a dream sleep phase at 5:50, so he let him sleep through it (based on dr's orders). He came in at 6:20, I was back home at 7:15, just in time to get Sam ready for school.

Ikea's Trofast system

2009-05-04T19:18:00.005-04:00

is the greatest toy organizer that is within my budget. I gotta say I do love it. And now that I'm moving back to Mason, I'm trying to get Sam in the habit of only one bin out at a time. A few before and after pictures and a video of what Trofast can do for a little boy who has WAY TOO MANY toys.

Before picture:

Before video:

After pictures:

As sad as I am to be moving......

2009-04-25T21:09:00.002-04:00

there are actually some things I'm looking forward to about being back in Michigan:

Sam gets to see snow. We've been home at Christmas and sadly, the poor kid didn't get to see it.
Sam will have a nice quiet street to ride his bike on, not a parking lot.
Learning to use my sewing machine! YAY!
Scrapbooking with my mom and friends
Seeing all my old friends.....too many short visits over the past five years
Actually moving somewhere that we know people
Going for walks in an area I feel safe in
Both the boys will get to know all their grandparents and their great-grandparents
Getting to attend family events and not having to worry about the possibility of plane tickets

We are NOT separating or divorcing

2009-04-24T15:13:00.004-04:00

Obviously there's a reason for this post. I want to make it very clear that Eric and I are not going through a separation or a divorce. We are, however, making plans to be geographically apart for a temporary time period.

This time apart will allow both of us to focus on the major task at hand......getting new jobs. It would be no different than if he had gone to MI last year to work, sending money home. Or if we had a house that needed to be sold when a new job offer came up across the state.

You do what you have to for your family as a whole and the members as individuals. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, I believe that.

When we moved to Florida, we had no support system. When things got rough, we had to rely on each other completely. That has its good and bad points. Moving back separately will allow us to have that support system we each so desperately needed and didn't have.

So, NO Eric and I are not getting a divorce, we are not getting separated, we have simply made a decision that is best for us as individuals and our boys.

Our ultimate goal is to have decent jobs in a few months so that we can all be together again. We love each other very much and we've each sensed a big weight being lifted off us. Granted, there is a brand new level of stress, but at least we'll be working toward a common goal.

Whether you agree with our decision isn't important, it's our decision to make. We just ask that you provide the love and support you would if we were living together.

Eric will be living with his parents, the boys and I will be living with my parents. Again, this is the best decision for us at the present time.

Moving...............again

2009-04-21T23:36:00.003-04:00

We're moving back "home". It's a sad day at our house, though I'm certain all the grandparents are happy that we'll have Sam and Henry there for them to see more frequently.

This will be our fourth move in the 6 years we've been together, scratch that, it will be the fourth in the 5 years we've been married. We moved to Florida in 2004, just 24 hours after getting married. We moved from a 1-bedroom to a 2-bedroom in 2006 just before Sam's first birthday. Then we moved from a 2-bedroom to a 3-bedroom in 2008 just before getting pregnant with Henry. Now we're moving back to Michigan.

My boys are Florida natives.............poor kids won't know what hit them come snow time this winter. Henry LOVES to be ultra-warm, but Sam gets overheated really easily.

New AAP recommendations on car seats!!!

2009-04-16T10:32:00.001-04:00

New recommendations from AAP on car sats

Keep your toddler in a rear-facing car seat until age 2 (not 1)

Lori O’Keefe
Correspondent

New research indicates that toddlers are more than five timessafer riding rear-facing in a car safety seat up to their secondbirthday. Following are some safety tips for car seat use:

All infants should ride rear-facing in either an infant carseat or convertible seat.

If an infant car seat is used, the infant should be switchedto a rear-facing convertible car seat once the maximum height(when the infant’s head is within 1 inch of the top ofthe seat) and weight (usually 22 pounds to 32 pounds) have beenreached for that infant seat as suggested by the car seat manufacturer.

Toddlers should remain rear-facing in a convertible car seatuntil they have reached the maximum height and weight recommendedfor the model, or at least the age of 2.

To see if your car seat is installed properly and to find acertified passenger safety technician in your area, visit www.seatcheck.orgor www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cps/cpsfitting/index.cfm. You also cancall 866-SEATCHECK (866-732-8243) or 888-327-4236.

The boys

2009-04-11T21:39:00.002-04:00

Coloring eggs

2009-04-11T21:29:00.003-04:00

Truly AMAZING developmental update

2009-04-08T22:57:00.003-04:00

This is my blog update from a year ago. He was seeing a speech therapist four days a week, 30-minute sessions through Early Intervention. Ms. J had been with him since June 07, maybe July 07 (we'd switched therapists by then) and I had just heard "mama" for the first time in January (before I started the blog).

http://meyouandduckytoo.blogspot.com/20 ... gress.html

Here's where he is NOW, attending a full-day, all week special education pre-K program at the local elementary school.

we can have a conversation about all of his new animals (a friend gave him two buckets of Animal Planet animals--barnyard and safari)
he's using phrases like "i don't know" and "mama want some?"
he cleans up when asked most of the time and sings the clean up song while doing it

he will sing voluntarily:
Old MacDonald-----he says "e-i-e-i-o moo farm mama"
Itsy-bitsy spider-----he says "spidey mama?"
Head Shoulder Knees and Toes-----he says "hea, nonos, nees, toes"
and my fave?
he sings the "Uma Sleep" song from Oobi to Henry every night (of course changing it to "Henry Sleep")

Any tips for getting any of this on video would be GREATLY appreciated. As soon as he sees a camera in my hand, he wants it, so I don't get many videos of him anymore.

He's going to back to underwear for school starting next week when we're back to school, he's been using the potty pretty much all day at school.

He got his shirt off almost all by himself tonight (I helped him wiht the first sleeve).

We still have the paci, BUT we went to a playdate today and he left both of his puppies in the car and gave up the paci before even getting out of the car seat. He's letting go of his security items!

Fave pics of the week

2009-04-07T23:10:00.002-04:00

This is how he prefers to sleep. Swaddled in one blanket with it up around his face, then a heavier blanket on top....all in the comfort of his boppy.
Three nights of post 10:30 bedtimes + 4 days without a nap or rest time = one tired Sammy

Yes, he climbed in all by himself. Never had a problem with him climbing out of his own crib, just in. Now I really have to make sure the door is closed at naptime.

Sam and his "first" Easter egg. They colored eggs at school, Sam brought three home. He did a fairly good job of peeling it, but then refused to eat it. (though he did eat a small part of the yolk)

Henry trying to breathe

2009-04-03T12:13:00.001-04:00

Sleep apnea or silent reflux or ?????

2009-04-03T04:33:00.002-04:00

Henry has been having some difficulties at night. There are times when I hear him take this LONG gasp for air. A couple of weeks ago, it scared me half to death, warranting a call to our pediatrician.

We had already talked to him about Henry being so congested all the time. I already run a cool mist vaporizer, use saline drops/nasal aspirator, and elevate his head.....but still, I am awakened by this gasping/choking for air in my 6 week old baby. The pedi mentioned a little bit of reflux at his weight check appointment, so I started thinking that this might part of the problem. I'm not totally convinced that it's apnea, but then again, the reflux doesn't make much sense either. So I don't know why he's doing this.

Sam never did this. He slept soundly.

So, after clearing it with our insurance company, we are taking him for an "obstructed airway" sleep study.

More Duck-isms

2009-04-01T14:07:00.002-04:00

eh-fant............elephant

minga-mo...........flamingo

cock-i-cle.........crocodile

hosse...........horse

seep.............sheep

wino..............rhino

zeba...........zebra

i-key-ga............Ikea