Friday, November 11, 2011

Christmas Market


Are you coming?

This is probably the best Christmas market in the area....hands down. Maybe it's the hundreds of vendors...or maybe it's the outdoor (and indoor) setting, the roasting chestnuts, the music, the hayrides and Santa's workshop.
If you've never been, you must! This weekend....starting tomorrow.

See you there!

Found a Peanut


"Found a peanut, found a peanut, found a peanut last night...."

This little "peanut" has found her way into our family and hearts. She is residing with my sister while her momma gets well. Which means she has sleepovers with "Auntie" at least a day or two a week.

As a mom of boys it sure is nice to have a bundle of pink to snuggle! What a wee bundle she is....weighing in at just barely over 7lbs and 4 weeks old. It's hilarious changing a diaper this tiny and feeding this little mouth. My boys were NEVER this small, not even at birth so it is an adjustment. Oh but what a sweet one! This little Peanut is content and snuggly and just all around adorable.

Bup ADORES her....tells people "I have a special baby." and "Can I pet her?" Yes...P-E-T. He touches her with one finger and comments on how soft she is. It's wonderful to watch him nurture her. What a little Love Bug!

W AVOIDS her....as he plugs his ears if she makes any noise louder than a squeak, says "You know I don't like babies." cause they are "wrinkly and red", yet he asks where she is and notices how tiny she is. He'll come around. He just needs some encouragement and praise....and ear plugs!

So...welcome little Peanut. You're always welcome for sleepovers at Auntie's house. We're all in love with you already.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

EEG Day

It does not get any easier....these "EGs" as R calls them.
Holding him down...me on his body and a staff holding his head while the tech hooks up the electrodes....it's brutal...always.

This time Bup screamed, cried and yelled, "I don't like these stupid doctors!" and I don't blaim him one bit, but the clincher for my heart was when he sobbed, "No knives. No knives on my head."
The poor little critter thought the Tech was going to cut his head open (surgery).

Kids shouldn't have these anxieties or memories. What happened to lollypops and racecars and snails and puppy dog tails? Well, that's all a fairy tale and here we are all about reality.
Reality is....we have no results from the EEG yet and I am so looking forward to our Neuro appt on the 23 to view the results and I can present my list of questions to Doc Neuro.

Until then, I'm grateful we were able to wash that glue out of Bup's hair and that the crazy "EG" hair has been tamed!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Happy Haunting

On the first day of Halloween, my Swamp Thing gave to me....
a boy named Dash who blew out his knee.

On the second day of Halloween, my Swamp Thing gave to me....
two treating boys and a boy named Dash who blew out his knee.

On the third day of Halloween, my Swamp Thing gave to me....
three jackolanterns, two treating boys and a boy named Dash who blew out his knee.
On the fourth day of Halloween, my Swamp Thing gave to meee....
four dollars & candies to share, three jackolanterns, two boys for treating, and one boy named Dash who blew out his kneeee....
On the fifth day of Halloween my Swamp Thing gave to me...
Five Freaky Mummy's....(and here's one of them!)....four....
We survived the Hallow'd holiday! The boys had so much fun and were thrilled to participate. As a mom who limits if not outlaws sugar, I was thrilled to see their joy of Trick or Treating and then their generousity in donating their candy to the kiddos on the Neuro unit at Children's Hospital as well as their share funds from their piggy banks.

It's really difficult to tell in the pictures at Emily's Backyard that they were happy....but they were. These boys of mine have a shy streak in them lately. Hence the escape artist and the one who is inching out of the frame.

Hale to the Halloween Fairy who exchanged candy for tiny toys like volcanoes, Star Wars playing cards and Rocket Balloons. That little witch's gifts made for a bright Nov 1 morning!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Bup-Up

A little update on our Bup.
He's still doing so well. Enjoying pre-school although he always says before leaving the house "I don't like school. I don't like the sign that says school. It's a girl sign!"
What?! ~ can you see my eyes rolling and head shaking and the we'll just let that slide body language?~
Bup has recovered well from surgery, for all intents and purposes. Of course, the "other" seizures are still lurking. The current Topamax and Trileptal regime barely keep the Seizure Monsters at bay. If I am an hour late giving Bup his morning meds, he will seize at least once throughout the day.
And yes, I am THAT irresponsible mom that sometimes gets caught up in running late and getting the older boy off to school which means Bup may or may not receive his meds late. It has happened. Not often, but it has.
Next month it's EEG time. Wuhoo! Actually, as much as I hate putting R through them, I really want one done and want to hear about the results. I'm "looking forward" to this appt as I there are some questions lurking....about a couple of new drugs. One to shrink tumors and the other to shrink the skin tumors, facial angiofibromas.
Then there is the sleep concerns to address...which I will be firing off an email to Nurse Neuro and Dr. ENT tonight. A year ago Bup had an adenoidectomy.
Recently I had the sleepless pleasure of resting beside R while he slept. That child snores louder than his dad! (Sorry Honey!)
I always found it interesting that he sits up to "turn over" in his sleep, when really he sits upright...then flops down. Now, I'm pretty sure I know why. Be Cause he is waking himself up from not breathing. It was quite alarming to lay there and listen to his breath stop....even if just for a few seconds....over and over again throughout the night. I had no idea. I was sure there was no apnea.
Yeah, well, until this past March, I did not know he seizes at night either.
The Mother of the Year Award is quickly slipping away. See it go?
What will the Docs do for a little one with Apnea? Can you imagine Bup with a CPAP machine?! This is the child who shakes and fusses when I wipe his nose and who has NEVER picked his nose. Nasal prongs or a mask for a CPAP???? Now there's a torturous idea!
So....although R is doing phenomenally well, there are still issues, big and small, some mentioned here some not at all....yet.
Wed is an Opthamology appt to check on the tumor in his right eye. We are expecting that to be an uneventful appt....no new information....other than the crying, and struggling and yelling that will take place.

A for Army, B for Boobs, C for ...

Grade One brings many thing to a young boy's life...and his mom's for that matter.
Last week W learned more about patterning (math), tinting (science), home reading (level D) and exciting subjects like boobs and missing lunch hour recess for playing army.

First the boobs.
Please note we do NOT use this term at home. I dislike it. It's breasts or chest. That's it.
So imagine my surprise when I hear Sir W call R a "boob" only to have him later inform me that it's not a bad word cause everyone has boobs.

And where did he learn this word? His teacher....so he says. They were talking about how tall he is and that he's almost up to her boobs. Huh? Oh please let that be wrong!

Boys will be boys...especially at lunch hour when they are left to their own devices. So, my Sir W and two other little grade oners were happily playing Army, swinging their coats around and pretending to fight each other.....which is not allowed on the playground. Army cost these three muskateers their next lunch hour. Now they are literate after spending 45 min "reading" in Principle's office.

Aaaargghhh!
The A, B, Cs of parenting a school aged child.
A is for Army
B is for Boobs
then C is for Crap!




Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Listen!

"Listen on the first time!
"What did I just say?"
"Mommy just wants you to listen!"
and sometimes it's even, "Hello?!" or "That's it! I'm getting my whistle!"

Oh, the joys of talking to the kiddos....getting them to listen and do right away. With one boy who has ADHD and another who is 4yrs sometimes turning 2yrs (Why? Why? Why Mommy? Why?), brain surged, direction challenged and TSC kiddo....the listening is a BIT of a moot point.

So, today when instructing W for the 4th time, "Do you have your backpack?" "Get your backpack."

He says to me,
"You are being Mr. Bossypants."

Okay.....point taken....BUT if you would just listen....and it's my JOB!

Hmmmm...maybe, just maybe I should have went to the "How to Talk So Your Kids Will Listen" workshop my Favorite Husband emailed me about.......

Do you have a special secret trick that works for creating listening skills in your children? I would love to know!