Emily

Awhile back, she had her blood drawn to check her Lamictal level. We got the results yesterday and her level was so low, the doctor actually asked me if she was still taking it. Yikes. It is supposed to be between 12-30 and it was 1.75, or something like that.

So...this means we will be adding a pill to her morning dose meaning she will take three in the morning and three at night. She hasn't had any seizures, even with the low level but, I guess for it to be therapeutic, her level needs to go up, or the possibility of a seizure occurring would go up. The possibility of course, is always there no matter what her medicine level is because seizures? Yeah, they're annoying like that.

You know you're busy when...

...you can't even find the time to decorate your house for Christmas. We usually decorate the weekend of Thanksgiving but it was a busy, busy weekend. This week has been a little less busy, but still too busy with just the usual stuff to have time to get it done. The plan for now is that I will decorate tomorrow during the day, with Julia's help I am sure, and then we will do the tree tomorrow night as a family.

Saturday is the craft/vendor fair sponsored by the Middleborough PTA which I will be participating in, selling lia sophia. I have a little prep work to do for that (which includes coming up with some fantastic idea for a drawing, and thinking of some creative ways to get sales and especially bookings for the new year). Any thoughts? I really am ready for this to take off, but I need to schedule some shows to have that happen! One good thing (of many) about lia sophia is I basically can do anything I want (without, you know, violating the law) to run my business. I belong to a couple of online lia groups that I am going to scan today and see what I can come up with.

Anyway, that's the update from this neck of the woods. I don't anticipate being around here much over the next couple of days, but, you never know. I might find the time.

Things I Want To...

post about...
-Julia's new IEP
-spending more quality time with the kids
-Christmas crafts I have planned
-scrapbook projects I have planned

get done...

-actually spend time reading some of the Education sites I subscribe to
-clean my bedroom, livingroom, and kitchen
-fold all of my laundry and put it away
-organize the office
-read the book I got a while back that I have only found the time to scan, rather than read
-make the phone calls I need to have to make

So, I have, as usual a lot to do and, it's bothering me and making me feel all pressured to get it all done. I seriously have problems with this type of thing. I always have too much to do and either no motivation (which is the case most of the time) or not enough time to get them done. I let it bother me and I shouldn't. Nothing earth shattering is going to happen if I don't clean the bedroom, or the livingroom, or read the book, of post about the various things I listed, so why can't it go?

Pictures from Thanksgiving Day...

Random Pictures

These were a couple of the attempts to get my pictures of the grandkids for my parents Christmas card. These aren't the ones that were used (the one that was is on another camera) but these two came out adorable.

Here we have Julia practicing her scary face.

The Clean Your Plate Methodology

Do you subscribe to it? As in, do you "force" your kids to clean their plates, even if they may not like what is on it or may not be hungry? What about cooking separate meals for kids who are picky about what they eat?

I don't generally force anyone to eat anything they don't want and most of the time, believe that if kids are hungry they will eat. I try to do a fair amount of convincing that eating what they are served would be a good idea, and tell them that if they don't eat dinner, there will be no desert (if we happen to have any "deserty" type thing in the house which isn't the norm around here). I used to have to be a little more persuasive with Katherine who basically had to eat to avoid a hypoglycemic attack but, that hasn't happened in a long enough time for me to believe that she has outgrown it.

As for cooking separate meals, I admit to doing it for Julia a number of times, back when she was having actual issues with eating. There were a select few things that she would eat (toast and yogurt being the biggies). She had major sensitivities to most everything else and basically refused to eat. She was at the stage where not eating was basically not an option (she wasn't gaining weight and actually had to go for weight checks at the pediatrician). Other than that very specific situation, I basically never cook a separate meal at the request of my kids.

What about you?

Yes, She's Three, Why Do You Ask?

Tonight at dinner, Julia was refusing to eat. This hasn't happened in a long time (OT is a wonderful thing). Anyway, after a good half hour of begging, pleading and even bribing with leftover birthday cake, I finally decided that nothing I did was going to work, and took her plate away to the trash. She promptly burst in to tears and said, "You took my plate away," followed shortly by her crossing her arms in protest and saying, "You're gonna be very in trouble." I said to her, "But Julia, you didn't want to eat it." Her response? "Yeah, but it's mine!"

The kid cracks me up, yes she does.

Thankful

It's a bit late, but, Happy Thanksgiving. I have alot to be thankful for.



See?

Back

I have been absent from this here blog for a while, huh? The beginning of the week was used for recovering from the pneumonia. By Monday I was basically back to my usual self, but I gave it a couple of days before taking on anything too serious. The rest of the week was used to play catch up (being deathly ill for a week tends to cause some problems with a back log of stuff to do, you know)? Throw in a lia sophia show, major holiday, family birthday, a parade, and a birthday party for said family member, and it leaves little time for anything else.

I have pictures, a video, and a few posts working their way from my head to the computer though, so I will be posting again soon, maybe even tonight.

Happy Birthday...

...to my daughter, Katherine, who turned 8 at precisely 10:48 this morning. It doesn't seem possible, does it?

Holiday Must-Haves

First and Foremost: Josh Groban's latest, Noel. Because, just, OMG...it's Josh Groban and it's Christmas and just...trust me on this one. I myself couldn't resist it while in Walmart last week shopping for Katherine's birthday...but really, who can resist Josh?

The crown jewel of holiday food shopping: Egg Nog. While the price makes me cringe, I am quite sure it will make it's way to the old food shopping list weekly until it disappears from the shelves sometime around the new year. Kahlua too, although not weekly...one bottle will last me well in to the new year. But Kahlua and eggnog=yummy.

In the confusing category we have...

...Julia's teacher list at preschool.

Miss. Janet (classroom teacher)
Miss. Jan (classroom asst. teacher)
Miss. Jackie (speech)
Miss. Betty (OT)
Miss. Becky (PT)

So for a kid with speech problems, this could be just a tad confusing, huh? It's great that Julia's good with names!

Classic Julia

"Jack, what happened to your handsome?"

This after looking at Jack's face and noticing that he had chocolate chip cookie all over it.

Priceless, isn't she?

On The Mend...Already

After 2 full does of the antibiotics, and one working it's way through the old system as we speak, I feel, probably, 100 times better than I did. I also feel like a 100 lb weight was lifted from my chest. The cough is slowly turning in to the every day, normal cough you get when you have a every day, normal cold, and for the first time in 6 days, I have no fever. I can even breathe normally without cringing in pain. So life? It's comparatively good compared to the past week.

Perhaps the most tragic thing of this whole experience? Twice (the only two times I even attempted it over the past 6 days) I had to dump two almost full cups of Dunky's down the drain. That was one way I knew, that I wasn't just your "usual amount of sick." We all know that dumping a full cup of Dunkin Donut's coffee down the drain(let alone two) is sure to land me a nice spot in the fiery pits of hell.

Why A Primary Care Doctor Would Be A Good Thing

I could potentially avoid a 4 hour wait in the ER. Yeah. FYI, I have pneumonia. Fun. I have been prescribed and antibiotic and told to rest and drink plenty of fluids, you know, the usual.

Back soon.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Emily: Ditto from every other year. She's doing well academically, she's cooperative and a sweet girl, but she's disorganized, has trouble listening and staying on task, and her writing/thoughts are disorganized. So basically, the usual and to be honest, at least this year, I am not all that concerned. If she's doing well academically, then that's my main concern. Next year she goes to middle school, which will involve switching classes, and a whole new level of responsibility, which I think could have the potential to affect her academics. I will worry about that when it comes.

Katherine: on grade level with math, science, and history. Her reading and writing are improving, but still slightly below grade level. Her reading level coming in to second grade was 12 (most kids are about an 18) and as of right now, just two months or so in, she is at a 14-16. She will be getting a one on one tutor in the classroom on Fridays through the Title I program. Her teacher said she can be chatty, but that she is very cooperative, raises her hand and gets along well with others.

So, that about does it. Julia's PT conference was during her Special Ed meeting the other day, the details of which were posted over at Adventures in Education.

UGH...

Here's the scene: Me, sitting in the living room, folding laundry. I start to notice the chills coming back, accompanied by increased achy feeling. I go in to the office, pick up the thermometer, and take my temperature. The reading: 102.6

Me (out loud to the thermometer and to the illness in general):"GO THE (EXPLICATIVE) AWAY!"

At least I got the living room, bathroom and a good chunk of the laundry done before it set back in.

YUCK.

Down For The Count

Talk about a KO. I have never, ever in my entire life felt as sick as I have since Tuesday night. Today is the first day that I feel mildly functional.

Being a sick person and being a sick Mom/housewife are two totally different things, BTW. Life doesn't stop, like it does when you are a kid. I had to go to a parent teacher conference sick, bring the kids to their Jungle Gym class sick, and bring Katherine to Girl Scouts sick. I even had to food shop sick, which was a task in and of itself as I wasn't quite sure how I was going to actually walk up and down the aisles without passing out. Thank God I had the carriage to lean on. Seriously, it was that bad. I have felt weak, at times dizzy, occasionally sick to my stomach, achy and feverish over the past few days. To be perfectly honest, I am not even sure I should have been driving. I could have asked Ryun to help out of course, but he was sick too. He actually stayed home from work yesterday which is not like him at all. He didn't seem to get it quite as bad as I did, but he is the type of person that even just a little sick, is grumpy and uncooperative.

Today seems to be a bit better, although I still have a fever (only 100.9 as compared to the 102.5 the other day) and the body aches. Miraculously, it seems as though the kids have escaped the worst of it, although they all still have the coughs that won't quit. Julia's cough seems to be productive at least, but Emily and Katherine have these dry, hacking coughs that at times can sound like they are choking. It's a little alarming, especially considering Katherine's has lasted for well over a month, but, they don't seem to have any other symptoms of illness. Still, if it doesn't call it quits soon, I may have to bring them to the doctor.

In an apocalyptic, end of the world type of thing, my sister, my mother, Ryun and I all seemed to come down with this within days of each other, starting off with Heather, and ending with Ryun. We were all together over the weekend at Jack's birthday party and again that night at Edaville. We have determined, based on the fact that no one else from Jack's party is sick, that we must have picked it up somewhere at Edaville. I found it strange that we all got it so quickly,within the space of a day of each other, and that the kids (so far) haven't gotten it, that I was have expecting to see a news article that said something like this, "Adults Visiting Edaville Sickened, Cause Being Investigated."

Anyway, I have an unprecedented amount of laundry and housework to catch up on. My house is so trashed I would actually be humiliated if someone was to see it (and that's saying something). I am going to take it easy though, doing a little at a time. I feel better, but not 100 % and don't want to wear myself out.

Dear cold, plague, flu thingy...

...that has infected my house...

If it is your intent to kill me (because that is certainly how it feels), could you make it as quick and painless as possible?

Thanks.

Emily's School Picture

Gorgeous.

FYI

Adventures In Education has been updated, with the details of Julia's Eligibility meeting.

Julia: She's In

As mentioned previously, I was expecting to receive notice of Julia's meeting regarding her eligibility for classroom instruction at the integrated preschool. I had that meeting today. As indicated by the title, she is still eligible! YAY! Mostly, I was happy with this result, but there is always that small part of me that hopes that she will have made enough progress to test out. So it's sort of a catch 22.

Anyway, here is what the report says:

Julia was evaluated on several occasions during her school day. Initially, she was very quiet and did not speak to the examiner but she soon warmed up and was able to participate in the testing tasks. Julia did not always process information accurately and sometimes answered questions based on only part of the information. She had difficulty understanding some of the directions and one subtest was not completed because of this.

It said of course, much more than that but that about sums it up. The main concern with everyone involved seems to be in the area on language processing. The gross motor skills seem also to be still at the forefront, but she really has made remarkable progress in this area.

Her IEP will remain basically the same with the added goal of increasing independence and an additional day of school (Wednesday to go along with her usual Tuesday and Thursday).

Julia

...has been having a tough time with going to bed lately. She is refusing to start the night off in her own room (and there's only so much, of the "let her cry it out" philosophy that I am willing to subscribe to). She has been falling asleep on the couch (later than her normal bedtime of 7ish, usually between 8-9 sometime). This started off with her saying that there was a sad face on her door. I thought it was a strange thing to say and the first time she said thought maybe one of the older two had drawn a sad face and posted it to her door. I checked and saw nothing. The next couple of nights she said the same thing so I went so far as to go up and study the wood grain on her door, seeing if I could somehow make out a sad face, and found nothing. I finally figured out that she was either seeing a ghost, or thinking of any way possible to avoid bed. This has been going on for weeks now. She has also been having a tough time sleeping through, more so over the past week with her cold. She has been waking up an average of four out of seven nights and coming down to spend the rest of the night with us. This of course means that I have been getting little sleep on those nights because I just don't sleep as well when she is there next to me.

So last night was no different. She ended up falling asleep on the couch, a little after 9, and shortly thereafter, Ryun brought her to her crib. We hosted poker here last night so we were up late, until after midnight. Just after I fell asleep I woke to this incessant banging noise that just wouldn't quit. Yup, you guessed it, it was my bleeping neighbor playing he damned drums, at twelve freaking thirty in the morning. This after he came over about a month ago and asked (even though I had never said anything to him about the previous incident) if there was a time that it wouldn't be good for him to be playing and I had said after 10. I thought even that was generous of me, but apparently not. So of course, he woke Julia up. I was so fired up, that even if I had been able to sleep well with Julia beside me, I wouldn't have been able to. Poor Julia woke up scared, called out for "Dad" and when he picked her up out of her crib, she said, "Is that the drums?" almost sounding confused herself as to why she was hearing them in the middle of the night.

So I guess it's time to play bitchy neighbor and go have a conversation with the guy...maybe get him to understand that waking a sleeping child is like, a mortal sin or something. Teach him a little bit about respect and common courtesy.

First though, I have to work up he nerve. I am such a "don't rock the boat" kind of person, but, I am afraid Ryun, if I chose to send him over might commit mortal sin himself and that folks, wouldn't be good.

Cranberries!

I have more than I know what to do with, between my mother's friend and Cousin Jeff (Cousin Jeff isn't really a cousin of ours, just a nickname for one of the Monday Night Poker guys)both giving us "fresh from the bog" berries. So far, I have made two cranberry breads (one that called for the usual orange juice and one that I had never tried before that had no OJ in it but had the interesting ingredient of cinnamon added to it), a cranberry/apple crisp and just a few minutes ago, a homemade cranberry sauce. I an anxious to try the cranberry sauce, having never attempted to make my own or ever having tried homemade, but, it has to cool for a while before that can happen. I plan on making a Grilled Cranberry Chicken (the recipe for which I have posted at some point but an too lazy to link).

I need some additional recipes though! I might try and make a cranberry/banana bread since I have bananas that will need to be used soon however, any other suggestions would be great! i would love to do something "appetizer-like" rather than the desert/bread type of things that are typically recommended for cranberry use, but I am open to anything.

Have at it!

Katherine's School Picture

Cute, isn't she?

Weekend

Yesterday was Jack's birthday party at my parents house. It was fun and Julia and Jack are so cute together, that words can't even begin to describe. Jack basically wanted nothing to do with anyone else, except Julia. He copies everything she does, right down to wanting to take his shoes off just because she did.

After the party, we went to Edaville. It pays to know people that live in Carver. Why? This weekend is what Edaville calls "Carver Days" and Carver residents pay no admission to the park. Up to four people can go in per license/ID so Mom and Dad split my family and my sister between them, and no one paid anything. It was a little earlier in the season than I usually like to go but it was free so who could pass that up? All in all it was a nice night (with just the usual amount of drama one could expect when you take kids to an amusement park). Julia was adorable when we pulled in to the parking lot, saw the Christmas lights and she said, before anyone else had said anything, "Look at all the Christmases!" When we were leaving I thanked my parents for living in Carver. Heh.

Today I have a lia sophia show in Braintree. I may stop at my sister Heather's apartment on the way home. Tomorrow, Emily goes to the eye doctor and Ryun hosts Monday night poker.

Happy Birthday...

...to my adorable nephew Jack, who turns two today! Julia and I are heading out shortly to meet Jack and Suzanne for lunch at Bugaboo Creek.

Fish

One of the big things on the high blood pressure diet Ryun was given is fish. I don't know why exactly, but it seems to me, that lately, fish is being pushed as the be all end all of all bad things. I am not complaining, I love fish, I've just never cooked it. Ryun's idea of fish is a fish and chips dinner, which not only doesn't count as eating seafood in my book, but I am quite sure it is not the kind of fish the diet is talking about. He is open to trying it, if I am willing to cook it. Not only am I willing, but I have wanted to experiment with it for quite some time. So, what ideas do you have for cooking it? I was basically planning on buying haddock or cod (or some other kind of light type of fish), seasoning with bread crumbs, garlic and perhaps a few other seasonings and baking it in the oven. I am looking for advice on how to tell when it is done, seasoning ideas and any recipes you want to share. Thoughts?

Emily: Driving and Seizures

Emily asked me yesterday what would happen if she had a seizure while driving. I was honest with her and said, "You would probably get in a car accident." The she asked if that meant she wouldn't be able to get her license. I told her that rule in MA was that she would have to be seizure free for six months in order to get it (it seems to me that this would be impossible for the registry to track...not that I would let her drive if she had had recent seizure but I am just saying). I then told her that she was on a three year seizure free streak (October 21st marked the three year anniversary of her last known seizure)so with any bit of luck that would keep up. I also told hr not to worry about it now, because it was six years away (then to myself...HOLY SHIT, it's only six years away!).

She was kind of funny when we went to get her blood work done. Katherine was having a blood sugar test done (the only other thing the urologist did) so I had Emily's med levels check while we were there (finally...I should have done this at her doctors request after her last appointment in May). Anyway, the woman taking the blood asked if either child had ever had blood drawn and how they would be. I said that they had both had it done numerous times (and too much for my taste if you ask me) and that one would cry and one would be fine. When we went in to the room to actually have it done, Emily said to the woman, "I am the older one and I am the one that will cry. Bet you thought it was the younger one who would, didn't you?" Too funny. She did cry a little but as usual, stayed still and was fine after all was said and done.

Katherine: Bedwetting

Yesterday was her appointment with the urologist. I wasn't all that impressed to be honest with you (except with his good looks and bedside manner). I'm and not a doctor but it would seem to me that the first thing to do would be to test her urine? He didn't. He had her go to the bathroom and then did an ultrasound of her bladder to see if it was empty (it was) and then basically said this:

Ninety percent of all kids who have a bedwetting problem past the age of 5 have a problem with too much "poop" in the colon, causing it to push on her bladder, leaving no room to expand, hence the pee just comes out.

It was a little more technical than that, but, that is what he said in a nutshell. It would seem like a logical thing to me if she didn't have a regular schedule but she does so, I'm not buying it. However, just for the sake of saying I did it, I will fill the prescription for the powder he prescribed that will make her go, and see what happens. Who knows? It could work.

Pressure

Y'all might remember this post awhile back? After posting that, Ryun went on to have a few more high readings, which led to my convincing him to go see a doctor. We made an appointment for a physical and his blood pressure was fine. Not too long after that (maybe a month or so), he went back to the doctor thinking he had an ear infection. It turned out to be TMJ, so he was prescribed an anti-inflamatory, and sent on his way, but not before they checked his blood pressure (because of his history), and had another high reading. He was asked to check it regularly over the next few weeks, record the results, and then come back in and report them. The results were high most of the time, with a few regular readings thrown in. He went back last night, had yet another high reading, and was sent home with a prescription for a diuretic and a diet plan (The Dash Diet to be exact).

From the two page sheet that was sent home with him the diet looks like this: low sodium, easy on the red meats and sweets, and high on the fruits, veggies and fish. It also calls for exercise.

Anyway, he didn't seem too stressed about the whole thing which is good. He has an appointment in a couple of months to follow up, so we will see ow it all goes and take it from there.

The Catch All Health Update

In descending age order we have:

Ryun: officially diagnosed with Stage 1 hypertenstion this evening (more on that later).

Sharon: has an on and off again tooth ache.

Emily: with her blood drawn for her med levels today, started asking questions about the fairness of it all (more on that later too).

Katherine: had an appointment with the urologist today to try and figure out the bed wetting thing and he thinks if she poops she'll be fine (um, ok and again, more on that later). Oh, and the cough that just won't fucking quit . GO AWAY!

Julia: appears to be getting the cold that Katherine is maybe, actually, possibly going to get over at some point, and that Emily has just gotten over.

This all really begs for a much longer and more detailed entry which will happen at some point, so stay tuned!

Free stuff...

...rocks and I got a ton of it this weekend!

I got...

a chocolate brown picfolio minutes album
2 packs of twinkle photo mats
1 package of cabana great lengths stickers
15 sheets of 10x12 paper
50 journaling boxes
20 photo mats
a black round tip pen
and tons and tons of stickers!

Wahoo! I am so excited about scrapping right now, I can't even tell you!

A More Detailed Review

A weekend away scrapbooking sounded like heaven but I had never been to a crop of that magnitude, so I really had no idea. Turns out, my thoughts of heaven were right on.

The weather was nightmarish on Saturday, causing multiple power outages in our rooms, but not managing to fully go out in the ball room until after 10, just in time for the chocolate buffet, which we ended up eating by candlelight. The generator had kept the power running in the function rooms for the bulk of the storm and didn't manage to go out until it was winding down, which was odd. After eating way too much chocolate, we were too wired to go to bed and unable to scrap so we ran next door to "Bud's Country Pub" and had a nightcap. We weren't really sure what to think of a pub that's name started out with "Bud's Country" but it turned out to be a nice little place, and we got to watch the end of the BC game (it was strange that they had power right next door but, we weren't complaining).

As for the actual scrapping, I managed to get A LOT done, including an entire book for Katherine ( I am making one for each of my girls) and a good chunk of the scenic picture album done. I am completely rejuvenated and motivated to scrap now, which is good because I had kind of lost my groove there for a while.

The news on the homefront was that Julia missed me so much she actually cried for me a few times which was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Ryun managed to get a lot done including washing the floor, changing the sheets on all of the beds, vacuuming upstairs and helping the kids clean their rooms. This was way more than I ever expected (and in all honesty I figured he would be sitting around all weekend except for washing the floor which he always does before hosting Monday Night Poker) but, I am certainly not complaining.

Emily and Katherine went with my sister and brother in law and cousins to see, "The Bee Movie" yesterday. They had fun and loved the movie. They too, were very happy to see me when they got home.

Math My Way

Scrapping+beautiful hotel+wonderful food+a chocolate buffet+wonderful friends+a Nor'Easter= Heaven.

Weekend Hiatus

Heading south to the Cape for the weekend. I will be back Sunday night or sometime Monday...

One Of My Favorite Passages Ever

Taken, of course, from a Richard Paul Evans book, called, "The Looking Glass."

"Through the course of my own life, I have come to believe that life is not gifted by the sweep of the clocks hand or the change of the season, but rather, experientially, each experience laid upon the previous, delivering us to a loftier plane. Perhaps this best describes my concept of God-the architect of that ascent and the divine, unseen wind that propels us through the uncharted waters of our own destiny. But salvation, spiritual or otherwise, is not a solitary matter and along such journeys there are companions placed along our travels and travails, fellow sojourners who forever alter our paths and sometimes carry us when we are too weary to carry ourselves."

Yup, She's Three...

...and Julia proved it yesterday while out shopping when she yelled after showing obvious frustration with the wind blowing her hair, "WIND, STOP SHAKING MY HAIR!" This, following many, many "I'm three and darn it, I know everything" moments that took place while shopping, causing me to have to leave early, before finishing what I needed to.

Halloween Pictures

In keeping with tradition, we went over to my parents neighborhood, met up with the Ryan family, and went trick or treating with the kids. Julia did remarkably well, walking for the entire night, until she declared, "I want to go back to Mimi and Papa's" at which time, I plopped her in the carriage I had brought just in case. Ryun continued on with the older two, and even ventured in to the next neighborhood before heading back to Mimi and Papa's around 8:30 or so. It was weird starting out later than normal. We had to wait until it was dark enough, which really didn't happen until 6:30 or so. Julia fell asleep just about as soon as we pulled out of my parents neighborhood on the way home, and the Emily and Katherine crashed after teeth brushing and pajamas.

I only managed to get a few pictures, the quality of which is questionable. They look a little grainy to me which is more than likely because I had to print them first, as opposed to uploading them directly from my camera.

Katherine Jackie and Nate, posing at Mimi and Papa's house.

This was taken just after Julia almost fell (Mommy saved her from a skinned knee or two by holding a little tighter to her hand as I felt her starting to trip). She looks like she's saying, "Whoa, that was a close call."

Finally, this was taken on Nana Judy's front stairs, just before we set out for the night.