Stuff

So, Katherine did have an ear infection. I knew she would. She is taking that yummy pink medicine I remember as a kid(amoxycillin) and is doing just fine.

Julia is sick. She was up all night long and has a fever of 100.5. She has been out of sorts for the past week or so(snce she was vaccinated) so I am going to call the doctor when they open today and see what they think. I am not terribly concerned but because of her weight gain issues, and a few other things that have come to light(nothing major) I definitely think a phone call is warranted.

I spent the better part of yesterday organizing my desk and assembling a shelving unit that I am using to store all of my arts and crafts. It came together well...even if it did take me all morning to do. Heh.

I have decided that this year's Halloween party will have an 80's theme...80's clothing, 80's music, 80's everything. It should be fun.
My parents are going to take all three children for the night. That will be Julia's 1st official sleepover! How cute!

Multi tasking

Today I somehow managed to feed the baby a bottle, take Katherine's temperature, and tie Emily's shoe...all at the same time.

Talk about doing three things at once. Sheesh.

Katherine woke up today complaining that her right ear hurt. No big surprise here. I just said to Ryun the other day, "Pretty soon Katherine will start getting ear infections again."

No I didn't jinx it, she gets at least 3 or 4 infections every year around this time. I have an appointment to bring her to the doctor at 1:30 this afternoon. Normally, I don't take my children to the doctor the very first time they complain about something(unless it seems to be really serious) but every time Katherine has complained about an earache, it has always turned out to be an infection. So, I am not waiting.

Emily Update

Emily had an appointment at Children's on Wednesday. The appointment went well, and the doctor seems to think she is doing well so that is good.

I am soooooo happy to report that she will no longer be taking Depakote due to the mood swing/personality issues it was causing. Her Lamictal will be gradually increased over the next month or so and we will be going back up for another appointment in the middle of November.

The doctor's over at the brain malformations clinic that she will be taking part in are reviewing her MRI and will be calling soon to schedule an appointment to meet with her.

It is still beyond my comprehension how someone so "normal", someone who is for all intents and purposes wise beyond her years, someone who has no problems other than seizures has a "brain malformation". It all seems so surreal sometimes, like a dream(or more accurately, a nightmare).

I think Emily gets nervous about going sometimes. She gets so hyper and just can't sit still in the car and at the hospital. I think that it is her way of expressing her nervousness which is fine.

I forget sometimes that she is only 7. Hospital trips, medicine daily, and everything that goes along with this medical concern...it overwhelms me at times so I can only imagine the effect it might have on her. If mild hyperactivity is her way of "letting it out" than I can handle that!

Coffee Time

I think I may be turning into a regular coffee drinker. By regular, I mean everyday, not the way it's made. I like it extra light and extra sweet which is of course the most fattening way to drink it.

I never used to drink coffee on a regular basis until...well until Julia came along. She is not a lot of work in and of herself, I guess it's the combination of having three children that neccesitates the need for coffee.

It's not really a big deal I guess. Actually, I am kind of suprised that I didn't start earlier. I haven't gotten to the "OMG if I don't have my morning coffee I might die" point. However, since caffeine is a drug, if I keep drinking it as frequently as I have, the addiction will form and the "OMG" stage will become a reality.

Ah well...there certainly are worse habits I could form.

Republican

I might be turning into a Republican. God Help Me.

Stranger and worse things have happened for sure but this, this is just weird.

I am registered as an independent voter. Honestly though, I have always voted democrat. Sad to say, sometimes I voted for the candidate just because he or she was a democrat, without giving any real thought to what they stood for or what changes they planned to make.

Maybe because I am older and wiser, maybe because I have a close friend currently stationed in Iraq, or maybe just because I have children whose future will be shaped by the upcoming elections and those that follow, this election has taken on more meaning and significance than any other.

Everyone has a few issues that feel are most important. For me they are education and Iraq.

To me, any cuts in educational spending are not only wrong, but should be considered a criminal act. Quite simply, the children are the future...their education and their future is what will shape ours. Cutting any educational programming, no matter how little or insignificant it may seem is wrong. It is wrong for so many reasons to list them here would take days.

As I mentioned above, a close friend of ours is stationed in Iraq. He is a husband and a father to two young children. Do I wish he was home? Does he wish he was home? Of course.

Although I agree with some that the need for war in Iraq may have been a little too exaggerated, I disagree with those who think we shouldn't have gone over at all. Iraq is(or maybe was) a known terrorist country who for all intents and purposes hated us. Just because no WMD's were found does not mean that they aren't there, nor does it make Saddam and his "cronies" any less dangerous to this country. John Kerry 's "if we get attacked we will retaliate" vision is just pathetic.

I for one never want to relive the horror that was 9/11. I really don't think that something of that caliber could happen again, really I don't. You know what though? I didn't think it could happen before 9/11 either...and as we all well know, it did. I say, and pardon the bluntness, let's kick their ass before they kick ours.

HELP!

I just told Emily and Katherine that unless they were dead or bleeding, I didn't want to hear about every time one of them hit, pinched, kicked etc. the other. I can already tell it is going to be one of those days.

They are supposed to be cleaning the playroom, which currently looks like a bomb hit it. They have been cleaning it since yesterday(or supposed to have been cleaning it anyway). I have taken away the computer(except if needed for school) the tv, and even Katherine's "night night"(her security blanket). I only feel slightly bad about all of that, but seriously, they need to clean.

I have even tried giving them specific tasks...ok pick up all of the crayons first...then clean up all of the dress up clothes etc. NOTHING IS WORKING.

What is it that kids can't comprehend? Take one toy out, put it away when you are done, take out another. IS it that difficult? If they had just done that, they wouldn't be stuck with the huge mess they have now.

Sometimes I don't even know why I bother. How important is it that they keep the playroom or their bedroom clean? I can't help it that clutter bothers me. Seriously, it makes me physically ill sometimes. I have clothing of theirs sitting in laundry baskets right now because the thought of going up to their room to put it away scares me.

Am I being to hard on them to expect that they keep it neat? If not, how can I get them to actually do that(keep it neat)?

Random

Here are a few random things I wanted to share, in list form because I am lazy.

1. As of about 3:00 this afternoon, Ryun and I will no longer be able to pro-create. There is a certain bit of sadness attached to that but, he's done having children, so I guess I have to be too.

2. Last week, I had something removed from my back that could be a form of skin cancer. A completely treatable form( just taking it off cures it) but scary nonetheless. I will find out the results today.

3. My birthday is in 2 weeks and I am freaking out a little about turning 29. God help me when I turn 30.

So yeah, that 's it.