Emerging

For months I've been calling Lauren my "serious child," which is just fine with me. "Serious" to me means that she is calm, studies things intently, and is not quick to laugh. All of those things still describe her, especially when it comes to meeting new people, but lately a bit of her attitude has been showing through. So much so that her grandma Connie told us this weekend that she was going to be h$ll on wheels when she gets older!

The most recent development is her temper. We always knew she was impatient and when she's ready for something, she's ready. She doesn't work up to being hungry, she's just suddenly hungry and lets you know it...LOUDLY. Of course, I never thought of that as a temper, more just the way that she functioned as a baby. Now...totally different story. She was trying to get out of the living room, which I had blocked in so that I could keep track of her easier while I have this boot on. She learned pretty quickly how to push and pull the plastic wall we had up, so I started holding onto it when she was near it. The very first time I did this she shook it, glared at me, then promptly crawled over to her brother's bean bag, threw herself down face first, and proceeded to scream. Tantrums at 10 months old?!? Sheesh!

This is my "I'm not kidding" face. :)

It's not been all screaming and crying, thank goodness. The joy she radiates when she sees someone she loves, like her big brother, is absolutely amazing. Her entire face lights up in a smile that could power a million light bulbs. My favorite thing to do with her right now is watch her crawl around and play with her toys until she's completely oblivious to everyone in the room. Then, I'll say "Lauren!" in my best sing-songy voice, watch her look up at me, and then beam. Having a bad day? Her smile could cure even the worst blues.

We've decided that she's going to be quite a mix of the reserved and the extroverted. I think it will depend on the situation and who is around. The most important thing is that she's happy and proud to be who she is, and she is perfectly wonderful to us.

Changing Classes

I think I've complained enough online for everyone to know that on Tuesday, the director of Brenden's preschool let us know that Brenden was placed in the wrong class. I can only imagine Tim's horror of being called into the "principal's" office when he went to pick Brenden up. My first thought was that Brenden had done something so terrible that he was getting kicked out of school. Visions of juvenile detention centers floated through my brain...because I'm and over-reactor. (Yes, Brenden gets it from me.)

After profusely apologizing for thinking that his birthday was in 2006, she explained that he should have been in the 2 year old class and that there weren't any spots available in either of those. She didn't want to say "sorry, see you later" so she decided to move him to another 3 year old class where he would only be the youngest by 4 weeks instead of almost a year. There was even a kid in his old class that is turning FIVE next month. No wonder Brenden was having problems!

I'm not sure I've whined about all the difficulties Brenden's been having at school, but it's been a constant worry for awhile now. Every day I would pick him up and every day he would have been in trouble. The feedback I got was usually "he's just not listening," although sometimes he was throwing tantrums or hitting. Now, knowing how much younger he is than those other kids, it's easy to see where he was probably frustrated and lost. When he doesn't understand something, he tunes out. Tuning out leads to acting out, which means he was in trouble a lot. They even called him a "repeat offender." (See...juvenile delinquent. AHH!)

When I first heard what had happened, I was relieved. It was so nice to know that our child was not behind. It was a relief to know that now, things might change. I felt terrible for Brenden, though. How awful to expect so much out of him. I called the director and she explained that his teacher had been concerned that he wasn't old enough and that he wasn't catching on. Then she told me that they figured this out 2 weeks ago. I was okay with all of this information until this morning, and then I was angry. If the teacher had been concerned, why was I not told? If they figured it out 2 weeks ago, why did they wait so long? Why did they let him go back to a class that he was obviously not supposed to be in?

When I dropped him off this morning, he walked right in, sat down, and started playing playdough without any problems. He didn't even look at me again. The other kids knew who he was because they all play together in the big gym. I spoke to his new teacher, explained that I hoped he wouldn't be a problem and that he becomes increasingly difficult as he becomes more tired, and asked that she let me know what I can do to help. Then, I stopped by to explain my concerns to the director, mainly how I felt out of the loop and frustrated with how it was handled. If there is something going on with my child, I think I need to know.

I'm not very good at explaining things when I'm frustrated. When I get upset, I usually cry, which is just not a very "adult" way to handle things. I think I did an okay job of explaining how upsetting it was to have been left out of things, how we felt that we should have been told sooner, and how unfair it was that he seemed to have been listed a "problem." She definitely made me feel better because she listened and apologized, which always helps, and explained that, if he had been a huge problem, we would have been told much earlier for sure. She assured me that he was not as disruptive as I thought they were making him out to be, and that the fact that he was keeping up with them on a lot of things was a good sign that he wasn't behind.

My fingers are crossed that today is a better day. He was a little upset that he wouldn't be in Ms. Christina's class anymore, so we told him that if he behaved on his first day in his new class that daddy would take him out for ice cream. The boy loves his ice cream, so I hope he does well. No matter what, I feel better knowing he's in a class with kids his own age and that our expectations can now be at a more reasonable level. I'd say I'll stop worrying, but we all know that will never happen.

Riding His Bike!

He's getting so big!

Ouch...

It turns out I made the right decision yesterday. We made it to the surgical center right on time, filled out a few more papers, and waited just a few minutes before being taken back for pre-op. I got to wear a lovely blue cap (which Tim just had to take a picture of to get me back for this) and get an iv, which was not bad at all since she numbed it first. I'm not sure why they do that there, but I appreciated it! My doctor made it in early (I know! Shocking! He's a pretty cool guy.), explained the procedure, and the nurse gave me something to relax me. I think it started with a "v", but I'm not sure. Before she was done pushing all of it, I was feeling loopy. I think I laughed like a complete buffoon all the way back to the surgical room. I'm pretty sure the anesthesiologist gave me some oxygen, but I can't be sure. Then I was completely out.

Yeah...that's not hot. :)

YES! That toe right there!

I woke up around 8 am, completely unaware of where I was for awhile. The nurse came over immediately, asked if I was okay, and went to get Tim. I think we were home by 8:30 am. So quick! Much faster than Tim's knee. I would absolutely recommend the Memorial Surgery Center at 81st and Memorial. They were all extremely nice, answered all of my questions, and really made me feel comfortable. Five stars! The only thing that was sad was all the babies around us having surgeries done. It sounded like most were adenoid removals or tubes, and some of them woke up really badly. One little girl was so scared and I just wanted to give her a hug. Her mom and the nurses were doing the best they could to calm her down. It's scary for an adult to have surgery so I cannot even imagine being so little and not understanding what was going on.

It turns out my doctor could have given me an injection every day and it still wouldn't have fixed my foot. I had a growth by my joint that was causing all the problems, which means the bones, ligaments, tendons, and everything else looked good. He removed it and sent it off for testing, but he said he wasn't too concerned. Hopefully I can learn more when I go in for my follow up appointment on Tuesday.

So far I think I'm doing well. I napped on the couch, was served food and drinks whenever I needed them, and got lots of kisses from Brenden to help my "ouchie toe," which he told me he loves. I haven't had to take any pain medication yet because he numbed my whole foot before he started. I did feel loopy today because of the medicine that knocked me out, but I think that's finally wearing off. I'm sure I'll be utilizing it, soon! Also, I can hobble around in just my boot without the crutches they gave me. I am really bad with crutches.

HUGE thanks to Tim for taking care of me, Connie for coming over so early to watch the kids, my mom for offering to come and stay with me on Monday, and my friend Bre for offering to help me on Tuesday. You guys are the best! Also, thank you to everyone for all the good thoughts and prayers. I really appreciate it!

It looks like I lost a toe, but I promise it's there. :)

Stupid Toe

After 5 injections, some painful insoles, and a week in a boot with some crazy steroids, it's been decided that my toe is not going to get better without surgery. There is no guarantee that it will be completely better with surgery, but it should be better than what I have now. I woke up this morning and it was already aching, and now that I have been boot-less for a few hours, it's downright awful.

I jokingly told him that I was ready to have it done tomorrow if they could fit me in and, lo and behold, they had an opening. So, while most everyone else is snoozing, I'll be headed in for surgery at 6 am. They told me the exact name of the surgery, but I can't remember. It had a couple of initials in there, or something. What I do know is that I'll be off of my foot completely for 36 hrs and back in the boot for 2-4 weeks. No crutches, thank goodness, but I'm worried about how I'm going to run after the kids on Monday. Nervous!

Hopefully by then I'll be laughing at myself for ever thinking it was a big deal. But, just in case, any one want 2 adorable kids for a week???

Wordless Wednesday

A brother is a friend given by Nature.

~Jean Baptiste Legouve

10 Months Old!

Somehow, in the middle of the snowpocolypse and the month of kleenex, we missed Lauren's 9 month check up. (Thanks again, Susan for the reminder!) Today we went in to make sure that she's still on track, plus I was hoping to hear she had gained some weight back. Her stats today were:

Length - 28 3/4 inches (75th percentile)

Weight - 19 lbs 9 oz (50th percentile)

Head - 18 inches (90th percentile)

She still has the extra brains in her head and has gained some weight back after being so sick. 18 lbs was just too small for her! She did surprise me by having another ear infection since she's been sleeping just fine and not running a fever. Her doctor is getting concerned, and it sounds like she might start pushing me to put a tube in her ear, but I'm hesitant. I think we'll take Tim's mom's advice and check with an ENT specialist first.

Other than her ear, she's absolutely perfect. If she's not eating or sleeping she's all over the house. She's gotten really quick! If you look away for any amount of time she'll be in the kitchen, playing in the dogs' water or trying to eat their food. She's absolutely amazed by singing and music and loves to clap and dance. Her favorite person is still Brenden, who is having moments when he really enjoys her, but she's also a big fan of her grandparents.

I got this spoon thing!

She spends most days trying to play with Brenden's toys, pushing every button

she can get to, and rearranging the letters on our fridge. Her favorite thing to say is "da da, da da, da DAHHHH!"...all day long. Every once in awhile she'll throw in a "ya ya" or "na na", but I'll only get "maaaa maaaa" if she's unhappy about something, like going to sleep for a nap.

I want to go to there!

She's definitely going to be independent and social, just not nearly as smiley as Brenden. Yesterday, we went out to eat with Mike and Connie for Valentine's Day and she spent half of lunch waving at people. The other day she used a spoon for the first time by herself and succeeded in getting at least half of it in her mouth. Today, to celebrate her 10 month birthday, she used a sippy cup twice without complaining. Before we know it, she'll be eating every meal on her own and running around the house after her brother.

I can do it!

Happy 10 month birthday, Lauren! We love you!

10 months old!

The Month of Kleenex

A month ago, I wrote this post. Today, I finally feel confident enough to say that we're on the mend. Yes, I realize even thinking that will surely strike us down with another round of the sickness, but I'm going to enjoy the less snotty, much less feverish, happier times while I can.

This was our life for a month!

A full month of ups and downs and medicine and a boot on my ankle...could it be any more fun? A week after Lauren started on her antibiotics to get rid of her ear infection, she threw up for the first time. When Brenden was a baby, he never threw up. Spit up? Yes...but it takes awhile to realize that there really is a difference between spit up and vomiting. Over the next 5 days, the only thing she kept down was Pedialyte. In a week she went from almost 20 lbs to 18 1/2 lbs. She has a check up tomorrow so I'm hoping to see her weight headed in the positive direction again. To make everything worse, the cold that we thought she kicked came right back, along with teething, so she pretty much didn't sleep for 2 weeks. Which means Tim and I didn't sleep for 2 weeks. We were not happy campers.

Brenden developed an ear infection a week after Lauren started throwing up, and then, at Panera Bread, he got sick all over our table. Thank goodness we had already taken Lauren in and had medicine that we could give him. The doctor even made sure to tell me that it was okay since it was pretty likely at least one of us would catch it. Zofran is a life saver. He's still got a cough, which we're all sharing, but he seems to be much better now.

After being stuck inside with all the sickies, Tim caught the gunk. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to have hit him too terribly. Or, he's just better at dealing with it. (But shhh...don't tell him I said that.) He didn't need a doctor's visit and he never had antibiotics, so I'd say he's doing well.

After my ear/sinus infection cleared, I caught the nasty cold that lead to a pretty bad cough. It was a chorus of sickness! Let me tell you...I love my kids' kisses and hugs, but their germs they can keep all to themselves. And now, on top of the lasting congestion and pressure in my ears, I'm in a lovely boot. Why? Remember the toe that was giving me so much trouble? It's still a pain, a constant pain, and in a last ditch effort to keep me from having to have surgery, I'm in a boot to stabilize it. My doctor only wanted me to try it for a week, so hopefully on Thursday he'll decide it worked and I can resume the ability to chase after my kids. I really don't want to even think about how surgery would effect my day. Too scary.

At least someone can enjoy it!

On a much happier note, the weather has been beautiful and the snow is melting! I am so ready for our backyard to be less of a mud pit. Our white dogs are not so white anymore!

Happy Valentine's Day!

My Valentines! Oh, how I love them!

My husband, the poet. I love you, Tim!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Miss Independent

She wants to do it all by herself! Most of it ended up on her face or in her hair, but she did well for her first try!

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The Mom, The Broom and The Dustpan

There once was a mom that feared for the safety of her family's trampoline. Her fear was so great that she forewent her beauty sleep to save it from the evil ice and snow that threatened to break it.

Wielding a broom and a dustpan, she set out on her mission. The broom would return with no battle wounds. Unfortunately, the dustpan would not.

Her journey would not be without peril. Below the blanket of white lay obstacles that would endanger her ankles and cause her to exclaim things that made her glad her children were napping.

"What the...???"

"&*(*&%$!!!!"

She shoved, pulled, dug, scraped and kicked for over an hour before realizing that she would be unable to complete her task. At first she was disheartened, for she felt as though she had failed. But, when she stepped back to survey her work, it was clear that much had been accomplished and that the trampoline would most likely bounce back, as good as ever.

A mound of snow, 3 feet high.

A chunk of ice from the middle...at least 3 inches thick.

A little better.

The moral of the story? When your husband offers to scrape off the trampoline on Wednesday, say "YES." Otherwise, you'll feel so guilty that you'll feel compelled to do it yourself, which will suck.

SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOW

Friday:

Tuesday:

Friday:

Tuesday:

I haven't seen this much snow since we lived in Colorado. The kids and I have been stuck inside since Sunday, except for a very brief trip outside to see the snow. With the temperature never above freezing and the wind chill making it unbearable, it's not exactly "child friendly" weather. BRRR!

It started snowing again today, which I didn't expect. At first they were saying it shouldn't accumulate, but then they looked out the window changed their minds and realized that we were going to get 4-6 more inches. We were hoping to take the kids to the mall today, partly to get out and get them some exercise, and partly so I could get my new phone. I don't think either of those things will happen now. Sigh...maybe tomorrow.

I hope everyone is warm and safe indoors and stocked up enough to make it through all of this. Tim tried to buy milk and bread yesterday but the Walmart closest to us was almost bare. HURRY UP, SPRING!