brain fart

I would have had these photos posted yesterday had I remembered how to log in to my photo bucket account. Oh well enjoy anyway.....................

TTFN~

The last 48 hours..............

In the last 48 hours we have experienced some crazy weather. Thursday afternoon when I came home from work and Katie came home from school the kids and I went out in the back yard. I had heard that the there was a winter storm coming Friday night so just in case the kids and I went out side to play to enjoy the 60 degree weather in January. Yes I said 60 degrees in January. One of the reasons I love living in the south.

However every once in a while we get a bad storm that travels east but kinda swirls up from the south. If that is the way the storm is travelling we will get snow, rain, ice whatever they say the storm is travelling. It started raining Friday night and over night was followed by ice and snow. So Saturday morning I looked out the window and we had a little snow but a whole lotta ice. It was so much ice that walking outside you didn't break through the snow and leave shoe prints you walked across the top of it.

The kids were so excited. It took me an hour to convince them that I was not making a snow man in 25 degree weather. Not to mention everything was so frozen you couldn't even make a single snowball. Or the fact that my kids do not have snow suits. Why should they we live in the south. So we found other things to do today. It was very difficult to find things to do because the city was mostly shut down. So we stayed home in our jammies.

Phil on the other hand had a fun day. At least the boy trapped inside of him did. He received a call from a friend who owns a service company. This company was responsible for clearing parking lots for major retailers in inclement weather. So Phil and a friend did donuts on a tractor and cleared parking lots. He left this morning at about 4:30am and walked in the door at 5:30pm to help serve dinner and eat with the kids. He will be back out again Sunday morning too.

I really don't like this crazy weather but the kids were able to see snow and Phil earned a little extra money in the process. As for Cami she was so confused. I had to take her outside every time today because she was afraid of the ice on the deck. Once I got her off the deck she wanted me to play with her in the yard. Yeah right 20 degrees I am not playing with any dog outside. I realize I grew up in the Midwest and spent 23 years there and even survived the blizzard of '78. However, I have been in the south for 15 years, my blood has thinned and I love the warm weather.

I have pics to add but could not get them to load hopefully I can get them added soon.

TTFN

Computer geek

Back in the fall I moved our computer out of the bonus room upstairs and down to the living room. I really thought I would like it downstairs amongst the family. Katie has been playing a few games on it, Phil uses it more it seemed to be a win win all the way around. That is until recently.

I have a small file box I keep with all the medical info in it. It is just big enough that Maddie will climb on it to get into the computer chair and then she finds the mouse and starts clicking. I didn't think a 18 month old knew how to click. However I have found my desk top re-arranged, days when I thought the computer was on or I specifically turned it on, when I finally get to it after homework, dinner and bathes it is off.

Today I caught her red handed. Guess I need to find a different security system.

TTFN~

ENOUGH!

"Dear Lord,

I realize that You will never give any one person more that he/she can handle but I tell you now, I have had ENOUGH!! Please share the wealth with someone else as I can handle no more."

My mother once told me that sometimes you have to tell God that you can handle no more and ask him to stop. I know I can handle more as I walked Madelynn's journey with her at the end of 2008. However after the last 36 hours I want no more. For those of you that feel your life has no "LIFE" treasure it. I am so jealous.

Saturday morning, Phil is working, I am trying to get Kaitlynn, Jackson and Madelynn out the door as Kaitlynn has cheer leading practice. All of the sudden there is a thud and Jackson lets out a blood curdling scream. He comes running to me with a hand covered in blood. I touch his head and my hand is covered in blood. So there is a small panic going on but I collect myself and actually clean up the blood and look at the wound.

It is really small cut and once I clean up the back of his head and calmed him down things were ok. I kept an eye on all day but as Phil always says,"Just walk it off". He appears to be fine and the cut is really small it is just so scary because head wounds bleed so much. Jack loves music and likes to dance. I don't mind it because it helps get the wiggles out of him. He just slipped and fell. I know little boys can be this way but the ER visit for his ear last week and the head wound this week. He can stop now. He isn't even in kindergarten yet.

So I get all of my Saturday errands done and Phil and I get ready to go out to dinner. We received a gift card to a great steak house for Christmas and decided we would use it for my birthday. With winter being a slow time of year it was nice we could go out and blow a gift card. However, OMG we over ate. We had a blooming onion, steaks, drinks, all while watching a bunch of sports. It may not be fun to most but we had a great time. Not to mention the fact it is always a race to see whose body the onion gets through first. It is always superb going in but man we regret it later.

When we finally got home we found our comfy clothes and vegged out on the couch. About an hour after Madelynn fell asleep she started coughing but it was a really bad barking cough. I was worried so I had Phil put her in the pack-n-play in our room just in case. I hate just in case. Well the coughing continued and suddenly she sounded as if she were gasping for air. Phil quickly gets her breathing treatment ready and we try to see if that works.

It doesn't and the coughing and gasping gets worse.

So about midnight I call my neighbor and wake her up. Ask her to come over and stay at the house with Jack. Katie was staying the night with a friend. Phil and I headed off to the ER. I was really scared this time. As we were driving to the ER Phil realized it was after midnight and says Happy Birthday. Sweet and I said Thank you, but I really didn't care at this time.

After examining her they tell us she has croup. They give her some medicine and tell us they need to give her a specialized breathing treatment and are waiting for respiratory to come down and administer it. The doctor says you will see results very quickly. However they have to observe her for the next two hours to make sure the breathing treatment is taking before they can send us home. So finally about 4:30 this morning we were driving home and in the silence of the car ride I could barely hear her breathing they had cleaned it up so much.

Jack not knowing any different slept through it all and came to me about 8:40 this morning ready to start the day. I convinced him to snuggle with me for a while and we would find him some cartoons and breakfast. For Jack 'for a while' meant 20 minutes.

So since about 9:am this morning things have been pretty good. Jack and my mom picked out a birthday cake for me and we dove into it after dinner tonight. It was all chocolate. Anyone that knows me knows that was a great idea. Not to mention the case of Reese's peanut butter cups I received from Jack was priceless.

Over all my birthday has not been all bad. However I am finished with child emergencies for a while. Phil and I were talking about it ....I have spent my first Mother's day in the ER with Kaitlynn, Madelynn's first Christmas in the ER, a Labor Day in the ER with Jack and now one of my Birthday's. So I can honestly say, I have had enough and I hope for a peaceful and quiet 2010 even though it hasn't started out that way.

To my neighbor who I woke up at Midnight. Thank You for everything!! I would not have made it through these last 18 months with out you. You have a heart of gold and I treasure our friendship.

For all of the Birthday wishes both those on face book and elsewhere....Thank You!!

I hope everyone has a great week.

TTFN~

Update...........

Today has been such a ridiculous day. I went to bed at 2am. I had a little too much caffeine Thursday and I was putting some things aside that just needed to get done. So I just finally bit the bullet and got it done. However, I was so rudely awakened but Miss Madelynn at 5:30am and she was ready to start the day.

When I finally came around I had to get Madelynn ready, Jackson woke up so I had to get him ready. I took a shower and then Kaitlynn arose to conscienceness. I made scrambled eggs and toast because I knew Madelynn would gobble it up and Kaitlynn and Jackson like it well enough.

We left for Jackson's ENT visit to follow up on his ruptured eardrum. Yes after only about 4 hours of sleep I was stupid enough to take all three of them to Jackson's doctor's appointment. Surprisingly enough they were all pretty good. I was at least smart enough to take the stroller so I wasn't chasing Madelynn everywhere.

So the results for Jackson are this.........He did not have a hole in his eardrum but now a scab. The doctor had the hearing test completed. He was so cute during the test. They put he and I (he sat on my lap) in this audiology room. There was a big window so Kaitlynn and Madelynn could see us. He passed with flying colors. They don't believe he suffered any hearing loss. We have to go back in 30 days to check for sure. I no longer need to play McGiver with his ear. Basically the doctor wants to see his eardrum after the scab falls off to make sure there is not a hole behind it.

As we travelled home we ran a few errands and grabbed lunch. In case you were wondering today was a teacher workday and Kaitlynn did not have school. Which also means I had to attend a Parent Teacher conference this afternoon. I was very pleased at the result.

Back track a few weeks.......Kaitlynn's teacher had a baby this fall and has been on maternity leave. She came back the first day back after Christmas Break. I was not impressed with the substitute. The current teacher has been adjusting back and helping the children adjust back to her way of teaching. Kaitlynn has had a little difficulty with this.

OK back to the parent teacher conference. I was told how academically she is doing great. She is above level in reading, knows all the math skills up to this point and is very creative. The biggest compliment I received about her is what a strong leader she is. The teacher just sees great things for her. However she comes off to some of the other children as bossy. She also is a great helper. This becomes a problem when she wants to help another child and the teacher wants her to do something else. Due to an unfortunate choice the substitute teacher made Kaitlynn thinks this is okay and needs to learn who is in charge.

I was very pleased overall and some of the things they are having problems with I am at home too. So if I can work it out at home then hopefully it will spill over into school as well.

It really made me think though about Kaitlynn....would she be a great leader??? at what??? will I be able to help her achieve this goal????? I asked her teacher if it had to do with the fact that she was the oldest. She said it could be but she felt it was more that. So now I feel like I have such a heavier load to carry. Kaitlynn being the healthiest and oldest has just stepped into and thrived with it. It is the least I can do to help her become great.....whatever it is.

I spent the rest of the day taking care of somethings for my friend who has been out of town. I will be very glad to see my pillow soon and hope someday soon I get a Saturday to sleep in and not worry about anything at least for an extra hour or two. Hope everyone has a superb weekend.

TTFN~

fracture, rupture, broken, sprain.......

These are all words that no parent ever wants to hear. So here is my story............

Thursday was a usual day work, pick up kids, make dinner, etc. This particular Thursday was bath night. So Madelynn got a bath and Kaitlynn and Jackson took showers. It was about 8:00pm when the kids were hanging out on the couch before it was time for bed. I am three feet from the couch on the computer and Jackson screams.

I turn around and he tells me he crammed a q-tip in his ear. I find the q-tip in the trash, calm him down, and make him sit up for a few minutes. He seemed OK until I told him to lay down. Within a minute blood is coming out of his ear. So at about 8:20pm we are headed to the Levine Children's ER. We arrived about 9:00pm. Unfortunately it was a busy night. The waiting room was practically empty but all the rooms were full.

When we were finally examined there was a lot of blood in his ear and they had to get it out with out putting water in his ear to flush it out. If he did rupture his eardrum the water could cause infection. So instead they had to vacuum/suction the blood out. I told Jackson that he had to sit really still and promised it would not hurt. But I also told him if he didn't sit really still they would suck his brains out too (I know I am such a mean Mommy).

All of the sudden as they are suctioning out the blood he starts giggling. It tickled.

He did in fact rupture his ear drum. The doctor said that he injured the part of the eardrum that causes the least amount of hearing loss after healing. So we go to see the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor this coming Friday. They will examine the injury and once it is completely healed he will have a hearing test to see what the damage if any really is. We pulled out of the ER parking garage at 12:30am. By the time we got home, Jack to bed and I crawled in bed it was 1:30am.

As I said before this injury happened on bath night after his shower. So tonight was his first bath/shower after the injury. We were also told by the ER Doctor he is NOT to get his ear wet at all. So the trivia question of the day..............

How do you keep a 4 year old from getting water in his ear at bath/shower night????

You get to play McGiver. (My brother would be so jealous) I used a snack baggie, glad press and seal, a pair of scissors, and some first aid waterproof tape. Needless too say Phil could not stop laughing, it wasn't pretty. However, Jackson was happy he got to play with his dinosaurs in the bathtub. My poor boy. What I wouldn't give for an occasional boring day. Not in this house anyway. The worst part about it was just the other day I was reviewing the blog and saw I posted a few about Madelynn and a few about Kaitlynn but not really anything about Jackson. I guess I just need to be patient and he will give me the material to write about.

TTFN~

Homework

With Katie only being in kindergarten she doesn't have homework everyday or even every week. However when she does have homework it can take a few hours or even a few days. Her classroom has been reading a book called Snowballs. It is about a snowman/woman family. She was given a piece of poster board that had a snow body traced on it.

We were told to cut it out and decorate the snow person. We were told to use household items basically don't buy anything. So Katie and I raided my craft closet and I showed Katie how to use the glue gun. She was so excited about the finished product. So I thought I would share.

Meet Ms. Rosie. She has bracelets, earrings, floral flip-flops. It was a really fun time.

Now, I need to worry about Jack. With Katie's cheer leading competition and then this homework project he has been feeling a little left out. He was pretty excited to spend the afternoon with Grandpa Bacho a few days ago and wanted to know when he could go back. So maybe we will have to work something out.

Hope everyone is starting to see warmer weather and is beginning to thaw out. Not sure Rosie will like the big thaw but we can hang her on the wall after Katie gets her grade.

TTFN~

Cheerleading

Saturday was Kaitlynn's first cheer leading competition. She was very nervous but did pretty well. I have included a small slide show to see Kaitlynn. Her squad placed in the tournament well enough for a bid to the regional competition. She was so excited about her first trophy and medal. When we came home she was telling me what we were going to do with her awards and where we were going to put them. It was fun to listen to her.

Thanks to Grandpa Bacho for some of the pictures. I took some, he took better ones and Phil videoed it. Hopefully, I can figure out how to get the video on the blog as my video camera doesn't want to communicate to my computer. Enjoy the pictures.

TTFN~

Vet Visit

Well I never thought I would be at the vet for the puppy shots so soon after we had to put Lady down but we were. Since changing our day care situation Friday was the first day that I am off work and I have Jack and Maddie with me. So I was in a small panic when I realized that I would be taking a very excitable puppy, a very active 17 month old child and Jack to the vet. Need I say more.

So Friday morning I am taking Jack and Maddie back in the house after dropping Katie off at school. Who should I see but my neighbor out freezing taking care of her dog. I quickly ask her if she can watch Maddie while Jack and I take Cami to the vet. As she said yes, I run inside. I really needed the help and I didn't want her to change her mind and it was freezing.

Off to the vet we go. I first discover Cami is terrified of the the garage door opener and had a little difficulty getting her in the van until the door stopped. We get to the vet and Jack is full of questions. I knew this was coming but Jack had this look of fear on his face when I told him we were going to take Cami to the vet. He thought she was sick. So here goes the 1000 question marathon...Mommy what's this....why that....why why why why why why why. It was insane.

As the Vet walks in to start the exam, Jack pipes up and says he has to go to the bathroom. So pause the vet visit, run to the restroom, run back into the exam room restart the vet visit. We discovered that she is part Lab due to her webbed feet, she has markings on her face that are part Australian Shepard, she is about 5 1/2 months old that was about all we got from it. Jack was able to see her examined and see her get her shots. Jack was very curious and I believed learned a lot that day.

Personally, I was really excited. I felt as if we had made it through the vet visit unscathed. Boy was I wrong. I was discussing with the girl at the desk Cami's spay because she was old enough to get it. Jack was holding Cami's leash and all hell broke loose. Jack is running not too fast back and forth with the dog. I ask him to stop and to bring her to me. Cami freaks out and runs into a display and you hear crashing and dog yelping and I want to crawl into a hole. Jack is stunned frozen because he knows he is in trouble and the dog runs to a complete strangers arms from fear.

I tell Jack to stand next to me and not move, I pay for the visit, get the dog from the complete stranger hoping she will still want to go home with us and walk out. Did I mention the waiting room was packed full of people and pets. The one event I was hoping to avoid happened and I didn't even have Maddie with us, Jack accomplished it all by himself.

Because I expected it to happen, I think I was already mentally prepared for it I wasn't even embarrassed. It is a fact of my comedic life that I just expect. I am grateful that no one was injured (especially the dog), that I knew no one in the vets office and hopeful I never see any of them again.

Hope everyone gets a good Monday laugh from it.

TTFN~

Madelynn's Heart 8

The last four days have been really crazy. I have so much to blog about but this was the most important one. A year ago almost to the day I drove home from a Levine Cardiac Kids meeting. I was really depressed because Madelynn was doing really bad. She weighed less than the day of her surgery, she was eating just enough to stay alive. She was almost labeled Failure_to_thrive. I felt as if my world was spinning out of control. I had taken Madelynn to the ER twice since the last hospital stay and they kept sending us home.

I just broke down and cried and cried and cried all the way home from that meeting. Phil not knowing how to help me told me she would be okay. Anyone who knows me, knows that, those words are not enough. It was time to stop crying and start fighting.

In that years time, Madelynn has exploded. She inhales her meals, some days I wonder if she even tastes the food. She FINALLY is over 20 lbs, I didn't think she would ever get there. She skipped walking and went straight to running. She is talking to us, the dog, the stuffed animals, however, she hasn't figured out how to make her buttons talk yet. Give her time. I love her personality. One of her favorite things is she loves to dance. If ANY music is on she is there 'shakin her groove thang' as Phil calls it.

There are still a few things that make me nervous. Most importantly keeping her healthy. Sounds easy enough however because of her collapsed lung and paralysis in her diaphragm that is still not fully healed it is harder for her to fight off even a cold. We have been very lucky so far this winter plus Madelynn was able to get a flu shot this year. So we have a few more months to get through and I think I might actually take a breathe.

Madelynn completed her physical therapy back in December right before Christmas. In talking to her therapist she looked at her and said 'there is nothing left I can teach her.' The therapist not only helped Madelynn get to par because she was behind, she helped her become an over achiever. In my decision to start fighting, I would sit and watch the therapy sessions and ask why the therapist was doing things. Her therapist finally caught on and would just start telling me why she was doing things. I would work with her everyday because the therapist only came once a week. Even when I started back to work part-time, the therapy sessions were on my day off so I could still work with Madelynn.

Some days I look at Madelynn and am astounded at how far we have come. I hope that I have documented this part of her journey well enough that she we'll see what a fighter she is. Some days we are hanging out at the house and laughing. I stop and look around and just see Phil and three beautiful children. I never thought I would see this day.

Now that I have seen this day I wonder..........If Phil and I were trying really hard not to have children before she was born, she came along, only to be born with a CHD (congenital heart defect), and today acts as if she is as normal as the next child.............WHY was it so important she come along..........what does this life have in store for her.....will it be something GREAT!!....Whatever it is I hope I get to see it....And if I don't I hope I find it in my heart just to enjoy all the little minutes that add up to great.

TTFN~

I have had enough..........

This cold weather in the south is absurd. I am sick and tired of wearing three layers of clothes everyday. Much less dressing three kids in layers. I have been in the south for 15 years and I don't ever remember it ever being this cold for this period of time. I realize that I grew up in the Midwest and this should be nothing new to me. However I have been spoiled by the south.

As I type I am wearing three shirts as part of my pj's and will wear them to bed under my electric blanket and comforter. Phil claims that I have no blood and I need a transfusion. We closed off part of the house and shut the vents to those rooms in an effort to keep the heat bill down. Katie loves it because she is sleeping in our bed, Maddie's pack'n play is in our room. Jack's room is one of the warmest in the house, he is sleeping in his bed. The only thing I know is that it is colder today than 4 days ago and the heat is kicking on less. Hopefully this cozy arrangement will work.

The next couple of days are going to be very chaotic. I am working Thursday then a cardiac kids meeting Thursday night. Friday I have to take Cami to the vet with Jack and Maddie in tow. I can't wait to blog about that trip. Then I have training in the afternoon, Katie has her last cheer leading practice before the competition Saturday. I think when we get home from the competition Saturday afternoon I am forcing everyone to take a nap and I will be joining them.

Hopefully the cheer leading competition will be fun and I will have new Pics to post as well. Katie is having a hard time adjusting back to school from Winter break mostly she is just really sleepy. Jack and Maddie have been removed from daycare in an effort to save money. A good family friend will be caring for them at least until school starts in the fall. I am not sure how Jack will adjust. I believe Maddie will be fine because she will be with Jack.

This is not exactly what I had in mind for my life at this point but this is what I know. Katie LOVES cheer leading and the classes are very inexpensive, Jack is a smart boy and will adjust I just need to work some extra time with him so he is ready for Kindergarten. Maddie is my fighter and she will show everyone who's boss. She has a great opportunity in the fall if I can get all the logistics worked out. I am at peace with all of these decisions and will just have to wait to see what unfolds.

Well it is late and I have to pile on 20 more layers to take the dog out. It turns out we adopted a smart dog. She hates the cold (like me) and will not go out in it unless someone goes with her. So it is about 20 degrees and it will be about 12 in the morning and I need to take her out and stand there so she will go off the deck and do her business. It has been a long time since we have had to train a puppy. It is a good thing she is cute.

The only good thing is that my electric blanket is on and I can quickly defrost. It is one of the best Christmas presents Phil ever gave me. Hope everyone is finding creative ways to stay warm. I have found that actually getting into the WII games gets the blood flowing too. Did you know that my 4 and 6 year olds have scored between 175 and 196 on the WII bowling. They love it.

Thinking warm thoughts and dreaming about the 100 degree summer days that will be upon us sooner that we know.

TTFN~

Giggling away the winter blues......

This week it is supposed to be the coldest all winter. We have been doing all kinds of things in our home to stay warm but also not have to give up one of our children to pay the gas bill. Madelynn has been living in her feet jammies but she has also been experimenting with other clothes. She discovered she could wear Jack's clothes, checked to see if her winter hat still fit, figured out how to put a clown nose on all while keeping the binki in. She has accomplished quite a feat.


I can't imagine where she gets her creativity. Hope everyone is staying warm and that Maddie brought a little giggle to this bitter cold day.

TTFN~

Christmas Present

The pictures above are the front and back of a picture given to me for Christmas by Maddie's day care teacher. I was so wrapped up in other things I totally missed the point of this treasured gift. My thought was 'why in the world would I want a picture she painted that just has Maddie's name on it' and I put it aside. As I was cleaning up Christmas decorations I looked at the picture closer and realized that most of the painting and decoration was done by the teacher, however the snowman was Maddie's foot print.

Honestly, I really hate when I miss the really important stuff like that. I was worried about getting every one's Christmas presents, paying bills, buying groceries, training at a new job. Some days in December I really missed the important stuff. We went to the Christmas Eve Children's service, with the children's choir singing and Father talking to a group of second graders. It was really great. I am glad we went. I was reminded that all of the above stress' don't matter it is the children who matter.

One of my resolutions for 2010 will be to pay more attention to my children and not miss any of the little things. As we know the time really does go too fast. There are moments I wish the days would take off like a rocket. But they are just moments and they too shall pass. Here's to not missing the little things.............

TTFN~

One night in December

As I was cleaning out my camera with all the pictures I had taken in December I forgot about bath night. Maddie was just in a really good mood and very playful and I just started snapping away. These are not all of them but this is about half of them. It was just a really fun night. Enjoy the slide show below.