Sam's Surgery Is Scheduled!

Tuesday, December 16th at 6:30am we report to Delnor Community Hospital for the preop medicating. He goes into surgery at 7:30am and we will :::fingers crossed::: be home by 11am with him so he can sleep it off. Dr Hemmer is performing the surgery, he is the same ENT that did Ben's tubes and we still see him regularly for check ups, hearing screens, and to keep track of the kids ears.

The Illness Report

Hello out there in sterile cyberspace! Wish I were where you are....
Its been a helluva week with all of us getting sick. Brent and I have nasty colds, the boys have ear infections and Ben and Sam have Bronchitis. We also found (through dosing Sam with it) that he has an allergy to Augmentin, let me tell you how NOT fun that is. He has been switched to an antibiotic injection at the Pediatrician's office, which he isn't really keen on. Can't say I blame him, he gets it in the butt cheeks.

At any rate, we have had a fun filled medicated four days lately, lots of breathing treatments, allergic medicine reactions, snot, sleep loss, crankiness, and less appetite all around.

Today I took Ben and Sam to the Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist (ENT here on out) to get a head start on the seasons' ear infections. Sam is getting tubes in as soon as we can get it scheduled and Ben is on watch for a 2nd set of tubes. He had his tubes for nearly 3 years and just had them taken out over the last 6 months.

Updates when I have them available....

Santa Letters are here!!!

Dear Santa,
I am a good baby brother. I would like Ben to be nice to me and Jack to be nice to me. This year I would like a Wacky Willa, an Activity Stacker, and a Lift Off Rocket. My family will leave you stuff.
Sam

Dear Santa,
You can bring me a new choo choo train. I would also like you to get me the Build A Road Set, Helmet Heroes, Take Along Fire Station, a Cash Register, and a Play Pretend Castle Set. I only want the blue castle, you can buy me that one. Santa Claus, I was so nice. I can make you a train cake and you can use my breakables knife. You can leave a small piece to me. And to Mommy. Sammy won't want some.
Love,
Jack

Dear Santa,
Merry Christmas! I have been a good big brother and a nice person. Would you please bring me presents? I would like Star Wars, Bakugan, What's In Ned's Head Game, and a Floppy Jalopy Builder Set. I'm going to leave carrots for your reindeer on Christmas Eve. I will leave you a train cake.
Ben

***As Dictated by Ben***
Dear Santa,
I'm sorry I stole my mom's banana bread. I didn't mean it. I am mostly a good dog all of the time. I would like a new Jolly Ball and treats.
Tuva

Jack's Speech Evaluation

I got a call today from the Speech Pathologist and she recommended that Jack have a more in depth and comprehensive evaluation with a team of individuals in their school because he shows signs of trouble with transitions. A lot of this is age appropriate, though she feels its best to be over cautious and get the evaluation done now rather than wait it out and possibly have to uproot him from her for Speech because he needs more services.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA CARL!!!

Today is Grandpa Carl's birthday (we won't say his age)...the kids called him this morning at 5:30am his local time to wish him a big happy birthday.

We miss you and can't wait till you come out next month!

Love,
All of us

Tuva's Hypothyroid

Tuva went in last week for his annual checkup and we ran some blood tests to check his thyroid because of several issues that have come up with his coat, skin, and ears. It was found he has a mild case of hypothyroidism, his levels were just below normal but considering his behavior lately and the conditions physically we have opted to try a mild daily dosage to see if that raises his levels and gets him back to square one. He is 7, 56 in human years, and this is the first real issue he's ever had. The vet assured me that this is a livable disorder and that Tuva should bounce back to his usual sweet, fun self soon. We'll keep you posted.

OBAMA WINS!!! What Ben thinks....

There are three very happy people in this house today after the election! Last night I had a friend and her daughter over and we were watching the early polling results come in. When it was time for them to leave and get Ben to bed he was begging me to wake him up with the results as soon as they called it on tv. I told him no, he would have to wail until tomorrow and that I might even have to wait for tomorrow depending on how close the race was. He was excited Barack Obama had already gotten 107 votes out of 270 (we had been talking quite a bit this past week about the Electoral College) and was hopeful Barack Obama would win the Presidency. This morning Ben woke up and said "WHO WON MOM?! WHO WON?!!!". I turned on the tv and he saw a portion of the speech and listened to him say that he thanks his supporters but the work begins in Washington and he yelled "WE WON! WE WON!!!!" No, he doesn't fully understand how historic this is but someday he will. I have explained as best I can for his age that African American citizens and women weren't allowed to vote for a long time because they weren't equal and of course he doesn't fully understand.

Let change come....

Jack's Dysfluency

We are a little sad to report that Jack has really sprouted in his language skills lately but that he's developed Ben's stutter. At this time we aren't sure if its due to the modeling he has been hearing from Ben since he was a baby or if this is something of his own development. I have an appointment with him next Thursday with Early Intervention to get him fully screened and evaluated. At that time we will see what the District head pathologist feels is the best course of action.

On another speech related note I had Ben's IEP opening meeting today, he will begin speech in his new school next week. YAY!!!

We've moved!

Yes, its been a while..in my own defense I have been busy with unpacking and organizing the new house, meeting neighbors, playing in the new neighborhood at the park and in the backyard, and I had some computer issues. At any rate, I am back with a vengeance!

The move went exceptionally well, actually! Four days in a minivan with 3 kids ages 5 and under and a 115lb dog doesn't sound ideal I know, but I am proud of my guys for the way they made the trip. The DVD player upgrade in the van this summer was hands down the lifesaver! Its been used well and earned its keep so far. We got a great gift pack from The Edmonds family the day we left California, they are so thoughtful, and the kids had a lot of good distractions in it.

Ben has started his new school, he rides the bus everyday to and from school which is such a fantastic thing for ME. He is happy at his new school but says he hasn't met any new friends yet, I attest that to no recess and a short session daily, but we'll see as time goes on.

Jack loves his new neighbors, Seamus is 4 on one end and Max is 4 1/2 on the other end, they play nearly daily. Sam enjoys his new spacious house and wanders throughout the day to play in nearly every room. He's talking a bit more now with his favorite word "MORE!" at the countertop in a barstool. Its cute, yes, but it gets old after the first 5 hours or so!

Tuva loves loves loves the new yard and this week we get the fence put in. I will keep you updated on the number of bunnies killed.

We're counting down..

Brent and I have done a lot of packing, organizing, and prepping for the move over the weekend. The house is looking very different, and there's a lot less to clean up during the day which is a nice change for me.

Tuva isnt' so excited to see the boxes everywhere and he's been acting more nervous and following Brent and I around closely the last few days.

More later.

Yes we can!

http://barackitforward.blogspot.com/2008/09/small-task-1-power-of-one.html

Santa Monica or bust!

This past weekend we took a day off and drove up through Venice Beach to Santa Monica to go to the pier. The kids were very excited as soon as they saw the rides on the pier but as soon as we got up there the ride section was closed for a charity event sponsered by Mattel to raise money for Childrens Memorial Hospital. We got lucky that the arcade was open so we spent $10 in there playing games with Ben and giving Jack and Sam kiddie rides.

After we left the pier we walked to the Promenade (a street that's closed to cars and is lined with shops of all types) to let them run some energy off. Sam loved being able to just go where he wanted to go while Jack, Ben, and Brent did a little window shopping. **Odd sidebar...we looked for over an hour for an ice cream shop and the closest they had was a gelatto stand, weird!** We ended up at a nearby REI to get Brent new sunglasses and put air in the stroller tires. The kids got to feed the pigeons outside REI when they were having a snack, they thought that was the coolest thing.

Following Santa Monica we drove through the Malibu Hills to just look around so Jack and Sam could nap. That led us to Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive before we went to our surprise for dinner - a TRAIN CAFE on Sunset in West Hollywood! Jack and Sam loved it, Ben wasn't impressed until after we got outside and walked around and saw it was really on train tracks.

So much for packing, huh?

Ben's First Day at School

Yesterday Ben had his first day of school and he said he was a little nervous going. It was a new school, new teacher, and we didn't know anyone in his class. We got there a few minutes early and saw a neighbor, and Ben's friend Tristan which was nice. The classroom is much bigger this year, and there are about 30 kids in the combined time of day. Ben doesn't go to school until 10:20am and he has lunch there, which he is really excited about. Yesterday when he got home he said it was a good day. He met some new kids, played with Tristan and our neighbor Trevor at morning recess, and he loved eating lunch at school.

A busy weekend!

This past weekend was Labor Day of course so that meant another day of lounging with the kids.

Friday night Brent and I got out to see Tropic Thunder since Nancy was in town to babysit the kids, it was funny and we enjoyed being out with the each other alone.

Saturday evening we went to our favorite Chicago eatery here in California, Portillos, with the Edmonds family, Aunt Sandi, Uncle Billy, and Nancy. Great food, good conversation, and family around means we all had a wonderful time.

Sunday didn't bring too much to the schedule, mostly just hanging around.

Monday we went to the beach just as the sun broke through the Marine Layer and spent many hours just digging in the sand, playing in the surf, and talking with family. Chris, Marie, Ella, Aunt Sandi, Uncle Steve, Uncle Billy, and Grandma Antsy all joined us for a good chunck of the afternoon.

Be sure to scroll down the page, there are new photos and a short slideshow!

Did you know....

that I am the best mommy ever? Yep, that's right, you are reading information from THE best mommy ever.

Jack has a problem remembering his manners most days so a few weeks ago I started to tell him that when he said please he had to add "You're the best mommy ever!" and it took. So now when he asks for something he says "Please! You're the best mommy ever!" Its nice to have some affirmation on those bad days when I don't feel appreciated, even if it is canned.

Funny or just plain weird?

The other day we decided to take the boys to Disneyland, we spent a good 5 1/2 hours there doing some train rides, a boat ride, Buzz Lightyear, and Star Tours. The kids were all really well behaved, even though we were there till nearly 11pm. When we got in line at the tram to go back to the parking garage Jack was goofing off, nothing crazy at first and then it happened. He pulled his pants down and was showing everyone in line his penis. Yep, he really did! I was shocked and turned to Brent to say something and he went "OH MY GOD! Jack, put that away!" and Jack immediately stuffed it back in his pull up and pulled his pants up.

I couldn't help but laugh hysterically and nearly peed my pants. Brent took over the discussion of "keep your penis in your pants because not everyone at Disneyland wants to see it...." and I hid behind his back laughing.

Good times...good times.

Why?

Hi there.

I decided to start this because filling someone's email box seemed a bit much with all the interesting tidbits and things I might find cute/interesting/exciting are not necessarily received with the same enthusiasiam.

This is where I will put musings of the boys, the dog, Brent, and I. Be sure to bookmark the page if you want to remain up to date!