Dead Animal?

Everytime I walk into the living room, I see this:

And I swear everytime I do, my heart skips a few beats.

It looks like a dead animal on my end table.

And I would not put it past my boys to bring a wild animal (can you call them wild animals if they are calmer than my boys?), dead or alive, into the house!

Other than Caleb carrying an almost-dead mouse into my bedroom when he was two (the cat had chased it to almost-death and then left it) - I don't RECALL any kids and dead animals - but I may have blocked some things out of my memory!

He is Learning...

Caleb is bad about turning on his computer at night when he thinks I think he is sleeping. I ALWAYS know though.

Tonight, I saw he was on the computer. I went to tell him to go to bed and turn the computer off. I had a hard time opening the door. He put a pillow and teddy bear against the door so that I could not see the computer light under the door.

Smart, but...

Little does he know, I use Google Talk to know when he is online. If he is using the computer he is showing available - if he isn't it shows him idle.

I will NEVER tell him HOW I have eyes EVERYWHERE, just like MY parent's never told me!


He wasn't using the computer - he was using the light from the screen to read by.

Oh Yes It IS...And Yes I Did

Something about warm water stimulates his bowels or something!


Let's be realistic here, you are looking at a blog, written by a woman that lives with FIVE GUYS. If THIS is the grossiest I have gotten - you have not even TOUCHED what I deal with. You don't hear...and smell...what I hear and smell. I think you get it.

Now for the story.
It is becoming the norm that if Andrew is left in the bathtub for too long (you are on your own guessing how long "too long" is - it varies) this is what the end result is! Luckily, this time - I only had to get it out of his hand - not his mouth (good thing - Daddy isn't home to save me this time).

Is it REALLY too late for me to leave this dorm room I call my life?

Let's find the good in this...at least he makes sure I HAVE to clean my tub FREQUENTLY!! :)

Funny...Embarrassing...Lord, Help Me!!!

I just got this info from Paul, and it is too funny and scarey to not put on here.

Please, remember, he is NINE!

While we were at the plant in Louisiana, one of the guys there took the boys for a tour of the ambulances and firetrucks. While they were with this guy, Caleb asked Fred if their nurse was hot.

The nurse heard him ask.

She walked out to where he was and replies "Well, I think I am."

Caleb RUNS AND HIDES BEHIND FRED'S LEGS!!!

Hopefully, it embarrassed him enough he will stop this! I don't feel like I can take him in public!

And, for the record, he only knew Fred for all of...oh...five minutes before he asked that!

HE IS ONLY NINE?

What am I going to do with this child? And...what am I going to do when I have FOUR of these?

Lord, please give me strength, patience, and the ability to laugh it off.

Andrew Goes to the Allergist

We went and saw the allergist today. She did a skin allergy test - tested for peanut, fish, soy, wheat, milk and egg whites. Those all came back normal. I am not exactly sure what other things it tested for, but I know it tests for cats and mold, because those were the only two things that came back positive on the test.

Then we were sent to Children's Hospital to have some bloodwork done. They took two vials of blood :( He was fine as long as he did not look at the blood! They are doing more allergy testing - to see if anything different shows up with blood work then what we saw with the skin test. She is also testing him immune system to see if there is a reason he gets sick so easily. We should have those results in a few weeks.

She told us not to change anything with his diet just yet. Just because he did not show to be allergic to milk does not mean he doesn't have an intolerance to milk. She told us to wait and see what the results show, and then see what the GI dr wanted to do.

Four and a half hours with drs! Three and a half at the allergist and one at the hospital!

Next drs appointment: Thursday - 6:30 AM - he gets tubes (assuming he is not sick!)

Who Needs to Nap?

Other than me!?!?

Andrew would not take a nap yesterday, we put him in bed several times, we rocked him, we bounced him, nothing would put him to sleep. At about six last night he fell asleep. I went and laid him in bed and by 6:30 he was up - and GROUCHY!! I gave him a bottle and laid him back down, he finished the bottle and started beating his door with it - he came out VERY happy!

Fastforward to 10:30 last night (probably because Daddy said something about US going to bed by 9 - since we had to be up at 4 this morning), Andrew was WIRED! I tried everything again, rocking, bouncing, etc. Nothing worked. He just kept looking at us and laughing - an evil laugh I had never heard from him before! He was laying between us in bed - noone touching him, laughing harder than I have EVER heard him laugh. I think he was possessed with something!

He must be like his MarMar - she gets delirious if she doesn't get her sleep. She will giggle at everything! He was doing that. The room was dark and I put him on the floor to see what he would do - he went to the bathroom which is lit up a little from the street light. He sat in there and played - putting trash in the shower for Daddy to find this morning!

We FINALLY put him in his room and shut the door. He talked for a while and finally went to sleep.

It is 3:00 - he has not taken a nap today.

I am scared of what tonight will bring!

Pictures From Louisiana

Well, I went to get in bed...my sheets were in the washer. So, while I wait on them to dry, here are the pictures from the trip! There isn't many, and no 'coon hat ones, but they will come, I promise!

I heard a comment from an author of a book called "The 10 Year Nap." The book is about a woman who quits her job to stay home with her son. I have not read the book, but the talk with the author on the radio sounded interesting. I will have to find the book.

The quote was "Sometimes a boy must be run like a dog." They were discussing whether this statement was "cruel" or mean. I, the mother of four boys.... the mother of four boys who has been in a hotel room WITH the four boys for a week...MUST AGREE!! You can tell when they have been couped up inside and when they have been freed to run and roam! After we went to the leviee and they got to run out a lot of energy, it made the next day easier! So...cruel (or mean) or not, it is the truth! Sometimes the truth hurts! :)

Days Four and Five

I got a little behind, sorry! :)

Evening of Day Three:
Monkey climbed out of the playpen. Luckily, his playpen had been moved and was almost completely against the bed. We were laying in bed and he grabbed my foot. I felt him pulling on it and looked over at him and realized he was pulling himself out of the playpen. He was using his monkey toes to climb the netting on the side of the playpen and his upper body strength (which, uhhmmmm - failure to thrive....REALLY? He can pull himself out of a playpen with his arms!) to pull himself out. So....I guess the playpen gets retired now. I, by the way, do not recall ANY of the other boys being able to climb out of anything before the age of ONE!!

Day Four:
Thursday Daddy had to go back to work. Bryce woke up while Daddy was getting ready and came in our room. He got in the bed with me. He kept trying to get up and I would wake up from my doze and tell him to lay back down and be quiet because everyone was sleeping. He finally sits up and says "I HAVE to find a room I can talk in!" I could not keep from laughing! He didn't care if noone was listening BUT HE NEEDED TO TALK!!!!

Caleb spent the evening sitting around in his 'coon hat and underwear asking questions about THE book! Oh - it was SO hard NOT to laugh at him!!

We went to dinner and went back to our room to pack up. Daddy had decided it would be easiest if we all just went with him to work on Friday so we were sure we were out by check-out time. So, we loaded up what we could in the car Thursday night, so we had less to do early in the am.

Day Five:
We got up and got everything packed up and went with Daddy to work. The boys were VERY excited! Unfortunately, the one time we get to go to work with him - there is VERY thick fog out! We did not get to see anything on the way to the plant! The boys were very disappointed because they wanted to see all of the ships on the Mississippi River!

We got to the plant, and got to see where Daddy works and meet most of the people he works with on a daily basis. They were treated like royalty! One man went through his office and found "treasures" for all of the boys. Caleb got a flashlight, Isaac got a calculator and Bryce got a stainless steel coffee mug. They all got earplugs, their names made with a lablel maker to put on their treasures, and they got to watch a movie on oil-spills (SADLY - THEY WERE VERY EXCITED!!). Then the nurse brought them all pencils and rulers. They also got tours of the firetrucks and ambulances. Everyone was very excited and happy! Andrew got passed around and loved it!

Paul did not really work, he just moved his office to a new office. When he finished we headed out. We checked out a few things locally and then we started our six hour journey home!

The Journey Home:
Andrew usually does okay in his carseat. Well, not on the way there or back. For one, he is mobile enough (and it is still new enough) that he does not want to be buckled down for long. Secondly, he is still rear facing, and there was NOTHING to look at. So he squealed and yelled and screamed just about the entire time both ways! NOT FUN!!! Then you have Bryce's constant talking about NOTHING!

I finally had to get out a piece of paper and write down some of the things being said, because they were TOO funny!

Bryce thinks that clouds are made in Louisiana (which he pronounces Lou-z-anna). If you don't know anything about Louisiana, there are plants EVERYWHERE!! These plants have huge smoke clouds coming out of them. These "clouds" go into the sky. Bryce kept telling us that clouds were made in Louisiana. Isaac kept saying they weren't. Bryce pointed out the smoke coming from one of the plants, and convinced Isaac they were!

Daddy was playing I Spy with the boys. Daddy spied something white. They were doing the stripes on the road, signs, clouds, etc.... Everyone was giving up and Bryce screams "BIRD SPLAT?" We did have quite a few "splats" on the windshield - but Daddy spied a water tower!

No tickets were received on the way home! I am still scared to see the amount for a ticket for going 78 in a 55! As we were going through the same town he got the ticket in on our way down, the car right in front of us got pulled over! DON'T SPEED THROUGH TALLULAH, LA!!!

We were about 50 miles from nowhere and 40 miles from anywhere and on the side of the road we saw something up ahead. As we were getting closer and guessing what it was, we decided it looked like Jesus! Then we got close. IT REALLY LOOKED LIKE JESUS - CARRYING HIS CROSS!!! There was a man in a white robe, with a white cross that was bigger than him. He had the cross resting on the ground, and he was leaning on it - reading what appeared to be a Bible. There was nothing around, it really appeared this man had been carrying the cross (or got dropped off with the cross - who knows). He was not off in the grass or anything, either - he was on the shoulder at the painted line. Paul asked if he should stop and offer Jesus a ride. I asked where he would place Jesus in our STUFFED vehicle. "WHERE WOULD I PUT HIS CROSS?" was Paul's question!

We made it home, unpacked the car, got dinner and came home and went to bed. Today was spend cleaning the rental car and returning it, cleaning the house and trying to get back in our routines. Daddy leaves Monday morning for LA again. I think it will be a little easier for the boys knowing where Daddy is going, who he works with - and, of course, that he is making CLOUDS!!

I DID find my camera (YAY!!!). I will get pictures of the boys in their hats ASAP! Also, I forgot...Tuesday we took the boys to the Mississippi River, to the leviee in downtown Baton Rouge. There is a battleship there - the USS Kidd. We did not get to go on it because they were closed, but the boys enjoyed getting to see it from where we were. I got lots of pictures of them rolling down the hill and playing. They had a really good time! It was really windy and the river is up (and still rising - it has not crested from the flooding that happened here in Arkansas, Mississippi, etc. I think they should hit their high next week according to their news).

I will get the pictures on here as soon as I get a chance. This week we have a drs appt Monday, and AJ is getting his tubes on Thursday, so we will see how things go!

OH YEAH!

The boys all got Coon hats at Cabela's yesterday. I went to take a picture of them this morning and CAN'T FIND MY CAMERA!! HOPEFULLY it is in the car, otherwise - I have NO clue where it is! IF I find my camera - I will put up some pictures of the boys in their Coon hats.

Day Three

They gave Daddy Wednesday off so we could go "see" Louisiana. We went and got a map of Baton Rouge first. Then we went to the zoo. We got a year membership at OUR zoo, and with it we got into this zoo for free! It, like ours, is under renovation. The kids had fun, though. It got them out of the hotel and room to run. And Andrew, as always, LOVED seeing the monkeys!!

We went to the best Mexican restaraunt I have ever gone too! It was GREAT! Then we did more "exploring". We ended up in Gonzales - which is where Cabela's is located. For those of you who have never heard of Cabela's.... it is JUST LIKE Bass Pro Shop, but we had to visit it anyway!

This store had an aquarium in it (which Bass Pro also had). It also had this display in the middle of the store that had animals that have "visited" the taxidermist. They had bears, wolves, foxes, mice, otters, beavers, dears, etc. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera in the store with me, so I did not get to get a picture of Andrew, but he LOVED this display. He especially loved the Polar Bear. He was standing upright on his hind legs with his front paws over his head. Andrew tried to mimick his stance and growl at it everytime we walked by or saw it! I guess we need to get him a big polar bear for his room!

He also started drinking out of a straw for the first time. We have not even tried to get him to try a straw in a LONG time - and I wish we hadn't yesterday! He immediately figured it out, and I did not get much of my Coke Icee! Now, everytime he sees us with a drink....well, you better get him his own!

After we finished there, we came back to the hotel and went swimming. Andrew is not a big fan of the pool. The shivered the whole time we were in the pool! So, we got out and sat in the chairs and played. He is going through that stage where he doesn't even like his bathes, so i was not expecting him to like the pool too much!

We had SO much fun with Daddy getting to spend a day with us (and NOT being in the room all day)!

Day Two

Well, the boys were not quite as good today! Even Andrew was fussy and into everything! We went and drove around when Daddy got home - nowhere in mind to go, just to get out. We ended the evening at Books a Million, where we got a book for all of the boys and a book for Caleb about "How You Are Changing". Nothing like my child giving me a lesson on why Andrew did things he did while I was pregnant with him, and how I had Andrew, etc. It has been interesting.

So, that was our un-exciting day two!!

Pedastal Rock

Last weekend, we drove to a park we went to last summer. You hike a fairly short hike and come to a spot where you overlook a waterfall. Last year when we went there was a waterfall, but nothing too big. The river that produced the falls was almost completely dried up. We wanted to go back because we have been getting so much rain, we figured the waterfall would be pretty impressive.

There was more water going over, but still not as much as we expected to see.

You would think that since I grew up hiking, backpacking, rock-climbing, repelling, etc., I would be a little less stressed when my family hikes places like this. I AM NOT!! I cringe when Paul walks near the edge. I DON'T let the boys walk near the edge. This particular hike, the rocks we are walking on has many crack where you look through them and there is nothing. I don't even like the boys walking around those - even though some of them, I know they could not fit in the crack to fall through. My theory: accidents are not planned - that is why they are called accidents. No one plans to fall over the side of a cliff, but it still happens. The boys are too crazy, and think they are 10 foot tall and bullet proof. They don't pay enough attention when they are hiking and playing to where I am comfortable with them being close to the edge. Paul gives me bad time about my paranoia with it, but it is what it is!

I did not realize that on the drive up we would have to go through Atkins. It is one of several towns that got hit by a tornado the beginning of February. At first, I did not even realize where we were. We saw tarps on roofs and people working on buildings. Then Paul realized we were in Atkins. To see people's houses and belongings damaged, or completely destroyed was heart-breaking. It really makes you thankful that with all of the devastating weather that has hit our state the last couple of months (and the states around us), we have remained safe and with no damage.

Operation...Quiet?

Daddy bought the boys the game of Operation (Spongebob-style) to bring to LA with us. It sounded like a fine idea, at the time. I am now rethinking this!

Operation, when at home, doesn't seem to bad. But, I think every noise is magnified by ten in hotel rooms. When you have three boys playing Operation and they can't seem to do it without touching the metal - the constant buzzing of the game gets loud and annoying VERY quickly!

Andrew's toys, however, have been a big hit. He got the stacking rings (you know, the plastic pole with the colored rings that go from big to gradually smaller - that are CHEAP) and some Little People Builders (which are kind of like Legos). Both are quiet (at least they are until Andrew has one in each hand and crawls across the hardwood floors in the hotel room - clunking each hand as he goes). I had never seen the Little People Builders before, but Andrew loves them. He is really into stacking and unstacking everything right now!

So - moral of this story - Operation is not the BEST choice of games for a hotel room!

Day One (Part Two)

Anytime we go anywhere close to a city that has Bass Pro Shop - we HAVE to drive to wherever to go visit it! It is not that they sell anything different than ALL of the other Bass Pro Shops, it is just....well, I live with five guys!

So, we spent about an hour walking through the store, looking at the pond, seeing the aquarium, trying out the packs and kayaks. We made it to the toy section, Daddy found a monkey for AJ and told each one of the boys they could pick out a toy. Everyone FINALLY picks out there toys...THE ELECTRICITY GOES OUT (in the entire town, actually). Employees go around telling everyone they have to move to the front of the store for safety. We waited a few minutes, with no sign of the electricity coming back, so we left.

Mass exiting of Bass Pro Shop!!

Right after we pulled out, the electricity came back on in the entire town. At that point, we were already gone and figured the store was pretty crazy - so we did not go back. Bryce says "Look, Jesus turned the electricity back on!" I am not sure if he lights a pilot light or flips a switch or what, but Bryce was convinced that Jesus had personally turned the electricity back on!

The boys were not too happy about having to leave their toys (that were not really theirs yet). We took them to the mall to let them pick out a toy - there was NO TOY STORES! I guess it wasn't meant to be!

Day One...

One Mommy+
Four boys+
FIVE TRIPS TO THE RESTROOM+
One kid that is all over the place+
One kid that walks at one end+
One kid that is too scared to move from the step+
One kid that sits quietly in my lap, sucking his thumb and watching his goofy brothers=

TWO HOURS AT THE HOTEL POOL!!

The five trips to the bathroom were all between Isaac and Bryce. Caleb was bragging about how he NEVER had to go to the bathroom while we were there. I told Caleb he must have gone in the pool because I doubted he could go two hours in a pool without going to the restroom. He did not even try to lie (didn't fess up either - just smirked and changed the subject). I told him at least his little brothers got out and went to the bathroom!

Spring Break

This week is the boys Spring Break. Daddy decided this would be a great week for the boys to see exactly where he goes every Monday when he goes out of town. So, we rented a Tahoe, got some portable DVD's for the road, squeezed supplies for six for a week and made the drive to Baton Rouge with him.

When we were going to pick up the rental car, Bryce asked if we were going to the railyard. At first we did not know what he was talking about. We finally realized he was asking if we were going to get Daddy's Jeep. When we ordered it, we explained to the boys (who were wondering why we were at the dealership FOREVER and did not leave with a new vehicle) that they were making the Jeep exactly like Daddy wanted it, and then it would be shipped on a train and then taken to the dealership and we would come pick it up.

Anyway....

It is not a very scenic drive. Andrew did not enjoy being strapped down for six hours. He did a LOT of squealing and screaming. My husband-that-thinks-he-is-a-Nascar-driver got a ticket (not wanting to see how much this will cost me - 78 in a 55!!!!!). But we made it!

We are staying in a nice suite. It has 2 bedrooms, a full kitchen - even a DISHWASHER!!, a sofa-bed, an indoor pool, etc., maybe we can make it a week here! When Daddy is working, we are stuck in the hotel, but with it being a good size suite, it really isn't that bad (I know, this is only day one!).

We will do somesigt-seeing in the evenings. His boss here has said something about him taking a day off to see the area, also.

Now the boys understand where he is going when he says he is going out of town.

I will add pictures throughout the week as I get them. I have lots of blogging time during my hotel stay!! :)

I Love It!!!

Caleb and Bryce have the same personality. They can get along the best and the worst. While they have the same personality they are still very different.

I have been very excited to see how close Isaac and Andrew have gotten. Andrew lights up when he sees Isaac. Don't get me wrong, he loves all of his brothers, is entertained by all of his brothers, and enjoys playing with all of his brothers, but Isaac and Andrew have a connection like Caleb and Bryce do. Isaac can look at Andrew and smile and Andrew will start giggling. If I am carrying Andrew and Isaac is behind me, Andrew will try throwing himself out of my arms to see and laugh at Isaac. The laughing and happiness between them is contagious.

Isaac is not allowed to come home from school and immediately start homework. He doesn't often get to, because I have to help him and things are a little crazy when we first get home. Last week, though, I tried to get Isaac to work on some homework he could do by himself. Andrew would not let him! He would come up and take the homework and try to tear it up! Isaac kept moving, Andrew would follow - squealing and hollering at him. I told Isaac to go play with Andrew for a little while so he would allow Isaac to do his work. He did, and Andrew FINALLY allowed him to complete his homework!

I am glad to see the boys getting along and becoming friends. I know they will fight - and I can imagine the fights will get worse and more physical as they get older. But, I remember how my siblings and I were, and we get along well now, so....there is hope! I have no doubt that as they grow they will become even better friends. I am sure they will help each other out of trouble, cover for each other, etc. It is neat to see the relationships developing though!

Smart Kid

Andrew is impressing us this weekend! Thursday night, in about 10 minutes, Daddy taught him how to stack and unstack cups. He likes to get into our food storage containers. He pulled out the freezer cups I used when I was making baby food for him. Daddy held his hand and made him stack and unstack them and then he started doing it by himself. We went and got him some stacking rings, but he still prefers stacking and unstacking the cups.

For a week or more now, it has sounded like he was trying to repeat words. Today, he is being VERY obvious about it. We just ate KFC chicken for dinner. Daddy would ask him if he wanted a bite of chicken and he would crawl up saying "chichen" VERY clearly. Then he crawls to the backdoor window and looks at the dogs. We say dog and he repeats "dah" everytime. Then he crawls to the cat and we say cat and he repeats "ca".

He has also been trying to repeat names of brothers.

THE Talk

Last weekend, as soon as Paul got into the car from the airport, Caleb says "Daddy what is sex?"

I told him they could talk later, now was not the time.

The next morning, Caleb comes in to our room first thing in the morning, "Daddy what is sex?"

Daddy never "got around" to having THE talk last weekend (we really were busy, but...). He said he would do it this weekend.

Well, that turned out to be TOO LATE!

I went to pick the boys up a few minutes early so we could make it to Isaac's dr appointment on time. Caleb's teacher came out before Caleb did. As soon as I saw her headed my way, I wanted to turn and run!

She came over, put a book up to hide what she was saying from the other boys (THANK YOU FOR THAT BY THE WAY) and said, "You know Caleb has been going through a real girl crazy stage, right?

"Yes, ma'am"

"Well, today he was talking to another boy and said that they should go have sex with some girls. I could tell he did not know what sex was, and told him he should not be talking about that. People get really squirmy with things like that! If you would just let him know that he can't talk about that at school, I would really appreciate it."

(This is past the point where I want to disappear)

I told her that that is a talk that I want Daddy to have with him, that he had asked us what it is, and that Daddy has been out of town and has not gotten to talk to him about it. AND APOLOGIZED, of course.

Daddy will have a "talking too" tonight and he WILL have THE talk first thing this weekend! :)

ONE OF THE MANY JOYS OF HAVING BOYS!

Isaac Sees the ENT Dr.

This afternoon, Isaac was released from the ENT dr! After many years of many visits, the dr thinks his ears are well enough that I only need to bring him back if he has and problems!!

The dr says "Isaac, buddy, if you have ANY problems with your ears - you call me, okay."

"But, what is your phone number?" was Isaac's quick response.

The comeback surprised the dr. He smiled, pat me on the shoulder and said that he would let ME keep the phone number in a safe place!

I bet he doesn't tell a kid to call him again!

That is a couple of appointments a year that I can cross off my calander!

I Should be a Dr!!

If I didn't have such a weak stomach! Probably would not be good if the dr passed out at the sight of blood!

Andrew went to his appointment this morning. He GAINED almost ONE POUND in two weeks!! HOORAY!!!! And that is with not taking bottles well the last couple of weeks.

The dr was so excited for him. Then I had to burst his bubble and tell him we had something else going on. He asked what and I told him my self-diagnosis (with all my medical experience and all) was that he had the hand, foot and mouth virus. He looked at his hands, smiled and said that was exactly what he had. This morning he had spots in his mouth, but they are still mainly on his hands (he also had some in the "diaper area" that were part of this virus.

I don't know where he gets all of this stuff!!!!

But, on the bright side, HE GAINED ALMOST ONE POUND IN TWO WEEKS!!!

More Blisters

Andrew has SIX blisters on his ONE thumb! When he doesn't feel well, he sucks his thumb FIERCELY!! You can hear it in another room. This is not the first time he has gotten a blister on his thumb, either. But he has never gotten it like this!

There are a couple of other spots on his hands that look like they are the beginning of blisters. I think this may be more than just thumb-sucking blisters. With the fever he ran this weekend, and now a few days later, these popping up, I think we may have something more going on!

A Four-Year Olds Innocence

The end of last week we were at the carwash cleaning my car inside and out. Bryce and Andrew were in the car and I was getting ready to vacuum. All of a sudden we hear screaching, squealing tires, and metal hitting. It scared me to death! I hit my head on the top of the car when I jumped. I looked up and saw a bad accident - there was one building between us and the accident, but it sounded like it was right behind me!

A suv had turned across traffic to pull into a bank and a big work van had hit the side of the suv, flipped it on its side and came to a rest with the front of the van against the bottom of the suv. I grabbed my phone ready to call, but saw cars stopping and running to help the person trapped in the suv (it had landed on the drivers side).

As a mother who always has kids in the car, I struggle with what to do in situations like this. I would, of course, want to offer any help I could. But with no medical background, I am pretty useless other than making a phone call. My real struggle is that, since you would come up on a scene like that and NOT know what you are going to find, I would not want to traumatize my children with what could be at the scene. There was an accident last year that I drove past and had Bryce with me. It had just happened. A car was in the middle of the interstate and one pulled off. The man inside the car did not look like he was going to make it, but I did not have a choice but to drive by it. I was able to distract Bryce to look at something out the other side of the car as we drove by though.

This accident last week, we were close enough to see the accident, but too far away to really SEE anything. Bryce was excited that several fire trucks came and an ambulance and police. He kept asking if we could go take a picture of the accident to show to Daddy and his brothers. I tried to explain that accidents are not good, and someone could VERY possibly be VERY injured or even killed. In his little four year old mind, it just looked interesting seeing a car on its side and ALL of the emergency vehicles. He is so focused to chasing firetrucks that it is hard to make him understand that when the sirens are on, we can't play with them.

Yesterday, the firetruck (with his buddies) and an ambulance came a couple of houses down from us. We were outside when this happened. I let him watch the firetruck for a little while, but we came in when the ambulance came, just in case. I know he does not want someone to be hurt, but it is hard to keep his innocence and let him enjoy the excitement of the firetrucks, while trying to protect him from what could be seen.

Bryce with the Camera

Last week Bryce was talking about something - I can never keep up with what he is talking about because it changes to frequently. He does the Caleb/Isaac/Bryce argh, I mean Andrew!

I am glad to know it isn't just me that has to to through EVERYONE's names!

This morning I was talking to him and said "CalIsBryce" He asked how come I could never remember his name. Made me feel bad, but I just reminded him that he has done the same thing! I just explained that sometimes it takes Mommy's brain a minute to realize who I am talking to and what I am talking about because I talk to them all so much and they all look alike. That was an acceptable excuse...for now.

It Annoys Us ALL!

We have been having LOTS of big thunderstorms lately. As those who read this frequently know, we have a dog that is scared of thunder. He either sits staring at the window, shaking or he barks and/or howls at the thunder. Monday, he was at it again. The boys were in bed sleeping and the dog is sitting in front of me in the living room, barking. Apparently, he was interrupting the cats napping also. She came and sat right in front of him. Everytime he barked, she swatted his mouth. If he moved and sat somewhere else, she followed him and sat in front of him. He kept his face turned away from her, she would swat his mouth anyway. He finally stopped barking, and she turned around and walked away. JOB WELL DONE GRACE!!!

Andrew Gets Stuck

Half under the bed and half in a tunnel!

Who Needs a Bed?

This is what I have found the last couple of nights when I go in to check on AJ before I go to bed:

More Proof

This is just more proof that Andrew is a Monkey! The bananas were in their normal spot, but Mommy left the box of diapers sitting on the floor in front of them. Andrew climbed on the box and grabbed the bananas. You cannot see the banana bunch because he dropped them on the floor in front of him.

Because the bananas are on a metal stand, it was kind of loud when he dropped it. So he started crying because he scared himself! He learned nothing though, he was right back at trying to steal the bananas again!

When we put Andrew in the toddler bed, I decided I was going to do his room in a monkey theme since he has proved to be such a monkey. Then, I went to find monkey stuff. YOU CAN'T!! Unless you want a jungle or safari theme, you can find very few monkey things.

So, I did the best I could! One of the reasons I liked the monkey theme idea was because it would really work with the colors that were already in his room. I did not really have to change anything, just added some monkeys to what we had. I would still like to find a blanket or material with cute monkeys (not sock monkeys which is all I can find) on it, but I will just keep looking.

We went this weekend and got a dresser. When we got home with the dresser I started looking for drawer knobs with monkeys. I found one I liked, but they were $13 PER KNOB!! I am NOT spending over $100 on dresser knobs! So, I decided to try and paint them myself. They did not turn out great, but for someone who does not paint or draw, I guess they are okay. Andrew likes to try and pull them off the drawer!

ENT Dr

I have some things I need to post - I actually have been in the process of two posts, but just BUSY BUSY! We ALL got up at 4:20 this morning to take Daddy to the airport (still only one car) and of course, getting four boys to go back to bed after being up for an hour....

Andrew went to see the ENT dr this morning. He DID NOT have an ear infection, but he DOES have fluid behind one ear. He looked through the pediatricians records and decided that we should proceed with tubes. He said everything in his mouth (throat,etc) looks great, so he does not see any reason from that end why he has stopped taking bottles. Also still uncertain why he is pulling on his ear. The ear he has been pulling on is NOT even the ear that has fluid behind it!

So, they called this afternoon to make an appointment for the surgery. We could have done it this Thursday, but we already have two appts (one with AJ and Pediatrician and one with the ENT dr for Isaac) Thursday. The next Thursday (the dr does surgeries on Thursday) is Spring Break. We are thinking about going out of town with Daddy, but even if we don't, I would have all of the kids so surgery might be difficult!

He will be going in at 6:45 am on April 3rd to get his tubes. Simple procedure. They put him to sleep with a mask - no iv's or anything. It takes about 5 minutes after he goes to sleep to have the tubes put in place and then we just hang out until he wakes up and drinks.

My concern...if he doesn't have an ear infection right now, what has been causing the fever he has had for the last three days (up to 101.9)?

AJ

Thr nurse from our Pediatricians office goes to our church. On Wednesday nights, she helps out with choir for Caleb's age. Andrew has still been pulling on his ears and whining when he does it. I debated whether to take him to the dr AGAIN or not since we already have an appt to see him next week.

About a month ago, I bought one of those thingies (very medical and technical term there) that you use to look at their ears, nose, throat and eyes. I was going to use when he and Isaac had well ears to learn what they are SUPPOSED to look like and then I would be able to tell if they had ear infections WITHOUT going to the dr. Well, Andrew has not had well ears since I bought it.

Wednesday night, I took the "thingie" to church with me and asked Nurse Laura if she minded checking out Andrew's ears. She looked, they are still infected. I know Andrew has many issues going on and the constant drs appointments are necessary, but it still makes me feel like I am making problems or something. I get to where I question whether or not to take him in when he is sick. However, when I DON'T take him in when he starts with a fever or something is when we end up in the hospital with dehydration! I guess it just makes me question myself!

This morning I called the ENT dr. I left a message for the nurse to call me. He has an appt to see about tubes on the 7th, but obviously I don't want to wait that long since his ears are not getting better. I knew it NEVER took that long to get Isaac in to this dr and Andrew was already an established patient because of the preauricular pits, so it did not seem we should have to wait a month to get in.

The nurse called me back. I explained that Andrew has had ear infections since November and I did not think they had ever completely cleared. Every time we go to the dr for ANYTHING since Nov, they have found both ears infected. I also told her that he has a history of FTT and that he had stopped taking bottles (probably because of discomfort with ears). I also told her that oral antibiotics really cause problems with his tummy and he finished a round of antibiotic shots, that did not seem to help. I asked if there was anything I could do until we could get in to see Dr. M or if we could get in any earlier.

She got us an appt for Monday at 8.

I have a feeling Andrew will be going in for tubes within the next couple of weeks! Hopefully, this will help with the problems.

I also went and got a copy of his records from the Pediatrician. Since we are going to see a couple of specialist I wanted to have them for while we were there. I spent an hour reading over the records. It is a pretty lengthy file for a (not-even) one year old.

Run Over

Monday night I took the boys out to dinner. As we were getting to our seat a friend from church came up. "I heard your son got run over." I kind of gave her a confused look and she said "Jordan came home Thursday from MDO and said that Bryce got run over."

I started laughing. She asked how it was funny. I explained to her that Bryce's HAND got run over by a Powerwheels. I appears as though Bryce went to MDO and told everyone he had gotten run over by a car (which I guess technically he did kinda).

This is NOT Snow!

We are having spring weather - and it is not quite spring! We had a lot of sky to ground lightening and I was just waiting for the rain to fall. Except, we skipped the rain and went to HAIL! It looked like snow outside. The ground was white, the roofs were white! Here are some pictures. I could not use flash, so it is kind of hard to see - but if you double-click the pictures you should be able to see them better.



I, of course, had three boys and a dog freaking out and Monkey was just watching all of the commotion wondering what happened to everyone!

And the "Hottest" Teachers Are

When I went to pick the boys up from school today, I also dropped off Caleb's heavy volcano. When I got back to the car, Caleb told me he needed to tell me a secret. He whispers in my ear "The hottest teachers are Ms. C (his teacher) and Ms. A." I know who Ms. C is - obviously - but don't have a clue who the other teacher is.

*SIGH*

*SIIGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH*

Isaac's First Field Trip

Isaac is going on his first field trip tomorrow with school. He is SO excited! They are going to a park for a picnic and then to see a play. This is all he has talked about this week.

I am glad to see him so exicted though.

Beware Daddy

Monday night we were meeting some friends at a Mexican restaraunt here in town. As we were walking in, Caleb showed me the bracelets (those Lance Armstrong type, but that he got at church and aren't Lance Armstrong) he was wearing. Apparently he had one of the bracelets high on his arm at his shoulder. "And look Mom, they left a sex mark." In my baffled, tripping-all-over-myself, did-he-really-just-say-that stage, all I could say is "WHAT?"

"The bracelet left a sex mark on my arm."

"You don't need to be talking about sex as we are all walking into a restaraunt to eat."

"Well, I don't even know what sex is. What is it?"

"Um, again, now is not the time to talk about that. But, your DADDY will be home on Friday. Ask him when he gets home!"

It is not that we don't want to have "the" talk with him (we don't, but that is not why we haven't). Caleb LOVES to share his knowledge to everyone. He has asked questions before (especially when I was pregnant) but never really pushed the topic. My fear is that we have "the" talk with him and he goes and shares all of his knowledge with all of his friends. Then I start getting phone calls from parents!

Honestly, he is obviously getting some of the information from others. It would be better to just have the talk and give him the facts and go from there.

I distinctly remember a conversation Paul and I had before we had kids. Daddy handles these type of things with all of our boys. I handle them with the girls.

This might be one of those times I am GLAD I DON'T HAVE ANY GIRLS!!

Okay, I would rather have a girl and have the talk with her, but, lets just go with this!

Have fun Daddy!!

Silly Names

Some kids in Caleb's class have been calling him Cable instead of Caleb. He seems to like this. Tonight the boys decided we all need a silly name. So, Caleb wants to be called Cable, Isaac wants to be called Isaac (original!!!), Bryce wants to be called Dice (he came up with that by himself and tonight everyone that said his name at church he quickly told his new name), they said Andrew was Monkey (that is good - he already answers to that! - He really does!). My silly name is chicken little.

I don't know why.

I am honored to be given a silly name and allowed to play their silly games.

Antihistamines

These antihistamines that the dr gave us for AJ...

I had my doubts about whether or not these would make him hungrier. He has always eaten food well, it is the bottles...

I am a BELIEVER now!

This afternoon I gave him his first dose. Within a couple of hours he was screaming. I let him have some snacks while I was fixing dinner - so he would quit screaming. I hate doing this because I want him to EAT DINNER!

So, here is how tonights dinner went.

Andrew starts snacking before dinner.

I get the boys plates on the table along with their drinks.

I put Monkeys spagetti on his monkey plate. I put a LOT more than normal, because he was acting so hungry. So, I made a plate full of spagetti. I start chopping up the noodles for him. He starts screaming!

I take his plate to the table, I will feed him while I chop up the noodles. Guess again. He barely gives me a chance to put more food on the spoon for him. I finally get as much spagetti as he normally eats cut up, put a big mouthful in his mouth and run to fix my plate. I barely get my plate in my hand and he is screaming for more food. I throw some food and run back.

There was really no point in me getting my food - I could barely get a bite in. He QUICKLY went thrugh his normal amount of food. I was back to chopping noodles.

So, his dinner - TWO PLATES OF SPAGETTI!!! He ate more than I did! He ate more than Caleb (Caleb typically eats more than I do). I ran out of spagetti so I gave him a piece of bread (which he ate all of). Then I offered him some ice cream (it was Rice Dream - so lactose free). He ate a LOT of ice cream. I quit feeding him because his tummy was getting hard and I was afraid he was going to burst (although the GI dr says not to stop feeding him - to keep giving it to him as long as he will eat it). He took a bottle about 45 minutes after he finished eating all of that - 6 ounces, drank it all!

He also took ALL FOUR offered bottles today and drank them dry!

Apparently - IT WORKS!

I thought I had grocery shopped for the week - I might need to go back for some AJ - safe food!

THIS I Would Watch!!

This was sent to me in my email. I thought it was pretty funny, so I am sharing:

THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES
Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks.

Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes.
There is no fast food.

Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, and complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of "pretend" bills with not enough money.

In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week.
Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time.

Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment.

He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care.

He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.

Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times.

The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.

The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn himself with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep fingernails polished and eyebrows groomed.

During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties.

They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.

They will need to read a book with the children each night and in the morning, feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair by 7:00 am.

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight, shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name. Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island based on performance. The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice.

If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the right To be called Mother!

Clarification

Let me clarify: when I said in a previous post that I was going to join Emily in a padded cell, I did not mean that she was already in a padded cell - I meant that she was headed there - like me. I guess I should have said I was going to MEET in Emily in a padded cell!

11 Months Old....And a New Word

Monkey is 11 months old today :(!

He just started saying a new word too.

NO!

Everytime I say no to him he repeats it - it actually sounds more like "naw" but he says it everytime he hears no.

Not even one and he gets into so much that he hears no enough to learn the word!!

Such a boy!

When You Live With a Monkey....

There are a few things to ALWAYS remember when you live with a monkey. Here is what I have learned so far:
ALWAYS put the bananas up first when putting groceries away!

Peels DO NOT stop monkeys from eating a banana!

OR - GIVE the monkey a banana to keep him busy while you put the groceries away!


AND, monkeys are strong animals (I mean they do swing from trees)! Never stand close enough to ANYTHING that the monkey can grab hold of. When you try and walk away from that thing monkey is holding, you will be jerked back where that thing is BEFORE monkey lets go!
(this was our monkey when he was 7 months old - you can imagine how much stronger he has gotten in the past four months!

It is VERY hard to child proof a house when you live with a monkey. You would think you just need to child proof as tall as he is - NOT IN THIS HOUSE!! He CLIMBS on EVERYTHING! Bananas are NEVER safe in a house with a monkey!

Monkey's Monkey

Our little monkey friend has a new monkey friend. This is a big stuffed monkey (I mean it is literally as big as he is) that he really likes playing with. As you can see from these cute pictures, they seem to be best friends! :)

They cuddle:




They wrestle:





They sleep together:


Best Buds!

Clothes for Monkey

I went shopping for some clothes for Monkey. I was going more for short sleeve/shorts stuff since we are almost done with winter. Bryce has always been long and tiny, which makes buying clothes difficult. His problem is NOTHING compared to Monkey's.

Monkey is LONG and tiny. We are having to buy 12 month shirts for the length, but with shorts - 0/3 month - and I think that will be pushing it (as in there will probably be room to spare)! He ended last summer still wearing Preemie shorts. I guess we haven't made it very far!

The Monkey Mystery Continues

I know, it seems like Monkey goes to the dr EVERY DAY! He had a check-up with his GI dr today. It was a pretty interesting appointment.

Yesterday, my older brother called and told me to turn on Discovery Health. Mystery Diagnosis was on, and there was a story about a little boy that had some of the same symptoms that Andrew has. The little boy was diagnosed with mastocytosis. I have not had time to research mastocytosis yet, so all I know is what I got from the show yesterday - which isn't much. Since I don't know much, I am not going to try and explain it here! The little boy in the show had much more severe symptoms than Monkey has.

Today, I asked the dr about it. I told her I knew nothing about it, but was curious if Monkey could have a less severe case of the same thing. The thing about mastocytosis is, it is rare and it is not something that shows up on most test. You have to test specifically for mastocytosis . The dr said she does not know much about it so she could not really say if it was a possibility.

I was telling her that Andrew had pretty much stopped taking bottles the last couple of weeks. I told her about his ear infections (FREQUENT ear infections) and that I was wondering if the lack of enthusiasm about the bottle was from discomfort with the ear infection. He was taking his bottles when he was going to sleep. Since his last ear infection, I have been holding him or sitting him in his high chair when he takes them. Part of why he was getting them at bedtime was because he was getting too distracted if someone was holding him and he would not eat. So, we are having that problem again. She asked what he was drinking and I told her about this purified water/juice that we had found that is the ONLY thing he will drink (I think we have tried EVERYTHING - he will drink soda, but....). While this stuff is at least a liquid he will take, it does not come near enough calories. We have uped how much food we are giving him to try to make up for the missing calories, but I am sure we have not come close.

His weight today was 17 pounds 8 ounces - which is about what he weighed in DECEMBER (the last time we were in her office). That means he still has not gained back all of the weight he lost the end of January beginning of February. This is obviously a concern. We had taken him off all dairy after the hospital. While he was off all dairy, he broke out in a rash. So, we put him back on dairy thinking maybe that wasn't the problem after all. He broke out worse. We took him back off dairy and I changed detergents (back to washing his stuff in Dreft), he did better for a while, but has broke out since. She asked if he was breaking out in hives. I told her I had been calling it eczema, but with no medical degree.... I showed here where he had been breaking out (it is always worst in the same spots). I also pointed out that he had little purple spots all over him. It wasn't really a rash, just like bad circulation or something (under the skin). He had been asleep in a awkward position, so we did not look into it too much. As we were talking, I looked down at his leg - it was covered in a rash where he has been getting them. He also had it on his back and stomach ( he doesn't normally get it on his back though). Sad to say, but I was actually kind of EXCITED that he broke out. We have been to the dr several times since this started. The night before an appt he could look horrible, but ALWAYS the day of the appt - the rash was completely gone. To have him break-out in front of the dr, just made me feel better because #1 a dr saw it happen and #2 someone else SAW IT HAPPEN! Paul and I have both seen it frequently, but when you keep telling a dr about a rash that is never there when you go to the dr, you start feeling a little crazy! She did tell me that from now on when I notice he is broken out like that, to try to get pictures. My camera does not do that close up very well (I have tried a couple of times before), but I will keep trying!

She definently thinks he is having some sort of allergy problem. I told her we had an appt with an allergist at the end of the month. She had given me the name of a Dr at Children's, but when I told her about his appt that the pediatrician referred us to, she told me that this dr was good and would be able to help us a lot. She also told me to ask her about Mastocytosis. The clinic we are going to is an allergy and immunology clinic (this would fall under immunology apparently).

She has also put him on a small dose of antihistamines for his appetite. It has been found that this antihistamine increases your appetite. She is hoping that this will get him to take more formula or at least increase the amount of calories he is getting. He takes a small dose three times a day.

We also have to go see the ENT dr about getting tubes. He has had too many ear infections and there is a definent possibility that he is not taking bottles as much because of discomfort or annoying noises (clicking noises when swallowing).

So, we have an appt on the 31st with the allergist, the 7th with the ENT dr and the 11 with the GI dr and the pediatrician (what a BAD way to spend your FIRST birthday!!).

And, this is where we are headed:
She asked me if I would be willing to learn how to do a feeding tube. There was a long (awkward) moment of silence!! I told her I would learn whatever I needed to learn to take care of him. I asked if this would be a tube down his nose (that is how it was at the hospital). She said it would. I told her that honestly at the hospital, I left the room when they did it, but if that is what has to be done, I would learn it. Her way of thinking makes sense, as much as I DON'T want to do this! If he takes 15-20 ounces through a tube at night, we would not have to be as concerned with how much he takes during the day (and he would not have to taste the nasty stuff). Still, I don't want to do it! Can you imagine...me, by MYSELF, trying to get a feeding tube down Monkey, BY MYSELF - EVERY NIGHT? I might be able to the first night or two, but I think he would have it figured out by then!

She is NOT rushing this. She is going to wait and see what we get from the other drs first. Let's hope it does not come to this.

The mystery of why Monkey is not gaining weight continues....

I am going to join Emily in a padded cell VERY soon!

The Making of a Volcano

Daddy and Caleb did a GREAT job on the volcano. I did pictures at almost every step of the process.

My "Social Circle"

I was thinking about this the other day, and it came back to me earlier today. Last week - in the midst of three drs appointments in three days, I started laughing because I was thinking of how my life has changed in the last ten years. One thing, in particular, was how much my "social circle" has changed.

My social circle these days... WOW - so different, and SO GREAT (most of the time).
My social circle (if you consider it that) these days would be:
Kids
Dr S
church
husband
Dr. V
friends

Yes, sadly - that is probably in order with who I see most! And you notice who IS NOT on that list?

My life revolves around my family, which I LOVE and I am SO grateful that I have a hard working husband that makes it possible for me to stay home and care for my family! It can also be an EXHAUSTING job! The constant dr appointments and every day life of a large family, on top of having to take and pick up Paul to/from work (when he is in town), it is hitting hard lately!

PLEASE don't get me wrong. I would not have it any other way! I am VERY fortunate to have the family and life that I have would not want to change anything (well, maybe get that new car shipped a little quicker :)) - but it has been a pretty crazy couple of months here - and I am ready for SLOW DAY (or week, month).

Picky Eater? (Caution - this is nasty)

Andrew usually eats really well! Sometimes, though, he goes through stages where he is pretty picky. I am not sure if I can call him a picky eater or not though, you tell me....

Last week (I have gone back and forth about whether or not to post this as it is pretty nasty - but I want him to know what he did) I had AJ in the bathtub. I stepped out of the bathroom to tell Caleb to get out of the shower (Daddy was in the bedroom and could see his head). When I came back Andrew is playing happy still. I look down and there is poop in the bathtub. This is the second time in a week he had pooped in the bathtub, so I was getting ready to get him out. I noticed he was chewing on something....then I noticed what...

Mommy started gagging, Daddy had to go pull the POOP out of Andrew's mouth.

That night I had offered him bell pepper from my salad, he spit it out.

How does poop rank higher than bell peppers for flavor?

I am totally grossed out just typing this! UGHHHHH!

Why I LOVE Snow Days

Yesterday was our SECOND snow day in ONE WEEK!! I think that is a record since we moved here! I had to take AJ to the dr yesterday morning and on the way home ran by the bakery to figure out what we are doing for AJ's birthday. Other than those two errands - we pretty much did NOTHING yesterday! Daddy stayed home too, so the whole family was here being lazy! It is really nice to get to do every once in a while!

Andrew Gets Introduced to Snow

Here are a few pics of Andrew. They are in order of how I took them, except the very last one. I saved my favorite for last! Notice it did not take long from him going from liking it to crying. He had on two sleepers and a heavy coat, but when your butt is in cold wet snow - not even a diaper helps much!





And, MY FAVORITE:

Drum roll, please....