Friday, February 27, 2009

Thank heavens for Friday!

Mark was sitting here, watching Jay Leno and eating those flaming hot cheetos, when he looked at the back of the bag and said, "Hey! These have a ton of red #40 in them!" Oren is sensitive to red #4o food dye and had been eating them for the last couple days! That would explain his behavior and his "accident" at school that required me to run a change of clothes instead of taking a nap.... Oops!

I had this huge craving for flaming cheetos, so I bought them. I ate them that day and haven't been able to do them very well since then. At least the boys enjoyed them! I have also craved Whoppers from Burger King, and Quarter Pounders with Cheese from MacDonalds. Microwaved chicken nuggets are not appealing in the least. It's interesting, to say the least. Pork chops sound fine, but were a huge "no" with Oren and Nathan. William was my easiest, because I had been in a huge car accident and was dealing with a lot, so I think I was blessed with an easy beginning. Sometimes I want sweets, and sometimes I can't stand them. Gotta love it!

Nathan is doing great. His mouth still hurts so he gets lots of motrin. The tylenol with codeine was making him very restless at night, and drowsy during the day, so we quit that stuff. Much of the nasal congestion / swelling is gone, and I can already hear a huge improvement. He still sounds a little nasally, but more speech therapy should help with that. I think it will never be fully gone, but he can articulate much better now, and his pressure constonants are much clearer!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Wow, I cooked!

That's right! Not just stuff out of a can, or frozen..... actually standing by the stove and making a sauce from scratch. Ham with creamy mushroom sauce, steamed carrots, brussel sprouts with butter, bread and jam.... At the table, with both forks and spoons! Yay me! I am so proud of myself, because of late it has taken too much energy to do more than macaroni and cheese, or microwave chicken nuggets. I am not sure what we have eaten for dinner the last week or so, because I don't recall cooking at all. Sad, huh?

Not only did I cook, but it was after cleaning my living room, and teaching piano for 1 1/2 hours straight! I don't recall being this tired with Nathan and William. With Oren I was working full time and did take naps occasionally. This time I am tired 2 hours after getting up! I had an hour nap this morning, and could probably take another after getting kids from school.

At least the dishes got done this morning, after my nap! Mark has been wonderful, even though I am sure it is frustrating to see me sit down and close my eyes. Again. He has been working on a chore chart for everyone to help divvy up the labor around here so I don't have to do all of it. From making beds, to clearing dishes, even helping with the litter box. Nothing motivates like stickers, so we'll see how this works!

I had to go to the most boring 2 1/2 hour orientation yesterday. For all the new pregnant ladies on the base.... Joy! I got out of it last time, but there was a new nurse and she didn't care that this is my 4th pregnancy. "It's mandatory....." Great. I was able to answer some questions for a nice lady next to me on her first baby, like the fact it's wonderful she doesn't have morning sickness- be thankful! No snacks served, and no breaks. Very smart- don't give snack breaks to women who are trying not to get sick everywhere..... yeah. I love this base!

On the plus side, I may get in soon for my glucose test- with that nasty drink. I have been monitering my sugar numbers, since I got diabetes with Nathan and William, and they are already getting high. It's early for that, which worries me a little, I don't like the idea of insulin later on but will do it if I have to. So I filled out the risk assesment paperwork at OB yesterday and the nurse will review it and call me before my appointment..... in the meantime I will keep monitering, and trying to eat right.

(Yawn.) Better get up and moving before I get too tired again!

Monday, February 23, 2009

A little bit of Thanks

This afternoon I bravely went without a desperately needed afternoon nap and ventured into Walmart for some equally desperate diapers, wipes, and eggs. The boys did fantastic the whole way through the store, I'm very proud of them. Oren even escorted Nathan to the bathroom, where they spent less than 10 minutes! Way to go! William left his shoes on, and nobody screamed in the middle of the aisle or disappeared into the clothing racks. A pretty good trip to the store....

At the checkout, I awarded the boys with permission to play in the small arcade area directly across from our lane. Nathan ran up asking for money for a gumball, and I said no. He ran up again asking for money for the dollar machine. I said no. After the 3rd time of whiningly asking me for money, I got down to his level and explained in my "knock it off" voice that he will not be getting money for the machine and he will stop asking..... now. It was an effective moment, and he agreed that it was wise to stop bugging mommy, that he understood the consequences of asking again, and quietly went back to pretending to drive the arcade car.

The lady behind me in the checkout line leaned over and said "Thank you." She told me that it was great to see a mom correct their child, especially in public, and to see the child respond to it well. She said I was doing a great job, and that I should be proud of my boys and how they are growing up.

It's amazing how something so small made me feel so good. Somebody out there thinks I am doing a good job. Someone thinks I am raising respectful, curteous children. Somebody thanked me for a job well done shaping the next generation. I didn't mind missing my nap so much after that...... and I gave my boys a big hug, thanking them for their great behavior in the store. Even though it often seems as if nothing is getting through, I am doing alright!

Exhausted

I love my boys dearly, but there are times I would kill for a tranquilizer gun.

William decided to pass out on the couch at 5:00 and wouldn't wake up for anything until about 8:00. Therefore it was completely acceptable in his eyes to stay awake until midnight before allowing us to put him to bed. I get up at 6:45, so that is already less than 7 hours of sleep.

Then Oren got up at 1:00 with a headache. I don't mind, I used to get them all the time at that age, mostly at night, so I know how he felt. I got him comfortable and medicated, tucked back in, and laid back down. That time I went right back to sleep.

Enter Nathan, crying, at 2:20. He had a bad dream, and he was thirsty. Can he sleep with us? Sure, why not. He slept, and I didn't! I was shoved, kneed, kicked, hands flung on my head, and snored in my ear until 4:00, when I finally had enough. He went back to his bed, although I almost dropped him tripping over Mark's pants, and nearly banged his head against the door. I was a little zombie-ish.

I believe we are down to 5 hours now?

5:00..... Nathan again. I calmly lean over to Mark and inform him that it is his turn. He retorts back that it's mine. I, not so calmly, let him know how my night has already gone and that he will be taking care of it. As a final shot I tell him Nathan is not going to be sleeping in our bed! But of course I can't get back to sleep because I am listening to how he is handling Nathan and whatnot. And because I spoke, I woke up enough to have my mind racing.

I believe the clock said just before 6:00 the last time I looked before finally falling asleep. 4 hours......

It's no suprise then that I hit the snooze about 5 times before getting out of bed. Oren's off to school, and I am ready for a nap again already. Normally our nights are not like this, my kids are great sleepers. To make up for our days, I suppose. I've been exhausted lately anyhow, needing a nap even after a good 8 hours. That tends to happen when I'm pregnant.











What.......?














Oh, my last sentence...... :-) That's right! Little bean is due Oct. 19th by my calculations, and I am 6 weeks today! I know, it's super soon, but I have known for 3 weeks already, and I am no good at keeping a secret. Oren and Nathan have decided it's a girl..... and William doesn't have a clue what we're talking about! Haven't had an appointment yet, but that's because this hospital doesn't see you until at least 9-10 weeks.... lovely.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Home at last!

We got to bring Nathan home late last night!

Nathan and I woke up bright and early Thursday to register at 8 am at the hospital. At 9:30 they brought us back to pre-op, and he was rolled back for the surgery around 11:45. It was a complicated surgery this time around, and took about 2 hours, so he went to recovery about 1:45.

It actually took longer than she expected, because the area she worked on last time had dropped down for some reason, and she had to pull it back up and tighten it up before she could work on his palate. Later she told me that she has never done that much in a child's mouth before, but the sphinctor repair was un-anticipated, but couldn't be helped. So he had work done all the way from the valve at the back of his mouth, to the muscles above his palate. Poor little guy!

He did fantastic this time around, nowhere near as much coughing and crying in pain, just lots of sleeping. For the first 24 hours he just slept and turned over and slept and turned over... got tangled in his IV line, dislodging his heart rate moniters.... Good stuff! But it was in all a much calmer day than the last time. He didn't want to put anything in his mouth, but he did go to the bathroom earlier this time around. We nearly had to spend a second night, but by 5:30 he was agreeing to a yogurt smoothie, and we were discharged at 9:15 last night!

There will still be a month of swollen mouth parts, and lots of stitches in there, 14 days of absolutely soft foods, and no therapy for a while. But he's doing great, and I am very proud of how cooperative he has been through all this. He has been a real champ, and everyone who has to work with him comments on how sweet and willing to work he is.

Mark was a sweetheart this whole time too. He worked on the kitchen, and the dining room. He stayed home with William and Oren, got Oren off to school both Thursday and Friday, and kept things running smoothly. Thank you honey!

Monday, February 16, 2009

What a nice Love Day!

I am so glad that we got our date on Saturday. It could not have been a nicer day. The sitter came early so we could finish getting ready, and when we left they had the legos out and were all laying on the floor building things. Later they pulled the mattresses off the beds and had a trampoline party in the living room, had a macaroni and cheese picnic for lunch, and ventured off to the big park at the end of our street. Kung Fu Panda was also on the list of things done...... and like I said, he cleaned up after the kids. Swept, vacummed, scraped off my table..... I paid him very well. He had the boys for 8 hours!

We got there in plenty of time for our session, and turns out that the only other couple there from our ward were the parents of our babysitter! But it was really nice to go and enjoy the peacefulness there.

Afterwards we were rather on the hungry side, and Mark was craving coconut shrimp. Well, the best place for that is Red Lobster! So off we went. At 3:00 there was a 20-30 minute wait for a table for 2, so we put our name down and waited. It only took the 20 minutes, which was nice. I could just sit and eat their coconut shrimp! Maybe some of those cheddar bay biscuits too.... very nice! The waitress was awesome, and the food great. When we finally left, the line to get in was humungous! I was glad we came in when we did, because everyone was going out to eat.... being Valentines Day and all.

When we got back, William did not want the sitter to leave. At all. "NO NO NO!" He's a bit of a daddy's boy, so it was somewhat of a suprise that he didn't want daddy for anything..... And a bit funny to be honest. He finally made it out the door to enjoy the rest of his evening, and we just hung out and chilled while the boys ate their boxes of chocolate- with all of 4 pieces in them.

All in all, a nice day!

Friday, February 13, 2009

A well-deserved break

Okay, well there only 235 "He hit me!"s, which is good..... :-)

We are going out tomorrow! The Elders Quorum is doing a Temple session with wives, so Mark and I are going. We found a good young man willing to sacrifice some of his day to hang out with the boys.... they think he is the coolest and he cleans up after them! What more could you ask for?

It has been a while since our last date, and I can't wait. What better place to go than to the Temple? Things have been so hectic that the peace will be very welcome. It's been a very long week, very tiring. The good thing is that because he has 8 brothers and sisters, he is very used to mess. I don't feel like I have to have the house spotless for the babysitter tomorrow!

Nathan is pre-registered at the hospital for his surgery, they called this evening to verify his info. Mark has his leave paperwork almost done and that should be good. He is taking Thursday and Friday off. Amanda will be watching William and picking Oren up from school. I will be staying the night with Nathan, since William is going through some seperation issues with Daddy working the evening shift now, and needs to have Daddy here at bedtime. It's going to be a long day for him.... poor little guy. Lots to do, to make sure this next weekend goes smoothly, but we did fine last time so I am not anticipating much different. Except Nathan's recovery will be longer and more painful this time.

I guess that's my weekly update.... sad that it's become so busy that I only make it here once a week right now. Hopefully things will ease up a bit in the summer and we can be more relaxed, just hang out, take tons of photographs.... I got one of William "shaving" the other day, and still haven't found the time to post it!

As it is, I should probably have the boys pick up the money they have been throwing around, and get everyone wrangled into bed.... Good night!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Another week...

Just another week, another 3 days of therapy, another 5 days of before 7 wake-ups, another 21 complete outfits in the laundry, another 20 loads of laundry, another 113 dirty dishes, another 247 "He hit me!"'s.

And lots of diapers.

We got the authorization form Tricare for Nathan's surgery. Just a little more than a week until Dr. Beck gives him another shot at more normal speech.

And a little more than a month until my best friend and almost sister moves down into town. They put an offer on a house, it was accepted, and they get the keys March 20th if all goes well. So of course I will be helping her get rid of stuff, and pack, and clean. I won't miss the snakes, but I will miss her! She'll be in a different ward, so I won't get to play with her daughter during sacrament. Visits will have to be planned when one of us is in the area. Bummer. But she's excited about her house and asked if I could help choose paint colors and all that! Makes me want a house, but there's just too much going on for us right now to deal with all that. At least right now if something goes wrong, the military deals with it.

We spent a nice, boring weekend at home. I did talk Mark into taking us all out for dinner and ice cream on Saturday. We all just needed to get out of the house, and it was a nice evening. The kids did great, for them, and didn't climb under the table too much. We walked around Walmart for a while to work off dinner, spent a 1/2 hour in the toy section because Daddy wanted to play, and checked out all the fun Valentines stuff they had. Then off to the local TCBY, where the boys enjoyed some lurid colored ice cream, Mark had an italian soda that was far too sweet for me, and I indulged in some white chocolate frozen yogurt. Yumm!

William's diaper is calling my name. #1 for this week!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

More surgery

Nathan's appointment with the ENT today went really well! She very much agreed that the second surgery would be beneficial, so he is scheduled for the 19th of Feb! That's 2 weeks from today!!! I didn't think he would get in that fast, but that's great. He is doing a great job with his therapy, we've just taken his mouth as far as we can so far and the next surgery should help even more.

He's not going to like this one though. She said it means multiple sutured areas, lots of swelling that may take 2 months to go down. Absolutely nothing but the softest foods for at least 10 days afterwards. He'll probably ask for his tylenol w/ codeine a lot more this time, since it is a lot more painful recovery. Which may mean a longer hospital stay. They won't release until he is eating and eliminating on his own. The good news is that this is the last surgery he should have to do, and being only 4 he hopefully won't remember much of the experience. I don't relish the whole taking him into the pre-op room though! I think he'll remember that from the last time!

This surgery will be trying to realign the muscles and flaps above the palate, to lengthen his palate about 25 %. I am very confident in Dr. Beck, and I know she is going to do her best to help Nathan.

I had a laugh at the appointment though. William was repeating all the stuff we were trying to get Nathan to say, and she and the nurse were amazed at his articulation. We figured out that he's pretty much been in speech therapy for a while now too, seeing how hard I work Nathan at home and that sort of becomes an automatic thing with my other 2. I should just get a degree in speech pathology.... He does speak well, and clearly, for being 28 months!