Nate has an ipod touch. Last fall my mom asked me what I thought of her and my dad getting Nate an ipod for Christmas. At first I thought it was a very expensive, breakable gift for a 5 year old, but Nate loves music so much, and he's constantly asking to borrow our phones to play a game, and I thought it might be good for increasing his fine motor skills. So they bought him one, and this was probably Nate's favorite Christmas gift. Not so much at first because he didn't know what it was, but this is probably the only Christmas gift he's played with every single day ... except when he loses it for weeks at a time.
The ipod has helped Nate move on from his 4 year obsession with trains. Now, he's really into music. He has about 40 songs--some from my and Blake's itunes, and some we have purchased just for him. He also searches itunes for his favorite songs and listens to snippets of them. This has been a little bit tricky because he loves country music, and there are lots of country songs that are not appropriate for 5 year olds. He's learned a few words that he should not say.
But he has learned so much about music and artists, and I think he could be a radio DJ tomorrow! As soon as he hears a song come on the radio, he states the song and artist. One night he and Georgia were playing Ring Around the Rosies in my room, and Nate starts singing "5-1-5-0, somebody call the po-po!" What! Nate, where did you hear that?" "It's a new country son, mama." I texted Nicole and asked if she had ever heard this before, and she was just a shocked as me. Thankfully the next day we heard the song on the radio. He was right! And it's a pretty catchy song!
Nate likes taking his iPod everywhere he goes. So far it's been banned from PT because he doesn't pay attention to anything but his music. His PT was initially pretty charmed when he brought his music and said, "Are you ready to ROCK OUT?" People see Nate walking around with his face in his iPod and say he looks like a little teenager.
Besides listening to music, Nate uses his iPod to practice spelling things. This is not something we anticipated or even encouraged. He just likes to do it. So one thing he's done is set up "Playlists" in his music. Every time he hears a song or sees a music video, he either reads the name of the artist or asks us who is singing it (if he doesn't already know) and then he types their name into a playlist. He's made 64 of these, from Big and Rich to John Mayer to Lady Gaga to Newsboys to The Beatles to Fifty Cent. (There are no songs in these playlists, just the names.) I really just discovered this tonight. I didn't know that's why he was asking us how to spell all these names. I don't even know how to set up a playlist!
Nate also has an email address--natepayne5 at gmail . com, and sometimes Pop emails him and he writes back. But we often forget his password and can't check it.
The other thing I learned about Nate's iPod today is that he writes in the "notes" section throughout the day. Kind of like his journal. Today we went mattress shopping and then drove to Berea to visit Mindy and her babies. Here are Nate's notes--each one is one sentence. They start on the ride to Berea.
We went shopping the other day!
Don't say no there!
Half way there!
Be nice there!
We're here all ready here!
We're playing now!
We're having fun!
We went to 2 places!
It's wild here!
Musics on!
I like this music video!
We're still here!
Only say yes here!
I like it here
Be quiet here cause the baby are asleep here!
It's fun here!
I like them!
I like to come here!
I like everything here!
There talkin a lot here!
There talkin here so don't say to be quiet here!
There still talkin here!
We're almost going!
We're going now
The radios on with country music!
That was in our state!
I like all country music videos
That was a long trip!
I had a good day!
We're almost here!
Were in our nieborhoode!
Were here!
What a fun little glimpse into the mind of a 5 year old. :)
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Stuff my kids say
The reason I started this blog was to keep track of all the cute things the kids say. But I have not been great about recording them lately. Here's an attempt at catching up a little before all these things leave my brain.
When we were visiting my parents last month, Nate and Georgia were wrestling around in the floor with Blake and somehow Nate knocked Georgia's head and she started crying. Then he started crying. About an hour later, they were sitting at the kitchen table coloring, and out of the blue:
Nate: Georgia, when you hit your noggin, I wanted to say I'm sorry, but I was crying too hard.
My mom: Georgia, Nate is saying he's sorry. Now you need to say you forgive him.
Georgia: (with major attitude and a head bob) Well, Nate never says he forgives me when I say I'm sorry!
Georgia does that head shake all the time. She says everything with such attitude. A couple of times lately, when she sees Nate eating something, she'll say, "Holy cow, piggie!" Ha!
One day, Bekah (her babysitter) texted me that she said: Bekah, my Nate was being so sassy with my mama!
She tells the truth!
This was a few months ago. Georgia saw our dog, Maggie, playing too rough with our cat, Allie.
Georgia: Maggie! You be nice to the kitty! (bending down nose to nose) She's my kitty sister!
Nate seems to say the funniest things when he is getting in trouble. Maybe it's just that he gets in trouble so often. :)
One day at school, Nate's aid, Miss Beth, said it was time to go potty. Nate said no. She told him he could not say no to her, and if he did, she would change his bear to a different color. (His bear has been on green all year.) He finally went to the bathroom with her, where she had a little talk with him:
Miss Beth: Nate, I love you to pieces, but you have to listen to me when I tell you to do something.
Nate: Well, Miss Beth, I love you too, but I love all of you, not just pieces!
Miss Beth: (heart melted) You can do whatever you want.
Nate's nanny/cousin Nicole picks him up from school every day and keeps him until we get home, so she often has to put him in time out. When he's in time out, he tries to come up with the meanest things he can say to her ... and thankfully, those things are still pretty lame. :)
Nate: Nicole, you never look pretty!
Nate: Nicoooooole! I was thinking about calling you names!
Nate: Nicole, I hope you get lice!
Nicole: Well, thanks, I hope you do too.
Nate: Nicole, I have loved you for 178 years and now you have broked my heart and I don't love you anymore.
These kids crack me up every single day. Of course I think they're the most brilliant and hilarious little people in the world. :)
When we were visiting my parents last month, Nate and Georgia were wrestling around in the floor with Blake and somehow Nate knocked Georgia's head and she started crying. Then he started crying. About an hour later, they were sitting at the kitchen table coloring, and out of the blue:
Nate: Georgia, when you hit your noggin, I wanted to say I'm sorry, but I was crying too hard.
My mom: Georgia, Nate is saying he's sorry. Now you need to say you forgive him.
Georgia: (with major attitude and a head bob) Well, Nate never says he forgives me when I say I'm sorry!
Georgia does that head shake all the time. She says everything with such attitude. A couple of times lately, when she sees Nate eating something, she'll say, "Holy cow, piggie!" Ha!
One day, Bekah (her babysitter) texted me that she said: Bekah, my Nate was being so sassy with my mama!
She tells the truth!
This was a few months ago. Georgia saw our dog, Maggie, playing too rough with our cat, Allie.
Georgia: Maggie! You be nice to the kitty! (bending down nose to nose) She's my kitty sister!
Nate seems to say the funniest things when he is getting in trouble. Maybe it's just that he gets in trouble so often. :)
One day at school, Nate's aid, Miss Beth, said it was time to go potty. Nate said no. She told him he could not say no to her, and if he did, she would change his bear to a different color. (His bear has been on green all year.) He finally went to the bathroom with her, where she had a little talk with him:
Miss Beth: Nate, I love you to pieces, but you have to listen to me when I tell you to do something.
Nate: Well, Miss Beth, I love you too, but I love all of you, not just pieces!
Miss Beth: (heart melted) You can do whatever you want.
Nate's nanny/cousin Nicole picks him up from school every day and keeps him until we get home, so she often has to put him in time out. When he's in time out, he tries to come up with the meanest things he can say to her ... and thankfully, those things are still pretty lame. :)
Nate: Nicole, you never look pretty!
Nate: Nicoooooole! I was thinking about calling you names!
Nate: Nicole, I hope you get lice!
Nicole: Well, thanks, I hope you do too.
Nate: Nicole, I have loved you for 178 years and now you have broked my heart and I don't love you anymore.
These kids crack me up every single day. Of course I think they're the most brilliant and hilarious little people in the world. :)
Conversations about Spina Bifida
Last weekend my kids were out on the back deck playing so nicely in the sand table while I got some peace and quiet. It started to storm, so I went to get them and saw that they were totally covered in sand. I should have been suspicious of the quiet. Georgia had dumped sand in her hair, and it took forever to wash out. Nate had sand in his shoes and braces, and I was taking them off and dumping the sand out when he said:
Nate: Mama, I'm the only one who wears braces. I just realized that today.
Me: (Smiling a little at him using the word "realized" so seriously and yet a little sad that he had realized he was different) Well, you're the only one in our family who wears braces. But Daddy is the only one in our family who wears glasses. And I'm the only one in the family who has a baby in her belly. And Georgia's the only one who wears tutus. We're all different.
Nate: But I'm the only kid in the world who wears braces.
Me: That's not true. We know lots of kids who wear braces. Our friend Brock wears braces. Our friend Ian wears braces. That little boy, Brendan, you met last night, he wears braces. All those kids at Spina Bifida camp last weekend wear braces.
Nate: Really?
Me: Yes! Do you know why you wear braces? Remember how they make you run faster?
Nate: Well, other kids run fast and they don't wear braces. But not as fast as me!
Me: Really, you wear braces because you have Spina Bifida.
Nate: Oh! So everyone who has Spina Bifida wears braces?
Me: ..... (simple 5 year old answer) Pretty much.
Later...
Me: So do you feel better about wearing braces?
Nate: Yeah. I thought I was the only kid in the world who wears them. But I'm not.
And then he moved on. Up until lately, Nate has been pretty oblivious of all this Spina Bifida stuff. I try to tell him about it, but it doesn't sink in. But since his surgeries, he asks me about it sometimes, and we talk about it in simple terms. Just today I overheard Nate and Georgia talking:
Georgia: Nate, you have Spina Bifida.
Nate: Yeah, I do! We know lots of people with Spina Bifida! ... What do you have?
Georgia: .... I have Spina Bifida too.
Then we went to the park this afternoon, and there was a little girl there named Kylie.
Nate: There's a girl at school named Kylie. And she uses a wheelchair!
Me: Oh, I know Kylie! Did you know she has Spina Bifida?
Nate: Like me! But she doesn't go to your work. (Spina Bifida Association of Kentucky)
Me: Yes, she does, sometimes. :)
So most of the time, it's just how I've hoped the conversations would go. Spina Bifida is just a fact, just a part of our lives, but it's not (usually) talked about with sadness at all. I absolutely refuse to treat Nate with pity. We all have our "thing" and this is his thing. I don't really have a rule book about how these conversations should go, and I know there will be many more in the future, but so far Nate is handling it all very well.
Nate: Mama, I'm the only one who wears braces. I just realized that today.
Me: (Smiling a little at him using the word "realized" so seriously and yet a little sad that he had realized he was different) Well, you're the only one in our family who wears braces. But Daddy is the only one in our family who wears glasses. And I'm the only one in the family who has a baby in her belly. And Georgia's the only one who wears tutus. We're all different.
Nate: But I'm the only kid in the world who wears braces.
Me: That's not true. We know lots of kids who wear braces. Our friend Brock wears braces. Our friend Ian wears braces. That little boy, Brendan, you met last night, he wears braces. All those kids at Spina Bifida camp last weekend wear braces.
Nate: Really?
Me: Yes! Do you know why you wear braces? Remember how they make you run faster?
Nate: Well, other kids run fast and they don't wear braces. But not as fast as me!
Me: Really, you wear braces because you have Spina Bifida.
Nate: Oh! So everyone who has Spina Bifida wears braces?
Me: ..... (simple 5 year old answer) Pretty much.
Later...
Me: So do you feel better about wearing braces?
Nate: Yeah. I thought I was the only kid in the world who wears them. But I'm not.
And then he moved on. Up until lately, Nate has been pretty oblivious of all this Spina Bifida stuff. I try to tell him about it, but it doesn't sink in. But since his surgeries, he asks me about it sometimes, and we talk about it in simple terms. Just today I overheard Nate and Georgia talking:
Georgia: Nate, you have Spina Bifida.
Nate: Yeah, I do! We know lots of people with Spina Bifida! ... What do you have?
Georgia: .... I have Spina Bifida too.
Then we went to the park this afternoon, and there was a little girl there named Kylie.
Nate: There's a girl at school named Kylie. And she uses a wheelchair!
Me: Oh, I know Kylie! Did you know she has Spina Bifida?
Nate: Like me! But she doesn't go to your work. (Spina Bifida Association of Kentucky)
Me: Yes, she does, sometimes. :)
So most of the time, it's just how I've hoped the conversations would go. Spina Bifida is just a fact, just a part of our lives, but it's not (usually) talked about with sadness at all. I absolutely refuse to treat Nate with pity. We all have our "thing" and this is his thing. I don't really have a rule book about how these conversations should go, and I know there will be many more in the future, but so far Nate is handling it all very well.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Ultrasound Day!
Can you believe it's already been 18 weeks? It's flown by pretty quickly, but the last couple of weeks I have been very eager to find out if we're having a boy or a girl. I took this picture yesterday, my first "bump" picture of the pregnancy. I feel pretty big already. And of course big sister makes the picture cuter.
Nate is on spring break this week, so I gave him a choice about today. He could either go to Bekah's again with Georgia, which he loves, or he could go to work with me for the morning and then come to the doctor appointment to see if he was having a baby brother or sister. He chose the second! So this morning he came to work and sat beside me at the conference table coloring like it was his job. He started acting up and getting really whiny several times and I almost regretted bringing him. But he perked up with a peanut butter sandwich and an apple on the way to the appointment. We met daddy there.
Nate still gets to be a baby even though he's the big brother.
So first things first, we wanted to make sure the baby was healthy. I haven't been too awfully concerned this time around, but I can't say I haven't thought about that first ultrasound with Nate and getting that devastating news. The ultrasound tech started by asking questions about my pregnancies. This is technically my 5th pregnancy, counting the two early miscarriages. She asked me about my pregnancy with Nate and was very interested in hearing about the fetal surgery for Spina Bifida. She said they currently have a patient who is in Cincinnati doing the surgery. She asked how Nate was doing, which gave me the chance to brag on him and show her what a boy with Spina Bifida looks like. She later brought in a nurse who was doing some sort of research following the mom in Cincinnati, and Nate ran over to them, gave them high fives, and ran back to Blake with a little jump. Um, can I just admit this one of my reasons for bringing Nate with me to this appointment? I really wanted the people who give the SB diagnosis to see a child with SB. Mission accomplished successfuly.
Anyway, back to the baby! The ultrasound tech started with the brain, and she explained to me that when a baby has Spina Bifida, often the cerebellum is shaped differently. But this baby's cerebellum is perfect. I said, "So, no Chiari Malformation, great. How do the lateral ventricles look?" Hehe. No need to dumb it down, I understand the terms. The brain looks totally normal, and so does the spine. BIG sigh of relief!
I had told the tech that if she got a good look at the gender, we wanted Nate to announce it. This morning I drew on a piece of paper "It's a ______!!" and Nate colored the paper and drew flowers and rainbows and 5 year old stuff on it. When the tech saw what the baby was (she made me and Blake cover our eyes), she wrote on the page, and Nate got to make the big announcement. Here it is!
Yay! We're so excited! But not at all surprised--I knew it all along! We got a few pictures, but they weren't all that clear. These first three (sideways) pictures are from the 12 week ultrasound when baby was smaller. It cracked me up to see him all stretched out in there with those long legs.
This time he was a bit pudgier and scrunched in. :) He's a whopping 9 ounces! Here's a profile (head on right, feet top left)
And here's the front of his face. Looks a lot like Georgia's "skeletor" pic that Nate said was scary. :)
The doctor came in and talked to us, and he agreed baby looks perfectly healthy. Of course I had to do a little business while I was there and asked if he would refer pregnant moms to SBAK when he diagnoses them. :) Then I went to have some blood drawn for the AFP test that also checks for Spina Bifida. The tech said if the ultrasound looks good, there's a 95% chance that everything is fine, but we'll do the blood test anyway. I warned the .... phlebotomist? ... that I am a really "hard stick" and she would need to use my hand instead of my arm. Still, she had to take a look at my arm. (eye roll) Why is it that every single one of them thinks they're better than every other one out there. I told her no one has ever been able to get anything from my arm. She did stick my hand, but it didn't work and now I have a massive swollen bruise on that hand. But she did the other hand successfully.
I took Nate over to Bekah's house to play for awhile this afternoon, and when I got there, Georgia and all the other kids flocked to the car. Nate got to announce that our baby is a boy. :) All the little girls were so excited. Georgia just came over and held up her arms for me to pick her up, but as I was lifting her she saw the bandaids on each of my hands. That freaked her out! She was like, "Why you have boo boos on you?!" I took off the bandaids and showed her I was fine, but she was still very weirded out. It was pretty funny.
I'm very relieved. And we're all very excited for another little bundle of joy ... and energy, and responsibility :) to join our family. This little guy has no idea what he's in for!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Easter 2012
Easter is the new Christmas for us. At Christmas, we have so many SBAK parties that we end up celebrating for an entire month. This year we had 5 Easter egg hunts, so it's been the same big celebration! Although this time I didn't need to be at every single one, but we still went to three of them.
My parents came in yesterday to celebrate Easter with us. We went to the Saturday evening service, so all the dressing up occurred yesterday.
The kids looked adorable as always, and we had a great church service. Blake grilled out afterwards, and my parents gave the kids all kinds of Easter goodies.
This morning I got up to get cooking, and after breakfast and getting dressed, I gave the kids their Easter baskets. We don't really do the Easter bunny. I'd like to say it's all because we want to remember the real reason for Easter, and some of it is that. But it's also because I don't have the energy to keep up another charade for the kids. :) Easter baskets come from mama and daddy.
Nate got the biggest box of crayons I could find. He is *really* into coloring right now! For so long he hated coloring, but he's been practicing and is better at it, and now he is a coloring machine. He spends most of his time either coloring or listening to music on his ipod. (Right now he's coloring and singing a song he made up.)
Georgia got a Big Sister/Little Sister doll set. She is so excited about being a big sister! She tells eeeeveryone.
Lucas and his girlfriend Amy came here for a really yummy brunch. So mad I forgot to take a picture! We had ham biscuits, spinach and bacon quiche, hashbrown casserole, peach french toast bake, and fruit salad with a yogurt dressing. It was sooooo good. Then the kids had a little Easter egg hunt in the backyard.
Nate loves bringing his mama flowers. I get at least a couple dandelions every day.
And after a really big weekend, Georgia was all tuckered out.
So were they.
And so was I! I took a nap. :) I am now 18 weeks along in my pregnancy and feeling pretty good, no big complaints. Our anatomy ultrasound is on Tuesday! I'll update when I know more about our next little baby!
Monday, March 12, 2012
First clinic back after Boston, and other updates
We made the trip to Nashville today for Spina Bifida clinic, the first one since Nate's last surgery in Boston. Nicole went with me and Nate, and Nate was a very good boy.
We started by going to urology for a renal ultrasound and were seen there by the urologist. His kidneys look great as usual. We found out when we were in Boston that Nate has a hypospadius, so the uro checked that out. It's a urological issue, and it's a little surprising that none of the urologists who have seen Nate since before birth had noticed until a catheter-gone-wrong incident, but really it's not a big deal and nothing needs to be done about it.
We started talking about potty training, and I told them we were just done with the miralax routine. We've been trying it on and off since he was 2, and it has never worked well, and I don't think he can be continent with just miralax. The uro and his nurse both scrunched their faces as if to say they disagree, but they had to agree it wasn't working for Nate. They asked if we had seen GI (gastrointerology) yet, and I told them that I am actually making an appointment for Nate at Cincinnati Children's Colorectal Center. (I have had a heck of a time getting his records there, but we should have an appointment there soon.) The nurse said, "You should go there. They are better at this stuff than we are." What! You don't hear that very often! I noticed the doctor didn't really concur but didn't disagree.
We grabbed some lunch, and hung out in the clinic waiting area chatting with people. Next we saw the neurosurgeon. This was the first time Dr. T had seen Nate since before we went to Boston. I told him all that happened (Dr. Warf said he personally called Dr. T to explain all that happened, but Dr. T acted like he hadn't heard this before). I told him about Nate's ICP (intracranial pressure) numbers, and he agreed that Nate must have had high pressure without a shunt or ETV, but obviously it didn't hurt him cognitively. Then I was telling him about how after they removed the external drain that was draining extra fluid out, that he showed signs of hydrocephalus (bad headaches, throwing up, lethargy) for a couple hours and then they stopped. He said it just took some time for the fluid to start routing through the ETV instead of out of the drain. It wasn't until I was on my way home that I thought about it this way. Dr. T wanted to do a temporary shunt, for maybe 6 months. But Dr. Warf warned me that if the brain gets used to draining fluid in an easy route like a shunt, other little ducts in the brain can start closing off and the brain can become dependent on the shunt, even if it wasn't before. So I thought if Nate's brain got dependent on the external drain during that 5 days he had it in, think about how it would have gotten used to a shunt. I don't think he would have been able to lose the shunt after 6 months, and he probably would have always had it. Anyway, that was just further confirmation that I think we did the right thing with the ETV. I do think he needed it, and God just orchestrated all this in the right timing.
Then the ortho doc came in and had no concerns. He was asking about everything, so I told him about going to Boston. Then he asked if we had any bowel/bladder concerns, and I told him we were headed to Cincinnati to see their specialists. He said, "Well, it sounds like you all are going all over!" Yep, we're going to go where we think Nate needs to go, and not be afraid to leave our clinic.
On the way home, with every.single.song. that came on the radio, Nate said, "Mama, i like this song!" Every single song. The kid loves his music, and I also think he likes to annoy me.
Other updates:
I'm about 14 weeks pregnant now. Out of the first trimester-Yay! Poor Blake, you would think he would remember by the 3rd pregnancy that I am a tired blob during the first trimester. He kept wondering why I was just sitting on the couch and not helping with much housework for like 10 weeks! But I got my energy back, and this weekend our house got some much needed attention. :) I have an appointment this Friday, and I'm hoping the doc will get my specialist appointment scheduled so we can get a level II ultrasound of this little one. I'm sure he or she is healthy, but I want to know if he's a he or she's a she! At this point, I would be thrilled with either. I would slightly prefer a boy because I have a boy name I really want to use, but if it's a girl, we are in trouble in the name department. I research names all the time, and I can't find a single girl name that even compares to how much I love Georgia's name.
This baby is no fun and doesn't like junk food or sweets. Just salad and fruit and good cheese and healthy foods. I didn't even want cake on my birthday! My pregnancy with Nate was sort of the same--I did like junk food, but I mostly craved fruit. With Georgia I craved chocolate all the time. I remember one time craving brownies, and I made some and ate them, and I felt Georgia doing flip flops in my belly! To this day "choc-yat" is her favorite food.
Georgia is her sassy little self. This weekend she found some alphabet flashcards on her book shelf that used to be Nate's. I took out the "A" card and asked her what letter it was, and she smiled and said, "I don't know, what?" Oh, poor thing. She's smart as can be, but I haven't sat down and worked with her on this stuff like I did with Nate. At 2.5, Nate knew all his letters and could count to 10 and knew his colors and shapes. Georgia's got none of that. With Nate, I was home with him. Plus I was constantly watching for signs of him being behind or on target. With Georgia, I just know everything is ok with her so I haven't worried or stressed over her nearly as much. Now it's showing. :) I'll work more with her. But she's a smart little cookie and will pick it up fine.
That's about all that's going on. We had a great weekend. The kids are happy, the parents are happy. What can I say, life is good!
We started by going to urology for a renal ultrasound and were seen there by the urologist. His kidneys look great as usual. We found out when we were in Boston that Nate has a hypospadius, so the uro checked that out. It's a urological issue, and it's a little surprising that none of the urologists who have seen Nate since before birth had noticed until a catheter-gone-wrong incident, but really it's not a big deal and nothing needs to be done about it.
We started talking about potty training, and I told them we were just done with the miralax routine. We've been trying it on and off since he was 2, and it has never worked well, and I don't think he can be continent with just miralax. The uro and his nurse both scrunched their faces as if to say they disagree, but they had to agree it wasn't working for Nate. They asked if we had seen GI (gastrointerology) yet, and I told them that I am actually making an appointment for Nate at Cincinnati Children's Colorectal Center. (I have had a heck of a time getting his records there, but we should have an appointment there soon.) The nurse said, "You should go there. They are better at this stuff than we are." What! You don't hear that very often! I noticed the doctor didn't really concur but didn't disagree.
We grabbed some lunch, and hung out in the clinic waiting area chatting with people. Next we saw the neurosurgeon. This was the first time Dr. T had seen Nate since before we went to Boston. I told him all that happened (Dr. Warf said he personally called Dr. T to explain all that happened, but Dr. T acted like he hadn't heard this before). I told him about Nate's ICP (intracranial pressure) numbers, and he agreed that Nate must have had high pressure without a shunt or ETV, but obviously it didn't hurt him cognitively. Then I was telling him about how after they removed the external drain that was draining extra fluid out, that he showed signs of hydrocephalus (bad headaches, throwing up, lethargy) for a couple hours and then they stopped. He said it just took some time for the fluid to start routing through the ETV instead of out of the drain. It wasn't until I was on my way home that I thought about it this way. Dr. T wanted to do a temporary shunt, for maybe 6 months. But Dr. Warf warned me that if the brain gets used to draining fluid in an easy route like a shunt, other little ducts in the brain can start closing off and the brain can become dependent on the shunt, even if it wasn't before. So I thought if Nate's brain got dependent on the external drain during that 5 days he had it in, think about how it would have gotten used to a shunt. I don't think he would have been able to lose the shunt after 6 months, and he probably would have always had it. Anyway, that was just further confirmation that I think we did the right thing with the ETV. I do think he needed it, and God just orchestrated all this in the right timing.
Then the ortho doc came in and had no concerns. He was asking about everything, so I told him about going to Boston. Then he asked if we had any bowel/bladder concerns, and I told him we were headed to Cincinnati to see their specialists. He said, "Well, it sounds like you all are going all over!" Yep, we're going to go where we think Nate needs to go, and not be afraid to leave our clinic.
On the way home, with every.single.song. that came on the radio, Nate said, "Mama, i like this song!" Every single song. The kid loves his music, and I also think he likes to annoy me.
Other updates:
I'm about 14 weeks pregnant now. Out of the first trimester-Yay! Poor Blake, you would think he would remember by the 3rd pregnancy that I am a tired blob during the first trimester. He kept wondering why I was just sitting on the couch and not helping with much housework for like 10 weeks! But I got my energy back, and this weekend our house got some much needed attention. :) I have an appointment this Friday, and I'm hoping the doc will get my specialist appointment scheduled so we can get a level II ultrasound of this little one. I'm sure he or she is healthy, but I want to know if he's a he or she's a she! At this point, I would be thrilled with either. I would slightly prefer a boy because I have a boy name I really want to use, but if it's a girl, we are in trouble in the name department. I research names all the time, and I can't find a single girl name that even compares to how much I love Georgia's name.
This baby is no fun and doesn't like junk food or sweets. Just salad and fruit and good cheese and healthy foods. I didn't even want cake on my birthday! My pregnancy with Nate was sort of the same--I did like junk food, but I mostly craved fruit. With Georgia I craved chocolate all the time. I remember one time craving brownies, and I made some and ate them, and I felt Georgia doing flip flops in my belly! To this day "choc-yat" is her favorite food.
Georgia is her sassy little self. This weekend she found some alphabet flashcards on her book shelf that used to be Nate's. I took out the "A" card and asked her what letter it was, and she smiled and said, "I don't know, what?" Oh, poor thing. She's smart as can be, but I haven't sat down and worked with her on this stuff like I did with Nate. At 2.5, Nate knew all his letters and could count to 10 and knew his colors and shapes. Georgia's got none of that. With Nate, I was home with him. Plus I was constantly watching for signs of him being behind or on target. With Georgia, I just know everything is ok with her so I haven't worried or stressed over her nearly as much. Now it's showing. :) I'll work more with her. But she's a smart little cookie and will pick it up fine.
That's about all that's going on. We had a great weekend. The kids are happy, the parents are happy. What can I say, life is good!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Update on the kids
Nate
We had a parent-teacher conference last week, where I had a chance to talk with Nate's main teacher as well as the special education co-teacher who works with him. He is reading at the level they want him to be at by the end of the school year. He is such a good little reader and can figure out just about anything. I'm so proud!
He's right where he needs to be in all areas except handwriting. It's still pretty atrocious, but he's improving. Previously we had made a plan to cut out the "social skills" class that was pulling him out of his regular classroom because his teachers contend he has no problems with social skills. Awesome! (This was one of our big worries as he entered Kindergarten.) We talked about ways to get him more one-on-one help with handwriting during the school day, but the problem is he is out of school every Thursday for outside physical and occupational therapies, and on Wednesdays and Fridays he goes to Speech Therapy during writing time. So that just leaves Mondays and Tuesdays for extra help. That's when I asked why in the world my chatterbox child has 2 days of speech! I mean, I know why he has speech--to work on answering questions appropriately, etc. But twice a week seems a little much. So we all agreed to drop one day of speech so he would have more time in class to work on writing. In fact, the speech therapist says she is sure he will no longer qualify for speech after this year! That's great news! (If it was OT or PT, that would be a different story.)
So then I asked the question: Are we still on the same page that Nate will repeat Kindergarten next year? They looked at each other. And the Special Education teacher said, "We really have no justification for holding him back." He's right on track for academics and social skills. Oh wow. I have such mixed feelings about this. I'm ecstatic that he has caught up so much after being out of Kindergarten for four months in the fall. What a smart boy! But I've just had it in my head and in my gut for months now that he would repeat Kindergarten. I guess I would rather have him repeat Kindergarten than have to repeat 3rd grade.
I mentioned my concerns. First is the handwriting. Well, we have a plan to work on that. (And to be honest, I saw some of those kids' handwriting on Valentines, and they aren't much better!) Second is that he's still in pull ups. But we are working on an appointment with a great doctor to work on at least bowel continence, and I think we can get there before school starts in the fall. And the third thing is his self help skills. He currently has a great aid that works on his independence at school. Like if he is washing his hands and tells her he needs soap, she tells him to get it himself. Lol! I love that!
Nate will have a very thorough evaluation this year for his IEP, so we will wait to see how that turns out and how the rest of the year goes. We can talk it over with the guidance counselor and his therapists too to get their input. We certainly haven't made up our mind yet. But 1st grade may be more of a possibility than we thought.
Tonight Nate came home with a special bag in his backpack. He is Star Student this week! That means he gets to be the teacher's special helper and the line leader (heaven help them get down the hallway with pokey leading them!), and he gets to share about himself. So there was a poster that he got to color and put pictures of himself and his family and his favorite foods. And he wrote his favorite color (blue) and favorite book (a train book) and what he wants to be when he grows up (engineer). He wrote his friends' names (Spencer, Eddie, Cade, and Georgia) and where he lived (in a house, haha). Then he was supposed to gather some items to do a little show and tell about himself. He chose a train (Gordon) plus a caboose to one of his model trains, his drum sticks and harmonica, a couple baby pictures, his stuffed turtle (we could not pack Seal the Sea Lion because we wouldn't get him back until Friday, and how would either of them sleep at night?), AND last but not least his Redefining Spina Bifida shirt. I quizzed him a little about Spina Bifida to see what he would say about the shirt. First he said, "That's where you work." Well, that's true. But then we discussed that meant he had a hole in his back when he was a baby, and it's also why he had surgery last fall. Let's hope he represents well.
Georgia
Poor Georgia has been sick twice in the past month. The first time she had an unexplained high fever for days and days. We took her to the doc once and got an antibiotic because she seemed to have an upper respiratory infection. Finally after 5 days of high fevers, I took her back to the doctor. He told me to take off her shirt so he could listen to her, and voila! She was spotted. She had roseola! Usually when the spots come out is when the fever goes away, and that happened with her too.
Two weeks later, she started feeling sick again. Very stuffy, bad cough. She was in the bed with us one night (more on this later), and out of the blue says, "My ear hurts." I am so happy that she can tell me what is wrong with her. You just don't appreciate that until you have a screaming baby and not a clue as to what is wrong. We got her ear treated, and got her cough checked out too--it's fine. She's still not 100%, but she's much better finally.
When she was sick, she got in the habit of sleeping in my and Blake's bed. Blake thinks it's a great idea to have the kids sleep with us when they are sick. And I always know it's a bad idea, but when they come in at 3 am, I sometimes don't even notice until morning. After several nights of this, it was time for Georgia to go back to her room. Oh, she really didn't like that. We had one terrible night of getting up every 15 minutes to put her back in bed. (I would have given any amount of money to have the crib back that night.) And every time she would scream her head off. Awful night. And since then, she has still had trouble staying in bed most nights, but I think it's finally getting better (knock on wood).
But her tantrums are really, really bad right now. She is SO good at being two. I bet my two year old can throw a better tantrum than your two year old. Blake took her to pick up Nate one day, and she threw a really good one in the floor in the middle of all the other parents. Then I made the mistake of attempting to take her to Nate's OT appointment one evening. The real victim was the poor woman who had to share a waiting room with us. Screaching, screaming, time outs, smacking (her smacking me, not the other way around), etc. So we're dealing with it, but it's not the most fun stage Georgia has had. I guess the terrible twos just showed up a little late. And I know what happens after 2 and that it doesn't get better for awhile!
And now I think we're pretty well caught up after my month off from blogging. :)
We had a parent-teacher conference last week, where I had a chance to talk with Nate's main teacher as well as the special education co-teacher who works with him. He is reading at the level they want him to be at by the end of the school year. He is such a good little reader and can figure out just about anything. I'm so proud!
He's right where he needs to be in all areas except handwriting. It's still pretty atrocious, but he's improving. Previously we had made a plan to cut out the "social skills" class that was pulling him out of his regular classroom because his teachers contend he has no problems with social skills. Awesome! (This was one of our big worries as he entered Kindergarten.) We talked about ways to get him more one-on-one help with handwriting during the school day, but the problem is he is out of school every Thursday for outside physical and occupational therapies, and on Wednesdays and Fridays he goes to Speech Therapy during writing time. So that just leaves Mondays and Tuesdays for extra help. That's when I asked why in the world my chatterbox child has 2 days of speech! I mean, I know why he has speech--to work on answering questions appropriately, etc. But twice a week seems a little much. So we all agreed to drop one day of speech so he would have more time in class to work on writing. In fact, the speech therapist says she is sure he will no longer qualify for speech after this year! That's great news! (If it was OT or PT, that would be a different story.)
So then I asked the question: Are we still on the same page that Nate will repeat Kindergarten next year? They looked at each other. And the Special Education teacher said, "We really have no justification for holding him back." He's right on track for academics and social skills. Oh wow. I have such mixed feelings about this. I'm ecstatic that he has caught up so much after being out of Kindergarten for four months in the fall. What a smart boy! But I've just had it in my head and in my gut for months now that he would repeat Kindergarten. I guess I would rather have him repeat Kindergarten than have to repeat 3rd grade.
I mentioned my concerns. First is the handwriting. Well, we have a plan to work on that. (And to be honest, I saw some of those kids' handwriting on Valentines, and they aren't much better!) Second is that he's still in pull ups. But we are working on an appointment with a great doctor to work on at least bowel continence, and I think we can get there before school starts in the fall. And the third thing is his self help skills. He currently has a great aid that works on his independence at school. Like if he is washing his hands and tells her he needs soap, she tells him to get it himself. Lol! I love that!
Nate will have a very thorough evaluation this year for his IEP, so we will wait to see how that turns out and how the rest of the year goes. We can talk it over with the guidance counselor and his therapists too to get their input. We certainly haven't made up our mind yet. But 1st grade may be more of a possibility than we thought.
Tonight Nate came home with a special bag in his backpack. He is Star Student this week! That means he gets to be the teacher's special helper and the line leader (heaven help them get down the hallway with pokey leading them!), and he gets to share about himself. So there was a poster that he got to color and put pictures of himself and his family and his favorite foods. And he wrote his favorite color (blue) and favorite book (a train book) and what he wants to be when he grows up (engineer). He wrote his friends' names (Spencer, Eddie, Cade, and Georgia) and where he lived (in a house, haha). Then he was supposed to gather some items to do a little show and tell about himself. He chose a train (Gordon) plus a caboose to one of his model trains, his drum sticks and harmonica, a couple baby pictures, his stuffed turtle (we could not pack Seal the Sea Lion because we wouldn't get him back until Friday, and how would either of them sleep at night?), AND last but not least his Redefining Spina Bifida shirt. I quizzed him a little about Spina Bifida to see what he would say about the shirt. First he said, "That's where you work." Well, that's true. But then we discussed that meant he had a hole in his back when he was a baby, and it's also why he had surgery last fall. Let's hope he represents well.
Georgia
Poor Georgia has been sick twice in the past month. The first time she had an unexplained high fever for days and days. We took her to the doc once and got an antibiotic because she seemed to have an upper respiratory infection. Finally after 5 days of high fevers, I took her back to the doctor. He told me to take off her shirt so he could listen to her, and voila! She was spotted. She had roseola! Usually when the spots come out is when the fever goes away, and that happened with her too.
Two weeks later, she started feeling sick again. Very stuffy, bad cough. She was in the bed with us one night (more on this later), and out of the blue says, "My ear hurts." I am so happy that she can tell me what is wrong with her. You just don't appreciate that until you have a screaming baby and not a clue as to what is wrong. We got her ear treated, and got her cough checked out too--it's fine. She's still not 100%, but she's much better finally.
When she was sick, she got in the habit of sleeping in my and Blake's bed. Blake thinks it's a great idea to have the kids sleep with us when they are sick. And I always know it's a bad idea, but when they come in at 3 am, I sometimes don't even notice until morning. After several nights of this, it was time for Georgia to go back to her room. Oh, she really didn't like that. We had one terrible night of getting up every 15 minutes to put her back in bed. (I would have given any amount of money to have the crib back that night.) And every time she would scream her head off. Awful night. And since then, she has still had trouble staying in bed most nights, but I think it's finally getting better (knock on wood).
But her tantrums are really, really bad right now. She is SO good at being two. I bet my two year old can throw a better tantrum than your two year old. Blake took her to pick up Nate one day, and she threw a really good one in the floor in the middle of all the other parents. Then I made the mistake of attempting to take her to Nate's OT appointment one evening. The real victim was the poor woman who had to share a waiting room with us. Screaching, screaming, time outs, smacking (her smacking me, not the other way around), etc. So we're dealing with it, but it's not the most fun stage Georgia has had. I guess the terrible twos just showed up a little late. And I know what happens after 2 and that it doesn't get better for awhile!
And now I think we're pretty well caught up after my month off from blogging. :)
I've had a secret.
I haven't blogged in over a month, because I have a hard time blogging with a secret. :)
I'm pregnant!
I'm about 11 weeks along. Around 6 weeks, Blake and I saw the baby on ultrasound and heard the heartbeat. Last week I was able to hear the heartbeat on the doppler. Is there any sweeter sound? I had waited 2.5 hours for this 4 minute appointment, and as annoyed as I was at that point, I just couldn't help but grin big at that thumping sound.
The next morning, I finally told Nate and Georgia I had a baby in my belly. They don't fully understand, but they were somewhat excited. Nate had some questions.
Me: The baby is very small now, but it will get bigger and bigger, and then I'll go to the hospital and the doctor will get it out.
Nate: Is the doctor going to have to break your belly?!
Me: No, I'll have to have surgery to get the baby out. Kind of like how you had to have surgery.
Nate: Are you going to have a hole in your back too?
(Bless his heart.)
Me: No, I'll have an incision in my belly. But the doctor will be very careful, and the baby and I will be fine. I had surgery to get you and Georgia out too.
I couldn't resist asking him if he thought we were having a boy or a girl. When I told him I was pregnant with Georgia, he knew right away she was a girl and stuck with it the whole time (he was only 2). This time he thinks it's a boy, and he wants to name him Nate. I told him that might get confusing when I call for Nate and they both say what.
Georgia didn't have much of a reaction, but after Blake told her babysitter that morning, I guess they talked it up all day. That evening, she was putting her baby doll down for a nap on the couch, and she says:
Georgia: Mama, are you gonna have a baby in your bewwy?
Me: I DO have a baby in my belly! ... Georgia, what in the world are we going to do with a baby?
Georgia: (Pointing at the couch) I gonna lay it right here to go to sweep.
Later, my neighbor came over, and she commented on how tall Georgia is getting. Georgia says, "That's cause I'm a big sister!" She is very excited about being a big sister.
On New Year's Day this year, I wrote on the blog: "The truth is, we have no idea what will happen this year, and I'm pretty happy with that. We give 2012 to God, and we'll follow him wherever he leads us. Wherever that is will be something way better than we could have dreamed up."
Well, there you go. Seven days later I found out I was pregnant--quite unintentionally! When you give God control, great stuff happens. So I can worry about birth defects or prematurity or how I'm going to handle 3 kids and a full-time job or how the kids will react to a baby or how we'll afford a baby. Or I can believe that God knows what he's doing. And I do believe that.
I'm pregnant!
I'm about 11 weeks along. Around 6 weeks, Blake and I saw the baby on ultrasound and heard the heartbeat. Last week I was able to hear the heartbeat on the doppler. Is there any sweeter sound? I had waited 2.5 hours for this 4 minute appointment, and as annoyed as I was at that point, I just couldn't help but grin big at that thumping sound.
The next morning, I finally told Nate and Georgia I had a baby in my belly. They don't fully understand, but they were somewhat excited. Nate had some questions.
Me: The baby is very small now, but it will get bigger and bigger, and then I'll go to the hospital and the doctor will get it out.
Nate: Is the doctor going to have to break your belly?!
Me: No, I'll have to have surgery to get the baby out. Kind of like how you had to have surgery.
Nate: Are you going to have a hole in your back too?
(Bless his heart.)
Me: No, I'll have an incision in my belly. But the doctor will be very careful, and the baby and I will be fine. I had surgery to get you and Georgia out too.
I couldn't resist asking him if he thought we were having a boy or a girl. When I told him I was pregnant with Georgia, he knew right away she was a girl and stuck with it the whole time (he was only 2). This time he thinks it's a boy, and he wants to name him Nate. I told him that might get confusing when I call for Nate and they both say what.
Georgia didn't have much of a reaction, but after Blake told her babysitter that morning, I guess they talked it up all day. That evening, she was putting her baby doll down for a nap on the couch, and she says:
Georgia: Mama, are you gonna have a baby in your bewwy?
Me: I DO have a baby in my belly! ... Georgia, what in the world are we going to do with a baby?
Georgia: (Pointing at the couch) I gonna lay it right here to go to sweep.
Later, my neighbor came over, and she commented on how tall Georgia is getting. Georgia says, "That's cause I'm a big sister!" She is very excited about being a big sister.
On New Year's Day this year, I wrote on the blog: "The truth is, we have no idea what will happen this year, and I'm pretty happy with that. We give 2012 to God, and we'll follow him wherever he leads us. Wherever that is will be something way better than we could have dreamed up."
Well, there you go. Seven days later I found out I was pregnant--quite unintentionally! When you give God control, great stuff happens. So I can worry about birth defects or prematurity or how I'm going to handle 3 kids and a full-time job or how the kids will react to a baby or how we'll afford a baby. Or I can believe that God knows what he's doing. And I do believe that.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Getting a great start to 2012
Everything is going pretty well here! Nothing much to report, but I thought I would check in and give a few little updates.
First, the best news. Last week was Nate's first week back at school, and he has done great. He's been ready for bed by about 6:30 (and so has Georgia!), but the teacher says he's not complaining of being tired until after 3 and he gets out at 3:45. The teacher told me she was going to do an assessment of him to see how far he might have fallen behind while out of school all last fall. Keep in mind he went to Kindergarten 3 weeks in August and hadn't been back until last week.
So on Monday, I got a call from one of the special education teachers that comes into Nate's room to co-teach. She also takes him down to the self-contained room for a social skills class every day. She explained to me that they would like to reduce his special education services because when his teacher did the assessment, he scored AT or ABOVE grade level in EVERY AREA. After only 3 weeks of Kindergarten back in August! He's not behind, and he's even a little ahead in some areas! I was stoked. That is my smart boy!!
He gets two hours per week of special education services, and she said that's really not warranted at this point. Specifically, his teacher wanted him to drop the social skills class because a) He is not showing any delays in the classroom with social skills and b) taking him down the hall for that is taking him away from something she's doing in the classroom at that time that she wants him to be a part of. So I said drop it! I never really liked the idea of him being pulled out of the class every day for that anyway, but we were concerned about his social skills. But everyone agrees he is doing fine in that regard.
So my next question was, if he's at or above grade level in every area, is it necessary for him to repeat Kindergarten? She said we just need to see how he progresses this spring. The main concern for everyone is his handwriting. He still needs lots of work there. So she (the special ed teacher) is going to his class twice a day during normal writing times and working one on one with him. I'm not sure if I would want him to go to first grade next year anyway. I think he has some maturing to do before he's ready. But in the school's eyes, the handwriting is the only thing they are concerned about right now. So, we'll see. We will probably hold him back. But it's nice having the option because he's so darn smart!
The other consideration is we would ideally like to have Nate out of pullups by 1st grade. We are taking steps toward that now. We have a pretty good routine now for #2 where he's just going once a day around the same time. That's big progress!! Now we just have to figure out the bladder stuff.
Nate's favorite thing right now is the ipod touch Granna and Pop got him for Christmas. The loaded all of his favorite songs--Justin Beiber, Taylor Swift, Sugarland--and he is singing along with this thing constantly. I could have lived without hearing him singing "country girl shake it for me!" It also has his favorite games and apps. The other day I showed him it also has a camera on it, and you should have seen his face--classic wide eyes and open mouth surprise.
Georgia is also doing great. She is potty trained! We started the week after Christmas on a Monday afternoon, and that Thursday was the last accident she had at home. She had an accident at church the next Sunday because I forgot to remind her she had to tell the teacher when she had to go. But since then, there has not been one accident. She is so proud of herself! I don't even have to ask her. She'll just say, "I need to go pee pee on the potty" and will go over and do it herself. She's been using a little potty but is starting to use the big potty just fine. She wears a pull up at night, but if she wakes up needing to go, she will come tell me so I can help her get on the big potty. This is so easy!
Georgia is really into dressing herself now. She must pick out the clothes and put them on herself. Every.single.time. For the last 3 days, she has only wanted to wear the same red and white striped pajama bottoms, a tutu, and different shirts. Today's is tye-died. Oh, and her "cow boots." One day this week, she picked out jeans, a puffy plaid skirt, and a purple sweatshirt. Nicole said, "Did you see what Georgia wore to Bekah's house today?" I said, yep, I let her wear it! She's decent at getting herself dressed, except she needs help with getting the shirt over her head.
Oh, I've been meaning to write this on here. On Christmas day, one of Georgia's gifts from my mom was some pots and pans for her play kitchen. She had a toy muffin tin and was stirring something imaginary, and my mom said, "Are you bakin'?" And Georgia says, "I not bacon. I Georgia!"
Work is going awesome. This week I wrote 2 grants that have the potential for a total of $50,000, and I crossed a bunch of big things off my to-do list.
And I am loving having no real plans on weekends. Today the kids are going to Nicole's house, and Blake and I are going to go to dinner and catch a movie! I can't remember the last time we went to a movie.
Hope your 2012 is going just as well!
First, the best news. Last week was Nate's first week back at school, and he has done great. He's been ready for bed by about 6:30 (and so has Georgia!), but the teacher says he's not complaining of being tired until after 3 and he gets out at 3:45. The teacher told me she was going to do an assessment of him to see how far he might have fallen behind while out of school all last fall. Keep in mind he went to Kindergarten 3 weeks in August and hadn't been back until last week.
So on Monday, I got a call from one of the special education teachers that comes into Nate's room to co-teach. She also takes him down to the self-contained room for a social skills class every day. She explained to me that they would like to reduce his special education services because when his teacher did the assessment, he scored AT or ABOVE grade level in EVERY AREA. After only 3 weeks of Kindergarten back in August! He's not behind, and he's even a little ahead in some areas! I was stoked. That is my smart boy!!
He gets two hours per week of special education services, and she said that's really not warranted at this point. Specifically, his teacher wanted him to drop the social skills class because a) He is not showing any delays in the classroom with social skills and b) taking him down the hall for that is taking him away from something she's doing in the classroom at that time that she wants him to be a part of. So I said drop it! I never really liked the idea of him being pulled out of the class every day for that anyway, but we were concerned about his social skills. But everyone agrees he is doing fine in that regard.
So my next question was, if he's at or above grade level in every area, is it necessary for him to repeat Kindergarten? She said we just need to see how he progresses this spring. The main concern for everyone is his handwriting. He still needs lots of work there. So she (the special ed teacher) is going to his class twice a day during normal writing times and working one on one with him. I'm not sure if I would want him to go to first grade next year anyway. I think he has some maturing to do before he's ready. But in the school's eyes, the handwriting is the only thing they are concerned about right now. So, we'll see. We will probably hold him back. But it's nice having the option because he's so darn smart!
The other consideration is we would ideally like to have Nate out of pullups by 1st grade. We are taking steps toward that now. We have a pretty good routine now for #2 where he's just going once a day around the same time. That's big progress!! Now we just have to figure out the bladder stuff.
Nate's favorite thing right now is the ipod touch Granna and Pop got him for Christmas. The loaded all of his favorite songs--Justin Beiber, Taylor Swift, Sugarland--and he is singing along with this thing constantly. I could have lived without hearing him singing "country girl shake it for me!" It also has his favorite games and apps. The other day I showed him it also has a camera on it, and you should have seen his face--classic wide eyes and open mouth surprise.
Georgia is also doing great. She is potty trained! We started the week after Christmas on a Monday afternoon, and that Thursday was the last accident she had at home. She had an accident at church the next Sunday because I forgot to remind her she had to tell the teacher when she had to go. But since then, there has not been one accident. She is so proud of herself! I don't even have to ask her. She'll just say, "I need to go pee pee on the potty" and will go over and do it herself. She's been using a little potty but is starting to use the big potty just fine. She wears a pull up at night, but if she wakes up needing to go, she will come tell me so I can help her get on the big potty. This is so easy!
Georgia is really into dressing herself now. She must pick out the clothes and put them on herself. Every.single.time. For the last 3 days, she has only wanted to wear the same red and white striped pajama bottoms, a tutu, and different shirts. Today's is tye-died. Oh, and her "cow boots." One day this week, she picked out jeans, a puffy plaid skirt, and a purple sweatshirt. Nicole said, "Did you see what Georgia wore to Bekah's house today?" I said, yep, I let her wear it! She's decent at getting herself dressed, except she needs help with getting the shirt over her head.
Oh, I've been meaning to write this on here. On Christmas day, one of Georgia's gifts from my mom was some pots and pans for her play kitchen. She had a toy muffin tin and was stirring something imaginary, and my mom said, "Are you bakin'?" And Georgia says, "I not bacon. I Georgia!"
Work is going awesome. This week I wrote 2 grants that have the potential for a total of $50,000, and I crossed a bunch of big things off my to-do list.
And I am loving having no real plans on weekends. Today the kids are going to Nicole's house, and Blake and I are going to go to dinner and catch a movie! I can't remember the last time we went to a movie.
Hope your 2012 is going just as well!
Monday, January 2, 2012
2011 in Review
Sometimes life goes at such warp speed that I forget to take time to reflect. But starting a new year is always a great time to look back at where we were last New Year's Day and what has happened since then. Wow. It has been a life-changing year in many ways.
Georgia! At the beginning of this 2011, she was just a baby! She was so little.
This year started with her getting a new babysitter, Bekah. And now Bekah is like a member of the family. Georgia loves her to pieces, and the feeling is mutual. Georgia also got her first haircut, even when she didn't have much. This summer she turned 2.
Everyone talks about the terrible 2's, and of course she is stubborn and throws tantrums just like any 2 year old. But I honestly love the 2's. Georgia has such a great little personality and talks up a storm and has such cute interests. She's now in her big girl toddler bed.
And just this past week---She has potty trained! I'm so proud of the big girl she has become, and I wish I could freeze time so she could be at this stage just a little while longer.
Blake has also had an amazing year. I've never mentioned on this blog that Blake is a recovering alcoholic who essentially stopped drinking shortly after Nate was born. But the last few years have still been a struggle at times. In January this year, he seriously committed to Alcoholics Anonymous, and he recently finished his 12th step. The 12 steps are neverending, but this was a huge accomplishment for him. He also did the Man Challenge at church and is now in a Disciples of Christ class, which is an intensive nearly 2 year class to learn the Bible. Even though his work has been difficult at times, as his company has been bought out twice in the past year, Blake has still done well at work and with balancing work and home. He has quit smoking ... 4 times! But we think this time is the charm. :) He is constantly trying to be a better father--and he is so intentional about playing with the kids. And this is really been the best year of our marriage so far. I'm so proud of him!
Nate. Oh, Nate. At the beginning of the year, he was having major behavior issues, both at home and in preschool. We didn't know what to do about it. Then for the most part, they just stopped. He still cries and fits more than I would like, and more than I think is age appropriate. But most of the time, he is a very sweet and often obedient boy.
This summer, he played T-ball and turned 5.
In March is when I first noticed Nate's left foot turning out suddenly, but the PT placated me for awhile. In July I called the neurosurgeon to move our appointment up sooner. Then a couple weeks later we realized he had lost major function in his foot. So began the full-on freak out (my and Blake's), and we got in to see the docs in August. Tethered cord surgery was Sept. 7. This was Nate's first surgery since before he was born.
He came through the surgery fine, but two weeks later, he had to have another surgery to close a spinal fluid leak in his back. A couple weeks later, it happened again, and we made the decision to go to Boston for another back surgery and ETV. Nate rode on an airplane for the first time.
He learned how to use a wheelchair.
He laid flat for 7 days.
And he has come through it all with amazing strength. I so admire this little boy.
What about me? I've had a pretty amazing year professionally. One of the highlights was the SBAK Day Conference when Aaron Fotheringham visited Louisville. It was amazing, and I was so proud of my work contributing to that day.
Another highlight was the SBA National Conference in Anaheim, where I got to meet so many of my SB mommy (and daddy) friends. That was an awesome experience, and I am pumped about this summer's conference in Indianapolis.
In September I became Executive Director of SBAK, and with that came much more responsibility, and just a lot of cool things I get to do for my job. I never would have guessed that would happen this year--that was a huge change.
So many things happened in our lives this year. Blake's stepdad, Bob, died way too young. We miss him every day and grieve for the whole family, especially Janie.
My cousin Nicole moved to Louisville to be the kids' nanny over the summer. She has been a HUGE help with Nate as he's been out of school so long this fall, but we've also just enjoyed having her and her son Cade as part of our daily lives.
We traded in our truck for a minvan. Then I wrecked it.
We went on a family vacation to Florida! That was a blast!
We also went on a Labor Day weekend trip with my dad's whole family to Gatlinburg. This was such a fun time right before Nate's first surgery.
And my best friend had twin boys! I got to visit with them this weekend.
Like I said--Wow! It was a life-changing year. It's easy to look back on the year and just see the bad and hard stuff. But so many good things happened too. And even in the hard stuff, we grew closer, learned to lean on God because he was all we could hold on to, and came through it with a better focus on our blessings. If I had known all that would happen, I would have been so scared. But God gently led us through it and gave us everything we needed when we needed it. His love and grace amaze me.
Now we begin another year, and of course we have big plans. I look forward to another eventful year professionally. My goal is to get our family healthier, and Blake is focusing on getting us in better financial health. The truth is, we have no idea what will happen this year, and I'm pretty happy with that. We give 2012 to God, and we'll follow him wherever he leads us. Wherever that is will be something way better than we could have dreamed up.
Happy New Year!
Georgia! At the beginning of this 2011, she was just a baby! She was so little.
 |
| February |
This year started with her getting a new babysitter, Bekah. And now Bekah is like a member of the family. Georgia loves her to pieces, and the feeling is mutual. Georgia also got her first haircut, even when she didn't have much. This summer she turned 2.
 |
| July |
Everyone talks about the terrible 2's, and of course she is stubborn and throws tantrums just like any 2 year old. But I honestly love the 2's. Georgia has such a great little personality and talks up a storm and has such cute interests. She's now in her big girl toddler bed.
 |
| December |
 |
| This weekend, with her bff Ellie. |
Nate. Oh, Nate. At the beginning of the year, he was having major behavior issues, both at home and in preschool. We didn't know what to do about it. Then for the most part, they just stopped. He still cries and fits more than I would like, and more than I think is age appropriate. But most of the time, he is a very sweet and often obedient boy.
 |
| February |
Nate started Kindergarten! He went for 3 weeks, and he hasn't been back since. That's ok. He'll have another first day of Kindergarten next year. :)
In March is when I first noticed Nate's left foot turning out suddenly, but the PT placated me for awhile. In July I called the neurosurgeon to move our appointment up sooner. Then a couple weeks later we realized he had lost major function in his foot. So began the full-on freak out (my and Blake's), and we got in to see the docs in August. Tethered cord surgery was Sept. 7. This was Nate's first surgery since before he was born.
He came through the surgery fine, but two weeks later, he had to have another surgery to close a spinal fluid leak in his back. A couple weeks later, it happened again, and we made the decision to go to Boston for another back surgery and ETV. Nate rode on an airplane for the first time.
He learned how to use a wheelchair.
And he has come through it all with amazing strength. I so admire this little boy.
What about me? I've had a pretty amazing year professionally. One of the highlights was the SBAK Day Conference when Aaron Fotheringham visited Louisville. It was amazing, and I was so proud of my work contributing to that day.
Another highlight was the SBA National Conference in Anaheim, where I got to meet so many of my SB mommy (and daddy) friends. That was an awesome experience, and I am pumped about this summer's conference in Indianapolis.
In September I became Executive Director of SBAK, and with that came much more responsibility, and just a lot of cool things I get to do for my job. I never would have guessed that would happen this year--that was a huge change.
So many things happened in our lives this year. Blake's stepdad, Bob, died way too young. We miss him every day and grieve for the whole family, especially Janie.
My cousin Nicole moved to Louisville to be the kids' nanny over the summer. She has been a HUGE help with Nate as he's been out of school so long this fall, but we've also just enjoyed having her and her son Cade as part of our daily lives.
We traded in our truck for a minvan. Then I wrecked it.
We went on a family vacation to Florida! That was a blast!
We also went on a Labor Day weekend trip with my dad's whole family to Gatlinburg. This was such a fun time right before Nate's first surgery.
And my best friend had twin boys! I got to visit with them this weekend.
 |
| Truman |
 |
| Thomas |
Now we begin another year, and of course we have big plans. I look forward to another eventful year professionally. My goal is to get our family healthier, and Blake is focusing on getting us in better financial health. The truth is, we have no idea what will happen this year, and I'm pretty happy with that. We give 2012 to God, and we'll follow him wherever he leads us. Wherever that is will be something way better than we could have dreamed up.
Happy New Year!
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