Thursday, January 22, 2009
Arrival
Okay, I am kicking Shawn off blogger now. It is 2:20 am, and I am surprisingly more energized now that I had about 45 minutes of sleep!
Violet's labor and delivery was nothing like I expected at all. I would never have predicted that it would end in a C-section. We arrived at the hospital at 7am, and I was at 2 cm and 50% effaced. Because I am a carrier of the Group B strep infection, the first order of business was putting in an IV and getting some antibiotics in my system. About two hours later, they started my Pitocin to get the contractions going stronger and longer. Then Dr. B broke my water. By this time, I was at 3 cm and that's when the real fun began.
From the beginning, Violet was not happy with labor. At first her heart rate would go down with each contraction (below 100), then it started taking longer and longer for the heart rate to go back up. Dr. B thought Violet might be laying on her umbilical cord and compressing it with each contraction, so we tried various positions to get Violet off the cord. When that did not work, Dr. B started an amnio infusion, which means that she inserted a catheter into my uterus and started to put fluid back into the uterus. This provided more cushion for Violet, and her heart rate began to improve. At the same time, a pressure catheter was inserted to accurately monitor the strength of each contraction. This worked for a bit, and I dilated another centimeter to 4 cm. Then, once again, Violet's heart rate was acting up again. This time, not only did she have decelerations with each contraction, but in between, she became tachycardiac, and her heart rate would go up into the 180's. So this time, Dr. B inserted an internal fetal monitor to keep an exact eye on Violet's heart rate. By now, I had tubes and wires everywhere. It was becoming quite clear that my "natural" birth was going to be anything but. I was not allowed to labor in the tub or on the birthing ball. I was confined to the bed (which is exactly what I didn't want!).
Dr. B explained up front that if they could not get Violet's heart rate under control, then I would have to deliver by C-section. Definitely NOT in my birth plan, so I was willing to try anything. I spent over an hour on my hands and knees on the bed with the addition of giving me oxygen via mask to see how that would improve Violet's heart rate. Now after 10 hours of doing various things, I was still only at 4cm, and Violet really was not happy in any position. I had told Dr. B that I would stay on my hands and knees for hours and deliver that way, if I had to. But by now Shawn and I realized that a C-section was looking like the best option. After all, Violet's health and safety came first, no matter how the delivery went.
At 5 pm, we agreed to the C-section, and everything proceeded rapidly from there. I admit to being extremely nervous about this great unknown. Dr. B explained the procedure and recovery thoroughly (I love my OB and trust her implicitly - she has delivered all four of my children now). We joked about how I was going to have all the birth experiences possible, and now if I ever did have a fifth child, I could even experience a VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean). Getting an epidural while in very little discomfort was also a new, unpleasant experience, but the anesthesiologist was wonderful. Very encouraging and supportive and kept me updated the whole time we were in the operating room. I know Shawn was very anxious as well, but he was strong and brave for my sake! (Thank you, honey, I love you!) The C-section was underway, and Violet Grace was born at 5:42 pm. Although it is still surreal to me that I actually underwent a C-section, when Violet was brought out of me, and I heard that first cry, that was as real as my other births. I cried and thanked God that she was finally here.
We are surprised at what a peanut she is - weighing in at barely 6 lbs, 7 oz. (she was technically 6 lbs, 6.5 oz) and measuring 18 inches long, she is smaller than Clare was at birth! (Who was 6 lbs, 8 oz and 20".) About an hour after birth, Violet's heart and respiratory rates were still high, and she was cold (her feet and hands were blue). That resolved over the next couple hours. Violet did have the cord wrapped around her body twice (and I think once around her neck), which explains her decelerations. Dr. B believes that there was no way Violet would have delivered vaginally because of this. So I am thankful we made the decision to have a C-section before I endured hours more of labor (especially on my hands and knees). This way, I do have a C-section recovery ahead of me, but I am not recovering from hard labor and pushing as well. Dr. B hypothesizes that the stress of labor at least contributed to the tachycardia, but is having my placenta tested as well to rule out any infection. We, of course, have asked over and over, and Violet has no heart murmur (not that I was expecting one, but you never know!).
Right now, I am extremely tender and starting to feel the soreness of the incision. The epidural will remain in my spine for a couple days, and I am receiving pain relief through that. I have developed the "itchies" (which, to me, feels worse than the incision right now) and have received a shot for that. I don't know what to expect from the recovery, but so far, it is all new. Not too bad yet, but everyone keeps telling me, "Just wait." Great!
Violet is in the nursery having her hearing test done, and I miss her already. A mommy's pride, but she is the most beautiful baby. She has dark hair, but not as much as the other three did. She looks like a mix of Jamie, Clare, and Simon - it's so amazing! And I couldn't believe it when Shawn told me she is tongue-tied as well. The pediatrician will look at her later today, but from what I can see, it actually looks like a worse tongue-tie than Clare's, and her tongue may actually fork like a lizard's when she sticks it out because the tie is all the way to the front of her mouth. Thankfully, this should be a simple procedure if she needs it released, since Violet does not have Clare's medical history. But, for right now, Violet is already nursing like a pro and prefers being in bed with me.
I am still in awe that our baby girl is actually here and in our arms. One of the benefits of the C-section was that my sister-in-law was able to bring the kids to the hospital an hour after Violet's birth so they could meet her. Already, Jamie cannot get enough of her and wanted to just sit and hold her. Clare was eager to meet Violet, too. She has not gotten to hold her yet because she was also so excited to see me. Simon, however, wanted nothing to do with me and clung to Auntie Becky. I have a feeling we're going to have a little bit of a rough adjustment down that road. Especially since I have an incision now and won't be able to do all Simon will want me to do.
We will definitely be in the hospital into the weekend now. Shawn is going to download the photos off the camera later (since it is 2 am, and he is actually sleeping), so I will post more photos! Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. We are ecstatic that Violet Grace has finally arrived, safe and sound.
Violet's labor and delivery was nothing like I expected at all. I would never have predicted that it would end in a C-section. We arrived at the hospital at 7am, and I was at 2 cm and 50% effaced. Because I am a carrier of the Group B strep infection, the first order of business was putting in an IV and getting some antibiotics in my system. About two hours later, they started my Pitocin to get the contractions going stronger and longer. Then Dr. B broke my water. By this time, I was at 3 cm and that's when the real fun began.
From the beginning, Violet was not happy with labor. At first her heart rate would go down with each contraction (below 100), then it started taking longer and longer for the heart rate to go back up. Dr. B thought Violet might be laying on her umbilical cord and compressing it with each contraction, so we tried various positions to get Violet off the cord. When that did not work, Dr. B started an amnio infusion, which means that she inserted a catheter into my uterus and started to put fluid back into the uterus. This provided more cushion for Violet, and her heart rate began to improve. At the same time, a pressure catheter was inserted to accurately monitor the strength of each contraction. This worked for a bit, and I dilated another centimeter to 4 cm. Then, once again, Violet's heart rate was acting up again. This time, not only did she have decelerations with each contraction, but in between, she became tachycardiac, and her heart rate would go up into the 180's. So this time, Dr. B inserted an internal fetal monitor to keep an exact eye on Violet's heart rate. By now, I had tubes and wires everywhere. It was becoming quite clear that my "natural" birth was going to be anything but. I was not allowed to labor in the tub or on the birthing ball. I was confined to the bed (which is exactly what I didn't want!).
Dr. B explained up front that if they could not get Violet's heart rate under control, then I would have to deliver by C-section. Definitely NOT in my birth plan, so I was willing to try anything. I spent over an hour on my hands and knees on the bed with the addition of giving me oxygen via mask to see how that would improve Violet's heart rate. Now after 10 hours of doing various things, I was still only at 4cm, and Violet really was not happy in any position. I had told Dr. B that I would stay on my hands and knees for hours and deliver that way, if I had to. But by now Shawn and I realized that a C-section was looking like the best option. After all, Violet's health and safety came first, no matter how the delivery went.
At 5 pm, we agreed to the C-section, and everything proceeded rapidly from there. I admit to being extremely nervous about this great unknown. Dr. B explained the procedure and recovery thoroughly (I love my OB and trust her implicitly - she has delivered all four of my children now). We joked about how I was going to have all the birth experiences possible, and now if I ever did have a fifth child, I could even experience a VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean). Getting an epidural while in very little discomfort was also a new, unpleasant experience, but the anesthesiologist was wonderful. Very encouraging and supportive and kept me updated the whole time we were in the operating room. I know Shawn was very anxious as well, but he was strong and brave for my sake! (Thank you, honey, I love you!) The C-section was underway, and Violet Grace was born at 5:42 pm. Although it is still surreal to me that I actually underwent a C-section, when Violet was brought out of me, and I heard that first cry, that was as real as my other births. I cried and thanked God that she was finally here.
We are surprised at what a peanut she is - weighing in at barely 6 lbs, 7 oz. (she was technically 6 lbs, 6.5 oz) and measuring 18 inches long, she is smaller than Clare was at birth! (Who was 6 lbs, 8 oz and 20".) About an hour after birth, Violet's heart and respiratory rates were still high, and she was cold (her feet and hands were blue). That resolved over the next couple hours. Violet did have the cord wrapped around her body twice (and I think once around her neck), which explains her decelerations. Dr. B believes that there was no way Violet would have delivered vaginally because of this. So I am thankful we made the decision to have a C-section before I endured hours more of labor (especially on my hands and knees). This way, I do have a C-section recovery ahead of me, but I am not recovering from hard labor and pushing as well. Dr. B hypothesizes that the stress of labor at least contributed to the tachycardia, but is having my placenta tested as well to rule out any infection. We, of course, have asked over and over, and Violet has no heart murmur (not that I was expecting one, but you never know!).
Right now, I am extremely tender and starting to feel the soreness of the incision. The epidural will remain in my spine for a couple days, and I am receiving pain relief through that. I have developed the "itchies" (which, to me, feels worse than the incision right now) and have received a shot for that. I don't know what to expect from the recovery, but so far, it is all new. Not too bad yet, but everyone keeps telling me, "Just wait." Great!
Violet is in the nursery having her hearing test done, and I miss her already. A mommy's pride, but she is the most beautiful baby. She has dark hair, but not as much as the other three did. She looks like a mix of Jamie, Clare, and Simon - it's so amazing! And I couldn't believe it when Shawn told me she is tongue-tied as well. The pediatrician will look at her later today, but from what I can see, it actually looks like a worse tongue-tie than Clare's, and her tongue may actually fork like a lizard's when she sticks it out because the tie is all the way to the front of her mouth. Thankfully, this should be a simple procedure if she needs it released, since Violet does not have Clare's medical history. But, for right now, Violet is already nursing like a pro and prefers being in bed with me.
I am still in awe that our baby girl is actually here and in our arms. One of the benefits of the C-section was that my sister-in-law was able to bring the kids to the hospital an hour after Violet's birth so they could meet her. Already, Jamie cannot get enough of her and wanted to just sit and hold her. Clare was eager to meet Violet, too. She has not gotten to hold her yet because she was also so excited to see me. Simon, however, wanted nothing to do with me and clung to Auntie Becky. I have a feeling we're going to have a little bit of a rough adjustment down that road. Especially since I have an incision now and won't be able to do all Simon will want me to do.
We will definitely be in the hospital into the weekend now. Shawn is going to download the photos off the camera later (since it is 2 am, and he is actually sleeping), so I will post more photos! Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. We are ecstatic that Violet Grace has finally arrived, safe and sound.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Introducing Violet Grace
S~I planned to do a little more updating, but things got a little crazy. So I am going to keep this short because we are all a little exhausted. Violet Grace was born today at 5:42pm by Cesarean section. The reason for the C-section is apparently Violet likes gymnastics and was doing some tumbling in the womb. She ended up wrapping the umbilical cord around herself twice. After 10 hours of trying with many issues with her heart rate, the C-section was declared. So here is Violet Grace, weighing in at 6 lbs 7 oz and a whopping 18 inches tall (she is our peanut!). And as you can see, just a little hair. Well, that's it for now with a promise to do more tomorrow. Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes!Quick Update
S~So a quick update. The Doctor (we'll call her Dr. B) came in and broke her water. She thinks she was able to get it but was not sure because the water didn't really seem to come out. Could mean her water was already broken and slowly coming out. Teresa is still in good spirits and feeling good. Talk to you soon!
The Arrival of Violet Grace~The Intro
S~Hey there everyone. Well right now Teresa is in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV and has already received her first dosing of Antibiotics. Things are looking good! We were able to come right in at 7am and are now waiting for our Doctor to get out of a few procedures. Since Teresa will be doing all the leg work today, I will be the emcee for today's main event. So in good emcee style..."LET'S GET READY TO....CONTRACT!"
Here is the plan. Right around ten they will start her on Pitocin to get some contractions going. We are not too concerned about a Pitocin delivery considering both Clare and Simon were Pitocin deliveries. Then around 12:30 the doctor will most likely break her water. From there everyone is expecting a quick delivery!!!
A quick delivery is good with us since Teresa was up at 4am with Simon. I think the Mamma's boy was looking for a little last minute snuggle time as the baby. We plan on doing periodic updates from the hospital, but I know once Teresa gets going she won't let me blog anymore. So in the meantime we will try to keep you up to date as much as possible. Please keep both Teresa and Violet in your prayers today that we get a safe delivery with no complications!
Here is the plan. Right around ten they will start her on Pitocin to get some contractions going. We are not too concerned about a Pitocin delivery considering both Clare and Simon were Pitocin deliveries. Then around 12:30 the doctor will most likely break her water. From there everyone is expecting a quick delivery!!!
A quick delivery is good with us since Teresa was up at 4am with Simon. I think the Mamma's boy was looking for a little last minute snuggle time as the baby. We plan on doing periodic updates from the hospital, but I know once Teresa gets going she won't let me blog anymore. So in the meantime we will try to keep you up to date as much as possible. Please keep both Teresa and Violet in your prayers today that we get a safe delivery with no complications!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Not-So-Bliss
Then there's burning your arm on the stove; two days later, ripping the scab off on a rusty piece of metal; and now ending up with an infection requiring antibiotics and a tetanus shot. All while 39 weeks pregnant.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Bliss
The best part about being pregnant is that I can spend an hour soaking in a bubble bath, reading my book, and eating a huge bowl of Vienna Mocha Chunk ice cream drenched in chocolate and caramel sauce, and I DON'T FEEL GUILTY AT ALL!!!!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
They Come in Threes
For the most part, we live a normal life, and Williams syndrome is not a daily part of it. In fact, when we initially met with Clare's new ENT and went over her medical history with the nurse and the doctor, I never once stated the words "Williams syndrome." I completely forgot to tell the doctor that's what Clare had and forgot to write it down on any of the medical forms. (As I remarked to Shawn later, the doctor was probably wondering what these parents were so freaked out about with anesthesia!!)
But then there are times when one thing after another reminds me over and over what challenges Clare (and us) face. This time, they came in threes.
It started on Sunday. We had a busy day, including visiting Jamie's new school. Since Jamie's current school ends at kindergarten, we are sending him to a different school come fall. The only thing left to do was to physically visit the new school with Jamie. They had an open house on Sunday afternoon, so we all trooped out in the snow (once again!) to visit. Shawn and I both liked the school, and Jamie is excited to go there next year. (Although I don't think he will know anyone in his actual class, he will know other children that attend the school, so he is excited about that.) We met the first grade teacher, saw the classroom, and explored the rest of the school. I have nothing in general against public schools but our preference is to send our children to a Catholic elementary school if we can afford it, they will get a good education, and we like the staff, teachers, and environment (yes, to all three right now). However, Jamie will have to take a test (called a "readiness test") before he can enter the first grade there. Shawn remarked that he wished Clare could also attend this school, but we know that is a scant possibility. In fact, when researching the local Catholic schools, I had a conversation with the principal of this particular school regarding Clare. She was very forthright (which I appreciated) and told me that the school was not equipped to adequately educate a child with Clare's disabilities. Clare would not necessarily be refused admittance, but they did not have the resources to educate children with special needs. Before Jamie started private preschool, Shawn and I had discussion after discussion regarding school choices for all our children. Part of me really wants them all to be in the same school; but, at the same time, if public school is the only option for Clare, I do not want Jamie to go to public school just because that's where Clare has to go. I prefer sending our children to a Catholic school - our faith is very important to us, and I want my children to have the foundation of a solid Catholic education. So I still personally struggle with the decision we have made to send Jamie, Simon, and all other children to private school while navigating the public school system with Clare. It's easy to second-guess your decisions as parents, especially regarding such important choices as education. I just keep hoping we are doing what's best for everyone.
After the end of this long day, Clare had a meltdown before bedtime. I let the kids choose between a cookie or piece of chocolate for a treat. Jamie chose a cookie and Simon chose chocolate. Clare, however, chose both. When told that was not an option, she lost it. We ended up carrying her upstairs in a full fit of hysterics. She was so upset, she was choking and gagging. I finally was able to get her to settle down by laying her in her bed and rubbing her chest. She threw another one today at Jamie's school because she did not want to leave to go home. It took her most of the 25-minute ride home in the car to calm down. Then we had another one after dinner because she wanted to take a bath right away. I never know what to "blame" her tantrums on. I know she is only 3 1/2 years old. I know she is tired at the end of the day, especially after a long day of school. Clare does not nap anymore, so she does not get the rest I think she needs. She had that nasty stomach virus which threw her off her regular schedule for more than a week, and it was somewhat of an adjustment to go back to school after the weather-extended Christmas break. I know of many children with Williams syndrome who have to go on medication for anxiety, etc. I do not believe in any way that we are at that point with Clare, but it does scare me when she gets so out-of-control, and we struggle to help her regain that control. All I think about is her heart working overtime to pump all that blood! I am not sure what the answer is here, but we keep plugging away.
And, finally, Clare's new speech therapist, Judy, hit us with the startling news that Clare's feeding skills are on the level of a 6-9 month old. We knew Clare had some issues with chewing, but had no idea how bad it really was. Part of me is relieved to hear this because it explains so much about how Clare eats and what she prefers to eat (no more feeling like a bad mom because I let my daughter eat macaroni and cheese, cream cheese wraps, and cheese puffs every single day). But then the other part of me feels like an even worse mom because we've had no clue that Clare's oral skills were so poor. As Judy stated, after Clare's surgery, "we have a lot of work to do." Clare's tongue-tie contributes a lot to her poor skills, but she also does not use her molars to bite or chew. She relies on her front teeth for biting and mashes and "gums" her food, rather than chewing it, before swallowing it. We are still seeing so much progress with Clare's speech after months of working with Judy. (Such as, this is literally word-for-word what Clare yelled down the stairs to Shawn after lunch today - "Daddy, you come back here! I am talking to you!") I am praying we see the same progress in her feeding after the surgery. (And I won't even go into the whole insurance issues of making sure we have some sort of coverage for continued weekly therapy - if you've been there, you know the headache we have ahead of us.)
I had an e-mail conversation with a good friend (whose daughter also has a heart condition and has some other challenges as well) about being selfish. I try to be grateful that all this has nothing to do with her heart and is not a life-or-death situation. But I wish that, for once, everything else would go smoothly as well.
But then there are times when one thing after another reminds me over and over what challenges Clare (and us) face. This time, they came in threes.
It started on Sunday. We had a busy day, including visiting Jamie's new school. Since Jamie's current school ends at kindergarten, we are sending him to a different school come fall. The only thing left to do was to physically visit the new school with Jamie. They had an open house on Sunday afternoon, so we all trooped out in the snow (once again!) to visit. Shawn and I both liked the school, and Jamie is excited to go there next year. (Although I don't think he will know anyone in his actual class, he will know other children that attend the school, so he is excited about that.) We met the first grade teacher, saw the classroom, and explored the rest of the school. I have nothing in general against public schools but our preference is to send our children to a Catholic elementary school if we can afford it, they will get a good education, and we like the staff, teachers, and environment (yes, to all three right now). However, Jamie will have to take a test (called a "readiness test") before he can enter the first grade there. Shawn remarked that he wished Clare could also attend this school, but we know that is a scant possibility. In fact, when researching the local Catholic schools, I had a conversation with the principal of this particular school regarding Clare. She was very forthright (which I appreciated) and told me that the school was not equipped to adequately educate a child with Clare's disabilities. Clare would not necessarily be refused admittance, but they did not have the resources to educate children with special needs. Before Jamie started private preschool, Shawn and I had discussion after discussion regarding school choices for all our children. Part of me really wants them all to be in the same school; but, at the same time, if public school is the only option for Clare, I do not want Jamie to go to public school just because that's where Clare has to go. I prefer sending our children to a Catholic school - our faith is very important to us, and I want my children to have the foundation of a solid Catholic education. So I still personally struggle with the decision we have made to send Jamie, Simon, and all other children to private school while navigating the public school system with Clare. It's easy to second-guess your decisions as parents, especially regarding such important choices as education. I just keep hoping we are doing what's best for everyone.
After the end of this long day, Clare had a meltdown before bedtime. I let the kids choose between a cookie or piece of chocolate for a treat. Jamie chose a cookie and Simon chose chocolate. Clare, however, chose both. When told that was not an option, she lost it. We ended up carrying her upstairs in a full fit of hysterics. She was so upset, she was choking and gagging. I finally was able to get her to settle down by laying her in her bed and rubbing her chest. She threw another one today at Jamie's school because she did not want to leave to go home. It took her most of the 25-minute ride home in the car to calm down. Then we had another one after dinner because she wanted to take a bath right away. I never know what to "blame" her tantrums on. I know she is only 3 1/2 years old. I know she is tired at the end of the day, especially after a long day of school. Clare does not nap anymore, so she does not get the rest I think she needs. She had that nasty stomach virus which threw her off her regular schedule for more than a week, and it was somewhat of an adjustment to go back to school after the weather-extended Christmas break. I know of many children with Williams syndrome who have to go on medication for anxiety, etc. I do not believe in any way that we are at that point with Clare, but it does scare me when she gets so out-of-control, and we struggle to help her regain that control. All I think about is her heart working overtime to pump all that blood! I am not sure what the answer is here, but we keep plugging away.
And, finally, Clare's new speech therapist, Judy, hit us with the startling news that Clare's feeding skills are on the level of a 6-9 month old. We knew Clare had some issues with chewing, but had no idea how bad it really was. Part of me is relieved to hear this because it explains so much about how Clare eats and what she prefers to eat (no more feeling like a bad mom because I let my daughter eat macaroni and cheese, cream cheese wraps, and cheese puffs every single day). But then the other part of me feels like an even worse mom because we've had no clue that Clare's oral skills were so poor. As Judy stated, after Clare's surgery, "we have a lot of work to do." Clare's tongue-tie contributes a lot to her poor skills, but she also does not use her molars to bite or chew. She relies on her front teeth for biting and mashes and "gums" her food, rather than chewing it, before swallowing it. We are still seeing so much progress with Clare's speech after months of working with Judy. (Such as, this is literally word-for-word what Clare yelled down the stairs to Shawn after lunch today - "Daddy, you come back here! I am talking to you!") I am praying we see the same progress in her feeding after the surgery. (And I won't even go into the whole insurance issues of making sure we have some sort of coverage for continued weekly therapy - if you've been there, you know the headache we have ahead of us.)
I had an e-mail conversation with a good friend (whose daughter also has a heart condition and has some other challenges as well) about being selfish. I try to be grateful that all this has nothing to do with her heart and is not a life-or-death situation. But I wish that, for once, everything else would go smoothly as well.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Finally, Someone Gets It
A friend sent me this newspaper clipping from Carolyn Hax's Tell Me About It column in the Washington Post. I loved it!
"Dear Carolyn: My best friend has a child. Her: Exhausted, busy, no time for self, no time for me, etc. Me (no kids): Wow. Sorry. What'd you do today? Her: Park, play group . . .
OK. I've done Internet searches; I've talked to parents. I don't get it. What do stay-at-home moms do all day? Please, no lists of library, grocery store, dry cleaners. . . . I do all those things, too, and I don't do them every day. I guess what I'm asking is: What is a typical day, and why don't moms have time for a call or e-mail? I work and am away from home nine hours a day (plus a few late work events), and I manage to get it all done. I'm feeling like the kid is an excuse to relax and enjoy — not a bad thing at all — but if so, why won't my friend tell me the truth? Is this a contest ("My life is so much harder than yours")? What's the deal? I've got friends with and without kids, and all us child-free folks get the same story and have the same questions. — Tacoma, Wash.
● Dear Tacoma:Relax and enjoy. You're funny.
Or you're lying about having friends with kids.
Or you're taking them at their word that they actually have kids, because you haven't personally been in the same room with them. Internet searches?
I keep wavering between giving you a straight answer and giving my forehead some keyboard. To claim you want to understand — while in the same breath implying that the only logical conclusions are that your mom friends are either lying or competing with you — is disingenuous indeed.
So, since it's validation you seem to want, the real answer is what you get. In list form. When you have young kids, your typical day is: constant attention, from getting them out of bed, fed, clean, dressed; to keeping them out of harm's way; to answering their coos, cries and questions; to having two arms and carrying one kid, one set of car keys and supplies for even the quickest trips, including the latest-to-be-declared-essential piece of molded plastic gear; to keeping them from unshelving books at the library; to enforcing rest times; to staying one step ahead of them lest they get too hungry, tired or bored, any one of which produces the kind of checkout-line screaming that gets the checkout line shaking its head.
It's needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15.
It's constant vigilance, constant touch, constant use of your voice, constant relegation of your needs to the second tier.
It's constant scrutiny and second-guessing from family members and friends, well-meaning and otherwise. It's resisting the constant temptation to seek short-term relief at everyone's long-term expense.
It's doing all this while concurrently teaching virtually everything — language, manners, safety, resourcefulness, discipline, curiosity, creativity, empathy. Everything.
It's also a choice, yes. And a joy. But if you spent all day, every day, with this brand of joy — and then when you got your first 10 minutes to yourself, you wanted to be alone with your thoughts instead of calling a good friend — a good friend wouldn't judge you, complain about you to mutual friends or marvel at how much more productively she uses her time. Either make a sincere effort to understand, or keep your snit to yourself."
~reprinted without permission
"Dear Carolyn: My best friend has a child. Her: Exhausted, busy, no time for self, no time for me, etc. Me (no kids): Wow. Sorry. What'd you do today? Her: Park, play group . . .
OK. I've done Internet searches; I've talked to parents. I don't get it. What do stay-at-home moms do all day? Please, no lists of library, grocery store, dry cleaners. . . . I do all those things, too, and I don't do them every day. I guess what I'm asking is: What is a typical day, and why don't moms have time for a call or e-mail? I work and am away from home nine hours a day (plus a few late work events), and I manage to get it all done. I'm feeling like the kid is an excuse to relax and enjoy — not a bad thing at all — but if so, why won't my friend tell me the truth? Is this a contest ("My life is so much harder than yours")? What's the deal? I've got friends with and without kids, and all us child-free folks get the same story and have the same questions. — Tacoma, Wash.
● Dear Tacoma:Relax and enjoy. You're funny.
Or you're lying about having friends with kids.
Or you're taking them at their word that they actually have kids, because you haven't personally been in the same room with them. Internet searches?
I keep wavering between giving you a straight answer and giving my forehead some keyboard. To claim you want to understand — while in the same breath implying that the only logical conclusions are that your mom friends are either lying or competing with you — is disingenuous indeed.
So, since it's validation you seem to want, the real answer is what you get. In list form. When you have young kids, your typical day is: constant attention, from getting them out of bed, fed, clean, dressed; to keeping them out of harm's way; to answering their coos, cries and questions; to having two arms and carrying one kid, one set of car keys and supplies for even the quickest trips, including the latest-to-be-declared-essential piece of molded plastic gear; to keeping them from unshelving books at the library; to enforcing rest times; to staying one step ahead of them lest they get too hungry, tired or bored, any one of which produces the kind of checkout-line screaming that gets the checkout line shaking its head.
It's needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15.
It's constant vigilance, constant touch, constant use of your voice, constant relegation of your needs to the second tier.
It's constant scrutiny and second-guessing from family members and friends, well-meaning and otherwise. It's resisting the constant temptation to seek short-term relief at everyone's long-term expense.
It's doing all this while concurrently teaching virtually everything — language, manners, safety, resourcefulness, discipline, curiosity, creativity, empathy. Everything.
It's also a choice, yes. And a joy. But if you spent all day, every day, with this brand of joy — and then when you got your first 10 minutes to yourself, you wanted to be alone with your thoughts instead of calling a good friend — a good friend wouldn't judge you, complain about you to mutual friends or marvel at how much more productively she uses her time. Either make a sincere effort to understand, or keep your snit to yourself."
~reprinted without permission
Monday, January 05, 2009
Bruiser Boy
As I stated in the last post, 2009 has started off with a bang and poor Simon has gotten the brunt of it so far! Being a typical toddler (and a fearless one at that), he takes multiple spills every day. I am amazed, though, how resilient little kids are, and he very rarely gets more than a little bump as a result of a fall. However, on New Year's Day, Simon took a slide down the stairs on his face. He didn't go too far, but it was far enough to produce a carpet burn down his forehead and nose. I tried to take some photos of the bruiser, but he does not stand still for long! Then later that night, he was goofing off in the bedroom and fell right into the corner of the floor molding, causing a gash out of the corner of his eye. He definitely looks like a rough and tough boy now! Reminds me of another toddler we used to have running around this house...
Top photo is Simon, after the carpet burn but before the eye cut. Bottom photo is Jamie at 17 months old with his bruiser face, complete with stitches in his forehead.
Top photo is Simon, after the carpet burn but before the eye cut. Bottom photo is Jamie at 17 months old with his bruiser face, complete with stitches in his forehead.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Happy New Year's (Belated!)
We've made it to January (which probably excites me the most because I am ready to have this baby)! And the New Year has started off with a bang by striking down 3/5 of the household with a stomach virus - Clare, Simon, and me. Simon is back on his feet again, but Clare is still totally wiped out. She started vomiting on Friday night and has spent the last two days in bed. At least today is an improvement in that she is spending it in MY bed watching Disney versus sleeping in her bed all day. (Actually, Clare and I spent a good portion of yesterday sleeping in my bed together.) I am somewhat back on my feet, but I still feel very weak. If you've ever had a stomach virus while pregnant you know what agony it is, not only to have the virus and the unpleasant effects of it, but have this little person beating you up inside at the same time. I have to be really good while pregnant about keeping up my calcium and potassium levels on a daily basis or else I get muscle cramps everywhere. Unfortunately, I was not able to do that yesterday, so today I am plagued with cramps and spasms, primarily in my legs. Poor Shawn has been such a trooper with all the invalids in the house! Thankfully he and Jamie escaped unscathed.
On a better note, we met with Clare's new ENT up at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth this week. Armed with our list of concerns regarding a possible frenulectomy and the anesthesia associated with one, we were very satisfied with the new doctor. He answered all of our questions and interacted great with Clare. She did not want to sit on the chair (similar to what is at the dentist's or eye doctor's and surrounded by big, scary-looking equipment), and he was fine with her sitting on my lap on a regular chair while he examined her mouth. He stated that Clare's tongue-tie is moderate to severe, and we would most likely see improvement in speech and eating if it was released. There are two types of procedures that can be done to release the tongue. For now, we are opting for the less invasive procedure. This involves general anesthesia, but only under a mask (no breathing tube, no IV sedation), and literally for a few minutes. Plus by going to Dartmouth, Clare will be under the care of a pediatric anesthesiologist familiar with her type of heart condition and Williams syndrome. The actual procedure will take about 5 minutes, and there is very little recovery (the doctor said Clare will feel as if she bit her tongue too hard). She won't have to come off any of her medications for the procedure, although she will have to fast because of the anesthesia. There will be no diet restrictions and hopefully we will notice improvement. The highest risk (percentage-wise, that is) is that too much scar tissue will develop and Clare would end up more tongue-tied than she already is. If that does happen or the frenulectomy is not successful for any reason, we would proceed to discuss the second option. This is a longer, more invasive procedure and entails more than just the gas mask for minutes and other areas of her mouth are involved. So we are praying that this procedure is a success! Since our baby girl is coming in the next few weeks,we opted for a March 2 surgery date.
On a better note, we met with Clare's new ENT up at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth this week. Armed with our list of concerns regarding a possible frenulectomy and the anesthesia associated with one, we were very satisfied with the new doctor. He answered all of our questions and interacted great with Clare. She did not want to sit on the chair (similar to what is at the dentist's or eye doctor's and surrounded by big, scary-looking equipment), and he was fine with her sitting on my lap on a regular chair while he examined her mouth. He stated that Clare's tongue-tie is moderate to severe, and we would most likely see improvement in speech and eating if it was released. There are two types of procedures that can be done to release the tongue. For now, we are opting for the less invasive procedure. This involves general anesthesia, but only under a mask (no breathing tube, no IV sedation), and literally for a few minutes. Plus by going to Dartmouth, Clare will be under the care of a pediatric anesthesiologist familiar with her type of heart condition and Williams syndrome. The actual procedure will take about 5 minutes, and there is very little recovery (the doctor said Clare will feel as if she bit her tongue too hard). She won't have to come off any of her medications for the procedure, although she will have to fast because of the anesthesia. There will be no diet restrictions and hopefully we will notice improvement. The highest risk (percentage-wise, that is) is that too much scar tissue will develop and Clare would end up more tongue-tied than she already is. If that does happen or the frenulectomy is not successful for any reason, we would proceed to discuss the second option. This is a longer, more invasive procedure and entails more than just the gas mask for minutes and other areas of her mouth are involved. So we are praying that this procedure is a success! Since our baby girl is coming in the next few weeks,we opted for a March 2 surgery date.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
SNOW!
This is what happens when it snows for three days straight. (Mind you, we had NO snow on the ground prior to this storm.) And it was a pleasant five degrees out this morning. I don't know if I'm ready for winter, but the kids are!
(And, yes, that is Shawn careening down our yard on the sled!)
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Gearing Up for Everything
I am supposed to be paying bills online, but got sidetracked! I cannot believe there is only five weeks left until my due date. I keep complaining about how this pregnancy is lasting forever, but I know it's just because I am ready to get my energy back, not to mention say good-bye to heartburn, sciatica, pregnancy migraines, anemia, and feeling like I have to vomit every time I bend over. Being pregnant the fourth time around has been so much harder, I think due to the fact that in my last pregnancy, Clare was not mobile at all and Jamie was at an age where he was very independent and not getting into everything. Jamie is still independent and trustworthy, but now I have two monkeys who are into everything in our house. I am very happy to be pregnant again (because I cannot wait to meet our end result!), but I will honestly be so glad when it's over! Right now, I am weeding through my iTunes library as I work on the computer (always multi-tasking!) to put together a playlist for labor. I am aiming to go all natural again, and music was a big focal point for me.
It's been a crazy two weeks around here. Early, early last Friday morning (more than a week ago), NH and a good portion of New England was hit with a huge ice storm. We, and a quarter of a million other people in our state, lost power. Thankfully, we were one of the lucky ones and only lost power for 19 hours. We know many people who lost power for 6-9 days. So we only had to endure one day of living in a chilly house. However, our pumping station for our sewage system lost power as well. That was not restored for 8 days, so we were once again without drainage for over a week. Which means almost no running water. Which in turn means trips to the laundromat, showering at the YMCA, mellow yellow toilet bowls (what fun!), and lots of take-out. Since people across the state lost power, the schools have been closed since that Friday. So the kids are going to have more than a three-week Christmas break! Lucky them - kind of driving mom crazy. The power crisis is past, though, and we're staying cozy and warm through a three-day non-stop snowstorm now. Gotta love winter in New England!
Time for some good ole photos of the beautiful kiddos...
It's been a crazy two weeks around here. Early, early last Friday morning (more than a week ago), NH and a good portion of New England was hit with a huge ice storm. We, and a quarter of a million other people in our state, lost power. Thankfully, we were one of the lucky ones and only lost power for 19 hours. We know many people who lost power for 6-9 days. So we only had to endure one day of living in a chilly house. However, our pumping station for our sewage system lost power as well. That was not restored for 8 days, so we were once again without drainage for over a week. Which means almost no running water. Which in turn means trips to the laundromat, showering at the YMCA, mellow yellow toilet bowls (what fun!), and lots of take-out. Since people across the state lost power, the schools have been closed since that Friday. So the kids are going to have more than a three-week Christmas break! Lucky them - kind of driving mom crazy. The power crisis is past, though, and we're staying cozy and warm through a three-day non-stop snowstorm now. Gotta love winter in New England!
Time for some good ole photos of the beautiful kiddos...
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Touched
Yes, it will make you cry, but it is also so beautiful to read how much a family cherished their young daughter, and I am in awe of the strength and courage this mother possesses. After countless hospital stays, surgeries, and codes, Natasha passed away on December 17. This is the letter her mother wrote to family and friends:
"Dear Family and Friends;
This is an email we hoped we'd never have to send.
Natasha Marie passed away peacefully last night. As usual in her gentle but firm way she made the decision to go home. Her condition became too unstable to transport her to the operating room let alone perform a surgery that would have put her in a lot of pain with no chances for reversing the damages to her kidney and liver.
We were able to hold her in our arms for a long time and tell her how much we loved her, and how grateful we were for her love and the many ways she constantly demonstrated it to us in her laugh, and in her smile, her clapping her hands in joy when we entered her room, and patting her chest each time [her dad] entered the room to indicate she was his princess.
Now her job is to sit in Our Lord's lap and beg him to bring all her family into heaven - us and all of you who have been praying so faithfully for her. I'm sure she is joining all the preparations that must go on in heaven to celebrate Christ's birth. The name Natasha means Child of Christmas. She chose to go home the day the Church starts using the special antiphons eight days before Christmas, probably to help with the preparations.
She will a saint in heaven, skipping and dancing around free of all the encumbrances that limited her physically. While we had been constantly praying for a miracle for Natasha we always asked for one only if it was God's will. God gave Natasha an unusually tough yet most gentle, accepting, and loving temperament that enabled her to bounce back repeatedly with a ready smile after enduring a procedure that would have made most adults cringe. He also gave us many smaller miracles to ensure we had time to get to enjoy her beautiful presence and personality before He took her into His all loving presence. For this we remain eternally grateful. We also remain always in the debt of all of you who loved her and faithfully prayed for her. We could not have done this without you. Now, remember that all of you have a saint in heaven praying you get there so she can thank you in person."
I say a prayer tonight for this family and for all those who are suffering, either physically or emotionally, as Christmas draws closer.
"Dear Family and Friends;
This is an email we hoped we'd never have to send.
Natasha Marie passed away peacefully last night. As usual in her gentle but firm way she made the decision to go home. Her condition became too unstable to transport her to the operating room let alone perform a surgery that would have put her in a lot of pain with no chances for reversing the damages to her kidney and liver.
We were able to hold her in our arms for a long time and tell her how much we loved her, and how grateful we were for her love and the many ways she constantly demonstrated it to us in her laugh, and in her smile, her clapping her hands in joy when we entered her room, and patting her chest each time [her dad] entered the room to indicate she was his princess.
Now her job is to sit in Our Lord's lap and beg him to bring all her family into heaven - us and all of you who have been praying so faithfully for her. I'm sure she is joining all the preparations that must go on in heaven to celebrate Christ's birth. The name Natasha means Child of Christmas. She chose to go home the day the Church starts using the special antiphons eight days before Christmas, probably to help with the preparations.
She will a saint in heaven, skipping and dancing around free of all the encumbrances that limited her physically. While we had been constantly praying for a miracle for Natasha we always asked for one only if it was God's will. God gave Natasha an unusually tough yet most gentle, accepting, and loving temperament that enabled her to bounce back repeatedly with a ready smile after enduring a procedure that would have made most adults cringe. He also gave us many smaller miracles to ensure we had time to get to enjoy her beautiful presence and personality before He took her into His all loving presence. For this we remain eternally grateful. We also remain always in the debt of all of you who loved her and faithfully prayed for her. We could not have done this without you. Now, remember that all of you have a saint in heaven praying you get there so she can thank you in person."
I say a prayer tonight for this family and for all those who are suffering, either physically or emotionally, as Christmas draws closer.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Reality
It's been a while since I've written what I think of as my "Williams syndrome" posts, but tonight Shawn and I had one of those WS moments.
One of my friend's daughters had her four-year old birthday party tonight at a bounce facility - the kind of place with huge slides, bounce houses, obstacle courses, anything that can be filled with air! Our children were very excited. Jamie and Clare talked about the upcoming party all day, and even Simon wandered around the house saying, "Happy Birthday" (or his version of it!). Once we arrived, Jamie dove right in, and we barely saw him the rest of the evening. Simon needed more supervision, but even he was having fun exploring the bounce houses and discovered he loved walking on the cushions of air and collapsing everywhere. Clare, however, was a different story. She cautiously went into one of the houses (with our help), but almost immediately was overwhelmed by the kids, the bouncing, and the fact that she could not keep her balance (very hard for her to do on unstable ground with her low muscle tone). She wanted out. There was no crying or tantrums, but she ended up just walking around the room watching everyone else. At the other children playing and running and bouncing, red faces and flying limbs from having the time of their lives. Shawn commented to me in passing how hard this was to watch Clare in these situations. I wanted to sit in the middle of the floor and cry, but since I really didn't want to do that in the midst of relative strangers, I kept reminding him (and myself) that Clare was having fun in her own way.
The evening did go better. Eventually Clare became more confident and would enter a bounce house if the kids weren't too crazy or there were only a couple of other children in there. She did fall on her back and laugh and try to stand up, grinning from ear to ear. We brought her favorite cream cheese "sandwich" and milk (while the other kids had pizza and juice boxes), and she loved sitting on the picnic table benches with the other kids (she is starting to insist more frequently on sitting in a regular chair instead of her booster seat). She tried her cake (and left quite a nice portion for Mommy to finish!) and had fun watching the birthday girl open her presents. Every time a new wrapped present appeared, Clare would ask me, "What is it?" and eagerly wait to see what was unopened. I don't know if Clare realizes yet how she is different from other children. But I do, and it hurts.
The most interesting moment of the entire evening was when a little boy from the birthday girl's class arrived. My friend's daughter is one of the "typical" children in a side-by-side classroom with children with special needs. I am pretty sure this boy had Down syndrome. Clare instantly gravitated to him. She kept telling him, "come on," gesturing to the bounce house that she finally found herself comfortable in. The boy and his mom went into the bounce house with Clare, and she had a great time playing with them. This other mom was terrific, including Clare in their play. I wish I could have gone in there with them, but the big baby belly made that almost impossible (I can barely walk on solid ground these days!). And Shawn had his hands full following whirlwind Simon around. I was so glad to see Clare having fun, but at the same time, it still gives me such an ache to see that no one else wanted or attempted to play with Clare, except this other little boy that Clare approached. It made me wonder if that other mom felt the same way I did. But, like me, she had a huge smile on her face and was concentrating on making sure her little boy had a grand time.
I try to be brave and stay positive. Shawn brought it up again in the car on the way home, and I just kept saying that the main thing was that Clare had fun. Maybe she didn't have fun in the same way as the other kids did, but she did have fun. I know life is going to be like that over and over for Clare. She will not always be able to experience things the same way as other children. But I hope that the way she does experience her life is every bit as rewarding and wonderful. I hope she doesn't have the moments that I have sitting alone and crying because of the way she is different. We all love Clare so much, but it is not always easy to be her mommy.
One of my friend's daughters had her four-year old birthday party tonight at a bounce facility - the kind of place with huge slides, bounce houses, obstacle courses, anything that can be filled with air! Our children were very excited. Jamie and Clare talked about the upcoming party all day, and even Simon wandered around the house saying, "Happy Birthday" (or his version of it!). Once we arrived, Jamie dove right in, and we barely saw him the rest of the evening. Simon needed more supervision, but even he was having fun exploring the bounce houses and discovered he loved walking on the cushions of air and collapsing everywhere. Clare, however, was a different story. She cautiously went into one of the houses (with our help), but almost immediately was overwhelmed by the kids, the bouncing, and the fact that she could not keep her balance (very hard for her to do on unstable ground with her low muscle tone). She wanted out. There was no crying or tantrums, but she ended up just walking around the room watching everyone else. At the other children playing and running and bouncing, red faces and flying limbs from having the time of their lives. Shawn commented to me in passing how hard this was to watch Clare in these situations. I wanted to sit in the middle of the floor and cry, but since I really didn't want to do that in the midst of relative strangers, I kept reminding him (and myself) that Clare was having fun in her own way.
The evening did go better. Eventually Clare became more confident and would enter a bounce house if the kids weren't too crazy or there were only a couple of other children in there. She did fall on her back and laugh and try to stand up, grinning from ear to ear. We brought her favorite cream cheese "sandwich" and milk (while the other kids had pizza and juice boxes), and she loved sitting on the picnic table benches with the other kids (she is starting to insist more frequently on sitting in a regular chair instead of her booster seat). She tried her cake (and left quite a nice portion for Mommy to finish!) and had fun watching the birthday girl open her presents. Every time a new wrapped present appeared, Clare would ask me, "What is it?" and eagerly wait to see what was unopened. I don't know if Clare realizes yet how she is different from other children. But I do, and it hurts.
The most interesting moment of the entire evening was when a little boy from the birthday girl's class arrived. My friend's daughter is one of the "typical" children in a side-by-side classroom with children with special needs. I am pretty sure this boy had Down syndrome. Clare instantly gravitated to him. She kept telling him, "come on," gesturing to the bounce house that she finally found herself comfortable in. The boy and his mom went into the bounce house with Clare, and she had a great time playing with them. This other mom was terrific, including Clare in their play. I wish I could have gone in there with them, but the big baby belly made that almost impossible (I can barely walk on solid ground these days!). And Shawn had his hands full following whirlwind Simon around. I was so glad to see Clare having fun, but at the same time, it still gives me such an ache to see that no one else wanted or attempted to play with Clare, except this other little boy that Clare approached. It made me wonder if that other mom felt the same way I did. But, like me, she had a huge smile on her face and was concentrating on making sure her little boy had a grand time.
I try to be brave and stay positive. Shawn brought it up again in the car on the way home, and I just kept saying that the main thing was that Clare had fun. Maybe she didn't have fun in the same way as the other kids did, but she did have fun. I know life is going to be like that over and over for Clare. She will not always be able to experience things the same way as other children. But I hope that the way she does experience her life is every bit as rewarding and wonderful. I hope she doesn't have the moments that I have sitting alone and crying because of the way she is different. We all love Clare so much, but it is not always easy to be her mommy.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Out of the Mouths of Babes
Clare's new favorite phrase is: "Leave me alone!" When I remind her that that is not nice and we talk nice to each other in our house, she responds, "Leave me alone, PLEASE!"
I wish I could scream the same thing sometimes!!! Oh, to be young again!
I wish I could scream the same thing sometimes!!! Oh, to be young again!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Show Time
You can tell a lot about a person and their current state of mind and interests by what's in their DVR list.
Teresa: A Baby Story
Deliver Me
The Baby Diaries
Babies: Special Delivery
Clare: Dora the Explorer
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Blues Clues
Little Einsteins
Jamie: Fantastic Four
Spiderman
Power Rangers Jungle Fury
X-Men
Shawn: Survivorman
Survivorman
Survivorman
Survivorman
Teresa: A Baby Story
Deliver Me
The Baby Diaries
Babies: Special Delivery
Clare: Dora the Explorer
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Blues Clues
Little Einsteins
Jamie: Fantastic Four
Spiderman
Power Rangers Jungle Fury
X-Men
Shawn: Survivorman
Survivorman
Survivorman
Survivorman
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sights Unseen
Thing I never thought I would see:
1 - Clare polishing off a huge bowl of macaroni and cheese at Friday's tonight before anyone else was finished eating.
2 - Simon dipping french fries into my Coke and eating them while I sat and smiled at him.
3 - My feet (well, I haven't seen them yet - two more months!).
4 - Jamie eating cooked carrots and actually admitting that he liked them and asking for more.
5 - One pregnant mama, one silly daddy, and three crazy kids dancing to Queen in the bedroom.
6 - Our kitchen completely painted. (Thank you, honey!)
All in all, a good day!
1 - Clare polishing off a huge bowl of macaroni and cheese at Friday's tonight before anyone else was finished eating.
2 - Simon dipping french fries into my Coke and eating them while I sat and smiled at him.
3 - My feet (well, I haven't seen them yet - two more months!).
4 - Jamie eating cooked carrots and actually admitting that he liked them and asking for more.
5 - One pregnant mama, one silly daddy, and three crazy kids dancing to Queen in the bedroom.
6 - Our kitchen completely painted. (Thank you, honey!)
All in all, a good day!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Wow
I am not a big fan of photos of myself and am even less a fan of posting them! But I saw this shot and said - Wow, what an amazing backdrop. And then - Wow, what a baby belly!
Friday, November 14, 2008
The Wrench
I had a phone conversation with Clare's cardiologist today regarding the possibility of Clare having a frenulectomy (learning my lingo!). The good news is that the doctor believes Clare is clinically stable enough to undergo the necessary general anesthesia and procedure (which in itself takes minutes), and she has given us the go-ahead to have the surgery done. However, the cardiologist does not want Clare to have the surgery done at our local hospital. Given her cardiac history, Clare needs to go to either Boston Children's Hospital or Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (both about an hour away), because those are the two closest facilities with pediatric cardiologists and an operating room ready and available if needed. I am more than happy with that decision because that is what makes Shawn and I feel the safest as well - to have Clare under the care of people who deal with these types of children on a daily basis. The wrench is that Clare's ENT does not perform surgeries at either of those places. So now we have a referral with a pediatric otolaryngologist at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth. It's starting the process over again! The earliest we could get Clare an appointment was on December 30, so we're hanging out until then! And, once again, I will find myself hugely pregnant (and then with a newborn) as we prepare Clare and ourselves for another procedure. At least this time, it's not as urgent a surgery, and we cannot wait to see some positive results in her speech and eating.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Tongue-Tied
Clare is moderately tongue-tied, and it has been a subject that comes up now and again. Lately, her new speech therapist has asked about the possibility of Clare having her tongue released. Clare is showing progress in her speech, but mainly when it comes to sentence structure (such as adding verbs into her vocabulary and forming complete sentences rather than 2-year old two-word commands). She has not really come too far with her strengthening or articulation, and the therapist feels much of this is due to her limited range of motion in her tongue. This week at therapy, Clare demonstrated that her oral abilities were too weak to even bite into a Ting (a natural cheesy doodle thingy), and we know she has trouble with chewing, biting, and generally eating anything that she cannot swallow immediately or soften in her mouth a little bit.
We last saw the ENT regarding Clare's tongue-tie when she was only months old. At that time, he suggested having it released. However, Clare was unable to have the procedure done while already under anesthesia for a cath since she is on blood thinners during her caths. And her cardiologist did not feel comfortable clearing Clare for a separate procedure under general anesthesia unless it was a life or death situation. Fast forward three years, and we are seriously exploring the option again. Clare has been clinically stable heart-wise for over a year now. She is older, stronger, and has tolerated general anesthesia many times in the past. She would most likely be able to go off her blood thinners for a couple days without any lasting harm to her heart. (This is all my hypothesizing right now!) So now I am in the waiting game to hear back from the cardiologist about the procedure and scheduling appointments with the ENT to receive more details on what the procedure entails.
While we wait, it is very cute to hear Clare remember about completing her consonants at the end of words... such as drawing out the "S" sound in "yes." She sounds like a snake - "yessssssssssssssssssss."
We last saw the ENT regarding Clare's tongue-tie when she was only months old. At that time, he suggested having it released. However, Clare was unable to have the procedure done while already under anesthesia for a cath since she is on blood thinners during her caths. And her cardiologist did not feel comfortable clearing Clare for a separate procedure under general anesthesia unless it was a life or death situation. Fast forward three years, and we are seriously exploring the option again. Clare has been clinically stable heart-wise for over a year now. She is older, stronger, and has tolerated general anesthesia many times in the past. She would most likely be able to go off her blood thinners for a couple days without any lasting harm to her heart. (This is all my hypothesizing right now!) So now I am in the waiting game to hear back from the cardiologist about the procedure and scheduling appointments with the ENT to receive more details on what the procedure entails.
While we wait, it is very cute to hear Clare remember about completing her consonants at the end of words... such as drawing out the "S" sound in "yes." She sounds like a snake - "yessssssssssssssssssss."
Friday, October 31, 2008
Trick-or-Treat
Halloween! Choosing a costume was so tough for Jamie this year. At first, he wanted to be a knight. Clare was dead set on being a princess (she had decided this a while ago and told anyone who asked that she was going to be a princess for Halloween), so we thought it would be cute if Jamie was a knight, Clare a princess, and Simon a dragon. However, getting Simon to actually wear a dragon costume was another story. And then Jamie changed his mind every week what he wanted to be. We finally told him that he had to choose something he either owned, we could make, or borrow. So what he did do? He picked two costumes! One we made and one we borrowed. (We do two trick-or-treats - our city does one the Sunday afternoon before Halloween, then we head to friends in another town on Halloween night.)
Our local trick-or-treat - today Jamie decided to be Handy Manny and Clare stuck firm with a princess.
Halloween night - Princess Clare, Space Shuttle Commander Jamie, and Conductor Simon (normal clothes and no big animal head - just what Simon ordered!)
And, finally, All Saints Day. Jamie chose to be St. Joseph, Simon was St. Pio (complete with the stigmata in his hands, which he was fascinated by - don't worry, just red marker!), and, once again, Clare refused to be anything but a princess. This time, St. Margaret of Scotland (who was queen of Scotland in the 11th century).
Our local trick-or-treat - today Jamie decided to be Handy Manny and Clare stuck firm with a princess.
Halloween night - Princess Clare, Space Shuttle Commander Jamie, and Conductor Simon (normal clothes and no big animal head - just what Simon ordered!)
And, finally, All Saints Day. Jamie chose to be St. Joseph, Simon was St. Pio (complete with the stigmata in his hands, which he was fascinated by - don't worry, just red marker!), and, once again, Clare refused to be anything but a princess. This time, St. Margaret of Scotland (who was queen of Scotland in the 11th century).
Monday, October 20, 2008
Tribute
A tribute to my sisters...
Not to be outdone by her big brother...
Even Simon needed a turn...
Not to be outdone by her big brother...
Even Simon needed a turn...
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Babies, Babies, Babies
I love this time in my life when I and all my friends are having babies. It's so wonderful! In my Bible study, four of the six of us are pregnant and due within weeks of each other. I have two other pregnant friends, and my sister Christina just found out yesterday that she is having a girl! I am so excited that her baby and my baby will be girl cousins only a month apart! Now if Christina and Tee Jay would only move closer....Okay, there's my gushing baby rant for the month.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Progress
Slowly but surely I think some progress is being made in our house. Our basement is clean, mold-free, and empty. The new flooring was delivered this morning, and the guys return tomorrow to begin installation. They are scheduled to be done by Friday, so we can start moving some stuff out of our dining room and back downstairs. Shawn is then going to repair the walls himself. That may take some time due to busy schedules, but at least the basement will be livable again (which is important since that is where the kids' playroom was!). Shawn is actually at a neighborhood meeting right now to discuss what is happening in regard to FEMA, any funds being allocated to our neighborhood, etc. We're hoping for some good news!
Jamie - Kindergarten is going so well. It is exciting to see him learning how to read and spell words. It was a little bit of a rough adjustment the last couple of weeks at school (I think partly due to the commotion in our own house). He is getting used to less play and more work and now claims he loves kindergarten more than preschool because of the "fun stuff" they are learning. Swim class and soccer are going well, and he scored his first goal this past weekend! That was certainly wonderful, but we are so proud of what a good teammate he is. And the sideline parents never cease to amaze me. One dad at the last game actually said to his son after his son scored a goal, "You got lucky." These children are 4 and 5 years old! Unbelievable!
Clare - We found a fabulous new speech therapist for Clare. (Thank you a million times, R, for the recommendation!!!!) This woman is the creme de la creme in the state of NH and beyond - she is the speech, feeding, and swallow guru. She just carved a couple hours out of her demanding schedule to see more patients in office and thanks to our quick referral by a friend, we were able to get on her weekly schedule. Clare had her evaluation this past Monday, and I, for one, am in love! First, I am impressed with any provider who took the time and effort to coordinate an hour that was convenient for me. For me, not for her! An hour which fits perfectly into our running-around schedule between morning preschool and afternoon kindergarten. Clare connected with her instantly, and even Simon was entranced. The therapist said that Clare was very weak in her facial and oral muscles, which accounted for much of her feeding difficulties and preferences, as well as her speech impediments. She also thinks that Clare's tongue-tie (which has never been clipped due to the issues Clare has with anesthesia, bleeding, etc.) could be playing a role in Clare's hard-to-understand speech. She is going to work with Clare not only on speech but feeding as well on a weekly basis. I am very excited to see where this all goes.
Clare also had the dreaded DENTIST appointment last week, and it was horrible! (Yes, it deserves capital letters, it was so bad.) She has gone with us many times to see the family dentist in action and watched Jamie get his teeth cleaned the week before. However, when it was her turn, she refused to sit in the chair. When I finally coaxed her on the chair by sitting on my lap, she lasted for one second until the hygienist came near her, then turned into a wild animal. She was screaming, biting me, kicking, frothing at the mouth (literally because she forgets to swallow her saliva when quite upset). The dentist had gone home on a family emergency, so I called it quits with the hygienist, and we made an appointment for this week with the local pediatric dentist. Clare's appointment is tomorrow (and I am wimping out and asked Shawn to take her). We have heard great things from this dentist (who specializes in special needs children and used to be at Children's Hospital Boston), so I am expecting miracles here! Tomorrow we also have a home visit from Clare's preschool teacher in the morning. Not really sure what that is going to be all about, but I am thrilled to show her our crazy post-flood house!
Simon - My sweet almost-17 month old boy finally started walking! Who knew that Jamie, at 15 1/2 months, would be my early walker! I guess my kids are just slow when it comes to getting around. Simon started taking a few steps a couple weeks ago and last week, he took off. Now he very rarely crawls and tries to walk everywhere. He is pretty steady inside and is working on his outside skills. He loves to walk holding onto something now (such as a toy or a humongous sword which is taller than he is). Simon is so proud of his new skill and receives lots of cheers from his parents and siblings!
And, last but not last, Baby Girl in Utero who is almost named - We had another ultrasound on Monday since our ultrasound three weeks ago did not result in great views of her heart. However, she was again not in a great position (chin tucked on her chest with her legs wrapped over her head, so her heart was almost completely blocked from view). The tech did the best she could to get the baby to change positions, but no luck there. I did get to see a 3D image of her (I have never experienced that before) which was amazing. However, this tech, as well as the previous tech, was not very friendly about the fact that we had our other children with us for the ultrasound. She refused to allow Shawn and the boys in the room (Clare was at school) and would not budge. Shawn asked her what she would have done if I had come alone with the kids, and she said she would have refused to do the ultrasound and made me reschedule for another time without kids. (Note - this was not mentioned to me at all when I scheduled the ultrasound appointments and have never had problems like this with my past three pregnancies.) I personally love my OB, but am quickly becoming very angered at the attitude of the techs and some of the nurses towards my family. It's an OB's office!! Shouldn't they at least tolerate children?? Instead, they treat them like they are a nuisance. Before my mother bear comes out combined with my pregnancy hormones, we'll just drop it. I was not keen on the idea of having a fetal echo done this pregnancy, but if my OB says she wants another ultrasound to look at the heart, I am going to request a fetal echo instead. For obvious reasons, I want a good look at the baby's heart, but I also am not putting myself or my family through the disapproving comments of the ultrasound staff again. Jamie at least is old enough to understand when these ladies state that children are not welcome or wanted. These are not attitudes I want my children around or have to endure. At least I know the echo tech, and she loves my family and will gladly let my kids come in and watch a video during the echo!
There's our week in a nutshell! Whew!
Jamie - Kindergarten is going so well. It is exciting to see him learning how to read and spell words. It was a little bit of a rough adjustment the last couple of weeks at school (I think partly due to the commotion in our own house). He is getting used to less play and more work and now claims he loves kindergarten more than preschool because of the "fun stuff" they are learning. Swim class and soccer are going well, and he scored his first goal this past weekend! That was certainly wonderful, but we are so proud of what a good teammate he is. And the sideline parents never cease to amaze me. One dad at the last game actually said to his son after his son scored a goal, "You got lucky." These children are 4 and 5 years old! Unbelievable!
Clare - We found a fabulous new speech therapist for Clare. (Thank you a million times, R, for the recommendation!!!!) This woman is the creme de la creme in the state of NH and beyond - she is the speech, feeding, and swallow guru. She just carved a couple hours out of her demanding schedule to see more patients in office and thanks to our quick referral by a friend, we were able to get on her weekly schedule. Clare had her evaluation this past Monday, and I, for one, am in love! First, I am impressed with any provider who took the time and effort to coordinate an hour that was convenient for me. For me, not for her! An hour which fits perfectly into our running-around schedule between morning preschool and afternoon kindergarten. Clare connected with her instantly, and even Simon was entranced. The therapist said that Clare was very weak in her facial and oral muscles, which accounted for much of her feeding difficulties and preferences, as well as her speech impediments. She also thinks that Clare's tongue-tie (which has never been clipped due to the issues Clare has with anesthesia, bleeding, etc.) could be playing a role in Clare's hard-to-understand speech. She is going to work with Clare not only on speech but feeding as well on a weekly basis. I am very excited to see where this all goes.
Clare also had the dreaded DENTIST appointment last week, and it was horrible! (Yes, it deserves capital letters, it was so bad.) She has gone with us many times to see the family dentist in action and watched Jamie get his teeth cleaned the week before. However, when it was her turn, she refused to sit in the chair. When I finally coaxed her on the chair by sitting on my lap, she lasted for one second until the hygienist came near her, then turned into a wild animal. She was screaming, biting me, kicking, frothing at the mouth (literally because she forgets to swallow her saliva when quite upset). The dentist had gone home on a family emergency, so I called it quits with the hygienist, and we made an appointment for this week with the local pediatric dentist. Clare's appointment is tomorrow (and I am wimping out and asked Shawn to take her). We have heard great things from this dentist (who specializes in special needs children and used to be at Children's Hospital Boston), so I am expecting miracles here! Tomorrow we also have a home visit from Clare's preschool teacher in the morning. Not really sure what that is going to be all about, but I am thrilled to show her our crazy post-flood house!
Simon - My sweet almost-17 month old boy finally started walking! Who knew that Jamie, at 15 1/2 months, would be my early walker! I guess my kids are just slow when it comes to getting around. Simon started taking a few steps a couple weeks ago and last week, he took off. Now he very rarely crawls and tries to walk everywhere. He is pretty steady inside and is working on his outside skills. He loves to walk holding onto something now (such as a toy or a humongous sword which is taller than he is). Simon is so proud of his new skill and receives lots of cheers from his parents and siblings!
And, last but not last, Baby Girl in Utero who is almost named - We had another ultrasound on Monday since our ultrasound three weeks ago did not result in great views of her heart. However, she was again not in a great position (chin tucked on her chest with her legs wrapped over her head, so her heart was almost completely blocked from view). The tech did the best she could to get the baby to change positions, but no luck there. I did get to see a 3D image of her (I have never experienced that before) which was amazing. However, this tech, as well as the previous tech, was not very friendly about the fact that we had our other children with us for the ultrasound. She refused to allow Shawn and the boys in the room (Clare was at school) and would not budge. Shawn asked her what she would have done if I had come alone with the kids, and she said she would have refused to do the ultrasound and made me reschedule for another time without kids. (Note - this was not mentioned to me at all when I scheduled the ultrasound appointments and have never had problems like this with my past three pregnancies.) I personally love my OB, but am quickly becoming very angered at the attitude of the techs and some of the nurses towards my family. It's an OB's office!! Shouldn't they at least tolerate children?? Instead, they treat them like they are a nuisance. Before my mother bear comes out combined with my pregnancy hormones, we'll just drop it. I was not keen on the idea of having a fetal echo done this pregnancy, but if my OB says she wants another ultrasound to look at the heart, I am going to request a fetal echo instead. For obvious reasons, I want a good look at the baby's heart, but I also am not putting myself or my family through the disapproving comments of the ultrasound staff again. Jamie at least is old enough to understand when these ladies state that children are not welcome or wanted. These are not attitudes I want my children around or have to endure. At least I know the echo tech, and she loves my family and will gladly let my kids come in and watch a video during the echo!
There's our week in a nutshell! Whew!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Clare's First Day of School
This is a belated post since Clare's first day was on September 8, the Monday following our water-logged weekend. (Which explains why Clare's first day of school photos were not taken on our front steps, but outside on the curb at the local Fairfield Inn!) She was so excited to go back to school. Every day, she greets me with the question "school today?" when she wakes up in the morning. She is loving preschool!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Flood Photos
You can see through the trees where the pond is supposed to end!
Our neighbor's car. Thankfully we moved our cars in the middle of the night down the street where the water did not reach.
Staying Afloat
The water puns are endless!
Thank you to all those long-distance for your thoughts and prayers. And thank you to our local supporters who have kept us clean, fed, and generally making some sense out of the chaos!
Right now, we are staying afloat. Our basement has been gutted, so we're starting from scratch down there. (Hey, at least this is finally our chance to get rid of the deep plum walls in Shawn's office! Who paints a basement room dark purple??? One of our neighbors asked Shawn if it was the S&M room!!) Shawn met with our floor guy this afternoon, and scoped out Home Depot for wall materials. Because both the family room and Shawn's office were in the basement, our dining room is now jam-packed with stuff (stuff that Simon and Clare are having a blast spreading over the rest of the house every day!). So our priority is to get the basement at least in some kind of shape to start putting things back down there. We're supposed to be getting the basement fogged to kill any mold in the next couple of days. With Jamie's severe allergies and Clare's compromised health, we are not taking any chances in the mold department. The city has been great in arranging to have the garbage on our street picked up every day. That is essential because almost every house has a big pile of garbage daily as everyone sorts through their damage.
We still do not have fully-working drains and running water yet. Our pump was supposed to be back up yesterday, but still nothing yet. The new goal is by this weekend. We have been quite inventive in keeping everyone reasonably clean! It's amazing what you can do on limited resources! I think Shawn has been able to hook up our computer again, so I am going to load up some photos soon.
Thank you to all those long-distance for your thoughts and prayers. And thank you to our local supporters who have kept us clean, fed, and generally making some sense out of the chaos!
Right now, we are staying afloat. Our basement has been gutted, so we're starting from scratch down there. (Hey, at least this is finally our chance to get rid of the deep plum walls in Shawn's office! Who paints a basement room dark purple??? One of our neighbors asked Shawn if it was the S&M room!!) Shawn met with our floor guy this afternoon, and scoped out Home Depot for wall materials. Because both the family room and Shawn's office were in the basement, our dining room is now jam-packed with stuff (stuff that Simon and Clare are having a blast spreading over the rest of the house every day!). So our priority is to get the basement at least in some kind of shape to start putting things back down there. We're supposed to be getting the basement fogged to kill any mold in the next couple of days. With Jamie's severe allergies and Clare's compromised health, we are not taking any chances in the mold department. The city has been great in arranging to have the garbage on our street picked up every day. That is essential because almost every house has a big pile of garbage daily as everyone sorts through their damage.
We still do not have fully-working drains and running water yet. Our pump was supposed to be back up yesterday, but still nothing yet. The new goal is by this weekend. We have been quite inventive in keeping everyone reasonably clean! It's amazing what you can do on limited resources! I think Shawn has been able to hook up our computer again, so I am going to load up some photos soon.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Flooded!
After a crazy week of doctor's appointments, Jamie starting kindergarten, Clare's echo, and my ultrasound, we ended our week (or so we thought) with a car accident on Friday. I had all three kids in the car with me, and everyone is okay, but our car was pretty damaged. I was on the highway when a tire came flying out of nowhere and hit the front of my car. You would be surprised how much damage a tire can do when you are going 65 mph on the highway! It caved in the front of my vehicle, which died immediately. I was able to cruise over to the side of the road safely. Our guardian angels were definitely looking out for us that day. So far, the insurance company thinks it is repairable, but we are waiting on whether the body shop agrees or not. We do not need a totaled car right now!
At around 2:30am on Sunday morning, we were awakened by fire trucks in our street. When Shawn went outside to check out what was going on, he was shocked to discover that our street had been literally turned into a river overnight, thanks to Tropical Storm Hanna which pelted our city with reports of up to 6" of rain! We took some great photos and videos, but our main computer is not functional (I am on Shawn's work laptop right now), so we will have to share when we are up and running again). We live on a dead end cul-de-sac and, at the end of the cul-de-sac, is a little pond. There is still a lot of debate of what exactly happened, but right now, we understand that there was some negligence in maintaining a dam at the far end of the pond (to prevent the overflow to run off on the highway). When the torrential rains hit, the water had nowhere to go, but to turn our street into a river. We were blessed in that we are on the high side of the street. The backyards of the houses on the opposite side of the street were literally the new pond. Many of our neighbors have lost their houses completely.
Shawn checked our basement before we went back to bed around 4am on Sunday morning, and thankfully we were dry. When we woke up a couple hours later, we discovered a flood in our basement. Over the next couple of days, everything has snowballed. Our water was shut off, we could not leave our neighborhood (unless you were walking wearing high waders), and everything was chaos. We truly were in a disaster zone. The city has been great so far - providing port-a-potties on our street (which has been so much fun for the pregnant lady who uses them four times an hour!) and even a portable shower unit parked right in front of our house. The fire department, environmental services, and Department of Transportation has been working overtime pumping water out of basements and off the street. Currently we are at a point where the majority of the street is finally dry (except for right near where the pond should be), we have limited water (can flush our toilets, but only a couple times a day - still no showers, washing machines, dishwashers), and have entered the clean-up stage of the process.
Like I said, we are lucky compared to some of our neighbors, but even we have lost a good portion of our basement. Our basement was three-quarters finished, so we lost all our carpeting, drywall, even ceiling tiles. The Health Department has come through every house, since our street is hooked into a pumping station in relation to the pond. Therefore, some of the water on the street and in the houses was sewage water. Anything (other than plastic, metal, that kind of stuff) that came in contact with the water has to be disposed of. We had many items (such as the majority of the kids' toys) in the basement that were up high so have been saved (and, thank God, all my scrapbooking stuff was saved as well as most of Shawn's office equipment). We've lost some big household items, like our baby swing, mattresses stored in the basement, anything cloth like that. The bulk of our damages lies in having to gut our basement and start over.
We are "treading water" right now! Jamie and Clare are still going to school, and we are trying to lead as normal a life as possible for their sakes. We are not near any of our family (who have all been worried about us and we talk daily), but have some really great sets of friends who have watched the kids for a few hours, invited us over for dinner, and let us bathe the kids at their house. I spent last evening at the laundromat catching up on some laundry to get us through the next couple of days. Our small neighborhood community of about ten houses have really come together through this. One of our neighbors owns a construction company, and a crew of his guys are spending an hour at every house today doing whatever needs to be done, free of charge. We have chosen to have them spend their time at our house ripping out the rest of our drywall. Shawn and I hauled our carpet and pad out over the last two days, which was a grueling job, so it will be a big help to have aid in removing the drywall.
We may be somewhat stinky, a little on edge, and living on paper plates, but at least we are together in our home!
At around 2:30am on Sunday morning, we were awakened by fire trucks in our street. When Shawn went outside to check out what was going on, he was shocked to discover that our street had been literally turned into a river overnight, thanks to Tropical Storm Hanna which pelted our city with reports of up to 6" of rain! We took some great photos and videos, but our main computer is not functional (I am on Shawn's work laptop right now), so we will have to share when we are up and running again). We live on a dead end cul-de-sac and, at the end of the cul-de-sac, is a little pond. There is still a lot of debate of what exactly happened, but right now, we understand that there was some negligence in maintaining a dam at the far end of the pond (to prevent the overflow to run off on the highway). When the torrential rains hit, the water had nowhere to go, but to turn our street into a river. We were blessed in that we are on the high side of the street. The backyards of the houses on the opposite side of the street were literally the new pond. Many of our neighbors have lost their houses completely.
Shawn checked our basement before we went back to bed around 4am on Sunday morning, and thankfully we were dry. When we woke up a couple hours later, we discovered a flood in our basement. Over the next couple of days, everything has snowballed. Our water was shut off, we could not leave our neighborhood (unless you were walking wearing high waders), and everything was chaos. We truly were in a disaster zone. The city has been great so far - providing port-a-potties on our street (which has been so much fun for the pregnant lady who uses them four times an hour!) and even a portable shower unit parked right in front of our house. The fire department, environmental services, and Department of Transportation has been working overtime pumping water out of basements and off the street. Currently we are at a point where the majority of the street is finally dry (except for right near where the pond should be), we have limited water (can flush our toilets, but only a couple times a day - still no showers, washing machines, dishwashers), and have entered the clean-up stage of the process.
Like I said, we are lucky compared to some of our neighbors, but even we have lost a good portion of our basement. Our basement was three-quarters finished, so we lost all our carpeting, drywall, even ceiling tiles. The Health Department has come through every house, since our street is hooked into a pumping station in relation to the pond. Therefore, some of the water on the street and in the houses was sewage water. Anything (other than plastic, metal, that kind of stuff) that came in contact with the water has to be disposed of. We had many items (such as the majority of the kids' toys) in the basement that were up high so have been saved (and, thank God, all my scrapbooking stuff was saved as well as most of Shawn's office equipment). We've lost some big household items, like our baby swing, mattresses stored in the basement, anything cloth like that. The bulk of our damages lies in having to gut our basement and start over.
We are "treading water" right now! Jamie and Clare are still going to school, and we are trying to lead as normal a life as possible for their sakes. We are not near any of our family (who have all been worried about us and we talk daily), but have some really great sets of friends who have watched the kids for a few hours, invited us over for dinner, and let us bathe the kids at their house. I spent last evening at the laundromat catching up on some laundry to get us through the next couple of days. Our small neighborhood community of about ten houses have really come together through this. One of our neighbors owns a construction company, and a crew of his guys are spending an hour at every house today doing whatever needs to be done, free of charge. We have chosen to have them spend their time at our house ripping out the rest of our drywall. Shawn and I hauled our carpet and pad out over the last two days, which was a grueling job, so it will be a big help to have aid in removing the drywall.
We may be somewhat stinky, a little on edge, and living on paper plates, but at least we are together in our home!
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
It's A.....
echo! (Got you... ha ha ha...)
Clare had her six-month cardiology appointment and echocardiogram today. I just can't keep the good news in, so... NOTHING HAS CHANGED! Which is really, really, really great!
On the pessimistic side, the fact that nothing has changed means that Clare has not necessarily gotten better (and her pulmonary arteries have not really grown, which her cardiologist said could be due to the stents limiting their growth), but I am an optimistic girl and can't get over the fact that Clare has not gotten worse! Her gradient measurements are pretty much the same as they were six months ago. Her aorta gradient measured between 11-15 mm, which is minimal (to give you an idea of how good that is, prior to Clare's open heart surgery, her aorta gradient was 125 mm). Her blood pressure is maintaining good measurements, and even the pressures on the left side of her heart were not too bad (at 50% of the right-sided pressures, when in the past, her left-sided pressures have been at 100% - a typical heart should be at 25%). So, all in all, we were very happy with that appointment! Clare did great during the echo and lay quietly on the bed watching Elmopalooza (lucky us - and her two brothers who were mesmerized by it as well). She does not have to go back to the cardiologist's until around her fourth birthday, which is seven months away. I cannot say enough how thrilled we are with all this news, especially since next weekend marks the one-year anniversary from Clare's last catheterization. To have seven more months is amazing!
Clare had her six-month cardiology appointment and echocardiogram today. I just can't keep the good news in, so... NOTHING HAS CHANGED! Which is really, really, really great!
On the pessimistic side, the fact that nothing has changed means that Clare has not necessarily gotten better (and her pulmonary arteries have not really grown, which her cardiologist said could be due to the stents limiting their growth), but I am an optimistic girl and can't get over the fact that Clare has not gotten worse! Her gradient measurements are pretty much the same as they were six months ago. Her aorta gradient measured between 11-15 mm, which is minimal (to give you an idea of how good that is, prior to Clare's open heart surgery, her aorta gradient was 125 mm). Her blood pressure is maintaining good measurements, and even the pressures on the left side of her heart were not too bad (at 50% of the right-sided pressures, when in the past, her left-sided pressures have been at 100% - a typical heart should be at 25%). So, all in all, we were very happy with that appointment! Clare did great during the echo and lay quietly on the bed watching Elmopalooza (lucky us - and her two brothers who were mesmerized by it as well). She does not have to go back to the cardiologist's until around her fourth birthday, which is seven months away. I cannot say enough how thrilled we are with all this news, especially since next weekend marks the one-year anniversary from Clare's last catheterization. To have seven more months is amazing!
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Kindergarten Kid
Jamie started kindergarten today. There really is not much to report since Jamie acted like it was no big deal and, other than playground time being his favorite part, we have not been able to extract too much information out of our kindergartner. He was excited to go back to school, but since he is in the same school that he attended last year, has the same teachers, and his current best friend goes to that school as well, he was all ready to go. Absolutely no looking back this year.
Jamie did obligingly sit on the front steps for our traditional First Day of School photos, and Shawn was able to capture some more pictures before and after at school. At his open house last week, we had a chance to talk with his teachers about how kindergarten is going to differ from preschool. We are excited to see Jamie grow more this year as he embarks on new adventures, such as reading, writing, and math skills beyond counting.
Clare has her preschool open house this week and then starts next week. Soccer season has begun with weekly practices and Jamie's first game is this weekend. Swim classes resume next week. Our fall schedule has begun!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
City Life
We recently visited my sister Christina and her husband Tee Jay in New Jersey. It was a whirlwind visit - very fun, but also very tiring! (And I know everyone we saw in NJ and NYC can attest to that!!)
Chris and Tee live about an hour outside NYC, so we thought it would be fun to take the kids into the big city for a day. Shawn has always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty (and I have never seen it either), so we discussed that possibility. Then Jamie mentioned one day before our trip that he wanted to see the Statue of Liberty someday (apparently he saw it on the Wonder Pets). That cinched the deal for us! Between Christina and I, we came up with a convoluted schedule involving a train ride from NJ into Penn Station, subway ride to Battery Park, and ferry ride over to Liberty Island. I think Jamie was the only person out of the seven of us going who fully enjoyed every bit of the travel! Thankfully, Christina's best friend lives in NYC and was able to be our tour guide when navigating the city (props to Heather and Ben - you're the best for devoting an entire Saturday to our crazy family!).
Seeing the Statue of Liberty up close was astounding. I never realized how big she is!
Jamie was in awe of the statue and begged us to take a photo of him with her (he posed the photo himself - Coke bottle and all!). After Liberty Island, we came back by ferry and walked to Ground Zero, which is only a few blocks away. Unfortunately, you could not see anything because it is all closed off since the plans are in work to finally build the memorial. It was still a somber moment to realize how much destruction was wrought on September 11. Just like the Statue of Liberty, I never realized how much space Ground Zero encompassed.From there, we headed back to the subway to make our way to Times Square. (And for those of you have never had the pleasure of traveling around the NYC subway system, it is most definitely NOT stroller-friendly! Never mind two strollers-three small children-two pregnant women-friendly!) Times Square was its typical hustle-bustle crowds everywhere. The kids were in awe - I don't think they
have ever seen that many people at one time before! By this time, it was getting late, so we only had time to do one more thing. And with three children that turned out to be Toys 'R Us! It was pretty cool, I must say. The store has a ferris wheel inside! With each car being a different theme - M&M's, Barbie, Sponge Bob. Jamie and Clare loved every inch of the store. Even Simon was fascinated with everything we saw (and loved playing with the big Thomas train table). I would say the only downfall to the biggest Toys 'R Us we've ever seen is that we walked out of there with Tickle Me Elmo (Clare would not be dissuaded from her choice of toys!).After a late night and exhausting train ride back to NJ, we had a lazy Sunday morning, went to church with my sister, then met her husband at the Staten Island Zoo, where he is the coordinator for special events and v
olunteers. Other than during our trip to Florida, we have not made it to the zoo this summer, so Jamie and Clare were excited to go to the zoo. The Staten Island Zoo is a small zoo (perfect for a relaxing afternoon), but with Tee Jay working there, we were able to do some neat stuff. We received a hands-on experience with some of the animals, such as a ball python, Madagascar hissing cockroach (yeah, you can just put that one back in its box), and a monitor (aka BIG lizard!). We were also able to watch the zookeepers feed some of the animals, including mice to some really big snakes and a 5'6" moray eel. And then there was the excitement of Jamie playing with Tee Jay's zoo radio and stating, "The bobcat has escaped" to the zoo! Two seconds later, a voice comes over the radio asking, "Repeat that transmission, please?" Oh, Jamie! Thankfully Tee Jay was able to clear everything up very quickly and no damage done. After the zoo, we headed back to their apartment for a delicious home-cooked dinner.We had a great time with Christina and Tee Jay. It was awesome to see my pregnant sister (whose belly is as big as mine!) and talk baby talk. This was our last summer fling, and school starts soon.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
One, Two, Three...
Clare can count to 10! Popped out of her mouth one day. Her vocabulary continues to rapidly expand, and she is doing a great job forming sentences. I love her top three new sentences - "Fight me, Mama," (as in brandishing a sword at me), "Go away, Simon," and "Leave me alone, Simon" (poor Simon!). There is a big BUT, though... unless you hear her say the same word over and over (and can realize in context what she is referring to), she can be very difficult to understand. Her consonants are very soft, especially her final consonants, and her speech is somewhat slurred. Clare receives one hour of group speech therapy in school (which was cut to one half-hour during summer session), and we have noticed great results, but I still feel that she needs something more. I also don't necessarily want to increase her services at school which would cause Clare to be removed more often from her classroom. Therefore, we are looking into private speech therapy outside of school. Lucky for me, I have some great friends with some great connections! (You know who you are!) We are hoping to get her in with the best shortly (fingers crossed). In the meantime, we are content hearing that sweet little voice count, "One, two, three..."
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Super Jamie
Poor Jamie has had a rough summer. (Not really, but I think he thinks so.) The weather here has been extremely erratic, to put it mildly. Almost daily thunderstorms, hail, even a tornado just north of us, and lots and lots of rain. Our outdoor outings have been few, and we don't even get the luxury of lazy afternoons and evenings spent in the backyard due to the temperamental weather. We met friends at a playground the other night, even though it had rained on and off all day and was threatening more rain. We just had to get out of the house! Jamie was in ecstasy, being able to run, climb, and yell to his heart's content!
But we have had a busy summer as well. Since Clare had a five-week summer school session, I wanted Jamie to stay active and involved as well and our days not just be wrapped around Clare's drop-off and pick-up. He is enrolled in some programs at our local children's museums, and those have been a big hit. Each program has a different focus - forts, muds 'n suds, frogs, fun boy stuff like that! Jamie also just completed a week of Vacation Bible School at our church. This was his first time going to VBS. He was a little nervous at first because there was only one other child he knew there (and that boy was in a different class), but by the end of the week, Jamie enjoyed himself and is already talking about next year. Jamie starts soccer in our town league in a couple weeks. Shawn took him shopping for his cleats and shin pads, and Jamie begs to go outside and practice daily.
Today we finally had our appointment with the allergist. When Jamie's seasonal allergies kicked in big time this past spring/early summer, it took four allergy medications to get his symptoms under control. The pediatrician referred us to the pediatric allergist, but the waiting list was months long. So today was the day. After going over Jamie's history with the doctor, they did the scratch test on Jamie's back, testing for 22 environmental allergens. Jamie tested positive for 18 of those! He is allergic to all the trees, grass, weeds, dust, cats, dogs, and one type of mold. (The four allergens he was not allergic to were the other four types of mold they test for.) His back instantly was filled with angry-looking red welts and hives. He had to lay on his stomach for 20 minutes without touching his back. It was a painful struggle, but Jamie was a trooper. Right now, we are adding one more medication to Jamie's list and keeping him on his allergy medications year-long (we used to just give them to him seasonally). The doctor advised us to wait until next spring and see how he does through the remainder of the year until the start of allergy-season. We were warned that his allergies would most likely get worse, since he had such strong reactions at such a young age. Allergy shots are highly likely in his future, but I want to hold off as long as we can for those (once started, they involve 4-5 months of weekly shots followed by 3-5 years of monthly shots). I am not surprised that Jamie has allergies (given his severe symptoms this year), but I was shocked by the number of allergies. Like everything else, we're going to take it one step at a time and see what happens.
Next comes kindergarten! Jamie's open house is in two weeks, and then he starts right after Labor Day. He has seen his best friend from school over the summer (they just had a marathon six-hour playdate yesterday!), but I know he is ready to get back to school and seeing his friends there.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Blueberry Picking
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The Rules of Blueberry Picking:1 - Simon: Eat more than you can pick.
2 - Clare: Pick only the green berries.
3 - Jamie: Fill your buc
ket as high as you can then complain that you were given the smallest bucket there.4 - Tree: Spend more time taking photos than picking.
5 - Shawn: Not only pick blueberries, but pick garlic, zucchini, and red potatoes.
We have not made it strawberry picking yet, but had a blast blueberry picking at our favorite organic blueberry farm. After picking blueberries and veggies, we enjoyed a picnic lunch (complete with the most fabulous blueberry lemonade) and watched the helicopters from the nearby fair. Then we stumbled across the Discovery Center of the Great Bay Estuary. One of those diamonds in the rough - the kids were able to hold horseshoe crabs, green crabs, lobsters, all kinds of marine animals collected from the local tide pools. So cool! Enjoy our day! (The last photo is Baby Bonita's progress - s/he was feeling a little left out.)
Monday, August 04, 2008
Monkey Boy
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Simon turned 15 months old on August 1. Where did my baby go? Jamie and Clare were both a few months older when I became pregnant with the next child, so I was totally with it during their transition from baby to toddler (as in not completely fatigued and feeling like I got hit by a semi every day). (Okay, Clare more made this transition over the age of 2, so Simon was already born, and I was almost fully functioning again!) But with Simon, I feel as if I completely missed the day when he decided that he was no longer a baby. I am sure I was in the bathroom during this point, but I wish someone had told me it was coming, because I would have popped my head out for a little bit at least.
We have two words to describe Simon in our house - "sweetness" and "trouble." He is the sweetest baby. He loves to crawl up to me and lay his head on my leg. He loves to cuddle and snuggle and has the brightest smile. It stretc.JPG)
hes from ear to ear, displaying all eight of his shiny little teeth. He throws his head back when he laughs and loves to be involved in all that Jamie and Clare do, much to their frequent dismay - I hear lots of "no, baby" (from Clare) and "no, bubba" (from Jamie). However, (a BIG however!) Simon is definitely a mischief-maker. Although he does not walk yet (thank goodness because I truly fear that day), he is a fast crawler and is starting to become a fast cruiser as well. More frightening, though, Simon is a climber. In and out of the bathtub. Up the stairs (but has not figured out down except by lunging, so he has fallen down the stairs 3 or 4 times already - no serious injuries yet!). Climbs onto toys to get on top of other toys. One day, at the pediatrician's, Simon was safely strapped (or so I thought) into the double stroller, which was parked next to the examination table. I was helping Clare with something, and when I turned around, Simon was sitting on top of the table. I am kind of glad I missed how he was able to crawl out of his buckles and climb onto the table. He sat there, so proud of himself, with his trademark grin.
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hes from ear to ear, displaying all eight of his shiny little teeth. He throws his head back when he laughs and loves to be involved in all that Jamie and Clare do, much to their frequent dismay - I hear lots of "no, baby" (from Clare) and "no, bubba" (from Jamie). However, (a BIG however!) Simon is definitely a mischief-maker. Although he does not walk yet (thank goodness because I truly fear that day), he is a fast crawler and is starting to become a fast cruiser as well. More frightening, though, Simon is a climber. In and out of the bathtub. Up the stairs (but has not figured out down except by lunging, so he has fallen down the stairs 3 or 4 times already - no serious injuries yet!). Climbs onto toys to get on top of other toys. One day, at the pediatrician's, Simon was safely strapped (or so I thought) into the double stroller, which was parked next to the examination table. I was helping Clare with something, and when I turned around, Simon was sitting on top of the table. I am kind of glad I missed how he was able to crawl out of his buckles and climb onto the table. He sat there, so proud of himself, with his trademark grin.Simon is definitely making his mark as the third child (following in the footsteps of some other third children in our family!). Independent, strong-willed, determined, and as sweet as can be.
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