Scramble Ramble

Today is one month until the

21st annual Angels Among Us

5K and Family Fun Walk

and I still owe a post that I said I would do last year. 

About the experience there. 

I am in the process of getting Team Shirts ordered. 

I have created a shirt image to use.

Yes, I created it with the help of

free apps and images to get the works together

nothing real savvy but yes I did it. 

We are also less than 2 week from our Logan

turning 5!!  

5 years!

I always have so much running through my head

I want to write about. 

If only I could attach a word processor to my brain

so I could "type" while thinking

and 

doing everything else I try to do. 

I need some 36 hour days where I get 12 straight hours of sleep 

and the 

kids get a few more so I can get some things done without

being distracted from them. 

They are growing up way to fast. 

We have our Bitty actually excited 

and 

anticipating his birthday. 

This is the first time in his 5 years to 

acknowledge it. 

In past years I have gone out of the box

to do something on his birthday

that he would enjoy

and 

show us he was aware of the day. 

Wow..that looks selfish

when typed out. 

That we did it for us?

Let me try again, 

so it was a day and time 

we all could really share together

and 

see all of us 

enjoying it. 

So if people think I go overboard

or 

as I have heard their comments

of criticism.

Their kids enjoy the day, 

they have fun

they are ready for cake

and 

blow out candles and sing. 

Logan does that now

at birthdays. 

He did start out screaming during the singing

and 

get even louder because

the candles were lit 

and 

very quickly blown out. 

He would stay far from the group

but would 

bee line through and then

go back to his space. 

He now may do that at times 

but stays closer

and if

someone chases him

he LOVES that. 

His best interaction with other kids

is to chase them or they chase him

(he takes turns)

whether they are on their feet

or on a bike. 

We need to find a gift for him. 

He has all he wants. 

Heck, Santa brought 

a train table to us December 2009. 

It gets used daily for hours. 

BEST EVER. 

It is in need of some TLC

but it is a must keep. 

But here I am scrambling for birthday ideas, 

party work, 

shirt orders, 

some "graphic design" (haaaa..yeah right..just simple not impressive work)

Bathrooms need scrubbed, 

clothes washed and put away, 

sheets changed, 

restocking the bread supplies in our home, 

some things need a few sewing repairs (not a professional

there by any stretch either, but can get the job done)
I also need to run!

I ran Ella's race last Saturday. 

I need to build up my endurance

in prep for Angels Among Us. 

I spent a lot of time psyching myself out.

The more I practice 

the more I "train" myself not to psych myself out

and 

build up endurance.  :)

But all while wanting to sit back relax and not miss anything. 

Oh the acts of juggling...

In the mean time random photos of last week and weekend. 

Ella's Race..the two finish photos and our Sweet Boys with the Chickfila Cow
and "snow trees" as our D likes to call them. 

Aidan's Lego Creation complete with his eye brow raise, and two dirty Littles.
This is a massive feat for Logey and have shared them with his OT.
DD he would sleep in the mud if we let him.  :)

The perfect weekend night, in PJ's early ready to relax,
D likes to climb on everything and everyone and a Father Son moment of
teaching how to fold paper foot ball for some fun.  

D and Preschool

Daniel has been in preschool for a month now.

Well, today he is having a day off

due to his crazy cough.

He has loved it.

(So it seems.)

His first few days of drop off was a

little teary.

He was a little confused at pick up also.

However, he now goes smiling,

wearing his backpack

and

walks right in with minimal to no

look back!

It is a new preschool for us.

It is much closer to where Aidan goes to school.

So far, we love it.

It seems really good

and

we have been out and about

and

ran into one of his Teachers.

I have a small basic collage of his first day.

L-R, Top to bottom: In the van on the way, an attempt outside of school,
his thought of running out of the room, me leading him in, Big Bro Bitty trying to figure it all out,
Mom and Dad poses and the backpack that was delivered after the first day.

Again, since I have waited so long

my memories are dim.

He smiles and sings

and

when we pass by his school

on a non-school day

he will wave and say,

“Bye School, I see you Tuesday!!”

or

“Bye School! Have good weekend!!”

So, to me this tells me he enjoys it.

The teacher sends daily emails

(of the days they are in school)

and

it has pictures of the kids throughout the day.

We love those emails because

of course at 2 years old

we don't get a play by play of the day.

Well, from our experience with the Biggun'

we barely got that during any preschool

and

are just getting a bit more from Kindergarten.

The photos give us a chance to ask

the right questions

and

possibly get an answer of sorts.

A two year old answer of course,

but that works for us!

DD seems to truly enjoy his preschool

and

I hope time slows some so we can

not miss a beat or memory.

I have been so behind on here..

there is a lot going on..

I got another MRI and met with my neuro-oncologist,

there are some big changes coming for us

hope to get back into a routine

and keeping this updated for all

who are interested

and

coming up this weekend is the

local Autism Society 5k!

I hoped to post about our experience

with Autism and have slacked on that..

I really think I need 36 hours days..

some days for more sleep

but mostly more time to get things done..

Start to finish

Oh Man..It is SO nice.

Seriously..

7 weeks and 2 days later I

got to be “me”.

This sounds nuts I know.

I was able to start

something in the kitchen

and

finish it.

Like finish finish.

Our Friday nights are

pizza nights.

Homemade pizza

due too all the Boys

food issues

and

well, our budget too!

Think I ever used this much?

And I have to say it's pretty good

yeah..perhaps better than most.

Biased..sure I am,

over-confident?

No not really.

But it works for us.

Dry ingredients..

Resting

So, last week I made a double batch of pizza dough

for the first time in almost 2 months.

I baked the last half on Sunday evening.

(And I typically do only 1 batch at time.)

But that was as far as I got.

Tonight, oh tonight..

I decided not to use the extra's

from last week

and

keep them in stock

and

do another double batch.

I made all the crusts,

Andrew helped prep a few

of the whole made pizzas.

I prepped the sauce with our hidden

food in it.

Yeah..tried it last week and it worked.

Pizza sauce with raw spinach pureed into it.  

Last week I also found the way

to get D to eat pizza too.

Granted he get's his own

small size pizza

that only he eats.

(this could be another post on food issues..)

Tonight, I even cleaned up the

entire mess I made

and

did the nightly dishes of

sippy cup parts and straws.

Yes!

Make dinner from scratch,

cleaned it up

and

did the kitchen clean up.

Now, my Aunt cleaned up all

the Kid's toys.
Andrew got them into bed.

I did fold some towels too.

And I just finished painting

my toe nails for

my oldest Niece's

First Communion

tomorrow morning.

But yes, this is great!

A great night!

A night of a sense of

normalcy.

No nap today either.

Actually, I think only one nap this week.

It's been a long week.

Monday, a normal day.
(Edit: No, it wasn't.  Yes, memory fail.
Andrew had his MRI recheck done. So we were
waiting for another hospital to do it. Uggh..
Duke is WAAAAY better over Rex in that area.  The techs were awesome,
the other staff not so much. ))

Tuesday,

was my post-op check up

which left me on cloud nine.

It was nice to have the

professionals say I was doing well.

Family on the other hand are

more timid

and

still worried I will over do it.

No worries guys,

I am listening to myself.

I know what I can do

and

do indeed push myself to gain some

but

try not to over do it

and

if I do

then I make myself recover from it.

I make sure I slow down.

However, I am doing well.

I really am.

I know I am not ready for all I did before

but

really, I am working on it.

The only way to get better is to rest

and

I have

but to gain

you also must challenge yourself.

So, Tuesday afternoon was the typical Logan

OT appointment.

Wednesday, was a normal day

with some shopping in it.

Thursday, BUSY!

Aidan had his final

preschool field trip.

My Aunt kept the Littles

so I could take Aidan on his own.

Which was super awesome!

Get to only have “one” kid!

I usually take Logan so he gets the idea

of how to handle something like that

which is usually chasing him

as he is running away

and

getting into danger

and of course

tantruming due to not understanding

what the boundaries or expectations are.

I try but it's hard for him.

I usually have my Mom or Andrew

come and help

especially with D too.

It puts you in a position of people

watching or wondering

and

the last field trip I took them on

turned out people sitting down

questioning me.

It's hard.

Very hard.

But, we all have to learn and gain somehow right?!

Anyways, it was nice

and

an actual chance to talk to the other Mom's

there.

First time.
Of course he's almost done with preschool now.

I guess better late than never.

Right?

Then he and I went out to lunch

using a wonderful gift someone gave us.

I checked with Andrew and he thought

it was a good thing to do.

Then Aidan and I

searched for the gift I

wanted to get

my oldest Niece for her

First Communion.

Finally found it.

Picked up some things we needed for home

and then

made it home.

Then today was a normal Friday.

I picked up my youngest Niece from

preschool with Aidan

and

they got a play date together.

My Sister has been helping pick Aidan up from

school

so I mean it was the least I can do

and

Aidan and her are good buddies.

You know it's just nice to be “me” again.

Like I said I have a ways to go

and

know that

and

am OK with that.

Not sure how all of the Family is.

I know how Andrew is.
We talk.

We're good about that.

That is how we signed up for all of this.

If he thinks I need to stop

he will let me know

but he also

knows when I am building up.

We do pretty good.

We can yell.

We do

sometimes.

It happens.

We talk well sometimes

and

others not so much.

But, we figure it out together

and

a lot of the time

are on the same wave length.

We do pretty good.

You know coming up the day before

my next MRI will be 12 years

since our first kiss.

Yes, I remember the day/night.

August will be 12 years since we

“officially” became a couple.

Heck, in December

will be 16 years since we

first started being friends.

We've been married 8 years.

Yeah..like I said..

we know each other

and

work pretty well

together.

You know, I kinda like him.

I think he kinda likes me too.

Just a thought.  

Our Sweet Boys...just because.
Aidan and Logan's are from March before the craniotomy
Baby D's are more recent. 

Sipee Cup

Well, my Mom and Dad gave me a sipee cup today. Just to see what I would do. I have been drooling a lot for the past couple months however, it is much worse today. So, they thought some cool water from a cup might feel good to me. (Mom and Dad do not see any teeth yet.) I think sipee cups are good for eating that's for sure!

6 Months Old!!

Well, Mom and Dad say that today I am a entire half a year old! As you can see I sit up pretty well today. I am a little wobbly when I don't pay attention, but overall do well. Mom and Dad let me sit out in the front yard too! I go to see the Pediatrician for my stats on the 27th. Today I posed for Mom and Dad and spent the afternoon/evening at Meme and Papa's house for Memorial Day. (Update 5/27) So, my 6 month old stats are: Weight: 20 lbs 3 oz (90%) Height: 28 3/4 in (>97%) My head is in the 95%. So, Mom and Dad say I am proportionately large. I have been eating two meals a day for a few weeks now, (With bottles in between). The Dr says that at 7 months I can eat meats and citrus. He also told Mom and Dad to let me eat what they eat (that can be mashed up anyways) so the baby foods are to be sorta phasing out. He also said to let me feed myself too. So, I have a lot of news for being half a year!!

Log rolling!!

Well, last week I started rolling from my back to my tummy. Tonight I can roll from my back to tummy to back etc. I can cover some ground!! I really enjoying rolling all over the living room. Mom and Dad say I am getting big and acting bigger! I weigh 19 lbs 11 oz. I head to the Dr's next week for my 6 month check up and Mom says I am getting more shots! Yuck! I can sit up a little if I lean on my hands and every so often I sit up straight and tumble over. Mom says I will get the hang of it soon! Well for those of you who have not heard yet, my Mom is quitting her job to stay home with me!! We are so excited!! I am going to miss seeing Grandma everyday though. Mom says we will definitely visit. Our swimming pool opened this past Saturday. I am not sure what one is but Mom and Dad tell me it's like a big bath tub. I really like the bath tub and am splashing quite a bit lately. I also roll onto my side when I sleep. Take a look here....

Showing Off...

Well, my Mom and Dad wanted to get a picture of me in my "Kiss Me I'm Irish" outfit and they did. I felt like showing off some. Dad put me in the glider in my room all by myself!! Well, I had a couple friends with me. While I was sitting there they kept teasing me with my pacifier and apparently took a video of me!

My Dad went to NY City

Well, Mom and I had some time together for 5 days!! My Dad made a business trip to New York, New York!! While he was gone I grew soo much!! Dad left and I decided I can reach and grab with a lot more precision. I also learned that my can catch my legs on purpose now!! I almost roll over trying to look where people are going. I hold my head up real well when on my tummy. ( Everyone says my head is huge..so this is big!) I sit up pretty well too for being not quite 5 months yet ( I have 5 more days). I sure do love to eat and am eating lots!! Everything has really started coming together for me just in the few days he was gone. Here are a few pictures my Mom took during that time!

Long time no blog..

Sorry guys, Mom has a hard time helping me with this. I don't like her to be in front of the computer. I guess I better learn when she's bloggin'. Well, I had a good 4 month check up. I was : 27 inches tall 17.2 lbs And have a HUGE head like my Dad I sure did not like those shots again. Then the next day I had a little fever. Mom says my cheeks were extra pink. I was not very happy. My buddy Chandler came over and I did not feel like hanging out and Mom says it showed. At my doctors appointment I rolled over from my stomach to back, which I have only done now one other time for my Grandma last week. I know Mom is a sucker so I just ball and don't pick up my head. However, on Saturday I cooperated. Do you like the claw marks on my head? My Mom has to go to work now. So, I will put up more posts later. We have LOTS of pictures!!

It's been a while...

Well, it has been too long. My Mom wasn't feeling too well the other week and it really stopped things around the house. My Dad says he was a single Dad taking care of two babies. ;-) Well, I am a beefcake..at least my parents say so. I really like food. Mom and Dad checked my weight last night. They weighed Mom and then weighed Mom while she was holding me. There was a 16-17 pound difference. Mom and Dad just measured me and I am 26.25 inches tall!! When I take naps I like to hook my hands onto my ears. I also have found out I have a tongue and enjoy sticking it out. Yesterday, when Mom was done with work, we got to hang out with Grandma, Aunt Melanie, Uncle Matt, and my cousins Garreth, Ansley and Tabitha. Garreth and Ansley were speaking "parseltongue" to me. (They had just watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets!) I really enjoyed it and was laughing quite a bit. Mom says I am going to roll over soon. I wiggle around when laying down and roll up onto my sides. Dad and I hung out on Thursday night and he told Mom that after she left I spun around in a complete circle on the floor before I fell asleep for a nap. I really like music and singing. The TV is pretty interesting too. There are lots of colors and shapes to watch. Mom and Dad say I might be getting some teeth. I chew on my fingers all the time and drool a lot. I also stick 1-4 fingers down my throat and gag! Yuck. Here are some pictures of me around my house.

2 month Check Up

Well, I went to see the doctor today.  I weigh in at 13 pounds 4 ounces and am 24 3/4 inches tall.  Mom and Dad say that my weight is in the 90th percentile and my height is in the 97th.  The doctor says I am perfect.  Mom and Dad have noticed a red mark on my chest and thought it to be a superficial hemangioma.  They checked with the doctor and he told them they were  correct.  He also says  it will get more red and raised over the next year but, will then eventually fade out in a few years.  I also got my first couple vaccines and it sure hurt my legs.  I cried for a good 5 minutes.  My Mom held and rocked me then I fell asleep.  I really like to talk a lot (bet you can't guess who that comes from.)  I don't go back to see the doctor until I am 4 months old.

My Dad is staying home with Mom and Me this week.  We are really having a good time all together.  

Dad says we'll get some new pictures up this week, he's been snap happy with the camera!  

I have a belly button. Finally!!

Well, it finally has happened!  My umbilical stump has fallen off.  It really wanted to stay with me.  I will be 7 weeks old on Sunday.  My Mom and Dad were starting to think that I may not ever have a belly button.  But, now I have a belly button with just a little scab in it.  So, tonight Mom says I am getting my first real bath!!