Today was a bit crazy. Dan went and got the right headlight bulb for my van right away today, the parts guy had given us the wrong one last night. I can see the road again! Always helps. :) The headlights were adjusted weird too, so that wasn't helping matters.
My mom called and asked if she could come get Dawson early. I admit, I wasn't going to complain! The boys had been bothering eachother all day and I was looking forward to some peace. So she came and got Dawson at 4pm. I had told him she was coming and he was going to sleep at her house, but I'm not sure if he really understood me or not. He was just repeating everything I said. He was quite happy once she showed up though and I think it was when I was packing up his things that he got the hint that something was going on. We got his pillow and bedtime music turtle by the door and he was looking a bit nervous and excited. He was very happy when it came time to put him in Grandma's van. :)
Tyler was excited to have Dawson gone at first, he went around playing with all the toys that Dawson won't allow him to play with. That lasted a couple hours. Then he ran up and down the hallway a couple times, growling and giggling and seemed to realize that not having Dawson here had it's downfalls. Nobody to run and play with. So he ran over to me and started playing rough with me instead. So I ended up getting a bit of a workout playing and chasing him all over the place. Having 2 might have many difficulties, but I do sure like them being able to entertain eachother for small parts of the day! He seemed a bit lost and lonely after that, so clung to me a lot.
Dan decided we should go out to eat. Dawson is very hard to eat out with, but Tyler is usually very well behaved. So we went to Applebees. Tyler colored a bit, ate some animal crackers and then loved the kid's basket that came for him. Once my meal came he decided my plate was up for grabs too, including my steak. Yep, the boy loves his steak. He ripped off very small pieces at a time and mostly just sucked the juice out of the rest. He sat pretty nice in a booster on the booth, but once he was full and decided he was bored, he got squirmy and we got a highchair for him. He played with an empty cup and a straw for a while, played in some mashed potatoes and then decided he was very done with the place. Thankfully we were done too, so that was nicely timed.
Once we got home I was chatting with my mom online and asked for a webcam chat. Dawson was very excited to see me and Tyler. Even Tyler was looking and grinning at Dawson, it was obvious they'd missed eachother. So cute!! They were talking/babbling at eachother for a bit and then Tyler got to playing so I aimed the camera at him. He was saying "ready-set-go" and knocking animals and other toys off their little table. Dawson was really getting into it, saying it along with Tyler and I and giggling hysterically when the toys fell off the table. It's something they do here and it was cute that they kinda got to play together tonight before bed. Tyler seemed a bit less lonely after that and went to bed happy. Thankfully he didn't give me any trouble, I'd wondered if he would miss his brother at bedtime but I never heard a peep from him.
We have to leave at 5:30am for Tyler's biopsy, it's a 1.5 to 2 hour drive, so I like to be there early. Especially since the Oncology procedures are all scheduled at the same time and it's first come, first serve. Hopefully we can get in and out of there in a reasonable amount of time. He's scheduled for 7:30am and if we're out by noon I'll be very impressed.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
New Shoes and a Re-Arranged Room
Today was a pretty good day. Dan got some used tires for the truck, he needed some before he sold it, so once they're on there we can put it up for sale. Yay!
I heard about a huge sale at Target, so we went to the mall and looked around. I didn't find much, but got a spring jacket for Dawson for $5. We then walked around the mall to let the boys run out some energy, they had lots of fun. We passed the shoe store where I always get my shoes and they had a huge sale going. It's been a year since I bought shoes so I decided to look. Found a nice white and blue pair of Asics for $40 off their usual price. Mine are almost worn out anyway and they don't have sales often, but thankfully everytime I've needed shoes I find them on sale.
We got home and decided to re-arrange the boys' room. We'd already moved the bunk bed a few weeks ago, so we just had to switch the crib and 2 of the dressers around. We just got the big stuff done, I still need to organize the rest of it, but at least that's something I can do myself now that the heavy lifting is out of the way. Feels good to have another big thing crossed off my list.
Tyler seems to be feeling better today, he had lots of energy and never took a nap. He loved the cinnamon bites we got at the mall and had fun running around the mall. He wasn't quite sure about us moving his crib across the room, he wanted to go in it to check things out as soon as it was moved and he was fine when I put him to bed. He did wake up and was unsure of things tonight though, but after some reassurance he seems to be ok.
Dawson had a rough morning. I think going to school really helps him, we kept him home this week to make sure he didn't pick up any illness so Tyler could do his bone marrow biopsy on Monday. He keeps asking me about school every morning and almost everytime we need to go someplace. Hopefully he'll be able to get back on that routine next week when he goes back on Wednesday.
I called the clinic about the referral and they said that Children's hadn't gotten back to them about setting up an appointment yet, so we'll have to do that on Monday. I'll have to see if they get anywhere over the phone, otherwise I just might stop in myself since we'll be there anyway.
Baby has been super active lately, he seems to be turning around now, he's found my ribs a few times instead of kicking my hip bones. I've been pretty sore, I had a hard time walking around the mall today, it feels like I have a strained groin muscle or something, but I don't remember straining it. Been having some back pain too, it's not too bad but it's a constant dull ache. Doesn't help that I have to carry Tyler a lot. I've been working on having him walk places, but sometimes that just doesn't work. I can't remember if I was this sore with the last 2, maybe I was and just don't remember. Of course chasing 2 toddlers might have something to do with it! Hopefully I'll have a productive weekend anyway and be able to keep my mind off of Monday.
I heard about a huge sale at Target, so we went to the mall and looked around. I didn't find much, but got a spring jacket for Dawson for $5. We then walked around the mall to let the boys run out some energy, they had lots of fun. We passed the shoe store where I always get my shoes and they had a huge sale going. It's been a year since I bought shoes so I decided to look. Found a nice white and blue pair of Asics for $40 off their usual price. Mine are almost worn out anyway and they don't have sales often, but thankfully everytime I've needed shoes I find them on sale.
We got home and decided to re-arrange the boys' room. We'd already moved the bunk bed a few weeks ago, so we just had to switch the crib and 2 of the dressers around. We just got the big stuff done, I still need to organize the rest of it, but at least that's something I can do myself now that the heavy lifting is out of the way. Feels good to have another big thing crossed off my list.
Tyler seems to be feeling better today, he had lots of energy and never took a nap. He loved the cinnamon bites we got at the mall and had fun running around the mall. He wasn't quite sure about us moving his crib across the room, he wanted to go in it to check things out as soon as it was moved and he was fine when I put him to bed. He did wake up and was unsure of things tonight though, but after some reassurance he seems to be ok.
Dawson had a rough morning. I think going to school really helps him, we kept him home this week to make sure he didn't pick up any illness so Tyler could do his bone marrow biopsy on Monday. He keeps asking me about school every morning and almost everytime we need to go someplace. Hopefully he'll be able to get back on that routine next week when he goes back on Wednesday.
I called the clinic about the referral and they said that Children's hadn't gotten back to them about setting up an appointment yet, so we'll have to do that on Monday. I'll have to see if they get anywhere over the phone, otherwise I just might stop in myself since we'll be there anyway.
Baby has been super active lately, he seems to be turning around now, he's found my ribs a few times instead of kicking my hip bones. I've been pretty sore, I had a hard time walking around the mall today, it feels like I have a strained groin muscle or something, but I don't remember straining it. Been having some back pain too, it's not too bad but it's a constant dull ache. Doesn't help that I have to carry Tyler a lot. I've been working on having him walk places, but sometimes that just doesn't work. I can't remember if I was this sore with the last 2, maybe I was and just don't remember. Of course chasing 2 toddlers might have something to do with it! Hopefully I'll have a productive weekend anyway and be able to keep my mind off of Monday.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Labs and Phone Calls
That pretty much sums up my day. I called the Oncologist this morning, who agreed that Tyler should have some labs done since he's been so tired lately. So I called and made an appt for labs at noon at the Plaza. The Oncologist called back saying he'd like Tyler to see a Dr also to make sure he doesn't have any other issues, especially with the biopsy coming up. So I called back and asked them to have a Dr come to the short stay when we get there, which wasn't a problem. His counts were low, but not enough to stop chemo. We're just watching him for now. He was energetic this morning, but then took a 2 1/2 hour nap cuddled up to me on the couch and wasn't very hungry today either. His energy did come back in the evening.
I made the rest of my OB appointments. Once I hit 36 weeks I'll be going in every week. We have scheduled up to 39 weeks. It's nice to have those in place. I also scheduled Tyler's next Oncology and IVIG appointments for February. I played phone tag with the referral office at our clinic for Dawson. The pediatrician did send the referral, she asked me what days would work best, but I missed the 2nd call while doing labs and ended up leaving a message. She did say that it would be the Neurologist at Children's where we'd go, so now I just need a date. I'm really hoping there isn't a long wait. I didn't get ahold of the cord blood unit either, so hopefully tomorrow.
I got a little cleaning done today. I looked over my to-do list but everything seemed so overwhelming. Either the jobs were too physical for me or too tedious and I really didn't want to get too deep into anything this evening. I collected the rest of the ball pit balls and cleaned off some of the junk on the top of my dresser. It's a long dresser and it's full of stuff. I haven't even unpacked my bathroom kit from our hospital days, I still have extra of everything in there. I suppose I could put that away now! I always use the top of my dresser for baby supplies and things I'll need in the middle of the night while Baby is staying in our room. It really wasn't helping that I'd put a couple things away and Tyler would be dragging even more things out of the room!
Dawson was being very difficult this evening. He had taken a nap and was upset that he'd fallen asleep. He rarely lets himself take a nap, he only sleeps at night. So he was crying and not knowing what to do with himself. Then he wanted food, but didn't know what. Then it was a movie, so I got that going, only to be asked for a different movie. He didn't stop crying and screaming for an entire hour, it was very frustrating. So once he finally got settled down, I got to go clean a bit. I also made some cookies, they were a much needed sanity boost. :)
I made the rest of my OB appointments. Once I hit 36 weeks I'll be going in every week. We have scheduled up to 39 weeks. It's nice to have those in place. I also scheduled Tyler's next Oncology and IVIG appointments for February. I played phone tag with the referral office at our clinic for Dawson. The pediatrician did send the referral, she asked me what days would work best, but I missed the 2nd call while doing labs and ended up leaving a message. She did say that it would be the Neurologist at Children's where we'd go, so now I just need a date. I'm really hoping there isn't a long wait. I didn't get ahold of the cord blood unit either, so hopefully tomorrow.
I got a little cleaning done today. I looked over my to-do list but everything seemed so overwhelming. Either the jobs were too physical for me or too tedious and I really didn't want to get too deep into anything this evening. I collected the rest of the ball pit balls and cleaned off some of the junk on the top of my dresser. It's a long dresser and it's full of stuff. I haven't even unpacked my bathroom kit from our hospital days, I still have extra of everything in there. I suppose I could put that away now! I always use the top of my dresser for baby supplies and things I'll need in the middle of the night while Baby is staying in our room. It really wasn't helping that I'd put a couple things away and Tyler would be dragging even more things out of the room!
Dawson was being very difficult this evening. He had taken a nap and was upset that he'd fallen asleep. He rarely lets himself take a nap, he only sleeps at night. So he was crying and not knowing what to do with himself. Then he wanted food, but didn't know what. Then it was a movie, so I got that going, only to be asked for a different movie. He didn't stop crying and screaming for an entire hour, it was very frustrating. So once he finally got settled down, I got to go clean a bit. I also made some cookies, they were a much needed sanity boost. :)
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Skating and School
The adult night session at the roller rink has started up again on Tuesday nights, so I've been going to that as usual. This was the 2nd week. Our friends Brian and Jessie were there, so it was nice talking to them. I often get asked why I still go skating when I'm pregnant. If I wasn't comfortable with it, I wouldn't be doing it! I've been skating for almost 10 years now and this session has only adults. It's always the same people, they know how to skate and aren't going to fall down and trip me like kids might do. I'm still feeling very comfortable and balanced, plus I'm taking it easy and taking breaks. It's nice to get out of the house just by myself once a week. I like having that to look forward to, it really helps my sanity! The session goes until the end of March, but I'm just taking it week by week and seeing how I feel at the time.
We had our usual Wednesday night support group at the Sauk Rapids preschool school tonight. All the kids there are on an IEP and have developmental delays and some with medical concerns. It's a lot better than the regular ECFE groups because this one is very conscious about everyone and I've never seen a runny nose or coughing kid there like I always did when we went to the regular ECFE group. We have pizza, then they take the kids to the gym to play, then a classroom to play some more. Both boys really love it and always scarf down their pizza and run to the door. Tyler had a tough time the first couple times, but now he's almost the first one to want to leave. It's great that he feels comfortable leaving me, it took quite a while for him to be ok with that, he's been very attached to his mommy.
Tonight I asked Dawson if he wants to go to school. He perked up and said "ok school!" and started heading towards the door. Then he paused and said "with Tywer?". I said yes, with Tyler. He got a big grin and said "OK! School, with Tywer" and ran to the door. How cute is that?! I've never even heard him say "with" before, and didn't even know he knew the word or the concept, but apparently he does! It's so great to see how attached he is to Tyler, especially since at first he didn't want anything to do with him at all! It will be interesting to see how he is with the new baby, if he'll be more interested since he's had a little sibling once already, or if he'll be uninterested again because it's just a baby who can't run and play with him.
Tyler is having a bit of a tough day today, he's been napping, which he never does, and really moody which is odd too. So I'm hoping his Dr will agree that he should have labs tomorrow to see what's going on. We did raise his chemo dose and the last time he was on that dose his counts went way down too. We were hoping his extra couple pounds would help him handle it better. I guess we'll see.
Dawson's teacher has recommended getting a medical evaluation for Dawson. It will help him get more services. I had thought about waiting, but then I thought maybe we should get it done while I still only have 2 kids to bring to the appointment! So I called the pediatrician today for a referral and they're going to call me back tomorrow.
Lots of phone calls to make tomorrow, besides the Dr and whoever they say to make an appt with for Dawson, I have to call and check on the status of our cord blood banking stuff. Last I checked they were going to talk to our insurance to see if they'll cover the fees to collect and harvest it. It's up to us to get it there, which I wasn't expecting, so we'll have to figure that out too. I also have to call and set up more OB appts, I'll be going in every other week starting next month already! I can't believe I'm already to that point! I also have to call the Oncologist for an order, clinic for a lab appt, then the Oncologist again to discuss the results, plus the receptionist to make more appointments for Tyler. If anyone has any insight on when #3 will arrive so I know when to make all these appointments, I'd love to hear it! ;) On top of that, Dawson's teacher is coming over between 1-2pm. Some days are so full between appts, teachers and phone calls! Hopefully I won't have to play phone tag with to many people.
We had our usual Wednesday night support group at the Sauk Rapids preschool school tonight. All the kids there are on an IEP and have developmental delays and some with medical concerns. It's a lot better than the regular ECFE groups because this one is very conscious about everyone and I've never seen a runny nose or coughing kid there like I always did when we went to the regular ECFE group. We have pizza, then they take the kids to the gym to play, then a classroom to play some more. Both boys really love it and always scarf down their pizza and run to the door. Tyler had a tough time the first couple times, but now he's almost the first one to want to leave. It's great that he feels comfortable leaving me, it took quite a while for him to be ok with that, he's been very attached to his mommy.
Tonight I asked Dawson if he wants to go to school. He perked up and said "ok school!" and started heading towards the door. Then he paused and said "with Tywer?". I said yes, with Tyler. He got a big grin and said "OK! School, with Tywer" and ran to the door. How cute is that?! I've never even heard him say "with" before, and didn't even know he knew the word or the concept, but apparently he does! It's so great to see how attached he is to Tyler, especially since at first he didn't want anything to do with him at all! It will be interesting to see how he is with the new baby, if he'll be more interested since he's had a little sibling once already, or if he'll be uninterested again because it's just a baby who can't run and play with him.
Tyler is having a bit of a tough day today, he's been napping, which he never does, and really moody which is odd too. So I'm hoping his Dr will agree that he should have labs tomorrow to see what's going on. We did raise his chemo dose and the last time he was on that dose his counts went way down too. We were hoping his extra couple pounds would help him handle it better. I guess we'll see.
Dawson's teacher has recommended getting a medical evaluation for Dawson. It will help him get more services. I had thought about waiting, but then I thought maybe we should get it done while I still only have 2 kids to bring to the appointment! So I called the pediatrician today for a referral and they're going to call me back tomorrow.
Lots of phone calls to make tomorrow, besides the Dr and whoever they say to make an appt with for Dawson, I have to call and check on the status of our cord blood banking stuff. Last I checked they were going to talk to our insurance to see if they'll cover the fees to collect and harvest it. It's up to us to get it there, which I wasn't expecting, so we'll have to figure that out too. I also have to call and set up more OB appts, I'll be going in every other week starting next month already! I can't believe I'm already to that point! I also have to call the Oncologist for an order, clinic for a lab appt, then the Oncologist again to discuss the results, plus the receptionist to make more appointments for Tyler. If anyone has any insight on when #3 will arrive so I know when to make all these appointments, I'd love to hear it! ;) On top of that, Dawson's teacher is coming over between 1-2pm. Some days are so full between appts, teachers and phone calls! Hopefully I won't have to play phone tag with to many people.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
28 Week OB Appointment
I had my 1 hour Glucose test today to test for Gestational Diabeties. I've never had it before, but since I have big babies they insisted on me taking it at 14 and 28 weeks, instead of just the usual 28 weeks. It wasn't bad at all this time, I was too busy trying to entertain the boys to think about it much. Dawson kept trying to re-set my timer, which wouldn't have been funny at all! She said she'd actually have to make me re-do it if he did that.
My exam went well, I gained 5 pounds this month, my blood pressure was good and the baby's heartbeat was about 140. So all looked good. She did the belly measurement and looked surprised. She's not my regular OB, she wasn't available this week. I'm measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule. I was with Tyler too, but not until the very end. So it looks like I've got another big baby! Can't say I'm too surprised though, just nervous to see how everything will go in the end. My OB is going to keep a close eye on the measurements and probably do an ultrasound toward the end to see how big he is. They can estimate weight, but it's often 1-2 pounds off, so I'm not sure how helpful that will be. I'm hoping he'll just decide to come a bit early and make things easier for everyone, but if not I'll probably be induced. I don't want to end up with a cesarean, the thought makes me very nervous!
After the exam I still had 40 minutes to entertain the boys. I figured I could let them run some energy out by walking the halls of the clinic, it's a huge place. She told me we can wait in either of the waiting rooms, but doesn't want me walking around much because that burns off the sugar easier and would be cheating the test. Thankfully I brought the portable DVD player, a bag full of toys and a couple snacks. That kept them occupied for pretty much all of it. We did end up switching waiting rooms because another kid started taking Dawson's toys to play with for himself. The whole point in bringing toys is to avoid the waiting room toy germs!! So we gathered up our toys and moved, the mom actually looked annoyed. Sorry, but I'm not here to entertain your child! Once we found a peaceful spot, they had settled down again. By the time Dawson decided he was done with the place, I decided to check on my time and they said I only had 1 minute left! So she just sent us in anyway and waited until it beeped.
Labs really don't bother me anymore. I used to get a bit dizzy and I couldn't watch, but after all Tyler's stuff it really doesn't matter. Poor Tyler didn't like them poking his mommy though. He was sweet and held my free hand while going between giving the nurse dirty looks and fussing. He was very happy to be out of there. "Yay, go, go, go!" :)
We went to the mall to run off some energy. The boys love walking in the mall and we always get looks and comments. They've been doing much better about listening. If Tyler sees me heading in a different direction, he'll follow. Dawson was also very good about stopping and coming back when I asked him to. He tends to get quite a ways ahead of us.
I got a call from the clinic which got me worried. Good results come in the mail, bad results come with a same-day phone call! She said my Glucose test was fine (whew!), but my hemoglobin is low. I was relieved, I know nothing about blood sugar, but hemoglobin I do know. So I've been working on that. I'm also glad that there's another reason why I've been so tired lately. I assumed it was just being pregnant and chasing 2 toddlers all day! 3rd trimester can be especially tiring so I didn't question it. Hopefully once I get my hemoglobin up I'll have more energy. Hemoglobin is also very important for the cord blood banking, so I will be keeping on top of the iron foods from now on! My next appointment is in 4 weeks.
My exam went well, I gained 5 pounds this month, my blood pressure was good and the baby's heartbeat was about 140. So all looked good. She did the belly measurement and looked surprised. She's not my regular OB, she wasn't available this week. I'm measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule. I was with Tyler too, but not until the very end. So it looks like I've got another big baby! Can't say I'm too surprised though, just nervous to see how everything will go in the end. My OB is going to keep a close eye on the measurements and probably do an ultrasound toward the end to see how big he is. They can estimate weight, but it's often 1-2 pounds off, so I'm not sure how helpful that will be. I'm hoping he'll just decide to come a bit early and make things easier for everyone, but if not I'll probably be induced. I don't want to end up with a cesarean, the thought makes me very nervous!
After the exam I still had 40 minutes to entertain the boys. I figured I could let them run some energy out by walking the halls of the clinic, it's a huge place. She told me we can wait in either of the waiting rooms, but doesn't want me walking around much because that burns off the sugar easier and would be cheating the test. Thankfully I brought the portable DVD player, a bag full of toys and a couple snacks. That kept them occupied for pretty much all of it. We did end up switching waiting rooms because another kid started taking Dawson's toys to play with for himself. The whole point in bringing toys is to avoid the waiting room toy germs!! So we gathered up our toys and moved, the mom actually looked annoyed. Sorry, but I'm not here to entertain your child! Once we found a peaceful spot, they had settled down again. By the time Dawson decided he was done with the place, I decided to check on my time and they said I only had 1 minute left! So she just sent us in anyway and waited until it beeped.
Labs really don't bother me anymore. I used to get a bit dizzy and I couldn't watch, but after all Tyler's stuff it really doesn't matter. Poor Tyler didn't like them poking his mommy though. He was sweet and held my free hand while going between giving the nurse dirty looks and fussing. He was very happy to be out of there. "Yay, go, go, go!" :)
We went to the mall to run off some energy. The boys love walking in the mall and we always get looks and comments. They've been doing much better about listening. If Tyler sees me heading in a different direction, he'll follow. Dawson was also very good about stopping and coming back when I asked him to. He tends to get quite a ways ahead of us.
I got a call from the clinic which got me worried. Good results come in the mail, bad results come with a same-day phone call! She said my Glucose test was fine (whew!), but my hemoglobin is low. I was relieved, I know nothing about blood sugar, but hemoglobin I do know. So I've been working on that. I'm also glad that there's another reason why I've been so tired lately. I assumed it was just being pregnant and chasing 2 toddlers all day! 3rd trimester can be especially tiring so I didn't question it. Hopefully once I get my hemoglobin up I'll have more energy. Hemoglobin is also very important for the cord blood banking, so I will be keeping on top of the iron foods from now on! My next appointment is in 4 weeks.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Slowly making progress
I'm so tired! Today I deflated the ball pit, the boys had all the balls out of it and were just knocking it over and jumping on it anyway, so I decided it was time for a break. I had kept the bag for the 100 balls, so I went around and found them all. Just that was a huge improvement, not having 100 balls all over the place to step on. Having the ball pit deflated was nice too.
Next we made a little progress on the dining room floor. We had a multiple drawer storage thing that I was keeping sippies, bibs, bottles and those types of things in. Tyler took it upon himself to completely empty it. I had tons of bottles, nipples and breast pump parts from our hospital days. My only issue was, it hurts to bend over more than about twice these days! So the other day I had made a place for the sippies in a bin thing on the counter and today Dan gathered up a bunch of the bottle stuff and we put that up there too. It needs a lot more done, but it's a start.
The biggest thing we did was tackle our walk-in closet. It really wasn't a walk-in anymore, it was more of a lean-in, since the entire closet was full of stuff. It had been neat, but things kept getting aquired and put on the floor, stacked up, etc. Once the Christmas stuff was put away, or more accurately, tossed in wherever it fit, we really couldn't go in there at all. So we completly emptied the bottom of the closet and went through things. We were able to combine boxes, ended up with a big duffel bag full of garbage (it was garbage, so ended up with all the garbage in it). There's a grocery box full of stuff to donate and about 4-5 boxes that no longer need to be in there. Plus we made a little room on the shelves above the racks by filling some totes that weren't full on the bottom. It was a long, tedious job but the results look great! We have our walk-in floor space back, plus the space under the clothes rack on my side even has room for more if needed. The boys had a big problem with us putting a gate up at our door and not letting them in, so I spent half my time just trying to keep them out from under our feet. We're both pretty tired. Dan went into the job thinking he'd get the entire room done today, but since I've been doing a lot of cleaning and organizing lately and know how long of a process it can be! I was just happy to have the bottom of the closet cleaned out.
I'm really hoping to get more cleaning done tomorrow, even with other things on the agenda. I made a huge to-do list on the computer which pretty much has every area of the place that needs work, plus some other specific things too. It's a very long list, but it's nice to have that visual and be able to cross things off as they get done. Dan plans to go to the junkyard tomorrow so he can move forward with fixing vehicles and we're also hoping to go see my Grandma's new house that she built and is working on moving into. I've been wanting to see it for quite a while, but we're either too busy or we have a cold, so couldn't go.
Dawson is now eating oranges! He sees Tyler and I eating them all the time and suddenly decided to join in and eat a few slices. It's great seeing him try something new, that hasn't happened in a long time. I've also noticed in the last couple days that his words are less choppy. One thing we'd been working on is saying "I-want-____". He would say it just like that, 1 word at a time, very slowly. He's just started saying it as a flowing sentence now and it's so nice to hear that coming together. He only does it about half the time, but it's a big improvement.
Tyler imitated another word today and continued to use it. We had sold our old fake tree and bought a new one on clearance after Christmas. We decided to set it up, make sure the lights work and all that before putting it in storage. The boys were excited to see it all set up and Tyler even said "tree!" and was excitedly pointing at all the lights. He seems to be missing that first letter sound in many of his words, so "tree" is missing the T sound. Dawson does that too, we just keep emphasizing it and he sometimes works on it and picks it up, but always needs that reminder. I did get Tyler to get very close once, so it's great that he seems to want to say things and does pay attention to those sounds.
Baby #3 was so active this evening! I was getting so sore, trying to get things done and he was practicing kick boxing in there or something. This little guy is very strong! I'm pretty relaxed about the baby so far. I feel pretty prepared, we sure didn't need to buy clothes or anything, we have enough diapers to last the first few months thanks to a good deal on Craigslist. The only thing we still need is a name. My boy name list is feeling pretty picked over and I can't seem to find many new ones that get my attention. It will be a big relief getting that figured out. I just hope it happens before April!
Next we made a little progress on the dining room floor. We had a multiple drawer storage thing that I was keeping sippies, bibs, bottles and those types of things in. Tyler took it upon himself to completely empty it. I had tons of bottles, nipples and breast pump parts from our hospital days. My only issue was, it hurts to bend over more than about twice these days! So the other day I had made a place for the sippies in a bin thing on the counter and today Dan gathered up a bunch of the bottle stuff and we put that up there too. It needs a lot more done, but it's a start.
The biggest thing we did was tackle our walk-in closet. It really wasn't a walk-in anymore, it was more of a lean-in, since the entire closet was full of stuff. It had been neat, but things kept getting aquired and put on the floor, stacked up, etc. Once the Christmas stuff was put away, or more accurately, tossed in wherever it fit, we really couldn't go in there at all. So we completly emptied the bottom of the closet and went through things. We were able to combine boxes, ended up with a big duffel bag full of garbage (it was garbage, so ended up with all the garbage in it). There's a grocery box full of stuff to donate and about 4-5 boxes that no longer need to be in there. Plus we made a little room on the shelves above the racks by filling some totes that weren't full on the bottom. It was a long, tedious job but the results look great! We have our walk-in floor space back, plus the space under the clothes rack on my side even has room for more if needed. The boys had a big problem with us putting a gate up at our door and not letting them in, so I spent half my time just trying to keep them out from under our feet. We're both pretty tired. Dan went into the job thinking he'd get the entire room done today, but since I've been doing a lot of cleaning and organizing lately and know how long of a process it can be! I was just happy to have the bottom of the closet cleaned out.
I'm really hoping to get more cleaning done tomorrow, even with other things on the agenda. I made a huge to-do list on the computer which pretty much has every area of the place that needs work, plus some other specific things too. It's a very long list, but it's nice to have that visual and be able to cross things off as they get done. Dan plans to go to the junkyard tomorrow so he can move forward with fixing vehicles and we're also hoping to go see my Grandma's new house that she built and is working on moving into. I've been wanting to see it for quite a while, but we're either too busy or we have a cold, so couldn't go.
Dawson is now eating oranges! He sees Tyler and I eating them all the time and suddenly decided to join in and eat a few slices. It's great seeing him try something new, that hasn't happened in a long time. I've also noticed in the last couple days that his words are less choppy. One thing we'd been working on is saying "I-want-____". He would say it just like that, 1 word at a time, very slowly. He's just started saying it as a flowing sentence now and it's so nice to hear that coming together. He only does it about half the time, but it's a big improvement.
Tyler imitated another word today and continued to use it. We had sold our old fake tree and bought a new one on clearance after Christmas. We decided to set it up, make sure the lights work and all that before putting it in storage. The boys were excited to see it all set up and Tyler even said "tree!" and was excitedly pointing at all the lights. He seems to be missing that first letter sound in many of his words, so "tree" is missing the T sound. Dawson does that too, we just keep emphasizing it and he sometimes works on it and picks it up, but always needs that reminder. I did get Tyler to get very close once, so it's great that he seems to want to say things and does pay attention to those sounds.
Baby #3 was so active this evening! I was getting so sore, trying to get things done and he was practicing kick boxing in there or something. This little guy is very strong! I'm pretty relaxed about the baby so far. I feel pretty prepared, we sure didn't need to buy clothes or anything, we have enough diapers to last the first few months thanks to a good deal on Craigslist. The only thing we still need is a name. My boy name list is feeling pretty picked over and I can't seem to find many new ones that get my attention. It will be a big relief getting that figured out. I just hope it happens before April!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Welcome 2011
It's been months since I've updated, we've just been so busy! Lots to look forward to in 2011. Baby is due April 4th and Tyler will be done with treatmet in June! At the time of diagnosis, 2011 seemed so far away, but here it is! Hopefully it'll be a good year. Here's the latest on us from the last few months.
Dan has been doing good, busy with work and until recently had been going to his parent's house every weekend to work on vehicles. We've had a lot of vehicle switching lately. We bought a black Town and Country van May 09 and finally got time to fix it up this summer. Got it going and I'm loving it. My car will be sold once it gets warm enough for him to fix and sell it. He fixed his truck, sold his blue car and is now driving the truck, but plans to sell that too. It's nice getting some projects done, things sold and making progress on reducing clutter. He's also been helping me with things inside too, we rearranged the living room and are now working on the boy's room. It's nice having him home more often now.
Dawson is enjoying preschool, his teacher says he's doing great. His cognitive skills are average, he knows his ABCs, can count to 10, basic shapes, most colors and can even sing the ABC song, along with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. If you ask him what he is, he'll say "cute and sweet and silly". I think that describes him pretty well. I had been telling him that he's cute and sweet, he added the silly part on his own. He's been talking more now and using more 2-3 word sentences. Communication is much easier now, he can say "I want ___", so it's nice to not have to guess what he wants. Though sometimes he struggles to find the word for what he wants, he's usually able to let me know verbally. He's getting much more expressive too, his questions sound like questions, etc.
A couple weeks before Christmas, his speech and occupational therapy center called and said they were putting a hold on services because Dawson was being uncooperative. Not only him, but they put Tyler on hold too, lumping them together, which I thought was very unfair to Tyler! His behavior had been getting worse and worse. He was more frustrated and acting aggressive, mostly toward Tyler. His eating had also become more picky. All very gradually, I figured it was a 3 year old thing. A mom in my support group suggested I get him checked out for a bowl obstruction, so I took him to the Dr for an abdominal x-ray the next morning. Sure enough, he was completely blocked up. They gave him laxitives and suppositories. I also did prune juice, which actually seemed to be doing more than the other stuff. After 2 weeks he was eating more and his behaviors were getting much better. They don't want to x-ray him again unless we suspect another problem, but we're pretty sure the issue is resolved. As far as potty training goes, he hasn't even started yet. He rarely lets me know when he needs a diaper and when he does it's usually been there a while and is starting to bother him. He refuses to sit on the potty at all, he yells no and runs away when I suggest it. So we're just offering and trying to promote awareness for now.
Tyler has been doing great. He's getting monthly IVIG infusions, which is a 4 hour IV infusion to help support his immune system during cold/flu season. It helps him prevent getting sick, not fight things off. He's still been getting colds, but thankfully nothing worse so far. Other than that we just see the Oncologist once a month. He has a bone marrow biopsy on the 17th that will tell us if the cancer is still gone. He's been a very active, happy little guy. The chemo doesn't seem to be affecting him at all, it probably helps that it's all he's ever known, as far as he remembers. He's a few months behind, but finally starting to talk now. He can say "pizza, good job, yay did it, ready-go" He's also trying to imitate. The other day I heard him faintly say "bye" as he was waving, though it was missing the B. He babbles and talks a lot more now and seems excited about it. I think now that he's started, the words will really start coming. His OT lady got him to color for the first time this week. He wasn't interested at all in such a boring activity before, but he's decided to try it out now. He did great and was even scribbling in circles. His teachers and I agree that he's definitely making a lot of progress and seems to have much more communication than Dawson did at this age. He comes to me when he needs something, will make a little noise and then go over to what he needs. When he has a dirty diaper he'll come to me too, which is a great sign.
He's been getting into more things. His favorite is climbing up onto the table. We keep the chairs on their side, but Dawson sits them up and Tyler never fails to notice the moment someone has left one up! He loves going places and has been listening a little better. He walks by himself from the van into the library, walmart and he walks around the inside of the mall too. His favorite is the 2 ramps they have where the mall changes levels a little bit. He goes around and up the 4 stairs and then runs back down the ramp again. It used to be hard to get him away from it, but he's been better about listening and will walk away without a tantrum now. He really likes being able to have more independence. When we go to the library or the clinic, he'll push all the handicap door buttons to let himself in. He even finds his way to the short stay from the parking lot and walks right over to the nurse's station, gets his attention and continues on to the toys. I can't believe how big he's getting!
Tyler at his appointment at Childrens before Christmas
Tyler had as much fun climbing onto the boxes as he did unwrapping them.
Dawson was most excited to unwrap one of his favorite shows, Word World.
Tyler walking on some boxes. This was a fun challenge, taking that step from one box to the other.
Tyler got a gumball toy. You put balls into the top, push a lever and they come out the bottom. He's always loved this toy when his therapist brings it. They've both played with it a lot.
They got a tall car ramp toy. The ramps go on both sides, so it's easier to share. :)
Tyler got a ball pit house. He loves the ball pit at the school, but we try to avoid those germy public things like that. So I found one for a good price and decided to get it. Not quite sure what I was thinking, but hey, it's been fun. And messy. Unfortunately, within a couple days they already managed to rip a corner at the seam. It didn't puncture the inflated part, but the next week somehow one of the yellow columns that holds it up got a hole or something in it. Can't find it, but it deflates quickly. So we have a leaning house. Now the big challenge is trying to jump in through the roof, since it's lower to the ground. I'm thinking these boys are going to bring down this house completely by the end of the month at least. So we're left with 150 balls to trip over, they're everywhere! Not only all over the living room, but in the bedroom, I'm even tossing them out of the bathroom, though I have no clue how they get in since the door is always shut. I even found one in the apartment hallway when I got the mail today. Probably got kicked out when one of the boys went out the door. It's amusing. We keep tossing them back in, plus if I see Dawson dumping them out on purpose I'll have him put them back, which he doesn't enjoy so much but it's good for him to listen and clean up a bit. Not sure what next, we're thinking of getting a big appliance box or something and see how long that lasts.
Tyler sure does like it though, he's spent many hours in this thing, so we've definitely gotten our money's worth out of it.
Dan has been doing good, busy with work and until recently had been going to his parent's house every weekend to work on vehicles. We've had a lot of vehicle switching lately. We bought a black Town and Country van May 09 and finally got time to fix it up this summer. Got it going and I'm loving it. My car will be sold once it gets warm enough for him to fix and sell it. He fixed his truck, sold his blue car and is now driving the truck, but plans to sell that too. It's nice getting some projects done, things sold and making progress on reducing clutter. He's also been helping me with things inside too, we rearranged the living room and are now working on the boy's room. It's nice having him home more often now.
I have been doing pretty good, I'll be 28 weeks on Monday, just started 3rd Trimester. We found out in November that it's another boy! I'm sure he'll fit in well with his crazy brothers. He's very active and running out of room in there already it seems. I've been more sore, achy and very tired in the last couple of weeks. I had a bad cold and now it's mostly pregnancy related tiredness. I'm very anxious for winter to be over, I'm not a big fan of being cooped up. We've been going to a special ed support group on Monday and Wednesday evenings. The kids go off to play in a classroom while the adults talk. I've learned a lot there and it's nice to have some adult conversation without worrying about watching the kids. Adult night at the roller rink just started up this week too on Tuesday nights, so I'll be going to that every week as long as I'm feeling up to it. I'm taking it easy, lots of breaks, but this week went well and I was still feeling good. Didn't even get the usual blisters after not skating in a while.
A couple weeks before Christmas, his speech and occupational therapy center called and said they were putting a hold on services because Dawson was being uncooperative. Not only him, but they put Tyler on hold too, lumping them together, which I thought was very unfair to Tyler! His behavior had been getting worse and worse. He was more frustrated and acting aggressive, mostly toward Tyler. His eating had also become more picky. All very gradually, I figured it was a 3 year old thing. A mom in my support group suggested I get him checked out for a bowl obstruction, so I took him to the Dr for an abdominal x-ray the next morning. Sure enough, he was completely blocked up. They gave him laxitives and suppositories. I also did prune juice, which actually seemed to be doing more than the other stuff. After 2 weeks he was eating more and his behaviors were getting much better. They don't want to x-ray him again unless we suspect another problem, but we're pretty sure the issue is resolved. As far as potty training goes, he hasn't even started yet. He rarely lets me know when he needs a diaper and when he does it's usually been there a while and is starting to bother him. He refuses to sit on the potty at all, he yells no and runs away when I suggest it. So we're just offering and trying to promote awareness for now.
Tyler has been doing great. He's getting monthly IVIG infusions, which is a 4 hour IV infusion to help support his immune system during cold/flu season. It helps him prevent getting sick, not fight things off. He's still been getting colds, but thankfully nothing worse so far. Other than that we just see the Oncologist once a month. He has a bone marrow biopsy on the 17th that will tell us if the cancer is still gone. He's been a very active, happy little guy. The chemo doesn't seem to be affecting him at all, it probably helps that it's all he's ever known, as far as he remembers. He's a few months behind, but finally starting to talk now. He can say "pizza, good job, yay did it, ready-go" He's also trying to imitate. The other day I heard him faintly say "bye" as he was waving, though it was missing the B. He babbles and talks a lot more now and seems excited about it. I think now that he's started, the words will really start coming. His OT lady got him to color for the first time this week. He wasn't interested at all in such a boring activity before, but he's decided to try it out now. He did great and was even scribbling in circles. His teachers and I agree that he's definitely making a lot of progress and seems to have much more communication than Dawson did at this age. He comes to me when he needs something, will make a little noise and then go over to what he needs. When he has a dirty diaper he'll come to me too, which is a great sign.
He's been getting into more things. His favorite is climbing up onto the table. We keep the chairs on their side, but Dawson sits them up and Tyler never fails to notice the moment someone has left one up! He loves going places and has been listening a little better. He walks by himself from the van into the library, walmart and he walks around the inside of the mall too. His favorite is the 2 ramps they have where the mall changes levels a little bit. He goes around and up the 4 stairs and then runs back down the ramp again. It used to be hard to get him away from it, but he's been better about listening and will walk away without a tantrum now. He really likes being able to have more independence. When we go to the library or the clinic, he'll push all the handicap door buttons to let himself in. He even finds his way to the short stay from the parking lot and walks right over to the nurse's station, gets his attention and continues on to the toys. I can't believe how big he's getting!
Here's me in the beginning of December.
He got a gift from the Drs and Nurses since it was just before Christmas. He got some play cups for the bathtub. Though at the moment, the bag was much more fun. :)
Tyler loved opening presents on Christmas. He quickly got the concept of unwrapping and both boys pretty much helped eachother unwrap all the presents. Many were big, so there was enough room to go around anyway. Here he's unwrapping a bag of balls.
Dawson spends just as much time in there as Tyler, maybe even more! It's a bummer the house didn't stand up to our little monsters. It's a Little Tikes thing, so I thought it'd be stronger than that.
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