Growing Up

There's been a whole lotta growing up going on around here. The process tends to slow down once kids get to a certain age, but my 3 youngest are still hitting milestones and keeping things exciting in that department.

Which, I'm thankful it's the 3 youngest, because I'm flat-out not ready for the kind of milestones my 3 oldest are going to throw my way in the not-too-distant future. Can I get an "Amen?"

***

Let's start with Libby:




She just turned five. FIVE. That's just so big! I can't believe she's five now.

Five is so neat to me. A lot like four was, mainly because Michaela never really made it that far. Of course she was that age years ago, but she never really was mentally five or perhaps not even four. So Libby is just this whole new world for me. A five-year-old girl! It's so different from a boy, and five is just pretty big and capable and all. I really enjoy her girlie side, too, which is kinda strange seeing as how I never was very girlie in any sense of the word. But she likes baby dolls, and purses, and shoes, and beads, and pink. Those sections of Toys 'R' Us used to be completely foreign to me, but now I'm starting to enjoy them a bit. It took 30+ years, but I think I'm getting a little girlie too!



She writes her name, reads beginner books (ie: Dick and Jane), can make her own bed, and feeds the cat. She's definitely melodramatic (as a girl should be, I guess), gets hurt somewhat easily, and runs like a .......well, girl. As the "only" girl, she tries to do, be, and play like the boys, but that doesn't always work out. The other day, she ventured into the woods to play with the boys in their forts, but couldn't do it without crying for fear of the unknown and the occasional scrapes the briers produced on her legs. I know she was trying to be brave and boy-like because she told me that when she's 6, she won't cry when she goes into the woods.

I don't know, I think I love her because she cried. She's just everything I'd want a little girl to be.

***

Asher is potty training. I would say he's trained, but last night, he soaked himself in the church nursery. That was the first accident he's had since Tuesday morning, though. That was the morning he decided that he was going to tell me he had to go to the bathroom, and actually went. For MONTHS he has categorically refused to use the potty. I would do everything I could think of, and NOTHING would change his mind on using the diaper OR the floor. Can you believe that? He would use the floor and just act like nothing happened! I mean, he's almost 3 for pete's sake!

But he's a pro now (well except for the problem in nursery). He's in underwear all day without a mistake. That includes naps! I got him some truck pull-ups for the nighttime, but I'm hoping that he will train good in that area as his older brothers and sister did. They didn't need pull-ups very long. I might be able to keep him dry in one package worth. That'd sure be nice. Considering how long he's been in diapers, my pocketbook needs a break!

He looks pretty proud, doesn't he?

***

Gabe is.......




He's the youngest to start. And yes, I know, 13 months is pretty late for most kids, but compared to my others he's early. 3 didn't walk until 15 months, one at 18, and one walked 2 days before 14 months (the previous earliest one). All the kids are getting the biggest kick out of seeing him walk everywhere. Used to be they'd alert me EVERY time he walked a few steps from the table to the couch. Now he walks from one side of the kitchen to the other. He still knows that crawling is the fastest method, but he seems to like being a "big boy" and getting around like the others.

He's chatting quite a bit as well. If you catch him in a good mood, he will all-but talk your ear off. He sounds like he's speaking intelligently, just in a different language. This morning, he was soooo cute by whispering all kinds of sweet nothings to me. If it weren't for the fact he was slobbering all over my nose, it would've been double cute :)

I can't believe my baby's walking. Man, he's gonna be riding a bike in no time. Sure feels weird to know he's the last one and all. I keep expecting to find myself pregnant all the time.

Can't say I haven't enjoyed every second though. Cuz I have.

I guess growing up is hard to do when you're growing old, too.

And Here We Are

Some things that have been going on around here:


-I finally FINALLY got the cabinet doors up in my kitchen. FINALLY. It looks so much cleaner now. Just makes us want to tackle other projects!

Before

After

-Michaela is still asking to go to the potty. It doesn't happen every day, but every so often, she'll say something like, "We have to go." Which, translated, means, "I have to go...to the bathroom." It took me a while to figure it out. I'd just keep answering her, "No, we're not going anywhere." But she would persist, and it would sink into my ever-tired brain what she was trying to say.

We're not talking potty-training or anything, but it's a nice development. When it happens.


-Michaela will be put on another drug starting next week. This one is a form of valium, called Ativan. For those of you out there who also have a child with LGS, this therapy, using high-dose valium, has helped a lot of other LGS kids in the past. Dr. Gregory Holmes, arguably one of the best pediatric neurologists in the world (and who has seen Michaela), instructed Chief on how to use it safely to help his kids' brains get some relief from the onslaught of seizures. It's taken before bedtime, and appears to help the brain relax. It's only used for a short amount of time. Unfortunately, it can have some pretty serious side effects. Valium is a benzodiazepine that is often used in smaller doses as a relaxant for those suffering with stress or anxiety. It is also used in higher doses to short-circuit a seizure or cluster of seizures. This particular therapy uses the Ativan in a high enough dose to effectively relax you to death. Literally. Like, you stop breathing, you're so relaxed. It's a fine line, but if used correctly, it can be very helpful. Because of this potentially dangerous situation, Michaela will be monitored overnight at the hospital for her first dose. That way, if her respirations are getting too low, they can provide rescue drugs to effectively stop the ativan from hurting her or killing her. That's harsh, but that's what happens. We've done this therapy before, 2 years ago, and it had the desired effect. It helped and didn't hurt. Chief's good. It'll go well, and I'm excited to see her get this boost before school starts.


-We got a sign posted on the road. In a previous post, I mentioned how Boo has snuck out of the house and beelined for the street. Well, when I went to register our cars the other day, I asked the person in charge of roads if there was a way to get a sign up to help protect her in case she got out again. I was told that there is only ONE kind of sign available to alert drivers to children: "DEAF CHILD." They wanted to know if she was deaf. I said she wasn't, but that she was as good as deaf when she was in that frame of mind. They didn't even remotely quibble with me and radioed the sign guy to put up some signs. When I got home later that day, they were already up on both sides of the street. Now THAT's service for ya!



-Caleb turned 6 on Monday! My poor second son doesn't get hardly ANY print on this blog, I realized; much to my shame. I'm not sure why, but he doesn't make headlines for some reason. And that really has to change. Caleb is a very sweet child---always willing to help---and nothing like his brother Noah. For starters, he's dirty blond (as opposed to Noah's dark chocolate brown), and his personality is somewhat clown-ish. Caleb loves to steal the limelight. He's perfectly happy being the center of attention. Unfortunately, this also makes it easier for his Mama to figure out "who-dunnit"......it's usually Caleb.

After a rough couple of weeks last year, we decided to scrap his efforts at school and hold out for this year. So, he'll be in Kindergarten starting next month. Libby is going to attempt to learn by his side, and I hope that his age will give him a bit of an upper hand, and effectually boost his confidence in this area. Thankfully, he's not stupid, but Caleb seems a bit more easy to teach hands-on than with books. I believe this is his year to shine. I changed curriculum, and he should do great.

Happy Birthday to you, Pudge. This is going to be an incredible year for you!


-We just got back from WV, where we were visiting Chris' family. This is a yearly reunion for us at his grandparent's lake home. It is a beautiful spot, and I'm so thankful that my kids get to know and spend time with their great-grandparents. They are truly wonderful people, and I have enjoyed them immensely over the years. I never really knew my great-grandparents. If they were alive when I was, they were unfortunately too aged to spend any quality time with me. Chris' grandparents are in their mid 80's but you'd never know it. His Grandpa played kickball, bocce, washers, and fished with our kids. His Grandma moved furniture (even though I tried to stop her!). They just keep going and going and doing and doing, and are truly examples of older people enjoying life and family. I always miss them when we're not together.

While we were there, Chris' Mom played a trick on Noah. She read about how he has a hard time reading anything other than what he's used to. So, she decided that she would read to the kids every night before bed to try to get him and the others interested in something different. She picked "The Chronicles of Narnia." Well, it worked! Not only were they hooked from the get-go, they simply couldn't get enough of the story and badgered her to read to them practically every time she sat down! We even caught Noah finding a quiet place to read ahead in the book while the others did something else. Her plan was a success, and now the children are listening to the stories from a CD collection of the books we have. I dare say that they're not as good as Grandma though!

Speaking of WV, do you remember what post I wrote from there last year?


-Gabriel is now 6 months old. Can you believe it? How time flies when you're having fun. And we truly are. He's a bundle of joy in every sense of the term. We are living him up to the fullest. I can now see why the youngest gets spoiled---you don't want to let go of them!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

He is actively sprouting his first tooth. I am surprised at how well he is handling the whole thing. He's not terribly fussy about it, and when he does fuss, it doesn't seem as though it's anything other than being tired or hungry. Nothing like being in pain and miserable. Which he must be---if only you saw the awful bulge in his gums! It looks horribly painful! I'm really hoping the tooth will make it's grand entrance tomorrow. It's looked like it's going to bust through for days now.




So, that's what's going on for now. On another note, I can tell now why I'm not posting as much: This takes me too long! This post took me about 2 hours from start to finish. I guess if I didn't put any pics or anything in it, it wouldn't have taken nearly as long, but hey---pictures are the best part! I guess I'll just post every now and then, and try to load them up with a bunch of fun stuff.

We'll see how that goes, I guess.

What's Up......And Some Pics

Bible School will be officially over tomorrow night. We'll be having a closing program at 7 PM, and once that's over, I'll be able to slow down for a little bit.

Chris' birthday was yesterday, and because of Bible School and the fact that we had church last night, we didn't celebrate it yet. He's DYING to find out what I got him, especially since I've been rubbing it in for about 6 months now (hehehehe!), but I won't give it to him until we celebrate his birthday. That'll probably happen next week.

In other news, we are planning on making arrangements to get some fencing this weekend. Make- A-Wish categorically refused to erect a fence as Michaela's wish, so we're going to try to do it for her ourselves. She has absentmindedly walked into the middle of the road twice in the past month when we took our eyes off of her momentarily (we're talking a VERY short time frame here--like 5 minutes? 3? something miniscule like that). Thank God there were no cars coming speeding around the corner. Which reminds me: does anyone know how to get the local government to erect signs that alert oncoming traffic to a handicapped child? I've always thought that would be something good to have. Not that it would keep the drivers from speeding, but maybe it would help them realize the potential problem. Or, at the very least, understand why there is a child wandering in the middle of the street.

That sounds really bad. Like I'm totally irresponsible or something. But it's not me, it's her. She's sneaky; and I am one person. There was even a time when TWO of us were keeping an eye on her, and she escaped out the door of the house and beelined for the road. Scary stuff, I know. We need to invest in some more security for her.

Hence, the fence.

I'm kind of excited about the whole thing. I've wanted one for a good long time. Hopefully it will all go smoothly. We've never put up a fence before....

***

Watching the neighbor bush-hog his field
A sure sign of summer in the country

"Bubba" loves us, this we know
For he always tells us so
Kisses, hugs, and playtime too
Oh, dear Bubba, we love you!

They're just babies....
And I wish I could hold them like this forever.....

Man, am I glad I have a digital camera........................sigh..........................

Day 29.5: Blog Fodder

Day 25: Remember

I am like most Americans....

Spoiled.

We have it so good, that we often forget what it's like to have it bad.

September 11th was a cruel reminder of what "bad" is. I don't intend to forget it ever again.

Here's a slideshow type presentation, to help us remember why we have a day called Memorial Day. It wasn't our present war in Iraq that put this holiday on the calendar, but it was a war just like it.....

.....a war where brave men and women lost their lives to protect our right to forget the bad.

And on a personal note:

A special thanks goes out to my beloved Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law. They are both active in the military. He is an Army Reservist, who has done a tour in Iraq



And she is a Naval Officer who has been in the Persian Gulf as well.



I can't say enough how proud I am of both of you, Jon and Jes. I'm so glad you're safe in the States....

Day 8: My Gift, My Time, My Sacrifice

THIS is why I homeschool......

And THIS reason too......






But most of all, I think I just like my kids.

Why would I want them gone all the time?

This is my gift to them: to be their Mom 24/7, to be their teacher, to give my time, to sacrifice my present "freedom," to keep them close.

To train them in the way they should go.

I homeschool my kids. It's my labor of love.

Day 6: Blowing Steam Out My Ears

It's VBS season here.

At our church, it's more affectionately called just "Bible School." I am the project leader for the "junior" aged children, otherwise known as "pre-teen", ages 10-12. I think you can already see where I'm going with this.....

Unlike a lot of VBS programs, ours runs a full 10 days. It is completely homegrown, as opposed to the programs we did when I was a child. Those were pre-packaged kits, if you will. They always had catchy names like "Fun in the Son," "Savior Safari,"or something along those lines. And when I was a "junior" (as we call that age), I was DOING VBS, not attending it. So, working in my congregation's version of Vacation Bible School is quite a change of pace for me.

Like I said, it's homegrown, which means the projects are also that way. The juniors and the older teens only put together one project for the entire program. So it has to take more than a day or two to make. And as the leader in the project department, I have to come up with a project that pre-teens would like to work with and take home.

Both the girls............AND the boys.

And therein lies the rub.

As a female, I am naturally pulled in the direction of projects that have a more girlie side to them: baskets, candles, pottery. Yet, the tomboy side of me tries to keep the process fair and so I work hard to keep it all balanced and enjoyable for the male set.

But sometimes, that's so hard.

10-12 year old males are generally not considered crafty. Yet, I've gotten a few of them to work hard and not sling paint and mod podge all over the room.

Because, that's what they really WANT to do.

Sigh.

***

So, in my efforts to find the perfect project, the perfectly bipartisan project, I often end up completely frustrated. Spent. Worn out. Exhausted. It seems as though every craft store in town has ganged up on me to NOT carry the one item that will put the finishing touches on the craft. And usually, it's that one thing that makes it acceptably boyish. Hence, without it, we couldn't really do the project at all, without leaving the males in the cold.

Because, let's be honest: it's not HARD to find butterflies, flowers, and ribbon paper for papier mache boxes, is it? But go ahead, I DARE you to find paper with footballs, tractors, or race cars. You think it's there? HA! So did I! Go ahead! Try to find them! They're NOT THERE!

ARG!

Oh, but they WILL be AFTER Bible School is over. I assure you. Those craft stores have it in for me. (No offense Mitchi)

***

Today, I put the project together for the first time. It came out nice. I'm hoping that the boys will take to it. It's not as boyishy as I wish it would be, but they can't blame me for not trying. Maybe if they don't like it enough, they can give it to their Mom.

Or their sister.....

***

Here's last years project: marble magnets on a hanging metal plate....

A girlie one....

....and something to suit the boys.

Stay tuned to see what we're doing this year.

Day 3: Eggin'

Here's a set of pictures I neglected to post back in the "unbloggy" days of April. As you can see, only a couple of my kids got any good camera time! The two oldest boys were in a different area, and really didn't need help like Michaela and Asher did. They all enjoy the thrill of the hunt, though :)

Time Flies When You're Spitting Up

Gabe is 3 months old today.

He's huge. 24.5 inches long and over 13 pounds. That's really big for one of my kids. I'd have to look up the others to see where they were at this age, but I just can't believe any of them came anywhere close to the baby elephant that is Gabe Micah.

He just FEELS big. My arms ache after holding him for a while. His legs are scrunched in the side of the rocking chair when he nurses. He's wearing 6-9 month clothes. Where did this baby come from? His Dad and I are roughly the same size--SHORT. Like 5'3" short. Both of us. He's going to tower over us by the time he's 10!

Gabriel has a very sweet disposition though. A very laid-back baby. Easy to please. Sleeps through the night. He's teething like crazy, but you wouldn't know it by his demeanor.

You would, however, by looking at his clothes.

Because he drools.....like crazy.

He's very often, at any given moment, chomping on his fingers ferociously; blowing bubbles until he looks like he's foaming at the mouth; and/or saving his breakfast on his shirt for later. All which provide for a very drippy kid.

So I change him.

And change him.

And bib him.

And change him some more.

But poor thing, he just soaks through everything. It doesn't help that he's been congested too. Which means goopey eyes and snotty nose. He's really just a mess most of the time.

But he's my mess, and I love 'im.

***

So here's some pics I haven't posted yet. Some are from today, his 3 month b-day.

But don't worry. I cleaned him up before taking the pictures. ;)

Ya Gotta Love The 80's

Ahhhhh, the good ol' days! The golden age of Beatboxing! Although this video was clearly made recently (since beatboxing is experiencing it's second wind), it is a funny reminder of my childhood....

And how BAD we were when we tried to imitate the pros.....;)

Beatbox
Uploaded by loranger

I Don't Know What To Think

This video has really made me think. The significance of what the actor/director/producer says is almost overwhelming to me. I'm dumbfounded. Speechless. It doesn't make sense, yet it does. I almost want to find out that it's a hoax. Because that would certainly make life easier.

Watch this video all the way through (even if you think it's boring or strange to begin with), because there's two parts. The second part relates to the first, and I believe it will blow you away.

I really want to know what y'all think about this. Including you, Chief. Of course, Jeni, you MUST respond. My perspective on mentally challanged people has been really altered.

And considering the fact that I have a mentally challenged child (who presents with a lot of these same characteristics), I have a lot to think about.

All because of this video.

Video Problems Fixed

Like I said....

I think I fixed the videos. Let me know if they work now!

It's My Party, And I'll Record if I Want To!

Here's a little offering from my birthday celebrations last week. The pictures are from my SURPRISE birthday dinner, and YES, it was a surprise! I still can't believe they pulled THAT off.....I usually figure surprises out :) Thanks Everybody, for a wonderful 30th birthday!

"Does He Take a Passey?"

No. No he doesn't.

Hey, Baby, You Never Looked So Good....

Gabriel is one month old today.

He slept through the night for the first time.

This little guy has got me WRAPPED, I tell ya.....


And I'm not the only one!





(Did I mention that he's a pro at sleeping?)

Happy Happy Loo Loo!

Birth Day

4 Today

You Got it Denna!

My friend Denna was wondering why I haven't posted any pictures lately (try forever?).

I had been having trouble with my camera for some time before the holidays, and I just didn't want to fool with it. I mean, I was having a hard enough time POSTING, nevermind dealing with a a persnickity camera. It just seemed like the new-ish battery we bought wouldn't hold a charge.

Hence, the reason for the severe decline in photo shoots.

BUT! My dear hubby was so gracious to buy me a new digital camera for Christmas! And the battery works swimmingly! (Not to mention the 1 GB memory card-woohoo!)

(And the old camera? The battery charger wasn't plugged in.......for months.......whoops! Oh well, it WAS 4-years-old and somewhat antiquated :)

Cletus Tips the Scales

Guess what y'all?

Gabriel Micah Morris
Born December 28, 2006
11:00 am
21 inches long
9 pounds 13 ounces!!

What a bunch of smarty-pants readers I have :)

Birth day play by play still to come.......I think I need to "forget" a little bit of it before I rehash it again......

(You know, like the size of that HEAD!!!)

Shave And A Haircut

In my boys' case, it's the same thing!

Now that Asher is a full-fledged boy (as opposed to a curly headed baby), we found that going to the barber to get haircuts was getting a bit pricey. $8-$9 a head when you've got four heads to remodel every month is just more than I wanted to spend. I mean, that's almost $40! And you KNOW I could find something nicer to do with $40 bucks!

So, Chris took it upon himself to start giving every male-child (including himself) their monthly workout. He had done his own head a couple of times in the past to save us a few bucks, but he really hadn't done much with the boys. For some reason, their hair doesn't grow as fast as his does, and so we could get by with not cutting theirs for far longer.

Unfortunately, my dear hubby is quite picky about his coif, and will only have it a certain way---military flat-top style. He's had this haircut since his junior year in HIGH SCHOOL. I must say, it suits me far better than the alternative. He just doesn't look right with longer hair. And now that it's been, oh, 15 years or so of the same style, his head won't tolerate the change. Everytime we try to do something a little different, and grow it out a bit, he ends up looking like a Q-tip. Yeah, not appealling.

So, since he's had to do it in the past, cutting his hair wasn't a big deal. BUT, cutting the boys' seemed to present a whole different ball game. They like to have their hair like their Daddy's, and that's fine, but as we all know, it's different doing something with someone else's hair, even though you do it with your own. He couldn't seem to get it right. Either they would end up with a bald spot somewhere, or an uneven patch somewhere else. He became increasingly frustrated each time he would try. And the boys.......well, they looked a little haphazard.

So I felt is was my turn to take a shot at it. Not that I had any CLUE what I was doing, but I figured I couldn't do a WORSE job.......

Well, I'm happy to report that it didn't go so bad the first time I tried it. The boys looked decent and presentable. It wasn't a style they would've picked out, but it was clean and shorter and nice. I mainly used scissors to do it because I was too scared to use the buzz clippers. But as you can probably tell, NOT using clippers means that the hair is longer, and therefore gets shaggy a lot quicker. Like, two weeks quicker. That was annoying. I had to psych myself into cutting their hair the first time, and now I had to do it again?!? Arggghhhhh!

So I was determined to use those clippers this time. I chose the second shortest setting on the sides and back, and the fourth shortest for the top. Making sure the border from one to the other was something I was concerned about. I didn't want it to look like they had a bowl of hair on the top of their scalp. Nor did I want them to have "scalloping" on the sides of their head!

And for the second time EVER cutting hair, I think it came out pretty good! I may be able to refine my technique a little the more I do it, but this is the tyoe of haircut I like on my boys, and I was actually able to do a really good job!

Well, at least I wouldn't have asked for my money back if the barber did a job like this.....

Poor Ashey looks a little bald, but I honestly did the exact same thing with him as I did with the other two. He just has really light colored hair!

Not bad for savin' myself a few bucks, eh?

Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to Me

It's been an interesting past month (or so) with Michaela. The Felbamate is really helping, and we are amazed that she's done this well for this long. Chief seems to be too. Like, every time we have to discuss something, he mentions how well she's doing. Everybody is just relieved.

No less me, of course.

Yet, for some odd reason, she still has her "down times". We won't change a THING, and she will fall into a slump, a stupor. Drooling comes back, slurred speech, irratic gait, problems eating. It's very strange since this only used to happen when something was tweaked or a dose was forgotten or the drug was wearing off.

But, give her about a week, and the slump passes, and she comes back to life. The drooling subsides, she'll talk up a storm, and walking or eating isn't a problem anymore. Michaela NEVER recovered without the meds being changed in the past.

But now that's changed, and it's all very strange.

But hey, we're not complaining.

***

However, this past month, the slump lasted longer. The "week" went by, and still no sign of recovery. Two weeks even. I had gotten used to it, but when I thought about how long this was lasting, I was a bit perplexed. Again, we weren't doing anything different, really. Nothing to keep her from bouncing back.

Then three weeks went by. No change.

When things like this happen, you can't help but be a little sad, a bit mournful. Is the honeymoon over? We almost made 6 good months! Is this the end of Felbamate? Why isn't it helping her?

Questions. There's always questions.

Well, at least if you're me.

But I don't expect a whole lot of them to get answered anymore. I'm just rolling with the punches, taking things as they come. Not getting all riled up or upset.

Just accepting the par for the course, I guess.

***

Today, I awoke to get Michaela up for school. I had passed by the cracked door of her room before I woke her, on my way to do something else. I noticed she was slumped over from the sitting position, her head buried in the blankets.

I know what you're thinking. And no, I wasn't alarmed. She does that all the time.

But she was obviously "out", and I dreaded having to wake her up. She will look and act extrememly lethargic, almost drugged, and getting her dressed is like a wrestling match.

So I went in there a few minutes later, a lo and behold, she was sitting up. Bright eyed, smiling, and talking.

Talking? This early? That clearly?

That hadn't happened for almost a month....

It didn't stop. She talked about a puzzle that was on the toy box, got herself out of bed, raised her arms for a clean shirt.

There wasn't any drooling.

She held her head up so I could brush her hair. She held a conversation. She crossed her legs and looked at a book while she waited for the bus.



It seems as though the slump is over.

Today is her 9th birthday.

Happy Birthday to you, Boo.

A happy birthday for all of us.

***

New-ish
6 Months
One
Two
Three
Four
Five

Six
Seven
Eight
This Morning...
Nine

***

Happy Birthday Michaela, you are my Sunshine