June 27 2012

The kids said they had a play for me.
It looks like a hostile take-over to me.
If you don't hear from us...
It is because a fat naked pirate with a (toy) knife in her mouth, butch cassidy and katniss everdeen are now ruling the roost.

June 20, 2002

This week marked the one decade anniversary from my last first date.
It was with this guy.
The bashful blonde in my psych class who I had chatted up all semester- I was literally tricked by his roommate into the  date. It came as no surprise he wanted to date me.  He had flirted with me every day the class had been held despite the fact I was often in sweats and half asleep on my desk. The fact he found me interesting despite my love for sweats and sleeping- is actually very relevant to our life now funny enough.  I thought he was sweet and soon discovered he was ridiculously awesome in every way.
I jokingly forever refer to our first date as -the marathon 1st date.  I have even used it as an example of what "not to do" when talking to single friends about dating. (Jake is quick to correct me proving it was a great plan as he is now married to me after all)
The date was more than 7 hours long.  It involved, dinner, bowling, ice cream, visiting his friends, and an almost 3 hour movie.  We actually had two more chances at some kind of "first date" in the following year.  
13 months later we were wed.


Last night we had date night.  Ten years later.  It involved sneaking some Ben and Jerry ice cream while we watched two episodes of "white collar" our most recent netflix find.  It is pretty similar to how we spend the hours after 10:00pm once we get the kids to bed, every night.. Except that there was ice cream, and some cuddling, and no simultaneous laptop surfing.

Ten years can change a lot.
But not that my dates still are with somebody who seems to be ridiculously awesome in every way.

(this pictures is not actually from our first date, but at least a few months before we were married)

June 23, 2012

This morning seemed like the perfect day to go to the zoo.  And so we did.  And we were right.
It was a beautiful 70 degrees, the animals were out and the people were not.  And we found ourselves mostly alone at the zoo.
I had the idea because M has started identifing animals with sounds and I thought she would be excited to see some in real life.  She was mostly nervous at first.  But I felt like a loving mother attempting to expose her to an experience based on her new interest of animal sounds.  She warmed up, and by the end was sticking out her tongue like a giraffe and making elephant sounds just as I had hoped.
The children were pleasant.  And it was a dream.

Sam has been feeling so much better.
He seems to have returned partly to his once happy and charming self now that his tummy is not always hurting.
He seems to be making up for a little span in time I think his brain was just focused on getting well instead of learning.  He is having a growth and learning spirt now that his body seems to be absorbing at least some of the nutrients it needs.
Really I see all my hard work paying off and it makes me so thrilled.
In the last two months he has gained two pounds and grown almost an inch.
In addition he seems to have finally mastered all of his shapes and colors, he is counting more and identifying numbers and letters and has started to write them too.
Having his body and brain on the right tract were one thing, but his sweet personality seems to be back too.
For example today over breakfast he exlaimed "i have a great idea.  I want to be Diego for Halloween, and Marianne can be baby jaguar, we can get her a costume with yellow spots, and Kate can be Alecia, and mommy and daddy, you can be the animals."  I tell him that is a great idea.  We could sew that costume perfect for him.  He continues "you could sew an orange rescue pack mama, that could transform to do everything I need"  well I don't know that I am that great of a seamstress.  I can' make a backpack that turns into a snowboard, but it is a good idea.
Later while he was helping me cook dinner (like he always insists) he tells me about how maybe he could be the fireman that cooks the food in their kitchen for all the other fireman. (he sees Cola out the door) "and Cola will be my fire dog and she will grow spots".  I tell him that Cola can't grow spots, and he will have to get another dog to get a fire dog (he means a dalmation) he becomes sad at the thought of not having Cola as his fire dog "I could make Cola a costume with spots mama!"  Great idea Sam.  We will make her a costume so you can have her as your fire dog, when you a fireman who gets to do all the cooking in the firehouse.  I will do it.  I will do anything for you.

June 23 2012

This just has to be seen.
Kate has two favorite songs to listen to in the car.
One is "I love you, and you love me"  on the LDS primary CD
The other is this Christina Perry Song
Though I like Kate's version even better "running round leaving STARS" is way better than scars.
in Kate's mind this is about somebody who goes around collecting hearts and leaving stars.  Somebody who really likes shapes.  Makes sense.  Though she is always asking us what songs mean, and she doesn't get why they seem to always be about girls friends and boy friends.

She belts this song out when it comes on, but of course was being a little shy when I pulled out the camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRLBvaFBen8&feature=share

June 21, 2012

Sometimes all you need is a chubby, naked, giggling baby swimming in your backyard to make the world seem right again.

June 18, 2012

Some quick picts as we shot out the door to Kate's first day of her new dance class.
My sister in law was kind enough to set us up with a great new dance program here and we are so pleased.  Kate loves that the dress code is not as strict as her old ballet class, but of course she still insisted I put her hair in a bun with a pink bow.  (That was required at her last class)  she picked out the bow my mom gave her, that happen to be mine as a little girl when I was in dance class.  Kate always remember.  Remembering is one of her best qualities after all.

I mentioned in the post before, tummy troubles seem to be crippling our little family this past week/month/year.
After an incredibly emotional weekend we are headed back to the docs tomorrow morning and I am hopeful.
After sneaking a costco hotdog for dinner, we recommitted to our crazy diet and spent the whole night together shopping for the right foods.

I know I always say this but it is so true to how I feel.
"I know it could be worse.  But that doesn't mean it still isn't hard"

I'm starting to joke that my sister Amy has become my suicide hotline.
We talk on the phone twice a day.
Sometimes until midnight when neither of our husbands are around.
She always just tells me she is sorry and makes me feel like I am doing my best. She tells me she is concerned about my kids too.

It seems most everywhere else I turn has ridiculous advice or seem to doubt what I am saying.
When the supposedly super great new specialist we saw last week handed me a paper about fiber full foods for Kate I think a part of my brain literally exploded. If one more person tells me "just don't give him juice" for Sam I think I will slap them. As if we didn't try that 3 years ago.    As if I wouldn't have discovered a simple answer like that seeing as how I only spend 4 hours a day pouring my soul into searching for some kind of answer or solution or piece to the puzzle. Then every ounce of energy I have administering new treatment plans I've created for the them.
I reached out to some mom's in Bakersfield (who had come all the way up to Fresno to see the doctor we saw last week)  to find they had a similar horrible experience.  And somehow that made me feel better.  and increased my hope a bit.

If anything I think the one piece I have figured out, is to go back to looking at Kate and Sam as two separate puzzles instead of one.

There is a lot more health stuff on my blog lately I know.   I find not that many people read it anymore anyway.  Blogs are so 2007 but i still like it. :)
 And I now am a big part of a mom's group for kids with similar problems to my kids.  I read their blogs and they read mine and we leafn a bit from one another. So sorry to my regular readers, but heck, you come here to read about my life and this is my life now so "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit"

These silly things sure get me down.
But my kids are amazing.
They are choice.
They rarely complain.

Sam continues to use "mama, or mommy" like a period in every sentence.  He has started writing letters and gets so excited when he writes a "C" for me or a "M" for Marianne.  He had his first swimming lesson today, and didn't cry too much.  He was brave and tried so hard to do his best. Letting a stranger teach him instead of trying to do it myself looks like the best decision I made this week.  Sam also is riding his bike a lot outside even though it is 104. He also insists on wearing his helmet even in the backyard.  He head is soaking in sweat when I take it off him.  But he wants to be safe.

Kate tried really hard at swim lessons too.  She is not so scared.  She loves being the best at everything. I try to explain to her what bragging is.  She is one of the best in the class, of course it is for 3 and 4 year olds, and I just put her in it so I didn't have to go to swim lessons two times a day or ask Jake to watch Marianne for hours on end..  She doesn't know that  the class is for toddlers only either.  She is obsessed with lalaloopsy this week.  Her interests seem to change every week.  Last week it was music, this week it is lalaloopsy.  She made her figures a bed at the side of hers.  When I checked on her I saw it, then snuck another figure I found in the hall into the bed.  I am sure she will be in wonder how it found its way to the best last night.  I can't wait to see what she says about it.

Marianne.  Marianne.  Marianne. She is joy.  The kids have been planning up her birthday "a sunshine, watermelon, pink, yellow, winnie the pooh, teddy bear picnic party"  they have proclaimed.  We shall see.  M was so proud of herself this afternoon as she stood holding on to our bed and then let go repeatedly.  She didn't fall down right away and thought she was standing on her own, but I don't think she observed as I did, that her belly was stuck out and kind of supporting her on the mattress.  She did it over and over and over and over.  So proud, not realizing she was actually not standing alone.  She giggled and giggled.  She is at the hard stage now where she is busy busy busy, refuses to let me feed her, and requires three baths a day because she is covered in food and dirt.  She makes an elephant sound now.  With her arm extended out like a trunk.  She saw a elephant on the tv and did it, she recognized it from a book we read I think where I do the same elephant- arm extended, spitting trumpet sound. When she did it the kids and I looked at each other and shouted "elephant Marianne"  and she did it again then giggled at herself so proud.  She also points and says "that" now.  I love this part.  The new things learned and proud happy baby stage.

June 14, 2012

This is a post about how
Sometimes life is a fairytale.
And sometimes life is crap. (And that is a pun, I don't normally use that word)

These are pictures from last week.
My mom was in town and with it came the usual mounds of children spoiling. This is Storyland, a little park a few minutes from us. It has little houses of storybook characters, narratives, playgrounds, and a train to ride.  It was fun, and cute and a quick outing.  While mom was here it was a little like vacation.    We went out on little dates twice, the children got extra amounts of attention making them happier, and I had somebody to help with the cleaning.
She left.
And now we are back to real life.
Real life happened today when I took Kate to the G.I. specialist
I almost cancelled the appointment because I thought she was doing better
He did not agree and ordered x-rays and tells me I am most certainly wrong.
She is not doing better.
She is very literally full of crap. or so confirmed the x-rays.
And now has a  new heart murmur and she has to be put back on her medicine..
Sigh
I had worked so hard.  I thought she had improved.
I feel defeated.

I usually spare the blog for the most part the details of the children's  dramatic poop life.
But today I am feeling down
And tired of it.
Bluntly- if your kid has normal poop and you don't even think about it I am pretty envious.  You don't know how lucky you are.  And I am serious.
I would pay all the money I have to just have my kids have normal poop and normal tummies.
And who am I kidding- I basically am paying all the money I've got feeding them special food, paying for speicialists, and lab work and x-rays....
I have to think about my kids poop almost every hour.  How what ever they are eating might hurt their bowels.  How I need to make that appointment.  How I need to send that sample to the lab, give a kid their medicine... cancel that play date because we are going to stay home and wait for a kid to poop, because we need them to. I spend an hour or more every day- the little free time I have- reading about poop, researching in books and online, and in support forums.  We have a family calendar specifically dedicated to kids poop.
My husband and I joke that 1/3 of what we say to each other is kid poop related.  But sadly we are not joking.
I just wish today was a fairytale kind of day, instead of a crappy one.
But that is the way it is.

Last week we were having fun and I thought both Kate and Sam were doing better.
Today I found out that it was not so.
A nice vacation from the worry was good anyways I guess.
But back to real life.

silver linings
-Jake is awesome.   I mean it.   He worked while he babysat all day today so I didn't have to drag three kids around the hospital all day.  He makes me laugh, and somehow still finds me interesting even when all i talk to him about is kid poop. He sneaks away during work hours to come pretend life is easy at Storyland or the Cherry Auction or the zoo, or wherever I have determined we should go.    He is the king of everything.

June 12, 2012

The day in which we woke up and went straight to the Cherry Auction with Grandma Anderson.
Where we met a parrot- who said more words than Marianne. and delighted the children in repeating back their words, and saying "Hello" in an eerily similar manner to the ice cream truck that use to drive down the street at our Baxter house.

Marianne, now, as of today says.
Mama, Nigh Nigh, Dada, and Dog (while she sticks out her tongue in pants, and also barks)
She has stuck he tongue out like a dog and barked for a week or more, but actually saying "Dog" was new today.
But the parrot still seemed like more of a trick then my adorable chubby baby, naked in the swimming pool saying "dog" around thirty times, every time the dog would come to see her in the pool. She did not delight any children with her words, but most certainly me.

At the cherry auction we found a used swivel car.
For a mere $10.
There were two, we picked the red, and carried it out of the auction with our arm fulls of fruit.
Our only regret. That we didn't buy another (there were two) for $6 more like we were offered.  Because the kids have been playing on the one all day. Jake and I even took our turns, thought it was super fun, and wished we had another so he and I could race each other down the street.  There was no doubt we wanted to purchase it, but we were just not sure how we could manage all the children, strollers, fruit and one swivel car, and another swivel car....
My point.
 If you come across a swivel car, for $10. You should buy it, even if you will have to carry it and two children a 1/2 mile to the car.
Because when you get it home it will be worth it.

June 5, 2012

cute blondies.
I caught them sneaking cantelope and hiding around the corner.
sitting together. in poorly matched play clothes.
their hair unbrushed and looking especially sun bleached.
it looked like summer to me

June 5, 2012

 up from  a nap
with smiles for her mama
hmm, those bed rails feel good on sore gums!

June 2, 2012

This sweet girl was up until 9:30 tonight.  It is kind of becoming a regular thing with her.
I can't complain, she still takes two naps a day.
So tonight I put her to work, and made her the subject of some photo editing lessons I was giving myself.
http://www.crystalfreemanphotography.com/2012/06/some-editing-and-such.html
If you want to stay up with Mom, you've got to pull your weight :)