Free Time "Fun"

So, this afternoon S2 was happily playing downstairs, S1 was at school and S3 was down for a nap. Oh, I wondered, what to do with this precious 30 minutes of "free" time? No one to distract me? Why mop the floor of course! This past week I have swept the floor every day with the intent to mop it, but with little feet running around it proved impossible. So today, when I could have been crafty, I was instead having a lovely time mopping the floor. At least it is clean now! That is, it is clean until S1 comes home from school in five more minutes and stomps on it in his snow boots, or S2 decides to pour something himself and spills on it or I feed S3 and he decides he is done and drops it on the floor. Well, at least it was clean for at least 20 minutes, the time it took to dry before I let anyone on it!

Fat Chance

Today one of my friends sent me an update with pics of the kids. One was of them on a family trip to Sea World. In this picture the dad was behind the camera and mom and two kids were sitting in their seats excitedly watching the show, mom's arm out pointing to whatever was going on. If you ever think you'll be getting a picture like that from us, Fat Chance! S1 could never stand in line that long for starters. Second, he wouldn't be able to sit still long enough to watch the show. We'd have to get up and leave after ten minutes. I think that is one of the hardest parts of having a child with special needs, not being able to participate in some of the "normal" family activities, that you had dreamed of, because it would just be too difficult, physically and emotionally. In the end you have to decide is the outcome going to be worth the trauma? Right now, the answer is no.

Best seat in the house

I shall write this as if I was S1 doing it according to what I think must be going on in his head:

Hmmmm, I think I'll go into the kitchen. I feel like sitting down. Hmmm, mom is sitting in a chair. Silly mom, that doesn't look too comfortable. I'll pull down my own seat. Oh, it's nice to sit on this oven door and bounce. Good thing it's not hot today. What's the problem mom? Wait, the dishwasher (it's portable) is next to the stove. Ooooh, I bet I can sit on that door too. Let's see. Yes, it does open. I can sit cross-legged on it and see myself in the oven door reflection. Now to pull out these clean wooden spoons and start drumming wherever. Cool. This is definetly the best seat in the house. What's mom's problem?

I have to assume this is what he is thinking, because what else would it be?

Nap or No Nap

Well, Thanksgiving was a huge hit. It was us and two of Dave's siblings. There was more than enough food to go around. The boys enjoyed playing with their aunt and uncle - mom and dad are sooo boring. However, no one napped as I had expected even though they did watch football and eat turkey. So, I tried to lay down anyway and even though I was tired, I only managed to get S2 to fall asleep. Of course that meant that I was then up and doing the dishes. There weren't many since we used paper and plastic and I cleaned up as I went along, mostly. My MIL will be so proud of me!

Aunt K kept trying to get S3 to say her name. But every time anyone said, "S3, say Aunt K," he would reply back "NO!" So we'll just start calling her Aunt No from now on.

Dave borrowed a PS2 so there was a lot of that going on. We also watched a bit of the parade but S1 lost interest whenever the band went off camera.

The "fun" part was that my SIL spent the night and we got up at 4:30 am to get some killer deals when the stores opened at 5 am. We were mostly lucky. Now my Christmas shopping is almost complete. However, by the time we hit the check out at our third stop, Bath & Body Works, I forgot to pay for my purchase with the gift card I had! Urgh. Oh well, they have a new sale that starts tomorrow! He he he. Watch the photo blog because I will be downloading some pics from the glorious day of indulgence.

No Tryptophan

Right now I plan on taking a huge nap on Thanksgiving afternoon. I figure if this last Saturday was any indication of what is to come on Turkey day, then all my boys will be sleeping soundly. Last Saturday Dave was watching football and all the males in the house fell asleep. True it was S3's nap time and S2 went crying to his bed for a time out and fell asleep. But S1 fell asleep while watching football, and so did his dad! I had to laugh. I never realized that televised football could be such a strong sedative. I had a couple of hours to clean without interruption! Now imagine that combined with all the tryptophan in the turkey come Thursday and they should all take a nice long siesta, which means that I can take a break too.

Halloween

Well, as you can tell things have been busy, but I did promise to write about Halloween so here it is. Being at a children's hospital for Halloween was a blast! Around 9 am they came around and told everyone that there would be face painting and stuff in the play room. So S3 and I went down to play. Well, they also had an assortment of costumes for the kids to dress up in for the day. They were all donated so they made us take them home. S3 was an ER doc so we wrapped gauze around my head and painted a bloody spot on it. Then at 10:30 am they had a Halloween party where the kids got to parade their outfits and eat sugar cookies iced like pumpkins and drink apple cider. After this it was back to our room because S3 was ready to nap.

We originally were told we might go home on Tuesday, which was Halloween, but since he hadn't been eating or drinking very well they decided to keep us one more day. Also, they removed the drain from S3's head Tuesday morning. Well, S3 woke up just in time to get dressed again and go trick or treating around the hospital around 2 pm. He came away with quite the haul of candy, toys and trinkets. He had a blast and everyone thought he was the cutest little ER doc. After Trick or Treating it was time for another nap.

He ate well at dinner and breakfast so first thing Wednesday morning they discharged us. He acquired two new stuffed animals and a blanket from the hospital plus we had all the Halloween stuff, my stuff and of course the killer balloon from Grandma F - tropical fish "swimming" inside a clear balloon.

If you want to see pictures, you can go to my new photo blog. It is where I will post photos of the kids and such. It is easy to remember because it is www.momstampsphotos.blogspot.com. I will also try to get a link up to it from this page. Also, not all my pictures are there because for some reason it says it is uploading certain pics but then they aren't there and I don't have the brain power to figure it out now!

Anyway, things have been going great and except for being bald and the scar, you never would have known that S3 had surgery - okay and his head shape but I am talking about in all other aspects than physical. We have enjoyed having Grandma W here to help out with the boys and helping around the house. She'll be here until Wednesday when she leaves for her sister's home in WA. S3 has his follow up appointment on Tuesday and we'll let you know how that goes.

Maybe not so normal

S3 is still doing well as far as his appearance and healing. However, he still is not eating or drinking very well. Sunday he didn't hold lunch (the mac and cheese) or dinner (fruit smoothie) down. Unfortunately for my Aunt Wrae, he was in her lap when he lost dinner. Monday he awoke with his eyes swollen shut. Luckily as he sat up he was able to see better but still through small slits. We gave him some anti-nausea medication and he was able to hold down some oatmeal and peaches. He then went for a wagon ride and then played in the toy room for an hour. Then it was back to his room for a bath and a FOUR hour nap! When he woke up I couldn't get him interested in eating so he drank the majority of a vanilla shake and a few fries and called that lunch. But it also stayed down. He played in the playroom for another hour and even got a visit from dad. Then he fell asleep at 6 pm and slept through the night so no dinner for him.

Each time after he sleeps his eyes swell shut and it takes a while for them to open up again so this morning he woke up blind again but soon his right eye was open a bit and he was ready to hit the road running again. Breakfast was only four slices of canned peaches, I couldn't get him to eat more or show any interest in his oatmeal today. He wouldn't even try the chocolate milk shake. But he also didn't get any anti-nausea stuff today so maybe he is still feeling queasy. The short story is that if he eats and drinks well at lunch, once he wakes up from the nap he is currently taking, then we can go home later today. If not, we are here until tomorrow. I'll write again in a little while to tell you about the great Halloween we've had here so far!

Back to Normal

The move to the med-surg floor took a few hours because we had to wait for an open bed. Once we moved to the new room, S3 got comfortable in his crib and he was off the IV, but it was still in his foot. He still had the pulse/oxygen monitor on his toe but he spent the rest of the day snoozing either in the crib or in Aunt Jen, Gma F or my arms.

Around 2:30 pm I went over to Jen's house to grab some lunch and to take a nap. I finally fell asleep and slept for an hour until I got a phone call that woke me up from Dave. I couldn't get back to sleep so I went to the hospital. S3 had woken up from a nap and he proceeded to stay awake for the next four hours or so but he finally went to sleep after he got drugs. It was an up and down night since they reconnected the IV so he could get some more fluids. During the night he would wake up because he foot got tangled in the tubes. Around midnight the nurse took him off of the IV because he had had enough fluid for the day and it kept getting tangled causing the alarm to go off. After that S3 would keep waking up because his pulse monitor would come off his toe and start beeping. So, he was doing well enough that after a few hours, around 4 am, we took the monitor off so he could sleep better.

S3 slept better for a couple of hours but then woke up ready to go for the day at six. But due to the time change it was really 5 am. Our nurse went and got him a toy and I turned a movie on for him and went to lay down and take a little snooze. About an hour later I wake up to him standing in his crib wanting to get out. So out I took him. First he sat in the rocking chair by himself. Then he got down and started rummaging in the cupboard with my things in it. He brought me my deodorant. What was he hinting at? Next he climbed up into my chair bed and sat there watching cartoons and drinking milk for the next couple of hours.

Once I could order him breakfast I did, but he didn't want any by the time it came. Soon both of his Grandmothers were there and they took turns holding him. Before grandma W came, grandma F and I took S3 for a wagon ride because he wanted a change of scenery. We went down to the cafeteria to eat and then as I went back to the room she took him for a lap around the floor. As they got back Grma W arrived.

Soon he was getting sleepy though and only wanted Mom to hold him. So I did and he started drifting in and out of consciousness. I thought he might be in discomfort. We let the nurse know and soon he got his meds and fell asleep soundly. By this time church was about to start so we all went down for the 30 min sacrament meeting. The ward there also gives blankets out to all the kids who are in the hospital that day so S3 got a new blanket - which is good since he later threw up on his old one. It was funny to go to church with no make up, having not showered and dressed in a shirt and jeans. But I was glad to be there and most grateful for the opportunity to partake of the sacrament.

When we got back he was still asleep so upon hearing that the doctor wouldn't be by for a couple of hours because he was stuck in emergency surgeries, I headed over to Jen's to take a nap. Grandma W also headed back home to help Dave with the kids and get a nap herself. Fast forward three hours later and I am awakened by a phone call. The doctor only has a few minutes so he took off S3's bandages and says he looks great but to expect more swelling until tomorrow. Grandma F is taking off because she needs to go catch her plane but Aunt Jen is there. So, here I sit eating a quick lunch and updating you before I head back to the hospital.

Apparently while I was gone he slept a little while longer and then woke up. He was acting hungry so Grandma F ordered him some mac and cheese, green beans and grape juice. He wolfed down the mac and cheese himself but was not interested in the beans. He also enjoyed the juice. She then took him down to the play room in the wagon and he played there for an hour-walking around and climbing up and around. Then she noticed what time it was and headed back to the room with him. He was sitting on her lap and before she knew it he threw up all over the place. They got it all cleaned up and he had more juice and he threw up again- even more macaroni. But the whole time he was happy as a clam and was watching movies until the doctor came to take off his bandages. The only down side to this is that the drain isn't secured to his head so now he can pull on it easily. The doc said not worry because it is hard to pull out, but we could tape it down or restrain his hands.

Anyway, he is talking more and is back up to his old tricks, wanting to feed and water himself. I couldn't be more grateful for how well he is doing and how things have gone. The nurses have been fantastic. Luckily we have come during a "slow" period so they are very helpful. Last night the nurse even made up my recliner bed, linens and all, while I sat holding S3. Heck, the food hasn't been bad either!

Oh, one last thing. I finally got a smile from him this morning. I don't even remember what I did, but I was goofing off with him when we got back from our first walk and he just gave me this huge grin. It was great. He's already looking different, even though he is all swollen. You can tell his head isn't so pointy and his eyebrows are no longer arched but long and flat. It'll be interesting to see what he looks like when I get back now that his bandages are gone.

Puff Baby

S3's surgery went long but well. We arrived at 6:35 am and got him checked in. They did a mini physical and we got him into hospital garb. Then we went into the back room with the nurse where they gave S3 Veriset (sp?) to help him relax. Once that kicked in he gratefully accepted a stuffed lion and to be put into the wagon. They wheeled him away around 8:40 am with the anesthesiologist. Dad went to school and mom went to the waiting room.

Our nurse called me every hour to let me know how things were going. At 9:45 am she called to say they had just made the incision and all was going well. Before they could start the anesthesiologist had to put in not only an IV but an arterial line and a central line. He also had to put in a catheter and a special heart monitor on S3 to watch for any air embolism in his heart. S3 has very small and hard to find veins, as evidenced by the five times it took them to get his IV in when he had his cat scan. Thus it took awhile. The good part,for me, was that during the next hour they brought the hospitality cart around so I got a snack. Yum.

At 10:45 am Pam, our nurse, called to say that they had his forehead off and that he was starting to lose a bit more blood than they would like but he was still stable and doing well. I spoke with the neurosurgeon this morning and he said that S3 is one thick headed kid. Okay, he didn't say it like that. Because of his age, his head is very thick- it's thinner and doesn't bleed as much when they are younger ( 8-10 months is the prime time for this surgery) or as adults. But I think our family is also predisposed to be thick headed - in more ways than one. Also, they were planning on taking his forehead off all in one piece but it was stuck on really well and was bleeding too much so they had to cut it vertically down the middle and remove one section at a time. His dura (covering over your brain) also tore a little, but that is common and caused no problems and no long term issues.

The next call from Pam at 11:45 am let us know that they were busy reshaping his bones and that they had given him one unit of blood and were washing his blood to give him back his own red blood cells if he needed them. But, all was stable and proceeding well. David showed up around this time and stayed until we got S3 settled and he left around 4:30 pm to go back to the school and get some work done.

At a little after 1:00 pm Pam called to let us know S3 had gotten the washed cells that they were busy putting the pieces back into his head. I asked her how many pieces there were and I guess there were four pieces. Once again she said he was doing well.

About 2:00 pm Pam called for the last time to let us know they were about to close him up and that should take about 30 minutes and then another 15 minutes to bandage him. Then the CFS (cranio facial surgeon) would come down and talk with us.

When the CFS came down shortly after 3 pm he said that S3 did great and that all went well. He said that S3's forehead will look more like a U than a V now and as he grows, it will flatten out more like a normal forehead. We go in for a follow up visit two weeks after we leave the hospital. Then back again in 6 months and once a year after that until S3 is 10 or 11 years old when his sinus are all finished developing. He also said that S3 had needed two units of donor blood and two units of washed cells but that he was doing great. They took S3 from the OR to the PICU (pediatric ICU). We thanked the doctor and then had to wait about an hour to join S3 in the PICU. He really didn't look too bad. His head wrap made him look like a boxer or wrestler with a helmet on and he was a bit puffy. He's puffed up as time has gone on but the discoloration hasn't set in yet. I'm taking pictures and will post them once developed.

S3 really hasn't wanted anything to eat or drink as he has thrown up all the apple juice we have given him. However, he seems to be holding down the two ounces of melted cherry slushie that I gave him right before I came to type this.

Last night his Aunt Jen, Uncle Regan, and Gma F came to visit him- not that he noticed. Once he was settled for the night I slept in one of the rooms they have for PICU parents. Then first thing after shift change I went into the PICU. S3 was sleeping but woke up soon and tried to get up so I could hold him. So we rearranged things a little and he sat on my lap and fell asleep for a couple of hours. He woke up and was uncomfortable. So he got more morphine and fell back asleep. S3 is doing so well that they are ready to transfer him out of the PICU and are just waiting for a bed, more specifically a nurse, to transfer him. They also took out his central line. His arterial line and catheter were removed yesterday in the evening. So needless to say he is feeling better without so many things poking him and hanging off of him.

About the grossest thing about all the things attached to S3 is what I dubbed the blood bomb or blood grenade. He has a drain tube in his forehead that runs down below his ear. The tube drains into a pressure suction bulb that looks like a flattened grenade. It's pretty "interesting" to watch it fill up with blood and plasma. Yesterday it was very dark red but today it is more watery, which is good. However, because he is draining so much, they will not remove the tube on Sunday as originally planned but wait until Monday or Tuesday. My hope that because S3 is draining so much his eyes won't swell shut and turn black and blue like they normally do after this surgery.

Well, I think that is about all. I have to have my cell phone off while in the PICU but once we get into his other room I will have it on. S1 and S2 are doing well and having fun with Grandma W, even if they do have differences of opinion. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. I truly have had peace during this whole experience because of the blessings of the priesthood and the faith of all who care about us. I'll post more as I have the chance or as I try to remember things. I may have slept well last night but I am still exhausted!

Ready Set Slice

S3 is scheduled to go in tomorrow, Friday, Oct 27th at 6:30 am for his surgery. He is admitted at 6:30 am but the surgery doesn't start until 8 am. It's a five hour surgery so he should be out around 1 pm. After he comes out from the anesthesia they will then move him to the PICU for the next 24 hours. Sometime after he gets settled into the PICU, I will update the blog on his condition.

Right now S3 is enjoying rubbing his newly shaved head. I buzzed it all off this afternoon. He can't quite figure it out.

You say Apple I Say Tomato

So, since tomatoes are currently more expensive than a gallon of gasoline ($2.50 gal vs $3.00 lb) I have not bought many as of late. Rather, I have hit up my friends with an over abundance of tomatoes from their gardens. Well, due to the rainy weather we have had, there are lots of green tomatoes and a few orange ones. I got a few orangy-red ones from my neighbor across the street. I brought them home and put them up in the windowsill in the garage where they would be out of reach of little hands and still be able to get sunlight to ripen up. Well, after school S1 went outside to play. I saw him running around in the backyard having a terrific time pushing toys around and such. Well, I was just getting dinner started when in he comes from the garage - with something in his mouth that was too big for it so he had both hands on it, trying to shove it in. It was orangy-red and I was alarmed as to what he could have found to ingest. As I got closer I realized that it was a tomato!

The little bugger had decided he was hungry and had spotted the tomatoes. He climbed onto my deep freezer in order to reach the tomatoes. I had put five up on the sill, but now there are only three! I looked around because I knew he was currently eating the fourth, like you or I would eat an apple (mind you that he won't eat raw apples-too hard for him to bite down on), but I could not locate the fifth anywhere. He apparently had already eaten it prior to coming into the house. The sneaky little devil. S1 loves tomatoes and pretty much any other food that is red. Of course he was a complete mess with tomato drippings and seeds all down his hands and arms so I thought it would be easiest to just clean him up with a bath. This definitely became the plan of action after further investigation uncovered that he had had diarrhea and because at school they hadn't put the diaper on straight, it leaked all the way down one leg and onto his new shoes! What a mess.

Also, this showed me that although we may not think S1 is very observant since he doesn't seem to fully comprehend everything around him or pick up on academic subjects, he in fact is fully aware and observant. He just ignores everything that he doesn't see a use for or isn't interested in. He also noticed the difference in the environment from just the day before. Such a funny boy.

Not Quite Getting It

S1 is a clever little guy. If he wants something, then he will figure out how to get it. However, often times we run into problems because he understands the big picture of what we are talking about, but not the intricacies. This morning was a good example of this. Dave overslept and was late getting to work. For this reason S1 was up while Dave was getting ready. Dave talked with him and spoke of how he was getting ready to go to work and that S1 would get to go to school and such. Well, I was up at this point as Dave was about ready to go out the door. S1 was still in his pajamas and was standing at the door. We went downstairs to get S1 some pants for the day. He carried them back up. I sat on the couch and told him he needed to get dressed. S1 handed me his pants and was trying to get me to help him get them on. He was a bit frantic as he saw that dad was dressed and was about to leave. So he came over to me and started pulling at his pajamas to try and get them off. As we were taking them off, Dave gave us all kisses goodbye (S3 was up too-very thrilled to get to see his father in the morning for a change) and headed out the door.

S1 broke down sobbing because he thought he was getting left behind since he wasn't ready. I felt for the kid because you could just hear his little heart breaking in his voice and I could see it in his face when he'd look up to me. I held him while he cried and patted his back and told him repeatedly that it was okay, that he was going to school in a little bit on the bus, he just had to finish getting dressed. Well, he just kept on sobbing. Saddest thing you have ever seen or heard. Fortunately, Dave came back into the house because he had forgotten something - I am sure that S1 thought it was him. I took advantage of this opportunity to shuffle S1 back to the bedroom to change his diaper, get the rest of his clothes and keep him from seeing dad leave without him-again. Before you know it he was happily sitting watching cartoons, fully dressed with a belly full of oatmeal, just waiting for the bus to come. And boy, you should have seen him take off out that door for the bus! He meant business.

I realized when he started crying that he had understood that Dad was leaving and that he would be going to school - thinking that he would be going to school via Dad. I think lots of times this is a source of his breakdowns/frustrations/whatever you want to call them. S1 gets the gist of what will be going on, but not the details, those go over his head. Then when things don't go how he thought they would, he gets upset/hurt, thinking that because it's not happening now, it's not going to happen at all. Poor guy.

Prison Break

Well, I think I've come up with a good costume for S1 - a prisoner's outfit. I am pretty sure that is what he feels like a good portion of the time since he is so often confined to the house and always looking for a way out. And last week he did have a successful escape. No, he didn't use a spoon to dig his way out. I was cleaning the gutters last week since they had enough debris that had decomposed to form soil and I had seedlings from surrounding trees growing in them. Well, S1 was at school while I worked on the project while S3 napped. I had been doing very well with closing the gate each time I came through. The last time however, I didn't. I had just finished getting off the ladder and throwing a bag of detris away when S1's bus pulled up. It had been raining the day before so things were still a bit wet.

I got S1 off the bus and into the house. S2 had a friend over playing. I told them they could all go down stairs to play or outside since S3 was still sleeping. Off they all went and I went to work upstairs. About half an hour later I thought, hmmm, I should check on S1 since I hadn't heard him in a while (S2 and his friend had been plenty noisy). I went down stairs and asked the boys if S1 was with them, I got no for an answer. So I went to check the backyard, and suddenly it dawned on me that the gate might be open. Sure enough, no S1 and gate wide open. I ran in and told my sister, who had just gotten home, to watch the rest of the monkeys while I did a quick check at the neighbors for S1. When that ended in vain I ran back to the house, hopped in the van and drove down the street about a block to a house with a really fun, open backyard (trampoline, sand box, play equipment and garden) to see if he was there. No luck. But that neighbor was out mowing his lawn and when I told him what happened he offered to drive around the neighborhood on his motorcycle to look while I went to the high school, which is a block from our house. So I called the police as I drove over to the high school. I gave them all of his info and where I was looking and hung up as I drove up to the high school tennis courts. I parked and when I got out I could hear the marching band - they rehearse on the far side of the tennis courts.

Okay, I'll stop here for some background info. S1 loves tennis courts. He loves walking along following the lines. Or he'll run following the lines. And if you've ever seen him run, you know that it always looks like he's about to collapse. Once we were visiting one of my mission comps and we went to a park. He was chasing a ball in the tennis court and tripped over the ball and got quite the road rash on his face and a swollen bloody lip. Anyway, when he escaped early in the morning last March (wearing pajamas but bare-footed), the police found him over by the tennis courts. So I followed my hunch that he would be up there again.

When I heard the band, I knew he must be close or that they would have at least seen him. As I approached I couldn't see him and I started to panic a little. Then the band switched configurations on the field and there he was - standing right in front of the sousaphones (marching tubas basically and his favorite instrument), jumping up and down flailing his arms conducting. Also standing behind him was the Vice Principal of the high school calling 911. Once he realized I was there, the VP let the dispatcher know that his mom was there and hung up. We spoke for a minute and then I tried to get S1 off the field - fat chance. He dropped down to the ground and refused to move. The band director, who is a friend of Dave's, said, "It's too bad that the only person who wants to be here has to leave." Everyone laughed - me too. It was getting overcast and rainy again.

I finally got a very muddy S1 up off the ground and over to the sidelines. He had obviously had fun in several puddles on his way to the band. He had mud splashed on his face, his previously white shirt was now a muddy grey and his navy pants were soaked and covered with some mud streaks. Other than being filthy, he was totally fine. I then called the police to let them know that I had found him. The police had dispatched an officer over to the house and he had spoken to my sister and checked out the backyard before deciding that I hadn't been totally derelict in my duty as a mother and he took off. I also called my sister, who had heard the news over the officer's radio, and my neighbor on the motorcycle to let them know that S1 was safe. After listening to the band for a couple of minutes, S1 refused to sit and listen because he wanted to go out and march with them. So, I picked him up and hauled him off to the house-crying the whole way. Even when we got home and into the house he was still crying. We sat on the couch and he cried on my lap for at least 15 minutes. He was so heartbroken. But I talked to him about how he couldn't go by himself, it wasn't safe. Also that we don't dance in the middle of the band.

This whole experience taught me a couple of things about S1. First, he does have a memory, at least for those things that are important to him. You see, the Saturday before this escape, Dave had taken the boys up to the high school to watch the band rehearse. So, I believe that on Saturday, S1 recognized where he was from his adventure last March and on the day of his escape, how to get there from his trip with Dad. This gives me hope that one day he will be able to find his way home if he does take off and we can't find him.

Second, S1 knows what he wants. So he went to go get it. The tennis courts will always be there, the band is a hit or miss proposition. This is good because it means he can be motivated if we can figure out what he wants.

Third, S1 can be a creature of habit. It doesn't guarantee that everytime he escapes he will take the same path, but, it is comforting to know that he PROBABLY will. So, next time I won't call the police until after I check the high school. If he is not there, then I can panic. Now, I don't hope there will be a next time, I just know how clever S1 is and how fallible I am.

Fourth, communication is key. At the beginning of the school year I went up to the high school and spoke to the principal there. I gave him our family's info, S1's info and his picture so that if S1 did end up there, or wandering in the parking lot, they would be able to get a hold of us or at least know who he is. Well, this information obviously did not trickle down, or if it did, didn't stick with the VP. Maybe I'll have to go back up there and make sure they still have us on file. I know the police do!

Also, after everything was over I was a little miffed that Dave's friend hadn't called us when he saw S1 alone at the band rehearsal. I know it's not his job, but come on, help us out a little. Turns out that he and his students had been debating about whether or not it was S1 or not, as none of them know S1 very well. Finally the students said, "Naw, it's not him." So the VP got involved. However, if it ever happens again, they now know!

So, for Halloween I guess he'll be an inmate since that is a much easier costume to make than a sousaphone.

I Want to Share Myself

Today as we were getting ready for preschool, I reminded S2 what the letter of the day was and that he needed to find something to take to sharing time that started with that letter. He thought for a second and said, "Well, I want to take, um, I want to take, um. Mom, I don't want to take anything to share today." I asked him why not and he replied, "Because, I am going to take me. I start with (letter of the day) because my name is (s2). I am going to show myself." I had to chuckle as I thought this was pretty clever for a four year old to come up with. Maybe one of the other kids did it the day their name and letter were the same. But I still found it very amusing.

As far as Halloween goes, S2 has decided that he no longer wants to be a skeleton, but he also doesn't want to be a pirate. Now he wants to be a spider! I told him that was okay but he needed to be sure because once I made him a spider costume he'd be stuck! One more thing to do before S3 goes into surgery.

Get Away Mom!

S1 might be non-verbal, but his actions sure do speak volumes! He used to have respite once a week. Someone would come and pick him up and they would be gone for three hours. Sometimes they went to a park where S1 could roam free. Other times they went to the mental health center where S1 could make things or play around other children, do water games, etc. Occasionally a trip to the pizza parlor or McDonald's. But, his worker quit the first week in September. For the workers to be one on one with kids they have to have and pass background checks. Unfortunately, it is the middle of October now and none of their new employees have passed their background checks yet. So, S1 goes crazy not being able to get out without mom. Since it is taking so long, they started a Saturday group. Two workers pick up three boys and take them, along with a third worker, to the center to play. Well, last Saturday was the first time they did it. S1 and I were standing outside waiting for them to come. S1 was actually tired of standing so he was sitting playing in the pea gravel in our driveway.

When the car pulled up, you could see the light go on in his mind. Instantly he knew what was happening. As the car came to a stop, he ran straight to it and started opening the door. I helped him get in and as I was doing up his seat belt he leaned forward, gave me a kiss and not only waved bye bye but SAID bye bye. As these two workers were not familiar with S1, I spent a little bit of time, leaning through S1's open door, talking to them, letting them know of his likes/dislikes, allergies, seizures, etc. The whole time I was trying to do this, S1 was pushing me away from the car and trying to close the car door. It was if he was saying, "Okay, mom. Enough already, I get to go play. Just hurry and close the door!" He had a blast while he was gone. They played at the park and got lunch at McDonald's. I don't think he really paid much attention to the two other little boys he was with. Not a big surprise. They were both around his age, one autistic and the other with a different pervasive personality disorder. He was so happy when he got home. I am sure he will be thrilled to go again this week.

Surgery Update

S3's surgery is scheduled now for Friday, October 27th. My mom, Christine, will be coming out earlier in the week to pretty much stay for as long as I need her to. My MIL, Debbie, will also be out the weekend of the surgery. So, S3 will really look like a monster for Halloween, no costume needed! He'll still be at the hospital anyway.

S2 wanted to be a pirate for Halloween, but he has changed his mind now and wants to be a skeleton. We are still negotiating on that one and are trying to get him to be a pirate again. After all, he is only four and doesn't need to be scary.

S1 doesn't care what he is for Halloween as long as he gets to eat lots of candy!

Let me, help you, help me

So, since I've got S1, people are often reluctant to ask me for help. This drives me nuts. If I feel too stressed, I will simply tell you no, sorry I can't right now. But call me again. They feel like I have so much on my plate with a baby and with S1, but I need to give too!

I do have a lot going on and consequently I often need help, especially those times when Dave is gone a lot. When I am the one always asking but never giving, it makes me feel bad. I have a lot to contribute.

Today I was talking with a friend who had left me a message earlier in the day. Her husband has been at boot camp for the past three weeks and they have three kids ages four and under. Almost needless to say she was at her wits end this particular day. She's usually very mild mannered but she was unable to maintain her composure while we spoke on the phone when dealing with her two year old son. Now, if you've ever had a two year old, and you've been with them 24/7 as their primary care giver, you know how draining that can be. Anyway, I told her just to come over and I would make dinner and she could just relax and our kids could just play. She was reluctant and didn't want to add to my burden. I seriously had to convince her that it was alright, that if she came over my family would actually get dinner before 7 pm. I knew that no one was in any danger, just trying to save a friend's sanity and her children's tender feelings.

Anyway, they came over, the kids ran amok, we talked while I made meatloaf, squash and a salad. She brought an apple pie she had made the day before. So we had a very delicious meal, the kids got worn out so they could go home, bathe and go to bed, and she had some time to decompress. It makes me laugh how sometimes people are so reluctant to receive help, after all, this is the same friend who watched S2 every week while I volunteered in S1's preschool class and has watched the boys for me on numerous other occasions- I owed her one, two, more than I can remember! I was glad to have a chance to serve.

All I Want for Christmas is a Convertible

S1 is smart for someone so cognitively challenged. He sure knows what he wants. As I was sitting eating my dinner, S1 was looking at an advertisement we had received in the mail. I was wondering why he was so fascinated by it. Then he kept bringing it over to me. I finally realized that he was pointing to a one inch square picture of a man driving a convertible. I said, " Oh, you wish you could go for a ride in a convertible, huh?"

My mistake. He immediately started to pull on my hand to get me to take him for a ride. I told him no, that I was eating dinner. Around this point Dave comes in and asks S1 for a hug. S1 walks over, gives him a hug and thinking he's "paid" the piper, takes Dave's hand and heads for the door. When Dave doesn't budge, S1 goes into the living room and comes back with Dave's shoe and hands it to him. Because we all know you can't go anywhere if you don't have your shoes on. When it is made clear to S1 that Dad isn't taking him, that mom will when she is done eating, he leaves the room again and comes back with my keys and hands them to me. I spent the rest of the time eating my dinner with one hand while S1 pulled on the other, the entire time clutching the ad. When we finally went out the door he dropped the ad. It was a short trip to Hollywood Video and he loved running around in there, all of the neat isles and good reverberation for his voice. This time there was an added bonus, a chair on wheels left unattended that he enjoyed pushing around.

No matter what you say of S1, he is very observant. You may think he is not paying attention, but you are wrong. He is just checking everything out and if he is not interested, then he doesn't recognize it. That makes everything fun.

My favorite time of year

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the mild weather so that I can work out in the yard. I love pumpkins. I love the kids going back to school. And as mentioned before, the apples and peaches. However, my ability to work out in the yard this fall has been hampered greatly by S3 and his decided lack of enjoyment of being outside. He's fine if you hold him, but he still hates the grass. Forget about the play pen, it's way too boring. It makes it impossible for me to clean the gutters when a 17 month old wants me to hold him. Plus I can't leave him inside by himself while I do it. Oh, the trials of motherhood!

Yesterday I finally got the front room cleaned up from my file project. Then I wasted no time in getting my fall decor up. Then I got the four loads of clean laundry sorted and folded. Now the laundry needs put away and the kitchen is in dire need of attention. And then there are the other loads of laundry to be washed that were waiting for me to fold the first four loads.

Apart from that I also have to call the school district and see what we need to do to get S1 into the self-contained autism unit at a normal elementary school for part of the day. And we are adjusting his meds to see if we can better control his seizures. If the increase in meds doesn't help we'll have to go in and see the neurologist (who's at the children's hospital) again before switching medications. Fun Fun Fun. Isn't it great that all of this coincides with S3 being at the children's hospital too? Life is a joy. Really it is, I couldn't ask for sweeter or cuter boys. They are so much fun and so bright. Plus they love me tons and love each other too. Their dad is such a hard worker and supportive of all my efforts. The boys just light up and go crazy when he comes home-especially if it is earlier in the evening so they have time to play.

I had a meeting with S1's teacher this last week and he's doing well in school. But it is frustrating to know what goals to set for him since so often it seems as if he's not making progress. However, I continually see growth in him as he masters new skills and finds way to get what he desires. S1 loves fall too and is spending a lot more time outside in the backyard these days. The only problem with this means that he gets dirtier more often and needs more baths-which means more water all over the floor and more laundry. Oh well. At least he is happy.

Now if he'd only STAY asleep

Prior to putting S1 on Melatonin, he would fall asleep at 10:30 pm but wake up and get into our bed sometime between 2 and 4 am. But he would fall right back asleep. Well, now he does the same thing, but half the time he won't fall asleep and thinks it's time to babble and get up and down. So, even though I am enjoying my evenings, the pre-dawn hours are starting to take a toll. I think part of what wakes him up are the movements and sometimes fussing of S3 in the crib. Or sometimes he gets too cold because he's knocked off his blankets. No matter what the cause, it is hard to sleep with him in our bed because even when he sleeps, he rams his head into yours or shoves his feet into your back. Unfortunately right now we are not in the position to give him his own room. Once my sister moves out we should be able to do that. Hopefully then he'll sleep through the night because it will be quieter and even if he doesn't, we'll be able to make it a safe place where he can be "locked" in and be up and play while the rest of us sleep in our beds. We'll see how things go because it might just get to the point before we can give him his own room that I can't deal with it and the doctor will have to give me something to help him stay asleep.

Please Sir, May I Have More Melatonin?

Well, I have certainly been feeling quite a bit better this week. I got pictures hung in my living room that have been ready and waiting for almost a year (however, in order to do this I did have to go and buy a new piece of glass since the kids had cracked the old piece in the large frame-which is part of the reason it has taken so long), kitchen cleaned-pretty much, and the laundry room straightened up. For the last two days I have been having a shredding party getting rid of all the unnecessary paperwork that I have. Basically I hadn't filed anything in the past two years since we moved into this house. It was all in piles down in the laundry room.

Well, since having an autistic child and another who needs major surgery isn't enough my washing machine has decided to leak. Good news is that it only leaks when you use hot or warm water but not when you use the cold water so we aren't stuck wearing totally stinky clothes. Good news also is that the papers are all up on stuff so they didn't get ruined and it didn't leak so much that it got much past the periphery of the washing machine and dryer. Bad news being that it isn't covered under warranty and that the room was such a mess that a repairman couldn't come because he would have no room to work on it! So, this has forced me to "do something" about my piles. Now I have three big black garbage bags full of shredded and discarded paperwork. Hurray! Next I need to actually file the papers that remain. However, the repairman now has plenty of room to work. If any of you are close to me, I'll gladly refer you to my appliance guy-he's great.

Now, here's the best part of my week - I have my evenings back! I'll start at 8:00 pm trying to get the kids ready and in bed. Usually I can get S2 and S3 in bed and asleep by 9:00 pm. S1 on the other hand has to be hog tied and he still won't sleep. After the other two are down I grab S1 and lay down with him. That child won't sleep until 10:30 pm. Well, by the time he falls asleep, Dave has usually fallen asleep and I then have to go straight to bed or I can't get enough rest. So I never get any down time, I am always taking care of someone. Well, it had gotten to the point that I could not deal with it any more. Mentally and emotionally I am exhausted. It's hard to have to physically restrain your child every night for over an hour. Yes we are laying down but it does take exertion to hold him down every time he wants to get up. Anyway, sleep issues are common in kids with autism. Many parents have to "help" their children to sleep with various medications so that all parties may maintain their sanity. So, I finally got over the guilt and called the doctor to find out what I could do since I was at the end of my rope. He suggested Melatonin, which you can buy over the counter and which your body produces on it's own. Basically it is what makes you get sleepy when it gets dark. You can get it at Wal-Mart or most health food stores and it is relatively inexpensive.

Well, I gave it to S1 about 1 1/2 hours before I wanted him to go to bed- and it worked! An hour after he ate it with his dinner (it was a very late dinner) he came to me rubbing his eyes. I felt like the bad witch in a fairy tale, luring him to my bed as I said, "Come here little boy, lay down." I got him into his pajamas and settled into my bed and he was out. And if was just before 9 pm! Tonight I gave it to him a little earlier, since we had dinner earlier, and he was asleep by 8:30 pm. One thing I have noticed though is that he is whinier as he goes to sleep, like he is fighting it where before it was like a switch, one second awake, the next passed out. Since S3 went to bed around 8 pm and S2 was snuggled in my bed watching "Glass Bottom Boat" (an old movie) I had the evening free. It has been so nice to be able to relax and not be on alert to tell if S1 is getting into the sink spraying water every where or traipsing up and down the stairs to fix a video or TV channel. It's nice to feel normal again!

Good thing he's seeing the Plastic Surgeon

It's as if S3 can't wait to go have surgery on his head because in the past week he has banged up his head THREE times!!!

Last Saturday he and S2 were running up and down the hall having a blast. Well, I told S2 to knock it off, which of course he didn't. Instead he pushed past S3 while they were both running and sent S3 pointy forehead first into the corner of the wall. Dave picked him up, since I was cooking dinner or something like that, and thought he was fine except for the line in his head, so he just picked him up. Having experienced this before I would have gone straight for the ice to keep the swelling down. But since Dad had him I just kept cooking, thinking that S3 was fine. A couple seconds later I hear, "Jen- his head is splitting! It was fine two seconds ago." As I come running I see the goose egg that has formed and the line was splitting open and starting to bleed. So I grab the ice to help keep it from getting bigger and hopping it will shrink. Not bad enough for stitches but it will leave a lovely little line, this one is vertical and will go well with the horizontal one he has from when S2 pushed him while they played chase in the living room and he went flying into the edge of the couch (which is wood - except for the cushions of course). Of course he still has the scab.

Then on Tuesday or so S3 was going from the kitchen to the "landing" to go down the stairs. Well, he usually does this very well, until now he'd never done it poorly. This time however he slipped or something, my back was turned since I was putting dishes away, and fell sideways from the kitchen to the landing, hitting his nose on the way down, I believe, since when he got back up his nose was scrapped and bleeding! I picked him up and did my best to try and stop his bleeding nose but he wanted no part of it. I am pretty sure he broke his nose since it is still a bit swollen and black and blue across the bridge, not to mention the lovely vertical scab he's got on his left nostril. He didn't bleed too much and was back to his normal self. His nose did bleed periodically through the day but that was because he wouldn't stop sticking his finger up it! So far it doesn't look crooked but if it is, the plastic surgeon can just fix it when he goes in to reset his eye sockets.

The last incident was today and he ended up bruising left ear. I was sitting on my bed changing S1's diaper getting him ready for school. S3 was lying on the bed watching TV upside down. He decided to roll over to get a better view. But he was too close to the edge and I tried to stop him but S3 was too far away. Since he was at an angle when he rolled off the bed, he hit head first- onto the heating vent/grate that is on the floor! The plastic surgeon has said that he won't need a helmet after surgery but I plan on insisting on one because with the way that this week has gone, S3 is sure to bust a stitch or suffer some other head trauma. Poor kid.

Mr. Independent

Well, my job as far as helping S1 get onto the bus in the mornings has been reduced to simply unlocking the top lock on the door and occasionally helping S1 turn the handle. It used to be I would have to walk behind him to the bus and give them his backpack. But now S1 is such a big boy that he wears his backpack and so I just stand in the door as he goes down the porch steps, across the lawn and steps up into the bus. He's very good about waiting for the bus to stop (he gauges this by the sound the air makes when the brakes release)and then taking off towards the bus. If he goes outside before the bus comes, he will sit and play in the gravel and once it has stopped, he'll stand up and run to the bus door. Good thing S1 likes school!

Update on S3's Surgery

Turns out the neurosurgeon had a conflict on the 18th so his surgery has been postponed until the 27th. I got a fun little brochure in the mail today from the children's hospital on "Pre-Surgery Class". S3 is still too young to go but I may just to see what will be happening that day so I can be prepared. We just have to get a family picture done before the surgery or you can forget seeing an updated picture this next year!

He WANTS to get dressed

Well, S1 certainly is picking up on a lot more these days. We were most impressed last week when, after being in his pajamas all day, S1 started pulling and tugging at his clothes. I asked him if he wanted to change his shirt and he immediately came over for help in getting it off. We got his new shirt on and I continued to fold clothes. He then started pulling at his pants and was fidgeting around. I said, "S1, do you want to wear some pants?" He trucked right on over to me. I said,"Well, I'm busy so you need to take them to daddy and he'll help you." He took the pants from my hands and went straight across the room and handed them to his father! This is the first time he has EVER indicated that he wanted to get completely dressed and followed verbal cues without physical prompts so well. After he was dressed he started in on "Shoes, Shoes". Turns out he wanted to go outside and actually cared about getting dressed first, or finally he realized that it wasn't cool to just go out in a diaper, shoes and a jacket. Either way we were happy and needless to say I took him out for a nice long walk. I still had to have him on the leash though!

And, although my brain is in a fog at the moment and I can't remember specifically what happened, this same type of thing, understanding and compliance with verbal request has happened a couple of times over the past week, making us very proud of S1. Now if we could get him to stop stealing S3's toys and laughing when his brother cries!

All the Gory Details

Okay, this post is for all you technical types that wonder what the surgery is. Here we go. First, the plastic surgeon will cut from ear to ear over the top of S3's head. Then the ps peels his face about half way off. Then the neurosurgeons (ns) cut through his skull, basically cutting his forehead off (over the top round part and across the front above the brows.) The ns then separates the forehead piece from the dura (the leathery covering of the brain). He does this because there is an artery that runs right underneath the bone and sometimes taking the bone off results in a bleeder so he is there to control it. Then the ns hands S3's forehead over to the ps for reconstruction.

Next the ps "resets" S3's eye sockets. I haven't asked yet, because I'm not sure I want to know, what resetting the eye sockets entails. He also does something with the brow so that it all lines up with the reconfigured forehead piece. Then the ps reattaches S3's forehead using plates and screws and such that will dissolve within a year. By that time his bone should have grown back, otherwise they have to go back in and use bone cement to glue the two pieces together since it's really not a good idea to have a floating forehead. Last, and maybe least, the ps folds his face back up over his new forehead and sews him all up. Then off to the PICU.

S3's eyes will swell shut from all the trauma for about two days and he will look like someone beat him up. The external swelling can take two to three months to go down but the internal swelling can take up to six months to all go away. My MIL will be coming to help out while S3 is in the hospital and then my mom will be out to help when S3 first comes home and a couple of weeks as long as I need her. So, there are all the gory details. Feel free to email me if you have questions.

Frankenstein's Monster

That is what S3 will be for Halloween! The Frankenstein Monster, well, that's what he will look like anyway. He is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday, October 18th. So he will be in the hospital at least through the 23rd.

The neurosurgeon that we saw today agreed with the other doctor that S3 should have surgery as he has a rather substantial case of metopic synostosis. Getting the CAT scan this morning was the worst because they had to sedate S3 but they couldn't get a vein. Dave has really small veins that make it hard for people to draw blood on him, mine are huge and it's never a problem for me. But for S3 it took five different tries, once on each arm by the radiology nurse, once again on each arm by the IV technician and finally the third time on his right arm the second IV tech got it. A combination of extra small veins and lots of chubbiness made it hard. They even checked his feet to see if they could find a better vein there but no luck. Needless to say S3 screamed the whole time and was all sweaty from trying to thrash around to get away. He was also none too thrilled with all the cotton balls and band-aids and tape he was then sporting.

The rest of the visit was rather uneventful but involved lots of wait time. In fact part of that time was spent waiting for S3 to wake up. When we went to put him on the board for the CAT Scan he wouldn't let go of me so we had to give him more drugs. Once he was on the board, when the machine turned on and he started to slide back through the ring, he kept trying to look around at everything. So they stopped it and the nurse came in and gave him another drug that kept him from being able to move around. They then did the rest of the scan. As I went to pick him up he was pretty much a limp baby in my arms. We took him back to the sedation recovery room and I put him down in a crib. They hooked him up to a pulse ox monitor and slapped a pressure cuff on his leg. He looked at me and made a few noises and just when you thought he would wake up (the drugs are short acting) he fell asleep. S3 had worn himself out fighting the needles earlier, plus I had gotten him up 1 1/2 hours earlier than normal to get to the hospital on time. He slept for about an hour and when he woke up S3 looked around like, where the am I? He turned his head and saw me and promptly tried to get up. I picked him up and it was just like every other time he gets up from a nap, ready to conquer the day, only a bit hungrier since it was after 10 am and he hadn't had anything to eat yet that morning.

Anyway, we shall enjoy this next month until S3 has to have his forehead removed and reattached. Joy! That ought to make for some exciting scrapbook pages.

I don't have any money.....

While at the Heritage Festival on Saturday, S2 had a ton of fun. After we visited the free activities and he had played at the playground, S2 came back to my booth for a drink. There was a booth across from mine that had prepackaged cotton candy and other treats they were selling. S2 grabbed a bag and brought it over asking if he could have it. I told him no because I hadn't brought any money with me. He put it back and came back over. Soon he wanted to go play and explore again. When he got up to leave again I explained to him that we had done the free activities and that he couldn't just take stuff from vendors tables. If he wanted something he had to ask the person how much it cost or if it was free. If it was free he could have it, otherwise he would have to put it back.

Well, the booth next to mine was selling honey they made and hand made soaps. As S2 walked by he picked up a soap, smelled it, and then asked the man,"Excuse me mister, how much does this soap costs?"

"A dollar-fifty."

"Oh, thank you, but I don't have any money," S2 replied as he hung his head, put the soap back, and started to walk away. The man had been watching S2 and thought he was sweet so he called S2 back to him and gave him a different soap, but the same scent, and said he could have that one for free (it said $1.25 on the tag). S2 came running back to me as quick as lightning saying, "Mom, Mom, look what the man gave me!" I asked him if he had said thank you and he ran back and did so.

On my table I had several jars of jam that I had canned to use as decorations. I told S2 to ask the man if he preferred blackberry or raspberry jam. S2 asked and reported that the man said he liked both. I told S2 that it was very nice of the man to give him the soap but that the man was trying to sell it to make money. I said that since we didn't have any money, that we should at least trade him something. So, since we had the jam I told S2 that he should take the jar of blackberry jam over to the man. This he happily did. Although it wasn't the fairest trade in the world, my jam's worth at least $3 a jar =}, I felt the man should be repaid plus some for his kindness and S2 needed to learn about being fair.

Peaches, Peaches Everywhere

My boys love canned peaches. They go through a 29 oz can in one morning in addition to whatever else they may be eating. There is always room in their tummies for more canned peaches. So, since peach season is upon us, I bought a box. Then my neighbor gave me a box from off of her tree. Then S1's bus driver came by with another box for us. So, even though I had canned my neighbor's peaches and part of the box I bought, I still had tons to can this week.

But it was a busy week. Monday was Labor Day and if you have read my previous blog you know how that turned out. Tuesday was the start of the first full week for S2 in preschool- which he absolutely loves. I also had activity days and I was teaching the girls how to make pillow cases. That lasted all of half an hour before my machine started to act up and I couldn't sew anymore. After half an hour of fiddling with it I sent the girls home. Then after half of them had left I figured it out - my bobbin had been put in the wrong direction. So, I hurried and finished the cases for the two girls who were still there. Then it was home to the boys and making dinner. One of the other girls lives across the street from us so I had her come over that evening to finish hers. Unfortunately she had pinned the wrong side for me to sew and I didn't realize it until I was done sewing that side. She sat and picked it out while I made one for her brother. By the time I was done it was time for her to go home, 8:00 pm, for bed so she took her brother his pillow case and I told her to come over after school on Wednesday and I would help her with hers. I also called the two remaining girls and extended the same offer. Then S2 insists on having a pillow case too so I have to whip one out for him before getting all the monkeys to bed.

Wednesday morning after getting S2 off to preschool I came home and had an appointment with the early intervention unit in our school district. I had called last week to set up an appointment to have S3 evaluated before taking him to see the cranial facial doctor at the children's hospital. Since Metopic Synostosis can cause behavioral and learning disorders and retardation, I wanted to make sure where exactly S3 was developmentally. The pediatrician does a general check but it's not as detailed. Anyway, after the evaluation and interview, it turns out that S3 is only at his age in one area out of six. He's not too far behind, only a month or two, in three areas but he was four or five months behind in a couple of them. I am not overly worried because he is the third child and I do have to deal with S1, so S3 is kind of on his own, on the periphery so to speak. But it could also be the beginning of problems to come if we don't get his forehead fixed.

The rest of the day I spent trying to get the house in some kind of order. S1 didn't have respite so he was home early while I was trying to help the other two girls finish their pillowcases. Boy, is that kid fascinated buy the sewing machine. He just stood there with his hand on top of it grinning. Then he would bend over and stare at the light. I had to sit right there to make sure he didn't get his finger sewed into one of the girl's cases! After they left it was time for dinner. Then I had one more girl who hadn't finished her case so she came over and we got that done. Luckily S1 was downstairs watching a movie so we were able to get done before he noticed.

Thursday morning S3 had his appointment with the cranial facial doctor. So, I got both the older boys off to their respective schools and off we went. Well, the doctor looked at S3 for all of oh, five seconds, and said, yes he does have metopic synostosis. We then talked about ramifications if we left him how he is, about surgery and all that good stuff. He gave me orders for the opthamologist to make sure there wasn't pressure on his optic nerve (which can happen causing vision problems with the disorder) and for a 3-D reconstructive CAT scan to see if he has pressure on his brain yet or not. Then Dr. said we needed to get this done and come back and see him on Tuesday, three days later! That isn't good when it usually takes a few weeks, if not months, to get appointments at the children's hospital. Plus I said, should I call for an appointment time and he said, "No, just come in and tell them that I told you to come." We were able to get the opthamologist taken care of shortly after his appointment but we have to go back on Tuesday for the CAT scan. So we will have the CAT scan at 8:00 am since S3 has to be fasting for the sedation (he has to hold still for 15 minutes). Then we will head over to the Dr.'s clinic after we get done and see how soon we get in. The medical imaging people said that the doctor will be able to access the CAT scan as soon as we are done and if he wants the radiologist to read it on the spot, they will so it's not a problem to have it done the same morning. Plus, I don't know how soon they'll be able to get me in at the clinic.

This all took much longer than I had anticipated so I was grateful that my friend Reta, who had picked S2 up could keep him and get S1 from the bus. As it turns out I got back shortly before the bus did. Plus Reta said she was bringing me dinner since I had to make a ton of calls when I got back to check out insurance and such. It was very nice not to have to worry about cooking. I called to let our parents know what was going on also. By the early evening my eyes were very sore from crying. They also were starting to puff up. David was teaching school all day and then he had the school musical rehearsal and an open house so he didn't get home until almost 9 p.m.

All I have to say is thank goodness for Mary Kay's soothing eye gel! I was sure that when I woke up Friday my eyes would be swelled shut from all my sobbing but Thursday night I put it on my sore, tired and puffy eyes and felt instant relief from the fatigue and went to bed. The next morning my eyes were totally normal!! This does not happen normally, that gel is a miracle.

Friday was a busy day since I had to can one and a half boxes of peaches. The one's from S1's bus driver were absolutely divine. They were so delicious. I had some leftover peaches so I made a cobbler but had to wing it since I couldn't find my recipe. It turned out pretty well except that I forgot to put cinnamon on the top! I also had to work on some stuff for the heritage festival that our town was having. I had to condense twelve pages on how the neighborhoods got their names down to one sheet of paper, front and back, for a tri fold brochure. I also had to make up a quiz/drawing form and re-type the twelve pages since the lady I had gotten them from didn't know how to give them to me electronically and they were full of typing errors. I got copies made and went to buy prizes for the drawing and the foam board for the display. I was up half the night typing. I finally called it quits and figured I would assemble the display boards the next morning, but I slept in so I had to do it while setting up at the festival. Oh, Friday night Dave also told me he had forgotten about play rehearsal so he wouldn't be here to watch the boys! We called all around to find a sitter and finally found one.

Saturday morning I slept in too late and S3 wanted me to hold him or he would just cry and cry. That made it a bit harder to get ready. The sitter came and I finished getting my stuff together and took off to set up. I came back to the house part way through the festival because S2 had a soccer game. I took him to the game and stayed with him. Then I took him back to the festival with me. I checked in at my booth, which was really a self-guided thing that didn't really need me there except to attract people to it so they didn't just wander on by. Everything was fine so I went with S2 to have some fun. We used one of those two man saws to slice a disk of wood off a log and he had something branded into it. Then we went over to the brick making table and stamped a brick. We checked out the teepee. Then we went back over to the table and I let him go to the playground because I could see it from where I sat. We were both glad when it was finally time to go home.

So, it was a very busy, emotional week. I'll let you know what happens on Tuesday and I need to tell you about my little barterer - S2.

Where is the monkey?

Labor Day my husband Dave suggested that we go to the local zoo since we had purchased season passes for S2's birthday. Before you get all concerned about him having to "share" his present, the kid already has all the toys he "needs" and the vast majority of clothes that he needs. He would love to go to the zoo every month. So anyway, Monday morning found us getting ready to go to the zoo. We had decided to rent a double stroller at the zoo but also brought along S1's leash so he couldn't run off. Well, we had traversed one side of the zoo and stopped to have a snack. My aunt had also come with us since we get a free guest. While my aunt Wrae and I were cleaning S3 up, which due to the cheetos was truly a two man job, Dave started to take off with S1 in the stroller. S2 followed after him. Apparently Dave didn't realize this and so once S3 was clean and we caught up to Dave, I asked, "Where's S2?"

Dave, "What do you mean. He was with you."

Me, "No, he went with you."

In this instance we realized that he was gone. It was a very busy day and after checking the snack area we knew he was gone. I stayed put with the other two boys and Dave and Wrae went searching.

Of all the kids to lose I would have thought that we'd lose S1 before S2. Dave managed to track down a security person on a bike and let him know what was going on. It was hard to find someone to help us. How would S2 be able to do it? They all took off and I was waiting. Next thing I know I see a little boy running up the hill towards me, not S2, crying and looking all around. I ask, "Are you looking for your mommy and daddy?" He cries, "Yes" as he speeds by me. I say very nicely, "Wait! Stop! I'll help you. Come here and we will look for them. If you keep running away they won't be able to find you. You need to stay in one place so when them come looking for you they will see you" as I wrap my arm around his quivering little shoulders. He was about five or six years old.

Now remember, I'm doing all of this while S1, who is on the leash, is pulling on one arm-which happens to be the one I am holding onto the stroller with so that it doesn't roll down the hill. It occurs to me that out of all the people at the zoo, why am I the one who stopped to help this boy. Surely someone else wasn't as busy!

Anyway, I asked him where he had last seen his parents and he said they had been over by the penguins. Well, we were standing about twenty feet up the hill from the penguins. I hadn't heard anyone calling for a child so I figured they were still there. As my little group was about to head down to find his parents, Wrae reappeared and I handed S1 and S3 over to her. As we walked down to the penguins I asked the little boys name. He repeated it three times and I never got it right so I asked for his parents names, which he didn't know. As we approached the penguins he said, "My sister's name is Kristen." I was glad he volunteered that information because I would rather yell out "Kristen!" than "Hey! Did anyone lose this little boy?" After calling out to "Kristen" a few times a woman suddenly exclaimed, "There you are!" Since the little boy was happy to see her and went straight to her, I figured it was his mom. She thanked me and I said, "Hey, no problem. My little boy is lost at the moment so I couldn't just let yours wander off!" Then she felt guilty for going to enjoy the zoo while my little guy was lost. I assured her that it was okay but if she spied a blond, four year old boy with a yellow shirt and grey pants, with a certain name, to please take him to the proper authorities.

I got the two boys back from Wrae and she went off looking for S2 again. Then Dave came back and still no luck. Same with the security guard. However this time I gave my cell phone to Dave and let him know that my aunt would call if she found S2. After a while, and another fruitless pass by the security guard, Wrae came walking back by the other path saying that S2 had been found. I was starting to get a little worried because S2 had been missing for almost half an hour. Turns out that when he left the table he headed towards Dave but got caught up in the wave of people and went past him. When S2 couldn't see dad he figured he was up ahead and kept running to "catch up." Eventually he realized that he had missed his dad and back tracked. But he never backtracked enough. S2 went back and forth a couple of times and once he realized how "lost" he was, started to cry. That's when another mom saw him and took him over to the "Beastro" where the worker gave him an ice cream and called security. Shortly after Dave was walking by and saw the other security guard and asked about S2 and they were reunited. He called my phone, got Wrae, and she came to get me. By the time I had gotten up to where S2 was (practically the front of the zoo), his tears and his ice cream were all gone.

Obviously we forgot to have the what to do if you get lost talk BEFORE we went into the zoo, but we had it afterwards for sure! Dave was worn out from circling the zoo three times so we figured we'd take a train ride and then go home. But the train was out of commission for an hour while they fixed their brakes. So, we called it quits and headed home. Now we know to get a leash for S2 also! Just kidding, but we will be a bit more careful and go over the getting lost protocol before going to the zoo again!

Bye Bye Bottle

First of all, I can hardly believe that it is September and my favorite time of year is here - Fall! I love the pumpkins and the cooler weather. Plus my lawn turns green again. And, the kids go back to school. Then there are all the fresh off the tree peaches, yum. Oh, and you can't forget fresh apples. What is not to love? I bought a box of apples and canned 6 1/2 quarts of applesauce. Then I bought a box of peaches and then received another box from a neighbor's tree. So far I have canned (or put up as Grandma Helen would say) 11 quarts of peaches and I still have to do one box. I am actually about to start up again right now and I should get about twelve quarts.

S1 is finally off of the bottle! He still doesn't drink very well or regularly from a normal cup, but if desperate could manage somewhat. S1 is drinking mostly out of sippy cups that have straws built in because I couldn't get him to use any other kind. Then today S3 was using a cup with a spout and S1 took it from him and drank out of it! I guess he's realized that he's bigger than S3 and should be able to at least do the same things as the baby. We have been phasing out the bottle for S1 for some time now. Especially once I noticed he was using it solely for comfort, just holding it (although it still had to be full) and not drinking it unless he was really upset. He still won't tell me when he is thirsty so I have to offer all the time. He tends to drink the most when he gets home from school. We aren't even bringing one to chuch anymore. It is funny to see an almost seven year old chugging from a bottle.

Part of the reason I hadn't tried to wean S1 sooner was that when we had tried it before, he had gotten dehydrated because he wouldn't drink from any other cup or straw. Then I also couldn't figure out how to wean him while the baby was still using a bottle. But luckily S3 is good with a cup and they both have been weaned from the bottle gradually together. S3 is going to bed without one now but he has started cutting molars and will wake up in the middle of the night screaming and the only thing that works to get him back to sleep is a bottle. Prior to the molars he wasn't drinking in the night. So I look forward to those teeth getting in and sleeping through the night again.

Speaking of which, S1 and S3 are asleep but S2 is still cruising around so I need to send him off to dreamland. Dad is off on a "guys night out" so I am the lone enforcer tonight.

Put it in the bag

Today the boys had a primary activity. S3 stayed with a neighbor while I took S1, S2 and my neighbor's daughter to the activity. They were doing a humanitarian project where they assembled school bags for kids across the globe who don't have any.

Well, this was the perfect activity for S1. Usually he gets lost cognitively during the lesson but this one was super short and had pictures, which helped. Then the kids started helping to assemble these school kits.

One kid would hold the bag open, another would insert three notebooks, another would put in a chalkboard and eraser and then we would get the bag. I would give S1 two pencils and hold the bag open while saying "Put it in the bag". Which he would do, very well and each time. About half way through the pencils got boring so I had him put the box of chalk into the bag. That was better because he could pick it up from the table by himself and then put it into the bag - with a verbal prompt. Eventually it got too noisy from all the other kids talking in their excitement. So I let S1 get up and he went over and played on the piano while we all finished up. It was a good thing it was so loud so his playing was not a distraction!

S2 was having fun with his friend over at another table as they stuffed pencils and erasers into bags. As things were wrapping up a few other kids, mostly S1's age and older, were playing on the piano with him creating quite the racket. I went over and let the other kids know that they couldn't play on the piano because it made it too loud. I said that S1 got to play because he didn't know better and it was the only way to keep him in the room while we were cleaning up. They all understood and were very helpful. When we were done and the kids needed to sit down and get ready for their treats, I convinced S1 to get off the piano by telling him about the snacks. Bribery, it works.

When the sister who was in charge opened the side door, after we got our treats and were starting to eat, I knew that I'd better get S1's leash back on before he took off. Sure enough, he wanted out so I had to call to S2 and his friend to tell them it was time to go.

In the two years we have been in this ward, this was by far THE BEST primary activity that S1 has been to because he could really participate, contribute and be himself without being a total distraction. I loved it and I am sure he did too.

Two down, one to go

For the first time in over four years I have only one child at home with me. I don't know what to do! S1 is in school full time and S2 is currently at his first day of preschool. That leaves me with S3 and 2+ hours to fill, on a regular recurring basis. So far today we have played an alphabet game on the computer and sang a bunch of silly songs. Now S3 is eating breakfast since he woke up right before we took S2 to preschool. Speaking of which, S2 was fifteen minutes late because I was thinking we had to leave at 9:15 to get there at 9:30 but class really starts at 9:15. Oops. Thank goodness he didn't notice.

I am looking forward to this chance to really spend quality time with S3. He's always just had to kind of tag along. Now I can work on all those brain building activities that I did with the other two. We will see if S3 can stand all the mommy love and attention. Another day, when we are actually ready for the day, we will go to the park and play. This will be fun as S3 has never been to a park to play. Plus the weather is starting to get cooler so we need to take advantage of the opportunity before it gets too cold. Now I just have to remember to pick S2 up on time!

Must...go...out...side

Here's a math word problem for you. How long does it take an autistic child, who got on the bus at 8:40 am, went to school and played outside and returned home at 4:00 pm, to want to play outside again? Answer: 1/2 nanosecond. Okay, mathematically the question has no basis and no way to solve it. But didn't we all love math word problems?

When S1 gets home from school usually I am out there pretty quick and when he is on the second step from the bottom in the bus, I lean in and I have him lean over my shoulder and I pick him up and carry him into the house, up four steps. Who cares that he weighs 50 pounds. I do this because if I don't the following happens: the bus aide lets him off the bus, still holding his hand, and he promptly sits down in the dirt to play in the gravel- ready to be run over by the bus as it drives off (don't worry, she doesn't leave while he's near the bus). If it's a good day he may take three steps before he collapses onto the grass and refuses to come inside. So, he may be good at going on the bus, but he is still absolutely dreadful about coming into the house from the bus. Picking up a dead weight of fifty pounds (especially if it is kicking and flailing its arms) from the ground is much much harder than having it lean over your shoulder while upright. Sometimes I can bribe S1 to come inside with a promise of a treat (and then I have to find one!) However, this does not always work and sometimes I get a workout getting him in the front door.

Now getting S1 in the door is even more complicated since S3 tries to sneak outside while I am bringing his brother in from the bus! More than once the three of us have almost ended up in a heap on the floor.

This evening my sister, who is living with us, left to go to a religious class (Institute). As she left, S2 was holding S1 back while Terraza was closing the door and I came in from the kitchen to help. S1 went absolutely to pieces crying because I would not let him out, S3 was none too pleased either. About 15 seconds after she left, my husband returned home. Well, opening the door again and not letting them run out like dogs, was like the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Everyone started wailing, I was just getting dinner on the table and I had had an emotionally draining day. So I couldn't take it and told my husband just to take them all out front, I didn't care that S1 and S3 were dressed only in shirts and diapers! Just get out.

Once I had things organized I went outside and S1 and S2 were sitting in the car playing in the back seat, S1 seatbelted in. S3 was sitting next to the open door playing in the dirt and Dad was on his cell phone. Earlier I had started trimming back a humongous blackberry bush that is on our property line. So, since it was cool and Dave was talking, I started trimming. Tomorrow is garbage day so I wanted to make sure that the can was full. Anyway, long story short (but not by much ;)) we still had to pry S1 out of the car and drag/carry him into the house and with the promise that after dinner they could go for a ride and take a trip. This convinced him not to cry as he was forced into the house. Right now S1 and S2 are currently out with their dad. They went with him to pick up some slacks (Dad took the leash for S1) and since they were close to the university, decided to go by and hear the marching band play since it is band camp week, their aunt is in the band and S1 absolutely LOVES bands. It's after 10 pm and they still are out, doesn't Dad realize it's a school night?

One last question. Even though S1 was out late with his dad, at what time in the morning will he be at the front door wanting to go to school? Answer: Before 8 am.

Eating Teeth

S1 has lost several teeth now. Unfortunately he has yet to see anything from the tooth fairy for them. When they are loose he doesn't mess with them like a normal kid, so they take a while to actually fall out. Even when they are practically out he won't even let us mess with them. We have just waited to find a tooth lying around. But, the funny thing is, he has now lost five teeth (not counting the two S2 helped him knock two years ago) and we have yet to find a single one. We figure they come out while he is eating and he just swallows them down with everything else. They must be his favorite snack! Is this considered cannibalism?

I think it reinforces my desire to call him a goat, since he will eat practically anything rocks (pea gravel in our front yard), mud/dirt (anywhere), glass (Christmas lights in 2004-no injury to him, just to mom who was getting the glass out of his mouth), latex (broken balloon he managed to find), soy yogurt and cheese (I won't even try the stuff), metal (money that I have to fish out of his mouth), crayons and colored pencils (good thing those are non-toxic, makes an interesting BM), numeral candles (maybe he thinks they are just really blah candy), actual food that the rest of us would consume, and pretty much anything else he can get into his mouth - like chalk and glue sticks. But then he won't eat things like corn! Kids.

Growing, Growing, Gone

It's amazing how time flies and the kids grow. Just a couple of days ago I walked into the kitchen and thought something was off, so I turned around to look. At first I only saw the kitchen chair pushed up against the cupboard and wondered how it got there. Then my eyes and brain finally registered on the 15 month old standing on the chair with one little hand buried in the silverware drawer and the other clutching a cache of toddler forks. How did he get up there? S3 apparently had pushed the chair across the floor to the column of drawers. The bottom one was out slightly so he use that to help him climb onto the chair. So at least once a day I come around the corner from the hall to the kitchen and get a start as that cherubic little face looks up at me from his perch on the chair, clutching his treasure.

This morning I woke up to S2 saying, "Mom, will you finish pulling up my zipper?" I rolled over to find the four year old totally dressed and ready for the day. He just needed help getting the zipper up to the tippy top. That is nice, to have one child who can take care of themselves, if they so desire, of course. I also got a good look at how tall he is getting. He's growing up so fast. He reminds me of my youngest brother a lot. And now that brother is in his senior year of high school! So, I know that before I realize it S2 will also be grown up and gone.

And even S1 is getting more self sufficient. He wanted to take a bath this morning so I insisted that he try to take off his clothes by himself. He tried pulling up on his shirt but wasn't having much success. So I helped him get one arm out and then he pretty much got the rest himself. He dropped the shirt on the floor but I told him he needed to put it in the dirty laundry and I pointed to the hamper so he picked up the shirt and put it in! Then I had to get him started on the pants because he kept trying to pull them up further instead of down. But once I had them down a couple of inches he was able to get out of them the rest of the way on his own. I had to had the shorts to him but with prompting he did put them in the hamper also! Then he had a fantastic time splashing in the tub. S1 used to flood the bathroom when he bathed but he finally got to the point where he'll let me pull the shower curtain closed so he can splash all he wants without me needed to pull out the wet/dry vac. S1 knows he's not allowed to stand up and jump in the tub but he loves to do it because it makes the biggest splash. The shower curtain doesn't allow me to see what he is doing, but I can hear it. So, today he jumped and I told him he had to sit down or get out. He immediately sat down (which he usually does) and didn't have to be reminded again. S1 also is getting better at washing himself. We still have to do it hand over hand, but he is more compliant now. I wish it were the same for tooth brushing!

The wheels on the bus.....

S1 was so excited about school this morning I could not pull him off the front door to dress and feed him. Only when I mentioned "shoes" (which he knows he needs to leave- forget clothes, as long as you've got shoes you are good) did he voluntarily release the door knob and come over to the couch. Once dressed S1 even sat down to be fed breakfast. Then his little face was glued to the window watching for the bus. Finally I decided that the bus should be here shortly and unlocked the front door. As S1 pulled it open, the bus pulled up (his bus stop is our front yard) and once it stopped he bolted off the porch, ran across the lawn and climbed in with no assistance at all. S2 followed close behind carrying S1's backpack and handed it over to the driver. S2 has taken this job on himself and heaven forbid I give the driver the back pack. As I went back to the house I saw S3 standing in the doorway warily watching the bus pull away with S1 inside. I explained that the bus takes S1 to school and that he'd be back. Then we all went inside and I fixed some breakfast for the rest of us.

PS Last year I had to help S1 step up onto the bus and the aide had to help him with the steps and to his seat. Now he's so excited to go to school (after being bored at home) that he'll get on and up and in his seat all by himself. Woohoo!

Note: Our Vacation

Paul did get married in the Oakland Temple. S2 waited outside with his aunt and uncle. He was the only one who could behave while waiting and for pictures. Plus he was the only one who is cognitively aware enough to want to see Uncle Paul and Aunt Melanie come out of the temple. Thought I would clarify.

Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam

Last Sunday my husband and I got a new calling at church. They asked us to be the Sunbeam leaders. The Sunbeams are the Primary (Sunday School for kids) class for the kids who are three years old. Our son, S2, is currently a Sunbeam so we'll see how he does with us as his teachers. In January the kids switch to the next class so we will say goodbye to him and his friends and hello to a new batch of wriggly toddlers coming from the nursery. Speaking of nursery, S3 gets to go into nursery two months early so that we can teach our class. I took him last week and he seemed to enjoy it and not care when I left the room.

S2 will miss his old teachers who are moving. We also wonder how S1 will do with us in the room for Sharing and Music Time and closing exercises. Hopefully he won't give his teachers too much trouble wanting to come be with us, which would be fine if he would sit still. But, he'll more than likely try to pull us out to wander the halls. We shall see.

My husband, Dave, is still the chorister for the ward and I am still the leader for Activity Day girls (8to 11 years old). When they extended the calling to us we said, "Sure, we already live in a house full of Sunbeams." So, we don't think this calling will task us too much.

Back to School

I don't who is more ready for school to start, me or S1. Today we stopped by his school, one for special needs kids, to drop off medication (for the seizure disorder) and a bunch of forms (food allergy, medication permission form, and medical care form all of which had to be signed by his doctor and the standard emergency contact sheet). I went once my sister was home to watch the youngest two. When we got to the school S1 was happy to run up to the front doors but he didn't want to go in because he'd rather check out the cool white caddy out front. Since I wouldn't let him do that he dropped to the ground. That is until he saw Miss Susan, then he hopped up, ran over to her, grabbed her hand and started dragging her off to the classroom! He was in Miss Susan's class for an hour every afternoon the last few months of school to help give him more interaction with higher functioning children. S1 apparently liked her and must be excited to be back with her full time this year. I am glad to know that he likes his teacher, it makes me feel good about sending him off.

Breathe Son Breathe

As we were getting the boys ready for bed, my husband was telling S3 "No" and S3 would respond "Yes". Then dad would say "Yes" and S3 would say "No". Soon S2 got into the act also. Well, S1 was lying in bed and found this hilarious so they all kept it going. Meahwhile S1 is lying in bed laughing with a huge wide open mouth grin, tears coming from his eyes and unable to breathe because he finds the whole thing so comical. Watching S1 was the most entertaining and it made me happy to see him so happy, even over something so silly.

If you come to the pool, expect to get splashed!

Tonight I took S1 and S2 over to the community pool where we have season passes. We got a late start after dinner so we ended up with only twenty minutes to swim before the pool closed. The boys had a blast playing in the shallow beach area for the first ten minutes, then S1 decided to venture over to the other side of the rope into the deeper section. Normally this isn't a problem since he has his life jacket on, but today I was in such a rush to make sure they got more than five minutes in the pool we left it at home. S1 swims well with the life jacket on but without it can't paddle strong enough to stay afloat. So, the water is up to his shoulders and he is jumping up and down. But then he slipped and went under. I was sitting close by the edge and jumped in to grab him. However, he popped up all by himself! In the past when that has happened he has gotten all disoriented and can't get up on his feet, but today he did it! Actually, he did it several times - and I freaked out every time. S2 was paddling all around us and having fun practicing all that he learned this summer in swim lessons.

Luckily S1 eventually decided to head back to the beach area. He loves to splash there. Since I don't let him go crazy splashing in the tub, he takes advantage to do so at the pool. He will jump to splash, kick his legs in the air to splash or bend over, scoop and throw water in the air. Well, normally this isn't a problem but he had been sitting in the shallows and pushed himself backwards into the shallowest corner of the beachfront. Unbeknownest to S1 (and he probably wouldn't have cared if he'd known) was a grandma lady busy knitting, feet in the water watching the grandkids. Since S1 had gotten into prime splashing position that is what he began to do, throwing water up and over his head onto the lady. I was watching him from the deeper section where I was helping S2 with his swimming. I did immediately start telling him to stop and made my way over there but at first you could see how irritated the lady was and then she got up and moved away, grabbing her knitting bag. By the time I got there she was just grabbing her bag and from the look on her face she finally realized that the splashing was not intentional and that S1 was not all with it. This is actually a frequent occurence at the pool - S1 splashing people who are on the sidelines or just sitting in the shallow water trying to cool off just a little. But as my title says, if you come to the pool, expect to get splashed! Or maybe I should say, if we come to the pool, expect to get splashed.

Massaging Raspberries

I have been waiting all summer for the fall crop of raspberries, which are cheaper to buy than the spring crop. I planned on making jam. Well, today I got those bargain raspberries, which are delicious, and came home and sat them on the table. While I had my back turned, S1 did, what we call "massage" on my flat of berries! Basically he digs both hands in and starts pumping and moving his hands, grabbing as much as possible to squish through his fingers. Then he throws his hands up in the air above his head and shakes them. Then he starts over again.

Mushed up raspberries in my flat, on my table, on my chairs, on my son, on my wall and of course all over my floor! I haven't yet dared to look up at my ceiling.

Since I caught him quickly, only about a quarter of the flat is ruined so I should have enough for jam still.

I should have listened

Okay, when S3 was born he had a very, very pointed forehead. When you looked down on his head from above, it was reminescent of the prow of a boat. If you looked at him in profile, his forehead stuck out PAST his nose. He was developing normally so I wasn't too worried although it did really bug me. But then a friend who worked with a cranial facial surgeon saw him and suggested he get checked out for metopic synostosis. I took him into the pediatrician to get his two cents. The doctor wasn't concerned and said that since his head was growing fine (kids with the disorder usually suffer a lack of cranial growth) that we didn't need to worry. Well, I was still concerned but didn't push for a referral to a specialist. As time went on S3 grew into his head a bit more, but still pointed. Now that he is over a year old his forehead no longer sticks out past his nose and his profile looks normal (other than having a very rounded forehead). But we went in for his 15 month check up and the doctor has decided that it looks worse than before and wants him to see the cranial facial doctors!!!!! I should have followed my instinct and insisted on a referral to a specialist. Instead I let myself doubt my feelings since the doctor had a different opinion. Note to self and others: next time speak up and remember, doctors are only "practicing" medicine!

Part of the reason this ticks me off is that surgery is best done when the kids are around 8 months to a year, so we missed the best window for surgery even though I brought it up when he was 6 months old. Second is that kids with this condition, although I think S3 just has a cosmetic case, can suffer facial deformity and mental impairment. AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Anyway, so now I am trying to get an appointment with a cranio facial specialis before our insurance changes at the end of the month! And our pediatrician said that if the bones in his forehead have already fused together that it's too late for surgery and he's be stuck with at least a pointy forehead. Thank goodness his development is on track so far. I'll up date you later.

The sad part is I really like our pediatrician but this makes me mad!