RaNdOm

 Vance finally had his 7 year appointment, after 3 reschedules due to various reasons.  He has a few warts on his right knee, probably from splash park.  The girls both had them around 5-7 yrs old only theirs were on their toes, under their big toe nail, on surrounding toes and it was awful (we spent a LOT of time at the pool). They bawled when they had theirs frozen with liquid nitrogen, so I was fully prepared for a Vance-spectacular meltdown.  I had Dr. Tom show him how it works by first freezing one on my right ring finger that has come and gone a few times (it stung like crazy but I kept a straight face).  Tom also made dragon smoke before he put the gauge on the bottle and putting it next to his profile, Vance thought that was hysterical.  Vance sat up and watched as the warts turned white, he didn't even wince!  It was no big deal.  HURAH!  I was so excited.  I was totally expecting him to freak out.  Whew.  He weighs 52 pounds (which is awesome because he did not break out of the 30's until early last year!) and he is 4'1".  I can't remember what his weight percentile is but his height is 75th and his bmi is on the low end, which is his trend.  My little NICU wimpy white boy is healthy as can be!  I am so grateful.  So very, very grateful.  His behavior is much better.  He is loving school, he knows a lot of his times tables, is a pro at counting money, and writes the best little journal entries.  He's a cool kid.

 

 Alorah is doing great!  Her allergies have kicked up a few times requiring some breakthrough benedryl to get her through.  The other night her eyes swelled up and turned red and she keeps getting hives in the shower if the water is too warm.  Her moon face has gone down as has her appetite.  She is doing wonderful.  I am holding my breath.  Fall and Spring are hard on her generally but I am also pretty confident she is on the right regimen of meds.  She has not been on steroids in 12 weeks!  That alone is worth celebrating  Before that she had gone 8 weeks-before that she had 5 bursts in 5 months.  Definite improvement.  I am keeping a close eye on her but so far she has maintained (with a pre-visit neb and benedryl added to her daily meds) and done well at my mother-in-law's for the first time in years (she has a few cats and they usually trouble Alorah within minutes).  She has also done well with the fire pit at my dad's-it's the first time I let her roast marshmallows since last November.  I gave her 2 puffs from her inhaler first but she did fine (I had everything with me and checked her O2 quite a few times.

Faith is doing fantastic.  She spent almost all day yesterday cleaning her room and organizing (I used to do the same all the time at her age).  She is my most helpful child.  She has gained more responsibility of late.  Helping me with unloading the dishwasher, feeding Toby, putting her laundry away.  She also planted a small container garden in the backyard, it is doing great.  She is SO proud of herself.  She wants to know every detail of every thing we are going to do.  I told them we would walk Toby up to the school this weekend so they could play on the playground and Faith wanted to know which leash we would use, if we would bring a dog poop bag, etc.  She is very much into reading these days and spends a lot of time in her room curled up with a book, almost always about animals.  Right now she is reading a long book about horses.  She loves animals so much, I can see her doing something with animals.  Maybe she will be a trainer or a veterinarian or rescue and help adopt out animals.  I also see her gardening just like my mom.  Or maybe she will make jewelry.  She is so talented it blows me away.

All in all the kids are doing really well.  I am so proud of them.  I love them to the moon and the sun and the stars in the sky forever and ever and a day.

(P.S my blog will not show up on google reader, because it is invite only.  Sorry about that.  I took ads off so I don't get anything for "clicks."  I blog because I love going back and reading about our life and because I want to have all of this for the kids to read some day along with my livejournal which I started in '03.  Most of Vance's life has been written out.  I also work out a lot of my issues through my fingers.  It helps.)

I want to plug into school

Vance HATED school last year.  He was bored.  Now he has a new teacher whom he adores.  He has new challenges.  He came home and told me:
a) I am excited for homework!
b) I want to plug-into school.

Freaking AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ETA this gem from Alorah yesterday.  At lunch I ordered a black bean burger and she got a cheeseburger.  She said "Mom, when I grow up I'll be a vegetarian"  I asked "why not now?!"  her answer?  priceless

"because I don't want to be a vegetarian for that looooooooong"

I almost died.

P.S the girls showed off another dance move a'la summer camp: the sprinkler.  Freaking hilarious.  Pajama Jam is rocking the P house.

P.P.S if you heard the screeching, screaming, and straight UP revolt over the "no TV rule" that was enforced last night but hit home tonight I'm so sorry.  Alorah was pissed off, and asthma or not that kid has lungs!  I was the worst mom EVER.  SO mean.  How dare I not allow them to watch TV when they didn't have homework.  Gasp.  The indignity of it all.  She is going to be a bl-ast when she hits puberty.  I may need ear plugs.  She got over it after about an hour of yelling it out in her room...full on ranting about my evilness.  Truthfully, it was amusing.  She was overtired and had to self-soothe without her favorite crutch.  Made that rule even MORE important!!!  That's a keeper!

No tears!

I had to drag them out of bed this morning.  No one wanted to get up.  Me included!  I made chocolate chip pancakes.  They were super excited about their signs.  As soon as they saw their friends the nerves chilled and they were excited to be back :)  

5th, 4th, 2nd

Back to school!  The last year they will all be in elementary at the same time.  SO bittersweet.  We are back to the routine, including 8 o'clock bedtime.  I don't think any of them fell asleep before 9.  Vance came out for water at 9:15.  Back to school jitters.  6:30 will come very early (grumble, they changed their start time from 9am to 7:55.  jackholes.  I HATE it)  and they will fall asleep much more readily tomorrow I'm sure!  We finished supply shopping today, backpacks are loaded.  We had a pajama jam tonight.  They are not allowed to watch ANY TV from 5pm the night before a school day until homework is done on Friday.  I pulled the plug at 5 and turned on my new Ipod docking stereo (CD/ipod/radio) that I got with my birthday money.  They had a blast dancing around the living room to the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Janis Joplin, to name a few.  They did an amazing "rusty robot."  I have NO clue who taught them that move but it was freaking hilarious.  Alorah's gum flew out of her mouth and into her hair, leading to an impromptu hair snipping.  Never a dull moment.  Best purchase I've made in a long time.  I love having good speakers in the living area, we can jam through breakfast, too.  Tomorrow I am making chocolate chip pancakes with the # of the grade they are now in made out of the chips :)  They will love it.  That is after I get the coffee brewed.  Have I mentioned how much I loathe 6:30?  No, we can't move that even an inch because the girls MUST eat exactly one hour after they take their Prilosec.  Otherwise I'd get them up at 7.  Oh well.  It could be worse but I don't have to like it!  I also hate that they will be in daycare for so long in the afternoon.  Instead of 90min-2 hours they will be there 3-4 hours.  BOO!  It would have been awesome if we all started at 9, my school is less than 5 min. from theirs.  I could have dropped them and made it to mine without issue.  Why couldn't have done 9-3?  I just don't get it.  I'll stop bitching.  I should really get to bed!!  It's MY summer vaca though and I don't want to!  No homework...tests....or papers for 2 whole weeks.  Sweetness.

The big 0-7!!!!!!!!

Today this sweet, amazing, energetic, former wimpy white boy and NICU grad turned the BIG 0-7!!!  Sigh.  I officially have 3 BIG kids.  7, 9, and 11.  I remember when he was born and this time seemed SO far away, thinking about how it might be to have kids these ages.  Now its here. It's chaos and fun.  It's hard questions and learning new skills all the time.  He had a great day today. He woke up and opened a gift from his Dad, he got to talk to him twice, too. He picked out some fun stuff at TRU, we went to Whole Foods and he picked out his cake (he wanted a chocolate chip one like the one we got for my dad on Father's Day), we went to Starbucks and he got a grande chocolate milk w/ whip cream-one of his favorite treats, and then we came home so he could play for a bit before going to get his sisters at summer camp.  He is big into Lego sets right now, specifically the snow sets from Star Wars.  He also got some Toy Story 3 toys and my Dad & Diane got him Cars 2 Wii game and a Raving Rabbits game (the pirate one).  We will go see Cars 2 in 3-D this weekend (first showing is regular price at Century 24).

I know I have not updated this about NJH or Alorah.  I will-soon.  We have some answers, ruled a whole lot out, and there will be a lot more wait and see and hope that what we do know works (and helps)...

LOOT!

Chocolaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate

Alorah picked this tiger out for Vance at the Denver Zoo.  He is super soft.  Vance LOVES him and named him Rawr-Rawr.  He slept wrapped around his sweet tiger all night.  So sweet!  

Happy Birthday Vance-man!!!  

I am so lucky to have such a wonderful little guy.  

Splish-Splash

 Rach watched 2/3 of my kids today so I could go to class.  Afterward we took our 6 kiddos to Splash Park.  They had a bl-ast-eroni.  Seriously, they just loved every minute of it.  They are all wiped out this evening.  Ahhh.  I love when kids are exhausted from sunshine, water, and friends!

Faith is alllllll legs.  She is built like a runner.  

 He totally posed this one.  Stinker.  He has to wear a rash guard top in the sun, he is so fare he literally burns to a crisp.  Believe it or not he has my hair, more red than blonde.  

 Lost in thought?  Or something? (p.s the girls swimsuits are Liberty of London.  I LOVE them.  Faith's didn't fit last year..I bought them in '09....and I was tickled that her bottoms don't fall straight down this year.  Yay!  

 BFF's and T-R-O-U-B-L-E (esp when you add Max into the mix!  I am so bummed I didn't get a pic of all three of them.)

 Seeeeeeeeeeesters

 Priceless Alorah face.  

 He was telling her off for something.  Don't ask me.

 taking a lil rest

 Vance, mischievous?  Neva!

my long legged, long torso, little lady.  Seriously, the P kids are built for sports.  Lucky ducks.

(I am so ticked that I did not get any pics of Addison OR Max.  We go back next week, I'll get some then!)

My biggest and my littlest are hair-rebels!!!!!!!

 Her hair was long, and she had sworn she wanted to grow it out.  Until today when she decided she did not want to grow it out. She looked at the books, picked out a cut, and insisted on it. 

 I have always been of the opinion that my kids can do whatever they want to their hair.  It is theirs.  Changing it up, dying it, and chopping it every now and then does not in any way harm them so have at it!  

 This is the aftermath!  All that hair!

 There you have it.  She aged 2 years in 20 minutes.  My almost 11 yr old now looks almost 11.  She LOVES it.  So do I, and my oh my she looks just like ME at 11!!!  I see so much of myself in her now.  She has amazing layers and body!

 Vance's before.  I didn't get a good front shot.  Oh well.  He has thick hair, it is coarse and a lot like mine.  He has been begging for a mohawk.  We looked through google images yesterday and he knew exactly what he wanted!

 He was positively GIDDY the whole time she was buzzing his hair off.  As it came together his smile got bigger and bigger.  PURE JOY.  That is priceless.

 He is rockin' it.  Rock on son.  Rock ON!

 Alorah HATES getting her hair cut.  She freaks out when I trim it up at home.  Her ends were fried and looked awful.  She NEEDED it trimmed.  I convinced her that they would not take very much.  She was near tears the whole time she was in the chair.

 After!  So healthy and happy and now she can grow it out even more!  She wants it as long as she can get it. It is extraordinarily healthy.  The LOOKS I got when I brought up that I make my own shampoo and that they could not use anything with sulfates..ha...the lady thought I was NUTS.  They wet their hair and shook their heads.  I stuck to my guns.  No shampoo people.  NO shampoo!

There Mom, I did it!  Are you happy now?!
YES, and proud.  She actually likes it.

Afterward we went to the zoo and then to my Dad's for a lovely BBQ (where they got to eat real cheeseburgers).  Vance said it was his best day EVER. 

Music to sleep by...

My sweet son requires 4 things to go to bed.  He has nighttime anxiety issues (like his mom, poor kid).
He requires the star lights be lit
The bathroom light be on
20 minutes of reading to or being read to by me
My Ipod playing.

My son goes to bed to songs by:
meat loaf
pink floyd
warren zevon
the beatles
john lennon
bob dylan
journey
the eagles
the moody blues
marc cohn
eric clapton
kenny loggins
plumb

to name a few.  Yep.  Those are his lull-a-byes.
He loves them.  He requests them.  Every night.

So I am not at all surprised that said child came up to me a couple weeks ago requesting a Mohawk, which he shall get tomorrow, before we head to the zoo and then a bbq.  Rock on my child.  Rock on. 

What do you/your kids fall asleep to?

blogger down

I have a post I am itching to write but no time.  When I had time, yesterday, and this morning blogger was down.  Boohiss blogger.  boohiss.
I got to spend time with my Rae-Rae today.

I had over 300 pics printed at Costco.

I had this one printed into an 8x10 bought a frame for it (that came with a coupon for 100 free prints, so I got 2 packs of 2 frames for $4 if you count the 2 coupons for free prints.  200 more pics to print!!)...and I almost cried.

I don't miss pregnancy (at all).
I don't miss age 3
I don't miss teething or colic.

I miss nursing and I miss newborns.

My last yummy newborn.

Trying to figure out the next 3 (8x10) pics to print.

this one is a definite:

in black & white.

sigh

edited to add that this one has been chosen:

I went back and fourth a LOT about whether I wanted a pic from his first 6 weeks displayed anywhere in the house.  It took me 6 years and 11 months just to PRINT them.  I agonized over which one.  Definitely none of the ones from the NICU.  The ones when he is older are cute but he outgrew his newborn look very fast (all that nursing and pumping chunked him up fast!).  I chose this one.  9 days old.  Still a newborn. (this was clearly before I figured out exactly how to make my bandaid method of keeping his cannula in place perfected) but it shows him, in that beautiful, fleeting, newborn state.  Yes he was on oxygen and he was still fragile but oh...so perfect.  So this one is the only one from his time on oxygen that will grace these walls.  Also please note his enormous hands.  He has yet to grow into them (or his feet!)

Some things never change...

3 weeks old...

and now.  

almost 7.

I had all of his pics from birth-6 weeks printed today.  How is my baby almost 7? 

I registered the kids for their summer program today and one of the leaders was SO excited when she saw Vance's name.  It was so sweet.  He isn't a kiddo that anyone soon forgets meeting.  He gives ME heck but he is a dream for his teachers.  Go figure.  Though we are slowly working through some of his "stuff" and things have been a little better lately.  

****

Off Topic: A little NJH tidbit-all of my updating will be through this blog.  Every night (if I can) I will blog an update of that day's events after Alorah goes to bed.  I will make sure family has the blog address and updates will go directly to facebook but this will be my only form of updating.  Of course I will call and talk to family every day but rehashing the days events several times over is not something I want to do so this is my solution.  I will chronicle and photograph each day and process it on here.  I just don't think I will have the energy to do it any other way.  My lovely niece is house sitting so I feel comfortable disclosing our dates.  We leave June 21st and we will be back some time after the 29th.  We know we will be there no less than one week, there is no set end-date so flexibility is key.  We will be there as long as we need to be there...

Happy Mother's Day 2011

 We had a lovely brunch with Dad & Diane.  It was yummy and relaxing, and I am so blessed.  Especially since they got very little sleep last night.  The newest member of the Taylor family (my Dad's best friend's son's wife water broke at my Dad's best friend's 50th birthday party last night and she was born early this morning.  Congrats to all of you, I love all of you!  So excited for this next chapter in your lives.  She is perfect!  Happy FIRST Mother's Day Hayley, I can't think of a better first Mother's Day!)

 My Mother-in-law, the kids, and I.  I knew I wanted a picture with each of my mom's today.  Thank-you to my Dad, Wes, and Rob for taking these pics <3  

 My Mom, the kids, and I.  <3

The reason I exist.  I was born to be your Mom.  Thank-you for choosing me.  I cannot for one moment imagine my life without you in it.  You motivate me in everything I do.  I am so very thankful.  You bring so much joy (and chaos) into my life.  Alorah had a bad asthma attack last night, thankfully aggressive and early treatment kept it from getting worse.  She has been much more stable today.  She has a follow-up with her Pulmo tomorrow....always a great time.  

Dear Vance's future wife,

I am realllllllly sorry.
if it makes you feel any better his Dad snored just as badly.  I used to kick and hit him to get him to stop.
He couldn't figure out where those bruises came from.  Ooops.
I eventually learned that if you make them sleep on their sides they will stop, and it doesn't hurt to be shoved onto your side.

Now Vance also grinds his teeth.  OMGGGGGGGGGGGGG, it's making me crazy.  He may need a nighttime mouth guard.  It wakes me up and it is incredibly frustrating.  I wake him up to stop him.

If he uses a nasal saline spray and a spray of Flonase in each side before bed the snoring is much better.

So, in advance, I am sorry.  I feel your pain.  I hope you can survive the Plont snoring.

Love,
your future mother-in-law

**video from '09.  He still snores like this.  It is better with flonase but nothing makes it 100% go away

My reality...

This week I am cleaning the kids rooms.  DEEP cleaning them. I used to do it every other month when they were little, I don't keep toys or things that do not get played with.  There is no point.  I have not been able to do this since just before my surgery in September so you can imagine the "stuff stuffed behind/in between/inside" because really the trashcan in the kitchen is just too far away.  Yesterday I did Alorah's room.  She had "cleaned" it this weekend and I went through and RE-cleaned it.  I found missing socks, trash, trash, and more trash.  It is sparkling clean now.

This is the mess I am currently tackling:

Yes, he has a floor.  He doesn't sleep in there, he sleeps with me, I would never let a child sleep on a mattress sans pad and sheet.  By the way his bed WAS made, until the three of them UNmade it.  He has a severe lack of storage and 50% of his toys he has outgrown so I am weeding out garage sale toys.  There are many, many, many.  I will be very happy when his room is clean.  He can play in it, and the old toys that he hasn't touched in way too long are gone (I will never, ever get rid of his Thomas trains or tracks...they are going into storage).  I just wish I didn't have to deal with this mess!

He says he will sleep in there when it is clean.  I'm holding him to that.  His bed needs a box spring, which will happen soon, and then hopefully I will get my bed back!  Wish me luck..I need it!

Memory Monday

May is Asthma & Allergy awareness month.  Please see this website for the FACTS.  Chances are you know someone with one or both.  Chances are you have heard the cliche "Oh don't worry, they outgrow it".  For some that may be true....or it could remain dormant and show up again in adulthood.  Vance was diagnosed with Asthma at 4 mths which is the first time he got sick with a respiratory infection (he was vaccinated for RSV for several months over his first winter because he needed oxygen for so long after birth.  A condition known as Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia).  Thankfully he never got RSV.  He was aggressively treated after birth for his respiratory distress.  He was sent home and kept on oxygen for 5 weeks.  He has not had any symptoms of asthma since 2008.  Alorah, on the other hand, developed Asthma after a bout of RSV in Feb of '04.  She had just turned 2 when she got sick.  Several trips to the urgent care, chest x-rays, etc. she was not aggressively treated.  She did not get a nebulizer until several respiratory infections later, and it was not her crappy ped (that she had before her current ped) who prescribed it.  It was Urgent Care.  For years she was able to take a break from maintenance meds for the entire summer.  Her attacks were intermittent.  In the past few years they have become worse, much scarier, and she has anything but outgrown them.  She has coughed so hard she has turned purple on several occasions.  She seems to develop a new trigger every time I turn around.  Her Asthma is severe, persistent, and downright (at times) terrifying.  As I look back on Vance's experience with Asthma and Alorah's it is hard not to draw comparisons. My "theory" is that she has scar tissue from the RSV.  No doubt allergies also play a huge role in her Asthma but the trend of her getting worse as her she grows worries me very much.  They both have had to deal with Eczema (a very common issue with Asthmatics).  I have found that plain, organic, unrefined coconut oil is amazing for it.  As I have watched Alorah's life essentially be taken over by her Asthma and Allergies I have struggled with what to do to help her.  I am constantly on the look out for anything that may help.  Traditional medication, even at crazy doses, has not kept her it under control.  We made it through April without steroids and that is fantastic...but she cannot stay on these doses forever.  Trying to make life safe for her is a constant battle.  I let her play outside for a few hours on Saturday.  Pollen levels were not overly high and the wind was down....on Sunday we paid for it.  Low pulse-ox, crabby, moody, unreasonable.  When she is exposed to too much-watch out.  It is not pretty.  It left me upset and unsure of what to do.  Obviously she can't even go outdoors when pollen levels are middle range (and she wore her mask, she always wears her mask) now and at least I know before she did this at school.

The awareness of Asthma & Allergies isn't really there.  4,000 people die every year from Asthma in this country.  They affect 60 million people, 1 in 4 Americans has one or the other or both.  70% of Asthmatics also have Allergies.  Yet our state does not even have a walk.  It is so frustrating.  What do you do when it's your child that doesn't outgrow it, who can't go to sleepovers, who could have another "big one" any day and when that happens life stops. I guess you research, you get good docs, and you go to National Jewish Health if you live in a resource-poor state like NM.  We will be in Colorado this summer.  I got a call today (and missed it, UGH) that we are ready to make that appointment.

Most of all be understanding and don't downplay it.  Asthma is very real.  It is chronic, there is no cure.

bulldozed....

Vance woke up today saying "my whole body hurts.  my arms my legs my back my neck" but he was cheerful.  His temp 99*.  He didn't *look* sick so I told him to go to school and to call me if he felt bad and I would pick him up (I had a follow up with my pain & spine doc and class to attend).  Faith also said her tummy hurt.  I told her, too, to go to the nurse if she was sick.  I didn't get a call before class so I went, it's 30-40 min away from his school and a dead-zone for cell service.  At break I went outside to check my messages and sure enough there was a call from the nurse to come get Vance.  His throat, stomach, entire body hurt, and he has a fever.  He tells me:

Mom I feel like one-hundred bulldozers ran me over.  

awwwwwww man.  Poor baby :(  I take him to the store because I have to get ingredients for a meal I'm taking to a dear friend (who needs to rest!  You, yes you, REST!  love you).  I was planning on making one of the best salads I've ever had but I needed to cut the shopping trip short so I got fruit instead and I have chile relleno casserole in the oven (Rach's recipe.  Delicious).
I pick Faith up and she's shaking.  Her stomach, head, throat are all hurting and she tells me her testing teacher refused to let her go to the nurse.  Ummmmm, no, that is NOT okay.  I will be talking to this person (not her reg. teacher) tomorrow.  Both of them have wicked red throats so I called their ped.  He went ahead and called in antibiotics for Strep since Alorah had it last week.  I hate strep throat.  I reallllllly hate it.  If I get it, well, I better not get it.  I do not have time and finals are coming up.  I cannot get strep throat.  

When I took Vance to go get the girls I took his field trip permission slip and money to his teacher and on our way back to the van I told him he was going to go see a very special acrobat show at Popejoy Hall.  He said "Mom, I'm going to go see bats!!".  

ahhh, yes, that's my son.  

(****I will reply to those of you that commented on the post about Levi soon...thank-you.****)

Some sweet short Video's of Vance-man age 2

He has always LOVED to sing

click the thumbnail to make it bigger, when I first tried to post these the pics were humonsterous!


(I bribed my kid to sing the whole song by letting him have chips...back when I bought chips)


(his answer to my request at the end of this video still makes me giggle-so smart)

He played with Thomas the Train for years. I will never get rid of his wooden trains and tracks. He slept with them, he bathed with them, he even buried Lady at the park and lost her which resulted in tears like you would not believe. He would spend hours laying track, he knew EVERY train's name by the time he was 2. In these videos he is 2 and a few months old.