Saturday, February 28, 2015

02-28-15 Sleepy Boy

Today was a long day. There was ballet in the morning and a birthday party in the afternoon. The kids had a blast, but they were certainly ready for bedtime this evening. C practically fell asleep at the dinner table!

Looks like Baby E couldn't hold out much longer either!


He was out!


Wondering about the socks on his hands. He has a habit of gouging at his head if we aren't paying close attention. 


His fingernails aren't long at all, so it surprised me that he did that much damage. So, he now has to wear a hat and socks on his hands. Poor fellow!






Friday, February 27, 2015

Thursday, February 26, 2015

02-26-15 Snow Days and X-Rays

It snowed this morning pretty heavily and work opened late. I decided to take the day off and got to spend some extra time with the kids. We made brownies and hummus. We played with cars. Aunt Julie visited and we played doctor. We walked over and visited cousins and played there too. So much playing to be had! 



And when our road was finally plowed and the sun came up, I decided to take Baby E down for his x-Ray. 


It was kinda sad pinning him down on the x-Ray table and holding his arms up so they could get a good shot. He screamed most of the time. We were both happier when it was over. After the x-Ray, the technician asked me some questions that got me a little concerned, but I've been trying not to worry about it until I hear from the doctor. She emailed him the x-rays so hopefully we will hear from him very soon. 

 We appreciate your all your prayers and well wishes. Thank you!



Wednesday, February 25, 2015

02-25-15 The Interview

I was thinking today that I know a lot about my children, but I don't know them in their own words. How do they see the world? So tonight I prepared a list of questions to ask them over dinner. I filled in the answers as they told me.



1. What is something that Mommy says to you?
C- I love you. 
E- I love you. 

2. What makes you happy?
C- You!
E- My daddy!

3. What makes you sad?
C- Elijah taking my toys.
E- My daddy. (Daddy frowned at this answer.)

4. What makes you laugh?
C- silly face
E- silly

5. How old are you?
C- four
E- I'm six! (He is quite adamant that he is six.)

6. How old is Mommy?
C- 24 (flattery will get you everywhere!)
E- 3 

7. How old is Daddy?
C- 11-12
E- 3

8. What is your favorite thing to do?
C- help you make desert
E- playing Mickey on my moviego (he means his Mobigo... And honestly he hates playing that game because he gets so frustrated that he screams and cries each time. The Mobigo is currently in the witness protection program.) 

9. Who is your best friend?
C- Ivy (the three year old that lives next door that they have played with twice)
E- Callie (the nine year old a few doors down that they have played with twice)

10. What are you really good at?
C- doing a race because I'm faster than Elijah
E- Gabe (???)

11. What did you do today?
C- get prizes
E- play at gabes trains (this is not what he did today.)

12. What is your favorite food?
C- pancakes and waffles
E- These! (Holding up wheat thins) 

13. What is your favorite song?
C- hush little baby
E- batman batman na na na na na na na na  batman!!!

14. What is your favorite color?
C- purple and pink and blue
E- um... Black and orange and green

15. What is your favorite animal?
C- butterflies
E- doggies and cows

16. What did you dream about?
C- I dream about nothing
E- doggies

17. What is your favorite toy?
C- Cinderella and Elsa. But you don't have an Elsa toy. But if there was one at the store, I would like it!
E- I'm batman!!!

18. What is your favorite fruit?
C- bananas and apples and pears
E- Zachary... I like chicken, I don't like chicken, I like lollipop. (I think someone didn't understand that one.)

19. What are you going to be when you grow up?
C- a dentist
E- a fireman

20. What is your favorite thing about Daddy?
C- daddy loves me. 
E- frogs (really??)

21. What do you like about Mrs. Rebecca?
C- Because she takes care of us.
E- Michael!!! (He said this was such enthusiasm!)

22. What do you like about Ephraim
C- That he is so silly and so cute
E- Hi baby Ephraim! He's cute!
 
23. If you could go anywhere in the whole world where would you go?
C- The playground. 
E- Fall on the ground, but then I'd bump my head.

So there it is folks. I enjoyed this little exercise and will probably be doing it more often in the future! But for now this 24 year old mommy is heading to bed! Ha! 
 




Tuesday, February 24, 2015

02-24-15 Time with the boys

Tim had to run some errands this evening and he took C with him so I got some alone time with my goofy boys!










I love these silly boys!

Monday, February 23, 2015

02-23-15 Multiple Hereditary Exostoses

After doing a little research into my family history (I.e.- texting various family members and waiting for the responses to pour in) I learned that our shared medical link is called Multiple Hereditary Exostoses... A rare genetic bone condition. It is a condition that was passed down from my father's side of the family- of the cousins in my generation, half of us have it, though it seems to be spotty within each family. (I have it, my sister does not.) I was told I had calcium deposits growing up, but was never given an exact diagnosis. These calcium deposits tend to form on the long bones as a child grows. They can vary in degrees of severity, sometimes stunting bone growth or mishaping skeletal structure. They very very rarely turn cancerous. They cause pain during bone growth and the only cure is surgical removal and/or pain management. 

I would consider my case relatively mild. My mother noticed my first calcium deposit when I was around five. Over the years, more developed. As a child (and then a teenager) I was terribly self conscious about them. I had one develop above my knee and I hated wearing shorts or bathing suits. Middle school children are a cruel breed and more than one of my peers pointed them out. My most painful one was on the wrist of my right hand. It hurt to write. And it definitely hurt to play volleyball (which my gym teachers rarely let me off the hook for.) One below my knee made walking painful at times. 

By the time I was twenty, I had three removed including the one on my wrist. (Some of my other relatives had many more surgeries than me.) But when I was in my mid twenties the pain stopped and they were all but forgotten, except one that developed in my ribcage, which causes some discomfort when I lay on my right side. 

All that to say that this is what we are researching as the cause for the bump on Baby E's ribcage. However, two things are strange about his situation. 

1- the location. Calcium deposits tend to form on the long bones, and rarely the flat bones (such as the ribs) however, I just confirmed I have one on my ribcage, so it isn't impossible. 

2- his age. Calcium deposits don't typically show up in someone that young. Most start showing up between 5-12 years old. 

With these things in mind, Baby E's doctor will be sending us to get an x-Ray. We had all hoped to avoid this because of his age, but it is important for us to pinpoint what is going on. If this is a calcium deposit, more will likely show up, so we need to be on the lookout as his bones grow. If it isn't, then hopefully the x-Ray will help the doctor determine exactly what is going on. Prayers are appreciated as we work all this out. 

Thankfully the lump does not seem to cause him any discomfort. It doesn't bother him if you press on it. He just continues to be a happy, smiley little baby boy!


Sunday, February 22, 2015

02-22-15 Church at Home

We were all pretty bummed this morning when church got cancelled on account of all the ice, so we decided to do church at home. We started with Daddy reading from the kids' Bible. This morning's story was about the Ten Commandments.


After story time, C informed us that at church the next thing to do is make a craft, so we got out the crayons and we colored pictures from the Bible stories we have been reading recently. And after craft time, apparently there is snack time. So this morning, we made cookies. I had very attentive helpers.





We were then informed that after story time, craft time, and snack time, there is play time. It was a fun chance for us to experience church as a family this morning. It made being stuck in the house a little more bearable! 

After "church," it was time to give baby E a bath.

The rest of the day was kinda lazy. We had visitors, then took naps and ran to the grocery store. 





Saturday, February 21, 2015

02-21-15 Heirlooms and Play Dates

A few weeks ago we received a package for baby E from his great grandmother. After the birth of each of our children, she made them blankets. This is baby E's!


When big E was born, we were given this one.


And when C was born, she received this...


I love that the kids will have these as they grow up! (my husband has his from when he was a kid!) What a great heirloom! 

This evening we invited some cousins over for playtime so their mommy and daddy could have a  little bit of quiet time. The kids were on cloud nine giving the cousins a tour and showing them their toys. Of course, C made the boys be princes and dance with her all evening. 




Tummy time fun!


















Friday, February 20, 2015

Thursday, February 19, 2015

02-19-15 Little Prince

It is hard to believe that in exactly one month, this little guy will be three years old. If you were to ask him yourself, however, he would proudly proclaim that he is six. 


Having a son is nothing like I imagined... And I certainly never imagined myself with two of them! I see the fragile pride in my little boy's eyes, and I know I have to handle him gently. For as tough and big as he pretends to be, he is also small and easily overwhelmed by his world. Dark rooms and loud noises send him clamboring back to my arms as he buries his head in my neck. One day he will be embarrassed to come running to Mommy. But for now, I'm one of the strongest, bravest people he knows and when he is with me he is safe.




Wednesday, February 18, 2015

02-18-15 Another Doctor's Appointment

Baby E took another trip to the pediatrician. (It seems we are obligated to make an appearance every few weeks!) for the past few weeks, he has been dealing with some pretty serious eczema on his temples and over the past few days it has moved to his cheeks. Despite putting every fragrance free cream, lotion, or oil that I could put my hands on on his rash, it never improved. And as the weather has gotten colder, it has only gotten worse. To top things off, he keeps gauging his scalp and leaving bloody cuts and scrapes. This poor child looks a mess! 


On top of that, while changing his clothes last week, we noticed a lump on his ribcage and the doctor wanted to take a look at it. He said it is definitely attached to the bone. We suspect calcium deposits (they run in my family, but no one I know has gotten them this early), but he wants to do more research before sending him off for an x-Ray. He said there are a few versions of pediatric calcium deposits that can cause concern, but it doesn't look like baby E has any of the other symptoms that would indicate those. Plus there were no red flags during the cardioechogram a couple of weeks ago.  He asked me to do some digging into my family history and see if we can uncover any specific diagnosis that any of us have ever gotten, meanwhile he will be doing research on his own. Baby E goes back in a few weeks for a well visit, so at that time we can put our heads together and determine our next step. It is encouraging to know we have a doctor that is so attentive to our children and goes out of his way to make sure they are getting the care that they need. 

Thank you for your prayers and well wishes. For being my easiest baby, he sure does drag me to the doctor's office an awful lot! 

On the plus side, he gets weighed everytime he goes. At today's weigh-in, he was a whopping 10lbs 10oz!! Wahoo!




Tuesday, February 17, 2015

02-17-16 Snow Day

With 6-8 inches of snow on the ground this morning, my children were chomping at the bit to get outside and play, especially once they saw the neighborhood kids playing. After digging through about every single box that is still packed we were able to scrounge up enough snow suits, gloves, and boots for an outdoor adventure.


It seemed everyone was out at the same time shoveling the sidewalks and cleaning off their cars. We got to meet most of our new neighbors and it was a great chance for the kids to play with some of the other kids in the neighborhood. 

I didn't want baby E to miss out on the snow fun, so I dressed him up nice and warm and brought him out... For about ten minutes. That was enough for him... He just wanted to nap!


We would appreciate your prayers for baby E. The other day we found a lump on his ribcage. He is going to the doctor tomorrow to have them take a look at it. Praying for a non eventful visit.