Saturday, April 25, 2009

That backfired.

I'm a little stretched thin on patience right now. Andrew is on his way home from his second weekend in a row of tennis tournaments, along with his late nights of tennis, this has been a long stretch of not much daddy at home.

So picture dinner tonight. First off, don't judge me for the content of dinner, the vegetables were french fries. And no, I didn't cut up the potato and fry it myself, they were frozen out of a bag. As I was getting something for someone Hudson helped himself to more ketchup, as in lots more ketchup. I turned around in time to see him s-t-i-l-l pouring it out and I told him to stop, which he didn't do immediately. The resulting pool of ketchup was about 1/4 of his plate.

I took a deep breath and said, "you will be eating all of that." He didn't say anything. When he was "finished" with his dinner he brought his plate over to the sink, with most of the ketchup still on the plate. I said, "your not done." He replied, "but my french fries are all gone." I handed the plate back to him, used one hand to guide him back to the table and picked up a spoon with the other hand and put it on his plate. Without anymore words from either of us he actually sat there and ate his ketchup with a spoon. I was gagging as he did it because I'm not much of a condiment person anyway, but I really hate ketchup.

He brought his now empty plate back to me and said, "can I have a bowl of ketchup for lunch tomorrow?"

Win some parenting battles, loose some.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Ainsley

This is a long set up for a one liner from Ainsley, but your reading this blog so you must be trying to kill some time so here goes:

We went to a check up for Hudson's ears and I had to take all the kids. It was at Providence, so we started with a 40 minute car ride. Then we spend less than 60 seconds, no kidding, in the waiting room. Silly me, I thought this was a good thing. If only they would have left us in the waiting room, it had toys and books, and was big. They put us, all four, back in a little windowless room. I figure the room was about 5 1/2 by 5 1/2 because I know I couldn't have laid down in it without hitting my head. This room contained a small seat, the doctors rolling stool, a really big reclining patient chair with lots of lights, a sink with a cabinet underneath, two different garbage cans, and a rolling cart with instruments and 16 drawers. Also- the FOUR of us were in this room. The room didn't even have a swinging door, it was a pocket door because there was no where for a swinging door to open. So, really fun to be in a room where you can't let the kids touch anything, they are literally on top of each other, and silly me, we went through the books and snacks I had brought in the first 10 minutes of the torture chamber.It ended up being 23 minutes in this little place before we finally saw the doctor for our less than two minute consultation with him. When we were on minute 16 (which may not seem that long to you, but I seriously aged 3 years in that 16 minutes) I decided to let the boys finally touch the kleenex dispenser that they were fascinated with because it was mounted on the wall. I hate tissue boxes so we never have them in our house, so it is just magic to them how the tissues keep popping up after you take one. To add to the fun, the garbage can under the box had a foot pedal! Both boys sinuses should be cleaned out for the next 6 months with the amount of nose blowing they did. After 5 minutes and about half the box of kleenex (I should wait and post this on earth day) I pulled the plug on this activity. At that moment Ainsley quits reading the book she has brought (bless her for sitting quietly the whole time) and says, "Don't worry mom, I just looked around and I don't see any security cameras in here, so hopefully they won't charge us for all the tissues."

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

In praise of medical technology.

It is a pretty miraculous thing to go into a doctor and have them be able to actually see a little tiny peanut of a person growing inside of you. Each time I have gone in for this first appointment I always worry that I'm going to be laying there and Dr. Carter is going to look around and say, "Oh honey, sorry but there is no baby there. You've made the whole thing up in your head." With as awful as I have felt this time if I had made this up I would need to be committed. Also with as awful as I have felt this time (think as bad as I have the last three times put together, times about 100) I was a little worried there were two little hormone producing peanuts in there that were making me so sick. And can I just tell you that would put me over the edge? Good news, just one.

And here it is-

There is a head, body, and even little arm and legs. It looks like Andrew don't you think? Ainsley has been inspecting it trying to determine the gender.

Beyond my praise that medical technology has figured out how actually peek in and check on my little growing munchkin is the praise for a prescription that my doctor gave me. A magical little pill that should stop me from feeling so sick every minute of the day after about 2:00. There is a chance that I might be able to actually cook for my family again, help Ainsley with her homework, and the one I'm most excited about, sleep all night without waking up 20 times wishing I could just throw up. If she wouldn't give me the prescription for Zofran I was going to be on my way to one of my friends suggestions which was to go see her (and I quote her- but I won't out her) Voodoo doctor to get something to help. I was ready to try ginger pills, peppermint drops, anything.

So- here is to the hope that I will sleep all night!

Monday, April 13, 2009

The Eight Year Old!


Dear Ainsley~

Eight! Really? On the one hand it seems like I have never not been your mom. On the other hand it seems more like 8 weeks ago that we had a little baby girl. You, my love, changed everything in lives. And still do.

This year has been so fun. You are so much more grown up it makes me nervous and excited at the same time. Yesterday you wore a long dress to church that made you look so grown up. I was honestly surprised at how you looked. Surprised in a good and happy way. And a little sad as I miss the little girl too.

At your birthday party on Friday you were so happy with all your friends there. Because this was your year to have a big friend party you got to pick a location. You picked roller skating because it was the place you could invite the most people. You are a little social butterfly. A few weeks ago you had a project for school that you couldn't carry on the bus. I offered to just take you to school that day so we could get it there okay. You wouldn't hear of that because you didn't want to miss your time with your friends on the bus, I dropped it off for you after putting you on the bus.

Life with you is not all sunshine and roses. Attitude is something we talk about quite a bit. A few weeks ago we had a discipline issue over attitude in a way that we haven't had to do in quite awhile. It was not fun for either of us. I was so proud of you that night when we prayed before bed and you thanked God for a mommy that disciplines you so you can learn how to act appropriately. I was amazed.

This last year you have discovered so many things that you love. Mystery books and cooking, playing with makeup and your hair, Little House on the Prairie and High School Musical (1,2, and 3), board games and basketball. So many things about you are so much like either your Daddy or I , and you have so many characteristics that are all your own.

I expect that this next year will be very focused on the addition of one more sibling. You love babies and are so excited. When I first found out we were having another baby I was overwhelmed, but so excited to tell you because I knew how happy you would be. The night we told you the first thing you did was make a sign for your door that says, "Good news has come again, my mom is having a baby! HAHAHAHA!" Then it has a box that says, "Ainsley's Opinion Box: I want it to be a girl. Boys are fine but I already have too many." You might think you have too many boys, but you continue to be sweet and kind to your brothers. They both love and adore you so much. I know you will be a great big sister to the baby, boy or girl.

Happy Birthday Ainsley Grace. Mommy and Daddy love you so much.



Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Hudson and his ears.

Last Thursday Hudson had tubes put in his ears. Today he spent the day wanting to have daddy's "earphones" on. (Earphones are what he calls ear protectors) Is he just hearing so well now he feels the need to go back to the old "what????" days?

Anyway- lots of people have asked how the whole tube process went. I'll try and do a short version. (who am I kidding. When have I ever been able to say something quickly?) So here you go:

6:00pm Wednesday night- The anesthesiologist calls to talk with me. I tell her I don't want the pre-meds because when Hudson was 18 months old he had a cap put on a chipped tooth. He had some oral medicine that was supposed to make him sleepy and lethargic, instead it made him scream and thrash around for 3 hours. It was by far the worst parenting time I have ever had. They strapped him down on a board and did the dental work while he screamed the whole time. The anesthesiologist tells me she really likes to do the pre-meds because it makes it easier to take him away from me and it has a amnesia effect so he won't remember the whole thing even if he reacts badly. She also says that if he had the reaction before he very well might have a bad experience again, but not to worry, he won't remember it. (I will) She talks and talks to convince me to do it. Non-confrontational me AGREES over the phone to go ahead and do the pre-meds. But I'm not happy about it.

The rest of the night I process and think about the whole pre-med thing.

2:00am- Ainsley comes in to tell me Camden is screaming. Deal with Camden.

2:30am- Try and go back to sleep. Worry about Hudson. Worry about the pre-meds.

3:00am- Decide I'm not doing the pre-meds.

3:00-4:30am- Worry that I'm going to be making the person putting my child to sleep mad. No sleep for me.

4:30am- Shower and get ready. Still worrying.

5:30am- Get Hudson out of bed. He wants to know why we have to get up in the middle of the night. He is not happy. He of course then asks for breakfast. He doesn't exactly take the news that he can't eat well.

5:45am- We manage to get out of the house.

6:30am- arrive at Providence.

6:30-7:00am- wait. Hudson wants to go back home.

7:00am- An elderly hospital volunteer comes out and calls someone back. Not us.

7:08am- Another elderly hospital volunteer comes out and calls for Mr. Patty. She calls and calls. Never says a first name. I am reading to Hudson. After probably her 10th time it dawns on me maybe she is calling us. I have had Pate mispronounced frequently, which I think is silly considering a beginning first grader should be able to sound it out. I have never had anyone say Patty though. So I say, "Are you looking for Hudson Pate?" She was.

We follow her back to the short stay surgery area. It is brand new and very nice, but the thing is Providence is great, but definitely not a pediatric hospital. She pulls out a hospital gown for him to put on. The same type that would be big on Andrew. I look at her and ask if maybe they have pajamas for children. She tells me she is not sure. I hold up the gown and show her that the neck hole is bigger than his shoulders and that it is about 3 feet too long. Not to mention I could wrap it around him 5 times. Hudson folds his hands and says, "I'm not wearing that." At this point I'm thinking we might have to do the pre-meds to wear the gown if they are going to really make him.

The lady then says, "Now Isaiah, they won't let you go in the operating room if you don't wear it." So many things wrong here. First off, not going in the operating sounds like a good idea to him. No gown equals no operating room. Great. Next problem, lots of kids are very familiar with their middle name because when they are in trouble their mom uses their full name. I am to busy getting on to what the problem is to waste time spitting out their middle name. So although Hudson knows Isaiah is his middle name, it made no sense to him why this lady was calling him Isaiah. In her defense, frequently people are confused about which name between Hudson and Pate is his first name. She went with the one of the three that was for sure a first name. But it wasn't. So Hudson who had been really calm, is starting to not be very compliant.

I ask her to please go find a nurse and ask if they maybe have a child's pair of pajamas. Otherwise I am just going to have him wear his shirt and underwear. She leaves, probably not happy.

7:25am- A very nice nurse comes in and she had found a pair of pajamas. Hooray. Hudson discovers the remote for the TV and is delighted.

7:30- The nurse leaves for me to dress him. As she is walking out I mention that I will need to talk to the anesthesiologist again because I have decided I do not want to do the pre-med liquid. She says, "but it is my instructions for Hudson today." I say, "yes, but I'm not giving it to him." She says she will go call the doctor, and leaves with a loud sigh. And I have now made the nice nurse turn into a grumpy nurse. Great.

7:50- Hudson is happily watching PBS kids. I'm worrying. The nurse returns, and doesn't say anything about the medication. But she is nice again, so hopefully all is well.

8:04- Surgery is supposed to be at 8.

8:10- ENT doctor, who I really like, comes in to talk with me. He is great, very nice to Hudson. But Hudson isn't even listening to him because, you know, the TV is on and he is in charge of the remote. This has never happened before. The doctor starts to tell me that when he comes out he will be very confused not because of the actual anesthesia or the surgery, but because of the vereset (pre-med) that he has taken. I then explain that I have opted that we won't be having that. He then says, "Oh, that is probably a great idea, he is fine and so are you so there is no reason to put you guys through that!" Dr. P is now my new best friend. Just then the anesthesiologist comes in, introduces herself to me, says nothing about the meds. The two of them talk to Hudson for a minute. Hudson asks me to pause the TV I tell him sure (lie, no DVR here my friend) and they wheel him out of the room.

8:10-8:35- pray/worry/pray/worry... watch a little of the Today show, when did morning TV get so dumb? pray/worry/pray/worry...repeat.

8:35- Dr. P comes in and tells me everything went great. Hudson's ears were way worse than he expected. Tons of fluid and his eardrums were really thick (?). Hudson is waking up and they will bring him in when he is awake. Prayer of thanksgiving.

8:42- They roll a sleepy, confused Hudson into me. I was so happy to see him. He gets a little teary, but doesn't actually cry. He says, "I want these pajamas off. I want to go home."

8:45- Nurse gives me a syringe of tylenol to give to him. Evidently that was too early. I put it in his mouth and he sprays it all out over the bed. White blanket, red sticky medicine. So happy I'm not doing that laundry.

8:50- Nurse tells me he needs to drink a little and then eat a popsicle before he gets up. She leaves. Hudson starts freaking out that he hates the pajamas and wants out of bed. He is getting really wound up. As long as I have now become an noncompliance parent, I change his clothes and he sits in my lap. He is now calm and happy. He relaxes and eats his orange popsicle.

9:00- Nurse comes back in and sees him all dressed and is surprised. She says we can leave whenever I want, but I either have to carry him or have him taken to the car in a wheelchair. Any other circumstance and I would have thought he would have loved the wheelchair, he freaks out at the suggestion. I say I'll carry him. (all 42 pounds).

9:10- Hudson is still a little out of it, but wants to leave. We go out. I carry him to the elevator. Then he is on his own. I do make him hold my hand. Until the parking garage walkway where he wants to run ahead to beat anyone who might be there to push the buttons.

9:15 Leaving in the car he is completely back to normal, telling me he is starving.

9:45 Get food, spend 25 minutes inspecting every package of legos at Walmart. After finally picking one we go up to pay only to be sidetracked by a hotwheels thing that he immediately wants to get instead. 25 minutes of my life I will never get back.

The rest of the story: No pain, no pain meds. On Friday he told me, "Hey, my ears feel lots better." When we ask him if his ears hurt before he says, "No, they just feel different." We can tell a huge difference in his hearing.

Overall, great experience. Moral of the story: If your child needs tubes, do it. Super easy. No need to do the pre-medication.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

A Christimas gift I regret.

We thought it was a good solution. We don't have room for a piano, and Ainsley has been asking for one. So against Tennille's urging to get a piano because a keyboard just is not the same, we went with a nice keyboard from Costco. Turns out there is another reason to not get a keyboard. Here it is:
Can you see "main volume" and the little dial turned all the way over to "max?"

And can you see how the little display is lit up orange? That means it is playing something. Notice that there is no one actually standing in front of the keyboard. Turns out the keyboard we purchased has HUNDREDS of songs that it will play all by itself. My lovely children have 3 that they really like. Two are Christmas songs, the third is Ode to Joy that they stumbled upon and I made the mistake of mentioning that song is the one we walked down the aisle to at our wedding. Consequently they turn on these three songs over and over. The real problem is that once the song finishes, it just repeats. Over and over and over. A real piano wouldn't continue playing the same song over and over when the child that originally started playing it left the room.

There is nothing like a Christmas gift that makes you cringe at the sound of Christmas Carols and the main song from your wedding.