9 Month Check-up

Aiden had his well baby 9 month check-up this morning and he did a great job. He always has a great disposition, but really seems to bring on the charm for the nurses and doctor. They all love to love all over him when we are there. I forgot to bring my little record book with me so I had the nurse write his numbers down on the silly paper liner - here they are: Weight - 18 lbs 3 oz (almost doubled since birth), 10 percential; Height - 28 1/4 in, 50 percential (up from 21 inches at birth); and Head - 43 cm, -5 percential, so not even on the charts. I found it ironic that Heather's Aidan had the same stats at his SIX month check up. Click on the link and read about Aidan's sixth month check up. I need to get some tips from Heather on how to beef up, stretch out and increase the noggin size of my guy.

Back to my little guy.... she said he is right on with all of his milestones and even a little advanced with his fine motor skills. Trust me, he practices those ALL day long, finding every TINY piece of whatever on the carpet and trying to eat them. His ears and the tubes look great and are staying put. And, he only needed one shot, plus an iron check; both of which he tolerated great (thank you numbing spray). She was a little concerned about his diapers (the obesessive mom that I am took a picture of one the other day and brought the camera with me to show her - I know, gross pictures of stinky diapers, LOVELY). He makes little pebble diapers ALL the time and rarely has a regular bowel movement. She said the pebbles is a sign of not getting enough liquids. We are going to try to force feed more liquids (which if you saw the feeding post from the other day, that is not easy). We are also going to add a little prune juice to the formula and give him more fruits through out the day to increase his liquid intake and get those diapers back to normal. They have been like this since before his surgery, so over 2 months at this point. In one respect I don't complain about the diapers because they are very easy to clean up, really nothing at all. On the other hand I know they are not normal so we need to do something about him - he can't have rabbit droppings the rest of his life.

Enough about poop. :) Alexis was glad she didn't have to get the shot, but instead got a sticker and lollipop. Aiden once again does all the work and she gets all the rewards. There's something not right about that all. We are all clear till his one year old check up. I won't gross you out with the diaper pictures, so instead here is a picture of Aiden right before the nurse came in with his shot. With a big smile on his face, he has no idea what is about to happen.

Aiden's newest abilities - walking along the couch and transitioning from leaning on Daddy to holding onto the couch. Dale and I are taking bets on when he will walk on his own. He says before Christmas, I am holding my breath and hoping it won't be till after Christmas. He also learned to pound his fists on his highchair tray when I don't feed him fast enough. Too cute! He will also growl at you if you take away his toy or blanket. He is just growing up WAY too fast.

How Precious Life Is - Rebel for a Cause

There are a few things in my life that are very dear to my heart. My children are definitely one of those. This past March, when Aiden was born, we came way too close to seeing that blissful moment turn into tragedy. Without going into too much detail, which would take pages of posting to explain, I will try to give the shortened version. I had had two previous c-sections and was having Aiden vaginally at home with the assistance of two very skilled midwife . Uterine rupture is a risk (less then 1%) when having a VBAC (vaginally birth after c/s). I educated myself and took responsibility for that risk and still decided that birthing my baby naturally and at home was the best option for us. I did not know during the end pushing phase of my labor that my uterus had ruptured, only that I was in extreme pain. Having never had a vaginal birth before I just assumed that this was the worst of the labor pains. When the uterus ruptures most often it is an emergency, with mere minutes to have baby delivered before there are tragic results. Not knowing my uterus was ruptured (I will never know for sure the exact moment it happened, I have watched my birth video more times then I care to try and figure it all out. Somethings just aren't meant for us to know), I continued birthing Aiden naturally. I was able to birth him but when he was born he was lifeless and not breathing. This could have been a result of the clefting causing issues with his breathing or more likely as a result of the rupture, which can cut off supply from the placenta to the baby. My midwives were awesome and took over right away. They were breathing for him and calling 911 to have the paramedics come and evaluate him and transfer us to the hospital. It was in those moments that I saw my entire purpose for life being taken from me. I was so fearful that my baby was going to be gone just as fast as he had been given to me. Words can not express how heartwrenching it felt. The thought of loosing a child is something no one should have to experience. Aiden did start to breath on his own about 12 minutes after he was born, right as the paramedics arrived for transport. By the time he hit the end of the driveway he was crying extremely loud, such a great sound to hear and no stopping him now. I was then transferred to the hospital as well for excessive bleeding. When I got there I was not treated well and pretty much just ignored and sent home. It wasn't till 5 days later, in EXTREME pain, unable to do the simplest of life's functions, that my husband insisted I go back to the emergency room. It was then that they figured out that I had a ruptured uterus and would need emergency surgery due to the blood pooling inside and most likely a hysterectomy. There were mulitple blood transfussions, emergency surgery, and a week long hospital stay with uncertainty for the outcome. No one could believe that not only had my son made it into this world alive with my ruptured uterus, but that I also walked around and semi-functioned for five full days. Most women have serious issues after mere minutes. It is my firm belief that God held me through those moments, to fight for my son, and then when it was my turn he placed me in the right hands for care. I knew my life was on the edge. I felt like I was dying (and not just in the, wow I am in a lot of pain way of dying, but seeing the light, feeling like I was leaving my body kind of way). On that operating room table I lost my uterus, which the surgeon said looked like a firework had exploded inside of me. I mourn the loss but rejoice so much more in what I have gained from the whole experience. I have had the opportunity to meet women who have gone through the same experience as me but have different outcomes. Women who have lost their precious babies. Women who only through a miracle where able to save their uterus and go on to have future babies. My life has forever changed and my perspective on how fragile life really is, is so much more concrete in my mind. Not a day goes by that I don't remember how quickly it could have all been taken away. Not a day goes by that I don't scoop up my little guy and just whisper in his ear how grateful I am that God allows me to keep him another day. Not everyone is as lucky as I am.

So this brings me to the reason for this whole post. If you have never read MckMama's blog, you should because she is a brillant woman. She has provided us with an opportunity to give to those women who have faced the loss of an infant. I can not do justice to this posting, so you should click on the link above and read all about the three charities she has chosen to support this Christmas season. She has set up this site to allow others to donate money, and as of this posting she has already gotten over $9,000!! There will be a drawing from all of those that donated to win a Canon Rebel camera. The camera would be an awesome thing to win, but more importantly, knowing that women who are currently grieving the loss of their child are being supported in ways we will never comprehend is prize enough. Christmas is very tight this year and Dale and I had agreed to not buy anything for each other. When I told him about the cause and what it meant to me, we both decided to do a very small thing and donate what we could. If you would like to join me, please click on the 'Chip In' button below and help raise more money for these three worthy charities.



They will continue to take donations till Dec. 14th, so check back in with my blog because I am going to post the Chip In on my side bar so we can check the progress as the donations increase. I am so excited to see where we end up. And I hope that as we get closer to Christmas that we will all take the time to remember how precious life is and how blessed we are to have what God has entrusted us with.

Mr. Finn Update

The little guy, Finn, that I told you about the other day, is now home from the hospital and on the road to recovery. Surgery was successful and they believe that he will be done with surgeries for a while now. They were able to close his incomplete palate, fix his lip scar and nose, and put a tube in his right ear. Eating is slow goings but he is already getting back to his normal self, crawling around even with no nos on. Where there is a will there is a way. Thank you to everyone for your prayers. Finn's mom, Bekah, really appreciates everyone thinking and praying for them as they are in the midst of recovery. Check out this cutie pic taken the day after surgery. Already hamming it up for the camera. LOVE this kid!! SO adorable!! Bekah, if you are reading this, know that you and the entire family are in my thoughts that the recovery will be as painless as possible and that sleep would no longer elude you. I think it is a good thing Aiden and Finn aren't in the same room. Looks like they could get into lots of trouble with each other. He just has that michevious little smile, just like Aiden. LOVE IT!!

JcPenney Experience

Let's just start off by saying it was NOT pleasant. I was shocked that I got front row parking and thought to myself, 'this is too easy.' Well, that was about the only easy thing of the whole experience. We had a 10:40 appointment to get Aiden's 9 month pictures taken. I get them taken each month on the 3rd so this was nothing out of the ordinary. When I get there to check in there is a room full of people, and screaming kids. I give the lady my name and she says, "Maybe you would like to walk around for a little while, we are running THIRTY minutes late." YIKES, my little guy is as happy as a clam NOW, who knows what kind of melt downs will occur between now and then. Not really wanting to stroll around a crowded store with not only Aiden and all his belongs, but also Alexis and her preschool buddy, Carston, who I am watching today, we decided to stay put and hope that standing around might put some pressure on them to HURRY UP! No such luck. He did not get his picture taken till 11:45, a whole hour and five minutes after our appointment time. The photographer has taken his picture many times before and already knew it was going to be a simple, easy shoot. Which surprisingly it was even after the long wait. He flashed his cheesy smile, did his shy flirty thing, and showed her he now knows how to pull himself up and stand holding onto something. She did great with him as usual and even mentioned how cute he is but that she really misses his wide smile too. Then we had to wait again for them to mess around with the photos and put them into silly enhancements, even though they all know I just want a basic 8x10, a few wallets, and to get out the door. FINALLY, at 12:20 I had paid for my pictures and was dragging three (four if you count me) tired, impatient, hungry, cranky little ones to the car (thankfully we were parked in the front row). I will have to scan and post the picture when I get it back next week.

My Award Winner

Today was the awards ceremony at Andrew's school. We knew that Andrew would be recognized at this assembly but had no idea that he would be awarded not just one, two or three awards, but FOUR awards.

First one was for Perfect Attendance for the first trimester. No absences, no tardies, and no early departures. Andrew is very dedicated to school and will not be absent for anything.
His second award was for academic achievement in all curriculum areas. He received this for having all A's and B's on his report card.

The third award was a medal of honor for increasing his state testing scores one whole level or more.
And his final award, a star trophy, was for being a CST Achiever. That means he scored Advanced in both Math and Language arts on his state tests.
He has such a passion for school and loves learning. His teacher's only complaint, he reads too much. Reads TOO much? Not bad. I was so excited that the awards ceremony was on a Tuesday because that meant that Daddy could be there to see him get his awards. We also were witness to his raffle number being called. What did he pick out of all the prizes? A book of course! One that he could share with his little sister and brother.

We are so very proud of how hard he works in school and blessed that he has such a zest for learning.

Not Me Monday!

This is my first attempt at confessing all the things I did NOT do this past week. Check out other posting at MckMama's site

I most certainly did not have my almost 9 month old sit in a poopy diaper till Daddy got home 20 minutes later, and then pretend it had just happened and that I was too busy preparing dinner, could he please change it. I would never do such a torturous thing to my baby and to my husband.

I also did not help both of my children clean their rooms, threatening that Santa would not visit if they had such messy rooms. I did not sit there and secretly throw away all the silly McD toys that seem to multipy in their toy bins. And, I most certainly did not claim ignorance when they later asked for one of those silly toys.

I did not get a sense of immense pleasure watching my 9 yr old and 4 year old run around the house asking what they could do next because they want to be on the "Super good boy and girl list." Where would they have come up with such a thing? And I have not perpetuated that myth and used it towards my advantage each day this past week. Of course that wasn't me who allowed my 4 year old to vacuum her own room and then convinced the 9 year old that vacuuming the living room would help him earn browny points. What kind of mother would have their kids vacuuming for them? NOT me!

I did not sit around depressed in my pjs all day on Thursday that we were not celebrating Thanksgiving till Saturday. The plan was set to include my husband in the festivities on his day off, so of course I was not sad that everyone else was eating turkey while we were not. I did not sulk around until my husband turned on a movie that I would like to watch instead of a movie the whole family would have loved. I am much too mature to do something so childish.


I did not ignore two phone calls from friends, knowing they would take 30 mins each, when what I really wanted to do was blog about something. Blogging has in no way taken over my life and my friends are way too important to be ignored. There is no way I did that!

Well, that is all I can remember about the things I most certainly did not do this past week. On to a new week of things I will not do.

Finn's Surgery Tomorrow

The internet is a wonderful thing. Were it not for the internet I don't know what I would do. It has enriched my life in so many ways, but mainly it has connected with me with many other mommies who are going down the same road as me and dealing with a clefted child. One such family is Bekah and her adorable son Finn. He is a few weeks older then Aiden so it has been nice to chat via email about the commonalities but also the major differences in their care at the same time. (Click on the picture to make it bigger - here he is only 4 1/2 months old, the oldest pic I have but he is actually 9 months old now.)

Tomorrow my buddy Finn will be having his palate repaired, as well as a scar and nose revision and tubes put in. I know first hand how his mommy, Bekah, is feeling today, relieved the surgery day is almost here; anxious about the hand off, wait time and recovery; saddened that little guy has to endure another surgery; thankful that our children have the top care. Please keep Finn and his entire family in your prayers.

A Month of Thanks

#1 My wonderful husband who I love unconditionally and forever.
#2 My Adorable 'A Team': Andrew, Alexis, and Aiden.
#3 The ability to be a SAHM. Dale works SOOO hard to make that happen.
#4 The ability to sub teach on my husband's one day off a week.
#5 Play dates for the kids after school, giving mommy more Aiden alone time.
#6 FRIENDS.
#7 God's provisions for me and my family during tough times.
#8 Physical ability to do household chores.
#9 Having 2 cars so Dale can still get to work when his won't start at 4:45 in the morning.
#10 Getting to sleep in till 8:00 on a day off from school.
#11 For all the men & women who serve our country to protect us and preserve our freedom.
#12 Positive relationship with teachers and staff at the kids' school.
#13 My extended family and the close bond I have with my sisters and brother.
#14 Pepsi and chocolate - I know that is weird, but it is one of THOSE days!
#15 Working appliances.
#16 Sound of laughter.
#17 Hearing 'mum mum' for the first time. Melts my heart.
#18 Visiting with Uncle Glenn, who is here on business from Ohio.
#19 My furry friends, dogs Suzy Q and Sally.
#20 My baby carrier that doesn't kill my back
#21 Friends who really care and pay attention to my needs.
#22 Beautiful sunsets.
#23 The telephone
#24 The rain
#25 Hand-me-downs!!
#26 Health
#27 Lazy, relaxing days.
#28 Freecycling (got a FREE Kirby vacuum - YEAH)
#29 Have I said how thankful I am for my husband?!!?!
#30 AWESOME weather.

The Benefits (?) of an Older Sister

She builds a fort in the living room.
She dresses me up in the latest fashions; headband, lei, shoes, and even a magic wand.
She climbs in the crib and keeps me company until Mommy can come and get me.
She brushes my hair ALL the time.

What would I do without a big sister? Sleep more probably since she seems to wake me from my nap often. I love her anyways!

I Am Thankful For....

Today was our Thanksgiving dinner. No fancy dishes or centerpieces, just all the food one could possible want. So, being the crazy mom that I am, I had each of us write down the five things we are thankful for and then the kids decorated their cards as well. Alexis is thankful for: Aiden, Andrew, Daddy, Mommy, and toys (I see now where I rate). Andrew is thankful for: Legos, gameboy, trees, friends, and his family (once again, I see where we rate... behind trees?) When asked why trees his response was, "because they give us wood for our house and paper for our books." Good enough.
If Aiden were to write his down they would be: naps, clean diapers, bottle makers and feeders, siblings, and his 'og ogs' (dogs).
Dale is thankful for: immediate family, extended family, his job, wife (Joy), and food. Ok, this time I got double billing and he even had to put my name in parentheses, as if he needed to distinguish which wife he was talking about. And lastly, I am thankful for: my family, health, God's provisions, my dogs, and laughter.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and took the time to think about all the wonderful people/things we have in life.

Feeding Fun

When we try to put the nipple in his mouth he usually arches his back and pushes the nipple away. For some reason, since the surgery, he doesn't want the nipple in his mouth. We have consulted with an occupational therapist about this and she suggested we try different nipples, that maybe the Haberman was too long and causing a gag relex. Gag reflex? He doesn't even let it touch his tongue let alone get in the back of his throat. We went along with the whole game and bought a few different nipples. Besides the fact that we couldn't manipulate them to get the liquid out of the bottle, he still didn't want the nipple near his mouth. It has nothing to do with his gag reflex but we gave it our best effort and now we wait and see what she comes up with next.
In the mean time we try and have fun with his feeding. We have to squeeze the liquid into his mouth and hope he doesn't get distracted and suddenly turn his head, which results in an ear full of milk. Daddy likes to try and see how far away he can get the bottle and still make the stream into his mouth.

We are hoping to figure this all out soon. One of the worries is that the lack of sucking (no real suction but the action) will create greater speech issues. Most people don't realize how important cheek, tongue, throat and lip muscles are in forming speech. So we go back to the drawing board and in the mean time have a little fun with target practice along the way.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY!!

At this point in the day I am sure that most are running around preparing for guests or hustling out the door to get somewhere for Thanksgiving. Us on the other hand are still lounging around in our pajamas with no plans for the day besides getting dressed and doing some cleaning and laundry. Dale is working today and won't be home til 4:00. I told Dale I could have all the cooking done and ready for him to sit down to eat when he got home from work today but he said that would prefer to be home to help out. He really enjoys spending time with his family (I am a very lucky wife), and didn't want to miss out on the fun of cooking in the kitchen together and smelling the food cooking all day. So, his next day off is Saturday and that will be our turkey day.

Since I have all this extra time today I thought I would play along with Heather's Thanksgiving game. Check out her link here. Here are the countdown items:
5 - List FIVE things you're thankful for this Thanksgiving.
4 - List FOUR things you can't wait to stuff your face with from your Thanksgiving table.
3 - List THREE people that will be joining your Thanksgiving feast (which is WHERE?).
2 - Post TWO pictures from last Thanksgiving (or from around this time last year).
1 - Write the ONE thing you're looking forward to doing the day after Thanksgiving!

FIVE things I am thankful for: #1 My husband!!! I am married to the most awesome husband in the world, #2 My A team: Andrew, Alexis, and Aiden, #3 God's provision for our family, #4 My friends, both real life and blogger friends, and #5 Health for myself and my family.

FOUR foods: Pumpkin pie (might as well start with dessert, it's the best), mashed potatoes with corn on top (my husband thinks I am a weirdo), turkey of course, and green bean casserole (though I am sure I will be the only one eating this since it is made with mushroom soup and my husband has convinced the kids that mushrooms are the root of all things evil).

THREE dinner guests: Since Thanksgiving for us is Saturday at our house the only people there will be my immediate family: Dale, myself, Andrew, Alexis, and Aiden. Just the way I like it this year.

TWO pictures from last year: Sadly my camera wasn't working around this time so these silly pictures come from Andrew's camera.
Here I was almost 6 months pregnant with A3 (a surprise gender at that point).
Alexis got into the ink stamping pads. Not sure what she was thinking but it sure made for a mess to clean up.

ONE thing I am looking forward to tomorrow: I am not a Black Friday shopper. That requires loosing precious sleep, getting a babysitter (what is that?), and trying to maintain a decent blood pressure amongst the intense shoppers. No thanks. I will probably work on getting the decorations out and organized so we can decorate on Saturday after our turkey lunch.

Hope everyone has/had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

$450,000,000,000!!!

Things to NOT Eat

This is the conversation I just overheard Alexis (4) telling Aiden (8 1/2 months)

"You can't eat cheese, you would die (she was eating string cheese and he was begging for it). If you ate a blanket you would die too. If you ate a bucket you would die. If you ate the computer you would die. If you ate a shoe you would die. But, if you eat a Lego then it will come out in the toilet and Mommy will find it and throw it away."

Good thing he has an older, much wiser sister to tell him these important facts in life. Hopefully he will just take his sister's word on the Lego thing and not have to find out for himself in the future.

Tonight's Sunset

At the end of a chaotic day, this is what God painted for me. Thank you God.

TURKEY Cupcakes

Today my cooker girl and I made some Turkey Cupcakes. We had lots of fun but still have a dozen more to do but have run out of steam for now. I think they turned out pretty cute. The only thing they are missing is their eyes. I forgot to get the white frosting to give them eyeballs. Oh well, they won't be around long enough to see anything anyways.

Ingredients: German chocolate cupcakes, oreo cookie, candy corn (feathers and beak), and a whopper cut in half for the head.

Can't Believe My Eyes

Yes, that is $1.99 per gallon in CALIFORNIA!!!!! WOW! My husband found that price on his way home from work today. He drives from here in Redlands to Palm Springs every day (about 60 mins.) This gas station was at Casino Morongo right off the freeway. Was nice to fill up for less then $30 then the $60+ it was this past summer. We are averaging about $2.25 at most stations, better then $4.59 we paid at the height of it all, but $1.99 sounds much better to me. Thank you God for cheaper gas, makes driving that much not as painful as before. Of course when he told me he was filling up for only $1.99/gallon, the blogger in me insisted that he take a picture so I could have proof of it. And he indulged my desires, love him dearly!! (he is secretly addicted to blogging vicariously through me.)

WARNING: Rambling Post about Moving

Consider yourself warned, this is a rambling post in an attempt to get these thoughts out of my head.

Moving Day: We are having to move by Jan 1st. There is so much that goes into this and it is a logistical nightmare. First off, we don't even know yet where we are going though we have narrowed it down to two apartments in our area.

APT #1: Positives: closer to kids' school, full size washer and dryer, direct access from attached garage, accepts 1 pet (we actually have two dogs so this is a negative as well). Negatives: more expensive, A LOT smaller but we can manage, will have upstairs neighbors to contend with, right near a major Univ. (yikes the potential noise on home football game nights), pressure to put down a deposit NOW to hold the apartment. I can't stand that kind of pressure when I am not comfortable with the decision yet.

APT #2 Postives: single story apartments so no upstairs noise, affordable monthly rent and security deposit, accepts up to 2 pets (remember we have 2 dogs). Negatives: farther away from the kids' school that I make three trips to daily, don't know about the garage situation if any yet, we need the garage for storage so we don't have to pay a monthly storage fee which defeats the cheaper rent, stacker washer and dryer hook-ups (we would need to sell what we already have at the house and buy a stacker). If my sister is reading this I know she is just saying she wishes she had any washer and dryer in her place so I know this isn't a HUGE deal but still on the list of pros and cons.

About the whole moving thing. Do I even bother decorating for Christmas when I need to be packing up the entire house on my own while Dale works? Seems kinda pointless to drag out the 8-10 Christmas boxes of decor when they need to be packed and moved days later along with the numerous other boxes I need to pack. (plus with a mobile almost 10 month old at that time amongst the mess... UGH!) I want my kids to have as normal a Christmas as possible, but at what cost of my sanity? This is all so hard on all of us and I know the kids feel the stress even though we try to keep as much of it hidden from them as possible. Talking about adult issues amongst adults only (you all know how I feel about that or can read back in my blog and figure it out). To be honest I am not much in the mood to decorate this year. Ask those that are around me, I am kinda in a funk lately. Normally I decorate my house for each season but just haven't been in the mood for the last 6 months. Normally it is all festive looking all around my house (especially the bathrooms), but lately it has been plain walls. I just don't have the desire to do it anymore and actually sold some of my stuff at my last yard sale because I just don't even want the stuff around anymore. Maybe in the future that desire will come back, but for now it is gone. :(

Packing: I have been asking my husband to bring me home boxes for weeks now, who mind you works for a major grocery story so he has lots of access to boxes. Hoping to get a few boxes tonight. I called and reminded but we will see what happens (I reminded the past 5 days and still nothing.) I have this overwhelming desire to pack at least one box to feel like I am making progress. I know we have to live for the next 6 weeks so I can't pack it all, but I also can't wait till the last minute with three kids and two adults to pack by myself because then I would go psycho trying to do it all as the moving van backs in.

Moving Day: I know some of you are saying, "that is 40 some days away. why you stressing it?" Well, I am the type of person (anal? type A?) that has to have everything planned in advance or I go crazy. The kids will be off for Christmas break when we move which is good and bad. Kids underfoot all day long is not good, but not having to run back and forth to pick up the kids from school will allow me consecutive days to just focus on moving and not accidently leaving them at school when I loose track of time. I will for the most part be doing this by myself since Dale works 6 days/week and has an 11 hour day when you include the commute. He is super helpful and I know he will do everything he can but there is a limit to his available time. So, finding cheap volunteers (pizza anyone?) who can help me move on their New Years weekend, that's gonna be fun.

Emotions about moving: I have lived here since shortly after Dale and I got married in 2003. I have raised my kids here and even gave birth to Aiden in my room. There are lots of emotions attached to this house. In the same breath, it will be nice to move and have a fresh start where we can build new memories for the kids. I finally got my kitchen the way I like it with more cabinets and now we are leaving it for someone else. I like my neighborhood for the most part. In the evenings we all go to the small park that is in the middle of our neighborhood and meet up with all the other kids in the neighborhood. The kids have made great friends here and love meeting up with them multiple times a week. We live right behind the school so I have been able to stay VERY involved in the events going on at school since it is so convenient. Will it be out of sight out of mind when I move farther away and can't hear the principal announcing everything over the loud speaker?

There are so many other thoughts but it hurts to even think about them right now so I guess that is all for the rambling for now. We are going to look at Apt #2 again tonight and crunch some of the numbers. I feel pressure to make a decision soon so that we don't miss out on the ones that are availale (availability is a real concern since so many people are loosing their homes to foreclosure and moving into apartments in CA). Any thoughts or opinions are greatly appreciated though not expected. If you made it this far, thanks for reading my rambling post, it is theraputic to write it all out (though I don't feel the effects of this one yet).

Visit with Uncle Glenn

Today we had the opportunity to have lunch with Dale's Uncle Glenn. He lives in Ohio but was in CA for business. This was his first time seeing Aiden in person and of course Aiden found him very intriguing and wanted to entertain the entire table. Our time with Uncle Glenn was great but was WAY too short. I wish we could go and visit more often. The last time we saw him was June of 2007 for Grandpa Howse's 100th birthday party in Indiana. So much has changed since then. We found out on that trip that we were expecting a baby and have since added Aiden to our family. And, shortly after that trip Aunt Peggy got very ill with what was found to be Leukemia and sadly Aunt Peggy is no longer with us. She is missed very much by us and has always held a special place in my heart since the first time I met her. She had always treated my kiddos like they were her own grandchildren and they love and miss her very much. Thank you Uncle Glenn for wonderful conversation at lunch today!!! You are loved very much by this family.
Going in for the slobbery kiss.All the kiddos with Uncle Glenn.

Snuggling with Grandma during lunch.

Trying to get a hold of Grandpa's glasses.

Their cousin, Candace, was able to join us for lunch as well. The kids LOVE playing with Candace and she does such an awesome job with them.

___________________________________________________________________

Onto a totally different topic: Aiden has started pulling himself onto his knees beside the couch and then waving to show me what he has just accomplished. I don't think I am ready for him to be pulling himself up and getting ready to walk. Why do they have to hurry up and grow up so fast?

Turkey Cookies

Ok before you are grossed out that we are making cookies with turkey as an ingredient, we are not. Instead, we are making cookies that are decorated to look like turkeys. We did this last year and the kids had such a fun time. We are going to attempt to do them again this year. And, when I mentioned them to Alexis' preschool teacher, Ms. Regalado, she said that she would love to do those with the kids this Fri. for their Thanskgiving party. The kids love being able to decorate and 'play' with their food. And they are yummy to eat when you are all done. You can buy premade sugar cookies so you don't have to heat up the house with the oven (being that it is suppose to be 90 degrees today where I live in southern CA that is the option I am going for), you can buy premade dough and just cut it into individual cookies from the tube, or you can be Ms. Suzy Homemaker and make the cookies from scratch. The feet and beak are kinda hard for the kids to do but they can certainly put some frosting down for the feathers and eyes and then stick the candy corn and mini M&Ms down. These did not last long around the house last year and were gobbled up as quickly as they were made.

The Things He Does For Legos

Deal: Eat an atomic fireball with no water breaks and no biting it.

Prize: Mars Mission mini Lego set.

Here is the fireball about to find the mouth.His first taste of the heat. Can he do it?WATER PLEASE!!!
And the prize!! Was it worth it? Of course.

Stick or Tub 'Butter'?

When Alexis was first learning to talk she started calling Andrew, Butter, for brother. He didn't really like the term but accepted it because she couldn't say much more at the time. So tonight we were talking about Aiden and I said, "Remember we have to be quiet, Butter is sleeping." To which Andrew replied, "I thought I was Butter." Guess he likes the term after all. I replied with, "You can both be Butter. You can be 'Stick Butter' and Aiden can be 'Tub Butter'." After all, Andrew is my skinny bean pole and Aiden is my solid tubby boy. Guess we better keep Butter a term used for Andrew only.

6 Week Post-Op Appointment

We had our 6 week post-op appointment for Aiden today with Dr. Martin. Of course a 9:00 appointment means being seen around 10:15 and then done by 10:25. He clipped a few stitches that have not dissolved yet in his nose, checked out the stitch on his lip that was trying to spit through and then told us to expect it to look worse in the coming months. Not much we can do but just keep ointment on it as much as possible. Aiden did not care for the appointment at all, crying for most of it while we held him down for Dr. Martin to look inside his mouth. That gave us a chance to get a really good look at his palate and the new tooth (and where was my camera for this awesome view of the palate? at home!! UGH) We go to see him again in 4 weeks and should get the green light to start gentle lip massage then.

After the appointment we headed over for a surprise visit with Dr. Garcia (his orthodontist). We were the ones in for a surprise. When we got in the office, a family with a bilateral baby were there for their weekly appointment, as well as a new family with a unilateral baby who are hoping to start the whole NAM process. It was awesome to see someone at the starting line, a baby in the process, and then Aiden who has made it to the finish line with great success. I was able to answer some questions for the families and even check out all the pictures that Dr. Garcia and Jose took of Aiden through the NAM process. It still amazes me how different he looks from the start of the NAM at about 10 weeks old till now when he is 8 months old and 6 weeks post-op. It is nice to put a face to a name when we think of Dr. Garcia's current patients, that Aiden paved the way for being the first. So, Catalina (bilateral) and Hunter (unilateral) and their entire families will be in our thoughts and prayers as they go through the ups and downs of dealing with the NAM and as Catalina prepares for her first surgery in 2 weeks. (And where was my camera for this moment? at home!!! UGH!!)

First NAM appointment with Dr. Garcia. Notice the lack of hair in the picture and how little he looks. Well, he was never really little, but much smaller then now. 10 weeks old, May 2008.

Now, Nov 11th, 8 months old with LOTS of crazy hair, no more NAM, and 6 weeks post-op from his surgery. The redness on his scar looks like a zit but it is from where the stitch is trying to spit out.

It was a crazy road but worth it all in the long run. Hopefully both Catalina and Hunter's families will feel the same way when it is all said and done. And hopefully the next time we cross paths I will have my darn camera.

My Cooker Girl

Whenever I head into the kitchen Alexis is never far behind. She LOVES to help me cook and calls herself Mom's Cooker Girl. She grabs her grandma's old wooden chair and pulls it up beside the stove. Yesterday we were making some brownies as a surprise for Dale when he got home from work. He works so hard for our family so I try to make something he loves to show him how much we appreciate all he does for us.
Alexis loves to add all the ingredients and has gotten really good at even cracking eggs.
Then she stirs it all up. Anxiously awaiting her favorite part. Licking the whisk!! Not sure if more got in her mouth then on her face.

She is a good cooker girl and is going to help me make crumb cake tonight for tomorrow's breakfast. Now if only she could make Daddy's favorite French Silk Pie, then again I might be out of a job if she learned how to do that.

Guess Who Got Their 1st Tooth?

Ok, so it isn't Dale, Andrew, Alexis, or myself since we have a whole mouth full already, so it must be Aiden. YEAH for Aiden!!! I have been checking his mouth almost daily but really only running my fingers along his bottom gum, afraid to really mess with the top since his palate/gum line repair 5 1/2 weeks ago. Still nothing on the bottom but then I noticed that one of the Haberman nipples had a hole on the side and was squirting me in the face when I was trying to feed him this morning. Even though he won't let me put the nipple in his mouth while he is eating, he loves to chew on the nipples when I am done feeding him. I braved checking the top since I know he does not like his top gum line touched since the surgery and that is when I felt it. At first I thought maybe it was just a stitch or something else, but then with further investigation and hanging him upside which he loved every moment of (::sarcasm::), I found that it truly was a tooth. It is on his right side and I really don't know which tooth it is. It is farther over then what a front tooth should be, but is that because of the cleft or is it another tooth all together? Who knows. Of course the other kiddos had to come over and check it out while I still had him hanging upside down. He was looking at us all like we were crazy. Then Andrew asks, "Who are you going to call first, Mom?" He knows me all too well. Of course Daddy was first on the list, then my blogging friends, and then I am off to call my Mom and sisters. It's the little things in life that bring us joy each day.

Thankful for Household Chores

If you are keeping up with my thankful month posting on the left of my blog I thought I would explain today's thankful thought. Physically being able to do household chores. Doesn't seem like much to be thankful for, who would be thankful they could do chores? But, as I was starting my third load of laundry today I thought about those that have to wash them by hand and hang dry everything. Then, when I started up the dishwasher with the last of the morning dishes I thought about those that have to wash them by hand and even those who didn't have dirty dishes this morning because they didn't get to eat breakfast. Then, when I went outside to take down the Halloween stuff (yes, I know I am behind on that), and put up the Thanksgiving stuff I realized that I am having a good back day. That is not something I take for granted anymore. Having had two back surgeries and many other set backs along the way I go through each day labeling it as either a good or bad back day. Recently the good have out weighed the bad. :) There were YEARS that I couldn't do the simple things in life like vacuum or even sort the laundry without my son handing me the clothes so I didn't have to bend down. Now, I still don't LIKE doing these things but I am VERY thankful that I have the physical ability to do them when they need to be done.

With all of that said, I should get back to my cleaning. The bathrooms are calling my name, as well as a switch of the laundry loads. Now if only the kids could hear that their bedrooms are calling their names.

I Can Name That Tune in ?? Notes

So the past week or two I have been asking myself if my mother-in-law and father-in-law don't like us. For the record I know they like us but sometimes I wonder. Dale played the coronet when he was in junior high so about a year ago grandma and grandpa decided to pass the coronet down to Andrew. It feels like a form of torture when he practices at times. He was/is super excited about being in the school band and really has a passion for practicing. I want to be as supportive as possible but I have no clue what I am doing. I played the piano when I was a kid so I have a basic understanding of reading notes but don't know what I am doing when it comes to a brass instrument. Dale tries to help him as much as possible when he is home but I think we need more then that.

Can you name this tune??

Well, for those that are still trying to guess, that is Jingle Bells. I know it is only the first week in Nov., but I have heard what is suppose to be Jingle Bells at least 50 times already. By the time we get to the Christmas parade I am afraid I am going to loath that tune. We need an intervention by a specialist since this is out of our league but can't afford it.

I am thankful for Andrew's passion for playing the coronet but just wish I knew better how I could help him achieve his goals. I will have to post a better video as he moves forward in learning the song.

Whatcha' Doin' Mom?

Aiden loves to watch what I am doing on the computer and try and help me out. Here he is drooling all over the screen. Lovely.
Today's Thankful post on the left of my blog is for my friends. I don't know what I would do without my friend, Tammy. We were able to meet for a quick breakfast this morning and talk for a short bit. Our times together are never long enough. Of course I made her pose with Aiden and warned her she would be featured on today's blog post. Thank you Tammy for your awesome friendship. I am blessed because you are a part of my life.

Aiden has started doing this smug smile, with his nose kind of scrunched up. Love the shirt we got with our GAP giftcard, "Get In Line Girls." He is a major flirt so this is very fitting.

Now that he has somewhat gotten the hang of eating rice cereal and we have had no allergic reaction, I decided to move on to veggies and try peas yesterday. He would take a bite happily and then as he swallowed it down he would shutter as if he was disgusted with the taste. Must not have been so bad because he immediately came back with a wide mouth, waiting for more to be spooned in. It was the funniest thing so of course I grabbed my camera.

This video cracks me up. Aiden had the hiccups, so what does every compassionate dad do? He hiccups right back at him to make him laugh harder and swallow down more air to keep the hiccups coming. Aiden LOVES his daddy very much, and daddy can really get him laughing sometimes.

Adult Issues Should Stay Adult Issues

Andrew came home from school yesterday and said that they had an election in his class. He is in FOURTH grade. They didn't do any real talking about the issues, including the presidential race and many of the local propositions. According to him, many of the kids voted for Obama because "they like his name," or because "then history would be made with a black guy in office." Does it not matter what he stands for but what only matters is what color his skin is. If he is the right man for the job it shouldn't matter what skin color he wears each day. And, as far as the propositions go, do you really think 9 and 10 year olds need to be discussing gay marriage? I was SOOO frustrated and feel that kids need to be kids and not worry about adult issues. Thankfully his teacher didn't have them vote on Prop. 4 (abortion rights) but I still felt like she crossed the line with Prop. 8.
So, last night we had a PTO meeting and the principal was there. Before the meeting I talked to her about this 'election' and expressed my concerns. She suggested I talk directly to his teacher, which I knew was what needed to be done, but I don't like to be confrontational. When I saw his teacher this morning I knew that was my opportunity. I expressed my concerns and even suggested an alternative to the 'election.' Why not have the kids write and vote on their own classroom propostions? Should they spend $5,000 on a better playground or an update on the library? Things relevant to them and not issues that should remain adult issues. She said the only reason she did it last minute was because SOOO many kids were talking about the election and would not stop discussing the issues. I understand their interest but I also think it is not her place to get into it with my 9 year old. He was so confused on Prop 8 by the time he got home that he didn't know if a yes meant no to gay marriage or did yes mean yes to gay marriage.
I hope that she got the point and didn't take it personal but yet understood that kids just need to be kids, worried about the lunch time soccer game and not about who gained control in the Senate or if the forclosure rate is going to improve in the next month. UGH UGH UGH!!!!