First of all, Happy 7th Anniversary to Shea and John! Love you guys.
Anyway, last Monday Max and Abby saw the Air Force Thunderbirds fly over their school when I went to pick them up. The jets were really loud which made me nervous at first but Max seemed fine with that and in awe of the jets. We found out that they were going to be performing at the air base on Saturday and even though we kept warning himt hat it was going to be VERY LOUD he kept insisting that he wanted to go. Abby was excited about it too. So Saturday afternoon rolled around and John got them packed up and on the way to the show. I stayed home to recuperate from a lukewarm garage sale that morning and to go to a birthday party with Lucy.
John had called on the way to say there was a lot of traffic and Max saw one of the other jets in the sky and I heard him exclaim in awe..."That's incredible!" A very short while later John called to say they were on the way home. Apparently they had to stop along the way for the kids to use the restroom and as they got out of the car a jet flew directly overhead and made a louder noise than usual (something to do with the afterburners I think). Anyway, Max lost it as did Abby. John did his best to calm them down and tried to talk them into just parking the car in a parking lot and watching from there but they were having none of it. So needless to say it was a bust.
Sunday we were to go as a family to the Blessing of the Fleet (which Abby called the Shrimp Festival). Her preschool teacher was going to be there signing her book and Abby wanted to see her. The girls and I had errands to do so John and Max got there and as the girls and I were about halfway there John called and said Max was flipping out and they needed to leave. Apparently he started to get upset when he saw the speakers for the band set up (he knew it would be loud). I think the real kicker though was when he thought he saw a clown. For some reason unbeknownst to John and I Max is terrified of any type of character (that isn't safely tucked inside the t.v.)
Whenever he sees someone dressed in a costume he just loses it and very loudly demands that he be taken home. He will even start to get nervous if he thinks there will be some sort of character there. He fully understands that it is a real person just wearing a costume and I even think that he knows he doesn't need to be afraid but for some reason he can't help himself. Needless to say, Disney World is not in our immediate future :)
Since Abby really wanted to go I met John in the church parking lot and let him take Abby while I took Max and Lucy home. John did call me later to say that our daughter was inhaling a bowl of shrimp and grits and then he had to just spoon crab dip into her mouth...our little southern belle! I told John that since Abby is so dramatic I thought we should start calling her Scarlett O'Hara whenever she pitches a fit!
So now we are not only dealing with Max's fears but today I got a call from the school that Abby wouldn't stop crying and was calling for me (she was fine when I left her). When I got there to pick her up I found out that the class had been out on the playground and a plane flew overhead and Abby freaked out thinking it was the "fighter jets coming to pick her up". How do we fix this????? We don't want the kids missing out on things because they are afraid but we also don't want them to feel like they are bad or disappointing us because to them these fears are very real. Any ideas?
Monday, April 28, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The birds are singing and Max can hear it!
All went well with the surgery this morning. We were supposed to check in at 9:30 and got there
about 20 minutes early. This did not mean we would be taken back any earlier however. We waited until about 10 after 10 before we got to go back to the pre-op room. There we had to entertain Max for awhile and tried to give hime some medicine that would give him a jump start on pain relief and to help relieve any anxiety when he left us. The anxiety came when we tried to give him the medicine and he realized it tasted awful. He put up a fight! It took three of us to hold him down and we tried to put the medicine in with a syringe but the little booger held it in his mouth then spit it out all over himself. UGH! He then proceeded to spit up for about 20 minutes. He finally settled down enough with a Gameboy (AHA!) and they were able to take him back. By that time John and I needed a sedative. Unfortunately we had to settle for hospital coffee (I really could have used a Starbucks about then).
Before we knew it the doctor came out and said everything went well and that he would be on his way to recovery. Max's ears were, of course, filled with fluid which is still currently draining a little. When John and I were called back to recovery we were prepared for the worst. The last two times Max had the surgery the recovery time was filled with screaming, flailing, kicking, and my extremely strong willed child trying to pull the i.v. out of his arm! This time we were able to get the i.v. out before he started to wake up and he only fussed and hollered a couple of times before I held him in the rocking chair and he went back to sleep. He did wake up and complain once that the hospital bracelets that he decided to have put on his ankles were "killing" him. Once they were cut off it was back to a drug induced sleep. Since they had given him some pretty powerful drugs after the surgery they wanted to monitor him for about 30 minutes. An hour later, with Max still sleeping, the doctor gave the okay for us to leave even though Max hadn't had anything to drink and was still pretty much down for the count. I think he may have been trying to avoid everyone too because at one point I asked him if he still wanted to get some Chik-fil-a for lunch and he nodded his head yes. That's my boy...mention food and that'll get a response :)
Once we got out to the car he was wide awake! After we picked up the girls from my dad and got home Max was back to his old self. We have noticed that he is already hearing better though. We haven't had to raise our voices or repeat ourselves ten times before he responds. Also, he watched t.v. from the middle of the room instead of sitting on top of the t.v. and we didn't have to turn it up to full volume :) Bedtime was rough though because he could hear every little noise (not a good time for his sound machine to go on the fritz!). I assured him it would get better in a couple of days. We are supposed to put drops in his ears twice a day for 3 days. This has gone VERY badly in the past so I think I'll have to be sneaky and wait until he's asleep.
We have a follow up visit on the 6th of May and he'll get another hearing screening. Let's pray the hearing loss is cured with the surgery.
about 20 minutes early. This did not mean we would be taken back any earlier however. We waited until about 10 after 10 before we got to go back to the pre-op room. There we had to entertain Max for awhile and tried to give hime some medicine that would give him a jump start on pain relief and to help relieve any anxiety when he left us. The anxiety came when we tried to give him the medicine and he realized it tasted awful. He put up a fight! It took three of us to hold him down and we tried to put the medicine in with a syringe but the little booger held it in his mouth then spit it out all over himself. UGH! He then proceeded to spit up for about 20 minutes. He finally settled down enough with a Gameboy (AHA!) and they were able to take him back. By that time John and I needed a sedative. Unfortunately we had to settle for hospital coffee (I really could have used a Starbucks about then).
Before we knew it the doctor came out and said everything went well and that he would be on his way to recovery. Max's ears were, of course, filled with fluid which is still currently draining a little. When John and I were called back to recovery we were prepared for the worst. The last two times Max had the surgery the recovery time was filled with screaming, flailing, kicking, and my extremely strong willed child trying to pull the i.v. out of his arm! This time we were able to get the i.v. out before he started to wake up and he only fussed and hollered a couple of times before I held him in the rocking chair and he went back to sleep. He did wake up and complain once that the hospital bracelets that he decided to have put on his ankles were "killing" him. Once they were cut off it was back to a drug induced sleep. Since they had given him some pretty powerful drugs after the surgery they wanted to monitor him for about 30 minutes. An hour later, with Max still sleeping, the doctor gave the okay for us to leave even though Max hadn't had anything to drink and was still pretty much down for the count. I think he may have been trying to avoid everyone too because at one point I asked him if he still wanted to get some Chik-fil-a for lunch and he nodded his head yes. That's my boy...mention food and that'll get a response :)
Once we got out to the car he was wide awake! After we picked up the girls from my dad and got home Max was back to his old self. We have noticed that he is already hearing better though. We haven't had to raise our voices or repeat ourselves ten times before he responds. Also, he watched t.v. from the middle of the room instead of sitting on top of the t.v. and we didn't have to turn it up to full volume :) Bedtime was rough though because he could hear every little noise (not a good time for his sound machine to go on the fritz!). I assured him it would get better in a couple of days. We are supposed to put drops in his ears twice a day for 3 days. This has gone VERY badly in the past so I think I'll have to be sneaky and wait until he's asleep.
We have a follow up visit on the 6th of May and he'll get another hearing screening. Let's pray the hearing loss is cured with the surgery.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Prayer Request
No he isn't having a fit. He's just being Max :)
How much does he look like his dad right now?
Max is having his surgery tomorrow to have his third set of tubes in his ears. We check in at 9:30am. Please pray for Max that he isn't afraid and that he comes through the anesthesia and surgery without a hitch. Please also pray for his doctors and nurses that they are clear minded and able to perform their duties without any difficulties. Also, pray for John and I as we are always worried whenever Max has this surgery. Not that we aren't confident that the doctor will do a good job but it's never easy for a parent when their child has to be put under anesthesia regardless of the procedure. Max's procedure is mild in comparison to what many other children have to endure. I pray for those children as well and I am grateful to God for the blessings He has bestowed on us.Thanks for your prayers.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Lucy Goosey is 7 months old!
"What channel is my show on mom?"
"Ta-da! I'm sitting up. Now for my next trick..."
Playing some tunes
The musical genius is hard at work.
"Now for some rock and roll"!
I can't believe my baby girl is 7 months old already! Lucy is such and awesome baby. She is now very vocal :0 and loves to play peek-a-boo with Max and Abby in the car. Since she is rear facing she can see them and will pull her blanket up over her face then put it down and wait for them to laugh and her and say "There she is"! She laughs and does it all over again. She is sitting up on her own now and is pretty steady. Yesterday I had her sitting up playing with her "stage" and I put the couch pillows around her in case she went down. At one point she very carefully laid back onto the pillow then used just her ab muscles to pull herself back up to a sitting position! She is also trying very hard to sit up while she's laying down. She rolls onto her side and gets up onto her elbow and I can see her trying to pull/push herself up but she can't quite get there yet. One of these days I'll go into her room to get her up and she'll be sitting up in her crib smiling at me. Lucy is also eating solids these days. After a few false starts I have her eating rice cereal, sweet potatoes, apples, and bananas. I make everything but the rice cereal myself and I think I might give that a shot this time around too. I buy the organic fruits and veggies and cook/mash/strain/freeze in ice cube trays. Saves a lot of money in the long run. Now if I could just figure out how to make my own diapers... :)
I am so fortunate to be able to be at home with Lucy right now. I get to see all the little day to day things that I missed with Max and Abby. It's funny too that John and I went to the school tonight for the Kindergarten orientation and being back at the school where I just taught for two years made me want to go back. Then when I looked at Lucy sleeping in her crib a few minutes ago I just thought of all the smiles and laughs I'd miss everyday and that seems much more important to me right now. I think I miss the atmosphere of the school and the wonderful people that I worked with. I plan to volunteer in Max's class next year so I'll get my fix that way!
I know I haven't finished telling you about our Spring break so in a nutshell...
We went to Shea and John's house and Jack's party was on Saturday. It ended up being at Monkey Joe's (a big jump castle type place) due to inclement weather. Max had a great time until the very end when Monkey Joe himself came out to visit the birthday boy. Max, for reasons that escape me, is terrified of any type of character costume. He knows there is a real person in there but he still freaks out. So needless to say the party was over for us!
Sunday morning I packed up the car and the Bailey's headed for home sweet home and .....DADDY! I threatened John that I was going to get the kids out of the car and keep going and that I would see him after he put the kids to bed that night. Nice thought but I couldn't go through with it of course :)
The following Friday John took Max and Abby to Edisto for the night where Jack and Charlotte had a condo for the week. Uncle Hugh was there and Lucy and I picked up Aunt Caroline at the airport Saturday morning and headed down there ourselves. Uncle Stewart came down later that afternoon so the whole Bailey gang was together! Since it was only a two bedroom condo, John and the kids and I came back home Saturday night then got up Sunday morning and drove back. The kids got to play in the (freezing) pool and we took a walk to the marina. Being the awesome loving wife that I am (and obviously a glutton for punishment), I talked John into staying the night in Edisto so he would actually be able to visit with his family and not have to entertain the kids. So the kids and I drove home Sunday night and then got up Monday and I took Max and Abby to school. I picked them up and hour early and got them some lunch for the road and we headed back for one more trip to Edisto. We had another nice visit and Max got to play putt-putt where he scored two holes in one!
Monday night we headed for home again. After a total of nine hours driving back and forth we were beat and ready to stay put for awhile. The following Friday, Grandpa and Grandma brought Aunt Caroline to Mount Pleasant and we all had lunch at Gilligan's. Then Aunt Caroline came to our house to spend the night before she flew out of Charleston Saturday afternoon.
AND THAT'S IT :)
John needs the computer so I'll post more pics tomorrow.Monday, April 14, 2008
Max
I have to take a break from backtracking to let you know that I went to the school today and signed my baby boy up for Kindergarten! Where has all the time gone? Before I go to sleep I have been working on my Sudoku book. Before Lucy was born I had put a couple of pictures of Max and Abby in there from when they were born and I was looking at Max's picture last night and realizing that he isn't a baby anymore. So much has happened in the last five years and I just hope that I have done a good job being his mom so far and that I have helped him to get ready to start his career in school. As a teacher I believe he is ready but as a mom I keep asking myself if I need to do more or should have done more already.
Also, as a side note...we found out at Max's last ENT appointment that he has to get a third set of tubes in his ears. Both ears were filled with fluid again as soon as the second set worked itself out and based on the screening done by the audiologist he has a mild to moderate hearing loss (the doctor believes it is due to the fluid and as soon as the tubes are in and the ears drain the hearing loss will go away). Max goes in on the 22nd of April for the surgery and while he is asleep the doctor is also going to draw blood to test for allergies to see if that could be the cause of the excessive fluid build up.
Say a prayer that everything goes well and that we won't have to do this every year.
Also, as a side note...we found out at Max's last ENT appointment that he has to get a third set of tubes in his ears. Both ears were filled with fluid again as soon as the second set worked itself out and based on the screening done by the audiologist he has a mild to moderate hearing loss (the doctor believes it is due to the fluid and as soon as the tubes are in and the ears drain the hearing loss will go away). Max goes in on the 22nd of April for the surgery and while he is asleep the doctor is also going to draw blood to test for allergies to see if that could be the cause of the excessive fluid build up.
Say a prayer that everything goes well and that we won't have to do this every year.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Backtracking again...Spring Break
Well, to make a long 10 days short...
We left Friday before Easter to go to Charlotte. John and I have agreed that traveling with our crew is much easier at night so we left after John got off work. Kids are in their p.j.'s, fed, ready to conk out any moment...well, maybe not :p
We get to Jack and Charlotte's house a little after 9 and the kids have to have a few minutes of playtime with Grandma and Grandpa as daddy unloads the car (not as quick a task as it used to be before 3 kids !...Hey, I offered to help but he declined). Anyway, we FINALLY got the kids in bed knowing it was going to be an early morning anyway (since Max was a baby our usual wake up call has been coming anywhere between 5 and 6:30am...Abby just fills in when Max needs a few more winks).
Saturday we headed to John and Shea's house for the first of two birthday parties that week! My baby twin nieces were having their first birthday party! Hard to imagine looking at them now that Sophie was under 4 pounds and Macy was under 3 pounds when they were born. We had a great time watching the girls dig into their green "pea" cakes and really learn the joy of opening presents! When we got back to Jack and Charlotte's house we walked the kids over to a neighbor's house for a neighborhood Easter egg hunt. Max and Abby had a great time and of course loved the fact that they now had MORE Easter candy!
After we had the kids back in bed at Jack and Charlotte's that night, John and Lucy and I went to visit our friends Rick and Heidi and their new baby girl Hadley. We got to visit a little while then left so both babies and the new parents could get some much needed sleep :)
Easter Sunday came and the kids had a blast finding the 42 eggs that the Easter bunny hid around the house. We headed back to John and Shea's for Easter lunch and enjoyed another visit. Nana and Papa and Mimi (Mallory) were still there as well so it was a nice family lunch.
Monday morning John left at the crack of dawn to drive back and go straight to work. So I was a single mom for the week. I was very grateful that Grandma and Grandpa kept Max and Abby occupied with walks, car rides, trips to the park, etc. On Wednesday we all went on a ride on the Lynx train in Charlotte. We rode the entire line and got off downtown to visit a children's museum. I stayed for a few minutes but Lucy needed to get home for a nap so I left Max and Abby with Grandma and Grandpa and headed back on the train. The kids had fun with G & G playing and especially riding the train.
Wednesday night we all went out for seafood. Max LOVES shrimp but for some reason does not like fried shrimp (which is how they serve it on kids menus). He likes his boiled or grilled so I had to order him a regular plate. He got LOTS of shrimp which I have to say he made a pretty good dent in even after several hushpuppies and coleslaw (I believe I have said before that he can keep up with his daddy when it comes to food)! I also discovered that Abby enjoys herself some shrimp also. She kept saying she wanted it but I figured it would be safer to order her the chicken and she could share my shrimp. We left with a lot of chicken left over and not so much of my shrimp :)
Thursday morning I packed up the car and we said bye and THANKS to G & G and headed for Shea and John's...
More to come later... (with more pictures...I have to go clean my kitchen!)
We left Friday before Easter to go to Charlotte. John and I have agreed that traveling with our crew is much easier at night so we left after John got off work. Kids are in their p.j.'s, fed, ready to conk out any moment...well, maybe not :p
We get to Jack and Charlotte's house a little after 9 and the kids have to have a few minutes of playtime with Grandma and Grandpa as daddy unloads the car (not as quick a task as it used to be before 3 kids !...Hey, I offered to help but he declined). Anyway, we FINALLY got the kids in bed knowing it was going to be an early morning anyway (since Max was a baby our usual wake up call has been coming anywhere between 5 and 6:30am...Abby just fills in when Max needs a few more winks).
Saturday we headed to John and Shea's house for the first of two birthday parties that week! My baby twin nieces were having their first birthday party! Hard to imagine looking at them now that Sophie was under 4 pounds and Macy was under 3 pounds when they were born. We had a great time watching the girls dig into their green "pea" cakes and really learn the joy of opening presents! When we got back to Jack and Charlotte's house we walked the kids over to a neighbor's house for a neighborhood Easter egg hunt. Max and Abby had a great time and of course loved the fact that they now had MORE Easter candy!
After we had the kids back in bed at Jack and Charlotte's that night, John and Lucy and I went to visit our friends Rick and Heidi and their new baby girl Hadley. We got to visit a little while then left so both babies and the new parents could get some much needed sleep :)
Easter Sunday came and the kids had a blast finding the 42 eggs that the Easter bunny hid around the house. We headed back to John and Shea's for Easter lunch and enjoyed another visit. Nana and Papa and Mimi (Mallory) were still there as well so it was a nice family lunch.
Monday morning John left at the crack of dawn to drive back and go straight to work. So I was a single mom for the week. I was very grateful that Grandma and Grandpa kept Max and Abby occupied with walks, car rides, trips to the park, etc. On Wednesday we all went on a ride on the Lynx train in Charlotte. We rode the entire line and got off downtown to visit a children's museum. I stayed for a few minutes but Lucy needed to get home for a nap so I left Max and Abby with Grandma and Grandpa and headed back on the train. The kids had fun with G & G playing and especially riding the train.
Wednesday night we all went out for seafood. Max LOVES shrimp but for some reason does not like fried shrimp (which is how they serve it on kids menus). He likes his boiled or grilled so I had to order him a regular plate. He got LOTS of shrimp which I have to say he made a pretty good dent in even after several hushpuppies and coleslaw (I believe I have said before that he can keep up with his daddy when it comes to food)! I also discovered that Abby enjoys herself some shrimp also. She kept saying she wanted it but I figured it would be safer to order her the chicken and she could share my shrimp. We left with a lot of chicken left over and not so much of my shrimp :)
Thursday morning I packed up the car and we said bye and THANKS to G & G and headed for Shea and John's...
More to come later... (with more pictures...I have to go clean my kitchen!)
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Backtracking... EASTER TIME!
Papa's favorite picture of Max.
"Hi everybody"
Abby having a bite to eat at her party.
Counting her loot!
Lucy just chillin' and wondering where her eggs are!
"Hey Mom! There's tons of eggs over here!"
I know, I know, it's about time. Well it has been a crazy couple of weeks and we have finally finished with all the travelling and I got the pictures downloaded so now I can update everyone :) I won't do everything right now so I'll begin with Max and Abby's Easter parties at school and do separate posts for the other events.
Anyway, March 19th was Abby's Easter party at school and as always she was excited about the upcoming festivities. Lucy and I dropped the kids off at school then decided to spend a couple of hours on that side of town so we wouldn't have to drive home then get right back into the car to be back at school by 11:00.
It is so cute (and practical) how they set up for these parties. The parents and teachers set the tables while the kids are out on the playground so when they come in they can sit down, say their cute little prayer, and EAT! I made the sweet treat for the party which was cupcakes with green "grass" icing and jelly bean "eggs" on top. Once the food portion of the party was over the kids grabbed their Easter baskets and headed over to the church yard to go on their Easter egg hunt. They had a great time and Abby loved opening the eggs and finding the surprise inside!
Once the hunt was over we had about an hour before we had to pick Max up (he doesn't like to be picked up early because he misses lunch and recess). We drove around for a little while and found a spot where Abby could have a little picnic with her lunchbox since she didn't want to go to lunch buddies. Once we got Max and got home he was very interested in Abby's Easter eggs and proceeded to talk her out of much of the candy she had inside of them (I guess that is something big brothers do).
The next day was Max's Easter party. His class took a walking field trip to the Pitt Street Pharmacy for lunch. It was only a couple of blocks from school and there wasn't a lot of room so moms didn't go to lunch. Instead we (Abby, Lucy, and I) met the other moms at a big "park" (just a big field actually) and hid the Easter eggs for the kids to find when they walked there. The class ate their lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches, chips, and Sprite (UGH!). I was under the impression they were supposed to have lemonade and I didn't find out until later in the day from Max that they had "sour water" (Sprite). Anyway, Max and his class had a great time finding Easter eggs and I made sure Max shared his candy with Abby just like she "shared" hers with him.
Once they got home Max and Abby wanted to play Easter egg hunt so they took the eggs outside with their baskets and "hid" the eggs then found them again. At one point Max told me Abby was eating the candy and I found her sitting in "Fort Sensible" opening as much as she could and eating it. I rescued the rest of the eggs and brought them inside and put them up. Apparently not high enough because a couple of hours later I caught Max throwing candy trash away and when I went into the playroom I discovered someone had swiped the basket and Abby was sitting on the floor with her mouth full of Starburst candy and empty candy wrappers surrounding her on the floor! Needless to say she wasn't too hungry for dinner that night :)
The end of this day was the beginning of Spring Break and a very looooooooong 10 days!
More to come...
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