The middle guy’s got some new silver in his mouth…two caps (this picture was pre-second cap) that he wishes were gold. He’s a pirate. A real, live pirate now.
Arrrgh!
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Harry Potter
We have a resident Harry Potter fan, complete with daily scar drawn on his forehead, a wand (which ended up in his ear and bumped and a trip to the dr’s office) and glasses!
Too damn cute!
Why I've Been a Bad Blogger
So as if being a household with 5 boys under 7 years old wasn’t enough, one of them happens to not yet sleep through the night. Dee and I have always traded off nights of who gets to sleep and who gets up to feed the baby. I got a cool new iPhone app that shows my sleep patterns, and it truly works. My phone goes next to my pillow and it monitors my movement throughout the night and in the morning comes up with this fancy little graph. The top one shows my “sleep” night, with one part around 1am when Carlos as in the hallway crying because he had gone to the bathroom and couldn’t get his pj’s back on. Apparently he didn’t get the memo that it was my night to sleep. Anyhow….the bottom graph is pretty much how every other night is like in dreamland for me (or lack there of). Pretty amazing to look at!
Levi's Long Day
Levi has been struggling with asthma for as long as we have known him. It used to be worse, and there were times we have thought that he’s outgrown it, but with the last bout of pneumonia (or so we thought…apparently asthma can look a lot like pneumonia on an x-ray) our pediatrician wanted a closer look at Levi’s asthma. It’s not as under control as we would like it to be. So, we got an appt with Dr. Jacobs, an allergist/asthma doc.
We tried to prepare Levi for the testing that was to come, it was going to be a 2-2 1/2 hour appt and not so fun with the allergy testing. The night before, I pulled Levi up to the computer and read him our friends Robb and Rebecca’s blog since their son, Noah, just went through the same testing. It was an honest look at just exactly was going to happen at the appt. The hardest part for Levi was seeing Noah crying during the scratch test, it made him tear up and get nervous. We reassured him that both Dee and I would be there with him and that he would be alright. It’s just what needed to be done to get him feeling better.
So we checked in, got the paperwork done and almost immediately, the nurse took him down the hall to do a breath test. He got to pick out a mouthpiece and blow out computer candles. He was so frustrated not to be able to get them all out, even after repeated tries. But the staff was positive and encouraging.
Then the waiting came. It was painful. I packed a bag with books, snacks, my old Gameboy and Gamegear (which was new to Levi and a big hit) and his special bear. He stayed entertained and Dee and the new baby got in a catnap while we waited. Finally we got to meet Dr. Jacobs. He has such an easy going sense about him and I knew he would help us find a better plan for Levi. Levi’s first question was “How many scratches are you going to do to me” in which Dr. Jacobs replied, “I honestly don’t know, that’s not something I even know how to do!” That made us all laugh. He listened to Levi’s breathing, got some background info from us and assured us that things could be better and will be better.
Next was the dreaded part of the exam, the allergy testing. We didn’t do the food allergies, since Levi has never had issues with any foods, but there were 40 of the most common allergens to test for. The nurse showed him the kit, then got started. It took Dee holding his hands still while the scratches were being done. Levi was as brave as can be expected, he even started laughing at one point to keep from crying. About half way through he had had enough and asked her to stop, but he was a champ and finished it off. Oh, it hurt and it was so hard to see him go through that.
As you can see from the picture of his back, just 10 minutes after the scratch test, Levi is allergic to a ton of things. The worst is dust mites but also the dog, the cat, trees, grass, mold….it’s quite a list. So things are going to change at our place, starting with new meds (5 new prescriptions), dust mite covers for Levi’s pillow and mattress, less time with the cat and a complete deep cleaning of his room.
After the scratch test, Levi did a breathing treatment then repeated the blowing out the candles test and this time he got them all out! He was so proud and they were impressed that he had a 44% increase with the meds.
We go back to Dr, Jacobs in 3 months to see how things are progressing but until then we have an idea of things we can do to help. At least we are on the right track now!
Levi's Stellar Performance
It’s tough to see Levi in this picture, he’s the one in the front in the blue shirt looking up at the person behind him. This was from an all school assembly on Equal Rights. Each class got up and did a skit or song. Levi’s class said the rights people should have and Levi was AWESOME. I was very proud. The kids before him did their lines in groups of 3 and Levi’s group clammed up but Levi stepped up and belted out “I believe that every child has the right to go to school” He said it clearly, loudly and didn’t stumble at all. A very proud moment for me and great to hear other parents around me (who didn’t know I was Levi’s mom) comment on how great he did. Good job, Levi!
More Valentines
We had a couple different times of Valentine creating at our place. We did the Valentine’s for school, Each of the boys picked out different cards, this year was Scooby Doo, Batman and Spiderman. We also sent out a photo card of the boys and did cards for their friends at the party.
Real Foods down in Winslow had a Valentine making party on Superbowl Sunday. Melissa and Jessica went down with Carlos just before the game and worked hard on some treasures. Carlos decorated a box for he and Nana to keep all of their combined treasures. Another thing about Carlos right now is that he is obsessed with Harry Potter. Every morning he draws a red scar on his forehead and puts on his glasses. If you ask him about it, he gets shy and clams up but secretly he likes the attention.
Valentine's Day 2010
We had a fun morning with the boys…all 5 of them now…and had cute little individual conversation heart cakes that the boys and I went and picked out at Safeway yesterday. They were sweet, each had their name written on them and it was a treat just to have cake for breakfast. We have been working hard to get some organizing and cleaning done so we worked in the morning and played in the evening.
We scheduled a party at the Parent and Child Center for us, the Russos, Barnums, Cowies and Nordstroms. The kids played in the space while the adults had some time to chat. I thought it would be fun to do a “photo shoot” with some funny accessories. The kids thought it was fun, although it lasted all of 5 minutes. Got some great shots!
All in all a great Valentine’s Day!
"Ma"
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I’ve been watching a new little guy 2 days each week and he’s got a pacifier. The boys thought it would be funny to have one to play with as well and since we do foster care we always have a billion different kinds. Trey used to call his pacifier his “Ma” because we kept it up away from the other kids on a shelf and he’d be asking me, his Ma, to get it for him.
Anyhow, he had it for quite awhile and even at night until he was 3. He put the Ma into his mouth and was sooooo happy. It was pretty funny to have my big boys curled up on my lap as my babies again.
Lucky #……
FORTY! That’s right, we just got placed with foster baby #40. Who knew we’d be doing this so long and have so many come into our home. As always, if ya need a baby fix this is the place to come.
I’d love the “grown up” conversation as well so come see me.
Hitting the Slopes
Not quite the slopes, but the road just down from the house. It’s a perfect hill for sledding and they had just driven through with the snow plow so it was smooth and ready for the sleds. The run was FAST and everyone went right off the road and into the field. Since it was all icy snow it just made the ride have a little jump in the middle and continue on. We plan on hitting that hill at least one more time today and tomorrow before we leave.
My favorite picture was the first one, with Carlos conquering the run, almost spilling out of his sled and then raising his hands in joy and victory.
Three Scurvy Dogs a Wee Lass (and their Mamas) 