Failure to blog

Summer just keeps us so busy. I'm hardly getting a chance to get online and when I do I check facebook and that is about it before I'm being paged to go do something else. We stopped our cable and haven't even missed it....I LOVE SUMMER!

The kids and I took a 3 hour walk around town today. Farmer's market, picnic, errands, ice cream, etc. It was alot of fun and wore us all out really good. We've also been busy doing some work in the basement making an art studio for the kids. It has been alot of fun. We've been able to really get creative with it. We start school August 3. I think I have everything ready to go! Need a couple of more plastic boxes for Carlie's work shelf and then I think we are good. I could also use a thousand dollar shopping spree at a Hobby Lobby. We need a money tree.

Bill and I have both been doing a little dieting. We BOTH (LOL) have been holding onto some weight from Owen's pregnancy. So far I've lost 7.5 lbs. and he has lost 5.5 lbs. We have loved some of the things I've been cooking so much we've decided to add them into our regular rotation of meals.

A quick kid by kid update:

Carlie - finally got her two front teeth after 9 months of waiting. Is so much more grown up all of the sudden and so helpful and fun to be with. She wrote me the sweetest note the other day.

Sam - is much more into drawing recently. Still severely addicted to video games. Never stops talking.....ever.

Harry - we are still in the process of seeing specialists and trying to get stuff ruled out as far as his lung issues. Hoping to get more answers next week and seeing the pulmonologist at the end of the month again. He spent the entire day with a drawn on (by himself) mustache. He cracks me up constantly!

Owen - loves to eat EVERYTHING. He tries something new everyday now and loves it. Tonight he tried sweet potato fries. He loves blueberries, grapes, cheese, cheerios, oatmeal cookie, oatmeal, large chunk of apple to knaw on, freeze dried fruit, EVERYTHING!

This is why I'm sore...

This is one massive baby. I carry him around 98% of the day.

Annoyed

I just made a quick trip to Wal-Mart after I got everyone to bed so I could get some things we were out of. Bill was here...tired, but here. I had Carlie listen for the baby monitor because I *knew* Bill would fall asleep. It was supposed to be a quick trip...I was supposed to be home in time to get her to bed. I ended up loosing my keys and didn't get home until 10:30. Carlie hadn't gotten to bed and Owen had been fah-reaking out on Bill. Ugghhh! So, if you are in Wal-Mart and find keys with YMCA tags (a bunch...we are many) stuck to them...they are MINE. Please call me!
So frustrating!
I'm also annoyed that for 2 or 3 days now Owen has been peeing diapers left and right. He has a bit of a cold (caught from the dragging him in and out of doctors all over the Chicago area) and is teething bad so I think that is contributing. I just don't get how alot of days he uses the potty almost entirely all day, and then some days are like this.

Happier news - We had some friends who moved away stop by and visit today. The kids had fun! And I enjoyed catching up with a mommy friend.

We are enjoying our hermit crabs so much. The clan has gotten up to 9 crabs!

This is the order they were bought:

Cool Dude (Carlie), James (Sam), and Polk-a-dots (Harry)
then
No Name (Carlie), Rock (Sam), and Jaguar (Harry)
then
Slo-Mo (Carlie), Whitey (Sam), and Happy Baby Crab (Harry)

We look forward to adding to the family. They are so fun to watch. We have set up the coolest playground in our 55 gallon tank. It is amazing what excellent climbers they are and how they kind of have little personalities and are playful if you watch them long enough. They ABSOLUTELY LOVE fresh coconut.

What a week!

I'm exhausted and we just got home this evening so this post may be all over the place. We got to the pulmonologists office on Wed. and they looked over Harrison's reports from our doctor and examined him. They told us that he would likely need to have a biopsy to rule out any cancer and a sweat test to rule out Cystic Fibrosis. They sent us to another part of the hospital to have some more bloodwork done and then we had to wait to see if it was "abnormal enough" that they would want to admit him. It turned out that his bloodwork didn't look to bad so they let us go home. Well, we couldn't actually go "home" but we did go to Rockford to stay at Bill's moms. We had to stay in the area because they had Harry seeing an oncologist the next day. Needless to say, there was not much sleeping done that night. Thursday we got up and got ready knowing that we could likely hear that Harry had cancer or had to have surgery to find out if he had cancer. We went out to eat lunch and then took him to one of our favorite parks in Rockford. He was coughing alot and was really tired so he didn't run around and play as much as we would have liked to see. I was about sick by the time we got to Chicago. It really started hitting me on the ride in that we could potentially be getting some horrible news. Once in the oncologists office, the doctor told us that there is definitely something going on in his lungs that should not be there, but that he didn't think it was any type of cancer. He didn't even thing it was necessary to put Harrison through a biopsy. He really felt that it looked more like CF or an infection. The pulmonologist saw us again and prescribed a couple of inhalers for Harry and told us our next steps were to do the sweat test for CF and to see someone with Infectious Disease. They also want Harry to have a TB test with our doctor here at home.
So, Friday (today) we went to Children's Memorial in downtown Chicago for the sweat test. We were hoping to see someone with Infectious Disease at the same time but couldn't get in. We haven't heard anything from the CF test yet.
While waiting to find out if they were going to have him seen with Infectious Disease at Children's, we got to thinking about how we had been cleaning out the basement for City Wide clean up week and had found some mold. This is another avenue that might be the cause of the nodules in his lungs.
Another concern I have is that Harrison is completely uninterested in eating. He hasn't been growing for a while and we need to get him eating more than this.

So, to sum it up....

They do NOT think it is cancer. YEAH!
We are waiting for the results from the Cystic Fibrosis test.
We have to have a TB test done this week.
We have to get in to see someone with Infectious Disease.
Another x-ray revealed the nodules are unchanged...not better, not worse.

This week

We just sent the kids off for their next to last full day of school this year. I am so excited for school to be over so we can start all of our summer fun. I'm sure the kids are equally excited. I'm also really enjoying planning for our homeschooling adventure next year. When I think about how much fun I have every summer with the kids home full time and all of the things we do and learn about its a wonder we've not just homeschooled all the way. But each kid is unique and it is not something I ever felt Carlie *needed*.
We have lots of plans for the summer. I'd say alot of it could be called "goals". We are going to finish our Indian in the Cupboard book this week and then rent the movie sometime over the weekend or next week. As soon as our rubber stamp comes in we are going to take up the hobby of Letterboxing (see www.letterboxing.org for more info.) The kids are SUPER EXCITED to start doing this. We've already got a bag all made up with ink pads, a family journal, and a binder with some state maps and clues printed out for some local letterboxes. Any day trips we make this summer will include our "treasure hunting" as well.
In June we will be visiting Bill's dad and family in Missouri and in July we plan to visit his mom in Rockford. As of right now we don't have plans for a big trip, but don't put it past me to ever decide at the last minute to throw the kids in the van and drive to Alabama....I've been known to do that! I'd also like to take the kids to Dixon Mounds. They've gotten so interested in learning about Native Americans now that we've been reading this book.
Other goals of a more academic nature are....continue learning more about Native Americans while it is on our minds, Carlie plans to memorize all of her multiplication tables, read lots more books, have the kids do independent reading and earning points on the website www.BookAdventure.com (I think that is the name of it), and Art classes!
Harrison's birthday is at the end of the month and we are planning on having a party for him and my Grandma at a local mini golf place. We'll see what the month brings, but I hope this is something we can do.
We leave this Wednesday morning to take Harrison to the pediatric pulmonologist near Chicago. We are hoping for some quick and simple answers. We don't know what the appointment will bring....whether we will get answers, have more tests, have to stay in Chicago, or what.
Harrison is obviously not feeling well. He slept on me for 2 hours yesterday. We are tired of questioning every little thing with him. When we are worried and know he has had these abnormal scans then EVERY LITTLE THING raises a red flag with us. Usually him falling asleep in the middle of the day, looking a little pale, voice sounding weak and out of breath wouldn't all have me in tears. I would come up with some explanation....he's been playing hard, he needs some sunshine, he must be tired today....but I'm just constantly worrying about him and it is exhausting.

Proud Momma

Today I went to the awards assembly at the elementary school. Carlie received a leadership award. Last year she received a good citizenship award which is awarded to the students in each grade level that make good choices. Only a handful of students out of each grade level are chosen for the leadership award. She was beaming as she stood in front of the crowd with her certificate.




This is how her teachers define leadership:

A leader is someone who makes good choices in class, specials, lunch and recess.



A leader is someone who can be trusted, even when the teacher is not looking.




A leader works hard every day and always does more than is expected.




A leader never gives up.




A leader encourages others.




A leader works well with everyone.




A leader is someone who gives to others and expects nothing in return.





A leader respects adults and adults respect them.




A leader is a positive role model for other students.

What we've been up to.

Summer break isn't even officially here yet, but the kids and I have already started having a blast. Well....we always have fun, but we've kicked it up a notch.

We drained our 55 gallon fish aquarium and turned it into a big hermit crab habitat. The kids and I spent about a week reading alot about hermit crabs and their needs. They drew out pictures and wrote out plans for what our hermit crab home would need. We filled the bottom of the aquarium with a few inches of sand and have lots of climbing rocks, coconut caves, shells, pools, tunnels, sticks, etc. arranged into a neat little village. First we let them each pick out one crab. They named these first 3: Cool Dude, James, and Polk-a-dots. The next week we took them and let them each pick out one more. These are named: Rock, Jaguar, and No Name. So our population is up to 6. We plan to eventually have many more. The kids are having so much fun with this and you couldn't ask for an easier pet!

We have also started reading "The Indian in the Cupboard" (the original). They have really gotten into the book. I love to see Harry (as young as he is) sitting so still just soaking in the story. You can tell he is picturing it in his head. We read a chapter every night. Every night they beg for more. A couple of nights ago we stayed up late and sat on the porch swing reading. We read 3 chapters and then chased lightening bugs around the yard.

This evening we went to a cookout at our neighbors' house. The kids enjoyed running around outside with the other kids in the neighborhood. Harrison is still complaining of being tired alot (which worries me) and today he had a temp. of 99.6 (which I hope doesn't mean he is going to start spiking up high temps again.)

Owen turned 8 months old today. He cut one tooth this week (his first!) and is working on another one. Today he pulled himself to a standing position for the first time. I have no memory of when the other kids did this, but I don't think I'll forget his first time. I was folding towels at the dining room table and he was sitting by his shelf of toy bins by the table. I glanced over and thought "he's pulling up on those" and then I realized he was standing. I said "OWEN! YOU'RE STANDING!!!" and then he fell backwards and I caught him just in time. He looked at me like, "what just happened!?"
He has been having such a hard time sleeping lately. Part of it is the teething and part of it is that he is so close to crawling. He just wants to practice moving around all the time. It wakes him up.

Tommorrow we are going to a cook out at my mom and dad's. The kids are excited. We haven't been to their house since I was pregnant with Owen. Then the next day they are back at school for their last full week.