Visiting the Pediatric Cardiologist

Gabriel was diagnosed with a heart condition when he was 18 months old. The pediatrician asked us to get his murmur checked, just in case it was something more severe but he thought that his heart murmur was a holing closing by itself. It didn't sound serious so I wasn't nervous at all when we went to the dr. It seemed like a run of the mill appointment. Never mind that I was very pregnant and dealing with a high risk pregnancy at the time.
We found out that Gabriel has a bicuspid aortic valve. It reminds me of a time bomb. It can get worse at any time or he might remain stable for the rest of his life. We have no idea what the future will hold. We do know that puberty will be a challenging time because his heart will grow and it is unknown if his valve will be able to handle the change. Though he has no restrictions now, we don't know if Gabriel will be allowed to play sports when he is older.
I tend to forget about Gabriel's heart condition because his other issues are more immediate and are more recognizable day to day. In the beginning, he went to the cardiologist every 4 months but we have graduated to annual appointments.
About 9 months ago, the pediatrician heard a murmur while listening to Lane's heart. I heard the same thing - "I think you should get her murmur checked out, just in case." I typically make appointments for my children immediately but I dreaded finding out about another heart problem. A few weeks ago, the pediatrician asked if I followed up with a cardiologist. I was embarrassed to tell him that I hadn't taken her yet.

Today was cardiologist day. Lane was a perfect patient. She sat still for her EKG and for the doctor. Gabriel, on the other hand, was completely flipped out by the EKG stickers and cords. He thought that it was going to turn him into a robot. He was scared that he was going ot have his blood drawn again. Gabriel has been a great patient for years until the past couple months. I don't know what changed for him but he now hates the doctor. He tried to kick and hit the nurses and I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.
Gabriel did better with his echo and then we met with the cardiologist a final time. We received good news today - something we aren't used to when we go to doctor appointments. Lane has an innocent murmur and doesn't need to go back to the cardiologist. Gabriel is stable and doesn't have to go back for two years. I don't have to worry about heart conditions until Gabriel is 10 years old!

Marble run

Every child should have a marble run of some type. Seriously, it's one of those classic toys that my kids still love.
We have the kind that requires assembly. My kids can't set it up but they are giddy with anticipation every time I set up a new run for them. It's cute how much they enjoy a few marbles rolling down a track. It helps with fine motor skills, sharing, and expectation. And they are entertained by the marbles for a long time, a definite positive for all of us.
If you don't have one of these toys, come on over. We can sip coffee while the kids are entertained. :)

Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving was just the five of us this year. Andrew and I haven't had a holiday alone for a long time. It took a few days for us to decide what to do - go to a restaurant? Make a meal a home? Go on a mini vacation? Forego tradition altogether since Alex is the only one who enjoys turkey?
We chose to make a traditional meal at home. Well, mostly traditional since we limit dairy and eat no gluten at home. Andrew doesn't want the kids to feel like they are missing out on a tradition but I was fine with crab legs and a trip to Disney.
Since Lane and Gabriel were awake at 5:10, it was easy to make everything by 1 pm. I gave the kids paper Thanksgiving place mats while we finished the last food items. Their excitement over this little dollar item was precious.
Later in the afternoon we went to the dog park. We threw a ball for Brody and Alex worked on his football throw with Andrews. Overall, it was an easy and relaxed holiday.

Clearance Halloween

My recommendation: buy clearance Halloween items, especially costumes and especially if you have children who like to dress up. I bought a cupcake costume for Lane for a couple dollars along with an Angry Birds mask and cowboy costume for the boys. At 90% off, I couldn't go wrong.

Lane insisted on wearing her costume when we went to the school to get the boys. I thought it was pretty darn adorable.
Lane vocabulary is exploding again. Today she called something "awesome." When watching we watched Sofia the first, she said that Sofia is a little princess like herself.

Lane is always thinking and very curious about her environment. The other day she made me laugh when she asked if bras protect boobies. She is a joy who lights up the room with her smile. It doesn't hurt that she picks out really cute outfits like cupcake costumes to wear during the day.

Good-bye Ceremony

A 2 year old classmate and friend of Lane's passed away on October 27. I don't know the details, only that she was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. I don't know the family well but I did see the mom and child at the school often last spring and this fall.
I explained the situation to Lane and she was adamant when she told me that Elizabeth is not dead but sick. Lane had tears in her eyes and did not want to discuss the issue any more. I was surprised that she has any understanding of death because Lane hasn't experienced a loss through death yet.
The preschool collected gift cards for the family and then had a good-bye ceremony with Elizabeth's family and her classmates. The ceremony was held on Friday in the late morning.
It was a cloudy, gloomy day when I drove back to the preschool. As I walked toward the school, my heart grew heavier. The pink balloons could be seen from the parking lot, bouncing in air while children held them tight. The lead teacher talked to the children about Elizabeth and then counted to three. On the count of three, over 20 light pink balloons carrying notes and pictures written by the preschoolers floated slowly into the sky.

I entered the play area of the Montessori and saw a large framed photo of vibrant, young Elizabeth. Next to the photo was a vase of white flowers. The children stood to the side of the play area with adults in a circle.

Elizabeth's mother sat on a chair, clutching a pink scrapbook given to her from the teachers. The children were invited to hug her mother and they did. I hugged her and thanked her for sharing Elizabeth with us.
I can not express the deep sadness I felt when I witnessed this grieving mother. It has weighed heavily on my heart and soul since Friday. I've held my little ones tighter the past few weeks, terrified at the thought of losing them.

State of Matter

I asked Gabriel's teacher to let me know about their science topics. Gabriel does well in science and math and I enjoy supplementing it at home. When the email said that the class would be learning about states of matter, I had to use one of my Pinterest posts.
On this blog: http://mrsterhune.blogspot.com/2012/01/matter.html
there are three poems about liquids, gases, and solids. The poems are super cute. This was my chance to buy the Post-It sticky easel pad.

A friend used this paper for an advocacy class and I fell in love with it. It's so cool! No tape needed - the top sticks to the wall and I can write on a huge piece of paper.

Solids:

Liquids:

Gases:

I wrote the poems on the paper and hung them in our front hallway. I laminated photos that fit each of the three categories and then added magnets to the back of the pictures and the poems. The kids were able to put the photos in the right spot and learned about the states of matter in the process. I think hands-on activities work well for my kids and I was thrilled to create another activity to help their learning.
When we were done with our poems, I gave it to Gabriel's teacher. I couldn't bear to throw them away after taking time to use magnets and the laminator.

Thankful gifts 2012

While I teach my children to be grateful for their things and people in their lives throughout the year, Thanksgiving is a time of year to emphasize these teachings with my children. I enjoy making gifts for teachers with my children and this is a nice time of year to make a small token of our appreciation for the educators in our lives. We are truly grateful for the teachers we have this year. They love their profession and I think they love my kids too.

First I printed "I'm thankful" notes from this site: http://ericabohrer.blogspot.com/2012/11/updates-thanksgiving-freebies-and.html. The kids colored the turkey, added what they liked about their teacher, and signed their name. Truth be told, Lane can't write her name yet so I did it for her. I am working on that with her but she has little interest. Lane is thankful for one of her teachers because "she is pretty." Gabriel is thankful for his ESE teacher because "he likes her beads." It was too cute to change.

Then I went to this site:

http://www.eventtrender.com/blog/2011/11/a-is-for-apple.html
and made the caramel dip for the teachers. It's so easy and only has 3 ingredients.

Caramel Apple Dip
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
Marzetti's Caramel Dip (15 oz.)
Heath Bits (found in the baking aisle)

I added an apple, a ribbon, and the homemade card. Whala! Little gifts for the teachers. The most difficult part was finding the 1/2 pint mason jars for the dip. The kids don't have school next week and I still hadn't found the jars as of Thursday afternoon. Finally, late Thursday I found the jars and I was able to pull everything together. I had a plan B but I can save it for treats for next time.

Me: the sister

Me I'm a mother. I'm a wife. I'm a friend. I'm a daughter. I'm a granddaughter. I'm an aunt. I'm a niece. I'm a student. I'm a coworker. I'm a daughter-in-law. I'm a sister.

I have a sister. I'm 6 1/2 years older than my sister and I have so many wonderful memories of us growing up together.
She was a bright child. Since I loved teaching, I taught her to read at a young age. She ate up all of the work that I gave her.
I have countless photos of us together when we were children. We did a lot together. We attended church, vacations, and all family functions together. I have a favorite photo from when my parents drove us an hour from our home and took photos of my siblings and I to a place called the Red Mill. We all look so carefree. In reality, we were probably grumpy children that day. I know what it's like to have three children now.
Some nights I would find refuge in her bed, by crawling in next to her when I was frightened. I don't know if she even woke up during those nights. I helped her get dressed in cute outfits and worked on her hair when she was in second grade. It was great fun to play dress up with my little sister. I walked to a large park near our childhood home with her and we explored the woods together. Our little brother tagged along, being the agreeable soul that he has always been.
Every year when I get a new paper calendar, one of the first birthdays I write in is her birthday. I could never forget it. She was my first little sister. I think I had a tough time sharing the spotlight. I was my parents world those first years and now I had to share their love and affection with a new little person who was much newer and cuter than I was at my age.

Unfortunately, when I moved away to college, she was only 12 years old. Our paths didn't cross much after that because I was an adult and soon moved in with my now husband. As much as I adored her and complimented her intellect to other people, a sister so much younger and 5 hours away, didn't have much in common with me, the adult working 60 hours a week at times and attending college full time. I picked up little items for her and her family when I was at a store. I enjoyed sending things to her and hope she appreciated those little tokens of appreciation. Today it is my wish that the adult sisters will find each other and reconnect.

A Robot Family

We have had art material at the kids disposal since Gabriel was an infant. Rarely, if ever, does Gabriel make a creation without direction. Sometimes he will use a marker to color legos or paint to change the color of his cars but that is the extent of his child led art experience, until yesterday! Gabriel brought a black circle with a face drawn on it home from school. He talked about robots all the way home. He immediately went to the art area, pulled out the scissors, glue, and paper and created his robot. Gabriel showed immense pride when he showed me his creation.

This might seem like a small task for another parent of an 8 year old. Most children have been creating art for years at this point. I, however, have never seen my 8 year old do this. It took planning and processing for him to complete this goal. He was capable of organizing his world and bringing his idea from school to home. This is HUGE for him. He doesn't like to cut or write because it's difficult for him. Gabriel was capable of completing not only one robot but three paper robots and they look like robots! They have little faces, arms, legs, and bodies. It is the small steps in our world. When I think about everything he had to process and perform in order to accomplish this task, I am blown away. How far we have come!

St Cloud Veterans Day Parade

We attended the Veteran's Day parade in St Cloud, FL this morning. We were adorned in red, white, and blue for the occasion. It was a nice parade that included treats for the kids, which thrilled them to no end.
There were numerous veterans in the parade, including WWII vets. Two floats with the sons ad daughters of the confederate were in the parade as well. I'm positive we didn't see that up north. Their floats were really neat with correct era costumes.
Alex was interested in the bands and ROTC groups. Lane was especially sensitive to the sirens and didn't appreciate the noise at all.
In the end, Alex declared it "the best day ever!"