New Fall Photos

Click on the link to see some fall photos, while they are up online.
http://webpages.charter.net/thefavilles/pics/index.html

Golf Season is over...

And now it is offically fall. We'll be posting some pics of the boys playing in the leaves. That's right, Leaves are falling and it's peak leaf peeping season! We brought the boys to the apple orchard to pick some apples and go on a hay ride. They had a great time feeding the animals in the petting zoo. Matthew even got to take a horse ride there. We're so glad that he has no interest in horseback riding. He doesnt have the attention span to pay attention on the horse.
The boys each had their yearly trips to the pumpkin patch and apple orchards for their class field trips. Andrew's was today and Matthew's was last Friday. They got to pick out their own pumpkins, make apple cider and taste cider donuts. Again they took a hay ride and went to the petting zoo.
Matthew is doing so well at preschool and really enjoys writing. He also loves to do his "art stuff" and thinks he's an architect! So cute. He's been a little off beat lately missing Andrew at school. He can't wait to ride the bus to Kindergarten next year with Andrew. He's sad that He can't ride the bus now. They get to see each other after Andrew gets off the bus for Afterschool care where Matthew goes to preschool and daycare, so that makes him happy. And of course he is still such a ladies man. He's got his little girlfriends that he hugs and kisses before leaving each day. It's really cute. Soon he'll be saying they have cooties, so we'll smile while we can. Then it will be onto real girlfriends and we're not looking forward to that.
Andrew's doing really well in school. We're having a really hard time with the school coordinating his services. This year he has a shared aide and gets the usual OT, PT and speech. The school dropped the ball on him having an aide on the bus, but thankfully he's adjusted to riding the bus without one. His PT is a HUGE issue since he relys on that Physically Therapy to keep him walking. He had a major regression because of the lapse of service of PT. We've been fighting with the school to keep up on it and seems that there are some scheduling problems. We've called a team meeting and have a regular schedule sent to us from the school so that we can check up on them. Hopefully we will not have to resort to going to the State Education Department to resolve these issues. He has an Individualized Education Plan (or IEP) that states his services which is a legally binding document that the school district must follow under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (or IDEA). If they do not follow, we then have to takes steps at a Due Process Hearing to help push things along. It's horrible, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease and we're hoping that if we stay on top of things, that Andrew will not be one of those kids that falls through the cracks. It's sad to find out that even though we are on top of making sure that Andrew gets his services, that there are MANY other children who probably aren't. This is what allows Andrew to attend a regular school and in a regular classroom. Without IDEA, Andrew would probably not be in a regular classroom. Although he is a bright, intelligent little boy, his physical delays would prevent him from going to school where he does.
On another note, his Therapeutic Equine sessions are going really well. Andrew has graduated to a faster more aggressive horse. He will still go on Lilly the smoother horse for his Hippotherapy, but for his riding, he has been riding Sheba and last week Dell. He's been trotting on the horses and going quickly through the trails. He's been righting himself without assistance and LOVES to go fast! Marie at Medicine Horse is amazed at Andrew's ability to ride. She is so excited that she's got a rider like Andrew and she loves to watch him. We've continued this therapy despite the cost. We feel it may be the one "sport" that Andrew can really enjoy and it shows that he is good at it. In the long run it will be worth it. He's really bonded with the horses and we see a real enthusiasm that he has for horseback riding. Eventually he will graduate to riding without any sidewalkers but will still need the "Hippotherapy" part of it all. That's where he does other things on the horse such as the tether ball and stretching etc. We've been advocating for Medicine Horse to help get things like this included on his IEP for part of his therapy program. If the State Education can recognize this as a beneficial form of therapy, we can hopefully replace one of his school provided therapy sessions to include Hippotherapy. This would help to ease the cost to us for having Andrew attend. There are other agencies that help to provide the service at no cost, but unfortunately, even if I quit my job, our family income is beyond the guidelines for acceptance. Although we can barely pay out of pocket, the income guidelines are too low for many families unless the parents work minimum wage jobs or do not work at all. So if anyone knows of a better way or how to get our insurance company on board, let us know.

Many Firsts.....

Ok, so the first day of kindergarten has come and gone. The first day was pretty un-eventful. It was a little nervewracking for all of us. Andrew was so excited to tell everyone that he was going to be getting on the bus to go to Kindergarten. We visited school a few days before so he could meet his teacher and some of his classmates. He clung to my side for a bit but was soon off playing alone. He loved the gym and of course the cafeteria. He had lots of questions and spotted a friend he went to preschool with. She's not in his class but they will see each other at recess and lunch and they will be riding the bus to afterschool care together. So he was excited to see a familiar face.
We were told that he did cry a bit when he got to school but was triggered by a little girl who happened to have gotten off the bus at the wrong school and was in the wrong place. So of course Andrew was unsure of himself also. But after a bit of talking with a teacher he ended up fine. He cried a little when he got to afterschool care because he thought he was going to be riding the bus and getting off at home. Afterschool care is held where his preschool and daycare was so he was upset that he was there. He said he's a big boy and doesnt go to school there anymore. He wanted to ride the bus home instead. But after they sent him to see Matthew in his classroom, he cheered right up.
So the second day was a HORRIBLE morning. He DID NOT get excited to see the bus. He was crying as soon as the bus rounded the corner. We tried to walk him up onto the bus where he kicked and screamed that he didnt want to get on. Come to find out, he was sad because he wanted us to give him hugs and kisses ON the bus, not in the driveway! Made us feel Horrible! So I climbed on the bus with him and gave him his hugs and kisses and thankfully his babysitter who lives behind us in our neighborhood, sat with him on the bus. She offered to sit with him every day if he wants. Thank GOD!
So today, his third day of school, he was fine. He got ready for school without any issues. But again, when the bus was on it's way, he started weeping. Not like the other day, but still sad. He told us he wanted to sit with Katie (his babysitter) and he wanted us to hug and kiss him on the bus and that he wanted to wave out the window. So we followed through with all his requests and he waved out the window to us. We're told he stopped crying and that he was fine walking into the school today and seemed much happier this morning. So hopefully each day will get better.



AND, another first... Andrew has stared his Therapeutic Horseback Riding! He LOVES it! We're not loving the cost, but if it will help him and we'll find a way to pay for it. He loves his horse, "Miss Lilly" and loves to be around her. His favorite part is riding and when he gets to "hug" her during his stretches on horseback. He's had 3 sessions now and has been able to ride the sensory trail too! We're so glad that he is enjoying it and he really seems to be so stretched out afterwards. He is much calmer and in control and seems his speech is clearer too. There's a lot that he can get out of this therapy... not just the physical aspects. He has developed a connection with Miss Lilly and she seems excited whenever Andrew arrives! We'll try to keep you updated on the progress as much as we can. If you'd like more information about his therapeutic Horseback riding and Hippotherapy you can visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippotherapy

As far as Matthew goes, He's happy to be back at preschool with his little buddies. He's grown so tall over the summer and is getting so smart. He takes after his mommy since he loves "art stuff" as he calls it. He's mastered drawing houses and loves to get into detail. He gets frustrated when it is not just right. He's still our little fireball and keeps us going non stop until he finally gives in to sleep. He's up bright and early in the morning ready to start the day. Even as daylight becomes later and later, he still gets up so early and thinks everyone has to as well!

Summer seems to offically come to an end although the mosquitos are still in full force for some reason... it's still difficult to enjoy the outdoors. The days are shorter and the leaves are even starting to fall. The boys are looking forward to halloween and look at costumes online regularly trying to decide what they want to be for halloween. Seems like it should be so far away, but it's just around the corner. We do look forward to visiting the apple orchards and picking pumpkins, but that's a sign that winter is on its way.

We've been busy trying to get all of Andrew's therapies organized at school and have a well needed vacation weekend planned for our anniversary. We're finally going to Maine and hope to enjoy some lobster while we're there. We're staying at a resort that has a beautiful golf course right on the ocean. We've actually enjoyed a lot of golf this year and have done well and placed in all the tournaments that we've played in. The last one we played in, the UPS/United Way Tournament, we won first place and I got the longest drive for the women. We also had the opportunity to help raise money for a family that has 4 year old triplets with Cerebral Palsy. We ran a 50/50 raffle just for the family and hope that it will help them with their rising health care costs. With us having only 2 children and one with mild CP, we can't imagine the struggles they must have with triplets AND them having CP. The family also has 3 older children to care for. So it meant a lot to us that the money from that raffle go to their family this year.

In closing, fall is on the way and we're not looking forward to heating our home this winter. We hope you have all had a wonderful summer!

Seems summer turned to spring...

Although the temperatures have gone up, the rain won't stop!! It's getting quite difficult to plan our weekends since there has been SO much rain! Our local news reports "Since Memorial Day, there have been nine weekends, seven of which were wet. And of those, five have been a total washout. The weekdays haven't been much better. In June, there were just six dry days and so far in July, just 10."
It all make for a pretty depressing summer! The worst part is that with the rain, comes humidity! so we have to run the a/c more often to take the moisture out and because we cannot open the windows. Now with this hurricane wreaking havoc, there are flood warnings & severe weather advisories/watches all over the place... in 35 counties! We just hope the weather clears up before Matthew's Birthday next weekend! We plan to do another outdoor party. He wants to have a Hulk birthday. Matthew thinks he's the Hulk! So we've got a party planned for him and he's invited about 20 kids from school. He's very excited for his birthday this year. Something that he was never really into before, but this year seems to have clicked that it is his birthday and so he's chosen lots of toys that he wants for his birthday...most of which are either Hulk or Batman. So hopefully the weather clears up.

The boys (and of course, us) have been busy with lots of other friend's birthday parties. Every weekend since June, they've had a birthday party to go to. And of course they get to see the invitation and hear their friends talk about the parties, so we hate to break their hearts and tell them that we cannot go. So every weekend we've been busy. We have the boys' cousin's birthday this weekend along with a fundraiser Benefit for their school this weekend.

Last weekend we attended another friend's birthday/pool party at a local gym and there was a waterslide to the pool and arcade fun. The boys had so much fun. We've uploaded photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/thefavilles There are videos also, so check them out.
The boys also had a field trip to the fair on tuesday where they visited the 4-H buildings where all of the animals are. They had a great time, especially in the "corn pit". Those photos are also on the website above.

And finally, we want to tell you about a really special little girl. Her name is Hannah and you may have seen her story on the Today show or other news reports. This special little girl suffers from GAD or Giant Axonal Neuropathy, an extremely rare nerve disorder where the incidence is unknown and there is NO cure. Her family has started the Hannah's Hope fund to try to help raise money for research to try to find a cure. Hannah is only 4 years old, the same age as Matthew. It's a really heartbreaking story to hear and makes you think about your own children and what it would be like if you knew your child would die because there was no cure or minimal treatment options. Our family met the family of little Hannah at a fundraising event held here locally by family and friends. We would like to take the time to ask you to visit her webpage. Do what you can to help. www.hannahshopefund.org
There are also numerous media coverage events and fundraising events that you can be a part of. We've already committed to a golf tournament that will be held in August. If you would like to help or read more on Hannah, please visit their website.

And finally, you can also see more of the boys videos on youtube! be sure to check them out!
Have a great summer!

Summers here!!

So summer is officially here. The temperatures make it warm enough to go swimming, even in the lake. The boys are now in summer session at school and Andrew is preparing for Kindergarten in september. They both had their year end picnics at school. Andrew was excited to put on his show for all of us and matthew showed a little bit of SHY!! Check out their videos on www.youtube.com/thefavilles
I also uploaded a video of the boy's experience with a large fish that their pop pop caught while we were camping 4th of July weekend. They had a great time camping and wanted to stay longer. We plan on trying to make another camping trip before the summer is over. The boys are also enjoying their small pool that we set up for them. It's only about 3 feet deep but it's perfect for them to swim around in and they don't need their water wings for it. The water stays filtered and clean. So no more emptying those little kiddie pools. Hopefully next year we can afford to put a real pool in... as long as we can afford to pay for fuel to stay warm this winter.. that's a whole other problem.
As far as everything else, Andrew is doing well and started with his new speech, PT and OT for the summer. No more aide, so we'll see how that works out and no more SEIT for the summer. We're sad to see all of these changes happening, but it's somethign that we have to accept and know that he will be just fine. It's just so worrying to see him have those setbacks everytime there is a change.
Matthew is doing great... still a little wild man, but doing great. He's learned how to throw a HUGE tantrum, with kicking and screaming and throwing things. They are short lived and easily diffused, but, wow, when he explodes, he explodes. It's usually when he is really tired and hungry at the same time... like when I pick them up from school and before dinner.
The boys have been really into the "Bridge to Tirbithia" movie and have been acting out the scenes in the empty wooded lot next door to our house. They swing from the grape vines and climb up the trees. It's so cute. While camping, they were ammused for hours with a rope hanging in the woods, acting out the movie scenes. They have really begun to use their imaginations just like they do in the movie. It's very cute.
So, more photos have been uploaded to picasa web albums and hopefully some time this week I can post them.

Horray...

Two things to hooray about...
FIRST, Andrew Has shown us that he has the ability to jump with both feet!! You have to realize that this is GREAT! He has never been able to clear both feet from the ground at the same time! He is so proud of his accomplishment and so are we. We see this as a HUGE step in his progress from his surgery. He tries to hop all the time now and he & Matthew have been playing hopping games on our kitchen tiles. (so cute)... To the average toddler, hopping with both feet usually happens around 4 years old. He is not too much behind but has had a really hard time with it. Matthew is not quite four yet but has been hopping for quite some time because we've been trying to "Teach" Andrew to do it. Matthew seems to catch on quite fast with things and mostly because he is observing us "teaching" Andrew to do things. Things that should come naturally to children. But since Matthew sees us, he tends to chime in that he can do it and loves to show off his skills... mostly for attention.

But anyway, the second bit of news is that Pyramids got the Revision from the State Education that they were looking for. you can read more on it at http://pyramidscdc.blogspot.com for more info. But in other words, Pyramids will be staying open and we plan to have both boys enrolled for the summer. Matthew will continue with Preschool next year there and full day child care... Andrew will be enrolled in their after school program and will get off the bus there after Kindergarten. We are so pleased that we will not have to look for other preschools or daycare. Thankfully this happened, because the other preschool that we considered enrolling Matthew next year is having some difficulties also. There has been some turmoil there surrounding a few teachers and thankfully we will not have to reconsider Again~ The boys will stay where they are for now. Hopefully Pyramids can raise some more funds to keep the programs going, since the State Education money still is not enough to keep them out of the "red" but having the revision does help offset those high costs of providing the excellent care that they do.

The boys' school...

So we've been a bit stressed out since the news that our boys' school may be in jeopardy. If you'd like to read more they have set up a blog at pyramidscdc.blogspot.com

We'd like everyone to support us and try to help our school.

Here's our dilemma. Andrew receives his physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and his Special Education Itinerant Services along with his 1:1 aide and preschool all at Pyramids. Matthew also attends pyramids as a preschool student and we utilize the all day child care they provide. The boys have been going to Pyramids since they were infants. They have become like a family to us and we really have a connection with the families and other children. Without this school there are a large number of children who will have to find other means of childcare and preschool which is not widely available in our area. Not to mention all of the children that will not be able to recieve their Special Education services. They are the only school of this kind in our area. The problem is that there is a shortage of State Ed money to fund the programs which is making it difficult for Pyramids to continue their programs. Another school BOCES here, ran the program before Pyramids did and were in debt for the last 10 years they provided service.

So now, if Pyramids is unable to provide these services, we will have to try to find other means for Andrew to receive his MUCH needed services. Services that he cannot go without. We could possibly have his services provided at home, but that would mean that one of us would have to be home for that. That would mean a huge amount of time off work. Time that we cannot afford to lose. We could possibly try to enroll him in another child care program, but that's if he can get in. All of the possible schools have a waiting list a mile long. Or at least the ones we would consider. Not only can Andrew not go without his therapy program, but it would leave us without childcare for the both Andrew AND Matthew. Matthew will have to be separated from all of his peers and will have to attend another preshcool. But our area only provides half day preschool and we would have to make sure to have someone bring him to preschool in the morning and pick him up when preschool is done. With both of us working full time, there just is no time available for us to be able to do that unless one of us does not work or can take a lot of time off. Thankfully Andrew will be starting kindergarten in the fall, but we still have to have afterschool for Andrew too, which Pyramids was where he was going to go after school.

So as you can see our dilemma. It's not even the half of our concerns! It's just a few and you cannot immagine the sadness it brings that we may have to send the boys somewhere else. We love their school and the teachers and we just dont want to have to send them somewhere else. There is no place in our area like it!

Where's the warm sun???

So far, our spring has been dry but cool. We're waiting for the temperatures to warm up. We've been able to golf a few times this spring and were able to play in a tournament last Sunday that we took 3rd in. Sean won "straightest shot" and hit closest to the line! We could have played better but with the wind and a course that only Sean has ever played once and the rest of us have never played, We did pretty well considering.

The boys are enjoying Tball and looking forward to the warmer temperatures so they can go swimming at the beach and the Grandparents' houses.

Here are some Tball photos.. click on the image to see more.

TeeBall

Spring is finally here....

We're finally seeing warmer temperatures and thankfully little rain. The boys have started Tball and this will be their second week. we'll upload video and pics soon. Andrew did really well and seemed to enjoy it. Matthew was busy running the bases over and over and never tired of it. They were all so cute with two of their little friends from the neighborhood playing with them on the same team. Their coaches are our neighbors along with Sean helping out as well as a few other parents. Coaching 3-5 year olds is pretty much impossible so it's basically teaching them the fundamentals and letting them have fun as a team.

So the March of Dimes March for Babies was a success. Our team raised almost $4000 again this year. We came really close to surpassing our goal of $4000. Thank you to everyone who contributed. Your donations are greatly appreciated and you should feel good that you made a difference. All babies should be born healthy and we'll keep walking and helping to raise money up until that happens. Unfortunately we know the heartache and pain of having a premature baby. We pray that there will come a day when all babies are born healthy AND full term.
We thank everyone who joined us and walked with us. You really showed your support and we are grateful to have you there with us.

Andrew's 5th birthday just passed. He is now 5 years old and is really becoming a grown up little boy. He's so smart and is still so bull headed! "He knows everything" and loves to make the rules. We celebrated his birthday at the March of Dimes March for Babies. We had a celebration after the walk. The kids had a blast on the playground and loved the Fantastic Four themed party fun. Of course the Pinata was a huge hit and they really loved wearing their party masks!. Wait till you see the pictures of some of the boys wearing them! We then celebrated ON his birthday as a family. Andrew wanted to go to Friendly's for dinner after school. So we went and had dinner and he got to choose his ice cream sundae! Then we came home and he opened gifts. His Favorite gift he got was his Tuxedo!! Believe it or not he really wanted one. He literally begged us for one. He wanted to put it on as soon as he got it. Now he says he's saving money for shiny shoes! He got into the tuxedo idea after watching the movie "Flushed Away" and wanted a tux like the mouse in the movie. He looks so handsome in it. Sean even ordered him a "lot" of like 40 character figurines from ebay... of course he LOVED them.

The boys' Nana & Grandpa got them a Cedar playhouse/cabin for their combined birthdays. I put it together in time for Andrew's Birthday and the boys got to see it as soon as we got home from dinner. They have been playing in it every day since. There's a little porch on it with 2 benches. There's 2 entrance doors and 2 windows with little shutters. There's even a little flower box. We plan to do some landscaping around it and have the boys plant their own flowers. The flowers they planted along the house last year have grow huge this year. They love watching them grow.

Mothers day was very nice. We had a great weekend all together. Saturday was the boys off to t-ball and I had lunch with 2 of my girlfriends. Then we went out for drinks. Mother's day we had a nice breakfast at our house with our parents and then PopPop took the boys so we could go golfing for the day with another couple. We had a beautiful day and it was just perfect.

It's Still Snowing!!!

Can you believe that we are officially in spring and it is April and it just snowed INCHES yeasterday and it is still on the ground!! The snow mostly melted a few days ago with 2 days of 40 degree weather, but then yesterday it snowed ALL DAY! There is still a few inches on the ground and hopefully it will melt by tomorrow. It's just so depressing and it feels like this weather will never end.

Today is mom's birthday so I want to wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY and hopefully she has a nice day!!! We love you mom/grandma!!

Jeremy's birthday is next week on the 13th and if I don't get on here next week, a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him too!!

Be sure to check out Andrew's blog for an update on him and updates on Matthew's blog. With Kindergarten coming for Andrew, we have a lot of prepping to do and Matthew's blog is just typical things going on with him.

By the way, we've been SMOKE FREE since February 14th!!! Feels great not to have to rely on it anymore and have it rule our lives, but I personally don't miss it much. There are only a few times a week that i feel an urge, but it passes quickly. Thanks to Chantix and the little push it gave us!!

We're on YouTube!!

You will have to check us out on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/thefavilles
I've finally been convinced to join since we are addicted to YouTube. I get lost for hours there and find some quite interesting things that just suck us in deeper and deeper. Before you know it out Saturday afternoon is shot because we've spent all day laughing, crying, "Oh my God", "that's rediculous", "that's stupid", and whatever other emotion those millions of videos can do to you. But it is addicting and now we've just joined in the madness.

First, we posted a small "movie" of the boys that we had to create of their siliness. It could be much better, but it was just basically to get something up.

We also included a few videos of the boys at the Easter Egg hunt. It was quite comical since there was still a foot of ice covered snow on the ground and really no where to hide the eggs. Our local hospital sponsors the event and provides over 10,000 eggs for area kids to collect. Sadly there are more adults interested in this event than adults who bring kids for the fun of them collecting the eggs in their baskets. Unfortunatly we live in a community that has they typical "scrubs" and lots of them. I dont mean people that you feel sorry for because they've had a rough life for many reasons, I mean people who CHOOSE not to work and CHOOOSE to collect social services and have 15 kids just so they can collect more and who hav all day to just do nothing but make this community "dirty". I'm not sterotyping, but seriously... If you were at the Easter egg hunt you would know exactly what I mean. "Trash"!!! ANYWAY, if you watch the one video of the boys, I realized after videoing that I had gotten a woman in the video "scarffing up" tons of eggs.... I would assume not for her child....
So here's the story. As we waited in the BITTER 10 degree cold and wind for the announcer to count down till egg finding, this woman with her, what looked to be 2 year old, had a soft sided basket get blown out of her hands in the wind. I graciously ran to catch the bag so that she did not have to run across the icy snow to grab it with her tiny tot. I handed her that bag and gave her a smile. Sean said "OMG, you almost killed yourself on the ice getting the basket for her"... and the "nice" in me says "well I didnt want her to have to either leave her child standing there or have to run with her to get it. that poor little girl would have nothing to collect her eggs in" Sean says "whatever"

So they do the countdown and I moved into the center more portion of the "Toddler collection" area to take some pics and video. To my surprise I caught a lot of disturbing behavior on the video. before the countdown was actually finished, this 'woman' with the little 2 yo. girl scoops her up daughter up under her arm like a sack of potatos and kneels down on the ground with TWO baskets and starts raking the eggs in by the handfuls!!! NOT the little girl, but the WOMAN! I think she missed the whole point of the easter egg hunt. I think that she missed the fact that this event is a free event for CHILDREN! Not to mention that we were in the designated TODDLER area.... Meaning that ALL the children collecting eggs there were UNDER 5. Meaning that all those children had no chance in hell of getting any eggs if that woman continued to collect eggs. Thankfully her daughter was screaming so much that they left. Meanwhile I watch the video in utter disbelief that I just helped this woman with her "flyaway basket" earlier, only to contribute to her need to collect eggs... not her little 2 year old. Sean and I joked that maybe she "Borrowed" the littel girl so she could go and collect eggs. I mean, looking at the way she scrambled to pick up those eggs, you would think that she was on some kind of game show that had filled easter eggs with $100 bills and that as many eggs as you could collect would mean more money for you! LOL. But seriously, each egg had litteraly no more than 2 tiny chocolate pieces in them. The point is for kids to have fun collecting eggs. It just sickens me that people are just so disgraceful. That they just dont care. to me that is a "SCRUB" I hope that women ends up sick and with a mouth full of cavities with all those chocolate eggs she ate!

Anway, you need to check it out for yourself.
Otherwise, we had a nice easter and the boys had a great time searching OUR house on a little egg hunt of their own. They had to find all the eggs and find the "Golden" or "silver" eggs in order to find their baskets. The special eggs had money in them which Andrew announced that he is saving his money for a tuxedo. So if anyone wants Andrew to clean up their house and help with housework and chores for moeny, he is willing because he knows that he has to earn his money that he wants to use for his tuxedo. Matthew tells us that he is saving his money for a castle and a pirate ship. He makes maps every day so he can "bury" his treasure so no one will find it.

So check out our YouTube. Hope you all had a happy easter!!

Kindergarten Registration!!!

Can you believe it is already that time?? We had Andrew's Kindergarten registration on Monday and we can't believe he will be starting in the fall. He did pretty well on his screening given all of his delays. We will be having a meeting to decide what class he will be placed in and to coordinate his IEP services in his new school. Luckily they dont see any reason he cannot attend to a regular classroom in that school. But it is still possible that he may be sent to a school further away in the same district that may be more able to accomodate his needs. We will definitely keep steady on sending him to the closer elementary school since all the children on our street will be going to the same school including Matthew when he starts school there. We also found out that another boy from Andrew's preschool will likely be in his class.
The screening went welll except that Andrew did not want to go off on his own for the evaluations. I quietly sat aside behind him just to keep him at ease and he did very well in not looking to me for answers. He was VERY cooperative with the teachers and tried to answer all of their questions as best he could. Of course he had some problems with the motor skill testing but did extremely well on the problem solving and speech areas. Our little chatter box passed those areas with flying colors. They were actually amazed at his knowledge in certain areas but that is pretty much normal for him since he has had many learning experiences that most kids have not at this age. Given his ability to "absorb" pretty much anything said or done around him and the amount of questions he asks, basically moves him above his peers in those areas.
Andrew was very excited to see the little boy from his preschool class show up at the screening and immediately put him at ease. We wished he had been there earlier in the testing so he could relax a bit more.

So we'll keep you updated on his progress for kindergarten and where he will be placed. We have a CPSE meeting with the school district board in April and will have a CSE meeting following that to decide his services for the school year in the fall.

March Madness...

Well, it is March and it's STILL snowing. Last week we had an awful storm on Saturday. We had a light snow all night that turned to rain in the morning. Not your typical rain though. This rain turned to ice almost immediately... if not frozen little pebbles of ice falling out of the sky. Then it turned to an all out ice storm. Everything was covered with sheets of ice. Instead of being trapped in a house all day, we brought the boys to a birthday party and they had a blast. By the time we left the party, all the parent's cars were covered with about 1/2 inch of ice and we had to scrape our way in! We decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at the mall and the boys enjoyed running around the mall since it was pretty much empty. We've uploaded some photos of them at the party. Matthew and the piniata.
I also got some of my tests back. My ultrasound showed that I have a 4cm and 2 other 2-21/2 cm cysts on my ovary that they are keeping an eye on that will hopefully disolve on their own without actually bursting. They think that is what's causing the pain. Second, my blood work showed that I was not just low on iron but my TIBC (Total Iron Binding Capacity) was high which indicates an iron deficiency. Then the doctor called me yesterday to refer me to a gastrointerologist (sp) (GI). Se is concerned about the unexplained rapid weight gain, pain and other test results. She is wondering if it is "digestive" related. So more tests to come.

On a positive note, We are SMOKE FREE, One Month Today!!! Don't feel any different except in the wallet. Otherwise, our tension levels are of course elevated a bit but not too bad considering two "quitters" in the house! We are so proud of ourseleves. We all went out to a nice dinner tonight and the boys were great and on their best behavior! Kinda a little celebration! I know I barely think of it anymore and we've actually motivated a few other people we know to quit too. A total of 4 other people I work with are or have started quitting. Only one of them is doing it cold turkey! Good for her!

Another positive note, Matthew no longer snores!! IT's true, The surgery DID make a huge difference. Again, no snoring, sleeping better, no signs of apnea anymore and he seems like a much happier child. He no longer drools like he did, no more stuffy snotty noses, no more heavy breathing, no more bad breath, His voice is much clearer and understandable and no more chewing on things like he shirt collar and sleeves. Overall, having his tonsils and adenoids out was a great decision and His ENT dr is amazing. We're so glad he recommended it for Matthew.

Andrew is coming up on his Kindergarten Pre-Screening Next Tuesday. We'll let you all know how that goes. Ta Ta for now. Have a good weekend!

I hope you enjoyed the videos of the "walmart boys"!!

Is no news good news?

So I got my blood work back yesterday... and apparently all is well with my blood. Unfortunately, that does not answer why I feel so horrible and why there is still billiruben in my urine. Not just that, but the increase in pain not just abdomonally but my back and right side is in pain too. My dr sent me to have a CT Scan done right away wondering if there was appendicitis brewing or if there might be some other thing like a kidney or gall stone.. but there was nothing. Although the dr did not have the complete report, it was good there were no stones or apendicitis. She did say that when she examined me that the it was as if my abdomen was filled with fluid, but she cant say for sure since she did not see the full CT scan report. Until she gets that and has the Ultrasound report done on Monday, she may be able to give me some more answers. She said that if there were anything like simple abdomonal fluid floating around or something like an ovarian cyst, that they may not translate that in the preliminary report to her since fluid and cysts are considered normal since they are so common. Any of those things may be causing the pain and bloating feelings, but still may not be explaining the billiruben in my urine. So, we'll find out more on Monday. For now I will be just taking it easy with some pain meds and just trying to relax. Maybe it is just a long strange viral thing happening.... but otherwise I feel fine. No other signs of the "flu". Actually, no one in the house has even been sick this winter *** Knock on wood ***
Although Andrew had a really rough day today. He was so touchy and "sad" today. He fell asleep in the shopping cart while we were out doing groceries. And was just completely miserable today. He almost couldnt wait to go to bed tonight and relax. We got the kids some new movies that they got to choose, but they both zonked out tonite. Matthew on the other hand was pretty much a complete angel today. We got Andrew a few new clothes for school and Matthew a new Leapster since he is always stealing Andrew's and they fight over it all the time. I wish they came in different colors though. (other than pink or green) But I guess we'll have to find another way to distinguish them.

WEll our movie is starting . bye bye!
We'll see on Monday!

"Strange" NEWS..

Ok so the weather is acting up again. We had a beautiful 40+ degree day yesterday and it looked as if spring was on it's way... but wouldn't you know they are calling for MORE SNOW!!! This time the snow started this morning and is expected to continue until tomorrow around 7pm. In our area they are expecting up to 36 inches of snow!! It started this morning as a light snow and continued all day and was melting as it reached the roads but made walkways slippery. By the time we were home from work it has now started to get colder and now it is snowing pretty steady and starting to accumulate now. I think we have about 4 inches now that has not melted. So we will be watching for the school closings in the morning. Hopefully they will stay on top of the plowing and keep the roads clear. No matter what, Sean & I have to work. Heaven forbid someone didn't get their newspaper or packages! Why couldn't one of us be a teacher!?!?!

So on to some more news....
After taking the Chantix for a month now, Sean & I Have quit Smoking! We even had a true test this weekend since we went to a casino, gambled, had a drink or two and dealt with all the smokers around us without even having so much as one puff! We did it!! And all without really "craving" one! :) :)

But the downside is that I have been EXTREMELY tired lately. To the point where I have slept entire days only to get up to go to the bathroom~ Sean, a bit worried, mentioned to me that there should be some reason. I just kept saying the the Chantix says it may cause drowsiness. Sean says "drowsiness" not "Comotose" (sp?) I called the dr and made an appointment after realizing that I've been having very strange feelings the last few weeks. Extreme fatigue, frequent urination, achiness, headaches and just a sense of "daze". The last few days I've had a strange pelvic pain and decided it was time to get a dr opinion. I explained the pelvic pain as a sort of mild pressure like ones I would have when I had "braxton hicks contractions" during my pregnancies. When I got there the dr immediately did a urine test. One for pregnancy and one for a Urinary tract infection and guess what.... Pregancy was negative!! (ha ha, thought I would say positive didn't you??! LOL) no, all joking aside, no pregnancy and no UTI, but the test did show billirubin in my urine which is an indicator of liver function problems. Meaning that the Chantix needs to be stopped immediately. Dr said this could explain the fatigue, the achiness, pelvic pain etc. So she sent me for more blood work and will be scheduling an ultrasound also. With my history of ovarian cysts, they want to rule out anything like that also. They will also be looking for gall stones, polyps etc. But she is really thinking it is the Chantix causing some liver dysfunction and that stopping it will clear it up on it's own. I had planned on having my cholesterol re checked but she told me to hold off till this comes back first. So now I will have to go it alone without the Chantix while Sean happily takes his "magic pill". Hopefully it will have been long enough to stay smoke free and do it on my own now since cravings are all gone anyway. It really does get easier every day and pretty soon we will have no idea what we were thinking. But it does make it easier that I have done it on my own without meds before and I can do it now. But before it was different. And it was really hard not to start again when Sean was still smoking. So the trick is to keep him smoke free! Any advice to us greatly appreciated.

So, we'll see what the snow brings for us tomorrow and pray that all my aches and pains will subside soon!

We'll keep you updated!

SMOKE FREE....

So we have been smoke free for almost 1 week!! Feeling a little sluggish but we're sure it will pass and it is all worth it. The withdrawal was minimal, but the "habits" are hard to break. Sometimes it just feels like you are forgetting something especially when you leave the house. It has even become so much of a habit to have a lighter in our pockets, that we find them end up there all the time. It's all just a reminder of how our lives were ruled by them. So our official quit date was February 14th, Valentines day. A day that will be easier to remember. We do not celebrate Valentine's day since we both agree that there should not have to be a holiday to remind each other to say "I love you". We feel it should be a part of EVERY day life. It's receiving flowers or a card on the random days that makes us awwe even more. The unexpected signs of love to keep us going. Those are the best reminders, not some silly holiday that some believe has nothing to do with love, but of death. here's an interesting link... http://www.crewsnest.vispa.com/valentine.htm
So anyway, so we will be celebrating "quit day" from now on!
It's a lot of work but it's worth hearing something like Andrew just said to me this morning "mommy, you smell like the laundry" I laughed and he said, "no like the dryer".... It's nice to know that I smell like the fabric softener in our clothes than the smoke from cigarettes! We have noticed that certain piecies of clothing and jackets still smell, so we will have to get them cleaned and rid them of that nastiness!

Aside from that, we've been trying to eat healthier and rid our bodies of toxins. I know, a long stretch in this day in age... but we are really going to try to eat more sensible. It's been hard with all the temptations, and having the boys who love their "snacks"... but we've been trying to encourage the healthier snacks which Andrew does not have an issue with... he just loves any food, but Matthew is a junk food junkie and will do anything to get a piece of chocolate, cookie or candy. But we're trying to stand our ground and detest the junk.

This weather has got to stop!

Ok, so we've been snowed in AGAIN!!! Our weather man screwed up the weather last night!! Last Friday they predicted a HUGE Ice Storm. If anyone remembers there was an awful icestorm about 10 years ago that shut down the area with fallen trees and power lines for weeks. So with the prediction and cautions from state officials and weatherpeople, everyone got nervous. Last week was much warmer than it has been in months and just about all of our snow melted. We were finally seeing some tips of grass here and there in areas of the yard that we shoveled. Spring seemed to finally be on the way... then Thursday night got cold. It snowed through the night a little and was mixed with rain, then it started to rain and semi-freeze as it struck. But we saw no school closing for the boys and it seemed as though it would be a typical day. We dropped the boys off and slid our way to work... but it seemed to be turning to more rain as time passed. Then I got a call from the boys' school... they were sending them home and closing all local schools and that local businesses would be closing also. Even the Newspaper were sending people home... that NEVER happens. Even without power, there somehow has to be a newspaper or people freak out! So the boys' Nana & Grandpa picked them up at school. Unfortunately since I lived the closest of all my co-workers other than someone who walks to work, I agreed to stay longer to finish things up so that the others could make their way home before it got too bad out. We made our way home safely and watched as the rain turned to ice on everything. It still did not warrant school closing halfway through the day though! The worst of the storm was overnight and we were prepared if the power went out. We had our flashlights, gas stove and TONS of cereal (anyone with a child knows that you have lots of cereal!) Of course we had the essentials like bottled water, bread, etc. So we would be fine. I actually thought it would be some fun to be without power and be "unplugged" for a day. But it didnt happen and come morning all was fine.
The rest of the weekend warmed up and the ice melted. The beginning of this week was normal except for the occasional snow fall. But last night we were expected to have accumulated about 4 inches... BIG NO THERE... We woke up to about 6 inches and had to shovel and snow blow our way out this morning. Of course all the public schools were closed, but the boys' school was thankfuly open. It took us about an hour to get them there and they only go to school a block away from us. It woudl have been faster to walk... maybe not safer though since there was nowhere to walk with so much snow. They hadn't even plowed our road. I got stuck in the road by our driveway and again at the end of the road going onto the main road to school. Only about 6 houses down! When we finally got on the main road we were fine. So we dropped the kids at school and had a fairly normal day. But it snowed ALL Day!! I think we just got dumped another foot of snow and it is finally tapering off now a 10pm. They predict more snow on & off until next week. ughh. I am so ready for spring.

BTW Andrew LOVES the snow and was SOOO excited to see it this morning. Matthew all of a sudden does NOT like the snow because he gets cold. He's always had cold hands and feet even as a baby... he turns blue after a bath or changing his clothes. So he is really ready for spring. Although we're not looking forward to the mud!

Sean doesnt care either way. He doesnt mind the snow but just hates when his truck gets stuck. He goes to work no matter what and so do I. Unfortunately neither of us has a job that would close if there was bad weather. Everyone needs their morning newspaper and their UPS packages delivered. Those customers expect their service even if it were dangerous for us to make that happen.

Chantix....

Just a little note to let you all know that we both started taking Chantix... the stop smoking medicine. It is suppose to be a "wonder" drug to assist with quitting smoking. We have both gotten to the place in our lives that we know it's time to quit. I've quit a few times in the past and have just not been able to get over that hump. It makes it especially hard that Sean smokes and it's difficult to stick with it on my own. At this point it is actually really embarrasing that we smoke and have children. Years ago it was so common that no one batted an eye. But now, you are looked at as a bad parent if you smoke and they assume that you smoke in your house and car and are blowing it in their face. But we gave up smoking in the car and house before we even had kids or were even married. We did that when we had friends that had kids and when my nephew Kamden was on the way to being born.

So here's hoping this will work. So far it seems to be helping. We were told that when we start taking the pills that it will be about 2 weeks before the full dose kicks in and does what it is suppose to. Right now we are on week 2 and have a quit date set for next Monday, February 11th. Hopefully it will be a monumental day for us. A day we will remember forever as the day we took our lives back. For a $10 copay prescription a month for 2 months... it's worth a try.

We've heard good and bad about the drug but our doctors are monitoring us and we feel that it really is helping only a week & a half into it. It seems to help curb the nicotine craving for real. It's almost as if you forgot that you haven't had a cigarette until you look at the clock and hours have past and you havent even though about it. The hardest thing really is trying to break the habits. Today at work I didn't even really want a cigarette until I poured myself a cup of coffee this afternoon and realized how much I loved my coffee and cigarette... but then I looked outside and saw all that blustering snow and sleet and then found myslef not even wanting to bother... instead I made my way back to my desk and went back to work. Suddenly I found the day was over and I hadnt had a cigarette. It's amazing... so far.

So we will update our progress and hopefully you all could offer us some encouraging words to help us along. Wish us luck and strength. Now maybe we can afford to go to Disney next year with all the money we will save!!

Baby it's cold!!

It was a long week for us. The temperatures have dropped and the wind chill has kicked in. Last week it was warm enough to melt most of the snow along with some rain... but this week was downright cold with temperatures dipping into the single digits. Matthew went back to school for the full week and is pretty much back to normal now... although his voice has changed, we are happy so far with the results of his surgery. He has barely snorred since the mucous that was caused by the surgery has gone away. He has been sleeping much better this week, hardley waking up at all except when he had the 24 hour stomach bug. Ughhh, spaghetti & meatballs on cream carpet... not easy to get out.

Sean froze his buns off this week at work delivering in the extreme cold in Lake Placid. I had a long week at work since a co-worker had surgery, so I had to fill in the evening shifts that he normally works along with my regular hours. Lots of overtime this week and I feel like I've barely seen Sean or the boys.

Today Sean went to pick up our treadmill for Andrew to do therapy on, so he was gone all day 2 hours south of us to pick it up. He and a friend visited a furniture store while there so it took longer than expected. (imagine two men furniture shopping together! LOL) Anyway, Andrew loved getting onto the treadmill at full incline and even attempted to run on it. He did really well and hopefully I can find the time to get on it myself. With all this cold weather outside it is not very motivating to get out and get some exercise. With my Cholesterol through the roof, my doctor is looking to me to get it down with diet and get some exercise (real exercise... not chasing kids around) to help keep my heart healthy. I've turned to eating honey nut cheerios and granola as snacks instead of chips, and am trying the new smoothie by "Promise" that says it will help lower cholesterol. So we'll see how it goes at my follow up visit in February. If it does not come down with diet & exercise they will try some meds.

Speaking of meds, we'll be starting on Chantix this week.... things may be a bit rough for a while around here but in our hearts we know that it will be worth it! Sean smokes about 2 packs a day and it is time to quit! We're looking for all the support we can get and pray that this will be something that actually works for us. We're in this together and have a lot of support from co-workers & friends but anyone else out there that can offer up some advice, feel free to leave a message.

He's BAAACK

So Matthew is back! It's amazing how kids can bounce back so fast! He's on an eating frenzy and his energy is back. He seems to not be having any side effects of the surgery at all. Over the weekend we went to his friend Owen's birthday party and ate a whole plate of pancakes after eating a bowl of cereal before we left. He basically munched all day long and enjoyed apples, bananans and peaches as his afternoon snack... then ate a full dinner! Even though he is still a little picky eater (only wanting Michellini's Wheels & Cheese, Chicken Nuggets and Peanut Butter, Jelly & Fluff) he is at least eating in quantity. Hopefully he will change his eating behaviors soon. I'm sure it will all pass eventually, but he does enjoy the healthier snacks like fruit and yogurt. So I guess it's not all bad. He does eat healthy at school, so that is a plus.... we dont feel as bad knowing that he eats the organic foods and veggies at school.
His voice has changed since the surgery and for the first time he has slept 2 nights in a row without waking up for one reason or another and has (so far) not snored in 2 nights! He seems much happier in the morning the last few days...up until this morning when it was time to go to school. Unfortunately, Andrew & Matthew have seemed to switch bodies! Andrew is happy to go to school without many complaints and is so much easier going than Matthew. Matthew used to love school but ever since his surgery, he does not want to go to school. Hopefully this will pass. But over the last few months he has been a little brat complaining about everything and has showed signs of separation anxiety... something that has NEVER bothered him before. Maybe it's just a little late coming on than most kids. The preschool teachers note that a lot of children go through this at this age. I guess it is age appropriate for him to be feeling this way, but he was always so easy going before, that it has taken us by a bit of a surprise since we had no idea that it would happen to him. I guess it is normal and healthy, so we'll just grit our teeth and chug on through this just like all the other obstacles of parenting!

Andrew apparently only had a little bug. After throwing up that night, he has been fine since. He is feeling fine now but started with the sniffles over the weekend. I guess it's to be expected this time of year and we've been lucky with the both of them since they have not been sick at all this winter so far. So, I guess that this is to be expected now. Sean's not feeling well either with a bit of a cold coming on and with the weather being below zero or teetering on it, he is freezing his buns off today at work. So we've been running the humidifier all day and night and are hoping to get through this with out any missed school or work. It's about to be a busy week for me since I will have to cover for someone that will be out of work due to his surgery and have to stay late a few nights this week along with being on call.

Otherwise, we had a great weekend... Friday night, my parents came to watch the boys and we enjoyed a night out for a change. We went to a local pub and had munchies and drinks, played some pool and then went bowling. It's been a long time since we've been bowling and I must say... For everyone who knows Sean, he is very competitive... I OUT BOWLED HIM!! He'll hate me for this but his first game he only bowled 86!!! I bowled a 175 (somewhere around there)!! It's amazing I cant remember exactly the score but all I know is that I beat him and he'll never live it down now! He did beat me the second game but overall total... I still WON! LOL.
Anyone reading this will have to help me rub it in!

sorry for the update delay....

Matthew is recovering well now. I guess he just needed those bags of fluid to help kick start his recovery. It still was not fun, but needed. Thank you to everyone's well wishes and cards. Thank you to our friends and neighbors for the "get well treats". Matthew realized that Jello is now his favorite food! (If you can call it food)

His first day back to school was yesterday and it was rough getting him out the door. He was afraid to leave the house... Afraid to be in pain... Afraid to eat... and has become afraid of even sleeping. He's afraid that if he falls asleep that he will wake up in pain. He's gotten better sleep last night but still is afraid to sleep since he knows that his throat will hurt more when he wakes up. but as soon as he gets up and moving, drinks a bit, he feels much better. School for him today was much better. It was still like pulling teeth to get him out of the house to school. But again, as soon as he was there he was fine. Yesterday he fell asleep on the playground and almost again in his bowl of soup! But after his nap, I picked him up a bit earlier and he was happy to get home again.

THEN we thought Andrew was playing games with us saying the he was "sick". We though he was acting jealous. He ate dinner fine and an after dinner snack... had his bath and played a bit. The whole time he kept saying "ouch" and saying his tummy hurt. We told him that we were not playing games and to just go to bed. About 10 minutes later.... he vomited all over his bed!! I guess he was not joking! We sanitized his room and bathed him and he went right to bed after that. Apparently it must have just been a little bug, because he woke up in the morning and asked for breakfast and ate a whole bowl of cereal and oatmeal... went to school and ate there too without any problems. He didnt even mention that he was sick today... Although he loves to tell his "throw up" story to anyone who will listen.

So that's been our last few days and we'll post again soon. For now... I'll try to get SOME sleep.

We were back in the hospital yesterday....

Unfortunately, our little Matthew was not doing so well today. He ended up in the ER because he could not get any fluids in or hold anything that he did get in, down. His ENT thought it was best if we went to the ER to get him rehydrated since it is crucial to his recovery that he stay hydrated.

Although he was acting semi-normal last night, the lidocane they had placed during surgery in his throat had apparently worn off by about 4pm. He was still doing ok until about 6 or 7 after eating donut holes and drinking everything in sight. He fell asleep and woke up at about 11pm and we gave him another dose of tylenol w/codene. Then about every hour he was up and crying. They crying irritated him more, he couldnt drink and would not keep down the meds for the pain. All morning he would not drink even if forced to drink. He had not urinated since the day before in the hospital before we left. So that was our first clue that he was dehydrated. He was really lethargic and wouldnt move. The ENT's office told us to go to the ER and that they would call to let them know that we were on our way and that all he would need was IV fluids and pain meds.

When we got there about 12pm we waited about 20 minutes before even being checked in. I told them that I didnt want him to be exposed to the other 20 sick patients in the ER. So they took us back until he could get processed through. They finally took him to an ER room by about 1pm. Apparently it was no use that the ENT's office called to tell them we were coming. It was 2 1/2 hours before I finally told them that we would not wait anymore. Unfortunatley Matthew's ENT's office was in a hospital that was about and 1 1/2 away in another state. Or else we would have gone there and they would have treated him immediately.

Our ER is horrible. I HATE going there. I asked what the hold up was if we were wating for a Ped. or ENT and they said there were 8 people ahead of him that their charts were not even looked at!! I told them that all he needed was IV fluids and pain meds but they said that he could not have it until the dr. saw him. I asked if it were possible to send him up to pediatrics and they said he could not go there unless he was admitted. I asked how that could happen and they said that his ped or ENT would have to approve it. So I told them, show me a phone and I'll make it happen.
At this point matthew was pretty much incoherent and was really starting to worry me. Meanwhile the man behind the curtain in our room was hacking up a lung, there was a young girl in the hallway going on a rampage and there were people screaming in pain etc. Matthew had told me that all them were scaring him. So that was it. As soon as I got up to go call his ped to get him processed faster, they came in to finally give him an IV. So now we had to stay. It took 3 people to hold him down to give him the IV. It was aweful. They just poked and poked and could not get a line in. They decided to try his other arm. That poor kid was so wiped out and now they were poking him full of needles and didnt even know how to pick a child. Not to mention that he was dehydrated so it was harder to get a line in. THEN they decide to give him a tylenol suppository and do a rectal temperature!! I was FURIOUS. THere was no need to get his temp since it was obvious that he had a temp since he just had surgery and if they were going to give him tylenol there was no reason to get a temp. AND if they were giving him IV fluids, I asked them why they could not just put something in his iv. They told me that it's because they have not been able to master how to create tylenol for the IV! DUH, use something else!

So finally, matthew was able to rest. Grandma came by to help me out. The doctor finally came in to look at him and it was by then 4pm!! He tried to force Matthew's mouth open to take a look at his throat to be sure he was not bleeding... which to me was a waste of time because we would have seen the blood in his drooling mouth since he could not swallow. Luckily he was gentle or he would have gotten a piece of my mind. He agreed that after the fluids and urinating, that he would be a lot better off... DUH! Imagine if we had to wait unitl it was 4pm before he got his IV. That poor kid.
Then Nana & Grandpa came to visit too. A short time later Sean showed up. He left work to come home and another driver helped him out, having to have gone through the same thing with his daughter.

A little while later he finally perked up and said he was feeling better after they gave him some morphine. He decided that he wanted to drink and finally go pee! He at some ice and a popsicle and promised that he would take his medicines and drink so we could go home.

He was doing 100 times better by the time we left. Now we will push every drop of fluid in and we've been telling him that we dont want to go back there so he HAS to keep drinking and taking his medicine. So far, so good.

Things went well today.

So we got up at and left the house this morning at 4:30am. Nana came over to bring Andrew to school so that we could leave for the hospital. We got there about 6:45 for registration. Matthew was still very tired so he was quiet. The staff moved him in quickly since he was not able to eat or drink before surgery. He was excited to play with all the toys, games and coloring books and markers they had for him to use. He was really great about all the nurses and doctors buzzing around. I think it helped to have him exposed to hospitals and doctors with Andrew while he was in St. Louis. He was not nervous at all. I also think that since this was a breeze surgery compared the Andrew's SDR, that we were not giving off any nervous vibes. Although we knew that having his adenoids out was easy, we have no idea what to expect from him having tonsils out. Dr. Hubbell told us what to expect and how he may react after surgery and during recovery. He went in for his surgery at 7:40am and they had to really increase the anesthetic to get him to give in. He drifted off easily without a wimper. at 8:15, the Dr came and told us that Matthew's Tonsils and Adenoids were huge and that knowing how large they were that he believes this will be a great help to matthew's health by having them out. Less Sinus problems, easing the apnea (hopefully) and maybe altering his behaviors for the better since he will be much more rested. He explained something about people that have breathing issues can become irritable over a long period of time and eventually it catches up with you causing moodiness and eventually cognitive problems down the road if not addressed early. It's been known that breathing problems do something to the oxygen makeup in the body and can alter behaviors... so sometimes children that have these problems fixed early can stop those behaviors before they get out of control. We've all known that Matthew is a little devil child but lately he has been just unreal. Seems like it was within the time he started preschool. We just assume it is a preschool thing, but after hearing what the dr told us we all seem to think that it is a chain reaction to things.

So after he came into recovery we waited about 15 minutes for him to weak up. He just suddenly sat up and said "Where's my chocolate Ice cream?" LOL. So the nurse got it for him along with some juice. After about 5 bites of ice cream and a few sips of juice, he said his tummy hurt and he threw it all up. Right after he fell asleep for about 4 hours. They let him sleep until the extra Phetenol wore off and gave him some Zofran for nausea. By about noon they said if he didnt wake up that they would give him something to counteract the Phetenol. About 12:15 he just jumped up again and said all wide eyed and smiling "I feel better... who took my chocolate ice cream?" We immediately knew he was snapping out of it. I went to the gift shop and got him some balloons and stuff and by the time I came back, they were ready to release him! So we left there at about 1pm.

The trip home was interesting. There are very high winds and we knew the ferry ride home was going to be a trip and a half. We ran into the mall food court quick to grab some lunch for the road and of course there was a Dunkin Donuts there. Matthew decided that he wanted chocolate donut holes. So we said yes. We figured if he wants to eat it, he can have it. Dr said that ANY food or drink was fine until he could get back to a regular diet in about a week. He said the first day would be the easiest.
Then we had to take some photos and video that I will try to post later of the Extrememly HIGH waves on the lake while we were on the ferry home. It was the biggest waves I have ever seen on the lake... that I remember. Matthew loved it. We thought for sure he would throw up. He held tight to his donuts and kept saying he would save them for later. He didnt even try to eat them.

We got home safe and sound and rented a few movies for him to watch while he rested.
About 20 minutes after being home he decided he wanted something to eat and tried to eat a donut hole.... he realized quickly that he was going to be in pain when he ate. We realized that the lidocane that they put in the surgery site was probably worn off. So we decided to give him his first AWFUL dose of tylenol codene. YUK. But he did swallow it. After about 20 min. of that he decided to give eating a try again. He ate an ice cream cup and a half container of pudding snack pack and decided to give the donuts a whirl again... It worked this time! He gobbled down 5 donut holes no problem... Hopefully he can keep up the eating and get well fast.

So in all, it was such a smooth day. Except for the nauseating ferry rides and waiting for him to wake up in the PACU for 4 hours. We were thinking that they were going to have to admit him but luckily he snapped out of it. We were exhausted from having to get up so early.

Hopefully we can all get to bed early tonight and maybe tomorrow wont be that bad for Matthew like they say. They say the first few days are good then it goes downhill before it gets better. Wish us luck and wish him well.

Long day tomorrow...

We will be off to have Matthew's Surgery. He is having his tonsils and adenoids out. Hopefully this will help with his sleep apnea, eating, and ability to swallow better. Mostly we hope that it will help the apnea but also hopeful that it will help prevent him from the sinus colds he gets all the time. No ear infection history, but his breathing is the main concern for the surgery. Wish him well and pray for a quick recovery. They said it will be pretty nasty for the next few weeks with little eating and that we need to at least push the fluids. I'm sure he will be happy to eat ice cream for the next few days as his main diet!

His surgery is scheduled for 7:25am. We have to be there at 6am so we will have to leave the house by 4:30am to get there in time for check in and preop. Matthew is not allowed to eat any breakfast in the morning or even to eat anything. This should be interesting. He is the type of boy that wakes up in the morning and immediately wants breakfast. It's his favorite meal of the day and he usually has one breakfast at home in the morning and then again at school at 8am. So this will be a good test at how well we can distract him!

The surgery should take about an hour from the time he goes in to the time he will be transferred to PICU. They said it should be expected that he will be able to go home within a few hours after surgery as long as he can keep down a certain level of fluids. They also told us that it is not uncommon for children to have to stay longer because it is taking them longer to recover. Some even end up there for the night to get fluids. Then we have to make it home on the 1 1/2 hr ride along with a 45min ferry ride! Should be interesting. They said that kids have a tendancy to vomit following anethstesia and not to mention that he will be in pain and the area wher the tonsils and adenoids were removed will be an open wound that will most likely bleed. SOOO we're going prepared with blankets, extra clothes, baggies for soiled things and a lot of patience! At least they are honest with what we can expect right??
We'll keep you all posted. I plan to bring my laptop for entertainemtn for Matthew to be able to play on Noggin & Playhouse Disney and watch movies to distract him, so hopefully I will get a chance to check in.

Love, Mel & Sean

travel time...

What a tiring weekend we had. As most of you know, my Uncle Jim passed away just before Christmas. We decided to attend the memorial service for him in New Jersey this weekend. So we all packed up and headed down. Uncle Jim was my mother's brother.

We arrived at my Aunt Barbara & Uncle John's home in New Jersey late on Friday night. Andrew & Matthew slept the whole way there but when we arrived there, Matthew was ready to party. He finally went to bed at about 2am. Andrew on the other hand, was out for the count. We got up the next morning and visited for a bit before packing up and heading to the Memorial service. The service was great, if you can say that about a memorial service. It was held at a theatre, which is something that my Uncle was passionate about... the arts. There, we spent time listening to all of the Eulegies (sp?) about his life. His sons, my cousins, wife, first wife, friends and collegues gave wonderful remembrances of his life and their times spent together. It brought back many memories of my own of times spent with them. We recalled some interesting, fun trips we had taken, countless hours of games and conversation. He was an amazing, talented, fun, loving man who will be dearly missed. After the service, we all gathered to get caught up in what we've all been up to. It was really nice to see that side of my family again since it's been years since we've gathered like that. Like they say, the only times families really get together is weddings and funerals. Unfortunately, that later was the case here.

So we made the long trip home last night and didnt get in until about 4am. Luckily the boys slept in this morning till about 8am so we could get at least a few hours of sleep. Needless to say, today will be a quiet day for us.

slideshow...

Here's a little christmas eve and day slideshow for you all to view. By clicking on one of the photos, it will bring you to our Picasa Web Albums. There you can view the videos and even order prints.

These photos were taken Christmas Eve at Sean's Parent's house, and Our house and more photos of Christmas day.

We had a GREAT Christmas and the Boys were Awesome... Except Matthew was a bit sick on Christmas day with a fever and was only slightly excited for Christmas.

Enjoy the slideshow.

Our First Post of the New Year...

This is our introductory post. If you check back here often we will be posting random thoughts, jeers, and little things going on in our lives. Sean AND Mel will be posting, so be prepared for all of you who know Sean, that some posts may just be literally "random thoughts" and comments. LOL. We will most likely post links to newly uploaded photos and videos, mostly of the boys, but we'll really try to keep things in general. Don't forget that the boys both still have their blogs up and going, so make sure you still check those often for their personal pages for themselves. We hope you enjoy these pages and be sure to stay in touch.

Love, Mel & Sean