Caught Between Two Couches.

The clutter corner has remained clean but proved problematic for Ronan today. I had to put laundry away so I put up our massive gate to keep him from getting into trouble. At least that was the idea. He was blocked in the living room area where there was nothing he could get into and just had some toys to keep him occupied.As I was placing the last of Jadzia's pjs in her drawer I heard this frustrated scream rising from downstairs. I dropped my basket and bolted in desperate need to get to my distressed child. When I turned the corner into the living room I stopped and evaluated the best method to release Ronan from his predicament. His head was wedged firm between the two couches. His legs were forward as though he had been sitting up but his face was flat on the ground and his head was stuck solid. He was folded in half ( not uncommon for Ronan). He was whimpering at this point and I gently pulled to see if I could get him out to no success. I pushed the love seat to the side and his head was free.
I picked him up and scrutinized every inch of his head to make sure he wasn't injured. More than anything I think it hurt his feelings. He looked up at me with his Ronan pout. The Ronan pout is patented uniquely to Ronan because I have never seen a cuter pout in my life. I snuggled him on my shoulder and he reached up with a thank you kiss on my cheek. The pout faded and I was greeted with a huge smile of relief. The picture below was not taken today but a few moths ago but I thought it demonstrates effectively how adorable the Ronan pout is. New clothes means new photo shoot. This is a monumental undertaking and one I freely torture myself with way too often. Our sessions usually go something like this. "Every body sit on the couch." "Why?" "Because mommy needs a new picture of all of you together." "Why?" "Because it makes mommy happy to memorialize how you look currently." "What's memorialize?" Why do I have the ever increasing need to increase their vocabulary? I had this brief thought as I tried to find a definition to describe memorialize that would not bring on a dozen other questions. "Just sit on the couch so we can get a picture.""Jadzia quit squishing Inara's face! Xander quit making that face, Landon worry about yourself not everybody else! Someone grab Ronan before he face plants off the couch! Inara don't cry, baby. " These are words that spill from my mouth at every photo shoot I do. At the time I become flustered because it is rarity to find a picture where they are all looking forward. After all is said and done and I finally give up in acceptance of the fact with 5 that are 5 and under there probably isn't going to be the perfect picture. I scan them onto my computer and as I view the pictures it hits me. The chaos is beautiful. I have captured moments in my children's lives that reveal them being themselves and interacting with each other.
If all I ever captured was the perfect picture I would miss the intense fascination Ronan has towards which ever sibling he is sitting next to. I would miss out on the comfort Jadzia tries to bring to her sister to ease Inara's crying and I would miss Inara's wonderful array of facial expressions. I would not have noticed to what degree Landon goes to to make sure all his siblings are not in need of anything or the subtlety of Xander's comedic skills emerging. Who needs the perfect picture? I'll take the beautiful chaos.

Diet Overhaul

Isaac was out with some friends last night and I was at home unsure of what to do. Since I was caught up with everything I decided I should watch the documentary Food Inc. This film had been recommended to me by about four people in the last few weeks. I began watching and the more I got into the film the more horrifying everyday food products became. I won't go into details because some people don't want to know where there food comes from and are content with their food being a mystery. Some people believe that ignorance is bliss and I believe if you really want to know then you should watch Food Inc yourself and do the research. Mainly because me telling you won't have as much impact as you taking the time to watch this for yourself. If you do not have access to Netflix to watch the film and still really want to know then feel free to message me for details.

The part that brought me to tears was when they gave a statistic. Researchers believe that 1 in 2 children born after the year 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime due to the way our foods are made and ingredients in the food. This film is an eye opener and now I find it vital to know the facts.

This morning I talked to Isaac "I watched Food Inc last night." He stopped and turned around instead of heading upstairs "I know I saw your Facebook status." I told him that I had found a store that sells local organic food and I wanted him to check it out with me. A bit reluctantly he agreed. I'm not sure if it was my pleading eyes or the fact he realized by the level of my enthusiasm that the subject would be brought up until he agreed to at least look with me. He agreed we'd go in the evening and at least see what all this store entailed.
Afternoon was all about Landon and his pants that were beginning to edge their way to his knees. My mom went along with us shopping and Landon now has all new clothes. I'm really not sure if my children are out of the ordinary but they get just as excited over new clothes as they would new toys. I also picked an outfit for each of the others so they wouldn't feel left out.When we returned we headed over to the organic store. I really shouldn't have chosen maple syrup as the first item to look at. I about fell over at the $45 price tag. I was unsure if we would be able to afford anything in the store but after a bit more searching I realized maple syrup was the only item inflated to that degree. Isaac picked out things he thought he would like and found a healthy pizza and agreed to give it a try. We had an entire cart full of the weeks groceries as we checked out. As the clerk scanned our items Isaac talked about how he needs to watch Food Inc now since we are spending so much on organic foods. The clerk jumped in and said "Yes, that movie is an eye opener everyone should watch it." Isaac laughed a little and fiddled with the magazines "I don't know I think I might watch it and then say let's go to Arbys."

I held my breath as the last item was scanned, awaiting the total. I was surprised it wasn't that bad at all, barely more than we usually spend. When we got home the kids were jumping up and down yelling "Let's eat healthy food!" The whole family is on board and 2 out of 3 of the big kids even liked the healthy candy bars we had for dessert.

Boys and Flu shots

Today was flu shot day for the three boys. Jadzia had already received her flu shot which if you read my blogs you might remember that she became sick for the 24 hours following her shot. I was a little reluctant to get the boys' their shots but their Dr. insisted it was coincidence that Jadzia got sick. Their Dr. said that the flu would have caused respiratory symptoms and not vomiting. I was still somewhat unsure but after hearing from Ronan's pulmonologist I decided it had to be done.
The Pulmonologist said that Ronan and all those living in the home should get a flu shot. Ronan is susceptible to severe complications from the flu because of his asthma and other health concerns. With all of this in mind we headed into the doctor's. I waited for a time that Isaac would come with me because I knew we'd have at least one fighter. With adrenaline pumping my boys seem to become gladiators.

Landon was first and was oddly jumping up and down with excitement for his shot. That is until he actually had to lay on the table and felt the coolness of the alcohol rubbing against his skin. "Is it going to hurt?" He quivered and I knew the fact that he'd just had four shots a few months ago that he should have known. I guess he was just hoping we would say no and mean it. The nurse gave him his shot and he let out a little bewildered "Oh" and then sat up in relief.

Next was Xander. Anyone remember the dentist and Xander? If you do you will know Xander does not take well to situations in which he thinks pain will be involved. He is MR. Tough guy when he's sick or hurt and often won't admit pain. But for some reason when he is facing the prospect of potential pain he melts. Upon seeing Landon squirm he tried to bolt and I spotted him against the far wall shaking his head and about ready to spill tears. Isaac got firm "Xander now!" Reluctantly Xander obeyed his dad and climbed onto the table. At this point he must have decided he'd made a bad choice because he began to try and jump off the table. Isaac held him down as the nurse prepared the shot.

He fought but the futility of his plight became apparent and he simply looked back at me with a single tear and with sad eyes. "Mommy help me." Mother instincts really wanted to kick in and I had to resist the overbearing urgency to tell the nurse we'd changed our minds and carry him out of the room. I simply said "It'll be over quick." The nurse stuck him and he let out a yelp and then said "Is it over now?"

Ronan was last and I knew he'd do awesome as he always does. I laid him on the table and as the nurse gave him his shot he didn't so much as flinch. It was as though nothing had happened. The boys still revealed distressed looks on their faces until the nurse said "Who wants stickers?"

In unison both big boys yelled "We Do!" The nurse was very generous with the stickers and they walked out with about ten stickers each. Jadzia was pleased because they gave some to her. I have to get the kids to bed now and then my mom and I are going to go do some shopping. Ronan needs a winter coat so with the weather threatening winter chill more each day I figured it's time he has his own coat.

Peanut Butter Rain Dance

The scene played out in my kitchen as two of my children appeared to be willing rain from the sky. Xander beat loudly on our bulk size peanut butter jar as Jadzia chanted and danced around him Native American style. My appearing in the kitchen and the sudden light from the flash caused them both to look up and then collapse into giggles. Jadzia put her hand to her mouth and squinted her nose obviously pleased at her own silliness. Xander ceased his giggles "Mommy, we thought since you let us make breakfast yesterday that we could make lunch today.
I pushed aside images of peanut butter and jelly smudged walls, cupboards, and counters. "Sure, let's give it a try." Xander jumped up and down and then lifted the giant peanut butter jar to the counter. Jadzia grabbed the jelly out of the fridge and they set to work. Jadzia placed tiny amounts of peanut butter that covered about a quarter size portion of her bread slice. After about the tenth swipe of peanut butter she began to realize that if she continued at her current rate she would have to skip lunch altogether and use this sandwich for dinner instead. With pleading eyes she looked up and said "Mommy, help me!" Not wanting to squash her hopes of making her first Peanut butter sandwich I put the butter knife in her hand and put her hand in mine. I helped her smooth over the peanut butter then the jelly.Xander did a great job but had the opposite issue than Jadzia. Xander kept grabbing gobs of peanut butter and by the time his sandwich was complete he had an ooey gooey meld of peanut butter and jelly. He was quite satisfied so who was I to diminish his accomplishment. Two bites in he mumbled "I need milk now! My mowth is so stwicky!" As I poured his milk I laughed at his peanut butter impaired speech.Landon who had been finishing up his math assignment came into the kitchen and decided he should be allowed to make his own sandwich as well. I set him up a little station. I'm not sure if he's made one before with one of his grandparents but that child made his sandwich with the ease of years of sandwich making experience. There was no mess and the peanut butter and jelly was spread fully and evenly over each slice of bread. I learned something new about my five year old, he can make a perfect PB&J.

Asserting Independence

This morning the boys wanted to assert their independence at breakfast. Landon and Xander wanted to fix breakfast all by themselves. The food of choice was fruit loops. Landon poured and Xander was the bowl holder. After each bowl was filled Landon would carefully take it to the table and place a spoon inside. With this kind of service I may be out of cooking duty all together.
Xander's dream that has lasted half his life of two whole years is to be a chef with his own restaurant. I find this a unique career choice for a four year old especially since the desire began when he was two and he has been unwavering in his dream. My plan is to try and find him a chef's hat for Christmas. For the most part there was little mess; just a few scattered fruit loops. They did all the clean up so there isn't anything I can really complain about.For school Landon wrote all his uppercase and lowercase letters. He was so proud of them that he had me take a picture so his Grandma could see. He's improving greatly on his writing skills not only can he write all his letters but he can also write all his numbers.
Inara's fever spiked to 103 and would not come down even with Tylenol. After a call to the pediatrician the nurse suggested she should be seen. The nurse thought Inara's fever was too high for a baby her age and she should be looked at. The office was closing at this point so they told me to take her to urgent care. I complied because I figured it was good to make sure now and I wanted to avoid a possible midnight ER trip.
We only waited about ten minutes in the waiting room and the doctor saw her almost immediately after we were taken back. While we were there I showed the doctor her foot to be assured it was healing properly. He looked at it and asked me if we had brought her here when it happened. I told him we hadn't because they had been closed when the incident occurred. He told me this last weekend he had treated a baby that had the exact same thing happen on the exact same foot. He said her foot looked identical. I know for sure he wasn't the same doctor we saw and he said he never works the ER so it was just a coincidence. He said her foot was healing great and that the skin was completely healed over so the risk of infection is gone. Her diagnosis for the fever was stomach virus and any new symptoms she needs to be seen right away again.

Isaac and I are in for another movie tonight. We have Netflix so we usually watch a movie after we put the kids to bed. I'm glad we have our nightly routine because it helps me unwind and relax.

A Desk for Kindergarten

Ronan woke up with a black eye. His left eye was bruised as a result of the surgery and the bruise was a straight line which I surmise is the exact area of his tear duct. The side that bruised was the less clogged eye so I wonder why it ended up with more bruising. I was unsure if I should put his glasses on because I thought the eye would be really sore but when I put them on he didn't even flinch or cry. I'm hoping this is an indication that either the Tylenol or the pain relieving drops are working for him. He does have a high level of pain tolerance so it is difficult for me to try and gauge how much pain he is actually feeling. Back in the NICU after his esophagus surgery the nurses couldn't tell if he was in any post operative pain. They gave him the pain meds anyway but said usually babies will be restless or crying a little and Ronan did neither. I have since learned this is because of his exceptional ability to resist pain. This is both a benefit and a curse, a benefit because he handles pain like a champ but bad because it's hard to determine how hurt he is at times.
With my clutter corner picked up and organized there was now an open space available. I had Isaac drag Landon's desk out of the garage. I went to work sanitizing it and scrubbing it down and it has a fresh look to it. I placed the desk in the corner and it fit perfect. Landon now has a better work area to do his school. I can sit on the couch and lean over and help him or give him instruction. He was thrilled this morning when he woke up and saw it sitting there. He jumped up and down and told me thank you quite a few times.The new desk gave him an all new motivation to get going on school this morning. His reading is going great and he even read the word Pumpkin all by himself today with no picture reference. I'm trying to get him to make it through an entire short story but every time he comes to a big word and reads it he gets too excited and has to say "I read that word! I'm so smart!" It's very cute and I'm sure eventually the excitement will fade and we'll make it through a story. At the same time I hope some part of him never loses that enthusiasm for learning.

As I'm sure everyone is aware today was election day. Isaac and I went out and voted and got our grocery shopping done. Our cupboards were getting pretty bare and I had to really stretch my imagination to come up with something edible for dinner. Times like tonight I realize I waited a day or two too long to make a grocery trip. Inara is getting her first tooth and she is none too happy about it. She has a low grade fever and a bit fussy. Isaac also pulled her jumperoo from the garage. She was very happy to have something to bounce in. She is at the grabby stage so she enjoyed figuring out which way to spin and push all the little toys. After about twenty minutes she reclined and just sort of relaxed in the jumperoo in patient anticipation of mommy taking her out.
I have an exam due tonight then hopefully Isaac and I can watch a movie together.

Tear Duct Cleansing

5:00 am was dark and cold. I know because that was the time I was up and trying to determine how to dress Ronan. 6 degrees above freezing called for me to put Ronan in a coat but I recently watched a carseat video about how it's unsafe to have your child wear their winter coat in the carseat. The plan was to start the car, put the coat and blanket on Ronan to the car then remove coat while in the car since the car would already be warm.We were on the road and I was excited we were actually going to be early until halfway there it hit me. I'd forgotten to bring Ronan's apple sauce. He was supposed to have apple juice so they knew he could drink before he could leave but since he aspirates thin liquids I had to take apple sauce. I glanced at the clock trying to calculate if I could squeeze in a five minute Wal-mart run for apple sauce. I pulled off the Wal-mart exit and parked. I quickly put Ronan's coat on and we darted inside. Something about our Wal-mart that I will never understand is at night until early morning they close the non grocery doors. The problem with this is after they close those doors they only leave registers closest to the closed doors open.

I got the apple sauce then squinted down the row of registers trying to find any open ones. Clear on the other side of the store there was one open register. I scurried quickly but there was a lady with a large cart full of bags of candy. She had about thirty different types of candy and wanted literally everyone of them price checked before she decided if she wanted to buy any. After the fifth price checked bag and agreement to purchase I knew this five minute apple sauce trip had expanded into about fifteen minutes. Just as I thought I might ditch the apple sauce I heard "I can help you over here." I was in a near run to the newly open register. A lady with a full cart made it first but after seeing my bewildered look and the small jar of apple sauce in my hand she told me to go before her. I could tell by the level of her "Your welcome" that she had picked up in my thank you that she had just been involved in life saving measures.

We made it back to the car and I slipped his coat back off and into the carseat he went. I now had ten minutes to make a fifteen minute drive. As we drove into the parking lot a sudden sensation of confusion began to seep into my mind. Only two cars? I got Ronan out and put his coat back on. We made it into the building with Ronan on my hip and bags and paperwork in the other. The lady at the front desk shot me an uh oh look.

"Didn't they tell you we had to get this building re-registered because it's under new ownership. So temporarily we have moved." My eyes went slightly wide. She proceeded to give me directions. "The first stop light after you leave here go left and then on the left there will be a canopy in front of a building and that's it." "First stop light go left?" "Yes."

I headed back out to the car and off went the coat. I went left at the first stop light. There were two buildings side by side, both had canopys. The first was dark and the second said surgery on it. I went with the second. I put the coat back on and in we went. "Eye surgery?" I asked hesitantly. "No, we're orthopedics. Try over that way there a re lot of medical things over there." This time when I removed Ronan's coat and buckled him in he let out a wail in protest of being taken in and out of his carseat. I decided the best move would be to go where the orthopedics ladies had suggested. I went to what would have been the second stop light and turned left on the left there was a canopy building. I made the determination that if this was not it then I was going home and calling them to tell them I had not been told of the new location and we had gotten lost.A half an hour late I came hauling Ronan and our things through a door marked surgery. "Please tell me this is the eye surgery office?" I pleaded to the receptionist. "Yes, this is the right place." I checked Ronan in and collapsed in relief a half an hour late. We were taken back pretty quickly and they got Ronan all prepped. The nurse came to take him back and I was led to a consult room to wait for the doctor. I waited for about twenty minutes when the doctor appeared. He told me both Ronan's tear ducts had been clogged rock solid and that Ronan had to have been miserable for awhile now. I was then allowed to be reunited with my son.He was fussy and sleepy but otherwise doing well. After they watched him eat his apple sauce we were free to go. I dropped him off at home and went back out to pick up his prescription. He's slept for most of the day and is in better spirits this evening.