Turning into a Gingerbread Boy

Today there were no scheduled appointments and it was a relief from the hustle of the past few days. I got a lot of the finishing touches done on class assignments so I'd have the entire weekend just to breathe. I got a letter in the mail approving me for graduation. My graduation will be May 4th which is a Wednesday night. I'm not sure why they made it for Wednesday. But it will leave conflict for my parents since they have church. Since my mom is my main babysitter Isaac might not be able to go either. If this is the case I might not go at all. At least I'll still get the degree.
Inara has a cold. I think this may be because we've recently turned our air on and she loves to crawl over to our large living room vent and feel the air on her face. Her cough isn't too bad but she's got a plugged up nose. Mommy has been bugging her all day trying to keep it clear. She is none too happy at my approach to keep her nasal passage clear for breathing.
Xander's neck is slightly better. He even allowed me to do the neck exercises the doctor recommended. Basically he tilts his neck the opposite way he's been leaning and holds for ten seconds. I help to hold it and we didn't get it titled fully to the right but it's a start.
Tomorrow we are going to candy land. My mom's daycare is doing a candy land themed carnival. All the staff are encouraged to bring family member. The kids could barely sleep tonight thinking about it. Landon thinks he is actually going to be transformed into a gingerbread boy to play an active, live candy land game. I tried to explain this was not the case but to no avail. Hopefully the less than lively version will suffice tomorrow.

First Lake Walk of the Year.

Inara is ten months old today! She is cruising everywhere. She can stand for about three seconds and can say around eight words in context. We're moving more into solid foods though her main source is still from nursing.Last night was rather intense. Xander spent the majority of it on the couch crying and holding his neck. Every time he tried to lay down he would hurt more. When he was asleep he whimpered through his sleep. Around 7:00 am I finally gave up on sleep for the night and we got up for the day. Xander was still pretty sore but doing better since he was up walking around.
Ronan's case manager that coordinates his services and helps me with things I might need concerning Ronan stopped by. She came to check on him and see how he was doing. The kids were a bit rambunctious and proceeded to empty toy drawers in the midst of our meeting. Jadzia had a few dramatic moments but all in all it went well. It was nice to be able to carry on an adult conversation.

Next on the agenda was Landon's six year check up and since I was headed in anyway I figured we'd get Xander another check. Landon weighs 50lbs and is 47 inches. He is in the 75th percentile for his age in everything. He's going to be tall like his daddy. He checked out fine and is right on track for everything. The pediatrician looked Xander over and thought it was still a pulled muscle. She told me to alternate heat and ice and push the Motrin. She told me if he's not any better by Monday he needs to be seen again.
His neck is still tilted and I think it may be worse. His doctor showed me some exercises to do with him but obviously the pain makes it so he doesn't want to move it all. We're working on a little at a time and hopefully the adjustment on Friday will further his recovery.A no sleep night warranted mommy nap time. I put all the kids down and I crashed for the afternoon. When I got up I fixed dinner and then Isaac was nice enough to hold down the fort so I could take a walk. I brought Landon along so he could get some energy out. The trail around the lake is exactly two miles long which makes it a good walk to burn calories. Landon has too much energy. He loves to run the whole thing. I have to give him places to stop and slow down for me. For instance I'll tell him "You can run to the blue sign then you have to slow down so mommy can catch up".Maybe in a few weeks I'll be in shape enough to run it with him. On the way Landon stopped every once in awhile to observe the ducks in the lake. He always has to make a pit stop at the tree door. Last year when you opened the tree door there was a piece of paper inside that stated it was from a troll and went on to explain the magical properties of the tree door. Landon was disappointed to find the note gone and I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone claimed the note or stole it. We walked the entire two miles, well I walked swiftly and Landon jogged.
Now I'm ready to get the kiddos in bed and get some school work done and maybe watch a movie with my honey. I'm hoping Xander will fare better tonight.

Stiff Neck

I was feeding Inara this morning when I heard Xander screaming upstairs. I heard footsteps and saw Landon appear around the corner. "What's wrong with Xander?" "He poked his eye." Landon said simply and the proceeded to get his own breakfast. I put Inara down and went upstairs to check on Xander. He was sprawled on the floor unwilling to move. He said his neck hurt. After interrogating him to make sure he hadn't fallen I carried him downstairs.Isaac decided to take him to the chiropractor because he was crying and screaming at every movement. The chiropractor didn't want to adjust him without an x-ray so we made an appointment with his pediatrician for late afternoon. Ronan had his cardiology appointment. They did an EKG, x-ray and heart ultrasound. All came back normal. The doctor said his heart looks great and not being harmed by his apnea.

I got a call from Xander's GI doctor telling me Xander's biopsies showed positive for Celiac's disease. Celiacs disease is something I've been suspicious of for awhile. I believe Jadzia has it too and it would explain all the problems she went through when she was little. To confirm the diagnosis they needed blood work to see if he has the gene for it.I went and got the rest of my teeth filled. I got a different dentist and she was new. She didn't topical numb and just jabbed me without warning. Then she numbed the wrong place because I still felt the drill and up the entire left side of my face it tingled like when your foot is asleep. I missed the last dentist with him I felt nothing not even after pain when the numbing wore off with her I felt everything.

With a numb face I took Xander to his appointment. The doctor's best guess was he pulled a muscle. By this time his head was leaning to the left and he wouldn't straighten it. The doctor took an x-ray just in case. After being sent home we took him back to the chiropractor. He gently adjusted him and Xander was calm.I ran right to class after getting home. When I got home Xander was in more pain. I noticed the back of his neck looked weird. I barely touched it and he screamed and cried for about twenty minutes. I had found the pain point and it was bulging from his neck. My guess is a very swollen lymph node and a possible confirmation of the ear infection the chiropractor had suspected. Now he is laying on the couch crying still. I have to take Landon in for a 6 year check up tomorrow morning. I think Xander might be going back too.

Cardiologist's Jury Duty

Jury duty has inconvenienced me indirectly. The local courts have decided that Ronan's cardilogist would make an excellent juror. I have never had jury duty so I am unsure as to whether they know everyone's occupation but you'd think if they had they would have determined he had better things to do than decide the fate of an alleged criminal. We are now seeing a different doctor. I have never met this doctor so I'm hoping they are just as good. It was either see the different doctor or wait three weeks which was inadvisable.Ronan impressed his therapist today with his walking skills. I showed her the video of him walking. She got him to sign walk and worked on his balance by blowing bubbles and having him reach while standing. She showed me how to walk with him and only letting him hold part of my hand. She said the lower I have my hand the more balance he will have to have. She thinks any day now walking will completely click and he'll abandon crawling.
Inara loves her reflection. She loves to pull to stand at the dishwasher. She'll give herself a kiss leaving the dishwasher door smudged up. I discovered today Inara has allergies. She has had a runny nose all day. We know where she inherited these allergies from because both her and her dad have started their hay fever on the same day. I'm leaning more towards allergies than a cold since Isaac is this way every year. He took allergy shots for awhile but stopped going once his schedule got too busy.
As you surmised from the first paragraph tomorrow is Ronan's big heart appointment. I'm a little nervous but I know things will work out. God always works things for good and I'm trusting him to take care of my boy and to lead the doctors.

Country Drive

Jadzia got new pajamas yesterday. She calls them her bones pajamas and they look like she stepped into a x-ray machine. Her favorite part is the sparkly pink heart and of course that the pjs themselves are pink. We are still waiting to see if they glow in the dark. Landon believes this to be a possibility.Xander's new shirt has a little monster on it and in the monster's mouth it says "Feed Me" The shirt fits the boy perfectly. His love for food makes him a perfect feed me monster
For the afternoon we took a drive in the country. Isaac needed to get some pictures for an assignment. We went out in the country and he asked a farmer if he could take a picture of his barn. The barn was constructed in 1914 and considered a historical barn by the historical barn society. The man told Isaac people were stopping a lot to ask him to take pictures of his barn. After the barn we went on to several bridges, trains and buildings. I took a few pictures myself.Alright the verdict is in. Xander just ran down the stairs to inform that Jadzia's shirt does indeed glow in the dark. There is now mass excitement throughout the house.
Landon has told me he needs an Ipod. Yes an Ipod. He told me this after church today because apparently his friend at church had an Ipod and we are behind on the times. When did six year olds start getting Ipods? We have decided Landon will be amongst the uncool and there will be no Ipod purchases in his near future.
Here are some pictures I took while on the drive today. Enjoy the leaping squirrel. Xander told me it is the most awesome picture I have ever taken.
And here is Z with her daddy. She's definitely a Daddy's girl.

Almost Walking

Ronan has had a walking boom today. He's been taking one or two steps here and there but today he's really taken off. He'll walk ten to twenty steps in a row. He's also turning completely around without falling.Crawling is still his main mode of mobility but not for long. He knows how to stand from the middle of the floor and then just takes off. The motivation to walk is huge right now for him. He's set his mind on the goal and he's reaching it.I was up bright and early for the clothing sale. I arrived ten minutes early and there were about four people in line. After I got into line everyone else arrived and the line wrapped clear around the building. I had made it just in time. I decided I would hit Jadzia's size first since she was the one most in need. I found quite a few things for her then moved on to Inara since it was in the same area. After taking the girls' things to the holding room I moved to the boys' section. There were less things for boys but I found enough. I hit the shoes next and as I was about to go through what I had when I noticed a bitty baby stroller. The price was reasonable so I added it to the collection. Jadzia's shopping cart broke recently and she needed a replacement doll carrier.
Total amount for all kids for the year in clothes and shoes was $135. I was pretty pleased and glad I decided to stop by on the half off day. When I got home the kids were jumping up and down wanting to see what they got. I sorted everything in the laundry room showing them all their treasures as we went. Jadzia loved her new stroller and she immediately tried to overload it with baby dolls.
For supper my family came over. After dinner we had a painting project for the kids. They painted little ceramic animals. My mom helped Ronan paint a sheep. She guided his hand a little but he mostly decided where the paint went. The kids are wearing new pajamas and my family is watching a movie. I think I'll join them now.

Dental Fillings

I went to get my teeth filled today. They could only do two and I have two more that need filled. I was happy that they used white composite filling rather than the amalgam. Also they tend to cater towards children more than adults. This ended up being a benefit to me because everything was painless. They numbed me before they numbed me. Then the dentist kept telling me very slowly and calmly what the next step would be. When he got ready to give me the numbing shots (I was already numb from a topical) he said "now you are going to feel a few little pinches remember to breathe through your nose and stay calm."
I was thinking I birthed five babies and three with no pain relief whatsoever, I have this down. I barely felt a thing with the needles either. I have to say this was the smoothest dental work I have ever had done. Note to self in the future always find a dentist who works more with children than adults. I have to go back on Tuesday to finish everything.
Tomorrow is the big clothing sale and I have to say I'm pretty excited. I get to go shopping without any of the kids present. I'm going to enjoy a morning out. Jadzia has already requested I locate any and all tutus they have for sale and buy them. I'm hoping to get her into ballet class this fall and we'll just have to see how things go. I know she'd love every minute of it. She's done self study ballet for the last three years. All the twirling and leaping through the house has got to be a bonus for an entry level ballerina.