Another Milestone

Patience is not one of E's strong qualities
(understatement).
So, when he got tired of waiting for his dad
to put the training wheels on his bike,
he took matters into his own hands.

The result:





He got on that bike and rode
as if he'd done it a hundred times before.

He and GracieGirl had a great time
riding together.





I like GracieGirl's "French beret" look
with her helmet. Guess it's time
to tighten it up a bit...

More Pics

Nate and Nick at WDW



Eating soft pretzels in Germany -
Nick's happy! :)




Kids at Sea World



Jay petting the Manta Rays



Jay and GracieGirl loved the Flamingos





Underwater Dolphin Viewing



GracieGirl with the Performers
of the Dolphin Show


Top Sea World Attraction:
Watching the Coins Spiral Around
in the Coin Funnel!



Kids with their Mom Mom and Pop Pop

Getting to Florida

I spent the past six months telling Nick that there was no way that I was going to be able to make it to Florida. I seemed to get sicker each day, and just the thought of attempting to pack everything left me in tears more than once. I could hear well-meaning voices say, "Just throw some summer clothes in a suitcase and go!" Believe me, I wish it were that easy! We couldn't even fit our meds, supplements, and medical equipment in one large carry-on; it spilled over into a second bag!

We also had to take some of our own special food, and Nick decided to put some spices in little ziplocks and stick them in one of the kids' bags. That went over well; we received a notice that the bag had been searched!

When I wasn't having a panic attack about packing, I was having one over trying to imagine how I'd get through the airport, on and off of a plane, through another airport, to the rental car facility, and then to our condo. There were serious tears over that. One particularly bad night, Nick even told me that I didn't have to go. Of course, he later told me that he just said that so that I'd calm down. :) Still, I had every intention of holding him to it!

The only reason I made it to Florida was because of the amazing generosity of a sweet friend. Several weeks ago, she made it possible for me to start seeing a new practitioner. I started feeling like I could tackle Florida after just a couple of weeks of taking a ton of different supplements and starting an anti-inflammatory diet. The practitioner asked if I had ever been tested for Lupus, which is one of the few things I haven't been tested for, and said that the diet would help if I do have it, and would also help with the swelling and joint paint, even if I don't have it.

I don't even know how to explain what changed. I'm still in a lot of pain and am unable to walk very much, but my breathing has improved and my head doesn't feel as foggy. I feel capable of accomplishing a little bit here and there, whereas before, I didn't feel like I could do anything at all because I felt so awful.

As for traveling, I have to say that I've fought the wheelchair for a long time, but it's the way to go! The airport personnel wheeled me all through the airport, and through security without a delay. I was the first one on the plane and had time to get situated. They were waiting with another wheelchair when we landed, and took me to baggage claim and then right to our rental car.

On Monday, Nick wheeled me around Sea World, one of my favorite places. That was my only outing the whole time we were there, except for a quick trip to the pool to watch the kids swim one night. I was too wiped out to do anything else, but I was happy to do what I did, and to see how excited the kids were when I said that I was going out with them.

I was also thankful that the weather wasn't terribly hot. Nick kept my legs bandaged so that the swelling was kept to a minimum. I was free to just hang out and watch TV, which was a huge treat. I don't know how I survived for so long without keeping up with House Hunters and Cupcake Wars and Chopped, plus my favorite, Extreme Home Makeover. And after being introduced to hoarders and strange addictions and crazy obsessions and storage wars, I was hooked! ;) Seriously, as much as I liked watching TV on vacation, I'm so glad that we don't have it at home.

I told Nick that the next time we go on vacation, we might as well just go to a local hotel because all we need is cable, junk food (for the kids, not for me), and a pool!

So, the news is that I survived, and I'm optimistic that I'll continue to feel better.

Oh, to the nicest friend ever:

You know how much this means to me,
but just in case you forgot, thank you again.
When I get well, I'm going to come visit you...
or, better yet, we can meet at the beach!


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Vacation Pics

Just a few of the thousands of vacation pics...
There will be more, I guarantee! :)



Jay and E at Sea World



GracieGirl on one of many rides



Nate in the bear cave



E, the Little Swimmer Boy



Jay, my sensory guy who can't stand getting wet.
Go figure.



Boys' Swim

Vacation

My in-laws gave us an amazing Christmas present: a vacation in Florida with them!

As usual, we didn't do it like most families do. We did go to Sea World as a family one day, but the rest of the time, we split up. GracieGirl went to Disney with her Mom Mom, Nate went to Hollywood Studios and Epcot with Nick, and Jay had special time with Nick at Sea World, feeding the dolphins and seeing the polar bears and other animals that he loves.. E was most interested in swimming and playing in the arcade at the resort, so that's what he did.

That way, Nate could go on his rides, Jay could see his animals, GracieGirl could see the Magic Kingdom, and E, who has been saying for months that he was not getting on an airplane and he was not going to Disney, didn't have to see any scary costumes (as he refers to Disney characters).

Overall, E did better than expected on the trip. His obsessive qualities kicked into high gear, which, when I chose not to let it drive me totally crazy, was actually kind of funny. It was his first flight, and he was so scared. He made it through taking off, and about 22 seconds after leaving the runway, he said, loudly and excitedly, "I think we're landing!"

At Sea World, all he wanted to do was ride the little kids' roller coaster. From the minute we entered the park, he wanted to know when he got to ride on the roller coaster. Yeah, the dolphins were cool but what about the roller coaster?? I can't even explain how crazy he gets except to say that, throughout every single exhibit, all we heard was:

How much longer until I can go on the roller coaster?

Are we at the roller coaster yet?

I thought we were doing the roller coaster next!

I want to go on the little kids' roller coaster!

Is the roller coaster next?

How much longer?

Can we go on the roller coaster now?

I thought you said it was coming up!

Are we almost there?"

When we finally made it to the far end of the park, I couldn't take it anymore, so my in-laws took the older boys to the Shamu show, while Nick and I took GracieGirl and E to the roller coaster. The good thing was that the whole area, which is a large play area just for younger kids, was almost empty because everyone was at the Shamu show. So we went right up to the roller coaster, and Nick got on it (which is a miracle in itself!) with both little kids.

And after all of that, E couldn't stand the ride
and never wants to go on a roller coaster again! :)

So, GracieGirl went on ride after ride, E climbed and played in the play area, and we watched them both have fun. GracieGirl had been very quiet up until that time, insisting that nothing was wrong. I didn't believe her. The only times she'd lit up was while watching some ducks that were walking around amongst the flowers and while petting the manta rays as they swam by. When she was on the rides, some of which she went on time after time, she had the biggest smile. She immediately returned to her subdued self afterwards, but at least I knew she'd had a good time.

GracieGirl watching the Ducks



GracieGirl and the Manta Rays

It's sometimes tough going places with different-aged kids with very different interests, but we made it work. We're so thankful that Nick's parents gave us such an amazing gift. It was really a special time for the kids!

Break Time

I'm taking a blogging break.
I'm failing at the balancing act again,
so something has to give.
Facebook and blogging are the first to go.

During the break, I'm convinced that
my health will be restored.

My children's physical and emotional health
will also be restored.

There will be no need to spend
countless hours on the phone
scheduling/rescheduling appointments and therapies,
fighting with insurance companies,
and verifying med dosages.

There will also be no need to spend time
searching for new doctors, therapists,
camps, and summer programs.

We will no longer be the pharmacy's #1 customers.

Allergies will be gone,
and we can eat whatever we want,
although the kids will choose
kale every time.

With allergies out of the picture,
we will have a cute, furry,
affectionate puppy that
was born house-trained,
with no desire to ever chew
or run away.

The boys will wake up early each morning,
racing through their chores,
begging to start school early.
Then they will read for hours,
forgetting that they even own electronics.

Someone with an amazing amount of energy
and organizational skills
will show up at the door,
vowing to organize this house
and not stop until the job is finished.

I will go to bed early,
everyone will sleep through the night,
and Nick and I will wake,
refreshed, and sit quietly
together, finishing sentences.


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One Day, Two Plans

I had two really good plans today.

Plan #1:
Nick was going to take Nate and Jay to an appointment, and I was going to enjoy two quiet hours to myself.

Reality #1:
E was coughing throughout the night, and he sounded horrible this morning. We gave him a neb treatment, which didn't help at all, so we kept him home from school. So, instead of my two peaceful hours, I sat with a coughing, sad little boy who had wanted to go with his daddy and brothers. The only thing he wanted to do with me was watch Justin Beiber on You Tube. Give.me.strength. He didn't even know who Justin Beieber was, but the neighborhood kids have been talking about him. Now he knows, and I'm just praying that he forgets by tomorrow!


Plan #2:
It was a beautiful day, and we sent the kids outside for a little while while Nick was making dinner. I told them that Daddy and I were going to have a date. We weren't going out to dinner or a movie; we were going to sit in the kitchen and finish sentences!

Reality #2:
Some kids are slower than others at actually getting out the door, so exactly four seconds after the last one left, the door opened again, and E came in, looking for a toy.

He went back out, and I looked at Nick and said, "Five, four, three..." Honestly, I didn't even get to three! On the count of four, the door opened again, and Jay came running in to use the bathroom.

Then I heard E outside, gagging from coughing so hard. We repeated the warning that he wasn't allowed to run around.

Jay went back outside, and the instant that door closed, I heard GracieGirl's sobs, and the door opened again. I heard Nate say, "I was just kidding; I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings! Don't go in there; Mom and Dad are having a date!" The sobs subsided and the door was pulled closed.

Two seconds (sadly, I'm not exaggerating) later, GracieGirl started crying loudly, and Nate opened the door and said that she hit the side of her head on the pavers, and then ran away, crying. Nick told him to hurry and go after her, so Nate shut the door and ran.

The door flew open, and GracieGirl came in, crying hysterically. I asked her if her head was okay, but she finally said, between sobs, that she was crying because everyone ran after her. I said that Nate was just making sure that she was okay. She cried that it was okay for him to go after her but not the kids from the neighborhood!

I stroked GracieGirl's hair and wiped away her tears...and the door flew open again.

At that point, I told Nick that as much as I'd enjoyed our time together, I'd officially given up on ever trying to talk to him, and I would email him!

Then, being the calm, cool, collected mom that I am, I told the kids to wash up, sit down, and eat their dinner as fast as they could so that they could go right up to bed, and then maybe my head could stop pounding!

That was when E, never one to miss an opportunity, offered to say the blessing. Very quietly, and very slowly, with his head bent low, he proceeded to thank God for every single person and animal on the planet, one name at a time, with a dramatic pause in-between.

I failed to see the humor in it at the time, but, now, six hours later when my headache has almost subsided, I do find it funny. Just gotta love that kiddo...

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