Monday, June 27, 2011
silly kid
So as I previously mentioned, Jake and Noah are at their grandma's (Todd's mom) house this week. I had been so excited to have a kid-free week to get some things done around here, and was glad that it coincided with my last day of work (today!), so I'd have some free time. I knew that with Tate home, it would take a little longer to get things done, but I was optimistic when he said he wanted to help. My big goal this week is decluttering. But first, I've been just doing general cleaning, so I can get to the stuff that needs to be decluttered. So I decided that if Tate wanted to help, then I'd take advantage of that, and have him take things to different rooms for me. I had him running things to his bedroom and to his brothers' bedroom, and occasionally, he took something downstairs for me. I was happy with the progress we were making, and he was taking plenty of breaks for breakfast and lunch and to watch his Scooby Doo and Ice Age movies. After one of his little trips to take some things to his room, he came in and announced, "Mommy, I think I'm the only one actually cleaning around here." All I can say is, he's lucky he's cute. :)
Friday, June 24, 2011
catching up...
Sorry I've been MIA.... things have been crazier than usual over the last couple of weeks! A lot has been going on, let me catch you up....
So, I quit my job. As in, my full-time job at the airlines. I couldn't keep up with my job and my business and actually ever see my family, and that just wasn't working for me. I caught a glimpse of Todd a couple of times over the last few months... he looked familiar, but it took me a while to realize who he was. I'm kidding of course (sort of), but that's pretty much how I'd been feeling. I hated that the moment the boys got home from school, I'd get them a snack then say "Ok, Mommy is going upstairs to nap/edit/pay bills, so don't bother me unless someone is bleeding or unconscious." So something had to give. It obviously wasn't going to be my photography business.... after all, that's my passion. That's what I've worked hard for over the last few years. It's what I love to do... and they say that when you love what you do, you don't work a day in your life. And hey, who's a better boss for me than me? Yep, that's what I thought, too. So my last day at the airlines is Monday... and I can't wait.
A couple of weeks ago on Friday, Tate woke up vomiting. He was sick a few times until he was just dry heaving. It was pitiful. He went back to sleep eventually, then was fine the rest of the day... keeping down food and liquids with no problem. Then the next morning, on Saturday, he was vomiting before he even got breakfast. He missed his last soccer game of the season that day, as well as the coaches taking all the kids out for ice cream afterwards... I was sad for him that he had to miss that. He was pretty worn out for the first half of the day, then he was fine. Then on Tuesday last week, exactly 15 minutes before we were leaving for the airport to head to Niagara Falls for a few days ("last hurrah" trip before I quit my airline job :), Tate came to me and told me he felt sick. I asked him if he was going to throw up, he said he thought so. So I grabbed him a plastic grocery bag that was right next to me, and he said he wanted a towel (we lay him on a big towel when he's sleeping when he's sick, just in case). So I grabbed him an old hand towel that was in the drawer next to me... obviously not taking him seriously enough. He said "Mommy, I said I wanted a towel"... I told him that it was a towel, and that it was just an old towel. Then he proceeded to throw up all over the floor (thank goodness it wasn't on carpet!), and I realized that he must have been requesting a beach towel... in the towel-for-two variety. He became VERY pale, as in the same pale that he was when he passed out at the doctor's office at his post-surgery checkup. He got very dark circles around his eyes. It really scared me. We got him to the couch and laid him down, gave him some water to sip on, and went back to clean up the mess. He was asleep in no time... the kind of slumber that I only dream of. He was carried to the car, driven over an hour to the airport, carried on to the shuttle bus, and into the airport before he was awake again. Yes, I was worried about continuing the trip after he had gotten sick again, but with a split second to make the decision, I figured we'd at least head to the airport and see how things went.
The trip was great. Tate did well for the whole mini-vacation. He didn't throw up anymore, and he only complained of his tummy hurting a few times the whole trip. So we thought it was odd, but that he was ok. So we were home on Friday, then on Sunday, he threw up before we ever made it out the door for church. Now I'm worried. I was trying to figure out what was going on, and a friend told me to ask him if his head had been feeling funny before he got sick. He said "No Mommy, it doesn't feel funny, it just hurts!" Yep, that's my kid... the non-complaining, gotta-drag-it-out-of-him kid. I asked him if his head had been hurting every time he had been sick, he said yes. Cue the call to the pediatrician. They were able to get me in at 3pm that day, so I took it. The doctor was as concerned as I was, that 9 days of sporadic vomiting was not normal. She said she had no idea what was causing it before running some tests, but she was determined to figure it out. Because of Tate complaining of headaches, she wanted to start with a CT scan.
So on Monday, I waitedimpatiently for someone to call about setting up the appointment for the CT. I tried calling them to check on the status of getting my appointment set up, but let's just say that call didn't get me anywhere. The next day was the much-anticipated Fake Eye Adjustment Day. We had been "worked in" for that appointment, so I didn't want to cancel or postpone it, so we planned to still head to Burlington, and work in the CT scan as soon as we could. So on Tuesday, Tate woke up around 4am vomiting. At this point, I was pretty much in tears. All I could do was hold him while he dry-heaved and had trouble even catching his breath. It was so pitiful. It lasted a couple of hours on and off, then we got maybe an hour of sleep before it was time to get up and head to Burlington for the day. We had a 10am appointment time and the appointment was expected to last a half day. His eye looks FANTASTIC, and we are so happy with it. The ocularist just shaved off around the outside edge where there was too much white and shaped it to fit better over his implant. It's really amazing what can be done these days. So while we're at that appointment, the hospital calls and says that we can come straight to the hospital to have the CT scan done when we get back from Burlington.
So we leave the ocularist's office promptly at 2pm and head back towards home. We go straight to the hospital and find Outpatient Radiology. We had forgotten til we got there that Tate was supposed to have his prosthesis out for the CT. Oops. We don't have our cool little suction-cup-on-a-stick. So we're thinking no big deal, we'll just pull his lid down, tilt the eye a little til we can grab the edge, and pull it out. Right?? So after Todd's unsuccessful attempt (only successful at making Tate cry), Tate says he wants Mommy to take it out. So when I realized I couldn't get the right angle with him sitting up, I have him lay down on the little couch in the waiting room. I'm leaning over him, one knee on the other side of his legs, digging my Purelled finger into his eye socket while he cries that I'm hurting him. Keep in mind that I'm pretty sure no one in the waiting room knows that Tate's eye is fake. So I gave up and instead, I sat and waited for someone to call DSS on us while Todd went up to the eye center and borrowed the infamous (and much coveted) Suction-Cup-on-a-Stick. By that time, I was taken to a little "booth" to go over what was going to happen during our visit. I had no idea that Tate was getting an IV that day. Poor kid had already had such a rough day, so when the nurse came in with that needle, he totally melted down. He cried like I hadn't heard him cry in a long time. A hurt cry, a sad cry. It broke my heart. He's had IVs before and always done really well with them, but I think after the long day he'd had, he was just done. It took me a while to get him settled down for the scan... after all, he had to stay perfectly still... but he did fantastic.
The results of the CT came back normal, so we did blood work next. Tate didn't flinch, didn't bat an eye, didn't even squeeze my hand when he had 3 viles of blood taken on Wednesday. He really is such a brave boy. I am really proud of him! The doctor ordered the bloodwork and is referring us to a pediatric GI doctor. We'll see him next Thursday. The lab results came back today on the bloodwork and everything looked normal. So there is no indication of an ulcer, inflammation of the intestines, colitis, or any of the other things the doctor rattled off today. So... we wait. (I should be used to waiting by now, but I'm really, really terrible at it.)
Can I just say that it's really difficult to take your kid anywhere when you're not sure if he might throw up with no warning? Especially places like restaurants, pools, even Target. I do have plastic grocery bags in my purse and car at all times now. You never know when you might need one!
Jake and Noah are going to Grandma's house this week. Tate was supposed to go, but he has to stay here for his doctor's appointments... that, and I'm not mean enough to send him to someone else's house for a week when he's randomly throwing up.... after all, I LIKE my mother-in-law! So Tate will miss his big brothers something fierce, but I couldn't cancel the trip for the boys to go... they would have been really disappointed. I'm sure they'll have a great time... they always do so much fun stuff with Grandma, they never want to come home! I'll miss them tons, and my To Do list will grow instead of shrink, since I'll be the only human entertainment for the 5-year-old for the week, but it's all good. I think we're going to have to enjoy some Mommy-Tate time this week. I can't think of a better way to spend my time!
What? You did want a picture, right?
So, I quit my job. As in, my full-time job at the airlines. I couldn't keep up with my job and my business and actually ever see my family, and that just wasn't working for me. I caught a glimpse of Todd a couple of times over the last few months... he looked familiar, but it took me a while to realize who he was. I'm kidding of course (sort of), but that's pretty much how I'd been feeling. I hated that the moment the boys got home from school, I'd get them a snack then say "Ok, Mommy is going upstairs to nap/edit/pay bills, so don't bother me unless someone is bleeding or unconscious." So something had to give. It obviously wasn't going to be my photography business.... after all, that's my passion. That's what I've worked hard for over the last few years. It's what I love to do... and they say that when you love what you do, you don't work a day in your life. And hey, who's a better boss for me than me? Yep, that's what I thought, too. So my last day at the airlines is Monday... and I can't wait.
A couple of weeks ago on Friday, Tate woke up vomiting. He was sick a few times until he was just dry heaving. It was pitiful. He went back to sleep eventually, then was fine the rest of the day... keeping down food and liquids with no problem. Then the next morning, on Saturday, he was vomiting before he even got breakfast. He missed his last soccer game of the season that day, as well as the coaches taking all the kids out for ice cream afterwards... I was sad for him that he had to miss that. He was pretty worn out for the first half of the day, then he was fine. Then on Tuesday last week, exactly 15 minutes before we were leaving for the airport to head to Niagara Falls for a few days ("last hurrah" trip before I quit my airline job :), Tate came to me and told me he felt sick. I asked him if he was going to throw up, he said he thought so. So I grabbed him a plastic grocery bag that was right next to me, and he said he wanted a towel (we lay him on a big towel when he's sleeping when he's sick, just in case). So I grabbed him an old hand towel that was in the drawer next to me... obviously not taking him seriously enough. He said "Mommy, I said I wanted a towel"... I told him that it was a towel, and that it was just an old towel. Then he proceeded to throw up all over the floor (thank goodness it wasn't on carpet!), and I realized that he must have been requesting a beach towel... in the towel-for-two variety. He became VERY pale, as in the same pale that he was when he passed out at the doctor's office at his post-surgery checkup. He got very dark circles around his eyes. It really scared me. We got him to the couch and laid him down, gave him some water to sip on, and went back to clean up the mess. He was asleep in no time... the kind of slumber that I only dream of. He was carried to the car, driven over an hour to the airport, carried on to the shuttle bus, and into the airport before he was awake again. Yes, I was worried about continuing the trip after he had gotten sick again, but with a split second to make the decision, I figured we'd at least head to the airport and see how things went.
The trip was great. Tate did well for the whole mini-vacation. He didn't throw up anymore, and he only complained of his tummy hurting a few times the whole trip. So we thought it was odd, but that he was ok. So we were home on Friday, then on Sunday, he threw up before we ever made it out the door for church. Now I'm worried. I was trying to figure out what was going on, and a friend told me to ask him if his head had been feeling funny before he got sick. He said "No Mommy, it doesn't feel funny, it just hurts!" Yep, that's my kid... the non-complaining, gotta-drag-it-out-of-him kid. I asked him if his head had been hurting every time he had been sick, he said yes. Cue the call to the pediatrician. They were able to get me in at 3pm that day, so I took it. The doctor was as concerned as I was, that 9 days of sporadic vomiting was not normal. She said she had no idea what was causing it before running some tests, but she was determined to figure it out. Because of Tate complaining of headaches, she wanted to start with a CT scan.
So on Monday, I waited
So we leave the ocularist's office promptly at 2pm and head back towards home. We go straight to the hospital and find Outpatient Radiology. We had forgotten til we got there that Tate was supposed to have his prosthesis out for the CT. Oops. We don't have our cool little suction-cup-on-a-stick. So we're thinking no big deal, we'll just pull his lid down, tilt the eye a little til we can grab the edge, and pull it out. Right?? So after Todd's unsuccessful attempt (only successful at making Tate cry), Tate says he wants Mommy to take it out. So when I realized I couldn't get the right angle with him sitting up, I have him lay down on the little couch in the waiting room. I'm leaning over him, one knee on the other side of his legs, digging my Purelled finger into his eye socket while he cries that I'm hurting him. Keep in mind that I'm pretty sure no one in the waiting room knows that Tate's eye is fake. So I gave up and instead, I sat and waited for someone to call DSS on us while Todd went up to the eye center and borrowed the infamous (and much coveted) Suction-Cup-on-a-Stick. By that time, I was taken to a little "booth" to go over what was going to happen during our visit. I had no idea that Tate was getting an IV that day. Poor kid had already had such a rough day, so when the nurse came in with that needle, he totally melted down. He cried like I hadn't heard him cry in a long time. A hurt cry, a sad cry. It broke my heart. He's had IVs before and always done really well with them, but I think after the long day he'd had, he was just done. It took me a while to get him settled down for the scan... after all, he had to stay perfectly still... but he did fantastic.
The results of the CT came back normal, so we did blood work next. Tate didn't flinch, didn't bat an eye, didn't even squeeze my hand when he had 3 viles of blood taken on Wednesday. He really is such a brave boy. I am really proud of him! The doctor ordered the bloodwork and is referring us to a pediatric GI doctor. We'll see him next Thursday. The lab results came back today on the bloodwork and everything looked normal. So there is no indication of an ulcer, inflammation of the intestines, colitis, or any of the other things the doctor rattled off today. So... we wait. (I should be used to waiting by now, but I'm really, really terrible at it.)
Can I just say that it's really difficult to take your kid anywhere when you're not sure if he might throw up with no warning? Especially places like restaurants, pools, even Target. I do have plastic grocery bags in my purse and car at all times now. You never know when you might need one!
Jake and Noah are going to Grandma's house this week. Tate was supposed to go, but he has to stay here for his doctor's appointments... that, and I'm not mean enough to send him to someone else's house for a week when he's randomly throwing up.... after all, I LIKE my mother-in-law! So Tate will miss his big brothers something fierce, but I couldn't cancel the trip for the boys to go... they would have been really disappointed. I'm sure they'll have a great time... they always do so much fun stuff with Grandma, they never want to come home! I'll miss them tons, and my To Do list will grow instead of shrink, since I'll be the only human entertainment for the 5-year-old for the week, but it's all good. I think we're going to have to enjoy some Mommy-Tate time this week. I can't think of a better way to spend my time!
What? You did want a picture, right?
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
first eye adjustment, coming right up!
Tate LOVES his new eye. He has gotten used to it quicker than I ever imagined. We have only taken it out once, and it doesn't bother him at all. We are so happy with it!
If you've seen my previous post about "The Making of Tate's Prosthetic Eye", I mentioned that we would let it "settle", then call our ocularist to have any needed adjustments made. Well, the time has finally come. The surgeon, upon follow-up of Tate receiving his new eye, recommended that we give it several weeks so we can keep any necessary adjustments to a minimum. So I called last week, and we have an appointment with our ocularist for June 21st. It'll be another all-day trip. It's over an hour away, and the appointment is expected to take at least a half-day (that's if he doesn't need to make any painting adjustments). And we can't go all the way there without making time for the nearby outlet mall... for Tate's prize, of course. :)
So I'm including a "Before" shot. You can see that the left (prosthetic) eye is larger than the right eye. I believe that he'll be trimming down the white of the eye underneath the iris and along the outside of the left eye. I can't wait to see how it looks after the adjustment! The prosthetic eye looks very real... so much so that I find that when I'm making eye contact with Tate as I'm talking with him, I'm often looking at his prosthetic eye. I wonder if he thinks I don't bother looking at him when I'm talking to him. My prayer is that once the adjustment is made, no one will be able to tell that he has a prosthetic... although I don't believe many people realize it now, but I think many notice that something is amiss. I'm hoping the adjustment fixes that! I'll be taking my camera with me for the adjustment, so as always, I'll keep you posted!
If you've seen my previous post about "The Making of Tate's Prosthetic Eye", I mentioned that we would let it "settle", then call our ocularist to have any needed adjustments made. Well, the time has finally come. The surgeon, upon follow-up of Tate receiving his new eye, recommended that we give it several weeks so we can keep any necessary adjustments to a minimum. So I called last week, and we have an appointment with our ocularist for June 21st. It'll be another all-day trip. It's over an hour away, and the appointment is expected to take at least a half-day (that's if he doesn't need to make any painting adjustments). And we can't go all the way there without making time for the nearby outlet mall... for Tate's prize, of course. :)
So I'm including a "Before" shot. You can see that the left (prosthetic) eye is larger than the right eye. I believe that he'll be trimming down the white of the eye underneath the iris and along the outside of the left eye. I can't wait to see how it looks after the adjustment! The prosthetic eye looks very real... so much so that I find that when I'm making eye contact with Tate as I'm talking with him, I'm often looking at his prosthetic eye. I wonder if he thinks I don't bother looking at him when I'm talking to him. My prayer is that once the adjustment is made, no one will be able to tell that he has a prosthetic... although I don't believe many people realize it now, but I think many notice that something is amiss. I'm hoping the adjustment fixes that! I'll be taking my camera with me for the adjustment, so as always, I'll keep you posted!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
5 years old
Dear Tate,
This day seemed so far away. You're 5 years old today. It's the "official" big boy age. You'll be in kindergarten in a few short months, and I'll no longer be able to be with you all the time to shield you from this world we live in. But remember this, my sweet boy... I'll always love you and protect you. God put me here to be your mommy, to raise you to be a follower of Jesus, and to teach you to be kind to everyone you meet. I'm far from being a perfect mom, but I hope that I make Him proud.
I know that it's been a rocky road in your short years, but you have been such a great example of strength and courage. I know that you make God proud. And you definitely make Mommy and Daddy proud, son. You are only 5 years old, and I know for a fact that you have had a big impact on many, many lives because of the tough little guy you've been through your journey. You're an example to people of all ages. I know that because of your strength, that you've lent that strength to others when they need it, been an encouragement to them when they were facing a journey of their own, and all the while, riding your own roller coaster with almost no complaint. You've been an example to ME, Tate. You've taught me how to tough it out when things seem too difficult, and you've taught me that God only gives us what we can handle, and He gives us the tools we need to get through it. And above all, your journey has brought me closer to our awesome God. Thank you for that, sweet boy. God is using you in amazing ways!
This past year has been a bit more eventful than I had imagined, but you've amazed me during every step of the way. Thank you for helping me see the humor in everything. Spending time with you is pure joy. I love seeing the world through your eyes. At your birthday party yesterday, you were giggling so much with every birthday card you opened. You absolutely loved the cards that people picked out for you. I have never seen a child appreciate a simple card (ok, so they did have some pretty funny faces on them!) so much. I loved hearing your laughter as you opened each one. I'll never forget that, Tate.
I look forward to watching you grow over the next year, and to see your personality develop even more. You have changed so much since your surgery... you are becoming such a sweet and happy little boy. I am so excited for you and the wonderful future that God has planned for you. Happy 5th birthday, Tate. Mommy and Daddy love you very much!
This day seemed so far away. You're 5 years old today. It's the "official" big boy age. You'll be in kindergarten in a few short months, and I'll no longer be able to be with you all the time to shield you from this world we live in. But remember this, my sweet boy... I'll always love you and protect you. God put me here to be your mommy, to raise you to be a follower of Jesus, and to teach you to be kind to everyone you meet. I'm far from being a perfect mom, but I hope that I make Him proud.
I know that it's been a rocky road in your short years, but you have been such a great example of strength and courage. I know that you make God proud. And you definitely make Mommy and Daddy proud, son. You are only 5 years old, and I know for a fact that you have had a big impact on many, many lives because of the tough little guy you've been through your journey. You're an example to people of all ages. I know that because of your strength, that you've lent that strength to others when they need it, been an encouragement to them when they were facing a journey of their own, and all the while, riding your own roller coaster with almost no complaint. You've been an example to ME, Tate. You've taught me how to tough it out when things seem too difficult, and you've taught me that God only gives us what we can handle, and He gives us the tools we need to get through it. And above all, your journey has brought me closer to our awesome God. Thank you for that, sweet boy. God is using you in amazing ways!
This past year has been a bit more eventful than I had imagined, but you've amazed me during every step of the way. Thank you for helping me see the humor in everything. Spending time with you is pure joy. I love seeing the world through your eyes. At your birthday party yesterday, you were giggling so much with every birthday card you opened. You absolutely loved the cards that people picked out for you. I have never seen a child appreciate a simple card (ok, so they did have some pretty funny faces on them!) so much. I loved hearing your laughter as you opened each one. I'll never forget that, Tate.
I look forward to watching you grow over the next year, and to see your personality develop even more. You have changed so much since your surgery... you are becoming such a sweet and happy little boy. I am so excited for you and the wonderful future that God has planned for you. Happy 5th birthday, Tate. Mommy and Daddy love you very much!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
overdue
So my spaced-decades-apart blog postings aren't exactly living up to my blog title, eh? Can't exactly call them constant these days unless I rename it Jenn's Constant Whining. I know there are several of you who know me well, and are snickering to yourself as you read that. Mostly because it's so undeniably appropriate.
I do believe I'm more ready for summer to be here than my kids are... not for summer itself (I'm not a fan of 90 degree days), but for them to be out of school! I can't wait to sleep in past 7am and not run back and forth between the preschool and the elementary school every day for dropoff and pickup. And I can't wait to spend our summer days relaxing at the pool and the beach. On the other hand, I can't believe this school year is over already... I'll have a 5th grader soon (I'm not that old, am I??). I'm so proud of Jake, and he's doing a great job paving the way for his brothers. And Noah has made the AG (Academically Gifted) program at school, making me a proud mama there too! Noah is the "crazy middle child", so we were happy to hear that he must pay attention at some point. :) And Tate.... he will be FIVE YEARS OLD on Sunday! I am in shock. I know they grow up, but this year has held so much for him... kinda makes it feel like a bigger milestone than usual. He'll be a big-boy kindergartner in a few short months, and I'm sure I'll miss him like crazy. So I plan to cherish every moment I have with my boys this summer.
Tate is having a luau-themed pool party for his birthday. I know, not very original for a summer birthday, but it works, and he loves it! My dear friend, Kim, has been sweet enough to let Tate pick out some decorations and other items for his party and ordered them for him from Oriental Trading Company. I think she was worried that if they waited on me and my crazy schedule, Tate wouldn't have his pool party until November. I haven't been great at posting photos (I know, you're still waiting on me to post photos from our trip to California in March!), but I will definitely have my camera with me for his party, and will get some posted for you!
So I mentioned my dear friend Kim... what I didn't mention is that she's Tate's girlfriend. At least he thinks so! I've never seen any of my boys act like that with someone before... he absolutely adores her! He follows her around, cuddles up with her to watch tv or hang out at the pool... it's SO cute. A couple of weeks ago, Tate was in the dining room, checking out all the cool goodies that Miss Kim got him for his birthday party, and she walked in to the living room, in an attempt to wake up her own sleepy boys, she said "Ok, who's going home with me?" In a lightning-fast reaction, we hear Tate yell "ME!!!" from 2 rooms away, and the little stinker runs into the living room, practically tripping over his own feet, just trying to get there fast enough. Seriously. Cutest thing ever. I'm sure that if Kim was 5 years old, they'd be engaged by now.
We've been hanging out at the pool quite a bit already this summer (did I mention the 90+ degree days?!?). We were told by Tate's ocularist that we need to either take Tate's eye out or make him wear goggles when he goes swimming. So I gave Tate the choice, and of course, he chose goggles. So as we were at the pool that first day, all the boys were all sunscreened and Tate had his water wings on. His big brothers were already in the pool, and they were distracting him. I had asked him to come get his goggles on, and he kept wandering toward the pool steps. I called him again, and his big brothers won again in the attention-getting competition. Finally, I said "Tate Alexander! Get over here and put your goggles on or I'm taking your eye out!!!" And then.... I laughed. I don't know if I laughed because of what it would have sounded like if anyone had been around to hear it, or if they were just words that seemed really... wrong. But either way, it struck me as funny. Certainly not words I ever imagined saying to any of my kids! But he put his goggles on. Whatever works.
I do believe I'm more ready for summer to be here than my kids are... not for summer itself (I'm not a fan of 90 degree days), but for them to be out of school! I can't wait to sleep in past 7am and not run back and forth between the preschool and the elementary school every day for dropoff and pickup. And I can't wait to spend our summer days relaxing at the pool and the beach. On the other hand, I can't believe this school year is over already... I'll have a 5th grader soon (I'm not that old, am I??). I'm so proud of Jake, and he's doing a great job paving the way for his brothers. And Noah has made the AG (Academically Gifted) program at school, making me a proud mama there too! Noah is the "crazy middle child", so we were happy to hear that he must pay attention at some point. :) And Tate.... he will be FIVE YEARS OLD on Sunday! I am in shock. I know they grow up, but this year has held so much for him... kinda makes it feel like a bigger milestone than usual. He'll be a big-boy kindergartner in a few short months, and I'm sure I'll miss him like crazy. So I plan to cherish every moment I have with my boys this summer.
Tate is having a luau-themed pool party for his birthday. I know, not very original for a summer birthday, but it works, and he loves it! My dear friend, Kim, has been sweet enough to let Tate pick out some decorations and other items for his party and ordered them for him from Oriental Trading Company. I think she was worried that if they waited on me and my crazy schedule, Tate wouldn't have his pool party until November. I haven't been great at posting photos (I know, you're still waiting on me to post photos from our trip to California in March!), but I will definitely have my camera with me for his party, and will get some posted for you!
So I mentioned my dear friend Kim... what I didn't mention is that she's Tate's girlfriend. At least he thinks so! I've never seen any of my boys act like that with someone before... he absolutely adores her! He follows her around, cuddles up with her to watch tv or hang out at the pool... it's SO cute. A couple of weeks ago, Tate was in the dining room, checking out all the cool goodies that Miss Kim got him for his birthday party, and she walked in to the living room, in an attempt to wake up her own sleepy boys, she said "Ok, who's going home with me?" In a lightning-fast reaction, we hear Tate yell "ME!!!" from 2 rooms away, and the little stinker runs into the living room, practically tripping over his own feet, just trying to get there fast enough. Seriously. Cutest thing ever. I'm sure that if Kim was 5 years old, they'd be engaged by now.
We've been hanging out at the pool quite a bit already this summer (did I mention the 90+ degree days?!?). We were told by Tate's ocularist that we need to either take Tate's eye out or make him wear goggles when he goes swimming. So I gave Tate the choice, and of course, he chose goggles. So as we were at the pool that first day, all the boys were all sunscreened and Tate had his water wings on. His big brothers were already in the pool, and they were distracting him. I had asked him to come get his goggles on, and he kept wandering toward the pool steps. I called him again, and his big brothers won again in the attention-getting competition. Finally, I said "Tate Alexander! Get over here and put your goggles on or I'm taking your eye out!!!" And then.... I laughed. I don't know if I laughed because of what it would have sounded like if anyone had been around to hear it, or if they were just words that seemed really... wrong. But either way, it struck me as funny. Certainly not words I ever imagined saying to any of my kids! But he put his goggles on. Whatever works.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)