Football

These are the only photo's I took all football season. Gavin didn't love it. It's a hard game to learn, and I can't say the 8 am Saturday football games did the experience any favors. We'll see if he decides he wants to play again - we'll certainly let him if he wants, but I won't say that I would miss it!

Many Faces of Gavin

Feeding Time!

Here's What

Gavin lost another tooth

Sam slept through til 4:45 am last night

Bridie's job is getting busy

Chad's been working like a maniac

We just played our last outdoor soccer game of the season

Gavin rocked it

I froze!

Indoor soccer starts this weekend - there were not enough U6 teams that signed up, so the kids are playing in the U8 category. It will be a good experience for them, but let's hope they aren't way out of their league!

It's getting cold here and I am not looking forward to winter

Recent ENT visit revealed one of Sam's tubes is out - we go back in 6 weeks to evaluate, see if he's had any more colds, how he has fared - will he need another set placed. We got through this last cold in the 7 - 10 days "they" say it takes to run it's course, with no ear infection or junky cough, so I have high hopes

Gavin is really taking off on reading. It's amazing to watch it all click

Sam has been learning his colors with flash cards

He is still obsessed with babies

Howell's Pumpkin Patch

Drinking Problem update

When we got the elevated levels test back from Sam's diabetes test (Dr says "probably nothing but something to track") we had orders to limit Sam's fluid intake to 40 oz/day.

It started off ok. Some days better than others, but it seems I can keep him under 45 oz for the most part. And then the last couple days he has been amazingly thirsty again. Waking up more at night for drinks.

Just last week we had a night where he only woke once and only drank 4 oz. Some nights he drinks 16 oz. It's crazy. I know it's crazy and not normal, but I don't know what to do. He begs and begs for something to drink.

I don't know that it's a bottle or milk habit at this point either. He drinks water out of a sippy cup most of the day. And can . not . get . enough.

He has also been eating non stop lately. Which could very well be a growth spurt (but does that explain the drinking?). The Dr said we get worried when he starts acting lethargic or not himself.

My boy is anything BUT lethargic. So maybe the Dr isn't worried yet.

Wish I could say the same for myself.

Gavin Ate a Bowl of Asparagus and Barley

Asparagus Barley post

And it only cost me a dollar. I WIN!

Yes, it may be setting a dangerous precedent. But most kids get an allowance right? Why not make Gavin's conditional on eating well.

Oh who cares - he ate asparagus and barley!! I only prepared one meal last night!!

Guess Where?

Guess where we went a couple weeks ago?

....more pictures and the answer to follow

-Isms

Gavin (while reading to me the other night): Mom, I'm going to try that sentence again, but this time I am going to read it fluidly.

I guess I never realized how many goofy nicknames I have for Sam. I hope I don't do this in public, because I must sound like a real dork! At any rate, last weekend from his car seat I hear Sam saying:

Hi Punkie-Pie, Hi Monkey-Moo

I finally figured out he was saying Hi to the pet names I have for him - and that I must use way more often than I thought! So when I repeated them back to him he got a HUGE grin on his face that I figured out what he was saying.

And now we hear on a daily basis

Hi Punkie-Pie, love you Punkie-Pie, thank you Monkey-Moo all with his cute Samson smirk that he wears when he knows he's being extra smart and cute

Monsters!!

Lest you think with all the sweet posts and cute pictures that my boys are angels...that is so not the case. While they have been particularly sweet lately, this weekend their inner monsters erupted!

Saturday was a really good day. Gavin had a good soccer game, and then he and Chad spent the afternoon together doing guy stuff while I worked around the house and Sam napped.

Sunday was a whole other story! Chad worked, and I took the boys to my mom's for Sunday lunch. Sam ate great - the boy has been putting away some serious food lately. Gavin (in typical fashion) ate a pork chop. When Gamma mentioned a special treat she had picked up at the farmer's market I told him he needed to eat two green beans first.

I'm serious. TWO green beans. That was all. This request unleashed the monster. He screamed for no less than half an hour. I really don't know where this behavior comes from - we don't reward the behavior by giving in. We try to just ignore it and not give him attention until he starts to get over it. Threatening (and following through) with taking away his toys/Nintendo, etc - doesn't phase him.

Finally he settled down - I told him he had other options, squash or tomato if he didn't want the green beans. He agreed to eat a tomato slice and finally we were able to move on and enjoy the afternoon.

Sunday night (or Monday morning rather) it was Sam's turn. He has had a horribly stuffy nose for about a week by this point and I finally broke down and tried giving him some Benadryl. Which we are no longer doing, after much tracking, out of the 5 nights he has ever had these horrible screaming episodes, 4 of them he has had some sort of allergy med before bed. That's enough evidence for me to say that it is messing with him somehow.

At any rate he woke up at 1:30 am. Ran behind the curtain and was crying hysterically screaming at me to go away. He wouldn't let me near him. I finally set a blanket and bottle somewhat close to him in case he decided he wanted the comfort and sat on the floor a few feet away. Every once in a while I would ask him if he wanted me/bottle/anything and he would just get more worked up. The minutes ticked away.

Finally at 2:15 am I was done (it was a work day). In a not-so-brilliant moment of parenting defeat I opened up the portable DVD player, turned on the Backyardigans, and offered him some fruit snacks. Anything to stop the screaming.

The monster was happy with the fruit snack offering and sat in my lap and settled down and finally went to sleep at 3 am, only to wake up for half an hour again at 5:30 am and wake for good at 6:50 am. sigh!

I'm happy to report that today he has succesfully gotten over the cold without it turning into a junky lung cough OR an ear infection! While his nose was pretty darn congested (had a hard time drinking and breathing at the same time) the fact that it cleared up without meds - just lots of saline and suction and that we don't have the lung hack for a week following (or neb treatments for that matter) gives me great hope for this winter. We see the ENT today which will be a good check to make sure the tubes didn't get clogged in the process.

Gavin has also had a pretty good week.We've been seeing some really great papers coming home from school and the other night I was so impressed with his reading skills. It's amazing watching them grow and learn!!

Guess Who?

Samsonisms

Sam is talking so much these days, and he has the sweetest little voice ever!

He is a very polite boy - at least these days. We have moved on from "please" to "thank you". EVERYTHING is "thank you mama", "thank you bubba". He even says "No thank you" when you ask him if he wants something and the answer is no.

Last night he was sound asleep and had kicked off his blanket, so I pulled it back up over his shoulders. From the dark stillness of the room, Sam still sound asleep, I heard:

"Thank you mama"

Heartmelt

Ohhhh....they DO look alike!

I can't tell you how many times I hear "they don't even look related", "I can't believe how light his hair is", "Who does he look like anyway???". Which, to be honest makes me a little mad - like what are you implying? I recently had this conversation with a friend of mine who's two boys look very different. Yes, we are very aware of how different our kids look. We see them every day. Thank you, Captain Obvious.

Well, at the end of this blog page is a slide show, and this picture of Gavin caught my eye and I did a double take b/c for a second I thought it was Sam - but I knew I didn't have a picture of Sam like this - nor have I updated the slide show since way before Sam came along. I wish I had a picture of Sam that was similar, but this is the closest I could find as far as facial expression. They don't look so different when we cover up Gavin's dark hair - now do they?



Milkaholics Anonymous

It's been a trying last 4 days and I apologize for not looping anyone in, but we just didn't want to worry anyone until we knew there was something to worry about.

Sam has always been a big drinker - well, since we figured out the food allergies and he wasn't refluxing all the time. The last couple weeks our nanny has mentioned on several occasions how thirsty he has been. Some googling resulted in: diabetes.

I emailed our ped, who said that 40 oz is the max of what his system should be handling (any more can overload and strain the kidneys). An acceptable max fluid intake is around 1.5 oz for every pound of body weight. There were days he was drinking 50, sometimes 60 ounces. Other concerns were the insane amount of near bursting diapers - including overnight (I have to change him once or twice in the night at least, to keep from overflow), and that he is still waking once or more in the night wanting a drink.

It could have very well been a habit, but he thought it was worth getting checked out.

The tests involved fasting after midnight last night, which I was dreading giving his waking to drink action that usually happens at 3 am. I stuck a bottle in his mouth at 11:30 last night and he sucked most of it down without waking. Then he managed to sleep until 5:30 this morning. That's the best night's sleep I've had in a long time!! He had a little water then went back to sleep.

We showed up at path lab at 8 am, he was a little cranky about not getting to eat, which is funny considering he is generally not a big breakfast eater at home. Got to the lab and they asked if we had brought the urine sample (we didn't, our Dr hadn't told us what labs were being run). Do you know how fun it is to get a urine sample from a fasting toddler? Pretty fun (not!). It ended up involving a plastic bag taped to his nether region.

Then the blood draw which drew tears and tears. We hoped that it made him pee but it didn't. I offered him milk in his new sippy cup and he took one drink and told me "ew". He's a little hooked on his bottle. Finally I let him play in the handwashing sink and that seemed to do the trick.

Up to the Dr's office we went, and his tests all came back totally normal! Hooray! We just had a little milk/water addict on our hands (he actually drinks mostly very diluted milk or water). I dropped him off at home, and came to work wondering if the Promises rehab-for-the-stars would take one yr olds. And planning the audition tape for "Intervention".

And then I got an email from the Dr. Another test had come back (this one takes longer to run and had not come back while we were there). His HgB A1C level was 6.2% which in the Dr's words were "mildly elevated", "not diagnostic" and we would re-test at his 2 yr check up.

I'm trying to find info out there, and there isn't much. So for now I suppose I just have to treat him like the little bottle addict he is, and try not to obsess for the next 4 months. My biggest issue is I am a numbers junkie and there is very little data I can find about the incidence of these kinds of levels turning into full blown diabetes, especially at such a young age. Although I am pretty hyper aware of changes in my kids and all over my Dr with what is the cause, is it normal, what are the possibilities - so most people may not notice or test for it this early.

At any rate....I'm off to find the video camera for that audition tape....

love

Having a Ball

Photo Shoot for Festival

The boys had their pictures taken last week to be used at the Festival of Trees & Lights, benefitting Blank Children's Hospital (http://www.festivaloftrees.com/). I think they turned out pretty well, considering it was done right after school in a strange place. Well, strange to them, not for me. Of course, they couldn't go into the NICU, but I think it would have been neat to get their pictures taken in a NICU room next to an isolette. It's hard to imagine them ever being that small, these days!