It's too quiet around here!

My hubby is at work. The Oldest sleeps till noon and then goes to work, runs emergency call, goes swimming with friends, or out for the evening. My boys spend their summer days doing the "Twin" thing...playing video games, checking out computer sites, trying out the skateboard, jumping into the pool...and consuming anything it sight that's edible. And they pretty much ignore their mama! I've been relegated to talking to myself as I fold clothes and make breakfast. And I'm bored. So bored.

Because my chatterbox, companion and partner-in-crime? Yeah, she's abandoned me this week. Darling Daughter is hanging out down by the coast with the Gour Family. Chelsea's been sweet enough to blog some of their activities so I won't miss her too much and I can see that she's still alive! She's been to The Market, the beach, the pool, and Kilwin's. She's played in the ocean with Claire, eaten organic Cinnamon Toast Crunch and endured horrible storms and jelly-fish stings (not her, one of Chelsea's twins) and she's having a wonderful time. While I sit home all by myself and watch Toddlers and Tiaras!!

She'll be home on Sunday and then the frantic back-to-school frenzie begins. Volleyball practice, cross country training, jiu jitsu, shopping for clothes and supplies, and an interview for Teen Board at the Children's Hospital. Plus, the twins will be turning 12 in a couple of weeks. Ugh!!

At least I'll have something to blog about, right??

I've Figured It Out!

I know how Krispy Kreme is going to stay in business! Remember I blogged not long ago that they were considered to be in a little bit of financial difficulty? Well...never fear. If the doughnuts that the Hubby brought home last night are any indication, it would seem that the good folks at Krispy Kreme have formulated a brilliant beyond brilliant business plan designed to increase revenue and decrease costs!

And it's called...

"Sell Pathetically Skinny Doughnuts with extra HUGE holes!"

Let me explain how I uncovered this evil plot. You see...last nights doughnuts?? People. Seriously. They looked like bangle bracelets! I could have worn them on my wrists as fashion accessories the holes are so large. And they're thing, measly, scrawny things, too. You could actually call them diet doughnuts because there were only like three good bites. There couldn't be very many calories.

Krispy Kreme? I DO want you to stay open forever, but please. This is ridiculous. Sell a smaller cup of coffee or something. Don't mess with the doughnuts!

Wednesday Prayer Meetin'

"...if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."

Matthew 17: 20





Scootin' For Seth was a huge success last Saturday! People showed up before it officially started, helping out, buying things, signing up for the motorcycle ride and buying more raffle tickets. The folks in our community were generous beyond belief. One man drove up pulling a large trailer behind his truck, loaded down with watermelons. He stopped when he saw the signs and decided to donate 50 watermelons for Seth to sell. The Lord does amazing things, and the money was raised so that Seth's family could travel to St. Louis for his surgery...an answer to prayers!



But the devil always tries to drag us down and throw a wrench into things...mostly so we'll get all bogged down in the details and forget that God's still working! This week, while we've been so happy over the fundraiser, South Carolina Medicaid (which Seth has because of his disability) has been busy deciding that Seth doesn't NEED a specialist to perform his operation. They told his mother that they don't have any more funds to send a child out of state for any procedures this year. They turned him down and refused to pay for his sugery. St. Louis will still take him...if his parents want to write a check for $40,000.



But we know, with God all things are possible! So...would you please pray that the appeal to SC Medicaid will go through and that the state will allow Seth to have his surgery performed by the BEST doctor in the field? Believe it or not, these officials do change their minds. It seems like they always say no first, but eventually they approve. In fact, there were two little boys AT the fundraiser who had the exact same surgery in St. Louis, and it was paid in full...because we don't have a specialist here to do it anymore.

Maybe you could also pray that if SC doesn't approve the surgery out of state, that funds will be made available anyway...somehow. God will make a way. This sweet little guy deserves the best...and the chance to walk!

Also, while your praying, I would like to ask you to remember a friend of mine. She is having some tests run on the 29th of this month and hoping for good results. I promised not to mention any names, but, well, God knows who she is, and He will watch over her. Would you pray for good results?

Oh, and umm...Darling Daughter is in Charleston this week. She's hanging out with the

Gour Family, eating weird stuff like organic mustard (??!!) and laying around on the beach playing with Claire, hanging out with Brianna, Isabel and their set of twins, and watching the Duggars with Chelsea...while her mom stays home with nothing but two 11 yr olds for company. Yeah. My only girl is gone! Except for Lucy. I'm entertaining myself by washing all the sheets and stuff. Pray for her safe return this weekend. And that they all have a total blast while they're together, of course. I miss you, DD!!

What's up with you this week? How can we pray for you?

A Question About Prayer

It's no secret that I'm a Christian. If you've read more than a post or two around here, I hope that it's obvious. I have faith in God and I believe in salvation through His son, Jesus Christ. I read my Bible, go to church and pray.

Prayer is very important to me. I pray when I'm worried about something, when I'm unsure, and when I'm afraid. I pray when I'm happy and excited. I pray when my children are facing difficult circumstances and when friends are going through hard times. I pray for guidance and I pray to say "Thank You!" I pray out loud with my kids when they're hurting. I pray in silence before I fall asleep. I know my Heavenly Father wants to hear from me, and he wants me to turn to Him no matter what.

Now, please don't picture me kneeling in the closet all day long or walking around with my eyes shut and my hands folded. Most of the time my prayers are brief. It's not much different than say, sending a text message to my husband. "God, thank You for keeping my daughter safe on her trip to Charleston! Thank You for protecting her! Thank You for loving her!" Prayer is sort of ingrained in my head. It's what I do. It's the first thing that I think of doing when I hear bad news. Or good news. (Or, if I'm honest, sometimes it's the SECOND thing. I might have to text the Hubby first and share with him. You know, so he can worry and pray, too.)

So here's what I know. Christianity is not the only religion in the world that encourages prayer. Hindus pray. Muslims pray. Jewish people pray. Buddhists meditate. I'm pretty sure even pagan religions pray to some deity. It seems that most of the world's religions have some sort of quiet, spiritual time alone where you connect with reverence to a higher power or look deeply inside yourself. I'm not debating which way I think is right or wrong here. I just want to find out...

What about people who don't pray? Where do you turn when your world is falling apart? When your child is desperately sick? When a loved one suddenly dies? When you need comfort? Where do you go? How do you cope? What if it's something you don't want to share with your friends or your family? Who do you go to?

I have friends who don't believe in any type of higher being, and so when I send out a prayer request they say they will "think good thoughts for me." I appreciate that, I really do! I understand that not everyone believes the same things I do. But...where are you sending your thoughts? Are you sending them to me? And how do you think them? Do you think, "Hope her kid gets better" or do you think, "Please let her grandpa live?" If you think good thoughts the second way, who are you thinking them to? Anyone?

Please know that I'm not trying to start an argument or a debate. I don't want this to sound judgemental. But this has been on my mind a lot lately. I truly do wonder how peeople get through life without prayer. I guess because it has always been so much a part of my life. So, I won't criticize you if you don't criticize me. I just want to know how it's done. If you want to leave me a comment and share what you do to make it through difficult days, that would be great! If you'd rather I don't publish the comment, say so and I won't.

In Hiding

We're pretty lucky in the neighbor department around here. There are no all night parties. There's usually not a lot of unnecessary noise. No one weed-eats their yard at 6am on Sunday mornings. No one complains when my 19 year old barrels down our driveway at 2am with his radio turned up loud enough to wake the dead! Well..except me! Other than the occasional four-wheeler or someone having a new roof put on, it's pretty quiet around here.

Except for right in our own back yard.

That's because we're the proud owners of Lucy the Neighborhood Watch Dog.

On an average day, Lucy yaps around 737 times a minute. She alerts every homeowner within a 3 mile radius to the presence of each bird, stray cat, rabbit, lady bug, blowing leaf and butterfly that happens to cross her field of vision throughout the day. And heaven help us if a HUMAN BEING walks by!

I'm used to it. I sort of tone it out these days. (And stuff a sock in her mouth at night.)

I'm kidding! She sleeps in the house and she's quiet.

Yesterday, however, we sat down to lunch and noticed a dead silence. Not a PEEP from the yard. Lucy the Loudmouth had nothing to say! In fact, there weren't even any birds flitting around! They're normally taking a drink from our pool and chirping like crazy in the middle of the day. What could be causing this strange soundlessness??

Well...

One of these scary-looking suckers was perched on the fence scoping out an afternoon treat.

Lucy was hiding on the deck underneath the grill...cowering VERY quietly.

Hello...if YOU weighed 8 pounds and had tiny little teeth, you'd be hiding from a hawk, too! Those things EAT animals her size. Carry them off to their nests and share them with their babies. Did you check out the beak?? And the claws?? Well, I know, you can't see the claws, but trust me when I tell you that bird probably sharpens them daily. It had a wing span of at least 3 feet! Heck, I didn't want to be in the back yard with it and I weigh a LOT more than 8 pounds! That's NOT a picture of the one on our fence because...the Hubby opened the bedroom window to snap a photo and it flew off.

There was much rejoicing! The birds went back to their pool party, and Lucy resumed her daily report. With a watchful eye toward the sky! Hopefully the hawk decided our neighborhood doesn't have any good snack food to offer, and it found someplace else to hunt!

Twice the Trouble

I leave them alone long enough to start dinner...

and they're dismantling the furniture!

They were sliding down the mattress!

And no, I didn't dress them and they aren't color blind...just very odd.

Updated!

WHY ARE YOU SITTING AROUND ON THE INTERNET??

Scootin' For Seth
Is going on now...you're missing out!

The motorcycles have already taken off, but there's plenty to do.

Go meet Seth...Landen's there, too!

Go by the fire dept. and pick up a juicy watermelon to enjoy!

Have some BBQ!

Make a donation to a wonderful cause!

Seth and his Daddy led the motorcycles...

Pip likes the bouncy house...but he says he's too old to be in there so don't tell!

Darling Daughter found a lovely snake to match her room!

If you're really lucky, Seth with put you in a choke hold and make you tap out!

You need to come by the Belvedere Fire Department today for food, fun, entertainment, games, inflatables, yard sale, prizes, and it's all for a wonderful cause! All of the proceeds go to benefit Seth Todd and the surgery that he needs to help him walk!

If you live nearby, come support Seth! This is the very same surgery that our Pip Squeak had when he was four years old that enabled him to make all the progress he has made over the last 8 years. It's a very important procedure for Seth as the doctor's feel that he could be walking on his own within months of this operation. Please come enjoy a Saturday morning of fun and help raise the money to send Seth to St. Louis!

Double Hysteria?

Did you know that the Greek word for uterus is Hystera? And that years and years ago some doctors believed that the uterus sort of floated around in a woman's body? And if it moved to close to her head, that made her act all hormonal, frantic and confused? And if a woman couldn't control her temperament, they would remove her uterus, thereby getting rid of the organ causing all the HYSTERIA?

I don't know about you, but if my uterus suddenly moved up near my head, I would be all confused and frantic and hysterical myself!

I've had endometriosis for several years. At first the symptoms weren't that bad. Over time it progressed to the point that the pain was no longer tolerable. I had laproscopic surgery to laser off about 42 endometriosis implants three years ago, and the doctor said that was about half of them. He couldn't get to the rest. Six months of shots were supposed to cause the remaining implants to sort of dry up and go away. It seemed to do the trick up until recently...and now...it's back worse than ever. Plus, nothing in there is really working like it should these days. Everything malfunctions in one way or another these days! So...no more hysteria for me.

I will be having ALL my female insides removed in a few weeks.

On August 13, to be exact.

The day before my twins turn twelve.

I get to come home from the hospital on their birthday!

And my daughter will begin her Junior year at school the following Monday.

My twins will not begin school until their mother is well enough to sit upright for a few hours.

I get to be my doctor's VERY FIRST procedure using the new da Vinci robot at our hospital.

AND...

If all that wasn't exciting enough, guess what??

My mother will be having a similar surgery on the SAME day...by the SAME doctor...

RIGHT AFTER ME!

How awesome is that?

Do you think he's just eager to try out his new operating toy or what?

No really.

Pray for me, people.

I may go absolutely in sane.

I wonder if we could get some sort of Mother-Daughter discount? Or a two-for-one deal?

Wednesday Prayer Meetin'

I know, I know, I'm a little early with the Prayer Meetin' Post, but I have news.

Guess who came to Jiu Jitsu and snuggled with us tonight??

This little man:

That's right...Landen is home and doing well! He has beaten every odd so far!! First of all he made it through the actual surgery...odd #1. And now he's eating BABY FOOD and umm...having bowel movements...odd #2. He won't take a bottle or sippy cup right now, so he is still getting some nutrition though the feeding tube, but at this point his stomach appears to be doing its job!

God is so good!

Landen's mommy would like me to thank you all for your prayers. He has another appointment this Thursday, and I'll update then. Please pray for continued healing.

And OK, I have to be completey honest here. I didn't get to so much as TOUCH the baby...my daughter STOLE him as usual the minute we walked in the door and hogged him the whole time.

She does that very often.

Please also remember to pray for Seth's fundraiser this weekend. Seth could be walking within months if he gets to have this surgery!

If you live around here...and you know if you do...you need to stop by the Belvedere Fire Department on Saturday...bring your kids to jump on the inflatables, eat some BBQ, listen to some singing, and enter the drawing for a pearl necklace from Stan Johnson Jewelers!

I swear...

I carried these children.

At the same time. (Well..the younger ones.)

I was there when they were born!

I know that they're twins.

The last two DID come out together!

Literally. At the same time. It's on their birth certificates.

Like 30 seconds apart.

I can't figure out how it happened...why one of them grew so much taller than the other.

No one has asked me "Are they twins?" since they were tiny babies and I dressed them alike.

I doubt they ever will.

But they bond is there. They know they're twins. That's what matters.

But, I wonder...

Do you think one day he's going to catch up?

Do They Microchip Teenage Girls?

I drove up to the high school a little while ago to pick up Darling Daughter from her second morning of Cross Country conditioning. I thought it was a bit odd that I passed her and her coach walking down the main road on my way. They run down trails through the woods, so why would they be on the road? Well, maybe they took a longer route today and ended up at the street, I reasoned. And then, she looked as though she had been crying. Was she upset because she had to walk part of it? No, that isn't like her. She doesn't cry over stuff she just works harder. She's probably just hot. So I waved at them as I drove by and pulled into the school parking lot to wait.

Darling Daughter got into the car 15 minutes later and it was obvious that she HAD been crying. What was the matter?

Well, this morning the only kids who showed up to practice were boys. And my daughter. These would be much taller boys. Boys with longer strides. Boys who run faster than a 5 foot tall girl. Boys that ran off and left her. In the woods. Where she has only run twice and isn't familiar with the trails.

So she got lost!

She realized pretty soon that she was unfamiliar with her surroundings and thought she may have been going the wrong way. She turned around and headed back the other way, but couldn't find the right trail. She knew that no matter which way she went, she would eventually end up back at a road that she knew...she just had no clue if that would be the road to the school, our neighborhood or the big highway! And since she was running...no cell phone. Ugh. My baby girl lost and alone in the cold, dark, scary woods!! By herself! With wild animals!

Well, it finally dawned on her coach, who was running WITH THE BOYS, that he hadn't seen her in a while. So he went back to look for her, calling her name. He found her and yes, she was crying. He was just as upset as she was, and has promised to mark the trails more clearly.

I'm thinking of a few ways to fix this situation. First of all...yes, trails more clearly marked. Great idea. Second...make sure the kids KNOW which trails to take. Third...she needs a GPS locator beacon implanted behind her ear. Oh, and I'm making her take a pack to carry water and her phone. Possibly some freeze dried food. And maybe some pepper spray. I mean, she could have been eaten by wolves! Attacked by hungry squirrels! Fallen into a bee hive!

And in conclusion, I will be requiring the coach to STAY with the only GIRL running all alone!! Unless more girls show up.

Dingbats at the Beach, Part Deux

Why do I have 52 pictures of my kids cracking up and only one or two with nice smiles?

Because their daddy was behind me doing THIS:

What happened when I tried to get out traditional "Twins on the Lifeguard Stand" photo?

Daddy joined in the fun, of course:

And then when I wasn't looking, they went and bagged a couple of Beach Bucks.

What? You've never seen deer on the beach? Well, let me assure you they come out after dinner in the evening. And they all have matching antlers.

Fluffy got this young Beach Buck right out by the surf.



The Big Daddy Legendary Beach Buck?

He got away.

And just in case you think I only embarrass my family on this blog...let me share with you the shot that Oldest took of me standing on the side of the road chugging a 2 liter bottle of soda in a plastic bag. Wino?? Not really. It's Diet Rite. Yum.

Well...see, we had to stop and adjust the cargo carrier on the roof of the Tahoe and I was thirsty. And I didn't want the twins to see because I told them all we had was water!

Back in the SWARM of things

My poor little traumatized Quatro:

He's still sleeping off the shock, horror, pain...and Benadryl.

We arrived home from the beach to a warm welcome by Lucy the Demon Dog. She was so excited to see her family that she went nuts for half an hour, jumping, licking, yapping and running wild all over the house.

Quatro opened the front door to go help his dad unload the Tahoe and Lucy ran out ahead of him. He called to her, but naturally she didn't listen. I heard him slam the door as he went after her, laughing and whistling to her.

And then...

Screams of pure terror!

The first thought that went through my mind? Lucy had run into the street and been hit!

The second thought? Quatro had chased after her into the street and been hit!

What actually happened?

He stepped out the front door and was attacked by the wasps that had moved to our front porch while we were gone.

He got stung twice on the ear and once on the face!

He calmed down after his daddy applied generous wads of slimy, chewed up tobacco to his injuries and he took a Benadryl just in case....because the Oldest is highly allergic and Quatro had never been stung.

What a welcome home!

My Beach Babies

Dingbats at the Beach

Quatro spent a little time relaxing in his sand recliner while watching his sand TV this week.

(He says there's only ONE show. All sand, all the time.)

He went to the dock to fish by himself for awhile, and when he came back...without the fishing pole...we asked him if he'd caught anything.

"Sure did! I caught 3 flounders and a condo! I tried to throw it back but I couldn't get it loose!"

He got the lure stuck in somebody's roof!

Quator spent a lot of the week picking up little girls. He's quite a lady's man, let me tell you. He has met 10 and 11 year old chicks from all over the place. I dread next year when he's almost thirteen!! I may shave his head and make him wear dorky clothes.

And here's Darling Daughter, the other family weirdo...on the beach doing her impression of a duck. With Pringles for a bill. Lovely, isn't she. Wouldn't you just be tempted to stop and ask for her number if you were a teenaged boy??

And this attractive pillow-head ensemble. Well...words fail me. I have no explanation for the things she does. All I know is she keeps things interesting. And yes, she IS wearing a purple tanktop over her red, white and blue bathing suit and humongous fake pearl earrings. She's very fashionable that way.

This one...is cleaning his area off I think. Somebody sneezed within a forty foot radius and panic ensued. Lucky for us, ocean water kills germs. We took him right out and dunked him a few hundred times. To protect his immune system, you know. Otherwise we may have had to head straight to the hospital for a booster shot.

They've lost their minds.

Pip Squeak is not so sure he wants to taste the spicy tuna rolls with extra-hot homemade wasabi. All the other males at the table are snarfing it down...and their faces are bright red...with expressions of PAIN and AGONY! But they seem to be enjoying it, too!

Little man needs to think it through VERY carefully!

Wouldn't you? Especially if the people eating the sushi looked like this:

And this:

Quatro, on the other hand...he has no qualms about it. After all, sushi is FOOD and FOOD must be consumed right away, no matter the cost to your tastebuds or sinuses!

I was laughing too hard to take an after shot. Maybe I'll get one tonight!

More Landen news...

The surgeon says the first part of his surgery went as well as could be expected. He may or may not need to go back in to have additional surgery within the next few weeks. Last night he was in a lot of pain, so his heartrate was very elevated and his respirations were really low. Pain control is a little better today, but he's very small and they cannot give him too much medication on top of what he's already on. He's refusing to eat at all and they have had to put the feeding tube back in, which is something they were hoping to avoid.

Please pray for Landen's pain to be under control and for him to take the bottle. If he can eat well, he can go home for now.

Update on Landen

Finally...I just talked to Sherry and she says that Landen's surgery went well and he's "doing ok for now." The operation lasted about 4 hours. He isn't in ICU right now and they are waiting on the doctors to come in once more tonight to tell them a little more. They won't know how well it worked until about 24 hours have passed. Please pray for healing for little Landen an for an uneventful night.

Wednesday Prayer Meetin'

A little early and for a very special reason...

The little toe-muncher up there...

our sweet little angel-face Landen will be undergoing a risky surgery on his stomach this morning at 6:30 AM. Please remember him during your prayers. Pray for guidance and wisdom for his surgeons who treat tiny children every day, but never a case like his. Pray for peace for his mommy (my friend Sherry) and his daddy too. Pray for Landen to be strong and heal quickly and pray for this to be the ONLY time his mom has to hand him over not knowing how things will turn out.

I'm on vacation with family...six teenagers, two 11 year olds and the grandparents. Darling Daughter and I got all our hugs and smooches out of Landen on Thursday evening before his family left town for the weekend. The hubby offered to take us back to be with Landen's family, but I'm fairly certain my mom would choke me if I left her down here with all these kids. Thank goodness for cell phones!

I will update as soon as we hear how things went. Sherry promised to keep us posted as the doctors call out to the waiting room. DD and I will be holding the phone, waiting on it to ring. And probably crying.

Also...another dear friend is having some tests run today and needs our prayers. Not giving out her name or details as she has asked me not to, but she knows who she is and we're praying hard that everything is absolutely fine!

Important!

Got an update from Landen's mommy via cell phone this afternoon. First, the good news. Landen's big brother Ethan, who's 6 yrs old, won first place in his division in the Jiu Jitsu tournament on Saturday! He won his first Samurai Sword! So, Pip Squeak is really, really jealous! He was supposed to fight, but we had out-of-town plans instead.

Landen's surgery has been moved to Tuesday morning, July 14. Please continue to pray for this sweet, precious little boy and his family. His mom will update me after surgery since we're away and won't be there. Which stinks. I'll update as soon as I know something.

For my sister

Sister...before you scroll down to view today's photo...be sure you're sitting down!

What am I saying? You're almost always sitting on your butt.

OK, so instead, make sure you're comfortably situated on your humongous sofa with your feet propped up and your laptop firmly placed on a pillow in your lap.

Again...what other way would you be found on a Saturday??

Anyway, this is important. So do it.

Because what I am about to show you will leave your overcome with cuteness.

And it will leave you wondering "What the heck happened??"

And also, "Where did EIGHT YEARS go??"

And "Wait...are they triplets??"

And probably, "Awwwwwwww!"

Scroll down now...

Go ahead.

I'll wait.

Awww!!

Look at those three little blond babies!

Look at their little chubby cheeks, pudgy hands, itty bitty teeth and tiny knees!

Aren't they the most precious things you've ever seen??

Where the heck did eight years go??

Who told them they could turn into big kids?

Now they're all long skinny legs and crooked teeth or braces.

You're welcome for the flashback, Sister.

You may get up now and go about your business.

No, really.

I mean it.

Get up.

Get off your butt now.

Get busy.

Go!

And don't leave your laptop where your current three year old will step on it again!

Preemies to Preteens

When our twins arrived on the scene around 10 weeks early, my hubby and I were suddenly plucked from our comfort zone and tossed down in a whole new world. We had plenty of experience with the parenting thing, but we had lived blissfully in the land of healthy kids for almost eight years. Other than Darling Daughter flinging herself off of things and requiring stitches on occasion, we hadn't had too much to deal with. In fact, when I woke up in labor that Thursday morning, I really thought that we would just go to the hospital, the doctor would "fix" it with a shot or something, and we would go home to wait another couple of months. When we were informed that: 1. our babies were coming right now; 2. they couldn't be born at our chosen hospital; 3. an ambulance was required; 4. they may not survive and 5. if they did, we would most definitely be going home without them...well, to say we were in shock would be an understatement!

We all lived through their birth (parents and twins) and so did the doctors...even the one that bore the brunt of Hubby's anxious-father-attitude. Eventually, those tiny babies came home. And then we were faced with the task of raising babies who did NOTHING by the book. I'll get into Pip Squeak's adventures another day. For now I'm going to share a little about the Sensory Integration Disorder that our Quatro displayed as soon as he entered the world and has slowly either outgrown or learned to deal with over the last twelve years...from Preemie to Preteen. It's my hope that those parents out there who are dealing with Sensory Issues for WHATEVER reason will see a light at the end of that long, dark tunnel.

That Scary, Noisy NICU

At birth, Quatro's nervous system wasn't fully developed. For this reason, even a light touch on his skin would cause him to stop breathing. He spent many, many days chilling out spread-eagle in the incubator while we sat and stared at him...because if we attempted to stroke him or touch him or heaven forbid HOLD him, he would freak! His heart rate would plummet, his breathing would cease and nurses would come running to pop open the top of his bed and thump the living daylights out of his frail little body. Of course, the nurses HAD to handle our child, and he had to listen to beeps, alarms, voices, respirators, and cries twenty-four hours a day. He coped with this over-stimulation by blocking it all out and sleeping like no baby of ours had ever slept before. All of this, it seems, was a precursor to his reaction to the world when we finally brought him home.

Baby Swings, Bouncy Seats and Mushy Foods

As Quatro was introduced to Life in the Real World, his sensory issues continued. Both of my twins stayed on heart rate/apnea monitors for many months, but for different reasons. We quickly found out that Quatro was NOT soothed by the rhythmic motion of the baby swing or the vibration of the bouncy seat. He was terrified! His body could not register the vestibular input it was receiving. He had no idea where his body was in space, so to speak, and therefore quick movements were frightening. Also, he didn't like the feeling of being undressed or wet. Baths were a nightmare. He craved pressure and swaddling and snuggly hugs. Never, ever scoop Baby Quatro up and hold him up in the air to blow a raspberry on his tummy! Don't rock too fast and finish his bath as fast as humanly possible. His first trip to the beach? Yeah, he slept on a beach towel every second...the wind took his breath away, the sand felt disgusting and the sound of the waves was too much for his ears. The world was an overwhelming place for our little fellow. We began Occupational Therapy around the age of 18 months.

Wearing His Coat and Hood ALL Day Long

As he grew into a small child and went to school, he continued to display his sensory behaviors. If he went to school zipped up in his coat, then he STAYED at school zipped up in his coat. No one could convince him to remove it no matter how warm it was in the building. Forcing him to take it off resulted in quiet tears as he felt rattled and confused. (Although the teachers thought this was cute, the other kids thought it was weird!) Taking him on outings with the family or even holding childhood rituals like birthday parties were events that had to be modified. The circus? Forget it. Crowds of people, weird smells, strange noises...too much! He would FALL ASLEEP as soon as we took our seats in the movie theater. It didn't matter that he was really excited to SEE the movie. He couldn't help it. During his own birthday party, he would retreat to our bedroom and hunker down under the covers until all the craziness was over. On the Fourth of July, he and I would stay in the house and turn up the tv to drown out the horrifying noises. Around this age he began to roll himself up in his comforter at night...like a burrito...in order to fall asleep. Without the pressure sensation, he would stay awake wiggling for hours. Also, foods were a problem. Different textures would cause him to gag. We learned how to "brush" him and do joint compressions. We brushed the inside of his mouth before he ate. We bought him a weighted vest. We went to therapy where he was put on platform swings, climbing walls, huge balls, ball pits, you name it, it was done. Slowly, he began to learn to cope with the overload of signals life threw his way.

Jumping Off Diving Boards and Riding on Skateboards

If you had told me five years ago that Quatro would spend his twelfth summer flipping off the diving board, swimming underwater like a fish, LIGHTING his own fireworks, mowing the lawn, going to parties and looking forward to our vacation at the beach, I would have called you insane! And yet, here we are. He's a healthy, well-adjusted boy on the verge of teenagerhood and although he's still a tiny bit quirky, he's mostly an average kid. Oh yes, he still makes himself into a human egg roll at night. But the child who wore a hood on his head to avoid the wind in his ears? Now he sleeps with a fan blowing gale-force breezes in his face! He still doesn't want to take a bath...but that's because he's too busy RIDING his MOVING skateboard DOWN a HILL than his sensory issues with water. He still prefers not to eat cheese...ever...but that has to do with taste, not texture. And he has absolutely atrocious handwriting, which I think IS still due to sensory things...he doesn't hold his pencil tightly enough or use a firm enough pressure on the page, but it's at least legible so I don't complain. Much. Really.

If you suspect your little one is suffering with sensory issues, please have it investigated by someone who knows what to look for. Children with SID don't want to find the world overbearing...they can't help it. A good therapy program can make a world of difference in your child's life. It's meant everything to Quatro.

Wednesday Prayer Meetin'

James 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Today...

I have some really GOOD news to pass along!

Dr. Park's office in St. Louis called Seth's mom last Friday. It seems that Dr. Park had spent most of the day reviewing Seth's medical records, MRI's, x-rays, therapy videos, etc. In looking through his records, Dr. Park has found that the extent of damage to Seth's brain is NOT all that bad. Yes, he has Cerebral Palsy, but the damage is less than that of about 90% of the patients that Dr. Park usually treats. (It's amazing to me how the human brain functions. I mean, some people have major trauma to the brain and they heal and recover normally, while others sustain a tiny little injury and it changes their lives forever.)

Anyway...this is the BEST PART:

The doctor feels that Seth should be WALKING within four months after his surgery!!

And yes, we sat at Jiu Jitsu and laughed and smiled like idiots as she shared this news. It's so exciting to think that sometime in the next several months this little boy will be up on his own two feet and playing like any other kid. God is so good.

Now we just have to get Seth to St. Louis!

Which means...that the fundraiser is vitally important!! Please go check out Scootin' For Seth, and make plans to stop by on July 25. There will be something for literally everyone! Darling Daughter has been selling raffle tickets like crazy...I think she sold her first hundred in less than four hours. But there are PLENTY more. If you want to help make a difference in this sweet little fellow's life, please get in touch with me. If you live nearby, I will BRING you some tickets.

And now on to this angelic face:

Landen will undergo HIS operation on Monday morning. His family seems more at peace with things this week, and they're so thankful for all of your prayers! They'll be leaving on Thursday afternoon to get out of town for a few days and just be together as a family. (So, Thursday will be the last time DD and I get our hands on this precious baby before he has his surgery!)

Please remember this darling face and pray for Landen this week.

Thanks for your support in sharing Landen's story and his button! I've been meaning to give credit to Tonggu Momma for creating the button for me! I have no clue how to do it myself, but she's good like that.

And I don't know what those sentences are yellow...but oh well.

The Dingbat Diaries, Boy Version, vol.3

I mentioned last week that the twins and I are reading the Percy Jackson series in which Percy (Perseus) Jackson finds out that he's no ordinary 12 year old kid. He's actually a son of the god of the sea, Poseidon. These books are really interesting, and the boys have been known to argue heatedly over who gets to read ahead in the book during afternoon "room time."

And they're actually delving into Greek Mythology on their own.

Quatro had the book to himself one day this week and came to share the results of Percy's lastest battle with me. I asked him a few questions about other characters...

"Who was the god of the sky again??"

Zeus!

"And the war god? What was his name?"

Ares! (In the book he rides a motorcycle and carries weapons.)

"And the god of the underworld? The one who hates Percy's dad?"

HAZ-MAT!

Haz-Mat? Possibly he's been hanging around his dad and older brother too much this summer? I'm pretty sure Haz-Mat has more to do with dangerous materials and their recovery. Not Hades and the underworld.

Celebrating the Fourth

The grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins came over to our house on Saturday.

Even one of the great-grandaddy's was present. (He loves any kind of family get-together, especially when there's food involved.)

The cousins hung out in the pool for the afternoon...and Lucy was very well behaved while we had nothing but big kids...she didn't so much as bark at anyone as long as there were teens and preteens around...in fact, she pretty much minded her own business...until the little ones arrived. Then she tried to eat a perfectly innocent three-year-old, so she had to go to her room for the rest of the evening. I'm thinking she needs to be branded a "No Small Children" type of dog. Because the baby didn't even look at her before she went for a leg.

Darling Daughter coaxed the five yr old into the water and then saved the baby when he fell in minutes later. He was wearing some kind of Spiderman life-jacket suit thingie, so he wasn't in any danger...but he wasn't too thrilled at being soaking wet, either.

The above photo is the result of a life-long cheerleader with no little sisters. She forced her brothers to practice stunting with her. Quatro has gotten pretty darn good at it!

Then the exhausted kids came inside whining about being hungry...but it wasn't quite time to eat yet. So...what to do? Stick a huge tray of veggies in front of them. Have you ever seen 11-19 year olds on a feeding frenzy?? It really doesn't matter what you give them...when they're starving, they'll devour anything in their path. They finished off cucumbers, red & green bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower in about 10 minutes.

Then it was on to the "real" food. BBQ chicken, ribs, hash, rice, potato salad, rolls, pineapple upside down cake, strawberry pie and ummm...

ice cold, juicy, sweet watermelon!!

Did you notice? One twin used a fork and a plate for his watermelon? The other dug in face first and gobbled it down! Then stuck his face in the pool to clean it off.

The girls had stayed up until about 5 am the night before so I'm not really sure how they were STILL up at dark...

but they were ready for some fireworks!

We were treated to quite a show between Oldest and Quatro and our neighbors who usually spend a fortune on the things!

Darling Daughter even held a sparkler...without burning her fingers!!



We felt quite safe with three firemen on board. The Oldest did most of the firework-lighting, but this year Quatro convinced his dad that he was old enough to help. He actually did well and had fun, but let me just say...Pip Squeak...no fireworks. Ever. That boy is scary! Oldest handed him a Roman Candle and he proceeded to point it straight into the woods. Then turned around and aimed it at the truck! Then he went to light another one and LEANED DOWN over it while trying to light the fuse...no...not good. He'll be on the sidelines watching for a while yet!

It's a good thing we celebrated the Fourth of July on the Fourth and not the Fifth! We had great weather...a little warm, but not humid and a nice breeze. But the FIFTH! Storms, lightning, thunder, wind, torrential rain, limbs down, power out! Whew!

Well...I'm off to pack. Beach this weekend!

Which reminds me...anyone want to Lucy-sit next week??

Disclaimer from a kid?

The other day the kids were swimming...or well, not so much swimming as diving for sticks, playing keep-away with a soccer ball, leaping off the diving board and causing general chaos in the water.



Anyway.



So Quatro had the soccer ball and was about to toss it at the Pip Squeak (whom he had already nailed right in the face many times...accidentally of course...and who had whined every time he had gotten hit.) He held the ball back over his head preparing to throw and shouted:



"I will NOT be held responsible for any phyiscal injuries or emotional trauma resulting from the outcome of this throw!"



Come again?



Whatever happened to "Heads up!" ???

The Dingbat Diaries, Mom Edition

It's pretty bad when you have to jot down your grocery list on your hand while driving just so that you can remember what you need to buy as go across the highway from one store to the next. (I know it's dangerous to make notes while driving, shut up!)

It's even worse when get into the store and discover that you can't read your own writing on your own stinkin' hand!!

I could make out the BBQ sauce, strawberries, pie crust, and Sprite.

But Darling Daughter and I stood there in Kroger forever trying to figure out what in the heck that last thing was! We could NOT read it. Still don't know what I supposed to get.

Probably it was ADD meds! Cause not only could I not read it, I couldn't remember what I wrote 3 minutes ago, either.

Dementia?? Hormones? Old age?? Or just Dingbat Syndrome? You decide.

Fight like a girl!

That would be Darling Daughter in the photo below. The blurry one trying to get to the top. The one wearing a zebra-striped hair bow and sporting pink toenails with flowers on them. Just because you fight like a girl doesn't mean you can't look like one, too.

The other girl is the instructors daughter, a purple belt with 6 years experience.

DD has been WAITING for the gym to start a ladies class because she really wanted to participate but she's too old for the kids class. And no self-respecting 16 yr old girl wants to roll around on the floor with sweating, hairy, middle-aged men. She would have gladly joined the class full of teenaged boys except that:

A. They're all twice her size and

B. Mommy and Daddy don't want her rolling around in weird positions with teenaged boys! and

C. Teenaged boys tend to be hairy and sweaty, too.

Next on the agenda...ordering a pink gi for her to wear while practicing. Ugh.

She starts training for Cross Country tomorrow morning.

And next week will be her last week of volunteering at the Children's Hospital. She's hoping to be selected for their Teen Board so that she can stay involved over there. She's had a blast delivering presents to the kids and cheering them up, as well as meeting all sorts of folks in the gift shop.

A Revelation

I have come to the conclusion that most of the foods that I don't like are pink. I don't like things that taste pink. I don't care for my food to be the color pink. I don't like to eat salmon, strawberry flavored cake, pink icing, pink grapefruit, pink lemonade, hamburgers that still have pink in the middle, shrimp, pink yogurt, pink champagne, pink cotton candy, pink bubble gum, pink popsicles or pink jelly beans. In fact, the only pink food I can think of that I DO like is strawberry cream cheese.

But I'd really prefer the blueberry.

Wednesday Prayer Meetin'

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.~Proverbs 3:5-6

This charming little man with the Mohawk hairdo is Seth!

Seth is Landen's four year old big brother. ( I know...the cuteness factor is off the charts at their house. I don't know how their parents can stand it! Their six year old brother Ethan is a charmer, too. If I was a better photographer and you could see the eyelashes on these kids, you wouldn't even believe it!)

Seth has Cerebral Palsy (like my Pip Squeak) and has been getting physical therapy and other forms of treatment to help him learn to use his muscles. Seth has a form of CP known as Spastic Diplegia which basically means that his brains sends an overload of signals through his nerves down to his leg muscles, making them overreact. This means that Seth's legs are much tighter than most four year old boys and the tightness makes getting around extremely difficult. At this point, Seth can crawl around a little, but is unable to walk, stand or sit on his bottom to play.

However, there is a surgery that can change all that.

Seth has been evaluated by specialists at St. Louis Children's Hospital for a surgery called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy. The surgery involves cutting some of the nerve rootlets in the spinal cord that give too strong a signal, and recovery includes intensive physical therapy...four to six days a week to begin with. The results can be absolutely amazing!

This procedure is the same one that Pip Squeak had at four years old. This is the surgery that allowed him to progress from sitting in a wheelchair to using a walker to walking independently...and running, swimming, playing basketball and fighting in Jiu Jitsu like any other kid. Pip still has a slight limp, but the difference that this procedure made in his life was nothing short of a miracle. Before surgery, he was unable to sit unassisted and play with other kids. His legs were too tight for him to learn to dress himself because he couldn't bend enough to reach his knees...much less his feet. He had minimal use of his right arm and his stomach muscles were too weak to hold him up. Fast forward to age 11 and this kid has the abs of a professional football player and his arms? Guns of steel! He can do anything any other middle schooler can do...except ride a bike...not enough balance for that, but that's a drop in the bucket compared to all that he CAN do!

We were very blessed that a neurosurgeon here at our local Children's Medical Center was able to perform Pip's surgery almost 8 years ago. She's no longer here, though, so in order to get this life-changing operation, Seth and his family will have to travel to St. Louis and stay there through the first few weeks of his recovery. The surgeon in St. Louis has perfected this procedure and does SDR on many, many kids each year. He's exactly what Seth needs!

Our community is holding a fundraiser on July 25 that involves a motorcycle ride/scavenger hunt as well as bake sale, yard sale, entertainment, lunch, blow-up bouncy things for the kids, a raffle, and too many other things to list! If you live around here (and you know if you do) then PLEASE stop by the Belvedere Fire Department on July 25 and show your support for this darling little guy! If you want some raffle tickets ($1 each) give me a yell on facebook and I'll bring them to you! If you don't live here...would you please pray that the fundraiser and the surgery will go well for Seth? He deserves a chance to be able to get off the sidelines and play hard with all the other little boys!

And now...on to Landen. There's really no update on his status yet since his family is just waiting and praying for his surgery on July 13. In the meantime, how about a photo of Landen enjoying his toes? For some reason he likes to look at me upside down...maybe I look better that way? So here he is backwards in my lap as Darling Daughter holds him and he munches on his feet.

And here's Darling Daughter hogging the baby again while we attended a meeting about Seth's fundraiser. He really wanted ME to hold him, you can see it in his eyes. But my daughter is a baby thief and she snatches him up as soon as she sees him. I guess that's OK cause she's got way more energy than I do and that baby boy likes to bounce and wiggle!

Please continue to keep Landen and the rest of his family in your prayers. As the date of surgery approaches, they are understandable anxious. Please pray for peace.

If you want to share Landen's story, you can copy his button and add it to your page.