Thursday, July 31, 2014

A Time Gone By

Luke starts kindergarten in 16 days!!!!  This momma is freaking out just a bit about that.  The last day of preschool was hard in May but I know it's going to seem easy when August 14 rolls around.  Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for LJ and all of his new experiences and learning and growing BUT my baby is going to be gone for 5 whole days of school each week.  I'm going to miss him!  

Last year, he and I had Monday afternoons together and also mornings on Friday.  It was our special time to do stuff together while H was napping on Monday.  Friday mornings were usually pj days just relaxing together at home.  Those days are gone.  Now on Friday afternoons Luke will be the only one not home as Troy has 1/2 day work days on Fridays; that is going to be very strange!  

My dad and I were talking this past weekend about how it's never going to be the same.  That sounds dramatic but it's true.  From now until Luke leaves for college, we'll only have the weekends, summers and school breaks together.  It's a bit disheartening.  And it makes me want to cherish these last days all that much more before school starts! 


Thursday, July 17, 2014

My Back

I elluded to this in a previous post but here's what's really going on with my back.

On July 6, I was out in the backyard doing some weeding and garden work.  I was in a crouched position and pulled on a weed and apparently that combo along with a twist put me in immediate and very acute pain.  I could hardly lower myself the rest of the way to the ground to sit down and there was definitely no way I was going to stand up.  I wasn't close to the back door; I didn't have my cell phone on me; and Troy was taking a nap.  That all overwhelmed me more than a bit.

After resting for a few minutes, I tried to scoot to the edge of some concrete steps thinking if I could get my legs down a few stairs maybe I could try to stand up.  Well, it was excruciating to move at all.  I'd scoot an inch or two and then take a break.  After what seemed like an eternity, a few bouts of crying, and some prayers, I was sitting on the wall by the stairs and had my legs where I thought I could rock myself up and grab the shovel that happened to be upright in the grass at the bottom of the stairs.  I was going to use the shovel as a crutch.  I'm really not sure how I managed to get the shovel and stand up but I did.  And then I saw Troy walk across the family room, thank goodness!

I waved for him to come outside which of course he did.  He later told me he thought I had broken something from the pained look on my face.  I explained what had happened and told him I couldn't really walk.  He was a support on one side and I used the shovel for the other side.  I took baby steps and that might be an overstatement.  It took us 30 minutes to go maybe 75 feet and up some stairs to get into the house--something that's normally done in a few seconds.

We decided to try laying down on the floor in the family room.  We quickly determined that wasn't an option because I couldn't bend to get down.  So we walked to the bedroom so I could lay flat on the bed.  That too was a slow process and a painful one at that.  The relief was overwhelming when I was finally laying flat on the bed.

The rest of the day was spent laying as flat as I could with my knees propped up on pillows using ice packets on my back.  My dad and step-mom came over to help Troy with a few things and also to see me.  They have also both been suffering with back problems and I heeded their advice and appreciated their sympathy.  My first trip to the bathroom and back to bed caused so much pain and I remember telling Troy it was worse than the labor pains I had with Hannah.  I truly didn't think I was going to be able to get back in bed.  Troy was trying to convince me to go to the ER but I knew there was no way I could get in the car much less sit in the car.  I told him if things were still as bad in the morning we would call for an ambulance to come and get me.

I took a hydrocodone that I had left from after Hannah's c-section around 8 pm.  I don't think it did anything to help my pain.  I tried to sleep but that was pretty much impossible.  Around 4 am, I decided to take another hydrocodone so that maybe I could get a little bit of sleep.  I think I managed 2-3 hrs of fitful sleep.  When I woke up around 7, I had to go to the bathroom again.  Troy helped me of course and as I was sitting on the toilet I told Troy I was either going to throw up or pass out.  Well, I passed out and scared Troy to death.  When I came to (which was a good while later according to Troy), Troy was talking to 911.  I managed to get back to bed and put some pants on before the EMTs arrived.  Dad and Frankie also came over to watch the kids so Troy could follow me to the hospital.

The EMTs gave me some narcotic (I don't remember which one) so that I could tolerate the ride to the hospital.  It was an uneventful ride and I remember thinking to myself I can't believe this is happening.  Once at the hospital, I was feeling much better.  It took a while for the doctor to come and when he did all he did was ask me what happened and how I was feeling.  That was the only time I saw him.  I was not impressed looking back on it.  Before they released me, Troy left to come home and get my car rather than his so I wouldn't have to lower myself into the car.  While he was gone I got a morphine drip.  Once that was done and Troy was back they released me--no x-ray or MRI was done.  If I had been more with it I would have requested one.  They did give me a prescription for a muscle relaxer at least.  

The ride home was awful.  Before we even pulled out of the parking lot I told Troy I thought I was going to get sick.  Thankfully, I keep a plastic trash can in my car.  I threw up twice and also had the dry heaves on the way home.  Let me just say that when you're having tremedous back pain that wretching motion is no where near comfortable.  I think it was so bad because I had so much medicine on an empty stomach.  

We got home and I got back in bed.  I was quite happy to be in my own bed again.  Frankie was still here taking care of the kids; it was so nice not to have to worry about them.  I was able to eat some lunch which settled my stomach a bit.  Later in the afternoon Troy took me to the chiropractor that Dad and Frankie have been seeing.  I wasn't too sure about this and didn't know what to expect.  They took a whole bunch of x-rays and came to the conclusion that I had two locations of at least a bulging disc (between L3 and L4 and also between L4 and L5).  The chiropractor gave me an adjustment, OUCH, and then I came back home.  Dad and Frankie stayed through dinner and then everyone went to bed early.

Tuesday morning I went back to the chiropractor and already I was walking a bit better although still not completely on my own.  He wanted me to have an MRI so the full extent of the injury could be seen.  After another adjustment which didn't hurt near as much, Troy took me to have an MRI.  The chiropractor called later in the afternoon to tell me not only were the discs bulging but there were slight protrusions as well.  He explained it all to me but I had a hard time following it all.  The one thing that stuck in my mind was he said he didn't think it was bad enough for surgery--hooray!  Frankie had come to stay with the kids again until we got home and then my mom arrived from KC around Hannah's nap time.  This situation would have been so much worse if it had not been for our families helping out and taking care of the kids.  

And now today, eleven days after I initially hurt my back I am doing so much better!  My mom and step-dad have been here all week taking care of all of us.  I am still going to the chiropractor every day and I truly believe that is why I am doing as well as I am.  I believe I turned a corner last Monday and I've gradually been doing more throughout the week.  Don't get me wrong, I still have a ways to go and I have to be very careful with my movements but I'm definitely headed in the right direction.

The hardest part of all of this was not being able to pick up or hold my kids for those first several days.  Hannah was constantly saying, "Mommy is sick" or "Mommy's back hurts."  On Tuesday afternoon after the chiropractor showed me a safe way to do it, I was able to pick Hannah up for the first time in over a week.  She got a huge grin on her face and said, "Mommy not sick!"  It brought tears to my eyes.  This is definitely not how I wanted to spend these weeks of summer especially since Luke starts kindergarten exactly 4 weeks from today but I'm very grateful to be on the mend and we'll make the most of these last few weeks before school starts.

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

6 Year Old Questionnaire

Tomorrow is Luke's 6th birthday!  Wow, so hard to believe he's already 6 and getting ready to start kindergarten in August.  There are some unusual circumstances for Luke's birthday this year.  I severely hurt my back a few days ago so I'm currently laying flat in bed asking LJ all of these questions.  We will have a small family celebration tomorrow night complete with ice cream cake and then on Saturday we're having a dinosaur swim party.  Luke is beyond excited!  Now on to the questions….

How old are you? 6
How tall are you? Um, about this tall (patting his head).
How much do you weigh? Let me go check in the bathroom (disappears to the bathroom).  Comes back and says 43.5. And then he disappears again to double check.  Comes back and says I must have grown because now it says 44.0.
What is your favorite toy? Robber Hide-out Legos
Favorite book? I'm not sure.  Then he says i-Pad stories.
Favorite movie? Frozen
Favorite TV show? Wild Kratts
Favorite food? french toast and pancakes
Favorite fruit? cantaloupe and apples
Favorite snack? fruit by the foot
Favorite drink? crystal light and plain milk
Favorite activity? go to a park and play on the park sets (his words)
Favorite color? green and red
Favorite sport? soccer and basketball
Favorite song? Frere Jacques
Favorite animal? giraffees and elephants
Favorite game? slap jack, Lego City game
Favorite outfit? I can't figure it out.  Well, I like to wear my dinosaur and shark shirts.
Favorite holiday? Christmas and Halloween
What do you need in bed when it's time to go to sleep? diapers and my music
Best Friend? Nick (Pitman) and James (Parker)
When I grow up I want to be? a bone finder (paleontologist)
Nicknames? Munchkin, Lukester, Lukey (from friends), Dude
Thing I am really good at? helping and building Legos

Some other stats:
Clothing size: a few 4T and mostly 5T pants and a 6/7 shirt
Shoe size: 11
Height:   at 5 1/2 he was 43 3/4 inches so I'll guess about 45-46 inches
Weight: 44 lbs

Updated on 8-22:  We had Luke's 6 year check-up on the 18th.  He weighed 45 pounds (47%) and was 46 inches tall (57%).  Everything else looked great!

Saturday, July 5, 2014

2 1/2 Years


Well, this is a bit late but better late than never.  


Hannah was 2 1/2 years old on June 22.  And yet again, time is flying by!!!  I can't believe she is 30 months old already.  And there is no change in the full of life, independent, happy spirit that encompasses Hannah.  We love our HannahBean!

*Hannah's schedule is rather set since it's summertime.  She goes to bed between 8-9 depending on our activities and she'll get up also between 8-9.  Hannah's afternoon nap is anywhere from an hour to 3 hours.  I really like the 3 hour days although they are few and far between.  

*Stats: I haven't weighed her lately but the last time I did she was at least 33 pounds; I have no idea how tall she is although it's tall.  When people learn how old she is we always get a comment about how tall she is for her age.  Hannah is wearing 3T and some 4T clothes.  Hannah's hair is in ringlets especially when it's really humid.  We have to use a detangling spray on it in the bathtub otherwise we can't comb it out.

*Hannah knows when it's meal time and is not afraid to let us know it.  She loves to eat although it's definitely not as much as in the past.  She also has strong opinions about what she'll eat and what she won't touch.  Pork is by far her favorite meat although she doesn't eat meat too well.  Cheese, cheese, cheese!  No meal is complete without it.  Strawberries, corn on the cob, green beans, spaghetti, peanut butter and chips are all big favorites.  She also just recently started asking for Chic a lay (Chick-Fil-A)--not sure how I feel about that.

*The last few weeks she's been a big time mama's girl which is a switch.  It seems like she goes in phases with me/women and Troy/men.  This one seems to be a strong one in my favor.  I enjoy it but at the same time it's so hard when it's Troy's turn for helping her with bed, potty, etc.

*Speaking of potty--we started potty training on the 24th.  So far, Hannah is doing awesome!  Of course we've had a few accidents but she's really understanding the concept.  We're setting a timer and asking her constantly if she needs to go.  And she's started telling us more consistently when she needs to go.  We're still working on #2 and she's definitely still wearing a diaper overnight and at nap time but she is SO far ahead of LJ it amazes me.

*About a month ago, Hannah started talking about being pretty--she wanted to be pretty when she got dressed in the morning.  She would tell anyone she knew that she was pretty.

"I pretty; I pretty."

Last week, I hadn't taken a shower before getting her out of bed so I just had a t-shirt and yoga pants on.  When she saw me, she said, "Mommy not pretty today."  Ha!!!  Oh man, did I laugh.  So the last few days, I've been asking her if I'm pretty or not today.  The answers have varied but she is always pretty :)

*Hannah is really enjoying the pool.  She was hesitant at first but now she'll climb right in once she has her floatie on.  She doesn't like to go underwater yet but she been working on blowing bubbles lately.  We had some private swim lessons at the end of June and that helped a bunch.  She is an expert at shooting her water gun though!  She needs some defense against Luke and Troy.

*Riding her bike is also a favorite--just being outside in any form really is the best place to be.

*Hannah loves Legos.  She is very adept at sorting the pieces and using the flat pieces to make "pictures" and making towers.  Much to Luke's dismay, she is also very good at taking creations apart.

*Hannah also loves purses.  She has one purse that she carries with her everywhere.  It has no less than 4 phones and probably 10-15 bracelets along with some keys and various random items she picks up.

*We randomly hear Hannah break out in song.  Some of them are understandable, ABC song; Twinkle, Twinkle; Hammer, Hammer, Hammer; and some she makes up depending on her current activity.  She has a new one for sitting on the potty--pretty cute!

*Her counting is most often still 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 but 4, 5, and 6 make it in there occasionally.  

*Hannah loves to draw, color and paint.  Hooray!!!

*We are able to understand almost all of what Hannah says unless she's in a big hurry.  She is using full sentences and more often it seems that she talks in paragraphs.  We haven't hit a major why? phase yet which is surprising to me (I probably just jinxed it).  

*Hannah loves to play with Luke.  Most often they get along really well.  Hannah often asks Luke to help her fix dinner in the pretend kitchen.  One of the sweetest things they do together is lay on their tummy's while watching a show.

*Miss Independent also is insisting on buckling her carseat by herself.  She refuses any help on the stairs--makes me nervous.  And she's getting a little more freedom in playing upstairs without a parent around.

*Books have also become more desirable over the last few months.  She will often find some books and sit alone to "read" them.  Her favorites that we read include: Goodnight Moon; Big Red Barn; Brown Bear, Brown Bear; the Llama Llama books; Potty Train; and Curious George books.

*Current nicknames: HannahBean, Sugar Bean, Sweetie (most often from LJ)

*Bedtime routine: brush teeth, potty, put on diaper (with tape so she won't take it off) and pj's, read stories, rock and sing Frere Jacques.  I've really been enjoying the rocking and singing lately.  She snuggles into my shoulder and just lets me hug her tight.

500

I was going to write about something else but then I noticed that this would be my 500th post--not too bad for 4 1/2 years (although this year has been a bit lacking).  As I didn't know that I was really close to 500 I don't have anything overly special planned for this post but I thought I should at least acknowledge it.  I guess I'll link some of my favorite posts below.

Luke Arrives!
Amazing Gift
Asleep in the Chair
Watering His Toes
Another Perfect Gift
Fort Vs. Cave
200
Big Announcement
4D Ultrasound
Gender Reveal
Preggo Update
Hannah Elizabeth is here!
Coming into this World
Luke and Hannah Meet
Mama
10 Things About

I could add so many more but I want to get on with posting some other blogs I have floating in my head.  I will say that some of my most favorite, favorite posts are those that are random thoughts or collections of what's happening in the moment.  I really love to get those in depth glances of our lives past.