The New Cast of Characters

I am Heidi, aka Doodlebelle. I grew up in the beautiful town of Burlington, VT. I now reside in a rural area outside of Charlotte, NC. I have custody of my three step-children, as well as my four biological children. I am trying to navigate this world, keep my sanity, and laugh everyday while parenting 7 kids. Sometimes I do a good job of it. I enjoy reading, dancing, singing loudly in the car, losing my shit, and procrastination.


This is Brittney aka Weirdo. She is the twin of Brooke, (She is the older twin.) She enjoys her horse, reading, and being moody. She also enjoys thrashing around wildly while dancing, and completely ingoring me when I ask her a question.


This is Brooke, aka Miss Social. She is the twin of Brittney. She enjoys soccer, her friends, her phone, and her computer. She also enjoys dancing in the living room while watching her reflection in the TV, and arguing with her siblings. If ever she goes missing, you can find her in the bathroom, straightening her hair or taking pictures of herself for myspace.


This is Kyley, aka The Genius. She is super intelligent, and extremely weird. She enjoys her horse, her music, reading, and watching TV. She also enjoys sighing heavily and stomping when asked to do anything.


This is Andrew, aka Super Recovery Boy. He lives with brain cancer. He is funny and amazingly resilient. He enjoys playstation, computer games, drawing, talking back, and trying to get out of chores and school-work.


This is Rainia, aka Lil Mama. She is bubbly, fun and hyperactive. She enjoys competitive cheerleading, writing, being a princess, eating, telling everyone else what to do, and bossing around whoever she can.


This is Jake, aka Rotten. He is the twin of Joshua. He is funny, sarcastic, and entertaining. He enjoys action figures, bugs, dancing, making people laugh, being the center of attention, trying to annoy people, and ruling this family.


This Josh, aka Sweetness. He is the twin of Jacob, the youngest in the family. He is loving, sweet, and affectionate. He enjoys Computer games, Playstation, sports, singing, Showering people with hugs, and screaming at the top of his lungs when he doesn't get his way.


To contact me: iamdoodlebelle@gmail.com

holiday busyness and vomit

Three holiday concerts...Brittney & Brooke's B-Day...Christmas Shopping for 7 kids...2 dogs...2 cats...2 horses...Holiday party coming up...Also something BIG...Tears of joy...It's a surprise.

And in other news, Rainia announced to me yesterday that we were the farting family. She also threw-up all over the floor of the stall at middle-school #2 during Kyley's holiday concert this evening. Why did she throw-up all over the floor instead of in the toilet? Because she was having to use the toilet at the same time. Poor, poor girl. And before we left she told me that her ear hurt. Who knew an ear-ache could be so severe? And I am the worst school parent ever, because when I tried to clean it up with little paper-thin brown school paper-towels, it didn't seem to work, and I almost vomited myself. So I genorously covered it up with the paper-thin school-brown paper-towels, and then coincidentally saw one of those yellow "wet floor" teepee things, so I set it up neatly at the door to the throw-up stall so that the middle school girls could be forwarned. Then I went to the office to tell them that I needed custodial assistance, only no one was in the office due to the concert. So we went back to the concert.

So Frustrated Part Deuce

So I just went and had yet another conversation with Kyley about Mr Science teacher.

I have serious concerns about reporting Mr. Science teacher, because we live in such a very, very conservative, religious, republican area. I am almost positive that if I did contact Mrs. Principal about this, I would be the first and only parent to ever do so. Therefore, I am sure that nothing would come of it. Doesn't Mr. Science teacher need more than one complaint in his 70 years of teaching to change his ways? So this makes me feel like there would be ramifications on my kid. She already had a couple of rough days at school involving politics. The first was the day the students had their "mock" elections, which of course afterward they discussed who they mock-voted for, and she discovered that ALL of her friends thought she was crazy and stupid for voting Obama. The worst day though, was the day after the real election, where she bravely wore her Obama t-shirt, and was chastized, and had complete strangers angry at her for wearing it.

And it's not just Kyley. Poor Brooke got in a raging yelling match at school, 3 against 1, when she mentioned her views on being pro-choice. It went as far as her being called a baby-killer. It was carried on at home, when we found out that her own twin sister was one of the 3 kids yelling at her. Thank-God that my kids are so self-assured. After this happened, Brooke turned the whole thing into an essay for an assignment, on something that she was passionate about. The whole essay was about being pro-choice, and thankfully the teacher saw her passion and (even if she didn't agree) gave her the "A" she deserved.

Anyway, living in a more rural area, in the South, is hard for a girl from Vermont. And I would love for my kids to be able to hear all viewpoints on politics, to be exposed to many different cultures, and religions, and to make their own choices as adults. And these past couple of months really woke me up, because from the start I didn't think I was very political, didn't think that I was doing a good job trying to teach my kids my views. I even wrote it on this very blog somewhere that I am not very politically minded. But obviously I have done something, because in this sea of conservatism, where my kids are getting religious teachings in public schools, where my kids are being told regularly that everything I believe is wrong, they are listening to me. They are forming their own beliefs. A couple of them very strongly are forming beliefs and standing firm in them. All of them voted Obama in their mock-elections, even the kindergarten ones. And they don't all agree with me or each other about everything, but at least they are talking and thinking about the shit.

And that day that Britney had been in the group of kids yelling at Brooke? We discussed it, and we discussed the reasons they both felt the way they did. And then I naturally did what I do, and argued my pro-choice position, and I used the best debates for my opinion that I could think of. And just when I got Britney switched over to my side, I realized what I had done, and how it went against the big picture of what I am trying to accomplish with these kids, and I quickly switched it up. I told Rick I felt bad, and I called her back into the kitchen, and debated to the very best of my ability all the reasons why she should be pro-LIFE. And that night, I knew in my heart that that 13 year old girl new more about the issues surrounding pro-choice/pro-life than many adults. And she had heard both sides, until she was holding her hands over her ears saying "I can't take anymore!" and could now make her own informed decision.

So this is my goal. Not for my kids to be clones of my beliefs, but to be educated, and have their own beliefs. And I am SO blessed to be able to have a conversation with my 11 yr. old kid about her teacher, and for her to first of all realize and vocalize her opposition of having to hear his political views in the classroom. Then on top of it, I know that the reason it bothers her so much is because she has strong political views OF HER OWN, which are the opposite of his. I am just so blessed to be able to deal with this as a parent. It makes me cry the happy tears. I can only hope and pray that in the future I get to have to make more of these hard decisions. Decisions that make it so clear to me that my kids are turning out fucking incredible, and that no matter how stressful it feels in our daily life and how monotonous the days seem, and how they just seem to run into each other with all of our running around, there are some seriously awesome things happening in my household.

My kids are turning out exactly how I hoped and prayed that they would. So do I wish I was raising them in VT, where everyone thinks the same way I do? Yes, on most days I do. Do I sometimes feel like I am doing them a disservice by raising them here, where they have to deal with this shit? Absolutely. But my god, I cannot even express how successful I feel as a parent right now.

Which still leaves me with this bitter-sweet parenting decision. Do I report Mr. Science teacher to Mrs Principal, knowing that 90% (at least) of our area believes exactly like Mr. Science teaher? Do I risk the repurcussions on my kid as even if I do it anonymously the kid with the Obama shirt would be the one suspected? It is wrong. I know it is. I also know it is illegal. But it is also the way of life here. But, (smiling) not in this house.

One-Liners

Things I have heard in my house lately:

Part of Josh's speech deficit is that all sounds with a G, K, or hard C, sound exactly alike. They all sound like a K sound. So for him, the words got and caught would sound exactly alike. They both come out like "Kot" So just imagine for me, if you would, all G's in the following sentence sounding like a K. And yes, we are VERY sick parents to have found this so funny.

Josh: "I got gum! I got gum!" "Why awe you yaffin? I yuv gum!"


Jake: I need a spoon.
Rick: Well go get yourself one. This isn't a restaurant!
Jake: (takes Rick's hand and drags him into the kitchen, and then points to the wall) "Look!"
Me: (laughing hysterically) OMG! He got you honey! Don't underestimate Jake.

Rick: Boy, that sign says Rest-Stop, not Restaurant! You better get your own stinkin' spoon!


After we saw this:

All the kids thought it was so cool. Then a classic Brooke moment

Brooke: But how did he get his hair to come out the top like that?

All the kids had to laugh, and then all of them tried to explain to her how it was a helmet. That it was made like that.

During a precious moment where Rick and I were alone in the car.
Me: Stop confusing me Bitch!
Rick: Will you stop calling my navigation system that? I LOVE her!
Me: Sorry honey, but what the hell is her name then? You are going to have to name her or I am going to keep calling her bitch.

And the best thing I have heard recently around this house is the word "Mom", spoken many times recently, by Andrew, describing me!!!

Don't make me get all Yankee on you!

OMG People!!! Remember this paragraph from earlier?

Brittney is next, can someone say Proud Parents? Honor Roll! 3 A's, 4 B's. Then her math teacher jumps on her because she has the potential for an A, and received a B. Internal dialogue: Woman, you have about 2 seconds to shut-up. You are chastising my kid, who is on HONOR ROLL. Leave her alone.

Here I thought maybe I was over-reacting. Even Internal Dialogue can be an overreaction, ya know? Like my thoughts were getting carried away. But guess what? ...Now this is a second-hand story, as it is about Brittney, but told by Brooke. I am going to have to talk to Brit directly when she gets home (She is at the barn with Kyley)

Brooke says that at school today Mrs. Math teacher asked Brittney how her conversation on the ride home with her parents went, and Brittney replied that it was fine, why? According to Brooke, Mrs. Math teacher answers that she was trying her hardest to get Brittney in trouble, but apparently it didn't work. And she didn't bother trying to get Brooke in trouble, because the parents already know all of Brooke's business.

I tell Brooke that Brittney SHOULD have said "The ride home went great! My parents are sssooooo proud of me!"

What the hell, people? Does Mrs. Math teacher have something against my girls? Do I need to get all yankee on her? As it stands now, I am going to let this whole thing slide. But I really wish she could read my mind right now, because it is running a mile a minute, but is mostly shouting Don't mess with my kids!!!

Parent-teacher Conferences

Yesterday was parent-teacher conference day. Always a big deal in our house, but this year was different. Having the boys in Kindergarten means we now have 7, yes SEVEN conferences to go to. How do you attend 7 parent-teacher conferences? Let me tell ya. Bear with me, one day my kids will look back on this, and want to know. So here we go...

First of all, for some reason, which I am still trying to grasp, only three out of our 7 dwarfs were responsible enough to bring home the sign-up sheets. On the sign-up sheets, you tell the teacher what 3 times would work for you, and then they send home a note with the time of your conference. So Rainia brought home her sheet, and was scheduled accordingly. As were the Kinder boys. For the unknown reason uummm...irresponsibility, NONE of our middle-sch. students got scheduled. So Wed. I told the kids they better get me a conference time. So Andrew did. They just listen so well. That left 4 out of 7 conferences actually scheduled.

So they got out of school at noon. The kinder-boys and Rainia took the bus as usual, and I headed to pick up Andrew and Kyley. As soon as I got there, Kyley says "I got you a time! And it's RIGHT NOW!" Quick internal conflict: Brooke and Brittney are waiting on me at the other Middle School. Rick is only going to be able to work until 1:30 today. The teacher's are waiting for me in the school. Shit! OK, let me just run in here and get this one down, and that will only leave six more. So I run into the school with Kyley and Andrew, have the conference, and run out. Kyley is on honor roll, 3 A's, 2 B's. PROUD!!!

We jump in the car and quick-drive over to the other middle-school. B&B get in the van. "Did you get me a time?" Nope. "Well girls, you are not getting out of this. Get your little butts in there and get me a time." Brooke runs back out to inform me that the teacher's can do RIGHT NOW. So I head into the school to explain that Rick really wants to be there, and can we get a later time? 3:30 is agreed upon, and we head home.

I get home to find Jake in his underwear and socks OUTSIDE which he knows he is not allowed to do. I quickly get him dressed, grab Josh, and we head to pick up Rick. We get to elementary school, a couple minutes early, so hit the book-fair. After Josh chooses a book for himself and Andrew (AAWWWWW), and Jake chooses a pointer, Yes people, a pointer, we head over to Kinder-building. Jake's conference is first. He is on grade level, did not identify a rectangle for his teacher. (WTF?) He sometimes has trouble staying on task, and Occasionally has attention issues. And oh, by the way, do you know how funny your son is? Uummm, yeah.

Josh is next. He is above grade level in every area, and unfortunately, even though he obviously has a speech deficit, he is not eligible for school-speech because he is reading. He is ready to start the "AR" program (accelerated reading) They will only fund speech classes if the deficit impairs his learning. He knows what the letters are, can identify them, and can sound them out into words (even if the words don't sound right). Internal dialogue: My kid is reading? Hhhmmm, why didn't I know this? Note to self= Have Josh read you a book. Damn, have Josh read Jake a book, let him take care of the night-time story from now on. This will definitely leave more time for wine. Also, apparently Josh doesn't know how to walk. He hops in line, and has to be told on a regular basis to stop jumping, skipping, etc.

We drop J&J off at home, and pick up B&B. We get to Middle Sch.#2, and they are having parent-student conferences, instead of parent-teacher conferences. We flip a coin, which makes Brooke's turn first. She reads off her grades, and the essay she has written on why her grades are what they are, and we are proud! 3 A's, 3 B's, and 1 C. Brittney is next, can someone say Proud Parents? Honor Roll! 3 A's, 4 B's. Then her math teacher jumps on her because she has the potential for an A, and received a B. Internal dialogue: Woman, you have about 2 seconds to shut-up. You are chastising my kid, who is on HONOR ROLL. Leave her alone.

We drop off B&B, and have about an hour before we need to be back at elem. for Rainia's conference. We use this time wisely of course. (We walk around the property, and decide where we will have our HUGE fantasy house built.) We then get Rainia, and head back to elementary sch. Another trip to spend $$ at the book-fair, and then on to the conference. We love Mrs. F, Kyley had her last year, and I use the time to gossip about our middle school kids. Her daughter is in Kyley and Andrew's social circle. Oh-yeah, and we spend some time talking about Rainia. 2 A's, 1 B, and 1 C. Proud!!! Oh, and she is citizen of the month this month, and will be getting an award tomorrow. Plus, she will not be taking Sierra to the bathroom anymore. Sierra is disabled and needs to use the special bathroom in the office, but Her and Rainia have been stopping to socialize with Mrs. Principal, and have been missing too much class-time. Internal=Uuummmm...who socializes with Mrs. Principal? Hhhmmm, my kids are nerds...I wonder if she gets close enough to Mrs. Principal, will she get some sort of award? Will Mrs. Principal take special interest in the boys? You go little brown-noser!!!

We get home with just enough time for the girls to quick-change into cheer-leading clothes, and to grab Andrew. YAY!!! ALMOST DONE! We drop off Brooke and Rain at Cheerleading, and head over to Middle Sch.#1. We are the last conference of the day. (It is 6:45) Andrew is doing great, but is missing his math workbook, and a library book. He has 1 A, 2 B's, and 3 C's. This is really a great report card, considering how much harder he has to work compared to the other kids. On our way out, we check his locker, and find missing workbook, and missing library book. Relief. And we are Done!!!

Until 8:00, when we have to leave again to pick up the girls at cheer. Busy, busy day. And I wouldn't have it any other way. WooHoo!!! We have amazing kids! And are SSOOOOOO Proud, of each and every one of them!

THAT mother

I am sick. I have a terrible cold, and have been too tired at the end of the night to write anything.

I do want to talk about Rainia's elections, because I was so proud of her, and am THAT mom. 2 years ago, when Kyley was in 4th grade, Rainia's age now, she was also elected into student council. She was running for vice-president. We spent hours writing the perfect speech, and she delivered it flawlessly. I didn't know until I got there what the parents with older siblings already knew. The speech in elementary school doesn't matter.

There were students doing flips, students in costumes, and students throwing things into the crowd. There were students who brought their older siblings to do the speech for them, and students with music. It was a show like I had never seen. It had absolutely nothing to do with the position the kids were running for, and everything to do with the “awe” factor. So poor Kyley delivered her speech beautifully, but didn’t stand a chance.

So this year, with Rainia, I was prepared. We decided that we would spend a lot less time on the speech, and a lot more time on the tricks. Her sisters volunteered to help, and I left it to them. They are, after all, the professionals.

So they created a lift, and Kyley even went to cheerleading with them so that she could learn how to spot. (Safety first.) So when it was Rainia’s turn, they lifted her high into the air, where she balanced perfectly. I handed her the microphone, and she delivered the speech she had memorized. When she was done, they threw her up, and caught her flawlessly. It was beautiful.

How was I supposed to know that in the last 2 years since Kyley was there that the school had been working on getting the kids to stop doing tricks? How was I supposed to know that she would be 1 of only 2 students who did anything other than stand sweetly at the podium and read their speech? How I ask you, how? So I became THAT mother. The one who tries to get her kid to show-up the other kids. But, I tell you people, it was not my fault.

Vowels

Brooke: I worked on my vowels last night.

Me: Your what?

Brooke: My vowels. for the wedding. I worked on them. Their not done yet.

Me: Oh, their called vows. Without the "l". Vowels are, you know, a e i o u.

Kyley: And sometimes Y.

So yes, we are incorporating our kids in all aspects of this wedding. I have been working on the perfect monogram for us. Here is one that a fellow knottie, Ponticelli came up with.

Interims

Interims today.

But first, Rainia woke up with her eye red and swollen half shut, but at least her Dr. office was open, so we didn't have to go to the ER. They are not positive, so they are treating her for pink eye and allergies.

Now, Interims. It's only half way to the report cards so we have time to pull them up, but I am very excited anyway. ALL are better than last year. My kids are AWESOME!!! I am so proud of them!

Brooke:
3 A's
2 B's
1 C

Andrew:
2 A's
2 B's
2 C's

Brittney left her's at school, and Rainia was sick, and drumroll please......

Kyley:
A
A
A
A
A
A

For the first time!!! She has always had a B in math! We are VERY excited!!! And now, Kyley CAN read this book

History in the making

I don't consider myself to be very politically minded. There are some things that I have strong opinions on, because they affect me very personally. But for the most part, I don't think that I am knowledgeable enough to rant and rave on politics. I know who I'm voting for, but I don't do campaign contributions. I wouldn't say that politics are a huge part of my life. My Mom, on the other hand, well let me just say straight from the words of my good friend Shannon, "My Mama Loves Obama." Whether you love Obama or not, no one can dispute the fact that this is indeed a historical election. This is why I gladly allowed my Mom to take our three oldest girls with her, my brother, and his girlfriend, to see Obama in uptown Charlotte. With 30,000 other people. I guess there were actually 29,995 other people. :)

They were so excited to tell me all about it when they got home. Before this field-trip, we had rarely spoken about anything political. I guess that I'm not really doing my job, as I do believe that you should raise your kids in a way that encourages the thought process that you believe to be right. This is what parenting is all about. You try to teach your children to be the adults that you hope they turn out to be. So when they come to me with any questions or issues, I feel wonderful and free to discuss the issues and give them my opinions. I guess I just wish that I was initiating more of these conversations.

One of our girls has had more of an interest in these type of conversations then the other kids, but now, after this field-trip, the other girls are suddenly interested. It is wonderful. Brooke even remarked that now she was going to like Social Studies class, because it would be interesting to her. So if for nothing more than that, mission accomplished.

Please ignore the big yellow wrong date in all of these pics.

Kyley looking just so happy to be taking a picture


Brooke and her new best friend


Some security very high in the sky


And the reason for all the security




And a random picture of Charlotte that they found interesting


I'm still working on getting my brother's pics. If he has anything good, I'll post it at a later time. All in all, I feel like my kids have participated in something beyond them. Beyond the scope of middle school drama. Beyond the scope of what we live and do on a daily basis. This was big. I feel that they have grown from this experience, in ways that we wont even know for years to come. So thank-you Mom, yet again, for doing an awesome job.

Oh, and I have to say, Brooke is running for school president, and Rainia is running for school secretary. Both are already through the preliminaries. Good luck girls!

Also, I was given this cool link from a girl on the knot. Thanks Everam. It's just a little game where you can match up your beliefs with what the candidates are saying. They don't let you know till the end who said what. I thought it was interesting, and it confirmed my vote. (I don't know how, but it also confirmed the votes of some of my friends who said they were voting for the other guy) Check it out!

Dear family,

Do not fear. As you well know, not all children turn out thinking politically like their parents, or other siblings. Some go in the opposite direction. Not to mention, I am raising them in the oh-so-open-minded south, where I am sure that they get plenty of the other viewpoint as well. Surely at least one of them will turn out to be on your side. Hell, there are 7 of them. Maybe you will get 2.

P.S.- If you get 2 of them, the other 5 will more than cancel out their votes. hehe.

Still laughing

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. We took 5-year-old Josh to the ER to get stitches, and he wants to sew up his own leg. 13-year-old Brooke goes to help and passes out. lolol. Maybe we can get her out of dissecting anything this year.

Our latest jaunt to the ER

So I can't write about the part that I wasn't there for. I will start with earlier in the day, because for some reason, I guess the first time I wasn't there in an emergency, I feel like I need to justify why. We took the boys to get their "first-day" new clothes. It took hours, thanks to Jacob who is pickier and more fashion conscience than any of our girls. When we got home, we dropped them off, and had to bring Kyley to the barn. She had a rodeo the night before, which, by the way, Montana messed up in, broke the pattern, and she was disqualified. Anyway, she had to go to the barn to put her stuff away. Then we had to go to the shop and get everything ready for Rick to not go to work the next day. He took a day off to do some wedding stuff with me. Then, we went to the grocery store. So we get home, and Rainia is outside in her new school clothes. I was mad, but didn't even have time to deal with it, because I hear that Grand-ma took Josh to the ER.

I freaked out, ran to grab the insurance info, and we drive quickly to little town hospital. They tell us what room he is in, and we find him. When we walked in, Josh was in the bed with his little knee peeking out of a sterile cover, and the dr. is sewing him up with a very thick curved needle. Grand-ma and Brooke are standing there watching, and the dr. has to keep telling Josh to move his little hands, because he is sitting up, and trying to help. Josh is in a great mood, and tells us that he was "wunnin weawwy, weawwy fast. Supa fast. As fast as I could. Then I twied to jump on ma window, and I fell on a big, pointy wock."

So I asked to clarify, "Did you just say that you jumped out of your window?"

"No" he says, "I was twyin to jump IN da window. An I fell, on a big pointy wock."

The dr. is laughing, and keeps telling us how cute Josh is, and how he didn't cry or anything. And keeps telling Josh to move his hands, because for some reason, he wants to help sew his own leg up. Then the dr. tells Brooke to sit down. I hadn't noticed, but sure enough, I look, and Brooke is white, almost green, and doesn't look so well.

Brooke and my Mom leave the room, and a few minutes later, we see Brooke roll by in a wheelchair, pushed quickly by a nurse. A minute later, a nurse runs in and says, "Mom, your daughter just passed out cold and threw-up all over herself. We need your help in here." So I run in, and Brooke is admitted in another room, and is covered with vomit. Literally covered. It is in her hair, on her glasses, covering her chest and lap, and between her toes. Covered. They explain that she passed out and then vomited. She acts like she doesn't really know where she is, or what happened. "Is Josh OK?" she says.

"Josh is fine, but you're not." I tell her. The nurse actually CUTS Brooke's clothes off of her, because of the amount of vomit they are covered in. They bring me towels to wash her up, and she doesn't know what is going on, or why she is covered in vomit. I am trying to hold back my own vomit as I am washing the threw-up out of every nook and cranny on her body. My mom comes in and explains that Brooke threw-up all over HER, and she was washing herself up in the bathroom. She is very concerned, and says that she thought Brooke actually had a seizure, not just fainted, because of the way her eyes rolled back in her head, and her body was jerking.

My mom and I finish washing Brooke up, and I put one hospital-gown on her, front-to-back, and then another, back-to-front, so that she is completely covered. The dr. comes in to check on Brooke. She finally understands that she passed-out, but doesn't know why, because she explains how she did so good helping Josh, and actually even leaned over him in the room while he got his numbing shot so that he didn't see the needle. She explains that if she was going to pass-out, it should have been when the skin on his knee was hanging off, and they actually folded it back to scrub inside of it. The nurse suggests that she was to busy being strong for Josh, and when the parents got there she could finally relax, and that was when the adrenaline hit her.

My mom takes Brooke home, and I go back into Josh's. Rick is sitting with him, repeatedly telling him to keep his leg down, and his hands away from his knee. We leave there with an anti-biotic, a very tough little boy, and the knowledge that med. school or nursing are absolutely not in Brooke's future.

Josh's knee = 7 strong stitches

It's only funny till somebody gets hurt

Sorry, no sound in this one. Shot by Andrew's digital camera

Parenting 101 Lesson 3: It's Only Funny Till Somebody Gets Hurt

Selective Hearing

Written 4/21/08

Conversation with Brooke and her soccer coach today after the game:

Coach: "You have a natural kick, and a good dribble. But when you get in the game you act like you don't know what's going on. You act confused, like you don't know which way to go."

Coach walks away.

Brooke: "Did you hear that? He said I was good."

Me: "Uummmmm. Yeah."

Berd

Written 4/2/08

Congratulations to my berd* and her team for winning 1st place in the Battle of the Books for the first time in her elementary school's history.

We got the results back from Andrew's neuro-psycological assessment. It is very interesting, but we are still trying to decipher it. Maybe we should have Kyley explain it to us?

They are getting ready to go on the outerbanks field-trip. Rick is definately not going, but now we are questioning that decision. They said there would be A LOT of walking, students have to carry their own luggage, they will need to wear sweatshirts and coats, shed them and carry them, etc. All normal activities, but things Andrew might struggle with.

Brooke has her 1st soccer game tomorrow, and then the boys start T-ball on Sat.

That's all I have to report for today, except that next week is spring break for our school system and I am SO excited. I need a break.

-Heidi

*berd- beautiful nerd

Doctors, parenting, and more doctors

Written 3/14/08

It sure has been a busy few days. The evening after the spelling bee, we had to get ready to go up to Durham, which is no small feat, since we have to lay out clothes not only for the ones who are going, but the ones who are staying as well. Plus make sure there is enough breakfast and dinner so that my brother doesn't have to deal with any of that. After the morning rounds of dropping off kids on Wed., we headed up and actually arrived 2 hrs early for his 1:00 app. Fortunately, they let us check into the hotel early so that we could rest and freshen up. The appointment was long. about 5 hours. At one point, Kyley and I left for a run to the store and ended up lost in the wrong part of Durham. But we found our way back, and after the appointment, we ate dinner and they swam in the pool.

They said that it would take 2-3 weeks to get back the report, which covers his intellect, memory, ability to learn, etc. everything that radiation can affect. So we should be armed and ready at his next IEP meeting. We got home at about 3:00 on Thur. afternoon, which was teacher conference day, so we went to our 5 conferences. Luckily all teachers got us in shortly after we arrived, since we weren't sure what time we would be back, we didn't schedule any specific time. The longest we had to wait was about 20 minutes.

When we got home at about 5:30, Rick had to turn around and go back to the shop, and boy did he miss all of the action. The kids staged an intervention on Brooke. I am not kidding. They sat her and I down and told her (and me) that she has this boyfriend that they hate. (same boy that seems to be the cause of her friends turning against her and her grades dropping from A's and B's to F's.) They said that he had called Brittney, Rick, and I many terrible things, and had even called Brooke terrible things. They told her that they didn't trust her decisions or her word, since she had said that she didn't like him anymore. They said more, but I am practicing the whole discretion thing.

I was so amazed, that the kids would do this, that when Rick got home, I had them go through it all again. I know that it sounds typical for a 13 year old to have a boyfriend, but this can't be normal that it would affect her friendships, grades, and even siblings, so we're really at a loss. Were not quite sure what to do.

Rainia had a follow up Dr. appointment today, her infected toe is much better. Unfortunately, her ears are still too full of wax. At our last app. the Dr. suggested this homeopathic remedy called ear-candling, which was so funny, I'll have to post some pics. But, the candling didn't take care of the problem, so now we are being referred to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. He said that the wax build-up is really severe, and she probably has loss of hearing at this point. She has always had an abundance of wax, and the reason we switched pediatrician's is because the last Dr. office busted her eardrum while trying to irrigate the ear. Poor Girl!!! This was years ago, but she was so afraid to go back in there we had to switch Drs. (I don't blame her. They say that a ruptured ear-drum is extremely painful.) Fortunately, our pediatrician now says that anything like that should be done by a specialist who knows what they are doing. So more Drs. appointments on the way.

Brooke got her glasses today as well. So, this has been the first chance I've had to post an update. And now to tackle the bags of clothes and toys that are still in my living room...

Mother of the Year

Written 3/7/08

This is my story from yesterday: I woke up with Rainia whining that her ear hurts, as I already posted, she stayed home from shcool on Mon and Tue. Wed she was fine, and went back to school coincidentally it was Grand-parents day, and she knew that my mother was going with her and taking her to the book fair. So Thur. morning, all of a sudden she was sick again. So, I wasn't having it. I told her that if she was well enough to go to school on Grand-parents day then she was well enough to go to shcool today. I told her that I was tired of her always trying to stay home, and that she was going to have to repeat 3rd grade from missing so much school. So, off to school she went.

Yesterday was also Brooke's special day. She is getting glasses, and it was time to get the full vision exam and pick out her frames. She, still trying to pull up her grades, decided to go to school in the morning, even though I had to pick her up at 10:00 for her app.

9:00am i received a call from Rainia saying that she was to sick to stay at school. I knew she wouldn't rest until I made her a dr. app. so I called her pediatrician, and they were able to get me in at 11:00, the same time as Brooke's app. fortunately, they happen to be in the same office building, 2 doors apart.

I pick up Rainia, then head over to Brooke's school. I tell Rainia that I'm so upset and if the dr. says that there is nothing wrong with her, she is grounded for the weekend. When I get to Brooke's school, Rainia stayed in the car and on the way out with Brooke, I tell her that Rainia's faking sick, and to go along with what I say.

In the car, we tell Rainia that the eye dr. probably wont let Brooke go in herself, and that her Dad is going to have to leave work and go to her app. with her, which would be terrible, because he would probably pick out the ugliest glasses in the world, thus ruining her life forever.

So we get to Brooke's app. early, I fill out all required paperwork, and she IS able to go into the app. by herself. I explain the situation, and that I will be 2 doors down at the pediatrician's office.

We got over to Rainia's appointment, and guess what? She has an ear-infection and allergies to the point that they recommend prescription medication. She even had a fever. 99.8, to low to catch with the old hand-on-the-forehead thermometer. So now I am feeling like the worst mother ever to exist on the planet. Sorry, sorry, sorry I keep on saying. "See Mommy, I told you my ear hurt" (she is just beaming as she says this, right in front of the dr.) Oh-my. I am not winning the mother of the year award this time around.

We go out to lunch, at Rainia's favorite restaurant, not fast food, maybe as a little sucking up to hasten her forgiveness. We pick out Brooke's glasses, very cute. All of this before 2:00, then it's drop them off at home, and off to work for me.

Leapyear Updates

Written 2/29/08

Family updates

Andrew-



we went back up to Duke yesterday. We left in the morning after the rounds of dropping off kids. Fortunately, we didn't run into any traffic issues and arrived at our 1:00 app. at 12:55. Talk about cutting it close. They gave us great news. The PET showed very little activity in the tumor. Although they disagree with the treatment Andrew received in Charlotte, and are concerned about the side-effects, the radiation is working. As I already reported, the tumor has shrunk in size, the cyst caused by the radiation is gone, and Andrew is doing well right now. At this point, they recommend just watching the tumor, and Andrew, to see what the radiation is going to do. No chemo at this time!!! Unless Andrew shows symptoms, we go back in 3 months for testing.

They were concerned though, about the amount of secretions in his lungs. They explained that where the tumor is located on his brain-stem controls lung function, and when he gets a cold, it is and will be very difficult for him to cough out the phlem. They did chest x-rays to make sure that everything in his lungs right now is just phlem, not food, considering that the tumor lays on the nerves for the airway path and swallow. We know that his gag reflex is working right now, and pray that it continues to work, as the two months Andrew had his feeding tube were very hard and he loves to eat. So they will call us with the results of the chest x-ray, if there is any food, there would be an immediate end to his eating, a feeding tube placed, and back to shock treatments on his throat. We are confident that this is not the case right now. Rick and Andrew are so connected, he has proven time and time again that he somehow knows what is happening inside Andrew's body. It is amazing. We left with an antibiotic to help with any lung issues, if indeed it is just phlem. So, we are very pleased. This was fantastic news, and the Lord is so good to us, considering that just over a month ago, Andrew could not walk, was showing terrible symptoms, and we were prepping him for surgery.

Make-a-wish comes tommorow to interview Andrew. He is now saying that his wish is to go to disney. I don't know how long it takes to take the trip, but Andrew is doing better in the last month than he has in two years, so I pray the trip is soon, in case he takes a turn for the worse.

Brooke-



She is focused on getting her grades up so that she is not kicked out of the IB (Internationl Baccalerette) program. Since it is a magnet program, the school she is in is not in our district, so she would have to transfer to a different school. Although I deleted the posts about what she is going through, I do want to say that if you have a teen or pre-teen, I highly recommend getting their e-mail password and checking it periodically. Maybe nosey, your kid may get mad, but it is our job to protect them.

Brittney-



doing well, nothing out of the ordinary, beautiful, sweet, and funny as ever.

Kyley-



still studying for the upcoming county spelling-bee. Cross your fingers for her. This will be 3/11, and we happen to have a Duke trip the following day, so it will be her turn to go. A little break after all the stress.

Rainia-



sweet and sassy as ever, she is progressing quickly in gymnastics, and it is the perfect fit for her given how little and spunky she is. She has grown a bit this year, her sz.6 pants are finally a little short (she is 9).

Jake-



Lord help us with that one. I don't know how he comes up with the things that he says, but his wit and sarcasm are way too advanced for a 5 year old.

Josh-



He got his first visit from the tooth-fairy. He lost 2 at the same time. SO cute.

We are struggling with field-trips. Brooke and Brit $400 a piece, Ky and Andrew $300 a piece. Rick needs to go with Andrew, so another $300. So that comes out to $1700. A caring person at Andrew's school put $300 toward their field-trip. THANK-YOU!!! I will post later
-Heidi

Blessings

Written 2/11/2008

More of the same good news today. We had a IEP meeting today at the school which included the doctor. I guess he is the Gaston County School Dr. because he has been at our IEP meetings before. when we updated him on Andrew's case, and explained that the cyst growing on his tumor had collapsed by it self and drained itself, he was very impressed. He stated that he had never in his career heard or read of that happening. Just more confirmation of how much of a miracle this was. We have an amazing God who has blessed our boy with a second chance. We know that if we had not cancelled the surgery, Andrew as we know him wouldn't be here. It is amazing the difference in Andrew's actions and personality since he got that cyst off of his brain stem. He is active again, like when he first came home from rehab. Like before radiation. The teachers mentioned, and we know it all to well at home, that it is so awesome to see him like this that we all don't even want to correct his behavior. Of course, we don't want to create a monster, but we find that it may just take a couple of seconds before we tell him to stop running through the house, or flipping onto the couch. It is just so good to see him doing these normal, everyday activities that we haven't seen out of him in a year and a half. Thank-you Lord.

In other news, Rick and Kyley are sick with a bad cold.

Jacob and Joshua cannot wait for t-ball to start.



Brooke has a pinata project at school, and I knew before hand that the boys (J&J) would be bothering her the whole time, so I said that they could make one, and the next thing I knew, we have six kids currently making pinatas. They have to dry between each layer, so I am making two large batches of paper mache every night. There are so many ripped up newspapers (25 - I got them from the school I work at) in the kitchen that it looks like a giant mouse house. We had pizza last night and McD's tonight because I can't get to the oven.

Got to go- company. More Later

Parenting and Tears

Written 2/6/2008

It has been a good day, although we are dealing with some behavior issues with one of the girls at school. Nothing major, but it seems like lately the teacher phone calls are getting more frequent, and the grades are getting worse. I wonder if she is just being herself, or if she is trying to get attention. In such a large family, with the health issues on top of it, I will always wonder how the kids are affected. They usually amaze me with how well they handle everything.

I, on the other hand, am not handling things too well these days. I had an emotional breakdown two nights in a row. One because the cat bowl was missing, and the other because one of the kids moved the clothes that I had just folded and it took me 30 min. to find them. I actually cried over both of these things. Talk about misplaced emotion.