A day with Connor at school

Connor's preschool had Mom's Day in his classroom last week. It was so fun to see him in school and see how he operates. He is a reserved, but happy little man around others, so I was interested in watching school time to see what he was like with his friends.

I really enjoyed my time with Connor. Watching preschoolers just have always given me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside! We got to make a cool hat, plant a flower, do some painting and play with other cool stuff. Our highlight was the scrapbook that the teachers update throughout the year with their progress. It's amazing to see how much they change in a year of preschool.

It nearly brought me to tears when it was time for us moms to leave. Connor got upset and wanted me to stay. None of the other moms were staying and I wanted him to finish class, so I didn't stay...but those were painful tears to watch fall on his little face. I'm so glad he enjoys school and that isn't the normal reaction to being left there! And the sweetest part was when two of his little friends came up to him, patted him on the back and said, "It's okay, Connor...come sit with us and play!" Still gets me teary eyed!

Connor will attend preschool again next year for 4 days a week. I'm excited he will get another year in preschool. I think he could probably have handled kindergarten next year academically, but emotionally I think he needs to wait another year. By then he will be ready and excited for kindergarten!

Happy Mother's Day!

What a beautiful Mother's Day! The sun is shining and it's sorta warm....warm enough. I'm looking forward to spending time outside this afternoon playing with the boys.

Chris took us all to breakfast at Bob Evan's. We have to go there because the have good toast! That is what our boys look forward to??? After a good breakfast we stopped at the playground at the school and hung out for a while.

I was surprised with a home-made coupon book from Wes. The best part was that he read it all to me! Chris got me a spa package. I loved it. It's called the Tension Tamer! Can I go every week?

So, have a great day everyone, especially my mom friends! I'm still looking forward to steaks on the grill tonight and a cheesecake that Chris made. Yum!

Facebook

I joined Facebook today. I wasn't sure that I would ever want to do that. However, my husband uses it all the time and he was starting to know more about my own friends than I did. There is just something not right about that.

So, I joined! I only have 2 friends so far. Pretty pitiful.

How could I forget?

I forgot to tell everyone the name of my chick! How silly of me.

Wait for it...

McNugget!

He-he! I am just crazy enough to think I'm funny. Did I ever tell you what I would name a pet ferret that my mom would never let me have?

Wait for it...

Farrah Fawcett

Did you also know that Peeps only have 28 calories?

Clearly I ate too many.

Chicks in Flint

My mom did it again...she is always up to some crazy idea, especially when it comes to animals. Now she has decided she wants chickens (and their eggs) in the barn. It once was a horse barn...now I guess my parents are officially farmers. Shocking! What next? Pigs and goats? No...because my mom will be too freaked out about the new Swine Flu to move to pigs!

Mom and Dad wanted to surprise the boys by letting them help pick out the chicks. The cute little chicks, that will grow into nasty, poopy hens, where fun for the boys to pick out. I'm not really a fan of chickens. What that translates to is...I'm scared of fowl...be it chickens, turkeys, pigeons...not really sure why, but I am!



Besides playing with chicks this weekend we did enjoy some nice weather. It was surprisingly hot on Saturday. The boys got to fly their new kites and play outside. Easter eggs were hunted and way too much candy was consumed. So, by the boys standards, it was a great time!

Here are some more chick shots.

Free and Clear

Connor is free and clear of any vision problems. I had him checked out today at the eye doctor's office and he is 20/20 in BOTH eyes! Thank goodness. I'm not sure I could have handled dealing with two of these cases.

I have gotten both necessary appointments scheduled for Wes. Now it is a waiting game until he is further checked and tested to decide our next steps. I was warned today that we could get very different options from the vision therapist and the ophthalmologist...I can handle that. I would like options!

I'm ready to not think about all of this stuff for the weekend. We are headed to Flint this evening for the weekend. The weather looks great, so it should be a fun weekend! Now lets hope my mother behaves herself while we are all there!!!

Lazy Eye

I mentioned at least six weeks ago that Wes had to get glasses. I knew at the time that the reason for that was because his left eye was at 20/20 and his right eye was at 20/90. I understood that this was a possible case of Lazy Eye. The doctor that examined him that day wasn't our regular optometrist. She was compassionate about the whole thing (I guess she didn't want to wig me out?) and I left with the impression that glasses would help him and would bring his bad eye back into range with his good eye. The goal being that he would be seeing with two eyes or binocular, rather with just his strong eye.

Fast forward six weeks to our check up yesterday. I left the doc's office feeling like someone pulled a big rug out from under my feet. The return of our regular, monotoned, emotionless, straight forward doctor was traumatic for me.

Wes does indeed have Lazy Eye or more technically, Amblypia. The glasses have hardly made any difference. Making the prescription stronger will make no difference, so now we are moving on to specialists. Unlike most cases where you see a droopy eye, a turned in eye or a cross-eyed eye, you can't tell with Wes. Those cases make surgery possible because there is a muscle to fix. I don't believe that will be the case for Wes.

I do at least have a better understanding of what is going on. When the brain is presented with a blurry eye and a healthy eye it makes a decision to use just the healthy eye. Over time the blurry eye gets used less and less, becoming lazy. In Wes' case he doesn't use his right eye at all (even with the glasses). The obvious result is permanent vision loss in the bad eye and a lack of depth perception.

I feel so bad for him! He isn't aware that he is only seeing with one eye because it is all that he knows. He never squints his bad eye, shuts it or rotates his head to see better. He is just doing what is brain tells him to do...use his left eye.

It explains why he does not excel at sports involving a ball... he has no depth perception! Imagine not having any peripheral vision out of one eye or basically seeing the world flat without "3D"!

It will be a few weeks before we know anything else after seeing the specialists. The options for therapy include using a patch over the good eye or eye drops in the good eye. Most hope is with vision therapy. We discovered this rather late and at 7 he doesn't have a great prognosis to retrain the brain.

The brain has always amazed me with its complexity and ability to adapt itself. Apparently, around age 7 the brain kinda stays the same or for lack of a better term, stops growing. We are at this crucial stage right now and hopeful we can still "fix" him.

As most mothers will agree with me...it's physically painful to not be able to "fix" our children when they have a hurt or a problem. We just want to make everything better! I feel guilty for having missed this...even though our doctor said there was no way to know. He is doing well in school, so that red flag wasn't there. I just feel crummy.

I made a ton of phone calls today, did a lot of reading, and now there is nothing to do but wait. Frustrating, because his clock on this is ticking away. He isn't getting any younger!

I am taking Connor in on Friday to get him checked out. I want to make sure that he hasn't inherited this too!

The Oprah Show

My trip to Chicago with Tami, her husband (Jim,) and her mom (Barb), was so much fun!! I felt so lucky to be part of the trip and part of her birthday celebration. Did I mention Tami is turning 40!!!

We got into Chicago Wednesday evening, checked into the Embassy Suites, drank some beer and then headed to Maggianos for dinner. I've eaten there before and their food is amazing. Of course, they didn't let us down. We ate and drank like true Italians! Even the piano guy was great.



We didn't stay out too late that evening because we had to be up at 4:30 a.m. Chicago time! We got to Harpo Studios at about 6:30 a.m. and were happy to find that we were the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th ladies and gentlemen in line. There weren't very many men!! At 7:00 after we were given the no cameras or cell phones allowed lecture we were taken through coat check and security. Security was very tight!



By 7:30 a.m. we were seated in the green room...which isn't green. I know, shocking! It's actually should be renamed the golden rod room. From that point on we just waited and people watched! It was about 8:30 when we were taken into the studio. Our seats were good. We weren't down in the lower section because we didn't have connections, but the studio isn't really that big and we could see everything very well! I'm not expecting to be on camera much, but that's okay with me!

One of Oprah's producers "worked" the audience asking questions and letting us know how everything was going to work. About 9:00 they started filming and out walked Oprah. She looked very sharp, but I would lying if I said I liked her hair straight. I love her hair curly. She needs to listen to me..."Oprah go curly!"

Our show was entitled "Oprah and People's Hero's in Hard Times." The show was dedicated to individuals across the country that are doing good things to help others who are down and out. It was a "feel good" show. Oprah didn't interact a whole lot with the audience. She was just kinda there. Mostly because her guests were not in the studio but via internet/satellite. It took a couple of breaks from filming before she even acknowledged us.

She was funny and polite...but I just got the feeling that she wasn't that into us. Again, shocking! Everyone did laugh when she told a story about her favorite Chevy Chevet! She seemed like she just wanted to get her work done and get the hell out of there. She answered a few stupid audience questions and then bolted. I would have wanted to bolt too if I had been her. I hate it when people ask questions and think they are smart!

Because the show was part of an issue of People magazine we were all given a year subscription of People weekly. That was cool. We went across the street to the Oprah Store after we were ushered out of the studio. That was fun. Another "thank you" goes out to Jim for insisting on buying all of us a sweatshirt!



Here are some photos of us hanging out in the store and taking pictures in Oprah's previous chair. That is the birthday girl sitting in the chair.





At this point I don't know when the show will air. It will probably be about a month based on information they gave us. I do know it won't come out until the corresponding issue of People goes out. Because I'm sure you are all waiting on pins and needles...I'll keep you posted!

Oprah called!

Oprah called, and she wants me to come and visit her. Well, maybe not exactly. But, I get to go see a taping of the Oprah Show next Thursday! Is that cool or what?

One of my best gal friends, Tami, will be turning 40 this fall. I must insert at this point that I have not yet reached the mid-way point of the 30's...she is just older than me...and way cool, especially for a old-timer turning 40!!! :)

Much to my surprise her husband called me this afternoon saying that he has been trying to pull tickets together for her to go see a taping of the show come this fall.

But, it wasn't working out that way and he has tickets for the show for NEXT THURSDAY!! I thought cool. Tami will love that. After I told him that, I then said I would love to watch the girls for them that day while they were gone. However, that wasn't why he was calling.

He wants ME to go with Tami! Wow, was I shocked! He is trying to set up the details as I type to get the "little group" of us up there Wednesday night, spend the night and then go to the taping Thursday morning. I told Jim to just let me know where I needed to be and when.

Thankfully the boys have fantastic retired grandparents who are happy to watch their only grandsons!! I've already checked...they are available. Now on to more pressing matters.

What to wear?

Government Motors

Today we are buying a new car from Government Motors!

President O. fires GM's Wagoner.

What? A U.S. President just fired one of America's biggest CEO's? Really?

All loan payments are being put on hold for 60 days.

Future of GM looks bleaker than bleak.

So,I must say that on the day we are set to purchase a new GM vehicle, I'm not feeling strong as a consumer. I had been liking what I was seeing with GM...things were looking like they were getting back on track. I was feeling fairly confident about buying a GM vehicle.

Now..After Pres. O. decides to take a stand, I'm a little anxious about buying a vehicle that might not have a company to back up the 100,000 mile warranty!

To assure consumers reluctant to buy GM or Chrysler cars, the government plans to take the unusual step of guaranteeing all warrantees on new cars from either company. These guarantees would lapse back to the companies once they return to health.

Basically we are buying a car from Government Motors.

Boiler Up!

Congratulations to Coach Matt Painter and Purdue on a great season. It was a disappointment to see Purdue lose tonight...but UConn has some big, huge giants on their team. Going up against those guys was like going up against a building. Purdue hung tough!

Purdue has a great coach, respectful young men as players and a great future in the Big Ten. I'm stoked to see how well this great Purdue team will play next year!

615

I just burned 615 calories on the Torture Device, i.e. the elliptical machine.

It broke on Saturday and the nice repair man came today and fixed it. The nice repair man was definitely not like the crazy elliptical repair man in my dream who chased Connor and I out of our house and set it on fire?? Yeah, where does stuff like that in our dreams come from?? Really??

I can't say that I missed not having it working, but I am glad to be back into a routine again and burning over 600 calories a day in roughly 35 minutes! That thing kicks your ass!

I found out from the nice elliptical repair man that the calorie counter is very accurate for me because it is based on my weight. So, when it says I burn 615 calories, I actually am. It isn't accurate for Chris. He is actually burning way more calories than it says he is. When I told him that it really made his day. Now I'm just going to have to work harder so that I can burn more calories than him!!!

To Traverse or Not to Traverse..

...that is the question. We are searching for a new vehicle to replace the Buick Rendezvous. Our lease is about up on the Buick and with low APR (0%) this time we are buying.

This is essentially my car and my one request was that the vehicle have third row seating. I'm tired on not being able to fit more than 5 people in our car or having to pass up driving our boys friends! Along the lines of that request was that I didn't want to end up driving a tank in order to get the third row. And, don't even think about the "m" word...mini-vans are out of the question!

We always try to take advantage of our GM pricing that we get through my dad. That narrows the vehicle down to a Chevy Traverse or a GMC Acardia.

Chris has been so busy at work that I've taken the lead on talking to two different dealerships and salesmen. I hate car dealerships! No, I mean I really, really hate car dealerships. I dislike dealing with car salesmen, I dislike being treated like an uneducated little girl. But there I was today, picking up the Traverse, driving it to Chris' office at lunch, letting him test drive it and then returning the vehicle to the dealership.

It was after we returned that the real fun started. We began pricing the model we are interested in and working that out. I'm okay with that. But then said salesman turns on the afterburners and starts trying to "sell" me the car. Like I'm going to just whip out my checkbook and buy the car! That is when I get completely uncomfortable. I swear I was turning red in the face and not getting enough oxygen. I just hate that!

I did like the salesman and I understand he is just doing his job trying to make a living, but I swear it took every ounce of restraint I had not to turn and bolt out the door.

I recovered and made it out alive. I still have to do it all again and pick up the Acadia on Friday, take it over to Chris during lunch and then return to the awaiting sales trap.

Good times, good times. After Friday, my role is done. I want no part of trying to get a lower price or negotiating more discounts. Screw that and have fun Chris! My work here is done.

Updates

Happy St. Patrick's Day. I am wearing green today but really don't plan to celebrate the appropriate Irish way. As close as I will get to eating anything Irish today will be my all-time favorite, best ever, Shamrock Shake from McDonald's. It's probably a good thing they don't sell them year round!

Wes' wrist is making good improvement. I got him an Ace bandage to wear on it last night and I think that has really helped. He came home from school today and said it was much better. He is playing the PlayStation right now and when he asked if he could I said "yes, as long as you don't fall off the bed!"

Connor went under water at swim lessons today. Although it wasn't by chose and was really just an accident...he didn't cry afterwards. I view that as progress! Maybe 4 years from now he might get his face wet.

Wes achieved the big 30 dry nights goal last night. As a reward he gets to pick out a new DS game tonight. He is on pins and needles waiting for Dad to get home and dinner to be eaten. When I started that whole process with the Potty Pager I would have never guessed that 31 nights later we would have conquered bed wetting! Rock on! I want to be the new spokesperson for the Potty Pager. I actually wish I had invented it, but oh well.

Tomorrow I will be heading down to Indy to pick up Uncle Stu when his flight arrives. I know he wanted me to come and get him verses his parents. Could have something to do with the fact that I drive slightly above the speed limit instead of 5 mph under the limit. Just guessing! But I got the strong impression from his mother that they could and would have gone to get him...I'll let them take him back!

Alright, time to get dinner in the oven and finish cleaning up the house before Stu gets here tomorrow.

Florida

Life has been hectic since my return from Florida. I'm just now getting some pictures on here from my trip. I had a great time while I was there. I couldn't hang with the seniors. I don't know how my Grandma keeps up to her busy lifestyle. She golfs all the times, walks every day and just loves life.I want to be like her now, let alone when I'm nearly 80.

Highlights include a dinner at the Country Club, Theater tickets/dinner, multiple lunches, out for drinks...just crazy! And, boy can those old timers drink. I felt like a complete woosie! It's bad when you can't hang with the old guys!

I saw this sign on an "oldie". I knew Chris would approve.





My Grandma's boyfriend is a great guy. I just loved him. They are perfect for each other and I'm so happy that they get to spend time together. As I type this they are headed out on a 11 day cruise to Pannama. (I'm not jealous or anything!)



This is MY boat. It is 65 feet of pure happiness! Apparently someone else is borrowing it right now until I win the lottery...but it's MINE and I want it back!!!



Just some random pictures of us out enjoying the sunshine!





This is hard to see, but a cute little dolphin was hanging out at the pier while we were there. They are so fun to watch!

First, and hopefully last, trip to ER.

Well, it had to happen sooner or latter, that we would be taking one of our two boys to the emergency room for x-rays. Wes was sitting (not jumping) on our bed yesterday afternoon playing the Playstation and just fell off the bed. I will laugh at that eventually, but not yet. Evidently he landed on his right wrist. The very loud thud from the kitchen below him sounded like he was going to be coming through the ceiling.

I immediately called our pediatricians office and find out where to take him because he is pretty tough and was really hurting. They said to ice it, elevate it and give him Advil. I did all that and we made it till about 10:30. Wes went to bed at 8:00 and then got back up at 10:00 crying and in pain. What to do?? Too soon to give him more Advil, so I took him for x-rays instead of waiting.

We were at the ER by 10:30 and with a doctor by 11:00. The doctor didn't make a very good impression on me. She wanted to know what happened and when it happened. Wes told her what happened and I told her it was about 5:30 when he fell. She then proceeds to say, "And you are just now bringing him in??" Wow, I about fell out of my chair. I explained that I had immediately called our doc's office and was trying to follow their orders. I told her that I was doing what I was told and not trying to be an over reactive mother. Clearly she thought I was the scum of the earth and had beaten my child. I actually had talked to our doc's office twice and proceeded to tell her that! She sulked out and ordered x-rays.

To make a long story short...nothing is broke, just sprained. He didn't get to sleep until 1:00 last night and I felt awful sending him to school today, but I thought it would be better for him than just sitting at home thinking about his wrist constantly. Bitchy doctor wouldn't even wrap it for him...said that moving it around was the best thing.

I understand that she is doing her job and trying to protect innocent children, and I thank her for that, but once she had been informed that I had contacted our pediatrician, had followed their advice and then decided against doctors orders to take him in...she could have been nicer!

I would like to believe that last night was the first and last trip to the ER, but I doubt that is true. Hopefully, next time I won't be made to feel like the worst mom in the world for attempting to get medical treatment for my son!

I'm actually surprised that I haven't heard from Wes' teacher yet. I really do not expect him to make it through the day and I told her to call whenever she felt he had had enough.

Poor guy! I know how pooped I am today, I can't imagine how he must be feeling!

Boiler Up!!!

Way to go Purdue!!

Thanks for winning the Big 10 Tournament and making my husband a very happy man!

Wes-Man

Wes has joined the "I Can't See Poo Club" in our family. He failed a vision screening at school, much to my surprise. He had been doing well at school, so I would not have guessed anything was wrong with his vision. He is NOT a big fan of sitting down to read, but I think that is just because he has to make an effort at it. Now I believe his reading skills were a combination of not being able to see well and also not being very "into" reading. Hopefully we can improve the willingness part!

I took him to get his eyes checked earlier in the week and discovered that he is half blind, like the rest of us. His left eye is perfectly fine, but his right eye is 20/90 and farsighted. Poor kid...he can hardly read anything with that eye up close. We got his new glasses in Friday and he loves them.

Apparently enough of his friends at school wear glasses, so it's a cool thing. Thank God! I was dreading a battle with him over glasses. As I was informed in the car to the doctors office, "My girlfriend Isabella wears glasses!" Great, good to know!

I'm very thankful for the vision screening at school. The doctor didn't understand how he was doing well at school when he could only half see. I guess we were just lucky that he was doing as good as he was!

Here are some pictures of our cutie with his new glasses! Pardon his teeth...they are still a work in progress!

Rest In Peace...

We got word yesterday evening that Chris' Uncle, Bruce, passed away. He died unexpectedly of a heart condition. His wife was with him at the time, so I guess it was better she was there with him, but still sad. This comes as a shock to his whole family.

I was expecting the traditional Monroeville (conservative small town Indiana) services..ie. open casket, visitation, church services, burial and luncheon. But, the plot thickened this morning when we discovered services are up in the air as to what the family plans to do. He will be cremated (which is a shock for this family - not to me...but not the norm in Chris' family) and the memorial, visitation, service is up in the air. Glad I'm not part of that fallout!

Uncle Bruce was a great guy. He was kind hearted, quiet, always there for you when you needed help and had such patience with his nephews and his own grandchildren. He was always behind a camera taking pictures at every family function.

Rest in peace Uncle Bruce, you will be greatly missed.

About to get my travel on!

I'm headed to Florida early in the morning! Yeah! I'm actually going home to fly out of Flint, because it is cheaper! So, I'm off to Flint tonight and leave at the ass-crack of dawn in the morning.

I've been practically killing myself all week getting everything cleaned, organized and ready for Chris. He is perfectly capable of dealing with everything around here, but I just feel better leaving him with the laundry caught up, food in the refrigerator and a clean house. I know the boys are going to have fun during their "Boys Weekend"!!!

Oh, and speaking of practically killing myself...the elliptical machine arrived last night. The delivery guy told me the box weighed 240 pounds. Chris and I carried all the little pieces down to the basement and then attempted to carry a 200+ carcass of a machine down a large flight of stairs! It was great fun. I'd love to do it again today, but my back says otherwise! The machine isn't even working yet and already it is kicking my ass! I am looking forward to coming back and learning how to use it. Hopefully it won't give Chris too much of a fit putting it together.

Time to finish packing, get Connor ready to visit his Grandparents house and get my travel on!

Oh, and Wes has stayed dry 17 of the 18 nights!!! Go Potty Pager!!!!!!!!!!!