Halloween (late post)!

I love Holiday shirts ......

We didn't get to take as many fall walks as we have in years past.

Benny and his friend trick or treating.

Downtown Plymouth Trick or Treat.

Greenfield Village Trick or Treat.

We made this house!

Benny-ism

I took the kids to see my BIL that was in the hospital.  He had another surgery for his neuralgia and since we live close to a major medical center, he was near us.

I mentioned something to him about when he was going home.  Benny overheard and said:

"You're never going home!  you're going to stay in that room and they are going to shut the door and lock it!"

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9 years old!

My eldest child is now nine years old.  Time has went by so quickly.  To me, it seems like she should be around four years old.  It's been a bit of a challenging summer, mostly due to her brother starting Camp with her, but that also has had its benefits as well.

*She loves to read.  She is a quick reader as well.  This summer she read through all the  Weird School Books series.  At camp they had the choice of swimming or visit the library.  She almost always chose the library.

*She has started to physically grow.  She has gotten much, much taller and definately started puberty.  She is so young.  I just can't even deal with it.

*She took an acting class and had a minor part in a play.  We'd love to try community theatre, but rehearsal four times a week is something we just cannot manage as a family right now.  Last year she did dance - tap and ballet, and this year is signed up for tap and lyrical.  She could really use swim lessons and martial arts, but who has the time?

*Last year she qualified on the basis of test scores with 84 other 2nd graders in the district to be invited into the coveted TAG (talented and gifted) program at a special school.  She started there this fall and hopefully will excel and flourish.

*She still is undergoing counseling for ADHD and we've seen more emotional outbursts at home.  I am trying to manage them and assist her and getting what she needs.

*Her favorite activities besides reading are biking, crafts, and creating things (especially potions and the like).

*Her favorite foods are bagels, muffins, and crackers.  Nutrition wise, we could use some improvement.

*Sometimes she amazes me with her intelligence and her questions.  She's so bright, I feel like I need to challenge her more.

* She can be so, so good to her brother.  She takes care of him and talks to him and comforts him.  Other times he is a rival and a bother and she is unkind to him.

Preschool Graduation

When I found out I was pregnant with B, V was attending a very nice (expensive) daycare in town.  I put B on a list for the infant room, which anyone in daycare knows is both expensive and fills very quickly.  I wasn't always the happiest at V's daycare - there was a lot of turnover and I had to pack a lunch.  But it was convenient, clean, there was a gym,  she had a bunch of good friends, and she seemed to be learning.  Two kids there would run upwards of $2400 a month which I thought was silly. 

I found a new daycare that was a home based center.  It was the best of both worlds.  The owners and their son all ran in along with some support staff.  They are licensed for 42 kids and the Pre-K has it own teacher.  They are loving and kind and it's a great environment.  So I moved V there when I was 7 months pregnant with B.  She "graduated" from there and now my B did too.  So sad I won't be seeing those people every day.  They are truly like family.   B started day camp with V this year.  Two weeks in, he's still transitioning from his sheltered environment,  but I like all the activities he gets to do - field trips, playground, library, martial arts.  The lunch packing for two kids is getting old though.    In the fall it's Kindergarten time!!!

FIVE YEARS OLD

My Benny turned five on Mother's Day. I can hardly believe it. He's signed up for Kindergarten next year and I want to cry and jump up and down with excitement for him. The month after he was born I turned 39, so he's a later in reproductive years surprise, the best surprise ever after years of infertility (My daughter's story is on this blog for the background). I thought she would be the only one I was finally able to have. We were giving the crib away, and although I longed for, but never expected another child, we were blessed with our Benny.

* You are really into Lego Batman and Lego minifigures lately. You watch the opening and creation of "blind bags" on YouTube and are just obsessed with them. It doesn't keep you from losing the pieces though. One bag you received the mystery figure and wow, were you excited!

* We've been attending speech therapy for you for the last three months? You are kind of shy with your therapist, overall it's helped but we are still working on "L" sounds.

* You love your friends at Pre-K. Lilly, Jack, Abby, Landen. We've spent the last five years at a daycare that has been like family. It's tough to leave. We decided to put Benny in camp with his sister for the summer. I'm a little concerned because he is the youngest and been in a small center for his entire life. But we thought it would be good for him to be outside more and get to go on field trips. They swim everyday and he *Hates* swimming, but I was told there is an alternate activity (the library).

* Your hair is growing regularly and I really need to find someone to cut it that does a good job. It's sort of his defining characteristic.

* You finally started riding your Big Wheel and there is NO STOPPING YOU. You're super fast and go for two miles easily.

* About six months you've been obsessed with your Curious George storybook. I think Daddy is getting tired of reading it at bedtime.

*You've been a not so great eater anymore. You ask for chicken nuggets and that's about it. Often, very little of your dinner is eaten. You don't even like fruit much anymore.

* Your favorite place to eat is MOD pizza or the Coney Island.

* YOU love pop music.

* This year you took Jazz and Tap classes and really, really liked them. You watch last year's dance recital video every day and ask when dance class is. You're still the only boy in your classes.

Riding

Finally the B-man is riding something. When I was his age (and younger) we wore bikes, skates, wagons out! Maybe it was the 70's and there was less to do inside, especially after a long Northern Michigan winter. He never was much for his tricycle and we are working on his balance bike. He started finally riding his Big Wheel this weekend and then last night asked to go on it. It's great.

Friday Night Leftovers (really, Friday morning)

* The week has flown by. I spent some of it napping, which is a plus. Monday I had yet another oral/jaw surgery. It was minor with twilight anesthesia and outpatient with my new oral surgeon. I miss my old oral surgeon, but I never saw him anyway. The before was a bit rough but I'm doing okay.
* Some swelling, no bruising, and more pain than last time.
*I FINALLY had the upper implants placed (PLEASE PLEASE let them integrate with my bone), and the lower jaw plate by the molar was dissected out so we could look at the root. That later part is a little bit throbby.
*This is surgery #6 since JAN 2009.
*I'm back at work today. We moved during the time I was off. My old desk at least had some natural light and the cube area was bigger. It was much better than where I am now.
* The FDA is coming for an audit. In all my years, I've never went through an FDA visit. This will be interesting.
* It is supposed to be 70 degrees today. It's been really, really cold lately. Ready for Spring.

Reflections

I've been having some female issues for the last few months including a lot of pain in my C-section scar region. Yesterday, I went to see a Gynecologist and he ordered some blood tests an ultrasound to be followed by a uterine biopsy. He thinks it is my PCOS and I am going to need some hormone therapy. I was trying to explain to him about my premature ovarian failure. He didn't understand because I "have two kids". How did you get the kids he asked me. I told him the old fashioned and to look up the note from 2005 saying I would basically never had children. I found it myself today:



...... is a pleasant 32-year-old nulligravida female with significantly decreased ovarian reserve as evidenced by high FSH on day-10. I have explained to her the implication of having this high FSH on her low chance of success despite undergoing extensive fertility therapy. There is about 5% chance of spontaneous conception and this does not go up much
despite undergoing a fertility therapy. For this reason, I have recommended for her to look into other options to expand her family including adoption as well as donor egg in vitro fertilization.

If you read my old posts, I went to see two other additional reproductive endocrinologists with the same opinion. I also failed a round of IVF - I didn't make any eggs (extremely rare).

I was reflecting on this last night when I was exhausted and putting away some of eight loads of laundry.