Yes I'm still living and my fingers are still in working form...its just so damn busy around here that I don't find the quiet time to sit and reflect (our blog). Things come and go so fast its hard to keep up!
Dylan and Riley just wrapped up their spring hockey league last week, and so we are now enjoying a practice free week before T-Ball starts next Tuesday and then on top of that summer hockey starts the week after. That means 2-3 nights a week will be spent chasing them over the next 2 months. Both are pretty excited to play T-Ball and since grandma bought them some baseball pants they think they are hot stuff. They've been practicing in the yard and can run the bases at lightning speed. Hitting off a tee is pretty simple, but I get the giggles when I think ahead to what'll happen next week when it comes time for them to play an orchestrated game with 10 other 4-6 yr olds. I'll be sure to have the camera rolling.
Brady...what can I say- other than this kid is on the go. Walking at just a few weeks after his 1st birthday and hasn't slowed down since. He always wants to be where the action is or doing what everyone is doing and if you don't let him~ he lets you have it. Its hard to accept I've been dealt a child much like myself ...curious and INDEPENDENT!! Thankfully for the most part his charm and humor trump the rebel inside and I love him to pieces.
Brady is starting to say a few basic words like Mom, Dad, Done and a few others that we can at least understand ("Gawk" = Book, "Ha" = Hi, "S" = Yes). He is really good at mimicking sounds, especially animal sounds, and shows great interest in other simple words (ball, hat, milk)- trying to sound them out. In the meantime he uses baby signs for MILK, EAT, PLEASE, MORE, THANK YOU, and DONE to clue us in. In addition he's entertaining us all by experimenting with the many different tones, volumes, and sound effects he can make.
May 26, 2009
April 29, 2009
I've got eyes behind my head
Just the other day I was passing through the hallway and caught a glimpse of the boys horsing around in the living room- jumping on the furniture, and without skipping a beat or pausing in my step from the kitchen I yelled out "Stop jumping on the Furniture". There was silence, and then I hear Dylan say to Riley "How'd she even see us, she's in the kitchen." Because I have eyes in the back of my head...
Its neat to see the amazement and wonder that Motherhood magic creates.
In recent weeks, I've noticed a significant shift in Dylan and Riley's mannerisms, composure, coordination, and comprehension. All of a sudden they've grown up and filled the shoes of "Big Boy" status. Its hard to explain... its just something that you all of a sudden see in your kids that wasn't there before.
I've always hated tossing out the common phrases like "where does the time go" or "they grow up so fast" because it just sounds like something you're supposed to say as a parent. And even though I'm still hesitant to tag myself to those bandwagon phrases, I will admit I'm actually feeling them.
Its neat to see the amazement and wonder that Motherhood magic creates.
In recent weeks, I've noticed a significant shift in Dylan and Riley's mannerisms, composure, coordination, and comprehension. All of a sudden they've grown up and filled the shoes of "Big Boy" status. Its hard to explain... its just something that you all of a sudden see in your kids that wasn't there before.
I've always hated tossing out the common phrases like "where does the time go" or "they grow up so fast" because it just sounds like something you're supposed to say as a parent. And even though I'm still hesitant to tag myself to those bandwagon phrases, I will admit I'm actually feeling them.
April 14, 2009
Kindergarten Round-up
So we took the boys to Kindergarten Round-Up today, to tour the school and get some feedback from the school and K teachers about whether or not to start the boys in school this fall. I debated taking them as we are leaning more toward the side of waiting until next year, but wanted to get some feedback from the school and teaches on this decision.
The school district sets Sept 1st as the cut-off, so to start Kindergarten this year kids need to be 5 by then. Well The boys turn 5 just fourteen days before that cut-off. Which easily makes them the very youngest in that class of kids. Its common for summer b-day kids to wait a year before starting school, which means some will be 6 when entering school and many will turn 6 the first couple months of school.
Now I understand every child is different and have no doubt that my brilliant ;-) duo could handle Kindergarten this year… they've been in structured daycare centers (full-time) with pre-school curriculum since birth, possess the necessary social skills and demonstrated their ability both by observation and testing. However, many elementary teachers have commented that the curriculum and expectations get significantly challenging at the 3rd grade level, and that even children who did well in the younger grades struggle as their brains are developmentally not ready for the concepts being taught. This can set a path for dis-interest in learning and a years of struggling in school. No parent wants this for their kids.
In addition, by waiting a year they would be at the same level or even at a slight athletic advantage with developmental coordination and experience under their belt. Whereas starting them in K this year would mean they are a year behind in development and exposure compared to their peers. The only athletic downfall to this (as Brad points out) is Junior hockey is based on age and they could miss out on a year of legibility in juniors after grad. Big whoop I say… They'll be playing D1 college hockey right out of High School anyway!
As you can see most signs point to waiting till next year… I can find many more pros to waiting than I can to jumping the gun. So we'll suck it up and foot another $15K (for real) to keep them in daycare this year. (Ouch that hurts when you put it in one lump sum- that doesn't include Brady either)
The school district sets Sept 1st as the cut-off, so to start Kindergarten this year kids need to be 5 by then. Well The boys turn 5 just fourteen days before that cut-off. Which easily makes them the very youngest in that class of kids. Its common for summer b-day kids to wait a year before starting school, which means some will be 6 when entering school and many will turn 6 the first couple months of school.
Now I understand every child is different and have no doubt that my brilliant ;-) duo could handle Kindergarten this year… they've been in structured daycare centers (full-time) with pre-school curriculum since birth, possess the necessary social skills and demonstrated their ability both by observation and testing. However, many elementary teachers have commented that the curriculum and expectations get significantly challenging at the 3rd grade level, and that even children who did well in the younger grades struggle as their brains are developmentally not ready for the concepts being taught. This can set a path for dis-interest in learning and a years of struggling in school. No parent wants this for their kids.
In addition, by waiting a year they would be at the same level or even at a slight athletic advantage with developmental coordination and experience under their belt. Whereas starting them in K this year would mean they are a year behind in development and exposure compared to their peers. The only athletic downfall to this (as Brad points out) is Junior hockey is based on age and they could miss out on a year of legibility in juniors after grad. Big whoop I say… They'll be playing D1 college hockey right out of High School anyway!
As you can see most signs point to waiting till next year… I can find many more pros to waiting than I can to jumping the gun. So we'll suck it up and foot another $15K (for real) to keep them in daycare this year. (Ouch that hurts when you put it in one lump sum- that doesn't include Brady either)
March 18, 2009
Dodged a Bullet
Waking up to terrible cold symptoms this morning, Brad moans that he's not going into work, and I need to take the kids to school, because he's in the hurt bag. Like a typical man, he wants extra attention and the good ol wifey to feel sorry for him when he's sick. So I give my empathy, encourage him to take some medicine, drink plenty of fluids and rest the day away as I head off to work. Around 11:00 I get a call on my cell phone from his office manager who's worried that she hasn't seen nor head from Brad. So I explain he's home sick, but its not like him to at least call in or ignore her calls (maybe mine, but..). Here he was sleeping so soundly he just didn't hear the phone. I took my lunch break to head home, check on him, and drive him into the urgent care clinic. Now that he was dizzy, weak, and had an extremely sore throat it was justifiable (in his mind) to see a doctor. In addition I told him to mention all fleeting chest pains and numbness in his hands/arms, since he was there and get it taken care of right. Well he was diagnosed with strep throat, but with his other cluster of symptoms they wheeled him off to the Emergency Room for a cardiac work-up. Whoa!
One minute he was in for cold symptoms, next minute he is sitting in the ER all hooked up, poked, and examined. It happened so fast it was kind of scary…especially because he looked so terrible because of the strep and cold stuff that was going on. Not to the mention seeing the attentive, lightening speed the ER moves when patients come in with cardiac complaints. After a couple long hours in the ER all the blood work, x-rays, and a normal EKG he was sent home to have a comprehensive stress test a week later. Since then they've ruled everything out and we are left with good news, of a healthy heart, but no real answer as to what could be causing this numbness and occasional pain. At first we tossed around the idea of it being stressed induced… but really the past month has been the LEAST stressful (in every fashion) compared to all the others this past year. So for now he ignores it… and I get on him for making un-healthy choices! Lose the chips buddy!!
One minute he was in for cold symptoms, next minute he is sitting in the ER all hooked up, poked, and examined. It happened so fast it was kind of scary…especially because he looked so terrible because of the strep and cold stuff that was going on. Not to the mention seeing the attentive, lightening speed the ER moves when patients come in with cardiac complaints. After a couple long hours in the ER all the blood work, x-rays, and a normal EKG he was sent home to have a comprehensive stress test a week later. Since then they've ruled everything out and we are left with good news, of a healthy heart, but no real answer as to what could be causing this numbness and occasional pain. At first we tossed around the idea of it being stressed induced… but really the past month has been the LEAST stressful (in every fashion) compared to all the others this past year. So for now he ignores it… and I get on him for making un-healthy choices! Lose the chips buddy!!
March 14, 2009
St. Pattys Day 2009
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!
To celebrate St. Patrick's day my Fargo home girls and I head out West to Jamestown, ND for the 31st Annual "Running O' the Green". It’s a pub crawl that begins around 2:00pm at the Frontier Fort Bar (up at the big Buffalo) and ends where ever and whenever you cross the finish line. (Thankfully the finish line is next to our hotel) That’s wondering from one end of town to the other making a stop for a drink at 9 different bars along the way. I was first introduced to this craziness back in 2001 when we lived in Jamestown, and have since brought along others to join in the fun, making this my 5th "run". Now don't be fooled… I'm not running this thing, and very few do. Although it is a test of your endurance…you must try to pace yourself if you want to be standing at the end of the day.
In recent years my totally cool auntie Denice has invited all us over to her house for Brunch with her gang… and few shooters to get the party started ;-) She has quiet the spread and much needed nourishment to start off the day. Not to mention my uncle Al who puts up with all us loud ladies in his house, and then drives us to the starting line. We have a blast at brunch… what a great way to start the festivities.
Everyone gets into the spirit and most people group together dressing in themes or matching outfits. This year our group took a spin back to 1984 and went as Flash dancers… "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!" Crimped hair, neon colors, oversized sweatshirt cut off the shoulder, leg warmers, bangle bracelets, fanny paks, jean skirts and fingerless gloves. As you can see we were one hot group of girls out to have some fun. No kids, No husbands, No Curfew!!
The race starts off with 1500 people heading down a Huge snowy hill… here is where you hope that those before you made good tracks otherwise you may end up taking the quick way down... on your ass. (We all made it on foot this year!) The jaunt to Bar #2 is the furthest distance, so we had to make a pit stop at the Tractor & Fleet Supply store for a bathroom break, but after that we were good to go and made it through 9 pit stops in only 4.5 hours… I think? You kind of lose track of time after a while. 10:00pm feels like 4:00am. Thanks to a great band we made it until 1:30am this year!! Whoo Hoo!
Of course we have many jokes, stories and do not tells from our St. Patty's Day runs, and this year was no different... Other than it meant even more me! Since moving away I've been missing them and just don't have the opportunity to get together with the girls as much as I'd like to (need to). Thanks for a great time ladies...
March 13, 2009
Happy Birthday Brady!
On March 13th my little wild child turned one ! Given that title, its only fitting that I through him a wild "Jungle Party" for his big birthday. So we invited our USA family over to my parents for dinner (on his actual birthday) and as you can see he had lots of messy fun. Grandma's Lasagna was his favorite, but he was not to sure about cake at first. He wasn't fond of the whipped icing's texture, and kind of gagged on it, so freaked out a bit. But then when I helped him find the cake part, he was all over it
Since there are a bunch of little cousins running around these days we broke out a game of good ol' "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" for the kids. They had a good time laughing at the big kid (30 yr old cousin Jay) taking his turn. Brady certainly enjoyed the company of all his cousins, Aunts and Uncle's. And fortunately he's not a shy kid so warmed right up to them even though we don't get the opportunity to see them all that often.
So what is this little one year old up to? He's still cautiously walking along furniture and dares to take only a few steps without support. Back and forth from the chair - couch - coffee table is a fun little adventure. We just watch and hold our breath hoping that he'll stay on foot and not crash into the edge of the table too hard. Slowly but surely he's letting go and taking a few steps out into the openness of the living room…pauses…looks around… and says ah heck with it I'm faster crawling.
A few of his "tricks" include; clapping, signing milk & more, da da da da (just for the fun of it) and Mum Mumm Mum Mumm (when he needs something)~ gee he's already got this figured out. He likes to give kisses… if you say "give me kiss" and then pucker up, he opens wide and puts his mouth over yours. Some pretty wet kisses~ so hopefully he cleans that up before he goes after the ladies. He can answer a phone pretty good, "Ha" is how he answers, but he picks up the phone, holds it to his ear and even does the head tilt. The cutest one though is when you ask him "what does a lizard say" he pops his tongue in and out, in and out.
Some Favorites: Bathtime, carbs of all kinds, turning the pages of a book before you are ready, shaking and banging things, laughing with his big brothers, fishing around in the toilet bowl, chewing on shoes, riding his car, playing with the garbage can, opening kitchen cupboards, and standing up to the the big windows ~ just checking things out.
Some Dislikes: Being told No-No, having the bathroom door closed when someone is in there, being at ground level when the action is at counter height, and peas. No kidding… I'll sneak some peas in with a bite of corn or mashed potatoes and he spits out just the peas!
Since there are a bunch of little cousins running around these days we broke out a game of good ol' "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" for the kids. They had a good time laughing at the big kid (30 yr old cousin Jay) taking his turn. Brady certainly enjoyed the company of all his cousins, Aunts and Uncle's. And fortunately he's not a shy kid so warmed right up to them even though we don't get the opportunity to see them all that often.
So what is this little one year old up to? He's still cautiously walking along furniture and dares to take only a few steps without support. Back and forth from the chair - couch - coffee table is a fun little adventure. We just watch and hold our breath hoping that he'll stay on foot and not crash into the edge of the table too hard. Slowly but surely he's letting go and taking a few steps out into the openness of the living room…pauses…looks around… and says ah heck with it I'm faster crawling.
A few of his "tricks" include; clapping, signing milk & more, da da da da (just for the fun of it) and Mum Mumm Mum Mumm (when he needs something)~ gee he's already got this figured out. He likes to give kisses… if you say "give me kiss" and then pucker up, he opens wide and puts his mouth over yours. Some pretty wet kisses~ so hopefully he cleans that up before he goes after the ladies. He can answer a phone pretty good, "Ha" is how he answers, but he picks up the phone, holds it to his ear and even does the head tilt. The cutest one though is when you ask him "what does a lizard say" he pops his tongue in and out, in and out.
Some Favorites: Bathtime, carbs of all kinds, turning the pages of a book before you are ready, shaking and banging things, laughing with his big brothers, fishing around in the toilet bowl, chewing on shoes, riding his car, playing with the garbage can, opening kitchen cupboards, and standing up to the the big windows ~ just checking things out.
Some Dislikes: Being told No-No, having the bathroom door closed when someone is in there, being at ground level when the action is at counter height, and peas. No kidding… I'll sneak some peas in with a bite of corn or mashed potatoes and he spits out just the peas!
March 12, 2009
Fitting in, yet again.
My first 2 weeks of work at the new job come to conclusion tomorrow. I'm feeling much better about this job change, as the staff are friendly and despite their longevity with the system, they still have fun and are open to change (me). The core crew of staff is only 6 deep and they all have 12+ yrs in the program or with SMDC health system. Being the newbie was a bit intimidating, but I'm always up for something new.
Its been almost 2 years since I facilitated groups, so I've been busy putting together a bunch of patient ed groups this past week. Really hoping I'd trigger some of my memory from those groups I once did or wanted to do. I'll be leading 8+ groups a week so I need a bit of an inventory. A little anxiety management, assertiveness, rational thinking, and self-esteem should be a good start. I'm not the hugest fan of facilitating groups, but they've got a more laid back philosophy and flexible nature that should give me some room to use my creativity and interest to its fullest. There's always room for growth and change.
Of course there are pitfalls to being the new man on board, and that happens to be my office~ or should I call it a closet. Unfortunately, the good views are earned by time put in. But hey… at least I have my own office, and don't have to share with anyone. I've had a good run of office mates and cubicle sharing over my SW career. Nothing pisses me more, than not being able to have a private conversation… Good bye to all those nosy colleagues listening and/or butting in, as if they were part of your conversation. I've got a door that can be shut.
Secondly there is the mental health left overs… In the health care system it is always a cat fight over space. Priority tends to fall in favor of the money makers (cardiology, oncology, clinics) leaving depts like mental health with the scraps. This means our intensive outpatient program is cleverly tucked away in a satellite building across the street from the other main buildings (all others happen to be conveniently connected by skywalk). Its loaned from the foundation, so of course they don't want to put any money into the aesthetics of the place. After all, we should just be grateful we have our own private space right. Sure there are positives with being segregated, but don't forget about us over here.
These severely depressed patients should be welcomed into a space that provides a sense of fresh ambition, healing, life and color. Not mis matched worn out, left over furniture, halls that flood when it thaws, treacherous intersection to cross at lunch and small group rooms. Funny thing is this was supposed to be a temporary arrangement (Gee flashbacks to MeritCare), but its going on 4 yrs now. Hopefully we'll be moving up to the top level this summer, which will provide a much better space and some views of Lake Superior. My fingers are crossed and if I'm lucky I may even get an office with a window :-)
Its been almost 2 years since I facilitated groups, so I've been busy putting together a bunch of patient ed groups this past week. Really hoping I'd trigger some of my memory from those groups I once did or wanted to do. I'll be leading 8+ groups a week so I need a bit of an inventory. A little anxiety management, assertiveness, rational thinking, and self-esteem should be a good start. I'm not the hugest fan of facilitating groups, but they've got a more laid back philosophy and flexible nature that should give me some room to use my creativity and interest to its fullest. There's always room for growth and change.
Of course there are pitfalls to being the new man on board, and that happens to be my office~ or should I call it a closet. Unfortunately, the good views are earned by time put in. But hey… at least I have my own office, and don't have to share with anyone. I've had a good run of office mates and cubicle sharing over my SW career. Nothing pisses me more, than not being able to have a private conversation… Good bye to all those nosy colleagues listening and/or butting in, as if they were part of your conversation. I've got a door that can be shut.
Secondly there is the mental health left overs… In the health care system it is always a cat fight over space. Priority tends to fall in favor of the money makers (cardiology, oncology, clinics) leaving depts like mental health with the scraps. This means our intensive outpatient program is cleverly tucked away in a satellite building across the street from the other main buildings (all others happen to be conveniently connected by skywalk). Its loaned from the foundation, so of course they don't want to put any money into the aesthetics of the place. After all, we should just be grateful we have our own private space right. Sure there are positives with being segregated, but don't forget about us over here.
These severely depressed patients should be welcomed into a space that provides a sense of fresh ambition, healing, life and color. Not mis matched worn out, left over furniture, halls that flood when it thaws, treacherous intersection to cross at lunch and small group rooms. Funny thing is this was supposed to be a temporary arrangement (Gee flashbacks to MeritCare), but its going on 4 yrs now. Hopefully we'll be moving up to the top level this summer, which will provide a much better space and some views of Lake Superior. My fingers are crossed and if I'm lucky I may even get an office with a window :-)
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