Meet "Mo"

Look who joined our family today!

We went to the Humane Society today...it really wasn't in our plans of the day, although we have talked about getting another dog. A picture of a Pomeranian that was in the paper a couple of days ago inspired us to go. That dog was no longer there, but there was another Pomeranian...along with this Terrier mix who came in together three days ago. The Pom. was pretty, but this other dog was, well, cute!

He's 2 years old, and his name was Buddy. After much discussion in the family, his name is now "Mo" or "Maurice." John wanted Gordon, Matt wanted Elvis, and Kyle suggested Henry. We were calling him Gordon for a couple of hours (although I didn't think it fit him). Mo was my choice, and John liked it...he just liked Gordon even more. But, after talking to Chelsey (who liked the name Mo much better), John agreed to it.

He's adjusted quite well so far. He's very fond of Evan, and I think Evan likes him, too! Tonight when I brought Evan to bed, he followed us up to his room; Evan was laughing. But then, the dog didn't want to go back down with me. When I made him come out of the room with me, Evan expressed his disapproval.

Side Note----Evan and bedtime: He's had great nights the past couple of weeks!

Evan also was riding (with help) his tricycle this evening that he got for his birthday---5 months ago. All summer he wanted nothing to do with it; tonight, he couldn't get enough of it. As I pushed Evan around the house (while my back was screaming), Mo followed us the entire time!

Gigi and Mo in the "getting to know you" stage.

AND, the BEST part (so far), he seems completely house trained (although he will be in a cage at night and while we're gone), AND, he doesn't chew on things---two big pluses!

iHeartFaces: "Blue"

I haven't put in a picture for iHeartFaces in quite a while! This week, the theme is "Blue." This is a picture from when we went to the Dunes. John was throwing sand Evan's way--they both thought it was rather humorous!

~~~Check out the other photos at iHeartFaces~~~

Blankie

From very early on, Evan has found security in his blankie. It started out very innocently...he would keep it close to his neck when he slept. It was just an ordinary receiving blanket, a bit over-sized. I had picked out the snoopy material before he was born, and my mom had sewn the edges of it.

For the longest time, blankie was only used during sleeping...but gradually, that changed.

Blankie started coming downstairs with him, blankie tagged along in the van, and blankie was getting more and more hugs.

Then there was change---not a good change---blankie was getting chewed on. Of course, it started out rather gradually, but over a period of time, the chewing increased. I would cut small lose ends for fear that he might choke on them. Blankie got smaller and smaller.

After he would fall asleep, I would usually go into his room and remove it from around his neck because, well, it was usually very wet from being chewed on...gross...
It would smell---badly---and it would get washed...a lot.

It didn't take long until blankie no longer looked like a blankie.

Then one day a few weeks ago--it was a Saturday--I just couldn't give it to him before his nap. It was this ever so small wad of ick. I would post a picture, but.....no......

I hated the thought of him not having it. It had comforted him for so long.

I put him down for his nap, explained to him that he wasn't going to get blankie, and to my complete surprise, he went to sleep with not complaints.

Could it really be this easy??

That night, same thing. He went to bed, and he was fine.

Yeah!

Well, almost.

On Sunday, he started making it clear that he needed his blankie. I think if he could talk, he would have said, "Mom, this is the longest you've ever taken blankie away to clean it. Obviously, it's clean now. Give it back to me...now."

For the next couple of days and nights, there was crying with the occasional call for "key." I felt so badly. At one point when he was in his room crying, I went to the kitchen and reached up to the top of the fridge to retrieve it.

Only, when I put it up there, it had been wet....it was now a crusty, hard ball of ick. There went that idea.

Although he had another receiving blanket, a yellow one--material bought the same day as the snoopy material---he was never attached to it. At some point, I went to the closet where our blankets are. In there, was a receiving blanket we had from when Chelsey was a baby--I had never given it to Evan, not sure why. It has baby Disney characters and a few letters on it, was still in excellent condition, and I thought maybe he would like it because of the letters on it (he really likes letters).

When I gave it to him, he immediately smiled and started pointing to the letters....yes!

Over a period of a couple of days, it appeared that this might be the new blankie. The adoration started slowly....then, it was clear...this was the new blankie.

And there appeared to be a bonus...he wasn't chewing on it! And if I had written this within the first 2 weeks of his adoption of the new blankie, I would be saying that as if it were set in stone! Yeah, that didn't last....but we are keeping a closer eye on this behavior and greatly discouraging it.

I wonder how long this one will last....

20.....20!

Beautiful baby....

....gorgeous young lady!

Chelsey, you're an amazing young woman with a heart of gold. I'm glad you're my daughter...keep filling the world with your sunshine! Happy Birthday!

"She's a butterfly, pretty as the crimson sky

Nothing's ever gonna bring her down

And everywhere she goes

Everybody knows she's so glad to be alive

She's a butterfly

Like the purest light in a darkened world

So much hope inside such a lovely girl

You should see her fly, it's almost magical

It makes you wanna cry, she's so beautiful

God bless the butterfly,

give her the strength to fly

Never let her wings touch the ground

God bless the butterfly,

give her strength to fly

Never let her wings touch the ground"

~~~Martina Mcbride~~~

16.....16!

An adorable little boy....

....a handsome young man!

Matt is 16 today!

Matt, you're an amazing son.

I love being your mom!

18......18!!!

So cute then...

....and so good-looking now!

Kyle is 18! Happy Birthday to my baby...okay, okay, my adult son! :)
You've come a long way...I love being your mom...I'm so proud to have you as my son!

Playground Update

Since we've been back in school, my desire to be on the computer has dwindled significantly. There are a few things I want to blog about, but I'll stick to just one topic tonight...maybe get the others in sometime this week...?

About a month ago, I had this post about the "battle" to get Evan to play on the playground.

....there's been a complete turn-around!

It happened last week when we went for our usual long walk, ending at the playground. Only this time, he pointed towards the playground equipment, I asked him if he wanted to play, and he gave me a "es." As we got closer, he was tyring to climb out of the seat belt of the stroller!

Of course, this was maybe the second time this summer where we've gone for a walk, and not only was he not wearing his sandals, I didn't have them in the stroller either. I just really didn't anticipate needing them.

He got out and immediately started playing...not just sitting on his favorite platform but going throughout different pieces of equipment, following kids, and laughing. It was great!

Why the change? My guess...preschool. For three years now it has bothered me greatly that he hasn't had much exposure to other kids---I strongly believe that is the greatest therapy of all.

We went back to the playground today, and again, he couldn't wait to get out of the stroller. He (we) even went down a really big curly slide...again, and again, and again, etc. He had never ventured that far before.

Yea!

He Told Me

This evening, Evan told me that he needed to use the bathroom! It was so exciting that I can't remember exactly what the word was he said. I think it was a cross between "potty" and "poopy"---"poppy"...but I'm not sure! I just know that whatever he said, I said back to him, "You need to go potty?" and his fist went on the top of his head (his version of signing "yes"), and he said "es." We went to the bathroom, and within seconds, HE WENT POOP!!!! Yea!

A couple of days ago, he didn't have anything on the bottom half, and he came to me with a diaper and said, "diaper." I brought him to the bathroom, and he went. I'm so happy that he's finding ways to communicate this need. (I really need to get on the ball with making the picture cards for this...it's not that difficult.)

For the first half of the summer, potty training was intense, and we had good results. For the second half, we eased up a bit because he was started to get a bit defiant about sitting on the potty. At first I thought that all that work was for nothing. BUT, easing up has had really good results. He sometimes wears underwear and sometimes a diaper, but now when I ask him, he seems more relaxed about it and isn't refusing like he had started to do before we eased up. Sometimes he will go in his diaper, but he's quick to take it off when he does.

It Wasn't Even His Birthday!

I was on the computer earlier today transferring pictures off of my camera. John and Matt had just gotten back from the store so they were somewhere in the house, Chelsey was in the kitchen making lunch, and Kyle was in this room where the computer is (front side of house) watching tv. Yep, that's not very interesting.

Well, while on the computer, I had my ears open for sounds of Evan, but I probably was a little too comfortable because I knew that the rest of the family was throughout the house. But the mother in me told me to get up and go check on Evan when I heard that sound that makes mothers nervous.....

the sound of silence.

I got up, and for whatever reason, I glanced to the right out the door as I passed by it....the glance turned into a frozen stare. There, up the street, walked Evan....alone. He was right by my parents house (100 yards, maybe)--he wouldn't have stopped there---my first reaction was to call my mom so she could get him--he was right there. I picked up the phone (I could still see him out a window), and before even dialing numbers, I was thinking, 'put down the phone and just go get him!' Just then, I saw that the neighbor across from my parents was in the street with him, trying to coral him. I dropped the phone and ran as fast as I have in years towards my baby. As I got close to him, he started laughing....not funny. I thanked the neighbor; she, her husband, and teenage son had just come out of their house to get groceries out of the car. Fortunately, we live on the end of a cul de sac that has 8 houses....not a busy street, but still.....

He was not too happy with me as I carried him back home.

How did this happen? We have a sunroom that is completely unclosed with sliding glass doors--7 of them. It provides a great view, and on a day like today (70 degrees), having some of those doors open is quite nice. Yeah, but the thing is, although Evan can't open the sliders, he can open the screens. Apparently, John had forgotten that fact....he had opened a couple and then went into the living room to watch tv. So, Evan got out, went across to the side of the yard so he could go around the privacy fence (it doesn't enclose the yard), made his was through the front yard, and up the street.
It's awful when I think about the "what ifs." One thing I'm certain of is that he wouldn't have turned around to come back home.

Okay, I almost hate putting this part in because really, this event is not funny. BUT, there's a detail I left out....

Evan was wearing absolutely....nothing.

I'm definitely out of the running for the mother of the year award.

Just What A Mother Does

Evan has been a little iffy on his naps lately. About a week ago, I put him in his room for his nap, and like he often does, he whined a bit and was at his door turning the nob. We have one of those safety things on his door due to the fact that his room is on the second floor, so he wasn't going to open it, although he gave a good effort.

After a few minutes, I went up to put him back in bed.

Only, I couldn't get the door open.

It was locked.

We've lived in this house for a year now, and we've never given thought to the locks on the inside doors. Now some inside doors have those locks that just push in. With these, you have to push in and turn to lock it. He can't get to the lock because of the safety plastic thing on his door knob, but I guess with him messing with it so much, it became locked?? I don't know, but I do know that my baby was quite upset because there I was on the other side of the door, and I wasn't opening it.

I tried hangers and paper clips--didn't work. I called John; he suggested kicking in the door...yeah, right. I went outside to get the heavy duty ladder--John had just been trimming the trees the day before--but even with Matt's help, I couldn't get the ladder propped up against the house--it came falling down on me (which I'm guessing is where the huge bruise on my arm came from; I didn't notice it until the next day). I have very little upper body strength.

By this time, I'm crying because he's crying and doesn't understand why I'm not getting him. I called John again, and he suggested going over to ask our neighbors for help. So I went over there, tears in my eyes, and explained the situation. He smiled, said his boys used to do that (they have grown children), and that his wife had something she used to open doors. He goes inside, tells her about it, and she comes out with a very small screwdriver. Basically, she couldn't get it open either.

So, it had been probably 45 minutes, and he's still crying. I call her husband, and he comes over with a few more tools---still, nothing.

I tell him that if he could get the ladder up against the house, I'll go through the window. I knew it wasn't locked, because I had just closed it before Evan's nap.

We go out, he gets the ladder up, and then I start the climb. Not a big fan of heights, but, this wasn't too bad. BUT, he had put the ladder to the left of the window, and when I got close to the top---as far as I thought necessary---he gently told me I would have to go two steps higher. That's when I really started to feel a bit uncertain about being up there. I slowly made my way up those two steps and cut the screen.

The next step was to remove one leg from the ladder and put it through the window.

Evan grabbed that leg. As I'm in the air with one leg halfway through the window, my neighbor tells me that I'm going to have to take my other leg off the ladder. Oh, yeah....Okay, at this point fear sets in a bit, but I knew I had to do it--I had to get to my baby! So I get my leg off the ladder, and there I am, straddling the window sill. The window isn't that big; I had to wiggle my way in...it felt like I was stranded there with one leg in and one leg out a long time, but I'm guessing it really happened in seconds.

I know, going up a ladder isn't that big of a deal! But it was!!! I used to climb tall trees when I was younger; I'm not sure when my fear of heights set in.

Yeah, John took the lock out of his doorknob that night.

The Dunes...A Much Needed, Quick Gettaway

AFV

Evan has recently discovered America's Funniest Home Videos. Like his brothers, he truly appreciates slap-stick comedy!

Walks and Playgrounds

There are so many differences in how the older kids were raised compared to Evan. One of those differences: the very long walks that we take. He likes to go... and keep going! Usually, he's in the stroller, but even when he's not, he can go far before I carry him.

Life is good if we stick to the usual route. If we don't, well, he's not a happy camper. There is a small exception to that rule. The kid has an amazing sense of direction...something I lack severely. If I make I turn that takes us farther away from home, it's ok. But if he senses the turn is somehow heading back in the direction of home, he protests. There was one day a when I turned left because I saw a dog in the middle of the street of our usual path. Left turn=good because it's a the direction away from home. That was weeks ago. But now, when we get to that street, his arm stretches out and points in that direction as he let's out some shouts that mean "We should go that way!" There are several left turns on that road, but he remembers it was "that one." So, to give him a thrill, we actually went "that way" on another occasion. It's a great workout!

The end of our walk brings us to the playground which is right by our house. His latest thing: HE HATES THE PLAYGROUND! He used to LIKE it; I have no idea what happened. At first, I thought it might be because he didn't want to stop the walk. So I've tried taking him in the van. Still protests. I've taken him when there are lots of kids, nobody there, morning, noon, and night. Doesn't matter. A few days ago, there was only one woman---probably the grandma---with a child of about 8 or 9. I thought this would be a good time to really push the issue.

Sometimes you see a child having a tantrum while leaving the playground. It's not very often you see it when a child is being brought to the playground. So I end up carrying him like a log because of his squirming, he's screaming, kicking off his shoes, and making the motion like he's going to bite me...although I think he knows that's not a good thing. I take him to the baby swings because he LIKES to swing. He lasted a few minutes...a few smiles coupled with the whining. After several minutes, I put him in the middle of a piece of equipment that has a couple of slides. He whined a little, took the shoes off again, but then we made a game out of his shoes being able to go down the slide. He thought that was kind of funny. He ended up going down the slides a few times, sending the shoes first each time. After about 15 minutes, he was done.

But of course, in the trips after that, when I ask him if he wants to go to the playground, he gives his usual, "No........no........no." (His "no," has a bit of an accent to it..very staccato. It's not the usual long o sound).

So yes, having my son play on the playground is a skill we have to work on.

???

iHeartFaces--Beach Week!

It's Beach Week at iHeartFaces.

We live next to a cornfield---not a beach. Yes, we've been to different beaches over the years, so I do have some fairly recent photos, but this one is one of my favorites! It's Chelsey, 21 months old....she'll be 20 in a few weeks. Yep, it's an oldie, but I love it!

It was taken when we lived in CT on the shoreline.

NASCAR At The Brickyard

John and I took the boys to the Brickyard practice on Friday...this is the 3rd year they have gone. We haven't done the actually race yet due to concern that they weren't "ready" yet...I think they would have enjoyed it this year...NEXT YEAR, WE'RE THERE!

During the first practice session (we were there for two), Kyle announced the name and number of each driver when their car was just barely in sight.

My guy, Jimmie Johnson---WON the race yesterday! And it just so happens that my other favorite driver, Juan Pablo Montoya also did quite well!

John and I knew NOTHING about NASCAR until the boys introduced it to us. They are experts! It cracks me up with Kyle...he knows every driver, their number, and the make and main sponsor of each car. It's so interesting how much he can learn about something he has a passion for.

This was right before we left, and I had the nerve to request a few photographs...they weren't too into that...as you can see.

Potty Training Continues

Potty training is going exceptionally well---I'm impressed with him! We had a little bit of a setback when he was sick for a week and the in-laws were here, but he's back on track.

In the beginning of this, he would often pee just for the sake of peeing. Now, he is able to hold it for usually a couple of hours. We've even made a couple of trips to the store with underwear instead of a diaper. We also go on our long walks without a diaper.

One thing that has changed recently is that he's not as willing to go whenever I say, "Do you need to go potty?" It's like he realizes he doesn't need to go all the time! So some of the times when he gives me his "No....no....no," I've honored his request even though it's been a couple of hours. Sometimes this results in him doing just a little in his thick underwear, and then he proceeds to take them off. When I see him getting undressed, I always check the underwear, and if damp, we head to the potty where he does the rest! Now, him taking off his clothes doesn't necessarily mean he's wet them...he prefers the "no clothes" look. We're working on that.

As far as poop, we win some, we lose some!

What happened today was UNBELIEVABLE!

He was wearing underwear and a onesie...the easiest way to ensure that some clothes are on. He hadn't been in a while. I was in the kitchen, and I heard him go into the bathroom. By the time I got there, there he was.

Sitting on the toilet.

Without his Elmo potty seat.

Hands on the toilet seat and bottom in the water!

Amazingly, he wasn't too upset about it, but I think it startled him a bit. While trying not to laugh, I gave him lots of praise and took off the wet stuff. Then, after sitting on the Elmo potty seat, he went! I have a feeling he had already went a little, but not all of it. :)

Not sure how he got on the toilet. His stool was by the sink.

What I need to do--should have done already--is to take picture of the toilet. We haven't used any pictures for communication, but I think we need it in this case. Signing bathroom doesn't seem to be working--yet, and he doesn't have any word for it. A couple of times, he has come to me and I could tell from his body language that he needed to go, but it's subtle--very subtle. I'm not sure what's going to happen when he starts school in a few weeks, but I want to have some sort of system that they can work with that he's already familiar with.

Yeah, he starts school in a few weeks....

NATIONAL FRAGILE X AWARENESS DAY :-)

I am a carrier of the Fragile x gene. I didn't know this until Kyle was diagnosed...I had never heard of the gene before that time.

Fragile X syndrome is the most common known single gene cause of autism.

Approximately 1 in 260 (maybe ever 1 in 130) women and 1 in 800 men carry this gene.

Fragile X is the most common cause of inherited mental impairment. This impairment can range from learning disabilities to more severe cognitive or intellectual disabilities.

Visit Fragilex.org...

iHeartFaces Week 28-------FEET!!!

It's weeK 28 at iHeartFaces, and it's all about feet! I've taken quite a few pictures of Evan's feet; it was hard choosing just one. I've always been quite fond of my babies' feet--I'm not sure at what age it is that the cuteness starts to fade...

If Evan's outside, his two favorite things to do are 1. go for a walk, and 2. SWING!

Check out all the cute feet---probably over 1000 FEET so far--at:

The Fair

On Tuesday evening, we brought the boys to the fair. For the older two, there's nothing there that interest them anymore. ):

The house that we lived in before moving here (1 year ago, July 3rd) was RIGHT ACROSS the street from the fairgrounds. The part directly across from us was the track, so that was a bit of a buffer from where the rides were. During the fair we could watch the harness raising, and throughout the rest of the year, we could see them practicing...very cool. The location we're in now has some advantages--newer house, bigger yard, PRIVACY--to name a few, but I do miss the other house at times. From their bedroom window, and the downstairs window also, the kids could see the fair being put together and taken apart. They could see the quieter times, and watch it as the noise increased. Their window air conditioner helped with blocking out the noise at night.

Matt wasn't really into the rides when he was younger. We got him to go on the train and the motorcycle/car merry-go-round ride, but not much else. Kyle was our "brave" one. His FAVORITE ride was the Alligator Coaster; he loved the way it whipped him around. His laughter and smile on that thing were priceless. He would talk about it for weeks after and weeks before. The most awful fair moment for him (and me!) was the year that, as usual, he was so excited, but when we got up to the front of the line, the guy said without the slightest hint of compassion, "You're too tall!" and turned him away! My little boy's heart broke, and so did mine. The fair was never the same again for him. I know, all kids grow up, but he wasn't ready to "grow up" from that coaster. But he did.

There were a couple of years when they liked to play the games, but this year, they had no interest. They also liked the NASCAR ride for a couple of years (big enough for adults), but not this year. So, they dutifully followed us around.

On to Evan's story. Okay, back to the boys for a minute...a key to their success at the fair when they were younger was Chelsey. It was convenient for us to say, "Go on with Chelsey," and they would feel some sense of security. We don't have that luxury now with Evan.

So Tuesday night, we venture out, with my expectations being realistic. As we approached the area where the rides were, he was calm. He pointed to the merry-go-round. I quickly bought some tickets.

As we got on, he immediately let me know that just because he was pointing at them, it didn't mean he actually wanted to go on them! I told John to start taking some pictures before we ever started moving. I think I got him smiling by talking about juice and his blankie. ;)

He wanted nothing to do with sitting on a horse, so we sat on the bench. Basically, he survived with whining, a little screaming, but I talked to him about other things to try to even out his mood....it helped...a little.

So we get off, he's fine, and then....we hear an awful roar. I hadn't made the connection that Tuesday night was tractor pull night, and that meant noise!!!! It was sooo loud! I don't know if we would have been able to get him on anything else anyway, but that definitely ensured he wouldn't. We went to see the animals; it was 'a little' farther from the tractors, but not much. He whined most of the time, but he got better when the tractors took a break. We headed back to the rides, and yes, the tractors decided they were done with their break. So we got a lemon shake-up--he liked that--and headed home.

While John and Evan hung out in the living room, I went outside to stroll around the yard and remind myself that it was no big deal...

as I heard the roar of the tractors 2 miles away...

Oldie But Goody

This picture makes me smile every time I come across it. It's more than just the picture that causes the smile; it's also a poem that John had written to me that I think about when I see this...

First, notes about the picture. They're both left-handed...notice how Matt not only is eating with his right hand (while spoon remains in the bowl), he has his left hand conveniently tucked behind his back! Kyle at least has the spoon in his left hand, and, in his defense, he might just be pushing food that was escaping back into his mouth...this time. Yes, those were the days, the days of constant

"Use Your Spoon/Fork."

John has a great sense of humor, and occasionally likes to use his humor in a poetic way. One Mother's Day--around the time-period of this picture, or maybe a little before, John went out for an early morning golf match. No big deal; I know, it was Mother's Day, but he left before I even woke up and was home within a few hours.

When I woke up, I found the poem he had left for me. It was about 2 pages long--skipped lines :)--and for the most part, very sweet. But, it was the end that made me laugh and still does (I still have it somewhere...not sure where at the moment). I think it was because the poem was sweet--telling me what a great mother I was and such, not one of his humorous ones, that made the ending so funny. The last line went something like this,

"I love you my darling

and I'll be home soon

Don't forget to tell the boys

to eat with their spoon!"

Laughter keeps us sane...

Doctor Appointment

Evan's doctor's appointment last week confirmed the obvious--he's underweight. Kyle was too when he was younger, but with Evan, it just seems different.

The appointment, of course, was quite the experience. He started letting out the screams as soon as we pulled into the parking lot. They increased as we entered the building, and didn't improve any while we waited in the waited room. Then, when they called us back to the small, confining room...you get the picture.

After a few attempts at weighing him, I offered to weigh myself with and without him. Through this method, we found that he weighs 26 pounds, which is actually one of the numbers we got while trying to weigh him by himself. When combined with the fact that he is between the 50th and 60th percentile in height, he's very far below on the "chart."

When the doctor came in, we first discussed his week-long diarrhea and vomiting, which I'm guessing knocked a pound or two off of him. We then went on to discuss his poop in general (see previous posts).

When I say "discuss," I probably should be saying, "We had to talk loudly and clearly and use good listening skills to be heard and understood above Evan."

The plan is to check his bowel movements for a variety of "things," and then look into intolerance of gluten. Collecting poop for five containers isn't much fun. Even less fun is bringing Evan with me to the lab to drop of containers.

Not a happy camper.

He survived the first waiting area (check in) by me hanging him upside down. An older woman observing found it to be humorous. But when we went back to second waiting area, hanging upside down wasn't going to cut it anymore. So, we walked the hallway outside of the area--very open area--he still wasn't happy, but he did take a few breaks in expressing his displeasure.

I couldn't help but feel that some of those "eyes" inside the waiting room were thinking, "Obviously, that mother is clueless; what a bratty child."

Oh well.

While walking the hallway, we briefly talked with someone I know--she works in the office area of the hospital. She knows the family history, but I've never officially announced to her that Evan had FX, too. As she was talking to Evan, she said, "I know Monica." Monica was his speech therapist...yay, somebody in the hospital new he wasn't just a bratty child. Soon after she said that, though, he bit me in the shoulder! He's only done that a few times in his life. He did wave and say good-bye to her. He likes to say good-bye to people when we are somewhere he doesn't want to be. Only, this time, we weren't the ones that were leaving the area...she was.

When we got back to the van, I gave the I'm disappointed in your behavior speech. We don't scream when we go somewhere. When we got home, he got the same speech...then I cried, he felt badly, we hugged.

I don't know why I cried; well, part of it is that I cry easily. Part of it is the memory of giving the boys that same speech when they were younger; part of it is the realization that I'm doing it all over again...

My pitty-party only lasted 3 minutes, tops. All better!!!

He's Sick

Evan vomited a couple of times last night and once this morning. He also has a slight fever. This is the first time he has had a stomach virus that has included throwing up...hopefully, it's a quick one.

Poop and More

We went out to eat on Saturday night with the in-laws...somewhere that Evan has never been. He gave the usually few screams as we pulled into the parking lot and fussed all the way to the table. It was fairly crowded, but luckily, we found some tables in the corner that we pushed together.

Soon after we sat down, he got really upset--with tears. It was rather noisy, but his reaction still seemed a bit extreme. It didn't take long to figure out that it was the noise of the ice being dumped into the ice bin that bothered him. Really, though, it's not like we were right next to this ice bin! I carried him around for a while to get food (a buffet style restaurant), and he was content while we did that--not happy, but content. He wouldn't eat much, only applesauce and a few meatballs. He was right next to the window, so he frequently pointed outside while saying (whispering) "bye bye."

On to today: He had diarrhea six times today!!! Amazingly, 4 out of the 6 times was on the toilet; the other 2 were in a diaper. Although this time it "may" be a bit of an illness, there is something not right with this kid's bowel movements. Friday and Saturday he only went once on both of the days--on the toilet :)--, but both times it was pure diarrhea! He has NEVER been constipated a day in his life. That's sound like a good thing, but unfortunately, he is quite the opposite. I've tried narrowing it down, but I don't think it's as simple as that; there just seems to be so many foods that give him icky, runny poop! Example: Cheerios or any other cereal that I can get him to eat! That one I'm 99.9 percent sure about. Sometimes, when was take a food out of his diet, there seems to be a change for the better, and we think, "Oh, that was it." But then after a week or so, it's back to icky. He has slight ridges in his nails, and from what I've read on-line, that can be a sign of malnutrition/malabsorption. He has a doctor's appointment on Friday. I'm wondering about an allergy to gluten, but I want to get the doctor's input on all of this before I make any drastic changes. It could be something completely different.

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In other Evan news, he recently walked down our stairs with just holding onto the railing with one hand and the other hand against that same wall. I was standing at the bottom of the stairs while he was doing this, with my heart going thump thump very loudly.

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The number of shows on TV he can watch without getting upset is getting smaller and smaller. These shows, in order, are now out: Super Why (that was the first to go), Dora the Explorer, Little Einsteins, Mickey Mouse Club House, Winnie the Pooh, and, this one, which he just got into not too long ago, is still touch and go: Blue's Clues. He also recently started watching Veggie Tales, but there are scenes that make him really upset. A new one for him is Sesame Street, so far, so good; he's in love with Elmo, but I can be fairly certain that relationship is going to deteriorate quickly. The one that he likes that seems to cause the fewest problems for him: Tom and Jerry. Really, though, he doesn't watch much TV with "his shows. " He takes note of the games shows his brothers watch, NASCAR, and most recently, Monster Trucks. Matt and I watch that together in the mornings at 7. It's actually quite entertaining...for now.

Lemon Pound Cake

On a recent quick stop at my parents' house, I was offered a piece of cake; mom likes to bake--I'm often offered something good! :) This time, it was Lemon Pound Cake. It didn't look too particularly appetizing, but oh my, it's good! So moist! One would never guess that there were white chocolate chips in it. I made one this afternoon.

Lemon Pound Cake

Cake:
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 ½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
Zest of 2 lemons
1 cup white chocolate chips, melted
(melt chips in microwave for 1 minute on 70% power; stir well)
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup buttermilk

Glaze:
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup confectioners sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs. Stir in lemon zest and melted white chocolate. Add dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk.
3. Butter and flour a Bundt pan; pour cake mixture inside. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. While cake is still in pan and warm, mix together lemon juice and confectioners sugar to make glaze. Brush half the glaze on exposed surface of warm cake. Invert cake onto plate and glaze top of cake.
4. When cake is cool, slice and serve fresh berries.

Success!

Maybe it was something in the air yesterday...just like Ian, Evan had a major accomplishment yesterday!

Evan went poop in the toilet yesterday!

I have to say, the day definitely didn't look like it was going to head in that direction. He had diarrhea--3 times before noon--and, well, I won't write the details on that. But, because of that, I thought we were going to take a day off of potty training.

In the evening, though, because it had been a while since the diarrhea, I put the training underwear back on. Although he's been doing fairly well with keeping them dry, he wet in them. So, I brought him to the bathroom to get him out of the wet stuff, and I put him on the toilet and asked him if he needed to do more...often when he does go in the underwear, it's not a lot. I put him on the toilet, and he started pushing! And out it came...he pushed some more...and out more came...and again!!! I was sooooo proud of him!

The potty training is going better than I expected. I'm thankful that I'm home this summer to be able to work on this...it is a full time job!

What's Playing at the Movies

Chelsey has taken Kyle to the movies a couple of times recently---Night at the Museum, and Monsters and Aliens. A couple of weeks ago, this is what Chelsey found on her calender.

As you can see--in case you weren't aware--Transformers starts on the 24th.

Father's Day Golf!

Kyle and John are going to a Father's Day golf tournament today!!!!!! Yes, that deserves all those explanation marks!

John called me a few days ago from work to tell me about this tournament. Chelsey has commitments at church today, so she's not available. She can golf, but I wouldn't say it's "her thing." John asked me to see if one of the boys would go. If anything, I thought Matt might say yes. He's gone with John and John's friend a few times; he doesn't play, but he likes to drive the cart. Kyle, though, was the one that said, "Sure, I'll go." We asked both of them several times during the past few days, thinking that Matt would change his answer to "yes," and Kyle would give us a big "nah." But it never happened!

I don't think Kyle has ever gone on 18 with John.

Rewind: Golf is John's thing. When the kids were little, we bought the little plastic golf sets for them. With help, they messed with them a little. We also tried miniature golf. Yes, family fun time...it's amazing how something that is supposed to be enjoyable can turn so stressful! ;) We don't do it often, but they now enjoy mini-golf. Now for actually swinging a club, their cooperation level is a bit low, their coordination is also lacking, and their patience...hmm. I know John would love to have them as golf partners; I think we'll get there!

So, I'm guessing Kyle won't be swinging the club today--maybe a couple of swings-- but he'll probably be doing some putting and some driving of the cart. John explained the situation to the ones running the event, so their scores aren't going to be an issue.

I'm just so happy that he wanted to go!!!!!!

Kyle has a way of making me laugh. This morning he exclaimed, "Well, today's the big day!" And I smiled, thinking that he realizes how wonderful it is that he's hanging out with his father, on Father's Day, at the golf course. I should have known better because he says that expression often...EVERY TIME there's a NASCAR race on! So, yeah, when I asked him why, he said, "The NASCAR race starts at 5!" :)