More Updates on Mama's Health, Job, and Not Driving

I didn't realize it's been a month since I last wrote, but I guess I will write again.

I saw the neurologist on February 28, but he had no answers for me. He said since I have no family history of epilepsy, it's confusing to him. I seem to be too old and too young to have newly-occurring seizures, so they are scheduling me for a longer study. The sleep-deprived EEG I did last month came back normal and my CT was normal, so they don't seem overly concerned.

It took almost a month to get in with the epilepsy specialist, and now it will be another month or more (from that appointment) until they get me in for the next test. I will check into the hospital and stay for 2-3 nights with constant monitoring to see if they can figure out why/how/where I had the seizure. They will try to trigger something through sleep deprivation, stress, being off the seizure medicine, etc. I was warned three times by the doctor that it will be boring, but I really don't think he knows what it's like to be a parent of two children. Boring sounds like a vacation to me. Bring it on, I say.

In the meantime, I'm supposed to work on getting enough sleep, lowering stress, limiting alcohol/caffeine, and eating more protein in smaller meals throughout the day (to help keep my energy/mood up so I can better deal with the stress). Again, the children. :)

Life without being able to drive is going ok, I suppose. I think we are at the halfway point now, or near to it. I've ordered a bike with a trailer (for Lenore) to help get the kids and I places a little more quickly, which should help. Lewis is doing track, which is pretty low-stress, but we have practice to get to at 5:30 two nights a week. I get him from the bus around 4:10 (plus a 5-10 minute walk home from the bus stop and a 30 minute walk to school), so that doesn't leave us much time for dinner and homework in between or after. (Sometimes Kevin gets there during practice to take us home.)

I have had very generous friends/neighbors give me rides to Costco, Kroger, etc. I have started a weekend routine of walking to Kroger (about 1.5 miles away), shopping on my own, then texting Kevin when I'm checking out so he can come pick me up (with a cart full of groceries). It has worked out well, so far, especially in giving me the feeling of independence. I hate to feel like I'm inconveniencing anyone or that anyone is waiting for me. I also had a visit from Adie during her spring break--we went to the zoo and she picked me up from school one day. My mom has come down to stay a few times to help shuttle us around and give Kevin a break.

I also decided to resign from my job last week. We had to move locations mid-year because of issues from the church we were inhabiting, and Kevin was driving Lenore and I to school in the morning and picking us up during his lunch break. Our neighbors were getting Lewis to the bus stop the 3 mornings a week when Kevin was taking us to school/work. Anyway, the job. I'd been voicing my concerns at the new location, and eventually it got to the point where the stress of staying was outweighing any benefit of staying. I pulled Lenore out, as well, because I felt a little betrayed/wary by the judgement of the people making the decisions after some discussions I had.

She is registered at a new preschool (as of a few weeks ago), just up the street from our house, so I'm looking forward to a fresh start for her. She still has 3 years of preschool since she has an October birthday, so I'm looking forward to getting to know a new place. I think she will go 3 days, with one being a normal 3-hour day and two being longer 6-hour days. I might try to find an administrative assistant job on those two longer days if I can find something that works just right. Or I could send her 3 days at only 3 hours and use the time to clean/exercise/shop/etc. We'll see how the next 6 months unfold, I guess.

I did get approved to ride a special bus the other day--it's through the city's bus system, but it's a door-to-door service for $3 a ride (Lenore is free). The nearest bus stop is 1.5 miles from our house, which could be doable, but I have to lug Lenore, her stroller, a car seat, backpack, etc. with us on that journey and then have a place to put it on the bus. The special bus comes right to our house and takes us to a pre-arranged location (I have to call to set it up the day before). I'd still have to bring a car seat along for Lenore (and then take it out at our destination, I guess?), so I'm not sure if it would be worth it or not. I've considered joining the Y so we'd have a place to go a few days a week now that we're home 5 days/week, but I'm not sure if the money (and hassle of riding the bus) is worth it or not. Walking the neighborhood has been working out well enough for now. We'll see.

My longer test was supposed to be next weekend (March 31-April 2 or 3), but they're 'reworking the schedule' and are supposed to call this week to let me know my testing dates. I kind of doubt I'll get in next weekend since it's just a week away, but I guess it could happen.

My SISTER is coming to visit next weekend over the end of her spring break and beginning of ours. She will either be hanging at the hospital with me (if I have my test) or helping me around the house. I'm so excited to see her--it's been since last June that I saw her (my Christmas trip to Boise with the kids fell through). I know she will be a big help in tackling some house projects that need tackling.

Health Updates for Mama

I had a seizure in my driveway on Saturday, February 4, in the middle of the afternoon, out of the blue. Thankfully, my friend Adie had just gotten here from Bloomington, and she would be the #1 best person in the world to be here. It was scary, but I'm ok. I had a bump on my head, but the CT came back clear. They started me on seizure medicine that day.

I saw a neurologist later that week, and he said it appears to be epilepsy. He ordered a sleep-deprived EEG (which came back normal), and I have an appointment next week with a different neurologist who is an epilepsy specialist.

I had some issues about a year and a half ago while I was still waking in the night to feed Lenore. Three episodes over six months--I'd shake in my sleep, wet the bed, but I didn't know until the next day when Kevin would tell me. The third one was the worst--I shook out of bed and woke up to Kevin yelling at me (about being on the floor). After that one, it took me a while to 'come to,' and I had some weakness in my legs for a few days. And I finally called my doctor.

I saw the neurologist I'm going to see next week after that, and he ordered an EEG, MRI, and sleep study (all normal). I was told to get more sleep and that was that.

Leading up to this latest episode, I had quite a lot going on. I woke up early (5:45am) the day before to walk, worked at the preschool, babysat for some neighbors, and went grocery shopping at 11pm. I then woke up Saturday to make food for a friend's MIL's visitation, delivered that food, went to Lewis's basketball game, lunch, and then got ready to go to the visitation. Once Adie got here, Kevin and I walked outside to help her get her boys inside, and that was when it happened.

The positives are that I'm walking more. It used to be 'Should we go for a walk or go to Target? Let's go to Target.' Or Kroger, Goodwill, etc.

That's perhaps the only positive. :) I can't drive for 90 days, which is May 5th-ish. Oaks Day (the day before Derby Day), if you live in Louisville.

Lenore and I have been riding to/from work with Kevin last week, and my mom was here to help the week before. My work situation has changed over the past few weeks (we moved out of one building and into another), and I'm not doing well with the transition. It was sudden and emotional and very stressful for everyone, and now I'm making plans for Lenore to go elsewhere next fall. If stress is determined to be what caused all of this, I might leave my job and pull Lenore out of school (to eliminate the back and forth of Wednesday-Friday).

I finally used ClickList last week, too. It's the service at Kroger that lets you make your shopping list online, and they have it ready for you to pick-up at the time you choose. Kevin was able to pick it up on the way home from work--I just placed a small order the first time to get us through the week and to try it out. A couple of friends had been raving about it, but I hadn't had a good reason to use it yet. Now, we do. My friend Kate came over this weekend and took me to Costco and Kroger for full shopping trips, which I so appreciate. I stocked up for dinners for a few weeks. :)

For now, I'm trying to stay busy at home with house projects I've neglected (because, Target). I had a really productive day on Sunday in the yard while Kevin took the kids to the zoo, and I'm ready to plant, but Home Depot apparently doesn't have plants in stock yet. Come on, spring!

I should know more after my appointment next Tuesday.

Lewis at SIX!

Lewis is SIX!

It's so hard to believe that our once tiny baby boy is now riding a bike, drawing, spelling, reading, writing, etc. He has grown up so much since starting Kindergarten. It really is incredible.

His stats:
Height: 49 inches [96th percentile]
Weight: 58.64 pounds [94th percentile]

What he's up to:

• He loves riding his bike. He'd ridden a few times without training wheels last summer, but then he got a bit of a mental block, both from crashing and from not being able to go as fast. We reattached the training wheels and let some time pass. With the crazy warm winter we've been having, we decided to give it a go again a few weeks ago. Sure enough, he was ready, and he hasn't looked back, since. For his birthday present from us, we got him a bigger bike--still basic with pedal brakes and no gears or anything fancy. His first bike was just too tiny for him now (think knees in the handlebars), so it was time. He's JUST a bit too short to get started on his own with his new bike, so he's still going back to his old bike when he wants to ride independently. If we help him get started, though, he will take off on the new one.
• We have new neighbors! It is great. One of the girls is in Lewis's class, and her older sister is in 3rd grade. They are the sweetest, and it's been so nice to get to know them and shuffle kids to and from each other's houses.
• School is going really well. The work that Lewis does astounds me--the concepts they are learning at such an early age. And he gets it. His teacher and assistant teacher are absolutely wonderful, and Lewis adores them. 
• He is still very much into trains. Over winter break, we had train tracks set up all over the house. Legos are big, too, as well as drawing and writing and drawing and writing some more. He pretty much wakes up and goes straight to the table to draw. He still watches the Kindle some (Lego videos, educational videos that he sometimes watches at school i.e. counting to 100), but he spends more time than anything else, putting pencil to paper.
• He is about 2/3 through his first YMCA basketball season right now. He says he enjoys playing, which is what matters. :) He's still working on learning the basics, of course. I'm not sure yet which sports he will sign-up for again. He played soccer and baseball through the Y last year. He says he wants to do golf, so we might look into getting him into a golf camp this summer. I'm pretty sure he thinks golf = putt-putt, though, so he might be disappointed. Although, maybe somewhere has a putt-putt league?? He also wants to go out for his school's track team this spring, which we are still on the fence about.
• Lost Tooth Count: still 2! The bottom middle ones. His dentist said the top middle would be next, but they aren't wiggly yet.

Lewis's Favorite Things (Age 6)

What is your favorite...

...color? Blue

...toy? My Polar Express

...stuffed animal? My doggy

...thing to sleep with? My big teddy bear (that used to be his auntie Schwee's)

...fruit? Blueberries 

...vegetable? Carrots 

...cereal? Cheerios

...thing to eat for breakfast? Toast

...thing to eat for lunch? PB&J

...dessert? Ice cream 

...candy? Hershey's Kiss. Actually, Crunch bar. (I included all of his words because I love when he uses the word 'actually' in a sentence.)  :)

...drink? Lemonade 

...restaurant? McAlister's

...animal? Tiger

...book? I Spy

...song? Trolls (aka Can't Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake)

...game/sport? Basketball 

...TV show? Mickey Mouse 

...movie? The Polar Express 

...thing to do outside? Play tag

...place to shop? Kroger 

...shirt/outfit? My choo-choo train shirt

What do you want to eat for your birthday dinner? PB&J 

Who is your best friend? Eli

What do you want to be when you grow up? Train driver 


Here is a link to his favorite things at 5, and at the bottom of that post, there's a link to age 4 and age 3, if anyone is interested.

I'll take his picture this afternoon--he wasn't up for it this morning before school.

What I'm Digging

As an ode to Young House Love Has a Podcast, I'm writing a What I'm Digging post. Randomness abounds, but we've had a lot of happenings around here lately. This was started about a month ago, so things have actually changed since then, which I will explain in a new post.


Facebook of Today Sucks
I wish I could hide all political/religious/etc. posts and just get back to babies and puppies.

I can still remember years ago when there were other heated discussions going around, and I lost friends over it. I remember thinking, 'How can someone so openly express their feelings for all to see?' Didn't their parents teach them that some things were best kept to themselves? Along with, 'God, I don't even know that person/morally oppose that person/etc.'

I want to say, 'Just. Shut. Up.' to everyone.


So Much Pee
aka Lenore is Potty Training
aka Peter is in Early Liver Failure
aka Lewis was Sick
That was short-lived. Lenore decided to potty train one day, which I knew she would. We started on a Monday, and I sent her to school Wednesday and Thursday of that week in underwear. Wednesday, she held it until the end of her three hours until she had an accident. Thursday, she went through three pairs of underwear/pants due to accidents. By Friday, I decided we were back to diapers. Once this case runs out, I am changing to Pull-ups because they are easier to get on/off given our current situation. She will go pee by herself when she needs to, but she still doesn't poop in the toilet. She is wearing a diaper for now and pretty much keeping it dry all day (except nap and overnight and except for poop).

Peter is still in liver failure, but it's not as serious as I thought it was. I thought he was going to have to be put down the week we found out, but steroids have improved things (while also making him pee all over the house for a few weeks there). He's tapering off the steroids now, and I think he knows that we will let him out 2x as often as our normal, so his accidents have stopped (thank God). We go back in two more weeks to recheck his values and see if we can taper the steroids further. He's always had liver issues, but this was different. He wasn't eating much for about a month, so we've switched his food to a lower protein one (to make things easier for his liver to digest) and the steroids have helped him perk up. He's also on an antioxidant to help rejuvenate the part of the liver that was failing, and he's on two medicines to protect his stomach from ulcers (caused by the steroids). So, four medicines for the old boy. I'm lucky to remember to give them half the time, but he still seems to be fine.

Lewis was sick a few weeks ago and took a nap on Kevin on the couch (unheard of for the past 2+ years). As he napped, Lewis PEED ON KEVIN AND THE COUCH. (I first thought he said he'd just sat in it, but Kevin corrected the details for me.) 

So Kevin was covered in pee, and the couch smelled for a few days while it was being cleaned and drying out. I threw my jacket in the laundry that same night of Lewis/Kevin's couch/pee incident, only to quickly retrieve it to go out for a drink with a friend. As I got to the destination, I realized I was covered in pee from my jacket laying on top of  a kitchen rug that Peter had just peed on.

Pee. Every. Where.


Working
I enjoy working. I don't know that I necessarily can handle being with little ones all morning and then coming home to my little ones for the afternoon/evening, but I do appreciate the freeing up that working has provided me. Before, it felt like everything fell on me because I was the one who was home and that was my job (which it certainly was). Now that I work three mornings a week, things are being divided and that unspoken burden has really been relieved. I'm so lucky to have Kevin to share in this crazy adventure of parenting. To be continued...

Lenore, From There to Here

A look back, especially for Auntie Schwee.

A few days old

 One

 Two

 Three

 Four

 Five

 Six

 Seven

 Eight

 Nine

 Ten

Eleven 

 One Year

 Thirteen

 Fourteen

That one was rough, apparently. :/

 Fifteen

 Sixteen

Pink Sleeper Appearance #1

 Seventeen

 Eighteen

Pink Sleeper Appearance #2

 Nineteen

 Twenty

 Twenty-One

 Twenty-Two

 Twenty-Three

Verrrry rough.

Pink Sleeper Appearance #3

Two Years

Lenore is TWO!

24 Months Old

Her appointment on Tuesday was fine--it took forever (like an hour and a half) and she has a double ear infection (lovely). That explains some of her extra fussiness the past week, though I'm having trouble distinguishing when she's fussy from being sick and fussy from being herself. (It has been  a rough week.)

Her stats:
Height: 34 1/4 inches [50th-75th percentile]
Weight: 30.6 pounds [75th-90th percentile]

What she's doing this month:

• The past few weeks, her vocabulary has really taken off. She jabbers to me more, like I'm supposed to know what she's saying, which is true half of the time (probably 70% of the time). Kevin is able to understand her better as well.
• She continues to love dancing. I haven't signed her up for a tumbling or dance class, but I have been asking around to friends who have daughters, to get an idea of what is available. She loves Creative Movement and Music at school.
• She continues to mimic everything Lewis does, both good and bad. I've been talking to Lewis about being a good example, but some days are rough when they are acting up together.
• She's getting better at feeding herself with a spoon and fork (less spillage). She's been drinking out of a straw cup at school, but I'm going to stop sending it so that she can continue working on drinking out a regular cup. She will do pretty well when I let her drink out of a cup or water bottle, but there are still spills (which makes me revert back to cups with lids and spouts/straws to save me from having to clean up another mess).
• She will take a pen, marker, crayon, pencil, whatever, and scribble on paper, thanks to practicing at school.
• She loves school. The morning drop-offs have become so much smoother this month--she will walk right in, willingly, once she sees one of her teachers. No more tears. Whenever I walk by her room with my class, she'll say 'MAMA!' and point and wave.
• She is tough (physically, probably due to living with Lewis), and very strong-willed. I'm realizing that the tactics I used on Lewis will not work on her (giving two choices, standing firm on certain things, etc.). She will let me have it--crying for 20-30 minutes if I do not let her have her way. I did not have to deal with that with Lewis--he is like Kevin and I, pretty black/white on things. She is much more emotional than I am used to dealing with. I've mentioned that before--not wanting to 'give in' to her and let her get away with everything, but I've got to figure out a better way than our current way. Eventually, a switch will flip, and she'll forget why/how/what she was mad about and move on, but those 20-30 minutes are brutal.
• When she's not angry, she is so sweet and hilarious and wild and free, and I love that about her. 
• She is wearing size 3T.
• Current Tooth Count: still 20, as far as I know.