The Russell Update

About a week and a half ago, I took Russell to the psychiatrist. Apparently we are not her typical client. Russell is our biological child, he lives with both parents, has biological siblings (one yet to be born) and I did not smoke or drink while I was pregnant with Russell or any other child for that matter. In fact when she was asking me about the smoking thing when going over family history and Russell's normal birth, Russell said to her "Smoking is bad for you; it turns your lungs black." And his tone was one of 'my mom is not bad and how dare you even ask'. It was pretty cute.
I had to fill out a lot of paperwork beforehand and I brought in examples of Russell's schoolwork, report cards dating when the issues started, a progress report showing his difficulty now, time lines of all the speech and language evaluations Russell has ever done, example of our behavior/chore chart at home, anything and everything I could think of to show what is going on with Russell. So we were reviewing all of it (I think she was a little overwhelmed by everything I brought) and Russell is just being Russell - chatting about things in and out of context, playing with his hands, getting up and examining things all over the office. She is watching him the whole time and carrying on a conversation with me, sometimes asking Russ questions and then after about 20 minutes she asks, "I am seeing Russell how you see him at home?" Yes. "Is this what he is like at school?" At school he knows to stay in his seat or he gets his name on the board, so he can control some of it. Then she says "You have really done most of the work for me, let's talk therapies."
I am thinking, that's it??? 20 minutes with her and that's it, she's decided??? So, I ask, "Really, that's it? Do you think it's ADHD?" Yes. "You don't think it is immaturity or anything developmental / language processing disorder related?" No. Then she tells me if I hadn't told her that Russ was in speech or language therapy, she wouldn't have guessed that he was. She said she could see some of his language issues - talking out of context and syntax errors - but not enough to the point that he'd be in therapy at school or privately.
Okay then!
We are already doing everything at home with his behavior / chore chart, rewards and consequences that needs to be done. Russell's teacher already makes accommodations for him in class, so the next step is some type of medication to see what results we get from that. She wanted him to see a pediatric cardiologist to make sure his heart is healthy and has no structural abnormalities. He even had an EKG, which was very exciting for a 6 yr old who likes science! Of course, Russ's ticker is in good shape (he has minor benign murmur that he has had since birth), so he was cleared!
We are trying a medication that you sprinkle in applesauce, (no pill swallowing), in the morning and it is an extended release med, so only once per day. Today is our third day on it. He started over the weekend and we noticed a couple of differences, but we aren't supposed to 'judge' it until he's taken it for 2 weeks. And then we go back to Dr. Chason to check in and make any adjustments if needed.
This certainly isn't an easy road to take, but I think I said before, we just have take this journey one day at a time.

Rachel Turns 3

Gone are the days of the 'terrific twos' and now are the days of the 'thrilling threes'!!!! Rachel's birthday was pretty uneventful - no big party this year, just a couple of friends over to help celebrate : ) Adam's mom, Jamie, came for a long weekend visit that coincided with Rachel's birthday, so it was nice that she could be here to celebrate too.

So, I have decided that Rachel is already bummed about getting older. Anytime we sing Happy Birthday to her or someone wishes her a happybirthday, she puts her face in her hands and whines. Get over it, toots, talk to the rest of us when you hit at least 30.

Adam took his mom and Russell deep sea fishing last weekend while Rachel and I farted around the house to get ready for the birthday dinner. They had a blast and caught so many fish, they gave some away. Meanwhile, Rach and I stayed in our jammies until like noon and had a quiet morning.

On Monday, there was no school (Fall Break. Whatever that is) and Jamie and I took the kids to Gulf World Marine Park. It is a smallish local marine park with a dolphin, sea lion, and bird shows with birds and other critters to look at. They did have sharks, so Russ was happy about that. We hadn't ever been and I can't say that we'll go back, but we had a good time.

Okay, a belly update.... We have pretty much settled on a name - shocking! Rowan Andrew Bright. Rowan seems to be growing at a pretty good pace now and so is my chest - yowza. I am at that point where it is getting harder to bend over and pick anything up. He is still most active when I am hungry and his kicks, punches, etc. are much stronger than before. My biggest complaint is leg cramps at night. They hurt and are so sharp, they wake you up; not any fun. It does seem to help when I take the time to stretch at night before bed.

More baby stuff from Jess came this weekend, including a breastpump (what a lifesaver!!). In the boxes were all of Russell's hooded towels from his newborn days. They still looked brand new - how that is possible after being used by 3 children is beyond me : ) Lots of blankets and bibs inthe boxes too. Jamie has decided by the time Rowan is born, we'll only need diapers! What can I say? We have amazing friends and family!!!!

Chan-ya, You Rock!

Before I forget, I wanted to post this funny story about Russell and then I'll get to TJ.

In Atlanta when I was taking Russ to the Dr. for his croup, we were checking in with the nurse and Russ was talking about how he loves sharks. He was saying that sharks are his favorite animal. The nurse was saying, well, aren't sharks a fish? Do you like any animals like dogs and cats? Russ says - oh yeah, I like cats, we have 3 cats. And then, (and remember we are in Atlanta, home to Michael Vick....) Russell says - But I love Dogfights. The nurses eyes pop out of her head and Russ is going on and on about killing the enemy, how dog fights are cool, blah blah blah. I am cracking up because he means 'dogfights' with airplanes like in WWII. So, I explain to the nurse what he means and she starts cracking up b/c obviously this little boy knows nothing about dog fighting with dogs and all that is going on with that!!! I thought it was so funny - of all the places to say you love dogfights, Russ has to say it to some stranger in Atlanta!!! That is one for the books!

Last weekend there was a message on the machine for from Tonja (of Garland and Tahoe fame, for those who need a reminder) saying that she scored baby boy stuff and that we were set. Let me quote the message "I scored like 2 Macy's bags full of boy clothes. You know, the big bags with handles". How I do know and miss the big Macy's bags with handles!!! Ha! Of course, I had to call her back... It turns out that her mother's group in Napa was doing a children's clothing exchange and almost everyone wanted and needed girls clothes, but had tons of boys clothes to trade. So, after asking the participants if she could share the wealth with me, Tonja scored big time!!! As we were catching up on the phone on other things, she was counting and counting. I can't remember the final tally, but the onesie count was near 30 and the sleeper count was near 20 and then there was a lot more that I can't even remember, it was that much. The baby will not be naked!!! Anyway, I just wanted to tell her again, Tonja, you are awesome! And thanks so much for thinking of us and scoring the great clothes. You rock!!!!

The Big Ultrasound

We have been looking forward to this ultrasound for a long time. Would it be a boy like we thought it was, would it be another girl? Whose generous offers of hand me downs were coming our way??? This baby is enough of a surprise, so we really wanted to know what he or she would be. In fact when Dawn had been teasing me that she was hoping this baby might be shy and we wouldn't be able to tell, I promptly said I would pay for another ultrasound myself if I had to!! I scheduled the appt. when I knew Adam would be off from work (before we left for Atlanta), after Rachel's soccer tots, and after the academic portion of the school day for Russ, (so he could come too and he'd only miss lunch and art).

We picked up Russell and headed over, we are all very excited! We get in the room and the nurse turns off the light so we can all see the big TV that projected all the images and Rachel starts crying. Then I get up on the bed/table so the nurse can start and Rachel is screaming. She wants on the table, she wants to sit with me (no room), she wants, she wants, and oh yeah, she wants! She's getting louder and louder and Adam says he has to take her out. She had passed the point of no return, she was that worked up. He had to take her to the car, screaming the whole way, lots of staring, he gets her a juice, she slurps it down and falls asleep. Poor guy. He stays out there in the car, not wanting to repeat anything that just happened!

So, that leaves me and Russ watching the ultrasound. Russ was a lot of fun and was so into it. He could see a lot of what she was pointing out. Every once in a while she'd print a picture just for Russell to keep. The nurse is measuring everything that needs to be measured and she goes quickly past the legs and I saw it. I turned to her and said do you know what the sex is? She says she is pretty sure was going to wait to do that part when my husband returned. I laughed and said, Rachel is done, she was so far gone that he won't be coming back. I thought it was nice of her to want to wait, but I knew Adam wasn't coming back. She goes back to the area and sure enough, we see it again. Definitely a boy! Sch-wing! Ha! No extra ultrasound for this child. I told the nurse about Dawn and she laughed and said she's pretty good at finding it when the parents want to know so they don't have to pay for another one.

Now, something new for this pregnancy is the 3D pictures you can get from an ultrasound. The baby has to be very still in order for it really to work. And this baby was moving nonstop. She even asked me if I had just had some sugar or OJ or caffeine - the kid was a mover. And, he kept his face covered with either his hands or his feet! It turns out that the baby moves a lot when I am hungry and I was hungry at the ultrasound. She did manage to get two 3D pictures, but they look like he has holes in skull, which he doesn't. Apparently the pictures can look a lot better than ones we got, which is pretty amazing since the ones we got are that bad, minus the holes of course!

We did get to see the baby's tongue stick out and he moved his mouth for us too. That was pretty cool - I hadn't ever seen that before. He is still laying side ways in my belly instead of up and down, but there's still time for him to move into position. I guess the placenta is a little lower than normal, but I think Rachel was the same way and it moved up. The concern there is to not block the way out for the baby! So, we might get one more look at him in a couple of months to make sure the placenta has moved up, we'll see. The nurse is hoping to get another chance to do a 3D picture!

The baby still has no name! We definitely like Andrew for his middle name. Right now we have been going back and forth between Rowan and Ryan, but we may just go for a non R name. For some reason I think he won't get his name until he's born and we can see him.

Atlanta Adventures

First of all, in case you don't know - we had our ultrasound and the baby is going to be a boy! But I'll post about that later.

After the ultrasound we got in the car and headed for Atlanta, which turned out to be about a 4.5 hour drive. Not too bad! We arrived around dinner time, so we checked into the hotel and headed over to the mall to find some dinner and let the kids run around. And, yes, indulge me in a bit of shopping at Macys!!!

The next day we all actually slept in until after 8am - hurray! We packed up and headed to the Georgia Aquarium. We really enjoyed it. It is huge and we have heard about the crowds, so we went first thing and were pleasantly surprised, no crowds. It is organized very well - all the galleries branch from the center of the building and that was helpful. I am not sure that this aquarium is better than Monterey; I think I like Monterey better. The highlight was definitely seeing the tank with the whale sharks. The aquarium currently has 4. One or two have died recently and we didn't ask why, we were too busy looking at all the fish that were in the tank with the whale sharks. They have one hammerhead shark and that was Russell's favorite. They also have (in other tanks) Beluga whales, seals, penguins, and pretty much every fish you can think of!

The aquarium shows a '4-D' movie whose main character is 'Deepo' and looks a lot like Nemo, minus the stripes. They are quick to point out that Deepo is NOT a clownfish. Ha! This was Russell's first 3D movie and he loved it. Rachel wouldn't wear the glasses, but the theatre blew bubbles at appropriate parts and she loved that!

Of course the trip wouldn't be a trip without some potty incident. Rachel is potty trained and LOVES public bathrooms. So, we didn't think any thing of taking her in undies (brought a spare change just in case!). She always tells us when she has to go. So, we are at the aquarium and she hasn't mentioned it and we hadn't even thought of asking her. We are at a touching tank, uh huh, you see where this going.... she has her hand in the water and pees all over the herself and the floor. We are walking away, thinking how did she get so wet on her shorts??? Duh! So, off to the parking garage to get the change of clothes and go back in top the aquarium to see Deepo and everything else we hadn't seen!!!

The World of Coca Cola was across the park from the aquarium, so we went there too. It wasn't a great place for the kids, but I have to say the staff there was very accommodating to families with young children. The highlight was the tasting room at the end. There you could taste all Coca Cola products from all over the world. Fanta sodas in flavors you didn't think existed! Sprite that didn't taste like Sprite. Most were good, a few were bad, very bad.

Okay, so that takes us to Saturday. Croup. Yeah, croup. Russell woke up Sat. morning with the croupy cough. Thankfully not in the middle of the night, but when he woke up. We tried all the tricks and they weren't working, he was upset, so off we went to the doctor. I found an immediate care center for children, called and spoke with the nurse, and took him there instead of the ER. What a relief that was. Quick, easy, they gave him the steroid treatment for croup and off we went for more adventures! Adam was ready to pack up and go home, but the doctor said as long as Russ wasn't running around and was in good spirits to stay and finish our weekend. So we did just that.

The rest of the day we spent at the Fernbank Natural History Museum. A small and pleasant museum located in the middle of a very affluent neighborhood near Emory University. It was typical - dinosaur bones, etc. The funniest thing was eating lunch in the cafe area and this elderly volunteer comes in and starts playing this baby grand piano. He was terrific and obviously very skilled. It was funny b/c here we are eating our corn dogs, chips and what have yous and we are listening to very classical music coming from a beautiful piano.

We hit the zoo after that. It was close, we had already bought our tickets and the weather was fantastic. Well, I think every other family with children under the age of 4 were there too! It was an okay zoo, nothing to get excited over. But the kids enjoyed it and that's what counts!

Sunday we headed home and got back in the early afternoon. It was a really fun weekend and we are so glad that we took the time to go. I'll try to post tomorrow about the ultrasound experience b/c that had its moments too. Well, Rachel had her moment.....

First Grade Blues

We are a little blue. Russell is having a hard time finishing work in class. It started out slowly, but now it is every day. And it isn't that he is incapable of doing the work or that he is being defiant, he just can not sit and concentrate. He's frustrated because he knows he can do the work, but he can't sit and do it. We're frustrated for the same reasons. When he gets home from school, I have to pretty much sit with him the entire time to help keep him focused on the task at hand. If I don't, then it takes him at least twice as long to finish. We think his self confidence is lower because of all of this and it is heartbreaking.
Some of this started in Kindergarten, but Kindergarten has more time in the day for finishing work, so it wasn't a huge concern. But now that he's in first grade and has more involved work all day long, he just can't get it done. Luckily, his teacher is really great and good at communicating what he is doing in class. Russ gets a lot of support in his class with the second teacher that helps and his speech therapist that also is in class twice per week to help, so he isn't missing out on the instruction and group activities; the self work is his big challenge.
So, can you guess where this leading???? Yep, we off to the psychiatrist to start an ADHD evaluation. Ugh. Is it the end of the world? No. But, you start to wonder is this kid ever going to get a break? Who knows? Maybe this is the 'break'? I guess all we can do is move forward with this, see where we land and keep on keepin' on!

Germs!!!

Rachel started school on Monday (obligatory picture, Rach picked out everything she wore!!) and she already has a cold. Her school started uneventfully. There were some crying classmates, so she fussed in her fake crying way. But, she got over herself! She has two friends from last year in class and two friends from SoccerTots in class too. One of our soccer/school pals is my OB's daughter - small world!!

So, germs. Last night the nose was starting to run and today, well can you say, DRAINAGE??? Bleh! It does seem early in the school year to start this up, but I guess it is unavoidable. At least we have a three day weekend to rest.

We have been planning a long weekend trip to Atlanta. We have been wanting to go and see the Georgia Aquarium and some of the other sites. Adam and I realized that if we didn't go soon, we might never go. So, we'll be off the last weekend of September. I am really looking forward to going. We think the kids are going to LOVE the aquarium. We'll also go to the zoo and then who knows what else we'll do. Our hotel is next to a mall with a Macy's. I haven't been to a Macy's in years - so I'll definitely be going there!!! : ) Before you mock me, if you lived here, you'd understand the lack of shopping options and how depressing it truly is.

And then we get our big ultrasound for the baby on Sept. 27th. Finally, we will know what this baby will be! Still no names picked, but maybe after we know if it is boy or girl it will be easier to decide.

First Grade, Riding the Bus and Goodnight Butterflies

Monday was Russell's first day of First Grade! It was pretty uneventful and no tears from the hormonal, pregnant mother. Here is the obligatory first day of school picture. I think he wore the same thing for the first day of Kindergarten!! He had to button the top button of his polo shirt and I have no clue why. This year we had to upgrade our lunchbox - we are so over Darth Vader and absolutely had to have a Pirates of the Caribbean lunchbox.

So far school is going well. Yesterday he came home and had to tell me all the kids he saw from his Kindergarten class and who he didn't find. He has 2 friends from K in his class this year, so he was really excited to see his friends and find the rest at lunch, PE, etc. Today he came home and said "I found Will!! But I still haven't found Dylan." He has also been looking a lot at his yearbook from last year, finding new and old friends' pictures.

Something new this year for him is to ride the bus home. For the past couple of years I have picked him up form school. It was getting to the point where we were only beating the bus by 5 or 6 minutes and Rachel wasn't getting a good nap. I am not ready for her to stop napping!! So, with the baby coming and all that, we thought we'd try the bus in the afternoon.

There was a little concern over where the bus stopped - I could just see myself waiting for him and the bus drives by, AH!!! But, it stops exactly where I thought it did, around the corner from our house, just a minute or two to walk, perfect! I gave his driver a little gift of just a baggy of some candies and tied a nice bow on it. She was thrilled. I just figure being a school bus driver is a thankless job, but when you think about it, it is one of those jobs that helps make the world go around, you know?

Okay, Miss Rachel. Let me just write that yesterday was the biggest public temper tantrum she has ever had. What, Rachel??? Shocking!!! Ha! It happened at school in the PTO room because she didn't want to leave. Ugh. We spent some time in our room when we got home.

She has this new way of going to bed that I also want to share : ) We both lay in her bed here is what we say:

R-Good night butterflies (she has butterflies that hang from her ceiling) Me- I repeat what she says

R- Good night bunnies (an iron bunny decoration hanging on her wall) and again, I repeat

R- Good night red wall (she has one red wall) I repeat

She turns to me and whispers - Good night Mom, I whisper good night to her

Then she asks for a hug and kiss (like she wouldn't get one!!) and she whispers I love you, of course, I repeat, and off to dreamland she goes. It is so cute.

'Tis the Season!

Prepare yourselves, the NFL season is quickly approaching. For us, this is right up there with Christmas. And when the two coincide, it truly is the season!!! We actually considered going to the Superbowl in Miami last year, a dream of ours, but quickly changed our minds when we saw the worst seats cost a small fortune. We'll get there one of these days, but until then, we will continue our worship at the house of NFL.

Adam and I both play Fantasy Football and we both have several teams. So, we have been reading our fantasy mags, Internet reports, setting up leagues and teams, exchanging the usual smack talk - a busy time of year! I know, we are total dorks, but happy dorks nonetheless! I am usually the only woman in our leagues and it is always such a thrill beat some dude with a huge ego and thinks he can play better than I. Adam loves to go work on Mondays when I hand it to one of his colleagues and they've got their tail between their legs. Now, don't get me wrong, I lose too, but unless one of my players is injured, it usually very close.

If you haven't discovered to joy of fantasy ball, or want to know more about it, we love to share! It is so much fun and changes the way you watch football. The kids live the excitement. One year I had Tiki Barber on my team and we were watching him play on TV. Russ was INTO IT. We were cheering for Tiki, heckling the other team, Russ was pretending to run like Tiki - a great Sunday afternoon!

Of course, the start of football also marks the start of the school year. Russ will start 1st grade on August 20th. Since I'm on the Board of the PTO and in the office about once a week, I snuck a peek at his teacher for next year and he is with the teacher I wanted for him. You may remember that they have him placed in an 'inclusion' class for the students with language delays. He has both speech and language delays, but the language is more severe.

When I was presented with this class placement at the last IEP, they kept talking about him being grouped with his 'like-abled' students (meaning all the kids with delays) in reading and math groups since they typically all function at the same level. The principal even told me this (btw, he retired this summer, no huge loss in my mind). Last year Russ was in flat out regular ed Kindergarten, he was in the highest reading and math group all year long. He started in the highest group and was never switched to the lower groups and was one of the best readers in his class.

So, obviously, my concern is that he'll get grouped with all the other students with delays which won't benefit him - he'd have even less exposure to 'normal-abled' peers, which defeats the whole purpose of mainstreaming children with disabilities into the regular ed classrooms. We want him to maintain his level of learning and continue to challenge him so he stays on that track. A soap box that I proudly stand upon. Anyway, the light at the end of the tunnel is that I have heard such good things about Russell's new teacher from many reliable sources, so I am hoping that she and I see eye to eye on the issue. I have a good feeling that we will.

The Big Purchase

Russell has been saving for an X-Wing Fighter. It costs $45 and he was certain he really wanted it. So we told him that he'd have to save his own money. He had about $20 initially and he earns $3 each week if he does his jobs around the house. And, then sometimes, when he goes above and beyond his chores we slip him a little extra!

All summer he has been saving. We even made a money chart and he'd cross out a number every time he earned a dollar. Sometimes we'd be shopping and he'd want something and we'd remind him he would have to spend his own money. He'd think about it and then decide he still wanted the X-Wing Fighter!

The day finally came today, he had saved enough money to buy it. We had to make a quick stop at his school for PTO stuff and he told everyone in the office that he was going to buy his X-Wing Fighter and always added a 'woo-hoo!' or some type of exclamation at the end. It was so cute.

When he got it home, he carefully took it out of the box - twisty ties and all and put it together. We are really proud of him for setting a goal and sticking with it over such a long time period. Great job, Russell!!!

Why?

Rachel has started asking "Why?" She's not even 3 yet, so I thought I had more time before this whole WHY thing started. Russ, with the speech delay, didn't go through the big why phase. He was 4 when he started asking it, but he never asked it a lot.

I did get some recent experience with the whys. My friend, Tracey, has a 3 yr old and he started the why campaign. One day I was watching him while she was at the doctor and after being asked why about 3,ooo times, (well maybe not THAT many, but it felt like it!!), I finally figured out if I answered with a big word that he didn't understand, he stopped asking. You know, like he didn't want to admit he didn't know the word. Why is Rachel's hair curly? Genetics. No response. Hmmm.... And the big word doesn't even have to make sense, you just answer it with authority. Why can't you paint on the walls? Multiplication. Why can't you scream your loudest inside the house? Plyometrics. You get the picture....

Okay, I have been keeping a short list of some of the funny things my kids say and want to post a few for fun and just remember them....

"Where's my hug?" - Rach to anyone she wants a hug from, especially Russell.

"Mom, I have to play with Rachel because she's my friend" - an excuse to get out of cleaning his room.

"That's a lot of belly" - Rachel said to Adam when he was putting on his shirt. In all fairness she will say "That's a lot of teeth, hair, eyes, nose, etc." to anyone she is sitting with.

"Dr. Olson is a doctor like Dr. Seuss, not Dr. Bruno" - Russ said about the vice principal, Dr. Olson, at his school. Dr. Bruno is our pediatrician. I thought it was such a funny and smart observation that I thought that's what they told the younger children at school, so I asked, and nope, he came up with that one all on his own.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, eleven, eleventeen, twelveteen" - the great 2 yr old counter. Usually she can count very well to 10 in English and Spanish, but sometimes seven and eleven get interchanged : )

"We could do time out together" - Russ said to my step mom last summer when he was trying to convince her to give him something that I said No to. And Pam was telling him they would get in trouble if she gave it to him, to which he said....

"Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, how I wonder what you are, I like to move it move it, you like to .............." - the Rachel medley.

"You have old air" - Russ to his speech therapist when she had bad breath. Luckily, she thought it was funny and not rude.

"Ooooh, how cute __________" - Rachel says about anything cute - babies, her friend Maddie, herself when she's done done something she finds clever or cute.

Photos, Baby Books and Hormones

Not a pretty mix!

Since I've been preggers and the weather is hot and humid, seizing the yard has been put on hold. Believe me, I tried, but it just isn't physically possible. So, I have now turned my yard obsession into a 'get all of these photos organized and into books' obsession.

I thought the first and simplest task would be to finish the kids' baby books. I always kept up the info in them, but never the photographs. I had an envelope for each child that I have had for years filled with photos for their baby books. So, I get started and finish Russell's, no problem. Then I start on Rachel's and I can't find her envelope. I look around, I can't find them. Her ultrasound pictures are in that envelope and I start getting worried. We only got one sonogram session for her, so they are very important.

Then I remember cleaning out old pictures a few days earlier - had I thrown out her envelope??? I was sure I had even though I knew I hadn't. So, off I go to the outside garbage bins, latex gloves and all. I did not see it. Well, I decide to print her pictures again, they were mostly digital, no big deal, but the ultrasound photos were no where to be found. I felt horrible. I was even wondering if my Dr. in OK still had them in my file. The hormones are really kicking in at this point. Poor Rachel, she won't have those pictures in her book, how could I lose them, on and on.

So, I print out some photos glue them in the book and put the book back in the cabinet when what did my hand touch??? Her damn envelope!!! I almost cried! There they were, right where I thought I had put them. So, I officially finished her book and it felt great!

I did manage to get some photos in some albums, but the rest I would like to scrapbook - I have gotta get my scrap back! Ha! I did figure out this week that I can scrapbook on the computer. I can use these templates to insert photos which will save me so much time. Then I can print out my pages and pop them in the book. I wish I would have figured that out about a year ago.

Progress on the Potty?

Hmmm, well this what my life has come down to - getting excited over poop in the potty! (My apologies to those who have no interest in this!!) Ha! It finally happened, Rachel made an effort to do number two. Now usually when the #2 happens, she will start saying "Where does poo poo go? In the potty!!" And that meant of course she had pooped in her diaper/pull up. But last night she was in the shower and stuck her head out and said something to the effect of that she needed to go potty. Success? A lot of stinky success! I used the nausea bit to get Adam to wipe and clean the potty. It wasn't a lie, it stunk and I am queasy. We were more excited than her about the whole experience. Maybe her indifference will equal more success? We'll see.....

I went to my first OB appt. last Friday. I liked the doctor, he was very nice, friendly, etc. I had a sonogram and saw the baby. It is about the size of a strawberry and you could see its heart beating, very cool. Everything is good. The official due date is February 10, 2008. The sonogram pictures are a little fuzzy, so I am not going to post one, but I'll get another sonogram in about 10-12 weeks. Those should be easier to see and I'll post it then.

Oh and before I forget.... Thank you for the all the name suggestions! The most interesting suggestion was from Schelley - Raavi. Everyone she knows with this name is a lot of fun and we'd definitely be giving the baby a good chance at a lifetime of fun if we chose that name : ) We are going to expand the search to A names and see if anything grabs us. The R names just don't seem to stand out like Russell and Rachel did to us. We definitely still have a lot of time and who knows what will sound good in 2 months?

Karate Kid and Miss Pigtails

Russell has finally started Karate and really seems to be enjoying it. Here he is in his 'gi' striking a pose! He loves all the grunts and other sayings while in class. He'll test in a week or so for his next belt and I think he'll pass. He only has to know some very simple terms and actions.

Then we have Rachel. She is loving doing her hair every morning and wants her pigtails in. She calls them bows. We are still working on the potty training. Adam and I have more motivation than ever to get her good and trained before the baby is born.

And speaking of the baby, good grief, I am nauseous, thirsty and tired. Lots of people have told me that the third pregnancy is the worst, but the baby is the easiest! Well, I hope THEY are right. So far they are. I think this has started off as the most challenging pregnancy so far. I have actually been napping quite a bit, which I never do. And I have heard from a few friends that I look pretty tired. So, I guess it shows and it isn't just my imagination!! Ha! No, more like, yaaaaaawwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

Thinking of being tired, which makes me think of being old... when I was a nanny in college, I nannied 3 hellions, no just kidding, they were angels ; ) Anyway, Jonathan is the youngest and he was in 1st grade (my God, Russell's age!!) when I started working for their family. Sigh, Jonathan got married this month!! How is that for feeling old???? Ha! Sweet little Jon Jon who called my Toyota Tercel a 'Terville'. The little boy who cried all the way through my interview about how much he missed their last nanny (I was way better than her!). Hard to believe he's all grown up and married, where does the time go?

Title Change

We are going to have to change the title to this blog. Instead of 'Adventures of Aim n Adam with R&R', it will need to be "Adventures of Aim n Adam with R&R&R'. GASP!! Or maybe we could change it to 'How did that happen?'. Or, 'Our days in a 3 bedroom house are limited!!'. Yes, that's right. I am pregnant. Bun in the oven. Preggers. Again. Totally a HUGE surprise and so not planned. And now that the initial shock has worn off, we are getting really excited about a new baby.

Last week, Rachel and I got a bit of a cold and I was really nauseous. Rachel had one throw up episode (after playing outside on a hot humid day with a full stomach), so of course, I thought we had a tummy bug. Then I couldn't stomach coffee. I am ALL about my morning cup. However, when I'm preggers, it is hard for me to drink. Hmmmmm..... then things seem to be late and whaddya know? Pregnant.

Part of the shock, beyond another baby is we have nothing, nada, zilch. We really thought we were done with Rachel. We have given away or sold everything. And, happily told those we gave to, to pass along or do what they will with anything. Go figure! Ha! Actually, my friend Jess and her friend, Pam, still have a few things - a swing, a breast pump, maternity clothes. So, I guess I can't say we have nothing ; )

Russell is thrilled. Yesterday he told me not to lose my egg. He wants to know when the baby will do somersaults, kick, etc. His excitement is contagious and it is very sweet. Oh, remember his friend, Kerri, (the adorable blonde with a firefighter dad???), well her mom is a labor and delivery nurse. So, I did call her yesterday to get the scoop on all the OBs here and she has given me a couple of choices. I will admit that is big relief. I had Russ here and the doctor is still practicing, but I wasn't crazy about her. So, to have a new choice, with a great recommendation is super.

Overall, I have been mainly nauseous and forgetful. The nausea has been manageable as long as eat little meals throughout the day. The forgetfulness - well, what was I talking about??? Ha!

OKay, time to have some breakfast and contemplate some new R names. Any suggestions????

Huh?

Russell has some color blindness. I know, it puzzles me too. He has this kids' encyclopedia about the human body and there is an example of a color blindness test. Russell couldn't see the number embedded in the picture. So, we found a few more online and there were a few he couldn't see. Such a random discovery!

So, I went ahead and made him an appointment for an eye exam with the optometrist on base. We went today. His vision itself is good. She said he has a bit of farsightedness, but it isn't enough for her to want him to have glasses. They did the color blindness test 3 times on each eye. He consistently missed about 10 (out of how many I don't remember at the moment) on each eye each time. He has some degrees of both types of color blindness. She said there are some shades he'll see, but others he won't. Eventually it will mean that there are some jobs he won't be able to do. He can see red and green on their own, so she doesn't think he'll have a problem driving, but she said as he gets older to have notice the lights when we are driving. And then, she wants to see him again next year. I have to research this a little more. It is kinda bizarre and another thing Russell will have to deal with and adjust to. Poor kid can't get a break!

In another 'huh?' moment. I was in the waiting room today with Rachel and we were looking thru a coloring book. Then she says "Look Mommy, there's the Eiffel Tower". And sure enough, there was a drawing of it. So there you go - Russell is color blind and Rachel is some type of world traveler??? Ha! I am pretty sure she knows the Eiffel Tower from watching Little Einsteins, but still, I was a little bit impressed.

Consider the Garden SEIZED!

And I feel so much better!! After deciding that I really disliked the yard, I have been getting really dirty and a little impulsive. One morning after aerobics, I just decided that I'd get to work in the backyard. What that means is cutting down these huge Leyland Cypress 'trees'. They are huge bushes really that are as tall as many trees and they are meant to make a privacy screen in your yard. We used to have them on all 3 sides of the backyard along the fences. They are very green and serve a useful purpose. However there are a few problems with them. 1 - they block the fence, so it is impossible to repair or replace any fencing. (This is why we removed them on the east side of the backyard right before Christmas - we needed to replace that fence) 2 - when you have a whole row of them that are all similar in size and then, say, a hurricane does damage to your row and several in the middle are taken out, you have this gap. The gap is hard to fill as the taller ones around it block the necessary light to grow new ones and it looks funny to just plant something else in the gap of your big green blockade. I tried to plant some news ones to fill the gap and they keep dying, hence my frustration and discontent with the yard.

Okay, so back to my impulsive behavior. Back from aerobics with Rachel in tow and I realize the yard waste people have yet to come and collect our neighborhood's yard waste. So, I think what a great time to start taking out those remaining cypresses on the west side of the yard. And then a self challenge... I wonder if I can cut them all down myself before they come collect the yard waste???? Hmmm, the chainsaw is broken.... Hmmmm, I don't like to use it anyway...... Hmmm, I have lots of other cutting tools.... Well, let's see what we can do. So, I get Rachel settled in for a nap, I get out my heavy duty garden gloves, find every saw and pruning tool we own, and I get BUSY. I start on one and it didn't seem to take too long. I get going on the next, done. Before I know it, all 6 are down and the yard waste man hasn't come yet. Damn, I'm good. What's next? Yea, that's right, it is wheelbarrow and dragging time. I am just giddy with myself. I start hauling it all out to the driveway, making a gigantic pile and then I hear the rumbling of the yard waste truck. Just under the gun, I get it all out, piled in a heap taller than myself. I think I'll say it again: Damn, I'm good.

The remaining stumps you ask? Well, I am not that impulsive - I called some guy to come grind them. He calls himself the "Tree Doctor" and he's missing his 2 front teeth and so are his assistants! What do I care??? They ground out the stumps for cheap, making way for the planting. Which we did and it looks terrific!

The next big project - taking out some grass (yippee!!!) and building some raised plant beds for veggies and such and then filling in with gravel around the beds. I told Adam it was all I wanted for my birthday!!! I can't wait!! I will proudly post some pictures of the completed project soon.

Oh, and thinking of birthdays... Mine is Thursday and I'll be 34... that's not the point though. Yesterday I bought some beer at the grocery store and I got carded! What a great birthday gift ; )

School's OUT!

Well, almost. Rachel's nursery school is out and Russ will be done Friday at 11:15. Goodbye Kindergarten, hello 1st grade!!! These last few days for him are a flurry of activity. Yesterday, they helped clean up the class and had some little lunch picnic.

Today was water play day for those who earn it with good behavior. (Rachel and I were helping in the concessions and checked in on Russ once. His friends all give me hugs, but he's too cool to do so at school! Rachel, on the other hand, had her audience and was happy for a good 3 hours until it was time to nap, so we came home.) Boy, the water play stuff was excellent. The PTO pays for these big inflatable slides, there must have been at 4 big inflatable things with water running on them. It looked like a lot of fun, messy, but fun.

Tomorrow, Russell's class has their end of the year party and the Kindergarten Awards. Rachel and I will be there to help. Well, I'll help and Rachel will party : ) I have been working on this big flower pot that I painted for Russell's teacher and then I had each student in class paint their hand and we did did hand prints on it and they wrote their names too. It is really cute. Their teacher is a gardener, so I know she will love it.

And then we have the half day on Friday. It kind of seems pointless to go, but he'll go. It will be fun for him and a good way to finish off the year.

I think I am more excited for summer than Russell is. I am telling you, I am tired of getting him up at 6:30 every morning to get some breakfast and dressed and out the door in time. Don't get me wrong, Rachel will be up every morning early, so I won't be sleeping in, but it will be nice to have a slower pace and less nagging!! What? Me?? NAG??? NEVER!!!! ; )

No huge summer plans this year. We did just do the Disney bit... Russ will go to speech only twice per week this summer. I'd like to get him in some karate lessons and have finally found a good teacher (a dad at school who is a fireman and has taught for years; he's great with all the kids. Plus, his daughter is named Rachel too, so there you go). Of course, swim lessons is on the agenda and my green thumb!! Which means gardening in the heat, but the AC will feel SO good when I come inside. (That's what I keep telling myself) I think all of that will be enough to keep us busy. And if it isn't, I might just have to complain in this blog!! Lucky you!!

What's that song... Schooooool's out for summer..... (Alice Cooper maybe??) In the fall I am sure I'll be begging for it to strat again; remember those Staples commercials "It's the most wonderful time of the year..."

Disney, SeaWorld, and the Return of My Green Thumbs

What can I say? We had a great vacation! It was a little tiring, but overall a terrific time and would do it again. I had read this book about Disney and how to have a plan when you get there and stick to it. I'm telling you this made a huge difference, we were way ahead of the game as far as figuring it all out and I am so glad I had read the book. Oh, the book is "The Unofficial Guide to DisneyWorld".

The condo we stayed at was pretty nice. It was a huge 2 bedroom apartment with a full kitchen, w/d, dvd player, huge bathrooms, screened in porch, lots of pools and playgrounds on site. So, for $300, it was worth it. the furniture was a little outdated, but it wasn't uncomfortable, just not our taste. But for $300 - who cares!!!

We spent our first full day at the Animal Kingdom in Disney World. We loved the safari - saw tons of animals, walked right on with a short wait, and the kids could see a lot. The rest of the park was just okay. It got congested quickly, it was hard to see the animals in the 'zoo' parts of the park, there were only a few rides that our kids could ride, the rest were too scary. Then there was this Dino playland area, but it was impossible to keep up with and supervise your own children, so we weren't very comfortable with that. There was a lot to look at, including a woman dressed in vines and walked on stilts. She blended in with the plant life and seemed to just walk out of the jungle - it was pretty cool. I did ride the new coaster - Everest. It was fun, not the greatest coaster, but not the worst either. If we go back, I don't think we would go back to the Animal Kingdom.

The second day we went to Epcot and it was really fantastic. Rachel could ride pretty much all the rides, so that made it more fun for her too. Epcot just so much to do and see, you could easily spend 2 days there. We enjoyed all the rides and seeing the World Showcase areas. We were surprised at how much we enjoyed Epcot. We managed the crowds perfectly - we didn't wait for anything, but as we were leaving each ride, we saw the lines building - that book was so right on!

The third day was on the the Magic Kingdom (a version of Disneyland, if you will, but pretty different also). We could have done 2 days here also. Again, the book did not lead us wrong. We hit all the rides just right, no waiting. We did use FastPass on a couple of rides, so we'd get our pass, go ride a different ride and then it would be time to use our pass. The kids enjoyed so many rides - Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, Pirates (with Jack Sparrow recently added!), and Buzz LightYear. Russ LOVED Splash Mountain. He rode it twice. He liked it b/c it was 'splashy'. Rachel was pretty funny on Pirates. She kept her eyes covered, but peeked thru her fingers until she saw a candle and then it was all good! She looked for all the candles and had to tell me whenever she found one. They liked the Haunted Mansion too, Russ more than Rachel, but that is expected. We didn't make into ToonTown, but that was okay. It was surprising how crowded it got towards the end of the day, it just seems like common sense to get there early before the heat and the crowds.

Speaking of the heat. It got hotter as the week went on, so we timed that just right as far as going to Disney first thing. Weds. was a break day - pool and some shopping. Thursday we went to SeaWorld and it was hot and muggy and crowded - a lot of field trips being taken that day. We enjoyed it, but Rachel was not one to sit for the shows. So, we looked at all we could see, fed all that we could feed (sea lions, sharks, sting rays) and were outta there by lunch time. Our tickets were free (Busch's Salute to Military Heroes) and we appreciated those free tix, but would have disappointed if we paid to go.

We came home a day early. We spent Friday morning at a science museum and then left for home after that. As we were driving home and the kids were watching Peter pan for the 300th time, I just started thinking about the yard. I really have been discouraged about the backyard especially. I never work out there and I don't ever want to and I love to garden. Why is that????? The answer is I dislike how it is landscaped. So, I have decided to seize the yard. I need to make it mine. Which means I have to take out a lot, but change can be good and I need a change! My green thumbs are back, baby. Watch out Martha!

Whenever we have our final IEP....

... I am going to throw a huge party. What a relief that will be.

So, of course, Russ had his IEP (Individualized Education Progam) because he still has delays in fine motor skills, speech and language. Without going into great detail, I think this district has many issues with their special ed type services and their management of those services. And let me say that this IEP meeting was disorganized, again, and I have still haven't received my copy. That irritates me beyond belief.

Russell's IEP is renewed every year and last Friday we renewed what is essentially a contract with the district to provide Russell with appropriate services for his disabilities/delays. Like I said before, I wasn't expecting a surprise and I got several!! Let's start with the good ones. Russ's fine motor skills (handwriting and scissor cutting, etc.) have improved greatly this year and his therapist expects to release him at the the end of next school year. Terrific! Russ's speech and language therapist expects/hopes Russell will be released from those services by the 3rd grade. So, that was exciting to hear. They have never said anything like that before. Russell has done very well this year and we are glad that he may be caught up to his age level in these areas sooner rather than later.

The other surprise we have mixed feelings about. Russell is both speech and language impaired, meaning his speech (main issue is making correct sounds while speaking so he can be understood) and language (main issues are oral sentence structure, answering questions directly, making statements out of context) are behind grade level and he usually gets pulled from class to get therapy in school. Well, next year they have decided that all the children that will be in first grade who get pulled for language therapy will be put in one class together and the remainder of the class will be regular ed students. Apparently there are only three students now in Kindergarten that receive language therapy. So, the thought is that they will get more therapy in class together than being pulled out. We are not so sure about this for many reasons. For one thing, it seems weird that if there are only three students and they all aren't grouped together now and they are all doing well, what is the point? Our other issue is taht we want Russell mainstreamed in the sense that he is exposed to as many non-disabled peers as possible. I can understand that if they are all together and need the same type of assistance in class that it might be beneficial. The other pro is that the teacher of this class has experience with these types of kids and wants to teach the class. So, I know he won't get one of the old-school teachers that needs to retire. But, we still feel a bit wary.

It is a situation I will definitely watch and I have already let the principal know that if it doesn't work well for Russell (meaning his current success level isn't maintained) we will want a change in placement. Talking to Russell's principal is interesting. He is one those that isn't a real straight talker, but I make him give me straight answers to my questions. He's got a good sense of humor and he'll laugh when I am really making him to get to the point and not letting him talk around it. I don't think he used to that.

Anyway, I just thought it was funny that I wasn't expecting any surprises this time and even wrote that in this blog. But sure enough, I got one. Like I said in the beginning when Russell is released from all these services and we have our final IEP, it will be PARTY TIME!!

Okay, Saturday we're off to Orlando. We'll give our regards to Mickey Mouse and Shamu for everyone!!