Cheerio Confessions

Ok so my darling Nikky informed me last week via Twitter (I *heart* Twitter!) that it has been roughly 3 weeks since my last post. Yikes! Where has the time gone? Oh, yeah, that's right...life. So as I sit here waiting on about a dozen return phone calls I'm going to try and post the shortest, most informative update I can.

Gavin

Dr. R has placed Gavin on the dreaded Depakote. It is what we call our "Hail Mary" play. We had put it off because it requires pretty frequent blood draws, however, the time has come to bite the bullet. He started out on 250mg BID and then after 5 days my sister and I took him to have his levels checked. That was an experience let me tell you and a post all on it's own. Now he is on 375mg BID. Poor kid is exhausted out of his mind but he flat out refuses to sleep because he's afraid he'll sleep the day away. Overall, he's doing okay I suppose. Well, not really. He's aggressive and violent, distracted and rude. In the past few weeks he's punched, kicked and smacked Elliott Richard across the back with a toy. His imaginary boss is back. He doesn't sleep and stays up all night for days at a time writing songs, writing stories, drawing these intricate plans for things that only make sense to him. Rob and I can see him slipping away again and it kills us.

Elliott Richard

My Tiny Little Twitterbug will be 3 years old this Wednesday. :'( I'm so not ready for this. He's getting so big though, it's just crazy. He still has no interest in potty training. Physically and emotionally he's ready. He still seems to have a mental block about the whole thing though. So we don't push it. I've got a ton of new "Twitterisms" to post. I swear he learns something new to say everyday. He's super excited about his birthday party this weekend. Of course he's been talking about it since Gavin's party in January. lol His 3 year checkup is next week so I'll have more to post about him then.

Emmett John

Mr. Emmett John is now 8 months old, 7 months adjusted. He's been able to roll over from his back to his tummy for months but really didn't seem to see the need. Now that he can get from his tummy to his back, it's a whole different ballgame. Back to tummy. Tummy to back. Back and forth. Over and over and over again. :) lol He's babbling with "ba-ba-ba" now as well. He's also starting giving what Rob and I call "kisses", which is basically just Emmett John attacking your jawline with his one tooth. lol Yes, that's right....he has his first tooth and is working tirelessly on his second!

And speaking of Emmett John he's hungry (still nursing on demand) and tired so I'll have to leave this long overdue update here. I'll try and be back later to update on me, Rob, life with a big sister, Maggie and everything else.

Stay tuned!

Heard from Elliott Richard over the past week or so.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Elliott Richard: Mommy? Mommy? Mommy?
Mommy: There is no "Mommy" here.
Elliott Richard: Yes, you're there on your's face!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

kee-ash = crash
your son = your turn
pollypop = lollypop (sucker)
I love you big much = I love you very much!
I love you big = I love you a lot!
hue-gee = excuse me

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Dingle dells! Dingle dells! Dingle dells!" = Jingle Bells sung by Elliott Richard to Emmett John in an attempt to lull him to sleep

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

tiny dots = two tiny freckles on his chest (one under each nipple)

Literally.

Saturday, January 24th at 4:00pm we all gathered together to celebrate the life of my beautiful, special little man. In hindsight, perhaps this was not the best idea.

So despite my best efforts to prepare and be ready long before the day of the party arrived, Saturday was a crazy day. I had tried to get the cleaning done and the shopping done long before the party. Yeah, that didn't happen. So of course while we are all running around like chickens with our heads cut off, Rob bent down and picked up an empty duffel bag. He didn't move in a funky way. It wasn't heavy. But that's all it took and his back was G-O-N-E...gone!

There I was with a house to clean, shopping to do, children to care for, and a party to set-up and my partner in crime was down for the count. (Oy!) I admit it, I was freaking out. Luckily, I had already called Mom G. and begged her to come and help. I was waiting for her to call me so I could pick her up. Even with Rob's Mom coming, I was still freaking out and feeling the day spinning wildly out of control. Enter "Super Sister"! (duh tu da da) I called my big sister, Trisha, near tears because I had no idea how I was going to get everything done. True to form, Trisha saved the day. She was everything a big sister should be, in my opinion.

Mom G. called me at about 10am to say that she was ready. Mr. Emmett John and I went to pick her up. Then while we were out I did my running around. We hit the Dollar Store for cups, silverware, napkins, table cloth and some other odds and ends that weren't really on my list but I bought them anyway. :D (lol) Then we hit Giant Eagle so I could pickup the ice cream and pop. I completely forgot the chips and candy that I had also intended to pick up. Eh well. We swung through McDonald's for 2 ice teas and then headed home.

All of that build up, now for the party. ;)

The party was scheduled to start at 4pm. Trisha arrived at 12noon, shortly after Mom G. and I returned from our running around. And by running around, I mean Mom G. was kind enough to hang out in the car with a sleeping Emmett John. We ate lunch and then tackled the house. Mom G. took on the dishes, which then morphed into her cleaning the kitchen. Trisha and I tackled the laundry that needed folding and the bathroom. She was also kind enough to get Elliott Richard dressed, which is no easy feat. He made her offer every single shirt he owns. Only to choose the shirt she offered him first in the end. (lol) Between Mom G., Trisha and myself we managed to knock out the cleaning, shopping and general party-prep by 3pm! :) (Woo who!)

People started to arrive around 4pm, right on time. (I love punctuality.) All told, the guest list was pretty long. :) We had:

Grammy (Great Grandma C.)
Great-Aunt Sharon
Aunt Trisha
Grandma G.
Pa-Pa G.
Grandma W.
Grandpa W.
Uncle Brian
Uncle Jon
Aunt Teri
Aunt Kate
Uncle Tim
Jenna (Uncle Tim's girlfriend)
Aunt Jenny
Matt (Aunt Jenny's boyfriend)
Michelle ("Mo-Mo", our neighbor)

The party itself was a huge success! We had pop and cake and ice cream. I had baked some cupcakes. My parents picked up a 1/4 sheet cake from Giant Eagle. We talked, laughed and mingled. Gavin bounced off the walls until it was time for cake and ice cream. We sang "Happy Birthday" to him and he blew out his candles. Then Elliott Richard got ready to blow out his candle (my method for keeping him from blowing out Gavin's candles) but he refused to blow it out without us singing "Happy Birthday" to him. (lol) While we mingled and ate cake, Gavin continued to bounce off the walls. (Perhaps this should have been a clue as to what lie ahead.) Before long my Grammy and Aunt Sharon said they needed to get going, plus Gavin was getting more and more hyper as time went on so we opted to move right along to the presents.

Let me just say this, he made out like a bandit! And boy can my boy open gifts! Michelle commented on the fact that she's never seen a kid open gifts that fast before. (lol)

He was thrilled beyond words with his new Kinex Ferris wheel. After he had torn the wrapping off all the gifts, he grabbed the box and made a bee-line for his room. Throughout the night Brian went upstairs and helped Gavin put it all together and get it sorted out. Thank God for Brian! Rob and I are horrible with complicated sets like that. While I'm confident that Gavin would have eventually had the whole thing built, it happened just that much faster with Brian's help. :)

People slowly trickled out after Gavin opened his gifts. In the end, it was Rob, me, Trisha, Jenn, and Matt. Elliott Richard went to bed between 8 and 9pm. We let Gavin stay up until 10-ish since it was his birthday party and all. At around 9:30pm the adults decided we were starving and we ordered Pizza Hut. (My first Pizza Hut pizza in about 6 months! That's another post that's coming.) It was a really awesome way to end the evening. Sitting around and eating pizza with some of my favorite people in the world. Overall, it was a good day.

That was then. Sunday was a whole different story.

At the time when I planned the party, I wanted to celebrate Gavin. I wanted to make his birthday big and bright and special. I wanted him to be able to look around and see just how much we all love him. In that respect, I accomplished my goal. What I failed to take into account were the side effects. I failed to think past Saturday into Sunday and the next week. That was my fault.

We spent Sunday and the week following trying to...adjust. Sunday night we couldn't get Gavin to give up on his Ferris wheel and go to bed. The insanity that ensued over the next week...I can't really find words to describe it. It wasn't any single behavior. It was more a general feeling running through the household, controlled by Gavin. Much like the under-tow of the ocean is controlled by the moon and God. It's nothing that can be seen by an outsider. However, it is certainly something that can be felt by the swimmers in the ocean.

Because of this feeling, this current, Rob and I have made the decision that this year's birthday party was quite honestly the party to end all parties, at least as far as Gavin is concerned. That's not to say that we won't celebrate his birthday every year, because we most certainly will. Nor will we prohibit others from celebrating. It will just have to be celebrated in little, tiny bursts either over the course of a week or possibly in a single day (scheduled in a fashion similar to doctor's appointments). Either way we won't attempt to overwhelm him with that many people again. Even when it comes to Elliott Richard and Emmett John's birthdays, we will likely make arrangements with my parents to leave early and take Gavin with them. That way we are not forced into avoiding birthday parties for them as well.

So the party itself was a smashing success, in my opinion. The aftermath, fallout and next 7 days...yeah, not so much. You live. You learn, I suppose.

I'm exhausted. I took a crappy nappy with Emmett John this afternoon. It didn't help. I had hoped it would at least help with the raging sleep deprivation migraine I've got going on. No dice.

Then Elliott Richard and I were eating my organic Emmett John Friendly Oreo-type cookies. He had the cutest little mustashe and gotee going on. I just had to take pictures. So I grab the camera and crouch down to get on Elliott Richard's level. As I'm crouching a stabbing pain shoots through my right knee and then my knee gave out. I fell backwards. The camera went flying.

Now my knee is all screwed up, again. (It had just started to heal from me screwing it up the night we got Abby.) And the camera is broken. I can't believe I broke it 4 days before Mr. Emmett John's First Christmas! *sigh*

Mr. Emmett John has a future in the military. Interrogating terrorists. His specialty will be in the field of using sleep deprivation. I become more convinced of this as time goes on. I didn't realize how a kid could be a picky sleeper until Emmett John.

Because of his milk and soy allergies, if I have ANY milk or soy Emmett will wake up the next morning at 3 or 4am screaming. When I say ANY, I mean any. It's taught me to check labels 5 and 6 times so I can avoid that early morning wake-up call. 

If he is stuffy, he will sleep fine (stuffy and all) until about 4am (see a pattern yet?) and then suddenly he will wake-up screaming because he's stuffy. Now to me, he doesn't sound any worse at 4am than he did when we went to bed at 10pm. But for some reason he seems unwilling to deal with it anymore after 4am. 

And then, there was last night. Mr. Emmett John wasn't feeling good all day yesterday. However, when he was asleep is when he seemed the calmest and things were going pretty well for him. When he was awake, he was fussy and grumpy. You could just tell he was uncomfortable. So I figured when we went to bed for the night that he would sleep fairly well. Wrong. We went to bed at about 11pm. He was exhausted but wouldn't sleep. (I should have known then something was hinky.) At about 12:30am he finally fell asleep on my shoulder so we went to bed. He woke up fussing and then all out screaming by 3am. So he and I went downstairs so that Daddy and Elliott Richard could keep sleeping. He screamed and thrashed and thrashed and screamed until about 4:30-ish. At that point, I gave him some gas drops and Tylenol because I had exhausted all other options. Those helped him to calm down enough to fall asleep for brief period of time so long as he was on my chest. So I built a little fortress around us on the couch and dozed off and on while he slept for the briefest of periods. For the rest of the night, he would sleep for a bit. Wake up screaming. Nurse for a moment. Sleep for a bit. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Now it is 9:30am. I hope you'll excuse me if this post makes little to no sense; I am so beyond exhausted that I can't even see exhausted anymore. And now I'm off to try and accomplish something...maybe I'll wash some dishes. The laundry might be easier though. Or maybe I'll just pass out on the couch. Yeah, that's sounds like a better option.

No. No. No. Not that mob. I'm referring to the lynch mob that hunted me down at Gavin's school yesterday. Apparently, I've been missed. And I promised a post. So here it is. Please remember I promised a post. Not an award winning novel. What can I say, I'm exhausted!

So here's the run down:

• Emmett John now weighes 18lb 8oz.
• He is 27.5 in long, which means he grew .75 inch in a month!
• Gavin is holding steady with some pretty major meltdowns. He even threatened Rob one day and Elliott Richard the other. Not cool.
• I have blown out my right knee, which wasn't difficult since I blew it out 15 years ago in gymnastics. I keep debating calling the doctor.
• Elliott Richard is just as cute and sweet as ever. No real change there.
• Emmett John saw the ENT doctor. He scoped Emmett's throat and determined that the hoarsness is from the reflux. The scope seems to have flipped a switch in Mr. Emmett John though because he hasn't shut up since the appointment. lol (As I write this, he is in his swing talk and squealing his head off.)
• We've all been sick, except for Gavin, for the last month. We just keep passing it around. Right now is Rob's turn.
• In an attempt to work through my identity crisis I have been living on Ancestry.com. Rob even got me a one month subscription for Christmas so I can continue my work. I've tracked some of my ancestors back to the 1500's! Pretty cool. Very satisfying. Very addicting.
• And to wrap up my quick update in an attempt to hold off the mob, we got a dog. Yes, I know. This makes me certifiably insane. However, in my defense, we rescued a 2 year old dog. She's housebroken, knows most of the basic commands, is great with the kids and in my oppinion, absolutely adorable. Her name is Abby after my favorite character on NCIS. (Yes, I'm an NCIS nerd.)

And now my M&M's are calling/screaming for me. As are my dishes. So I am off.

Come on down Elliott Richard! :)
Things in the land of Elliott Richard have been pretty calm, cool and collected.

We're still working on the potty training, while trying not to push too hard. Not an easy task. He tells us when he's wet. He adamantly denies when his pooped, although it feels like a game. He still loves his Big Boy Lightning McQueen pants (Pull Ups) but unlike most potty training kids he doesn't care if he uses them. Some nights he stays dry. Some nights he pees through his diaper. I'm starting to realize just how helpful day care was in potty training Gavin. {Even with Pam trying to undo it all. But that's for another post. I'm saying that a lot lately, aren't I?} Now I feel at a loss for what to do without the day care to help.

We've recently reinstated nap time for Mr. Elliott Richard. He wasn't taking naps for the largest time because it had become such a battle to get him to sleep. Plus, he was doing okay without them. He seems to be going through a growth spurt at the moment though because he's a major grump without a nap. Half the time he was falling asleep in the middle of whatever he was doing by 5pm anyway. All that accomplish was to seriously screw up bed time, which as any parent will tell you is very uncool. So Rob and I have reinstated nap time. The best part is the fact that to accomplish nap time, Emmett John and I have to lay down with him. So we get a nap too. {woo who!} I love nap time.

That's about the extent of the life and times of Elliott Richard. Oh and of course the facts that he got another hair cut and he's going through a growth spurt, which amounts to him eating anything that isn't nailed down. It's rather unsettling to watch him go from eating like a bird to eating like a horse virtually over night. It's kind of nice though because watching him eat like a bird is unsettling in its own right. I'll be sure to post pictures of his new 'do later.

I needed some pajamas to wear. Daddy offered his pajama pants and t-shirt. What wife can refuse her hubby's comfiest clothes? (lol) So I am wearing Daddy's comfy pajama pants and t-shirt. Elliott Richard is less than pleased with this arrangement.

Elliott Richard: Mommy, dose are Daddy's pants!

Mommy: Yes, they are.

ER: Take dem off!

M: Daddy said I could wear them.

ER: No! Take dem OFF!

M: Daddy, can I wear your pants?

Daddy: Yes, Mommy.

ER: Daddy, you wear Mommy's pants too?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daddy has an XBox 360. On his 360 he has what Microsoft calls "Arcade Games", which are games that you can purchase on the XBox Live network and download. Elliott Richard is obsessed with one called "Marble Blast" where you control a marble and have to navigate through these courses. Unfortunately, Daddy was working on the computer. This is the conversation that followed:

Elliott Richard: I play Marble Bast?

Daddy: After Daddy is finished working.

ER: I know! I play Marble Bast. *points right index finger to the sky* Perfect idea!

Thirteen Random M&M Facts 1.... All 3 boys were born on even numbered days (18, 4 & 26). 2.... All 3 boys were conceived in odd numbered years (1999, 2005 & 2007). 3..... All 3 boys were born in even numbered years (2000, 2006, 2008). 4.... They were born on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday (so every other day) respectively. 5.... From induction to delivery I was in labor for 15 hours, 10 hours, and 10 hours. 6.... I was an odd numbered age at the time of each birth (19, 25 & 27). 7.... There are 6 years, 1 month, 12 days (or 2232 days) between Gavin and Elliott Richard. 8.... There are 8 years, 5 months, 8 days (or 3078 days) between Gavin and Emmett John. 9.... There are 2 years, 3 months, 23 days (843 days) between Elliott Richard and Emmett John. 10.... Gavin's name was picked out at 20 weeks. Elliott Richard's name was picked in shifts - Richard at 20 weeks and Elliott at about 30 weeks. Emmett John's name was picked out 24 hours (almost to the minute) before his birth. 11.... Emmett John was the earliest and smallest at birth. He is also the longest and heaviest at 4 months (3 months adjusted) old. 12.... Gavin was the longest at birth (21.5 inches). Elliott Richard and Emmett John tie for second place (19.5 inches). 13.... Gavin was 4 days late. Elliott Richard was 22 days early. Emmett John was 27 days early.

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This was my Sunday:

• Woke up with a migraine and a fibro flare? Check.
• Twins still sick and dribbling poop everywhere? Check.
• Tried to nap but in too much pain to lay down? Check.
• More cat poop? Check.
• Massive Emmett John diaper blow out, which equals still more poop? Check.
• Doubled the laundry to be washed thanks to dribbles and blow outs? Check.
• Broke the light switch in the ceiling fan in our bedroom? Check.
• Cut power to the whole house when I was supposed to only cut it to the bedroom? Check.
• Then spent an hour and a half in the living room with lit candles and all three boys while Rob inspected the damage, went to the store, picked up dinner and fixed the switch? Check.
• Fell asleep begging God for a single night of sleep without waking up every hour? Check.

PS. I got the sleep. :)

Okay, Emmett John is fussy so this is going to be the fastest update I can manage. (Yeah, right. lol) Please forgive me if this seems jumbled and disconnected, Emmett John and Elliott Richard aren't big on sleep at the moment.

I'm sorry I haven't posted in nearly forever. I simply haven't been in the mood, which stinks because I was hoping to partake in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) but I can only do so much. I do apologize though if my being MIA has made any of you worry.

Gavin

About a month ago Gavin was started on a new bi-polar medication, 150mg Trileptal BID. Everything was fine. It seemed to be working. His moods were gradually evening out. Then the bottom fell out. His moods took a nose dive. He began rapid cycling again. So we called Dr. R and he decided to double Gavin's dose to 300mg BID, which he had planned to do anyway. So two weeks ago, we double the Trileptal. We give Gavin his meds and proceed with getting ready for Gavin and Elliott Richard's flu shot appointments. On our way to Dr. H's office for flu shots, Gavin broke out in a serious rash. Dr. H wasn't in the office but one of the other peds saw him and confirmed that it was a reaction to the Trileptal. She said that there wasn't anything we could do for the itching (apparently Benedryl doesn't work on drug reaction rashes), so that was fun. We were told to keep an eye on his breathing etc but told he should be fine. (Ever try explaining to an Autistic 8 year old that he can't scratch and you can't help the itch? Yeah, I don't recommend it.) Since the ped wasn't worried, we sent Gavin to my Mom's as planned. At like midnight or 1am our phone rings. Gavin now has a fever, the chills etc. His breathing was fine so Mom gave him Tylenol for the fever and we all went back to sleep. He was fine in the morning so it appeared that the worst had passed. Until he got home. The chills, fever etc had returned. He was now running a 104 degree fever! So Rob is calling Dr. R and Dr. H's offices trying to figure out what to do. I'm trying to get Gavin comfortable and giving him Tylenol etc. Dr. R's office decides he has the flu and not a drug reaction at all. Dr. H's office said to keep a very close eye on him, if anything changed or the fever hit 105 we were told to call back ASAP. To give a general idea of how Gavin was feeling, he went to bed at 5pm and slept through the night until 8am the next day!!!!!! (This is a big deal because I don't think he's slept that much since he was Emmett John's age!) On the bright side, he recovered really quick. On the not-so-bright side, I'm definitely not going to win "Mother of the Year" this year. When Gavin went back to school, I accidentally gave him the 150mg dose of Trileptal. Luckily, he survived and we now know for 100% certain that Dr. H was right (it was a drug reaction) and Dr. R was wrong (it was NOT the flu). So while he broke out in a rash again, he handled it like a champ and it was gone within a day or two. So since this whole drama went down Gavin has been unmedicated for his bi-polar, which at the very least is making things interesting. Rob and I see Dr. R today to figure out what the next step is.

Other than that whole mess, things with Gavin have been fairly....typical for Gavin. He's rapid cycling. We're struggling to keep up with him. The whole situation is just exhausting. Of course that could have something to do with the fact that he hasn't adjusted to the time change at all. He puts himself to bed at 6pm every night and asks for him meals an hour early. We've tried to explain it to him but he doesn't get it. Poor thing. Hopefully he'll adjust soon.

On a positive note, a few days after the adoption was finalized (we should have the paperwork any day now - woo who!) the school had an Awards Assembly for the students. Gavin received awards for Perfect Attendance (which was blown for this grading period with the drug reaction), an award for meeting his reading goals with his Title 1 tutor, and another one I can't remember. (Hey, I already told you I wasn't winning Mother of the Year.) The school even went and changed his name on all of his awards so that they read Gavin G. :)

Elliott Richard

Well, unofficially potty training has begun. We've started buying Elliott Richard Lightning McQueen Pull-Ups. It took a little bit of convincing to get him to wear them but now he's in love. He's now changing his own diapers, well, he's taking his wet (and dirty - unfortunately) diapers off and then running around the house buck naked screaming "New biper!" He also tells us (sometimes before and sometimes after the diaper removal) that he's peed or pooped. He will sit on the potty, sometimes for nearly an hour. Then he gets up, puts on a Pull-Up and pees. Oy. So progress is slow and basically non-existent at some points but we are getting there.

During Gavin's whole Trileptal reaction, Elliott Richard received his flu shot. I expected a lot of tears and screaming. Daddy said that he was fine with the shot. (I was meeting with the ped about Gavin.) It was having his legs held down that ticked him off. Once they let him go, he was fine. lol I swear he never ceases to amaze me.

Other than that stuff, there's really not much to report in the land of Elliott Richard. He's still completely obsessed with Emmett John and helping me as much as possible. Which usually means that whatever I'm doing is taking twice as long as it would normally but whatever. He's growing like a weed. Eating us out of house and home or not eating at all. (I just love the terrible two's!) And as his hair grows back from his first hair cut, I'm thrilled to say that it is still wavy/curly! :)

Emmett John

I think I probably have the most to update on when it comes to Mr. Emmett John.

I'm thrilled to report that Emmett John is now the new and improved wireless version. We saw Dr. K and our nurse Vick at the Apnea Clinic last month (yes, I'm really that behind). The only concern they had was one Apneic episode that wasn't a full-fledged episode. His breathing slowed way down and then seconds after his breathing picked up again his heart rate dropped. Since they didn't happen simultaneously, it doesn't count as a true Apneic Episode and he was cleared for release. :)

Since then, he's gained a few pounds and grew a few inches. He now weighs 17lb 3oz and is 26.75 inches long!!!! That's the 80th and 90th percentiles respectively!! Craziness I tell ya.

He's been babbling and laughing (whenever he isn't screaming in pain from the reflux) for a while now but he's recently added the squealing to his list of tricks. He seems to have a very select sense of humor though. Only certain silly noises, scaring/startling him and whatever it is Daddy does seems to amuse him. Although there are times now when he will laugh when he hears someone else laugh, which is super cute! He gets super excited when he sees Mommy, Daddy or Elliott Richard. (Gavin hasn't shown much interest in him so Emmett John doesn't see him hardly ever.) He's rolled over but didn't seem terribly impressed with the accomplishment and hasn't done it in a while. He can't decide between his thumb, his Nuk binkie (he'll take other binkies but strongly prefers the Nuks), and this little blanket I actually bought for Gavin like 7 years ago. He had his first bowl of cereal on Wednesday. In keeping with his tradition of being polar opposite of everything I know from raising Gavin and Elliott Richard, Emmett loves his cereal. I couldn't shovel it in fast enough. lol He holds on to toys that we hand him for a moment or two but gets the biggest kick out of reaching/batting at his hanging toys on his bouncy seat. Speaking of which, he loves that bouncy seat. He'd sit there and kick (making it bounce) all day long if it weren't for little annoyances like hunger and diaper changes. lol

We are keeping a close eye on his reflux because he is on 15mg of Prevacid once a day and he developed a hoarse voice about two weeks ago that isn't really going away. It hasn't gotten any worse, which is something I suppose, but it's not really improving either. We saw Dr. H yesterday for his 4 month checkup and 3 of the 5 vaccines he was due for. Dr. H said to give it until the middle/end of next week, if it hasn't gone away by then I'm supposed to call back and he'll send Emmett to a ENT to have his vocal cords checked out. Other than the hoarseness, Mr. Emmett John is practically perfect in every way. And quite possibly the cutest 4.5 month old in the house. ;)

The Adoption & Legal Issues

Not a whole lot to report on this front. The paperwork for the adoption has been filed. We are just waiting on the judge to sign and date them and get them back to my attorney. At that point I can drive around town and change Gavin's last name with everyone. The school is almost as excited about this as we are. ;)

As for the fact that Gavin will never see them again, well Rob is currently out having "Guy Time" with Gavin to discuss that very fact. Per the suggestion of Dr. R. So I will be sure to update you on how that went when I know more.

There is still the small matter of the contempt motion that Pam filed against me. I filed an objection on September 4th and we just learned that the courts are requesting transcripts from the court date on July 31st. (You know, the court date I didn't attend because I felt it wasn't in Emmett John's best interest?) John, my attorney, emailed Pam's attorney handling the matter and informed him of the adoption and the circumstances surrounding the adoption and the only response he's received so far was "I'll have to get back to you." This lead me to believe that Pam and/or Nick hadn't informed him that Nick no longer has any rights to Gavin. That was probably an interesting conversation. The way John has explained it to me, Pam can drop the whole case but since I didn't do what I was court ordered to do the magistrate can still try and force the jail time issue if he really has a bee in his bonnet over me. This remains to be seen, however, I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I do.

Life in General

Life in general is...well, it's life. I'm exhausted. Emmett John gets up at 4am every morning. Elliott Richard usually isn't too far behind - getting up at 5 or 6am. I'm up so I usually just bring Elliott downstairs with me so that Rob can sleep. That way if we have a few empty hours during the day I can grab a nap. I've started seeing my therapist, Nina, again. I love her. She also has a massage therapist, Kim, whom I also love. She does wonders for my fibro, which is currently kicking my butt. So overall, things are...trying to find a new sort of norm.

Okay, I started this at like 8am this morning. It's now 4pm. Emmett John is screaming because he's tired and starving. I have a raging migraine. We are going to lay down. (Woo whoo!) As soon as Daddy mows up the leaves. (Stupid lawn. Stupid trees. Stupid fall.)

Daddy and Elliott Richard are playing Hide and Seek. This is how it goes:

Elliott Richard: 1...2...1...2 Eddy and knots I come!
*begins looking for Daddy*
Elliott Richard: Daddy? Daddy, hair are who? Mommy, where Daddy go? 1...2...1...2 Eddy and knots Daddy!

Now Daddy counts and Elliott Richard hides.

Daddy: 1...2...3...4...5 Ready or not, here I come!
Elliott Richard: I come too!

Raging migraine.
Active children.
Laundry and dishes calling my name.
No energy to care about them.

Lots of milk and soy free foods.
Yay!
Slowly figuring this new diet out.
Might not be so bad.

Am I negative?
I prefer realist but whatever.

Can I change my name?
Nah, they'd just learn the new one.

I must be seriously stressed.
The twins won't leave me alone.
I love cats.

I got my Stellan bracelet in the mail today.
Yay!
Ordered one for Rob and Elliott Richard.

Emmett John is feeling better.
Thank God for small favors.

Are you confused yet?
Yeah, me too.
lol

The "Duck Groupies" with a few geese (a.k.a. Bullies)

Feeding the ducks

Grinnin' and chillin' at the park

Walking the track

I love this picture.

All tuckered out...

Beyond tuckered out...

there's be days like this.

Elliott Richard: giggling and driving cars down the back of the couch onto Emmett John's head
Me: Elliott Richard, we do not drive (read that 'drop') cars on Emmett John's head!
Elliott Richard: Saw-we. (Sorry) (Then does it again.)
Me: Timeout!
Elliott Richard: No! No! No! (as he sulks off to timeout)
Once he's in timeout this is what I hear:
Elliott Richard: No timeout! Mean Mommy! Where Daddy?
Me: Elliott, timeout is quiet time.
Elliott Richard: Wee me moan! Wee me moan! Wee me moan! (Leave me alone)
At this point I call Rob (who took Gavin to see Patty) so he can hear the cute-ness that is "wee me moan".
Me: Honey, listen to how cute Elliott Richard is.
Elliott Richard: I NOT cute! WEE! ME! MOAN!

I guess I should have listened to my mama, huh? *sigh*

Just for fun and because I find it mildly interesting here are the evolutions of my son's nicknames.

Gavin
Pregnancy: Munchkin Man
Infancy: Munchkin Man, Little Man, Punkin
Toddler/Preschool: Squishie (this came about sometime after seeing "Finding Nemo")
Early Childhood: Squishie Fishie (this came about after my mom found gummy fish candies called "Squishie Fishies")

Elliott Richard
Pregnancy: Marshmallow (what can I say, it seems stupid now but he looked like one of those tiny marshmallows at my 6w ultrasound)
Infancy: Twitterbug (to this day I have no idea where this came from, I was nursing him in the wee hours of the morning and I said it. It fit so it stuck.)
Toddler: Twitterbug and Boo-Boo (again, no idea where Boo-Boo came from)

Emmett John
Pregnancy: Ladybug (before we knew the sex) Tiny (after we found out)
Infancy: Tiny or Tiny Doodlebug (and for the record, doodlebugs are really ugly bugs but I just can't find another name that fits)