Trick-or-Treat!

So, here we all sit watching the election results wondering what the future holds for this country... I would be lying if I didn't say that I am greatly concerned. Chris and I waited a little over 2 1/2 hours to vote, so that we could make a difference as Jana put it. I am already trying to tune it out, though, by writing here. Even Chris keeps flipping it to the NASA channel every now and then-- I am not quite sure what that is all about... However, the most amusing part of this election has been listening to Cookie discuss politics. He says he knew he was going to vote for McCain when he found out Obama planned to raise taxes. LOL :) He is his father's son.

Soooooo, I wanted to just update everyone on our recent exploits. Halloween was a blast! The kids were so stinkin' cute! Cookie was the best looking Indiana Jones I have ever seen!

He put Gommy to work on his costume last month, and we were still finalizing the details the afternoon of Halloween. He had it down to the whip, hat, gun and holster. He even got 

a leather jacket to perfect his look. He was insistent on looking EXACTLY like Indy! I think he achieved his goal, don't you?

Now dressing Nosey up was my favorite part, but don't tell the other boys. He was a rock star. We always call him that, so it seemed fitting. He was soooooooo cute. He went all around school in his wheelchair carrying his toy guitar jamming out all day long. The blue hair, tattooed arms, and skull and cross bones earring were my favorite part of the costume. He had so much fun riding around in the golf cart while we were trick-or-treating because it was decorated with hanging lights.  He really is a ROCK STAR!

And Tater Tot... He was our Little Devil on Halloween. like most other days. He was so

 precious. He loved his costume, the cape especially. He also really enjoyed 

trick-or-treating even though it was very time consuming with him going up and down all of the front steps on DI. He was definitely working his costume, so people would give him more candy. It worked. He had quite the stash. His bag was bigger than he was, but that didn't stop him from dragging it from house to house, and you better keep your hands off or else he would let you have it! And after spending most of October trying to teach him to say "Trick-or-Treat" we had to finally settle for "Ween" followed by his devilish smile. Still very cute, maybe even more so.

Probably More Than You Want to Know

You know, so many wrestle with when to tell people they are pregnant. I really never thought I would miscarry, so when we found out that we were pregnant this time we shared with everyone very early--even Cookie. That was the hardest thing for me so far. Telling him on his level--not too much information, but just enough so that he could understand what had happened on a 7 year old level. He was so hurt.  He has such a big heart, and he is so transparent. I love that about him. He is o.k. with it now, but that really sucked big time. What a punch in the gut.

So, you know I was kinda banking on the fact that the odds of nothing bad happening that was pregnancy related were in our favor. I am not going out to buy any lottery tickets any time soon, let me tell you. I guess that's just not the way it is going to work for us, which I admit is very unsettling.

Seeing the heartbeat at the first appointment was reassuring, but I am thankful that my OB was so tactful that she was able to begin to prepare me for the possibility even then. But, that was one long weekend waiting for the follow-up ultrasound. Once we found out there was no heartbeat it was like someone had died, but we couldn't have the funeral. Having the D&C was such a relief that I am not sure I have been able to process much else since I got that behind me. I keep waiting on it to really hit me. It is definitely a process.

I am so thankful for what I have. I have thought so much about how much more awful it is for women to miscarry who have no children. I am so thankful for my family. The day of the follow-up ultrasound I just wanted to get home and be with my boys - to just look at them and hug them. The fact that life goes on is so good for me. To not be able to stop for too long is good for me too, I think. Focusing on what I do have is what I need to do. It's what we all need to do, right?

I am again thankful for my support system. The fact that my friends and family continue to stick by me, and don't run for the hills is such a good feeling. I have felt so loved by you all. The flowers, the cards, the phone calls, the prayers... the fact that you give me my space, but keep coming back to check on me. Thanks. I haven't forgotten how great my support system is since Nosey was born, but this has been a great reminder. My cup runneth over. Despite what has happened, I see how blessed I am. I have the best husband in the world, and the best friends and family anyone could ever hope for.

Baseball and Brotherly Love

You know, I love being a mom. Today I woke up with the same migraine I had gone to bed with. Luckily Jana was with Tater Tot, so I went back to bed, and when I got up I was so pleased to be headache-free that I whisked Chris away from his desk, and we went to the school to surprise the boys at lunch. We got to see Cookie and Nosey. And, it is so cool to see No-No at school. He is pretty popular, ya know. His assistant says she can't make it down the hall with him without being stopped by several students all wanting to say hello to him. He is cute, I know, but it really does feel good as a mommy to see that he has a special place at his school. He is known wherever he goes, and I am confident that he is well loved. He has been spending a good bit of time in the regular classroom for art and music. I know he has really enjoyed it, and apparently the other students have too.

So, Nosey had his first baseball game with the Charleston Miracle League and apparently made it into the Summerville newspaper. I have yet to get a copy of it, but it's hanging up at school already. He is a star once again.

Anyway, the game last weekend was priceless. They run that program like a well oiled machine. I expected to be impressed by my boy playing ball, but I was blown away by how well things ran. It was so much fun being there. All the kids were at varying developmental levels, and they made the game of baseball as relevant to each child as possible. Each child had a buddy that stayed with him/her the whole game. Nosey hit for himself the first time he was up at bat, but the second time up Cookie hit for him and even ran the bases with him. Cookie says that Nosey's baseball team is even cooler than his was last Spring. He is such a good big brother--it makes my heart sing!

I wish I had a picture, but of course I don't. I don't think a picture would capture the moment fully anyway. I need to have it on film. Anyway, yesterday when Nosey got up from his nap Tater Tot crawled up on his bed and kissed Nosey all over, and then started to tickle him. No-No was cracking up. He just couldn't stop giggling. It was the cutest thing to see their brotherly relationship. Words aren't necessary at all between brothers. Nothing could feel better than that to me.

P-Baby's Arm, The Miracle League, and The Cat's Out Of The Bag

Well, we took tater tot back to Pediatric Orthopedist on Wednesday hoping to get his cast off. So, we of course should have known better. One of the bones in his forearm has still not healed enough to take the cast off. It looks pretty bad still in the x-ray (which I, of course, have included). So, he is now on his third cast (this time it only comes up his forearm and not over his elbow) and this one should come off on October 15th. We'll keep our fingers crossed. Luckily, having a cast on his arm hasn't slowed him down one bit, as you can see from the picture I took of he and Jana playing at Gymboree the day after he got his new cast.

Well, this weekend a long awaited event will take place. Nosey is finally old enough to play in the Charleston Miracle League. I am so excited! He is a member the Cardinals, and his first game is Saturday morning at 10a.m. We went to the groundbreaking ceremony in Summerville

 yesterday where they are about to construct a field for players to use starting this spring. Anyway, they had an impromptu baseball game, and Nosey's buddy was a little cutie from CSU. Nosey was so adorable! He was such a flirt too. He had so much fun running the bases that everyone kept commenting on what a great smile he has. I was interviewed for a local paper, and the kids were all on the local news. Anyway, we are really looking forward to his first game. I am hoping it will work out for Cookie to be his buddy. I will be sure to take pictures, and update with them.

Lastly, but certainly not least... It seems that almost everyone knows this by now even though it is still very early on. Yep, we are pregnant with #4, and we are praying for pink, but assuming it will be blue. At least I am anyway. This time when we have shared the news with people it seems that the most popular comment sounds something like "We're happy for you if this is what y'all want", or some reference to how crazy we are. That begins to wear on you after a while, so we are still digesting the fact that we will have FOUR children as of May 23rd, 2009. Holy Cow! We are very excited. And thankfully, Jana and Grace are excited as well:). Still overwhelmed with the thought of it all...

Chris is a ROCK STAR!

Well, yesterday was the long awaited day...Chris got the call that he has officially been selected as the Operator of the new store in Goose Creek! YAY! Yippee! It has been a long road. I couldn't be more proud of him if I tried. He has worked so hard, and I am so happy his efforts have been rewarded. 

The store should open in the spring. The grand opening date has changed many times in the past, so I think it will probably change again before it's all over. Construction should start in December and it's supposed to open April 23rd. Mark your calendars (in pencil)!

On a sadder note, Nosey had an appointment with Ortho last week. I thought it was just going to be for a shot of Botox, and then on his way, so I sent Chris for the appointment. However, things went a little differently. He ended up coming home with a new brace that he now has to sleep in. The orthopedist said that things are going well overall, but that he would like to see the ball sit deeper in his hip socket. So, to avoid surgery again, we are going to try the brace that will keep his legs in a position that will be good for his hip development. It makes me so sad to make him sleep in it, though. This is the kid who giggles every time you put him in his bed. It is truly his favorite place on earth. He loves his bed, and to have to make him wear an uncomfortable brace while he sleeps just breaks my heart. We are easing into it. When he cries at night and can't be comforted by repositioning, we just take it off for the night. He is making it longer and longer. What a good boy...

This past weekend was a really relaxing one. Cookie had his first soccer game of the season. Most of the rest of our free time was spent at the dock. It was pretty hot and buggy, but it

 was great on the water. Chris took the boys kayaking. They all loved it, especially Nosey!

Tater has just one more week in the cast. He is scheduled to have it removed next week. I hope and pray that he is healing well under there.

Chris is traveling this week and next. And this weekend, he and Cookie are going on the Cub Scout Campout. I am not planning on going. I am a little sad about it, but they will have lots of big boy fun I am sure.

Oh, I almost forgot! Today I looked across the street and saw two men and a pregnant woman going all around from door to door. I thought it was a little odd. Then, the pregnant lady rang our doorbell and asked for a fire extinguisher. Turns out the room over the garage was on fire. Apparently, the gas lantern somehow caused the fire. So, everybody and their brother came out to see what all of the commotion was about. I took a bunch of pictures, and sweated while we watched the DI Fire Department put the fire out. One of my pictures may end up in the newspaper too. I hear they even pay $50. That will be the only time anyone ever pays me for any of my photography!!

The Storms Have Passed...Hopefully!

Well, thankfully, we didn't really get any real wind from Tropical Storm Hanna. We got quite a bit of rain, and we kept waiting on the winds to pick up, but it never happened.  So, all in all, we had a pretty event-less weekend.

An update on Tater Tot's arm...When we took him back to the Pediatric Orthopedist last week, they x-rayed his arm and found 45% of angulation in the break. So, they had to remove his cast, put his arm in traction, reset it, and recast it. He was very tough, but very mad about the whole thing. There is still about 30% of angulation in the break now, but apparently that's acceptable in pediatric ortho. Who knew? They say it will take about 4-6 months to straighten back out. So, we will see what his arm looks like when it comes out of the cast. I hope nothing like it did the other day! It gave me the heeby-jeebies.

So, the x-ray on the left is once the arm is set in the cast, and the picture on the right is the arm before it was set.

So, now Tater has a bright red cast. It doesn't slow him down a bit. Everyone keeps asking if he is using it as a weapon yet, and I have to say--so far, so good.  He has begun to use it quite effectively to climb on things, and even waves with that hand now.

Labor Day Weekend

Well, it has been quite a week! About a week ago, things were going smoothly - that is until Tater Tot woke up from his nap last Wednesday. He was very fussy, but still consolable. I was gone for pretty much the entire time that evening with Cookie to soccer and then to a team meeting. When I got home Jana told me that he had been very fussy all evening. The next morning he woke up with a swollen, misshapen arm. I called Grace to ask if she had any idea what had happened. The best we can figure is that he stuck his arm through the slats of his crib to reach something he had thrown out, but then fell, dislocating his right elbow and breaking his forearm in two places. It was a doozy. He was quite pitiful, but so tough the Doctors said they had never seen a child handle a situation so well. Anyway, we took him down to MUSC, got a cast put on, and hit the road.

So, off we headed that afternoon to Williamsburg, VA for the long weekend to see Chris' family. We had a really good time. We went to historic Williamsburg, to Busch Gardens, and really got to spend some quality time with the family. We don't get to se them that often, so it was great to be with them. Tater finally got to meet his Granny, and he just couldn't get enough of her.  Our family finally got to meet Baby Piper, and what a cutie she is! 

The boys had a great time at Busch Gardens. Cookie is such a good big brother. He helped both of his little brothers on the rides. I couldn't have a prouder mommy! Jana was right in the middle of it all. Chris' family treated her as if she had always been a

 part of the family. It was really neat.

This week it's back to school, aquatic therapy, soccer practice, and Tater is starting Gymboree (if Jana can ever find the place). It is a busy life, and all is well. We go back to the Pediatric Orthopaedist tomorrow to see how Tater Tot's arm is doing. I think he has started to pull the cast off. I wonder what they will do about that. He is such a hand full! 

Of course, as I sit here I hear the weather forecaster talking about four hurricanes that are brewing in the Atlantic. We think there may landfall here on Friday. I am not looking forward to that, to say the least. Keep us in your prayers as we head towards the weekend.