The Professional Trouble-Maker

Night Out

Last night April and I went out, and it was SOOO much fun. We just went to get a sandwich and window shop at Lowe's. It was the first time in 3 weeks I have been without any kids, unless you count when I go to the bathroom - which I don't, because they may not be in the room with me, but they're still standing outside the door yelling for me. I ADORE my kids, but the feeling of freedom for that couple of hours was indescribable!

Karli has perfected her art of mischief making since I've been gone. She opens doors, the refrigerator, backpacks, and just really gets into things with a new finesse.
Her new favorite word is, "Why." I don't think she understands what it means, but whenever we tell her something, or get upset at her, she responds with, "Why."
Me - "Karli, you don't hit Mommy."
Karli - "Why."
Me - "Because it hurts."
Karli - "Why."

or...

Me, sounding exasperated - "Kaaa-aaarli!"
Karli - "Why."

Kameron's Birthday

Kam's birthday was today. We didn't do anything special, or a party or anything. I was a little sick and Todd came home really late.

He was really cute, though. He wanted his Spongebob cake for breakfast, and was greatly disappointed when I told him he had to wait until Daddy got off of work. I finally let him open one of his presents this morning, but he had to wait for the rest.

Aaron was pretty excited about Kameron's birthday. I had to remind him many times that it was Kameron's birthday, and that it would be his in a couple of weeks.

Kameron got a paper-maker for his birthday, so we spent the evening before bed making a huge mess in the kitchen, making paper. It was fun!

Kameron's Birthday Cake

Tomorrow is Kameron's birthday, but we will probably have cake and ice cream today. His cake looks so cool! It's an ice cream - cake, chocolate with vanilla chocolate crackel in the middle and strawberry icing - he picked the flavors. It's the first time I made the frosting by myself and decorated this cool of a cake, so I am pretty proud of it. (nothing compared to store-bought, but it gets bonus points for being homemade and filled with ice cream, lol!)

Kameron and I at the zoo - it was cold and raining.

Kameron and I went to the zoo because we had four hours before we had to be back at the hospital and the zoo was right by the hotel. It was so cold and raining that we went back to the hospital before the 4 hours were up.

Yay! We're home!!!! I swear, when we go back, we are flying nonstop! I am so done with airports! We left 10:00 EST, so that would be 7:00 am our time, and didn't get home until after 9:00 pm our time! I have never been happier to be home!

Todd, Karli and Aaron were glad to see me. Aaron didn't want to go to school today, and Karli cries every time I leave her sight. I'm glad they still love me. I was afraid they would be mad at me for leaving them so long, but Todd took good care of them, and they were happy to see me.

As for everything else, I am completely overwhelmed, but I know, or at least I pray, that we will settle into our new routines and tasks and it will become our normal. Until then, I am just going to do the best I can, take care of the most important things first, and learn to forget about and not feel guilty about the things I can't get to right away and aren't on the top of my priority list. I will get to it in time, as the more important things start falling into place. (translation: my house will probably be a mess for the next week or so)

I think it will help to get a calendar for our appointments we have coming up, and I am going to write them down, and then forget about them until that day comes. That will help me to take one day at a time. I think that will work the best.

BOY WHAT A TRIP!

Here's a picture of our totally AWESOME hotel room!!!

Holy cow, I didn't know so many little things (thank goodness most of them were pretty little) could go so wrong during a trip. Todd was dealing with two kids with pink eye, one with double ear infections and the stomache flu. I was working with (among other things) a failed laxative trial, broken cell phone, dent in the rental car while it was in the parking lot, adjusting to a different time zone, and am now learning how to catheterize my son. On the upside, figuring out the enema recipe for Kameron was a breeze and our hotel rocked - with an indoor pool and the best staff of any hotel I have ever been in! We also got into the museums and the zoo for free. We have been working getting the right enema for 6 months, and Dr. Pena got it in one shot!

We do have to come back every 6 months for testing, though. That part sucks. Luckily, the next time, we will only have to be gone for a few days, as opposed to two weeks.

Nervous for appointment with Dr. Pena

Kameron had his pelvic MRI yesterday. It went really well and he fell asleep easily. We get the results when we talk to Dr. Pena today.
I am so nervous for that appointment. They gave us information on how to email x-rays, and said that some of their patients don't get 100% figured out in the week we are here and that they need to go home and continue getting x-rays. I am so afraid that they will not figure Kameron out, like last time, send us home to do x-rays once/week, like last time, and then months later, (it was 4-5months last time) they finally figuring it out or realizing it's not working and then not know what to do so they just drop us (like the last time).
This thought terrified me, and I will definetly be asking them to clarify how often patients go home without having their bowel management completely figured out, and if we could stay to get it figured out if that happens.
They also told me that kids with good prognosis shouldn't need this program, so I ask, WHY ARE WE HERE? What about him is making this not work for us????? I just pray that everything will go well. Our appointment to see Dr. Pena and ask him all of these questions is in another couple of hours, so we will see.

Allergies??!!

Aaron's school called me today to pick him up because he was running 101 fever, with a sore throat, and a tummy ache. When I picked him up, I noticed he was having a hard time breathing. So my first thought was, strep throat, or brochitis. I took him to the doctor, and was shocked to learn that it's allergies! Yay! Nothing contageous! I do have to do breathing treatments, though, because his breathing is pretty wheezy. Since he has had the breathing treatments, he's been way better - a night and day difference!

Yay!!! A Friend!!!

Okay, so I finally did it. I was nervous, but I really need some friends, so I sent an invite via our ward's yahoo group to meet at the park while the guys were at priesthood meeting. Only one person responded, someone who I talk to pretty often and am pretty comfortable with, so I was kind of relieved, which I hate to admit. I have so little practice at being a host and am so nervous and shy and socially backwards sometimes.
Anyways, since it was only one person, what was going to be a potluck at the park turned into a potluck at my house with scrapbooking - way fun!!!!
It went really well! Yay, I think I have a friend. I love to talk, and she loves to talk. We talked, I think, more than we scrapbooked, which is more than fine with me! And we have a lot in common.
I am probably so retarded and sound so pathetic, but I am sooo glad to have a friend since Susie moved!!