Recent pictures

Sweet Mom

This month has been crowded with health issues! Mom went into her doc because of a pain in her back and ended up having bloodwork done since she had fasted thinking they'd take blood anyway. After determining it was a pulled muscle, they drew the blood for her physical. Some slightly elevated liver enzyme panels came back and she had an ultrasound done on her liver and stomach. They found some "lumps" on her liver. :( She also had a CT Scan done Friday from neck to pelvis and that CAME BACK CLEAR! woohoo! Next step is an ultrasound and liver biopsy next Friday. We're praying a ton for her and her attitude is incredible!! She's a gem!

The ongoing Drew's school saga

Little Drew is having a hard time staying in his chair and doing his class work -- basically following directions. He gets up and wanders around or crawls under the tables and we think he sees other kids doing it and getting away with it so he follows suit. Kenny is going to observe one day and see the dynamics of the class...is it the teachers with little control? too many kids misbehaving? Is the work too hard for him? Going another 6 months at this rate is going to be tough on all of us. They don't do timeout in the classroom and instead re-direct which doesn't cut it in my opinion. He gets things taken away from him when he gets home based on the teacher's report of the day. I'll update after Kenny does the observing.

Pop's journey

We recently found out that Bob has a form of lymphoma cancer and next week they'll find out where the cancer is and what the treatment will be. We've all been praying HARD for him to stay positive and faithful during this tough time. We might never know the reason for him being sick, but there is always an underlying purpose and something we can all learn something from. I will post an update after I get one next week.

WoW! Haven't posted in a looong time!

Phew! Seems like time has just flown by lately....let's rewind!
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at Bob and Cherie's newly remodeled home along with Betty, Dustin, Scott, Laura, Carah, Nathan, Caleb, Gary, Nancy, Jennifer and Lee! So nice to see everyone together like a family reunion on the Carter side!! Our T-day meal was catered with excellent food ....we truly have many blessings to be thankful for. :) Here are some highlights:

Alex bo Balix

Our sleeping nightmare!! He's getting up more frequently in the night and I called the pediatrician's office today for their perspective on sleeping at this age. They said he's too old to NOT be sleeping through and in fact he doesn't even need to eat in the early morning like he has been...he just wants his paci that falls out literally 10 times a night! I'm not getting solid sleep and neither is he. The nurse is sending us some info on how to sleep train appropriately so we'll look that over and start! It'll be a rough few nights but soon be on a normal schedule and we'll all be happy!

"Look at me in the eye and tell me you're sorry."

That's what Daddy asked Drew to do to him....he looked down and said "sorry" but that didn't cut it. So Drew puts his face right up to Kenny's and looks (literally) in his one eye and said "sorry." I was dying inside!!!

Liv's new words!!!!

These sprung out rather quickly -- all in the past two days!
* poo poo (giggle) ;)
* purple (I see a "p" theme starting!)
* green
* wolf
* lion
* okay
* "GO!" (when she wants Drew to get out of her space!)

GO LIVVY, GO LIVVY, GO LIVVY!! Christina and Lisa will be sooo proud of you!! I know we are! :)

Drew and the next-door neighbors

Drew was the first to point out that the neighbors next to us got a new minivan. They were sitting in it learning its features, etc. while we were getting into our car when I noticed he was stalling and wondered why. He's standing in the dirt with his hands behind his back staring at their van...I ask him to get in the car and he says, "What are they doing?" I told him they were learning the new buttons and going through the manual to figure things out with their new car like we did when ours was new. He says, "Well, I can do it!" That is no joke..this kid can tell them what each and every thing does on any new car...believe me! He don't need no stinkin' manual! :) He was practically drooling!

Our trip to Los Angeles

Went very well! The kids were excited, especially Drew, the morning of and I drove the whole way. It only took us 6 hrs with 2 stops!! Their home was lovely as always and G'ma and G'pa had a good time with the kiddos. Drew was interested in the toilets and doing all the light switches of course. I forgot the kids' costumes and my camera at home so we bought what was left the day of. Drew was Thomas the Tank Engine and Liv was a pink kitty. Alex wore his bear hat. I'll update with pics when I get them from Mom.

They loved trick-or-treating and we went to 10ish houses. They all slept pretty well and we had great food. We had a bbq on Sunday that included Lauren, Shelley, and Gary which was fun. Kenny went to his Dad's for 2 days and had a good time there as well.

The trip back went pretty smooth - only fussing Alex a half hour from home...thank God for the DVD player in the van!

Leaving for Los Angeles tomorrow!!

We're leaving in the morning to drive down south to visit my parents and Kenny will stop by his Dad's for a few days as well. Drew is VERY excited to see everyone and so are we....thank God for the DVD player in the van and let's hope Alex doesn't cry too much -- he doesn't like being in his carseat very long! I'll update our events from our trip with pictures when we get back!

Drew's school parade/party for Halloween

We all went to Drew's school yesterday morning for a parade around the school in costume and their class had a "treat" party. He seemed to have fun parading around in his dalmation costume and each kid got to pick a pumpkin from the grass field to bring home. He overindulged in the treats that day for sure! Later that night he said his tummy hurt. Livvy enjoyed watching all the kids as well while Alex was a cooperative and supportive little brother in his stroller. :)

Poor Livvy Lou!

Her GI doc recommended giving her a suppository since she hadn't gone since the "blowout weekend" so we did that 2 days ago. You're supposed to pop it in and wait 15 minutes or so for it to dissolve but she pushed it out within 5 minutes. I went to change her diaper and saw a turd sitting at the "gate" so I used a wipe and tried to grab that sucker!! All of a sudden, an almost foot long poopie came out!! Her bottom was so huge and she was screaming from the pain. I couldn't beleive it and yelled at Kenny to come in and see this! He was in shock (still is I think!)....It was about 1.5 inches across! HOLY POOP!

I hope she felt better - she doesn't say - and we're supposed to administer every 2 days if no poop to let her colon go back to its proper size.

Auntie Shelley, Gary, and Samson!

They drove up today and the plan was to stay with us this weekend. Samson is a puppy Boxer. Livvy was very scared of him and Samson wouldn't eat his dog food or drink water the entire day they were here! They decided to get a hotel room and hang out with us tomorrow during the day. As of earlier, he was eating and drinking...can we say social anxiety disorder?! ;) He's a super sweet dog and ADORABLE. He just doesn't know about our kids since he's never been around small people before. I'll take pics tomorrow and share his cuteness!

Update to Livvy's GI appt

I took little Livvy back yesterday because she's had nothing but small watery poopies since Saturday. She felt the area where the mass was prior and it's not there, but there is a small area closer to the colon that is blocked. She suggested a suppository (thankfully!) and said to switch her to Miralax powder (stool softener) that we already have here and see if those help. She shouldn't go more than 2 days without a poop.

Today, we didn't give her any softener or any meds and she went 3 times on her own! Nice consistency (ew) which is good. We'll need to do the Miralax to keep her colon in good "shape" though.

Just thought I'd update!

Our not-so-good sleeper

That would be Alex. WOW - first time that we've had a restless sleeper - no kid of ours! hee hee

This boy takes two 1-2 hr naps a day - normal I think. Bed by 8pm and he starts out on his side with his pacifier. Anywhere from 2-6 times he's crying, turning over, rolling back, until I put the pacifier back in. GRRRRR! He eats around 4am and goes back in his bassinet. He wakes up like clockwork at 6am when Kenny is gone for work and lays in our bed with me, sleeping until 7am or so. I hope he's going through a growth spurt or something fishy because this is ridiculous!

Liv's GI appt

Poor baby Livvy has had some loose stools for about a month consistently and tries to go poop 15 times a day. She had her stool tested for parasites and Ecoli and that came back clear. The ped referred us to a pediatric GI.

From the moment we walked in the exam room she freaked - crying and wanting to leave. I think she remembered from her 2 yr well-check up that she got a shot. :( We discussed her timeline with milk introduction around a year, her eating habits now, etc. The doctor did a quick abdominal exam while Livvy was crying on my lap and when the doc pushed on the large intestinal area she squirmed. She said she felt a ball or something. She did a quick rectal probe and felt a clay-like poop mass right above her colon. She estimated it to be about the size of a golf ball! The runny poop is water that goes around the lump and gives her chronic diaper rash.

Livvy recovered after she got dressed and was happy to get her sticker and girlie bracelet!

First thing is she'll need an enema (liquid in a bottle) that we'll give her starting tomorrow (Saturday morning) along with Milk of Magnesia to break up this mass. Once it's cleared out, she'll be an a prescription stool softener 3 times a day for a few months to allow her colon to repair itself since it's been stretched out for so long.

The "cleanout" should take a few hrs to a day - we're hoping! I bet she'll feel like a million bucks when that thing is gone. She wants her dairy cut down to one cup of soy milk and one cup of yogurt a day or PediaSure for extra calories and nutrients since she's a picky eater. So far she enjoys the samples we were given!

I'll update soon as to the results!

Comment from Drew's teacher

I picked him up the other day from school and I asked his teacher how he was doing in class, if he listens, cooperates, etc...she said he does well and they were studying the letter "U" that day and a picture of a little boy holding an umbrella in the rain was the subject. Teacher asked the kids what color the clouds should be overhead and some said pink, blue, purple, white and Drew piped in with "black, because the clouds are full of water...they are always dark when it's raining." WOW she was impressed!! Hey, that's our smart son!

Therapy update

Livvy's speech therapist, Joan (private therapy) informed us Livvy doesn't need her services at this time -- that she is doing very well cognitively, has good social skills, and has picked up a few new words or sounds since. That working with Early Start (Christina and Lisa) is sufficient for the time being and we can incorporate Joan if Liv needs a supplement. What fantastic news!! They estimate her to be able to keep up with her peers speech/language-wise within 2 yrs. GO LIV!

Alex's 4 month appt

Our little man had his 4 month appointment Friday. He showed how he could roll over and grasp an object - I tried to show Dr. Rose how he laughs and laughs, but he'd have nothing to do with it! Figures...

He had 4 shots and screamed bloody murder. :( Here are his stats:

Weight: 15 lbs, 8 oz (50%)
Height: 25 inches (55%)
Head: 16 cm (25%)

He dropped in % from the 90's and his little noggin makes him look bigger than he is!
She said he looks great and can start rice cereal right before he comes in for his 6 month check up. woohoo!

Drew and his imagination

He cracks us up! Never a dull moment around here...

He crossed one leg over the other that was straight and looks at me and says, "T"!
Later that day, he got the little kid shopping cart, filled it with his play cones, and lifted it up high in the air. We asked him what he was doing and he said, "It's a garbage can..." Then he empties the cones and lets the "can" down roughly like the garbage man does! HA HA his imagination is fantastic!!

ALEX ROLLED OVER!!

WOOHOO! Our big boy...he rolled from back to front 3 times!! He is truly the happiest baby ever! You talk to him and he laughs and giggles from his toes. He chomps on his hands and sucks randomly on his first finger and ADORES Drew. Anytime Drew is near Alex lights up! He'll be 4 months in a few days.

Drew's scooter

He got a scooter for his birthday from Auntie Shelley and has been practicing every day diligently to push with one foot and bring the other on the board and steer at the same time. He can go a few feet before losing it, but he's proud. He always wants us to watch him "go" and smiles big when we clap for him! I need to update with pictures soon.

The outdoorsman

Alex! He loooooves to be outside looking at trees and birds any chance he can get! If we ever went camping he'd be entertained by nature, that's for sure. He still hasn't rolled over, but gets to his side. His favorite position while awake is completely sitting up with no recline - can't miss anything! His hands are his prized posessions lately...he slobbers all over those things like they're candy! When just talking to him, he laughs and laughs - such a sweet and happy boy!

Livvy's new words!

I've been trying to keep track of her new words (or at least attempt since they're not very clear, but words nonetheless!) so here goes!
* pig
* cat
* meow
* frog
* help (used frantically over and over when she wants something Drew has!!)
* dance
* toes
* mouth
* eyes
* she also tries to use a sentence: "where is the ......" - "there's the ....."

And the finale tonight while looking in the mirror as we do nightly to get her to name body parts, when asked to say "Livvy" she said, "Wivvy"!!!!!! woohoooo our little girl said her name!! We were ecstatic and very proud of her.

13th Annual FSP Awards/BBQ

This past Saturday (16th) was the event held at the Oakland Colliseum! We all gathered on a patio at the Colliseum and had great catered food, held the awards ceremony and watched the A's play the White Sox. Kenny, Dustin, Drew, and I went with all of the brothers from Dick's Automotive. Kenny won Contractor's Choice award, got his 5-year FSP service award, and Dick's won the Contractor of the Year for the second time....woohoo!

Drew seemed to enjoy the baseball game and we stayed for 2 hrs of the game. Grammy watched Livvy and Alex at home and they were good, too! It was a fun time had by all. I'll update with pictures when I get them.

*sniff* Drew and strep throat

Poor Drewbie...last Sunday he complained of a headache and within a few hours he had a fever. He was down for the count the entire week with fevers ranging from 101-104.3 at the highest (and usually at night). Finally on Wednesday he said his throat hurt and I took him in and he had strep. He was given amoxicillan for 10 days and Motrin for the fever. Now he's doing pretty well...no fever just sore throat. He will be going to school tomorrow.

Alex...

Phew - time is flying by! He turned 3 months on August 31 ~ how can that be?? He really is cute! The way he giggles while throwing his little head back is infectious! He hasn't rolled over yet and LOVES chewing on his fists...teething? He enjoys laying on his playmat in the playroom looking around at the trees and listening to the birds. He can hold his head up with great control and prefers to be sitting upright and not reclined. He smiles wide and mighty whenever he sees Drew. :) awwww I'll be making his 4 month checkup appointment soon.

Liv's latest speech update

Since she sees 3 therapists almost weekly, I thought it would be good to keep track of them here.

Her latest was Friday...Lisa....she is GREAT! Such a wealth of information. She is fun and Livvy loves her. She still building trust (2nd meeting) then the "work" sets in. ;)

She gave her some feathers to teach her how to blow and since with feathers it doesn't take much effort to blow, it would be a successful tool. Livvy didn't want to blow the feathers so Lisa did and she laughed and laughed. We'll work on that here as well.

Lisa also described her diagnosis of apraxia/dyspraxia in greater detail. It seems Livvy only has a mild version of it (speech/language vs. entire body) which is great! The basic version is she hears the correct word spoken (DOG), wants to say it, but her mouth can't produce it since the signal from the brain to the mouth gets interrupted. Researchers don't know why or how yet. She explained it's better to just repeat a word you want her to say rather than ask her to say it. It puts a huge amount of pressure on her and since she knows she can't say it correctly, she gets very frustrated.

The other observation (which the Occupational Therapist witnessed as well) is she jumps up and down often, spins around in one direction sometimes, and crashes into the couch. These activities imply a sensory need; her brain is telling her body to do these things to gain sensory input that is necessary to concentrate on a given task. Lisa recommended 3-4 times a day to rough her up by jumping high and hard, spinning in BOTH directions to turn the brain "off" instead of getting dizzy by spinning in one direction, and squeezing her arms, trunk, and legs somewhat hard. She LOVES it! The more the better. It was interesting to see how after those are done for about 10 minutes or so, she is able to sit and do a puzzle or blocks without interruption.

This is all so facinating to Kenny and I - the more we know, the better. Lisa said her speech would be normal (didn't give a time frame yet) and worse-case scenario she might be asked where she's from because of a slight "accent" with certain words. She also mentioned that since this program we're in ends when she's 3 yrs old, the school district would pick her up and further her treatment while in school starting with her preschool years. We meet with the District in January for an eval.

She is babbling up a STORM and ending her "sentences" with a question mark at the appropriate times with a word she knows...example..."(babbling, babbling, babbling, toes?" Which means "where are your toes?" :)

She also just started a MyGym class once a week for 1 hr. She loved it - except sitting in the circle for a few minutes to sing a song and do introductions! It's still good for her to sit there even when she doesn't want to and the main point is socialization and physical activity since she's so active. So far so good! When the MyGym class ends (8 sessions) we'll enroll her in our local community center tumbling class.

"What's that thing?"

Ah, Drew...he's so funny!
I had asked him to go potty before nap and he was taking a long time so I went in to check on him. He was looking down and asked me what this thing was called and I said scrotum. Just then, Daddy walks in and Drew asks him, "Daddy...what's in my basket??" We were laughing so hard and even Drew knew that wasn't the right word and was laughing too! Such a cute mind!

OUCH!

We just got back from the grocery store....picture this.....
A car cart (AKA Mommy needs a special license and mirrors to go along side of it) with Drew and Liv in their seats "driving" and Mr. Alex in the bjorn (me carrying him) while pushing the cart that is overflowing with items! I was doing record snail speed ;)

So we're loading up the car with groceries and kiddos and I asked Drew to throw something away in the nearby garbage can and as he's approaching it he trips and skins his knees pretty badly on the can that was rocked. Poor Sonny!

As we're driving home he says, "I have to tell Blankie (his fave blanket) that I hurt my knees." I said okay you can. He asked when it would get better and I was explaining that new skin would grow in a matter of days. He says, "I have to tell Blankie that the new skin will grow over my knees like a piece of paper (demonstrating with his hands the new skin) and that my knees are broken." And then more tears fell. He's so sweeeeeeet!

Drew's new year at school!

Drew will be starting Wednesday, Sept. 6th at the same school he went to last year - Cathedral of Faith's My School - in pre-k! We went on Friday to sign papers and caught up with his teachers last year, Miss Rose and Miss Terri who hugged him and loathed on how much they missed him over the summer! He was teary-eyed and touched they remembered him. It was sweet.

His new teachers are Miss Juana and Miss Lan who we also were able to meet in his new classroom. They seem very nice and organized, gave him a hug, and went over the basics of his curriculum. He will be going Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9am-noon and since most kids in his class go M-F, he'll have "homework" to make up for those 2 days he is gone. I told them I was prepared for that and to make sure we're all on the same page so he'll succeed.
They do a lot of academics in this class to prepare for Kindergarten so a lot of how to hold a pencil, writing his name, and learning phonics is the majority of the work.
He got to sit in his assigned chair, knows where to put his jacket and pick up papers from his cubby. He seems excited to go - we'll see on that first day! :)

Livvy Lou

She had her first speech lesson with Lisa (Early Start program with CA) and she took to her really well. They got to know each other and we went over our concerns and goals. Lisa seems very knowledgeable and energetic. We will see her on a weekly basis. She recommended making a PECS board (basically any form of background like a manilla folder and taking pictures of things she likes to do/eat.) For example, her cup, an apple, playdoh, backyard, etc would be laminated and stuck with velcro to the background. When she wants/needs something, she will go to the board and take it off and hand it to one of us. If our answer is no because we're eating dinner and she can to playdoh after dinner, then it would go to the side reminding her that it will still be honored but at the right time.

This is just a communication tool for now - not a way to teach her how to say it right....at this time at least. It will minimize the frustration levels dramatically which we're all for! This weekend I'll be taking pics of her favorite things.

Things that go....

This one is strictly dedicated to my Drewbie!

My dear son,

You fascinate me how you are so curious about how everything works. Your favorite word/phrase is "why" and "why not" - gotta love it! Although Mommy and Daddy try our best to answer your questions, sometimes not knowing the answer and just "because" will have to suffice at times. Your favorites are ceiling fans, windmills, car washes, floor fans (hot item at the shop), gears, windows on a car, etc... we walk into Toys R Us and you're not the typical kiddo pulling on my leg begging for the latest toy - you are counting the ceiling fans, announcing that they are dirty and how many light bulbs need to be changed!! giggle SO CUTE.

We look up most things on the internet so you can see them "live" spinning around and around. You put your ear up to the van door when it's closing so you can hear the mechanism locking and you repeat that sound so well. At Nob Hill, you run over to the freezer doors and watch how it closes and listen to it seal.

You are very mechanical - you'll be a real influence and can be anything you want to be when you're bigger....no doubt about it, my special boy!

Love, Mommy

~ August 2006 ~

August is a busy month for us! Kenny is working 7 days a week now (covering for Ken's shift) and his last Saturday is Labor Day weekend. We'll all be relieved when he is just doing 6 days a week and able to hang out with our family more often.

The 26th was our Fairfield Family Picnic held annually in Stockton this year. Since Kenny was working that Saturday, my parents were so kind to drive up and take the kids and I with them. The kids were great in the car and had a b-l-a-s-t there! Uncle Neal and Aunt Joanna took Drew and Ray on paddle boats on the lake there for a few hours and Ray and Drew played frisbee. Livvy walked around greeting everyone and sneaking a seat at the picnic tables where the food was - just like Mommy! ;)

On the ride home, Drew was crying because he had a headache so we told him to drink more water since we thought he was dehydrated. Then his legs were cramping up and it was official...he was exhausted! We stopped at Chili's to pick up food and Drew threw up in the car with G'ma by his side. He instantly fell asleep with G'ma and felt better by the time we got home. Poor guy had his first heat stroke!

Alex was a gem - he is such a good baby! He doesn't like his car seat since it's not upright enough so we had a few crying spells but for the most part he did great.

Livvy is still doing 2 speech sessions along with Christina, her "teacher", every week. We will enroll her in some sort of toddler gym class once a week for social reasons and to get her fill of physical activity as well which she loves.

Drew starts school Sept. 5 (pre-K) at Cathedral of Faith's My School which he's anxious to start. He'll go 3 days a week and they are 1/2 days. He will have homework on Tues/Thurs. to keep up with the other students' work that go 5 days/wk.

That's all for now - I'll update again soon!