Tooth Month

I hate that my blog has become something I don't update nearly as often as I probably should. This month has just FLOWN by. I blame it on all the orthodontist and dental visits.

Cameron has been seeing the orthodontist for a few years now. A few years ago, they told me that he would most definitely need braces (he literally has a tooth on the roof of his mouth and his canines are so far UP or DOWN on his gums it's ridiculous...) They quoted me a price and we let it go. I wanted to pay for the braces all at once, because there was a 10% discount. Who wouldn't love to save nearly $500?

Anyway, we put it off a few years, and at his last appointment, the orthodontist told us that he would be ready to go at his next appointment, and we should set up our payments.

Thank heaven for tax refunds....but boo that over half of the refund went to pay for braces.

Anyway, Cam had been playing with his space-maintainer. He'd flicked it with his tongue so much that it was standing up instead of laying down. I called the orthodontist and we went in the next day. After the orthodontist checked him out, he called me back. He said, "He's good to go on the braces, and doesn't even need this space maintainer." Then he pulled out the little bar and we were off on the braces train. I paid for the braces. Biggest, ugliest check I've ever written. Then we set up the appointments. I figured his teeth would need to be cleaned, so we set up a dental appointment. He had a cavity and instead of fighting him in the office, they set him up for a dental surgery. We've done the dental surgery MANY times in the past, but we went to a new facility. They wanted a doctor's approval before surgery, and the surgery was kind of quick notice, so we saw the dentist, went to the doctor, and then did the dental surgery all in 2 days' time. He did well, and was good to go.

Today we got his x-rays, molds and spacers placed. Next Monday he'll be getting the braces. He's excited....he doesn't know WHAT he's in for.

On top of Cam's dental problems, Jake's had issues. One morning while giving him a bath, I noticed that one of his caps was missing from his front teeth. (Quick note, when Jake was 18 months, he had dental surgery to cover his severely thin and rotten front teeth. They grew in rotted, it was quite sad.) I called the dentist, and they had him come in the next day. Jake was VERY brave. He went back to the seat all by himself, and sat still while they cleaned his teeth. I was in the waiting room worrying whether he was okay. After he was done with the cleaning, they brought me back. He had MANY cavities and they asked how he'd do with in-office visits to fix them. I worried that he'd get frustrated with it, and asked about getting him set up for dental surgery. The dentist agreed, and we set it up, but not for MANY weeks. Funny enough, Jake's dental dilemma was WAY before Cam's, but Jake is STILL waiting to go in for surgery.

This week, Jake will get his surgery, and then I'll only have the braces to worry about.

Welcome to tooth month in my home.

Settling In

We've been in the new house for 6 days (I'm including Friday....because I can.) and we're STILL in pretty much the same position we were when the boxes were dropped off here. I've only arranged the family room and the boys' bedrooms. We're still looking for things that have been packed, but we're surviving.

Over the weekend we found out that we didn't have any hot water. Our hot water heater was not working. After 3 different men looking at it, and one professional plumber, we figured out that it wasn't getting any power to it. Someone had moved the fuse box to the wrong spot. All is well now.

The boys have been enjoying sleeping in their own rooms, I'm enjoying the non-late-night-brawls.

I'm sitting in the family room watching the little puffs of snow fall into my back yard....BACK YARD. I have one now!! It's really nice.

Unfortunately, since we've moved, both boys have gotten QUITE mouthy and disobedient. I'm beyond frustrated with their attitudes and think that I might just cancel Christmas all together.

We'll get there, right?

But for now, my number one priority has been cleaning up the old place. I know that our landlord is planning on taking out the carpeting and the icky floors, repainting, and generally fixing up the place, but I don't want to leave a huge mess for him. He's done so much for us over the years that I don't want to do that to him. Today I have to clean the kitchen floor, sweep the garage/basement, and then take all the left over stuff to DI. It's overwhelming, but I CAN do it. I have to....we're supposed to be turning in our keys today.

Holiday Haze

Driving around town at night, I've noticed the brilliant light displays that many have put up already. Not only have I noticed them, but so have my boys. Jake will say, "Mom! They're all ready for Christmas." When he says this I notice that it's with a bit of jealousness.

Normally, any other year, our family tradition is that we put up our tree on Thanksgiving evening or the day after. This year, not so.....Why would I want to put up a tree only to take it all back down to move to a different house?

So our house is totally untrimmed....and a bit chaotic with the boxes filling up and things being moved around.

I'm not a Scrooge, I promise....I'm just moving.

Still Plugging Along

Yup, we're still here. We're in the midst of all of the house-buying things. Last week we had our inspection, which turned out not so bad. We do have an older house, so there are many little things that need fixed, but we can still live with a lot of things.

I'm also going through things in the current house and purging and donating things that we don't wear, use or need anymore. THIS is what's sucking....both my time and just in general.

I know that once we move, things will be SO much better....especially if I can get rid of the extra things now, but right now I'm in the middle of it, and it just stinks.

I Think I Forgot To Mention....

...that after a few months in the Primary Presidency....I got released.

I knew it was coming, the current president had been in for 3 years, but I was SO sad to lose such a fun, wonderful, fulfilling calling.

Because the bishopric member knew about the house hunt, he hesitated to extend me a new calling, so as of right now, I'm without a calling. I haven't had THAT privilege since we first moved into this ward....EIGHT years ago.

I am, however, keeping busy. There's a class that has no teacher and while they find one, I'm the "permanent" substitute. I don't mind it at all...I'm just glad to still be in Primary.

And to address the 8 year comment, yes, it's absolutely true. We moved into this apartment when Cam was 3 years old and one month. He'd just started preschool, and I had to wait to put him into the new school district for over a month.

This means that I have EIGHT years of accumulation to go through and purge and pare down. This will NOT be an easy job. BUT I am hopeful that a lot of the boxes I've neglected over the years are easily de-junked and tossed. I can do this....I can do this....I can do this....

House Hunt

We've been looking for a house for MONTHS now. The first day we looked, Steve found the house that he loved. I thought it was nice, but it just didn't FEEL right to me. Then the next week I found a house that I loved, but Steve didn't like.

Then we'd been on the fence for a while. Steve told me that he felt like either house that we picked (of the two we both liked) would be fine. I thought we should still look, and we agreed to not decide anything yet.

Then last week we went looking again. We saw a BUNCH of houses....and none were really speaking to us. Then we visited a house that we BOTH were in awe of. We both really liked it, and both felt really good about it.

That night we put in an offer on that house....and found out there was already another offer.

Today we learned that they went with the other offer.

When I heard that, I was relieved. That night that we signed the papers for the offer, I had a bad feeling and dreamed about my first dream house...the one that I love, but Steve was having a hard time seeing us living in. ALL night I dreamed that we lived there, that we were happy there, that we were content.

I ignored those dreams, and bad feelings, because I didn't want to tell Steve that we'd made a mistake.

I actually prayed that we would be approved for the house that was MEANT to be ours, and if the house we'd put an offer on was wrong that we'd be denied.

I guess I got my answer, didn't I?

I really and truly feel like we need to put in an offer on that other house. I feel at home every time I think about it, drive past it, look at pictures of it....

Now I just have to convince Steve of that....

Sharing Time Update

I think Sharing time went well. The message was "reading, watching, and listening to wholesome things helps keep my mind clear." The manual had only 2 paragraphs to fill the 15-20 minutes I have to teach this concept. Seriously, it wasn't enough.

I found some great ideas from this blog and used the Sunday Savers book. I had two glasses of water, one with mud and gunk in it, the other clear. I asked if they wanted to drink from the muddy cup, and one boy in senior primary ALMOST did...gross. Then we talked about how we want our minds to be clean and clear. Then we had several scenarios where you either had a good thought or a bad thought. We separated the thoughts into happy and sad bags. For the kids to pick out of the bag, they had to wear my goofy glasses. I found some giant sunglasses at the dollar store, popped out the lenses (you couldn't see through them anyway...) then I taped ears onto the side. I even had a hat that I taped a "clear mind" to. The kids absolutely LOVED it!! They didn't want to stop playing when time was up.

Anyway, I think it went well. I already love those kids, and now I just have to teach them. I think I'm going to be okay.

(Oh, and Kim, I'm not so sure teaching would have worked out for me....I don't have much patience past an hour or so of time. ;)

Healing

I'm still healing from my wound. People are very concerned, and it's touching.

I haven't had to take pain pills during the day for QUITE a while (yay!) but I do take them when I go to bed, because I almost always inadvertently pull on it and hurt myself.

I'm healing in more than just the physical way though. I'm working on healing my toxic behaviors. I re-read the book, "How to Hug a Porcupine: How to Love Hard to Love Personalities." I LOVE this book, but it always reminds me of my own toxic behaviors. I want to work on loving my boys and husband just a little more and not criticizing them so much.

Unfortunately for both of my wounds, I'm a slow healer....this will be a long process.

A Visit to the Surgeon

I got the call this morning that I was to see the surgeon at 2:15 this afternoon. No problem....wait, a small problem....I am on strong pain meds, I'm NOT supposed to drive.....

I ended up staying off the meds, so I could drive myself, since I didn't have help today.

After dropping the boys off with my mom, I went to the office. I sat in the waiting room and filled out 5 pages of medical history. Then I sat and read through a full issue of People. I even read many stories all the way through.

An hour after I arrived (45 minutes past my initial appointment time) I was taken back and my vitals were taken. Then I was shown to a large examination room. I sat in there and waited by myself and WITHOUT reading materials for another 15-20 minutes.

The surgeon finally came in and asked me about what had been going on. I gave him a condensed version, and then he asked me to change into their paper shirt to be checked.

I waited another 3 minutes before he came back.

When he returned he was on his cell phone with another doctor discussing a man's treatment. He was talking about chemo and surgery and removing his colon.....all the while he was pulling out a long strip of packing that was inside of me, and causing me to call out in pain. (What I really wanted to do was scream loudly and interrupt his phone call....am I NOT important??)

Then he finished his call and told me that he wants the wound to heal and then he'll come up with a plan of action. See how much of the tissue is affected and where to go once we know more. He recommended that I not wear a bra for the next 2 weeks while it heals....um, no...thank you.

Then he bandaged me up (hello, I'm allergic to tapes and adhesives....oh, well, I'll just take it off as soon as I can....) and told me he'd see me in 2 weeks.

Yup, that's it. I spent a good chunk of my afternoon waiting for this man to tell me to hurry up and wait. *eye roll* Thanks for your PROFESSIONAL opinion.

I Saw a Doctor (Well, a Nurse, REALLY) Today

I was in excruciating pain today. I couldn't even lift up my arm to help out...it was bad. And last night the wound started oozing.....

I called my doctor's office multiple times and got NO answer. I had enough, so I went to a Redi-care (ER alternative, supposedly faster and better...) They were super busy, so I sat in the waiting room and slept for a half hour while I waited.

When the nurse called me back, I explained everything that has been going on. I mentioned that it began oozing last night. She told me that they'd have a doctor (who turned out to be an RN) come and look at it.

He was very nice. He apologized over and over for hurting me (I did cry.....and I always thought I was a tough gal...) I warned him that it was already oozing (when I'd changed into their gown I noticed LOTS of pus and crud....it was SO gross!) He was okay with it. He covered his face with a mask and his glasses (in case it REALLY decided to explode) and lanced it for me. The worst part was when he was packing gauze into the wound when it was all over, THAT really made me cry.

Then they put me on an antibiotic IV that I have to return to get for the rest of the weekend. I also have to get the packing changed out.

He gave me two prescriptions and I was done.

Thankfully, my parents had kept my boys with them the whole time. That was wonderful.

But things are starting to get fuzzy....I've taken my pain pill....so I'll leave it at that. More treatment is necessary, but I'm okay for now! :)

New Update on Me

Remember a while back when I mentioned my lump on my breast? Well, it's gotten bigger, purple and WAY more painful. (Not that it was painful before, but now it hurts like a dirty-bugger!)

I keep trying to remind myself that it's nothing bad. No "C" word, but it does hurt. At first it was a mild annoyance. I would rub my arm against it and it hurt a bit. Now I can't even bend over.

It has grown to fill the bottom quarter of my boob and is an ugly purple. It hurt whenever it pulled against my skin, so I've taken to putting clothing between it and my chest.

I can't believe how much something so small can overwhelm my life.

I am in pain, but believe that if I leave it alone that it will eventually go away.

I'm highly tempted to just lop the darn thing off all together, but then I would look WAY funny.

Final Lumpy Update: All is Well

Yes, I'm completely FINE!!

I went in for the ultrasound this morning, and almost had to have a mammogram, but since you can SEE the lump on the skin, they opted to wait until after the ultrasound if it was necessary.

They checked it, then went to consult with the doctor. I laid on the bed all by myself for 10 minutes. My mind kept thinking, "Maybe they've FOUND something. Maybe I was a little too confident in my in-grown hair scar theory.....I'm totally gonna lose my boob!"

Thankfully, the doctor came in, checked for himself, and decided that it's probably a lymph node. It's about an inch deep and comma shaped. If it gets any bigger or causes pain, I'm to go in, but for now: CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH!

Breathing never felt SO good!

Lumpy Update

I saw a physician's assistant today. She was VERY nice and wonderful about everything. She did an exam and found my little lump, after she examined it a bit, she decided that it looked and felt like it was an ingrown hair that had scared up. She said to be sure it was what she thought, she'd order an ultrasound, since I'm not experiencing any pain with it, and the other option is to cut into it.

The hospital will be calling me soon to set up an appointment for the ultrasound, and until that ultrasound clears me, I will still be hesitant to breathe freely, but my mind is at ease.

Thank you so much for your love and prayers, they were felt.

Update on Us, Since I Don't Do much of That Anymore

Steve:

He just finished the local production of Willy Wonka. He wasn't any particular part, but he was in the background and helped with the scenery and props. He got to pull Augustus Gloop through the pipe. We took the boys to see the play and both boys were excited to see Daddy. Cam even got to see it twice, once with us and once with his school class. Steve loved it, and I think it made him happier. I don't want him to NOT be happy, so I have decided to not fight him on his plays.

He's still working hard for our family. I love him so much.

Cameron:

He's in the DACC class at a new school. Most of his old friends are back, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. His one friend is not always nice, and I worry that he might follow her example. Thankfully, he's still a sweet boy who is always concerned about others.

He's doing fairly well on his Ritalin and since we started giving him a small dose at bedtime, he hasn't had the screaming/fearful problems that he's had in the past.

He's still doing speech therapy and occupational therapy, and seems to be doing well at both.

His new love is Skyping with a friend on a weekly basis. We have missed a few times, but when we do get the opportunity he just laughs and laughs. (Mostly the conversations between the two 10 year old boys consists of farting noises and covering the camera. Such goobers!)

Jacob:

This little boy is VERY busy. His favorite thing to do is push buttons. He tries to push the buttons on the computer, microwave, tv...anything that has buttons and is at his height.

Jake also LOVES playing outside. Lately we've had a few blizzards blow through, and that hasn't stopped his love of being outdoors. Grandma has outfitted both boys with snow pants, waterproof gloves, hats and boots. They love to help shovel the sidewalks, although, Jake puts more ON the sidewalk than was there to begin with. We even got him his own shovel, one that is JUST his size.

Jake is also a little talker. He repeats almost anything he hears, which has led us many times to the bad word discussion. (Not just from hearing those words from the tv...*blush*) He LOVES to say prayers and if given the opportunity will bless "gamma" over and over. Needless to say, Grandma LOVES his prayers.

Jake has also been having some coughing/breathing issues. I've taken him to the doctor's office TWICE to see if there's anything we can do. After discussing it with the doctor, he thinks that Jake might have asthma. It seems to make sense, but we're taking a wait-and-see approach right now. I can control his cough for the most part, except when he's sleeping. Then he coughs so hard he can't breathe or sleep. It's been a rough few weeks, but I think we're coming out of it.

One more fun update on Jake: He's now sleeping in his big-boy bed! I let him try it out one night, and he's LOVED it. We only have problems with him sleeping there when Big Brother Cameron gets grumpy with him and yells and cries. Jake's learned that sleeping on the big-boy bed allows him the opportunity to come to mom and dad's bed in the middle of the night. I always wake up when he comes in, but I'm so tired and lazy that I just bring him into our bed to sleep. Steve wakes up and wonders how Jake got there.

Me:

I've been crafty. I've learned a basic stitch in crocheting. I never knew that I would love to crochet like I am, but I do and I've made 4 scarfs in 3 weeks. I want to learn more and more. It's almost a sickness, but a good one.

I've been working on a new parenting program with the boys. It's supposed to be a seven week program, but I hurried through it (because it was a "free program" where you pay them, and once you send back the completed survey you get your money back....I needed my money back, so I hurried) and learned a LOT. The program is the Total Transformation and I'm here to tell you that it WORKS!

One night, the boys were fighting, and my usual response is to yell up the stairs for them to be quiet and go to sleep. This night I was actually listening to one of the lessons and I decided to put it into effect. I called Cameron down to me, since he seemed to be the most distressed, and I asked him what was going on. He then complained that Jake was hitting the metal bars on the bed and keeping him awake. So I asked him what he could do about it. I reminded him that Jake might not stop, what could he do the next time Jake beats on the bars. He said, "Ignore him." I said that his idea was great and to try it. Then I talked to Jake. I told him that it wasn't acceptable to bother his brother. I sent them off to bed. I heard more noise, so I got up and went upstairs. I turned on the light, and told Cameron, "Remember, you were going to ignore him." Then to Jake, "Hitting the bed is not acceptable. Stop it now." Then I turned and walked downstairs. No fighting, no negotiating....nothing. There wasn't another PEEP out of that bedroom for the rest of the night.

I was in shock. Are you telling me that this technique WORKED!? On MY boys!? Oh, my goodness, I must do more.

It's fantastic. It teaches parents how to help their children take accountability for their actions and how to solve their own problems. Seriously, it works and I LOVE it.

Our family is doing well. Steve and I have gotten our Christmas shopping done (for the most part, a few small-ish things left, but really, we've got the boys covered and our other big ones as well!) The boys are excited for Christmas, and I'm debating about putting up the tree right now. I know I will HAVE to put it up eventually, but I'm not in the same hurry I used to be in years past. I've learned that our house needs a successful Christmas by not having presents under the tree until Christmas Eve. So I haven't wrapped the presents or put up the tree. Lack of motivation is to blame, I think.

So there's our family update. It's been a busy last month, and we're excited for December and all the fun things to come.

Personal?? We'll See...

I know I haven't been keeping a very personal blog lately, but I have loved the things I've been sharing. :)

Let's see, how about a quick update on everyone....yeah, that sounds good.

Steve: He has a choir concert this weekend. He's been singing with this choir because it was my way of giving-in to his performance needs. He's now talking about trying out for a play this fall, and I'm not so happy about it. I quite enjoy having him around and the boys love it too. When he does plays he has practice 5 nights a week and it feels like we NEVER see him. We'll see how I feel later on.

Me: I've been feeling extremely run-down and tired lately. I find that if I sit in ONE spot for more than 10 minutes, I fall asleep. The funny thing is, it's just one spot in the whole house, I sit somewhere else and I'm fine. I think I have a narcoleptic seat.

I've also chopped my hair off. I was feeling extremely emotional last week, and I was READY for a haircut. That should have been my clue. It's QUITE short, I haven't had it this short in a long time, but I'm slowly getting used to it. On a day when I get all cutsied up, I will try to take a picture.

I've been having all sorts of wonderful mini-Spiritual moments lately. I've found that when I'm upset or frustrated that listening to a CD that Steve got me for my birthday lifts my spirits. I have a new favorite song right now, it's SO wonderful, it's called Live Like You Believe. I feel like it speaks directly to me and ALWAYS lifts up my soul! Here's a link to the song, don't blame me if you cry...

Cameron: We had his annual IEP meeting and I did NOT cry. His teacher kept telling me how he enjoys Cameron and the boy he is. It was a proud mommy moment.

He's also doing very well playing basketball. We haven't got him signed up with any teams or anything (although I KNOW he would love that). He plays outside at my mom's house quite a bit and can make a basket in a 10 foot high hoop! He is getting better and better! He's also starting to out-grow his poor little first bike. Today he pulled out all ads that had bikes in them, I think he's hinting!

He has also started to behave VERY well. He's doing it because he wants me to shave his head again. The boy wants another mohawk. I told him that the only requirement would be good behavior. Maybe tomorrow I'll give him the mohawk.

Jake: This little boy is certainly going to keep me busy. He is talking a LOT. Tonight, we had breakfast for dinner, and we were *trying* to encourage him to eat. I said, "Jake, eat your breakfast!" He then asked, "Where's breakfast!?" Silly boy!

He also LOVES to be outside, he just lives for it. He will ride in his little truck and play basketball with his big brother. He dribbles the ball QUITE well for someone SO little.

Yesterday when we were at my mom's house, he got ahold of the water hose. He LOVED playing in the water. He watered EVERYTHING within an inch of it's life. If you were outside and within water distance, it was likely he'd gotten you wet. After an hour or so, he came inside, sopping wet. He had ONE dry spot in the middle of his back, but the rest of him was wet. I changed his clothes, and tried to warm him up, but he did NOT want to sit still. So I set him free. At my mom's house there is a water dispenser on the fridge. The kid found that and soaked his newly dried body!! I was livid, but laughing at the same time. Everyone else who was there had to leave the room so they could laugh.

This kid is our entertainment, and we're SO glad we have him.

Life continues to move at a rapid pace, and we're trying to keep up. I have had spring fever SO badly lately, and with the weather the way it's been I've even wanted to go camping. I'm so glad that season is coming soon!

Cheek Update....Sorta

I called Cam's geneticist (the doctor that diagnosed him with NF1, and the one we see every year) and he gave me a little bit of good news.

First bit of good news: Cameron does NOT have to have an MRI on his next visit to the doctor. YAY!! No sedation, no intense anxiety, NO waiting forever for him to come around. The doctor said that after checking his past 2 MRIs and nothing has changed. So since there's been no change and Cameron hasn't complained of pain in his belly, that there's probably nothing to worry about.

Second bit of good news: IF he does have a tumor on his cheek (don't know for SURE, but I'm pretty sure....) then he should be fine as long as it doesn't cause him pain. He said I shouldn't worry about it.

*Phew*

Thanks so much for your concern and prayers!

My Motivation Seems To Have Left

Any motivation I may have had for cleaning my house....gone.

For doing outside activities.....gone.

For blogging.....gone.

I apologize, but I think the heat of summer has zapped my energy. I am constantly tired, falling asleep while sitting up. I'm too hot to do much of anything besides seek out the cool air.

Quick updates:

Steve is still working hard. I rarely see him sometimes because he's helping cover other people's shifts, or he's working toward a full weekend off. He's such a good guy! :)

Cameron has gotten quite ornery. He has learned that he can sleep past 7:00 in the morning, and since he has to be to the Learning Center at 9:00, he is having a hard time getting there on time. (Even though it's JUST around the corner from here....) He's also just been a pill. He doesn't want to do much and I'm not forcing him if he doesn't want to. Bad mommy-skills, I guess.

Jake is walking EVERYWHERE and getting into EVERYTHING. His favorite things to play with are probably the most dangerous things he could get. He loves ropes or strings. He likes to wrap them around the back of his neck (so he looks like he's wearing a tie). I'm thinking we need to find the boy a backpack or some sort of necklace to keep him from strangling himself. He also likes to play with the long and hard. Bats, brooms, mops, long-ish toys.... Then he pushes them around. If he had his choice, the broom is his ABSOLUTE favorite. Who knows why? Maybe once we figure THIS mystery out, we'll learn where my motivation went.

Newest Bedtime Update

For the last 2 nights Cam has had a 5 mg ritalin before bed. I don't know for sure whether it's the ritalin or if it's because we've done different things, but the screaming fits aren't as bad. They're still there, but nowhere NEAR as frustrating has they had been.

Last night it was nice because he was SO exhausted from camping with daddy that he just passed out. Unfortunately it was at the top of the stairs, but he was NOT screaming for us. *YAY*

Tonight I decided to let him sleep in the living room until one of us went to bed. Steve went to sleep a few hours ago (he has early Monday mornings...) and Cam didn't complain, much.

I don't know if it's the meds or the different circumstances, but something is working. Don't know for sure if it's something I WANT, but maybe I'll just have to live with it for a while.

Updates

Jake is still cruising around furniture, walls, doors, whatever is sturdy and he can pull himself up to. He's standing by himself for a few seconds at a time, but is too chicken to stand for any longer on his own.

He's also fast. Did you ever see the Tom and Jerry cartoon with the baby? How fast that baby crawls?? That's Jake, only he's a lot bigger, and wears more clothes. He thinks its funny to get our attention and then turn and crawl away as fast as he can. I feel like I chase this little boy EVERYWHERE! I let him down for a minute at church yesterday and he got stomped on 3 times....by the same guy! *giggle* It was kinda funny, but the poor man felt bad. It really wasn't HIS fault, it was Jake getting under-foot.

Jake's also saying funny things that kind of sound like words. Yesterday Cameron and Steve were trying to fly a kite. The wind would pick it up and it would START to fly, and Jake just got SO excited. He waved his arms and kicked his legs...and made a noise that sounded like "GO! GO! GO!!!" Then the wind blew it toward us (sitting on the porch) and he made a noise that sounded like "CRAP!" My mom, who was holding him at the time, laughed SO hard.

He now has 9 teeth. His molar FINALLY popped out last week. He's been cutting those for several MONTHS. YAY! But he's still getting some more teeth, and is constantly drooling.

Jake is also NO longer using a binkie...at all. He has naptime anxiety, but for the most part doesn't miss the thing at all. YAY!

He's a fun boy, and I'm definitely getting my exercise chasing this little boy around.

Cameron is doing VERY well on his medications. We've got him on Ritalin LA (a long lasting kind that he only has to take in the morning...) and a regular Ritalin. He's still a little grumpy, but not anywhere NEAR as ornery as he was when we had him on Vyvanse. I hope that we've found his correct dosage, and that he will continue to blossom.

I went through his school papers today, and he did TWO spelling tests last week...he only misspelled ONE word!! A year ago, he could barely read 20 words, and now he's spelling words! I'm SO happy, and pleased that he's starting to "get it!"

Cameron is also carrying on full conversations with us now. Before he was on his meds he would say little phrases here and there, and usually they were pretty disjointed and made you wonder what he was trying to say. But now, he'll talk to me, and if he gets off topic, he can find a way BACK to the original topic. :)

Cameron is also eating SO much more. Before the meds he would pick at food, unless it was some of his favorites, and would only eat if he was FORCED to. I never thought anyone could be so ANTI-food. But he was. Now he will sit down to dinner, and eat a full meal (of course he DOES have days when he doesn't want to, but we all do...) and he's so proud of himself.

Yesterday we were playing with my younger brother's Nintendo DSI (the new version of a DS, with a camera attachment...) and there was a program where you could compare two faces to see if there was any resemblance. I got a picture with Cam, and it said there was NO way we were related. (I KNOW he's mine though, I DID carry the boy, miserably sick, for nine months.) We tried to see if Jake and I were related, but the camera couldn't pick up our faces. BUT it said that Steve and Cameron are definitely related. Guess what we've always suspected is true, Cam is ALL his daddy's boy!

Both boys love to make each other laugh, which is SO much fun for me to hear. But they also love to push the other's buttons. Jake knows that Cam doesn't like to share his trucks, but he thinks it's funny to pull them out, make sure Cam sees him playing and then crawl away with the toy as fast as he can...all the while Cameron is yelling or crying. Cam likes to throw blankets, washcloths or whatever over Jake's face until he cries. For the first few times Jake will laugh, but then it gets old, and Cam just won't stop.

I am so happy that my boys are doing well, and that for the most part, we're happy and healthy!

FFAF on Hold....and some other things

So the word is that the computer is half-way fixed!! YAY!! Seriously, I love both my home teacher and his wife (who is my visting teacher!) They're such great people!! :)

This week has been pretty uneventful....which is a good thing!! I did take a GNO with some computer friends and they threw me a surprise baby shower. It was SO much fun!! I got tons more cute outfits and someone has given me a gift certificate for birth announcements. I have seen some of her work, and honestly, she's AWESOME!! All in all it was a night full of fun laughs, good food (crappy service, but that's a whole 'nother rant....) and good times. I SO love my MOFs!!

Yesterday was Steve's 31st birthday and it was wonderful! He said he had a freak-out moment where he realized he's 31 and he'll have TWO kids as of next week. (I kind of laughed at him....it took him THIS long to realize all of that?!) I ended up getting him a "singing" card....it was Star Wars...TOTALLY him! Then I got him the 2 editions of Gordon B. Hinckley discourses, which he's been begging for forever!! I totally shocked him...I think! ;) Then we went out to dinner as a family and ate ice cream cake. This was the first birthday of his that we've actually had a birthday cake for the man in our whole marriage. (Usually we're off camping for Memorial Day, and it kinda gets pushed off to the side.) I think it was a good day....happy birthday, Sweetie!!

My parents left the country this week....they went on their annual fishing trip to Canada, and I'm severely missing them. Every ache or pain I worry that they won't be here for the birth of this baby, but so far, things are going well, and they'll be back 2 days before the scheduled C-section!

I've decided to put free-for-all-Friday on hold for a while. Seeing how I don't really have access to a computer (unless I'm not at home...) and the fact that I'm about to pop out a baby in a week....It will return, but not for a while! Sorry!

We've also put Cameron in the Learning Center 3 days a week. He's SO excited to be going there. I think the kid THRIVES on structure, and I'm not structured at all. Starting next week we've even lined up transportation for while I'm recovering from the C-section. He's so happy to be doing things, and I'm glad he's out of the house. (Does that make me a bad mommy!?)

And today is my final day babysitting until AFTER baby Jacob is here. The kid is hilarious, and I'm going to miss having him around for a while, but I am going to enjoy having just MY kids around!

Anyway, that's what's going on in my life. I swear, I will post pictures when I get my computer back....PROMISE! :)