So, I thought I should share what has been going on in my mommy brain. This summer has been such a huge trial and tribulation for me! With one very sick toddler, and another one that decided she wanted to test the boundaries of my authority once again, I have about lost my mind. When "school" let out, and I cut way back on my hours at work to be at home with them, I thought yipee! we are going to have a blast! But then... the days were getting longer and longer....and more and more tears were being shed-from all 3 of us!!! Julie was missing school and her friends, and Logan kept going to the door like, hey are we about to go somewhere?- Don't get me wrong, staying at home with two kids is one of the best things I have ever done, but it took a long time this summer for me to realize where I was in this parental game, and how to step up to the plate successfully. (for me that meant I got through one day without tears, or feeling like I could pull my hair out! ha!)
Here is what I did~I cried a lot at first, then I prayed! I learned that when they both get upset and they both start screaming and crying over sibling junk, I have got to "detach" emotionally. I needed to be very calm and not react, but ACT. Before I was just reacting and getting upset and stressed out and they could feel that! (thus making it all worse) So I would pick up whomever was crying the hardest, put him or her in their bed, turn out the light and shut their door. I would repeat the same ritual with sibling B, and then take 3 deep breaths, count to ten wait about 1 minute and go and get them. It usually worked! (and i felt better too)
Then when Logan kept getting sicker, I started having to cook, clean, move clothes from washer to dryer with him on my hip. (He is my 27 pounder) He just didn't feel good, and we were waiting to have his nasty infected tonsils taken out! I didn't have the heart to let my baby cry it out! Here is what I started doing. I started being thankful. Thankful that I had Christ as my savior to give me hope that I can do this and do a great job (with only HIM of corse :0) I began thinking, i am thankful that I have use of my arms and legs so that I CAN carry my 27 pounder around while I get my stuff done! I began thanking God for the awesome things we all take for granted like running water, working toilets, air-conditioning, oven, microwave, television, comfy couches, and the list goes on and on. I thought about women in third world countries that wake up each day and wonder if their children will be killed in front of them by terrorists or militia. (okay way extreme, but you get my drift...) I thought about how petty I was being, and changed my perspective. It helped a lot.
So how am I doing? Much better, and I only take one hour at a time :0)
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
oh the joys...
Julie has been hilarious lately, and Logan is on the up and up after surgery! thought I would share!!!
well, the other day, I was getting ready to go to the dentinst when I heard, "smack! and Logan was wailing!" I run into the living room where Logan is crying and Julie with a deer in the headlights look on her face says, "I did NOT just hit him really hard!" -gotta love when they tell on themselves!!!
well, the other day, I was getting ready to go to the dentinst when I heard, "smack! and Logan was wailing!" I run into the living room where Logan is crying and Julie with a deer in the headlights look on her face says, "I did NOT just hit him really hard!" -gotta love when they tell on themselves!!!
Then the next day she runs into the kitchen and points to the living room and says in an extremely parental tone,"mom, look at what your son is doing." (pulling all the pillows off the couch)
Last week I made her try some sautee'd (sp?) squash. She gingerly picks up a tiny piece with her fingers, puts it in her mouth and starts to cry, "no, I don't like it, it is hurting my face!" ---what?! haa haa!!
She runs into my bedroom the other day and says..."mom, I don't know what I wanna be when I grow up!" I say, "well, sweetie, that's okay, you have a long time to decide, and you get to pick whatever you want to be!" she then exclaims, "okay, I wanna be tinkerbell!" and skips out happily :0)
Yesterday, Logan's diaper leaked during the night, so when he woke up I just grabbed some other pj bottoms and put them on with the shirt he was already wearing. Julie walked into the room and started crying, and I say, what is the matter? she says, "bubby's outfit doesn't match he wants it to match!" Yikes! (I have created a fashion girl!!!) hee hee
Logan is having such a great time learning to talk. Julie and I are the only ones that can really understand him, but at least he is making an effort! He is adding to his vocabulary each day and loooooves ELMO! He can say several animals, sounds they make, alphabet letters, sounds they make, a few colors, a few foods, and a few needs (like ink=drink, and ore=more)
After his tonsillectomy, he has become quite attached to me and will not tolerate anyone holding him except me or travis or my dad. (stranger anxiety maybe?) he calls for me 100% of the time when he needs anything or when he wakes up.
He loves the family picture of the 4 of us on our coffee table and he often brings it to me and points out every member of the family and says who they are! -so sweet!-
He loves his Zee Zee(sister) and loves going with me to get her up in the morning. When she sits up he says,"Zee Zee!" and waves and blows her a kiss. She usually respons by squeezing his hand or kissing his cheek. Such a heart melter these 2 are!!!
He loves his Zee Zee(sister) and loves going with me to get her up in the morning. When she sits up he says,"Zee Zee!" and waves and blows her a kiss. She usually respons by squeezing his hand or kissing his cheek. Such a heart melter these 2 are!!!
Oh the joys of kids!!!
What a trooper...
This is a picture from the wedding of Travis' parents, Bonnie and Sam. I wanted to post a little bit about them. About a year and half ago, sam had a stroke in his right eye, called an ischemic optic neuropathy. This has nothing to do with the brain, it just happened in his eye-not his brain- and he lost some sight from it. It improved slightly over the next few months, and Sam learned to adjust very well with his partial sight loss. A few weeks ago, we received a call that Sam had another stroke in his left eye. He went to a specialist that confirmed the same thing had happened in his left eye that had happened in his right eye. He has very narrow optic nerves, and it just happened. Needless to say, we all were pretty devastated. Sam's whole life changed in a matter of a days. He is unable to read, use the computer or drive (3 of his favorite things to do) But I must say, Sam andBonnie visited us this past weekend and we were AMAZED at Sam's positive attitude! He was wonderful! He was very upbeat and tried to help in any way that he could. We are so impressed and so blessed that he is handling this with such grace and dignity... what a role model! We are very excited about them moving here in December and are ready to help in any way that we can, We love you Sam and Bon!
Friday, July 25, 2008
What we have been up to!
well... sorry about not posting for awhile! We have been very busy. Logan had is tonsils out this past wednesday, and we had to stay overnight at the hospital! We are very tired, and have been sick off and on all summer with them :( Hopefully with a full recovery, he will get better and not be sick so much! Thankyou to all my friends and family who called and checked on him or came by to visit! We feel so blessed and very loved :0)
Other than that, we have just been spending a lot family time at home playing in the sprinkler or playing inside to beat the heat. Trav's parents are coming in for quick visit this weekend, so I will post some pics earlier next week!
Other than that, we have just been spending a lot family time at home playing in the sprinkler or playing inside to beat the heat. Trav's parents are coming in for quick visit this weekend, so I will post some pics earlier next week!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
More pics from the wedding....
Julie and Logan had a blast dancing, and we had fun getting to know Uncle Bruce and Aunt Barbara better!!!
Austin is married!!!
We went to mobile a week ago to see Travis' brother Austin get married! Welcome to the family Lauren! We had such a great time and were able to see a lot of extended family. The rehearsal dinner, the wedding, and the reception were all beautiful and fun! Here are some pictures of our trip.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
My Two Cents worth...
Please note, this post is not in any way meant to diagnose/treat or OFFEND anyone!!!!!
Because I am a pediatric RN working in a pediatrician's office, I thought I should post some thoughts of mine on the relationship between autism and vaccines. I would venture to say that vaccinating children encompasses at least 75% of my job. I feel it is my professional responsibility to decide how I should deal with certain issues, this being one of them. I know of many people who are pregnant or who have very young infants who have varying concerns on this issue. So I began researching a month or so ago. I spoke with some of the pediatricians in my office about this, read on the CDC-Centers for Disease Control website, and researched the definition/signs/symptoms of autism on the internet-(all medically sound websites).
the question is, to vaccinate or not to vaccinate??? yes that is the question I am getting...
I say, go ahead and vaccinate your children. Before I launch into my theory, here is what I read about the causes of Autism in Wikepedia. *ASD=Autistic Spectrum Disorder
"Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics of autism are complex and it is unclear whether ASD is explained more by multigene interactions or by rare mutations with major effects.[3] Early studies of twins estimated heritability explains more than 90% of the risk of autism, assuming a shared environment and no other genetic or medical syndromes.[14] However, most of the mutations that increase autism risk have not been identified. Typically, autism cannot be traced to a Mendelian (single-gene) mutation or to single chromosome abnormalities such as Angelman syndrome or fragile X syndrome, and none of the genetic syndromes associated with ASDs has been shown to selectively cause ASD.[3] There may be significant interactions among mutations in several genes, or between the environment and mutated genes. Numerous candidate genes have been located, with only small effects attributable to any particular gene.[3] The large number of autistic individuals with unaffected family members may result from copy number variations (CNVs)—spontaneous deletions or duplications in genetic material during meiosis.[49] Hence, a substantial fraction of autism may be highly heritable but not inherited: that is, the mutation that causes the autism is not present in the parental genome.[48]
All known teratogens (agents that cause birth defects) related to the risk of autism appear to act during the first eight weeks from conception, and though this does not exclude the possibility that autism can be initiated or affected later, it is strong evidence that autism arises very early in development.[4] Although evidence for other environmental causes is anecdotal and has not been confirmed by reliable studies,[5] extensive searches are underway.[50] Environmental factors that have been claimed to contribute to or exacerbate autism, or may be important in future research, include certain foods, infectious disease, heavy metals, solvents, diesel exhaust, PCBs, phthalates and phenols used in plastic products, pesticides, brominated flame retardants, alcohol, smoking, illicit drugs, and vaccines.[6] Although parents may first become aware of autistic symptoms in their child around the time of a routine vaccination, and parental concern about vaccines has led to a decreasing uptake of childhood immunizations and an increasing likelihood of measles outbreaks, there is overwhelming scientific evidence showing no causal association between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism, and there is no scientific evidence that the vaccine preservative thiomersal helps cause autism.[51]"-From Wikepedia
So here is my theory. Austism is mainly genetic. What I gathered from all of my research is that there are some children that have the gene mutations and there is possibly some unknown environmental factor(s) that trigger these gene mutations and alas the child ends up on the austism spectrum. I also read that 23% of autistic children were completely cured of autism when put on a gluten-free and casein (milk protein) free diet. So in this percentage of children, gluten and casein may be those environmental "triggers."
Some of us are predisposed to have medical issues, and given the "right circumstances/stress/time of life" may go into having full blown health issue that requires a change of life or medication. Type 1 diabetes is another example. Some of us have DNA that predisposes us to Diabetes. (it is often genetic) Then we lead a stressful life, don't get enough exercise, and eat sweets on a regular basis, then suddenly one may find themselves with a diabetes diagnosis. (poor example I know, but easily identified with)
Another reason I feel that autism is genetic, is because in SOME cases, the autistic child often has a sibling with the same diagnosis.
So after the CDC takes mercury and other preservatives that are thought to cause autism out of vaccines, we are still having a child be diagnosed on average every 20 minutes! I think what has happened is that the medical community has learned how to better diagnose children at a younger age, and vaccines are getting the blame. (because of the time frame)
So here is why you should vaccinate your children. We as a society depend on what is called Herd Immunity(go look it up for more info). Polio, Measles, Pertussis, and Diptheria are still around and very much alive. The reason we never see any of this is because we have all been vaccinated against them!!! When working as a nurse at Arkansas children's hospital, I saw a 14 month child almost die from pertussis. He was in ICU for several several weeks with an unsure prognosis... (he did make it thankfully)-- This was easily preventable!!! His mother was in a small cult, and they did not believe in vaccinating their children.
So I will leave you with this: Weather or not you want to vaccinate your children is your choice. But please research this for yourself and ask questions!!!! Please find a pediatrician that will listen and respect your decision and discuss all possibilities with you (ex: a different or slower vaccine schedule?!) Thanks for reading!
Because I am a pediatric RN working in a pediatrician's office, I thought I should post some thoughts of mine on the relationship between autism and vaccines. I would venture to say that vaccinating children encompasses at least 75% of my job. I feel it is my professional responsibility to decide how I should deal with certain issues, this being one of them. I know of many people who are pregnant or who have very young infants who have varying concerns on this issue. So I began researching a month or so ago. I spoke with some of the pediatricians in my office about this, read on the CDC-Centers for Disease Control website, and researched the definition/signs/symptoms of autism on the internet-(all medically sound websites).
the question is, to vaccinate or not to vaccinate??? yes that is the question I am getting...
I say, go ahead and vaccinate your children. Before I launch into my theory, here is what I read about the causes of Autism in Wikepedia. *ASD=Autistic Spectrum Disorder
"Autism has a strong genetic basis, although the genetics of autism are complex and it is unclear whether ASD is explained more by multigene interactions or by rare mutations with major effects.[3] Early studies of twins estimated heritability explains more than 90% of the risk of autism, assuming a shared environment and no other genetic or medical syndromes.[14] However, most of the mutations that increase autism risk have not been identified. Typically, autism cannot be traced to a Mendelian (single-gene) mutation or to single chromosome abnormalities such as Angelman syndrome or fragile X syndrome, and none of the genetic syndromes associated with ASDs has been shown to selectively cause ASD.[3] There may be significant interactions among mutations in several genes, or between the environment and mutated genes. Numerous candidate genes have been located, with only small effects attributable to any particular gene.[3] The large number of autistic individuals with unaffected family members may result from copy number variations (CNVs)—spontaneous deletions or duplications in genetic material during meiosis.[49] Hence, a substantial fraction of autism may be highly heritable but not inherited: that is, the mutation that causes the autism is not present in the parental genome.[48]
All known teratogens (agents that cause birth defects) related to the risk of autism appear to act during the first eight weeks from conception, and though this does not exclude the possibility that autism can be initiated or affected later, it is strong evidence that autism arises very early in development.[4] Although evidence for other environmental causes is anecdotal and has not been confirmed by reliable studies,[5] extensive searches are underway.[50] Environmental factors that have been claimed to contribute to or exacerbate autism, or may be important in future research, include certain foods, infectious disease, heavy metals, solvents, diesel exhaust, PCBs, phthalates and phenols used in plastic products, pesticides, brominated flame retardants, alcohol, smoking, illicit drugs, and vaccines.[6] Although parents may first become aware of autistic symptoms in their child around the time of a routine vaccination, and parental concern about vaccines has led to a decreasing uptake of childhood immunizations and an increasing likelihood of measles outbreaks, there is overwhelming scientific evidence showing no causal association between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism, and there is no scientific evidence that the vaccine preservative thiomersal helps cause autism.[51]"-From Wikepedia
So here is my theory. Austism is mainly genetic. What I gathered from all of my research is that there are some children that have the gene mutations and there is possibly some unknown environmental factor(s) that trigger these gene mutations and alas the child ends up on the austism spectrum. I also read that 23% of autistic children were completely cured of autism when put on a gluten-free and casein (milk protein) free diet. So in this percentage of children, gluten and casein may be those environmental "triggers."
Some of us are predisposed to have medical issues, and given the "right circumstances/stress/time of life" may go into having full blown health issue that requires a change of life or medication. Type 1 diabetes is another example. Some of us have DNA that predisposes us to Diabetes. (it is often genetic) Then we lead a stressful life, don't get enough exercise, and eat sweets on a regular basis, then suddenly one may find themselves with a diabetes diagnosis. (poor example I know, but easily identified with)
Another reason I feel that autism is genetic, is because in SOME cases, the autistic child often has a sibling with the same diagnosis.
So after the CDC takes mercury and other preservatives that are thought to cause autism out of vaccines, we are still having a child be diagnosed on average every 20 minutes! I think what has happened is that the medical community has learned how to better diagnose children at a younger age, and vaccines are getting the blame. (because of the time frame)
So here is why you should vaccinate your children. We as a society depend on what is called Herd Immunity(go look it up for more info). Polio, Measles, Pertussis, and Diptheria are still around and very much alive. The reason we never see any of this is because we have all been vaccinated against them!!! When working as a nurse at Arkansas children's hospital, I saw a 14 month child almost die from pertussis. He was in ICU for several several weeks with an unsure prognosis... (he did make it thankfully)-- This was easily preventable!!! His mother was in a small cult, and they did not believe in vaccinating their children.
So I will leave you with this: Weather or not you want to vaccinate your children is your choice. But please research this for yourself and ask questions!!!! Please find a pediatrician that will listen and respect your decision and discuss all possibilities with you (ex: a different or slower vaccine schedule?!) Thanks for reading!
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