Updates

The other night Dreycin and I were walking home from getting the mail and we were playing red light stop green light go while running in the grass, and when I would say green light go he would yell really loud "I love picking strawberries" over and over each time we would green light go! Makes me want to take him to the berry farm every weekend!!

We also really like the song from Madagascar I like to move it move it, it even gets B dancing! The other song that is popular with the kids is the song at the end from despicable me!

Bronson is standing for longer periods by himself, he even has said a few more words! He says and signs more, and even said Elmo the other day! He loves the Elmo spoon while e eats! He chews on everything, and has been drooling alot! He loves to turn pages in books, and now will sit thru readings of a few books! He is growing so fast! I'm starting to plan his 1st birthday!!! Ohhhh where did the time go! I'm thinking for his 1st bday he will get a pottery barn chair (bc he loves Dreycin's) and a few other things? They are constantly both trying to fit in the chair and usually Dreycin will give up and get out of the chair! We went browsing at toys r us last night for ideas :)

Bronson had his f/u in Macon this week with his GI doc and it was our first great visit. He was really happy that he has gone since April 1st with no blood, and we will have him retested a little after he turns 1 for allergies again. Dd I mention that Bronson has had reaction to eggplant and we believe cinnamon? The doc us completely set that our B is very sensitive to foods and we need to be extremely careful not to reintroduce those foods that he is allergic to or has had a reaction to for fear the 2nd time it will be very dangerous for B. but all in all we continue to F/u with him.

This week we have Dreycin's EEG procedure 3HRS away....and until last night I was avoiding looking up information on it. A few things the clinic told us was that the procedure is sleep deprived so he has to be up for 7hrs prior, no problem there bc it's at 230pm and he has skipped naps plenty of time before. No caffeine or high sugar content food items, no problem there either. Only 1 parent can go into procedure with child. Until last night Derek said he would do it, and now I've decided it will be me. I carried Dreycin in my womb, he is apart of me and I want to be there for him. He is my baby and I can't help but feel miserable that all this is going on to him. So in addition to reading all the paperwork I decided to look up videos on YouTube about children and EEG's. What I learned was that the procedure is 2hrs, and the 1st hour is just putting the nodules on the child's head, after that the head is wrapped in gauze and a series of tests are done. This is my child who at the age of 2 has had an EKG and 2 surgeries that included anesthesia, I can't help but ask why. And most of all why now when we are facing so many changes in the next few months.

Father's Day

We had a wonderful weekend, we went to Tallahasse yesterday did some grocery shopping at Earth FAre and Costco, ate some good food. Today we went to Berry Good Farms in Tifton, a u-pick berry farm that does not spray their berries just 40min from where we live.! We all had blue hands, and I dont know if Dreycin ate more blackberries than we actually picked! It was a breezy day, not very many gnats. Dreycin got to see the guineas, chickens, and goats. Then we went and ate decent Mexican food, and stopped at a donut store for dessert. Dreycin and Derek went to the movies this afternoon to see Madagascar 3! Im sure ill have two worn out boys by dinner time! Our new pic is from the berry picking today! If you have never gone to berry pick, go to pickyourown.org and find a local farm! Its lots of fun, and tasty!

Switching hats....

Being a social worker has many benefits but when you are dealing with your own family it's hard to switch hats. Ive been really thinking about how and what materials to use for Dreycin to help ease the deployment. I want to be counselor yet I know I need to be mommy. My fear is that he won't understand, and writing that brings tears to my eyes. I have read fantastic ideas about calendars, videos, flatdaddies, daddy dolls, build a bear, and tons of books ive seen on amazon!
And my first instinct is that I want to do them all(social worker) but then I cry when I really start to think about having to explain Daddy being gone(mommy)! I will eventually find my happy medium. I'm also staying busy googling things to buy for Derek to take....digital camera bc he obviously isn't gonna want to take my pink canon, sheets, towels, webcam, grooming stuff, pics of us, plus I'll have the help of his brother Elliot who is actually returning to Germany from a 1yr long deployment in Afghanistan this week! Oh and I already have given the cleaning lady a heads up for while he is gone, lord knows I am not gonna spend time cleaning! She is a military spouse who lives just down the street! This month we are also going to try and go to a deployment brief/class. We have to do power of attorney, family care plans, and find time to get me a new ID.
Aaaaaand my awesome Aunt(dads sister) found out Derek was deploying and jumped on booking a beach house vacation for all of us aug 4-11th to spend time together before he leaves! We are going to the gulf shores! Can't wait!

Deployment

So the news came late Friday afternoon, Derek's package was denied and he would have to extend his contract for 22mos here in good ole Gnat filled Georgia. We were really hoping to leave the south, but obviously our plans were meant to be this way. Derek's plan is to put another package in for Chief warrant officer before he leaves for his deployment to Afghanistan in October. as much as I wish he didn't have to go he does, we have been very fortunate that he has not had one in 4 years and we knew it was inevitable that we would see one sooner than later. He has not missed any births, or first Christmases, and we are lucky he will be here for B's 1st bday! We plan to celebrate Christmas/bdays(his and D's) in September before he leaves. I will of course probably head to Texas for a few trips while Derek is gone to not drive myself and the kids crazy!!
I just wish we weren't in the middle of nowhere and had to drive so far for doctors, Costco, organic groceries! The thought of being here for 22 more months is pretty depressing actually.
I don't know how I'll manage everyday with both kids, frankly it's a little worrisome. I can barely eat in the mornings yet alone cook an entire meal, do laundry, clean, take a shower, without the boys needing something or getting into something! I know ill be getting a zoo & aquarium memberships now! But the next best thing I can think of is that maybe a nanny or private school wouldn't be such a bad idea for Dreycin just part time? So that I could have Yoga, or run errands, my dr appointments, or just me time? Is that selfish, no not at all because if mom's not happy nobody will be happy.

Update on Dreycin, we have two appointments scheduled at Nemours pediatric Neurology Clinic in Jax, Fl. One for an EEG and a separate one for dr to evaluate. So that means two 6hr trips for us, two Fridays at the end of this month for us! Thankfully there is base lodging and we are getting a decent rate to stay, bc there is no way we want to drive there and back in one day. We will eventually get reimbursed by our insurance, but they are about 5 months behind on travel claims. We are still waiting on one from B's appointment in January! So I hope they figure out what is going on so that I don't have to make too many trips by myself while Derek is gone.

Farmers market is one of the few things I've been happy about here lately! Here's a pic! And one of B eating an apple, which is great for teething!!!!

Icing on the cake

After a weekend of Dreycin having a fever we went to ENT on Monday AM and sure enough he had a double ear infection. The tube on the left is working so the infection is draining out, but the other ear the infection is inside the ear :( we spent the morning getting meds and came home and he slept most of the afternoon. That evening him and B were playing and he knocked his head into B's back and had another seizure like episode. I was in kitchen making cookies, and I heard B start to grunt like Dreycin was bothering him and I went over and Dreycin cried for a second, I picked him up and I noticed his lips going blue and then he became very pale and his eyes dilated mouth clenched arms flailed in jerky movements and then he went completely stiff.when I first noticed it was happening I screamed to Derek it's happening again as I had him in my arms and ran over to the couch with him. Now each time this happens Derek feels the need to come over and take him out of my arms, he told me later that he just can't stand there watching him like that. Dreycin remained stiff in his arms. I was talking loudly to him saying breathe Dreycin breathe, and he came back and went straight into crying. It is so scary I just want answers at this point. I did find many websites that suggest a diagnosis of pallid breath holding spells (google if curious) which seems like what he is having at this point. It can sometimes be caused by cardiac issues or anemia. We have been referred to Nemours Pediatric clinic in Jacksonville, Fl it's 3 hrs away which is a bummer but there is a naval base there we can get a room at for the night. Don't have an appt just yet but I don't doubt they could call and say Friday and I would say ok! My mind as a mother goes crazy searching for answers on the Internet, reflecting on every single piece of his medical history. Including the fact that I carried an anti RO antibody that sometimes cause heart murmurs in children of lupus patients or the fact that he was watched so closely in utero for hydrocephalus, and the last two surgeries he was given anesthesia. You go back and think about every detail, questioning everything. I feel sad, helpless, and a lot of time cry when I think about it. I worry it will continue to happen. One concern I didn't even think, but Derek did was sports. How will he play sports if every time he falls or bumps his head he has an episode?

No more runny noses, congestion, coughs, they are both doing much better. Dreycin doesn't have the best appetite on the antibiotics but definitely can tell he is up for playing more!!!

Our house here on base has been downsized a room, they are trying to see if there is a leak from a drain under the house! A lot going on this week, at least Derek is off and here at home helping me for a few days!!!!!

The Pic with the gate up and D in the chair is the room that is being worked on! And D wanted to take a bath where b did in the sink so we let him! And In the background my pretty sunflowers that I got at farmers market this past weekend. A pic with them playing at the water table in the garage thanks to the gnats and D with his moto helmet.

Tired

It has been a crazy 2wks. The boys have been sick, with coughs congestion runny nose and fever the entire time. Last weekend B had the fever, this weekend it was Dreycin. Plus he had puss and drainage coming from his left ear this AM so its off to ENT tomorrow. I have mostly done natural remedies with the boys, saline, steam in bathrooms, organic chest rubs on feet and chest at night, hylands vit c plus cold tablets, and of course Motrin for fevers. Dreycin gets honey shots of lemon and honey if he is coughing alot. A Comment was made to me that I should only keep my kids around other healthy kids and I about flipped my sh*t, and then I realized that person doesn't know me very well. I am a clean freak, especially with my kids. If I see your kid has a runny nose, I'm wiping my kids hands with hand sanitizer and taking them to wash their hands And then I'll be leaving very fast, or making sure our kids don't play together. I don't expose my children to alot of kids/people for that very reason! People don't care about getting your kids sick! B has had so many health issues I just can't risk it, more so him being sick.
so I came to the conclusion that
1) Dreycin got sick either at his daycare 2 thursdays ago that he was only at for 1.5hrs and probably
2) picked up some additional bug at church that following sunday
Awesomeness......I've been covered in snot and very tired for the last two weeks. Makes me want to go back to work...... I mean.....,hello why am I thinking that because they would be sick more and then I would probably get fired for having to take time off to take them to all their appts. Derek says its overwhelming the amount of appointments the kids and I have, and I say no kidding you try making them and keeping them :)
In all this sickness we have managed to find some cute moments!
The other day I was asking Dreycin for the magic word(please) and he yells Surprise!!! And he was so serious it was so cute! He is also really into whispering at times. His fav new shows, which he only gets to watch in long car rides(more than 30min) or in Am if I wake up extremely tired and/or need to feed B first thing is Little Einsteins or Super Why. He is really into singing and has even been singing ABCD, AbCD next time won't you sing with me! He is also starting to ask what's that for? What does that do?

Aaannnddd my little B man is clapping!! He really has picked it up in the last few days! We had his 9 month checkup and he weighed a little over 22lbs(he lost some weight from being sick) and was 28 1/4 inc long! Ears look great, he looks great, although the pedi and Derek and I seem to think we are still having some GI issues with digestion, sometimes he screams and cries like he is in alot of pain and the only thing any of us can come up with is that he is having issues with the small amount of solids he is eating? We have our appt toward the end of the month with the GI doc. He is also teething, bites me and Derek so hard that he leaves deep teeth marks on our skin. And no teething toys don't work, we have tried them all! Mashed frozen blueberries work sometimes! We have to be careful B doesn't bite Dreycin too, which he has a few times but we have caught it right away bc we are so close!
As for our Eating habits, we have been doing really good! I have been going to farmers market every week getting fresh vegetables, local farm to table as they call it! We are eating alot of veggies right now! The last of our freezer meat is gone and all we have is fish and our faux vegan meat! And all that we buy at farmers market is for so much cheaper than the supermarket! I've been reading alot about macrobiotic diets and one of the concepts is to eat local, what's in season in your area. I've also been making fresh lemonade since the boys have been sick, Dreycin loves it with a little honey warmed up! This week im going to experiment with rhubarb lemonade, maybe? I also bought some herbs thanks to pinterest that I'm growing in the windowsill, hope I can keep them alive! I repurposed some old vases and large glass jars that I had saved. This weekend i have been working on CEUs for my Kentucky social work license, have to stay licensed somewhere until we figure out if we are gonna stay in Georgia or not. If we are i will go ahead and applyto get my license here too! I wonder at the end of Derek's career in the Marines how many different states I will be licensed in?!! We also spent most of the afternoon (naturally with vinegar & water only) cleaning every toy in the house and all the furniture!!! After all this sickness is gone I really need a mani/pedi and a haircut! I have been managing to make it to yoga 1x a week these last two weeks, which has helped me keep my sanity for now!