Clean and Dirty

The Kid is a funny little baby. Very particular with not so many words. He loves the bath and water which is super good. Although most parents with hemophiliac kids have said they never did anything different, I'm still thinking padding the tub is a good idea. And one of my favorite websites, OneStepAhead, has the best kid safety stuff. Of course liking the bath and liking having his picture taken in the bath is not the same thing. He is especially leery of the orange light that comes on before the flash. He has now been eating solid food for a few weeks. Still not convinced I'm NOT trying to poison him. If he does not want that food, that mouth is not going to open. He does like playing with the spoon and the bowl. So I figure, maybe he's an Independent. Let's see what happens! I gave him the spoon, scrapped the oatmeal onto the tray and let him have at it. He liked this waaay more than actually eating it! Once The Kid was allowed this pleasure and could see for himself that the oatmeal was not poisoned, he was more than happy to eat. Still leery of the orange light though.

A Fashion Statement?

So The Capt has started getting interested in dressing himself lately. Not all the time and usually after he's peed his pants. And for whatever reason, his choice is to "go commando" with sweat pants. I don't know why and the answer he always gives me is something to do with his penis, so I just shake my head and chalk it up to a guy thing. Today, however, he was happy with putting on underwear AND shorts! He actually matched, until, I came back into his room to find him putting on these long bright green socks on with purple monkeys on the tops. I must have said something like "wow! what's going on in here?" and he simply replied that he was going to wear his "funky socks, Mom." "The ones with the monkeys from Grampa D." "Why did Grampa D give these?" What could I say besides, "because he thought you would like funky socks!" This satisfied and he proceeded to put on his super fast running shoes and go out and climb into the sandbox with them. But, since he is so OCD, that didn't last long. Too much sand.

This Week Part 3 Milestones.

Yesterday and today has been very exciting in the world of The Kid. He started off by vocalizing about everything! Another talker! His seem to sound more like "Blah,blah,blah,blah,dadadada,blah" He likes to yell this from his crib upon awakening. Being 6 months old now, I decided to try him out in the shopping cart at Safeway. I got my shopping cart cover and matching pillow out and we all piled into the car for a grocery store excursion. Oh and it's not called "Safeway" (I am told by The Capt) it's called "GroceryStore." Whatever Bossy. So The Capt picks out a shopping CAR and I get the Kid nice and comfy in his cart. He liked it! By the end of the trip he was grabbing for me in exhaustion. Made it home in time for some rest! Yippee! But wait! The day hadn't ended for that little baby. Both little pirates are fighting sniffly noses so we decided to stay inside to play cars. I put The Kid down in The Capt's room and he sat unassisted! Woohoo! Way to go! I thnk he was suprised as well. He kinda looked around as if wondering where his prop had gone. Haha! Tricked you Baby! after that he was back to his tummy. I guess he thinks that now he knows how he doesn't really need to do it. He's not one for showing off!

This Week Part 2 The Big Bonk

So we got home Tues night just around bed time. I was in getting the Kid situated while Dada and The Capt wer in our room getting jammies on and settling in. This usually means jumping on the bed and other rascally behavior. Well all of a sudden I hear a big "Bonk!" Head hitting wood. My heart dropped and I rushed in to see The Capt in tears and a huge hematoma swelling before my eyes. We did the usual first aid and luckily there was no blood. I recently bought a Nemo ice pack thinking we'd be using it on The Kid, but I guess the Capt would be breaking it in instead. That and Arnica gel, which I swear by. Even if it really doesn't work (I think it does) it certainly gives me peace of mind. I called the nurse and we discussed a possible concussion. It was bed time so once everyone was calm, The Capt went to bed. Two hours later I was supposed to wake him up and get him walking and talking. This did not go well. I really couldn't get him to open his eyes let alone walk and talk. I carried him downstairs to Dada. He slumped into his lap. We just looked at each other and kept trying to get him more alert. Finally it was enough and we carted him off to bed. We weren't convinced he was okay. Was he just so tired from our busy week or did he really have a concussion? We could leave him sleeping for another four hours. We weren't comfortable with that and after browsing the internet, we decided to wake him up before we went to bed. This time we got him walking and talking. I called the nurse once more and we all agreed that he seemed okay. We let him snuggle into our bed and watch Caillou. Anything for our kids, right? Back to bed he went. I checked on him one last time when the baby cried and then an hour or two later I woke up and Dada was not in bed. The next morning I found out he had gone in and slept on the floor of the Capt. room. What sweet Dada he is. Luck for us it was garbage day so Dada on the floor got to wake up to..."the garbage can! the garbage can!" Whew! He's okay!
His head looked a little like a Star Trek alien, but he's normal as ever.

This Week Part 1 Camp I-VY

So we were at camp I-VY this week. Sunday to Tues. We learned so much, met a great number of families and jumped right into the world of hemophilia! Each day after breakfast we took the kids to day care. Of course The Capt had a blast. Although there were several potty accidents. He must have been having too much fun. The Kid did well also. A lady named Charlie took charge of him and she happened to be a Severe A Hemophiliac as well. The real fun was for us. Each day we sat in a different parent discussion. We talked about everything from our own expereinces to asking teenageers questions to starting an I.V. on each other. By Tues night we were pooped out! We are defiantely looking forward to going again next year and making it an annual event!

Golf Gets in your Blood and Camp I-VY

Friday kicked off our dive into the world of hemophilia! Dada and I volunteered at Golf Gets in your Blood golf tournament, auction and dinner event to support the Puget Sound Blood Center and the Bleeding Disorder Foundation of Washington. It was an amazing event and in just a couple of hours raised thousands of dollars to support a cause very dear to our hearts. Dada statred the day by helping out the golf event and I showed up to help with the silent auction and dinner auction festivities. It really suprised me at how powerful and overwhelming the night became watching the diners give so much money to help such a small program. In Washington state alone there are only about 500 people with hemophilia. The Kid's picture was a centerpiece for about 2 tables and we flashed his picture to anyone that wanted a peek. At one point I was so emotional talking about my story, that I think one of my tables ended up donatinga little extra! We hope to really be in the forefront of the event next year and maybe even host a table.
Our next adventure is Camp I-VY. An annual family camp for families dealing with hemophlia. This is the 33rd year and we are so excited to be a part of it. This will be a very important event for us as we will be able to really get to know other local families just like us and those who have a few more years under their belts. Since the Kid still just goes along for the ride he gets to be the center of attention sitting upon my hip for a few days. The Capt on the other hand is already being prepped for the big event. We explained we were going to camp and that we wer going to sleep in sleeping bags. He said he didn't like camp and wanted to stay in his own bed. This is natural for him since he has transition issues. Although once over them, dives head first into everything! So I figured he really doesn't understand what that all means and is trying to play it off. I had him help me find everyone's sleeping bags and haul them upstairs to his bedroom. Then he helped lay them out next to each other and then gather everyone's pillows. By this time he was starting to have fun. He was ready to get inside and then hide and get flashlights, etc. By the end of an hour I was a giant catapillar and he was trying to squash me! I think he's ready for camp. I hope we get to roast marshmallows...

Baby slings!

Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)

I don't usually advertise for things, but who wouldn't want to win some free baby slings! I didn't think I'd be so addicted but most of you know how active Jack is and keeping Will in a sling or carrier has been a life saver. Jack hung out in a sling now and again, but nothing like this baby. Plus, with will's hemophilia, keeping him in a sling is sometimes a better choice than on a hard surface when we're running around.

A Day Out with Thomas

So The Capt is a Thomas fan. He's not obsessed or anything, but he enjoys the show and likes trains. Well today we got to ride a Thomas train. Oh! And a school bus. I'm not sure which was more fun but it was all exciting. The school bus took us to the train depot where there was singing and coloring and storytelling and lego trains and Thomas stuff abound! We met up with cousins Sam and Genevieve, had lunch, walked around and of course, bought a Thomas the Tank Engine set. We saw lots of trains and finally it was our turn. The Capt and Genevieve sat together and held their tickets until the conductor came around. We tried seeing Sir Topham Hatt but the line was long and it was hot and waiting in line with a 2 year old alone is not so much fun, let alone when it is HOT outside. We got to see Thomas at the front of the train and the kids had a blast knowing that Thomas was giving us a ride. By the end we were melted and dirty and tired but we all had fun. We stopped for slurpees on the way home and both our boys were asleep in the car for about an hour. Woohoo!. I definately recommend seeing Thomas. http://www.trainmuseum.org/dowt/dowt_main.html Bring lunch and water and a few dollars for souvenirs.

Leaps and Bounds

So the Capt. is learning to hang off things. A playground near our house has monkey bars. Although he can't swing across them yet, he can reach up and hang off the first bar. He also likes to hang off the "laundry bar" in the back seat of the car when getting out. As the Lee family was suprised to find out a coupel of weeks ago, the Capt. can unbunkle himslef from his carseat. In the beginning this was bad. I had to pull over on the freeway a couple of times and talk about the policeman being very upset before the novelty wore off. Now it's actually helpful. I can get the Kid out of the car first and the Capt unbuckles, climbs over and hangs off the bar before getting out. And whetever you do. Do NOT help him. He can do it himself and he will tell you so. Anyway, most of the time the hanging off things does not affect anyone else, but the other day at the new Crossroads water park, the Capt was at the top of the play structure and he was hanging off the bar ro the slide. This was fine until a couple of other boys wanted to actually slide down. The Capt continued hanging. I was at the bottom yelling and sweating. He continued his hanging. The Capt hung off the bar and pushed the first kid. I was thinking, heck no! Then the other kid pushed back. It was all over. The Capt and the Other Boy were brawling!! I looked around and didn't see any other mom to witness this so I marched up the play structure with the Kid in tow to break up the Capt's first playground brawl. I hope this is the last one for awhile. There was actually some good that came out of all of this. In normal manly fashion by the time the boys were finally down the slide they were already buddies. The rest of the time they climbed all about helping each other up the ladders with the Capt using his best manners with a "thank you" everytime his buddy lent an arm up. When it was time to go they were waving all the way to the car and as the Capt was getting into his carseat he says, "that was my friend." Yup. He's a boy.

suprising kids

The Capt and the Kid keep the fascination of raising kids always exciting. Today during music class The Capt was listening to Miss Allison tell a story and the page was about 8 baby lizards and a momma. When she read "eight lizards, blah blah blah" The Capt blurted out. "There's not 8 there's 9!" Whoa. Um, when did he start learning addition??!! I know he wants to go to school and all, but can we start with learning to write your name and coloring inside the lines.
These last couple of weeks The Kid has been in sitting limbo. He hasn't been able to sit up unassisted but he's getting too dang big for everything! I've been trying to figure out the best way to give him a bath since he doesn't fit in his baby tub anymore and I'm still lugging him around in his infant seat. Well today he decided to sit up. By himself. It was alot like the rolling over. I knew he could do it but until he's good and ready, and has a good reason, he will do it all in his own sweet time. Now that I think about it. He does this with eating as well. Eating fruit. Not so much! Veggies loves 'em, but only likes to eat "people food" at dinner.
I especially love that both these guys are sooo different. The Capt is always on the go. Always has been from the first moment I felt him in my tummy. The Kid takes his own sweet time and is just happy hanging out in his crib with his lovey.

Taunting

Is it really that terrible to taunt your 2 1/2 year old? The other day I told The Capt he couldn't have a Vanilla Milk because he was having a tantrum. He replied. "I'm NOT a tantrum!" while arms and legs were flailing along with tears and a running nose. What could I do but shake my head, tell him "yes, you are a tantrum" and proceed to order myself a frappacino.

Top 10 reasons

This is the Forrester Top Ten Reasons The Capt needs to go to preschool.

10. He has his backpack ready and wants to take the bus
9. He asks almost every day
8. He refuses to acknowlege the words "no" and "don't touch" Hmm maybe he just can't hear the decibels my voice makes when I say them...
7. His negotiating skills are getting better than mine.
6. Cleaning a gallon of apple juice after it flooded the kitchen floor is NO FUN!
5. He doesn't take a nap anyway
4. He counts to 30, uses scissors and knows his ABC's
3. He knows how to use a plunger. (and thinks it must be used everytime he pees in the toilet)
2. He says things like, "Of course, Mom" when he wants to do what I ask and "Actually, Mom" when he is telling me something.
1. As you can see in the picture, he knows how to apply his own sunscreen