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.