First Week of School

I can't believe it's the end of the first week of school already! Even though mornings are a little hectic, for the most part, this week has gone fairly smoothly. I got 3 phone calls from the school about Kyle's insulin pump on Tuesday and a phone call about Charlie yesterday, but otherwise, they apparently have all adjusted well. I haven't heard about any behavioral issues from Kyle's teacher, but I guess he's saving up for when the honeymoon is over!

Charlie did have surgery on Aug. 28 and the first few days were fairly rocky. He didn't really want to drink and could only have a pureed diet. He finally started drinking and eating better (mashed potatoes were his fav) but then by the evening on Labor Day, started complaining that he needed to throw up. He actually just spit up a little and I figured he must've eaten too fast. Then, on Tuesday, he said he threw up at school once and at the sitter's once, then twice at home he ran to the bathroom. What I saw wasn't much more than spit up, and since it was the first day of school, I attributed it to anxiety. He had his follow-up appointment with the surgeon on Wednesday afternoon who thought Charlie was doing well and said he could begin eating solids -- just chewed well -- even pizza. Well, of course, you know what Charlie wanted for dinner! But, he wanted that after McDonald's french fries. He ate the fries and then later, ate a piece of pizza. I tried to get him to stop and not eat the crust, but he was so excited that he kept eating. He then spit up a little (again, not much) and was fine for the rest of the evening. When we got home from church, he wanted another piece of pizza, which, of course, I wouldn't let him have right before bed. He ate very little all day yesterday and at school, tried a pb&j sandwich (not the one I packed for him that would have been softer!), and it didn't set well. I haven't heard anything today.

My major concern for this year is the HOMEWORK! Charlie hasn't had any yet -- he said the teachers said no homework the first week, but my other 3 have had homework. Yes, 2 kindergartners and a first-grader have had homework the first week of school! Kyle and Joanna had art projects and one word wall word to practice this week ("I"). Marcie had to read 10 minutes nightly and read and write some kindergarten word wall words as a review. Do you know how much time it takes to help kids with homework who cannot function even semi-independently with it?!!! The sitter did homework with Marcie yesterday but she still had to read last night and fill her "getting to know you" bag. We finished Kyle's and Joanna's projects (required them to draw a picture of their home and put photos on a page AND dictate to me answers to "We like to...") and Marcie's by 9PM but at 11:30PM, I remembered that I needed to sign forms for each of them verifying that they did it and get all of the stuff in their bookbags. I am really concerned about getting homework done for 4 kids (and Charlie with 3rd grade homework) and still have some sanity. At least I can maybe ease into it this year because the kindergarten homework won't be too excessive....I hope!

Reality Hits Hard

I came back from vacation to begin a new semester at work and hit the ground running. Believe me, I am wanting another July so badly!!! The weather was so beautiful that month, much more so than we usually have in July, and now, September is right around the corner...and the kids in school, soccer, dance class....and the rat race is on! The kids are "ready" for school to start, and I think the structure will be good for them, but I am so missing the sound of the ocean waves as I write this. Vacations sure are wonderful, but when you are in a really nice place, and have "down" time, it's really hard to gear up again!

The kids went to a different daycare setting last week because my sitter was on vacation. They all enjoyed their new experiences but were glad to go back to their sitter's home yesterday. Kyle is already testing his limits and yesterday, "belly-butted" (as opposed to "head-butted") the sitter when she didn't acknowledge him immediately upon calling her name. Today, he has already hit his sister with a toy truck causing her to cry. I feel sorry for his kindergarten teacher!

Charlie had a rough weekend -- he chipped his tooth at the pool and Kyle broke his glasses (was an accident). We got the tooth fixed yesterday but will have to buy new glasses. He is now wearing the ones we got for soccer (plastic frames). The lenses are 2 prescriptions ago, but he can still see out of them. The sad thing is, I don't have time to get to an eyeglass place this week and he has surgery on Friday. Guess we'll have to do that next week.

Marcie is still challenging but she just needs to get back to school. That child wants so badly to be independent that she gets in trouble. She is trying to read everything and I am anxious for her to get back to school so that she will at least feel like she's making progress. I can already foresee her reading well by Christmas.

Joanna is such a happy and contented child. She really doesn't mind what we do or when we do it. She had her school physical yesterday and has gained 6 pounds and grown 3 inches this past year! I think I am going to have to get her size 7 slim pants, she is getting so tall. This doesn't make Marcie happy. I think Marcie will be in size 6 for the rest of her life....just kidding! She was such a chunky baby that I never would've thought she'd be my tiniest child. She makes up for her size, though, with her vivacious personality.

So, now you are updated. Do you suppose we could get whomever is responsible for calendars to give us another July and then another August before we have to get to September?!!!

Last Night

This was our last full day at the beach, and we are so sad. The kids have enjoyed every minute. Even Kyle, still feeling a little under the weather, just did not want to leave the pool this evening. He has had no fever since early yesterday morning and did not complain as much about his throat today. He did eat a lot of popsicles and nearly every time he asked for one, he reminded me that the doctor said he could eat popsicles. He also ate chips later and said they were fine for his throat. However, not all is rosy as he is now complaining of pain every time his ear is touched. I think he has swimmer's ear. He definitely is not used to so much swimming!

Charlie has been asking for seafood the entire week so tonight we went out to eat. The restaurant we chose had a limited kids menu and the only seafood choice was popcorn shrimp. He has had crabmeat before and liked it. They did have crabcakes on the menu but they have egg in them, so that was out of the question (and they were also $20!). He chose the popcorn shrimp, as did Joanna. I tried to dissuade her because I was fairly certain that she would not like them but the word "popcorn" was too powerful. Marcie chose not to order because she wanted a hamburger from McDonald's (it smells better she said!). She ended up eating some fries and bread. Kyle ordered a cheeseburger and enjoyed half of it (it was really too big for him). The waiter came over and asked Charlie if he liked the shrimp and he nodded. He kept saying, "mmm, mmm" and I thought he was really happy with his choice. Next thing I know, he is saying, "yuk, I don't like this part," and he was pointing to the shrimp. He had been eating the breading and putting the shrimp to the side! I noticed that Joanna had finished her french fries but was picking at her shrimp. You guessed it...she did not like it, either. Charlie ate some fries and polished off part of Kyle's cheeseburger. I really enjoyed my meal -- BBQ ribs, baked potato and broccoli! There was one funny part -- Charlie had leaned over to ask me something and he said, "something smells good." In between bites, I said, "my ribs," but he thought I said, "my lips," and he leaned over to smell my mouth. He and I both laughed about that!

After we got back to the condo, Marcie ate her chicken mcnuggets (she had decided against a hamburger) and I made Joanna a sandwich. (I told them that I was buying one meal for each of them and if they didn't like it, I would fix them something at home.) Kyle had a popsicle and Charlie went on the deck to watch fireworks. We then took a walk on the beach with a flashlight which Charlie had been wanting to do. They found a few seashells and we saw a sand crab. Actually, I think we scared it half to death. It ran but stopped so we found it with the flashlight. It is amazing how well they blend in with the sand but the beady little eyes stood out. It stared at me as I shined the flashlight on it and I really don't think it knew which way to move. Finally, it scampered away and we couldn't find it again. Marcie was a little frightened and she and I were both glad we had worn tennis shoes. Joanna never said a word. I think she was happy to get inside. Kyle and Charlie were both enthralled and wanted to look for more....but it was 11PM and I knew they really needed to get in bed. I finally got Charlie and Marcie in bed around midnight and I'm not far behind now. I'm enjoying these last few hours of listening to the ocean. It's so much nicer than the mechanical sounds of the wave machine I usually sleep with at night!

Happiness Is Not...

...spending 3 hours at a doctor's office to get a rapid strep test for Kyle. He woke up today with fever (well, he felt hot but I don't have a thermometer here so I guessed he had a fever) and a very bad sore throat. His voice sounded thick and his breath stunk even after he brushed his teeth. He said his entire neck hurt and pointed right over his trachea moving his finger up and down. Then, he would hold his neck and every time he tried to talk, he would cringe, hold his neck, and say "accchhhh" almost like he was trying to scratch his throat in some way. He was absolutely miserable and I was concerned that he had strep. I tried to look at his throat but he couldn't keep his tongue down and I decided not to be more intrusive, so off we all went to a doctor's office. At the office, I sat next to a woman who has 2 adopted children and we had a great conversation. It is fairly obvious to most that at least 2 of my children are adopted. Some people are very blunt in asking about it but this lady was nice and really respectful. I enjoyed talking to her, though, Kyle did not enjoy sharing my attention with a stranger. The other thing that was interesting was that one of the employees recognized me from our (her old) neighborhood! She remembered seeing me putting Charlie on the bus when he was in Kindergarten. Turns out, she and her husband moved to Myrtle Beach a year or so ago. It is a small world!

Well, Kyle did not have strep. Turns out he has Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, a fairly common viral infection in kids. He doesn't really have the rash on his hands and feet (maybe a few places just starting) but he does have the lesions in his throat. I could kick myself for not getting a good look at his throat before we went to the doctor's office! Had I seen his throat, I would've know it was viral!

So, as all vacationing people do, well, maybe not all, but this one!, we went to the beach late this afternoon. Kyle was feeling better after some ibuprofen and he did not have any fever (he was 98.5 in the office and I did not give him ibuprofen before we went to the doctor), so we played. The kids worked on sand castles and sand-writing while I took some pictures. Even Kyle seemed to forget about his throat for a little while and drew some cute pictures on the beach. He also wrote "yes" for who knows what reason but he did a great job! Joanna had fun building in the sand and spending about 15 minutes (at least!) rinsing the sand out of her bucket. For the life of me, I couldn't find a spec of sand in there but she kept rinsing nonetheless. It must be nice to have a little body with pliable bones -- she stayed in the same bent-over position the entire time she was rinsing her bucket. Marcie collected sea shells then started a sand creation and Charlie just had a ball standing in, and watching, the water. Just call him Poseidon, Jr.!

Oh, I almost forgot, we saw an older man sweeping the beach with a metal detector. Charlie asked what he was doing and he said that he was looking for treasures. He showed them some coins, then said he sometimes finds rings (showed one) and shark's teeth (showed a necklace). Then, he looked at me and said, "but the biggest treasure I found 54 years ago was that little lady in pink over there" gesturing at a woman sitting further up on the beach. He then said she had Alzheimer's but quickly said that's okay and smiled. It was so sweet!

Happiness Is...

...a day at the pool
...jumping waves at the beach
...eating snow cones
...pushing the buttons on the elevator
...riding the Ferris Wheel
...riding the choo choo train
...riding the Merry-Go-Round
...eating ice cream
...floating on the crazy river
...playing in the whirlpool tub
...watching fireworks
...learning how to dive (Kyle!)
...taking Communion (Charlie)

You might be wondering about the last one. Tonight, Charlie had fruit punch to drink. He asked me if I would get him a small piece of bread because he wanted Communion. He was serious, so I got the bread, we prayed, and had Communion. It was really sweet. Later tonight, he came in when I was saying bedtime prayers with Kyle and Charlie prayed for him, too. He is turning into such a spiritual little boy. :)

Crazy River

I am listening to the fireworks on the beach as I write this. I guess they must be legal in South Carolina because every night we hear fireworks. Sometimes we can see them well from the window; other times, we just hear them. Marcie was better today and we were able to spend some time on the beach and at the pool. Charlie only wants to be on the beach and eat seafood...I swear, he and one of my brothers have got to be cut from the same cloth. Marcie really only wants to be at the pool because the ocean is "too loud." Kyle enjoys both, and Joanna is happy anywhere. There is another pool here and it's a large oval about 3 feet wide and 3 feet deep, with a current running through it. You may only ride in inner tubes supplied by the resort and you float around it. It's called the Lazy River, though, Charlie is calling it the "crazy river." Whenever we are not on the beach, he spends most of his time on the crazy river. I am enjoying that, too, but have to stay at the pool with the other 3.

Marcie has taught herself how to dive and Joanna is working on her swimming. She's come a long way and is doing amazingly well for never having had lessons. Kyle is a regular little fish and has taught himself how to swim underwater. Marcie has made a few new friends at the pool but got her feelings hurt tonight when one of the kids apparently asked about her dad. I don't know what Marcie said, but the little girl looked up and shouted over to me, "do these kids have a father?" She didn't wait long enough for me to answer, so I didn't. It was sad, though, because Marcie was clearly hurt. I have warned the kids that folks will have questions and I always explain that some families have 2 parents and some have 1 parent. It has never seemed to bother Marcie before but I guess the fact that the little girl yelled across the pool was upsetting to Marcie. She was fine after I said we could go to Friendly's.

We got to Friendly's and Charlie said he preferred to eat at the steak and seafood restaurant across the street but Marcie really wanted ice cream. Since I had promised the kids we would go there, that's what we did. Kyle, however, had been complaining about his stomach hurting for about 20 minutes and it wasn't getting better. His blood sugar was a little high and I had given him some insulin. I really expected that his stomach would feel better after the insulin started working, but he kept complaining. He also felt hot to me and he was begging to go to bed. I started worrying that he was coming down with the GI bug, too, so I just suggested to the kids that we get McDonalds food and eat at the condo. (We were still waiting to be seated at Friendly's). I think they were worried about Kyle, too, so everyone agreed to go home. By the time we got there, Kyle was in tears and said his legs hurt, so I gave everyone else their food and told them to eat. I hurried and got Kyle's pajamas on him, gave him some motrin because he felt like he might have a fever and gave him some orange drink....oh, and some maalox to see if that would help him a little. He had fallen asleep for a few minutes in the car, and after he took his medicine, he fell asleep on the bed for a few minutes. The next thing I knew, he was up and asking for a popsicle. He said his stomach felt much better and he wanted his supper. Miraculous recovery, or perhaps the wonder of motrin and a 5 minute catnap. Actually, I think it was those prayers for wellness that I was praying on the way home and while dressing him for bed. He is sleeping now with a good blood sugar and no evidence of anymore belly pain.

I still have sand in my ears so I'm going to shower now before bed. I'm not entirely sure how it got there but guess it was when a wave broke right at my head. Guess I could have worse troubles this evening!

Vacation Woes

If it's not one thing, it's another! Marcie either is sick from swallowing ocean water (she got a mouthful yesterday), or she has the GI bug that everyone at her daycare now has (much more likely!). During the night, she woke me up and said she had thrown up after drinking some water. There was just a small spot on the bed, so I figured she must've been a little sleepy and choked on her water. Just a little while later, she came and got me again and then also vomited a little in the toilet. It was really strange, though -- she never really retched and each time she claimed that her stomach didn't hurt. I changed her sheets and left a pan with her and went back to bed. She woke up around 9:45AM and wanted to eat. She said she felt fine but after eating a little, she said her stomach hurt. She was able to drink some grape drink and a little while later, her stomach started hurting worse and she ended up in tears. I gave her some maalox and she settled down a little, then went back to sleep. She's been asleep now for about 3 hours and has had no more vomiting or diarrhea. Poor Charlie was so disappointed that we couldn't go to the beach today, so I called around and found a nanny service that is reasonable. A nanny now has my other 3 kids at the pool downstairs. It's *only* $18 an hour for 3 kids, so I bought 2 hours. Actually, I do think that's pretty good for CPR and First Aid certified caregivers, all over the age of 18 and all have had criminal records checks. Surprisingly enough, Kyle got really shy and had to take his blanky baby with him. The sitter was really good with him, so I think they'll be fine. Marcie is still sleeping so I have some time to myself. I just hope she will still be able to sleep tonight! Please pray that no one else gets sick!