The weekly update. Just didn't get around to posting sooner. Good news.. Abby's latest round of test results came back. I spoke with the doctor on Tuesday morning. The doctor went over Abby's labs with a pediatric endocrinologist. The specialist thinks that the most likely explanation for Abby's high alkaline phosphatase is a transient condition, usually preceeded by a stomach bug. For some reason - not sure why, this enzyme, and nothing else, is very elevated. After 2-4 mos the levels drop. The labs showed most the alkaline phosphatase coming from Abby's bones, although her liver results were also abnormal. So please pray, pray, pray that in April when Abby is re-tested her results are normal. Otherwise, she will be referred to the endocrinologist and also need a bone scan to rule out various not-so-good problems. BUT I am clinging to the most likely explanation - that the rotavirus from mid-January did her in for awhile, but she is okay. When the doctor told me the news it was like the Lord was in the room smiling at me!
Next bit of good news.. I've been praying about our finances (or lack of). Deren's parents graciously sent a check to help us out with medical bills, formula, and all that good stuff.
Next bit of good news..(yes, there's more!). Our insurance company, United, has been giving me the royal run-around about paying for the boys' private speech therapy. We switched plans last August, and they were supposed to start paying. I got a bee-in-my-bonnet and called again yesterday. One part of me is thinking, "It's your birthday. Are you just trying to be in a bad mood?" I spoke with the first lady, who was really rude. First she said there were no claims on file, then said they were all still denied because of diagnosis code, then hung up on me when I asked to speak with a supervisor. I called back, ready to lash out at the next person. Instead, I started crying and saying, "Listen, we're poor. Do you know how awful it is to go to the clinic and watch everyone pay their co-pays while we're paying the full amount on everything, when our policy says the visits are supposed to be paid for (at least 1/2)?" The next item on my to-do list was to call and cancel speech therapy, because we had no money for it anymore. This lady on the phone was really nice, and asked me to wait while she looked into the claims. Turns out, they had entered the diagnosis code incorrectly - according to their error the boys were receiving speech therapy for strep throat. No one else prior to this checked to make sure all was correct. Thank God for this one lady who wanted to help (psst - don't spread the word to United - they'd probably fire her)!. Soooooo we are supposed to start getting some money from them within the month, and will be able to resume speech therapy. Hooray!
Friday, February 24, 2006
Monday, February 20, 2006
Sunday, February 19, 2006
In case you missed the gleam in her eyes, let me just say that our little Abby is becoming a wild child. Both her and Joshua have particularly expressive faces - especially when they are making mischief.
It's very cold again today. I didn't go to church - we've been having freezing drizzle off and on during the day. The weather is supposed to get up to the low 50's tomorrow. I hope so, because we are out of groceries.
It's very cold again today. I didn't go to church - we've been having freezing drizzle off and on during the day. The weather is supposed to get up to the low 50's tomorrow. I hope so, because we are out of groceries.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Baby Shower incident. Went to a baby shower today. You think, "I know the games are always bad, but how bad can it really be?" Ohh.... it was bad... The mom-to-be works for ECI (early childhood intervention - both the boys and now Abby receive ECI services). Most of the attendees were also ECI workers. They spent the entire time cracking jokes about the little kids they work with. After the first joke, when everyone was giggling, I thought "that is soo not funny, but maybe I'm being too sensitive." After joke #40 or 50 - I lost count, I was about ready to launch across the room at these hens. The mom-t0-be knows our kids, so I'm thinking she should have put a stop to it. Instead, she told told joke #1, and cackled throughout the rest of the jokes. I left that place so upset. I'm sure the rest of the gals didn't know about our kids, but still, they are making jokes at the expense of little kids under the age of 3, who are struggling and who have families that are struggling. Yuck. and yuck again.
Now that that's off my chest, let me say "it's cold!" 85 degrees on Thursday, in the 20's today. The kids are all good and stir crazy. All but Joshua took long naps today - it was cold and dreary. I'm getting ready to send Joshua to bed, but the rest will be up hyper for hours to come.
Abby update: she had to have more blood drawn yesterday. The nurse hadn't completed the last lab req form correctly. Poor Abby. She was a trooper, though. I am going to make an appt w/the pediatrician for later this next week. The labs should all be in, and I'll be able to go over them with the doctor. So far, I've been talking with nurses on the phone, and the info I've been given has been inconclusive and confusing, at best. So sorry, there's no news to share. She hasn't been eating well this past week. She has a cold that has gone into her chest, and has been fussy. I think her ears are hurting her, also. Jacob, Rachael, and I also have the crud. Yesterday I felt like someone was standing on top of my chest. So imagine what the kiddos feel like - poor things.
Abby is pulling herself up to kneeling quite a bit. Her favorite 'hang out place' is the toilet. She pulls herself up and throws everything she can get her sticky hands onto into the commode. Wait 'til she can stand!
Now that that's off my chest, let me say "it's cold!" 85 degrees on Thursday, in the 20's today. The kids are all good and stir crazy. All but Joshua took long naps today - it was cold and dreary. I'm getting ready to send Joshua to bed, but the rest will be up hyper for hours to come.
Abby update: she had to have more blood drawn yesterday. The nurse hadn't completed the last lab req form correctly. Poor Abby. She was a trooper, though. I am going to make an appt w/the pediatrician for later this next week. The labs should all be in, and I'll be able to go over them with the doctor. So far, I've been talking with nurses on the phone, and the info I've been given has been inconclusive and confusing, at best. So sorry, there's no news to share. She hasn't been eating well this past week. She has a cold that has gone into her chest, and has been fussy. I think her ears are hurting her, also. Jacob, Rachael, and I also have the crud. Yesterday I felt like someone was standing on top of my chest. So imagine what the kiddos feel like - poor things.
Abby is pulling herself up to kneeling quite a bit. Her favorite 'hang out place' is the toilet. She pulls herself up and throws everything she can get her sticky hands onto into the commode. Wait 'til she can stand!
Sunday, February 12, 2006
First of all - Abby update: no results from the labs yet. The lab had to culture the sample to isolate bone vs. liver, so that apparently takes awhile. Hopefully we'll receive some results soon. Good news - Deren weighed himself and then himself w/Abby yesterday. She was 16-17 lbs, which is way up from last month. Just carrying her around she seems heavier. So good news! Praise the Lord! We started her on soy formula last Tuesday. I was worried she would have a reaction, because at least one sibling (Jacob) is allergic to soy. But so far she is doing well, and likes the taste of the soy formula much better than the nutramagen. Another bonus is that the soy formula is almost $20 less/can. (woohoo!)
Second, I wanted to take the time to write about some happier moments from the past week. We rec'd valentine's cards from my parents on Friday. Rachael divvied them up - "Jacob - balloon" (his card had some balloons on it), "Joshua, - firetruck, "Abby - baby", "momma - heart." Guess you had to be there. She is turning into such a little helper (when she isn't in one of her 'moods' - those who know me well would know what I am referring too!). Earlier on Friday my mom called to check up on us. After we got off the phone I tucked Rachael into her bed for a nap. I asked her "Who loves Rachael?" She said "mamaw loves Rachael" then "papaw", then "Grandma loves Rachael" and then "Jesus loves Rachael."
Jacob continues to play the role of big brother. Abby was playing in the bowls from the tupperware cabinet while Jacob was eating dinner on Thursday. I kept noticing Jacob walk back and forth from the table to Abby. I walked over to Abby to see how she was doing. Jacob had provided her with some potato chips. Then he brought over some applesauce, one spoon at a time, and dumped it in the bowl she was playing with. Finally he sat down next to her and shared his chocolate chip cookie with her.
It looks like Abby is inheriting a lot of Joshua's personality, which means, Look Out! She has yet to pull herself up to standing, but that hasn't stopped her from lobbing rubber duckies into the toilet. She will bypass any toy if she detects something dangerous to play with in the immediate area. She loves her bathtimes, and she is becoming an outdoor queen.
As for Joshua, the weather here turned very cold on Saturday. But that hasn't stopped him. He grabs his coat, chases you down with it, and (silently) begs to be outside. He was sick with a strep throast on Wednesday, and stayed home from school the rest of the week. By Thursday afternoon he was feeling better, and wanted to play in the front yard. Rachael was napping, but Abby saw the door open and scooted (she doesn't crawl, she sits on her bum and scoots around the house) to go outside also. They had a great time. Abby scooted up and down the sidewalk, eating everything in her path. I went in and got her a waffle. She dumped it out on the sidewalk and ate it from there. When I related the story to Deren that night his responses were in the nature of "She ate that?! You just let her do that ?!", etc. But Abby apparently had fun, because every time she hears one of the doors open she scoots as fast as she can to go outside.
Joshua is on a quest to crush all the dead leaves in the neighborhood. He's already mulched the backyard, hence, the fascination with the front (and other people's houses). And now that the dead leaves are getting scarce, he is trying to find suitable substitutes. For example, you give him a potato chip or a piece of crispy bacon to eat, he crumbles it in his hands, then eats the bits off the floor. I came back from errands yesterday and noticed some dried leaf-looking stuff on the bedroom floor. Joshua had found the dried flowers from our wedding, and decided to test their crispiness.
Joshua has also taken to frisking people who come to the house. He's particularly fond of cell phones at the moment, and has no pause diving his hands into strangers' pockets in search of his quest. We had some friends stop by the house last Tuesday to pray for Abby. While Joshua frisked everyone, Jacob ran around in cirlces yelling "Moobee moobee" (aka movie), and Rachael ran after Jacob laughing maniacally. At one point one of the women pointed to Rachael and said "What does she have?" (in terms of disability). I'll admit, the noise level at this house can be overwhelming to someone expecting a subdued time of prayer. On Monday, when we rec'd the initial news of Abby's lab results, my neighbor Monique was here. We grabbed Abby, laid hands on her, and started to pray. Meanwhile, Jacob took that moment to turn the table lamp into a basketball hoop. Monique and I intially tried to ignore him, but with the lamp flying around the living room, and kiddos cackling harder and harder, we had to stop our praying and round up the miscreants. I remember being so thankful for that lamp flying around - one moment I was crying, the next laughing along with their antics. I guess times like that autism can't be all that bad..
Second, I wanted to take the time to write about some happier moments from the past week. We rec'd valentine's cards from my parents on Friday. Rachael divvied them up - "Jacob - balloon" (his card had some balloons on it), "Joshua, - firetruck, "Abby - baby", "momma - heart." Guess you had to be there. She is turning into such a little helper (when she isn't in one of her 'moods' - those who know me well would know what I am referring too!). Earlier on Friday my mom called to check up on us. After we got off the phone I tucked Rachael into her bed for a nap. I asked her "Who loves Rachael?" She said "mamaw loves Rachael" then "papaw", then "Grandma loves Rachael" and then "Jesus loves Rachael."
Jacob continues to play the role of big brother. Abby was playing in the bowls from the tupperware cabinet while Jacob was eating dinner on Thursday. I kept noticing Jacob walk back and forth from the table to Abby. I walked over to Abby to see how she was doing. Jacob had provided her with some potato chips. Then he brought over some applesauce, one spoon at a time, and dumped it in the bowl she was playing with. Finally he sat down next to her and shared his chocolate chip cookie with her.
It looks like Abby is inheriting a lot of Joshua's personality, which means, Look Out! She has yet to pull herself up to standing, but that hasn't stopped her from lobbing rubber duckies into the toilet. She will bypass any toy if she detects something dangerous to play with in the immediate area. She loves her bathtimes, and she is becoming an outdoor queen.
As for Joshua, the weather here turned very cold on Saturday. But that hasn't stopped him. He grabs his coat, chases you down with it, and (silently) begs to be outside. He was sick with a strep throast on Wednesday, and stayed home from school the rest of the week. By Thursday afternoon he was feeling better, and wanted to play in the front yard. Rachael was napping, but Abby saw the door open and scooted (she doesn't crawl, she sits on her bum and scoots around the house) to go outside also. They had a great time. Abby scooted up and down the sidewalk, eating everything in her path. I went in and got her a waffle. She dumped it out on the sidewalk and ate it from there. When I related the story to Deren that night his responses were in the nature of "She ate that?! You just let her do that ?!", etc. But Abby apparently had fun, because every time she hears one of the doors open she scoots as fast as she can to go outside.
Joshua is on a quest to crush all the dead leaves in the neighborhood. He's already mulched the backyard, hence, the fascination with the front (and other people's houses). And now that the dead leaves are getting scarce, he is trying to find suitable substitutes. For example, you give him a potato chip or a piece of crispy bacon to eat, he crumbles it in his hands, then eats the bits off the floor. I came back from errands yesterday and noticed some dried leaf-looking stuff on the bedroom floor. Joshua had found the dried flowers from our wedding, and decided to test their crispiness.
Joshua has also taken to frisking people who come to the house. He's particularly fond of cell phones at the moment, and has no pause diving his hands into strangers' pockets in search of his quest. We had some friends stop by the house last Tuesday to pray for Abby. While Joshua frisked everyone, Jacob ran around in cirlces yelling "Moobee moobee" (aka movie), and Rachael ran after Jacob laughing maniacally. At one point one of the women pointed to Rachael and said "What does she have?" (in terms of disability). I'll admit, the noise level at this house can be overwhelming to someone expecting a subdued time of prayer. On Monday, when we rec'd the initial news of Abby's lab results, my neighbor Monique was here. We grabbed Abby, laid hands on her, and started to pray. Meanwhile, Jacob took that moment to turn the table lamp into a basketball hoop. Monique and I intially tried to ignore him, but with the lamp flying around the living room, and kiddos cackling harder and harder, we had to stop our praying and round up the miscreants. I remember being so thankful for that lamp flying around - one moment I was crying, the next laughing along with their antics. I guess times like that autism can't be all that bad..
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Well here we go again..
Three yrs ago we went through the ringer when Jacob was in the hospital and his bloodwork came back showing a rare metabolic disorder. Turns out it was most likely from a blend of the rotavirus wreaking havoc and just having a messed up system as many autistic kids do (After the fact I talked to another momma who said her son had similar readings that the doctor's couldn't explain. They just say "well, your kiddo has autism, he's messed up, best of luck to you, buh-bye.)
This brings us to the present day. Abby had labs drawn last Thursday to rule out any serious underlying problems causing her failure to thrive. Got a call from the doctor's office yesterday. Her alkaline phosphtase levels showed up Very high. From my google understandin, this is an enzyme secreted by the liver and bones, and a high level is indicative of some not-so-very-good things going on in the liver or bones. I took Abby to the hospital this a.m. to have a 2nd blood draw. This blood draw is supposed to 1) rule out any "fluke" readings from last week's test and 2) isolate whether the problem is coming from the liver or bones. Sooo.. we are back to the waiting game, and praying that God watches over our baby peanut and guard our hearts from leaping to scary conclusions. Please pray for little peanut.
On a cute note, Jacob is becoming protective of Abby, and calls her "Abby Kate" - and no, it's not in perfect English, but we understand him and it's so very cute. He also called her "peanut" (pretty clearly) on Sunday. He gets upset whenever we all leave the house. He runs around the house until he finds Abby, and says "Abby Kate Abby Kate.." until we have her settled in the car. Apparently he's afraid of his ditzy momma leaving her behind!
Three yrs ago we went through the ringer when Jacob was in the hospital and his bloodwork came back showing a rare metabolic disorder. Turns out it was most likely from a blend of the rotavirus wreaking havoc and just having a messed up system as many autistic kids do (After the fact I talked to another momma who said her son had similar readings that the doctor's couldn't explain. They just say "well, your kiddo has autism, he's messed up, best of luck to you, buh-bye.)
This brings us to the present day. Abby had labs drawn last Thursday to rule out any serious underlying problems causing her failure to thrive. Got a call from the doctor's office yesterday. Her alkaline phosphtase levels showed up Very high. From my google understandin, this is an enzyme secreted by the liver and bones, and a high level is indicative of some not-so-very-good things going on in the liver or bones. I took Abby to the hospital this a.m. to have a 2nd blood draw. This blood draw is supposed to 1) rule out any "fluke" readings from last week's test and 2) isolate whether the problem is coming from the liver or bones. Sooo.. we are back to the waiting game, and praying that God watches over our baby peanut and guard our hearts from leaping to scary conclusions. Please pray for little peanut.
On a cute note, Jacob is becoming protective of Abby, and calls her "Abby Kate" - and no, it's not in perfect English, but we understand him and it's so very cute. He also called her "peanut" (pretty clearly) on Sunday. He gets upset whenever we all leave the house. He runs around the house until he finds Abby, and says "Abby Kate Abby Kate.." until we have her settled in the car. Apparently he's afraid of his ditzy momma leaving her behind!
Friday, February 03, 2006
We are having another beautiful spring-like day in N. Texas. It started off cold, rainy, and dreary, but now the sun is out and it is beautful - can't help but be in a good mood. I'm trying a new recipe - pork stew with guajillo chiles. It's another recipe from my friend Cristy, so you know it's going to be good.
Chile:
7-8 dried guajillo chiles (no more than 10)
1 to 1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
3 cloves garlic
optional ingredients: 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp cumin, 3-5 tomatillos (see below)
Clean chiles (be careful not to get much on your hands. I wear nylon gloves). Take off stem, cut down middle and remove seeds. Rinse. Put chile skins in pan of water, softly boiling, for about 30 mins, until plumped up and tender. Drain. Add to blender w/remaining ingredients. Blend very well. If too thick, add a bit more water (and no, I don't know what 'too thick' means, I'm just copying down Cristy's instructions!). Strain chile in fine mesh colander.
Tomatillo prep. Take off outer skin/peel. Put in saucepan w/boiling water. When they start to blister & pop open, they are done.
Put chile in sauce pan. Let come to soft boil. Set aside. (I didn't do this step. I lost the recipe and winged it).
Pork:
1 pork roast, diced
salt, pepper, & garlic powder to season
(I followed Cristy's suggestion and made jar with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder mixed together so I can use again in the future)
Fry pork w/seasonings in pan w/oil. Once browned, cook for about 30 mins on lower heat (about 40-45 mins total). Add chile to pork and bay leaf (opt). Simmer about 20-30 mins.
Cristy serves w/spanish rice (homemade) and beans. Can also eat on tortillas.
Knitting update - there's nothing to update - estimated finish date on Rachael's poncho sometime before Christmas 2006.
Abby update - went to the pediatrician with the 4 kids on Tuesday. Jacob has been wheezing, and his asthma medication expired. Had Abby weighed while we were there. She had lost a lb since her January appt, putting her at 15 lbs even. Did a finger prick to rule out diabetes, a urine culture to rule out a UTI. The ped suggested supplementing her with formula - nutramagen (called "liquid gold" by many because of it's cost. Judging from the other kids' food allergies the ped did not want to mess her up further by giving her one of the cheaper formulas). Nutramagen is milk-based, but the proteins have been broken down so much there's not supposed to be much left the body will react to. When I was a baby I drank progestamil (sp?) - another broken-down formula. Abby shudders when she drinks it. I heard from another mom on a board I'm on that said her doc suggested adding Karo syrup until they are more used to the taste. I'm going to try it tonight. Let's hope Abby doesn't end up with a corn allergy like Mr. Jacob and Ms. Rachael.
Went to the neurologist yesterday. No news there, which I'm relieved about. Well, actually there was some news. They weighed Abby and she is now around 14 1/2 lbs. WTH!!! I called the ped's office and they said not to panic *yet*. I took Abby to a lab for a blood draw yesterday. I'm hoping the results will be in on Mon or Tues. Between the ped's labs and the neurologist's labs (he wanted to rule out any chromosomal probs. Jacob had these tests run and was okay, so chances are the results will be similar w/Abby).
Today Abby is fussy, spitting up a lot, having very yucky diapers (not as bad as the rotavirus ones, mind you), and without much of an appetite. So what am I supposed to do??? She is NOT healthy, she is still losing weight, she is very fussy with her OT exercises, which the OT is thinking because Abby is losing weight and weak. I'm wondering "is it the formula?" "the egg yolk I gave her yesterday" "a new bug?" (her nose is running). Oh God, please hold on to my little girl, and please give us some answers and a good outcome.
Rachael update. Well, she missed 2 weeks at the church MDO program in January. They didn't call or anything. I took her back this past Wednesday - they did not know she was gone. Hmmm. Again - hmmm. Needless to say, I am praying to God for guidance on this one. And I think I'm getting some answers. I've had various professionals trucking through the house for Abby or the boys. Each has recently noted that Rachael seems to be really lagging developmentally, and engaging in a lot of self-stimulating behaviors (in autistic speak, this is called "stimming" - had flapping, eyes crossing, lining up toys in a row (ie, inappropriate play w/toys - see Jacob and/or Joshua for demonstrations). NO ONE is saying she is autistic - just lagging more and more behind her peers. They've even noted this at preschool, which is significant, because they don't know she's there half the time. They were planning to put her in a classroom w/younger kids (rather than kids her age) next year. Soooo.. after discussing the matter in depth w/Jacob's teacher Shonna, I called the school district and requested an evalation for PPCD placement (public preschool for children w/disabilities - memorize this, because I will never take the time to type it out again!). I need to return paperwork to the school district, and then they will schedule an evaluation for Rachael. She turns 3 March 6th, and would be immediately placed in a classroom, providing she meets criteria for disability.
What disability, you ask? I don't know. I'm winging this. And let me say it took some major chunks off my layers of pride to take this step. All along, Rachael has been our special blessing, the one that was going to 'make it.' It's not that we don't adore the boys, it's just such a blessing, such a gift from God, to see Rachael do things the boys have never been able to accomplish. They have been truly 'God moments.' Yes, I have taken it for granted so much, and often count on her to sit in some corner with a toy while I'm dealing with one of the boys or Abby. But her needs are pushing to the forefront these days. I'm thinking, if I can get her into a school setting w/teachers who are trained to work with delayed children, to pay attention and help Rachael along, instead of focusing on the 'typical' kids, and let the others like Rachael tag along for the ride - - this may be a good thing. So about 30-40% of me wants a PPCD placement for Rachael, and the other 60-70% wants them to say, "she's not delayed enough for services."
..gotta go. The school bus is here!
Chile:
7-8 dried guajillo chiles (no more than 10)
1 to 1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
3 cloves garlic
optional ingredients: 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp cumin, 3-5 tomatillos (see below)
Clean chiles (be careful not to get much on your hands. I wear nylon gloves). Take off stem, cut down middle and remove seeds. Rinse. Put chile skins in pan of water, softly boiling, for about 30 mins, until plumped up and tender. Drain. Add to blender w/remaining ingredients. Blend very well. If too thick, add a bit more water (and no, I don't know what 'too thick' means, I'm just copying down Cristy's instructions!). Strain chile in fine mesh colander.
Tomatillo prep. Take off outer skin/peel. Put in saucepan w/boiling water. When they start to blister & pop open, they are done.
Put chile in sauce pan. Let come to soft boil. Set aside. (I didn't do this step. I lost the recipe and winged it).
Pork:
1 pork roast, diced
salt, pepper, & garlic powder to season
(I followed Cristy's suggestion and made jar with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder mixed together so I can use again in the future)
Fry pork w/seasonings in pan w/oil. Once browned, cook for about 30 mins on lower heat (about 40-45 mins total). Add chile to pork and bay leaf (opt). Simmer about 20-30 mins.
Cristy serves w/spanish rice (homemade) and beans. Can also eat on tortillas.
Knitting update - there's nothing to update - estimated finish date on Rachael's poncho sometime before Christmas 2006.
Abby update - went to the pediatrician with the 4 kids on Tuesday. Jacob has been wheezing, and his asthma medication expired. Had Abby weighed while we were there. She had lost a lb since her January appt, putting her at 15 lbs even. Did a finger prick to rule out diabetes, a urine culture to rule out a UTI. The ped suggested supplementing her with formula - nutramagen (called "liquid gold" by many because of it's cost. Judging from the other kids' food allergies the ped did not want to mess her up further by giving her one of the cheaper formulas). Nutramagen is milk-based, but the proteins have been broken down so much there's not supposed to be much left the body will react to. When I was a baby I drank progestamil (sp?) - another broken-down formula. Abby shudders when she drinks it. I heard from another mom on a board I'm on that said her doc suggested adding Karo syrup until they are more used to the taste. I'm going to try it tonight. Let's hope Abby doesn't end up with a corn allergy like Mr. Jacob and Ms. Rachael.
Went to the neurologist yesterday. No news there, which I'm relieved about. Well, actually there was some news. They weighed Abby and she is now around 14 1/2 lbs. WTH!!! I called the ped's office and they said not to panic *yet*. I took Abby to a lab for a blood draw yesterday. I'm hoping the results will be in on Mon or Tues. Between the ped's labs and the neurologist's labs (he wanted to rule out any chromosomal probs. Jacob had these tests run and was okay, so chances are the results will be similar w/Abby).
Today Abby is fussy, spitting up a lot, having very yucky diapers (not as bad as the rotavirus ones, mind you), and without much of an appetite. So what am I supposed to do??? She is NOT healthy, she is still losing weight, she is very fussy with her OT exercises, which the OT is thinking because Abby is losing weight and weak. I'm wondering "is it the formula?" "the egg yolk I gave her yesterday" "a new bug?" (her nose is running). Oh God, please hold on to my little girl, and please give us some answers and a good outcome.
Rachael update. Well, she missed 2 weeks at the church MDO program in January. They didn't call or anything. I took her back this past Wednesday - they did not know she was gone. Hmmm. Again - hmmm. Needless to say, I am praying to God for guidance on this one. And I think I'm getting some answers. I've had various professionals trucking through the house for Abby or the boys. Each has recently noted that Rachael seems to be really lagging developmentally, and engaging in a lot of self-stimulating behaviors (in autistic speak, this is called "stimming" - had flapping, eyes crossing, lining up toys in a row (ie, inappropriate play w/toys - see Jacob and/or Joshua for demonstrations). NO ONE is saying she is autistic - just lagging more and more behind her peers. They've even noted this at preschool, which is significant, because they don't know she's there half the time. They were planning to put her in a classroom w/younger kids (rather than kids her age) next year. Soooo.. after discussing the matter in depth w/Jacob's teacher Shonna, I called the school district and requested an evalation for PPCD placement (public preschool for children w/disabilities - memorize this, because I will never take the time to type it out again!). I need to return paperwork to the school district, and then they will schedule an evaluation for Rachael. She turns 3 March 6th, and would be immediately placed in a classroom, providing she meets criteria for disability.
What disability, you ask? I don't know. I'm winging this. And let me say it took some major chunks off my layers of pride to take this step. All along, Rachael has been our special blessing, the one that was going to 'make it.' It's not that we don't adore the boys, it's just such a blessing, such a gift from God, to see Rachael do things the boys have never been able to accomplish. They have been truly 'God moments.' Yes, I have taken it for granted so much, and often count on her to sit in some corner with a toy while I'm dealing with one of the boys or Abby. But her needs are pushing to the forefront these days. I'm thinking, if I can get her into a school setting w/teachers who are trained to work with delayed children, to pay attention and help Rachael along, instead of focusing on the 'typical' kids, and let the others like Rachael tag along for the ride - - this may be a good thing. So about 30-40% of me wants a PPCD placement for Rachael, and the other 60-70% wants them to say, "she's not delayed enough for services."
..gotta go. The school bus is here!
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
I'm sitting here at the computer eating cashews. There is no chocolate left in the house - how sick is that?! Oh well. Deren was looking at my bulging waistline last night - sans pregnancy - so I guess I need to be better about what I eat.
We didn't make it to the specialist yesterday. When I called and told them 2 of the kids have the rotavirus, they (nicely) asked me to stay away. Abby sees Dr. Rao (the allergy/immunology specialist) on Feb 9th. The rest of the kids see him on Feb 20th.
Jacob has been home from school the past 2 days. He has been coughing really bad, has flushed cheeks, and little to no appetite. My first thought was 'oh crap' (no pun intended ) - another w/the rotavirus. After a day or two, however, it looks like a cold. Joshua is also coming down with it, so I'll have 2 with a stomach virus and 2 with a cold.
Got a call from an OT at ECI yesterday. She is coming this Friday afternoon to evaluation Abigail's gross motor delay and determine whether Abby qualifies from services. I had to cancel Abby's appointments with the private OT last week and this week because of her bug. Next Thursday is Abby's appt with the neurologist (AND Deren's Birthday!). Please keep both Deren and Abby in your thoughts next Thursday. Let's hope for a happy Groundhog Day!
The city increased our water rates this past month. What with the drought and warm weather, we are having to water the lawn more than we usually do this time of year. Our bill last month was over $96! If I didn't have so much to pray about already, I would add rain to it!
On the knitting front: I am still working on a poncho for Rachael. It is becoming less and less likely it will be done before the spring, so maybe for next fall.
Deren's Aunt Jennifer sent us a nice note, as well as a chicken recipe. Here it is. I'm trying it tomorrow.
Grilled Chicken with Herbs & Garlic
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/4 tsp. oregano
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts (I usually pound them to flatten them
uniformly)
Combine in bowl all ingredients except chicken. Add chicken breasts and mix
with marinade. Grill or broil immediately on lightly greased grill about 7
minutes per side. (Can also cover and let stand at room temperature for half
an hour or refrigerate up to 3 hours.) This also is delicious served cold in
a green salad.
We didn't make it to the specialist yesterday. When I called and told them 2 of the kids have the rotavirus, they (nicely) asked me to stay away. Abby sees Dr. Rao (the allergy/immunology specialist) on Feb 9th. The rest of the kids see him on Feb 20th.
Jacob has been home from school the past 2 days. He has been coughing really bad, has flushed cheeks, and little to no appetite. My first thought was 'oh crap' (no pun intended ) - another w/the rotavirus. After a day or two, however, it looks like a cold. Joshua is also coming down with it, so I'll have 2 with a stomach virus and 2 with a cold.
Got a call from an OT at ECI yesterday. She is coming this Friday afternoon to evaluation Abigail's gross motor delay and determine whether Abby qualifies from services. I had to cancel Abby's appointments with the private OT last week and this week because of her bug. Next Thursday is Abby's appt with the neurologist (AND Deren's Birthday!). Please keep both Deren and Abby in your thoughts next Thursday. Let's hope for a happy Groundhog Day!
The city increased our water rates this past month. What with the drought and warm weather, we are having to water the lawn more than we usually do this time of year. Our bill last month was over $96! If I didn't have so much to pray about already, I would add rain to it!
On the knitting front: I am still working on a poncho for Rachael. It is becoming less and less likely it will be done before the spring, so maybe for next fall.
Deren's Aunt Jennifer sent us a nice note, as well as a chicken recipe. Here it is. I'm trying it tomorrow.
Grilled Chicken with Herbs & Garlic
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/4 tsp. oregano
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts (I usually pound them to flatten them
uniformly)
Combine in bowl all ingredients except chicken. Add chicken breasts and mix
with marinade. Grill or broil immediately on lightly greased grill about 7
minutes per side. (Can also cover and let stand at room temperature for half
an hour or refrigerate up to 3 hours.) This also is delicious served cold in
a green salad.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
..can't figure out how to delete that extra post, so bear with me. Abby is still pretty sick - not much of an appetite, upset stomach, throwing up on occassion, and problems at the south end, too. Jacob doesn't have an appetite, and Joshua is very fussy today. Soooo, I'm thinking they will all be well again sometime in February, seeing how this is a 7-10 day virus. Pray for me (I know, I'm asking that a lot lately). Oh, and pray for the kids, too - that's kinda selfish, isn't it? 'the kids are sick with a bad virus, put pray for me.' That's another 'God shaking his head a me moment' - He's having a lot of those lately - Deren can attest to that (he would be saying "Amen!" if he was reading this!
Not sure if I'm going to be able to continue with the bible, study, seeing as how it's from 11-1 on Tuesdays, and Deren can't take off work then, and no sane person would volunteer to watch a house full of the rotavirus. If only the duration of it wasn't so long (sighs again). Abby's OT is on hold, also, until she recovers.
The rest of the kids, including Rachael, have an appt w/Dr. Rao (specialist in allergy/immunology), tomorrow. While at face value Rachael appears to be doing much better than the boys, her lab work measuring gut and other immune system functioning is much worse than the boys. I am not expecting a pleasant appointment tomorrow. We haven't been giving the prescribed meds to the kids because they have had one gut bug after another, and won't take their meds when they're feeling bad. So this past 2 mos we would start a med for a couple days, stop it when they got sick, restart, stop and so forth. They were prescribed anti-fungals and anti-biotics - not a good class of drugs to be messing around with. So I don't EVEN want to think about how much I've messed them up regarding the meds. "Okay God? Are you done shaking your head? Because I need your favor again!"
We have had rain for the first day in ages here. It's been a dreary, cold day - I'm already whiny about it. I just finished eating a whole package of m&m's. I'm sure Abby will just LOVE that when she goes to nurse. Can someone just send me a cyber kick in the pants?! I'm off to pray, this all-about-me thing is getting out of control here.
Not sure if I'm going to be able to continue with the bible, study, seeing as how it's from 11-1 on Tuesdays, and Deren can't take off work then, and no sane person would volunteer to watch a house full of the rotavirus. If only the duration of it wasn't so long (sighs again). Abby's OT is on hold, also, until she recovers.
The rest of the kids, including Rachael, have an appt w/Dr. Rao (specialist in allergy/immunology), tomorrow. While at face value Rachael appears to be doing much better than the boys, her lab work measuring gut and other immune system functioning is much worse than the boys. I am not expecting a pleasant appointment tomorrow. We haven't been giving the prescribed meds to the kids because they have had one gut bug after another, and won't take their meds when they're feeling bad. So this past 2 mos we would start a med for a couple days, stop it when they got sick, restart, stop and so forth. They were prescribed anti-fungals and anti-biotics - not a good class of drugs to be messing around with. So I don't EVEN want to think about how much I've messed them up regarding the meds. "Okay God? Are you done shaking your head? Because I need your favor again!"
We have had rain for the first day in ages here. It's been a dreary, cold day - I'm already whiny about it. I just finished eating a whole package of m&m's. I'm sure Abby will just LOVE that when she goes to nurse. Can someone just send me a cyber kick in the pants?! I'm off to pray, this all-about-me thing is getting out of control here.
Friday, January 20, 2006
In the news today: there is a rotavirus pandemic in the region. The pandemic has hit the Ebdon household. Rachael has been sick since last Sunday. Abigail started getting sick Wed night - the symptons hit in full force today. Soooo.. another week or two (or 3 or 4, if the boys get it) of cleaning up things that I would rather not mention - (sigh)
Thursday, January 19, 2006
I am just getting around to posting pics today. It's been pretty hectic around here - all the more reason for me to be sitting in front of the computer eating a cookie bar!
The pretty young lady in this picture is Nikki (no, it's not me - I wish I looked that good - you will not see many pics of me and there's a reason why LOL!). Nikkie has worked with Joshua doing behavioral therapy since he was one year old! She went on to work with both the boys, as well as Rachael (Rachael loved to play with Ms. Nikki and the boys - she thought of the sessions as hers, not Jacob's or Joshua's. Nikki was always so great and let Rachael participate. When Nikki came to the house Rachael would say "bye bye Momma", and go to work.) Nikki graduated with her Master's in Speech Pathology this past December. She moved to Austin, and is working as a speech pathologist for Early Childhood Intervention (ECI). We miss her terribly, but wish her the absolute best!
(sniff, sniff) In other news, I took Abby to her 9 mo well visit last Thursday. The news was not good - she has went from the 25 to 5th percentile in weight, she is also losing muscle tone throughout her body. What does this mean? Low tone is a neurological problem. Her brain is not telling her muscles to fire. Hence, her limbs are the constistancy of Gumby - you can move her arms and legs any which way because her brain isn't communcating "hey, I'm not supposed to be in this position!" She wasn't bearing any weight on her legs - she wouldn't lock her knees to stand up - just went floppy every time you tried to stand her up. Sooo... in come the specialists - the OT's (occupational therapists), the neurologists, the g.i. doctors, the allergy/immunology doctors, the chiropractors, ECI workers .. did I leave anyone out? I'm sure I did. What can you do?? Pray, pray, pray hard for baby Abby. She is such a little sweet baby. Jacob went this same route (and had about the same timing, give or take a month) before he regressed and went on to lose all this skills - eye contact, speech, socialization. In fact, low tone is pretty common in kids w/autism. In makes sense.. these are the first signs that something is not right in the nervous system.
I have been praying every day for God to send people into our lives who can help Abby, and to hold me tight so that I can deal with the outcome - no matter what it is. Good news - Abby started working w/an OT this past Monday. Sue worked with the boys, back when we had some money. She is a wonderful OT. She showed me some exercises to do with Abby, and Abby is already bearing some weight on her legs! We plan to keep taking Abby to Sue for weekly cranial sacral (sp?) therapy, and she will informally monitor Abby's progress. We are waiting for an appt with ECI - can provide OT, PT and other services in the home (providing Abby qualifies, which based on the seriousness of her delay I think she will). I'm taking Abby to a pediatric neurologist Feb 2nd - Deren's birthday! - so say an extra prayer for us that day. I'm still dragging my feet with the g.i. doctor. I had such a bad experience w/Jacob. He was having horrible gut issues and I took him to a g.i. doctor in Dallas that came highly recommended. She had a nurse come into the room and ask me to leave - said she doesn't treat autism. So I took Jacob to the allergy/immunology doctor we had just started seeing, and Jacob has improved so much - he used to be doubled over in pain everyday. So what I thought was a horribe experience turned out to be a blessing. But I still can't get too excited about dragging Abby into a g.i. doctor. We see the allergy/immunology doctor next week, and I am hoping he will agree to take Abby on as a patient as well.
Other good news: I started a Beth Moore bible study at church last week - didn't get to go this past Tuesday because Rachael has a nasty, nasty stomach virus. I am loving it! And God, it is such perfect timing! Amen. I don't want to 'go it alone' this time around. When the boys started losing all their skills and having all their diagnoses and problems, I thought God had cursed me - I'll just go it alone. Man, was that ever a mistake. I kept falling further and further into a pit of anger and self- pity. I'm still trying to dig myself out of that pit. It's so easy to say 'oh life is going good. I love God, He loves me, la la la..' But when the stuff hits the fan, so did my faith in God. This time, I am determined to hold on and hold on, and hopefully become a better servant in the process. Well, that's my sermon for the day. For copies, please send donations c/o the "autism club" - you know the address LOL!
The pretty young lady in this picture is Nikki (no, it's not me - I wish I looked that good - you will not see many pics of me and there's a reason why LOL!). Nikkie has worked with Joshua doing behavioral therapy since he was one year old! She went on to work with both the boys, as well as Rachael (Rachael loved to play with Ms. Nikki and the boys - she thought of the sessions as hers, not Jacob's or Joshua's. Nikki was always so great and let Rachael participate. When Nikki came to the house Rachael would say "bye bye Momma", and go to work.) Nikki graduated with her Master's in Speech Pathology this past December. She moved to Austin, and is working as a speech pathologist for Early Childhood Intervention (ECI). We miss her terribly, but wish her the absolute best!
(sniff, sniff) In other news, I took Abby to her 9 mo well visit last Thursday. The news was not good - she has went from the 25 to 5th percentile in weight, she is also losing muscle tone throughout her body. What does this mean? Low tone is a neurological problem. Her brain is not telling her muscles to fire. Hence, her limbs are the constistancy of Gumby - you can move her arms and legs any which way because her brain isn't communcating "hey, I'm not supposed to be in this position!" She wasn't bearing any weight on her legs - she wouldn't lock her knees to stand up - just went floppy every time you tried to stand her up. Sooo... in come the specialists - the OT's (occupational therapists), the neurologists, the g.i. doctors, the allergy/immunology doctors, the chiropractors, ECI workers .. did I leave anyone out? I'm sure I did. What can you do?? Pray, pray, pray hard for baby Abby. She is such a little sweet baby. Jacob went this same route (and had about the same timing, give or take a month) before he regressed and went on to lose all this skills - eye contact, speech, socialization. In fact, low tone is pretty common in kids w/autism. In makes sense.. these are the first signs that something is not right in the nervous system.
I have been praying every day for God to send people into our lives who can help Abby, and to hold me tight so that I can deal with the outcome - no matter what it is. Good news - Abby started working w/an OT this past Monday. Sue worked with the boys, back when we had some money. She is a wonderful OT. She showed me some exercises to do with Abby, and Abby is already bearing some weight on her legs! We plan to keep taking Abby to Sue for weekly cranial sacral (sp?) therapy, and she will informally monitor Abby's progress. We are waiting for an appt with ECI - can provide OT, PT and other services in the home (providing Abby qualifies, which based on the seriousness of her delay I think she will). I'm taking Abby to a pediatric neurologist Feb 2nd - Deren's birthday! - so say an extra prayer for us that day. I'm still dragging my feet with the g.i. doctor. I had such a bad experience w/Jacob. He was having horrible gut issues and I took him to a g.i. doctor in Dallas that came highly recommended. She had a nurse come into the room and ask me to leave - said she doesn't treat autism. So I took Jacob to the allergy/immunology doctor we had just started seeing, and Jacob has improved so much - he used to be doubled over in pain everyday. So what I thought was a horribe experience turned out to be a blessing. But I still can't get too excited about dragging Abby into a g.i. doctor. We see the allergy/immunology doctor next week, and I am hoping he will agree to take Abby on as a patient as well.
Other good news: I started a Beth Moore bible study at church last week - didn't get to go this past Tuesday because Rachael has a nasty, nasty stomach virus. I am loving it! And God, it is such perfect timing! Amen. I don't want to 'go it alone' this time around. When the boys started losing all their skills and having all their diagnoses and problems, I thought God had cursed me - I'll just go it alone. Man, was that ever a mistake. I kept falling further and further into a pit of anger and self- pity. I'm still trying to dig myself out of that pit. It's so easy to say 'oh life is going good. I love God, He loves me, la la la..' But when the stuff hits the fan, so did my faith in God. This time, I am determined to hold on and hold on, and hopefully become a better servant in the process. Well, that's my sermon for the day. For copies, please send donations c/o the "autism club" - you know the address LOL!
Friday, January 06, 2006
The boys started back to school on Wednesday, and can you believe they were healthy for it? When Jacob saw his uniform shirt, he started to cry. Joshua was miserable at first, too - he likes to sleep in and gets pretty crabby if anyone else wakes him up. But they both ran to the bus. That afternoon Deren picked Jacob up 1/2 early from school and took him to the ophthalmologist (and I might have just spelled that correctly woohoo!) that sees Rachael. Jacob was prescribed prism lenses last Jan by an optometrist that sees a lot of local autistic kids. The glasses were supposed to help regulate his sensory visual disturbances. No go. Jacob was still crossing his eyes, so we decided to get a second opinion. Dr. Wang (Rachael's doctor) said that Jacob was far-sighted, and his current glasses did not account for that at all. I went to the other office today and got a copy of Jacob's records. The doctor had dilated Jacob's eyes, but did not put down any results. So now we are looking at paying for yet another set of glasses. Please pray that these will do the trick. Yes, Jacob can continue to cross his eyes because of sensory issues, but the underlying problem of not being able to see up close surely does not help the situation. I'm so frustrated.
Moving on.. I planted 2 thornless blackberry bushes, 2 swiss chard plants (hope they will make it!) and a fig tree in the backyard this past Tuesday. We planted 2 blackberry bushes at our first house. By year 3 they produced more than a gallon of berries - it was great. The kids "helped" me plant, especially Jacob and Rachael, my 2 helpers. The three of us were mudballs by the end of the day - they had a blast! They are so cute. When I hang clothes on the clotheslines (yes, we have clotheslines in the middle of suburbia - call us white trash if you will!) they are right there trying to clip the pins onto the clothes. And Jacob was irrate when I took down the Christmas tree on Monday. He kept going into the container and grabbing the ornaments back out to put them up on the Christmas tree. Meanwhile, Rachael yells "WHERE'S CHRISTMAS?!!" when we're out on a walk or driving.
We're having a babysitter come to the house for 1 1/2 hrs on Tues & Weds to watch the kids while I work 1:1 with each boy on their lessons. It will be a lot less expensive than trying to find a new therapist to work with them. Also, we had been so blessed by the wonderful talent of the women who had been working with the boys - Christina, Nikki, and Maria. First I prayed for another person as talented to come into our lives. Then I changed my prayers to "show me what I should do Lord." I decided I would work with them. Although I am definitely not in the league of their former therapists, I am committed to this. Please pray for the boys and for me to not disappoint them - I'd appreciate it :-)
Moving on.. I planted 2 thornless blackberry bushes, 2 swiss chard plants (hope they will make it!) and a fig tree in the backyard this past Tuesday. We planted 2 blackberry bushes at our first house. By year 3 they produced more than a gallon of berries - it was great. The kids "helped" me plant, especially Jacob and Rachael, my 2 helpers. The three of us were mudballs by the end of the day - they had a blast! They are so cute. When I hang clothes on the clotheslines (yes, we have clotheslines in the middle of suburbia - call us white trash if you will!) they are right there trying to clip the pins onto the clothes. And Jacob was irrate when I took down the Christmas tree on Monday. He kept going into the container and grabbing the ornaments back out to put them up on the Christmas tree. Meanwhile, Rachael yells "WHERE'S CHRISTMAS?!!" when we're out on a walk or driving.
We're having a babysitter come to the house for 1 1/2 hrs on Tues & Weds to watch the kids while I work 1:1 with each boy on their lessons. It will be a lot less expensive than trying to find a new therapist to work with them. Also, we had been so blessed by the wonderful talent of the women who had been working with the boys - Christina, Nikki, and Maria. First I prayed for another person as talented to come into our lives. Then I changed my prayers to "show me what I should do Lord." I decided I would work with them. Although I am definitely not in the league of their former therapists, I am committed to this. Please pray for the boys and for me to not disappoint them - I'd appreciate it :-)
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Happy New Years! Keeping with tradition, I was in bed well before 10. I think I could count the number of times I've stayed up until midnight on one hand! I've never been a night person. Deren's parents left for the airport at 7am this morning. Jacob and Joshua were up to see them off. Joshua wanted one last ride in their rental car. Jacob said "bye bye" and cried when they left. We felt so bad for the little guy! All the kids miss Grandma and Grandpa.
We went to the park yesterday afternoon. I walked with Abby while Deren and his parents chased the kiddos around. Afterwards we went for smoothies and ice cream. Joshua is a Jamba Juice junkie - so is his mama! There is a good mexican restaurant right next to Jamba Juice, so we decided to get take out from there. I ate a plate that could probably feed three people, and was almost in a coma by 9pm. We watched a program featuring favorite opera pieces from the Lincoln Center. Rachael gave her own renditions to the opera. Oh - we also found out she's a closet Ricky Nelson fan. PBS had a special on him after the opera. Rachael boogied with Ricky for awhile.
We went to church this a.m. The first time we've been to church as a (semi-healthy) family since I don't know when. We had all the kids in their respective nursery rooms - so the healthy part probably won't last too long - but it was a really nice service. After that we stopped by Jamba Juice again (for me and Joshie!). Deren was reading the paper and left out an article about black-eyed peas on New Years. There was a recipe with the article. I went to the grocery store, got the last two cans of black-eyed peas, and made the recipe while Deren appeased the kiddos. Here it is - it is really good!
1 lb bulk sausage, hot or regular
1 C chopped onion
1 C chopped green pepper
1 C chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14oz) can chicken broth
1 C converted rice (I used Uncle Ben's instant whole grain)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 (14oz) cans black-eyed peas
Saute sausage, onion, green pepper, celery and garlic in large pot over med-hi heat. Drain and return to pot (I didn't have to drain). Add chicken broth, rice, salt, peppers and bay leaf. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 mins, stirring occasionally (didn't say whether to cover, I did for half the time)
Drain & rinse black-eyed peas, then add to pot and simmer an additional 5-10 mins, until liquid is absorbed into the rice.
We went to the park yesterday afternoon. I walked with Abby while Deren and his parents chased the kiddos around. Afterwards we went for smoothies and ice cream. Joshua is a Jamba Juice junkie - so is his mama! There is a good mexican restaurant right next to Jamba Juice, so we decided to get take out from there. I ate a plate that could probably feed three people, and was almost in a coma by 9pm. We watched a program featuring favorite opera pieces from the Lincoln Center. Rachael gave her own renditions to the opera. Oh - we also found out she's a closet Ricky Nelson fan. PBS had a special on him after the opera. Rachael boogied with Ricky for awhile.
We went to church this a.m. The first time we've been to church as a (semi-healthy) family since I don't know when. We had all the kids in their respective nursery rooms - so the healthy part probably won't last too long - but it was a really nice service. After that we stopped by Jamba Juice again (for me and Joshie!). Deren was reading the paper and left out an article about black-eyed peas on New Years. There was a recipe with the article. I went to the grocery store, got the last two cans of black-eyed peas, and made the recipe while Deren appeased the kiddos. Here it is - it is really good!
1 lb bulk sausage, hot or regular
1 C chopped onion
1 C chopped green pepper
1 C chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14oz) can chicken broth
1 C converted rice (I used Uncle Ben's instant whole grain)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 (14oz) cans black-eyed peas
Saute sausage, onion, green pepper, celery and garlic in large pot over med-hi heat. Drain and return to pot (I didn't have to drain). Add chicken broth, rice, salt, peppers and bay leaf. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 mins, stirring occasionally (didn't say whether to cover, I did for half the time)
Drain & rinse black-eyed peas, then add to pot and simmer an additional 5-10 mins, until liquid is absorbed into the rice.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Our hard drive on the laptop crashed a couple days ago, so I can't load any pics. But as it so happens, we have no pics of Christmas. Jacob came down with (another!) stomach bug mid-morning on Sunday. The bug was worse than the one he had a week or two ago. WHEN WILL THIS END! We normally use only vinegar to clean in the kitchen and bathrooms, but I pulled out the bleach on Sunday. We have had kids throwing up for a couple weeks now. A couple hours after Jacob got sick, Rachael started having problems at the other end (kwim?). So our Christmas wasn't too jolly, but we survived, and tried to keep perspective. Deren and I kept asking each other "what are you thankful for?" throughout the day. We each had a couple hissy fits in the midsts of vomit and other stuff which I will not name, but we got through it.
Good news is Joshua is doing better. His nose is still running quite a bit, but his appetite is much, much better. He's been happy at mealtimes these past 2 days - yay! Rachael and Jacob, however, have really fickle tummies right now, and are not wanting to eat much. Their congestion has also picked up, so maybe this is the course of the bug (at least the current one).
I ended up going to Christmas Eve service at 4pm with Rachael and Abby. I helped Rachael hang an angel ornament on the tree during the service. I'll post pictures of the girls in their dresses when the laptop is fixed (hopefully next week).
Monday Deren's parents arrived from Canada, where they were visiting his brother, his wife and 2 sons. The weather has been beautiful (and quite a bit different from Canada!) here - in the 80's 2 days, in the upper 60's and 70's otherwise. Joshua is in heaven playing in the backyard. We are trying to potty train Rachael - no successes yet, and a lot of accidents. We put her in regular underwear - she will pee away in pull ups - so did the boys. How do you train kids in disposable pull-ups anyway? Wish Rachael success! She returns to mother's day out at church next Friday. Don't think they will appreciate Rachael having accidents left and right.
Good news is Joshua is doing better. His nose is still running quite a bit, but his appetite is much, much better. He's been happy at mealtimes these past 2 days - yay! Rachael and Jacob, however, have really fickle tummies right now, and are not wanting to eat much. Their congestion has also picked up, so maybe this is the course of the bug (at least the current one).
I ended up going to Christmas Eve service at 4pm with Rachael and Abby. I helped Rachael hang an angel ornament on the tree during the service. I'll post pictures of the girls in their dresses when the laptop is fixed (hopefully next week).
Monday Deren's parents arrived from Canada, where they were visiting his brother, his wife and 2 sons. The weather has been beautiful (and quite a bit different from Canada!) here - in the 80's 2 days, in the upper 60's and 70's otherwise. Joshua is in heaven playing in the backyard. We are trying to potty train Rachael - no successes yet, and a lot of accidents. We put her in regular underwear - she will pee away in pull ups - so did the boys. How do you train kids in disposable pull-ups anyway? Wish Rachael success! She returns to mother's day out at church next Friday. Don't think they will appreciate Rachael having accidents left and right.
Friday, December 23, 2005
So it looks like church is out for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Rachael was fussing all night, and threw up her dinner from last night this a.m. at breakfast (eww!). WTH!! She was just throwing up last Friday!! We are going to fall back on our standing Christmas tradition - kids throwing up and/or oozing snot and/or hooked up to the nebulizer for breathing treatments. Abby, Joshua, and Jacob still have a pretty bad cold. Deren stayed home from work. Neither of us feel that great, but after cleaning up roast beef that's been in a toddlers stomach for over 12 hrs, who would??
I'm so bummed. When I prayed this morning I asked for forgiveness for being so self-centered. We are celebrating Jesus' birthday, and look at the sacrifice he made for us. Much, much bigger than a temporary bug. Does it matter if we go to church? (sniff, sniff) We will be thankful at home this year.
I'm so bummed. When I prayed this morning I asked for forgiveness for being so self-centered. We are celebrating Jesus' birthday, and look at the sacrifice he made for us. Much, much bigger than a temporary bug. Does it matter if we go to church? (sniff, sniff) We will be thankful at home this year.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
We were in the house going stir-crazy this afternoon, so I put the kids by the tree and started snapping shots. The one with all four has Jacob biting himself - Abby was attacking him with a Christmas ornament.
Otherwise, today was a day when you love to live in Texas - sunny and in the 60's. Deren is still working, so we played out in the yard quite a bit. I also opened the windows and let in some fresh air. What a beautiful day!
I am knitting a poncho for Rachael. It is going slow. I am hoping to have it done in the next week, and I'll post pictures. I don't think I picked that pretty of a yarn for the poncho. Definitely not too trendy. I turn into a vegetable at the yarn store - I can't visualize how the yarns will look finished. And then the lady started talking about changing the pattern for the different weights and gauges of the yarn - huh?
We splurged and got a Creative MP3 player at Walmart over the weekend. We got a really good deal - they price matched with a one day only sale Staples was having. I've been knitting in Kenny Chesney land each night - pretty nice.
Otherwise, today was a day when you love to live in Texas - sunny and in the 60's. Deren is still working, so we played out in the yard quite a bit. I also opened the windows and let in some fresh air. What a beautiful day!
I am knitting a poncho for Rachael. It is going slow. I am hoping to have it done in the next week, and I'll post pictures. I don't think I picked that pretty of a yarn for the poncho. Definitely not too trendy. I turn into a vegetable at the yarn store - I can't visualize how the yarns will look finished. And then the lady started talking about changing the pattern for the different weights and gauges of the yarn - huh?
We splurged and got a Creative MP3 player at Walmart over the weekend. We got a really good deal - they price matched with a one day only sale Staples was having. I've been knitting in Kenny Chesney land each night - pretty nice.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
I'm SO excited! This day started off pretty lousy. Joshua is on another Christmas hunger strike - won't eat anything but a couple chips and a couple pieces of dry cereal here and there. Everything else is a pitch battle - he throws up, screams, smacks. If I force feed him something (this a.m. it was a bite of scrambled egg, for lunch a bite of chicken nugget) he pockets it in his cheek, like a squirrel with a nut. He can keep the food in his cheek indefinitely - or usually until I turn my back for a moment and then he spits it out. At lunch I dug through the trash for another chicken nugget and sat there until he swallowed it. Then I hugged him, gave him some skittles, and a movie. Jacob goes nuts while Joshua is carrying on - he IS rather loud. Rachael usually ignores Joshua when he is doing this, but will eventually break down and cry. Abby was trying to shriek as loud as Joshua. Mostly the other kids were ignored today while I fought with Joshua. And when he doesn't eat he walks around crying because he is so hungry. But he does not have the cognitive ability to put two and two together and realize he's starving himself, and if he would eat he would feel better. It's so frustrating. I called his speech therapist, Christina, and cried and whined to her for a bit. This is exactly what we dealt with last Christmas - ugh! She suggested giving him several mini-meals throughout the day - if he has to eat a bite or two of unpreferred foods (which is about everything at the moment!) at regular intervals he may not act up as much than if he eats larger meals only 3x/day. Make sense? Sounded good to me - except the bit about me doing all the feedings! I just want to crawl into my closet with my oreos at mealtimes now!
Anyway, on to the exciting part.. Rachael and Abby both had a check-up with the eye specialist this afternoon. Rachael to monitor her crossing, and Abby as a follow-up to having her tear ducts irrigated a month ago. On the way to the office I heard a commercial on the radio with a lady talking about needing energy to raise her son w/special needs. I perked up and listened. The lady speaking turns out to be a friend of mine, Liz Scillian! It was a commercial for Citracal. It was the best commercial ever! And check out the Citracal website: http://www.standstrong.com
the first picture (in b&w) is Liz. I was in tears! I called her and was saying "oh my gosh oh my gosh!" How NEAT!!
BTW - good news on both girls. Rachael's eyes are not crossing so long as she is wearing her glasses. We may have to start putting a patch over her left eye for an hour or two a day. The doctor wants to see her again in Feb before making the determination. Abby is doing great after her procedure.
..off to the food wars now.
Anyway, on to the exciting part.. Rachael and Abby both had a check-up with the eye specialist this afternoon. Rachael to monitor her crossing, and Abby as a follow-up to having her tear ducts irrigated a month ago. On the way to the office I heard a commercial on the radio with a lady talking about needing energy to raise her son w/special needs. I perked up and listened. The lady speaking turns out to be a friend of mine, Liz Scillian! It was a commercial for Citracal. It was the best commercial ever! And check out the Citracal website: http://www.standstrong.com
the first picture (in b&w) is Liz. I was in tears! I called her and was saying "oh my gosh oh my gosh!" How NEAT!!
BTW - good news on both girls. Rachael's eyes are not crossing so long as she is wearing her glasses. We may have to start putting a patch over her left eye for an hour or two a day. The doctor wants to see her again in Feb before making the determination. Abby is doing great after her procedure.
..off to the food wars now.
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