Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Now that school is back in session, Patrick is very keen on helping me study. Here he is working on his medical terminology. (Because of this, I cannot stop saying ala-ala-OOOH-sis.)

Patrick Loves His Superheroes

It just dawned on me that a year ago yesterday, I learned that we were going to have a Baby Leo.  (Granted, we didn't know it was a Baby Leo, but a baby nonetheless.)  A year ago yesterday, I had my hair pulled back, wore dark blue Vigoss jeans, a white blousy pleated shirt, tall gold heels, and I was pregnant.  I came out of the bathroom after seeing the test, dressed my little 18-month old Patrick, whispered my news, went to work, and I was pregnant.  I came home, went about my normal business, never told Adam, and I was pregnant.  For the record, those jeans are still tight.  Also for the record, I would have it no other way.  My sweet baby Leo.

Two days later, I did finally tell Adam.  Disguised as a simple little getaway night since he had been working like mad, we checked in to a hotel downtown, ordered a buffett of cooked sushi, and a bottle of Prosecco (for him).  At exactly 8:10pm, room service showed up again, this time with warm chocolate chip cookies, Traders Point Creamery Milk, and a small green-and-white-striped envelope for Mr. Walden.  Here is what it said:

My Daddy-

I do not have a face to see or to put inside a frame.
I do not have soft cheeks to kiss and I don't yet have a name.
You can't yet hold my tiny hands, nor whisper in my ear.
It's still too soon to sing a song or cuddle me so near.
But all will change come this May; that's when Mom thinks I'm due.
I'm your new and tiny baby and I will soon be meeting you.
All that I ask from now until then is your patience while I grow.
I promise I'll be worth the wait--you've been through this.  You know.
And from where I am, I'm loving you as I know you are loving me.
My Daddy, I cannot wait to join this growing family.

(Also included was a little note from me, which will not be shared.  As little as I mind sharing personal details, some memories lose their charm when not kept close.)

Sadly for my sweet baby Leo, this week has not been so warm-and-fuzzy for him.  With school back in session as of Monday, and Leo having never gone without me for more than a couple of hours, I was terrified that it would have gone much worse than it did.  For all I know, it was much worse, but my wonderful babysitters have all lied to me.  In short, Leo misses his mom.  I'm at a loss for what to do, if anything at all.  I contemplated weaning him, as to maybe break the attachment a little, but the thought of that brings tears to my eyes.  I know I'm not ready.  Obviously, neither is Leo, and I really don't want to lessen the mother/baby bond.  Breastfeeding is a breeze for the both of us and I hate the thought of disrupting this good thing we have going.  I'll wait another week or two and see how things are going.  My hope is that he just adjusts to these new changes and I'll have to do nothing.  I have the day off today, and tiny Leo is in a very good mood to have me home. 

Patrick, on the other hand, loves the new transition.  He barely gave me a kiss and a wave before I was out the door on Monday.  He loves going to see Uncle Thomas, Aunt Leeney, Grandma, and Nana (whomever has them on whatever day).  He's our little social butterfly.  He lives for these little outings and, though he is a creature of habit and desperately needs a schedule, he's pretty open to change.  He's been great through all of this, even so far as to "help" me study.  Not a night has gone by this week that I haven't been trying to study with at least one, and sometimes two, sleepy children on my lap.  I'll take it, though.  They could be screaming, hell-raising monsters who never let me get anything done (and, chances are, I'll have at least one day of that before this is all over), but for the most part, they are pretty cooperative.  My guilty conscious aside, things are going well.  It's nice to be back in the swing of things.  I like to be busy.  We'll see if I'm singing the same tune in a week.

Summer Pics

I don't really have the time to post anything this evening, but I wanted to at least add some of my favorite candid cell pics from the last few months (unfortunately not in the order I wanted them.  It's just not working out tonight.)  Enjoy!

Movie night with my favorite boys 8/10

 Family Date Night 6/10

 Leo, 7.5 weeks old- 7/10

 Patrick was crazy about Leo from the start-5/10

 Leo, 5 weeks old-6/10

 All packed up and heading home from the hospital- 5/2/10

 Adam in the hospital with Leo- 4/30/10

 Our future Bulldog, 8/23/10

 Family vacation- 8/8/10

Same picture, different editing.  8/8/10

Adam at the Sea Pines Marina on Hilton Head Island, SC- 8/10

Leo, 5 weeks old- 5/10

My sister-in-law/personal photographer/one of the best people on the planet (Katie Marsh), 8/10

My two sweet boys, 7/10

What sometime happens when a 2 year-old decides to dress himself- 8/10

Patrick's first attempt at using my cell camera, 7/10

Adam and I pre-nap on our mini Babymoon, 4/10

Patrick's first climb into the crib to visit his sleeping brother, 6/10

Day 5

I promise not to update every single day of this wretched workout cycle, but it helps me to feel accountable if I write it out.  (Not that that has changed anything in the past.  If I don't like something, I'm giving it up.  End of story.)  Let's be clear on this...I hate it.  I don't like P90-X one bit.  However, when it's all said and done, I feel pretty good.  Strong.  Engaged. 

I missed a day this week and opted instead to order pizza and have beers with my friend, Kelly.  It was lovely, but I have been playing mad catch-up.  I had a long workout yesterday and another today.  I did the Ab Ripper X two days in a row.  I think I may have done some internal damage.  (I'm half-way kidding.  Sitting still, I feel fine.  I just leaned over to play with Patrick, though, and almost couldn't lean back to sit down.)  I'm five days in.  I'm hating it, but not enough to quit yet. I did legs today and am pleasantly surprised by my ability to keep up.  My leg strength is pretty good.  Abs are still not.  Really not.  Not at all. 

I'll update again about this in a week.  We'll just take it one week at a time.  If I finish this, we're having a big old sushi feast.  A big one.  With sake.  Lots of sake...and maybe some cake. 

P90X-Day 2

My confidence is up a little after the second day of P90X.  Though I woke up sore and stiff this morning (I swear my joints creaked when I got out of bed), I feel pretty good.  The first day of Core Synergistics was terrible.  In general, I have weak "core" strength.  Three months post-baby, I have almost no core strength.  Day 2 brought Cardio, which was good!  I like cardio!  (No, I don't. I just like it more than most other workouts.)  I've found that my upper body strength is embarassingly weak and my lower body strength is not-too-shabby.  Hopefully, by the end of this, it'll all be more equal.  88 days to go...

Patrick J.E. is 2-and-a-Half

Image via Wikipedia

As of August 6th, our sweet and tiny Patrick (I know, I know...) turned 2.5.  On this very special occassion, we sang half of the Happy Birthday song and he ate half of a cupcake.  I very reluctantly ate the other half. 

Here are Pjew's favorite things, to date:


1. Buzz Lightyear (takes the cake)
2. Spiderman
3. Captain America
4. Really, any Superheroes, but only the "good guys." 
5. Daddy
6. Owls
7.The Itsy Bitsy Spider"
8. My iPhone
9. Baby Leo (Or Leo-be-o-rio-ee-eee-eee-bee-bee!!)
10. Car Washes
11. "Can I talk to you a minute?"

And, because we can't leave Leo out, here are his favorite things at 3.5 months old:

1. Mommy
2. Daddy
3. Patrick
4 Having someone blow in his face
5 Standing
6 Smiling and being smiled at
7 Light bumps on his head (thank Patrick for this one. Leo likes head-butts and Patrick likes to give them.)
8 His Moses Basket (for which he is far too big, but hates being without. A lot.)

A Student Nurse's Prayer

As school starts in less than a week, and I feel entirely unprepared for what I am about to do, I found this and thought it was appropriate.  It might just be my mantra for the next 14 months:

THE STUDENT NURSE’S PRAYER


Lord, I know we go through this every day but please give me the knowledge as to why I actually wanted to go to nursing school.
Lord, give me the strength to make it through those boring three hour lectures without falling asleep.
Lord, please give me the patience to make it through ten hour clinicals with instructors that can’t just give you the right answer and on the same note, give the nurses the ability to remember what it was like to be a student and give us just a little more respect.
Lord, give me the endurance to read all of the assigned readings and be able to remember it when I am taking a test with four right answers.
Lord, give my family and friends the ability to realize I really am on the edge of insanity.
Finally, Lord, give me the vision to see that one day I will be a real nurse and I will never have to wear this ugly uniform again.

Amen.

P90X, Day 1...also Potty Training, Day 1

Yesterday was not a good idea.  I have so much to get done before school starts in a week, but I insisted on starting potty training and P90X on the same day.  The term "flop" describes both pretty accurately.

As far as potty training goes, as much as I can see Patrick "gets" it, I just don't know that he's ready.  I know so many other younger kids who are eager to get going, and Patrick just refuses.  It's discouraging.  Yesterday's attempt meant that we had several accidents, two "tries," and zero successes.  Attempts with Patrick when he was younger were more successful than this.  I'm going to try again today, but I'm already dreading it.  It's the truth.

P90X started last night.  Also not good.  I am so out of shape.  After seeing the recent vacation photos, I got a double-confirmation.  I hear the "you just had a baby" excuse all of the time from people I discuss this with and, yes, I did.  However, it doesn't change the fact that losing control of your body is frustrating.  I'm trying to get that back. From last night's attempt, I know I have a way to go.  While I was really gung-ho yesterday, I am timidly about to start round two.  Thankfully, I am not too sore, but I am sure I will be.  Here is to a day of successes, I hope.  I really, really hope. 

Hilton Head

We are now back from our lovely (and truly excessive, in every sense) vacation to Hilton Head. Eating, drinking, sleeping in, playing with the kids, and trying to subdue them long enough to sleep for an adequate amount of time, left everyone sun-kissed and exhausted. It was a long drive there and a longer drive home, but it was a great way to end the summer. Here is a breakdown:


Friday: We pulled out of the Walden's (my in-laws) house at midnight. Deciding to caravan, I took the first shift. One extremely large coffee and a 5-hour energy shot and I was raring to go. RARING to go. As it turns out, this is not a good idea. Three hours later, I was so hopped up that my vision was blurry and I was gripping the steering wheel for dear life. NOTE: Do not try this lethal concoction again.

Saturday: After Adam took over driving, I woke up a few hours outside of Ashville, NC. With still 5 or so hours to go, I took over driving again while Adam hung out with the kids. One more switch behind the wheel (the kids respond quietly to me...not to much to Adam), and we arrived 14 hours after our departure. The house was GORGEOUS, beers were opened, pizza ordered, and we settled in for a quiet first evening.

Sunday: Here is where the days start to blur. Beach, food, pool, pool, and more pool...vacation is exhausting, but it sure is fun. We spent some time with Adam's extended family and some time on our own. We had days we woke up with an agenda and days we were happy not to shower and bum around our own pool all day. Alex rented bikes for the family, and we all took turns making meals, although Mary Ann (my mother-in-law) took the lead on this one.  Imagine a decadent life of family, water, sand, food, and drinks, and that about sums it up. If that sounds mundane, you'll have to trust me that it wasn't. It was anything but mundane, for sure. It was lovely.

Fast forward to Saturday morning, the day we were leaving, and Adam finds me sitting on the bedroom floor staring out the glass door to the backyard. With tears in my eyes, I explained to him that this was the end. I've been joking about how this has been the best summer of my life, but in truth, it has been. I've been able to do everything that I have wanted; I spent plenty-o pool days at the K of C, spent loads of time with our families, got to see extended family, had Leo baptized, re-painted the entire house and then some, read a few books, fixed both of the cars (ugh), finally got in to the storage unit (hooray!), and bonded with my two boys. The time we spent together could never be repeated, but it was great. I doubt they'll remember it, but I will. I'm broken-hearted to see it end, but what's that saying about being happy that it ever happened, not sad that it's ending? Yeah, that.

Here are some vacation photos:

With one day left until Hilton Head, it just makes sense that I would come down with a little stomach bug. As I sit here, I am looking around at all of the things that need to get done. We're having people stay over at our house, so as not to leave it empty for a week, so I need to make sure there are clean sheets and towels and at least a few groceries to keep them fed. There is laundry and packing to be done and then we're off. I cannot wait. A week away with some of my favorite people to close what's left of my summer could not be more perfect.

Leo just turned three months old and little Patrick will be 2.5 tomorrow (he's getting half of a cupcake and a candle, but he doesn't know that yet.) Leo has a giant smile and sweet disposition. He's started to reach for faces and just this morning, as I went to save him from Patrick, who crawled into Leo's crib again, Leo let out a little squeal of delight and showed a huge smile (of relief, I'm sure.) He's a big kid, that Leo. At three months old, he's just four pounds shy of Patrick at a year old. He can stand (with help for balance) and gets very proud of himself. He's a good baby. Really good. I adore him.

Meanwhile, Patrick's verbal and cognitive skills continue to impress. He can put ideas and concepts together pretty easily, can put in and start his own DVD's, brush his teeth without urging or help, and can talk back with the best of them. He is again suddenly terrified by the hair clippers, but will pick up spiders and earwigs with his bare hands to show them to me, just before crushing them between his chubby fingers. I was holding him while he slept last night and I remembered being sad when Patrick's back was no longer the size of my hand. As we laid down together, I realized that, with his head on my shouder, his little feet dangled past my knees. He's suddenly so big, and although he smothers Leo like crazy and he presents daily challenges to us, he's hilariously funny and clever. I adore him, too. Here are some Patrick gems from this week:

P: My sunglasses hurt me!
Me: Well, then tell them not to do that.
P: (Holding up his sunglasses) Mom. Look. I'm thinking they don't talk.
Touche.

While at Kohl's and Patrick refused to leave:
Me: Fine. Stay. Leo and I are going to go see Grandma.
P: You're not going to leave.
Me: Yes, I am. We're going right now.
P: You can't leave me here, Mom. I'm just a kid.
Again, touche.

My favorite was finding Patrick yesterday, shirt pulled up and attempting to breastfeed Leo. That will get brought up a few times in the next couple of years, I'm certain of it. In fact, I plan on it.

Now I'm procrastinating. I'm off to prepare for the beach. Hooray for family vacations!