Catch Up

I tend to start to write about something then never finish. So, here you go. Updates.

Dishwasher

• No, we don't have a new one yet.
• They say it will be delivered tomorrow. (I'll believe it when I see it.)
• I'm worried about what they will have to do to get the old one out. It did not sound like it was going to be an easy job.
• We had 2 choices of dishwasher that would fit. One cost about $950. The other was $600 but was not as deep as the expensive one. We went for the cheaper of the two. Hopefully I can still fit most of our pots in there.
• The first thing I am going to do is rewash all the bottles. They don't seem to get as clean washing by hand.

Sean

• His last urine test results still showed a slightly elevated pH level. We are going to repeat the blood & urine tests in a month. They will also test for celiac disease and check his thyroid.
• His next appointment is July 17th with the Growth & Nutrition clinic.
• His new thing is chewing his food for awhile then opening his mouth and brushing it out with his hand. EXTREMELY frustrating. Not the way to gain weight.
• He does like the Tofutti ice cream sandwiches I found at the market. Those he will swallow.
• Still refusing to drink from a sippy cup. I think I purchased every style out there.
• He is a monkey. A very strong monkey. He was trying to look out the window but too small to reach the widow sill. So he used the radiator vent to boost himself up enough to reach the sill. The was on his tippy toes as he tried to see out the window. Then only one foot was touching the vent below. The he was HANGING from the widow sill and Pulling himself up to see out the window. This kid is freakishly strong. I wanted to take a picture but I was afraid he would fall when I went to grab it.

Meghan

• Meghan is still in that stage where she does not want to nap during the day but can't quite make it to bedtime without one. It is better if she does not take one because then she at least goes to bed at a reasonable hour (reasonable being before we go to bed). But, if she does not nap there is a good chance you will find her passed out at dinner time.
• We are trying to teach her that she should go to the bathroom BEFORE it is an emergency.
• She is still obsessed with the Backyardigans and wants to watch nothing else.

The Grocery Game

• I am still using The Grocery Game to shop.
• I generally save anywhere from $30-$75 each time I go to the store.
• Most of the money I spend is for Sean's milk-free/soy food that is never on sale.
• I don't use the CVS list every week. Just once or twice a month to stock up on things.

Work

• Thursday is my last day (yipee!!).
• I really have nothing left to do except clean out my office. I am finding dusty software beta guides from 1997.
• I bought a new laptop to use from home. It's pink. Ryan believes I choose pink just so he would not want to use it.

This is not a surprise to those who know him

Ryan has a new favorite show:

Wipeout

Ryan enjoys a good laugh at others expense so this show has his name written all over it. He TiVo's the first episode and watched it a few days ago. I was not interested so I went to bed instead. But, lucky me, it was on again last night. Ryan paused it during dinner so I would not miss what he said were some of the funniest parts. He laughed at them all again. Apparently, the first time he saw the episode he laughed himself to tears.

Oh, and is Meghan was watching I'm sure she would love the show as well. I think they have the same sense of humor.

For those of you who were not lucky enough to catch the show. Here is a quick snippet.

In case you are wondering if we have a new dishwasher yet.

The following email I sent to Ryan yesterday should give you a clue:

From: ----, Dorene
Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 4:55 PM
To: -----, Ryan
Subject: ARGHHHH

I cannot remember the last time I was so pissed off

It's 4PM. Do you know where your dishwasher is?

Because I have no idea where mine is. Our delivery time frame was between noon and 4PM. And here I am, waiting, yet again. I really don't understand why this is so difficult. And why can't I, just once, be at the beginning of their delivery time frame. Someone has to be right? If I knew this was going to happen again I could have gone shopping. Or napped.

I never even mentioned the useless people we had to deal with trying to switch to a dishwasher that would fit. Or how no one could seem to get the new delivery time correct. Or how after being told it would be delivered on Wednesday we got a message while we were out on Saturday saying there were here.

Let's just hope that this one fits. I have a sink full of bottles that I do not want to wash by hand.

Tell me something I don't know

Because this is not news to me. This is my life.

Caffeinated moms drink up to keep up

Meghan is currently obsessed with the Backyardigans

So I find this incredibly amusing.

Sean's Busy Day

Sean had a very busy day yesterday.

8:30 - Dropped Meghan off at daycare

9:15 - Arrive at doctor''s office for blood and urine test. Because he has some elevated pH levels in the past they wanted to do one more test to make sure all was okay or see if a kidney specialist should be added to his list of doctors.

9:15-9:45 - Wait and wait and wait. Not so patiently.

9:45-ish - Woman calls Sean's name and wals out of the room with a cup. Um, sorry lady, he is not going to pee in that thing. Please go get a bag.

9:50-ish - Nurse tapes bag to the poor little guy.

9:55-ish - Sean downs 80z of soy milk

10:05-ish - He gets called in for his blood test. Thankfully they only had to stick him once this time.

10:10-ish - Check bag for pee

10:12 - Check bag for pee

10:15 - Check bag for pee

10:16-ish - I opened up a juice box to help sped things along and before I could fill the bottle he went. The nurse removed the bag and we headed out the door.

Sometime between 10:30 and 10:45 - We went to Snip-Its to get Sean's haircut. He was so good. All the other little boys there were crying but he just sat there looking around. He pouted once when on little kid got really upset but that was it.

11:15 - Arrived home for a quick lunch.

11:45 - Back in the car to head to our next doctor appointment.

12:15 - Arrive at pulmonologist* with a stinky diaper. I wish he could have held that in until after he was weighed because he probably lost a few ounces. He still only weighs 19 lbs 3 ounces. The doctor reviewed his chart and x-rays again. He said we can go down to only one dose of Flo-vent a day. He also wanted to get one more chest x-ray to see if everything cleared up.

12:45 - 1:00 - In Radiology waiting room at the hospital Sean poo'd again. I took off looking for the bathroom and found that there was no changing area there. I asked where I could change his diaper. They said the only place was a table in one of the x-ray room and asked what we were there for. I said he was there for an x-ray so they shuffled through the papers of waiting patients and found his order. We got to jump to the front of the line. Good job Sean!

He was really good during his x-ray and only cried a little bit.

1:30 - We finally got back home. Sean had fallen asleep in the car so I moved him to his crib.

It was a very busy day and we still had more errands to run later in the evening. But, Sean is such a good baby he does not mind being schlepped around and poked at. Now we just wait for all the results.

*Blogger spellchecker never knows what to do with this word.

***Updated to add: Blood test came back fine but urine test had a slightly elevated pH. Results were sent to a specialist to see if we need to go see a nephrologist.

Disco Music? Penguins? Sure, why not?

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(Discovery made possible by Sweetney's Linkblog)

So, what's new?

Good question.

Since I can now publish the news because everyone already knows....I quit work.

That's right, I QUIT.

In just a few short weeks I will be entering the world of stay-at-home-mommy-dom. Wish me luck! (Please, I think I may need it.)

After a lot of "Should I do it? Should I not?" we decided it was best for me to stay home with the kids. Sean just gets so sick so fast so we want to keep him at home for awhile. Plus, this will allow us to put Meghan in preschool in the fall.

But, of course, since I told my boss this everything in the house has started to fall apart. So the first few weeks will probably consist of getting people in to fix and replace things. So much for the money we saved.....

So there it is. That is what is new. And what I will be most likely be writing about for the foreseeable future.

Is it July 3rd yet?

Wow, not sure this was necessary.

I know you were all worried but, have no fear, a season 2 of The Two Coreys is coming our way.

I am actually shocked that this is continuing on to a season two. Yes, I did watch season one. And yes, the reason I am aware of a season 2 is because I still have a season pass on my Tivo. But, you know, come on. Is the summer TV schedule really that bleak that there is room for another season of this? It is? Okay then. I guess I'll have to watch.

To the Crazy Driver in the maroon SUV

Dear Crazy Lady from Newton*,

I am sorry if you were just trying to get my attention to get directions. But, to be perfectly honest, you frightened me just a little. Before you were smiling and waving at me you were driving pretty erratically. Not only did you forget who had the right of way, but once you turned in front of me you could not pick a lane. You swerved back and forth and back and forth before settling in the middle of the 2 lanes. So, as I cautiously pulled up next to you at the red light and noticed you were trying to get my attention I did my best to avoid eye contact. You are either way to friendly or crazy**. And I cannot deal with either. And if you did want directions it was probably best not to get them from me anyway***. Oh, and if I am supposed to know who you are, oops, my bad.

Regards,
Dorene



*I am assuming you are from Newton based on bumper stickers and such. I suppose you could be from Needham or Weston, or any other surrounding town.

**Perhaps it is unfair to call you crazy. It is very possible you were just drunk.

*** Have I ever mentioned the time my roommate and I tried to get to the Prudential center while walking in Boston? I think we circled the city many, many times as we spiraled our way to it.

Why is this so difficult?

New dishwasher installed? Not so much.

Yes, we went to the store without any measurements. But, we specifically asked the sales guy if they were standard sizes and he said yes.

Then the installer arrived and walked into the kitchen (5 minutes past the time frame we were given).

Installer plumber guy: "No way. Not gonna work"
Me: "Whaaa?"

Yup, that's pretty much how that went. His best guess is that whatever previous owner remodeled our kitchen must have built everything up around the dishwasher. So there is not enough clearance to get the new one in. And there may be 2 dishwashers out there that might just fit. And when he does install one it is gonna cost extra because he will have to "hack apart" the existing one to get it out. And he may have to take up some of the floor. Wonderful.

So I took a look online at the dishwashers he suggested. I cannot find one of them anywhere. The other one? $500 more than the one we originally bought.

As I see it, our options are:

1. Continue to wash everything by hand.
2. Move entirely to paper products and never cook again.
3. Spend over a thousand dollars to buy and install a new special sized wizbang dishwasher
4. Remodel entire kitchen so a normal dishwasher will fit.
5. Move

Honestly, I cannot think about this anymore. It is too aggravating.

Hot, Hotter, Oh My It's Hot

Ick.

Spring? Hello? Where are you?

It is very hot here. And yes, I realize that it is probably hotter elsewhere but this is New England people. It is not supposed to be this hot this soon. It is just sticky and uncomfortable.

The heat never used to bother me this much. I went for years without any air conditioning. No problem. But, back then, if it was too hot to move, I just did not move. It was just me. I did not have to cook, or clean, or do laundry if i didn't want to. Everything could wait. And I definitely did not have to chase after anyone else. I think that made it much easier to tolerate the heat. But now, um, no. The heat is not my friend.

Ryan installed all the air conditioners this past weekend (yippee) and one or another has been running ever since. Except for yesterday while we were at work. But when I came home you would have thought our house was an oven. I had to turn on the one for the living room (which really just barely makes the room livable). Poor Meghan sweats ALOT. Her entire head was wet with little curls sticking to her face. And she must have had about a half gallon of lemonade in about 20 minutes. See, if the children would just learn to sit and not move then perhaps we could all tolerate the heat.

Although today would be a day I would not mind sitting in my over air conditioned office I am at home sitting in a pool of my own sweat instead. Our new dishwasher is getting installed today. I am pretty excited about this. The children, however, will be less than pleased when they realize their alphabet magnets no longer stick to the new stainless steel dishwasher. This was a big problem when we replaced the refrigerator. But Meghan reluctantly accepted the magnet move to the dishwasher. Now, we have nothing left in the kitchen to stick them too. I think I will have to buy some sort of magnetic board to hang on the wall.

While I am home alone I am trying to get a few things done. I did some laundry and finally uploaded a bunch of photos to Webshots. (The month of May must have been just a big loss because we only took pictures ONE DAY!?!) And after I finish this post I plan to start to go through the kids drawers and find the clothes that no longer fit them. Ah, the fun never ends.

It just looks like a kiddie jail...

-----------------


But it's not. Really. I promise.

Take a peek at Sean's Gymboree class

The child does not stop moving. It was difficult to get something other than his backside running away from me.

Here are a few other videos* if you still have some time to kill.

Gymboree 1
Gymboree 2
Gymboree - Bubbles


*Vimeo was pissing me off not cooperating this morning so I am trying out a new video sharing site.

Summer TV

I am updating my "Currently Watching" over there on the left as Summer shows start up. Right now the list is pretty small but I am looking forward to some of the shows that will start later.

Watching now:
The Mole
Last Comic Standing
30 Days

Waiting for:
Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood
America's Got Talent
Psych
Mad Men
(I'm sure I forgot many more)

Until there is more to watch we will try and get our money's worth of our Netflix membership. last nigh we watched "Knocked Up". It was pretty funny. Ryan had some laugh out loud moments. I was pretty tired when it finished. I misread the cover as 1h 33min running time instead of 133 minutes. Oops!

*Giggle*

New Kids on the Block Video Sneak Peek

Meghan's Humor

Meghan has taken to making up her own knock-knock jokes. Here is one of her most recent.

We were out shopping and I needed to make a stop at Best Buy.

Meghan: Where are we going?
Me: I need to stop and buy a wire.
Meghan: Why to you need a wire?
Me: To fix the TV.
Meghan: Why do you need to fix the TV?
Me: Because it's not working and I need a wire.
Meghan (like a light bulb went off in her head): Oh, a wire....SAY WIRE WHO!
Me: Huh? Wire who?

Meghan: Knock knock?
Me: Who's there?
Meghan: Wire
Me: Wire who?
Meghan: "Wire" you going to fix the TV?

And then Meghan laughs hysterically at her own joke while I wonder if the kid is just a little too smart.

Because, you know, peer pressure

Sweetney posted a mission and a Tweet that this must be done. So, as much I I hate posting photos of myself and much prefer photos of my kids, here is me (or here I am?) right now:

Me at work*

* I think I remember to do my hair this morning. Although it looks much like my post-shower-throw-it-in-a-clip-do.

Worth a trip to an actual movie theater

I was catching up on my celeb gossip over at MamaPop and I came across this article which had this video embedded:



Must plan my trip to the movies now.

Maybe everyone should just stop poking at him and let him be

Sean's blood work came back "really good". I'm not sure if this means they no longer think it is necessary to send him to the renal specialist. That would be my guess but the nurse who called with the results knew nothing else about it.

As I was waiting for the results, I went and looked at Meghan's growth chart data. Turns out that she weighed a few ounces less than him at the same appointment. Maybe our guy is just like his sister. Maybe he is meant to be a little dude. I think that all the problems he has had (pyloric stenosis, milk allergy, asthma, pneumonia) had everyone concerned about his weight. Those things caused him to drop off his growth curve for awhile but he is slowly moving back up. And yes, if he did not have those things then maybe he would weigh a little more than he does now. I am beginning to think there is really nothing wrong with his weight. He is just small. He gets weighed every 2 weeks or so and his weight appears to be bouncing. But maybe if Meghan had been weighed every 2 weeks she would have had the same results. Who knows.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

In my quest to find more food for Sean I discovered that some Pop-Tarts have no milk. And there was a sale at Amazon so I bought a bunch of these:

Kellogg's Pop-Tarts Cinnamon Roll, 8-Count Boxes (Pack of 12)

There was a buy $50 worth of merchandise and get $20 off plus free shipping sale. So now we have exactly 192 Pop-tarts that were delivered yesterday. Thankfully he had one this morning and seems to like it. It's Pop-Tarts for everyone (everyday).

I've also started adding his Earth Balance "buttery spread" to everything hoping that it adds a few extra calories and some fat to his diet.

His next appointment is on June 19th. We will see what we can do between now and then.

Sean: Fifteen Month Stats

You know how everyone always say they wish the baby can stay little forever? Well, they don't really mean it.

Sean, however, has decided he wants to stay little. And he is succeeding. Here are his 15 month stats (sigh)

Weight: 19lbs 3 ounces
Height: 30 3/4 inches

Numbers that are not that much different than his one year stats. And a few ounces less than he weighed at his appointment about two weeks ago. They even measured his height twice and basically gave him that extra quarter inch. (SIGH)

Okay, now what? The pulmonary specialist had mentioned that past labs showed an irregular pH level so he suggested looking into that if his did not gain more weight. The pediatrician had that note in his chart so they drew more blood yesterday (that was not easy) to check the current pH levels. She is also setting us up with an appointment with a renal specialist. Not sure if we will need to go if the blood work comes out normal. Guess we will find out in a few days.

As of now, our next appointment is not until June 19th when we go back to the pulmonologist. Until then, I will continue to stuff my child with as much non-milk based fattening food as I can find. And if he would just sit still for more than 2 seconds some of it may actually stick.

Aaaand, we're back

Sorry about the posting drought. I've been busy. Not sure what I've been busy doing. Perhaps I'll created a bulleted list to help me remember.

• Went to visit family Memorial Day weekend. Sean did not stop walking/running the entire time. Poor little guy gave himself a blister (note to self: buy better baby shoes)


• Discovered Meghan loves bugs. And taking hikes in the woods. She must get that from her father because its not me.


• Still have not completely unpacked from that trip (oops).


• Still doing the Grocery Game. Saved more than enough to cover the website fee and cost of our Sunday paper.


• Oil heater is dying a slow death. We had no hot water on Memorial Day. Furnace guy came and got it working again. The next day our friendly neighborhood firefighter came into our house while we were at work to hit the emergency oil switch. Apparently there was enough smoke coming out of our chimney to cause concern. Repair guy came again and got it up an running. We are still working on this one....


• Sean seems to be doing good on his asthma medicine. Only one small attack in the last few weeks. We have his 15 month checkup today.


• Saturday we went to see Backyardagins Live. Both kids loved it. Meghan was mesmerized. Sean was dancing and clapping along.


• Watched the Lost finale (that was Tivo'd on our TivoHD). It was amazing and I am not sure if I can wait until it come back on the air.


• Cleaned out the freezer using freezer totes to organize it. There is still no room for anything else in there.


• Ordered way too many Poptarts from Amazon.com. They were on sale. And free shipping. And dairy-free. So its Poptarts every day for everyone.


• Took Meghan to look at a Preschool. She seemed to like it there so I think we will be sending her in the fall.


• Just realized yesterday that we can take our bucket of coins to the Coinstar machine at the market and trade in for an Amazon gift card. No extra charge for counting coins. Cool. I spend a ton there anyway because we use their Subscription service to get our diapers and wipes. (You know, plus Poptarts and stuff.)

And here are some token cell phone pictures (because my other cameras are still packed).

Meghan after her Preschool visit.

Sean in his Mickey outfit.