Two days of doctors down

Cole is done with his workup.  Very painless and all done.  Results of the EKG and echo were no different than in July, which was expected.  We'll have MRI results and dilation of his right ventricle later in the week or early next week.  Still unsure if he'll have a good idea of when surgery will be off of that.  Not sure if we should plan to go to Korea anymore or not.  But, Cole and I had a nice day together.  Nothing says love like spending 11 hours with you mom.  We talked a lot and it was nice!

I spent today trying to get Jaemin's autism evaluation set up.  While I'm not completely convinced of it, the ped says he has enough symptoms to be concerned and he may just be very low on the spectrum...meaning very high functioning.  While we wait for his April evaluation we're trying some changes to his acid reflux med and giving him yogurt to make sure it's not a yeast sensitivity.  I feel like we have to do something in the next two months.  May as well.

I've been watching both of my boys so much more intently lately.  I'm waiting for Cole to suddenly go off, so to speak.  I mean when's he going to suddenly start having symptoms?  Is it going to be sudden like when he was an infant, or am I going to get some notice on surgery this time?  I have no idea what to expect and that's the part that scares me the most.  Jaemin, I just watch for anything he does that keeps him off the spectrum.  Cheering at anything he does...even though mostly he neurologically typical.  I find myself holding Jaemin more and seeing just how intense my love is for him and how lucky we are to have this little angel in our lives no matter what happens.

I'm the luckiest mom in the world!

Too many irons in the fire?

Just a saying, but I think that's where we are right now.  Unfortunately, with 5 kids, there's no good time for anything.  You just let life take you where it does and you try to respond rather than react.

We're coming off the 2nd week of Chelsi's play.  This weekend is it and we're DONE!  While I think she will miss seeing her castmates, we both very much need a break.  Too many late nights is doing me in and for sure her.  She acts like a diva and it's mostly lack of sleep.

Tomorrow, Cole has his big heart work up.  We'll spend all day at the hospital so he can get an EKG, echo, MRI and stress test.  Then, hopefully, in a few days they'll have a better idea of when his heart surgery will be.  I'm hoping for something, so we're out of this lost area I feel right now.  I know it's not a perfect science, but at some point they'll have to make the decision to do it before he has permanent damage to the right side.  It's a personal call in ways, but they will make it as a group of cardiologists in the practice and they have a formula they calculate off the MRI.  Forgive me because I don't explain things well.  This is all new to me since the previous doctor never ordered these tests and should have been so they could have been watching the progress of his leakage.

Next week....oh next week.  I'm dreading.  We're getting some hardwood done, so we have to move around furniture.  We just finished painting the girls room, which made them very happy.  It's the first time it's been painted in 11 years and was painted for Chase while I was pregnant with him.  They picked an orange color that's sort of like canteloupe.  Then, Kaelin picked out black and white rugs for the floor.  Right now their bunk beds and all their belongings are piled up in my bathroom on top of the tub.  I knew that large tub would some day be handy!  :)

I also have a quick procedure next week.  No anesthesia, just a local, but I'm not looking forward to it since the lump is fairly large.  A friend was diagnosed with breast cancer recently and after B talked to her about it she has been given the sebaceous cyst diagnosis first too.  I don't know when hers grew or how long it was there before she was biopsied and haven't had time to talk to her, but B wants it out right away, so I made the appointment with the surgeon I saw last year.  Remember the cyst, no it's an adenoma, no it's a cyst?  So, while it hasn't grown since they've been watching it for the last 1 1/2 years I'm going to have it removed.  It's probably been there for 3 years or pretty close to.  I guess at some point it grew, huh?

Then, after all that's over we can have our furniture back in place and resume living, right?  I'm always a little leary when we do something to the house of any substance or go on vacation.  We don't have the greatest track record.  The last house work incurred Brian a spinal cord injury the day after we committed and started and the last vacation ended up with Cole having an appendectomy 4 days prior and Chelsi a febrile seizure on the interstate in another state.  Those memories flood through my head and though I try to shove them out I can't help but be a little gun shy that it could recur.  Cole has a BAD habit of having surgeries on people's birthdays, so this heart work up worries me a bit.  He had his appy on Chase's birthday and his heart surgery on his dad's birthday.  Obviously not planned!

But, as I tell others who get worried or stressed about things, just try to breath and live your life.  Nothing's going to change what's going to happen!

Bullying's Normal

Did you know that?  I mean, yes, bullying has gone on for centuries and is a form of hazing, but isn't that what all the commercials are about nowadays.  I thought I'd seen Obama and other advocates on special service announcements talking about bullying being a problem and having no tolerance for it?  Oh wait....maybe they're only concerned if it's cyber bullying.  Yep, that must be it, because when now that my kid is getting bullied by the same kid it's 'normal'.  But, it's in-person bullying...not cyber.  So, this must be an out for a school, huh?  A kid can laugh at another kid for having a heart condition that keeps him from playing football and being 'cool' ( I use that loosely since no kid that acts like this is every going to be cool) or harassing a kid and pushing him until they say something hurtful to another kid....no that must not be bullying either.  Not according to our school.  Not one thing I could say deserved any time.  All I got was how normal this was and how many new students there were this year and how that's just going to cause some 'upheaval'.  Upheaval....that's what we call it?  My kid could care less about who this new kid is friends with ......they have no right picking on him because he's smaller and is being intimidated.  All I asked was for an 'out' for him so he could get out of the situation, if needed, and I couldn't even get that. 

No school has the right to make excuses like this.  They're lucky, for now, he's asked that we not do anything to the bullier and I made him allow me to ask them to put it in his record in case it continues.  But, if it does continue and they do nothing there will have to be consequences.  Sometimes the only thing you can do is call the Board of Education.  If I have to I will, so I hop the kid leaves my child alone!

See My Korea Trip Page

Slowly, but surely we're making progress on saving for our trip.  Another $100 coming soon. 

ACTION!

This was the big night.  Chelsi's debut in a play.  It's a very small Christian theatre and the count was 51 tonight.  But, that's good....let her warm up.  There are over 120 scheduled for a day next week and the theatre will barely hold that.

She did so great.  At the end the audience is allowed to come and talk to the cast after curtain.  I welled up watching everyone come through and shake her hands while they whispered words of encouragement to her.  She did tell the director, however, she doesn't care for crowds and didn't like them laughing at her.  I'm telling you.  You can't help but laugh.  She's so darn cute and funny!

One of her castmates' parents brought him candy and these little skateboards he likes as a gift for his first performance (in this play).  They also gave the same to Chelsi.  It was so sweet!  She has really bonded with everyone in the play and they all love her.  As soon as she walks in at night they all have to say hi to her and she messes with everyone all night.

As I watch her grow up I almost feel like Steve Martin in "Father of the Bride".  I just know that one day she's going to be all grown up and I'm still going to see her exactly how she looks right now at 5 years old.  I will wonder where the time has gone and how she grew up so fast.  Her and I just have a different relationship.  She's just so mature and aged.  You see this teeny tiny body, but out of it comes big words, actions and understanding.  She's an amazing little girl.  And I'm so proud of her!

Just wait 'til tomorrow night when the family comes.  Someone's going to be getting some flowers!!

Breath and Catch Up

I'm catching my breath tonight.  I've had a nasty little cold and Chelsi's in the thick of play rehearsals as it starts soon.  So every single day this week we either have her at rehearsal or the show.  And last night was LATE!  She was so tired that she nearly fell over standing up in the dressing room.  The director let us go after she finished her pieces tonight so she could get some sleep.  And I won't even go into how grouchy Kaelin was after last night.  NEVER again!  But, the big boys have to go with us to rehearsal tomorrow night because they need an audience to practice on and they want to make sure they can't move her attention.  So far she's done AWESOME!  I can't believe how good she is at it and concentrating.  She stays on task, even the day that one of the guys' 3 year olds walked on stage and sat beside her.  She just went on with her part.

Yesterday, we had practice for Chelsi last night, but during the day I took the little kids to Kaelin's class at school to do the Lunar New Year (Sol Nal) presentation we were supposed to do last week.  It was canceled because of the blizzard.  Yes, blizzard.

Kaelin did great.  She actually wanted to do this and asked the teacher for it.  The teacher gave us pretty much the last hour of the school day.  So, Kaelin wrote some things on the board in Hangul, we passed our Won, she wore her hanbok and then we talked about Korean culture.  Of course, some of the kids asked about adoption too, so I would quickly answer so we could move on.  They would raise their hands so Kaelin could call on them and we could answer their questions.  One kid said "Kaelin, you're adopted?!".  It was so funny.  One kid asked how they kiss in Korea.  Oh my!  One just wanted to know how old I was.  The teacher quickly diverted that one.  We brought our pictures from Korea and the kids just loved it all.  They asked so many great questions and then they all wanted a Korean name and couldn't understand why Kaelin had a Korean name and English name and they didn't.  Hmmm....me thinks this makes her the cool kid.  :)  This was a room of 2nd graders and Kaelin loved the attention and the time to share.  Her teacher was very interested in it all, it seemed.  The kids decided I should be a teacher and teach about Korea.  So funny!  I work with one of the kids' mom and she told me today that he was so excited when he got home yesterday.  He told her knows EVERYTHING there is to know about Korea.  How funny is that?

And, now I guess I should get back to my photo editing.  I'm taking pictures for the show.  Last night I had to do pictures for the cast that would be on stage for props.  They needed some antiqued pictures.  They turned out great!  I'd post some, but there are too many others involved and don't want to invade anyone's privacy.

Blizzard anyone?  This was 3 hours into it.

Alarm Night #10

So, last night was night #10.  It was dry night #3!  Doesn't sound great to some out of 10, but for us, it's huge!  I think the last time she had more than 2 in a month period of time was when she had a UTI.  She woke up and told me she was try because she was 'holding it'.  Great new concept, huh?

Jaemin has been trying too.  He's wet at night, but no biggie.  Occasionally, he is dry.  But, yesterday he was dry all day. It helps that he LOVES getting 1 tiny, little fruit snack (not a package) every time he pees.  So while he goes often, I figured it's reinforcing the habit to his body.  So, I make as many trips as he needs.  Brian said he even came out of bed at 9 last night to go potty again.  If we could get him to poop, that would be awesome, but he seems to have a fear of this one.  Oh well.... One thing at a time.

I always find it somewhat amusing from all those parental stories of the magically trained child in one day.  I think if you ask my mom, I was one of them.  But, out of 5 I haven't had one yet.  Kaelin was probably the closest, but I do remember the process taking close to 6 months, but she was done by 2 1/2.  Much quicker than ALL the others....unless Jaemin gets in here.  We'll see.