Hudson is 1 and the monsoon

Today our crazy male puppy turned 1!!!
HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY HUDSON!!!!!!!!

Because of the crazy rain, I didnt even get out to get him some special toy or something. I will get him something hopefully tomorrow when (hopefully) the rain water recedes.
This is just the small amount of flooding in the field behind our house.

I did not get any pics of the water way up on our side yard or during my tense drive to and from the schools. My hometown in Rhode Island has been hit real hard and I know many people are feeling the strain of the flooding and my prayers go out to them.

I lost my cell phone in the middle of trying to pick up Kiley from school today. I drove through some puddles the weather channel would have told me was a complete No-No. I needed to get my baby! I am still waiting to see the update on whether or not Kiley will have school tomorrow because as of right now I can see that the road is still blocked off by her school.
CJ went to the doc because he was limping weird. He still does it off and on but he does not express any pain so we are watching it.

And that is about it for now, one more day in March in Connecticut! Wow! Time is flying and I do not like that.
Oh, and CJ is eating dog food right now! What is WRONG with this kid?!

Wow.... I have neglected my blog!

Well, I guess I just have not had anything fascinating to say! It is now getting to the point that the winter just seems to be dragging on and on. We Have been cooped up for several months now. We have had a couple of snow storms but they have been slushy messes. We are actually experiencing one right now!

I have been doing the biggest loser challenge on the base here. Let me just say it is not going how I want it to. I am not losing weight at a rate I would like. I was down a total of 6lbs in the first 3 weeks. Week 4 is another story. 3 of those pounds came back. I could chalk it up to muscle mass. Or, Valentine's candy (which I didnt get any... I actually got a nice workout outfit including a new sports bra)... but I can't use those excuses. The only excuse I can use is that my diet sucks. Some of that I can chalk up to the fact we live paycheck to paycheck and run out of money to purchase healthier snacks/food for me. It is like making 2 seperate shopping trips to get groceries. The stuff for mommy ( I DO SHARE!) and then the stuff for the other 5 people in this house. I can chalk it up to tiredness so I get impulsive about what I eat without thinking about it until after it has been consumed. I like good food. What can I say? And of course just feeling so down about the fact I gained 3 lbs back. Talk about a couple of days of just NOT CARING. The effort I have been giving has been awesome. The workouts definitely make me feel a whole lot better. I have been working out at least 4 days a week. I need to incorporate some more home exercise though. I have been doing the biggest loser workout on base 2 nights a week and then I have been going to the local gym and utilizing the elliptical, treadmill and recumbent bike while I am there. ( I love it because I can hook up the headphones and watch my favorite TV SHOWS!) I have been upping the "Resistance" on the machines and been really pushing myself to up the workout. I come home a sweaty mess... and gain weight in the process. Geesh. So many people are dropping pounds like crazy and I dont know what I am doing wrong. It has to be the diet. I was doing well... and like I said, this week after the gain... who the heck cares?! I DONT like cottage cheese. I can NOT choke that stuff down. I keep trying with no success. It AINT happening! I feel more put together. But I also in the same note dont notice a change in the clothing size. Could it be the thyroid disease resisting the weight loss? I do not know. I am just frustrated. I am taking a lot of time away from my family to do this (Even though I DESERVE the time away!) With Chris leaving in a short 4 1/2 months, time is precious! I know what the bad foods are.... I know what is better for me... but that doesnt change the fact that comfort food... well, ... It comforts me!

So, I will keep you posted on changes in my weight... or not! LOL!

Ashley's thyroid antibody test came back OK. So, no worries for that! She will be turning 10 in about 10 days. I can NOT believe it. Where does the time go? Oh, and I WISH I was STILL in Hawaii like I was 10 years ago!

I will be having an MRI on my sore "boob" which isnt really my boob. It is more like my chest wall under my left boob. I guess. We will see what they see... IT could be ligaments or something. So, any positive thoughts for the "boob" would be great!

We have been making preparations for our move come July. YES I am going to go to Florida. The winter STINKS. And I won't get the opportunity to be near my parents again. So, I am going to take the opportunity and spend quality time with my parents while Chris is gone. NOW I need to find a place to rent in Florida that will love me and my pets! HAH!

Sydney... waiting to hear from the person who tests for Central Auditory Processing Disorder. I will probably call today and see what the deal is.

CJ... had some antibiotics for a nasty snotty head that he had for over 3 weeks. Seems to have cleared up the issue quite quickly!

Kiley... is Kiley. She likes to whine.

So, that is the quick update! Hope everything is well with everyone! COME ON SPRING!

OH MY GOSH! IT IS FRIDAY!

So yeah, I have a lot of updating to do... who do you want me to start with?!?!?

I will start with Sydney since she has the oldest update... nothing major to report at all (Can you believe it?!) Although I have to still schedule her appointment to rule out/diagnose Central Auditory Processing Disorder. Mayve I should get off here and do that! Oh wait, they are probably on lunch. So... She had her follow up with her cardiologist.... Dr. Sara Ford at Hasbro. She is incredible. If you ever need a pediatric cardiologist, I totally recommend her. She is so easy going and HUMAN! HAHA! Great bedside manner. Totally easy to talk to. Everything went well for Sydney. Of course they could still hear her VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect = Murmur)(it will probably not ever close) and her WPW (Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome = Tachycardia, bad electrical pathway in the heart) which was officially cured in November 2008. Since she has gone this long since her ablation, she should be OK! I expressed my concerns about what would happen as she grows and hits puberty and what not and the doctor seemed very confident that everything will be OK! (but I am not going to be ignorant and assume that it is 100% true because I know there is still a percentage of it coming back) So, since I dont feel comfortable being discharged from cardiology and just have her cardiac stuff taken care of by the pediatrician (or whatever we happen to see at the Naval Clinic) she said COME BACK IN 2 YEARS! although, we wont be here. SO, She was able to give me the name of a friend of hers who is a pediatric cardiologist in Florida. So, all is well with Sydneys heart! (Although the other night, WEDNESDAY she told me her heart did a little jiggle.... oh boy. Guess I should write that on a calendar.)

ASHLEY: She had her appointment with the Pediatric Endocrinologist at Hasbro on Wednesday. Her thyroid is definitely "swollen" but he would not call it "enlarged". It is soft and palpable which means that there is no goiter present. All of her TSH levels were within normal limits (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) but the Naval Clinic did not complete a Thyroid Antibody test. So, she had to have that drawn by the Hasbro lab and we will find out in about a week the results of that. Should they be negative then we are good to go. If they come back positive, Ashley will have to have her thyroid levels drawn at least every year and we will just wait until her hormone levels are out of whack. Which would mean she would probably have the Hashimoto's Disease that I have. There is one big reason as to why her thyroid would be enlarged. It is often a precursor to puberty! *WHAT*... OH LORD.... Seriously...........................................

So... yeah.... the doctor had two students with him and they were also great. I dont mind students. Someone has to be their teacher.... and now not only is Sydney a teacher... now Ashley was. There are no physical signs of puberty yet! WHEW! BUT they told me that I was late to start... but that doesnt mean anything because kids now are starting so much earlier. Ashley was quite embarrassed that the doc had to check her parts for signs. It was pretty amazing to see how everythign worked at the pediatric endocrinologist. They measure the height 3 times! That is routine! They have to be EXACT when kids might have a hormonal problem! OH, and ... HAHAHA... When I went with Sydney to her neurologist many eons ago now, The doc measured my head because Sydney's head had measured big! Well... they found out why! .... Genetics.... Sydney has her momma's big potato head... so, because I have thyroid disease (Hashimotos Thyroiditis) the doc at one point reached over and felt my thyroid!! L O L... GLAD I can be so helpful! GOOD NEWS... he did NOT feel a goiter! LOL!
So, we will wait it out about a week and see what this blood lab shows.

After the appointment, I got Ashley a McFlurry at McDonalds... and they made the thing with the Shake ice cream! She was not happy. I was trying to give her something to enjoy after a less than enjoyable appointment and they made it with the SHAKE?!?!?!!? BOO ON MCDONALDS!

I have started the biggest loser challenge here on base. I will be weighing in on Mondays. My starting weight was 204. I hope to have at least a 2 lb weight loss on monday. I have been trying to make better choices with my eating. Eating my required fruits and veggies. Exercising regularly. I will be keeping you all posted on my progress! OH, and I have not eaten fast food in over a week which I think is a world record for me!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. IT IS FREEZING here today and the kids had a 90 minute delay for school because the wind had knocked power out. All the toys and garbage cans are blowing around my backyard. It is loud!

Mom knows best....

I sometimes question how well I know my children. I am sure I do not know them as much as I would like to know them.... I always get worried because I dont know what they are wearing everyday and GOD FORBID something happens to them, how would I know what to tell the police?
I would look like a BAD PARENT if I dont know! UGH.
I would stumble on my words trying to recall where their birth marks or scars are. This is something I feel I need to write down and photograph. Having 4 children, these things can get jumbled up!
So... how well do I know my children??? How do I know "Mom knows Best"?
Well... yesterday Ashley and Sydney had a dentist appointment. Ashley was a bit disgruntled when she came out... JUST like her mother. The novocaine really throws her for a loop. She is really bothered by it. JUST like her MOTHER. Anyways. As she was sitting waiting for her sister to be done, she was sitting next to me with a HUGE sulk on her face. (is sulk a word?) I felt bad because I know exactly how she is feeling. MISERABLE. Well. Then she swallowed. AND OH MY LORD... What did I SEE?!
IT LOOKED LIKE... SHE HAD AN ADAM's APPLE!!!!!! She swallowed AGAIN. THERE IT IS. BOB. UP AND DOWN.
PROTRUDING.
HUGE.
is it HUGE because she is a bean pole?
What is it?
IT HAS to be her thyroid.
She is only 9.
Why would she have a huge thyroid?
Maybe it is from the tick bites she had?
Could the tick bites enlarge her thyroid?
It is in the lymph system, so why not?
Where is Sydney?
I need to compare the two.
How long has it been like this?
I am a bad mom, why didnt I notice this before?
Was it like this last week?
Last month?
Oh, how much longer before Sydney comes out?
::::Worst case scenario runs through my mind:::::::
::::And again:::::
::::And again:::::
I need to make an appointment.
I cant make the appointment with her listening.
She will freak.
What is wrong with my kid?
OH PLEASE I CANT DEAL with something else.
PLEASE let it be simple.
...................................
ahh.... the wonders of the mind of a mother.
I made the appointment.
I scheduled it for Today.
That was another drama scene trying to get my kid to a simple appointment without having a track of hurdles to get over to get there.
FINALLY
We get to the appointment.
More Drama because I have the 2 littles with me.
Doc comes in.
Doesnt believe this is tick related as nothing came back from them.
Thyroid definitely enlarged.
Not astronomical but surely enlarged.
NOT common in a child this age.
Genetic predisposition doesnt make it impossible.
I have Hashimoto's.
Did I give my kid something?
I know genes are the inner workings of everything but DEAR GOD.. I brought this baby in the world so THIS IS MY FAULT.
Blood work.
should be back tomorrow.
Thyroid panel and blood count.
PLEASE DEAR LORD....
I hope this is "simple"
but whatever is in the stars we shall deal with.....

.....update tomorrow......

Hopefully.

The booby saga...

Thank you everyone for your prayers and well wishes...
Today I had the ultrasound and everything looked ok. It looked muscular and not a lump or mass of any sorts.
I still have my annual grand opening* this week so, I will get a seperate opinion on the matter next week.
Thank you again!

*gynecological appointment

With fingers Crossed....

Sydney's neurologist told us that she believes Sydney has grown out of her Panayiotopoulos Syndrome.
I think I have mentioned before that the neurologist believes Sydney did have this condition but the electrophysiologist has questioned it and believed all the spells Sydney ws having were from her Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome .
Will we ever know for sure? Probably not. Was there activity on her EEG's... I guess that would be a yes. Benign Occipital stuff. Dont ask me exactly what it means because in all honesty, I dont know. I do know that I think (LOL) it is in the back of the head down low where some of the activity seen on her EEG was occurring.
Sydney has NOT been complaining of headaches as she usually did which we believe had a lot to do with the complete chaos in her classroom last year. Her teacher this year is absolutely incredible and is ON TOP of Sydney like flies on shit. Sydney really enjoys school and is doing incredible. She has caught up from the deficit she experienced from her crappy classroom last year. She loves math and just everything about school.
Now.... the current recommendations that the neurologist does have....
*go to another ENT and have her tonsils and adenoids looked at and hopefully removed.
---- this is due to her evaluation with the speech and hearing people. She seems to have a lisp on her S and her Z sounds which would not be developmental at her age right now. So, the neurologist wants this to be something the school does address with some speech stuff.
---- Also, back in early november 2007 (when I was ginormously pregnant with CJ) Sydney had a sleep study and it did show some "minor" apnea stuff.
---- Sydney continues to be a mouth breather and pushes her tongue forward in her mouth (even though there is also a spacer there)
---- The last ENT we had gone to told me Sydney had poor nasal hygiene and recommended a sweat test ... OK... great... That solves WHAT?!!?!? then sends us away with some medicine. Awesome. That was not the 1st medication pushing ENT we went to. And a SWEAT test? She has NEVER exhibited ANY symptoms for Cystic Fibrosis and me and Chris went to genetic counseling and there was NO WAY we were carriers for it.

*We need to go back to the audiologist and have CAPD ruled out/in.... Still a questions as Sydney has issues with her working memory and comprehension. I thought after speech and hearing appointment she had "passed" with "flying colors" the "only one who ever scored 100% on a test she had administered".... but, the report is different. there are areas to address. (Central Auditory Processing Disorder) This seems to be something that her neurologist, pediatrican believe will be the case vs. the ADHD NOS she got on her psychological evaluation which can present similar to the CAPD.

*The neurologist also wants the school to do some occupational therapy for Sydney and her issues with pencil pressure and not being aware of her muscle strength. Tone issues or something.

So, all in all it was a good and informative appointment.

On Martin Luther King Jr. day we go to the Cardiologist to check up on her WPW. (Wolff Parkinson White)... Thankfully Chris will be able to go to this appointment. We do not want her released from Cardiology because we have read many personal stories of children with WPW and IT COMES BACK..... Scary. And of course the way Sydney's was "cured" was the "less reliable" and has more of a percentage of reoccuring. I don't know if there is a solid time frame for this reoccurance.. but, we dont want to take any chances either. Especially with her history of pulling crazy things out of the bag in regards to her medical history.

Like her mother she is a Zebra in a pack of horses....

What a pain in the butt boob

For a couple of weeks not I have been having some pain in my left breast. I am starting to think that every time I have a twinge of pain in my body I need to put it on a calendar in case I have to make an appointment for it. I certainly look like an idiot when I cant exactly pinpoint when an issue started. It might also have to do with the fact I also have to keep track of 4 kids aches and pains too.
Anyways, back to the boob. I thought maybe I had injured it while climbing under Kiley's bed in search of her Wall-E game for her leapster. Or, maybe CJ had squished it in one of his attempts to climb me in the middle of a tantrum. I had been searching for lumps to make sure the pain was not from some scary C word. I couldnt find any "lumps"... I guess I dont know exactly what I am looking for because the doc didnt take long today to find a "lump" that could be "a cyst or blocked duct" .... so, tomorrow I get to go in for an ultrasound to try and rule things out. I have to admit that I am scared. I was hoping to go in today and have them just find something muscular and send me out with the Navy favorite of Vitamin M* and be done with it. But no. I guess my body has other ideas. I feel like a decrepit old person. Between the issues with my right leg which are not resolved and I have to schedule physical therapy for. The constant nagging of my symptoms from my Hashimoto's disease (hypothyroid) and NOW THIS..... I CANT stand it. Next week is my annual GYN grand opening appointment. Maybe he will have some more insight in to this problem too. I think it stems from getting my tubes tied but who am I? Oh, and I had an issue in the same breast back in 2005/2006 when we were living in Texas. Dont know where that history went to.... my record looked pretty puny today... So, Who knows. I dont think they saw anything spectacular back then either. We will see. Tomorrow, boob probing. Oh, and for the record, I have not nursed my son since April of last year... but maybe this is in correlation to my menstrual cycle..... Dont know. So, if you can, please keep my in your prayers that this is something benign.... Thank you.

*Motrin

Hives or Eczema Flare up???

here are some of the pics I managed to get of CJ while he was nekkid running around on my bed.... I was attempting to get some hydrocortisone on them. I dont know what would have caused the major flare up? of whatever it is... I also gave him a bit of benadryl which he managed to fling half of the dose all over the blanket....
what do you think?