Going Old School

Remember the days when people actually wrote thank you notes?  You know, the kind with a real stamp (that you licked), hand addressed and delivered by the postman.  Don't get me wrong, love the email thank you.  I USE the email thank you.  Even do it via text.  But I do love me a good handwritten note.

As we approach Luke's one year birthday (still in shock and disbelief about that), I decided to send a note of thanks to each of his doctors and floors of residence at Dell.  I originally thought that I'd just knock those out in about an hour and off to the post office I'd go.

Yeah right.  Whew.  Talk about a walk down memory lane.

How do you say thanks to the neonatologist that wrote the order to transport him to Dell which was the first time a doctor saved his life?  How do you convey your gratitude to the nurses that held your hand while you fell apart at his bedside, day after day, night after night?  How do you apologize to his surgeon for being "that" mom when he told you Luke needed emergency surgery?  How do you sum up a year on a 3x5 thank you note?

Write really tiny, I guess.

Somehow, some way, I am hopeful that the words we carefully chose to share our thankfulness are felt by each of those doctors, nurses and staffs.  I pray they know that they have a job that is really more than that.  Their "daily grind" has been burned into my memory.  I will never forget our NICU stays, Luke's surgeries, his close calls, his leaps of progress, his procedures, his setbacks...  More importantly, though, I will never forget the amazing people we met along the way.  Luke's life has opened so many doors, changed so many minds, softened so many hearts.

Praise God for the pen and paper.  It's allowed us to say 'thanks' one more time to those that walked the journey with us in a very intimate, touching, understanding way.

Pardon the Interruption

I'm hitting high gear for work this week AND my computer hard drive is flirting with crashing.  Yes, the new hard drive has been ordered and will arrive this weekend.  So, in an effort NOT to crash my computer (because you do NOT want to see me in tears), I'm taking a break from blogging, uploading photos, et al.  I'll be back in the saddle next Monday.

I *may* post some reflections this week.  So, check in on Friday to see if I'm true to my word ;)

Sorry for the interruption in your regularly scheduled programming.  As you were.

Luke Update 8.20.10

Luke had his developmental assessment at Dell this morning.  We do these periodically at the request of the hospital because Luke is considered high-risk for all sorts of developmental delays.

We got a fair amount of good news.  Luke's adjusted age is 10 months and he tested at 10 months or above in three of the five areas, with his best scores in fine motor development (at 12 months).  His worst, which did not come as a shock to me at all, was his gross motor development (crawling, pulling himself to stand, walking, etc.).  He's testing at 8 months there.  He just started doing a tiny version of the Army crawl yesterday, which makes us super proud.  So, he's getting there.  It's just taking longer than I thought it would.

During his evaluation with the physical therapist, two residents and the NP, they all voiced concern about the tightness of his hips and his pronated feet (they're splayed out and the right foot rolls in quite a bit).  So much concern, that we've now added another specialist to the mix, pediatric orthopedist.

Now, I love me some facebook, but sometimes it's just not the best medium to conveny the frustration one feels.  Yes, I know the following:

- another specialist is not a bad thing
- the news could've been way worse
- he's made huge progress the last few months
- we have to be patient and work on "Luke time" not "our time"
- he's as cute as a stinkin bug

But I am still sad, tired and a little weepy.  We've been cruising along at a pretty good pace since the hospital stay from hell back in April.  You know, the one when his kidneys almost shut down and he came pretty close to not making it.  So, if you compare that grim reality with his reality today, then YES, he is a smiling, happy miracle.  I just made the mistake of coasting.  Sheez.  Didn't I learn anything from the NICU?

Forgive me if I'm not all giggles and kittens this Friday afternoon.  I have some big girl underwear in a drawer somewhere, but I'm waiting until tomorrow to put them on.  As a fellow NICU mom recently told me, "I understand."  And, really, that's all I needed to hear.

Make it a great weekend.  We have a little flag football scrimmage and a big home improvement project on the horizon.  I'll post before/after pics soon.  Oh, and I haven't forgotten about your vacation update.  Busy week with school starting.  I'll give that big event due coverage next week, too.

Etsy...my new love

If you've never visited Etsy you should really give yourself an hour or two of mindless browsing.  There's some awesome stuff out there.  Etsy is a great place (like ebay, only way better) of goods people are selling.  But, the best part is it's stuff they make, not buy.  It's like a high-end craft show without all the grandmas, shoving and "oh, I just sold my last one."

Two of my favorites are Mummymade and Olliegraphic.

I'll admit, Mummymade is a dear friend of mine, otherwise known as "Agnes with the really cool Australian accent."  She knows her way around a knitting needle like I know my way around Aggieland.  I've given many of her animals and bibs as baby gifts and just bought Anna-Laura one of her scarves for fall weather.  Hey, I do believe we might actually get "cool" this fall.  She can make them in any color combo.  ALG loves hers!  Don't you think it looks great with her school uniform?  I die.

And, Olliegraphic.  There's just something about getting an invitation or card in the mail.  Nobody does that anymore.  It's a lost art, I say.  She just did Luke's birthday invitations.  I'm practically beside myself with the cuteness factor.  Totally reasonable, super quick and very talented.

Go get shopping!

You're Invited!

It's been a crazy year.  And fun.  And stressful.  And frustrating.  And amazing.  Just take a look at my cute ELEVEN month old!!

As Luke's one year (wow - ONE YEAR!) birthday approaches, we've given a tremendous amount of thought as how best to thank our amazing community for your support and to celebrate Luke's presence in our lives.  Scott and I kept coming back to the Eucharist and to Mass.  It certainly seems appropriate, then, to invite each and every one of you - Catholic, non-Catholic, family, friend, blog stalkers and the like - to join us at a Mass of Thanksgiving for Luke, celebrated by his Godfather, Fr. Dean Wilhelm, at our parish, St. Vincent de Paul.

Get out your calendars and mark down this date! 

September 18, 2010

10-10:45am

St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church

9400 Neenah Ave.

Austin, TX  78717

You certainly don't have to be Catholic to attend.  Yes, kids are welcome (encouraged, of course!).  And, if you're unable to join us with your presence, please join us in prayer.  I have no doubt your prayers will be heard in Austin!

Hip, hip, hooray - Superman Luke is nearly ONE!

First Day of School!

Wow.  Just speechless.  I officially have more kids in school than I do at home.  Good, but very weird.  More reflection later.  In the meantime, enjoy the photo!

p.s. And how stinkin' cute are those knee socks?

Vacay: Part Two

No rest for the weary, this time three weeks ago we were on vacation, in awe of the cooler temps.  After a 5:45am wake-up call (that one hour time difference was awesome at night but a killer in the mornings!) we ate a quick breakfast, listening to our classical music, and then hit the road.

Our house!

Well, we did end up coming back to the house three times in 15 minutes because we kept forgetting things.  But once we finally hit the road, it was an uneventful trip to the top of the mountain, Ski Apache's ski lodge.  We had talked up the gondola ride to the top of the mountain, but when we arrived they told us it was closed for repair.  Major bummer.  We just went exploring instead and Will earned his nickname "Downhill" when he decided to run down the mountain.  He stopped the full throttle run by tumbling down that last bit.  He's lucky he didn't break an arm!  The ride down gave us some spectacular views of the mountains.

After lunch and naps at the house, we participated in the traditional putt-putt golf game.  Clare was, by far, the funniest one to watch.  Luke just chilled out in the stroller watching us all try to beat each other.  Oh, the quick tally for the winner was Scott by a few strokes.  Ahem.

Part three is coming up tomorrow.  I'll explain our National Lampoon's moment, why none of us should ever be space pilots and reason #953 I still don't like bats.  Certainly one of our most memorable wedding anniversaries ever!

Kind of excited

A while back, I joined Catholic Mothers Online, not really giving it too much thought.  I occassionally drop by the site, check out a few other inspiring blogs and call it a day.  Well, they posted an all call for guest writers to blog once a month about topics relating to motherhood and Catholicism.  Since I'm both, I decided to give it a shot.  I sent the editor the requested information and my application and while we were on vacation, I got the confirmation email.

Hooray!

EEEK.  Now what?  Well, I have my first post due soon and I'm anxious, but pretty excited.  Any requests?  As soon as it's live, I'll post the link.

QOTW: August 13, 2010

"Is this normal weather?"
Will, upon encountering hail and rain as we entered Roswell, NM, on our vacation.  No, honey, I'm afraid it's not.  We just got lucky!

"Two fours, baby."
John Paul, announcing how close he was to winning in car bingo.  Mom beat him to the punch.  Competitive much?

"Oh my goodness.  Did Luke just sleep through the night?"
Said in unison by Scott and I the past few nights.  I think we're still in shock.  Shhhh.  Let's keep it on the down lo, no need to get excited just yet.  We're just thankful for a few nights of decent sleep. 

We have a busy weekend ahead.  It's our last one for the summer (sigh).  Kindergarten open house is on Monday and then I cry like a baby on Tuesday when I send three off to school for the first day.  I may not be back in the saddle until Tuesday, but then again I might surprise myself.  Vacay, Part Two, is coming soon.  Make it a great weekend!

Vacay: Part One!

Such a slacker.  I just feel like we've been running 90 to nothing since we got home from vacation, yet, as I look around at my house, it shows no sign of any progress.

Ah, such is life with 5 kids under the age of 9.

Ok, back to the story.  The night before we left we celebrated my brother's 29th (no really) birthday.  Clare was just getting over a "fever of unknown origin" and Luke's sleeping was still shaky, at best.  Perfect ingredients for a 12-hour road trip, right?  We had grand plans of leaving at 7:00am on Saturday morning, but we FINALLY pulled out of the driveway at 8:23.  And then at 8:35am, we realized we'd left our garage door wide open.  A text to our next door neighbor and a pretty fantastic leap of hers over the garage sensors later and we were off.

Oh, I forgot to mention that John Paul woke up with a fever.  It was pretty much like the point of no return.  The suitcases were all packed, the food iced down and plans made.  We just punted, gave him some ibuprofen and prayed for the best.  A mere 47 miles into the trip, we hear a "Mom, I need to throw up!" from the backseat.  I literally flew to John Paul, screamed at Scott to give me something to catch the throw up...and again we punted as I held my hands for him to deposit his um...stuff.  Thankfully, he didn't want to eat breakfast, so it was all orange ibuprofen.  I had to wait another 23 minutes (yes I was counting) until I could wash my hands.  Awesome.

So, if you're doing your math, just 47 miles into the trip, we had stopped three times.  During the throw-up stop, Clare was attacked by fire ants.  When we stopped for an early lunch, we were attacked - for reals - by no less than 30 flies.  It took us an hour to get them all out of the car.

Things settled down a bit for a riveting game of car bingo.  And, we saw a spectacular show of wind turbines.  Now, remember, I'm a Panhandle girl.  I know wind.  These things were awesome and the kids loved watching them.  Sorry the iPhone pic doesn't do them justice.

We ran into my cousin, Lauren, who lives in CANYON, at a dumpy DQ in LAMESA.  What are the odds of that? 

Fifteen miles later we realized we were heading the wrong way on the right highway, then we hit a hail storm two hours outside of our final destination, Ruidoso.  Upon our arrival, the smoke alarm was beeping every 10 seconds and it was 18-feet up on the ceiling.  As fate would have it, one of my dad's high school friends owns a home that was three houses down from ours and he arrived with an extension ladder and a major dose of sanity.

And that...is day one.

Day two was spent chilling out.  I worked on getting Luke to take a nap - which he miraculously did - and getting John Paul's fever under control.  Scott took everyone else to Mass.  I don't know what prayers he offered up, but it was nothing but blue skies the rest of the week.  I show this photo to tell you about our glorious morning ritual.  Our house (huge hat tip to Dominic's family for letting us crash at their family's vacation home in Ruidoso) had a player piano.  So, every morning we cranked the classical music and dined in style.  We felt like we were at a resort!

Stay tuned for the story behind Will's new nickname, "Downhill" and how a golf ball was the highlight of the day.

Top Ten: Summer Highlights

It's been a really fantastic summer here.  Although, I suspect an army of hands would go up if I asked, "Who thinks it went by too fast?"  You know, it's funny.  Before I had children, and even during the first four years of just having Will, then John Paul, then ALG as little people, our summers were truly endless.  We had pooltime, lots of naptimes and plenty of time for vacation.  I rarely remember feeling anxious in August and it was always a shock when traffic picked back up and I had to remind myself that school had begun again.  I smugly smiled to myself and thought, what's all the fuss about?

Then Will started kindergarten and I found myself on the fast track to parenthood.  Three years later John Paul joined his ranks and this summer was Sisty's last as a pre-schooler.  Now, our summers zoom by in a flash.  School starts next Tuesday and I'm in heavy denial.

Because it IS still summer here and I'm thinking about what a fun one it was, I thought it was appropriate to relive it one more time, for the history books...(oh, and vacay reports are coming tomorrow!!)

TOP TEN:  BEST OF SUMMER 2010

1.  Art Camp.  Both the boys participated in Celeste Ingraffia's art camp.  She was Will's art teacher at St. Theresa and is now the Fine Arts Director at St. Dominic Savio Catholic High School.  She's a pretty fantastic artist herself, to boot.  Every summer, she hosts an amazing week of learning, crafting and creating.  The kids always do a signature piece that they work on throughout camp and on Friday, they host an Art Show.  The highlight for me was something Will made.  The older kids worked on a jewelry piece.  Since Will was the only boy, he wasn't too stoked about making a girly necklace.  But, when Ms. Ingraffia suggested he make it for someone, she said he lit up and said, "Could I make it for my mom?"  When I walked in that room, he proudly showed me my necklace, imprinted with a "K".  I'm not a crier, but I let 'em roll when I saw how proud he was.  So, so, so thoughtful.

2.  Swim Lessons.  For the older ones, we enjoyed several weeks of pooltime.  I don't think any of them are Michael Phelps, but they made great progress and we met a really nice teacher in the process.

3.  The ER visit.  Certainly not our best, but certainly our most memorable.  Thankfully, Anna-Laura and her siblings have made it two months without seeing that place.  Let's keep it that way, shall we?

4.  Luke's tricked out helmet.  What an inspirational day!

5.  Our two family reunions.  Yes, I've blogged about one already, the other just happened last weekend.  Boy, I have some catching up to do!

6.  The family vacation.  I know, I know.  Working on it.  I'm trying to do it justice, you know?

7.  Time with friends.  Through the various camps, lessons and outings, we were able to reconnect (finally) with friends and neighbors once again.  That was the kind of normal we've been missing...and we loved it.

8.  San Antonio!!  Oh, how Scott and I needed that reprieve from the pressure cooker of Austin.

9. Surgeries.  Two down, that is.  Thankfully, we crossed off some big surgeries this summer - one for Anna-Laura and one for Luke.  Here's praying those are our last for a very, VERY long time.

10.  Time as a family.  We've taken some small trips, a big one and lots of stops in between.  This summer reminded me that I haven't failed as a mom, but I still have work to do.  It's reminded me that I have an amazing husband, but that I still need to be making deposits, not just withdrawls, from that marriage bank account.  This summer has made me thankful for my crazy, loud, happy household.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Are you ready for some football?

Yes, indeedy, the season is upon us.  Two seasons, actually.  Both the boys are playing flag football this season and Scott is coach to John Paul's team.  All proof we live in Texas.  I had to hide my horror when registering the boys when I saw that they actually have a league for Pee Wee (ages 4-5) tackle football.  I'm all hard core, but that's just nuts.  Hope I'm not offending anyone here.  I just figure we have plenty of time to break growth plates.  My boys won't be playing tackle anything until high school (and Luke never...doctor's orders!)  Whew.

They were all thrilled to bound out the door tonight for practice.  I'll admit, being down two kids is nice.  Especially when the three remaining don't fight.  I'll get some photos posted soon.  Been a little chatty, haven't I?

Good News @ the Brain Dr!

First for business.  We had Luke's follow-up appointment with the amazing Dr. George, his neurosurgeon.  Luke's spot on the back of his head (the fontanelle that's still open) is mildly concerning.  But, Dr. G wants to go the conservative route, watch it for the next couple of years and give it time to close.  At age 3, if it hasn't closed, then we do surgery.  He was pleased with Luke's incision healing and with Luke's developmental progress.  So impressed, that he said, "I'll see you in a year."  Whoa Nellie.

If my math is correct, after the flurry of visits this week and next, we'll only have TWO doctor visits the rest of 2010.  But, I shouldn't be counting any chickens just yet :)

Now for the 'rest of the story.'  I neglected to tell you that prior to receiving that stellar news, I was wrangling five kids in the car, the parking garage, the two elevator trips, the waiting room and the patient room...then the hallway, two elevator trips, the parking garage and back to the car for our ride home.  I think I aged 25 years during that little excursion.  Some would wonder why I took five kids to the neurosurgeon.  Um, two things:

1.  Getting in to see Dr. George is like getting into Ft. Knox.  You have to make your appointment months in advance, people.  And, you don't really get to choose your ideal time.  His staff does.  He may be awesome, but that also means he's popular.  As we tell our kids often, "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit."

2.  I gave the Nanny some time off.  HA!  Unless you know of an imaginary nanny that resides at my house, I'm the primary caretaker.  As much as I wanted to leave some at home and strap some to the top of the van, better judgment prevailed and I took them all with me.  Hey, it is what it is, right?

Today, even though we were his first appointment, along with three other patients, it just took longer than usual.  I'm guessing that the other two kiddos were a higher priority than Luke.  And, in our experience with doctors, I'd rather be the last one seen because that means things are humming along just fine.

I had to bite my tongue when the lady on the fourth elevator trip asked me if all the kids were mine.  For a split second I thought about being a smart a**, but then thought better of it.  It was just a long morning.  At least the long morning ended with some really good news.  I'm off to bed to say a prayer of thanksgiving for Luke's continued progress, my continued sanity and the fact that my kids survived yet another doctor's waiting room.  They were real troopers.

QOTW: August 6, 2010

"Shut your lips, Will."
Clare, to Will after he was chastizing her for something.  We all immediately started laughing.  Then I had to collect myself and pull a Steve Martin (Cheaper by the Dozen) and say this...

"Funny, but wrong, Clare."

"Hey Mom, get out of Harry Potter world."
Will, to me.  Those books are a-ddictive.  I had to stop after book 5.  I've got too many things to do around here before schools starts in a little over a week!!

We have a super-fun weekend planned.  It's Cousins' Weekend!!  This time, my mom's side of the family is trekking to Austin.  There will be lots of food, shopping, food, canasta, food and sleepovers.  Hooray!  Sorry for leaving everyone hanging on Wednesday and slipping a different top ten on the blog.  With 600+ photos to sort through, there just wasn't enough time.  Soon...very soon.

Make it a great weekend!

A Mother's Kiss

I'll be upfront.  Tonight's post is really more for my memory books than anything.  Scott went to bed early while I finished the last 100 pages of Harry Potter, Book 5.  We joke that once you get to the last hundred pages, you're stuck.  You have to finish.

Anyhoo, the house was all quiet and I went to check on the kids before heading to bed.  And I caught myself watching my children grow up in front of my eyes.

My big girl, my sweet, funny, sassy Anna-Laura starts kindergarten in less than two weeks.  Say it isn't so.  And, Clare.  Oh man I just want to love her up.  I registered her for her very first "activity" today - dance class.  She was beaming all day.  Will and John Paul were both asleep with books in their beds.  Will's feet are getting dangerously close to the end of the bed and John Paul isn't a baby anymore.  He will soon be a first-grader.  And then there's sweet baby Luke...who turns one in just six weeks.

Time is fleeting.  The days are long, but the years are so short.  And my prayer tonight is that I am a more patient mom with my kids.  Some of you may say that I am, but my heart knows that I have much work to do.

I strolled the hallway tonight and saw five beautiful frames that carry photos of each of my children at ages birth and every month until they turn a year.  I only have two slots left on Luke's.  Two.  And then those frames are complete.

How did a decade of motherhood rush by so quickly?

Then I said a prayer of thanksgiving.  For the six things I love most in the world are peacefully sleeping, under one roof.  We have shelter.  We have love.  And we have faith.

The stack of medical bills will eventually go away.  The family calendar will be erased in a few short weeks for another month of activities.  The yard will get watered.  Yet, tonight, as I reflect on the many blessings in my life...the ones I cling to most are all here.  Fast asleep.

Former First Lady Laura Bush gave an interview once and remarked that one of her most vivid memories of motherhood was when her girls were little.  She had just gotten them snuggled in bed and she was out front, working in her garden, on a cool, summer evening.  And she felt tremendous peace.  At the time, I remember wondering if I would ever feel that peace, too.

Tonight, I did.

Top Ten: Free Time

So, yesterday at lunch the topic of school (gasp) came up somewhere in between Fritos and PB&J.  ALG got super excited that she would be joining the boys at "big school" this year.  I had to fight back a few tears.

Eventually, it dawned on all of them, that it would just be Clare, Luke and I at home.  I reminded them that Clare starts preschool after Labor Day on Tuesdays and Thursday.  "Oh, Mom, what will you do all day since we won't be here?"  And that's how today's top ten was born.  Here are ten things my kids think I should do on my "off" days.  Right, like I have those.

TOP TEN:  THINGS MOM SHOULD DO WHILE WE'RE AT SCHOOL

1.  Go to the spa (oh yeah)

2.  Get my hair cut (exactly)

3.  Watch HGTV (do you see the 'pampering theme?'  disclaimer:  it was at this point that I deemed my children brilliant, thoughtful and wonderfully astute as to the needs of their dear 'ol mom)

4.  Make dinner (um...ok?)

5.  Clean toilets (giggles)

6.  Do laundry (yeah, so at this point, scratch what I said on #3)

7.  Go grocery shopping (sigh)

8.  Pick up the house

9.  Find missing toys

10.  Drink Dr. Pepper

Hey, at least they ended on a high note.

It's Magic!

Yes, because of blog posting magic, you've been able to enjoy some stories and stroll down memory lane  while we've been on vacation.  Oops.  And you thought I was sitting here all the while :)

If I'm slow to get back in the groove this week, cut the vacay girl some slack.  Ok?  On Wednesday, I'll have your top ten 'Best of the Anniversary Trip'.  It will be grand, that I promise. 

We'll catch up with you once we reacclimate to 100-degree temps.  Sweet, COOL Ruidoso, New Mexico had highs in the 70s, lows in the 50s!!  The weeklong break has definitely cleared our heads and recharged our souls.