What a weekend!!

Wow! This past weekend went by very fast! We did a TON of stuff. I, of course, have pictures to post too. Brent got off work early on Friday, so we were outside most of the weekend (when it wasn't raining!). We did a lot of yard projects while the kids were sleeping.

Saturday, our care group from church came over for our meeting time and potluck. The grass dried by the time the kids went outside, so it worked out great. Caleb was sick though....he woke up from his nap saying his tummy hurt....totally not like him. He wasn't very interactive with the kids and only ate a little fruit at supper. He then laid on the couch and didn't want to get up. I told him he could go in his room and close the door if he wanted to be by himself. He did that....then Brent and I heard him start crying and I ran into the room....of course he got sick all over his bed. I changed him, stripped the bed, and he wanted to go in our room. Well, we had the dog pillow in our room because we usually keep her in there when we have company. I went back a little later to check on Caleb, and he had curled up and fallen asleep on the dog pillow. He stayed there for almost an hour and a half until everyone left. I got him to wake up enough to go to his room again....he wouldn't walk...I tucked him into bed. He went right to sleep. He woke up a couple of hours later with a fever. That started to really concern me....I pretty much knew what the tummy ache and throwing up was from....without going into too many details....it's an exacerbation of an ongoing problem he's had since he was little. When he spiked the fever, I called the oncall nurse to weigh my options. Since he was asleep, she said to not do anything that night, but if things didn't resolve by morning to call back. He woke up in the morning, said his tummy wasn't "yucky," but he wouldn't eat and things hadn't resolved. I have him what I had to help things, and nothing. So I called the after hours clinic again...they told me to try one more thing, and if it didn't work, he'd have to come in to get treated. Thank goodness it worked! We had been trying to wean him off medication....I didn't want him to have to take it every day if he didn't need it.....and we had been doing fine for a while, he actually hasn't needed it for a couple of months....but I think we're just going to go back on it. I don't want him going through that again!

Sunday night after naps, we went out to eat, and the kids did amazing. We've been trying to go out more so they learn how to behave in different social settings. I have to say, they were some of the most behaved children in the restaurant.

Monday, we decided to take a trip to the zoo. Since it was Memorial Day, Brent and I both had the day off. It was so much fun! The zoo was pretty empty....especially since we were there right when it opened (9:30am!) It was fun to see Abby really recognize the animals....both kids hardly spent any time in the stroller, so they got a lot of good exercise. Caleb got to ride the train with Brent, and I took Abby on the carousel for her first time. We had a picnic lunch in the park next to the zoo. When we got back to the van, Caleb even said he was sleepy. He NEVER admits to that!

My parents came up for a visit today before Dad's neurology appointment. The kids had a blast with Grandma and Grandpa. Unfortunately, Mom says Dad's been falling recently...the darn DBS isn't doing what they promised. His walking has gotten so bad since the surgery. They adjusted the stimulator and his medications, it gets better for a while, and then worse than it was before the adjustments. I kind of chewed him out for getting up without help. I'm afraid he's going to hit his head or break a hip. It's so frustrating to see him like this. The stimulators got him off of a lot of meds, took care of the "crashes" between med doses, but now he can hardly walk at times, and his speech is horrible. He's very frustrated too. They're almost starting to wonder if the surgery was worth it. Ugh!

The other thing that happened in the midst of all that...Brent's grandmother had to go into the hospital, and is now in a nursing home. We're pretty sure she won't be able to go back to her apartment.

Brent's sister is facing a divorce....she just filed the papers, she really had no choice...and I usually don't say that. She's devastated, her girls are devastated. No one really saw this coming until January. Her husband is not acting at all like the person we've known. It has the potential to become a very messy situation. I feel for her and what she and the girls are going through.

I hate ending on a down-note. I'm posting some pictures here so that I don't end on a bad note!

Outside naptime?

I had to share a few pics...first Abby fell asleep while swinging....and then I turned around to find the dog sleeping behind me.....must be nice!

I need help/advice.

Okay, so I know blogging can be whatever you want it to be. I had started this as a way to keep my family, etc updated on us….what’s new, etc. I never wanted it to be something where I complained all the time, or just did the “woe is me” thing. However, I’m frustrated. Very frustrated, and I need to vent and ask for help/advice.

Potty training. Yeah, I know. I talk about it a lot. But, when it doesn’t go right, it starts to consume a lot of time and thoughts. Caleb STILL isn’t potty trained. It’s been 4 months since we started. This is what we’ve tried.

Sticker charts: every time he went he’d get a sticker on his chart. When his chart was filled, we made a special trip to the store to pick out a prize. It was usually Thomas the Tank engine. Once he got really good at it, he just got a sticker for staying dry until he went. He now refuses stickers.

Candy: once he stopped using stickers, we’d give a few M&M’s if he’d stay dry until using the potty. He now doesn’t care

Matchbox Cars: They’re $1 a piece…when he poops, he gets to pick one out of his bag. If he stays dry all day, he gets to pick one out of his bag. It works quite well for pooping, but offers no incentive to stay dray.
We have sang more songs about peeing/pooping than I’d like to admit. I’ve tried to make it a game.

He is in underwear (actually cloth training pants) when we’re home. He has to change himself when he has an accident. I just help with the snap. He also has to clean up any accident he has on the hardwood floor (carpet gets shampooed). Some days he’ll go 2 ½ to 3 hours between accidents. Some days he’ll go 30-45 minutes.
About a month or two after starting this “journey,” Caleb was telling me every time he had to go. For a week straight he stayed dry all day and dry during naps (which I wasn’t expecting for a LONG time). He would stay completely dry at daycare. Actually, at daycare, she didn’t even have to remind him. He’d just go when he had to go and came out for help with his snap.

We have not gone through any stressors that would be a trigger for regression. Absolutely nothing. I’ve thought and thought and thought about anything that would cause him to want to regress.

We thought it was an attention thing since Abby takes up so much of our time and energy. We’ve made it a point to take Caleb for one-on-one time, frequently. It hasn’t made a difference.

I even called the pediatrician…..in the back of my mind I was wondering about overactive bladder or a bladder infection. Because he’s so sporadic with the periods of time he stays dry, they don’t think it’s overactive bladder. Also, to get a sample to check for an infection, I’d have to get him to pee into a cup. Yeah, right…..he won’t go into a public restroom…and you think I can get him to hit a cup when he won’t go in the toilet?!? He hasn’t complained about it hurting or anything….and hasn’t had fevers, except with his cold. I can usually tell a UTI by the smell (that’s what I get for being a nurse)-sorry if that was too much information! Anyway….they said they didn’t think it was an infection and to keep an eye on it…..call if he has a fever or complains when he goes. They said to completely back off….even put him back in diapers and tell him to let us know when he’s ready to try it again. I’m not sure I want to back off completely. I think that would be counter-productive, but I’m not sure of anything right now.

Abby has started to show interest. We’re poop-training her right now, and she’s very comfortable/willing to sit and try. Caleb gets very jealous when we do that….that worries me. If we go full-force with Abby, what’s going to happen with Caleb? I don’t want to miss my window with Abby though, either.

I’m frustrated and honestly struggling with thoughts that I’m somehow failing him as a parent because I can’t figure out what he needs right now. I know people read my blog…..they tell me about it. I would really like for you guys to leave comments on what you think. T- I know you’ll respond  Well, thanks for listening to my venting……that really is what’s occupying us right now. Exciting, eh?

Hi Ho, Hi Ho...to urgent care we go....

Ugh...so I never want to be that nurse/mom that calls in for every sniffle that comes up.....and the times that I have called in, I've felt like the nurses that I've talked to act like I don't know what symptoms to watch for, etc. So when I called today, I was actually planning on taking Abby in no matter what they said. Abby's had a cold/runny nose for almost 4 weeks now. She never had a fever, and besides not being hungry, really didn't look sick. This morning, she woke up with hoarse cough....that was enough to make me decide to take her in. I didn't want the cough to turn to croup, which was kind of what it was starting to sound like. Anyway....I called the Peds Urgent care, made an appointment, and went it. Ironically, when I got there, the receptionist had neglected to put down why I was coming in....she only mentioned the cough. Anyway....after a rather quick appointment, I came home with some antibiotics....Abby has a mild sinus infection. Hopefully, the antibiotics kick in soon.