Urologist

I talked to Dr Steinhardt's office nurse this week. They are calling Jake's issue a "retractable testicle". They won't know much more to tell me until Jake has his visit because there are so many variables in which someone would need surgery. ie. age, the amount that it retracts, and I don't remember the rest. The nurse said that if it only retracts a little, that they don't do the surgery, and Jake's goes pretty far up in my mind (it goes up about 1/2 way to his hip bone). However, I have never seen this on anyone that has this, and who knows what the criteria for how far up it goes is. (other than a peds urologist) She also said that Jake is a little older for this problem. We will just have to wait and see. Jake's visit is June 23, the day before his birthday, hopefully it will be a great present for him not to have the surgery!!

Peek

Another shot of the baby. I love to watch these birds and wait for a great shot, I haven't gotten it yet, but my time will come. This was taken Monday morning about 0700, I ran down there to see if I could get a peek before Scott went to work, and what do you know.....peek a boo!

Lilly of the valley

This is one of my favorite flowers, along with a tulip. I love the way it looks of stark white against the vivid green, and I especially LOVE the way that these flowers smell! Amaya is becoming a lover of these flowers too. She checks them on a daily basis to see their progress in blooming. We have a few on the side of the driveway, I can't wait till we have a TON on the side of the drive way!

Jake and Paige, sittin' in the tree...

Today I found a few sparklers under the couch and some string cheese wrappers under Jake's bed. He hides stuff when he thinks he is going to get into trouble for something.

M: Jake, why did you hide these sparklers?

J: I thought you would be mad because I bent them.

M: Why do you hide wrappers from cheese under your bed, you never get into trouble when you eat string cheese.

J: I didn't want anyone to know that I ate them.

M: You need to stop being so sneaky about things, there is no reason for you to even be sneaky about these things. Stop being sneaky!! Paige doesn't want to be with a sneaky man, you are going to marry her right?

J: Well, she already broke up with me.

M: Why is that?

J: Because we love each other and we are going to get married! I love her!

M: Do you know what it means to break up, did she break up with her?

J: She told me that she was breaking up with me, and I told her that I was breaking up with her, we love each other!

M: I don't think you understand what it means to break up, just stop being sneaky!!

Paige is a cute little girl that Jake plays with at school. All the boys think she is cute. I have heard multiple times from her mom, Jessica, that she talks about Jake all the time. In the beginning of the school year, Paige's mom told me that Jake had kissed her on the cheek and she went home and told her. So cute!
I am thinking that Jake may have the potential for class clown, just like his mom!

Belly Pain

About 2 months ago, Jake was having pain in the L groin area when he was running. It was bad enough that he continued to limp while walking. I looked closer and saw that there was a lump in his L groin. It continued to hurt that day, so I called and talked to one of the docs that I work with. Since this "lump" was movable, he didn't think that it was a hernia. The pain didn't really get worse, it seemed actually to get better through out the day. With more inspection at that time, because I can't leave well enough alone, I realized that the lump moved up and down, then I realized that it was his testicle. I was able to push it back into his scrotum, then back up without any pain. I was able to do the same with the R testicle. Knowing that this was not normal, but that it wasn't really causing him anymore pain, I figured that I would just talk to Dr. Galvin about it the next time that we went in, or at his next year visit, which would be the end of June.

Earlier this week, Jake came into our room at 0530 am having RLQ abd pain and had a fever. I immediately thought appendix. He was quite restless and just kept rubbing his lower abdomen. I gave him some motrin and later he was actually hungry, so I thought that it wasn't his appendix. After he got dressed, or just riding with the seat belt on in the car, he kept telling me that everything was too tight. "My clothes are too small!" he said, and they really weren't. Then he had a few bouts of diarrhea. So at this point I am thinking he just has cramping from the diarrhea.

The next day the pain continued and it was Friday. At this point I am thinking, hernia because of the testicle thing and we still have the possibility of the appendix. I called Galvin's office because I didn't want to go into the weekend with a possible problem. We got into Galvin's and he listened to my whole story, then I showed him the testicle thing. His face said it all...that is not right!! More conversation between us about this and he says: He is going to need surgery and that they will just secure the testicle to the scrotum so it isn't able to go up and down like that. He is at risk for the hernia and even a testicular torsion (where the testicle gets twisted and it cuts off the blood supply causing acute pain.....emergency surgery). He asked what local urologist that we'd like to use....I like the peds one in GR because we have been to him for Jake (and Amaya) before. Dr Steinhardt it is... Dr Galvin is writing to Dr Steinhardt that this is an undescended testicle, even though it really has descended. Apparently, in Galvin's eyes, this isn't that common. It is common to have an undescended testicle, just not one that goes up and down. Once again, leave it to my kids to be "not the norm".
So now we await a call about our consult with Dr Steinhardt, then we will get an ultrasound ( Dr S. likes them done in GR at a pediatric facility...fine with me, we like to look at the fiber optics that they have on the ceiling, plus the waiting room in that radiology dept. has a big playroom for kids). At this point we are just waiting. Then after that if he still thinks that Jake needs surgery, they will refer us to a pediatric surgeon.
Dr Galvin said that the abdominal pain that Jake was having was unrelated to this stuff and that it was viral, however, with the history of all this, the visit was well warranted. Poor little Jakers and his "peeps" problems.
Today his abdominal pain is minimal and he is back to eating all day long. I am not even kidding, Jake eats all the time, but chooses healthy things so I don't mind a bit. Hopefully his pain will be completely gone tomorrow.

Fluffy

How cute is this little (well, not so little) fluff ball?


My mom called and woke me up this morning. It was only 0650 am. I asked, why are you calling me so early, and she replied, the baby eagle is up!!

OK, goodbye. That is all it took to get me out of my dead sleep and super comfy bed. Down the road I went.... the baby eagle was only out for like 4 more minutes, and with each passing minute, he went further into the nest. I am really lucky to have gotten some shots. Mom says that the bird was perched at the edge of the nest prior to my arrival. Oh well, maybe those shots will come next time. I think he/she is so cute and appears so fluffy and cuddly. I know that is not the case and that there would be no cuddling of any sort with BIG momma and pappa and their talons and extremely big and sharp beaks, but it sure is fun to look!

Mmmm...

I went with Jake for his last day of preschool today. We got to go to Sweet Temptations in GH for a field trip, it was a great place to go. They got to see how to make ice cream, cakes, and tasty treats. Then they got to make their

own tasty treat and sample the ice cream.

This stuff looks so good that it makes my teeth hurt!

Dawson, Jake and Charles. This is the group that I carpooled with.

I can't believe that Jake is all done with preschool. It seems like he was just a little baby, screaming in my arms. He is such a little character, always making us laugh, but always frustrating us with his independence and strong personality. He has such a great heart, and always thinks of others. We are so proud of you Jake and we love you so much. We can't wait to see how you will grow and change over the next few years. I guess he is technically a kindergartner now, wow, it just doesn't seem possible. The thought of him riding the bus next year frightens me, as he is too little.

Paige, Jake and Kyle, Jake's other friends from preschool.

All Gone

Jake, Ryan and I were playing outside this morning for about an hour, while we were outside, we opened the top of the "chicken box". Things got a little rushed because it was Ryan's nap time, he pooped his pants, spilled bubbles all over and was running from me, so I scooped him up and went inside. After about 45 minutes I remembered that the garage door was still open and it is a little nippy outside, so I wanted to shut it to keep the chicks warm. I look into the garage, and not only is the big door open, but the top of the chick box is still open. Rats, I better go close it.
I look in the box, and all the chicks are now gone and there is sawdust bits all over the garage floor. I know that the sawdust wouldn't have stuck to the chick feet, but I am pretty sure that it would have stuck to a cat's feet. I feel really sad about the chicks being gone. Sad for my kids, but really sad that we were not able to protect those chicks and they had no chance being in that box with a big ol' kitty getting them.
That is the end of the chicks for us. We will not be replacing them anymore. Maybe if we had a big screened in chicken coop so that they would be safe, but not at this time. Poor little chicks.

Peep Peep

I am sad to say that Peep has expired. I just came home from work and his itty bitty legs were sticking straight out and he/she has become a little stiff. He was so cute, but so tiny. I had a feeling that he wouldn't make it, because of his size. Amaya is going to be so upset, I don't know if I should lie to her and say that he is missing like the others really were, or to tell her the truth. I think I am just going to tell her the truth, either way she will be upset, so I may as well be honest. That poor dear heart is going to be crying a lot over this. 2 chicks in 2 weeks, that is so sad.

Favorite Things

A couple of Ryan's favorite things to do right now are Peek-a-boo and stacking blocks. However, even more than stacking the blocks, he likes to knock them down.

I love Jake's face after Ryan knocks the blocks over.

Amazing

Ryan and I went for a walk tonight and saw the most amazing birds. Our national bird, has a nest just down the road on Fruitport rd. There is a mom, dad and a baby. I, of course, went back with my camera as soon as the kids were in bed. Eagles are so awesome to watch soar through the air. I was waiting for the baby to poke it's head up, but no such luck. I could only see Mom and Dad feeding the baby, then one of the birds left to find more food. Awesome!

Announcing Again

Announcing, again, new members to our family. We have gotten new baby chicks. Three this time, because we have 3 kids. (go figure) Scott took the kids to the tractor supply company in Coopersville on Sunday to pick out new chicks. It is quite hard to find little chicks anymore this time of year, and I had to call many places last week to find them. Someone brought these to TSC from Conklin on Sunday. Phew, I am glad I could BEG Scott into going and getting them. The biggest one is "Boo Boo Chicken" and he is Ryan's. The little yellow one is "Mario 2", obviously, he is Jake's. The little runt, but cute brown one, is Amaya's and it's name is "Peep". (again) We have done some rigging to the big box to make it taller, and it has a hinged like top to keep them in. Hopefully we will be able to keep these chicks longer than the last, which was just a few days. The kids just adore them and I have to admit that I do too.

Rough Day

Today wasn't that great of a day for me. It started out pretty good, I could have even said that I was having a "good mom day". I got Amaya off to school, Ryan and Jake fed, and all "the boys" to preschool. I even went to the park, after dropping Jake off, so Ryan could play and go down the slides. Then Ryan and I went to Granny and Papa's to visit and give her the mother's day present that I was unable to drop off yesterday. Still, at this point, having a good day.

When Jake got home.....he was begging to let Charles stay and play. I said no, because I needed to get some things done around the house, Ryan was sleeping, and I hadn't been home in 2 days because of work.....(I don't really need an excuse, I just didn't want it today). Apparently Jake was more upset with this than I thought. Ryan was sleeping and Jake said that he wanted to watch Inspector Gadget, so I said why don't we watch it in your room and I can pick up while I am in there. Off to pick up an entire weekend's worth of mess. This is when I found all the diapers under the bed. I clean often enough in there that I know that these have only been there a few days. Dealt with that. Jake continued to watch the show and I was picking up, taking care of stuff that didn't belong in his room, I found my way to the computer and did a small blog, checked e-mail, etc. I was only downstairs for probably 15 minutes. Back to Jake's room to hang out and continue to pick up. I am crawling on the floor picking up all the trains and tracks and look under the train table......5 open and empty ampules of albuterol. (this is what we use to give Jake his nebulizer treatments when his asthma is acting up, but we only use one at a time).


M: Jake, what are these doing here?

J: I needed them for my coughsies. (a jake word)

M: When did you do all these?

J: On this day.

M: What do you mean, on this day? Today?

J: Yup, I did them today.

M: There is no way you did all these today, I know you wouldn't have sat this long to do these, you don't have the patience.

J: No, I drank them.

M: You drank them?

J: Yup, I drank them.


M: Really, did you really drink them? Did you really drink them?

J: Yes, I drank them.

You have got to be kidding me!! So I call Scott and tell him, then call Galvin's office and they tell me to call poison control. I do this all the time at work, but never thought I would be calling for my own child, it is a damn good thing that I am a nurse, because I would be freaking out at this point if I didn't have this experience. Plus, I still have a very hard time believing that he really drank these. We talk to the kids all the time about medicine and the dangers and he has been around this albuterol since he was six months old. I don't even know how many times I have told him that this is NOT to drink! I am looking in the package insert and reading about overdose: it says things like seizure, heart rate over 200, restless, agitation, and even cardiac arrest. Now, I know that even just one treatment can give you a bit of an increased HR and shakiness and I am wondering what 5 at one time will do.

PC: Hello, this is poison control.

Les: Hi, my son just drank 5 ampules of 3.5 mg per 3 ml albuterol. So he drank 15 ml's.

PC: Why did he do that?

Les: He said it was to help his coughsies, he has asthma......blah, blah, more answers to questions.

PC: I am going to put you on hold so I can go talk to someone. ( I have never been put on hold in all the times that I have called. Usually they just look it up in their book and tell us what to do)

While I am on hold. I am asking Jake if he really drank these and telling him how dangerous that was, this conversation went on for 10 minutes, all the time that I was on hold. I am telling him that taking medicine the wrong way gets you really sick...etc, etc, etc. Then I tell him, Jake you can die from this, do you realize that? After more talking about this, and I am STILL on hold.

Jake: I didn't drink it.

M: You did or didn't?

J: I didn't.

M: Jake, you can't lie to me, I really need to know.

J: I didn't.

M: What did you do with it?


J: I put it in that thing that you hear with.

M: I have no idea what you are talking about. You have to show me.

We proceed into his bedroom and he shows me the heater register. I pull it out and can see drips coming off of it and a small puddle in the heating duct.

M: Did you put all of it in here? Did you drink any of it?

J: NO! I didn't drink it!

M: Why did you tell me you did then? (as I am still on hold)

J: I didn't want to get into trouble.

Finally the PC lady, Helen, comes back on the phone and asks if he REALLY drank ALL of them. I tell her what happened and she was relieved. She was going to send me to the ER. She told me what to watch for just in case and the call was over. I felt so bad for taking their time, and she was so nice. Now, I was mad...about the lying.

OK, dealt with that issue...more talking and some time out.....

Later he set the mole trap off with his foot, lied about getting dressed to go out and I found him outside with only shorts on (it was too cold for this), wouldn't follow directions many times, and lied some more about things with Amaya.

His afternoon consisted of him in time out, then in his room until his dad got home. He was not happy about this.

Just another day in the life of Jake, I guess. It was rough for me, I am hoping that tomorrow goes a lot smoother.

Diapers

Do all little boys have a fetish with diapers, or is it just Jake? Jake thinks it is funny to even say the word diaper. "Ryan has a diaper on", tee hee, giggle giggle. Wow, that is hilarious, I will tell him. Stop saying diaper, it is not a big deal, all babies wear diapers! Over the last few months, there have been numerous times where I find him in his room trying to put a diaper on. I guess he has done this pretty much ever since Ryan was itty bitty. Anyways, there have been a few times, today included, that I have found diapers under his bed, hidden.....and they have been used to urinate in! What is up with that? He is old enough to go in the toilet.
The other day, when we were at Meijer, he was practically begging me go buy some pull-ups. All the way through the store..."let's go get some pull-ups", repeat, repeat, repeat. He even said: "we can trick the person at the check out and tell her that they are for Ryan". He doesn't want me to tell anyone, but for some reason, he really likes them. He says that he would be embarrassed if I told his friends. This isn't a daily thing with the diapers in the room, but he does say diaper on a daily basis. The other little boys that we carpool with say it too, maybe he learned it from them, maybe they learned it from Jake. Who knows, but diapers are too expensive to have for an almost 5 year old just to play with.

Granny can do it!

Yesterday morning, I was walking back up the driveway from the bus stop and Jake and Ryan were outside. Jake had his umbrella because it had been raining earlier. The umbrella looks like a piece of junk because it is all broken (overusage from Jake).

M: Jake, I think you are going to have to get a new umbrella, that one is all broken.

J: No, we can fix it.

M: No Jake, that is beyond fixing, we are going to have to throw it away.

J: Granny can fix it.

M: Really, you think so?

J: Yup, Granny can fix anything!

M: She probably could fix it.

My mom really can fix just about anything, that woman amazes me.