We go through batteries so much that we decided to take the plunge and invest in a rechargable kit. We found a really good deal at http://www.all-battery.com/ and purchased this set: T-6280 8 Channel Smart Charger with 16 AA 2600 mAh NiMH Rechargeable Batteries. Total price was $40.99, found a coupon from searching them on google for free shipping (coupon code tenergy2008). That recharger says it can rechage a 2100 mAh AA battery in about 3.5 hours. I found a couple 8 battery recharger kits for a little less but the standard recharge time was 8 hours. 3.5 hours seems so much better. We also dont use as many AAA as we do AA so I went with the kit that offered 16 AA instead of 8 AAA and 8 AA.
Anyway, will let you know once we get them. Just thought that you may go through a million batteries a day what with all the noisy light-up toys now. Or maybe you don't care and take time to relish the peace and quiet when they die...to each his own :)
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Poop. Sorry. Help!
Don't read this if you are squeamish. This is pretty detailed, but I don't know what to do and I am extremely frustrated with Chase's heiney. I'm so incredibly stressed out about this.
This isn't a funny poop story. It's a medical cry for help!
So, a history: Chase had Hirschsprung's disease. He had it surgically corrected when he was 2 1/2 weeks old. The surgeon was able to remove about an inch of lanrge intestine with a pull-through. It was a one-step procedure...no colostomy or anything (Thanks, Dr. Attorri- YOU ROCK!).
Since then, Chase has just always been a really poopy little dude. Like, 6-8 poopy diapers a day. Always. He's 16 months old now. You do the math. That's a lot of freaking diapers. I've asked the surgeon, the ped, and the GI doctors, and they've all said that some kids are just poopier than others. Guess we're just lucky. No one seemed concerned.
Oh, and the GI doctor said that yes, Chase may have some reflux, but it's not bad enough to medicate since he wasn't losing weight (I think that was when he was 7 months or so). The throwing up was constant. All the time. My carpet looks like hell.
So...moving onwards and upwards to the last 3 months...the poops have gotten worse. The diaper rash is mean and relentless. I'm kicking myself for not buying stock in Desitin as we are single handedly financing the entire company. We started eliminating foods, and it seems that when we took away milk, the reflux was better as were the diapers. We switched to soymilk for a week and it seemed to work, but then it got exponentially worse.
And on top of everything else, he's only gained 5 ounces in 4 months. He's started crawling since then, and is definitely more active, but still. He is a little guy.
*Ok- funny poop story amongst all my angst: I checked Chase's diaper before going to bed and it seemed a little squishy. So I picked him up, resting his butt on my forearm with his head on my shoulder. As I did this, it apparently smooshed everything that had been in the diaper up and out the back of his pants, splooshing on my arm and dripping-- like pumpkin pie batter-- onto my leg. Oh. My. God. I can't even put him down anywhere, I'm so afraid that more will come out. So I run, holding him under his arms, a foot in front of me, to my bathroom across the house, praying that Bryan is somewhere close so we can engineer some kind of solution to getting him undressed, undiapered, and into the shower without any additional, um, crap. I can't tell you exactly how we did it, but somehow we were able to peel him out of the layers of soiled jammies and rinse him off. Anyhoo.
Back to today. Chase is off milk, soymilk, rice milk, and wheat. Planning for meals is impossible. Chase refuses to eat almost all the substitutes that I give him. His diet consists mostly of bananas, rice chex, green beans, sweet potatoes, applesauce, grapes, and peaches. Diapers are still gross, but less gross than they have ever been. I have nightmarish thoughts about Celiac disease.
I took him to the pediatrician and she did an allergy panel and the preliminary bloodwork to test for celiac. The results came back today: Negative. For everything. No celiac (yay!) but also no allergies. WTH??? Seriously, every time the kid had milk, he'd puke. NO ALLERGIES? Not a ONE? WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIS SYSTEM THEN???????????????????????????????????????????????
I've called the GI guy. We're going to see him next week. Oy.
Oh, and another thing. I feel really stupid about this. But since Chase has been eating larger, less cut-up foods (take green beans, for example), I've noticed that they come out in his diaper, well, whole. Like someone dumped a bowl full of beans down his pants. Seriously. That whole. Same for black beans, corn, etc. And the sweet potatoes...they come out looking essentially unchanged. At first I attributed this to his lack of teeth (something that I had no experience with since Ian had a mouthful by his first birthday), but I'm beginning to wonder...is this normal? Is this an indication that nothing is being processed? Does this happen to anyone else's kids?
So. HELP! SOMEONE! ...anyone...?
This isn't a funny poop story. It's a medical cry for help!
So, a history: Chase had Hirschsprung's disease. He had it surgically corrected when he was 2 1/2 weeks old. The surgeon was able to remove about an inch of lanrge intestine with a pull-through. It was a one-step procedure...no colostomy or anything (Thanks, Dr. Attorri- YOU ROCK!).
Since then, Chase has just always been a really poopy little dude. Like, 6-8 poopy diapers a day. Always. He's 16 months old now. You do the math. That's a lot of freaking diapers. I've asked the surgeon, the ped, and the GI doctors, and they've all said that some kids are just poopier than others. Guess we're just lucky. No one seemed concerned.
Oh, and the GI doctor said that yes, Chase may have some reflux, but it's not bad enough to medicate since he wasn't losing weight (I think that was when he was 7 months or so). The throwing up was constant. All the time. My carpet looks like hell.
So...moving onwards and upwards to the last 3 months...the poops have gotten worse. The diaper rash is mean and relentless. I'm kicking myself for not buying stock in Desitin as we are single handedly financing the entire company. We started eliminating foods, and it seems that when we took away milk, the reflux was better as were the diapers. We switched to soymilk for a week and it seemed to work, but then it got exponentially worse.
And on top of everything else, he's only gained 5 ounces in 4 months. He's started crawling since then, and is definitely more active, but still. He is a little guy.
*Ok- funny poop story amongst all my angst: I checked Chase's diaper before going to bed and it seemed a little squishy. So I picked him up, resting his butt on my forearm with his head on my shoulder. As I did this, it apparently smooshed everything that had been in the diaper up and out the back of his pants, splooshing on my arm and dripping-- like pumpkin pie batter-- onto my leg. Oh. My. God. I can't even put him down anywhere, I'm so afraid that more will come out. So I run, holding him under his arms, a foot in front of me, to my bathroom across the house, praying that Bryan is somewhere close so we can engineer some kind of solution to getting him undressed, undiapered, and into the shower without any additional, um, crap. I can't tell you exactly how we did it, but somehow we were able to peel him out of the layers of soiled jammies and rinse him off. Anyhoo.
Back to today. Chase is off milk, soymilk, rice milk, and wheat. Planning for meals is impossible. Chase refuses to eat almost all the substitutes that I give him. His diet consists mostly of bananas, rice chex, green beans, sweet potatoes, applesauce, grapes, and peaches. Diapers are still gross, but less gross than they have ever been. I have nightmarish thoughts about Celiac disease.
I took him to the pediatrician and she did an allergy panel and the preliminary bloodwork to test for celiac. The results came back today: Negative. For everything. No celiac (yay!) but also no allergies. WTH??? Seriously, every time the kid had milk, he'd puke. NO ALLERGIES? Not a ONE? WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIS SYSTEM THEN???????????????????????????????????????????????
I've called the GI guy. We're going to see him next week. Oy.
Oh, and another thing. I feel really stupid about this. But since Chase has been eating larger, less cut-up foods (take green beans, for example), I've noticed that they come out in his diaper, well, whole. Like someone dumped a bowl full of beans down his pants. Seriously. That whole. Same for black beans, corn, etc. And the sweet potatoes...they come out looking essentially unchanged. At first I attributed this to his lack of teeth (something that I had no experience with since Ian had a mouthful by his first birthday), but I'm beginning to wonder...is this normal? Is this an indication that nothing is being processed? Does this happen to anyone else's kids?
So. HELP! SOMEONE! ...anyone...?
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Inspiration
Sometimes I need a pick-me-up. I came across this today and it made me think:
The places in which we are seen and heard are holy places
They remind us of our value as human beings. They give us the strength to go on.
Eventually, they may even help us to transform our pain into wisdom
by Rachel Naomi Remen
Positive Words, Powerful Results, Simple ways to honor, affirm, and celebrate life
By Hal Urban; This book won Inspirational Book of the Year from Writer’s Digest
Hal Urban, a high school teacher, challenged his students to go one day without saying anything negative. Very few were able to achieve 24 hours without saying a negative word. This book has discussions of how the words we use affect our minds, the climate around us and how other people view us by our communication.
Can you go one day without saying a negative word?
From the book
These are the kinds of things we do not like to hear, things that either hurt us or offend us or drag us down. This is a wake up call to show just how many ways there are to poison our surroundings with our own words.
The author calls this list the Dirty 30.
1. Bragging
2. Swearing and other gross-out language
3. Gossip
4. Mean-spirited and hurtful words
5. Angry Words
6. Playing “poor me” – the self-pity game
7. Lies
8. Making discouraging remarks
9. Judging others
10. Embarrassing and humiliating people
11. Teasing
12. Excessive faultfinding and criticism
13. Manipulation
14. Complaining, moaning, whining
15. Ethnic and racial slurs
16. Rude and inconsiderate language
17. Sexist comments
18. Trying to impress others with phony and insincere comments
19. Age-related put-downs
20. Threats
21. Being negative – always pointing out what’s wrong
22. Arguing
23. False Flattery
24. Interrupting – not letter the other person finish
25. Yelling
26. Exaggerating
27. Talking down to people – being condensing
28. Being a know-it-all
29. Blaming and accusing others
30. Playing “trump” –always topping someone else’s story
And for the other side, these are the Thoughtful Thirty
1. Give encouragement
2. Express thanks
3. Acknowledge others
4. Extend greetings
5. Give a compliment
6. Congratulate someone
7. Teach, give instructions
8. Offer words of comfort
9. Inspire others
10. Celebrate and cheer
11. Inquires, express interest
12. Mend relationships
13. Make others laugh
14. Show faith and trust
15. Share good news
16. Praise, honor, build up
17. Express caring
18. Show understanding and empathy
19. Give approval
20. Extend an invitation
21 Show courtesy and respect
22. Give advice and counsel
23. Apologize
24. Forgive
25. Offer to help
26. Tell the truth
27. Point out the good
28. Use terms of affection
29. Provide valuable information
30. Communicate love
The places in which we are seen and heard are holy places
They remind us of our value as human beings. They give us the strength to go on.
Eventually, they may even help us to transform our pain into wisdom
by Rachel Naomi Remen
Positive Words, Powerful Results, Simple ways to honor, affirm, and celebrate life
By Hal Urban; This book won Inspirational Book of the Year from Writer’s Digest
Hal Urban, a high school teacher, challenged his students to go one day without saying anything negative. Very few were able to achieve 24 hours without saying a negative word. This book has discussions of how the words we use affect our minds, the climate around us and how other people view us by our communication.
Can you go one day without saying a negative word?
From the book
These are the kinds of things we do not like to hear, things that either hurt us or offend us or drag us down. This is a wake up call to show just how many ways there are to poison our surroundings with our own words.
The author calls this list the Dirty 30.
1. Bragging
2. Swearing and other gross-out language
3. Gossip
4. Mean-spirited and hurtful words
5. Angry Words
6. Playing “poor me” – the self-pity game
7. Lies
8. Making discouraging remarks
9. Judging others
10. Embarrassing and humiliating people
11. Teasing
12. Excessive faultfinding and criticism
13. Manipulation
14. Complaining, moaning, whining
15. Ethnic and racial slurs
16. Rude and inconsiderate language
17. Sexist comments
18. Trying to impress others with phony and insincere comments
19. Age-related put-downs
20. Threats
21. Being negative – always pointing out what’s wrong
22. Arguing
23. False Flattery
24. Interrupting – not letter the other person finish
25. Yelling
26. Exaggerating
27. Talking down to people – being condensing
28. Being a know-it-all
29. Blaming and accusing others
30. Playing “trump” –always topping someone else’s story
And for the other side, these are the Thoughtful Thirty
1. Give encouragement
2. Express thanks
3. Acknowledge others
4. Extend greetings
5. Give a compliment
6. Congratulate someone
7. Teach, give instructions
8. Offer words of comfort
9. Inspire others
10. Celebrate and cheer
11. Inquires, express interest
12. Mend relationships
13. Make others laugh
14. Show faith and trust
15. Share good news
16. Praise, honor, build up
17. Express caring
18. Show understanding and empathy
19. Give approval
20. Extend an invitation
21 Show courtesy and respect
22. Give advice and counsel
23. Apologize
24. Forgive
25. Offer to help
26. Tell the truth
27. Point out the good
28. Use terms of affection
29. Provide valuable information
30. Communicate love
Monday, August 25, 2008
Blogcation
I took a blogcation. No reason not to post...just getting caught up on other stuff.
Here is a random update:
*Ian is still wild.
*Laundry is almost all done from vacation.
*Chasey has had the worst poop ever in the world the last week (year) and he was tested for allergies and celiac disease...we'll get the results back this week.
*I went to the dentist today (finally!) and liked her a lot. Except that I went in for a cleaning and went out with a filling. Not what I was expecting, but at least I don't have to go in again for 6 months.
*Not only did I go to the dentist, but I also dragged myself to the dermatologist to get cancer-checked. I'm supposed to do it every 6 months (thanks Mom and Dad for my awesome history of skin cancer!) but it's been maybe 3 years or more...? So it took a lot of willpower to go. I have to get cut up in October, but hopefully everything is clear.
*Ian starts school in a week (yay! we are both excited.)
*I start watching kids this week...yay for $$, boo for not having any time whatsoever to myself.
*Both Chase and I have been on the treadmill this week...here's to another go at physical fitness...and learning how to walk!
That's all for now. I know I promised pictures of our vacation...but Bryan hid them somewhere on his computer and I can't find them now.
Here is a random update:
*Ian is still wild.
*Laundry is almost all done from vacation.
*Chasey has had the worst poop ever in the world the last week (year) and he was tested for allergies and celiac disease...we'll get the results back this week.
*I went to the dentist today (finally!) and liked her a lot. Except that I went in for a cleaning and went out with a filling. Not what I was expecting, but at least I don't have to go in again for 6 months.
*Not only did I go to the dentist, but I also dragged myself to the dermatologist to get cancer-checked. I'm supposed to do it every 6 months (thanks Mom and Dad for my awesome history of skin cancer!) but it's been maybe 3 years or more...? So it took a lot of willpower to go. I have to get cut up in October, but hopefully everything is clear.
*Ian starts school in a week (yay! we are both excited.)
*I start watching kids this week...yay for $$, boo for not having any time whatsoever to myself.
*Both Chase and I have been on the treadmill this week...here's to another go at physical fitness...and learning how to walk!
That's all for now. I know I promised pictures of our vacation...but Bryan hid them somewhere on his computer and I can't find them now.
Buddy Walk With Us!
It's that time of year again! Help us raise money for the National Down Syndrome Society and our local Down Syndrome Association of Charlotte by donating in Chase's name. Come on...you know you want to!
Go to this link to donate online...it couldn't be easier to give us your money :) Remember...when you help others, you can't help helping yourself! (Bonus points for anyone who can name that reference.)
We'll be walking in Freeedom Park on Saturday October 4th. If you'd like to join us, we'd love to have you on our team. You also get a Chase Face button for FREE just for walking!!
**I had the wrong link up...click the link again and it should take you to Chase's page**
Go to this link to donate online...it couldn't be easier to give us your money :) Remember...when you help others, you can't help helping yourself! (Bonus points for anyone who can name that reference.)
We'll be walking in Freeedom Park on Saturday October 4th. If you'd like to join us, we'd love to have you on our team. You also get a Chase Face button for FREE just for walking!!
**I had the wrong link up...click the link again and it should take you to Chase's page**
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Still Here
We're still alive. We took 10 days to enjoy some family/friend time in Michigan. It was a really awesome time (lots of pictures to come!)
For now, though, I have laundry and unpacking to do. Will post more later.
Oh, but just to build the anticipation, I learned that waterskiing is NOT a sport that I excel in. Or something that I am even mediocre at. I just suck at it. And I spent at least 3 days recovering from the 40 or so attempts that I took at it.
For now, though, I have laundry and unpacking to do. Will post more later.
Oh, but just to build the anticipation, I learned that waterskiing is NOT a sport that I excel in. Or something that I am even mediocre at. I just suck at it. And I spent at least 3 days recovering from the 40 or so attempts that I took at it.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Soccer Camp is Not For Wimps
This week is Ian's first soccer camp. It's not really a camp, persay. We go for an hour every morning this week.
Ian loves everything about it except when Coach Jaime sometimes pretends he is a monster and Ian runs screaming, "He's going to eeeeeeeeat meeeeee!" crying hysterically like a girl to the sidelines. *sigh*
There are 3 girls and 3 boys on his team, and he is by far the cutest and most skilled player out there :)
I also got to take pictures with my new camera!! Check it out--
soccer camp, day 1: a photo essay:
Ian loves everything about it except when Coach Jaime sometimes pretends he is a monster and Ian runs screaming, "He's going to eeeeeeeeat meeeeee!" crying hysterically like a girl to the sidelines. *sigh*
There are 3 girls and 3 boys on his team, and he is by far the cutest and most skilled player out there :)
I also got to take pictures with my new camera!! Check it out--
soccer camp, day 1: a photo essay:
Friday, August 1, 2008
Roots and Shoots Playgroup
I just wanted to share some photos from our DSAC Roots and Shoots playgroup that I hosted this morning. We've only been doing this playgroup for maybe 8 months, but it's been such an awesome time chatting with the other moms in the group and getting to know each others' kids.
I love that I have this network of other moms in the area, I love that we have such good involvement, and I love being part of the leadership of it. We have tons of stuff planned for this year, and I look forward to being a part of everyone's lives as our kids grow and change.
If you are in my area (Charlotte) and have not yet made it to one of our events, you NEED to. Such. Awesome. Support. And great people :)
I love that I have this network of other moms in the area, I love that we have such good involvement, and I love being part of the leadership of it. We have tons of stuff planned for this year, and I look forward to being a part of everyone's lives as our kids grow and change.
If you are in my area (Charlotte) and have not yet made it to one of our events, you NEED to. Such. Awesome. Support. And great people :)
No Camera
Still no new camera, but I wanted to remember this image:
Ian, plaid shorts, red t-shirt with a fish that says "catch of the day", blue goggles, rollerblades...lounging on the bean bag chair, reading stories with Andy. LOL.
Ian, plaid shorts, red t-shirt with a fish that says "catch of the day", blue goggles, rollerblades...lounging on the bean bag chair, reading stories with Andy. LOL.
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