The Robin Update

We finally got the long awaited Robin update, but first.......

Eileen has a propensity for getting her ears clogged, leading to hearing loss and lots of loud talking.  Knowing Robin had an appointment in the afternoon, I thought why not do a lunchtime appointment in downtown Seattle to get Eileen's ears sucked out and throw in a piano lesson in the morning just for fun.

It all started out so well.  Linus had a great piano lesson.  Eileen and Robin were little angels during the lesson.  We brought Robin home and left him with Grandma and headed to Capitol Hill.  We were a little early so with the extra time we had a snack at Cupcake Royale.  Driving to the doctor appointment my tire sensor came on.  Given the extreme heat I thought maybe that was messing with tire pressure.  In the parking garage I checked all the tires and they seemed fine.  Eileen was very brave and the appointment was super quick.  We decided to treat ourselves to a fancy (meaning not McDonalds) lunch.  After sampling the menu at the Wandering Goose, we had some extra time so we decided to take the scenic route.  Suddenly, I felt bumping.

I pulled the car over and to my dismay found a flat tire.  I quickly called AAA and was grateful to see that my membership did not expire until tomorrow.  That's when things started getting complicated.  It was hot, and I mean stupid hot.  There was no water. My cell phone battery was low. The tow company said an hour, but it took 1.5 hr.  They can only legally have one kid in the tow truck, so I tried to problem solve.  Grandma was out (didn't have a car).  Lyft came but the tow was late and it was not fair to ask him to wait.  I called Dave and had him leave work to be ready if needed to take Robin to the doctor.  I decided to try my sister, Sally.  She was at work, but was planning to go to physical therapy.  She agreed to come to our rescue, but had to finish up at work.  And then because I parked on a really hard to find street and slightly messed up the address, she got lost.  The tow guy was super nice and stayed with the kids and me.  He talked to Sally on the phone, figured out where she was, and got her headed in the right direction.  By this point, Dave didn't feel comfortable taking Robin to his appointment and offered to come get us.  He got to me just after Sally and we made it to the appointment with minutes to spare.  After the appointment, we became the owners of 4 new tires (stupid AWD). Linus and Eileen were really great during all of this. I was surprised by how well they handled the whole ordeal.

And now for Robin.  We have been working hard to get to the bottom of Robin's health issues.  Last week he had a growth hormone stimulation test.  He was very brave.  I was not.  They had a hard time finding a vein which caused me to get woozy and almost faint.  I ended up spending a few minutes with my head in the toilet, feeling guilty because my baby needed me.  The staff at Children's was great.  There is a person whose job it is to distract kids when they get IVs.  She earned her pay.  Robin didn't cry when the IV went in he was so engaged.  He had to get a shot in his stomach and then the nurse came in every thirty minutes to draw blood.  Robin's veins were being tempermental so he first got a warmer a few minutes before each blood draw.  He cried every time they used the tourniquet.  The whole thing messed with his blood sugar so he became totally lethargic and slept for the bulk of the time.

Robin was so sweet and calm through the whole hours long process.  We got some of the blood test results back right away.  We learned he does not have muscular dystrophy.  Some of his labs were a bit off  (which kind of made Dave and me worry) so the doctor wants to check them again in a month.  Today at the endocrinologist we learned the results of the growth hormone stimulation test.  His levels are low.  Normally, this would mean doing a second shorter test (only 1.5 hours instead of 3) and then an MRI to confirm.

Of course Robin never makes anything easy.  In the last month, he had an unexpected growth spurt.  He is still short, but he jumped off the track he has been on for the last year and a half.  The good news is that we don't have to rush into starting him on an 18 year course of growth hormones.  We are going to do a second stimulation test in the near future and then an MRI if indicated.  It was really nice to have Dave there with me so he could hear everything I was.

It was a long long long day.  I finished it with a glass of wine and a feeling of relief to know that Robin is doing great and there is a plan in place.

From the Mouths of Babes in July

Linus:  Mom! I think I have rabies!
Me:  Did you get bit by a dog?
Linus:  No. A bird landed on my foot.

Eileen:  When daddy buries Linus our house will be a graveyard.
Me:  Wait, what? Are you planning to off your brother?
Eileen:  Mm hmm.

Robin:  How 'bout....

Robin: Bus! (as in the Pigeon says, let me drive the bus!)

Girl in a tree.  Perhaps surveying possible burial plots?

Linus confronts feminist stereotypes

Linus is all boy.  He likes sports, bugs, and dirt.  His favorite color is camo. He hates the color pink, princesses, or anything he perceives to be slightly girl oriented.  His mother is one of the only females he tolerates.  That said, today was a big day.

We started off the morning, earning our screen time as usual.  I offered to once again try teaching Linus to tie his shoes instead of making him do something more academic.  The ability to tie shoes has eluded him.  Linus wants athletic shoes that tie more than anything.  I won't buy him any until he is proficient at tying his own shoes.  This morning I decided to take a different tact.  I had him put on my new tennis shoes (old ones were destroyed during mud run).  Wearing my shoes meant he had larger laces to work with while being able to apply the right amount of pressure.  This was a big deal because the laces were hot pink.  Within two minutes, he could tie with pretty good accuracy, including a double knot.

Some would have called it a day at that, but I was ready to build upon his success.  I really wanted to try the "family" yoga class at the YMCA.  Linus perceives yoga to be very girly (probably since I usually only go when pregnant).  He was concerned there would only be girls there, it wouldn't be fun, and would be stupid and boring.  Turns out that family is yoga is super fun and challenging and there were boys and an adult man in attendance.  And did you know that women weren't allowed to be yogis until the 1970s?  As we walked to the car Linus commented, "That was pretty fun. Lets go next week.  I need to work on my poses."

The day followed with some very feminine cookie baking, and a little masculine throwing of the football in the backyard with his mom (a girl who can throw a football!).  I knew I needed to utilize this window of open-mindedness and get Linus to ride a bike.

Linus' bike is a little big for him and he never totally mastered a balance bike.  Eileen has a very easy to ride bike that she is learning on.  The only problem is that the bike is pink, with flowers, a white flower basket, and sparkly tassels on the handlebars.  Linus normally balks when I suggest trying her bike.  But today I think he sensed he needed to be open to new things.  And wouldn't you know it, within five minutes he was successfully riding a bike with zero help from me.  Emboldened, he kept practicing even when an occasional male walked by the house.

After we finished bike riding, Linus and I were reviewing day's events.  Linus said, "Mama, I think I'm going to write a book and call it 'The Boy Who Tried.'  There are a few other lessons I am hoping he takes away from today:

• don't knock something until you tried it
• just because something is pink or girlie doesn't mean it's bad
• girl things can help you be awesome 
• girls are awesome, especially his mom and little sister (who was happy to let him borrow her bike)

And most importantly, listen to your mother.

12 years

Today is Dave's and my 12th wedding anniversary.  It may be my favorite anniversary we have celebrated thus far, second only to our first anniversary when we went to Disneyland.  Back in the spring, we bought a romantic getaway for two at the school auction.  We took advantage of it last night.  My mother was kind enough to watch the kids, while Dave and I celebrated at Cedarbrook lodge.

Dinner was the perfect demonstration of how we complement each other perfectly.  I ordered off the kid menu while he selected the 5 course tasting menu with wine pairings.  Together our bill was only a dollar more than was part of our getaway package.  Additionally, our waitress was awesome and brought us free champagne, dessert, and after meal final tasting.   After dinner we headed out to the movies and saw Trainwreck.

I don't anyone's marriage is quite what you expected when you first got hitched.  I definitely thought I would have traveled more of the world by now.  We recently discovered the show, "Married."  It perfectly captures marriage and Dave and I find ourselves glancing at one another throughout the show.

Here's a little throw back to when we were dating and had no idea what awaited us.

Our life isn't glamorous.  We've been together for pretty much all of our adult lives.   We sometimes chuckle at all the things we didn't know (like how to put on a duvet cover, Dave climbed inside). But at the end of the day, there's no one I want to be with more than Dave.  Our little getaway was the perfect reminder of this. 

Cama Camping

We got the opportunity to go camping this week at Cama Beach State Park.  I've always been intrigued by the cute little cabins, but never actually stayed.  I was really nervous going into things, I didn't pack ahead much, Dave had to leave early, and since we were going as part of a larger group of people, I was not sure what to expect or how to plan.  This last part was the hardest since lack of control  and not knowing what to expect makes me anxious, like super incredibly sick to my stomach anxious.

It was over 90 degrees when we got there.  Sometimes the fact that the Puget Sound is always really cold is a good thing.  Sleep was lacking the first night.  Eileen refused to sleep and then woke up every hour.  Robin woke up constantly as well.  Dave shared a trundle bed with Linus the first night since it was so stuffy and hot, the back bedroom was unbearable for him.  More room for me :)

The upside of the group we were with is that the majority are former camp staff (or the spouse of).  This meant there were lots of adults to look after kids. The adults actually played too. It makes me happy to know that all those kids are surrounded by positive adult role models.   I honestly didn't see Linus much while we were there.  He was too busy playing pick up games of flyers, football, soccer, capture the flag.  Linus was in heaven.  We also watched the sunset, singing the songs of Camp Gallagher.

I got to spend a little quality time with Linus at sundown.  Linus loved this plank he found until not too long after this picture was taken and he got whacked in the face.  At which point he cried to go home.


Eileen remained close to my side for most of the trip. She preferred to stay in the cabin, but also kept an eye on Robin.

I brought along some crafts/activities.  We made bubble snakes (Eileen couldn't do it and instead kept inhaling dish soap).  My niece and nephew and I constructed a tin foil river and raced sail boats made out of corks.  It was pretty fun and I was impressed by their engineering minds.

Robin was happy to hang out with us on the porch.  I asked him to say, "cheese," and this is what I got. I love the hand on hip action.

Alas, we cut our trip short.  On the third day, I was playing a game of kickball.  I let Robin kick and then ran with him.  Remember in my last post when I said I was clumsy and uncoordinated?  Well, I tripped and fell, taking Robin with me.  Of course this happened in front of like 30 people.  Completely embarrassed, I limped off the field and comforted my poor crying boy and wiped all the dirt and grass off him.  We returned to the cabin.  I cleaned my wounds, pretty painful ones on my elbow and knee.  I fed Robin lunch and put him down for a nap.  Not too long later, he started crying.  I opened the door to the bedroom and found what looked like a murder scene (feeding a baby red velvet muffins and strawberries will do that).  Robin was drenched in bright red vomit, the pack n play, bedding, and lovey were also covered.  It was at this point that I threw in the towel.  While a freshly cleaned Robin slept, wrapped in a spare blanket, I cleaned and packed.

I have no regrets about leaving early.  I was stressed about doing a night with cranky kids and final clean up by myself (you have to shuttle your gear, no cars allowed).  Eileen fell asleep for the entire car ride, once inside the house, she fell asleep on the couch.  We woke her for dinner and then she easily went to bed.  All the kids were asleep before 8 pm. They even slept in too! I don't think they could have handled another late night.

Now that I have been through it once, I want to make a few notes to myself:

• bring bikes for the kids to ride
• bring the inflatable raft
• get a cabin in the main group. who cares if they don't have their own showers?  Ours was "deluxe" but further away. 
• bring a cook stove.
• help Dave pack (he neglected to bring anything warm, including a sweatshirt or enough socks)
• don't clean crocs in the dishwasher.  I melted three pairs today.
• red velvet muffins are just cupcakes disguised as breakfast.
• do not feed the children anything bright red
• bring a well stocked first aid kit

Despite the fact that both Eileen and Linus asked to go home at some point, neither wanted to leave when the time came.  Eileen is already asking when we can go back to the beach cabin and if we can stay even longer.

Warrior Women

Today I challenged myself.  I did something I did not think I would ever be capable of  and I did it with my sister and my aunt.  I completed the Warrior Dash and I feel awesome!

I am incredibly uncoordinated.  I am clumsy and bruise easily.  My legs are a testament to this.  I don't consider myself to be physically strong.  I also don't like being dirty.  I always admired people who did obstacle races, but thought I would never be able to do one myself.  Luckily,  I have a sister and aunt who encouraged me to give it a try.

My kids call her, Great Grand Eileen.  She is awesome and one of my heroes.  Eileen is fit, can do handstands and kettlebells.  She is an amazing woodworker.  She hikes, she skis.  Eileen is smart and a gifted teacher.  Students love her.

 My sister, Sally, has not let lyme disease hold her back from embracing life.

 We are women warriors.

The course was dusty.  The first mile is just running, first up a hill over very dusty, sandy ground.  My ankle threatened to roll during the first mile, but luckily I avoid injury.  I jumped over walls, climbed high walls with a rope, crawled under barbed wire, crawled through tunnels, climbed cargo nets, jumped in a series of mud pits, waded through more mud, crawled through mud under barbed wire, slid into a pool of muddy water, crossed slacked lines while being sprayed with water and suspended high above ground, and jumped fire.  It.Was.Awesome!!!!!

I honestly surprised myself.  I never got stuck.  I might even described my movement through several obstacles as spry.  I made it through every obstacle on the first attempt.  I also got very dirty and muddy. 

I removed my eye block and discovered I was dirtier than I thought despite hosing off.

The camaraderie on the course was great.  There were so many fun groups of people, everyone willing to help out someone stuck.  Afterwards, we headed to the beer garden to redeem our free beer.  I, famed for my dislike of beer, felt it important to at least try my celebratory beer.  To my surprise I actually kind of like the belgian white.  There may be hope for me yet.

Classic Eileen pose

 I can't wait to see the pics taken by course officials. I think everyone needs a picture of them leaping over fire.  We opted not to take any post-race pics wearing our fuzzy red horned helmets.

I can only imagine how difficult the course would have been if it had been rainy instead of blazing hot.  Those mud pits might have been impossible to escape.  Maybe next year I will get the chance to find out.

Too Busy Making Memories

I realized today it has been an unusually long time since I last blogged.  This summer has been flying by and full of simple pleasures.  There are no big trips or vacations.  We've been so busy having fun, we have barely even taken any pictures (maybe that's a good thing?).

Here's a glimpse into our summer days....

Over the 4th of July my sister and her family stayed with us.  We played, went to a parade, and saw a great fireworks show (that was free of crazy crowds).

We've continued to do small, fun activities.  Bridge building is harder than it looks!

Robin is in love with books, especially the Pigeon books and Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems.  He will bring books to anyone and beg them to read, over and over again.  He drags a Mo Willem book with him wherever he goes.

The big kids have been surprisingly willing to go to their rooms every afternoon for an hour to play quietly and give me a break.

This past weekend, Dave and Linus went camping with Dave's brother and his four boys (and took no pictures).  Linus came home joyous despite being covered in bug bites.  Eileen, Robin, and I spent the time swimming, riding bikes, checking out a new toy store, playing in the backyard, and watching princess movies.

The kids have been taking daily swim lessons.  Additionally, each kid gets one week of day camp.  Eileen spent last week at rookie sports camp.  I wasn't sure how it would go since she generally dislikes sports and would only wear dresses.  She loved it, especially hockey.  One day Linus and I went on a hike through Discovery Park, just the two of us.  It was wonderful.

It's been fun watching the kids tackle new things this summer.  After day camp, Eileen was excited to play t-ball in the backyard.  She exclaimed, "I can do this! I learned how at camp!"  Linus started taking piano lessons.  He also finally discovered the joy of reading chapter books.  He has been devouring Magic Treehouse books.

Robin has been getting the hang of this walking thing and just this week started to be able to stand up in the middle of a room unassisted.  His increased balance has led to him trying new challenges like stairs, ladders, slides, and sports equipment.  He thought t-ball and golf were pretty fun.

I've enjoyed getting one on one time with each of my kids and knocking books off my reading list during downtime.  I've also been whittling away at my professional development clock hours.  To my surprise, I've slowly rediscovered my passion for teaching.  I'm still not ready to head back into the classroom full time (and I know Robin definitely is not okay with that idea), but now it actually holds some appeal once again.  The many hours spent with my lovely children also remind me that homeschooling is not a good option for us.

This summer has just been full of pleasant surprises.