Big Bird and the Adventures of Fearless Boy

You Are Big Bird

Talented, smart, and friendly... you're also one of the sanest people around. You are usually feeling: Happy. From riding a unicycle to writing poetry, you have plenty of hobbies to keep you busy. You are famous for: Being a friend to everyone. Even the grumpiest person gets along with you. How you life your life: Joyfully. "Super. Duper. Flooper."

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

Just wanted to post that because it soooo does not seem like me. Hehe!

Took the boys swimming for the first time this season, yesterday. Kyan is fearless. FEARLESS!! Like, he walks down into the water and just keeps going until he's in over his head - then when you rescue him and pull him out, once he stops coughing - he laughs! If he sees a ball he wants, he goes after it! Doesn't matter how deep the water is, he goes for it. The kid thinks he can swim!!!

I'm getting him some kind of floaty.

I never needed a floaty with Jaben. He liked the water, and is a little fish now, but when he was Kyan's age he would play in the shallows, go down the baby slide, and occasionally like to be carried into the deeper water.

Not Kyan!! He likes to kick his feet, he likes to walk, waist deep, in the water and go where he wants. He thinks it's funny to be splashed by his big brother and he splashes right back! This skinny, tiny kid thinks he's just as big as his (almost) 10 yr old brother and tries like hell to hold his own. It is a sight to see, trust me. I've got to bring a camera and get some shots of Fearless Boy in action.

Swim, baby, swim!

8:30 Saturday morning

Jaben and our cousin are in the living room singing karaoke on the tv. Yes, the tv. It's in our On Demand and it's actually kind of fun. And since neither of them can carry a tune, it's funny from where I'm sitting. It's mostly older songs - late 80's-early 90's is as current as it seems to get. As long as they're enjoying themselves. (Pat Benetar's Hit Me With Your Best Shot... not as good as the Devil Went Down to Georgia, but funny!)

Updated the blogroll this morning (after I figured out the stupid mistake I'd made the first time!), hopefully you can see the new blogs added on the right. I've still got more, bookmarked on another computer and will add them as I get time. For now, enjoy the new ones!

Crazy few days!

I survived having my molar pulled... barely.

Then of course Monday was Kyan's appt with the orthopedist. We drove about 5 hrs total for about 20 minutes with the ortho. Seriously. Basically, he's got what Forrest Gump had. Um.. except for the low IQ part. See, years ago they'd put braces on a child with legs like Kyan, but have since learned it doesn't help. Actually nothing does. It'll either go away or it won't. If it doesn't go away tho, he's going to be FAST!!

*bad Southern accent* Ruuuuun Kyyyyaaannnn.... rruuuuuunnnnn...

Um, yeah. According to the Dr, a lot of Olympic runners and faster athletes have this condition with their legs - for some reason it makes you faster than average. So okay... if he doesn't outgrow it he's going to walk funny, but he won't get beat up because he'll be able to outrun the bullies!! Yay Kyan!!

So we got that taken care of.

Tuesday morning Jaben comes downstairs and tells me he needs to see Dr Chris (our family Dr). I asked him what was wrong and he showed me his foot. Can I just say EW?? About a month or so ago, Jaben got a BIG splinter in his foot. Despite his fits (he can't stand having splinters pulled at ALL) I pulled it out. We cleaned it up, put a bandaid on it and I forgot all about it. Until Tuesday morning.

For a month, this kid has been walking around with leftover splinter in his foot. And he didn't tell anybody. Because he thought it was normal.

That's right - he thought it was normal. It hurt, it was red, it was getting puffy - but he thought it was normal. Grandma had managed to convince him it was not normal, but he wouldn't let her touch it - only Dr Chris could do it. So, when I got to work on Tuesday I called and got Jaben a 3:00 appt. At an office I'm not overly familiar with. But it was fine - I'd rather drive there and head off further infection than wait.

I took Jaben out of school around 2:15 and off we went. We found the office okay and were right on time for his appointment. Dr. Chris took a look at the foot in question, and decided that yes, it was a splinter stuck in there and that the skin had grown around it like scar tissue, so it was going to have to be cut out. He said he'd give Jaben a shot to numb it up, and then he'd feel nothing. It'd be easy.

Except that I forgot to mention that Jaben is afraid of needles.

We all got into position: me, sitting behind him on the table holding his upper body, the nurse holding his legs down, and Dr Chris all ready with the needle. Jaben took one look at the needle and freaked out. Big, fat tears, not breathing, all tight... not pretty. Kind of amusing if you're familiar with his tough-guy act, but not pleasant for the Dr. In spite of the fits, we continued on anyway. I put my hand over Jaben's eyes and told him deeeep slow breaths, baby, just think about breathing... while Dr. Chris put the needle in and... the splinter popped out.

The pressure of the needle under it must have been just what was needed to push the splinter up and out so no cutting was required, thank God! It was the biggest thing I've ever seen, about 1/4" (check a ruler, that's big for a splinter), especially considering it'd been living in his foot for a month!! So all he needed to have done at that point was the infection squeezed out and the nasty skin scraped off. EW.

But no stitches, thankfully. Imagine how stitches would've been, after how awful just the shot was going!! He's got to take antibiotics for the next 10 days, but he's fine.

My children have been informed that nobody is allowed to get sick, have big boo-boos, or emergencies until at least October. I figure I'll have recovered from this week by then. I mean, October is 5 months away. Even my kids can go 5 months without emergencies... right??

Teen crushes n stuff

First off, my mouth hurts much less today than it did yesterday, and tons less than the day before. It still sux, but I'm beginning to think I'll live.

I just watched Child Stars Confidential on E! and Wil Wheaton was on it. See right to read his blog. I had SUCH the crush on him when I was a teenager. God. He's married now and very much in love with his wife (who he writes about so sweetly in his blog) with 2 stepsons. Sounds like a great guy. Seriously... always go for the geek.

Jaben's got some friends in the neighborhood now! I know, not a huge announcement, but if you knew the kids in our neighborhood (notably the kid next door - rotten little bugger) you'd know what a good thing that is. This boy he's become friends with seems really nice. I hope so - it's so great for him to have someone he can hang out with, who's house he can go to, and a reason to actually have to have a curfew on a school night. Might have happened sooner if he'd always gone to school in this neighborhood, but that doesn't matter at this point. Right now, I'm just glad he has a little buddy to hang out with. And, um... that the one he's closest with is NOT my ex-boyfriend's son - which is what I was afraid of! Eek!

And tomorrow, Kyan sees the pediatric orthopedist. Hopefully it'll be easy and no big deal, but also hopefully, they will give us something to make it better. It's getting worse instead of better, so he does need something. Even just exercises each evening would make me happy. Anything, to make it easier for him to walk, and certainly look less awkward. Will update when I know more. Just think good thoughts for tomorrow.

If it's not one thing, it's another...

I had a tooth pulled today. It hurts. My face is swollen. I am on painkillers. This will be short.

It is just bad timing because my mind is somewhat preoccupied with Kyan's visit to the pediatric orthopedist specialist on Monday. So aside from not having dental insurance, having to make 10 phone calls to find a dentist who was even in, and coming up with the money to pay for it on such short notice, I'm stressed about what's going to go down on Monday.

So in the interest of honesty (a thought brought on by one of the blogs I read), today was a really bad fucking day. Hopefully tomorrow my mouth will feel better, the swelling will be down, and I will feel better about what's coming. For now, I'm just gonna keep taking those painkillers and try not to let the baby bump me in the face too much. He means well, he really does -- but omg it hurts!!

*whew* Now that I can catch my breath...

I must, must blog! I'm awful about doing it on the weekends, but can ya blame me for wanting to be with the poultry twins (turkey face and chicken butt) rather than online?

But oh this weekend was crazy!! Just cra-zee!! As I mentioned in my quick-like "I'm still alive" post yesterday, the weekend was spent making pieces-parts of costumes for the big kid's play. I didn't mind doing it, actually (bearing in mind that my wonderful mother sews and I don't), but the time frame was insane.

His teacher came to me on Thursday night and asked if I could make 2 neckpieces for the king and queen, a belt for each, and wrist bands for each - as well as assemble 12 plastic Gladiator helmets. Sure, no problem, when do you need them by?

Sunday? *Gulp* Um.... okay.

But, we did it. Saturday was hell at my house, "Jaben pleeease keep the baby out of here! He's walking all over the neckpieces I just glued!! The more you keep him busy, the sooner I'll be done, I promise!!" And poor Grandma spent her Saturday sewing. Did I mention that's what she does all week at work?

Yeah, she rocks.

But I talked to the teacher yesterday and the first dress rehearsal went so well they all got chills. And the costumes look great. The first performance is tonight (Jaben's class doesn't have their show until 6/3) and I hope everything goes great! I think we're going to attend a performance Jaben isn't in, just to see. Y'know?

And while I'm here... can somebody please do something about all this rain?? I know it's only a 30% chance tomorrow, and the weekend is supposed to be nice, but I'd like for it to be gone sooner than later. I'm just sooo sick of the gloom!! And Kyan really needs some ow-tide time!

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I need to update my blogroll because there are just so many great bloggers out there who I love reading - so IF I ever get updated and you get blogrolled and would rather not, please let me know. And please, feel free to blogroll me too!

Argh! Too busy to blog!

After a weekend of sewing (well, I cut & glued, my amazing mom sewed) last minute costumes for Jaben's play, I am now in the middle of a catalog that needs to get done for work. Thus, the lack of blog entries.

In the meantime, please amuse yourself by reading the great blogs directly to the right. They're fun to read, I promise!

I'll update as soon as I can catch my breath!

Bah-da-bah! And other ramblings

My baby talks.

No, really. Not so much actual words, but more baby babble. His actual words are more limited to mommy (love that one!), ow-tide, bye-bye, Ky, Zhe-en (for Jaben, say it out loud, you'll see), Keli (but only when he wants something from her!), and probably others he's said once and never again either out of stubbornness or because he's forgotten them.

But anyway, I was talking about his baby babble. This kid talks constantly. I mean constantly! And it's not that quiet, to-himself babbling most babies do. Oh no! He talks with his hands, sometimes his entire arm, if he's making a point. He puts emphasis on certain words so you know it's an important part of whatever story he's telling you. And I just know he's telling me things that are so very important and meaningful and I'd love to know what wisdom he is trying to impart... if only I could understand him! Last night, as we were lying in our co-sleeping cuddle, he began to share his vast wisdom...

"Bah-da-bah... pah - pah -- bah BAH NA DAH! (imagine little arms gesturing meaningfully) bah da-da-da PAH... mananana, pah da da BAH!" and so on.

And he was so serious. It was very important, what he was telling me. And I was listening, raptly, trying to discipher the nuances behind his words, the meaning of his hand and arm gestures. He chattered and talked for several minutes, and then rolled over and peacefully fell asleep.

I tried to sleep too, but couldn't help wondering - did he just share with me the secrets of the universe? The meaning of life? What the face of God looks like? I think babies might have this knowledge and not the means to share with us, and by the time they do, they've forgotten. Maybe he was trying to tell me so I would know and remind him later. Maybe he was just telling me a bedtime story.

Or... maybe he was just babbling.

What a difference a year makes...

Last year at this time, it was all about getting him thru it. It was about finishing out the year and getting him OUT of there. It was about saving him, about not losing what was left of him before that spark disappeared completely. Last year, it was about preserving the last bit of self-worth my son had left. That's what his last school did to him... they took away his worth, his self-love, and turned him into a kid who thought he was less than the others, who thought he didn't matter, who thought everyone would be better off without him.

He was 8.

Even scarier, when I talked to the principal of that school about something that was going on, she said she couldn't know everything that went on in her school. Hm... that's odd because I was pretty sure that was her job. My mistake. No wonder the bullying that turned m y son into a shell of the amazing kid I know him to be, was allowed to go on. Encouraged, even, from what I know of the teacher involved.

This year, he is a different kid. He is happy. And while he's not doing as well as I'd like, academically, I'll take it because he's back. He is back to being the smart-alecky, practical joker, the kid with mischief in his eyes... he is back to being my boy. He told me recently, "I love my life!!" and I can't imagine words sweeter... not now, not from him. He's got friends, he's happy with his activities, his acting has gone a long way towards bringing him all the way back and that is priceless.

Thank you to his new school, his new teacher, for what you've done for my little boy. Thank you thank you thank you, for bringing him back. His grades might not be something you're proud of, but trust me, you've given him something much more important. You've given him himself back... thank you.

ow-tide...ow-tide...ow-tide!!!

Guess where Kyan's favorite place to be is? Ow-tide!! Say that out loud... it's really cute. Actually I was wondering if there's a "Swing-a-holics Anonymous" out there somewhere? All that child wants to do is be pushed on his baby swing in the backyard. Seriously. He'll just sit there while you push. And push. And push. He kind of nods and zones out and swings back and forth, back and forth... But heaven forbid you try to take him out! LOL... oh no that's not happening!!! He'll scream, go red in the face, try to force a few tears, and turn around hugging the swing until you put him back in. I think I pushed that baby swing for a good 40 minutes yesterday afternoon.

And really, I'm so glad he enjoys being ow-tide, I'm glad he's got this thing he loves so much (I was a swing-kid too) but it's so boring just standing there, pushing a swing for fourty minutes while he nods and zones and swings back and forth, back and forth... So how do you make pushing a swing for that long fun? I have no idea. I'm working on it tho... aside from the obvious - acting like he's kicking me, making faces, sticking my tongue out at him (which you can only do for so long) I'm just going to have to come up with some way to make ow-tide on the swing as much fun for me as it is for him.

Later on last night, after ow-tide and homework and stuff, I told Jaben he needed to practice his songs for the play. So he set himself up on the couch with the small cd player, headphones and script and began "singing." I say "singing" because nobody - I mean nobody sings well with headphones on. So... I made him take them off. Then, and only then, did that boy SING! Oh yeah!! There's one song, which I can't remember the name of, but in which he has a 3-4 line solo, where that boy just belts it out!!! Not just his solo part - the whole song. It happens to be in his key, so it's easy for him to hit the right notes and oh is he so cute singing it! He tilts his head back, closes his eyes and that boy sends it right out there! It. Was. Amazing.

I never thought that kid could sing, and even tho his untrained little pre-puberty voice is rough and in need of some work, he can sing when he wants to! I have no clue where the kid gets it, but somewhere, somehow, he got it. And it's awesome!

When he was finished and getting things wound up and put away, he said, "You know Mommy, I think acting and singing is my favorite hobby. Those two things, acting and singing... I just looooove singing!" And he glowed. He just glowed. I always loved acting, never had a lot of opportunities to do it (none, beyond high school) and it just makes me flat out happy that he's got some of my artistic tendancies. It's giving him much-needed confidence and self esteem, and he actually enjoys it... which is really the most important thing anyway.

Now if I could just get over that stage-mommy thing.....

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One small thing... Kyan goes to Akron Children's Hospital on May 22 to see the Pediatric Orthopedist about his little legs. Hopefully they'll echo our doctor who, until recently, said he'd outgrow it. But instead of getting better, it's been getting worse. I know that at the very worst, he'll have to have a brace fitted to that leg until it straightens out, but it still worries me. It's going to end up being an all day thing, especially since I don't know where Akron Children's Hospital is. Anyway, if you could just send some good thoughts out to my little turkey face on Monday, May 22 it would be much appreciated. Thanx!

Save the internet!

I don't know a whole lot about what's going on with this, but wanted to share with anyone (IS there anyone??) who actually reads my drivel. Due to my lack of knowledge (I'm still figuring this all out), you should clink to read what Wil Wheaton had to say about it.

This is not the kind of thing I'd normally post (yesterday I resisted writing an entire post on POOP!) (yes, I said poop) because Kyan said his first sentence (but only because he was repeating after me telling him to say it), which was "I go poop." It was robotic but very very clear and that's actually what he said! He also said "fireworks," but that's not nearly as useful as "I go poop."

So anyway, clink above and see what's going on, sign the petition and help keep the internet free and easily accessible!!