And on to the specialist we go

Ethan had his weight check last week and I've been putting off posting this until I knew when the next step would be happening. He was exactly the same weight as before, meaning he has gained nothing in 8 months, and less than 2 pounds in over a year. His doctor said she just isn't comfortable giving him more time, just in case it is a big deal. So Ethan has an appointment with a pediatric GI in about 3 weeks. Both the pediatrician and I agree that he is probably just adjusting to his genetics and the GI won't find anything, but we can't risk the chance that we might miss something major. We're not worried, so no one else be.

Holy Sickness, Batman!

If you haven't read it yet, read this first. And then come back to read what happened from someone who was coherent the whole time, though not always present.

John came home from work on Friday pale, and not looking so good, but not horrible. So, knowing that he would get some rest before Ethan woke up from his nap, I went to work. Skipping the parts I was at work for, I came home when my mom called saying that he definitely needed a blessing, and maybe needed to go to the ER. I can't adequately describe what John was like when I got home, but I'll try. He was sitting on the floor, propped against the wall. He kept wincing and yelling out as waves of pain hit. And he was so exhausted that his eyes were only half open and he could only mumble. He was even brought to tears by the pain on several occasions.

I should mention at this point that not only have I never seen John like this, I've never seen him sick. He doesn't get sick. EVER. Needless to say, I was really freaked out.

I knew that, shy of making him more comfortable (which our great friends helped me do), there was nothing I could do for him. I spoke with the dr about options, but she agreed that this wasn't life-threatening, and he would probably be most comfortable at home. She did prescribe some meds to help with the nausea and help him sleep, but they wouldn't help with the pain. John finally fell asleep before we picked them up, so he never needed them. (Thank goodness! I didn't even want to think about giving a grown man a suppository!) So I just went to bed with him, calming him down every time the pain woke him up. It was a long night, but I managed to get a little bit of sleep, and John was nearly back to normal by morning. And now, on sunday, you'd never know it happened. (Except for all of the nasty laundry I'm still getting through!)

It was apparently food poisoning from a seafood salad. This is one of the many reasons I don't eat seafood!

Come to the Play!

For everyone who could feasibly make it to Boston, plan to come see this show! (Click on the poster to see a bigger image and to read the details.)

So Sad :(

I am sitting in the office listening to Ethan crying. We had friends over for dinner so he stayed up past his bedtime. He was easy to get ready for bed. Wanted to change into pajamas. Wanted to read a book. Even wanted to lay down and pull up his blanket. But actually sleep? No way! After we prayed and I held his hand for a minute, I got up to leave and he flipped out. I know that he will eventually calm down and climb back into bed to sleep. He'll even pull up his own blanket. But for now, I have to listen to him calling for me. I think it would be easier if he was just crying, but the pleading is rough. "Mommy, you need to hold my hand for a few minutes now." "Mommy, you need to hold my hand for a few minutes please." "Mommy, ...." You get the idea. So right now I'm sad. Because if I go in, it will be worse tomorrow. But I so want to go in....

Happy Valentines Day!

So I had big plans for you all. Ethan picked out cards, colored on them, and decorated them with stickers. He even decorated the envelopes. But when I went to get them in the mail, I couldn't find my address book. I know it's in the house somewhere, but I haven't found it yet, and it's a little late to send out Valentines Day cards.

Then I wanted to put an audio clip of Ethan saying "I love you berry much" here on my blog. Unfortunately I am not as computer savvy as I thought. So I will keep working on it. Maybe video would be easier.

I hope everyone had a Happy Valentines Day!

Fattening Up

I realize that we have relaxed, but anyone who hasn't seen Ethan recently my still be worried about his weight. He is still skinny, but you can't see his ribs anymore and his face has filled out. Even his arms and legs don't seem as scrawny as they did. His official weigh in isn't until the end of the month, but I wanted to pass on that he's just fine.

Babies

Yes, it's time for Ethan to have a baby brother or sister. We agree. We have felt that way for over a year. So for anyone wondering what we're waiting for, read this.

EDIT: If you read John's post first, I think it sounds like we are announcing that we are beginning to try to have a baby. Not so. We have been for nearly a year. Things just don't always go as planned. Sorry if you got excited.

Superpowers

Ethan's favorite movie is "Superheroes" (better known as 'The Incredibles'). We watch it everyday. His favorite character is Dash, the headstrong blond son with superspeed. He's the reason we "Run so fast" around our house all the time. Earlier this week, Ethan came up to me and said "Mommy, I need a superpower." Me too Ethan, me too. We've decided that being nice and helpful is a superpower, and that Ethan's kisses are his secret weapon.

Indoctrination

While shopping at Target last week, Ethan decided it was time to sing. I love it! But I started to get embarassed when he chose to sing "Scripture Power" at the top of his lungs. After a few dirty looks, I wanted to shush him. But then I stopped myself. Should I be embarrased? Or should I be proud? I decided I was more proud, so when he asked me to sing along, I did! (Quietly.)

I've become aware of a movement (at least in the section of liberal America we live in) to let your kids make their own decisions. Great! I'm all for it! But for some reason, this movement involves not forcing the decisions that you've made on your children. I am constantly shocked by the people who are not teaching their kids about their religion at a young age. They say they are waiting until they are old enough to decide on a religion for themselves, and teaching them younger would be indoctrination. WHAT??? If it's indoctrination, I'm all for it. I can't imagine anyone learning to make good decisions without a firm moral grounding. One that religion is wonderful at teaching.

As I left Target that day, I realized that I was proud to smile back at the people giving me dirty looks. I am glad that my son already knows that he can gain power from the scriptures, and wants to tell everyone else. At least when I let him make his own choices, he'll know which ones are the good ones.

A Few Changes

Made a few changes to the blog. Still trying to figure out what all these options mean. Tell me what you think.

Good visit to the Dr

Ethan has managed to get even skinnier in the last few weeks. With all the vomiting and the yuck, I'm not suprised. But even the Dr found the change a little shocking. You can see his ribs, his little baby belly is gone, and even with a diaper on he no longer has a butt. Seriously. I had to drop him back down a pant size so that they wouldn't keep falling off.

So, we still had this follow visit scheduled to prove that he could gain weight. HA! I decided to keep it so that I could see where we were starting from now. Suprisingly, he had gained enough before the sickness that he is back to the same weight. Good news. (He is skinnier because he added height.) We will still follow up in another month to actually prove he gains, and will still push protein and some extra fats, but no more stressing about it. Except that I miss his baby fatness.

Can't Stop Giggling

I am taking an online scrapbooking class (my big Christmas present) that is more about sorting so that usable photos and ideas are visible than it is about scrapbooking. So I've been spending most of my evenings with photos spread out all over the living room floor.

I just can't stop bursting out laughing!! Both of our families are hilarious! My favorite pictures this evening are of Hannah at about four years old. Ethan makes the same faces! I'll scan them in and post side-by-side pictures later.

So anyway... sorting through boxes and boxes of photos has been more fun than I expected. My abs were sore last night from laughing.

Why won't he sleep!!

Ethan has decided that he doesn't need naptime or bedtime. They get in the way of playing. He literally screams "I NEED TO PLAY!!!" when we put him down. We've tried just about everything. Finally, last night, we just left him in his room. He played for 2 hours. TWO HOURS! Then he slept in until 9am. Such a weird kid. But I'm a night owl, so maybe he's just becoming more like mom. I don't know. I like the sleeping in thing, but John and I miss our quiet evenings and it takes me hours to stop clenching my teeth after putting him down for a nap. Anyway, he's driving me bonkers! (And not helping my stress level AT ALL.)

Solid!

If you are easily grossed out, STOP READING!

The most exciting thing happened today. Ethan had a solid poop! After nearly a week of nastiness, it was a welcome sight. It means we're done with this. Yipee!

A Variation....

Ethan just started singing "Jesus is coming..to town" instead of Santa. What a cutie!

New Years Resolutions

I'm trying to focus on something other than Ethan for a few minutes. (He's doing marginally better. Check John's blog for more updates.) So here are my New Years Resolutions. Hold me to them.

1. Sing more - I've already started this one by joining a production of "Savior of the World". I didn't actually audition b/c of my work schedule, but I've performed with the music director before and she asked that I join the ensemble to help out the altos. So don't expect much from me the next 3 months. I'll be busy.

2. Stick to a budget - Not just make one. Actually stick to it.

3. Go to bed earlier - It's nearly impossible to get 8hrs of sleep when you go to bed at 1am. So that needs to change.

4. Read more - This one will be the easiest (except when Heroes and Stargate start back up again!)

We're back! But not so good...

We have been back from our vacation in UT for a day or so now. Most of our trip was great. We spent it visiting family and friends, and just relaxing. Nothing is better than that.

But then, Ethan started throwing up. We ended up in the ER for an anti-nausea shot. This was the day before we were scheduled to fly home. So we tried to change our flights. We tried for hours. We talked to many, many different people. We even told them that if they didn't change our flights, we would be taking a very sick and probably very contagious boy onto the plane. They simply didn't care. We ended up flying while Ethan had a fever of 103 and didn't even have enough energy to stay awake. So, we will never be flying United again, and we are telling everyone we know about it. They have the absolute worst customer service in the business.

So now that I've gotten that off my chest, how is Ethan doing now? Well, his fever came down at home. I think just being a home is making it easier for him. But he has switched to explosive diahrea. The one upside is that he is asking to sit on the potty! (We have to look for a silver lining somewhere. This has been miserable.) And it's now Sunday morning. He made it through the night without needing a diaper change, so that's a good sign. And when he woke up he was hungry and thirsty. Not sure if the improvement will last the day, but we are hoping and praying for it. Keep our little guy in your prayers. He really needs them right now.

The end of the day

Getting Ethan ready for bed can be trying on the best nights. He just wants to play! But after he's in bed, you can't help but love him. Once you leave the room, Ethan lays in his bed talking about the day and singing songs to himself. He never gets out of bed to play (even though his room is full of toys), just talks and sings. John and I just sit and listen sometimes. He's just so darn cute!

Something New

I know. It's again been too long. So, rather than try to catch up, here's something new.

I just finished "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. In this book, the US (and possible the world) has been completely destroyed, leaving only remnents of our current civilization. Few people survived the unnamed tragedy, and most have been driven to horrible things in trying to survive. The story is about a father and his young son, who was born after the tragedy. They are on the road, searching for hope and good people. As this father struggles to find food and warmth for his son, you can't help but dwell on what you would be capable of doing for your children. And the comparison between a man who remembers his life before, and a boy who knows nothing different is a striking undertone.

This was, hands down, one of the best books I've read in a long time. The images and simple discussions simply brought me to tears many times. And it is incredible well written. The ending is what you would expect, but it doesn't really matter. It's the journey that's important here.

My Great Provider

John's boss had a baby this last summer. So that meant maternity leave. During her leave, her son had colic. Since she's been back at work, he's had pneumonia and croup and who knows what else. The poor guy has just been struggling. And so has his poor mom. She's been trying to be at work as much as she can, but has used up all her vacation and sick time already. So this time, when her son was sick again, she decided something needed to change. No, she didn't quit. She just said she'd be taking a few weeks to let her son get really healthy. Way to go! I can't imagine how hard it is to split home and work life as a mom. (It makes me feel really lucky that I don't have to.) John said the best thing about it this evening (and this is why I'm posting). He said "She's the kind of person you want to work for. When she sets her priorities, her family is first." And he's the kind of husband I want providing for my family. His family comes first. I love this guy.