Happenings

A Visit to Zoo


Please, oh please, let me see Ginger!


Happy 8th birthday Matthew!

Time just seems to be zooming by. I am either the worst time manager or one of the busiest people on the planet. The jury is out on that one.

Yesterday was Matthew's 8th birthday! We didn't celebrate but did acknowledge his special day. We plan on celebrating as a family this weekend. It is Dave's birthday on Sunday and all three boys will be here so we'll make a family event of the birthdays! Matthew did celebrate at school with ice-cream for his class. He had asked for cupcakes but did not get them. Why? Oh, it is such a story and I've been beat up by some and congratulated by others. Here's the scoop, you decide...

Last week Matthew started asking about his birthday and wanted to know if I was going to get cupcakes for his class. I took the opportunity as a teachable moment to explain the "why" behind bringing cupcakes to his class. When I asked Matthew why he wanted cupcakes his answers ranged from, "they taste good" to "it's my birthday". Grace finally told Matthew that the cupcakes were to "celebrate" his birthday. Lesson learned.

I told Matthew that I would indeed buy him cupcakes for his class. That was last weekend. From that moment Matthew asked several, and I mean "SEVERAL" times a day if I was going to bring cupcakes. I assured him that I would.

On Tuesday evening I went grocery shopping. By the time I got home, the kids were already in bed. Matthew ran downstairs. I instructed him to go back to bed. About 15 minutes later there he was. Again, I told him to go to bed. After I finished putting the groceries away I went to tuck all the kids into bed. Matthew asked me if I was going to buy cupcakes (AH, the reason for the two trips downstairs to see if I got the cupcakes!). I explained that I didn't buy them that night is because his birthday was still 2 days away and we would get fresh cupcakes.

The next morning Matthew asked, and I am not exaggerating, at least 30 times if he was getting cupcakes. By this point my patience was wearing thin. I told him, very impatiently, that I WAS going to get cupcakes and he needed to STOP asking for them. After school, that very same day, as we all piled into the car, Matthew asked AGAIN, if he was going to get cupcakes. At this point I was just so over his asking that I yelled, "Matthew what have I already told you about the cupcakes?" He answered, "you would get them". My next comment was, "then stop asking. If you ask one more time you aren't going to get any cupcakes!"

From that point on I heard NOTHING about the cupcakes. That is until later that evening....Dave and I were having our first conversation of the evening, after putting the kids into bed. What does he say? "I thought I was going to lose my mind tonight with Matthew. He asked me about getting cupcakes about a million times."

Exasperated, I told Dave what happened that afternoon. Laughing, Dave told me that he said to Matthew, "Let's talk to Mom about the cupcakes, she is the one who would get them." Matthew, emphatically, said "No, I'll ask her in the morning."

What to do? We just had a major situation last week (another story later) where we all, parents, teachers and administrators at school, missed a MAJOR teaching opportunity and turned it into a huge punitive event. So, with that in mind, I called Matthew downstairs.

When I inquired if he had indeed pestered his father about the cupcakes he admitted that he had. Sighing I asked him what I had told him, he repeated EXACTLY what I said. So.....I told him that I would NOT be buying him cupcakes.

ACK, ACK, ACK! As Dave so gently informed me, "He's now put your back to the wall". I had two options: not buy cupcakes to reinforce the lesson (that was VERY important after the fiasco of the previous week) or buy him cupcakes and forget the lesson!

I chose to teach the lesson.

Yesterday Matthew woke up to "Happy Birthdays from all of us" but no stop at Publix for cupcakes. He didn't even ask. Searching my brain and eventually asking his teacher for help, we decided on ice-cream (dixie cups for all of you old fogies). When I told Matthew that he didn't get the cupcakes but that I did get him ice-cream to share he was all smiles.

Hmm...lesson learned AND celebration intact.... I call that success!

Some of the other things that also have been going on.....

Grace has been working on mastering her back handspring and FINALLY was successful!

Sarah was sick this week. It started with a stomach virus on Monday so she and I stayed home. On Tuesday she seemed better so back to school we went. Even though we had no more vomiting Sarah looked so pale. Tuesday evening her face was so pale Dave and I both knew that Wednesday one of us would be home! Sure enough, Sarah awoke and immediately ran to the bathroom! Dave and I had to split the day as we both had important meetings!

Thursday arrived and Sarah awoke with a MASSIVE headache! Being the horrible Mom that I am, I insisted she go to school. I plied her with medicine and off we went.

Feeling guilty, I not only wrote her teacher a note about not asking Sarah to make up her missed Social Studies test but I checked on SEVERAL times. Each time she looked worse and worse. Finally Sarah could not take it any more and made her way to my office. The headache was SO severe that she was not only dizzy but walking caused nausea and vomiting!

I immediately called the pediatrician who directed me to the ER. Off we went! At the ER Sarah was given some meds for the nausea and her headache. The doctor did a full exam and found NOTHING! He said that she had one of the many viruses that have been circulating and because of the vomiting was probably dehydrated.

We've made sure Sarah has been staying hydrated but we just aren't convinced of the doctor's diagnosis. Dave thinks Sarah is following in his footsteps and beginning to suffer migraines. He remembers he was at the same age when his began. We will get Sarah to the pediatrician next week for a more thorough evaluation. The good news is that Sarah was much better today with no vomiting and a much milder headache!

As for Analiese she has been the steady one of the kids! She is going through a major growth spurt and eating us out of house and home! She has a new tooth coming in but it is coming in BEHIND her baby teeth. None of them are loose. The good news is that we have an appointment next week at the cranio-facial clinic with her speech therapist and her orthodontist. Hopefully we'll find out what to do about the tooth!

Dave has been very busy at work! He will soon take over as "interim Vice-President of the LIbrary"! This was the good news I wanted to share but he was reluctant until something firmer was in place. The good news is that the reorganization of the Library is moving forward and it has been confirmed that he will indeed take over the vice president position when the current one retires. The only issue is how long he will have to carry the "interim" title!

We received the results from the CBC for Ginger. The vet has confirmed the leukemia diagnosis. He admitted, that in his seven years of practicing he has NEVER had a case like ours! Unfortunately that didn't change the facts. Ginger is sick, even sicker than we thought. She is severely anemic and at the point that transfusions should be considered. WHAT??? The Ginger we've grown to love has not changed. Has she been this anemic and we just didn't know?

The vet did say that there is a controversial steriod treatment that he could offer. I solemnly explained that as a parent I did not want to create any false hope in my children. I also did not want my kids to watch their beloved cat waste away. I have already experienced that heartache with my sweet dogs and would not allow my children to go through that trauma.

As a family we will celebrate Ginger and say our goodbyes. Dave and I will then take Ginger to be euthanized. Right now we have to keep the cats separated (the other two have been tested and are negative for the virus). It is so heart breaking. Ginger and Clarence are buddies and they cry and cry for each other. Ginger is living in the "cat apartment upstairs (our bedroom and master bathroom), while the other two have run of the house. In the evenings when we are home we switch so Ginger can interact with the family. Where does she go? Up to our bedroom door, whine for Clarence and run her paw under the door searching for him!

The situation is heartbreaking and I hate having to make this decision. But, I have two healthy cats that I must protect, not to mention 4 children, 3 of which who just do not understand the seriousness of keeping the cats separated. Sarah understands all of it. We've had some great discussions with lots of tears. My little girl is growing up and I'm enjoying the positive change in our relationship!

Together we've decided that over spring break (first full week in April) we would say our final goodbyes to Ginger. Between now and then we will document, with photos and videos, her importance in our family!

As for Sarah and her growing up.....she has read the entire Twilight book series and has fallen head over heals in love with the story. Tonight, at midnight, the DVD goes on sale. She has begged Dave to take her to a "Twilight party" at Walmart to purchase the movie (yes, at midnight!) and he has agreed! Dave also is loving this new stage Sarah has moved in to! So, in about 15 or 20 minutes Dave will awake his oldest daughter to take her to Walmart to buy her beloved Twilight DVD. I so pity the poor man who falls in love with Sarah and has to fill the expectations that she will have because of her Daddy who not only will move mountains for her, he willingly goes to Walmart on a Friday night at midnight to buy a DVD that surely will be there on Saturday morning!

Anything, just anything, for Daddy's little girl!