Have I Told You About Brian's New Toy?

On Black Friday we ventured out to shop with our houseguests, even though I would have preferred staying home. And since we were out, I could tell Brian was itching to make a purchase. He stayed in the kitchen section of each store. He finally told me that he had been comparing expresso machines. He does spend lots of money at Starbucks so I was fine with whatever he wanted. But little did I know what he would do once he got it home! The first afternoon he drank about six or seven expressos while "perfecting" his recipe. He was up until about 2:30 am! It wasn't that big a deal that night because he didn't have to work the next day, but last Sunday night was a totally different story. He was STILL drinking expressos at 9:30 just like they were cups of water. HE DID NOT SLEEP AT ALL Sunday night! I think he finally laid down around 5:00 am!!! I think it finally dawned on him that he was going to have to drink in moderation or never sleep again! He said that was as close to doing crystal meth as he'll ever come! He's still using the machine a lot (ANNOYING sounding machine), but at night he's running tea through it thank goodness!!

Checking In

Yes, I am here. Just busy with little things and not spending lots of time on the computer. My FIL and family were here from last Wednesday to Sunday so entertaining them took lots of my time. Clayton had a procedure done in the O. R. this morning, so I've been holding him and spoiling him for most of the day. He had his ear tubes removed and his teeth cleaned. His little preemie teeth look SO much better. The doctor explained that all of his medical issues and treatments have done nothing to help nuture the growth of strong, good looking teeth, so we're lucky that they've turned out as well as they have. I'm hoping his permanent teeth look better, but he also explained that they were being formed right after his birth and up to three years of age, so his health issues could have affected them as well. But this doctor was SUPER empathetic and assured me that whatever Clayton ended up with, if he could make it better, he would. You could tell by the way he talked and acted that he has a heart for these special kids. Such a 180 from the original dentist we saw there. Thank goodness we changed doctors!! But back to Clayton, he's been sleeping all day from the effects of the anesthisia. And of course now he's wide awake! Even so, I'm sure I won't have to beg him to get to sleep tonight--between the medicine and the getting up at 4 am, he's beat!

Happy after Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone had a great day yesterday! We spent the afternoon at my GrandMother's and then promptly came home for our after-turkey nap. Ah, the joys of Thanksgiving! Here is a song from Clayton--as usual he gets stagefright in front of the camera, so the only way I could get him on film was to get him while he was in the bathtub. I wish I could get one of him while he's sitting up, because he looks so much better and cuter then, but oh well! He kinda gave out on me by the end of this one, but at least you'll get to hear his sweet voice for a moment.

I've Got an Idea

Since I don't "work" my mind is always coming up with new projects that I could start, but I'm too tired to ever really act on them. My latest idea involves the other parents that I see daily at the clinic. I've always known there are other people out there with special needs children, but it wasn't until I started taking Clayton to the clinic that I realized that we really have lots in common and it would be great to share the burdens and joys of our children together. So my first idea was to set up some kind of social function for the parents/moms just so we could meet and visit with each other. That was several weeks ago when I thought of that and one of Clayton's therapists even encouraged me to talk to their non-profit person about helping me get it started. Then today I thought about how I could use scrapbooking as a bonding tool. I've really missed teaching my classes since the LSS closed, and I love the outlet that scrapbooking our story has provided for me. So why couldn't these other mothers do the same? I could come up with some different ideas on how to get them started on scrapbooking their child's journey or even their personal or family journey through life with special needs. That's what's always been my strong suit anyway in scrapbooking, the journaling and telling of the story. I'm definitely not known for my unique artistic skills--just known as a mother who pours her heart into her creations. I'm really thinking about giving this a go, just need to put my ideas on paper and talk to the non-profit lady about some help from the clinic. Surely they'll be willing!

Christmas Wish List

I wouldn't normally talk about what I want for Christmas unless someone asked, but since it's my blog, I figure I get to talk about it if I want. So here are just a few items on my wish list:

1. Windchimes

2. as many of these that I can get (I'm pretty sure they are being discontinued and I love these particular albums--I've needed some for a while as I don't have any room in my albums for my scrapbook pages anymore!)

3. Merle Norman gift certificate

4. Bon Jovi CD: Lost Highway

5. Kenny Chesney CD: Just Who I Am/Poets and Pirates

6. Sugarland CD: Enjoy the Ride

7. Loungewear/Pajamas

8. ANY gift certificate to Kohl's or Dress Barn (I'm seriously dress clothes poor right now-----WELL, at least dress clothes that FIT me!)

And that's all I can think of right now. Hopefully that will help the few of you who want to buy me something this year. :)

Time Seems to be Flying!

Has it really been six days since my last post? YIKES! I can't even tell you what I've actually accomplished during those days, just haven't really been on the computer much. Haven't been scrapping, and haven't been reading. Been sittin' I guess! Church was interesting yesterday because Brian was out of town and I had Clayton by myself and still had to sing on praise team and in the choir. He ended up sitting with my friend Jennifer and he was entertaining the whole section of people during the whole song service. He even went off to Children's Church with her and saw me as he left--never got upset once! He's growing up--doesn't need his momma as much anymore!

I don't really have much else on my mind at the moment, so I'll go for now--have a great day everyone!

I Actually Scrapped!

I did this layout first:
And that got me warmed up for this one:

Journaling: When you were little the vacuum cleaner terrified you, but that's all changed now! You have your very own vacuum and you play with it everyday! You spend lots of time in the floor with that toy. And the vacuum isn't your only obsession . . . cars (particularly the red one), guitars, and your keyboard are all your favorite toys. You ask for each one of these at least once a day. It's so much fun watching your personality develop!

I'm hoping I'll get to scrap some more this week and I'll be as happy with those pages as I am with these!

Halloween Photos

Clayton has always dressed up for Halloween, but last night was the first time that he really went trick or treating! He was a little overwhelmed at first, but he loved being out and about. He never did say anything to anyone as they gave him candy though. Just stared at them with his big blue eyes!

THE REAL SUPERMAN!!

TRICK OR TREAT!!!

And here he is with his cousins and friends before the big walk around the block.

Some Photos from the Weekend

We went for a boat ride on Saturday and I tried playing around with my camera. I'm slowly but surely learning to change my settings and shoot in manual. The scenery was a bit uninteresting, but it did give me some time to practice. Brian grabbed the camera and shot the last pic here--he never gets out of practice!

Monday Morning

Beautiful day here today--I have a ton of things to keep me busy. Never got to those bathrooms last week although I did get the sheets on the bed changed. I guess that counts for something!

I've got a ton of laundry and some design team assignments I need to wrap up. I also need to sit down and pay bills which is always a barrel of fun . . . .

My friends Becky and Noel both tagged me on their blogs and these were my directions:

1. Link to your tagger, and also post these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of you post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. Let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog.

I'm going to cheat and only complete steps one and two--I don't know if I know 7 people that would play along! So anyway, here are 7 random and not-so-random facts about me:

1. I'm a night owl by nature, but having a child that won't sleep without me is cutting into my staying up late schedule.

2. I get motion sick EASY--like even swinging on a swing makes me ill. Not a good quality.

3. I sing on the praise team at church and I get totally stressed if I don't get to use the same microphone each week. YES, I'm that obsessive-compulsive! (Luckily, the other members have learned to work with me on this!)

4. I finally made the plunge and started coloring my hair last year--the gray is getting bad!

5. I eat some form of peanut butter every day.

6. I wish they had had American Idol back in my younger days so I could have given it a try.

7. Fall became my favorite season in the last couple of years--lovin' the weather, just wish it would last!

Thursday

Another gloomy day here. Not that I'm complaining, it's just that I'm 0% motivated to do some housework that I NEED to get done! I'm hoping by the time I go to bed tonight I'll at least have clean sheets on the bed and the bathrooms cleaned. Here's to big goals!

I'd really rather be reading or making some cards today. I'm hoping to fit that in as well. The big wild card is what CLAYTON will want to do. He's pretty much in charge here. :) And to be honest, he'd rather watch me clean than anything else! He's big on janitorial work . . . don't have any idea where that comes from, but he sure gets a kick out of watching me scrub! You'd think that would motivate me, but not really!

It's Here, in this Town

The MRSA infection that has been in the news this week is the same infection that killed Shawn. And although I had already decided it was time to be a stickler about germs around Clayton again (going back into guard mode), I was comforted by the fact that all the cases were somewhere else besides here. But I got an email this morning from church requesting prayer for a teenage girl at a local school--she has been diagnosed with MRSA and isn't doing well at all. So my first instinct is to basically camp out here at home forever--I can't imagine Clayton getting it! His body is definitely in better shape than Shawn's, but he doesn't even do well with a common cold, much less a deadly infection!!!!!!!! Oh my. Please pray that Clayton is protected.

Journaling: While she puts on a brave face for the world, she fights an inner battle everyday. The battle against a fear so deep, she can’t even describe it. Simply put: she can’t bear the thought of losing another child. She copes by spoiling him, sheltering him, and keeping him close by as much as possible. And as he is getting older, she is regretfully letting go—but she will continue to hold on tight for as long as he will let her. Journaling 6/07; Photo 1/06

Song of the Week

My friend Allison suggested that I post a song from Clayton every week and I thought that was a grand idea! The only problem I'm running into is catching him in full performance mode. He never does as well in front of the camera--he's such a little star, I'm hoping he'll grow out of that soon. :) Here he is with my mom the other night. (I'm sure she'll be upset that I posted her on my blog, but in the interest of cuteness, it just had to happen!)

I Haven't Been Scrapping

I've been reading! For those who know me well, you know this is a big deal--I haven't been able to really enjoy a book since the boys were born. But two weeks ago, I picked up an old favorite and devoured it! I've since read another one and I'm on my third one--takes me a little longer to read a book with Clayton here, and I definitely have to read in short spurts, but I'm enjoying the escape when I can get it. It feels so good to "come home" to my old friends, my books. I didn't really think I would ever be a reader again, but I'm glad I took a chance and decided to try it again. For so long, I couldn't read for my mind wandering on life's questions and problems--but now I see that they can be a chance to forget those nagging feelings for a while--I hope it lasts!

That Was Easy

Remember my previous whining posts about Clayton's dentist? Well, we started all over with a new doctor today and let me tell you--TOTALLY different mood and approach. We walked in, met the doctor and then I told him the short version of my concerns with the other doctor's plan (not using any sedation or anesthisia for any dental work on Clayton). He looked at Clayton's teeth (what he could with the fit throwing), and then looked at me and said "when's he's next scheduled procedure in the O.R.?" I told him we were planning Botox injections and an ear tube removal in November. He said he would just clean Clayton's teeth then and that was that. Easy cheesy. Now why couldn't that other doctor have been just as accomodating?

By Request

Here is a very homemade video of our band--hope you enjoy it (despite the sound issues!)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3960077265758545892&hl=en

Another video

Well, now that I've figured out how to videotape on my phone, I'm taping everything! Here is one of Clayton swinging at a birthday party on Saturday:

Now I just need to figure out how to get my regular videos on to the computer and I'll be set!

Oh.My.Goodness.

Last night a storm rolled through--LOTS of lightening. It woke me and Brian both up and as we were laying there half out of it, a bolt of lightening struck SOMETHING close! It felt like it was in the room with us! The TV popped and I swore I saw it flash, so I assumed it was ruined. The breaker for the bedroom flipped, so Brian got up to rummage around and check out the damage. He couldn't find anything wrong and the TV actually worked when he tried it. And everything is working this morning. All I know is a lightening strike like that makes it hard to go back to sleep! I layed there for quite a while before dozing back off. Thank God nothing serious happened!

Listening Ears

It's been brought to my attention by three different people that I didn't hear Clayton right yesterday--apparently he was saying "SUNSHINE" and I assumed it was Allison. As Judge Judy would say, I needed to put on my "listening ears!" Sorry I made you miss out on him singing "You Are My Sunshine," maybe we'll post that one next time! And I'm SO glad everyone enjoyed him as much as we get to everyday!

He Gets it From Me :)

For a long while, I've been promising some of you a video of Clayton singing. Unfortunately, everytime I had the video camera going, he got stage fright or something because he didn't want to sing for me while it was rolling. So since we sing during bath time everyday, I decided the best time to catch him off guard would be in the bathtub and it worked! I also used my phone so he wouldn't be so distracted by the actual camera. Hopefully you'll get a kick out of this even if he is sitting in the bathtub! (By the way, Gail is my aunt and Hannah and Allison are two of his therapists).