Tennessee Trip 2009

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We just returned from an amazing vacation! It was awesome. We travelled with the Reardon family, and spent time with the Waits family as well. We were lucky to be able to bring two of Gabi's bio sisters with us for the first few days of the trip. We met up with the amazing Grandma Kathy there and she was able to spend time with all of us before taking the sisters back to her house for a visit.

I had sooo many pics, I narrowed it down to these "few". Jen, if you are reading this, I'll send you another link of all your Hannah and Emma sweet pics!!! xoxooxo

SUPERNANNY SIGHTING!

Well, I think I've admitted this before, but I'll say it again. I'm starstruck. It doesn't matter who the star is. I'm a loser drawn to the drama of it all. (Anyone recall my blessed encounter with Capt. Merril Stubing?) LOL!

Soooooo, right around the corner from my house there is currently an episode of the Supernanny in production! The girls and I ventured down there after soccer. It was so worth it!

Eye, Eye Capt'n

The verdict is in. Gabi has Amblyopia aka "Lazy Eye". The treatment: Six weeks of daily eye patching. Four hours per day. Rotating the eye to be patched daily.

So far so good. One would think that a child with sensory issues so extreme she can "feel" the flowers on her socks, would have an adversity to a band-aid being stuck to, and ripped off of her face daily. Nope. Not Gabi. She thinks it's cool.

She was disappointed that she didn't need glasses. In fact, so disappointed she has been wearing a pink pair of sunglasses (aka her "blind glasses") everywhere and telling people they are her real glasses, and not to listen to whatever I try to tell them about them. Even watching a DVD inside of the van. Glasses on. Sort of reminds me of the time she wrapped a Kleenex around her foot and declared it broken and in need of surgery- assuring everyone to not believe Mommy.

So anyway, we picked up a pack of patches (say that 10 times fast) and spent yesterday afternoon decorating them. She even labeled each day so that she would know which one to wear when looking for one.

Gabisms of the Day

Holy cow I love looking at life through Gabi's eyes.

Speaking of eyes- she has had a weird thing happening with her right eye- it's been randomly moving outward and is freaking me out. So I made her an appt with the eye doctor. Gabi needs to be prepared for ANY possibility in life (lest she freak out) so I was explaining to her that sometimes when people have this problem it's called "lazy eye" and they have to wear a patch to help strengthen it.

Mommy: So there is a possibility that you will have to wear a patch over one eye, sort of like a pirate.

Gabi: (in an "aha" state) Ooooh, so pirates have lazy eyes.




We had a campfire the other night. It was my turn to tell a "ghost" story.

Mommy: So, there was this little girl sitting near a campfire....

Gabi: (Interrupts with a scream from out of the blue) DAMN, I know it's me!!!




Here's a little how tonight's random conversation went:

Gabi- Mommy we have a new rule in Kindergarten. You aren't allowed to touch your "pen-ex" anymore.

Mommy- What??

Gabi- You know, your pen-ex (while grabbing her crotch) you can only scratch it really quick, but you can't touch it.

Mommy- Wow (while mentally appreciating the job her teacher daily encounters and wondering if this was something college prepared her to handle) so, was this happening a lot that a rule needed to be made?

Gabi- Yup. Some kids were grabbing their pen-ex's all the time even (as she visually demonstrates) putting their hands in their pants. Not me though. Nope, I don't ever grab my pen-ex. I just scratch a little above it.

Such a Slacker! (Sorry, Sarah!)

Wow! Ellie is a much busier child than I can ever remember Gabi being. We never needed cabinet door locks with Gabi. For Ellie, we could use a lock on EVERY move able surface area and still not feel its "child proofed" enough! SHE IS INTO EVERYTHING!

She is so darling though. She says "Hi" all the time. It comes out more like "Hiiiii' (sounding as if she's saying "Hiiiii, how have you been, haven't seen you for awhile") lol.

Gabi continues to keep us laughing. She has so many one-liners, and a sarcasm about her that has no business in the mind of a 5 year old.

Tonight, we were having a campfire and telling ghost stories. I started the story by talking about "a little girl at a campfire". Out of the clear blue Gabi yells "DAMN, I know that's about me". So hard for me not to laugh!!!

Today, I took Gabi to get her haircut. When we were leaving she said "I wish she could be my Mommy also" about the hairdresser. Then she proceeds to say "Actually, you could be the Grandma and she can be my Mommy". ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THEN she says, "Well how about you be my tummy Mommy just like Cole, and then she can adopt me..

BRCA 1 & BRCA 2, NOT ME, PHEW!!!!

On Friday, I learned that I do NOT carry either the BRCA 1 or the BRCA 2 gene mutations, which indicate a higher risk for Ovarian and Breast cancers. This news is PHENOMENAL!!

My sister is doing well. She has her final chemo on May 20 (my 34th bday). We will celebrate indeed! She will hopefully have the 3 rounds of radiation after that. Her CA 125 counts have been incredibly low, so that's amazing news as well. I can't wait until this is all behind us. I'm starting to believe that it really is going to be okay.

So long, Reglan

Today marks the official first day that Ellie is no longer on Reglan! I am soooo excited! We have been weaning her off of it for the past three weeks. She is also fully on milk. Yup, no more Nutramigin! She even eats yogurt and had her first ice cream last night. It's so fabulous! Woo Hoo!

She is still on Zantac twice daily. We go back to gastro Dr. next month.