Make No Mistake....Vote For Jake!

Jake is running for class representative, and then if he wins he wants to run for one of the officers for Student Council. It seems so strange to me that they do this in Elementary School, I seem to remember only having this in High School.

So be sure and register to vote and remember VOTE FOR JAKE!

A Package Arrived

Two boxes arrived at my front door last week and when I opened them I was surprised to find the following...
....two little boys ~ just what I needed!

Okay, okay so I didn't really receive two boys in the mail, we already had those. But I did finally get a new desktop computer! Yay! My old computer was 8 years old, so I was long overdue. It's amazing how fast my new computer is, it makes me realize just how much time I've been wasting waiting for my old computer to do things! So now my efficiency should triple....right??

Tell Me What Happened Again...And Again

Remember those cute ultrasound pictures we all get when our babies are swimming blissfully in the womb? Well here's a current picture of Jake's skull. Now I'm sure you're next question is how did I come into the possesion of such a picture?

Well picture this....it's "Meet the Teacher" night at the Elementary School. I head off to the school, leaving John on boy watching duty. After the brief meeting at the school I call home to see if I can drop by the grocery store on my way home. I hears a distressed John on the line suggesting I come straight home instead.

I arrive home moments later to find Jake on the couch surrounded by his good friend and our neighbor while John is on the computer looking up symptoms to be concerned of in a head injury. It turns out that John, Jake & Dylan had gone out front skateboarding and the boys didn't put on their helmets (which they promised me they would never skateboard with them!). Dylan made a surprise move and Jake and Dylan collided. Jake went to the ground, head first. He must have passed out briefly, and when he got up could hardly walk and was very dizzy with a glazed look in his eyes. He couldn't remember the accident, nor could he remember anything about 2 hours prior to the accident. As he is laying on the couch he asks "Now tell me what happened again." His friend repeats the story, to which Jake seems to understand. Two minutes later, he's forgotten and pleads to hear what has happened to him again.

John and I decided a visit to the Emergency Room is in order and decide to take him to one of those stand-alone Emergency Rooms which have all the capabilities of the hospital ER's but without the excessive wait time. Jake and I headed off to the ER, and John stayed at home to put the other two boys to bed.

Jake seemed very distraught that he couldn't remember anything. It was obvious that his lack of memory made him feel very insecure. Jake and I said a prayer on our way to the ER, this seemed to help Jake calm down quite a bit. It was so strange to hear him ask to hear the story again and again. Especially since as I would tell him the story, it really seemed like he understood. When I would get to the part in the story that I would explain to him that he wasn't wearing a helmet when he got hurt. He would say, "What...I wasn't wearing a helmet...that was stupid!" Then two minutes later this conversation would be gone and he would ask to hear the story again.

After we got to the ER and were waiting to see the Dr., Jake said the funniest thing "I wish I could remember skateboarding tonight. Skateboarding is fun, but when you don't remember it it's not fun."

The doctor did a complete neurological evaluation on him, which he passed other than his short-term memory loss. They recommended a CT scan to check for a fracture or bleeding on the brain. Thankfully the CT scan came back clean and within a few minutes we were on our way back home with the diagnosis of a Moderate Concussion and a CD of his CT scan pictures. We were advised to wake him up several times through the night, but both the doctor and the nurse thought he should go to school the next day and just avoid P.E.......really?? This seemed a bit odd to me, but he woke up well throughout the night and the next morning seemed to be doing well. He wanted to go to school and since he had the same teacher the previous year, we decided she would know him well enough to know if anything wasn't right with him at school. We also called the school nurse to let him know about his injury and to call if we needed to come and get him.

Two hours later the school nurse called with a report that he was falling asleep in class and couldn't remember going to the bathroom with his class moments earlier. I picked him up and he rested comfortably at home the rest of the day & through the weekend.

He's doing great now, and all of his short-term memory has been restored to him :) And with any luck he's learned a lesson about helmets and will heed my nagging advice to "Always wear your helmet!"

Ryan's 1st Day of Preschool

Ryan started preschool for the first time this year. He will be 4 in October, so he has two more years until Kindergarten. He attends Tues/Thurs this year and will attend 3 days a week next year. Here he is on his first day of Preschool.

Given the severity of his food allergies, it's a bit scary sending him off to school. The school has been wonderful and is taking precautions like placing him & another peanut allergy boy in a completely peanut free classroom. They also have an epipen & Benadryl on hand in case of accidental exposure.

He is absolutely loving school and wakes up each morning asking if it is a school day. Melanie is enjoying her small break twice a week ;)

Mystery Solved

The day the boys started school this rash appeared on Ryan's arms (and a milder version on his face, trunk & legs).

Of course, we ran through all the logical possibilities fire ants, chicken pocks, etc., but it just wasn't fitting the bill. So the next day I took him to the local health food store to buy a cream to soothe the poor boy's itchy skin. The gentlemen working there didn't think it was fire ants and suggested poison ivy/oak ~ AHA that's it! He sold me two products to help with the itching and discomfort. Now the only remaining mystery was where did he get into these poisonous plants?

Well the next morning Jake marched out of the bathroom with a large grin on his face and plopped this box down in front of me and proudly announced that he now knew where Ryan got the poision ivy from. After I peeled myself off of the ground from collapsing with laughter I explained to Jake the the soap doesn't give someone a poison ivy rash it is intended to wash the poisonous residue off of the skin. It was truly a classic moment. Needless to say, we have solved the true mystery of where Ryan got into the poisonous plants.....our backyard. We have over 25 trees on our small property and there are always shoots coming up. After careful review we found a few of the poisonous variety ;( Two weeks later Ryan's skin is finally feeling baby smooth again.

One Yummy Breakfast

This face says it all....

The Bell Has Rung...Please Be Seated

As of August 24th, school is back in session! It sure didn't take long for the homework to start and the morning grumblings to begin.....aaaaaahhhhhhh school ;)

Jake is in the 4th grade and we are pleased that his teacher from 3rd grade moved up with his class, so we already know that she is wonderful.

Dylan is in 1st Grade this year, and also got a fabulous teacher, a woman who has been teaching for over 20 years.Here's what Ryan looked like as the boys headed off for the day. I know what you're thinking, he looks awfully happy for a little guy who's about to be abandoned by his big brothers. It's simply that he's no fool, he knows that he now gets the playroom to himself, doesn't have to have his snacks stolen, and can snuggle in with Mom for a book whenever his little heart desires. Oh the joy of being a preschooler!