....and he's off to preschool, folks!

Third Birthday Wish

Time In A Bottle

Let me say right off the bat that I absolutely loved Matt's third year of life. We were done with diapers and the crib, but his childhood innocence wasn't tainted yet. It was a time when he was experiencing a whole new world around him. We started taking more trips to zoos, museums, parks and we could finally see a movie at the theatre as a family. I wish I could contain that year.

Today my independent as ever Mark turns three and I am experiencing the same emotions all over again. I get to open that bottle and remind myself how much fun it was. He's so funny in his own quirky way and when I get a boo boo he asks me, "Can I kiss it for you, Mommy?" Gosh, I love him to death!

His favorite knock knock joke goes something like this:

Knock, knock

Who's there?

Water.

Water, who?

Water are you waiting for, let me in!

Happy Birthday, little man! We are so glad God made you a part of our family!

"Toot toot, chugga chugga!"

That's what Mark says when he walks into his bedroom now. During Memorial Day weekend I spent a day and a half painting it red -- Big Red Car red for all you Wiggles fans out there. We aren't doing a Wiggles theme, it's just the first thing that popped into Mark's head. I am not a fan of bedroom themes anyway since a child's interest changes on a daily basis. I just have to add some framed pictures, handle some minor touch ups and it's all done. For all you Chicago Cubs fans out there: Matt's room is Cubby blue and Mark's is Cubby red. Yes, that was intentional.

Sunday night our family endured different sleeping arrangements since Mark's room was out of commission. Mark slept in Matt's bed and since the two boys would argue more than sleep, Matt slept with me in our bed and Steve took the couch. (Got that straight?) Thankfully that lasted one night. I love my bed with my husband in my space and I think Steve would agree. The next night all was normal. Phew!

Resemblance?

FYI: Mark's hair was untouched. I laughed and laughed when he stood in front of the television.

Marker Disaster

When I heard silence, I knew something was up.

CAUGHT!

Please, Waste Management....

Dear Garbage Man,

My son, Mark, anticipates your arrival every week. He knows what lies ahead when we are busy emptying our bathrooms' cans and dragging our bins to the end of the driveway the night before. He can't wait to hear the squeak of your breaks.

And thank you for lifting the front loader every time you stop in front of our house. That is an added bonus! He loves that!

But could you please come later in the morning. 5:50am is too early for me to hear, "Mommy, garbage truck!" I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you,

One Tired Mom -- and it's not even 9am yet!

Bittersweetness

I've been absent from Wordless Wednesday for some time. Maybe because I can't make time and respond to all the comments left. Maybe because I still can't download all the photos from our trip to San Antonio - blasted computer problems! But my blogging friend, Wendy, went down around the same time and her photos look very familiar. I believe she's wearing a tank top in one. Reminds me again how warm it was. Too bad we couldn't meet up, girl!

Yesterday I signed Mark up for preschool. I can't begin to explain what I felt emotionally. Part of me is excited to have 2-1/2 hours to run errands alone or even get a pedicure, the other side is in disbelief and even sad. Seems like yesterday I posted this and this.

And let me also announce that my baby boy has been in underwear for three days straight. We are still battling poop issues, but he is dry as a bone, thank God. Oh to save money and cut out that diaper budget, very nice!

I can't fathom the day the crib comes down. For good. I better start preparing myself!

Happy Hearts Day

Steve and I are not big "card holiday" celebrators. I can't remember a Valentine's Day when we made plans for a date and Sweetest Day usually passes with both of us forgetting about it. Our expectations are pretty low, huh? Tonight we may do Outback's curbside take-out. (Matt loves their ribs and if my boys are happy, we are happy.) Besides, I am a firm believer in every day should be Valentine's Day......or Mother's Day or Sweetest Day or Father's Day......

Yesterday I slaved over making treats for Matt's class party: gluten free sugar cookies (Pictured here) Pamela's mix never fails!

And if anyone has advice on how I can keep Mark from stripping down to his bare bottom before he goes to sleep, please fill me in. Finding him in a pool of urine these past few mornings isn't pleasant -- for him or me! Last night I checked him before Steve and I hit the hay. Again, he was naked as a jaybird (bed dry, thank God) and half asleep while I put his PJ's back on. He apologized, "Sorry, mommy, pants stay on." I tell you, this kid......

So I hope your Valentine's Day is a good one. HUGS!

Wordless Wednesday: Punk Rockin' New Year!

Promos A-Go-Go

Last night Steve and I decided to wrap the boys Christmas presents. No TV on, just us. It was a time to talk and share. To be honest, we rarely do this after the kids are in bed. Usually we fall down on a couch and start our DVR. So this was a special treat and one that needs to be done more often then not.

While hard at work chatting and wrapping I commented that majority of the gifts were purchased online. Thanks to companies like Amazon and Target, who offer free shipping, it made our gift buying much easier. I also found other sites like All Aboard Toys and The Toy Hunt which had active promotional coupons that saved me more money than if I drove out to our local Walmart. (HINT: Google the site and "promotional code" before checking out. You are bound to find something!) Oh the feeling when you open your front door and find a box in your PJs -- talk about convenience!

Ok, Mark's breathing treatment is almost done. Yes, he started another cold yesterday and like always I have to be on top of any asthma reaction because of it. Thanks a zillion, Caillou, for making breathing treatments sooooo easy! Do you think we can go two weeks without another illness hitting a member of this family? I sure hope so!

We Have Lift Off

Mark said, "Pee pee," while running around naked after his bath last night. I asked him to go to the potty and he grabbed the toddler seat, put it on the toilet and sat. This coming from the boy who hasn't desired to go on the commode at all.

We heard the wonderful sounds of urine hitting the toilet water. YEAH! Praises rang throughout our home.

Today I am thankful that soon we will be diaper free and Mark isn't petrified of the john anymore.

UPDATE: Ditto for Saturday night. Twice in fact!

A Yoda Mark Will Be

Today at our library's storytime they had a Halloween celebration. All the kids came in costume and as you can see this year Mark is Yoda. (Hum....I wonder what Matt will be? Any guesses?)

He had so much fun. They read stories, sang songs and marched around the library waving "hello" to all the visitors. Afterwards they made a craft and on the way out were given a treat. Mark decided to shove the whole chocolate coin he received in his mouth -- typical Mark! I think it took 10 minutes to finally melt down and chew. To finish our special day I asked Mark where he wanted to go for lunch. "B sicks," he hollered. (Breadsticks) Soooooo.......

We headed for Target to eat at the food court where they serve one of Mark's favorite eats: Pizza Hut's breadsticks! And after lunch we used the extra time to shop for last minute items I need to prepare for Matt's class party this Wednesday. It's my first attempt being a room mom this year and I can't wait!

I'm Who? Or What?

Mark is a comedian. He teases. He knows just what to say to make me laugh. The other day he pointed at the following items and called each of them "mamma":

Steve is the ice cream man, Mark is the boy on the stool and, yes, I am the one wearing the bonnet with gray hair! If you look closely she is steaming milk for a latte. Wait, maybe that is me???

He calls all of these "mamma", but the one that really grabs his attention is the green Phillies mascot with that goofy horn for a nose.

And don't even ask me what this one is about, unless he is recalling my mean mom face. Is it that bad? With red, glowing eyes too? And if your child is a Star Wars buff, that is the Emperor!

A Piece of Cake

We arrived at the barber shop this morning for Matt's before-school hair cut. Robin has been cutting Steve and Matt's hair for years. She is such a nice person and cuts my guys' hair well too! As we get out of the van Robin pulls into the parking lot too and I ask if she wouldn't mind attempting Mark's head of hair. Up until now I've been using our own clippers and trimming it as best I can. She accepts the challenge gladly.

"Ok, Mark, it's your turn," I announce. Mark walks to the chair and climbs up himself. He sits down, Robin drapes the cape on and starts....

....could it have gone any easier? I don't think so! Mark sat there, still as ever without a sucker mind you. My only complaint: not bringing our camera! But I took a snapshot as soon as we arrived home as he stands next to the surprise he truly deserved from Target:

A NERF BASKETBALL HOOP You know how much Mark loves basketball!

Never A Dull Moment

Monday Mark had a follow up appointment with his ENT. Both ear tubes are out because he needed them so early (9 months). Well, the fluid behind the ear drum is back, which means he'll need them again. This didn't surprise me. I could tell Mark was listening to muffled noise by the way he's been responding. So here we go again. I am hoping for a better experience compared to last time.

Also, this week I am preoccupied creating Matt's box car for the Kindy 500 race next week. He insisted on Mark Martin's NASCAR #01 Army car. Should be fun!

UPDATE: The surgical center called. We are set for Mark's tube insertion Tuesday morning May 22.

Results are in.....

U of C phoned today with Mark's intestinal biopsy results: NEGATIVE!!! They suspect he may have a normal case of toddler diarrhea. Since his growth chart is "on the curve" and he is happy, we will not pursue anything else. God is good!!!

God Is Good......and so is Comer's!!!!

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us.” 1 John 5:14

First I need to shout a big “thank you” to all of who prayed, thought of us, and gave a quick note of encouragement. May God bless you right back!

I thought about posting yesterday, but I was so tired. Since Mark could not eat before the procedure Steve and I were not able to get a bite before leaving. It wouldn’t be fair to eat around our Little Man! So I had a headache by the time we arrived home. It was exhausting and long.

With that said, let me say how impressed we are with University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital. I have posted before how U of C treated my dad’s cancer and he is now cancer free. We were hoping for a good experience when we had to take Mark for his endoscopy Tuesday to test him for celiac disease.

From the waiting room to post-op, we were treated with support the whole way. Their equipment and technology awed me. Little things made a difference (then again, I guess they weren't so little):

• A lazy boy-like chair to comfort your child instead of those steel framed cribs
  
• A person whose soul job is to distract the child by blowing bubbles, etc
  
• TV’s in every room with On-Demand movies (anything from Disney to Chronicles of Narnia to internet)
  
• A private pre/post op. If a child was screaming next door or if Mark decided to lose control - just slide the door shut.
  
• Toys galore including Thomas track set ups everywhere!

That is just a taste of their accomidations. Their staff was friendly, quick, and understanding. I couldn’t be more pleased!

Dr. Guandalini’s team assessed Mark and took his history. We were able to throw out our concerns and questions. It was good to have a patient ear. After his procedure, which took 20 minutes, his team believes Mark may be NEGATIVE after all. His esophagus looks clear and not inflamed. The wall of his stomach looks good. Nothing would indicate a problem. By Thursday or Friday we will know if Mark has Celiac or not when the labs check the intestinal biopsies.

They used a less intense form of anesthesia, which made Mark’s “coming out” experience less traumatic. We woke him up and he just wanted to cuddle on me. Can’t complain about that!

There was no traffic going to or from the hospital. Mark did well during both trips – in spite of his hunger on the way. We were home by mid afternoon and I was ready to take a nap! Mark managed to go down for a little bit, so I took that time to regroup myself.

So God answers. Delivers. He is good. Supportive. Comforting and peaceful. He works according to His will. May all of us learn to trust Him more today and the next..........

Prayer Request

This morning we are taking Mark in for his intestinal biopsy. Please pray everything goes smoothly, quickly, and accurately. Thank you!!

In the dark..........

Tuesday I took Mark for his 15-month check up. I had my list of questions and warned the nurse on the phone last week that this appointment would be a counseling session as well as a check up.

As soon as our doctor came in we got right down to it. I shared Mark’s symptoms back in August. To make the situation more confusing, the allergen test (RAST) came back positive for a milk allergy, which by the way, is not 100% accurate. Considering Mark has not reacted to milk-base formula or dairy products, we are ruling that out for now. His celiac panel came back negative too, but when I limited gluten for a few days his bowels improved. Again - more confusion!!!

When I received the lab results over the phone I called U of C’s Celiac Hotline and spoke to their nurse. She mentioned celiac blood screening may not be accurate in toddlers as young as Mark and to come in for an initial visit and Dr. Guandalini will perform the intestinal biopsy the same day (the only 100% accurate way to test for celiac disease).

So I am left without answers as of yet. Mark’s growth chart is still climbing and consistent with “the curve”: 24lb 10oz and in the 90% range in height and head circumference. Stunted growth is a common symptom of celiac disease; however he gained 2 pounds since his last check up in June.

His bowels are normal some days, but when they seem loose, etc, I have to ask, “What if this is celiac?” Mark has been waking in the middle of the night again. Is he experiencing cramping or going through the usual sleep problems toddlers go through? The “what ifs” are driving me crazy!!!

After talking to the pediatrician, we have to get answers. We need to rule out everything and move on. October 10th at 9:45am Mark will have the biopsy done. It is not a fun appointment because he can only have clear liquids that morning until 8:30am. Try telling a toddler he cannot eat or drink. YUCK! And I won’t even begin to discuss how a toddler comes out of anesthesia. It is grueling. I am prepared since Matthew went through the procedure when he was diagnosed. Please pray for a smooth day. Pray everything goes quickly.

We will get through this. We will get answers and move on. Only for a season....

I hope all of you have a great weekend.