Pumpkin patch

We went to our favorite pumpkin patch in Alabama....the one we have been going to since before Liam could walk and I was sick from my pregnancy with Ben.

Chester, the kindergarten bunny spends Columbus Day weekend with us

Liam has been loving kindergarten, and even spontaneously shares some bits about his day.  Every Friday a name is drawn for who gets to bring home Chester, the class stuffed bunny.  I often hear who Chester is spending the weekend with.  On Friday, Liam hopped into the minivan with lots of excitement and showed me Chester.  Having Chester is work for the parents as he comes with a journal and his activities with the family are written out with accompanying photographs.

Below are some photos of Chester's time with us:

Our first hike with Ollie

The weather is starting to feel more like normal hot temperatures instead of some sort of outer ring of hell, so we decided to take advantage and try a short hike with Ollie dog. We headed east to a place called Chewacla State Park: http://www.alapark.com/chewacla/#

There was a lake area that looked like something out of a 1960's move or a horror film, but all in all, it was pretty cool.  We hiked a flat trail where the boys pointed out all sorts of stuff and Ollie marked every tree in sight:

Then we hike downhill to the waterfalls.  I wore Ben in a carrier and held Liam's hand but he did great.  We saw a small frog hopping along which Dave and I were more excited over than the boys.  The waterfall was a bit decreased due to the heat of the summer and the current drought.  I'd love to see it in the spring.

All in all, a great hike.

How the Maxwell AFB pediatric clinic F'ed up

because there is no reason to sugar coat what they did.  They are assholes and I will bear the consequences of whatever shit the Air Force wants to give me for asserting my contitutional rights.

;-)

Last Monday morning around 4am, Ben woke crying and was inconsolable.  He gave different excuses for crying and would no say what hurt him but refused to drink or go back to sleep and simply cried for hours.  Somewhere around 7am, he threw up in the middle of a coughing/crying fit.  Dave called the base to get an appointment as by then, he finally admitted that his left ear hurt.  We also managed to get some Motrin into him.

He was seen at 9am and by then was down right cheerful.  The base pediatrician said he had clear fluid.  I asked for an antibiotic as he had a lingering cough for 2-3 weeks and was told it was not necessary.  I said all fluid had resulted in ear infections and was told to come back if it got worse in a week or so.  I asked for an ENT referral based on the fact that since his tubes fell out, he has had an infection or fluid present anytime he was checked and that was turned down.

Two hours later, he was a mess again.  Crying and completely inconsolable.  He had refused food all day and continued to refuse fluid.  I took Liam to gymnastocs and every mom who saw Ben said he clearly had aan ear infection.

So, when I got home Dave ccalled the base and spoke with the on-call doctor.

We were denied a referral for urgent care and were given a variety of excuses....

-we could not be seen twice in the same day for the same problem
-his fever wasn't high enough
-it didn't matter if he had an ear infection and didn't get medicine until the next day
-it didn't matter if his ear drum burst

That very night I saw clear, pink tinged fluid hanging from his ear.

Any guess what was found when we took him back to the doctor?  An ear infection with bulging drum an small hole, consistent with a small perforation.

We were still denied a referral to an ENT.

We switched to Tricare Standard.....because Maxwell pediatric clinic fucked up and are incompetent.  We'll pay $1000 a year.....but I'd like to point out that my husband doesn't deploy to Afghanistan for fun or earn less than law school classmates to have his son's medical concerns minimized.

Social Breakthroughs

Liam continues to develop by leaps and bounds and amaze everyone who meets him.  We have had two social breakthroughs recently.

First, Liam has a female friend from school....one he made on his own without my help.  It is reported she saves seats for him at lunch and she has gotten him to play Barbies.  I took them to the ballet and to say they were adorable to watch is an understatement.

 

 

Second, Liam initiated a conversation about something that interested me.  He tends to talk "at" you and not much wait for you to respond.  He also has tendency to ask repetitive questions and to focus on only things that interest him.  I was shocked Friday morning when we had the following conversation:

 

Liam: "How was your beer tasting last night, Mommy?"

 

Me: "It was a wine tasting, not beer.  I had a wonderful time.  Thank you for asking."

 

Liam: "How many wines did you try? 5?"

 

Me: "No, I tried 7 wines."

 

Liam: "Oh, 7 wines!  Which one was your favorite?"

 

Me: "My favorite was the Pouilly-Fuissé."

Liam: "Oh, the Pouilly-Fuissé (I giggled inside as he said that like he knew what I was talking about).  Was it the number 5 wine?"

Me: "No, it was the 2nd wine."

Liam: "Well, we should buy some if it was your favorite."

Me: "That is a wonderful idea and I did bring some home so Daddy could try it."



The newest family member

Almost 4 weeks ago we added yet another boy to our family....making me more outnumbered than ever.

When I met Dave in January 2002, one of my questions for him was whether he liked cats as Murray came with me as a package deal. Dave said he was more a dog person but quickly fell in love with Murray.

I love all animals and we have wanted a dog for a while but have been waiting for the right time.  I wanted an adult dog who was good with kids. As luck would have it, in mid-August I heard about a beautiful dog that needed a home.  I was tempted....THEN I learned that he passed the screening to be a therapy dog.  We decided to apply to adopt him and met him.  Liam is often afraid of dogs but fell right in love with him.

So a dog found in April named Bumble:

Description: He was picked up by animal control in April in such severe neglect the vet said it looked like no one had ever cared for him his entire life. Heartworm positive, every intestinal worm, yeast infection, starved, flea allergies, bleeding feet, intact, bald patches. If someone did own him they should be punished!!! I would like to punish this so-called this "owner".

Gotcha Day on August 24th, adopted as Rossi and renamed Ollie from Oliver Twist:

Within 2 weeks, he gained another 6 pounds making him a nearly 90 pound dog and his fur has filled in beautifully:

He is wonderful with the boys and very patient.  Dave is in love which is so cute to see.


Welcome to the family Ollie!

Ben is now a preschooler

Ben started preschool yesterday; he is axcited to be at school, just like Liam.

He ran into the room and the only tears were from me.  We are lucky to have him at the same school and the same teacher that Liam had at age 2.

This is a huge milestone for me.....I have free time for the first time since Liam was born!!!!!!!!!