George Update:
Natalie found George’s cage on the kitchen table on Monday morning. She said, “Mom, I’m going to let George go.”
Good. I thought. Now I don’t have to tell her he’s dead.
“Okay, sweetie. Dump him under the bush and let him hop away when he wants to.” I said casually.
Natalie comes back in carrying George’s cage. “George isn’t leaving. I think he likes it in there so I’m going to leave him in there. I’ll let him go later.” she said.
Wouldn’t you know that cricket was stuck to the bottom of the tupperware. How in the world does something like that happen? And how in the world is a kid so innocent that she thinks he’s staying in the cage on purpose instead of stuck there? Love it! She finally figured out he was a goner at dinner when she mentioned George wasn’t moving. I said, “Yeah, I think he didn’t make it.” I had to explain what that meant and luckily she wasn’t upset. She disposed of him in the yard.
George, in all his glory (last week)
Natalie, gathering grass for him on Friday (and yes, she dressed herself)
Monday was a pretty laid-back day. Ainsley was off school for the holiday and Natalie had a half day (her last day for the week). We headed to the hospital in the afternoon. On our drive home, it was dark already and sure enough, Ainsley fell asleep. So tonight she had a hard time going to bed. At one point she called me up to her room. “What’s the deal?” I asked.
“Um, um, can you wake up Natalie so I can sleep (aka play) with her?” she stammered.
“No, Ains. It’s bed time.” I said and started walk out.
“Mom, mom, I have another deal. I have another deal.” she blurted out.
“What’s your other deal?” I said.
“Um, um. You forgot to scratch my back a little. Can you get in my bed and scratch my back?”
I swear that child is going to be the death of me. I succumbed to her cuteness. How could I not?
The girls, playing in Ryan’s room.
For dinner, I made this soup. I love it and it was the perfect ending to a cold, rainy Monday. I meant to take a photo when the pot was full, but Henry came home and got to it before I had the chance. Here is a photo of it almost gone. Sigh… it doesn’t do it justice. The kale. The potatoes. The sausage. Simply lovely.
Ryan Update:
Ryan is down to 15 liters per minute on his supplemental oxygen but doesn’t want to budge from there. P.L.I.C.A.T.I.O.N of the D.I.A.P.H.R.A.G.M came up again today (didn’t we just talk about this two weeks ago with the head surgeon saying absolutely, positively ‘no’?) It’s just talk at this point…. but might happen sooner rather than later should all the brains at the table agree.
The good news is Ryan is off his milrinone (a medication that stimulates the heart to contract harder).
He continues to see an Occupational Therapist (OT) and Physical Therapist (PT) several times a week. I have been advocating on his behalf to have this happen more frequently for longer periods of time. He is very stiff from lying in bed all day. I also have been asking for the nurses to move him more throughout the day. OT made him a new breast plate (aka turtle shell) last Thursday so he can try tummy time. I really think the more he moves, the better his little muscles will feel and (obviously) the stronger he will get.
When I visit, I help him work on head control and stretching his neck. (the bumbo gives me an extra set of hands to support him while he sits)
OT and PT work with him to do different stretches. In this picture, his one leg is behind him and the other in front (like a runner’s stretch). Simultaneously she stretches his neck and arms. If you look just below his leg, you will see his new turtle shell. I’ll try to get a better picture today.
And because I like hearing about you guys too, I’ll just throw this out there…. some friends and I were chatting last week about dreams. I was the only one in the room that dreams (on more than one occasion mind you) I am in the shower getting ready and then wake up to find I really pushed the snooze button and fell back asleep in between alarms. Seriously? Isn’t there anyone else who has this dream? Apparently, my friends do not. They have another, more startling dream – one where all their teeth fall out. At least three of them said they have this reoccurring dream. Any takers on that one?
(c) 2016 Leighann Marquiss
Comments (17)
That they leave for work, school,etc…and they aren’t wearing any clothes??
~Wendy
I have to say, I love the bumbo! I also love that my husband constantly mixes up “boppy” and “bumbo” so that they both are called “Bumpy” around our house 🙂
Hmm, dreams. I don’t have realistic dreams. I always know I’m dreaming when I’m dreaming.
Yeah, I have the same dream about my teeth falling out but I thought it was because I am obsessed with my teeth and one of my fears is losing them..lol
Ryan is looking like such a big boy. Wish I could see him for real.
I love how innocent children are. Why wouldn’t a cricket like to be closed up in a tupperware? lol
I dream about already being ready too. The other night I fell asleep thinking how I really needed to get something for Autumn in the morning before school. I dreamed about finding that item the entire night.
love ya.
Oh the dreams that I dream! ANYthing that happens to me or around me or ven on TV can come alive in my dreams! Mydreams can go from one thing to another to another and all be linked up but have nothing to do with each other! I remember all of them too! I have had the teeth falling out one. They just keep coming out even after they all should already be out! I also have the dreams like you. I used to have them every time I stayed home sick from school. I would be rusing around trying to get ready and get to school cuz I was late but then I would wake up and be all snug in my bed! Now I only have them sporadically.
In my culture when teeth fall out its a sign of stress and anxiety!
i’ve had the same recurring dream since i was in the 2nd grade…when i get stressed…i dream that their are hundreds of heads screaming at me. it’s awful.
I have had the dream about my teeth falling out exactly 4 times. Each time it was right before I found out I was pregnant. By the 4th time, we knew immediately to go get a pregnancy test! 🙂
My dreams are usually either bad or just kinda going over the routine of the day again. I often dream I just can’t seem to get ready in time or I may be sitting on a toilet in the middle of a crowded mall (no walls-just a toilet) and wonder how in the world am I going to get up with out showing the world my unmentionables.
I used to regularly have a dream where I was back in high school, had an armload of books and was either wandering the halls (which were empty so I was late to class) trying to figure out what room I should be in or I couldn’t remember the combination to my locker. It was very distressing until one morning when I woke up, I thought “This is ridiculous. I’ve been out of high school for years. I don’t need to be dreaming this stuff.” So, the next time I dreamed it, I told myself I wasn’t in high school anymore and I was leaving so I took my huge armload of books and plopped them down on the counter in the principal’s office and left. I’ve never dreamed it again.
A couple weeks ago I had a dream within a dream! I have a video monitor for my 6 mos old on my nightstand. So I “woke up” and saw the picture spazzing out and she was crying really weird. But then I “woke up” and the picture was fine and she was crying a different sounding cry. And then I woke up for real and she was really crying. VERY STRANGE!! But alas I had to really get up and feed her. *sigh*
I have the ‘getting ready’ dream ALL the time! It’s always such a rude surprise to figure out not only do I have to get ready all over again, now I’m usually really late too! I also had dreams all the time that my teeth were falling out, until I got a night guard and stopped grinding them horribly during the night. Now I know I must be really stressed when I start to dream that again. And I also have the high school dream too- can’t remember my locker combo, can’t find my class, have no clue what’s on the calc final- but I’m YEARS past high school and have graduated college and grad school! I’m going to have to try anon’s suggestion to just tell myself I’m leaving in my dream and walk out! LOL
-Laurie G
OMG! I thought I was the only crazy person that dreamt about their teeth falling out! I wonder what that is all about? I also have the getting ready dream between snoozes!
I have the high school dream, the toilet dream (complete with a door that will not lock and/or no toilet paper) and the getting ready dream. Many times I plan my whole outfit, down to the shoes and coat only to wake up and find that I am still in bed and late, late, late!
No teeth falling out dream, though. However, I’m sure I will have that one tonight!
I make that same soup all the time. Olive Garden has a soup called Zuppa Tuscana and after I fell in love with it, I found a recipe that is almost exact (and tastes even better :)).
I have the dream of losing my teeth all the time too. I have a lot of weird, off the wall dreams. I even talk in my sleep. When dreams stick with me throughout the day, I log onto http://www.dreammoods.com to see what they think they mean. I believe the teeth one. The other definitions are usually pretty close too.
Love Ryan in the bumbo!
Mara
I have dreamt about my teeth falling out quite a few times. Freaks me out everytime.
I have some very crazy dreams and I always remember them. My oldest is the only other person in our house that remembers his dreams and they are usually pretty crazy also. I have a lot of reoccurring dreams and also have dreamed about losing my teeth. Another reoccurring dream is having so much bubble gum in my mouth that I can’t get it all out. I know.. I’m strange. lol!
I do have that dream!! I dream I am up in the shower, or brushing my teeth, getting dressed, and then realize (After someone walks in the room, turns on the light) that NO! I am still in bed!!
I also have dreams that I have teeth problems!! Never even having had a cavity I doubt that any day soon my teeth will fall out, but that is a dream I have had more than once.