Seven Quick Takes

We’ve been busy this week… so very busy. We are moving June 30 so I’m busy decluttering and thinking about packing. So far I’ve packed two boxes! There has been too much other stuff to do. I hope to pack a lot this weekend.

Henry and the girls are going camping this weekend. When Natalie realized they were going she was so excited. “Mom, are we going camping? Oh yeah! I love camping! We’re gonna go hiking and roast marshmallows…. I’m taking my hiking stuff, okay? (pulling out some shorts and shirts from her drawers) Ains, we’re going camping!”

Lisa asked me how to make sweet tea. Here is my method:

• Boil a tea pot of water on the stove.
• While the water is coming to a boil, drape 4 family sized tea bags, or 12 regular sized tea bags on the side of your gallon jug (falling to the inside of course). Measure 3/4 (my preference) – 1 cup (Henry’s preference) of sugar and pour it into the gallon jug.
• When the tea pot whistles, pour the water into the jug making sure the tea bags are covered.
• Set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes. (a timer is important – more than 10 minutes and the tea gets bitter. Another reason for bitter tea is stale leaves)
• After 10 minutes, remove the tea bags, stir the hot tea to dissolve the sugar and add cold water or ice to the gallon mark.
• Refrigerate to desired temperature and serve with lemon or sprigs of mint. (for iced mint tea, put mint leaves in while steeping the tea and remove with tea bags)

Someone else asked how much oxygen Ryan is on and what the plan is with that:
Ryan is on 1 liter of oxygen. He is approved to be at 1/2 a liter, but he has a cold. I plan to take it back down after his congestion is gone. The plan is that we will wait until Ryan’s body is ready to wean further. He definitely needs some oxygen at this point, the question is when he will be strong enough not to need it anymore. That happens on a case by case basis so is hard to predict.

Something we don’t talk about often is that Ryan has something called Chronic Lung Disease. It’s a side effect from being on a ventilator so long. Or, he has some undefined lung disease that is congenital. It’s hard to know since he started life on a ventilator. (We do know his right lung is smaller than his left). The good news is that lungs continue to grow until 7 years of age. Because of this, babies who are dependent on oxygen typically outgrow needing it.

So a lot of reasons, but no real answer. Sorry.

I think Ryan tried to give me a kiss last night…. heart melting.

Ainsley: “Mama, I’m your llama. Your baby llama. You just bought me from the animal field and you have to take really good care of me.”

Not only did this quote make me laugh, but to be honest, I like it way better with her being a llama than a baby. Often she wants to be my baby and gives herself a different name. Then she sits at my feet crying until I give her a bottle or pacifier. Then she cries, mama, mama, mama; or wants me to feed her yogurt with Ryan’s spoon. It stresses me out because I already have a baby… a high needs baby. I can’t handle another baby right now. I know she wants attention and I feel bad for her. I think I will suggest the baby llama from now on because she did not cry once being a llama. She just tried to lick me and wanted me to pet her. I’d rather have licking than crying any day.

Tonight I was changing the cat’s box after the kids went to bed. Natalie came downstairs and said, “Ryan and Ainsley are crying. Come help them.” I said, “Honey, my hands are dirty. I need to finish changing the cat’s box first. They will have to wait.” She finished my thought for me by saying, “You can only do one thing at a time, right?

What cute thing did a child in your life say this week?