November 27, 2011

A Birthday and A Baptism

  Janessa turned 8! 


Showing off her new birthday outfit from Grandma--and being a little silly.
Can't believe my baby girl is 8!

She was baptized on Thanksgiving weekend.  

With Grandma and Grandpa Berkley who came down from Utah.
Grandma made her dress.

She was baptized by her oldest brother Dustin and confirmed by her dad.

With Grandma and Grandpa Waite


Brennen, Andy, Dustin, Cameron, Janessa

Cousins from New Mexico, Idaho, Arizona

November 20, 2011

A Tough Laser Treatment

Yes, it has already been two months since Cameron's last laser treatment, so we went back to Albuquerque again on Nov 9th.  I have been striving to be positive in all these posts about his laser treatments.  But honestly, I am getting tired of them and they are hard for me.  He is a trooper and seems to know it is just part of his life and what he does every few months.  And never he complains or says much about them.  In fact, after his first laser treatment right after he turned 4, when we came home from the hospital, the only thing he had to say to his Dad about it was that we stayed in a hotel and the room number was "one zero one".

He had a harder time with this treatment, and so I did too.

All went well at the hospital.  On schedule so we didn’t have to wait.  No emergence delirium when waking up from anesthesia. Hooray.  However, the treatment area looked different this time.  Instead of the usual purple, his skin was gray on his cheek and chin.  I didn't see the doctor again before we left the hospital so I didn't get to ask her about it.  (I saw her after surgery but that was before I saw Cameron post-op).   He woke up, ate his orange popsicle and we were on our way.

But sadly, for the first time he got sick from the anesthesia--twice.  But he is my 5th child (and we have been frequent travelers over the years between Utah and New Mexico) so I am a bit experienced in noticing symptoms of a child who is going to be sick in the car.  I pulled over in time.  But we still had to change his clothes in the cold by the side of the road.  Poor guy.

And this time, he hurt.  He has never let me put an ice pack on before and I have rarely even given him Tylenol. But this time he needed both.  We were up in the night in the Lazyboy with an ice pack for a few hours. I finally gave him a second dose of Children’s Motrin (don’t tell) after the first dose didn’t seem to help much, and then he slept.  Until about 4:30 a.m. when I got him another ice pack.  Still though, he didn’t complain or cry. In fact, I heard someone up in the bathroom around 10:00 and found him trying to put a wet washrag on his face, but dripping water down the front of him.  He didn’t even come and get me!  I gave him pain reliever the next few nights before bed and he did fine. It was only that second night he had a hard time.  I suppose the first night he still had some anesthesia in his system.

The doctor told me that they did notice more gray this time and if it still a little gray, make sure to keep the Vaseline on it.  I said it is still a LOT gray.  She said send me a picture.  So I emailed her one.  Yes, she said, it is quite gray.  Perhaps we got more of a response than we might have wanted she said.  She said she may have pushed up the power too much this time since he has been tolerating it so well up to now.  Keep it well lubed to prevent blistering and peeling.  And she would call us in a stronger pain med if he needed one.  (I really like Cam’s doctor, but isn’t it interesting how she sort of dances around with the “mays and mights” not quite admitting a mistake).  So basically, he got “lasered” a little too much.  

And I know doctors make mistakes just like everyone else, but it is hard when is happens to your kid.

I sent her another picture 6 days after.  He still had gray but not as much—it had turned purple. She said it was doing what it was supposed to do, just slowly.  Keep it well lubed and out of the sun. 

After a week and a half he is still pretty purple, with barely noticeable gray. His neck and chest have faded quickly as usual.  But I am thinking that this time the usual 2 week bruising after a treatment is going to last a bit longer.  It will be interesting to see how long it takes to clear up.  And I am rethinking our January treatment appointment.  Because I need a break, and I am sure Cameron could use one too.

And as you read this maybe it doesn’t sound like a big deal and I handled it.  But really it shook me up.  Sheesh, I have enough problems with my anxiety when things are going well.  I went through a lot of emotions last week.  Feeling bad that my baby has to hurt.  Feeling guilty for putting him through this. Second guessing myself wondering if we are really doing the right thing with these treatments. Just a bunch of stuff that maybe isn’t logical, but nonetheless, feeling it anyway.  And feeling a little upset at the doctor, I do have to say. Plus nervous about the gray--and if it blisters and peels, then what? All the while still having to be a mom and get kids to school and dinner on the table and laundry done etc etc.  Feeling a bit overwhelmed with it all.  But I am ‘back on my feet now’ -- I think.

Anyway, enough said…

Still some gray showing on his cheek after 6 days
(his neck is clearing up and the light is skin color, not gray)

And I threw in this photo because it is too dang cute!
It was taken in October by Lydia Jane Images
(the PWS doesn't really show up in this photo but is does look darker most of the time)

November 19, 2011

50 Years Together

My parents
Mike and Frances Waite
Married for Time and Eternity
on November 17, 1961
in the Mesa Arizona Temple

November 15, 2011

How Clean Are Your Towels?

Today when I wanted to shower, Scott was in ours and I didn't want to wait so I went to the kids' bathroom to shower in there.  When I grabbed a towel to dry myself off I found a sucker stick stuck to it.

I don't know about your house but mostly at my house after the kids use a towel it ends up on their bedroom floors until I hound them enough to hang them up.  and apparently this towel picked up something from one of their floors.  (we still have a bit of Halloween candy and wrappers floating around)

I do wash towels, really I do.  but maybe not regularly enough.  I guess next time I shower in that bathroom I will grab a towel from the cupboard and not the rack.

November 8, 2011

Beautiful Snow

We woke up to beautiful snow on the ground mixed with fall colors.  And the storm was over so it really is a beautiful sight looking out my window across the park.  However, it made for a challenging morning.

Because snow makes kids excited.  And then Andy decided he needed gloves.  and in the process of finding gloves and he discovered hats and so the others joined him and instead of getting ready for school (combing hair, brushing teeth, backpacks, etc.) they were looking for gloves and hats.

And do you think that this is a harmless activity? Of course not! because that means getting out every hat, gloves, wool socks, all winter things and dumping them all over the laundry room floor.  (thank goodness they didn't think of boots).  And is it easy to get them to clean it up without arguments?  maybe some kids but not mine.  sheesh.

I had decided to drive them to school because I thought I would drop them off and head to the grocery store.  That I would actually be ready to do that.  Yeah right.  but I tried.  Anyway,  running late after cleaning up the mess in the laundry room and finally getting outside (some kids without their lunches and backpacks because snow is so distracting) I realized that I should have been out 10 minutes earlier to warm up the car and clean the snow off the car.  Because it was actually frozen to the windshield so it wouldn't brush off.  and I am short and drive an SUV so it was a bit challenging and frustrating trying to scrape it off.  But finally the defroster kicked in and I was able to drive.

The kids were about 5 minutes late to school.  I don't think they are ever late when Scott walks them to school (or drives them).  And I didn't make it to the grocery store yet.

But the sun is shining and the snow is beautiful!

November 2, 2011

First Field Trip and Halloween Photos

After Cameron started kindergarten he began asking quite often "Do I have a field trip today?"  I am not sure what put the idea of field trips in his head but he was pretty persistant.  Finally, the week before Halloween he got to go on a field trip to the Pumpin Patch at Sutherland Farms.

The kids got to go on a hay ride, a train ride, play in the corn pit, go through the corn maze, milk a pretend wooden cow with rubber udders, look at some animals, and pick out their very own pumpkin to take home.  I got to go to!  As he was waiting in line to get back on the bus Cameron told me "This was so fun!  My field trip was funner than Lego Star Wars!"

So there you have it--life on the farm is funner than a video game.

making a 'corn angel'.  I have never seen anything like this--very fun to play in.

burying a classmate

the corn maze

the train ride

HAPPY HALLOWEEN



  I wore this costume (the dress) when I played one of Tiger Lily's Indians in the musical Peter Pan in high school.  good memories!  (the dress was a lot shorter on me and it is pinned in the back to fit her) My mom worked hard on that for me! there are beads on all those fringes...