Sprained Ankle

Here is Natalie with her sprained ankle. Last Tuesday she fell off the monkey bars at school. The school nurse put ice on it and it didn't seem bad by the time she came home. She would complain about it every once in a while, but she didn't seem to be limping too much or anything and was running around and playing.

Then yesterday we went to a friend's birthday picnic and she was running around outside. I guess she stressed her ankle because last night it started to swell and she was really limping around. She wasn't any better today. So I called the doctor. We got an appointment for this afternoon.

The doctor looked at it and she said she thinks it's just a very bad strain. She is concerned that Natalie said it hurt a little on the bone, but she doesn't think it needs x-rays just yet. So we are on the RICE plan. Rest, Ice/Ibuprofen, Compression, and Elevation. If in a couple of days of doing that there's no improvement then we'll think about x-rays. The doctor doesn't want to expose her to radiation if she doesn't need it though.

So now Natalie is gimpy. She's been complaining since we left the doctor's office, but in the doctor's office she was acting like it didn't really hurt. I think she's milking it, because this was another picture I got of her compressing and elevating today:

We got a call today that school is going to let out early again tomorrow because of the heat wave we're having. There's no P.M. Kindergarten which is what Kaitlyn is in. So I'm thinking with another short day and having no where to go perhaps it would be best to just keep Natalie home from school. I doubt she'll end up missing too much. She told me today with the shortened day they watched March of the Penguins. So if they are just watching movies that she's seen a million times already anyways then there's no need to send her to school in this heat with a hurting ankle.

A Very Angry Mets Fan

So I have been a Mets fan since I was in middle school. It all began when I found out that the boy I had a crush on (Chris Koteas) was a Mets fan. I had to like what he liked to get his attention. It didn't work, but I became a huge fan of baseball or really the Mets in the process.

So I've been watching Mets baseball now for 20 years. Most of that time the Mets were not a great team. Not a championship team by any means. I still stood firm that my Mets were the best team in baseball. And in recent years they have really formed into that championship baseball team. Just two years ago they were the National League East champions. As a matter of fact they won the National League East with a few weeks still to play of baseball that year. They however burnt out quickly I suppose as they didn't go on to become the National League Champions and lost to of all teams the St. Louis Cardinals. Okay, I was disappointed when that happened, but they made it to the post season with a young team they'd do it again.

So then last year they started out great. They were leading the National League East by 7 games. That's right SEVEN games. It was going to be another run away with the National League East championship. I had dreams of being in the hospital giving birth to my son while watching my Mets win the World Series. I mean there were only 2 weeks to go and they had a SEVEN game lead in the National League East. They blew it though with a historic collapse. No team has ever lost with that little amount of time left and that large of a lead. What a thing to have on your record, right?

Well, there's nothing we can do there's next year. I watched the Mets over the winter trade players and top prospects of theres for other position players when all along knowing their biggest down fall has been their starting pitching. And since Tom Glavine, who put the final nail in the coffin of the Mets historic collapse last year decided to get the heck out of dodge and go back to his beloved Atlanta Braves we were down a pitcher. And there's only one really great pitcher out there which the Mets were showing no interest in. Mr. Johan Santana was playing cat and mouse with the Yankees and the Red Sox. So there goes starting pitching right? But then this glimmer of hope. Just weeks before spring training begins out of no where the Mets make a deal and get Johan Santana. Okay, now we're in business right.

One would think we've got a starting rotation featuring Johan Santana and Pedro Martinez. But Pedro gets injured his first day pitching and just now has come off the disabled list. Plagued with injury after injury the Mets are not playing like a championship baseball team by any means. They are 2 games under 500 and 7 1/2 games out of first place. Yes, there's still a lot more games to be played, but you know what I'm really angry now.

I'm not angry at the Mets manager Willie Randolph. I mean the man can only do so much without actually going out there and pitching the ball and playing in the field and hitting himself. I don't believe in blaming the manager for these sorts of things. These players who are being paid millions of dollars need to step up. We've got Johan Santana who is the highest paid pitcher in baseball on our team, right. He should have the most wins by far as a pitcher, but he doesn't. Seven wins is nothing at this point in time from a pitcher who is making the kind of money he's making. Oh and lets not forget about Oliver Perez. A pitcher who went into arbitration in the off season because he didn't think the Mets were giving him enough money for him to sign a contract with. Before this last outing of his he only went 1/3 of an inning and gave up 6 runs. Now what's that all about? Does he deserve his salary? Not when he plays like that he doesn't.

Okay, so what about their defense this year? There's Jose Reyes. I love the guy. He's a spark plug for the team. But what's with all the errors Jose? Ten errors already? What's up with that? He had 12 errors I believe all of last year. He better clean up his act.

Then there is the hitting. Or the lack there of rather. It's coming in dribs and drabs. Nothing is consistent. Perhaps what they need is much more practice. Get out there and run drills and batting practice an hour more than usual. Or better yet how about paying for actual performance? Maybe instead of these huge contracts for players in baseball or any sport for that matter they all get a certain salary like any other company would do for their employees based on experience and time with the company. And then if they perform well they get a bonus. Because you know no player ever plays as well as when it's time to sign a new contract. This lets fire the manager stuff though is just crazy. It's the players who need to step up to the plate and do what they are being paid these large sums of money to do.

I have been patient with my team. I still love my Mets. I loved them pre-championship caliber team and I love them now. I am just becoming very angry with everything that has been happening. I know they can play like the team who ran away with the National League East title in 2006. They are still that team. They should be better than that team with all of their new additions. I am tired of watching this lousy play. This is a team that can be 11 games over 500 and in first place if they would just start playing like they love the game again. So LETS GO METS!

20 Things I Will Never Do

My friend Renee did this on her blog and I thought it was a great idea. Please share your 20 things you will never do too.

Here are the 20 things I will never do (in no particular order):

1. I will never sky dive.
2. I will never stop loving my kids no matter what.
3. I will never treat my kids the way my own parents have treated me of late.
4. I will never stop loving my husband.
5. I will never be a cheater.
6. I will never understand mothers who can harm their children in anyway.
7. I will never enjoy cleaning the bathroom.
8. I will never do drugs.
9. I will never eat fish.
10. I will never like to have lettuce on my sandwiches.
11. I will never drink so much I make myself sick.
12. I will never bungee jump.
13. I will never like snakes.
14. I will never let my husband have a ferret in my house while I'm still alive.
15. I will never like paying over $4 a gallon for gas.
16. I will never stop advocating for my kids.
17. I will never like driving in the snow.
18. I will never put a worm on my own hook when fishing.
19. I will never like anything that smells like vanilla.
20. I will never be a Yankee fan.

Okay so coming soon will be 20 Things I Will Always Do. I'm quite surprised at how difficult this list was to come up with hopefully the other one will be easier.

Bing Bang Boom to the Moon with your Name

You can now send your name to the moon. NASA is doing a program where the next shuttle to the moon is taking a computer chip with a bunch of names on it which will orbit the moon for years to come. Finally we can actually send our kids to the moon. Just go to this website and put your name on the list. You can then print out a certificate. You have until June 27 to submit your name and have it placed in this micro chip and sent on NASAs LRO Spaceship sometime on or after November 23, 2008. Don't you want to go to the moon? I know I'm signing me and my whole family up.

3rd Grade Recorders

Remember when you were in 3rd grade and you learned to play the recorder in music class? I remember that when I was a kid and Natalie has been learning the recorder this year too. Tonight the 3rd graders put on a concert of what they've learned this year. It was great. I took some video of it on my camera, but I wasn't able to get all of it because my card filled up. However, here are the first 4 songs they played. They can play, sing, and dance too. You've gotta watch.

Oh and the times where Natalie leans forward she's trying to find her teacher who was helping a child who fell off of the risers. But notice how she managed to keep playing strong ;).

After the concert we took the kids out for ice cream. So it was a fun evening all around. I can't wait until next year when she gets to join band and or chorus. What instrument will she choose? I'm thinking she'll pick flute.

A Boy and His Glasses

Here is Spencer in his new glasses. It's not a tumor, but what is it? Well, the doctor thinks they can draw Spencer's eye back into place by giving him glasses. So Spencer will wear these glasses for the next month or so. If there's no improvement then they will put a prism on the glasses to try to adjust his eye that way. If none of this works, then Spencer will need surgery on his eye. They won't do surgery though until they've tried all of this and it's been six months. So if surgery is needed it won't happen until November or so. The doctor doesn't seem too optimistic that this will work because in the time that he was on antibiotics there was no change at all and I guess he would have thought he would have seen a change.

Spencer does not like his glasses. He pulls them down on his nose and looks over them. I think it's just going to take some getting used to. Doesn't he just look adorable in them though?

Now what about the stuttering you ask? Well, they think that's just an age thing. Four years old apparently is around the time kids will start to stutter. His pre school teacher did kind of confirm that and said that his brain is working faster than his mouth can get the words out. Anyone who knows Spencer knows that this totally makes sense for him. He is such a super smart little boy. So hopefully his speech will catch up to his fast moving little brain and hopefully these glasses correct his eye so he doesn't need surgery. Prayers are still needed though and I will update you as I get more information. Thank you all for your concern over our handsome little man Spencer.

Where Did it Go

For weeks now I have been telling people that CJ has his first tooth. The other day I was checking to see if anymore teeth were coming in and I felt nothing. Not even his first tooth. Where did it go? This is my 3rd baby I should know what a tooth feels like, right? It was hard and sharp. I must admit he never let anyone get a good look at it, but it had to be there. What are these teeth doing? Playing peek a boo? So CJ is 7 months old now and still without teeth. Oh well he's got time. I sure do feel like a fool though.

Sunday CJ turned 7 months old. He's getting so big. He is finally moving out of the 3-6 month clothing and into 6-9 month clothing. Just in time for the warmer weather to get here. He had his first taste of french fry last night, but didn't seem too impressed. He was much more interested in Kaitlyn's applesauce.

We are moving forward with his Birth to Three stuff. We have an IFSP in place now. Services will likely start for him next week. He will see a special education teacher once a week and an Occupational Therapist once a month. This should be interesting as I'm told the OT is hearing impaired. I'm hopeful that she's more enthusiastic than the Physical Therapist that came out to evaluate him though. I could have had her come out to do his therapy once a month, but I decided that we wouldn't get that much out of her. I've been assured that the OT is completely capable of addressing CJ's motor issues though. We've gotta get that boy rolling and sitting already. In the meantime I was given some things I could try. I was told I could sit him in a box or a square/rectangular laundry basket. Sit him in the corner so he can't flop to one side or the other. I haven't tried it yet. Joe thinks it's crazy. He's a pain though. He was home when the Special Ed Teacher came out to do his IFSP and he refused to be a part of it. I told him he should have been and now he's questioning me on what this person is telling me to do with our son. Doesn't seem that he has any room to be saying anything since he doesn't want to be too involved in this whole process. So instead I've been laying him on his tummy on the couch or bed because he seems to like that better than the floor. And since it all starts from tummy time I want to get him to tolerate that a little better. Then he also has this seat which is like a Bumbo seat (just a cheaper version) that the PT had told me was a great place for him to sit. So he's been spending more time in there. We have the other problem of because he prefers being on his back the back of his head is flat so if we can't get that to come out then he's going to have to wear a helmet. So much more motivation for us to get him off his back.

So here's what CJ does now. He holds his own bottle. He rolls front to back. He says ah ma, da da, ga ga, ba ba. He just babbles he's not saying those "words" for anything, but he's very vocal. He's a very social little boy. He will go to just about anybody and smiles all the time. He's still very hard to get to laugh. He holds it in. He's just like his daddy in that respect. Somehow he does manage to scoot himself along the floor. He's got very strong legs so when he's laying on the floor he just kicks till he gets himself somewhere. He loves being in his jumperoo. He gets that thing going real good. So this is my little 7 month old baby boy.