Do you want to know what...

61,100 pop tabs look like?


And 6 of the 7 amazing little girls who collected these in 12 weeks.

(Left-right) Hanna, Lela, Lindsay, Megan, Kaylie, Madison

Okay Ladies, I need your help. :)

Lindsay has set a new goal. 100,000 pop tabs by the end of the year. To date she has collected 30,418 pop tabs. So we need 69,582 pop tabs. I will try to post updates from time to time on how she is doing. Let me know if any of you are interested in assisting her to get to her goal.

Vent...Vent...Vent...

1) Why the heck can't the leaves fall into my neighbors yard. He LOVES yard work. He has an awesome lawn vac and his yard always looks perfect. (NO EFFING JOKE!!!) He and the McDaddy would be the best of buds!

2) Why can't my normally amazing neurosurgeon email me back. Dude! I have emailed you 2 times over the past 2 weeks. COME ON NOW!!!! I get up at 5am and check my emails and go back to sleep. Dude...You are CAUSING ME STRESS.

3) I do not IM you because I do not know that you are online. You cannot hide as invisible then get your panties into a bundle and nose out of joint because *I* do not IM *YOU*. Sweetcheeks, stop hiding if you want people *aka your friends* to IM you. It makes me feel like stalker chick when I IM you and you are "invisible". It does to our other contacts too.

4) Mother Nature, come on already.... WARM UP!!! My pool has had the solar cover on it for DAYS now and it is barely 70 degrees. I. NEED. WARMER. TEMPS

5) People who make shunts.... YOU SUCK!!! Now if only your shunts SUCKED as much as you do. We would be a slightly more happy household. And perhaps *I* would get more sleep.

6) If you have something to say...say it. It is not like we are all children and you have to speak in code. Even when speaking in "code" your point got across with a nice stab to the back and through the heart.

Happy Things:

1) Lots was accomplished today. Pool area and decks power washed. Rock beds at the front of the house weeded and leaves removed. Rock removed from 1 bed and placed in another. Hostas moved and ready to be transplanted tomorrow. :)

2) House 90% clean

3) 45% of wall paper down

4) I am having a picnic here June 8th for my extended family. I get to see all of my aunts from my Dad's side. :)

5) I believe that I have my paint colors chosen. (again)

6) Fayeth recited her ABC's. Of course it is not exactly 100% understandable to others, but OH MY GOD!!! She actually VERBALIZED the alphabet. WOOHOO. (HUGE thing for us with speech)

7) I got 10,000+ pop tabs from Jessica and her mom. THANK YOU GUYS!

8) Our pop tab count is now 59,378. Need to break 60K by Saturday AM

9) Going to RMH on Saturday to donate tabs

10) Next week I am meeting up with Ari and Jess!!! WOOHOO!!!

The good out weighs the vents, but I HAD to vent. I feel so much better now.

I told you so....

We have discussed back hair a few times recently. Mostly probably due to Tony Stew art's bet that resulted in him getting his back waxed. Darren did not believe me when I told him that he had a hairy back. Of course the hair on his back is nothing compared to my brothers (Gotta love the Wilson Hair) but still he has some, For some odd reason Darren believed that his back was a smooth as a baby's butt. I finally got tired of convincing him.

Then I took this pic of my sweet Baby Fayeth. When I was looking at them Saturday Night, Darren leaned over and said, "OH MY GOD!!! I really DO have a HAIRY BACK!!!"

D'uh! Yep....Told ya so!

Pop Tabs....

It has become a frenzy here. Our Daisy Troop is collecting pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House that we use. (Near University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital) We set a low goal of 200 tabs per girl and we have 7 girls. So our initial goal was 1400 tabs. Both Dawn (leader) and I (asst) new that this would not be a problem. We are going to the RMH on May 31st to donate our tabs and for the girls to take a tour of the house.

As of my last count our troop (Since March7th) has collected 42,052 pop tabs. We are beyond thrilled with the girls, our community and family members that have assisted the girls in collecting their tabs. :)

However that said, my family has become obsessed with collecting these tabs. They are going way over the top. I will give you a few examples....

1) My Aunt Zorrinea---
My mom tells my aunt about the pop tab collecting. My aunt goes outside and empties her can that has her cans to be recycled and spends the entire afternoon outside with her two 4 year old grandchildren pulling pop tabs off of cans.

2) My Mother---
Goes for her walks, along the way stops and picks up or pulls tabs from any can that she sees. Averages 15 pop tabs a day.

3) My Mother---
Goes to local gas station to get something. Sees a pop can on the ground in the parking lot that has been run over a gazillion times. My mom goes over picks it up, pulls the pop tab off, and throws the can into the garbage. She notices that there a lot of cans with tabs on them. She thinks, "No the garbage can is so dirty" and goes into the gas station/food mart. On her way out she stops, opens the garbage can, sticks her arm in and starts pulling out the pop cans and removing the tabs. Yes, my mother was garbage picking for pop tabs.

4) My Children---
If they hear a can of pop being opened they are immediately there. Asking/Reminding/Driving one NUTS about removing the pop tab.

I think the sweetest one was, My Aunt Zorrinea's grandson Mikie was helping her pull off tabs on the previously mentioned afternoon. He asked why they were doing this and my aunt explained that Lindsay's daisy troop was donating them to the RMH that we stay at when Gabe is in the hospital.

Yesterday (Thursday) Mikie went to his other Grandma's house. When he came home he went directly to my Aunt Z and said, "Look what I have for you!" He opened his little hands and had 4 pop tabs in his hands. Mikie said, "I told Gramma Jan that we needed these for Lindsay and the RHM". How freaking sweet!!!

Our Goal is 50,000 pop tabs by May 31st. If you have any pop tabs that you would like to donate, email me and I will send you my address. We are so proud and excited for the girls. :)

Oh what have I done...

For the past few summers Frim has supported a camp for his patients and their families. Last year we missed it because Gabe was having a very bad day. It was a week before his surgery and he was a mess.

So this year it is at a campground in Wisconsin. (Much closer than the Dells, and I can make it to the U of C in 1.5 hours. So just in case we are covered. Well, we could not find a hotel that could house us all in 1 room and since at first it was just going to be me and the kids I needed to be in 1 room. So, Darren said Lets get a cabin. *Rolls Eyes* Said cabin is 1 step above tent camping. We have shelter and do not have to sleep on the ground. Oh, plus we do have electric so that means that the husband can take his snore sucker and hopefully this will be a much more restful trip for ME. ;)

We have a fridge and a charcoal grill. So, any good ideas on meals to make on a campfire? Darren is excited. I am dreading 4 days with him in a cabin that has NO TV and NO computer access. Sweet Lord in Heaven....What have I done???

By the way. Did I tell you that we have to pay to use the showers? This could be a long 4 days....

Scratches Head.

Please note:
Twins and a singleton.
Yes I know which 2 are Twins.
Yes, I am sure that I know that they are only Twins and a singleton and not triplets.
Yes, a boy and girl can be twins.
No...They are NOT identical.
No, Hannah and Lindsay are not identical siblings.

*SIGH*

Science Experiment...

Gabe, Lindsay and Hannah were at my sister's house (Auntie Becca) on Friday while I took Fayeth to the peds for her 3 year well check. While they were outside Auntie Becca told them that they had to have some holes filled with sand and then she was going to have to plant grass seed to grow grass. Gabe (being particularly cranky that day) opted to argue with Auntie Becca and tell her that grass only grows in black dirt. (Dude, we are spoiled because the first owners of the house had 1 ft of black dirt placed over the yard-we only have sand here in NW IN)

Homeschooling at its finest....

So, science experiment here we come.... I will post pics later...

Happy (belated) 3rd Birthday Fayeth!

Sweet Baby Girl,

When you entered our lives 3 short years ago, I could never imagine how you would just round out our family. You are truly something that we did not know that we were missing. When I found out that I was pregnant with you, I cried. I needed time to get use to the idea that we were going to have ANOTHER baby. But exactly 10 minutes after I told Kristin that I "could possibly be slightly pregnant" I came around. A new Baby!!!!

The next day I decided to tell Daddy. I put the test in Gabe's over alls and sent Gabe out to Daddy. Daddy was thrilled. He was so excited walking around beating his hands on his chest like a cave man saying, "I Man. I knock up infertile wife. TWICE. No drugs"

I was certain from the get go that you were a boy. I know that holding Sweet Baby Corbin was my feelings behind that. He was just perfect. Besides, I wanted to use all those really cute boy clothes that I still had.

We opted not to find out what your gender was, because you know I KNEW. You were a boy! Your name was Ian Declan and I had absolutely no girl name for you. Aunt Shelley and I went shopping and we were talking names. I told her that we were going to name you Olivia if you were a girl (but you weren't so it did not matter) and Aunt Shelley said that that was one of the only names that she and Uncle John both liked. So, I knew her baby (which WAS a girl) would be Olivia. Liv is an Olivia, you have the perfect name for you.

4 days before you were scheduled to be evicted via induction, I let Daddy go away for a weekend with the boys. That Friday as Daddy was boarding his plane to TX, Dr. H called and wanted you to be born the next day. Ummm...NO! The Daddy is in TX. So we opted to wait until your previously scheduled eviction.

The day before your scheduled induction I went in for my weekly ultrasound and NST. You had flipped breech. I was devestated. Due to some pregnancy complications Dr. H had told me that he would not try to do a version to turn you. YIKES.

I spoke with the Dr and he said he would try to turn you. The next morning we head into the hospital. You wanted no part of being turned. For 30 minutes Dr. H twisted my abdomen into pretzels and you would immediately sling shot back into the place you liked. Finally we said enough was enough. It was the most painful thing I had ever had done to me. Hell, I would pass kidney stones unmedicated before I would go through that again. I was checked and I was 5 cm dilated, 90% efface, and my blood pressure was 198/129. I had really wanted you to be born on 05/05/05 but that was not to be. I was scheduled for an afternoon c-section and 30 minutes later I was contracting and they moved everything forward.

I cried over having to have a c-section all the way to the OR, the entire time that they did my spinal and the entire time that I gave directives to the staff on how to proceed with my care. Because you know, I am BOSSY and a CONTROL FREAK.

I was so excited to be meeting Little Ian that when Dr. H said, "It's a girl, I grabbed the drape and pulled it down a bit. I believe that the phrase, "SHUT UP!" and "YOU ARE FUCKING KIDDING ME" must have come out of my mouth.

Then of course I looked at Daddy and said, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO AS A KID TO WARRANT THREE GIRLS????" (Daddy's nick name growing up was Dammit Darren) I was asked what your name was and I said, "Not a clue. You think Ian would work?" The nurse thought that it would not, so I told her that after I got to hold you I would start working on it. Daddy and I literally had no clue what to name you.

You went to the nursery to be stabilized because you were 3 weeks early and not liking being outside the womb much. And I was slowly sewn back up, all the while asking Dr. H "How much longer" and "Why are you talking about kids soccer with this other dr I have never met. Talk to ME. You do have your hands inside of me. (CONTROL ISSUES)

While in recovery I told the recovery nurse that the baby that we could hear screaming down the hall was my baby. She laughed and said, "No, that has to be a baby being circ'd or put on the mummy board for something. No brand new newborn screams like that." I just smiled. I KNEW that had to be you voicing your objections to not being with me. The nursery nurse came down minutes after that conversation and said to me, "You hear that?" I said, "What that screaming that Julie does not believe is my baby?" She laughed and said, "Yes that is YOUR baby and she wants you!" I told her to hurry up and get me to my room ASAP so I could get my hands on that new baby.

I was taken to my room after they hit every door frame down the hall and I was certain that my insides were going to rip out my abdomen. I could then hear the screaming coming closer and closer. Then you came screaming into the room. You were just a spunky little thing. The nurse helped be sit up right. (That sucked) and they took you out of your bassinet. THey placed you in my arms and you immediately stopped screaming. All was right in the world. This was the first time that we truly laid eyes on each other.

It was a breathtaking moment. I knew I loved you when you were inside of me, but at that moment, we bonded in a way that is different than before. It was amazing. I believe with the twins I was too overwhelmed holding 2 babies and thinking "WHAT THE FUCK am I going to do with TWO babies" to remember this moment. With Hannah I was completely out thanks to phenergan. This time it was perfect. I cannot put it into words. In that moment I knew that our lives were missing you.

In the 3 amazing years that you have been in our lives, you have enriched our lived. You are So FUNNY! Everything makes you laugh. You are just such a Momma's Girl. If I say to someone, "I am Hannah's/Lindsay's/Gabe's mommy" you look up at me and said, "please be my mommy, PLEASE??!!!" You love to cuddle with me and you are the first one that tells me good morning every morning.

You are now 3. I wish I knew what this next year will bring you. You are perfect and amazing in every way.

We LOVE YOU!

XOXOXO
Mommy

Vacation...

We had a horrid appointment at Clinic last week (5/1). I did not blog about it because I would have spent more time explaining what was going on and why things did not go a certain way, then I would have just venting. Least to say Gabe did not get a shunt X-ray or Tap. We changed his meds to a routine dose of Methadone and use the tylenol PRN.

Gabe continued to downslide. Saturday (5/3) he was pretty miserable but it seemed like his pain had plateaued. He was not getting the moments of beyond horrific pain where he would scream that he wanted to die. So that is always a plus and usually a sign that we have leveled out. By leveling out I do not mean no pain, I mean we have met his new "normal" pain.

Sunday he was a brave little trooper and made it through the day well. Lots of pain, but the methadone seemed to help take the edge off. We had dinner with Family for Fayeth's 3rd birthday.

Monday he went to dance. I left the studio to grab a few things for vacation. When I got back he was doing the funky eye thing that he does when his head/eyes are hurting. Monday I had a meeting and my mom was keeping them overnight. She medicated him before I left.

Tuesday we went to pick them up for vacation (of course after we voted) and when we arrived he was whiny that he had pain. My mom gave him his methadone and we could tell that Gabe was "off". Loaded everyone into the car and began our trip to Wisconsin Dells. Gabe immediately fell asleep. Methadone usually does not make him do that. This type of sleep is normally the "I feel so bad I am just going to check out sleep". He slept all the way to Chicago. He woke up to go into the Oasis so we could do a quick potty break and purchase an I-Pass. He dozed off and on, ate well at lunch and by the time we got to the Kalahari he LOOKED miserable. I figured it was just from being in the car for so long. Our 4.5 hour trip took 6 hours. TRAFFIC.

When we got there we took our stuff up to our rooms, medicated the kids (Methadone for the Boy and Motrin for the girls and diamox of Lindsay). Since Gabe was "off" Darren and I decided that he would go to the grocery store and we would rest. Gabe did not complain about that at all.
This is what the little man did while Daddy was at the grocery store. I was able to get a few more pics of the kids.
Gabe was a trooper and got up to take pics. He even put a happy face on. I spoke with our friend Rachel J (Riley and Alex's Mommy) and she told me to get him into the water that it will help his pressure. We headed down to the water park and had fun. I HIGHLY recommend the Kalahari. Thank you Nicole N. for the recommendation. We were having a great time. We went over to the kiddie area for Fayeth and the kids were playing. Gabe was getting a little argumentative which means that he has some intense pain, but we were letting him work through it, he can be good about telling us when enough is enough.

He walked out of the kiddie section and plops onto the sidewalk. I ask him what is wrong and he tells me that his head is killing him. Darren and Gabe went to sit in the chaisse lounge chairs and I continued to watch the girls. Gabe got up and sort of staggered around toward the front of the kiddie water area. I walked over to him for fear that he would fall and he proceeded to empty his stomach contents all over the side walk. Darren took him back to the chaisse and he again threw up. By now he is in hysterics from pain. Grabbing his face and eyes, wants to go home. I told him I would take him back to the room and he said no HOME! I get him a garbage bag from the janitor and we walk back to our rooms. That was the only issue, we were way out in the Sands Building so we had quite a haul to our room. Not bad, except when you have a little one in severe pain.

We get back to our room where Gabe continues to puke. I paged neurosurgery to see what they have to say. Paula (NP) tells me that she is going to call Frim who is in surgery and get back to me. By now Gabe is in bed holding onto his garbage can. I gave him a Tigan. (The one and only I had with me) Paula calls back and says he needs to be evaulated either in WI or at UCH. ARGH. Start calling around to local ERs. Problem is I need to find a hospital that is capable to running diagnostic tests for shunt malfunctions and one that takes our insurance. Well, low and behold I find a hospital who has an ER doc whose mom has Chiari and the ER doc on staff is a pediatric specialist in neurology (i believe). Of course my insurance does not cover them. I call my insurance and ask which hospitals do and what is my deductible for Out of Network. She gives me the names of the Hospitals that my insurance covers and my deductible is $7500 our of network. We have already met our out of pocket so that is just not acceptable. I call the 1 hospital that takes our insurance (We have a HUGE NAME insurance. I am not sure what was completely up with no one taking them. I heard contract issues) and they tell us that they cannot handle Gabe and they will transfer him into Madison to Children's. Who does NOT take our insurance. YIKES! No thank you.

By now he is resting in bed Darren and I decide since it is so late that we will get up at 4am and see how he is doing and head out from there to beat the Chicago traffic. At 2:15am he is up crying from pain. Medicated him. 4am he is denying pain. You can tell in his face he has it we decide screw it, if he is going to lie we will gamble.

Thursday many meltdowns from pain ensued. By Wednesday night he was FLAT in bed refusing to eat. Though we got a slice of pizza down him and a glass of juice. We had placed an email to Frim earlier in the day and he replied back for us to call Kelly in the AM to see if they could fit us in.

Thursday morning we are on the road by 7am. Called Kelly at 9am at clinic and she tells us to come in and see the NPs when we get there.

We get there and they order a shunt series xray. We head to radiology, get the x-ray done and go back to clinic. His shunt is set where he should be so that is great. Based on his symptoms Amanda decides to tap his shunt. His pressure was about where it should be, but she had a hard time drawing off fluid at first. Finally she got fluid and she sent some to lab to check and see if chemical meningitis. Gabe had some issues post tap with low pressure but as soon as we got to the car he felt awesome. Since then he has been pain free. Yes I said PAIN FREE!!!! Well he will tell you that his back hurts but it is less than a 1 so he is pain free. :)

Lets hope that it was just a clog and that by tapping him they were able to clear the tubing and he will be better now. :)