It's been a while

It's been a while since I last was able to sit down and share life with you all. Life with two boys is incredibly more busy than I expected it to be at this point. Cub Scouts, baseball, speech therapy, developmental therapy, and so much more keep us constantly on the go!

Jonathan turned two at the end of May. In late May/early June, he started speech and developmental therapy for a speech delay. Twice a week he works on learning to communicate more effectively. He has really made leaps and bounds in the past two months. He has gone from saying 12 words, to putting two and three word sentences together now!

Carson finished 1st grade with excellent straight A's. He played travel baseball this summer and really enjoyed it. He is excited to start second grade next week!

Chris has been busy beyond belief with work. He has managed to squeeze a few triathlons and a half marathon in there as well.

I'm still at the Care Coordinator job and really enjoy what I do.

I'll sit down soon and fill you in more on each of our lives, but right now I'm being attacked by a crazy toddler!

One Year Later: Childhood Anxiety and ADHD

It's been one year since we started down the road of diagnosis and treatment for Carson's anxiety and ADHD. I can't believe how far we have come. (If you are new, or don't remember what we went through, you can read about it here.)  Fro struggling and violent outbursts, to the best reader in his class! He loves to learn and especially loves reading, plus, the kid is a math whiz! It is such a change from last year. I really think I owe a lot of it to his teacher.

Mrs. J is amazing with Carson. She has the structure he needs, but allows the kids to have fun in her class as well. By December she figured out that if you let Carson "work for you" he will do his work too. By that I mean, he gets his schoolwork done, he gets to complete a special task to "help" her. Things like clean the white board, wipe down desks, or organize the books are his "rewards" for good behavior.

Life at home has improved too. There are far fewer fights in the home. The amount of love and affection that now flows from Carson is so heartwarming. He loves his brother and family so much. He has even made himself physically sick worrying about his brother having surgery to put tubes in his ears! He likes to snuggle and have family reading time at bed almost every night, which is something for a 6 1/2 year old!

Carson is still on medication for ADHD and for the anxiety, but he seems to be doing very well. Our only concern is his weight. He's very skinny, to the point his bones stick out everywhere. We have a follow up appointment next week to address that with his doctor.

Ch-Ch-Changes

Change is about to happen in our household! Mama is changing jobs!

This is a huge opportunity for myself and our family.  I will have to drive 25 miles each way to work every day, but I will also have the opportunity to work from home once a week or so. It is quite a jump in pay too!

We plan to move closer to the town where I will be working, as Chris works there also. So now we are fixing our house up to get it on the market!

Exciting times in our house right now and I can't wait to see what the future holds!

Anxiety, ADHD, and My Son: June Update

It's been two months since we had an update about Carson and his emotional struggles. He's been on medication for the anxiety since January, and the ADHD since the beginning April.  We've noticed a difference. We notice in the evenings when his medicine has worn off, we notice days that he hasn't taken it. For us, for him, medication is necessary, but that's another post in itself.

Carson has done well on medication. He is able to sit and pay attention to a task, he doesn't bite his fingernails until they bleed anymore. His emotions are more stable. Being out of school, we have noticed a slight change in his behavior. He smiles more. He wants to hug us more. He seems more relaxed. It is a very welcome change from where we were a few weeks ago, and especially from where we were a few months ago.  We are constantly working with him on how to express himself in a healthy manner when he is frustrated or angry. We are trying to stop the behavior of yelling at us, threatening bodily harm to us, throwing things, and the such. It will take time, but we are trying.

I have to share a little bit of our success with you...A couple of weeks ago, Chris took Carson out of town for Father's Day.  A weekend away, with just the two of them. I was worried the whole weekend that Carson would act up, and they'd be miserable the whole trip. Much to my happiness, Chris said that he couldn't have asked for a better child while they were gone. Carson was polite, well behaved, and listened to him!  I'm sure it was no easy task as they were 6 hours from home, at a NASCAR race. I was so happy to hear they had a great trip and enjoyed being with each other.  Not that long ago, they couldn't stand to be around each other for more than 15 minutes! My heart swells with content when they are able to enjoy time together.

Hopefully, we are on an upward trend and have worked out the kinks for Carson for now. 

Eight Years

Eight years ago today, I married my love. We've had our share of ups and downs, but stuck together through it all. He's my rock when I need it. My comic relief at just the right moment. My best friend always.

Happy Anniversary Chris!

PS - Oh my goodness we look young in those photos!

Friday Free for All

It's Friday! Friday the 13th in fact. Oh, and a full moon! I'm not superstitious about it at all though really. I will say that the full moon does explain some behaviors in our hour this week though.

Jonathan has had his ups and downs this week. He actually slept from 11p-6a twice this week, which was awesome! The other nights though were brutal. He was up most of the night on Monday and Tuesday. I think he had a stomachache. I was at my witt's end by 10pm on Wednesday. He finally went to bed at 11 and stayed down until 6:30am! I was very thankful for that. We both needed the rest.

He bit Carson for the first time this week too. Apparently Carson went to the bathroom at my mom's house and Jonathan went in there with him. Jonathan bit Carson's arm at some point while Carson was trying to use the restroom. Carson was fine by the time I got off work you couldn't even tell where Jonathan had bit his arm.

Carson has had a pretty good week this week. He's consistently getting his medicine at the same time (shortly after I drop him off at my mom's) every morning and it shows. He is being nice, loving, and respectful! He's super excited to be traveling to Michigan with his daddy this weekend for a boys' weekend. They are going to the NASCAR race on Sunday.  Jonathan and I will be staying behind.

The weather here this week has been cool and rainy. It's quite a change from the 90s and sunshine we had last week, but I'll take it! Perhaps a little less rain would be nice though.

Summer reading programs started last week and so far Carson has read 15 books to either myself, Chris, or my mom. He's doing awesome with expanding his reading skills. He has a new found love for "Walter the Farting Dog" books. They are funny and cute at the same time.

Next week is a big week for us. Father's Day Sunday, Chris' birthday on Monday, our 8th Anniversary on Tuesday, and the local town festival (which I help plan) on Saturday!

I will have a few posts next week too, so stay tuned for sappy love stories!

I Run...

I run.

 I am a runner.

 It's not about finishing first. It's not about speed.

It's about me, the pavement, and the time.

I run.

For my sanity. 

For my health. 

For the natural high. 

To forget the day.

To forget the troubles. 

To spend time with my family. 

For fitness. 

To clear my mind. 

Because it's cheaper than therapy.

To get away from it all.

I run...because I can!

Jonathan is ONE!

A few days ago, our sweet, happy little baby turned one. He was baptized at church that morning, then had a great party surrounded by all our family.  There was food, a cake, an inflatable water slide, presents, and a lot of fun! Here are just a few photos from his party. I will write up a whole update on his 12th month after his doctor's appointment next week.

 

Friday Free for All: I'm still here

Last week I was out of town for work. I was barely home in the evenings to get any posts written. That was followed this week by T-ball and swim lessons in the evenings...I apologize. Forgive me?


What if I share cute pictures of my kids? Ok, I will do that!

All my boys playing together <3

Sneak Peek of his one year photos!

Carson's First Race

This past weekend, as you may recall, our family ran three different races. I ran the 5K Friday night, Chris ran a half marathon on Saturday morning, and Saturday afternoon Carson ran his first race, a 1K (slightly more than a half mile). Each race finishes at the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium, home of the fighting Illini.

I got to run with him since he's so young. He'd been looking forward to it for a few weeks, ever since I told him I signed him up for it. Before the event he told my parents that he didn't want to run with me because I slow him down....little stink!  Carson and I lined up in the front half of the group originally but we moved and started toward the back of his age group due to so many kids pushing each other at the start line in eagerness to finish first.   The event isn't officially timed because all the kids are winners, but I had Chris' Garmin 310XT with me just to see how fast this kiddo really is. We ended up passing the majority of his age group and even some of the 4 year old age group that started 10 minutes before us! We ran 0.56 miles in 5 minutes and 46 seconds!  He LOVES to run.

Here he is before the race:

And here he is after the race with his medal!

The whole race he kept looking at me saying, mommy I see the stadium, we're almost there! Both of us were encouraging the other the entire way. I loved that he kept turning to me with a smile on his face saying, 'We got this mom!'. He smile one his face makes me one happy momma!

Super proud of himself for running the race and "being like daddy". He seriously looks up to his dad for running races and doing triathlons. I happen to think it's pretty cool too ;)

Friday Free For All

I know, once again I have been slacking on the home front, lol.  Truth is, I've been outside enjoying my time with my family. AND training for another 5k tonight! Yes, I am running a night glo 5k! I can't wait to share the experience with everyone. 

This weekend is jam packed with activities. Tonight, I run a 5k. Tomorrow, Chris runs the Illinois Marathon, half marathon. I am attending the Great Cloth Diaper Change. Then Carson is running his first race, the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon Kids Run! He is so excited to be joining daddy and I doing something we all love.

Yes, Running is life for us now...and that's ok! I especially appreciate the BOB stroller I got a couple months ago now that we all can go run together.

As for life lately, here's the scoop!

Carson has been doing fantastic at school since starting the new medication. I wish we didn't have to medicate, and we may be able to stop it in the future, time will tell. He starts T-Ball next week and is super excited for that! 

Jonathan is doing great, I wrote a post about him yesterday actually. You can read it here.

Chris and I have been busy at work and busy training for our races this week.

Sorry it's short this week, I am swamped with things to get ready for the weekend. Oh by the way, keep a look out for a new giveaway opportunity on the blog on Monday! Happy weekend!

~11 Months~

I can barely believe I am writing this post. Tomorrow,  my baby is 11 months old. In just 4 weeks, he will turn the big 1! In the past month we have hit a few milestones!

Milestones
- Walks a few steps alone without assistance or support
- Waves "bye-bye"
- Signs "Done" and "More"
- Started transitioning to the sippy cup, and accepting it finally!
- Says Mama, Dada, Blanket, Minde, Papa, Baba (bottle), Done, and Bye

Teeth
- Three on bottom, two on top, with a third on top coming through

Eating
- Mostly table food now with the occasional food pouch
- Drinks Enfamil Gentlease

Sleep
- He still wakes through the night to eat...yeah I know, he's "too old for that". He's a big boy, he needs his food I guess! 

Clothes
- Mostly size 12 - 18 months. Some 24 month shirts though.
- Size 5 shoes....yeah he has big feet!

He's changing every day and becoming more independent.  He loves to roam the house and chase the dog around.  He also loves to play with his big brother. The bond between these two seriously makes my heart feel like it will explode!

Our Easter

Here's some photos from our Easter day festivities. The boys had four, yes FOUR, egg hunts on Easter Sunday. We had a great time with all our family!

Friday Free For All

This week has been a whirlwind! I can't believe it's already Friday?!

Spring had sprung this week and we've had a lot of time outside playing as a family. Watching my boys bond is seriously one of the most heartwarming and rewarding experiences a parent could ever ask for in life.   The memories we are making can't be topped.

His first time getting to purposely ride through the puddles!

Aside from lots of family time, work has been at a dull roar lately, which is a welcome change!

Carson has been signed up for his first kids fun run in just 2 weeks and we've been training for it together. He's such a good runner! I think we found his sport!  School has still be a struggle for him, as you may have seen in my post about his anxiety. Next Tuesday I have a meeting (Chris can't go due to work) with the school to discuss possible evaluation and putting a plan in place for addressing his behavioral and emotional needs.  I'm not too optimistic about it, but that's more than I can fit into today's post. I will have to write about it next week!

Jonathan is so close to walking all over! He will let go and take a few steps but doesn't venture all the way across the room just yet....I'm thinking he will do it before he's one next month though for sure.

Anyways, enough rambling for now! Time to enjoy the nice weather some more before it cools off again next week.

Anxiety and My Son: April Update

Carson has been on anxiety medication for a little over two months now. Last week we had a follow up with his pediatrician. We discussed his behavior and the little glimpses of improvement we see. Little things such as not biting his nails constantly. I never have been so excited to cut my son's nails! It was a great moment for us both, haha.  Other things we have noticed are less frequent crying spells, less "gloom and doom" talk, and better sleep! He doesn't wake up during the night and isn't nearly as restless as he had been prior to starting the anxiety medication and the iron supplementation.

His behavior is slightly improved, but the busyness, angry outbursts, and oppositional attitude still is very prevalent. He still has trouble at school, but its not every day anymore, so that's an improvement! During our visit to his doctor last week, it was decided that it is now time to treat him for ADHD as well as Oppositional Defiance Disorder. The treatment for these is the same thankfully, but it is a stimulant drug. So far after a week of medication, we haven't had any negative effects of the medicine, but really aren't seeing much improvement yet either. I wouldn't expect to see much improvement yet though, as medications like this take some "tweaking" to get to the right dosage and right medication for your child.

You may be thinking "Oh my gosh! That's a lot for a child." It is, but it's not uncommon. Anxiety or depression disorders are often found as a comorbidity of ADD or ADHD.

So this is our life now. A child on three medications, that sees a counselor every other week. Myself and my husband are both committed to only the best for our son. Stay tuned for an update to my "Parenting a child with anxiety" series later this week!

Friday Free for All

This week has been a little quiet around here thanks to this:

 

That would be my husband, holding Jonathan in the pre-op room on Wednesday.  Yes, Jonathan had surgery. Nothing major, just tubes in his ears, but it has made for a busy snuggly week. All we did Wednesday when we got home was snuggle and nap off and on all day...It was great! He's back to normal Jonathan now, which is wonderful after the past month of illness!

The night before he had surgery Chris and I took Carson to Family Reading Night at his school. They had activities, snacks, and a book swap. We could take old books, redeem them for tickets, then redeem the tickets for "new" (to us) books. Carson absolutely loved it and it was great to get time with just the three of us.

In 8 days, I will run my first official 5k! I can't wait! I have been walking or jogging every day lately to get ready for it. I even go to the gym or walk around town on my lunch break. I'm serious about losing my muffin top!

Last night, the boys and I did yard work and played outside, it was wonderful! The sun was shining and it was in the upper 50s. Today's weather is supposed to be nice and warm, then the bottom is going to drop out and their talking of snow again next week?!? Go away Winter! I'm ready for Spring!

Hope you all have a great weekend! 

Friday Free For All

It's FRIDAY!!!!!!! It has been a long week, so today's post is a mix of stuff ;)

Last week we had a very sick little baby and this week he's finally getting back to his normal self! We even took him swimming for the first time last night! He loved it!

The weather seems to finally be looking more like Spring.  Today it is 55 degrees and sunny. The lowest high for the next week is in the upper 30s. I can handle that!

Tomorrow is Carson's last "Bitty Ball" game. Then we get our weekends back for a few weeks. He's really enjoyed basketball this past 8 weeks, he's done a great job listening and learning the game.

In one week, I turn 30....only 7 days left in my 20s....How do I feel about that? Hmm....I'm ok with it!

Hope you all have a great weekend! I know I am spending some time outside soaking up some much needed Vitamin D!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday, he's 54 today!

Dad and I at my brother's wedding...July 2005.

This man means the world to me and my boys. He's always been there for us all and I can't thank him enough for that! Love you daddy!

The Lasts

When I was pregnant with Carson, a friend gave me a book titled Let Me Hold You Longer. I read it that night, then put it away in the closet. Fast forward almost 5 years. I was pregnant with Jonathan and cleaning out the closet in the boys' room. I stumbled across the book again. That night I read it to Carson, and bawled through almost the entire book. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend you do! The book goes through the raising of a child from his mothers eyes. She reflects on how he will grow up, but will she recognize when he does something for the last time.

As I pack away baby clothes to donate or take to resale, it hits me that every first for Jonathan is our last first. Jonathan is our last child.  We won't have a child roll over for the first time again. There won't be a first food again. No first steps or first words. Every time he does something for the first time. It's a last for us.

 Right now, it is absolutely adorable when Jonathan does something new. Carson will exclaim "He just said his first word!" or "He just took his first step!", even though it may be the third or fourth time he's done something. Carson recognizes the significance of each milestone, but do we? Often I sit and watch the boys play, I wonder to myself, "when did he start doing that?" or "where did he learn that?" My heart aches when I see Jonathan do something that shows us he's growing up. When he cruises the furniture or rolls a ball to his brother. He's my last baby and time isn't going to slow down. I'm not ready for the last. Not ready for the last time he takes his bottle, the last time he wakes up in the night just wanting to be rocked, the last time he needs momma.

I am just as guilty as the next person of spending way too much time "plugged in".  Too often, as parents, we are so wrapped up in the house that needs picked up, the fundraiser that needs to be done by tomorrow, the next school project, the text that needs a reply, and so on, that we are missing what is going on right in front of us.   Are we in such a rush as parents that we are missing the little things that are actually big things?  Will we recognize his lasts?  Will we remember his firsts?

 I'm guilty of this with Carson too. So caught up in work and the house and his little brother that I catch him doing (or notice him not doing) something and think to myself...when did that happen? I remember his firsts, but will they stick with me forever? Will I recognize the lasts? The last time he comes home from school bursting with excitement about his day? The last time he wants walked to the school door? The last time he lets me kiss him good night?

Put down the electronics, silence the phone and enjoy your little ones (and big ones!).  The house and the internet can wait, babies won't keep!  I'm NOT READY for the lasts. Not one bit. Not for Carson. Not for Jonathan. Not for us as parents. Are you?

9 month old!

Jonathan is 9 months old today! I can't believe how fast the time is flying by us. I swear just the other day he was a tiny newborn with horrible reflux. Now he's a big boy, cruising the furniture, sitting up on his own, and giving 'loves' to his blanky and his brother. The boys play so well together and Jonathan loves following his big brother around the house.  We have our 9 month appointment this Friday, so I will update with that info on Friday. Here's some recent pics of our boy for now :)