SNOW DAYS & Sick CHILDREN! UGH!

Since LAST THURSDAY, I have had either both children home or at least one child home due to illnesses and/or snow days. Understand that here in Virginia Beach, SNOW is very rare! We are definitely not equipped to deal with snow on our secondary roads putting buses at risk for skidding in our rural areas and neighborhoods. Today is the FIRST day back since Tuesday and it was SUPPOSE to be their day off for Teacher planning. So the schedule is all messed up as they also put Monday as a half day! And a previously scheduled day off now a day of school. Now if I worked a normal 9-5 job, it would totally screw up a schedule and probably make bosses mad. Good thing I'm my own boss right? Anyway, carrying on.... I still have a child home sick! Poor kiddo has Hyper-Mobility Joint Syndrome and complains of wide-spread pain very often. SO I'm STILL not KID free! And did I mention hubby is TRAVELING? Overall, my children are pretty self sufficient and do their own thing when they are home. But what I complain about is NOT GETTING out of my HOUSE!

I do have a MILLION things to do at home, you know... cleaning, prepare taxes, process pictures.... but it's that I just don't FEEL Like doing it! How many times do YOU put off what you NEED to do just because you don't want to do it?

Things I COULD BE DOING:

1. Removing border in kid's bathroom
2. Preparing my documents for taxes
3. Process client pictures as it's going on a month!
4. Clean my house AGAIN! Never ending battle here right?
5. FOLD Laundry! 

So who wants to do all that when you can just blog about it instead?

I was SUPPOSE to meet up with a friend and eat lunch, but can't take a child that hurts out into this cold weather.

Back to Kiddo who has pain ~ 

At 18 months old the kid stopped walking and went back to crawling and just complained that he "HURT". So many tests later and specialists they said he just had inflammation in his joints even though no bone scans were done. Okay sure, it went away over time using tylenol when he did complain and that seemed to hold him over or he forgot about it after being introduced to a toy. Short attention span in kids :)  Fast forward a few years later, around age 5 he started complaining his arms and legs and body just "ached". Asking him where it hurt, he would just show me all down his arms and legs. Okay I shrugged it off as growing pains and didn't think anything of it as his daddy had told me he had bad ones growing up too. It progressively got more persistent and complaints were frequent. So I had begged the pediatrician to refer him to Rheumatologist. MANY months wait as there were only two in our area (now just 1 :( ). They diagnosed him with just having over extended joints. No specific name just joints and ligaments can extend beyond the normal 180 degrees. I wasn't happy with this answer and wanted a second opinion. Off to Duke Medical to the Children's hospital to get 2nd opinion. The specialists here said the exact same thing and said our doctor is on track, but did give us an actual NAME for the issue at hand. Hyper Mobility Joint Syndrome is the magical name. So NOW I can research and find out how to help him. 

Armed with medications for his pain (Naproxen Sodium liquid) at school and at home we are all set right? Wrong! A child can't work through his pain and also pay attention at school! So we have had a few flare ups. One time it was an entire week he couldn't walk it hurt every step! Went to Rheummy, did X-rays, blood work...etc... Nothing abnormal! This also included a bone scan to see if any of his growth plates and joints were inflamed. NOTHING showed up at all! Ugh! Frustrating to have a silent and undetectable illness. Each time he complains I have to pray that it's not a flare up where we have to go back through all those tests. Know how hard it is to HOLD a 70lb child down while they do blood work?

So now this child is home today complaining of pain all over. No sense in sending him to school  when he will just be coming home a few hours later. 

I just want him to enjoy life and not one in pain. Not many parents facing this issue, so no one to really chat with about the outcome.

Overall, he's a happy little boy and makes me proud on many levels. 

Thanks for listening to my rambles as I know there is no rhyme or reason for the order my rambles go in :)

~ Brandi

Finally OVER!!!

The hustle & bustle of the holidays are OVER! I'm so damn happy too! I love the season when everyone is so nice and willing to help those who are needy, but the race to see/purchase the most hippest items or the most wanted toys for their little ones just disgusts me! Then you have to figure out what the person on your list wants/needs. You only have so many ideas and you share those with family and then you have NO more ideas! How do you purchase something for someone who has everything? That's the hard part!

Next is the people who you DO send something for... and then they don't even CALL you to tell you they got the gift. You learn through someone else they did. What hurts is that you want to be thanked for your thoughtfulness. Okay so I like to give, but I also liked to be thanked. Nothing is wrong with that! I give, not to receive...but to be thanked is nice :)

Overall, I would say this is the best Christmas our family has had. Both children are/were into opening gifts... Okay so Rheanna was more into playing with what her brother opened, but at least she enjoyed some part of Christmas! The play kitchen & shopping cart are HUGE hits here! Rheanna is just now getting into dolls and imaginary play (more advanced than boys I guess) than Aryan was at this age. Aryan loved the Fisher-Price GeoAir High Flyin' Airport . I was not wanting to get that for him as he has so many tracks and trains already, but it seemed to work solo. He doesn't know it has expansions to it. 

Our Christmas between hubby and I was fantastic! I really enjoyed the gifts I got this year. I guess it's because I gave him an extensive list! He didn't have to think much. I even got something that was totally surprising to me! An Ipod Nano in PINK! Strangely though, it already has Hindi songs on it! Haha! I love it though! He did very well!

Our Christmas tree is coming down TOMORROW! I'm tired of having to fix ornaments. We've got about 4 to glue back together thanks to Rheanna's little fingers all over the tree. The ornaments have slowly migrated up to the top or to the back. Glad I didn't put all the ornaments up this year! Rheanna is a fast little girl, it's hard to keep up with her and her mischievous ways! We know when she's quiet she's into something. Usually the tree or the tissues!

You know, It's REALLY bothering me that this family friend of ours... who saw me born and I adore as an aunt and a very close friend to our entire family... hasn't called us to tell us thank you, or that they've received the gift. I'm at a loss as to what to do too. If I had my way, I'd probably NEVER send gifts again. This isn't the first time though. I'd send gifts to the kids that she has and I never hear from them. Teach your children to be grateful for what they have.  ~ Which reminds me, I need to have Aryan call everyone and thank them! ~ Okay, I had to get that off my chest. Maybe now I can go to sleep without thinking about this situation. 

Okay, I have a 3 year-old who is up way past his bedtime and I need to get him to bed. Off to read a book!

~ Brandi ~