The Kids

So, I thought I would make an all about kids post.

Today we had to get up EARLY (in the summer!) and take both boys to the doctor. Sam to see a dermatology specialist and Avery for his Kindergarten check up.

Let's start with Avery.

He's a tiny little boy, only 10th percentile for his age group. Everything is normal and he is right on track. He is doing everything he should and is doing great. He is sooooo ready for Kindergarten. We have been playing word games and he can totally spell and sound out most words. Now to put them all together and read. He LOVES learning and wants to really read soooo bad. He ASKS to practice everyday. it's cute. The other day I asked him to tell me some nursery rhymes. He probably told me 15 of them!!! I had no idea he knew and could remember perfectly that many. Wow! He was excited to go for his check up this morning because he knows that's one step closer to Kindergarten. He was even excited to get his shots! He didn't stay excited though! He had to get 5 shots in his arms today. The first one he was fine, didn't even flinch. The 2nd one he cried a little and wanted to be done. Then we turned him around to do the next 3. Those were the bad ones. He was really crying for them and the last one was apparently the most painful (she said that's why they save it for last) and he was yelling at that point. It was sad. Poor kid. He didn't move his arms after that for more than an hour. He did really good and was brave, but it really hurt him. She said the last one would probably cause swelling, be painful, and cause a fever for a couple days. Lovely. We promised him donuts afterwards if he was brave for his shot. So we went to Krispy kreme where the boys actually got donut sundes! Disgusting. It grossed me out. I couldn't believe they could eat that. YUCK! You should have seen Avery trying to eat it. He wouldn't move his arms so he was pretty much licking the ice cream like a dog. Finally by the end he managed to figure out how to use only his lower arm to get the spoon to his mouth. Pretty funny. This was a cool Krisy Kreme where it's all glass so you can see them making the donuts. They sat there and watched them make a whole batch. Anyway, by the time we got home he was moving his arms again and semed fine until the Motrin wore off. Hopefully tomorrow won't be bad. He is a cute, wild child. He is sooo smart and i love how willing he is to learn. Oh, here is a weird thing about him though. I go to the Y several times a week to do Zumba. He can't STAND the nursery there. He really hates going. He hasn't gone very much this year because I usually went while they were in school. Getting out of the habit was not a good thing for him. He has hated the last couple of weeks, and complains and complains. He cant even really tell me why he hates it so much. I think it is just too overwhelming for him. There are a MILLION kids in there, really, way too many, and the teachers aren't very nice at all, and one in particular has a really gruff voice, is loud, and seems mean, even though she isn't. He is not good with that type of person. I guess he is used to his quiet, soft-spoken mommy. Awww. Anyway, I tried taking him in there yesterday. He started crying before we even left the house!!! He's not done that since he was 3! We were walking in and he actually stopped dead in the doorway and would not enter the building. I don't understand why he hates it so much, but I felt bad for him. They were playing outside, Kinley was in there waiting for him, but he just did not want to go. I wasn't going to miss my class either. I ended up just taking him in my class with me. He sat in the corner with nothing to do, and just watched the whole time. I was SURE that would make him see that going to his class was a better idea. it didn't work! He MUCH prefered sitting there bored than going in his class. So I guess until he can move up to the next class that will be our plan for now, since neither of us are budging on our Y terms. :) I really don't mind. He didn't bother anyone at all, and if he wants to be bored than fine. I would rather him choose to be bored than force him to go somewhere he really can't stand, especially when it isn't hurting anything. It's weird though! he's quirky!

On to Sam. Sam's rash, including the butt part that I previusly mentioed came back last week. It went from bad to worse really quickly, and within 2 days he had the rash over his entire body, even his face again. I took him back to the ped. She just said it was his eczema and that maybe that would be how it manifested itself from now on. Ummmm, no. He can't go around every month with a butt he can barely sit on that bleeds and pusses! They had scheduled a dermatologist appt for him, but they couldn't get him in until July. Ummm, no. AJ pulled some strings, he has connections ya know :), and got him into another specialty dermatologist. We took him this morning. Apparenlty he still has staph, and it IS eczema, but it is infected eczema. So she gave him more antibiotics, another prescription cream, special bath soap, and some special lotion. We go back in a month and she will figure out a good course of treatment, I guess for the rest of his life. Sigh... I am still not quite sure about that diagnosis. I don't understand the rash all over his body thing, or the butt rash being eczema, but we will see, I suppose. He has had eczema his whole life and it is just now manifesting like THIS? Hmmm. ANyway, he also had to get a steroid shot. Those things HURT so I was worried, but he did just fine. Didn't even flinch. I guess getting allergy shots every week for the last 6 years really numbs you to shot pain.

Let's see, what else. Sam has so gotten an attitude lately. Argh! He is the biggest arguer. i wonder where he got that from? **roll yes here** Me, of course. I guess I deserve it. He also has really been antagonizing Avery, which anooys both Avery AND me. What's funny is that I always was amazed at how good their relationship was. They rarely fought at all. I thought it was the age difference, and the sweetness of my boys, but that has apparently ended. Sigh... I knew it would happen eventually, but why in the summer?!! I did talk to him about it today and hopefully we have worked out an arrangement to get this fixed and fast. he's always been so sweet and nice, so this is sort of surprising. i guess it had to happen at some point, that's what siblings do. Darn it. Anyway, he is loving summer. We swim just about every day which is his very favorite thing to do. He also tries hard to do nice things for me, and is constantly trying to help me out or do things to make my life easier. Sweet boy. I hope he stays that way. ;)

We really have great kids, and we are lucky to have them. Even though they bring us our challenges, especially with Sam's medical mysteries, we couldn't ask for better kids. Even Avery, who we consider our wild child, is calm and sweet compared to most other kids. We are just used to laid back, go with the flow Sam, so Avery is crazy compared to that! LOL. At church the other day Avery's teacher came in to the room we were in and she said, "Avery's not here today!" I was like, "Um, yeah, he should be!" Then she said, "He's just so GOOD and quiet, we never have to worry about him at all. I guess I just missed him." Which is srt of good and sort of bad. :) He is also the helpful one and is the one doing the right hing when asked, etc. Good, good boys. I love them.

Anyway, enough gushing about their sweetness. I am sure we all feel that way about our own kids, I just think mine are particularly sweet, for the most part, well except for Sam's attitude lately. ;)-

Here are some pics of them enjoying Krisy Kreme. Disclaimer*** Taken with my camera phone***.





P.S. Sorry for any typos. Something weird is happening and when I try and backspace and type soething else, it erases the letters in front of it, causing letters to be missing, etc. I am sure there are a lot of mistakes. Sorry!