Kzoo

Avoiding your child from getting hurt is a full time job which is why I choose not to waste my time in that element of parenting. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t promote potential body harming behavior but I don’t believe in putting children in a hard shell bubble either. I highly encourage play that enhances a child’s physiological skills like running, jumping, tumbling, climbing, etc. However, the risk of getting hurt while participating in this development process is pretty high up there; which brings me to James. Jump, run, tumble – off to the urgent care clinic we go. His left pinky finger swelled twice its normal size. Thankfully it wasn’t broken as far as the doctor could tell.

 Since we were at the imaging center I went ahead and requested images of my abdomen/pelvis be performed as well. Last month I underwent camera endoscopy. The procedure is to swallow a pill about the size of a small grape tomato that contains a tiny camera. As it travels through the digestive tract it takes pictures giving doctors a view to the places they would not normally see. It is a great tool in diagnosing Crohn’s disease of the small bowel. Undoubtedly, the pill I swallowed has lodged itself near my stoma. Not the outcome I had hoped for. The term JamCam comes to mind. The only way to get it out at this point is surgery. I’m not looking forward to that.

Oh why not? Let’s get the family x-ray portrait package! John has had issues with his finger to the point he felt it could be broken. His x-ray revealed nothing. Much to his disappointment, we believe arthritic symptoms are what is causing his finger/hand/grip troubles.

Tommy didn’t have any pictures taken that night, but his presence in the clinic did not go unobserved. In order for him to leave James alone long enough to finish homework while in the waiting room, I occupied him with his own pencil and paper. It worked for about 62 seconds. Luckily the waiting room was not full and only 2 other waiting room inhabitants could witness a sudden wrath of engaged scamper resembling an escaped bouncy ball hitting every wall, floor, and stationary object in its path. There was no explanation for it and I chose to just let it be. We were about to be contained in a tiny exam room not intended for a family of four. I chose my battle wisely…

Splint in place, homework finished, John’s finger problem unsolved, my stuck camera found, Tommy along for the ride, dinner in the car, and a skipped bath put kids in bed by 9:15pm and John and I in a vortex of insane. What a night!

When we first began our family website at the start of 2008, I was very intent on documenting family events and posting heaps of pictures.  “Not so much”, said Reality.  To my demise via a semi-traumatic/turned upside-down year, posting pictures, blogging, and organizing a neat and orderly website was put on the backburner.  Way back!  So here I am, hopeful of another attempt without epic failure. 

Our year has started off pretty well as a family.  James had struggled in reading, but has since started to turn things around.  He simply had to convince himself that school is his life and there’s nothing he could do to get out of that.  He has lost four teeth to date.  He is immensely amused by this life event.  Once, the tooth fairy happened to ‘forget’ to put the dollar into his tooth pillow.  Thankfully we ‘found’ it on the floor beside his bed.  What a silly fairy.  Tommy has finally decided he can talk.  What language it started out with we are unsure, but now he’s coming around to English.  However, I’m pretty much the only person who can translate his babble.  He is fluent with words such as ‘no, yea, and butt’, plus one sentence we hear all too often; ‘I broke it’.  One thing that remains a mystery is why he insists on calling me ‘Mop’. 

The Kfam has declared 2009 as the year of construction.  In addition to that we have declared February as the month of ‘destruction’.  The ongoing effort to customize our home revealed the following.

(Gumption + Whim) – (Manpower/Time) x $$$ = “WHAT WERE WE THINKING?” 

Our house isn’t very old, yet it screams for updating and a functionality reform.  On the surface, we have a pretty nice looking kitchen.  Unfortunately, it has user capability issues.  We often play ring around the island just to navigate through.  It’s impossible for more than one person to be in there working comfortably.  I can’t tell you how many arguments have started simply because John and I tried to share kitchen space.  Kitchens are supposed to be the heart of the home but ours deems to be the marriage destroyer.  When John is home, I avoid the kitchen as much as possible.  It’s for the best.

Three goals for 2009 are:  1) take a ‘real’ family photo 2) complete two rooms which do not include major construction 3) diet…again

Happy Birthday to my dad (aka Pop) who turns 54 today!