Odds & Ends

I'm posting today but I have nothing to report. Just boring old life as usual.
Time seems to be creeping by. I want to fast forward a year or two and get Zane into Kindergarten and Braden into preschool. I want to buy that new house in Crystal Lake as we have been discussing for years.

In our quest to find a diagnosis & help for Zane we have made an appointment at Illinois Masonic for next month. Their program sounds like it's focused on behavior modification and parent training and not on drug therapy. Joe finds this particularly appealing since he is against using drugs to treat Zane.
Zane is our budding artist- he loves to paint as long as he gets a brush and doesn't have to use his fingers.


Joe and I had a few discussions this week about having more kids. I'm against and he's for it. He's not pressuring me and he understands why I'm in no hurry. If I knew I could have a girl I would be much more interested in having another. I feel fairly confident that I can only have boys so I have to be ready to have a 3rd boy before I want to get pregnant again.

President's Day- UGH!

I'm all for honoring Washington & Lincoln but why does Zane have to be off school today?! I never got President's Day off school- at least I think I didn't, I don't really remember. Why, oh why does Zane have to be home?

I probably sound like a terribly spoiled mother but really I'm just surviving at this point and having Zane home all day Friday & Monday is extremely draining on my limited emotional/physical resources. I had a sitter a few hours Friday so I got to take Braden to his Baby Signs class and got a couple things done. Today it's just me & the boys. Zane wants/needs to be entertained all day and he doesn't take naps anymore. I really need to strategize some activities & crafts for us to work on.

I'm starting to think Braden has an eating disorder! If he gets too full he throws up. He can't seem to stop himself and wants to eat all the time. I don't think it's serious enough to go to the doctor but I am watching mealtimes closely with him.

I want to thank the 2 people who actually read this blog. Not Joe because he never reads it. Shout out to Karen H & Brandi! Thanks girls!

In other news...

I believe we have decided against the Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) at Children's Memorial for now. We are going to reconsider in a few months. It feels too intense to us at this point. Zane just turned 4 and so he has a lot of development ahead of him. We are looking into some other area hospital programs and still considering our options. We were told that the PHP at Children's would most likely result in medication for Zane. We aren't ready for him to be medicated yet. I am starting to be more open to that option but not quite there yet.

Joe's grandfather died yesterday. He was an honorable man of God who will be missed. He leaves quite a legacy, he had 5 sons who all had kids so there are many Richards around the country. My favorite memory of him is at my wedding when he married Joe & me. Here is a picture of Grandpa from his 80th birthday party last year. He is surrounded by his great-grandchildren.

Joe is turning 30 on Monday! This is going to be an extremely low key event. Joe does NOT want a party or any recognition. We will have a sitter and go out to dinner & perhaps a movie.

Braden is a sick little guy again. I can't figure out what is going on with him. One day he's fine and the next he's throwing up and crying. He is walking all the time now which seems to make him very happy. The downside is that he falls a lot and cries about it.

I didn't make any New Year's resolutions when the year began. I'm thinking about a few I should make now. I need to cut way back on my sugar/junk food. More important- I want to reconnect/reaffirm some friendships. I have a few friends that I haven't spoken to in months and I want to make "dates" with them. I just need to get over my phone phobia and make some calls.

More Zane

Today I kept Zane home from school and we made the trek into Chicago to visit a social worker at Children's Memorial Hospital. Our pediatrician had recommended that Zane be evaluated by specialists and referred us. The social worker we met with today recommended that Zane partake in a partial hospitalization program to get at the root causes for his behavior and find him the best treatment. This program is in Chicago, over an hour away. It's 7-10 days long and it's all day, from 8:30-3pm. The logistics alone are giving me a headache.
This is so difficult for me to deal with. I don't know what to do with a special needs kid. Being Zane's mom is the toughest job I can imagine. I'm definitely overwhelmed but I guess that's just life.
Here's a cutie pie picture of Braden on his bench. It cheers me up a little.