Jaesen is home at last

And after all the waiting, Jaesen is finally home. I have to say it is really weird to have him here. I actually ran to the store to grab something and didn't have to take all of the kids, that was strange. We are all still getting used to having him around and it definitely takes a load off of me to have the other half of tag team Yerger here to reinforce rules, etc. Savannah is doing well with the readjustment and thinks he is funny, still not too sure but figuring it out. Right now we are just taking it slow and easy and having fun with each other. It has been a great weekend so far. Tristan wants to take Jaesen for show and tell and Jack wants a continuous piggy back ride. Life is good here at our house!

Love you Mom!

Mom, just want you to know I am thinking about you, hoping you are home soon out of the hospital. I love you and I wish I was there!

A Very Bad Dog!!!!!

Oh, this is a very bad dog! If you see him, don't love on him. That is Jack's Valentines Day candy box sitting there on the carpet. It was still wrapped in cellophane when we left home this morning. Now it is torn up, chewed up, licked on and laying on my kitchen rug. Poor Jack, he will be oh so very sad. I can hear him now. Merlin I am not your friend anymore, you are a bad dog and noone loves you. Merlin says, I thought it was my chocolate box! Oh what a very bad dog!

The ER Staff Loves Us!

Well two weeks later and we were back in the ER again. This time it was for Savannah. She had been out of sorts for about a day, but nothing overtly wrong with her. I laid her down for a nap about 4 and when she woke up I thought she was warm but passed it off as she had just woken up. About 15 minutes later, it seemed much longer since she was shrieking at the top of her lungs, I felt her head again and she was still hot. I got the thermometer that runs across the forehead and took hers, it read 105.9. Okay I am a moron, I can't even use the dumb thermometer on my kid. I went the other direction, 105.7. Okay, now I feel even more stupid. I ran it across my head, 98.8. Now I was slightly alarmed. I ran it on her again 105.9. Okay, now the grilled cheeses were burning but I needed another thermometer. I quickly flipped the sandwiches and started rooting in every cabinet, no thermometer. I am a mother, I should have more than one stupid thermometer! Finally in Jaesen's undersink cabinet I found one. Of course it was there, because he really needed the extra thermometer while he was gone. So the poor girl had to have her temp taken the other way and in the short time she would let it stay in position it read 104.9. I yelled at the boys to scarf down their grilled cheeses, tried to call a babysitter. Who was I kidding? It was 615 on a Friday night, not a soul available, so lucky me I got to drag 3 kids to the ER for what I was sure was going to be a banner night. We spent 5 glorious hours there, getting urine samples, xrays, blood drawn, throwing up (her, not me) and trying to get an IV into the poor dear. She was a great patient though and as long as I sang to her she was fairly calm. I only wish the seat Jack was in had a seatbelt, he was up and down and up and down I was ready to smack him. All in all the boys did great and we watched cartoon movies that they had on the tv. Finally just before midnight we left with the diagnosis of a virus, keep a close eye on her and keep her hydrated. She is just back down for a nap, but her fever has almost gone and that is huge. Now all of my kids have been seen at this ER, what an accomplishment!

One Year Anniversary and Savannah's Predicament

Well this weekend was our one year anniversary here in the US. I have to say that I still am having culture shock back into my "home" culture. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would love Japan as much as I do and never thought I would say that I want to go back. I only hope that we are able to go back again so Savannah can see where she was born and do all the things that she will hear her brothers talk about. We came home on February 3, 2007. It was a long process that took exactly 24 hours from leaving the Navy Lodge to arriving at the airport in Jacksonville. I just remember sitting in baggage claim staring at our two carts of luggage, the 3 kids, it was about 11 at night and just wishing for a limo to pick us up. Instead Jaesen and I each drove a car to our hotel, took the dogs for a quick walk and headed off to Denny's at midnight to eat. I have to say that I did miss Denny's for a quick bite to eat at any time day or night. Now as we are waiting on Jaesen to come home from Iraq I just think how fast this last year has gone. Savannah is just about walking, her surgery did her wonders. The boys are each progressing at an alarming rate. Jack is excelling in school and Tristan can devour a book in one night. They are both so athletic (they get it from me you know!) and I started nursing school. What a crazy life we lead. And on that note the other morning Savannah was crying, when I found her this is what she loooked like. Instead of helping her I ran for my camera, it was really too funny to pass up. I don't know how she did it, but she got herself good and stuck.

A chocolate pudding facial

Well, who says it couldn't be good for you? I gave Savannah pudding for dessert last night topped with a little whip cream. At first she didn't know what to make of a whole bowl of something just for her on her tray. She got over that fast, by the end it was in her hair, on her neck, down her shirt, under the tray, chocolate pudding was everywhere. The dogs got their fair share too, in fact they were licking each other last night, Savannah might have patted each of their heads. It sure was good amusement for me, to watch her though, then just stripped her down and stuck her straight into a tub.

Another boring Saturday for us!

I sat sipping my coffee this morning thinking about the workout at the gym in an hour or so and did I want to shower there or at home? Should we get the boys some haircuts today? It's raining outside so maybe we will have a movie day. Ahhhhhh, but nothing is ever as it seems at our house. Just when you think you have your day sort of planned out the unexpected happens. Today that meant Jack. He decided to run up the stairs. I know what you are saying, that doesn't seem so bad. Well it wouldn't have been bad except for the fact that he came up under the handrail and never stopped moving his legs, thus he came up right under the corner of the rail and it connected perfectly with the top of his head. It laid him out flat on his back. I casually got up as he wasn't spurting blood from the top of his grape, but when I got to him could already see the blood starting to run down his forehead. While Tristan ran around helping me get towels and got dressed, Savannah decided it was perfectly appropriate to try and sit on top of Jack. God I love my house there is never a dull moment! So I ran to at least brush my teeth so I wouldn't kill the nursing staff with my morning breath and lo and behold we were off the ER. Once there I found out to my amazement that Jack had never been to the ER here. Surely I thought they must be wrong, but they assured me that their computer system was quite up to date. Fortunately they had the Disney Channel to watch and while I steadily fed Savannah snacks the boys waited for the doctor and watched tv. Two staples later we are at home where a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream and "smarshmallows" makes everything better. And to think it's only 1000. Maybe I'll go back to sleep.