Keisha

Tomorrow, JT and I take Keisha to her pediatrician. In December, Keisha failed her hearing test at school. After the school reported that to us, I immediately called her doctor. He suggested to allow 6 weeks then come in so he can check out her ears. Hopefully, during the 6 weeks... if it was fluid in there then it would have time to go away. Just over six weeks had passed and then William and Keisha caught the flu. William struggled with the flu at lot worse than Keisha did, but they both were out of school for most of that week until the following Monday (last week in February to the first week in March if I remember correctly).

That delayed JT and I getting Keisha to the doctor. Then last month, William and Keisha had pink eye. See the previous post. Yes, we have had a few obstacles in the way. Also at that appointment last month, the doctor flushed the twins' ears out so they are pretty wax free at the moment. About 3 weeks ago, I began to really notice that something was not quite right about Keisha's hearing. I was braiding her hair while she sat down in her Dora the Explorer pink chair. With her back toward me, she was still very close yet when I talked in a normal speaking voice, she did not respond. I thought that she was being silly and heard me but just refused to respond. No, my baby girl could not hear me.

Keisha's hearing seems to have gotten worse since then. JT and I find ourselves having to communicate to her louder (we try not to yell because that makes her think we are mad at her starts to cry) and give her lots of eye contact while clearly pronouncing words. We talked to Keisha's head start teacher about this as well. She also said she would work on more one on one help and lots of eye contact. Keisha frequently gets frustrated at home when she cannot hear what is going on. This breaks my heart.

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I really did not mean to be gone for so long, but things happen like that.

A couple of good friends have positively pressured me into posting. Peer pressure is dangerous folks.

My overall health is okay, but my sanity is always questionable. The twins are getting over a cold and *drumroll*... pink eye. JT took them to the hospital yesterday and we now have eyedrops for them. William and Keisha are doing a lot better today than yesterday. They just fell asleep to Backyardigans playing in their room. Which reminds me that I need to turn their television off because I can hear it playing now. Pablo is yelling something... or is that Tyrone?

I am tired a lot these days, but according to Kat Williams, when you are a parent you are always tired.

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We spent most of the weekend trying to help William and Keisha fight their colds. It appears that the cold has passed over me this round. Thank God because I usually get a cold from them each time they get it from daycare. Friday evening, the runny noses started... and I was happy that I had just purchased four boxes of Kleenax the previous Sunday. I bought the new tissue with the anti-virus beads in it. How in the hell companies come up with this stuff, I have no clue... but I bought it. I had two coupons, plus it was on sale at Target. I could not resist.

I went back and forth helping William and Keisha blow their noses to get all the gooey snot out. They took turns with their Ewws and Owwws. I kept the Vaseline handy (code name Grease in our household) handy to apply below their noses in order to prevent chaffing. After all of the FDA reports, I have to admit that I am a bit reluctant to immediately rely on over the counter cold medicines for the twins. I kept them pumped with fluids and continued their regular dose of multi-vitamins.

Not too bad right?

But then on Saturday evening, I grabbed William to give him a hug and he felt warm. Everytime William gets a fever, I get scared to death... hoping and praying that it does not get to 101. I went downstairs to grab the thermometer, took William's temperature and it was 100.0. I asked JT to grab the Tylenol and he was on it. When JT went to Schnucks to pick up dinner, he also purchased fruit water. William loves water, but he occasionally gets tired of it. Gatorade is great too, but Keisha and William only tolerate so much of that too. I kind of have to balance out the variety of liquids for them. According the Keisha, her favorite juice is the Yellow Juice. That made me giggle.

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Week 255

Say ... and I think ... ?

Health :: Overall, my health is pretty good these days. I have been drink lots of green and black tea as well as drinking Danactive and taking my vitamins. If I could get used to an exercise routine then that would be great. And speaking of health... the twins' health is great. William has been doing very well since his surgery in September. He bumped his head at school the other day... scared the heck out of me. I called the doctor as soon as I found out about it. Dr. F. calmed my nerves a great deal. JT gave William some Tylenol for the pain and applied ice directly to the bump. The bump is nearly gone.

Tacky :: I think wearing boots during the summer is pretty tacky. The kind of boots that are meant to be worn in the snow.

Heels :: I wore high heel boots for the first time when I had an interview two weeks ago.

Yay! :: Regarding the interview mentioned above... I received a call this week. I got the job, yay!

Model :: I hope that am an excellent role-model for my children. When times are tough, it does not feel like I am. Raising children is the ultimate challenge in life.

Gather :: Friday evening, JT gathered all of the ornaments and Christmas decor. We decorated the tree before the children came home. They love the tree and all of the lights on the house.

Best gift ever :: Best gift ever? The birth of my twins. Best Christmas gift? The call I received this week for a new job.

Clients :: I only have a handful of clients for my small business, but perhaps 2008 will bring upon more opportunities and money.

Stomp :: William and Keisha occassionally stomp their feet on the ground when they do not get their way. Mom definitely does not approve.

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I wanted to post this last night after reading Baxter's post but I fell asleep earlier than expected. Yesterday, Baxter promoted Bloggers Unite Day by asking for vistors to his site to raise money for breast cancer prevention through LookPink. This is an excellent post and I would like to thank Baxter for this thoughtful act.

December 17, 2007 was Bloggers Unite Day and the theme is Acts of Kindness.

I decided to write about how we contribute to my children's school fundraisers by making purchases at Schnucks grocery stores using an eScript card.

Sometime last year, JT and I first heard of this fundraising program that required a card at Schnucks. Whenever we go to Schnucks, we present our card in the checkout aisle. A portion of our grocery expenses in a given month is donated to William and Keisha's school. There is no cost to you involved, other than what you are already spending on groceries. We activated the card by calling the toll-free number on the back. I spoke to a representative and completed the call without any effort

The screen capture above describes what portion of your grocery spendings is donated to the school.

I do not always have extra money in the budget to make purchases on traditional school fundraisers such as the pizzas, candles, candy and other items. This is one reason why I support the eScript program so much. We already are making grocery purchases (we seem to be spending more and more these days as the twins get older), so we may as well get our eScript card swiped at the counter, with no additional cost to us, and in turn, donate to our children's school.

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Do you ever feel like you are living an episode of the Twilight Zone?

Work was tolerable. I am still in training, so that is by default better than the normal daily duties. On the other hand, training itself was completely exhausting today. I struggled staying focus this afternoon. No word on if eating left over Red Lobster during lunch factored in on my ability to stay focused.

This evening was crazy. I feel like I was the only sane one of the bunch... meanwhile JT, William and Keisha were acting like very weird. More weird than normal.

After it was all said and done, I was able to find out the cause of what brought me into the Zone. Be that as it may, only time will tell if there is resolution.

In other news, I hear that the Administration (code for Bush) will let us off on Christmas Eve. Political move or not, I am thankful for this decision. Since I am in training, I do not have access to my work email, so I did not see the actual memorandum. I picked up the information from a reliable source though, so I feel pretty confident that this is true.

Local meteorologists predicted bad weather heading our way. Does not appear that enough will come tonight to be called off from work tomorrow. Ugh.

Last but not least, JT told me that one of his cousins and her boyfriend were in an accident today. A truck hit them. All I know is that she (cousin) is not hurt, but her boyfriend was seriously injured. I do not know if he is critical or stable condition. I also know that her baby was not in the car. Thank goodness for that. I do not know any other details. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

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Last week, William and Keisha went to the circus for the first time. They saw the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey - Circle of Dreams at Scottrade Center as a field trip with their class. I was so excited to hear Keisha talk about all of the clowns that fit into one car... she actually counted them out for me; and William identify all of the animals that he saw.

I just wish I could have shared that experience with them, but I had to go to work *sigh*. The joy of being a parent that works full-time.

Maybe next time kiddos... but I am happy that you had a grand adventure.

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My friend, Eaglehawk tagged me today with a touching post. Thank you for sharing Eaglehawk.

When asked, what are five things I want my children to know, I have to set back and think. Being a mother is the greatest gift that God has given me next to life itself. So I can not just give five things off the tip of my tongue.

What would I tell my dearest Keisha and William?

1. Love God and yourself first. If you do not, it is nearly impossible to truly love anyone else.

2. Family is important. Cherish your time together. Your twin bond is strong... be there for each other no matter what.

3. No secrets. We all mess up in life, but I want you to know that you can come to me about anything. I may be upset, but I promise to not judge you. I am there for you to listen, help, comfort and love. I love you unconditionally. Secrets are destructive.

4. Knowledge is power.

5. Get involved in group activities (and like Eaglehawk told his daughter, the political process). Make your voice be known to make positive changes in the world.

The meme challenge is… Those tagged will share 5 Things You Want Your Kids To Know “Before They Grow Up.” Those tagged will tag 5 people. Leave a link to your meme in the comments section of http://fireball.lifewithchrist.org/permalink/34540.html so everyone can keep track of what’s being posted.

So let the sharing of wisdom and tagging begin!you don’t have to have children yet to participate.

I am tagging:

1. Guppyman: http://his.guppystorm.com/

2. Perri: http://perrinelson.com/

3. Calvin: http://www.killacal.net/

4. Paula Neal Mooney: http://paulamooney.blogspot.com/

5. Jeff: http://www.writestateofmind.net/

I look forward to reading your posts.

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William had some pretty nice artwork on the fridge last night with his refrigerator magnets. I wanted to take a picture of it for Wordless Wednesday, but the very next moment I looked, he already rearranged everything. Oh well. I love watching William and Keisha play with their alphabet and shape magnets on the fridge.

Do you remember playing with them when you were younger?

http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/?p=98

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