Should have known...

He was going to be nothing but trouble from day one. Left piles of crap every where he went and expected me to clean up his mess. Required too much attention and constant praise for the simplest tasks he did. Did nothing but add stress in my life and strain the relationships I have around me. When confronted with opposition, his only choice was to cower in the corner and hide from reality. You would think one would show some appreciation for the care I gave to him. When he could have easily been left in the cold, I took him in and showed him a friendship he obviously didn't appreciate or deserve. The result of such a relationship left me no choice but to leave him where he belongs. In the dark. Alone. With the coyotes. Good riddance.

100th post in ONE word...

You're only allowed ONE word to answer...

Were is your cell phone? here.
Were is your significant other? basketball.
You're hair color? dark.
You're favorite thing? chocolate.
You're dream last night? short.
You're life dream/goal? happiness.
The room your in? living.
You're hobby? running.
You're fear? death.
Where do you want to be in 6 years? crowded.
Where were you last night? massage.
What your not? alone.
One of you're wish list items? babies.
Where you grew up? fantastic.
The last thing you did? laundry.
What you are wearing: sweats.
You're TV? fixed. (thanks Tony)
You're pet? hungry.
You're computer? struggling.
You're mood? everything.
Missing someone? yep.
Something your NOT wearing? shoes.
Favorite store? Chicks.
Your summer? fun.
Love someone? totally.
You're fave color? grey.
When is the last time you laughed? siesta.
When is the last time you cried? Kody.
Your significant other's hair: awesome.
You're life in one word: significant.
Now it's you're turn!

Please hang up and try your call again

So what have we been up to? Seems like we were just in Texas celebrating Thanksgiving, and yet Christmas is right around the corner! Life has been filled with some exciting things so let's get started...

The newest addition to our home: a baby toilet seat and a step stool.

Lennix has decided to start potty training herself. And surprisingly- she does a pretty good job at it. I don't know if it's selective amnesia but I can't remember having to potty train Kody. So when Lennix started taking her diaper off and pointing to the potty- I was a little confused. A lot of days are spent at home, with the timer going off every 20 minutes and us sitting in the bathroom reading a magazine. Now if only she could learn to only take a few squares of toilet paper- we'd be in business! (Notice the huge pile next to the toilet!)

Baby update: Jared is still going to acupuncture regularly and Dr.Keh thinks she will be able to get me pregnant without IVF. We'll see. Our bathroom cabinet is already filled with so many unused pregnancy tests and ovulation predictors- we might as well use them while we can. Sharalyn and I signed up for another marathon in March so it looks like I will be starting my medications right after that. If all goes as planned (and Dr.Keh doesnt knock me up before then) I should be looking at having the embryo's put in at the end of April or early May.

Kody is still at Grace (obviously) and having such a good year. His new teacher took some getting used to but we are definitely on a roll now. He had his annual Christmas Program where we all came to watch him. At one point, Kaia (David's daughter) was on my mom's lap, David was holding Lennix, and Kardiff (David's son) was playing with Jared!! We are either the most dysfunctional family known to man, or we've got this whole divorce thing down to a T. It makes me smile to see all of us sitting there supporting Kody together as a FAMILY. At one point, Lauren asked Kaia if she knew who Lennix was. "She's just Wennix" she answered. Lauren explains that Wennix is Kodys little sister too to which Kaia says "Wow- that's so cool." Couldn't have said it any better myself Kaia! This Christmas he'll be with his dad, and to be honest- it never gets any easier. Tonight, I held his growing body in my arms with limbs over flowing everywhere and I just wanted to keep him there forever. I dont want to share him anymore. I want to keep him with me at all times and never let anyone else experience something I might miss. Here's the first of 2 Christmas presents Kody made for me at school this year. You never have to wonder what Kody will look like when he's 30 because apparently that was the look his teacher was going for. Seriously???

Speaking of Wennix...this is girl is TROUBLE! Yesterday it was so cold and windy, I was feeling really guilty as I looked out the window and saw the turtle and rabbit having to suffer out there on the balcony. For some reason, I have this strange fear that my animals can speak to each other and are talking trash about me. I know this sounds crazy but it's true. A lot of wasted time is spent worrying about if they are happy or if they think I am a good owner etc... So, after I drop Kody off at school- I decide to go outside and brave the elements so that I can move the turtle into the rabbits cage and turn the heat lamp on. (This is all being done without a bra on OR shoes on. And with my hair a mess and left overs from breakfast on the table.) I pick up the turtle, move him inside, feed them both and head back inside. Nothing. The door wont budge. I try again. And again. And again. Nothing. Lennix comes to the window and pulls on the lock forcing it to lock further and further. I beg her to push the lock up to which she just smiles and says "Upeeeee. Upeeeee." Panic is starting to set in. Like- real heart beating fast panic. I look around and realize I have no where to go but over. We are on the second story and this is no joke. Here are my options:

Option Number 1
Option Number 2

Tough choice right? Option 1 is a straight shot down. It might not look so bad in this picture, but the foliage is deceiving. Its not very thick and I would most likely break a leg. Or two. Or three. Option 2 I would have to jump out over my downstairs neighbors patio and hope I land either on a bush or a car hood. That's a big hope. So I decide to go with Option 1. I climb onto the ledge (with no shoes) and perch myself like a little bird. More like a big bird I suppose. I scream and scream for help but no one is home. I start to say a little prayer that went something like this:

Dear God,

Have I told you how sorry I am lately? Well, if not, I am. Really sorry that is. For everything. I need your help in a kind of big way. I know I am going to have to jump, so all I ask is that you break my fall enough that the bones I end up breaking aren't bad enough that I can't get upstairs to my baby. Because that would be really bad. Have I said I was sorry lately? Because I have been meaning to. Once I get inside- I will. Well, I guess Im going to jump. One last chance to send me a miracle....

Just then, the lady that lives below me (and whom I have never actually met) comes outside onto her balcony. She must have thought I was a crazy person up there perched in my bare feet and no bra. I shout to her and she makes some gesture that she'll come up. THANK YOU! 30 seconds later, the lady is in my house unlocking the door for me. Im not really sure what the polite thing to do is, so I grab Lennix and just say thank you over and over. She left without saying a word to me. Granted I dont think she speaks a lick of English but still- doesnt every one know "you're welcome?"

So there you have it. That pretty much sums up Lennix in a nutshell. If she weren't so darn cute- she would have been gone a long time ago. I haven't been brave enough to go outside to feed the animals since then. Not without a phone at least!

One last thing I have been obsessed with lately. Better than any bouquet of flowers Jared could ever bring me:

At first glance you might think they are parts of beehives. But you would be wrong. Its actually a wasp hive and I am totally fascinated by them. I found one a while ago while we were on a walk and cant stop admiring the beauty of it. Or them I guess. Jared has found 2 more to add to my collection and I couldnt be happier! I love them.

Fill out these forms and have a seat here...

The other day Jared was home for his usual siesta and the phone rang. Like the actual house phone. We never get calls on that phone. He picks it up and it's Kody. Apparently he was playing in the sand box at school and the wind blew and got some sand in his eye. He wants to come home. I get on the phone (because we all know that Jared will let our kids get away with murder if I let him) and tell Kody that he has to go back to class. He cries, tells me how bad it hurts, blah blah blah... I decide to think quick and make a deal with him: Go back to class and if it still hurts in a half hour- I'll come get him.

I hang up the phone and go back to enjoying whats left of siesta. Five minutes later, phone rings again. It's the school nurse this time. They have tried to flush his eye out 3 times, he's still in pain, we need to come get him. We get to the school and the poor kids face is puffy and bright red on one side. Who beat my kid up?!? We get home, and I tell him he has to take a nap. 2 minutes later- the kids sound asleep on my bed. 3:30 pm he wakes up with an even worse looking face. We attempt to do homework, dinner, etc... and then the real whining starts. It hurts reeeeaaallly bad and wont stop watering. I ask Jared what I should do. Not that I will really take his opinion into consideration, but I wanted him to confirm the feelings I have that I should take him in to Urgent Care. He says he'll be fine and not to worry. Instead- I worry. Something isn't right and I can't shake the feeling that he needs to be seen. I call my mom to get her opinion- no answer. Then Jason and Stephanie come over and I ask their opinion. Jason and Jared obviously share more than just the same DNA because he gave me the same answer as Jared. Without hesitation Steph tells me she'd take him in. That's all I needed. Confirmation. Another woman. Another mom. Decisions made- we get in the car and head to Kaiser.



We're seen right away by the doctor and she decides to check his eye for any scratches. I had told Kody nothing was going to hurt him so when the doctor pulls out the eye drops and says "This may hurt just a little" I think I lost some validity.

After dying his eye yellow and looking at it under this special light, she confirms he has some abrasions. Not only that, but he still had sand in his eye too and all that rubbing he was doing was causing more abrasions. He had to have his eye "flushed" again. I told her they tried at school and she asked Kody how they flushed it. He says "I cupped my hand under water at the drinking fountain and blinked a few times." Note to any parent reading this **that does not count as "flushing"** She proceeds to show us to the "Special Procedure" room.

They call in another nurse who sets up everything she'll need. She turns around when we walk in and she asks how old Kody is. I tell her 8 and she begins to tell me (in front of Kody) that most adults don't tolerate this well, and she doesn't think he will be able to sit through the procedure. When I asked her if there was another option, she said no. Bring on the flushing then. They give Kody some drops to "sedate" his eye while they get the device in his eye. The medication will only last a few minutes so they have to act quick. I still have no idea what the "device" is. Probably for the best. After they get his head comfortably wrapped in towels, they pull it out...

It's called a Morgan Lens. It's basically a giant rubber contact lens with a tube sticking out of it which is attached to an IV bag which will flow through the eye. They open his eye really wide and get it in. Not much struggle and he's being such a trooper. Only problem is that once the IV starts- the "numbing" medication is washed away within a few minutes. At which point- Kody will start to feel everything.

Within the first few drops- he begged, pleaded and cried for me to take this thing out. The nurse started the IV and told me she'd be back in a few minutes. I ask her how much fluid we have to get in his eye and she tells me the whole IV bag. 1000 mls. WOW-that's a lot. Especially when you're in pain and you're 8. I sing, I dance, I take pictures, I do anything I can to distract him from what he's going through. Pure torture. I finally tell him that for every second I count to- I'll give him a dollar. We've got a deal. 1...2.......3.........4............................5.......................................6..... this is going to get expensive! I tried a few times to tell him a story and delay the counting but he would cry and remind me of the number I left off at. Around 900 mls- I am so excited-we were almost done!! $157 later- the nurse comes back in to take out the device and patch him up. Literally. Doctor comes in and tell me he'll be as good as gold tomorrow. I hope so.

The flushing must have worked because the kiddo woke up the next morning and was totally fine. No red face, no puffiness. Nothing. Just $157 richer!!

Konichiwa (pronounced Koh-NEECH-ee-wah)

So last night our family was together running some Christmas errands. Jared and Kody decided they wanted ice cream so I dropped them off at the curb and Lennix and I drove around for a bit. When Kody gets back in the car- this is the conversation we have:

K- Mom, the owner of that store is like Chinese or something!!!
M- Did you say hello to him?
K- No way!
M- Why not?
K- He probably doesn't even speak English.
M- How do you know since you didn't talk to him?
K- If I tried talking to him, he wouldn't know what I was saying and he would think I was going to beat him up or something.
M- Why do you think that?
K- Chinese people just stare at me so they must think I am going to beat them up and they are afraid of me.
M- So what did you do?
K- Just stared at him the whole time. When I walked out- he just smiled at me like a Chinese person.

Apparently Kody has the ability to scare an entire Ethnic group. He's super tough. We're going to work on this and try to channel his energy elsewhere.