Breakfast for Daddy

Yesterday morning I had to go into San Antonio to take a CIC exam. I had attended the class most of the week, and Saturday morning was the test. I left the house very early before anyone even woke up. When I talked to Bud after the test, he told me to stop and get eggs. I thought he had made the boys eggs for breakfast, but it turned out that they made eggs for him.

One of my proudest moments went like this:
While Bud was still sleeping, Ryan decided to make some breakfast for JD, so he made two pieces of toast with butter and served it to him on the couch. Then they both decided to make breakfast for Bud. So they cracked two eggs into a bowl, Ryan added a little milk, scrambled them up and poured them into the pan. When Bud walked into the kitchen, he found them in that exact scene, along with JD up on the counter turning on the stove (although it turned out it was the wrong burner). He helped them finish the eggs, and Ryan made some toast as well. He told me later that he wanted to make some bacon too, but he couldn't find it.

Bud was so proud and extremely impressed when he found them making him breakfast, and everything had been done correctly. Assuming JD had spearheaded the effort, he asked him "How did you know how to do all this?" JD said "I didn't know how to do it. Ryan did." Bud asked Ryan "How did you know how to do this?" And he responded "I watch mom." That just brings tears to my eyes. He loves to help me cook, and you'll usually find him sitting on the counter in the kitchen while I'm cooking. He watches and helps (and makes lots of messes), but he's taking it all in. And he proved that yesterday morning.

I'm so proud of him.
For many things.
For watching and learning, and building skills that will serve him well in life.
But having a servant's heart is what I'm proud of most.

Scrappy Weekend 2013

I know it's not news to anyone who knows me, but one of my very favorite things to do is scrapbook. And my favorite place to scrapbook is at Rockin' R Retreat Center in Temple, TX because it's just non-stop scrap booking Friday to Sunday, and other than 3 short breaks each day for meals, and very limited sleeping (about 4-5 hours a night), there are no interruptions.  I try to go at least once a year and this time it was in August. I usually go with other people (Kelli, Stacie and/or Erica), but this time I went by myself. It's not that I didn't want to go with anyone, but that I just really wanted to have some alone time. Time to do some thinking, praying, and recharging of my batteries. While doing that, I was also able to complete 53 pages, including some "fast scrap" pages, so it was a very productive weekend. I finished Ryan's 5th birthday pages, and my entire Paris and London trip from last year. Those were two big projects and I'm so happy to have them complete.

Here are some of my favorite pages from my weekend at Rockin' R:

New Job, New Chapter in Our Lives

Well it's been almost a month since Bud changed jobs. He left CPS after 12 years with the company and has gone to work in the oil industry. It wasn't an easy decision, but one we felt called to make. Anyone who really knows me knows that I've been very torn between my responsibilities at work and those I have at home. I feel guilty when I'm at work because I just want to be home with my kids. And when I'm at home, I feel like I need to be working. But if I do work at home, I feel terrible that I'm doing so and just want to give 100% to my kids instead. It's been a very difficult balance to maintain over these last few years and it has finally just become too much for me to handle. I can't be the provider and the homemaker, and be the mom my kids need me to be. It's really just way too much for me to handle. . . . at least too much for me to handle well. I've tried for years to handle it the best I could, but I've finally hit a point where it's really just too much and I can't do it anymore.

Bud and I talked about this back in July when I finally just hit rock bottom. I told him that something had to change. Our family needed it. Desperately. I was failing as a worker, as a wife, as a friend, and as a mom, and something had to change if we didn't want something else to happen. After years of talking about this, I feel like Bud finally heard me. He understood that I was at a breaking point and he felt the need to step in and make a change, even if it meant he had to sacrifice and get pushed out of his comfort zone. He agreed to consider his options and decided to look into an offer that had been made by our neighbor. Within about 3 weeks, he had been hired to work in the booming oil industry. He turned in his notice at CPS and his last day was 8/14/13. His first day at his new job was 8/15/13. No rest for the weary, right?

This new job will give him the opportunity to make more money, but it will require him to work more hours than he's used to. He won't get off at 3:45 everyday and have all afternoon and evening to spend with the boys. Instead, he'll be getting leaving at 5:30am and getting home between 7 and 9pm each night. That's a huge change for him and not an easy one. I know this job was a total sacrifice, but he is doing it and he's got a good attitude about it too. I couldn't have more respect for him for sacrificing this for us.

Ultimately, our goal is to take the pressure off of me so I can provide a better home for my family. I'm so excited about this new opportunity.

More to come on all of this later....

Ryan is Officially 5!

[My blog is acting a little screwy right now for some reason. This post was supposed to have been posted on Ryan's birthday - 6/26/13, but it was posted late. It's ok though - better than never.]

Well, the toddler days have officially ended. Even though I tried to prolong them for one more year. I tried convincing Ryan to have another 4th Birthday rather than a 5th Birthday. I told him that I wanted him to turn 4 so he could enjoy being a 4 year old one more year. His response: "Mom, I can't help it. I'm 5 now."  I guess he's right :(

When he woke up the morning of his birthday, I had his favorite breakfast waiting for him - mini donuts. Then we also sang "Happy Birthday" to him and let him blow out the candles on his cake.

We celebrated his actual birthday on Wednesday last week and went out to dinner at Chili's. Then we had his birthday party on Saturday the 29th at our house. WHAT. A. PARTY! It was so much fun - even for the adults.

We had an Avenger-themed party, complete with the triple-tiered cake he wanted from Walmart. We also had the huge water slide in the front yard that all the kids have come to expect for Ryan's birthday parties. It's always so much fun for the kids, and keeps them all cool since his birthday is in the dead heat of summer. And this summer has been a hot one (as usual)!

Even the parents had fun on the water slide. Stacie and Jane got it started by going down the slide, then me and Shannon, and Bud and Steve, followed afterwards. It felt a little silly, but the water felt great and really helped to cool things down. 

Ryan is excited about being 5!

REDNECK WATER PARK!

Bud and our neighbor, Steve, cool off in the kiddie pool. Haha!

Ryan's 1st Day of Kinder (and JD's 1st day in 2nd grade)

Today was the first day of the 2013/2014 school year and it was a very exciting day in the Blair family. Ryan started Kindergarten and JD started the 2nd grade. Both boys were really looking forward to school and couldn't wait for today to get here. In the car yesterday, when Ryan realized today was the first day, he said "I CAN NOT wait for tomorrow. I CAN NOT wait for tomorrow!" He was beside himself - just couldn't wait to get started.

On Friday, we went to the school to meet their teachers. Ryan's Kinder teacher is Mrs. Smith. She's new to Potranco Elementary, came from the Lufkin school district in East Texas. She seems very sweet and I think she's going to be great. Ryan walked right into the room for "Meet the Teacher," sat down and immediately wanted a pen and paper so he could start working. It was so cute.



JD has Mrs. Garcia who was a 3rd grade teacher last year but has moved to the 2nd grade. She used to be a Catholic school teacher, seems very soft spoken and is a very strong believer in the importance of reading which is great. JD likes to read and is a pretty good reader already, so I like that she's going to focus on that with his class.

When we got to school today, I walked them both in to their classes to drop them off, snap a few pictures and give good luck kisses. We dropped off Ryan first and he did so fantastic. He walked right in, put his backpack in his cubby, picked a seat and started coloring. Not once did he get upset, cling onto me or tear up. I took a few pictures, wished him good luck, then took JD to his class. Same thing with JD - no problems at all. At one point, I thought there was something wrong because he looked worried or something. I asked if something was wrong, and he said "no, I'm just really excited." I took some pictures of him too, then headed out.

I decided to sneak one small peek at Ryan on my way out. I didn't want him to see me because I didn't want to take the chance of him getting upset, so I just took a quick look as I passed. He didn't see me - he was watching the other kids and had this little look on his face. I couldn't tell what was wrong but it looked like one of curiosity mixed with a little bit of nerves. My instinct at that moment was to go in there, swoop him up and take him home with me. I got really sad all of a sudden, and then I just needed to get out of the building before the tears started flowing. And they did. I cried the whole way home. I'm so happy that he's in school and he's so excited to be there and be like the "big kids," but a part of me really just wanted to run in and get him.

3:00 couldn't come fast enough today. As soon as I could, I left to go pick them up. When I finally got them, they said they had a good time. They didn't learn anything new today and they don't have any homework, but it was a very good, 100% successful 1st day of school.

Let's Get Those Tonsils Out!!!

Friday, May 24th, we left the house at 7:30 am, dropped JD off at school (it was his Field Day!) and headed to the surgery center off Stone Oak and 1604. We needed to be there by 9am for registration and his surgery was scheduled for 11am. Ryan wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything, and we didn't want to eat in front of him, so Bud and I didn't eat either. We were all starving!! But our nerves from the anticipation helped with that for a little while.

Dad and Ryan, on our way into the hospital to get Ryan checked in.

After we checked him in, with his "bracelet" on.

Me and Ryan, showing off our "bracelets."

Mom and Ryan

Right about 9am, they called us back to the surgery triage area, we changed Ryan into his gown, then sat and waited. We were in there for abuot 2 hours or so, waiting for his turn to go into the OR. We were so pleased with how well Ryan handled it all. He knew he was going back for surgery and he didn't see all that scared. He had questions and every once in a while, grabbed onto me and hugged tight, like he was scared or nervous, but he didn't cry once. He handled it all like such a big boy.

 

Dad is putting Ryan's gown on him.

At one point, Dr. Moe and the anesthesiologist came by to talk to us about the surgery and Ryan asked if his tonsils will ever grow back. Dr. Moe chuckled a little and told him that was a good question for a little 4 year old, but that no, they wouldn't ever grow back. Ryan was satisfied with that answer.

Then about 1/2 hour before they took him back to prep him for the surgery, the nurse came by and gave him a little cup of "happy juice" to help him relax before the operation. He took it pretty well, but said it tasted really yucky. The nurse agreed. She said they try to flavor it with grape, but it's pretty bitter.

Here we are, trying to kill some time and keep a 4 year old entertained for two hours in a 5' x 8' space.

So after two hours of waiting, it was finally Ryan's turn. The  nurses came to his bed and told him it was time to go. I fully expected him to be scared, start crying and cling to me, but in typical Ryan form, he was such a strong little guy and faced his fear. He gave me lots of kisses and hugs, then went quietly with the nurse. I, of course, was the one crying. I did everything I could hold back my tears so he wouldn't see because I knew that if he saw me cry, he'd think there was something to be worried about and he'd start crying. So, I held it together, and off he went.

Since Bud and I hadn't eaten anything and knew it would be hours before we had another chance, we took advantage of the next 30 minutes. Bud made a quick run to Wendy's and when he got back, I ate 1/2 of my burger as quickly as I could out in the car. As soon as I got back in the waiting room, I wasn't there 2 minutes before Dr. Moe came out to tell us the news. Ryan did great! He handled the surgery well, tolerated the anesthesia like a pro, was in recovery, and it would be about 15 minutes until we could go back and see him. I waited impatiently for those 15 minutes until the nurse finally came to get me. Only mom could go back at first, then dad came later.

As soon as I got back there, this is what I saw:

He was sleeping so peacefully. His arm still had the IV in it and was wrapped with medical gauze to keep him from messing with it or pulling it out.

 When he did wake up, he looked like this. So calm. I asked him how he felt and he said in a really gravelly voice: "good." He was really groggy but tried so hard to stay awake. I think he was uncomfortable being there in that bed by himself and didn't want to fall asleep in case we weren't there when he woke up. When they offered him a popsicle, he accepted and ate the entire orange-flavored popsicle. He also drank a cup of apple juice and a cup of water, and wanted more. Poor little guy was so hungry from not eating all day, and by this time, it was about 2:00pm. We were finally discharged at 3pm and the nurse warned us that he might throw up on the ride home, especially after eating so much. I was so nervous about that, but I was prepared with a bucket. As soon as we got in the car, he put his head on my shoulder and crashed out. We stopped for his medicine and had to wait almost an hour for it, then drive almost an hour to get home. So he had a two hour nap in the car and when he woke up, he was feeling much better and was ready to eat again.

When we got inside, he ate two cups of applesauce, then an entire bowl of Top Ramen soup (aka Daddy's Soup), and was still hungry. So I made him two scrambled eggs and he finished that too. He never did get sick and we could tell that the worst was behind us!

Ryan -- you took this surgery like a champ. I had my tonsils out when I was 17 and it was one of my worst experiences. I hated every minute of the recovery, starting from the moment I woke up after the surgery was over. I was so nervous for you, but you handled it so much better than I could have ever imagined. YOU ARE MY HERO!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

Blood Work for Ryan's 1st Surgery

It's been almost 4 weeks since Ryan had his first surgery, so I guess now would be a good time to write about it. After almost a year of debating and putting this surgery off, we finally took that leap on Friday, May 24th. We scheduled it after baseball season ended to make sure he could make it to his last game so he could celebrate with his team, and get his first trophy!

We were originally scheduled to do his surgery last October when Dr. Moe (the best Pediatric ENT in the city) made the recommendation. He said that his tonsils are so big that it's restricting his breathing, especially at night when the throat relaxes. He snores, pauses in breathing, and never really can get a restful night's sleep. Without restful sleep, it can cause fatigue, lack of focus, and eventually it can be hard on the heart. But Bud and I kinda chickened out. We had a 2nd opinion and that doctor said "nah, he doesn't really need it yet. His tonsils are big but as long as you do it before he's 11, it's fine." He told us what we wanted to hear, so we canceled the surgery. After listening to his terrible snoring again, hearing him pause in his breathing during sleep, we finally decided to just do it. In the long run, it's best for Ryan. So we went back to Dr. Moe and scheduled the appointment for May 24th.

We had to do the blood work the week before his surgery. That was a bit traumatic for Ryan. I hadn't really told Ryan where we were going or why so he was fine at first. . . until we got into the lab and he saw "the chair." I still didn't tell him but he knew something was going to happen. We sat down, him on my lap, the lab tech took his arm and said "Ok, we're just gonna stick a little needle in your arm. . . " and that's all he needed to know. He started freaking out. They had to bring in another tech to help hold him down. Once they started, it didn't take long and he was fine afterwards. As a reward, we headed to Shipley's Donuts to have a little treat, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

The following Monday, I got a call from Dr. Moe's office telling me that Ryan's blood work came back abnormal and I needed to go do the blood work again. So I picked up Ryan and headed back to the lab. He recognized the place when we got there and I told him we needed to do another test. He looked at me and said "I'm gonna be tough this time." And he totally was. Not a tear. Not even a flinch. He did so great. And we headed to Dunkin Donuts for a snack.

The results came in later that afternoon, and they were again, abnormal. So we made an appointment with a hematologist to have his blood looked at more closely. Needless to say, I was a complete nervous wreck. I had no idea what to expect, but of course, I was planning for the worst and hoping for the best. I was asking everyone I knew to pray for him.

The hematologist appointment went great. They drew blood again but this time, they put "magic cream" on first to numb it, so he didn't feel the needle at all. And once again, he handled it like a pro! The doctor said he wasn't too worried about the test results (by the way, the only result that was "abnormal" had to do with the way his blood clots), he was more interested in his medical history and our family history. So he asked a ton of questions about bleeding, heart problems, bruising, nose bleeds, etc. We really don't have any family history no either side, so when I left there, I felt like it was gonna be ok. And it was! Our prayers were answered by the next morning when the doctor said his results were fine and cleared him for surgery the next day.