Auntie Kat and her "cuteness". And I see Cookie Monster, ham that he is, made his way into the picture as well.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
A Rare Visit from Auntie Kat
The first picture was supposed to be a picture of Brendan with his beloved Auntie Kat, but it was the last picture I took before removing my media card and inserting into my media card reader only to receive the message that the card was empty and needed to be reformatted. What?! After panicking (okay - flipping out) for a few minutes, I downloaded a software called Card Recovery and all 166 pictures minus the picture of Brendan and Auntie were saved. So glad to have the photos back, but sad that there is no photo Brendan and Auntie.
Auntie Kat and Ciara posing in front of Santa Monica Beach. The important place for us was the Tudor House across the street where we had just enjoyed tea :o)
We enjoyed our time with Auntie Kat who graciously immersed herself in our schedule. She tolerated Ciara's latest TV addiction - Wife Swap. The night she arrived, Áine was asleep, but we took Auntie in to see her. Áine's hand reached out of her blanket for her and Áine felt her nails like she used to and then Auntie spoke and Áine shot up in that bed and just had to come out for a visit that first night if only for a few minutes. So sweet! Thank you for coming out here, Trina the May-May! (don't ask)
Ciara and Auntie Kat.
Áine (mid-chew) and Auntie Kat.
Auntie Kat and Ciara posing in front of Santa Monica Beach. The important place for us was the Tudor House across the street where we had just enjoyed tea :o)
We enjoyed our time with Auntie Kat who graciously immersed herself in our schedule. She tolerated Ciara's latest TV addiction - Wife Swap. The night she arrived, Áine was asleep, but we took Auntie in to see her. Áine's hand reached out of her blanket for her and Áine felt her nails like she used to and then Auntie spoke and Áine shot up in that bed and just had to come out for a visit that first night if only for a few minutes. So sweet! Thank you for coming out here, Trina the May-May! (don't ask)
Better late than never
4th of July...
Áine after a day of seizing :o(
Ciara is enjoying the fireworks from a local high school straight from our back yard.
Brendan is his usual happy smiling 4th of July self.
Faster than the speed of a camera shutter
Here is Miss Áine Clare excitedly awaiting the arrival of her pediatrician.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Today's Gospel reading... a fave of mine
Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
Matthew 11: 28-30
Matthew 11: 28-30
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Striking fear into the heart
Ciara was asked to assist her brother in cleaning his room.
Within seconds, after a panicked call for help, Ciara shakily pointed to an item on the carpet and asked if it was real or fake. Upon closer inspection, Mom announced that while it may no longer be moving, it was in fact real. Ciara proceeded to lose her ever-lovin' "I am 10 years old but 16 in my mind" mind and ran screaming from the room swearing to never re-enter said dwelling, to never wear the dress she had on, and to beg for a shower.
The fearsome object of this panic? Here goes...
Within seconds, after a panicked call for help, Ciara shakily pointed to an item on the carpet and asked if it was real or fake. Upon closer inspection, Mom announced that while it may no longer be moving, it was in fact real. Ciara proceeded to lose her ever-lovin' "I am 10 years old but 16 in my mind" mind and ran screaming from the room swearing to never re-enter said dwelling, to never wear the dress she had on, and to beg for a shower.
The fearsome object of this panic? Here goes...
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Needless to say, big brother the collector of all things animal, happily flapped his hands and jumped for joy as Mom hurriedly picked it up and disposed of it not so properly in the nearest trash can.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Food for thought... some faves
“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
"We plant seeds that will flower as results in our lives, so best to remove the weeds of anger, avarice, envy and doubt, that peace and abundance may manifest for all."
Dorothy Day
"Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty."
Mother Teresa
"Self pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in the world."
Helen Keller
Thich Nhat Hanh
"We plant seeds that will flower as results in our lives, so best to remove the weeds of anger, avarice, envy and doubt, that peace and abundance may manifest for all."
Dorothy Day
"Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty."
Mother Teresa
"Self pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything wise in the world."
Helen Keller
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Waiting at the Train Station
Kidlets waiting for Dad at the train station at the end of a very long day. I think Áine's non-verbal expression in her second picture best sums up my own sentiments about the whole thing :o)
Áine the Dog Whisperer
The kind crew at Ability First where both Áine and Brendan attend, sent this picture of Miss Áine with Brandon the great dane. Unfortunately, she appears to be mid-seizure during the photo op, but it's a good one none the less.
Áine with Silvie - her speech therapist's (AmyFish) therapy dog. A golden retriever she's used to. A dane... not so much. Áine enjoys shoving her fist in Silvie's mouth and is rewarded with a big dog slobber in return. Clearly she got her affinity for dogs from the other side of the family.
Áine with Silvie - her speech therapist's (AmyFish) therapy dog. A golden retriever she's used to. A dane... not so much. Áine enjoys shoving her fist in Silvie's mouth and is rewarded with a big dog slobber in return. Clearly she got her affinity for dogs from the other side of the family.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Last Day of School - Fuddrucker's
Ciara and Brendan
The Screaming Mimi chilling to some tunes.
Nana and the older kidlets.
Catching Up
On this first day of July, I thought I’d take the few minutes I have this morning and give a general update on the clan.
My apologies for being remiss in emails and in contact in general. I am one of those birds of late who when she says she hasn’t any time, she truly hasn’t any time. So here goes…
Áine
Because of Áine’s increasing seizure activity, one of her current anti-convulsants has been increased. This leaves her very tired and irritable with some squirreliness thrown in for good measure. Hopefully we will see her system level over the next couple of weeks. If the increase in meds is not successful, she will be admitted for a video EEG and for those of you who have been on our journey long enough to remember, I usually refer to that as Club Med UCLA as the darling kidlet is so busy smiling and greeting everyone who enters her room that her brain doesn’t have an opportunity to seize.
The team at UCLA is taking another look at the results of her previous brain surgery in 9/03 to see if any further surgery is a possibility. I will keep you posted.
Her triglycerides are entirely out of whack despite a lack of food and she continues to gain weight. She has tested negative for most of the things one would suspect as culprits. But since when do any of my kidlets do anything considered the “norm”? We have been told her body does not process nutrients the way ours do, so we shall continue with this leg of the journey. Next step is the endocrinologist appointment in November.
She finished the school year on June 18 and started summer school the following Monday. Áine’s summers are little different than the regular school year as there is no vacation from therapy.
She thoroughly enjoyed Nana’s brief trip in June to celebrate the end of the school year and last week took a trip to the Santa Monica Pier with Ability First.
Ciara
Ciara remains one of the most incredibly awesome people I have ever had the fortune to meet. Our summer to date has been a challenge and she has been plugging right along with me. She is now officially a 6th grader. This is apparently her mantra until school re-starts for her on September 1. Not a day goes by that I don’t hear this declaration and in case I missed it, it’s posted on her dry erase board lest anyone forgets. She waxes poetic about being a tween and the need for makeup and a cell phone. Dream on, buttercup. Dreams are good.
Nana and I were most happy to attend the end of the school year awards ceremony where Ciara once again earned First Honors. She was also awarded the Character Counts – Trustworthiness certificate. And a few others thrown in for good measure.
She enjoyed her annual week of swim lessons and has one more in the middle of July.
She is looking forward to her next CBT group session in another week as summer is ripe for an increase in OCD activity. And she is very much looking forward to Auntie Kat’s visit next week.
Yesterday during Áine’s speech session she brought her sketch pad and sketched various moments of her squirrely sister’s session. She also drew “The Many Faces of Áine” – seizure faces included. Later that evening during Brendan’s session (see more below), I was not able to stay as I had squirrely sister who would have none of it, so she took notes for me so I would know what happened during the session. How fantastic is this girl? And none other than the fashionista herself helped choose frames for Mom’s new and much-needed glasses.
Brendan
The lad finished school on 6/19 and we celebrated by picking him up at school that afternoon and heading over to Fuddrucker’s. Brendan’s all time fave place to eat. Our local eatery closed about 5 years ago and the boy has been in some serious mourning. There is one near his school however, so after picking him up and hearing from the staff how wonderful he is (but of course) and seeing his Certificate of Achievement for APE (adapted physical education – go Brendan!) Nana and the kidlets and I went to Fuddrucker’s. A good time was had by all.
Brendan is enjoying his second week of summer at Ability First. Summer school starts on the 6th. And once completed, he returns to Ability First for the rest of the summer until school starts on September 8.
He is happy to be back with his beloved Amy-fish and last night during his session with her even tried to help her win at a fishing game they were playing with Ciara.
Brendan was invited to the annual sleepover at Ability First later this month. He always enjoys himself there. Áine was invited, too. This should be interesting.
John
John continues his recovery and is tentatively scheduled to have his shoulder/arm contraption removed mid-month. At that time, he will wear a sling only and start physical therapy. His days on the Metro train continue.
Alexia
Hmmm… I did write a blog about me, but the tone seemed too different for this blogspot and I hesitated to post. I may reconsider and post it later. I have to think on that. In the mean time, I spend my days taking care of my wonderful family and have watched a few movies as I lie motionless on my couch in the wee hours of the morn. “Taken” -- now I love me some Liam Neeson. However, what is with men and the need to cover the grey? I don’t understand it. And who knew the entire Albanian underground were near-sighted? “Gran Torino” – ACK! Cliched, predictable, and if Clint grunted or growled one more time I was going to put my foot in my telly. “Frost/Nixon” -- I think I was too exhausted to appreciate it. “Revolutionary Road” is waiting for me. And kudos to my Suns for getting rid of Shaq. I never understood that acquisition.
Stay tuned…
My apologies for being remiss in emails and in contact in general. I am one of those birds of late who when she says she hasn’t any time, she truly hasn’t any time. So here goes…
Áine
Because of Áine’s increasing seizure activity, one of her current anti-convulsants has been increased. This leaves her very tired and irritable with some squirreliness thrown in for good measure. Hopefully we will see her system level over the next couple of weeks. If the increase in meds is not successful, she will be admitted for a video EEG and for those of you who have been on our journey long enough to remember, I usually refer to that as Club Med UCLA as the darling kidlet is so busy smiling and greeting everyone who enters her room that her brain doesn’t have an opportunity to seize.
The team at UCLA is taking another look at the results of her previous brain surgery in 9/03 to see if any further surgery is a possibility. I will keep you posted.
Her triglycerides are entirely out of whack despite a lack of food and she continues to gain weight. She has tested negative for most of the things one would suspect as culprits. But since when do any of my kidlets do anything considered the “norm”? We have been told her body does not process nutrients the way ours do, so we shall continue with this leg of the journey. Next step is the endocrinologist appointment in November.
She finished the school year on June 18 and started summer school the following Monday. Áine’s summers are little different than the regular school year as there is no vacation from therapy.
She thoroughly enjoyed Nana’s brief trip in June to celebrate the end of the school year and last week took a trip to the Santa Monica Pier with Ability First.
Ciara
Ciara remains one of the most incredibly awesome people I have ever had the fortune to meet. Our summer to date has been a challenge and she has been plugging right along with me. She is now officially a 6th grader. This is apparently her mantra until school re-starts for her on September 1. Not a day goes by that I don’t hear this declaration and in case I missed it, it’s posted on her dry erase board lest anyone forgets. She waxes poetic about being a tween and the need for makeup and a cell phone. Dream on, buttercup. Dreams are good.
Nana and I were most happy to attend the end of the school year awards ceremony where Ciara once again earned First Honors. She was also awarded the Character Counts – Trustworthiness certificate. And a few others thrown in for good measure.
She enjoyed her annual week of swim lessons and has one more in the middle of July.
She is looking forward to her next CBT group session in another week as summer is ripe for an increase in OCD activity. And she is very much looking forward to Auntie Kat’s visit next week.
Yesterday during Áine’s speech session she brought her sketch pad and sketched various moments of her squirrely sister’s session. She also drew “The Many Faces of Áine” – seizure faces included. Later that evening during Brendan’s session (see more below), I was not able to stay as I had squirrely sister who would have none of it, so she took notes for me so I would know what happened during the session. How fantastic is this girl? And none other than the fashionista herself helped choose frames for Mom’s new and much-needed glasses.
Brendan
The lad finished school on 6/19 and we celebrated by picking him up at school that afternoon and heading over to Fuddrucker’s. Brendan’s all time fave place to eat. Our local eatery closed about 5 years ago and the boy has been in some serious mourning. There is one near his school however, so after picking him up and hearing from the staff how wonderful he is (but of course) and seeing his Certificate of Achievement for APE (adapted physical education – go Brendan!) Nana and the kidlets and I went to Fuddrucker’s. A good time was had by all.
Brendan is enjoying his second week of summer at Ability First. Summer school starts on the 6th. And once completed, he returns to Ability First for the rest of the summer until school starts on September 8.
He is happy to be back with his beloved Amy-fish and last night during his session with her even tried to help her win at a fishing game they were playing with Ciara.
Brendan was invited to the annual sleepover at Ability First later this month. He always enjoys himself there. Áine was invited, too. This should be interesting.
John
John continues his recovery and is tentatively scheduled to have his shoulder/arm contraption removed mid-month. At that time, he will wear a sling only and start physical therapy. His days on the Metro train continue.
Alexia
Hmmm… I did write a blog about me, but the tone seemed too different for this blogspot and I hesitated to post. I may reconsider and post it later. I have to think on that. In the mean time, I spend my days taking care of my wonderful family and have watched a few movies as I lie motionless on my couch in the wee hours of the morn. “Taken” -- now I love me some Liam Neeson. However, what is with men and the need to cover the grey? I don’t understand it. And who knew the entire Albanian underground were near-sighted? “Gran Torino” – ACK! Cliched, predictable, and if Clint grunted or growled one more time I was going to put my foot in my telly. “Frost/Nixon” -- I think I was too exhausted to appreciate it. “Revolutionary Road” is waiting for me. And kudos to my Suns for getting rid of Shaq. I never understood that acquisition.
Stay tuned…
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