My Little Lefty

I've been meaning to post, but kept putting it off because my hubby wiped my laptop clean and reinstalled software that does not recognize my flash drive, so my computer can't "see" my pictures.  Bummer! Hopefully, we'll have that fixed in the next few days, but everything I wanted to post has pictures to go with it and the stories just wouldn't be complete without them!

In the meantime...

I just got Jenna off on the bus - yep, that's right. 6:30. You think that's early? Well, the last three nights have been late to bed/early to rise, or even worse: no bed at all - all night long! The fun's returned to our crazy household. Two nights ago, Jenna was up all night with a stuffy nose, which probably means allergies and an ear infection (or two) again. *sigh* But she ran crazy all day long yesterday, laughing and running and laughing and running... oh, and wreaking havoc, breaking things. Oh, yeah! Shattered glass, in the bathroom, everywhere. I took both girls in there - mind you this is our half bath, so it was pretty cramped - and had the big one sit on the potty while the little one got her diaper changed on the rug on the floor. Well, the big one did not wanna sit on the potty so she jumps up and then keeps right on jumping - up and down, up and down, grabbing anything for leverage - including a black shelf I had above the toilet, which I thought was high enough to be almost out of reach. Well, almost doesn't cut it. Isn't that what we tell our kids? Oops! Anyways, she grabs onto the shelf and jumps up and down while she pushes up and pulls down alternately, laughing like she's having a good ol' time, while I'm on the floor, trying to get up in seemingly slow motion (ummm... hello? gym? Yeah, it's me. I know I've been neglecting you, but I'll be right down!). So all of this pushing and pulling causes the darn shelf to lift up off the screws and fall on top of the toilet while its contents (four glass vials filled with glass rocks and flowers) come crashing down to the floor. Luckily, only one of the glass vials broke, so it could have been worse, but still, glass went everywhere. I grabbed both kids and lifted them up out of the bathroom to the hall, then carefully made my way out of there, too. I'm happy to say there were no injuries, except the lid on the toilet tank, which now has a crack-- or, I should say is now split completely in half! How expensive are those things anyways? Do I have to buy a whole new stinkin' toilet? Anyways, I shut the door and walked away, locking the handle and warning everyone to steer clear of the wreckage until I could muster up the energy to go back into the crime scene and clean up :) Said mess is now, happily, in the bottom of the trash can.

Needless to say, I figured if Jenna was feeling well enough to wreak all of that havoc yesterday, then her little booty was going to school today! And so off she went.

But the drama does not end there. As I sit here, hubby sits at the hospital with severe stomach pain that has had him doubled over off and on since yesterday morning. He thought it was getting better last night, but no. I'm worried, but glad he is now where someone can help him. (update: he just called, hooked up to an IV pumping fluids, oh-so-annoyed, and apparently the victim of food poisoning)

And then there's Hannah, passed out on the couch cuz she had another late-night puke-fest. These awful nights are coming more and more frequently lately and she seems to be in more pain than ever when they do come. Seriously? It's getting really old, really fast. Someone needs to help me figure out how to help her; it made me wanna cry last night. WAAAAHHHHH! (I only get to do that here, so sorry if I get a little repetitive!) Not that I can't handle this, I can, I just don't have the medical knowledge to nail down the cause of it all. Her blood tests came back negative for blood sugar problems (ie., childhood diabetes) so that's not the cause. Maybe when Cohen's blood test results come back, we'll have an answer for Hannah too (if it's genetic). But we're waiting for a sleep study now to rule out (or not) sleep apnea. It's amazing how many children are having trouble sleeping at night in this neck o' the woods - seems like just about every parent I talk to is struggling with sleep issues with their little ones and is waiting for a sleep study or a doctor appointment. I joked that it must be contagious (lack of sleep) but no one really finds it funny - go figure! Hey, laughter helps keep me sane.

We took Cohen in to get blood drawn for chromosome testing on Friday - finally! Only two weeks late! He was not happy - especially when they took his thumb away (which, I might add, he is becoming really dependent on again - ugh!) They say 2-3 weeks for results. If you happen to be a medical doc and are reading this, I would love suggestions - not to mention a little free advice. The medical bills... Just when ya think you're headin' for good times, the bad ones come along and knock you off your feet. What's that saying... in for a bumpy ride? That's us all right. Note to God: When, oh when, are you gonna fix those soul-jarring ruts in the road? Isn't that your department?

Finally, Jenna and I colored together for a little -- or rather, I colored while she doodled and watched her reflection in the window doodling ;)...and it was really nice. But I couldn't help wondering...she's left handed, or seems to be, at least. Her dad's left-handed. The neurologist says her brain activity spikes on the right side, which would explain why her right side is weak and her left side is stronger, right? Well, would she have been left handed if she hadn't suffered brain trauma? Not that anyone can really answer this and not that it really matters, but sometimes thoughts like that pop into my head, even though I know better than to think them! Like, would she have been a dancer? An artist? A swimmer? A singer? (although, I can tell you, judging by her very loud, very off-key attempts to scream/sing, I think I already know the answer to that one!) Would I be going to cheerleading or softball or swim team practice right now? Or getting ready for a dance recital, buying costumes and such? :( I think lack of sleep is making me a drama queen.  Ugh, sorry. Anyways, regardless of which hand she prefers or what her strengths and weaknesses are, I love her so much.

My beautiful little lefty :)

So anyways, much more to tell, but I gotta get those pictures on here first! I promise my next post will be funny or uplifting. Sorry if I'm rambling-- and again, I really, really, wish I liked coffee!!!