Today's Highlights...

I got off from work at 2:30 today to take Niki to her routine check up with Dr. Awesome. We try and alternate visits between clinics in Oakland and SF, and today's appointment just so happened to be in SF. I was hoping to make it there a little early -- and I was making good time too -- but I got caught in some pretty gnarly traffic. In case you don't already know or you live under a rock, Game 1 of the WORLD SERIES is today!

Lovely, isn't it?

The last time the Giants made it to the World Series was when I was pregnant with Kevie in 2002. The Giants had a damn fine team that year!!!! That was the year I fell in love with J.T. Snow (even more after the Darren Baker incident at home plate), Barry Bonds was is the Homerun King, and Dusty Baker was the best goddamn manager there every was! When they lost, I remember dwelling on the fact I couldn't tell Kevin (when he got older) that the Giants won the World Series when I was pregnant with him. How cool would that story have been?!

Where for art thou, J.T. Snow?

Now here we are -- 8 years later -- and Kevie & Boo have Giants fever! The whole dang Bay Area has caught Giants fever!  Most of the staff at Dr. Awesome's clinic in SF wore Giants gear and they had posters all throughout the clinic showing support for the Gigantes.  And tomorrow, in lieu of uniforms, Kev & Boo's school is allowing all of the kids to wear Giants gear to celebrate.

I lost touch with baseball when I became a Mommy, but you guys probably remember me writing about my love affair with baseball on my old blog. Hell, I had no idea what "Fear the Beard" meant until two weeks ago! Now, I'm struggling to write while my boys (John, Kev, & Boo) excitedly clap and yell things like "Gooo Posey, gooo!" or "Uuuuurribe!" or "5-2 baby, 5-2!" or my personal favorite "Yeah, Diirrrrrty Sanchez!" to the television. Ah, father-son bonding at its finest. ;-) 

I still love J.T. Snow, but Buster Posey is a very close 2nd in my guys-I-think-are-cute-book. 

 And yes, I'm know I'm somewhat of a cougar for feeling this way.

I'm not a bandwagon fan -- frankly I'm opting to write rather than truly watch the game -- but I'm still hoping the Giants kick some Texas Ranger ass tonight. Maybe I can tell Noie the Giants won the World Series when I was pregnant with her.

But I digress...

All went well at Niki's appointment with Dr. Awesome. As usual, Dr. Awesome was THE BEST. Niki lost some weight with the MRSA incident (and now I miss my old blog because I would've linked the original MRSA post), but she's otherwise doing okay. Niki's been bruising easier and she has a nasty hematoma on her tongue, so Dr. Awesome increased her NovoSeven dose from 200mcg to 220mcg. To give you non-medical folk and idea of how much factor that is, it's about the same volume as a single tear drop! And to think -- her factor costs thousands of dollars for one dose! She has a 1ml vial it goes bad about three hours after it's reconstituted. All the "tear drops" left in the vial go to waste.

Nurse Rich got Niki a 2-month supply of hard-to-get Griper needles, and a note allowing her to fly to New Orleans with her factor and infusion supplies. Dr. Awesome brought it with her to the clinic in San Francisco. I called Niki's social worker one month ago about the letter, but she must have forgot to write it for me before she went on vacation. I know I've said this before, but Nurse Richard is the BOMB!  I honestly don't know where we would be if Dr. Awesome and Nurse Rich weren't so wonderful with Niki.

With that being said, John and I finally spilled the beans.

We let Dr. Awesome know that we were naming the baby after her. I was scared that she would be weirded out by it, but you know what she did? She started to tear. And I started to tear! And we hugged. :) And THAT is why John and I love her so much. Even though we don't go to a HTC, we know that our "medical family" genuinely cares about Niki. We're going to Oakland for our next visit so Niki can see Nurse Rich. 

I also mentioned to Dr. Awesome that Niki's case is probably going to be included in a "letter to the editor" for a medical journal. I don't want to go into details until it actually happens, but Niki is the first case that this factor VII deficiency expert knows of where NovoSeven was used as primary prophylactic treatment. Dr. Awesome is doing some awesome things with our little guinea pig!

So, Dr. Awesome is totally worth naming one of our children after. :)

Totally random note: I LOVE the way Tony Bennett sang "God Bless America." So SF!

HemAware Wednesday - My Boys

Here is the link to my latest post at HemAware.org 
http://hemaware.org/blogs/diary-hemomom/my-boys

And...I just saw a very sweet comment left by my fave sweet treat-maker "M" from Tiny Treats. If you're a Bay Area local and need some delish teeny, tiny morsels of yumminess for your party, you should definitely check her out. I used her services for Niki's 1st birthday party and our guests gobbled up everything. :)

***10/28/10 Update***
Here is the condensed version of the results of our first parent teacher conferences.
Kevin

Aside from the minor mystery ailment issue I wrote about in my HemAware blog, Kevin's conference went splendidly.

Kevie is ahead of his class. At the END of the school year, most kids can read approximately 51 words per minute. Well my friends, Kevie can read 110 words per minute! Keep in mind that Kev is only 7 years old! The KID is already reading chapter books, and I brought him his first Goosebumps book a few weeks ago. He's still a video game fanatic, but the boy enjoys a good book! Like mother, like son. Kev is the top of his class for reading comprehension, and he is able to derive mature ideas and values from stories. Ms. H was very impressed with his essay on "Tabby and Mr. Putter."  She really gets a kick out of his quirkly little perspective on life, and his passion for paper crafting. Kevie finishes his work early so he can focus on his comic books and paper creatures. Again, like mother, like son.
We (me, John, and Kev's teacher Ms. H) are excited to see how well Kevin performs when STAR testing happens later this year. Unfortunately, the school doesn't have a GATE program any longer, but his teacher has no doubt in her mind that Kevin would have qualified for GATE if the program was still around. Kev has accelerated in all subjects -- language arts, math, and of course, reading. His teacher thinks he's just the swellest little guy ever.
But...don't be fooled because he's still his Daddy's son! Kevin is the sweetest little thing in class, but apparently he has a penchant for using the F-word on the playground. He doesn't say the F-word to people, but he does use it to express his emotions. His teacher wasn't too worried about it, but she wanted us to remind him that adult words are best left for the adults.

Anthony

John and I were worried that Boo's speech and temper issues would resurface once he started school, but Ms. C says that it isn't an issue at all. The psychologist that evaluated him when we were going through his speech evaluation said that Boo would eventually outgrow his mild OCD. (He had an affinity for perfection and would have a tantrum when it wasn't.) It looks like the psychologist was right because Ms. C says Boo doesn't exhibit any issues at all! Boo is one of the brightest and sweetest kids in class. Ms. C says that she wouldn't have even have known that he had severe expressive speech delay if she didn't already known about his history. (We're old friends from high school and she was Kev's kinder teacher.)  Boo does the cutest things at school. He always reminds Ms. C that she and I were friends in high school. :)

Boo has already met the year end standard for number and letter recognition!! He is very social (more social than Kevin was in Kinder) and has tons of friends. He doesn't "verbally clam up" when he's in stressful situations like he does at home. (I think he just wants to be babied more by us.) He needs a little more TLC when he's injured (see the HemAware post above if you want to read more) but he has no other issues. I feel so relieved. I'm happy that his speech therapy helped and gave him the best start possible. It was worth all of the time off, paperwork, evaluations, and appointments we had to go through. He's just a normal kid now, and that's all we ever wanted. :)

Sole Siblings...

Kevin was a very laid-back toddler. I could put him in a dress, and he wouldn't complain. Kev was our first cub so his shoe and clothing collection was quite expansive. It was excessive, but hey, John & I were 21/22 years old -- we didn't know any better! (Of note: Boo and Niki weren't as spoiled.) I'm pretty sure that KID had more clothing/shoes than I did at one point! He was the most adorable single-dimpled, social butterfly so Kev was spoiled rotten my everyone around him, too. Let me give you an example of how spoiled he was. One time I forgot to bring Kevie's shoes to daycare, and his Ninong D took him to the mall and bought him these...

 Nice Ninong, huh?

(Picture shown is not the actual shoe. Those are boxed safely away in storage.)

Perhaps it was my childhood Reebok refurbishing and poor upbringing, but shoes have never been in short supply for my cubs. It has gotten to the point where the boys don't even appreciate the beauty of a good shoe. They totally trash their shoes and then we simply bring out more shoes out to rotate. I buy them too much, and they get tons of shoes during their birthdays and Christmas. To be quite honest, the kids have even outgrown some of their kicks before they had the chance to really wear them out! It's sickening really. But then again...I didn't have very many shoes when I was kid so that should explain it all.

Interestingly enough, our high supply of footwear transformed two of my cubs into "shoe snobs."

It first started with Boo shortly after he turned 2 years old. Boo would absolutely refuse to wear certain shoes. Other times he wanted to wear one of each pair. I thought it was just his terrible twos, but by the time he was three-years-old (and fully capable of using his words to express himself), his contempt for certain pairs of shoes was still running rampant. Getting out of the house turned into an entire ordeal if Boo couldn't wear the shoe of his choice! His argument changed every time...

"These shoes are faster than those shoes."
"That doesn't match my shirt." (It did.)
"I don't wanna o wear those shoes!!" 
"I don't like that one."
"Those feel funny, Mama."
"My socks hurt in those shoes."
"Noooooooo.....WAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" (kicking and screaming on the floor)

"The Great Shoe Debates" (as I called them) turned into full on tantrums if it was a matter of needing to wear a certain type of shoe.  Sometimes, we didn't give Boo a choice over what covered his feet. He threw a shit-fit once when we forced him to wear dress shoes to a formal party. There really was no other choice because Boo wanted to wear these instead....

 I say the argument was necessary, don't you?

Some days we had to bring extra shoes for Boo to change into because he couldn't decide. Mr. Stubborn wanted to wear multiple pairs of shoes! I realize now that our "pushover tactic" was definitely a strong case of child-centered parenting, but sometimes it's easier to let the kids be the boss when you're tired or in a rush. (I'll be honest here....I'm not a perfect parent. Shhh, don't tell!) The good news is, Boo's shoe snobbiness has progressively improved as he got a little older. Boo went from having an absolute hatred for certain shoes depending on his mood, to being totally obsessed enamored with one shoe in particular. I call these the "Rainboots of Shame"....

I first mentioned "The Rainboots of Shame" in July 2009 when Boo got a metal ball stuck up his nose. It's hard to believe that I haven't written about them until now. In case you haven't seen them in real life,  "The Rainboots of Shame" are squeaky, clunky, and reminiscent of army boots. Actually, I bought them to go along with an old Halloween costume of Kevin's (the year he was a S.W.A.T. cop). One day Boo did some digging in the closet, found them, and loved the "Rainboots of Shame" from that point forward. Boo would wear these uuuuuggggly things EVERYWHERE. On the days we were able to coax him into wearing other shoes, we still had to bring these shoes as his crutch. (It was almost like his security blanket.) Boo LOVED those shoes. I thought it was hilarious, but John wasn't as thrilled. I'll even admit that I've let Boo wear them to a party or two...or three!

But it's okay, his handsome face made up for the ugliness of the shoes anyway. ;-)

 He tried them on for old times sake...

When Boo finally "outgrew" the Rainboots of Shame, John and I did a little happy dance. Boo still loves those shoes so I never put them in storage. Actually, he tried to wear them the other day (see picture) and that's what prompted me to write this post. He still fits them, but now says "They're not cool enough." He's a little older, a little more rational, and Kindergarten has given us the benefit of explaining "color coordination" to him. Boo can now aesthetically understand that bright orange & silver shoes don't look good with dress clothes.

Boo is finally over his shoe obsession, but now it's Niki's turn.

Niki never exhibited any particular shoe preference before, but she cries and screams whenever we put on shoes that she doesn't like. We first witnessed this behavior with some Uggs that her Daddy bought her for Christmas. Niki never disliked Uggs before (she wore her pink ones all the time when she was a baby), but for some reason Niki freaks out at the mere sight of these Uggs. I've tried everything and nothing helps so, I guess boots with fur aren't her style.

If my daughter could live in sandals and sneakers for the rest of her life, she would have it made. 

 The "Shoe Diva"

I recently brought out a bunch of shoes that Niki got as gifts (because she fits them now) and she throws them on the floor! She kicked and screamed when I tried to put them on her. I figured she simply didn't like how they felt on her feet. But...her Auntie B got Niki some very cute and comfy shoes from Old Navy (matches perfectly with the dress she gave her), but Niki refuses to wear those too.  Evidently, little miss diva isn't a fan of flats or Maryjanes.

From Auntie B...

 From Auntie D...

Yes, they have teeny-tiny heels on them. :)

Soooo....it looks like Boo and Niki are "SOLE SIBLINGS" folks!

I'm really hoping that Noie/Diamond Tiara won't follow Boo and Niki's footsteps. (No pun intended.) Otherwise, I'll be forced to donate all of there super cute shoes. And technically...giving these kicks to Noie doesn't count as a "hand me down" since they're brand new. Right? Right?! I'll feel bad if it counts as a "hand me down" since I was "hand me down child." LOL! Guess we'll have to wait and see what happens when Noie comes.

Wigging Out...

Thursday, 9/30/10 was a day for wigging out here at the lion's den. Niki had a follow-up appointment for her mouther-effing problems, and we forced Kevin to overcome his fears...at Target.

My day of wigging out started when I got off from work. Niki had an appointment at UCSF's Dental Center at 4pm because her lovely little fangs needed a check-up. John was supposed to accompany me to the appointment, but he had an emergency at work. So, I had take Niki on my own...well, sort of. My 10-year-old SIL "A" came with me to the appointment. In case you missed it, I'm pregnant. And UCSF has crappy parking. And the garage is far from the Dental Center! I needed all the help I could get.

I got off from work a hour early, and I barely made it to the appointment on time. "A" may be 10-years-old, but she was a huge help. She helped me entertain Niki, and carry her heavy-ass baby bag. Aside from extra clothes, diapers, wipes, toys, drinks, and snacks, Niki's baby bag is also a mobile "hemophilia treatment center!"  We carry all sorts of medical supplies in that thing so it's heavier than Niki!

 Niki's torture chamber exam room...

The appointment itself was going fine and dandy until it was time for the actual exam started. Niki's dentist was very sweet, and she tried her hardest to make the whole experience pleasant for my little lioness. Alas, Niki-Boom wasn't having it and cried the minute the dentist started probing her teeth. Babygirl was WIGGING OUT!!! The exam was performed "knee-to-knee" so Niki was straddling my huge belly. I had to hold her hands down as she was kicking, screaming, twisting her head out of the dentist's grasp, and crying! "A" tried to help hold Niki's arm down whenever I had to move Niki's feet away from my belly. The whole experience was a nightmare.

Boy, was I sweating! That was definitely a time that I could have used John's help. Needless to say, my annoyance with John's absence skyrocketed during Niki's 20-30 minute cry session. She's a strong little girl!

The good news is Niki's very first "semi-cavity" has resolved. The minerals in the fluoride treatment they gave her in March halted the decay. Actually, her tooth enamel is stronger in the area now. The bad news is Niki has the start of a new semi-cavity on one of her upper-back molars. She doesn't sleep with a bottle or eat sweets very often --and we brush her teeth religiously-- so it looks like Niki has definitely been cursed with her father's weak tooth enamel. Her dentist gave her another fluoride treatment and asked that we bring her back every 3 months for a check up. If the fluoride doesn't work she may need to get admitted in the hospital for dental work shortly after she turns two years old!!

In case you didn't know, dental health is HUGE in the bleeding disorders community.

If and when Niki needs to have dental work, it would be a huge deal! She would need to be put to sleep (general anesthesia), have her factor titrated up and then down, AND also have prophylactic antibiotics administered prior to her procedure because of her port. Ugh. And don't even get me started on all the mounds of paperwork and insurance approvals I'll have to get in order for the procedure to be done! Basically it would be a pain in the ass (not to mention somewhat risky) so our best defense is to PREVENT any mouther-effing problems from occuring.

It was right then and there that I decided to eliminate all sippy cups and bottles from existence in our household. Her doctor agreed it would be a good idea since prolonged drinking from sippy cups (no matter what the fluid is) can also contribute to enamel softening and weakness. With that being said, I am happy to report that Niki has been officially weaned of sippy cubs and bottles as of yesterday.

Actually, it took less time than a week!  Her last bottle & sippy cup usage was on Wednesday, October 6th!!

Niki only drinks from cups now. (BTW - straws are no good either according to her dentist.) Niki's gross-motor coordination isn't 100% up to par -- which means more laundry and t-shirt changes now -- but I'm glad that she's done with this portion of her babyhood. Now, all I have to do is hope that her follow-up appointment in December will show that this round of fluoride helped halt any further damage to her back molar. I even got Niki a pretty new Hello Kitty electronic toothbrush to celebrate. She's an independent little thing and likes to try and brush her own teeth. :)

Niki picking out a toy with her dentist...

Random note: I think it's interesting that ALL of Niki's doctors have been beautiful, intelligent, minority women. Her last two dentists, Dr. Sweetheart, and Dr. Awesome are all strong female role models. Hoping this means I'm raising my very own strong, beautiful, future health professional. :)

Niki is a sweaty little girl when she cries. Her hair was soaked after the visit. She thoroughly enjoyed the cool breeze blowing threw her hair when we got outside.

Later on that night, John and I took the kids to dinner at our favorite Japanese restaurant, Akagi. The boys LOVE their "pop stickers" and teriyaki chicken. I'm not kidding -- they ask to eat at that place. Anyway, after dinner we decided to head over the Target to see what Halloween costumes they had. Now, Kevin normally loves taking trips to Target, but he kept trying to convince us to go home. 

This is the second Halloween season that this has happened. Something clicked inside of him and he's been afraid of Halloween displays since last year! He freaked out off of a Pepsi display at Lucky's last year. I shit you not.

I forgot to write about it, but a few weeks ago Kevin completely wigged out at Michael's. I forgot that the Halloween section was up, and he had an all-out Mad TV "Stuart" moment right there in the middle of the aisle. 

Skip to 2:43 & 4:44 if you want to see what I'm talking about...

Keep in mind that we had to pass through that way in order to get to the section I was trying to get to. And also keep in mind that I was alone, carrying Niki (John took the car that had her stroller in it), and Boo was there too! Boo and Niki were completely unfazed by the Halloween section, but Kevin refused to walk that way. There was no way in HELL I was going to walk alllllll the way around the store with Niki, her baby bag, and Boo hanging onto my pocket just so Kevin could avoid a completely harmless Halloween display.

Now remember, we weren't at the Spirit Halloween Store, we were at Michaels! The display wasn't moving and it wasn't even that scary! So what did I do? Despite his protests, I firmly held onto Kevin's forearm and quickly dragged him past the Halloween display. With Niki, the baby bag/mobile hematology unit, and Boo still hanging onto my pocket!

And, I'm sure we were quite the sight to see for all the old grannies shopping for supplies!

Kevin was dragging his feet and pulling his entire body weight back in a Stuart-esque "I don't wanna!" fashion, and I wanted to shoot myself in the head. I. Was. Sweating! After we passed the "sheer horror" of the Michael's Halloween display, Kevin quickly recuperated and asked me to buy him a foam airplane toy. After that display of behavior?! I think not. I scolded Kevin for being so unreasonable, promptly grabbed my items, paid, and left the store.

Flash forward to our Target trip planning at Akagi...

I reminded John about Kevin's behavior at Michael's a few weeks earlier, and we knew that Kevin  needed to address his fears head on. So, John and I sternly advised Kevin that he was going to Target whether he wanted to or not. Sometimes, you gotta resort to tough love to teach a KID a lesson!

We're not entirely mean parents. Kevin is a very intelligent and reasonable child. He's a very mature seven-year-old so we have the ability to have two-way discussions with that KID. On the car ride there, we kept reassuring Kevin that we were going to Target -- not a haunted house, not a Halloween store -- to Target! And, there is nothing to fear at Target. We also reminded him that the "real dead people" are at the cemetery. Kev agreed that he wasn't afraid of the cemetery so we told him that he shouldn't be afraid of fake tombstones (or anything else for that matter) at Target!

I also told him a story about how my brother D used to scare all-holy-hell out of me when I was his age. (I'll write about that some other time.) No one has ever scared Kevin  so I don't know why he suddenly developed such irrational fears! I asked him what he planned on doing when it was time to trick-or-treat? Was he going to be scared or "be a lion?" I reminded also reminded my son that I was the "scardiest person" in the entire world, and I would never take him anywhere that I was afraid of. Aside from that, John and I reassured Kevin that as his parents, we would NEVER do anything to hurt/scare him.

We made it to Target and Kevin didn't protest when it was time to get out of the car.

Kevin nervously shifted his eyes side-to-side as we navigated our way through Target. They're expanding the Target near our house so everything has changed. It's not as familiar as it once was. When finally came upon the Halloween section at Target, Kevin stood dead in his tracks. Boo happily chimed in, "C'mon, that's not scary!" and boldly walked up to the closest skull he could find.

(Boo is hardcore like that.)

Kevin slowly started to evoke his "inner Stuart", and John wasn't having it. Neither was I. I hit the scariest fake zombie I could find and announced to Kevin that a "real zombie" wouldn't let me hit him in the face. "He would be eating me right now if he were real!" John started squeezing the mummy closest to him and repeated, "It's not real, Kev. Stop trippin." Even Boo joined in. He picked up a skull, knocked it on the side of its head and said, "Kev, why you scared? It's just plastic!"

Clearly my poor boy was outnumbered as he stood there trembling outside the parameter of the Halloween section. However, he could also see the horror surrounding us, and the fact that nothing was lunging out to "get" his family. I told Boo to hush up as Kevin slowly, but surely, inched inside of the parameter to get closer to a not-so-scary pumpkin. I'm sure there was no way Kev was going to let his younger brother be braver than him!

After smacking a few more faux-ghoulish things, I grew impatient and brought Kev right next to the zombie I first smacked. I felt his body tense up. I squeezed the latex and made him feel it, reminding him that it felt like his Hulk Smash Hands. John continued to reassure Kevin that everything was fake as he handled a somewhat-creepy severed hand a moving in jar. Little by little, Kevin started touching things. His body slowly started to relax as he explored some of the more spooky Halloween decor. The science geek inside of him commented on "how real" the skeleton looked. I must admit a lot of that stuff was pretty unnerving, but Kev did really good.

We spent a good 20 minutes in that Halloween section. And in that 20 minutes, Kevin finally got over his fear of "all things Halloween."  We're still working on getting him to watch scary movies (even I can't do that), but I don't think I'll ever have to worry about Kevin being terrified of a "scary Pepsi display" ever again. Maybe we handled this whole situation wrong, but it worked and that's all that matters. Parenting is all about trying your best, and hoping for the best outcome to take place. And in this case, I think John and I did pretty damn good for some young rookies.

Boo is wearing the gold mask and Kevin is wearing the red one.

 FEAR BE GONE!!!

I'm happy to report that John tested Kevin a few days ago. He took the boys to Target to buy them a toy for doing so good at school. Kevin hesitated a little bit as they got closer to the Halloween section, but quickly shrugged his residual fear off. And Kev didn't even bat an eye when I took him to the Party Warehouse yesterday. Looks like our young cub just got a little tamer!

Now, if we could just do something about that mane. ;-)

This KID is good sport.

"Be Prepared to Sweat"

When the boys finally got old enough,  Kev and Boo's Ninangs (M & E) would take them out for a day of shopping and junk food indulgence. (BTW - If you guys have any pics, please send 'em my way so I can add them to their scrapbooks.) Anyway, M & E would pick up their excited godchildren so they could celebrate their birthdays. They would take them to Target, place each godchild in their own shopping cart, and spoil them rotten. Then M & E would stuff the boys with Icees, burgers, and of course, good times! Every year, before they would pick up the boys, I always warned reminded  M & E to, "Be prepared to sweat." Even when my best friend K and her soon-to-be hubby Jay offered to take the boys to the carnival this past June, I warned them to "be prepared to sweat" too!

Why do I do this?  Well, it's simple really. There is seriously something about taking care of children that makes you more aware of your sweat glands. I've never been a sweaty person, but during times of stress of parental embarrassment, I suddenly feel hot. Very hot. Parenting is tough stuff. Quick would-be-10-minute-trips to the grocery store turn into a huge ordeal. It takes tons of planning and preparation when you have three kids to lug around. Or even one kid for that matter! What takes a "normal person" 15 minutes to accomplish, takes 45 minutes for a parent to complete.

Kids. Make. You. Sweat!

Last weekend  (10/1/10) John went to Pismo Beach for his "bachelor party."  (It wasn't cancelled despite our wedding being postponed.) This is the 3rd time he has left me to lion tame on my own for a weekend, and ...HOT DAMN....I did a hell of a lot of sweating this weekend!!! My SILs and MIL were a huge help, but I must say this "pseudo-single-parent thing" is tough for me. It definitely doesn't help that I'm pregnant, exhausted all the time, and have terrible sciatica. (I can barely carry Niki anymore.) I wasn't exactly the thrilled about the idea of John's celebration --who has a bachelor party when they're not getting married?--but it was a wonderful opportunity for the kids and I to have some alone time. I had a blast hanging out with my cubbies for the the weekend. :)
 
(BTW - My hat's off to all you single parents out there. I have three very good friends who do the "single parent thing" on a daily basis. And like to take a moment to share that I really admire them for being able to keep it together. I could barely hang for a weekend!)

John left at around 7pm on Friday 10/1/10. After dinner was served, the kids were bathed, medication was administered, and cleaning was done, I let the kids paint up a storm. They drew all sorts of goodies, and I plastered them all over the place. They were very proud of their art gallery, and I experienced the "Art of Lion Taming" on a literal level. ;-)

Boo's Artwork...

This yellow picture is supposed to be Boo riding on Epin Lion Lion. "And he has wheels!"

 Another lion by Boo..

LOL... I have no idea why Boo wrote out "BAD"

 Boo's "October Calendar"

Kev's Artwork...

His rendition of an "October Calendar"

 Kev's 1st Lion...

 I think we have a budding obsession with lions!

 Kev's Racecar...

Niki's Artwork...

 Niki saw the boys painting and said, "Eye-n daw." Which translates to "I want draw." :)

Her Ninong P and Auntie T got her this art pad when she was in the hospital for the Serratia infection.

Niki still LOVES using it!!! And yes, she's a lefty.

Saturday, 10/2/10 was a little more hectic. Kevin had CCD in the morning, I had baking to do, and it was my nephew/godson's 2nd birthday party in Hercules. Boo injured his foot that morning (it got sliced open after it got caught under a door) so he was NOT a happy little boy. If you know Boo, then you probably know all about how "all is not right with the universe" when Boo needs his attention. He cried for close to 30 minutes! I tried my best to shower him with kisses and  juggle Niki's needs at the same time. I felt hot --very hot-- during that 30 minute time period! I bandaged his foot and wrapped an icepack around it, and it still wasn't enough to satisfy him.

After I got back from picking up Kevin at CCD, Boo helped me bake cookies for my nephews party. Thank goodness a little bit of sugar was all he needed to turn his frown upside down. Oh, and my frown too, of course! Beating the shit out of eggs that morning helped me get rid of some residual annoyance I had with John for leaving me for the weekend. ;)

Sifting...

Beating...

 Incorporating...

 Boo beating out some of his anger...

 More Boo-Boo...

 Done...

  Chocolate Chip Cookies.....

 I know you're not supposed to, but I can never resist opening up the stove to take a peek. And a whiff!

 We also made what John likes to call "Churro Cookies." 

Rolling in cinnamon sugar...

 They smell like Christmas when they bake. :)

 The finished product...

 Cooooookies!!!

Boo enjoying the fruits of his labor...

I did too. :)

  

Once all the baking was done, I got the kids ready so we could make it to my nephew/godson Enzo's 2nd birthday party/house warming in Hercules. My SIL KC came along to help since I had to take the smaller (less comfortable car) on the long drive there. The cubs love their Daddy's "monster truck" because they can watch movies during long car rides. The cubs were cranky (they were"bored") so the car ride to Hercules SUCKED despite my SIL being there to help. Nevertheless, we made it to Hercules no more than 2 hours after the party started. And this was with traffic and getting a little lost! (John took the GPS with him to Pismo.) Enzo's party was super fun, adorable, and his cake was perfect for the occasion. It's a replica of my sister's house. :)

I had an awesome time catching up with my sisters (I've missed them terribly), my neice D, and hanging out the bathroom with my Stepmama & Dad. We even helped my little brother K work on some Philosophy homework in the process! I was "sweating up a storm" keeping up with the cubs, but my SIL KC was a tremendous help! The best part of the night was seeing my Grandma. I hadn't seen her for a few months, and it feels always makes me feel so good to be in her presence. My Nanay's strength always fills me with so much hope even when I'm feeling at my lowest. I can only hope to evolve into half the person she is as I travel my life's journey.

Here are a few pictures of the party...

The boys waiting for their phallic balloon animals...

Niki's doing the hokey-pokey! (See the phallic balloon sculpture?)

My sister S got this keepsake for Ethan in Greece. (She even brought back t-shirts for the boys and N&N's first matching dress set!) But...it was this souvenir that blew me away. It didn't make me sad, but I felt my eyes water because I was so touched and overjoyed that she thought of him. Thanks, S. I know Ethan appreciates it too. :)

We got back from Hercules pretty late. My SIL and I were exhausted --totally "sweated out"-- and the kids were knocked out by the time we for back to DC. The only upside to our crazy day was the fact that the kids slept the entire night. They had a LOT of fun! And I got some much needed sleep.

I woke up the next day and felt like baking again. Boo and I made some cheesecake and more "churro cookies" so they would be ready by the time John got home. Can you tell that I'm having fun with my rekindled love affair with baking? I know I've said it before, but I feel like a kid again.  :)

Finely crushed by hand. (Boo is helping me fill the measuring cup.)

 Mixed in the pie plate to save on dishes. ;-)

 Packing the crust...

 Whipped by hand...

 More whipping...

 Pouring...

Now it's set...

The finished product....

The recipe was a little sweet for my taste so I'm going to cut out some of the sugar next time -- I like my cheesecake a little more "cheesier." (John loved it, but one slice was too much sweetness for me so I guess different strokes for different folks.) Also, the recipe called for a 2 hour set time, but I think overnight is a little better. The cheesecake pie tasted even better the next day.

All in all, this weekend was a blast. (Even though John wasn't around to help.) John claims that he won't be having a bachelor party anymore when we actually DO get married because of this weekend getaway. We'll see about that! The kids missed their Daddy desperately and I was still mildly annoyed when he got home, but deep down inside I missed him too. And...even though I wasn't totally "prepared to sweat" for the weekend, having some one-on-one time with my cubs was totally worth it.

(Random Note: Niki's MRSA came back. She developed a new bite-like lesion on her left hip/groin area on Wednesday 9/29. Dr. Sweetheart had Niki get back on Septra on Thursday, 9/30. The good news is Niki's lesion is smaller than the first one, and Dr. Sweetheart thinks this second round of Septra will fully eradicate the problem. She's officially off the Septra this Sunday. It just sucks to have to follow the MRSA de-colonization protocol...again. And to be back on a crazy medication schedule...again! Niki doesn't like swallowing meds so we have to mix it (the Septra & Iron) with some Pediasure.)