DinoRific

We took the boys to Berekeley University over the week end to see the dinosaur bones. They were pretty amazing and the boys really liked getting out and doing something. In fact Dylan liked it so much that he bolted on us 3 different times. He must really have been stir crazy. We're starting to get back into our "normal" routine, so I guess that's a good thing. not much else going on.
til later.....

Back in the Saddle Again

Hello. It's been a long time.
For those of you wondering, my surgery went well and I am on my way to a complete recovery, sans uterous of course! Jeni flying out here to help out was a godsend. She truly is our angel. We're trying to talk her into moving out this way.
My second mammography and ultra sound also held good news as they believe it is just a cyst and I don't have to go back until June.
Tod got a promotion and an office when he got back from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The only problem is they didn't give him a raise. He's got a lot of work and is under even more stress.
The boys have a playdate now every Tuesday after school with a little boy named Cailin. He doesn't have as much language as Ethan and Dylan, but he is such a sweet little boy, not bulldozers like our boys!! We also signed the boys up for baseball. They start March 19, every Sunday. It's a league for kids with disabilities and they play other teams in the area. Ethan and Dylan will be Pleasanton Pirates!
Tim and Maggie will be coming for a visit towards the end of March. We are all looking forward to that. My parents were going to come for a visit the end of April, but that doesn't seem to be working out. Just to remind you, we do have a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house and one of the bedrooms is set up as a guest room.
Well that's about all I can think of.
til later....

Visit To Santa

The boys rarely smile for the camera at the same time, much less in a situation like this. We are happy they're both looking at the camera at the same time and look relitively not unhappy.

After visiting Santa, we bought boots for the boys. We figure if they are going to swing in the rain, they need boots and rain slickers. We also found out about a place about two hours away where you can go tubing in the snow! Imagine, having to drive for 2 hours to find snow!

til later.....

It's Me!

Back from a long absence. I know, I know.... live with it. I just don't blog as much as I would like. It's not that I don't like you, but life takes up so much time!

I'll try and give a quick overview of what's been happening these past 4 weeks.

Ethan and Dylan turned 7 on December 10. They each had parties at school, Dylan's in the morning and Ethan's after lunch. Then on Saturday, we hooked up the web cam and got Grandma and Grandpa Nikoley, Aunt Gerrie, Uncle Tim and Aunt Maggie on speaker phone. We had a cyber party and it made me feel so much closer to home. Espcially when we all sang happy birthday together. The next day we took the boys mini putting for the very first time. They liked it once we let go and let them do it their way with just a little guidance from us
After the birthdays, I went in to a depression boardering on despondency. I really wanted to come home for Christmas and it wasn't going to happen. Plus I'm having that darned hysterectomy in Jan and we still hadn't found anyone to watch the boys.

Took extra meds and forced myself to get ready for Christmas parties at school. Between Ethan and Dylan, we gave over 30 teacher, aide, therapist, bus driver gifts. Tod and I stayed up till midnight every nite this week to get those done. The parties were today. I missed Dylan's party completely. Tod got to go to both. I will be glad if they ever end up at the same school.

While I was at Ethan's school, the aide mentioned that if we ever need a sitter, she and her 17 year old daughter would be happy to watch Ethan and Dylan. I told her about the surgery and she said she and her daughter could help out! So she and I are going to get together over the break and set up a schedule for the week after Jeni leaves.

Yes!!! Jeni, our sitter from Rockford, has agreed to fly out here the week of my surgery and help with the boys that whole week. She was supposed to start student teaching at Fairview on the 17th but she asked her boss if she could start a week later so she could come out here. The nice thing for her is that the state will pay her $11 per hour for all the time she spends with the boys. Jeni has always rescued us. When Tod was in the hospital all those times with his heart condition and when we were trying to find a place to live out here. Jeni would stay several days with the boys or come in her PJ's if it was early in the morning. Thank you Jeni for coming to our rescue again!

Grandma & Grandpa Nikoley, Uncle Dan and Aunt Mickey and Aunt Jean and Uncle Vern all sent us money to get the boys a swing set. You know we took the indoor swing down permanently after Dylan's head injury. We are donating it to a local agency that works with kids with autism. Tod has the swing set bought and half built in the garage. So on Christmas Eve, he will be out back with a spot light finishing the job. He wants to wrap it, too, so I bought 500 square ft. of Christmas wrap. I hope that's enough. I also hope it doesn't rain. It was coming down buckets today.

That pretty much brings us up to date. I'm sure I forgot something.

Have a Happy Holiday!

til later....

We're Thankful For...

Last night while Tod and I were still eating dinner, the boys were playing on the swing we have across the hall doorway. First Ethan started swinging really high as he is wont to do. But this time he let go! And went flying over the carpet (those of you who know our house know how far that is) and landed on the ceramic time in the foyer. He wasn't hurt, just winded. But it still made my heart stop! Then Dylan got on the swing. Tod pushed him several time since he can't pump yet like Ethan. Tod stopped pushing and sat down again at the table. I believe Dylan started spinning the swing although I am not sure because he was behind me. Next thing we heard this loud thud and a blood curdling scream. Dylan hit his head on the door jamb and was bleeding all over the place. Ethan started screaming "Dylan, Dylan" and I started arguing with Tod about taking him to the hospital. Tod agreed with me after he had a closer look at the cut so off they went. While I was helping put Dylan in the van, Ethan was trying to get the garage door open and locked me out of the house. Fortunately I never locked the front door after UPS came that afternoon and was able to get back in that way and calm Ethan.
Tod and Dylan were at the ER for what seemed like an eternity. Dylan wasn't vomiting and he was saying Hi and Bye to everyone in the waiting room and singing, so it looked pretty apparent that he didn't have a concussion. The doctor said it was a deep cut but only needed one stitch. Tod said no. Staple? Tod said no. Then they suggested gluing it and Tod went along with that although he regrets it now. It took 3 of them including Tod to hold Dylan down and Tod felt absolutely horrible. Tod and Dylan came home about an hour past bed time and Dylan fell asleep pretty quickly. This morning he's doing ok, but has a really funky hair-do from the glue in his hair. They twisted the hair around the cut to hold the glue in place until it dried.
Parenting - not for the faint of heart. We are so thankful both boys were not seriously hurt.

til later....

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy for us.

Tod doesn't have to work after all!

A First

We just had a big first at our house. Ethan had an absolute fit because I wouldn't buy something for him at WalMart. Just like a typical kid. I always get so mad at parents who yell at their kids for whining and crying about not getting candy or a toy. If they only knew how lucky they are, I would always think. Well, now I'm lucky, too!!!!!

til later...

The Weekend

Well, Tod ended up not working Sunday, so the weekend wasn't a complete loss. He got lots of e-cards and snail mail cards that he appreciated even more this year. Saturday while he was at work, the boys and I made his favorite meal and decorated the house. We had a "surprise" party when he got home. Spiderman was the the theme - I thought a Harry Potter theme would be cruel - so we had Spiderman decorations, goodie bags, plates and napkins and even a Spiderman game... stick Spiderman on the tallest building (like pin the tail on the donkey). The boys had a great time, although it was difficult for Ethan not to open Tod's presents. I think Tod was so happy he was home and didn't have to go in the next day, that was the best present for him.
Sunday he slept late and I had his favorite eclairs for him for breakfast. The boys were all over him he could hardly read the paper, they really missed him. Then I went to a craft show at the fairgrounds for a couple hours. My gift to Tod was that he didn't have to come with. He and the boys just hung around the house and he was happy. Later we all went outside and played tag and t-ball. Ethan is actually getting quite good at t-ball. He hits the ball to the fence almost every time and runs the bases in order. The only problem is that he brings the bat with him around the bases - makes you kind of afraid to tag him ;-)

I'm not looking forward to keeping them busy and happy all week by myself. Especially since Tod won't have Thurs and Friday off. I'm checking into an organization called "Special Nannies". It's an employment agency that provides nannies with experience in kids with special needs. We wouldn't need someone full time and with the state contributing to respite, we might be able to get them to chip in a little more, at least until I'm recovered from the surgery. I've emailed them to send us the questionnaire to see if our needs meet what they have to offer. So, we'll see.

til later......

Updates Since Yesterday

I forgot to mention that Dylan got an award for following directions. It was given to him by the principal in front of the whole school.

My foot x-ray came back negative, so no broken bones thankfully. I can't imagine having to wear a cast! But the Dr. does want me to see a podiatrist because it's still causing pain. My cholesterol looked good, but my tryglycerides are off the charts, so I have to go back in for consultation.

Tod's birthday tomorrow sucks even more. He has to work both Sat and Sun as well as all next week including Thanksgiving and the day after. I just hope they give him a day off before he leaves for Las Vegas in January!

Ethan found my cell phone and was looking at the wallpaper picture of the two of them in the Wells Fargo Stage Coach (which we won't be able to ride tomorrow because Tod has to work). He said, "Ethan and Dylan are twins."

til later...

Busy, Busy Here

Not much time to even think about posting. Ethan had bronchitis, I still have a sinus infection. We've had Dr. appts. and school meetings and our sitter quit. The boys have been on half days at school all week and today was their last day until the Monday after Thanksgiving. I have been wanting to get things ready for the show I'm doing on the 3rd and for the web site. I just yesterday started working on Tod's birthday which is Saturday. I was going to take him to the new Harry Potter movie but we have no sitter. That's it pretty much in a nutshell. Here's some details:

Tod has been busy at work and may not get any time off for Thanksgiving. They've been having lots of failures on product coming from Taiwan, so the QA guy from Taiwan is coming here next week. Happy Turkey Day.

Still looking for a sitter. Anybody want the job? As cheap as air fare is from Chicago to SF right now, we'll even pick up airfare. Or at least part of it. ;-)

The boys' progress reports at school were both good. That's always nice to hear. But they still have a long way to go before they would fit in with NT classmates. There was an article in the SF Chronicle this morning saying that Stanford did a study showing that playing a musical instrument helps auditory processing and reading. We bought the boys little mariachi guitars at the flea market. I hope uncle Tim will teach them to play.

I had a physical yesterday and she sent me to have my foot x-rayed. I hit it against the ladder on the boys' bunk bed and it has hurt for over month now. They haven't called back so it must be ok. She just wanted it checked since it has been bothering me for so long. Otherwise, they took lots of blood and I'm sure I'll be hearing about my cholesterol levels

The weather has been beautiful 75 and sunny every day. Beautiful fall colors, too. Pleasanton Ridge, which you can see from our house, is so pretty at sunrise and sunset. It's nice the boys still get to play outside so much. I can't figure out why the inside is always a mess, though, if they are outside.

til later....

More Health Updates

We're all just a little sick here still. Ethan is much better but still has a cough. Dylan and Tod are developing coughs and I have some kind of head cold, sinus thing happening. The boys had an appt with their psychiatrist on Saturday, but his nurse called and cancelled because he cut his finger and was in the ER. The behaviorist was supposed to come Sunday, but she didn't feel well either. Tim says that he and Nancy and Jeff aren't feeling well so I guess whatever it is, it's transcontinental.

I'm still having a difficult time finding a good sitter/helper. Nichole quit yesterday when she didn't show up to work and never called to explain why. I called her but still have not heard anything. The ObGyn set my hysterectomy for Jan. 16th at 7:30 am. Anybody feel like making a trip to the bay area to help Tod? I'm really worried about him trying to keep up at work and keep up with the boys, too. I know from when I was in Rockford this Aug., the boys are much harder to handle than a job! At least that's what Tod told me. I knew it all along. Fortunately they will be in school during the day and the bus takes them to and from. Well, I'm sure something will work out and we will all survive. After all, that's what we do.

till later.....

Health Updates

Ethan has been home with bronchitis since Wednesday. He started getting a cough shortly after his stomach flu went away which was about a week ago. The cough just got worse, so I took him to the dr. yesterday and she prescribed antibiotics and cough medicine. His cough sounds really nasty and it's so hard to get him to remember to cover his mouth. I'm really surprised none of the rest of us has gotten sick!

I went to see my ObGYN this week about my "re-animated" uterus. It appears that a full blown hysterectomy is in order. I wish I would have just had that done in the first place instead of messing around with that other procedure back in April. But the hysterectomy has a 1-3 night hospital stay and 2-6 week recovery time at home. I'm not sure exactly how we're going to do that. Tod will have some paid time off and we do have a sitter who can help with the boys part of the time, too. But it's going to be hard on all of us (especially Tod). The dr. wanted to do the surgery in December, but I pushed her to wait until January so the boys will be in school most of the time and Tod can go to his CES in Las Vegas Jan 2-9. That will also give me time to save some of my own blood for a transfusion. I needed a transfusion when the boys were born, so there's a good chance I might need one for this - especially if they cut me from stem to stern. I'm not looking forward to the actual procedure, but I am so ready to get rid of my uterus. It has served it's purposed, it's time to let it go.

til later....

Another One

I just put this last picture on because it's cute

The Retun of The Spiders

The boys and dad loved trick or treating, although dad says they were shy and had a hard time remembering to say "trick or treat" and "thank you". Tod said they got many comments on how cute they looked. After they came home and got their costumes off, they almost had more fun helping dad answer the door. It was great to watch them run when the door bell rang and say "trick or treat" and "thank you" then - much to dad's chagrin. They got lots of candy, didn't eat any of it and were still hyped up for quite a while before bedtime. The extra candy is going to work with dad. Happy Halloween. I'm tired.

til later....

THE night

Spiders, spiders. Creepy crawlies. That's what we have tonight at our house. Our eight legged friends (and their dad) are still trick or treating. Who knows how long they will last. It's a beautiful evening and lots of costumed children and adults on the sidewalks. I told Tod he should have dressed like a big fly! The boys don't really care for candy that much. Ethan likes to sit down and open every single piece and not eat any of it. Dylan will eat the suckers until they get too stuck on something and then he finds another. Tod is so happy to be taking them out tonight. Last year he was in Taiwan for Halloween and so disappointed he wouldn't be able to go. Luckily for me, Aunt Gerrie was here and she handed out candy while I took the boys out and met some of the neighbors. I think that's the first and last time I've spoken to most of them.
I'll write more when they return.

til later....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

This monster from Ethan is the harbinger of Halloween fun! Look for pictures and stories later today from our favorite holiday and favorite Halloween monsters! Ooooooooo....

Poor Ethan!

I had to pick Ethan up early from school today. He vomited in the classroom. When I got him home, he had diarrhea really bad. He asked me for a band-aid like he does when he has an ouchie. He never tells me where the ouchie is until I have the band-aid unwrapped and ready to go. This time, when I took the paper off, he had me put the band-aid on his belly button. It's still there. He's asleep on the couch now, poor little guy.

til later....

Monday, Monday...

The boys are off to school. Tod is at work. I am waiting for the cable guy and listening to my iPod. Got a copy of Tim and Maggie's entrance in the iPod contest. They wrote and performed a wonderful song which I'm sure will win them another iPod like they won last year. Good Luck Magnusons!!

Nichole was here yesterday, so Tod and I got to go to a movie. We saw "Good Night and Good Luck". Great movie! David Strathairn was wonderful as Murrow and the supporting cast was ..well, excellently supportive. If you don't know much about the McCarthy hearings this is an entertaining way to find out.

We also got to eat out, which we don't do very after. Carry out is our thing. We found out that there is a great Japanese restautant with carry out just up the road next to our pharmacy. We thought it was just a sushi bar, but oh my, their vegetable tempura is to die for! We also had Udon noodles and beef sukiyaki with sticky rice. Yummy, yummy! We're still looking for a good pizza place. Californians don't know how to make pizza. This is especially obvious when you're from the Chicago area or have ordered pizza from Linos or Johns or Primos or Marias in Belvidere and know what good pizza is. Even their Pizza Hut pizza tastes nothing like it does at home and costs a lot more! All food costs are high, groceries, too. Our biggest expenses are rent and food. A realtor came by to try to talk me into selling the house. I told him we rented but he gave me the seller's packet anyway. Get this - during the past 3 months homes in our neighborhood sold for an average of $935,000. All those news stories about SF and silicon valley having outrageous housing costs are true! Anyone who has been here knows that we have a pretty small 4 bedroom home with an eat-in kitchen, two baths, small front room, small family room and fenced in yard with patio. Nothing worth close to $1M. Not to me anyway and I really like this house.

I've been working on the boys' halloween costumes. They have their partys at school this Friday which is a 1/2 day and they trick or trick Monday which is teacher's institute or whatever they call it here. I will definitely get a picture up here sometime.

The cable guy is still not here. I have errands to run and things to buy for the costumes and for the show I'm doing in December. Well, it's not really a show, it's a shopping day at Dylan's school. You donate money to the PTA for a table and then you get to keep all your profits. This is only the second year they have done it, but last year they had 40 vendors and lots of buyers. You can sell anything from crafts to Discovery Toys. It's my first venture into selling on the west coast so I hope it goes well. I know the one year I set up a table at Fairview during lunch hour (which Ms. Bev so kindly set up for me), I did really well. So here's hoping for the best and hoping I can get my butt in gear and get everything done.

til later....

Bunk Beds - AAHHH!

Yes, it's true, Tod turned the boys' twin beds into bunk beds. They really need another dresser in their room and there is no other way to do it. They were very excited about the bunk beds and practiced climbing up and down the ladder all evening. The hardest lesson they learned, though, was that you cannot jump on the bed any more. Both of them bumped their heads on the ceiling really hard. But it only took a couple times before they became very aware of the small space between their heads and the ceiling. Ethan decided the top bunk was his since Dad put his bed on top of Dylan's bed. And Dylan agreed that he would keep his same bed. I was up all night worried that Ethan would try to crawl out of bed half asleep and not remember he was up in the air. He gets out of bed at least once almost every night. He got up at 4am and I got to his room just as he reached the bottom rung, so he did just fine. I hope he does as well tonight. Gosh these guys are growing up so fast.

til later....

Friday!!

It's Friday at last! It has really been a long week. Our sitter was in a car accident (she's ok, but had to spend the night in the hospital) so she hasn't been here all week. Every day seemed to move at a snail's pace. Plus we had trouble with our email. And I was a klutz all week and ruined everything in my path it seemed. We were worried the sitter wouldn't be able to watch the boys tomorrow because of the accident, but she is coming. It will be nice to have some time away. We are going to California's largest flea market in San Jose. Eight miles of crafts, antiques and junk. We'll have to wear our walkin' shoes!

Dylan has been doing really well lately. His language and connectedness have improved tremendously. He is saying full sentences "LaLa has an orange ball" ... totally self initiated. He is following directions " go get your shoes and bring them here" and answering questions, "do you want to get out on this side or that side?" and he'll answer "that side". These are some things Ethan has been able to do for a while, but are pretty new for Dylan - especially so consistently.

Ethan is doing well, too. He has so much homework in 1st grade. I don't remember having any homework. It comes home on Friday and has to be turned in the following Friday. He has math - simple addition, greater than and less than - concepts like "color all the living things red" and language homework - "name parts of a car, throw pennies in a jar and name an animal for each penny you get in". Plus! 4 small books each week to practice his reading out loud and we have to read him at least 18 books a month. This doesn't even include the OT, APE and
Speech assignments. He's a trooper, though and tries really hard.

Tod found out this week that they are sending him to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, January 2-9. He is so excited, but trying not to show it too much. This is the huge show where they exhibit all the new, state of the art electronic devises. It's a big deal. Bill Gates gives the opening speech. I would love to go out there for a night or two, but I don't trust the sitter with the boys overnight. This is where we really miss Jeni!!

til later....