A Parent's Nightmare

Last Tuesday while Blond Girl was at a swim meet, she laid down to rest, fell asleep and stopped breathing. When her friends attempted to wake her up she was unresponsive and CPR was administered. Fortunately, she came to and was rushed to the emergency room.

Once there all tests were negative she was "fine" and "nothing" was wrong. The Doctors realizing that this was just wrong.. sent her to a children's pediatric ICU at another hospital for observation. Two days later and we are still not sure what is causing the problem but we are pretty secure in knowing that her heart is fine. WHEW.

Let me tell you, I had plenty of falling apart moments in the quiet of the night while she was sleeping. Fortunately, each morning she would wake and smile... everything was fine.

I do have to giggles just a bit though, this ICU unit has what I call a cruise director who comes in to make sure the kids have everything they need to make their stays as good as possible, computer...check...movies...check...glamor day, complete with hair styling, nails and makeup...check..and now today.. she had dog therapy!!

I am glad that there is plenty to keep her smiling.

Turn Back Tuesday

Since I am feeling a bit nostalgic I decided to turn things back about 10 years.. wow.. 10 years a mere decade.. How things have changed.. 10 years ago Hair Boy had just entered high school. He was a tall, thin boy with short (yes that's right) short hair. He had just spent the summer with it smurf blue and he had cut the remains out before school had begun. I really liked that particular picture of him, although he says he always hated it. He was just learning about marching band and at the time there were 6 that is right 6 tubists. He had so much to learn.. All his spare time had been spent in the sound room at the play or on the Marching Band field. Swim Team hadn't started yet and he was just a squirly freshman.

That would put PITA boy in the 7th grade. Middle School was not good to PITA Boy, he stuttered, was a bit immature and had a learning disorder. All combined with a strong desire to be like his brother.. popular and self confident (except he never understood what a crock that was). PITA Boy was often bullied and even in a school with a no bullying policy, not much was done about it. Oh he had his supporters but there was a large contingency of teachers that would have been just as happy as to shove him back in some corner and ignore him. Blame everything on him. They tried... good thing they failed.. PITA Boy wouldn't let them..

Word Girl was in 5th grade.. not even remotely sure of who she was. Stuck in the midst of mean girl hell. She was so rock solid when it came to right and wrong for other people, she would defend against injustice no matter who she had to fight.. and yet she allowed so many to get away with so much when it came to herself. She was a few years away from realizing that she mattered. That she had a voice.. she  never really realized just what a leader she was. I think now, finally in college she is beginning to discover who she has always been.

Blond Girl, wow she was just a cute little 3rd grader. With a ready smile and a seemingly empty mind. Yeah that's right she had the dumb blond thing down pat.. except.. she wasn't she was just soaking up her environment.. soaking up all that was around her.. learning everything.. waiting for her moment in the sun. Waiting to step out from the strong shadows her siblings threw... She was still poised.. hadn't made her leap yet.. but she was ready.

Four Kids and No One's Doin Nuthin?

I sat down to write today and realized that I was drawing a complete blank. How can that possibly be? I mean I have FOUR, count em, Hair Boy (1), PITA Boy (2), Word Girl (3) and Blond Girl (4), yep that is FOUR.. One of them has to be doing something..

To be fair, Word Girl is off leading an exciting life at college.. So who knows what trouble she has gotten herself into. I have already received the phone calls.. Mom I got my lip pierced and even better.. Mom, I shaved my head (not as bad as it sounds as this was for charity) and of course the lovely FB pic of her SECOND tattoo.. Fortunately, she only plans on wearing the lip ring until she graduates and her hair is already growing back, to the point where it needs to be shaped and styled. And even the tats are discreet.. I still say she has had her quota of wild moments.. no more phone calls from her..

And Hair boy.. well he is working hard to pay off some student loans.. so he can get more student loans.. so he can go back to school.. I guess I should be grateful he is too busy to call. Although, he does manage to talk to his grandma at least once a week. I had to lay down the law!! He has to tell me any exciting news BEFORE he tells grandma.. Hey being mom has to have some percs..

All PITA Boy does is work, well work and drive me nuts.. life is good...

Blond girls is just dealing with being a teenage girl.. oh the joys of teenage girl hormone trauma...

So while they are all about not sharing what is going on in their lives.. I am grateful.. They are having great lives!!

PITA Boy not so PITA anymore

I find it amazing that PITA Boy is 21 years old. It seems like just yesterday he was that pesky little.. oh yeah it was. I know that was awful, PITA Boy yanks my chain as much as he does because he really does have so very many of my flaws.. Sometimes it's like banging my head against a mirror and others well...

All that being said he is growing into such an amazing man. He is what I refer to as my  worker bee.. Give that boy a job and he will see it through to the bitter end and then some. He is the kind of employee that employers should be salivating to get. He is considering the military and he would most definitely thrive there.. Although he is more than a little intimidated by the ASVAB.. as his ADHD seriously interferes with his ability to test.

After spending 6 summers as a Lifeguard I know it isn't the actual knowledge but rather the reading that gets him. He would never have passed the original Lifeguard test had not the woman in charge.. taken charge. She knew PITA Boy and she knew he knew his stuff.. so she did a verbal test.. of course he passed with flying colors. I am not saying he doesn't read.. just he doesn't read well on tests..

I have to think that the military is loosing a huge group of young men and women who would be amazing soldiers/sailors/marines/airmen.. by not realizing this. Not everyone tests well.. OK.. my mini rant is over..

Hopefully by this time next year PITA Boy will be off on his new career.. when that happens I will change his name.. to maybe soldier boy... *grins*. No matter what this child does me proud.. 

Absolutely Amazing!!

As a senior there are many perks, benefits and last things that occur in High School, I am sure you all remember. For Blond Girl one of the "perks" is the Senior Solo. This is an audition only, event where a certain amount of Seniors are chosen to sing at one of the three concerts through out the year. Usually around 6 are chosen. This year there were 7 of 11.

Last week was the audition and Blond Girl came home rather despondent, she had completely tanked her audition. To the extent that one of her best friends.. when asked was brutally honest and said she sucked.. ok, yeah a little tactless maybe but my daughter pretty much agreed with her. So we had pretty much accepted that she was not going to get a solo.

Yesterday, Blond Girl came bouncing through the door.. an almost musical lilt to her voice.. Guess what! She got a solo!! The list went up on Thursday and she was so sure she hadn't made it, she  didn't even bother looking.. On Friday, she just glanced at it and saw her name!! YAY!

Of course she is singing at the first concert and has only 2 weeks to prepare.. A bit nerve wracking but she will at least get it over with. Anyway on October 23, 2011 somewhere between 3 and 4pm  she will be singing How Great Thou Art... to all and Sundry..  Needless to say I am a worried, nervous, excited and proud Mama...

Word Girl on a Quest for Australia

Word Girl has wanted to go to Australia since she was in the 6th grade. Ok, maybe before that but in the 6th grade she was nominated by someone to be an athletic ambassador for people to people. Since she was a swimmer Australia was the best program and oh how she wanted to go.. I tried, I really tried but I just couldn't fund it. So every year when she got her letter I would watch her eyes light up, then slowly dim as she realized it just wasn't gonna happen. She never blamed me and she really did understand that it was a privilege not an promise. It didn't help that every child I knew that went on this program improved their times immensely, changed their perspective about swimming and how they trained.

Now, she has that opportunity again.. Not as a people to people rep.. but as a student. Finally, she is seeing the fruition of her dream. She is oh so very close to studying abroad in Australia... I am so excited for her. Yes, we still need funds and I know it will take time and effort on her part to come up with them. Her student grants and loans will apply so that is cool but she will need airfare and information funds.. They have programs where she goes to see the country on the weekends when not studying.. and seriously? why go all the way to Australia if you are just going to study and never see what is around you?

She will do it!! I know she will... and I am so proud of her because she just pushes on... dreaming big!! but better yet.. working to fulfill the dream!

Hair Boy Sings the Blues

Last Summer was an exciting one for Hair Boy.. He has always been extremely talented and played an abundance of musical instruments but somewhere along the way he stopped. Well stopped all his orchestrational instruments. It made me sad because he was a rather gifted tubist. Over the past couple of years he had started teaching himself the guitar.. Musician that he is, he of course mastered it.. Well at least I think so but I am sure he has far to go before he become a "great" guitarist but hey I'm his mom.. I get to be biased. 

  

He gave me a call one day last summer and said, hey mom.. my band is gonna be doing a show in Chicago (didn't know he was in a band) and do you want to come? Now there was a DUH question if ever I heard one. It was all very exciting being the mother of a member of the band! I had a great time and of course took many pictures.. For some reason he seems to think there were actually other members in the band.. I don't know where he got that idea, as they aren't in any of my pictures.. 

   Along with the band, he released a solo CD, I know wow!! and was a guest on a radio station. Now that was great fun since it was also broadcast on over the net and I was able to listen to it. As long as any friends or family that I could catch up with. 

  I hope he continues in this vein, he is so very talented.. and face it.. he already has the hair!!