Puttin' On The Socks

It was such a beautiful day outside. There was a chill in the air but the sun was shinning & it warmed things up just enough. I sent the girls outside right away. I think we have all been suffering from a wee bit of cabin fever. 

My little Aris has been such a whiner lately. I don't know if it has something to due with possible small seizures she might be having or if she's just being a pill. She says her head hurts almost on a daily basis. She tells me she has a headache. I have my suspicions. No matter, life goes on & she still needs to try and be a big girl. Right now I'm working with her to do stuff without my help. She is very bright but extremely lazy. Why do something for yourself when you can whine and someone else does the task for you? Sounds like some adults I know, lol!

I'll be darned if she didn't do it all by herself! 

Such determination! 

She even dressed herself after bath two nights in a row. Without any tears or anything. We're making progress people! 

My little Merris is growing up!

Hammy Burger Girl

Hammy Burger? Thank you!

Yes this is our favorite joint in town!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Omri Oblio at Lake Tahoe 2010

This year we had all of Dean's Moms side of the family at our house for Thanksgiving. There was so much good food to eat it was a little ridiculous. Pies, two turkeys, asparagus, potatoes, sweet potatoes, two kinds of stuffing, & the only gravy that has come close to tasting as good as the stuff my dad used to make. My mouth is watering just writing about all this yumminess! 

The day after Thanksgiving we all headed to Lake Tahoe to sled & see the snow. It was so bitterly cold. Sledding didn't last long but it was fun to go and visit the beach where Dean & I were married. It's a private beach & you have to own a home in Tahoe to come to it. During the winter they close up the pool & open it to the public. It was fun to visit where it all started for our little family. The lake is where Dean & I met, went on our fist date & eventually got married. It holds a lot of special memories for us.

After returning from the Lake we ate dinner & then took the kids swimming at the pool in the hotel where some of Deans family was staying. It was heated & the girls & Omri loved the water & playing in the "coozie" Jacuzzi. After swimming, we headed up to the hotel room to watch a Charlie Brown special & have a snack. Cindy & I played a game of rummy. It was such a fun evening. The only thing that would have made it better is if Jennifer, Deans sister, hadn't been sick :( 

Everyone left on Sunday & the rest of the day was spent cleaning up the remains of our holiday weekend. Dean & I thought we'd stay home for the holidays but have decided to head to San Diego for Christmas & New Years. I'm excited. It will be fun to see everyone again. Hope your Thanksgiving was a great one!

Fragility

Aris Lake Tahoe July 29, 2008

Aris had a seizure today. It was strange & scary. I watched her as she was sitting in her chair eating. If I hadn't chosen to eat at the table with her I would have missed it. I know in my heart there are no coincidences. At first I thought she was choking but soon realized she wasn't. She sat there staring at me but she wasn't looking at me. It's hard to explain this look but my heart knew something wasn't right. Then she started to make a chewing motion with her mouth. I kept calling her name over & over again & she didn't flinch. Dean walked into the room & called her name, nothing. By this time she was making a very slight swaying motion from side to side & I kind of panicked. Dean & I were both like, this isn't normal, something is wrong. Still no response. So I picked her up & her arms went rigid in front of her chest & then she slumped over as if she had passed out. I walked quickly to the bathroom, don't ask me why, & sat her on the counter. I started calling her name again & then BAM, it was as if nothing had happened. She said, "Mommy", and hugged me. She was a little grumpy & tired but when I tried to put her down for a nap she begged to stay up & watch a cartoon. 

My whole day has been filled with reading what I could find on the Internet, watching videos on YouTube about different kinds of seizures & I even had a lengthy discussion with a pediatrician from her Dr. office. So far it's kind of a game of sit & wait. I will be watching her and keeping a journal of any episodes she has in the future. I realized this wasn't her first seizure. She had a small one about two months back. I had put her down for a nap one morning & she stared off into nothing. I called her name a couple of times & even shook her shoulder a bit because her blank stare scared me. It was so short I didn't give it another thought. I just didn't realize it until now that she had had a small seizure. It was very mild compared to this one. This one lasted almost a minute.

I didn't write this post to garner sympathy. What I am hoping will come of it is information, comfort, & words of advice. I'm desperate to find out all there is to know about this condition. I know it's not super serious or life threatening but it feels a little overwhelming to me at the moment. Please feel free to email me if you don't feel comfortable posting about this in my comments. My email is toward the bottom of my blog.

Tomorrow I will finish up the last of the baking for our Thanksgiving feast. Despite these rough last few weeks I have so very much to be grateful for. Our family has truly been blessed over this last year. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Abby

Abby & Aris April 2010

Dean walked outside tonight and found our Abby dog by the girls swing set. She had passed away sometime this afternoon. I feel horrible that I didn't realize sooner. I've been so preoccupied with all the yuckies that have been in our house I haven't taken the time to walk outside in the last few days. We took Abby in a few months after Dean & I got married. His ex wife couldn't handle her anymore. She had been rescued from an abusive home so she was never very social with the kids. She didn't like other dogs & tolerated Blu. Despite her standoffish nature we all loved her & she will be very missed. The girls are going to be devastated. I know they will want another dog but I'm afraid they will have to wait. I don't want any animals for a while. I can't stand the thought of loosing another animal. This really is bittersweet. She was very old & blind. She didn't seem to be in any pain but I'm pretty sure she is in a much happier place right now. We'll miss you Abby dog. Have fun hanging out with Blu. We love & miss you both.