I'm Back.....And with lots to tell

I really have been slacking in my blog posts, what over a year? *lol* Its been a hard year. My son and I have relocated closer to my family after a horrid break up. It is what was best for me and him. We are happy and surrounded by amazing people! My son just recently turned 4! Oh where does the time go!? He is the most amazing little guy in the world! He is what keeps me going daily!

We have finally mastered using the big boy Potty. No More Diapers! YAHHH!! It took a while and was a lot of accidents, but we are now in big boy Sponge-bob underwear and extremely happy!!

Now, Lets talk Silly Bands! I received 2 Silly Bands for my birthday from my 8 yr old nephew. I now know why a lot of schools are banning these little suckers. If someone grabs onto one of them and pulls and lets go......OUCH......it hurts a lot! I mean they are fun, you can get a package at Walmart for $1, but why wear like 50 on each arm? Am I missing something here? These things really do come in like a million shapes. I have accumulated a number of these from my nephew, i think i have every animal possible! Parents should know its not save to wear them to bed......right?? I surely hope so.

We recently got a new kitty to add to the family, we had two, but unfortunately, our one kitty passed away today. My son doesn't yet understand the death and dying points of life. We still have our two crazy dogs and our one kitten. I think we are good with animals for a while. My son thinks that he can treat and play with ALL animals like he does his puppy, and it doesn't work like that, especially with a Cat! Choose your pets wisely when it comes to children. And always remember, adopting an animal from your local shelter is an amazing idea. Save one of those adorable critters from being put down. They are all looking for great homes. Help one of them out of the cage and into your heart and your family.

Another crazy thing thats been going on lately, my son refuses to go to bed, it is now almost 2am, and he is still up, this has been going on for weeks now. He doesn't take naps, he doesn't get sugar and soda, he is just all wound up and doesn't want to sleep. I have no clue whats going on, but its really taking a toll on me lately! We have an appointment next week, and I will be having a discussion with his Doctor about this. I know hes probably going to say, "Oh this is normal, it will go away with time" but, come on Doc, Mommy needs some sleep too! i can't depend on my coffee and Mt. Dew to keep me going all day. I love my son more than anything in the entire world, but mommy loves sleep too!

Well I hope all of you are doing well and still following me! So sorry for the lack of blogs, but i'm back, i'll make sure to put up daily posts again!

Until Next Time,
Keep Smiling and Keep the Kiddos Happy and Healthy

I Have A Sick Kiddo :(

So i havn't been posting as much as usual, because my kiddo is super sick.  At first they said it was just his sinuses.  Well i'm starting to think its something else.  We have been dealing with all this crazyness since The weekend.  He is sneezing, coughing, throwing up, not wanting to eat, laying around, barely sleeping because he keeps coughing so much, very irriatable, running a steady 103.5 temp, and it only goes down for about 5 hours with motrin then its right back up, and he isn't pooping.  They gave us an antibiotic, and then changed it again today.  Something else has to be going on.  I literally sat up all night lastnight with him propped up against me so he wouldn't cough so much so he could get a little sleep.  I took him into the dr. first thing this morning and they switched the antibiotic and said if hes not better by saturday they want to see him again.  Well i desided i'm not listening anymore.  If he keeps the coughing and puking and the high temp, i'm taking him directly to the ER, because maybe they have someone there thats a little smarter and can tell me what i should do.  The Peds could be right, but a second opinion never hurt.  

So untill then, I'll be cuddled up on the couch with him watching his favorite Movies: Bolt, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and Marly and Me!  :) He loves his puppies!  

Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kiddos Happy and Healthy

I'm alive!!! :) Potty News! Yah Damien!!

I'm here, i'm not dead! lol  I just got super busy with my son, Damien.  Its been a hard week.  We finally got him into the CDU at Childrens and had his evaluation done.  They diagnosed him with ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorder!  It was no suprise to me.  None at all.  But it dosn't make me think any different!  Hes 2.5 yrs old.  Hes a boy.  There are going to be issues!  But i still love him no matter what! :)  

On a Better Note, Damien is now excited to use his Big Boy Potty!  He only pee'd 3 times in his diaper today, all the other times he pulled me to his potty and went pee AND Poop!! I am so proud of him!!  He use to just put his toys in the potty, :) But now hes using it!  I couldn't be happier!!!!!

I promise to write more tomorrow, I have some fun new outdoor and indoor activities to share with all you wonderful readers i have!! :)

Here is a picture that shows you just how much alike my kido and my Puppy Are!  They are Adorable and I love them so much! :) And they love their Naps!! :) 

Psych Evaluations and Neurology.... Oy Vey

I have for the last 3 months been trying to get my son an Psych Evaluation so we can have a diagnosis of what exactly is wrong with him. His dr. and his therapists all agree he may be autistic. No matter what it is, it dosn't matter to me and daddy, we will still love him and be by his side no matter what. But its sooooo hard to even get someone to schedual an appt. for him in Pittsburgh. We are on like 5 waiting lists, and waiting for like 4 other places to call us back to see if they can get him in or not. I know there are millions of children that need to have these evaluations, but seriously, there isn't one place in Pittsburgh that can schedual a dang appt?? Do i really have to be on a waiting list for 5 months?? This is crazy! I'm about to start researching other places in the surrounding states to see if i can find someplace that can get him in sooner and just fly or drive there and get it done. I want to know if there is something wrong with my little man. I'm sure there is something going on, he's 23lbs at 2.5 yrs old and he has such a bad temper and has a horrible track record with his behavior and he can't play with more than one toy at a time or he goes into his panic hand shaking act. I am currently waiting for a call back from Childrens Hospital's Child Develepment Unit, hoping that they can squeeze us in sometime soon. I know they are moving their location to a new AMAZING hopstial they just built, but just gime a call here people. i will take only like 5 minutes of your time. Damien's Dr's and Therapists have all suggest the CDU at Childrens, so i thought i would take a shot and give them a call. Well i called and i got an Answering service, and they say, i'll send them your message and someone will be in contact with you to schedual an appt. They never say, Someone will call you back today, or tomorrow, its just someone will call you. So this could also be a waiting game. I hate waiting.

The newest thing that we are trying to deal with is getting an appt. with Neurology at Childrens. Damien has started having Headaches to the point where he holds his head and cries, and cries Tears! He isn't big on crying unless something is REALLY hurting him. So i know that something is going on. When he was a baby they found an arachnoid cyst on his brain. They assured me that it was nothing to worry about and that all kids have them. Well all i know is that if i see the Neurologist and he tells me the headaches are because of the Cyst, you best bet someone is getting a lawsuit from me. I find it hard to belive that all kids have them. I'm throwing the BS flag at that dr. over and over again. I have done my research, and even if they say its Benign, it can still cause issues for your kido!

As i said before, don't ever second guess youself as a mom, you know whats best for your child. If you don't agree with what a dr. says, speak up, it never hurts to have extra tests run just for your own peace of mind. Yes it may be costly, but Is your child really comparable to Money? I don't think so!



So untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the kidos happy and healthy

7 Day Stomach Virus From Hell....

Sorry for the disappearance loyal readers, my son caught that horrible stomach bug where he threw up EVERYTHING for 6 days and had diarrhea too. And all us moms out there know that that will sooner or later lead to Dehydration, which is a trip to the ER for you and your kido! We actually made 3 trips to the ER with my son for this stomach bug. So everyone keep an eye on your kidos when they get sick. Being Dehydrated is a very bad thing.

Hes not a fan of the name band they put on him at the ER

Keep your eyes open for the signs of Dehydration:
-No tears when they are crying
-Dry Mouth and Lips
-If you lightly punch the skin on their wrist, it should go right back down, if not, they are Dehydrated.
-Little or No pee within a 6 hr period
-Very tired
-Very Thirsty
-Wrinkly Skin

And also Remember, this stomach bug is Virual, so there isn't anything they can give your kidos to get rid of it. The only thing that they could offer me for my son was Anti-nausea meds,which didn't work for him at all. Just stock your house with Pedialyte, either the drink or if your kido is big enough, the freezie pops and get them to take as much of this as possible. Yes, they may just puke it all back up, but some of it will stay in. But as a mother, you know whats best for your child, and if you feel that the fluids arn't staying enough, don't ever second guess yourself as a mom, take your child directly to the ER to get an IV and Fluids. It never hurts to be over worried, its your job as a mom. I decided to take my son to the ER when he hadn't pee'd in like 6 hours and was super pale. That is a def. sign of Dehydration.

See how Pale he is?

Thankfully, he is now starting to feel better. Still running a little temp, but atleast he is back to being able to eat without throwing it all up and hes up and moving around again. He lost 2lbs from all of this,which sucks, but he'll put it back on. I'll be posting more fun stuff here later, so keep your eyes open! :)



Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Healthy and Happy

Caution with Childrens Meds

I myself had a scare with childrens tylonal with my son. Hes a smart little kido, and figured out how to get it out of the cabinet and open the bottle! Thank God all he did was spill it all over my carpet and didn't ingest any of it! The FDA issued a public health advisory about children's cold meds stating "questions have been raised about the safety of these products and their effectifness." And then shortly there after, they pulled all childrens tylonal multisymptom from the shelves.

I myself only give my son Childrens Motrin now. Its too easy to overdose on Acetaminophen these days. If your in a hurry, or you fogot what time you gave your child other meds or your child gets a hold of a bottle and drinks it. They can all lead to horrible things! it can cause liver and kidney problems or death. over 56,000 people end up in the emergency room each year because they don't measure their childs doseage correct. And now they are saying that tenagers that take Tylonal should be watched, because it is considered a common suicide drug. What has the world come to anymore. And now they are saying infant tylonal concentrated drops are even more deadly towards overdoses than childrens tylonal.

The signs of an acetaminophen overdose are nausea, vomiting, lethargy, and abdominal pain. if you feel that your child might have gotten to much of a dose, seek imediate medical attention. Call poison control, and get to an ER ASAP! Untreated, an acetaminophen overdose can be fatal within a few days.



Just be careful when buying your childs meds. IBUProfine is your best bet! There isn't any acetaminophen in the IBU Profine! But it dosn't mean that wrong dosages of that can't cause harm either. Always ask your childs dr. what the proper dosage is before giving it to your child.



Untill next time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy

Failur to Thrive.....

I know more than i ever wished to know about Failure to Thrive because my son is in that situation! he is 23.5 lbs and is 2 years old. We struggle daily to get him to try anything new we can possibly try. But his main intake of calories is still the formula, Similac Alimentum! As of late, he has been trying new things, like anything with Ketchup or Sauce on it. Myself and his dr's and Therapists all think this is odd, due to the severity of his Acid Reflux that we have been dealing with since day one. Hes on a daily dose of Previcid and Zantac to try and calm the reflux but it dosn't really do much anymore. But we all also agree that if he is willing to try it, let him have at it.
The one thing you don't want to do when your child is not gaining weight is to try and self diagnose. That never works out! Thats what Dr's get paid for. So if you have any concerns about your childs weight, height, or calorie intake, make sure you seek the advice of your childs Dr! Children for some weird reason grow slower as they age! Some parents seem to go with the old time remedy, feed them more they will gain more weight, or they will have a growth spurt and catch up. Sometimes thats not the case. In most cases, your childs height and weight are genetic from you and your partner and also nurtitional status and weather or not your child has any health issues. If you are uneasy about your childs development physically, Please consult a dr. about his/her issues. Ask them for a full evaluation of your child. They may want to go ahead and do some blood work and other testing on your child to try and figure out what the issue is! I have been through all of that with about 6-10 Dr's for my son. I can't stand to see him cry from having his arm pricked for blood but i just tell him this might figure out how to make you big and strong!
if after all of that, they still can't find an underlying cause to your childs low weight they may refer you to a Pediatric nutritionist and try and help you up the amount of calories your child takes in and help with some ways to get your child to eat a little more or experiement with new foods for more calories. My son has issues with swallowing foods, so his dr suggested we get an Occupational and Speech Therapist along with the Food Therapist, to try and help him develop his speech and learning a little better. And always remember, don't be offended if someone tells you what to try with your child or says your not doing something the correct way. They are there to help! Take their advice and run with it, you never know, it could be what changes everything.
I am a very worried and paranoid parent! I always research everything and talk to whoever i can to find out the true facts on anything they say is wrong with my son. I advise everyone to do the same. This is your childs health and well being we are talking about here, you always want to know exactly whats going on and what to do to fix it. Ask as many questions as you can and want, and address everything and research what you can before making any decisions.
I have did my fair share of research and i love https://magicfoundation.org Magic Foundation is a great website for information about your childs growth! You can request to talk to another parent that is having the same issues you are with your childs growth and find out all the answers to all your questions. Its worth a click.

Till Next Time
Keep Smiling and keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy