Michael Today

It's that time of year again--the Kids Today! Keeping in tradition, I will write a post about each of the Wearden children, a snap shot of who they are and what they like in this moment in time. This year, however, I decided to include the parents as well, in case any one was interested. Even if you are not, I am so I will write it any way--ha!

I will post oldest to youngest so if interest begins to wane, you can stop well before the adults :)


Michael!!

Michael is 27 years old now; he works at Scoggin Dickey as Internet manager, certified technology expert, and certified to sell Subaru, Buick, and Chevrolet vehicles. It is not his dream job but he does very well at it and is respected by management there. He doesn't have many nicknames--I call him Mickle Bear, but mostly he is Michael or Daddy. 

Favorites

Games: Easy--"Star Wars: The Old Republic"! 

It is a PC MMORPG made by the incredible Bioware; as it recently went free-to-play (meaning online access without subscription fees and a free limited copy of the game), Michael and I both decided to give it a try. Michael has always been more into computer games than I have; I prefer consoles because of the ease to play. But in this game, we can play together!! We rarely get the chance, as it is difficult for both of us to focus on a video game while watching the children, but it is fun when we have a night off. 

There are endless customization options for your character, which means that you can play well over 100 hours and never play the same story twice. Thousands of missions that maintain uniqueness and fresh gameplay without getting stagnant--for anyone who has not played "The Old Republic", it is a rare and very enjoyable experience. 

Activities: Michael likes wrestling with the boys and playing Superheroes with Emerald. He is always happy to cook, although his creative creations are sometimes a little much! He plays his Old Republic game after we have all gone to bed, and reads as much as his very busy schedule will allow. Michael is not happy unless he is learning--he discusses religion and philosophy, researches every topic from ancient mythology to history to the most cutting edge medical advances, and can debate any current issue. Technology is his real area of interest though; his love of new devices is well-known, and he spends a great deal of time working on strengthening his knowledge of software, manipulation of codes, and development of data. This particularly works to his advantage at work, where he creates and maintains the Internet business for the Subaru side of Scoggin Dickey. 

TV Shows: Mike doesn't get a wealth of time to dedicate to watching shows, but there are a few we have shared together over the years. "Supernatural" was a big hit with us--as with many topics, religion and the paranormal have been subjects of interest to him in the past, so it is interesting to us both. 

The "Doctor Who" reboot from 2005, starting with the ninth Doctor (played by Christopher Eccleston), is a current favorite of his. With the kids he likes to watch "Ultimate Spider-Man", a very cute cartoon that is fun for all of us. 

Food: Michael's favorite restaurant is Chipolte--he always gets the chicken burrito with rice, sour cream, corn salsa, and cheese. He was quite sad for years because Lubbock did not have a Chipotle; we finally got one not too long ago....and Michael still rarely gets it! We don't eat out very often, and when we do he tends to defer to things that I or the kids like better. Chic-fil-a nuggets are also a big favorite for him; he used to like McDonald's but as the years have gone on, it now just makes him full of regrets whenever he eats it. At home, he loves my Chicken Monterrey (chicken baked with salsa and Monterrey cheese sprinkled on top), my homemade Chili with cornbread muffins, and my breakfast burritos. 

Movie: There are a few that are his favorites--if we are talking modern, contemporary movies? "The Avengers", of course. We both love Joss Whedon and he did everything exactly right with that movie, from casting to the respect shown to the female characters, to story lines...it was just everything he had hoped it would be. 

More long term, he loves "Tombstone" with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer; he has a special place in his heart for westerns as it is because of memories of watching them with his grandfather, Daddad (Rhonda's father). Everyone that knows him is familiar with his love of the Star Wars franchise; he has been watching those movies since he was a little boy, and used to collect some of their figurines and novels. I currently have a "Mike" corner over by where his chair is set up with framed artwork from the movies hanging near his head. 

I think the top cake, though, goes to "Casablanca" with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. I recently got the 70th Anniversary special for him for Christmas; he was so excited :) Since a film course he took in high school, he has had a special appreciation for the classics, like Charlie Chaplin, "North by Northwest", and of course "Casablanca".

  

Songs: So this one is much harder to nail down. For one thing, his musical taste is all over the place. Some of his favorite artists are Huey Lewis and the News, Frank Sinatra, and Dave Matthews Band. Our song is "Happy to Be Stuck with You" (Huey Lewis); it was played as the final song at our wedding and if we had a first dance, it would have likely been to "As Time Goes By". But he also listens to contemporary stuff--Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, Neon Trees. I guess it really just depends on what kind of mood he is in as to what song he likes the best. 

Books: "I, Jedi" by Michael A. Stackpole has long been at the top of his list. A few Christmases ago, I read it aloud to him a little every night until we finished it--it is a really good book. With big franchises like Star Wars you will often get what amounts to fanfic--novels written by fans who just really love the story--which means you get some sub-par crap. Stackpole writes a genuinely good, entertaining story with strong characters and an engaging plot. That's my plug for that; moving on. 

 

Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series is also a favorite of his. It kind of combines the best of what Michael loves--it is a bit western gunslinger, a bit science-fiction dystopian future, a bit supernatural, and surprisingly thought-provoking.  Many of King's other novels have references and tie-ins to Roland's epic, which Michael enjoyed searching out and reading. 

Michael is a laid-back guy that loves his kids more than anything. He brags about them at work, shows off their pictures and artwork to anyone who comes to his office, and is the highlight of their day every time he comes home. He searches out monsters and scares away spooks, never tires of playing with the inexhaustible children, and soothes away nightmares. There is never a question that Daddy doesn't know the answer to or a problem Daddy can't fix. As a husband, he is patient and loving--he notices when I clean or rearrange (but politely ignores it when I don't), eats every one of my clumsy meals like it is the best he has ever had, and constantly seeks out ways to ease my burdens or make me feel cherished. He is the best part of all of our worlds. 

--Andie

Christmas

You can't hate me for not writing since Thanksgiving; Christmas may be the most wonderful time of year, but it is also the busiest, most stressful, and most exhausting as well!!

First came Emerald's Christmas party at school: I volunteered early on to help coordinate the event, a little lunch party and book exchange. Emerald brought "The Best Mouse Cookie" by Laura Numeroff (known for "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"); she received "A Very Crabby Christmas", a tie in to the Cat in the Hat PBS show. When I got to the school, her teacher informed me she was running a little fever of 100; they were letting her stay because it is just heartbreaking at 5 years old to miss a party with your friends at school and the only symptom other than fever she had was being unusually subdued. I brought Cici's Pizza; Rhonda kept Benjamin so I could stay with Emerald (Gabriel was still in school). It was just a nice little party.

Gabe's class didn't have a celebration, understandably, but he took Mario Party dry erase boards and markers for car rides for all his classmates. He got "Chicka Chicka ABC" from his teachers, candy canes, a reindeer hacky sack, and a few more little toys. His class is very small, just six little boys. His teachers are so sweet and really understand and appreciate him; the Risperidone (the medicine to help his moods) is really starting to take a noticeable effect. I was afraid that it was going to stifle and suppress the best parts of him, but it just levels him out--gives him calmer, more focused days. He definitely seems to prefer life this way than those hours between doses when he is out of control.

Friday night before, we had Robert's family Christmas at Steven and Melisa's house. They have such an amazing home; it is so warm and inviting and full of happiness and love and peace. Sometimes it is honestly hard to leave such a positive environment. We had fajitas for dinner; all three of the kids loved that. Gabriel and Benjamin sat next to each other for the first time--it was funny to watch them reach over and exchange food like Amber and I used to! Gabe would steal Ben's cheese and tortillas; Benji would sneak off with Gaby's chicken...it was good to see them sharing and not fighting for once.

As always, please forgive me if I forget to mention any gifts we received--we are so grateful for everything, I just live in a fog comprised of veggie tales and sleepiness, so my mind isn't exactly "sharp".

I know Michael got a pair of warm pajama pants and a lounge shirt that he would wear every day if I let him; he also got a new pair of work shoes and a couple of work shirts.

Gabriel had a very difficult time sitting still or focusing; we strapped him into a booster seat so that he could stay still, but I could not get my phone to stream a show for him, so he mostly squirmed and stripped. He got a Lightening McQueen cars rider, a hopper, some underoos, Batman slippers, and a couple pairs of feetie pajamas.

Benjamin sat with me and did all right, for a 15 month old baby. He got a Fisher Price toy iPhone and a crawling caterpillar/bead track.

I got a giftcard to DSW (a shoe store) that I haven't gotten to use yet, but that I am going to use to buy nice flats or slippers for my cold frosty feet, and a new crockpot! I all ready used it to make a double batch of venison chili; one of my favorites when it is cold :)

Emerald helped pass out gifts and was generally just a delight; she got Abby and Emma magnetic paperdolls from the Melissa and Doug collection and a really cute pizza play set where she can build and deliver her own pretend pizza.

This year, I learned how to crochet so that I could focus my energy on constructive things instead of getting stressed and frustrated. It must have been annoying to be around me for the last few months because I was nearly constantly crocheting to get ready for Christmas--while watching TV or watching the kids play, in the car, during Bible class....the end result was that Melisa, Macy, and Grannymom all got homemade scarves this year (in Ranch Red, Aqua Blue, and Multicolored, respectively) at the Robert's Christmas. Ken and Patrick got ones at the Wearden Christmas, but theirs were some of the first I made--everyone had a good laugh when Ken unfurled his and it wrapped around his neck twice and still reached the floor. (What? I had never made a scarf before!) It was pretty funny.

It was a lovely Christmas, and I was glad we were all able to get together.

Saturday morning, our elf on the shelf friend Chip had to fly back to the North Pole to share his report with Santa, but he left behind some gifts in all of our stockings. Mostly new toothbrushes, body wash, things of that nature; but also some wet kitty and doggie food for the pets, a bath brush for Emerald, snowglobes for the kids, a travel mug for Daddy, and a new book and make-up for Mommy. I also let the kids open one present apiece from Mommy and Daddy--a pair of pajamas to wear to Christmas that night, and an owl beanie that is so cute.

Saturday night was Christmas at Glo and Pawpaws, and I am ashamed to say that I made a bit of a mess of everything. Sunday, we were leaving to go to my grandparent's, Gigi and Papa's, and I didn't know when we would be able to do our private family Christmas. So I shamelessly leapt into their plans, meaning there were entirely too many presents for three energetic and very tired children to sit through. Don't get me wrong, it was still a lovely evening; it was just a bit stressful with so very much going on at once.

Rhonda made a traditional turkey spread; what surprised me is that all three children took surprisingly well to the Waldorf salad--a "salad" of yogurt and mayonnaise on walnuts and apples and raisins and celery and such.

A little back story: for months, every time we visited Walmart, the kids always wanted to go by the pillow pet section. They would each grab the one they liked the best and snuggle it for a few minutes; I would remind them to ask Santa for it, we would put them back and keep shopping.

While we were eating, Santa came and left the very pillow pets they had been asking for! as well as a note that said Santa was bringing their gifts now but would see them on Christmas morning at Gigi and Papa's house. They were so blown away!! Emerald got a hot pink hippo that she named "Pillow Pet"; Gabriel got an neon orange puppy which is the only one that he will sleep with; and Benjamin got a neon green monkey.

The only problem that I didn't foresee is my own confusion: usually, all things Green go to Gabriel; all things Blue go to Benjamin. It is my way of organizing things in my mind, see? Well, this time Gabriel liked the orange puppy, NOT the green monkey; Benjamin of course will snuggle with either one, but Michael and I keep accidentally offering Gabe the Green monkey because that has always been my system...and it makes him so mad!!

Okay, so moving on. Highlights: Gabe got a trampoline and a big Buzz Lightyear; Emerald got a Ariel baby doll, and Cinderella on Blu Ray; Benjamin got a Little People bus and a tool workbench; and they all got a 10-foot roller coaster ride. I got a waffle maker that is pretty darn fantastic and a really cute pair of sparkly boots; Michael got long-sleeved work shirts that he loves and an electric razor and beard trimmer (I may have accidentally used his old one to shave the cat or something, I don't know).

Sunday we load up in the car and start heading for Ponder.

I hate long car rides, and this one was particularly bad because we had the car loaded to the gills with presents and luggage and the dog was coming with us...it was just a mess. I didn't even know how we were going to get back home carrying more stuff!! On the upside, it was a quick five hour drive and before I knew it, we were at Granny's house!!

To avoid any confusion: Granny is my mother's mother, my grandmother. I call her Granny. The kids call her GG because she is a Great Granny to them.

Jarrod and Julia were all ready there; Gabe went right to Jarrod and to Papa and gave them hugs. While Michael carried all our stuff in, I took the kids across to Aunt Alice and Uncle Robbie's--they have a play set in the backyard with swings and a slide and fort, and it gave the kids a chance to run out their energy. Also out there were two of cousin Justin's goats--they had both given birth recently (one that morning) and their tiny babies were there for the kids to pet. Justin had little interest in naming them, so he let me! (Knowing my borderline-obsessive love for names). The mama got Hope had twin girls that I named Faith and Mercy (yes, Emerald helped on that one); the mama Rose Tyler had twin boys named Mickey and Rickey.

If you laughed, that means you are a nerd, too.

The first night was nice and quiet before everyone got there; we had a delicious enchilada casserole that Granny made in the crockpot and I totally need the recipe for. Michael was sick so we gave him some theraflu to help him sleep.Michael went out to the van to get Gaby's medicine before bed...and noticed the lid had come undone and spilled all the Clonidine all over the floor of the van.

Aside: Clonidine, in conjunction with the Melatonin, is what helps Gabriel sleep. Without it, he was averaging an interrupted two hours in a 24-hour period. He needs sleep just like any other child, he just can't calm his body down long enough to get it--this helps.

We only have enough left for the night, which means that I have to call the doctor and have a prescription faxed over on Christmas Eve to a pharmacy in Dallas. Here's the trick: Clonidine is a compound; it has to be mixed because it only comes in pill form and has to dissolve in another solution for three days before it is ready. Which means no major pharmacy company like CVS or Walgreens are able to fill it; it has to be one of the smaller ones. Which tend to not be open the day before Christmas.

The nurse was sweet and faxed in a renewed copy to our pharmacist in Lubbock so they could get it ready by Wednesday when we came back, but outside of that, we were on our own.

The first night went really well. We all slept soundly--Emerald in her own twin sized bed, Gabriel in the pack-n-play (don't even ask me why), and Benjamin between me and Daddy. I could make excuses as to why he was there, but honestly, I just like co-sleeping.

Christmas Eve was mostly waiting around for the rest of the family to arrive. We had bacon and eggs and biscuits for breakfast, then bundled the kids up to the teeth so Jarrod and I could walk them down to see the horses. We stopped on the way down to see the chickens and jakes (that is young male turkeys, I learned), the bunny, and the goats.

Papa has several horses--Pete, Fancy, Tucker, Murray, and Ruby are the ones that I can remember. Pepper followed us down there and made the horses nervous; we were lucky she didn't get smashed.

The kids weren't done walking around, so we lead them down to the back pasture to see the ducks. Unfortunately, that is about the time we noticed it was cold as heck out there; the kids were all freezing, Benjamin (who is not the strongest walker) kept tripping and falling over the uneven ground, noses were running...but not as fast as Gabriel, who saw his chance for freedom and took it--he trucked it as fast as his little legs would carry him all the way to the end of the property, Uncle Jarrod in hot pursuit. Afterwards, we were all ready for some hot cocoa and naps.

For lunch, Uncle Ted and Aunt Cindy, Jessica, Grace, and Grant came over and we had sandwiches. Afterwards, they loaded up to go to the candlelight Christmas Eve service at church. Michael and I didn't want to take Gabriel or Benjamin, especially since there would be no childcare and we hadn't had time to prepare Gaby for, so Aunt Cindy took Emerald and the boys and I stayed at Granny's. Right after they left, Gabriel had one of his few moments of the trip--he was wearing regular clothes instead of backwards pajamas, and he got into his pants and played with his feces. I caught it quickly and Michael was able to clean him up while I sanitized everything he had touched, but it was weird because he hasn't had an accident in so long, clothes or no clothes.

When everyone got back, Mom and Dad and Amber, Jud, and Grayson in tow, we had bbq and all the sides; Gabriel had a major meltdown, one of his worst ever, because everyone coming in at once and all the noise and everything freaked him out. Aunt Alice let us into their house to let him calm down--we stripped him down to his diaper and let him watch Charlie Brown Christmas; he was so physically exhausted, he just crashed. I carried him back and gave him what medicine we had left, and he hid out for the rest of the night.

Granny made a decree that none of the children would be woken for Christmas the next morning; they would all be allowed to sleep until they wake up naturally. Now, this is a pretty big announcement because historically, we would get up around 5 a.m. for Christmas at Granny's house (a fact that has always irked the late-sleeper Michael).

We were all up and downstairs by 7.30, which is still early but I know they all appreciated that extra two and a half hours. Emerald set up camp beside GG, Benjamin was in his play pen next to me, and Michael and Gabriel were opening their presents in the quiet solitude of the computer room off the dining room. It is quiet and peaceful in there and Gabe can go at his own pace.

What I can remember: I got a decorative blanket, new purse, yarn bowl, and lots of new knitting and crocheting stuff; Benjamin got light up duckies for the bath, a froggie book, a trike, a big teddy bear, and a tool box and tools; Gabriel got a sensory box, a bouncy ball, a pair of shoes, and a Spider-Man seek and find that he would not stop looking at; Michael got a Deadpool watch, a wireless roller ball mouse, and a car charger for his phone; and Emerald got a barbie bath toy, a barbie and horse, a little purse, a doll named Olivia, and an easy bake oven.

While we were opening presents, we were chowing down on donuts--I got one with vanilla icing and fruity pebbles on top!

In the middle of Christmas, the downpour of rain stopped and it started snowing, meaning we had a white Christmas after all. Justin ran inside after checking on his other two pregnant goats and said they were both in labor! A total of five were born that day, adding with the four from before to make 9 new baby goats. They were so crazy cute and sweet. Hagar had twin girls named Noelle and Vixen; big mama Bella had triplets--Merry and Holly (girls) and Jingle (boy). I think the new goats were my favorite part of Christmas besides seeing my family.

Okay, wait--there was one other part of Christmas I really loved. Aunt Alice's skinny little mouser kitty got into Granny's house and Papa offered to give $5 to whoever caught him; of course I snatched the little guy right up. He started rumbling from head to foot, being in a nice warm house up against a nice warm body, getting his ears and neck scratched. Michael (of course) wouldn't let me kidnap him and take him back home, but I got to name that guy too--Paul Tobin, after the comic writer. I have got to move to the country--my knowledge of onomastics would not go so wasted!!

My family had to leave Wednesday; we drove through Bowie to see my Aunt Angie and her boys, and Grandma Pat and Pawpaw for lunch on our way back home. I love my Aunt Angie--she is just so cool; growing up we didn't get to see my cousins Sean or Jacob that much, but they are really great kids. I say kids--Sean is 16 and driving; Jacob is 22 and married--yikes!! I'm not ready for them to be all growed up yet.

We had to ride all the way back to Lubbock in a car that was loaded down and reeked of skunk (welcome to the country), on icy, busy roads. We were lucky--barely added any time to our trip.

I am feeling a little blue since being back, because although I am genuinely loving having all three of my little chickies here at home with me, it saddens me to think that it could be months before I get to see my family again. A large part of me wants to move out there so I can be near them all the time; it is just so hard to uproot the life that Michael and I have been building here for the last six years.

This post has gone on much too long, so I shall say: HAPPY HOLIDAYS from Wearden Family News :)

Thanksgiving

Thansgiving has come and gone; the Weardens have a lot to be thankful for this year.

We are thankful we were able to spend time with both our families for the holiday--the Saturday before (the 18th) had us in Abilene at Amber and Jud's house for steaks and baked potatoes. We had to leave Saturday  after Michael got off of work because he had a big Subaru Crosstrek launch at work; a radio station came out and they gave away these incredibly fragrant Nathan's hot dogs. Emerald went to Mercy's (Faith's baby sister) birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese so Gabriel, Benjamin, and I were able to go up and see Daddy at work.

The trip was safe--we stayed at Jarrod and Julia's house, although Andrew was feeling a bit under the weather. Mom and Dad got to come; Royce, Stella, and the boys were unable to attend though.

Emerald had the week off of school, so she was able to help me decorate for Christmas. We put up a fully decorated Christmas tree in the living room, and a decked topiary and a sparkly pink tree in Emerald's room as well; my favorites are Gingerbread men and Snowmen, so they are everywhere inside and outside the house.

Gabriel still had school Monday and Tuesday; we had been noticing a significant behavior improvement and attempts at communication, but Tuesday marked a sharp decline. He successfully removed the sole of his brand new boot, not even a week out of the box; at school, they are mentioning aggression and complete inability to go unattended for even a moment. They can't even eat lunch because he won't lay down for nap.

Thursday was Thanksgiving at Glo and Pawpaw's--we had the traditional spread of turkey, ham, dressing, green bean casserole, the works. It was nice getting everyone together to share a meal and appreciate one another's company.

I am also thankful for another year being married to Michael. Saturday the 24th marked our 5th year anniversary. Ken and Rhonda kept the kids overnight for us, so we were able to go to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and to see a movie. I got the sirloin kebob and Michael got chicken smothered in mushrooms and cheese--very delicious--and "Wreck-It Ralph" was super cute. The new mega movie theater in the mall is surprisingly nice; you can even get Starbucks drinks! We gave each other our gifts earlier in the month: I got Michael the Nexus 7 tablet; he got me a blue topaz ring in an antique setting and "Star Wars: The Old Republic", the MMO by Bioware. (Note: It is incredible, and it has just gone free-to-play so if you don't have it, get it!)

Emerald did well overnight at Glo's; Benjamin is a busy boy and a shameless bed hog, and poor Gabriel pined for me and sleep poorly as a result. It's good for him to get away from me every now and then, though it doesn't make him particularly happy, and it's good for me to get a break from the kids as well.

Finally, we are thankful that due in large part to my impressive foresight and preparedness (and so modest!) we are very nearly done Christmas shopping before December! Taking after my grandmother Pat, I started hopping on deals months in advance, spending small amounts of money here and there when we could manage so that we wouldn't be slammed with having to drop a larger sum all at once from one paycheck. Now we will be able to use that paycheck to cover travel expenses for the holidays.

Our own little "Elf on the Shelf" has arrived--Emerald calls him Chipper and is quite taken with him, even if the boys are rather ambivalent, wavering between disconcertion and outright disregard.

Bit of downer news: while hefting my darling ducky Ben into his playpen, I pulled or strained something in the middle of my back...again. A bit of heat, some Tylenol, and rest and I am hoping to get back good as new but if it hasn't improved in the next week or so I may have to go in and see the doctor.

Here's to another wonderful year of being Michael's wife, the mommy of three lively and healthy children, and a very blessed lady!

--Andie

November 16th

The last few weeks have been a little rough around our household. 

October, Gabriel's moods, energy, and aggression were getting out of control. He was biting and scratching and pinching at school, and after 12 weeks of school he still needs complete adult support to stay in his seat. Leave him unattended for even a moment and he jumps up and runs off. He doesn't attend tasks, and sensory items that have worked in the past such as weighted lap belt and chewy tubes are no longer effective. At home, daily activities like taking his medicine or getting dressed became all out battles, and Michael and I have the scratches and bruises to prove it. As the norm of when daytime behavior suffers, his sleep schedule suffers as well. 

At the end of October, I took Gabe for his check up with the developmental pediatrician, who prescribed him the medication Trileptal to help even out the extremes of his moods. With any mood-altering medicine, standard protocol is to allow two full weeks of taking the new drug to see results. 

What followed were two...difficult weeks. 

It's like the dial got ramped up to 12--at school, he would collapse in the hall, laughing so hard he couldn't stand and disturbing every class around him while the teachers and aides struggled to move him. Attacking himself as well as others, the classroom reports noted significant aggression every day, and he started taking it out on the home therapists as well. Indifference to lessons elevated to outright refusal to participate, concerning all those watching him. He wouldn't allow the occupational therapist to soothe him, rejected all forms of weight and pressure applied, brushing, spinning...every method we had for tamping down his excess was now more likely to set him off into a meltdown than to help. 

While he was with me at home, token protests of fussing and struggling against routine were amplified to all out brawls, with Gabriel fighting with everything he had, screaming or laughing the entire time as he forced us to restrain him. The laughing was no game for him, though, anymore than it was for us; he was out of control. Michael would have to pin his arms and legs while I forced him to take his medicine, put on his shoes, wear his pajamas. Gabe is incapable of any sort of "normal" activity--he cannot sit still for dinner, see a show through to the finish (no matter how much he likes it); he spends most of his time at home banging his head on the couch again and again and again. 

I could go on; needless to say, the stress level of everyone in the house was high, and all five of us were suffering. 

So, two weeks comes and I call the nurse incessantly until she returns my call. They discuss options and take him off the Trileptal immediately, and to replace it with Risperidone. It is supposed to help temper the extremes of his emotions, make them more manageable again and to halt his aggression. 

Pray this works. Emerald is struggling at school, most likely having stress-induced anxiety attacks because of the current climate at home; Gabriel deserves peace, even from his own body and mind; and they all need a mother that isn't running on scraps of sleep, caffeine, and sheer tattered nerves. 

I promise a much more thankful, cheerful post in the near future. 

--Andie

First Sunday in November

What has been going on with the Wearden clan?

Pepper was finally released from the animal hospital about 5 days after her surgery. Now she seems right as rain, but was on a whole fistful of pills and is still more or less bald. They took her picture and made her a little doggie model for their website. http://www.animalhospitaloflubbock.com/ If you are interested in seeing her. Since being home, she has gotten rather very fat and more than a little spoiled; I will be taking her in next week to recheck her liver values and see how it is doing. The vet worked with us considerably by knocking the price almost in half, but it was still pretty hefty and we will be paying on it for a while.

The weekend before Halloween, my cousin Jacob got married to his incredibly sweet long term girlfriend Anna. Michael got a few days off of work so that we could all drive down and go to the wedding; on Thursday, we drove to Amber and Jud's house in Abilene to spend the night before continuing on to DFW for the wedding Friday night. A little while after we got to Amber's, Gabriel vomited all over himself and the bed, then proceeded to throw up every half hour for the rest of the night.

Michael stayed with Gabriel in Abilene while Jarrod, the two healthy children, and I went on to the wedding. It stinks that Michael was unable to be there because he had formed a friendship with Jake while they were living in Lubbock. It was held in a little chapel on a ranch, a small, intimate ceremony that was beautiful and moving. Jacob and Anna are going to be so happy together. Afterwards, they had a reception where they served fajitas and I got to visit with my Dad's side of the family including my exuberant grandmother, vivacious aunt, and fabulous cousin Sean, Jake's brother. Now Sean and I are texting back and forth: it is awesome to have forged a friendship with him despite the nine year age difference.

We spent the night at Granny and Papa's, then headed back to Abilene to get Michael and Gabriel mid-morning. Benjamin promptly goes to Daddy the first chance he gets....and becomes ill all over his shirt. The trip home cannot be delayed as Amber and Jud aren't even home for the weekend, so I ride in the back next to poor pitiful Ben and we head back to Lubbock. Around Slaton, half way home, Emerald upchucks all over herself and the car.
Needless to say, not the best road trip ever, though it was wonderful that I made it to my dear cousin's wedding. Michael and I both got the stomach bug after coming back; Benjamin kept relapsing all the way through Saturday, which prompted an emergency room visit due to dehydration concerns. Little guy is finally back to feeling his old self again, which is a blessed relief.

On Halloween, Benjamin was still feeling poorly and Gabriel had developed an intense dislike for the material of his costume and having things pulled on over his head, so we were unable to do anything to really celebrate with them. Rhonda and Ken took Emerald to their church for Trunk or Treat--Emerald dressed up as Snow White. She makes a very pretty redheaded princess, and the highlight of the night for her was getting her picture taken with Captain America and buying blue cotton candy to share with me. When she got home, I divvied up the candy between her and her two brothers, which she was incredibly generous and gracious about; I particularly liked the limited candy aspect of the whole thing because in years previous, I have been left with entirely too much left over that goes to waste.

Neither Emerald's or Gabriel's school were doing in-school Halloween events. Emerald's held a fall festival the Saturday before that we were out of town for; Gabriel's had a 50's dress-up day. I was bummed because I had gotten Gabriel a Bob the Tomato costume to wear months and months ago thinking that he would love it and then he wouldn't even wear it. I do understand the school's reluctance for costumes--you open yourself up to too many problems from scary costumes to inappropriate costumes to offending parents that don't want their children participating in Halloween and therefore excluding their children from a school-wide event...I just found it odd when I first heard. I mean, didn't we use to dress up when we went to school? Or am I just remembering wrong?

Anyways, Gabe and I had our own plans for Halloween--a follow-up check up with Dr. Rogers, the developmental pediatrician.

The main concerns we were bringing to her were:
1. Gabriel's complete and utter inability, even after 12 weeks of school, to sit or attend to any task without constant adult support.
2. His over-activity level that is getting increasingly difficult to control the older and stronger he gets; it interferes with his focus in therapies and at school. He gets so excited or overwhelmed that he can't control himself, which leads us to...
3. ....emotional instability and unpredictability, causing stressful and distressing time at home and at school. He tantrums and has meltdowns, bites, pinches, scratches, pulls hair, both maliciously and accidentally. We were at the point where we were having more bad days than good by far.
4. The still present (though improving) playing with his poop problem.

Do not get me wrong--I am absolutely not complaining. It is just hard to know what to expect, what is "normal" and abnormal, what we should be concerned about...I would personally rather bring it up to the doctor and have them tell me that it is nothing worth worrying about than just stay quiet and wonder. Usually it works out in my favor because they are able to give us useful insights to correcting the problem areas.

As it is, because he is so tiny we have limited options for correction. They prescribed him behavior therapy with a child psychologist named Dr. Ratheal, as well as a prescription for Trileptal. It is actually a seizure medication but it helps moderate his moods.

He started the Trileptal on Wednesday--he takes it twice a day, once in the morning and once at night--and thus far the only results we have seen is a huge upswing in his appetite. Apparently, it can make children ravenous, which means Gabriel is begging constantly at school and at home for food. It is upsetting because you don't want to tell him no, but you also don't want to let him eat and eat all day long.

We are seeing some more signing from him, specifically "all done" which can be an immense frustration because he will say "all done" because he wants to watch his show but Emerald is using the TV,  or he will sign "all done" because he wants to go inside while he is supposed to be enjoying outside time. (He will thank me when the weather gets frosty and he can't spend as much time out back as he used to.)

Emerald is still doing very well in school. She primarily plays with Faith and Caleb still; she has been begging me to let her play basketball but I am not really clear on where a 5 year old girl can go to play basketball. Fridays she cheers for the football team, looking so precious in her blue and yellow uniform. Rhonda says Emerald looks so disappointed that she doesn't get to cheer on the field though. More or less she gets all blue bears--when she does get all blue bears in a week, she gets a new charm for her charm bracelet and I let her call her Grandma Pat on Saturday for a chat. If she gets a yellow bear though, she does not get a charm and she is grounded from the DS and the iPad for the afternoon. Those seem to be motivating factors for her because she tries really hard to behave in school. Of course I understand we all have off days.

I am glad we put her in Pre-K instead of Kindergarten, but sometimes the material seems a bit easy for her. She is all ready sight reading a lot of words, can read and write all the numbers and letters, count up to 100, and spell several names. This is actually a good thing because that means she can focus on the things she is not so great at, including taking care of herself without mommy around, school protocol and rules and expectations, and being a good friend. They also teach her the Bible Stories and she just loves that.

Benjamin and I are getting along famously. In the mornings, we play together until he takes a nap, when I get to do my quiet time mommy things like crochet or read or play "Fallout 3". After that, we clean up before Daddy gets home for lunch, and then it's the afternoon and the older kids start coming back home, so we have Gabe's therapies and getting ready for dinner.

Benjamin can be a lot more tiring than either of the other two at that age--he is walking a lot sooner than they did; Emerald just liked to sit with me and read books, take long naps, and sing songs. Gabriel would sit in his swing all day if I would let him, only getting out to go for rides in the stroller--very serious, quiet baby boy. Benji runs and climbs and eats things; he has no patience for movies or TV or reading, always wanting to be on the go. In the nursery, he mostly likes to tackle the other babies to the ground, pull the girls' headbands or hair bows out, and slam doors.

He is just all over the place, but people just adore him. Wherever we go, we are getting compliments on how sweet he is, all the while he is smiling toothily and waving to the girls, trying to goad the men into yelling contests, and struggling to run free.

The other day I had to go to the bank to open a bank account for Gabriel; Benjamin slipped his stroller and went strutting, ending up with an entourage of nearly the entire floor of the bank following him and laughing at his baby antics. Without fail, I always hear the same thing: He look like a Gerber Baby! (Which, in translation means, "what a big fat healthy child!")

Michael is getting a lot of notice at work, both for selling Suburu like mad and for taking on the Herculean task of internet sales and managing, work intended for an entire team of people but is being fielded by him alone. I am so impressed and grateful for how hard he works, and that his work is not going unnoticed.

Not much other than that is going on really. I could tell you about what show I am watching (Jericho) or the books I am reading (Love in the Time of Cholera; The Drawing of the Three; Valeria's Cross) but the fact of the matter is...most of y'all come here to hear about the cute little Wearden children, not about the otherwise exhausted and lifeless drones that take care of them. And you know what? I can't blame ya. Those little sweethearts are my life's work, so I am infinitely more proud and interested in them than I am in static Andie.

Until next time (which I am hoping won't be quite such a long time as this one in coming), hope you are having a blessed and thankful November!

--Andie