Alphabet Follies

A marathon ensued last night as Ruthie relentlessly sang her ABC's over and over. When it comes to being a parent, I believe this type of event naturally brings out a number of parenting personalities.

Personality #1: the "AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHH" parent
These are parents who fight the urge to throw their own temper tantrum in order to stop the inevitable rerun of "With a quack quack here and a quack quack there..." Instead, as soon as their child turns away, they run out of the room, close the door, and lock it, thankful to hear their child's screams rather than another round of Old MacDonald.

Personality #2: the "SUPERSTAR" parent
These are the parents who dress up their child in the frilliest dress with the biggest bow, or in the starchiest sweater vest they own, and hit record on the video camera until the child sings Happy Birthday with complete perfection. The parents edit out all the mishaps and send the perfect edition to every talent agency and modeling company in the nation. Secretly, though, they also send a copy of the edited mishaps to America's Funniest Home Videos because there's a chance a talent scout or modeling agent will be watching- and they might win ten thousand dollars.

Personality #3: the "Rest of Us"
These are, of course, the rest of the parents that do not fit into personality types 1 or 2. These parents adore most everything that comes out of their child's mouth. When the child sings the ABC's for the bazillionth time, the parents might want to run out of the room, but instead they join in and sing along one more time, once again praising their child's knowledge and abilities (just like they did on each prior rendition). They also pull out the video camera but, instead of sending the video to the hot shots, they make copies and send it to all the family, or post it on the blog- knowing full well that it will one day make it to the big screen...on their child's wedding day.

Happy Halloween

'Twas the day of Halloween and all through the house
was eagerness and anticipation of a young pumpkin and mouse

The day was spent carving pumpkins galore
and roasting pumpkin seeds, but they still wanted more



So deeper into the mountains, to Leadville, they went
where an evening of trick-or-treating among locals was spent

It was the mouse's first, and unsure what to do,
she squeaked "Happy Halloween!" and then she surely knew



'Cause out came the candy, which the mouse keenly eyed
and as it went in her bag, those eyes opened wide

"I got candy!" squeaked the mouse to the young pumpkin looking on
then she grabbed grandma's hand to drag her along



To the very next house where it happened again
and to the ones after that 'til it came to an end



Then, the exhilarated mouse relished in all the sweet treats
of chocolates and candies and other goodies to eat

When asked if she enjoyed her first Halloween
the little mouse squeaked "YES! I do it again!"

The eagerness and anticipation subsided at last
from having such a Halloween blast

And, later that night, arriving back at the house
were two contented kids- one a pumpkin and one a mouse.



Happy Halloween!

Politics

Well, Jon and I can't actually take credit for teaching Ruthie this one- but we like whoever did!

Milestones

Our little man is reaching new milestones as he gets bigger and bigger. I remember with Ruthie, the books were always out and I was on top of what should happen when and where Ruthie fell on the spectrum. Between Gabe's preemie status and 2nd child status, the books are gone and I'm enjoying the surprise of each milestone as they come when he's ready.

Here is one of many milestones to come. Turn up the volume and enjoy!

Indoctrination

As you all may well know, Gabe has just been full of surprises since day one. Or, is day one really called "minus 32" since that is the number of days early that Gabe arrived?

Even more surprising than his premature arrival was the diagnosis of Gabe's severe hemophilia A. What this means is that Gabe is lacking a protein in his body (Factor VIII) which is used to clot his blood. Therefore, Gabe will bleed longer (not more) than the average person.

It's not so much an issue with surface cuts and bruises because Gabe does make enough platelets to create a superficial scab. What we have to be concerned about is internal bleeds- deep muscle or joint bleeds. Normally, these bleeds don't start occurring until an infant begins crawling or walking and pressure is actually being put on the muscles and joints. Gabe, however, felt it would be good for Mommy and Daddy to have a little practice before all that, just to keep us on our toes.

On Friday, August 22nd, we took Gabe in for his routine 4 month checkup. His two-month checkup went uneventfully, with shots being no problem, and this one seemed to be the same except that he got more shots- one in his left leg and two in his right. On Saturday, he was pretty fussy- but we figured it was due to the shots. By Sunday afternoon, though, he was to the point of being inconsolable, his right thigh was very swollen and hard, and he was not moving it at all. All signs pointed to a bleed.

We ended up that evening in the ER for what ended up being the first of four factor infusions over the course of the week. Gabe is doing just fine now. His right leg will probably be a little swollen for as long as it takes for all the blood to reabsorb, but he's kicking and bending his leg just like before.

Apparently, it's quite rare to get a muscle bleed from immunizations so we do have some precautions to take for his next round of shots. No more than one shot per leg, which means we'll have to spread out his immunizations over a couple of weeks, and we'll keep a pressure wrap over the puncture sight for 24 hours.

So there it is. We've officially been indoctrinated into the world of life with a hemophiliac. We survived this episode, and we'll survive the many more that lie ahead.

Gabe, you're a strong little boy and you're going to keep Mommy and Daddy strong. For that, and everything else, we love you very much.

Gabe's swollen right leg.

Giggles

You can't help but giggle when Gabe giggles. Yes, laughter is infectious, but Gabe doesn't just make you laugh, he makes you giggle. When Gabe giggles, that joyous little sound jumps right inside your bones, to the core of your body, and he makes you giggle just like him. And when that happens, you and Gabe and everyone around you sound like a chorus of little dolls whose drawstrings have just been pulled and let go.

Into the Woods

The last time Jon and I went camping was in the summer of 2005, just before I found out I was pregnant with Ruthie. I can't believe we waited three whole years to go again.

I know our reasons for putting off going- It's too hard with a baby... The kids won't be able to sleep if they're not in their beds... How are we going to fit everything in the car... and any other argument you can think of with one to two kids, two dogs and us.

We finally had our opportunity when our friend Walt called on Thursday and said, "Hey- you guys want to go camping tomorrow?" Our initial response was, "Hmmmmmm...well...I don't know..." until we finally said, "Let's just do it!" We figured the worst case scenario is that we would have a horrible time and then we just wouldn't go again until the kids were old enough to handle it.

Instead, it turned out to be a wonderful experience and we are ready to go again.

Ruthie had a blast! She helped set up the tent and searched for firewood. She enjoyed her first campfire, or "candles" as she called it. She even dragged her sleeping bag and pillow back and forth a hundred times between Uncle Walt's tent and ours trying to decide where to sleep. She did wake up in the middle of the night a little spooked and cold, but after finally calming down she slept well into the morning.



Gabe had no problems camping! He stayed right on schedule and slept all night long- even through Ruthie's crying spell. And he was quite content in his camping bed- a perfectly-sized cardboard box! Don't knock it- it was way easier to transport and set up than the pack-and-play. Gabe didn't seem to mind one bit!



I hope this will be the first of many camping trips to come. I know many people who have fond memories of camping with their families when they were young. I want my children to be no different.

12 Weeks

Our little Gabriel is 12 weeks old today, and he is living life to its fullest. He has had quite a fun-filled summer tagging along with his big sis to the park, the zoo, the library, the pool.... He's been quite the trooper with minimal complaints!

Gabe's doing great. At his two month check-up he weighed in at 9lbs 12oz, so I'm sure he's well into the 10lb range by now. He's a good eater and he's been sleeping well. He's had many "almost" full nights of sleep- he'll go 8 to 9 hours, but he's been needing a pacifier around hour six to make it the rest of the way. Last night, though, he gave us a nice solid eight hours of sleep without interruption. Here's hoping there's plenty more of those nights to come!

Mama's Cherry Pie

(think "Country")

I wanna tell y'all a little story about a recent family activity...

Yesterday we packed up our car real good and took a little road trip down to a real nice place called Berry Patch Farms. Them people who run that there farm, they're real good people.

You know what them farmers asked us when we done got there? They asked us if we was interested in doin' some cherry pickin'. Cherry pickin'? We ain't never done no cherry pickin'. But we all looked at each other real hard and then we said "What the heck. Let's go and do us some cherry pickin'!"

And you know what? We got us some real nice cherries. And I done turned those cherries into a real nice cherry pie. I ain't never made no pie before.

And you know what else? That cherry pie was dee-licious. The chilluns liked it, their daddy liked it, I sure liked it, and even them doggies liked it. It was real good.

We had so much fun doin' that there cherry pickin, I went and wrote me up a little diddie all about it. I sure hope you enjoy...

Ruthie went a pickin' and she did fine, uh huh.
Ruthie went a pickin' and she did fine, uh huh.
Ruthie went a pickin' and she did fine,
She picked lots of cherries for the cherry pie.
Ruthie went a pickin' and she did fine, uh huh.

Snow in July

As Denver begins to heat up for the summer, it's nice to get away to cooler areas. The fabulous thing about Colorado is that you can always hop on I-70 West and you will inevitably hit cooler weather somewhere down the road. Today we did just that. And, not only did we hit cooler weather (a refreshing 64 degrees), we also hit snow.

Just 50 miles west of Denver is St. Mary's Glacier. With a short rocky hike upwards you soon reach a picturesque lake and the year-round snowfield that lies behind it. While Ruthie had very little interest in actually hiking the hike, she loved bouldering on the big rocks, throwing little rocks in the lake and walking in and eating the "no."

So, when the kids are hot and sticky in the middle of July, we can hop in the car for some sledding and snowball fights and, yes, even skiing!

I Wanna Be Like Ruth

As I've been snapping photos of Gabe, I've noticed that many of them look an awful lot like big sis Ruthie. I'm not referring to their faces looking alike (I'll let you decide that) so much as their mannerisms. I won't say anymore, because I think the pictures speak for themselves. And, just in case you can't tell them apart, Gabe is always on the left and Ruthie's on the right.


First days




Coming home




Naptime




Striking a pose




Oy!

And then there were four

Gabriel Lars Olson, 1 day old


That's right- the Olson family is expanding! Gabriel Lars joined us in the wee early hours of Tuesday, April 22nd (1:42am) to become the newest Olson on the block! His arrival was a bit of a surprise, since he wasn't due to join us for about 5 more weeks, but we are very happy and excited that he's here.

He weighed in at a healthy 6lbs2.8oz, 19 1/4" long (for this I am thankful that he did not wait another 5 weeks to come out!). However, since the lungs are the last major organ to develop in a fetus, Gabe did need some extra help breathing. I got to hold him for just a minute before he was taken off to the NICU where they put him on oxygen and helped to relieve some of the extra fluid in his lungs.

Since then, he's been improving steadily! He came off his oxygen and all tubes on Tuesday night. His goal now is to eat more on his own so that he can come off his IV and come home to his family. We're hoping that with the vast progress he's made so far, that this won't much time to achieve.

From what I can tell, though, Gabe is already trying to catch up with his big sister. He had a very quick birth (first written contraction to birth=2 hours, total time in delivery room=27 minutes, total number of pushes=4 or 5). Just like his big sister, he decided for mommy that she was not going to get an epidural. He also decided he wanted to be born in April, and to be born on a Tuesday, and to give his mommy the rest of the school year off, all just like his big sis!

And, in return, we already love him just as much as his big sis!


First family photo!

Turning Two

Before I post any more blogs, I just want to wish my little girl a happy birthday. She turned 2 years old on April 4th, celebrating in style at the park with all her friends young and old.

It's still amazing to watch her grow and learn, to see her struggles and successes, and to have her presence in our lives every single day.

Happy Birthday, Ruthie!

Dinner Time

No, this dinner is not for Ruthie. It's "feed the doggies" time and we have the perfect little helper. Ruthie can run this routine with her eyes closed. She knows where to find the bowls, which bowl belongs to which dog, and where each of them eats. Before we switched Gertie to Hirschel's adult food, Ruthie could even tell you which container held which dogs' food. I wonder how many years will pass before Ruthie determines "feed the doggies" time to be a chore and begins demanding allowance money?

Ruthie Olson- Skier Extraordinaire

Don't worry- Ruthie's not skiing just yet! But, she does enjoy testing out daddy's homemade skis! She wants to make sure they're solid and sturdy and that daddy's signature stripes are nice and dry.

Night Night

As we are getting closer to transitioning Ruthie to her "big girl" bed, she is showing us clear signs that she is ready for the switch. Of course, you might notice that her choice of "beds" isn't too far off from her crib. Maybe I should ask the dogs their opinion on the matter.

Learning Curve

You would think that not a whole lot would surprise me in the realm of language and learning. I've taken many courses in education, psychology, linguistics and language acquisition- enough to know and understand the processes of and look-fors in language and learning development. And, of course, being a teacher of reading, writing, math, and language for the past seven years- well, that helps, too.

But, even with all of that experience, I just cannot seem to comprehend the amount of learning that is going on with my own child.

There is just something about this tiny little person who is still so new to this world, who somehow knows SO much. Ruthie is picking up not just words and skills at a pace faster than I can blink, but she's picking up actual knowledge. For example, I recently witnessed Ruthie making an actual self-correction. She was in bed looking at a book and I heard her say "car." Then, almost mmediately, she started saying "truck, truck, truck." I went over to her and, sure enough, the picture was of a truck, not a car. It can take an entire school year just to teach some 1st graders to even notice when they are reading something wrong, let alone how to fix it. Yet, my 21 month old daughter is correcting herself before she can even speak in full sentences.

This rapid learning curve of Ruthie's is totally expected at her age, but it's still amazing to watch unfold. No matter how much I thought I already knew, or how much I thought I understood, I am still learning right along with Ruthie.

WHEEEEEEEEEE!

Oh,to be a child again. It's pretty significant how our simple pleasures in life change as we grow and get older. If only in our adult lives we could gain pure happiness from being tossed inside a bag and swung around....

What is it?

We went to the doc for the ultrasound
And what we saw was quite profound.
There was the heart, the brain, the spine and all
And between the legs was a penis and balls.


IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!

Downhill Sledding

We have had quite the winter weather here in Denver for the past couple of weeks. There were a couple of super snowy days and lots of bitter cold temperatures that have kept the snow around for longer than usual. For anyone who enjoys somewhat warmer weather, it is finally heating back up and, with the snow still on the ground, makes for some enjoyable "play in the snow" time! And, thanks to our new nearby development called Stapleton, we now have what we can actually call a "hill" in Denver!

12:00 A.M.

2 minutes before the New Year...




2 minutes and 20 seconds later...




HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!