ADHD

Well, I realize that I've not posted in a long a$$ time. WOW. After Dustin started Kindergarten we took him to the doctor and had him diagnosed with ADHD. Most everyone I spoke with regarding this step in his life was against medication. However, I take antidepressants and have been on them since before he was born. So, I take medication every day. If it helps... why should we have to suffer through it. I always view medication like having an epidural during labor. I know that I can give natural child birth... I know I can withstand the pain... how do I know this? Women have been giving birth since the dawn of time... and I've been pregnant and delivered children. This stands to reason that I could also handle the pain... i.e. I wouldn't die from it... but WHY? If there's a better option... an easier route if you will... why would I needlessly suffer? That makes no sense. That's like having the means to buy warm clothes during the winter but deciding to wear shorts or something just to prove you can. It's dumb... this is just my opinion. Anyway, I digress... we put Dustin on medication... despite all of the people that gave me odd looks that told me they thought it was a bad idea. But, the beautiful thing about being a parent... is I get to call the shots... :) Even my hubby disdained the idea that we put him on medication. Guess what?... it's a little under two months later and he's on board... why? Because Dustin is responding to it beautifully. I say he's like night and day... but that's not true... it's more like dusk and night. Meaning... he's still himself... it's just softer. My best example is his coloring... okay... before now he would color all over the page and it was hard to follow what was going on... now he colors in lines... he takes more time... he's calmer... more focused. So, to me this means that he's able to do things he wasn't able before... like pay more attention to school work... and let's be honest... with his speech delay... he really needs to be able to focus during school. I'm thrilled with his progress. He's such a bright boy and he loves school. I'm not sure if he'll have to repeat Kindergarten again because I believe his ADHD inpaired his ability to learn but I suppose I'll make that decision closer to the end of the year. I want Dustin to feel equal with his peers... so if we're going to hold him back... Kindergarten would be the time rather than in 3rd grade or whatever. Bug is such an amazing little guy. He's got such a big heart and he really is so smart. I hate that he has to battle such things at such a young age. It's hard but I'm doing my best to try and shelter him from the stigma of being behind.

Kindergarten

Well we survived the first week of school. Monday was exceptionally brutal... probably more so for me than Dustin. Although Dustin did cry and that ripped my heart out. I think it was more the reality that my baby is really going to grow up and leave me eventually. It's just one step closer to the time when he's no longer mine. I know he's not really mine, it's more like God let me borrow him temporarily to watch over him until he's able to do so himself. So, that reality is always such a let down to me. Because they are my babies and my angels. (Of course as I write this Dustin is torturing Dakota so he's been screeching all morning which is wonderful). I wish they could always be mine because I'm selfish like that. I think when you become a mother you fall so much in love with your children that over time it becomes difficult to let them grow up. It's traumatic for the mother or is in my case. Luckily Tuesday went much better as did the rest of the week. Dustin actually seemed to be enjoying it and doesn't seem to mind it anymore. I'm glad I decided to be the one to take him for the first week. It was important to be there to support him emotionally. Now that he is more acclimated I believe it should be fine for Darrell to begin taking him next week. Of course it turns out that Darrell left Tuesday night to go visit his brother near Waco so I would've had to take Dustin to school regardless. But, I'm just glad it had been my plan all along. It was good for me to see what his schedule/surroundings are like. I'm glad I was able to meet his teacher and see what his classroom is like with all of the kids there. (Dustin and I had attended meet the teacher night.... but being there during the first week of school was different). Dustin has collapsed every night after school because it is such an adjustment to his previous schedule. So, he's definitely been going to bed without us turning his TV on. What's funny is last night I let him have the TV on because it was Friday night but he passed out in like 20 minutes because he was so exhausted from the week's schedule. So, we made it through week one... luckily I have some time before my other two babies go to Kindergarten.

Everything to Everyone

Do you ever feel so stretched sometimes in so many different directions it's difficult to keep track of all the threads? That's sort of how I feel at the moment. However, it's not the number of threads and directions that has me irritated... it's my ability to perfect them all. I feel like I've been "stubbing my toe" in certain areas and have not mastered everything that I should have already workwise and it's bothering me more than I could say. I feel like having to basically be CEO of a household (remembering everything for everyone) and maintaining all the little details (couponing, cleaning, paying bills), etc. have prevented me from being as productive as I want to be in other areas. I feel like I've done so much better in recent weeks in terms of budgeting and watching our spending. I've spent a lot of time couponing and doing other various activities to save money now and in the future. I've seen some small changes and it's been good. I started working out 5-6 weeks ago... haven't seen any changes there... but I feel better so that's good. My house has been in pretty good shape for weeks now (let's not talk about my car). But, I do this one process at work and it started a few months ago. It's not perfect and I'm not perfect at it and that drives me freaking bananas. I sort of want to pull my hair out in frustration with myself. I know that I should have a little more patience with myself perhaps... but I'm sort of beyond that. I'm told that I have a lack of empathy and that definitely includes myself. Meaning I'll give anyone a little to a lot of wiggle room in some areas... but there comes a point when excuses (I'm new at this) or whatever are enough. So, this month better be different or I'm going to vote myself off my own island.

Things that Should REALLY be on a BABY Registry

Okay, so when I first found out my boss was carrying her first child I threw together these pictures of things that should really be on a baby registry because I thought there was some element of truth for those of us with children already and because it amused the hell out of me.

Valium... for us or for them... either way works.

Four foot tongs... you're going to need these to handle anything nasty... so you'll need these a lot with a new baby.

A "play pen" If CPS swings by you may want to say this is for the dog. This is more convincing if you actually own a dog.

This is self explanatory... also helpful if you actually own a dog.

A Hazmat suit... so many uses... not enough space to list them all.

Ear plugs... for when they just won't "shut up"

"Bottles" I don't drink... but if I did I would probably have a lot of these. :)

So, that's my twisted sense of humor.

The Things we Forget

I always think about the things my children do now that are so adorable. However, due to the passing of time I'll undoubtedly forget. Such as the fact that my middle son, Dakota, calls pancakes "cancakes." Or the fact that my youngest son Daxton rocks himself in his car seat on his own. Earlier this weekend I sad a bad word and my eldest, Dustin, looked me right in the eye and said, "Excuse you." Of course this is what I say to him when he says something he's not supposed to. So, I forced to apologize because that's what you are supposed to do when you say something you aren't supposed to. :P This 4th of July weekend was full of plenty of things I'm probably going to forget and all of it was so wonderful. Dustin and his Uncle Gerald cavorted in our mini pool and had water fights. I even jumped in on this full clothed in sweat pants and all. We did smores for the first time as a famiy and tonight we did fireworks and Dustin and Dakota held sparklers for the first time. Obviously my Dad and I held their hands as well. Earlier today I took all 3 of my boys to our friend JT's house for a massive fourth of July AA blowout. My kids and I were out there for 5 hours. I kept dousing them in water to cool them off. Eventually their shirts came off. There was a bounce house. They were covered in sand, sweat, chocolate, cheetos, soda, and anything else you can imagine. They pitched a fit when it was time to go but passed out in the car on the way home. I did hose them off before we got in the house due to their dirty state of being. It's 11:00 p.m. and they are down the hall barely in bed because we did fireworks. Of course Dustin had to use the restroom five minutes ago and so they are both awake. Daxton JUST passed out beside me. And my house is only half clean. My house has paid the price with all the fun we've had this summer. The house cleaning has completely fallen by the wayside. :P I've had so much fun spending time outdoors with the boys. I believe they've also really enjoyed it as well. Happy 4th of July everyone.

The World According to Dax

Life rules when you wake up and party with Mom on a Wednesday night. Dax woke up and we hung out. He's got it so rough... hang out with Mommy, cuddle with Mommy, play with brothers. He lays on the ground in what I call his sphinx pose and watches the world around him. You can tell that he's anxious to get up and join the fun of his older brothers. I have to say that of all my children Dax is probably the most spoiled and yes it's because he's the baby. I never really believed that until I had my own 'baby' of the family. But, just like my other babies, he'll get away with murder cause I'm a push over. :)

This is an ultimate favorite...


If you see this guy, run, he's armed and dangerous.

I'm contemplating what to do next.

Oh yeah... smile

This Week So Far: NO Casualties of War

So, I have to tell this story because it was out if left field. I was too aggravated last weekend to really discuss this on my blog because I would not have had anything nice to say. So, last Friday my husband thought that the cat was looking a little under the weather (later found out she was probably a little dehydrated) and he decided that it must be fleas biting her that is making her look sick. So he grabbed the DOG flea medication and put it on the cat sometime Friday during the day. DOG flea medication? Yes, that's what I said... anyway around 10 p.m. I was looking at the cat and she was drooling uncontrollably. I thought she had an infected tooth because when I inspected her mouth she kept pulling her face away like she was in pain. Anyway, about 2 hours later around midnight I heard something pound on my bedroom door. So, I went into the hallway and my cat was foaming at the mouth. A few moments later I saw her having seizures. I freaked out (my husband was at work at this time). I rounded up the kids (barefoot and still in diapers) and threw them in the car. We went to the ER vet and ended up spending $500 to correct this blunder. I was so pissed I couldn't even see straight. Now that the cat is fine I can find some humor in the situation. However, I would NOT recommend this as a way to get on your wife's good side.


Dakota also left his mark twice this week by pooping in his pants after I put him to bed and then proceeding to stick his hands in it and then smeared it all over his bed. Then second time he did it he got a spanking. He also threw and entire bag of crackers into my briefcase all over my work laptop. That was awesome.

A Math Formula They Forgot to Teach Us

Now, I would like to consider myself a reasonably rational person. I've even been told that I'm a pretty calm person the majority of the time. Unless of course you are my husband, then this is not applicable. :) I personally feel that there has been a serious oversight in the education of children concerning a small mathematical formula that should be taught in every school across the nation if not the world. Of course I can only speak for myself in such instances. However, I feel that it is a universal theory that could be applied to millions of situations. Here is the formula that I am referring to:

My Children + The Amount of Time, Effort, and My Ability to Clean the Mess = My Level of Irritation or Rage at Said Mess

Thus, whatever mess my children make + my ability to get rid of said mess is directly proportional to the level of aggravation within me... for instance please refer to the following examples (2).

Baby Powder on Chair

Baby Powder also on TV/Dresser

More Shots

On the Chair

Now, in the case of the above example, powder on the chair and dresser/TV, this does not incite much of a response from me. This is due to the fact that I was able to clean this up in minutes. A little windex and paper towels for the TV and dresser, some water for the chair (fabric) and poof it was gone. You can also tell I was amused because I took a picture.

Permanent Marker on the Tile Floor

Now, one might think this next example would cause me more aggravation because its Permanent Marker. However, this one was actually faster to clean up. I sprayed bleach on it, let it sit, and simply wiped it up moments later. Again you can tell it amused me because I took a picture.

HOWEVER, today Dakota put Permanent Marker on my COUCH. He's lucky he's still breathing. Luckily, I got the majority of the blue maker out with nail polish remover. However, Dakota got a serious spanking and it was then immediately time for him to go take a nap. It didn't even piss me off that he scribbled on my glass table with the same marker. WHY? Because I was able to get it off. Of course, I sincerely frown on his usage of permanent marker and do discipline him when he begins getting into trouble. However, it was definitely the couch that took the cake. God, I was so PISSED. And no I did not take a picture. Remember: Kids + Amount of Mess = Level of Aggravation in Parents. :)

25 Reasons My Life is like a Frat Party

1. Gravity always seems to be a challenge. 2. Hand-eye coordination seems to be completely unreliable. 3. Going to the restroom is always a group endeavor. 4. Random brawls are a frequent occurrence. 5. If someone emits a belch or has flatulence this is cause for hysterical laughter. 6. For some reason unbeknownst to you, the floor is sticky. 7. There are random food wrappers scattered throughout the immediate area. 8. What often appears to be a good idea to those involved is extremely dangerous or idiotic to those with a more sober perspective. 9. The dancing is exceptionally bad and yet somehow endearing. 10. It seems that everyone constantly has the munchies. 11. Every mess probably contains some form of bodily fluid. 12. Privacy is an elusive myth perpetuated by cruel outsiders. 13. The party always seem to congregate in close proximity to any female. 14. Everyone's cup always seems to be mysteriously empty. 15. The speech of the cohabitants is often slurred and difficult to understand. 16. Tread carefully else you may trip over items that have to business being out in the open. 17. Drinking and driving is strongly discourage but frequently occurs. 18. Silverware is a confusing and challenging prospect. 19. No one appears to know how to dress and every individual's style is unique and very questionable. 20. There is definitely a preoccupation with anything phallic in nature. 21. Everyone definitely has an oral fixation. 22. The preference of every individual in attendance is to roam around shirtless. 23. Someone is always wondering who is going to make the next food or drink run. 24. The toilet seat is never down. 25. Hygiene is an ambiguous term.

The Epitome of Gross

If you have a weak stomach, please do not read this post... thanks..

WOW!! I know that my boys are gross by nature. That is what they are supposed to be... however some days it just amazes me how gross they can be. I believe that motherhood and a strong stomach go hand in hand. If anyone told me how gross it would be I may have gotten a cat... no I'm kidding... I love them despite them being gross.

Okay... so let's see what happened today... I got the boys up... Dakota and liquid poop all over him on the outside of his diaper and he proceeds to stick his hand in it... gross.... so... clean him up. Dax also had poop. This is normal even the little ones do poop. So, I got them both cleaned up... Dustin is potty trained thank God.

Then Dustin decides he and brother are going outside to play. This is fine... they have everything they could want outside. Outside they immediately become covered in dirt and chalk (chalk to draw on our pavement). After awhile outside Dustin decides he's going to brush his teeth outside. I walk by the window and both boys are holding toothbrushes and the toothpaste. WTF? Okay, so I go and grab the toothpaste... they can brush their teeth outside... probably won't hurt anyone... but let's leave some toothpaste for the rest of the family. So, now we have added toothpaste to the mix. Mmmmm dirt and toothpaste... yummy combo. In the MEANTIME while they are becoming covered in dirt I am now washing all bedding in their room... they are covered in pee. Gross. I've also now cleaned the toilet which is also covered in pee because Dustin and his Dad I assume cannot keep it inside the toilet because it is too difficult. I go back to retrieve my children as its time to eat. Dakota has liquid shit all over the back of his pants and shirt. Dustin is covered in dirt and proceeds to tell me he's not dirty... yeah right. Kota goes straight into the shower because this is a mess I'll use 3 packages of baby wipes to clean up. His clothes go straight into the washing machine. Dustin puts his dirt covered hands all over my clean bathroom... it now looks like someone put brown hand and foot prints all over the place. Okay... get Dakota rinses off so I can actually put some soap on his scrubby ass. He proceeds to scream the entire time. Dustin manages to clean himself for the most part. Once I finally get them both cleaned off it's time to eat. I fix them both something to eat. Dakota flings it all over the floor and gets it all over his body... arms, legs, face, hands, and feet. Gross. So, I get him cleaned up... then it's time for a nap. I have the urine infested blankets that are not yet washed (I've done 3 loads and made the beds with their sheets and comforters but some of the bedding is not yet done as they like to sleep with smaller fluffy blankets) on the floor. Dakota lays on it insisting he has to sleep with it. I drag him off and put him in his playpen. Dustin is also crying because his favorite blanket is not yet washed. Where is Daxton in all of this? He's been going with me from room to room attempting to correct the carnage his older two brothers have done to the house throughout the week. Thank God he can't crawl, walk, or make TRUE messes yet. He spits up and poops... but that's so mild compared to his older brothers it's unreal.
What's also awesome... the day is only half over... but they aren't going back outside. F that.

My 3 Sons

I thought I would post some pictures of my 3 boys. These are the first ones where I have all 3 of them in one set of pictures. I'm thinking that I may force Darrell to accompany me to my Dad's tomorrow night where I can get some pictures of all 5 of us. That would be amazing. Yes, I think I may just do that. But for now... here are the pix of my 3 midgets.

Kota pouting again...

Awwww.

This one is my favorite.

Gimme... I want to hold him.

Kota gets to hold Dax and smoosh his head.

Smoosh the head.

I love my babies.

Dakota's 2nd Birthday

I'm almost 2 months late in posting the pictures from Dakota's 2nd birthday. However, I thought that I would include them anyway. It was a lot of fun and we had our new addition in attendance although he slept through the entire event. Dakota was largely unconcerned with opening his presents as he was at Christmas. However, he did seem to take to his Tigger.

Dakota and Tigger.

Dakota pouting about something.

Dakota heading for the sippy cup... probably what he was pouting about.

Dustin getting into the presents.

Sup?

Party Favors!

Daddy helps to open presents as does Dustin.

Kota supervises the opening of presents.

Bittersweet

I'm returning to work on Monday March 7, 2011. I have mixed emotions regarding my return. On the one hand I'm extremely excited to get back to working again. I really enjoy my job and learning about General Accounting. I even have a business trip scheduled a week from Tuesday where I'll be gone for 4 1/2 days. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to learn new things while I'm in Kalamazoo. I'm sick in that I missed doing Journal Entries while I've been on maternity leave. HOWEVER, both returning to work and going away for a few days is very bittersweet. I'm going to miss my baby so much. It's going to be hard to be away from him when he's basically been with me 24-7. It's also going to be hard to be away from my boys during my business trip. So, on the one hand I'm really looking forward to returning while on the other hand I'm sad to be away from my boys. I'm sure its perfectly natural and once I get back into the routine of working again that my emotions will level out.

Hooray for Wal.mart!

Just when you think it couldn't get any colder... North Texas weather decides that we need some more snow. So, it snowed like six inches this morning on top of the already snowy atmosphere. Now I'm beginning to wonder if we will actually be able to fly out tomorrow at all. Of course just by looking at the roads I can already surmise that it's going to take 2-3 hours just to drive to the airport since I'm going to have to drive 25 miles/hour the whole way there. So, tomorrow should be fun along with how much fun this week has already been. :P I should finish cleaning the house today before I head out of town. However, my oldest son just asked to go night-night and take a nap. Who am I to argue with nap logic? Exactly. Now if Daxton will just pass out we'll all take a nap. Hopefully a long one. ;) I won't hold my breath. Yesterday I was griping about how claustrophobic I feel in this house. Luckily though I was almost out of formula and thus was forced to endure the horrible weather and venture to Wal.mart. Thank God they are always open because I was able to get Daxton what he needs and Mommy was able to get out of the house before I ended up drowning myself. :P So, sometimes we all just need to get out of the house even for ten minutes. Although because of the horrendous road conditions it actually took me closer to an hour. :) Stay safe everyone!!

What Else??

So, this week has been a war zone in terms of the weather. We have had the coldest snow storm North Texas has seen in decades. So, we've been home bound for days which is awesome. Being stuck in the house with small children who need to get out and exercise has been a blast. I'm sure we'll end up being cooped up on Friday as well. Luckily for the boys and I we fly out Saturday to go to Phoenix for 11 days. So, at least regardless of the weather there is an end in sight for us.
So, let's discuss the events of this week which has made it one of the most expensive as well as arduous weeks I have encountered recently. Let's see... I dropped my phone in water. Thus, I had to pay $89 to get my Droid replaced (that was the deductable for the insurance I already pay for monthly). Then our heater went out. On the coldest day in history... so that was awesome. So, we had to pay 1.5K to replace the entire heater. On Wednesday our power went out 3x. Which was super awesome. Oh yeah and on Tuesday night my dog ran away. She was gone for 36 hours. I was sure she was dead. Luckily I found her today and when my sister in law happened to spot her while she was outdoors smoking a cigarette. Our shower pipe is frozen as a result of the no heat so we can't take showers. Only time will tell if its completely busted. Of course we won't know that until it's thawed and has caused several thousand dollars worth of damage to my house. So, I'm looking forward to that. So, it's definitely been a long week. I should probably just go back to work so I can avoid all of these things going wrong since they only seem to have been happening since I've been on maternity leave. Go figure. :{
Let's not talk about the fact that my house is very claustrophobic at this point because there are so many of us under one roof. Seriously, I think we're all about two feet from pummeling each other. Perhaps its only me... but I know that I'm getting stir crazy. 4 adults, 3 kids, a dog, and cat living under my roof are FAR too many during a snow storm when we have absolutely no outlet. Of course at least now we are all warm and safe. Smelly since we can't take showers... but safe.
Actually we are fixin' to brave the roads and head to my Dad's house so I can take a shower and bathe my children.

Daxton William Duke

Well, Daxton William Duke was born on January 7th, 2011 at 1:18 p.m. weighing a whopping 8.9 lbs and measuring 20.5 inches long. He is so adorable. He is definitely the largest infant I've given birth to. Ironically, despite being the smallest Dakota was my second largest. Dustin was the smallest weighing two pounds less than his youngest brother. There are a lot of males in my life. :P I must say that I have not quite adjusted to being the mother of 3 boys. I feel like I'm having a lot of difficulty finding my rhythm. I wanted to use this time to spend it with Dakota as well as Daxton. I knew that I intended on taking Dustin to preschool because I feel like it's more important that he learn and prepare for kindergarten than to stay home with me. However, it has been exceedingly difficult because I've also been taking Dakota to daycare as well during the day. So, I'm basically paying for full time childcare for both of them and not spending extra time with either of them because my schedule is all jacked from being with Daxton throughout the night. I've been pumping and feeding Daxton formula to make sure that he is getting enough food. Normally he sleeps really well during the day of course and some nights he just wants to hang out. He woke me up at 4 a.m. the other night and after eating was pissed off because the lights were out. We came out to my living room and I turned on the tv. He spent an hour watching the lights. I'm like... you woke me up so we could watch tv? Seriously? Luckily for Dax he's already used to the loud noises and the loud toys that his brothers have because he doesn't really have too much difficulty sleeping when they are home. I'm hoping that I'm able to get on a schedule where I can have Dakota home during the day. But, Daxton is almost three weeks old and I haven't gotten there yet. I guess I should be patient. My nephew was born 4 days after Daxton on January 11, 2011 weighing around 6 lbs and measuring 20 inches. My sister is solely breast feeding Riley and it sounds like she's having a hell of a time with it. Her son is keeping her up at all hours and all this other crap. Having the combination of breast milk and formula is definitely the way to go for my kids. It keeps them fuller for a longer period of time and they reep the benefits of both worlds. I would lose my freaking mind if Dax was doing that to me. There's no way... and be up to get up with my other two... I doubt it. But, I'm very grateful that Dax is here even though I haven't completely adjusted. I'm sure we'll get there. It's not like a competition. I finally was able to get my house totally cleaned today. Mainly because I attempted it on Sunday when all the boys were home and that was counterproductive. Perhaps if I didn't have Dakota throwing everything everywhere then it would be a different story. :P

Got Milk?

Check out my Shark hairdo.

Night Night.

Angel Face.

Love my Munchie.