January 31st, Grand Rapids Trip

This is the latest post in the series of William, grace and Juliet's journey with hypophosphatasia. And now adding Emily to the list.

The expected high today was 36F. When we left Lansing (before dark) it was dry. By the time we made it up to Grand Rapids, it was snowing on us!

Emily's day (and mine) actually started at midnight.  We got up, set up some space heaters in the girls room (that no one was sleeping in) and did our ablutions. Then it was time to knock out some chores.  I started some laundry, we unloaded the dishwasher, made lunches for the day, I paid an online bill and blogged my second QR code label!

Once all of our duties were fulfilled we brought our snack kit (jolly ranchers, cotton candy, ring pops, cheese popcorn, dr. pepper (for me,) apple juice (for Emily) into the warmed room.  Since we keep it at 61F at night, the room was very warm by contrast.

I felt bad for Emily, because I was dragging, even with the aid of caffeine, and she couldn't have any caffeine (including chocolate.)  We watched some of the new Scooby Doo episodes, and sorted through the Legos.  She put together all the people, while I sorted out some of the "useless" pieces that they add to the modern sets just to up their count.  Anything that can only be placed on top, as in no connecting piece to build on, had to go.  We didn't eat much of our 'party' food, I guess we just aren't hungry during that time of day. = )

Around 4:15 William woke up in panic thinking that we had left him, but him trying to sleep on the bed in a lit, noisy room was not happening, so I tucked him in with Billy.

At about 5am Emily and I finished up the Legos, the morning passed surprisingly fast, then cleaned up and headed out to buy donuts!  By the time we got back, Avia was here, Billy and William were awake.  We passed out donuts, and packed up poor William's.  Fasting is much harder when you are around people eating their breakfast.

Everyone except for Juliet was awake when we left, and Avia was preparing to spend the day at our house, with a sick Grace.

We got on the road a little after 6:20, and I put on The Land Before Time for William and Emily to watch.  Billy was driving, and the longer we were in the car, the harder it was for me to stay awake, and I kept having to rouse poor Emily.

As we pulled into Grand Rapids, the snow started coming down, and the sun wasn't yet up.  We were early for William's 8am appointment, but the waiting room was open.  We were a tired crew!

The first step was to weigh and measure William, then they applied some cream to numb the area they would be inserting the IV.  After about 20 minutes we were brought back into his room.  He was very brave for the IV, but still not happy.

Even after the sun came up, it was still snowing.

Once he was all settled in, with the movie, he was hungry but content.

At 9 am, it was *finally* time to head up to Emily's appointment!

Her room was in the same group of rooms where Grace had her sleep study!  She was barely hanging on as the tech hooked her up!  She had no problem falling asleep for the sleeping section of the test!

After her 20 minute nap, she had to wake up enough to do the flashing light test, but still keep her eyes closed!

She did awesome, and I don't think her entire process took longer than about 30 minutes!

We headed back to William's room to find him and Billy sleeping!

I snagged one of his discarded pillows, and tried to help Emily get comfortable enough on the bench to sleep, but she couldn't fall asleep again.

We were trying to be quiet, so she played on her tablet and I watched some Supernatural until the nurse came back in.  William only had one blood draw left when he woke up!

He was a very happy boy to eat his rice krispie treat, and drink his apple juice.  He was given a game to take home, and we were out of there!  Some of the medicine they gave him made him sleepy and unsteady on his feet, so I held on to him as we headed out the car.

Since we don't have any Sonic's in Lansing (?!?) we went to the one just south of Grand Rapids.  It was the first time we'd been in almost 3 years!  I swear, it was a weekly staple in Texas, but not worth driving the hour to indulge.   

Both William and Emily were asleep when we ordered, so we got them some kids meals to go, since Aunt Rocky was getting pizza for the other 3.

Emily and I had researched 'fun' things to do in Grand Rapids after their appointment, but none of us were in a condition to exert the energy needed to "go have fun." lol

We headed home, and though it felt late in the day, it was just after noon. ugh.  William and Emily slept the entire drive home, but I set a goal to stay up and get my body back on a regular sleep schedule.

Since we were home so early, Avia headed out, and so the other three did not get something special from Aunt Rocky.  

The nurse called after the Doctor reviewed William's results, to let us know that everything was normal!  Both his growth hormones are acting normal, so we just need to push the protein!  I am so relieved.

We aren't expecting Emily's results for another week or so.

********************

When I picked up Alice and Juliet, we headed to Wendy's to get their dinner.

I got an email from Alice's teacher that she was not wearing her shoes in school.  After discussing this issue with her, we decided that her shoes must be too small. = (  I knew if I stopped moving that I would crash hard, so we made a trip to Target.

She was wearing a 5.5 last time I bought her shoes, so she tried on the size 6.  She said it was too tight, and sure enough, her toe was pressed against the edge.  So, she tried on a 6.5.  She said it was tight, and yep, her toe was right at the edge.  The 7s were perfect.  

No wonder she wasn't wearing them at school, her shoes were 1.5 sizes too small!  Oh, Alice.  So, we discussed that if her shoes felt uncomfortable, she needed to tell me, so that we could get her some bigger shoes, but not wearing shoes in school was not appropriate. 

I thought certainly it would be time for me to head to bed when we got home, but it was only 5:15.  I had to putter around for 2 hours.

Grace and Juliet had their 100 day project to do, and they were sooooooooo excited to use the stamps that we have been 'saving' since Halloween!

After giving shots and giving Grace her medicine, it was finally 7pm, and I could go to bed!

It was a looooooooong day, but at least we have some conclusion for William, and will have an answer (good or bad) for Emily soon.

later days

<what happened previously
what happened next>

January 30th

Today the expected high is 32F.  I'm so tired of being cold. = (

At least we aren't expecting any snow, which is good, because tomorrow is our double trip up to Grand Rapids for Emily & William.

Grace woke up with a complaint of a headache and sore throat for the 3rd day in a row.  I was not able to swing a morning appointment for her, so my mom is taking her in this afternoon while Emily and I try to catch a nap.

I didn't sleep well, because my body has already started to prepare for Emily & I's weird sleep schedule tonight.  = /  I've started making a list of things for us to do (fun and not as fun) like sorting out the 'useless' Legos,  pruning Grace & Juliet's closet, painting our toenails and making a donut run. = )  Tonight is going to make sticking to my 21-day no candy fast a little tricky, but I think I can push through.

I picked Emily up at noon, which is the tail end of her lunch.  She was excited = )  I was worried that we wouldn't nap, but I snuck in an hour and she got in 2!

My mom messaged me with a report of Grace having strep throat.  = (  She also took her by to pick up her new frames.  She seems much happier now that her glasses aren't sliding off of her face.  Their last stop was the pharmacy to pick up her medicine for the next 10 days.

I picked up the other three before Grace and avia returned.  Everyone worked on homework, then Grace went into the room and fell asleep.  Poor sick little baby.

For dinner we had egg fried rice.  And Billy scheduled our summer trip to Great Wolf Lodge!  It will be our first time, and we are all excited.  Even Alice who was hesitant at first. ; )

later days

January 29th

Today the expected high was 32F.  It was cold, cold, cold.

Right after I dropped off my little ones, my mom came over with Sarah's truck so that I could go collect my mower!  The carburetor was causing the issues, so they replaced it and cleaned out the filters.

We managed to unload it pretty easily with the scrap doors Sarah sent over acting as a ramp.  After tucking away my mower, we ran some errands.

First up was Kohls to return the subpar lavender oil that Amazon directed me to.  Last April I ordered some really nice oil and it smelled good, and lasted me for almost a year.  When I reordered (using Amazon's buy it again option) they sent me something completely different.  I reported it, and left a review, but was unable to find a way to directly contact someone at Amazon with a complaint that wasn't limited to a certain number of characters. = (

The next errand was also not a fun one.  I received a letter that in order to continue receiving paper statements for part of my IRA, I had to opt in.  They didn't provide a number (unless you are a direct investor) so I had to go in to a branch.  It didn't take a super long time, and I was successful. = )

Then we started the fun errands. I treated my mom to lunch at Panera for her help with the mower, then we stopped in at Game Stop so that I could get some "Valentine Cards" for my little Valentines.

Our last stop was the Dollar tree for Emily some treats for Thursday night/Friday morning.

At home I was cleaning things up when I got a message from Grace's teacher that she wasn't feeling well.  So, my mom went to collect her while I finished sorting my items.

Grace knocked out her piano and homework, and was asleep by the time I came back with the others.

Willow hung out with us yesterday too, and everyone worked diligently on their homework. Except for William, who fought and fought. = /

For dinner we had spaghetti.  After dinner Billy and I planned out a summer family trip! = )

later days

January 28th

Today the expected high was 33F.  It was a little breezy and non-accumulating snow was falling after we left the school.

The kids were up e-a-r-l-y, but the 3 big kids knocked out their homework and piano, so the afternoon was nice and light!

I subbed for the 4-5y.o. class today and they were brutal.

For dinner we had premade tacos & taquitos.

later days

January 27th

Today was another cold, grey day.  The anticipated high was 35F, but my car read 36F at one point. ; )  We didn't' have much wind or any precipitation which made it bearable.

My mom came with me to make my grocery circuit: recycling @ sarah's, gas, aldi, Meijer.

Paczki is back in stores, I am soooooo excited!  Today I picked a cheese filling.  My favorite is lemon, I'll probably get it next time.  Or maybe Bavarian cream.

I was on a bit of a time crunch today, so I dropped her off, and headed to get Grace's glasses taped, again.  It took a while, because she actually completely replaced the earpieces.  Her glasses should be coming in any day now.

For lunch I had half a Paczki, half an avocado and a slice of swiss cheese. = )

Today it was my turn for the dentist.  It was just a cleaning, but it was at 12:30, so that I could finish my shopping, but not be anywhere near the end of the school day, in case things took longer than anticipated.

When  I went to pick up my dear ones from school, I saw two of the 4th graders chatting.  I thought to  myself, wow, they are so tall, I guess they are practically 5th graders... Then I recognized Alice (she had only the hood of her coat on, so I didn't recognize her sooner.) oh boy.

For dinner we finished the leftovers (the Chinese food  just lasts for forever!) and William got to enjoy one more BBQ sandwich.

Emily, Juliet and I all made our lunches for tomorrow. I'll need one, since I'm subbing an all day job tomorrow.

later days

Organizing Our Things

I love to label things, because my memory forgets what is in where, and the label just helps me remember!

My mom sent me this amazing amazon product that provides some QR code stickers that you put on the outside of your tubs, and then use the app to list out the contents, so that you can easily find things.

Well, I knew with the Avery app, I could do this same thing, and just link it to my blog (well another blog.)

And, I can always update the blog if I get rid of things, or change them around, or add things (hopefully not too much of that one.)

I'm tired tonight, but it's defintely on my list for my archived medical folders and Christmas tubs and mabye even my food tubs and the downstairs refirgerator..... oh yes!

later days

And the link to the tub, in case I need it: https://organizemytubs.blogspot.com/

January 26th, Billy's "Party" at Chuck E Cheese

Today's expected high was 35F.  I think it might have gotten a smidge warmer, but it was quite cold.  We had a rainy mix of snow and water all day.

All the weekend days following Billy's birthday have included reports of treacherous roads. So, we had to postpone his birthday "party" at Chuck E Cheese, in spite of all of his gift cards. = (  Today after church at JLC, we picked up William, Grace and Juliet from Avia's church and headed to celebrate. The kids didn't seem to mind. ; )

I kept all of the bands from the twins' birthday last year, so they have fancy ones, and the other three have some stretchy ones to use.  They only charge $1.50 for the bands, but it is just enough x5 that it is worth it to me to store the bands and bring them each time.  = )

Grace and Juliet spent a lot of time in the photo booth.  Since I recycle the originals, I'm posting pictures here.

They talked me into a picture too. = )

Alice saw the pile, and this was her contribution:

The booth ran out of paper before William and Emily could join in the fun. The kids earned almost 3000 tickets during their two hours, which gave them 585 apiece to spend!

For dinner we had some leftover Chinese, but no one was terribly hungry.

later days

January 25th, Celebrating the Chinese New Year

Today the temperature was expected to reach 40F, everything looked pretty melty from the comfort of my window, so it probably reached that.  Late in the evening we did end up with a "wintry" mix of snow in the air, rain on contact.

Avia came over and spent some time playing games with the kids, and we spent the rest of the day getting ready for our guests!

We celebrated the Chinese new year with some Chinese food and drink!

The smallest quantity of chopsticks I could buy was 40, so in addition to using them as food, we pulled up our hair, chopstick style.

It is the year of the rat, so they were using the chopsticks as 'whiskers.' = )

We enjoyed having the Eatons over, as always. And it was fun celebrating a new (to us) tradition!

later days

January 24th

Today's expected high was 38F and it rained all day this meant that it melted some of the snow, but not all of it.  Also, it is now really slick on the roads.

I worked in William's classroom today with one of his classmates.  I'm pretty worn out.  Also, I'm tired because I stayed up late finishing the book I bought on Tuesday.  It was totally worth it.  And a friend sent a bag of clothes & shoes to pick through for my kids, so we did that before we headed out.

My children do not like to leave the school.  Here's a picture of some of them "rolling" down the hall slowly when it was time to leave.

Emily has decided that she wants to learn Fuer Elise, and she has spent at least 2 hours in the past day practicing the new music!

Billy is helping her too, since he sight read it in no time (and totally acts like it's nothing.)  But she's making great strides!

I listened to and cried while listening to Songs About Texas, by Pat Green, because sometimes I just miss home so incredibly much.  And, him being a Tech alum, he totally gets it.

Now it's time for bed.

later days

January 23rd

Today was cold, but we made it above freezing.  The expected high was 37F, but my car was reading a balmy 38F. lol.  And then, it snowed for about an hour, in the 38 degree weather!  It was not enough to stick or even make the roads slick thankfully.

Grace woke up complaining of illness, but watching her move around and after taking her temperature (as well as William and Juliet's) I dropped her off at school with her siblings.

I headed straight for Horrocks to buy some specialty items for our upcoming Chinese new year celebration this weekend.  Despite going quite far out of the way, I was only about 10 minutes late for my MOPS meeting.  It was so good!

But, part of the way through it I got a call that Grace was still not feeling up to snuff, so I left early to go retrieve her.  She seemed in good spirits when we left the school. I had promised a meal to one of my MOPS ladies this afternoon, so we drove back to Holt to pick up some lunch for her and us. Grace was very chatty and lively.  She had managed to fool both me and the school secretary!

After dropping off the meal, we went by the thrift shop to donate a box of goods, then met up with Billy so he could have the other half of my Gyro. = )  While Billy and I were chatting, Grace did fall asleep in the car.  She slept all the way home, then roused herself to come inside and eat some more French fries, but is now sleeping again. = (  I guess she really doesn't feel so hot.

Avia came by with all sorts of goodies from her travels and stayed with Grace while I reclaimed my other little ones. = )

Billy had a dental cleaning today, so he got home a little earlier than normal.

For dinner we had hamburger helper.

It was a nice evening, hopefully everyone is well in the morning.

later days

January 22nd

Today flirted with temperatures above freezing, the expected high was 33F.  Juliet and I spent the day cuddling inside, so I'm not sure if it got there or not.  The heater kicked on several times.

Right before I went to sleep, Juliet had another episode of throwing up, so she stayed home with me.  her energy level was normal, but I'm glad she had the day to recover.

For lunch I headed up some leftover pizza.

She seemed very happy to go pick up her siblings and Willow.

For dinner we had a chicken spaghetti casserole that I prepped yesterday.  It was an early release day, so the kids had enough snacks that I don't think they were very hungry for dinner.  Billy liked it though. = )

I have double errands to run tomorrow, since Juliet and I didn't go get anything done today, but it was a nice, true, break.

later days

January 21st

Today we did not get above freezing, the expected high was 29F.  The main roads were good, but any roads that were not plowed in a timely manner are now just ice sheets with ruts on them. Ew.

This is the grand river as it cuts through the west side of Lansing.

After dropping my children at school, I came home to wait for our cleaning lady and the orkin guy.  I was working on the main body of Billy's cape when Sarah called.

She needed a ride from the airport where she was dropping off my mom's car.   From there we went to the thrift store for leather straps, and I found books for our Scooby Doo & Fairy collections.

I also bought a book that has been quite enjoyable to read so far.  When I got up from reading, this is how I found William watching his tablet (his legs were up on the side of the couch as I was pulling out my camera.

For dinner we had BBQ sandwiches.  They were a hit.  In fact, William scarfed down 2.5 of them!

After all the kids, Alice as the exception, were in bed, I was calling for Alice when poor Juliet started retching. = (  We set her up on the sick bed, and she fell back to sleep.  Here's hoping for a smooth night.

later days

January 20th

Today the expected high was 25F.  It was bitterly cold all day long. Our thermostat is set to a low 63F during weekdays (since it's usually just me and I'm not usually home) and it kept kicking on! = 0  The unheated mudroom has frost formed on the windows.

I got up with Billy this morning, so I had almost an hour to myself before the kids woke up!  While I was out shoveling the snow that fell overnight, they were getting ready and knocking out their piano practice time.

I finished around 9 am, and from that point on it was a rush to try to get out the door.  Michigan doesn't do early, so if you can make it anywhere before 10, there are fewer people and it is just a more enjoyable experience. = )  Sadly, we were loaded and had just passed the village limit when Grace reminded me that we were going to take in her glasses, and they were still hanging on our door. = (

So, 20 minutes behind schedule we arrived at sam's right at 10am.  There was no wait for gas, and inside wasn't too bad.  The longer we were there though, the worse it became.  Grace whined the entire way through the store because I wouldn't let her ride in the baby seat.  The other four were wonderful!

They brought quarters for the gumball machine and I treated everyone to their very own soda.  This is one of their favorite things about Sam's.  Alice was a tremendous help in pushing carts and unloading the groceries into the car.  She also put away the flatbed for me.

We stopped by the bank, then the eyeglasses shop.  Grace's glasses were still under warranty, so she's getting a new pair and her old ones are taped up for the time being.

At home we had a bucket brigade going to unload the car, since I did not clear the driveway by the mudroom.  It took very little time, and soon we were all inside warming up.  Emily helped me put things away inside.

For lunch we ate the rotisserie chicken the kids picked out. = )

Emily and Grace brave the cold and played in the backyard for about an hour!  They had plenty of snow to traipse through. = )

The afternoon flew by, but I did finish the ties on Grace & Juliet's capes. They are loving them so far.  Grace keeps saying "I'm a wizard!"  They also enjoy spinning in them and fluttering the sides like wings.

When taking Grace's picture, I realized that she didn't have her glasses.  When  I asked her where they were, she said her jacket pocket.  Sadly, they were no longer there.  So, the two of us went out to find them in the yard, in the dark.  Luckily, we were able to trace their tracks from earlier and found them within the first minute.

 
Cold glasses!

For dinner we had some chicken and cheese tacos, with oranges.

It was a pleasant day, and I'm at least a little rested before we head back to the normal routine tomorrow.

later days

January 19th

Today the expected high was 29F.  It snowed all night, all morning and most of the afternoon!  Luckily it was a light snow, so I didn't redo the sidewalk or driveway.

I only heard the plow once, and very little traffic was coming through so we did not brave the roads for church this morning.

For brunch we had some French toast made with leftover spaghetti bread.

I spent most of the afternoon taking apart the fabric for the twins' capes.  Then most of the evening I sewed up the capes. = )

Tomorrow, hopefully I will put on some hardware to keep them tied.

If you happened to notice, Grace's glasses are her old ones, because her current ones are broken.  After Sam's tomorrow we will take them in and see if she has a free repair left or not. = /

For dinner we had cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets.

Facebook showed me a memory were it was 70F 7 years ago in Houston.  I am lamenting the snow and cold.  Tomorrow we are not supposed to break freezing. = (  At least the kids are on holiday.

We knocked out Alice's eye therapy and all the baths today, so that we don't have to worry about them tomorrow. = )

later days

January 18th

Today was a very snowy 37F degree day!  I started my morning with the snowplow and shovel, clearing 6-8 inches of snow out of the way, while the trees sprinkled water on my head.

Billy braved the cold and roads to pick up some pizza for lunch.

Sarah bought the bag that I wanted for Emily's cape, for twice what I would have paid for it (hmm.) I added the clasp to Emily's cover.  I also found out that Netflix updated on my tablet and is no longer working . = (  So, I was watching supernatural on my phone while I worked.

After the snow and lunch and sewing, I took a nap.  = )

When I got up it was time for chores (laundry, dishes, and other) and making up dinner.  I heated up leftovers for everyone to pick.

It was absolutely the best kind of slow Saturday!

later days

January 17th

Today was a blustery cold day.  I don't think we made it above freezing, and the highest temperature I saw was 27F!

After taking my dear ones to school, I checked the mail.  My next stop was hobby lobby where I bought some hardware for our Viking capes.  I also looked for some heat shrink paper, but did not find any.  Once I finished there, the thrift shop was open, so I headed that way.

I spent a couple of hours browsing, and found material for Billy & the twins' capes.  I also scored a nice looking 'button' for Billy's and a few other odds and ins.

My next stop was Joann's to buy some connecting hardware, since I struck out at the thrift store.  I did make the observation that the VOA on Saginaw is pricier on many items than the VOA on Cedar.

While I was at Joann's Billy messaged me to meet up for lunch.  We ate somewhere we'd never been before Ingcredible in Holt.  While I'm glad we tried it, I don't think we'll go back any time soon.  The place down the road that delivers to us in our little village is far superior in taste.

At 12:45 I went and helped out with STEAM day at the kids' school. I was in with Emily's teacher, sadly Emily was not in any of her groups that came through. = (

After school we had homework & piano time, and ate Hamburger Helper for dinner.

Sarah called to take the twins out to 5 below, just in case the weather didn't cooperate for their planned date on Sunday.  They came back home around 9 o'clock.

I was still working on ripping out the seams of the curtains for their capes while enjoying some Supernatural.  I finished just after 10 and it was totally bedtime after a busy day!

later days

January 16th

The high today was 31F and we hit it before we woke up this morning. = (  The trend was steadily downward, and the light 'mist' we would have had were tiny snowflakes almost all day.  The wind was particularly cold.

I had a letter to drop in the mailbox. Since I was already in the parking lot, I went by Carl's and bought Billy some of the ice cream sandwiches he's been after.

After dropping off my little ones, I came home to sew.  Sadly, I had a notification from Alice's teacher that their library day was moved up to today, so I grabbed all the library books to bring up.  Alice, Grace and Juliet all went today.  Sadly, William's schedule did not fit into the move, so he did not go today.

I started with Alice's cape.  Her fabric sewed like a dream!  I was able to put decorative stitching on the hems and had more than enough fabric to work with.  Then I started on mine.

I fought the velour fabric for hours...……..  it is so strange, it managed to shrink and stretch on each piece.  ugh.  It came out a little smaller than I would have liked, but the fabric is just sooooooooo pretty, I really do love it!  Here's a before picture of the first piece on top of one of the original Pottery Barn Teen curtains:

When the kids came home they were excited to try on their capes and by all the goodies that Aunt Rocky brought over.

I still need to make Grace and Juliet some capes, and Billy if I can find the fabric!

Juliet was super excited to show me her library book when she got home. It has a picture of a butt in it, which is hilarious when you are 5. lol.

For dinner we had spaghetti and meatballs.

After dinner I took out the trash, and worked on the ties of my cape.  I am waiting until Sunday before procuring the strap for Emily and I need to find some gold colored D rings for Alice's.  So as of right now only mine and William's are finished products.

We also added some songs to our summer playlist.  = )

later days