Heat Styles

We live in Florida. For any of you who have ever lived here, traveled here, or watched an episode of CSI: Miami, you know it gets pretty hot around here. Now I'm not talking really warm and humid, I'm talking HOT.. damn hot.. walking on the face of the sun kinda hot.

It gets pretty hot.


So what do we do when it gets close to summer at our house???


We break out the clippers... dum dum dum duuummmm.......




He was not exactly what you might call enthused about the whole idea but
once you make the first cut there's no going back, right?

Eventually he started coming around.

...........Maybe not.

Short Stuff

So the munchkin has this toobie in his belly. And the toobie is NOT being pleasant to deal with.
It's oozey...
It's crusty...
It's leaky...
We have gone down three sizes in the last six months. GI now believes we need to size down AGAIN.
*sigh*
This better work, cuz this one is the shortest toobie they make.
Really.
Seriously.
They don't go any shorter.

This better work.... dude needs a working toobie.
When the toobie don't work, dude gets skinny.

Send working toobie vibes.... please.

Think chunky.

Aaaaahhhhh!

Is it EVER going to stop raining in Florida?

This is seriously my front yard!!

Welcome To My Morning

The munchkin all decked out in his camo and ready to attack the day. But first a little lucky charms.. Yum.

At this point he's realizing that once again Mom's neglected to put any milk on his cereal.

Not to fear.. He'll just scoop some out of Ryan's bowl.

And that is how we do breakfast.

Now eating it is another story altogether.....

....... whatever.

My littlest man

This is my shortie, my lil love munchkin, the one who keeps me walking that tightrope I like to call sanity.

This is lil man doing his very best Elvis impersonation (notice the lip)...

And here he is his with his big brother Ryan, showing off their creative new twist on "hide and go seek"...
For those of you who may be somewhat visually challenged, yes those are Ryan's eyes that he's covering with his butt.

And this is the look when it's time for mom to stop flashing that camera in my face. He doesn't talk much, but this is definitely his "shows over" face.

That's my cue to say goodnight.

Ugh..

Never a dull moment. So it's almost one in the morning and I'm hooking up the lil man's night time feeding (don't ask.. late nite Need for Speeding on the ps2).
Anyway, I take off the old icky gauze around his button to replace it with a fresh set like always, and what happens...
Blood happens. Ooey, nasty, mucusy (am I spelling it right CH)?

*sigh*

My poor munchkin was oozing all over himself.

So much for my high hopes...

Desperation and Plastic Knives

My youngest, Vincentio, has a g tube for supplemental feeding.
What he actually has is called a Mic-Key button. He's always had a problem with irritation around the stoma (hole in the tummy where the tube goes in). So, after weeks and months of trying every concoction and prescription we can get our hands on to help it heal, I've finally resorted to an old remedy I learned of long ago in my nursing days.

What is this magic mojo you ask???

Aquaphor and Maalox. Yup, that's it.
The aquaphor acts as a moisture barrier and the maalox neutralizes any acids in the gastric leakage around the stoma. Plus it makes his tummy smell minty fresh.
This isn't an easy home remedy to make, I'm warning you now.
You have to be prepared to mix.. and mix.. and mix some more.
I used a large medicine cup and a plastic knife.
It's not for the easily frustrated or for those with an overly short attention span.

What were we talking about??

So you mix until you're about ready to throw the whole thing against the wall, or until you have a thick white paste.
Then you apply.

Pretty simple and alot of work all in one.

So far it's looking promising. No more angry looking boily bumpies. We'll see, I've learned not to get my hopes up.

I've also learned that the middle of the afternoon may not be the best time to post since I've gotten up at least four times to refasten V's diaper. I've developed super spidey hearing when it comes to the tapes on the diaper ripping off. I instinctively know that sound. It means that my boy's manhood his waving in the breeze.
Short of duct tape or strategically placed staples, I think I'll probably be posting later in the evening.

Ok folks, this is it...

Well, this is my first official blog post. Apparently I'm not as computer illiterate as I thought. Who knew?
So I'm 37..
I have four son's and two stepdaughters..
My youngest son is three and has Down's Syndrome, he's been through heart failure, open heart surgery, lung disease, a diphragmatic hernia, severe reflux, RSV, G tube placement and fundo, bone marrow aspiration, and countless other procedures...
And so far I'm still teetering on the brink of sanity :)

So what is my mission you ask? Good question.

I'd like to write about something deep and meaningful, and at some point I will. However, today my mission is to simply enjoy the day.. and at some point have a good laugh.
Right now I'm laughing at my inability to figure out how to post this.. oh wait, there's a PUBLISH POST button below this.
Ok, I'm good.. until next time.