Moments Like This

My friend was over and captured this seemingly ordinary moment. These little moments, like helping him with his homework, get filed away in a special place in my heart. Time has been stopped here. He is still young and wild and pure. He's learning that 5 plus 2 is 7. I look at those small, smooth hands and beautiful eyelashes. He's cool in his Spiderman shirt and I am cool in his eyes. Time, that ticks away so quickly, has been frozen here. In 10 years, I will long for this little moment.

Even as ordinary as these moments seem, they are extraordinary in my heart.

Cub Scout Pack-o-Ween

The Cub Scouts dressed up in lieu of a meeting right before Halloween and trick-or-treated from room to room in the church where we meet, participating in fun events along the way like glow stick sack race, ghost blowing, candy corn spoon race, and my personal favorite, a hands-free donut eating contest.

Landon decided to dress in his Harry Potter gear this night. Siblings were allowed to come along, and Carter, of course, dressed up as Woody.

Halloween 2012

Woody and Buzz went to infinity and beyond on Halloween night!

Olive the Ballerina came over and we trick-or-treated around our neighborhood, along with the neighborhood twins (Stephen aka Spiderman and Mary the Bat).

After visiting our neighbors, we drove over to a happening neighborhood. This neighborhood goes all out for Halloween. One house was covered in giant spiderwebs and spiders. Another had a ghost on a zip line coming down from the roof of their house. And Landon's favorite...a zombie who would get in and out of his coffin and chase the kids around the yard.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.  ~Psalm 42:1




Landon's Urology Appointment

Let me start this with a huge thank you! Thank you for your prayers. They were felt.

We took Landon to the pediatric urologist yesterday. This was a scary appointment for all of us. Landon was prepared for the worst in his eyes (i.e., blood drawing). And I will admit, so was Mom. I was so fearful of hearing news that would change our lives and the quality of Landon's. Christopher and I didn't know what to expect and can you imagine how a 6 year old felt?

They took a urine sample and scanned his bladder to ensure that he could properly empty it. They also did an ultrasound on his kidneys. We held our breath while waiting for the doctor to get a good look. We exhaled after he told us that each kidney was healthy.

The doctor prescribed medicine for an overactive bladder (OAB). He will take a low dose of Oxybutynin twice a day. This helps his bladder to "chill out." This will help with the daytime issues and *may* help with nighttime. Landon is a deep sleeper which doesn't help his cause any at nighttime.

He goes back to the doctor at the end of December to see how the medicine is doing and discuss if we need to increase the dose.

OAB is something he should outgrow as his neurological system matures, but that is only something that time will tell us.

Oh! And no blood work was necessary! Yay!

I feel so blessed to have hard-praying family and friends surrounding our family. God is good!

Recent Bagley Boy Funnies

Carter:  "I sad cuz I don't want anyone to die me."

I caught Carter in the bathroom with a sink-full of water and puddles on the floor. He was trying to wipe up the floor with a flushable wipe when I found him. He looked at me and said, "I just keening up my mess, Mommy."

Carter threw a massive tantrum because his own thumb "didn't taste right."

Landon:  "I'll practice that when we get home like 10 or 9 times. Or maybe just 2."

Landon tried to teach me to play Temple Run on my iPad. His response to my low score was "try to do a little better next time, Mommy."

Carter to Landon about a coloring book:  "Don't color on my color! I don't color on your color. So don't color on my color!"

Carter:  "If you break somebody, it won't be good."

Carter on going to the mall:  "I don't wanna go to da mall cuz dey have a scare-wee choochoo twain and yowd potties."

Me:  "Boys, I want you to be quiet and not run in the library."
Carter:  "Cuz you don't wanna spank your babies?"

Carter:  "I make you a art-ject. It's gonna be a house and a gate. Don't break it cuz it was a hard time."  (He told me this every day for about a week and a half. Never saw my house and gate art.)

Carter: "Mommy, I yike stars. And bats. Yes, I yike stars and bats."

Some nights, Christopher has his shirt off at dinner because he just finished lifting weights in the garage. Shortly after we start eating, Landon's shirt comes off. Then Carter's. And the boys declare "MAN TIME."

Being a Mom Hurts

We're just hanging tight until Landon's pediatric urologist appointment in two weeks. He is still wetting 4-5 nights each week, and now it's starting to seep into the daytime. He has had two daytime accidents in the past two weeks. He hasn't had a daytime accident since he was 2. The worst was his last accident...at school...on the playground. He said that he didn't even know he had to go and that it just came out. It embarrassed him badly. If people are in the house (other than me, Christopher, and Carter), he hides to put on his "nighttime underwear" and changes out of them first thing in the morning before he even leaves his room. I continuously tell him that he doesn't need to feel ashamed or embarrassed, and that the doctor is going to help us. He talks about his upcoming appointment (specifically the blood drawing part) almost daily. He's full of dread and angst and embarrassment. And it breaks my heart into a million little pieces. I don't know how to fix this. No one told me how bad this motherhood gig would hurt.

Bedwetting Woes

I'm overwhelmed and I'm scared. And I don't want to talk about it. I just want to trudge through each day trying not to worry myself sick over it.

Landon has had bedwetting issues since he was potty-trained. When we took him off of some asthma meds a few years back, his bedwetting stopped with a few accidents every now and then (one-two/month). The past few months, it's started back up again with a fierceness. We are talking accidents 5-6 nights a week.

Sure, there are some kids that wet the bed until an older age. But he was "trained" and went back to wetting, which concerns our pediatrician.

He tested negative for diabetes and no bacteria was present in his urine. We don't give him caffeine or let him drink anything after dinner. He doesn't drink a lot of milk as that has been linked to bedwetting in some kids. He pees before bed, sometimes twice. There are no stresses going on at home or school that would cause this. I've tried waking him up in the night. Yes, we have thought of it all and are following all of the rules.

We've talked to the doctor about medicine and the horrible, IMO, bedwetting alarm system. Before we do that, he wants Landon to see a pediatric urologist. I don't know much about this appointment except that they'll most likely do an ultrasound of his kidneys, bladder, etc. and probably some bloodwork (fun!). His appointment is October 23 and I'm trying to put it out of my mind until then. Hopefully it'll be a case of "oh, he'll grow out of it" but until I hear those words and they show me that everything is okay with his little body, it's going to make me sick with worry.

Carter Goes Marbles!

This summer while Landon was at the beach with his grandparents, we decided to take Carter Bear to Marbles, a local hands-on kids museum.  Carter typically goes along with whatever big brother wants to do, so he had a blast making the decisions and spending as long as he liked doing whatever he liked.  It was a super fun day!

YMCA Camp Rising Sun Talent Show

Landon went to the Y's Camp Rising Sun day camp all summer, and LOVED it.  He had a blast, made new friends, got to try out awesome activities like fossil hunt and lacrosse, and was surrounded by many loving, Christian counselors.  He is already ready for next summer!

To finish out their summer, they put on a talent show for the parents.  Landon and his Balboas group (along with counselors, Katie and Matt) performed a Lion King song complete with choreo!  Landon's smart mom (that'd be me) dressed him up in a lion hooded towel!  One point for the "creative" mom!