we have been very busy...
you're coming home tomorrow! hoorah!
i almost have a new tooth.
xoxo
Angus
Friday, July 25, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Dear Nana & Papo (day 5),
Nothing much to report today!
I maintained a schedule today (gasp!) and had just woken from my nap and was eating my lunch when you called... We marketed as a family and then napped again. Then to Tata & Lita's for dinner.
I only had 2 tantrums today instead of 5 (Momma says she thinks that is thanks to baby orajel). ...and I FINALLY started signing "eat" and "water" in addition to "more" and "done" so now it is a teeny tiny bit easier to figure out what I want.
Love and miss you!
Angus
xoxo
I maintained a schedule today (gasp!) and had just woken from my nap and was eating my lunch when you called... We marketed as a family and then napped again. Then to Tata & Lita's for dinner.
I only had 2 tantrums today instead of 5 (Momma says she thinks that is thanks to baby orajel). ...and I FINALLY started signing "eat" and "water" in addition to "more" and "done" so now it is a teeny tiny bit easier to figure out what I want.
Love and miss you!
Angus
xoxo
MacKenney Farms: The transitional period
It's July and most of MacKenney farms has been successfully harvested. We have been chowing down on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, corn, and cabbage to our heart's content. Olive got to most of the strawberries before even the birds could. The lettuce turned to seed faster than we could eat it and we are still waiting for the melons to yield fruit (they are finally flowering and growing).
We have a mostly empty garden (tomatoes, onions, peppers, and weeds remain) and a mini greenhouse growing seedlings in the kitchen window. This time we are going for: carrots, onions, chives, parsley, cilantro, basil, dill, more lettuce, and spinach.
We also have a brand new compost heap! yay! bring your coffee grounds over to our place and watch the magic happen!
We have a mostly empty garden (tomatoes, onions, peppers, and weeds remain) and a mini greenhouse growing seedlings in the kitchen window. This time we are going for: carrots, onions, chives, parsley, cilantro, basil, dill, more lettuce, and spinach.
We also have a brand new compost heap! yay! bring your coffee grounds over to our place and watch the magic happen!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Dear Nana & Papo (Day 4),
p;Whew... thank goodness Saturday is over and I am sleeping soundly in my crib!
I woke up at a decent hour this morning and got straight to playing. We are out of eggs so Momma made me oats for breakfast (pffft!) and I ate all of them. As per usual, I got pretty bored and pretty weepy pretty fast. Momma & Poppa were planning to go to Orange to pick up your car (Tio Benito left it there when he picked up his car from Quick's on Friday evening) and Momma decided to see if AC wanted to babysit me so her and Poppa could go to a movie.
I slept a little bit on the way to AC's and I was pretty shy when we first arrived. They bribed me with a cookie and I said goodbye to Momma & Poppa without so much as a peep. Once they left, however, I howled and screamed and made crocodile tears and repeatedly pointed at the door. AC took me outside to show me that we had gone and tell me that they were coming back when that old lady neighbor came over to see why I was crying. She was scary and I decided that compared to her, being with AC was not so bad! I played with Kerri and Thomas and Ash and they all took great care of me.
Momma & Poppa came back and we went to the carwash--good show! Then we headed home and I fell asleep in the car. I stayed asleep and we all took a family nap until 4:00 p.m. I woke up happy and we headed out to Home Depot.
There, I had my first, real public tantrum. I wanted to climb up the orange, steel employee stairs/ladder and Momma wouldn't let me get past the 3rd step. I threw myself on the floor, grabbed my head and screamed as loudly as I could. Poppa distracted me by putting me in a stack of those orange buckets. I was so cute I forgot I was mad.
We stopped at CVS next to get Momma some Ace bandages for her knee and I realized that I was starving. I started screaming so Momma & Poppa would know too. We ended up eating dinner at Steve's Charburger where Poppa used to hang out when he was a teenager. There were other teenagers there... they were fascinating, cursing on their cell phones, flirting with the older male workers (yuck!). Momma says we will not be returning.
After dinner we went to the park and I showed Momma and Poppa how much I have learned in my new class. I climbed up the playground steps myself (without having to be reminded to use them instead of the slide to get up), walked to the slide, sat on my bottom, and pushed myself off and slid down. I did it over and over and over until I was exhausted.
Then bath, then bed. Now Momma & Poppa are exhausted. Love and miss you!
xoxo
Angus
Friday, July 18, 2008
Dear Nana & Papo (Day 3),
Today I learned how to open and close doors (Momma says "Grrrrreat!").
I also showed Momma and Poppa my killer new dance moves. It is clear that I have the music in me... just watch my little head bob after I fall onto my bum.
Everything is fine here. Poppa decided that his toothbrush is what has been making him sick, so he went out and got a new one. He also cleaned the bathroom and the living room, pulled the dead cornstalks out of the garden, harvested some fruits and veggies, disinfected the trash cans, and made dinner. He definitely earned a massage today. He is in good spirits but lots of pain (but his strategy is still to push through so we'll see how that goes).
Momma has a big 3 day long presentation at work next week and she bought new clothes to celebrate (it's a must, she said). Poppa is going to apply for a dispatch job at Overnite Express so he doesn't have to do the driver job (which puts too much strain on his back). He also wants to get a second job at Whole Foods so we can get a 20% discount--Momma is very excited about this (and appropriately wary also).
Yesterday Momma and I met Tio Benito at Quick's Auto in Orange and drove him back to Little House. Tomorrow we are going back to Orange to pick up the Civic and get the Passat washed with an ancient gift certificate we have for the Tustin Car Wash. We'll probably get some plants for the 2nd growing season of MacKenney Farms too. Should be a fun time.
I really love my new class and get rave reviews from Miss Debbie. They aren't as thorough on the diaper changes over there and they tend to send me home much dirtier than I arrived, but they can't get over how cute I am and once again, I am the star of the show!
We miss you and love you!
xoxo
Angus
I also showed Momma and Poppa my killer new dance moves. It is clear that I have the music in me... just watch my little head bob after I fall onto my bum.
Everything is fine here. Poppa decided that his toothbrush is what has been making him sick, so he went out and got a new one. He also cleaned the bathroom and the living room, pulled the dead cornstalks out of the garden, harvested some fruits and veggies, disinfected the trash cans, and made dinner. He definitely earned a massage today. He is in good spirits but lots of pain (but his strategy is still to push through so we'll see how that goes).
Momma has a big 3 day long presentation at work next week and she bought new clothes to celebrate (it's a must, she said). Poppa is going to apply for a dispatch job at Overnite Express so he doesn't have to do the driver job (which puts too much strain on his back). He also wants to get a second job at Whole Foods so we can get a 20% discount--Momma is very excited about this (and appropriately wary also).
Yesterday Momma and I met Tio Benito at Quick's Auto in Orange and drove him back to Little House. Tomorrow we are going back to Orange to pick up the Civic and get the Passat washed with an ancient gift certificate we have for the Tustin Car Wash. We'll probably get some plants for the 2nd growing season of MacKenney Farms too. Should be a fun time.
I really love my new class and get rave reviews from Miss Debbie. They aren't as thorough on the diaper changes over there and they tend to send me home much dirtier than I arrived, but they can't get over how cute I am and once again, I am the star of the show!
We miss you and love you!
xoxo
Angus
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Dear Nana & Papo (Day Two),
Where are you today? Canada?
I am a new baby... in fact, I am not even a baby at all anymore, I am a little boy. When my momma left me at school today with Miss Terry I was the only kid there and I had a blast running around the classroom. Miss Terry fixed me my oats after telling me that I did "jolly good" on the slide. I didn't even notice when Momma kissed me goodbye and left for work.
Poppa came home this afternoon. He has decided to pretend like he isn't sick. Let's hope for all of us that it works out. He has a nasty cold and the runs from being in the hospital; nothing like a good old fashioned nosocomial infection!
I'm doing really well consider how traumatized my parents are. My burn is healing nicely and I am sleeping well.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you. Last night about 3:00 a.m. Momma was startled awake by bloodcurdling screams coming from my room. I was still asleep but I was screaming because I had stuck my leg through the crib bars and then tried to roll over. That wasn't fun (for either of us). But, I recovered.
We love you and miss you!
Write us so we know you're reading this.
Love,
Angus
xoxo
I am a new baby... in fact, I am not even a baby at all anymore, I am a little boy. When my momma left me at school today with Miss Terry I was the only kid there and I had a blast running around the classroom. Miss Terry fixed me my oats after telling me that I did "jolly good" on the slide. I didn't even notice when Momma kissed me goodbye and left for work.
Poppa came home this afternoon. He has decided to pretend like he isn't sick. Let's hope for all of us that it works out. He has a nasty cold and the runs from being in the hospital; nothing like a good old fashioned nosocomial infection!
I'm doing really well consider how traumatized my parents are. My burn is healing nicely and I am sleeping well.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you. Last night about 3:00 a.m. Momma was startled awake by bloodcurdling screams coming from my room. I was still asleep but I was screaming because I had stuck my leg through the crib bars and then tried to roll over. That wasn't fun (for either of us). But, I recovered.
We love you and miss you!
Write us so we know you're reading this.
Love,
Angus
xoxo
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Dunka Dunk!
This video isn't really adequate evidence, but once again Angus has chosen to learn a very useful new word. No, not eat or drink, or hungry or tired... but "Dunk" or "Dunka Dunk" to be exact. A word, or words, which if he understands them properly mean to put this ball in this hoop.
Dunka Dunk!
Dunka Dunk!
Dear Nana & Papo (Day One)
Dear Nana & Papo,
Today you left for your Alaskan Cruise... Momma is supposed to email you updates, but she is going to blog them instead because she like the attention.
I had a great day at school today. When Momma came to pick me up I was outside playing in the dirt and has as much fun eating it (dirt) as I did going on the slide. I was pretty surprised to see Momma outside in the yard. I was happy, but confused and didn't know exactly what to do with myself. At first I hopped up for a quick cuddle but then I was down again demanding that Momma get me the brooms and mops that hang outside. Momma, brilliant as she is, distracted me by taking me inside to wash my hands.
Once we were inside I wanted to get down and I started pointing out different toys and other features of my new classroom. I was feeling very proud and showing off. I took most of the toys off the shelf and then with some verbal instruction and modeling from Momma I put all the toys back myself!
We left school and went to visit Poppa in the hospital (I didn't sleep in the car and I was a pissy pants!). Tata, Lita, Tio Papo, & my Auntie De were all there. We were only there for a minute and then Dr Reyes (Poppa's infectious disease specialist) came in. He explained that we still didn't have a clue what was wrong. Momma laughed innappropriately... a lot.
Dr Reyes said he believes Poppa will be one of the 25% who never discover a reason for their FUO. He said of those 25%, 80-90% are fine and it resolves on its own after weeks or months (eek!) and the other 10-20% are in the very early stages of something more serious like a blood disorder. If Poppa is better in a few weeks we will just pretend like nothing happened. If Poppa is the same or worse then Dr Reyes will start testing him for lymphoma and other related things. Momma thinks Dr Reyes is cute and would make a good 2nd husband.
Dr. Reyes left and Poppa and I played with some stickers.
Then I started getting super pissy and Momma took me home. I fell asleep in the car and stayed asleep so Momma put me in my crib when we got home (around 6:20). I slept until 7 and woke up to nurse. I tricked Momma into thinking I was going right back to sleep but instead I wanted to play. Rich was over working on an Edit Agents project so I played basketball with him and read a couple of books with my Momma. Momma started trying to get me back to sleep around 8 because I was clearly tired. Oh yeah, she tried to feed me dinner too, but I signed "all done" after the 2nd bite.
It took me over an hour to fall asleep and I finally gave in to it on Momma & Poppa's bed nestled into Poppa's pillow. Sweet, right?
I love you and miss you and hope you are having a blast! More tomorrow,
xoxo,
Angus
Today you left for your Alaskan Cruise... Momma is supposed to email you updates, but she is going to blog them instead because she like the attention.
I had a great day at school today. When Momma came to pick me up I was outside playing in the dirt and has as much fun eating it (dirt) as I did going on the slide. I was pretty surprised to see Momma outside in the yard. I was happy, but confused and didn't know exactly what to do with myself. At first I hopped up for a quick cuddle but then I was down again demanding that Momma get me the brooms and mops that hang outside. Momma, brilliant as she is, distracted me by taking me inside to wash my hands.
Once we were inside I wanted to get down and I started pointing out different toys and other features of my new classroom. I was feeling very proud and showing off. I took most of the toys off the shelf and then with some verbal instruction and modeling from Momma I put all the toys back myself!
We left school and went to visit Poppa in the hospital (I didn't sleep in the car and I was a pissy pants!). Tata, Lita, Tio Papo, & my Auntie De were all there. We were only there for a minute and then Dr Reyes (Poppa's infectious disease specialist) came in. He explained that we still didn't have a clue what was wrong. Momma laughed innappropriately... a lot.
Dr Reyes said he believes Poppa will be one of the 25% who never discover a reason for their FUO. He said of those 25%, 80-90% are fine and it resolves on its own after weeks or months (eek!) and the other 10-20% are in the very early stages of something more serious like a blood disorder. If Poppa is better in a few weeks we will just pretend like nothing happened. If Poppa is the same or worse then Dr Reyes will start testing him for lymphoma and other related things. Momma thinks Dr Reyes is cute and would make a good 2nd husband.
Dr. Reyes left and Poppa and I played with some stickers.
Then I started getting super pissy and Momma took me home. I fell asleep in the car and stayed asleep so Momma put me in my crib when we got home (around 6:20). I slept until 7 and woke up to nurse. I tricked Momma into thinking I was going right back to sleep but instead I wanted to play. Rich was over working on an Edit Agents project so I played basketball with him and read a couple of books with my Momma. Momma started trying to get me back to sleep around 8 because I was clearly tired. Oh yeah, she tried to feed me dinner too, but I signed "all done" after the 2nd bite.
It took me over an hour to fall asleep and I finally gave in to it on Momma & Poppa's bed nestled into Poppa's pillow. Sweet, right?
I love you and miss you and hope you are having a blast! More tomorrow,
xoxo,
Angus
Hospital Update
After being told that there was no tumor in his spine (it was actually a hemangiona, which is essentially a birthmark, not a bruise) last week the doctor explained that he was going to get Rod admitted to the hospital for some more testing.
After not hearing from any doctors again for the remainder of the week, we called on Monday morning and when the doc called back Rod was admitted to the hospital on Monday evening. They did a blood draw late on Monday night for some tests. Early tuesday morning he had to drink an iodine solution (metallic lemonade with a splash of banana that made him gag while he drank it) to prepare for a CT scan of his abdomen and pelvis.
Around 9 am on Tuesday morning an ultrasound was brought into his room for an echo cardio gram. At around 1030 he was picked up for his CT Scan. At around 12 noon he was given some IV pain meds and he was in heaven from then on! ;)
The doctor came in mid afternoon to report that the CT showed a slightly enlarge spleen and lymph nodes in his belly. Both of those things are indicators of either infection or cancer so we really are no closer to an answer than we were before. We are still waiting on the results of the heart ultrasound (where they are looking for an infection in the heart valves that may potentially be the result of a dental infection.
He's had diarrhea since he had to drink the iodine solution, and then threw up last night after getting more IV narcotics. All this is "normal" and is associated more with the hospital stay than whatever was plagueing him before he got here... it just makes him more uncomfortable.
We have had lots of visitors and Rod is doing a good job of being patient and maintaining high spirits.
Today (Wednesday) they have taken more blood and we are supposed to hear from the doctor again later for more updates (if there are any).
There are many people I haven't called back... sorry! I am spending my days in Rod's room with my work laptop working while he sleeps and gets tests. Once Angus is home from school he is pretty demanding and once we get home and get into bed I take advantage of a teeny bit of alone time and then go to bed myself. There hasn't been much time or energy left for phone calls (which you know I detest anyway, hardee har).
Anyhow, keep thinking about us, and I will update as much as I can.
xoxo
After not hearing from any doctors again for the remainder of the week, we called on Monday morning and when the doc called back Rod was admitted to the hospital on Monday evening. They did a blood draw late on Monday night for some tests. Early tuesday morning he had to drink an iodine solution (metallic lemonade with a splash of banana that made him gag while he drank it) to prepare for a CT scan of his abdomen and pelvis.
Around 9 am on Tuesday morning an ultrasound was brought into his room for an echo cardio gram. At around 1030 he was picked up for his CT Scan. At around 12 noon he was given some IV pain meds and he was in heaven from then on! ;)
The doctor came in mid afternoon to report that the CT showed a slightly enlarge spleen and lymph nodes in his belly. Both of those things are indicators of either infection or cancer so we really are no closer to an answer than we were before. We are still waiting on the results of the heart ultrasound (where they are looking for an infection in the heart valves that may potentially be the result of a dental infection.
He's had diarrhea since he had to drink the iodine solution, and then threw up last night after getting more IV narcotics. All this is "normal" and is associated more with the hospital stay than whatever was plagueing him before he got here... it just makes him more uncomfortable.
We have had lots of visitors and Rod is doing a good job of being patient and maintaining high spirits.
Today (Wednesday) they have taken more blood and we are supposed to hear from the doctor again later for more updates (if there are any).
There are many people I haven't called back... sorry! I am spending my days in Rod's room with my work laptop working while he sleeps and gets tests. Once Angus is home from school he is pretty demanding and once we get home and get into bed I take advantage of a teeny bit of alone time and then go to bed myself. There hasn't been much time or energy left for phone calls (which you know I detest anyway, hardee har).
Anyhow, keep thinking about us, and I will update as much as I can.
xoxo
Clean Sweep
Angus has taken a liking to brooms and mops (oh, and vacums). I predict this will contribute to my life in a positive way in the future, but for now, it is just adorable. In this photo, Angus gives the dirty floor a stern talking to while displaying the appropriate facial expression (click on the picture to see what I am talking about).
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
It's Not a Tumor!
Woo hoo! Rod talked to his infectious disease specialist today and the MRI shows a hematoma on his spine, not a tumor. The doc said it is minor and no action needs to be taken. yay!
BUT... he is still sick. Fever, sweats, pain, etc... so the next step for diagnosis is for Rod to be admitted into the hospital to have more tests. They are saying they can get done more quickly with a couple of days in the hospital so... yeah. Don't know when he will go in yet, will let y'all know when we find out.
Thanks for the prayers!
BUT... he is still sick. Fever, sweats, pain, etc... so the next step for diagnosis is for Rod to be admitted into the hospital to have more tests. They are saying they can get done more quickly with a couple of days in the hospital so... yeah. Don't know when he will go in yet, will let y'all know when we find out.
Thanks for the prayers!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
The Beach Sucks!
This version of the MacKenney family isn't really fond of the beach... our newest member concurs!
It started out okay up on the sand in the shade. Nana & Papo were there... there were snacks... it was cool.
Then came the water. Even with a very gentle introduction and not even a hint of abondonment or even a little dunk... he wanted nothing to do with it.
Momma!
Poppa!
It started out okay up on the sand in the shade. Nana & Papo were there... there were snacks... it was cool.
Then came the water. Even with a very gentle introduction and not even a hint of abondonment or even a little dunk... he wanted nothing to do with it.
Momma!
Poppa!
Adventures in Diagnosis
Thursday was Rod's MRI. I noticed the outpouring of love from everyone (at first I was just annoyed that people kept bugging me and then I realized that they remembered Thursday was significant)... but the day wasn't that significant.
Rod spent 2.5 hours in a tube. It would have been longer but the tech said he was the "stillest person he had ever scanned." Go Roro!
We don't know when we will get the results... I guess we will start pestering tomorrow. The thing is, the results are meaningless to us. Knowing how much of whatever it is there is doesn't give us much insight. Biopsy results are what we need. Stay tuned. Nothing else is scheduled as of yet.
And now, an adorable photo:
Rod spent 2.5 hours in a tube. It would have been longer but the tech said he was the "stillest person he had ever scanned." Go Roro!
We don't know when we will get the results... I guess we will start pestering tomorrow. The thing is, the results are meaningless to us. Knowing how much of whatever it is there is doesn't give us much insight. Biopsy results are what we need. Stay tuned. Nothing else is scheduled as of yet.
And now, an adorable photo:
Beauty & the Beast
Today Angus took great pleasure from slapping the sh*t out of his momma. It shocked me (the first was a blow to the side of the head that still has my ears ringing) so much that I almost cried. He thought my genuine pleas for relief from his abuse were very amusing.
The beast is first
then beauty
The beast is first
then beauty
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