Goals

I don't want to call them resolutions because I have only ever kept 1 resolution I've made. (And some would say it was not a nice one either but it made our lives happier!)

I've been thinking about this most of this month. I need to change a lot about myself and I need to do things that make me happy.

For 2009, I set the goals of:

-- Feeling better about my body.
I have let myself seriously go and weigh more than I did before I got pregnant with Midget. That has to change as I'm tired of only having 1 pair of jeans that fit! Here's how I plan to do it:

• Keeping a food/workout log
• Work out at least 15 minutes, 4 times a day (or a total of 1 hour per day)
  
• Drink more water
• Limit my sugary drinks to 1 per day (total of 12 oz... which is equal to 1 can of Dr Pepper)
  
• Cook dinner from scratch at least 4 times a week
• Eat more fruits and veggies
• Eat smaller portions
  

-- Declutter and organize my apartment, 1 room at a time.
Each week I will pick 1 room to work on. Every day, I will complete 1 task in that room that will help declutter and/or organize that room more efficiently. (Some rooms may require more than 1 week to complete.)

-- Take at least 10 photos a day of different things.
I have not been taking photos hardly at all any more. I'm losing confidence in my abilities. I will aim to post 1 photo a day--here on my blog--whether it's good or bad. (Preferably they will all be good! *chuckle*)

-- Finish at least 1 small crochet project a week (hats, scarfs, mittens, etc).

-- Finish 1 medium crochet project a month (baby blankets, lapghans, purses, shawls, etc).

-- Finish 3 large crochet projects for gifts (large afghans).

There are my goals. I challenge anyone who reads this to come up with some goals for yourself that will not only make you a better person, but a happier one as well! *smile*

To HELL with 2008!!!

This year has completely sucked! First my great-aunt Verna dies, then Uncle James. Now we freaking end it with the deaths of my grandfather and Uncle Charles. I can only assume that 2009 should be far better than this year was.

RIP Uncle Chalres
2/17/39 - 12/24/08

Movies

A friend of mine said her and her hubby were watching movies from A to Z. I thought that was a neat idea so I asked Mr Indy if he'd like to try it while he's on vacation. He wasn't too keen on the idea of 26 movies in 10 days. *snort* So we came up with a different idea.

Each movie we watch will have an actor in common. Here's our list:

Cool Hand Luke -- Paul Newman & Harry Dean Stanton

Pretty in Pink -- Harry Dean Stanton & Molly Ringwald

The Breakfast Club -- Molly Ringwald & Emilio Estevez

St Elmo's Fire -- Emilio Estevez & Demi Moore

Striptease -- Demi Moore & Paul Guilfoyle

Air Force One -- Paul Guilfoyle & William H Macy

The Cooler -- William H Macy & Alec Baldwin

Elizabethtown -- Alec Baldwin & Bruce McGill

Cinderella Man -- Bruce McGill

I wanted to try and tie it around in a circle... meaning we'd end with a Paul Newman movie... but I wasn't able to. Maybe I can plan ahead and we can try it another time. *smile*

I still like the idea of A to Z so Midget and I are going to do it during the day with the movies we already have. Today is American Pie, Bend It Like Beckham, and possibly The Chamber (if there's time while I'm cleaning). We have today and tomorrow. Then we likely won't be watching any more until after Mr Indy goes back to work. *chuckle*

So off to my cleaning list. Today I tackle Midget's room and the kitchen and try to make them as spotless as I can.

RIP

My grandfather passed away today.

He was 91 years old (7/14/17-12/11/08).

He was a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend.

He was also a veteran of World War II.

The funeral will be early next week.

Rest in peace Grandpa!

What a year!

Our family started the year off in tears as we said goodbye to 2 family members and sadly it appears we will be saying goodbye to another member soon.

My grandfather has slipped into a coma so it won't be long until he is not with us any more. He's spent most of the year in the hospital so I'm glad to know his pain is ending soon. But it's makes me sad that he's leaving us. He's the only grandparent I ever had the chance to know.

I'm sure I will get a lot of grief for not going to see him before he passes. But I can't. The last 10 years of our relationship has been so strained. I've never felt good enough to be his granddaughter no matter what I did. But that is not why I choose not to go.

I'm still haunted by the images of my uncle Royce dying. A man who always had a smile on his face and a bear hug for anyone who wanted it. He died in July 2005 and my last memories were watching this strong man wither into nothing. I don't want those kind of images haunting the memories of my grandfather!

We may not have had a great relationship recently... but a long time ago, he made me feel like his princess! He made me feel like I was the most special of all the grandkids. A man who was always there with gum (OMG that's where my dad gets it! *smile*) and a knee to sit on. I want to remember him that way. Not sick and dying.

I love you Grandpa! I know you won't ever read this but I know in my heart you know. I hope I am a granddaughter that has made you proud.

Christmastime

Is going to be the death of me... or at least give me carpal tunnel! *snort*

I'm trying desperately to get some gifts finished. Crocheting as much as I have been is probably the reason I kept hearing my wrist popping last night. *sigh*

I'm trying to get a new layout done but haven't had the time to focus on it or had time to get the decorations up. Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to spend some time on them.

Just didn't want anyone thinking we'd fallen off the face of the Earth! Time to go catch up on others' blogs really fast.

*wave*

Thanksgiving

We will be spending it at home this year. Poor Midget came down with bronchial pneumonia over the weekend and while he's getting better, he's finally starting to hack stuff up so that makes traveling out-of-the-question for us! *sigh* Totally sucks as I was looking forward to seeing Tracey, Nat, and their crazy kiddos. We'll make it up sometime I'm sure.

Since we're not going anywhere, I have to figure out how we're having a great Turkey Day dinner here at home. This is only one of Mr Indy's favorite holidays and mine as well. I just have to figure out how I'm going to cook turkey, yams, potatoes, gravy, stuffing, pies, rolls, and anything else Mr Indy can think of that he wants. (Oh forgot the deviled eggs. Must have some of those!) So I'll need to get a shopping list together and pick everything up today while I'm out doing errands. That should be interesting! *giggle*

Well since I've been sick myself the past 2 days, I need to get off of here and get some cleaning done before my mom shows up this afternoon. She'll watch Dee while I go run through my long list of errands. *wave*

Buzzed

The energy drink I had on the way home from Seattle has me buzzed so I guess I'll post a short update.

Midget has his 3 month Keto follow-up today. He's down a kilo from his appointment in September and that had the nutritionist a bit concerned. But I told her about his flu bug last month so she hopes he levels off on the weight loss. He's lost about 4.5 lbs since he started the diet in August. She upped his ratio from 2.5:1 to 2.75:1. I think it was to help stabilize the weight loss but I can't remember right now. Otherwise, she was very content with where he is.

The neuro was speedy. Gave us new scripts to fix the errors the pharmacy has made. He also told us that we just need to do monthly weight checks at the pedi and email the results to the nutritionist. Otherwise, we don't have to go back and see them for 4 months. YAY! *happy dance*

Someone called yesterday to set up the sleep study. They are booked out until March already so we took the very first appointment they had available which is March 19. I'm going to try and set up the Keto follow-up and a recheck with the orthopedist for that same day. It'll totally rock if it works too! *grin*

Guess that's about all. Midget needs his meds and then I need to get to bed myself. *wave*

Happy 31st, Mr Indy!

So instead of this being all about him.... I have to brag! *snort* I'm so proud of myself!

I bought his gift a couple of months ago when we had to go to Seattle. Barnes & Noble was having a huge sale (buy 2, get 1 free) and I couldn't stop myself! *giggle*

I grabbed this history book on Lincoln for Mr Indy's birthday. It's called Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I knew how much he loves history and he had mentioned how much Lincoln was his favorite president so I grabbed it. Turns out, he's been wanting to buy it since it came out in 2005 but just never did. *grin*

Then a few weeks ago we were discussing music and he mentioned Hank Williams. We had talked about HW's son HW Jr too so I got confused about who he said he wanted. *chuckle* But I found a HW Jr cd and bought it for him. Turns out he wanted HW Sr but said that the cd I bought him had some songs on it he wanted anyways. YAY! I'm 2 for 2! *smirk*

And tonight he gets whatever dinner he wants (that's within reason)! So far he just wants lasagna which is fine by me. *chuckle*

Happy birthday, Mr Indy! I love you!!

Addicted

I am addicted.

To what you ask?

I am addicted to comic books.

*waits for the GASP escaping from your mouth*

I'm addicted all thanks to Mr Indy. I don't blame him one bit though. I'm thoroughly enjoying this new guilty pleasure of mine. *grin* I just finished reading Marvel 1602 and... while a bit confused... thought it was good... I think. *chuckle*

Now I'm curious about ALL the background of the participants in 1602. I know some of the stories for a few of them but not all of them. That would be some majorly fun reading! *smirk*

Anyways... Midget needs to go to bed and since WoW is still unavailable for play... *sigh* ... I'm going to go to bed and start another Marvel series called Eternals.

Night! *waves*

Long time, no blog

Mr Indy and I decided to get our Christmas shopping out of the way. I believe we have actually finished... no wait, still have to buy my mom's gift. I have soooo many gifts to make though. I've gone crochet crazy and am still no where near done with all of them!!! EEK!

Not much else is really going on here. WotLK (WoW expansion) comes out Thursday. *happy dance* Although I don't think we'll buy and install it until the weekend.

Midget has an appointment in Seattle on Friday. Oh joy! I just heard on the radio 2 of the passes are requiring snow tires (luckily, neither are ones we go over). I took Hank (AKA my Explorer) and got his snow tires put on yesterday. We're good for the trip.... although I need my brakes replaced (still good enough to drive though so don't worry) and have some front end work done to stop the slight shaking when I drive at high speeds. Dad said he'd try to look at it this weekend if he doesn't have to work.

Anyways... I need to get Midget's clothes in the wash and then I want to get back to tackling this blanket I'm having trouble crocheting. *waves*

*YAWN*

You'd think that getting 8 hours of sleep after a night of only 2 would catch a gal up. NOT!

I wanted to blog earlier today but can't remember why. *sigh* Oh well.

Maybe I'll put Midget to bed early and call it a night. I have a LOT of cleaning to finish up tomorrow.

Oops!

Forgot this photo!

Mr Indy with his partner D. D was dressed up as a corporate devil (ok so I probably added the corporate part but it fits). *snort*

Well...

I didn't get all my cleaning done but I finished a fair share of it. I'm calling it a night because I am BEAT! I think I'm gonna feed Midget and then curl up on the couch to watch some more CSI. (Hopefully I'll get a short nap in too!)

Er actually... I'll be feeding Midget and then making dinner. I totally forgot I agreed to do that. *sigh*

Photo of the Day

As I said, my mom brought my sister's rugrats over today. I had a feeling part of it was to get photos.... and I was right. I was actually really excited about it and thought I had quite a few good ones. I. Was. Wrong. Of the dozens of photos I took, the following was the only good one. And she kept "running" from me because she didn't want her photo taken. *sigh*

I really am having serious doubts about my camera AND my abilities. (I really wish I could afford a new Nikon camera and lenses.) I don't know what to think any more. *sigh*

Ramblings....

I still haven't sat down to crochet or anything. Have been back and forth from the computer though (mostly just spending my time on TBK). *chuckle*

Midget just crashed. I'm not surprised though as he's been up since about 5 this morning. (I finally get to sleep around 3 and he has to wake up at 5... *sigh*) Oh nix that... it was a kitty nap! *sigh*

I've marked mopping the kitchen floor off the list. The toilet is probably ready to be wiped down and then I need to finish the dishes and get some more laundry in the washer. So I guess I'm still going strong on the cleaning front.

Names have been running through my head still. I have 2 new girl names that I love but I'm not sure Mr Indy would like them at all.

Eudora "Dory" Marguerite
Lucille "Lucy" Marion

It's strange. I used to hate Lucille and came across Eudora when naming one of my WoW toons. *snort* But they are so pretty and I love them!! *grin*

I think I should eat so I don't crash like Midget and then I'll watch an episode of CSI while I do some crocheting. *yawn*

Like I said....

...it's never ending!!!

I got a whole 2 hours of sleep last night and as I've been working through my cleaning list, other things come to mind to ADD TO IT!! UGH!

Here's the new additions:

Kitchen

Clean out microwave
Make mini pizzas & potato wedges for dinner (forgot we were doing taters too... and I'm making it all from scratch *sigh*)

Bedrooms

Put a new light bulb in Midget's bedroom

Miscellaneous

Move Midget's swing to the front porch
Reinstall Midget's car seat in Alice
Call pharmacy and order Midget's meds

Here's what I've actually completed before 8 AM!!!! *GASP!*

Kitchen

Unload & reload dishwasher (will have to do one more time though)
Clean stove & counters
Rearrange pantry & finish putting away groceries

Bathroom

Clean tub
Wash towels

Miscellaneous

Work on Christmas gifts (which I will be doing as soon as I get Midget out of bed)
Pay car insurance & phone bills online
Send out rent check

I might actually get the majority of my cleaning list done by noon if I don't crash hard soon. Maybe a Dr P for breakfast will give me a decent caffeine boost so I can keep going!? *chuckle*

It never ends!

Cleaning that is. I went to bed only to have my mind start running through what I needed to get done tomorrow. (Got up to write it down so I can sleep... hopefully!) Here's what I came up with so far!

Kitchen

• Unload & reload dishwasher
• Hand wash Midget's food cups
• Clean stove & counters
• Mop floor
• Rearrange pantry & finish putting away groceries
• Make mini pizzas for dinner

Bathroom

• Clean toilet, sink, & tub
• Sweep & mop floor
• Wash towels
  
• Give Midget a bath
  

Bedrooms

• Wash bedding
• Put away laundry
• Clean fish tank

Miscellaneous

• Buy bread for dinner
• Work on Christmas gifts
• Pay car insurance & phone bills online
• Send out rent check

Yikes! I have to get as much of this done before noon as possible as my mom is bringing over the rugrats (AKA my nieces and nephew) tomorrow afternoon for a visit. This should be a very long, very interesting day for me! *sigh* At least I might be able to chase the rugrats with my camera and get some new shots! *grin*

November!?

My gosh... where has this year gone?? I feel like we were just celebrating Midget's birthday a month ago and now we're in November. YIKES!

Mr Indy and I decided to get our holiday shopping out of the way. (He dreads it, I love it! *snort*) We got about 1/2 our list done today so we're off to a good start. If Midget had not needed to eat and we weren't so tired from games last night (poker and a board game at a friend's house after dinner), we could have finished it all. Hopefully we'll finish the rest of the list next weekend.

The best part is we got the nieces and nephew out of the way! *happy dance* I hate taking Mr Indy into the toy section because he drools over so many of the toys. I mean we walked out of there with the Indiana Jones Monopoly game because he saw it and I talked him into buying it. *snort*

I have a bunch of presents to find online (which I should be doing now but just had to update my layout to get rid of the Halloween theme) and just as many to make. I don't know if I'll get all my gifts made but I'm going to work as diligently as possible from now until Christmas to make it happen.

Ah crap! I just realized I need to find a good place to hide gifts since the nieces and nephew are coming over tomorrow afternoon with my mom. I don't know where I have to hide stuff!!! *gulp*

Names

They're running through my head again... which is very, very frustrating!!

It looks as though if Mr Indy and I have children, the first boy will be Lucius Marcus. I know that is going to please Mr Indy immensely! *giggle*

I asked him today if we did name our first son Lucius Marcus, could I be allowed to name our second son whatever I wanted. (That's if we have more than one child of course!) He said sure so I told him the name I liked. Well... he looked like I'd kicked him in the nuts (and I know he'll say that's an exaggeration but it's what it seemed like to me *snort*).

My favorite boy name is Jack. However, I feel like a given name should be more. I like having the option of giving my children nicknames derived from their given names. Granted, Midget's wasn't chosen that way but I've grown in the last 5 years. *snort*

So my choice for a boy name was Jonas Alden. Mr Indy doesn't like Jonas. *sigh* I've been in love with this name for a while now. In fact, at one point I wanted to give my children 2 middle names so I had chosen this to be Midget's first name. That's how much I love this name!

I'm on a search for a new J name to go with Alden. Why you might ask? Because Mr Indy's last name starts with a C. I planned on the nickname Jack for Jonas Alden so to keep that a possibility, I need a J name. However, there really isn't much out there in the way of J names. (Just like there isn't in the way of L names.) Guess that means I have to come up with a new favorite. *sigh*

Photo of the Day

Another genuine smile! I love when I capture these! (It's just too bad they almost always are out of focus! *sigh*)

Taken 10/23/08

Must. Brag!

I have the most gorgeous little boy EVER! AND he tolerated the constant click of my camera this morning so I have new photos!!!! *happy dance*

I can't decide if I like this shot more in black and white or color! But I do know this will be his "school" photo this year! *grin*

All these photos may have helped me figure out my focusing issues. I'll have to try a different lens to see if I'm right though. Gosh I'm so stinking excited to (hopefully) have figured it out!! It's too frustrating when you know there should be good, clear shots in there but none of them are.

P.S. What do ya think of my signature? Nice huh!?

Creativity

I finally figured out the coding to get a layout to look like I want. YAY! I'm stoked to finally be able to get creative with the layouts on my blog!!! *smirk*

Another creative thing I've decided to do is a signature. I've seen a lot of blogs with a signature at the end of the post and I think it's a great idea. As soon as I make the perfect one, you'll be seeing it a lot I'm sure. *giggle*

And with that, I'm going to bed!

Memory cards

They should be cleaned off regularly. Otherwise, you find photos from months ago on there that were actually GOOD! *snort*

Back at the beginning of August, my mom decided to take my sister's kids (minus the baby) for a week. She called me up one night asking if her and the kids could come up the next day for a picnic and a day out with me and Midget. I was game and really excited at the prospect of dusting off my camera.

We decided to go to this little petting farm in Peshastin. Unfortunately, Mom had a blow out on the way there. On her car that is. One of the tires completely shredded. Of course, that meant we had to turn around and get the tire fixed.

I took the car to get a new tire while Mom and the kids had their picnic. After 2 hours, we were back on the road to the farm. Once we got there though, I didn't like how the photos were looking on the screen so I eventually put the camera away disgusted with myself and my abilities. Apparently that screen sucks because most of the photos were actually good! *snort*

This is what I found on my CF card today. (Clicking on a photo will take you to a larger version of it.)

I busted up laughing when I saw this sign. What's even better is they made sure to put a feed machine to get grain for the animals within 3 feet of the sign! *snort*

They all had a blast feeding the animals. We had to keep telling them not to feed all their carrots to just one animal. Goofy kids!

P (my nephew) wouldn't stay still long enough for me to get many photos but C was a willing model.

The apples of our eye.... *snort*

K didn't want to be an apple but did let me get a photo of her on the wooden horsey. *grin*

Photo of the Day

It seems that I'm having a few focusing problems (although I'm starting to think it's the 50mm lens having issues, not the camera... guess we'll find out this weekend when I do photos for Tracey and her girls). I have far better photos of Midget but I got this one today and....*gasp* he's smiling! That like never happens!! (Meaning I never usually get a shot of him smiling.... he smiles all the time I just don't usually get it "on film".) *snort*

Happy Halloween!

Click on screen shot to see it larger.

It's Hallow's End time in World of Warcraft. Lots of fun stuff going on. The Headless Horseman is wreaking havoc on areas all over the world. Andur and Lluvy went up against him yesterday with 3 other people and it was much tougher than we thought it would be. In fact, in the last fight, Andur got killed a few times (no thanks in part to the healer in the group). But Lluvy got a great ring and a flying broomstick! (That's actually Tegwen in the screen shot. I'll try to get a good shot of Lluvy on her broom today--if I play at all.)

WoW is gearing up for Wrath of the Lich King which is out November 13. (WOOHOO! *happy dance*) They've added a bunch of new stuff that's pretty cool but the downside is that the talent trees aren't quite as good as they were--in my opinion. Lluvy used to be a badass Frost Mage and now she's lucky to be just bad let alone badass! *pout* I think I might respec her to Arcane or Fire but may wait until after Hallow's End is over before I do it.

Anyways... didn't mean to go completely WoW geeky in this blog but I'm too stoked about playing again. I'm going to have to limit my playing time to the weekends though or I'll never get anything done! *snort*

NO CANCER!!!

Tracey texted me and said the MRI came back that the lumps are not cancer!

WOOHOO!!!!!!!

We're so celebrating when you come up Tracey!! *grin*

Photo of the Day

Napping with Nana
(taken 10/13/08)

Boredom at Midnight

What's the best thing to do when insomnia keeps you awake?

Take self portraits in bed. *snort*

Alice

I can't believe I forgot to post about Alice before now! I had the photos uploaded but never posted. Sheesh!

Alice is the newest member of our family. She's purple and has a ramp. See Alice is our minivan and she's wheelchair accessible. With how fast Midget was growing, I found that I needed a vehicle that I was not constantly lifting him and his wheelchair in and out of. Thanks to 3 amazing ladies, we now have Alice.

If it wasn't for Tracey, I wouldn't have had the money to buy Alice. But then again, if it wasn't for my aunties Dorothy and Carol, I never would have even found Alice! So those 3 amazing ladies are who I have to thank most for making our lives easier. We will never be able to thank you enough! *grin*

The truth is in the shirt!

That is my oldest niece C back in January. She's 8 (but was 7 in this photo) and so much like me I about die when I see her. *snort*

Changes.

There will be a lot happening soon.

For starters, I'm postponing finishing my degree (if I ever finish it). The first week of school was pretty great... I guess. But my heart is not there. I sit in class and wish I wasn't in class. I'm not absorbing anything. I love accounting but don't want to do it forever. I need something more creative.

Next is Midget. I didn't elaborate much about his hip so here goes.

Midget has been having hip problems for a while. In July, his hip was starting to dislocate but it wasn't too bad so the pedi and I were just going to keep an eye on it. I believe Midget's Urologist referred us to Orthopedics. It was a good thing we made the appointment! His hip is now 50% out of socket when it was only about 20% in July. There are 2 things we could do:

1) Just watch it and let it be, hoping that it doesn't get worse.
2) Surgery.

There are 2 surgeries the doctor talked about.

The first would be to cut the tendons/muscles around the hip to loosen them, reform his hip socket (as his is not round but partially flat), break the femur and reposition the hip ball into the socket. This would mean he'd be in a cast for 6 weeks and then a hard, removable brace for the next 4-5 months. (It has a 6 month recovery time.)

The second surgery would be to just go in and remove the hip ball completely. The major downside to this would be the fact that he would absolutely never bare weight or walk. At least with the first surgery, there is still a chance.

The doctor wanted to wait 6 months and reexamine where he is. Then we would decide if surgery was appropriate. However, I'm thinking waiting that long is not going to give us any better results. I need to plan ahead.

I'm seriously thinking about putting Midget back into school for Kindy. He wouldn't start until fall '09 so I have time to work out the details. But if I did do that, I would need to have Midget's surgery done before March so that he's completely recovered in time for school.

Lastly, I need to find a way to do some photography. I was happiest when I was doing it and I have barely picked up my camera ALL YEAR! I miss how it feels. I miss being excited by taking photos. I miss being completely happy!!

Don't get me wrong! I'm happy with Mr Indy and while my life isn't perfect, I'm fairly happy with it too. But I want to be completely happy and that's what I am when I have a camera in my hand. When I get to come home and see the fruits of my labors! When I get the comment, "That's a GORGEOUS photo!" When someone loves a photo so much they just have to have it now! I miss all of it!

I'm not exactly sure where I'm going after I withdraw from school. I know Midget needs the surgery and I will talk with his pedi tomorrow about it. I definitely think it's a good idea to do it sooner rather than later. Get it over with this winter so he can enjoy being outside in the warm air next spring and summer! After that, I'm not totally sure. I know I'll figure something out. It will just take time. Hopefully people understand that too.

Cha-ching!

My birthday's looking up now!

We went to a poker game last night and Mr Indy and I walked away the big winners. He brought home $32 and I brought home $25. (Buy-in is $10 a person and there were 7 people there.)

Plus I think I've figured out how to write my management paper! (I had serious writer's block yesterday.) WOOHOO! One less stress to deal with today.... well as soon as I finish it. *snort*

The kid wants food. Must go feed him!

*waves*

Avoidance...

...that is why I blog today. I want to avoid writing my essays. (I'm such a horrible student right now.) *snort*

I haven't shared photos in a while (if ever) so today is the day! *grin*

Here is the incredible birthday presents I got from Mr Indy! A 42" plasma TV and a new TV stand.

We both absolutely love the them! In fact, this is what the boys are doing today while I'm supposed to be doing homework.

Mr Indy is playing The Force Unleashed on his XBox 360 and Midget is listening to all the sounds surrounding the game (including Mr Indy's "comments"). *giggle*

Here is my new do. It's not the greatest shot but it's me nonetheless. *grin*

And last but not least, Midget. Apparently watching me put an end table together was boring so he decided it was nap time.

He still wakes up early every so often but we just leave him be as long as he's not coughing or choking. This is how I tend to find him after I wake up. Apparently he surrenders to sleep again! *snort*

Sleeping photos are the easiest to get of him. But I do have one with his eyes open... sort of. *snort*

And with that, I shall go write the essay for my management class that is due on Monday. We have poker tonight and I don't want to be worrying about it while I try to take everyone's money. *snort* Tomorrow I will have to focus all my efforts on my Poe essay.

For today, I say goodbye! *wave*

Yay for Tracey!

I told ya I'd keep you updated on her situation. I'm going to be lazy though and just put a link to her blog. You can read about it there!

http://www.kristinedaae.blogspot.com/

Tracey... I'm so happy you're getting the help you need to get this done!

We need to do a shoot before you have any surgery though. I know you probably think you won't want to remember any of this later, but I want to help you remember how far you've come and how remarkable of a woman you are!

I signed up to be a part of this project... http://www.thinkpinkphotography.org/... when I was Snap Blossoms but I still want to do it with you! Call me and soon! *grin*

Happy freaking birthday to me!

As if my birthday wasn't going to suck enough already, I get to spend it sitting in a waiting room at Children's. (Midget has his monthly Keto check-up with the neurologist and dietitian that day.) *sigh* The things we do for our kids!

Oh and I either go to bed early the night before and miss watching Indy 4 (as it's released on the 14th) or I stay up late and drink LOTS of energy drinks first thing in the morning to stay awake on the drive. Lovely. *sigh*

I thought turning 25 was going to be awesome. Really. It just sucks.

Gilmore-isms

You really can learn so much from watching Gilmore Girls! *giggle*

In each DVD set, there is a little booklet that explains the many Gilmore-isms in that season. I'm flipping through the first season's booklet and come across this....

"Daniel Day Lewis cobbling shoes - Daniel Day Lewis had quit acting to become a cobbler before appearing in Gangs of New York"

I wonder what made him want to make shoes? Could he not find some in his size or in a quality or style that he liked? Or was he just trying to figure out how to make shoes for the sake of making them?

*snort*

God I'm amused by stupid things when I'm tired. *yawn*

Drink Your Candidate!

Seriously... you can support your candidate by DRINKING HIM!

I took that on my cell at the grocery store.... after I picked myself off the floor from laughing. (Don't shoot! I just couldn't help it.... I can't believe that they made them flavors!) I don't think a Presidential election has been so "huge" (don't think that's the right word though) to actually have a soda company make the candidates a flavor.

*sigh* What is this world coming to??

Quote of the Week

"Organize your life around your dreams--and watch them come true." --Anonymous

If only I believed that was true. Maybe I just need to revise my dreams!?

*snort*

I just read this hint about organization.....

"Stay in control of your time by organizing commitments according to your priorities."

Does writing essays have to be a priority for me right now?? *snort* If only it didn't. *sigh*

Well....

It appears that Midget will likely have evasive hip surgery within the next year as his left hip is dislocating. He'll go back in 6 months and we'll decide then if he'll have it or not.

Study break

Boy do I need one! Trying to write this essay is gonna make my weekend LONG! (Of course it's not the only paper I have to write this weekend either.) *sigh*

Midget has been on his diet now for over a month. He's doing pretty well on it. There have been a few days of many seizures but most of the days are free of them. *grin* I'm so happy that it's working as well as it is! I'm still trying to get his next monthly check-up scheduled because his neurologist has a very crazy schedule. But I'm optimistic that things will continue on the right path!

School is fun and not so fun all at the same time. I should have known there would be tons of reading since I was in a Lit class but I've been overwhelmed some days with the amount I need to absorb. I have to write an essay on Edgar Allen Poe's short story "The Black Cat" and am still having problems figuring out how I'm going to structure it.

A small brag. *snort* I had a math test last week and got it back today. I got a 115%!!! (Yes he offered us extra credit problems.) To think just a couple of days before I was so confused I didn't think I'd pass it!! But I managed to figure out where my problems were and worked through them. I'm so proud of myself!! *grin*

I got my birthday present from Mr Indy already and we're both totally in love with it. *grin* I haven't uploaded any photos of it but I will post some once I have.

I'm getting a new tat for my birthday. I still haven't finalized the design but it will be to honor some people who were very important to me (even though I never got the chance to know one of them). Hopefully I can get it done before my birthday. *giggle*

Well I need to figure out exactly what "angle" I'm writing my Poe essay at so I'd better get back to focusing on it. Hope that was enough of an update for everyone. *thumbs up*

Busy, busy

I feel horrible not posting much but I've been really busy. Don't really have the time now either but didn't want everyone thinking we'd fallen off the face of the Earth. I'll try to post a nice long update soon! *grin*

Backpacks, blisters, and thinning hair

I start school on Monday and will be 1 day closer to the end. As long as everything goes well and I pass my classes, I will graduate in March with my Associates of Technical Science degree in Accounting. I'm glad it's almost done. It will have only taken me 5 1/2 years to complete a 2 year degree but it's been worth it. (Backpacks!)

My birthday is in just under a month. I'm actually excited to be turning 25. Why? I don't know. *chuckles*

Mr Indy has all ready let me in on what he's getting me and it's caused some chaos here! He decided to get me a 42" plasma flat panel TV. (YAY! *does a happy dance*) The chaos comes from the fact that I have had to rearrange my apartment to be able to fit a new TV stand and the TV in here (well I don't have either of them yet but I rearranged in anticipation). After moving a bunch of furniture, Mr Indy commented how he no longer had anywhere to sit his drink glass when we were sitting on the couch. I solved that problem by buying an end table that will match the TV stand we're going to buy. After 2 hours of fighting to get the stupid end table together, I received a blister in the middle of my palm (on my writing hand, by the way) and tendinitis in my wrist. *sigh* Sometimes being so handy hurts! (Blisters. Get it?)

This afternoon I decided it was time for Midget to get shaved. His mane was out of control! While we were waiting for them to get to him, I decided to pick up a book of hair styles to flip through and choose a new style for later. I've been trying to grow my hair out and thought it'd be nice to get a jump on the style I want when it's long enough. Unfortunately, later was sooner than I thought. *snort* I ended up getting in the chair before Midget. It feels so good to have the split ends gone (no more itchy neck!) and she even thinned out the back of my hair so it wouldn't be so heavy and bulky (bless her!). (Thinning hair. See where I was going with the title?) I'll post photos of our new dos when I get around to taking some decent ones and editing them. *giggle*

I should probably go get our stuff ready for tomorrow. We have to be out the door early for some appointments in Seattle. Midget's been on his diet for nearly a month now so we have to go in for a check up. I hope the doc decides to decrease his meds and the dietitian decides to alter his diet so he can eat baby foods again (through his tube of course). It's going to be our first long trip with Alice (well since we drove her home). I'm excited to see how it all goes. I'm sure she'll be fabulous like she is! I'll try to update tomorrow night if I'm awake enough.

Dogs

I'm on a search.

A search for the perfect companion dog for Midget.

My aunt Carol has me convinced that I need to just buy a pup and raise it with Midget instead of trying to find a trained service dog. (Which I'm having no luck at anyways.)

I did a quick search of dogs that are good with kids, are small (think lap sized), and have little to no grooming requirements except a good brushing from me.

These are the top 4 breeds I think would be great (plus I think they're cute and I could totally live with with the right temperament.... oh I hate dogs, by the way....):

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel


Norfolk Terrier


Norwich Terrier


Papillon


Which do you think is good? Have any personal experience with any of them? Please share so that I can make a very informed decision before I talk to the doctor about it. *grin*

Books = Crack

At least for me they do. Some people in this world use drugs or alcohol, I read.

I love reading! It wouldn't have been apparent when I was a child as I hated it but I've grown to love throwing myself into a different world. It's my escape, my release from reality.

Before Midget started his diet, I made a comment to Mr Indy that I would refrain from stepping foot in Barnes & Noble as I knew I'd spend a few hundred dollars there. But then we got to Seattle and the hotel room wasn't ready. We had nearly an hour to kill so what did we do!? We went to B&N. *sigh* I just couldn't stop myself!!!

I'm sitting here looking at the huge bag of books that I have yet to try and find room on my shelf for. (I have yet to find room because I know there is no room! *chuckle*) I walked out of that store weighed down with over $200 worth of books..... but thanks to sales and bargain prices, I only paid about 1/2 that! (I even got some birthday and Christmas shopping out of the way! WOOT!) I also found out that I can buy The Boxcar Children series there. I can finally fill in my collection that started back in my childhood! *grin*

I am sitting here wanting to read all those books but I am all ready reading 4 other books and a comic series right now. *snort* I just can't help myself! Books are my crack and I can't get enough of them!

Here's what I've read so far this year:

JANUARY
Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire
The Innocent Man by John Grisham

The Innocent Man turned me on to true crime.... I have yet to beat the attraction... as you'll see later on in this list!

FEBRUARY
Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

MARCH
The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho
Freeing Keiko by Kenneth Brower
Freedom: A History of US by Joy Hakim
The Appeal by John Grisham
Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
The Dreams of Ada by Robert Mayer (another true crime)

April and May were full of textbooks and homework. Very little pleasure reading was achieved! *pout*

JUNE
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull by James Rollins
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger

JULY
Journey Toward Justice by Dennis Fritz (another true crime... written by the other man convicted in John Grisham's The Innocent Man)

AUGUST
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares
Keto Kid by Deborah Snyder
Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares
Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket
The Green Mile by Stephen King
The Ketogenic Diet by John Freeman
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket
A Deadly Game by Catherine Crier (true crime about Scott Peterson)
Star Wars: Force Unleashed (comic)

SEPTEMBER
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Vol 1 (comic)

I start back to college in about 3 weeks so I've been trying to read as many books as I can since the next 6 months will mostly be filled with textbooks. (I just keep telling myself, "Only 2 more quarters and you have your AA!" That's all that keeps me going! *chuckle*)

Right now I am reading:

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (finishing the last 3 volumes of the series Mr Indy brought over)
Atkins for Life by Robert Akins
Where The Heart Is by Billie Letts
Such A Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess

And probably the strangest one of all... that I'm sure will get a lot of "WHAT!?!" comments.....

The Good Girl's Guide to Bad Girl Sex by Barbara Keesling

See... while we were in B&N walking through the bargain section... my mom (yes my mom) told me she found a book for me. When I asked her what it was, she told me she would not read the title out loud. (She was on the aisle over from me.) So I wandered over there and I read it out loud. I laughed and said, "Mr Indy would love this!" (Meaning he'd love for me to read it! *chuckle*) I wasn't serious...... at first. But I decided for $7, it might be a funny read if nothing else. It's actually been very insightful so far and I think it's helped me come to terms with my rape.

It's one of those books I still can't believe I've read. Just like the true crime books (except for John Grisham's... he's my favorite author so I'll read anything he's written!) and even the Stephen King. I never thought I'd read a Stephen King novel but after Mr Indy had me watch the movie, I had to read it! I'm impressed with my wide taste in books. I even like reading biographies and history books now! *giggle*

I've always dreamed of having a huge library with floor to ceiling shelves in my house. I guess I'm working on filling in those shelves that aren't even there yet. Course, Mr Indy is doing his fair share too. You should see how warped his bookshelves are from the loads of books on them! *chuckle*

Books are my crack and I refuse to go to rehab!!!

Early morning is good for?

Apparently for Midget, it's good for waking up at 3:30 and yelling. *sigh* He's done it every night since we got home from the hospital and it's about to drive me insane. Doesn't help either that I generously move to the couch.... which is only a love seat that barely fits 2 people..... so that Mr Indy can continue to sleep as peacefully as possible. *yawn* I'm so tired of this!

But it's the beginning of the month so I guess it's a good idea to get my bills paid this morning since I can't get back to sleep. Then I can use whatever time is left to plan out my day. (I will plan out a nap but I'm sure Midget won't let that happen on his watch! *pout*)

Now I think I'm going to ramble for a bit.... kind of an update.

Midget has been doing very well on the diet (minus the early morning wakings). I have seen few to no seizures and his ketones are staying nice and high. He has been a bit more sleepy during the days but hasn't really been napping much. Once in a great while he'll take a good nap but usually they are just his kitty naps. (Kitty naps for him are like 10 minute power naps. I seriously don't know how he gets so much energy from them but he does! I wish I could!)

I start school in about 3 weeks. I'm getting more nervous the closer it gets but I know it'll be fine. I guess I'm just nervous about the economics class I have to take.... but maybe I'll actually learn something! *giggle*

My mom, Midget, and I will be going to look at a wheelchair van tomorrow. It's going to be a LONG drive as the place is in Spokane. Blah. I've been looking for MONTHS so I figure I'll end up buying it on the spot. I'm really excited about it but have no idea what I'm going to do with that junker Explorer I've been driving. Yeah it still runs and all but it's a POS for sure!

I'm excited to report that Lluvy is now level 68. (I know you're thinking, "Why is she updating us on her WoW character?" Well because I want to and it's my blog! *sticks tongue out* Ha take that!) Andur and I grinded (that means we pushed really hard and sat at the computer for very long stretches) all weekend to get her there. Only 2 more levels to go!! Then I'll really need to focus on bgs to get my honor and marks to buy better gear.

I've also been leveling Tegwen like crazy. She's in the lower 30's now but I should be working on her more during the day since I can't quest much by myself on Lluvy. Course I probably should spend some time leveling Ceinwen too. She's 26 so I should just push her to 30 so she can get her mount. But of course there's also Dwitless. I need to get him up there. And I haven't spent much time at all on Eudora, Shanae, Naomh, or Idony and I have spent NO time on Atiya lately. *chuckle* So many characters, so little time! *snort*

Home, Sweet East Wenatchee

We actually made it home Thursday night but I've been too busy and worn out to post a blog saying so.... until now.

Midget was discharged Thursday afternoon. We made it home by 7 that night (still can't believe it took me nearly 4 hours to get home). I had just enough time to give him a bath and put him to bed. Then I took a bath and passed out myself (in my bed of course).

We had to go run a bunch of errands yesterday including getting stuff to make Midget's formula. That was interesting. I was standing in the store very near tears because I couldn't find what I needed. After nearly having a break down, I found the stuff. I honestly didn't think this diet was going to cause a nervous breakdown but maybe I should have. *chuckle*

Midget's been doing really well so far. It's Keto Day 5 and he's only had a few seizures. In fact, I don't think I saw even 1 yesterday (although we were in the car most of the day so I could have just missed any). His ketones were 3+ yesterday morning but I wasn't able to get a reading last night. He's in great spirits but his off and on napping is screwing up his sleeping schedule. I drug my butt to the couch about 3:30 this morning when he decided it was a great time to yell. *sigh* I think he went back to sleep at some point but I can't be sure.

Time to get Midget out of bed so I can work on feeding my addiction. (I had serious WoW withdrawals all week!)

Keto Day 3

And it starts off as Tony the Tiger would say.... GGGGGRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTT! (Ok so I probably drug that out a lot longer or something but you get the gist.) *giggle*

Awoke this morning to Midget getting a blood draw. I wasn't awake enough to ask what they were testing but the nurse took a small bit of the blood to check his sugar levels.

They are down.... dropped 20 points and are in the upper 80's! WOOT!

We checked his ketones too and he is at 2+! WOOT!

This means he's finally getting into ketosis. FINALLY! WOOT!

I guess the increase in his ratio yesterday helped. (Oh and I was wrong yesterday. They increased his ratio from 1.5:1 to 2.5:1 not 2:1. My bad!) I'm excited that things are working out so far. YAY!

He might get released today since he's finally showing a good change but I don't know yet. They might keep him until tomorrow just to make sure he's in good ketosis. That's up to the dietitian though.

So far he's not had many seizures.... although I'm thinking that we just aren't seeing them as much because he's been pretty sleepy. I noticed at least 1 last night but it wasn't anything major. A decrease in his seizures would be ideal but the main reason I wanted to do this diet was to get him off the Phenobarbital.

Midget's epilepsy is complicated. Even today, there isn't a lot of research and knowledge about why seizures happen. In a child who has a reason for seizures--like Midget and his head trauma at a young age--at least there is a reason but it's still unclear as to how seizures work...... at least that was my understanding when I was reading The Ketogenic Diet by John Freeman.

I decided to go into this diet cautiously optimistic that he will be one of the ones who is completely relieved of his seizures. But I know there is a very high likelihood that he will not be one of those kids. Since his seizures are mostly from the scar tissue that has formed inside his brain from the damage, I know that it's likely we will never be completely rid of the medications or the seizures. It saddens me to think that but I'm trying to be a realist here.

The book says that when a child is starting the Keto diet (at John Hopkins), the medical team has the parents write out their expectations for the diet. I voiced these goals to the dietitians yesterday but I think it's good to have them written down too. (I'm sure I'll add a page to his Keto notebook when I get home but, for now, I'll put them here.)

Success of the diet, for us, would be that Midget can come completely off the Phenobarbital and have reduced amounts of Keppra and Zonegran (if they are still needed).

The side effects of the medications are, in my opinion, taking away my child. Some of the side effects of the Pheno include agitation, constipation, insomnia, apnea, and even anemia in chronic use. Keppra and Zonegran are listed with the same side effects. So Midget is getting it 3 times as hard!? *sigh*

Early on the doctors said they like to wean kids off of the Pheno by 18 months because of the side effects usually seen in children like agitation. Yet here we are, 3 years later, and Midget is still on this drug! We have tried to wean him a couple of times but as soon as his levels would drop the seizures were back stronger and more frequent. It's not easy to watch your child go from a deep belly laugh to looking like someone scared the crap out of him!

The book says that most kids who don't have seizure control with 2 medications have less than a 20% chance to have success on any others. Midget is on 3 and is still having seizures. I definitely think this diet was our next step.

Midget has 6-8 seizures a day. I know that doesn't sound like much but that's just the ones I know he's having. An EEG in 2007 told us that he has seizures when he's sleeping and also when he's not showing physical signs of having seizures when awake. So in reality, the number he has per day could be much higher and we don't even know it.

Having a decrease in the number of seizures he has would be a great benchmark goal. If we could get all of his clonic seizures to go completely away, I can live with the absence seizures. (Half the time, I don't even realize he's having an absence seizure until I can't get a reaction out of him.)

For now, I think those are my 2 main goals for this diet. I'm optimistic all ready that we can achieve these goals. (I have to be optimistic or what's the point in doing it, right?)

Morning of Keto Day 2

Midget is not in ketosis yet. His blood sugar is still pretty high. (It's currently in the low 100's and they want him down in the 60's.) That means he's still burning sugar instead of fat which is why he's not in ketosis yet. I don't know if this will mean that they will keep him until he is in ketosis or not. I'll ask the dietitian when I see her next.

He did tolerate the formula really well so they increased the ratio of the diet. He was on a 1.5:1 diet yesterday and is now on a 2:1 ratio. The ratio is fat to carbohydrate and protein grams combined. It's hard for me to explain but I get the basic gist of it. The Ketogenic Diet by John Freeman is a great book to explain the diet. (Clicking the link will take you to a web version of the book that you can read, if you want.)

My lunch is getting cold so I'd better go eat. *waves*

Keto Day 1

Midget was admitted yesterday for his diet. It was kind of tough on me because they had trouble getting his formula up to him in a timely manner so I had to listen to him smack and lick his lips for a few hours. But he did really well so I'm ok now. *grin*

Things are going good so far. I only noticed one very mild seizure yesterday and Mom, likewise, thought she only saw one. Granted Midget was in and out of sleep all day thanks to his medications. (He had them on an empty stomach yesterday morning and they ALL cause drowsiness.) When he wasn't sleeping, he was laughing like crazy. I figure it was just because he was tired although maybe the diet is all ready working to relieve the grumpiness. *snort*

His blood sugar stayed good all night so that's a good sign that the diet it working. We will check his ketones this morning when we change his diaper (unless the nurse did it while we were at breakfast). They drew some blood this morning to check all his medication levels. Hopefully we can start decreasing the Phenobarbital before he leaves the hospital but I'm not sure they will.

The dietitian said we will keep him on the formula for now but will progress him back to baby foods soon. I figure his 1 month recheck at the end of September will be when we start the transition back.

This post would have been more exciting and funny had I gotten to a computer late last night. But I didn't even remember the 24 hour lab was here so I just stayed in bed and tried to sleep. *chuckle* Anyways.... I need to get back to his room and give him a bath.... after that I plan to stick my nose back in my book, A Deadly Game by Catherine Crier. (Don't ask why I wanted to read it but it's really good so far!) *grin*

I'll try to post again later today if I can and have anything interesting to say. Have a great day!

Tomorrow, tomorrow... I hate you... tomorrow....

We leave tomorrow for a week.

Midget starts his diet on Tuesday but we're supposed to see the dietitian in clinic tomorrow (although she's never confirmed anything). I'm scrambling to pack us up since I waited until the last minute to do any of it. *snort*

I'm looking forward to the start of this diet and am viewing it as a means to an end of Midget's seizures (I'm cautiously optimistic remember?). However, I'm not looking forward to living in a hospital for a week. ICK! Hopefully this will be one of the last hospital stays for a very, very, very long time! (A mother can dream, right!?)

Not much else to report right now. I'll try to update as often as possible while we're gone but I don't know how often that will be. I doubt I'll be taking my laptop so I'll have to try and use a computer at the hospital and sometimes it's hit or miss if I can even get the net to work there.

I'm a photographer.

Or at least I like to pretend I'm one. Lately though, my photography has taken a serious back door to my life.... mostly because I'm just not confident in my work any more.

But I'm stoked that I get to shoot my favorite models in about a month! WOOT!!

Tracey called me tonight to set up a shoot of her and the girlies. YAY! I have soooooo much fun doing their photos and can't wait to get some great shots of my lovely ladies! *beams with pride*

Stay tuned for a peek at what I get from the shoot. (Like I couldn't not post them here for the world to see! Those fine ladies are just too gorgeous and sweet to keep hidden in my hard drive!)

13 days and counting....

Midget starts a new diet in 13 days. You're probably wondering why a 4 1/2 year old would need to be on a diet? Well... it's because he has epilepsy.

Brief background story for those who don't know.

I gave birth to a perfect little 8 1/2 pound baby boy in February 2004. On March 3, 2004, at only 3 weeks old, my perfect little boy was nearly killed. (I know some who are reading this are probably saying, "That's an exaggeration!" but when the doctors tell you there's little hope your baby will live to make it out of the ICU, then it's not an exaggeration.)

My ex-husband... Midget's sperm donor (as I can NOT refer to that thing as a father!).... shook him and threw him on the couch to make him stop crying. (I only know this because the cops told me he confessed to it and made a reenactment tape for them after he was arrested.) The abuse led to grand mal seizures and a stroke. The damage was severe and is, of course, irreversible. Midget now has many severe disabilities including epilepsy. (I'll spare you the long list of diagnosis' because it is looooong and I tend to forget some of the more minor ones.)

Since he was 3 weeks old, Midget has been on Phenobarbital. In young children, the main side effect is drowsiness. Believe me, we saw enough of that in the first year or so (especially after we'd have to increase the dose because he was having seizures). When he was about 2 1/2 we had to add in another anti-epileptic medication called Keppra as Midget was still having a bunch of seizures.

End of last year, on a visit to his Neurologist, she mentioned something about a diet called the Ketogenic diet. I immediately came home and read up on it to familiarize myself with it. I had to decide if I wanted to try it or not. At the same visit, she prescribed another anti-epileptic medication (Zonigran) to help combat the seizures he was still having. (If you're keeping track, that's now THREE medications just for his epilepsy.) Even on all these medications, Midget still has multiple seizures a day.

We've tried to wean Midget off the Phenobarbital several times but as soon as his levels started dropping, his seizures started increasing in amount and severity. I want him off the Phenobarbital because of the side effects. In older children, it can make them agitated and cranky. While my son is usually a ray of sunshine, when he is grumpy, it makes the whole house (which is basically just me) grumpy!

After reading about the diet, I thought it was worth a shot.

The diet has a pretty decent success rate... at least I think so. Of the kids that go on it, 30% end up completely off medications and once they come off the diet, they never have a seizure again and can lead a normal life. Another 30% see a reduction in medications and can maintain that reduction off the diet. Then the other 30% have no changes at all.

I know Midget's seizures are complicated and come mostly from the scar tissue that has taken over the part of his brain that was damaged by the abuse (by the way, he has 50% brain damage). I know there is a high likelihood that he will not succeed on this diet because of the scar tissue. But I'm willing to try it to give him some chance at coming off the Phenobarbital forever and having just 1 seizure-free day! Is that too much to ask for my boy who has been through WAY more than any child should ever have to go through?? I don't think so!

The diet will be difficult but at start, it will be fairly easy (I hope). Instead of having to weight out and puree up all his food, he will start on a special formula. My hope is that we can work him to eating by mouth again. (He receives no food or liquids by mouth because he can't swallow correctly. He is solely dependent on the feeding tube he's had since he was 16 months old.) When that time comes, then we will switch him over to pureed foods again. I don't know how long that will be but it's a goal we have.

Who knows!? We may even start seeing some developmental improvements while he's on the diet. If he's not having seizures all the time, then maybe he can finally learn to push up and roll over, maybe even bare weight on his legs again..... things his 8 month old cousin (who can also crawl) are already doing. Definitely something to look forward to!

Best Friends

Isn't it weird how your mind can start running once you wake up.... and then even when you're not fully awake? Mine has been going 1000 miles a minute since 5 AM when my gorgeous 4 year old decided he wanted to be awake. The topic on my mind is my friends.

I'm privileged to say that I have a lot of really amazing friends. I also enjoy saying that I have many best friends who I know will love me and be there for me even when I go completely crazy. *chuckle*

Tracey, Trista, JenLouise, Kim, Lori, AshE, Jeff.

They are probably the greatest friends I have after Mr Indy and Midget (AKA my son). (However, that is NOT discounting all the other truly amazing friends I have!) Some I've known my whole life (or at least the better part of it) and some I've met online. But no matter where we met or how long we've known each other, I know they've got my back and I've got theirs!

That's why I'm writing this blog. I realized just how lousy of a friend I've truly been lately. I didn't call or email on one's birthday. I didn't get to attend one's wedding. No visit with another on her vacation to my state. Don't even get me started on what is going on in their lives that I don't know about because apparently it's quite a bit. *frown*

I totally suck as a friend!

I feel so guilty not knowing what is going on in their lives yet I've been so wrapped up in mine.... getting Midget ready for his new diet, prepping myself to go back to college in September, family issues, etc..... that I haven't taken the time to find out. So when I read something on MySpace about Tracey last night..... I felt like the worst best friend EVER!

This is Tracey. (Isn't she gorgeous?!?)

Tracey and I met on MySpace in 2006 through a mutual acquaintance we had. We hit it off and have been like sisters ever since. Around that same time, Tracey found a lump in her breast. Luckily, it was benign but since then another one has appeared. I didn't know about this new lump nor that Tracey has been trying to find a way to pay for the care she needs! See, Tracey can't afford health insurance because she's a single mom of 2 gorgeous girls (not including me of course *wink*). We all want her around for many, many years to come! That's why she set up a website to tell her story and find generous people that can help her out however they can.

Tracey Needs An MRI

I'll let her site tell you the rest of the story but I'm hoping whoever is out there reading this, might find it in your heart to give whatever you can so she can take care of herself. Not just for her but for her girls! I mean... look at these girls!?! They are definitely going to need their mom around for a long time!

Miss K

Miss J

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this! I will keep you (whoever you are) updated on Tracey's progress.

Miss Indy's WoW Dictionary

Note: I may add to or revise this as needed.


MMORPG: Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game

main character: the first and usually highest level character of a player... once a player has more than one level 70, it usually refers to the one played the most often

alt: other character(s) played by a single player

lvl: abbreviation for level

ganking: killing a member of the opposite team for honor

camping: closely watching the dead member of the opposite team that you just killed so you can kill them again when they resurrect

rez: abbreviation for resurrect(ion)

Alliance: the good guys... just kidding... one of the teams you can play (Yes, all my characters are Alliance.)

Horde: the bad guys.... AKA the other team

ding: the action of reaching the next level

AoE: Area of Effect... spells that are cast over an area instead of on just one target

PvP: Player vs Player

PvE: Player vs Environment

bgs: abbreviation for battlegrounds

battlegrounds: areas where many players group up to take on groups from the other team...... a form of PvP

WoW... that's addictive!

Never in my jumbled mind did I figure I would start a blog by posting about WoW but ... well I guess hell froze over!

Before I go any farther..... I want to say that I realize a lot of this blog is not going to make sense to some since I will be using a bit of gaming slang and abbreviations but I will come back and post a "dictionary" of all this geek terminology that has intruded my skull. Promise!

What does WoW stand for? If anyone is actually reading this, you are probably sitting there trying to figure out what it means. Unless you play the game or know me and have heard me talk about it too much, you possibly don't know. WoW stands for World of Warcraft. Yes people. I am an MMORPG junkie! My newest addiction is all in thanks to my gorgeous boyfriend Andur (in later posts he will be referred to as Mr Indy but when I talk about WoW, he will be Andur... hope you're confused now *wink*) and his best friend Hummerz.

Earlier this year, Andur got back into playing WoW after he bought himself an Alienware laptop. I did not understand the interest in the game because I did not understand the game. After conversations with Andur and Hummerz, I realized there might be more to the game than I thought but was still not interested in playing.

Hummerz put up a "challenge" to me saying that I would definitely be playing WoW by the end of summer. I told him it was unlikely as I had better things to do with my time. (Now I can easily *snort* at that reply.) So to try and prove Andur and Hummerz wrong, I asked Andur to help me make a character. I started slowly but it soon engrossed me. I now have a level 63 Gnome Mage named Lluvy. *hangs head in shame* I hate being wrong!

I can freely admit now that I am addicted. My avatar on The Baby Kottage says it all:

Likewise, the list of characters I have created also proves my addiction. (All levels are as of today... 8/8/08!)

Lluvy - lvl 63 Gnome Mage (my main character)
Ceinwen - lvl 26 Human Warlock
Atiya - lvl 13 Night Elf Druid
Dwitless - lvl 16 Dwarf Hunter (only male character)
Tegwen - lvl 23 Draenei Warrior
Eudora - lvl 6 Gnome Rogue
Shanae - lvl 6 Draenei Shaman
Naomh - lvl 5 Night Elf Priest
Idony - lvl 5 Human Paladin

Yes I have a character of each race and each class. (The last 4 are new so that I could say I have a character of each class. *blushes* I just want to see what each class can do... honestly!)

However, that wasn't the original intent of this post. I originally intended to post this long, wordy rant about ganking, camping, and the overall annoyance of both. But I can see just how pathetic it would be after admitting my obsession, so for now, I will leave you in peace. (Or as the Horde would probably love to do, leave you in pieces.... sorry had to get a little bit of ranting in there! *giggle*)