New Tubes and Out with the Adenoids!

Happy Belated Birthday, Janet!

Seth's ENT doctor had a cancellation this week for surgery so we were worked in for today. Surgery is never easy and it wasn't necessarily easier this time--it was just that we knew kind of what to expect. They did give Seth a drug before they took him back that made him seem as high as a kite. He just got this big grin on his face and he started laughing at Rob and then he would look at me. Then he lost all agility and was totally dependent on us. The nurse that came and got him said she would put him in the wagon (they use these to take little kids for a ride back to the OR) but she was scared he would topple over. It made an uneasy situation a little lighter--he didn't put up a fuss when he left us. His surgery was successful and the doctor seemed supportive in the decision to remove his adenoids. Seth was a mad somebody when he woke up and found that IV in his arm. He didn't want anything sticking in him like that. He tried to rip it out several times and would get even madder when we held his hand away. He really started to wake up on the way home, requesting "Hot Potato" pointing out all the American flags. It was an emotionally and physically tiring day that I hope will pay off in the future.

Happy Easter and Welcome Spring!

Happy Easter from the Brights!

Round Two

I should have known something was up with the first ear infection. A couple of weeks after that one went away, the cough came. The doctor said it was the croup and then he checked his ears. The tube in Seth's right ear had moved and was no longer doing its job of draining the ear properly--hence two ear infections in a month and a half. So, here we go back to the ENT. For the second round of tubes, your adenoids come out as well. We have been reassured by our pediatrician that this also will take care of ear infections. Well, why didn't they go ahead and take their adenoids out when they put the first tubes in? Geez. His surgery is scheduled for the middle of April. I know I should not complain one bit--and I don't mind as long as it is helping his health.

Seth recently started singing. He loves to sing, "Wheels on the Bus," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." He sings along with the Wiggles and Elmo as well. This has happened within the last two weeks. It is just so amazing how these skills evolve. He is also saying his ABCs and counting to 20 all the time. We can put him down for his nap and he is in there, "A.....B......C.....D....EFG..." It is a hoot.

Proud of Where I Work

I work at Greene County Middle School in the school library. My technical job title is school library media coordinator. I have worked there for 11 years. I always thought I would have a hard time adapting to this age group since my background was high school English. Amazingly enough, I don't know if I could go back to the high school level now that I have spent so much time with middle school. People raise their eyebrows when they find out that I work in a middle school. Believe me, it is no easy task. Hormones are emerging and raging full force. EVERYTHING is drama. You can tell when there is a full moon. Still, I love the kids I serve and I love the people with whom I work. My job offers a lot of variety, so I never get bored. My school is in a very rural community. It reminds me a lot of Martin County and I guess that is what attracted me to this school system. This year, our school has been fortunate enough to have an 8th grade language arts teacher who is also a published author. She has written a book for the 1st year teacher. She has also written an article about Greene County Middle School here. The article is titled, "How One School Is Fighting Poverty." A few of us actually got to read the article about GCMS before it was published so that we could offer our thoughts on it. GCMS has struggled in recent years to reach AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) and our test scores could have been higher, but this article lets people know that good things are going on at our school. I am just so pleased that someone has come in from the outside and is able to see these things and actually appreciate them! Thank you Mrs. V.!

Over the Last Few Weeks....

Okay so it has been a while since I have posted. But man, have we been busy...

During the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, we were all sick with a stomach bug. Seth got it first, bought it home to us--Thanks for sharing, baby! Then I got it and two days later Rob got it. Ughh....we all felt like we had been run over by trucks.

A couple of weekends ago, we put Seth down for his nap on Saturday. I sat down at the kitchen table to work on my grocery list. I could hear Seth settling down in his room--he always fights us with his naps on the weekends. All of sudden, I felt a presence at the gate that blocks Seth's room and the front bedroom from the den. I looked up and Seth was standing at the gate. "Hey Mommy!" is what he said. It was so hard for me not to laugh. I shrieked, "Seth Bright! What are you doing out of your crib?" So I scooped him up and carried him back in there. I threatened to take his poppy (paci) if he did that again. I also removed the pillow underneath his mattress, which I believe gave him his leverage. He has not climbed out since. I am not ready for his transition to the big boy bed yet.

So we got our seasonal weather, but now I am ready for SNOW. I want Seth to be able to experience snow. We had a chance of it a few weekends ago, but it turned out to be a fluke. People were really badmouthing the weathermen. I am not giving up hope on SNOW--we had our biggest snow I remember in March 1980--I was 9. What a wonderful childhood memory that is!

Rob and I were in the kitchen talking last weekend and he was saying something about reserving a Saturday to go over to his parents' to fellowship with his dad's family. He said several family members had birthdays and anniversaries during the month of February. Well, Seth strolls by and begins singing, "Happy Birthday to you......Happy Birthday to you......" I looked and Rob and said, "I didn't even know he knew how to sing." He is quite the chatterbox and copycat these days. We really have to watch what we say. Whoa Dude!

PRAYING FOR SEASONAL WEATHER....

GO JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS!

Good grief! With all of this up and down weather, I stay sick. I have been fighting a sinus infection since the week after Thanksgiving. I am ready for some constant 30-40 degree temperatures as highs during the day. I have all these sweaters that I can't wear because it is 70 degrees here! Now, I am not crazy--I don't mind 70 degree weather, but I do mind when it is 70-80 for 3 days and then it goes down to the 20s. It is wreaking havoc on my sinuses! I do have an appointment with the ENT doctor on Thursday. I pray for some relief.

Poor Seth is sick for the first time this winter with an ear infection. And he has tubes. He has a terrible cough and was put on a steroid earlier in the week. Last night, he was terribly fussy and very clingy, so we knew something was wrong. He kept favoring his left ear and the doctor said there was pus behind his eardrum. So now, he is on an antibiotic for 10 days.

Like I said, we are ready for some seasonal weather around here. I myself am ready for some snow to cleanse the air. Everything seems clean after a snowfall. I think that the temperatures this week will be seasonable, thank goodness.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wow--where does time go? Wasn't it just yesterday we were bracing for Y2K? My how the world has changed.

Rob asked me today if I had ever felt like I needed to do something but that I wasn't motivated to do it. I said, "Yeah--my whole Christmas vacation. " I had this great list to accomplish while I was out for Christmas and did I get anything done? Not anywhere close what I wanted to do! Seth's baby book was at the top of my list and I have just laid eyes on that pile. I have not felt motivated to do a whole lot during Christmas break. I didn't even get to list anything on ebay! I did try to relax a little--my back has been bothering me some and I feel like I have had a sinus infection since before Christmas--hence my inability to be motivated.

What I did do during Christmas vacation was, spend time with friends and family. This time was very precious and I am grateful that I got to see everyone I did see. We also got our Christmas decorations down and back up into the attic. I finished Celia Rivenbark's book, "Stop Dressing Your Six Year Old Like a Skank." I got to see some movies--Pirates of the Carribean 2 Dead Man's Chest, Facing the Giants (AWESOME), and National Treasure 2.
I am caught up on laundry--except for sheets :-). I guess my list will have to wait until Easter, and then it will be that much longer. Oh well--summer is coming!

Happy New Year everyone! We love you--Rob, Leigh, and Seth