A Girl and Her Dumptruck

Happy birthday, Button.

A year ago, I thought that I would miss the sight of this unblemished belly, but I haven't.


I look at you, Button, and think of the wonderful things you have done for my KayTar.

Growth,

Development,

Nutrition,

Hydration,

Decrease in episodes,

Decrease in illnesses,

Fewer hospitalizations,

Fewer absences,

Freedom to discover food on her own terms,

And so much more.

Happy birthday, Button, we love you so.

BubTar's Pumpkin Party!

We hosted a pumpkin carving party for BubTar's wolf pack this Saturday and it turned out to be a lot of fun for everyone! I think we're going to do it again next year.(I didn't post any photos of the guests out of respect for their privacy.)

Josh worked on that crepe paper thing for like an hour on Friday night. There was even a yard stick involved.

Hot Dog Mummies! Delicious!

Wormy ice cubes, for the punch.
Putrid Punch. Looks disgusting, tastes delightful!
Brain Cupcakes. Zombies love 'em.

KayTar the Sorceress, who posed like this for every photo.
BubTar the Vampire.


The pumpkins! I drove to SEVEN stores on Friday night to find pumpkins!





BubTar's pumpkin.
KayTar's pumpkin.

You tell me...

This time last year, KayTar was approximately 29 pounds and 37 inches tall. She was wearing a size 3T and could still fit into many of her 2T clothes.



This time last year, we were in quarantine, preparing for a feeding tube placement.



Today, KayTar is approximately 35.4 pounds and 41.5 inches tall. She wears a size 5. In one year, she has gained almost 6.5 pounds and grown 4.5 inches. She went up two clothing sizes.





What do you think made the difference?

This week, I...

Made it to class every night!

Completed all of my Composition II assignments for the week (minus the essay, which I saved for today)!

Worked in the Book Fair for three days!

Recopied two weeks worth of Biology notes!

Finished my Biology note cards!

Grocery shopped!

Spent admittedly too much time working on privacy settings on Facebook (my mom AND mother-in-law friended me, enough said)!

Made an invitation for BubTar's Halloween party!

Had a conference with BubTar's teacher!

Completed several loads of laundry!

Read a good-sized portion of Othello for my upcoming research paper!

Cleaned/swept/mopped the living room on more than one occasion!

Got a haircut!

Grocery shopped again!

Made cookies with KayTar!

Visited my parents!

Went on a date with Josh!

Slept in on Sunday!

Things are finally getting back to normal around here.

Books for Christmas!

This week I have been volunteering at the Book Fair at the kids' school. I just couldn't hang out around those books all day without finding an excuse to buy a few, so I started my Christmas shopping a little early. BubTar always has a book in hand these days (and 3 or 4 more in his backpack every day), so it was a perfect place to shop for him! These are the books I purchased for BubTar.

1. Time Traveler's Journal:


This is one of those cool hardback books with the appearance of a homemade journal, with envelopes and notes, and all kinds of cool extras (including a backward spinning pocket watch).

2. Blast Lab


BubTar is really into science and science experiments right now and this one has simple experiments to do at home, that seem to have a very high fun factor.

3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw


4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days



He got the first two books in this series today (to start reading now), so I decided to pick the rest up for Christmas. The trick will be some how preventing him from burning through the first two too fast!

5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book



He was very interested in this fun do-it-yourself version of Wimpy Kid, too, so I snatched it up.

6. Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2009


I bought him a Guinness Book of World Records the year he was born (2002) and he has been dragging it around everywhere lately, it only stands to reason that he would love an updated version that deals with one of his favorite hobbies, video games! My mom bought this one for him.

I also purchased a Phinneas and Ferb book (a KayTar and BubTar pick), Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom (a KayTar pick), Wimpy Kid #2 (a BubTar pick), and Nighttime: Too Scared to Sleep (a collection of mildly scary stories I chose for BubTar)...all for a surprising grand total of $24! Volunteering in the library has its perks, evidently, one of which is MAJOR discounts on Book Fair fare. I intended to pay full price for these, but the surprise at the register sure was nice!

Discombobulated.

I seem to have lost my groove. I have missed two Biology lectures and two Chemistry lectures in the past month or so, either due to my falling apart or KayTar's recent illness. Prior to that, I hadn't missed a single one. Last week I got behind in my Composition II assignments, they were completed on time, but I procrastinated right up to the last instant. I've only missed one volunteer shift at the hospital (when I was hobbled by my defective knees), but I've missed 3 volunteer days at the school library, 2 due to my injuries and 1 due to KayTar's illness. Today I should be there, though it isn't my regular day, because it is the Book Fair and I really wanted to help the librarian this week. This weekend Josh and I were scheduled to host a game night (we even had my parents slated to keep the kids overnight) but we had to cancel it once KayTar spiked a fever. On the invite I even wrote something like AS LONG AS THE KIDS DON'T GET SICK, KNOCK ON WOOD. Evidently, the knocking on wood was ineffective. I have a poetry analysis essay due (I hate poetry, HATE IT) at the end of this week and a prospectus for an 8 page research paper due next week in Comp II. I have a Biology exam over cellular respiration and photosynthesis a week from today. My Chemistry exam is soon after that. Life is happening, but that extremely efficient routine I had going has been disrupted and I'm having a bit of difficult getting with it again. It is a feat equivalent to jumping back on a high speed treadmill, really. We all know how that ends.



Yeah, that.
I can't really tell if KayTar is improving yet or not. Wednesday we were up all night, coughing and puking. Thursday with the help of medicine she slept, but had very little to drink all day. Friday she didn't drink, but we gave her 8 ounces of half and half (Pediasure and Pedialyte, the lighter mix helps her to keep it down when she is heavily congested) through her tube, and she slept some. Saturday we tubed her 16 ounces of half and half, but she was up coughing and vomiting (due to the coughing) in spite of medication from 4-6am, after going to bed at midnight. Sunday we tubed her 12 ounces of half and half , she napped for 3-4 hours, and slept well after going to sleep at 1am. We've been giving round-the-clock doses of Benadryl and Albuterol, plus Ibuprofen when her fever spikes. This morning she asked for chips and Pediasure (regaining an appetite seems hopeful), but she only had negligible amounts of both and specifically asked for medicine to help her feel better, plus she is complaining about her bones hurting. It is a toss up this morning. I'm sure she'll be on the upswing pretty soon, but it has been almost a full week (last Tuesday) since she has had a regular amount of Pediasure, which makes me a little nervous. It has been 95 since her last episode and we'd really, really, REALLY like that number to keep rising.


We're having gorgeous weather, so KayTar spent part of the day watching her brother out the window while enjoying the cool breeze. I think we would all be outdoor people if we had that kind of weather more often!

All that vicarious playing and fresh air wore her right out.