Side show freak

Last night after Parker's physical therapy, Matthew and I decided to stop for a quick dinner/date on the way home. My mother was watching Aidan and Emma, and since it was a rare treat to have Matthew at PT with me, I thought it a good idea to take advantage of the situation and be spontaneous. However, once we walked into the restaurant, I immediately wished we had gone straight home. Every eye in our proximity was on Parker and his helmet. There were whispers, exchanged looks between patrons, and long, constant stares. Now, I know kids wearing helmets isn't the "norm," but I also didn't think it was so uncommon that people stopped eating their dinners to follow you with their eyes. There was a family across the way from us, a father, son, and a set of grandparents, that made Parker, his helmet, and why he wears it, their dinner conversation. They didn't try and be quiet, in fact, they seemed be trying to be heard. Their conclusion as to why my son was wearing "the apparatus" was because he suffered from shaken baby syndrome and was brain damaged...it was right about then, that I asked for the check, and we promptly left. If I hadn't been so astonished at the gaul of these perfect strangers, and in such shock at their assumption of abuse on our part, I would have marched right over there and given them a piece of my mind. I think Matthew knew what I was thinking, because as we were getting ready to leave, he made sure he had a good hold of me as we made our way out. My impromptu dinner date didn't turn out to be as fun as I thought it would be. I am so glad that Parker had no idea what was going on, and was just his happy, laughing self the whole time.

Helmet Head

It's official. My kid wears a helmet! I took Parker in on Friday to get his cranial band, and was a little horrified to find out the bears I chose, were a mix of girl bears and boy bears, with mostly girl bears in the front. Matthew says it's not that noticeable, but I still feel bad. I should have just gone with the trucks, cars, and trains like his Daddy wanted. This is what I get for trying to be cute. We got the schedule for acclimating him to the helmet, but unfortunately, on Friday night/Saturday morning, he woke up at 1:00 am screaming bloody murder and didn't stop all night long. I could tell it was a cry of pain, but I thought maybe it was teething. I took his temperature and it was 100.5, not too high, but I took him to the Saturday clinic at the doctors just to be safe. Good thing I did, because not only did he have a pretty bad ear infection, his left ear drum had ruptured. Poor baby. I felt horrible. But at least, once it had ruptured he was in a better mood. Apparently when it ruptures the pressure and pain goes away, too. He is on antibiotics for 10 days and we are resuming the helmet wearing today. They can't wear them when they have a fever because the cranial band increases body temperature on it's own, so any kind of fever and it's off til it goes away. Never a dull day at the Carpenters :)

Sleepy boys

When I came into my room last night, after putting Aidan and Emma to bed, this is what I found.

Posing

Here are some cute pictures of Parker before church yesterday. He was in such a great mood, and I couldn't resist snapping some photos of his adorable smile. I hope he's still this happy when he gets his helmet this week. Please ignore the messy, unmade bed in the background :)

Approved

After 6 long weeks of waiting, a few mix-ups, an initial denial because of the mix-ups, our insurance company has finally approved payment on Parker's cranial band (helmet.) I took Parker in today and had his head scan so they can make his cranial band. They put a little stocking cap on him and used a scanner, much like the ones they use at the grocery store, to do a digital read out of his skull. I finally decided on a white helmet covered in bears, and it should be ready by next week. Pictures of Parker styling his new look, coming soon...

Tea Party

A few weekends ago, my sister-in-law Melanie had a "tea party" for the family. Everyone (except me, that is) dressed up silly and we ate sandwiches, fruit, crackers, and cheese, on a blanket, picnic style, and had kool-aid in tea cups. There is not much I can say about this picture of Matthew, except typical.
Here is Parker being adorable as usual!
Grammy-Ann, Addison, Charlotte, Cambria, and Aidan all eating their lunches on the blanket.
Aidan in his tea party outfit.
Emma LOVED that she got to play dress up with her Hello Kitty jewelry, sunglasses, and hair bow. She really is a girlie-girl at heart!

Thanks Melanie for a fun time, and CONGRATULATIONS!! She's having a boy!

Mother's Day

This is the woman who rocked me to sleep, who wiped away my tears, who helped me with my homework, who drove me to dance class, girl scouts, and sports practice. This is the woman who laughed with me, cried with me, and put up with my crap when I was a teenager. This is the woman who loved me unconditionally every moment of my life, even when I didn't deserve it. She was there for all of the important and unimportant moments of my life. She has been my friend, my confidant, my teacher, my nurturer, my nurse, my advocate, and my biggest fan.

This woman is my mother.

Mom, I love you for so many reasons, but mostly, for always being in my corner and on my side no matter what. My kids are so very lucky to have you as their grandmother, and I will forever be grateful that you are my mother.

Happy Mother's Day!