How To Break Your Arm

In case you didn't know, Jaxon broke his arm the day after Thanksgiving. It was the day that our friends Nate and Darryl came to help Mark install the flooring. I took the Curtis boys and my boys out so the men could work on the floor.

(It's been over a month and I'm finally at a place where I can blog about this.)

So this happened on Black Friday (perhaps that should have been my clue) at a dog park near Ray and Greenfield.

Here he is climbing on this deadly device. What he's doing now he can do in his sleep, backwards.

Such grace and confidence!

Here he's finishing up and his friend Asher wants to try, but changes his mind.

Here are all the boys on these 4 foot high concrete steps (there were a dozen of them).
Looking at the photos now, I'm surprised I didn't have to take them all to the hospital.

There was also a lake, with dangerous edges, which the kids were drawn to.

In this photo, you can see Finn in the back, trying to touch the water and Luke headed straight toward the edge.

Here's another photo of Jaxon climbing. He really loves it.

So when we got back to this part of the park, Jaxon decided to try this climbing structure again but on the INSIDE this time. He was on the other side (inclined) about exactly where he is in this photo when he fell. I don't think there are many adults that could climb at that angle. Why this is a children's play structure is beyond me.

He fell on his arm and fractured it in 3 places. I was hoping it was just bruised. Nope.

So Jaxon got a trip to the ER (instead of a movie with the Curtises) and X-rays and a cast.

He was pretty excited to get his friends to sign his cast.

The boys and their gingerbread train.

A Window into a 6 year old's Brain

Our family was swimming at my parent's house yesterday and Jaxon says out of the blue,

"Dad, why don't you bring your money home? I know you make thousands and thousands of money, so why do you keep it all at work? If you brought it home, we could be RICH!"

Mark and I looked at each other and tried not to laugh.

Upon further questioning, Jaxon disclosed that he wanted to be rich so he could buy things.

"What kind of things would you buy?" I asked.

"You know, like a bird or something." He said.

Mohawk and Swim Meet

On Friday, I gave Jaxon a MOHAWK.

He likes it because he thinks it looks like a dinosaur's spine.

And now he cares a lot about his hair.

"Mom! Finn just messed up my mohawk!"


"Mom, I want to make my hair into a mohawk!"

The plan is to keep this style for a few days or weeks, then shave it all off into a buzz.

I tried to do surfer hair with Jaxon, but it always looked ratty, and instead of looking like a surfer dude, he mostly looked like a homeless child.
























Yesterday Jaxon had his first swim meet. He did the back stroke pretty well, only he kept turning around to see if he was done. He placed 5th of 6.

Then he did the butterfly and raced against his friend, Ethan. Jaxon kept looking up and giving Ethan a thumbs up through the race. And then because he doesn't exactly know how to do the butterfly (he just mostly swam under water), he won first place, coming in a fraction of a second behind Ethan (who has great form in the butterfly).















But, it was FREESTYLE race that made the event EXCITING. (see video below, esp last 20 seconds)

It's hard to see from the video, but Jaxon starts off the race with goggle problems. Then, he starts to realize that he's behind and decides to give up because he's not winning. He goes totally non-responsive, eyes closed, floating in the water.
The crowd is yelling and getting nervous and then some random man DIVES in to SAVE my tantrum-throwing child.
When they climb out, the crowd CHEERS, and I can't figure out why.

It was crazy. I even forgot I was still filming and thought, "Oh, I probably ought to turn off the camera."
As I walked over to get Jaxon someone asked me what happened and I said, "That's just his personality."

I took Jaxon aside to talk to him and he yells at me,

"I QUIT!"

Whoever said that boys aren't as much drama as girls has never met my children.

The First Goal

Every week before his soccer game, Mark reminds Jaxon that if he scores a goal (most weeks no one on the team scores a goal) that Jaxon can get pizza at the concession stand.

So just now, Jaxon called me from his soccer game.
Here's the conversation.

Jaxon: "Mom, my soccer game is over and guess what? I kicked the ball in the goal!"

Me: "No way!"

Jaxon: "Yes! But, they're out of pizza so we're going to look for something else to eat."

Me: "Ok, well I'm so proud of you, Jaxon!"

Jaxon: "I know Mom, I'm really proud of myself too."


You know what, Jaxon? That's all that really matters.

Jaxonisms

At the park on Saturday, we were feeding the ducks (Cheerios, b/c bread makes them sick, FYI) and I asked Jaxon if the ducks said, "Thank you."
"Yes", he said. "One of them did."

Tonight he cleaned his room (to delay bedtime, but what can I say, "Stop cleaning your room?")
He was so proud of his job that he asked us to come look at it.
"Fascinating, isn't it?", he said.
Hmm, what does that mean, Jaxon?
"Fascinating means 'good job' in French."
Ah.

Jaxon was telling me that his friend Vincent has a girlfriend (in Kindergarten?). In order to figure out how much he understood, I asked Jaxon, "A girlfriend, what does that mean?"
"No mom, she's not mean. She's nice!"

Photos:
1. Feeding the ducks, listening for their "Thank yous"
2. At his school carnival on Friday, Jaxon is with his friend Vincent in the zebra sweatshirt.
3. Jaxon, his hot dog, and friend Zander on the train.

Integrated Kindergarten

This year, Jaxon is in a full-day Integrated Kindergarten at our local public school.
While I have toyed with homeschooling for the last few years, I gave myself a challenge to homeschool him this summer, and if it was going well, to continue in the fall.

I never even began.

What I didn't realize when I first started my dreams of homeschooling, was that Jaxon and I have some personality conflicts (ei: I don't know how best to parent him) and that taking care of two other children would be a full-time job. Oh, and that I would develop an unhealthy blogging habit. But, that's for another post.

So, when August came around, I called up the Montessori where Jaxon did half-day kindergarten last year. (We think of it as pre-school since his class had children ages 3-6). We were still on the waiting list, and I wasn't even sure that it was the best place for him. Although I LOVE the Monetssori method and materials, there was so much distraction to our borderline ADHD child that I wanted to try something new.

This is how I met Mrs. Michael Fern, principal at Jaxon's school. I sat down with her and explained Jaxon's struggles with impulse control, socializing, and authority. She seemed to understand and recommended that we enroll Jaxon in the I-K program with a relatively new teacher, Mr. West. (He's 1 year YOUNGER than me! Aack!) Intergrated kindergarten combines up to five children with special needs, ranging from mild, like a speech delay, to moderate, like Downs Syndrome or Aspergers, with 10 "average" students. The class has fifteen students with 2 aides and one teacher. So, the student-teacher ration is 5:1, pretty sweet for a public school. Well, any school, really :)

Last week was my first time volunteering in Jaxon's class, although Mr. West and I have met a few times and spoken by phone about occassional incidents like the one involving Jaxon, scissors, and Tessie's hair. It was wonderful to see Jaxon in this class. He was so excited to have me there, he had very good behavior, and I really enjoyed watching Mr. West work with the children.
When I got there, I was carrying 2 heavy sacks filled with glass baby food jars. He offered to take them from me, and then later, I noticed that he had handed them off to two children in his class. I briefly rolled my eyes at his "chivalry."

When we got in the class, Mr. West began the morning routine. They sing a days of the week song (two, actually) then go through attendance, lunch count, rules overview, and planning the day. Then he read to them, pointing out the author, illustrator, title page, cover, and spine. He was very specific and very patient.

After the morning ritual, they went to their desks to draw and write a memory of their own "Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" (like Alexander's). He went around and helped them write the sounds that they knew, then wrote the phrase underneath their attempts. Jaxon's memory was of losing his broomstick (?!).

The class has 4 tables, with 4 chairs at each. The children put their feet on phone books, because many of them can't reach the floor (even in the tiny chairs!).

After working on letters, they went to the wall and did some exercises, pushing on the wall, stretching, more pushing. The were using their muscles and taking a break from the mind exercises.

When they went out to recess I talked to Mr. West about the exercies, remembering what I had learned about children with sensory disorders, that some need to push and lift heavy items to feel more comfortable.

He said he had learned about helping children exercise more and carry heavy items from an occupational therapist, and tries to have the children do it every day. That was why, he explained, he had handed the children the heavy bags of jars, so they could do their lifting exercise for the day.

Wow. I felt a little sheepish, thinking that he was passing off his duty, but I was really impressed that from the very start of the day, he was thinking of ways to help his students.

I'm really grateful for Mr. West and his aides, Mr. Josh, and Ms. Heidi. They're a great crew and they seem to be able to help Jaxon learn and work with other children in a way that he wasn't able to acheive last year.

I am looking forward to volunteering more in the future!

Let it Snow!

After practicing for the Primary Program today, we drove by Dana Park which is an upscale shopping center around the corner from our house.
Today was their Grand Opening and they had a snow feature.
So, Jaxon and I went back after we put the babies to bed.
We waited in line for a half hour, dripping with sweaty in the hot sunny Arizona sun. *(I swear it was 100 degrees or hotter).
When it was our turn, Jaxon tried to make a snow ball, but the snow was packed down too hard. He figured out how to kick the snow to loosen it, then shape it into a snowball and throw it at me.
We had a great time.

For about 10 minutes we slid around (wearing crocs wasn't the smartest thing. They're like rubber skis.)
Jaxon used his bum as a sled and got quite a wet seat. But, he didn't mind.

I, however, did mind, so I tried to stay on my feet, while balancing my camera in my hand and purse on my shoulder.

I did pretty well until the very end when we were asked to leave (each group had about 10 min play time). As I started to walk down this steep hill in my slippery shoes, I started to slip, and slid down the last 3 or 4 feet of the hill into the slushy wet snow.
The people in line gasped as I made my exit, but they were just as impressed that I landed on my feet as I was.

Singing, Singing and Crawling

Alisa, this one's for you!




After we recorded this, Asher wanted a turn, so here's his 6 second version.
(Tell me if you can hear, "Don't Eat Jelly Bean")




And of course, here's our first video of Finn crawling. Asher and I got a bit of footage, too. (Note the "Champ" bib that Finn is sporting, very appropriate)

Jaxon and the Beanstalk

A few summers ago, I saw a bean table at a children's play center. So, I made one of my own at home for little 3 year old Jaxon. It wasn't much, just a bin with dried pinto beans and different utensils to play with, a sieve, tongs, measuring cups, spoons, etc.
Jaxon loved that bean table. He would play with it during the cool winter, and when March came around, and we had a yardwork project, I got rid of the bean table, but didn't think much of the beans that were scattered around the yard.
Until, they started to sprout up through the freshly laid sod.
Of course I tried to pull them out, but they kept sprouting everywhere.
And, what do you know, the vines I bought (at $20 a pop) for the fancy lattices kept dying.
So, perhaps it was serendipity, perhaps it was madness, but one day I decided to let a bean sprout keep growing, near a lattice where one of my pricey vines had just died.
And grow it did. Bigger and fuller, and greener than any of my other plants.
It even has beautiful blue blossoms in the summer. And, while it goes into hibernation in the winter, it comes back year after year (even when Mark weed whacks it!)
So, here is my ode to our lovely bean sprout vine.
It surely was a magic bean that Jaxon accidentally planted 3 years ago.

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Today was a good day: here's the scoop.

1. It's Michelle's birthday! Hooray :)
Right now she is in first class on her international flight to Beunos Aires, Argentina. I hope she has a wonderful time and I'm just a teensy (well, maybe a bit more than teensy) bit jealous that I can't be there with her and D'Arcy.

2. Jaxon got a green stamp today, which means he had zero discipline problems!

3. We organized a Mommy School for Asher and his friends. I think it will be a lot of fun. (not as much fun as eating daisies, though)

4. Tonight at my mom's house, Finley learned to crawl! He's been so close for about a week, but now he can get about halfway across a room, we're pretty excited.

5. I cleaned my house. Well, a little bit of it, the kitchen and bathrooms. Still, that's a lot for me. Many thanks to Brittany for our scheduled playdate which encouraged the cleaning in the first place.

6. Katie is having a boy! Exactly what she and Justin hoped for. It's great news for them.

Wow, I didn't realize how many good things happened today until I wrote them down. Sweet.

Blazing Steeds on the Hemophilia 5K Walk-a-thon

Mark and I have started a team for the Hemophilia 5K Walk-a-thon (held Sunday Sept 28, in Phoenix).
We're recruiting people to join our team, get a t-shirt, and support the cause.

If you're interested, go to the Blazing Steeds fundraising page (isn't that a great name? I came up with it myself :)

I haven't written about our hemophilia story, but I thought this would be a good place for those who've never heard it (or as a refresher for those who have).

Jaxon and Asher have severe hemophilia A. They are missing the genetic code that makes a protein essential for clotting blood. (It's called Factor 8 because it's the 8th in a clotting cascade. Without every domino, the process fails). So, their bodies don't make this protein at all, so their blood doesn't clot.
At all.
So in 2002, our first baby boy, Jaxon was circumcised, and it didn't stop bleeding for 24 hours. Diagnosis was one thing, but understanding the treatment was another.

Everyone reassured us that our baby would be fine. But, they said, he could have spontaneous bleeding (not from trauma) in his joints, organs, or muscles. Even in his brain. And, since he was a baby, we'd never know. So, of course Jaxon had colic, and when he would cry for long bouts, we would wonder if he was bleeding. We were never confident.

Jaxon had a lot of bruises, but not all of the problems other parents of children with hemophilia had. He didn't have bleeds in his forearms from banging his arms on the high chair tray. He didn't bleed while teething, and we never got reported to CPS for a child with too much bruising.

After he started walking he stopped abruptly and cried in pain. After a few hours, we suspected a bleed in his left hip. We treated him with the very expensive, but very safe and effective medication called factor (it's a synthetic factor 8 protein) and his symptoms disappeared.

After this first bleed, our hematologist medical team recommended a port-a-cath as a way to access deliver the factor into Jaxon's blood without having to find a vein every time. Jaxon then began prophylaxis, or preventative treatment.

The port-a-cath required surgery, and it was difficult to let them put my baby under the knife at 13 months old. But, we have been so glad that we did. Now age 6, Jaxon still has his port and gets his infusions 3 times a week. He has only had a handful of bleeds ever since.

After his diagnosis, we did genetic testing and determined that I am a carrier for hemophilia and that my mother was not, which means that it was a genetic mutation that occurred when I was created. So, since one of my X's is affected, I have a 1 in 4 chance of having a son that has hemophilia (and the same chances for having a girl that is a carrier).

When I was pregnant with Asher, I had an amnio and learned that he, too, would have hemophilia. It was a difficult time, but we have been so blessed with Jaxon's health that we weren't as scared as we were when Jaxon was born.

Everything went well with Asher until he got a big goose-egg on his head. Although it wasn't a brain bleed, it was on his head, so it was a concern. After we treated it, we decided to place a port in his little 8 month old body. That was so scary. But, he did great, just like his brother.


He's 2 1/2 now and hasn't had any joint or muscle bleeds that we know of. He has had some trauma (like when he sliced his head open on the minivan) and we've treated for those incidents.

So, we have been very blessed, or very lucky, but still wonder what the future of hemophilia holds for our children. Some possibilities are inhibitors, where the body attacks the factor 8 protein as a foreign object.
At best, hemophilia is inconvenient. At worst, it is deadly. Both boys wear medicalert bracelets on their ankles as a safeguard. We have to discuss these issues with teachers, babysitters, friends and family to make them aware of our children's special needs.

So far, our children's lives have been nearly normal, and that may or may not continue. They can play most sports, provided they infuse beforehand. (with the exceptions of football, boxing, and hockey) They will not be able to go away from home without parents until they can learn to self-infuse, which will probably be around age 9 or 10. Their ports will come out eventually (they usually only last for a year or 2 in cancer patients) and they will begin to infuse peripherally, through their veins.

We anticipate the future with much hope and continue to look forward to a cure, which is really not that far out of reach.
We just need a little luck and a lot of support.

All About Jaxon

I'm imitating my best friend Leslie's post about things she doesn't want to forget about her children.
I know I write about my kids all the time, and when they're in bed, I should focus on something else, but there are wonderful things about them that I don't want to forget.
Here's the first in this series.
Jaxon
I should have named this child "Enthusiasm" because he is always so excited and happy about going places and
doing things. Each morning he asks, "Which day is it?" I answered today, "Wednesday." He says, "What do we do on Wednesdays?" meaning, "is this library day, pool day, museum day, friends day, or what?"
At the playground or the gym, Jaxon makes friends so easily. He's the first to walk up to a child and say, "Hi, I'm Jaxon, do you want to go play?" He'll share his ball, or play tag, and he always has a smile on his face.
Around the house, Jaxon can be very helpful if he wants to. When Finley was a few months old, I would mention that he needed a diaper change, and Jaxon would run to get the portable changing table (always making sure to buckle Fin, even when it was on the floor) the diaper and wipes. He can also clean his room pretty well when he puts his mind to it.
When it's time to play, Jaxon loves to play tickles on the bed, play mancala or chess, or read books. When mom or dad aren't available, Jaxon loves movies or playing games online (sesame street, calliou, or curious george).
A budding photographer, Jaxon takes pictures of me, the other kids, or his favorite items around the house.
Always the gymnast, Jaxon has been climbing since he was 18 months old and he surprised us by scaling the play gym at McDonald's without our even noticing. Today I saw him leap from the top of my dresser to the bed, just to get a laugh out of Finley. I think my oldest has a love of adventure.
Jaxon's other loves are gardens, anything that grows, Thomas the Train, things that shoot, learning about Australia, and playing the harmonica.
He is the first to comfort anyone in the house who cries and will bring a stuffed animal right away to help ease pain.
Some of my favorite memories of Jaxon:
He yells, "I'm a spleeding baris!" and runs as fast as he can down the hall.
How he answers inquiries about how he's doing, "Pretty well" or "Not pretty well." and answers invitations with, "I'd be so delighted."
He uses glorious, unbeatable, and unusually (among other big words) in amusing ways.
How I find hooks of every kind hanging strange objects all over my house. One of the most common are bungee cords and toys dangling from hangers or wall hangings. Also, he perches cars and trains precariously on the edge of the counter, waiting for them to fall.

Having Jaxon turn 6 last week has reminded me how fast the years are going and that I need to stop occasionally and remember the good, fun times, and put the irritating, stressful times in perspective.
Here's to you, Jaxon.
You're my little wonderboy!

Jaxon and Mommy at the Lake

Jaxon and Cami on the tube


On Friday, my mom watched Asher and Fin so I could take Jaxon to the lake with my dad, brother David, and sister Cami. My dad's friend, Dave owns the boat and invited us along with his kids, Alexis and Joey.
It was a full boat. (I estimated that our 8 persons exceeded the 1150 lb maximum capacity, but it just made a deeper wake)






Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful getting up on the wakeboard (It's been years since I've done it!). However, Jaxon and I had a great time on the tube. He went with me, with Cami, and with his Uncle David and favorite friend Joey. They had a great time.

While we were riding I told Jaxon, "Let's go home and ask Daddy if we can have a boat!"
(what is with my hair? wow!)










Here's David on the wakeboard. He was trying to get up, then go over the wake 4 times for his boy scout merit badge.


















Alexis (our new favorite babysitter) and Aunt Cami.
Aren't they darling?











Jaxon with Joey and David





Obviously they were going pretty slow if Jaxon could put his arms out, but he was having such a great time!