Friday, May 31, 2013

River Monsters



Today was Storybook Character Day in Mrs. Wightman's first grade class.  Hughes chose to be Jeremy Wade.  I know a lot of 7-year old people probably haven't heard of his show, River Monsters, but Hughes is obsessed.  It is by far his favorite show and he talks about Jeremy Wade a good bit.  So, when the opportunity came to dress up as someone, Hughes chose him.  Now, we realize Mr. Wade is not a storybook character but a real, live human.  However, Mrs. Wightman is a really cool first grade teacher and allowed Hughes to veer ever so slightly off course.


Mr. Wade (aka Hughes)
Hughes insisted we get white hair paint so he could be more in character.






When you go up to a student, they read their paragraph of clues so the parent can use their bingo card to try to guess who the student is.



Hughes reading his clues.


 Hughes and his river monsters.  We painted a Black Piranha and a Goliath Tigerfish.


Singing some songs.


Collins and me with Mr. Wade


Fancy Nancy was in the house, as well as, Junie B. Jones.


All of the kids did awesome and it was really cute.


Patriots Day



Waynewood Elementary celebrated Patriots Day last Friday.  Hughes' den and a Daisy troop were asked to be the color guard.





Oh, and Abraham Lincoln was there.  GW came, too, but Collins had had enough by then so we missed him.

Last Day of Preschool


Last Friday was the last day of preschool for Banks.  He is ready for kindergarten.



A couple of pictures before preschool.  We got a cold burst of weather hence the fleece jacket.


My stepping stones.



Off to carpool.



 And, here is a main teacher this year, Mrs. Chapin.  Banks did not want me to get a picture but I was sneaky and got one instead.

Banks, I hope you always go to school so easily.  You leap out of bed in the morning and hit the ground running.  Only when it gets really quiet in the afternoon is when I'll find you passed out in the playroom with a bionicle with one hand and beyblade in the other.  You play hard until you crash.  I hope kindergarten is all that you hope and expect it to be.  Your preschool teachers have told me all year long that you are a rule follower and are always helping clean up.  I love to hear that about you because I often wonder how you are in class.  Keeping working and playing hard.  Watch out Waynewood Elementary, here comes Banks!
I love you to the moon and back!
Mom




Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Our Medical Mystery


As many of you know, Hughes is our expensive child when it comes to anything medical.  He's had 2.5 surgeries (.5 was for tubes since it was very minor), numerous follow ups, and well, now another to put on the list.

When we moved up here in August, I had to find the boys a new pediatrician.  I chose Kidz Docs because they were close by and were in the approved list of doctors for our new insurance.  The first time I went with Collins I can't say I was too impressed.  It was in an old, dingy building and was just not what I was used to in Charleston, SC at Seacoast.  But, we forged ahead and the waiting room was nice as well as the nurses.  Collins' check-up was no problem.

A few weeks later, we had Hughes' yearly check-up.  Dr. Russell was who he was scheduled to see.  Different from Collins but in the same practice.  Dr. Russell did some observations and asked lots of questions about his history.  He then told us that Hughes had a heart murmur.  What?  We have never been told that so I thought it was interesting that at age 7 Hughes would be diagnosed with a heart murmur.  He went on to ask me lots of other questions while mentioning that his ears protruded a little farther from his head then what is considered normal.  Again, interesting but not earth shattering.  Dr. Russell said that he wanted us to see a geneticist to see if any of these little pieces (cleft lip, hypospadias, heart murmur, delayed speech, etc) fit together somehow to form a bigger picture.

Fast forward 9 months and we finally had our appointment with Dr. Rosenbaum at Children's National Hospital.  He is a pediatric geneticist and was wonderful with us and with Hughes.  In fact, he was jockeying for Hughes to get some new Legos at our appointment for his bravery.  The appointment consisted of a thorough history of Hughes and some of me and David.  Dr. Rosenbaum has put in a request to do an assay to look at Hughes' genetic make up but we have to get insurance approval first since the test is about $3000.  He concurred about the heart murmur and referred us to a pediatric 
cardiologist.  

Yesterday, we met with Dr. Beder, the pediatric cardiologist.  Hughes had an EKG done which he did perfectly and then also had a sonogram of his heart.  Dr. Beder detected two heart murmurs and a small hole in the upper chamber of his heart.  He told us that 25% of adults have holes in their hearts and that if the hole hasn't closed by this point then there was a great chance that it wasn't going to close.  He said it wasn't that big of a deal and to come back in 2-3 years for another check-up.  

Now, we wait to see if insurance sends approval for the assay and then if approved we will have Hughes' blood drawn and then wait for the results.  Until then, we play, we swim, we carry one with life :) 



Thursday, May 23, 2013

Just Because


Have you ever seen a cuter mousketeer?


This kid is going to be in heaven when we meet THE Mouse over Thanksgiving.  (of course add Little Einsteins, Jake & the Neverland Pirates, Octonauts, and Doc McStuffins)

He found these ears in the playroom this morning and brought them upstairs for me to help him put on. He's been wearing them a lot today.  

Woot! Woot!


Hughes may have not been thrilled about the 400m but he did pretty good in the long jump!


2nd place - we'll take it!


Maybe this will help the cause next year when I sign him up again!

Mystery Reader


In Hughes' first grade class they have a mystery reader every week.  Parents are asked to sign up throughout the year to surprise the kids.  I had signed up this past fall but it is when Superstorm Sandy came through and school was canceled.  So, it was finally my time again and it happened to fall during the time that BecBec was here.  


Hughes was very surprised and excited.  BecBec read Iggy Peck Architect and I ain't gonna paint no more.


Collins on the back of the rug not paying attention and trying to talk to Keegan.  Is this what his future holds?  

Banks End-of-the-Year Preschool Show


Banks had his end of the year preschool production.  His class sang "If I were a butterfly . . ."  It was super cute.  I can't believe tomorrow is his last day of preschool.  He has loved school this year at Aldersgate and has made some great friends.  His class had 12 students and two teachers.


Banks and Cam

He sang all the words and did all the motions, too.  



They ended the production with "God Bless America".  I loved the flags and watching Banks sing the words.


Afterwards there was a picnic on the playground.  Here he is with Abby and Charlie.  Both are on his t-ball team and Abby's dad is the coach.


BecBec was here this past week and got to go to the preschool show.  We loved having her here especially the boys.  

Waynewood Elementary Track Team


Anybody that has known me since high school knows that I love track.  So, when a flyer came home about the Waynewood Elementary track team I was so excited.  They had a few practices and then had one big track meet against a few other local elementary schools.  To say there were a lot of kids is an understatement.


They had a choice between running the 100, 200, 400 and 4x100 relay.  They could pick up to 4 events.  Hughes decided on the 400 and then did the long jump.


Cam and Banks there to support Hughes and Avery.


Hughes giving his name for the long jump.  This was a standing jump and totally messed up the backyard coaching I gave to Hughes about running and jumping off one foot.


Oh yeah!  



He like the long jump.  And then it was time for the 400.  There were several heats of 1st grade boys and two false starts which resulted in three boys falling and hurting themselves.  It was a little chaotic.


Hughes is beside the tie-dye boy.




Finishing strong.



Afterwards he told me that he never wanted to run that race again but he still gave me a thumbs up. 


Hughes and Avery before the events.

Track is over and next year Banks will be able to do it in kindergarten.  I love it!


Fort Hunt Baseball League


What you may ask have we been doing?  Well, the answer is baseball.  Practices for machine pitch(Hughes) and tee-ball(Banks) and then games also.  Thankfully they squeeze all this in during the week so it does allow for free weekends which I enjoy.  

Hughes is on the Cubs and it is his first year of machine pitch.  He does pretty well but his favorite part of the games is the snacks afterwards.  (Same goes for Banks)   Banks is on the Angels and is doing tee-ball.  He loves it.





Before games with Flat Stanley.  Miller (friend from Charleston) sent us her Flat Stanley to show around DC.  The boys loved having Stanley visit and we took him to the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, baseball games, bike rides and even to eat mexican on Cinco de Mayo.


 Our left-handed hitter.  He catches right, throws right but hits left.



Banks and Charlie


After a game lining up to give high-fives.  Banks thinks his team won but every kid every inning makes it around the bases.


Charlie ready for snacks.


Hughes up at bat.


And, he hits it.


First base coach giving him a high-five.  I can't say I love his coach but I do really like the assistant coaches.


Celebrating on 2nd.


3rd base coach giving him props.  


Playing catcher


Action shot of the ball going passed him.  Oh, and his arm tucked in the chest pad.

The season is winding down and I'm looking forward to the summer sports: swimming, beaching, and traveling.



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