The Little Figs

I have cried over the past few months, every time I think about my baby turning 5. Funny enough, his birthday came and went and now I don't cry anymore. I guess it doesn't feel that different now that he is officially 5. If I think about taking him to kindergarten next year, that is another story! Caleb was with me through an interesting journey. During his pregnancy I had some mini strokes and was taken to the emergency room for loss of speech and numbness. Through many tests, they found that I had a hole in my heart and needed a PFO closure with heart surgery. Matt was a little freaked out, but other than worrying about my 5-month-old fetus, I was fine. They monitored Caleb through the anesthesia, just as they monitored me. Everything went just fine, but I still worried that the medications and stuff would affect him. It truly was a bonding moment for us, as we lay in the hosital, recovering from surgery. On the day Caleb was born, we were so happy that he was a healthy...

On New Years Day, Matt and I took the kids to a movie. It reminded me of a funny thing that happened at a theater once a few years ago. We went to see The Chronicles of Narnia at Jordan Commons. I left the theater to buy some popcorn during the previews. In the hallway area, they had a small concession stand. I handed the girl my money and asked for a large popcorn, which she filled and set down on the counter. The second the popcorn hit the counter, she turned to the side and just started hacking and vomiting EVERYWHERE. (Wouldn't you think that with huge popcorn containers sitting there, that you would grab a bucket or something? Maybe I'm the only one who thinks of things like that.) Anyway, I said, "Let me get you some help." I immediately went over to the ticket-taker and said, "The girl at that concession stand is barfing everywhere." He looked flustered and told me he'd get some help, but then looked at the line up of people getting ready to han...

Today I'd like to thank the writers of the movie, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," for teaching my kids that it is funny to bow our heads at the dinner table and recite the Pledge of Allegiance instead of saying the prayer.

I ran across this journal entry from a few months ago. It details my trip to Arkansas for one of Aubree's surgeries. You may want to read about Aubree's diagnosis first, just to get the background.  https://thelittlefigs2.blogspot.com/2008/04/aubrees-brain-tumor.html I thought I would share it, even though it is kind of long... Yesterday I took Aubree to the Hearing and Balance Center for a hearing test (normal) and to meet with the therapist there. This therapist did all kinds of balance and motor skill testing. She had seen Aubree about two or three years ago and remembered her. She also checked her eyes and vestibular. I find myself wanting to forget about the stuff we’ve gone through. Appointments like this one are few and far between now and I think I must suppress many of my emotions about our medical situation. During and after this appointment, I cried. It just evokes many memories and the reality of the situation. I think I cry mostly because I am grateful for our o...

Yesterday at church I was sitting next to Marcus (6), tracing the lines in his palm. I said, "Why do you think those lines are there?" He replied, "When Jesus made me, that is where he sewed me up."

For the past couple of years I have heard complaints from my kids about the Principal's lunch rule. The rule says that you have to sit down as you get your food and cannot save seats for your friends. My kids call it "Assigned Seating." "Oh, Mom," Aubree (10) has said, "can't you PLEEEEASE talk to the Principal?" She argues that lunch should be her time to be social, chat amongst friends, and enjoy her break from school work. I have to agree with her. After months of complaints, I finally told her that I had to "choose my battles" with the school. I was not willing to go to bat for her on that issue. I had already fought for water to be served in the cafeteria, a bus to take neighbor kids to school, and other assorted items. I finally told her, "Either stop complaining, or do something about it." Well, imagine my surprise (and delight) when she came home from school a few weeks ago with a petition -- complete with a clipb...

I was laying on the living room floor, having a chat with my four year old. "So what do you want to be when you grow up?" I asked him. I named off a few careers and waited for his response. "A doctor," Caleb replied. "What kind of doctor?" I asked. "Do you want to be one that checks kids, or one that delivers babies, or one that takes out tonsils, or one that checks eyes?" "The one that delivers babies," he answered. "That would be fun wouldn't it?" I asked. "Yeah, I will deliver the babies to the places they need to go. And I will give them all away, except I will keep the ones that look like me," Caleb stated. Hmmm... I think the word "deliver" had been misinterpreted. Once I started explaining what real OB's do, Caleb didn't seem very interested anymore. Maybe he'll "deliver" milk instead.