Where we've been...

This is what Harry and I do in the afternoon--snuggle into my unmade bed, watch a little Thomas the Train and finish off my cold coffee, always on the bedside table.

 This is Brice the day after his sleep study. He fell asleep in the van on the way home from school at 4pm, moved to my bed at 5pm, his bed at 7pm, and slept until 6am. I guess he was tired.

Brice is having a time-out in the hallway. Scully watches from nearby.

Brice is studying spiders in preschool. He is describing to me how he wants me to draw the spider on his hand. He is also obsessed with Spiderman. A serendipitous intersection, for sure.

Sweet Harry and I chatting at the table. He often requests a kiss. How can I say no??

 When Harry senses he is in trouble (he isn't in this shot) he tells me i'm beautiful. How do little boys learn these mad skills? 

 Happy Birthday to Seth. 37 on Valentine's Day. 

Happy Valentine's Day, Harry!!

 We had Brice's 5th birthday party at the Children's Museum. All the kids wore red, in honor of Spiderman. 

Happy Birthday Brice!! How can you already be 5? How is it you're only 5?? It feels like you've been with us forever--we are so very blessed!

Make a wish, little man. The future is yours...

The results are in...

 This little foolio of mine has sleep apnea. "Mild" sleep apnea they called it, but still, the child does not sleep like he should. I actually started crying when she told me. There's a reason! A REASON!!! Some common symptoms of childhood sleep apnea--daytime hyperactivity (check), moodiness (check), irritability (yes, go on...), etc. We go see the pediatric ENT again on Thursday to hear what she thinks we should do. I'm guessing surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids (which I hear is brutal). We've tried Flonase, but nothing much has changed. This gives me hope that things can change and improve.

My Valentine's Day poem, from Seth

I Remember

If you feel a bit ploughed under

Ground all day by little boys

If you sometimes sigh and wonder

What became of former joys

Close your eyes and picture this

Sunlight gleams on waving corn

Part your lips now for the kiss

Heady summer love reborn

I remember who you are

I have not forgotten

You're the comely cookie jar

This thief's hand was caught in

Sleep Study

 Brice's sleep study took place last week. I knew what an ordeal this might be for him, so I made sure to really prep him and get him super excited--you and me! staying in a hotel together! you're going to look like a superhero! it's going to be so awesome!! And he bit--he was telling his teacher about it, complete strangers got to hear what he was about to do. So on Thursday night, we packed a bag--complete with his favorite smelly blanket and blue bunny--and headed to the pediatric sleep study center. 

 The room was so much "nicer" than I expected. We really were in what appeared to be a hotel room. There were monkeys on the wall and an IKEA leaf canopy over my bed :)  The pediatric nurse was super nice and showed Brice all the wires and he even got to watch Nick Jr. while she hooked him up.

He really champed it and didn't fuss to much. I think he was just fascinated with it all. The sleep part wasn't great. He cried and whimpered and had a hard time. The nurse told him she could see him on the camera and hear him if he cried out, and Brice took full advantage of it.

"Diana?" "yes Brice?" "Wanna hear me count to 900?"

"Diana?" "yes Brice?" "are you nocturnal?"

In the morning, which in Brice's world was 4:40am, they unhooked him and let us get cleaned up. The nurse wasn't allowed to give me any kind of indication of his sleep quality, so we'll have to wait a couple weeks. I can't really capture how TIRED we both were. I am amazed I didn't crash the car on the way home. And poor Brice fell asleep at 4pm the next day, and proceeded to sleep 14 HOURS. Which really puts a dent in my whole "Brice doesn't sleep well" theory. 

February 16th is the follow-up with the dr., so we'll know more then.