Wait...what day is today? October 1 already?

(I started this yesterday and didn't get very far, but that's why the date above is wrong...sigh) Yikes! Was my last post really over a month ago?! I've written several posts since then...in my head. Okay, I know it doesn't count becasue you are not mind readers. I swear I am trying, but you try to have two kids and a full time job and keep up with your blog. Let me know how that goes for you.

So, here's the update. Yes, Camden finally realized that his doggy was no longer around. He whined, there were a few actual tears, he asked a lot of questions and then he told me a few days later that his doggy "runned away." And no, I did not tell him that, but I guess that was the only way he could wrap his mind around it. He has also become really attached to his stuffed dog lately (looks just like Dempsey, BTW). For a long time, it was "baby tiger that the dentist gave me" that dragged around the house, but now it is doggy. According to Camden, doggy does not have a name and doggy does not talk (okay, so he doesn't hear voices...good to know).

Palmer's language skills are really progressing. His best words are apple, ball and banana. There are really just a handful you would be able to pick up offhand. But I, being the mommy, am very skilled at deciphering his rudimentary language, and boy does that kid talk. "I want more toothpaste" "That's Mommy's shoe" and my personal favorite, "No Camden, not nice!" As you may be able to tell, he gets most of his phrases by copying Camden, and his most common sentences begins with "I want..." He has also said things like, "That doggy says woof" "There's water in there" "All gone lizard" and he especially loves to sing. The cleanup song is his favorite..."clean up, clean up, everybody do your share..." The doctor said when kids are close in age it is unusual for the younger one to talk so much, as the older one usually does all of the talking for them, but Palmer seems to be holding his own pretty darn well. I think he sensed form an early age that Camden was only looking out for number one, and if he wanted to compete, he would have to make his own way.

TS Fay: Not gonna' fizzle

Tropical storm Fay is still going strong as she makes her way back across Florida, right over our heads. The most we've seen so far is a little drizzle, but it was enough to cause our day care to close today and tomorrow. AND, being that I work for an electric utility company, this is our busiest time! Outages abound in our service area, which lies mostly southeast of Gainesville and is already seeing the brunt of the storm. Not a whole lot of wind, but the rain is causing soggy trees to lose their footing and topple over onto our service lines. So, we here in the PR department are scrambling to keep up with media calls and keep our web site as up-to-date as possible. Thank heavens for good friends like Jennifer who volunteered to watch the boys today so I could come to work and Rob could cook for his 100+ catering event this afternoon that was NOT canceled due to inclement weather. On my schedule for tomorrow is damage reporting. I'll be touring the Gainesville District, camera in hand, to document any flooding and downed power lines (they hooked me up with a hard hat and full-length raincoat just for the occasion). So, Rob and I will split kid-watch duties tomorrow so I can work in the morning and he can cook for ANOTHER catering event tomorrow afternoon. Life goes on, storm or no storm.

In Loving Memory

To our beloved friend, family member, playmate, you will be missed but not forgotten. You were gentle and patient and loving. You were part of our family when we needed you most, and now your time had passed and we will hold our dear memories of you near to our hearts.
Dempsey, we love you and we miss you.

"It was time," Rob said to me this morning when I called him "after." That was all I needed to hear to know he was at peace with his decision. He called the vet late yesterday afternoon and made the appointment for 7:30 this morning, so as to avoid too much drama. I dropped the boys at day care today (usually a daddy duty) while Rob took Dempsey to the vet.

For those of you that don't know, Dempsey had a spinal nerve disease called degenerative myelopathy where the myelin tissue in a specific nerve group in a dog's spinal cord deteriorates. It is like MS in dogs (go figure). It is more common in certain breeds like boxers, dalmatians and German Shepherds. DM causes the nerve impulses from the brain to be unable to reach the dog's hind quarters. There is no treatment or cure for the disease. It progresses rapidly and is often not diagnosed until the later stages of the disease because the early symptoms are so similar to arthritis.

Dempsey had his first symptoms about 15 months ago, and by June of this year he was unable to walk. He managed to get around pretty well by pulling himself along with his front legs. The vet assured us that many dogs get along this way for quite some time, and since there is no pain associated with the disease, there would be no need to rush to a decision about putting the dog to sleep. But Dempsey, who had always loved to run, and was a star high jumper, stick chaser and backyard escape artist, was no longer his happy perky self. Maybe no pain, but there was definite sadness in his eyes. It is so hard to finally come to terms with what is in the best interest of your beloved pet, and my heart aches for Rob right now, but deep down he knew "it was time."

We didn't say anything to the boys. Palmer is young enough that he won't remember Dempsey, and likely will not even question why he isn't there anymore. Camden was the same age when we put Elvis to sleep, and it was a week later when he finally went to the closet where Elvis used to sleep and matter-of-factly said "all gone." Palmer is a fan of the phrase at the moment, so I anticipate it will be a similar situation with him in this case.

Camden knows Dempsey was old and sick. He was well aware that he couldn't play with Dempsey the way he used to. I had previously told him that there would come a day when Dempsey would not be with us anymore, and left it at that. I did not tell him last night or this morning that today was that day. In my heart of hearts I am hoping that he simply won't notice Dempsey's absence and will take it all in stride and not ask too many questions. Maybe in all his innocence, he will really understand that Dempsey is not with us anymore simply because "it was time."

Where'd my babies go?

Oh, my boys are getting so big. Camden dresses himself now (tear, sniff sniff). I can no longer pick out his clothes or help him keep from putting his head through the arm hole. He does it all by himself! I will say, it makes for some interesting color combinations, but dare I even suggest a clothing change, and it causes a complete meltdown. So, yesterday he wore his red, white and blue 4th of July shirt with a pair of Army green shorts and his Spider-Man shoes. There was also the day he wore a pajama shirt to school, and the day he went without underwear because I didn't know I had to check.

Palmer is cruising right along, too. He is talking more than ever, although still I am the only one who can understand him, I think. His favorite food right now is hot dogs and it's pretty much his answer to every question:

"Palmer, what do you want for lunch today?"

"Hot dog"

"What did you have for dinner last night?"

"Hot dog"

"Are you hungry? Do you want a snack?"

"Hot dog, hot dog."

I swear, the kid would be perfectly happy eating hot dogs 24/7. But, he is a good eater and downs the fruits and veggies, too.

Palmer is also using the potty. I think he saw all the excitement and praise we gave Camden over the last several months, and he wants in on that. He goes pee-pee on the potty pretty much every day now, at school and at home. And he has even gone poop on the potty three times. He actually told me one time that he had to go by pulling on the bottom of his shorts and running to the bathroom and whining at the door. Then, when I though he was done, he did the sign for more and said "wa-wa" and pointed to his pee-pee. So I sat him back on the potty and he went more! For the most part though, he just goes when I remember to take him to the potty, and twice a day at school when they have potty time. I don't expect that he will actually be potty trained any time soon, but at least it's keeping his diapers drier longer for now, and every little bit helps.

The Maine Event

We had a fantastic time in Maine. The weather was beautiful - chilly at night, with a high of 78 and sunny during the day. Almost a little too cool for the beach, but the boys didn't seem to mind.

[See pictures below]: We stayed in a cute little cottage/cabin on the beach that was very old and a little dirty, but perfect for the kids, complete with a front yard for them to run around in. We went to the carnival at the pier (walking distance form our cottage) and rode a few rides, including the Ferris wheel over the water. Had a lobster roll for lunch (sorry, no pic) that was de-lish! I've heard about them on the food network, and couldn't wait to get to Maine to try one. We tried to watch the fireworks that night, but Palmer slept through it and Camden got bored after 15 minutes and wanted to go inside. Next morning we hit the beach, then showered up and went for a "nature hike" on a cliff to see a lighthouse that never materialized. Then it was off to Rob's aunt's house for the official family get together. You can see most of the 50 plus of us in the picture, but I notice a few stragglers are missing. Day three everyone wanted to drive to Salem, MA (supposedly a 1.5 hour drive that turned out to be three hours for those that went) but I said no way, for the sake of the kids. Instead we found a children's museum 15 minutes away in downtown Portland (thank you laptop and GPS) where they could run and jump and play; and then a short brewery tour at the Shipyard Brewery just around the corner for Daddy. We wrapped up the final day after dinner with an ice cream treat, and that was about it. We had a great time, ate lots of lobster, and came home needing a vacation from our vacation, but it was well worth it.

Okay, there are a few key details I left out, like the stroller incident, the bag check, the tire delay, the pee on the plane (not ours), the rock bed, the drunken realtives, and the list goes on. But that's neither here nor there, so we'll leave it there. Above all else, we had FUN!

Hair we go again

Repeat after me: “I swear never to make my child grow his hair long and get a bowl cut like Joey Lawrence, or that red-headed kid from Diff’rent Strokes, because even though I thought they were really cute back in the ’80’s, it is not necessarily the best look for my kids.”

You all know I caved on Camden’s bowl cut last month and let Rob take him for a shorter cut, but I was still holding out hope for Palmer. Okay, so it was a little shaggy…you just have to endure that sloppy in-between stage when you’re on the quest for the perfect bowl cut.

Well, this time I caved all the way around. Okay, I admit it, Rob was right and I was wrong, as evidenced by the pictures below (please don't make me explain the Superman costume). Palmer got a cute little boy cut and Camden’s in-between-bowl-and-short cut went all the way short. It had to – it was still too long in the back, and he had this weird bang-y thing going on. Rob also got rid of his mop and opted for a short cut. It is truly the end of an era for the bowl cut in our household.

As for the cutting part, the boys did remarkably well. The stylists were totally impressed. Palmer sat on Daddy’s lap and did a great job of holding still. And Camden climbed right up in the big chair and hopped on the booster seat all by himself. He was so proud of himself for sitting still and kept telling the stylist “I’m not crying. I’m a big boy.” (Yes, we had a tearful attempt at Supercuts in the past). He even let her use the clippers on his neck without so much as a wince. I was so proud of them.


If I hadn't birthed them myself, I'd hardly believe they're even related.

Chop-chop

Sorry about the poor quality of these pics, (Rob took them with his cell phone) but they are too cute not to share. We went out for sushi for dinner Saturday night and the boys had a ball using chopsticks. Our waitress gave us these little plastic things that hold the chopsticks together to make them easy for kids to use. Camden thought it was the coolest thing, and even though he struggled a little, he refused to use a fork. And of course, Palmer had to follow suit with big brother. He actually managed to get a couple grains of rice in his mouth, I think. I tried giving Palmer bites from a fork, but he wouldn't take any food that was not offered to him from a pair of chopsticks. They ate chicken Pad-Thai (noodles, veggies and peanut sauce) and a California Roll (cooked crab, avocado and rice). Camden did a fantastic job, and he became very adept at picking the vegetables out of his noodles with the chopsticks (Grrr...).