More from Max

Max has become quite the documentary maker. I'm a little afraid of what he might catch on the camera! He has literally taken hundreds of pictures. He told me he is taking them for his book. Apparently, he let Grant take a couple of pictures this time. Sometimes, he takes the camera without me knowing it. I found it outside on the picnic table a couple days ago. It had spent the night there... fortunately, it had not rained or I may have been arrested for abuse of a minor.

Carnivore

Grant isn't the best kitchen helper until it comes to licking the beater. Although it looks as if he has had his head in the carcass of an animal, it was really only red velvet cake batter.

No more blaming the tumor...

Nate had his biopsy yesterday. Apparently, Nate has a "crevice" or indentation in the sphenoid bone. The tumor was in the crevice. The doctor said the crevice was big enough to hold 2 jelly beans. He ended up removing 99% of the mass "since he was in there" and so he could be sure to have enough to send off to be tested. Dr. Gluth said it looked to him as if bone marrow had leaked into the crevice at the base of Nate's skull. He said that is rare and crevices are not normal, but the mass appeared to consist of bone marrow and bits of bone. We won't know for sure until the lab gets done testing it but Dr. Gluth said it appears the tumor has been there awhile and had not destroyed any of the surrounding bone or tissue. He also said the surgery went as well as it could have. Nate left the hospital with one really big nostril. He's going to put a picture of his nasty nostrils on his blog. Disgusting.

For the skeptics

For those who would like a frame of reference for the size of the spider here are the pictures I took through the plastic tub. I mustered up the courage to lift the lid a little and stick the camera in to get one without the plastic. Nate asked me what I would have done had the spider jumped at me. I would have screamed and run like a crazy person. That's what I would have done.

Nate's Head

Nate has bad ears. I always make fun of him because he's the only adult I know to still get ear infections... (except for Jenny Beth... and Allison...)

This summer his ear was really bothering him so he went to the doctor and got some medicine for his allergies to help with drainage. His ear started ringing and he was having trouble hearing out of it. I told him he probably had high-frequency hearing loss because the music at the Grove is so loud :)

His doctor referred him to an ENT (ear, nose and throat doctor) to check out the ringing. He passed the hearing tests but the ENT referred him for an MRI to rule out a tumor putting pressure on his cochlea that might be causing the ringing.

I told Nate if he had a tumor at least that might exlain why his head is so big.

We found out last week that Nate does have a tumor. It is located at the base of his skull and sinuses near his pituitary gland. Basically, right smack in the middle of his head. The doctor said it is about 2 cm in diameter. Last Thursday he had a CT scan done and Tuesday he is having a biopsy. He may have had this for a while... or it could be new growth. We won't know until after the biopsy. Nate will be completely out for the biopsy which is good because they stick the big scope through his nose!

Nate's afraid they'll realize the 2 cm "tumor" is actually his brain and the huge mass around it is the abnormality. Now, when Nate acts like a "bone-head" he uses the tumor as an excuse. Or, if he is in bed and wants some advil he can't get up because he has a tumor. It's like what I did with pregnancy. Paybacks....

What the...?

Not many things freak me out. I am generally pretty even keeled. I did find out months ago that I am apparently scared of squirrels. I don't mind squirrels running and frolicking about outside but, when squirrels get in my house and run inches in front of me I have been known to drop my child and run. I'm not proud of it, but it's true.

Saturday, I discovered another fear. Spiders. Big, enormous spiders in my house. (I'm noticing the trend: creatures that should not be IN MY HOUSE!)

So, Saturday I went into my room to find a pair of pants for Jack to wear. I had a load of clean clothes folded in a laundry basket in my room. I picked a shirt off the top of the pile and thought to myself, "I don't remember the boys having a big, fake, plastic spider." For a fleeting second, I thought about picking it up.... then it moved. Just writing about it makes me squirm. I did not scream. I had a small panic attack but I did not verbalize it at this point. I did what all rational women do: I called my husband... who was at work. I told him there was a "freaking enormous" spider in our house. He told me to kill it. It was at that moment that I knew I had to keep this spider alive. No one would ever believe how big this thing was unless I could keep it alive. I grabbed a plastic cup. I calmly walked back in the room. It was still there. I mustered up the courage to throw/place the cup over it. It jumped when I did which is when I realized how fast it had the potential to be. I worked the cup over so only one item of clothing was underneath it. I sweetly called Max to bring me the rubbermaid tub that his toys go in right now. Grant follows Max in the room to see what is going on. More courage... I got my hand under the burp rag that was under the cup and literally threw them in the tub and slammed the lid on top. It is at this point that I screamed. The boys think this is hilarious and still don't really know what is going on. It was like an adrenaline rush and I couldn't stop screaming. It was the kind of scream where your whole body shakes with the "heeby jeebies" at the same time. The thing was freaking huge and nasty with all it's beady little eyes.



















Nate took this picture after he released it outside last night. I asked him to drive it out to the country. Instead, he chose the cul-de-sac right smack in front of our house! Max suggested just spraying it with bug spray. I think it would take more than one can. Can you imagine what it would feel like to step on something like this? Yuck. It would ruin your shoe.

Sick. I hate big nasty spiders in my house.

You know you've lived in Springdale too long...

Sarah: Oh, Grant. We have to go change your pull-up. You are poopy.
Grant: I not poopy.
Sarah: What is that horrible smell then?
Grant: Chickens.

Overheard at our house...

at dinner the other night:
Max: Why does God want to live in my heart?
Sarah: Ummm.... I don't know. That's what he chose to do (or some sort of horrible response like that)
Max: But, heaven won't fit in my heart, right?

talking to Grant while playing:
Max: I just lighted you up!

on a daily basis:
Grant: Thank you, Baby. Alright, Baby. I coming, Baby.

also on a daily basis:
Grant: You mean! I not like you! You baby!

while my sister was watching the boys and reading a book to Grant:
Max: This game sucks.

while painting a canvas (after being told he needed to paint it all so no white was showing):
Max: Next time you need to get me a smaller one. This is taking years.

after being told he couldn't have a snack because he didn't eat his dinner:
Max: Well, if you wouldn't make disgusting food I would eat it.

after being asked if he wanted to wear his Razorback t-shirt:
Max: Why?
Sarah: Because the Razorbacks are playing football today.
Max: Do I get to go to the game?
Sarah: No.
Max: Then I don't want to wear it.

looking for me and trying to get my attention:
Grant: MOM! cockadoodledoo!!!! (it's how he tries to whistle)

when Jack was crying:
Max: Mom, Jack needs you. Maybe you should give him a hot bath because he smells like yucky milk.

Fake Smile

Grant is making a book at Mother's Day Out about his family. So, he is supposed to bring pictures of everyone in his family. Of course, we have tons of pictures of the little guys but few to none of me or Nate. Last night we took pictures of ourselves for Grant's book. Easier said than done. Nate is not the best about posing and smiling for pictures. I think it all started when we had to take thousands of pictures of our wedding... he is scarred. So, when you tell him to smile he has this very obvious "fake" smile. After a few bad smiles he tried to just grin. I found this all hysterical. These are some of my favorites. He claims in the one of both of us he was just laughing... he looks like an old man without any bottom teeth to me. Oh, Natey....

Brotherly Love

Max and Grant both love their baby brother... right now. I wish I could bottle it up because I know what is coming. Can you imagine what it will be like when Jack is mobile and messing up their horse farm, prized block towers, the masses of their army men or their artwork?

Vac Bath

Grant helped me rinse out the wet-dry vac the other day. I left it sitting in the sun to dry. When I went back out in the front yard Grant had completing filled the tank with water and was enjoying a little dip. At least he likes to get clean almost as much as he enjoys getting dirty.

Big Brother Bullying

This morning on the way to Max's soccer game Max saw a horse trailer. Grant was straining to see it because horses are, after all, his favorite animal of the day. He can't see it because we've driven past and he is strapped in tight (we've had a little problem with him getting his arms out of his car seat straps). So, the trailer is long gone and Grant is still trying to see it. Max says, "That's too bad, Grant. Those horses were so beautiful. They were the most beautiful horses I've ever seen. They were awesome. Now you'll never get to see them. I guess you'll just have to look quicker next time."

What a little antagonist. Are all firstborns this way? I'm sure my mom and sisters would tell you that I NEVER acted in such a way.

Oh, what a night

Last night we had community group at our house so it wasn't a typical go to bed around 8ish night. It was around 10:00 when everyone had gone and we told the boys it was time to go to bed. Max immediately plays the "but I didn't get to play with my Daddy at all today" card. As if Nate could ever make them go to bed after hearing that even though he really wanted to watch the end of the football game. Nate asked Max wanted he wanted to play. Tag and Hide-n-go-seek. At least those are good, reasonable inside games. So Nate, Max and Grant play until probably 11ish. Then Nate goes and lays down with them and falls asleep. I was picking up the house (do I ever do anything else?) and went to bed around 11:45... but I had received my new Parents magazine in the mail so I had to look at it for a while. Nate came back in our room around midnight. We finally went to sleep.
Around 1:28 am Jack starts making noise. (That's right, he still thinks he should eat AT LEAST twice during the night. Don't worry, I had a talk with him about it this morning so I think his sleeping will start to improve.) I went in to check on him and he had put himself back to sleep.
While in his room, I hear Grant crying so I went and laid down with him for a little while. While laying down with Grant, Max sits straight up in his bed... and just sits there. Then he stands up... and just stands there. I asked him if he needed to go potty. Too late. So, I took his PJ's and sheets off and just let him lay on top of his comforter with a blanket. (I mean, really, who wants to put new sheets on in the middle of the night unless you HAVE to). I go back to bed. At some point Jack wakes up for real and I bring him to bed with me to feed him.
Then, around 2:30ish Nate and I wake up to SCREAMING. When I say screaming, I mean WAILING as if someone is being chased by Freddy Krouger or a rabid beast or Richard Simmons (I think he is really creepy). Grant is running through the house screaming, "DADDY! DADDY!" Nate gets up and catches him and tells him everything is OK. Then Grant says in a calm, little bit whimpery voice, "I couldn't find you."
Good grief. I thought my heart was going to stop during that little episode. There's nothing like being awakened in the middle of the night by a frantically terrified child. So, Grant joins the rest of us in bed.
At some point Nate gets up and goes to sleep in Grant's bed leaving me with the 2 little guys. Grant whimpered "Daddy... my Daddy..." the remainder of the night in his sleep. I alternated rubbing his back then sticking my boob in Jack's face to make him quiet. And Nate wonders why my goal everyday is just to go to bed.

BFF

Overheard between Wilson and Grant last weekend at the Loibner's:
Wilson: "You're my best friend, right?"
Grant: "Yeah. I your best friend."

As long as one kid is getting a bath, why not bathe all four? (I'm sure in a year Jack will get in on the fun) I have a few more bath pictures that are super cute but they show frontal nudity and I didn't want to get arrested. We had a great time with our favorite friends while all of our boys ran crazy. Don't worry, Peter "busted some skulls" so we could play nerts. Of course, he beat us all even though he was HEAVILY medicated. Way to go, Petey.

Hair Cut

Sarah: "Max, why do you have a hole in your hair?"
Max: "Well, my hair just fell out."
Sarah: "Really?"
Max: "I just put my fingers on it and pulled and it came out."
Sarah: "Really? You pulled all that hair out."
Max: "Yeah. It needed to be a little bit shorter in the front so I just pulled it out."
Sarah: "Hmmm. I don't believe you."
Max: "Well, I really did just pull it out."
(a night, many talks with Daddy and threats not to be able to go to Beau's house later...)
Max: "I just used the scissors and gave it a little trim. I guess I'll just have to wear a hat."