Our New House - Part 2

There have been some major changes happening at 25020 Vista Rd.  I thought I would post some recent pics since both Rob and my father have asked me not to post to EVERYONE on facebook.  So I chose to post on my blog instead from now on....hahaha...loopholes! We did hire a group of framers who just happen to consist of the co-owner of my dad's old company, T and P Construction and one of their proteges who now owns his own company along with two other hard-working experts in this area.  They began adding on to what Rob, Dad, and several other members of my wonderful family started this past weekend.  See pics below!

   the front of the house so far.  the door is cut in in the middle but the tyvek is still covering the opening.

                                            the first story with most of the exterior walls up

                             the view of the back of the house from the inside...AKA the family room.

                                                      my future kitchen and dining room

                                                         view of the left side of the house

                                     the back of the house.....walk-out basement and first story

                                                              another view of the back

                      the house....the part in the foreground is the garage...no walls for the garage yet.

                                                   the cutest insulation in the whole world:o)

                                           our neighbor, Mr. Stinky McStinkerson....he's a little moody!

So that's it up to now.  I'll post more pics soon:o)

Bilateral Braces All Around - Part 3

Some new and exciting developments in the brace arena!!! After getting a second opinion for Evan from Dr. Oetgen (who was awesome if you are ever in need of a pediatric orthopedic) at Children's Hospital, we have decided not to put Evan in braces right now.  Dr. Oetgen drew us a very helpful table showing us that if your child has bowed legs, between 1 and 1 1/2 is when they will be at their most dramatically bowed.  Between 1 1/2 and 2, they should start to move back toward "normal" in degree.  He measured the degree of Evan's bow and concluded that his right leg had a 13 degree bow.  Under 11 would be considered in the normal range.  Had the degree been over 16, they would have started talking surgery that day just to give you an idea of the small range between normal and abnormal.  Evan's bow falls smack dab in the middle.  He said, "Evan could go either way in the next few months."  We are supposed to go back in September to be re x-rayed.  If Evan's bow degree goes higher, THEN we will try bracing.  If, at that point, it starts to move toward 11 (or neutral) then we are done and Evan's leg will almost certainly correct themselves within 6 months from September.  SO informative! I learned so much from Dr. Oetgen.  He didn't talk down to us or try to sugar coat anything for the sake of the "dumb parents".  He told us straight up and even broke out his protractor right there in the room to measure the degree right in front of us.  I am beyond excited about this news and hope that we start to see some resolution in the next few months:o)

We did chat with Dr. Oetgen about Owen, even though he wasn't there with us.  We all decided it was best to still put Owen in the AFOs even though based on Dr. Oetgen's table, age 4 is when knock-kneed children are the MOST knock-kneed.  He is still toe walking and the braces are more to break his toe walking habit then anything.  If we can break his habit with the braces within the next year, no worries.  If he is still toe walking by age 5, we are to make an appointment with Dr. Oetgen and we may consider surgery to snip the tendon in the back of each foot.  He would then be in casts for 6 weeks but upon having the casts removed, the problem should be resolved.  Once again, we are thrilled to have information that we understand and to know what to expect from all this.

Owen was fitted for his AFOs yesterday at Hangar Medical Supply in Leonardtown.  Our orthotic expert was wonderful with Owen.  They actually had to cast Owen's legs right there in the room but then subsequently cut the cast off to send away so that his AFOs are specifically fitted to him.  He was scared at first, but the lady working with us was wonderful and he quickly calmed down.  He got to pick out the colors and decorations for his braces.  He picked red and blue for his colors.  Then he got to pick his decoration out and they actually had one with tools....hammers, screwdrivers, etc.  He was so excited!  We should receive our braces in the next 2-4 weeks (a little longer than I expected it to take) and then he will be in them for quite some time....until we feel that he has broken the toe-walking habit enough to try going without them.  I'll post pics of his braces once we get them in.

Our New House - Part 1

In June 2010, my husband and I decided it was time to put our little love nest on the market and start thinking about building a more family-friendly house for our kids to grow up in.  This was a huge a very emotional decision for us.  First off, we transformed that little house from a foreclosed shack into a beautiful home that anyone would be lucky to have basically with our own four hands.  My dad and several family members helped to build it.  I put on the shingles on part of the roof with my mom and my sister.  My husband learned how to and actually participated in almost every aspect of building a home.  Secondly, the house was, coincidentally, located right next door to my parents when it went into foreclosure and we had grown used to sharing every part of our lives with my parents....from dinners to beers after work on our front porch.  Lastly, the house was our first home.  We came back from our honeymoon and started working on building it.  We finished construction almost to the day of our 1 year anniversary and subsequently went through 2 pregnancies and comings home with our babies in that house.  My children both started walking in that house and had so many other firsts there.  The house is in the background of the pictures of both my children's infancies and much of my oldest son's toddlerhood.  Like I said, it was an emotional decision but when we came home from the hospital with our second little boy....the house literally shrunk exponentially in size.  Here is a picture of our first dream home:o)

 

Before we listed the house with a realtor, I decided I would take a shot in the dark and list the house on facebook first....just to see what happened.  Well, WE SOLD OUR HOUSE ON FACEBOOK! The same day I listed it, a friend of a friend called and said she wanted to take a walk-through.  She came that night, fell in love with our house and the rest is history.  We closed on the house that August.  At that point, we moved in with my parents which brought the grand total of people living in their house to 7 (LOTS OF LAUNDRY).  In August, we also found a piece of property not too very far from our first house and also in Hollywood.  A friend of ours was driving by a lot in a perfect area for us and saw a sign that it was for sale.  We drove up to the lot that evening and fell in love! It was about an acre and a half right at the front of a beautiful farm with a pond, cows and barns to boot.  Right up our alley! Upon calling the number, we found it the seller was a family friend who reduced the price significantly for us and we jumped on the opportunity! We applied for permits on September 1.  Because of bank regulations, we couldn't close on the lot until permits were approved but we figured, "How long could it take?"  It was an already zoned, already perced piece of property.....it should only take 6 weeks tops.  We were WRONG! Because of newly adopted county regulations on storm water management requiring properties to clean ALL water coming off their house (rain gardens is how we are to get this done) and because of the county not training anyone on these new regulations....we became the guinea pigs for the county to get their sh%t together. 

Anyway, 3 months later on December 2, we finally closed on the lot and had permits in hand.  Well at this point, we're in the doldrums of winter.  Snow storm after snow storm and below freezing temperatures meant that we couldn't even touch the property until mid-February.  This meant that we had a 6 month construction loan that was already 2 months in and we hadn't touched the property....yikes! Thanks St. Mary's County! But, nevertheless, here we are mid-March....about 1 month into our project and we are making great progress.  My husband is nowhere to be found because he is up at the lot every weekend and each week night helping to dig, or lay block, or brick, or tarring the foundation, etc.  The foundation is done, complete with brick all the way around, we enter into the framing stage next week,  and, this past week, we made the final decision to put a geothermal system in our house and subsequently received, reviewed, and made our choice on HVAC contractors and Well Drillers.  Here is our house in pictures so far:o)

                                                     breaking ground......2.19.11

block going in 2.26.11

Foundation parged, steal beams in.......3.5.11

brick on the facade, basement windows and door installed....3.9.11

More to come:o)

Bilateral Braces All Around - Part 2

On Monday, Evan began limping on his right foot.  He also began waking up throughout the night crying and pointing to the foot.  As the week wore on, the limping has gotten progressively less pronounced and with Tylenol, he is complaining less throughout the night.  Just in case, I decided to bring him in to our pediatrician to get it checked out and be sure nothing is broken in his foot.  She noticed a little swelling in the foot and sent us to the hospital for x-rays.  It took us 45 minutes to get 6 measley images from the crazy child.  The first 4 I attempted on my own, holding his top half down with the weight of my body and positioning the foot under the X-ray with my hands.  I had sweat literally dripping down my back from wrestling him.  You would have thought he was a grown man as hard as it was for me to hold him down.  The last 2, I finally gave in and asked for some help and we got the images we needed.  Anyway, results STILL aren't in.  I should know by the end of the day today.  Even if there is no break, I am still pretty sure that the roll-in of that right foot caused an injury of some kind.  That said, my husband and I decided to get another opinion from a Children's Hospital doctor.  Our appointment is scheduled for Tuesday.  The boys' scheduled appointment to get casts made of the legs so they can both get their braces is on Wednesday so I was relieved when the Children's doctor was able to get us in before that day. 

On the Owen front, I also decided to get another opinion from a podiatrist.  I figure podiatrists are orthopedics specifically for the feet.  After doing research on the topic of toe walking, I found that most children diagnosed with idiocratic toe walking at his age are casted for 4 weeks and then put in braces.  I read that many doctors believe that bracing isn't effective unless lead by casting.  I just want to make sure we are dotting our I's and crossing our T's.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to get him in for that appointment until Thursday (after the brace appointment) but I figure, he will be in them eventually....whether first casted and then braced or braced from the get-go.

Also, in my research, I found pictures of the braces that the boys will (as of now) be wearing for the better part of summer.  Owen's will look like these:

 

Evan's will look like these:



About mid-week, I got really upset about the whole situation.....just overwhelmed I suppose.  Since then, I have had to keep reminding myself that my children are relatively healthy children and I should be thankful for that.....things could be so much worse! 

Bilateral Braces All Around.

Owen's Story
From the time he could walk (around 9 months), Owen walked on his toes.  We brought it up over and over again to doctor after doctor and everyone kept telling us he would outgrow it.  "It's just a habit," they would say.  Well here we are knocking on 4 years old and Owen still walks on his toes.  We also notice his feet have become pretty seriously pronated (his inside ankles face the floor) and he has become knock-kneed.  It basically looks like an inverted V from his knees to his ankles....all because of toe walking.  We recently seeked the expertise of an orthopedic who prescribed AFOs (Ankle-Foot Orthoses).  He will begin wearing the braces after an appointment at our local Hanger medical supply store where they have to make a cast of his legs and send away for his specially fitted braces.  We wanted to wait until spring because they don't fit very easily under pants.  He will also have to wear velcro, Extra Wide shoes for the next several months in order for the AFO to fit inside the shoe.  So that's Owen's story.  You would think that would be my only experience with leg braces right? You would think!

                                                              Owen's pronated ankles

                                                         Knock Kneed from tow-walking


Evan's Story
From the time Evan was born, he had bowed legs.  We've called him Cowboy for as long as I can remember making jokes like, "Did you just come in on your horse, Cowboy".  He walked very early around 9 1/2 months and at about 1 year I noticed his bowed legs getting even worse.  His right foot especially was beginning to turn inward and he was walking on the outsides of his feet.  I took Evan for his first orthopedic visit today and what d'ya know, after X-rays....Blount's braces was the prescription.  Now we have to watch his growth plate and rate of bone growth in his tibia for the next 6 months and go back for more X-rays at the end of the 6 month window to measure growth.  His appointment with Hanger medical supply is on the same day as Owen's because they also have to make casts of his legs and order his specially fitted braces.

                                                                  Front shot of Evan's legs

                                                             Back shot of Evan's legs

                                                    Left ankle rolling outward as he steps.

In short, it looks as though both of my boys will be in leg braces through summer.  Evan's, blount braces will go all the way up past his knees and will, most likely, have shoes attached to the bottoms.  Owen's less dramatic, but still quite noticeable braces will only go up to mid calf but we will be making a trip to Stride Rite soon to try and find extra wide velcro shoes to accomodate the braces.

So, there you have it....the most recent in my childrens' long string of medical anomalies.  Braces here we come! Thankfully, so far, both of them have decent teeth so hopefully these will be the only braces they ever wear! 

Becoming a Single Mother - well, not really

We broke ground on our first built-from-the-ground-up house.  Our first house was a foreclosure that we bought and flipped.  I loved that little house.  We brought both of our children home from the hospital to that house and it was our little love nest before that but the day we brought our second child home from the hospital, I stood in my living room and watched our perfect little cottage shrink down to the size of a shoe box.  So, here we are, in the process of building a new house.  A 4 bedroom, full basement, new england colonial style house of perfection (well to me at least).  Let me explain the single mother thing a bit though......my father was a homebuilder for 25 years before moving on to greener pastures.  So, when we decided to build a house...naturally, it was my father who we called on.  This being said, we are basically building our house on our own with the help of my dad....and when I say "we" I mean my husband because, to my father's dismay, I can barely hammer a nail into a piece of drywall...much less a stud (he should, however, be proud that I know what a stud is....right?).  Hence the single mother reference in the title.  For the next six months, I will get to experience first-hand (almost) what it is like for single mothers out there....minus the trying the date thing....my husband would be pretty pissed if I took the experience to that level i think.  For my first challenge, this weekend, my mother, sister, and one of my best friends, are going to a local vintage sale that I have been clamoring to go to for a long while.  What does this mean for single mama here? This means, I had to get a babysitter to come up on Saturday morning at 730 am and pay her $10 an hour to go and browse through items I will likely not buy because there is no way I am bringing my crazy children into a warehouse where they have collected lots of expensive antiques...NO WAY! The realistic side of me should say, "I'll just do the responsible thing and stay home" but the HGTV loving side of me is saying "Go! Break through those barriers that are holding me and all those single mother's out there down!"...okay maybe I'm taking this a little too far! I don't actually think I know what real single mother's have to go through on a day to day basis but I really want to go to this thing and I am not too proud to piggyback just a tad.  Anyway, I'm going...paying the overpriced babysitter price and all! I know this is all worth it in the long run but it's hard to voluntarily commit to 6 months of single parenting....dream home at the end of the tunnel or not.

Ryan is Going Bye Bye:o(

I got some bad news yesterday! I have been watching my cousin's little boy, Ryan, since August.  However, we found out his mommy is pregnant again (woopsie) and with our plans to try and have another baby at the end of the year, we decided it would probably be best if I didn't watch Ryan and the new little one after August.  Well, with that news, Ryan's mom, Louise, applied at the Daycare center on the Navy base where she works just hoping to get in by September....well he got in and he starts there on February 14:o( Which means, I only get to keep him for another week or so and then I have to hand him over to someone else:o( I took advantage of this wonderful weather we are having today and took the boys outside for one last photo shoot with Ryan included.  I sure will miss this little man!

 I cut off a bit of his little hand but he was waving in this picture...a trick he started doing just yesterday.

                                                     Owen's picture of Evan and Ryan:o)

                                                               Owen's baby blues:o)

                                                        My litte cutie, Evan.  AKA - Powder

                                                       Ryan taking a ride in the car.

          Evan trying to put the helmet on Ryan before taking him for a spin.  Evan's motto is safety first before I torture you.

Ryan trying desperately to get the helmet off while Evan gives him a ride:o)

Owen's turn to give him a spin....this time Ryan gets to go backward.

I will miss this little guy:o(...and my kids will miss torturing the poor thing...hahahaha!