So this girl walks into a Walgreens...

I go to Walgreens today to pick up J's last prescriptions before we switch things over. (Different Walgreens, not the one from last week).

I get in the car after getting the prescriptions and randomly decide to open the bag and look to make sure they gave me the correct thing. Nope. It's 3 vials of selenium that need to be administered intravenously, not through the g-tube. The Prevacid was correct, so they were 1 for 2.

I go back in and explain to the pharmacist that we got a liquid in a red prescription bottle and the med doesn't go in a vein, it goes into his g-tube. She said it doesn't come in a syrup, "This must be what they did"...and she whips out a pair of needle nose pliers and pries the top off of one of the vials and pours it in a bottle. I'm slightly shocked, hoping that this stuff is safe to give to J through his tube. A male pharmacist comes by and says, "No, there's an easier way"...he whips out a pair of his own pliers and rips the top off the vial and the top part of the glass. It spills liquid and glass down his lab coat; he then mumbles something about "superhuman strength" and wanders away. I'm biting my lip partly out of frustration and partly to keep from laughing. I'm waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out and tell me I've been Punked or Allen Funt to tell me I'm on Candid Camera. (A reference for everyone!)

The first pharmacist says, "Oh no, I don't think we have any more vials." She rummages around and finds another vial, successfully opens it and the one remaining from the original three (no superhuman strength necessary) and puts a label on the bottle and hands it to me. She tells me to make sure to remind them to pour the vials into a big bottle before giving it to me next time. I smile and nod, hoping that the CVS or Walmart or Target or Pick N Save pharmacy will make my life just a little bit easier, less comical, but easier.

Oh, but before I walked away, the pharmacist asked me if a I needed a syringe to administer the medication. *forehead slap* Doh.

Object du Jour: Two game cards from our Kalahari vacation. I wonder if there's still any money left on them?

Insert witty title here

PINT Clinic today, visit 3/4. The first was just me and Daddy chatting with the dr., the second was Daddy and J, today was me and J and next Monday we'll get the results of all of this. The doctor did some testing with J for about 45 minutes, then they came and got me and I had snack and played with J for 30 minutes or so while they watched behind one way glass. A little unnerving, but they said I did a good job, so that made me feel a bit better. They also had me leave the room to see what J's reaction would be. He barely looked up from the toys when I told him, "Be right back" and left the room. Daddy said the visit with him was very similar. I'm really curious to see what the results will be.

Object du Jour: The Pepper Box and the Wiggles flashlight car.

Hot, Hot, Hot!

91 degrees at 6 pm. I love summer, but I hate the super hot and humid weather. But, on the bright side, I got out the "Big Sink", the water table, and the wading pool, plus all the little toys that go with them. The boys had a blast! I sat in a lawn chair with my feet in the water. Ahhhh!

I seriously *heart* Deb from the VNA. They deliver J's g-tube supplies, half the Elecare and his diapers. (He gets the other half of the Elecare from WIC, but that will change to all VNA when J turns 5 next month.) (Whoa, how did my baby get to be 5???) (MRaE, the blog rated highest in parenthesis use! You betcha!)

I called her and explained my Walgreens dilemma. She asked what size I needed and she said she'll put 30 of them in with each of his g-tube deliveries! Yay!! No more reusing sticky syringes or battling with cranky pharmacists!

J started summer school yesterday. He burst into tears the second we set foot in the room. He kept saying, "Up, up, up." I waited until he calmed down then left. When I came back he stuck to me like a dryer sheet. Poor fella. A little better today, but the relief I saw in him when I came back was palpable. It's a different teacher than last summer. She seems very nice.

Object du Jour: Nothing makes summer school more bearable than a pepper box.

And yet another reason why I won't shop Walgreens (Sorry Ed)

So, I stop at Walgreens today because for J's selenium the dosage is so small that I need teeny little syringes to get the correct dose. Walgreens gives us one, but the rubber stopper breaks after a few uses/washes.

I ask the girl behind the counter what I can do. She asks the pharmacist, who points over yonder and tells me to go look at the end of the aisle there might be something I can use "down there." Well, gee thanks for getting off your duff and showing me where they are. I look and they are all too large for the dose I need. I tell him this and he says "Well what have we been giving you, the needle syringes?" I didn't know what they were, but he shows me a syringe and pulls a needle off it it. Yep, that's what they've been giving to me. I asked what I could do to get something like that and he said, "What have you been doing to break these?" I told him the the selenium is sticky and the rubber stopper breaks off after a few uses. He said, "They are only for single use and I can't be giving these away gratis every time you break one and I can't afford to give you 30 of them. But, I guess you can have this one now that you made me open it." That was a little confusing. So, I'm only supposed to be using it one time, I can't get anymore from them even if I pay for them, but how dare I break it after a few uses? How am I supposed to give these meds to J without a measuring utensil? And, I didn't make him do anything.

I asked what I should do; I was in no way asking for 30 of them, or even anything for free. I was hoping that there was something reusable I could buy; I hate throwing all that plastic away. He said he couldn't help me and that I should have my doctor write a script for them. But then he says even if I have a script he still can't help me. Huh?

His tone was so rude and so condescending that I burst into tears as soon as I got into the car. Randy went back in and talked to him and he was just as rude. We're planning on writing a letter to someone at Walgreens. After the great Elecare debacle of ought seven, there's no way I'm letting this one slide.

My plan is now talk to the people that bring J's g-tube supplies and see if they have some way to help me.

End rant.

Baby You Can Drive My Car

Here's some fun pics from our trip to Grandma and Grandpa's. The boys got to ride Daddy's old Inchworm and his 1965 Mustang 535 pedal car. We brought the Inchworm home, but there wasn't room for the pedal car, so that will come home on a future trip. It needs a tune up, so hopefully the other Grandpa (my dad) can fix it. He's handy.

The boys fought over who got to sit in the car, so Jameson climbed in and sat on Jackson's lap. Surprisingly, J didn't seem to mind too much. Dontcha just love Jameson's foot steering technique?

Here's a pic of J's lovely swollen eye from the other day. This pic was taken after the Benadryl, so he looks much better, believe it or not.

Object du Jour: Back to the pepper box. What really makes a boy angry on a car ride is putting magnet letters into the metal pepper box and then not being able to dump them out at will. Poor guy.

Eye yi yi.

We've spent the last two days at Grandma and Grandpa's. The boys get really excited to come up here, because Grandma and Grandpa have lots of fun stuff to get into!

Grandma and Grandpa got Jackson and Jameson each a Fisher-Price Bubble Mower. Thank goodness they got two; I don't want to think about the Smackdown that would've ensued if there would have been only one! Jackson was so excited when he saw the boxes and said, "Mine! open it, lawnmower!" The boys had so much fun mowing the carpet and then mowing the grass.

I thought we were going to have to make our first trip to the ER in Grandma and Grandpa's neck 'o the woods. Jackson came to me and said, "Wipe it, towel, eyes." I looked at his eyes and didn't see anything and then a few minutes later, his left eye started to swell shut and he had what appeared to be hives between and next to his eyes. I gave him some Benadryl and the hives went away in about 30 minutes and the swelling was still a bit noticeable between his eyes until bedtime. I keep checking him to make sure he's OK while he's sleeping. Who knows what he touched and then rubbed his eyes. Poor guy.

Tomorrow we're heading to a birthday party (this time for a human) and then back home. J starts summer school on Monday.

Object du Jour: Some awesome clear calculators that Daddy got at a conference and, of course, the bubble mowers!

Oh, for Pete's Sake

Jackson was very insistent that I find "Pete's Sake" in his toy box and then became very upset when I couldn't find it. Daddy uses this phrase a bunch, that's the only place I can think of that he heard it. I ended up telling him that Pete's Sake got lost. He accepted that. I didn't know how else to explain it to him.

Every time J bumps himself or falls down, he tells me he pinched his fingers and needs a Bamdaid. That must be from school, because we don't use a lot of Band-aids at home (thankfully!)

We had our first PINT clinic visit on Monday. The Dr. was very nice and asked us a bunch of questions about J's history and communication, social and gross motor skills. Some of the things she asked about reminded me of the things Jackson isn't doing. I try to focus on the positive stuff a majority of the time, but sometimes there's a trigger that makes me realize how much he isn't doing. Next Monday, J and Daddy will meet with the Dr.

The Dr. asked if J knows his name or how old he is or if he knows if he is a boy or girl. He doesn't readily answer direct questions, so I've been practicing these with him. I'll say, "What's your name?" and the response I've been getting is, "Rectangle Ellen." I guess we need more practice.

Object du Jour: A piece of train track (it has to be the blue one) and my Pampered Chef "rectangle" measuring spoons.

Happy Bark-day!

We went to a birthday party for a dog yesterday. It was a Hawaiian themed party and all the dogs wore leis. Because what dog doesn't love a rockin' luau? Unfortunately, I don't have a photogerafic pimiento (remember Bozo used to say that during the Grand Prize Game?) because our camera is MIA.

Jameson had blast! He loved the dogs, the food, the kids, the cake, the giant palm tree cooler filled with drinks and ice...Jackson, not so much. He was afraid of the dogs, hated the noise, and had a complete breakdown when the other kids had a water balloon fight. He spent most of the party in the house watching everyone out the window. J was OK with that and seemed much happier being an observer, rather than a participant. I always worry that he'll feel left out, but he seems to prefer it that way.

He had his last day of school on Friday and will have a week off and then it's on to summer school next Monday.

We start our visits at the PINT clinic this Monday. I'm hopeful that they will have some ideas for us.

Object du Jour: The pepper box. J had to have it at the party yesterday. Everyone kept asking me what it was for and some people thought he took it off the counter at the party. I just shrugged and said, "He likes it." Sometimes that's the easiest answer.

Two appointments today. Dental clinic to look at his tooth and a feeding team follow-up in GI.

The visit at the Dental clinic went well. Daddy took him to that one and said that Jackson was a little scared and shook a little, but was pretty cooperative overall. The x-ray didn't show any permenent damage to the tooth, even though it's still a little grey. The dentist said that he may loose that tooth sooner than he would otherwise, but at this point, we don't need to do anything. He goes back for a cleaning in August.

Feeding team was a mixed bag. Jackson gained two inches in height (3 ft. even), but lost weight, so he's at 26 lbs. We have a new formula recipe and we'll be adding Duocal to his food as well as his formula. The OT was happy brushing is going well and we'll be taking him down to 5 times a day, rather than every two hours. We'll go back in Sept.

Object du Jour: An x-ray film the dentist let him keep. He calls it the "little rectangle".

Brusha, Brusha, Brusha

Please tell me that I don't have the only kid taken to the park by his father in too tight PJ's? "What? I thought he was dressed."

Jackson isn't a big fan of playgrounds. He'll go down the slide on his own, but cry the whole way down. He likes the swings and the other toys though.

The brushing is going well! J comes willingly and is also starting to ask to be brushed. The only caveat is that he needs to be holding the "rectangle brush" that he got when he was in the birth to three program. The one the OT from the hospital gave us is *gasp* an oval. He's really enjoying the joint compression after the brushing and he's calling them "bumpers."

This week we have the dental appointment to look at his tooth and a feeding team follow-up. Hopefully neither one will be too traumatic.

Friday is Jackson's last day of school. The year went really fast! He'll start summer school on June 22nd and then it's off to JK.

Object du Jour: The Wiggles flashlight car.

The Sensory Eval

I took J to Children's for the sensory eval yesterday. He was very cautious in the waiting room and was upset that the door was open. The therapist was really nice and was concerned about J's auditory, visual and tactile issues. We're going to starting with a two week intensive brushing and joint compression program. I will brush his arms, legs and back with a surgical brush every two hours while he's awake for two weeks. We'll see her weekly over the summer and also as a part of the feeding team. Here's to hoping we can get some of his issues resolved before JK in the fall.

Object du Jour: The pink door.