Where Does The Time Go?

I swore to myself that I would be better about posting to my blog this year. I wanted to at least "beat" my postings from last year. Here we are in March with February long gone...and I've posted nothing new. I haven't posted a pik of Joshua in his new super cool glasses, or how we have rearranged our house...again...to accomadate our ever growing family of 8, or about how Mike's never ending quest for a full time job is taking all of his time, or even about how we are trying to put all of our trust and faith in God to help us through out it all.

It is a balance of many things that keeps this family up and running each and every day, and my blog is only one of the many, non-priority things, that takes a back seat.

Don't lose faith my friends...we are still here and we are still fighting the good fight. School for us will be done by mid April, (that's what happens when you start school in July), so after administering their final exams and getting our school room cleaned up and ready for the upcoming year...maybe, just maybe I will have the time to post some pix and talk about all the things that are Ouellette...and there is quite a bit to catch up on!! :0)

Glad January Is Over...

OH MY GOODNESS! I am so thankful it is February. January proved to be a very interesting month for us and I am so glad it is over.

We are all much healthier now, only having a little sniffle and cough, and are praying that we are done with major financial issues for a little while at least!

As I hinted to in my last post, during our time with all the kids sick we had to deal with an unexpected situation...and now we have this:

Yes, this our latest addition to the family. It is a 2008 Ford Econoline 350 12-passenger van. We have lovingly nicknamed her "Ginormica". (watch Monsters vs. Aliens and you'll see why). We have been in need of a bigger vehicle since the day we brought Sarah home because our conversion van only seated 7 people. That meant we had to put Ethan in the front seat with either Mike or I sitting on the floor when we went anywhere together. It was either that or two vehicles, and with gas prices where they are...the van was costly enough.

On Saturday, January 7th, we decided to take our sick children out for a ride because they needed to get out of the house. At the time they only had conjunctivitis, but just before we left Caleb throw up in the van. We weren't sure if it was due to coughing and crying, or if he actually he had a stomach bug, but decided to continue with our plans to run some errands. We had to go to Walgreens to pick up another bottle of eye drops and pulled into the drive-up. It was taking forever so Mike turned the engine off...it refused to start 15 min. later when we were done. A customer in a pick up truck pushed us out of the drive up and we called AAA, my sister and my father-in-law. We don't know anyone who has enough room to get all of the kids home.

Long story short, the vehicle started a couple of times before AAA got there, but we didn't want to take a chance. We had it towed to our mechanic who after the weekend informed us that he couldn't find anything wrong with it. However, due to the size of the fuel tank, (32 gallons) and the vehicle he couldn't put it on a lift to follow up on more diagnostics. So, we drove it over to Bonneville and Son. We had purchased this vehicle from them in 2008 just before the twins were born. After they took a look at it, they too couldn't find a reason why it wouldn't start as it started just fine and the fuel pump looked okay. It did need a new radiator, a radiator flush, some new lines and a thermostat, (all the reasons why the heater wasn't working all that great). However, he needed us to come down to show us a much bigger problem...

He wasn't kidding. It is only due to God's good grace that we found out the way we did. It could have been much worse. The whole front end frame that basically holds up the engine and front end of the vehicle was severely rotted and rusted through. I honestly don't know how the front end had stayed up driving over all the potholes and frost heaves we have around here. We could look right through the frame. It wouldn't have been seen unless the tires were removed. In any case, after an estimate it was determined that we would have to sink at least $7000 into the van to fix it up, and be without it for at least a week or two.

We made the decision to scrap it, and buy something else...enter Ginormica. Our salesman, Dan Reitz, from Bonneville and Son has and was awesome. This was the third time we've purchased a vehicle from him, and he went above and beyond his job to help us out. He was able to get $2500 for trade in on our van, and then began looking for a van for us. They didn't have any in their inventory so they had to look for vans at other dealers and then work out a deal to purchase it for us to then buy from them. He even brought a van to the house so Mike and I could test drive it, and try placing car seats in it. We eventually bought the one we test drove, and he brought all the paperwork to our house to sign.

In January we had very sick children, no van, our furnace died, and one of Mike's crowns decided to fall out. Through it all, we are still able to see God's blessings despite all of the financial setbacks. God is good all the time and all the time God is good!!!

Sorry, We've Been Sick

That's actually an understatement for what it is that we have been. As a matter of fact, I'm hoping that because we have been continuously sick since just before Christmas, we will have had a little bit of everything and can consider it out of our systems for the rest of the winter...hmmm, ya I know, probably not.

In any case, here is our story...

The week of Christmas up through the week of New Years the three youngest kiddos had croup. It wasn't as bad as it can usually get because we caught it early enough on Caleb that when Elijah and Sarah started with the symptoms we began the same treatment. The other kids had the same virus but other than high fevers, runny noses and vomiting once for both Joshua and Rebekah didn't end up with the same croupy cough.

I had hoped that 2012 would start off a bit healthier...hahaahahahha, not really sure why I thought that because the second round of illnesses began with Sarah who developed conjunctivitis on the evening of my last post...the 4th. I began the eye drops on Thursday afternoon, just in time for Joshua to also come down with it. (Side note: Joshua is by far the worst child to get sick with anything! With all of his sensory issues...oy!) I had hoped that I would be able to keep it contained to those two, but then Elijah came down with it on Friday night.

Saturday was a day that we would love to forget as nothing really went well that day. (There will be another post later regarding why this really was a day better forgotten) Even though we had a late start to breakfast, (not because we slept in or anything crazy like that) I wanted to get the kids out of the house because of the nice weather and I figured I could run the zillion errands that needed to be run at the same time. As Mike backed the van out of the driveway, Caleb (who still had a cough from the croup) decided to throw up after coughing and crying all at the same time. Mike pulled the van back in and we dragged Caleb inside to clean him up, shower him, put new clothes on him and get him back out to the van. We agreed that it was most likely due to coughing and crying at the same time and thought nothing of it. He ended up throwing up for the next 24 hours!

At that point, I figured I was doomed and started treating my eyes for conjunctivitis as they were getting itchy and slightly goopy anyway. Then on Monday night, after recovering from a stomach bug, Caleb started with conjunctivitis and Sarah took a turn for the worst. I brought her to the doctors on Tuesday to check for ear infections, but she was clear. The doctor switched her eye ointment to eye drops and we started another seven days of treatment for her. (For those of you who have never dealt with or don't remember the dosing for this is 2 drops per eye 4x a day...per kid!!!) Within 24 hours her eyes began clearing up and Mike and I thought that maybe we were getting to the other side of it.

Oh no, we weren't. Caleb woke up on Thursday morning with enlarged glands down the right side of his neck. He had complained about his ear a little on Tuesday night, but then didn't say anything on Wednesday. Whenever the kids get really congested I will begin putting garlic oil drops in their ears to prevent any kind of inflammation. So, after talking to the doctor I began some homeopathic treatments for him knowing that if he didn't improve by morning, I would have to bring him in to be checked. Well, Elijah decided to wake up at 4am on Friday by throwing up in our bed...sigh...sooo, between Caleb's still enlarged glands and Elijah vomiting every 45 minutes I found myself back at the doctors. This time the diagnosis was; Caleb had a severe double ear infection along with conjunctivitis, and Elijah also had a severe double ear infection with conjunctivitis, but also had bronchitis and some sort of stomach bug. Upon arriving home from the doctors, I discovered that Rebekah had also developed conjunctivitis.

That brings us to today. It took most of the day for Elijah to keep anything down but by the end of today he had eaten some toast, a banana and some ginger tea and was playing with Sarah. I'll take that as progress toward feeling better. As for the rest of us, we are on the mend. I'm praying that the stomach bug will stay away from the rest of the kids. Only time will tell. For now we will continue doing eye drops, ear drops, antibiotics and ginger tea for everyone.

Why We Avoid Food Dyes...And You Should Too!

Our diet seems very restrictive to most people. I can certainly see how it would appear that way to a general observer. I can assure you however, that it is anything but. We have had many a family member and friend sit at our table to share a meal with us...sometimes a little unsure of what to expect...walk away saying "wow, that was gluten free, dairy free and good for me?" That's not to pat myself on the back saying what a wonderful cook I am, (or hubby for that matter) but to point to the fact that our diet truly isn't that limited. What we eat is what we should be eating...meats, fruits, vegetables, carbs and healthy fats.

You may be asking yourself, "well what about desserts and 'junky' type foods?". Oh, we have our fair share of those too, but not every day. Sometimes not every week. My kids are able to have donuts, brownies, cookies, peanut butter cups, mint chocolates, candy canes, etc. It means making most of it from scratch, or shopping at specialty stores to purchase them...but even those, (to some extent) are either healthy or healthier than their counterparts.

Yes, you can find some desserts out there without gluten, dairy and soy...but sometimes they still have a food dye or two in them. Granted most of the organic and dedicated gf/cf vendors wouldn't use those kinds of ingredients in their products to begin with, it's the companies who happen to also make a gf/cf product but still add the food dye, because it's cheaper and they want their product to "look" like their gluten filled counterpart.

Why avoid food dyes? Listed below are the most common food dyes, where they are found, and why you should avoid them:

Blue 1 (brilliant blue FCF): Beverages, candies, baked good, jellies, condiments. (did you know that marshmallows contain blue 1 food dye? It's to make the white more bright.)
A potential mitochondrial toxin that inhibits the body's ability to convert food into energy. Could increase cancer risk. Linked to increased hyperactivity in children.

Blue 2 (indigotine): Pet food, beverages, candies, cereals, ice creams.
Linked to nausea, vomiting, skin rashes, breathing problems, and increased hyperactivity in children.

Green 3 (fast green): Candies, beverages, sherbets, puddings.
May inhibit the release of neurotransmitters, preventing nerve impulses. Linked to bladder cancer and increased hyperactivity in children.

Red 3 (erythrosine): Canned cherries, candies, baked goods.
Associated with thyroid tumors in animals and increased hyperactivity in children. It has been banned for use in cosmetics.

Yellow 6 (sunset yellow FCF): Beverages, sausage, baked goods, candies, gelatin, cereals.
May cause adrenal and kidney tumors, nasal congestion, hives, or abdominal pain. Linked to increased hyperactivity in children.

Anyone see a common problem here among the food dyes listed??? HYPERACTIVITY. How many of you either have a problem with, know someone who has, or have witnessed the child who fidgets, is restless and is unable to settle down to focus? This is above and beyond the typical active child. When did it become so important that foods should have something other than their natural color when prepared? When did we become so unaware of how are foods are prepared that we've allowed these dyes to become part of our diet every single day? Read your labels...you will be shocked to see which of your foods contain one or more of these dyes. I'm fairly certain you won't die if you stop consuming these foods, but I can't say the same if you ignore the labels and continue to put these toxins in your body. Our bodies just weren't designed to fight the constant onslaught of toxins we introduce to it on a daily basis.

Eat healthy this year...if not for yourself, at least for your kids.

A Blessed Routine

We have been a homeschooling family since Ethan's first day on November 5th, 2007. It has been one of the most difficult but rewarding endeavors we have ever been involved in. It means that I am able to be home with my children 24/7 to not only teach them, but give them an environment and opportunity to thrive.

For those of you who don't know, we currently homeschool Ethan in 3rd grade, Joshua in 1st grade, and Rebekah in K. We are currently in week 22, the 3rd quarter of school, having finished 2nd quarter the week after Thanksgiving. The kids had last week off, so getting back to school yesterday could have been disastrous...but because Mike was home, it went smoothly.

Routine for my children, (and for myself as well) has become incredibly important in how well we are able to function throughout the day. I used to consider myself fairly flexible, and in some ways still am, but have found that my ability to control the day for the kids can snowball out of control with one little interruption in the day. That could be an unexpected phone call, a visitor, illness, etc. Most of the time I can reel things back in...but when you throw the holidays into the mix...oh boy!

I have always been one to look forward to the holidays...from Thanksgiving on. I love the decorations, food, music, family and friends and the general cheeriness of strangers you meet when out and about. Not this year. We didn't decorate for any of the holidays for several reasons. Reason #1: Hurricane and Tropical Force Twins. They are truly a force to be reckoned with and are able to turn a room upside down in about 3-5 seconds. Seriously. The thought of dealing with a tree, lights, bells, candles, etc. was overwhelming as I pictured myself chasing after them all day saying "don't' touch", "get away from there", "get down from there", etc. Reason #2: We have no room. You can only imagine how limited our space is having 6 kids. Every available shelf, wall, corner, cabinet etc. has been used to the best of it's capabilities. There isn't any space available to move around to accommodate a tree. Reason #3: Sarah. She had just learned how to walk and due to Reason #2, only has so many rooms she can be in...the living room being one of them...and she likes to eat EVERYTHING!!!

So, we had to really get creative with helping the kids understand that it was the holiday season even though we weren't making the traditional foods, decorating or following our traditions. Our Christmas Craft Chaos day, setting up John Deere and Jane Doe with our Christmas lights outside, and playing Christmas movies and music every chance we had, certainly helped. Even with that, between all of the relatives, friends, change in our shopping schedules and interruptions in our school days we managed to stay mostly sane, put together and kind of in the holiday spirit. Well to the outside observer. Those who know us and are a big part of our everyday lives, knew better. :)

Needless to say, a return to our typical routine is a nice respite from the craziness our lives have been for the last 6 weeks. From colds, croup, fevers and teething to gifts, visits from friends and relatives who live far away, and a kickin' New Years party; the kids, (as well as myself) have desperately needed the return to the scheduled routine of our lives. I'm sure it will get old by mid February, but for now I will take it.

2012...Babysteps

A whole new year...wow, where does the time go? As with most people, I've found myself pondering the things in my life that I would like to change. How is that I can be a better "me" in 2012? I couldn't find just one answer, there are so many aspects of myself that need improvement. So, although my desire to change is strong, I realize that if I am too hard on myself, I'll never get my feet off the ground to head in the direction of change. Baby steps...like my little Sarah has done over the past couple of months. She started with just getting her balance while still holding on, then she would let go and maintain that balance. Once mastered she would try taking one little step forward to see what would happen next. Then, she worked up to multiple steps and before she knew it her confidence was soaring and she was running. She certainly had her bumps along the way, some bruises from missteps and a soar bum from landing so hard...but all in all she never gave up. That's how I want to be...like my little 16 month daughter. What an inspiration she is!

Merry Christmas!

Really??

She crawls quickly and quietly. She can stand and pull herself up and over almost anything. She can charm anyone she smiles at, and now, apparently, she can climb stairs. Who knew that could happen before walking and running? Makes we wonder what other little tricks sha has been hiding from us.

Happy First Birthday Sarah!

One year ago today, our sweet little Sarah came into this world so fast that if it weren't for the fact that it was labor we would have wondered where she came from. One moment I was pregnant, in pain, and uncomfortable beyond words, and the next I was holding my precious little girl. Nothing compares to the first time you look into those beautiful little eyes and say "Hello my sweet baby, it's so nice to finally meet you!" Now, here we are and I'm caught up again in the speed of things. No physical pain this time, unless you count my heart. For the first time, I'm sad that my little one is growing up. Where did the time go? I can't quite put my finger on why this birthday is so bittersweet for me. Sarah is growing up so fast and hitting milestones like she knew what she was doing the whole time. She is weaning herself and nurses only 2-4 times a day now, and will only eat food she can stuff into her little mouth...no more baby food. She wants to be right in the thick of the chaos and craziness that is the Ouellette household, and even though she gets stepped on, knocked over, and overlooked, she is loved so intensely by every single person in this house. Nothing compares to the love her older sister has for her. That's why Bekah is in the picture, she wants to do everything Sarah does and go everywhere Sarah goes...you know, just the girls. It's awesome!

Happy Birthday my little one. We look forward to more smiles, laughter, and joy you have brought to our family. We love you!

Twin Time

It's pretty tough to tell them apart even when they aren't dressed alike, so don't worry. Caleb is on the left and Elijah is on the right. They have slightly different smiles, and their eyes both sparkle differently. Caleb often wears his hat crooked and low, while Eli will wear it crooked but high. It's in the details. And being their mom who sees them every single day, I tend to pick up on it without even noticing. I don't dress them exactly the same often. As a matter of fact, I tend to dress them similarly, but not the same. So, if one is wearing a green striped shirt the other one will be wearing the same thing, but in blue. They know which clothes are theirs based on the color...Elijah will wear anything with green in it and Caleb will wear anything with blue. If there isn't a green item and only a blue item, then Eli takes whatever isn't blue. It's very funny how they know their colors.

For this particular day, it was requested that they be dressed the same. Brittany and her boyfriend Dan asked to take the twins out to Charmingfare Farm for the day. So, I chose red so they'd be easy to spot. They wore these shirts for the 4th of July, so I figured I'd get some more use out of them.

The boys were thrilled to be going not only to the farm, but to be going there with Brittany. They have known her since they were 4 months old, and pretty much consider her a part of our family. They LOVE her, and get very excited when they know she is coming over. In addition, they were getting the chance to ride in her truck...a very big deal!

The twins recognize a lot of animals, and love to make the noises they know. But they tend to enjoy them better from a distance. Their curiosity gets the better of them, and they will slowly make their way closer, but I think they are each waiting for the other one to "go first". Sometimes Caleb is the brave one, and other times it's Eli. I never know which one will be the one to do it first, but generally if you can get one to do it, the other one will follow.

Not the case here. Brittany couldn't get either one of them to touch the baby groundhog. You can tell they really wanted to...each picture shows them getting closer and closer, but neither one of them could muster the courage to do it. Finally they decided it was time to move on.

And that brings them right to snack time. Eli is such a clown, Caleb being much more reserved. They switch rolls...often. It's hard to keep up. If you had one pegged as the outgoing and the other one as the more reserved...chances are pretty good they've switched rolls by the time you see them again.

After snack time, they were walking up the path when Dan spotted a very tiny, itty-bitty, brown frog. (At least I think it was Dan, I'm trying to remember everything Brit told me!) In any case, Dan caught it to show the boys. Eli was apparently very interested in the little frog and even dared to hold it in his hand for sometime. He tried to convince his brother that it was okay to hold it, but Caleb wasn't buying it this time and wanted nothing to do with touching the frog. You can see how very tiny it was, as it looks like a little blotch in the middle of his hand.

I didn't hear any stories about this play set area, but seeing the pictures tell me the boys enjoyed themselves. This was their first adventure out without any of their siblings OR mom and dad. So, I'm sure they loved the freedom that came with being the "only ones" to do everything. No getting pushed around, or waiting. For them, having the twin their to wait for isn't the same thing as having another sibling. So, they could figure things out themselves and help each other without a well-meaning, but overbearing sibling doing it for them.

THE tractor ride. It's all my kids have talked about since they went on it last year. This is our third year for the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) at Charmingfare Farm and last year they gave the kids free tractor rides. Naturally, it's all the kids ask about every Wednesday when we go to pick up our veggies. They haven't done it yet this year, and I think it's because it's been too hot. Anyway, part of the admission to the farm covers the tractor ride. Caleb was less than thrilled about riding on the tractor and had to sit with Brit for a bit to settle into it.

Eli on the other hand...no problem. Bring it on. He was all about sitting on the seat like a "big boy" all by himself. Eventually, Caleb decided it would be okay to sit with his brother, but you can see that he still wasn't all that comfortable with it. I believe he eventually warmed up to it and was fine, but that's usually how Caleb operates.

They left our house around 10:30am and didn't return until 3pm. As you can see they had such a good time, they fell asleep within moments of leaving the farm.

We can't thank Brit and Dan enough for taking the time to make this memory with the twins. It was so great for them to have special time without their other siblings around. But, it was also nice for us to have several hours of only four kids to take care of. The twins were numbers four and five for us, so we've never had just 4 kids...it was very quiet! :)

Happy 6th Birthday Joshua!

Oddly enough, today was Joshua's actual due date. Yes, he came two weeks early, with a bang! A 4th of July baby is very exciting and we continue to tell him that the fireworks are for him every year on his birthday. However, the downfall to a big holiday birthday is the party planning. It is very difficult to find a time to have a party when everyone has holiday plans. Fortunately, Mike's cousin throws a 4th of July party every year up at their cottage on lake Winnipesaukee in Gilford, NH. The funny thing is that Joshua thinks the party is for him! So, for the past two years, we've brought cake and he is able to celebrate his birthday with Mike's side of the family at the lake. He LOVES it and thinks it's just about the most special thing he could do for his birthday. He's already making plans and talking about next years event.

Then, to celebrate with my side of the family, and some of his friends, we have a second party. This one wasn't planned as well, (all my fault), so none of his friends were able to make it. But he had the rest of his cousins there, (Ian and Emma were at the lake) and it ended up being a beautiful day. The kids has a blast running around outside getting absolutely filthy covered in bubbles, watermelon and cake! It's so much fun to be 6 years old!

So, Happy Birthday little man! It's been a great six years and we look forward to watching you grow and mature into a seven year old! We love you!

I know, I know...

Okay, so I was planning on blogging at least once a day, then decided that I would do it once a week. Then I decided I would blog when something fun and interesting happened. Needless to say, here we are and no updates. It's not like we've been sitting around twiddling our thumbs. I have many adventures to share...but it seems that finding the time after the adventure to document these things has been pretty tough to find.

No worries, I will be sure to catch up on things such as Joshua's 6th birthday, our trip to the lake, a trip to the playground (including kite flying) and another birthday party for Joshua that we had here. Until then...

Fire Dept. Field Trip

We took a field trip to the Manchester Fire Dept. on Merrimack Street this past Wednesday. By we I mean Mike, Brittany and myself. I couldn't have done it alone. The boys get far too excited and overstimulated by these huge trucks and all the blinking lights and noises.

Last year, I (with Brittany) happened to stop at a station out of the blue asking if it would be alright to show my (at the time only 5) kids around. I explained that I have one with Asperger and one with many other issues related to sensory and anxiety and wanted to have them see up close and personal what firemen and firetrucks are all about. Those men were so welcoming and so great with the kids that when it was time to leave they told the kids that they could come back anytime. Well, in the world of Aspie's that means...tomorrow or the next day! So, for the last year, every time we've driven past a fire station the kids have begged for me to stop so we can visit again.

Fast forward to Wednesday. I didn't tell the kids about it until the last moment and even then it was difficult for them to contain themselves. Especially since we struck out twice. The first station we went too didn't have any trucks available, and the second station we went to had it's doors all locked. So that left us trying the "big" station. Immediately the kids were in awe at the sheer size of this station. It had not one big truck or even two big trucks but several big trucks to choose from.

Before I brought the kids in, I went inside to find one of the firemen and asked if it would be a good time to bring my 6 kids in to see the trucks and the men. He said it wasn't a problem and they would love to show the kids around. As I was returning with the kids to the station, they were pulling out one of the water trucks and unrolling a hose. They greeted the kids, introduced themselves and went about lifting kids up into the truck and letting them "drive" the big rig. Then one of the men volunteered to go through the steps of putting all of his gear on...right down to actually turning his oxygen on...so they could hear what his voice would sound like with all the additional noises and what his face would look like with the mask on. Mind you, it was kind of hot on Wednesday, but he didn't complain once about doing it. He took the time to make sure they were comfortable and could ask questions. This was great for Josh who was very concerned about the noises. He stood by me the whole time, very rigid but ready to bolt if he got scared. He stuttered through his questions, but managed to ask the fireman why he needed to do all of that, and what all of the tubes for. (They do look kind of scary from a kids point of view) He answered the questions through the mask so that Josh could hear it and hopefully get comfortable with the sound.

Then the fun really began...they "played" with the hose. They put it on the lowest pressure and all five kids got the chance to turn the water on and squirt the water everywhere. After they all had their chance, the men put the pressure up and showed them the true force of the water and how it takes more than one man to control it. Naturally, everyone got wet...and why not? Where's the fun in staying dry on a really warm day when your playing with water. Even Sarah got "rained" on sitting in her stroller watching everyone run around having a great time.

We stayed for about an hour and the firemen were so patient with the kids. Again, they told them they could come back anytime, but this time it was Josh who said, "so, we can come back tomorrow and the next day?" They told him that whenever we were in the area, to stop in again and make sure they bring their fire hats.

We hope to go back again in August and this time the kids want to climb all over the ladder truck too. Thank you to the Manchester Fire Dept. for taking time out of your busy days to educate, and play with my kids.

Johnny the Fish

We have a new addition to our family...no not Brit, although we'd love it if she could move in! :) Nope, I'm talking about the little bright red beta swimming around in the tank behind Brit.

His name, (finally...it only took all night for Josh to choose a name) is Johnny the Fish and he is Joshua's birthday present from Brit. Josh will be 6 years old on July 4th and she thought a fish would be the perfect gift for our on-the-go guy. It is! He even said a prayer for his fish tonight as he went to bed. He is very concerned that Johnny didn't eat his fishy supper this evening, so I'm sure first thing in the morning we will be taking care of dear Johnny's needs before anyone else.

Why a week early? Well, we are going to a family party this coming weekend and were afraid that Josh would be more upset leaving his newly acquired fish if he received it the day before we go away. Now, he'll have a whole week with him and hopefully, we won't have any problems with Josh being overly concerned about the welfare of his fish.

Thanks Brit. Joshua was truly surprised and so excited to take care of his new little friend!

I'm A Big Kid Now!

Our Rebekah has achieved another milestone. She is very excited because for the past 7 nights she has kept her diaper dry through the night. So, tonight she gets to wear her panties to bed.

Potty training, in this house, has been one of the biggest hurdles for every one of the kids. As a matter of fact, if I had to choose only one thing about parenting that I detest more than anything, it would have to be potty training. Out of the three that have been or are going through the process of training...Rebekah was probably the easiest, but it was definitely a case of her deciding it was time to use the potty, not me. I have read, and tried almost every trick, and taken every ones advice, using the most outrageous ideas only to have them fail miserably. I do think it is a matter of the child themselves being ready, not only physically but mentally AND emotionally.

Take Joshua for instance: tonight is the very first time he has successfully pooped on the potty. He will be 6 years old in a week. He has, just within this last week, finally potty trained at home throughout the day for pee, but poop has been a struggle for a very long time. It would be very exciting to have 3 of the 6 out of diapers...and the twins are showing some interest too. Yippeee!

What's In A Name?

Hubby and I were chatting, and have come to the conclusion that neither one of us feel that the title of our blog really suites our family anymore. We most definitely have Celiac, and it does affect our lives every single day, but it's not as life altering as it once was. Eating gluten free is like breathing...we don't even think twice about it. Don't get me wrong, we have our moments, (especially when we leave the comfort of our home), when we wish we could just be free of our dietary constraints. For the most part though, we've learned how to cope in those moments and move on. We have a lot more resources at our finger tips than we did five years ago when we started on this journey. Besides, we've come to a place in our diet where even if we were told we could go back to eating gluten, we wouldn't. Simply because we've found that most of the gluten foods really aren't that great for us to begin with!

So, for those of you who know us well enough...we are looking for suggestions. :) We'd like to continue our journey, it's just taking a new direction.

This Is What 5 Minutes in the Bathroom Can Lead To...

Yes, it's a heck of way to get back into bloggin', but I think it shows you the reason why I simply haven't had the time. My 6 little monkeys keep me more than busy. And they are always finding new ways to surprise me.

Take a guess at which two little troublemakers decided to take a black sharpie to the computer desk, floor, and carpet...

Any suggestions on how to remove permanent black ink?

Coming Soon...

...all new posts with pix and stories of wild adventures in the lives of the Ouellette family. Stay tuned...

Our Beautiful Girl

Sarah Noelle Ouellette was born on Tuesday August 31st at 4:13 am. She came in a hurry as labor and delivery only took about an hour! Weighing in at 7 lbs. 6 oz. and measuring 20 inches long she is our biggest baby! We are so thrilled that she has finally arrived. Her siblings are madly in love with her as are her parents. We feel like our family is now complete!

Our Joshua

Our little guy Joshua. We should have known from the moment we placed him in his car seat to take him home from the hospital that Joshua would be the one to confound us. Between the ear piercing screams coming from the tiny purple faced baby, and the nurse saying to us, "Oh, your going to have fun with that one!", our fate was sealed.

Joshua is the fuel to every ones fire in the house. He is the one who will disturb a perfectly quiet, content room of his siblings and turn it into mass chaos. He is the one who has the ability to make the most annoying sound in the whole world even more annoying simply by adding it to the general level of noise that is already a part of a household with 5 kiddos in it. (If you've ever seen Dumb and Dumber...the sound is more annoying than that!) Yet, he is the most empathic, endearing, loving, snuggling child in the house. He is sociable with anyone he comes in contact with, and is more than willing to introduce himself...and the rest of us...to everyone he meets.

Over the past couple of years Joshua has been seen by therapists for speech and developmental delay with a vast array of sensory issues. We've seen great improvements in his areas of speech and since last summer's PT sessions started have seen him improve strength wise as well. (Through a physical therapy assessment it was discovered that he has full body hypotonia with lucidity in all his joints with unknown cause) However, we still see signs of other issues that none of the therapists or his pediatrician can pinpoint the cause for.

So, last Tuesday we went up to Dartmouth Hitchcock CHAD in Lebanon, NH. WOW! That place is amazing...and huge. I think it might be bigger than the Mall of NH!! In any case we met with Dr. Mott who is a Neuro Developmental Pediatrician. After an hour and forty-five minutes of discussion and observation he came to the same conclusions. There is definitely something going on with Joshua but it's too varied to come up with a definitive diagnosis...yet. The doctor is bound and determined to get to the bottom of it. What a relief it was to us. Why? Well, to have someone else see what we were talking about and trying to deal with, removed the fear that we were doing something wrong. Joshua doesn't fit into any kind of category for a diagnosis. The doctor said that at this point he won't rule anything out. The following are all a possibility: Autism, Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a metabolic disorder, and mild Ataxic Cerebral Palsy.

Ya, I know...that last one through us for a loop too. But, with my prenatal and delivery history with Joshua, as well as some of his respiratory issues before the age of 2...there is a possibility that he had a lack of oxygen to his cerebellum at some point that would lead to this. AND this form is usually diagnosed around this age due to the mild and rare form of this disorder.

In any case...we are in the midst of getting all of our ducks in a row. We are keeping a sleep log for the month of June, and we have to get him in for his 5 yr. checkup, (which isn't until August 3rd) to have a full blood work panel done. We have set up a full speech evaluation as well as a new sensory profile. He is scheduled to meet with a psychologist in September for a 2 hour behavioral assessment and then he will see Dr. Mott again to reassess. My prenatal and delivery records for Joshua also need to be sent to the doctor for review to see if there was any cause for a lack of oxygen. We will most likely have to do a full hearing and vision screening as well as a sleep study to rule out or include a few other pieces to this puzzle. In the meantime, we are just trying to maintain where we are at with PT, and Hippo therapy in the hopes that we don't have any further regression. Our hands are tied with insurance limitations so we are (again) beginning the yearly process of applying for as many grants as we are eligible for to help pick up where insurance leaves off. We pray that whatever the answer is we will have the grace and resources to handle it. We went through this with Ethan when we were expecting Rebekah and again when we were expecting the twins. Now, with Sarah due in a couple of months, we are repeating the process...but this time it's with Joshua.