Because you're not a kid......!

Until tonight I have never heard Trent properly answer a "why" question with a complete reason or sentence.  About eight months ago was when Trent first began answering every question with "because".  But that is all he says...just one word "because".  No matter how hard I tried to get more out of him, that was it...."because" or he would repeat the question back to me.

Tonight is Sabbath and we usually have family night with all our dogs.  After dinner we watch a movie and eat popcorn snuggled up in bed.  Tonight I brought in the popcorn and Trent's juice box but I already had water in the room so I didn't bring anything  else for myself. When I decided to have a drink from Trent's juice box he told me "mom, you cannot drink that!". I asked him why and he replied, "because you're not a kid!".  A complete sentence with a reason other than just "because"!  Yes!  

Way to go son! 

Poo Poo In The Potty!

Okay, I know this is a little too much information, but I'm just too excited not to records this. Trent began potty training at 2 1/2 years old and was 3/4 done by his 3rd birthday.  But when he began going to Civitan Services (day treatment preschool) his interest in potty training came to a screeching halt.  After about a year I got him to potty if prompted but he wouldn't tell you himself when he had to go.  And he NEVER EVER wanted anything to do with poo poo on the potty.

This past week Trent began telling me he had to go potty and stayed dry all day except for one time.  But still he wanted NOTHING to do with sitting down for poo poo.  

Today, Memorial Day, he just came to me telling me he did poo poo in the potty!  This has been such a huge struggle for us and without any noticeable change in habits before this week, he all of the sudden started being a big boy on his own!  He put the toilet seat ring on himself, used the potty and paper, took the ring back off and came to me and told me about it!  He did an excellent job and there was almost no help needed from me.  We just finished (1:58 pm) washing his hands!!!  I am so proud of him!!!  

Big Boy Bed (Night #2)

Trent was overly tired tonight and displayed it with hyperactivity.  He got upset when I tried to get him to sleep in his bed so I agreed to let him go to sleep in my bed if he promised to go straight to sleep.  He went right to sleep.  Then about 9:00 I tried to move him but he woke.  I decided to move him anyway and put him in his bed.  I thought he was sleeping until about 10 minutes later when I heard him strumming his guitar.  The little stinker!  But after I told him to go back to sleep he did.  So as of about 10:00 he is successfully asleep in his BBB for the second night! I'm so proud of him!

Big Boy Bed

Trent is sleeping in his "Big Boy" bed for the first time.  Yesterday Regina Meredith and I reorganized his room, removed all the baby stuff and converted his crib to a toddler bed (with the help of Jeremy Squires).  Luckily, he was extra tired from playing at Ms. Gwen Nash-Holiman's house all afternoon and was sound asleep when we got home.  I can't beleve that he stayed asleep when I took him out of the car...that NEVER happens! It was meant to be.  Good thing I told him last night that he had to sleep in his bed the tonight.  And it was way past due, but for those of you who know us well understand why it took so long :) 

'Cuz

Trent is brilliant in so many ways but as of yet he cannot answer "why" questions.  He can tell you a story, remeber names really well, and know when he has done something he isn't supposed to do.  But he never can answer a "why" question.

Tonight I took Trent to eat and play at McDonald's after preschool.  He ate a little and played a lot.  After some time I noticed signs that Trent needed to use the potty.  So I immediately took him to the ladies' room but I was too late.  So I asked him why he didn't tell me he had to go potty and he replied rather matter-of-factly....." 'cuz".

I know this may seem like nothing to most people but to me it's a sign, another miracle.  One that shows he is finally overcoming whatever short circuit has been hindering his speech.  It's the little things that mean so much. 

Thank you God for yet another blessing.

He did it!

On Tuesady morning, May 31st Trent woke up dry for the first time!  Way to go little man!  

 :)

Soccer Team Sign Up

Since Trent had his 4th birthday last week he is now old enough for Soccer!  I took Trent to the soccer sign ups on Monday.  He was so excited!  He was interacting (or at least trying to) with all the kids there and kicking the ball around quite well too.  Boy it is expensive to put kids in sports!  But he is loving it so that is all that matters to me.

I spent most of last night searching the net to find soccer shoes/cleats in his very small size of 8 to 8.5 m, plus PeeWee/XXS shin guards and socks.  After spending hours trying to get everything located in his extra small sizes I found out today that our local Hibbets Sports store had found the very shoes I wanted for him and brought them in for us :) 

All that work for NOTHING...but at least it's done!

1 Year Aniversary at Civitan

It's almost 2 am on Thursday the 4th of March and I had wanted to post this before midnight but....oh, well I'm late again :(

Today (actually yesterday but I haven't called it a night yet) was Trent's one year aniversay at Civitan Services Preschool.  Trent has come a long way since he started there that is for sure! 

Just tonight (oh okay, last night) Trent began using the word "or" in a sentance for the first time that I have heard him.  He was telling me that he was hungry which is also a novel concept here too, and that he wanted penut butter and jelly OR cheese OR hamburger OR.......  and on and on he went for about 30 seconds. 

I am so proud of him :)

ENT & Urology Visit

Last Wednesday Trent's Feb. 24th ENT appointment was moved up to Friday when I called to make an appointment for his ears because he's been complaining of pain again.  He had just finished a round of antibiotics last week but obviously he still has fluid in his ears. At the visit it was decided not to replace Trent's PE tubes and to see if we can get through the ear trouble with OTC medications instead. 

And yesterday the urology clinic called and changed Trent's March 2nd appointment to today.   We got good news that Trent will not need surgery for at least four more years.  That was a relief.  No surgery for the year it looks like :)

4th Birthday Celebration

Today we celebrated Trent's 4th birthday at McDonald's.  It turned out pretty nice.  It was much smaller than previous parties but it was still very nice.  I was worried that it wouldn't turn out because there were lots of problems even though I began planning early.  Even the cake (pull-apart cupcake cake) and the balloons were both late from WalMart.  So we ended up getting to the party right at the starting time.  We were supposed to get there 30 min early so we could eat and play some before cake and presents.  That didn't happen.  Then it took what seemed FOREVER for our food and drink order to be taken and even longer for them to be served.  Still the few guests that came all had a good time chattting and playing with the Bob The Builder light sticks that I bought on eBay.   Trent just loves Bob The Builder so that was the theme.  He had a all kinds of party supplies, a cake topper, a 42" balloon, t-shir, athletic shoes and more all in Bob The Builder theme.  Trent loved it!

He is not sick.....

On Tuesday Trent's preschool/dayhab called and asked me to pick him up because he had thrown up and that he has a low grade fever of 99.  Well I wasn't shocked that he threw up because when he had woken up that morning his sinuses were congested and like most small children he doesn't blow his nose but allows it to drain into his stomach.  And the teacher once again took his temperature as Trent was just waking up which always makes it a little high.

Before Trent had his adenoids out he was constantly congested and throwing up after meals.  But his school always makes him stay home after any incidence of throwing up.  With Trent this is rediculous because he gets sick for many reasons such as getting upset, coughing too hard, eathing chocolate with something that doesn't mix well with it, post nasal drip, trouble with his swallowing or a food adversion...the list goes on.  But this particular time I really tried to convince the dayhab that he truly wasn't sick and that I had expected him to throw up because of his sinus conditon.  They wouldn't listen and insisted that he stay home the next day and return on Thursday if he was symptom free for at least 24 hours. 

This was the worst time for me to have Trent home during the day.  I had to pick up a rescue dog at 7:15 am and an Algebra test at 8:00 am, and two more classes until 12:10, followed by a 12:30 appointment at Children's Hospital for Trent's develpmental testing the next day which I asked to be pushed forward to 1:00 pm.  I knew that to be successful on Wednesday I needed to plan carefully.  So, I made plans A and B (for backup) for Trent's care while I went to school.  My sister was plan A because she had no kids or plans for the morning and plan B was for Gwen (a friend from church we spen a lot of time with) to watch Trent if my sister couldn't.  Gwen works at our church's food bank one day per month and it just so happens that this Wednesday was that day so I decided to go with plan A (dropping Trent by sis's house between 7:30 and 7:45 am) so I wouldn't leave the food bank ladies short handed. 

I should have known that the day wasn't going to go well when I drove by my sister's house at 7:38 am and she wasn't there.  So I called her cell and she said she had to drop her boys off at school since they were having trouble on the bus that she had to take care of (before she would put them back on the bus) and an 8:00 appointment downtown.  She ended up being angry at me because I asked her to meet me at the college (which is about 1/4 of a mile closer than her appointment) because I was going to be late for my exam.  But to keep the peace I ended up driving to my sister and being late for the exam. Then I while taking my exam I got a call from my insurance agent telling me that my homeowners insurance was cancelled while it was supposed to be in underwriting getting a change made.  Then in my third class I got a phone call from Children's Hospital reminding me that Trent had a 2:00 pm appointment with the psychologist.  Oh no, we were double booked!  That isn't supposed to happen now that we are part of the Medical Home Group which is supposed to facilitate all Trent's specialists and medical care to help avoid this type situation.  But because I made the psychologist appointment myself, and not the testing apppointment which I didn't even know it about until Tuesday afternoon, we ended up double booked. 

"Okay, I think I can fix this" is what I kept thinking during the last 45 minutes of my history class.  But when class dismissed and I went outside to look for my sister who was supposed to be waiting outside for me five minutes earlier, I found she wasn't there.  So I called her cell...no answer.  I waited a few seconds and called again just in case her signal was out of range...nothing.  I called again and then again since I know her phone only picks up in town but not well at her house.  Nothing.  Finally I called Gwen's son and asked if he would drive over to my sister's house because I was afraid my sister was sleeping.  So he agreed to go.  A couple minutes later I tried my sister and she answered.  I asker her "where are you?".  She got really mad at me and started yelling.  Blaming it all on me, but in fact she had fallen asleep!

A couple minutes later she calls and tells me she is at the Citgo gas station just around the corner because she is out of gas!  Well I go there to meet her and Trent is really dirty, and has a full pull-up and I'm not talking water either.  So I tell my sister to change Trent while I buy gas and get us something to drink since Trent is really thirsty (I know this because he keeps saying so over and over without stopping). But before I go to get the gas I notice Trent is playing with a new spray-bottle of window cleaner.  As I reach for the glass cleaner I notice that the bottle is 3/4 empty and that Trent had shaken it all over the van, and his change of clothes!  Now his clothes are wet, he is dirty and wearing pj's!  This can be fixed....don't panic...I'll  just hang is pants out of the passenger side window while drive to Little Rock which is about 30 minutes away even though we only have 15 minutes to get there.  Wait!  I only have 15 minutes to get to Children's and find a parking space...it's not going to happen!  I called Children's and told them I was going to be late and they said they could give me until 1:30.  Okay, now I can relax get something to drink, and put gas in both vehicles. 

I'm relaxed now, got my composure and the drinks, paid for the gas and feeling fine.  I put the gas in my sister's truck first then when she pulls forward I can put the remaining balance in my van and off we go.  NOT!!!  After putting the gas in my van I ask my sister to pull her truck forward so I can use the pump next, but my van won't start!  The battery had died in the short time it took for me to call Children's, get two fountain drinks, pay for and pump $5 of gas!  How long could that have been?  Less than 10 minutes I'm sure.  But the battery was DEAD, DEAD, DEAD!  I guess it was from leaving the side door open...I'm not sure but I was not moving.  So I go into this small town gas station where there was at least fout women working and a couple customers and I say "does anyone have jumper cables?"  I am in hearing range and I know they all heard me and no one bothered to answer.  In fact they got quiet.  So after waiting several seconds and getting stressed again out I got bold and said "did any of you hear me...does anyone have jumper cables?!"  They shook their heads and continued to blow me off.  Can you believe it?  People are so different than they were just 15 years ago, they just don't want to be bothered any more.

I call Gwen's son but he has no calbes, so I call Gwen (poor Gwen she's always the one I call when in trouble) and ask is she has jumper cables and she doesn't.  But Gwen asks her husband Jimmy and he does and leaves immediately to come help.  In the mean time my sister asked a neighbor and they came to help.  About a minute later Jimmy pulls up.  But the first guy althogh he thought he knew how to jump my van better than the manual does, and insisted that he did, was doing it incorrectly.   He wouldnt' listen to what I had read and told me that he was doing it correctly and that something else was wrong with my van.  We wasted another 10 minutes or so that way before we left and we thanked him for helping (and I'm ashamed to say...for leaving too).  Jimmy, paying attention to what I was telling the first guy, puts his cables to my van correctly and within a minute or two my van starts.  Yipee, we are on our way.  But we again, only have 15 minutes to get to Little Rock and find a parking space.  Not going to happen, so I call the clinic again but this time they say we have to reschedule and that they will call me.  They haven't called me yet and it's been over 24 hours.....27 hours to be exact.

This may not seem like a big deal to you, but some of these specialist appointments take months to be seen.  And balancing full time college and a toddler with some issues and several pets is not always an easy task.  And this is why I ended up with my head on the steering wheel having a good cry right there at the pump.  And as to be expected no one cared...I really felt overwhelmed and alone at that moment. 

Yes, I know this blog has a very negative tone to it, but I really feel the need to just get it out.  I had such a bad day yesterday and after trying so hard to be on top of things and organized and on time and ect., ect. ect. and in the end being a complete and total failure was just more than I could deal with yesterday.

It can stink being a single parent at times. 

Thursday's Parent/Teacher meeting

We had a parent/teacher meeting last Thursday.  I just wanted to hear what the therapist and teachers had to say about Trent's progress.  They feel he is making good progress, but couldn't really tell me if they think that he is "catching up" with other children the same "birth age".  You know, I really hate asking that!  I mean not only is my child expected to progress, he is expected to progress at super speed to "catch up".  I think that Trent should not be expected to work harder or be expected to "catch up".  At his age four months development is alot still.  Like when we went to the child psychologist she said "wow, you are 3 and 3/4 now".  But this same professional told me to quit adjusting his age, that he is three now and I shouldn't be counting him in monthly increments.  That's funny...isn't saying "3 3/4" measuring in monthly increments?  If not, why did she mention the 3/4 of a year?  And if monthly increments are being used then shouldn't I still be adjusting his age by the same measurements?  The system wants to work it both ways.  They adjust his age when I want to try new medications or when I request a treatment, but when they evalutate him they use his birth age.  Strange how that works.  And WIC and SSI want to count him by his birth age even though he didn't qualify for their services while he was in NICU.  So in essence he gets shorted 5 months (almost half a year's) benefits.  I know I'm ranting, but this double standard stuff really gets under my skin! 

1Samuel 1:27

I really can't believe how much has happened since my son's birth that I never wrote down.  It's really sad to think of all the special moments that will never be remembered or the really tough times that were endured.  I'll just have to start with today and add things that have passed as they are recalled.


Maybe if I begin with why this blog is called 1Samuel 1:27 Mom will help.  This name came from the several years of struggle I had in conceiving my son.  There were many prayers and tears shed before, I finally could say "I'm going to have a baby"!  When I first read this bible scripture I new exactly how Hannah felt.  How it felt to weep bitterly because your womb is closed. But I also know how grateful she felt when her womb was opened by God's great mercy.  Here is what this bible verse reads:


²⁷ I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. ²⁸ So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD."


And I say amen, let it be so.


Honestly, I am not be the shining example of the Christian that I aspire to be.  I'm not trying to fool anyone into thinking that I am.  But every time I stop and consider the conception, gestation time, and miracle of my son's survival as a micro-preemie, I am reminded of just how good God has been to me and my son.  And God deserves the praise for what He has done.


With this said, I will continue with the every day life type blogging...the ups, downs and everything in between stuff that fills our days with nothing and everything to say.  I'm not sure how often I will blog, but I know I don't want to look back and regret what I didn't write down.