I'm all better

King Me Mommy

I'm Ready For Church Yook I'm a budderfly

Hi Everyone!

I am happy to report that Miss Sofia has received an excellent report from her orthopedist. Sofia had a screaming fit when they cut her cast off and it took two of us to hold her still. She is super strong! Who can blame her though? That cast cutter was loud and looked quite scary. Also, she really didn't know what to make of the young man who was the doctor's assistant. All she kept saying was, "No No Sharp." We tried to reassure her that it would not cut skin but she wouldn't have any part of it. For a couple of weeks following the removal of the cast, Sofe walked with a very noticeable limp. For better balance, she angled her foot outwards like a tripod. Today, just two months after the whole accident, her leg has healed completely and she is back to her carefree and somewhat reckless ways. Yikes!

Get the doctor in here right now!


I'm just exhausted from all of this
Looks pretty good to me

In early June I took some vacation time and we shared some fun mommy/daughter moments. Sofia loved her first visit to the nail salon where she got her finger and toenails painted. She also got her first haircut. As usual, I didn't have my camera with me. I had been meaning to get her hair cut because when it was wet, it came down to the middle of her back. I spotted this cute little salon while driving home from the orthopedist and stopped in on a whim. She got to sit in a police car and got her first haircut while watching Caillou. The hairdresser was sweet, she saved me a lock of her curls and let Sofe pick out a prize from their treasure chest. I really could kick myself because I had this same business idea over twenty years ago. Oh well. Sofia enjoyed being pampered and showed me she can be a girly girl at times.

Don't I look pretty?

We also had many fun days at the park and went shopping at the mall. I taught her my favorite phrase, "let's buy it!" Unlike my boys, Sofia likes to join me on my shopping expeditions. The boys just imitate Ed and park themselves on the nearest bench impatiently waiting for me to finish up. If it wasn't for the food court, I could never get them inside a mall. Lastly, we visited the animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo and rode their train and carousel. We even let daddy tag along. It was a great week. I really could get used to being a stay at home mom.

Here I come Mr. Elephant

I think he likes meThey have sharp teeth

Push me mommy

Sadly, during a routine checkup for our beloved Golden Retriever Lexie, we were devastated to learn the vet suspects cancer. Prior to the visit I noticed she was breathing heavily. I just associated that with old age. Our dear old girl is now ten. I know in my own case, I huff and puff more going up and down the stairs. Several of her lymph nodes were swollen for no apparent reason. That is not a good sign so, we had to discuss possible courses of treatment. If we do nothing, they estimated a life expectancy of 4-6 weeks and with aggressive intervention, 3-4 months. Needless to say, we are heartbroken. In the end, we chose not to run any additional tests to confirm the hunch. It wouldn't change anything. And a confirmation would remove our high hopes that the doctor could be wrong. For now, she is the queen of the house and is being spoiled silly. We do all her favorite things; walks to the park, car rides, and daily games of tug-of-war. Lexie is also enjoying all her favorite foods; turkey, steak, chicken, peanut butter, and ice cream. She is very happy to be eating more than her dry, bland, allergy controlled dog food. If she isn't sick, we will have created a lil' old beggar that is now 10 pounds overweight. :)

The boys are thrilled to be out of school for the summer. Joe is working with Ed again this year and Michael is enjoying being a couch potato. Mike is a typical teenager. He stays up way too late, sleeps until noon, and gripes about his chore list.

Now that the weather has warmed up (we went from the 60's to the 90's in a week) Sofia is enjoying playing outside and running through the sprinkler. Last year she was so afraid of the sprinkler. This year she has a new fear, she HATES fireworks. She trembles and screams whenever she hears a loud BOOM and becomes inconsolable. It doesn't help to show her the beautiful colors in the sky. We have fans in her room to drown out the noise and we just keep our fingers crossed every night. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. It is going to be a long two weeks. I guess she is not the completely fearless child we initially pegged her for. On the flip side, she loved the community festival with all the children's rides, corn on the cob, elephant ears, and the big parade. We are enjoying introducing Sofia to many new traditions and experiences. We look forward to many more fun filled summer events.

Happy Happy Summer!!

Peggi