Let Them Eat Cake!

We celebrated Maizie's birthday with family this week. Maizie's birthday is very close to Christmas. It helps to have the big event celebrated early when things are a tad calmer.

This time of year is one of Maizie's most challenging. We keep the month of December and our Christmas celebration very low key. Even though we go out of our way to reduce stress during this time I am convinced there is something in the air that gets everyone, including Maizie overly excited. Maizie senses this and her ability to cope with life seems to decrease almost overnight.

The biggest stress and chaos inducing factor when we celebrate holidays is food. Maizie loves cake, cookies and all sweets. I made a cute vanilla cake for her birthday gathering. Maizie and Christian loved it. I have managed to resist its sweet charms. Maizie can't stop thinking about it. She wants to eat cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I refused Maizie's "deal" of eating five bites of pancakes followed by a piece of cake for breakfast. Before I knew it Maizie was screaming at me that I am the worst mom in the whole world. She said she would never write me any love notes ever again. (A frequent threat when she is told, "no".) Maizie continued yelling at me.....loudly. My ears are still ringing. She said, "I am going to go upstairs and slam my door!" The slamming of the door does not bother me at all. I am thrilled when Maizie is willing to retreat to her room to calm down. Upon doing so she always slams the door at least three or four times in a row. For dramatic purposes, of course.

This morning though there seemed to be no relief in sight. Maizie wanted a piece of that yummy cake and she was trying everything until I agreed. I let Darwin out and when I came back inside the house was too quiet. I looked where the cake had been and it was gone. Not good.

I found Maizie hiding behind her favorite chair with her arms wrapped tightly around the cake Tupperware. The cake was nice and secure inside. Whew. Granted, all I felt like doing was grabbing the cake and disposing of it in the trash, in a very dramatic fashion!

It seemed to me like I was negotiating a hostage deal to save the birthday cake. Except I would gladly destroy the birthday cake to avoid this situation from happening again.

I pictured myself forcing the cake out of Maizie's arms and rushing it to the trash can, scraping it into the trash triumphantly. Fortunately, I contained my frustration realizing that reacting in that way would no doubt traumatize Maizie for years, ruining one of her favorite things...cake. Argh.Finally, Maizie released the cake and I put it on top of the cupboards in the kitchen. I repeated that she could enjoy a piece of cake with her lunch. Crocodile tears fell and then she requested a soda. I swear, I just woke up a bit ago and I was about to be sent over the edge. I wanted to scream. I think I may have made a sound that resembled a bear growling. Lovely.

It felt like deja vu as Maizie began yelling at me all over again wanting a soda. I thought things were going to get even worse when she stormed into the kitchen insisting she was going to get a soda. I stood there wanting so badly to just go back to bed. I thought about waking Joe up and making him take over but knew Maizie would follow me to my bedroom and yell at me there.

To my surprise Maizie chose a juice box and stomped back into the living room saying, "Mom! I really don't like you right now! You better not get rid of that cake! I want a piece at lunch time." She then cuddled up with a blanket on her chair and has been quiet ever since.

I sighed real big, proud of Maizie and proud of myself for not totally freaking out. It is only nine and we have the rest of the day to navigate through. Maizie looks exhausted so I am praying she takes a morning nap. I know I will be waking up Joe in a bit so I can take a mid morning nap.

Do you all have challenges around food and the holidays this time of year? I know we do. Soon Joe will be making delicious frosted cookies and snicker doodles. They are not something I am allowed to eat anymore. I am sure Maizie will have similar morning cravings for those cookies. And yet, we still make them together. They are a family tradition.

Comfort Items, Boomer the Macaw & Messy Treats

Saturday night we went to Sheri and Robert's home for pizza. Sheri has written about Maizie and her "crush" Dustin, seen in the photo below. Sigh. Puppy love.

Whenever we go somewhere new Maizie insists on taking certain belongings from her bedroom. I usually say, "Please don't take anything." When will I learn to just let it go. It helps her cope with a new place. Upon entering Maizie immediately finds the nearest table and empties the contents of her lovely new bag that I won from the talented BonBon Mama. You can visit her Etsy shop, Bee Happy to see her creations.

Maizie brought a few precious stones, a shell, the birthday bell and of course her shark teeth. Once the items were layed out for all to see they remained there until we left. Maybe that is her way of taking a little bit of home wherever we go.

Shortly after we arrived Maizie insisted I tell Dustin that she has a crush on him. Wow. I did not expect I would ever be the go between for Maizie and her 'crush'. I think I turned red as I asked Dustin if he had a crush on Maizie. Dustin nodded yes and gave the cutest grin. Lord help us. ;)Boomer is a beautiful Macaw that Sheri nursed back to health when he was a baby. He was a featherless and nervous baby bird. Boomer is full of attitude now. He wanted constant attention and made this known through frequent loud skwaks. He apparently has a very large vocabulary but was playing shy with us.Maizie loved holding Boomer but was less than pleased with his loud skwaking. When she held Boomer he became very quiet and would move his head, looking at her curiously. When I held Boomer he bit my hand, twice. Apparently I don't have the magic touch that Maizie has.

Cayanne, the dog can be seen in the background. What a sweetheart of a dog. Joe and Boomer seem like they are thinking similar thoughts or just chilling together in the photo below. That picture cracks me up.After dinner we went out back to enjoy the beautiful weather. Leave it to me to bring the messiest dessert ever. Ice cream bars from Dairy Queen. Harrison was showing us the "Belgian dip" while Mc Cartney below was wearing more of her ice cream than actually eating it. Maizie saw the difficulty the kids were having eating the ice cream and promptly refused to eat the treat. That was fine with me. I was more than willing to finish it for her.

Do You Like Change?

Our mornings still begin like this....Lil' Miss Maizie is sound asleep under that blanket after the usual morning CVS episode. We are frustrated and at the same time this "monster" illness has become a part of our routine...a part of our lives. A combination of intense belly pain and head pain over takes her.

I am praying she out grows this soon. Most children do. And then again Maizie is not like most children. It has been a little over a year since our trip to the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. It is very possible we will be going there again.

The picture below is how Maizie looks by six at night. We went out to dinner with Rod and Rhonda and she was able to see her little friend Madelyn. Madelyn and Maizie were discussing adoption together. Since they are both adopted they tend to bring this up whenever they see one another. Maizie asked me what her birth mother did to take care of her when she was a baby. I explained that her birth mother ate healthy foods, listened to country music (obviously this is where Maizie gets her love of Dolly Parton and all things country) and prayed for her and us...a lot. Madelyn likes to point out that she is from the Philippines and Maizie is not. Sometimes it seems there is a little competition between them on who has the most unique birth story. The two of them never cease to amaze me when they bring up adoption.

Maizie has been loving her new MP3 player. She wears the big ol' headphones because they, "feel good". It is quite entertaining listening to her sing as I drive. I especially like the quiet time or being able to listen to my own music.
I sure do appreciate the comments about my new hair do. It has taken some major adjustment. Every time I look in the mirror I am like, "Gadz!? Where is my hair?" It looks quite different to me. I don't know how long I will keep it like this but for now it is fun having a new style to work on in the mornings.

I am all for anything different right now. Yes, it totally clashes with what Maizie wants. That is the struggle. I like changes. The way our day is laid out right now about sends me over the edge sometimes.

I enjoy new challenges, new places, rearranging furniture and spur of the moment get togethers. These things don't seem to go with Maizie's personality very well. If anything..my need for change and the fact that I don't fear it has probably come in handy in dealing with Maizie's ongoing and ever changing health challenges. Accepting change has come in handy when it comes to her education techniques, therapies and social struggles. I am much more willing to move on and try something else. I figure God is trying to teach me patience and how to enjoy the tiny...the subtle, more dazlious moments in my life.

Does your child with special needs like change? Do you?

Dinner time turns to "Get the check...quick!"

Tonight Mindy came over and we all went to Mi Pueblo for a yummy and quiet dinner. We failed to notice the sign outside. Can you guess what happened?You will see in the photo below Maizie's look of horror as a Mariachi band began playing near our tables. Of course it is easy to be near our table since the restaurant is super tiny. I was so enjoying having my iPhone to catch this special moment with Maizie. As you see below we have a trumpet, a few violins, one vihuela and a guitarró (I think). All of the men were very good singers. I quite enjoyed the music. I can't say the same for Maizie though. Actually, I think Joe and Mindy were a bit overstimulated with the noise too. The singers were making the loud whistles and high pitched wailing noises. I don't know if that is the best way to describe it. Needless to say, it is very very loud.
Here is a sweet picture of Joe comforting little Miss Maizie. Luckily, we were finishing up our food at this point.
Maizie hid behind Joe until the first song was done. Right after this shot we were up and out of there! Check please!!!!!

Alex and Maizie

Sunday we went to lunch with my little sister Melissa and her daughter Alex who turns two today! Happy Birthday Alex!!

We went to our favorite restaurant Mi Pueblo. Alex enjoyed a huge soda all to herself. After a while she wanted to sit by her cousin Maizie. Maizie loves Alex very much. Sitting side by side while Maizie is trying to do her "list making" is another story all together.

At first Maizie was trying hard to be patient. But, Alex being the big girl that she is wanted to write just like Maizie. She even wanted to write on Maizie's paper!
Maizie was pretty upset when Alex took her pencil. She tried to divert her attention with a High School Musical sticker. Alex had no interest.


I love the picture below. Alex kept leaning in as if she was expecting Maizie to teach her something. Maizie was actually lecturing about how Alex had her pencil and she just had to have it back right away!


I gave Alex a shiny purple pen but Alex was not happy and still wanted the pencil. I am not sure but I think the shot below was taken right after Melissa handed me the pencil. Everyone is in shock.


Maizie looks pleased and Alex slowly goes into a nice little temper tantrum.


Maizie goes back to a flurry of list making while we try and occupy Alex with alternative writing utensils, paper and stickers.

Soon, Maizie sees that Alex is relentlessly pursuing the pencil and makes a classic look of disgust seen below. Ah, such sweet little children. Soon we will be traveling to stay with Alex for a few days. I can only imagine how my sweet little two year old niece is going to rock Maizie's very orderly world!

Why I Eat Chocolate in The Tub and Other Bizarre Relaxation Techniques

Every now and then I feel stressed. Can you believe it? Me....stressed? When life gets too overwhelming I like to do something special for myself. I fill up the tub with water that is way too hot for human life (according to Joe...last time he checked it was 160 degrees) and climb in the tub with a good book by my side. Most importantly, I bring a handful of chocolate candies. It could be my favorite candy bar...a Whatchamacallit. Other times I line the side of the tub with those flavored tootsie rolls. When I am really stressed I take in a big bag of Swedish Fish...my favorite candy.There is nothing like relaxing in a hot tub while slowly enjoying your favorite candy. Once I eat the yummy candy I read a good book. Try it! It really is a good time.

What is your favorite way to relax? Hey.....don't just think about it...let me know by leaving a comment. I may have to give it a try.

By the way, I have no idea who that woman is in the tub. I bet you she is eating chocolate though...she looks so happy and relaxed! Apparently, she does not have to take a bath in my tub!
Ha! Ha! Just joking! Our tub is sparkly clean. Well, kind of. Stella likes to climb in it and leaves little paw prints behind. There are always Polly Pockets and Barbies staring at me too. That can be disturbing so be sure and remove all children's toys from the tub before you par take in this activity.

Pushing the Comfort Zone, Lil' Man Squirrel Stole the Corn

We all over slept today. Till 9. There was no way to make it to church on time. Not to mention I went to bed last night with endo pain and woke with my back feeling like...well...bad. I took a bunch of pain medication and showered. Showering seemed like a huge accomplishment. Maizie began asking to go to the dog park the minute she woke up.

Lunch time rolled around and we remembered the flyer we got yesterday from a church down the street having a block party. Hmmmm....maybe it will be fun? Way out of our comfort zone though. Possibly Mike and Beth would be there with the girls? We walked down to Cindy's house and begged her to go with us. John was reading the Harry Potter book and won't leave the house till he is done. It scared us to go somewhere new where we don't know anyone. So...what a better way to solve that than to drag an innocent friend with us.

As we approached the very dressed up crowd...the flier said casual. So, we were very casual except for Joe's Nat Nast shirt. I felt very under dressed. I doubted the plan and we considered walking to Taco Bell instead. I told the new plan to Maizie. No way! She would not have a change of plans. Maizie just does not like changing any plans...never has. Bummer. I embraced my fears and we headed over to the hot dog line. We had hot dogs, watermelon and chips. Cindy did not want to eat. We sat on the church steps and ate. Once done Maizie asked if we could go to Taco Bell since she was still hungry. Argh!!!!! We convinced her Arby's was better because I was wanting a chocolate shake in a real bad way. Amazingly she agreed. Cindy had a Mountain Dew, Maizie had Dr. Pepper and Joe had a Jamocha shake.

On the way back home Cindy gave me the movie IQ to watch. It looks cute. She said she had finally watched Mozart and the Whale and cried like a baby. I did not cry at all in that movie. She is such a mush pot.

I was exhausted by this point. Not in as much pain but felt like I could not do anything else. I fell asleep on the couch. As soon as I woke up we took off for the dog park. After that we came home. Joe made dinner while I went out to comb Darwin.

There were my favorite two squirrels eating the corn I had put out. They have no fear of me or Darwin. I loved sitting in the sun with the nice breeze watching them eat. Maizie came out and said, "Mom! You like watching squirrels too much!" But before she knew it she was watching them too. One of the squirrels, Kaikura...used his little claws to pull out the cob and carried it down to a secluded spot in the garden. Maizie was laughing so hard that I got to laughing too. It was funny watching him wrestle with the corn cob that was almost as big as him. I love my squirrels.

Yummy Scents and Delicious Truffles wtih Miss Mindy

After a fairly decent nights sleep Mindy picked me up for some shopping, lunch and a special treat for me.

First we went to Von Maur. Bargain shopper Mindy found a beautiful pair of Kenneth Cole earrings for two dollars! Can you believe it? They were like twenty eight bucks originally. I saw a few things I really wanted at Von Maur but nothing on sale that I just had to have. I really want some Philosophy Baby Grace perfume but could not justify the cost right now. Mindy has been wanting Lolita Lempicka for way too long now. She tortured herself by spraying some on and smelling it over and over. I ran out of my Lolita months ago so I sneak some of Joe's. I love the men's Lolita too.After Von Maur we went to Biaggi's where we had spinach salads and sandwiches. The waiter took this picture of us. I will use it even though I have some wicked red eye in it. I am trying to be in more of my photos so I look like I actually exist rather than always being behind my camera. The worst part is the photos never end up how I want them to. Oh, well.

I opened my birthday gift from Mindy at lunch. She gave me a Soy candle that smells incredible. It's scent is Belgian Waffles. I can't wait to light it and feel all cozy. Thank you Mindy!

Ulta was calling our names so we headed over. They had the Elizabeth Arden 'gift' going on so I thought I would get a few pieces of makeup. It seems that all at once my makeup has been running out or just got too old.

Outside was miserably hot. We managed to survive the walk over to De Brands. Mindy wanted to treat me to a couple of truffles. I have never had a truffle before. They were so yummy! I really liked them. I was tempted to get Maizie some of their home made marshmallows but resisted.

I had a caramel and milk chocolate truffle. Mindy tried a Key Lime and Espresso truffle. All of them were delicious.

Popcorn! Popcorn! Pour It In! Shake It Up! Yum!

Yesterday was a rough day. Maizie was not feeling very well after having a few seizures over the weekend. After napping most of the day we enjoyed Joe's yummy tacos for dinner and then Maizie and I made popcorn for our evening snack. Maizie enjoys turning the crank on the popcorn popper.

Darwin sits like this whenever we make popcorn. At first he becomes very animated when he sees me get out the popper. Next he lays down, perpetually frozen as he waits for the popcorn to be served. Darwin loves popcorn and tries to 'will' me into making it. His sad puppy dog eyes stare me down saying, "You know you want some popcorn!"

Maizie and I take turns throwing the popcorn for Darwin to catch. He is quite talented when it comes to catching popcorn.

If I forget to throw Darwin a piece of popcorn this is what I see until I submit to his doggie will.

Strawberry Picking!

Susie and I packed up the girls and headed out to the country for some good ol' strawberry picking fun! Susie and I pretty much knew there was no way we could pick an entire row. We were there for the experience not necessarily the quantity of strawberries.

Chloe spent more time eating the berries than picking them. Yummy! Maizie and I tried a few ourselves. They were so sweet and tasty.

Maizie wants to be a farmer now.

At one point Maizie accidentally dumped the berry box. No problem. We just had a little rest putting them back in the box and ate a few. It was not long before we were all very hot and sticky and ready to head back to the store.

Finally, it was time to weigh our strawberries. Maizie thought they were going to pay us for the strawberries we picked.

Our whole house was smelling like strawberries. It got to be a bit much. Maizie was sneaking strawberries and eating them in her room.

We tried to eat dinner at Durnell's. They don't allow kids! Bummer! We drove on to Casa's which was yummy too. Once home Maizie had to show John and Cindy her favorite You Tube videos of talking dogs and cats. As you can see Maizie really enjoys these videos and can hardly contain her laughter.Eventually everyone was feeling tired and cold. I like to keep the house nice and cold. This drives Cindy crazy. Maizie made a little bed on the floor and was cuddling with Darwin. Pat and Cindy were sharing a blankey on the couch. Poor Joe looked pretty uncomfortable sitting next to them. After Maizie went to bed we all watched Idiocracy.