Hunter

Hard to believe that next week the kids will be back in school and summer will be over.  I have mixed emotions about school starting this year. Happy because I have to answer 500 questions from Hunter all day, seriously that boy will ask me questions ALL day LONG!  Hunter " Mom, why is the speed limit 65?" Me " because that is what has been deemed a safe speed to travel on this road."  Hunter" Mom, why is it a safe speed and by whose standards is it safe, yours, the troopers, the people who sit behind a desk and make all the laws?" Seriously people those are his questions all though my favorite question he had this summer was " Why do I know so much?"  Hmm maybe because you ask so many questions..The other day he was at a birthday party and his friend received some glow in the dark stars you place on the ceiling along with the planets that hang down. Hunter thought it was cool, the other kid not so much. I was listening to a conversation between Hunter and his friend. Hunter was asking the little boy if he knew what an asteroid was, the boy didn't know, Hunter explained what was, then Hunter asked him if he knew what the solar system was again the boy didn't really know so Hunter explained it to him, then Hunter asked him if he knew what a Milky Way was and the boy said, and I kid you not "Yeah it is a candy bar."  Hunter response " Dude you're killing me." and walked away..  I love that Hunter is curious and wants to learn so much but I just wish there were not 20 questions to every one original question.  I seriously hope that when we meet his teacher next week she is as good as Mrs. McCallister.  She was one of the best teachers I have ever met, she set the bar high for all the teachers that follow her. Looking forward to seeing what new things Hunter learns this year and to see how he is challenged.  Nothing like a six year old reading at an 8th grade level and knowing some algebra.. oh how I love my Hunter!!

Allergies

After over 30 pricks in the back we learned that my son, Hunter is allergic to nuts, trees, 8 types of grass, dust mites, mold, and cats. I will say that I am glad his doctor didn't say he was allergic to dogs because we would not be a happy family if we had to get rid of our Samsun.  Hunter has an Epipen that goes with us everywhere. He is to sit at a special table at lunch time (away from his friends, I think that is just sad) he sits alone at snack time just in case other kids bring in nuts for a snack. He is allergic to peanuts, brazil nuts, cashews,almonds, pistachios (those can kill him if he eats them) and peacans, those will just make him uncomfortable according to the doctor.  My house is now a nut free zone. No peanutbutter, no pistachios (my favorite snack of all time) nothing. I must read every lable when I go to the market to make sure nothing he eats will have those nuts in it.  

Guido and Giuseppe

Since the passing of Zoltan two weeks ago Hunter has asked if he can get a fish tank. Well this past weekend we did just that. We have started out with two guppies and he has named them Guido and Giuseppe, I have no idea where he came up with the names but I must admit I love those little fish. Yes I said love them. I am not a fish fan but these little guys are so cool. I love their little fins and they are amazingly fast. We will be adding more fish to the tank in a few weeks once it has gone through the new tank cycle and is safe to allow more fish to the tank. Hunter loves his fish as well, it is cute to listen to his giggle as he watches them swim around and around. I didn't think that fish could bring such happiness to a little boy.

The passing of Zoltan

Zoltan was Hunters very first pet, his very own that he didn't have to share with the rest of the family. He was a cute little black dwarf hamster. Hunter fed him, made sure he had plenty of water and helped to clean his cage each week. We adopted Zoltan, he was with a foster family and we decided that at the age of 3 Hunter was old enough to care for the little guy. For the past few weeks Zoltan hasn't really been himself. He hasn't wanted to run on his wheel or play in his ball and that has made Hunter a little sad to say the least, last night Hunter asked John if he could hold Zoltan but John said no, because he was sleeping still. Hunter begged and begged to hold the little guy but the answer was still no. Well this morning John woke me before he left for work and told me the little guy died. I had the great job of telling Hunter the sad news when he woke up. Let me just tell you I NEVER want to see that sad look on my sons face again. He was devastated, crushed. He asked me several times if we could take it to the pet doctor so they could make him better, then he realized that if his hamster died then that means our family dog Samsun is going to die and he sobbed, Samsun is his best friend in the whole wide world and is a year younger than Hunter but now Hunter is freaked that Samsun is going to die soon. I told him that Samsun is healthy and young so he would have a long happy life and not to worry about Samsun passing anytime soon and to enjoy playing with him everyday. My heart is breaking for my son today. I know it was just a hamster but it was Hunters little buddy. RIP Zoltan...

Hunters first baseball game

I took Hunter to his first baseball game this past Saturday. We were in DC so I thought it was a good time to take him to a ball game. After a morning of museums and touring the Capital Building we hopped on the metro at 7th street and got off at the Navy Yard. The ball park is a half a block from the metro so it was great. He was excited to see the park, well maybe he was just excited to get that ballpark hot dog and coke. He was so cute, he ordered all by himself and even used his manners which is more than I can say for the majority of the people there, anyway that is another story. After we got his hot dog and coke we found our seats and watched batting practice. If I didn't know any better I would have thought we were at Fenway, I didn't see anybody wearing Nationals hats or shirts. Everywhere I looked I saw Boston Red Sox hats, shirts, sock, fingers, you name it I saw it. As we were sitting there eating Hunter asked me questions about the game, like what happens if the ball is hit on this side of the yellow pole, I told him it was a foul ball, he asked about doubles, triples and how does the guy behind the catcher know if it is a ball or a strike? I was in heaven answering his questions, it was a dream come true after 6 years. From the day I found out I was having a boy I dreamed of taking him to his first major league game and this weekend that dream was fulfilled. The stadium is great, the location is great, the weather was perfect and life was perfect for a few hours. I will never forget my sons first game. Our next game will be August 23, 2010 a few days before he starts school, we are going back to DC to watch the Nationals play the Cubbies and enjoy another hot dog and coke and create more memories of a lifetime. The Red Sox won the game but it didn't matter to us....

Update on Hunter

So today I took Hunter in to see if the medication he has been taking for the past week has been working. He has gone from a 7 to a 9 (our goal is to be at a 13) so that is good news but his doctor is still not happy with them. She said she would have liked for the numbers to be higher than they are so she said NO MILK at all, not one drop of milk. Well I told her that I had an issue with that since his numbers had gone up and that we had cut his milk back from a gallon a day to only 8 ounces MAX and that there was no way I could take away his milk, that is just plain cruel in my book as his mother. She then tried to tell me that it is in his best interest to not drink any milk, he is old enough now that he doesn't need any milk in his diet. So then I proceeded to tell her that in all the books I have read as well as all the pamphlets her office has given me in the past week that a child between the ages of 3-5 NEED between 8-20 ounces of milk a DAY in their diet. They need the calcium for their bones as well as their teeth so I was not going to cut out the minimum amount of milk needed for my son. I said it would be a different story if his numbers had not changed but since they were going up I would not get rid of the milk in his diet. I don't know maybe I am over reacting here but I just can't in good conscious do that to him. I am open to hear what others think about this, feel free to give me your opinion on the matter, am I wrong for going against the doctor? Am I being a bad mother for not following her orders?

My little guy...

So as I post this blog, Hunter is sleeping next to me. I just love to watch him sleep, he is so peaceful and sweet and QUIET. For those of you who know Hunter know that he is none of those thing while awake, so when it comes to bedtime I cherish it, not because I get some time to myself but because I get to enjoy watching him. He is constantly on the go, thinking about things when he is a wake so for him to be still long enough for me to enjoy him as my "baby" even though he is 4 now. I am sad that he has grown so fast, it again doesn't help that he doesn't sit still for more than 30 seconds at a time. I so miss the infant stages in his life, the time when he was all mine and I didn't have to share him with the world. When I was home alone with him all day and I could just snuggle him. I guess I am feeling a bit sad about him growing up because I know he is my last baby, I tell my friends enjoy each and every second with your babies because the time goes by so quickly even though you don't realize it. I love the way he cuddles up with his blanket and how he will twitch his little fingers while he is dreaming, but my favorite thing is when I am laying down next to him sometimes and he reaches over and snuggles next to me and says "I love you mama", and gives me a kiss on the nose and then the butterfly kisses on the cheek ahh I just love that! It makes everything else melt away, I tend to forget all the other terrible things going on and just live for that moment.

I mention those things because last week we went to his 4 year check up and found out he is anemic and is not allowed to have ANY milk at all. This has been a very tough 4 days for us because the boy LOVES milk. He will drink it all day long, he loves it so much. Don't get me wrong he will eat food also but his drink of choice is milk, he isn't into juice so much. He will trade out milk for water through out the day so when the dr. told him "Hunter, you may not have any milk until you are healthy again." his reply was "Ugh I don't like you and I will have my milk". I am not kidding that was his response. She then came back and said " I understand you don't like what I said but if you want to get healthy you may not have any more milk." He said " I don't think so, I like milk, and I will drink my milk." so she came back and said "OK lets make a deal, you can have 8 ounces of milk each day but that is all you may have and if you drink that milk then you have to have more juice, not water but juice." He came back with " Ugh I don't like juice. I like water." The dr. looked at me and said " I can't believe I am negotiating with a 4 year old." I said "welcome to my world." Needless to say Hunter gets 8 ounces of milk and his water as well as 2 glasses of juice, that was the deal that they worked out. Crazy how a 4 year old can negotiate a deal. He has stuck with the deal although it has been very difficult to say the least because he still wants his milk. I can only wonder what he is going to be when he grows up... I just love him so much!!!