Camedic K-os - Take 1

Let me start by saying this blog is meant to be a journaling (is that a word?) opportunity for me as I deal with the mountains and valleys life puts in front of me and my family.  I'm choosing to share to spread awareness of the problems we face like a toddler who isn't growing, an infant who is having a variety of difficulties but is still undiagnosed, and of course our adventures such as striving for a more natural lifestyle, cloth diapering, staying in shape, and whatever else our future evolves into.

Thanks for reading!

Kaylee, my 3 year old is full of energy...AND attitude.  She was in an amazing full time daycare until Cameron was born and I still don't think she's really adjusted to having to deal with Mom all day.  Kaylee is a social, independent being and always has been; from the time she was itty bitty, she had no problems going to strangers, and never hit the 'stranger anxiety' phase.

I'm super excited to be able to say she'll be going to preschool this year.  It's only for 3 hours a day, but it's provided through the school system (aka - free).  It's called a Reverse Inclusion Program, where half the class will be 'regularly developing' children and half will be 'special needs' children. I'm thrilled for a variety of reasons:

• SOCIALIZATION - she gets to spend time with kids her own age, every day
• DE-WIGGLIZATION - she can expel all of that wonderful energy that I can't always assist her in doing
• AWARENESS - not everyone learns, looks, plays, talks like she does, but that doesn't mean she can't relate with them and find friends.  I'm hoping this will be the beginning of a lifelong lesson to embrace individuality.
• SEPARATION - She deserves time away. She's an amazing big sister, and a great helper, but I'm glad she'll have a chance to just be Kaylee. Since Cameron was born, she's been dragged to so many doctors appointments, had to deal with mom being 'unavailable' because I was working on exercises and stretches with him, and an assortment of other situations that most older sisters wouldn't have to deal with.

We are blessed in that Kaylee has never had any developmental problems.  She was always ahead on her milestones, was always happy, able to self-soothe, occupy herself, etc.  But she, too, came with her own host of ways to worry Mommy.  She has always been small for her age, and stopped gaining weight around 6 months. Throughout her life she has even lost weight, and the latest is that she has maintained a mere 24 pound weight for the last year and a half. She's had countless tubes of blood drawn, procedures and biopsies done, special diets, etc.  But this will be a post at some point all on it's own.


Cameron - my sweet, sweet little guy.  He's six months old and has been to more doctors appointments in those six months than I have in probably the last decade.  So far his only diagnosis is Torticollis, which has meant physical therapy every week since he was 3-4 months old.

We (I?) have had a vast array of other worries about him, which will probably be a main focus of this blog. So I will spare the details for now.

Tim - my knight in shining armor, my husband, and the reason I'm able to spend this wonderful time with my children. He's the best person I can think of to share these experiences with.  Tim and I will have been married 3 years this November.

Tim is a mechanical engineer by degree, but works as a nuclear engineer at one of the many local shipyards here in Hampton Roads, Virginia.  This translates into very unpredictable work hours and shifts that we're always trying to adjust to. But he does a great job of providing for our family financially, emotionally, and any other way a man can provide for his family :-)

The romance story will also be a post for another time.