And away he goes! Noah started Kindergarten today at the wonderful Cardiff School. We, (no surprise...)tortured him with pictures. We deliberately didn't build it up or talk about it too much because we just wanted him to blissfully pass into this next stage without any pressure or fear about going to big boy school... When I kept snapping pictures he didn't know what the fuss was all about and fankly he just wanted us to leave.  He saw some friends he had met over the summer and that was all he needed to wave bye and push us out the door.  Sigh... I know this is what you want as a parent.  It would have been worse if he cried or hugged me like a five-stage clinger...but lately I am so not cool anymore.  How quickly this happened!

I don't surf. I don't skate. My clothes are sadly "Mom" clothes... and my idea of fun is sleep.  I think I'm going to have to dust off the old surfboard and prove to Noah that Mommy is just as cool as Daddy...

I have to share this Noah story before I forget it.  We read a Franklin book about going to the hospital.  Ironically Noah picked it before he knew where we were actually going.  (to the hospital for Cec).  It was all about a little turtle who had to have a procedure.  It talked about all the stuff that would happen from the check-in, to the wristband, the vital sign checks, the gown, x-rays etc.  Sadly - Cecily has had a rough time so we spent the bulk of Monday at Radys.  Noah, for the first time, witnessed some of the less than fun stuff that Cecily endures.  I had the 3 kids and I was worried about keeping Cecily calm through the procedure and making sure Cason was ok.  I knew Noah would be fine because he is truly an angel.  Once Cecily was in her gown she needed X-rays... Noah seemed to have the process down because we had just read the book and he liked knowing what was going to happen next.  He had to take Cason and sit in a separate area during the x-rays.  Cason started to cry.  Noah started to sing to him... the Radiologist, Technician, Nurse and I could hear his audio... and it was sweet as pie.   He then grabbed Cason's bottle and fed him. (all on his own).  Cecily was pinned down with sandbags and I couldn't leave her for a second because she was screaming like a trapped animal.  It is always horrible to see her strapped down and stresed out so I just tried to focus on Noah soothing Cason.  I was grateful.  The procedure took longer than I expected and before long Cason had stopped crying and the sweet song from Noah came to a stop.  I heard him talking but couldn't make out the words.  When the procedure was over and Cecily was calm we brought the boys back into the room so we could get Cecily cleaned up.  Everyone was talking about the results and it was noisy.  Noah interupted the team...

"Excuse me.  I just put the baby to bed and you need to be quiet.  Shhh... he is sleeping!"

I think you could have heard a pin drop after this statement from the bold, brave, babysitter.  I looked at Noah and smiled.  I know him well enough not to make a fuss or say how cute he is.  It would only upset him and make him feel uncomfortable.  But I also knew that later that night I could cuddle him and tell him how proud I was for how well he handled the less than fun-day at the hospital and how wonderfully he cared for his brother.  He is ready for Kindergarten.  Heck... he is ready for college.  I often feel bad that he has grown up faster than I would like but he has grown up with compasion and a heart that gives.  He is sweet and I need to remember this when he acts like a typical five-year old... whining, refusing to eat his dinner, leaving a trail of toys and clothes in his wake or my personal favorite...leaving his sharp metal beyblades everywhere so I step on them in the middle of the night while I dance between Cecily and Cason's cribs...

Onwards and upwards!

There is something about watching a child's face that leaves you with a magical sense of wonder.  Kids take pleasure in the simple things.  On these hot days  a popsicle is looked upon as heaven.  A cold glass of lemonade can get a yelp of delight. A silly joke can have the kids rolling around in the grass without a care in the world. They see the fun in everything and they look at the world as a playground. They are carefree, happy and joyful. (And at times too hot and dare I say cranky...)  I need to recapture this magic for myself.

I LOVE the way the kids look at each other.  I often wonder what they are all thinking... Cecily gazes at Cason with a look that could stop anyone dead in their tracks.  Her eyes are so expressive that she does not even need to say/sign anything.  We know in one glance if she is there for hugs, cuddles or pure mischief! Cason has captivated her attention like nothing else.  She still walks all over the house (in her walker) searching for Noah... but if we dare to put Cason down and pretend not to watch she is there (at crawl speed!) in no time at all.  She kisses him constantly and rubs his head with her chubby little paws.  She is not always gentle but we're pretty sure that her motives are sweet 99.9 percent of the time. 

It has been a rough week.  Heck... it has been a rough 2 weeks... and I have found myself walking into my bedroom to sit down and breathe.  I wonder if the children know when I'm feeling kinda crazy and tired and admittedly overwhelemd with the combined pressures of Mom, wife, employee, and operator of Cecily's Closet.  I find myself up at all hours of the night - every night - wondering how I will function the very next day after receiving what amounts to 1-4 hours of sleep.  (Everyone except Noah has been sick... and it seems to be on spin-cycle).  We just keep passing it around like a hot potato and we are all getting burned.  When Cecily gets ill everything goes haywire.  She can't tolerate her feeds and she gets dehydrated - a problem made 10x worse given this heat wave in SD.  She has recently discovered her g and j-tube and has come very close to pulling it out every night during her bath or her diaper changes.  She has started biting her hands again - and she is having episodes of pain - likely related to her illness.  Cason smiles through his sickness but sleeping is a problem when you've got an ear infection.  The challenge - how can one hold two babies up right at night?  The answer.  You can't! 

And so it goes... I wonder... I really wonder how people do this without family in town.  I admitted defeat and called in enforcements.  My Mom and Dad are always ready to help me but I hate to ask. I hate to call and admit that I'm a ticking timebomb and I need help.  But alas, they show up and diffuse the bomb and infuse my spirit with the energy I need to tackle tomorrow...  I am hoping for a few more hours of sleep. 

This past week I wondered aloud - a lot. I wondered about the challenges of Cecily's Closet - and the opportunity of growing it without killing myself or the family.  I met with fabulous women who listened to me rant and rave and then they responded with WONDERful suggestions.  And even better.  They responded with WONDERful actions.  And I am so very grateful.  I will be talking about all of these great things another day...I just wanted to say thank you to Julie and Julie, Christina, Emily, Gina, Karla, Gayle, Sherri, Anita, Beverly and all of the amazing women who have stepped up to help me manage Cecily's Closet.  I wonder if you know what you mean to me... More on all of their great work this week.

Right now I wonder which baby will make me up first...

Onwards and upwards!

The accidental invention, the Cecily's Closet belly band, has just been upgraded! Thank you Beverly for the adorable designs, curved edges (not shown as I have these ones inside out) and denim fabric that is cooler for our little ones in the hot summer months!

We are thrilled to be able to offer these fabric wraps FREE to families in San Diego thanks to funding from our favorite AND only shipper, UPS.  (Why use anyone else?)  Yes, shameless support but you would adore them too if you knew the wonderful women that worked at MBE and that supported Cecily's Closet. They are a wonderful group of women and they are angels to us.  We are especially grateful to Beverly this week for the insane amount of belly bands she made to keep our operation running!  

So what is a belly band? Why do we make them? How do we make them?

Cecily’s Closet takes denim and very soft flannel or cotton fabric that is designed to wrap around a child's tummy and protect their feeding tubes.  The wraps are designed to protect the Mickey Button or PEG tube that is inserted into a child’s abdomen for the purpose of feeding.  Our wraps work for gastric feeding tube (aka g-tubes), jejunal feeding tubes (aka j-tubes) or those wonderful kids that have both... like our precious Cecily! These simple, fabric wraps enable a child to safely proceed with physical therapy because they protect the site from rubbing.  They offer parents peace of mind by preventing the child from grabbing the tube site and reduce the risk of the tube being dislodged during play, sleep or while the tube is not in use.  We find they also work great if you leave a feeding tube connected.  You can simply tuck the tube into the wrap when not in use for ease of access for quick venting.  

Our motto is comfy for kids; priceless for parents; and FREE to anyone in San Diego that asks.  For families outside of San Diego, we encourage a nominal $15.00 donation to cover fabric and shipping costs.  We have shipped belly bands around the world - Europe, North America, Mexico, Australia and more! Who knew one little girl could inspire so much love!  

If you are interested in wrapping your little tubie child with love, please complete  our online form and someone will follow-up with you!  You can make your in-kind donation here for families outside of San Diego.  Belly bands typically take 2 weeks from confirmed request to shipping. 

Looking for something fancier? For anyone considering the procedure! Check out Benik! They produce professional bands to protect your
child's g-tube.  http://www.benik.com/peds/wrap/g-tube

We've included some pictures of the adorable wraps below!

Onwards and upwards!