Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Happy Birthday Auntie

Happy Birthday to my sister in-law and our boys' aunt.  She is a very good aunt.  I am happy my boys have such a close relationship with her.  She is not one of those relatives that they only see on holidays, a few times a year.  She is around a lot.  She talks to them.  She spends time with them.  She tries hard to connect.  What more could you ask for?

Saturday, September 12, 2015

A Visit to the Nutritionist

Demi was able to get a quick appointment to see a nutritionist today.  It was really good work on her part.  I had done some research on the Mayo Clinic website earlier in the week.  There was a lot of research suggesting that IBS could be made worse by diet.  Some patients seemed to report symptoms worsening after eating certain kinds of foods.  We had tried variations of testing certain things like gluten and dairy but Demi and I were winging it.  We recognized that we are not experts.  We can admit when we need help.  And we did just that.
     Demi did some digging around and found a woman who came recommended.  She also had weekend appointments.  For this weekend.  Something she normally did not have.  How is that for luck?  So off Coco and Demi went.  They came back with a plan.  Demi is really digging in to do this right.  It is a lot of work.  But if it helps Coco beat IBS, then it will have been worth it.

Friday, September 11, 2015

Two Steps Forward

Well, the streak is over.  We had hoped it would last.  But deep down, Demi and I knew it was only a matter of time.  Coco stayed home from school today due to his IBS.  The silver lining is that it truly seems like it is IBS and not the anxiety.  He doesn't appear to be gaming the system.
     The important thing for Demi and me to keep in mind is to stay positive.  We can't appear to be let down.  That only adds to his concern.  We definitely don't want the anxiety to kick in.  It is up to us to set the tone.
     This is only a minor setback after all.  We can perservere.  There will be better days ahead.

Monday, September 7, 2015

Labor Day 2015

It may be a day of rest but it has taken a lot of work to carve out some family time for Team Chin.  They boys slept in, of course.  Demi and I did our respective workouts.  Mine actually consisted of sleeping in and making coffee today.  Demi was the good kid.  She then came back and declared that we would be spending some time together as a family.  Of course that met with some resistance.  Or at least some very lackluster enthusiasm.  The boys begrudingly agreed to go on a hike.  It was definitely a lack of options/lesser of all evils decision.
     Demi scoured the web for a new route.  She found one a few minutes down the road in Marsh Vegas.  It is always nice to explore somewhere new.  Gizmo probably got the most out of the walk.  She got to "mark" out a whole new kingdom.  I think she only drinks water to reload.  The boys were very take with her.  She was the focal point of the whole hike.  In all honesty, there was not much to see.  It wasn't a great path.  But we got to talk.  We were active.  And more importantly, we were together.

Friday, September 4, 2015

Hanging Out at Home

Well, so far the Chin house is the place to be for the local kids.  Mostly Caz and his friends, but we seem to be overflowing with teenagers these days.  Most of them we know.  A few we are still getting to know.  Caz has made great choices in his friends so far.  That would seem to be trending well for this new crew.  It is nice to know where they are hanging out.  We know what they are doing.  We know they are safe.  They are a pretty respectful bunch.  It will be interesting to see if this holds up.


Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Back 2 School 2015

"It's the most wonderful time of the year...."
     It really is.  Demi and I were so ready to have the boys back in school.  Back into a routine.  Sure, we had our anxiety over Coco and how he would do.  Caz has a big year coming up.  Junior year is huge.  College visits.  College exams.  Grades count.  There are no points for second place.  This gets better in a month too.  Caz should get his drivers license.  That will help with our carpooling.  Sure, the routine is hectic.  But it is a routine.  The boys are out of the house.  They socialize out of the house each day.  It really is wonderful.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Frosh Orientation 2015

Another child off to start his high school career.  Milestones all the way around.  Coco went off to orientations from 8 am - noon, without a hitch.  He was very excited to go.  Demi and I were thrilled to see him excited about school again.  He repeated the events of the day to each of us.  Multiple times.  I vowed to myself to listen for as long as he wanted to talk.  His grin was ear to ear.  Today, we had our boy back.  Demi might even be able to sleep tonight.