Mama's Little Echo

October Home School Review

2011-10-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

HUMAN BODY:
What are the five senses? "That's easy. sight smell taste and touch, what is it..." Hearing, "ahh I just forgot my ears."
What is the blood pump for the body? "Uhh, heart."
What is the difference between a vein and an artery? Do you remember talking with papa? "I don't remember it was a grown up talk." You remember, we have a heart and there are two things.. "oh yeah, one pumped back and one pumped forth, that's the difference."

Native Americans:
What is another name for Indians? "Native Americans."
Name two types of NA Houses: "Tepee and a mud fort, one of those kind of mud things they put mud on" They're called pueblos.
Name two important animals for the NA: "Sheep, goats, horses, that's three of them" you're missing one. Think about their clothes. "Buffalo".
Name an important weapon: "Bow and arrow, spear, tomahawk."

Pirates:
When was the golden age of pirates? "1600's" early or late? "late".
Who did Captain Hook despise? "Peter Pan".
Is there anything else about pirates you want to add? :"They had massive guns and massive ships and they're really rude."

Classic: What did the ant and other small creatures teach us? "That small can think big, ugg I don't know how to explain it." That small... "can do big."

Davy Crockett: Who considered Davy their friend? "The Indians and his friend I don't remember his name." What about the other people in the government? "Some did and some didn't." Who didn't like him? "that's a hard question because he was a famous guy. The only one's I can say is the Indians at first."

Gospel Studies: What is your program part? "Ohhh, I'm not going to say it if this is going on my blog. Why? ... attitude...
"I gave my book of Mormon to my friend and he really liked it and I invited him to church and I liked it and so did he."

Ice Man: What was the Ice Man's special and unusual tool? "Ahh, some kind of ax, a golden bronze ax?" It was a COPPER ax.

Columbus: What year did Columbus sail? "1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492."

Overall:
In this months books and everything what was your favorite subject? "I liked the pirates most. I didn't like math."

September Home School Review Quiz

2011-09-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

Habitats: Name as many habitats as you can.
Desert, sea, forest, jungle, trees, underground, houses, nest, hives, tunnels

Revolutionary War:
Who fought each other in the war? The Americans against the British
Why were they fighting? For freedom but the bad guys were fighting for money I bet.
Who won? The Americans
Where does the RW fall on the timeline? 170?

Middle Ages:
Who is the famous king of Camelot? King Arthur
Is he true or fiction? No one knows
Tell something about him. He sat at the round table with a magical sword, they think
What shape was the famous table? That's easy, circle.
Who was known as "the greatest knight"? I forget, you want to guess? Does it start with a W? Yes. No guess.
Where on the timeline? No I have to look and we're outside.

Alphabet: How many letters are in the alphabet? 25

Gospel Studies: Who are the righteous sons of Lehi? Lemual, Sam, Lamen, are you sure? yeah, Lamen, Lemual Sam, Nephi. so are Laman ans Lemual righteous? No.

Fairy Tales: What was one of the things Jack stole from the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk? A harp, a golden chicken that lays eggs, and a bag of money, that's all of them.

Moms last baby

2011-08-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

I was about 3 or 4 we realized mom was pregnant and we went and named the baby JJ. What we loved most about him is that he is so cute. Like today, he can now walk and stand.

This is our first bean bag. We wanted it smaller, but we picked the wrong size. When we brought it home it was sticking out the trunk. I love it because it is so big and we are on it right now.

For the 24th of July we had a fun parade, we had to run in pioneer cart. And the thing I liked most about it was because I was with some of my friends in it. I was also wearing really funny cloths. Then we went to Alton, but i didn't want to get wet, but we went with derek. He didn't want to get wet, so i didn't want to get wet. But people said to come slide so I went. It was a big piece of plastic with soap and water. They sprayed hoses on it to get it wet when I slid down. I did it more than once, but it was fun. I didn't slide far. I had to scoot down. Others slid down far.

Birthdays of my life

2011-08-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

7th birthday- I got a really, really, really silly surprise which was two nice kittens, but the thing I loved the most was a new Wii gamed named Wii Sport Resort. I liked the game because it had a lot, lot, lot of different games like sword fighting, skiing on water, frisbee and more. I like the kittens because they like to fight with claws and stuff.

Jakob's Habitat Journey

2011-03-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

2011-02-20T17:38:00.000-08:00

From Drop Box

GOING PRIVATE!

2010-02-20T19:04:00.000-08:00

I've decided to make my kid's blogs private. So if you're interested in being able to view this blog, let me know!!

I'm A Fan Of This Kid!

2009-11-03T15:36:00.000-08:00

Jakob loves to try out new words. The other day he was playing on a toy outside and he called out to me "I'm a fan of this toy!" What he was saying was that he really enjoyed the toy. I realized that we must declare whether we're a fan of this or that quite often in our home.

It's been a while since I've posted something on Jakob's blog. So much has happened. Jakob started Kindergarten. We withdrew Jakob from public school. Now Jakob has school at home. Most of the time he enjoys it, and is enjoyable. Other times he doesn't and he isn't. The days that he is most difficult are usually Mondays, Thursdays, or the first few days after a sick week. So that just tells me that Jakob requires steady routine. So we try.

Jakob also started dance this season. Unfortunately, finances forced us to live more within our means. So we had to take Jakob out of dance. I still struggle with that. I hope it wasn't a big mistake! Dance was good for him. I have organized a play group a couple of times a week as well as a Joy School friend a couple of times a week. So he definitely isn't lacking in socializing. We hope to turn one of the play group days into a dance activity. Hopefully soon.

So, those are the technical updates with Jakob. I'll post soon with some of the fun things he's said or done lately.

Oh The Things He Says!

2009-08-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, my Jakob is growing up! Jakob bore his testimony in Sacrament meeting yesterday. Leif helped him by whispering in his ear and Jakob shared the thoughts loud and clear. It was precious! I look forward to the day when he will walk up there by himself and speak from the heart. Precious, Precious Times!

We took Jakob to the Aerospace museum while on out trip. While we were there I explained to Jakob that the first men who flew an airplane were the Wright Brothers. Five minutes later he stopped and asked, then who were the Wrong Brothers? I love the way little minds work! Before we left the museum we asked Jakob again who flew the first airplanes. He added to his cuteness by answering "the Good Brothers!"

Jakob will often say something that makes me chuckle and he'll follow it up with "you need to write that on your blog!" He knows me well!:)

There is a reason why Jakob's blog is titled Mama's Little Echo. Jakob mimics my moods to a T. This morning I was not in a good mood, this rubbed off on to Jakob and eventually I just looked at Jakob and said, " Jakob, just try to have more patience then me!" He looked at me with the wheels in his head turning, trying to take in the concept that he could be better then me at something. Eventually it hit home and he turned away with a smile...

Love My Jakob!

Mama, When Will I Die?

2009-06-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

Jakob was working with me yesterday as I was constructing a makeshift screen door. He sat on a stool next to me as we talked on the porch. As the conversation progressed he eventually ended up down the stairs playing with a toy. But he continued to call up to me and talk with me as I worked. The following is a true blue replay of the conversation. A teaching moment in it's purest form!

Jakob: "Mama, when will I die?"
Mama: "Well, know one knows when we will die except for God. Why are you thinking about dying?"
Jakob: "I'm afraid to die."
Mama: "Ahh, there's no reason to be afraid to die, it's just like falling asleep. And when you wake up, your in Heaven with Heavenly Father and Jesus (I was thinking about how I held his sister in my arms as she died and she didn't seem in pain)."
Jakob: Really, so it doesn't hurt?
Mama: Nope!
Jakob: So will you be there with me?
Mama: Yes, and hopefully I'll be there before you. I want you to live a long life (in my mind I'm thinking that I don't want to bury another child.)
Jakob: Who else will be there?
Mama: Well, we will all be there someday. And we will always be a family forever, because Mama and Papa made promises to Heavenly Father in the temple that we would follow His commandments. And He promised us that we could be a family forever if we kept our promises. Jakob: Starts singing the primary hymn Families Can Be Together Forever.
Jakob: So will we have to stay in heaven?
Mama: Well, there will be times that we'll be able to move to different places. Kind of like moving into a different house.
Jakob: Can we walk?
Mama: Oh, I think you can get around any way you want. I think you could even fly if you wanted to!
Jakob: Fly?! AWESOME!
Mama: See, no need to be afraid of dying, Love! I'm sure glad you talk to me though... I love talking with you!
Jakob: Yeah.:)

Technically Jakob's fear of death arose because we watched the movie What About Bob together. The boy on the show has a fear of death. In reality, Leif and I are so grateful that we have been taught the answers to those questions and the peace that they bring into our life.

Oh My Jakob, My Jakob!

2009-06-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

You are growing up!

Jakob has turned into quite the little man. There is so much to say about him that I don't even know where to begin. I guess I'll just start with the events of 5 minutes ago. Jakob has been gone all day with his beloved cousins and grandparents. They went to Glenn Canyon Dam and a Dinosaur Exhibit. I don't know how this is possible, but I miss him when he is gone for a while (I should just Enjoy every quiet moment.) Anyway, when I finally tracked him down he was on his way out to the green house to play hide n' seek with everyone. I snatched him up in my arms and was stealing a hug and a kiss and all the while he kept saying "Only a second Mama, Only a second!" He was so anxious about being pulled away from the fun. This is how it is, I feel like the days and weeks are "only a second!" Time keeps rolling forward...

Jakob is a product of my organized madness. He requires planned out days and he insists on knowing the plans ahead of time so he can look forward to them and remind up of the plans up to each event. If there isn't anything "planned" he says that he is bored. From the moment that Jakob learned the word bored I taught him that being bored is a choice. You can figure out something to pass the time (I often tease him that he can stare at the wall and make up a story in his mind) or, he can choose to be bored and miserable. We lean towards the first option in our house.

Jakob loves to play with other kids. He is so anxious to have Caleb big enough to play with. Sometimes he gets impatient and tries to wrestle or play catch four year old style with Caleb. However, this only leads to a fussy Caleb and an Ornery and Bossy Mama!

List leads us to the other spectrum of life with Jakob. Ornery and Bossy! On Sunday I was SO Weary of bossing Jakob around and getting after him that I finally just sat him down and told him that Mama and Papa were done being ornery and bossy. It was his job to follow the directions given so that we could be fun, playful, and cheerful. The rest of the day went better thanks to Jakob's logic ability. Some days are good. Some days are a nightmare. It all depends on every one's moods and what events are on the calender.

Well, I am going to end so I can go outside and play a bit with everyone. That is an easy way to win Jakob's heart for a little while. I snag the chance as often as I can. Sure wish I did it more often... But every second counts, Right?

Jakob's Dance Recital

2009-04-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

Jakob had his dance recital and did a Fantastic job! He really stole the show! We are very proud of him!!! The song they are dancing to is "Thank Heaven For Little Girls."

Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde Vs. The Silly Hat Man

2009-04-23T22:19:00.000-07:00

Jakob is going through a Jekyll and Hyde phase again. They are so hard! Really if I didn't have Caleb at the moment who is so heart warming, Jakob's attitude would be perfect Birth Control! No Fun... These are pics of one of his good moments. He loves to stack all of the hats on his head and joke that he's going to wear all of them to wherever it is that we're driving to.

He Is So Kind

2009-03-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, My Sweet Jakob! Some nights I feel bad after Jakob goes to sleep because I just wasn't all that nice to Jakob that day. He deserves a nice mom all the time;) But, guess he's stuck with me.:) Lucky Me!!

It is not an uncommon occurrence to have Jakob walk in the house after I have cleaned things up to hear him say "Sure looks nice mama, thanks!" Or, if I give Jakob something to eat that he really likes, he'll often say, "Thanks so much Mama!" What mother wouldn't melt at such genuine kindness?

Jakob's Dinosaur's Among the Nephites came in the mail this weekend. He was in heaven! It just happened to come as we were on our way to the library for Story Time. The librarian made a point of showing it off. We all thought that was pretty neat! The book has been wonderful. It's nice to be able to open it up and have three different directions I can go in our story time.

Jakob's growing up. I can't believe this school year is almost over. He has learned SO MUCH this year. When he started I felt bad because he couldn't hold his pencil correctly. Now he can wrote every letter of the alphabet, name them, AND Sing Them BACKWARDS! YES! He still needs his classmates and teacher to finish the whole song. But I am thrilled that he can even comprehend them that well! He's working on numbers and math now. He understands the basic concept of add and subtract. Leif and him have fun playing math games. He'll be beyond my skills before I know it!

I Love My Jakob!!! SO MUCH!

One last story:

I was working on the computer this evening while Jakob was in the shower. Leif was sitting next to me and Jakob started calling something over and over from the shower. Leif finally went in to find out what he was saying. He came back shaking his head and told me that Jakob wanted me to come and read scriptures to him while he was in the shower. :) Yep! That makes a mama smile!

Prayer: Ingratitude Equals Elimination

2009-03-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

Jakob and I sat down for breakfast together. I asked him to say the prayer. He informed me that he didn't feel like praying and he didn't want to wait for me to say the prayer. I explained to him that Heavenly Father has given us all that we have, including the plants that made our food and that we needed to take time and thank Heavenly Father for all of this. To this he responded, "or he'll take it away?" ... And the child shall lead them.

Thoughts from Papa...

2009-03-05T14:50:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to put into words some thoughts about our sweet Jakob. This may go kind of randomly but I hope you enjoy this...

Things Jakob Loves....

Jakob loves story time at night. Each night when we put him to bed he asks for a couple of things. First he needs his blanket. He doesn't ask for it now days, but it is just a given. Next he needs Rexy, his stuffed t-rex. This is becoming his best friend, like "Hobbes" from "Calvin and Hobbes" After Jakob tucks Rexy in bed, he then needs his water bottle. That is something he has had for years. Then lastly he asks for a story and rhyming time. If papa tells the story it is something I make up, if it is mama then she reads a story. These days it 50/50 if he gets a story. If Mama and Papa are too tired or he just got done doing some other type of family time we skip that part. Then we have Rhyming time. Simply we take turns telling the other a word and letting the other try to figure out a word that rhymes with it. Some of the most popular words we do are "red and bed" "toes and nose" "dinosaurs and ???" "triceratops and ???" "super fast jet plane with guns and ????" Jakob loves challenging me with hard words. :)

Jakob loves dinosaurs.

He especially likes them when it involves one devouring, killing, hunting, sneaking up, fighting, or growling at another dinosaur. He will set up a little "village" of dinosaurs. Sometimes several are just standing around. Other times there will be one standing around with several sneaking up on it. And lastly there will be huge battles between the dinosaurs. Some of his favorite shows are Jurassic Park (yes I gave in and watched it with him), Walking with dinosaurs, Chased by dinosaurs, dinotopia...you get the idea.

Jakob loves Jets.

The faster, the higher they fly, the more missiles they have the better they are... He will often ask, "what jet is faster?" "Who is going to win?" He will often fly jets all over the house. Yesterday a sr71 and a coast guard helicopter where racing. It was a close race... Oft times the jets will hunt dinosaurs. Sometimes they win and sometimes they get eaten...

Jakob loves competition.

"Who is going to win...?" This is a very common phrase. It will often be finished with "to the light switch, to the potty, to bed, to the door, to the car, to sleep, to the table..." Sometimes it is annoying. We will ask Jakob can you go turn off the light? He will ask Who is going to win. We will say he is because I'm resting my tired feet. He then will get sad no one will race him and therefore won't turn it off. But it also helps at bed time. He may say he doesn't get ready for bed, but then we say that we are going potty and he will race and win to the potty. Then we ask who is going to turn of the lights first, who is going to his room first, who is going to get in their pajamas first...and before he knows it he got ready for bed and thrilled because he won with all the races.

Jakob loves family time and family home evening.

Jakob can get bored at home. His little brother is too young to play much with and therefore must spend most the day at home with just mama and papa. He is constantly asking us to go play with him or at nights he says we need to have family home evening. He just loves spending time with us. We enjoy this, but the same time after working all day and needing to do school work it can be hard with him grabbing us saying "Come see, come play, come!!!" We love playing with him, but sometimes we just are tired and tell him to go play by himself.

Some of our routines.

On weekends or when I'm home when he wakes up normally before us I will take him back to his room turn on the light, give him some food and take him potty then let him play quietly for another hour or so as we rest. He normally does really good and I can get some more sleep. He will finally come out and ask if its morning time and will ask for a family hug. He knows if he gets a family hug we are walking up and we will be up soon.

Jakob's sleeping habits.

Night lights...right now he is up to 3 nights light that change colors. (I like the changing colors...) Then he has to has some music playing or some kind of quiet sounds playing. Then a fan. Right now his room has a ceiling fan running all night. Waking up...

As mentioned Jakob has night terrors. Sometimes he won't have one for several weeks and then he will get several a night for a while. When it happens Lena or I get up and try to talk with him and tuck him back in. It can make for long nights...we just get to sleep and he starts crying...we get up tuck him and lay back in bed...he starts crying before we've rolled over....tuck in...we make it to sleep....1/2 latter starts crying............

Jakob is very sweet right now....not always listening...but very sweet. I guess that is typical for a 4 year old.

Well I'm out of ideas at the moment but I will try more in the near future.

Papa

Scripture Time!

2009-03-05T13:16:00.001-08:00

Leif leaves early in the morning for work. I just sleep until the kids wake me up. Caleb usually wake up to nurse around 8:00AM and I (knowing that Jakob will be awake soon) will read my scriptures in bed instead of going back to sleep. Sometimes Jakob will wake up and come to my bed as I am reading.

This must have been the case enough that Jakob has caught on to my routine. Now it is not unusual for Jakob to climb up onto to my bed when I am lounging, studying, resting, or when I am sleeping, and enthusiastically say "Let's Read Scriptures!" How can I resist that!!??

Sometimes I'll try to just read where I left off last during my personal reading. But Jakob will stop me and say, "NO! I want a story about a war!" I Love My Jakob!

The book that we're writing for Jakob will be my life saver! It has a funny story about dinosaurs and warriors hunting each other. It has facts about several different dinosaurs, and it has scripture stories about different warriors and battles in the Book of Mormon. It will be so helpful to be able to pick up one book and be able to go in any direction we want to at the moment. I'm excited to get it printed!

More Thoughts About Low Pain Threshhold

2009-02-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

Jakob really surprised me a few morning ago. We had just woke up and we were getting the day off to a good start. I was setting up breakfast and I asked Jakob to go in and start getting dressed. As Jakob headed into his bedroom he stubbed his toe. He started to fuss (as usual) and I didn't thik much of it. But then I looked at his face. He was walking towards me and he was white as a ghost. By the time he got to me he was acting like he was going to throw-up. I knew immidiately that he was going to pass out. I'm really grateful for Leif's guidence on this whole matter or I don't think I would have known what the most important thing to do is: Lay Down!

When I had Jakob lay down he immidiately started to recover. I was shocked! I started wondering what in the world makes a person inherit a low pain threshold? So I went to my trusty research partner: Google!:)

I came up with a paper written by a college biology student. His research seemed relevent and it made a lot of sense to me. His article is titled: Why Does Pain Tolerance Differ Among People? I want to copy and paste his article into this post so I have it on file.

Why Does Pain Tolerance Differ Among People?
Submitted by dmckeever on Mon, 04/16/2007 - 10:30pm.
Biology 202
Pain has been a topic of discussion in lecture on many occasions, perhaps because pain is something that most experience, but want to avoid. Though most experience some form of pain, incidents vary in intensity and people’s reactions are of different extremes, as well. Why? What causes these differences in pain tolerance? It was determined in class that pain is the result of certain pattern generators in the nervous system, so it is only natural that one looks to the brain to get to the root of pain tolerance. Research has been done that claims the source is genetic, psychological, or even gender-based. But in fact, this student believes that pain tolerance is the result of a combination of at least these three conditions.
The first, and most evidentially-supported, argument—the genetic explanation—revolves around the gene that codes for COMT, an enzyme that metabolizes, or breaks down, the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine delivers signals from one brain cell to another, and so can theoretically proliferate pain signals throughout the nervous system. But, COMT depletes the dopamine supply in the brain, freeing receptors in the brain to which the dopamine was bound so that they are available to bind to endorphins, which lead to pain relief (1,3)
The studies done recently on COMT deal with the common val158met polymorphism, in which methionine is substituted for valine at codon 158, causing a “three- to four-fold reduction in the activity of the COMT enzyme” (3). Two alleles code for the expression of this gene: val and met, resulting in an instance of codominance. If an individual receives a val allele from both of his/her parents, the COMT enzyme that is produces is strong, i.e. it readily metabolizes dopamine so that less pain is felt. If an individual receives the met allele from both parents, the COMT enzyme produced is weak; dopamine builds up, suppressing the body’s supply of natural painkillers, or the endogenous opioids (endorphins), so that that individual suffers from low pain tolerance. A heterozygote, receiving the val allele from one parent and the met allele from another parent, has a pain tolerance that lies somewhere in between that of the homozygotes. In summary, the stronger the COMT, the more receptors that are freed from the grips of dopamine and so the more endorphins that are able to bind to these receptor sites and the more relief from pain that is felt (1, 3, 4). The lead researcher on the COMT project, Dr. Zubieta, cautions that pain tolerance cannot logically be explained by a single gene, an argument supported by the fact that COMT has other functions in the body; however, COMT must play a very large part in the differences seen in individuals. This statement leads this student to look elsewhere for other explanations of ranges in pain tolerance: psychology.
The psychological research done on this topic operates under the understanding that pain can be manifested in negative emotions, such as anxiety, depression and anger, to name a few. These researchers argue that these negative emotional responses to pain stimuli can be counterbalanced by positive emotional responses; in one very compelling study, the positive emotional responses were produced by sexual fantasies. The subject was told to immerse his/her arm in ice water until he/she could no longer bear the pain. Then, the subjects were separated into three groups: one group was instructed to envision a neutral fantasy (e.g. walking); another group was instructed to envision a sexual fantasy, and the third group was not given any specific instructions. Then, each group underwent the same submersion task as before. Interestingly, those subjects that were asked to think of a sexual fantasy while experiencing pain “handled pain better and experienced less pain [than the subjects under other conditions]. They also were less anxious and depressed, and less angry.” In general, the subjects under the sexual fantasy condition were able to endure the pain for longer. The pleasant emotions produced by the thought of a sexual fantasy counteract the unpleasant thoughts that are a result of pain. The implications of this are that if a person enduring a painful experience imagines something that evokes in them positive emotions, they are able to cope with the pain better, and actually report experiencing less pain. Conversely, if a person experiences negative sensations from sources other than the painful experience in combination with the painful experience, the subject cannot endure as much pain and reports experiencing more pain than other subjects (2).
Psychology accounts for aspects of tolerance that genetics cannot: “mind over matter.” There is a possibility that two people can tolerate the same amount of pain, but that one voices their felt pain more readily than someone else. This could arguably be because one person is mentally stronger than the other. One person might feel an unbearable amount of pain, but stays quiet, does not medicate, goes on with his/her day, etc, while another person, under the same physical stress, manifests his/her pain in moaning, pill-popping, crying, being bed-ridden, etc. Maybe that person that seems stronger has conditioned him-/herself to suppress such manifestations of pain, or maybe he/she has been conditioned by society, so that this idea of “mind over matter” is actually cultural (i.e. feeling pain is a sign of weakness, and in some cultures, weakness is looked down upon more severely than in others). This conscious suppression of reactions to pain must then involve the I-function, an aspect of the nervous system in which the genetic explanation would not be involved. But, obviously, this cannot be the only explanation for the wide ranges of pain tolerance seen across humanity. The research is quite convincing, but does not take into account the genetic explanation for pain tolerance, just as the genetic explanation does not take into account this theory. So, it leads this student to wonder to what extent pain tolerance is genetic and to what extent is it psychological? Furthermore, is anything else involved in a person’s tolerance level for painful? And in fact, this student has found some research that suggests gender has something to do with it.
Researchers have found that estrogen can act as a natural painkiller. Higher estrogen levels result in a higher pain tolerance, and lower estrogen levels cause effectively lower pain tolerance in subjects. Granted, the study was done only in women, but it is curious that hormones can effect how one deals with pain. Though this student did not find any research that inspected estrogen levels in males, or levels of male-specific hormones like testosterone, the studies examined here open yet another door through which pain tolerance may pass. Now, one can question whether these significant changes in pain tolerance are due to estrogen levels specifically, or to hormone levels in general. Furthermore, estrogen levels change with menstruation so that a woman’s pain tolerance would, theoretically, also vacillate with changes in the body. So, though genetics and psychology may play a part, a woman’s pain tolerance is not constant, but is subject to manipulations by hormones (3, 5).
It seems that combining the knowledge gained on different theories of pain tolerance—genetic, psychological, and hormonal explanations—leads one to the conclusion that pain tolerance is an intricate neurological output. Not only is one’s basic threshold for pain determined by the presence of certain forms of a gene, but it can be pushed one way or the other by changes in hormone levels and one can conditions him-/herself to live and work through the pain. In conclusion, this student argues that some aspects of pain tolerance are spontaneous and incontrollable; but a large part of it lies within the I-function.

Works Cited
(1) “Gene Controls Pain Threshold”, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2784869.stm
(2) “Sexual Fantasies Increase Pain Tolerance”, http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/press/1999/DEC99/991216.HTM
(3) “The Gene for Pain Tolerance”, http://www.bio.davidson.edu/courses/genomics/2003/talbert/pain.html
(4) “Can’t Stand the Pain? Your Genes Might Be to Blame”, http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2003/paingene.htm
(5) “Pain and the Brain: Sex, Hormones & Genetics Affect Brain's Pain Control System, Shaping a Person's Pain Perception”
http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2003/painbrain.htm

My Boy, My Boy!

2009-02-16T22:50:00.000-08:00

I feel bad about how long it has been since I've written here. At least I try to keep things posted on the family blog too...

Jakob has transitioned from my little boy, to My Boy! He just celebrated his "Half Birthday" in school last week. His birthday is in the summer. So they let him bring birthday treats on his half birthday. So he is four and a half! WOWSERS!

My Jakob is so precious! He has a very strong mind. I am so grateful for this!!!! He has mastered his alphabet and it looks like he's doing great with his numbers too. The other day he brought me a jet and he said "Mama, this is a U S A F F 1 4 , that mean USAirforce!" He then proceeded to ramble on and on about all of the other jets and their numbers and names that go along with them. I am amazed at how much he retains from what he learns each day. He is a sponge when it comes to new words too. If I say a word he doesn't register, he'll stop me and asks me to explain it. I LOVE IT!! I pray that he will always Love to learn just like his parents!!

A while ago I was sitting in the rocking chair nursing Caleb. Jakob came in and told me that his Frisbee was caught in the tree and he needed help getting it down. I told him I would help him in a minute. Not a minute later I heard a series of loud noises on the stairs outside. But I didn't hear any crying for help. So I continued feeding Caleb. I went outside after I was done and this is what I saw. Jakob had pulled his kitchen stool ALL THE WAY down the stairs, across the graveled ground, under the tree. He established the classic object lesson for the future of "Where There's a Will, There's a Way!" PERFECT!

Jakob has a Book of Mormon hero. He has a few that he talks about. But Ammon is his current Book of Mormon hero. When Jakob does a special chore or a kind deed, he earns a Bonus Buck. Jakob found the BOM Heros at the church book store and he decided to use his first round of Bonus Bucks on a Ammon action figure. He loves the story of Ammon (especially the cutting off arms with a sword part;) He chose a Lamanite Warrior with the next round of Bonus Bucks. Ammon needed someone to fight.:) This last time I was surprised to find that Jakob wanted a Angel Moroni statue. He was so excited to go home and pull out his blocks from behind the wall and build a temple for Angel Moroni to stand on. He did too. It was especially fun to be able to read the story of when Angel Moroni taught Joseph Smith about the gold plates. Jakob thought that was so neat! I love that Jakob still feels the precious light that comes from the gospel and all of the prophets and their stories. On occasion Jakob will climb into bed with me in the morning while I'm reading my scriptures and he will say "read about Ammon!" Lately we have read about Father Lehi's last words to his children. Jakob thought it was pretty neat when I read about young Jacob.

I Love my Jakob! He is a Jewel in our family. He LOVES being a brother. I look forward to the time when he will have more brothers and sisters to love. He and Caleb still love to wrestle together. But Jakob also really enjoys the quiet times when he asks us to let him hold Caleb in the rocking chair. It is precious to watch them together.

Before I know it My Jakob will be a Deacon... and then a missionary... WOW!

A Low Pain Threshhold

2009-01-13T21:23:00.000-08:00

Jakob has inherited something interesting from Leif. He has a low pain threshhold. I didn't really recognize that Leif has issues with pain or extreme painful emotions until I was experiencing my miscarriage. When we realized what was happening I immediately asked Leif and his dad to give me a blessing. My sweet hubby was so overcome by it all that he passed out in the middle of the blessing. He then shared a series of experiences from his life where he passed out due to pain.

Well, Leif and Jakob were wrestling over the Christmas break and Jakob suddenly hit his head really hard on the ground. Leif sat him up and I saw Jakob's face go white. Then his body just went limp. He passed out right there. I was shocked! Poor little guy. He woke up quickly and was alright after a half hour or so.

Something similar happened tonight. He was doing a somersault and his back hit the corner of our bed frame really hard. We picked him up and recognized the signs right away. He goes WHITE and weak. Leif laid him down flat and I fanned him. He didn't pass out because he was laying down. But he was weak for a while.

This is a very interesting thing to me.... We'll have to let his teachers know what to look for as he goes to school.

A Four Year Old's Perception of Life

2009-01-12T13:53:00.000-08:00

Leif and I were marveling last night at how much Jakob is growing up. Now that we have Caleb to compare him to, we realize how far he's come.

Not too long ago I was fretting over him not being able to take his own clothes on and off by himself. Now he can do both all on his own. He still has the occasional problem with putting them on backwards.:) I should have taken a picture of him when he walked in yesterday all ready for church. Have you ever seen a four year old walking around clueless to the fact that his dress pants are on backwards? It is very cute!

We've been working on helping Jakob name all of the letters without any help. He's thrilled with the challenge because he gets a new dinosaur every time he gets four more down. I was amazed with how many letters he really knew once we sat down and figured it out. He knows all the letters except L and P. So he's a lot further ahead then I thought. On track for his age. He has also almost mastered writing his name. He will occasionally mix up the B and the K. His good teacher taught him the correct capitalization as she taught him. So he writes the capital J and the rest lower case letters. I'm happy with his handwriting too.

Jakob Loves being a big brother. These last couple of days Caleb has had a cold. I swaddle him in order to suck the congestion out of his nose. Caleb HATES this! Jakob always asks to hold and rock Caleb after I finish the whole frantic ordeal. It is precious to see and listen to him sing and rock Caleb. The first lullaby that Jakob sang to Caleb was interesting. It started with Jakob telling Caleb how much he loved him, then it ended with Jakob saying "... and I hope you don't die..." I of course recognized right away an underlining concern of Jakob's that Caleb will die like the twins died. We talked about how Caleb is strong and healthy and that he will live a long time. I explained that the girls were very sick and their bodies weren't strong enough to live. I am often amazed at this four year olds' perception of life and the world around him.

Just Thinking About My Jakob

2008-12-17T20:52:00.000-08:00

My Jakob is growing up. He is 4 1/2 and is anxiously waiting for Kindergarten in the Fall. He does and says so many funny and cute things all day every day. There's no way I can remember everything. But tonight I want to try to recall some of them. Let's see...

Jakob has a funny problem. He puts EVERYTHING on backwards when he dresses himself. I have resigned myself to the fact that he can survive with his undies on backwards. Maybe even his shirt. But I have to put my foot down when he walks in with his Levis on backward. Seriously, he has no idea that they are on backward. Most of the time with his pants he'll start whining because they aren't going on easily. Then I pay attention and realize what's happening and try to help him. It is funny (most of the time:)

Jakob has another funny problem. He hasn't quite grasped the concept of time yet. We've concluded that he kind of has two days within one day. Morning to nap time and nap time to bed time. Any time he wakes up he calls to us and says "Morning Time???" It's funny.

Jakob is an Excellent big brother! In fact, he loves being a brother so much he keeps telling me that we're supposed to have LOTS of kids. I wish it were all just that easy! Jakob loves to play with Caleb (most of the time.) They play peek a boo and even have wrestling matches every once in a while.

Jakob is very expressive. He fits the title of his blog well. He is my echo. What ever expressive words I say he's picked up. The latest is "Oh my heck!" He's also picked one up from a show. Now he says "Oh my heck on earth!" A combination of Oh my heck and What on earth. He often responds to something by saying "Incredible!" He is always making us smile!

Jakob is a well rounded little boy. He talked to his aunt Heather the other day and she asked him what he wanted for Christmas. Among all of the other things on his list, he added a doll house. We hadn't heard that one... Chances are the dolls would be accompanied by dinosaurs. But he would play with all of them. He also enjoys playing with Grandma Baron's pretend dishes. I've tried to introduce him to all kinds of things so he is respectful to girls as well as boys.

Oh! Jakob has mastered writing his name. He is also starting to understand the concept of spelling words.

Here are some of the latest pictures of and from Jakob. He often gets hold of our camera and we see the results when I download the pictures.

Dear Santa

2008-12-02T15:39:00.000-08:00

Note to Santa's Helpers: Jakob is pretty covered on Jets this year. Dinosaurs and other things would be a good idea. - THANK YOU!

Dear Santa,

"I have been good. I play with Caleb. I helped mom do the dishes. I do cartwheels. I'm good at sticking my tongue up my nose. I will get my clothes off and on and do my duties."

I want a kid puter (computer)
New bag of cars
A new mote trol (remote control) jet and dinosaur
A new jet to fly with your hand with colored on it
A new dinosaur that I can walk with my hands
Story books
Disney "Dinosaur" DVD
Chalk eraser
Washable paint supplies

-Jakob

My Sweet and Funny Boy!

2008-10-23T16:20:00.001-07:00

I have tried to pay attention to all of the great and funny things that Jakob has done and said this week. I haven't been able to archive all of them in my brain, but these are some of the best:

This is a conversation between Jakob and I as we are driving to preschool. You will love or hate my answer to his question, so beware:)

Jakob: Mom, did Jesus make Caleb?
Lena: Well, Heavenly Father made Caleb's spirit and Mama and Papa made Caleb's body.
Jakob: You Did!? Wow! How did you make Caleb?

Lena: Well... we just put a couple of things together and we made Caleb.

Jakob: Wow! Your Incredible!!

- Sure hope he always thinks we're incredible!:)

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As a family we play "The Question Game." It's a game where you ask a question and everyone gets to answer. Each person gets the chance to make up a question. Jakob loves this game and he actually comes up with some of the best questions. The last time we played this game was while we made breakfast together. This was Jakob's cutest answer:

Jakob: What is your favorite kind of bread?

Lena: Probably Multi-grain

Lena: What is your favorite kind of bread?

Jakob: Probably hairy-wheat

- Loved it!:):)

****************************************

Jakob and I also play the "School Question Game." This is just the The Question Game, except the questions pertain more to scholastic things. Jakob did a great job at answering some of the questions I last asked him.

Lena: What color is the Sky?

Jakob: Blue

Lena: What other colors can the sky be?

Jakob: White and gray

Lena: What shape is the sun? A Roof? and a House?

Jakob: Circle, Triangle, rectangle and a square

Lena: If I have one piece of bread (we were making toast, so I had visuals) and I add one more piece of bread how many do I have?

Jakob: two!

Lena: What if I add one more piece of bread?

Jakob: Three!

- GOOD JOB JAKOB!!

****************************************

I try to encourage Jakob to play outside as much as possible these days, before the weather gets too cold. This morning he told me that he was going to go out and get a rope to play with (he likes to play Cowboy.) Instead he came in with a 7 foot long bamboo stick from Grandpa's bamboo garden. I had to laugh, as well as wonder how in the world he got it up the stairs and around the corner into our front door.

Where there's a will, there's a way!

Dance Shoes and The Center Of All

2008-10-07T12:12:00.001-07:00

Jakob finally got his black dance shoes yesterday. He thought they were pretty neat. The dance teacher started teaching the kid's their dance for the recital yesterday too. The song is titled "Thank Heaven's For Little Girls." Jakob is front and center on the stage and all of the girls are dancing around him. He pretty much will have to learn a completely different dance.

I felt bad for the teacher because she had to try to teach the girls their part and have her young assistant try to teach Jakob his part. It was only the first day of learning the part. But I'm nervous that she's taken on a lot having Jakob do something different. Although, if she can pull it off, it will be cute.

Leif is thinking about going to dance with Jakob and learning his part with him so he has someone to teach him and follow. I would do it if I had to, except that I have Caleb. So, we'll see what happens. I just want everyone to have a fair chance at learning everything in a timely manner.

Jakob really enjoys to dance. He picks up on the moves quickly and retains them well. So it might all work out. He's not perfect, but VERY CUTE! When the music starts, he can't hold still. He feels the music and wants to just freestyle it! It's good to learn the self control and technique.

For those of you worried that he's not getting the masculine activities in, I will invite you into our small town world. Boys in our small town have a VERY limited array of activities. They have baseball, basketball, and football. And that isn't possible until you are kindergarten age. And then it is only available in the warm months. So, for now he does "boy stuff" at home with us. We feel that dancing is a talent and a skill, not a boy or girl thing. When he is old enough, I can see Jakob in baseball, basketball, and he would probably really enjoy track or soccer if it was available. We'll see where our life leads us at that time in his life.

Teaching Jakob Repentance

2008-10-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

Leif and I take the responsibility of being parents very seriously. Sometimes we're a bit too serious and we expect a lot from Jakob (Caleb will be in the same boat soon.) We re-evaluate often and try to make the right adjustments.Recently, Jakob has become a lot more aware of what is right and wrong. He'll often correct Leif and I if we say a "strong" word (as we put it.) He'll point out whether his friends chose the right, and he is aware of his mistakes most of the time.

Yesterday Jakob told a blatant lie. We have had to deal with him sneaking out of the house or away from the yard to go into his grandparents house. He knows that he has to ask First, Wait for an answer, and then Respect the answer. Last night he went into the grandparents house where Leif was studying. Leif asked him if he asked me, and Jakob told him that he did and I said yes. This was completely false.When I came down to find Jakob, we were faced with a dilemma. How do you teach a 4 year old that he lied and lying is completely unacceptable. The first thing Leif and I came up with was to take away the privilege of watching his favorite show with us that evening. But something just wasn't sitting well with me and that consequence.

A little while later, the answer came to me. We needed to teach him about repentance and HOW to repent.Jakob came back up to our house after I had left and said that he wanted to ask me if he could go over to Grandmas house (he recognized that he really didn't like the consequence in store for him.) I sat Jakob on my lap and we talked. We talked about the fact that he didn't choose the right. I often teach Jakob a lesson and have him repeat it to me after it's been taught. The first lesson taught was, "Make the right choice The First Time!"

Once that lesson was established, I talked to him about who his wrong choice hurt (himself, Papa, Mama, and Heavenly Father) and then who he needed to fix things with (Papa, Mama, and Heavenly Father.) He told me that he was sorry and he eventually told Leif that he was sorry. But he was confused on how in the world he could tell Heavenly Father he was sorry. He talked about the fact that he couldn't see Heavenly Father and he couldn't hear Heavenly Father. Basically, it was all completely abstract.

So I started from the beginning and as basic as I could get. I explained to Jakob that we talk to Heavenly Father by praying to him. Kind of like talking on the phone except that you have to "feel" Heavenly Father's answer instead of hearing it. He was thrilled to find out that Heavenly Father knew him and He knew Jakob's name. The fact that this was a novel concept to Jakob showed me that the Spirit was teaching him. It was finally sinking in.

Then came the prayer of repentance. I started the prayer for Jakob and asked Father to help Jakob feel His love and His answers to the prayers Jakob prayed. I then told Father that Jakob had something he wanted to say to Him. Jakob then told Heavenly Father that he was sorry for telling a lie and that he wouldn't do it again.After the prayer was over I asked Jakob if he felt Heavenly Fathers answer. He said "Yes, it was soft and warm." ... Lesson Taught!

We Love Our Jakob!

2008-10-05T20:03:00.000-07:00

Jakob is full of all kinds of words and actions. He loves to dance and move. He also loves to spontaneously say funny and off the wall things. To him they make perfect sense. but in reality, they don't fit the context of what he's trying to say. Although, sometimes they do and that's when I'm reminded once again that he's growing up.

Lately, the common phrase is, "I'm not having a good day!" That usually follows a time out or a reprimand. Sometimes he'll set me straight real quick when he says "Mama, I like your nice voice!" The cute phrase recently has been, "I've got talent!" You can read the story that goes along with this on our family blog.

Some of the struggles that we've had recently are mostly just normal 4 year old antics. Overall, Jakob is a really good boy. Honestly, most of our struggles probably stem from me not being able to control my frustration. If I could master that and not raise my voice, Jakob would probably be a lot happier.

I should tell you all of the things that he is doing, asking, and saying as I type this. Right now he is asking me to find him a page in the coloring book that he hasn't colored "when he was a baby." A minute ago he asked me to sing "life is but a dream" (Row Row Row Your Boat.) Before that he asked me to sing "ducks came waddling back" (Five Little Ducks)

As I have written this post he's played with his cars and colored many different pictures on his Magnadoodle. The cutest picture being Mr. Potato Head and his Friend. He wrote several random letters and numbers on the picture and asked me what they spelled. He got very upset when I kept saying the letters and numbers individually. I then had to explain to him that sometimes letters and numbers only mean their own names, and sometimes when they are put together they spell a word. I only wish that were the hardest scholastic lesson that I have to look forward to!

Well, he's done coloring. Caleb is asleep, so now it's time to go to bed! We'll clean up toys and read scriptures. Papa will tell him a story (made up by Leif), we will all pray together, I will leave and Leif and Jakob will finish the routine with the rhyming game.

The above photo is of Jakob after he fixed his own hair before leaving for church.

Jet Plane Coloring Book

2008-09-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

Jakob received a Jet Plane Coloring Book from Grandpa and Grandma Hunt. It has been a life saver! He loves to sit and color in it and I love the colors and attention to detail that he has. We're to the point in the book where most of the pages are colored and we'll probably need to order a new one.

I scanned in a couple of the pages to give you an idea.

Smiley Face Art Work

2008-09-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

Jakob is able to draw a face now that includes eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and hair. I LOVE Them! He drew one on the magnadoodle yesterday. I had to capture it on film:)

Enjoy!

Dreaming Of Going Fishing

2008-09-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

Last night as we came together to have family prayer I mentioned to Leif that Jakob wanted to go fishing. We sat discussing with Jakob the different ways that you can fish and where we might go fishing. Leif began reminiscing about his boy scout experiences. It was really neat to watch Jakob just sit still for a long time just listening to story after story about Leif and his scouting experiences.

There are times that I get sad that Jakob is growing up. Then there are moments like this that make me smile and think that we might just survive the next 20 years...

Jakob's First Day Of Dance Class

2008-09-08T22:17:00.000-07:00

Jakob really enjoyed his dance class. Leif and I stuck around and watched. It was an eye opener. He did just fine. It was cute. But it was interesting to see Jakob in the class setting from a far distance. He was the only boy in his class, so I wasn't surprised that he had a bit more energy then some of the girls. It was also his very first time learning any type of dance technique. It will be so good for him. His little body is still trying to grasp coordination and balance. So this will be really good. He will require practice outside of the class if we want him to grasp any of what the teacher is trying to teach him.

We made a balance beam for Family Home Evening tonight. We then spent the evening going through some of the things the teacher taught Jakob and played on the balance beam. He really enjoyed having Leif and I so actively focused on him. It was good for me to get up and be more active. I have never taken a dance class or anything like it. So "grace" is not in my physical nature. So Jakob and I will learn together. This class is technically ballet and Jazz. But to 4 year old's, it's just dance!

Playful Brothers

2008-09-07T22:19:00.000-07:00

Jakob and Caleb have finally come to a stage where they are able to interact and play with each other. Caleb is so fun! He is quick to Laugh and patient enough to tolerate some of Jakob's aggressive play.

This evening we were kneeling down for family prayer and Leif knelt Caleb down so he was eye level with all of us. He and Jakob started laughing at each other and we all had a great time. Jakob put an old Easter candy bucket in Caleb's hand and he started spazzing out as he tried to lift it to his mouth and stand (with Leif's help) at the same time. Ahhh, it was a good laugh and a good family moment. I'm so glad Jakob finally has a sibling he can play with!

I got out of the shower the other day and I found Jakob laying underneath the swing that I had strapped Caleb in. They were just chillin' enjoying each other's company. Jakob was singing songs to Caleb and giving him an extra push here and there.

These are the things I need to focus on!

The Best Form Of Birth Control

2008-09-03T08:30:00.001-07:00

I figured out the best form of Birth Control....

A defiant 4 year old telling you that they hate you, while your five month old screams to be fed, as you drag around the house trying to meet everyone's needs after a sleep deprived night.

Another child anyone??? HECK NO!

:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)

Accountable Kids

2008-08-31T21:40:00.000-07:00

We have found a really neat program for children that teaches them about responsibility and consequences to our actions. Some people would call it a chore chart. We call it Accountable Kids or "Our Duties." The creators of Accountable Kids are actually friends of ours. We have had our program for a few months. But I needed to wait until I was completely ready to present it to Jakob and follow through with the whole program. I am so glad I didn't jump the gun.

In fact as we speak, I;m pretty sure Jakob is going to lose his first "ticket" for not following the rules. He keeps getting out of bed. Tickets are the reward for completing your duties. You can turn in a ticket for special privileges (TV, Videos, Computer, etc.)

I think it will be really neat! I'm sure you'll hear more about it as time goes on. You can learn more about it on the Accountable Kid's Website.

Met With Jakob's Preschool Teacher

2008-08-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

Jakob FINALLY got to meet his preschool teacher today. She is going to be a wonderful teacher! Jakob's hopes became reality when he spotted the drawer full of dinosaurs in the classroom. He sat and played while his teacher and I talked. She is right on the same page when it comes to Leif and my philosophy of how to teach and raise a child. I was especially grateful for some of the technicalities that she takes great care to address. Like sanitizing hands, toys, and tables consistently, healthy snacks, and no bullying.

He will have two teachers and 16 kids in his class. She has a lot of space and a nice classroom set up. I'm really excited for him!!!!

Take Time To Look At The Stars

2008-08-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

Jakob is definitely growing up. Sometimes that's a fun thing, sometime it's a sad thing...

Jakob will mirror what ever mood I am in or what ever tone or reaction that I give to him when we're communicating. So, it's up to me to help maintain harmony in the home.

I just discovered that I am extremely iron deficient. As I've looked into it a bit, I wonder if Jakob has the same problem. Kid's are supposed to have at least 10 mg of Iron per day. As I calculated he is only getting about 2-4 mg and then we have to hope that it is all absorbed into his system. So, I just ordered some liquid iron that has vitamin C combined into it. Iron with vitamin C is 50% more likely to absorb into the body. If it is in a liquid form, that increases the chances even more.

Jakob is very excited to turn four years old at the end of this month. He looks forward to his birthday party and has been practicing to hit a pinata' for the game at the party. He of course eat sleeps and dreams the idea that he will hopefully be getting new jets and dinosaurs for his birthday. Mama hopes for just a few new toys and more books and maybe some fun necessities like cool unddies or something for school:) We'll see what the birthday bunny drops in.:)

We made birthday party invitations together. He drew pictures on all of the cards and I wrote all of the information. We then walked them around to all of the families when Leif got home.

Last night we actually went to my first YW night and it just happened to be a birthday party and our little families were invited. As we were walking home in the dark Jakob REALLY wanted to lay down on the grass and look at the shooting stars. Like I said, he's growing up...

We came home and Leif and I laid on the grass with him and looked at the stars until Caleb had enough. Leif then did his story time out on the porch under the stars. I'm glad we took hold of the moment.

Happy Fourth Birthday Jakob!

2008-08-18T11:53:00.001-07:00

A look back at Jakob's Third Year... Add a comment below to RSVP to his Birthday Party!

Photos And An Update

2008-08-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Jakob and Caleb. They're both growing up...

Jakob is a normal almost 4 year old. He is constantly talking and asking for something, usually our attention or a new toy. He is happy most of the time and we love him very much! Jakob is still willing to try new foods and was excited to eat what he called "Dinosaur Eggs" for dinner tonight. It was Spaghetti squash with spaghetti sauce.

The latest when it comes to his health is some kind of stomach issue. He has thrown up in the morning for the last few mornings and a couple of times at night. No fever, no slowing down. Just a bit of an upset tummy, throw up, and diarrhea. Lovely!

In Jakob's Words

2008-08-07T10:12:00.001-07:00

Jakob was sitting on my lap and I decided to write what he was saying:

We're going to write about Jets: "uh tell jakob I want to fly on airplane. jakob wants to go on an airplane...and be a pilot. and I want to get new jet. now what... I like jets."

What do you want to do for your birthday? "have a dinosaur stegosaurus, and a pinata' and I want a stegosaurus for my birthday. uhh a tyrannosaurus rex, now lets buy a dinosaur and tell I want a jet and mamas puter (computer) is magic!

what about school? "I don't know about school." What are you going to do? "Play... em (them) have dinosaurs too. I gonna play dinosaurs.

Prise (surprise) me with a jet. buy a jet... prise me!! Mama, you just did? mama answer me.... "

Jakob knows that I do a lot of our shopping online on the computer. We "window" shopped for a jet this morning and he is hoping I will surprise him by buying one of the jets.

Jakob's Birthday Wish List

2008-07-31T23:16:00.000-07:00

Jakob and I made a birthday wish list and I thought I'd share it for anyone who is interested. In case you're readng this in an email, it's on the blog http://www.JakobLeifBaron.Blogspot.com It's on the Right Side menu.

Looking Forward To Preschool

2008-07-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

We are all looking forward to preschool! Jakob is potty trained now. He doesn't even need a pull up when he sleeps! I'm thrilled! I knew that it just had to click in his mind.

Jakob's also looking forward to his birthday in a few weeks. He is hoping for some dinosaur and jet books. He has MORE then enough toys. But we have to rely on the library for the books he enjoys now days and the selection is sparse. So we're looking forward to his birthday too.

Just an update from previous posts:

The theory that Leif and I had that if we ignored the guns he would loose interest was true. He hardly ever pretends that he's shooting anymore. YIPPEE! I'm sure it will peek back every once in a while. But I'm glad it's gone for now.

Not much new that I can think of right now. I think I'm just tired...

Looking Back On The Trip

2008-07-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

Jakob and I were writing about what he enjoyed while on his trip this last weekend. But something happened and we didn't finish the entry and it got erased. So, I'll fill in the blanks.

Jakob had a great time playing with his cousins Derek, Victoria, and Nick. He loved being with Aunt "Uh-oh" (Aunt Larissa) and Grandma and Grandpa Baron. They went to visit Promintory Point and explored the trains, they played at the Canyon Home, they visited a Dinosaur Museum, and a whole lot more.

It was like an early Christmas as we went through Jakob's bags upon his arrival home. G&G Baron sure took good care of him!;) He got a dinosaur, a few jets, a book, two pairs of shoes, belts, a balloon dinosaur kit for he and Leif to make balloon dinosaurs with, and I'm sure there's more that I haven't mentioned. Thank you so much everyone for helping Jakob have another great Summer Trip! It was a blessing for our whole little family!

Sick But Fine

2008-07-23T14:19:00.001-07:00

Jakob came home from his trip and the next morning showed signs of being sick. He surprised himself and me by suddenly throwing up twice all over the floor that he was playing on. He wasn't acting sick... Then his throat started to hurt. Then his knee.

So we went to the doctor this morning. It's not strep. This is a good thing. But I'm bugged because I started antibiotics and didn't really need them. GRRR! But good thing Jakob doesn't need them. He's doing fine. Just complains every once in a while of a sore throat or tummy ache.

I'm the one that's a mess... But that's a different blog. Jakob loves the cranberry frozen yogurt Popsicles that I made for him. Check out the Family Blog for the recipe.

Check Out Flippee The Toilet Shield For Boys!

2008-07-21T21:30:00.001-07:00

I was looking through the Google Adds that I have on this blog and I clicked on the Flippee The Toilet Shield add. VERY COOL! Jakob is now potty trained and from what grandma says he thought it was pretty cool to stand up and pee while on his trip. I'm fine with him standing to pee, but I am NOT okay with having to clean up the leftovers around the toilet! So I am very excited about this wisdom filled mother of three boy's invention.

It is a shield that hooks to the toilet seat and acts as a shield to the missed attempts that boys have as they are peeing in the toilet while standing. I wish that we had this growing up in a house full of three boys and all of their friends. What a Mess! Yuck... The memories!

If you're interested in this awesome contraption, look on my google adds and I'm sure there's one there for Flippee The Toilet Shield.

Jakob's Trip Up North

2008-07-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

Jakob is up north with Grandma and Grandpa Baron, Aunt Larissa and her kids. He is doing well. Last night (18th) he struggled a lot before he fell asleep. Leif ended up doing story time and the rhyming game over the phone as Jakob tried to calm down. But he really struggled and brought me to tears as he cried that he wanted Mama to hold him. I sang to him as we both had tears rolling down our cheeks (Did You Think To Pray, Mama Loves Her Baby, Climbin' Up The Mountin, Blue Skys, I Love To See The Temple, etc.) He finally fell asleep while I sang to him. It was a sad but precious moment. Hopefully tonight is better.

I wrote that on the 18th and added a bit today. Jakob has done very well on his trip. It was a last minute decision to send him. We don't talk to him a whole lot because it gets him a bit homesick. We miss him a lot. But it has been a blessing because I am Very Sick and I don't want him to get sick. And it would be hard to rest if he were here. He'll be home tomorrow. Hopefully I feel better.

From what we've been told Jakob hasn't even had a potty accident while on the trip. Good Job Jakob!!:)

Helping Jakob Enjoy His Blog

2008-07-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

Jakob and I spent a lot of "special Time" together today. I wanted to get an idea of what books he might enjoy for his birthday in August. So I got on Amazon and we searched dinosaur books. He loved the books and the coloring books. Then we looked through the movies. Of course from there we searched Jets! We got a few and then we were introduced to the NAVY Blue Angels! We went to their website and had fun navigating our way through their photos and calender of air shows.

We decided to save several pictures of Jets and Dinosaurs as we were surfing the Internet and make a slide show to put on Jakob's blog. Of course Jakob has watched the slide show over and over throughout the day. We also found that there will be an air show nearby in September. So we will definitely take Jakob to see it. He is So Excited! He told grandma today how excited he is; "Grandma, after I go potty, and my birthday, then to school, we will go see lots of Jets!"

Ahhh, the joys of being a 3 year old!

Healthy, Happy, Lonely, But Smiling!

2008-07-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I blogged for jakob. That's not because there hasn't been anything going on. There is always something going on. The good news is that Jakob is the only family member who hasn't caught the infections going around our little house. I really hope that continues to be the case. And no fevers yet this month. Hope that stays the same too.

Jakob is doing well! He has pretty much mastered potty training. He struggles a bit if he's away from home. But I think he'll overcome that soon. I wish we had someone for jakob to play with really close by. With it being summer time his little friends around town seem to be out of town a lot. I even got crazy enough this morning to ponder the idea of nannying again just so Jakob would have someone to play with. It's still floating around in my head, but I think I will let it go. Although, we could maybe look for someone with a cottage we could live in as we worked for them... I'll let the Lord dictate that path. I'm sure I'll do some investigating if the thought doesn't go away.

Other then being lonely Jakob seems to be happy. He still LOVES jets and Dinosaurs. He's really interested in guns and milatry too. I'm not at all excited about that passion. Leif and I finally deided to back off on the gun issue. Jakob was pretending a lot that he was playing guns and he would do it more out of anger when we would get after him. So Leif decided (and I agree) that if we use the playful parenting tactic and say "do I look like a dinosuar to you?" (technically we only want him to pretend he's hunting dinosaurs) or just completely ignore the gun. Then it isn't as exciting to him because there isn't a reaction. This has worked for the most part. I still hate that he even knows about guns or is interested in them. Guns go against everything that Leif and I try to teach Jakob and the spirit that we try to have in our home. Let me know if you have any ideas.

Back to the good things... Jakob still loves to read and now he makes up his own stories (he gets that from Leif). He enjoy having Leif in primary with him on Sunday leading the music as he sings the songs with the other children. His favorite primary song is Scripture Power!

Jakob enjoys having a little brother but he can't wait until they can play together. He talks about how they will have water fights together.

Right now he is getting ready to take a bath in the sink. Thank goodness he is still small and we found a large sink. He weights 29.6 pounds. Just a little guy for being almost 4 (next month.)
We're all excited right now because he took his shirt off by himself. He is a bit behind in that area (undressing and dressing himself) that is my fault I suppose. We're working on it!

Potty Watch Website

2008-07-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

I found the website for the Potty Watch and thought I'd share. http://pottytimeinc.com/products.html

The day after independence day...ok the second day after...

2008-07-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. Pappa is writing this one this time...

Jakob had an awesome 4th of July. We all went up to Uncle Erik's the day before. Uncle Erik began the day by getting the Alton fire truck out at 6am (utah time...so 5 am AZ time!) And going down every street in Alton. I think it took him a whole 45 secs... Just kidding.

Anyway, Erik made sure he drove right past the trailer we were sleeping in. Jakob was soooo tired he sleep right through the siren of the fire engine outside our door.

We then had a wonderful breakfast with Erik and family. We did our own "firemens breakfast". We cooked eggs, bacon, chorizo, pancakes, and more! All day we enjoyed games and yummy food at the park. That night we went to the Alton Fireworks show. It was actually almost as good as some of Kanabs! This was the first time Jakob really enjoyed the show. He started out nervous but then began pretending to be shooting missiles at the fireworks and making them blowup. From that point on he was fine. That night he actually enjoyed playing with a sparkler for the first time. He would try to right letters in the air.

We spent most the weekend up there and thouroghly enjoyed it. Jakob started getting used to the dogs...Kiafer, Rusty, Jozie, and the kitten Bell. Last night as he watch a movie Bell layed on him and next to him. Jakob thought that was kinda funny.

Anyway, talk to you later!

Having a good week!

2008-06-27T22:29:00.001-07:00

Jakob has had a good week. There have been a few rough moments. But overall I think he's doing well. After talking together about preschool and the requirement to be potty trained he has pretty much had no problem going to the toilet. He really likes the little incentives that he earns. But I think he's well on his way to being able to recognize the need and go to the toilet on his own. It is a huge relief! I truly hope he continues to progress!

His health has been fine. He had the bad nights earlier this week. But he's slept well and been agreeable enough to say things are fine. I sure wish there were more playmates for him toplay with. But we're surviving!

Jakob's passions right now are: Jets, Dinosaurs, Cars, and Story telling.
His classic sayings are: "Mama, I'm tired, hungry, and bored."
His favorite foods are: Whole wheat bagels and honey.
His dislikes are: Not having anyone to play with, having to wait for grandma to get home from work, and being told No.
Our favorite moments with Jakob are: having him climb in bed with us in the morning and ask to have "family hug", watching him dance, to see his smile brighten as he talks with Caleb, and to listen to him and Papa make up bedtime stories.

Potty Trained For Preschool

2008-06-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

We asked the doctor who he recommends for a preschool teacher. He gave us the name of the lady he takes his kids to.

We're really excited about her program. She will work on the basics. But she incorporates math, science, art, cooking, and music into their routine. There will be a class of 24 children and 2 teachers. This will be new to Jakob but I am sure he'll enjoy it.

The catch is that he HAS to be potty trained. No exceptions. So, we talked to Jakob and he wants to go to preschool really bad. So he's been doing well with the potty thing. He really likes that he gets a little toy jet every time he poops! I'm running out of jets. The potty watch has helped too. Tomorrow we will use undies again and try to get him to keep them dry all day.

I really dislike potty training. But such is life!

Leave The Door Open

2008-06-24T21:39:00.000-07:00

Well, we have found a helpful solution to Jakob's sleeping struggles. Leaving the door open. He still wakes up occasionally with night tares. But that is normal for a three year old. Although, he just came out of his room for the second time tonight after laying him down. GRRR! This time the skin on his little toe was bothering him... We'll have to shut the door for a bit to remind him of the rule to stay in bed. He's not happy about that!

Oh the joys! He is now singing the alphabet through the door to us...

P.S. Jakob's moods have improved considerably the last couple of days as his sleep has improved. We have also been eating VERY healthy. His snacks have been whole wheat mini bagels, cherries, grapes, and string cheese. His potty treat is all natural cherry granola. This has to help too....

Trouble Sleeping and Roller Coaster Moods

2008-06-22T20:52:00.000-07:00

Leif asked me if I had blogged Jakob's behavior in the last couple of days. If he noticed the flare-up then I don't feel too bad about making note of it.

Jakob had a camp out with Leif two nights ago (read about it on our family blog.) He didn't sleep very well so we expected him to have a really good nap. Instead he refused to sleep and was moody and disagreeable all day. This was a bit of a change because he had two pretty good days mood wise prior to this episode. We thought for sure he would sleep well that night. But nope! He was calling Leif in for hours after we laid him down and he even came out to try to sleep with us.

The next day (yesterday) he didn't nap well again so we just gave up trying to force him to sleep. At night Leif and I decided that Leif (Leif cares for Jakob at night, I care for Caleb) wasn't going to keep going in to Jakob's room after he was all tucked in. So Leif talked with Jakob and they went through their normal routine except that Leif added the question to Jakob asking him if he needed anything else before he left. Jakob said he was okay. But when Leif explained that he couldn't come back into his room again until the morning Jakob melted down. He cried and broke our hearts by crying out that he wanted to be held. After a while I broke down and went and sang outside Jakob's door. Jakob cried for me to come in and sing so he could hear. So I did. When I was done Jakob cried for a while and then fell asleep. We thought we had won.

No So! Jakob woke up an hour later freaking out. He was still asleep but crying so much that he would only calm if Leif came in. So Leif and I took turns for the next hour trying to calm Jakob. He would calm when we were there. But he would start crying again if we left. Mind you he's still pretty asleep. Leif finally got him to sleep. But we had one more visit by him in the middle of the night. He came and crawled in bed with me. I noticed that he was warm again (he was warm during the day) I just let him sleep there for a while. Leif then took him to bed and he slept until the morning.

This morning we were all tired. Jakob woke up peaceful. But he melted down when Leif asked him to get dressed. He cried out of control for 15 minutes. He had a low grade fever throughout the day. He was clingy in primary and wouldn't go to class. Finally when we got home he had a three hour nap.

Traveling With Jakob Our 3 Year Old

2008-06-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

We just completed a 20 day vacation with Jakob (3 years old) and Caleb (2 months.) I won't boar you with the details of exactly where we traveled. But I will say that it was not uncommon for us to be in an airplane or a car for five hours or more at a time. We went with my parents so it wasn't uncommon for us to be waiting in the car or somewhere else for long periods of time. I knew this would be a complicated trip if I didn't plan well. So I took things seriously months in advance and planned ahead.

This is what I came up with for the long trip with my three year old. You can read about traveling with our two month old infant on his blog Caleb Noble Baron (found on my blog list.)

We live in a rural community so in order to get to anything other then a basic grocery store we have to travel for over an hour. So I took the time to really observe Jakob in the car while on these trips and make notes of his needs and interests.

An I-Pod: The most valuable traveling tools that we brought along was an I-Pod with Sound barrier head phones. We put several folders of songs on the I-Pod for each person in our family and for different settings. For example we had a Sleep folder, Primary folder(children's church music), a Fun folder, and a Dance Music folder. We also looked on http://www.storynory.com/ and downloaded several audio stories from their website. The sound barrier headphones are a lifesaver when the baby is screaming and the three year old can't stand it. Or, when mom is ready to melt down and she just needs a moment of music to herself to regroup.

Small Bag of Favorite Dinosaurs: Jakob loves dinosaurs right now. So I brought a small zip up bag full of dinosaurs to keep him entertained.

Small Bag of Favorite Cars: Jakob will never get board with cars. So I brought along a small zip up bag of cars.

Square Magnetic White Board with Markers, Erasers, and Magnets: This was another great item on the trip. We took this in the car as well as in the restaurants and places that we knew we had a wait. Jakob loved to color the pictures and then erase it and color again. We found the markers that had erasers on the lids. The only down side of the markers is that they were not washable. Jakob's car seat cover is decorated from our trip. If I would have thought about it, I would have put a soft comfortable apron on him to protect his clothes and a towel under his bottom that flapped over the edges of his car seat to protect the seat. Or, find some washable white board markers. :)

Dinosaur Books: I let Jakob bring four books. I would put two books in his travel bag at a time and rotate them.

Water Bottle and Snacks: water and food are a must on a long trip. Try to avoid sugary foods because they can make your child more active as well as up the possibility of car sickness. Jakob enjoyed trail mixes, grapes, string cheese, etc.

DVD Player and Sound Barrier Headphones: We used this as a last resort towards the end of long trips. We brought four movies that were interactive learning videos.

Back Pack: We purchased a medium size back pack that Jakob could drag around. This is what we used as his travel bag. I only put items in the bag that I didn't mind Jakob pulling out. So it wasn't used as a diaper bag.

Medicine: Jakob tends to get carsick occasionally. So we talked to a pharmacist and he told us to use 1/4 - 1/2 of a Dramamine tablet for Jakob. Jakob is really good at taking medicine so this wasn't a struggle. If it is for your child you might ask the doctor if there is a liquid form of Dramamine for children.

Rotate and Surprise: Throughout the trip I rotated a few of the items in the travel bag. I made a few file folder games from http://www.preschoolprintables.com/. I made all of the pieces stickable with Velcro so he could play with it on his lap. Occasionally I surprised Jakob with a new toy to keep him excited about all of the traveling.

Communication and Observation Games: Jakob likes to communicate with us while we're driving in the car. So we would play "The Rhyming Game" (say a word and someone else calls out a word that rhymes), "I Spy" , "What is ______ made out of?" (choose something like a house or a car for example and tell each other what it is made of), and "What lives in a/the ______?" (talk about what lives in the forest for example).

This trip could have been a nightmare. But because we planned ahead and prepared Jakob ahead of time it turned out amazingly well!

Found the Perfect Vitamins for My Three Year Old

2008-06-19T17:06:00.000-07:00

I have always given Jakob vitamins. I've stayed away from the general vitamins you buy at the store. I've tried to use vitamins that use as few artificial ingredient as possible. But I have never paid the price for the Perfect Kids Vitamins. I've decided that I am going to pay for the health that they will provide.

It's crazy to give Jakob vitamins if his body won't absorb them (that is what happens with synthetic vitamins) and it's even more ridiculous to give him vitamins with harmful ingredients. The only answer for really good vitamins are whole food vitamins. A supplement that is made from whole food ingredients with no artificial sweeteners or artificial colors.

I've looked around for a while and I've determined that I'm most impressed by Dr. Sears children's supplements. I will be using both the Little Champions - Children’s Multivitamin Soft Chews and the GO FISH Children’s Omega-3 DHA Liquid (I can give the liquid Omegas to my infant when he is six months.)

I am really excited about Dr. Sears' Omega supplement. Omega's are really good for A Lot of things! I know they have helped me. They are a metabolism booster as well as an anti inflammatory. This is what Dr. Sears says about them:

http://www.askdrsears.com/

"Go Fish™ Brainy Kidz Omega-3 DHA natural fruit-based soft chews are a safe, great tasting and effective way to provide your little ones optimal levels of DHA to ensure proper growth, brain development, mood, focus, and cognitive functions.

Supports Learning Capacity*
Supports Focus and Behavior*
Supports Cognitive Function*
Supports Vision Development*"

I don't need much more convincing then that!

The multi vitamin is great too! Dr. Sears says it better then I can:

www.AskDrSears.com

"Ideally, children should receive the vitamins and minerals they need for proper growth and development from a diet rich in "Grow Foods” (veggies, grains, fish, fruit, salads, and cereals). However, many children can be extremely picky when it comes to what they’ll eat and this added to today’s hectic lifestyles can make it difficult for you as a parent to consistently get your children to eat balanced meals packed with vitamins and minerals. The daily use of a high quality children’s multivitamin supplement such as our Little Champions natural soft chews is a convenient way to avoid any nutrient shortfalls and provide additional nutritional insurance for your children’s health.

Little Champions is the first and only pediatrician-designed children’s multivitamin to utilize “Natural Fruit-Based Soft Chew Technology” without the use of artificial colors or flavors – just real wholesome goodness. Each non-abrasive, non-gelatin soft chew is bursting with natural tart berry flavor that appeals to every child’s sense of taste and enriched with the right balance of essential vitamins and minerals a growing child needs, at levels set forth by the Institute of Medicine."

I'm really not trying to be a salesmen! I just wanted to let you all know about the great vitamins I found since we talk about what we can do to nourish our kids quite often. They are on the pricier side. But Dr. Sears usually has some type of discount going on. Or you could look online for an outlet online nutrition store.

Potty Training: Poop Nightmares!

2008-06-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

I HATE Potty Training! Guess I better get a better attitude huh!? I don't mind it if Jakob's having a good day. But the days that he doesn't care about pooping in his undies is a nightmare! Three times in one day!!! We don't spank or strike Jakob in any way (sometimes it's tempting:) So I've resorted to a long time out with him wearing a "baby diaper" in his room (so he doesn't go again while he's having quiet time).

We had a bye bye diaper party when we decided to get rid of the diapers. So he knows that diapers are only for babies. He also hates time outs. I can't say it's the perfect solution, but it's what we're doing until I can figure out a better way or get Jakob to continually go in the toilet.

The potty watch is still a great help. However, he doesn't really like it on his wrist for very long so we let him take it off unless we're out of the house.

PFAPA is My Guess

2008-06-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

Before looking at Jakob's medical history I thought that he might have (HIDS). But after more research, my guess is (PFAPA) The following is a really good explanation if this condition. I googled Jakob's main symptoms and fell upon this:

This is from http://www.clevlandclinic.org/

Periodic Fever Syndrome
(Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF), Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Associated Periodic Syndrome (TRAPS) , Hyperimmunoglobulin D syndrome (HIDS), also called Mevalonate Kinase Associated Periodic Fever Syndrome, Neonatal Onset Multisystem Inflammatory Disease (NOMID), in Europe called Chronic Inflammatory Neurological Cutaneous Articular (CINCA) syndrome and related diseases, Muckle-Wells syndrome and Familial Cold auto inflammatory syndrome and Periodic fever, Aphthous-stomatitis, Pharyngitis, Adenitis (PFAPA) Syndrome)
These syndromes refer to diseases that cause periodic (episodic) fever that do not have an infectious (virus, bacteria) cause. In general children with these syndromes are well between episodes. Many of these syndromes are hereditary (passed down from parents) and result from a mutation (defect or mistake) in a gene (this is the code that determines the structure of our proteins). The syndromes are defined by the gene defect as well as by the clinical features of the syndrome, the parts of the body affected in addition to fever, the age of the child when the syndrome starts, and the ethnicity (the area of the world where the child or parents come from) of the child and parents. Many of these syndromes have a specific treatment, often based on understanding the problem caused by the genetic defect.

Periodic fever, Aphthous-stomatitis, Pharyngitis, Adenitis (PFAPA) Syndrome This syndrome includes recurrent episodes of fever with aphthous-stomatitis (mouth sores), pharyngitis (sore throat with redness and sometimes a throat that has a white covering – exudate - like that seen in a throat with streptococcal infection. PFAPA affects children in early childhood, usually starting at age two to four years. Episodes usually decrease in frequency and resolve after the age of 10 years. This disease was recognized for the first time in 1987 and was called Marshall’s.

How common is it?
The frequency of PFAPA is not known, but the disease appears to be more common than generally appreciated.
What causes PFAPA? The answer to this question is not yet known. No gene defect has yet to be found in PFAPA, although in some cases more than one family member has the disease. No infectious cause has been found in PFAPA, thus it is not a contagious disease. It is clear that the inflammatory process is activated during episodes but it is not clear why it is triggered.
What are the main symptoms? The main symptoms are episodic fevers, accompanied by a sore throat, mouth ulcers, or enlarged cervical lymph nodes (glands in the neck, an important part of the immune system). The episodes of fever start abruptly and last for three to seven days. During episodes, the child looks very ill and complains about at least one of the three symptoms mentioned above. The episodes of fever recur every few weeks and often families know the exact day when an attack will start. On the day the fever starts the child will feel a little ill before the attack and the family knows an attack is about to start. Not all children have all symptoms, especially mouth sores. Some children have other symptoms like joint pain, abdominal pain, headache, vomiting or diarrhea.

How is PFAPA diagnosed?
There are no laboratory tests, or imaging procedures, specific for diagnosing PFAPA. The disease will be diagnosed based on the results of a physical examination and other symptoms. Inflammatory blood tests like the white blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the C-reactive protein are increased during attacks. Before the diagnosis is confirmed, it is important to exclude all other diseases that may present with similar symptoms (especially a streptococcal throat). The dramatic response to treatment (see below) also helps diagnose PFAPA.

How is PFAPA treated?
There is no specific treatment to cure PFAPA. The aim of treatment is to control symptoms during the episodes of fever, to shorten the duration of episodes, and in some children to prevent attacks from occurring. In most children, the disease will resolve by itself without treatment, usually after the age of 10 years. The fever does not usually respond well to Tylenol or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. A single dose of steroids (usually prednisone), given when symptoms first appear, has been shown to shorten an episode and sometimes even end the episode. However, the interval between episodes may also be shortened with this treatment, and the next episode may occur earlier than expected. In some patients using cimetidine (a medicine that is used to treat stomach ulcers) may prevents attacks from occurring. In patients with very frequent attacks, a tonsillectomy (removing the tonsils by surgery) may be considered.

What is the outcome and course of PFAPA?
The disease may last for several years. Over time, the intervals between the episodes will increase and usually after the age of 10 years resolve by itself. Children with PFAPA continue to grow and develop normally.

Hyperimmunoglobulin D syndrome (HIDS), also called Mevalonate Kinase Associated Periodic Fever Syndrome HIDS is a autosomal recessive (which means that while the child is sick neither parent needs to show symptoms of the disease) genetic syndrome that results in episodic high fever with skin rash, swelling of lymph nodes (glands that are part of the immune system) in the neck, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. The disease starts early in infancy. The name of this disease comes from the fact that most patients have very high amounts of immunoglobulin (proteins that are part of the immune system) of type D. The most severe form of this disease starts at birth and is called mevalonic aciduria. These patients also have neurologic (nervous system) disease and suffer from poor growth. We will describe here the more mild form of this disease since it is only this form that starts with episodes of fever.
How common is it? HIDS is a very rare disease. The disease is mostly found in Western Europe, especially in the Netherlands and in France but has been described in all ethnic groups. Boys and girls are equally affected. Symptoms usually start in early childhood, most commonly in the first year of life.

What are the causes HIDS?
HIDS is a genetic disease. The gene defect is in a protein called mevalonic kinase (MVK). MVK is a protein that facilitates a chemical reaction in the body ( enzyme ) involved in the process of making cholesterol. In HIDS the MVK enzyme is active in only 1-10% of the normal enzyme activity. We still do not know why the gene defect causes fever. Episodes can be triggered by infection, stress, and vaccination or without any obvious trigger. HIDS is inherited in an autosomal recessive way (which means that while the child is sick neither parent needs to show symptoms of the disease). In that case, the child receives two mutated genes, one from the mother and the other from the father. The parents are then called carriers. Often somebody in the extended family has the disease. If one child has the disease and the parents are carriers there is a 25% chance another child will get HIDS.

Is it contagious?
No, the fever of HIDS is not contagious.
What are the main symptoms? Fever episodes are the major symptom, lasting three to seven days and recurring every 2-12 weeks. The attacks begin suddenly, often with shaking chills. Headache, abdominal pain, loss of appetite and flu-like symptoms are common. Most patients experience nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Skin rashes, painful ulcers in the mouth and joint pain all occur, but the most striking feature is swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, or other parts of the body. The disease symptoms and severity can differ from patient to patient.
How is it diagnosed? It usually takes a physician expert in this disease to diagnose HIDS. The disease is suspected in patients with the symptoms listed above. Blood tests showing signs of inflammation during an episode are usually seen. Most (but not all, especially very young patients) have elevated levels of immunoglobulin D. During episodes, a urine test for organic acid (these are acids in the body that have the carbon atom in them) will show high levels of mevalonic acid. The diagnosis will be confirmed by a genetic test finding the genetic defect in the MVK protein or by showing low levels of MVK activity in blood cells.
Can it be treated or cured? HIDS cannot be cured. An effective treatment to prevent attacks is not available. Research is being done to search for effective treatments. During an episode non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (like ibuprofen, naproxen) or steroids may be partially helpful.

How long will the disease last and what is the outcome?
HIDS is a lifelong disorder but episodes usually get milder and less frequent over time, often resolving later in life. Some patients develop arthritis. Except for amyloidosis in very rare cases, HIDS does not lead to severe organ damage.

Medical History and Records

2008-06-17T14:10:00.001-07:00

I was able to get a copy of Jakob's medical records today while at the doctors. It was interesting to read the history of his visits. I haven't taken him in every time he has a fever. And some of the months we were living in SL or SG. But it is still enough to show us that he does have a history of a fever month after month.

From the looks of the records March through June are his sickest months. But like I said I don't have all the details of the other months, just our memory. I didn't really remember how often ear and throat pain was a leading symptom along with the fever. I think that's why I took him to the doctor (concerned about infection). But it was mentioned that the strep tests were all negative and the ear infections were just the conclusion to what the ear looks like (inflamed.) He was prescribed antibiotics almost every time.

Our Family Doctor said that he will do some research about Periodic Fever Syndrome and we will meet with him again on Friday.

MEDICAL HISTORY
January 2006 - June 2008(Minus August-November 2006 and July-December 2007)

March 20, 2006: Mom says Jakob has had a cold for a week or so, wanted to check his ears for infection and weight because he seems to gain weight slowly.
Diagnosis: Upper Respiratory Infection. 5th percentile in height and 10th percentile in weight, but mother is only 5 feet tall. Height and weight match up pretty well.

May 24, 2006: Complaining of a fever and fussiness for the past 2-3 days and also pulling at his ears. Some nasal congestion. Fever 102.1. Right ear Erythematous (Redness of the skin caused by dilatation and congestion of the capillaries, often a sign of inflammation or infection.) and bulging. Left ear normal.
Diagnosis: Right Otitis Media (Inflammation of the ear, The middle, often muscular layer of the wall of a blood vessel) Prescribed Augmentin.

December 20, 2006: Sore throat, pulling at ears, runny nose, fever 101.0 for past couple of days. Giving Tylonal with no improvement.
At Visit: Fever 99.9, weight 25 pnds, slightly pale in color, slightly dehydrated, no respiratory distress. Ear drums are slightly retracted, otherwise canals are clear. Throat is bright red with tonsil enlargement. white patches in the back of the pharynx. Nasal has clear thin discharge. No swollen lymph nodes. Heart rate slightly increased to 114. Rapid Strep Test (negative)
Diagnosis: Pharyngitis (inflammation of the pharynx) and Tonsillitis (inflammation of the tonsils) Prescribed Amoxicillin.

January 12, 2007: Jakob has just gotten over a recent upper respiratory tract infection. However, mom noticed that since then he has looked paler then usual and has not had as much energy. Wondering about Anemia.
Diagnosis: Possible Anemia. Check hemoglobin and hematocrit.
Lab Results: Hemocrit results 36.7, units %, Reference 30.0- Interval 42.0
Hemoglobin results 12.4, units g/dL, Reference 10.0-Interval 14.0
No Anemia

April 19, 2007: Mother concerned about possible Reflux again. Past couple of days Jakob has had a dry cough at nighttime, with small amount of reflux in his mouth and odor smells acidy.
Vitals: weight 27 pnds, Pulse 110, Temperature is 97.5, Ears fine, mild erythema in both pharynges, Nasal Mucosa: Slightly inflamed with thick discharge. Neck is supple without adenopathy.
Diagnosis: Allergic Rhinitis (Inflammation of the nasal mucous membranes), Gastroesophageal Reflux
Prescribed: Zyrtec and Zantac

May 7, 2007: Complains of fever for three to four days, increased fussiness, and not sleeping very good last night.
At visit: Weight 27 pnds., Temp. 98.6
Left ear drum was normal. The right one was very erythmatous and bulging and dull-appearing. Nose was moderately congested.
Diagnosis: Otis Media. Prescribed Augmentin

June 14, 2007: Sore throat and fever for past three days, threw up a few days ago and not since.
At Visit: Temp. 97.5, weight 26.5 pnds., Eardrums slightly retracted with middle ear effusion. No infection is noted. Ear canals are clear. Throat is bright red with no red patches or exudates noted. Tonsils are slightly enlarged, nasal mucosa is inflamed with clear thin discharge. Neck is supple without adenopathy.
Diagnosis: Upper respiratory infection, pharyngitis, tonsillitis
Prescribed: Augmentin.

January 30, 2008: High fever over the past couple of days and pulling on both ears. Complains of sore throat and congestion, not eating as well.
At Visit: 29 pnds., Temp. 98.1, right eardrum is retracted with some middle ear effusion. Left eardrum is red and bulging and the canal is slightly red. Throat: mild erythema in the back of the pharynx. No exudate or swelling noted. Nasal mucosa with clear thick discharge with slight inflammation of mucosa. Neck: Supple, no adenopathy.
Diagnosis: Left otitis media, Upper respiratory infection, viral syndrome.
Prescribed: Amoxicillin

WOW! After reading and writing this history all down I can see some things a lot more clearly. The first thing I note is that all of Jakob's symptoms have been the same. Part of the reason they are always the same at the doctors is because I usually only take Jakob to the doctor when I am concerned that there might be an infection involved. There have also been times that I have asked the nurses/doctors to look at Jakob's ears during my OB appointments instead of making an official appointment. I don't think they make records of these incidents and usually the ear and temp would be okay even though he was sick earlier, or maybe I declined the antibiotic prescription. This year I've really tried to minimize the antibiotics Jakob uses. Augmentin gives him a Horrible diaper rash.

I also noted that there was a lot of inflammation with little clear sign of infection (in my opinion.)
My thought is that Jakob may have Periodic Fever Syndrome or he really needs his tonsils out and tubes put in his ears.

Another thing is that the doctor never noticed swollen lymph nodes. But as far as I can clearly remember (within this year 08) I have noticed swollen lymph nodes on his neck. Sometime around February or March I even tried to make a lotion with several antibacterial herbs to rub on his neck and feet.

Jakob started Preschool in January 08. He missed at least one week of school every month (January-May.) I obviously didn't make any official doctors appointments. But those were the last few months of my pregnancy with Caleb so I'm sure we consulted with the doctor a bit. I remember him distinctly coming down with sudden high fevers, vomiting, and cold symptoms. I just don't remember the dates except that his May fever was around the 16th (the last week of his preschool.) Within the last few months his right knee has started to ache during the fever episodes.

No RSV and the Potty Time Potty Watch

2008-06-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

We took the boys in to the Doctor this morning to make sure that there cold was not RSV. Caleb is only 2 months old so we need to be extra careful. Luckily it's not RSV. Just a bad cold.

Jakob has been asking Leif and I to get him a watch (I got a new watch recently) He is only 3.5 so a watch would be a bit of a strech. But we have been trying to potty train Jakob and it hasn't been fun. We were in the store yesterday and just happend to see a "Potty Watch." It has an automatic timer that sets for 30, 60, or 90 minutes and when it goes of it plays music and lights. Jakob Loves it! It has been really helpful. I think the key has been to make sure he goes every time that the timer goes off. It is tempting sometimes to let him wait until it goes off again, or until he's done doing what he's doing. But I need him to learn that when you gotta go, ya gotta go! I really hope it keeps helping!! Something else interesting is that he hasn't asked for any potty treats since he started wearing the watch. This is good because I was trying to figure out a way to wean him away from the treat EVERY time he went to the toilet.

June: Fever Details

2008-06-16T15:34:00.001-07:00

We knew that Jakob was getting sick while he was playing in Silver Dollar City, MO. riding the rides. It was Friday June 6,2008. He seemed lethargic and pale. I worried that he was going to get sick on the rides.

He already had hives that started the day we left home May 23,2008. On Saturday Morning 6/7 he woke up with a high fever(no thermometer)He came in to our room with a stomachache. It seemed to be more painful then nauseated. But he did throw up twice within those first couple of hours. That whole day he was sick and tired. I was surprised to have him eat lunch though. His stomachache subsided. My aunt noticed that he was limping. We observed it later and asked him what was wrong and he said that his knee was hurting.

His fever lasted until Monday 6/9. It seemed to fluctuate in temp. But it was noticeable. His knee pain and stomach seemed to feel better sooner then the fever.

The most frustrating part about this episode was Jakob's behavior. There was very little reasoning with him. Everything that was a "No" ended in a melt down. His mood and skin rash didn't go away until we got back home on 6/13.

Another really frustrating thing is that he had no signs of a cold during his fever. But he started in with a runny nose and cough on 6/11. He still has it. Caleb caught it too.

Time to Blog Jakob's Health

2008-06-16T15:18:00.000-07:00

We have started to notice a pattern in Jakob's health. He is sick with a fever every month. He is three years old and it feels like he is always sick with something. The following is a letter that I have sent out to a few doctors and foundations recently.

Hello,

I have a concern about my three year old son and as I have been researching Hyper IgD Syndrome (HIDS) has come up as a possible answer and I truly hope that you might be able to give me your personal opinion whether HIDS might be a concern for us or not.

My husband and I have made a serious point of feeding our little boy healthy foods. He takes vitamins and Omega supplements every day. We limit the sweets in his diet. I even avoid antibiotics if at all possible to try to keep his body strong. In our opinion Jakob should be one of the healthiest children around. But the poor little thing is not.

Up to Jakob's third year of life Jakob truly has been an amazingly happy, well balanced child with very little behavior problems or antagonistic behaviors. I can say this from a professional standpoint due to the fact that I was a professional Nanny for over ten years. Jakob was unusually pleasant.

But my husband Leif and I are now noticing a very disturbing pattern with Jakob. Jakob becomes ill on a monthly basis. Our first sign he is getting ill is that he turns into what we call Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. His moods swing and he is very difficult to keep happy. Within a day of this behavior he will suddenly come down with a high fever that usually is accompanied with a bout of vomiting within the first hour of the fever. Sometimes he has a sore throat that looks like it should be an infection. Every time his lymph nodes on his neck swell up considerably. Sometimes he has a headache or a sudden runny or stuffed up nose. These last couple of months have included knee pain in the right knee that made him limp from the pain as he walked. This month he has a rash that looks like hives migrating to different parts of his body. Jakob briefly mentioned that it itched, but he never complained about it (I don't think it did(?). This months episode is going on 5 days. It's the worst in the middle of the night. IB Profin is the only thing that will calm it.

When Jakob was about nine months old he started in with what we thought were ear infections. He was sick with them often. When he got his MMR vaccination he got this same type of rash that he has now all over his body. From nine months on his little life has been dotted with these crazy bouts of illness that have similar symptoms. The frustrating thing is that the doctors are never sure of what he has. The strep culture is negative. The ear is just inflamed, could be infected or not. But what do they prescribe? Antibiotics. When the doctors realized that the regular strength amoxacyln didn't work, they prescribed him Augmetin. So then we have to deal with the horrible diaper rash and more diarrhea. I now only go to the doctor if his episode gets so bad that I am afraid.

The only other chronic illness has been reflux. He was born with it. But the doctor didn't prescribe medicine until I took him in at one year and demanded that they figure out what was wrong. He was already small for his age and at the point he was declining in weight because he was spitting up his food all day long. They did an upper GI scope and said he had reflux. They gave him ranidadine and it went away within months.

I am at my wits end with this. Jakob has been so wonderful! But now it's so sad because we are constantly dealing with him being sick, or recovering from being sick. Very little Normal time.

What is wrong???

Thank you for your time,

Lena Baron