The Bergs

We are "The Bergs" Rich, Brie, Roman, and Griffin. Rich is in the United States Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has sent us from coast to coast of the US. We've lived in Portsmouth, VA Clearwater, FL Marinette, WI Cheboygan, MI Key West, FL and currently Seattle, WA. We are always looking for ways to keep in touch with friends and family whom we miss very very much everyday. Love To All. The Bergs

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Update on Griffin.

Sunday morning I went to change Griffin's diaper and was surprised to see that his diaper rash was going away! We went camping Saturday and Sunday, I packed the basic stuff, but never pack milk because we waist it or it goes bad. By monday morning his rash was really almost gone, just a few bumps and no red at all. I realized he'd had no milk for 2+ days. I kept him off the milk and now his rash is gone and his poop is looking normal... so I think he's lactose intolerant. He's almost 2 and really no longer needs whole fat milk, so I'm switching him to soy to see if that works.
I'm up for any advise anyone may have of milk intolerance...

Also took Griffin to Holly Ridge where he has been recieveing therapy for low muscle tone and speach therapy since this winter. Griffin has made such improvements! I asked to have him retested to see if he was still behind, because from what I could tell, he was communicating and moving well. So he tested above average on his verbal skills, exactly average on his understood language. He took direction, stacked a tall tower of blocks, did a puzzle, walked up and down the stairs (even did a stunt dare devil jump off the last step on to the floor), and walked a balance beam. He was really showing off for those therapists. So he tested out of both occupational therapy and speech therapy. Holly Ridge Center offers a preschool for his age group, so they asked if I was interested. I think it will be so good for him. So this fall he will be in preschool 2 days a week for 1 1/2 hours.

The therapists said he has really come such a long way and there is really no reason to worry about him anymore at all. Such a reliefe!!

I really appreciate everyone who follows my blog who has expressed concern for Griffin. It is such a comfort to be able to share things about what is going on with my family while we are so far away. Thanks for all the love!


Griffin sitting on couch douced in powder in romans underwear to help get air to his diaper rash... picking his nose.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

A Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine

Friday July 17, 09. We drove to Snoqualmie to have a Day out with Thomas.

We parked in a school parking lot and rode a school bus to the train station down town. Roman was so excited!

Griffin on the bus.
We got to the depo about 2 hours before our train was scheduled to depart, so we took part in all the fun activities
Picture with Sir Topom Hat. Kids were scared. Roman went limp as soon as he saw him and Griffin was ready to rip his head off!
Roman's got the tickets!
Roman got a train tat00 on his hand.



Toured an old caboose.
Watched the model trains on the track.



Roman jumping in the bounce house.
A little fast cart took the kids on a ride.
Waiting in line to board.


Thomas took us up to the top of Snoqualmie Falls. It was really pretty.
Griffin blowing his Thomas Whistle.
The ride was short, but fun.

The kids were sleeping before we got all the way out of the parking lot. It was really fun!

Labels:

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

No pictures, just a funny poop story.

As mothers often do; I'm about to talk about poop in great detail. You've been warned!

As a mother of 2 boys and a wife to a man; it would be challenging to really gross me out.

Let me tell you, about 3 weeks ago my little sweet lovable Griffin was producing poopy diapers that were not of this world. The brownish-greenish color, the slimy texture, the putrid smell was obviously abnormal and unhealthy. I found quickly that hourly funky diapers will cause a sever SEVER diaper rash.

Griffin was in a tummy achy, weird poopy, diaper rashy, crab crabby state when I took him to the Bremerton Naval Hospital last week. Just before the doctor arrived Griffin took an alien like poo. I was relived she could see first hand what we were dealing with here and with her ninja like doctor skills, she could immediately diagnose and treat Griffin and we could sail out to eternal normal poop bliss.
When the doctor walked in she was likely hit with a rancid smell that I had grown immune to by that point.
“Oh, you’re just in time!” I tried breaking her pinched face with a little joke.

She immediately did an about face turn, and came back with a bread bag from her office.

“Here,” she said shoving the bag at me, “just dispose of it in this.”

I took the bag disappointed in her inability to appreciate what my son had created and tossed the diaper in the trash. The doctor proceeded to explain that Griffin had diarrhea and a diaper rash and that it was no big deal and he would get over it in 6 weeks or so.

So I here I’d like to pose a question, would you like to have diarrhea and a chapped ass for 6 weeks? Me either!

I argued that this seemed more than run of the mill diarrhea and that I was very concerned. She said that if it would make me feel better that she could get some cultures from his poo to rule out some kind of virus. I agreed, and she sent me down to the lab.

I don’t know what I was expecting when I went down to the lab; but like everything else I have experienced so far in motherhood, it was awkward and uncomfortable. The lab tech gave me 6 small tubes. 5 of them were half full of liquid and the 6Th was larger than the others and was marked “FRESH STOOL.”

“Directions are on the bottles,” she said as she shoved them over the counter toward me.

My blank stare encouraged her to ask, “Want a bag?”

‘No, I’d rather try to carry all these bottles individually and risk dropping them so a strange navy guy can pick up the one that says “FRESH STOOL” for me.’ I thought to myself.

“Ummm, Yes Please a bag would be nice” I finally said.

After I got home, I spread all the bottles out on the counter and read the instructions. I was to put a sample of poo in each preservative filled bottle, I had 72 hours to get it back to the lab after each sample was collected. The larger bottle marked “FRESH STOOL” had to be full and back with in the hour of collection.

Just then a familiar stench hit my nose; Griffin had pooped. I was actually a little anxious to get that poo in my little bottle. I quickly got the diaper off Griffin and over to the counter. I took the lid off the first bottle which has a little spatula attached to scoop the poo into the container. I went to scoop the poop and knocked the damn bottle over, spilling the preservative all over the damn place. As I reacted to the spilled bottle, I got poo on my hand. So mission poop scoop #1 was scrapped due to turbulence.

Later that day, I successfully got 2 bottles filled with a sample. The next morning I took my 2 samples to the lab. I knocked on the closed lab door and a 7 foot young man comes to the door. We say nothing to each other. I hand him my ID and the brown bag. He turns and shuts the door. I waited.
He came back quickly and asks with a furrowed brow, “Who sent you here? Where did you get these bottles?”

“I got the bottles here. The doctor sent me.” If you know me, you know I instantly turned red in he face.

His lips pursed together, he crossed his arms, squinted his eyes and tilted his head down. I could tell he didn’t believe me! He thought I was lying!
“There are no orders for you on our computer, Ma’ma.” He said accusingly.

I realized he thought that poop was mine, and thought I had some sort of mental condition that caused me to steal medical supplies to recieve lab testing.

I said, “That’s not MY poop, it's my son's!” In which Griffin and Roman start to giggle and repeat “POOOP! POOOOP!”

The lab tech and I were both red faced now. I was relieved a little to know that he now knew that that was NOT MY poop. He went back into his secret laboratory and got it straitened out in his computer and came back to return my ID; we avoided eye contact.

For each subsequent ‘drops’ I made sure to announce that the samples were indeed for Griffin.


Editing in to let you all know I just dropped the last 'sample' off yesterday morning, so I still don't know what the problem is with Grif's belly troubles. But I assure you, I am determinded to get Griffin the proper care.

Labels:

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

home made salsa. mmmm....

We made and canned salsa over the weekend. I thought I'd get some pretty pics with my new camera.



Submerge tomatoes in boiling water to loosen skins to make them easy to peal.Place hot tomatoes in sink to cool.
Lots of fresh peppers, onions & garlic.

Pop in all in the food processor and blend to desired consistancy.
It needs to be hot when it goes into canning jars so they will seal nicely.
It thickens up.

inserting picture of Rich eating salsa for lunch and dinner for the rest of the week!
We made about 6 quarts. So good and easy!