Picture this:
Dinner at 7 PM
Burgers, corn on the cob and tater tots (Yes, Sara....your favorite meal).
Ryan does not want to eat his burger...SURPRISE SURPRISE...he never wants to eat anything!
Charlie tells him he needs to eat or he is going to bed w/o dinner.
Ryan says he will plug his nose and eat a piece.
Ryan decides to just "eat" a piece w/o plugging his nose (Go Ryan!)
Ryan pukes! Yep, at the dinner table, pukes.
Charlie changed Ryan's clothes, cleaned up the puke (I was NOT touching it....I could gag thinking about it)....and he let Ryan have some well EARNED tater tots! HA! HA!! HA!!!
PS - The burgers were a little dry tonight...not sure if they were worthy of puke, but not the chefs best!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Last night
Okay....this is embarrassing to admit...but here it goes. We put the kids to bed last night. Two minutes later, here comes Ryan downstairs. Bottom Line - he is not tired b.c he took a nap. So, he asks us stories about when Charlie and I were little kids. I tell him the story of when our neighbor dog peed on me. YUCK!! Charlie tells him about the times when he put on his underoos and a towel for his cape and pretended he was superheroes.
Then, I carry Ryan up to bed. Well, guess what, he wants to go to sleep in our bed....so, I carry him to our room. As I am walking down the hallway in our bedroom...I let out the "strangest" burp. (Yep, told you, embarrassing to admit). Ryan starts to CRACK UP laughing. (Mind you, he wanted me to carry him like he was my baby in my arms when this happens)....he is laughing his little head off, and me too at this point. I put him in our bed, and I said..."Have sweet dreams about Mommy's burp tonight". Ryan almost peed in his pants when he heard me say this. He thought it was the FUNNIEST thing ever...he was laughing from his belly!!! And again, me too. I think we were both a little slap happy tired, but we had a REALLY good laugh together!
Then, I carry Ryan up to bed. Well, guess what, he wants to go to sleep in our bed....so, I carry him to our room. As I am walking down the hallway in our bedroom...I let out the "strangest" burp. (Yep, told you, embarrassing to admit). Ryan starts to CRACK UP laughing. (Mind you, he wanted me to carry him like he was my baby in my arms when this happens)....he is laughing his little head off, and me too at this point. I put him in our bed, and I said..."Have sweet dreams about Mommy's burp tonight". Ryan almost peed in his pants when he heard me say this. He thought it was the FUNNIEST thing ever...he was laughing from his belly!!! And again, me too. I think we were both a little slap happy tired, but we had a REALLY good laugh together!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Medicine
Here is a picture of Kaitlyn's medicine she was taking last month for her ear infection...the bottle was the size of a 1/5 of whiskey. Poor honey. Makes me want to puke thinking about her taking all of that RX! This is how it compared to a bottle of infant tylenol (something we ALWAYS have in our house ;)
A duh duh
We had to flush flush our fishy named "Flush Flush the IV" the other day. Yes, another fish had to go to fishy heaven.
I decided that a fish would be fun for Anderson to have in his room (which by the way, the 1st day he woke up with it in his room, he was pointing and squealing with delight! He can't go to bed w/o feeding it and saying "night night" to it! no kidding!) Anyway, I got a fish for Anderson.
We were deciding what name to name it.
Kaitlyn says: Lets NOT name it flush flush again b/c the past 4 flush flush fish ended up down the toilet (if you are new to this...Charlie named our past 4 fish flush flush, great, I know!)
Kaitlyn says : The name Flush Flush has bad luck, we better change the name.
We are discussing names...Sally, Suzie, Freddy, etc. All of a sudden Anderson says "A Duh Duh". Well, there you have it folks..."A Duh Duh" was born!!!
The pic above is A Duh Duh!
Who should I marry?
Kaitlyn told us today at dinner that Brooke is going to marry Joey, Chelsea is going to marry Jonathan....and she was deciding b/w marrying Dylan and Jonathan. GULP! We told her we thought she had some time to decide! HA!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Want That
On Memorial Day, we were at out friends' house for dinner. Anderson was being a little fussy it was close to bed time. Well, at one point, he lifts my shirt, points to my chest ;) and says "Wa that"....in other words, WANT THAT! Ha, ha, ha!!
WAY to communicate Anderson. The boy knows what he wants.
Yes, yes, I know...time to stop! We are working on that too! ;)
WAY to communicate Anderson. The boy knows what he wants.
Yes, yes, I know...time to stop! We are working on that too! ;)
Thursday, May 29, 2008
LOTS of Posts - Update from today
Hi, I have posted a lot today....be sure to read below this post....
I will post tmr about the allergist appt today. Too much to write, but I wanted to write the funny things from today...
KAITLYN - Kaitlyn had the skin allergy testing today. The only thing she was allergic to was mold. Kaitlyn was asking Jasmine (our babysitter) and I what was mold. I told her it was something that grows on things that are REALLY OLD and things that sit in water too long. Then, she asks Jasmine the same thing, and Jasmine said it happens to really old things. So, Kaitlyn says, "Is my Boppy old with mold?" "Does my car seat have mold?" We explained no. Then, Kaitlyn asks Jasmine, "Do "OLD" people have mold? Am I allergic to OLD people?" Ha, ha, ha!!!
Ryan - Ryan had his blood drawn today to check his allergies. As Ryan sat down at the lab table to have his blood drawn he says, "Mommy, I am not afraid of this!" Bless his heart!
Anderson - Anderson blew a kiss to my friend Anne today!! I have been trying to teach Anderson for months...and finally today, he blew Anne a kiss....she got his 1st kiss ;)
More tmr on what happened at the allergist....
I will post tmr about the allergist appt today. Too much to write, but I wanted to write the funny things from today...
KAITLYN - Kaitlyn had the skin allergy testing today. The only thing she was allergic to was mold. Kaitlyn was asking Jasmine (our babysitter) and I what was mold. I told her it was something that grows on things that are REALLY OLD and things that sit in water too long. Then, she asks Jasmine the same thing, and Jasmine said it happens to really old things. So, Kaitlyn says, "Is my Boppy old with mold?" "Does my car seat have mold?" We explained no. Then, Kaitlyn asks Jasmine, "Do "OLD" people have mold? Am I allergic to OLD people?" Ha, ha, ha!!!
Ryan - Ryan had his blood drawn today to check his allergies. As Ryan sat down at the lab table to have his blood drawn he says, "Mommy, I am not afraid of this!" Bless his heart!
Anderson - Anderson blew a kiss to my friend Anne today!! I have been trying to teach Anderson for months...and finally today, he blew Anne a kiss....she got his 1st kiss ;)
More tmr on what happened at the allergist....
School Update
Kaitlyn only has 3.5 days of school left (last day is a half day).
Ryan only has 5 days of school left!!
Looking forward to the summer!!!
Ryan only has 5 days of school left!!
Looking forward to the summer!!!
NO BRACES
Good news!! Yesterday at PT, Anderson's therapist, Marissa decided that she does not think Anderson needs his orthotic braces any longer (leg braces!) We have been "in the process" of getting them for about 1 month. We even went to get measured last week, as they are custom made for him. We had the measurements taken last Tuesday. Last Wed, Marissa had not seen Anderson for 2 weeks (b/c of that stomach bug), I wanted to know if she thought we should still move forward with them, and she said...yes. Yesterday.. IT WAS A NEW STORY! After A's therapy...Marissa came out and said...no leg braces, Anderson made HUGE progress in the last week that she does not want him to wear them at this point. We talked about the "best" shoes and she recommended the Stride Rite high tops, which we already own and currently use. She said they are the best for new walkers as they give the best "overall" support b/c of the high top. (Bummer, can't use those cute brown and white Converse!) He does walk better w/o shoes, but the therapist also wanted to be sure we balance "no shoes" and "shoes" b/c he needs to get adjusted to walking with the additional weight.
We are thrilled....no leg braces!
We are thrilled....no leg braces!
More speech
Just got word CHOC is going to request a 2nd hour of speech every week for Anderson! YAHOO! We are on the calendar with Amanda, his wonderful speech therapist (he is the wonderful Sheila on Friday already!) Now we need to wait for the state to approve it...hopefully by Tuesday! Fingers crossed!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
"All Done"
Last week Anderson and I were running back from PT, had a few minutes and I had to pick something up at home b/4 we got Ryan.
I ran in the door, had to go to the bathroom, so I put Anderson down on the kitchen floor. Mind you, I put him THE FARTHEST place from our kitchen table. Less than 2 minutes later when I come out...he is SITTING on top of the kitchen table, with Kaitlyn's orange juice cup up to his mouth. He see me, smiles, holds out the *now* empty cup and says "Ahh Duh" (meaning All Done). I had tears in my eyes as I looked at the puddle of orange surrounding Anderson....tears of joy! I could not BELIEVE had just spoke those words to me....he walked across the kitchen, climbed on the chairs, onto the table, drinks Kaitlyn's juice and tells me All done!
WAY TO GO my little TIGER!
I ran in the door, had to go to the bathroom, so I put Anderson down on the kitchen floor. Mind you, I put him THE FARTHEST place from our kitchen table. Less than 2 minutes later when I come out...he is SITTING on top of the kitchen table, with Kaitlyn's orange juice cup up to his mouth. He see me, smiles, holds out the *now* empty cup and says "Ahh Duh" (meaning All Done). I had tears in my eyes as I looked at the puddle of orange surrounding Anderson....tears of joy! I could not BELIEVE had just spoke those words to me....he walked across the kitchen, climbed on the chairs, onto the table, drinks Kaitlyn's juice and tells me All done!
WAY TO GO my little TIGER!
Madonna
YES!!! Got Madonna tickets to go to her concert in November with 4 other friends!! CAN'T WAIT!!!!! YAHOOOOO!!!!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
WARNING: GRAPHIC
When you check our blog...you never know quite what you will find...
Well, you will be happy to know that our "squirty poops" (ie diarrhea) is out of our house! We had a nasty stomach bug (vomit and the above) in our house for 2 weeks!!!!...and it is over!!! We are officially 48 hours with no problems! This crazy thing kept "coming and going"...when we thought it was over, someone new got it, or someone who had it...came back with symptoms. Goodness...glad that is over!
Thought you would simply enjoy Ryan's description of what was happening to him! Ha, ha, ha!
Made you smile, huh?
Well, you will be happy to know that our "squirty poops" (ie diarrhea) is out of our house! We had a nasty stomach bug (vomit and the above) in our house for 2 weeks!!!!...and it is over!!! We are officially 48 hours with no problems! This crazy thing kept "coming and going"...when we thought it was over, someone new got it, or someone who had it...came back with symptoms. Goodness...glad that is over!
Thought you would simply enjoy Ryan's description of what was happening to him! Ha, ha, ha!
Made you smile, huh?
Forgot to tell you....
Forgot to tell you....
2 weeks ago at therapy...Anderson's OT and Speech therapists came out to me in the waiting room and asked me if I had any feeding concerns...I smiled and said...not any more!!
FYI - 2 weeks PRE- OP...Anderson had a feeding evaluation. Anderson was 19 months old at the time with the feeding skills of a 6 month old. 2 months POST-OP...he is AGE APPROPRIATE!!!
Amazing!
2 weeks ago at therapy...Anderson's OT and Speech therapists came out to me in the waiting room and asked me if I had any feeding concerns...I smiled and said...not any more!!
FYI - 2 weeks PRE- OP...Anderson had a feeding evaluation. Anderson was 19 months old at the time with the feeding skills of a 6 month old. 2 months POST-OP...he is AGE APPROPRIATE!!!
Amazing!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Special Needs
This is a poem that a Chiari friend had posted on her caringbridge site.......
To You, My Sisters
by Maureen K. Higgins
Many of you I have never even met face to face,
but I've searched you out every day.
I've looked for you on the Internet,
on playgrounds and in grocery stores.
I've become an expert at identifying you.
You are wellworn.
You are stronger than you ever wanted to be.
Your words ring experience,
experience you culled with your very heart and soul.
You are compassionate beyond
the expectations of this world.
You are my "sisters."
Yes, you and I, my friend, are sisters in a sorority.
A very elite sorority.
We are special.
Just like any other sorority,
we were chosen to be members.
Some of us were invited to join immediately,
some not for months or even years.
Some of us even tried to refuse membership, but to no avail.
We were initiated in neurologist's offices and NICUs,
in obstetrician's offices, in emergency rooms, and during ultrasounds.
We were initiated with somber telephone calls,
consultations, evaluations, bloodtests, x-rays, MRI films, and heart surgeries.
All of us have one thing in common.
One day things were fine.
We were pregnant, or we had just given birth,
or we were nursing our newborn, or we were playing with our toddler.
Yes, one minute everything was fine.
Then, whether it happened in an instant, as it often does,
or over the course of a few weeks or months, our entire lives changed.
Something wasn't quite right.
Then we found ourselves mothers of children with special needs.
We are united, we sisters, regardless of the diversity of our children's special needs.
Some of our children undergo chemotherapy.
Some need respirators and ventilators.
Some are unable to talk, some are unable to walk.
Some eat through feeding tubes.
Some live in a different world.
We do not discriminate against those mothers whose
children's needs are not as"special" as our child's.
We have mutual respect and empathy for all the women who walk in our shoes.
We are knowledgeable.
We have educated ourselves with whatever materials we could find.
We know "the"specialists in the field.
We know "the" neurologists,"the" hospitals, "the" wonder drugs, "the" treatments.
We know "the" tests that need to be done,
we know"the" degenerative and progressive diseases
and we hold our breath while our children are tested for them.
Without formal education,
we could become board certified in neurology, endocrinology, and psychology.
We have taken on our insurance companies and schoolboards
to get what our children need to survive, and to flourish.
We have prevailed upon the State to include augmentative communication devices
in special education classes and mainstream schools for our children with cerebral palsy.
We have labored to prove to insurance companies
the medical necessity of gait trainers
and other adaptive equipment for our children with spinal cord defects.
We have sued municipalities to have our children properly classified so they could receive education and evaluation commensurate with their diagnosis.
We have learned to deal with the rest of the world,
even if that means walking away from it.
We have tolerated scorn in supermarkets during"tantrums" and gritted our teeth while discipline was advocated by the person behind us in line.
We have tolerated inane suggestions and home remedies from well-meaning strangers.
We have tolerated mothers of children without special needs
complaining about chicken pox and ear infections.
We have learned that many of our closest friends can't understand
what it's like to be in our sorority,
and don't even want to try.
We have our own personal copies of Emily Perl Kingsley's "A Trip To Holland"
and Erma Bombeck's "The Special Mother".
We keep them by our bedside and read and reread them during our toughest hours.
We have coped with holidays.
We have found ways to get our physically handicapped children
to the neighbors' front doors on Halloween,
and we have found ways to help our deaf children form the words, "trick or treat."
We have accepted that our children with sensory dysfunction will never wear velvet or lace on Christmas.
We have painted a canvas of lights and a blazing Yule log with our words for our blind children.
We have pureed turkey on Thanksgiving.
We have bought white chocolate bunnies for Easter.
And all the while, we have tried to create a festive atmosphere for the rest of our family.
We've gotten up every morning since our journey began wondering how we'd make it through another day, and gone to bed every evening not sure how we did it.
We've mourned the fact that we never got to relax and sip red wine in Italy.
We've mourned the fact that our trip to Holland has required much more baggage than we ever imagined when we first visited the travel agent.
And we've mourned because we left for the airport
without most of the things we needed for the trip.
But we, sisters, we keep the faith always.
We never stop believing.
Our love for our special children and our belief in all that they will achieve in life knows
no bounds.
We dream of them scoring touchdowns and extra points and home runs.
We visualize them running sprints and marathons.
We dream of them planting vegetable seeds, riding horses and chopping down trees.
We hear their angelic voices singing Christmas carols.
We see their palettes smeared with watercolors,
and their fingers flying over ivory keys in a concert hall.
We are amazed at the grace of their pirouettes.
We never, never stop believing in all they will accomplish as they pass through this world.
But in the meantime, my sisters, the most important thing we do,
is hold tight to their little hands as together,
we special mothers and our special children, reach for the stars.
XOXO
Proud Mama to Anderson
To You, My Sisters
by Maureen K. Higgins
Many of you I have never even met face to face,
but I've searched you out every day.
I've looked for you on the Internet,
on playgrounds and in grocery stores.
I've become an expert at identifying you.
You are wellworn.
You are stronger than you ever wanted to be.
Your words ring experience,
experience you culled with your very heart and soul.
You are compassionate beyond
the expectations of this world.
You are my "sisters."
Yes, you and I, my friend, are sisters in a sorority.
A very elite sorority.
We are special.
Just like any other sorority,
we were chosen to be members.
Some of us were invited to join immediately,
some not for months or even years.
Some of us even tried to refuse membership, but to no avail.
We were initiated in neurologist's offices and NICUs,
in obstetrician's offices, in emergency rooms, and during ultrasounds.
We were initiated with somber telephone calls,
consultations, evaluations, bloodtests, x-rays, MRI films, and heart surgeries.
All of us have one thing in common.
One day things were fine.
We were pregnant, or we had just given birth,
or we were nursing our newborn, or we were playing with our toddler.
Yes, one minute everything was fine.
Then, whether it happened in an instant, as it often does,
or over the course of a few weeks or months, our entire lives changed.
Something wasn't quite right.
Then we found ourselves mothers of children with special needs.
We are united, we sisters, regardless of the diversity of our children's special needs.
Some of our children undergo chemotherapy.
Some need respirators and ventilators.
Some are unable to talk, some are unable to walk.
Some eat through feeding tubes.
Some live in a different world.
We do not discriminate against those mothers whose
children's needs are not as"special" as our child's.
We have mutual respect and empathy for all the women who walk in our shoes.
We are knowledgeable.
We have educated ourselves with whatever materials we could find.
We know "the"specialists in the field.
We know "the" neurologists,"the" hospitals, "the" wonder drugs, "the" treatments.
We know "the" tests that need to be done,
we know"the" degenerative and progressive diseases
and we hold our breath while our children are tested for them.
Without formal education,
we could become board certified in neurology, endocrinology, and psychology.
We have taken on our insurance companies and schoolboards
to get what our children need to survive, and to flourish.
We have prevailed upon the State to include augmentative communication devices
in special education classes and mainstream schools for our children with cerebral palsy.
We have labored to prove to insurance companies
the medical necessity of gait trainers
and other adaptive equipment for our children with spinal cord defects.
We have sued municipalities to have our children properly classified so they could receive education and evaluation commensurate with their diagnosis.
We have learned to deal with the rest of the world,
even if that means walking away from it.
We have tolerated scorn in supermarkets during"tantrums" and gritted our teeth while discipline was advocated by the person behind us in line.
We have tolerated inane suggestions and home remedies from well-meaning strangers.
We have tolerated mothers of children without special needs
complaining about chicken pox and ear infections.
We have learned that many of our closest friends can't understand
what it's like to be in our sorority,
and don't even want to try.
We have our own personal copies of Emily Perl Kingsley's "A Trip To Holland"
and Erma Bombeck's "The Special Mother".
We keep them by our bedside and read and reread them during our toughest hours.
We have coped with holidays.
We have found ways to get our physically handicapped children
to the neighbors' front doors on Halloween,
and we have found ways to help our deaf children form the words, "trick or treat."
We have accepted that our children with sensory dysfunction will never wear velvet or lace on Christmas.
We have painted a canvas of lights and a blazing Yule log with our words for our blind children.
We have pureed turkey on Thanksgiving.
We have bought white chocolate bunnies for Easter.
And all the while, we have tried to create a festive atmosphere for the rest of our family.
We've gotten up every morning since our journey began wondering how we'd make it through another day, and gone to bed every evening not sure how we did it.
We've mourned the fact that we never got to relax and sip red wine in Italy.
We've mourned the fact that our trip to Holland has required much more baggage than we ever imagined when we first visited the travel agent.
And we've mourned because we left for the airport
without most of the things we needed for the trip.
But we, sisters, we keep the faith always.
We never stop believing.
Our love for our special children and our belief in all that they will achieve in life knows
no bounds.
We dream of them scoring touchdowns and extra points and home runs.
We visualize them running sprints and marathons.
We dream of them planting vegetable seeds, riding horses and chopping down trees.
We hear their angelic voices singing Christmas carols.
We see their palettes smeared with watercolors,
and their fingers flying over ivory keys in a concert hall.
We are amazed at the grace of their pirouettes.
We never, never stop believing in all they will accomplish as they pass through this world.
But in the meantime, my sisters, the most important thing we do,
is hold tight to their little hands as together,
we special mothers and our special children, reach for the stars.
XOXO
Proud Mama to Anderson
Apple
Kaitlyn: Ryan while I was eating an apple today..I think that my tooth got "wiggly". (Note to readers: not really true, but she thinks so!)
Ryan: OH, really?
VISUAL: Ryan walking around with an apple hanging out of his mouth the rest of the day while he says....YUMMY, i LOVE apples! ;)
Ryan: OH, really?
VISUAL: Ryan walking around with an apple hanging out of his mouth the rest of the day while he says....YUMMY, i LOVE apples! ;)
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Butterfly Kisses
Kaitlyn wanted me to share this pic with all of you! Mima Sue gave Kaitlyn a butterfly kit for Christmas...we rcvd caterpillars in the mail and we watched them grow, spin their cocoons, and then become butterflies. IT was A NEAT project to watch...enjoyed by the whole family. Anyway....one of the butterflies, had a broken wing. Kaitlyn, our animal whisperer, found the butterfly 5 days after we released them on one of our treasure walks. She decided this one needed to become our pet until it died. The butterfly went on to butterfly heaven 2 days ago. But, the kids enjoyed playing with our "pet butterfly". Here is a picture of Kaitlyn with the butterfly! This brings a whole new meaning to butterfly kisses!!!
ENJOY!
Happy Mother's Day!
We had a great day today..I was spoiled as always...I am so blessed, every day feels like Mother's Day to me! ;) Truly! We went to Disney with the kids, then home for naps, then to South Coast Plaza for some shopping! What a fun day!
Happy Mother's Day to all my Mommy friends and my Moms!
XOXO
Happy Mother's Day to all my Mommy friends and my Moms!
XOXO
Monday, May 5, 2008
WALKING!!!!!!!
WONDERFUL!!
Anderson seems to really "get" the walking right now! Check out the video.
He is walking, falling, pushing himself back up to stand and walking more. He did this for over 1 hour tonight. He is walking so fast, it is like he is running (which makes him fall), but he gets back up to do it again! The standing up in the middle of the ground is NEW!
Charlie and I were in tears of joy tonight! We thought we would never see this day! We are officially 2 months and 2 days post op!!! OH yeah, with a broken leg in that time period too! ;) Not too bad!
ENJOY!!!!
Anderson seems to really "get" the walking right now! Check out the video.
He is walking, falling, pushing himself back up to stand and walking more. He did this for over 1 hour tonight. He is walking so fast, it is like he is running (which makes him fall), but he gets back up to do it again! The standing up in the middle of the ground is NEW!
Charlie and I were in tears of joy tonight! We thought we would never see this day! We are officially 2 months and 2 days post op!!! OH yeah, with a broken leg in that time period too! ;) Not too bad!
ENJOY!!!!
Bagel
Yes, Ryan fell asleep on Sunday at 4:00 PM sitting up on the floor and eating a bagel....do you think he needed a nap?
This was a 1st!!!
This was a 1st!!!
PB&J
Kaitlyn had a Mom's lunch at school on Friday. It was SO sweet. They read a special story about Moms, the kids sang us songs, and they made us lunch! PB&J sandwiches, potato chips, carrots, cookies and juice/water. IT was CUTE. I took a picnic blanket and we sat outside on the blanket and had lunch together.
As we were getting our sandwiches.....the following happened:
Kaitlyn: Mommy, I made that one with the big hole in it (you know how wheat bread can have a hole in it?)
Me: Oh, how neat...I want to eat the one you made...I will put this one on my plate.
Kaitlyn: Mommy, pls put that one on my plate.
Me:Sweetie, you want to eat this one that you made, you do not want Mommy to eat the one you made?
Kaitlyn: Mommy, this is YOUR special lunch...and I do not want you to have a big hole in your sandwich at the Mommy lunch, so I will eat this one ;)
It brings tears to my eyes again just typing out this story. Kaitlyn's heart is so big and so full, it brings me to tears!
As we were getting our sandwiches.....the following happened:
Kaitlyn: Mommy, I made that one with the big hole in it (you know how wheat bread can have a hole in it?)
Me: Oh, how neat...I want to eat the one you made...I will put this one on my plate.
Kaitlyn: Mommy, pls put that one on my plate.
Me:Sweetie, you want to eat this one that you made, you do not want Mommy to eat the one you made?
Kaitlyn: Mommy, this is YOUR special lunch...and I do not want you to have a big hole in your sandwich at the Mommy lunch, so I will eat this one ;)
It brings tears to my eyes again just typing out this story. Kaitlyn's heart is so big and so full, it brings me to tears!
Ryan
Okay...Ryan's turn. Ryan was out of school and got to spend a day with me at CHOC. We sat down and talked about his favorite things and this is what he told me:
best friend - Jack, Christopher, and Connor
girlfriend - Jessica (she is really cute ;)
favorite food - chicken nuggets
favorite fruit - grapes (at least he is eating fruits right now!)
favorite thing to do - play games
favorite game - Candyland
favorite color - blue
He answered these in about 1 minute, where as my conversation with Kaitlyn was about 2 hours long! Ha, ha, ha!
best friend - Jack, Christopher, and Connor
girlfriend - Jessica (she is really cute ;)
favorite food - chicken nuggets
favorite fruit - grapes (at least he is eating fruits right now!)
favorite thing to do - play games
favorite game - Candyland
favorite color - blue
He answered these in about 1 minute, where as my conversation with Kaitlyn was about 2 hours long! Ha, ha, ha!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn was out of school 2 weeks ago. She came to CHOC for Anderson's therapy. We got to sit down, share an apple and she had chocolate milk ;) We got to talk about what is going on in her life and what her favorite things are.....she told me the following:
best friend - Emma and Greta
bestest, bestest friend - Dylan (yes, her boyfriend!)
funniest friend - Dylan again
when I grow up, I want to be - a physical therapist and help little children like Anderson
*no joke this was her answer!
favorite animal - ladybug (sorry, no more elephants!)
favorite food - tacos
favorite color - yellow
favorite fruit - tomatoes
** Aunt Sara gave Kaitlyn her 1st elephant when she was 3 days old. A CUTE YELLOW elephant from FAO Schwartz that was SO SOFT and sweet. Aunt Sara called the day after Kaitlyn told me all of the above, we were updating Aunt Sara...and Kaitlyn says...Tell Aunt Sara that I still REALLY like her elephant that she gave me as a baby...and when I was a baby elephants were my favorite...it is just now that I am 5, I like ladybugs better ;) Kaitlyn later told me she did not want to hurt Aunt Sara's feelings b/c she knew she gave her an elephant and it was her OLD favorite animal and she still liked it, just had a new favorite now that she is so old!
Kaitlyn's heart is full of gold!
best friend - Emma and Greta
bestest, bestest friend - Dylan (yes, her boyfriend!)
funniest friend - Dylan again
when I grow up, I want to be - a physical therapist and help little children like Anderson
*no joke this was her answer!
favorite animal - ladybug (sorry, no more elephants!)
favorite food - tacos
favorite color - yellow
favorite fruit - tomatoes
** Aunt Sara gave Kaitlyn her 1st elephant when she was 3 days old. A CUTE YELLOW elephant from FAO Schwartz that was SO SOFT and sweet. Aunt Sara called the day after Kaitlyn told me all of the above, we were updating Aunt Sara...and Kaitlyn says...Tell Aunt Sara that I still REALLY like her elephant that she gave me as a baby...and when I was a baby elephants were my favorite...it is just now that I am 5, I like ladybugs better ;) Kaitlyn later told me she did not want to hurt Aunt Sara's feelings b/c she knew she gave her an elephant and it was her OLD favorite animal and she still liked it, just had a new favorite now that she is so old!
Kaitlyn's heart is full of gold!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
STEPS!
GUESS what!!! Anderson JUST took about 10 steps!! YES!!! He is FINALLY starting to take steps again since the cast came off 10 days ago!
What a GREAT day!!!
What a GREAT day!!!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Wacky Wednesday
Our Wednesdays are typically "wacky". Every Wednesday...I get everyone ready to start the day (dressed and breakfast). I make 2 lunches (Kaitlyn and Ryan's), snack for Anderson and out the door no later than 7:55 (okay, this is early for us right now.....remember K is not even in Kinder yet!) I take Kaitlyn to school, then Ryan to school, then Anderson has 2 hours of therapy at CHOC. Then, Anderson and I have lunch, back to pick Ryan up from school, then pick Kaitlyn up from school....whew! It is a little busy. Did I forget that Anderson needs to nap sometime in there b/c he just had 2 hours of therapy? ;)
Regardless...we do it every week and every week we make it to all of the places, with shoes on, matching outfits (well, most of the time), and brushed teeth...and most importantly, with a smile.
Well, yesterday was an INCREDIBLE day!! Here are some of the things that Anderson did just YESTERDAY!!!!
1) We dropped Kaitlyn off at school. Kaitlyn's little friend, Avery, LOVES Anderson. She was playing with Anderson while Kaitlyn was putting her stuff away at school. I said to Ryan, "time to go, lets go buddy, say goodbye." Then, the next thing I know...Anderson is WAVING at Avery!! Never has done this b/4!! (Well, actually the day prior, on Tuesday, at ballet...Anderson waved at Emma when she got to ballet w/o me even prompting...that was cool too!!)
2) We drop Ryan off at school. They have a bunny that Anderson ALWAYS wants to see. We visit the bunny, I say, "Okay, Anderson, time to go...say bye to the bunny". And, yes...he WAVED again!
3) I run to the grocery store for my Starbucks. I said to Anderson, "do you want a bagel?" He started smiling, and clapping his hands (I took that as a yes!) After I pd for my Starbucks...we are walking back to the bakery...I say, "Where are the bagels Anderson? Where are they?" He starts looking around....then, he sees them when we got around a corner and he points to them and vocalizes!!
4) We are at CHOC and his cute PT therapist comes to get him. We are talking, she says..."Anderson wave bye bye to mama". And he did it!! WHAT?? He NEVER NEVER does this!!
5) We get home from CHOC, lunch and picking up Ryan...I say to Ryan, "I am going to take Anderson up to night night". With that, Anderson puts his hand on the side of his cheek and tilts his head like he is lying on his hand! WHAT?? NEVER seen this b/4! I could not believe it...I said it again...this time to Anderson..."Anderson, are you going night night?" He tilts his head the other direction with the other hand and does it again~~!!!
I was freaking out! These are ALL firsts for him. I was beyond excited...and so was Char when he got home and I was able to share with him. Anderson was understanding, comprehending and communicating with us in ways he has never done b/4!!!
SUPER exciting WACKY WEDNESDAY!
Regardless...we do it every week and every week we make it to all of the places, with shoes on, matching outfits (well, most of the time), and brushed teeth...and most importantly, with a smile.
Well, yesterday was an INCREDIBLE day!! Here are some of the things that Anderson did just YESTERDAY!!!!
1) We dropped Kaitlyn off at school. Kaitlyn's little friend, Avery, LOVES Anderson. She was playing with Anderson while Kaitlyn was putting her stuff away at school. I said to Ryan, "time to go, lets go buddy, say goodbye." Then, the next thing I know...Anderson is WAVING at Avery!! Never has done this b/4!! (Well, actually the day prior, on Tuesday, at ballet...Anderson waved at Emma when she got to ballet w/o me even prompting...that was cool too!!)
2) We drop Ryan off at school. They have a bunny that Anderson ALWAYS wants to see. We visit the bunny, I say, "Okay, Anderson, time to go...say bye to the bunny". And, yes...he WAVED again!
3) I run to the grocery store for my Starbucks. I said to Anderson, "do you want a bagel?" He started smiling, and clapping his hands (I took that as a yes!) After I pd for my Starbucks...we are walking back to the bakery...I say, "Where are the bagels Anderson? Where are they?" He starts looking around....then, he sees them when we got around a corner and he points to them and vocalizes!!
4) We are at CHOC and his cute PT therapist comes to get him. We are talking, she says..."Anderson wave bye bye to mama". And he did it!! WHAT?? He NEVER NEVER does this!!
5) We get home from CHOC, lunch and picking up Ryan...I say to Ryan, "I am going to take Anderson up to night night". With that, Anderson puts his hand on the side of his cheek and tilts his head like he is lying on his hand! WHAT?? NEVER seen this b/4! I could not believe it...I said it again...this time to Anderson..."Anderson, are you going night night?" He tilts his head the other direction with the other hand and does it again~~!!!
I was freaking out! These are ALL firsts for him. I was beyond excited...and so was Char when he got home and I was able to share with him. Anderson was understanding, comprehending and communicating with us in ways he has never done b/4!!!
SUPER exciting WACKY WEDNESDAY!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Sick house
Yes, we are sick again in our house. We can't catch a break right now!!! UGGHHH!! Char and I decided that we are going to take the kiddos in for allergy testing. Not sure what we are going to do about the results at this point, but 1 step at a time....I am so lucky to be a stay at home Mom and be able to take them to the doctor and be with them when they are sick. I think that some of this is allergies and some of this is also just the exposure to all of the kids at school as well...they bring it home and then Anderson is exposed. Hopefully, when Anderson gets to school he will not be as sick...he will have built up his immunity....here is our count from today's trip to our ENT....
Kaitlyn - ear infection and sinus infection
Anderson - ear infection and sinus infection
Mom - bronchitis (I know, crazy...have not had this since my college days!)
Ryan - well...TBD...he seemed okay today, when to school and now seems yucky again. Guess we will be back at the ENT tmr. But, hoping to just call and see if he will call in an RX based on the rest of the family ;)
Kaitlyn is better. She was SCREAMING in pain last night (sunday night!) We almost took her to the ER. (Did I say this on my blog last night, can't remember). Anyway, 2 rounds of meds, and some motrin...she is better!!
Off to sleep and try to get rid of my "Yucky" too!
Kaitlyn - ear infection and sinus infection
Anderson - ear infection and sinus infection
Mom - bronchitis (I know, crazy...have not had this since my college days!)
Ryan - well...TBD...he seemed okay today, when to school and now seems yucky again. Guess we will be back at the ENT tmr. But, hoping to just call and see if he will call in an RX based on the rest of the family ;)
Kaitlyn is better. She was SCREAMING in pain last night (sunday night!) We almost took her to the ER. (Did I say this on my blog last night, can't remember). Anyway, 2 rounds of meds, and some motrin...she is better!!
Off to sleep and try to get rid of my "Yucky" too!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Too long
Sorry it has taken me so long to write. Things have been busy......
I will just update a little bit tonight and hopefully more tmr ;)
Kaitlyn - still has her boyfriend, Dylan. I got to meet him, he is CUTE! She gets dressed in the AM and will ask me, "Mommy, do you think that Dylan will like this?"...Oh my! Kaitlyn has been sick with a cold/sinus infection. It started last week and missed a day of school. Seemed like she was getting better....until tonight. She started saying that her ear was hurting her, and hurting her. (Crying and screaming actually). So.....here we come Dr. Cami (our ENT!). Looks like she will not be going to school tmr......sigh.
Ryan - he is doing great. He had the cold/sinus infection earlier last week (started with it actually 1st out of the 3 of them). He is much better. Just same old, cute, funny, sweet Ryan. I know I am missing stories...too tired right now, sorry to think of something.
Anderson - CAST IS OFF!!!! Yes, the cast came off on Thursday. Whew...happy we did not get a 2nd cast put on. He is still "favoring that leg" and his gait is "off". But, talked to Neil (our friend who is an orth0)....he said all of that is very normal and will be for several weeks. ....sigh again.....Anderson continues to do more and more things that surprise us. The other day I asked Anderson if he wanted to help me get the dog outside, and he crawled over to the outside door. Great!! He understood me. We have seen him understand new words....where is the giraffe (finds it), where is your bagel (finds it), where is daddy (looks at him), etc. GOOD GOOD GOOD!! One night, we asked Anderson....want to take a tubby...he crawls up to the bathroom ;) LOVE IT!! Plus, heard more "mmmmmm" sounds this weekend!!
We spent the day at Disney with Kaitlyn and Ryan today. We got a sitter for Anderson. He has the "cold/sinus infection thing" and he only tolerates the "lines" at Disney for "so long". We told Kaitlyn and Ryan we would take them one day and spend the whole day. We got there at 9 and left at 5. It was a blast! We rode 8 or 9 rides. It was a ton of fun for all of us!
I hope to update more later tmr or Tuesday.
Sorry it has been so long!!!! I will try to be better!!
Good night!
Liz
I will just update a little bit tonight and hopefully more tmr ;)
Kaitlyn - still has her boyfriend, Dylan. I got to meet him, he is CUTE! She gets dressed in the AM and will ask me, "Mommy, do you think that Dylan will like this?"...Oh my! Kaitlyn has been sick with a cold/sinus infection. It started last week and missed a day of school. Seemed like she was getting better....until tonight. She started saying that her ear was hurting her, and hurting her. (Crying and screaming actually). So.....here we come Dr. Cami (our ENT!). Looks like she will not be going to school tmr......sigh.
Ryan - he is doing great. He had the cold/sinus infection earlier last week (started with it actually 1st out of the 3 of them). He is much better. Just same old, cute, funny, sweet Ryan. I know I am missing stories...too tired right now, sorry to think of something.
Anderson - CAST IS OFF!!!! Yes, the cast came off on Thursday. Whew...happy we did not get a 2nd cast put on. He is still "favoring that leg" and his gait is "off". But, talked to Neil (our friend who is an orth0)....he said all of that is very normal and will be for several weeks. ....sigh again.....Anderson continues to do more and more things that surprise us. The other day I asked Anderson if he wanted to help me get the dog outside, and he crawled over to the outside door. Great!! He understood me. We have seen him understand new words....where is the giraffe (finds it), where is your bagel (finds it), where is daddy (looks at him), etc. GOOD GOOD GOOD!! One night, we asked Anderson....want to take a tubby...he crawls up to the bathroom ;) LOVE IT!! Plus, heard more "mmmmmm" sounds this weekend!!
We spent the day at Disney with Kaitlyn and Ryan today. We got a sitter for Anderson. He has the "cold/sinus infection thing" and he only tolerates the "lines" at Disney for "so long". We told Kaitlyn and Ryan we would take them one day and spend the whole day. We got there at 9 and left at 5. It was a blast! We rode 8 or 9 rides. It was a ton of fun for all of us!
I hope to update more later tmr or Tuesday.
Sorry it has been so long!!!! I will try to be better!!
Good night!
Liz
Thursday, April 3, 2008
New what???
What an INCREDIBLE DAY!!!
Well, 1st Kaitlyn announced to me she has a boyfriend, YEP, that is right a boyfriend...named Dylan. He is in the other Pre-K class, they met on Wednesday....they way she starts talking when she talks about him is hilarious! OMG!!! PRE-K!!!! Good thing she told me about it and not Charlie, I am not sure Charlie could have handled it! Ha, ha, ha!
On Monday, Ryan was officially VIP at school for the week. VERY fun! He got to bring in a snack...which he choose cookies and apple juice. We made a collage of him doing his favorite things....riding his bike, gymnastics, dressed up as Superman, playing soccer, on a roller coaster, going down the jumpy house slide, etc. CUTE. He also got to pick his favorite book to share with the class. Ryan was chanting at the top of this lungs as we pulled into school.....here comes the VIP, here comes the VIP! LOVED IT! He was so very proud, and so was I!
Today...Anderson had an amazing day at his new speech therapy. I will try to make a long story short. The name of the standarized test done in the past for speech was the Rosetti. Since the old speech therapist did the Rosetti early February for us to take to Dr. Frim....the new speech therapist could not repeat. You are only allowed to administer the same test every 6 months. But, CHOC wanted to do their own evaluation of Anderson. So, they decided to do the Bayley. They started it today. Anderson's speech therapist, Amanda, said that the Bayley test is the BEST OF THE BEST...the test that every facility strives to use b/c it is the most accurate and the most respected. So, here are the results:
Feb 2008 Rosetti - ***this test was also administered in July 2007....the results were the same! Anderson had NO change in 7 months on this test....
Expressive Language: 0-3 months of age
Receptive Language: 3-6 months of age
Cognition : 9-12 months of age
April 3rd 2008 Bayley - 1 MONTH POST-OP to the day!!!
Expressive Language: 5-6 months of age
Receptive Language: 10 months of age
Cognition: 14 months of age
Amanda told me she typically does not give results prior to reviewing the test. However, she saw how "bad" the Rosetti results were and she wanted to relieve me of any stress and brighten my day, so she started to give me preliminary results. These are not perfect yet, as she is not 100% completed with the test, but these are the initial results. I told her I would understand if these results had to go down after she was complete and she told me that she would NOT do that, that is why she waits, and if anything, the results would get better when it was complete!! YAHOO!! Charlie and I were over the moon excited with these results!! SO SO SO happy!
We are so blessed, Amanda is Anderson's overall therapist, and Sheila is an assistant that will be working with him on a week to week basis...Amanda overseeing it. They are BOTH GREAT!!!! I feel so lucky and happy the way this is working out for us.
GOOD news to report tonight....
Off to bed, my eyes are heeeavvvyyy....
XOXO
Liz
Well, 1st Kaitlyn announced to me she has a boyfriend, YEP, that is right a boyfriend...named Dylan. He is in the other Pre-K class, they met on Wednesday....they way she starts talking when she talks about him is hilarious! OMG!!! PRE-K!!!! Good thing she told me about it and not Charlie, I am not sure Charlie could have handled it! Ha, ha, ha!
On Monday, Ryan was officially VIP at school for the week. VERY fun! He got to bring in a snack...which he choose cookies and apple juice. We made a collage of him doing his favorite things....riding his bike, gymnastics, dressed up as Superman, playing soccer, on a roller coaster, going down the jumpy house slide, etc. CUTE. He also got to pick his favorite book to share with the class. Ryan was chanting at the top of this lungs as we pulled into school.....here comes the VIP, here comes the VIP! LOVED IT! He was so very proud, and so was I!
Today...Anderson had an amazing day at his new speech therapy. I will try to make a long story short. The name of the standarized test done in the past for speech was the Rosetti. Since the old speech therapist did the Rosetti early February for us to take to Dr. Frim....the new speech therapist could not repeat. You are only allowed to administer the same test every 6 months. But, CHOC wanted to do their own evaluation of Anderson. So, they decided to do the Bayley. They started it today. Anderson's speech therapist, Amanda, said that the Bayley test is the BEST OF THE BEST...the test that every facility strives to use b/c it is the most accurate and the most respected. So, here are the results:
Feb 2008 Rosetti - ***this test was also administered in July 2007....the results were the same! Anderson had NO change in 7 months on this test....
Expressive Language: 0-3 months of age
Receptive Language: 3-6 months of age
Cognition : 9-12 months of age
April 3rd 2008 Bayley - 1 MONTH POST-OP to the day!!!
Expressive Language: 5-6 months of age
Receptive Language: 10 months of age
Cognition: 14 months of age
Amanda told me she typically does not give results prior to reviewing the test. However, she saw how "bad" the Rosetti results were and she wanted to relieve me of any stress and brighten my day, so she started to give me preliminary results. These are not perfect yet, as she is not 100% completed with the test, but these are the initial results. I told her I would understand if these results had to go down after she was complete and she told me that she would NOT do that, that is why she waits, and if anything, the results would get better when it was complete!! YAHOO!! Charlie and I were over the moon excited with these results!! SO SO SO happy!
We are so blessed, Amanda is Anderson's overall therapist, and Sheila is an assistant that will be working with him on a week to week basis...Amanda overseeing it. They are BOTH GREAT!!!! I feel so lucky and happy the way this is working out for us.
GOOD news to report tonight....
Off to bed, my eyes are heeeavvvyyy....
XOXO
Liz
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
