For the first time in 4 weeks Victor and I are in the same town on a weekend. Yay! The weather is beautiful, so we took the kids to a "Fall Farm" event. There's a large corn maze, slides, tractor rides, etc.
I asked someone to take a photo of all 5 of us because the last time all 5 of us are in a picture together was 6 months ago and Lainey was in her pj's and had wet hair. Ha! (That's the photo I had to turn into their schools when a family photo was requested.)
This is the best shot we got today. Typical I think!
We'll have to work on getting a better family shot this fall! :) We all had a great time at the farm. Amazing how much bigger the kids are this year! Carson just runs around like he's one of the big kids. That's not possible already is it??
The last few weeks have been long ones for me. As I mentioned in a previous post a number of people I know have been dealing with loss. In addition to that I think my heart has just decided that 10 months (almost) after Daron was diagnosed with Leukemia is apparently a good time to be sad about it. Odd the way our emotions work. Too bad we can't be completely in control of the process.
Anyway, these less than ideal situations have left me feeling angry at times. Wondering why God didn't stop these things from happening? And at times doubting God's goodness. Not very pleasant feelings! I haven't really known what to do with these feeling and doubts. I bought the book "If God is Good" by Randy Alcorn. I've read a little bit and it seems okay but nothing that majorly stuck with me. I also met with a Christian counselor to see if she had helpful insight. Sometimes I think it's just helpful to talk about the way you are feeling. She had a couple of helpful ideas, we'll see.
Well, I've been following a blog since last November called God's Got This. I don't know how I stumbled upon it but it is a blog written by the family member of pastor Dave Stoecklein. He was diagnosed with ALL in November 2011, just about 2 weeks before Daron's diagnosis. He also went through intense chemo and a bone marrow transplant. He is about a month ahead of Daron in the bone marrow recovery process and has just started preaching again. The series he just finished was called "Lessons From Leukemia." I listened to all 5 sermons in 24 hours! Haha! Only 3 sermons were actually led Pastor Dave Stoecklein, 2 sermons were led by his son. (All 5 were good.)
Anyway, I find his insight/perspective extremely helpful. He's a really amazing speaker and I found his sermons very encouraging. I strongly strongly suggest that if you happen to be struggling with doubt or anger take 40 minutes and listen to at least one of his sermons.
If anyone reading, listens to all or part of a sermon, let me know what you think. I'm hooked and planning to listen to his sermons on a regular basis!
There is a little girl at Erik's school that has Leukemia, she's been fighting a battle for 12 months.
The school held a fundraiser for local families affected by pediatric cancer. They asked all the students to wear Orange one day this week and asked if able that every student bring $1 to honor her fight against Leukemia and also in support of Pediatric Cancer month. Seeing all the orange gear was something!
Well, Carson and I met with a speech pathologist and the birth to three team today. It was pretty interesting. He was very cooperative.
I know this little boy is smart and he seemed to prove that by testing at 27-28 months for receptive language skills. His expressive language skills placed him at 14-15 months. He needed to be at 13 months in order to qualify for speech. Ha!
So, the speech path agreed that there is a delay. I think if I had pushed hard for him to qualify for services they would have figured a way to make an exception but again he didn't automatically qualify.
So, what they decided to do was wait another 6-8 weeks. They said they'd call me back and see how he is doing once he's had tubes in place for a month or so. If he hasn't made a huge improvement they will reevaluate him and likely enroll him in speech then. They also sent me home with a "teaching your child to talk" book.
I am pretty sure the fluid in his ears is making it difficult for him to hear and therefore talk. The chart sent to me by my cousin Julie seems to confirm that! (I couldn't upload her chart, but a similar one is below.)
My interpretation of that chart is that anything below 40 decibels Carson can not hear at all or at least very well. (Correct me if I'm wrong Julie, Melanie?) No wonder none of those sounds have been uttered by him yet.
My poor little thing. He is still feeling miserable with lots of fluid in his ears, low grade temps, cough, and snotty nose. It's been a long 3.5 weeks for him and his mommy! ( I have a call out to his pediatrician to see if we can't try a round of antibiotics since we will be undergoing general anesthesia soon and can't seem to shake the cough, snotty nose, and low grade fever. We'll see what she says.)
I took Carson to see an ENT doctor today. He's had either an ear infection or fluid in his ears since mid-June. He's been quite miserable for the past 3 weeks so it was time to see the ENT.
The ENT doctor agreed that tubes were needed. They did a tympanometry test which confirmed fluid (it's quite obvious on exam). We were also seen by an audiologist who tested his hearing which showed some hearing "loss" associated with chronic fluid. This should all come back to normal as soon as the tubes are in but currently he was responding to 40 decibels of noise and he should be responding to 15-20 decibels of noise. They will repeat the test once his tubes are in place to confirm that it goes back to normal once the fluid has drained.
Carson has his full speech evaluation later this week. I wonder how much his speech will improve once he can hear normally? So maybe, even if he qualifies for it (which I'm sure he will), he will improve a lot in the next couple of months on his own. We'll see.
My poor little baby. Currently the tube procedure is scheduled for the 11th of October but they are going to try to squeeze him in next week sometime. I am HOPING they can do it next week as the poor little guy is miserable. Please pray that the procedure which is done under general anesthesia goes well! Thanks!
This weekend, a few hours after Victor returned home from his latest work trip, Lainey and I flew to Kansas for the weekend. Barbara was a great host and we got to spend time with Uncle Colin (Lainey LOVES Uncle Colin), Barbara, Chris, Aliza, Carley, Melanie, Dan, Laurel, Alex, Austin, Terri, Sadie, and last but not least GG. Quite an amazing turn out! :)
There was card playing, soft ball watching, talking, walking, eating (of course!), and laughing. I've spent time in Kansas almost every year since graduating from high school. For many years I always stayed with my Grandma and Grandpa but now the party has moved to Barbara's.
It's always a fun time and I am thankful for the many wonderful people in our family.
I took the kids to the county fair tonight. It was a fun time! Peer pressure is a powerful thing. There is NO way Erik would have gotten on the big rides without some positive peer pressure from his buddy James who just turned 7. Erik went on the Ferris Wheel, the Big Swings, and a little roller coaster all on his own (well with James) in addition to a number of smaller rides. No adults. He had a lot of fun and was quite proud.
The evening started out quiet!
Erik and James are up high in one of those "cars"!
All Smiles at the end of the ride
Carson and Lainey waiting for Erik to get off the Ferris Wheel!
Carson kept waving and waving, looking for Erik.
Lainey and Carson along with our friends Abby and Emma
This ride actually went quite fast. It was the only ride Carson went on as I not sure it
was the smartest parenting move I've ever made since it would be fairly easy to fall out of it.
He seemed to enjoy the ride though and wasn't happy to get off of it.
Quick snack before visiting the animal barns and calling it a day.
Life is full of both. Lately, I've had a hard time focusing on the joys as the sorrows affecting quite a few different people that I love have been overwhelming to me. I been struggling recently with feeling worried and sad about certain things and also a little pissed that crappy things keep happening to people I love. Truthfully I think the people directly affected have probably been less sad and grumpy than I have been but it's been a long month for me. In addition to the big things affecting people there seems to have been a long list of minor annoyances/illnesses that have left me tired and more emotional than normal. (Hand foot and mouth, pneumonia, double ear infection, hand, foot, and mouth again x4!!, husband traveling and traveling.) Anyway, after spending time talking to a few people about my feelings/frustration this week I do feel a lot better. Thanks to those who listened to me! :)
So that virus that caused 24-36 hours of fevers in Lainey followed by hives, Carson followed by an "allergic reaction" on his legs (which later spread to his hands and feet!), Victor with respiratory symptoms and major sore throat, and Erik followed by a "weird" faint mouth rash (brighter on day 2 as shown in photo) and later lesions on his hands and feet was most likely an odd presentation of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease x4 people!! Seriously!! How is that even possible?? We just got over Hand, Food, and Mouth 6-7 weeks ago. At least no one had mouth sores this time. The kids barely seemed affected and Victor who had a fever for the first time in 10 years managed to survive, barely! Haha! I was the only one left standing! Fun times in our house!!
Despite the frustrations this month there is never a lack of joy in my life!
Carson enjoying one of many diggers in our neighborhood
Mom and Daughter Date before Awana (Erik was home sick)
Oh how I love this little boy! He is really a constant source of joy. He has a big rascally side to him but it is all, at this point, done with a spark in his eye, dimples flashing, and mega grin. So hard to get mad at that!!
What's Carson up to at 18 months??
Eating/Sleeping....
Carson eats really well. Since limiting carbs his intake of fruits, veggies, and meats has drastically improved. I used to think he was a picky eater. He is not! He's been weaned for a month now.
Carson likes to use utensils and drink from regular cups. He is pretty good at both things, although note the wet shirt in his photos. They were taken shortly after a meal! :)
Carson takes 1 nap most days, usually from 12:30 to 2:30. Sometimes he needs a cat nap in the morning. I limit this to 20 minutes or so. Carson sleeps from approximately 7:30-6:30 at night. I love putting Carson to bed. He snuggles in tight for stories. After 1-2 books I sing him 3 songs. When I start to sing he lays down across my lap and frequently goes right to sleep. I just love that.
Activity Level....
Carson is so, so busy! He loves to run, climb, and be chased. I've found him onto of the counters, tables, chairs, etc. repeated. He even intentionally climbs over the back of the couch. Yikes! He hasn't gotten out of his crib yet but I have found him with one leg over the edge. We'll have to switch his bed soon I think.
Carson LOVES books. He will sit on my lap and read and read with me as long as the books are about diggers, farms, fire trucks, or have really exciting flaps! Haha!
Health....
Poor little guy has had another double ear infection which didn't clear after a week of Ceftin. We stopped the Ceftin early because we thought he might have had an allergic reaction too it. Now it turns out that the rash all over his legs was most like a repeat case of hand, foot, and mouth (HFM) as he had had a fever before the rash showed up and the rash on his legs eventually spread to his hands and feet. NO sores in his mouth this time though thankfully so the HFM didn't seem to bother him much.
Development.....
Carson is so charming! He has a very outgoing, fun personality. He does have some separation anxiety but it's pretty mild.
Carson can do the "shape" puzzle well on his own, walks up and down the stairs on his own (scary!!), likes to stack blocks, and play with others.
Carson gets so excited when Victor comes home from works and as soon as he hears the garage door he runs as fast as he possibly can to greet him at the door. So cute!
He still is not talking much! The words he says that could be understood by others are... all done, there, uh oh (sometimes), Erik (used for more than just Erik though), mama, dada. He does attempt other words including.... hi (haaaa), dump truck, rock, fire truck, water but no one would understand what he was saying. He signs some too.
We are going to see an ENT next week as Carson has had either an ear infection or fluid in his ears since June. He is also getting a full speech eval next week. I truthfully am not super worried about the speech but I want his ears to feel better and I am very convinced this boy has a LOT to tell us so I want to help him get there!
What we were up to this month?
Erik and Lainey started school which gives me 4 hours each week just with Carson. One day I usually take him during the gym and the other day I make sure to do something fun with Carson.
We went up to DC for a day.
Carson started gymnastics and swimming "lessons." He LOVES them both!!
Video of Carson doing puzzles (kind of) and playing
One of my PA school classmates/friends 8 year old nephew had a large ischemic stroke yesterday. He had been perfectly normal and healthy before than. Please be praying for him and their family. His caring bridge site is here under the name..... EthanFritts.
April is one of the sweetest people you could ever meet and their family has faced a lot of struggles (a niece, different family, has SMA type 1). This story just makes my heart hurt.
Poor little Carson woke up with a rash all over his legs and hands and groin today. His fever broke yesterday so I wasn't surprised to see a rash today, since Lainey had one too. BUT his rash is different. It's mainly on his legs and it is pimply instead of hives.
It kept getting worse so I decided to take him in to see if the doctor thought it was viral versus another allergic reaction to his antibiotics. She thought it was hard to know for sure given the current state of germs in our house but to be on the safe side we need to stop the Ceftin and label him as penicillin and cephalosporin allergic.
I had checked his ears 2-3 days ago and knew they weren't clear yet. Well, they still aren't clear today. So we are onto an ENT. Carson hasn't had a completely clear ear exam since mid-June. He's had 3 infections and in-between infections, fluid in his ears. In addition to that he has a speech delay.
I had asked cousin Nila if she thought he needed tubes and she said he was close as her rule of thumb is tubes if kids go 120 days without a clear exam. We are at 90+ days and a speech delay. I asked the pediatrician what her opinion was and she agreed that we need to at least get an initial consult.
I am kind of hopeful the ENT thinks they are necessary right away because I think that will help him in the speech department PLUS he will finally feel better. My poor little baby!
His appointment is on the 25th, hopefully the tube procedure will be done quickly after that!
Victor is still febrile today. I have him quarantined to the futon in the basement and am following him around the house (if he dare surface) with bleach wipes as he is about to head out of town for another week and I don't want to catch the plague while he is gone!
Our house has been germ infested since August 1st. We've been through hand, foot, and mouth, crappy pneumonia, a double ear infection, and now Lainey, Carson, and Victor have all been taken out by a viral cough/sore throat/fever.
Lainey was taken out first but seemed to recover the quickest.
As soon as her fever was gone she broke out in hives all over her body.
I gave her a big dose of benadryl which knocked her out along with the hives and
she's been pretty much back to normal since.
I am assuming, hopefully correctly, that the hives were directly related to the virus.
It wasn't really a rash, definitely raised welts (hives). She also only had a fever for 24 hours so it doesn't seem like roseola to me either. Very odd.
Carson got the bug next followed by Victor.
Please pray that they are back to normal quickly and that Erik and I stay healthy!!
I'm not a big fan of that quote as it is often used to excuse/explain inappropriate behavior. That being said, there is certainly a difference between girls and boys which is becoming more and more obvious to me as my boys get bigger.
Erik's current fascination continues to be the civil war which just happens to be his best buddy James' favorite too.
This week we discovered a perfect "bunker" at a playground close to home. So after school I took the kids and 2 of our neighbors over to the bunker park. The boys first searched for buried treasure using a metal detector, then fought a big battle, and finished up by rolling down the hill a number of times.
This past few months has been one of independence for Erik! It's good in a lot of ways as he displays a lot of confidence in social scenes/classroom, is pretty self sufficient, and can be a good helper. It is also frustrating though! He frequently is mouthy and disobedient which is very frustrating. We take away his favorite toys and send him to his room as a consequence but that doesn't really seem to be effective. So, I have started to take away bigger things - soccer practice. I hate doing that too him but I do feel it is important that he learns to respect his parents, peers, teachers, and siblings and that may make for a few missed practices.
Erik started pre-K this fall. He LOVES school and has done well so far! He has quickly made friends and talks a lot about a boy named Kayden. Erik takes the bus to and from school most days which might be his favorite thing about school. Haha!
Erik seems to excel at math - he can do some addition and subtraction as well as count to 100 with minimal help. He knows all his letters and letter sounds but has NO interest in learning how to read. In fact, if I try to work with him on a BOB book (or some equivalent) he just crosses his arms and says, "I am NEVER going to learn how to read!" Okay then dear boy! Erik still loves books and likes to be read too.
Erik's favorite things are the civil war, soccer, playing with James, and games on the computer/watching movies (this is very limited). He says he wants to be a Blue Angel pilot when he grows up.
He loves Lainey and Carson and for the most part is very sweet with them. He doesn't bicker much with Lainey at all (yay!) but at times is too rough and unkind to both Carson and Lainey.
Erik has completely given up naps but I require him to stay in his room for an hour most afternoons.
Erik loves to spend one on one time with us so I try to take him to the grocery store or on a walk or to a coffee shop once a week or so.
He has definitely shed all of his "babyhood" this year!
My sweet boy was SO excited about his birthday this year! I think he had a fun day! We started the day by opening lots of presents - a new Razor scooter (Grandma Sandy), lots of cool games (Grandpa Miin and Irene), a batman toy (Lainey), a batman cartoon video (Carson), card and birthday money (GG), and a couple of nerf guns (mom and dad).
Erik requested homemade mac and cheese for his birthday dinner! After dinner we had our friends over for cake and ice cream. Seth shares a birthday with Erik which makes it extra fun. :)
We had taken Erik to Pamplin Historical Park as a special birthday event instead of a party. It a really amazing Civil War Museum and the site of a major battle (Petersburg) with actual bunkers and homes on display. He did enjoy the park despite having a 103 degree temp that day (this was day 2 of his 9 day fever/pneumonia ordeal). We might have to go back again sometime as it is really a neat place and I'm sure he'd enjoy it even more if he had felt better.
While we were there, we let him go birthday shopping in the civil war store so he bought himself most of his birthday presents there - lots of soldier figurines, etc. They have been used daily and made it onto his cake.
We sure do love our sweet boy and hope he felt special today!
My dad's cousin Nila is in DC for a few days for the annual ENT conference. We spent Saturday afternoon exploring the American History and Natural History Museum with her. We also ate dinner at Teaism (a favorite of mine) which is located in the building we used to live in when we first moved out to DC 5+ years ago.
Nila is fairly amazing woman! She is an ENT doctor and owns her own practice. She has been happily married for 30+ years (even though she and her husband work together every day - John manages the practice), is a mom of 3 grown kids, and soon to be grandma.
In addition to that she is a 4H club leader, quilts, participates in Big Brothers and Big Sisters, walks 4 miles almost everyday in addition to taking a body pump class 2x a week and biking 25 miles a week, takes yearly medical mission trips, traces our families genealogy as far back as anyone possibly could and has a hobby farm in her back yard (official her sister's yard but their two properties are adjacent to each other).
Somehow she does all of this and seems to be calm, collected, and pleasant. Quite amazing!
This year her medical mission trip is to congo. Prior to heading there she has spent lots of time reading about the history of Africa (particularly the region they will be visiting) so she is well informed about the struggles and challenges the nation has faced. If you want to learn more about her travels she has a blog which you can go to here..... Medical Missions
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