Of some things Ryan-related

Ok, I'm just going to brag on my wonderful husband for a bit. If you're not in the mood for gushing accolade, scan the pictures and skip the words. There - you've been warned...

This accounting is chronologically backwards, but I think in order of import, from least to greatest:

Ok, first, to the predictable part of graduations: academics. I have to say that I respect Asbury Seminary very much for the way they handled graduation events. Seminary is not just another academic endeavor. At its best, it is about spiritual formation in an academic setting. With that as the primary aim, academic awards could be dangerous incentives for students to have bad priorities - and to skip some necessary forming experiences trying to shortcut to a good grade. There is NO mention of a "valedictorian" or any other kind of class rank during graduation. It's wonderful. I like Asbury very much for such deep respect of credible academics, without worshiping academic achievement.

That said, my husband did REALLY well, academically, in seminary. I won't be too specific, because Ryan wouldn't want it. But let's just say I know people who work at Asbury... He did VERY well. This is probably no surprise to anyone but him. Ryan is a thoughtful person, and has gotten as good with words as he is with other tools, like radial arm saws and tile cutters. He took a full load every semester, and did the work each prof asked of him. I know, I know - it's not about good grades. He had every excuse, from sickly pregnant wife at first to toddler that sickly pregnant wife couldn't care for very well. Then Athan's birth and sleeplessness and hospital stays... He could have excused himself from learning. I'm really proud of him for doing the work, and for learning, especially, to be a life-long learner.
The rest of our seminary experience, as anyone reading this probably knows, has been events surrounding Athan's birth and health complications. Ryan was asked to share that story during Graduates Chapel, the morning of graduation. He spoke beautifully of the way this community has kept us afloat during such trauma and grief, and has celebrated with us things like successful heart surgery and first steps at age 2.5. He did an amazing job of showing how God's grace to us through Asbury community has been thick and constant from then to now. I know Papa Sid got it on video. When I get hold of that footage (and if Ryan'll let me) I'll try to post it for you.Before graduation, during the last week of classes, Ryan did win an award, though not for academic accomplishment. This award is called the Towel and Basin Award, and the prompt for nominations read like this:

"If you know a graduating student who has: 1.Demonstrated promise in leadership and
2. Demonstrated a servant attitude in their lifestyle and activities, then nominate them for the Towel and Basin Award. The Towel and Basin Award is an award presented by the Alumni Department to a graduating student (one from both Kentucky and Florida campuses) who has a heart to serve the people around them."

The nominations came from several of our friends, independently of one another, and they said the most wonderful things about my Ryan. They spoke of his generosity in time and service - helping fix things or lending the truck or whatever, of his pastoral heart toward friends and their families, of his strength, of his dedication to his family, his willingness to serve even in the midst of crises with Athan and taking full course load. And my favorite quote: "He could whoop a man, most any man, but he would rather do the hard work of forgiving him instead." :)

This is the point, isn't it? Not getting A's in theology class, but being formed into a Servant. If I haven't said it clearly yet, let me add my voice to the others who say that you deserved this award, Ryan. It points to the life you want to live, and didn't wait until after graduation to start living it...

Still, I know my husband. He'll be embarrassed by this post, and maybe a little annoyed that I posted a picture of his award. But even HE would agree that his greatest moments during seminary looked like this:
More times than not, his "study time" became "story time." He wrote papers while listening to thought provoking songs like "It's a No-No to Kiss A Rhino." He figured out a way to think theologically about the world while he was being a loving husband and father, not instead of being a loving husband and father. For this, I am most humbly thankful and so very, very proud.

Love you, Ryan.

general Athan health update

When I got back from Texas, Athan was sick. Upper respiratory junk, yucky cough, fever off and on for days... We went to see Dr. Coburn, got some antibiotics, and he got better. Doing great now...

Over all, he's been healthy lately. His sleep patterns... well, there is no pattern. Sometimes he'll wake up in the middle of the night every night in a week, sometimes screaming, sometimes groggy but fidgety, and sometimes alert and playful. Then he'll go a week or so sleeping through the night. We never know. He eats well, and we've been able to keep him from being constipated just by being careful with his diet. He also helps keep things moving because he's just moving more himself...

Seriously, you'll be shocked. When I can catch some good video of him walking, I'll post it. OH MY! As has been confirmed by several people (including and most importantly Laurie, the world's greatest PT), he's walking 50-75% of the time now. Closer to 75%. I'm so proud of him! It was later than with Morgan, but Athan's toddler "I-can-do-it-myself" thing finally kicked in full-force, which has helped in lots of areas, including mobility. Ok, I'll just stop trying to describe it and try to catch a video so you can see...

We've been making calls and gathering med records. I have a stack 10 inches tall of paperwork to copy, sort, and file in preparation for starting with new docs after the move.

We also had an ARC meeting with the schools, and officially have and IEP in hand to take to Abilene schools to get started with therapies for Athan after the move. Such a relief to have that done.

I think that covers it for now. The next few weeks just hold some "last visits" with some really special people who have loved and served our family and our boy so well. I'll let you know how we survive those... :)

I hope he forgives me for this...

My brother graduated! I'm so very proud of Jer (and loving the new shiny top he's sporting these days). He is now and RN. I made the trip to Clovis a couple of weeks ago for his graduation. Yeah, he's kind of a big deal...
I'm also very thankful to RYAN especially, as well as my kids, Eve Jagger, Guess-ca (that would be our neighbor, Jessica, in Athan-ish), Caroline, Ashely, and undoubtedly others who jumped through hoops to help me be gone for 4 days during the week at the end of a semester right before we move. I got to see Jer graduate, hug lots of parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles I've been missing, and spend some time with great friends. It was as much a gift to me as it was to Jer. THANKS all! :)

my ballerina...

Grammy gave Morgan some money for Christmas for ballet lessons. She LOVED it. Wilmore School of Christian Ballet was wonderful for us. We are so thankful for the experience. Here's a glimpse of her weekly sessions:

The next video is the Spring Performance for the school. They performed a ballet of The Parable of the Sower and the Seed. Morgan is a seed. :) She and her partner come out and do the seed dance, then they "go to sleep" as if planted. Then come "the thorns, which grew up with them and choked the plants" (that's the other group of girls dancing). After her part we skip ahead to the final bow...

She had fun. Can you tell? :) Truly, though, after all was said and done, her favorite part of it all came before the dress rehearsal and the performance: putting on make-up!
And I still think her favorite place to perform is in our spare room for her daddy (we have 7+ minutes of nonstop dancing on our camera - I cut it down to 3 for you):

the short version

Ok, I've been avoiding the blog. There's just SO MUCH that's been going on, and I want to tell you ALL about it. And I will. It's just going to take some time. For now, here's a list version, and I'll flesh out details in the next few posts:

- Morgan was the most lovely ballerina ever in her spring performance (video coming, promise)
- I went to Clovis for Jer's graduation from Nursing School (YEAH Brother!)
- Athan got sick (upper-respiratory junk), got meds, and got better
- Ryan won an award, spoke at graduates chapel, and graduated from seminary
- Morgan is finishing pre-school in 4 more days
- I got to go to Cincinnatti yesterday with my friend, Erin. The ache of leaving here creeps in
- ATHAN TURNS 3 TODAY (but don't tell him - he insists he wants to be 2 still)
- Ryan packed all of our books - we're really moving soon (not till end of June, but still...)

Ok, LOTS of stories to tell, videos and pictures to upload and edit, detials to fill in... I'm on it!

back to the dark ages

Flooding of the Kentucky river means our internet at the house is down until the river is down. Sorry for the lack of posts, e-mails, etc. Maybe I'll actually get some packing done...

A Spring Walk in Wilmore

I packed the first box

And then cried for a while. Gulp...

This is going to be really a really good and really tough transition...

We've started gathering Athan's medical records, and researching doctors in Abilene and Lubbock. We started the process of getting therapies and such going after the move.

We've started talking to Morgan about moving to Texas. So far she's excited.

So, momentum for the move is picking up.... :)

Now that it's officially official...

We're moving to Abilene to be part of Elmwood West UMC. :)

steadily onward...

Athan keeps doing new things almost daily right now: taking more initiative to walk on his own. walking longer distances with us holding just one hand, walking alone and changing direction without sitting or holding on to anything... Just keeps plugging ahead at Athan's pace.

Morgan also seems to have new skills every day: new words she can read, new chores she takes on, new expressions of creativity...

That explains what I do most days. :) But I'm also reading lots, and starting to pack.

Ryan's doing school, gardening, and working on a couple of woodworking projects here and there.

Just doing what we do and watching Kentucky bloom. Good days...

let this be a holy moment now

Athan and Morgan were baptized yesterday.

Christ is risen! Hallelujah!

Morgan ballet

This one is a glimpse of Morgan during the instruction time. She mostly follows directions, but almost always adds her own little twist to all of it...




And this one is the "free dance" at the end of the lesson, which Morgan apparently interprets as "track practice," and runs laps with a flailing hankie.

most ever!!

What you're watching is the most steps and distance Athan's ever done unassisted. This was actually the third time he did it during therapy earlier today. He went about 6 feet. Yeah! :)

therapy update

PT and OT continue to go really well for Athan. He has his up and down days, but he maintains steady forward progress at Athan's pace. He has ventured a few more unassisted steps here and there, and keeps improving his strength and balance all the time. He LOVES going in to Ms. Emily's gym twice a month.

He still uses his walker pretty effectively, so we're going to call and ask Shriner's if we can hang on to that until we move. We'll decide in June if we need to try to buy/borrow one for him once we're back in Texas.

We're also waiting to hear from the school so we can have meetings and get his IEP done before school is out. That way when we move we can have a starting place at the school, if we decide to go that route.

We just keep on cheering - Go, Athan, go! :)

oh, AND...

The other part of now-standard protocol around here is to knock on a friend's door in the middle of the night to keep Morgan. This time it was Jeremy and Jessica. It's been Adam and Dru, Jason and Hannah, Rob and Kat, Alan and Sarah, and on and on...

I'm not sure where we're moving next, but where ever we end up, I'll be scouting friendly faces for the person least likely to hate us if we have to wake them suddenly at 4 a.m.

To the many who have helped and the rest who have offered, we couldn't say how thankful we are...

The new info

Intussusception. That's what it's called. Probably what happened to Athan is that part of his bowel telescoped into another part.

Ouch.

As far as we know, there's no connection between this and his other issues. It can happen to anyone, and is more common in children under 5 or 6 years old, more common in boys. If left untreated over time, part of the bowel can actually die and have to be removed surgically.

Good news - not likely to happen again. Rarely happens twice, and if it does repeat, it is VERY VERY unlikely that it would happen a 3rd time. What I mean is that we're not looking at a chronic problem, most likely. Right now, no need to add another specialist to his list or anything. We will, of course, be extra-observant of his diet and diapers, in case there are signs of it again.

after the ER

Life after the ER is becoming unfortunately standard protocol around here. There are some things that seem to be part of it every time: There's the hurt - hurting to see your baby hurt. There is sleep deprivation, changing plans, canceling on commitments, tag-teaming naps for a couple of days, and trying to be nice to each other when it all makes us grouchy. We have to stress dose for a while, and keep track of stepping back down to normal doses. There's assimilation of new information (more on this later), and renewed sense of relief and thankfulness for having been carried through another round of trauma with/for Athan.

In the midst of all that, each new emergency has it's unique set of recovery experiences. This time had a few:
1 - The Clown. As I reported in the last post, Morgan's school put on a circus for parents to see, and she was a clown. I attended said circus after only a 2 hour nap on an ER bed with a toddler in pain. Honestly, I think the circus was funnier because it was all kinda fuzzy...
2 - The Poo. Athan had an enema. To save him the discomfort of prolonging the "tube up his butt" part, they only partially drained the fluid. The rest of the poop-water came in waves after we got home. Those "waves" would instantly over-flow the diaper every time. Lots of laundry (and a special trip to Nicholasville to get more detergent). Lots of scrubbing. Lots of baths. And we're going to try to re-cover one of our chairs (and maybe just drag it to the curb on trash day if we fail).

3 - The Time Change. Ugh. I hate the "spring forward" bit anyway, but 2 days after an ER trip?! Ugh, I say.

Really, after the ER, we're fine. Tired. A bit grouchy. But fine. Athan is downright chipper today. :)

meanwhile, at the circus...

I got a reasonable nap at the hospital, so I requested that Ryan take the first sleep shift at home. I went up to Morgan's school while the boys slept to see Morgan be a clown. Too cute! She ran around with the other clowns bopping people with balloons, and then squirting them with silly string and water.

Also, last Friday was clown day at school. The good pics are of her costume LAST Friday, and the fuzzier ones are from today, when silly mom forgot the real camera and had to use her phone to take pics. :)

home and resting

Athan slept through the entire discharge process (including removal of the IV), through being buckled into the carseat, all the way home, and in bed with Ryan until I got nervous and woke him up few minutes ago to have him eat a little and take medicine. He seems fine. Just sleepy.

correction :)

Given how well his procedure went, they gave us the option of admitting for observation or going home.

We're going home. :) We feel confident that we can monitor what we need to, and he'll rest better at home.

Hopefully we'll be discharged soon. I'll post whenever we're awake today.

enema done

They used a water soluble solution instead of barium, and it apparently went as well as enemas can go. No fun, but it's over. Kid you not, when we left Athan said "thank you" to the radiologist.

He said the enema either fixed it, or it had reduced on its own before we even started. Either way, it's fixed.

We're still in the ER for now, but we will admit to the pediatric floor for observation.

resting after getting IV

we are in the UK ER again

Not blood sugar this time.

At 11p, after being asleep for a couple hours, Athan woke up crying. Not unusual. But he didn't stop, it was very intense, and he was writhing in pain - pulling on his shirt, drawing his knees up to his chest, and saying "owie, owie, owie." It was obvious he was having abdominal pain, but no other symptoms - no vomiting, etc.

After nearly a half hour of this, we were nervous. It was abnormal enough behavior for Athan that we decided he needed to see a doctor right away.

Our gracious neighbors Jeremy and Jessica are at the house with Morgan, and we brought Athan into the ER.

X-ray was normal, blood work was normal, but ultrasound showed that part of his bowl is either looped around or telescoped into another part. It's fixable with a barium enema, which will likely happen in the next few hours.

Once again, we ask for your prayers, loved ones.

on the way to bed tonight

Morgan exclaims "I want a piggy back ride!"

Athan, not to be left out, cries "Mama, I ride backy pig!"

Dr. Irene says...

1 - Increase his nighttime dose of Cortef.
2 - Incorporate a higher fat, high protein snack before bed.
3 - Possibly increase his growth hormone dose as well.

We'll probably be doing more sugar-checks for a while. She says they recommend diabetics go to bed with a blood sugar of 100 to make sure there's room for a drop over night without being dangerous. Not sure if Athan needs to be exactly that, but we'll get a better idea of how his body does over night while we monitor his sugar more closely for a bit.

So, more sticks. Yuk.

Athan, aside from disliking the sugar checks, is fine. No worse for wear, it seems, from the episode last week.

And Mom and Dad are better. Fear still barks at me occasionally, but I'm asking again for the Lord to teach me to live a life of Love, not Fear.

another scary blood sugar dive

Yesterday morning Athan woke up a little whimpery. That's it. But I knew something wasn't ok. I checked his sugar - 28. Then 30. I checked mine to make sure the meter wasn't broken - mine was 95. (normal is 70-120). Ryan gave his emergency shot, and we poured peach nectar down him. And we waited. 10 min later, 38. 10 more minutes - 172. Whew....

And since then, he's been fine. Not sick, eating well... He's fine. We talked to Dr. Irene's office,a and have followed instructions on stepping down his dosage back to normal Cortef dose today. Checking his sugars regularly, etc... (95 at last stick this afternoon).

He's fine. I'm not. I'm afraid. His blood sugar can get really, REALLY low with no warning signs and almost no indicators. May it was even just stress that caused him to tank. I don't know. We don't know.

It's been a while since I've felt fear like this about my Athan.

Anyway, we see Endo on Monday, and maybe we'll know more then.

By a better photographer:

Here are a few glimpses Wilmore in winter time. I'm gonna miss it here.

travel

We made it to Chicago and back last weekend. Oddly enough we drove far enough north to miss all the snow that hit Kentucky and south while we were gone. It was COLD though. I think it got all the way up to 20 degrees about the time we were leaving town....

We got to visit our friends Josh and Candace McCallister, and their wonderful kiddos Jedidiah and Lilia. We got to stay in the guest apartment at Reba Place - so nice. Morgan and Jedi played together really well (until that inevitable point in preschool-dom when sharing becomes unthinkable). Poor Lilia got a little sickly while we were there, but Athan Bear held out and made it home with no sniffles or fever or cough. I was a bit nervous about getting the Bear out that much in winter. He's been so healthy this season, and looks like the trip didn't change that at all. Yeah! :) Ryan and I got to spend not-nearly-enough-but-good time with our dear friends. It may be the last time for a while, as it is slightly more difficult to pop up to Chicago for a weekend when you live in Texas. Sigh...

Then, on the way home, we stopped at the Children's Museum in Cincinnati. Wow. So fun. All interactive learning activities for the kids to play with. We really had fun. Morgan, of course, met new friends around every corner, then proceeded to enjoy whichever attraction with said new friend. Athan was a real champ. He drug his little walker all over that museum. He stood for almost an hour and played in the water. He crawled and climbed and smiled until, of course, the last 10 minutes, when he melted down into the most literal kicking-and-screaming fit either of my children have ever managed. But before you judge, just look how tired he was:

Yes, that's lunch lingering in his hand. Morgan was zonked, too:

yes, really...

Tonight, I learned to knit! After I did this much I just took it apart and gave the supplies back to my gracious teacher, Sarah. But it was out on a limb for me to even try. :) Who knows - maybe there are home-made scarves from me in your future... :)

I don't do this much

But in echo of my friend Sarah's blog post, check out this thoughtful post on differently-abled persons. Then watch the video.

fun family randomness

Ryan is taking a Mentored Ministry class this semester. As the title indicates, it is a class for being mentored by those already in ministry. Ryan gets to work with Sean at Communality in Lexington, and the kids and I will be attending several of the events there with him. It will be fun to learn from them and worship with them this spring.

Amberly now uses this site for printing a weekly organizer. It's free, recyclable, and pocket-size. Plus, each week I get to pick a new cover (using the "image" option). This week: luggage, since we're traveling this weekend. :)

Morgan's response to Athan's first steps (forgot to post this with the other video):

Athan has transformed the act of cuddling into an athletic event. Almost nightly, he crawls in bed with us, and proceeds to try to be in constant contact with both Mom and Dad at all times. The closer the better, especially if we can be cheek-to-cheek. It's much cuter now, as a fun kid story in the daylight, than it is at 4 a.m.

another Morgan moment

"Mom, Athan and I are a band! We're called the Significant Singers!"

Yes, really, she said "significant."

among the favorite activities of late: letters

The story about the above pic goes like this: When I came into the bathroom, Morgan spoke with great urgency. "Mom, don't worry. I know "cat" is wrong, but we don't have a letter C any more because Athan bit it and it broke, so I used a K because it makes the same sound and we don't have a C any more and I put it backwards because it is the wrong one anyway. Ok, Mom? Don't worry."
"Ok, Morgan. No problem. Not worried. Good spelling."
"Thanks."

The bottom one started out to be "Mom" and ended up being "Mooooo." Not sure what I think about that.

frozen!

The temp stayed below freezing for almost 2 solid weeks around here. It's nothing compared to the ice storm of last year, but still SUPER cold. It's funny that "sunny and in the lower 40s" feels balmy after 2 weeks of teens and 20s. The kids and Blue enjoyed the winter-y weather just fine, I think:

Morgan's 5th

Morgan turned five back in December. Ryan and I took cupcakes up to school for a little party with her class, and Ryan took her in to Lex to see the Nutcracker ballet. She got to go backstage afterward and meet all the ballerinas, then eat dinner with Dad on the way home. She really understood the story, Ryan said, and recounted most of it to me when she got home. I can hardly believe my beautiful girl is 5! :) Just wanted to post a couple pics for you all...

my temp job, etc.

Prepare to laugh - I'm working some shifts at the Phone-a-thon for the seminary. I know, I know - not my life's calling! But it has been surprisingly good. We call alumni, spouses, and friends to first pray, then update them on seminary news, and give them a chance to pledge to the general scholarship fund if they want to. I don't have to beg anyone for money (which I'm terrible at doing), and I do get to pray with folks (which I really like). So... ok, go ahead and laugh at me now. :) It'll be nice to get a pay check for a change, even if it's only for 30 hours or so.

Morgan's back in school and still liking it, it seems. Our girl is ever-more creative lately, and it's fun to watch her learn to read. Her big new addition this semester is ballet lessons - a Christmas gift from Grammy. She LOVES it. Her first session was too funny! She had been placed in the wrong class, and she was the only beginner in there. Oh my. She looked like the Rogue Ballerina. 3 other little girls following instructions and standing in "first position" as Morgan spins and then falls down over and over. She has now been moved to the appropriate class so she can spin and fall with 5 or 6 other newbies. Way fun. She says "I'm a ballerina, Mom. A REAL one."

Athan's still being our Athan. A little volatile these days, as 2 year olds will be, but still pretty pleasant kiddo most of the time. He has taken a few more steps here and there, but he's not too interested in trying for more than that. As with the rest of his skills, it'll have to be on his terms when he decides to go ahead and walk more. He IS showing much more initiative in using his walker these days, so his legs are getting more and more strength and coordination. He can identify most of the alphabet on sight, and is learning the sounds, too. He talks alot, and more and more clearly, too.

Ryan is with the kids alot while I work my phone-a-thon shifts, and is using the break to read the books he wants to read! He's also finishing up lots of work for the ordination process, and working on the ever-present to-do list of around-the-house projects (the bathroom is almost finished!).

per request... :)

Modes of Transportation 1/7/10 from Ryan Strebeck on Vimeo.

one five ten

On January 5, 2010, with both parents and dear friends looking on, Athan took his first totally unassisted steps. 4 of them.

Details and hopefully video to follow.

He walked!!

un-busy

Whew. This is nice. :)

Morgan and Ryan are finished with school for the semester. All the programs and parties are over. Now we just rest and wait.

And one of the things I'm looking forward to doing is updating you all via this too-long-latent blog. :) I'll get some fun posts and Athan updates going soon.

busy

Truly, we try to structure our lives so we use the word "busy" very,very little. However, this weekend, we were busy! I'm worn out, but at least this only happens a couple of times a year. :0) The past few days went something like this:

Thursday - early PT appointment in the afternoon and Morgan's school program that evening.
Friday - spent all day getting ready for the Canadian Missions committee to come see the house, then dinner with Canadian visitors and the people they help support at seminary.
Saturday - cooked all morning for a party Sat. evening, took Morgan to a birthday party for Maddie in Lex, then hosted a Send-Off Party for 3 families who will move in the next few weeks.
Sunday - Morgan's birthday! :) We had pancakes for breakfast, then church, then lunch, then Dad took Morgan to see The Nutcracker (pics to follow), meanwhile I went to a girl's farewell dinner for a friend moving this week. This evening Morgan opened gifts, ate cake, and watched a movie.

I suppose that list is unimpressive to some, but for us, that is extraordinarily hectic. :) Maybe I'm a wimp. It was all very fun stuff, and I'm glad we can resume a reasonable pace now, too. :)

This week Ryan will finish up the semester, we will load a moving truck and cry, and we'll begin life without Rob and Kat next door, with a 5-year-old in the house, and with one last semester of seminary ahead of us.

beginning of the transition

Well, we don't actually move for over 6 months, but the process has started. At least as far as Athan's doctors are concerned....

This week we saw 3 of Athan's doctors. Dr. Irene checked his endo stuff, and all is well. No change. Dr. Coburn did a 6-month check-up, and again - all is well.

And we saw Dr. Bay. She is the Geneticist we see only once a year. Yes, again, all is well. It was our last visit with Dr. Bay. She is sending us copies of Athan's file with genetics in preparation for the move, as well as sending us contact info for geneticists nearer to west Texas. It's our very first "last" anything before we move. You may get tired of "lasts" posts over the next few months, but I suppose there may be a few anyway. We're thankful to Dr. Bay and her staff for helping us smooth the transition out of the Bluegrass back to the High Plains.

the haircut

Some of you will be disappointed by this, others unspeakably relieved. Either way, here it is. Before and after of Athan's first haircut:

Thursday 4p:

Friday 8a:

Thanksgiving in Wilmore '09

breakfast with visiting friends

Just a few fun pics of breakfast this morning with some friends.

my gesture of solidarity

There is not much about Athan's experience that I can voluntarily adopt, but this one I can. Athan has been reluctant to keep his glasses on for long stretches, but we've discovered that he will keep glasses on his face if I have glasses on mine. SO.... I got "glasses." After a short trial run with some borrowed frames, I realized that the tactic worked and I needed something more permanent. I don't need any prescription, so reading glasses were out, as was borrowing Ryan's glasses (headache!). I eliminated the $$$$ options immediately, and finally found some $10 kids frames at the Vision Center in Wal-Mart. I just left in the plastic demo lenses. If I ever actually need glasses, I probably won't choose purple again! But for now, and for $10, and to help Athan, here's where I landed. And so far this morning, he hasn't taken his glasses off yet. :) I'm willing to look THAT dorky for a bit until he doesn't need it anymore. Ah, parenting - sucks the cool right out of you...

Yes, I was cooler once.

Was too!!

Shut up.

a query for my fellow parents:

Why does Athan only poop in the tub on tuesday nights - the only night of the week Ryan has class and it's just me here with the kids?

3 of 4 of us are leaking

Morgan, Athan, and I have colds. Nothing severe yet, but just the general drippy, coughy yuckiness.

Morgan has had the worst of it so far, running a fever of about 103 in the morning yesterday. It dropped back to about 99, then spiked up to 102 again after dinner. She missed school yesterday and today, but she's pretty perky already this morning. No fever, and not much cough, so maybe she's on the up-swing.

Athan and I haven't had a fever or anything. Just lots of snot. And then cough. Not so bad for me - I think I'll be over it soon. Athan, on the other hand, has always had a difficult time coughing effectively enough to clear everything out before it gets infected. So far so good, but we could use your prayers that he can fight it off before it gets worse.

(just a quick p.s.: We had our first adventure of being pet owners last night. Blue got outside the fence, and Ryan chased him for an hour or so. Then I took a turn. No luck. So we dejectedly gave up chase while we got the kids ready for and into bed. After about 3 hours of running his legs of, he apparently decided that this is, indeed, his home. So he came back. We didn't know if he'd do that or not, so we're super happy to have Blue back today. :)

a better walker video ('bout 3.5 min)

unprompted and unaided!! woo-hoo!! :)

Anyone else teary?! Kiddo just randomly volunteered himself to grab his "new toy" (his name for the walker), and take off. With minimal assistance he walked out of the kitchen, through the living room, and down the hall. Yeah Athan!! I'm walking around singing the doxology for some reason... :)

introducing...

Our new pooch. This sweet little guy was rescued by our friends Kelly and Tony this weekend as he was running for his life from all the traffic on the Bluegrass Parkway. Hence his name: Bluegrass (Blue for short). Morgan is so excited we can hardly keep her in the house at all. :) Athan is... warming up. I might be s happy as Morgan is about having a dog. Ryan is talking of building the dog a house, which I'm taking to be a gesture of welcome.

The Ballerina and Bob the Builder

Until just a few days ago, Morgan wanted to be Darby again. She changed her mind last minute and went with Ballerina instead. Good for us that Nana stocked the dress-up drawer with ballet clothes. ;) Athan, happy to just be a part of it all, let me zip him into a Bob the Builder constume I got at a consignment sale for a couple bucks.

ALL of this cuteness was gathered at our house before we walked over to Wilmore's wonderful Treats on Main event:


The ballerina gave us some live action before wearing the costume to school Friday:


And later that evening, built a huge pile of leaves, then plopped down in them an made a "leaf angel":

Eye Patch

Our first assignment from the ophthalmologist: get Athan to wear his glasses. The second: begin "patching" his good eye every day. The former is going well so far. Slowly, but surely, Athan is wearing his glasses - especially when reading. The latter challenge will begin next week, so we will keep you posted on that. For now, if you would like to read more about the method of patching we have been asked to follow, you may go here.

Here is the gist of the treatment, courtesy of the National Eye Institute: "The atropine eye drop works by temporarily blurring vision in the unaffected eye, thereby forcing the eye with amblyopia to be used. This strengthens it and improves vision."

We know this will be tough for a while, but the payoff should be good in the long run. Any volunteers to come hold down the stronger-by-the-day bear cub for an eye drop? Yikes!

hula-hoop-walk in Estes

This is our new favorite place for PT. I think it would be awesome if Athan learns to walk in the chapel. It seems appropriate. You'll also hear some good Athan talkin', and see Morgan dart in and out with Athan's new walker. More on that soon. For now:

Ortho at Shriner's

Athan and I went back to Shriner's today to follow up on his progress with the little braces. The docs were very pleased with his progress, the braces still fit just fine, and we'll see them again in 6 months.

We also saw the PT there, and with her we played with a couple different types of little walkers. I was really only thinking we could look at the options, then obtain one elsewhere. However, they had one available for loan that fits Athan really well. He actually took 10 steps or so, with considerable help from us with pushing the walker. This was the first time he didn't throw a fit about a new piece of equipment to help him. He was mildly fussy, but still cooperated. So the walker came home with us (picture/video soon), and we're going to try to work it into our routines.

cardio

We met with Dr. K again today. The short version is this: maintained. No change in his ECHO. No change in his dosage. No change in opinion about surgery (probably someday, but not any time soon). "He looks good," he says. Of course, "He could gain a little more weight" in perpetuum.

This is good news! I was nervous we were going to have to have another surgery soon. I'm so thankful that the medicine (Enalapril) is working!

this week

We've got lots coming up for Athan this week. We'll be getting him new glasses, for one, whenever we find some time to do it. Tomorrow we see Cardio, and hopefully find out more about when/if another surgery is needed. Wednesday we go back to Shriner's to check-up on his braces (make sure they still fit, etc.), and maybe play with a few of their walkers and see if there's one Athan likes.

I'll do my best to keep updates coming as we get these done this week.

lots of therapy news

Goodness, I can hardly keep up with posting about Athan's progress these days! Good problem to have.

I'll just cover last week: Wed. evening we met Laurie up at Estes Chapel for a very unique therapy session. Athan LOVED the stairs at the back of the chapel, and he crawled up AND down them on his own. Then, even after all that work, he walked across the back and down the center of the chapel with Laurie. She was holding a hula-hoop, and Athan was holding the other side of it. I'll try to catch a picture soon, because I think my description is failing. For now, know that he's always refused to hold the hoop before, that he's never gone that far without several pauses to rest, and that we're going back to Estes on Friday afternoon to try again. :)

Thurs. we went into Lexington for another new challenge. Emily, Athan's OT through First Steps, also works with a private practice on Tu/Th each week. She asked if we could bring Athan in there once or twice a month. They have a great gym set up with foam blocks and platform swings and bolster swings and bean pits... just lots of tools we can't replicate with in-home therapy. Athan had SO much fun and worked so very hard for a full hour. It was amazing. I'm so glad we're taking him once in a while to play there.

Then this morning, Laurie came again for an in-home session. While I read him a book, Athan stood free and balanced on his feet for an entire minute! I've never seen him stand that long!

We are just closer and closer to that milestone of walking!

see? fun! :)

last weekend

I get busy and write about the details of our life, and forget to tell you about our real life...

Last weekend, Ryan and I both had out-of-town events scheduled: He has been planning a backpacking trip with Steve for months, and I was asked to speak at a women's retreat. Once we realized the conflict, we got on the phone. I was only going to be away for 24ish hours, but with Athan's med schedule, daily injection, and emergency procedures to learn, that's no small thing to ask of just any sitter (besides the fact that most of the people who could do it for us were going on the retreat with me :). So after some sifting and sorting and planning and re-planning amongst the grandparents, it was decided that Sid, Selena, and Na-Na would come up and stay with us a few days.

It was the first time Ryan and I were both so far away from Athan at the same time for so long. Despite the most capable caretakers, it chewed on my nerves all weekend that if there were an emergency of some kind (they seem to lurk around a corner with our Athan), I would be too far away to help. My mother's intuition had to go with me to Camp Kavanaugh, unfortunately.

Of course, it was fine. He was fine. They had a blast, Papa Sid learned to give his shot, Nana kept his med schedule on target, and Na-Na made Morgan feel like the center of the universe.

And I remembered that it's not up to me to do this alone. Or even to just Ryan and I. Athan has been entrusted to our family and friends, too, and he will be better for it if we'll let others take a shift.

Thanks, Sid, Selena, and Na-Na for helping this weekend. Broader "thanks" to all who come along side us in parenting our kiddos.

Dr. Patterson

We saw a new eye doc. Ryan took Athan in, so I don't have a first-hand report to offer. But what I've heard is really good.

We are getting him new glasses. And we are going to do a chemical patch instead of a mechanical one (eye-drops instead of an over-eye-band-aid). Dr. Patterson thinks we can really improve his vision with this.

It was nice to get in to see him in 30 minutes instead of 4 hours, too! ;)

PT

Athan has been doing well in therapy lately. Latest milestone: he cruised along the wall yesterday, and he can stand up all by himself for 30 seconds or so. We're all so excited about his progress. Yeah Athan! :)

Athan likes Wall-E

Athan watched Wall-E and LOVED it. Now he has a shirt with pictures of Wall-E on it, which he also LOVES. When he says Wall-E, he actually pronounces the "L" sound, which I LOVE. :)

better today

Slept through the night. No fever. Ate a big breakfast. Maybe we're in the clear this time.

when he feels better

he'll look like this again. :)

off and on

He feels fine for a couple hours, then yucky again for an hour or so. So far, he only has a fever. No cough or snot or pulling at the ears or crying when he fills his diaper. I don't know what kind of infection he's fighting, but the fever alone has been enough for a long day.

At least Ryan got to spend a big chunk of his 30th birthday cuddling with our sweet Athan. Happy 3-0, Dad!

sickly Bear

Athan woke this morning with a fever and feeling yucky. We cancelled the eye appt. he was supposed to be at, checked sugar (103), and just put tired boy down for a very uncharacteristic morning nap. Morgan's off at school, so we'll have the morning to keep and eye on him. I'll try to post an update soon.

constant companions

The newest members of our family: The Monkeys. Athan has latched on to these two adorable guys (apparently named Gus, and the original Monkey). I've pushed every "cuddly thing" I could find his direction, and finally gave up on it. Then he randomly scoots into Morgan's room a couple of weeks ago, finds the matching monkeys, and that's it.

It's actually been a great thing. Suddenly he is the "big brother" to these guys, and it's helping his behavior. He sleeps with them, and he doesn't scream when we leave the room anymore. He'll explain to his monkey's that they have to "take one bite," or "don't hit." So I say, "Welcome, Gus and Monkey." :)

I think she had a good time in ME

as promised

The trip to Nashville was quick, and mostly good. We planned it last-minute, asked Jessica along for the ride, and headed out. What should be a 3 hour drive became 5+ when we spent over an hour in stand-still traffic on I-65. I had to get out and pee in the woods (we were also in the middle of a state part - no exits). But we made it. I got kinda sick that evening, but it was still good to see Mom. She took care of Athan and Jessica took care of me. I probably got more rest than if I'd stayed home. :) We took mom to the airport the next morning, and came home.

Mom thanked me too much for going. In case anyone's forgotten, just re-read some of the beginning of this blog for a reminder about the many times she's rearranged her life and made last-minute trips to help me out. Driving to Nashville for a day was no big deal. :)

More on the Maine trip when we get pictues uploaded.

my phone

So Ryan and Morgan went to Maine to see Jason and Hannah (good times, details later). Meanwhile, Athan and I (and good friend Jessica) took a quick trip down to Nashville to see Grammy, who was there for a wedding (also good times, details later).

The point of this post: I left my phone in the hotel in Nashville. They're mailing it to me, so I'll have it back by the end of the week. Until then, know that I'm not ignoring you if you're calling. Call Ryan's phone if you need me.

Oops.

my favorite school story

So far, this takes the cake. Morgan has regaled us with entertaining tales from school, but the best comes from an exchange of e-mails I had with her teacher. It started with "Morgan is missing school today because...." followed by "how is she doing in class?" There was a good report, followed by this:

"The first day, when she was introduced to the principal, she deeply curtsied, as if meeting royalty. It was the cutest thing ever! I am not sure Ms. Sampson have ever gotten such a greeting!"

:-)

we guessed right

He'd outgrown his dosage. We're going up on his Cortef and growth hormone dose. Kiddo weighs almost 27 pounds! :) Thanks again, all, for being with us through another twist in the plot. We're so thankful for your support.

good again today

Athan had a good day again. Sugars never went below 95, he was in a good mood, and is resting more normally. Tomorrow we'll go see Dr. Irene and talk about what might be behind the crash.

Thanks, all, for praying us through again. We couldn't do this without Him or you.

seems to be doing fine

Athan didn't nap today, but that's no surprise given the triple dose of Cortef he's taken. Aside from that, pretty normal day. He's his usual Athan self. He was silly-chipper at dinner. I tried to post a video clip, but technology is being cranky. Maybe later. For now, I'm going to help Prince and Princess Silly out of the tub.

Also, Morgan started learning to swim today. And I started learning how to can tomatoes (the lid to the pressure canning pot only jumped at us once). :)

Good News

Athan's sitting in front of the TV, smiling, and eating an omelet.

The longer version: He woke this morning a bit cranky, but nothing else very unusual. Then, about 2 minutes later, his whole body twitched. That was my only cue, but I ran and grabbed the meter to test his sugar. 40. Then 35. Ryan had jumped up to mix and give his emergency IM shot of Solucortef, then call 911.

I tried to stay as calm as possible and get Morgan dressed. We took her next door to watch movies with Jeremy and Jessica. Such a blessing to have trusted neighbors who will jump out of bed on a moments notice and babysit.

We got Athan to drink some juice and eat most of a banana. He was still twitching at times, which scared him and made him cry a lot. Once the ambulance arrived, they monitored his sugar while Ryan talked with our endocrinologist on the phone and I packed a bag. As Athan's sugars rose and stabilized, Dr. Irene decided that it was best for us not to transport, since a trip to the ER would not be best as far as evaluating the reasons why he might have crashed so suddenly. Instead, Dr. Irene asked that we monitor him closely (checking sugars regularly, making sure he is eating and drinking sufficient amounts, etc.) and give Athan his "stress dose" of hydrocortisone today and tomorrow. She wants to see him 1st thing Monday morning. It could be something as simple as having outgrown his daily dose, but it's hard to say at this point.

Thank you for your prayers. We will try our best to get Athan some rest today and keep you posted on the progress.