So I think Evan has made the connection between his feeding tube and eating. It's going to take a pretty strong bite to get any food that way, Evan!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Giving new meaning to the term "feeding tube"
So I think Evan has made the connection between his feeding tube and eating. It's going to take a pretty strong bite to get any food that way, Evan!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Hand Washing
I don't know what happened to the little boy who 4 months ago was completely terrified of water. Evan loves playing in the water now. He will pull his step stool up in front of the bathroom sink and put his hands in the dry sink. Thankfully, he hasn't figured out how to turn on the faucet yet (Heaven help us when he does). When the water is on, he can make quite a mess! ***Update from daddy--as I was typing this, he figured out how to turn it on...
Getting ready to wash up...
Water, water squrting everywhere--such fun!
What--doesn't everyone get this wet after a thorough hand washing? You must not do as good of a job as I do.
PS Third day of school went well. Evan is very interested in the water fountain (are we surprised?). Daddy and J. are teaching Evan how to push the button and turn the water on. Evan licked the water today--the cold water must be very refreshing for someone who never has liquid in their mouth.
Getting ready to wash up...
Water, water squrting everywhere--such fun!
What--doesn't everyone get this wet after a thorough hand washing? You must not do as good of a job as I do.
PS Third day of school went well. Evan is very interested in the water fountain (are we surprised?). Daddy and J. are teaching Evan how to push the button and turn the water on. Evan licked the water today--the cold water must be very refreshing for someone who never has liquid in their mouth.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Choosing Socks
Evan picked out the pair of socks he wanted to wear this morning. Jeremy was folding laundry, and had a pile of Evan's socks on the bed. Evan picked up one pair at a time, and would throw the ones he didn't want off to the side. There was one pair he didn't toss away, and that was the pair he wanted to wear. He pulled the pair apart, and laid down with his feet in the air (that is his way of helping us put his socks on). The socks he chose were orange and blue stripes--didn't match the rest of his outfit at all--but I think that's a pretty standard wardrobe selection for a three year old.
PS Evan's second day of school went pretty well also. There were more kids in the class this morning, so the teachers were busy getting the new kids all settled in. Evan is getting used to J. very quickly--he crawled up to J. and wanted him to walk with him. It's going to be a great year for Evan--I just have a good feeling about it.
Jeremy had a close call with another g-tube incident--he discovered before leaving home this morning the mic-key button balloon had a tiny hole in it (that's why it deflated yesterday), so changed to a new button.
On to Day 3!
PS Evan's second day of school went pretty well also. There were more kids in the class this morning, so the teachers were busy getting the new kids all settled in. Evan is getting used to J. very quickly--he crawled up to J. and wanted him to walk with him. It's going to be a great year for Evan--I just have a good feeling about it.
Jeremy had a close call with another g-tube incident--he discovered before leaving home this morning the mic-key button balloon had a tiny hole in it (that's why it deflated yesterday), so changed to a new button.
On to Day 3!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
First Day of Pre-School!
All in all, a very good day for Evan. I didn't want to jinx it by posting on the blog, but the special ed director at Kittitas told me last Friday they had a very promising candidate turn in an application to be Evan's aide. She interviewed him on Monday and he was at school this morning waiting to meet Evan. We feel very blessed that J. applied for the position--he is fluent in ASL and will be a wonderful example for Evan this year.
Jeremy stayed today (and is planning on staying all this week) to help with the transition for Evan. I came for the first half hour, and got to meet J., help Evan put his bag into his cubby, and take pictures commemorating the occasion! First was independent play--Evan is very good at this already, and seemed excited to find toys he has some familiarity with (they have a Busy Box--he was all over that).
Next was circle time. The lead teacher sang a roll-call song, and each child is supposed to come put their name card in the attendance board. Out of the 5 kiddos in class this morning, only 1 was able to do this--and he was in the class last year :) One of the teachers told Jeremy this is a fun way to see progress--at the beginning of the year, most of the kids can't do this task, but are able to by the end of the school year. The lead teacher attempted to read a story, but most of the kids were ready to move on. Evan stayed on the rug, rocking back and forth, but he stayed on the rug! I wondered how he would do with circle time...
They looked at books independently instead of group story, and then it was snack time (Evan got to play some more, since he can't eat the snack). Then the kids went to a different room that has gross-motor activities like swings and ramps. Evan really liked this room, and didn't want to transition to outside. Evan surprised daddy, when he hopped right into a little tykes car, shut the door, and pushed and steered his way around (our neighbor McKenzie has one of these, and Evan's sat in it before, but we had no idea he knew how to make it go).
Evan only had a small melt-down part of the way through the morning. Jeremy interrupted his play to change his diaper, and this made him mad and started building gas. When Jeremy vented the g-tube, Evan kicked his legs up around the vent tube and pulled the button half-way out (which made him even madder). Jeremy was able to get the balloon back in and Evan calmed down. Note to Max: We beat you, less than one day in school for a g-tube incident (ok--it didn't come all the way out, so not as bad).
Here are some pictures from this morning:
On our way out the door, with an apple for the teacher (Evan didn't want to touch it because it was cold)
Ready...set...let's go in!
Ahh...Busy Box! This is something I recognize and know exactly how to do.
Jeremy stayed today (and is planning on staying all this week) to help with the transition for Evan. I came for the first half hour, and got to meet J., help Evan put his bag into his cubby, and take pictures commemorating the occasion! First was independent play--Evan is very good at this already, and seemed excited to find toys he has some familiarity with (they have a Busy Box--he was all over that).
Next was circle time. The lead teacher sang a roll-call song, and each child is supposed to come put their name card in the attendance board. Out of the 5 kiddos in class this morning, only 1 was able to do this--and he was in the class last year :) One of the teachers told Jeremy this is a fun way to see progress--at the beginning of the year, most of the kids can't do this task, but are able to by the end of the school year. The lead teacher attempted to read a story, but most of the kids were ready to move on. Evan stayed on the rug, rocking back and forth, but he stayed on the rug! I wondered how he would do with circle time...
They looked at books independently instead of group story, and then it was snack time (Evan got to play some more, since he can't eat the snack). Then the kids went to a different room that has gross-motor activities like swings and ramps. Evan really liked this room, and didn't want to transition to outside. Evan surprised daddy, when he hopped right into a little tykes car, shut the door, and pushed and steered his way around (our neighbor McKenzie has one of these, and Evan's sat in it before, but we had no idea he knew how to make it go).
Evan only had a small melt-down part of the way through the morning. Jeremy interrupted his play to change his diaper, and this made him mad and started building gas. When Jeremy vented the g-tube, Evan kicked his legs up around the vent tube and pulled the button half-way out (which made him even madder). Jeremy was able to get the balloon back in and Evan calmed down. Note to Max: We beat you, less than one day in school for a g-tube incident (ok--it didn't come all the way out, so not as bad).
Here are some pictures from this morning:
On our way out the door, with an apple for the teacher (Evan didn't want to touch it because it was cold)
Ready...set...let's go in!
Ahh...Busy Box! This is something I recognize and know exactly how to do.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Goodbye Kitt Kat
Kitt Kat still has not come home yet. It has been over two weeks now. I've looked along the sides of the road and have asked our neighbors--no luck. I even have the neighbor lady that feeds all the stray cats on the look out for him. I would like to think that someone took him, and he's enjoying a new family with lots of attention. Not knowing is the hardest part.
I saw a story on Yahoo about a cat that was returned to her owners after nine years of being gone. The cat had a microchip, so that's how the owners could be tracked down. Unfortunately, our cats do not have microchips (or collars).
Even though he could be pesky at times, Kitt Kat was a good cat. He liked to snuggle. I miss him. Snickers (our other cat) misses him too.
I saw a story on Yahoo about a cat that was returned to her owners after nine years of being gone. The cat had a microchip, so that's how the owners could be tracked down. Unfortunately, our cats do not have microchips (or collars).
Even though he could be pesky at times, Kitt Kat was a good cat. He liked to snuggle. I miss him. Snickers (our other cat) misses him too.
Daddy Walking
Even though Evan is a pretty efficient cruiser/walker now, his favorite mode of transportation around the house is daddy-assisted walking. He is very particular about how it's done too--if everything is not just how Evan wants it, he'll let you know. He might even perform one of the little feet-stomping fits he's started throwing lately (not being able to tell mom and dad what he wants frustrates him to the boil-over point sometimes).
Here are Evan's "Rules for Walking"
1. To begin with, the "helper" must be daddy. Maybe if daddy has been gone for a few hours, mommy will do...maybe. But if daddy is anywhere in the house, it has to be him. If mommy tries, I instantly turn into "Noodle Boy" and won't stand up.
2. Evan will only walk with daddy bending over him, so he is walking in front of Jeremy, between his legs. No walking along side daddy, and absolutely no walking between two parents. Try to walk any other way and, you guessed it--Noodle Boy returns. (Thank goodness Evan is getting taller, so Jeremy doesn't have to bend over so far now.)
3. Both hands must be held. Being able to grip the palm of the hand, underneath the thumb is critical. No thumb or finger holding is permitted. The hands cannot have any thing else in them. If you try to hold his hands any other way, he pulls them back and will sit down in a noodle-like fashion.
4. The preferred route is circular laps through the kitchen and living room in a counter-clockwise direction. Evan does not like walking in the clockwise direction--he will twist himself around to go the other way. He will walk to other parts of the house sometimes--but he really likes walking in circles best.
If you follow these rules, you will have one happy Evan. If you don't (or if you decide you are done for the night, and Evan isn't)...watch out!
Here are Evan's "Rules for Walking"
1. To begin with, the "helper" must be daddy. Maybe if daddy has been gone for a few hours, mommy will do...maybe. But if daddy is anywhere in the house, it has to be him. If mommy tries, I instantly turn into "Noodle Boy" and won't stand up.
2. Evan will only walk with daddy bending over him, so he is walking in front of Jeremy, between his legs. No walking along side daddy, and absolutely no walking between two parents. Try to walk any other way and, you guessed it--Noodle Boy returns. (Thank goodness Evan is getting taller, so Jeremy doesn't have to bend over so far now.)
3. Both hands must be held. Being able to grip the palm of the hand, underneath the thumb is critical. No thumb or finger holding is permitted. The hands cannot have any thing else in them. If you try to hold his hands any other way, he pulls them back and will sit down in a noodle-like fashion.
4. The preferred route is circular laps through the kitchen and living room in a counter-clockwise direction. Evan does not like walking in the clockwise direction--he will twist himself around to go the other way. He will walk to other parts of the house sometimes--but he really likes walking in circles best.
If you follow these rules, you will have one happy Evan. If you don't (or if you decide you are done for the night, and Evan isn't)...watch out!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Children's Check-Up
Evan had a bunch of follow-up appointments at Children's today. Most of them were through the Craniofacial clinic, although Evan's managing pediatrician was not available to see him today (as far as we're concerned, not the end of the world).
His dietitian was very pleased with Evan's growth--he weighed 30 lbs and measured 35 1/2 inches! Evan had been hovering around 27 lbs it seemed like forever. We had added an extra tablespoon of flax seed and olive oil to his blended mix. It finally helped. Evan has a mini gut over his waistband now (too cute!). I remeasured him at home because I didn't believe his height--it turned out he is around 35 inches, which is the same as I measured the week before is birthday. Most of the disbelief was the result of a math error on my part, which got me thinking Evan had grown 3 inches in 2 months (the blendarized diet is good, but not that good!). 3 feet does not equal 32 inches mommy!
Evan's ENT was pleasantly surprised to see an almost secretion-free Evan. Evan has his moments, up to this point they have never been while seeing this particular Dr. After Evan's upcoming surgery, he would like to discontinue the oral antibiotics and try Evan on a Bactrim/saline nasal spray. I'm sure the thinking is that localizing the antibiotic application to his nose is better than giving him a whole body dose with the oral med. But, the mucus membranes in the nose have a very rich blood supply--the Bactrim is going to go systemic anyway. Knowing what a fan Evan is of inhalers and nose sprays, meds through his g-tube are much less traumatic. But we'll give it a try and see what happens.
The speech therapist and orthodontist also checked in. We are all set for Evan's upcoming surgery date October 8th. Evan will be having a final urology procedure done, along with an MRI and BAER hearing test for his cochlear implant candidacy eval. Fingers crossed Evan stays well until then.
His dietitian was very pleased with Evan's growth--he weighed 30 lbs and measured 35 1/2 inches! Evan had been hovering around 27 lbs it seemed like forever. We had added an extra tablespoon of flax seed and olive oil to his blended mix. It finally helped. Evan has a mini gut over his waistband now (too cute!). I remeasured him at home because I didn't believe his height--it turned out he is around 35 inches, which is the same as I measured the week before is birthday. Most of the disbelief was the result of a math error on my part, which got me thinking Evan had grown 3 inches in 2 months (the blendarized diet is good, but not that good!). 3 feet does not equal 32 inches mommy!
Evan's ENT was pleasantly surprised to see an almost secretion-free Evan. Evan has his moments, up to this point they have never been while seeing this particular Dr. After Evan's upcoming surgery, he would like to discontinue the oral antibiotics and try Evan on a Bactrim/saline nasal spray. I'm sure the thinking is that localizing the antibiotic application to his nose is better than giving him a whole body dose with the oral med. But, the mucus membranes in the nose have a very rich blood supply--the Bactrim is going to go systemic anyway. Knowing what a fan Evan is of inhalers and nose sprays, meds through his g-tube are much less traumatic. But we'll give it a try and see what happens.
The speech therapist and orthodontist also checked in. We are all set for Evan's upcoming surgery date October 8th. Evan will be having a final urology procedure done, along with an MRI and BAER hearing test for his cochlear implant candidacy eval. Fingers crossed Evan stays well until then.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Pee Pee in the Potty Chair!
So this was more than a fluke than anything else, but Evan peed in his potty chair this morning.
Jeremy has discovered that Evan "holds it" during bath time, and he almost always will go on the bath mat while he is waiting for Jeremy to get out and dry him off (or the bedroom carpet the couple of times he was able to scamper off before Jeremy got to him).
Evan refuses to sit on his potty chair, but Jeremy got the idea to just stand him up in front of it this morning. And low and behold--he went! Most of it actually made it inside the potty chair too.
Jeremy said the look on Evan's face was priceless. He was evidently pretty surprised to discover exactly where pee comes from. And when he saw how happy and excited daddy was, he started grinning--pretty pleased with himself.
So Jeremy's new plan is to get Evan up in front to the big potty every morning as soon as he gets up (figuring it's a bigger target and a shorter distance, there will be a greater chance of success). We'll see how effective this "habbit training" is. We'll take any kind of potty training we can get!
Jeremy has discovered that Evan "holds it" during bath time, and he almost always will go on the bath mat while he is waiting for Jeremy to get out and dry him off (or the bedroom carpet the couple of times he was able to scamper off before Jeremy got to him).
Evan refuses to sit on his potty chair, but Jeremy got the idea to just stand him up in front of it this morning. And low and behold--he went! Most of it actually made it inside the potty chair too.
Jeremy said the look on Evan's face was priceless. He was evidently pretty surprised to discover exactly where pee comes from. And when he saw how happy and excited daddy was, he started grinning--pretty pleased with himself.
So Jeremy's new plan is to get Evan up in front to the big potty every morning as soon as he gets up (figuring it's a bigger target and a shorter distance, there will be a greater chance of success). We'll see how effective this "habbit training" is. We'll take any kind of potty training we can get!
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