Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Night Driving

The attendant at the gas station begins to clean our windshield. Suddenly I hear from behind me, "Kween up! Kween up! Buddy.." Judah was singing "The Clean Up Song"! Willow & Sebastian joined in. We all sang "The Clean Up Song" to the guy cleaning our windshield, haha.

Judah definitely seemed different today. I think the nebulizer (treatment done last night) made a difference. The medicine in that is supposed to help detoxify your system. Apparently many doctors rave about it. Scott forgot to do Judah's nebulizer tonight (I was gone all night), so tomorrow will be a chance to maybe see if the progress continues after missing a treatment or if it flattens off & booms up again after the next treatment. It's basically taking care of your body. Often in life it seems that things just come back to taking care of yourself.. it's often all you needed to do! And white vinegar.. you can do anything with white vinegar

I barely slept last night. Scott came home for lunch & I was able to get a nap in. Sleep was crucial because I was signed up for a workshop in Portland this evening. And this was also going to be my first time driving at night in maybe close to a year? I tried out my new eye drops last night. They are supposed to help with my night vision/gargantuan pupils. I drove a couple miles last night after I put them in. Everything seemed better, not perfect, but considerably better. The lights weren't fluorescent bursts & explosions anymore! I could even read street signs! What I didn't expect tonight was to drive for 3 hours!! It was a 2 hour drive to the workshop in Portland - what should have been a 45 minute drive. This made me an hour late for a 2 hour class, ugh!!! Then the drive home was another hour. The woman who ran the workshop asked me what part of Portland I lived in after I had asked her about finding some help for Judah. I told her I had just driven from Salem, for 2 hours. She giggled and said, "I go to Salem too!" Apparently she does the same workshop here in Salem sometimes.. how great that is of her, how awesome.

The workshop was on augmentative communication. She talked a lot about a device that works as a speech aid for those who are verbally challenged. This device costs seven THOUSAND dollars. It was basically a class on how to communicate with someone who struggles with communication - how to model for them as you teach them in many different ways. She also included frustrations they may have that you could be causing. I asked how one could qualify for the device. After hearing so much about it, there was no doubt in my mind that it could benefit Judah immensely. She said we would need to get a prescription from our doctor, take it to our speech therapist & ask for an augmentative eval. I asked for names of therapists she would recommend we take our prescription to. Firstly she said herself & then she went on to talk about a place in Keizer.. and a new therapist they had gotten there. Turns out, she was talking about our therapy place and actually specifically referring me to Judah's therapist! ha. Apparently Judah's therapist & this woman are pretty connected. What are the odds! So definitely trying that one, definitely. The 2 hour drive? Worth it.

This was the class:

Use of Augmentative Communication in the Home: Tips to being a successful communicator
 
Bethany Bertoti, MS, CCC-SLP, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist at Providence Neurodevelopmental Center for Children. Bethany is certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and has an extensive background in augmentative and alternative communication.
 
This 2 hour course is geared for parents, families, caregivers, in home SLPs, and OTs to learn some basic techniques in integrating your child’s communication system (from low tech to high tech SGDs) into your daily life WITHOUT creating added stress

Learn to:
  • Recognize communication vs "testing"
  • Use low tech- high tech SGDs in a variety of settings in the home and community
  • Identify at least 3 daily activities that you ALREADY do that a communication system can be integrated into.
Since my night driving seems to be back, I'm going to try to make some of the support groups & workshops (after checking to see that they aren't held HERE) and even playgroups they have there! Scott wants to do the workshops as well. They have free childcare for patients & people visiting the hospital - if we qualify that could be extremely handy. Of course, if we lived in Portland we would have started all of this long ago. They have so many resources in Portland - well, compared to here anyway!!
Judah chose underwear over a diaper this afternoon. He kept it dry, but wasn't really in it long enough to need to go to the bathroom. An hour after he had requested underwear, we had to go get Sebastian, grab some food & then I left for Portland soon after. So he only wore underwear for an hour. He didn't even want to change into a diaper! Tomorrow we are busy too - but I will make damn sure we do the underwear Judah!! Damn sure.


Meds Completed
  • Vitamin D3 2000 IU one daily(morning)
  • bethanechol 25 mg 1/2 tablet 2/day
  • DMG 125 mg w/Folinic Acid &Methyl b-12 3 capsules in morning
  • WP Minerals 1/day
  • Sleep factor
  • Creon (pancrilipase)
  • his b-12/folinic shot 
  • Beta TCP 1-4 daily










  • Meds not complete -
    There were in milks he didn't finish:
  • Oxy-Mag Powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/day
  • Molasses 1 tsp in almond milk
  • Levocarnitin 10% 1 Tablespoon 15MLS every morning
  • DOCU 150/15ML Liq Hi-Tech 2 MLS

  • Meds didn't take -
    • Powder B-6 1/2 tsp (fridge mix) every 3-5 days
    • skin rash med not needed
    • Miralax
    • Fish Oil 
    • Organic coconut butter 1-3 tsp/day  - 1 tsp
    • Nebulizer
    Meds we don't have -
    • Iron up 1 tsp/day
    • Probiotic 1 daily in morning

    Tuesday, July 29, 2014

    Excuse Me Mommy

    Judah says to me tonight as Sebastian is yelling something at me, "Excuse me Mommy.." Wow! After that he told me something like.. "that's funny". It was awesome. 

    We did Judah's nebulizer for the first time tonight. At first it scared him. After much coaxing, hugging & kisses he managed to sit still. When he realized it would not hurt him he was able to do the treatment. Pretty quickly, he looked like he was enjoying it.. quite a bit.. like it was making him feel very good. I'm not sure exactly...

    Judah body slammed me quite a few times while I was beginning to wake up this morning. Oh my god, he is seriously capable of hurting me.. and thinking it's fun. It wasn't long before I texted Scott telling him we needed someone to help us, NOW!!

    Sebastian made binoculars' and a badge at camp. He had a super fun day. Although when we were leaving he forgot everything.. the counselors acted as if they knew he would do this. ??

    I was able to get all of the kids to clean up today. Sebastian & Willow did the most.. they were slow going, but they did quite a bit. Judah sang the song, as did Willow. Judah did some picking up when I gave him things to put in a bin.


    Meds Completed
  • Vitamin D3 2000 IU one daily(morning)
  • bethanechol 25 mg 1/2 tablet 2/day
  • DMG 125 mg w/Folinic Acid &Methyl b-12 3 capsules in morning
  • WP Minerals 1/day
  • Sleep factor
  • Creon (pancrilipase)
  • his b-12/folinic shot 
  • Beta TCP 1-4 daily
  • Organic coconut butter 1-3 tsp/day  - 1 tsp
  • NEBULIZER - FIRST TIME!!!!!!!!!!










  • Meds not complete -
    There were in milks he didn't finish:
  • Oxy-Mag Powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/day
  • Molasses 1 tsp in almond milk
  • Levocarnitin 10% 1 Tablespoon 15MLS every morning
  • DOCU 150/15ML Liq Hi-Tech 2 MLS

  • Meds didn't take -
    • Powder B-6 1/2 tsp (fridge mix) every 3-5 days
    • skin rash med not needed
    • Miralax
    • Fish Oil 
    Meds we don't have -
    • Iron up 1 tsp/day
    • Probiotic 1 daily in morning

    Love

    I went in for my highlights today (part 2 of my Groupon). I told her to cut more.. shorter, shorter!! We talked a lot. I set up an appointment for Judah with her. He really needs a haircut. We tried over the weekend at the salon near us, but it was a huge fail. He didn't even make it to the chair! The stylist I saw today (that he'll see next week) grew up with an autistic brother. I could tell by her stories that she would understand Judah easier than most. She even offered her mom up as a resource for information on what Judah is eligible for at school when she learned that he does not have a one-on-one. Apparently her brother chose to walk home from school one day when he was in the 3rd grade. He was completely by himself. That's when her mom demanded the one-on-one. She wasn't going to let that one go any longer. And the help that he got from that person changed his life dramatically. The stylist thinks he would have been completely different today had he not had that one-on-one. He still has a one-on-one to this day. Anyway, her mom has fought the fight. Her son is 18 now, and in high school. They didn't shelter him or keep him from events & activities in life. He did what they did. The stylist said that one year her brother wanted to go to Red Robin for his birthday. The entire family went. When they arrived, they were told there would be a 25 minute wait. Her brother wanted to stay, so they stayed. 30 minutes goes by, 45 minutes goes by.. she asks her brother if he wants to go somewhere else. He says "No." and continues sitting, waiting patiently. Apparently he usually hates waiting, so this was very odd. An hour and a half goes by and they are finally seated. The entire family sat for an hour and a half so this boy could eat at Red Robin for his birthday. No one complained. Another half hour goes by & they have food. No one complained, because after all, it was his birthday.  Such a sweet story.

    I tipped her twice what I should have I'm sure. And I still didn't feel like that was enough!

    And do you know why she told me that story? Because she was explaining that sometimes he would just do things that weren't like him. He typically was not a very patient person, but he was incredibly patient that day. Of course what I found amazing was that the entire family was that patient! And that they were all there for him 100%. But to her, that was just what should happen.. and it did, which is pretty incredible. That's love.

    Sebastian's Video

    This is Sebastian talking about his summer camp. Today was his second day. I meant to make this video yesterday, after his first day, but forgot. Enjoy!

    http://youtu.be/wQ460l6bi5Y

    Monday, July 28, 2014

    Sebastian's First Summer Camp

    I actually meant to make a video of Sebastian describing his first day of summer camp & use that as today's blog entry. But that didn't happen, maybe tomorrow.

    No helper today. However, Sebastian was at his first summer camp for a big chunk of the day so I just had Willow & Judah - which was fun. His summer camp was from noon to four. That's longer than his school day was last year! He had a blast though - splash pad, soccer, scavenger hunts, etc. He found the final flag & was the winner - he was very proud of that! There are 3 kids at the same camp that belong to two of my mom friends. Two of them are coming here for a play date next week actually. I was so happy that he loved his camp day!! Sebash used to be very scared of  being left anywhere new or starting anything new - like the Awesome 3000 or the first day of Kindergarten or Preschool morning drop-off for 2 years!!

    Judah, Willow & I attempted to play outside - Judah couldn't take the heat and went to the inner garage door, telling me, "In! In!" just five minutes after we had stepped outside. He was absolutely right. It was oven-bake humans day! Willow of course resisted going back inside. After 10 minutes her face was already red & she was not doing much activity at all. It was just fire hot outside! After Bash got home we were able to play in the backyard, which was shaded by then.

    I keep finding Willow talking to her stuffed animals as if they are real. Even if she spots you watching her she doesn't smile, she acts as if she has just had a completely real conversation with a stuffed wolf animal. Today she was telling one of them to stop biting her toes. She suddenly looked down at her toes in the middle of watching one of her favorite TV shows (Sophia the First). It genuinely looked like she had just been interrupted watching her show. She was not happy. Then she placed her dog on her toes and told him to stop biting her toes, haha! Last night she used a paper airplane as her "spaceship" and she was blasting off her My Little Pony.. "Three, two, one.. BLAST OFF!!" A lot of this was playing on her own. She's very creative. Not the typical girly girl stuff, more unique for sure. All of our kids are very unique.

    The toilet was clogged all day - it's the Willow, every single time. It's insane. Then the ice machine on the fridge broke somehow. Then Judah carried in handfuls of dirt & poured them on the carpet & the couch. Why?!?!?!! While we were outside I caught Willow standing over Judah, slowly pouring handfuls of dirt on his head. He was sitting on the ground pretending his hand was a car, racing it around in the dirt. The dirt rain didn't bother him much, but it bothered me! She ran as soon as we made eye contact! Needless to say, Judah had a long soapy bath tonight. Judah & Willow started kicking the flowers along the house while we were outside. Why?!?!?!! Judah has a sudden interest in throwing handfuls of small things at the TV, like Legos, rubber Angry Birds, coins, you name it. Why?!?!?!?!

    Scott finally made it home (he worked really late) and I literally laid down on the bed & fell asleep. Those kids wore me to the bone today.

    Judah had a large, soft poop. Progress wise I didn't see anything new or surprising. While Skyping Mom & Dave, he ran up to the computer when they wanted to tell him bye. He seems to be aware & understanding fairly well. I was trying to get him to say "I want chicken" when he wanted chicken. He would only say, "Chicken please!" He does the same thing during speech therapy - adding please to the end of everything! He liked having his hair washed tonight. When I used up the last of the shampoo and dropped the bottle in the tub, he panicked, "Oh no! Bubbles!!" I showed him how to push the empty bottle underwater & make bubbles, but it didn't interest him. He needed it out of the tub quickly because it did not belong there. We're still trying to figure out where to go for a haircut - the attempt this weekend was unsuccessful, completely unsuccessful, he didn't even make it to the chair.

    Judah was especially affectionate today- physically, lots of eye contact & saying "Mommy" a lot. He ran into the bedroom and found me tonight. He said, "Mommy!! There you are!!!" (that's new!) He was the same when Daddy came home, very happy & loving. Judah got himself dressed today. I had put his clothes on the floor for him & asked him to get dressed. Quite a while later, he suddenly took off his pj's & got dressed! Completely on his own! He is very resistant to going to the bathroom lately - we really need to work on that one.

    Meds Completed

  • Vitamin D3 2000 IU one daily(morning)
  • bethanechol 25 mg 1/2 tablet 2/day
  • Probiotic 1 daily in morning
  • DMG 125 mg w/Folinic Acid &Methyl b-12 3 capsules in morning
  • WP Minerals 1/day
  • Sleep factor
  • Creon (pancrilipase)
  • his b-12/folinic shot 
  • Iron up 1 tsp/day
  • Beta TCP 1-4 daily
  •  Fish Oil 
  • Organic coconut butter 1-3 tsp/day  - 1 tsp










  • Meds not complete -
    There were in milks he didn't finish:
  • Oxy-Mag Powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/day
  • Molasses 1 tsp in almond milk
  • Levocarnitin 10% 1 Tablespoon 15MLS every morning
  • DOCU 150/15ML Liq Hi-Tech 2 MLS

  • Meds didn't take -
    • Powder B-6 1/2 tsp (fridge mix) every 3-5 days
    • skin rash med not needed
    • Miralax
    Meds we don't have - none

    Sunday, July 27, 2014

    Laundry System Starter

    My back hurt most of today. It wasn't until early evening that I was functional. It's important to try & relax when your back is knotted up like that.. but man, it makes me so mad that back pain is stealing my day away & that there's nothing I can do about it (that has worked)! It's stolen many days of my life away!! And the amount of times I needed to bend over today seemed like more times than I bend over in a month, I'm sure it wasn't, but it felt like it. I had Sebastian & Willow picking up things I needed or things I dropped. I tried getting Judah to do the same but was not successful.

    Scott took all of the kids to the park. Then he took the 2 youngest to the store. Sebastian stayed home & watched Star Wars. He also engaged in our new laundry system. His hamper has turned into a giant IKEA bag. Everyone's has. His bag was full so I washed it all. He asked me where his bag was & I told him it was in the laundry room & that the clothes in the dryer needed to go into it. Then I reminded him that now he needed to take his bag to his room, fold his clothes & put them away. He started to do this, and then the timer went off, which meant I had to walk him to the neighbor's house to see if she was home yet so he could ask her to play. I had agreed to this earlier. We walked, she wasn't there, we came back. He went right back to his room & kept folding! Never once did he even go back to see what was happening on Star Wars! He folded all of them & put them away. I showed him that Judah had a separate bag. "Judah is going to do this too???" he asked. I said, "Yes, he may need some help, but yes, everyone is going to do this." Sebastian is also rinsing his dishes & putting them in the dishwasher after he eats - he's good at this too!

    Scott dealt with the phone issue some more - he went to pick it up. They were supposed to have replaced the broken screen. When he arrived he learned that the digitizer had also broken during that one & only time I ever dropped the phone. The digitizer is another $120. So yeah, we took the broken phone, by the time we bought a screen & a digitizer we would have paid over the $200 it costs to replace the phone with insurance. Insanity. That phone seems to fall apart pretty easily anyway - Scott found stories online about the screen breaking while people carried it in their pocket!! Be leery of the Lumias!

    Meds Completed

  • Vitamin D3 2000 IU one daily(morning)
  • bethanechol 25 mg 1/2 tablet 2/day
  • Probiotic 1 daily in morning
  • DMG 125 mg w/Folinic Acid &Methyl b-12 3 capsules in morning
  • WP Minerals 1/day
  • Sleep factor
  • Creon (pancrilipase)
  • his b-12/folinic shot 
  • Iron up 1 tsp/day
  • Beta TCP 1-4 daily










  • Meds not complete - DOCU 150/15ML Liq Hi-Tech 2 MLS (took only one time)

    Meds didn't take -
    • Powder B-6 1/2 tsp (fridge mix) every 3-5 days 
    • Fish Oil 
    • skin rash med not needed
    • Oxy-Mag Powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/day
    • Molasses 1 tsp in almond milk
    • Organic coconut butter 1-3 tsp/day  - 1 tsp
    • Levocarnitin 10% 1 Tablespoon 15MLS every morning
    • Miralax
    Meds we don't have - none

    Saturday, July 26, 2014

    Bite & Brew! (written by Gramma)

    Today Willow and Sebastian went with me and David to the annual festivities at Bite and Brew. There were some really fun and exciting rides...lots of bouncy houses, water slides, bubble boats, and bungee jumping. Sebastian was very brave about the high jump (I think because he saw a kid about Willow's age doing it) but basically, they latch you into a harness and bounce you high in the air. Then he got into a bubble boat which is a huge plastic bubble that floats around in water. He was a little nervous but eventually got the hang of it. It was good to see him challenged today. I think he gets a little tired (well, maybe) of Baumans. Willow loved the bouncy houses...especially Mickey Mouse's house. She loves that character. We had a picnic in Bush Park afterwards and Willow got to swing to her heart's content and Sebastian showed Gram and Papa (yes, he's back to calling us that) all his "secret" hang outs. Willow decided to follow when she saw how much fun it was. Then we picked up Judah and headed home for an afternoon in the wading pool. Judah and Willow liked pouring water on Papa and for a time, so did Sebastian. Then he came over to sit by me to say, "Gramma, I think I'm a little to big for that pool anymore." Earlier, at Bush Park, he said, "There's not much for me to do at this park anymore. I'm getting too old." Growing up...bittersweet for sure. We are looking for things to do that challenge him and help him burn off some of that endless energy.

    All three kids were very good this afternoon. Judah told me when he wanted juice and also asked for "chips, please."
    He chased Willow around and Sebastian...laughing and egging everyone on. When I said, "I love you," I think I heard him say, "love you," back. Maybe wishful thinking but I'm pretty sure. : )

    Willow chattered all day. So grown up. She took a slight tumble at the park but after a little comforting and kissed scratches was fine. She absolutely latches onto David and insists on holding his hand when walking. She refuses when I try to hold her hand. HA. She rode on Sebastian's trike tonight and is almost able to pedal! She knows how but is still a little short. I (Gram) took the kids home as Dave is still not feeling great (had the same bug as the kids) and when I looked in the rear mirror and said, "Hi Willow," she got this cagey little grin and said, "Hi Papa," since, I guess, David usually drives!

    A fun day! Thank you Molly and Scott for blessing us with such beautiful, sweet grandchildren.

    love,

    Mom

    Written by Molly:
    Speech therapy went really well this morning. His new therapist, we'll call her "K", is very confident in her therapy & believes in Judah. She has many different methods that she remembers well & uses them while teaching him. This brings about quick change in direction & doesn't force him to do things. These methods are respectful to him because he is being listened to when he is showing that he needs to change direction. She thought that it wasn't an awesome session - I responded with something like, "Are you kidding? That was a step-up for him in many ways!!" He was requesting, even adding "please" to the end of each request. He chose when she gave him options (he's very good at this). He participated in every activity she brought out. He cleaned up every time they sang the "clean-up" song. He had some meltdowns but they were not bad & she was able to help him through without pushing him. As therapy went along I got some ideas on methods we could try at home. She gave us handouts as well - one included a list of things Judah may do.. hit his head, jump, say a certain word, etc. and beside each word was a blank spot where we could fill in what that action or sound meant.  She thought this would help us, which it obviously will. A simple idea that no one has ever suggested to us before. Thing is, it would be a gigantic help to those working with him. They would be much more prepared! They would be able to forge ahead, skipping over the large amount of time they would have used trying to figure out what he was trying to tell them and would ensure that they didn't mistake what he was trying to say. This would give him confidence that his language is useful, encouraging more speech from him.

    I chopped my hair today. I went to a place called "The Cat's Meow". Mom had given me a Groupon. I'll go back next week for the color since we didn't schedule enough time with her. When I go then I'm going to have it cut even shorter. I have a big flip in the back. I need wash & go hair, I can't have a big flip to straighten out every day! My hair has always done that, so we'll see what she can do. I have faith in her. She was a very friendly & very real chick. Although her super-fast combing nearly pulled my eyebrow ring out!!! She even taught me how to answer my I-phone! I got my very first call during my haircut. She thought it was hilarious that I didn't know how to answer it!

    Unfortunately I passed out early tonight. Scott & I had rented a movie but I was just exhausted & not feeling to good. He had also bought ingredients to make us a special dinner. Man.



  • Vitamin D3 2000 IU one daily(morning)
  • bethanechol 25 mg 1/2 tablet 2/day
  • Probiotic 1 daily in morning
  • DMG 125 mg w/Folinic Acid &Methyl b-12 3 capsules in morning
  • WP Minerals 1/day
  • Organic coconut butter 1-3 tsp/day  - 1 tsp
  • Sleep factor
  • Levocarnitin 10% 1 Tablespoon 15MLS every morning
  • Creon (pancrilipase)
  • his b-12/folinic shot 
  • Iron up 1 tsp/day
  • Miralax










  • Meds not complete - none
    • DOCU 150/15ML Liq Hi-Tech 2 MLS (took only one time)
    Meds didn't take -
    • Powder B-6 1/2 tsp (fridge mix) every 3-5 days
    • Beta TCP 1-4 daily
    • Fish Oil 
    • skin rash med not needed
    • Oxy-Mag Powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/day
    • Molasses 1 tsp in almond milk
    Meds we don't have - none

    OTC med - Tylenol 1 1/2 tsp. - none taken today






     

    Friday, July 25, 2014

    Remembering To Smell The Roses At Age Four

    Got my first I-phone today. It's an I-phone 4. The most recent is a 5 and the 6 is soon to be released. So I'm not exactly hip to the times, but I do now own a phone that has a bazillion different cute cases to choose from & a bazillion more apps than Windows. I run across Apple apps practically every day that interest me, but of course I can't access them with a Windows phone, makes me crazy!! I asked Scott to put my phone on our network & said, "I don't know how to do that on an Apple..", hesitant to even touch the phone! haha. That's how anti-Apple he is. When he came home & showed me the phone, the first thing he did was drop it! True story! His co-worker had bought an Otterbox case for it. I just now learned what that was as I tried to take it off & found another case underneath it! They seem to be pretty rough & tough cases, expensive too! This one runs for $60 online! It's not cute by any means, but I may have to fore-go the cuteness.. since my record for breaking phones is pretty good lately. My "new to me" phone is a baby vomit pink color decorated with nature.. meaning it has tree branches on it. Like I said, I'm not exactly hip to the times.

    Willow continues to say sentences that are brand new & surprising. She comes up with new thoughts & phrases with ease. She's a natural, interesting talker for sure! She's a character. I snapped a picture of her the other day, wearing a sunhat that she found in the garage. I thought it was too small for her & was going to get rid of it. Of course she wore it for days on end after that, likely just to make a statement that I should NOT get rid of her things. haha. Pic below.

     
    We finally sold the double-stroller today! Man, that lady had me open it, show her every little detail, adjust the seats while her boys were sitting in the stroller (oh yes she put her kids in it) and more. She strolled her boys down the sidewalk to check it out. She asked them if they liked it.. a baby and a toddler who was angered because he had just been pulled away from watching Frozen in the car. They didn't care. She showed up early, clever lady. We pulled in right as she got there. I had to move a couple ride-ons in the garage to get to the stroller. I took it to her & started to open it as a spider the size of a quarter suddenly ran across the top of the stroller. She didn't see it but I wasn't going to open it with a spider running around where I needed to put my hand! So I had to tell her.. then I knocked the spider to the ground & smashed it. Good sales technique there. ;) I opened the stroller with her & it clicked locked - which meant it was good to go. I began to step away and quickly realized that my shorts were caught in the stroller.. we had locked them in tight! Neither the lady nor Scott knew how to fold the stroller back up and my shorts weren't coming out otherwise, unless I just took them off. Sebastian thought this was hysterical!!! I tried to verbally walk them through how to unlock the stroller, since I couldn't move. Scott was holding a squirmy Willow & Judah was trying to get into the lady's car! Unlocking the stroller & leaving me some dignity was no simple feat. So that was the first 10 minutes of selling her the stroller, haha. Judah held onto the stroller when she tried to take it to her car - he didn't want her to take it. He talked to her oldest son, getting extremely close to his face. I think she was a little wigged out with the uncomfortably friendly Judah behavior, haha. Anyway she bought it & a huge space opened up in our garage! I think we have sold all but ONE of our FOUR STROLLER collection! The one that hasn't sold is the nicest & at a really good price. I'll probably take it down to the consignment shop. I took a load of stuff into them today. They allow one tote-full a week. I think I'll just go every week until our shelves of kid stuff in the garage are cleared!

    I took the kids to play at McDonald's. You'd think this was their first time ever seeing a play area in a fast food joint. They were soooo excited. Willow & Judah were running circles in the eating area. We are finally at a point where ALL of the kids can go into the play structure. Willow still isn't old enough, but she's tough as nails, so I didn't think twice about it. Although Sebastian was a bit nervous about her being up there, haha. He carried her a lot until I told him to let her do it on her own - and she did, no problem. The only injury was Judah accidentally stepping on Willow's fingers - that's it! It was kind of a miracle kid-outing for me. Low stress & quick access to cheap coffee!

    Sebastian & Willow were wired for sound when Daddy got home! I have never seen Willow so crazy. She was at the same level of Sebastian with her noises, activity & energy!

    Judah had a great time in the play area. He played with the other kids, mostly just following them through the play area, talking & laughing. He would also stand and observe other kids on the balance toys. He was laughing so hard every time he went down the slide. He would find me from time to time while he was in the play structure (high above me). "Hi Mommy!" he'd yell. He would stay up there & take a minute to gaze out the restaurant window at times too. It was interesting. He was kid motion fun, meshing with the others most of the time, then there were times in between where he would stop & make observations, not saying anything, just watching, learning & enjoying. He remembers to take a minute to smell the roses. His behavior brought that thought to my mind. Four year olds don't do that, do they??

    Sebastian had a big first today. We were coming home & I had promised him I would drive to the end of our road. When we got there he said he just wanted to see if his new friends were home. I told him they probably were since there was a car in the driveway and the front door was open. I asked him if he wanted to go knock on the door & see if they could play. What I didn't remember was that only one of his friends lived there, the other (the boy) was a cousin who was always visiting. Sebastian was so nervous. He wanted to go knock on the door but he was suddenly a genuinely nervous Sebastian, one I had never seen before! I reminded him, "They are your friends! They will be happy to see you! They will probably want to play with you!" He begged me to walk him to the door. His "plan B" was for me to park 5 feet closer to the house by moving the van to the opposite side of the street. I didn't do that either. He walked to the driveway and stood. Finally he walked to the front door and stood to the side of it so no one inside could see him. He was frozen again. I saw him take a few deep breaths & then he rang the bell. He was looking very anxious!! The girl answered. She is the other friend. I think he may have known that she was the only one who would be there because when I asked him about the boy he knew that he was at home in S. Salem. That didn't seem to be any surprise to him or really matter to him at all. The girl had to watch her dog - and said she would come over maybe later or tomorrow. She's probably older than the last neighbor girl, Sophia! She's tough though, can definitely hang with the boys. I told Sebastian, "It's nice that you have a girl you can ride on scooters & bikes with now!" He smiled and said, "Yeah, I like that." hahaaa. He never cared about Sophia coming over to play, he never talked about her. He only talked about Cooper & Trent. I don't know what's going on around here. I'm guessing that this is probably a pretty common "Mom" feeling to have & that it will likely grow much larger as these kids get older.

    Sebastian wanted to know my entire job history today after he saw some of my old nursing clogs. He thought that I had only had one job my entire life. I went through my list of previous employers, haha, describing only the interesting or funny parts of each job. Being a pizza delivery girl and surprising some guy wearing only his boxers when he opened the door, expecting to see a pizza delivery GUY. Meeting rock stars at the pavilion & helping them out. Carrying hospice patients - where my back problems originated. Quitting that job because he was in my belly & I didn't want him to get hurt. So many jobs.. he said, "You should be dead by now!!!" I won't lie, I did feel old after I sputtered off my huge list of past jobs!

    Judah progress was steady - especially in the car when he would point at streets he wanted me to go down, because there was something that he wanted to do in that direction (Gramma/papa, park, McDonald's). He said, "key" when I parked at McDonald's. We had parked, but he still wasn't completely believing that they were going to get to go inside. I took the car key out and he claps and yells, "Yay!!!!!! Good job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Yesterday he had that same, "Holy crap, we are actually going!!!!!?!" excitement when I took them to the carousel park, haha. Best week EVER mom!! ;)

    Judah had quite a few quiet moments today. I thought he needed to poop, but I'm not sure that he did. He socialized anytime he was around other kids, sometimes trying to shake hands or sitting down beside them watching them play a video game, chasing them, saying "hi" to them, etc.

    We were out & about most of the day so both J & W were in diapers all day.

    I did Judah's eye drops (ON MY OWN!) this morning. Also, got his nebulizer all ready to go. Will start that tomorrow - tonight was just too wild. I'm glad we waited though because I found a mask that I didn't know Scott had bought, so we can use that instead of a plastic pipe (he wouldn't have liked that - and then he wouldn't have wanted to do the nebulizer again after that!).

  • Bethanechol 25 mg 1/2 tablet 2/day
  • Vitamin D3 2000 IU one daily(morning)

  • Probiotic 1 daily in morning
  • DMG 125 mg w/Folinic Acid &Methyl b-12 3 capsules in morning
  • WP Minerals 1/day
  • Organic coconut butter 1-3 tsp/day  - 1 tsp
  • Sleep factor
  • Levocarnitin 10% 1 Tablespoon 15MLS every morning
  • Creon (pancrilipase)
  • his b-12/folinic shot 
  • DOCU 150/15ML Liq Hi-Tech 2 MLS (twice a day) 
  • Iron up 1 tsp/day

  • Oxy-Mag Powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/day
  • Molasses 1 tsp in almond milk










  • Meds not complete - none


    Meds didn't take -

    • Powder B-6 1/2 tsp (fridge mix) every 3-5 days
    • Beta TCP 1-4 daily
    • Fish Oil 
    • skin rash med not needed
    • Miralax


    Meds we don't have - none

    OTC med - Tylenol 1 1/2 tsp. - none taken today

    Thursday, July 24, 2014

    Amazement Lies In Tiny Ideas & Thoughts

    An email sent out to the family earlier tonight..
    Thanks guys, all is fine. Judah hurt his foot, but I think he is alright now. He ran into the street barefoot & stepped on something.. it may have been a bee's stinger.
     
    A phone may be in my near future! Scott's friend suggested just replacing the broken screen instead of buying another phone. So we took his friend's advice, found a phone store & ordered the screen. It was set to arrive in just 2 days!! FIVE DAYS LATER... the screen arrives. We ended up paying $85 for the new screen. The store had quoted us the wrong amount over the phone & had to stick to it. I'm sure they just didn't understand that we had the GIGANTIC phone. After all, who has the GIGANTIC phone?!? Apparently the screen for our phone should have been $140! Which I guess makes sense, a gigantic phone obviously has a gigantic screen.. and gigantic phone screens are probably hard to come by.. because who buys the gigantic phone?!? Either way it was cheaper than buying a replacement phone - which would have been $200 WITH phone insurance!
     
    The screen came in yesterday - they called to let us know today. It arrived cracked. No lying.
     
    Scott's co-worker, Tony, is retiring. They have shared an office together for the better part of 6 years. Tony's been at the company for 8 years. He's a military guy - he spent 18 years of his life in the military. He was a major. His last day of work is tomorrow. His wife Cheryl, a nurse, just recently retired. As a parting gift Tony is giving us his iPhone4, haha.
     
    Scott HATES Apple.
     
    molly.
     
    We went to the carousel park this morning - the kids, T and I. Sebastian wanted to bring his bike. I told him we could do that. We started to pull out of the driveway & Sebastian realizes we didn't put his bike in. Our van was pretty packed, there definitely wasn't room. I started to use that as an excuse but quickly stopped myself. T began to give him reasons it was better to leave it at home. When she finally stopped, I looked at her and said, "I told him we would bring it." Then I emptied out the van & put the bike in. There many moments in the day when I don't feel like a very good mom, but at that moment, I'll admit.. I felt like a damn good mom. I don't want to be the parent who shoos their kids ideas & wants away.. because it's so much easier to keep things the same & do things the way we have always done them or maybe their ideas are brand new and not accepted by the world, which never means they aren't worth trying. Those tiny ideas & thoughts could prove to be amazing or they could be just a spark.. but I guarantee they will give that kid strength & power that will live inside him the rest of his life.
     
    Before we even got to the playground, Judah stopped at the boat sign, the Willamette Queen. People go for rides & eat meals on this boat as they float along the Willamette river. Judah pointed at the picture of the Willamette Queen and said, "Boat!!" Then he tried to read the numbers, which were times and prices for trips. He pointed out & verbally labeled some other things on the sign too. Then he said, "Potty!!" We were walking in the direction of the potty. He told me "No" or "Nope!" every time I asked him if he wanted to go to the bathroom.
     
    The kids had a blast on the playground. Every time we pass this park Judah always points at it and says, "That way!!" And we always drive right on by. Today he couldn't believe it when I turned in!  haha. Judah climbed a ladder on his own - which was no easy feat. Willow, of course, wanted to do the same. She got up one step & was shaking. T was telling her she could do it, while standing 5 feet from the ladder, instructing her to put her foot on the next rung. The ladder was slippery. The playground was wet. I set everything down that I was holding and put my hand on Willow. I gave her a little help but she did a lot on her own. T let me know that I am really safe with my kids because Sebastian is so cautious and I've never had the "other kind of boy". I started thinking about my mom friends & how they just sort of hang out while their kids play.. and they talk for hours with other parents, completely at ease.. as their kid runs in & out of sight. I've never been that mom. I started thinking that maybe I am actually the super careful mom who can't relax. But then I looked up to see Judah running across the play structure 2 feet above me, whizzing by drop offs and landing on top of Sebastian as they flew down the slide. Following right behind them was Willow.. who got a running start and went down the slide head first.. just a couple of feet behind her brothers.. she plummeted off the slide at the end, about a 2 foot drop, right into the mud. Truth be told, I've got the kids who run in 2 separate directions at parks with a forest on one edge & a busy street on the other. I suppose I should just relax though, kick off my shoes & have a margarita on the lawn.
     
    We walked by a group of 4 or 5 people. Judah shook their hands and said hello as we walked by! He yelled for Willow to come back many times when she was too far away. He said many things clearly today - new words & words he usually doesn't say that well. He pointed at Angry Birds Space on the I-Pad and said, "Angry Birds Space!" Angry Birds is apparent because they are in the picture. But that specific one is called "Space" and he somehow knew that, as if he were reading it. Later he said another word (that I can't remember). It was the same thing though, it was as if he was reading it. Of course he said, "Star Wars" a lot today too - anytime he sees ANYTHING Star Wars related he says "Star Wars!!". He said, "Ferb" a few times when we were watching Phineas & Ferb. He sang along with their songs. The coolest thing was when he found the American flag on the globe. There is a gigantic globe sitting in the park. It's fenced off and guarded by signs that contain pictures of all the flags of the world. We walked around the globe.. Judah didn't want to walk away from the globe until he was done looking at the flags. Finally he stopped and pointed at the USA flag. He had found it among a world of other flags. Then he said something that sounded strangely like "McQueen".
     
    Judah was calling Willow by her name again today, a LOT!
     
    Sebastian's neighbor friends came over. We walked by their house later as I pulled the wagon (Judah inside it), Willow ran in front of me & Sebastian was on his plasma car picking up the rear, tied by rope to the wagon. His friends got home just as we passed their house. "We'll be out in a minute!!" yelled the oldest, the girl. It was kind of surreal. My little boy has friends that haven't been provided by me.. friends that are real friends not just kids that happen to be at that same playground. They accept him & like him & want to hang out with him. And he has made these connections completely on his own. He maintains his individuality & awesome character & is confident that they will have fun with him - and they always do. The boy (Sebastian calls him "kid" even though he is older than Sebastian) followed us home riding his Razor scooter. Sebastian hopped on it and rode it like a pro down the driveway. That was his first time on a Razor! Willow got on the plasma car and rode that up & down the driveway. "Kid" rode Sebastian's scooter. Judah chased "Kid" the entire time, always less than a foot away from him. Judah was laughing the entire time. And they were all having fun & being themselves and riding & running with such confidence. I couldn't bring myself to make them go inside.. even though it was over an hour past dinnertime. Times like those only happen when you're a kid! They enjoyed that part of the day a lot, even though it didn't really last that long. Willow was still talking about it when I put her down. She was smiling & laughing. It was pretty simple, not crazy loud or wild, just cruising around on ride-on toys.. laughing, making funny sounds & enjoying that time. I felt so lucky to be there watching them.
     
    Judah had so much verbal progress today. I can't think of most of it right now, too tired. But some of it is in here!

    Judah had huge, black messy poop today.

  • Bethanechol 25 mg 1/2 tablet 2/day

  • Vitamin D3 2000 IU one daily(morning)
  • Probiotic 1 daily in morning
  • DMG 125 mg w/Folinic Acid &Methyl b-12 3 capsules in morning
  • WP Minerals 1/day
  • Organic coconut butter 1-3 tsp/day  - 1 tsp
  • Sleep factor
  • Levocarnitin 10% 1 Tablespoon 15MLS every morning
  • Creon (pancrilipase)
  • his b-12/folinic shot 
  • DOCU 150/15ML Liq Hi-Tech 2 MLS (twice a day) 
  • Iron up 1 tsp/day
  • Miralax 1time
  • Oxy-Mag Powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/day
  • Molasses 1 tsp in almond milk










  • Meds not complete - none


    Meds didn't take -

    • Powder B-6 1/2 tsp (fridge mix) every 3-5 days
    • Beta TCP 1-4 daily
    • Fish Oil 
    • skin rash med not needded


    Meds we don't have - none

    OTC med - Tylenol 1 1/2 tsp. - none taken today

    Wednesday, July 23, 2014

    Beautiful Imagination!

    So I wasn't noticing too much Judah progress during the day, but tonight I sure did!
    • He said, "Willow" when talking to Willow or telling me that she was Willow, many times. She's always "Baby" to him.
    • Judah said, "Hi Mommy, how are you? Then he looked surprised, giving me very good eye contact. I approached him & he touched my lips saying, “Mommy” a couple of times.
    • Willow gave Judah his milk & he said, “Thank you Willow!” (I told him to say it but he waited to say it on his own time).
    • Judah said, "Water please!" I gave him water, he helped do the ice machine. Usually the ice machine is a toy and I really wasn't expecting the ice water to remain in the cup long, but it did, all night long. I think he even drank some too.
    • I left with Willow to run an errand. T said that Judah said, "Mommy" just one time and was not crying out my name when he needed help. He didn't get upset for one second the entire time we were gone!!
    • Judah ran from the hallway to the living room to scare me. He screamed, “Rawwrrr!” putting his hands up at me, they were covered in hand sanitizer, haha. He had just gone to the bathroom and put it on himself! I've never had him use that, he just did it on his own - maybe because that's what Sebastian likes to use.
    • Sebastian said, “Judah spin me! Judah can you spin me?” Judah says, “okay” and did it! Sebastian was really excited about Judah responding to him.
    • Judah was singing the Caillou song that was playing on TV. He was using the correct words & on beat!
    • I was giving Bash until the count of three to get in the bathroom. I said, "One, two..“ And Judah yells, "Caillou!” Being a serious parent just flew out the window, it was not possible. Sebastian & I were both laughing.
    T cleaned the kitchen really well today & did a bit more around the house too. I will admit, I kind of feel like a new person. The whiteness of our sink is blinding! I don't know how she even did that! Mom gave her a ride to & from work today. I hope she can make it tomorrow - we are signed up for a park play date in the morning.
    Willow found a pile of cloth napkins in the garage. She grabbed one and carried it around for a while. Then she took off her pajama dress & told me that she wanted to wear the napkin to bed! She was very serious about it too!
    Judah ran into the street barefoot & almost immediately stepped on something. He screamed out in pain and wouldn't walk on his sore foot for a while. I could tell it was hurting him really bad. I emailed family to get in touch with Scott & tell him to come home - which they did. We are thinking he stepped on a bee stinger. He's walking on it now. There's a lump and it's a bit purple.
    Sebastian got the mail. We were all outside. Willow took the mail from him telling him that she wanted to carry the "mailbox". She kept calling the mail the mailbox, haha.
    Sebastian's new neighbor friends didn't show today. He worked hard on some scooter inventions (had camping chairs on top of his scooter), did some artwork on the driveway (a big blue bath!) and a drawing of our truck attached to our van. Later he was inspired to come inside & paint, so I set him up in his room with a table, chair, watercolors, watercolor paper and other paints. He painted 3 pictures - a piano, the wind (I think?) and one of himself finding treasure in the sand at the beach. There's a beautiful imagination in that boy!
    Scott couldn't be home for the massage again this week. Rosemary observed me doing it today, completely on my own. Judah was all over the place - which RARELY happens when she is here. Rosemary asked me to have T & Willow move elsewhere since they were a distraction to Judah. I told them to go to the playroom. Willow came right back out & stood beside me. T stayed in the play room the entire time, haha. :) Judah continued to be all over the place. Unfortunately Rosemary assumed some things I was doing were not right - and instructed me to do what I was already doing. She seemed to have the impression that I didn't know the massage as well as I actually do. I did his massage again tonight before bed.
     
    Scott popped in this evening when Judah hurt himself & then was out the door again, not returning home again until 9:30pm. I've had a long day.
     
    Judah didn't poop again today.
     
    Judah meds (no poop, was in underwear most of the day though & had a gigantic poop yesterday)
  • Bethanechol 25 mg 1/2 tablet 2/day
  • Vitamin D3 2000 IU one daily(morning)
  • Probiotic 1 daily in morning
  • DMG 125 mg w/Folinic Acid &Methyl b-12 3 capsules in morning
  • WP Minerals 1/day
  • Organic coconut butter 1-3 tsp/day  - 1 tsp
  • Sleep factor
  • Levocarnitin 10% 1 Tablespoon 15MLS every morning
  • Creon (pancrilipase)
  • his b-12/folinic shot 
  • DOCU 150/15ML Liq Hi-Tech 2 MLS (twice a day) 
  • Iron up 1 tsp/day
  • skin rash med
  • Miralax 1time
  • Oxy-Mag Powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/day
  • Molasses 1 tsp in almond milk










  • Meds not complete - none


    Meds didn't take -

    • Powder B-6 1/2 tsp (fridge mix) every 3-5 days
    • Beta TCP 1-4 daily (tried in baby food - he refused)Fish Oil 


    Meds we don't have - none

    OTC med - Tylenol 1 1/2 tsp. - none taken today
     
     

    Tuesday, July 22, 2014

    Two In Underwear With No Accidents!

    Judah & Willow both woke up, bodies on high heat. They were like this periodically throughout the day. Judah laid down some & was definitely not feeling very energized. Willow complained of stomach pain yesterday & today said she was cold sometimes. The fevers seem to be coming & going. She doesn't act sick though - she's a trooper. I also felt exhausted more than usual today.

    Sebastian spent a lot of time outside - he did a cool train chalk drawing and drew train tracks on the cement from our front door to the sidewalk! Later Judah cruised some of his cars down the tracks.

    Play date was cancelled today. We were supposed to have Micayla & her boys over. The sickness here overtook that though, unfortunately.

    Judah says, "play Angry Birds" when he is playing Angry Birds & I ask what he is doing, or even when I ask what he wants to do. When I ask Willow, "Willow, what do you need." Her reply is typically, "I NEED CHOCOLATE!!!" Sebastian's reply to these questions is always, "Why do you ask?"

    Willow & Judah were in underwear most of the day. No accidents. Judah took himself to the potty completely on his own. I never even went in! I had told him previously that he needed to potty before we went outside. He refused many times and later went on his own - then we went outside! I asked him to find his bowl for me today & he did! That doesn't happen.

    Sebastian's new neighbor friends came over today. They all took a turn riding on his latest invention (camping chair on top of his scooter). Sebastian told Daddy, "Those are my new friends!!"

    Willow pooped on the potty again! She congratulated herself with a, "I did it!!!!", while throwing her arms in the air.

    Judah meds (no poop, was in underwear most of the day though & had a gigantic poop yesterday)
  • Bethanechol 25 mg 1/2 tablet 2/day
  • Vitamin D3 2000 IU one daily(morning)
  • Probiotic 1 daily in morning
  • DMG 125 mg w/Folinic Acid &Methyl b-12 3 capsules in morning
  • WP Minerals 1/day
  • Organic coconut butter 1-3 tsp/day  - 1 tsp
  • Sleep factor
  • Levocarnitin 10% 1 Tablespoon 15MLS every morning
  • Creon (pancrilipase)
  • his b-12/folinic shot 
  • Iron up 1 tsp/day





  • Meds not complete - none
    DOCU 150/15ML Liq Hi-Tech 2 MLS  (1 time)


    Meds didn't take -
    • skin rash med - not needed
    • Powder B-6 1/2 tsp (fridge mix) every 3-5 days
    • Beta TCP 1-4 daily
    • Miralax 1-2 times day
    • Fish Oil 
    • Oxy-Mag Powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/day
    • Molasses 1 tsp in almond milk

    Meds we don't have - none

    OTC med - Tylenol 1 1/2 tsp. - none taken today

    Monday, July 21, 2014

    Morning Pogo Jumping

    The kids still aren't used to walking into the living room and seeing someone who isn't family hanging out. Willow walked out, saw T (Judah's helper), turned around and ran back to me! They are friends. It's just a strange dynamic right now.

    We played outside for a while, until Judah ran down the sidewalk to Glen Creek. He was looking for the ball he had thrown a week or so ago. We never retrieved it. Lesson learned maybe? We're hoping. Of course the other 2 kids had to follow him. Getting Willow & Judah back to our yard was difficult. Judah was climbing the neighbor's hill, which is covered in wood chips & decorated with random gorgeous flowers. Willow was running to the same neighbor's door and knocking! Judah followed the door knocking trend after we got Willow back to our yard. T did take Judah out front again - while I was putting Willow down. She said he was talking a lot! She said she understood some of it & that he did really well. Willow & I got a small nap in.

    Once back in the yard, the kids suddenly ran in the direction of a different neighbor's house, because a large truck & trailer had pulled up and parked. Judah kept walking into that neighbor's garage! The neighbor finally came out & asked if everything was okay. haha.

    Sebastian was out on his pogo stick early this morning. He's getting really good at it! He was just bouncing around the yard, like a human Tigger, watching the cars go by as people headed in to work. A new neighbor kid came over - she looks to be at least 10, maybe older. She had a younger boy with her, probably close to Sebastian's age. She told us that the boy wasn't from here. She said, "Yeah, he's from SOUTH Salem." haha. Sebastian played with them for a while.

    My cousin Tiffany has a little boy named Aiden. He fell into a fire pit recently. The fire was out but the coals were still hot. His arms & hands are burned. He should be leaving the hospital on Friday. Email me if you would like her address.

    I did Judah's massage tonight. He told me "hurry up" a few times, haha. It was good though. He did some humming, around the neck and shoulders especially.

    Willow went to bed with a temperature of 100.1. Judah is sick as well. I found him passed out on the couch at 5pm! Sebastian had that bug for 2 days. Tylenol pulled him through it, 4 hours at a time. We were supposed to have kids over for a play date tomorrow. We have waited an entire month for it!

    Sebastian & I did a science experiment - learning about chlorophyll and how it makes leaves green. Then we used a paper coffee filter to see the different colors the leaf was going to turn, in time.

    Judah scooted over on his bed this evening & patted his pillow, gesturing for me to lay down. This was after he had called me into his room, "Mommy! Wait!" He said, "down" when he wanted me to lay down.. he may have said "lay down" actually. He asked to watch Star Wars on TV today - pointed to TV and said, "Star Wars!" He caught Sebastian watching it last night when he came back from the store with Daddy. Judah has never seen it, but he sure does want to! Throw in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs though, and he'll run into the nearest room & slam the door shut behind him! Food falling from the sky is a scary thought though, I agree! We may be moving back to Cars again. He always goes back to Cars. There was a lot of car playing today - the trains didn't even make an appearance!

    Judah had a big messy poop, according to T.
    Judah meds
  • Bethanechol 25 mg 1/2 tablet 2/day
  • Vitamin D3 2000 IU one daily(morning)
  • Probiotic 1 daily in morning
  • DMG 125 mg w/Folinic Acid &Methyl b-12 3 capsules in morning
  • Oxy-Mag Powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/day
  • WP Minerals 1/day
  • Organic coconut butter 1-3 tsp/day  - 1 tsp
  • Sleep factor
  • Levocarnitin 10% 1 Tablespoon 15MLS every morning
  • Molasses 1 tsp in almond milk
  • Creon (pancrilipase)
  • his b-12/folinic shot 
  • DOCU 150/15ML Liq Hi-Tech 2 MLS  2 time
  • Iron up 1 tsp/day





  • Meds not complete


    Meds didn't take
    • skin rash med - not needed
    • Powder B-6 1/2 tsp (fridge mix) every 3-5 days
    • Beta TCP 1-4 daily
    • Miralax 1-2 times day
    • Fish Oil 

    Meds we don't have

    OTC med - Tylenol 1 1/2 tsp.

    Sunday, July 20, 2014

    Flooding Charcoal

    Judah threw a bag of charcoal down the balcony stairs this afternoon. I hadn't been inside long at all. I stepped out on the balcony to find Judah, who spotted me & hurried to fling the bag of wood chips he was holding over the edge of the balcony. Willow casually walked by me, half her face was black! I didn't know what was going on, until I looked down the stairs and saw the flood of charcoal squares. Ugh!

    Willow has been spitting out new sentences left & right. Yesterday she was being chased by Judah in the yard. He crashed her (ran right into her). They both fell. Apparently the adults had the wrong reaction to this because Judah & Willow seemed suddenly motivated to keep crashing! Again today they were doing this. She'll just slam to the ground. Scott & I both run to get in between them if we see this starting.. because they both enjoy it!! Like I've said before, it takes a horrific injury to make that girl cry.

    Sebastian has been doing better at bedtime. We haven't had any big behaviors in a while. Scott is back to doing a massage for both Sebastian & Judah at night. I'm sure this helps as it gives Sebastian one-on-one.

    The kids watered the flowers at the back of the house together (the daisies). They all did really well, although Willow has a tendency to water her brothers just as much as the flowers, if not more. All 3 of them think it's fun to be sprayed.

    Willow put on a pretty, dark flowered dress tonight & told Scott, "I'm Molly!!" Then she came up and touched my leg, "I'm Molly!" hahaa. That's the best compliment I've gotten all year! Well, besides when she called me a princess recently, of course. ;)

    Daddy worked longer than he does on a usual day today! When he got home we still needed to get the grocery shopping done. Willow hadn't napped so she stayed because she would have just crashed in the car. Sebastian wanted to watch Star Wars since he would be the only one up. That left Judah, who was stoked to be going on a special trip with Daddy. Daddy has agreed to write about the grocery trip here...

    Judah was very good at the store. He walked the entire time and didn't run away or destroy any groceries. When we were checking out he just took off running screaming potty!!! I caught up with him right before he went into the bathroom. We had to go back and finish checking out because the checker was scanning our stuff. I told Judah that we would go back after we checked out. So afterwards, we went back to the bathroom and he went right in, pulled down his pants and hopped up onto the toilet and went potty all by himself!!

    Judah meds
  • Bethanechol 25 mg 1/2 tablet 2/day
  • Vitamin D3 2000 IU one daily(morning)
  • Probiotic 1 daily in morning
  • DMG 125 mg w/Folinic Acid &Methyl b-12 3 capsules in morning
  • Oxy-Mag Powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/day
  • WP Minerals 1/day
  • Organic coconut butter 1-3 tsp/day  - 1 tsp
  • Sleep factor
  • Levocarnitin 10% 1 Tablespoon 15MLS every morning
  • Molasses 1 tsp in almond milk
  • Creon (pancrilipase)
  • his b-12/folinic shot 
  • DOCU 150/15ML Liq Hi-Tech 2 MLS  2 time
  • Iron up 1 tsp/day



  • Miralax 1-2 times day - 1 time
  • Fish Oil 

  • Meds not complete


    Meds didn't take
    • skin rash med - not needed
    • Powder B-6 1/2 tsp (fridge mix) every 3-5 days
    • Beta TCP 1-4 daily

    Meds we don't have
     

    Saturday, July 19, 2014

    Screaming in IKEA

    Judah and I arrived at music therapy a bit before 10 this morning. The studio was locked up & Angie's car was nowhere to be found. I didn't think anything of it. She's often a few minutes late for the 10am sessions. So we waited.. 12 minutes went by & I realized I really needed a phone! We had just driven 45 minutes to get there. I couldn't just zip back home & wait for her to get in touch with me. And I hadn't just driven 45 minutes only to turn around & drive another 45 minutes back. Gas is $4 a gallon these days.

    So I got out Sebastian's I-pad. Judah had been playing Angry Birds on it the entire way to Portland. I emailed Angie a few times, then Scott, then Mom, then a few more people. Finally I realized I could probably just post a note on Facebook, for all of my friends to see, asking them to text Scott or Mom. Scott got random texts throughout the morning & early afternoon. When he finally saw me in person he said, "So apparently you put out an APB this morning?? Random people are texting me, telling me to check my email!" haha.

    Judah & I waited for at least a half an hour, walking around, doing a little exploring, etc. Trying to connect with others via the internet took some time as well. Angie never showed. IKEA here we come.

    Judah was very patient through the IKEA shopping trip. We just cruised the "as-is" section. I did some speed shopping. When Judah began to get restless he let out a high-pitched scream. In literally under a SECOND another scream echoed back.. but it wasn't him, and we had no idea where it came from! The lady standing near us started laughing. So of course after that Judah would let out high-pitched screams fairly often, hoping to hear the mystery scream again. It never happened though. It was so strange!!!!!

    Scott worked about half the day. He'll work all day tomorrow.

    Judah meds

  • Vitamin D3 2000 IU one daily(morning)
  • Probiotic 1 daily in morning
  • Miralax 1-2 times day - 1 time
  • DMG 125 mg w/Folinic Acid &Methyl b-12 3 capsules in morning
  • Oxy-Mag Powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/day
  • WP Minerals 1/day
  • Organic coconut butter 1-3 tsp/day  - 1 tsp
  • Sleep factor
  • Molasses 1 tsp in almond milk
  • Creon (pancrilipase)
  • his b-12/folinic shot 
  • Fish Oil 
  • Iron up 1 tsp/day





  • Meds not complete
    • Bethanechol 25 mg 1/2 tablet 2/day  (only took 1/2 tablet once)
    • DOCU 150/15ML Liq Hi-Tech 2 MLS  2 times (just did once) 

    Meds didn't take

  • Levocarnitin 10% 1 Tablespoon 15MLS every morning

    • skin rash med - not needed
    • Powder B-6 1/2 tsp (fridge mix) every 3-5 days
    • Beta TCP 1-4 daily

    Meds we don't have

    Friday, July 18, 2014

    Childhood

    Willow sings silly songs. They are so funny! She'll sing them to herself, to the dog, to her brothers, to me.. I love the funny creativity that flows out of her. She picks up on things that I wouldn't have guessed she would notice.. she pays attention. She spouts funny words & actions that I've taken for granted in this world - I haven't been seeing or hearing them anymore. She eats it all up like ants to sugar. Thanx Willowbean.

    Things are so big to little kids. I forget that. What you say & do can easily affect a kid 1000 times more than it would an adult. We have to remember that children are still brand new to this world! I feel like I've been here for lifetimes when I think about my past & my childhood. It feels like those things didn't happen in this lifetime, in the life I live now. Sebastian asks me what Daddy & I did together when we were little kids.. and I almost feel like I should have an answer for him. You just move on to new phases & places in life, everything else is still there though.. you just can't see it anymore. I think a huge reminder of that is when families get together. It creates a nostalgia you won't feel anywhere else, one you can't share quite the same with others. As an adult your childhood suddenly becomes so special & very, very much valued. That's how I believe we should be treating our children - because they too are so special & very, very much valued.

    We made  a water slide today - Sebastian's idea. He put a hose on the top of the slide. Then he came up with the idea of putting the Slip 'n Slide at the bottom of the slide for a non-muddy & very slippery landing. Judah landed on his feet nearly every time though, it was so strange! Willow slid away like a kitten on ice! Sebastian mainly crashed into the fence because of his height.

    Sebastian is still fighting some illness. No vomiting, just headache and sluggish. He says he feels, "icky" and that he can't walk (he always says that when he is sick or has just gotten some slight, fading injury). He didn't think he could hold his arm up to brush his teeth this morning. He contemplated brushing his teeth all morning. When dinner time came around he mentioned that he had STILL not brushed his teeth - he had been thinking on it all day apparently.

    Judah's progress is still rocking. The next time you spend time with him be sure to talk to him expecting to hear a new child, because you will get one. He likes to tell me, "Sorry Mommy" if he does something he shouldn't. He said, "Sorry Bash" after he hit him tonight. Sometimes he won't even look at me when I tell him it's time to eat.. he'll just walk to the table, looking as if he didn't hear a word I said, but instead had just decided on his own to walk to the table & eat. He may be becoming the typical kid.. ??! He's just so aware & responsive. It's progress to a new level for sure. He will repeat pretty much anything - unless you are directly telling him to repeat something of course (with me anyway). I can give him choices & he will choose. A lot can be done with that. It's going to REALLY be about us making an effort to help him & teach him - he's completely capable. He always has been, but it's becoming very apparent now. We have to continue to make more effort & do the work.. he deserves that, he's likely waiting for us to challenge him!

    I told Judah that he needed to ask Sebastian, not me, for the I-Pad. Judah wanted to play Angry Birds. Once I retrieved the I-Pad and gave it to Sebastian, Judah  did go up to him and say, "Play Angry Birds... Bash", it was kind of mumbled, but it was there! And it was actually more words than that, I just couldn't make them out. Sebastian told him yes & Judah said, "Thank you!!" Sebastian replied, "You're welcome." Judah usually says, "Play Angry Birds" when he asks me for it. He added the "play" on his own and has done the same with other phrases as well lately - adding more words on his own! He's practicing the short, common phrases like, "thank you", "good job", "you did it", etc. a lot. Sometimes when he sees a sibling achieve something he will say, "You did it! Good job!" and hold his hand up for a high five! haha.

    Willow is tormenting her brothers all of the time! She is so tough too - isn't afraid to try anything & doesn't seem to get hurt unless it's a really, really bad injury. She basically fell on her forehead when she ran across the Slip 'n Slide today. She looked a big startled, then got right up and started chasing the dog some more! She thinks it's funny when Pixie nips at her heels. I think it hurts!!

    Pics from our trip last weekend...
    http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0RaOWjRoyZv-g


    Judah meds

  • Bethanechol 25 mg 1/2 tablet 2/day
  • Vitamin D3 2000 IU one daily(morning)
  • Probiotic 1 daily in morning
  • Miralax 1-2 times day - 2 times
  • DMG 125 mg w/Folinic Acid &Methyl b-12 3 capsules in morning
  • Oxy-Mag Powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/day
  • WP Minerals 1/day
  • Organic coconut butter 1-3 tsp/day  - 1 tsp
  • Sleep factor
  • Levocarnitin 10% 1 Tablespoon 15MLS every morning
  • Molasses 1 tsp in almond milk
  • Creon (pancrilipase)
  • his b-12/folinic shot 
  • Fish Oil 





  • Meds not complete


    Meds didn't take
    • DOCU 150/15ML Liq Hi-Tech 2 MLS  2 time
    • skin rash med - not needed
    • Powder B-6 1/2 tsp (fridge mix) every 3-5 days
    • Iron up 1 tsp/day
    • Beta TCP 1-4 daily

    Meds we don't have
     

    Thursday, July 17, 2014

    Judah's Best Day Yet (Wedding Photo Album included)

    I'm almost getting used to not having a phone. I really don't mind it, aside from not being able to make appointment calls & such. I'm throwing those all to Scott, hoping he has time.

    Judah has been doing INCREDIBLE. "Mommy! How are you?!" he said to me when he saw me come outside. His new speech therapist is the best so far. Today was my first time meeting her & watching her work. Scott has taken Judah a few times to work with her - he is always impressed. We'll probably drop the Tuesday lady. And this one is a real therapist - she has the education and it's apparent.

    Our worker never showed today. She texted Scott saying she would be an hour late - didn't sleep well due to heat. Then texted again about her step kid having hernia. Emailed me about ambulance showing up & lots of drama. And the final result.. She had too much anxiety and was too upset to come to work. So no help today. A friend of mine has offered to help - but can't start for another month. Another friend has recommended someone that she thinks may be able to help. I'm waiting to hear back on that.

    Judah has been singing a song today - the words are somewhat understandable. I just can't place the song! His pronunciation has improved - I have heard that today, many times. He is back to saying "juice" correctly & just walked over to me and yelled, "Star Wars!" the most clear he has ever said it. He is following direction incredibly well. The therapist asked him to pick something up from under his chair a few times - and he did! Every time. She told him that something was by my foot.. he went right to it! A week ago he wouldn't have looked under his chair had I instructed him to, he would have been confused as to what I was asking him to do. I told the therapist that and she thought she had gestured him there. So she tried again later with no gesturing & he looked under the chair right away.. he knows what that means. He showed that he knew some colors today - I caught that he could pick out the color red for sure. She told him things like "Yellow or orange?", giving him choices. His response, "Orange please!" He ran into my chair a few minutes ago & said, "scuse me!!" Seriously, new kid.

    The therapist asked if they were going to build the train track in a circle.. he put the next piece on in the wrong direction & lifted it to correct it. He was going to make a circle, I'm sure of it. But I didn't want to interrupt because she had explained some of what she was doing during other tasks & it made sense - and I wouldn't have guessed most of it. So I wasn't sure what she was trying to get out of him. She turned the track into a snake & it slid away.

    "Mommy, look out! Watch out!" Judah said that as I was walking towards laundry baskets I had to navigate around. I told him to go to Sebastian if he wanted to use Sebastian's I-pad to play Angry Birds. (He had been begging me for it.) He walked towards Sebastian - I expected Judah to try & hit him. This often happens when we don't give him something he wants, so I quickly warned Sebastian. He'll often hit Willow or Bash directly following a "no" from Mommy or Daddy. But he didn't hit. He grabbed Sebastian's hand and pulled him towards the I-pad, saying, "Angry Birds". Tonight Judah told me, "Mommy, Angry Birds, play" He is speed-walking towards a much different level of talking. It's crazy how many new phrases he said today - all appropriate. And how much he understood!!! I'm seriously floored. Today he was a new boy.. the newest I've ever seen him to be.

    And the I-pad is new to us. Sebastian asks me for help every 5-10 mins when he uses it. Judah didn't need my help at all & today was his first time using it. ?!?!

    Sebastian isn't feeling well. Willow is full of pizazz & surprises. She requested a bath this evening & took off her clothes. I told her to potty first. I helped her get her diaper off and then she got on the potty. She wants to do everything on her own.. don't open her raisin box.. you're just going to have to close it back up so she can do it herself! Anyway, I'm sitting outside the bathroom screwing hinges onto a shelf and I hear her grunting like she is in pain. I dash into the bathroom to find her pooping on the toilet! This has never happened before! No one has ever asked her to do this! She just did it! There was no announcement or anything! She pooped just as she would have in her diaper, although success seemed to come sooner than it usually does in the diaper. When she was done she yelled, "I did it!!!" and got off the potty to see her poop. :) Wow. Maybe she will potty train herself? I could see that happening.

    I had to run inside really quick while the kids were playing in the backyard. I peeked out the window to check on them and they were all playing together, linking themselves together to go down the slide. They are such good friends. Later Willow ran by Judah, wanting him to chase her. He smiled and ran after her saying, "Get back here!!" After one lap he went back to playing with Sebastian - they both look up to him the most. But this was amazing Judah interaction with "Baby" (what he calls Willow). Oh and he said "Willow" today when he was calling her - probably to get her to come back to me, I can't remember.

    I messaged another Western OR professor asking for help finding help. haha. Hoping to hear from her soon. T says she is a great lady. She's in the same field as the other one - early intervention & autism.

    Wedding album is posted if you want to check it out!
    http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=ef139d04472045ea6cbbd47cbb382743&sid=0RaOWjRoyZvcg

    Judah meds

  • Bethanechol 25 mg 1/2 tablet 2/day
  • Vitamin D3 2000 IU one daily(morning)
  • Probiotic 1 daily in morning
  • Miralax 1-2 times day - 1 time
  • DMG 125 mg w/Folinic Acid &Methyl b-12 3 capsules in morning
  • Oxy-Mag Powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/day
  • WP Minerals 1/day
  • Organic coconut butter 1-3 tsp/day  - 1 tsp
  • Sleep factor
  • Levocarnitin 10% 1 Tablespoon 15MLS every morning
  • Molasses 1 tsp in almond milk
  • Creon (pancrilipase)
  • his b-12/folinic shot 





  • Meds not complete


    Meds didn't take
    • DOCU 150/15ML Liq Hi-Tech 2 MLS  2 time
    • skin rash med - not needed
    • Powder B-6 1/2 tsp (fridge mix) every 3-5 days
    • Iron up 1 tsp/day
    • Beta TCP 1-4 daily
    • Fish Oil 

    Meds we don't have
     

    Wednesday, July 16, 2014

    Characters & Inventors!

    Judah is registered for preschool next year. He may be at a different location (Brush Coll), but still near our house.. just a bit further.. less than a 10 min drive.

    Our worker hasn't gotten paid. She let me know that she will be quitting if the pay situation doesn't correct itself quickly. It's a big mess. Whether she does or not, we still have many hours we need covered.. so we are looking for someone (or more) either way.

    Judah had an incredulous day! He is repeating EVERYTHING and understanding so much more (I can see this in his responses to my questions or instructions). He's coming up with more ideas. He brought me a huge aircraft carrier toy he got for Christmas and told me "water". Then he told me, "bath". I think I had just let him know we were doing a bath later. Sebastian was starting his shower - Judah wanted to go in with what he was calling his "boat" & take a bath with Sebastian. It wasn't a bath toy - but Judah somehow knew that aircraft carriers are in the water & obviously that's where it belonged! So cool. Sebastian & Judah have played together like best friends today.. in the sprinkler, wrestling in the house, playing trains and more. At one point I pulled Judah away from the wrestling so I could wrestle with him & he went right back to Sebastian! That never happens.

    Judah was making a point of doing many different, "I want.. " sentences today. We need to move on from that & try more!!!

    Willow has been HILARIOUS today. She's so quick witted. When Scott got home I had her in her big Awesome 3000 t-shirt (a Sebastian sized shirt, the smallest they sold) with a diaper underneath. She lifted her shirt to her chin while she stood between Scott & I and said to me, "Can YOU do this??" hahaaa. She brushes her teeth.. and her cheeks and her forehead.. and more. Tonight she touched her shoulder and said, "What's this?" I told her and then she asked me the same thing, holding her hand up and making a fist. She laid her hand flat, palm up & asked me the same thing. I had no answer for that one. She said, "Train tracks!" haha. Then she ran her hand down the side of my face and said, "You're a princess." Best thing ever. We were laying in her bed, faces 2 inches from one another. She told me, "Love you" a million times and then fell asleep. While I was putting her down I had to get up to use the bathroom. Of course she got up as well. I found her on the couch, curled up under a blanket, holding a stuffed animal after I got out of the bathroom. ha! Everyone was in the living room watching the Little Mermaid.

    Scott came home with a new broom tonight and Willow says, "Scott!! What are you doing here?? Are you going to clean??" hahaaa. Later she tried to sweep Scott & I up saying, "I'm going to clean you up!" Yesterday she got the plunger and tried to plunge Daddy, "I'm going to plunge Daddy!!"

    Whenever it's Willow's time to respond she thinks of a creative, unique way to answer.. every time, and quickly too. It's so awesome. When we go out she is often very quiet and serious looking, but she's not "shy". She is merely studying the situation & environment in order to decide how she is going to play her role. Once she has decided, her confidence & coolness is very apparent. She walks/dances/gallops around, so content with life, enjoying every breath of air. Today she sat in her bed and grabbed the cord behind her bed, holding it across her lap and yanking it up & down, "Giddy up! Giddy up! Yeeehaw!!" I don't know where she even learned that!

    It's so amazing, beyond amazing, to experience the completely meaningful, genuine eye contact from my son. I didn't see him give up one time today when I didn't understand something he was trying to convey - he just kept trying! Confidence was bubbling out of him. Today he told SEBASTIAN that he wanted "pants on" and then went to his room. I found him trying to step into one of Sebastian's t-shirts that he had just pulled from a dresser drawer. That was incredible. He told someone else (not Scott or I), and he went to do it, completely independent.. and he knew what he wanted & got it (as best he could). I am so proud of him. Those moments teach me that I need to let him do more. They remind me that he can totally do these things, we just have to let him!

    Sebastian asked me for a rope today. "Can I have that rope you used to make your invention the other day?" Sebastian & I both make inventions - I realized that today when I found myself helping him come up with more ideas for his 3 kid riding toy invention. He hadn't asked. What a fun thing to have in common with your kid! Pinterest brought me new perspective. Nothing is as it seems anymore. Nothing has just one purpose, it has 1000 more! To Sebastian - Everything has a way of being fun! To me - Everything has a way of being useful!

    Judah had one big poop, formed.

    Judah meds.

    We did eyedrop today. (He went from activity to activity - very wound up in the afternoon. I think he can't focus due to his vision & goes on to try something else quickly, hoping to be able to do that one and immediately moving on when he can't.)
    • Beta TCP 1-4 daily (one)
    • Bethanechol 25 mg 1/2 tablet 2/day
    • Vitamin D3 2000 IU one daily(morning)
    • Probiotic 1 daily in morning
    • Miralax 1-2 times day - 1 time
    • DMG 125 mg w/Folinic Acid &Methyl b-12 3 capsules in morning
    • Oxy-Mag Powder 1/2 teaspoon 1/day
    • WP Minerals 1/day
    • Organic coconut butter 1-3 tsp/day  - 1 tsp
    • Sleep factor
    • Iron up 1 tsp/day
    • DOCU 150/15ML Liq Hi-Tech 2 MLS  2 time
    • Powder B-6 1/2 tsp (fridge mix) every 3-5 days
    • Creon (pancrilipase)
    • his b-12/folinic shot 

    Meds not complete
    • skin rash med (did once on chest)

    Meds didn't take (totally screwed up milks today!)
    • Levocarnitin 10% 1 Tablespoon 15MLS every morning
    • Fish Oil 
    • Molasses 1 tsp in almond milk

    Meds we don't have