Well, Nate hasn't taken any more steps on his own, and he's back to being just as unstable and wobbly as he was before Friday. So we can't wait to start this Listening Therapy with him! We ordered the headphones on Saturday and hope they come in pronto!
On Saturday we went to Lexington to visit my parents and brother. We did a little shopping, went out to dinner, and went back to Lucas' house. Lucas has a tray of little smooth stones on his coffee table, and Nate thinks this is a toy just for him. He loves playing with those rocks. At one point, he asked Lucas to get him some clean socks to play with! After we got home, I asked Nate, "What did we do today?" He said, "Rocks and socks! Play with Granna and Pop and Lucas' house!" I cracked up that what stuck out most in his mind from the day was rocks and socks.
Last time we were at the store, I got Nate some little grape tomatoes. When he sees big tomatoes, he calls them apples, but when he saw these, they were right beside the bananas, so he said, "BananaMatos!" Today I gave him some tomatoes and cheese for a snack and he's STILL calling them bananaMatos!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!!
NATE TOOK HIS FIRST STEPS TODAY!!!!!!!!! Praise God!!!!
We were at Hippotherapy, and after he rode the horse, his OT, Katie, told me she'd like to try something called auditory therapy, where Nate would wear headphones to listen to special music that would stimulate his vestibular senses (which is one of his problem areas). I said it sounds cool, let's try it. So Nate was listening to this music and was acting wierdly calm and focused. Afterwards, she was doing some other exercises with him, and to get to the other side of the room, she had him hold onto one of her fingers and walk. Well, he started running! We all looked at each other and said, "Whoa! Did you see that?"
As we were leaving, we saw Nate's Aquatic Therapist, and I told Nate to show Miss Becky how he can run holding onto one finger. So Katie got him going, and then she let go, and he KEPT ON WALKING!!!! I said, "Did he just take 3 steps?!" He did! I couldn't believe it! He had a whole crowd of people around him. Then he walked to me and took 4 steps! Then he took another 4 steps to someone else! I called Blake to tell him that Nate was walking, and he was like "What? How? When? Why?" Ha! Poor Blake comes to hippotherapy every Friday afternoon, but he didn't today because he stayed home this morning when I had to go to that stupid school thing, so he missed it! I tried so hard to take pictures and video with my phone but couldn't figure it out, and of course I didn't have my camera in my purse for once in my life! You can bet I'll try to get it tonight or tomorrow and post it. Knowing Nate, he won't do it again for 3 weeks.
I'm so proud of him! And we are definitely buying some of those headphones so we can do auditory therapy with him! Good lord, we have tried every kind of therapy out there, and this was the last little push that he needed. Wow.
We were at Hippotherapy, and after he rode the horse, his OT, Katie, told me she'd like to try something called auditory therapy, where Nate would wear headphones to listen to special music that would stimulate his vestibular senses (which is one of his problem areas). I said it sounds cool, let's try it. So Nate was listening to this music and was acting wierdly calm and focused. Afterwards, she was doing some other exercises with him, and to get to the other side of the room, she had him hold onto one of her fingers and walk. Well, he started running! We all looked at each other and said, "Whoa! Did you see that?"
As we were leaving, we saw Nate's Aquatic Therapist, and I told Nate to show Miss Becky how he can run holding onto one finger. So Katie got him going, and then she let go, and he KEPT ON WALKING!!!! I said, "Did he just take 3 steps?!" He did! I couldn't believe it! He had a whole crowd of people around him. Then he walked to me and took 4 steps! Then he took another 4 steps to someone else! I called Blake to tell him that Nate was walking, and he was like "What? How? When? Why?" Ha! Poor Blake comes to hippotherapy every Friday afternoon, but he didn't today because he stayed home this morning when I had to go to that stupid school thing, so he missed it! I tried so hard to take pictures and video with my phone but couldn't figure it out, and of course I didn't have my camera in my purse for once in my life! You can bet I'll try to get it tonight or tomorrow and post it. Knowing Nate, he won't do it again for 3 weeks.
I'm so proud of him! And we are definitely buying some of those headphones so we can do auditory therapy with him! Good lord, we have tried every kind of therapy out there, and this was the last little push that he needed. Wow.
This morning
After a couple of days "off," we have a very busy day today! We had OT at 9:30, then Blake came home to stay with Nate so I could go to another meeting with the school system about preschool. They explained what kind of tests Nate we set a date for April 28. He asked me if I'd rather do it at 8:30 or 11 am. I said we'd take 8:30 because 11 is naptime. Then in my head I said, "Doh!" and smacked myself on the head. Naptime would be better, because Nate wouldn't cooperate as well and would score worse on the tests, so he'd more likely qualify! I know these things, so why can't I think on the spot? Oh well, he's cranky at 8:30 too. :) And that way he won't be a complete disaster for aquatic therapy that afternoon.
Apparently there will need to be a discussion about what kind of bus Nate will need. If he can climb the bus steps holding onto the attendant's hand, he can ride a regular bus. If not, he'll need to ride a bus with a lift, which would determine which school he would go to. (In my head, I'm thinking, They can't just pick him up?) I want the bus to be an option, but of course we can (and might anyway) drive him, especially if that determines which school he goes to. I'm also concerned about him having to walk a half mile through the school and up/down stairs to get from the bus to the preschool, and from the preschool to the cafeteria, and then back. He'd be worn out.
At one point, the man who was leading the meeting said that even if Nate qualifies for an IEP (which I think he will, but he said some with SB don't), at some point he may no longer qualify if he's walking and doing everything else fine. He said, "You don't want to give your child a disability if he doesn't have one." I just kind of laughed, but Angie (our advocate from First Steps) was pretty offended by that. What I should have said was, "Well, I don't care about labels, as long as he has the accomodations he needs" but you know how impossible it is to think of what to say at the time. :)
Anyway, when I got home, Blake was putting Nate to bed, and I heard them on the monitor. Nate asked Blake to sing the "train song" by which he means "I've been workin on the railroad." Well, Blake is woefully lacking in his song repertoire, so as usual, he made up a song about trains. He does this every couple of days, and I'm always sitting down here listening to the monitor and laughing till I'm crying! Today it was "Thomas the Train, I am, I am!" I'm going to have to record it sometime.
After Blake came back down here, he said earlier Nate came up to him and said, "Daddy, need a snack! The turkey and the cheese and the crackers." Well, alrighty then! His specificity really helps Blake out. :)
Well, Nate isn't napping, and I need to get him up soon to go to hippotherapy. Have a good weekend!
Apparently there will need to be a discussion about what kind of bus Nate will need. If he can climb the bus steps holding onto the attendant's hand, he can ride a regular bus. If not, he'll need to ride a bus with a lift, which would determine which school he would go to. (In my head, I'm thinking, They can't just pick him up?) I want the bus to be an option, but of course we can (and might anyway) drive him, especially if that determines which school he goes to. I'm also concerned about him having to walk a half mile through the school and up/down stairs to get from the bus to the preschool, and from the preschool to the cafeteria, and then back. He'd be worn out.
At one point, the man who was leading the meeting said that even if Nate qualifies for an IEP (which I think he will, but he said some with SB don't), at some point he may no longer qualify if he's walking and doing everything else fine. He said, "You don't want to give your child a disability if he doesn't have one." I just kind of laughed, but Angie (our advocate from First Steps) was pretty offended by that. What I should have said was, "Well, I don't care about labels, as long as he has the accomodations he needs" but you know how impossible it is to think of what to say at the time. :)
Anyway, when I got home, Blake was putting Nate to bed, and I heard them on the monitor. Nate asked Blake to sing the "train song" by which he means "I've been workin on the railroad." Well, Blake is woefully lacking in his song repertoire, so as usual, he made up a song about trains. He does this every couple of days, and I'm always sitting down here listening to the monitor and laughing till I'm crying! Today it was "Thomas the Train, I am, I am!" I'm going to have to record it sometime.
After Blake came back down here, he said earlier Nate came up to him and said, "Daddy, need a snack! The turkey and the cheese and the crackers." Well, alrighty then! His specificity really helps Blake out. :)
Well, Nate isn't napping, and I need to get him up soon to go to hippotherapy. Have a good weekend!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Nate's idea of fun
I've been doing laundry today, and right now there's several loads of clean clothes in the floor waiting to be folded. Partly because I had other things going on, and partly because laundry day is Nate's favorite! He's been playing in it all day. He says, "Cwean Cwothes! Wook, daddy's shirt! Wittle socks and big socks!" Blake came home from work, and the first thing Nate said when he walked in the door was, "Daddy, pway with cwothes! Daddy, get down here!" He throws himself on top of the clothes, throws them in the air trying to get them to land on his head, throws the socks everywhere--the socks are his favorite. So there ya go. I'm not a bad housekeeper, just a great mom to let my kid play in clean clothes. Better than dirty clothes, right?
This weekend, my friend Mindy came to visit, and Nate was so excited because, not only does he love "Aunt Mindy" but I had also told him we would make cookies when she got here. For two days straight, he said, "Mindy coming, make cookies!" Over and over again. :) So it was just a roll of sugar cookies, and I let Nate shake sprinkles on them. Well, he liked the cookies, but what he liked even better was shaking the sprinkles! We put the lid on tight, and he shook the sprinkle container for, oh, a couple of days. Seriously, with the laundry and the sprinkles and a box of tic tacs, why do we buy this kid toys?
Nate has this great habit of telling me something was fun as soon as we get in the car when leaving whatever we did. "Church fun!" "Fun at soccer!" "Lunch fun!" It's so nice--I wish I was more like that.
Today we went to the post office, and on the way in, he somehow tripped in his walker and fell to the ground. I could tell he didn't really hurt himself, but it scared him and hurt his feelings. So I picked him up, hugged him, and helped him shake it off (picture him crying and shaking his hands), and he was fine. I put him back in his walker, and as he was running into the post office, he said, "Mama, I happy now!" Aww, I just love that!
But he's not always so sweet and innocent. Yesterday I heard him talking on the monitor shortly after he woke up from his nap. He was saying, "Be careful! Be careful! Uh oh!" Hmm, that didn't sound good at all. I went up there, and he had unfastened one side of his diaper (was sleeping in a shirt and diaper--my fault), and when he rolled over, there was a big pee spot! That stinker!
This weekend, my friend Mindy came to visit, and Nate was so excited because, not only does he love "Aunt Mindy" but I had also told him we would make cookies when she got here. For two days straight, he said, "Mindy coming, make cookies!" Over and over again. :) So it was just a roll of sugar cookies, and I let Nate shake sprinkles on them. Well, he liked the cookies, but what he liked even better was shaking the sprinkles! We put the lid on tight, and he shook the sprinkle container for, oh, a couple of days. Seriously, with the laundry and the sprinkles and a box of tic tacs, why do we buy this kid toys?
Nate has this great habit of telling me something was fun as soon as we get in the car when leaving whatever we did. "Church fun!" "Fun at soccer!" "Lunch fun!" It's so nice--I wish I was more like that.
Today we went to the post office, and on the way in, he somehow tripped in his walker and fell to the ground. I could tell he didn't really hurt himself, but it scared him and hurt his feelings. So I picked him up, hugged him, and helped him shake it off (picture him crying and shaking his hands), and he was fine. I put him back in his walker, and as he was running into the post office, he said, "Mama, I happy now!" Aww, I just love that!
But he's not always so sweet and innocent. Yesterday I heard him talking on the monitor shortly after he woke up from his nap. He was saying, "Be careful! Be careful! Uh oh!" Hmm, that didn't sound good at all. I went up there, and he had unfastened one side of his diaper (was sleeping in a shirt and diaper--my fault), and when he rolled over, there was a big pee spot! That stinker!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
2 days off!
Nate and I have somehow found ourselves with 2 whole days off. The PT cancelled today because she's in Boston with her new grandbaby, and the OT rescheduled to Friday morning. Rachel, our respite care worker, usually comes on Wednesdays, but she hasn't been able to come the last 2 weeks. I actually thought she was "breaking up" with us, and I was having major anxiety about trying to find somebody new as great as she is, but it turns out she had appendicitis! She just had surgery! So she'll return when she's better.
Nate still loves his toddler bed and sleeps great in it! What an easy transition. In fact, it's even easier to get him in bed these days, cause we just ask if he wants to go get in his train bed, and that sounds much more fun than getting in his crib. Last night I was trying to let him stay up until Blake got home, but around 8 pm, Nate crawled up to me and said, "Mama, need to go to bed."
I'm still doing our brushing routine. I think it's been about 6 weeks? I've been doing great until this last week, and it's just getting old. I'll stick with it though.
Blake has started cutting his own hair. The first time resulted in a bald spot behind each ear, but he's getting pretty good at it now. However, he got a little too confident and tried to do Nate's hair a couple nights ago. Nate said, "Nooooo!" and pushed him out of the way. I wasn't home, obviously, or this wouldn't have happened at all. Nate does have a little gap behind his ear, but it's not too noticable. :)
Last week, I taught Nate about telling the truth. I asked him if he had a dirty diaper (um, I could tell he did), and he said, "Noooo! Play!" (No is Nate's favorite word right now.) I said, "Nate, you DO have a dirty diaper. You need to tell mama "Yes, I have a dirty diaper" cause that's telling the truth." He repeated "truth." Later that day, I asked him if he had a dirty diaper, and he said, "Yes!" like a kid answering a question correctly in school. He hasn't fibbed to me since then. I realize this little talk won't take care of all future fibbing, but it's a start. :)
New baby update--We've decided on the name Georgia Anne! In the last couple of weeks, I've started feeling Georgia kick! Especially the night I ate brownies--wow! She likes chocolate as much as her mama. Nate can now tell people he's having a baby sister and her name is "Georgie." I got him a little baby doll with a paci, and that's HIS baby Georgie. For now he mostly pokes her in the eye and throws her across the room, but he also gives her hugs and kisses!
Nate still loves his toddler bed and sleeps great in it! What an easy transition. In fact, it's even easier to get him in bed these days, cause we just ask if he wants to go get in his train bed, and that sounds much more fun than getting in his crib. Last night I was trying to let him stay up until Blake got home, but around 8 pm, Nate crawled up to me and said, "Mama, need to go to bed."
I'm still doing our brushing routine. I think it's been about 6 weeks? I've been doing great until this last week, and it's just getting old. I'll stick with it though.
Blake has started cutting his own hair. The first time resulted in a bald spot behind each ear, but he's getting pretty good at it now. However, he got a little too confident and tried to do Nate's hair a couple nights ago. Nate said, "Nooooo!" and pushed him out of the way. I wasn't home, obviously, or this wouldn't have happened at all. Nate does have a little gap behind his ear, but it's not too noticable. :)
Last week, I taught Nate about telling the truth. I asked him if he had a dirty diaper (um, I could tell he did), and he said, "Noooo! Play!" (No is Nate's favorite word right now.) I said, "Nate, you DO have a dirty diaper. You need to tell mama "Yes, I have a dirty diaper" cause that's telling the truth." He repeated "truth." Later that day, I asked him if he had a dirty diaper, and he said, "Yes!" like a kid answering a question correctly in school. He hasn't fibbed to me since then. I realize this little talk won't take care of all future fibbing, but it's a start. :)
New baby update--We've decided on the name Georgia Anne! In the last couple of weeks, I've started feeling Georgia kick! Especially the night I ate brownies--wow! She likes chocolate as much as her mama. Nate can now tell people he's having a baby sister and her name is "Georgie." I got him a little baby doll with a paci, and that's HIS baby Georgie. For now he mostly pokes her in the eye and throws her across the room, but he also gives her hugs and kisses!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Some cute things Nate said
The other day, Blake was clipping coupons. Nate apparently heard him talking about the coupons, and he said he wanted a snack. Blake asked what he wanted to eat, and he said, "Kookons!" :) No, you don't eat those. Well, he caught on better than we thought, cause the next morning he picked up a sales paper like he was going to read it and said, "Kookons!"
Yesterday, we were listening to music and Nate said, "Mama (mumbled something) song!" I said, "What?" He repeated. I said, "Did you say mama likes this song?" He answered, "What?" Ha! A little taste of my own medicine.
This morning he was climbing up the stairs and I was walking alongside of him. I'd step up a step, then he'd crawl up. We were a couple away from the top, and he pointed at me and said, "Nother step." So I stepped up one more. Then he said, "Nother step more." So I stepped up to the top. He said, "Good job!" :) Just like I always tell him.
This afternoon we went to the pharmacy to pick up Blake's medicine. We got up to the counter and Nate said, "Want Daddy's medicine!" He did the same thing last week when we went to the drycleaners, "Want Daddy's dry-kweening!" The cashier said, "Okay, and who is daddy?"
Nate is accompanying me to Bible Study tonight since Rachel couldn't make it this week, so I hope he'll behave himself. I'll take a couple trains, and they'll have pizza, so I think he'll do fine.
Yesterday, we were listening to music and Nate said, "Mama (mumbled something) song!" I said, "What?" He repeated. I said, "Did you say mama likes this song?" He answered, "What?" Ha! A little taste of my own medicine.
This morning he was climbing up the stairs and I was walking alongside of him. I'd step up a step, then he'd crawl up. We were a couple away from the top, and he pointed at me and said, "Nother step." So I stepped up one more. Then he said, "Nother step more." So I stepped up to the top. He said, "Good job!" :) Just like I always tell him.
This afternoon we went to the pharmacy to pick up Blake's medicine. We got up to the counter and Nate said, "Want Daddy's medicine!" He did the same thing last week when we went to the drycleaners, "Want Daddy's dry-kweening!" The cashier said, "Okay, and who is daddy?"
Nate is accompanying me to Bible Study tonight since Rachel couldn't make it this week, so I hope he'll behave himself. I'll take a couple trains, and they'll have pizza, so I think he'll do fine.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
First night in a big boy bed
When we woke up this morning, I didn't plan on Nate going to bed in his toddler bed, but that's the way it happened! Last weekend my parents brought a toddler bed that was cousin Trace's. It's a Little Tikes train bed, and I knew Nate would love it. Today Blake's mom and stepdad came to visit, and Bob put the bed together for us. Once it was put together, I knew Nate would want to climb in, so I just threw caution to the wind and moved his crib mattress into the bed.
Checking out his new bed for the first time.
Jumping on the bed!
Ready for night night.
He LOVES it! This afternoon when he saw it, climbed in and started bouncing up and down talking about the train, what colors it was, saying, "Big boy bed!" and was so excited. Tonight I put him in bed to read our train books and sing "I've been working on the railroad" :) and then said, "Okay, time to go night night!" Nate said, "No, train bed!" He thought I was going to take him out of his train bed to make him go night night in his crib. :) I told him he could stay right there and sleep there all night. Right now he's up there talking and saying "Choo choo!!!" so we'll see how tonight goes. I don't think he'll get out of the bed, but I wonder if he'll be so entertained by the train bed that it's hard to sleep. Here are some pictures:
Checking out his new bed for the first time.
Jumping on the bed!
Ready for night night.
What we do have going for us is that Nate had a very long and fun day, so he should be exhausted! This morning before soccer, he was getting kinda cranky, so I decided to spin him in a chair for sensory stuff. Oh wow! He's never done that well at soccer! He was so focused the whole time and just had fun without whining or getting upset! This was the first day of a new session, so there were lots of new kids there running all over the place, which made it even more obvious how far Nate has come since we started soccer back in September. Memaw came with us, which Nate loved! We all went over to visit Uncle Brian, Aunt Sunny, and Koko, came back home for lunch, and I put Nate down for his last ever nap in his crib. (Yes, I'm a little sad about this big boy bed!) Then he played like crazy with Memaw and GrandBob all evening long.
Wish me luck tonight. :)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Today
This morning I went to visit the public preschool that we've been thinking about sending Nate to. I loved the teacher, and the class was set up really nice. I could just imagine Nate sitting there on the rug during circle time. :) I got to ask lots of questions, and I feel really good about Nate going there. I will be visiting one more preschool, just out of curiosity, but the director already told me that they're all full for next year and it's unlikely Nate would get in. No biggie. This place is closer and cheaper anyway. And if he qualifies for an IEP, he'll go for free!
Blake had stayed home with Nate while I went to the preschool, and I guess he decided to be SuperDad while I was gone. When I walked in, he told me they had done all sorts of sensory things--taken a ride in the lycra swing, bounced on the exercise ball, spun around in the office chair ... Whoa! I thought it was awesome he had done all that with Nate, but you're not supposed to do all that sensory stuff at the same time! Nate was on complete overload! :) I sat him on my lap, and he stood up and was almost jumping on my lap. I tried to do some deep pressure stuff like joint compressions, making a "Nate sandwich" with him pressed between pillows, hugging him tight, and pressing his knees against his chest, all in an effort to calm him down a little. But he was bouncing off the walls. It took him 2 hours and some crying to finally take a nap, and he was still sleeping when the OT got here. Oh well, Blake had very good intentions. He just has a real knack for completely ruining naptime! I don't know how he does it, but he is continually finding new and inventive ways to ruin naptime. Ha!
Nate had a little breakthrough today (maybe cause of the sensory stuff this morning, who knows!) and he ate half of his grilled cheese sandwich all by himself! As in, he picked it up, took a bite off of it, and put it back down on his plate! I was so proud of him! He's literally never done that before. He also ate about half of his applesauce by himself with a spoon. I'm just amazed at all the progress he's making so quickly. He's going to be ready for preschool in no time!
Blake had stayed home with Nate while I went to the preschool, and I guess he decided to be SuperDad while I was gone. When I walked in, he told me they had done all sorts of sensory things--taken a ride in the lycra swing, bounced on the exercise ball, spun around in the office chair ... Whoa! I thought it was awesome he had done all that with Nate, but you're not supposed to do all that sensory stuff at the same time! Nate was on complete overload! :) I sat him on my lap, and he stood up and was almost jumping on my lap. I tried to do some deep pressure stuff like joint compressions, making a "Nate sandwich" with him pressed between pillows, hugging him tight, and pressing his knees against his chest, all in an effort to calm him down a little. But he was bouncing off the walls. It took him 2 hours and some crying to finally take a nap, and he was still sleeping when the OT got here. Oh well, Blake had very good intentions. He just has a real knack for completely ruining naptime! I don't know how he does it, but he is continually finding new and inventive ways to ruin naptime. Ha!
Nate had a little breakthrough today (maybe cause of the sensory stuff this morning, who knows!) and he ate half of his grilled cheese sandwich all by himself! As in, he picked it up, took a bite off of it, and put it back down on his plate! I was so proud of him! He's literally never done that before. He also ate about half of his applesauce by himself with a spoon. I'm just amazed at all the progress he's making so quickly. He's going to be ready for preschool in no time!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Pictures
Here she is!
Here's her scary alien/skeletor picture. This is the front of her face, bless her heart. :)
Here's me at the end of my long day. (I got a hair cut!)
And here's handsome Nate showing off his new skill of drinking through a straw!
Here's her scary alien/skeletor picture. This is the front of her face, bless her heart. :)
Here's me at the end of my long day. (I got a hair cut!)
And here's handsome Nate showing off his new skill of drinking through a straw!It's a .......
HEALTHY GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are SO excited! The brain looks good, the spine looks good, the heart looks good, and the ultrasound tech is 85% sure it's a girl! She wanted to be conservative because I'm only 16 weeks along, but I think she was more sure than that. :)
Rachel was watching Nate while we were gone, and I got home I asked Nate, "Do you think we're having a girl baby or boy baby?" and just like every other time I've asked, he said, "Girl baby!" I said, "You're right!" I pulled out one of the ultrasound pictures to show him, and he took one look and said, "Baby scary!" Ha! She does look kinda scary and alien-like right now. :)
Before we left for my appointment, I put Nate in bed for his nap and told him that Miss Rachel would be there when he woke up. He was still awake and talking in his crib when she got here, and she said she heard him on the monitor saying, "Mama, did you know Miss Rachel is coming?" After a long time of him just up there talking, she went up there. He saw her and said, "Hi, Miss Rachel!" She asked him if he wanted to come downstairs to play, and he said, "Mm, no, my bed." She asked if he was sure, and he said, "My bed." So she came back downstairs and he fell asleep a few minutes later. :) He's like a different child when she's here. She said this afternoon he told her, "We're going to Chili's! Yay, Chili's!" I have no idea where that came from!
One other cute Nate story: This morning Nate was watching his Thomas video and playing with his trains on the coffee table. He pointed Gordon at an angle toward the TV and said, "Gordon, watch Thomas!"
So it's been a very good day, and we're so happy!
We are SO excited! The brain looks good, the spine looks good, the heart looks good, and the ultrasound tech is 85% sure it's a girl! She wanted to be conservative because I'm only 16 weeks along, but I think she was more sure than that. :)
Rachel was watching Nate while we were gone, and I got home I asked Nate, "Do you think we're having a girl baby or boy baby?" and just like every other time I've asked, he said, "Girl baby!" I said, "You're right!" I pulled out one of the ultrasound pictures to show him, and he took one look and said, "Baby scary!" Ha! She does look kinda scary and alien-like right now. :)
Before we left for my appointment, I put Nate in bed for his nap and told him that Miss Rachel would be there when he woke up. He was still awake and talking in his crib when she got here, and she said she heard him on the monitor saying, "Mama, did you know Miss Rachel is coming?" After a long time of him just up there talking, she went up there. He saw her and said, "Hi, Miss Rachel!" She asked him if he wanted to come downstairs to play, and he said, "Mm, no, my bed." She asked if he was sure, and he said, "My bed." So she came back downstairs and he fell asleep a few minutes later. :) He's like a different child when she's here. She said this afternoon he told her, "We're going to Chili's! Yay, Chili's!" I have no idea where that came from!
One other cute Nate story: This morning Nate was watching his Thomas video and playing with his trains on the coffee table. He pointed Gordon at an angle toward the TV and said, "Gordon, watch Thomas!"
So it's been a very good day, and we're so happy!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Gordon
Last night the whole family went to Target. Blake walked around with Nate looking for the trains while I did my shopping. Sure enough, when I met up with them, Blake was carrying a train that Nate had suckered him into buying. His name is Gordon, and he looks exactly like Thomas to me, but Nate knows the difference between them. He was so excited with Gordon that he held him all the way home and cried so hard when he had to go to bed.
This morning, the first thing he wanted to do was play with Gordon, and I wish I had gotten this on video. He was going on and on about him, "He's a engine. Gordon's bwue. He's smiling! Cheese!" It went on for like 5 minutes, with Nate describing Gordon. I asked him if he wanted to take Gordon to the doctor with us this morning, and his face lit up and he said, "Yes! That be great!"
We went for my monthly check up at the OB's office, and she listened for the heartbeat. We heard it, but not for long cause this little monkey was bounching all over the place in there! Then I had to have blood work done, and Nate sat on my lap. As usual, even though I told the woman I am a hard stick, she still had to try my arm before trying my hand as I told her to. Anyway, before trying my hand, she was smacking it to get the veins to pop up, and Nate saw this and started giggling. So she kept on smacking and said, "Bad, bad mommy!" Well, I didn't like this very much, but Nate was rolling. Funniest thing he's seen all week, apparently. As we were leaving, he was bouncing up and down saying, "Bad, bad mommy!" Great.
This afternoon we had Nate's first aquatic therapy visit. I'll just say that this won't be my favorite time of the week. It's not that I don't like the pool; it's just that it's so much work getting us there right as school gets out and traffic is heavy, then changing us into swimsuits, then the actual therapy (and I did more swimming than I thought I would), then changing us back into clothes, then driving home during rush hour traffic. But, I think it will be great for Nate and really help him. She said it would really improve his gait (how he walks) and that it would be a wonderful lifetime activity for him. I think it was a little harder than Nate expected it to be--he acted like he thought we'd just get in and splash for an hour--but he did really well and seemed to enjoy himself. He also got new Thomas swim trunks, so he talked about those a lot. At one point, he saw the "4" on the side of the pool to indicate how many feet deep it is, and he announced, "Four!" The therapist looked at me strangely, and I said, "He likes fours. One of his favorite numbers." She said, "Does he call all numbers four?" I said, "Nope, just fours." She said, "Well, mom, I think that is pretty smart." She seemed very impressed with our smart boy. :)
Okay, tomorrow (Wednesday) is the big ultrasound! I'll update when I get home!
This morning, the first thing he wanted to do was play with Gordon, and I wish I had gotten this on video. He was going on and on about him, "He's a engine. Gordon's bwue. He's smiling! Cheese!" It went on for like 5 minutes, with Nate describing Gordon. I asked him if he wanted to take Gordon to the doctor with us this morning, and his face lit up and he said, "Yes! That be great!"
We went for my monthly check up at the OB's office, and she listened for the heartbeat. We heard it, but not for long cause this little monkey was bounching all over the place in there! Then I had to have blood work done, and Nate sat on my lap. As usual, even though I told the woman I am a hard stick, she still had to try my arm before trying my hand as I told her to. Anyway, before trying my hand, she was smacking it to get the veins to pop up, and Nate saw this and started giggling. So she kept on smacking and said, "Bad, bad mommy!" Well, I didn't like this very much, but Nate was rolling. Funniest thing he's seen all week, apparently. As we were leaving, he was bouncing up and down saying, "Bad, bad mommy!" Great.
This afternoon we had Nate's first aquatic therapy visit. I'll just say that this won't be my favorite time of the week. It's not that I don't like the pool; it's just that it's so much work getting us there right as school gets out and traffic is heavy, then changing us into swimsuits, then the actual therapy (and I did more swimming than I thought I would), then changing us back into clothes, then driving home during rush hour traffic. But, I think it will be great for Nate and really help him. She said it would really improve his gait (how he walks) and that it would be a wonderful lifetime activity for him. I think it was a little harder than Nate expected it to be--he acted like he thought we'd just get in and splash for an hour--but he did really well and seemed to enjoy himself. He also got new Thomas swim trunks, so he talked about those a lot. At one point, he saw the "4" on the side of the pool to indicate how many feet deep it is, and he announced, "Four!" The therapist looked at me strangely, and I said, "He likes fours. One of his favorite numbers." She said, "Does he call all numbers four?" I said, "Nope, just fours." She said, "Well, mom, I think that is pretty smart." She seemed very impressed with our smart boy. :)
Okay, tomorrow (Wednesday) is the big ultrasound! I'll update when I get home!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Mi vida loca
I've been singing that song, Mi Vida Loca, all morning. :) It's fitting right now. Life is just kind of crazy--not bad, just busy. After getting back from Vanderbilt last week, on Wednesday we closed on our house (finally) and I had lots of errands to run and things to do around the house and Bible study. On Thursday we had an appointment with our case manager from Rescare (still not sure what this lady does or the point of the appointment), the cable guy came, and Nate had PT. Friday Nate had hippotherapy and an OT evaluation. Saturday my parents came for my birthday, and we all went to the Spina Bifida Association of Kentucky playgroup for SB kids and then out to eat at the Melting Pot! My favorite! And yesterday after my Sunday School class, we headed to Evansville for a visit with Blake's dad and stepmom. This morning we had PT and then I had to wake Nate up from his nap to go to playgroup. Whew! Of course I only have a few minutes to post this cause I need to go pick him up.
I'm a little more encouraged about potty training after an incident Saturday morning (I think ... the days are running together). I put Nate on the potty, and he pushed and strained really hard, and he peed a lot! Maybe we CAN teach him to push it out! Then he crawled naked into my bedroom following Blake, and he peed all over the floor and on a stack of clothes. Not so good, but it happens. :)
This afternoon when we return from playgroup, we're having Nate's IFSP meeting, which is when all (most) of his therapists gather around our table to talk about a plan for therapy for the next four months, until he turns 3. I know we will have PT and OT in the home and the developmental playgroup (which he's at now). Outside of early intervention, our insurance will be paying for hippotherapy (OT on a horse) and aquatic therapy (PT in the pool). He starts aquatic therapy tomorrow! So we will have 5 therapy sessions per week, which will be nuts, but it's only for a short time until he turns 3. I think these therapists really have Nate figured out and know just how to help him. I'm really hoping he'll be taking steps on his own by his 3rd birthday!
One funny story from last night before I have to run. All day yesterday, Nate would inform me when he was or was not going to cry. He bumped his face on a chair and asked if he should cry. :) Last night when we got home, I said something about the baby in my belly (still trying to get him used to this idea), and he said babies cry cause they're sad. I told him the baby wasn't sad, and I asked him, "Are you sad? Or are you happy?" He said, "Happy!" Then Maggie walked up, and I said, "Is Maggie sad or happy?" He said, "Happy ... Maggie's crazy!" Hahaha, love it. Maggie really is pretty crazy.
Tomorrow I have an appointment with my OB, just our monthly check up, then on Wednesday Blake and I are going to the maternal-fetal specialist for our big ultrasound! We hope to see a healthy spine, and maybe find out if it's a boy or girl!
I'm a little more encouraged about potty training after an incident Saturday morning (I think ... the days are running together). I put Nate on the potty, and he pushed and strained really hard, and he peed a lot! Maybe we CAN teach him to push it out! Then he crawled naked into my bedroom following Blake, and he peed all over the floor and on a stack of clothes. Not so good, but it happens. :)
This afternoon when we return from playgroup, we're having Nate's IFSP meeting, which is when all (most) of his therapists gather around our table to talk about a plan for therapy for the next four months, until he turns 3. I know we will have PT and OT in the home and the developmental playgroup (which he's at now). Outside of early intervention, our insurance will be paying for hippotherapy (OT on a horse) and aquatic therapy (PT in the pool). He starts aquatic therapy tomorrow! So we will have 5 therapy sessions per week, which will be nuts, but it's only for a short time until he turns 3. I think these therapists really have Nate figured out and know just how to help him. I'm really hoping he'll be taking steps on his own by his 3rd birthday!
One funny story from last night before I have to run. All day yesterday, Nate would inform me when he was or was not going to cry. He bumped his face on a chair and asked if he should cry. :) Last night when we got home, I said something about the baby in my belly (still trying to get him used to this idea), and he said babies cry cause they're sad. I told him the baby wasn't sad, and I asked him, "Are you sad? Or are you happy?" He said, "Happy!" Then Maggie walked up, and I said, "Is Maggie sad or happy?" He said, "Happy ... Maggie's crazy!" Hahaha, love it. Maggie really is pretty crazy.
Tomorrow I have an appointment with my OB, just our monthly check up, then on Wednesday Blake and I are going to the maternal-fetal specialist for our big ultrasound! We hope to see a healthy spine, and maybe find out if it's a boy or girl!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
MOMS Follow Up, Day 2
So I spoke too soon about Nate being such a pleasure to travel with. After he woke up from his nap yesterday evening, he was hungry and cranky and would. not. stop. crying. I thought I was going to pull my hair out. I told him he needed to stop crying so we could go to Chili's (this tactic usually works eventually, plus he likes Chili's), but he just couldn't. We got a few steps down the hall and he collapsed in a tantrum, and people were peeking out of their doors to see who was beating their child. After about a half hour of screaming, I finally got him out to the car (whining and crying the whole time), and then there was no way I was taking this child into a restaurant. So we went through the Wendy's drive through for chicken nuggets. Nate ate one nugget and said, "I happy! Go to Chili's!" Um, no sir.
This morning, by breakfast Nate was already getting tired and cranky, so I knew it would be a rough day. We were supposed to meet with the examiners from 11-3 (which is noon-4 our time, aka nap time), but they got us in an hour early.
First they did the physical exam, and I was proud of how well Nate cooperated. They video'd him walking and crawling, and the examiner tested out all of his muscles. One interesting thing she found, which the PT also found last week, is that Nate's right leg is slightly stronger than his left. The reason that is funny (funny strange, not funny ha ha) is that his right leg has always been the slower one to catch up. When he started crawling, he didn't want to crawl on that leg. When he started weight bearing, he kinda lifted that leg. Even now, when he gets tired, his right foot turns outward while he's walking. Yet it's the stronger leg. Hmm. That Nate is always full of surprises and mysteries. Anyway, she estimated that his functional level is S1, which is what they told us at 12 months. That's very good--that means he functions much, much better than he should based on his actual level (where the opening on his spine was) of L2.
Next they did the developmental exam. This took a long time, and Nate didn't cooperate with some parts, but overall I thought he did great for the circumstances. He stacked some blocks and matched some shapes and was able to tell her all kinds of things about the pictures she held up (the names of things, what the children were doing in the pictures, which thing you use to eat with, etc.). After she was done and she had gone over the test and was getting ready to leave, I asked her how she thought Nate did. She said, "Oh, I don't score the test at all, so I really can't say. All I can tell families is that if you have any concerns you should bring them up with your child's pediatrician." What? At 12 months, a different examiner told me that she doesn't score the test but she gave me her general opinions about what Nate does well and where he needs improvement. And my friend who just took her son down for the 30 month follow up a few months ago said the examiner told her all kinds of stuff about her son, including his IQ score! And yet this woman couldn't tell me anything. It's not like I have any concerns that aren't already being addressed with his massive team of therapists, but it just stinks because we spent 4 hours doing all this testing for the study, and we got nothing out of it, not even a little information.
By then it was 2 pm (central) and Nate was beyond needing a nap and lunch. I took him to the Food Court, where his mood rapidly deteriorated. While standing in line for Subway, his crying turned to screaming. Nothing I did or said could calm him down, so I just stood in line and ignored the screaming--it's really the only thing to do, the kid had to have food. But it seemed like everyone in the Food Court was straining their necks to see whose child was screaming and why their mother wasn't doing anything about it! Finally, a saint who works at Subway handed me a cookie! Ahhh. That held him over until we got the food. I rushed him over to a table and tried to get him set up in a chair with some food while also trying to balance the umbrella stroller with bags and the walker hanging on it, and it crashed to the ground three times. Here I am, pregnant (and I'm obviously not yet hugely pregnant, but I was wearing a maternity shirt and I think most people would at least suspect that I'm pregnant) with my screaming, disabled child, and I'm doing the best I can while the stroller is falling all over the place ... and not one person, not even the man sitting within arms reach of us reading a book, offered to help! What is wrong with people? I honestly don't want people to help us most of the time, but it was very obvious that things were beyond what I could handle at that point, and no one but the Subway saint could bother to help us.
Anyway, Nate got some food in his belly and then passed out in the car for nearly the whole trip. Blake got home about 15 minutes after us, and the first thing Nate said was, "Daddy! Big hug!" He was so happy to see him. He wanted Blake to get in the floor and play cars with him, and while they were both sitting there playing, Nate was being silly and started shaking his head all around. He said, "I crazy! I gonna go crazy!" Ha! I laughed so hard! Where did he learn that?
So we're glad to be home, and I don't plan on taking any trips like that without help anymore!
This morning, by breakfast Nate was already getting tired and cranky, so I knew it would be a rough day. We were supposed to meet with the examiners from 11-3 (which is noon-4 our time, aka nap time), but they got us in an hour early.
First they did the physical exam, and I was proud of how well Nate cooperated. They video'd him walking and crawling, and the examiner tested out all of his muscles. One interesting thing she found, which the PT also found last week, is that Nate's right leg is slightly stronger than his left. The reason that is funny (funny strange, not funny ha ha) is that his right leg has always been the slower one to catch up. When he started crawling, he didn't want to crawl on that leg. When he started weight bearing, he kinda lifted that leg. Even now, when he gets tired, his right foot turns outward while he's walking. Yet it's the stronger leg. Hmm. That Nate is always full of surprises and mysteries. Anyway, she estimated that his functional level is S1, which is what they told us at 12 months. That's very good--that means he functions much, much better than he should based on his actual level (where the opening on his spine was) of L2.
Next they did the developmental exam. This took a long time, and Nate didn't cooperate with some parts, but overall I thought he did great for the circumstances. He stacked some blocks and matched some shapes and was able to tell her all kinds of things about the pictures she held up (the names of things, what the children were doing in the pictures, which thing you use to eat with, etc.). After she was done and she had gone over the test and was getting ready to leave, I asked her how she thought Nate did. She said, "Oh, I don't score the test at all, so I really can't say. All I can tell families is that if you have any concerns you should bring them up with your child's pediatrician." What? At 12 months, a different examiner told me that she doesn't score the test but she gave me her general opinions about what Nate does well and where he needs improvement. And my friend who just took her son down for the 30 month follow up a few months ago said the examiner told her all kinds of stuff about her son, including his IQ score! And yet this woman couldn't tell me anything. It's not like I have any concerns that aren't already being addressed with his massive team of therapists, but it just stinks because we spent 4 hours doing all this testing for the study, and we got nothing out of it, not even a little information.
By then it was 2 pm (central) and Nate was beyond needing a nap and lunch. I took him to the Food Court, where his mood rapidly deteriorated. While standing in line for Subway, his crying turned to screaming. Nothing I did or said could calm him down, so I just stood in line and ignored the screaming--it's really the only thing to do, the kid had to have food. But it seemed like everyone in the Food Court was straining their necks to see whose child was screaming and why their mother wasn't doing anything about it! Finally, a saint who works at Subway handed me a cookie! Ahhh. That held him over until we got the food. I rushed him over to a table and tried to get him set up in a chair with some food while also trying to balance the umbrella stroller with bags and the walker hanging on it, and it crashed to the ground three times. Here I am, pregnant (and I'm obviously not yet hugely pregnant, but I was wearing a maternity shirt and I think most people would at least suspect that I'm pregnant) with my screaming, disabled child, and I'm doing the best I can while the stroller is falling all over the place ... and not one person, not even the man sitting within arms reach of us reading a book, offered to help! What is wrong with people? I honestly don't want people to help us most of the time, but it was very obvious that things were beyond what I could handle at that point, and no one but the Subway saint could bother to help us.
Anyway, Nate got some food in his belly and then passed out in the car for nearly the whole trip. Blake got home about 15 minutes after us, and the first thing Nate said was, "Daddy! Big hug!" He was so happy to see him. He wanted Blake to get in the floor and play cars with him, and while they were both sitting there playing, Nate was being silly and started shaking his head all around. He said, "I crazy! I gonna go crazy!" Ha! I laughed so hard! Where did he learn that?
So we're glad to be home, and I don't plan on taking any trips like that without help anymore!
Monday, March 2, 2009
MOMS follow up, Day 1
Nate and I made our way to Nashville yesterday after church. Nate is such a big boy and so cooperative (most of the time) these days, so he's pretty fun to travel with. It's also a good thing he walks so well in his walker now--otherwise I would have been in big trouble trying to carry our bags and everything into the hotel! But he walked right in, getting lots of attention as usual. He's like a little celebrity wherever he goes. :) We went to dinner with my friends Kathryn and Scott and their two boys, so dinner was mayhem but really fun.
This morning we had breakfast at the buffet downstairs, and I couldn't believe how much Nate ate. He had a plate full of eggs, bacon, waffle, potatoes, and fruit, and I think he ate every bite. Then we headed over to the hospital, and I took a risk and didn't even take the stroller in! He just walked the whole time! Getting into the elevator, he was waving at everyone saying, "Hi, friends!" Ah, I just love him.
Nate first had his urodynamics test in the urology office. I put a little hospital gown on him and pulled out his Thomas movie. Turns out this was a life saver! I actually had to leave the room since I'm pregnant and the test requires radiation, but Nate was oblivious to me being gone with Thomas on the tv.
Time for the pee talk. So first they catheterized him to empty his bladder, and there was very little of anything in his bladder, which is a very good thing. That means that he must be emptying his bladder pretty well, also evidenced by the fact that he's never had a bladder infection or UTI. Next, they filled his bladder with fluid to see how it reacted. They were able to see that the bladder was very healthy as it filled up--it's very round and flexible, and it expands as necessary. And it didn't leak. All very good news. The problem is that once the bladder gets that full, most people get a little uncomfortable and then their brain signals for their bladder to empty. Nate didn't empty. They thought maybe it was cause of the catheter, so they took it out and put his diaper on him to see if he would pee. He peed a little, but didn't empty all the way.
What does all this mean? I don't really know. If he had a bad problem with not emptying well, we would have seen bladder infections by now. The doctor told me that Nate is one of those kids on the fence--he has really good sensation, but something is not quite right. So he recommended that we continue with the potty training to see what he can do. Maybe he can learn to push out the urine. Worst case scenario, at some point he'll start cathing every few hours just so he can stay dry and wear big boy undies, but that wouldn't be for a couple of more years. We think he has a good chance of potty training, but even if he doesn't, it's not the end of the world. He has a healthy bladder and kidneys, and that is awesome!
Next we went downstairs, where Nate could play with this huge model train set in the lobby, and he loved it so much that it was hard to finally pull him away. He had a renal ultrasound (looks at the bladder again and the kidneys) and he did really well. At first he fussed, but I got him talking about all the pictures on the walls, and he was cooperative. I don't have the results back from that yet, but he has had those every 6 months of his life and there's never been a problem so I don't foresee bad news with this one at all.
We went to have lunch in the cafe and met up with another couple who has a son with spina bifida who we had briefly met earlier in the uro office, so we had a nice chat during lunch. About this time Nate was getting really tired and cranky, so I pulled out his portable DVD player, and he was happy as a clam. He actually laid down on a couch with his movie while I had to do some surveys with our MOMS nurse, Mary.
Now we're back at the hotel, and Nate is napping at 5 pm, but I just hate to wake him up. We'll probably just go out to dinner and come back to the hotel to get things ready for tomorrow and hang out watching TV (and playing with trains). I'll update tomorrow night.
This morning we had breakfast at the buffet downstairs, and I couldn't believe how much Nate ate. He had a plate full of eggs, bacon, waffle, potatoes, and fruit, and I think he ate every bite. Then we headed over to the hospital, and I took a risk and didn't even take the stroller in! He just walked the whole time! Getting into the elevator, he was waving at everyone saying, "Hi, friends!" Ah, I just love him.
Nate first had his urodynamics test in the urology office. I put a little hospital gown on him and pulled out his Thomas movie. Turns out this was a life saver! I actually had to leave the room since I'm pregnant and the test requires radiation, but Nate was oblivious to me being gone with Thomas on the tv.
Time for the pee talk. So first they catheterized him to empty his bladder, and there was very little of anything in his bladder, which is a very good thing. That means that he must be emptying his bladder pretty well, also evidenced by the fact that he's never had a bladder infection or UTI. Next, they filled his bladder with fluid to see how it reacted. They were able to see that the bladder was very healthy as it filled up--it's very round and flexible, and it expands as necessary. And it didn't leak. All very good news. The problem is that once the bladder gets that full, most people get a little uncomfortable and then their brain signals for their bladder to empty. Nate didn't empty. They thought maybe it was cause of the catheter, so they took it out and put his diaper on him to see if he would pee. He peed a little, but didn't empty all the way.
What does all this mean? I don't really know. If he had a bad problem with not emptying well, we would have seen bladder infections by now. The doctor told me that Nate is one of those kids on the fence--he has really good sensation, but something is not quite right. So he recommended that we continue with the potty training to see what he can do. Maybe he can learn to push out the urine. Worst case scenario, at some point he'll start cathing every few hours just so he can stay dry and wear big boy undies, but that wouldn't be for a couple of more years. We think he has a good chance of potty training, but even if he doesn't, it's not the end of the world. He has a healthy bladder and kidneys, and that is awesome!
Next we went downstairs, where Nate could play with this huge model train set in the lobby, and he loved it so much that it was hard to finally pull him away. He had a renal ultrasound (looks at the bladder again and the kidneys) and he did really well. At first he fussed, but I got him talking about all the pictures on the walls, and he was cooperative. I don't have the results back from that yet, but he has had those every 6 months of his life and there's never been a problem so I don't foresee bad news with this one at all.
We went to have lunch in the cafe and met up with another couple who has a son with spina bifida who we had briefly met earlier in the uro office, so we had a nice chat during lunch. About this time Nate was getting really tired and cranky, so I pulled out his portable DVD player, and he was happy as a clam. He actually laid down on a couch with his movie while I had to do some surveys with our MOMS nurse, Mary.
Now we're back at the hotel, and Nate is napping at 5 pm, but I just hate to wake him up. We'll probably just go out to dinner and come back to the hotel to get things ready for tomorrow and hang out watching TV (and playing with trains). I'll update tomorrow night.
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