It's My...Birthday??

Today after Church we went out to lunch with our dear friends, Chris and Shannon, and their girls, Taylor and Rachel. Meggie's friends, Jacqueline and Morgan, joined us as well. Meggie got the great idea to let our server know it was Carson's birthday (well, in four days, but they didn't need the exact details).

Just as we were finishing our lunch, a line of servers approached our table clapping. We joined in and laughed along as they sang their silly version of "Happy Birthday." Carson looked...hmmm, how do I describe it?...totally and utterly confused. None of us had cameras (shame on me!), but I will tell you it was hysterical to see his reaction. Meggie and Jacqueline laughed so hard they were crying. I had him recreate the face at home so I could get a pic...this is a pretty close rendition of his reaction:
He kept turning his head from side to side (the singers were all lined up behind him) with this confused face. Then they handed him a huge ice cream sundae with a pile of whipped cream on top. He then shifted his confused gaze to the ice cream...looking it up and down, side to side, as if he wasn't sure quite what it was or what we wanted him to do with it. It was so stinkin' funny!!

The server confided in Chris that they were afraid they had come to the wrong table since Carson seemed so confused by the attention. (After explaining to them that Carson has never celebrated a birthday before, it made more sense...)

Thus begins Carson's celebratory birthday week! Hope he finally "gets it" by the time his party comes on Sunday!!

Playdate At The Children's Museum...

Tuesday, my friend Sarah and I got the boys together for a playdate at the Children's Museum. (Many thanks to Grandma and Grandpa B. for the season passes -- we are getting tons of use out of 'em!)

I'm thinking Sarah needs to take pics of her kids more often. Whenever I told Carson and Selleck that I was going to take a picture, Selleck completely ignored me and Carson put on his cheesy grin.

Here are the boys in the car at the Mechanic's Station...
...and here they are at the Construction Site, working the crane together.
When Carson got behind the wheel of the bus, he looked a bit out of control...
...but at least he looked at the road! Look how Selleck drives the bus, looking out the side window!! No wonder Carson stood up to pull the bell...he wanted off that bus quick!
In the row boat...notice Selleck is ignoring me again...
The Water Works area is always a favorite...the boys had a blast!
Poor Slade, he was cooped up in his stroller most the time we were there. In the play area for the 4-and-under crowd, we found this baby play area. Look how happy he is to be free!
Carson has so much fun at the Museum Center and is looking forward to going back soon. Max, Malachi, Selleck, Wesley, Ellie, Tori...anybody free??

Alright, Alright...You WIN!!

I have gotten quite a bit of negative feedback (friendly and supportive, but negative) about the idea of putting our Little Man in a dance class. While I don't agree that Carson will be mocked for taking dance and still feel it would be a great option for regular exercise, I am willing to give in and let Daddy win ONE battle.

So, today we signed Carson up for...
...karate!! I have to give it to Daddy...he made a good argument. Karate will provide non-contact exercise and will improve his strength, flexibility, and balance. His classes will be on Friday evenings and they start this coming week.

Now Carson really WILL think he's Ultraman...

We Felt Like Prisoners...But Now We're FREE!!

Carson went to his PT appointment today and I informed Courtney (his therapist) that Dr. Lainie had released him from PT. Courtney was, to say the least, shocked. I told her that, since he has met all of the goals SHE set for him, we saw no need to keep him in PT. She actually looked a bit perturbed with me, like it offended her that I didn't want to trek my son to see her twice a month. Hey, girl, I have a LIFE!!

Before she got herself all upset, I asked if her she would please re-evaluate him...after all, she hadn't seen him since mid June. She begrudgingly agreed.

She measured his flexibility and made him do all sorts of tasks -- and it sort of seemed like she wanted him to not meet her goals. He not only met 'em, he exceeded 'em! She wanted him to hop five steps on one foot...he hopped clear across the mat. She wanted him to jump 24 inches with his feet together...he jumped 29 inches.

For the first time in the nine months Carson has been seeing Courtney, she actually was positive. She kept saying how proud she was of him and what a great job we had done with him this summer. She even wanted to know how we had done it -- like we discovered some PT magic wand that helped him improve so much in such a short time. I told her the truth -- we have just let him be a kid...lots of bike riding, swimming, trampoline-jumping, and climbing on the playground. While I'm thrilled with Carson's progress and the fact that we are free from the PT appointments, the best part was that Courtney finally -- FINALLY -- gave us some credit for doing a good job at home with Carson.

As the saying goes: "Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last!!"

Enjoying Some Water Fun!

Carson kept BEGGING Daddy to go to the pool after dinner tonight. Daddy agreed, but first he wanted to water our flowers. Carson got into his swimming trunks and headed out to the yard to watch Daddy as he set up the sprinkler in the front yard. Meggie and I headed upstairs...she wanted me to help her organize her room and the laundry was calling my name. We heard the doorbell and I ran down to see who it was.

I was greeted by this...
...followed by this!
He was soaking wet!! Apparently, Daddy had convinced him that running through the sprinkler could be more fun than the pool. (Or else Daddy squirted him...hard to get those facts straight.)

Remember in July when we got Carson a Backyardigan's sprinkler and he hated it?Well, he has now been convinced of the merits of running crazily through spraying water. Take a peek:


Is there a better sound in the WORLD than a kid having that much fun???!! I doubt it!

While Carson was standing on the porch, dripping wet, Meggie got the bright idea to add to the wetness factor by throwing cups of water on him. He screamed when she first did it, then kept begging her to do it again. I did my best to get some action shots of that mess:
Think I ought to limit Carson's exposure to his goofy big sister? He really acts just like her!! Nah....they are so much fun together!!When Meggie posed Carson for this picture...
...it reminded me of a picture we took in China...
...look how much he has changed!! Yikes!!

Oh, well, the laundry is still calling and Meggie's room is still a disorganized mess...guess I'd better get back to it. Hope you enjoyed the water show!

A Prescription For Better Health...

Beginning a few weeks after we got home from China, Carson has been in occupational and physical therapy. We were very motivated to get him evaluated quickly and, as a family, we have been compliant with enforcing his 23-hour-a-day AFO wear and his daily stretches. We see every daily activity -- from brushing his teeth, to getting dressed, to riding a bike, to playing with toys -- as a potential opportunity to build on his therapy skills. To put it bluntly, we are doing a good job in maximizing Carson's potential and building strength in his very weak muscles.

Today we had a checkup with Carson's rehab specialist, Dr. Lainie (she lets the kids call her by her first name, for some reason). According to the OT/PT/rehab structure, it is Dr. Lainie's job to check in with Carson's therapists and direct his therapies. (According to reality, that is MY job.) I don't see a real reason to see Dr. Lainie, but she's a pleasant enough woman so I thought I'd give her one more shot...then I was gonna set some ground rules.

She spent the first few minutes with Carson in "small talk"...he couldn't have cared less. He played with her badge, hid behind the room-dividing curtain, kept confirming with me that there would be no shots, and talked endlessly about his upcoming birthday party (13 more days 'til he turns 5...). I allowed the niceties for a few minutes...then I got real.

I outlined for her my philosophy of therapy -- that when it's working, it should be continued. However, when it becomes a waste of my time and the therapist's time, then we should stop taking up a therapy appointment that would surely be of more benefit to some other child.

OT, without a doubt, is doing wonders for Carson. Dr. Lainie was completely impressed with Carson's improved range of motion and strength in his arms, elbows, and shoulders since she saw him in February. He still has many skills that challenge him -- like writing/coloring and dressing himself from the waist up -- and I still learn things from his occupational therapist every week. OT should continue.

PT, however, is becoming an annoyance. I do believe he needed it at first, but now that I have learned the developmental norms for Carson's age and benefited from the stretches and other muscle-building exercises his physical therapist has taught me, we're not doing anything at his PT appointments that we haven't already done just as well at home. PT should stop.

After listening thoughtfully to my argument, Dr. Lainie agreed with me! She said, as long as Carson maintained regular, year-round physical exercise, he could stop PT. I told her he is on a soccer team, but the season ends in October. We discussed other good possibilities for him -- which are limited, due to his arm weakness and very brittle-appearing wrists. We discussed gymnastics but decided against it due to the risk of wrist injuries.

Anyone who has seen my August 2nd post (not the one about Meggie's haircut, the one about Carson tap dancing) knows that Carson thinks he is a dancing phenom. He tells everyone every day that he loves dancing. I suggested dance class and Dr. Lainie lit up -- dance would be great PT for Carson! Meggie has been dancing since she was 3, so I'm quite familiar with the dance world.

Having suggested this to Daddy and Meggie a few weeks ago when I thought of it, I got a resounding "NO" from both of them. I'm not saying I want Carson to take on dance as a passion for life. Daddy fears it will give kids a reason to make fun of him...but I don't think five-year-olds worry about their manliness as much as my dear, sweet, misguided husband does. For that matter, I'm not even insisting that he get a costume and be in the recital. But I think, since he loves to dance, sticking him in a 30-minute class once a week will be a lot more tolerable as therapy than doing boring exercises with a physical therapist for an hour twice a month.

Explaining my dilemma to Dr. Lainie, she got out her prescription pad and gave me this:
Yes, folks, that's a prescription for Carson to take DANCE LESSONS!!! It is a REAL prescription...when Daddy saw it, he couldn't fight me anymore. He tried to push for year-round indoor soccer, but that's hard to find for 5-year-olds. (For competitive-caliber teenagers there are TONS of opportunities, but I could find none for preschoolers.)

Guess I'll be contacting Meggie's dance studio next week to inquire about preschool classes. After all, I'm just following doctor's orders...

Maybe We Should Shred Our Mortgage Paperwork...

A little over three years ago -- one month after we moved into our current home -- I was racing back across town during rush hour traffic to get Meggie to her dance recital in our old neighborhood. An uninsured (and clearly intoxicated) man fell asleep at the wheel and rammed his car into our minivan as we were going 60 mph. We were shaken but not injured...and got Meggie to her recital just in time for her to run backstage and take her spot for her first dance.

We were stuck paying the $250 deductible with the promise from State Farm that it would be reimbursed if/when they collected from the guy who hit us. Yeah, right. Uninsured, intoxicated drivers don't typically have that kind of cash. I tossed the paperwork in a file and have barely thought about it in the last three years.

In a frantic weekend of cleaning, purging, and rearranging our home office (more details on that in a coming blog post), I came across some paperwork on a minivan we no longer own -- the minivan that was in that accident. Part of that paperwork included the repair bills, etc., from the accident. Figuring that money was gone forever, I put all those papers in the "To Be Shredded" pile.

Today, I came home from work and found an envelope from State Farm. Kinda looked like a check. I opened it...it WAS a check! A check for $250 as reimbursement for the deductible from the accident in May of 2005!!! TODAY...one day after I got rid of all that paperwork!!

Is it just me, or would you be tempted to shred your mortgage paperwork just to SEE if anything would come of that...?

Could It Be...?

Yesterday, as we spent the day cleaning the house, I decided to plan something fun for the evening. Meggie was spending the night at a friend's house, so it was just Mommy, Daddy and Carson. We called our friends, Sarah and Scott, and set up a playdate to meet them and their boys, Selleck and Slade, at a local park.

We arrived first and Carson immediately headed to the swings. His squeals of laughter were truly the best sounds I have ever heard from that sweet boy...OK, maybe second-best to hearing him say "I lub you, Mommy." Hearing his laughter and seeing the joy on his face, it occurred to me...I forgot to bring the camera. And you know what? It was OK.

Even though I promise you I have been in love with my Little Man since first seeing his "mugshot" referral photo, it has felt a bit weird to wrap my brain around the fact that we flew around the world (literally) and made this one-time stranger a part of our family. Last night brought an odd realization...having him in our family is finally feeling real, and natural, and routine. And I think that's awesome!

So there are no pictures from our playdate last night. It was just a routine fun evening with friends filled with squeals of laughter, and dirty hands, and incessant demands of "Mommy, watch!" A regular evening of fun with our son.

Could it be that we've reached another milestone in our journey with Carson? I think we have...and I couldn't be happier!!

More Random Pics from Graduation Weekend...and a Motorcycle!

Partly because my sister sent me some good photos and partly because I don't have much else to post, a few more peeks at last weekend...
We're certain Sophia has a future in the theater. She comes by it honestly...her mother (my sister, Debbie) has always been quite dramatic. And, besides, Sophia can adapt to any look...
Speaking of looks...on graduation day, Carson and Uncle Brandon ended up wearing the exact same outfit! No, we didn't plan it...but it was awfully cute!
This one is for Brandon and Debbie...no on else would understand but it makes us laugh!
My beautiful sister...I can't wait to be there for her when she finishes her degree!
Heading to the pool on Saturday, Meggie put an awful lot of effort into her hair. Lasted about 5 minutes 'til I dunked her under!!Should it bug me that my gorgeous daughter looks so natural holding a baby?? 'Cause it does...
Carson is healing very well from surgery...hasn't even taken Tylenol since Tuesday! He was supposed to wear the bandage on his arm until next Monday. Well, he came home from school today and someone had removed it! Yikes!! The Steri-Strips were still mostly there...we covered 'em with a couple of Diego band-aids and we're hoping that holds through the weekend. Sometimes his limited English is frustrating...either he can't or he won't tell us who took off his bandage. Ugghhh...

For those long-time readers of this blog, you may remember that my in-laws gave Carson a motorized motorcycle a week after we got home from China. Needless to say, he didn't quite get what to do on that thing and couldn't understand the directions we were giving him...he was a holy terror!! We hid it under a tarp in the garage...until a couple of weeks ago, when Daddy thought he was ready. Surprisingly, he WAS ready!! He does so well on it now!! A few pics...
Grandma and Grandpa B, he LOVES his motorcycle!! We have to force him to take a spin on his bicycle (required for physical therapy) so he can earn his motorcycle time. Needless to say, Carson and Daddy spend a LOT of time cruising the neighborhood now. Of course, now Daddy wants a motorcycle of his own...NOT!!!!

Surgery Day!

Today was Carson's muscle biopsy. His neurologist wants to rule out progressive muscle disorders (like muscular dystrophy or other things that would worsen as he gets older), and the only way to do that was to take a piece of muscle and test it. Muscle biopsies are typically done in the thigh muscle, but since Carson's legs are so strong she feared the biopsy would come back normal and tell us nothing. So, it was decided the biopsy would be done on his weakest limb...his right arm.

I didn't know quite how to prepare him for this day. This morning, when he was offered a popsicle breakfast, he didn't question it. But when he kept asking where we were going as we were getting dressed, I told him the bare necessities...that a new doctor wanted to meet him, that he would breathe funny air through a mask, and they were going to check his arm muscle. He got a bit teary-eyed for about a minute, then he was fine.

We got to the hospital and were pretty much immediately put into a Same Day Surgery prep room. He cooperated beautifully with height, weight, and vital signs...which is rare for him. He happily changed out of his clothes and put on the hospital gown. Then I got out the camera and he got cranky. (Isn't he used to the constant pictures by now??)

Here we have Cranky Boy with Pooh Bear...
...and here we have both of the boys, enthralled by an episode of Tom and Jerry on the Cartoon Network.
I have never heard Carson laugh so much at a cartoon...Kevin always says the classic cartoons were the best! Whenever I tried to catch a picture of him cracking up, he would do this:
What a goober!! We were allowed to stay with Carson until he fell asleep (I helped hold the mask for the laughing gas and distracted him while Daddy held a blanket up as a drape so Carson couldn't see that he was getting an IV in his foot). He was giggling and growling at me...it was so funny! The induction went very smoothly...no tears from Carson or from Mommy...and we headed out to grab a quick lunch.

The surgery took about a half hour and then we met with the surgeon. Before the surgery, we were told there was a chance they wouldn't get an adequate muscle specimen from Carson because his muscles are so tiny. Thankfully, after the surgery we were told there was more than enough usable muscle for the specimen. Yeah!! The results will take 3-4 weeks, but they honestly don't expect to find anything from them. The expectation is that his biopsy will come back showing no progressive muscle issues and that he will continue to improve and adapt as he has been. Sounds almost like a waste to do the biopsy, but I understand the need to have medical proof instead of just presuming things won't worsen.

Carson took FOREVER to wake up in the Recovery Room. (So glad I snarfed my lunch down quickly and got to sit through a raging case of heartburn in the Waiting Room...) When we went back to his bedside, he was all snuggled and comfortable. We bugged him 'til he woke up and got him dressed. He got his IV out and wanted to sit on Daddy's lap while he had apple juice and graham crackers. He kept giving me the dirtiest looks...I guess mine was the last face he saw before he fell asleep and I was getting the blame for the whole deal. (Typical...) I tried to get pics in the Recovery Room, but every time I put the camera up, I got this...
...and then this.
He wasn't crying like after his MRI (thank goodness we skipped the oral Versed this time!), just a bit cranky. We stopped for milkshakes on the way home, which definitely helped his mood! At home, we decided to watch a movie in Mommy and Daddy's bed until we were sure he was steady on his feet. Daddy took a few pics as we got settled. This one shows the bandage on his arm...not too bad, really. (I was asking him if he wanted Tylenol for the pain. He said no, but we gave it to him anyway.)
Here we are, snuggling as we waited for the movie to rewind. He looks pretty good, don't you think??
After the movie, he was up and raring to go! He has been running around, playing like normal. He's been a bit sad (I think he feels out of sorts and doesn't understand why his arm hurts so badly) but overall it's been a good day. And he has learned how to milk this surgery thing for pity points...he'll be running around, then suddenly he's moaning, "My arm...sore!" Of course, the moans have gotten him extra kisses, snuggles, and cookies...he's no fool!! Minutes later, the running resumes. What an actor!

Let's hope this is our last visit to the operating room for a very long time...I'd like life to get boring for a while.

It's Official...Mommy is a College Graduate!!

The papers and projects have all been handed in, the grades were received, but yesterday was the official end of my Bachelor's program...the day the degree was actually conferred. Yes, I had to wear a goofy hat (and those who know me KNOW I don't wear hats!), but walking across that stage and finally hearing my name (along with the "Magna Cum Laude" I had earned) was awesome and surreal.

Wait a second...I'm getting ahead of myself.

The graduation was at the main campus of the University (I had attended a satellite campus) and we had to travel over three hours to get there. An arrival time of 8:30 a.m. would have required us to leave by 5 a.m....and we were NOT interested in that! So, we decided to go up Friday evening and spend the night in a local hotel. My parents and my sister, Debbie, were so supportive of my education and insisted on going along. So, we made a weekend of it!

We met at Debbie's house on Friday afternoon and this is how we traveled to the hotel...
...in my parents' new RV! Meggie and Debbie had gone to my parents' house earlier in the day and decorated it for me with balloons and this sign:
Grandma (aka my Mom) was excited to see Baby Sophia...Sophia was a bit sleepy and underwhelmed.
Carson couldn't believe THIS was how we were going to get to the hotel. He immediately decided he was going to sleep on the loveseat...no way, Little Man, you're going to be in a seatbelt!
Meggie was so proud of herself that she and Debbie were able to surprise me with the decorations. She kept telling me the week before she had "something up her sleeve."
Isn't this a great pic of me and my parents?!
Carson finally got in his seatbelt in the booth...and was excited to get on the road!
Debbie, Sophia, and Brandon enjoying some snuggle time before Sophia had to get in her carseat.
The three hour drive actually took us about five-and-a-half hours in the RV...but it was fine! The point was to spend the weekend together, not to rush to the hotel. It was so fun riding in that huge thing...minus the unfortunate bout of car sickness that hit me pretty hard about halfway there, of course.

Daddy had a softball game Friday night (they made it to the finals!), so he drove out separately Saturday morning. He dropped me off at the University at 8:30 and then came back to get the kids. Meggie took this pic of me as we were heading out to the car. I like to call it "the last time my hair looked good on Saturday."
I was so shocked that I found them so quickly as we entered the auditorium. They were all yelling my name and Meggie got my picture...that's me waving in the middle of the picture.
The pictures Meggie took that zoomed up close were way too blurry and dark to be worth posting. This picture gives you an idea of the size of the graduating class. I was in the very last row on the left, third person from the outer aisle. (Actually, if you click on the picture to enlarge it, I'm the last person in the last row on the left...Meggie cut off the last two people.) Needless to say, this ceremony took a L-O-N-G time...
...thankfully, Carson fell asleep for most of it!
When Carson woke up, he was super grumpy!! Meggie looks a bit worried he'll act up, doesn't she?!
After the ceremony, we went outside for a few pictures. The weather was gorgeous and we found a shade tree that was a perfect photo spot.
I dragged my co-worker/friend/partner-in-crime, Gina, into this program with me...we just had to get pics together at the end!
The gold cord around my neck signified that I graduated with high honors (Magna Cum Laude). The purple and white cord we both are wearing signified our membership in Sigma Theta Tau, the International Honor Society of Nursing. Our instructors told us to purchase the Sigma Theta Tau cord and to wear it to graduation. We were the only two nursing graduates with that cord...and, boy, did we create a stir with it!! Crowds of nursing graduates would talk about it (we could see them mouthing the words "purple cord" to each other), then they would send a brave representative to ask us what it was for. Hysterical! We were asked about that cord every couple of minutes! We felt so special!!

The Wonder Twins...elated to finally be FINISHED!!!!
My proud husband, glad to finally have his wife back!
Enjoy having me back while you can, my dear...you just KNOW I'll be working on my Master's degree before too long...