Leaf Peeping, Coal Mining, and a Wedding

When my brother announced his engagement earlier this year and told us the wedding place and date, I got really excited since I LOVE fall in the north!  October in Pennsylvania sounded great and besides a little rain, it was perfect!

My mom rented some awesome homes in the Pocono Mountains and out whole family and some friends had a little vacation before the wedding.  We had two houses just down the street from each other so one was designated the main eating house and all 17 of us managed meals around the mish-mash of tables that we assembled.  Both houses had pool tables and one had videos games and air hockey so the boys had lots of fun.  We got there on Tuesday and most of the gang was already there.  We spent Wednesday sleeping and hanging out at the houses since it was raining, but Thursday we ventured out and took a coal mine tour since the rain wasn't a problem 250 feet underground! 

This was the coal mine we visited.  Travis really wanted to go see the mine and of course, by the end of the tour he was ready to sign on and be a coal miner.  It's been closed for a few years though (after operating for more than 100 years!) so he'll have to find another location.  He decided he would open the first mine in Texas and I had to break the news that you have to mine where the coal actually is.  Slight problem...

The yellow train/trolley is what we used to descend into the mine.  This is Justin's new "smile" face.  I am anxious to see the wedding photos with this expression.

Most of the pictures in the mine turned out well, dark, so they're not worth reporting.  Here's a 1,300 pound chunk of coal that was pulled from another mine nearby (I think).  It was starting to drizzle by this time so we didn't last very much longer outside.  That plus our tummies were growling.  Meals were a little off since the people in the meal house were not early risers!

And finally the next day Ami, Uncle Jerry and Thatcher arrived.  Travis took our picture.  And Ami and Uncle Jerry learned that it's all about Thatcher! 

And the boys love Uncle Jerry too!

Travis was so anxious to meet Thatcher.  And he wanted to hold him too.  And so he did.  A lot.

Since our camera is acting up, this is the best group shot I could get.  Travis looks a little buried!

And then there was the wedding.  It was Uncle Jon and Olivia and it was beautiful.  Travis was the "ring bringer" so he wore a tuxedo along with Randy (a groomsman) and I borrowed a suit for Justin.  My three guys looked so very handsome so we took some family pictures.  (You might see them on a Christmas card coming your way later this year...)  Here's one of the little guys.  They were so cute.  Justin didn't last very long in the whole ensemble, but at least as long as the pictures.

Olivia looked gorgeous and Jon, well, handsome and all.  Travis was a ham coming down the aisle looking each way and flashing big smiles.  Check out Uncle Jerry as the best man!

The flower girls were antsy and tipped over their baskets of petals.  So of course they had to recollect them.  Twice.

All the groomsmen and ring bringer:  Isn't Travis the cutest ring bringer ever?

Praying during the ceremony:  Travis was so serious!  My heart was melting.

The reception was so fun.  Travis discovered his love of dancing.  He wanted to dance with me every chance we got, but he got a little upset when the dance floor got crowded.  He told Randy, "Daddy, this wedding changed me.  Before, I didn't know I liked to dance.  But now I love it!"  Justin enjoyed the dancing too.  He was more into the dinner than dancing though.

Sunday morning after the wedding we all got together at the meal house and had a little church service.  Travis led singing and did a bit of interpretive dance.  Residual from the night before maybe? :)  My aunt is learning to play the clarinet and she played Amazing Grace for us, after only three lessons.  My mom shared some thoughts from the book The Blessing, which I just bought to read.  My uncle shared some awesome stories about his experiences of God's protection.  Travis recited one of his Bible verses and Randy shared some thoughts about the verse.  I have been reading the book Pagan Christianity which describes how a lot of our church traditions actually have pagan beginnings and roots.  One of the traditions it describes is the worship service.  In my opinion, the small home gathering that we had that Sunday was the ideal embodiment of what Christ envisioned.  Everyone sharing and learning from each other, asking questions and being spontaneous.  It was beautiful.  It clarified what is lacking in traditional services and how much richer small, give-and-take experiences can be.

One of the very cool things about the week was getting to meet my brother Ben's new wife, Iris.  They got married the weekend after Randy cut his thumb so we couldn't go to the wedding.  Because it was out first family get-together with the almost the whole new family, we took some pictures.  Of course, Jon and Olivia weren't there so we'll have to photoshop them in later!  The clan (L-R): Randy, me, Travis in front, Justin, Mom, Mireille (holding Thatcher), Jerry, Iris, and Ben.  Whew! 

I love my family, everyone who was there.  Staying in the houses gave us lots of time for talking and being together.  And the houses were far from town and the wedding so we got to see lots of beautiful fall foliage during the drives.  I wish I could have gotten better pictures with everyone I love so much.  (We are so buying a new camera the day after Thanksgiving!)  Times like that are so special and we will cherish them forever.

A fun bonus was that we got to fly back to Chicago with our great friend Mary.  She used to live in our house in Madison a few years ago when she was in college.  (I think I was 6 when she lived with us.)  Both boys love her and we enjoyed the extra time together on the plane.  We even discovered one fun fact during our trip:  She just celebrated her 30th wedding anniversary the week before Jon's wedding and all of my siblings and I were in her wedding!  In fact, Jon was the "ring bringer" in her wedding! 

Sorry this is so long in coming.  After the trip, both boys were severely sleep deprived and so we have been taking family naps in an effort to catch up on sleep.  Now I am slightly addicted to naptime and I am forcing myself to stay awake today during nap to do some long overdue computer work!



Pin Removal

The moment Randy has been waiting for since surgery finally arrived - time to remove the pin!

The appointment began with another x-ray to check the location of the pin.  A good idea since Randy has been hammering it in with various hard surfaces throughout the past 6 weeks.  Looks kind of freaky, doesn't it?

Then while we were waiting, Dr. Travis did a little doctoring.  Assistant Justin stood watching.  It was quite the scene!

Next the real nurse came to set the area for the real doctor.  You can see the assortment of  pin removal devices in the sterile kits up on the table.  Travis picked the one he thought the doctor would use, and he ended up being right!  Poor nurse got lots of questions!

Randy got shot up with some numbing medicine to make the process less painful.  From the look on his face, thee should have been some other numbing medicine before this numbing medicine!  It was painful, but before he stopped writhing the doctor had already yanked that puppy out!  It's a good two and a half inches long!  (We got to keep it!)

Justin and Travis both went with us since it was a late appointment.  Justin was upset when everything started getting set up, so we had to reassure him that nothing was for him!  The doctor misunderstood Justin's concern, thinking that he didn't like what was happening to Randy.  It's hard to explain to someone in a few words all of Justin's idiosyncrasies!  Travis, on the other hand, might be slightly traumatized.  Nah, he just thought it was cool!

One thing we have learned about this doctor is that he loves big dressings!  Randy always walks away with several layers of protection, for which he he is very grateful!  This one was only necessary for the night and now he is a a free man!  Well, almost.  He is supposed to keep from moving it for another week and then he can try out his new thumb.  But no more doctor unless he wants to go for OT or unless the graft doesn't hold and his thumb starts drooping again.

So he only has a band-aid on the top of his thumb where the pin was removed and that's it!  I still have to button his shirt cuffs, but he's good with everything else.  He went back to his regular keyboard at work.  (He was using the angled one because his thumbs kept hitting each other.)  The pile of medical supplies on our bathroom counter is slowly diminishing.  The one funny thing he noticed about his thumb is that the little hairs on the back of his finger (between the joints) are not in the right spot anymore because of being "readjusted".  There is one dark one left that looks mighty out of place!  I guess you take what you can get!

Post-Op Visit with the ENT

I know!  I am so far behind.  I have several "catch-up" posts, so please be patient with me.  They are coming.

Last week we went back to the ENT for Justin's appointment post-surgery.  Like every other appointment, after the nurse calls Justin's name, Travis is quick to point out that it's not him, it's the little guy.  Always thankful for the clarification!  After quite a bit of cajoling I got Justin to open his mouth just wide enough for the doctor to see in without a stick.  She declared him healed!  Justin told her that she needed to listen to his heart (like every other doctor) but she didn't even have a stethoscope with her!  (Lungs aren't her area of expertise!)  I asked about the size of the tonsils since she had mentioned after surgery that they weren't as large as she had seen in the office.  She checked her notes and confirmed that they weren't as large, but that with them being glands they can grow and shrink with or without cause.  So that could explain why Justin is more tired some days than others.

Then she asked about sleeping.  Randy and I agree that there has not been a significant improvement.  I wasn't sure what the next step would be and she said to move ahead with the CPAP sleep study.  Given the DS, he likely has complicating issues that make the CPAP an obvious next step.  (Large tongue and low muscle tone.)  She said she would send a note to the sleep clinic to see if his appointment could be moved up (it's currently set for March).

So we are waiting for a call from the sleep clinic and things are pretty much back to routine.  And everyone is healthy!  Whoo hoo!

Since Then

So the boys got sick last Tuesday and I went to work last Thursday night.  I have been dying to go to work and have a nice, long, relaxing layover.  I did!  Whoo hoo!  I went to Argentina and I didn't make any plans.  I just went strolling and people watched and read Gone with the Wind (for book club).

 It...was...great! 

I sat in the park and watched the clouds float by and a flag flapping in the breeze and smelled the spring flowers blooming.  (You know, opposite seasons and all...)  I even grabbed a Mc Donalds coffee with dulce de leche and sipped it casually as I did absolutely nothing.  For a whole hour!  It actually went by quicker than I thought.  I was refreshed and excited to come back.  I took mental pictures of the park and decided that could be my "happy place" when I needed a break. 

I arrived home and found Randy on the floor with a bandanna tied around his face.  After the usual flurry of greetings and demands for presents I asked him if they were playing cowboy or if he was trying to keep germs from spreading.  He said the germs thing.  Apparently he had gotten sick the night before and so he spent the whole night throwing up.

Great.  Are you kidding me?

See, I hadn't slept the night before either and I was counting on Randy to help me survive until nap time after lunch.  Instead, I took a quick shower and fed and dressed the boys and we left for church super early so we could avoid the "sick den" as long as possible.  The boys didn't go to Bible class, they had to stay with me while I helped greet for the Children's check in station.  Then we hurried home before we infected any children at church.  I fed the boys at home while they watched more TV.  I am pretty sure I fell asleep while they ate/watched.  Randy slept the whole time.  I had to cancel our small group Bible study at our house since I wasn't sure if we would all be throwing up by that evening.

I was so glad to be able to fall into bed for my nap while the kids napped.  Randy was finally awake and he entertained the boys while I finished my way-too-short rest period.  After not sleeping all night, three hours just doesn't cut it!

In the end, Randy had some 24-hour thing and so far, no one else has gotten it.  I spent the evening cleaning out the bathroom and the trash can and changing the sheets on our bed.  It has taken me naps nearly every day this week to catch up.  I think I am good now.  But nothing else more for a while. 

 Please!

Better Again

So today has been a much better day than yesterday.  Travis and Justin both made it through the night without any problems.  That made for blissful sleep for Randy and me.  And Travis is just fine today, although he wants more of the medicine I gave him to drink yesterday (pedialyte).  He thought that was pretty good!  Justin is a little cranky and we don't have any results from the miralax, so we're keeping at it.  We'll go back to the doctor next week to see how his weight is doing.

We did find out the "score" from Justin's OT reevaluation.  There are two areas, grasping and visual motor integration.  Grasping he went from 20 mo. to 28 months.  There wasn't as much progress in that area because there isn't as much to test.  The age range of skills jumps from around 18 months to over 40 months.  The next big thing he should be doing is buttoning buttons and he can't do that at all, so that stunts his scoring.  But 8 months progress in 1 year is still great!  And in visual motor Justin rocked!  He went from 22 months to 36 months!  That's huge!  He is really moving along.  The things he is working on now is refining some of the skills he has learned.  Like he can draw a line, but now he needs to draw it straight from one point to another.  (They even use a certain degree of variation to determine if he meets the criteria!)  He can cut, but now he needs to cut straight following a line without help.  (This takes major coordination to cut with one hand and feed with the other.)  So Miss Caroline is very pleased and is anxious to see how things go from here!

More

I think I am ready to say enough is enough.  Or "I give".  Whichever will make the madness stop!

Justin has not been sleeping well, and I was sure it was part of his ploy to get me to hold him because he slept great while I held him.  I did not sleep so well.  This morning he woke up (around 5 am) and started gagging like he was going to throw up.  He didn't, but I noticed that his belly was really hard.  He always has trouble with constipation and the pain meds he has taken for his tonsils only made it worse.  We have been using our usual methods to help him, but this was beyond, so we opted for more extreme measures.  That started things going and Justin dozed in my arms between having to push things out and gag some more.  He eventually threw up several times and blew out more diapers than he has since being a newborn.  So, we called the doctor.

The doctor was very busy and we waited over an hour past our appointment time to see him.  During that hour we watched half of "Finding Nemo" and Justin made some more diapers and napped some more.  The doctor checked Justin and didn't find anything, but he did notice that his weight is down nearly 2 pounds in the past 10 days.  (Using the same scales we were on when we made his vomit run to the doctor between the 2 surgeries.)  That worried him so he sent us for a belly x-ray.  While we waited for that Justin blew out 2 more diapers and dirtied his shorts, socks, and my shirt.  I had more clothes for Justin, but not me... Yuck!

The x-ray showed lots of stuff needing to come out, but no obstructions or any other problems.  So we went home to clean up.  Travis was very patient through this whole process even though he was ready to be done after the first doctor.  We got home and Travis said he didn't feel well.  I gave him juice and a bowl and went to fix some lunch.  A light lunch for sure.  Justin made another diaper (#7) and while I was changing him Travis yelled that he had thrown up.  Red juice all over the white couch.  He forgot about the bowl.

I wiped up the couch as best as I could and left lunch right...where...it....was.

Then I collected Travis from where he was...

And Justin from where he was (he was not climbing up onto the chair, this was how he settled down to rest)...

I whipped open our bed and laid all three of us down and we took a nap.  The boys were asleep in 2.5 minutes and we slept beautifully for 2.5 hours.  In time for Daddy to get home and save us.  Or get sick himself, not sure which just yet.  Anyone know where we can pick up a good couch cheap?

So Much Better

Justin is doing so much better.  Friday dinner was the first meal he ate entirely in his own chair.  He still has episodes of clinginess and cries more than usual, but they are less often and not so long.  He is starting to recover some of his playfulness and silliness.  We were really missing that!

Justin also caught on to the idea that when he doesn't want to do something, he just says that his throat hurts and then he gets snuggles and he doesn't have to do it.  This usually involved eating.  He has gotten lazy and he likes for us to feed him.  So we put his plate down in front of him and he points to his throat and whimpers and then we set him on our laps and feed him.  He won't even hold his glass sometimes, the little stinker!  It also carries over to brushing his teeth and putting on his clothes.  Figure out how that makes your throat hurt!

He went to some therapy last week (not speech) and it turned out it was time for an OT reevaluation.  I was a little skeptical that it would go well, but Miss Caroline said she would try and see how he did and wait if it was too much.  Well, he did so well that she couldn't finish.  Remember, she goes down her list of activities and she gives him either full, partial, or no credit for doing the things she asks. When it's three in a row of no credit (he can't do it at all) then she stops the test.  He kept doing so well that he would be able to do one of the tasks and not skip three so she could stop.  He has a smattering of skills up to 41-44 months!  He's not even 42 months yet!  She has to finish the test this week and then score him.  She guesses he'll be in the mid to upper 30s by the time she figures it all out.  How cool is that??

I am so glad Justin is doing better when he's awake, but the nights have not settled down yet.  He is still not sleeping well and waking up very fussy.  We go back to the ENT the middle of October and we will see how he's doing by then.  He still has the appointment for the sleep study for the CPAP machine, but we might need to go back to the sleep clinic (doctor) for reevaluation now that his tonsils are out.  We'll see how he does when he is completely healed.  Really soon, I hope!