One last blog update and the radiothon
Well, I think this is the last blog update for me and our family blog. I originally started this blog to help me organize all the pictures I take throughout the year and then put into a Shutterfly book. That was working well for a while, but I felt like I was still kind of doing extra work each month. Why not just put everything straight into the Shutterfly book and keep adding to it all year long? Plus, with Shutterfly share sites, my whole family and some friends can see the pictures we take each month. To that is what I've been going. Here is a link to our Shutterfly site:
https://jsjcejohnsonfamily.shutterfly.com/
I really enjoyed having this blog during Evan's diabetes diagnosis and during the first few months of our journey with diabetes. It was such a scary time for our family, and I had so much on my mind and on my heart that at times I felt like I wanted to share with the world, and at other times just wanted to keep hidden away. Typing it all into a blog where people could choose to read it if they wanted to helped clear my mind and helped keep my heart from getting too heavy. Evan is doing so well now, and even though his diabetes will be a daily concern for us for the rest of his life, it's nice that "normal" baby problems have taken over our days. For example, teething, and Evan pulling the child safety caps out of the electrical sockets! Yes, he has started crawling now (in his own special, half scooting, half froggy-hopping sort of way). So we are in a very good place with everything. It feels so many different ways to look back on this diabetes journey, and remember where we were at the beginning, where we were just a few months ago, and where we are now. I guess, overall, we are proud of ourselves for making it through the toughest times, and so extremely proud of Evan for being the patient, loving, happy boy that he is.
Jeremy, Evan, and I will be heading to Madison on Wednesday night to participate in a radiothon for the children's hospital where Evan's endocrinologist works. It is the University of Wisconsin American Family Children's Hospital, and Evan's doctor is the one and only, Doctor Michael MacDonald. He really is one-of-a-kind, just like Evan, and has been so good to our family. We will be interviewed live on Thursday by two different Madison radio stations. We will share Evan's story, and talk a lot about Doctor MacDonald and all that he had done, and continues to do for Evan. This is a huge fundraiser for the hospital, so we hope by sharing our story people call in and donate money to the hospital. Finally, we can start to give back to Doctor MacDonald and his staff. The two radio stations that will interview us that morning are Today's Q106 and 93.1 JAMZ. The radiothon will run live Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Our time slot is Thursday, May 8 from 8-9am. If anyone would like to make a donation, but can't get the radio stations where you live, you can check out the American Family Children's Hospital website. Or, there is a way to make your donation go directly to Doctor MacDonald and the pediatric diabetes research he does in his lab.
To make a gift in support of Dr. MacDonald’s work:
To make a gift by check, make check payable to the "Children’s Diabetes Center" and mail to :
UW Foundation
US Bank Lockbox Box 78807
Milwaukee, WI 53278-0807
To make a gift online, please go to www.supportuw.org/giveto/SMPH and in the text box, please enter "Children’s Diabetes Center"
Julia and Claire held a little bake sale at a family rummage sale at my sister's house a few weeks ago. They raised $35, and wanted to donate it to the children's hospital. We told Doctor MacDonald about it and he was thrilled that they wanted to do that. He said they love getting personal donations, rather than government grants, because of the stories that come with the personal donations. Every little bit counts towards finding a cure to diabetes.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Friday, December 20, 2013
Time to share some good news...
Evan has not had an insulin shot since 5:30pm on Halloween night! The oral medicine that is supposed to be helping his cells release insulin finally started working. We're not sure why it started working all of a sudden, but we have a couple guesses. Either his insulin cells were in a growth period for a while there, and all of a sudden there are enough of them to release a good amount of insulin, or it could be because during the night between October 31st and November 1st we decided to stop reacting so quickly when we saw a high blood sugar, and instead of giving insulin right away we just waited a few hours to see if the oral medicine, Glyburide, would kick in. Maybe the medicine was working a little bit all along, but because we were also giving insulin shots, his cells didn't do as much work as they could have been doing because the insulin shot was doing all the work instead. Whatever the reason, we are so relieved that the medicine is working for him. Not because we didn't like giving shots (but really, who would want to give 8 shots a day to a sweet little baby?) but because according to his DNA test, his body was producing insulin. We shouldn't have had to be injecting it into his body. His mutation was keeping his cells from being stimulated to release insulin. The oral medicine should have been stimulating his cells to release his own insulin. When the oral medicine wasn't working for Evan, it made us wonder what else was wrong in his body. What else was going on in there that was keeping the medicine from working?
Being able to control Evan's diabetes with an oral medicine instead of insulin injections has its ups and downs. It is nice not to have to give shots. The Glyburide does have to be kept in the fridge, just like the insulin did, but some day, when Evan can swallow a small pill, we won't have to worry about always traveling with a cooler bag, or having a decent working fridge in a hotel room if we are out of town. The Glyburide does not work perfectly, just like the insulin. It is hard, or maybe it's ok to say impossible, to predict how it will affect Evan's blood sugar throughout the day and night. He will still have very high blood sugars at times, and sometimes very low ones. So we still have to check his blood often. We hope that when he is older he will be able to feel when his blood sugar is going too low or too high so he can tell us before it gets to a dangerous level. Giving an oral medicine is also tricky with Evan because he still spits up. The medicine is a nice green color, so we can usually tell if he has spit up his medicine or not, but we can't give him any more if he does spit it up because it's impossible to know how much he has spit up. And one side effect of this medicine is hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. It would be dangerous to try and guess how much he spit up, because if we gave too much, he would go too low.
Evan still has monogenic diabetes, his diabetes is just different than type 1 and type 2. There are types of monogenic diabetes that do go away as a child gets older, but we have no reason to think Evan's diabetes will go away some day, so we don't usually dwell on that idea. If you want to know a little bit more about the three types of diabetes, you can keep reading. I will explain the three types in the simple way in which I learned while we were in the hospital with Evan.
Type 1 Diabetes- Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. The body starts making antibodies against, or attacking its own insulin cells, and eventually the person needs to inject insulin to control blood sugar.
Type 2 Diabetes- Type 2 diabetes seems to develop later in a person's life, but has been starting to show up earlier in life these days. When a person has type 2 diabetes their body is not able to use its insulin well enough on its own. Some people can control their type 2 diabetes with diet and exercise, but not everyone can. Some type 2 diabetics use oral medication to help their body use its insulin, and some type 2 diabetics do end up needing to inject insulin. Some people call type 2 diabetes a "lifestyle disease," but you can be physically active and eat healthy and still have type 2 diabetes.
Monogenic Diabetes- Monogenic diabetes has many different forms. When a person has monogenic diabetes, one of their genes is affected and has a mutation on it. Some people get this gene mutation because it runs in their family. Some people, like Evan, have this mutation show up spontaneously, with no known cause. Monogenic diabetes is the rarest type of diabetes, affecting 1 in 500,000. Depending on the mutation a person has, their specific mutation could make their disease even rarer. Evan, for example, has a mutation on his ABCC8 gene called Q211K. There is only one other case of this exact mutation reported in the whole world. So we really don't know what Evan's future will be like because there is not enough data to show what children with this mutation typically go through. From what I have learned, there are three main problems that can happen in the body when someone has a form of monogenic diabetes. Some people have a mutation on their insulin gene, which makes the body produce insulin cells that are shaped wrong, and the body cannot use them. A person with this type of mutation would be insulin dependent, and would have to have insulin injections for the rest of their life. Another form of monogenic diabetes affects a gene that is responsible for the function of the potassium channels that we have on certain cells in our body, including the cells in our pancreas. This type of monogenic diabetes can usually be treated with oral medications. The third form of monogenic diabetes, the one Evan has, affects a gene that is responsible for a part of the cell called an SUR Receptor. In the pancreas cells, the SUR receptors tell the body when insulin needs to be released, and how much should be released. Evan's SUR receptors do not work because of his genetic mutation, so his body was never releasing the insulin it was producing, or at least not consistently and in the right amounts. People with this type of mutation can be treated with insulin, but they can also be treated with oral medication.
Jeremy and I know the most about Evan's type of diabetes. We are so lucky to have a doctor who teaches us so much about this disease. Many people with monogenic diabetes have other problems, like behavior issues, developmental delays, and learning disabilities. Some children don't talk or walk until they are over 8 years old, or at all, ever. The cells in Evan's pancreas have SUR receptors that don't work because of his mutation, but there are other cells in his body that have these receptors, too. For example, our brain cells also have SUR receptors. Some children have very severe mutations, and so the cells in other parts of their body are affected, too. We aren't sure yet how severe Evan's mutation is, and there is really no way to know how severe it is until we see if he reaches different developmental milestones. Right now we know he does have a developmental delay. He did not sit up until he was 7 1/2 months old, and he just started babbling and talking baby talk at almost 9 months old. He has had low muscle tone since about 3 months of age, and we are still working on increasing his muscle tone. He is not a fan of rolling over, or being on his tummy because working those muscles is so tiring for him. A physical therapist, occupational therapist, and a birth-three teacher come to our house every Wednesday to work on different things with him. All of these delays could be because he had a late start in life. For the first four months of his life he had diabetes and we didn't know it, so it wasn't managed. He was always sleepy, and probably didn't feel very good during those first few months. So maybe he just needs some time to catch up now that he is feeling good. Or, his mutation could be severe enough to be causing these problems for him. Either way, we are so glad the Glyburide medication is working. It will help all of the cells in his body function better, so can only help these developmental delays. Another unknown we are dealing with on a daily basis are Evan's sleep issues. For some reason, ever since he was born, he will go down for a nap or for bed time, but wake up screaming in terror. Sometimes this happens 15 minutes after he's gone to sleep, and sometimes it takes as long as 45 minutes to happen. Some days it happens on and off during his entire two hour nap, and some nights it happens all throughout the first few hours he is sleeping. Many children with monogenic diabetes have sleep issues, but we don't know a lot about that yet.
Our life is not easy right now, but we know God is with us and helping us. Our Endocrinologist, Dr. Michael MacDonald is surely a gift from God. Evan's personality, easy going attitude, and patient spirit are gifts from God. Evan has been given two smart, caring sisters who will do nothing but help his development. Julia and Claire have been given a brother with special needs, which will help them be more understanding and receptive to the needs of others as they grow up. Jeremy and I have each other, and supportive friends and family. We could let this change in our lives bring us down, and at times it does, but we thank God every day for the trials we have been given. We know it will do nothing but strengthen our relationship, strengthen our family bond, and strengthen our faith in God. What we are going through can be very overwhelming, but it is not as bad as what other people in the world are enduring. We are thankful for every part of our lives, and we feel we have been blessed with so much good.
Evan has not had an insulin shot since 5:30pm on Halloween night! The oral medicine that is supposed to be helping his cells release insulin finally started working. We're not sure why it started working all of a sudden, but we have a couple guesses. Either his insulin cells were in a growth period for a while there, and all of a sudden there are enough of them to release a good amount of insulin, or it could be because during the night between October 31st and November 1st we decided to stop reacting so quickly when we saw a high blood sugar, and instead of giving insulin right away we just waited a few hours to see if the oral medicine, Glyburide, would kick in. Maybe the medicine was working a little bit all along, but because we were also giving insulin shots, his cells didn't do as much work as they could have been doing because the insulin shot was doing all the work instead. Whatever the reason, we are so relieved that the medicine is working for him. Not because we didn't like giving shots (but really, who would want to give 8 shots a day to a sweet little baby?) but because according to his DNA test, his body was producing insulin. We shouldn't have had to be injecting it into his body. His mutation was keeping his cells from being stimulated to release insulin. The oral medicine should have been stimulating his cells to release his own insulin. When the oral medicine wasn't working for Evan, it made us wonder what else was wrong in his body. What else was going on in there that was keeping the medicine from working?
Being able to control Evan's diabetes with an oral medicine instead of insulin injections has its ups and downs. It is nice not to have to give shots. The Glyburide does have to be kept in the fridge, just like the insulin did, but some day, when Evan can swallow a small pill, we won't have to worry about always traveling with a cooler bag, or having a decent working fridge in a hotel room if we are out of town. The Glyburide does not work perfectly, just like the insulin. It is hard, or maybe it's ok to say impossible, to predict how it will affect Evan's blood sugar throughout the day and night. He will still have very high blood sugars at times, and sometimes very low ones. So we still have to check his blood often. We hope that when he is older he will be able to feel when his blood sugar is going too low or too high so he can tell us before it gets to a dangerous level. Giving an oral medicine is also tricky with Evan because he still spits up. The medicine is a nice green color, so we can usually tell if he has spit up his medicine or not, but we can't give him any more if he does spit it up because it's impossible to know how much he has spit up. And one side effect of this medicine is hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. It would be dangerous to try and guess how much he spit up, because if we gave too much, he would go too low.
Evan still has monogenic diabetes, his diabetes is just different than type 1 and type 2. There are types of monogenic diabetes that do go away as a child gets older, but we have no reason to think Evan's diabetes will go away some day, so we don't usually dwell on that idea. If you want to know a little bit more about the three types of diabetes, you can keep reading. I will explain the three types in the simple way in which I learned while we were in the hospital with Evan.
Type 1 Diabetes- Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. The body starts making antibodies against, or attacking its own insulin cells, and eventually the person needs to inject insulin to control blood sugar.
Type 2 Diabetes- Type 2 diabetes seems to develop later in a person's life, but has been starting to show up earlier in life these days. When a person has type 2 diabetes their body is not able to use its insulin well enough on its own. Some people can control their type 2 diabetes with diet and exercise, but not everyone can. Some type 2 diabetics use oral medication to help their body use its insulin, and some type 2 diabetics do end up needing to inject insulin. Some people call type 2 diabetes a "lifestyle disease," but you can be physically active and eat healthy and still have type 2 diabetes.
Monogenic Diabetes- Monogenic diabetes has many different forms. When a person has monogenic diabetes, one of their genes is affected and has a mutation on it. Some people get this gene mutation because it runs in their family. Some people, like Evan, have this mutation show up spontaneously, with no known cause. Monogenic diabetes is the rarest type of diabetes, affecting 1 in 500,000. Depending on the mutation a person has, their specific mutation could make their disease even rarer. Evan, for example, has a mutation on his ABCC8 gene called Q211K. There is only one other case of this exact mutation reported in the whole world. So we really don't know what Evan's future will be like because there is not enough data to show what children with this mutation typically go through. From what I have learned, there are three main problems that can happen in the body when someone has a form of monogenic diabetes. Some people have a mutation on their insulin gene, which makes the body produce insulin cells that are shaped wrong, and the body cannot use them. A person with this type of mutation would be insulin dependent, and would have to have insulin injections for the rest of their life. Another form of monogenic diabetes affects a gene that is responsible for the function of the potassium channels that we have on certain cells in our body, including the cells in our pancreas. This type of monogenic diabetes can usually be treated with oral medications. The third form of monogenic diabetes, the one Evan has, affects a gene that is responsible for a part of the cell called an SUR Receptor. In the pancreas cells, the SUR receptors tell the body when insulin needs to be released, and how much should be released. Evan's SUR receptors do not work because of his genetic mutation, so his body was never releasing the insulin it was producing, or at least not consistently and in the right amounts. People with this type of mutation can be treated with insulin, but they can also be treated with oral medication.
Jeremy and I know the most about Evan's type of diabetes. We are so lucky to have a doctor who teaches us so much about this disease. Many people with monogenic diabetes have other problems, like behavior issues, developmental delays, and learning disabilities. Some children don't talk or walk until they are over 8 years old, or at all, ever. The cells in Evan's pancreas have SUR receptors that don't work because of his mutation, but there are other cells in his body that have these receptors, too. For example, our brain cells also have SUR receptors. Some children have very severe mutations, and so the cells in other parts of their body are affected, too. We aren't sure yet how severe Evan's mutation is, and there is really no way to know how severe it is until we see if he reaches different developmental milestones. Right now we know he does have a developmental delay. He did not sit up until he was 7 1/2 months old, and he just started babbling and talking baby talk at almost 9 months old. He has had low muscle tone since about 3 months of age, and we are still working on increasing his muscle tone. He is not a fan of rolling over, or being on his tummy because working those muscles is so tiring for him. A physical therapist, occupational therapist, and a birth-three teacher come to our house every Wednesday to work on different things with him. All of these delays could be because he had a late start in life. For the first four months of his life he had diabetes and we didn't know it, so it wasn't managed. He was always sleepy, and probably didn't feel very good during those first few months. So maybe he just needs some time to catch up now that he is feeling good. Or, his mutation could be severe enough to be causing these problems for him. Either way, we are so glad the Glyburide medication is working. It will help all of the cells in his body function better, so can only help these developmental delays. Another unknown we are dealing with on a daily basis are Evan's sleep issues. For some reason, ever since he was born, he will go down for a nap or for bed time, but wake up screaming in terror. Sometimes this happens 15 minutes after he's gone to sleep, and sometimes it takes as long as 45 minutes to happen. Some days it happens on and off during his entire two hour nap, and some nights it happens all throughout the first few hours he is sleeping. Many children with monogenic diabetes have sleep issues, but we don't know a lot about that yet.
Our life is not easy right now, but we know God is with us and helping us. Our Endocrinologist, Dr. Michael MacDonald is surely a gift from God. Evan's personality, easy going attitude, and patient spirit are gifts from God. Evan has been given two smart, caring sisters who will do nothing but help his development. Julia and Claire have been given a brother with special needs, which will help them be more understanding and receptive to the needs of others as they grow up. Jeremy and I have each other, and supportive friends and family. We could let this change in our lives bring us down, and at times it does, but we thank God every day for the trials we have been given. We know it will do nothing but strengthen our relationship, strengthen our family bond, and strengthen our faith in God. What we are going through can be very overwhelming, but it is not as bad as what other people in the world are enduring. We are thankful for every part of our lives, and we feel we have been blessed with so much good.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Where did October go?
October is my favorite month, mostly because I love fall. But there are a lot of exciting things that happen in October, which make it go by way too fast. Jeremy and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary on October 6th. We went to church that morning, and then we got a babysitter for Julia and Claire that night, and we had a dinner date with Evan at Signatures. We ate in the restaurant, and the view was beautiful. We had our wedding reception at the event center here, so eating at the restaurant always reminds us of our wedding day. This year, October 6th was exactly how I envisioned our wedding day being. Cool, crisp fall air, and beautiful fall colors starting to peek out. We even saw deer walking around on the golf course outside the window. Our wedding year, the beginning of October was really hot. The trees were all still bright green, the summer flowers were still in full bloom, and our wedding day was a steamy 90 degrees! Evan was the perfect dinner date. We feel sorry for him that he has to hang out with his boring parents all the time, but Jeremy and I are still the only ones who know how to give him his insulin and check his blood sugars, so it's our only option. We are lucky he is always such a joy to be around.
With the cooler weather on it's way, I knew the fountain at the "fountain Park" would soon be turned off. We went to the library one day, brought our bikes and lunches, and then biked over to the fountain park for one last picnic.
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My sister got married this year, too, on October 13th, which made October even more fun and eventful than usual. Kari and Keith got married at the most beautiful place I have ever seen. The Maywood Stone Barn is a magical place, and when you are there you feel like you are in another world. The beautiful fall day made it seem even more magical. I didn't get a lot of pictures on my own camera, but my family members have been sharing the pictures they got, and the awesome photographers have been posting pictures, too, so here are a few of my favorites so far.
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I turned 30 on October 20th. It's not really a big deal to me to be 30. Actually, for years I have been wondering when I am going to start feeling like a grown up! It was a bummer to be sick on my birthday, though. We were going to have a fun fall celebration on Saturday night, but we cancelled it so our guests wouldn't catch what I had. My family still came, and we had a fun time as usual.
Evan is officially too big for the bathroom sink now! I should have graduated him to the kitchen sink weeks ago, but he didn't start complaining until this week. So here is a picture of his last bath in the bathroom sink, and his first bath in the kitchen sink.
October is my favorite month, mostly because I love fall. But there are a lot of exciting things that happen in October, which make it go by way too fast. Jeremy and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary on October 6th. We went to church that morning, and then we got a babysitter for Julia and Claire that night, and we had a dinner date with Evan at Signatures. We ate in the restaurant, and the view was beautiful. We had our wedding reception at the event center here, so eating at the restaurant always reminds us of our wedding day. This year, October 6th was exactly how I envisioned our wedding day being. Cool, crisp fall air, and beautiful fall colors starting to peek out. We even saw deer walking around on the golf course outside the window. Our wedding year, the beginning of October was really hot. The trees were all still bright green, the summer flowers were still in full bloom, and our wedding day was a steamy 90 degrees! Evan was the perfect dinner date. We feel sorry for him that he has to hang out with his boring parents all the time, but Jeremy and I are still the only ones who know how to give him his insulin and check his blood sugars, so it's our only option. We are lucky he is always such a joy to be around.
With the cooler weather on it's way, I knew the fountain at the "fountain Park" would soon be turned off. We went to the library one day, brought our bikes and lunches, and then biked over to the fountain park for one last picnic.
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My sister got married this year, too, on October 13th, which made October even more fun and eventful than usual. Kari and Keith got married at the most beautiful place I have ever seen. The Maywood Stone Barn is a magical place, and when you are there you feel like you are in another world. The beautiful fall day made it seem even more magical. I didn't get a lot of pictures on my own camera, but my family members have been sharing the pictures they got, and the awesome photographers have been posting pictures, too, so here are a few of my favorites so far.
I can't believe my little sister is married! I'm so glad she has found such a great soul mate, and am so excited to watch their lives as a married couple unfold. Kari, you are a treasured friend, and a beautiful woman, inside and out!
One of my favorite things to do in the fall, besides go to the apple orchard, is to go to the pumpkin patch! We are so lucky that we have a great pumpkin patch to visit right at the top of the Stockton Hill. So really, just about five minutes from home. I think we've already stopped there five times this fall! Sometimes, when we are heading home from grocery shopping, or picking Julia up from pre school, we will stop to look at all the pumpkins and the animals. It's always fun to get to go with friends and family, too!
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I turned 30 on October 20th. It's not really a big deal to me to be 30. Actually, for years I have been wondering when I am going to start feeling like a grown up! It was a bummer to be sick on my birthday, though. We were going to have a fun fall celebration on Saturday night, but we cancelled it so our guests wouldn't catch what I had. My family still came, and we had a fun time as usual.
Evan is officially too big for the bathroom sink now! I should have graduated him to the kitchen sink weeks ago, but he didn't start complaining until this week. So here is a picture of his last bath in the bathroom sink, and his first bath in the kitchen sink.
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Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Oktoberfest!
Oktoberfest is a big deal in my family. Even before I was born, my Dad's side of the family would gather together to watch the big parade, and then have a get together afterwards with beer, brats, and all the rest. When I was young, we would walk to the parade from my Gramma's house, and then have the party at her house afterwards. Now, we get there really early to find a parking spot, sit for a while waiting for the parade to start, and then when the parade is done we go to my Aunt Betty's house for the party. My aunts, Betty and Pat, are usually the ones who stake out our parade spot on Friday afternoon. They sit there all afternoon and evening, and finally when it's ten or midnight or something like that, the police patrolling the area allows people to leave their chairs and blankets on the boulevard. So we usually get our same spot each year. I didn't get many pictures this year because Claire kept me busy with her trips to the bathroom. She was wearing her new Doc McStuffins underwear, and she wanted to make sure they stayed dry. And she was worried about the haunted house coming in the parade, so I think that was another reason she had to keep going to the bathroom. But here is a picture of Evan and Gramma enjoying the parade.
Evan has been working very hard with his teachers in the Help Me Grow program. They have been coming once a week to work on strengthening his muscles, and stretching the right side of his neck where he has torticollis. Before we knew he had diabetes, because it wasn't being managed, his body was starving. Most of the nutrients from the milk he was drinking were just coming in and going out because his body couldn't use his insulin to get the nutrients out of his blood stream and to his cells. Because his body was starving, his muscles were being attacked to be used as "food" for his body. Right around 3 1/2 months of age we started noticing a decline in his muscle tone and core strength, and then just a couple weeks later we found out about his diabetes. He will probably reach certain milestones later because of this, but we're working hard to keep him on the right track. We work with a physical therapist and an occupation therapist, and a teacher who coordinates our visits, and also watches for other developmental delays and behavior issues. So far it's just his muscle tone that is causing some delays. Thank God Evan has such an easy going personality. He has many reasons to be a crabby little guy, but he never is.
Claire still loves sucking her thumb. Sometimes we still have to give her a pacifier at night to give her poor little thumbs a break. Last week we had a popsicle after playing outside on a nice day. There must be a LOT of food dye in those things, because afterwards, when she was sucking her thumb, she noticed it, too, was dyed red! She said she was turning into Pinkalicious, from the Pinkalicious story books.
Evan loves swinging in our back yard just like Julia and Claire did, and still do!
So proud of my little sewer!
Julia craves "big girl time," as she calls it, so sometimes I have an activity ready for her to work on while Claire and Evan take their nap. I am up a lot during the night with Evan, and sometimes I am too tired to read a book, so I just look at things on Pinterest while I feed him. I'm SO glad Jeremy got me a smart phone the last time we had to get new phones, even though I told him I didn't want or need one. This was a little Pinterest project that Julia loved!
I didn't think she would use all of the leaves I cut out for her, but she wanted to use every single one. And she insisted on sewing them together in a certain color pattern, too. Her leaf garland turned out great! It makes a pretty fall decoration (or a nifty little scarf!).
Oktoberfest is a big deal in my family. Even before I was born, my Dad's side of the family would gather together to watch the big parade, and then have a get together afterwards with beer, brats, and all the rest. When I was young, we would walk to the parade from my Gramma's house, and then have the party at her house afterwards. Now, we get there really early to find a parking spot, sit for a while waiting for the parade to start, and then when the parade is done we go to my Aunt Betty's house for the party. My aunts, Betty and Pat, are usually the ones who stake out our parade spot on Friday afternoon. They sit there all afternoon and evening, and finally when it's ten or midnight or something like that, the police patrolling the area allows people to leave their chairs and blankets on the boulevard. So we usually get our same spot each year. I didn't get many pictures this year because Claire kept me busy with her trips to the bathroom. She was wearing her new Doc McStuffins underwear, and she wanted to make sure they stayed dry. And she was worried about the haunted house coming in the parade, so I think that was another reason she had to keep going to the bathroom. But here is a picture of Evan and Gramma enjoying the parade.
Awkward first roll-overs
Evan loves swinging in our back yard just like Julia and Claire did, and still do!
So proud of my little sewer!
Julia craves "big girl time," as she calls it, so sometimes I have an activity ready for her to work on while Claire and Evan take their nap. I am up a lot during the night with Evan, and sometimes I am too tired to read a book, so I just look at things on Pinterest while I feed him. I'm SO glad Jeremy got me a smart phone the last time we had to get new phones, even though I told him I didn't want or need one. This was a little Pinterest project that Julia loved!
I didn't think she would use all of the leaves I cut out for her, but she wanted to use every single one. And she insisted on sewing them together in a certain color pattern, too. Her leaf garland turned out great! It makes a pretty fall decoration (or a nifty little scarf!).
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