As many of you know, my son Aaron spent 10 days in AI duPont Children's hosp. He is fine now, but had suddenly gone into renal failure, and after being airlifted to duPont, went into cardiac arrest.
We came home Friday and are trying to rest and slowly get back to our normal life. Or, as close to normal as possible, as I am uncertain our lives will ever be the same after almost losing our precious 1st born son.
I will be sharing our experience, and the goodness of our Heavenly Father, in detail in upcoming posts. I am certain everyone will be in awe of God's love and power!
To Him be all honor and glory!!!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Homemade Goodness
I enjoy making special treats like this for my family. When it is cold and snowy, homecanned foods taste so good. It is as though the sunshine has been stored in a jar, to be opened on a winter day.
Friday, July 15, 2011
A Different Boy
I've been reading good things about Ginkgo extract and the affect it has on children with Down syndrome. Both from official studies, and unofficial observations of moms who give it to their children. After researching the safety of Ginkgo, I decided to give it a try with Topher. I thought if I do not see any improvement within a week or so, I will not continue.
We are seeing some very positive results. He has much better control of his tongue and saliva. This was a result I did not expect to see. I suppose it makes him more aware of his mouth and tongue muscles, and helps him remember the many reminders we have given him to put his tongue in.
The other difference we see is his ability to focus on his tasks, i.e. the games we play with him. We have a game called Wash Day Bingo. It has little games peices shaped like articles of clothing. We have him match these to the pictures on the game board. Without the Ginkgo he lost his interest before the board was full, and he would need lots of coaching to match a few. With the Ginkgo, he can match almost all of the peices with little, or no coaching, put them all back in the box and do the sign for more and ask for more. He is actually enjoying the game so much he asks for more!
Christopher is also much more cooperative. For instance, he had an appointment at the ENT office today, to have his hearing tested and ear tubes checked. He is not usually very cooperative with the hearing test. Not that he would cry and fight, he would just fuss and pull at the ear peices and wires, and squirm his head to make it difficult for them to do the test. Today, he held his head very still and kept his hands on his lap, he followed the directions the tech was giving him.
When the physician assistant came in to examine his ears, she said he had a lot of wax surrounding the left tube. He sat patiently on my lap when she removed the wax. When she was done, he signed and said, "thank-you".
Don't misunderstand, the Ginkgo has not made him passive. He is his usual outgoing self, maybe even more outgoing. He greeted each person in the doctor's office, as they were taking him to a room. He did lots of smiling, and lots of "talking" to the nurses. When it was time to go, he picked out his lollipop and sticker (Muppets, of course), and said goodbye to everyone as we headed to the car. He thoroughly enjoyed his visit with them today.
Another interesting "for instance" today. We went to the gorcery store on the way home. As we walked through the store, he was naming familiar items. This has never happened before, never. It was so much fun. I was a push-over when he saw his favorite snack, cheese curls, and got him a bag.
I'm still cautiously skeptical, and will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the herb. But so far, it looks like a good thing for Topher.
We are seeing some very positive results. He has much better control of his tongue and saliva. This was a result I did not expect to see. I suppose it makes him more aware of his mouth and tongue muscles, and helps him remember the many reminders we have given him to put his tongue in.
The other difference we see is his ability to focus on his tasks, i.e. the games we play with him. We have a game called Wash Day Bingo. It has little games peices shaped like articles of clothing. We have him match these to the pictures on the game board. Without the Ginkgo he lost his interest before the board was full, and he would need lots of coaching to match a few. With the Ginkgo, he can match almost all of the peices with little, or no coaching, put them all back in the box and do the sign for more and ask for more. He is actually enjoying the game so much he asks for more!
Christopher is also much more cooperative. For instance, he had an appointment at the ENT office today, to have his hearing tested and ear tubes checked. He is not usually very cooperative with the hearing test. Not that he would cry and fight, he would just fuss and pull at the ear peices and wires, and squirm his head to make it difficult for them to do the test. Today, he held his head very still and kept his hands on his lap, he followed the directions the tech was giving him.
When the physician assistant came in to examine his ears, she said he had a lot of wax surrounding the left tube. He sat patiently on my lap when she removed the wax. When she was done, he signed and said, "thank-you".
Don't misunderstand, the Ginkgo has not made him passive. He is his usual outgoing self, maybe even more outgoing. He greeted each person in the doctor's office, as they were taking him to a room. He did lots of smiling, and lots of "talking" to the nurses. When it was time to go, he picked out his lollipop and sticker (Muppets, of course), and said goodbye to everyone as we headed to the car. He thoroughly enjoyed his visit with them today.
Another interesting "for instance" today. We went to the gorcery store on the way home. As we walked through the store, he was naming familiar items. This has never happened before, never. It was so much fun. I was a push-over when he saw his favorite snack, cheese curls, and got him a bag.
I'm still cautiously skeptical, and will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the herb. But so far, it looks like a good thing for Topher.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Cut Flowers
I love annuals for cut flower bouquets. These are from the flower bed that runs the length of my house. My favorite annuals are snap dragons. I have six different colors this summer.
When I was a young bride I did not especially care for zinnias and marigolds. But as I got older, I longed for the old fashioned look they bring to the flower beds. I plant them now, in abundance, because they are my mom's favorite, and I know it gives her pleasure to see them when she comes to visit. Her flower beds do not get as much sunshine as mine do, and zinnias love sunshine. It makes me happy to be able to give her even such a small moment of pleasure.
The lovely crystal vase you see in the picture is one we recieved as a wedding gift 24 years ago.
It is amazing what a simple handful of cut flowers, in a vase that I already own, brings so much cheer and brightness to my kitchen. Not much effort involved, and no expense.
My dad chided me for planting flowers when I no longer have a vegetable garden. He thinks I have my priorities mixed up. He does not understand the value of appreciating the beautiful things that God has created, or that life is not all about work. A home is about so much more than a place to eat meals and sleep at night.
Monday, July 11, 2011
It's Monday
Monday is a rough day around here. I'm not sure exactly why, but it is. Perhaps it is due to the routine of the week being broken by Daddy being home instead of at work.
This morning was busier than usual. Sarah, our 14yo, needed to be dropped off at camp. She was supposed to remind me last week to have the pharmacy refill her asthma meds. That did not happen, so we needed to stop at the pharmacy on the way to camp to pick up her meds.
Sarah hurt her foot on Saturday. She was doing her usual shuffle/skip/hop down the stairs at the speed of light, and lost her footing. She ended up tangled in the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs. For a while we were uncertain if it would mean a trip to the ER and possibly a cast. After 2 days of relative rest, her foot looks much better. If she doesn't completely overdo things at camp I think she will be ok. But this is the girl that has been told countless times to slow down on the stairs, and was miserable with resting for two days. So, we'll see. I picked up a bottle of ibuprofen for her while I was at the pharmacy, that was another one of the things on my to-do list.
Before I took Sarah to camp, I washed a load of towels, to be hung out by Bethany while I was gone. When I got back, the load of Gene's work clothes Bethany had started was ready to be hung out. Trinity's diapers take a bit longer to wash, but they are done and on the line, too. No dryer today!
Since I know Monday can be challenging, with behaviour not up to par, I decided to get supper started before my day got the better of me. I coated boneless chicken breasts with Italian salad dressing, wrapped them in foil and put them in my roaster oven to bake nice and slow. I also cleaned and wrapped some potatoes in foil and tossed them in the roaster oven, as well. I have my roaster oven sitting on my back porch. My family will have a nice supper without my house being heated in the process. I call it "porch cooking". I also made a double batch of finger jello and cut up two cantalope for dessert and for snacking.
Then there are the many little things that needed my attention: Josh's eye med, patch and glasses. Christopher's Ginko, diaper change, and dressed. Trinity's Singlulair, diaper change and dressed. Breakfast, lunch. Phone calls to two different insurance companies regarding bills for two different children.
This afternoon I plan to work on school plans for the coming year. This will give me a chance to sit while Christopher is napping. Since I am experiencing a heat related headache, sitting in the air conditioning sounds divine.
This morning was busier than usual. Sarah, our 14yo, needed to be dropped off at camp. She was supposed to remind me last week to have the pharmacy refill her asthma meds. That did not happen, so we needed to stop at the pharmacy on the way to camp to pick up her meds.
Sarah hurt her foot on Saturday. She was doing her usual shuffle/skip/hop down the stairs at the speed of light, and lost her footing. She ended up tangled in the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs. For a while we were uncertain if it would mean a trip to the ER and possibly a cast. After 2 days of relative rest, her foot looks much better. If she doesn't completely overdo things at camp I think she will be ok. But this is the girl that has been told countless times to slow down on the stairs, and was miserable with resting for two days. So, we'll see. I picked up a bottle of ibuprofen for her while I was at the pharmacy, that was another one of the things on my to-do list.
Before I took Sarah to camp, I washed a load of towels, to be hung out by Bethany while I was gone. When I got back, the load of Gene's work clothes Bethany had started was ready to be hung out. Trinity's diapers take a bit longer to wash, but they are done and on the line, too. No dryer today!
Since I know Monday can be challenging, with behaviour not up to par, I decided to get supper started before my day got the better of me. I coated boneless chicken breasts with Italian salad dressing, wrapped them in foil and put them in my roaster oven to bake nice and slow. I also cleaned and wrapped some potatoes in foil and tossed them in the roaster oven, as well. I have my roaster oven sitting on my back porch. My family will have a nice supper without my house being heated in the process. I call it "porch cooking". I also made a double batch of finger jello and cut up two cantalope for dessert and for snacking.
Then there are the many little things that needed my attention: Josh's eye med, patch and glasses. Christopher's Ginko, diaper change, and dressed. Trinity's Singlulair, diaper change and dressed. Breakfast, lunch. Phone calls to two different insurance companies regarding bills for two different children.
This afternoon I plan to work on school plans for the coming year. This will give me a chance to sit while Christopher is napping. Since I am experiencing a heat related headache, sitting in the air conditioning sounds divine.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)