The following are video representations of Lukas' music talent. Keep in mind that he performs multiple times during the day as to continually improve his skills. There are many days I'm very grateful for ibuprofen to make it through the drum, xylophone, piano, radio, flute, whistle, rain stick, clapper, tambourine, bells, guitar, and of course vocals.
Guitar with modest dance break.
Where is Pointer
Flute and Clapper
Monday, June 22, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Happy Father's Day!
Happy Father's Day to the most wonderful father I know! Happy Father's Day 2009, Eric!! You're a blessing to this family. Thank you for all the work you do, and all the fun you bring us. Lukas and I love you very much!!!
Telling Daddy about all the animals and cars.
Daddy was working, so Lukas decided to "work" as well.
Playing Wii is always a fun activity.
Precious!!!
Bubbles!
Telling Daddy about all the animals and cars.
Daddy was working, so Lukas decided to "work" as well.
Playing Wii is always a fun activity.
Precious!!!
Bubbles!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Swimming
We went swimming this morning in our community pool for the first time this summer. We practically had to dump Lukas in the pool, and then force him to stay in so he could get used to it again. Thankfully we were the only ones there the entire hour we were there, so it was nice and relaxing. Lukas did get reacquainted with the pool and was jumping in the water and swimming like a fish by the time we left.
This video nicely shows the game Lukas invented which also helped him decide swimming was fun again.
This video nicely shows the game Lukas invented which also helped him decide swimming was fun again.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Update and the ER
Well, it's happened. Lukas has had his first (and I hope only) trip to the ER due to asthma. Before I get into exactly what landed us there some small updates.
*That huge sinus infection that we've been battling since December has finally been cleared up with a six week round of Augmentin ES at 4 ml twice a day. So, thank you to the the big antibiotic that we've been on forever because IT WORKED!
*Lukas knows his left from his right. He recognizes the words: Lukas, Mommy, Daddy, and cat. He can tell you his name. He can count to 20, and visually recognizes those numbers as well (although number 3 commonly gets left out...he knows it he just doesn't say it). He will talk your ear off if you give him half a chance because he has something to say about everything...and it usually makes sense! He is 2 going on 10 because he is such a big boy and thinks he can do everything...and tries....and then tells you about it. He has his own personal symphony at home and plays every instrument daily, as well as telling others what they should play...right down to the song it should be. He remembers EVERYTHING, so when your around him be careful because while he might not repeat it but he may very well associate you with that random thing you thought no one saw. ;)
Ok, now for the ER story. He's had a cold since last week that had steadily moved into his chest. So much so that since last Thursday we've been on Albuterol treatments every 4 hrs to keep him controlled. However, we thought he was getting better, which was why we hadn't filled the oral steroid prescription his pulmonologist put on hold for us at the pharmacy (only to be used if he got worse). He woke up Sunday morning retracting (which is what his asthma does to him usually) and very lethargic. After a treatment he was not much (if any) better, so we throw ourselves together and head off to the hospital. The whole way time of course trying to keep him from falling asleep since at that point we don't know it's ok for him to go to sleep. It was truly one of the weirdest sights on him that I've ever seen. I mean he had just woken up from sleeping all night, and it was all we could do to keep him awake. Scared me to death since I had no idea exactly what was wrong! Anyway, once we got there he got another treatment and an oral steroid. They said it was ok for him to sleep and poor guy was OUT instantly. They ordered a chest x-ray to check for pnuemonia (which was negative), and had to do the whole thing while he was sleeping. I'm amazed they were able to do it because can we say awkward! We had to hold pretty much every part of his upper body in place so he didn't crumple. They sent us home with a prescription for Zithromax for the bronchitis and told us to fill the oral steroid (duh!). Later that afternoon, we noticed he wasn't making it all 4 hrs between treatments, so we called the on-call pulmonologist for advice. He told us to give him 3 back to back treatments and another dose of oral steroid to try to shock him out of his "bad breathing" cycle. It worked because he hasn't had trouble since. Today we are finally moving from 4 hr treaments to 6 hr treaments.
He's currently enjoying VBS which is throughly exhausting him since it's from 6:30-8:30 every night. Thankfully after tonight he can go back to his normal 7:30 bedtime.
*That huge sinus infection that we've been battling since December has finally been cleared up with a six week round of Augmentin ES at 4 ml twice a day. So, thank you to the the big antibiotic that we've been on forever because IT WORKED!
*Lukas knows his left from his right. He recognizes the words: Lukas, Mommy, Daddy, and cat. He can tell you his name. He can count to 20, and visually recognizes those numbers as well (although number 3 commonly gets left out...he knows it he just doesn't say it). He will talk your ear off if you give him half a chance because he has something to say about everything...and it usually makes sense! He is 2 going on 10 because he is such a big boy and thinks he can do everything...and tries....and then tells you about it. He has his own personal symphony at home and plays every instrument daily, as well as telling others what they should play...right down to the song it should be. He remembers EVERYTHING, so when your around him be careful because while he might not repeat it but he may very well associate you with that random thing you thought no one saw. ;)
Ok, now for the ER story. He's had a cold since last week that had steadily moved into his chest. So much so that since last Thursday we've been on Albuterol treatments every 4 hrs to keep him controlled. However, we thought he was getting better, which was why we hadn't filled the oral steroid prescription his pulmonologist put on hold for us at the pharmacy (only to be used if he got worse). He woke up Sunday morning retracting (which is what his asthma does to him usually) and very lethargic. After a treatment he was not much (if any) better, so we throw ourselves together and head off to the hospital. The whole way time of course trying to keep him from falling asleep since at that point we don't know it's ok for him to go to sleep. It was truly one of the weirdest sights on him that I've ever seen. I mean he had just woken up from sleeping all night, and it was all we could do to keep him awake. Scared me to death since I had no idea exactly what was wrong! Anyway, once we got there he got another treatment and an oral steroid. They said it was ok for him to sleep and poor guy was OUT instantly. They ordered a chest x-ray to check for pnuemonia (which was negative), and had to do the whole thing while he was sleeping. I'm amazed they were able to do it because can we say awkward! We had to hold pretty much every part of his upper body in place so he didn't crumple. They sent us home with a prescription for Zithromax for the bronchitis and told us to fill the oral steroid (duh!). Later that afternoon, we noticed he wasn't making it all 4 hrs between treatments, so we called the on-call pulmonologist for advice. He told us to give him 3 back to back treatments and another dose of oral steroid to try to shock him out of his "bad breathing" cycle. It worked because he hasn't had trouble since. Today we are finally moving from 4 hr treaments to 6 hr treaments.
He's currently enjoying VBS which is throughly exhausting him since it's from 6:30-8:30 every night. Thankfully after tonight he can go back to his normal 7:30 bedtime.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Operation Organization
This past weekend Lukas got to go down to Houston to visit Mema and Grandad, while we tore into part of our organization problem (as well as had some "down" time).
Lukas' consisted of splashing in the pool, a trip to the fountains, the park, and lots of other cool stuff that only Mema and Grandad can provide.
Our weekend consisted of a huge shopping day to buy what we needed to organize, painting and staining, sorting, and a couple of relaxing dates. The highlight of the weekend was a trip to The Melting Pot for some fantastic fondue to celebrate my birthday.
Our main project was Lukas' room. We painted and installed shelves, sorted toys, and built a tool bench.
Before:
After:
Before:
After: And we already have plans to buy another bookshelf since the one wasn't enough.
Before:
After:
The awesome toolbench we made. He LOVES this thing. I think he's been building since he got back home.
We got these wall decals at Target. They're awesome except for they are barely sticking to our textured walls. I think we're going to have to mount them somehow so they stick for years and not weeks.
We also bought new barstools for our living room, a new coffee table, and have plans (once we find what we want) for a shelving unit in the entry way to organize our shoes, bags and mail. I'm loving the organization so far, and so now the goal is to keep it up!
Lukas' consisted of splashing in the pool, a trip to the fountains, the park, and lots of other cool stuff that only Mema and Grandad can provide.
Our weekend consisted of a huge shopping day to buy what we needed to organize, painting and staining, sorting, and a couple of relaxing dates. The highlight of the weekend was a trip to The Melting Pot for some fantastic fondue to celebrate my birthday.
Our main project was Lukas' room. We painted and installed shelves, sorted toys, and built a tool bench.
Before:
After:
Before:
After: And we already have plans to buy another bookshelf since the one wasn't enough.
Before:
After:
The awesome toolbench we made. He LOVES this thing. I think he's been building since he got back home.
We got these wall decals at Target. They're awesome except for they are barely sticking to our textured walls. I think we're going to have to mount them somehow so they stick for years and not weeks.
We also bought new barstools for our living room, a new coffee table, and have plans (once we find what we want) for a shelving unit in the entry way to organize our shoes, bags and mail. I'm loving the organization so far, and so now the goal is to keep it up!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Faire, The Last Day of School, and The Gardens
I seriously got out of the habit of posting after my hard drive crashed. I now have a new hard drive, and need to get back in the habit. So on to the update....
Scarborough Faire
We visited the faire 5-9-09, the Saturday before Mother's Day, with Mimi and Papa. This was the third year I've gone, and Lukas' second year. This year Lukas wandered everywhere and saw everything! Most importantly he stopped to listen to every music show we passed. Although, I think the absolute highlight for him was when he got to ride the pony.
This fountain was just cool!
We barely left without buying a sword. I don't think we'll be able to do the same next year.
He's very serious about his pony riding, but this was his FAVORITE part.
The Last Day of School
Unfortunately Lukas was sick on the last day of school. The Wednesday before he had a viral infection with a fever as high as 104.3, so needless to say he was unable to go Thursday. Sadly on Thursday (5-21-09) he did wake up feeling just fine. Thankfully, I was able to go for part of the day and say goodbye to all my kids. I'm so thankful for Eric's flexible schedule!
Fort Worth Botanical Gardens
On Memorial Day (5-25-09) we visited the gardens with Mimi and Papa. They were beautiful! We were completely worn out by the time we were done, but we got our exercise. Lukas found every water fountain (or puddle) on or off the path. I think his favorite part was the Japanese Gardens where we watched the Koi swim. If we hadn't been so tired already and he hadn't been having so much asthma trouble we probably would have fed the fish. However, he never asked to so we didn't mention it.
Ready to go!
Posing for the first picture...although not so excited about it.
Mimi and Papa!
Beautiful!!
In a place this beautiful it's easy to get great pictures, so I have many more that I didn't post.
Scarborough Faire
We visited the faire 5-9-09, the Saturday before Mother's Day, with Mimi and Papa. This was the third year I've gone, and Lukas' second year. This year Lukas wandered everywhere and saw everything! Most importantly he stopped to listen to every music show we passed. Although, I think the absolute highlight for him was when he got to ride the pony.
This fountain was just cool!
We barely left without buying a sword. I don't think we'll be able to do the same next year.
He's very serious about his pony riding, but this was his FAVORITE part.
The Last Day of School
Unfortunately Lukas was sick on the last day of school. The Wednesday before he had a viral infection with a fever as high as 104.3, so needless to say he was unable to go Thursday. Sadly on Thursday (5-21-09) he did wake up feeling just fine. Thankfully, I was able to go for part of the day and say goodbye to all my kids. I'm so thankful for Eric's flexible schedule!
Fort Worth Botanical Gardens
On Memorial Day (5-25-09) we visited the gardens with Mimi and Papa. They were beautiful! We were completely worn out by the time we were done, but we got our exercise. Lukas found every water fountain (or puddle) on or off the path. I think his favorite part was the Japanese Gardens where we watched the Koi swim. If we hadn't been so tired already and he hadn't been having so much asthma trouble we probably would have fed the fish. However, he never asked to so we didn't mention it.
Ready to go!
Posing for the first picture...although not so excited about it.
Mimi and Papa!
Beautiful!!
In a place this beautiful it's easy to get great pictures, so I have many more that I didn't post.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Update and a Sandbox
Health Update:
I'll do this chronologically since that will probably help me ramble less. You'll notice that the appointments are every other day, and that's because we go to school 2 days a week. And since all the appointments started 4-22-09, we've been going to a doctor every non-school day for 2 weeks. Can we say exhausted!!
Monday (4-27) - We visited the allergist, Dr. Fitzgerald, for allergy testing. After making Lukas completely mad and uncomfortable we found he has no allergies. Lukas was scheduled for a CT scan Wednesday to re-scan the sinuses, and compare to a scan he had done back in January. She is also treating him for acid reflux because of his recurring (although I think it just one huge one that's never cleared out comepletely) sinus infections and bad asthma. This treatment is a "treat it and see if it works" treatment since there is no reliable way to test for reflux. She also ordered a blood immunity panel to be drawn. She told us these usually come back normal, but "just in case" better to test it anyway. We haven't done this yet since it's at a blood center because we just haven't had time.
Wednesday (4-29) - Lukas had a CT scan which confirmed that the huge sinus infection that was scanned back in January had gotten worse not better. This was I think the most surprising news because this was the entire reason we had the adenoids taken out. So, he apparently falls in that small percent that an adenoidectomy doesn't fix the problem. He was then put on antibiotic for 30 days and told to see the ENT again.
Friday (5-1) - Lukas was screened for diabetes, which just means they did the quick test in the office to check his sugar level rather than the full tolerance test. He does not have diabetes. This was the expected result, but at this point we're not really ruling anything out. We also did a general follow-up with our pediatrician's office so everyone was on the same page as far as what we'd done and where we were going. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you need a good pediatrician Dr. Debra Naylor at 18 and Under MD is fantastic. There is one other doctor and a nurse practictioner on staff in addition to herself, and they are all wonderful. They have been Lukas' advocates (and mine) without fail. And as many times as I've been in (several of the questioning my own sanity) they've always answered questions and worked to find the answer (even when that meant sending us to another doctor) to his problems. Ok, minor sidetrack. This is not a "all hail Dr. Naylor" post, so back to the information.
Monday (5-4) - We visit the ENT, Dr. Murray, to revisit this huge sinus infection, and find out what to do next. He showed us the CT scans, and in the parts that were supposed to be black (which was actually a fairly large section) there was no black at all. So, needless to say Lukas' sinus infection is massive. He extended Lukas' antibiotic from 30 days to 6 weeks, so we can say we gave him as much of a chance to get better as possible. At the end of 6 weeks Lukas will have another CT scan to determine what to do next. If the CT scan looks similar to the previous ones, then he will have sinus surgery because at that point it will be obvious that the infection will not clear on it's own without help. If his scan is clear then we play the waiting game to see what he does. If he continues to get sinus infections (especially if they are over the summer) then it will probably be sinus surgery. I don't remember any other options being mentioned.
The number of breathing treatments we've had to give him has decreased, so thankfully whatever had hold of him has loosened it's grip. :) We see a new pulmonologist on 5-22-09.
Sandbox:
On another note, Lukas got into his sandbox the other day for the first time. Here are some pictures of him playing, although after I took these he decided to really immerse himself in the sand experience.
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