UW-Madison Neuro update

Went for my follow-up in Madison. (I was there last in July and had still needed to quit breastfeeding.)

Overall, my appointment went very well. I have (reasonably) good balance and strength. I have no pain or problems to report (*knock on wood*).

There is still some slight scarring on my right optic nerve, that was noted at my last appointment. (Grrrr!)  He summed it up that my left eye is 100% and my right is slightly less... at only 95%.

On a special scale for MS patients, with ZERO being almost-nothing and TEN being the worst, he acknowledged me as .5 or maybe 1. We discussed that I've never really had a BIG THING (again, knock on wood).

Historically speaking, I have done very well and he believes that I will continue to do equally as well in the future.

He spoke of "talk" that Copaxone will soon be switching from a 7-days/week injection to only 3 days/week. (I guess the concentration will double.) NICE. He also indicated that I shouldn't beat myself up if I miss a dose. (I prefer for him to shake his finger at me and tell me that I NEED it, or else it is too easy to skip it.)

As for the newly approved PILL... it is NOT the one that he had mentioned in July. The one that just came out has risks involved, as well as lowering the body's immunity to fight infection. (No thanks! I'm good.)

Learned that it is advisable for the boys to be on a vitamin to boost their vitamin D. (They have slightly higher chances of getting MS than someone who's parent does NOT have it.) As for me having more vitamin D, he isn't sold on that... or any mult-vitamin really. Interesting...

He also gave me contact information to participate in a study. I believe he said that Madison is one of three facilities participating. They would need ME, a MS patient, to come in for a (FREE) MRI and would be paid $100 for doing so. ALSO, I would need to bring another non-MS patient, who also gets a FREE MRI and $100. He mentioned that they are studying some sort of vascular conditions and need participants. The downfall is that you don't get your MRI results until their study is over. (Not that big of a deal for me.) We'll see... I'm tempted to call for more information!

As for my itching at my injection sites, he reminded me that the drug acts as a decoy.... so, when it gets red and irritated, that means that my body is there, fighting it off - instead of chewing away at places that should NOT be chewed. It was a nice reminder that my body is working so hard at fighting the foreign substance that I inject daily.

Speaking of injecting daily, time for my shot and bed!

I go back in ONE YEAR.

Scooters, slipping and such

Today, Sydney needed his helmet at school for SCOOTER WEEK! He reports that he rode frontwards and backwards AND on his belly! (On his belly was his favorite.)

Silas and Mommy did a little shopping while Sydney was at school - hitting Hobby Lobby, Target and a quick stop home again.

The boys enjoyed quality time with Daddy this afternoon while Mommy went to make cards. (Daddy learned why Mommy ALWAYS lets Silas nap in the playpen in our bedroom. Sydney eventually turned on the lights and climbed into Silas' crib. Silas nap ended early.)

Tonight, after dinner, Sydney wanted a drink of fresh water. I encouraged him to get his cup from his bedroom so that we could fill it up for bedtime. On his way back downstairs, he fell and tumbled down 3/4 of them in cartwheel-like fashion, landing face first. He was pretty scared, but calmed down reasonably quickly after snuggling. He reported that "it is NOT FUN to fall down the stairs". He still remembered his name AND home address so, we took that as a good sign.

He took pride in helping me with my shot tonight; he's getting very good about washing his hands and holding the cotton ball. He also counts for me; today, he decided he'd count to SIX and then, I would do my shot. He's a sweet little boy!

Eventually, once bedtime rolled around, he played his typical games of sneaking out of his room repeatedly. He even enjoyed a few minutes of the Dancing with the Stars finale, snuggled in the recliner with mom.

Silas started playing a game of grabbing our noses. Then, he proudly reports "Got it!" (It's pretty cute. Although, the cat - EDDY - does NOT like to play that game!) Silas is talking A LOT and repeating very well. Sydney is talking faster and faster all the time. I'm not sure WHERE they get it from?!?!

Tried to teach Sydney a valuable lesson tonight, but it was too close to bedtime for him to rationalize it. We heard the sunporch door open and discovered a package had been left. Sydney INSISTED that we open it right now. I tried to tell him "there might be surprise christmas presents in there" but he was convinced "No, there's not, but let's just check!" (I tucked the box on top of the dryer and after a minute, he forgot about it.) Inside the box, there was ONE MORE BOOK for my Christmas Season Advent Holiday Book collection; I needed just TWO MORE books to make it from December 1 though 24th. (There is another one coming in the mail yet.) Thankfully, I have ALL of my books and most of my holiday movies wrapped. I AM SO EXCITED TO START THIS NEW HOLIDAY TRADITION!

Have to get to bed... we have an early start to the day tomorrow, heading to UW-Madison for a neurology appointment. The boys are excited to watch "Winnie the Pooh" in the car!

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES... storage space FULL!

I am saddened to report that I tried to upload pics to my blog - only to discover that my 1GB of FREE storage space is FULL!

I am looking into the next step.

SO SORRY family and friends!

Preschool performance, baring belly

Sydney's preschool had a Thanksgiving performance with all of the 3 and 4 year olds. They marched into the chapel and were arranged by their teacher. Sydney was positioned front and center.

During the performance, there MIGHT have been 3 kids carrying the rest of the class. Most of the time, Sydney did NOT sing. Partway through the performance, you could tell he was fidgety. He started to roll his shirt and sweater vest up tighter and tighter... rolling it higher and higher... until it was close to his nipples and he couldn't roll it any higher.

I motioned for him to put his shirt down, but he didn't seem to mind baring it all.

Unfortunately, Mike was in charge of the video camera. He thought he was taping the performance, but turns out, it started to record when he thought he was turning it off. (Some of the other parents said that they can get a copy of their recording to us; they all thought it was pretty funny.)

Sydney nervously rolled his shirt and sweater vest
up higher and higher during the performance in
the chapel. (3 and 4-year old preschool)

What a relief! That's over! 

Each child had a page in the THANKFUL BOOK.
Sydney's page was last; he painted a turkey. (A month
or so ago, he told us that he painted a chicken. We knew
that the teachers said that some of the kids painted
turkeys so, we asked "Are you sure it wasn't a turkey?"
Confidently, he told us "No, it was a chicken because
it had feathers." We didn't argue. I guess it WAS
a turkey afterall... because turkeys HAVE FEATHERS, too!

Funny things kids say_NOVEMBER 2012

I've got to start writing this stuff down when it happens because these kids have got me laughing A LOT!

This afternoon, our babysitter was walking home from her violin lesson so, we picked her up and gave her a ride home. As soon as she got in our car, Sydney proudly announced "Mom had a muscle in her butt that kept twitching, but her butt is all better now. The twitching stopped AND now Silas has some new teeth, too!"

A few days ago, Sydney asked me about my twitchy butt muscle. (That had happened last week... Wednesday night, into Thursday... following my left hip injection.) It still weighs upon his mind. He wondered what it (the muscle) was doing. I demonstrated with my hand, showing him how I could make it jump. He went on to say "I think I had a twitch in my butt, too, sometimes and maybe THAT is what makes me have a(n) itchy butt once in a while." (Naturally, TWITCH and ITCH rhyme so, THAT is perfect logic for a three year old. Right?)

Yesterday, Sydney announced that "the Grinch's heart grew THREE SIZES! That's AMAZING!"

Tonight, during a commercial break (watching Grinch AGAIN tonight with Daddy & Silas), Sydney announced "Don't worry mom! The christmas movie will be back on again so, it'll be OK."

"NO! Don't yell counting at me when I am being naughty! Stop counting!" (Sydney protesting our use of 1-2-3 Magic.)

"Funny! Laugh!" announced Silas, giggling.

Bad day = Dog Bites while at work

Mike came home from work LATE today, after spending time at the clinic and pharmacy. Earlier that morning, he was bit by a dog in the parking lot AT WORK.

Taking antibiotics to help keep away infection.

Silas LOVES to SWIM, KICK and JUMP!

Silas LOVES to SWIM, KICK and JUMP!

Silas started YMCA Parent/Child swim lessons a few weeks ago and HE LOVES IT! His first week, I'm pretty convinced that KICKING was his favorite thing. However, at his second lesson, with Daddy, he LOVED to jump off the wall to Daddy. Daddy reports "He's pretty good at it!" (A skill that took Sydney quite a while to be comfortable with when HE was little.)

Silas proudly stands on the wall and counts along with Mike "1, 2, 3..."

As long as I've got my thumb, it's ALL GOOD! – Silas, 18 months

What a smart little cookie_18 MONTHS

Silas likes to hide. He thinks that if he covers his eyes, he is well-hidden. He likes to giggle, thinking that he is hiding so well. (Because we think it is cute when Silas does it, Sydney now thinks that HE is hiding, too; although, he had figured this game out long, long ago when he was little and has now since regressed.)

Tonight, when I was changing Silas' diaper, he hid his eyes behind his hands. "Hiding." he announced. "Boo!" he yelled when he removed his hands. (Somehow, his brain doesn't process the fact that my hands are ON HIM, changing his diaper, that he must not be so well hidden afterall. Still, he makes me giggle.)

Silas is a talking machine now! (Sometimes he strings a few words together, but mostly it is just a single word announcing something.) Sydney is constantly announcing "I didn't know baby Silas could say.... that!"

At the park this past week, Silas announced "Be careful." as he cautiously crossed a high bridge, intended for bigger kids. (I was a proud mom.)

Also this past week, Silas suddenly thinks it is funny to hit people. (Often, you can tell he is thinking about doing it... and then, he DOES!) Tonight, he slapped me across the face on my cheek and earned a time-out, seat-belted in the chair. A few minutes later, he thought it would be a good idea to slap both of my cheeks at once. (Time-out again. This time, it seemed to bother him more that Sydney and I were having fun without him. He didn't hit again after that.)

Silas still LOVES his thumb! And his blanket! (Seriously, he looks like Linus from Charlie Brown Peanuts!) And he ADORES his big brother, as well as EATING.

When he wakes in the morning, he's starting to figure out to call for "MOM!" or announce that he is "UP!" As soon as I walk into the room, he stands up and announces "Dad?" to discover if Daddy is in bed or at work. (He really LOVES his daddy! He sits next to Daddy when we eat most days, too. Somehow, he's figured out that he can let Daddy put the food on his fork for him, playing the helpless game, while Mommy always lets Silas do it for himself. Silas also prefers to get out of his seat and sit on Daddy's lap while Dad is trying to eat, BUT since Dad works so many hours, he doesn't seem to mind that Silas wants to "bond" with him.)

He has long-forgotten nursing and doesn't really sign MILK anymore either. He signs his own version of BALL and MORE. Signing PLEASE and THANK YOU come second-nature to him; he does it automatically. He is very polite.

Silas still scrunches up his nose when he smiles his cheesy grin. He's still working on his last 2 eyeteeth to come into place fully; both have made it through the gumline, long ago.

He LOVES to make noise and knock down towers. He also thinks it is fun to hide inside the cupboards, as well as run away from us when it is time to diaper or dress him. (He runs himself into a corner so, he IS easy enough to catch most times.)

Lately, when we announce "1, 2, 3" Silas yells "FOUR!" (He's obviously paying attention.) He is starting to like the Sesame Street letters. "M" seems to be his favorite letter; he guesses M a lot. He seems to enjoy repeating the letters. He also LOVES to eat... I mean, PLAY with PlayDoh and to "color" which can be just an ordinary pen, crayons or markers. As for paint, we've tried a few times and the area around his mouth becomes quite colorful. Inkpads were hard, too... need to buy washable!

Silas LOVES to play with phones... or even just the calculator. If you pay attention, he puts it up to his ear and you often hear him announcing "Hello. GOOD!"

He just got to make cookies for the first time this week and enjoyed rolling the Funfetti dough into balls and eating them.

He is one smart little cookie!

It's going to be ONE OF THOSE DAYS...

Sydney woke around 6:15am and ventured - pillow in hand - to our bedroom where Mike had left the lights on from his early-morning packing. "I brought my pillow with me - just in case I got tired or crabby." he announced proudly.

We ventured downstairs to find Daddy getting ready to leave for work seminars.

Sydney ate his breakfast and I had him dressed... all in good time. It seems that school days tend to be a mad rush to get ready; I prefer our non-scheduled lifestyle where we have little-to-no-rush. (It can be SO DIFFICULT to get three bodies ready and out the door sometimes!) Our reminder timer went off, telling us that everyone needs to be dressed now.

"Sydney, run in and go potty before school please!"

Without trying, he announced "I need help please."

"Thank you for asking for help nicely. I appreciate that!"

I heard him announce and celebrate "Yay! I went potty! Now I am ready for school." I washed his hands and told him to fix his pants.

Moments later, our reminder timer went off again, letting us know that we should all be getting into the car now. "Come on, let's go!" I announce to Sydney. He waddles out from behind the bench where he was playing looking like a penguin; his big boy pants were at his knees and his jeans were at his ankles.

"Come on!" I whined. "I thought you were ready to go! Aaahhhh! Sometimes you drive me Bonkers!"

"What are you going to do with me?" Sydney announced, grinning from ear-to-ear. I laughed at him, not expecting him to say such a thing. "I like saying that." he reported.

Loaded Sydney into the car. Came back inside to strip Silas out of his jammies and load him into his clothes. Then, strapped HIM into the car, coming back in for backpack and jackets. (I dread the winter months when I will have to preheat the car and scrape the windows as well. Eeek! Shiver.)

Drove across town to school, knowing that TODAY there wouldn't be much grace period; they give you a 10-minute window to drop off your kids for preschool. Sent Sydney into the bathroom to wash his hands.

Peeked into the bathroom, to discover Sydney smiling and staring at his reflection in the mirror and he hadn't as much as turned the water on.

"Sydney," I broke his concentration. "You need to wash your hands, goofball!"

Got his hands washed and took him into his classroom, announcing to the teacher "Good luck with him today! He seems a little spacey." (The teacher reported that all twelve of them acted kind of spacey on Tuesday for the Halloween Costume Party.)

Maybe, it's the moon...

• • •

As I write this post, Sydney IS napping. He protests naps most days, but falls asleep in the car. He was acting tired and having melt-downs at lunch because the Bruschetta fell off of his cracker... or heaven forbid, some bruschetta landed on one of his snap peas! Afterwards, he had been told to in the upstairs bathroom to wash his hands. Suddenly, I heard my bedroom door slam and footsteps in that bedroom. My inner voice screamed NOooooo! What are you doing?!?!? since Silas was napping in the playpen in our bedroom.

I climbed the stairs as quickly as possible, opened the door and found Sydney laying under our bed. Pulled him out, announced "It's a good thing you didn't wake your brother! Now, Go! Into the bathroom. Wash. Your. Hands!"

I think he already KNEW that I wasn't pleased with him, but I did remind him that he needs to be a better listener and to make better decisions. Then, I informed him that he is GOING TO TAKE A NAP!

I look forward to post-nap when we can enjoy this 54°F day filled with sunshine and no breeze. A walk to the library MIGHT be on the afternoon agenda.... or at least, some fresh air outside.

With days like these, I am glad that Grandpa Lowell will be taking the baton; he will watch Sydney tonight while I take Silas for his FIRST EVER swimming lesson.

No one said that raising toddlers would be easy, but it certainly IS quite entertaining.