Monday, April 27, 2009
A weekend with visitors
Last weekend Aunt Louisa and Uncle Patrick came up to visit us. What fun I had playing with them! We went to the park, Uncle Patrick drove me around the block in my car, I swung in the backyard, blew bubbles, and played with my new cars that they brought for me ... and Mommy and Daddy were so happy that I was entertained all weekend!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
My new favorite activity
I ask Mommy every day (usually several times each day) if I can "Drive, PEEZ drive." Today was my lucky day, and here I am behind the wheel.
Happy 5th Birthday, Aidan!
Aidan's birthday is on the same day as my daddy's. We celebrated with him last weekend at the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center, which is such a cool place. We went on a hike, saw a jackrabbit, checked out crabs, watched the fish being fed, colored sea shell magnets, and had pizza and cake. Here are a few pictures from the party.
On the hike:
My buddy, Jack, and me:
Watching the fish:
Watching the fish:
The equipment for the salt marshes was fun to look at (I love fans, so this was great fun!):
Mommy and her friends, Jessica (Aidan's mommy) and Gina (Jack's mommy):
Mommy and her friends, Jessica (Aidan's mommy) and Gina (Jack's mommy):
Friday, April 17, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
What I love about Luke at 21 months
1 - I love your imagination, which is growing by leaps and bounds everyday. You love doing "everyday" things with your stuffed animals. They eat meals, take baths, get stories read, get kisses, and are tucked into bed by you.
2 - I love that you now can tell us your name. It sounds more like "Roo" than Luke, but it is SO cute!
3 - You crack me up when every time we go anywhere, you want to "drive." You will tell me this every time we are close to the car, in the car, or if I say that we're going bye-bye. "Roo DRIVE!"
4 - I love that you continue to be a wonderful sharer. You always let other kids pick their toys/instruments/etc. first, and then take what is left. And, if another kid wants what you have, you happily give it up and go to find something different.
5 - I love that you have started singing along with me. You're especially good at "You Are My Sunshine" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."
5 - I love that anytime you catch a glimpse of a guitar (a real one, toy, picture of one, ANYTHING), you stop what you're doing and shout "IT-TAR!," followed by "Dayee!" (Daddy), because Daddy plays the guitar with you.
6 - Okay, so it isn't so great that we're still battling over staying in the big boy bed at night, and most nights lately you end up in the pack-n-play, but I do love that you know what you're supposed to be doing. You now play quietly (relatively) in your room and just hope that we don't come up to put you back in bed. Of course we are going to have challenges establishing expectations as you grow up, but this reminds me that you're still just a very little boy and that we need to embrace these hurdles because they will all be just a distant memory one day.
7 - I love that you loved Easter and egg hunting ... and all the candy that goes along with it!
8 - You still love to dance ... ALL. THE. TIME.
9 - I love the smell of you after bath and how snuggly you are in your PJs.
10 - I love that you smile for the camera now ... even though it is a bit dramatic and funny!
11 - I couldn't stop at 10 this month - I love that you absolutely LOVE to read books. At night you request one book after another (I realize that this may be a stalling technique, but it's okay because that extra time with you is priceless).
2 - I love that you now can tell us your name. It sounds more like "Roo" than Luke, but it is SO cute!
3 - You crack me up when every time we go anywhere, you want to "drive." You will tell me this every time we are close to the car, in the car, or if I say that we're going bye-bye. "Roo DRIVE!"
4 - I love that you continue to be a wonderful sharer. You always let other kids pick their toys/instruments/etc. first, and then take what is left. And, if another kid wants what you have, you happily give it up and go to find something different.
5 - I love that you have started singing along with me. You're especially good at "You Are My Sunshine" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."
5 - I love that anytime you catch a glimpse of a guitar (a real one, toy, picture of one, ANYTHING), you stop what you're doing and shout "IT-TAR!," followed by "Dayee!" (Daddy), because Daddy plays the guitar with you.
6 - Okay, so it isn't so great that we're still battling over staying in the big boy bed at night, and most nights lately you end up in the pack-n-play, but I do love that you know what you're supposed to be doing. You now play quietly (relatively) in your room and just hope that we don't come up to put you back in bed. Of course we are going to have challenges establishing expectations as you grow up, but this reminds me that you're still just a very little boy and that we need to embrace these hurdles because they will all be just a distant memory one day.
7 - I love that you loved Easter and egg hunting ... and all the candy that goes along with it!
8 - You still love to dance ... ALL. THE. TIME.
9 - I love the smell of you after bath and how snuggly you are in your PJs.
10 - I love that you smile for the camera now ... even though it is a bit dramatic and funny!
11 - I couldn't stop at 10 this month - I love that you absolutely LOVE to read books. At night you request one book after another (I realize that this may be a stalling technique, but it's okay because that extra time with you is priceless).
A final (?) ear update
Here's hoping that this will be the last post about Luke's ears.
Today's surgery went really well. We were in by 7:30, out by 10:15! Luke did so well. He was a bit upset initially when we went back to the area where they weighed him and put on his arm (uh, well, LEG band - since he REFUSED to have it put around his wrist). They gave him some medicine to relax him, and then he happily hung out and watched Elmo while we waited.
By the time that they were ready for him, Luke was so relaxed that he (sort of) let the nurse carry him back to the OR, and only cried a little bit. The procedure itself was only about 20 minutes, and the Dr. came out to let us know that all went well. He removed the fluid from behind Luke's eardrums, and put the tubes in. His hearing should immediately improve!
Luke woke up from the anesthesia after another 25 minutes, or so. He was cranky at first, but settled right down after he had some apple juice and graham crackers (not eating right away in the morning may have been the hardest part for him!). He was discharged about 45 minutes after waking up.
As much as Mommy is happy to have her little boy healthy and well, she is a little disappointed that we are not having a chill out day filled with naps and cuddling. Nope, Luke is just about back to normal. He ate 2 meals since we got home, ran around, climbed, and squealed for a while, and is now napping.
Thanks to everyone for your prayers and well wishes!
Today's surgery went really well. We were in by 7:30, out by 10:15! Luke did so well. He was a bit upset initially when we went back to the area where they weighed him and put on his arm (uh, well, LEG band - since he REFUSED to have it put around his wrist). They gave him some medicine to relax him, and then he happily hung out and watched Elmo while we waited.
By the time that they were ready for him, Luke was so relaxed that he (sort of) let the nurse carry him back to the OR, and only cried a little bit. The procedure itself was only about 20 minutes, and the Dr. came out to let us know that all went well. He removed the fluid from behind Luke's eardrums, and put the tubes in. His hearing should immediately improve!
Luke woke up from the anesthesia after another 25 minutes, or so. He was cranky at first, but settled right down after he had some apple juice and graham crackers (not eating right away in the morning may have been the hardest part for him!). He was discharged about 45 minutes after waking up.
As much as Mommy is happy to have her little boy healthy and well, she is a little disappointed that we are not having a chill out day filled with naps and cuddling. Nope, Luke is just about back to normal. He ate 2 meals since we got home, ran around, climbed, and squealed for a while, and is now napping.
Thanks to everyone for your prayers and well wishes!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Bedtime routines
We are pretty good about following a very regular bedtime routine for Luke. So much so that when he puts his animals to bed, he follows the same routine (without the bath, since Mommy says no baths for the animals!).
Here's Luke reading to them...
...and tucking them into bed (and, of course, they each get several kisses!)
So cute!!!
Ear update
We had Luke's first appointment with the ENT specialist yesterday. I was glad to finally get him in and have someone look more carefully at his ears and his hearing.
The hearing test was probably the most important part of the appointment. They did two different testing procedure on Luke. The first was to put him in a soundproof booth. The audiologist had speakers on either side of the room as well as little lights and characters for Luke to look at. He responded pretty well to her speaking to him through a microphone, but there was an obvious favoring of his left ear (not a big surprise since his pediatrician had noted more fluid in the right ear). When tones were played, however, Luke did not appear to notice them until she made them quite a lot louder. Overall, he scored just below average.
The second test was one where the vibrations of his ear drums were measured. When the sound waves were sent into his ear, neither ear drum vibrated AT ALL. This means that there is so much fluid behind those ear drums that they are not able to correctly respond to sounds. Luke's hearing is impacted by the fluid, and most of what he hears must sound muffled.
With this information, the ENT quickly suggested that Luke have tubes put in to drain that fluid from his ears and to, hopefully, help prevent future infections. During this time, when his hearing so drastically impacts his language development, this is really the only option.
The good news is that it is a relatively simple procedure, which takes only about 20 minutes total (unfortunately, he does have to go under general anesthesia) ... and we were able to take a spot in the schedule that was open due to a cancellation for tomorrow morning. So, Luke is having his ear tubes put in tomorrow morning. I'll post an update once he is home and recovering.
The hearing test was probably the most important part of the appointment. They did two different testing procedure on Luke. The first was to put him in a soundproof booth. The audiologist had speakers on either side of the room as well as little lights and characters for Luke to look at. He responded pretty well to her speaking to him through a microphone, but there was an obvious favoring of his left ear (not a big surprise since his pediatrician had noted more fluid in the right ear). When tones were played, however, Luke did not appear to notice them until she made them quite a lot louder. Overall, he scored just below average.
The second test was one where the vibrations of his ear drums were measured. When the sound waves were sent into his ear, neither ear drum vibrated AT ALL. This means that there is so much fluid behind those ear drums that they are not able to correctly respond to sounds. Luke's hearing is impacted by the fluid, and most of what he hears must sound muffled.
With this information, the ENT quickly suggested that Luke have tubes put in to drain that fluid from his ears and to, hopefully, help prevent future infections. During this time, when his hearing so drastically impacts his language development, this is really the only option.
The good news is that it is a relatively simple procedure, which takes only about 20 minutes total (unfortunately, he does have to go under general anesthesia) ... and we were able to take a spot in the schedule that was open due to a cancellation for tomorrow morning. So, Luke is having his ear tubes put in tomorrow morning. I'll post an update once he is home and recovering.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Happy Easter!
We had a lovely Easter this year, celebrating with many friends and family. Luke was especially fun, as he understood that "the bunny" was coming, and that he needed to hunt for eggs.
First thing on Easter morning, Luke finds his basket and a few goodies from the bunny.
Yes, that IS chocolate at 8am!
Next up, egg hunting in Grammy & Poppy's backyard
The first egg is found
And many more follow...
It did not take long for him to get the hang of it
This is the face/pose I get now when I ask Luke to smile for the camera
Fun with Grandma, Papa, Uncle Kenny, Grammy, and Satya
A few family pictures (not easy to get these days!)
Mmmm .... candy!
Blowing bubbles
Happy Easter!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Another health update
We visited the pediatrician again yesterday for a re-check on Luke's ears. He finally made it 10 weeks since his last infection without getting another one! I was so excited to take him and get a clean bill of health.
Unfortunately, we weren't so lucky. No, his ears aren't infected (thank goodness!), but there is still a lot of fluid. The fluid in the left ear moves a bit, the fluid in the right has no movement. What this means is that Luke will need to see an ENT specialist to determine whether he needs to have tubes put in so that the fluid will drain. Apparently, 60% of kids with ear infections have some remaining fluid post-infection. 97% of those kids have no remaining fluid 12 weeks post-infection. The likelihood that Luke's fluid will drain on its own in the coming week or two is probably not very good.
They will need to first test his hearing, and then determine whether we should go ahead with tubes. His balance is also off quite often, and I am attributing this to the fluid in his ears, so we'll see what the ENT Dr. says about that.
In other health-related news, Luke's top right 2-year molar has broken through! It's been a long time coming (lots of drool and finger biting over the past month). Now, if the remaining 3 would all just come in at the same time so that we don't drag this out for many more months!
More info to come in the coming weeks ....
Unfortunately, we weren't so lucky. No, his ears aren't infected (thank goodness!), but there is still a lot of fluid. The fluid in the left ear moves a bit, the fluid in the right has no movement. What this means is that Luke will need to see an ENT specialist to determine whether he needs to have tubes put in so that the fluid will drain. Apparently, 60% of kids with ear infections have some remaining fluid post-infection. 97% of those kids have no remaining fluid 12 weeks post-infection. The likelihood that Luke's fluid will drain on its own in the coming week or two is probably not very good.
They will need to first test his hearing, and then determine whether we should go ahead with tubes. His balance is also off quite often, and I am attributing this to the fluid in his ears, so we'll see what the ENT Dr. says about that.
In other health-related news, Luke's top right 2-year molar has broken through! It's been a long time coming (lots of drool and finger biting over the past month). Now, if the remaining 3 would all just come in at the same time so that we don't drag this out for many more months!
More info to come in the coming weeks ....
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