Wednesday, June 29, 2011

my bag is packed

Er, not really. But, it should be. I have good intentions of getting my hospital bag packed, but I can't seem to get it done. I've said it before and I'll say it again... this poor baby is getting the shaft! From clothes to nursery, all the way down to me preparing for the hospital! We've got two weeks left until baby boy makes his appearance and I still have a to-do list a mile long. I have tried and tried to muster up the energy to get things done around here, but I always fall short.

Baby is doing great so far. We had about two seconds of alarm three weeks ago, but everything seems to be fine. I went in for a routine anatomy scan at the peri's office and they found increased fluid in the pericardial sac of the baby's heart. It wasn't a lot, just barely out of normal range, but it was more than had been there previously. The doctor surmised it was a reaction to the crud that went around our house several weeks prior, and subsequent weekly scans support her opinion. There is still a tiny amount of fluid, but nothing alarming, and it is decreases every week. Other than that things with the baby have been uneventful. I have had very few contractions my entire pregnancy, but have continued with the contraction monitoring and weekly 17p injections. Oh, and I got two doses of steroids last week for the baby's lungs "just in case".

In R&Z news, they are both keeping us extremely busy. Zoe is a busy little drama queen and Rhys is her partner in crime. They play well together and it melts my heart to hear them interacting with, and belly laughing at, each other. Rhys's new activity table came in and he loves it. As does Zoe. It's perfect for what he needs it to do. Rhys has started pointing at things recently, which is a big deal for him. We're hoping he will start using this as a means of communication instead of constantly whining for everything and giving us no direction. We've scheduled all his therapy consults to switch him from ECI to private therapy, and he was recently fitted for a new hip/leg brace we are waiting to be delivered. Zoe is officially enrolled into MDO starting in September. I am beyond excited for her to get this opportunity, but to be honest I am dreading the germ aspect of it all. It isn't bad when she's sick, but it is horrible to deal with Rhys when he gets sick because it always upsets his gag reflex, which in turn makes it tricky for him to eat. Between Rhys starting school with the ISD and Zoe starting MDO, I will have quite a bit of time during the week where I do not have three kids in the house. Party for mom!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

equipment grant

Several weeks ago the lady who provides vision services for Rhys mentioned a grant program that our neighborhood sponsors for kids with disabilities. She really didn't know much about it, only that another family in our subdivision (that she provides services for) had told her about it and she then passed along the information to me. So Cody and I searched our subdivision's website for more information. This program isn't advertised, and we'd obviously never heard of it, but sure enough there it was! We printed out the application and requested the maximum amount. I provided Rhys's story along with copies of all Rhys's pertinent medical documents. I felt fairly confident Rhys would qualify, but was shocked when we got the check in the mail today. It was 50% more than what we requested. We are so excited! We applied for, and I just ordered, this adjustable height table for Rhys.

It will be great with his floor chair, as well as his stander, which is identical to the one pictured. He is much more cooperative when his attention is occupied, but a height compatible table to either the chair or stander isn't something you just have around the house. The legs on this new table are adjustable so it will work for many things. I also ordered the raised edges to help keep his stuff on the table.

The second thing we applied for was an iPad for Rhys. This is what we were concerned wouldn't be approved, for obvious reasons. It seems like an extravagant request, and it is!, but it legitimately can provide great opportunities for development for kids like Rhys. He is in love with our cell phones, and has figured out that he can move things around with his fingers. Plus, the iPad has a million great applications for kids.

So we're very excited to get this stuff for Rhys. And we're very thankful Ms. Lucy thought to mention this grant program to us. The best part is that you can apply every year! This is better than Christmas for me, I love to get new equipment for Rhys!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

more school, and teeth!

Yesterday we went and sat in on the class Rhys will attend beginning next school year. I nearly teared up when I saw the group of kids doing their activities. I am so so excited for Rhys to start school! The class is similar to a preschool setting, with a very structured schedule and routine. There is one teacher and two aides, to approximately six kids. I was (for some reason) surprised to see that not all the kids are physically disabled. Actually, four of the five in the class at the time appeared to be typical in terms of verbal and physical ability. I'm sure there was a reason they are in the early education program, but my point is I think the social interaction Rhys would get from seeing other kids his age speak and walk will benefit him. The teacher mentioned that many of her kids are moving on to Kindergarten, so most of the new kids will be Rhys's age of 3. So, hopefully they'll be in school together for the next 2-3 years.

Speaking of school, I filled out the paperwork to enroll Zoe in mother's day out. She will go two days a week beginning in August. I definitely think Zoe's personality is such that she needs this, but I'm surprised to find myself hesitant to let her go. I have no problem with Rhys going to school, maybe because he is a little older. Anyway, I think Zoe will love school, and she too needs the social aspect.

And lastly, today we brought Rhys to the dentist for the first time. I've been to the dentist for as long as I can remember, and actually loved going, but I never had a cool pediatric dentist like this one. Well, I should say cool pediatric dentist office (even though the dentist himself was really nice too). This place was painted top to bottom with colorful murals, had a media room with a big movie screen and bean bags, individual movies playing in each exam room, and a toy chest to pick out a prize! Cody and I were completely dreading a Rhys meltdown, and even though he did scream and cry it wasn't as bad as I thought. The dentist only brushed his teeth and checked for cavities, so I think that helped. And he was unfazed by all the screams. Amazing! I was very surprised to find that Rhys's teeth showed no signs of cavities or decay. We brush his teeth as much as possible, and despite oral defensiveness Rhys mostly enjoys it, but Pediasure has a ton of sugar in it and I'm always worried we're not doing a good enough job. So our instructions are to try to floss (haha!) and keep on brushing as we're doing. We're to do the same with Zoe and then bring both kids back in six months... Rhys for his next checkup and x-rays, and Zoe for her first exam.