The Moments That Count

What a day. Lehr has been gone since Friday morning on a camping trip, so the kids and I have been flying 'solo' this weekend. Friday was pretty normal with playing after school and PT, but we did go out for a special dinner. (The kids chose Doc Chey's.) Today the only scheduled thing was Eli's morning baseball game. We left just after breakfast and managed to avoid the forecasted rain throughout the whole game. The game was amazing - Eli's team was absolutely on fire with batting and field defense. Eli had several great plays in there, making at least three outs as pitcher and second baseman. After the game we hung around for about 15 minutes so Eli could play catch with one of his teammates.



When we got home, Eli played outside with a friend (baseball, of course) while I made lunch and Maddux started packing for NOLA. After lunch there was some more playing, but just with Maddux and Eli this time. Eli was really REALLY patient with Maddux and tried to teach her a few rules about whiffle ball. (This is not the norm for him.) After they finished, Eli asked to look up some information and videos on the Bermuda Triangle. (He's been very interested this week.) Once we were done with the computer, we I set up some paints outside so the kids and I could paint the wooden alphabet I bought for the baby's room. The kids loved doing this. They each painted one or two before I made them take a break so the work area could dry. I heard the two of them discussing what they were going to play and it was A-MA-ZING how well they cooperated and it blew my mind how accommodating Eli was. Maddux always bends over backwards to make sure Eli is happy and they do something he likes, but this time it was him working around her. He even went on the swings with her (she loves them; he's over them). In the end they decided to do a boot camp/obstacle course thing (her choice) first and then play kickball (his choice). Somewhere in all of this, Eli brought up his birthday celebration again. He updates me at least once a week on what he thinks he wants to do this coming August. Today he said for our family celebration he wants to play kickball and for his friends he wants to play whiffle ball. More importantly, he asked that Maddux be on his team for both games. Wow.

Once they finished, we painted a few more letters and then went to pick up pizza. I'd told the kids we would eat pizza while we watched a movie. They've been asking to watch "The Princess Bride" for about a month. Eli lost one of his very very loose teeth on the way, making his day even better. He told me at least a dozen times that 'this was the best day ever', and he even told me that I was a good mommy because I plan fun stuff. I do love that kid! Now the kids are sleeping (or close to it), both in Maddux's bed. Life is good.

2013 04 E&M Backyard Obstacle Course from Nicole Eliason on Vimeo.

Baseball

Eli's team has been on quite the winning streak! After a rough start to the season between rain, cold and many losses, they have now won six of the last seven games. As it is every season, it has been so neat to see the growth in these players....they have come so far in just a few months! Eli has become an all-around player, rotating to different positions almost every inning. He is often found at pitcher or second base. Eli really shines in those two areas; he's very focused on where the ball is, and he often assists in or makes a few outs each game. His batting is solid, but he's not a big hitter by any means. He can hit some great line drives that advance him one or two bases (he's not the fastest runner), and because he is able to control the bat and ball so well, the coach sometimes signals him to bunt.

What I've noticed more this time around than in other seasons is his on-field relationship with his teammates. Some of it is likely due to the 'growing up' of the boys, but also this team is made up of at least half of the kids we were with in the fall. Our current coach is amazing and everything Lehr and I could ask for in someone coaching our child. He really focuses on the right things, as far as we're concerned, and we have seen more high-fiving, congratulating, and over all team support on the field than in any other season.

Perfection

Oh that girl. I can't get enough of her. It's been a while since I've had an opportunity to spend some time with her and the camera, but during spring break we had an unexpected 'free' afternoon. There is a field near us that blooms awesome little yellow flowers (weeds) for about a month in the spring...I've been waiting since last March to shoot Maddux there, and this week provided that opportunity. She is amazing. She is crazy, she is silly, she is beautiful and she is love.....

Night Shoes Breakthrough

So finally, after wearing the original shoes for almost a month, and the 'new' custom shoes for a week, we had almost a full week of Eli wearing the shoes for at least eight hours each night. Wow. There were many times in the last month when I thought this would never happen. Even now, after a 'good' week, I know we are still not over the struggle....this is still a difficult thing for Eli every night, but at least his feet have accepted the shoes more than they've rejected them. I'll take it.

Eli-n-Mommy Trip

In the last year or so, Lehr has had the opportunity to take each of the kids individually to the beach. Then last spring, Maddux was able to fly out west with me for a one-on-one trip for us. Recently I realized that Eli and I are the only combination that hasn't taken a trip, and time is ticking!

The only time that seemed to work for a trip was during a spring break weekend because sports and photo shoots were on hold. However, that meant a 7-month pregnant Mommy, which limited our options for where to travel. After much deliberation, I decided on a little touristy town in Tennessee. Eli was so so SO excited.

We left on Friday, just after Eli got home from school. We arrived at the hospital only in time to grab some dinner before bed. The next morning we woke up, ate some breakfast and walked to our first destination. The weather in Atlanta has been so cold and rainy, so when we woke up to sun and 60-degrees, I decided we'd walk the almost-mile stretch from the hotel to the Titanic Museum. Eli LOVED that museum, as I knew he would. I struggled to find things to do on our trip that I could still do with my growing waistline, and I knew the museum would be a home run. We had some afternoon time after we finished, so we went to the pool. Eli had a blast going down the water slide and playing UNO with me (waterproof cards) on the pool deck.

We then hopped in the car and drove about 15 minutes away to hike a little in the Great Smoky Mountains. We only did a few miles, but it was nice to be out of the touristy part of the city. Back at the hotel, we stayed outside and threw the baseball for about 30 minutes - Eli was calling all of the shots and he loved it. Before we ventured out for dinner, the two of us spent about 30 minutes on the balcony of our room, reading. I bought Eli a chapter book at the Titanic Museum and he wanted to sit on the 'porch' and read. (Can't argue with that!)

The next morning we went to another indoor activity area (we walked again!) where Eli could do some VR rides, pitch balls and see how fast and accurate he was, and do an indoor ropes course. I would have loved to do the course with him, but they wouldn't let me because of the pregnancy. I was SO proud and SO amazed of Eli. Even though Eli was connected by a rope in case he fell, he did a portion of the course all by himself - amazing. It was several stories up; we were inside a very 'tall' room and he went up as high as the middle level while he was working through the course. I held my breath the entire time, and kept watching in awe as he maneuvered the insane course. I could tell he was scared, but he never cried or let go or anything. When he got down he told me he was scared, but man, did he impress me!

We took another trip to the pool that afternoon and then got dressed for dinner. I'd secured tickets to a "Lumberjack Feud" dinner show for us. Eli absolutely loved it. It was probably the highlight of his trip. The lumberjacks threw axes and competed in log chopping contests and climbing contests, dogs came out and jumped over water and logs...its was awesome. This trip is one neither of us will forget any time soon, I hope!

More New Shoes

So we've been working through Eli's feet challenges for a month now. He's been wearing UFO 'boots' at night to help stretch his calves/Achilles, but we have only had one night where the shoes have actually stayed on all night. Most others, they are off by 9PM, only to have me put them back on as Eli sleeps. And that is done in vain because they end up getting kicked off/taken off again before midnight. It's gotten really bad in the last week and I think we may get one hour each night at most.

A few weeks back we went to the orthotist to get fitted for custom boots. The thought was that if we go custom, they'll fit and feel better, so they'll stay on better. This last Monday the boots finally arrived. While they felt 'fine' to Eli, they still ended up off by 9PM, so lehr and I put them back on, but once again, they were on the floor in the morning. Ugh - defeat.

Yesterday afternoon I took Eli to his weekly PT session. We do exercises and stretches every day at home, but he goes in once a week to work with the therapist. I brought the new boots to see if there was anything else she could suggest. She put them on, just as we had, and talked to him, just as we had, about the reality of casting should his feet not show progress soon. (We've all reminded him that the shoes are vital to his foot stretching and showing progress.)

Before bed, Lehr and I talked to him separately about really working hard to not take his shoes off during the night. I've reminded him that it will be uncomfortable for a few nights, but once he gets past that 'hard' spot, it will get easier. He called me back in just before 9PM because he felt the boots sticking together (heavy Velcro), so i helped rubber band his pant legs over them. He fell asleep and they were still on at 10:30 when Lehr and I went to bed (for the first time in a looooong time). And let me tell you it was like Christmas morning when we woke up this morning and he still had both boots on. He was SOO excited (as were we!) and soo proud of himself. We talked about a few things that bothered him through the night and how we can hopefully fix that tonight. Then we celebrated with a big pancake, egg and bacon breakfast before school. Big time.

I know he did not get quality sleep last night as he was surely in and out of consciousness several times, but he made it.... So hopeful this is the start of success.

Shades

Eli wears my old sunglasses to his games these days (the ones that aren't cancelled due to rain, anyway). I bought this pair about 10 years ago for biking and I never liked the way they fit (too big). Somehow he's recovered them and decided they are perfect for baseball. He asked me, "Mom, do these look cool?" when he put them on before the game this week. I love that boy with my whole heart and soul...

Game Time

What a crazy 'spring' it's been. Eli has had more games and practices cancelled (to be rescheduled) than he's actually played; our weather has been cold, wet, and COLD! Today was a bright spot in the season of cold sleet as it was 60 degrees and sunny. And the weather couldn't have picked a better time to cooperate because Eli's team was playing against Drew's team (Eli's BFF). The boys were sooo excited, of course. They didn't have much interaction during the game except for one play. Eli was playing second base and Drew hit a pop fly/line drive right into his glove. Eli didn't even have to move his feet to catch the ball.

Maddux's Musical Performance

This morning the Kindergarten classes at Maddux's school put on a musical performance for all of the adults. Maddux has been practicing songs and hand motions in front of the mirror (and not in front of the mirror) for weeks now, so I knew many of the songs already. The theme was "Squirm" and the songs were all about animals that make people squirm (snakes, bats, worms, spiders). As in the past, when Maddux catches Lehr or I watching her practice, her performance changes (less outgoing and intentional), and today during the performance she appeared to be not as 'into it' also. Such a shame; I'll try to catch some video of her practicing at home when she doesn't know I'm watching.

Star Student

Maddux has been waiting all school-year long to be chosen as "Star Student". Most Friday afternoons, her teacher reaches into a fishbowl filled with names while the class does a drum roll, and the name selected is the Star Student for the upcoming week. I believe Maddux is the one of the last two or three to be chosen, given how late it is in the year. This last Friday she came bounding off of the bus, proudly holding the class mascot (Flick, a stuffed hummingbird).

Maddie carried Flick around all weekend, letting him help her with chores, practice her keyboard lesson (he even wore the headphones), drink hot cider one cold night, play a family board game, and, of course, he went in the car with us wherever we went.

Over the weekend we filled out a few questionnaires regarding Maddux. Some that Lehr and I filled out and one that Maddux got to fill out. This week (as it changes often), she likes the color gold, the book "Knuffle Bunny", ice cream, and she wants to be a teacher when she grows up.

Night Game

The only standing conflict I have for kids' sports this season is Thursday night at 7:30. And for two weeks in a row Eli has had make-up baseball games at 7PM, meaning I'm missing out more than I'd like. As luck would have it, tonight's game was a really good one too.

This game was a make-up from Monday's game. We got through 2 1/2 innings Monday afternoon before hail and a tornado siren cleared the ball park. The team we were playing is the one Eli has the most ties to also: he goes to school and is friends with three of the boys.

Eli's team did end up winning in extra innings (their first win this season), but as usual, the win is not what made it great. Lehr said there were many really good plays and Eli had two highlights: he hit the ball straight down the center line (almost taking the coach's head off) and he made an out by catching a line drive while he played second base. Thankfully Lehr took some video and snapped a picture.

PT Progress

Yet another update on the process we are currently in with Eli's feet.

This week I did some extra research and confirmed my theory that Eli is likely experiencing some of these relapse symptoms because of a growth spurt. What that tells me is that we'll have to keep up some form of PT (at home anyway) until he's in college. Not a bad thing, but information that I wish I'd known earlier so we could have stayed more ahead of it.

This last week was our first week of doing the PT exercises at home every day. Eli has been a really good sport, having a pretty happy heart through most of the sessions. Each time we go through our exercises it takes about 30 minutes. And these are not easy for him; in fact, some of the stretches are painful for him. Getting and staying motivated to commit to voluntary pain for 30 minutes each day is not easy for anyone, let alone a 7-year-old, so I do try to cut him some slack in the attitude department. We've only had one 'bad' session, but we still got through it. What I've not cut him slack on is actually doing the exercises. One way or another, we get through each and every one of them (though the 'bad' day did take almost an hour.)

Yesterday Eli was rewarded for his hard work when we went to his weekly PT session with the therapist. Maddux and I stay in the waiting room for about 50 minutes while she works with Eli. When they returned she said that he did great and his progress with balance is already considerable. (He exceeded her expectations for a month of therapy in just one week in that area.) She even rewarded him at the end by letting him ride the zipline into a ball pit - he loved that! His therapist will measure his flexibility next week, but she did warn us that we may not see much of an improvement given that he is wearing the boots for such a limited time each night.

Our schedule has been crazier this last week, so his daytime boot-wearing has decreased, and unfortunately it has not improved overnight at all. His custom braces/boots will be in about ten days from now; I'm hoping they are drastically different for him.

The Feet

Still struggling.

We have only had one (maybe two) nights where Eli's shoes have stayed on through the night. The other nights he either wiggles out of them or takes them off in his sleep. Before I go to bed each night, I check on him and they're always off, so I put them back on while he's sleeping. Even with that, I estimate that we're getting about four hours a night in the boots, and we need at least eight. We had an appointment yesterday to get fitted for a pair of custom boots. The orthotist thinks they will fit his feet better so they'll stay on better. (Fingers crossed!) They won't be in for another week, so until then we'll continue the UFO boots we have now.

I took Eli to the chiropractor last week; at this point I'll try as many things as I can that may help loosen up his feet. He enjoyed that, the manipulation of his feet and the hot 'laser' treatment.

Today Eli had his first PT session. It was mostly an evaluation where the therapist walked through a bunch of exercises and tasks to see how Eli's feet performed. Then she took a handful of measurements with his feet flexibility. She finished by giving us some stretches and exercises to work on at home. Most of the stretches were ones that we've been working on, but we have not been as consistent as we'd like. Eli tends to get frustrated, especially since we do many of the stretches at night (no other time in the day!) when he's tired.

When we finished this afternoon, we came home and I had Eli go through all of her exercises so we could get one day 'done'. He started out great, but definitely got 'bored' towards the end. I had to remind him what the doctor, the orthotist and now the therapist said: if things don't improve real fast (as early as two weeks from now), we will have to start casting again. That will mean no baseball, no swimming, no football...pretty much all of the things Eli loves to do. That would absolutely break my heart, so I'm pushing him hard with this therapy. Parenting is not for the weak, I tell you....

Eli, the Caregiver

Usually its Maddux that is all about taking care of the family's needs, but today Eli proved himself to be just as capable. I woke up during the night very sick and nauseous. When Lehr had to leave for church at dawn, he took Maddux with him, but Eli opted to stay home with me. He then proceeded to climb into my bed and snuggle for 20 minutes or so. Awesomeness.

Then he got up and got his night shoes (which haven't been staying on through the night, so we've had to log some daytime hours), Harry Potter and his Action Bible. He started to put on the shoes, then remembered the dog we are sitting hadn't been fed yet. He went outside, through the gate and took care of her. When he returned, he put his shoes on (by himself), and then read his Bible to me. (Nothing he did was because I asked him to - it was all initiated by Eli.) After a few pages, he read to himself and then switched to Harry Potter.

I was in and out of consciousness at this point, but at some point I do remember him going downstairs to eat breakfast (which he made and cleaned up after by himself). Then I remember him asking me if he could use Daddy's iPad to read something. The next time I came to, he was next to me, reading his "I Survived" series book about shark attacks in history, comparing them to the ones he found on a kids encyclopedia-type website we let him use. And through all of this, when he would see me open my eyes, he would ask me if I needed anything and tell me that he hoped I felt better soon. That boy is just amazing.

New Shoes

In months past, Lehr and I have noticed some signs of relapse in Eli's feet. In general, they've been less flexible and he's been walking a bit on the outside of his feet when he's not wearing shoes. Over the holidays I called in for an appointment, which didn't actually take place until this week. As I'd expected, the doctor (and two PA's) saw what I've been seeing and agreed that more aggressive measures needed to be taken. (After our last visit when I brought up seeing some of these signs some of the time, we started stretching at night and doing some barefoot activities, like gymnastics.)

For now, Eli will be wearing night shoes (not the same ones he had before) to help the flexation of his ankle/foot, and we are staring physical therapy ASAP. The shoes have not worked well; we have yet to make it a whole night with the shoes on Eli's feet. It's not his fault; he's been very cooperative and willing to do what it takes to avoid the next step (casting). Sometime while he's sleeping, the pressure of the shoes becomes too much for him and he either wiggles out of them or takes them off in his sleep. Because of that, I've been aiming for 1-2 hours of shoe-wear after school each day. This isn't the most fun, as he has to sit on the couch while he wears them, but at least this week has been very cold and rainy, so he hasn't been missing out on too much outside play anyway.

First Lost Tooth

Maddux has been working on her first loose tooth for several weeks. One of her lower middle teeth has been wiggling back and forth almost since the holidays, and recently has been barely hanging on. In the last week, when she smiled, it looked like the tooth was intact, but growing in sideways because one side of it had completely detached already. Mad Dog has had her hands in her mouth constantly, and she's listened to much 'tooth loosening' advice from her big brother, but the little guy wasn't coming out. Finally I told her yesterday that she should just let me pull it out (since it was already 99% out anyway). She said, "No, I want Daddy to do it." Not a surprise and not a problem!

After baths I was working on Eli's shoes in his room, so I sent Maddux to the big room to have Daddy 'help' her tooth. Less than a minute later, she came back with the tooth in hand. As suspected, all that it took was a slight push towards the back of her mouth and the tooth popped out.


Maddux was very excited to put that tooth under her pillow. While I was trying to get a picture, Maddux kept dropping the tooth. At one point we even lost track of it because it was so small. When she woke up to a $5 under her pillow this morning, she had a big jack-o-lantern grin :)

When Eli lost his first tooth, I took the kids for an impromptu cupcake celebration. Neither of them remembered that, but I still met them with the car at the bus stop so we could do the same. Maddux chose a red velvet cupcake (which she scraped the frosting off of) to mark the occasion. And she's already feeling another tooth start to wiggle.

Wow.

 We got a great report from Eli's teacher last week regarding his behavior. That was 'WOW' enough. But to top it off, this morning I got a follow-up email from her:  "Eli had an amazing week! He is such a JOY!"

 When you're week starts out that way, I don't think it's possible for things to get any better.

Say "Cheese"

The kids had picture day at school this week. They took both class photos and individual. We picked out some nice clothes the nice before and I came home early from boot camp to do something besides the standard ponytail with Maddux's hair.

When they got home I asked each how the pictures went. Maddux's response was, "The lady that took the pictures told me my smile was soooo nice. She said I was cute that she wanted to keep me and take me home." Oh, that girl.

So Much Maturity

What a week we've had with Eli. It's not been perfect...he's had his moments of frustration (always linked to fatigue), but all in all so so awesome. Two major things stick out:

1. We had a slightly later bedtime a few days this week due to some extracurriculars. Normally when we turn the lights out past 7PM, we turn off the kids' alarms so they can get some extra sleep in the morning. (If Lehr drives them instead of taking the bus, they get up to an hour extra sleep.) One of those nights we forgot to turn off their alarms, so Eli woke up at 6, like usual. Lehr didn't hear it, but when he went in to check him at 6: 30, Eli was reading. He then happily got up, dressed within five minutes, and crawled into bed with Maddux to wake her at 635. He then came downstairs and basically made his own oatmeal. Breakfast is something he's worked on with Lehr, but lunch is not. After he started the oatmeal, he made his own lunch. Amazing.
2. Every Friday Eli gets a 'Friday Folder' sent home from his teacher, which includes a weekly behavior sheet. This includes a spot next to several areas of behavior for the teacher to indicate "N", "P" (progressing), or "S". Eli always does well on this, but two areas in particular have never moved above a "P", even though he's been trying so hard. Last week he brought home all "S" marks and only one "P" and today, voila, ALL "P"!!! In addition, his teacher wrote a 'good' slip for him, commenting that he had a "WOW WEEK!", especially in the areas of integrity, cooperation, and effort. So so so proud of my boy and the amazing person he's becoming.

Big Plans

Our latest home project has been the backyard. We cleared it, leveled it, fenced it, and grassed it over the last nine months. Now we are in the process of moving forward with the garden creation. That requires lots of drawing, looking, thinking, measuring, and repeating (at least for Lehr and I). This weekend we walked through all of that yet one more time.

While we did this, the kids hopped the creek to another section of our land (land we only recently discovered was ours) and explored. Eli requested gloves, a trash can, and some 'cutters' so he could start cleaning the area up. While we were busy planning the garden, Eli was making plans for that land. It so cool to hear him talk about it, as he's been listening to Lehr and I talk through plans for other parts of the yard for the last year, he's picked up on some things that need to be thought through. At one point, he hopped the creek back to our side and leaned against the fence where I stood, telling me about what he'd been doing (mainly picking up some trash and cutting a few pieces of thorny weeds). Look out world: Eli's got big plans.