Puppy love

SHADOW UPDATE:

Shadow went to the vet. They did a minor procedure to drain the hematoma. Because he defies so many statistics, he will probably be back in next week for a surgery to do more to it. Unfortunately this is normally not a huge deal for most dogs, but for Shadow it isn't so minor. He is on so many drugs already, gets infections easily, and just not in ideal health to begin with. For today, he's doing okay, so that's all I can ask for. Now, if I could only ask that my children do not knock over vets framed credentials, wreck the doggy scale, or freak out newborn kittens, my day would have been much better. :) Haaaaa, kidding... kinda.

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(picture taken 2009)

Our 7 year old furry child is not doin' so hot today. Jason found a hematoma on him, so we are headed to the vet this afternoon. I am super lucky and get to take all 3 children to the appointment. The 2 legged ones are not thrilled, and guess what, I'm not either. Hope Shadow is going to be ok.

Wordless- Just for fun

A Splash of everyday life

I am convinced that these photos were taken just yesterday, or perhaps last week. My noggin is foolin' with me!

We are in the final stages of planning our trip to the other coast, and this morning, I was thinking, "let's just go again in August, instead of July". Then I realized something, Juliana AND Kevin are starting school in August. What???? How did this happen? As I said, I swear the kids get older without me even realizing it. I guess traveling at the tail end of summer is not such a good idea this year. I have two backpacks to buy, two lunch boxes, two boxes of Kleenex (or three if you count the one I'll use on the first day of school), 2 boxes of crayons, and probably 2 bottles of glue too. Oh boy, here it goes.

Bloggy News

A whole lot that's new, but not a whole lot for the sunshine page bloggy material.

Here is some sunshine page worthy news...

Shadow had his dermatology appt on saturday. That's a whole day event since it is 2 hours away.

I played tennis for the first time in 15 years on saturday too, ohhhh, and on sunday too.

Ran into a family at the park moving to Rhode Island. Her full-time babysitter right now is also Kevin's teacher. I told her that once she moves to RI, I am going to snag the babysitter. :)

Signed kids up for most of summer activities. I left July open since I think our annual east coast trip will be sometime in July.

Oh, birthday party on friday night until 9:30... and we left before cake was served. Yup, parties for 8 year olds are apparently reaching party hours for adults. What happened to McDonalds parties at noon?! Just wonderin'.

Visit to OT

CLARIFICATION: I just want to make clear that, YES YES YES, Kevin has a huge eating issue, and nutritional issue. Having said that, he does eat solid foods, just not like he should be doing. I don't want anyone to think he is starving each day and we are finally bringing him to therapy. He isn't starving (well, not usually), he is nutritionally imbalanced, underweight, and has this sensory issue. I have a feeling most of you know that, especially if you've spent time with him, but I just wanted to clarify.

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The OT appointment went even better than I expected. I really like the therapist, although Kevin wasn't so sure about the whole thing. He did not want to discuss food whatsoever. It isn't a topic that he is comfortable with, hence why we are there in the first place.

The therapist said that his issue is purely sensory. She said he controls what he eats and how he eats simply by sensory needs and wants. He also displays this behavior in other ways. He hates his head being touched, like a comb through his hair and haircuts. He also does not like things like play dough or finger painting. He loves painting, but not with his hands. I just thought this was his personality, rather than a sensory issue.

So, we will be going to Children's Hospital every week indefinitely. Luckily our insurance covers 60 visits per year. The therapist was elated to hear that news, and so was I. Each time Kevin eats, we also have to fill out a food diary. Last night, I filled in, "2 licks of potatoes". That's right folks, two licks.

That's the update.

Beginning therapy

This little guy is FINALLY heading to Children's Hospital Rehab Clinic today to begin his Occupational Therapy. For 2 years, I put it off because I was stupid and listened to some people that he'll get over his eating issues, he's just playing us, and things like that. Finally, his pediatrician told us to get our act together and make an appointment. The appointment was made in January. I never thought April 22 would get here, but here we are.

To give you a wee bit of a background on why he is going today... since he was able to eat solid foods, Kevin has resisted or flat out refused most solid foods. He has always been small because of it, although now it is affecting his skin, nails, and for a while he was anemic too. We have no idea if this is why he has been hospitalized so much, or if the issues are separate. In the last two months or so, I'll be honest, he has done really well with eating. He has had about 2 full apples in 2 months, ate a few bites of black bean burger (denied the beef one), and tried a few other foods. When I say tried, I mean he licked it. That is a big thing for him to even put it near his mouth though.

As of today, Kevin refuses all fruits (except the 2 apples he's had in 2 months), all veggies (except the 2 or 3 peas or kernals of corn he can swallow a few times a week for dinner), all fresh meats, all seafoods, and yes, even most candies. When he attempts to eat these foods, he either gags or vomits all over the place. To give you an idea of the way he is, here is an example I give to people that ask. Yes, he is able to eat chicken nuggets, BUT only if they are made a certain way. He can eat softly breaded nuggets, but not ones from say Applebees because the breading is coarse. Also, his Easter basket is just as much of a roadblock for eating, as a basket full of fruit. In his 4 years on this planet, he has had a total of 2 apples, zero fresh meats, and a total of 100 pieces of corn, and 100 peas. This is in 4.5 years, not at one sitting. So, imagine how many kernels of corn you put on an average child's plate... I'd guess 75-100 kernels, which would equal about 5-10 spoonfuls. Nope, not for Kev. Juliana, on the other hand, will eat anything and everything in sight, often more than me or Jason.

It is beyond the point of being a pain-in-the-rear-end. It is something physical, although at 4 years old, I am also convinced that some of it is behavioral too. It pisses me off to no end when people close to us tell us that he is manipulative, and/or will get over it. To that I say, SCREW YOU! Yup, I said it!

I am hoping Kevin can get beyond the 5th percentile with weight. Hopefully today his BMI (body mass index) will actually be on the charts. I am pretty sure he will be, since he has began to eat a few more calories lately. Sooo, here we go back to Children's.... again. I think they know us on a first name basis. I won't go into that though. Ha ha!

Wordless-The unexpected photos