Life Lately

We have some big news that I haven’t shared with the blog yet.  We are excited to announce that baby boy number 2 will be arriving in August.  As much as we are so excited for this baby I feel like I have days that are clouded with worry.  I wanted another boy, I wanted Dean to have a best buddy and a sibling close in age.  But I worry about how Dean will feel having a “typical” sibling.  Also, how the baby will feel about having a brother who gets so much attention. A lot of our time is spent at appointments for Dean, he had 6 this week!  Most of the time I invision this baby being healthy and think about how different that will be for us.  Although, there are days where I worry that this baby could also have a stroke.  So far I have not experienced Cholestasis of Pregnancy, extreme itching, and our ultrasounds have looked great.  This pregnancy has been pretty easy.  It was in the beginning with Dean as well, a bit nauseous and tired early on but that has already passed.  Can’t believe we are already to the half way mark!  As you can see my mind is all of the place with the pregnancy and I will make sure to keep everyone updated as we go along. 

Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month

I’m a little late but March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month.  I think most people have an idea of what Cerebral Palsy (CP) is, a loss or impairment of motor function from brain damage.  For people with CP moving your limbs the right way can be very challenging and frustrating.  Every CP patient is different, some can walk and talk while others can’t.  There is no cure for CP only medicine and therapy to help improve the quality of the patients’ lives.  We have come to find out all of this is very expensive and time consuming, many families cannot afford these resources.  Around 700,000 people live with CP, I think the most common misconception is that all of these people have a mental disability as well.  Wearing green this month is a fun way to show your support for people with CP.  An even better way is to educate yourself, educate your children.  Google is an easy way to find out more about CP.  Talk to people you know going through it.  No need to be afraid or feel sad for people with CP.  Trust me, my kids is amazing and is going to do big things!  CP does not define who he is. 

Disney World (with an almost 2 year old)

A few weeks ago we took Dean to Disney World.  My parents will live pretty close to there so we just made it a short trip to spend some time with them.  We left really early on Thursday morning and came home crazy late on Sunday night, giving us almost 3 days and 3 nights.  I think it was the perfect amount of time at Disney.  I think anymore and we would have been burnt out! 

Baclofen Update

Things have been pretty crazy lately.  I hope to get back into a blogging routine now that schools back in session and hopefully the worst of winter has passed, I wouldn’t mind a few more snow days though.  A while back I wrote about our decision to put Dean on Baclophen.  It took a bit to get him up to the full dose but for about a month now he has been getting 1ml, twice a day.  We gradually introduced it because I was worried about the side effects.  I am happy to report we have not seen any side effects from the medicine. Tantrums have increased but apparently that’s because toddlers are crazy and nothing to do with the medicine. 

The Florida Keys

I am finally back from a much needed break.  I had what was supposed to be 2 weeks off school but I was blessed with 3 extra days off because it has been so dang cold here.  So I decided it was best to share (and relive) our week trip to Florida.  Ryan and I got married in The Florida Keys and we have been going back every year.  This was Dean’s first trip and he loved it!  I did not expect him to enjoy the beach as much as he did.

Stem Cell Therapy

Yesterday we met with a doctor with the Cleveland Clinic about stem cell studies.  I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  Ryan has been anti anything that would harm Dean in the long run.  He is very cautious by nature and doesn’t believe in doing anything medically unnecessary.  I understand where he is coming from but I also have a lot of hope when I hear of new medical advances.  I think the 2 of us do a great job in balancing Dean’s care.

Treat Everyday Like Christmas

I’ve said it a million times but the holidays with kids are just so dang fun.  We had a dinner party the other night with a few of our friends.  It was so nice to get everyone together and let our boys run wild.  Our friends have babies that were born in February, March, Dean in April, and May.  They are all the same age so entertaining them is pretty easy, until 8 o’clock came around.  Their favorite activity was a big box one of the dads turned into a play house, of course.  Dean is still having a blast with it.  The boys ate pizza and watched Blippi, if you don’t know who Blippi is then you’re doing something right.  I don’t know what it is about that guy but kids love him.  Dean received the Love2Learn Elmo as a gift and obsessed is the only word to describe it.  If you’re looking for a gift for a 1.5 year old this is it.

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

We are enjoying the holiday season so far.  I think the best part of holidays now are getting to experience things with Dean.  Last year we decided to start a tradition of cutting down our tree at a tree farm.  We were told about Pine Tree Barn from someone I work with.  It is about [...]

Developmental Delays

Dean was only 5lb 9oz when he was born at 37 weeks.  At his first pediatrician appointment they said he was in the 5th percentile.  That small baby didn’t last long!  After that he was continuously in the 90th percentile and at his 12 month appoint he was off the charts.  We constantly hear from [...]

Chrismukkah Gift Guide

In our house we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah.  I grew up celebrating both, my Mom is Jewish and my Dad was raised Catholic.  I always thought it was “normal” when I was young, then eventually realized not everyone does it this way.  Anyone remember the “Chrismukkah” episode of The OC?  That's my life!  Even though it’s not traditional, I am so excited to continue the same traditions with Dean.  Hanukkah means 8 nights of presents so I am always looking for books and smaller items and for Christmas we do 1 or 2 big gifts.  This year were staying home for Christmas.  Ryan actually has to work on the 25th so we are taking a trip after on the 27th.   I wanted to share a list of the gifts I’m eyeing for Dean this year.