Thanksgiving Trip

I always start out with good intentions to take lots of pictures and usually end up distracted so I don't take nearly as many as I want. We went to Mom-mom and Dad-dad's (Tom's parents) in KY last Wednesday for the Thanksgiving holiday and stayed until Saturday. I started out and ended up taking pictures, but in between I was busy talking, I guess. It was great to see the family that was able to make it and as always, we ate way too much food (which was good for Ian, but not Tom and I!) Ian got lots of hugs and entertainment and even got to ride in the Gator, which he loved!!! He did great on the trip going and coming because one of his favorite things to do is watch for big trucks and he saw plenty of those. He got to meet some new cousins, aunt, great aunts and uncles and charmed them all. We often wonder what is going on in his mind and how different this all must be for him. We have to remind ourselves to try to explain things to him since it's all so foreign to what he's known all his life. He's so flexible and adaptable and happy most all the time and, for that, we are most thankful!


Driving the Gator with Dad-dad.

Getting ready for a Gator ride.

Hugs from Mom-mom.

Drinking with Dad-dad.

Hangin' out with Elizabeth.

Ian loves babies and Amelia (his 2nd cousin) was content to sit on his lap for a picture. I think he will be most excited to become an uncle in April!!!!

It's Back!!!

On October 8, Tom had a run-in with a runaway disc tire while driving "my" Yukon and pulling the trailer to get a used refrigerator for our basement. For one stray tire, it did a whole lot of damage and the insurance company totalled out our Yukon. Well, I happen to love my Yuk Truck, as it is affectionately known as, and to make a very long story short, we bought it back and had it fixed. The body shop did a great job and we are very happy to have it back! Mostly, we are thankful that Tom was OK!!

Back in the Yuk Truck!!

New Duds

Ian loves clothes almost as much as he loves trucks. Sometime, I'm going to try to capture his reaction when I tell him it's Sunday and he gets to wear his "Sunday clothes and shoes" because you can't imagine how excited he gets! Knowing this and knowing that he needs clothes, the grandparents gave him some spiffy new duds for his birthday, so Ian wanted to show them off for you all. Thank you Mom-mom and Dad-dad and Mimi and Pa!

Khaki pants and cool shirt from Mom-mom and Dad-dad.

Corduroys and argyle vest from Mimi and Pa (you can't see the argyle socks that match.)

Stretching Exercises

We have stretches that we do with Ian every day and guess who can't be left out? He gets as close as possible while I'm working with Ian. Of course, Ian thinks it's hilarious and it helps distract him, although he doesn't seem to mind the stretching and even enjoys it.

Braces and Beniks

The latest additions to Ian's wardrobe consist of his new AFO's (braces) for his feet and ankles and Benik neoprene splints for his hands. The purpose of the braces is to keep his feet at a 90 degree angle to his legs. Apparently, it is common for children with CP to point their toes downward (which he hasn't done yet) so hopefully, we will keep it that way. He just got them today and couldn't take his eyes off of them, so we tooled around Riley with his pant legs pulled up. I don't know if you can tell, but there are cars and trucks on the straps! He got the splints while we were at the Riley CP clinic 2 weeks ago and doesn't really care for them, but thankfully, he only has to wear them for about 2 hours every day. He wears them while doing his stretches and while watching Bob, the Builder (the new movie fav!)

New Friends

Since Ian has moved to Indiana and become part of our family, that makes him part of the awesome KSBC family, too. The kids are getting used to the wheelchair and love to make him smile. His Sunday School teacher reports that everyone wants to sit by him, so they have to take turns. We are so thankful for these precious children who are becoming his friends. One special friend, named Trey, used his own money to buy gifts for Ian. One was a batmobile that Ian loves and the other was a drill. It has a red, flashing light and is the perfect size for his hand. He can even pull the "trigger" by himself. I cannot even tell you how much he loves this drill. He went through one set of batteries the first day and hasn't stopped drilling since. He has drilled every chair in our house, the table, the doors, the computer desk, the fireplace hearth, his wheelchair, the car seats, Dad's ear and Mom's nose. Thank you, Trey, being Ian's friend and sacrificing your own money to make him feel welcome!


Trey and Ian

Drilling the outlets

Showing off the drill

Sittin' on the Corner.....

Ian is fascinated and obsessed by big trucks, especially semi trucks and trailers, but also combines and tractors. When we are in the car, he points out every truck he sees and he can spot them a mile away. So, when the weather is nice, we will frequently take a walk to the end of our road and sit by Hwy 52 and watch the trucks go by. This is just a snapshot of how excited he gets when a big truck is coming.

Cool Dude!

We have ordered a new car seat for Ian, but since it will take awhile, the Riley Foundation provided us with one to get by with and Ian loves it! In fact, he doesn't want to get out of it and shakes his head "no" when we get home and tell him it's time to go inside. I usually let him stay in it while I carry everything in and take the dog out, etc. Since he's had this seat, he strikes this great pose as he rides along and it just cracks us up.

Gloomy Day Activity

Ian and I had plans to be outside yesterday afternoon, but it was so gloomy and a little rainy, so we stayed in and made a beautiful boat scene on his new Lite Brite (birthday gift from Drew and Elizabeth). He can't quite do it himself, but he had fun getting the little pegs out (they ended up on the floor more than once :-) and I held them in his fingers so he could put them in the holes. He concentrated so much and was so proud of the finished product. Of course, we turned the lights off to view it properly and took a picture:

Thanks for the Lite Brite, Drew and Elizabeth! We love you!

Belated Birthday Party!

Although Ian's birthday was Oct. 26, this past weekend was the earliest that everyone could get together, so we celebrated on Saturday. All the kids were here (Lindsay and Troy from Indy and Drew and Elizabeth from Louisville) as were both sets of grandparents (one from KY and the other from Danville). Ian's great grandmother was even able to help us celebrate! Also, an aunt and uncle and 6 cousins! Such fun! It took Ian about 30 seconds to learn how to open the gifts and he loved them all - from the trucks, tractor and phone to the clothes to the Lite Brite and Magna Doodle. The only bad part was that he would barely get them out and start using them when we made him open another one. So, today he enjoying playing with them at his pace.
Tom and I have been so thankful, humbled and overwhelmed by the way our family has welcomed and embraced Ian into the "clan". He is loved more than he can even comprehend right now.
Hanging out with big brother, Drew.

Monster truck from Troy and Lindsay (it rolls over anything and makes lots of noise, including some loud music that Ian loves to "dance" with.)

Opening some clothes, which he loves (he is very particular about what he wears!)

Showing off the birthday cake.

Saying good by to Mom-mom and Dad-dad (Tom's parents).

Riley CP Clinic

We headed out yesterday morning at 8:00 a.m. for our long awaited appointment at the CP clinic at Riley Children's Hospital and barely got back in time for church at 6:30. Tom had the best description of the day: "it was like drinking from a fire hose." So much information to process!! We started with an x-ray of Ian's hips, which look fine. Then, we saw an orthopedic doc, a pediatric dentist, a speech therapist, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, 2 neurologists, a developmental pediatric nurse practitioner, and a wonderful pediatric doctor who spent lots of time with us and tried to bring it all together. Then, we moved to the rehabilitation area, where they made molds of Ian's calves and feet for his braces. They fitted him for a car seat, a shower seat and a new wheelchair! After all that, he had to have some blood drawn and we were finally free to leave. So, where do we go from here? We need to find an OT, PT and ped. dentist in Lafayette. Ian goes back to Riley for an MRI, a video feeding study and to see a urologist within the next few weeks. He will also have an evaluation in the speech dept. to see what kind of communication device would work best for him. He has little neoprene splints for his hands to try to keep his thumbs from pulling in and we learned how to appropriately stretch his hands. I need to get as many calories in him as possible because he is so thin and keep track of how much he eats and drinks for 3 or 4 days. Several of the doctors mentioned a feeding tube more than once and we are so hoping we don't have to resort to that. Although, the feeding study will help us know if it's safe for him to be eating and especially, drinking on his own (he tends to aspirate liquids, which isn't good for the lungs.) That's it in a nutshell. We were very impressed with the whole process and all the doctors and support staff were very kind and so good with Ian. He was a trooper and they all thought he was very handsome and cooperative. If we aren't careful, he's going to get a big head!!
Tomorrow, we have our first case conference with the school system to discuss the process of enrolling Ian in school and figuring out where will be the best place for him.
As always, we appreciate your prayers in this journey we are on! To God be the Glory, Great Things He Has Done!!!

Feeling Better!

Ian gave us quite a scare yesterday when he came down with a bug of some kind. We were all ready to head for church when his breakfast reappeared. He vomited all morning and became increasingly lethargic and non-responsive as the day wore on. I called our most wonderful son-in-law who advised us to take him to the ER (it's great to have a doctor in the family!) The pediatrician agreed, so off we went to Home Hospital. Ian had lost 4 pounds in less than 24 hours and he doesn't have an extra ounce anywhere to lose! He was dehydrated and they started IV fluids and anti-nausea meds after doing a chest x-ray (which was completely clear). The doctor said it was just a virus and not any type of flu (praise the Lord!) He was doing better by the time we left the ER and slept just fine last night. This morning, he is up and wanting to drink and drink and drink....(which is very unlike him - drinking is difficult for him.)
So, for those of you who knew what was going on, thank you for praying! Words can't express how much we appreciate it!