Welcome Fall

Today is officially the first day of fall. Which I knew the minute I stepped out the front door last night to take the trash out, brrr!! The autumnal equinox occurs at 5:18 p.m. (EDT).
Right now, at 9:45am it's 57 degrees. I turned off the a/c and opened all the blinds. It is a relief to have a house filled with sunshine instead of the lights on cave I've been living in. I may even throw all the windows wide later this afternoon when it gets to be a respectable temperature.

I love fall, I love how crisp the air feels and smells. I love sleeping with the windows open* and I love how it makes me think of campfires and marshmallows. I really hope that this year we can take the Kiddo on his very first camping trip. Though we'd have to do it soon and I think my October is a little full already ;)

*which generally also means no a/c and a much lower power bill.

Updates

I've been slacking on my posting and I feel bad. I've just been really tired. Between going to bed at 11:30 and waking up every morning at 5:55am (with NO coffee) my motivation to do much during the day has waned. I will hopefully soon get used to this new schedule (since it's never going to change) and then get back to the usual daily postings. Till then I hope you, my readers (what few there are), will be patient.

Yesterday was another appointment with the Endocrinologist for the Kiddo. We weren't really doing anything but going over what we've been doing the last 4 weeks and discussing what the plan will be fore the next several months.

Basically the kiddo has grown 1/2 an inch since the visit in June so we're going to continue holding off on the growth hormones. I'm very pleased! The plan is to continue to monitor his growth and make sure that he continues with a steady pattern, if he does then we will never have to give him the hormone. I'm optimistic he will.

We touched briefly on the hypothyroidism. Nothing new there, just that everything seems to be doing what it should be so the doc is happy. We will get a blood test done next month to measure it again.

For the Adrenal Insufficiency we had pretty much the same conversation. Except that the doc told us we could go get a pill to give the Kiddo instead of the liquid. I'm mildly concerned, I was under the impression he pushed the liquid so much because it was better for a child the Kiddo's size. Now he's saying that the liquid is only better then the pill because it's easier to adjust the amount given but that the Kiddo shouldn't need adjustments so we can go to the pill until he does. That being the case I think we are going to do half and half. I know I can't get the Kiddo to take a pill at 6 in the morning and have any hope of him staying asleep (he takes the liquid in his sleep and continues sleeping till at least 8 or 9). So we will give him the liquid in the morning, we will give him the pill in the evenings though because that will give us a lot more freedom in where we go and what we do (a pill, obviously, does not need to be "kept chilled"). Plus the pill is covered by the insurance!

Anyway those are the updates. Nothing much new (minus the medication type adjustment) but everything good. Now I just have to do a little shopping for a medical alert bracelet! Mid October we will go get another blood test done on the Kiddo, and late October we will have our next Endo appointment. If at that point everything is where it should be then we wont have any more appointments or blood tests until January! I can barely imagine going through a month with no doc stuff, that will be nice :)

My little Chef in the making

In order to get around the uploading a long video issue I did this in several short videos. Of course with just me here to record him you missed all the best parts (like when I helped him mix it and he told me my marshmallow/rice crispy covered hands were lions) but I think you still get several grin worthy moments. We will definitely have to make some more of these while in Arizona.

Lightbulb

The Kiddo was telling me the other day that he wanted to build a plane and fly it all by himself. I couldn't figure out what he was talking about. Finally today he showed me in a magazine...

Another video

I know it seem lazy, but most of you have realized by now I'm sure that I don't really post on the weekends anyway so I feel I can get away with it. I found this video from a news story earlier, and then managed to find it on youtube so that you guys can watch it. It is absolutely stunning, and well worth watching.

just very cool

no comment

(yes folks this is the cape I've been talking about all week, the one he wont take off and the one he wants to sleep in nightly)

Imagination

I had a dream last night where the Kiddo and I were hiking out into the boonies with my sister to go disc golfing. I was carrying the Kiddo's meds (the liquid one that needs to be kept cool) and kept telling her we had to hurry so we could get it into a cooler. For some reason I had the wrong top on the bottle and it kept popping open. Eventually we got to a really difficult area of the hike, I handed her the bottle so I could help the Kiddo navigate it and she accidental dropped it. When it fell into the dirt the cap opened again and a lot of dirt got into the bottle. I started panicking because I couldn't give the kiddo the medicine that way and I didn't have any extra. In the dream I was sure that if he missed even one single dose he'd keel right over and die and it would be all my fault because I didn't have the right sort of container to transport it with. It was an awful dream, I can't wait till he's big enough to take the pill form of this medicine. And I think meanwhile I better grit my teeth and go do a little web shopping to find a small bottle cooler that can be used to transport it (one that will keep things cool the duration of a 2 hour plane flight plus driving to and from the airport).

On a better imagination related note the Kiddo has been all about the superhero thing lately. I think I mentioned it before. Anyway he has a little cape and he loves it. Last night he decided that his Xena would wear it and now the two of them are inseparable. Breakfast was fun:

Pending...

So there is a trip south at the end of this month. I'm very excited to see my family again... and THEY are very excited to see the Kiddo.

Except they are thinking of the old kiddo. There is a new Kiddo" a post medication Kiddo..., a all the sudden 4 years old Kiddo... A Kiddo that does NOT STOP TALKING.

I don't think they know what they are in for... and I don't think they are prepared...

(I tried all day yesterday to post this with a video, the video refuses to load. I think I need to just give up on any video longer then 2 seconds because it is apparent that otherwise blogger will have a mini heart attack and keel over)

the lighter side

So I think I need to stop reading all things politically oriented and just move back into the fluffy side of life.

My fluffy side generally invovles the Kiddo... His latest fiasco? He built himself a car(t). He figured out on his own how to put the squares together (he's watched me do it) and then, turned the round base units sideways to make wheels! Then he dragged it around the apt with his toys riding in it. Of course then he wanted a ride and we had to explain that he is quite a big heavier then stuffy and the car wasn't strong enough to handle that.

Flabbergasted

I'm not really sure what to think... aside from the fact that it may be a slightly disturbing trend.

The other night I was watching the news and saw a story about an "I Pledge" video shown at one of the local elementary schools. The Principal apologized later and said she hadn't pre-screened the video prior to the kids being shown it. I did not attach the actual video (just linked to it) because while most of the video is okay the political undertones are so annoying to ME that I wanted to give you the option of viewing it or not. BTW just so we are clear, I do NOT pledge to serve the president, I could be wrong but um wasn't he elected by the people FOR the people... isn't his job to serve us?

Now today I read an article about how on September 8th the President is going to give a speach via the White House web site. In point of fact: "Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sent a letter to the nation's principals, inviting schools to watch the speech and included suggested classroom activities." ... ... ... "The plan for grades 7-12 includes a "guided discussion," with suggested topics: "What resonated with you from President Obama's speech? What is President Obama inspiring you to do?""

I haven't heard the speech (obviously since it isn't Sept. 8th yet) but I'm pretty sure I'd be keeping the Kiddo home from school that day (IF he was old enough to be in school). I feel like there is an appropriate age for kids to get exposed to political brainwashing and 11 isn't it. I know previous presidents have aired speeches directed towards school aged children, the key difference being, I believe, those speeches were televised so if the kids watched them they did it at home with their parents.

Of course that could just be me... thoughts?

Dress up..

Yesterday, all yesterday, the Kiddo was a superhero. He made himself a cape and waited impatiently for the Man to get home so they could "be superhero's and go rescue girls!" When we asked him who he was rescuing the girls from he said "from dragons".

I didn't get a picture (but I'm sure he'll do it again sometime soon so you'll get one eventually).

Today he's moved on from superhero to sort of a cowboy soldier combo. He wants to ride a motorcycle though not a horse. And hasn't really said that he is going to rescue anybody yet so I don't think he's got a mission yet, I'm sure he will soon though..

Bacon??

I posted awhile back a link to some really kick butt pixie sticks.

Today, via the same website, I bring you Tac Bac - Tactical Canned Bacon!!

I don't think I have to say anything else really.... mmmmmmm bacon *wistful sigh*

weight

As a brief by the by.. we started giving the Kiddo his thyroid medication two weeks ago yesterday. We began giving him his adrenal medication one week ago today.

He has lost one pound since then (he weighs 32.2 lbs)
He has grown 1/4 of an inch since them (he measures 37.75 inches tall)

Sleeping..

The Kiddo has been on the medication for the adrenal insufficiency for about a week now. His sleeping patterns are driving me insane. He gets a dose first thing in the morning, at 8am, I generally have to wake him up for it! The second dose is given 12 hours later at 8pm. We put him to bed at 9 and since we started this he has not gone to sleep before 11pm!!

The good news is that we have an appointment with his doc this month, on the 18th, and I'm sure we can talk him into letting us adjust the timing. I'm just hoping I can hold out that long *yawn*

My mom sent me a comic that relates... (click it to big it)