Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Cuteness and Family Home Evening.


DOWN SYNDROME FAMILIES--Do you recommend the long-armed glasses frames (curl around the ears), OR the frames with straps that wrap arond the back of the head?
PLEASE leave a comment, and let me know what works best for you.

We are seeing evidence every day that Anthony might live differently once his glasses are ordered.


Anthony eating pancakes for breakfast.

 We do salad a lot.
This was last night's line-up. 
I need to get some more of my favorite, Gardini's caesar.
 Lilly had us playing Crowns (card game) for Family Home Evening activity last night.
Penny loved laying by the kids.

 Anthony and Daniel throwing something at the same time.

October fun

Our lovely pumpkins


 Anthony loving his reflection while shopping in Seattle.
 Climbing on the tables at Ronald McDonald House
 Anthony had so much fun in the playroom at the Ronald McDonald House.
When we stayed there, he was younger and I was more worried about him getting hurt badly.
Now, he's stronger, and I figure that the furniture he climbs on at home makes the play room a lot less to worry about.  ;)
 Of course, we have to enter through the window.
 And go out the door.
 And show the other little kids how to go down the slide face-first.
 At Anthony's clinic appointment (chemo and check up, plus spinal chemo), Anthony played outside the stroller in the waiting room, for the first time.
He had fun with the pinball-type game on the wall.
"Whoa!!"
 So excited!
 That night, we got back home and Anthony promptly got a fever.
We went straight to the ER to get blood cultures taken.
Signing "Daddy" for Andy.
 Poor, miserable boy.


Acting stinky but cute

Anthony is still our baby, even if he is a toddler.  :)
Isn't he so cute??!


He wasn't happy with just one sippy cup.
Nope, had to have 2!

Josh made this last week.

He was looking at the older Nintendo system, got some paper and other supplies out, then made it.
He went back and forth from the table to the tv to the table to make finishing touches.
(No seizures since day 2 of his epilepsy medicine!)

Anthony had fun getting fitted for a tux last week.
As soon as he slid one arm in the jacket, he grinned so big!
(he's wearing shorts and a shirt underneath, the picture just doesn't show it)
 Josh performed surgery on this dinosaur, to fix it's squeaker.
Then, he found some glue strong enough to hold the incision closed. 

 Anthony in the midst of his mess, flossing his teeth.
We have to keep all the benches and chairs turned over except when in use now.
Otherwise, Anthony pushes them over, HARD, and he doesn't care what or who they hit.
He's also now into throwing objects EVERYWHERE.
It's getting frustrating dealing with the "terrible two's" a year late.

 Lilly and Maggie working on a craft at the mall.

 Kelly was trying different things on with her new blouse.
One combo matched Anthony's jammies, so we got a picture with the two of them.
 See the tippy-toes?
We put the green chair away for a bit, until we get Anthony's glasses.
He wants to be a tight-rope walker.
Anthony started climbing and falling out of his crib 2 weeks ago, so the next day we put it away.
We brought the toddler bed in to the dining room, so I could clean it.
Anthony was ecstatic!
He practiced laying on it. 

 ...And playing peek-a-boo on it.
 ...But, he won't stay on it at night yet.
We need a nice, quiet weekend to train him to stay on it at night.
Otherwise, he climbs off and gets into stuff.
Not safe.
So, in the meantime, we get him to fall asleep next to us on the couch, then transport him to the bed, and close his door.
It's getting really old doing this, since he won't go to sleep this way until at least 11pm.


Anthony likes to climb into these end tables.
Reading Dr. Seuss.

Often, Anthony will walk to the end of the hall, hoping that a gate or door will be ajar so he can get into more mischief! 
He is a busy boy.
 Sitting at the table like a big boy, with Daddy.  :)
 Anthony getting into more mischief.
He fills the top of the train table with a bunch of toys, then climbs up and throws the toys off.
 See that expression?
He's daring me to do anything about him messing with the garage.
 ...And, playing with the garage after he threw it on the floor. 

Pretty Penny.  :)

Monday, October 10, 2011

Family Home Evening

Last week, our Family Home Evening activity was musical chairs in the front yard.
Pictures backwards again.
Daniel and Kelly lasted till the end.



This week, our activity was coloring pictures of things that God created for us.

Plum jam


Pictures backwards order.

Finished jars.
Our 2 batches of plum jam only made 9 jars.



Even the compost was pretty.

That week, I found our local farmer's market to be open.
These tomatoes were gorgeous, but waxy.
Nothing like backyard tomatoes, even locally-grown.

And, homemade cookies.
Anthony was having fun trying to climb on the table for them.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Cancer aftermath

**written on Sunday**

Now the real cost of living with childhood cancer is this:

praying for your other child
(even though not biologically related to the one with cancer)
to have epilepsy.

Because my overanalyzing mind can't handle the alternative right now.





**written today, October 5**

Epilepsy is a major diagnosis, but one that you can live with.
I am so relieved that it is "only" epilepsy.
Not thrilled that we can only hope to prevent the epilepsy from advancing with medication.
But thrilled that epilepsy is a new medical thing we get to learn about, and not something worse.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Paper towels

Seattle's Ronald McDonald House needs paper towels!

I'll be heading over there in just over a week, for Anthony's chemo.

If you're local and want to help, bring a roll or two or more, and I'll deliver them!