Saturday, July 17, 2010

We have underwear!!!




WOOHOO!!!  I really hope that potty training and Lukey stick this time around :/  Because up til now it truly has not :(  We have been intensely potty training for the past week.  Then, today I hand Lukey a pair of big boy underwear and asked him, "Do you want to wear these"?  He replied with a phenomenal sounding  "YES" and eyes as bright as a Christmas tree.  He also told me that he would not get his new big boy underwear wet at all.  In retrospect, I probably should have had Ryan hand over his big boy underwear b/c it would have made more of an impact. 

We are running out of time, this potty training better work :/  All of the current paperwork I have signed for Lukey's upcoming preschool program has stated that yes he is indeed potty trained.  He was selected out of 47 children, only seven boys and seven girls in our school district and school starts on September 7th...

HUGS,
Jenny, Ron, Ryan, & Lukey :)

PS-Notice the boots in the one photo-he adores these boots and wears them everywhere!  Thanks Mary ;)  He specifically stated he wants a photo of his big boy underwear and his cowboy boots and while he is wearing the cowboy boots he makes everyone call him "Cowboy Lukey"!  Too darn cute!!!  Also, I don't know if anyone can see in the other photo that Lukey has a balloon attached to his hand as he sits on the potty?  He's one of a kind :)

Sunday, July 11, 2010

R2D2 took the cake...literally!
















Ryan turned eight years old on July 3rd!  We can't believe he's as old as he is, can you believe it???  I've said this to everyone who will listen to me lately, that it seems as though it was yesterday we were scooping him up from the Baby Home (orphanage) and taking him home to the USA with us :)  Truly amazing!!!

Then, today we had his 8th Birthday Party at the bowling alley.  We asked Ryan specifically if he wanted to have his birthday at Sahara Sam's again (last year's bday party was held there) or at the bowling alley (somewhere new this year) and he chose the bowling alley.  Ryan was super excited that he not only had family/friends coming to his bday party but was also able to invite his classmates. 

As for R2D2 taking the cake, which was incredible in both taste and the fact that it was a 3dimensional version of R2D2, we had Adelaide's Bakery make the R2D2 cake and WOW!!! did they do a fabulous job! Ryan chose an excellent flavor of cake too, he selected a chocolate chip pound cake-Mmmmm it was delicious!!!  Ron and I were always obsessed with Cake Boss and the Ace of Cakes, maybe a bit toooooo much, subsequently in light of Ryan's recent health issues we opted to have a terrific cake made for Ryan's 8th Birthday Party b/c nothing compares to Ryan's smile when he saw R2D2 as a cake :)  Ryan is just as captivated with R2D2 as we are with Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes, so what better way to celebrate :)  But, seriously you be the judge and let us know if this R2D2 cake was as great as he looks?

Love & HUGS,
Jenny, Ron, Ryan, & Lukey :)

Friday, July 9, 2010

Ryan's appt. with Ortho.

I thought I would update everyone while it's fresh in my "MOMMY BRAIN"!  Today, Ryan had an ortho. appt., which went well, all things considered :/  I advised Ry's ortho. dr. that recently he was either tripping or having breakthrough seizures OR BOTH :/  Regardless, he was falling A LOT lately and something needs to be done to help him.  The ortho. set forth a plan of action, btw have I told anyone that I adore his ortho?  Here is a dr. who isn't afraid to listen to the parents and take their advice and modify it :)  Here's the plan: Ryan is getting new articulating orthotics-he has already been casted for the new orthotics and will receive them in about three weeks.  Once, we have the new orthotics we are to bring him to the Gait Lab, where they evaluate the way he walks and then depending on the results Ryan may need surgery.  I will state that I am still a bit taken back at the thought of surgery BUT I've been researching the type of surgery that has been suggested for Ryan and it actually may be a good thing b/c it may help him walk better.  Ryan has been lurching and/or crouching lately and this surgery could help his hamstrings and ultimately stretch them to wear he stands and walks better.

Love & HUGS,
Jenny, Ron, Ryan, & Lukey :)

Friday, July 2, 2010

Did he trip or could it be-dare I say it?...A Breakthrough Seizure???





Where do I start?!? On Thursday, July 1st, we WERE suppose to go to Hershey Park with My Dad, my sister and all four of us (including Ron).  It did not work out that way :/ My sister had to bail, which was no fault of her own but then Summer, our oldest dog, who is still alive and kicking, and she now resides at my Dad's-we have way tooooo many stairs for her here in our new house, was sick with vomiting and diarrhea.  She must have ate something b/c according to my Dad she was not feeling well, SO my Dad decided not to go either :/

Instead, my Dad and all four of us went to see the movie "Toy Story 3".  Which was awesome and sad OR I should say for those of us who can relate to someday saying "GOODBYE" to your child/ren when they go off to college.  I will not give away the movie but there is this one scene where Andy's Mom looks at Andy's empty room and that was it-I lost it and couldn't stop crying :(  Ron told me I was being a little too sensitive, I simply told him a Mom can never be too sensitive!  Besides, we have eleven years before Ryan goes off to college and fourteen years until Lukey leaves for college and those years are going to fly.  I am excited that the boys will someday be bigger than me but at the same time WOW it seems like yesterday we were adopting Ryan and Lukey.  Bitter sweet, if you ask me!

I do apologize for that-I tend to side track easily these days, I like to refer to it as "Mommy Brain"!  LOL!  Anyway, we were getting ready for the pool and I was in the kitchen (of course, with my back to Ryan) and all of a sudden Ryan fell into our metal spiral staircase!  I kid you not!  I turned around b/c I just heard a big bang no crying (yet) and it already looked as if it were a murder scene!  I run over to where Ryan is at, and at this point he is sobbing by the time I get to him, as in can't seem to catch his breath-sobbing.  I assess the situation, as best I could at the time, and realize all of this blood is spurting from his lip.  He literally has cracked his lip open about an inch to two inches :/  Ron scoops him up, wearing a bathing suit but no shoes, and we put him in the van and head over to the ER.  We are five minutes from the ER, another plus of living in Voorhees :)  According to the tech. he has "gotten" his lip pretty good :(  He required three stitches and I could not for the life of me watch them stitch up my child's lip.  Ron said to me that's extremely strange after all we have been through with Ryan.  You know what, he was absolutely correct!  Still, to this day I'm puzzled and perplexed by this, the fact I could NOT watch them stitch my child's lip?!  What I found to be weird was that the ER was fearful that I was going to pass out?!?  The ER was also worried about Ryan's head injury and subsequently a concussion.  It hit me then, not til then, that maybe Ry had a "Breakthrough Seizure" and this by far was the worst thing that could have happened to him, he actually fell into our metal spiral staircase :/  We discussed with the ER what the probabilities were that he tripped or that he actually had a breakthrough seizure and all in all it was hard to determine what exactly occurred.  The ER did assess his teeth, to make sure they were still in place and they also assessed his nose (his poor teeth and nose, b/c last year he had a huge spill into our old swim club pool and fell straight onto his nose, actually breaking the nose, and at the time, we thought pushing his brand new front teeth up into his gums) but thank-goodness this time around his nose was not broken nor did his teeth appear to have been pushed up into his gums.  As I've stated the hospital was more or less concerned about the concussion.  All in all, it could have been much worse, I keep telling myself that and anyone who will listen, BUT this was quite horrible :(

Then today I called his peds. dr. to schedule the removal of his three stitches, which I'm hoping goes well :/  The stitches had to be removed three to five days after they were placed.  The ER told us the reason they had to stitch his lip, generally they do not like to, but this was an extreme case where Ry needed his lip to be stitched due to the intensity of the cut.  They also told us that he would have no scar b/c the lip regenerates itself quickly and cleanses itself.  I found this highly interesting!  Also, I was on the phone with his neuro. too b/c the possibility of a breakthrough seizure is frightening and just as I thought the neuro. could NOT rule out a breakthrough seizure :/  SO, they have once again upped his medication :( 

Only Ryan!!!

Love & HUGS,
Jenny, Ron, Ryan, & Lukey :)