Stockton Thunder

Saturday evening Mellisa, Abigail, Patsy, Junior and I all went to a hockey game. It was so much fun and the kids loved every minute of it. This first picture was taken before the game started and Junior wasn't quite sure what to think.
The Stockton Thunder were playing the Fresno Falcons which is a big rivalry. The Thunder won 2-1 and the game was very exciting.
Mellisa, Abigail and Patsy all sat in the row down in front of Junior and I so this picture is a little goofy looking since it was taken through the guard rail on the next level up.
Before we went Abigail had been complaining and not wanting to go but by the time we left she told us she couldn't wait to go to another game.

Junior absolutely loved it. He would keep leaning forward so he could see everything and then get crazy when it got loud. I thought all the yelling and cheering would scare him but no way. I looked down and saw him with his mouth wide open, he was trying to join right in with all the noise. These pics are very close up because I was just holding the camera out from us and taking the picture.
His favorite thing was when one player would slam the other one into the boards. Junior would just grin so big and thought it was great. His other favorite thing was when a fight would break out. I think Junior is the newest Thunder Hockey fan, he was having so much fun.
Isn't that the face of one very happy kid.

Better Day

I am feeling much better today and the fever is gone.

Junior has had a good day and enjoyed having Abigail here after school. She is also spending the night and they have been watching movies.
As soon as we got home from picking Abigail up after school she had to sign Junior's cast. She then spent about 20 minutes drawing a picture on it.
After that she was very excited that we still had the Nancy Drew movie and they spent the afternoon watching it. Junior has watched it several times already and thinks it is just wonderful. After dinner they wanted to watch Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium and both enjoyed that one as well. The Schwan man came by this evening so we decided to get some ice cream for a treat. Their ice cream is soooo good and we thoroughly enjoyed having a dish of it while we watched our movie.

If all goes well we will be going to a hockey game tomorrow night with several friends and I know Junior will love it.

I was just messing around with the kodak slide show program. These are most of the photos from February. I noticed that it cuts many of the captions so you can't read them but oh well.

SICK

Junior is just fine and is being a very good boy.
I started feeling bad last night and by the middle of the night was running a fever and aching everywhere. Really odd for me to be sick and Junior to be fine but sure glad we aren't both sick.

This morning I told him I was sick so he was having a movie day. Junior has done great and just hollers when he needs to go potty or have a new movie put on. He has been very happy and giggly today and also took a nice long nap.
This evening I told him I was proud of him for being so good while I was sick, he said "yaaa" and grinned, such a sweet boy.

The Zoo and Shriners

First thing this morning we headed to the Sacramento Zoo. Junior was so excited about going and giggled all the way there.
When we got there we talked to the head of the education department about Junior attending one of the day camps this summer. She was very nice and said they would be happy to have him and there was no problem with me attending with him.
We then went and looked at all the animals. It is so nice to be there when it is cooler because the animals are much more active.
Junior was so funny and as we were leaving he started making faces. I asked him what he wanted and he just hollered at me. I knew I was missing something and started trying to think of what we might not have seen. I realized we hadn't gone into the reptile house and asked him if thats what he wanted. Sure enough, he gave me a yaaa and a big grin. In the reptile house the dwarf crocodile was right up against the glass and Junior just kept looking at him so intently.
The next enclosure was the Iguana and it also was right over next to the glass. Both of these are usually at the back of the cages and Junior can't see them very well. He thought the Iguana was soooo neat. We left the zoo about noon and went to Shriners for Junior next set of casts. Here is Junior having his casts taken off.
He did great and was very patient while we waited for the new casts to be put on. He only cried about 5 min after they took the casts off(last time it was 2 hours) and then was all smiles.
I pulled out his Video-Now so he could watch his shows while they were putting on the new casts. As you can see he was having a blast.

Beautiful Day

The weather was just perfect today so we spent a lot of time outside. Junior loved every minute of it and was having a great time.
We had to run a few errands this morning but after lunch we went for a quick walk. After that Junior got in his walker and enjoyed walking around the porch.
Then he kept looking at the basketball hoop and hollering. He wanted to play ball. I couldn't find a basketball so we used his soccer ball. Junior didn't care and was so excited to be outside playing ball again.
After playing ball we headed out for a nice long walk. It was beautiful outside and neither of us wanted to go back in so we just kept walking.

This evening Teacher Cindee came for a session and they worked on some numbers and then Junior loved her new animal book. She brought along the cutest dog toy that sang and flopped it's long ears but Junior was not impressed in the least.
After the session Teacher Cindee signed Junior's cast and drew a little spider man face on it. Junior thought it was just soooo funny.
Here is a picture of Junior's casts close up so you can see everyones drawings. He thought it was so neat that this time everyone drew on his casts instead of just signing them.

Yeah, a good day

Junior tolerated his casts like a champ today and it was so nice to see him happy.
He slept really well last night and didn't even wake up to have his cpap taken off until 5:30am. The best news is he didn't use any oxygen at all.
This morning we went for a long walk and it was great to get out and enjoy this beautiful weather. Junior loves being outside and would stay out most of the day if he could.
Ready to go for his walk.
After his walk Junior wanted to stay in his chair. Here he is watching a movie, not sure what it was called but it was a bout a monkey who snowboards and he thought it was just hysterical.
Mellisa came over this afternoon to do her laundry and Junior enjoyed watching her play video games. She tells me it is to entertain him but I think she has just as much fun as he does.
Mellisa decided Junior needed some drawings on his casts so she "decorated" them. You can't see very well in this pic but I will be sure to post one of his casts tomorrow with all their artwork.

Just standing around

Junior woke up from his nap all smiles and ready to be active. I put him in his walker in front of his toy bar and he was one happy dude. I am praying he continues to tolerate the casts better.

Feeling Better

Today has been a much better day for Junior. He is still not up to much and just wants to watch tv or be outside. This afternoon I am going to see how he does in his walker. Junior is handling things far better today and lets me know when it is hurting instead of just screaming(with him being so frustrated he wasn't letting me know whether he hurt, needed to go potty or wanted a toy). It has made it much easier to stay on top of the discomfort with Tylenol.
This morning we had to run to the pharmacy and do a few errands. Junior loved being out and thought he needed to talk to everyone. At Target he spotted a movie he thought he had to have and started hollering. Well I couldn't believe it but he was saying "mine", it was coming out as II-nnnn but I could tell what he was trying for. Of course I was so excited to be hearing a new word that I let him get the movie(Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium).
Junior wanted the movie turned on as soon as we got home so I let him watch it while he had his treatments. The weather has been gorgeous today and when we got home from the store Junior kept saying "out". I thought he was talking about the casts but then asked him if he was hot and that was it. He wanted his shorts on. Now he is a happy guy.

Junior's pulmonologist called this morning regarding the chest x-ray. It appears to show something in the base of the lungs but she doesn't want to start any kind of treatment until she is sure that he needs it(with Junior's chronic lung issues it could be a spot of scar tissue). She is scheduling him for a chest ct scan asap to get a better picture of what is going on.

much better

Just wanted to make a quick update on the post earlier this evening. Junior has been relaxing and watching Emergency for the past couple hours. No more tears and he is acting very comfortable. I brought his little recliner in from the garage and used a pillow to extend the back(it is too short for him), then put a blanket roll under the front legs so it reclines more. It has a nice soft cushioned seat, back and foot rest. He has been much happier since I put him in that in front of the tv. Junior even wanted to "talk" to my mom when I was on the phone tonight.

Sad puppy

Isn't that the saddest face possible?(don't worry I picked him up as soon as I snapped the picture) Junior got a new set of casts today so he has very sore legs this evening. On top of that he is just frustrated that he has to keep them on.
I am giving him tylenol and motrin and also using ice over his casts. The doc said that sometimes the ice really helps during the first few days. He said Junior is having far more trouble being uncomfortable the first couple days after casting then most children do.

I have found that as long as I am holding him he is a happy boy and all smiles. He knows I hate to see him cry and he can usually get what he wants if he turns on the tears, one smart guy.

I was able to distract him this evening with a Walker Texas Ranger DVD.
After some ice and Tylenol he was in a much better mood and even shared some smiles and giggles. Junior would love your prayers and happy thoughts this evening.

Happy and Sad

Junior has had lots of happy and sad moments the past few days. We are not sure if it is because of the casts or if something else may be going on. He is giggling one moment, crying the next and then back to giggling. I ask him if his casts hurt and he says no but also says "out" because he wants them off. He seems happiest outside or on his tummy.

Today we visited the pulmonologist for his check up and may have found the reason for his repeated illnesses this winter. She noticed decreased breath sounds at the base on one side of his lungs and thinks he may have something going on that just isn't quite being taken care of by the antibiotics. In other words the antibiotics are taking care of things enough for him to feel better but then once he is off of them he is back to being sick within a week or two.
Junior had a chest x-ray this morning after the pulmo visit and we will find out what that showed in a few days. If the pulmo is correct then she will likely try a stronger antibiotic or a combo of them.

Junior is hanging out watching High School Musical this evening, it is funny to see him watching that movie. He just loves it and will try to sing along with the music.

Tomorrow I have a dreaded dental cleaning. Junior of course thinks it is soooo very funny because I am the one in the chair and not him.

OUT, OUT, OUT

Yesterday morning was tough on Junior. He woke up and wanted those casts taken off. At first he was crying and then he got really mad and was yelling "Hiiieee out, out, out"(Junior for Heidi get me out of these casts). Then back to a puddle of tears. Poor thing, I felt so bad for him. The docs had said it would take a couple days for him to get used to them. Abigail came over yesterday afternoon and that helped a lot. She kept him distracted and then he was all giggles before falling asleep. Junior fell asleep watching Abigail and Mellisa play his video games.
This morning we had another crying session but then once I got him calmed down he was fine. He has been giggling and playing all afternoon and I think he is finally forgetting about the casts.
He loved having us all sign his casts and also put stickers on them(though the stickers wouldn't stay on).
At the moment he is on his mat, on his tummy, happily watching Walker Texas Ranger.
I got tired of trying to get pants over his casts so while at home we have switched over to shorts. Junior gets hot easily and I think that certainly wasn't helping him feel better about the casts. Since we switched to shorts he has acted like he is much more comfortable.