Waves of Optimism

We finished off this week with more rounds of Brainwave Optimization.  I will update you now and tell you that Isaac has been doing really well, physically and mentally.  He's growing leaps and bounds as far as learned knowledge goes.  He loves to do his "work" as he calls it.  It's a preschool workbook full of concepts that children should learn, like the difference between big and small, first and last, red and blue.  As far as his health is concerned, he seems to be fine.  And by fine, I mean that it's the first time in a long time that I forget about the diagnosis and really consider him to be just another normal kid.

We scheduled the treatments now (as in this weekend) for a couple of reasons.  First being that Grandma Tammy has so generously offered to pay for them.  We are so blessed.  The second is that doing the next round of treatments within a relatively short time of the first round will give us the maximum results.  It also helps us avoid the cost of another assessment.  And finally, Troy was able to help out on Saturday, when we scheduled two of the four sessions.  Remember, we have to wait for him in our car, so the extra hands do help.

I'm very optimistic about the results from this mini session.  Isaac is pretty sure that this work on his brain is going to make him a genius (his words).  I wouldn't mind the genius factor, but I'm just shooting for good bowels.

Since we were all together, and out and about, we decided to make an adventure of our Saturday.  Our adventure, going to beach.  I know, I know.  We've been plenty since moving to Houston, but what differed this time was the time of day when we went.  Usually we wake up before the sun does and head out there and enjoy the beach with few others.  It's nice to beat the crowds and the heat.  So we were really shaking it up this time.

It was pretty sunny and a little windy.

We kept with our tradition of building a sand castle.

We rescued a tiny fish from the moat around our castle.

The boys did a great job making it look really ruinous.  

Here we are taking credit for Daddy's work.

Daddy found a small hermit crab.

Then he found some more.

Annie had to rescue them all.

Going to the beach in the late afternoon was surely a different experience.  It was pretty warm outside when we got there and pretty sunny.  We managed not to get burned, but it did cool off pretty quickly as the sun set.  We felt less rushed in the evening.  Troy even mentioned staying around for longer than we did, but the kids were getting pretty cold and tired.  Another difference was the amount of people.  We were not the only ones on the beach.  It's okay, a crowded beach and all, but I prefer the quiet time away from the people.  *Sidenote- What is this new mullet of a bathing suit style that women are wearing now a days?!  It's almost a one piece in the front and definitely a bikini in the back.  Huh.  Back on track.   The sea gulls were out in flocks in the evening.  I'm sure it has to do with dinner time/people out there feeding them.  But we managed to avoid any droppings, so that's good.  We will probably do the evening beach excursion again.  We will definitely do the early morning excursion this summer as well. 

In summary, I'm enjoying the wave that we are riding on now, so to speak.  Good health and great fun.  In my opinion it's a great way to start off the sunny season.

*Sidenote- Happy April Fools!

Deep Breath In

A friendly hug outside Whole Foods

To say the least, I was conflicted about starting this last week.  Isaac underwent 10 sessions of brainwave optimization.  That in itself was exciting.  The office where we got the treatments done was clear on the other side of town.  The treatments were each 2 hours long and we were doing 2 a day with a 2 hour break in between.  Those were the things I wasn't looking forward to.  Deep breath in.

I was looking forward to Isaac getting the treatments and excited about the possibilities it held for him.  I wasn't looking forward to a 40 minute drive each morning, waiting in a waiting room for 4 hours total with my other two kids, and then driving back 40 minutes to get home.  But we (I) pulled it all together, gritted our (my) teeth, and "happily" went along with it.  Deep breath in.

In our van

Now, I won't drag it out.  I'll let you know right now that after the first 2 hours in the waiting room, I was politely told that my kids were too loud for this office's reception area and that I would have to find some place else to wait.  A really deep breath in.  Now, I won't deny that my kids made noise while we were there.  They're kids.  Duh.  But I will defend them and say that they were well behaved and getting along and making the best of being in a waiting area that definitely wasn't made with a single child in mind.  So where did we go from here?  Our van.  Yep, we spent 4 hours each day waiting in our car for Isaac to get his treatments.  Deep breath in...

On the flip-side, Isaac did really great.  He had a good time and behaved himself just fine while having the treatments done.  It's too soon to tell how well it will work for his bowels, but we can already tell a difference in his concentration, speech, and sleeping behaviors.  And chances are that we will see some results in the next 1 to 6 weeks.  

What do you think it is?

All things considered, it was a good week.  Our lunch breaks were spent at the dinosaur museum and Whole Foods.  We got to dig for dinosaurs and learn about malacology.  We played at the park and watched movies on the laptop.  We survived.  Deep breath out.

But the end of the story involved a broken water pump, smoke coming out of the hood of our van, a tow truck, a constable, and eventually a rented car.  Deep breath in...and hold...

For the Love of Dinosaurs

Our vacation was awesomely wonderful!  But like all good things, it had to come to an end.  So on the 30th of December, we rolled out super early and headed back home.  

About halfway between Twin Falls, ID and Albuquerque, NM there is a little place called Price, UT.  In Price, there is a dinosaur museum.  For us, it seemed to be the perfect place to stop and let the little ones stretch their legs and get out their wiggles.  And it was.   

The kids were in their jammies, but we didn't care.

We got to dig in a cool sand pit.  I found a nickel.

There was archaeology, as well as paleontology.  (Orry said his favorite part was "the killer man".)

And there were some dinosaurs that we had never seen before.  Like the Gastonia (shown above) and the Chasmosaurus (shown below).

We completed the first leg of the return journey and made it to Albuquerque by 11pm that same day.  We stayed up late, playing with the cousins.  In the morning, we played some more before heading out of town.  Now, with the remaining 14 hours to Houston, we decided to take it slower and go the distance over the course of 2 days.  The 31st was a pretty good driving day.  We made it to a hotel in Childress, TX by 9pm and spent the last few hours of the year watching movies and resting up.  We had a great night in a comfortable, quiet room.  Little did we know that we would need that good rest and comfort to help us get through the first 7 hours of our journey home.  In the end, our 7 hour leg took us 12 hours...

When Isaac woke up that morning, he wasn't feeling that hot.  He complained of belly ache and nausea.  Sometimes these symptoms are common with people with UC, so we chalked it up to that.  Once he felt okay enough to travel, we headed out.  It was 9:30am.  Before leaving, we decided to stop in Glen Rose, TX, home of Dinosaur Valley State Park and Dinosaur World.  It would extend our trip by an hour, but we thought it was worth the effort.  But a couple of hours into our trip we started to hit some "road bumps".  

First off, Isaac threw up a couple of times after eating some of those yummy clementine oranges.  So we nixed the oranges and kept on truckin'.  Then Orry had to go.  I mean, he really had to GO.  Now, if you've ever had the pleasure of traveling through Texas, you would know that sometimes rest areas and towns are hard to come by.  So it was with this part of our trip.  We ended up pulling over twice to let him go.  He felt better, so we moved along, but all the stopping was starting to wear on our nerves.  Then it happened.  Annie was crying about having to poop.  And so began Poopapalooza.  Annie couldn't hold it.  A mess was made.  Lucky for us, we were one mile from an exit at this point.  We pulled into a Burger King and I had the honor of taking her to the bathroom to clean her up.  15 minutes later, she's clean and we go out to the car to find out that Orry had to go again.  So we waited, all the time wondering what could have made our kids feel so lousy.  Then it happened again.  That distinct cry from Annie signaling that another mess was made.  Yep, round two.  So as Orry comes out the bathroom, Annie and I go back in.  20 minutes later, we're back on the road, worse for the wear.  

Now that would be fine if that was the end of it.  But it wasn't.  Three miles down the road, Annie had to go again.  Hello, CVS.  Meet Annie.  We ran to the bathroom, this time she was going to make it in time.  Yes.  No.  She didn't have to go.  False alarm?  I don't know.  Sometimes with babies you just don't know.  So we walked around the store for two minutes.  In hindsight it was two minutes too long and there was another accident and more crying.  Now, here's a side note.  When they tell you that bathroom floors are dirty, they are right.  They are dirty because of people like Annie and me.  Poop was everywhere.  It was the worst yet.  It took about 40 minutes to get it all cleaned up and for Annie to sit long enough to rule out there being any more trouble.  I wised up, finally.  I got some diapers (which we didn't need to use, thank goodness)  and we hit the road.  

We had planned on getting to Dinosaur World around 1pm.  We arrived at 4:15.  The park closed at 5.  Dinosaur World is a mile circuit of "life sized" dinosaurs.  We ran.  Literally.

Half of our pictures look like this because of the running.

Was it worth it?

I'll let you be the judge of that.  

But, with 100% certainty, I can say that it's so good to be home.  

All About Isaac

Peek-a-boo

This morning was another morning spent in the doctor's office.  We went over the results of the latest biopsies, talked about how good Isaac was for his procedure (no tears), and discussed future treatments.  And I'm sure that some of you would like hear all about it.  Well, truth be told, I'm tired of talking about.

There's a lot more to Isaac than his UC.  I admit that sometimes I get wrapped up in what he ate, how many times he went to the bathroom, and whether or not he got all his doses for the day.  But today we set out to change that.  We packed our picnic lunch and decided to go to the zoo after his appointment.  I made it a point not to rush the kids and to let them decide what we would see and when we would see it.  Of all the animals at the zoo, Isaac requested to see the rhinos, ostriches, flamingos, and reptiles.  And so we spent 3 hours at the zoo, leaving only because we had to be home in time to get brother from the bus stop.  

And so, to continue celebrating Isaac, I'll share a few more tidbits about him and what he's been doing lately.

He's been going to preschool now for 3 months now.  He loves to go and carry his "jet pack" all by himself.  I'm quite pleased with the things he's learning.  His speech has improved and he's identifying and writing the letters of the alphabet.  One of the most impressive things he has pick up on is understanding what it means to be frustrated and to verbalize that he's feeling that way.  And recently he's started to draw things other than scribbles and dots.  Here's a look:

Yep, that's a stegosaurus.  

Isaac is super excited about Christmas.  He's got that holiday spirit.  The other night I took him shopping for things to make a Christmas wreath and some yard decorations.  Whenever he sees Christmas lights or a Santa Claus he exclaims, "Look, Mommy!  It's Christmas!".  I don't mind so much because I know that he's learning about Advent in school and he knows that we're waiting for the birth of baby Jesus.  

At home he's been solving online jigsaw puzzles of dinosaurs, making tons of funny faces, and helping out with laundry and various other chores.  He's learning to play the Wii (which is a little bit hilarious).  He's learning to tattle (not so hilarious).  He's learning that he likes to beat me when we race to do simple tasks, like buckling our seat belts.  And he's learning to tell better jokes.  They're not great, but they're better.  And they're hilarious nonetheless.  

Thanks for all the prayers for our little man.  They certainly have helped.  We have been blessed with a wonderful kid.  Wonderful just the way he is!

TMI

You've been warned.

Poop talk is common in our house.  I guess that's what I can say about our journey thus far with ulcerative colitis. Orry is quite familiar with the Bristol Stool Chart.  Every once in a while I'll hear a little voice shout out "2!" or "3!" from the bathroom.

At the zoo before our doctor's appointment

There are other things to say about our journey thus far, like how high and how low you can get.  Seeing solid, bloodless poops can make you feel pretty good, especially if you haven't seen them for a long while.  Seeing loose, bloody poops can make you feel really lousy, especially if you just saw them a few months ago and really thought that this time you got it right and that things were on the up and up.

Isaac is in flare mode again.  He's breaking for the bathroom a couple of times a day (not too bad) and having long bouts of diarrhea.  Unfortunately, we are coming to the end of the list of things we can try.  At the beginning of this journey we had what seemed like a long list of options and medications that we could try.  Maybe it seemed long because we were so hopeful that we would never reach the bottom of that list.

Chicken running around the house at 6am...

What's in store for Isaac?  Currently we have increased his meds since he has gained weight.  No new meds. Not yet.  No steroids because clearly they don't do what they are supposed to do.  We are trying a high-potency probiotic called VSL 3.  We are reading up on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and trying to pump ourselves up for such a drastic change.  And we have another colonoscopy scheduled for September 27th.  We are hoping to get a better diagnosis which will help us more effectively treat his disease.  We will also see if the flare is throughout his colon or if, fingers crossed, it is just in his lower colon, in which case we could try a medicated enema.

Don't feel too bad for Isaac, though.  He feels "great" and still has plenty of energy and is quite playful.

Now let's lighten the mood and talk a little bit about dinosaur poop.  The boys had a fun time reading, and re-reading, the book, Jurassic Poop: What Dinosaurs (and Others) Left Behind by Jacob Berkowitz.  We learned about coprolites and pretty much all things dino doo doo.  It's a really fun and informative read with some hilarious illustrations by Steve Mack.  I recommend checking it out from your local library.  It makes excellent bathroom reading.

Please keep Isaac in your thoughts and prayers as we get closer to the scope date.  Especially think about us on Monday, as we struggle with a 24 hour clear liquid diet.  No fun.  No fun at all.  We'll keep you posted!

Chewing the Fat

At the dentist's office, not the GI's office

As many of you already know, Isaac was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis back in October of 2010.  Currently is doing well and we just had a follow up appointment on Friday to check on his progress after he came down off the steroids.  He's having healthy bowel movements and is not complaining about any pain.  If you saw him you would think he's a normal three year old living a happy life.

But if you looked at his chart, you would notice something a little off-putting.  He hasn't gained any weight for almost a year now.  He hasn't lost any weight either, so that's good.  He's just not getting over the 29 pound mark.  So now that we have his disease under control, it's time to address the issue of his weight.  We've been instructed to put him on a high calorie diet.

Some things we are going to do are put him back on whole cow's milk instead of almond milk which is naturally low in calories, start to mix a little bit of olive oil into his meals, feed him meat, give him more peanut butter and cheese, and start supplementing with Pediasure or Carnation Instant Breakfast.

As an adult it is strange to think of a diet with few restrictions.  Fat is the best way to boost calories.  It's a good way to get the most calories out of the least amount of food.  As an adult who tries to make good, healthy eating decisions for my family with the hope of raising them with good food habits, I balk at the idea of a high fat diet.  But alas, it is what we are going to try to help Isaac gain some weight.

Annie also could use some extra poundage.  She just had her 18 month check up.  She's at the top of the curve in height, coming in at over 32 inches tall.  But she is at the very bottom of the curve for weight, only weighing 20 pounds.  I feel that some of that is genetics.  I was pretty lanky as a child, also staying close to the bottom of the growth curve as far as my weight was concerned (my head circumference was another story).

So here's where I need your help.  I need some good snack ideas!  Here is one that I found on our travels in Austin.  Apple smiles.  We don't like red apples so we used green and we really like chocolate peanut butter so we called ours "monster smiles".  But I need more ideas for good, healthy-fat filled snacks (does that make sense).  I'm incredibly opposed to buying store bought snacks like Little Debbies.  I just don't like all the artificial ingredients added in there.  But maybe you know of some store bought snacks that are natural, healthy, and high in calories and would save me some time.  Otherwise I might have to make these more often:

Mini cake donuts dipped in dark chocolate with sprinkles

One of the challenges I will face is making sure that the kids get the calories, but that the grown-ups do not.  So I think snacks are a great way to help boost the calories of some but not others.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks ahead of time for your ideas!!