Jack Update

There really isn't much to update! Jack is doing really well. Next week he will have his (hopefully) last appointment with his speech therapist. Until this point, he's only been capable of eating two ounces of baby food at a time because his swallowing muscles start to fatigue if he eats much more and he could aspirate a little food. We're anticipating that by next week he'll be strong enough to handle more baby food and we'll be done with speech therapy. We'll also be starting physical therapy in our home once a week, which means no more visits to Dupont. Yippee! The physical therapists evaluated Jack last week an decided that he is like a 5 month old physically (cognitively he's fine). He still needs to get stronger in his trunk and arms so he can begin to roll and sit better on his own. Life is really getting back to normal. Jack is delightful and the kids love to play with him. We're so grateful that he is healthy again!

Fun with Grandma Susu

Mom came for a fun, week-long visit that ended last Tuesday. It was wonderful to see her and to do all sorts of fun things together. We shopped, ate out, and went to Longwood Gardens, the farmer's market, the Please Touch Children's Museum, and had a blast! While she was here, we had the kids photos taken by our favorite expert photographer and friend, Katie Dudley. It was a ridiculously freezing day, complete with snow flurries. The kids were dressed in spring outfits, and the photos turned out awesome. Mom jumped in for a few shots, too. Thanks for the great visit, Mom. We miss you already!

These are only a few of the great photos we got (more in the sidebar).

Teeth and Flowers

Jack cut his two bottom teeth in the last couple of days. He has been working on them for a while, and now his little razors are out! I think the top two aren't far behind.

Also, we have a plethora of spring flowers in our yard right now. It looks like someone planted daffodils in the past, because there is a large patch of them that sprang up in the backyard. They are so lovely! Also, we have darling purple and white crocuses all over the front yard. I love spring!

Hiding

The kids are obsessed with hiding. Totally obsessed. It's driving me nuts! It often starts with my asking them to do something, like take their clothes off for bath time. Then Amelia screams and runs and yells, "HIDE Colin, HIDE!." Then there's a mad stampede to the nearest closet or bed or blanket lying on the floor. Neither are good at keeping quiet in the spot, so at least it isn't difficult to track them down and pry them out.

Longwood Gardens

Last weekend we had a wonderful time visiting Longwood Gardens. They have a huge indoor Conservatory with amazing and beautiful flower gardens. They also had a wonderful Children's Garden with beautiful water features. The kids loved it! We can't wait to go back when it's spring time and enjoy the outdoor gardens as well.

Jack hates hydrangeas, I guess. He was crying about these ones.


There were amazing orchids everywhere!

New Camera

For his birthday, Mike got a new mini video camera. He was practicing with it, and here are the results:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elY1qcaL5Aw

Tube Free!!!

We saw our speech therapist today and she was pleased with Jack's progress with nursing. She said we are now officially tube free! Happy day!! Jack looks so much more handsome without tape on his face, and the kids like him better this way, too. He still isn't tolerating baby food, so we have more recovery ahead, but we are totally thrilled.

Zoo Pics

Here are photos from our latest zoo trip. Don't worry, there was lots of goat petting during this trip, too, but there were so many children harassing the goats that I couldn't get any good photos!

These peacocks were wandering around, and this one came over and stared me down while I was waiting for the kids. Amazing! I remember Aunt Jean had a bunch of peacock feathers that I loved playing with.

Happy 28!

Today and yesterday we celebrated Mike's 28th birthday! We went to the zoo, ate delicious Peking Duck, had a chocolate birthday cake, and Amelia and Colin gave him special foot rubs. Colin put his thumb on the top of Mike's foot, rubbed in a 1 inch square circle, and said, "Does that feel good, Dad?" It has been really fun paying extra attention to the smartest, funniest, and most wonderful guy we know! We love you, Mike!

I met Mike when he was seven and I was almost nine. Here he is a couple of years later in 6th grade, looking very adorable.

Here he is at age 19. What a handsome devil!

Jack Update

I just wanted to post an update on Jack's progress. We saw the speech therapist last night, and she gave us the go-ahead to suspend tube feedings and try to do nursing all day today. So far it's been going just fine. Jack still isn't quite ready for baby food yet. We'll be doing weight checks throughout the weekend to make sure that he's getting enough calories, and if all goes well we'll be taking the tube out soon! The physical therapist saw him today and thinks he has a little way to go still. Our pediatrician said that his head control is like a 4 month old (he's seven months right now). Life is slowly getting back to normal, and we're really glad.

Our First Snowman

Sunday and Monday brought a huge storm and about a foot of snow (a lot by PA standards). We got a healthy blanket on the ground, so we decided to try making our first snowman. It turned out smallish (toddler sized) and actually pretty creepy looking! We only had a baby carrot and sticks to make features. The kids love him, and have been checking on him every time we leave the house.

Colin's Turn

Colin is getting his tonsils out in May. They are enormous, and getting in the way of his sleeping and eating. Poor little Colin. I was hoping for a long break from the hospital, but I guess one more night won't kill me.

On the Subway

Today on the subway Mike sat near a crazy lady. After a lengthy rant, she turned on Mike and said, "I curse you man. I curse you to the graveyard. That's the latest thing in Philly, cursin' to the graveyard." We had a hearty laugh about it when we got home. I'm glad that Mike has been cursed in the hippest, coolest way.

Are you a "scoundrel" or "bandit"?

Sarah brought little presents for the kids with her, and Jack's present was a little package of fake mustaches. We got a real kick out of ourselves in them! The best part of the gift was that each mustache shape had a name. (This post is on Sarah's blog, too, I stole the photos from her!)

These are "The Smarty," "The Scoundrel," and "The Rogue."

"The Bandit"
"The Casanova"

Going Home!

We're going home!!! Our bags are packed, Mike is loading up the car right now, and we're getting ready to say goodbye to Dupont! We're going home with a feeding tube, so Mike and I have to be able to put one in by ourselves in case it should come out. We practiced on poor little Jack last night, so they agreed to discharge us today. Jack still takes most of his nourishment through his feeding tube, but he can nurse twice a day in addition to the feeds that he gets every three hours. We're coming back to the hospital three times a week to meet with our therapists, and we'll be seeing a lot of Jack's regular pediatrician, too. We've been told that Jack is probably about 2 weeks (or so) away from eating totally on his own. Jack has been such a little trooper, and we are so glad that he's almost well. Hooray!!!