|
 |
|
Thursday, June 28, 2007 |
|
Bradys day...
|
Well Brady has had a good day. He only slept about 2 hrs today,he got up 1am and went back to bed sometime after 8 this morning. Anyway Craig came home and hour early today and let me take a nap. Brady is going full force at the moment,hes flipping the couch cushion. He took a nasty fall last night. Craig and I walked to the therapy room for only a minute and we heard Brady fall in the hall. It seemed as though he had let go of the chair in the living room and walked down the hallway and tripped over a toy. If he did walk,thats really exciting,but scary at the same time. He usually only walks when we are right there to catch him when he falls.
Anyway hes been eating like a little pig today,were very exciting about his new food interest. He has eaten all day and had 3 cups of pediasure in the last couple hours,he cant seem to get full,lol.
Finally got the camera charged back up,so I will get some more pictures on here soon,just keep checking back ok. Gotta go for now,Bradys pulling all the wet wipes out. Bye for now |
posted by angelwings
@
10:37 PM
  |
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 |
|
Brady had a great day!
|
Brady is doing well since his eating a dishwasher tablet last night. He did throw up initially,but is doing well at the moment. I stayed up and watched him all night long to make sure that he would be ok. I read lots about children eating dishwaser tablets and it was pretty scary. It is actually one of the leading poisonings in children! Anyway Brady slept part of the night but was really jerky for some reason. We got to bed about 5:30 this morning.
He has been so well behaved all day and has been in such a great mood. He grabbed the cushion off the couch and flipped it and just giggled so loud. He flipped the cushion over and over,all the way down the hallway,it was sooooooo cute!
He then went and got himself a banana ,Peyton left the gate open of course! Anyway he ate it and then brought me the peel to let me know he wanted another one,but we were out of them unfortunately. He also will get bring me a can of pediasure to put in his cup if hes thirsty. If he cant get to the cans,he will get in the garbage and bring me and empty can,way to use pecs huh,lol. Anyway he pitched a fit to eat supper tonight. He just couldn't wait til we got it done. He did eat a biscuit with lots of butter and then ate some popcorn,whoo hoooo!!! He is eating so much better these days.He is really showing more interest in food,than I have seen in over a year.
Well thats about it for now. Just wanted to let everyone know that Brady is doing fine after his incident last night and let yall know how well he is doing. The dishwasher tablets are where he cant get to them anymore and there is nothing on the counters that he can eat! Will post more later. HUGS |
posted by angelwings
@
9:59 PM
|
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, June 26, 2007 |
|
Brady ate dishwasher tablet!
|
Well we are redoing the cabinets in the kitchen as I mentioned earlier. I have fought Brady all day,trying to keep him out of the kitchen and have been successful til tonight. We had all the cabinets unloaded onto the floor and the table in the dining room,it has been a huge mess. Anyway I found a dishwasher tablet that had fallen out in the cabinet,so I laid it on the counter,planning to put it in the dishwasher later. So tonight I went through the gate to the kitchen with my arms loaded and couldn't shut the gate right away. Well Flash came in,and the first thing he done was grab that tablet off the counter and take a big bite. I think it was the Dawn brand,it had liquid in one side and powder in the other. He even pitched a fit when I took it away from him!!
So I quickly washed his mouth out and gave him a cup,but he started coughing and threw up right away. I called poison control and they said to keep him hydrated and watch him through the night and that he would most likely have diarrhea ,GREAT!!!!!
Hes ok right now,but is working on a big job for me,so I better get to it,its gonna be a long night. I will post more later. Ahh another day in Angeland,lol. |
posted by angelwings
@
11:44 PM
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bradys day.
|
Brady has been good today,but really busy of course. He did take off his pants and diaper and pee in my new chair this morning,guess he wanted it to match daddy's chair. With a little duct tape belt around his diaper,life goes on ,and no more accidents.
He has played all day with his Bubba. They played in Brady's room for the longest time,which was nice,I could get some work done.
Peyton actually fed Brady some spaghetti this afternoon. I was so proud of Brady for eating,but equally as proud of his big brother for actually feeding him. He made a pretty big mess. Craig and I were working on putting cabinets in the kitchen, so Peyton took Brady and put him in the bathtub. He fed Brady and gave him a bath. Its so nice to have someone to help sometimes. I would never had asked Peyton to do those things,but I am so proud of the young man that he has become. I don't know to may 8yr olds that would volunteer to feed and bathe their little brother. Anyway,just had to brag on my other man,I'm so proud of them both!
Brady is eating so much better lately and his behavior has improved greatly,of course he still gets after his Bubba sometimes,lol. Well that's about it for now,post more later. |
posted by angelwings
@
12:19 AM
|
|
|
|
|
Sunday, June 24, 2007 |
|
Bradys new record!
|
Well Brady finally set a new non sleep record. He got up at 12 am Friday morning,after only sleeping a couple hours from the previous night. Anyway he stayed up all night Friday night and all day Saturday. He finally crashed out at 9pm that night. He was awake a total of 29 consecutive hours. Dont think we will be encouraging him to try and break the new record any time soon,lol. The funny thing is,he didn't even act sleep Saturday. He was a live wire as usual.
He was on it Friday though,he had a poop party in daddy's new chair,not a good thing at all!
Well just thought I would post a quick update. Will post more later. |
posted by angelwings
@
7:13 PM
|
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, June 20, 2007 |
|
Bradys Day....
|
Oh its been a busy day here today. Brady has been into everything it seems. He started out by not getting to bed til after 4am this morning. He was back up fairly early and going strong. The weather got pretty bad here today,lots of lightening. I couldn't keep him away from the windows. He wanted to watch the rain,but I was worried about him being by the window with all the lightening,so I put his gate up and put him in his room til the weather passed. I went back to check on him and he was standing at the gate laughing and all covered in poo! He had smeared it all in the carpet,on the rug,all over the gate,door facing and all over himself. He had taken his clothes and diaper off,as usual and made a huge mess. Maybe he was just rebelling because I put him in his room,lol. This is the third poop party in three days,sheesh!!! So anyway I grabbed him up,very carefully and put him in the bathtub and squirted him down with antibacterial soap. Needless to say he was all covered in bubbles,while I cleaned up the huge mess he had made in his room. I just steam cleaned his carpet earlier this week,guess he didn't like it clean huh. Well in order to prevent more poop parties until I could figure out what kind of clothes to put on him,so he couldn't take them back off,I got the duct tape,lol lol. I told Peyton to get Brady a diaper while I went and got the duct tape. I heard Peyton saying,oh you have done it now Brady boy,lol. He said you done a baaaaaaaaad thing,lol. So anyway I taped over the Velcro straps on his diaper so he couldn't take it back off. I thought Craig was going to crack up when he seen the duct tape on Brady's diaper..Anyway,when Craig got in,I took his sleeper pjs over to my grandmas house and we made them all into shorty pjs. We cut the footie's out of them and cut the sleeves off,so it covers him up,but he cant get to his diaper,and he doesn't get to hot. See I have been putting them on him at night,but have to turn the air down so low,I think there might be penguins running around in here,lol. Craig and Peyton were complaining that they were freezing,but I had to keep the house cool if Brady was going to be wearing footie pjs,otherwise he gets to hot. Anyway prob solved now,no penguins tonight,Brady is cool and covered,and no poop parties and no duct tape,lol lol.
That wasn't all our day was about today,Brady bit Peyton's finger,really hard. I got onto him and put him in time out,he wasn't very happy about that,but in a little while,tried to bite Peyton again. I guess its just a brother/sibling thing.
Well Peyton and Craig went out to the pool for a swim tonight,Brady was watching them out the window and fussing. I was trying to cook supper and while I was in the kitchen stirring the food,Brady climbed up in the recliner,trying to look out the window,and he fell over the back and hit the floor! He hit his eye and his forehead,looked like an alien for a while. He hit so hard,Craig heard him fall and came running inside. I was just going to stir my food,then take him out to swim with Craig and Brady!! Anyway he cried for a little bit,but was more interested in getting out to the pool. He was actually pretty ticked off about the pool thing,lol. He did get to go for a swim and his boo boo went down eventually. Hes acting fine now,going from light switch to another turning them on and off. Its like having a bunch of strobe lights here,lol.
The one really good thing happened here was last night. Brady pottying in the big potty,whoo hooo!!! He was so proud of himself and so was I...Let's just pray that this is the start of something really good. Oh and also,Brady has eaten supper three times tonight!! I don't know what has suddenly sparked his interest in food,I think it might be the B-6. Whatever the change,I extremely excited to see him eating again.
That's about it for now,will keep yall posted. |
posted by angelwings
@
12:13 AM
|
|
|
|
|
Monday, June 18, 2007 |
|
Bradys got skills!
|
Well Brady locked me in the therapy room this weekend. I was in there sorting through some clothes to give away and he locked the door from the inside. I knocked on the door and told him to let me out and he just giggled,he thought it was so funny. He also recently locked me out of the house,thank goodness the french doors were unlocked so I was able to get back in. And a couple weeks ago,I was changing him in my grandmas car and stepped off to the side to get something,well he locked me out of the car and the keys were laying on the floor beside him. I pleaded with him to unlock the door,but he just giggled and banged his cup on the window,lol. Luckily my grandma just happened to have an extra set of keys with her in her purse. So anyway Brady has become the master at locking doors,we just have to teach him to unlock now,lol. However I'm not sure he would want to unlock and let me in if he has rule over the house,lol.
Also tonight,Brady ate two helpings of lasagna and ate a corn dog. I'm not sure what the change is,but I'm so glad to see him eating again!! Well that's about all the fun updates for now,keep ya posted. |
posted by angelwings
@
12:57 AM
|
|
|
|
|
Saturday, June 16, 2007 |
|
3am swim.........
|
| Well its now 5am here.......Brady and I just got out of the pool. He has been up all night and had become manic. I had him in his room,but hes been ripping up the floor pads,stripping and peeing on everything. He has toys all over the place and was throwing them into the hallway and has ripped is sheets off his bed. I think he was throwing a tantrum because we wanted him to go to sleep and he had other plans. So anyway,about 3 am I figured he was keeping everyone awake, so I yanked him up and we went swimming in the pool. Never thought I would be watching the sun come up in the pool,lol. Anyway hes getting some better now,but doesnt want to go to sleep just yet. Soooooo were just gonna hang out for a while longer I guess. Im hoping for sleep real soon......................... |
posted by angelwings
@
5:07 AM
|
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, June 12, 2007 |
|
Bradys eating!
|
Okay,as many of you know,Brady takes lamictal,keppra and topamax for his seizures. Well he had mono last year and quit eating shortly after. He hasnt started back eating,and has been living on pediasure. He goes days at the time without eating anything at all,then only eats a couple bites. We changed some meds at Christmas,thinking it could be the topamax causing the lack of appetite,of course it was a huge mistake. He had a big seizure and his appetite didn't increase. So hes back on all the meds and doing fine with seizures,but has had no change in appetite until this week. I put him on vitamin B-6 about 4 days ago,per suggestion from a fellow Angelman parent. She explained that any child on keppra should be on B-6 for aggression. I cant see a lot changes in behavior just yet,but his eating has increased so much. He ate an entire can of yams tonight and just seemed he couldn't get enough!!! He ate some taco salad this afternoon,and hes always hated meat! Last night he ate 3 bananas and pitched a fit for more. He then ate a plate of mac and cheese for supper. So anyway hes doing really well,he went to bed with a full tummy and totally relaxed from a swim. Hes sleeping in his room,in his bed,whooo hoooo!!
I did however catch him chewing on the foam padding on the floor last night,so I guess its going to have to be replaced for his safety. Anyway of you have any good ideas on good Angelproof flooring,lol....... |
posted by angelwings
@
12:58 AM
|
|
|
|
|
Friday, June 08, 2007 |
|
Bradys day.
|
Well Brady has had an exciting day today. He didn't get in bed until about 7am this morning,he decided to pull an all niter. About 4 am,his brothers 4 wheeler alarm started going off,so I went out to check on it and it seemed ok,but was shrieking. I couldn't figure out why it was alarming until I walked past Brady's room to see him chewing up the remote to the 4 wheeler.
Well we were up at maw maws today and Brady decided it would be fun to turn his stroller over,with him in it of course. His arm was pinned under it and he fell face first into the ground with the stroller on top of him. I think he was in shock at first because he didn't make a sound. But once I got him up he screamed. Anyway his arm and face turned out to be ok,just a little bruised. So tonight he was in his room playing with his brother and a friend. Well his brother and the friend left him in there. I noticed Brady was really quiet so I went to check on him and found him eating stuffing out of a bean bag chair. It was all over him,the bed and the floor and of course he thought it was funny. So I called the doc and he said call poison control. I explained to them that he couldn't talk to tell me if or how much of the Styrofoam he had eaten. Anyway they said to watch him for any signs of a tummy ache and make sure he is pottying like he is supposed to. He seems ok at the moment though,hes ripping into the smores maker,have to go for now!!!!!!! |
posted by angelwings
@
8:11 PM
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ode to Special moms.
|
Okay I know I posted one essay already,but I have to post this poem as well. I do want to say,that it isnt just for us moms,its for you dads too. I know that you deserve the credit just as we do and by no means would I ever want to leave you out. Anyway enjoy.
Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit. This year, nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children.
Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen? Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting His instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a giant ledger. "Armstrong, Beth, son, patron saint, Matthew. Forrest, Marjorie, daughter, patron saint, Cecilia. "Rudledge, Carrie, twins, patron saint, give her Gerard. He's used to profanity." Finally, He passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child." The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy." "Exactly," says God. "Could I give a handicapped child to a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel." "But has she patience?" asks the angel. "I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it. "I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has his own world. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."
"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you." God smiles. "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness." The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?" God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a childless than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word.' She will never consider a 'step' ordinary. When her child says 'Momma' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset to her blind child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations." "I will permit her to see clearly the things I see . . . ignorance, cruelty, prejudice . . . and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side." "And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel, pen poised midair. God smiles. "A mirror will suffice." |
posted by angelwings
@
7:34 PM
|
|
|
|
|
|
God Lives under the bed.
|
Author unkown.
Just thought some of you might enjoy this story,thought it was great.
"I envy Kevin. My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night. He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, "Are you there, God?" he said. "Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed..." I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in. He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them. I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed. The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied. He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores. And Saturdays-oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. "That one's goin' to Chi-car-go!" Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights. And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips. He doesn't know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be. His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax. He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue. Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God. Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an "educated" person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion. In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap. I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care. Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God. And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed. Kevin won't be surprised at all! " |
posted by angelwings
@
7:15 PM
|
|
|
|
|
Thursday, June 07, 2007 |
|
Big boy!!
|
Ok guys,Brady is finally gaining some Independence,and we are so very proud of him!!!! First of all,he slept all night in his room,in his bed,by himself,whooo hoooo!!! I actually had to wake him up this morning. His daddy said he Brady woke up and looked at him as he walked by Brady's room this morning at 6am,but Brady just rolled over and went back to sleep,we cant believe he did that!!!
The other thing I wanted to brag about is that Brady just went in his room,pulled up and turned the light on so that he could play with his toys!!! He has never turned a light on so that he could play in a room,he always just acted like he had night vision or something,lol. Of course he didnt bother to turn the light out when he came back in the living room,lol.
Anyway,I'm so proud of his new found Independence. I know it might seem so small to some people,but it is really huge to us and we are so,so proud of him. Whoooooooooo hoooooooooooo,go Brady!!!!! |
posted by angelwings
@
11:59 PM
|
|
|
|
|
|
Learned a new trick!
|
| Brady learned a new trick tonight. I put him back in his room,after massive cleaning today. I took apart his bunk beds,took off the enclosed part,and he now has two separate beds to sleep on. But I did put up a gate so he cant get out,for his safety of course. Anyway,he is now standing at the door telling me off,flipping the lights on and off at a hundred mph. Not sure if hes having fun with it,or just trying to get his crazy moms attention,lol. Its strange how we are so proud of him for doing things that we would have never let our other typical son do. Everything is a new skill,and good OT,PT,or ST practice,lol. Oh well I guess we better buy stock in light bulbs,I don't think those are going to make it through the night at this rate,lol. I'm not looking for light switch covers,wish me luck! |
posted by angelwings
@
12:13 AM
|
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, June 06, 2007 |
|
Training mom.
|
Well I guess Brady is finally get me trained to his liking these days,lol. He just brought me his cup and I was reading something on the puter,so I just sat there holding it while he was telling me off. So I guess he figured I was an idiot and he was going to have to spell it out for me,so he went and got an empty can of pediasure out of the trash and brought it to me. He was holding it up like,look mom p-e-d-i-a-s-u-r-e,duh!!
Brady also stayed in his room,instead of our bed,all night last night. He stayed awake for fussing for a while,but he didn't cry,he just fussed to let us know he wanted out. I had the gate up so he could look out,but just couldn't escape. All in all,for his first night back in there,he done really well. I think its going to be much harder on me than it is on him. I didnt know what time this morning I finally went to bed. I just kept peeking in on him,to be sure he was ok. And of course if he ever got quiet,I was so afraid something was wrong. I know he needed to be sleeping,but the sound of his toys playing is just so reassuring. Its not just the seizures I worry about these days,its all the hidden things that Brady can get hurt on. He is interested in wall sockets,but if we put protectors in them,it just makes him want to play with them that much more. There are so many things,even though his room is nearly empty,that he can find to get hurt on in his room. I'm so worried that I might miss something. He does have an enclosed bunk bed,but I found an opening through the top to the top bunk,where he could crawl through and get stuck or get out. Of course if he did get out he would fall from the the top bunk and really hurt himself. So I'm disassembling the enclosed bunk today and going to try and make his room as safe as possible and just let him crawl free in his room at night. I'm sure he will show me something I missed later,lol.
Anyway thats about it for now,I will keep you posted. |
posted by angelwings
@
10:47 AM
|
|
|
|
|
Monday, June 04, 2007 |
|
Bradys day.
|
Well we had company today and they were all in the pool. Brady stood on the couch watching them out the window. He was a little sunburned from spending all day in the pool yesterday,so I really didn't feel comfortable having him out there in the heat of the day. Anyway he was pitching a fit to get in would walk with his hands flat on the wall,behind the couch,from the french door windows,to the window on the other side of the couch. He was so pitiful,but hey thats the first time that he has walked with his hands flat to the wall while side stepping,so that's a new achievement. I finally felt so bad that I took him up to maw maws,his favorite place to be. Of course the kids got back in the pool for 5 minutes after that,lol. We did put Brady in this afternoon after the sun had gone down a little bit. His dad said "hey,you ready to get in the pool?" and of course Brady started flapping and kicking and giggling. He then got down and crawled to the door to go out to the pool. Its amazing how much this kid loves water,lol. As I type hes standing there looking out the french doors at the pool,bless his heart.
Oh and as I mentioned before,Brady doesn't eat anymore,hes only drinking pediasure,but is still gaining weight. Anyway I asked him tonight didn't he want some cheese sticks and pizza to eat,well the turkey went and got me his cup for more pediasure,guess he was hoping for pizza flavored pediasure,lol. Well I'm out for now,keep you all posted on our progress. |
posted by angelwings
@
7:09 PM
|
|
|
|
|
Sunday, June 03, 2007 |
|
Bradys pool skills.
|
Brady is doing good these days. He is spending hours in the pool and is doing great. We made our pool 4 ft so that Brady would eventally be able to walk around in it and finally he is tall enough to do so. Anyway we took his floaties off a couple days ago to see how he would do without them and he done great!! He was walking all over the pool and using his arms to balance himself. He must have spent 30 minutes with no floaties and only went under once,were so very proud of him. He thinks hes so grown up these days. Its so hard to believe that our little Angel is 5 yrs old now.
Oh also,Brady will be going to the GI doctor soon,since he has decided that eating just isnt for him. We really dont think that there is a physical reason for the lack of appetite,but think it best to have him checked out anyway. I will be making him an appt for next week. Will keep you all posted on how that goes. |
posted by angelwings
@
7:47 PM
|
|
|
|
|
| |
