And I'll leave you with this....Anthony eating his morning bowl of cereal, puckering up for the camera. He is really starting to be more affectionate and we are just loving it!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Kissy Face
And I'll leave you with this....Anthony eating his morning bowl of cereal, puckering up for the camera. He is really starting to be more affectionate and we are just loving it!
Great Deal!
I sent this to some of my girlfriends, and it's just too great of a deal to not share with everyone....so if you are super nerdy like me and into getting free things on the internet, here you go.
Go to this link, for One King's Lane, which is a website that has discounted designer brands
for the home - right now they have cool stainless steel water bottles and bamboo kitchen items that you can get for $0! When you sign up because someone referred you (me, using the link above) you automatically get a $15 credit that can be used for shipping too. So you have $15 to spend as you please - sweet! They always are having new sales with different items so if you don't see something you want now, just wait because in a couple of days there will be something new! So basically there is $15 for free for you! Great for hostess gifts or presents for coworkers or just something fun for yourself!
Go to this link, for One King's Lane, which is a website that has discounted designer brands
for the home - right now they have cool stainless steel water bottles and bamboo kitchen items that you can get for $0! When you sign up because someone referred you (me, using the link above) you automatically get a $15 credit that can be used for shipping too. So you have $15 to spend as you please - sweet! They always are having new sales with different items so if you don't see something you want now, just wait because in a couple of days there will be something new! So basically there is $15 for free for you! Great for hostess gifts or presents for coworkers or just something fun for yourself!
18 months
Anthony had his 18 month check up last week and he is doing great! He weighed in at 27.4 pounds (50-75%), was 32.5" long (50-75%) and his head was a whopping 50.75 cm (>97%).
Right now some of his favorite things are climbing, coloring, and playing outside. He loves other kids, and he still loves sleeping. He eats pretty well, though he still doesn't like fresh fruits and vegetables. He really loves the freeze dried fruits and veggies so his nutritional needs are being met that way. Anthony is very outgoing and very social in group situations. He loves to entertain us, and often puts on "shows" where he spins, dances, and shows us all sorts of other tricks he knows.
Anthony is just like his dad was at his age. Even the doctor noticed how he can get cranky pretty quickly and seems to have a bit of a temper....hmmm...I have no idea where he got that from! Our doctor said we can't change his temperament, but I can teach him patience, and she recommended a few books that might help. I might try using them on Jared too. Who says an old dog can't learn new tricks?! Love you babe!
Our little guy at 18 months is also WILD! He is so much fun, and so full of energy. Life is never boring around here, because I never know what is going to happen next. He requires my full attention, and I love playing with him. It would be an understatement to say that he wears me out! He saves most of his really wild playing for when Jared is home. When the horn beeps in the driveway Anthony starts screaming "Dada" and runs for the garage door. He just adores his dad (the feeling is mutual) and rough houses with him for the rest of the evening.
We are so looking forward to the coming months with all of the fun holiday activities. I know he is still so little, but he'll be able to participate and hopefully get excited about things like we do!
Right now some of his favorite things are climbing, coloring, and playing outside. He loves other kids, and he still loves sleeping. He eats pretty well, though he still doesn't like fresh fruits and vegetables. He really loves the freeze dried fruits and veggies so his nutritional needs are being met that way. Anthony is very outgoing and very social in group situations. He loves to entertain us, and often puts on "shows" where he spins, dances, and shows us all sorts of other tricks he knows.
Anthony is just like his dad was at his age. Even the doctor noticed how he can get cranky pretty quickly and seems to have a bit of a temper....hmmm...I have no idea where he got that from! Our doctor said we can't change his temperament, but I can teach him patience, and she recommended a few books that might help. I might try using them on Jared too. Who says an old dog can't learn new tricks?! Love you babe!
Our little guy at 18 months is also WILD! He is so much fun, and so full of energy. Life is never boring around here, because I never know what is going to happen next. He requires my full attention, and I love playing with him. It would be an understatement to say that he wears me out! He saves most of his really wild playing for when Jared is home. When the horn beeps in the driveway Anthony starts screaming "Dada" and runs for the garage door. He just adores his dad (the feeling is mutual) and rough houses with him for the rest of the evening.
We are so looking forward to the coming months with all of the fun holiday activities. I know he is still so little, but he'll be able to participate and hopefully get excited about things like we do!
Good Story
I was laughing about this the other day, and realized that in all the craziness around Anthony's birth I never posted this on the blog. Want to make sure we have it for the memories, so I'm posting it now, 18 months later.
Before the epidural, the staff warned Jared that he might feel a little sick while watching. Jared of course, being the tough guy that he is, ignored their advice and decided to watch anyways. As I'm getting the epidural (which I am totally tough through, by the way) I hear Jared go "I think I might pass out" so the nurse makes him sit on the floor, criss-cross style, and brings him apple juice to drink. Hahahaha!
Not quite as tough as he thought.
Before the epidural, the staff warned Jared that he might feel a little sick while watching. Jared of course, being the tough guy that he is, ignored their advice and decided to watch anyways. As I'm getting the epidural (which I am totally tough through, by the way) I hear Jared go "I think I might pass out" so the nurse makes him sit on the floor, criss-cross style, and brings him apple juice to drink. Hahahaha!
Not quite as tough as he thought.
Updates
Wow, well I certainly haven't been blogging much lately. With our new busy fall schedule and the fact that Anthony is now to an age where I get almost no free time at all, I haven't been online much lately. In fact, I have even given up facebook - haven't really been on there in over a month. So sad! I love keeping up with everyone that way, but it's just too time consuming and hardly a productive way for me to spend my time. Maybe one day I'll be able to pick it up again....
Wondering about the meds? Well I've experienced zero side effects on the Baclofen which is fantastic. Unfortunately, I'm not really seeing the benefits I'd hoped to. My spasticity is certainly decreased, but not nearly as much as I'd wanted it to. Oh well.
Exercises, you ask? Oh well I haven't been doing those. AH! I really need to do a better job of prioritizing my day. I have been seriously low on energy lately and I know that's due to the fact that I haven't been exercising. I hope to get back to it this week or next.
Haven't taken many pictures lately, I'll try to be better about that so all of you who are far away can see the big guy!
Wondering about the meds? Well I've experienced zero side effects on the Baclofen which is fantastic. Unfortunately, I'm not really seeing the benefits I'd hoped to. My spasticity is certainly decreased, but not nearly as much as I'd wanted it to. Oh well.
Exercises, you ask? Oh well I haven't been doing those. AH! I really need to do a better job of prioritizing my day. I have been seriously low on energy lately and I know that's due to the fact that I haven't been exercising. I hope to get back to it this week or next.
Haven't taken many pictures lately, I'll try to be better about that so all of you who are far away can see the big guy!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
To Find a Cure
Today I sat in on a webinar out of Boston University about the progress of clinical trials in the US, and how as a patient with SCI to best prepare yourself to be ready for the trials. The main things I need to do to be ready would include maintaining the proper weight, eating healthy, and exercising regularly. All areas that I could improve on most certainly. Also, standing was a pretty big deal as you'll need to be able to stand for long periods of time to be part of the trials. This area I've got covered. You see most people in a wheelchair haven't stood in a VERY long time, and when you stand up without having stood for a year or more you are likely to pass out because your blood pressure drops. You have to work your way back up to standing again, minutes at a time. I plan to continue standing regularly so that I'll be ready to go when they find a cure (if I'm not walking by then).
Dr. Wise Young from Rutgers and his team of neurosurgeons and scientists are about to embark on Phase 2 of their clinical trials, which is incredibly exciting. They are seeing some great success with animals, and really seem to be close to a cure. And when I say close, I mean 5-10 years out. In my life time. Wow. I know that I'll be healed one day, and it's great to hope that others can be as well.
What can you do to help? Donate just $1 (more if you can). It's super easy, every single one of you can afford it, and these clinical trials need so much money to proceed. Every dollar you donate on this website goes directly to supporting these trials. If the UW is in on these trials (they haven't announced the participating hospitals yet) you can bet I'll do my best to be a part of it.
I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually thankful that Obama became president for my own very selfish reasons. He lifted the ban on stem cell research which has allowed Dr. Wise to really move forward with his trials. It's too bad that so many people associate stem cells as killing babies and a list of other negative things. If you do your research you'll find out that certainly isn't the case at all, and many wonderful things are going to come out of stem cell research.
Dr. Wise Young from Rutgers and his team of neurosurgeons and scientists are about to embark on Phase 2 of their clinical trials, which is incredibly exciting. They are seeing some great success with animals, and really seem to be close to a cure. And when I say close, I mean 5-10 years out. In my life time. Wow. I know that I'll be healed one day, and it's great to hope that others can be as well.
What can you do to help? Donate just $1 (more if you can). It's super easy, every single one of you can afford it, and these clinical trials need so much money to proceed. Every dollar you donate on this website goes directly to supporting these trials. If the UW is in on these trials (they haven't announced the participating hospitals yet) you can bet I'll do my best to be a part of it.
I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually thankful that Obama became president for my own very selfish reasons. He lifted the ban on stem cell research which has allowed Dr. Wise to really move forward with his trials. It's too bad that so many people associate stem cells as killing babies and a list of other negative things. If you do your research you'll find out that certainly isn't the case at all, and many wonderful things are going to come out of stem cell research.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Lake Chelan
Steve and Kendra took us and Josh to Lake Chelan as a belated birthday gift...We did some wine tasting, spent a lot of time at the pool, and had a fun time visiting. And of course Anthony did a lot of napping. We stayed at the Lake House which was a beautiful resort and we'd highly recommend it. They had thought of absolutely everything to make sure our stay was perfect. The pool is heated to 80 all year round, and the deck is also heated, so it makes for a fun winter getaway as well. Thanks for the fun trip! Anthony is completely exhausted today!
Sharing his cracker with Uncle Steve. And yes, he does have a bit of a farmer's tan.
Waiting for his blanket to get out of the dryer
Throwing the dive ring
Snack time
Warming up - his body was so cold, but he just wanted to keep playing
slam dunk!
Anthony finally started liking the pool on this trip. We need to get him into swimming lessons soon!
Peeking at Uncle Josh through the tube
He loved this float!
Tug o' War with a coaster
Waking up Uncle Steve. He's checking out his little friend Cora too. He wanted to be wherever she was - surprise, surprise. He loves other kids.
Getting soaked with Uncle Josh. Josh's face is awesome.
So proud of himself. Do you love his little outfit?!
Sharing his cracker with Uncle Steve. And yes, he does have a bit of a farmer's tan.
Waiting for his blanket to get out of the dryer
Throwing the dive ring
Snack time
Warming up - his body was so cold, but he just wanted to keep playing
slam dunk!
Anthony finally started liking the pool on this trip. We need to get him into swimming lessons soon!
Peeking at Uncle Josh through the tube
He loved this float!
Tug o' War with a coaster
Waking up Uncle Steve. He's checking out his little friend Cora too. He wanted to be wherever she was - surprise, surprise. He loves other kids.
Getting soaked with Uncle Josh. Josh's face is awesome.
So proud of himself. Do you love his little outfit?!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Ouch
Anthony was running in the cul de sac with one of the neighbor girls and got bumped into, and hit the ground face first. The poor guy. He is such a trooper, he only cried for a couple of minutes and has been great about letting me clean it. I'm sure this is the first of many bad falls. We feel so bad for him - it looks just awful!
Fattoria
The cousins all love playing at the farm and had a great time this week while the Anardi's from Virginia were in town!
Born Cowboy
Anthony loves to feed the horses at Grandma & Grandpa's house, but we found out that he does not love to ride them. He was trying to get off from the first second he was on....rough life!
Visit from Pat & Ashley
My Aunt Pat and cousin Ashley came to visit last week, and Anthony had a great time playing with them. It was great to see you both -thanks for coming over!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The Walking Papers
I recently finished reading The Walking Papers by Francesco Clark, the founder of Clark's Botanicals. It was a great read, as I could relate to everything that Francesco was thinking and feeling, and found myself remembering things like my time in the hospital, first visit home, etc. It's a very interesting book that chronicles Francesco's life since his accident 7 years ago. We have so many similar feelings about life now, and it was nice to feel like I'm not alone in this, and like others with SCI are really thinking exactly the same thing I do. It was also amazing to see that he basically has had the same treatments that I have available to me here, and that what I'm doing is giving me the best chance for recovery. Francesco is up on all of the latest research and studies, and expects that there will be a cure for SCI in about five years. An inspiring book that I'd definitely recommend!
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