Inniswood Gardens

We've had some growing health concerns regarding Isaac, so the last couple weeks have been very hard for us. Right now we are waiting to have some testing done on Tuesday, and then we will have a better idea of what we are dealing with. The concern is that he has developed gastroparesis, which is basically a condition where the stomach has a hard time emptying its contents. This causes stomach discomfort, vomiting, and diarrhea, among other things due to a decrease in fluids. It is a miracle we weren't in the hospital over the weekend. Times like these make us grateful for the g-tube because we are able to control what goes in despite what unfortunately, comes out. After phone conversations with the doctor, a visit to the doctor, blood work, stool cultures, and a visit to GI just in this week alone, the goal is to maintain hydration and next week work on rebuilding calorie and fat intake, and also have a gastric emptying test on Tuesday. By Sunday night it looked like our little man was disappearing before our eyes, but his energy is beginning to improve and by last night he was able to tolerate his required daily fluid intake. His GI has suggested a blend of almond milk, applesauce, a carbohydrate, and kefir, to work on getting his system back on track. We've had two days now of no vomiting and just pray that continues. 

For now, here are some pictures from the Inniswood Gardens in Westerville, Ohio. We had the chance a few weeks ago to visit my cousin who was in town from Florida. Due to my inability to sit still, I dragged everyone to three different parks that day. Inniswood won out as the favorite, followed by ice-cream, which was Isabella's favorite. 

Venturing away from the stroller and considering the rope bridge. Don't get all excited, it didn't happen--he started screaming right after I took that second picture.

Isaac was fairly unhappy, so we parked him in place while touring the small secret garden, and pretended he wasn't there. Sometimes, the less we acknowledge his existence, the happier he is. He's a very interesting child.

Road Trip

Last week, the kids and I (and Stella) went on a little road trip to Columbus. Three humans and one very hairy forty pound dog, all stuffed with their crap into in a Honda Fit is probably a pretty comical sight to see, but we made it. I love my little car, but some day, I'm going to drive a big truck--a GMC Sierra.

My kids are wonderful little travelers, so I don't mind a two or three hour trip on my own. Isaac usually passes out and sleeps the whole way, and Isabella usually talks to herself. The iPad and DVD player, are reserved for longer trips, so they aren't allowed to have either one on a drive to Columbus. I feel like there is a decline in children being able to entertain themselves--which I find an invaluable skill--if technology is always at hand, self-entertainment is a hard lesson to learn.

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to live in Columbus. It's where my grandparents live--so it's where I've always wanted to be. It makes me very happy knowing that Isaac and Isabella get to live right next door to one set of grandparents, and ten minutes away from the other set. In Isabella's words: "I love going to Oma's house, because then I get whatever I want." I suppose that is how one is supposed to feel with their grandparents.

Because blogger continues to be AWESOME, my pictures are out of order.

Our big news of the week: Isaac was accepted to receive a speech grant from Small Steps in Speech. We feel so blessed that this grant will give him the opportunity to attend twenty speech therapy appointments. Also, a few days ago, I finally made the decision to purchase the Touch Chat AAC app. I am still in the process of individualizing it for Isaac, but he is learning the program very quickly and I think it will be a wonderful communication tool for him.

If you have questions about applying for grants or finding a specific grant for your child, please let me know and I will be happy to help in whatever way I can. These grants are out there. It may take some digging, and definitely some time to write an essay, answer questions, and get documents from therapists/physicians, but it really is worth it. There have been a couple that we have not received, but so far, I've had more success than failure.