Oh Happy Day

Gabriel turned in some of his earned stars for a "special day." He wanted to go to the Children's Museum and after nap, he wanted to go to the mall play area. Here are the highlights of the day:

-Harvesting apples is hard work in the farm - just check out these videos:

It can sometimes be scary...

If you're not on your toes, you could miss it altogether...

And my favorite, if you're a little guy (look at Logan), you could get hurt when adults want to harvest....

-Gabriel and Logan getting soaked at the water play tables.

-Face painting - Gabriel is a kitty and Logan is a clown, or scary-clown when he makes monster noises.

-The ladies already love Logan. He played with two different girls at the mall and they both wanted to give him hugs and kisses.

-Gabriel spontaneously did the "Carlton" dance at the mall, I kid you not... I was just sad I didn't get a video.

Here's the rest of my happy day photos, enjoy!

Turning 4 = 4 Shots

My crazy, tool man turned 4 right before Christmas. We took him to his well-child doctor visit/check up. As he is now a "big boy", he will only get annual check ups - it's kind of weird not going to the doctor's office every few months, now that all the kids are getting bigger. I told him straight-up that I was not sure if he would get shots or not, but that I needed him to be a big helper and listen to his doctor. He was an A+ patient. Listening, responding (most of the time), and having a positive attitude throughout the visit.

It came to shot time, get 4 now and no more until you turn 12 or half now (2) and the other half next year. As we did with Krista, we opted for all of them now - much better for next year's kindergarten check-up. He made a pouty lip at the news, but promised to be strong. I could not have been more proud. He laid still, did not cry when they poked him - even as he tensed up for each shot. He got to pick out a prize for his effort and was told he was the bravest 4-year old they had ever seen. I think that made him proud of himself because he kept saying that he was "a brave boy" for the rest of the day.

The Results Are In...

After many pokes, prods, scans, anesthesia, cranky post-sedation wake ups, physical therapy sessions, doctors (at least 5), and evaluations -- we finally have a diagnosis or name to put to Logan's walking issues: Cerebral Palsy. The last MRI we did, which encompassed his brain with and without contrast, showed scarring all over with slightly more on the left side. It's a scary-sounding diagnosis, but much better than many of the alternative diagnosis's it could have been. The damage has only affected his legs, making walking difficult for him (although he still manages quite well) - another blessing is that it did not affect his arms/hands or cause seizures.

From here on out, it will mainly be physical therapy - as there is no treatment plan or possible way to remove the scarring from damage that happened most likely before he was born. Maybe additional braces to assist him walking, but we will know more as we talk again to the doctor and his physical therapist.

Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers meant for our family during this gray-period of not knowing what was going on. He is an amazing boy and this diagnosis will not change anything. We will continue to promote his strengths and assist his weaknesses, as we do with all of our children. He is such a positive, strong-willed individual and we are blessed to have him in our family.