A Wonderful Day

Just spent the day with my cousins and my mom. My cousin Kris treated us all to a girl's day out. We saw Mama Mia (which was fabulous and much funnier and raunchier than I remember from the last time I saw it) and then dinner at Mortons. While we were there, dining on the most superb meal, the waiter gave me the nicest compliment! It was so unexpected, and made me feel so good! You just never know how the words speak can affect someone, but they can and they do. So, thank you to Rudy, our waiter, who made me feel beautiful. And a HUGE thank you to Kris , my cousin and one of my most cherished friends, for taking the time to make a special day for all of us. I love you girl! Don't know how I'd get through this life without you.

Big Boy Bike

Over Spring break, Nicholas mastered riding his bike without the training wheels! He was pretty excited, so we celebrated by taking him out and getting him a new bike - which he sorely needed anyway. His old bike was a present for his 5th birthday, and he's now 7 and a half, and he's about a foot taller, if not more so. He really was getting too big for that bike. So anyway - Here are some pictures of Nick - on the old bike when he took off the training wheels, and of the new bike, complete with snazzy new safety helmet! As an aside - Look at how short his pants are! I desperately need summer to get here so I can put him in shorts! I cannot afford to buy him pants again, at the rate he grows! He's only 7 and he's already outgrown the 8s, by a couple of inches! Oy.

One of the Scariest days of My Life

Two days ago, we got the boys up and started getting them ready for school when we found bruises all over EJ. There was one on his cheek, one on his chin, three on his belly and chest, 3 or 4 on his back, a few on his bum, and too many to count all over his legs. They were all uniform in appearance, and appeared out of nowhere. Robert and I panicked. We called and got him an appointment at noon. Neither of us would say what we were thinking, but we were thinking the same thing: Leukemia. We know bruising is one of the first signs, and we are always on the lookout for signs in Gabe. Leukemia strikes kids with DS at a rate 20 times greater than the typical population, so we are mindful of what to look for and if we saw symptoms in Gabe, we'd be prepared to deal with it. But not Elijah. We were completely caught off guard to see those bruises on our little tough guy.

I took him in, and the pediatrician was concerned as well, though she suspected another culprit, a blood disorder called ITP, which is not very common. She sent him immediately for blood tests and told us we'd have an answer by the end of the day. I took him to the lab and held him while they took his blood. He was such a trooper! He whimpered a little, but no screaming or crying. He really is a tough little guy. Then we went home and waited. Robert had come home to pick up the other two from school, but he was too nervous to go back, so he stayed home and we passed the time researching things on the internet (bad idea), playing with the kids, and I personally consumed about two dozen chocolate chip cookies (worse idea). (I am so not going to weigh in at my WW meeting this week.) It was the longest afternoon I can remember. The pediatrician finally called around 4:30. The good news is it is not leukemia, it is not ITP, and it is not anemia. Thank you God! The minor bad news is that we have no answers. The doctor wants us to keep an eye on him, and if the bruises appear again, or he has any other symptoms, to bring him back in. For now, we'll chalk it up to a freak incident and be grateful for his health. In retrospect, I have to say . . . it's just like him to give us this kind of stress. You can see it in his smile, he's a trouble maker! I'm tellin' ya, this kid is going to give me more grief over the years, heaven help me when he hits the teens . . . of course, I'll just be thankful I have him around to complain about.

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS!!

Anyone who knows anything about me will tell you, I am a true blue-and-gold blooded Bruin. My Bruins are playing in the Final Four again (no surprise there) and if all goes as it should they'll be crowned the victors come Monday night. What is especially exciting about this Final Four (besides having all #1 seeds) is that Kansas is also in the Final Four. Most of my husband's family is from Kansas and my father-in-law is a huge fan, so the possibility of a Kansas-UCLA matchup in the championship game is very exciting. So, in honor of my father-in-law, Bob, I thought I'd post some pictures of my baby Bruins sending the Jayhawks some support . . . for today only, of course.

World Autism Awareness Day

Today is the first official "World Autism Awareness Day" as decreed by UN resolution 62/139 and is one of only three official disease-specific United Nations Days. In honor of this day, I just wanted to share some facts about Autism:
* Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the world.
* There is no medical detection or cure for autism, but early diagnosis and intervention improve outcomes.
* There is no credible medical evidence linking vaccines to Autism.
* 1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism.
* 1 in 94 boys is on the autism spectrum.
* 67 children are diagnosed per day.
* Autism costs the nation over $90 billion per year, a figure expected to double in the next decade.
* More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with diabetes, cancer, & AIDS combined.
* Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases.