Minooka School Zoom, Ear Infection, and Developmental Specialist

Life has continued to be very busy for us here in Illinois. Theo started going to in-clinic, in-person therapy for OT and PT, but is continuing tele-therapy for Vision, Feeding, Speech, Dietitian, and Developmental. We have a pretty full schedule!

AND on top of that, Theo still had an ear infection! It didn't seem to bother him too much, but the puss and blood that was coming out of his right ear was pretty gross!

[Seriously!]

[Theo wanted to play the xylophone for Super Bear]

[Good job, buddy!]

Theo likes to sit in this box with a comfy blanket. A couple of his therapist suggested putting it on a scooter and pushing him around the house. He was pretty hesitant at first, but then Josh spun him around in circles and he decided that was fun!

[We got new bed rails for Theo's bed. They are huge and fit his bed perfectly!]

There are still BLM protest going on throughout the United States (and the world). People are still struggling to understand that Black Lives Matter.

On June 5th, we had a massive Zoom call with Theo's new school and his current therapist. It was a great meeting and I am so glad all of Theo's current therapist were there to support us. They just want what's best for him too!

After the meeting I received calls from the school nurse and social worker. They had me fill out a bunch of paperwork and they went over Theo's extensive medical history. I then had to fill out surveys rating Theo's "skills." He ranked extremely low on almost everything (100% delay for gross motor). It was very overwhelming. I try not to compare Theo to other kids, but that is literally what this survey was all about. I understand that they need to have a standard for testing these kids (I went to High School, I remember standardized testing), but it is still so hard to see his results on paper.

On June 9th, Theo and I were supposed to go to Peoria to meet with his Developmental Specialist, Dr. Sue. They called me the day before our appointment and said that we could do it over the phone! YAY! We talked for about an hour and she was excited about all the progress that Theo has been making over the last few months. Hopefully, we will be able to see her in person in three months.

[Theo "reading" his farm book]

[If Theo gets crabby, I just ask him if he want's "Poppy." He usually calms down and smiles, so I put on Trolls and he gets so excited!]

[Did I just jinx us?!]

Theo has been working very hard at PT, so they reward him with the swing. He loves to go big, high, and fast!

We've been having Theo sit with us at dinner time, so he can see us eat. We try to make it fun and make a lot of yummy noises.

["Are you serious, dad?"]

[Theo thinks he is a "big boy" and doesn't need a headrest. Here he is pushing it away.]

No matter what we do Theo is up at 5 AM. I don't get it. He goes down at 7:30 PM, sleeps all night, and then starts to yell out to us at 5:00 AM. He naps from 10:00 AM to Noon and the one time I cut out his nap, he was up the next day at 4:00 AM! UGH! I don't get it! If he takes an afternoon nap, instead of the morning nap, then he is up between midnight and 2:00 AM having a dance party in his bed.

[More food play]

[Putting his ball in "Buckety"]

[Meme mash-ups are life!]

[Happy boy!]

[If Theo gets really worked up, we put him in a tent with his music. He seems to really like the quiet time. Sometimes he can get overwhelmed by all the noise in the house.]

[Theo has been building up his tolerance and is standing in his stander for 30-35 minutes at a time!]

[Josh continues to work hard for us. Here is is sweet setup at work!]

Last Week of "Quarantine"

On Monday, May 25th, George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minnesota. It was all caught on film. We watched as the, now former, police officer dug his knee into Floyd's neck until he died. I've seen the video many times and it causes my stomach to hurt every time. Since the video was released there have been massive protest around the United States and the world. These protesters are demanding change. We need change. We've seen this before. We saw it with Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and countless others. It's heartbreaking. We can do better. I can do better. I'm here and I'm listening.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Theo has had a rough week. He's been throwing up a lot since we changed his Milk of Magnesia dose. As a result, he hasn't wanted to work hard and do his exercises. I don't blame him.

[Who needs a headrest?!]

[My handsome guys!] 

Friday (May 29th) morning I noticed some blood trickling out of Theo’s right ear. The fluid was pretty bloody and mucous-y. We took him to the Pediatrician and they think he has an ear infection, but they can’t get a good look because of all the gunky stuff in his ear. SOOOO Theo has been super crabby. I don’t blame him. His ear hurts, his tummy hurts, and he is just not in a good mood. Hopefully the antibiotics will help clear things up soon. 

On Friday, May 29th, Illinois entered Phase 3 of re-opening and the Governors "Stay at Home" order expired. We, of course, are staying safe, but are glad that things are opening back up. We have been under "quarantine" for 82 days. And yes, I know it's not a real quarantine (hence the air quotes), and we started our self isolation early because Theo got sick, but I'm ready to move forward (slowly and safely).

[Sitting on a stool]

We've been trying to make eating fun. So, we invited Theo's favorite guys over for a dinner party. Theo would hit his red button and it would say, "Baby Shark's turn," so Baby Shark would get some vegan cool whip. Theo would hit the button again and it would say, "Baby Yoda's turn," so Baby Yoda would get some vegan cool whip. You get the idea, right?

Theo is pretty smart! When the button says, "Mommy's turn" Theo watches me to make sure I take a bite!

But when it got to Bee-Bo's turn Theo was NOT having it! "NOOOO! NOT BEE-BO! That's my best friend!"

On Saturday (May 30th) we watched the shuttle launch! It was pretty cool! Space is awesome!

[On my way to my goal!]

I kept complaining about how loud our sump pump was, so Josh decided to upgrade the valve so it doesn't make noise any more! YAY! He also decided to add a back up just in case the first pump fails. We don't want our basement to flood!

[Before]
 

[After] 

[Poor kid has blood and pus coming out of his right ear. Ugh. He's not feeling well.]

[We managed to get a few things done this week]

On Sunday we had a huge Zoom party for my Aunt Lisa's birthday! It was so fun to see my family!

During our tele-therapy with Theo's OT we learned that she will be able to see him in the clinic starting on June 11th! YAY! We also talked to PT and they will be able to start seeing Theo at the clinic that week too! I can't wait!

As of right now we will be able to see PT and OT in person, but we will have to continue to do Feeding, Speech, Nutrition, DT, and DTV on tele-therapy. Hopefully we will be able to see them in person too, but we need to be patient and safe.