Spring Break in Minooka (and Peoria)

I thought it was a good idea to schedule a bunch of doctors appointments in Peoria during Spring Break, so Theo wouldn't miss too much school. 

I kinda regretted this decision, but the appointments were scheduled and we DO NOT miss appointments! 

On Monday, March 29th, Theo and I headed down to Peoria to see the ENT for his post-op check-up. Theo was pretty upset when the doctor looked in his ears, but they looked good and we don't need to come back for another six months.

[It's that time of year again!]

On Tuesday, March 30th, Theo went to OT and watched some videos that his one-on-one aid, Ms. Tammy, made for him. 

[Standing up super strong at his desk]

Theo has discovered the wheels on his KidWalk. He will scoot over to them and try to get the wheels to spin. I have to lock them now, so he doesn't get run over!

On Thursday, April 1st, Theo and I headed back down to Peoria to meet with the Genetics group. 

[Cuddles]

[Room with a view]

We spoke to the Genetic Counselor about our lack of results with the Exome Sequencing. So, she recommended that we all submit samples for a Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS). I signed the consent forms and the lab should be reaching out to us soon. We discussed the chances of them not finding anything and I am honestly fine with that. The doctors and therapist are treating Theo for what they see. We don't need an official name assigned to his condition in order for him to receive help. Even if we don't ever find out what caused Theo's condition, I hope that all of the information they gather from us will someday help someone else get diagnosed.

We also submitted our DNA to a scientist at Yale who is specifically researching VOGM and he hasn't found any causation either. Remember correlation does not equal causation! 

After we signed the paperwork the APN came in and asked if she could bring in some students to watch her examine Theo. 

"Of course!"

Once everyone had gathered in the room they took some measurements and asked if it was okay for them to document Theo's unique Port Wine Stains. Again, I said that was fine 🙂

Last week, my new niece, Hayden, was born. Congrats to Ryan and Kayleen on their new addition! Here's a cute picture of Ryan's second youngest, Cason, meeting Hayden. Super cute, huh?!

Speaking of babies, Josh's co-worker's wife gave birth to twin girls three months early. They will be in the NICU for a while, so I went shopping and got them a gift basket with a bunch of cute girl clothes!

[I'M DYING!]

On Friday, April 2nd, after PT, Theo and I headed back to Peoria to meet with the Orthopedic Surgeon. Theo has been spending more and more time in his stander/walker and we know that his right leg is a little shorter than his left, but we need to know by how much. The surgeon checked out Theo's legs and determined that his right leg is just 1 cm shorter. He recommends getting a small lift that we can put in Theo's shoe.

[Hiding from the doctor]

While we were driving down to Peoria I received a call from the Wheelchair Clinic. She told me that our insurance approved the Convaid Cruiser for Theo and it should be ready for pick up in the next few week! YAY!

On Saturday, April 3rd, I went to the vaccination site to get my second Moderna COVID-19 vaccination shot! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 

Thanks to the National Guard and Grundy County, I was in and out in 20 minutes (which included the 15 minute post shot wait time).

After I got home we went on a family walk to the neighborhood playground. It was a little windy and Theo didn't know how to handle that. He kept holding his breath and closing his eyes.

Theo LOVES to swing, but he's never been in a "baby swing" at the playground. 

I think he liked the swing, but we will have to try it again when it isn't so windy.

Later that night I decided to go for a quick run on the treadmill. Towards the end of my run I felt my body starting to tense up and I felt a little nauseated. A few minutes later the fever hit and it was time for bed. My fever lasted from 8:30 PM to about 3:30 AM. During that time I also had body aches and chills. I'm sure it was all due to my body rejecting the Bill Gates microchip, but I know this is all for the greater good 🤣🤣

I woke up Sunday morning, April 4th, with a pretty bad headache, which lasted most of the day. But my fever didn't return. Honestly, it wasn't fun, BUT I'm so glad I decided to get vaccinated.

Sometimes Theo roughhouses with Beat-bo and I have to put him in time-out. This time Theo noticed where time-out was and he headed over to the cubby to break Beat-bo out!

We are borrowing a dual switch for the next month and we are teaching Theo how to make choices.

"Do you want your car or Beat-bo?"

It didn't take him long to figure it out!

[Gotta hold his music]

AND FINALLY, on Monday, April 4th, we made our final trip to Peoria on our final day of Spring Break! But this time Josh was able to join us!

[And Puppy came too!]

First, we went and got Theo's blood drawn.

And then we headed over to get his ultrasound. With the help from dad, Puppy, and music videos, Theo made it through just fine.

After the labs and ultrasound, we headed to St Judes to meet with Oncology and Hematology. 

[Multitasking! Such a great father and Chief!]

The doctor told us that all of his test results look great and they will call us with the results from his ultrasound (everything was clear). Theo will have to go through all of this (bloodwork, ultrasound, and St Judes visit) one more time in September. After that he will have to come visit St Judes and get an ultrasound every three months until he is seven, BUT we are done with the bloodwork. YAY!

[Should I get this for Josh? He really is a trophy husband 🤣]

[This is 100% me, especially since Theo yells anytime we are stuck at a red light!]

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