HOT WEEK!

This week was a very HOT week. It was awful and I'm glad it's cooled down now.

Monday, August 21st:

Josh headed to work while Theo rode the bus to school. He still loves the bus and waves at it when he sees it approaching. It's adorable!

[I guess Theo is ready for a Disney cruise!]

Theo had a great day at school! Everyone was so excited about his energy!

[I don't know how people can live in The South where it is like this all summer]

Josh is loving our new air fryer! He's gotten really good at preparing the salmon and asparagus! 

Theo had eight observable seizures today.

Tuesday, August 22nd:

After I sent Theo to school I headed into the basement to workout. Then I went to get my allergy shots and to run a few errands. One of my favorite places to wander around on a hot day is Costco!

[Look! It's my boy!]

Theo's physical therapists (Ms. Cody and Ms. Becca) and occupational therapist (Ms. Laura) got together and decided to co-treat one day a week. I'm so excited since it will give us a day off from therapy once a week.

Theo was LOVING all the attention and kept looking over at me to make sure I was watching him. He was very proud!

Theo had six observable seizures today.

Wednesday, August 23rd:

Theo headed off to school, Josh went to work, and I had a doctors appointment today. That afternoon Ms. Jen came over for feeding therapy. Ms. Jeannine Zoomed in and Theo did really well!

That night was the first Republican debate. Of course I watched. But I'm still annoyed that our election season is two years long 🤦‍♀️

I think we should all fly out to LA for this!

AND it looks like our Wednesday was even hotter than predicted! Thursday is supposed to be even hotter! And Morris (the hottest place on the map) is where Theo goes to school.

Theo had 18 seizures today. I don't know if the heat had anything to do with it. He had a few big clusters at school.

Thursday, August 24th:

After I put Theo on the bus I headed to Morris for my dental appointment. Everything looks great! 

Next, I headed to the dermatologist for my yearly full body examination. Everything looks good there too!

They have been working on communication at school. The ipad at school has a cool app where they can set up choices for Theo.

[Frozen vs Wheels on the Bus]

Theo hasn't been taking very long naps at home and with his increase in medication I was sure he'd have a hard time napping at school. Ms Jess set him up in the "quiet area" and made him all cozy. She said he slept for about an hour!

I told her I would send his headphones to school with his white noise and they can give those a try too.

After school we went to OT and Theo had a lot of fun! While we were there we received our first quote for Theo's bathroom renovation. I think I'm gonna be sick 😭

Theo had six seizures today.

Friday, August 25th:

After Theo got on the bus I headed to my favorite store, REI, to get some new boots and warm socks for our Iceland trip.

They are very comfy and will keep my feet warm and dry!

Theo colored a picture for his BFF! It's adorable!

After school I took Theo to PT at the pool! He still loves it!

Theo had 11 observable seizures today.

Weekend:

Luckily for us Josh only had to go into work for a few hours on Saturday. He had some LONG and hot days in the field this week. He definitely deserves a break!

[Tonies and toys]

[Seriously 🤣🤣]

Sunday night I had a conference call with my brothers so we could talk about our sibling trip to Japan in April 2025! It's gonna be awesome!

Theo's First Day of First Grade

Monday, August 14th:

We had a lot of rain come through today. Theo and I avoided most of it by staying inside (until we went to PT), but poor Josh had to work in it. The contractor has been trying to finish a large pipe section quickly, so they brought in more welders. As a result, Josh had to be the Chief AND a Welding Inspector. It was raining so hard that Josh had to use his jacket to protect the weld. 

I noticed this morning that Theo's right hand and his white shirt were covered in yellow! I couldn't figure out what was causing this until I examined one of his pom poms! The dye was coming off and turning him yellow! 🤣🤣

[New tubie pads for the new school year]

Theo had three observable seizures today.

Tuesday, August 15th:

Theo and I went and saw the Pediatrician for his 6 year/start of the school year check up. Everything went fine and they said they would sign all of Theo's paperwork and fax it to the school. Easy peasy!

After Theo's nap we went to OT and then to get my allergy shots. Ms Laura (OT) said that she is going to try to co-treat with Ms Becca (PT) once a week. If it all works out we may have one day without therapy!

Theo had five observable seizures today.

Wednesday, August 16th:

Theo and I hung out at home while Josh went to work. He's been working really long days and we are so grateful for him and his strong work ethic! 

That afternoon Ms. Jess came by to bring Theo and I our birthday presents! She brought me a bunch of Yankee Candle melts (love the smells) and she brought Theo some clothes and a new toy! Thanks Ms Jess!

Ms Jess stayed and observed feeding therapy with Ms Jen. it was nice for them to finally meet!

Theo had five observable seizures today.

Thursday, August 17th:

THEO'S FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE!

I got Theo ready and got him in his chair early so I could take some pictures. Theo was VERY excited to go on the bus and was very sad when I told him we couldn't go outside yet. It was POURING rain! If the weather is nice we will go on a walk in the mornings before the bus comes, but not today! Sorry!

[SOOO MUCH RAIN!]

He was sobbing by the time the bus showed up. I had a large umbrella, but we both got wet. Theo didn't care at all! He was so excited to see the bus and his friends!

After I got Theo on the bus I went and did a strength training video. By the time I was done the storm was completely gone so I went to run some errands. 

[That cloud looks like a claw!]

I picked Theo up from school early, so I could take him to the dentist. He's been going to the dentist with Josh and I every six months since he was born. But he's never had a cleaning - they usually just look in his mouth real quick for issues. 

I got him from school and then made the drive to Bite Sized Pediatric Dentistry in Frankfort. I gave him some meds from our Pediatrician to make him tired in the hopes he would cooperate. He didn't. But it was fine! The hygienist's left him in his chair and the two of them managed to get his teeth all polished. Then the Dentist came in and Theo was very nervous. She talked to him for a few minutes and told him that he was almost done. She did her exam and put "sparkles" (aka fluoride) on his teeth. She then said that his two front bottom teeth were getting a little loose. Once his six year molars come in the front teeth will start to fall out. She said that his teeth look great and we need to continue to do whatever we are doing! YAY! We'll see them again in six months.

[Theo slept the whole way home]

Theo had eight observable seizures today.

Friday, August 18th:

Theo headed off to school, Josh went to work, and I went to the Pediatricians office to pick up some paperwork. It usually takes 35-40 minutes to get to the Pediatricians office, but it took me almost two hours because of a deadly accident on the freeway. I was soooo awful. I cried when I saw the scene. I was just a mile behind the accident when it happened. So so tragic. 

Theo had another great day at school! Everyone is commenting on how much more awake he is!

After school I took Theo to PT at Ms. Becca's house. Ms Cody worked with Theo for 70 minutes in his life jacket and then she took it off for the last 20 minutes. Theo was in heaven! 

[He just loves to float and splash]

Theo had 13 observable seizures today. I knew they would increase when he went back to school, but I was hoping it wouldn't be this much.

Weekend:

Josh bought a air fryer and was very excited to cook sweet potatoes. They turned out pretty good!

Theo had three observable seizures on Saturday and two on Sunday.

Birthdays and New Stove

It's our last FULL week at home before school starts!

Josh had some LONG days at work, while Theo and I played at home and went to therapy.

Monday, August 7th:

Theo was in a mood today, so I tried to keep him distracted, but it was hard. After his nap we went to PT.

[Taking big bites!]

Tuesday, August 8th: HAPPY BIRTHDAY THEO!

Theo turned 6 today! He is so loved!

For his birthday he got some new tonies and a lot of fun toys. Thanks Papa, Grandma, and Grammy Suzi for the kind gifts!

Wednesday, August 9th:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Josh bought me two books that were on my wishlist and then he told me that another gift was coming from eBay. I saw a charge on the credit card for $38 from eBay, so I figured it was something small and inexpensive. I told him I was proud of him for not spending too much money on me like he usually does. Little did I know that a Cal Kestis Limited Edition Legacy Lightsaber was on it's way!

This will make a fine addition to my collection! I know! I'm such a nerd!

Thanks Josh! I love it and the books!

And thanks to my parents for more books and to Katey and Emily who surprised me with cupcakes! There goes my diet! I can't wait to see them in October!

That day Theo had OT and then Feeding therapy and a Zoom with his dietitian. Later that evening one of the contractors stopped by with his plumber to look at our bathrooms. We are still waiting on quotes, but the bathroom renovation is going to be a HUGE project! This contractor said he was also going to stop by with his "tile guy" in a few days and he should be able to get us a quote in the next week or so.

Thursday, August 10th:

Theo and I went to run a few errands and then I took him to OT. We hired a local lint remover guy to come clean out our dryer vent. He said it was super gunky and he was about to clean it out really well. Last thing we need is a house fire! We also had a visit from TruGreen. They are supposed to take care of our grass, but they don't do a good job. We have bare spots, weeds, and crab grass. The final straw was when they came to aerate the lawn. They gouged the lawn in multiple places. It looked awful! They did this same thing last year, but they came out to fix it, so we gave them another chance. I am so done dealing with them! 

Friday, August 11th:

Theo and I had another long day at home and then we went to PT. Theo was in a better mood at therapy, but he still got a little irritated. 

Even though Josh is the Chief, he has been watching the welders this week. Gotta put that expensive CWI certificate to use!

Saturday, August 12th:

Josh worked another long day, so Theo and I went to Costco. Usually Theo loves to walk around the store, so I figured it would be a nice outing for us. I was wrong! I went and got gas first and Theo had a melt down. He was screaming and crying while the van was parked and he wasn't able to recover before heading into the store. He cried the whole time we were in Costco. So I just grabbed a few things that we really needed and headed home.

[❤️❤️]

It's football season!

Sunday, August 13th:

We bought a new stove since our old one was really struggling. Some of the burners were melted and weren't putting out consistent heat. We did some research into induction stoves and even though they are pretty cool, they are really expensive. We decided to stick with gas. Josh bought a new stove, but it was just a couple inches too large for our space. He got a saw, we put up some plastic, and Theo and I went for a walk while he got to work.

[Old stove]

[Getting ready]

[Here we go!]

While on our walk we saw a giant snapping turtle (you can barely see it in the background). He was heading towards our little community pond. I'm sure he'll be happy there until the beavers try to build a dam again!

We walked around for 30 minutes and when we came home we found Josh looking pretty dusty!

There was a huge mess in the kitchen, but it was fine. We got our the vacuum and washed the dishes that were left out. 

After cleaning everything up, Josh installed the new stove. It fits like a glove!

[Perfect!]

Theo is still having around three to five observable seizures a day. I'm curious to see how he does when he starts school next week.