Hanger, Self Care, & Happy 50th Anniversary Magic Kingdom!

On Monday, September 27th, we headed back to Hanger to get Theo fitted for new AFOs and SMOs. It has been over a year since he got his first set and he has grown A LOT in the last year. Josh did a great job distracting Theo so the Clinician could get all the measurements. We will pick up his new AFOs and SMOs in three weeks!

[Josh distracts with his beard, while I prefer using technology]

Theo is continuing to work hard at school!

[Food play and working hard in the stander]

On Wednesday, September 29th, Theo had PT. Before Cody came over she asked if we wanted to go for a ride on Theo's tryke. I put Theo's shoes on and then we waited for Cody to arrive. Theo was VERY into his puppy and he didn't want to let him go. It was very sweet!

[He loves his puppy]

That afternoon I went to the dermatologist to FINALLY have the cyst removed from my back! I've had three dermatologist turn me away (they said they didn't want to leave me with a scar), but this one actually listened to me when I told her how much it sucks to sleep with a marble taped to my back and how I didn't care if I had a scar ("Oh no! There goes my bikini modeling career!").

The procedure was pretty quick and I was in and out in just under an hour. It only hurt when she numbed the area and I got a little nauseated when I could feel her tugging on my skin when she was putting in the stitches. After she got the cyst out she asked if I wanted to see it. I kinda did... It was pretty gross looking. She removed the marble-sized cyst, a piece of my skin, and the fat that was surrounding the cyst. I was surprised at how much stuff she had to remove.

They told me to wash the wound, put antibacterial cream on it, and then keep it covered with a large bandaid. I made an appointment to come back in two weeks to have the stitches removed. 

On Thursday, September 30th, I went and got lashes! Fun, huh?!

Friday, October 1st, was Magic Kingdom's 50th Anniversary! I am glad we were not there on the actual anniversary, but I'm excited to celebrate in December!

[Insane crowds!]

I've been taking Ningxia and Elderberry syrup daily. I REALLY don't want to get sick before we go on our trip in December.

On Sunday, October 3rd, we had a family Zoom to discuss the first week of our Neilson Family Christmas vacation! I was looking through the height requirements for Universal and I noticed that my brothers are too tall to ride one of the rides!

October is AVM Awareness Month. We are doing a fundraiser to help raise awareness and funds at the end of the month, but here is the link if anyone is interested in learning more about Theo's condition and the organization.

["People for Theo" and VOGM.org]

[Me with Theo before his first angiogram back in 2018. I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.]

One of the VOGM moms created this beautiful piece of artwork! It has the names of VOGM warriors from all over the world! It has also been turned into a t-shirt. All proceeds go to VOGM.org which raises money to help fellow VOGM families.

[Buy it here]

Theo also has a visual impairment and October is also visual impairment awareness month. 

It turns out I may have an adhesive allergy (or something). I tried a few different types of bandaids and medical tape and they both left itchy burns on my back. I definitely underestimated how rough this recovery process would be.

[Theo is currently obsessed with this ball. It has replaced Beat-Bo as his favorite toy!]

Spirit Week at MPC & Fall Festival in Naperville

This week was "Spirit Week" at Theo's school. Every day they had to wear something specific and on Friday they had a dance party!

We've been working on having Theo wear a mask for when we come across situations where there are no exemptions. It's been hard, but he's doing better.

On Monday, September 20th, it was "Football Jersey" day at school. I tried to get a picture of Theo before school, but he was NOT in the mood.

Nor was he in the mood after school....

[Theo with his teacher, teacher assistant, and aid at school]

But when dad came home Theo was REALLY into taking pictures! Go figure!

And look what popped up on my camera from THREE years ago! They are too cute! GO PACK GO!

On Tuesday, September 21st, it was "Hawaiian Shirt" day aka "Harry Potter Goes to Hawaii" day!

Theo has been working really hard on his sensory assignments. He was very into making noise with the beads and bells.

Josh set up camp in the basement, so he could have a quiet place to study (and work).

Wednesday, September 22nd, was "Farmer Shirt" day. I think we nailed it!

Thursday, September 23rd, was "Minooka Blue" day. I dressed Theo in all blue and he blended in nicely with his blue wheelchair!

On Friday, September 24th, Theo had PT and then he had to "Dress Sharp" for the dance party at school.

His teachers said he had a great time at the party and was dancing a lot!

On Saturday, September 25th, we drove to Naperville to attend the "Fall Festival" at the Naperville Farmers Market. It was such a gorgeous day and we bought a lot of fun stuff!

I was really looking forward to getting more avocado toast from Mima's. They also had this amazing caramel apple toast, so we ended up getting one of each! The caramel apple toast had caramelized apples, marscapon cheese, caramel drizzle, and a pinch of flaked sea salt on a delicious piece of toast. 

[Raise your hand if you want a bite of the most amazing avocado toast!]

I could not get over how good this toast is! I NEED more please!

We also bought some fresh local honey and honey comb.

And a kit to brew some elderberry syrup.

After we got home, Josh decided he wanted to take the spare tire carrier off of the back of his Rubicon. Of course, it ended up taking a lot longer than anticipated, but he got the job done.

** Flash Back! This picture was taken exactly nine years ago! Nine years ago Josh was promoted to operator. It's crazy to think about how far he has come since then!**