Dear Noah......you are enjoying summer so far!

I have not yet made time to make up a school schedule of events this summer.....but you are not unhappy about that. So far your days have been filled up with swimming and computer games, playing with me and going places. AND more swimming. You unfortunately got sunburned on your back Monday at the pool.....so you are going to be spending most of your time indoors the next couple of days. BUT otherwise you are having a good summer I think.

Saturday we spent time at Uncle Sonny's wonderfully magical place...as he invited us along with other relatives out to his house for a cookout and paddle boating. Everyone had such a wonderful time and the weather was gorgeous!

Monday cousin Audrey came over to spend the day and went swimming with you. You have also been swimming here and at Aunt Angela's big pool at her new apartment. You love the water though in one video clip I will post another time you did panic as you were drifting to the deeper end of the pool.

All in all I think and hope and pray your summer will be filled with many magical moments and memories you will treasure a lifetime!

I love you!

Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah.....your cardiology followup.....

Was Monday afternoon at Children's Medical Center. Your bicuspid aortic valve is about the same and the stenosis there is about the same; however, the leaking (aortic insufficiency) has worsened a bit. So the cardiologist is more worried about that right now than the stenosis or aortic valve itself.

You are going to have to go back in 6 months for another echocardiogram to see if it has worsened again or stayed the same. We will then go from there. I won't get into a lot of details now about things but you may face open heart surgery one day unless they can come up with a new way to do a couple of the surgeries you might one day have to have done. If it has worsened in 6 months we will start checking into options....and it sounds like they would try you on some medication first. BUT I would have to really do some research even on that....the long-term side effects...etc...before ever agreeing to something they could probably just go ahead and fix and get it over with. Time will tell. You did well but cried throughout the echo as you had a sore chest and stomach from swimming at your Aunt Angela's house Saturday night. You apparently fell on the concrete and hit your chest and stomach. Here I thought you had hit your knee.

We have been pretty busy so far this summer. I have not yet even had time to come up with a schedule for school work and field trips for summer and as fast as the months are going by I better get to it or summer will be all over before we know it!

We went to your Aunt Angela's to swim Saturday night and to see her new apartment. We had a really nice time there.



We have stopped over to see grandma C. We stopped in to see Audrey and Grandma and Grandpa L. on Monday on the way home from your cardiology appointment. Then while at Grandma C's house we got a call to come to the hospital as my aunt was there in really bad shape (she has cancer in her lung, spine and brain and now pneumonia and other infections). So we took grandma C. to the hospital and called some other family members to be there too. You did very well..being very quiet as she was in the ICU. You did entertain yourself a couple of times by going into the bathroom off the side of the ICU Waiting Area to flush the men's toilet. So there we all sat talking and every so often we could hear a "SWOOSH!"

You were exhausted by the time we left which was almost 2:45 a.m.!

We saw a gorgeous moon on the way home so we pulled off to snap a few.....



Yesterday we stayed home and rested up a bit...same today. I will have to mow soon. We will need to water the vegetables tonight and give the animals fresh water and seed.

I love you Noah.....As usual you have made some very amazing comments over the past few days and because I got behind and did not record them right away or jot them down I hope I can recall them to post here soon.

Meanwhile...I love you a lot.

Mommy
XOXOXO

OH! YOUR SCHOOL progress reports and tests! You are doing amazingly well. I will post your scores later...but you took the test for 4th grade and were in the ADVANCED level on Math and Reading...so I am less worried or wondering how you are doing now!

Oh The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Suess (read by John Lithgow) appropriate for us all to read!

Dear Noah.......you have been pretty sweet the last few days.....

I have not felt 100% and you keep giving me hugs and kisses....saying you hope I feel better soon.

The other night all you did at bedtime was come up to me and say "KNEECAPS".....and that was my hint you wanted to have a sleepover as your knees were hurting you really badly again. I thought it was cute you only saying "Mom....KNEECAPS!"

Yesterday after giving you a bath and you getting dressed...I talked about how you are old enough to remember to do many of these things all on your own without me prompting you each and every day....each time they need done.

You came out to the office and told me "Mom, I have 2 things to say. First I just brushed my hair for the first time in years!" which I about busted out laughing. Just the way you said it....so matter-of-fact....and it is so true! IT HAS been YEARS since you brushed your hair. Your hair though is normally short enough it does not require brushing.

You said you just wanted to see what it FELT like.

I forget now what the second revelation was.

Today is more rest for me. I feel very lazy when I do nothing for the entire weekend.

I love you very much Noah! We missed going to a family reunion on Sunday because I still did not feel well...but when I asked you what you would miss about it the most....you said checking out the bathrooms and swinging. SO I told you I can take you to the park where the reunion was held anytime to do those 2 things. You then added of course to play with Audrey or Wesley if they were at the reunion...which I found out they were. You also wanted to go to uncle Sonny's again soon.

Love you but I am going to lay back down for now....

Mommy
XOXOXOXO

Check this out.......I can see so many ways this could be used to help autistic kids learn social skills too!

The technology being developed in the video world today is amazing. Check out this video clip of technology already available.....and think of the LIMITLESS possibilities this means in the virtual world of interaction!

Dear Noah......"can I sleep with you tonight ..my kneecaps feel funny"

That is what you came out and asked me at bedtime. I turned around to you and asked, "What? Your kneecaps feel funny. What do you mean?" You proceeded to tell me that your kneecaps had a funny feeling in them which would go away 100% in MY bed but only 50% in YOUR bed. I asked you to describe the feeling.....and you said it was sort of a pain....and when it was really bad....that is when you always asked to sleep in my bed as sleeping in my bed gave your kneecaps MORE LOVE which made them feel better pretty quickly. You said your kneecaps felt like they were pressing down on your legs really hard or moving and you had to move your legs. I imagine this is restless leg syndrome as I have that myself...and you may be experiencing that or growing pains or finally starting to have Osgood Schlatter's as your dad and half brother both had that when they were growing up (which is basically just more growing pain stuff that will go away). I imagine your extra activity with swimming and running and jumping in the pool brought this all on this time as I have never heard you mention your legs feeling like this, but maybe one other time. Plus combine all this activity with your severely flat feet and fallen arches....well...I imagine it is a blessing you can walk! The cheaper orthotics I purchased for your shoes do an okay job, but are not bringing up your foot as well as they should. Your feet feel better in them but are still not corrected 100%.

I did think the entire story and the way you presented it....so flawlessly and technical ...so matter-of-fact for something that sounded so silly and yet I know your legs did really bother you last night.

So you had a sleepover in my room last night. I think we both slept pretty well as I was so tired and it was raining.

Today we have to finish part 2 of the Scantron testing...(here all this time I had been calling it SCRANTON tests when it is SCAN TRON - SCANTRON tests....haha). The math portion last night was horrendous.....asking you all sorts of questions on things you have not yet even studied. I think they may have assigned you the wrong test. I emailed the teacher asking.

You are more more fascinated again with air conditioners and furnaces along with pop/soda machines. You wanted me to renew your membership to 3D plans so you could do more designing and building of commercial buildings using their plans as they were the only ones who offered all the air conditioner units and more toilets and soda machines and furnaces. I guess your other home design program is more limited.

SO you will be busy on that today and finishing up some school work and those tests.

I love you...hoping your little "kneecaps" feel the love today and are much better!

Mommy
XOXOXO


and now for a little more information on Osgood Schlatter's disease:

Osgood-Sclatter's Disease (OSD) is a painful condition occuring in children,adolescents and young adults. The pain is located at the knee which can be brought on by repetitive motions such as jumping, squatting and high impact activities. Location of pain is often focused a the insertion of the patellar tendon onto the tibial tubercle. OSD Symptoms usually begin during periods of increased growth and tend to subside as bone maturity is reached. Bone abnormalities at the patellar tendon insertion area can be detected with routine x-ray. Often without x-ray, the bony insertion area will be identified with an increase in size and will form a "bump" on the front of the knee. Treating OSD is generally always conservative with emphasis on reducing pain and swelling with cold compress therapy, anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS). Once pain and swelling have been controlled, increased flexibility and strengthening exercises for the hamstrings and quadriceps are installed in a pain free range of motion (ROM). In some cases, soft bracing and activity adjustment may be prescribed.

Noah's first official swim day 2009 - Saturday, May 23

We got the pool outside and Noah had a great time although I am sure the water was a bit chilly. Here are a couple of photos and clips....

Dear Noah.....the swimming pool is inflated and filled......

and hopefully the water will warm up enough you can swim today. This is a large pool that I decided to blow up by myself in my bedroom (first mistake) as I could then barely get it back OUT of the bedroom to take down the hall and outside. We finally got it outside....and we filled it up yesterday...then I realized there is NO DRAIN hole in it.

NOW I have to drain this pool and move it every so many days so I won't kill the grass......so this will not be so much fun when we get to that day.

BUT...otherwise you are all about wanting to go swimming...

You have also been requesting "COMFORT" -- Every day now you ask if I will come and "comfort" you in the morning when you wake up...sometimes during the day you ask for more "comforting." I finally asked you what exactly COMFORT meant to YOU and you said "when you come in the morning and lay down with me in bed....or keep me company in my room, " and I said "oh you mean like just being with you and snuggling up with you." OF COURSE that is comfort.....I figured that is what you meant.

SO I have been giving you lots of comfort lately.....as I stand back and see you growing up so fast.

LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Mommy
XOXOXO

Dear Noah.....you lost another tooth.....

which is good as you have about 6 the dentist said that were ready to come out or about ready to come out. The tooth fairy left you 3.00 for it.

School is plugging along. You still have a little under 60 hours to get in before the end of the official school year June 11.

I had a few things to write about earlier today.....thought they would make a nice post...but I did not have the time then. Thought I would wait till tonight and now I cannot remember what it was I wanted to post. That is terrible.

AND you still have a few more visits for Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy....they forgot they were to go by the school calendar year of the school you are officially enrolled in now. DUH.

Monday we had a good day but were super busy. We also went to the park to check out the pool and we walked a lap around the track. I also let you play at the park for awhile. I mowed and well we did a lot of things. We sat outside at night at the patio table and you asked if we could do that a lot this summer and I said sure...weather permitting.

You wanted to get a new swimming pool so we did that. I should have filled it today but I had no time. It has been in the 80s and will be for a few days. You are hoping your cousin Audrey will be able to come swimming with you.

Otherwise..my brain tonight cannot think of what I wanted to say. It seemed it was something profound..or profound to me......about you. Guess if I think of it later I can make another post. I guess at nighttime I will have to start making posts ahead of time and scheduling that they get posted each day. I never seem to have much time to do this otherwise anymore though I still get here and make posts.

We are thinking about getting a tent and camping out in the backyard....and also taking the Coleman Inflatable bed out back and watching the meteor showers when they roll around again this summer.

Here is a picture you took of us in the office area last night.



I love you!

Mommy
XOXOXOX

Dear Noah...I found out.......

that even if we plug along on with school studies till we get completely caught up with the school calendar year along with everyone else (and not go by when you actually started school as your year is not up till first week in December).....you would not get credit for any hours we actually put into all that work towards next year's school hours.....you only get credit for hours put in during the school calendar year....which ends June 12. So anything over the required total 920 hours is just extra and will not be allowed to be counted towards next year's 920 hours...even though you can make your own school year calendar and do school whenever you want. So....I guess I can keep a log and mark stuff off later to get the credit.......or just wait and pick school back up again in the fall along with everyone else. Problem with waiting is you will be 3 months behind starting fifth grade work in some subjects then.....(but you are already doing fifth grade language arts stuff all year this year so I guess it makes no big difference).

So.......I am debating now about progressing too far as I want you to have some time off this summer and not get too burned out and then also rushed to get done before the new school year begins. I think we will skate through it instead over the summer adding a lot of fun things to do and field trips......and pick up again to finish in the fall.

You have had a lot of headaches lately.....not sure why. I know you have been super picky about eating and not eating very much as everything seems to smell funny to you and make you gag or taste funny to you and you can't eat it. You are down to ZERO cookies too now as they have been bothering you to even eat those....

YOU DID agree to eating some healthier foods the other day. After a long talk with you again about how unhealthy fast food is for you and the fact that they even put chemicals now in the paper fast food is wrapped in that can cause cancer....you have not wanted it as often which is good. You have not eaten at our local Burger King (your old favorite) for MONTHS. You refuse to go since you had a bad experience there twice in a row where the french fries were old or cold...nasty leftover things they looked and tasted like. So your choices are dwindling. I told you...you needed to try more new foods and healthier choices so you could live a long full healthy life. Avoid disease...etc.

SO you agreed to some grilled chicken......and apple slices and carrot slices. YES you read that right. APPLE slices and CARROT slices. You only ate 3 little slices of carrots and about 4 apple slices but I was thrilled and you DID like them although you said the carrots did not really have much taste.

We have been busy (or I have) reorganizing the garage and house...and we realized when you got a notice from the local library that we had checked out all the kid books with YOUR library card last time....and they are all overdue since when I renewed books I apparently only renewed the ones on MY card forgetting entirely you had a card and had checked out 17 books that are now.....TWO WEEKS overdue. WHY the library waits so long to send out a notice irritates me too.....especially for that many books. It will be around 10.00 to pay that fine unless I fight it.

You have a new obsession/interest.....old soda pop machines. You are even drawing them......as noted above by the drawing you did on your Doodle Pad.

Anyway.......you stayed up late last night so are still sleeping in. You are off school today as I have you on my schedule.

Today is your last day for occupational therapy this school year. You have 2 more speech therapy visits.

We have lots to do. You wanna come help mommy mow today? I could put you on the smaller battery mower!

LOVE YOU!

Mommy
XOXOXO

Dear Noah......getting you to do school lately has been very difficult!

Last night I decided to let you have a sleep over in my room....as today is trash day and since your bedroom faces out front the trash trucks can sometimes wake you up way too early.

I changed all our sheets yesterday....finally removing the winter flannel sheets and putting on nice cool summer cotton sheets instead. I also flipped our mattresses and washed the bedspreads.

So last night when you crawled into bed you said "the sheets smell like my daddy," and "I miss my daddy" and then "I really want my daddy."

I smelled the sheets and did not think they smelled like anyone in particular, but just fresh sheets.

However you could not fall asleep.....tossing and turning.....30 minutes later it was almost 11:30 p.m.....and you told me you could not fall asleep. You were busy thinking about your dad and wondering when he was going to come in for a visit.

I decided to grab the cell phone and just call him and let you talk to him real quick and tell him what you had been thinking about.

The first thing you said to him after he asked you what you were still doing awake was "WHEN are you going to come for a visit?" and then "Maybe you could come during the week of the fair in August"....."I thought maybe Father's Day too but that is too close for you to get the money to come."

I told your dad what you had said about the sheets and how you had been missing him and wanting to see him....etc. I have to say he seemed happy to hear it all but then also seemed to really be more formal with you and rush you off the phone. Maybe because he was at work or something..not sure as he has sometimes done this to you before though I am not sure he is aware of it. The comments he made back to you sounded almost rehearsed for anyone in the general public rather than his own son. I am not knocking him ...it is just what it all sounded like and it seemed so obviously plain and apparent to me last night listening to him talk to you on speaker phone.

Anyway.....I thought it was all very sweet and the fact that you are expressing your feelings so well is huge progress for you.

I love you......hope you sleep in this morning and the trash trucks don't wake you up!

Mommy
XOXOXO

Happy Mother's Day to my mom....2009 (we love you very much)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I think this is one continuous loop......and will just keep rolling mom......but we love you lots...always will. Hope your Mother's Day this year was especially good since Chris got to come up too for a visit.

Dear Noah.......busy busy busy......

For we have been lately. Trying to remember to squeeze school in the mix makes us even busier!

Your uncle Chris was up from Florida for a few days this past week so we enjoyed getting together to see him. You did pretty well but did have some issues on Friday while there ...things were said....we left.....you learned....and we all move on.

For Mother's Day you wanted to take me to the antique mall on Saturday and then to dinner at Fazoli's. You had a coupon so were able to get us both dinner for under 6.00. You also gave me a nice musical Snoopy card you picked out and bought yourself.

We had a nice drive to the antique mall....and a very enjoyable weekend. I had a lazy day reading and sleeping on Sunday.....and then we topped that off by visiting with grandma C. Sunday night taking her KFC for dinner.

Today we will plant some vegetables in our backyard flowerbeds .....and you want to spend most of the day then on your computer while I work inside the house and garage rearranging all the storage boxes and hopefully finishing this room.

I love you Noah.......very much.

Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah.....grandma C. has her heart cath today....

I am finished with work and will be waking you up soon so we can go down to the heart hospital to be with her and some other family members.

I will update here later I hope.

Any prayers for our grandma C. would be greatly appreciated.

I love you Noah!

Mommy
XOXOXO

Before even thinking about getting a flu shot....you should reread this......

CLICK on title to go read a past interview about 1976 and a previous swine flu scare and tactics used to pressure people to get flu shots and then what happened to thousands after receiving the flu shot.......

Dear Noah.....it has been a little difficult getting you back into the swing of school......

(Noah when we still lived in Colorado playing doctor)

but we are plugging along.

In the mornings now you come into my office and sit on my lap and hug me. We have a silly routine we go through where I say good morning to you and then ask if you had any dreams and you always say "I can't remember any." This is all very new and progress because in the past when you would get up you would never say a word....or come into my room....but instead stand silently behind me or sit in the hallway. I would sometimes also not say anything to see how long it would take you to realize you should say something to let me know you were up....but you never would. You could sit there forever unless I said something to you first. SO I explained to you that when you get up in the morning....if you were coming to "greet" someone good morning.....that it would be appropriate to at least let that person know you were there. Say good morning..etc. SO now you do. AND you come into my room AND sit in my lap for awhile.

Well the other morning you came in....and you hugged me and on your own without prompting you told me you loved me. AND then I laid my head on your chest and you hugged me and my head and said "aw I love you even more when you lay your head on my chest like that."

You are sweet...and a snuggler. Hopefully I can keep this in mind as I try to ignore your rolling eyes when I say it is time to do school later today!

I love you Noah......very much.

Mommy
XOXOXOX

Dear Noah......Bear's Mill and Young's Dairy Farm.....

Sunday we took a trip to BEAR'S MILL and did a self-tour learning about how they mill grains. We also stopped to view the waterfalls.....and snap a few pictures.

Monday I decided to take us on a trip to YOUNG'S DAIRY FARM....I forgot my memory card was not in my camera so I could only snap 3 photos...here they are. We played two 18-hole courses of miniature golf and looked at the animals in the petting area. You also climbed on top of some tractors testing them out for size. Lots of walking....gorgeous day but all in the sun. I think you had a little too much sun.

We came back and then mowed the grass. You pushed around the smaller battery-operated mower as I pushed the gas mower. I keep telling you I can charge it up so you can really mow if you want to one day. SO far you don't.

Then inside for bath time and movies.

You were exhausted by the end of the night.

As you fell asleep in bed you said to me "Mom, I hope we can have another day like this the next Monday I don't have occupational therapy." I told you we would.....and would have MANY more.....with summer coming up and therapies stopping during that time...our Mondays and other days would be freer.

I love you Noah. I am glad you had a good time with your mom.

Here is a clip I gave to my dad of the falls to load on his You Tube account:



Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah........testing week is OVER!!

AND you feel you did pretty well. You had 3 days of tests..for reading, math, and writing. You did very well on all 3 days except for writing..where you still did well but had an extremely emotional day....crying in the car before we even went in......as you sat and thought about all the things you MIGHT be required to WRITE. ONCE in for the test the teacher told me afterwards....you also had a few moments then. You lost it and cried once in the room......very upset with the amount of writing you were going to have to do. SO she took you for a break and walk...and you got yourself composed.

ALL 3 days it never took you more than 1 hour to finish the tests. So we were in and out pretty quickly.

One day we stopped at a McDonalds on the way home for lunch you had been wanting to go to again. It is one your dad takes you to when he comes in for a visit. The photos are from there.

Otherwise.......test week is over and I am thankful.

I love you!

Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah........your first state test ........

was this morning for reading. You were done in less than 1 hour. I hope and pray you did well. You said you thought you did. Wednesday will be Math and Friday will be Writing. When we left it was pouring down rain...we got soaked just walking back to the truck. We stopped in to see grandma and grandpa L on the way home. Then you wanted to hit up their local Super Wal*Mart to check out their bathrooms.

You got another Sonic the Hedgehog plushie from ME for Easter....her name is CREAM....and you are in love with her.



Yes....you carry her around....kiss on her.....tell me you are in love with her....that she is your DREAM QUEEN CREAM! You took both the girl plushies to bed with you the other night with a HUGE smile on your face...asking me if I saw you when I checked on you later.....KISSING on Cream as you were "making out with her."

You said you liked both Amy (another Sonic character) and Cream but you were going to sleep beside Cream as she was YOUNGER....I guess more your age whereas Amy would be more like a teenager.

I have since noticed you a few times...lying around on the sofa with CREAM in your arms......or your lips plastered to her stuffed ones.......

I quietly reminded you that if you ever got a real life girlfriend at your age you would NOT be allowed to be lying around kissing and loving all over her.....not until you were much older and really understood what was going on!!!

You just laughed and grinned and held "CREAM" up against you even tighter.

Yeah....you are very much .......a boy!

(turning into a young man right before my eyes!)

I love you very much Noah!

Mommy
XOXOXOX (your monitor)

gratefulness...