Doctors' Appointments Week

It seems like we're having a zillion doctor's appointments this week. I need to start blogging the results, so I can keep track of them all!


Monday--Ryan to Dr. Moussa: Ryan went to see this doctor, who is a pediatric optometry specialist. Ryan didn't seem to have anything wrong with his eyes, but pre-term babies are sent for this check-up as a matter of course. Dr. Moussa says about 70% of premature babies have some eye problems. Luckily, Ryan is NOT one of them. His eyesight is developing just fine. It was interesting how the doctor used a Mickey Mouse pen to test Ryan's depth perception, hand-eye coordination, and tracking of an object; patterned and plain visuals to get Ryan to look one way versus the other; and put on a little movie for him to check his visual response. The real benefit we got from this appointment is for KEVIN. While we were there, I explained about how Kevin's one eye frequently wanders, and the doctor immediately offered to see him. He thinks he can help Kevin with his eye coordination, without any surgical intervention, which would be excellent. Kevin is going to see Dr. Moussa on August 16.


Tuesday morning--Andrea to Dr. Zanganeh: Andrea went to see the allergist for her first breathing function test, and the results of her RAST (peanut allergy blood test). First, he explained the RAST results. Well, Andrea's peanut allergy is NOT going to disappear as she gets older. Her results were still "off-the-charts" high, according to the doctor. She will need to carry an Epi-Pen her whole life. She can never have peanut products. Then, a nurse weighed and measured Andrea. Andrea is 45 inches tall, and weighs about 54 pounds. Finally, the nurse administered the breathing function test. Andrea thought this was fun because as she blew into the machine, it registered on the computer screen as if she were blowing out birthday candles! Her breathing function results were excellent--102%--so the doctor says he's very happy. She'll stay on the inhaler to keep her lungs in good condition. Dr. Zanganeh said good asthma control can lessen the severity of an anaphylactic reaction should she ever have one.


Tuesday afternoon--Andrea and Ryan to Dr. Hanson: Andrea and Ryan were both due for immunizations this month (Andrea for Kindergarten and Ryan for 6 months). Ryan's measurements were great: the doctor kept calling him a "big boy!" We didn't get his length, but his weight is about 19.4 pounds. He is quite healthy. Andrea's doing well, too. She was very nervous about her "poke" (shot), but she did fine--only a few little tears.

Wednesday--Kevin's Cast Removal: Finally, yesterday afternoon, we went to Met to get Kevin's cast removed. The machine was really loud, so Kevin cried pretty hard until the physician's assistant actually started cutting the cast off his arm. Then, he kept saying, "It doesn't hurt! It doesn't hurt!" The assistant had put the blade on my hand and Daddy's hand to show how it didn't cut skin, and how it just tickles, but the noise was too much for him. He was anxious to get out of there after the cast removal, but then we had a long wait down in the x-ray area, and had to see the doctor again after x-rays. Kevin was really good, all things considered. The doctor told us that Kevin's arm healed just fine, and that he might be a bit stiff in the right arm for a few days, but just to let him start using it at his own pace. The doctor also said the one benefit of breaking a bone at such a young age is that little kids heal so quickly, and they don't need formal physiotherapy after the cast is removed. We are happy about that!

Andrea's First (and/or Second?) Tigers' Game

Rod had tickets for Friday night's Tigers' baseball game at Comerica Park. Since it was Andrea's birthday, he thought it would be fun to take her to see her first MLB game, and take her on the kids' rides they have there.

The problem was that there had been severe thunderstorms all afternoon, and they were forecasted into the evening as well. About an hour before they were to leave, the sky cleared a bit, and we were hopeful the storms were over; however, just before they left, one of the most severe lines of storms of the day cropped up. They decided to go for it anyway, hoping the storms would blow over soon.

They made it over to Comerica Park no problem, looked around, took some pictures, and had some popcorn. Unfortunately, about an hour after they got there, the game was cancelled. Andrea wasn't too disappointed because they could go to the rescheduled game on Sunday night.

Here are some pictures Daddy took with his phone on Andrea's first visit to Comerica Park:

***

Thankfully, Sunday was a beautiful day and evening, and they had a great time at the Tigers' game. Andrea had a very hard time waiting until the evening, when they could head over to Detroit.

"Is it a long time, a medium time, or a short time?" (Andrea's favourite question lately)

Daddy reports that they had a great time. This time, the rides were open! Andrea went on the baseball ferris wheel twice and the tiger carousel three times.

They also had pizza, juice, and cotton candy for a treat. By the eighth inning, the Tigers were losing to the Blue Jays 4-2, and Andrea was worn out, so Daddy decided it was time to come home. Andrea fell asleep in the car on the ride home. Daddy listened to the rest of the game on the car radio, and amazingly, the Tigers made a comeback! The Tigers won 6-5.

Andrea and Kevin's Birthday Weekend

Friday, July 23: Andrea's 5th Birthday

Andrea spent most of her birthday at daycare. She was fine with that because she got to wear a special birthday crown her teacher made for her, and bring a movie for the class to watch after lunch. When Daddy got home from work, she opened her birthday presents from us: lots of clothes, a game for her Leapster 2, some books, and a Barbie styling head.

That night, Daddy and Andrea were heading to Comerica Park to see Andrea's first MLB Game. Unfortunately, there were severe thunderstorms all evening! They made it over to the Park only to find out, about an hour later, that the game was cancelled. The good news was that they could go to the rain-date game on Sunday night. I'll put up another post about that when I get the pictures from Daddy's phone!

Saturday, July 24: Party Day

It stormed all Friday night, and right up until about noon on Saturday. Then, the sun suddenly came about, and the day became beautiful for our outdoor party (although hot and humid). Andrea was SO excited for her party that I could barely keep her occupied until the guests started to arrive. We decided to take some pictures of her modeling her new outfit from Grama Marty and Grampa Rick to pass the time.

Grama Marty and Grampa Rick also gave them "Happy Birthday" candle hats for their birthday. The kids thought these were just great.

Kevin was partial to this blue balloon. Apparently, it made a good pillow!
***

The guests soon arrived, and we spent the first little while in the house, because it was so humid outside.

Ryan was happy to be passed around and given lots of attention (until he got tired--he wouldn't nap!). Here he's visiting with Aunt Angie and Grandpa Vic.

Papa took the other kids downstairs to play for a while. Andrea is hiding in the chair fort he made for them.

The kids were anxious to play outside, so most of us headed out with them. We had a slip'n slide set up, and a little wading pool, to help them cool down. Andrea and Izzy decided to get cool before going on the trampoline, which was a good strategy.



Andrea, Izzy, and Joshua spent lots of time on the trampoline. When they got too warm, they headed back to the slip 'n slide. It was a good system.

Hannah was testing the water with her hand, but she didn't spend too much time on the slip 'n slide. The water was cold!

Gram spent most of the party trying to coax Ryan to sleep. Each time she got him to sleep, when she tried to put him in his crib, he woke up and cried! (The poor little guy didn't get to sleep until about 9PM, after everyone left and Mommy had some time to relax with him.) Here's Gram with a hot, sleepy Ryan, trying to unwind in the shade.

Kevin managed to stay cool, too. We wrapped up his cast in a couple of plastic bags, and he scooted carefully down the slip 'n slide on his knees and bum.

Aunt Stephanie and Brigitte helped Izzy and Hannah have some fun on the swingset.

Our friends Michelle and Mike, with their boys Parker and Griffin, were able to join in the fun. Here's Michelle and her cute little guy, 4-month-old Griffin.

After dinner, it was cake time! Our party had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme this year. I found the picture for the cake online, and had J.J's Cakes and More turn it into an edible digital image. They did an awesome job on the kids' cake!

There was a little problem: I forgot to buy birthday candles! I thought I had some from before, but I couldn't find them on the day of the party! Well, the kids had to pretend to blow out the candles. I guess this version was safer, if kind of pathetic. ;-)

Andrea and Kevin loved their cake. Andrea had at least two pieces.

Kevin devoured his piece, and got it everywhere.

Next, it was time to open the presents. Our friends and family were quite generous, and the kids were thrilled.

Kevin got this Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Firetruck from Gram and Papa. He loves it. The other kids at the party loved it, too. They were all anxious to have a turn in Kevin's new wheels.

Andrea was excited about the sparkly Barbie she got from Gram and Papa.

She was a bit disappointed that she's too big to ride in Kevin's firetruck, but she figured out she could pretend from outside of it, and she looks good in the firefighter's hat. (By the way, she told Brigitte she wants to be either a firefighter or an artist when she grows up!)

After presents, they had a bit more time to play. Aunt Stephanie and Hannah joined the others on the trampoline!

The other kids were still taking turns with the firetruck.

The party was nearly over, and it was time to hand out the goodie bags. They were Mickey's Clubhouse-themed, of course.

Cousin Cuties
Hannah wanted her bubbles, but she needed a little guidance. We had to make sure she was blowing the bubbles, and not tasting them!

Kevin needed some help with his bubbles, too. He was blowing, but not with the right force, and not in the right direction. Great-Gram stepped in to help. She demonstrated proper bubble technique, but Kevin got silly, and kept making funny noises instead of trying to blow the bubbles. He's so silly.

Sunday, July 25: Kevin's 3rd Birthday

We had a pretty quiet day on Kevin's birthday. We spent most of the day putting their new toys together and cleaning up after the party. I don't think Kevin even realized it was his birthday, although I kept telling him so. To Kevin, the big party had been the day before, so that was his birthday. However, he still had some gifts from us to open.

Kevin: always the comedian. He immediately put his new sungalsses on upside-down, and when I tried to fix them, insisted they were better this way!

Kevin got lots of clothes, a Leap Frog writing/drawing toy, and a truck cell-phone. He had fun learning how to draw shapes. It's actually a pretty cool toy.

Later that night, Kevin and I had a little quality time to ourselves, after Ryan was in bed, because Daddy and Andrea went to the Tigers' game. Kevin asked me to take his picture, and this was all he would give me--funny guy!

Recent Fun :)

The kids have been having a lot of fun over the past few days. The weather is HOT, but that is good for some outdoor games. For example, Andrea discovered the fun of jumping through a backyard sprinkler on a sunny, 95-degree day!

On the same day, when Kevin woke up from his nap, he wandered into Andrea's room and found the cardboard-box-hideout she had decorated for them. He was actually playing hide-and-seek with me!

"Mommy, come an' find me!"

***

We decided to get Andrea and Kevin a trampoline for their birthday. Daddy put it up on Sunday afternoon, dodging between thunderstorms! It took him all afternoon and evening, but we wanted it ready for the party next weekend, and he didn't have any other nights open to put it together. I peeked out the window and caught Daddy resting after all his hard work.

Since it was almost bedtime when Daddy finished his work (and it was wet outside), we didn't show the kids what was going on in the backyard. It wasn't until the next afternoon that the weather was nice enough for me to reveal their present. Brigitte was over, too, which made it that much more special for Andrea--having a friend to share the fun!

Kevin didn't want to go on it at first, and I didn't force the issue, considering he's still in a cast. He had fun crawling underneath it.

For the most part, Kevin and Ryan sat back and enjoyed watching the girls bouncing around and trying out new moves on the trampoline. Kevin was especially happy when I brought out some candy to cheer him up (he'd been requesting candy for a few days!).

It wasn't long before Andrea was ready for a water (and candy) break. Look at these red cheeks! She always get so hot when she's playing outside, but she's also having a great time!

When the girls were ready to go on the trampoline again, Kevin wanted to join the fun. He mostly held onto the mesh enclosure and did some little bounces, so I figured it wouldn't harm his elbow. He loved it! He was running around the trampoline singing "Ring Around the Rosie!"

Check out Brigitte: she's a pro! Andrea was so impressed with all the tricks Brigitte could do on the trampoline.

AIRTIME!

CARTWHEELS!

The next day, Kevin started bouncing with his face squished against the mesh enclosure, and laughing like crazy. It made his face look all jiggly and contorted every time he bounced. It was hilarious! Of course, he ended up getting a big scrape/rug burn mark on his nose, but he didn't even notice it!

***

Right now, Ryan's favourite entertainment is people. He has other enjoyments, like playing on the floor, grabbing toys which are out of reach with his toes, playing with his feet, and rolling from side to side. He's also starting to smile and giggle at characters on TV--especially Mickey Mouse on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Still, his favourite entertainers right now are Mommy, Daddy, and especially Andrea! She has caught on that he enjoys her attention, and will laugh at pretty much anything she does. He gets attention from her, and she gets attention from him, so it's a win-win situation. She's always trying to come up with new ways to make Ryan laugh. The other day, it was the simple act of pulling his flower toy off the bouncy chair and saying, "It's off!" that was making him laugh.

***

Andrea, ever the star of the show, also likes to have "bands" for us. A few days ago, she got out her drum and performed a couple cute and interesting renditions of songs we frequently hear on our mix CD in the car: "Jump Around," "What I Like About You," and "Taking Care of Business."