raising ladybug

Today I took Adela to the Museum of Life and Science.  We had a really good day.  Her favorite was the large Barred Owl.   We also enjoyed the frogs and the butterfly house.

Hello Owl

Hello Frogs!

First let me quickly report that we received her results from the liver planel and everything was absolutely fine!

And onto the story:

We started reading to Adela at lunch and dinner again as an old feeding therapy trick to encourage those less than favorite foods   Daddy started with two new story books and was doing well.  One day at lunch she wanted me to read so I ran up and grabbed a poetry book (A child’s book of verse) that Gigi gave her.  After two days she wanted daddy to switch to it at dinner too.  She gets very excited about her poetry book and we’ve been going strong on it for over a week. She remembers titles and information about a number of the poems.

I wanted to share one of the poems I like and you may see why

The Little Elfman  – by John Kendrick Bangs

I met a little elfman once,
Down where the lilies blow.
I asked him why he was so small,
And why he didn’t grow.

He slightly frowned and with his eye
He looked me through and through –
“I’m just as big for me,” said he,
“As you are big for you!”

Yesterday Dr. Seashore saw Adela and was very happy with her progress since the hospital.  We did have blood drawn for a liver panel but won’t know the results for a few days.  He said she looked very healthy, had a good BMI, and was acting just like a normal toddler. He said she was doing fabulous!

Today we went to the Dentist and got an A+.  Dr Lee was very pleased with Adela’s bite pattern as her high palate would usually cause crooked teeth.  She also said they looked very clean with no stress spots (which she expected after such a hospitalization).

Today I had to go to the allergist.  It was not very fun and I wanted to go home.  They pricked my back and made me itch and said I was allergic to the same stuff as before.

Here’s a toast to a new year – Happy and Healthy!

We made it through a rather uneventful holiday. Unfortunately Adela and Steven were both sick over Christmas. Adela with a stomach bug and Steven with a bad cold, so we had a relatively quiet Christmas Day.   Adela was not eating well for a few days but perked back up ok.

We are scheduled for a week of checkups so I will report back.

Monday – Allergists

Wednesday – Dr. Seashore

Thursday – Dr. Lee (dentist)

On Friday we had our family Christmas photos taken.  Adela was a bit reluctant to participate, but eventually we were able to coax her in front of the camera.

Since Adela is at the age where she is now starting to appreciate the excitement of Christmas, we decided to get our tree a bit early.  We went to Back Achers Christmas Tree Farm in Raleigh on Sunday and picked out a very nice leyland cypress for this year.  We tried a cypress last year and was so pleased with it that we decided to try that type again this year.  Adela was a little bit cranky (since the Christmas Tree selection conflicted with her lunchtime), however she really enjoyed seeing the turkeys they had at the farm.  Boo and Baa also went with us and helped pick out the tree.

We brought the tree in on Sunday night, put the lights on Monday night, and put the ornaments on Tuesday night.  However, Adela seems to like the silver garland most of all.

Adela would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  We spent Thanksgiving at Gramma and Grumpa’s and had a very nice Thanksgiving dinner.

Adela also got to have her first pizza – Grumpa helped her make it.  It had steak, bell peppers, and tomatoes for the toppings and the crust was made without any eggs, milk, or wheat, so it was safe for her to eat.

Finally, she got a very nice present from her Uncle Tim…Boo and Baa stuffed animals.  Thanks Uncle Tim!

Adela hopes everyone had a Happy Halloween!  She had a ghost costume, but chose not to wear it.  She did wear her pretty Halloween shirt though.  We went to see Gramma and Grumpa in Burlington and had a good afternoon.  Adela didn’t go trick or treating this year but enjoyed handing out a few candies before bedtime.  Also she had a good time planning out the pumpkin’s “fun hair”.

The barbecue fundraiser at Reelsboro United Methodist Church went very well today.  Ali and I would like to thank everyone who participated — those who purchased plates, those who helped prepare and deliver plates, and those who made donations.  The proceeds will help offset the costs of Adela’s hospitalization earlier this year and her continued therapies.  Please continue to keep Adela in your thoughts and prayers.