Thursday, January 21, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Doctors, School, Playground Adventures and Funny Words
Several months ago Nicholas visited a Pediatric Neurologist who immediately diagnosed Cerebral Palsy in both of his legs and slightly in his arms. Previous doctors had said only his legs were affected and he was prescribed a brace to wear on his right leg. This same Neurologist also performed an MRI on Nicholas to see what caused his CP. He found that Nicholas had a stroke right before or during birth causing him to be born with Cerebral Palsy with Spastic Diplegia:
Spasticity or muscular hypertonicity is a disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) in which certain muscles continually receive a message to tighten and contract. The nerves leading to those muscles, unable to regulate themselves (which would provide for normal muscle tone), permanently and continually "over-fire" these commands to tighten and contract. This causes stiffness or tightness of the muscles and interferes with gait and movement, and sometimes speech.
Spasticity is most common in spastic diplegia and other forms of spastic cerebral palsy, where it is a result of damage to the brain's basal ganglia that is permanent and neither improves nor worsens over time
This very same doctor also runs a clinic specializing in children with Cerebral Palsy with Spastic Diplegia! A true blessing indeed. We immediately made an appointment for Nicholas at the clinic. Until then he was to wear his one brace and continue business as usual.
The appointment was January 11th.
Imagine if you will a small exam room with Nicholas, his mommy, his daddy, his pediatric neurologist, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, a nurse, a social worker and an orthotics specialist; all trying to figure out the best course of action for Nicholas.
After some deliberation it was decided Nicholas should have a brace on each leg. Having the brace on just his right leg has been causing his left ankle to twist, almost to the point of a spraining or breaking!
They also prescribed another medication to help him move more easily….the medical stuff is on a need to know basis…so if you need to know, just ask us and we will seriously consider telling you…..
We then had another appointment to get his new braces started
On January 18th we went to the Orthotics specialist. She made a cast of each leg. The cast will be used to custom make his braces, which should be done in 3 weeks or less. Once they are finished we shall go see how well they fit and whether or not more adjustments are needed…..if no adjustments are needed, Nicholas will get to drive them off the lot and take them home.
Once he gets used to having support on both legs we have been assured that Nicholas will be……wait for it……even faster! Yeehaa. Say a small prayer for his parents to be able to keep up with him and for our cat to stay away from him. Nicholas loves our cat (Snickers) but has not yet been able to master the art of softly petting her…this makes her very hesitant to enter into his personal space…although one day Lisa said she heard Snickers making a very unusual noise…you know, the one a cat makes when a 50 pound 4 year old boy with a grip of steel is holding them by the tail 14 inches off the ground. God’s speed Snickers, God's speed!
Nicholas has been going to Pre-school since January 5th. He has missed one day due to a surprise snow and ice storm, one day for a Doctor appointment and one day for Doctor King’s birthday.
So far it seems quite apparent he LOVES going to school. Each day we receive a one page progress report telling us his mood during the 3 hours, what centers he went to, what he played with the most, whether or not he went to the restroom, how much of his lunch he ate, etc, etc….It is a wonderful snap shot of his day. Each day he has been deemed HAPPY! This is one indication of his current feelings towards school.
Another indicator is when Lisa can barely get him to stop long enough at the front door of the classroom to get his back pack off! He sprints into the classroom each day with a giant smile on his face.
One other ever more telling indicator is his behavior when Lisa picks him up at the end of the day. He routinely pouts and continues to play in the hope he will be able to stay. Once she manages to get him out of the classroom he likes to lay down so he doesn’t have to leave…..rest assured these “episodes” will be retold to him when he is trying to get out of taking his Chemistry exam in middle school.
Since I recently described a negative experience at our neighborhood playground, I thought I would tell of a positive experience. Last Monday, he and I went to the playground and met a 6 year old boy named Corbin who lives very close to the playground. He and Nicholas played together for a while. Once I explained to Corbin that Nicholas was still learning English, he seemed to watch out for him and even told him to be careful with a certain toy so he did not get hurt. When Corbin’s mother (and younger sister) arrived I made sure to tell her how nice her son was to Nicholas. They live a few houses down from us so I am sure we will see them again real soon.
Lastly from time to time Nicholas hears words that make him giggle uncontrollably for NO reason…
Here are the last few:
Jeans, six, pointing, quiet*
He really loves YELLING the word QUIET….someday I will explain the irony.
And now some pictures....
Our most recent trip to our favorite zoo...The world famous Fort Worth Zoo....standing room only!
Since it was little cool we were able to see the Cheetah for the first time with Nicholas...upon seeing the large cat he said, "Touch it." Maybe some day!
Another cat Nicholas wanted to pet....
We have never seen this fox before! It is usually hiding....again, I think the cooler weather helped bring him out to see us.
Nicholas trying to get a Lorakeet to land on his finger...he was not successful.
Climbing on the giant alligator statue..
Walking on the giant alligator statue with Grandpa and Daddy.
Having a great time at the zoo, wish you were here!
Using a Christmas gift from his Uncle Andy, Aunt Sabrina...The smock is from his cousin Sarah.
Wearing Daddy's jacket is fun!
Making faces at Grandma Janice is also fun.
Watching TV in your pijamas while sitting on the couch and petting your puppy is a great way to spend a Saturday morning.
Nicholas loves sitting and spinning in the special chair Grandpa got him for Christmas....
He also enjoys the solitude it affords him after a long day at pre-school. It gives him time to unwind, reflect on the days events and decide which toy to play with next.
Grandpa also got Nicholas an outdoor swing! This is a picture of him sitting in it for the first time once it was installed on our patio. The height would be adjusted at a later date...
Same swing...during the day and lowered to the proper swinging height. He loves to swing and spin outside while Mommy and Daddy are doing yard work.
Here is his first "take-home" assignment...making a snowman! Mommy and Daddy helped with cutting and glue application, the rest was up to him.
Spasticity or muscular hypertonicity is a disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) in which certain muscles continually receive a message to tighten and contract. The nerves leading to those muscles, unable to regulate themselves (which would provide for normal muscle tone), permanently and continually "over-fire" these commands to tighten and contract. This causes stiffness or tightness of the muscles and interferes with gait and movement, and sometimes speech.
Spasticity is most common in spastic diplegia and other forms of spastic cerebral palsy, where it is a result of damage to the brain's basal ganglia that is permanent and neither improves nor worsens over time
This very same doctor also runs a clinic specializing in children with Cerebral Palsy with Spastic Diplegia! A true blessing indeed. We immediately made an appointment for Nicholas at the clinic. Until then he was to wear his one brace and continue business as usual.
The appointment was January 11th.
Imagine if you will a small exam room with Nicholas, his mommy, his daddy, his pediatric neurologist, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, a nurse, a social worker and an orthotics specialist; all trying to figure out the best course of action for Nicholas.
After some deliberation it was decided Nicholas should have a brace on each leg. Having the brace on just his right leg has been causing his left ankle to twist, almost to the point of a spraining or breaking!
They also prescribed another medication to help him move more easily….the medical stuff is on a need to know basis…so if you need to know, just ask us and we will seriously consider telling you…..
We then had another appointment to get his new braces started
On January 18th we went to the Orthotics specialist. She made a cast of each leg. The cast will be used to custom make his braces, which should be done in 3 weeks or less. Once they are finished we shall go see how well they fit and whether or not more adjustments are needed…..if no adjustments are needed, Nicholas will get to drive them off the lot and take them home.
Once he gets used to having support on both legs we have been assured that Nicholas will be……wait for it……even faster! Yeehaa. Say a small prayer for his parents to be able to keep up with him and for our cat to stay away from him. Nicholas loves our cat (Snickers) but has not yet been able to master the art of softly petting her…this makes her very hesitant to enter into his personal space…although one day Lisa said she heard Snickers making a very unusual noise…you know, the one a cat makes when a 50 pound 4 year old boy with a grip of steel is holding them by the tail 14 inches off the ground. God’s speed Snickers, God's speed!
Nicholas has been going to Pre-school since January 5th. He has missed one day due to a surprise snow and ice storm, one day for a Doctor appointment and one day for Doctor King’s birthday.
So far it seems quite apparent he LOVES going to school. Each day we receive a one page progress report telling us his mood during the 3 hours, what centers he went to, what he played with the most, whether or not he went to the restroom, how much of his lunch he ate, etc, etc….It is a wonderful snap shot of his day. Each day he has been deemed HAPPY! This is one indication of his current feelings towards school.
Another indicator is when Lisa can barely get him to stop long enough at the front door of the classroom to get his back pack off! He sprints into the classroom each day with a giant smile on his face.
One other ever more telling indicator is his behavior when Lisa picks him up at the end of the day. He routinely pouts and continues to play in the hope he will be able to stay. Once she manages to get him out of the classroom he likes to lay down so he doesn’t have to leave…..rest assured these “episodes” will be retold to him when he is trying to get out of taking his Chemistry exam in middle school.
Since I recently described a negative experience at our neighborhood playground, I thought I would tell of a positive experience. Last Monday, he and I went to the playground and met a 6 year old boy named Corbin who lives very close to the playground. He and Nicholas played together for a while. Once I explained to Corbin that Nicholas was still learning English, he seemed to watch out for him and even told him to be careful with a certain toy so he did not get hurt. When Corbin’s mother (and younger sister) arrived I made sure to tell her how nice her son was to Nicholas. They live a few houses down from us so I am sure we will see them again real soon.
Lastly from time to time Nicholas hears words that make him giggle uncontrollably for NO reason…
Here are the last few:
Jeans, six, pointing, quiet*
He really loves YELLING the word QUIET….someday I will explain the irony.
And now some pictures....
Our most recent trip to our favorite zoo...The world famous Fort Worth Zoo....standing room only!
Since it was little cool we were able to see the Cheetah for the first time with Nicholas...upon seeing the large cat he said, "Touch it." Maybe some day!
Another cat Nicholas wanted to pet....
We have never seen this fox before! It is usually hiding....again, I think the cooler weather helped bring him out to see us.
Nicholas trying to get a Lorakeet to land on his finger...he was not successful.
Climbing on the giant alligator statue..
Walking on the giant alligator statue with Grandpa and Daddy.
Having a great time at the zoo, wish you were here!
Using a Christmas gift from his Uncle Andy, Aunt Sabrina...The smock is from his cousin Sarah.
Wearing Daddy's jacket is fun!
Making faces at Grandma Janice is also fun.
Watching TV in your pijamas while sitting on the couch and petting your puppy is a great way to spend a Saturday morning.
Nicholas loves sitting and spinning in the special chair Grandpa got him for Christmas....
He also enjoys the solitude it affords him after a long day at pre-school. It gives him time to unwind, reflect on the days events and decide which toy to play with next.
Grandpa also got Nicholas an outdoor swing! This is a picture of him sitting in it for the first time once it was installed on our patio. The height would be adjusted at a later date...
Same swing...during the day and lowered to the proper swinging height. He loves to swing and spin outside while Mommy and Daddy are doing yard work.
Here is his first "take-home" assignment...making a snowman! Mommy and Daddy helped with cutting and glue application, the rest was up to him.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Christmas 2009, Snow Storm 2009, School 2010
It's hard to believe that 2009 is already over and done with and 2010 is now a few days old.
For the first time in 9 years I did not have to work 25 hours of overtime a week during the last quarter of the year...this allowed me to come home at a decent hour each day and spend time with Lisa and Nicholas....I was home in time to play in the snow with them twice! Snow in Dallas is a rarity, especially in December....We had snow during the day on Christmas eve and then freezing temps that evening...this allowed us to have a snow covered Christmas morning.
This made our first Christmas with our very own Saint (most of the time) Nicholas, even more special.
Luckily the roads were not too icy, so Lisa's Dad was able join us for our cyber Christmas and turkey dinner!
As we did last year, we were able to see Lisa's brother and sister-in-law via web cam. They live near Seattle, Washington and have a newborn little girl. She was born the day after we were named Nicholas' parents.
This meant Lisa's father went from having zero to two grandchildren in a matter of two days! It was nice being able to open gifts and chat with them online....how 'bout that modren teknollygee??
As I write this, Nicholas is not only sleeping, but he is also roughly 37 hours away from his first day of pre-school...he starts Tuesday, January 5th and will be going 5 days a week, 3 hours a day.
We ask for your positive thoughts and prayers that the school will be able to handle him...uh...I mean, that he will have a strong and positive start to his no doubt stellar academic career....
Our family holiday cards should be arriving very soon...let us know if you don't get one!
And now for some pictures!
Daddy and Nicholas in the backyard during the second snow storm of 2009. 
Here we are in the front of the house...during snow storm number one of 2009.
Nicholas trying to wake up our very own transformer, "Lantanacon."
This seems to be a nice place to sit down and take a break...
Let's go this way Daddy!
Hurry up! The longer I stop to pose for pictures, the less time I will have to run around in the snow!
Back inside after running around in the snow and snuggling with Mommy to get warm!
One of the cool pictures Lisa took of our lights after the snow storm.
For the first time in 9 years I did not have to work 25 hours of overtime a week during the last quarter of the year...this allowed me to come home at a decent hour each day and spend time with Lisa and Nicholas....I was home in time to play in the snow with them twice! Snow in Dallas is a rarity, especially in December....We had snow during the day on Christmas eve and then freezing temps that evening...this allowed us to have a snow covered Christmas morning.
This made our first Christmas with our very own Saint (most of the time) Nicholas, even more special.
Luckily the roads were not too icy, so Lisa's Dad was able join us for our cyber Christmas and turkey dinner!
As we did last year, we were able to see Lisa's brother and sister-in-law via web cam. They live near Seattle, Washington and have a newborn little girl. She was born the day after we were named Nicholas' parents.
This meant Lisa's father went from having zero to two grandchildren in a matter of two days! It was nice being able to open gifts and chat with them online....how 'bout that modren teknollygee??
As I write this, Nicholas is not only sleeping, but he is also roughly 37 hours away from his first day of pre-school...he starts Tuesday, January 5th and will be going 5 days a week, 3 hours a day.
We ask for your positive thoughts and prayers that the school will be able to handle him...uh...I mean, that he will have a strong and positive start to his no doubt stellar academic career....
Our family holiday cards should be arriving very soon...let us know if you don't get one!
And now for some pictures!
Christmas morning....2009...Lantana, TX....
Daddy and Nicholas in the backyard during the second snow storm of 2009. 
Here we are in the front of the house...during snow storm number one of 2009.
Nicholas trying to wake up our very own transformer, "Lantanacon."
This seems to be a nice place to sit down and take a break...
Let's go this way Daddy!
Hurry up! The longer I stop to pose for pictures, the less time I will have to run around in the snow!
Back inside after running around in the snow and snuggling with Mommy to get warm!
One of the cool pictures Lisa took of our lights after the snow storm.
This is the sight I was greeted with Christmas morning as I climbed the stairs...someone was very excited to get down stairs and open presents! Check out the new Elmo pajamas...
Just what I wanted...a new fire truck that makes A LOT of noise!!
Nicholas was gracious enough to help all of us open our presents....he is a lean mean paper tearing machine!
Nothing....I mean nothing....is as satisfying as eating the very first plastic hamburger patty cooked in your brand new kitchen while still wearing your pajamas!
Nicholas absolutely loves his new chair from Grandpa...it not only looks cool....it also has a fold down cover and spins! He loves to spin....we are counting on our nieces and nephews to take Nicholas on all the spinning rides at Disneyland next year....his Mommy and Daddy would never make it!
What a wonderful year 2009 was.....looking forward to many, many more...
Just what I wanted...a new fire truck that makes A LOT of noise!!
Nicholas was gracious enough to help all of us open our presents....he is a lean mean paper tearing machine!
Nothing....I mean nothing....is as satisfying as eating the very first plastic hamburger patty cooked in your brand new kitchen while still wearing your pajamas!
Nicholas absolutely loves his new chair from Grandpa...it not only looks cool....it also has a fold down cover and spins! He loves to spin....we are counting on our nieces and nephews to take Nicholas on all the spinning rides at Disneyland next year....his Mommy and Daddy would never make it!
What a wonderful year 2009 was.....looking forward to many, many more...Seasons Greetings from The Aronins!
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