Life's A Beach, Next Stop: Isle of Palms

I am so looking forward to doing some traveling in the coming weeks. We've got our annual beach week reunion with all my extended family. I cannot wait for the family love, slower pace, good times and big home-cooked meals. I hope it will get to linger a lil bit longer even after the fun vacay is over. And then a little later on we get to visit our dear friends in Ithaca at the lake. Fun times, great friends and family and lots of laughter.

Price Checks and Bloopers!

Gratitude to Tanta, Virginia, Nanny and Babu!!! Many thanks to Glen too!  They helped us get LJ's first, new (to us) wheelchair- lift van.  It is a total game changer- to just roll right into the van and cruise.  It's meant major relief to my back for not having to lift all his heavy equipment into the back of my crossover.  The only thing Lewis has been talking about is driving his power chair and taking out his other new wheels.  We got it Sunday night...so Monday morning we went for a ride around the block before his summer school bus came, just so he could see the view from his new perspective.

Today we mounted up and headed for the grocery store after speech therapy. We asked LJ to find us the juice that started with a "V", and he drove his wheels to the right spot on the shelf.  Then as soon as we weren't concentrating he wheeled himself to the apple granola and insisted we were all out of it.  He also said we needed the house brand fish marinade (that was not on our list either).  He also proceeded to tell us that we needed to go upstairs to get more shampoo.  All a big plot so he could get to push the elevator button and take his power chair on it's first elevator ride.

The last video on this post illustrates his mad cross-walk driving skills.  He was clearly hamming it up for my camera!  Definitely keeps us on our toes.  Enjoy these two videos of Lew's adventures.
Price Check in Aisle 4 from Jenn S on Vimeo.

Power Chair Bloopers_LJ ( 4months of Learner's Permit) from Jenn S on Vimeo.

Home Sweet (Accessible) Home

On July 3rd, we moved into a new (to us) house.  We picked it mostly because it was a good fit for LJ, though it is lovely in its own right. It is within a mile of our old house.  There are bedrooms and bathrooms all on the first floor.  The lot is flat and there is a an exterior door in what is now LJ's bedroom.  Soon, we will have a ramp and a widened door that leads from his room to the the driveway.  LJ already enjoys leading tours around the upstairs in his power chair - something he couldn't do in our old house.  Very soon, and with minimal work, LJ will be able to come in and out on his own (well, sort of - as much as any 4 year old can).

There's lots of other great (and challenging) stuff too, as with any move.  Annie (our dog) loves the big fenced yard.  We have faced flooding, plumbing issues and faulty appliances since the move in (much like any new house).

Within the first few days living here though, we discovered how truly lucky we were with our choice.  Our neighbors and neighborhood are fantastic.  Nate has quickly integrated into the "posse" of neighborhood kids - they are forever coming here, or playing at one of the other houses on the block or playing kickball down the way, where there's no traffic.  Better yet, everyone we've met, especially our next door neighbors, are wonderful.  The folks next door have already helped me through a lock out situation with utmost kindness.  There's a retired Gallaudet University sign language professor (I'm enrolled in the adult ed class being taught thru the county starting in September), a pediatric occupational therapist and an adult physical therapist all neighboring our house.  How lucky are we?

The new house is keeping Josh and I extremely busy, so luckily both boys are enjoying camp and coming home tired during the week.  Nate is back at Camp Greenway, which is always a joy for him (lots of fun) and for us (organizationally brilliant).  LJ had a ball at an Arlington County tot camp a few weeks ago - it was an integrated camp that reserved several spots for special needs kiddos.  How excellent is that?  Now LJ's at Arlington county summer school.  Unfortunately, it seems like they've gotten in over their heads with summer school - buses don't come, classrooms fluctuate, it just seems off.  Still LJ is having great fun.

Josh and I are plugging away to make the new house a home.  We look forward to you visiting.

Gut Check

Thank you Nate for waking me at 5:45am the last three days to tell me you were ready to go to camp. Tie dye shirt, milk-mustache, pool towel and all.
Thank you LJ for telling anyone who would listen, that you were getting to go to camp... and it was splash day. And you were enthralled and all systems go!
Thank you yoga students encouraging me and asking me for the source of my reading in last night's class because it really resonated with you.
Thank you breath, for helping me manage the stress of our closings tomorrow and Friday. And did I mention the move to a new house?
Thank you new friendships.
Thank you school speech therapist, Mrs. B, for teaching me how to use a new communication device for LJ... in your personal time after the school year was completed.
Thank you to my husband who is learning to flow with all that is, and embracing the changes.
Thank you summer cold for reminding me not to charge forward without making the choice to take care of myself first.
Thank you new house for opening my heart to the possibilities and hope in the dreams I have for my beautiful, future life.
Thank you bravery that surrounds us all.
Thank you family and friends from around the world who support and encourage us to stay resilient and grow, even in the face of adversity.  I feel rich with your love and support.
Thank you moment to moment, because "nothing lasts forever"...the bad times nor the good times...I'm learning to be present in the moment, gut check and all & I am so thankful!!

 "Reality only exists within the present moment, everything else is a memory or a guess." Jess Nickerson

Oh, and thank you hard drive crashing and pronouncing itself "done and done" so I can unplug for a few weeks till we get settled in the new digs:)

Feed Your Soul

Accessible House

Due to our house hunt, Anna (our fabulous caregiver) being off for her wedding and honeymoon, LJ back to having a tough time sleeping at night, our impending move & the wrap-up of the school year for the boys, my posts have fallen by the wayside.  Trying super hard not to beat myself up these days.  I feel like I've been tired for the last month.  I feel like life seems to keep coming in easy waves and tidal waves- and lately I've been on a tidal wave.  That's the beauty of ebb and flow I suppose. 

The good news is that lately I've been learning to pay attention when things are good.  To lean in and connect to being present in the moment.  I've started being more observant not just when things are tidal waves, but when things are seemingly fine too.  I recently discovered that I had been neglecting myself- my safe, grounded spot.  When things get hard our tendency is to make them harder.  By turning inward, I've been learning to hold my awareness in the subtle realm instead.  And consequently, I am more able to find the quiet, stillness when things get chaotic.

And things are about to get pretty chaotic on the home-front.  The kids' last day of school is June 21st.  Our house is under contract.  We close on June 27th.  That's three 3 weeks!  But perhaps the most awesome news in this post is that we have found an accessible house that's less then a mile from our current one!  It was a completely, pleasant surprise to us that we found it so quickly and that all the stars seem to have aligned. Perhaps this is the law of good karma, who really knows? (Please, still cross everything. Just saying this out loud publicly makes me afraid I will jinx something.) But I'm staying positive.

We close on the new house June 28th. And we hope to move the first week of July so we have all summer long to get acclimated to our new digs.  The new house is move-in ready and has an open floor plan so that LJ will have lots of roaming room.  The only thing we have to do is have a ramp poured to the side entrance and have two doorways widened so they will be 36" wide.  We are also going to have a touch pad installed so that when LJ drives his motor chair or walks up to it in his walker, he will press it and his door will automatically open for him.  Lewis' room also has a full bathroom in it.  Down the road we will have the shower floor lowered into the sub-floor so that it can become a roll-in shower for him.  And there is space for us to also install a pocket door for his privacy.  All the bedrooms are on the same level as the kitchen, dining room and living room and outdoor patio. But the most crucial detail?  The lot is FLAT and we do not have a behemoth incline to contend with!

While I am sad to see us leave this house and all the stories and memories it embodies, (and yes I have my fears too but mostly its about the settlement/financing process) I LOVE the new house.  I am excited to uncover new memories.  In the spirit of making changes, and in the stretching, we expand, we grow, we change.

It's Mostly Amazing...Happy Mother's Day!

Motherhood is challenging.  And it's also mostly amazing.  I feel as though I've aged so much in the last five years.  But then I'm sure all of you have felt like this with each passing year.  Yet the answer really is to persevere.  With each curve or bend in the road, strive to not get thrown off...find your way back on track.  This has been my mantra as of late.  I've been practicing embracing life in the little moments...  from music paired to the chef's knife chopping dinner's ingredients to losing LJ's first pair of glasses amidst all the packed, moving boxes (a new pair should be ready next week) to the kids' laughter residing in truth, wonderment and joy.

No matter what role I move in and out of in my life, I've tried to do so with an open heart.  When joy has felt far away, my mama has always been there to tell me how deeply loved I am.  Mama, trust that you are so deeply loved too.  (and Mom, thank you for putting up with my challenging times as well as all my gratitude for all the joy and beauty in our other moments).  My mom (and my mother-in-law too) is my hero.  She has taught me so many life lessons and she can always clear my head of the cobwebs.  My wonderful family and friends have also shown me so much love and support.  Even though we don't get a ton of time together, I always feel my roots when I reflect on our time spent with one another.  I'm incredibly lucky to feel such a strong, wonderful connection with all of you.

One other thing that has helped me feel grounded lately is the fellowship of other extra-ordinary moms going through similar scenarios I'm going through, dealing with surgeries, IEP meetings and insurance fights.  There's this unspoken truth, that we don't want to be super-moms.  We'd really rather just be a regular mom going through the normal adventures of parenting.

It helps me tremendously to know that it can be tough doing what we do, but finding comfort knowing that we are not alone.  This world is so interconnected!  One such super mom, Laura (she happens to also be a yogi!! and they have a service dog to help detect Simon's seizures...if you recall we are still dreaming of getting a mobility dog for LJ), writes a blog called Constraint Induced about her son's journey (Simon like LJ has cerebral palsy, as well as epilepsy and hydrocephalus). Laura's pictures, quotes and stories are an inspiration to us all, as is her own beautiful spirit.  She gave me permission to share a link to her guest post on Rita Buettner's blog about perspective as a special-needs Mom, leading up to Mother's Day.  You can find it here:

10 Things A Special-Needs Mom Learned the Hard Way

We do in fact, get to decide how we show up for the challenges we're faced with.  This perspective of choice builds resilience and courage, and is a core aspect that mom's of "children with special rights" appreciate especially when we have little to no control over our obstacles.  For it is only when things start to get awkward/really uncomfortable, do we have the impetus to do something about it.  We can take all our dissatisfaction and use them as a tool for our transformation.

Thank you to all the daring Mom's out there.  Stay open to the sweetness, open to the bitterness, open to giving and open to receiving.  It's mostly amazing....and have a Happy Mother's Day!

Life Is Good...but SO Full

LJ's New Shades

We're here.  It has been a busy April.  Nothin' major to report.  Just the usual with the two kids, therapy, doctor appointments, after school activities, IEP meetings, traveling etc...

Lewie is gettin' good at driving his power chair.  No more banging his head.  He sleeps thru the night every couple nights or so.  The trick was a combo of 3 mg extended release melatonin & a regular 3 mg tab of melatonin at bedtime.  But...it could also be due to the addition of a new medicine LJ has started taking which has a drowsiness side effect.

We met with a new Pediatric Neurologist at the beginning of the month.  And she gave us lots of nuggets of information.  She recommended we try Baclofen for LJ's fluctuating tone and muscle discomfort.  NIH says Baclofen can be used to act on spinal cord nerves and reduce the severity of muscle spasms.  Dr E also referred to his particular type of CP as "Choreoathetotic".  We'd heard he was dystonic but this was a new term to us.  I googled it and the definition I pulled up was "a form of cerebral palsy characterized by choreiform (jerky, ticlike twitching) and athetoid (slow, writhing) movements."  Sounds sorta accurate but its just a label and I've dropped those. 

The Phsyiatrist we see for his physical medicine/rehab wants to try another Botox procedure (for LJ's right wrist flexor, right pec major, and right calve) but the neuro thought we might have longer term progress with the oral medication. So rather than put him under anesthesia again, we will see if the Baclofen helps. He is on a low dose and we may consider increasing the dose with time.  In the meantime another side effect is seizure, so we are closely monitoring him.

The dentist reported that LJ has no cavities! The Developmental Pediatrician was also a good visit.  We discussed LJ's sleep issues. He prescribed a sleeping medication if things get particularly bad and the melatonin doesn't help enough.  But we really have tried not to use it.  It's called Clonidine and it's typically used to treat high blood pressure but drowsiness is a side effect. The Developmental Ped also said another medication to consider down the road might be to treat anxiety.  He could see that LJ has lots of worry and given his overall picture it might help reduce his anxiety.  Rather than Ativan though he would like to see him on Intuniv for antianxiety/antidepression.  When he's a little older we may explore a play-based psychiatrist for LJ have therapy and determine what is the right route. 

Ophthalmologist says Lewis' eyes look healthy, nothing wrong with the integrity of the actual eyeballs.  However, I had sent her a video because his right eye was overactive and floating up a lot. She had us come in for an exam.  She says it's not uncommon with kiddos who have had strabismus early on.  She calls it "Dissociated Vertical Deviation" or DVD.  Here is an interesting article outlining how DVD has eluded explanation for over a century!  The doc advised that this is really more of an aesthetic thing and that while surgery would indeed correct it, the problem never goes away and would need to be re-operated on in the future.  When given the old "What would you do if this was your child?" she responded that she wouldn't operate until it was cosmetically necessary or LJ had formed an opinion on it.

In other news, the lil is farsighted!  He needs glasses.  He has trouble seeing things close up- which starts to make sense regarding his iPad and inaccuracy clicking buttons in PQ2GO. He chose his own glasses and very much enjoyed shopping for them.  It was between round blue ones or squoval (squarish-oval) green ones.  At one point he got so excited he knocked my bottled water all over the display.  Fun times.  At least it was only water.

I had a getaway to NYC for a night to celebrate Nanny's birthday.  Josh manned the fort.  I had the most amazing time eating good eats, laughing lots, celebrating my mom, sleeping in late, a nice little massage, and a play off Broadway.  The kids were all adorable when I got home.  The whole fam damily went home to Florida for my nephew's bar mitzvah this past weekend.  He did so amazing.  Didi and Bop came along for the fun.  We had lots of bribing going on to get big brother to wear his jacket and tie for the festivities.  First it was a choice between wearing his jacket or his tie.  But then just to get him to wear one, we negotiated for Nate not to have to wear his dress socks.  In the end, the boys looked like little mini men and we had such a wonderful time with old friends and family.  But trips are always lots of work.

On one final note, we have some bittersweet news.  We have decided to sell our house and look for one that is more handicap accessible or can be made more accessible.  We've chosen the end of the school year to put our house on the market so that we can use the summer to find a place that works for us, hopefully very close to where we are now.  But its been crazy, crazy, crazy busy trying to get the house ready to go on the market.  I hope you all are not as pooped as I feel after reading all of this.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

4.20.13

Happy Anniversary Josh.

Power Chair Driving School

Woot! Woot!  LJ's new power chair has arrived.  The old one just wasn't working.  We were all very concerned about the balance of weight.  It was very hard to dismantle and the cord to the joystick kept rubbing against the spokes on the wheel. So back in November we traded in the old to make way for the new.

The new one is awesome! It even has a seat elevator which LJ quickly learned to operate himself.  Here's a video of his very first drive going down the hallway at school with the amazing school PT and the wonderful owner of the DME dealer.  He was giving Lewis a few driving tips and showing LJ how to do a 360 turn as you will see :)  We are so excited for this power to improve the quality of Lew's life and the added independence he so desperately seems to crave.  Now... if more places could simply just be more accessible, life would be fab.

Beautiful Weekend

Hope your weekend was filled with family, friends and laughter
just like ours!

Snowquester? or Icestorm?

Another snow_and_lazy day. We've been cozy inside with lots and lots of hot chocolate. We've made homemade chocolate chip cookies too. We've had pretend carpet picnics.  Remote control car races are complete.  We ate grilled cheese sammies with tomato soup for lunch.  Nate had a friend over to play in the snow- adequate snow ball fights and "snow castle"-building ensued.  Rented a movie.  And did not take any naps (boo!).  One day, we will all be less sleep-deprived (keep working Melatonin and Catapres...I have a feeling you will work your magic soon).  

We're happy with another snow day just as long as the power stays on. What are you doing to combat cabin fever?

Good Advice

Happiness

A Quick Hello From Vermont

Bedtime Relaxation

Proud big bro, future Olympian LJ and awesome new friend Mark

Chillaxin' in the jacuzzi tub après ski;)

LJ is not one to sit on the sidelines. So seeking adventure we went skiing this week, and LJ was not one to sit it out. He learned to tolerate the cold and the chairlifts for the greater good of tearin' it up on the slopes.  We thought it was really important he be a part of our family's favorite activity. Sugarbush, Vermont is home to a fantastic adaptive ski program! It has been a wonderful experience and he's doing better every day.

Good Karma...at Long Last

So. I'm kinda sorry about this post because it's gonna be a brain dump and me blabbing about day to day stuff that's happened in the last 30 days.  We've been holding steady ever since LJ's ear tube surgery earlier this month.  Been back to the doctor twice to be sure the ears aren't infected and the tubes looked good.  We're still running pretty low on sleep- so that much hasn't changed.  And we're changing Lewis Jack's name to Harvey Headbanger.  He has resorted to banging his head on the wall, either because it feels good, or to get our attention or because he has always sort of thrust his weight backwards due to his hyper-tonicity and since he's getting bigger maybe it's just his natural proclivity. 

We don't know what the answer is.  Not to make light of it either.  It has pretty much freaked me out.  Is it pain?  Is he frustrated because he cannot sleep? We've tried talking to him to get some feedback but but there's only so much we can uncover with yes and no answers or asking him to point to what's bothering him.  It's like the most difficult game of charades you've ever played....except someone is gonna get hurt if you can't figure it out.  I've tried meditation with him.  I've bought toddler-size sleep sacks (Amazon.com is the best) so when his covers come off in the middle of the night he doesn't get cold.  We've had to endure uncomfortable nights sleeping on the floor alongside his bed.  We've kept his nightstand lamp on throughout the night in case he's become afraid of the dark.  We've explained its ok if he cannot sleep but we can relax and lay in our bed quietly.  He has a recorded button that calls for Mommy or Daddy attached to his bed.  So why the headbanging, screaming and kicking?  We're talking several hours in the middle of the night. Ssshh! We've even tried melatonin....

Clearly, he is trying to tell us something and we just are too slow to figure it out!  This has to be the most upsetting thing in the world to me.  If only we could figure it out...to hold him close to us...to not let ourselves, his own parents, be one more person in the world that can't understand him.   So I called in for reinforcements on a solution to pad his walls so at least he doesn't end up with a brain hemorrhage!  Didi and Bop helped put together a makeshift "Sleep Safe" bed until we can determine whether or not this child needs to wear a soft helmet and whether Medicaid will cover us for realz with this mac-daddy Sleep Safe bed as a permanent solution.  Until then, we have protected him by using old memory foam stapled (staple guns are a great way to get out your frustrations with life) to leftover plywood and place against the walls surrounding his bed. Didi took some of my old curtain fabric and covered up the ugly foam to make it a little more attractive on the eye;) Thank you Didi and Bop!!

One sleep deprived day I took wheelchair matters into my own hands and tried to adjust it for LJ's growth.  Hindsight's twenty twenty cause I shoulda let the professionals tweak the chair.  Well, um, I ended up needing to go to urgent care for a coupla stitches in my finger.  Silly finger wouldn't stop bleeding.  I felt like such a wuss compared to how tough LJ is when he's in pain or has much bigger boo boos.  Stupid wheelchair- couldn't see straight and massive headache-can't wait to get rid of you!

In the DIY department, Bop crafted this beauty seen below for the bathroom.  LJ has a problem with most soap dispensers.  So Bop took a Chinese take out container, a regular soap dispenser, and poured concrete around it.  This gave it a sturdy base so that LJ wouldn't accidentally knock it over when he was trying to wash his hands.  And its reusable- when its empty we slide out the soap bottle and insert a fresh one.  Then he cut a circle out of wood to make the top a larger target for LJ's fine motor skills to be accommodated. Its got a metal bracket thingee to keep it in place so when you need to place it on a new bottle it swings out to release the top.  LJ's right hand is still tight and usually balled up in a fist, so he uses his left hand on the pump and squirts some soap onto his right fist and then he internally says his ABCs until his hands are clean.  (just kidding about that last part...I don't know what he's really saying.  Could be swearing for all we know)  Now, if I could just find some time to paint it or make it all matchy matchy with our bathroom decor we'll be all set!

LJ also has been completely obsessed with routines and schedules.  Its been a challenge. We can't get through a meal period without him repeatedly wanting to know twenty questions.  Who's coming? What's for breakfast?  What's the order I will eat that muffin, applesauce and cereal?  Will there be ice in my water?  Who's picking me up today?  What's tomorrow's school lunch? Who's picking me up tomorrow?  What therapies are after school?  When is Mommy teaching? Who is babysitting?

how ironic that I chose this routine given the first chapter of this blog post

We recently found this fabulous app for his iPad called Good Karma.  It has definitely improved the game.  We used to do this with small, square, velcro Boardmaker images but it was extremely labor intensive and took up a lot of storage space. This app is convenient to have on the iPad or your phone, and you can use stock pictures or upload personal photos from your gallery.  We've even had a little speech practice thrown in, involving LJ in the process.  For each activity we put on the schedule, we let him try to record the audio label.  He lights up when he hears himself.
When he starts getting anxious about his routine, we can access his Good Karma app, and all is good.

On a similar vein, our Cranio Sacral Massage (CST) therapist forwarded the link below.  It is the fobityy shiziitty BOMB!  Please check it out....it will surely become a valuable list of online vendors, research on typical SN topics from CVI, Communication and Equipment such as wheelchairs, gait trainers, etc.

Resources for Parents of Exceptional Children

Okay.  Thank you for sticking with me to the end of this rambling post.  I'm off to find out when the equipment people can come out to adjust LJ's hi-low chair (I'm not making the same mistake twice). They were supposed to call me back yesterday about setting up the appointment.  So now I go chase them down.  My work is never done.

Happy New Ears

All is well with LJ's ear tube surgery.  We started the day at 5:30am and we got home by 12pm!  My dear, sweet friends:  Thank you thank you thank you for all your good thoughts and energy.  They worked!!  I asked LJ if his ears felt much better and he emphatically signed "Y-E-S"!  And as always, thank you to the doctors and nurses who made it such a short and sweet procedure...for all your hard work, we are so appreciative!  Now I'm off to snuggle with a happy camper.

Cannot Wait For Surgery Tomorrow

Big Bro Starting a Snow Ball Fight on Christmas Day

Annie the Wonder Dog!

LJ and Didi Form the Perfect Snow Ball

Happy New Year! May this be your year!






 
For the last month, our peanut has completed two full courses of amoxicillin and one full course of augmentin.  The amount of disgustingness coming out LJ's ears is the most in the history of ever; I feel like we've been to the doctor every week!  We have had little benefit from any of these antibiotics.  You see, he's lost one ear tube and the other one is dislodged but its in the wrong spot and too deep to extract in an office visit. We tried to get the procedure to extract and place two new tubes scheduled for two weeks ago.  Unfortunately we didn't get medical clearance due to a respiratory infection that LJ had.  So here we are, two weeks later. Poor guy is ready for a decent night's sleep and some comfortable new ear tubes.

I never thought I'd say "I'm excited for surgery!"  But in this case I will be relieved tomorrow.  We've got some ongoing eye issues as well, but I'll save that for another post (that will be another surgery separate from tomorrow's).  I'm holding hands with fear and bravery nonetheless.  The unpredictable nature of anesthesia always scares me and there's nothing worse then seeing your baby taken back to the OR.  Maybe on second thought, there is something worse.  Getting taken back to the recovery room when you see your baby for the first time afterward all hooked up to IV's and beeping monitors.  Please send you healing, positive thoughts our way.

{photography with red portrait} capturing big brother

We're celebrating Nate today.  Another trip around the sun. My little baby is 7!  The awesome, amazing, thoughtful, patient, beautiful Anna took Nate's birthday photos last week when it was a good bit warmer than usual.  I cannot decide which one I like the best, as they are all so fantastic.  Thank you Anna!

Happy Birthday to my big, little man!  You are the best big brother Lewis could ever have.  You make your Dad and I so proud.  You are so thoughtful & sensitive and you have the sweetest soul.  Oh, how I love to watch you sleep, all cozy in the layers of pillows and blankets.  I love to listen to your laughter as you experience magic and joy.  There is something so delightful when you still allow me to gently hold your hand as we cross the street heading toward the bus stop.  I love when I'm doing the laundry I find all the little trinkets you've stashed away in your pockets.  I love how you always get a dab of cookie, milkshake, toothpaste or whatever, near the curl of your mouth when you eat with gusto.  I love how you can talk a mile a minute.  I love all of it and ten times more.

I wish for you that when you see yourself, you see all the beauty that those who love you see.  I wish that all your dreams come true.

Hippo Birfday Deer Mommy

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to.  The good kind of tears.  This morning I awoke to the best gifts my littles could have ever given me.  Nate brought me breakfast in bed.  He piled a sky high mound of raisins, sitting next to it was a banana and a glass of apple cider accompanied by his hand-made birthday cards.  He exclaimed, "Here's your breakfast mommy.  Gluten free!  Happy birthday!"

And then when I went in to get the big, little man up and ready for pre-school, he tried to say "Happy Birthday Mommy!"  Today is awesome!!