Lots of words (and the plan)

Over the last few weeks Sam has started parroting us more and more.  If he hears a new word or phrase he will try to say it back.  He is putting words together quite a bit more.    

Fee-fee (fire truck), Dump-a (dump truck), and Bae-bal (baseball) are some of his obsessions right now.  Luckily, Middleton's fire department often has the trucks parked out front.  University Avenue is under significant construction with various trucks parked in the median.  One of the local parks often has kids out practicing batting.  It is not unheard of for Sam to stumble into the "trifecta" of fee-fee, bae-bal, and dump-a all in the same day.

He loves to climb.  This morning I was standing and wrestling with him.  He grabbed my thumbs, then put one foot in front of the other up my legs, stomach, and chest until he was standing on my shoulders.  Then he sort of rappelled down as I lowered my arms.  We did this over and over until his arms were too tired to pull my thumbs to his chest.  When he goes down the twisty slide at the park he often reverses at the bottom and climbs back up the slide.  I have to remove him so other kids can go down.  He seems to think that if he never leaves the slide then it is not the next kid's turn.  

The supraventricular tachycardia (fast heart rate) plan has been changed a bit.  Originally we were going to wait until age two to start lowering the dosing and figure out if Samuel is one of the lucky third who grow out of it.  The plan now is to start the reduction in August.  He will drop by half a milliliter every few weeks until it is completely out of his system.  Kate and I will have to get back into regular stethoscope practice and watch him more closely to see if his pulse is racing.  

If everything goes perfectly he would be completely off medication before his second birthday.  If his heart rate picks up when we drop the dose then we go back to the old dose.

Either way things could change.  He could still grow out of it.  He could still grow "back into it" later in life.  The upside of dealing with this in a couple of years is that he would feel it and could explain to someone what was happening.

Prayers for the best case scenario are appreciated.

     

  

Recent Photos

Fie Fie!

Lots of updates... missed a month.

Everyone is doing well.  Sam seems to be adding a word every couple days.  Some of them are half formed.  One of his favorites is "fie-fie".  This is a fire truck.  Usually he is breathless when he says it and then follows it up with a "woo-woo" siren noise.   His fire truck books are his current favorites.

Kate usually drives our little blue four door car.  If I am driving Sam in the Jeep and he sees a blue four door car he points and says "mama".  I usually tell him it is not mommy (occasionally I realize that it is).  One Sunday morning he and I were in the blue car and he saw yet another four door blue car.  After saying "mama" a couple times I explained that we were in mommy's car and she was home.  He thought for a moment and said "nah, mama".

I have taken Sam up to Devil's Lake a few more times in the backpack and he loves it.  On the first trip of the season we were hiking up the west bluffs and I was admittedly a bit winded.  Sam started mimicking my heavy breathing.  I stopped for some water and asked him if he was making fun of me.  He pulled on my ear, pointed up the bluff, and said "go".

He is also a fan of the bike trailer.  We have been on a couple bike trips into downtown Madison and he does really well (usually falling asleep on the return).   Biking on Old Middleton Road allows you to parallel University Avenue without all the traffic.  The downside is that the road is full of potholes and patches.  Sam doesn't mind a bit.  On one trip he hummed and laughed on and off for ten minutes.  With all the downhill bumps it sounding like he was patting his hand over his mouth going "ba-ba-ba-ba-ba".

The highlight of many days is the first ten minutes.  One of us gets Sam when he wakes up, brings him into our room, and then he plays under the blankets with us.  Very simple.  Very blessed.