Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Go Diego Go!

Seamus is the first one to tell you he's a big boy, not a baby. And big boys wear Big Boy Panties with Diego on them. He started going on the potty before his second birthday so we were very excited and thought we were going to be done with diapers in no time. Not exactly.

The doctors have warned us it's going to be hard. Seamus takes so much medicine to make him go that it's very hard to control it. We've tried to cut back on the meds but then he ends up blocked up and in the hospital. He also spends all night and three times a day getting fluids pumped into him which is too much for his little bladder to hold.

He really is doing a great job though. Mentally, he gets it and lets us know as much as he can. Those Diego panties will be his someday!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Making Strides

Saturday was a big day. James graduated with a double Masters degree, an MBA and a Masters in Informational Technology Management. He had to deal with a lot these past few years while working, taking care of Seamus and going to school. Seamus and I are so proud of him.






It was also the Great Strides Walk for CF. Our Team, Go Seamus Go!, raised almost $3000! Thanks to everybody who came out to walk with us and for everyone who contributed. It was a beautiful day and the Kentlands, where the walk was held is a gorgeous place to walk. Ga and Pa joined us this year. Ga was able to finish the walk which is something she never would have been able to do a few years ago before she lost 93 pounds. We are proud of her too!


Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Like all kids, Seamus has his own unique way of talking. He still can't pronounce the "br" or the "l" sound very well so things come out like "blekfast" and "wowwypop". The other day, he apologized for something and said he did it by "ascident". Often he likes to hang "uspide-down". One day he's going to get it right, and I think I'll be very sad.

Mother's Day was very nice. We went out to dinner on Saturday with Ga and Pa and had lots of fun (if you don't count the throwing up at the table, which doesn't faze us at all but the poor waiter looked a little shaken up).

On Sunday, we went to Music class and saw all our friends. Miss Jamie has told us to let the kids experience the music however they like, and in Seamus' case, that means running around the circle we all sit in at full force for the entire hour.

Afterward, Mommy got a nice nap while the boys went to the playground. It stopped raining just long enough to enjoy it. I had asked Seamus if he wanted to join me in a nap, and he said "No, that's lousy".

After opening presents and having delicious strawberry angel food cake, we all played bubbles. You can never go wrong with bubbles. Seamus got a work out chasing them around the living room.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Motherhood

5minutesforMom is having a photo contest for Mother's Day, What Does Motherhood Mean To You". I think this photo says it all. It was taken last year in the hospital when Seamus was at his sickest. I love that the camera caught us sharing such a tender moment.



Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Marrow Donor Program

For Mother's Day, the National Marrow Donor's Program is waiving the fee to join the registry. Please consider joining and saving a life.

http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Events/Thanks_Mom/index.html


Thanks

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Back to the ER

Well DIOS (Distal Intestinal Obstruction Syndrome) reared its ugly head again last week. We could tell that Seamus was slowly getting back to his old GI patterns and on Tuesday after complaining for days about wanting to throw up, he actually did. We knew he was ready for a clean out.

He didn't get admitted to the hospital, although it probably would have been better if he had. They sent us home from the ER to do a clean out which didn't work. Wednesday he was worse than ever, vomiting multiple times. We went back to the CF clinic on Friday and they wanted us to make one more attempt at home but said they would admit him if it still didn't work. We're still on the fence whether it completely worked or not.

Some good things that have come out of this experience last week:

The Coleman family got to spend a lot of time together. We spent time lounging in bed and reading lots of stories (albeit with frequent linen changes)

Seamus got to see all his friends at the hospital and got stickers!

Seamus got his very own red sparkly vomit bag. It was the only thing we had handy in the car on the way to the hospital. He's still walking around with it.