Thank You!

The streak officially comes to an end tonight - I'll write more tomorrow after my 5k (so I guess it really doesn't come to an end quite yet!).  We were slow in setting up our fundraising page, but you all really stepped up and didn't delay in donating to our cause.  We can't thank you enough...we are the #2 fundraiser for CHASA during the streak!!!

Susan and I were talking this evening about the money raised this year - it is the equivalent to the purchase of braces for three kids who wouldn't be able to afford them otherwise.....that's huge!  Noah didn't walk until he was 19 months old when he started walking....but it was literally one week after he got his first brace!  So, we feel really good about this - CHASA is a really small, not-well-funded charity...thank you again for all of your support!

Shorts

Today the temperature hit 90 degrees and it was definitely a hot and sticky day.  So much for a Spring-it always seems to go from 50 degrees right up to 90!  Given it was so hot we dressed Noah in shorts today-first of the season.  He was fast asleep this morning when we got him up and less than thrilled with the shorts.  He lately has become very "particular" and a few weeks ago one of his pant legs was rolled up and he totally freaked out.  He did not understand the shorts concept and was trying to pull them down this morning (I guess to make them pants?).  He seemed to get over it rather quickly and he was off to school.

I was able to pick Noah up a little earlier today and he was happy to see me when I got him.  I put him in the car and we began our short drive home.  Before we had even left the parking lot he started in with the "whys" and he had probably hit 50 by the time we made it to the house.  My favorite was part of this conversation: 
Noah- "Momma the car is sad.  He is crying."
Me- "Oh no why is he sad?"
Noah- "Why?"
Me- "What do you mean you told me he was sad?"
Noah- "Why?"
Me- "I don't know."
Noah- "Oh.  Lots of traffic!"
Not a very productive conversation but not most are with a 2 1/2 year old.  It made me laugh though and I'm not sure how he got the idea that cars are sad.  On the way home we also talked about this day and he told me he had chocolate ice cream and worked with Elisha (his OT).  It turns out that he did meet with Elisha and he was albe to eat his entire yogurt with his right hand.  Way to go Noah!  Sounded like it wasn't too bad of a day. 

After we got home I quickly changed and we were able to run to the park before picking Brad up.  We didn't have much time but Noah enjoyed himself playing on the swings and in the sandbox.  It was extremely hot for that late in the day and I'm hoping tomorrow will be a little better.  He was able to hold onto the handles on the swing with both hands and kept telling me to push him higher.  Here are a few pics:

Then it was time to go home and have dinner, bath, etc.  He was a sweaty mess from the day and a bath was definitely needed.  He has become quite a handful at bathtime as he tries to run away from me and hide in various places upstairs pretending to be asleep.  It took me a good 10 minutes to get a hold of him and then it was bath and bed.  Exhausting day! 

Happy to say that all streaks are still intact and tomorrow will mark the final day!  Has gone way too fast.  I have to say that I have become very good eating with my left hand although I may have ruined a white shirt last night with salsa chicken.  It's worth it though!  And a hugh thanks again for all the donations and support - we surpassed our $2500 goal today!  And, there is still time to donate if you'd like to!

Two More...

....One of Noah's cute phrases - oftentimes when we're counting down something (such as bites of vegetables he has left at dinner before he can be done), no matter how many are left, he'll blurt out, "two more!"  Two more days left in May and on our official streak (well, my 5k is actually on Saturday, but Noah would still say, "two more!")....I feel like it's been a bit disjointed here this year and certainly very fast.  I'll try to get a good, long post in tomorrow or Friday to put things in perspective from my point of view, but not tonight!  I'm tired!  My legs are sore and I didn't stop today until 9pm (had to get half the lawn mowed this evening as I didn't want to do it all on Saturday).  I'll be relieved when the steak is over - takes the pressure off....for example, I had a client dinner to go to last night right after work.  We ended up at a nice steakhouse in town - I'm not looking for sympathy, but it's hard to eat "light" at these places and I did indulge in a Sam Adams, as well.  I got home a little before 9, changed and hit the pavement (Noah had already gone to bed).  So, with a full stomach and a fine lager (Jim Cook, if you're reading, consider this a "plug"!) sloshing around in my belly, I ran through the neighborhood which I hadn't realized is incredibly dark after dusk!  No street lights and pretty far outside the bright lights of the big city....I could hardly see.  But, I survived  to tell about it.  And, it only takes a moment to think about why we do this each May and then it's quite easy to push through whatever inconvenience or discomfort arises and make it happen...the 2 1/2 year old light of my life does it everyday!

Thank you for all of the donations to CHASA in support of our streak - I'm certain we'll hit our lofty goal because of all of you!

OT

As I had mentioned in a previous post Noah had an OT appointment this morning at Children's.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to take him so Brad was "on duty."  From what I hear everything went well and he had two new braces made.  Actually she only made one new one and just slightly tweaked his constraint.  He will have a full cast made in July for camp so she figured it wasn't necessary.  Will also go back to seeing her monthly as we had done last year.  Should be good- and she really knows her stuff.  We requested her as she is usually at the cerebral palsy clinic and was recommended by another parent.

After the appointment this morning Noah went to backup daycare at Brad's work.  When I picked him up tonight he was so excited to tell me how they had seen"big whales" and "lots of boats!"  They usually take the children for a walk along the waterfront and near the Aquarium.  I guess that's where he saw the whales?  It was so cute and it sounded like he had a great time.  After I picked him up we went out for a "date" and had a quick dinner.  Great way to end a long day.  He's fast asleep and I'm on my way to bed now too.  Can't believe May is almost over.  Thanks again to all that have donated-means so much to us!

Memorial Day

We're winding down from the Memorial Day barbecue that our great friends host every year....Noah had a wonderful time playing with all of the kids - he didn't want to leave!  We had a great time, too - it's funny how kids will entertain each other and, more often than not, make parenting a bit easier and allow you to relax! 

Noah played with cars (of course), balls (we were throwing/kicking them as high in the air as possible) and bubbles and even found time to work in a little yard golf.  It was really great to see - after his initial apprehension with so many unfamiliar faces - that he really was able to keep up with all of these kids.  I can never help but to think how he's going to be as he gets older, playing games and sports with kids who don't face his same challenges.  I guess the only thing to do is throw him out there and see how he does and how he likes it - really just like any other kid in that way.  He certainly enjoys games and sports - in particular - as much as any kid I've known his age. 

Golf is one particular that is near and dear to me - I love the game, am an avid golfer (though I don't get to play much these days!) and have many wonderful memories, specifically, golfing with my dad who taught me the game.  I am very excited to teach Noah the game and I hope that he is able to enjoy it as I do.  It will certainly be a challenge for him, but isn't it for everyone?!  There was a little, plastic set of clubs and balls at the barbecue today - similar to the one we have for him - and he loves grabbing the 3-wood (or whatever it's supposed to be) and swining it violently trying to whack the ball.  He gets down in a crouch and takes a big swing at the ball - actually usually multiple swings until he actually connects.  He could seemingly do this for hours and he complained quite a bit when we had to leave today.  But, the great thing about today was that, even without prompting, he was trying to keep his right hand on the club as he was swinging!  He didn't have his right hand wrapped around the club - or even really open - but at least he was keeping it on the grip area and moving it along with his left hand.  Great to see! 

And things like this have been happening more and more - as I've already mentioned in a previous post(s).  I love that he has activities that he wants to pursue and he wants to be able to use both hands to pursue them.  Golf is just one example as he seems to be becoming more and more concious of his right hand and his desire to use it.  Also as mentioned previously, we are getting more and more excited about the camp in New Jersey in July as the timing seems to be perfect! 

Thank you to all that have donated - while we were very late in getting the page up, we are already 1/3 of the way to our goal this year.  If you haven't already, please consider a gift here:

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/NoahGodfrey/streak-for-pediatric-stroke-2013 

Crawling



When Noah first became mobile he started off with an "army" crawl.  He would wiggle himself along on his belly as he didn't have the stength to bear weight on his right arm/shoulder.  The initial army crawl phase was short lived and he quickly became very proficient with his butt scoot.  As we had posted last year he butt scooted for quite awhile and then progressed right to walking.  Unfortuantely Noah never learned how to do a regular crawl.  I had always hoped that at some point we could teach him and this Fall he actually started to show signs that he might be able to.  Some children with strokes actually skip crawling all together and have a lot of difficutly with it because of the coordination between the right and left sides.  This Fall he made great gains in his coordination and it was at this time that he started to see a private PT.  The main goal was to help Noah learn how to crawl and to help him gain more confidence with climbing stairs.  Well the extra PT has been amazing (not to mention Noah loves her!) and the following is a video of him crawling.  Brad and I even noticed today that he does it on is own without prompting.  So awesome!!



Furniture Shopping

We spent pretty much the entire day today in the rainy Boston area shopping for new furniture.  We bought a new bedroom set for Susan and I and then spent a while trying to piece together a new family-room set.  I guess the downside to buying a bigger house is you have to furnish it!  It was a long day and a lot of money was being thrown around, but Noah was a total trooper.  He was absolutely great, with only a mild episode of fussiness towards the end.  He was quite talkative today including some great singing along to the Mumford and Sons CD in the car!  I truly believe he is really a smart kid - he knows the words to almost every song on the Babel album at this point...it's really funny at times....seemingly out of the blue, he'll belt out a few verses.

When we were furniture shopping, he was very involved.  In addition to proclaiming he liked pretty much every piece we saw, he would also insist on sitting on any couch or chair we looked at and lying on any mattress we tested!  It was actually very cute!  And, at one of the places, he met two little girls - one his age and one 5 - and he immediately started entertaining them.  Within in moments, they were all running around together having a grand time!  He is such a cheeky, funny, smart, happy little boy - we really are quite fortunate!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!  Thank you for all of the donations!

TGIF

Long week - good to be done with a long weekend to enjoy (though weather is supposed to stink for at least first half).  Seems funny to think that I started the week only a few days ago in Nashville and Birmingham!

For better or for worse, we decided to take Noah out to a family dinner tonight.  He was actually pretty good, despite the fact that we got kind of a late start. He typically likes going "out to dinner," and he got pretty excited when I proclaimed that that would be our plan tonight.  We tried to hit up one of the local places in our new town's center that we've heard good things about, but the place was pretty packed by the time we got there.  So, we eventually ended up at the Ninety Nine.  No offense to anyone who likes the Ninety Nine, but that place is terrible.  Hastily thrown together, low quality food is my best description...we won't be returning anytime soon.

Perhaps the only redeeming factor - other than the large Sam Adams I did truly enjoy (hard to mess that up!) - was the popcorn they gave Noah to snack on...as mentioned, we got a bit of a late start and we had to drive around a bit and I stupidly hadn't packed him a snack (we usually do when we go anywhere).  So, by the time we got there, not only was it late, but he was hungry!  Anyone who knows Susan, or certain of her relatives to remain nameless here, knows that she doesn't do well when she's not been fed....Noah, I believe, has inherited that adoring quality.  So, he was becoming a bit snarly!  Thankfully, as we waited the few minutes for our table to be ready, they gave us a rather large bowl of popcorn to snack on as is customary at the Ninety Nine (as I understand it).  Susan and I were also somewhat hungry at this point, too, but Noah decided this was HIS snack!  No one would be allowed near his popcorn, and between the time we got there, were seated, ordered and they brought out his grilled cheese he actually managed to eat the entire bowl himself!  Susan and I tried sneaking a couple of pieces, but he was like a mother hen protecting her eggs!  We learned quickly that this was his - and it was quite a feat!  On the bright side, it did allow us to have an otherwise nice dinner without causing too much of a scene (except when he caught Susan trying to sneak a kernel!)...small victories, right?!

No sure if this a good or bad sign to start the weekend - we may be trapped inside with rain all weekend and a very opinionated two-year old....crossing our fingers!

Braces

First Giving page is setup...please help us reach our goal!!!  Thank you for your support!

https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/NoahGodfrey/streak-for-pediatric-stroke-2013


Next week Noah has an appointment scheduled for an OT evaluation a Children's Hospital.  I was looking back at some old blog posts and it was about this time two years ago that he was scheduled for the very same appointment.  It was our first experience with OT, the first time he had a brace made for his hand, and our first experience with constraint therapy.  Wow how far we have come!  It's kind of funny to think that since then he has gone through 3 nighttime braces, he had his first ankle foot orthotic made (AFO-1 year ago and helped him walk!), then went through 2 more, and was recently fit for a daytime hand brace for his right hand.  We are regulars at the brace shop and I have to say that since last year I have become quite good at finding shoes that fit over the bulky things (flash back to post from last year-New Balance has been amazing!).  We have also gone from a Patriot's design, to a sports theme, to dinosaurs on the AFOs.  Noah has to be stylish!  These are just second nature to us and putting them on is a regular part of the morning routine.  Although he doesn't need the AFO as much as he did last year it still helps keep his foot in line and I think he feels more comfortable with it on.  He has been running like crazy and I think the brace gives him a little extra support and confidence.  We're headed into shorts season so I'm reminded more that he has to wear it and will need to start prepping for the questions.

Noah has been seeing an OT twice a week through EI and we actually haven't seen anyone at Children's since the Fall.  He had a therapist that we absolutely loved that he had been seeing monthly but unfortunately she left at the end of the summer.  We weren't happy with the new therapist so kind of put things on hold for private OT.  As we get closer to Noah turning 3 though I think it's important to have him established with a private OT.  We have no idea what kind of services he will be offered through the town starting in October and want to make sure we have a smooth transition without any lapses in therapy.  He also has totally outgrown his constraint and nighttime braces so we need to have new ones made.  I'm hoping that he will tolerate going back to a nighttime brace-will have to see.  It will also be good to get connected back with Children's as there is talk again this year of them possibly doing a constraint camp in September.  Depending on how things go in July I think we would definitely want to be a part of this.  We've mentioned the July camp in a couple of posts but haven't gone into much detail.  For the month of July Noah will be attending a constraint induced movement day camp in NJ.  It is designed for children 18 months to around 12 who have had a stroke or have weakness on one side of their body.  At the camp the children will all wear casts on their "good arms" for up to 6 hours a day.  The children will be in groups based on their ages and do activities during the day to help strengthen their weak arms/hands.  The staff try to make the camp as fun as possible with daily themes and activities.  Reading this description I don't think I'm doing the best job of describing it.  We went and visited in March and it looks like an absolutely wonderful place.  They showed us some videos of the camp from the last two years and I had to do everything in my power to not start crying uncontrollably.  It was so touching to see all the kids like Noah working so hard but at the same time having so much fun.  The staff seemed amazing and we are really hoping it will be good for Noah.  He is such a social little man and I think that doing fun therapy in a group setting will be so good for him.  The name of the camp is Helping Hands and if you google it you can check out their website.  We will definitely need to continue to blog so that we can fill you all in on his camp experience.  Should be interesting for all of us.  That's all for tonight-hope you like the pictures of his brace progression!

Speech

Very happy to be able to report that Noah's speech continues to progress wonderfully.  It is one of the primary cognitive areas that is controlled by the area of the brain that was impacted by Noah's stroke and, subsequently, had been of concern to us.  But, our amazing little boy continues to amaze us and everyone else as his speech, for all intents and purposes, is progressing at a "normal" rate (whatever that is).

This morning I was extra happy to see him as I hadn't since Sunday evening...I actually had to wake him up this morning, which is unusual.  As soon as I woke him up, he proclaims that he's "all done with nap," and asked "where's mommy.  Go to work?"  After I got him dressed, he followed me into our bedroom where I proceeded to finish getting dressed, myself - he walked right into our closet to help pick out "daddy's shirt!"  He has all sorts of words and phrases these days...and puts together a few short sentences, as well.  He often surprises, not only with his comprehension, but also with words and phrases we don't realize he knows.  Tonight, I took him for my run and he said, "go for a run around the circle?".  We were also listening to some Elmo music on Pandora during dinner (occasionally a shameless bribe) and a voice came on that he properly identified as "Elmo's daddy."  I then asked him who Noah's daddy is, expecting him to perhaps point to me, but he just said, "Brad!" and started hopelessly giggling!  It's a fun age, but also one where we need to be careful what we say!

First Giving page coming tomorrow...once again we'll be trying to raise money for CHASA which helps raise awareness as well as families in our same situation that are less fortunate.  Thank you in advance!

Back From the Road

I just got back from another business trip - I've been traveling a lot for work recently.  It's really hard on Susan and I know Noah has some sort of idea about my being gone sometimes and I don't think he likes it, either.  I'm not 100% sure, but he sometimes gets clingy with me - particularly when i drop him at school - and I think it's because he thinks I might not be back for a few days.

It's been a long couple of days and I just really wanted to see Noah and Susan tonight, but I didn't get home until well after Noah went to be.  So, I poked my head into his room to check on him and saw his blankets had been kicked off.  As I pulled them back over him, he rolled over - still fast asleep - and put his right hand on the rail of his big-boy bed effortlessly.  It's amazing to me that he can do that subconsciously, but were he awake it would take a lot of effort.  It's in there, we just need to help him find that capability...we will!

Traffic

As promised I decided to write a post to fill you all in on Noah's favorite game-traffic.  I'm not sure exactly when it started but it is definitely his "go to" activity.  It's very simple but he seems to love it and it can surprisingly keep him entertained for quite awhile.  Basically all the game entails is to find every car you can and then line them up perfectly in a row.  Noah does this (adjusting the line so that it is exactly how he wants it- not sure where he gets that from!) and then says "oh no traffic!" He then proceeds to move each car one by one-keeping them in a perfect line.  In the old house he would actually move the line of cars around from the living room, hallway, kitchen, and dining room in a circle.  At first Brad and I thought it was a little strange but it has become kind of a joke and everyone who knows him knows about his obsession with traffic.  As Brad had posted the other night after dinner, Noah makes or sees "traffic" everywhere.  We were at his gym class a couple of weeks ago and there was a line to use the slide.  All of a sudden he yells "oh no traffic!" He lines up the food on his plate and yells "oh no traffic!" It's actually kind of embarrassing because he must have picked it up driving with Brad and I.  At times he will be playing and you will hear him say things like "have to move" or "get out of the way."  Ugh-definitely learned that from us!  Really have to watch everything you say.  I guess though there could be worse things and if he is having fun then that's all that matters.  Hoping though once we unpack his other toys he might start playing some new games!  I sometimes wonder too if he likes his cars and balls because they are easier for him to maneuver.  I forget how things like blocks or Legos really are 2 handed activities.   They are good practice for him but he gets frustrated easily and I think when he is playing he wants to just have fun- as he should.  Can't do therapy all the time.  That's all for tonight-have to head to bed so Noah and I can tackle the traffic in the morning!

Quick One for #19

This was one of those weekends that got away from us...running errands and yardwork were the themes.  I have to be up at 4 to do my run and then catch an early flight tomorrow - so, this will be brief.  Second half of my run felt smoother today - I got going at a respectable clip, I believe.  Susan helped me pick out the race I think I'm going to do - a run/bike/run race next weekend...I need to give it a bit more thought as it's a longer combined run than I planned (2 miles each leg for a total of 4) with a 12 mile bike sandwiched between - not sure how I'd fare; had originally planned on just a 5K!  Susan's eating with her left hand is getting easier, too.  She knocked down our marinated chicken tonight, no problem!  Noah continues to be on the mend, though he had a mini-meltdown at bedtime tonight which was unexpected as he had been back to his normal self all day.  We were at Pottery Barn around noon and he was flirting with a little girl about twice his age - she was sitting in one of the chairs and he was standing behind it - then would poke his head around one side and smile/stick his tongue out at her...then do the same to the other side....he then went to the ottoman and pounded on it with both hands/arms for a bit while looking at her.  I think that could be misinterpreted in many situations and cultures, but she seemed to appreciate it!  Ahhh, to be 2 and a half again....

PS - I know I promised First Giving page and I haven't come through - my bad.  Very soon...and don't worry, we'll likely email you pestering you, anyways! 

Feeling Better...

Finally, it appears Noah is feeling better!  He has been absolutely miserable for the past few days - totally stuffed up, runny nose, cough, pink-eye and fever.  He has been extremely irratible and whiny - not himself - and driving Susan and I to our collective breaking point!  Thankfully, he seemed better this morning and then, when he woke up from his nap this afternoon, he seemed much better.  So much so that we decided to head out, try to do some shopping and grab a quick, family dinner...it went pretty smoothly (except that Susan's and my dinner was extremely slow to arrive - not good with a 2-year old!).

We'll knock on wood and hope that he continues to be on the mend tomorrow.  His not feeling well has really delayed our progress on the new house - it's been extremely difficult to get anything done while he's been so fussy.  We certainly can't blame him - he's obviously not feeling well - but it's been frustrating nonetheless.  Susan and I both like things to be somewhat orderly - and we are very far from that at this point; over a week into our move...but what can you do?

Noah was great at dinner - despite the relatively late time for him...he usually goes to bed around 7:30 and we only received our food around that time tonight (slow - we would have likely taken to go if we hadn't both ordered fish)!  He was back to his usual, goofy self - which we love.  He ate almost all of his rather large grilled cheese and the fries that came with it.  He also decided that he would line up his food in his favorite "traffic" pattern on his plate (see below).  He even was singing along to Mumford and Sons on the ride home...even though it was after 8pm.  He also went down to sleep without a fuss - which has been an unusual issue the past few days.  We can see the light at the end of the tunnel - and it is much welcomed!  Unfortunately, we still think it's the prudent thing to do to stay home from swimming tomorrow - so he'll miss that for the second week in a row.  We'll try to make up for it ourselves. 

He continues to make progress with showing interest in using his right hand - today, unprovoked at breakfast he tried grabbing his water cup with his right hand and tried eating a cheerio, too, and then at dinner he tried drawing with the crayons they gave him with his kids menu!  We really think that the camp in July will be coming at a great time for him....it's a long road with ups and downs, but we are continuing to feel better about things ourselves!


"Oh no, traffic!"

 

Day 17

We're a little more than half way through Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month - and we still haven't set up our fundraising page!  Tomorrow - we promise.  Thank you for your continued support.

Noah has a terrible cold with a case of pink-eye...he struck a fever today, too...poor kid is miserable.  As such, it's been a long week and I thought I'd post a video from a few weeks ago when he was much happier...just normal, little kid stuff that was really cute!  Enjoy...

 

Why?

We've written about Noah's newfound propensity to question everything these days and we've also written a lot about our new house.  I thought it might be good to write a little bit about why we moved.  Simplistically, we're now in a nicer town with a bigger yard and bigger house.  But, as always, it's not quite that simple...

Noah receives a number of his "services" through a state-funded program called Early Intervention.  Through that program, every week he gets two occupational therapy sessions, two physical therapy sessions, one speech therapy session and an optional aqua therapy class that we try to get him to when we can (the time is not very good and it's really just a fun swimming class).  All of this has been extremely helpful and relatively inexpensive for us - with the several private sessions we supplement these services with, we certainly have a good understanding of how costly these things can be!  However, the day he turns 3 (October 1), he will "graduate" from Early Intervention and move into the town school program for services.  Early Intervention, in addition to the above, also helps you with this transition - which can apparently be quite laborious.

So, why did we move?  Well, we always viewed our first home as a five-year plan....we ended up making it just over four!  It was a great little house with wonderful neighbors and a great location for commuting and many other conveniences.  But, we had started to outgrow it and we knew the schools in town are okay, but not great and we always wanted our kids to go to public school.  In a perfect world, we probably would've stayed one more year - the house was working just fine for the three of us - saved a little more money and then made the move.  But, nothing is perfect and here we are.

The Early Intervention people need to start the transition to the town program 6 months prior to the child's 3rd birthday and you need to at least be "under-agreement" on a house in the town to be able to transition to that program (makes perfect sense, surprisingly).  We really didn't want to put Noah through multiple transitions if we could at all help it...so this gave us a self-imposed deadline of finding a new house by April 1.  To complicate matters further, the Early Intervention branch we work with only covers a handful of towns - they are regionally based within the state.  While we could have gone anywhere and we would have received help, if we left their region, we would have had to transitioned to work with all new people at a different regional branch....we wanted to avoid that, too.  So, here we went, searching for a home sooner than we would have wanted and limited to a few towns.  Par for the course, at this point!

Well, as you can probably tell, everything has worked out pretty well, despite the less-than-ideal circumstances.  We love the town we've ended up in, which possesses one of the best school systems in the state and will provide top-notch services for Noah.  We love the neighborhood - it's beautiful and everyone that we have met has been wonderful.  And, we love the new house....I think Noah does too.  So, I guess the moral of the story is that despite ongoing chaos and some misfortune, in the wise words of Bob Marley, everything little (or big!) thing is gonna be alright.

Why?  Because I said so!

Routine

Today was a long day and I think being out of our usual "routine" finally caught up with us all.  Noah has been adjusting so well that I think Brad and I have forgotten what a big change all this has been for him.  Between the new house, new bed, and being out of school I think he is really out of sorts.  It doesn't help that the poor little guy woke up with a really bad cold this morning.  He had a cough and runny nose yesterday and I was hoping it wasn't going to get any worse.  Unfortunately when I got him out of his bed this morning he was covered in snot and he couldn't open his eyes.  I thought maybe he had just wiped some snot into his eye but after about an hour at daycare they called for us to pick him up.  His eye had become more red and had some drainage.  They thought he had pink eye and of course they were right!  So we called the pediatrician who started him on some eye ointment.  Given it is highly contagious he can't go to daycare tomorrow so will be home with me again today.  Guess we won't be back to the routine for a least another day!

Poor little guy was miserable all day and I'm really hoping he gets some good sleep tonight.  Even though he didn't have a great day he was still up for trying to use his right hand.  As I have said before he is such a trooper and always amazes me with his persistence.  Here is a little video from tonight.

Big Poop

Ok I'll admit this is not a great title for today's post but poor Noah said it about one hundred times today so the phrase is in my head!  Poor little guy had trouble "getting things moving" and this was unfortunately the focus of most of our day.

It pretty much started this morning when after breakfast Noah announced he had to go.  We have slowly been trying to introduce the potty so we took this as an opportunity to give it a try.  Brad and I bought the stupid thing about six months ago when one Sunday morning Noah announced for the first time "I have to poop".  Being the new, naive, first-time parents we are we ran out and bought a potty that day.  Of course he never mentioned anything again until about a month ago and even went as far as to stopping pooping on the weekends all together.  I'm not complaining but it did limit our opportunities to start the whole potty training process!  I have still been mentioning it here and there and have also started to teach him how to undress.  This has proved to be somewhat difficult given he has limited use of his right hand.  I never realized how much you rely on two hands for dressing/undressing.  Just things like zippers, buttons, snaps, etc. are difficult for Noah.  We are slowly working on it though and he is making progress.  He may not do things the convential way but he figures it out how to get them done.  Anyway-so this morning after he told us he had to go we mentioned the potty and he flatly refused.  About 5 minutes later he said it again and to help at least get him into the bathroom I told him that Elmo had to poop too.  Poor Elmo-we make him do so many things!  So I ran upstairs and grabbed Elmo and sat him on the potty. Noah thought it was hilarious and actually sat down next to him.  It wasn't successfully on the "going" part but at least he sat on it!  He did this 2 more times and then he wanted to go outside.

There was no mention again of the "poop" until we made it back to the old house for the last walk through.  At this point the poor little guy was really uncomfortable and just kept saying he had to go.  I felt terrible as there was nothing I could do and he seemed so upset.  He is also getting a cold so that doesn't really help either.  I managed to calm him down and then all of a sudden he was fine.  We said goodbye to the house-looked so sad all empty.  Noah has already moved on and as we drove off asked to go to the "new house."  Finally made it home and it was back to having to go.  Tried with the potty again and this time he was not having anything to do with it.  He was eventually able to take care of business and happily waved to the poop as we flushed it (trying to teach him all the steps).  He also said "bye poop I'll see you later" as we walked down the stairs.  Glad that it was over and don't know that I'm truly prepared for the full adventure of potty training.  I guess we'll just see how things go...

New Stuff!

We had our second, full day in the new house today.  Susan had to go to work, but I was off.  Kathy (Susan's mom) and I got a lot done after dropping Noah off at school....cleaned out the old house and ran errands.  When we picked Noah up, his teachers said he had a great day and was telling everyone about his new house and his new "big-boy" bed.  Speaking of the big-boy bed, last night wasn't as smooth as the first night...he was nervous and cried last night as we put him down - we felt pretty bad, but are pressing forward.  Tonight, he "moaned" for a few minutes, but was better; no crying...hopefully tomorrow will be a bit better, too.

On our way home from scooping up Noah today, we stopped at the nursery near our new house...Kathy had the wonderful idea to pick out a bush/tree with Noah and plant it in the yard.  So, we ended up with a Dwarf Mops Mugo Pine...to those of you to whom this means nothing, join the club....but I have the good fortune of seeing it and it is a really nice little evergreen bush that won't grow to be too big.  So, we got home and Kathy and Noah planted the bush right off the patio...I took a few pics, but the cable guy stiffed us on Saturday so we still don't have TV/cable/phone (and cell phone service stinks at our new house).  Anyways, it was actually really great - and Noah loved the whole process.  It's Kathy's goal that Noah nurtures this plant and that it grows with him at our new house...very sweet idea and I look forward to helping him take care of his and grammy's plant!  

All streaks still in tact - our new neighborhood is great and Susan and I ran a couple loops around the cul de sac together.  My legs felt much better today than they had the past couple with all of the running up and down stairs dragging boxes et al around.  Speaking of which, a handful of the new neighbors came over just before Susan got home from work and introduced themselves to Noah and I...they seemed great - very excited to be here!  

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day everyone!  We had the good fortune of hosting Susan's mother, my mother and the rest of my entire, immediate family for Mother's Day dinner.  It was fantastic to have everyone at the new house!  We certainly are not fully operational, but Susan and her Mom made heroic efforts today to get the kitchen in living order.  That turned out to be key and enough to be able to comfortably host everyone - and my parents brought all of the food, including my Dads famous, marinated flank steak, which was great and really eased the burden on us. Noah had an absolute blast, playing outside with everyone on the big patio and running around inside like a madman...he's probably going to be a bit disappointed when we furnish the whole place - he'll lose his free space!

We transitioned him to a "big-boy" bed with the move - figured we'd do it all at once!  His first night was flawless - we had been building up the new house and new bed for a few weeks and he was really excited.  Last night, he hopped into bed no problem and was out like a light without a peep.  Today at nap time and again at bed time, he was nervous and started crying...felt horrible, but had to let him go.   Each time, he made noise for a minute or so, and then fell asleep petty quickly.  So, we're knocking on wood while hoping for an okay transition.

Susan, Noah and I went for our first run around the neighborhood today since moving (yesterday!)...we commented to each other how beautiful the neighborhood is - we made a good choice!  The move, combined with running everyday on my 215 lbs frame, has really tired out my legs...but happy to report that the streak is still in tact.  Writing on fumes here - happy Mothers Day all!

Moving day

Today was the big day of the move and have to say we're exhausted!  Just a quick note to keep the streak alive as we have no internet access.  Verizon man never showed up.  Noah had a great day and is now fast asleep in his " big boy" bed.  Had to con him with 10 stuffed animals but hope it worked!  He has transitioned nicely and even showed off tonight by eating some of his dinner with his right hand.  Always such a trooper.  Off to bed myself but will write more tomorrow.

Last Night

Sitting here writing this post on our last night at Youngs Road!  Hard to believe this time has come and feeling sad about moving on.  As Brad wrote last night we have had so many wonderful times here and I have to say this house has been perfect for us at this time in our lives.  We have had some tough times too but this has been home and I will definitely miss it!

That being said I am excited about our new house and ready to get this move over with!  I have to say that I think Noah is excited too and also wants to get back to normal.  He has been so patient with us over the last few weeks as we have packed, organized, etc.  I have felt really bad that we couldn't spend as much time with him as usual and am looking forward to getting back to our usual schedule.  We have been gearing him up for the move and telling him about the "new house" to get him ready and prepare him for the change.  We were able to take him over this afternoon and I think he loved it.  He explored the house by running all through the empty rooms, was able to choose his bedroom, and even found some old cars we had already moved and settled in to play "traffic."  He also had a great time exploring in the backyard and I think this will become a usual thing.  He happily followed Brad around as he surveyed the yard trying to figure out how he will mow it.  Could be a little bit of a challenge!  Was also happy that Noah was able to easily get himself up and down the stairs in the new house.  He has been working so hard on this with his PT and I'm so happy that he is finally starting to get more confidence and will try to do the stairs more independently.  This has been a real challenge for him and I have seen so much improvement just in the last couple of weeks.  He has also been crawling more (not army crawling) and it's amazing that he has been able to learn how to do this.  Will have to post a video of both.

Headed to bed now-busy day tomorrow!  Noah will be headed to gym class in the morning with Grammie and then will spend the rest of the day with Nanna and Poppa as the movers come.  Will also be his first night in his big boy bed!  Should be interesting...

Ready to Move On

Second to last night in our house...seems kind of strange.  It's been a wonderful house - perfect for us for the past 4 years in its structure and location.  But, like most things in life, there comes a time when you must move on...you outgrow things.  We hope this house will create many wonderful memories for the next family that owns it as it has for us.  We've been here for 4+ years and have a lot of our own memories here - mostly good and a few bad.  We moved in the day after my 31st birthday in 2009; great memory.  We brought a 6-week old Baxter-the-dog home from the shelter that July.  We rushed out of the house after Susan's water broke and to the hospital with great excitement, anticipation and nerves on September 30, 2010.  We brought 4-day old Noah home to the house on October 4, 2010 (he was born on the 1st).  We had Canadian Thanksgivings, Christmas's, Easters and a number of other gatherings with friends and family.  We've had wonderful times here.  We've also had not so wonderful times.  We received Noah's diagnosis on April 1, 2011....what a cruel April Fool's that was.  Unfortunately it wasn't a joke and we shed many tears that day and numerous, ensuing others.  We guided Baxter out of the house for the last time that same May as we brought him to his new home.  We've had bad times here.

I did the final walk-through at the new house this evening - we close tomorrow.  Unfortunately, Susan got stuck at work and wasn't able to attend.  We're very excited for our new home - it will be a wonderful house for us all.  Noah will have lots of room to run around and play in the yard....he'll have a wonderful school system and great services through the town as he transitions from the Early Intervention program to the town program for services when he turns 3 later this year.  We continue to consider ourselves fortunate in that we are able to provide these things for him - and we're now ready to move on.  We realize that there are many in our same situation that are not.  I'll be setting up our Pediatric Stroke Awareness month giving page tomorrow through the CHASA site - please consider a gift to help those families to move on, too. 



  

Day 8

Today was a tough one for me to continue the streak, but happy to report it's in tact.  As Susan mentioned last night, I didn't have a chance to go for my run until 9 last night.  I then had an early flight this morning to Philadelphia with meetings all day including dinner, so I knew I had to get my run in this morning before leaving for the airport.  For a guy who hates running - getting up at 4:30 to go for a run, 7-hours after my previous run really sucked (for lack of a better term)!  But, those are the times I like to think about Noah and all that is asked of him from us and his therapists...and then I feel silly.  The kid has PT three times a week, OT twice a week, aqua therapy twice a week, speech therapy once a week, and daycare does constraint therapy with him every day during the week and we do it on the weekends, along with painful stretching we have to do with him....he goes through a lot and takes it all in stride - he's amazingly resilient!  Thus, the nature of the streak!

Our big move is in just a few days - we're excited and Noah seems to have an understanding...he talks about the "new house".  We also hope to transition him to a "big boy" bed at the same time and he seems excited about that, too.  Of course, this is coming from a 2 1/2 year old, and odds are he'll end up melting down at some point during the process.  But, for now, we're all excited!

Short post tonight from the Courtyard Marriott in a small town outside Philly.  Miss Noah and Susan already!  

Why?

Day 7 of the streak and we're still going although admittedly a little bit slower!  It's 9 PM now and Brad is just going out for his run. This week is really kicking us in the butt as we get ready for the big move.  Can't believe that we only have 4 more nights in this house.  Definitely going to miss this place!

Today was Tuesday and usually I have the day off to spend with Noah.  Given that we are moving this weekend I switched my days around to have Friday off instead.  This always throws me off and I think it makes Noah a little confused too.  We usually start the day by going to see his PT, then out to breakfast, gym class with Gymbo the clown, and then home for another PT session.  The schedule is busy but actually makes for a fun morning.  So today with me working I told Noah that we were going to see Nikki (one of his therapists) and then Poppa was going to pick him up.  As with pretty much everything I say to him these days his response to me was "why?"  I love that Noah is talking so much but was not prepared for the "why" phase as it came upon us early last week.  I knew it was bound to happen but wasn't the least bit prepared.  He is asking why about everything and I'm already running out of answers!  I find myself staying stuff that doesn't make any sense and grasping to come up with logical answers.  Haven't resorted to the "because" answer just yet but may be coming soon!  Took Noah to PT and then he spent the rest of the day with Nanna and Poppa.  Sounded like he had a busy day playing balls, traffic (we will have to explain that game in its own post), and at the playground.  Happy that he was able to have such a good day and looking forward to hanging out with him this weekend.

Was able to get my walk in this morning by getting off of the train at a different stop and was a great day to be outside.  Now off to eat my yogurt dessert with my left hand!  Thank you for keeping up with us and hope you are all streaking too!  Will be putting together our First Giving page soon and hope you will be able to help us raise some money for CHASA.  Why?  Because it's a great organization that means a lot to us : )

6 Days of Streaking...

It's been a long Monday and my legs are a bit tired (running everyday = not so fun!), so we're going to post a couple of pics and videos to update you on Noah a bit better, particularly given the videos last night from swimming were pretty grainy, and keep it short and sweat tonight!  Streaks in tact, though not sure my purple (official color of Pediatric Stroke Awareness month) tie - another part of my streak - was quite right for my shirt at work today, but oh well! 

Here he is chilling before school one morning - very GQ:

His daycare has agreed to do constraint therapy with him everyday and that has helped take some of the stress off of us trying to fit it in either early morning or the evening...here are two videos of him doing constraint a few weekends ago....

Sunday Swimming

New pic for the main blog page - realized he looks quite a bit different than he did a year ago!  Anyways, coming to you live for the pool!  We take Noah to an aqua therapy session every Sunday afternoon from 4:30 to 5:15 - the session is actually in the pool at a hotel.  There are some definite negatives to this: the hotel is not very close to our house (~30 mins), we usually have to wake Noah up early from his nap to get there on time, and the desk-jockeys at Blue Cross Blue Shield have ruled from their pedestal on Mount Olympus that there is no progressive benefit to Noah - merely "maintenance" - and so they refuse to pay for it.  Of course, the fact that all of these barriers exist and we still make the trip every week with him should tell you that we feel differently!

His therapists have him do some pretty cool stuff in the pool and we are certainly seeing the benefits directly in his shoulder and arm strength as well as his increased recognition of the right side of his body, overall, as they do a lot of balance and centering work, too.  In addition to the great physical benefits he is reaping from the "weightless" therapy environment, he has also become very comfortable in the water.  It's quite amazing to think back to his first session - it certainly was not always this way!  His first session, he spent the whole time screaming bloody murder and cleared out the entire pool deck of unsuspecting hotel guests...in fact, I almost had to physically restrain Susan as she was about to "have words" with a disapproving, middle-aged woman who seemed to think we were torturing the poor little guy, clearly having no knowledge that it was a therapy session and not just a basic swimming lesson that was making him so miserable.  It very slowly got better over the first few sessions - I actually had to stop going for a period as he would scream for me to come "rescue" him.  What a difference 6 months makes!  He actually asks to go swimming now and looks forward to the sessions.  Enough so that Susan has even started taking him to an additional session offered by our Early Intervention people on Friday mornings.

It really is a great, additional benefit to have him so comfortable in the water now.  When we first started the sessions, the therapist talked about how, in addition to the great physical benefits, aqua therapy also often gives the kids a comfort-level in the water that ends up helping with their self-confidence later on...the idea that maybe they are limited when it comes to playing baseball or running around the school yard; but when they get near a pool, they have a leg-up on other kids and have been in the water on a regular basis for years.  So, while not easy - nothing ever is - we will certainly continue to bring him.

Here are a few videos to help give you an idea of what Sunday swimming entails...unfortunately it's iPhone video posted here so it's a bit grainy - I can assure you he is enjoying himself.  Some of the audio is pretty good, hope you can hear it.  Enjoy!

Good Day

Well the title of the blog tonight pretty much sums up the day!  It was a long one and we were super busy but it was great to be with Noah and Brad and not at work.  We got rolling early as we had to get our donation of used clothes, books, etc out on the curb by 7AM.  With the move fast approaching we have been trying to clean out as much as we can.  It truly is ridiculous how much "stuff" the 3 of us have accumulated in this house in just 3 years!  Today we had arranged for the Epilepsy Foundation to come and pick up a few things.  We like to donate to them as many children who have had strokes also have seizures.  Anyway lucky for me Brad was up early and got everything outside and managed to return with coffee and bagels before I even woke up.  Have to say I do have an amazing husband!  Noah came into bed with us as usual to watch Elmo and the day was off.  Did a little packing in the morning and then took Noah with us furniture shopping.

I have to say if you have to take a 2 1/2 year old shopping, furniture shopping is actually not that bad. It's a contained space, enough room to run around, no carts are involved (we battle over riding in the cart all the time), and not too much trouble to get into.  That being said there is a huge fountain in the middle of the Bob's furniture store in Randolph and if Noah hadn't been so tired by the time we got there it could have been an issue.  Who puts a fountain in a furniture store?  Anyway Noah had quite a good time running around and pointing to everything and saying "I want this one!"  As we have mentioned before he is talking a ton and some of the things really make me laugh.  As we were walking through one of the stores I said it was a "nice store."  Noah quickly agreed and then proceeded to run around saying "This is a nice store" and when we left asked "go to another nice store?"  You really have to watch what you say because he repeats everything!  We managed to go to a few places and then went home for a nap.  Noah took a nice long nap as he is always exhausted by the time the weekend comes and Brad and I continued with the packing.

After Noah's nap we took him down to the park because it was nice out and he has been so good with all the craziness of the move.  As usual he loved it and spent most of his time on the swings.  He is doing great at the park and has indenpendently started to climb the stairs, showed interest in climbing up the monkey bars, and consistently holds onto the swing with both hands.  In fact if his right hand should slip off he gets upset and asks for help to fix it.  It's amazing how much more awareness he has gained of his right hand and the entire right side of his body.  This is very encouraging as we gear up for a month long contrainst camp (we will fill in you on that in another post!).  Noah had a lot of fun on the swings as always and he kept asking me to push him higher.  His new thing is to remind me that "Poppa pushes higher" to guilt me into pushing with more effort.  When I don't he then says "Nanna too!" I have yet to see Nanna and Poppa push Noah on the swing but am thinking I will have to step up my game!

After the park we headed home for dinner and bedtime.  Noah was extra cuddly today and actually let me snuggle with him before bed.  I treasure the nights he lets me do this as lately when he wants his bed-he wants his bed!  I put him down in the crib and then we had dinner.  With the day being so crazy I had forgotten to eat my meal with my left hand.  I fumbled my way through dinner but managed to do it keeping the streak alive.  Happy to say Brad got his run in and I did my walk so we are going strong.  Hope you all had a good day and will post again tomorrow!

Mumford

Long week, short post.  Susan and I both successfully streaked on a nice, but chilly day here in the greater Boston area.  I took Noah for a run again this evening - he likes hitting bumps in the road in the jogging stroller - thinks its the funniest thing in the world!  So, being the devoted father, I aim for every pothole I see!  Surely not a good plan for the longevity of our ridiculously overpriced jogging stroller, "The Bob," for those of you that may be familiar, but what are you going to do...the boy demands it, and I'm a sucker for his laugh!

The other highlight of the day - outside of my leaving work a bit early to avoid strangling someone quite senior to me and, thus, probably making a bad career move - was listening to Mumford and Sons in the car with Noah.  I'm certainly not original, but Mumford and Sons is the best band around as far as I'm concerned.  Saw (heard) them on Saturday Night Live maybe 9 months ago (again, not claiming to be original!) and they really struck me as being great.  I mean, if a band sounds good on SNL, you know they have to be good.  And the more I listen, the more I like them.  Anyways, as the saying goes, like father like son...Noah loves them too.  He knows "the words" to many of the songs, and it is the cutest thing in the world when he sings along.  This evening, we went to pick Susan up from the train and he was rocking out to, "I Will Wait,"...okay, "we" were rocking out, and it was awesome!  That was his favorite song for a while, but he has recently been going through a phase where he doesn't want to listen to it...tonight he actually asked for the song and i was psyched.  I realize it's on the radio all the time and I own the CD and have it on my iPod, etc, etc., but Noah has truly insisted on not hearing it for about a month now, and it still is my favorite song.  So, it was great as we both belted it out in the car together this evening.  I have a video of him from a little while back on my phone of him singing along that I'll post here, but not tonight.  It's been a long week - my legs are a touch sore as they are certainly not used to running 3 days in a row - and we're moving next weekend!  So, I'm going to clip it a bit short this evening as I need my rest...."you forgave and I won't forget!"

Out to Dinner

Today was day 2 of the streak and we are well under way!  Was thinking this morning that it seems like just yesterday we were in the middle of last year's streak.  It's crazy how fast this year has gone and how much has changed.  Also can't believe this will be our third year in a row!

As Brad had mentioned this year for my streak I have decided to eat a meal a day with my left hand and walk/run everyday.  Happy to say that I'm off to a good start.  I have eaten my breakfast (yogurt and oatmeal) with my left hand both days and have managed not to make too much of a mess.  Makes me think how difficult it must be for Noah when we have him do what we view as such simple tasks with his right hand.  I was at work today when I received a text message saying what a wonderful OT session he had this morning.  When I read the note tonight I found out that he had eaten his entire yogurt at school with his right hand.  He had his constraint on of course but still managed to do it.  Funny that we were both doing the same thing!

Today was Thursday and I usually try to leave a  little early so that I can pick Noah up from school.  I was able to scoop Noah up and convince Brad to leave a little early too so that we could have a "family dinner."  There is a pizza place close to our house that is great to go to and it's nice to get out for a quick dinner.  Noah is talking up a storm these days and has picked up the phrase "out to dinner."  I let him know of our plans and he was very excited.  We have to be a little careful these days though because he has started asking us frequently "go out to dinner?"  He says is with such an adorable grin it is often hard to say no!  We had our pizza and then headed out for a family walk/run with Noah in his car so that we could complete our streaks for the day.  Exhausted now and getting ready for bed.  Just warming up with this whole blogging thing again and promise my posts will improve as we go along!

My New Running Partner?!

Okay - so day 1 and we're off to a good start!  Wore my purple tie to work today (I forgot to mention that I will also wear something purple everyday during the month - the official color of Pediatric Stroke Awareness month), did my run, Susan got a long walk in and here is the post!

I took Noah for a run this evening in the running stroller, which kind of turned out to be a bad idea.  I realized halfway through the run that we might be able to catch Susan coming home a little late on the train, but I didn't have a clock on me and I had lost track of exactly what time it was.  So, we went down to the train station only to learn that it would be another 15 minutes until the train came.  So I told Noah we'd run a couple of laps and come back...but he wanted to see Mommy and the train right then and he totally lost it as I turned the stroller around.  So, in order to calm him down, I told him we could see if our great friends who live around the corner were home with their daughter who's 6 months younger than Noah.  Fortunately they were and he played (more with her toys than with her!) and had fun, only to lose it once again when I told him we were going to leave!  This time I calmed him down with promises of the train and Mommy - and fortunately that worked...but, once it was time to head home, he no longer wanted to sit in the stroller and insisted on running himself!  So, I only got about half the run in that I was expecting, but we'll chalk it up as a success!

It was also fun to run with Noah!  He's not the speediest at this point, but man is he determined!  A little different than my old running partner, Baxter the Dog!  Baxter was fast, but uncontrollable and not all that determined.  Kind of a funny thought - I was looking through some pictures last night as we (still) need to update Noah's picture on this blog.  I came across an old picture of Baxter on the first day we got him- I was holding him in the back yard and he was just a little puppy.  It made me think about all we've been through over the past 3+ years - particularly as we're getting ready to move to our new home in a little over a week.  Things haven't gone exactly to plan, but when does that ever happen!  I always wanted a dog, but we felt we had to give him up given all of the "stuff" we have going on....a really tough decision and I still find myself staring at the house across town where he now lives every time I drive by, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.  But he's better off where he is - a wonderful family with three older kids that loves him - and we're better off, able to focus on Noah, the most important aspect of our lives.

And Noah is the greatest little kid in the world and he brings so much sheer joy and happiness to our lives, I truly cannot imagine things any other way.  While Noah's stroke in utero was a total fluke - a terrible bit of luck, for lack of a better term - I consider myself fortunate above all else.  We're fortunate that Noah is with us; we're fortunate that he is progressing so well - particularly cognitively...he has an amazing personality!; we're fortunate that we have the means to provide for Noah and his needs; we're fortunate that we have amazing family and friends and their support; and we're fortunate that we have each other.  What more can one ask for?  Of course, we likely have some challenges that many do not, but I know we lack a lot of those that so many others have.  So what that we have to do some different things to help Noah grow as best he can - to the extent that everything that has happened has in someway shaped the wonderful boy he is becoming, then that's okay with me because he really is awesome.

It's been a little over 2 years since we received Noah's diagnosis and it has been quite a whirlwind.  I can't believe he'll be three in 5 months!  This is our 3rd "Streak" and I had forgotten how great this whole thing is for me....it really is a nice opportunity to catch my breath and reflect on what really matters to me.  Life is busy, but that is becoming a more and more common excuse...it used to be the common response to the question, "How are you doing," was "Well!" or some denomination of that - perhaps with some sincere color. Today, I feel like the response is always, "Busy!"  I'm guilty of that response myself.  I hope I can stop that - it sucks. This Streak isn't about me, but, as I've mentioned in past years, it becomes a nice outlet....And this blog certainly takes some interesting, unintended twists!

So, here we go again...if you're still reading, thanks for sticking with me!  I think we're doing pretty well, all things considered.  Noah is doing great - I'm incredibly proud of him...strongest, most resilient little boy around.  He's happy, healthy, growing, learning, playing, talking, walking....and now, running!