October 2015

Looking back to the fall of 2015, it's nice to recognize that life was normal. Well, whatever that is. ;) Typical "life" things happened...I was able to get away, spend a weekend with friends, and see my first (I know, finally!) hockey and football games in person. They were both worth the wait and the time spent with friends is always well spent. The boys and I were able to spend a day in CT with my family pumpkin picking and general fall activities. Those days don't come around enough and we just try to soak them all in. The boys love being around their Grandma, aunts, and cousins in CT. The boys also went trick-or-treating with Ben being a ninja and Nate being Pete the Cat (again!).

October did bring a slightly scary time for Nate. After having his yearly well-check with the pediatrician, it was observed that his growth on the chart was off from previous measurements. His percentages for height dropped to the 7th percentile and his percentile for weight dropped 30 points (now to the 40th). In simpler terms, he wasn't growing and hadn't gained weight in over a year. Ahh...another thing to be concerned with. So, the doctor ordered some bloodwork which I decided to do the next day because I knew it would be traumatic for him as he had always been sedated for bloodwork.

I brought him in the next afternoon and boy, did he let them know he was there! Haha! He was not a happy camper, despite my attempts at bribing him with the iPad, M&M's, and a trip to the toy store. Nope, I'm not ashamed of bribing. Whatever works! :)  Benjamin was with us too and I felt so sad that he had to watch his brother go through another test. But, as always, he was the king of encouragement. They have such a sweet bond.

It took forever for the results to come back (close to 10 days). At first, I got a phone call that the results came back "normal." Come to find out, those "normal" results were for his thyroid level and some other tests. I got a phone call a few days later that what didn't come back normal were his numbers for different immunoglobulin levels as well as his levels for some of the vaccinations that he's had. So, guess what that meant? More blood work for Nate. Yeah! (insert sarcasm)

I took him the next day to finish off the blood work. He did slightly better the second time around which everyone in the office appreciated. Thankfully, all of the nurses there are wonderful with him. So, after a little more waiting, it was found that his IgA level is on the low side. The test results were sent to and reviewed by his team in Boston. We were told that it isn't something too concerning for him and that the blood work will be reviewed on an annual basis now that it was found. (What is IgA deficiency?)

apple picking with school

playing in the leaves

Baltimore Ravens game

Washington Capitals game

Trick or treating!

Ben, Jeremy, Nate

Ben playing soccer

Ben carving his pumpkin

the boys at Ioka Farm

Mom & Nate at his school Halloween party

Someone was so happy with his Caps shirt!

Nate and Katie

September 2015

What a busy month September was...so many great things happening! First off, Benjamin began Kindergarten. To be honest, I wasn't as sad as I thought I would be. I think proud was a better fitting word. I knew he was ready and he knew he was ready. He had been so hesitant to try new things in the past, but with this milestone, he walked away confident and excited to be going to the "big kid" school. He hasn't looked back since!

I was away in Baltimore for the first weekend in September at my final pro tour event of the year. I was sad to leave as Nate would be turning 4 that Sunday, but I would be back by his bedtime to still wish him a Happy Birthday in person. The good news was that I made the trip well worth it by winning my 19th tournament and the Bowler of the Year award. It was such a great way to end what was an emotionally exhausting summer; plus I was able to spend much needed time with my friends.

Nate was able to celebrate his birthday multiple times (that always seems to happen in our family!), which is always nice. Plus, the weather was still fabulous during the week of his birthday. The boys were able to go to the splash pad in the afternoon during the week with some friends. On one of the days, the newspaper was there taking some pictures and the kids made the front page of the Berkshire Eagle! Although they didn't seem too impressed, I was happy about it! :)

Benjamin was super excited to begin soccer, yet another sport for him to try. He fell in love with it and looked forward to going to practices and games. I'm not sure how I'm ever going to fit all of these things in! The boys were also enjoying using the pool through the entire month of September; they don't ever seem to care if the sun is shining or not. If it's still open, they're jumping in! (or getting pushed!!)

The end of September brought about some challenging times as I was sick of Nate leaving his room in the middle of the night and sauntering into my room to snuggle up with me. As much as I know I will miss this in the distant future, this Mom needs to start to get some straight, consistent sleep. It's been a long four years. As I started to stop him in his tracks by putting up a baby gate in the doorway of my bedroom, he realized what was happening. He was not a happy camper. He cried and yelled, but I stood my ground. Outwit, outlast, outplay, right? :)  Over the next few days, he would drag his blanket and pillow out into the hallway and sleep there. I knew that sleeping on a hard wood floor wasn't the best thing for him, so I knew I would need to figure out the next step to help him get back to his own room or at least come up with a better solution.

Nate also had his 4 year well check visit with the pediatrician on the last day of the month. I went in (like I do most times) thinking things are normal and all will be fine. I'm not sure when I'll learn my lesson, but just ask my Mom; I'm a little stubborn. I was told that he hasn't gained weight in almost 18 months and barely grew taller. Seriously? If you look at him, looks completely normal to me. Yeah, he's a little short for his age, but his weight seemed fine. I learned he's in the 7th percentile for height and he dropped close to 30 percentile points for weight. Damn. So, he sent us for some bloodwork. I wasn't looking forward to that since anytime he's gotten bloodwork done, it's been while he's sedated. Ugh. This wasn't going to be pretty.