I am so proud of Alex, he knows most of his colours and shapes also can count too 4 :) Next year he start kinder.
Today i wanted to share Alex's latest accident, he decided to add a scar on his hand to the collection of the 2 on his head. Over the weekend we where at a friends 30th, im not 100% sure what happened as i was feeding our 9 month old and daddy said it happened so fast his not sure but he thinks he tripped and using the bon fire to catch himself :(
ok more details on photos
pic 1- about an hour after he burnt it (day1)
pic2- the next morning (day 2)
pic 3- the same day as pic 2 but at lunch time when the blister started to form (day2)
pic4- morning just before i wrapped it (day 3)
pic5- at the doctors before they drained it and changed his dressing(day 3)
you cant see from the photo angle but the blister was easily double the size of day 2
pic6- nighttime taken during his bath before it was dressed again. (day4)
today is day 5 but its looks the same as day 4 at the moment besides the fast the loss skin on top is broken a little
I think its healing well but i do think he will have a scar :( its his right hand that he eats and does most things with so its making life hard for him having it wrapped and we had to miss swimming yesterday as he couldnt swim with it, he was very sad about that.
Time for this mummy to head to bed as on top of alex and his hand our youngest has bronchitis
Melissa
Christmas is fast approaching, its crazy how fast this year has gone. Its been a big year and alot has happened but this is not my end of the year post just yet.
ok so back in August just after Alex's birthday i mentioned a few things that had happened that i wanted to post about one of them at this moment has slipped my mind but the big one was the DENTIST trip, its been a couple of months now so ill do my best to remember what i can. It was a Saturday and just after Alex's morning snack he started screaming, it was a pain cry i could tell straight away, i asked him what was wrong and he told me it was his tooth.
Straight away i was on the phone calling the dentist, the public dentist is closed on a sat so the private it was, so lucky they could squeeze him in. His been to the dentist before so when we got there he wasn't worried and happily got into the chair, she instantly spotted the trouble tooth, one of his molars has a big whole going all the way to his nerve. I really don't understand why this would happen we brushes his teeth twice a day or i should say we do his getting better but still needs some help for a good clean. Anyway back to the day, so she warned him of some little bits (the numbing needle) he was perfect through this part flinched a little when it went it, rinsed his mouth out and laid back down for the next injection. Off the dentist went to do something else while it went numb as they do.
Here comes the bad part, as soon as that drill hit his tooth he went nuts, screaming in pain (even tho the dentist kept telling me she used extra there's noway he could feel anything) tossing himself about and yelling my name, i felt so bad but he was in so much pain earlier we needed to try and help him, they stopped we calmed him down explained what was going to happen and we tried again and again and again, three of us couldn't hold my little 15kg boy down, i can not believe the strength he had, Im almost positive he was feeling something (i know that when i had a whole in my tooth through to the nerve i could still feel something but being an adult i got over it)
They tried a few of there tricks, from getting me to leave the room and saying i wouldnt come back till he laid down to bribing him, nothing worked. in the end they managed a very old style of temp filing in, but didn't even get to put the medichine in to help the nerve pain or drill the whole fully.
Now we have to get him put under for a filling, hopefully this is happening in the next few months in the public system before the temp falls out on him.
It was certainly a horrible day for Alex and i, tears all round but thank fully it got fixed just enough to stop the pain for him. Melissa
First sorry for my lack in posting on the nights ive had free time ive had other stuff on my mind. :)
2 weeks ago Alex turned 4. the Saturday before his bday we had a party at a play center. He had a blast, it was great this year having him understand a little more what the whole birthday thing was about. During the party i went to track him down in the play area and asked him if he wanted to open his presents, he went running to the party room and straight for the presents table till now its only been a case of you put a present in front of him he will open it, it was so nice to have him know exactly what i was talking about and get all excited about the idea. He also knew that birthday meant cake, now i made his cake so he seen that happening but as soon as i told him on the Tuesday it was his birthday today, they first thing he turned and said to me was "can i have another spiderman cake" Theres not much from the party to really recap, i cant remember much, i remember taking turns chasing him and his sister around or sitting with the little one while daddy chased them around. He was a very tired boy when we got him thats for sure just chilled on the little couch that him and his sister have and watched a movie.
Here he is below getting his cake on the saturday. He loved this cake so much, he waved goodnight to it the night before and all sat morning before his party he keept going in the kitchen to make sure it was still there. I enjoy making cakes but i enjoy the joy on his face even more.
Opening his presents on Tuesday morning
Thats it for his birthday update. thanks for reading i have another little update that ill do in the next day or 2 :)
Melissa
its been a long and emotional day but ill do my best to recall what i can. Sorry if its a long post :) Was hard for him getting ready and going out this morning, the first thing he did was look for his drink and ask for breakfast but he wasn't aloud :( i didnt have to much of a problem just told him we had to go out and didn't have time. Put his favorite spider man top and jumper on to distract him. Toke us almost an hour and a half to get there, find a park and get inside, they toke him through almost straight away. Explained to me what would happen and the dangers of both procedures, his dad waited in the little area just outside the MRI room and i went it with him while they put him under. the made the gas smell like chocolate for him and it only toke minutes and he was out to it, no fuss, no hassle, the hospital was just great. We where told to go back to waiting room and wait for the doctor who was to do the spinal tap on him to come talk with us. Was about 20mins before he came in and explained the risks to me and what signs to look for when we got home, he made me feel better about everything. We where told we could go down to the food court and get something to eat but our friends turned up to get our little one (i told you about them last night) and he needed a bottle by the time he had that it had been a good 30-40mins already and since they said the test would take 30 and the spinal tap maybe 10 i didn't want to leave this waiting room even tho it was 12.30pm and i hadn't eaten since the night before, i couldnt stand the idea of him waking and me not being there. While waiting i began to feel sick, you know the worry sick feeling you get. I just wanted to see him and to know he was ok the Doctor come out not long after and let me know it was all done and he was fine, the nurse would be out to get me as soon as he started to wake. That feeling in my gut eased a little knowing he was safe but i still needed to see him. I cant remember how long it was i wasn't checking the time but didnt seem long when they come to get us, we went it and he was stirred and starting to cry, one of the nurses said he looks like he needs a hug, so i picked him up and i was pointed in the direction of a comfy chair. He was upset, crying and tossing himself around, was pulling at his head. This lasted about 5-10mins then he passed out in my arms.
After he woke up he was a lot better still very groggy and pale but he sat up and the nurse gave him an ice pole, he ate that very fast and some colour came back into his face. After about 20mins they toke his drip out of his hand and we where good to go, he went into his brothers pram as he was very shaky and we went down to the food court to get something to eat. He was shaking so we stopped half way to put a jumper on him. At this point he hadnt said more than one word to us and shrugged his shoulders a few times at questions. When we got to the food court he wasn't interested in food just wanted a drink, he drank a lot of water very fast, to fast. He went to eat a chip and vomited everywhere, he got upset about this and gave me the chip and said to me 'i cant eat it" he then spotted the play ground and just wanted to play. At this point he was back to his normal bubbly self :) We couldn't shut him up as per normal and i toke him down to the play ground and he was running around like crazy. Toke us almost 2 hours to get home, during the car trip he still looked very pale but i manged to get him to eat a pack of biscuits and he keept them down. Since we got home his just sat on the couch watching tv and played a little but he seems very sleepy still. When his sister got home from daycare he showed her the bruise and hole in/on his hand from the drip, told her ouch and a little story (that i couldn't quite make out). He told me his back was sore not long ago and he had some panadol but besides being a little sleeping and sore his fine.
Thank for reading this long post xoxo Melissa
Tomorrow Alex has his MRI and spinal tap I'm so stressed and worried about it i don't think ill sleep a wink tonight. They put him under for it but i just know ill be pacing the waiting room till i know his save and awake. We have to head off at 9am at the latest, poor alex cant eat or drink anything when he wakes in the morning, i know his not going to like that. its so hard to explain to an almost 4yo why where not letting him eat when his hungry or drink when his thirsty. I wont be having anything either as i wont eat in front of my child who is hungry and its worked out well his test is on the day his sister gos to daycare so she will have breakfast there. Theres noway i could get through this without such amazing friends behind me, my youngest the 5months old doesnt go to daycare and we had noone to watch him. Well our amazing friends are taking the day off from work bringing there two kids along into the city so they can pick Lachlan up and take care of him while Alex needs all our attention. Ill update you tomorrow on how things went.
Love a stressed our mummy tonight xoxo
Its been almost 2 weeks since i posted. We have had a good few weeks, no break downs for mummy :) With no appointments or anything to tell you about theres not much to update you on. His next tests are still 2 months away, i want to give u more back ground about alex but i still cant find is record book.
Ive tried tracking down his records and no where has them :( Im getting really upset about that, all his baby records are in this book, his height weight and everything when he since was born, the birth ones are in his baby book too so i have those but in between then and his 2yo checkup i cant find any records.
His speech is coming along great, he hasn't had an appointment since the last update as it got cancelled because she was sick. His sentences are getting longer now and we can understand more words.
Until next time Melissa
Im so lucky yo have the wonderful friends that i do, i got this lovely txt from my bff the other day and it made me tear up a little. It said,
It reminded me of you!
She can deal with stress and carry heavy burdens,
She smiles when she feels like screaming &
She sings when she feels like crying.
She cries when shes happy and laughs when shes afraid
Her love is unconditional, There is only one thing wrong with her
She forgets what shes worth.
I might only have a few friends but the ones i do have are amazing. I know what i go through isn't easy but i am one of the lucky ones there's so many touching story's about special needs children not just those with microcephaly, these women and families amaze me with there strength and love. So as i leave you tonight i leave you with a poem :)
"Heavens very Special Child"
A meeting was held quite far from earth,
"It's time again for another birth" ,
Said the angels to the Lord above,
"This special child will need much love .
" His progress may seem very slow,
Accomplishments he may not show;
And he'll require extra care From the folks he meets down there
.He may nor run or laugh or play,
His thoughts may seem quite far away.
In many ways he won't adapt,
And he'll be known as handicapped.
So let's be careful where he's sent,
We want his life to be content.
Please, Lord, find the parents who,
Will do a special job for You.
They will not realize it right away,
The leading role they're asked to play.
But with this child sent from above,
Comes stronger faith and richer love.
And soon they'll know the privilege given,
In caring for this gift from heaven.
Their precious charge, so meek and mild
IS HEAVENS VERY SPECIAL CHILD...
Just a little note to share with you how special my little boy is, he is such a little character and a great big brother.
Yesterday he found a scratch on his baby brothers head, he didn't know that bubs did it himself. So he asked him if he was ok then with a really stern voice, said " wheres the cat". That cat was going to be in big trouble if mummy hadn't told Alex Lachlan scratched himself.
He also loves to read to him, later in the evening when his little sister has gone to bed and just him and Lachlan are up he brings over a book and says to me "my baby? Book?" i know what he wants so i prop lachlan up on the couch next to Alex and he sits there and reads to him.
Sometimes when im heating up a bottle for lachlan, he will be crying and Alex will go up to him and say in a really concerned voice "lochie you want a bobal"
He tries to help me change Lachlans nappy "i do, i do" he says so i move aside and let him give it a try but all he does is open the tabs then says "ewww" and moves away.
Its not just the baby tho, he kissed his sister hurt today when she fell over and once or twice his spotted me crying and he will come up wipe my tear away, lay his head on my legs and ask me "you ok mummy"
He really amazes me everyday with the wonderful things he does. He gets his sister drinks, we have a new fridge that has the drink thing in the front and his worked it out so he fills her cup not just his own. Today i found them on the floor with a pillow and a blanket reading a book together. They fight most of the time but those little moment when they play nice together are so worth it.
Well that note wasn't so little after all, so ill go now and leave you with hopefully some giggles from the stories of the cute and wonderful things he does.
Got the disk from our photo session and just had to share one of my little man :)
Not really much to tell, had a medium day yesterday, cried a little but not a lot. Might seem like it was over something silly to some people but we moved a few months ago and since we moved i can't find Alex's blue health book, for anyone outside Australia its a record book your given when there born, there weight, height etc is written in it and so are details every check up. One of the main reason im so stressed about finding it, is because there's memories in there plus all his doctors letters, test results etc Ive been putting in the front to keep it all together. So now im faced with a very long task of tracking all his records down, i don't even know where to begin. Not much else to tell at this point his next appointment isn't until the 7th, we continue to do his speech therapy activities. thanks for reading another post :)
Well Ive talked a little but about my bad days but this entry will go into more detail.
Pleased be warned these are my raw feelings, if your close to me or my family this post may upset you.
Ive only had a couple of really bad days but when i do there REALLY bad, you know when you wake in the morning and you just don't feel yourself, well thats how the day normally starts. Then something happens to set the crying off and it doesn't stop. The easiest way is to tell you about my last bad day, it was just a few weeks ago, i woke up feeling a little off, sent the older 2 off to childcare and i was doing alright until a letter come in the mail from the latest specialist. The letter itself wasn't anything special just the usual recap of the appointment and what he had noticed and recommended, seeing it all in writing always gets to me, then the tears started and i mean crying so hard i cant breath. Then the thoughts start going through my head, did i do something wrong? What did i do to deserve this? Why my child? Why do all these people around me get healthy children and i don't? Why cant i go back in time and have my perfect little boy back. Am i being punished for something? I often prepare for the worst news when it comes to his tests, Why? because its easier for me that way, if i prepare for the worst any news i get is better than what i was thinking, of course i still have hope but if i let myself stay afloat on dreams and hopes then when i get bad news my world comes crashing down around me. I have three young children i try my best to never let them see me having my bad days, if i have to hold it all in till there in bed i will. Because they are the most important thing.
I love my children and my life i really wouldn't change them for the world, yes i have my bad days where the above thought run through my head but when i wake up the next morning and i look at Alex i remember all the things about him that make him so wonderful.
Of course don't get me wrong i love Alex more than anything and in my eyes his my perfect little boy and always will be, most days i forget his even different. It can just get so frustrating when no one seems to understand what your going through, when your told over and over again things will be ok Alex will get better he looks normal. NO he wont this isn't something that will just go away, we need to deal with it and what comes with it every day for the rest of our lives but i will get through this, i will be strong for my little man, because he needs me and thats what a mother does. On days like this i feel really alone, i know I'm not i have some great friends and family also I'm so lucky to have my fiance, when Ive had the odd bad day he just seems to know the right thing to say to make me feel better, his my strength for the days when i just cant seem to find mine.
Getting some of that of my chest has really helped, when i have my days like this i don't talk to many people, my fiance knows when i need him ill talk, his there is i need to be held why i just cry, he doesn't ask why he just holds me. My big sister who i love so very much, i often call her when I'm having a bad day but i still feel she just doesn't always understand.
Well i think I'm all typed out tonight, if your reading this and think thats how you feel? Need someone to talk to? Please contact me, that one of the two main reasons I'm doing this blog, in hope that it will help another parent not feel as alone as i do. Sincerely Melissa
Today we got some good news :) Alex had his 3.5yo assessment and of course they noted his behind in a few things but we already knew that. In fact the health nurse complimented me on picking up on things myself and taking him to the specialist. Well his head is growing, its still small but i was so stressed because our last specialist appointment when it was measured it and it was the same size as it was 12 months ago, so i was stressing it at stopped altogether but today is encouraging that at least its grow, it might be slow and smaller than other kids but its very exciting for me to get such news.
Also during this post i thought i might tell you more about my little family. You wouldnt believe from the photo above my kids where being rats and didn't want photos that day, the photographer did so well :). Ok so from left to right, you have Alex sitting on my fiance Phillip's lap, then Lachlan and Vanessa sitting on my lap. Alex is my oldest and his the one this blog is about his 3 years 8 months, Vanessa is my middle child and shes 2 years 4 months and last but not least is my youngest Lachlan who is 3 months old. My other half works night shift and he works very hard so that i can stay home with the kids, i do make cakes on the side but some months i can be flat out others i can relax. Alex and Vanessa fight a lot and i know its normal that brothers and sisters fight but i was talking to Alex speech therapist and team leader on Tuesday and they said they probably fight more as there interested in the same things and development wise there a lot closer than 15 months age gap wise. Well all 3 of my children are in bed the fiance is at work and since theres a tummy bug in the house i best try and get some rest.
Thanks for reading Melissa
Well today was Alex's appointment, his main case worker came and also the speech therapist. It was a good chat :) They where here for a good hour and a lot of it was positive, when your scared for your child its always great to hear some positive things. His speech his coming along great he still makes up his own words when he doesn't know them but she said that normal and over time and he learns the right words they will get replaced. I have to try and pick up on the word his replacing and teach him the correct one. He also has trouble understanding instructions and next appointment where going to start working on that, today was mostly just about them getting to know Alex and learning where his at and also talking to me about what i would like for him. Well i best go i only had spare time while Alex was eating his lunch. Until next time
Just a little something i had to share, while i was finishing off the last post, spell checking etc Alex come back up to the computer and talked about his arm again, i pulled him up on my lap and was explained more to him, telling him that the site was about his head and all the tests his been having and that soon he has a big test coming up, at this point i started crying and my little boy wiped away my tears, then put his hand on one cheek cupping my face and asked me if i was ok :) Was just a moment i had to share with you all
Well it toke almost 6 months after his first appointment to get in with the second Doctor, his a specialist, right now i cant remember what type and Alex was referred to two and has only seen one at the point. The appointment was much the same as the first one, a lot of the same questions, measuring Alex's head, checking his reflexes watching him play, he seemed better around this second doctor, he did some puzzle, read a book i think it really helped show him better where Alex was at.
He then read the notes from the first doctor and said he agreed that Alex should have an MRI and also suggested a spinal tap, explaining to me that new research had come through, with finding that some children a missing a vitamin that causes Microcephaly and that its the only way it can be tested for. These will both be happening in august this year and he will be under for both, i know ill be pacing the waiting room till my little man is safe but its at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne so i know his in safe hands. For people outside Australia who might come across this site the hospital has a big fund raiser ever year on good friday called the Good Friday Appeal, this year over 15million was raised.
During this entry Alex come to the computer and i know he doesnt understand yet but i showed him the blog, when he spotted the photo of his arm he pointed at his arm and said "ouch my arm", then i showed him the other photos of him. Well the kids have had enough cartoons and want breakfast so i best be off. Thanks to everyone reading this id really love some comments.
Alex hasn't started full on speech therapy yet, when we were told he needed it i rang up and he was put on a bunch of waiting lists 33 weeks wait they said. After discussions with the fiance we decided to put him into private sessions till his place come up in public system, we didn't want him waiting so long before starting.
He had his first appointment not long before Christmas 2010, since we where going away over the holidays she gave me some exercises to do with him and told me to book in in February when she was back. When we come back for his second appointment she said she was surprised by how much progress Alex had made his doing fantastic. when your scared of what the future holds for your little man its always nice to hear a positive :) Since our 3rd was due on 17th February and Alex was doing so well we decided we would start his sessions in a few months, i was told to continue what i was doing and got a few new things to do.
Since then Ive received a call saying Alex place in the public system has come up, in fact they come out this week for his assessment. Its nice to have them come to me when i have 2 little ones, makes things so much easier. I'll post later in the month about how it gos.
Thanks for reading another post
As Alex sits with is baby brother watching a movie & his little sister is in bed having her nap, i thought id do a little more blogging :) I feel so lucky to have three little ones.
Today Im going to talk about the day it really hit me that my little boy will never be the same again. I guess even with doctors visits and tests its easy to ignore whats happening but then one day the recap letter come from the Pediatrician, seeing it in writing made it more real, i cant remember how many times i read through the letter and i cried, boy did i cry, his official diagnoses is Global development delay and progressive Microcephaly, that basically means he wasn't born with it, it developed in the first few years. After this letter i did some online research and it made me cry some more and scare myself, i just worry about what the future holds for my little boy but there's also things Ive come across researching that have made me feel better. So far his only behind in speech and a few little things, toilet training his a big challenge as he just doesn't seem to understand what I'm trying to explain to him. Next week he has an appointment to be assessed, so hopefully we can learn some things to help him move along faster with his training.
Well bubs is getting moody now so his telling me its time to end this entry.
Sorry for long entry but this was the first emotional day for me.
I hated this day, its probably going to put me in tears writing it. I'm sure a lot of you reading this are mothers yourselves and hate seeing your child in pain.
We had to drive from Pakenham to Warragul (40mins drive for people who might not know) for this test twice,the first one we turned up on a Friday and got told they couldn't do one of the blood tests on that day as the test had to be run the next day and the lab was shut on Saturdays. I wasn't overly happy about this but really what could you do, then when we went back the following week we got told it was a mistake they could of done the test on the Friday.
So back to the test, Alex wasn't even a little worried, i guess it helped that we went in there once and nothing bad happened. He was so brave the needle when it and he didnt even cry, this would of been great if this was the end of it, but they didn't get enough blood as his blood just stopped flowing.
The second was much much worse, he knew what was coming and they used a butterfly needle this time. My poor little man was screaming and trying to pull it out and i was having to hold him down, i managed to stay strong for a bit but seeing my boy in pain was bad enough let alone holding him down while they hurt him. He was looking at me with such a sad face, so much expression, to me the face said why are you letting them hurt me mummy (tears are falling as i write this). He managed to pull it out and they still didn't have enough blood, I'm so grateful for the lovely lady's in the warragul bloods place. All of us didn't want to give him another needle if we didn't have to, so they rang the lab to see if what we managed to get so far would be enough and lucky it was.
The 40 min drive home wasn't much fun for me, i got told by the other half to stop looking at Alex, as every time i did he would hold out his little arm and say ouch mummy. I just felt so bad. His bloods all come back clear so sometimes it feels like that day was for nothing. That was a long post thanks for sticking with me.
My Little Mans Bruise After Only An Hour :(
Well kids are in bed and little one hasn't had his late bottle yet so thought i would write about Alex's first Pead Appointment. Most of it was what you would expect, he asked a lot of questions, including how many words he could say and could he jump, stand on one leg and so many more i cant remember right now. During this appointment he told me in regards to come development and speech Alex was closer to his sisters level (she's 15months younger). He then sent us off for a lot of tests and with referrals to two specialists. At this end of this appointment i wasn't too concerned he did mention his head was small and with his delays that could mean something more but he would see me when tests where back. I think its best to keep these entries short so i don't upset myself :) So until next time.
Welcome to my blog.
This blog i feel is for myself as much as I'm hoping it will help a parent in the future, when there going through what i am. Ill make this a short most its almost midnight and its mothers day tomorrow, 3 years ago it was my first mothers day and i was so excited. Happy Mothers Day to all the mums reading this.
Tonight ill just tell you a little more about myself, I'm 26yo, a mum of three children aged 3years 9 months, 2 years 4 months and my youngest is 11 weeks. I also make cakes from home, i have a wonderful fiance who works hard so i can be at home with the kids. Also this is my first blog so im sure ill improve over time. Now just a little about Alex my oldest. Twelve months ago i started to get concerned about Alex's head size, it just seemed on the small side. We went to the local Gp and i asked for a referral to the pediatrician, toke 6 months before we meet with him for the first time. He did note that Alex's head size was on the small side, also that he was behind in his speech and a few other development stages. From there we were sent off for some tests..........to be continued very soon.
Time for me to try and get some sleep Goodnight all.
