Friday, May 29, 2009

Over It

It's early, so I thought I'd take the time to blog. The new layout and music is my attempt at pretending I'm at the spa....

It has been nothing short of crazy around here. We have been lucky enough this past week to have Haley here. She is extended family, and had a break between her spring and summer courses at college. We asked her to come for the week to help with AJ while we attempted to get the house ready for sale.

We seriously don't want her to leave! It is so beyond wonderful to have an extra set of hands when it comes to AJ. Naturally, I feel like we could have gotten more done. But I tried to keep reminding myself that not everything was going to get done in just one week. We were able to take all of the kitchen cabinet doors/hardware off, pack up most of the kitchen (items not being readily used), prime some walls, and paint a few of the closets. Not to mention to some other smaller tasks. Our goal is to list the house by July 1st.

Haley is a complete natural when it comes to AJ. If you ask me, she should be an SLP. She knows exactly how to reinforce AJ's vocalizations, and quickly learned the ins and outs of language during feeding time & play time. She accompanied us to speech and participated in PT and his TOD's sessions yesterday. No doubt I will thank her a thousand times before I take her to the train station tomorrow morning. (Not like we haven't been since she got here)

AJ absolutely loves Haley. He's actually learned the skill/concept of doing something and looking for your reaction. He especially loves to do this when Haley and I are sitting on opposite sides of him. Hm, which one can I get to laugh?

AJ has done well this past week. On Tuesday we completed our last observation by the school district staff and then had speech. I was happy that AJ continued his vocalizations and showed off to his SLP. We turned him up to his next program during speech.

On Wednesday he had toddler group, which went well. They watercolored rocks-which was super cute. He had a bit more interaction at table time. He did not fair well at the end of group when they brought in a large drum that was on a pedestal and had wheels (looked like a table). The concept was rain/thunder/pitter-patter and lets just say that between the low/loud drum, the teachers loud voices, the kids screaming, and his new program, it was too loud and he freaked out. We turned down the volume on his processor, but by then I could tell he was overstimulated and was not going to calm down. He passed out in the car five minutes into our ride home.

Yesterday he didn't do much for PT. She was able to do some Craniosacral work and get some length into his legs. He is not super tight, which is GOOD, but he was a bit stiff, so we need to keep a close eye on him. He's probably starting to grow again. We are back to doing the massages, foot wiggle, and joint compressions. We are doing what we can to avoid botox. He does not need it now, and if we keep him elongated and loose, he may never need it. His PT said he technically "should" be tighter than he is, but we're so good (her words not mine) at keeping on top of his tone that this has not happened. And we intend to keep it that way. We also discussed a big boy bed (twin), which she had brought up a few weeks ago and I was panicking about. Why? Because he's so short. All I can visualize is him falling out of bed at night onto the wood floor. He should be in a big boy bed in the next year...so that made me feel better. While he can scoot off of our bed, I still don't think he can do it safely. We also decided that AJ will be getting AFO's to replace his SMO's for his feet. I'm sort of disappointed, but I know he needs them.

All in all his PT is pleased with AJ's choosing to walk over crawling and his squat/up from the floor skills. I am still on the hunt for a second stepstool for the tub. AJ is able to step on his potty chair (also a stepstool when the lid is down) into the tub, but we have a rather deep tub, so his PT suggested putting another stepstool inside the tub. I'm also looking for a 2-step stool to help him in and out of the car. He is using the Mommy factor way to much as far as getting in and out of the car. So I thought that using s step stool to step up into and down from the car would give him more motivation. They don't make a whole lot of them that don't have that darn safety bar in the front. I also ordered a wedge for AJ to sit on. It is inflatable, and helps kick in his trunk muscles and give him stability. We have started using it in speech therapy and will use it in toddler group as well. Here is a picture:



He did "ok" for his TOD yesterday, he didn't seem too interested and I think he was already pooped out from PT. This week we are focusing on two of the Learning to Listen objects/sounds, one long, one short. He is also responding to 5 of the 6 Ling Sounds. YAY!

Today he has nothing. No appointments... only because I have an appointment for myself today. We plan on making it a fun play day for AJ. I am bummed he can't play in the sandbox yet (sand & eye surgery don't mix), but maybe we'll go to the park instead.

It has been a challenge trying to fit all of AJ's appointments into each day. There seriously are not enough hours. Add in everyone's schedule's changing for summer and you've got quite the mess. He's really been a trooper, but still I wish we could have more days of nothing than days of major overload. I'm kinda over it. We are at a point where all of his services are critical, and frankly, there are many pre-linguistic skills that he needs to learn yet. Hopefully before school starts. We can't stop just because I'm tired and exhausted. Not the way it works. This is not about me, or anyone else, its about AJ and what he needs. I find myself becoming upset with AJ's delays. Not at AJ, but at the fact that I wish he didn't have so much catching up to do. I want him to receive the maximum benefit from being in school, in the awesome program we are fighting so hard to get him into.

We have been struggling with deciding on a communication option for AJ. What seemed right before he had access to sound...may not be right now that he has access to sound. We continue to discuss and go around in circles about it. I agree with Jen, the IEP process is for the birds. AJ's IEP meeting is on Wednesday. Everyone (on our side) keeps assuring us that it will be fine, AJ will go to Lowell. But I am holding my breath until the end of that meeting, when we hope to hear the words "Placement for the 2009-2010 school year will be Lowell." I will be dropping off our parent packet to everyone attending his IEP early next week. It baffles me that these people are supposed to decide my child's future for the next year, and most of them don't have a background on him. Hello? He's more than a piece of paper. He's a child and more importantly, he's our son. Bring on the school supply lists and weekly language goals. Those are so much more fun.

We're over it. All of it. Where is that damn genie in the lamp when you need him? Regardless, we know we can't stop, as this is a critical time for AJ. He's doing well, and not showing signs of hating us (yet). We are so very proud of him and love that we get to watch him grow and progress every day. He's vocalizing like crazy with different variations and intonations. Somehow we need to keep everything in perspective and keep working on the house, his school placement, and his everyday schedule....

Sunday, May 24, 2009

40-50db-ish


AJ had his 1 month CI follow-up last week. He had GREAT head turns and reactions to sound in the booth. He tested at 50db multiple times. YAY! He also stayed occupied on the ball and allowed testing to continue longer than usual.

When we were done testing, AJ's audi said she is confident AJ is hearing a bit better than 50db, more like 40-50db. That means he's definitely in the speech banana. WHAAHHHOOOO! Because of his subtle reaction to softer/new sounds, she was pretty sure he was hearing them but not aknowledging the sounds.

His audi gave us a set of new programs to try with AJ, making our last program the first of this series (P4 is now P1-make sense?). But she started him on P2. She placed his CI back on him and did her usual "Lets make sure its not too loud for him" test. Now last time she did this, he turned to her voice immediately. This time, no reaction to her voice, clapping, banging on cabinet...he finally looked up to the shaking of a plastic container with blocks in it. Hm, we decided he was pooped out from the booth.

His audi took his CI off to do some equipment testing and we allowed AJ to play on the floor, in silence, for about 5 minutes. She placed the CI back on him and spoke to him in a normal voice. He cried. Stinker. We turned his volume down a bit and he was just fine for the rest of the visit...and the day. He was definitely tuning us out right after the booth testing.

His audi set another appointment in a month (instead of the typical 2 months) so she can keep a close eye on him and adjust his MAP accordingly. Works for us. AJ is now hearing things he's never heard before. We are way past the level at which he was detecting sound with his HAs. He's figured out how to tune us out (yep, takes off coil), but is fine when we put it back on. His form of "protest", if you can call it that, is giggling, smiling, and squeezing his head to his shoulder. Ridiculously cute and hard to keep a straight face while replacing his coil.

A special thanks to my wonderful hubby for diligently "testing" AJ via environmental sounds each night when he came home from work. AJ's head turns in the booth were absolutely beautiful. She was floored with his new skills! Way to go hon!!!

He followed his CI appt with speech the next day. Again, great turns while just working in his SLP's office. And, lots and lots of vocalizations. He continues to vocalize-all the time. Now that he's in the banana, Lings here we come!

AJ heard ice crashing into a glass today.
AJ heard me whistle today.
AJ heard his Baby Tad toy today.
AJ heard his bongo drum today.

Yep, he heard that!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Wonderful Wednesday

Happy 1 Month of Hearing AJ!

Wow! Really? 1 month? It feels like yesterday. I'm sure we'll say the same thing when its been a year.

We were having doubts last week...big time. Are we doing enough? Is he doing what he's supposed to be doing? Did we choose the right communication option?

Tonight, exactly 1 month since activation, AJ responded to all of the items in the "Parents" drum kit like it was old hat. Yeah Ma, I heard that. Whatever.

LOL.

Lately, when his coil falls off, I giggle and humbly put it back on his head. All I have to do is place this small piece of his head and he can hear. A month ago, six months ago, a year ago, we could only dream of our little man hearing.

He has been paying more attention to strangers voices. He tends to ignore my voice and Jer's voice. But when he hears someone else talk, he notices right away. He's signing more consistently. A few other signs are emerging. He's interested in bach and forth play with his voice. We use a small flashlight and shine it under my mouth when I say "AAHHHHH". When I stop, I turn the light off. He has started pushing the light towards my mouth after I put it under his mouth to signal his turn. He has vocalized a few times, so I'll count this as emerging. He's been very vocal, usually pairing it with movement or while watching something move (fan). Longer sounds and we've heard "gooooo or guuhh" a few times, but not consistent. He playing with the different intonations of his voice. His receptive language has increased as well.

Tomorrow is his 1 month FU appointment with his CI audi. We will do another booth testing and receive another set of programs for his CI. I wonder where he'll test tomorrow....

Like Family

We walked into Children's Hospital bright and early yesterday, checking in at 6am.

The day before, one of the Day Surgery nurses had called to go over when to stop giving him solids/liquids, etc. She quickly figured out we have been through this before and seemed happy she could save her long "speech".

As we were waiting, we saw a nurse we thought we knew walk by the front desk. Jer and I turned to each other and asked if that was so-and-so. Hm. She had been the last nurse we had before being discharged after AJ's CI surgery. We checked in and again, surprised the nurse when we knew to come back out of the weigh-in area and that we'd be going to a POD.

Sure enough, we were right. We asked if it was Nurse X and were told it was. Five minutes later she was running into our room, so excited to see us. AJ looked much different than he did the last time she saw him. She thanked us for the thank you note we sent. That made my day. We had make some fingerpaint art and then cut it down to size and mounted it on cardstock to make thank you cards. As we went throughout AJ's CI surgery, I made mental notes of who was who and sent each of them a thank you note. She told us it made her day...normally they only hear about "bad things" or how things went wrong. I seriously do not think I would have survived that night without those wonderful nurses. They were AWESOME. Sure we remembered her, but she remembered us as well.

That nurse happened to be working in the surgery holding area that day so she returned to her area and his nurse for the eye surgery/circumcision administered the joy juice.

Nurse X came to take us down to surgery holding. We were in the same "slot" as we were for his CI surgery. She was seriously excited to see us again and have a chance to chat. It was so quiet. We were the only ones down there for a good 20 minutes. AJ's ophthalmologist came in and greeted us. The urology resident soon followed. Soon after the anesethiologist came around the corner...and what do you know, it was Dr. A. She also did the local for AJ's ABR. Ok, this was just getting weird! The surgery nurse came in and it was T! The same nurse AJ had for his CI surgery. Ok, he's in good hands. Dr. A beat T to the punch in carrying AJ into the OR. AJ was lounging on Dad's shoulder while all of this was taking place. We left laughing and giggling, which was relief incognido.

Despite all of the light-heartedness above, we were sure to ask Dr. A to please refrain from using a particular anti-nausea drug and go with the 2nd choice right away. We also shared his post-op experience for his CI and warned of his tendancy to hold his breath and desaturate in the PACU (Post-Anesethia Care Unit).

We went down to the new main entrance and ate in the new cafe. WOW. What a beautiful space. We floated back upstairs when I got my "itch" (signal where I become distracted and know its time to go). We ended waiting in the surgery waiting room for quite a while. We received updates on both procedures from both doctors relatively quickly after our return upstairs. All went well and we received post-op instructions.

We waited for what seemed like forever for the call allowing one of us to go back to the PACU. I took a deep breath as those automatic doors opened. AJ was already awake, and honestly looked like an airplane. He had soft splints on his arms to keep him from rubbing his eyes. His eyes were normal, heust ointment in them. We were back up in the Day Surgery area five minutes later. Huh? Ok, I kept thinking something odd was going to happen as I was carrying him.

Within 15 minutes he was sitting up, drinking juice, and playing with toys. AMAZING. A totally different post-op experience. Much much better. We were discharged and home by 12noon. He had a good rest of the day. Tired...and only tried to rub his eyes a few times. He's not a big fan of his eye drops, but what kid is? He was up and walking after his nap yesterday and did the same today. His ophthalmologist even called later that day to personally check on AJ. We went for his post-op appointment today and she was pleased with the results.

A muscle was cut in each of AJ's eyes. The incision is made in the "white" of the eye, under the lower eyelid. The muscle is cut, realigned/repositioned straight, then reattached. Dissolvable stitches are used and antibiotic eye drops are used. Quite an amazing process...that results with nothing on your eyeballs.

AJ's eyes now move together. It is the NEATEST thing. He now has better depth perception, which is the reason he was freaking out a little bit last night when staring at certain objects. His ophthalmologist also shared that he won't need vision therapy in school. YAY! We won't know the full result of the surgery for 6-8 weeks. But, his eye doc is pleased with the results and everything looks great so far.


We are so thankful that yesterday was a pleasant experience. Whether we admitted it or not, we had anxiety about yesterday. A different anxiety than what we went into his CI surgery with. We are thankful for AJ's "family", "team", "providers" at Children's. It truly is an amazing place and we are so blessed to have such a place so close to where we live. And yes, another round of fingerpainted cards will be sent out soon....

Special thanks to my Mom for getting up so freakin' early and staying with us through AJ's surgery. You ROCK!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Manic...

I am dubbing today as Manic Monday....oh, lets just say we're on the verge of a manic week.

We are less than pleased with the school district (SD), which I know is not "new", but it seems to continue to get worse as we go along. For something this important, "last minute" efforts are not cool.

It seems that AJ's surgery tomorrow has put a wrench in everyone's plans to come and observe him. Again, let me say that we are very thankful that his current team is doing the evaluations, with the SD only coming to observe. His IEP is scheduled for the 3rd of June. It seems that everyone is in a mad dash to complete their observations. Between his surgery and Memorial Day being next week, it's a mess.

So far I've been cancelled on by one SD staff member and deeply offended by another SD staff member...during a phone conversation last week. The SD Speech Therapist and Early Education Teacher will be coming to observe AJ at toddler group today. The school nurse, vision specialist, and psychologist all still need to observe AJ.

After toddler group we have to rush home for his TOD to come for her session, nap, and then OT later tonight.

Tomorrow is his eye surgery and other procedure. He was cleared for surgery on Friday. WHEW. It should only take an hour total. We have requested to have the surgery done at CHW instead of the outpatient surgery center. Given his history, it just makes us feel a bit more comfortable. He will be in the same Day Surgery area as he was for his cochlear implant surgery. We are a bit nervous as to how he will do post-surgery, given what happened post-op after CI surgery. He will go home the same day.

He has a follow-up the next morning with his ophthalmologist the next morning (which means no toddler group-SIGH). I wasn't sure if he'd be himself enough to go to group anyways, so maybe its for the best. Thursday he has his 1 month CI follow-up/programming and Friday he has speech (which we have to go to since he'll be missing Tuesday's session due to the surgery).

It's a manic Monday & week....man I wish it were Sunday.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Monday, May 11, 2009

Welcome Home 'Drama!

My Mom flew home last Friday from a six-week training program in Dallas, TX. We are SO happy to have her home!! We took AJ to the airport to pick her up. This was his first trip back to the airport since we had brought him home from Guatemala in August 2007.

Welcome Home 'Drama!!!





Saturday, May 9, 2009

It's Alright

Is it really a surprise that our little man has another cold? Probably not. He really seemed to be feeling better today. Less congested and was up and moving again. His next surgery is the 19th so we are nursing this cold to the best of our abilities. We had planned to meet up with another CI kiddo, Logan and his Mom who were in Madison for the week, but stayed home due to AJ's cold. Grrr.

In other news, he continues to do unbelievably well with his implant. He's been on P3 since Thursday night. He responded immediately to softer/higher frequency sounds. While I was on playlist that night, I played a Huey Lewis song. AJ was close to the laptop and turned immediately to the music. He just kept starring at the laptop. He returned to playing with his toy when I decided to turn the volume down to see if he would respond. Sure enough, he stopped playing with his toy, stopped moving, and then looked up at the laptop. AMAZING!!! I'll skip the review of language we used with him here, but know that we took advantage of the situation! I gave him a moment and he went back to his toy. I turned the music back up and he looked straight up at the laptop. He giggled when I took his arms and swayed him from side to side with the very song he had just heard-Huey Lewis, "Its Alright".

He had a good speech session this week and had another great session with his TOD yesterday. He seems to be ignoring speech. No, not my kiddo ;) He did some good head turns and definitely stopped his play when he heard sound. He doesn't mind the dogs and their barking at all. We have noticed that he startles a bit if one of us is holding him and we speak very loudly or call to the other person if they are in another room. AJ is responding to a lo of different sounds, some while we are testing and some during everyday play.

His eye contact is phenomonal. He is now signing "more" consistently on his own. He consistently grabs your hand and shows you what he wants. He's beginning to use his voice with purpose, to tell you what he wants. He's so close to "pointing" at something and showing you he wants it. Right now its a reach & short whine. We'll take it!

He had a horrible day at toddler group last week. Part of it was on me, since I probably shouldn't have taken him to group. He has missed so many appointments and group already. I can't keep him home all the time for every sniffle/cough, but this day I should have. I get the bad mom award for that day. Part of it was him being 2 and trying to play the staff. He was totally working every angle he could manage. I am determined to help him understand circle time, learn to sit and partcipate in circle time, and to get him interested in other kiddos.

It breaks my heart when I see a room full of kids and mine is in the corner on his own with one of the staff. He is great at keeping himself entertained-check that skill off the list. Now we need to get him interested in being social with other kiddos. I voiced my concern to AJ's TOD. She gave me a fabulous handout on the levels of play. How on earth does she always have the right thing to say and the right information to give me? I don't know. But I sure appreciate it. We needed a reminder of where he is and how far he's come. We also needed to see how he's already moved up the ladder post-implant and be reassured of our efforts.

Small steps. Big moments. It's more than ALRIGHT.

District School Tour

Last week Jeremy and I toured another school (we'll call it School X). This school is where AJ would go if we choose to attend in our home school district. While we had already toured our school of choice in January, we wanted to explore all educational possibilities for AJ.

School X is located about 10 minutes from our house. We were able to observe the early education classroom, as well as see the playground, gym, cafeteria, and PT/OT room. It was very important to see/experience how long of a distance (among other things) it would be for AJ to walk from the classroom to the above destinations.

What we liked:
The classroom had multiple activity centers
The classroom utliizes a Smart Board.
(AWESOME! Please check out the link and see what this thing can do!)
PT/OT room were well organized and functional

What we didn't like:
NONE of the staff have experience with Deaf/Hard of Hearing children (D/HOH)
None of the staff have training or experience with cochlear implants
Sign language is not used at all
None of the children have any type of hearing loss
Mode of communication
Program is fewer days per week than we'd like
Classroom is not treated to reduce noise and noise sources are not minimized
Distance from classroom to other areas AJ would be
Audi and TOD are not readily available

You can tell which list is longer. Let's keep it simple and say there was a big difference between School X and our school of choice for AJ.

His IEP Meeting has been scheduled for June 3rd. We look forward to bringing our the fruits of our labor to the table and showing our district that our choice of school is the right school for AJ.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Monday, May 4, 2009

The What and Where

I've found that people are often confused when I talk about the soundbooth or light boxes. Below are pictures of both.




The soundbooth is where AJ, myself, and usually his SLP are when we test AJ's hearing. Most children sit on a parent's lap, in a highchair, or on a chair. We use the yoga ball for AJ because the slight movement keeps him focused and happy. (If you look closely at the booth picture you can see the top of the green ball we use on the floor). AJ is usually turned at a slight angle to help him turn easier when he hears sound. On opposite corners there are speakers and the light boxes. AJ turns to the speaker when he hears sound (or is supposed to) and his efforts are reinforced by the light boxes. AJ's audiologist sits on the outside of the booth and uses special equipment to produce the sounds that come out of the speakers. She also uses her voice, which comes through the speakers. There is a window in the booth so she can see AJ. She's also able to converse with myself and AJ's SLP through the speakers, if need be.

The light boxes have lights that go around the edge of the box and also a light up toy on the inside that usually moves left to right. The booth we usually use has a "Winnie the Pooh" and a "Duck". Occassionally we use the "Panda", but he's not as exciting.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Prayers for Jose

It's late on a Sunday night. AJ is sleeping, the dogs are passed out, and AJ's Dad is out for the night. While I am plugging along full speed ahead on continued preparation for AJ's IEP meeting, I am also thinking about another very special little boy.

Last July we received a random email from a fellow adoptive family. Althought we had/have never met, we used the same placement agency. They had just returned home with their daughter. She also had spent the first months of her life the same orphange where AJ was.

The email said that AJ's biological younger brother was at the orphange. Pictures were attached, along with sketchy information about him.

I remember my heart jumping out of my chest. It was almost the same feeling as when I first saw AJ's referral picture two years earlier. The boys looked very similiar; they could almost be twins. I felt a sense of peace come over me, as I knew in that moment, that AJ's birthmother had obviously been in contact with the attorney and would know that AJ was "ok". We had mixed feelings, obviously wanting to help AJ's brother in any way possible, but also knowing that adopting him was virtually impossible. How awesome would it be to have biological brothers together forever? If there was a way to put a tag on him that said "HOLD", we would have done it.

Adoptions in/from Guatemala ceased in December 2007, just a few months after we brought AJ home. The orphanges are all private (most run by attorneys, as AJ's was, or by church organizations, etc.), meaning they rely on adoption fees and donations only. The government does NOT help, fund, or in my opinion, care about the orphanges. There is no social system in place to help this country's citizens. When adoptions stopped, many orphanges began to struggle.

While we will not share how/why AJ's brother was brought to the orphange, we do know the reason. Let me say it makes me respect the boys birthmother on a whole different level. We contacted the appropriate people, offering help and asking if Guatemala reopening adoptions was likely. Both were dead ends. We have continued to inquire about AJ's brother, with no answers. The orphange was raided a few weeks ago, but no children were taken.

So, here we are, working like madmen to do everything in our power for AJ...wishing we could do the same for his brother. Adoptions in Guatemala are still closed. We pray for him, and hope that if we were not meant to be his forever family, that he is safe, well cared for, and will have his own forever family...sooner than later.

Please keep AJ's brother in your thoughts and prayers.

Friday, May 1, 2009

60db

AJ had his first cochlear implant audiogram today. He tested at 60db. Yes. I said 60db. I have the paper to prove it. We've never seen marks on this chart that far up. NEVER. Before he was implanted, he tested at 110-120db...or should I say to the max our audiology clinic's equipment can test. Thats a jump of 50-60 db in 11 days. Here is is an audiogram chart so you can see where the levels of certain sounds. The "yellow banana" is called the speech banana. This is where speech sounds are heard. Althought, if you talk with a strong voice, or yell, your voice could be louder than in the speech banana range (or at least at the bottom).



He did well in the booth. Slow, subtle reactions. Not great head turns, but enough to give his audi the information she needed to give him another MAP (program his processor at a new level and create more programs for us to continue turning him up). For the first time EVER, I did not have to wear earplugs in the booth. In the past, AJ's SLP and myself have always worn earplugs to protect our own hearing from the ridiculously loud levels needed previously. Amazing. He was extremely vocal in the booth, which he's NEVER been. EVER. Amazing.

After testing we sat down to review paperwork and go over the rechargable battery pack. Yep, we got another box. Oh, that's right, I didn't post a picture of AJ's loot. This is what we came home with on activation day. Now we have one more to add. The brief case is very James Bond-ish, but Melanie is right, it is not very user friendly. I'll be moving everything to another "bin" soon.




He did remarkably well today, considering he had speech beforehand. We left, stopped to get some items from the store, and came back for his audiogram. His audi programmed his processor and then tested to make sure it wasn't too loud. He had IMMEDIATE responses to her voice, banging on the metal cabinet, and her clapping. I'm getting really good at noticing his reactions to sound. "Eye shift, blink, looked left, right." While playing on the floor with his SLP he decided to prove another OT skill. He pushed a button sideways to make the pop-up giraffe come up. Check that one off the list. I don't know what the technical skill is called, but I'll call it "pushing the button to the side vs. just pushing it down." He crashed in the car and is still sleeping. I don't care. My little man did wonderful today and deserves a nice long nap. So what if we're eating ice cream and still up at 10pm? Who cares. Today? Not me.

{Just as I typed that I heard a clear "Ooooooo" come from his bedroom}

60db jump in 11 days, I'll take that. Yes, siree.

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