Vancouver, Medical News, Etc

The promised post-Vancouver update, only a week later! We had a wonderful trip.

At Stanley Park

We were in Vancouver from the 21st to 24th of May. Unfortunately, Theodore woke up with a rotten cold the morning of the 21st (and slept terribly the night before, so we were all extremely tired). He travelled well, however, sleeping almost the whole way. Billy and I both got varying degrees of crud as well, so it was bad timing, but we still did the best we could.

On Sunday we went to the main event, Auntie Catherine's engagement/medical school graduation party. It was held at her fiancé Kevin's parents' house and was a fabulous affair. Poor Theodore was pretty out of sorts, but we all managed to have some fun and eat delicious cheese blintzes. After the party we went to the Vancouver Aquarium with Grammy Eileen for a short visit. Theodore adored the sea otters and seals. We then went out for delicious Greek food with all of the above-mentioned people plus Billy's cousin Colleen. Due to some mix-ups, I don't have any photos of these events...if I get copies from anyone later, I will include them in a future photo album.

We then had a most excellent holiday Monday. In the morning we met Billy's cousins Pamela and Sean for brunch, and Pamela's daughter Serena. Theodore didn't pay her much attention during the meal, but afterward they hugged and he was in love with her from then on! After that we parted ways with Auntie Catherine and went to Stanley Park with Grammy Eileen. We visited the Aboriginal village in the park, and went on the Spirit Catcher miniature train ride. They put on an excellent dramatization of a legend about Raven, including costumed actors, and Theodore just loved it. After that we wandered around the park, enjoying the beautiful scenery. That evening we went to Granville Island for a delicious fish supper (and Theodore enjoyed looking at the boats).

We left early Tuesday morning for home, but late Wednesday night Grammy Eileen rejoined us here in Sunnyvale! Theodore really enjoyed her visit. Unfortunately, he was sick AGAIN, with some sort of tummy bug that kept us housebound most of Friday and Saturday. But once again, we made the most of it, and we had a lovely time all together, going on several short outings and to the market.

In other news, we took Theodore to his regular checkup with the pediatric orthopedist (we go every six months). This month we got an x-ray done of his foot:

X-ray!

The good news is that everything is looking good! There had been concern about his big toe, since it grows outward slightly, but the doctor said that the growth plate looked fine. She was pleased with his walking and his balance, and prescribed no treatments at this time. We will continue to go for a checkup every six months, but this was an important visit that gave us the all clear as far as surgery goes. Of course his toes will never be "normal" in the sense that there are missing bones, but they should continue to grow proportionately.

Today is Memorial Day so we were able to enjoy a second long weekend in a row. This week we have to get back into the normal routine of things!

That's about all the news...Theodore continues to progress and grow, and be a delight. His language skills are increasing, and he has several words now (though does not like to repeat them!) I forgot to mention last time that he sometimes says "there" or "this" for items, and since then he has said "truck", "track", "broom", and "cup" in contextually appropriate ways. There are other sounds that we're less certain on so aren't calling yet. In general his babbling and vocalization is becoming ever more complex, which is very exciting. And he is still fond of his "yeah!"

Until next time, here are a few photos and a video:

Throwing rocks with Daddy on the beach:

General Updates

Just a few general updates and photos and videos to share. Theodore turned 20 months old this month, and continues to be a wonderful, joyous child.

We celebrated Easter with Theodore for this first time this year. He had his own Easter basket and did an egg hunt! We went with the "hide in plain sight" tactic, which worked out pretty well. The hardest part was convincing him to put the ones he'd already found in the bucket and go looking for more! It was very fun, and presumably will get more fun as he gets older.

Easter egg hunting!

In the month since I last updated (sorry about that!) we've been blessedly free of extra appointments and assessments. Theodore and I did both have terrible colds two weeks ago, and he had an ear infection as well, unfortunately. He's much better after the antibiotics and back to his old self.

In exciting news, Theodore officially has his first word! He has a very enthusiastic "yeah!" when we figure out what he wants. He can also shake his head no, but doesn't verbalize it - yet! He's come pretty close to other words as well - he said "mi" pointing at the milk yesterday, and sometimes says "ba" when playing with a ball. It's good progress, and we're pleased. The "yeah!" is a lot of fun, as well! He also learned a sign for "car" and has started following along with some fingerplay in songs, or specific dancing instructions.

His favourite sign is still "more", of course!

Eating continues to go better all the time, though we don't have an updated weight. He's had a definite growth spurt in height - suddenly he can reach and climb on all sorts of things he couldn't before! It's really nice to see. He's currently going through a sleep regression, but thankfully once he goes down to sleep, he's been sleeping 9+ hours straight quite consistently. He wants to nurse for all his naps again, so it's been a challenge for me - but I'm optimistic it won't last too long.

Other than that, we are just busy as normal - playdates, the park, Gym Kids, speech therapy twice a week, physical therapy once a week, and we also started the sports class. It turns out it's just letting the kids loose in a big gym for 40 minutes with lots of sporting equipment, and then some stretches and a story - but Teddy loved it, and got tons of exercise. We've also been playing in our backyard a lot, and I'm very grateful we have that space. In particular, we play with chalk and do shapes, colours, and letters, and also we're growing a squash and a cucumber plant in pots and so Theodore helps me water them every day. I can't wait until they start growing and producing vegetables so he can see!

We're off to Vancouver next Saturday, so I will try to update shortly after with photos from that trip. After that, Grammy Eileen will be visiting! We're really looking forward to all of that.

Photo and video time!

At Gym Kids this Friday:


Sharing with Talia during a playdate - too adorable!