Crazy!

Life has been crazy the past couple weeks. First, I sprained my ankle which thew a wrench in our daily routine. Mike had to take a day off of work because I literally could not move from the couch. It hurt so bad I was sure I had fractured something. Thank God is was just a sprain. Fortunately, with a lot of ice and Ibuprofen, I was up and around a few days later. It's much better now and I'm even back to the gym and running again, which is great. I was so upset when I thought I might have to skip the triathlon in August and the Warrior Dash in September.

Man down

Twinsies!

We've also had much to celebrate the past week or so. Mitchell had his last day of school and we have a whole bunch of fun day trips planned for this summer. So far we have already had a picnic at the airport to watch the planes take off, checked out Festival of the Arts, and had a visit from Mitchell's buddy Ben (and Mamma Katie and little bro Luke). Last weekend we traveled to Naperville and my parents watched the boys for the weekend while we stayed at a hotel and celebrated Mike's 30th birthday. It was fantastic! We lounged by the pool, soaked up some sun and had a fabulous dinner at Morton's Steakhouse. To top it off, we slept in until 10:45! I can't remember the last time (or any time) I've ever slept in that late. This year it was for Mike's birthday, but we do try to get away for at least one night once a year. We realize how badly we need it as a couple to just reconnect and relax together. We always say after a weekend away, "gosh, I really like you". Sometimes in the craziness and chaos of life, we forget how much fun we have together and how much we really enjoy hanging out with each other. We also spent a good part of Saturday in downtown Chicago doing a pizza tour for one of my dear friend's birthday. That was a blast and fun to be in the city.

Festival of the Arts in GR

The Napp boys came for a couple days!

Personalized menu, nice touch Morton's!

Such a fun night!

Birthday boy

One crazy family

We spent Sunday recovering before we celebrated our 7 year anniversary on Monday with dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Rose's on Reed's Lake. Mike's actual birthday was on Tuesday and he hates it when people make a big deal out of his birthday. So, for his 30th, I decided everyone needed to know! I snuck into his office on Monday night and filled his office with streamers, 200 balloons and birthday signs. Needless to say, everyone in the office knew it was his birthday. Mike woke up to breakfast in bed that Mitchell helped me make and we all went to On The Border for his birthday dinner. So much eating! Tomorrow we have the Summer Stroll for Epilepsy which, naturally, starts with a breakfast. Great, more food. Then we will walk the River walk in downtown Grand Rapids. We're all looking forward to this event and I am so proud to say that I exceeded my fundraising goal and raised almost $2,000. Thank you to everyone who donated, we really, really appreciate your support. The week of celebration will come to an end this Sunday for Father's Day. Mitchell, Dominic and I have a few surprises up our sleeves for Mike this year! Should be a fun day. Seriously, I haven't eaten this much in my entire life. I think we ate out 6 nights in a row, and that doesn't include tomorrow or Sunday! It's been a fun week and I guess it's worth the 5 pounds I gained :o)

Surprise!

Now that it's summer, Dominic's PT/OT schedule has changed from Tuesdays and Thursdays to back-to-back on Thursdays. Since Mitchell is out of school, we have a sitter that comes to hang out with Mitchell Thursday mornings. When things changed I sort of freaked out because I always took Mitchell to The Nanny on Demand when Dominic had therapy. But it's out of the way and doesn't even open until 9:00. So, we are SO happy we found our sitter. She is the best. She has also sat for us several times so that Mike and I could go out. It's such a blessing that we can leave the boys with someone and not worry about Dominic. A year ago there was no one I felt comfortable leaving Dominic with, other than our parents. But even that made me nervous because he was having so many seizures. I am loving this new sense of freedom!!!

This week in OT Dominic got measured and fitted for a custom glove that will help keep his right hand open. He doesn't really have a problem with a clenched fist, but when he crawls, he tends to keep his hand bent under and pushes off the top of his hand/wrist instead of his palm. This glove is totally custom and required a lot of measurements. It's made of Lycra, so it will work like his SPIO vest, providing input to those muscles to help keep his hand open and int he correct position and alignment. They have been taping his hand and wrist with Kinesio tape, which works great, but because his hand gets sweaty, the tape comes off after a couple days. This is more of a permanent solution. It will be several weeks before we receive the final product, but I think it will be awesome once he gets it.

Similar to what D's glove will look like

He was back on the Total Gym this week working on leg presses in PT. It amazes me how strong his right leg is and that he can do one-legged presses with it. I hope to see him walking in the next few months, but I know it requires more than just strength. He needs to be able to coordinate the weaker side of his body with the stronger side. And figure out how to compensate for that weaker side. I don't want to rush him, but man is he getting heavy! On a positive note, he is SO close to pulling up to standing on his own. He gets his leg under him and halfway stands but gets tired and sits back down. I wouldn't be surprised if it happens in the next week or two. Slowly but surely, he'll get there!