Catching up

The little boys and I got home from our trip up north on Monday. We enjoyed spending time with family. Look! Elijah has perfected his swinging, pumping ALL BY HIMSELF. We have been working on this for a couple years now. I'm a proud mama!

As I mentioned in my last post, Elijah is in rare form these days. The summer action has caught up with him and he is one sleep-deprived little dude. We have literally been putting him to bed at 6:30 every night since we have been home. He falls promptly asleep and sleeps solidly until at least 6:00 the next morning. We will continue to do this for as long as his body needs it.

Behavior has been bad enough in the past few days/weeks that Dan and I have decided to make another change for Elijah. We have decided to eliminate food additives/preservatives from his diet for a while, as well as limiting his sugar intake. I have read so much about food dyes/additives contributing to challenging behavior in children, and just want to give it a try for a few weeks to see if there is a change. I'm feeling a little bit desperate and honestly just want a happy boy and family again. I will do anything, even if it means finding a second (third?) job to help finance the ridiculously expensive food.

Sammy and I were able to spend today together, which was needed and very special. Dan and Elijah were away for most of the day since Elijah had three different doctor's appointments. We like cramming them all in on the same day!

Appointment #1 involved getting fitted/molded for AFOs (ankle-foot orthotics) that will hopefully help with his ankles that turn inward, causing his feet to turn outward when he walks. He had AFOs back when he first started walking, but hasn't had them since he grew out of them. His PT thinks they will benefit him at this point, so we are on board!

Appointment #2 was an ear surgery follow-up with ENT. He took another hearing test, which showed no changes. E's next ear surgery to have a prosthetic device placed and hopefully improve the hearing in his left ear is scheduled for October 22nd.

Appointment #3 was a routine check-up with pulmonology regarding croup. The past year showed improvement in this realm (yay!), and we are praying for continued progress. Last year Elijah only had TWO croup episodes, so this year we are praying for NONE!

I am off to catch up on a little work and chill with my hubby! Have a good week and thanks for checking in.