I took a hiatus from blogging. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not but regardless it happened. Life around the house has somewhat fallen into a pattern. The big kids are learning all kinds of new things, both good and bad. School has started again and I couldn't be more thankful for it. Not only does R2D2 get a break from his family but he gets to have some normal again. This year he is in a 3/4 split class and I'm struggling to figure out how come he got so big so fast. It just seemed like last year when I was trying to wade my way through the trials and errors of solo parenting. But alas it's been almost 9 years...he is really enjoying school. He has a wonderful and supportive teacher that doesn't take any kind of garbage from her students so she has earned their respect early.

Yet he still has so many things to learn. I don't know if it's the age (my mum says it is so I'm likely to believe her!) or if it's just ... a phase -- which kind of works out to being an age thing, right? But he's gotten to be fairly sneaky and apt to lying. About everything. He is anything but a bad child so I'm not doubting my parenting -- or the apparent lack of? I know that this too shall pass. It's hard being both firm and soft at the same time. He's so sensitive that I cannot risk danaging his already fragile state, nor can I let him get away with everything and anything he wants. Though being 8 I'm sure he'd rather have everything he wants when he wants it and how he wants it. Because isn't that typical childhood? Man if he's putting us through the wringer this early can we hope that his teen years won't be so bad? Ride them hard early in hopes that you've instilled enough on them that it doesn't turn around to bite you in the ass when they're older?

Is that how it works? Anyone?

Tink is rounding out on her last week and a half of being 2 and I'm finding it hard to believe that she's turning 3 in what seems like a few hours. She's constantly making us burst out laughing with her crazy antics and when we aren't laughing we are trying not to strangle her. Or beat our heads into the wall because being a twonager is all kinds of punishment for parents. She has cemented the fact that she is without a doubt a daddy's girl. He cannot leave her. Ever. Her world just falls into epic chaos if she's not stepping on his shadow. This little girl of ours has become such a little character. At almost 3 she can count to 20, recognize all of the alphabet, knows all of her shapes and colours, animals and the sounds that they make. It's such a joy watching her evolve almost daily.

and Dinky...

Oh Dinky. We have a video confrenece with our Neurologist and one if not both of her nurses on Thursday. I'm anxious to see what this means as Thursday will mean we either get a solid YES to start the Ketogenic diet or not because something needs to happen. I would love to report that he's been seizure free for weeks on end but if anything there seems to be a huge increase in his seizure activity yet again. Just within the last 7 weeks he has had 4 or 5 tonic clonic seizures, 3 of them being on the same day within an hour. He's been on a steady dose of antibiotics in hopes that it would help keep infections and illness at bay. Yeah. It hasn't so I believe the plan is once we are done this course of 3x daily we will drop the daily dose. His g-tube has healed up wonderfully and to be honest I barely do anything to it any more. I'm not sure if it requires anything other than a quick wipe down twice a day.

As mentioned above, everything is riding on Thursday. In an email and a follow-up phone call last week it was agreed that we needed to try Keto ASAP. Except Dinky still has some coughing/reflux/puking issues which isn't exactly ideal for Keto because of the high fat content of the formula if he aspirates he could quickly run into the problem of really nasty things growing in his lungs. So Thursday we will know whether or not Dinky and I go bacn to BCCH for a week or so to switch over to this new diet. I'm really hoping it happens. We have been wanting to try keto for so long now.

Other than that he seems to be doing alright. Rolling over is a HUGE deal for us and he has finally figured it out -- well rolling over onto his belly, the geting back is hard because his arms are often in the way so I let him try and figure it out himself before mommy comes to the rescue and helps reposition his arms. but he DOES DO IT!I By himself sometimes. I make a giant deal out of it because it is a giant deal. He's probably now 21lbs! This g-tube has done nothing but be amazing for the weight gain. He's also firmly into the 12-18 month clothes and even some 18 month stuff!

We had a seating clinic a couple of weeks ago and that was just wonderful! We have a hi/lo chair for him as well as a stander and a stroller with an insert in it so that we can use the insert in other places. So that was exciting!

I've rambled enough. Time to get the big kids into bed!