stealth walking

Caiden has been “walking” for a couple weeks, but only when no one was looking. You would turn around and realized he walked across the room. But if you wanted him to walk in between
two people – it just wasn’t going to happen. 

Something seemed to click this weekend, and Caiden started high-stepping all over our home. Below is a quick montage of what we were able to capture of our little big boy.

Now there is only one in our home that used all fours to get around.

a diagnosis?

Many of you are well aware of the consistent fevers Cameron has battled this year. And how he misses A LOT of school (and I, work), and lots of fun activities. How he comes down with a fever like clockwork – every three weeks his cheeks flush and a fever soon follows. How sometimes he complains of a sore throat but no bacterial infections ANYWHERE are ever present. How this has been happening since March. How it was always diagnosed as “viral.” How we didn’t have a sick visit to the pediatrician for a year, only to have nine visits in the following five months.

So it was past time to visit a specialist. His pediatrician had a hunch to what it was, but felt he would be testing blindly where a specialist could pinpoint the problem faster. That visit was today, and we finally have a diagnosis: PFAPA, or Periodic Fever Syndrome.

It means that I was correct in thinking he is not contagious during his fevers (he bathes with his brother on a regular basis and Caiden never displays any symptoms). It also means that his pediatrician’s hunch was correct and I love him all the more for it.

There are a couple of treatment options we can choose from. One is a dose of an oral steroid on the onset of each fever. This has a high success rate, but sometimes it provokes the fevers to occur more frequently. Option two is an oral medication sometimes used to treat acid indigestion or heartburn. Oddly it works for a third of PFAPA patients. Last option is a tonsillectomy, which has a high success rate. 

After discussing our options with the specialist and each other, we decided to give the oral medication a try. Neither of us were excited by dosing our preschooler with steroids or the possibility of more fevers. We also were not comfortable of jumping straight to surgery. So oral medication it is!

I’m a little distressed with the unknowns – the biggest being not knowing the cause. But that’s life, right? A lot happens without knowing or understanding why – 2013 has proven that to us time and time again. So I remain grateful for the diagnosis and course of treatment. Please wish Cam success with the medication, and to us as we teach him to swallow pills with as little drama as possible.

Also, keep good thoughts that the latest fever goes by quickly...

get in line girls

This kiss-kiss face is all mine.

counting down the days

We are about to hit a major milestone in our home – Cam is starting big boy school. Yes, it’s only pre-k, but it’s the same school he will attend kindergarten through fifth grade. So I am suffering from “Where has my baby gone?” a year earlier than most. Chris is a little perplexed by my tears, but I know they are completely normal.

We are very excited for him to start at Kennard CJA. We’ve gone to a couple park play dates so he recognizes some kids before starting. We completed our official registration papers and turned them in. We bought a new back pack and went back-to-school shopping for the first time. All we have left is to count down the days. 

Seventeen more to go!

what's for dinner?

Can you tell by my face?

Messiest eater ever. Even his teachers are amazed. 

birthday boys

We got a preview of what the next 15 years (at least) of our lives will be like during the last week of June. Birthday insanity. So much so, that I am only now getting the chance to share our fun – a month late.

Cam was feverish on his birthday, so he stayed at home with me. We made the most of it, and still opened up gifts and ate cake that night. Both boys were all smiles.

The next day was Caiden’s birthday – he’s already one! We celebrated with cupcakes at school first.

He got into the cake thing without any problems. Later that night it was time to celebrate the day as a family. Cameron gave Caiden a farm set for a gift, and it was a success.

 Cam was feeling a lot better on Caid’s birthday, so they were both excited for more cake that night.

The following day, Cam was back at school. We had a belated birthday celebration with his classmates. After choosing a chocolate cake for his family celebration, he went with a cookie cake to share with friends. 

 

Saturday came – time for another party. This time we celebrated Cam’s birthday (again) with friends at the zoo. Other than getting stuck in a (short) downpour at the very beginning, it went off without a problem. The zookeepers did an amazing job entertaining the kiddos, and everyone (including the parents) seemed to have a good time. 

The coolest part was getting a chance to pet some animals. The zookeepers brought out an owl, snake, turtle, and a little hedgehog who popped up every time he was petted.

Then the birthday boy got to enjoy MORE cake!

 One more to go – Caiden’s first birthday celebration with family and friends. We went with a Cat in the Hat theme, complete with a hat cake. Cam was a good helper when it came to opening presents.

 The the big boy got his own cake.

 Good thing we took off our shirt. There was plenty of red food coloring dripping down his chest.

 Happy, messy boy!

So that was our end of June. We all had a lot of fun, but we were birthdayed OUT! It will take a year to recover, to do it again next year!