Friday, May 29, 2009

Update on Last Post

To answer a question from Mel , no Devin will not be exposed to the Coffee Sand every time he goes to school. It is in the sensory table still, but Devin's teacher is not taking her class to that center. She said that even if for some reason she decided to bring them to it that Devin would join another class for that time frame. He will not use it/be exposed to it again.

Last night I decided to do some experimenting (because I want to know what caused that reaction). I gave Devin a bowl of flour to play with. He mixed it, touched it, smelled it and was fine....NOT THE FLOUR. Then I added some coffee grinds (not baked though) to it and had him repeat....NOT THE COFFEE EITHER.

Humph.

I'm thinking the cornmeal. I need to buy some and try it. Don't worry I will have his Nebulizer ready.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Asthma Update

So going off the Nebulizer for the summer didn't work out for Devin. :(

Last Friday I decided that we would give it try over the long week-end. A couple of days ago I noticed that Devin was doing some rapid breathing so I was keeping an eye on it to see if it got worse. Yesterday, Wednesday, I got a call at work from his school. Devin was having a reaction to the "Coffee Sand" in the sensory table and couldn't stop coughing. I instructed his teacher to bring him outside for fresh air to see if that helped and if not, then to give him his Nebulizer. The fresh air helped Devin to clear out his lungs and they kept him away from the "Coffee Sand." When I picked up Devin after lunch I asked to see the container for the mystery "Coffee Sand." As soon as I opened the empty container (it only had the dusty remnants left) Devin started coughing again. I wrote down the (WRONG) ingredients.

Here are the CORRECT ingredients:
coffee grinds (which you have to bake out)
cornmeal
flour
salt

Its ends up the consistency of gray sand hence the name.

I ended up taking Devin to the doctor in the afternoon because I wasn't feeling confident about his breathing. His Pulse Ox was down to 96~ not terrible, but not great for a kid. His lungs were nice and clear though~ no wheezing! I talked to his doctor about his reaction to the "Coffee Sand" and she said it definitely sounded like an asthmatic reaction and next time you can just give him the Neb to help him stop coughing. Unfortuntely I had copied the wrong ingredients down the first time so I showed the Doctor the ingredients for pretzels! Whoops! I guess I wasn't looking carefully! (They had put the coffee sand in a large pretzel container.)

Anyway, Devin is now back on the Nebulizer until at least mid-June when the height of Pollen season is over. Now I just have to figure out what caused him to have that reaction to the Coffee Sand....

Monday, May 25, 2009

Memorial Day Week-end

This week-end has been near-perfect! The weather has been absolutely gorgeous! Its been in the upper 70's and sunny, with the exception of one cloudy afternoon.

Friday afternoon Devin and I headed to my parents' house (our usual lately) to hang out in the backyard and have dinner.

Saturday Devin and I went to swim class and then hung out at home while Erick was working. Saturday night we had "Family Movie Night" and watched Bolt. We ate Nachos and chocolate creme pie. It was a lot of fun just hanging out and enjoying each other.

Sunday morning I let Erick sleep in and I got up with Devin. I made chocolate chip muffins, bacon, and mushroom and cheese egg white omelets. Yum! Then the 3 of us went for a hike in Mine's Falls. It was nice and cool in the park because it is in a wooded area. It was the first time we took Devin on this type of activity. He liked stopping to pick up sticks and pretend they were fishing poles or walking sticks. We went to a playground afterward to reward him for being a good sport. Sunday evening we had a little BBQ and then Devin and I went to Lexi's to play.

On Monday I got to sleep in! Around noon we went to my parents' house for a BBQ. It was a perfect weather day and Devin had a ton of fun playing in his little pool. We were relaxing around it and watching him play. Everyone enjoyed themselves and the food was delicious. Here are some of my favorite pics. (Somehow the ladies managed to stay out of the photos....)

Devin playing and Erick and my Dad watching in the background.
Erick and Devin :)
My hunny <3
My 3 year old!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Storytime with Devin and Lexi

Devin and Lexi are becoming quite the little buddies. Let me backtrack. Lexi is our neighbor. She and Devin have always played together nicely. (Remember this Halloween when she came over to make cookies?) Over the week-end I watched Lexi for several hours and the kids played so well together. Tuesday after school Devin invited Lexi over to play and play they did! They also took time to read some books. It was the cutest thing! I was preparing dinner when I looked over to see Lexi "reading" to Devin on the couch!
When it was time for Lexi to go Devin declared, "I want to give Lexi a kiss and a hug!"

Her Grampy said, "Ok Devin, but don't get used to it!"

(LOL)

And so Devin gave her a kiss on the cheek and they hugged. Awwwww! So sweet!

No self-confidence problems here....

"How are you feeling Devin?" asks Devin's Aiyah (Godmother) in regards to his general feelings earlier today.

"Gorgeous!" replies Devin.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Mother's Day and Swimming

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope that all of my wonderful Mommy friends and followers had a fantastic day filled with lots of love and relaxation. I know I did!

Hubby got up with Devin so that I could sleep in until 9 am. Then he cooked us a nice breakfast. Yum! After that we worked on presents for the grandmas. We decorated special plates. Devin had a lot of fun with this and it was hard to not let him get carried away with it! I think my mom really liked it! Tonight Erick is cooking me dinner too. It's nice to have a break from cooking and cleaning and to feel appreciated!

We also had Devin's 3 year pictures done yesterday, so we gave those out as well. This is my absolute favorite picture that was taken. I had it printed in 10 x 13 for our frame. (Sorry for the slanted view~it kept getting a glare.) This pic really captures Devin's personality!

If you click on the picture it should enlarge :)


Yesterday Devin started swimming lessons at the Y. He loved it! He is in a beginner class, but he goes in the pool without me. They are teaching the kids, all aged 3 to 5, without any type of bubble or floats. There are 10 kids in the class, split into 2 groups with 2 teachers and 1 life guard. The kids sit on the step in the pool and watch and take turns trying the skills with the teacher. I was impressed with Devin's skills. Maybe not all of his skills, though. He was splashing and fooling around a bit, but I'll be damned when it was his turn that boy could perform the skills just about perfectly! Even the teacher was impressed. He can not wait to go back next Saturday!

Friday, May 8, 2009

Three Year Check Up

Devin had his three year check up on Wednesday. All went well. Dr. Fitzgerald is pleased with his speech, physical capabilities (hopping for example), general knowledge (shapes, gender, etc.), and overall health.

We spoke for a while about his asthma. I am excited that we get to try to go the summer without being on the Nebulizer! At the end of May we can stop giving Devin the Neb and put him back on it in September. Of course, if he shows any signs of struggling or gets a cold/sick he will go right back on it. It will be a such a break for Devin's body to be off of the steroids and it will be nice to not have to do the Nebulizer treatments every day.

Stats:
Height 40 inches
Weight 40 pounds
Shoe Size: 11.5

Here is an interesting picture of Devin (lol). He put together this "get up" himself....yikes!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Birthday Party


Devin finally got that cake he'd been hoping for....and he was so excited!!!
His little family birthday party was just perfect. We had his grandparents (all 4), great-grandmother, God Mother (Erin aka "Aiyah") and God Father (my brother, Devin's Uncle Mark), as well as Erin's boyfriend, Shaun over for a nice BBQ and cake. It was a gorgeous day and everyone had a nice time. Devin loved having all of his favorite people over.
He scored a bike~ his first real bike~ from Grandma and Papa! Now he has to learn how to peddle it! He was so excited! The look on his face was priceless!!
All in all the day, actually the whole birthday week-end, has been wonderful!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Birthday Boy


Happy Birthday Devin!

3 years old today, my sweet boy. I can not even fathom where the time has disappeared to. You've gone from a teeny little helpless newborn to a curious baby to fast-moving toddler and now a smart, well-versed pre-schooler. You can hold a quick witted and intelligent conversation. You ask questions and are curious about your surroundings and the world. You are handsome and kind to others. You are loving and friendly. You admire and look up to your Daddy~ you want to be just like him and copy every thing he does! You love your Mommy and are always worried about my feelings and well being. Its for all of these reasons and many more that I love you with all of my heart Devin.....

Happy 3rd Birthday.....I wish you a year of new adventures, learning, and growing. A year filled with good health, love, and happiness.

I love you! xoxoxo Mommy