Eggs, Balls or Shakers?

One Easter tradition that I am looking forward to having once the boys get older comes from Sterling's family. At Easter time, Larry would hide each child's Easter basket somewhere in the house. Sterling said it was so much fun for him and now that he is a father he assumes it was just as fun for his dad to think of places to hide the baskets. It sounds like fun to me so once the boys are a little older we are going to give it a try.

This year however, we didn't know if the boys would understand the command to "Go find your Easter basket," so we kept it simple. We had a few plastic eggs placed in the middle of the floor and if they would have followed the eggs they would have been lead right to their baskets. Kekoa was so excited about these brand new shakers that he kept picking up his and Makaio's eggs. Makaio on the other hand was perfectly content once he had two shakers, one for each hand, that he stopped at the second egg. We had to gently prod them along and encourage them to proceed to the next egg and then finally to their individual baskets. Kekoa was excited to find more eggs inside the basket and Makaio was excited to find a juice box.

The best part however is when we finally showed them that the eggs were filled with M&M's. Kekoa dumped them all in his mouth, picked up another egg, turned to Sterling and said, "Open." Makiao took his sweet time, like usual, and because he wasn't eating them fast enough, Kekoa helped him out by eating some while Makaio savored his rare and delicious treat.

Since Easter they have been playing enjoying the new toys/eggs that they received. Kekoa calls them balls and throw them and on occasion has tried to hit them off the baseball tee. Makaio crawls around and shakes them just to make sure he didn't miss any candy.

Handing Over the Reins

This weekend we decided to let the boys attempt to feed themselves a popsicle. Being the neat freak that I am, I have yet to allow my children this amazing opportunity because of the mess that it would create. After a recent therapy evaluation, the therapist told me that Makaio has sensory issues regarding the inability to perform a task if his hands are dirty. So to assist the boys in overcoming their "mother-induced" OCD, we gave them a popsicle.

I won't lie...I was hovering nearby and wiping up most of the juice that was dripping down their arms and onto the chair. However I think we must admit that I did a decent job of letting them get dirty.

Perspective

The boys and I were not able to attend church today because they have both been sick for a week or so and we didn't want to spread our sickness to anyone else. I am happy to have a husband who is willing to attend church without us, especially since we teach the Sunbeam (3 year old) class at church. I am grateful that he went to church today because the things he learned and shared with me provided me with a different perspective on some things in our life.

Two years ago when the boys were born, Makaio had a severe brain hemorrhage, that probably started in-utero, and we were informed that it would more than likely affect his lower limbs for the rest of his life. From that day until now I have hoped and prayed that somehow that would not be the case. However, in the back of my mind I always knew that millions of prayers would never change his condition and it was something that would bring our family closer as we dealt with it. About a month ago Makaio was given a diagnosis of mild cerebral palsy.

We have been seeing different doctors and therapists to help Makaio get as much use out of his lower limbs as possible. Up to this point he has taken a few steps on his own and he walks great with a walker. His physical therapist thinks that he will walk without assistance. His neurologist thinks that if he walks slowly enough no one would ever be able to tell that he has a limp or that his gait is abnormal. I will be forever grateful for the specialists who have helped Makaio!

The perspective that I gained today is that I have never thought about what this is going to be like for Makaio. I have never tried to look at things from his point of view. I have only thought about it from my point of view or from an outsider's point of view. Today I realized that no matter how hard I think it will be for him, it will probably be much harder than I can even begin to understand.

I already see him get frustrated when he can't do everything that Kekoa can do. I see how hard he works to accomplish things that seem so easy for other toddlers. I watch as he struggles to move his legs in a normal walking motion just to get from point A to point B. If he finds it frustrating he rarely shows it but as he grows older I know it is just going to get more difficult.

So on this Easter Sunday I am grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, who suffered all things. Who will completely understand all of Makaio's frustrations. Who will be able to comfort Makaio when no one else can. Who will love him regardless of how his lower limbs work.

I am grateful that on a Friday so very long ago Jesus Christ was lifted upon the cross. "On that Friday the Savior of mankind was humiliated and bruised, abused and reviled. It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God. But the doom of that day did not endure. The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind."

Makaio may have many "dark Friday's" inside his body that doesn't perform every action the way he wants it to but "Sunday" will come. Someday he will be resurrected and his body will be perfect. I look forward to that day. But in the meantime I will continue to do everything I can to help him be the best that he can!

I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that because He lives, we will all live again. I am so grateful for the new knowledge and perspective that a loving Heavenly Father gave to me as an Easter gift.

And The Award Goes To...

Cylynn for "Mother of the Year!"

I just assume that I win this award because of everything that has been going on in the past week. So let me explain and then you can vote to determine if I really deserve the award.

Kekoa has had a persistent cough for a couple of months. I have taken him to the doctor multiple times and each time I have been told that it is probably a cold or something to do with his lungs due to premature birth. However, the cough continued and even worsened so I took him to the doctor last week, we were on breathing treatments every four hours, steroids for lungs and scheduled for a return appointment on Monday.

We returned on Monday only to have a chest x-ray to rule our pneumonia and a nose swab to confirm pertussis. He doesn't have pneumonia but we can't rule out pertussis. We are on more steroids this week to help with his lungs and antibiotics to treat the pertussis.

Oh and just because it wouldn't have been as entertaining if something else didn't go wrong; the doctor found a tick behind Kekoa's ear and had to remove it. I thought he was going to completely remove the skin from behind Kekoa's ear but he assured me that "Those ticks can really get in there." He also had to warn me to watch for a high fever and a rash on Kekoa's hands and feet which would mean that he caught Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever from the tick which can be fatal. Awesome!

When we got home from the doctor's office I noticed that Makaio was pretty warm. I kept an eye on him just in case it his warmth was a result of not enough air circulation on the ride home and unfortunately that was not the case. Within a couple of hours of returning home from the doctor's office Makaio had a temperature of 103 degrees. I was getting nervous at this point because his last febrile seizure was at 104 degrees. At this point I was diligent about alternating Motrin and Tylenol with high hopes of getting his fever to break. No luck. I bathed him multiple times during the day with the same goal in mind and still I couldn't accomplish what I had set out to do. So I had to call and set up an appointment for him the next day.

When we got to the clinic the next day everyone was confused because they thought we were back for Kekoa. Nope, we were there for my other child. Makaio had to get immediate "magic" Motrin (the kind that the hospital uses that can break a fever in minutes) because his fever was 105 degrees. I am sure that I looked like an amazing mother when they asked if he had a fever and I said, "Yes but it is much better than it was yesterday." It turns out that statement was false. The fever was actually worse than the day before. Oops.

Makaio went also had a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia but instead of ruling it out, it confirmed it. He also had an urinary tract infection which I had suspected when I changed his diaper that morning...STINKY!

So my two days spent at the doctor's office were miserable but at least my children now have the antibiotics to help them heal. We have had a lot of fighting over who gets to sit on mom's lap but I am okay with that. We are finally on the mend. Kekoa acts as though he is feeling 100% but Makaio still gets worn out. I hope that they both get to feeling better soon so that I can take the time to take care of myself. I guess that is one of the sacrifices you make as a mother and I am happy to do it. Luckily Sterling hasn't had anything besides a little sore throat. If we can keep one of the parents feeling well then we WILL be the victors.

The Darndest Things

• The boys are learning to say and sign please appropriately. If I am giving the boys something to eat and I ask them to say please then the expectation is that they both say or sign it before they get the food. Sometimes Makaio gets so frustrated with Kekoa that he will reach over and sign please on Kekoa's chest just so they can get the food.
• Kekoa has started dancing and I don't know where he learned it. I love to dance but I never dance around the house. This weekend while watching General Conference, Kekoa started dancing to The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Not quite dance music but he's not picky.
• Both of the boys love to eat. Sometimes I don't have dinner prepared when they are ready to eat so they have to wait a couple of minutes. If Kekoa is really hungry he will start saying "Amen" in the middle of the prayer and repeat it louder and louder until the end of the prayer. He isn't very subtle.
• I think that because Kekoa has always developed skills before Makaio that Makaio looks to Kekoa as his example. Sometimes he mimics good habits and other times I wish he wouldn't watch the things that Kekoa does. I love that Makaio loves Kekoa so much that he wants to do everything he does, right down to every single cough. 

This age is proving to be such a fun age, except for when they are throwing fits. It has been so much fun to watch them grow and develop separately and together. They really are best friends and I just hope that the bond continues to grow as they do.