An Adventure for Sure

I'm I really only 30? Tonight I feel 50:)

The day out with the two boys was part great, part not-so-great. We started the day at PT and I think Brady LOVED having Eli there with him. Brady's silly side came out and he uttered far more than his usualy 2-3 words. Eli took to Linda like a duck to water, and I think it was neat for both of us to see the differences between the two boys. Most of all, I am pleased to say that Brady really kept up with Eli as they did many of the activities. We were both almost cheering for Brady as he took the lead and showed his "skills" to Eli. Most of all they were just stinking cute in their matching outfits, working together to complete tasks:)

After PT we headed over to the mall since we had 3 1/2 hours until Brady's doctor's appointment. They were wonderful at the mall. It was fun pretending they were twins for the day. I have to say that I received about half as many comments from the public as usual. They quietly ate their snack and talked back and forth as we walked around the whole mall. I didn't do any serious shopping, just browsing around. They each took a few rides on the motorized towtruck, firetruck, and racecar (thank goodness I had close to $5 in quarters in my wallet!)

I decided we had enough time to go out to eat at a restaurant, so we headed to Applebees. This is when dear, sweet Brady decided to stop complying with any requests that I asked of him. He was a completely miserable and I have never had a child misbehave in public like that. He refused to eat and when he finally did he spit it out on the floor!!! Eli, all the while, ate his lunch and told me that he loved me from across the table. I had to laugh at my predicament...here I was feeling a little overwhelmed with just two of my four kids! I made it through lunch by the skin of my teeth...actually I remembered I had packed two molasses cookies, and that made for a great bribe to get Brady to improve his behavior. Note to self: Always have cookies on hand for the times when you need to reign in a naughty child without making a scene. Oh Brady, you are a stinker!

Then we were off to the doctor. The boys grabbed 20 minutes of sleep before I had to wake them up and drag them into the appointment. Brady was not cooperative for his physical. Eli on the other hand kept shouting, "My turn!" each time the doctor checked Brady. Little did Eli know that he was only there for shots! I felt awful for the little guy as he had to watch Brady get his shots first. Brady didn't take it well at all, but Eli got right on my lap when I told him it was his turn...then he wailed too.
Brady's physical went fine except that he is not growing and gaining weight as he should be. He hasn't gained any weight in a very long time and has only grown 3/4 of an inch in 6 months. He is in less than the 5th percentile. Eli didn't get measured today, but I know he only weighs a little bit more than Brady, but he seems to be getting taller. The doctor has encouraged me to give Brady a high-fat diet and wants to have him seem monthly for weight checks. Add one more appointment to my list each month! The child eats 3-4 cookies a day as well as 3 meals and 2 snacks...perhaps I need to slather his cookies in butter? I'm wondering what I will be told next month when Allie goes in for her 1 year check up and the doctor tells me that she is in the 95th percentile again?

Matt told me tonight that spinal surgery can cause stunting in a person's growth, but it usually happens in adolescence. This is something else we need to discuss with our oncologist and the spinal specialist.

Once we got home, there were 2 very grouchy and whiny, tired boys. Thank goodness for bedtime...

Until tomorrow...