Growth Hormone

We had a follow-up appointment with Caden's endocrinologist on April 23 to see how the growth hormone therapy is working for him. It appears to be helping him grow because he is definitely taller. However, he is not putting on any weight. He is getting taller and skinnier. I am holding out hope he will fill out soon. His pediatrician said he had another patient who didn't start putting on any weight until about 6 months into his treatment. Caden has only been on the growth hormones for about 7 weeks. We will see how it continues. For now we will just keep doing the daily injections.

Where's the Beef?

Have you ever heard of someone being allergic to beef? Me neither! Until now, that is... During Caden's pulmonology appointment on April 23, his doctor did a round of allergy testing. He has been tested in the past and we knew he was allergic to milk products. This hasn't been difficult for us to avoid since we rarely have milk products in our home. But Caden's new doctor recommends having testing done every couple years to determine if any new allergies/reactions have developed.

I certainly wasn't expecting Caden to react to beef! But apparently he is highly allergic to beef. I guess that means he can't eat anything having to do with cows or things made from cow's milk. Again, the beef allergy doesn't really affect us because we are vegetarian and don't eat any meat. But I just find the whole thing very strange! The Pulmonologist said is was pretty uncommon for anyone to be allergic to beef, particularly to react this strongly. Leave it to Caden to find yet another way to be unique!

BMX Riding

We have a BMX track in our town where kids (and adults) can go ride their bikes. Greg has taken Kyler there a few times and he absolutely loves it! He really needs a bigger, better bike. But for now, he is making do with what he has. He gets braver every time he goes through the course. Just watch the video and check him out. I'm so proud of him and how well he is riding!

Spring has Sprung!

One of the things I love most about moving to Walla Walla is our house and yard. We have a nice big back yard and a wonderful covered patio. I love being able to sit outside on our patio and read while enjoying the beauty of spring. These trees are in our yard and are so beautiful to look at as I sit here and relax. I am truly blessed!

Preschool Visitation

On Wednesday, April 18, I took Caden to do a preschool visitation at the Walla Walla University Child Development Preschool. It is located on the University campus and I've heard great things about the program. They have a full-time director and the rest of the staff is made up of University students; most of them education, early childhood development, or psychology majors.

We spent some time observing the classroom and watching the kids play and do different activities. Then I talked to the director about various concerns I had. When I left, I felt so confident this was the right environment for Caden.

I feel pretty strongly about him attending preschool. He needs the social piece more than most kids. The first three years of his life were spent almost exclusively in one kind of therapy or another. That left little time for playing or socializing with other kids his age. The only other child he was around regularly was Kyler and he isn't the best influence. Besides that, he is older and plays differently than a younger child would.

Poor Caden doesn't have any friends his age. He never had the opportunity to develop any friendships because he was too busy with therapies. Now that life has finally slowed down a bit, I think it is important for him to learn how to play with his peers. This setting seems like the perfect place for him to learn to play with others and develop some independence. He will attend 3 mornings/week starting in September. I can hardly wait!