No More Shots!

This cartoon made me think of our public school system. In Vidor, I was told that I couldn't register my children for school until they had all their shots. I explained that we are on a catch-up schedule as this person already knew they were from another country, but the special education teacher said there were no exceptions. Well, she obviously hasn't read the TEA manual, so I didn't bother arguing. I guess I'll educate the educators when the time comes...

Good news is that Maritu got her last vaccination today. She is officially caught up! This reminds me to tell you to ask your pediatrician to do a catch-up vaccination schedule. There really isn't something official, but just ask that doctor how they'd like to receive 6-8 shots at a time! Not I! So, I can't do that to my children either. Besides, there really is no concensus on what causes autism, so why take the chance? I just asked that they get no more than two at a time. I think the only drawback is that I've felt like our family needs their own room at our doctor's office...


Next, it's Mamush's turn...

Update:

Well, now we are officially back into soccer season.  Curran's team is trying to petition for a place in the Super II division.  We have been a Division II team, but we combined with our rivals, the Jasper Twisters, and I have to brag that we have a great group of girls!  We are kicking girl's butts in Division I in tournaments, so there shouldn't be a problem, but we have been told that it depends on how we place in the Director's Cup.  Right now, we qualified for State through our district games, so all I can say is, "Go Xtreme!"

As for Mamush, the last we were told is that the doctors are going to watch his growth for 6 months to a year before deciding on starting treatment.  We were going to have genetic testing done, but we have to wait until we get our insurance straightened out.  What a mess!  Well, Obama's plan that no child would be denied due to pre-existing conditions hasn't taken effect....So much for that....

What I love about Spring

Sorry for the silence.  I sometimes want a little silence in my life, but now the days are growing longer and the temperature is increasing which inspires me to talk again.  So here's a few pictures of why I love Spring:

Sher peeks around the trellis.

Maritu is showing off Mommy's first blooms.

Test Time

We are here at Texas Children's Hospital for Mush's growth hormone stimulation test, and of course the first thing he asks for this morning is food. He did not like that I ignored his request. But as he soon saw, food was going to be the least of his problems. I say that because he got stuck twice for his IV line. The first one blew immediately, but so far the second one is holding up. We are half way through.

UPDATE: What's worse than getting stuck again? Answer: Mom leaving you with the big, bad nurse that stuck you! :) I had to pee, so I had no choice but to ask the nurse to hold Mamush. He was a real trooper throughout the test. First, he was given clonidine which made him drowsy. Then he had an iv of arginine and his blood was drawn every 30 minutes. The nurse had to flush his tubing with saline several times which made him scream, and if you have ever experienced that, it hurts! The nurse, however, was able to make all of the draws except for the last one. That darned iv line just plugged up tight, but it's over now. SO now we just wait for the results and see what we need to do next. Hopefully we won't have to wait another 3 months for the results. (I think he has to have an MRI of the brain to make sure he doesn't have a tumor on his pituitary gland that could be causing the problems.)

More Sticks

As if Mamush hasn't had enough "owies", we received a letter in the mail from Texas Children's Center stating that Mamush's labs require further testing.  You think?!!?  We only had those labs drawn in November...!  Good thing he is young because if we were in a race to begin growth hormone treatment before puberty, we'd  be in trouble.  So, Mamush now has to undergo a growth hormone stimulation test next month.  After fasting for 12 hours, he will have an IV placed in his arm.  The staff will then draw an initial growth hormone level.  After that, he will receive periodic IVs of arginine and something else (I can't remember.) which is supposed to stimulate the pituitary gland into producing growth hormone.  They draw blood samples over a 6 hour period.  I guess I have to be thankful that Mamush is the one undergoing this test because Maritu would have a fit if she couldn't eat for 18 hours!  She likes her food!  I just hope I don't have to wait another 3 months for those results. 

Meet Jane Kurtz

Jane Kurtz, the daughter of missionary parents, grew up in Ethiopia.  She is a talented author that writes children's stories based on her life in Ethiopia.  She is also on the board of Ethiopia Reads which is a non-profit organization designed to bring Ethiopian children books.  And today, I had the privilege of meeting her in Houston and having her sign some of her works I had purchased!

Athlete of the Decade

Here's to you Bekele of Ethiopia for this outstanding accomplishment!