Bye!

Mommy is just doing one blog now that there's somuch to do around here with the new baby. Darn new baby is changing everything! =) There's a link to the new blog on the right side of this page, The Rouse House.

So that means I won't be blogging on here anymore! I'm starting kindergarten in the fall so I'd probably be too busy anyway! =)

Mommy is not going to delete this site though, that way if someday another baby is born with the same chromosome deletion as me, maybe that mommy will find my blog and learn a lot about me!

I'm Valedictorian!

But it's because I'm the only one in my preschool class graduating this year...the other graduates are in another class. =)

Today when Mommy picked me up from school my teacher had my preschool portraits and my graduation portraits ready to send home. Mommy also got Madi's newborn portraits in the mail. She said it's weird getting newborn portraits and preschool graduation portraits in the same day!

Here's my preschool picture...

And here's my graduation picture!

My New Baby Sister Is Here!

Or as Papa says, "Look Boo Boos! It's your new chew toy!" =)

Here's me saying hi to my new baby sister, Madilynn, and making sure she knows that I was here first!

There's Always Room...

Today Mommy was trying to figure out what needed to be used up in the pantry. So she ended up making a batch of strawberry JELLO. Mommy tried a long time ago to get me to eat JELLO, and it made me gag. Even though it was smushed up, it was still too lumpy for me. She decided on a whim to try again just now, and I ATE IT!!! And I enjoyed it too! I was smiling and laughing!

Then of course, Mommy had to be a big baby and start crying about it. =)

I ate several bites, and not only was it a new texture for me, but it was a new flavor too! None of my baby food has strawberries. Then, after Mommy called everyone crying and telling them what I did (and probably making them think she was in labor), she decided to try giving me more JELLO without smushing it up. She left the JELLO in a little cube shape, about half an inch. And I ate that too with no problems!!!

Mommy is so proud of me!!!!

Tug of War

Mommy has had this video for a few months, but we've been so busy posting other pictures and stories, she hasn't had time to post this one! Since I still do this every time I go near her robe, she thought it was finally time to put it on here!

Don't Laugh...

...when your mouth is full of food!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse was particularly funny to me during lunch today! Mommy thought she was safe giving me a bite of food when I hadn't laughed for a minute or so! Wrong! Tropical fruit exploded everywhere!

One bite of food plus one big laugh equals one big mess!

Water Baby

I have been really enjoying playing outside lately! I used to hate the sun so much, but I'm getting much better about it. Even though it makes me sneeze and I have to squint my eyes, I still want to play! My favorite backyard activity right now is the fun splash pool I got for my birthday from Aunt Genelle and Uncle Craig. It's perfect for me because the water is just a little past my ankles whe I'm standing. Mommy still sits close by, but it's much safer than a deeper pool. Plus it's more fun to splash in only a few inches of water!

The water is still pretty cold when I'm in my splash zone, but I usually power through it because it's so much fun! You can even see me shiver in the videos! A couple of weeks ago I played for over an hour until Mommy said it was time to go in!

Pink and Black Are Very "In" Right Now

Well, it's a good thing my black eyes are looking better, because I woke up today with pink eye in both eyes!!! Don't worry, the doctor said I was not contagious yesterday because the redness and eye discharge didn't start until this morning. But I am on strong eye drops that have to be done every two hours. So that means no school for me all week!! Boy I sure know how to do it right, don't I?!

My Black Eye

Apparently my right eye thought it wasn't dark enough! The left one looks much better though, since that was just in the corner.

A New Eye Color

Well, I've had blue eyes since I was born, pink eye(s) last spring, and now a new color...black. On Monday, I stayed home from school and I was having a rough day. So I was banging my head a little more than usual. Mommy had just picked up my new helmet, so we tried it out a few times, but she doesn't leave it on me constantly because I really don't like it. By the end of the day, I had a bump on the right side of my head. That's the side that sticks out further so it gets all the contact. Well, one bang too many, and it swelled up so big after one light bang on the floor. (Caution--skip the pictures if you have a weak stomach).

Mommy and Daddy held me down and put ice on it for almost 30 minutes. It took the swelling down quite a bit (to the size of some of my other bad bumps), and Mommy made sure my pupils were the right size. I was acting happy and playful, not lethargic or getting sick, and so Mommy and Daddy decided not to take me to the ER.

Mommy got up a few times during the night and moved me around and stuff to make sure I was easily woken up. She didn't want to wake me up all the way, but when she kissed my cheek I swatted at her, so she figured I was doing good!

Tuesday morning I just had some bruising, but the majority of the swelling was gone. I got to go to school, and my teachers said I had a wonderful day and that I seemed much less agitated with my cool new helmet. Then yesterday morning, while we were getting ready for school, Mommy noticed that my eyelids on the right eye looked dark reddish. She thought maybe I had bumped my eye during the night, or maybe it was from the awful allergies.

Then when she picked me up from school in the afternoon, it had turned into a black eye! It was also in the corner of the left eye. Turns out it's from my head "bump" on Monday. My head looks way better besides the bruised vein and other bruises, but now I have two black eyes! But go figure, I had another fantastic day at school, and I had a good afternoon and evening at home! Here's me playing in the bathtub, and you can see my black eyes. And P.S., the water is yellow because Mommy puts color tablets in my bath, not because I pee-peed in it. Although you wouldn't know if I did. =)

Mommy spoke to my genetics doctor about the increase in my self-injury behavior. We are still trying to get behavior therapy started, but it's been very difficult finding a company that takes my insurance AND has a therapist available. Mommy and Daddy have been talking for several weeks about looking into some medication to help with my self-injury. She mentioned it to Dr. Pollack, who agreed that it looks like it would be a good idea in conjunction with therapy. She gave us the name of a doctor we can go see, and Mommy is going to schedule the appointment.

Mommy said it's been a very hard decision to try medication, but she keeps reminding herself that it's not permanent--if we don't like the medication or it's not helping, we can stop at any time. And out of all the things I have taken medicine for, asthma, allergies, pancreatic enzymes, constipation, diarrhea, lazy eye...the self injury behavior poses the most danger to me and if it can be decreased with medication, then we should certainly try it! Dr. Pollack also wants me to get an MRI just to make sure nothing is going on in my head that has increased my head banging. She said it's not an emergency, she just wants to make sure. Mommy already called and scheduled the MRI for the first available appointment, May 11th. I'm also on a waiting list for any cancellations that might open up a sooner appointment.

Daddy's Little Fishing Buddy

Mommy and Daddy took me fishing for the first time on Sunday. I got to take my fishing pole, and it was my first time going on the boat in salt water. We had a nice day and I just love going on the boat. This time, I really loved when we went fast. Mommy was squeezing me tight, and my hair was whipping all around. Mommy and Daddy couldn't stop laughing because I just kept screaming and squealing as loud as I could!

We didn't catch many fish though. Well, okay, just one. Daddy caught a puffer fish, and I wasn't at all impressed. But Daddy said that's good, because they aren't good fish to catch anyway!

My New Chair

Mommy, Daddy, Papa and I just went to Target and look what I got with some of my birthday money! A bean bag chair!

It's so comfy I just sink right in. Here I am watching the ceiling fan...

And here I am noticing that Mommy took my balloon away to take the pictures!

It's Still My Birthday!

Mommy and Papa took me to Chuck E. Cheese today so I could celebrate my birthday even more! I was a little unsure about most of the rides at first, but then I started to warm up to a few of them! Mommy said it sure was a different experience with her and Papa chasing me around instead of carrying me!

Here's me playing Ski Ball...

And riding some rides...

And riding a big horsey...

Happy 5th Birthday to Me!

Yesterday was my Mickey Mouse Clubhouse birthday party and it was so much fun! I woke up really early, at 5:45, so Mommy got up and turned cartoons on for me. Turns out there was a marathon of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse all the way until the time my party started! Mommy said someone must have told the Disney Channel it was my special day!

I was a little under the weather from my allergies, but I started feeling better once I realized how much fun everything was! I loved all my presents, including my water table from Mommy and Daddy and my parachute from Great Grandma.

But I especially loved my GIANT balloon from Papa! It was the biggest balloon I've ever seen and it was fantastic! What a special treat for my birthday!

Mommy was so proud of me for eating icing when we did cake and candles! It sure was yummy!

It was so nice to spend the day with my family and friends! Tomorrow is my actual birthday and Mommy is letting me play hooky from school so we can celebrate some more!

My Custom Helmet

It should be ready in the next couple of weeks! Although I still won't like wearing it, it will be nice to have one that fits my head correctly and isn't a stinky old boy color. Mommy was able to find one that is open on the top, so hopefully I won't sweat quite so much. I actually had a "fever" at school a couple of weeks ago from wearing the helmet while playing outside! My hair is soaked with sweat when Mommy comes to pick me up. And the one from school rubs on my forehead where it sticks out a little further, so it was leaving read marks.

Instead of just getting a stock helmet, the orthotic place that Mommy found was able to order the stock helmet and tell the manufacturer to send it to them before they dipped it in the colored vinyl. It came in last week, so Mommy took me in this morning, and they marked the spots where I need a little more room for my forehead. They shaved it down and added more ventilation holes too. Now they are going to send it back to the manufacturer so it can get dipped in the final coat of pink, and then it will come back to us! It was so nice of them to figure out a way to help our special situation!

Mommy has to admit the helmet looks a little funnier because it is open on the top. It makes it look like it sticks out really far in the front. But if it keeps me cooler, then it doesn't matter! =)

Here's a picture of what my current helmet looks like (mine will be this color):

And here's what my custom helmet will look like (with added vent holes):

Surgery? What Surgery?

I was acting crazy and silly by the time the discharge nurse came in to check on me! I pulled through like a champ, of course! I played like crazy before the surgery. And I looked super cute walking around (for the first time) in my hospital gown! We forgot the camera, so thank goodness Mommy had her cell phone!

The surgery went really fast, and we were home in time to eat a late breakfast. Daddy spent the day working on baby Madilynn's furniture, and I spent the day playing and helping Daddy!

The only time I got upset today was when Mommy had to put the ear drops in my ears. It's twice a day for seven days, so Mommy says that's two down, twelve more to go. Could you hear me screaming at your house? =)

New Carpet!

I came home from school today, and the bedrooms all had new carpet! Mommy took my socks and shoes off so I could feel how squishy it is under my feet. I didn't really care about that part--I was just happy that I was FINALLY allowed to go in the new baby's room! I've been banned from there for months and if I ever made it in, I was quickly carried out! It's not as exciting as I thought it would be--it looked like much more fun with all of Daddy's tools in there!

Also, here's a funny picture of a diaper for baby Madilynn next to one of my diapers!

What Is Going On Here?!

Just when I think Mommy and Daddy can't change my house anymore, they've done it again! We are getting new carpet tomorrow in the bedrooms, so they have to be emptied out. I chased Daddy all around the house yesterday while he moved furniture out of their bedroom and into the dining room. Mommy said she's never seen me move so fast! As soon as Daddy would move a piece of furniture, I was right under his feet checking things out! Here's Daddy trying to move the dresser away from the wall...

Then Mommy emptied her closet and I found my own little fort to play in!

Mommy keeps using my room to do stuff in, since it's the only room that's still in order. She left the laundry basket of clothes in there, and that was a mistake! At least I kept them in a pile for her!

They are waiting until the end of the day today to mess up my room. Probably a wise choice for them! =)

Surgery #10

Today I saw the ENT because my ear tubes were starting to fall out when I was there last month. She told Mommy she was very happy with the results of my sleep study! No crazy throat surgery necessary! She also said my ear tubes were out but there was still no fluid building up (well, a tiny bit just in the right ear). She said I may have outgrown the need for tubes, and we could give it a month or so to see if anything changed. Mommy was fine with that, except she has been concerned that it was when the ear tubes came out that my self-injury behavior got so much worse. Of course, Mommy knows there could be a lot of reasons for that, but she was starting to wonder if there is pressure or pain in my ears and that's contributing to my behavior issues.

So she spoke up to the doctor about it and she's glad she did! The doctor said that would quite possibly be the case, or the tubes could be a contributing factor. She said let's go ahead and do them then, since chances are we would have waited a month and then wound up needing them anyway. She's going on vacation later this month, so our choices for surgery were either this Tuesday or waiting until March. So I'm having surgery Tuesday morning for ear tubes! This is a very quick surgery--it literally takes the doctor 5 minutes to put the tubes in. So we should be home in time for lunch. I never seem to experience any pain with the ear tube surgery, and by the time we get to the car to leave the hospital, you can't even tell why I was there!

Homemade Helmet

Mommy found a big piece of foam while cleaning the closets today and when she was about the throw it away, she realized she might be able to make me a more comfortable helmet to wear at home! It still needs some adjustments because I can pull it off no problem, but I've already tried it out and it definitely cushions the head banging!

Mommy said it was worth a try anyway! =)

A Ride On the River

Sunday was a really nice day, not too hot and not too cold. Daddy had finished painting the new baby's room (it's really pink!), so we decided to hop on the boat for a quick ride on the river. I had a really fun time, and we took my doggy with us too! As soon as I got on the boat, Mommy put my life jacket on me and I thought it was really funny. It made good scratchy noises, and I liked chewing on the strap.

Then I noticed that there was water on the other side of the boat, and I really wanted to splash it around. Daddy helped me carefully reach over the side so my fingers could touch!

Then we were off! I didn't like going fast at first, because I don't like the wind bothering my ears. But I quickly got used to it, and I had lots of fun! I even got to help Daddy drive the boat! And the wind was blowing my hair back and making it look so silly!

We took the boat all the way to Lake Monroe, and the lake was so smooth. It's a must faster trip now that Daddy has a bigger boat! We turned the motor off (after we started filming--oops!) and drifted around while I played.

The only times I started to get a little upset was when we were going fast and Mommy had to hold me in her lap. I wanted to get down and walk around, and watch the water splash up. Mommy and Daddy were laughing because the few times they've taken me out on the boat, I was throwing a fit either because of the noise, or the sun, or the life jacket. But this time it was none of those things! I just wanted to explore!

We stayed out on the boat for a couple of hours, and then we headed back to the dock. I was pretty mad when I realized that we had to get out of the boat. I was complaining and hitting Mommy the whole time she was taking off my life jacket and carrying me to the truck!

Mommy said although she wishes I would express my anger a little less aggressively, she was happy that I had such a good time! =)