Jenks vs. Union is one of the most fierce rivalries around these parts. And that includes third grade football. Today, Jenks Maroon went head to head with Union Black.
There are a lot of words I could use to describe Luke, but I never dreamed that it would be "reader." But the last couple of weeks, he has been getting in the car and, (amazing) getting out his book to (yes) read. Ok, for many of you, this is just a normal routine for your kids. But for mine (his kindergarten teacher told me he'd be a person who would probably have to read on the treadmill), it is nothing short of a reading miracle. What's got him hooked? The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He's on book 2 and loves the potty humor and boyish antics of Greg Heffley. What to do when the five book series is over? I'm thinking Captain Underpants! 
It only took me 8 months, but by gosh, I got er done!
Happy about that. Cause it seems I have a lot of ideas that just kind of take root in my head but never really bloom... so anyway....
{the idea}
Last summer, we went to the OKC Science Museum. There were thousands of square feet of interesting exhibits and interactive amazement. But Luke was obsessed with 5 square feet of the place - with The Peg Board with dowel rods and ramps that allowed him to build a series of mazes and jumps for a little marble to roll through. We literally could not peel him away from it! The idea hit me later that afternoon... why not put a wall of peg board up in his room for endless building?
Along the way, we fit it some eating, entertainment and shopping!
Coincidentally, as I prepared to go to New York, LJ's class (he is known as LJ at school because of an abundance of Lukes) was preparing to mail their Flat Stanleys around the world to see what they could see. It didn't occur to me to pack Flat LJ into my suitcase, but that is exactly what LJ requested. So I slipped him in between a book and Tom's ipad and off we jetted to the Big Apple!
It snowed the second day we were there. But it was a pretty snow and for some strange reason I liked the thought of being in New York on a snowy day.
Another subway shot or two on the way to Columbia University. That's right, Ivy League baby!
Flat LJ took in the art and architecture of the university. I took a picture of him with a statue that I later realized was mostly naked. I decided not to email that one on to the teacher, though I'm sure LJ (the real one) would have gotten a kick out of that.
Flat LJ is listening to the speaker and 
He loved walking all around the city and it's a good thing, cause we did lots of that. Almost walked off all those New York style meals. Not really though.
Flat LJ got folded in the middle. gettin a little road worn.
Look at that super duper long bus. What kind of traning do you think that driver had to get to drive that thing around the streets of Manhattan?
Flat LJ goes to Broadway! Billy Elliot!
It was a great story with awesome choreography and an amazing performance by the 12 year old lead "Billy."
Chillin in Times Square.
This is one of the many jumbotrons we saw.
If you look very close, you can see me holding Fat LJ under the big 2 in the picture below. Flat LJ's 15 seconds of fame!
We also took Flat LJ to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You know, where Claudia Kincaid went when she ran away from home? (The Mixed Up Files of Basil E. Frankweiler)
Ancient art and Flat LJ.
An enormous Grecian pillar and a flat LJ.
Nice view in the MET.
It doesn't get any better than going eye to with a little Henri Matisse.
and Vincent Van Gogh...
This is the modern art gallery.
Flat LJ wonders if this is actually art.
Grand Central Station should be one of the modern wonders of the world.
It really is gorgeous. The ceiling is my favorite color in the world, light blue.
The apartment buildings are so quaint and interesting. Or "flats" as they're called.
Bye bye New York! Flat LJ is headed back to OKlaHOma!
There has been a continuous theme during Luke's elementary years so far......
The things that run through my mind every year?
"I wonder how bad the teacher thinks my parenting skills must be?!
"If they just knew how many books I've read and prayers I've said!"
"Oh gosh, what will he do next?"
The "moment of truth" happens from about 3:32 to 3:33, as I learn what excitement he brought the classroom on that particular day.
On Wednesday, he told me about their Lesson of the Day, synonyms. I had not really seen him this excited about actual classroom content before. He began explaining what synonyms are and how he had provided several examples of synonyms to the class. Ah, finally a proud parent moment. I listened intently as he told me his examples.....
Bottom - Butt
Toot - Fart
Poop - Turd
I should have seen this one coming. Truly. I am guessing the teacher has a sense of humor because I didn't get a note or phone call.
Other lesson of the day? Boys will be boys and God isn't finished with mine yet.
People: I love my husband. He is a man with many a great quality. He's loyal and kind. He's a hard worker. He is strong and silent. He supports me. He doesn't miss a Sunday of church. He's great at folding laundry and unloading the dishwasher. I so love him for that.
But there's one thing he is not, and that is good at the jobs that require you to read directions and/or think deeply. Putting together and/or hooking up things is just not his strength. To say the least.
When the kids were little he assembled their Little Tykes wagon with the wheels on
backwards. They stayed that way for seven years. It never really rolled quite right. I have quit asking him to hang things on the wall because bless his my heart, they usually end up falling down at some point. I tutor him in all things computer. So ya see, it's just not his specialty. Even though in his younger days he did get a job as a maintenance man for a bank down in Texas. Now that's funny stuff. He had his own workshop and everything. And I can say all this about him because he doesn't read my blog either, Baloney.
Anyway, things have changed for the better in our house. I now have my own little Technical Support, known as Luke. Completely of his own initiative, he decided that the XBox that we got on Christmas morning and that was gathering dust in the corner, needed to be set up. So he got up, opened up the boxes, read the directions and SET UP the XBox. Bam. Just like that. People, do you know how much easier my life just became? I envision myself sitting in my easy chair eating bonbons, shoving owner's manuals at Luke and having him hook up everything from our surround sound to changing the oil in my car. ;-) Oh Happy Day!
This is the story of Luke's health struggle the last seven years and how we *think* we have finally found the answer to his problem.
Luke had RSV when he was 9 months old. It didn't require hospitalization, and he recovered quickly. We were relieved about that. But in caution over his "twitchy" lungs and wheezing, we were sent home with a nebulizer and Albuterol to help control "possible asthma."
But no one ever said anything about asthma again.
We heard about allergies (tested with the stick method twice)
We heard about steroids (given them a lot)
We had his tonsils and adenoids removed when he was 3.
We heard about sinus infections (and administered countless antibiotics to him over the years, literally, dozens of rounds and I don't want to THINK about how many x-rays he has had)
We heard about sinus passages, and how sinus surgery was a last resort.
We tried medicine after medicine. Singular, Zyrtec, Albuterol, Alavert. You name it, he tried it.
At one point, he was on 9 different medicines.
That's when I decided to take him off everything.
That didn't work either.
We tried sinus rinses. They helped.
But regardless of all these things, Luke still struggled with this:
RELENTLESS COUGHING, primarily at night. Coughing until he vomited. Coughing so hard blood vessels broke in his face. And there was absolutely no cough medicine that would make a difference. Fresh air, lemon and honey, cough drops, lollipops, they were all mocking us. He lost sleep. His face puffed up. And then we would crawl back like servants to an antibiotic, the only thing that would relieve what we believed were sinus infections. No one really seemed to get it but Tom and I. The helplessness we felt when we heard that first little strum of a cough, the unproductive, tight cough that was a sure sign of a long, long night.
And then, at age 7, our ENT recommended an Infectious Disease doctor. Just in case Luke was dealing with some kind of immunity problem, because after all IT'S NOT NORMAL FOR A KID TO HAVE A CONSTANT REOCURRENCE OF A CONDITION SUCH AS A SINUS INFECTION. I get that now. I get that I should have searched harder and quicker. But Dr. Chang sat and listened for an hour to Luke's health history. I could see his wheels turning. He is one of those people who is smarter than smart, yet personable and warm. After I took Luke for a potty break, we walked back in and Dr. Chang gave me his tentative diagnosis:
Cough Variant Asthma.
People with CVA have no classic symptoms of asthma, such as wheezing or shortness of breath. For that reason, it is a very difficult condition to diagnose.
Here is what I found on "Pediatric Planet" - Some children with a persistent cough have a condition called "cough variant asthma." This means that we believe that the child is coughing because his or her breathing tubes (bronchi) are reacting to irritation by squeezing in to a smaller size, just like in asthma. Children with cough variant asthma do not make the wheezing sound that we usually hear in children with ordinary asthma, though. This can make it difficult to diagnose the condition, and very often children with cough variant asthma have been through a number of other diagnoses or treatments. Parents of children with cough variant asthma usually find that regular cough and cold medicines don’t help their children, and of course antibiotics don’t help either. Cough variant asthma can be a very frustrating condition.
This blog also helped. It helped me to hear the story of another parent who dealt with similar issues.
So, we have been treating Luke's asthma for the last few weeks, and so far, it's like magic. He's doing very well on the Flovent inhaler. And it's such a relief to have a healthy little boy. It's only been a few weeks, so I am a little hesitant to declare it a total cure, but we are very optimistic that we have made some progress by finding out about CVA.
