Museum Saturdays for Daddy & Drew

My work has been pretty crazy lately, working on multiple reports at one time, and deadlines that are getting closer and closer. So Bill has taken Drew 2 of the last 3 Saturdays to Tucson to explore the museums and enjoy some father-son bonding time. I think I mentioned that they had been to the Children's Museum and Drew loved it but I couldn't figure out how to get the pictures off my phone. Well I finally realized that I could just email them to myself. So here is Drew enjoying a few of the exhibits at the very interactive Tucson Children's Museum. We'll be heading back there with Grandma and Grandpa for Drew's birthday next month and we'll get more pictures with our actual camera then.

This past weekend they went to the Dinosaur Museum. Bill was far less impressed with this place, and said it really only held Drew's attention for a half hour or so, but there were pictures nonetheless. Drew did enjoy being able to look for fossils and even got to bring home his treasures.

Just wanted to post a little something before our big trip up to San Francisco for Bill's first marathon. We're looking forward to good seafood and seeing friends of ours from Fort Gordon as well as one of Bill's Episcopal buddies. I'm sure there will be plenty of pictures.

Our Little Fishy...

As I mentioned, a couple weeks ago Drew started his first round of swim lessons with just an instructor and other kids--no parents. The first day went really well--no tears, no problem getting in the big pool, he listened to his teacher. We were very impressed. The next day...not so much. He cried for the first 5-10 minutes of class. He still got in the water though. Then his teacher had them start jumping off the side of the pool into the water and the tears were quickly replaced by smiles and giggles.





Drew & another little guy waiting for the instructor. I included this picture for two reasons.

1) The first few classes Drew did not even want to go near the sign, let alone stand there willingly without Mommy or Daddy. Now, he's practically taking his shirt and shoes off as we walk in the door so he can be the first one over there.

2) Sunday night we had a private rental at the pool for Bill's company (the last two pics below). We arrived a few minutes early to get a few things set up and Drew was very excited to be going in the pool for a second time that day. As Bill and I were arranging snacks on the tables, Drew was insistent on taking his shoes and shirt off even though we told him we couldn't go in the water just yet. He finally gets them both off and marches right over to his little sign and waits patiently. Bill and I had a sweet little chuckle over that. We eventually explained that his teacher wasn't coming and we were at the pool for a party not for lessons.

Drew (in the middle with his foot up in the air) walking on his arms and practicing kicking.



Drew and his teacher practice bobbing in the water (aka hopping like a bunny).


Drew enjoying a few minutes of free time at the end of class.


In class on Sunday they spent about half of their time in the warming pool because the teacher noticed the kids shivering a little and there wasn't a class happening in the warm pool at the time. Here Drew and his teacher reemerge from underneath the water with Drew's target: the blue fishy.


Drew practices using a kickboard.


Drew's teacher helps him head underwater to get a fishy.


Drew going under water by himself and on purpose (it happens every now and then by accident!) after his fishy.


Other tricks I didn't manage photos of: floating on his back with a life jacket on without holding on to his teacher (usually he freaks out and ends up flailing around like a fish out of water), getting better at retrieving objects from underneath the water, climbing in and out of the pool on the ladder, kicking using a noodle or kickboard, etc.

Next weekend is his last class for this round of lessons. We'll be putting him in this class again sometime soon (we may have to skip one round due to his thumb surgery and bandage wearing I mentioned in an earlier post). Although he's done very well, he still has some skills to pick up on before moving up to the next class. Besides, this class is for 3-5 year olds so he would be extremely young for the next level class at this point. He really seems to enjoy his lessons though, so I don't think it will be long before he's swimming on his own and begging to go to the pool every day.

Just a couple more shots from the company pool party.

Drew & Dad taking a break from the slides and the big pool.


Drew and Daddy catching some waves...


P.S. Sorry for the quality of some of the photos. No matter what I do while taking pictures at the pool (I've tried with and without flash, with and without zoom, etc.), some photos come out blurry while others are crystal clear. Sure wish I could figure that out. Hopefully you can at least get the idea.

Oh the things he says...

Here's a collection of a few gems that have come out of Drew's mouth in the last few weeks.

Modest? Not so much...
I have a heart shaped picture frame on my key ring that has a a picture of Drew in it on each side. Drew picked it up from my desk one day, looked at it and said "Look at that cute Andrew." Then, if that's not precious enough, he turned it over and "Look another cute Andrew."

Classic Departing Lines...
As Daddy and Drew were exiting the grocery store one night the hospitality person told Bill to have a good night and said "Bye Bye Honey" to Drew. Drew responded to this older woman with his very own "Bye Bye Honey."

The day Drew and I went to Tucson to see the pediatric orthopedist we had lunch at the Olive Garden after his appointment. As we were leaving, Drew told the woman who was hosting, without provocation, "Have a good day!"

Leaving swim lessons one sunny Saturday morning Drew looked up at the blue sky and said "It's a nice day today Mommy." A little bit startled at his newfound ability to make chit chat, I said "You're right Drew it is a nice day."

Expressions of Love...
Drew and Daddy were having a bit of a tickling war one day when Drew suddenly became defiant and scolded Daddy "No tickle Dada. Just love me."

We called Great-Grandma Albosta on her 87th birthday to wish her a Happy Birthday. Drew tried singing a little bit and we told him to ask Great Gram how old she was. At first he thought 87 was 7 "Great Namma's 7?". Then he reverted back to his traditional age for everyone but Daddy "Great Namma's 40." Despite the confusion, I think she was very happy to hear his little voice say "Happy Birthday Great Namma."

Asserting Himself...
Daddy & Drew went to the Tucson Children's Museum last weekend, which Drew love love loved! Unfortunately Daddy forgot the camera in the car and we still have't figure out how to get pictures of our cell phones, so we have no pictures to document his excitement, but we'll be back. Anyway, that's all background for the fact that before they went to the museum they went to one of the malls for lunch at the food court. Bill asked Drew what he wanted for lunch and Drew said "I want Chinese food." Bill said "You don't want pizza?" "No pizza Daddy. I want Chinese food." Beef & broccoli you want, beef & broccoli you get.

A little fear...
Wasn't I just saying that Drew didn't seem to be afraid of thunder and lightning, even frequently stating "Lightning's not so scary." Recently Drew has become a bit obsessed with their being any space in between his window and the curtain next to his bed, so much so that we had to thumbtack his curtain to the wall. His fear? "Window closed. Lightning not going to get me." He sometimes even sleeps sitting up in the corner of his bed with his face behind Curious George so he doesn't have to look at the window. Poor baby.

I know I mentioned posting pictures of Drew's new round of swim lessons, and I have a few long-distance ones, but this weekend is Parent Observation Day where I should be able to get some up close & personal shots, so look for that soon.

Our 4th of July: Part 2

So as I mentioned in Part 1 of our 4th of July, we had planned to go to the city park that night to watch the fireworks. We ultimately decided against that in favor of watching it from our backyard for a few reasons:

1) With going for lunch and the circus in Tucson, Drew had only a 30 minute nap the whole day. We didn't think he'd last long awake and thought he might be a bit grumpy due to his exhaustion. Also, this was Drew's first real experience with fireworks. We didn't think he'd be scared, but we weren't sure. Anyhow, all these things are easier to deal with in the comfort of our own home.
2) There was a good chance of a monsoon rolling in either before, during, or after the fireworks and no one wants to be caught in that.
3) We had quite a nice view of the display from our backyard...we could even hear the cannons boom and some of the 1812 overture before the fireworks started.
4) Our patio couch is more comfortable than a blanket on the ground.
5) There's wine at our house.
6) I think it's frowned upon to wear your pajamas at the park (see last pic of Mommy & Drew).

So, Bill opened the wine, Drew grabbed our Americana blanket, we lit the oil lamps outside, and down we sat. Drew managed to stay awake for the first 15 minutes or so, long enough to provide the Wow's and Pretty's you hear in the video, and then was out like a light. He missed quite a finale, as Sierra Vista has the largest finale display in all of Arizona (I know. Weird, right?). Anyway, we enjoyed ourselves and think that the backyard viewing was definitely the right call on our part.

Drew's bum thumb

So a few months ago Bill and I noticed that Drew's left thumb was stuck in a bent position. He could still move it around, but he couldn't straighten it out. It didn't seem to be causing him any pain, so we figured we would wait until he had a doctor's appointment for something else and ask about it then. So last month Drew had his health assessment to get registered for Children & Youth Services on post and we asked about it. The pediatrician thought it might have been like that since birth, perhaps it was stuck in a weird position in utero or something. She referred us to a pediatric orthopedist.

Yesterday Drew and I went to see the orthopedist in Tucson. Drew was very excited about going to see the doctor and kept saying "This thumb's broken. Doctor's going fix it," to anyone that would listen. Sometimes he would also say "All fingers broken. Doctor's going fix all fingers." Anyway, we spent about 10-15 minutes with the doctor and literally the first 1-2 minutes was all he needed to tell us exactly what was wrong with it. The rest of the time was spent trying to explain the problem and how to fix it to the science-idiot (me).

So, since I understand but the level of understanding does not translate to being able to explain it to other people and actually have them understand, I looked up the condition at:

http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site1025/mainpageS1025P0.html

And the explanation that follows is theirs:

Trigger thumb refers to a thumb that clicks, catches, or locks as the tip of the thumb moves from a flexed (bent) to extended (straight) position. At times, the thumb may become "locked" in a flexed position.

Trigger thumbs are caused by a size mismatch between the flexor tendon of the thumb and the A1 pulley, a fibrous band under which the tendon normally glides. When the A1 pulley is too tight to allow for easy tendon gliding, the tendon can become swollen and inflamed, ultimately leading to triggering or inability to fully extend the thumb. Trigger thumbs occur sporadically and are not associated with other hereditary or congenital disorders.

The exact incidence of this condition is unknown. It is estimated that trigger thumbs comprise approximately 2% of all hand problems in growing children. While often referred to as "congenital" trigger thumbs, multiple studies of newborns indicate that this problem does not appear at birth (so his pediatrician was wrong about this and the orthopedist said this is a very common misconception about the problem).

Patients with trigger thumbs typically present with a flexed, or bent, thumb. Early on, the thumb can be extended, though often this is accompanied by pain, swelling, or a noticeable click. In the later stages, the thumb will remain in a flexed position (we never noticed it until it was stuck). Often a palpable nodule, or bump, is felt at the base of the thumb in the palm (Drew has this...it almost feels like a little piece of bone at the base of his thumb).

How are trigger thumbs treated? Surgery is recommended for trigger thumbs in patients over the age of 1 year. Surgery involves releasing the A1 pulley overlying the flexor tendon. Patients are typically in a bulky soft bandage for 1 week. The risk of recurrent triggering following surgery is very small.

I tried to take a picture of Drew's thumb, but I'm not sure how clearly you can see the permanent flexed position, though his goofy face is very clear.

Anyhow, the little guy is scheduled for surgery on August 22nd (Grandma Mary's birthday). It's done on an outpatient basis. His doctor said he performs the surgery at least once a week, so it's apparently a fairly common affliction in the orthopedic world. The surgery itself is a very short procedure (15-20 minutes). Thank goodness for that. My nerves couldn't take very long with my baby under anesthesia. Poor Bill is probably going to wish he could sedate me in the waiting room (he's so much calmer about these things)! Drew should be in recovery afterward for less than an hour and won't have to wear a splint or cast of any kind, just bandages over the incision for a few days. He should have full mobility restored immediately. We'll keep you posted the day of the surgery but please say a little prayer for Drew, his thumb, and his mommy's anxiety.

Our 4th of July: Part 1

So our plan for the 4th had been to head to the park here in town, eat some hot dogs, lay on a blanket and watch the fireworks. But on the evening of the 3rd we saw a commercial on TV for the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus in Tucson running from the 3rd to the 6th. Bill and I both looked at each other and said "Hmm, how about that?" So I looked up tickets online and found the cheap seats and that's what we decided to do on the afternoon of the 4th. We know it's not like we hopped a plane to Hawaii or something, but it was a rather spontaneous action for our sometimes overly-planned lives. We hoped Drew would enjoy it and started talking up the elephants and tigers.

So late Friday morning we headed up to Tucson for the family's first circus. Bill and I determined it had probably been over 15 years since either of us had been to a circus. Before we headed to the Convention Center we stopped at In & Out Burger for a quick lunch. I mention this because Drew refused to go to the bathroom at In & Out Burger, saying he wanted to go potty at the circus. At this point, he hadn't gone for close to 2 hours. So we get to the circus and head straight for the restrooms. We knew if he didn't go that he'd want to go as soon as the circus started. And again, Drew refuses to go potty for Daddy or Mommy (twice each). We tried explaining that we couldn't go see the circus if he didn't go potty but this ultimatum didn't seem to bother him much. He started screaming "I need go back to car! I no see circus!" Um...okay. What do you do when your child doesn't care about the threats you're making? The joys of potty training...

After about 15 minutes Bill finally convinced Drew to go and we were on our way. We spent a few minutes checking out the pre-show all-access floor activities (an elephant painting, clowns, jugglers, an aerialist, etc.). I think Drew was a little bit in awe.

After finding our seats Bill thought he and Drew would go get some traditional Circus snacks. When they returned with popcorn and a drink they came in from the row behind us and it upset Drew greatly that he could not stay up there in those seats. For about the last 10 minutes before the circus started he was inconsolable over the fact that "I want sit up there!" You never know what's going to set off a toddler's tantrum. We eventually plied him with popcorn and the start of the show.

Drew really enjoyed the dogs running through the obstacle course, the horses and their daring riders, the motorcycles driving in the cage (1st pic), the tigers (2nd pic) and elephants (3rd pic). He kept saying tigers go night night while they were rolling over on the ground. And we started waving bye bye to the acts after a few acts, so the last picture is of waving to the elephants I think. The clown's antics and the aerialists were sort of lost on him.

At the intermission Daddy & Drew went to get Drew's first experience with cotton candy. After a little hesitation, he realized the pure sugar was quite tasty! The cotton candy also came with this silly hat that Drew enjoys hiding inside of. Pictures are from a game of peekaboo during our ride home.

Overall, I'd say Drew probably gave the circus a B or B+. He is still talking about the tigers napping and the elephants, but he repeated more than once during the show that "It's time go to my house," so not everything captured his attention. But it was a fun afternoon.

Pictures and the recap of our fireworks-watching coming separately...as well as posts of Drew's swimming lessons in the big pool and some random funny things that have come out of his mouth recently.