Preschool, Potties, and Big Boy Beds

It blows my mind that Emberlynn is now four and a half and Cohen is nearly three. I'm sure most parents get hit with the realization over and over again just how fast their kids are getting bigger, especially when you think back to their infancy. I look at old pictures of my blue-eyed girl and sweet little man, which are wide-spread through the house, and am reminded constantly just how big they are getting and how fleeting moments are.

Emberlynn returned to preschool last week. She goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays for half a day, and even though we are planning for me to homeschool next year when she begins kindergarten, I am glad we made the decision for her to attend preschool. The biggest benefit for her has been developing much-needed social skills. A year ago, she would barely talk to anyone she didn't know, if at all, and now she is much more open to meeting new people and having actual conversations (well, as much that is expected from a four-year-old, anyway). I was very shy as a child and still am to a degree, so I feel like she gets a lot of that from me, but I am glad we were able to help her come out of her shell a bit.

We decided we wanted to potty-train Cohen over the summer since he turned two and a half. I was worried it would be more difficult than training Emberlynn only because I have heard from so many parents that potty-training boys is more difficult than potty-training girls. Personally, after having potty-trained one of each, I have to say that I don't think one is easier than another; rather, like most things in life, I think it just depends on the child. As a parent, I think at some point you realize that you have to go with whatever works for you and for your child, not everyone else's. In my case, my boy was easier to train than my girl. Potty-training just clicked for Cohen. He's been in underwear for several weeks now and hasn't looked back.

Cohen has also reached another milestone: graduating to a twin bed. Yes, he still slept in his crib. Our pediatrician said as long as he was younger than three (he is) and hadn't climbed out of it yet (he hadn't) that it was perfectly fine for him to stay in it until he or we were ready to move to a regular bed. Being the worrier I am, I was afraid the transition would be difficult. I knew Cohen would be excited about having his "big boy bed," but sleeping in it was a completely different story. On the first day, we put him in it for his nap, and he did great. I was still worried how night time would go, but he went right down. He hasn't missed his crib yet.

Cohen meeting these two major milestones in his little life has been bittersweet for me. I realize he's getting older, but I feel like he's still my little baby who should still be in diapers and sleeping in a crib. I am very proud of him for being such a big boy, but my heart aches slightly for those baby days when he depended on me entirely.

As for my Emmylou, she is a wonderful big sister and loves to help me around the house and with her little brother. Both my kids are such amazing gifts, and I couldn't ask for more loving, sweet, helpful, awesome children.

Today CF Stands for "Cute Fatties"

Fellow CF parents whose kids have struggled with weight gain can relate to my excitement when I share the news that my kids have gained a pretty substantial amount of weight since their last clinic visit in May. Cohen has gained over 2 pounds and is now 30.3 pounds; fortunately, he has not really struggled with his weight since he started taking enzymes at 7 weeks old, but weight gain is always exciting nonetheless when it comes to CF. Emberlynn, who struggled with weight gain even after diagnosis and enzyme treatment and ended up having a g-tube placed when she was 18 months old to help with her growth, made my jaw drop today; she has gained over 4 pounds and is a whopping 38.5 pounds! I knew those 4T shorts were getting tight in that waist, but I never would have guessed she'd gain that much! I was ecstatic. My sister, who went with us this time (who I am extremely grateful to, seeing as she had to take Cohen potty 4 times while I spoke with the medical team) and I called them the little fatties.

Isn't it ironic how in today's society, what with its obese kids and health crises, I am rejoicing for my kids' weight gain? Isn't it also ironic that this chubby mommy, who so desperately is trying to shed the pounds, is also desperate for her children to do just the opposite?

So, to get back to the clinic visit update, there were a few changes made to the kids' existing treatment routines. Emberlynn will actually get to decrease her tube feedings (yay for breaks, not just for Emmylou but for Mommy and Daddy, too!). Presently, she is on her feeding tube every night, but we get to knock it down to 5 nights a week. Can we say weekend trips with no tube junk to haul with us? Hallelujah for that! Her enzyme dosage is going to increase to keep up with her increase in weight, so we are bumping it from 3 caps to 4 at meals and before and after tube feeds.

I was also told that, per CF protocol, Emberlynn has to have a CT scan on her lungs soon. It will give the doctors a better look at her lungs and allow them to see how they are looking, in a nut shell. I was also forewarned that her lungs will look abnormal no matter what because of the CF and to be prepared for that. Coincidentally, I just read an article last week about CT scans and how the high radiation exposure from them can cause cancer later in life. I brought this concern to the doctor's attention, and we discussed it further. I agreed to schedule the scan, but only after telling her that I'd need to discuss it with Matt and also further research the risks. It's ultimately our call, of course, whether we want to risk it. It's a hard decision to make, and it will take a lot of weighing the pros vs. cons and risks vs. advantages. If we decide against it, we can cancel the appointment.

As for Cohen, he is going to be starting Pulmozyme, which is an inhaled medication with which we are quite familiar (Emberlynn has been on it since she was 22 months old). He will take it as a breathing treatment once a day. I'm a little worried that he will be upset by it for a while; after all, he's only two, and he's never been forced to leave something on his face with vapors going in his nose and mouth. It'd freak me out, too. We discussed switching from manual CPT to the Vest, but I told the doctor that we wanted to wait a little while longer because we did a "test run" recently with Cohen and the Vest, and he was, to put it mildly, less than thrilled. Emberlynn thought it was funny her first time on the Vest, but Cohen was completely terrified.

All in all, the kids' clinic visit had a positive outcome, despite the obvious reasons for clinic visits in the first place. They are both doing very well, and I can't ask for more than that.