Obon Festival

At the beginning of our trip to Tacoma, I took the boys for their first time to an Obon festival. This is a century old Japanese custom that takes place every year throughout Washington and many other regions. It is considered a happy time when members of the Japanese community dance to honor family members who have died. This type of dancing is called Bon-Odori in Japanese.

This is an annual event I looked forward to every year as a child. Anyone can join in the dancing which consists of everyone going around in a large circle on blocked off streets. Some of the dances involve using fans or wooden clappers. Majority of the regulars usually dress in traditional kimonos. Here was one of my favorites I saw that evening...

 

I was trying to find some old pictures when I was younger but I think my parents have most of them. I did find a few...

My little brother and I.

Another one of me with the cutest girls ever when I was visiting from college one summer.
 

One of my dearest friends Tracy, who I use to work with was their with her family. During my high school and college years I use to babysit her boys. I couldn't believe how old they have gotten. Tracy is a nurse practitioner and she wrote my letter of recommendation for nursing school. She also has been a great support with all of Trey's health struggles. She has played a special role in my life and it was wonderful to see her.

Tracy tried to get Mr. Shy Trey out there to participate in the dancing. Trey wouldn't move from his spot so they just danced in place....

Another special treat during the festival is Taiko drumming. (Taiko means "drum" in Japanese) A group usually puts on several performances throughout the evening.

Tracy and her family are part of the Tacoma Taiko drumming group. During one of their performances she was sweet enough to come grab Trey and he got to participate. He was so excited.

Here is a some video...

 

 When we got home that night my dad found Trey some Taiko sticks and he started pretending to drum on a box. It was so cute. He was a drumming machine. It was amazing how Trey really picked up a lot of the moves.

Here are a few more pictures from the evening...

Mr. Noah tuckered out from the heat that day.

My dearest friend Cat joined us with her niece's and cousin.

Trey taking in all the action.

Miss Jacqueline posing for the camera.

It was so fun to share with my boys a tradition I loved throughout my childhood.

 

jays 21st

While we were in Tacoma my little brother turned the big 21. I can't believe it. It seems like yesterday he was such a little squirt. Now he has turned into this amazing young man. A young man who my kids absolutely adore. A young man who is ALWAYS there for his sister and brother in-law. A young man who is making his parents proud at college. A young man who has become one of my closest friends.

My parent's had a huge birthday party for him while we were in town. It was so much fun. Everyone got to meet little Noah and all the great grandchildren were together for the first time. So of course that meant endless amounts of pictures. Here is a video from such a wonderful day with family and friends.

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW...

jays 21st

Update Long Over Due

Wow over a month has gone by where I haven't done a blog post. We have had a quite a busy August. I swear I am never going to get caught up with all the pictures I would like to share. Curtis left at the beginning of August with the Cougs for a 16 day basketball tour in Australia. They traveled to various cities playing against a number of professional basketball teams. He had a wonderful experience down under. The boys and I would have loved to join him but after our short family trip to Spokane we knew that was totally out of the question.

The boys and I headed to Tacoma while he was gone. Trey had all of his speciality doctor appointments. All these appointments kept us quite busy but we did have some fun while we were up there (blog posts to follow).

I will try and make this post as short as I can... Trey was scheduled to have a repeat MRI at Children's to make sure his Chiari 1 Malformation has continued to stay stabilized. Which it has, thank goodness. He was sedated for the procedure. This of course is never fun. We met with our amazing neurosurgeon afterwards. We were glad to know that Trey doesn't have to have another MRI for 2 years unless symptoms of the Chiari start surfacing.

Trey also had an appointment with his neurologist. An uneventful visit. Trey will continue on his seizure medication and follow up in 6 months. We are happy to report no seizure activity.

Before our scheduled clinic appointment with Trey's GI specialist he was scheduled to have a procedure with him. Around Trey's G-tube there has been this excessive growth of granulation tissue. This is a normal response for the body in an attempt to heal a wound and in this case Trey's body response to protect where a foreign object (g-tube) now is. Some kids experience more granulation tissue than others. I can usually treat the excess tissue growth myself but unfortunately the tissue has become so fibrous it is almost become a keloid type scar. Keloid is an overgrowth of granulation tissue at the site of a healed skin injury. They can be firm, rubbery lesions or shiny fibrous nodules.

So the plan was to inject that fibrous tissues with a medication called Kenalog to hopefully reduce the scar tissue. Trey was sedated for the procedure because the injections are pretty painful.

Such a brave little boy. Getting his vitals before the procedure.

When the doctor went in he found that the scar tissue goes all the way through the tract where the tube is. He said the injections weren't very successful because the tissue wouldn't absorb the medication very well.

He also performed an endoscopy (test that examines the inside of gastrointestinal tract). While doing this he noticed that Trey had some tissue changes (inflammation) in his esophagus area. Trey is already being treated with the strongest form of medication to treat the acidity of his reflux. But in the last couple of months his reflux symptoms has progressively gotten worse. Trey constantly is turning his head to the side or grabbing his throat during the day or even when he is not getting fed through his tube. This is how we can usually tell when he is having a reflux episode. It has also gotten to the point where Trey will barely eat or drink anything these days.

So Dr. Pickens decided to have Trey undergo a 24hr pH probe study. This test uses a probe/tube that is placed in the esophagus (this connects the mouth to the stomach). The study measures the amount and seriousness of acid juices that may be backing up into his esophagus.

Unfortunately the NG had to go down Trey's nose and stay there for a 24hr period. The probe is connected to a small monitor that records the acid levels and how far Trey's reflux comes up. Dr. Pickens said this is the best way to give him detailed information that he can't get from physically examining Trey.

Trey had a similar size tube that stayed in his nose for about 4 months when he was 1. He did an amazing job with it during that time. But I was super anxious this time around. He is such a little person now. So aware of his surroundings and curious about everything. But as always our brave little boy did pretty well with the tube once he got used to it. We had a rough start at the beginning due to vomiting episodes related to the sedation medication they used to help place the tube. But he didn't try to pull the tube out once he was oriented.

Grammy helping with some great distractions

Trey's tube was connected to this monitor.

One of us had to press button if...

1. He went from lying to standing position.
2. Being tube fed or attempting to eat.
3. Giving reflux medication.
4. If we saw the head tucking or grabbing his throat during his reflux episodes.

So this meant Trey had a shadow for 24hrs. I was aware his reflux was progressively getting worse. But when your sole purpose for the day is to only watch for those symptoms it was amazing what we saw. I had no idea he was doing the head tucking ALL the time. Of course I felt terrible.

Dr. Pickens called us the next day with the alarming results. Trey's acidity levels when he refluxed were within normal limits-which we expected. But the amount of times he refluxed and how far the gastric juice would come up was severe. We pressed the button for head tucking (Trey's physical sign he displays when refluxing) 200 times in a 24hr period. Out of those 200 times 150 of those times correlated 100% with reflux. So that day Trey experienced reflux 150 times and during those episodes the gastric juices came all the way up.

So Dr. Pickens referred us to an amazing pediatric surgeon at Mary Bridge. She reviewed Trey's history in detail and went over Trey's pH probe study in depth. Curtis and I were able to sit down and meet with her. She said without a doubt Trey needs surgery. So after her very thorough explanations and question and answer time with us (which we greatly appreciated) we agreed that this is the best thing for Trey's quality of life.

So towards the end of this month Trey will undergo a Nissen Fundoplication. This is a surgical procedure that will hopefully correct his reflux by creating a better valve mechanism at the bottom of his esophagus. The goal is to prevent stomach contents from returning to the esophagus. During the surgery the upper portion of the stomach is wrapped around the lower portion of the esophagus.

This tightens the outlet of the esophagus as it empties into the stomach. After surgery, food and fluids can pass into the stomach but are prevented from returning to the esophagus and causing reflux symptoms. This will also allow the esophagus to heal.

Trey will have the surgery done laproscopically which will hopefully create less pain after because there won't be a large incision that has to heal. The surgeon said that the surgery will take about 2-3 hours. Since Trey's current g-tube is having so many problems the surgeon thinks she will also have to revise a whole new site. So this may cause the surgery to go a little longer. But she won't know until she is in the operating room. Trey will probably have to stay in the hospital around 5 days.

Obviously our first question was will the surgery help Trey with his eating struggles. She said there is not 100% guarantee that the surgery will fix Trey's eating issues. But she does believe the reflux is the majority of the problem. She talked about how Trey is developmentally appropriate in all other areas except feeding. So kids with similar struggles usually start picking up their enjoyment of eating once they head to school. When Trey's g-tube was initially placed they told us the average age children get their tubes removed is around the age of 5.

We do know after the pH study that we have to do something to improve Trey's quality of life. We know his eating can't get any worse at this point. But of course we totally dread thinking about our little Trey-Trey having to go through one more procedure.

I will do my best to post how things are going during our stay in the hospital. We are again trusting that God has everything perfectly planned out for our little man.

Pictures from our Tacoma visit still to come....

Noah Loves To Eat

Well if you haven't already figured out I am such a worry wart. Of course I was on pins and needles with our first attempt at feeding Noah solid foods. This is the time when I really started to notice how serious Trey's feeding issues were. He never really would take baby food. His mouth would always just stay clamped shut. I have to keep reminding myself that these are 2 totally different children. But when you have gone through and still facing Trey's feeding challenges I can't help but be on edge with every feeding milestone.

But with our first attempt Noah was quick to calm my fears. Let me just put it this way we couldn't get the rice cereal in his mouth fast enough. Every time you would put a spoonful in you would get a huge smile in return. Here are a few pics from Noah's first solid food experience....

Here we go...

Daddy gets a turn.

My hope is as Noah starts to eat more this will encourage big brother Trey to join in more too.

It was funny because at Noah's 4 month checkup his pediatrician had to go over the whole introducing solids speech to me. It's like being a first time mommy in this category. So far solid foods has been a hit. Of course some days are better than others. But we will take it.

Ok I am ready for more Mommy.

Late Post- Noah is 4 Months

Well thanks to further complications to our computer I am just now posting a 4 month update on our little buddy Noah. I might as well combine the 4th and 5th month together. My sweet friend Kelli has a blog and when she posts what her kiddos are up to each month she separates their accomplishments into categories. Great idea which I plan to start doing so I can look back too and remember what sweet little Noah is doing each month. These days he is changing so much everyday. Of course exciting but I want to press the pause button this time around so my little boy stays a baby.

I decided to make a little video of the past month since I have so many pictures to share. CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW to view.

http://animoto.com/play/Wb0rRtmGK631bvgN6uwXJQ

Sleep

Well Mr Noah definitely does not get the award for being a good sleeper. I feel  like he never sleeps. He still wakes up every 2-3hrs at night hungrier than ever. Even after adding rice cereal to the menu, always hungry. It is hit or miss how long he naps during the day. I am trying to get a set routine down for him hoping that might help. He just always seems to fight going to sleep. I guess he doesn't want to miss anything going on in this crazy Allen household. Any suggestions friends? The bags under my eyes would greatly appreciate it.

Eat

What he does get the big award for is amazing eater. This little guy is ALWAYS hungry as I mentioned before. I couldn't have 2 boys on such opposite spectrum's. One doesn't enjoy eating and the other can't get enough. I will share our exciting first rice cereal experience in the next post. This eating thing is a big deal for us.

On some disappointing news I started to notice Noah's skin starting to resemble how bad Trey's use to get.

Poor little man.

Of course my little panic button goes off. At his 4 month check up his pediatrician thought it would be a good idea to check him for allergies from my diet since he is only breastfeeding. So after several pokes (poor baby) during a lab draw we found he is allergic to cow's milk (already knew) and peanuts. I already completely ultimated dairy from diet but not peanuts. But since then his skin has improved greatly.

When Trey has all his procedures in August I decided to schedule Noah an appointment with Trey's GI doctor just to make sure we are on the right path as far as medications, feeding, allergies, etc goes. I know Trey's journey is a unique one but I would kick myself down the road if I didn't stay ahead of the game just in case.

Verbal

Just when I think this house couldn't get any nosier our little friend is using those vocal cords to babble away. And loud is he. Goodness I can already imagine when he is talking. But they are the cutest sounds. He loves to have baby conversations with you. Noah also figured out how  to make those motor boat sounds with his mouth too. Beware of slobber when holding this boy. My favorite thing is to hear him laugh. There is nothing better than a babies laugh. So contagious.

Development/Play

It's amazing all the new things our friend Noah is doing each day. He is giving us a nice preview of how active he is going to be. Noah isn't one for wanting to sit still. He always wants to be moving or having you move him. He rarely will stay content in one place for longer than 5-10 minutes. This makes it impossible for mommy to get anything done without hearing about it from his loud cries of protest.

He LOVES his toes. Talk about the cheapest form of entertainment. His newest joy is trying to get them in his mouth. Yes everything is starting to go in the mouth these days. It's interesting to look back because I remember Trey really didn't put much in his mouth. Crazy how his signs of mouth sensitivity where there so early on. Well we are going to have to watch Mr. Noah like a hawk when he starts moving. I don't even want to think about what this boy is going to try and eat.

Noah has pretty much mastered rolling over both ways. Still practicing from back to tummy. He is already starting to scoot when he is doing his tummy time. I think crawling is not far off. That is definitely a milestone that I wouldn't mind if it held off for awhile.

Noah loves to reach for his toys and holds on tight when you try and take them away. He loves to be read and sang to. His eyes just light up and those legs kick like crazy in delight. He also can't get enough of that big brother Trey. He loves him. I think he could watch him all day. Just wish Mr. Trey was as interested in him.

This little man definitely puts a new spin on life. Like all children he tests my patience some days but I can't get enough of those big smiles and time spent cuddling. He is getting big so fast. I can't believe 5 months is right around the corner....

4th of July

Oh my goodness it has taken me forever to finally post a blog update. I think our computer is finally cured but only time will tell. Oh those unexpected hiccups in life. So stay tuned for the endless amounts of blogs I still need to share.

*very late post*

Curtis and I hosted what has now become our annual 4th of July party earlier this month. Our house literally has the best seat in Pullman to watch the impressive firework show the city puts on. A definite plus which we love. Since I have become obsessed with Pinterest I started planning for our party way in advance this year. I was super excited to decorate and try all these adorable festive foods I pinned. You should see my 4th of July board all you fellow Pinterest fans out there. A little out of control.

I was worried how Curtis and I were going to pull things off with 2 kids to attend to this year. So my sweet parents came into town a couple days before to help out. And let me tell you there is NO way we could have done the party without them. They were so helpful in too many ways to even list.

Papa keeping Noah entertained.

I am so sad. I was so busy getting things ready and being miss hostess that I didn't take pictures of all the things I wanted to share (dessert table, outside decorations, kids playing, etc). Here the limited pictures I have from the evening...

I did a sundae table in addition to the other desserts.

It was a great evening. We had a nice turn out with our friends and some hungry basketball players we know.

Can't wait again until next year.

 

Waiting....

Well our computer with all of our pictures got a virus. Big bummer!!! So I am waiting patiently for the part to arrive that is suppose to cure our problem. So we will see. I have so many blogs to share. So hopefully this darn computer will be fixed soon. Hope everyone had a great weekend.