Alex update

I haven't written for a while because I've been writing a detailed post about Cali's experience at the hospital from my point of view; it's really hard!!  I start writing and end up crying.  I'll keep working on it, but I will add other posts until I can get that one done.

With everything happening with Cali, I haven't written much about Alex which is one of the main reasons for this blog. Sorry Daddy Ernie and Ashley!!  But here's a post just for you!

We finally went and did something fun last week.  We went to Seven Peaks Water Park.  Alex was so good and he loved it!!  I say he was good because for the first 2 hours he was stuck in the wave pool or kiddie area with me and Cali and 2 little girls.  But he stayed close by us and then when George and Josh showed up.... well, let's just say the fun began!!  He had so much fun going down the slides he tore his shorts - both butt cheeks were flapping in the wind!!  He didn't mind, he just wanted to keep going.  But since it happened about 1/2 hour before the park closed Mike just got dressed and gave him his swimming suit.  He thinks it's pretty cool he can wear his dad's clothes.  They actually fit him pretty well!

His attitude has been difficult to manage with everything that's happened this summer.  He's fine one minute, and the next minute he's really angry or crying.  And it's not just because of the stress and lack of a schedule from the past few months.  His thyroid numbers are way out of whack!  (There's 2 numbers they look at;  usually if one is high, the other number is high and if one is low, the other is low.  But not Al's!  One number is on the lowest end of normal and the other number is 83, which is beyond high!  When I asked the nurse how unusual that was she said she had never seen opposite numbers before, and had NEVER seen the last number in double digits before.)  They have done this test every 6 weeks for the past 6 months thinking that either the machine that checks the numbers was broken or that maybe he wasn't taking his meds so they asked me to make sure he was taking them and "come back in 6 weeks."  But every time the numbers are weird!  He's on an adult dose of medicine for it and we will go check it again in another few weeks.  But I digress;  obviously if his thyroid is messed up his body doesn't feel good,  which adds to the attitude problem.  (As well as the fact that he's 15 years old going on 2!)

And then this started on Saturday...

 It's hard to see in the pictures but that rash around his mouth is nasty!!  When we first noticed it I thought I had given him razor burn because I had shaved him earlier that day.  But as the day wore on and the rash got worse not better I knew it was something else.  Then Sunday morning I noticed spots on his hands so immediately thought hand, foot and mouth disease.  I looked up pictures on the internet and, yep!  That's what it looks like.  But then, wait!  What's this on his back?  His neck?  His arms?  it's everywhere!!!  So we went to stake conference (church meeting for everyone in our area), came home and ate lunch and off to the doctors we went.  Their best guess is some kind of viral rash like hand, foot and mouth.  So.... Tylenol for pain and watch for 3 - 7 days.  Poor guy.  He can't catch a break!

He is excited for school to start since he's going to high school, but I'm afraid he doesn't realize it's still school!  When he realizes this he's not going to be a happy camper.  We register him this week ( we will have to find out when they do picture retakes because that won't make for a good yearbook picture his first year in high school) and then we will go do a little shopping.  The kid at least needs some new shoes!

His new favorite thing to play with/in is one of those plastic boxes you can store things in under the bed filled with rice!  He can sit there for hours.  He takes his paint brushes and makes designs in it or just puts toys in it and hides them then unburies them with the brushes.  It's been a good thing for him since it's been so hot outside!

So that, in a nutshell, is an update on Al.  He's growing, he's happy (mostly!) and he's our "significant other."  We go everywhere together!  It will be nice to send him back to school just because he needs a routine, but I will miss having him around as much. 

I'll write more later when there's more to write!