Tractor ride.

The two big boys got to go on a tractor ride today at the campground!

You can't prove a thing...

Again.. more baby movie

Three Boys

Thanks for the birthday card & gift

I showed A.J. the birthday card Grandma and Grandpa Fenn gave me for my birthday... and A.J. said, "is that Nathan??"

(I guess you'd have to have seen the card for this to be funny)

While we were in Little Rock...

A.J. and Tater stayed at Auntie Dawn's. At first A.J. thought it was pretty funny.

On day one, A.J. says to Dawn, "you're our NEW mommy now!" (all grins and giggles)

But by day two, the joke was over.

A.J. says, "this is only our pretend house, right? My mommy's coming back?"

*************************************
And while we were in the hospital... the research room is an large open area with 5 or 6 beds. All the "patients" can see and interact with each other. While Austin was being observed, a couple came in with a 4 month old baby and set up shop in the bed next to ours. The little baby was just pulling up on all fours. Austin looks up at me with tears welling up in his eyes and whispers, "Mommy, I sure hope that baby doesn't need a shot"... soooo sweet.

"I miss my St. Louis Grandma"- A.J. 1/18/08

"They misunderestimated me."- G.W. Bush

So we return from Little Rock. After some very traumatic blood work, Austin steps up to the plate. Our boy consumed 1200mg of peanut protein- or 100 times the dose he began at on September 12, 2006. He showed no ill effects. This is now the dose he will take for the next 4 months.

He also had a skin prick test. Here, they scrape the surface of the skin and apply various concentrations of his allergen and see what happens. When we originally did the test in 2006, he got a hive (positive result) on every concentration. This time, he only had one hive- on the 100% peanut concentration. This hive was very small. All the other concentrations produced essentially a negative result.

While the results of the RAST blood work are not yet in, it is clear to us that this regimen is “working”- or it is at least doing SOMETHING. Back when we started, Austin – on just 12mg- was having bouts of vomiting. Today- at 100 times that- he has no reaction at all.

The update from the Dr. Stacie Jones- UAMS’ doctor heading up the Arkansas leg of the study- is that 5 children in total have ‘finished’. This means they’ve reached the max dose of 1800mg & remained on it for a year. On that anniversary, they are removed from all peanut protein for a month, then blood work, skin tests, and a food challenge occurs. Of the 5 that have finished, 4 have NEGATIVE results on their blood work- meaning they test negative for peanut allergy. One showed a score of 33- which is a positive (anything higher than a 2 is positive). ALL FIVE of those kids had a food challenge- they were fed actual peanuts- and ALL FIVE PASSED that food challenge.

The new protocol is that once a subject is ‘finished’, they are to be sure to eat a tablespoon and a half of peanut butter every day to be sure their immune system doesn’t forget and become re-sensitized. Nobody knows if the results will hold on their own and nobody wants to find out the hard way if it doesn’t.

While the research is still very young and nobody knows what the future holds, there is hope. It’s incredible to be a part of this study. It’s incredible the progress that we’ve made. We are truly blessed.

Austin is a superhero.

1200 mg!

Today, Austin's peanut dosage was increased from 600mg to 1200mg. Everything went extremely well!

For those of you keeping score at home, he is now ingesting 100 times his initial dose of peanut protein PER DAY. 1200 mg is equivalent to 4 whole peanuts...

"Meet Us At The Airport"

Mom and Austin had a layover in St. Louis on their way to Little Rock. Look who was at the airport! Austin wasn't told he'd be seeing Grandma and Grandpa...

gone from Monarch

Well, everyone.....Aunt Weswee is now out of work. Dumped a bunch more of us yesterday (Jan. 10th). They probably won't be around for another 6 months, so maybe it's for the best to be out now. No severance or anything, so........
Les

Dad & Lad

Happy Birthday!

Today is Nina's 35th Birthday!

Worst mother ever.

So A.J. has decided that he will only wear shirts with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on it. I only have 2 T-shirts and one muscle shirt like this that A.J. got as a hand-me-down. Well yesterday he wore one of the T's. Today he wore the 2nd T. After baths, he's digging through the drawer and says, "I want to wear a Ninja turtle shirt".

I said, "you can wear the sleeveless one"

He says, "I don't want to, where's the stripey one?"

I say, "well, it's dirty. You wore it yesterday"

He says, "Oh COME ON! It's STILL dirty?!?"

sigh.

AJ's a goof

Nathan says 'hi'... sort of.

Let me explain...

Look closely at these pictures... Did you notice the yellow smiley face ball between Coco's legs? A.J. has started lodging this little yellow ball in there and saying that it's Coco's egg and there's a baby bird in there.

Also, notice that AJ has Coco "sleeping" with booey to keep him warm.

His name is Mr. Mischief

The Video

This video and the other ones will be treasured for the rest of our lives. The sequence showing the empty house with echoes of voices from the past resonated powerfully with me. That's what I feel every time I go there.

Mike, I love Nathan's song. Making music seems like magic to me.

Aunt Weswee Part II: The Front Page

In case you couldn't find it, or were just rudely uninitiated, here it is! Hey Les, tell Sen. Obama I said congratulations!

Typical.

In true A.J. fashion, he sleeps...yes, on CERAMIC TILE

Aunt Weswee

Hey everyone. Check out the front page of the Rocky Mountain News in Colorado for January 3rd. Aunt Weswee is a star. Just google it online.

Grandma

This is Great!

This blog is a wonderful idea. Thanks to Mike to thinking of it and producing it, and to Dave and Nina for posting the pictures and news. We don't have that much to contribute. We seldom say anything cute, and our photos aren't in high demand.

This really helps.

Does this remind anyone else of AJ?

And, just so you know, it was meatballs.

A boy and his boo.

Photoshopped Christmas Pics (Take Two)

Okay, here is my second try to post these pics. The first one just looked all messed up, so I will arrange the pictures better. These are all just decorations from around Grandma and Grandpas house. I was trying out my new lenses and such, and here are a few (doctored) photos I took. Actually, the one close-up of the porcelain Santa head wasn't doctored at all. See what you think.

one more..

Happy New Years- a day at the beach!

Kid-isms

Happy new year, everyone!

Thought I'd share a couple of funny things said over the last couple of days:

AJ, after going number 2 before bed:
"I pooped out my dinner!"

AJ, once he got another bowl of sliced oranges:
"I made it to the second level of orangens!"

AJ, while going into a restaurant: "You know why I'm sad now?"
Mommy: "Why?"
AJ: "Because Coco is all alone right now." Pause. "I know, we can bring him back crackers! Do you think we can ask for crackers here?"

Austin, while waiting in line with Mommy to go to the bathroom at a restaurant: "You know why there aren't showers in here?"
Mommy: "Because you don't live here?"
Austin: "Yeah, you don't need them here because you eat and then you just go home."

Austin: "I don't want to go to college."
Mommy: "Why not?"
Austin: "Because I don't want to leave my family."
Daddy: "Well, you know, it's a long way off and you might think differently later on."
Austin: "I'm not changing my mind!"