We have the dog at the moment since my dad was in the hospital. I told Luke we'd keep him until Friday when he goes with his dad. Here is Luke stylin' in his new camo rabbit fur hunting hat walking his "other brother". :)

Sammy's new stander

Here's Sammy's new stander on loan to us from Shriners. He has been doing 30 minutes a day in it before he gets bored/tired. He likes to go into it though. He did 40 minutes in it yesterday and that was after a crying fit because the dog barked and scared him! Pretty darn good if you ask me! :)

yah!

My dad's coming home tomorrow! He's coming home on O2, but I'll take it!! :) Thank you all for your prayers!!

updates...

Ok, so my mom said that my dad is feeling a little better...he is eating and his lungs sound better than before. They were going to try and get him standing and walking some today. Luke called him this afternoon since he can't go to the hospital since he is now sick with a nasty cough and cold himself, and my dad told him that they are talking about sending him home in a few days. That's music to my ears!
Toby (our dog, for my non-family members) is staying with us for a few days. We've had him since Sat. My parents have been keeping him for us while we rent until the house is built. Since my mom isn't home, we took him to stay with us for a while. He is such a fruitcake! The only thing that sucks is that someone lives above us and every noise makes him bark, which scares Sammy and makes him cry, especially if we yell at the dog for it.... Can't wait until we move out back where there are no noises... yippee!
The house is coming along...it's slow going at this point...i think they just finished up the insulation and are trying to get the boiler up and running next week. Our windows and doors are FINALLY coming this Thursday. Thank God! It's only been months now that we've been playing this game with the company! Too long a story to even get into on the blog! It'll be nice to be able to take the plywood off the window holes and get some real light in there! :)
Ok, off to bed...i will post more pics tomorrow at school if i get a sec to myself!
Thank you again to everyone that's been praying for us...

support Shriners, and prayers, please...

We went to Shriners yesterday for a follow-up visit and to pick up Sammy's bath chair. We didn't see the actual dr. after waiting over an hour, but saw a PA and she was happy enough with what she saw that she didn't feel we needed to wait to see Dr. Mack since he was running so far behind. They took xrays again of his hips and they still look good! Thank God! It is a concern due to his tight leg muscles. We have dodged that bullet so far! So then we went to see the OT to pick up his bath chair and saw the PT as well to discuss possibly getting him a stander. She went out back to the storage room and found us one his size for us to take home and use indefinitely! We LOVE Shriners! Sammy loves his new bath seat, I have tons of pics and a funny video (censored of course!) that I will post when I can get them on at school on Tuesday. (I'm going to try the pics tonight, but I know they won't work from this computer.) :( He doesn't mind the stander and the whole time he's in it, I tell him what a big, strong boy he is standing in it all by himself like Mommy is standing up by herself. He did 1/2 an hour in it tonight, which was AWESOME, considering it was dinner time and he hadn't had a nap! He really needs the weight bearing from it so that he can get rid of his scrawny CP chicken legs and so that his leg bones will grow properly. It also gives him a great hamstring stretch the whole time since he's in his AFO's and standing with his legs straightened, which they never fully are. He also has to hold his head up the whole time, so it's a great neck strengthening thing as well! We are very excited about this piece of equipment. When I took him out of and put him on his feet on the floor, he actually took STEPS with the AFO's on!!! He has NEVER done this!! He refuses to take steps with the AFO's on, and he actually did it!!! Not a ton of steps, but steps nonetheless!!!!!! I am so psyched!! I am trying to get him to realize if he works hard, he can get more independent, then Mommy won't have to carry him everywhere! I am still staying grounded, obviously, I know he isn't going to be an independent walker, but if I can motivate him enough to get him to be in a walker someday, that would be awesome!! It is too depressing right now to hear all of these people talking about lifts and ceiling tracks to move him when he gets older, that THAT's motivating ME to get him as strong as possible now.... The PT was also adament that we MAKE him wear his knee immobilizers while he's sleeping. She said it is crucial to get him used to sleeping with them when he's young to get that hamstring stretch so he doesn't shrink those muscles in the back of his legs while he's growing. Enough to scare me! I am starting them again tomorrow night. It's not like he's sleeping for anything at night anyway...it can't get much worse! ;)
Well, that's the good news.... now to the prayers part...please say prayers for my dad since he is in the hospital due to a repsiratory bug he caught. He has emphysema and he gets knocked for a loop with anything like this that comes his way. I am praying he gets better quickly and is able to come home soon. I am being guarded, though, as I know it takes a lot for him to get better from these things. I am praying also that his doctors and nurses be guided in their decision making.

Thanks...

Here they are! My little cutie men! :)

Again...........

Ok, ok, I am getting on the pics tomorrow! I promise! ;)

So Sammy is sick again...God help us! He started Fri. night with a wheeze and a cough again on Sat., which I just assumed was coming back from the last bout. Well, yesterday he started sneezing and couldn't stop sneezing and hacking today. Poor thing... he is such a good boy, though...he is back on both inhalers and the oral steroid again...ugh... he gets so punchy from the albuterol, it cracks me up...he is SO verbal (just noises and yelling of course) when he is on it...it is so funny! :) I guess there has to be ONE silver lining, hah?? So I guess this is a cold, and we will just pump the meds until this too passes... Luke is claiming he's getting a cough, too...at least he is easier to take care of.... my little men... oye! Please pray for them!!