Livin and Lovin Life!

I realize it has been a while again since I last updated this blog about my Carter...so I apologize! We have celebrated Christmas and the New Year and nearly a month since those things has already gone by. I have a few things to put in this ;)

Carter has been doing great in preschool, first off. He really seems to love to go there and it seems like every time we pull into the school lot he says "Mrs. Linda", and "schoolbus!"..I really think that he is going to like to ride a schoolbus someday! He really love the recess and gym time there, playing ball with other little kids gets him really excited! By the time I pick him up @ 12:30, he is usually exhausted though...and napping for me soon after that!

Growth: Carter as you know started the growth hormone medicine in early December...and we are happy to report that he has grown a 1/2 inch since then!! Yay! Cody always jokes around and says he hopes Carter grows 4 inches and 2 shoe sizes, and really that would be Great!! Hopefully the growing will continue! Little brother Camden is already @ 33 1/2 inches! Carter is now 39 inches, ptl!!

Life has been going on here at our home...I broke the news to our families at Christmas that we are expecting again..so our third and final Van Schepen baby will come early August this year! Carter will be full time in preschool (my hopes)...a few weeks after baby and so that will leave Camden to be mommy's little helper with baby (another hope! ;)).

Carter is so smart..He continues to amaze us everyday with some of the things he either says or does! My mom was just telling me last night how Carter and Hanna played hide and seek while at her house..she said it was so sweet...Carter would come looking for Hanna, saying "Where is she?? Where did she go?"...and then he would peek while counting to 10 when Hanna was hiding...I thought, thats my boy! ;)

Thanks for reading!

Preschool & Growth

Hey all! It has been such a long time since I have blogged...I looked back, and nearly two months has passed since my last entry. Things have been going fairly well for my family, particularly Carter. He was in his first day of preschool the last time I wrote and so I thought I would update anyone on how its been going for him. First off, he has only been going two mornings a week..tuesday and thursdays- from 9-11ish. I wanted to start him off slow since he is my special little guy, not just throw him in. Gradual with Carter is usually better than all at once for him. He has really been loving preschool. The first few times, he was ready to get out the door when I would come pick him up, then there have been a few times where he would see me but keep at his activity and kind of ignore me! :) There has been a time where he was ready to go, but then the teacher turned on the music to go with a book they were learning and he would go over by the cd player and dance and clap.
He has brought home lots and lots of paper work, colorings, projects, books, etc...from his preschool! I havent thrown away a single paper yet and want to keep all of them! :) I couldn't be more pleased with Carter. He is learning and creating! His schedule for preschool is going to change next month, November. He will be 4 on November 20th, which I can hardly believe, and so we will update his IEP. I am thinking of having him go two full days, so that he can get used to the schedule. This means he will go to school, eat breakfast, have morning activities, recess, free time, lunch, nap, and more preschool just like all the other children do. I hope he will adjust if thats how it plays out. I also hope that I can adjust! Anyways~ All in all preschool is going great for him. I love his teacher-Linda, her aide-Melissa, and Carter's very own personal aide-Michelle! They are all wonderful with him.
Carters next doctor appointment isnt until December 13, in Sioux Falls. He goes to his new pediatric endocrinologist, Dr. Laura Davis Keppen (SP?)...who took over because Carters last doctor moved to KS. I hope that she is a proactive doctor or we will be finding someone else to go to. As Camden grows, his feet are only about 1/2-3/4 inch smaller than Carters, but Carter is 2 1/2 years older! Also, Camden's legs are nearly as long as Carters now. Its crazy. We started the whole growth hormone testing, bone age x-rays, etc in January 2009...so 21 months ago...and Carter is not growing like he should. I as a mom am tired of waiting..I want to do something about his growth, about the size of his feet (balance issues), about the length of his arms and legs (stairs issues), not to mention that he is a good 5 or so inches shorter than other little boys his age. Which for a 3 year old, is a lot.
Thanks for reading and caring!! Bless you!

Our new Shayla Bee Family!

Ok, so we have been on vacation this last week and I am just now getting the chance to blog! We-well Carter- received an incredible blessing last wednesday from a group of people called Shayla Bee. They are an awesome groiup of people who help families with children in medical crisis, permanent or temporary, children with special needs, etc with lower income...and someone (my friend Lindsay) nominated Carter and our family...The Shayla Bee Fund board voted and approved our family as the 31st family they have helped financially! We feel so excited to be able to get some much needed things to help Carters quality of life..We are wanting to purchase him a stroller- which is really turning out to be harder than I thought because of Carter's size..last night my best friend gave me an idea and so I am going to check into a few other avenues...Carter needs a stroller at times but yet there are times he really doesnt want to be in a stroller...he is mr. independent but yet does tire at times. Another thing we are looking at purchasing Carter is a mini trampoline with a handle...for those of you who know Carter well, you know that Carter LOVES to jump...and he doesnt get the exercise that other 3 yr olds do because of his diagnosis...so Cody and I really think that this would be right up his alley. Academically there are some things we are wanting to get also to help him more with learning...Learning for Carter means lots of repetition. What is left we are going to keep up for him so we can get other things as he grows.
So, Shayla Bee showed up at our house last wednesday...how they showed up was very awesome! Our little town of Rembrandt was awakened by a clan of 20+ motorcycles! We could hear them coming as they pulled off of Hwy 71 onto the blacktop coming into town, it was SO exciting to hear all these motorcycles and know that they were all coming for OUR CARTER! Carter absolutely loved the motorcycles and also the "Bee" that greeted him! I was concerned that he wouldnt know that all the noise and excitement was for him, but I think he had a pretty good idea as everyone was looking at him!! He was happy and loved it all! Thank you Shayla Bee for your generous hearts..this memory will never fade and brings tears to my eyes when I think about how you blessed our Carter and Us. What a GREAT group of people!

Also, we went to Sioux Falls on the 19th and have the results back from Carter's Pediatric Endocrinology appt..his thyroid functions came back all normal, so no worries there...but we also got the growth hormone (IGF1 level) back- just yesterday-and his numbers were not in normal range..Normal range is 54-178 and his # was 23...So we take him back in 6 months and if the # is again consistently low, it is very likely that Carter will begin growth hormone treatment. It is kinda good news in my opinion...kinda explains alot and makes sense with Carter..he has a BIG belly, always has appeared younger, is shorter for his age, etc etc. My maternal instincts have told me for a while now that there is an underlying issue as far as Carter's growth goes..
Well, thats all for now! Thanks for reading!