Spring has sprung

Apparently, I should make it my goal to update once a month nowadays since once a week or once every 2 weeks isn't happening. I hope all of you have been enjoying a little springtime. I know my family in the Midwest is anxious for spring as winter was particularly snowy and cold this year.

We have been doing well. Everyone is healthy and growing like weeds. Alex is almost 5 feet tall! It won't be long before he's taller than me. Benjamin recently did his round of doctor visits and the doctors were impressed with his growth. He's gaining weight and height (the real biggie for kids with kidney issues) every time we go in. His labs came back with everything pretty much status quo, so we haven't had to change his medications in several months. I'm pleased considering he has made such a huge change in his eating habits. At his GI visit, the doctor said it is likely we can discontinue use of his G-tube in the next few months. She encouraged him to start drinking a box of Boost (like Ensure) each evening. He came home that night and drank 8 ounces of Boost in about a minute. If he continues drinking it regularly, we definitely can discontinue the G-tube. That would be so exciting! He already has discontinued speech therapy and, more recently, occupational therapy.

Speaking of stopping OT, Benjamin started gymnastics class earlier this month. He goes once a week and absolutely loves it. He jumps on the trampoline track, does bars, walks on the balance beam, turns somersaults, etc. He is thrilled to have new friends and gets into the warm-up dances like the chicken dance. It is so fun to watch him use those muscles he has worked hard to build up.

Last week, we had spring break. As Sean is in his final push for completing papers and working towards tenure, we opted to stay in Austin. We had a great time going on a picnic and playing in the San Gabriel River one afternoon. Our big adventure was going to the rodeo for a long afternoon to ride the rides. We started off riding the Ferris wheel and ended riding the Ferris wheel. In between, Benjamin rode just about every kiddie ride that can go around in a circle...boats, ladybugs, bears, motorcycles, airplanes... Emma rode quite a few rides, but couldn't be talked into some of the bigger ones. Alex and I even went on a ride that spun us upside down. Alex rode the star ship spinner 4 times in a row, reminiscent of Sean's 18 consecutive rides on the Silly Silo when he was growing up.Despite this post's title, I'd like to mention our winter. This winter in Austin was one of the colder (or should I say cooler for the benefit of my north living family and friends) on record. I have enjoyed snuggling by the fire quite often. The kids have enjoyed not one but two snowfalls. Actually, snowfalls is exaggerating a little...There were snow flurries on Benjamin's birthday in December. Late in February, we actually got a little snow that stuck on the ground. The kids had an absolute ball running around in it after school. Those boots from Iowa came in handy for one more afternoon. It was fun to watch the snow come down since the flakes were enormous!