Baby Photoshoots

 

I had an opportunity to do a baby photoshoot last Friday with my friend's little baby girl.  She was super sweet and all the cooing noises she made, a little spit up here and there, and her chubby little thighs all reminded me of my own little babies.  Saya came along and played with their older son who used to be Sean's daycare buddy.  The photoshoot went well for the most part.  Shooting photos indoor is more challenging since it tends to be darker than outside.  The room was bright enough, so I didn't have to set up my studio umbrella lights.  I wanted to emphasize her soft skin tone and adorable eyes.  I edited one photo last night and I think she looks very cute.   My friend and her husband cooked up a yummy lunch and desert, so we stayed for a little while and talked.  I got to hold the baby while they prepared lunch and I could just melt.  My bouncing skill must be decent still since she fell asleep in my arms.  I appreciated their hospitality and will be working hard for the next few days editing the photos.  I will be building a website to showcase my work soon and I will post more pictures of the family portraits I've done in the past few months.  It's all so fun!

Neurologist Visit

I took the boys to the Genetic department at Seattle Children's Hospital a couple of weeks ago.  The boys and I have a chromosome abnormality in chromosome 3.  It's still over the head for me but it means we are missing a small part of chromosome 3 in the p arm towards the end, about 170 kilo base of them.  That is considered a microdeletion since large deletions are over 1 mega base.  The larger the deletion is greater the physical or neurological challenges are.  When we found out about our deletions through Sean's blood test four years ago, we were told we are the only known case of this particular deletion.  That scared the heck out of me.  Would it cause a life-threatening disease like cancer? Does it shorten our life span?  Having what's called a "rare disease" was a big slap in my face and I truly feared for my boys' well-being. 

I frantically searched on the web and found a support group for Chromosome 3 deletion, duplication, trisomy (having extra arm) and ring (the end of the chromosome arm attaches itself to form a ring).  In the support group, I even found several other families with deletion in exact same location with ours.  Chromosome testing is still new and it seems that the data is not shared efficiently in medical community.  Thank goodness for the world of Internet!  The families report their children suffer from developmental delays and autism, but not much of a physiological problems.  Some children suffer from seizures and they take medications to control it.  My boys do not seem to have seizures, however they do have some moments when they are completely in their own world (so it seems) and calling their names or even waving hands in front of their faces wouldn't snap them out.  After researching on the web about seizures, I discovered there is a type of seizures called "silent seizures" where the person doesn't appear like having a seizure (no shaking or twitching).  Sometimes they could be laughing uncontrollably all the sudden or just look like spacing out.  That concerned me because my boys do that often.  So, I thought I should dig this deeper and see the specialist.

The boys did great at the appointment.  Noah was eating the fish crackers the whole time and was pretty quiet.  I didn't get much new information - nothing I couldn't find on the Internet.  That was somewhat disappointing since I thought they have more insider information about the whole chromosome abnormality topic.  I actually knew more about what other patients are suffering from than the doctor.  She was pretty impressed with me.  One thing she offered was a referral to the neurologist to check out the seizure issue.   That proved to be more fruitful visit and I really liked the doctor I saw.  Ever since I began the quest for more knowledge about the brain after the boys' diagnosis of autism, I just love collecting more information about how brain works.  If I had a second chance in life, I would love to study Neurology.  It is such a profound, complex and delicate organ that is truly fascinating.  It is the cause of everything, happiness, sadness, pain, compassion... which isn't understood so well. 

The doctor suggested doing an EGG test where they study Noah's brainwave but since he is still young he would have to be under general anesthesia.  She asked if we are also interested in doing a MRI since he is going to be under the anesthesia anyway.  That would show more detailed brain physiology if he has any anomaly - even be able to measure the amount of gray and white matters in his brains.  WOW!!  The studies show that the greater amount of gray and white matters equals intelligence.  Although it won't be able to tell the works of each part of the brain, it will tell us if he has a tumor or any structural deviance.  Is doing a MRI worth it?  Yes, I think so, but I have been warned by several doctors that we may find something we may not need to know otherwise.  He may have a small tumor, for example, which won't affect his health but since we found it we may need to continuously monitor it with additional MRIs in the future. The prospect of discovering the reason behind Noah's delays sounds hard to pass.  I've always wondered if he has problems with inner ears as well which would be revealed in the MRI.  But I have a lot to consider.  It's a tough decision.

It is just a reminder that being born is a miracle on its own and to be healthy and without any neurological issues is the greatest wonder.  I believe in my boys that they can achieve their dreams just as any other healthy people can.  They will just need to work harder and I know they are very determined individuals (sometimes too stubborn).   The visits were overall very positive and I am glad I took both of my boys to Genetics and Noah to Neurology.  

The Return of the Salmons

It's that time of the year again.  The rivers in coastal America get seasonal traffic of salmons making their way to their birth place to complete their final task - mating and dying.  I don't know where they have been or how they'd spent their time in the ocean, but they gather in fall, each of them controlled by the natural urge to swim upstream to the place where their life began.   The salmon hatchery in Issaquah is a great place to see the end of their journey.  A bridge over Issaquah Creek is a prime spot to watch them gather all their strength to make the final leaps before reaching the destination.  A lot of them are covered in cuts and scrapes and I can only imagine what they went through to get there.  Their final resting place, the pools at the hatchery, has viewing windows on the sides and we can see them up close.  They still were in a hurry and trying to push at the glass.  There were mostly Coho salmons.  Sean and Saya had lots of fun watching them jump and see them trying to chew at the glass window.  We go there every year and every time we are amazed by their strength and built in navigation system which put the man-made version to shame.  Sean spent a long time watching the salmons in the tank.  I wondered what he was thinking.  He can see beyond what is in front of him.  He must have been wondering how the salmon got a gash on his chin or what if the salmons actually broke the glass and jumped on him.  We stopped by at a fish market on the way home and bought a sockeye salmon for dinner.  I ended up cooking it up tonight instead (we went to the hatchery yesterday) but it was tender and delicious!

5k Race and Meeting Mariner's Star Player

Great sense of balance and strength!

I bet if I pushed him he wouldn't lose his balance!

The big kids got advice from Iwakuma on their form!

Sean was more excited than nervous before the race!

He had fun throwing the cup away on the road.

Hi Everyone!
The sun is trying to come through the clouds, but it loos like weather is going to be rainy today.  The weekend was so beautiful, I will not complain!

Sunday was another exciting day.  Sean and I ran a 5k race in Issaquah called "Run with Fishes" which Mike and I ran together last year.  Mike injured his hips a couple of weeks ago, so I decided to register Sean instead.  Sean was nervous and excited at the same time.  We left home a little late and arrived there about 10 minutes before the start.  I had to find the booth for getting the bibs and microchip for the race, put them on both of us, and pee for the last time.  By then, Sean was panicking saying we are going to miss the race, but I made it out of the bathroom just in time (30 seconds before the start time). 

It was my first race in a year and first time running with my son.  He wanted to dart ahead the first thing, but I told him he will get tired later.  We had a pretty relaxing run.  Running with Daddy is probably more challenging for him since he runs much faster than me.  Sean was getting too hot since he didn't want to take layers of shirts he was wearing.  His cheeks were very red and I knew that I shouldn't push him harder.  He didn't walk though and the only time he slowed down was when he drank his water.  He enjoyed throwing the cup on the road afterwards.  We sprinted towards the end and we made it in 39 minutes.  He did much better at the trail run with Daddy, but we had fun together anyway. 

When we got home, Daddy went to buy ingredients for dinner since he was cooking that night.  He cooks amazing meal that guy.  He watches lots of Food Network shows and he has sophisticated sense of taste.  I showered quickly and got ready to take little Saya to an event at her Japanese school.  I was very excited for this one as well since it involved meeting the celebrity baseball player from Mariner's team.  Saya and I had an opportunity to exercise with Mariner's pitcher, Iwakuma, in the afternoon. 

When we walked into the event hall he was just walking in.  He is a tall 6'3" man with very straight posture.  He was smiley and very friendly.  He and his trainer showed us how he warms up before the game and we had lots of fun.  He seemed very relaxed and looked like a down to earth regular guy.  We gave him high fives and his palm was all muscle!  It was very thick and there was no bony part!  The little kids in Saya's group got to ask some questions to him and one boy enthusiastically raised his hand and exclaimed "Milk!"  We all laughed about it since what he really wanted to say was "Do you drink lots of Milk?"  Then our girl Saya raised her hand and she shouted "green!!"  She wanted to ask him what color he likes and instead she told him what color she thinks he likes.  It was so cute and we laughed for the second time.  Then another boy after her also shouted "green!" again in an apparent case of sudden blankness and it was so darn cute! 

I am a fan of him now since he was so nice and friendly.  I cannot imagine Ichiro being so approachable like Iwakuma and I appreciated his good heartedness.  I looked him up on the Internet later and found out he is married and has three children.  Of course, he has a gorgeous wife (but managed to cheat on her a few years ago)!   I will be paying more attention to Mariner's game next year and maybe go to a game or two.  I must try their garlic fries when I do go.

Nana came over for dinner and we had a nice evening together.  Mike's roasted chicken and green beans were superb, better than what I would have made.  Nice Sunday indeed!

Pumpkin Patch and Noah's Booboo

 

We had a bright sunny weather over the weekend and we could not just pass the opportunity to go out and enjoy it.  After the usual lunch with Nana at the Goldberg's, I took Sean, Aly and Saya to the pumpkin patch we normally go to in Redmond.  Surprisingly, the place wasn't packed.  I suspect it has something to do with minimal attractions if you don't want to pay to get into the enclosed family fun area.  We usually just take pictures there anyway (I buy the pumpkins at grocery stores) so I can't complain. 

Cute kids, bright orange pumpkins and blue sky are a good recipe for great photos!  It was easy to take pictures since there weren't too many people around.  Kids were having fun and in a great mood for a photo shoot.  Boy, it's so much easier to take pictures of my own kids!  At least they are very relaxed and I can capture their natural self.   

While we were out having fun, Daddy took Noah to Nana's house to help her out with her electrical issues.  Noah was having a great day and it was going to be even better since Daddy took him to a nearby park.  He was so excited, he ran to the playground.  Then, he fell pretty hard.  It happened so fast, he couldn't catch himself.  He smack landed on his face and the outcome of it was horrendous looking!  Poor little Noah looks like he survived a war.  There seems to be only superficial injuries and no real damage (so I hope), but poor little guy whimpers when he eats since his lips are sore.  Daddy found him checking himself out in a tiny toy mirror downstairs, touching his wounds.  He dislocated his arm a couple of weeks ago at school and I have a feeling he is going to be one of those people who would have lists and lists of injuries by the time he is an adult.  He worries me a lot.  Must find a way to teach him how to be safe...

So, this was our Saturday.  We had an exciting Sunday as well, so I will write about it tomorrow.

Alyson Loses Her First Tooth!

Sean makes interesting looking things with his legos.

 

 

Our big girl, Aly, had been so excited since yesterday that one of her front bottom tooth is wiggly.  She was showing everyone in the house how her tooth moves and that she is going to be losing it soon.  Based on how long it took Sean's tooth to come off from the wiggling stage, I told her it will be a while before it would actually come off.  Well, I was wrong!  It came right off during dinner time as she was showing Sean how it wiggles.  She was so elated, she looked like she won a lottery!  It was so cute to see her jumping up and down with excitement.  I am always amazed how little their baby tooth is.  They were the precious little tooth that grew in their drooly little mouth when they were babies.  Sigh... they are growing up so fast and it just seems like yesterday they finished collecting all their teeth.  Sean looked happy, too, that his sister joined the toothless smile club.  He is still working on filling the top front tooth he lost over the summer.  

I am seeing her as a big kid now that she is in school and doing things in school like writing a journal and having homework.  She is much easier than Sean when it comes to doing school work since she loves doing her homework.  When I say, "Ok, kids let's do homework," Aly would happily sit and start working immediately where as Sean would grunt and complain why he would have to.  I am proud of her for having such a great attitude towards studies.  Sean is getting better at school and I see more completed works returning home in his backpack.  He is easily distracted and that is hindering him from doing the best job he can.  I understand where he is coming from since I was a big daydreamer myself.  I explained the feeling I often had in my childhood to my psychologist as "trying to run in water chest deep".  I felt like I was working so hard to move forward, but I couldn't advance fast. 

It's getting cold here in the Pacific Northwest, but we had a pleasant sunny day today.  Good thing because we had a walkathon at Aly and Sean's school today.  I volunteered to do the set up and hand out fruit snacks at the stand.  Sean and Aly were very happy to see me there.  Little Saya came along and she helped me open boxes and carry some items to the table.  She was a great help.  I packed her a lunch box since it was during lunch time, so she sat on a picnic mat and ate her sandwich looking at the elementary kids walking by.  She was very good and everyone commented how well behaved she was.  She has been particularly funny and cute these days.  Her ultimate goal at the moment is to become a pretty maiden.  She must have gotten that from her books and princess DVDs.  All I have to say to her when she is misbehaving is that "oh, pretty maidens don't do such things" and she stops.  Life is pretty simple when you are just four.

Noah is in a short sleep phase at the moment and I hope he starts sleeping better soon!  I don't know why he would want to stay up until 11 pm when we put him to bed before 8 pm!  He occasionally goes through this phase and it's no fun when that happens.  So far so good tonight, although I found him lying right by his door on the carpet.  I had to carry him back to his bed and hopefully he stays there until the morning!

Good night!