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Blast Shield

milk and cats

We went to the allergist this morning and found out that Grei is allergic to milk and cats but not to dust mites. 95% of kids outgrow their milk allergy by the time they are 4 or 5 years old so we hope that will be the case with us. Grei can eat food containing milk if the dairy is the third or 4th ingredient. In fact it is good for him to eat these things as it will help his body build up an immunity and become less reactive. It is the same situation with the cats. Having them helps him become desensitized. We haven't seen any reaction to the cats - they only tested him for the allergy because we have them.

How old are you?

The night before Halloween

Puyallup Fair

We needed to get out of the house after 2 weeks of surgery recovery so we headed to the Puyallup Fair on Monday. The crowds were manageable and we found street parking less than a block from the gold entrance! We ended up looking at cows mostly because they were still bringing horses in to the stables and there were no cats to be found. Lots of rides looked fun but we didn't go on any - didn't know how it would interact with drugs on board. Overall we were there about 4 hours and had lots of fun. Grei lasted the whole time with out a nap.



Arcani would rather look at the lights than the cows :)

Arcani Grei's surgery 9/2/2010

We are talking with our surgeon Dr. Perkins before the event. I was able to go back to the surgery suite with Arcani while he was put under with a gas mask. I was able to kiss him before I left. The whole team - and I do mean team - was great from beginning to end. I can't thank Children's enough for helping me feel safe handing our son over to be cared for.

The team is double checking that Grei is ready to go!

This is when we first got Grei back in our care. His cleft palate repair was a success and he also had ear tubes put in. Blood was under his nose, around his ears and a little by his mouth. I felt physically sick when I first got him back but we slowly worked with him and his recovery really exceeded my expectations on the 2nd day.

Our overnight nurse Erin brought this balloon in for Grei in the morning. She was great and very helpful all night when we were in the intense part of recovery. Thank you.

We stayed in the giraffe section of the hospital on the 3rd floor (rm 3010) in a shared room next to the window. These guys lived outside on the terrace.

Laying with dadda. After the 1st day, he did so well resting and healing.

love you love you love you. Grei had just woken up from one of his naps at the hospital.

Turtle friends we found on one of the many walks around Children's Hospital. Love it there :)

Arcani Grei's surgery 9/2/2010

We are ready to go home !

Arcani Grei is one year old and growing fast! He can reach shelves today that I swear he could not yesterday - Ry says he found his tippy toes. He eats very well. Takes two, two hour naps and sleeps a full night ( 8-9 hours). He hasn't weened off of milk yet - we are waiting until after his surgery. He is not walking on his own yet but does get around on furniture very well. He can speed crawl too :) He figured out that opening and closing his hand at people in the store has an effect. He loves people and they love him - it's good to be a baby. Grei and I (mom) enjoy singing together. I have a melody that I sing and Grei recognizes it and does his part at the end - it is really cute. We went to see Chris Isaak in concert last week (Grei's 1st concert). He lasted the whole way through with out being fussy and he enjoyed dancing and the light show on stage. He also enjoyed visiting with uncle Justin, aunt Stephanie, and Madeleine. Grei's swim class is going very well. He goes underwater and doesn't swallow water or cry - he never did, even from the beginning. During bath time, Grei sticks his finger in the faucet until it becomes blocked enough to spray him in the face - he laughs and does it all over again. We went to Lake Chelan two weeks ago and he was able to go down the water slides with us at Slide Waters but he thought the lake water was too cold. He loved all of his new toys that he received for turning one. When we came back from Chelan, he played with his toys for an hour straight. He grows and changes every single day - it's too much to keep track of but it is really amazing to watch him.

Summer fun

ready to play

This is Great!

1st hike

Last Saturday 6/5/2010 we went for Grei's first hike. We chose Wallace Falls and went to the Sultan Bakery for lunch :)
He did well for being his first time in a back pack carrier. We made it in a little over a mile and then turned around. On the way back we stopped at a great spot along the river that was secluded where we got to play and eat snacks. Grei got his feet wet and touched a slug for the first time. A fun day :)

Folklife

Grei really enjoyed dancing while we took in some of the live music offered. It was fun to get out for the first festival of the season!

Ry and Grei - ready for swim class.

A recent picture of Arcani playing with some of his favorite toys.

Grei and Vincent - round 1

I love how this guy is checking Grei out :)

after 9 and half months ...

Grei has his first teeth coming in. The lower left one broke through on May 20th and the other is a bump under the skin :)

playing ball with dadda

I made Arcani Grei carrots for the first time - they were much better fresh than from the jars.

My first carousel ride

After a fun weekend in Suquamish with the Muchin's and the Haley's we headed back to Seattle on the Bainbridge Island/Seattle ferry. We needed to pick up dadda's car from his work (on the waterfront) so we decided to stop and visit the carousel on pier 57. I am not sure if Grei was getting as dizzy as we were but those horses rode fast!

Grei day

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Grei is a rolling man

Arcani Grei has learned to roll. His favorite direction is to the left but will occasionally go right. He tends to get stuck and fuss, not realizing that he could roll the other way. I have set him up in crawling position but he straightens out right away. He loves to stand and I have helped him take some steps. I wonder if he will walk before he crawls.

Grei dancing with dadda

Enjoying bath time

Loving the water faucet - Grei is not afraid of water and loves his bath time.



He has kicked and splashed water all over his face - fun!

My Birthday

Arcani and I went to his first zoo visit at the Cougar Mountain Zoo for my 33rd birthday. It was great - they have parrots that you could reach out and touch (but don't). His attention span was short but it is a small zoo so - perfect. The lemurs could really yell and that got his attention no matter where we were in the zoo. I had to wake him up when we got there so in the pictures I took he looks sleepy.

Arcani Grei's first word!!

Arcani Grei is almost 6 months old and has started putting syllables together. Lucky me**

Grei's 5th month

click here to see Grei's photos from his 5th month.