Hans and Franz . . . and Chico

Every time I post I vow to post again very soon. Because so much happens here in such a short time. Which is why we have a whole bunch of stuff to post right now. In fact, September may officially be the most exciting month ever. Here’s a couple reasons why:

1. Charlie got pumped. That is, he started a high-dose steroid treatment. We’ve managed to decrease his seizures with various medications quite a bit over the past year, but have not been able to “nail” them. (Note: this is the scientific term his neurologist uses.) The steroids are a pretty standard treatment but have been somewhat of a last resort for us, since kids can have all sorts of gnarly side effects, including some scary cardiac stuff. But it was time. We took the plunge. And though we don’t usually support performance-enhancing drugs, we’re all for this one. Chuck is back to his fighting weight. Unfortunately, he’s still having some blinky seizures. (Note: this is not the scientific term his neurologist uses.). But we haven’t seen any infantile spasms for a few weeks, and those are the ones we really need to nail. As with most things TSC, we can't be sure what will happen long-term, but we feel like we've won this round. Which feels really good. (Note: muscles in photo are for demonstration purposes only.)

2. Charlie got a nanny. One of the gnarly side effects of the steroids is a suppressed immune system, so we’ve had to take a couple of precautions. The most difficult has been keeping him out of day care. But I can’t really afford to keep myself out of work, so Charlie’s aunt has come to take care of him and we’ve got our very own Maurie Poppins. Here's a photo of her sharing some yogurt with Master Charles. (Note: Master Charles is a mooch.)

3. Charlie got game. For one glorious weekend, Charlie had TWO aunts in the house. Plus one soon-to-be uncle. He even got to watch the Georgia game . . . but they lost. (Note: never let Black-Luck Chuck wear your team’s jersey.)

4. Charlie got a splinter. Dad wanted to dig around for it but his doctor thought we ought to wait it out. So, Charlie also got an infection. Then Charlie got some antibiotics. And I got to bandage up a wiggly jiggly, teeny tiny toddler finger a couple of times each day.

5. Charlie got pooped. That’s right, he fulfilled every parent’s nightmare: having to call the pediatrician (again) and ask what to do when your kid eats poop. This time (and I hope it’s only this time) it happened to be cat poop. And it was more like he *chewed* it than *ate* it, since we seemed to get most of it out in time. But how did I let this happen, you wonder? I turned my back on him. For a second. A whole second. Now that I mention it, it was probably a lot like how he got that splinter.

6. Charlie got the hang of a few new things. Like how to eat with a spoon, how to sit on a little chair without falling off, how to make the See ’n’ Say work all by himself, how to make a phone call, and how to open the refrigerator. We’re really thrilled about most of these. (Note: our home phone is often off the hook, in case you’re thinking of calling.)

7. Charlie got GOING. He’d been taking a few steps here and there for about a month now, and he’s finally decided to walk. It’s hobbly-wobbly as heck. And it’s thrilling. He decides that he wants something and he goes and gets it. It’s simple. But it’s magic. The kind of magic you just can’t believe unless you see it with your very own eyes . . .

So now our days are filled, literally, with a hundred little ups and downs. I told you it’s been exciting.