Holiday Break

Darren's last day of work for the year was Monday, Alyssa's last day of school was Tuesday, and Jackson and I were done last week.  So, the Hoy House is on holiday break for 2 weeks!  All the things I love about breaks---sleeping in, not having to abide by a schedule, eating whenever you feel like it, etc-- makes the kids crazy.  Alyssa, Jackson, and Matthew all thrive on routine.  By Tuesday evening Alyssa was getting a bit emphatic about needing to know what was going to happen the next day.  No fly by the seat of your pants for these kids.  They don't respond well to my "just go with the flow" response.  Oh well.  So, Darren and I laid out a rough daily schedule for our break, which we mostly followed yesterday and today.  And so far, so good.

We had a Wii-A-Thon today.
It was great fun.  We bowled, played baseball,
bicycled, played tennis, jousted, and
played Star Wars Legos.

Yesterday, Alyssa went to see a movie with a friend and
Darren took Jackson to see a movie too.
Mattie and I went to my favorite used book store and
stocked up on new (to us) Star Wars books.

Stairs

Last week, Matthew figured out how to go up the stairs.  Once he made it past the second step, there was no stopping him.  The first day he went all the way up, I brought him back down, and he did it again.  And again, and again, and again.  6 times in a row.  And then I put the gate on the stairs, and Matthew sat holding on to the gate, crying.  If by chance we forget to put the gate on the stairs, moments after we turn our backs, Matthew will be hollering from upstairs for us to come get him.  I'm thrilled he has figured it out. Now I wonder how long it will take for him to figure out how to come down the stairs.  I guess it gives us something new to work on during physical therapy.  

Good and Hectic

This past week was a good but hectic one.  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I gave final exams in my 3 classes, graded the exams, posted final grades, and responded to students' issues with the grades.  Tuesday Matthew had PT and Alyssa had a girl scouts' ceremony.  Wednesday was Alyssa's birthday. Thursday Matthew and I did a round trip to Dallas for his hand exam. And Friday I celebrated Angels' Day (our dear cousin Jenn's birthday) by doing all the things she would have enjoyed on a typical day. I went to have lunch with Alyssa at school, then went to Jackson's school to help with their holiday party, and then I went up to my school to turn in grades.  It was a very Jenn type of day. I wish that Jenn was still here on earth to do those things, but I know she celebrated in a big way in heaven, as she loved a party and this year my fun uncle Mark is there to help her toast the day of her birth.  

This weekend was a bit slower, but not by much.  Yesterday we ran errands while Alyssa went to a birthday party, and today we went to a gaming place for Alyssa's birthday experience.  In lieu of physical stuff, we give experiences and this year we went to the ITZ family fun center...and we had a ton of fun!   We bowled, played games, ate nachos, drank icees, rode on the train, and turned in our tickets for some little plastic stuff.  After which we came home and watched the Smurfs movie.  A nice ending to a hectic, but good week.  This next week should be considerably slower.  Whew!

Mattie liked to drive.
(Notice the finger configuration--Matthew using his index finger like a thumb.
This is the same way that Darren attempted to drive home the afternoon we realized Matthew was missing thumbs.)

Alyssa loves playing air hockey.

Both Aly and Jax tried the motorcycle game.

Alyssa loved the bowling.  Jackson lost interest before the end of the game.

Matthew wanted a skeeball and worked for several minutes to get it from the chute.

They must take after me, skeeball is my favorite too!

Thumbs

On the 12th day of Christmas (Jan 6), the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital is giving Matthew a thumb!  

Today was Matthew's second hand consultation in Dallas.  It was a rough journey there, both literally and figuratively, but it was well worth it.  The hand surgeon noted the following:

-Matthew is an anomaly (as we knew).  He is the first kid that she has seen with a missing thumb that doesn't have abnormalities in the wrists.  His wrists are perfect and will make the pollicization easier.
-The way that Matthew uses his hands makes him a perfect candidate for the surgery.  He uses his index fingers like thumbs, and he has muscle forming the way that it would for a thumb.  
-The surgeon was very excited to watch Matthew play, to see how active he was and how much he uses his hands.
-They will do one hand at a time.  We get to choose which hand goes first.
-He will have a cast after surgery. The cast will go all the way up to his shoulder and he'll have to wear it for 6 weeks.  For a boy that dislikes wearing long sleeves, it may seem like a very long 6 weeks.
-We will schedule the 2nd surgery at the 6 week post-op visit to get the cast off the first hand.  
-The good news about doing it so early in the year is that Matthew should be cast free for the summer.    
-Matthew would do just fine without the surgery. We know this and he proves it to us every day.  This is an optional surgery, but this surgery will make it easier for him to do what he does.  (50% of hand usage is attributed to the thumbs.)
-After the cast comes off, Matthew will not need therapy. He will use his finger like he always does, now it will just be easier for him. 

As I entered the waiting room that we first visited 14 months ago, I remembered how I sat there that first visit, praying that the day would come for us to have this surgery...that Matthew's heart would be strong enough, that he would still be with us.  That day is soon here!  Thanks be to God!

As excited as I am for Matthew to have thumbs, I wish I had a crystal ball to see how this all turns out. Because this is the first optional surgery, I worry if we are making the right decision. But I keep going back to the thought that this will make it easier for him.  Oh how I wish I could make every thing easier for him!

Matthew & Mickey have a lot in common!
Mattie was gifted this shirt from a sweet soul.

Happy 6th Birthday to Alyssa!

I can't believe Alyssa is 6. I remember her entry into the world like it was yesterday.  I look over at her some days and expect to see that cute little baby looking back at me, but instead I see this skinny, gaped tooth little girl smiling back at me.  She's observant, sweet, caring and definitely my little academic.  I have loved watching her grow these past 6 years, and can't wait to see what the next 6 hold for her!

Happy 6th Birthday, Alyssa!

Oddities

Matthew has a host of oddities that still go unexplained by our large team of specialists.

-Temperature regulation: Matthew will sweat when no one else is sweating, and if he is the slightest chilled, his lips turn blue.

-Extremities: Matthew's extremities (legs most often) are a different shade than the rest of his body. It is not a tan, and look a little yellowish to me. It is just him.  Also, Matthew's feet swell on occasion.

-Veins: Matthew has small veins, and as our cardiologist noticed during the heart cath, an atypical venous structure. Doesn't seem to concern anyone, except the phlebotomists who have to draw his blood.

-Weird Noises:  You can often hear Matthew's stomach slosh, even if he hasn't had much to drink/eat.  (Like jogging with a half empty water bottle.)  And Matthew grinds his teeth-- seemingly all the time.  

I'm willing to accept these are just part of Matthew, but I do wonder (and worry) if these are anomalies that point to something bigger. Hopefully not. 

Cookie Decorating

One of my favorite holiday traditions growing up was decorating cookies with my friends.  Every year, my mom made tons of sugar cookies and let me invite friends over to decorate the cookies.  We always made a huge mess, but had tons of fun.  This is a tradition I want to pass along to my kids, and I hope they will have as fond memories of it as I do. 

Saturday was the cookie decorating party at the Hoy House.  Alyssa invited over 3 of her closest classmates and Jackson invited over his best buddy from preschool.  This was the first time that the kids had over kids that were friends forged on their own (not kids of our friends).  A neat new experience.  It was a bit crazy at times with 7 kids in the house, but cookies were decorated, and overall I think everyone had a great time.  A wonderful holiday memory.