Lots To Celebrate!

The big challenge for us this past week has been to balance keeping Rudy at home where he is most comfortable as he continues to battle a cold and junky lungs while keeping up with the flurry of activity in the lives of the rest of the family.  We’ve had to “divide and conquer” at times, rely on the big kids to get themselves to and fro on their bikes and white-knuckle our way through a couple of events with Rudy in tow…very creative, sometimes stressful,  maneuvering but there have been too many special things going on to hibernate completely!!  

The string of monthly birthdays in our family until the next round in the fall culminated on Wednesday with Rolf celebrating #44!!!  He was treated to a wonderful bbq chicken school lunch at La Patera’s “Bring your parent to lunch” day and serenaded with “Happy Birthday” by Max, Olivia and friends.   Two days later, Rolf and I got to steal away for the day (first time in ? years!) and enjoy a leisurely wine-tasting tour in the Santa Ynez Valley not far from Santa Barbara.  It was a gorgeous day that included stops at 4 wineries and a lovely picnic lunch…a perfect backdrop for celebrating the man for whom I’m deeply grateful.  My perfect partner in life and family and my dearest friend.  Happy Birthday Rolfi!  

Wilson received an invitation to the 8th grade awards ceremony which is an indication he won an award but it didn’t specify which one so we were a little in the dark when we showed up to the school auditorium Thursday evening.  There were a number of school/department awards and 4 achievement awards sponsored by organizations in the community.  Wilson was the proud recipient of the “United Way of Santa Barbara County Outstanding Character Award” – a very special honor…Wilson was so surprised and pleased.  In addition, Wilson’s band teacher awarded him with a band trophy commenting that he believes Wilson is the best jr. high drummer in the SB School District to which the crowd of his peers responded with a thunder of applause.  It was fun to watch Wilson being affirmed for his hard work and for the work God is nurturing in his heart and life.  Well done Wilson!  

The final rush of school activities, award assemblies and end of the year band concerts continues this next week so I’m praying Rudy’s bug clears up completely for his comfort and our sanity.  🙂

Medical Update:  We saw Rudy’s SB Endocrinologist this past week for Rudy’s routine appointment.  Dr. Lifshitz has been monitoring Rudy’s thyroid (dys)function and medication since we brought Rudy home from UCLA two years ago.  As Rudy nears 3 years old, it’s time to shake things up a bit and see how he does.  The thyroid hormone therapy he has been taking will do it’s job, if successful, within the first few years of life.  To test where he’s at, Dr. Lifshitz has dc’d Rudy’s daily dose of Levothyroxine with strict instructions for specifically-timed blood draws for the next two months.  If Rudy’s numbers remain normal, we’ll say “goodbye” to the Levo and, possibly, Dr. Lifshitz indefinitely.  If he doesn’t tolerate being off the med, then we’ll need to investigate the cause of his thyroid issues more specifically, I believe, with further testing.  Bottom line, we’re zeroing in on an isolated system that is intricately connected to the bigger picture and, as always, a little victory (and one less med on the daily list) would be greatly welcomed at this point.  Thank you for praying…we’ll keep you posted on this and the sleep study results.  Blessings to you….