Summer Is Here…for ONE of us anyway!

Mother’s Day weekend was marked by a trip down to LA to pick up Wilson and all of his stuff for the summer!!!  Woo Hoo!  It’s hard to believe that he has a year of college under his belt already but I’m glad the year went by so fast.  😉  We’re enjoying being together again…especially Rudy who has his roommate back.

Wilson had a good first year at APU…with his trademark enthusiasm, he made a lot of great, new friends, rocked his coursework and excelled in the ROTC program.  Although his scholarship didn’t require a commitment until the end of his sophomore year, Wilson came home at Christmas convinced the military is what he wants to do so he signed his Army service agreement this past winter.  It’s official.  I’m proud as well as a little concerned but very much comforted by his thoughtful process.  He knows (to the extent he can) what he is committing to and he is excited about his future.  He heads to Fort Knox, Kentucky later this summer for a month of training so we are taking full advantage of his being home now.

With Wilson home during the day, my brain is shifting to “summer mode” but I can’t quite go there yet as Max, Olivia and Rudy still have a little less than a month left on their school calendars.  We did, however, have our annual Teacher Appreciation Dinner on Monday which is a big indicator that the end of the school year is near.  Ha Ha  What a special time we had with two of Max’s teachers from DPHS, two of Olivia’s teachers from GVJH and 4 from “Team Rudy” at Mountain View Elementary & their families!!!  There is always much to celebrate and the folks we honored on Monday have been key to the kids’ successes this year…and what amazes me and Rolf is that they are just a small representation of an even larger community of quality, committed people who are investing and making a difference in the lives of our kids on a daily basis.  Yay TEACHERS!  Yay School Nurses and Therapists and Aides! Yay Administrators and Staff!  We are deeply grateful!

And so, we are in the final stretch.  Max is feeling the heat, especially, with his AP and SAT Exams this month.  He has actually handled the added academic stresses of the junior year with great confidence (and his trademark humor) which has helped to diffuse my anxiety for him!  Ha Ha   He is starting the college search process and it’s all very exciting…we’re looking forward to watching where his search will lead!

Olivia wraps up her volleyball season this weekend.  She has her eye fixed on high school sports for next year…although she has expressed interest in cross country, soccer and volleyball in the past, she’s not sure what she wants to pursue so we’ll see…there are a lot of fun changes and new beginnings ahead for our girl!  ‘So excited for her!!!

And. then. there. is. Rudy. 

Rudy has a new nickname at school…Rudy the Rascal!!!  He has been sowing some wild oats this spring with silly antics from time to time that make it hard for him to focus on his school work. Now that Wilson is home, Rudy is even less interested in school.  Every day this week, as we headed out the door in the morning, he stood in protest announcing “I stay right here!”.  Ha Ha  I think he may be experiencing a little spring fever too…a break from his normal routine this summer will do him some good. 

We had Rudy’s bi-monthly check-up with Dr. Harake today…the first of a string of appointments this next month with ALL of Rudy’s specialists as well as trips to the pediatric dental clinic and the pediatric heart clinic at UCLA.  It will be good to check-in with everyone…especially with those specialists we see only twice a year.  

MEDICAL UPDATE:  Rudy’s heart status remains about the same.  Dr. Harake did note that his last blood test on April 26th showed his hemoglobin level is high at 20 (a normal hemoglobin value for Rudy’s age would be on average 13.5).  When I asked him how high is too high, he said anything above 20…so he’s at the outer limit.  Rudy’s high hemoglobin level is to be expected with his condition as his body compensates for the lack of oxygen.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a medication to treat him.  Dr. Harake said that in extreme cases, there is a procedure where blood is extracted and replaced with fluid but he has not done this on a pediatric patient.  It’s concerning but we have some time to research and gather our thoughts before we go to the heart clinic on June 16th with our questions.    It looks like it also may be time to schedule another visit to the cath lab.  It has been almost 2 years since Rudy’s last cath and Dr. Harake would like to get some detailed information on how well his shunt is performing and coil some more collaterals.  Dr. Dan just called from UCLA (after talking to Dr. Harake) and advised us to get the cath scheduled but he wants to round table with Rudy’s surgical and cardiology team to determine if a cath is necessary at this time.   We so appreciate Dr. Harake and Dr. Dan and their team effort in all things regarding Rudy.  We’ve enjoyed a relatively long procedure-free season so a summer filled with medical consults and a cath makes sense if we end up heading in that direction.  We’ll keep you posted.  Bottom line, we’re praying for physical stability and joy for our boy wonder in whatever the summer holds for him.

Speaking of joy, Rolf captured this little video clip of Rudy at church on Sunday…’LOVE IT!

We sure do appreciate your continued prayers…for Rudy’s health and strength especially. This past major illness-free winter was such a gift and I pray his good health continues through the summer as well.  Thank you dear friends!