Elliott's Seventh Birthday and Other Photos

Beth continues to do well and is eating more now that she has been on Perictin (Antihistamine Stimulates Appetite ). I have been experimenting to see if she avoids eating when not on the meds. Sure enough, if it has been over 4 hours since her last dose, she will fight me when I ask her to eat lunch/dinner. We feel a huge relief when she sits in her high chair without argument and actually consumes something more than dried blueberries and cocoa bumpers.

Elliott turned 7 last week. We had a wild party at the local Bouncy place, Bounceopolis. I could not take many photos because it was absolute chaos for 90 minutes. There were 26 kids launching themselves into the air, crashing into each other and generally beating the heck out of each other. I had to shadow Beth everywhere to keep her from getting squished. There was no way to keep her in the "kiddie" room where she would have been safer. Noooo. It is 4 days past the party and my arms still ache.

This photo shows Elliott at home with his birthday cake that I made (can't you tell it is a bear??). The pig is part of a reading program conceived by his teacher. He and 5 other animals circulate around the classroom with related books. The kids get to take one animal home and read all the books overnight. Then they record their day in a journal. We are lucky the pig didn't get chocolate frosting all over him.

The two photos of Beth were taken by my sister-in-law, Cathie. Again, her amazing photographic talent shines through. I'm so envious of her skill but appreciate that she captures these priceless images.

On the sad side, my father who has suffered with Alzheimer's Disease for over 10 years is having a very difficult time. These photos by Cathie were taken at an Alzheimer's fundraising walk last Saturday. Thousands of people rallied at the Capitol and raised funds for research and caregiver support. My father's health seemed to take a step backwards with every stride we made in his honor. He is still with us but we fear it will not be for long.