Man vs Food!

Evan LOVES the show Man vs. Food. I mean, he loves it. I have to admit that I get a kick out of it as well. It's actually one of the only shows we all watch together. What makes the show is the host, Adam Richman. If you haven't watched the show before, Adam goes to a different city each week and goes to three local restaurants. When he was here in Columbus, he went to Thurman's Cafe, Schmidt's and the Ohio Deli. At the first two, he will eat something that the restaurant is known for and at the third, he'll try to get thru the restaurant's "challenge"-like the hottest sushi or a 6 lb burrito. What I love is watching him eat. He is so animated and he very descriptive about what he's eating. There is just something about him that is very entertaining! Evan can imitate him perfectly. Every night dinner has become a Man vs Food challenge for Evan. The good thing about it is that it gets him to eat at a somewhat normal pace! So, when I heard Adam was going to be at the opening of a new store here in town, I knew I had to take Evan to see him and get his autograph. So, I surprised him Thursday after school. He was thrilled. He did a cooking demonstration first and then signed autographs. Can I just say we were there from 3-7, in the same spot, on our feet the entire time. But you know what? I complained more than he did. In fact, he didn't complain at all. I was so proud of him. He didn't want to leave and was willing to wait as long as we needed to in order for him to get an autograph. Adam was great. He was very personable and fun and he talked with everyone. Evan was grinning from ear to ear when Adam fist bumped him. He is so proud of the autograph he got. Before he went to bed that night, he thanked me for doing that for him and he said it was the best day ever!

www.travelchannel.com/travelchannel/TV_Shows/Man_V_Food/Video/Adam_Defeats_Columbus_Sandwich

September sucks

I really am not a fan of September anymore and these past 30 days have not helped this poor month's case. The anniversary of Dad's diagnosis and death, the ALS walk (which I love doing but it's still difficult), his birthday and now this year we'll add a couple more things to the list.

1. Cathy lost her job. She has worked as a one on one aide for an autistic boy at the elementary school and because of Cathy, he made tremendous progress. He is going to be the one that suffers as a result of this decision that the school has made. Cathy is such a warm, loving and compassionate person and I hate to see her go through this.

2. My friend Shellie's dad has been battling lung cancer for over a year now. Last week his latest CT scan shows several tumors on his brain and one on his brain stem. Cancer sucks.

3. Liz and Cathy's good friend Denise lost her 5 year battle with breast cancer on Sunday. Cancer sucks.

4. Liz and I found out this morning before Denise's funeral that old friends from Phoenix lost their oldest son earlier in the week. We knew Kevin and Cathy in Phoenix back in the 80s. Kevin was the chaplain at the base where Liz was stationed. Christian was in the Army stationed here in the States. We don't know the details but no parent should have to deal with the death of a child. Ever.

5. Hello October!! I'm glad you are here.

Two observations

No driveway for two weeks

Two observations about today:

1. I had my annual ob/gyn exam today and I just love the way my young, male doctor says things like "women in your decade" and "during this transitional time in your life". Just say menopause for goodness sake!!

2. Interim report cards came out today. Why is it that Evan gets an excellent in "listens and follows directions" and "demonstrates self-discipline in classroom"? Enough said.

15 hours

I spent 15 hours in this bed over the weekend. It's called the Serenity bed at the Hilton. I can't tell you the last time I was in a bed for that long without being sick. Our anniversary was yesterday and the girls graciously offered to take Evan for the night. I put a blindfold on Mike and drove him to the new Hilton at Polaris. The bed sucked us in as soon as we got in the room and it didn't let go of us for 15 hours. It was heaven. One more thing. Get your minds out of the gutter 'cause I know it's there.

Bag of Me

Click on the pic to enlarge

Evan's first homework assignment this year was Bag of Me. He had to come up with 10 things that represented his likes and dislikes, his personality, etc. and they had to fit into a brown paper lunch bag. He then had to write about each item. I was determined not to help him and honestly, he really picked most of the items on his own. I suggested the cat toy to represent Kali! The item that moved me the most was the hospital ID band. I knew one of his items would be a Lego, a picture of the family, a video game, mention of his love of history. I never thought he'd include something that represented his medical issues. It kind of took my breath away when I saw the band and read what he wrote. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised since we've always told him that his scars represent who he is and without them he wouldn't be here. This will be one of those homework assignments that I will keep forever.

I have alot to blog about

but it's not going to happen tonight! I've been so tired this week. I think it's just the combination of jet lag and a big dose of reality. Evan being sick, back to work, school beginning. Just one of those weeks. I thought I was going to be energized after having such a wonderful vacation but obviously it wasn't enough!! I will say this. How can it be that Evan is now in 4th grade?? I was just stressing over where he was going to go to kindergarten. I now get to start worrying about middle school!!

A piece of good news

When Evan was born, the geneticist talked to us about VATER/VACTERL Association. It's called an association, rather than a syndrome because while all of the birth defects are linked, it is still unknown which genes or sets of genes cause these birth defects to occur. Each child with this condition can be truly unique, with defects being different from any other child. At present this condition is treated after birth with issues being approached one at a time. So, when Evan was born the TEF/EA (the TE in the acronym) and an extra thumb (L for limb anomalies), they immediately checked his vertebrae (V), his anus (A), his heart (C for cardiac), his kidneys (R for renal). While they didn't find any glaring issues with his vertebrae at birth, we knew he was at risk for scoliosis. His pediatrician noticed some curvature about 3 years ago and we've been seeing an orthopedic surgeon every year for a check. Last year the degree of curvature was 13 degrees. Of course I have worried about this-the last thing my kid needs is to wear a brace with everything else he's gone through. So, our yearly check was Thursday. Evan went off for his xrays and then we waited for the doctor to come in. When he did, he gave us some wonderful news. This year there is NO measurable amount of curvature. None. His spine is straight. We don't have to go back for two years and then if no signs of any new curvature, then maybe once when he's a teenager. He told us how to look at his spine and he showed us that because Evan had a thoracotomy when his esophagus was repaired, the top of his back can look like his back is curved. He also told Evan to make sure he tells us if his back ever hurts. I was and am so incredibly happy. And no, believe it or not, I didn't cry!

More on VATER/VACTERL:

www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/info/heart/diagnose/vacterl.htm?GRAB_ID=30434850\&EXTRA_ARG=\&HOST_ID=1\&PAGE_ID=743\&HIWORD=VATER%2B