Happy Thanksgiving Jeremy

Hi all,

Mom has been telling us stories about their time in CA, and here's a good one I'm passing on. I'll tell it like she told me, it's better that way:

Jeremy

Hiya Adam! Brother and I went to the zoo today with your cousins Micah and Kaitlyn, Aunt Diana and Uncle Brian and Oma and Opa. We missed you and your daddy--I really wanted someone to take me on a walking tour of the whole grounds without stopping! There were lots of rocks to climb on, some great little monkeys swinging around (and one that made a really loud sound!), and even a train! Your brother loved the train, so we took it once before we left.

As we got off the train, I saw a boy, a bit older than you. In fact, he turned out to be 15, and his name was Jeremy. He was sitting in a wheelchair, waiting for his mom (or his carer?) to get a ticket for the train. He looked a little sad, so I went over to talk to him. I told him I liked his red cap--you would have loved it, nice and bright, hanging off his head a little like daddy's hangs off yours. His eyes lit up when I talked to him, and he reached out his hand to hold mine while we talked. Your brother was with me, and when his mom came back she said that Jeremy's hair used to be the color of your brother's hair. She showed me a picture of Jeremy when he was your age, and he was really cute--almost as cute as you! :)

She said thank you to me for stopping to talk to him, which I thought was a bit funny until I looked up and saw all the other people standing way back and looking at us. I couldn't tell what they were thinking, I could only think of what they were missing. Jeremy's smile as I talked to him could not have been any bigger--it absolutely lit up my day for a few brief minutes and made me realise something.

I realised that it made me feel a bit like I feel when I'm with you. You light up the world Adam, and not only for me but for lots of people. I hope someday that God will use you to the way He used Jeremy yesterday--to encourage me that in this world of seeming perfection, the only thing that matters is a genuine smile from someone who feels loved.

We love you Adam. We love Jeremy too.

Thankful for family once again!

Hi all,

We've got some more visitors, this time my Oma from TX, my aunt Brenda and Great Granny Mac, also from TX. They arrived today, and Dad and I went to the airport to pick them up. Not only was it great to see them, they had brought a cool little electric piano with them and I proceeded to play a concert in the baggage claim area, impromptu of course! OK, and the moving walkways going to and from the terminal are also a plus of any airport trip!

Speaking of airports, we're going tomorrow morning to drop brother and mom off so they can fly to CA for Thanksgiving. Don't worry about Dad and me, though--we have the three TX women to take care of us and we're all going to Asheville on Wednesday to see our Seneff cousins from FL. We might be a bit colder than in CA, but I'm sure we'll find plenty to do to keep warm!

Today we had my dad's class from Duke over for snacks, so there were lots of people to keep us company. Mostly the adults did talking, but some of them played a bit with me, and I turned my music up loud enough so that I could still hear it!

Take care, more soon! Love, Adam.

Snowy days...

Hi all,

We've had a nice few days here, cold and sunny and today there have been some snow flurries! I know that means we won't play out in the street with our cars so much this afternoon, but it also means we might have some hot cocoa and watch the Cars movie instead (at least some of it!)

Oma left last week after my surgery, and it's been pretty quiet and normal ever since. I'll put some pictures up that she took while she was here. I am feeling great now, hardly any fluid draining out of my ears and my nose is remarkably clear for this time of year. Mom thinks I'm not hearing well without my hearing aids still, so I wear them a bit now and again. She's also not clear why I throw them out more often these days than I used to, but hey--I have to maintain my air of mystery just like anyone else!

By the way, if it looks like mom is eating my arm, she's not. It's just a little game we play--I like to humor her when I can, makes her feel good!

More soon, Love Adam.

p.s. Looks like all we do is have fun eh? You're right! :)

Surgery over, home again!

Hi all,

Well, I thought I would be out of commission today, but you can't keep a good 5 year old down for long!! I had my surgery this morning, and it all went really well. Mom got me up at 6:15 and dad drove us to the hospital. We had all the admission process done and they took me in at 8am. Mom told me that by the time she had drunk an obscene amount of coffee, they were done. In fact, apart from being a bit grumpy when I woke up I'm as good as new. I even went for a "drive" in my car, and am already watching a Baby Einstein for good measure, all within the hour of waking up!!

The eye doctor did a complete exam of my eyes--actually, the drops going in were the worst part of the whole thing. She said my eyes look great, and I don't even need new glasses, that is if I can keep from breaking the pair that I have! Then Dr Hulka, my ENT doctor, cleaned out my ears and put tubes in to let all the fluid drain out. He also took out my adenoids, which he said were very big and needed to come out. In about 5 days I should be completely healed up and hopefully have lots less drainage and "gunk" as mom says.

Mom was surprised at how normal I looked, and how quickly they got me dressed, finished the final paperwork and sent me home. Good thing too, as brother is still at his creche and won't be home to compete for the TV for another two hours! Thanks to Oma for being my chauffeur!

Well, I'm going to rest. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, and hope to see you (and HEAR you!) very soon. Love, Adam

The night before surgery

Hi folks,

This will be a quick one, since I need to get to bed early tonight. Tomorrow morning Mom will have to wake me at 6:15am to get me to the hospital for my surgery. It's only for putting tubes in my ears and taking out my adenoids, but mom seems a bit nervous! I'm not, but then again I take everything in my stride. I'm sure things will be fine, but mom may have to write to you tomorrow and give the report if I'm still groggy!

Oma from California has been here all weekend, and let me tell you she's fun! We've gone to the park, gone to a birthday party, danced and had sock throwing competitions here...mom and dad have had lots to do this weekend so Oma has been with brother and I most of the time and we enjoy that. I am glad she can be with us tomorrow and help me through my surgery. She might even feed me my bowl of ice cream!

Here's hoping for no more hearing aids, especially since I keep throwing them out all the time these days!
Love, Adam

Sweet Treats!

There's nothing like a good cup of pudding when you come home from school. And there's also nothing like feeding it to yourself and getting it absolutely everywhere! But it's pretty embarrassing when your little brother comes over and laughs at you! Let me tell you, I know!

Tomorrow is Election Day, and I'm excited to go with mom and vote. After I see the dermatologist, and also after I get my new hearing aid molds. And maybe after we have a coffee, you know how mom is! It's going to be a full day--keep your eyes on the results and I'll tell you how it goes from my end soon.

Love, Adam

Happy November 1st!

Of course Nov 1 comes after Halloween, and I would have told you about my Halloween last night except I was bushed! I'd had my whole day at school, and then not only does mom take me to the park and play hard with me for an hour, but then she makes me and brother dress up and puts whiskers on our faces and we go OUT to walk around the streets and ask for candy when we should have been going to bed! What a crazy world. Except I did have fun, and I do think I now like Mars bars! :)

So brother was a lion and I was a tiger, and with our noses and whiskers we looked pretty convincing. I'll put a couple of pictures up so you get the idea. There were hundreds of people in our neighborhood, but mom had lots of candy so it was fine. I just stayed in the front room and listened to Johnny (Cash, that is) while mom and Caleb handed the candy out. It's better that way.

Today we went to a playground where they were trying to encourage children with disabilities to play with children without disabilities. In my opinion it worked, and the pizza was good too. It also helped us get through the day without a nap! Mom got to chat to some people who are trying to start a PTA for parents of disabled kids, which sounds interesting. Knowing her, she'll get involved! Afterwards we went to Costco and had ice cream for a treat, and after dinner we went back to the park since it was only 5pm!

That's all for now. We turn our clocks back tonight so I may be seeing you bright and early tomorrow!

Love, Adam.