August 16th, for cub scouts, Zach had to build a marshmallow catapult. The idea behind the project was to see how far he could make his marshmallows fly. Well having already built catapults with the GEMS camp program, I had him think about what he did there to make his work better and what he needed to do differently with what he was given to make his work better.
After some experimentation and playing around he discovered how to make his catapult work really well. He began testing his project with dog treats. After fiddling a bit more, he discovered his catapult was shoot the entire distance of the back yard and sometimes further. He could not wait to try a marshmallow.
He won the prize for the furthest shooting catapult. Ava catching her treats
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=844281415583160&set=vb.100000039273069&type=2&theater
August 19th
Yesterday was Ellie's turn to see the doctor so we could get all her forms together allowing her to return to school. While she did well with homeschooling, she has been begging to returning back to the elementary school with her brother and her friends. She has done much better this past year health wise and had a normal PFT (pulmonary function test- how well her lungs work). While her PFT was in the lower range, it still fell within the normal range.
We are hoping that the year away from the school allowed her body and immune system to build up enough that she can handle school without to many illnesses this year.
Not only that, she has grown A LOT! When she was in the 1st grade she still looked like a toddler and was wearing toddler clothing. Over the last year she has grown and gained enough weight that we have had to get rid of all her 4T clothing and she is now in 7/8 clothing and finally wearing children's shoes. She could have worn size 2 shoes and maybe worn them just fine, but we went ahead and got her tennis shoes 2 1/2 to let them last longer. Her 1 1/2 church shoes are still ok.
Yesterday as she was sitting on the exam table and talking with her doctor he and I, at almost the same time, told each other how big and grown up she is getting. He said he could not believe how much she has grown since we arrived here. At the age of 6 she was barely 35 lbs and all skin and bone. Now she is almost 9, 58 lbs, and the average size of 3rd grader.
Her coordination is still not the same as most kids her age, she gets tired and sick very easily, and her body just runs down fast. But on the outside, she looks like a child 2 months from 9.
August 22
Today Ellie had her follow up at Johns Hopkins where we saw her GI dr. Both Ellie and her GI were excited to see each other. Her dr was happily surprised with how much she has grown.
Dr A and Ellie looked at her weight and growth charts together on the computer and Ellie was curious about what the numbers and lines meant. Dr A was wonderful with explaining to this almost 9 yr old child what was being measured and why this was important. Most exciting to both was when Dr A told Ellie that her height had jumped from 32% up to 58%. Her weight has also jumped. I forget what her weight was but her weight is now 33%. Looking at her chart, Ellie has grown 6 inches in the last year and gained about 10lbs. No wonder this child has needed an entire new wardrobe for school.
When she ended the 1st grade, she was still wearing 4t clothing and barely at that. Pants she had to wear a belt or pull up, sometimes both just to keep her pants up. She is now wearing a 7/8. Looking at her pictures I knew she had grown, I just did not know how much until today.
She was also as brave as she could have been for the blood work she needed today. Coming from a child who used to have full out panic attacks, today she did not. She still freaks out badly and fights the blood work, but not as bad as she used to.
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