Hot Seattle

Yesterday, Seattle broke its record for the hottest day in history (or since they have been recording it around 1880) It was 105 F yesterday and today will be 100 F. We are trying to keep cool since no one in Seattle has AC. Luca has been sleeping downstairs on his changing mat and we have the fans going full blast:) We spent some time at the mall just walking around to get out of the heat along with the rest of Seattle. Guess we can't complain about not getting enough heat this summer. In one of the pictures Luca is watching the Cosby Show. He seemed to like it.

Luca

I love this picture because it looks like Luca is holding the bottle and it is so cute. I am holding his hands on the bottle. He is getting so big, can't believe it!

Shower for Jamie

We got to have a baby shower for my good friend, Jamie, last night at my house. It was so much fun to celebrate the life in her and his or her upcoming arrival in the world. Aunt Jamie has watched Luca several times since he has been born and has been a wonderful source of encouragement and support to me. Can't wait to meet her little one soon!

bumbo

Here is Luca sitting in his Bumbo, it is so cute that he can sit in it before he can really sit on his own. He loves sitting and watching me (Katie) cook esp. when his dad is holding him.

Thankful!

Last week, I called Children's (where Luca gets all of his medical care done) to see if we could gets any money off of our payments by paying promptly. The man on the phone said they didn't do that but would mail me some finanial aid paperwork. John filled it out (which was more like a little postcard than a big packet of paperwork) and on Saturday we got a letter from Children's Hosptial, saying that all of Luca's expensies not coved by insurence would be paid 100% by the hosptial till Jan. 31, 2010! We are so thankful. Boyer Children's Clinic also is paying all of his physical therapy sessions (102 sessions a year)! The Lord is providing for us and taking care of Luca's needs. We are so thankful.

Weekend Visit

John, Luca and I were very lucky to have a visit from our friends, Ben and Kristin Melli. They drove all the way from the Bay Area to hang out with us. We hit some of our favorite spots, Alki, Pike Place, Discovery Park, Fremont, and Theo Chocolate Factory! What a great weekend of sunshine and good times.

Luca rolls!

Luca smiling

Here is a little video of Luca smiling with Papa Jay (Katie's dad).

Sweet Boy

I took these pictures in NC and forgot to post them but they are too cute. Meagan really liked Luca's swirl in his hair so I thought I would post that one too. We love him what can you say.

PT pictures

Here are a few pictures of Luca during his physical therapy session this morning. We have a wonderful therapist to comes to our house twice a week for 45 mins. each. We feel very glad to have this service, I think it is as much to teach me as to work with Luca:) This morning the therapist said to Luca, "you don't want me to teach your mom these exercises do you?" He may not be glad now but we know he will be in the future. And the craziest part is he won't even remember it. The elbow you see in the picture is very stiff so I was impressed she was able to get him to bend it and bear weight on it for a few mins. Thanks again for your prayers. Luca also getting new hand splints tomorrow afternoon at Children's Hospital. Just to note the therapist is not pushing Luca down she is just resting her hand on his back to help him stay stable.

Luca

Celebrating 5 years together!

John and I celebrated our 5th anniversary up at our friend's, (the Whites) cabin by Mount Rainer. We had a wonderful time cooking, relaxing, reading, hiking, and sitting by the fire. Luca enjoyed our time there quite a bit.

Update

I want to give you an update on Luca's casting process. He has not been in casts since mid-June because they were not effective due to the tightness of his tendons. He is having surgery on Aug. 4th. Below is a description on the surgery.

Heel Cord Release

The doctor will make a small incision in the back of Luca's legs just above my ankles, known as heel cord tenotomy, heel cord release or Achilles tendon release. He will also have a tendon on the bottom of his feet cut so that his foot can be flattened. It is usually done under general anesthesia, but he will get to come home the same day.

This procedure allowed my feet to come back up, since they were in the drop position. After this procedure, Luca will wear a cast for about 8-12 weeks. He will then have the cord release again to keep his foot in the right position.

Portland Trip

Luca and I got home from NC on Thursday evening and then on Friday we left for our first family vacation, celebrating our anniversary of five years a little early and it was also the fourth of July. We had a great time, went to some parks, breweries, and an open air market.