Day 4 and Day 5

Good evening!  Well it seems like forever since I last put my thoughts down on the computer.  Summer time is so refreshing!  I took the boys to visit my dad last week.  They had a blast.  With that being said, we skipped light therapy altogether.  The mom guilt was weighing on me big time.  But we are back in the saddle this week.

Day 4:

The ride to therapy was easy peasy yesterday!  No crying, no whining, just a girl with her kids, blasting the radio and AC.  It was magical!  Ok maybe not magical, but it was nice.  We waited about 40 minutes in the waiting room.  I had a conversation with myself during the wait,  I could get mad because my time was being wasted or I could suck it up and enjoy watching Chip and Joanna while we waited.  So I let out a sigh and slapped a smile on my face and pretended I was the one getting the fixer upper house, LOL!

Our usual nurse had the day off, how dare she!  She's my moral support as my 5 year old rages and cries while we shove him into light therapy.  Something different happened yesterday, Joe got undressed, no crying.  We called the nurse to tell her we were ready, no crying.  She showed Joe how to turn on the fan himself, no crying.  He walked into the light chamber without needing 100 hugs and kisses, he didn't need any reassurance, and still no crying.  I was so excited!  He still wanted me to count him down.  He's up to 2 minutes and 23 seconds.  I got him dressed and off we went.  Yes we stopped at the dollar store and got a couple rewards.  How could I not?  He was so proud of himself and he couldn't wait to get home and share this news with his dad.  Later on, that night he told me he liked light therapy because it makes his skin feel good.

Day 5:

 I always heard girls were picky about clothes, well so is Joe.  At least he has a good reason.  I have a friend who gave me a bunch of summer clothes.  Her son only wears the best, Nike, Jordan, brands like that.  Most of the clothes are dry fit.  Joe complains it bothers him.  It's frustrating that my cute son has super cool clothes and he refuses to wear them!  I'm hoping with these treatments he will soon be okay with wearing them.

I thought yesterday's ride to therapy was good.  Well today, Joe fell asleep on the way there.  To be honest, it took all I could today to get him there.  I know the result is worth it, but the process to get him there is a bit much sometimes.  We got a great parking spot.

Thankfully we only waited 15 minutes today.  Joe and Leighton were on their best behavior.  Our usual nurse didn't greet us again.  I'm thinking were in the heck is this chick?!  It turns out she went on a coffee run.  She came in later to catch up.

I got Joe creamed up and undressed and ready to go.  Leighton pushed the call button for the nurse.  She let Joe turn on the fan.  He put on his googles, walked into the chamber and the door shut.  Guess what?  NO TEARS!  Instead, today he was dancing, doing the robot, and he bent down and touched his toes.  I only counted down when he had 10 seconds on the clock.  SWEET VICTORY!  We got dressed and danced right out of the doctors office.

I know it doesn't sound like much to many, but I celebrate every victory!  Dealing with eczema has been a relentless battle.  But guess what?  We're winning!  We go next Monday to see his dermatologist and I'm elated to see her.  I can't wait for her to see Joe's improvements.

Here are a couple pics of Joe from today:

Joe is so happy with his cheeks!  He loves to fill them and loves to talk about how smooth they are.  They  used to be red, swollen, and full of broken skin.  

I just cut his nails, but the bends in his arms used to be very red and raw.

His neck used to be raw and he had a lot of open spots.

I hope you're having a great week!  

xoxo,

Jen