Saturday, April 28, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Nothing New
I have not written in a couple of days but things here have continued to have been going well. My wife and I went to the City Center to do some site seeing together before Parker begins his isolation in early May. Nana and Gaga watched the little monkey while we went.
They have so many shops here in Milan, so it is nice to get off the metro at Loretto and walk to the Duomo. We enjoy looking at all of the sites, people and shops here. While on the Metro, we are frequently met by someone with an accordion who plays for a short while and then goes around with a cup asking for money. The last two time we had been on the Metro, it was kind of sad because we saw a man and his wife going from train to train with their baby and young child. I guess they feel that they have a better chance of getting money if they use their kids to make people feel bad.
This afternoon we will all go to Fidaty (grocery store) to get some food for dinner. We are having Gnocci and tomato sauce with some form of meat. It is our staple dinner here and I enjoy making it. We have some eggplant in tomato sauce left from yesterday that is great on rye bread. So, as always, we should be eating well.
The weather has continued to be very nice here; however, the trees are shedding some form of "fluff" that floats around through the air. I am sure that some people must have a very difficult time with it as there is quite a bit of it. I have spent most of the past couple of days dodging it. We did ask how long we should expect this unpleasant visitor and were told that a it stays in the air for about a week.
Parker has another trip to the hospital tomorrow for his ADAGEN injection. I am not sure but it may actually be his second last injection. FOREVER. We will know more tomorrow.
Ciao for know! I hope the weather is nice in Toronto.
They have so many shops here in Milan, so it is nice to get off the metro at Loretto and walk to the Duomo. We enjoy looking at all of the sites, people and shops here. While on the Metro, we are frequently met by someone with an accordion who plays for a short while and then goes around with a cup asking for money. The last two time we had been on the Metro, it was kind of sad because we saw a man and his wife going from train to train with their baby and young child. I guess they feel that they have a better chance of getting money if they use their kids to make people feel bad.
This afternoon we will all go to Fidaty (grocery store) to get some food for dinner. We are having Gnocci and tomato sauce with some form of meat. It is our staple dinner here and I enjoy making it. We have some eggplant in tomato sauce left from yesterday that is great on rye bread. So, as always, we should be eating well.
The weather has continued to be very nice here; however, the trees are shedding some form of "fluff" that floats around through the air. I am sure that some people must have a very difficult time with it as there is quite a bit of it. I have spent most of the past couple of days dodging it. We did ask how long we should expect this unpleasant visitor and were told that a it stays in the air for about a week.
Parker has another trip to the hospital tomorrow for his ADAGEN injection. I am not sure but it may actually be his second last injection. FOREVER. We will know more tomorrow.
Ciao for know! I hope the weather is nice in Toronto.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Central Line Used Successfully
Nana and Gaga have been a big help since the arrived almost a week ago. Parker really enjoys
Parker is currently sleeping, as is Gaga, while Mommy and Nana try and grab a few rays on the patio outside of reception. I was outside for a little bit but to be honest, it was a little bit warm for me. That is why I decided to come inside to write today's blog article.
We moved room a couple of days ago so that we had access to a second bedroom while Nana and
Parker's walking has gotten quite good the past week. He still is much faster when he crawls but he does seem to enjoy standing up in the middle of the room and then taking a few steps to something close to him. He would probably walk alot further if he did not start clapping for his accomplishments all the time. Parker seems to like being recognized for the good work that he
My Italian is continuing to improve and to be honest, so is my wife's. As she says, I have an ulterior motive for learning Italian as my mother was born in Italia.
Our friends from California are coming to Italy in the next week or so with their son who will also be going through with the procedure. We look forward to meeting them in person. It will be nice having someone else who speaks English and understands what we are going through.
We miss everyone back home! Ciao!
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Happy Birthday Auntie Franni and Uncle Mikey
This morning Parker, daddy, mommy and gaga all went on a walk around Milano Due. We decided to take Gaga to the hospital to see what it looked like and where we spend our time when we are not walking around our residence. On our way home we took a detour to extend our walk an extra couple of kilometers.
Since Nana and Gaga have arrived it has made life a little bit easier, as my wife and I can work on something and they are able to occupy Parker's time. In addition, it also helps to have them around when Mr. Stinkerbobinker shows up. A couple of days ago when he showed up as a result of a
Although my wife is a little afraid of the ducks that chased her a couple of weeks ago, I am not and decided to get a couple close images of the large ducks who were feeding close to the edge of the water.
Our friends from the east coast of Canada have arrived in Maryland for their SCID ADA gene therapy trial. I know they will probably be
Also, before I do sign off for the day, I would like to wish my brother and sister a VERY happy birthday today. Make sure to do something special to celebrate your day!
Friday, April 20, 2007
Parker Home In Time To See Nana and Gaga
We went into the bone marrow transplant unit (it was the only bed they had available for us) on Tuesday at five in the afternoon. We actually stayed in the room that Parker will live for the 30-45 days during the gene therapy procedure. It houses the actual isolation area along with a room surrounding it for one of us to stay in and sleep. It is definitly much different then Sick Kids in Toronto but it does the job it should.
Parker was quite quickly placed on an IV to give him fluids in hopes that his veins expand and make the procedure of inserting a central line into his vein more easily. They found a vein quite quickly in his arm so that the pain (delore in Italian) was minimal. Mommy stayed for a couple
When they came for the little monkey, mommy gave Parker a big kiss and daddy carried him along side the doctors and nurses who would perform the surgery to the pre-op room. Parker looked around the whole time catching the smiles of every doctor and nurse that he passed.
When we did arrive at the pre-op, Parker sat patiently on the hospital bed that was waiting there for him. The anesthesiologist came soon after and inserted a liquid into his IV. I wondered what was so funny as Parker began to laugh uncontrollably while she did this. Then she told me it was the medication. So, as she took Parker from me and he looked at me as she walked away it made it a little easier seeing him smile and laugh over her shoulder.
To be honest, it was not that difficult at all. Parker slept and watched movies with his mother and me for most of the afternoon. It was funny because at exactly 7pm, Parker stood up in his crib and all at once he had all of the energy back that we had come accustomed to.
Parker received quite a bit of fluid (sugar and salt) through a IV for the next 24 hours, so as a result, he was not that thirsty or hungry. That night, Parker had some extra cables attached to him to monitor his respiratory rate and heart rate after his surgery. It was nice seeing numbers that were normal for a child his age instead of the ones we were accustomed to seeing when he was first diagnosed with ADA deficiency.
Again, I asked my wife to go home before it got dark as I wanted her to get some sleep. Parker
The team did oblige our request and Parker got to come home for the afternoon before his Nana and Gaga arrived. I know that they had worried that Parker would forget who they were but as soon as they came in the door Parker crawled over to Gaga, pulled himself up and requested to be put over his shoulder. It was a nice surprise for both Nana and Gaga as well as the little monkey. It will definitely make life alot easier with them here.
Parker is currently taking a nap, so I thought it would be a good time to write today's article. Ciao!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
He's such a Trooper!
Just an extremely quick message to let everyone know that Parker's strength, determination and humour has made a very dreaded day much more bearable. Parker is doing very well right now. He had his surgery and bone marrow
I am sure that daddy will write again soon. When I left my two boys tonight they were both very happy. Parker was bouncing around in his crib and laughing and daddy was just happy to see his little guy in good spirits. I hope that Parker does not keep his daddy up again tonight. I think that he is taking "Boys Night" a little too serious and doesn't realize that they both really do need their rest!
Ciao!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Poor Little Guy!
Parker will be put under for the procedures and will have some medications to keep him from feeling the pain when he wakes up. Parker has only had one other time in which he had a general anesthesia and surgery. It was when he had his lung biopsy done. We were so upset when that happened at about six weeks of age. Tomorrow's procedure is more of a routine procedure but you never want to see your child have to go through anything like this. My wife and I are doing our best to stay positive. Me? I am good at concentrating on the positive but my wife has a much more difficult time with it. I just try and remind her
On a more positive note, Parker started walking a couple of days ago. His longest run was 12 steps in a row. I am pretty sure that the little monkey should have no problem being a professional walker by the time he begins the actual procedure in mid-May.
Parker is in for a little surprise on Thursday (if
I just wanted to thank everyone again who visits Parker's site. All of your support is so appreciative.
Ciao per oggi! (Translated directly into English is Bye for today -- I don't you actually say it that way here in Italy)
Sunday, April 15, 2007
More Pictures! Mmmm... Rice Balls!
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Stop Looking at Him Like That!
We have continued with our Mediterranean diet. Pasta, risotto and salad for dinner and usually pizza or salami and cheese on fresh bread for lunch. Recall that I purchased the Riso and risotti Italian version of La Cucina Italiana when we first arrived in Milan. Although I do not completely understand the dialogue that goes with
We decided to take a trip to Auchan today.
Siamo della Canada. Il Bambino male. Lui no sistema immunatario. Quando molto persona noi protegerre lui con la scudo di plastica. A Italia per cura sperimentale. Casa a la residenza per sei mesa.
Tomorrow the stores are closed because it is Sunday so we made sure to get everything we
I just wanted to let everyone know back home that we miss you all very much. We cannot wait for the procedure to be over and Parker's numbers to rise to a level so that we may finally come home and spend time with everyone. I am sure that anyone who has ever been away from their loved ones for an extended period of time can attest that you really miss your family friends.
For the people in North America, Buon Pomeriggio.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Quindici Mesa? Si... La Bambino Molto Grande!
I decided to write this morning instead of later this evening since I have not been very regular in my writing as of late. It is just after nine in the morning here and mom is currently feeding Parker. We have an appointment at the hospital in a couple of hours for an ADAGEN injection as well as another test. We hope to get some more results from some of the tests that he had in the past week or so. I would like to share more specifics about the tests that Parker has been going through but I have been asked to not be specific in regards to the tests of Parker's treatment. I have always said that this was an experimental study and I wanted to respect the fact that conferences are meant for the sharing of results from these kinds of studies. For that reason, I am being extra cautious when it comes to how specific I am. I do apologise but I do promise to let you know when the more important things are occurring. For example, we will be going into the hospital for several days starting on the 17th to get a central line placed under the skin in addition to taking some more bone marrow. The amount of bone marrow that will be taken will be quite a bit more than last time (Parker does have a good number of BM CD34+ cells). As a result, there will be quite a few more tiny holes in his leg and hip.
Parker absolutely loves his new mode of transportation. I think what he really enjoys is that he has much more area that he can move around in. I mean, he can look behind himself, try and bend down to touch the wheels, and point in any direction without being obstructed by the stroller. We usually go out in the morning with his trike and then when we need to go the supermercato we use his stroller with the shield.
We decided to go to the city centre yesterday, again. We took the 925 bus to the Gobba station and then took the green line to Loretto (connecting red line) and went up to street level. Normally, we would go to the Duomo station that is on the red line but yesterday we wanted to walk along the streets and do a little bit of window shopping. There are so many nice stores to see. Many that you just don't see in Toronto. We picked up a baseball hat for Parker since his other ones are too small for his big head (big brain). At the same children store we picked up a new training bowl with spoon. We will try it out later today. Also on our walk we went by a sports store (football/soccer). They had the different Italian Premier league uniforms there. They had an official AC Milan jersey and shorts for Parker. At almost 15 months he would have been took big for the 12-18 month uniform and the next size was for two year olds. We decided that we would pass on the uniform for now. Maybe before we leave and he is a little bit bigger we will get him the two year old uniform. To be honest, I think it would have almost fit him now.
They have a patio with a large table and chairs for people to sit out on during the day just outside reception on our floor. Most people use it to go out to smoke but my wife and I have been alternating during Parker's nap time to use it as a reading area. My wife picked up an English language novel and I have begun studying for my EJB certification. I completed my servlet and JSP certification (93%) before we left for Italy and had decided that I would have quite a bit of time to read while in Italy so I brought a few books to keep me occupied.
My Italian is starting to get a little bit better. I learn a couple of new words each day. Yesterday it was letto. The maid wanted to know if she needed to do anything with the bed as my wife had already made it. We were trying to figure out what letto meant so I just looked it up. I also find myself explaining to people why Parker has a shield over him even though it is not raining and quite sunny. Alot of little children come to see Parker in his stroller and try and touch him through the plastic. That is usually how the conversation about the shield begins.
Well, it is another nice day here. And once again my wife has said that we should walk a lot today. I looked at her and said, "How much more can we walk?" Regardless, we will spend the afternoon walking.
My apologies if people are having difficulties logging in to write comments. It must be a problem with blogger because I know that I have not changed anyone's settings. We hope that everyone has a great week-end and can enjoy some nice time outside like we will be.
Ciao!
Parker absolutely loves his new mode of transportation. I think what he really enjoys is that he has much more area that he can move around in. I mean, he can look behind himself, try and bend down to touch the wheels, and point in any direction without being obstructed by the stroller. We usually go out in the morning with his trike and then when we need to go the supermercato we use his stroller with the shield.
We decided to go to the city centre yesterday, again. We took the 925 bus to the Gobba station and then took the green line to Loretto (connecting red line) and went up to street level. Normally, we would go to the Duomo station that is on the red line but yesterday we wanted to walk along the streets and do a little bit of window shopping. There are so many nice stores to see. Many that you just don't see in Toronto. We picked up a baseball hat for Parker since his other ones are too small for his big head (big brain). At the same children store we picked up a new training bowl with spoon. We will try it out later today. Also on our walk we went by a sports store (football/soccer). They had the different Italian Premier league uniforms there. They had an official AC Milan jersey and shorts for Parker. At almost 15 months he would have been took big for the 12-18 month uniform and the next size was for two year olds. We decided that we would pass on the uniform for now. Maybe before we leave and he is a little bit bigger we will get him the two year old uniform. To be honest, I think it would have almost fit him now.
They have a patio with a large table and chairs for people to sit out on during the day just outside reception on our floor. Most people use it to go out to smoke but my wife and I have been alternating during Parker's nap time to use it as a reading area. My wife picked up an English language novel and I have begun studying for my EJB certification. I completed my servlet and JSP certification (93%) before we left for Italy and had decided that I would have quite a bit of time to read while in Italy so I brought a few books to keep me occupied.
My Italian is starting to get a little bit better. I learn a couple of new words each day. Yesterday it was letto. The maid wanted to know if she needed to do anything with the bed as my wife had already made it. We were trying to figure out what letto meant so I just looked it up. I also find myself explaining to people why Parker has a shield over him even though it is not raining and quite sunny. Alot of little children come to see Parker in his stroller and try and touch him through the plastic. That is usually how the conversation about the shield begins.
Well, it is another nice day here. And once again my wife has said that we should walk a lot today. I looked at her and said, "How much more can we walk?" Regardless, we will spend the afternoon walking.
My apologies if people are having difficulties logging in to write comments. It must be a problem with blogger because I know that I have not changed anyone's settings. We hope that everyone has a great week-end and can enjoy some nice time outside like we will be.
Ciao!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Who said Life Was Supposed To Be Easy?
I would love to write an article today but I had a couple of things unrelated to Parker that were upsetting to me to say the least happen today that I am not up to writing an article today. For that reason, I am posting only images of Parker on his new tricycle.
He definitely loved his new mode of transportation.
He definitely loved his new mode of transportation.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Average Day
Today was an absolutely beautiful day here in Milan. The temperature was in the high 20s (Celsius scale) with a cool breeze to help you beat the heat. I am not sure if it gets more humid as the summer approaches but the weather has been ideal so far. I am not sure if most of you have checked but there are a couple of new videos of Parker for you to download on the right sidebar. I thought I would mention that now before I forgot to later.
We started the day as usual. Parker woke up at 5:30am and we granted his request of a bottle. At home, we would let him cry but in a hotel it is not fair to the people living on either side of us. Of course, this lets us give him a med and change his diaper at the same time. Then, it is back to bed for a couple of hours before he wakes up at 730am and he gets to watch a DVD until 8:15am when mommy and daddy decide that they are ready to get up to feed the little monkey.
Today, it was an ADAGEN injection at 11am at the hospital. We always find ourselves there for some time before Parker gets his injection. We finally made it home today just after 12. Parker then had a quick lunch and off to bed he went. We decided that we would take the little guy to the Duomo again for some sight-seeing. We had also seen a tricycle that we could push him in instead of his stroller for our walks. I have never seen them in Canada or the United States so we thought we would get it for him. I know I will spend tomorrow morning putting it together for him. Parker will have an absolute blast on it.
We got home this evening close to eight. My wife stresses at the time Parker goes to sleep at but I try to get her to understand that it is a different culture and we are under different circumstances here but I don't think I am getting through to her. She just came to bed and told me "again" that Parker has to go to bed by eight tomorrow. I respond, as I always do, "Sure."
We have met several people here in Italy. Many of them ask what Parker's name is. Of course, we tell them but they do not normally understand unless I pronounce it the way my Italian friend had told me. Pronounce every character and emphasize the r. It is funny how quickly they understand it when I say it like that.
Parker will receive his central line in just over a week. That will be an operation where they will stick a tube into his vien. The tube will be accessible from under the skin so he does not try to pull it out. From then on anytime they want to give him anything, or take anything (except bone marrow) they will just use this access point. As a result, Parker will be hospitalized for about three days. I feel terrible for the little guy, as I am sure everyone else does, but it is a necessary procedure and it will keep him from pulling the line out, as most children would try to do. The line will eventually come out. The resulting scar should be the size of the average size pinky finger.
Tomorrow, I will have more pictures than the zero I have today. So, check back then for Parker on his new tricycle.
Ciao!
We started the day as usual. Parker woke up at 5:30am and we granted his request of a bottle. At home, we would let him cry but in a hotel it is not fair to the people living on either side of us. Of course, this lets us give him a med and change his diaper at the same time. Then, it is back to bed for a couple of hours before he wakes up at 730am and he gets to watch a DVD until 8:15am when mommy and daddy decide that they are ready to get up to feed the little monkey.
Today, it was an ADAGEN injection at 11am at the hospital. We always find ourselves there for some time before Parker gets his injection. We finally made it home today just after 12. Parker then had a quick lunch and off to bed he went. We decided that we would take the little guy to the Duomo again for some sight-seeing. We had also seen a tricycle that we could push him in instead of his stroller for our walks. I have never seen them in Canada or the United States so we thought we would get it for him. I know I will spend tomorrow morning putting it together for him. Parker will have an absolute blast on it.
We got home this evening close to eight. My wife stresses at the time Parker goes to sleep at but I try to get her to understand that it is a different culture and we are under different circumstances here but I don't think I am getting through to her. She just came to bed and told me "again" that Parker has to go to bed by eight tomorrow. I respond, as I always do, "Sure."
We have met several people here in Italy. Many of them ask what Parker's name is. Of course, we tell them but they do not normally understand unless I pronounce it the way my Italian friend had told me. Pronounce every character and emphasize the r. It is funny how quickly they understand it when I say it like that.
Parker will receive his central line in just over a week. That will be an operation where they will stick a tube into his vien. The tube will be accessible from under the skin so he does not try to pull it out. From then on anytime they want to give him anything, or take anything (except bone marrow) they will just use this access point. As a result, Parker will be hospitalized for about three days. I feel terrible for the little guy, as I am sure everyone else does, but it is a necessary procedure and it will keep him from pulling the line out, as most children would try to do. The line will eventually come out. The resulting scar should be the size of the average size pinky finger.
Tomorrow, I will have more pictures than the zero I have today. So, check back then for Parker on his new tricycle.
Ciao!
Monday, April 09, 2007
Lost Images
We have quite a few different images we have taken in the past week that we have not had a place to put in the blog so I thought that I would use today's article for some random images. That and I am too sad to write after the Islanders won last night in the shootout. There is also a new video for you to see of Parker of him opening his Pasqua treat.
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