Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today, Parker came over to play with Paxton while Aunt Leah and Uncle Wally were at work. Parker was dropped off after his morning at pre-school. Susanne had an afternoon full of exciting things to do. She couldn't wait to get started.

Right away, Parker realized that Paxton wasn't wearing green. She had purposely done this so that Parker could pinch him. Paxton enjoyed the gentle squeeze from his cousin.

One of their first activities together was to color. They had a variety of shamrock pictures to choose from. After they were done coloring, they jazzed it up with a little green glitter to give it some pizazz. This was followed by cutting out their pictures and gluing them onto construction paper. They added their names to their masterpieces and...VOILA, they were finished. They immediately placed the completed artwork on the refrigerator for all to see.

For Parker's mid-morning snack, Susanne prepared a plate of sliced cheddar cheese, crackers, grapes, and strawberries. For his drink, she requested his assistance in making Leprachaun juice. Parker was fascinated that his green drink tasted so much like lemonade. Scott saw the yummy feast before him and couldn't pass it up. Susanne ended up making him a duplicate of what Parker was having.

After a short time, Parker hadn't finished all of his snack. He was all done and ready for the next adventure. Susanne and Scott didn't want it to go to waste so they grazed on it throughout the rest of the afternoon. Parker checked his plate at one point and saw that some of his food was missing. He was quickly informed that there must be a Leprachaun hanging around stealing some of the items when he wasn't looking. He was insistent on finding said Leprachaun. He had Susanne and Scott looking in the kitchen drawers, cabinets, trashcan, oven, under chairs, outside, and even in the garage. Unfortunately, they never found the sneaky little thing.

Once Parker tired from looking for the Leprachaun, they went outside to look for four leaf clovers. Susanne took their guinea pig, Beans, outside with them. The rule was whenever they found a clover that didn't have four leaves, they must give it to Beans to munch on. Scott, Susanne, and Parker left with empty hands, but Beans left with a full belly.

Scott ran around with Parker some, while Susanne enjoyed the warmth from the sun. She wished that Paxton had been awake to enjoy it as well. She knew deep down that his beauty rest was more important than his suntan.

As the afternoon was turning into the evening, they decided to watch a movie. Scott had prepared a special treat for them and they couldn't wait to see what it was. He had made them Leprachaun popcorn balls, which were a green, ooey, gooey, delicious, sweet sensation. They couldn't get enough of it. Susanne, Scott, and Parker were only about a third of the way into the movie when Uncle Wally came by to pick up Parker. He didn't want to leave, which was always a good sign that Susanne and Scott had done a great job of taking care of him. Two points for the Padilla team!

As Wally and Parker left, Leah arrived. She came over for a refresher on Paxton's care because she was going to be watching him this Saturday while Susanne and Scott were in Wilmington. They were heading there for the evening to help celebrate one of Susanne's best friends birthdays. It had been a few months since they last saw each other, so they were excited to be reunited.

Susanne was always nervous with leaving Paxton, even if only for a few hours, so thinking about an entire night away was extra scary. On the flip side, if there was anyone she knew she could trust with Paxton's life, it would definitely be Leah. She was very intelligent and intuitive. She was quick on her feet and made good judgement calls. She was meticulous and careful just like Susanne, which gave that added bonus. There was a lot to be remembered and a lot to do, but hopefully she would catch on quickly.

Leah stuck around for the 6:00pm and 9:00pm bolus feedings. It helped for her to be present for one that was more straightforward and one that was more involved. The 9:00pm feeding was the one that required a bunch of medications. It was nice that Leah was really familiar with syringes and reading prescription labels. She had gained this experience not only through her job, but also through having two young children of her own that were either on something now or had previously been on different things in the past.

Luckily, while Leah was visiting, Paxton was still awake. Leah was excited that she got to spend some quality time with him. She was able to give him the remainder of his birthday gifts that had just arrived in the mail. The Hansen's had purchased Paxton some Lock n' Rock Linking Shakers and "My Very Own Name" book. The book was extra special because it was personalized and went through how a variety of animals came together to form his perfect name. In the long run, it would help Paxton to recognize letters and to learn to spell his name.

The occupational therapist side of Leah decided to be extra useful and show Susanne some different therapy techniques to aid in training Paxton to get to a sitting position from laying down. Susanne welcomed any new ideas for trying to help push Paxton along.

Once Paxton went down for the night, the rest of the household gathered for dinner while watching a TiVoed version of American Idol.