News Postings is our version of a BLOG and will address topics under multiple categories including: Reflections, News, Events, Christopherisms and others we may add in the future.  These categories are intended to give you a glimpse into our life as we deal with the diagnosis of ALS.  We invite you to click on comments and give your feedback which will appear on the site.  The comments you make may spark further discussion and are greatly encouraged.  If you don't want your comment public, just send us an email instead.   Thank you for being here!

I was joyfully overwhelmed at the number of responses I received from my “Five Years” posting.  I can’t begin to tell you how much all the well wishes mean to me.  I apologize that I have not been able to get back to everybody.  Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to write and everyone else for their silent thoughts and prayers.

I have to share a quick story with you.  I was having a frustrating day last week as my left thigh decided to spasm and twitch for several hours.  Think of this is as continual use of a weakened muscle for an extended amount of time.  Some of you may know this is one of the symptoms of ALS.  My leg was quite exhausted so I decided to take a rest, put my legs up and watch some TV.  Jennifer and Christopher joined me.

Jennifer knew my leg was bothering me and came over to see if massage would help.  This got Christopher’s attention because of his similar compassion and he wanted to help.  I wanted to show him what my leg was doing and why it was so exhausted.

The first thing he said when he saw the muscle spasm over and over again was “It’s beeping!”  I never quite thought of it like that, but it certainly added some levity to the situation.  He then proceeded to help Jennifer massage my leg.  I know I can always count on Christopher to make a situation better. 

We just wanted to wish everyone a joyous holiday season.  We feel very blessed to have such an incredible support system.  Thank you so much.

Christopher just had his first concert with the Colorado Childrens Chorale last night.  It was held at the new Ellie Caulkins Opera House here in Denver.  There were 400 children singing holiday songs in a fantastic production.  They had two 3 1/2 hour practices last week in preparation and Christopher was a trooper.  If you have never been to a childrens concert, try to get to one.  They have an energy and enthusiasm that can't help but put a loving spirit in your heart.

Christopher lost one of his front teeth in October and I pulled the second one a couple weeks ago.  I'd like to say that all he wants for Christmas is his two front teeth, but come on...he's seven years old!!!  There are just a few more items on his list. 

Just a quick note to take the time to notice all the little things around you at this special time of year.  Children's eyes aglow, beautiful lights and decorations and the special people you have in your life. 

Christopher participated in the Arvada Center Children’s Chorale original production of “Fast Edna” last night.  It was not on the main stage but more of an acting class for kids from 7years to 13 years old.  Designed for the actors to be ready for future auditions, it involved improvisation, singing, dancing and acting.

The play took place in modern day NYC and included 5 songs.  The actors actually developed their own characters and named them.  Christopher came up with the name, Jeremy Jacobs otherwise known as JJ.  He was a peddler of NYC trinkets and lived in an apartment above the corner where he sold his wares.  His imagination is fantastic. 

The production was definitely improvisational and they had been practicing for 9 weeks with a fake hot dog stand.  When they went live with the show, real hotdogs and condiments were used.  Christopher, who is not a big eater, went nuts about having a real hotdog.  Eating it during the play was a real priority to him and it really added to the show.  He was the last one done for a costume change because he was still eating.  The audience got a kick out of it especially his loyal fans: Jennifer, Me, Omi, Papa, our friend Jodee with her daughter Anna (a friend of Christopher’s), our friends and neighbors, Lori and her son Zac.  Thank you all for coming.

I think what classified this story most as a Christopherism is what happened during the day at school prior to the evening performance.  He was on the biggest slide at school during recess and somehow got pushed down, landing on…his face.  When Jennifer picked him up from school she was very concerned, but didn’t want to get him all worked up before the play.  She simply asked what happened.  Christopher told her and then added, “Won’t this be a great look for my character tonight!?”

Christopher usually sneaks into bed with us somewhere between midnight and 7am.  Some parents discourage this, but given our situation, we enjoy any chance to bond with him.  The other morning, Jennifer had already woken up and was showering.  Christopher jumps in bed with me sometime after 7:30.  He realized Jennifer was not there, looked at me and said, “Sorry, I’m late.”  He gave me a kiss and off he went to the family room.  I couldn’t help but laugh out loud and know the day was going to be great.

This morning, it was about 7:20 and Jennifer was just waking up.  I was still sleeping and didn’t hear any of this.  Apparently, Christopher comes in our room and says to Jennifer, “Oh good, I made it!”  He snuggles for about 5 minutes and asks if he can wake up now.  Off he goes to the bathroom.

As I discussed in the fatherhood article the concept of the “Lucky One,” it was me tonight. 

We were coloring Easter Eggs today with some neighbors and a large bottle of white vinegar was purchased to make the coloring concoction.  They finished the eggs quickly and as I put the vinegar in the pantry I noticed the expiration date being in 2009 and promptly advised our family that we can use this for quite a few Easters. 

It is amazing what sticks to our memories, but since I was the Lucky One, I got to have the deep conversation with Christopher.  The last thing he said as he was drifting off to sleep was, “Does the vinegar really last until 2009?”  Maybe not all the conversations are deep and thought provoking, but at least they can be entertaining.

Jennifer was helping a friend house hunt in the Vail/Beaver Creek area so Christopher and I had a boy’s night.  Our great neighbors took Christopher to acting class and then we picked him up to go out to dinner.

We went to Gunther Toody's which is an old 50's diner type place.  We came home and had a great night together capped off with him reading a few pages of a book to me while I folded the rest of the clothes that were laying on the bed.  He exclaimed, "I'm really reading!"  Yes you are buddy.

He had found two crystals at school on this day.  Now keep in mind, he picks up everything that catches his eye.  Because mom was away, I surprised him by having a "special occasion" where he can sleep in our bed.  We settled in and he proclaimed he was going to put one of the crystals on each side of our bed for good dreams.  How can you not have good dreams when you've had a sleepy send off like that?