Halloween, School, Illness and Epilepsy Awareness

Halloween

We had a bit of a mishap with our Halloween decorations. The Damn wind blew away the two Styrofoam headstones we had. I was able to capture one of them, but it was so beat up from hitting bushes and concrete that we decided not to put it back into our “garden graveyard”. Besides, it would look a little silly just having one headstone, wouldn’t it?

We did make an addition, though. Our neighbors bought us light up skull and hands that look pretty cool…

 

Nighttime Halloween yard display featuring a short inflatable figure with a glowing pumpkin head and a lit skeleton body at the center of the lawn. In front of it, illuminated props shaped like glowing hands and a skull cast an eerie light. Additional scattered skulls and skeleton pieces decorate the grass. The house behind the display has two front windows and a circular wall ornament, creating a spooky, festive atmosphere.
Updated graveyard

 

Stacy’s original plan for James’ Halloween costume didn’t quite work out. But she came up with a new idea, and I have to say that it turned out awesome! Before I reveal his costume, lets take a quick look back at his costumes over the years.

    • Baby – Tigger
    • 1 year old – Monkey
    • 2 years old – 1950s couple
    • 3 years old – Super James
    • 4 years old – Handy James
    • 5 years old – Dr. James

 

Collage of six photos showing James in different Halloween outfits: top left in a Tigger costume, top right in a brown monkey suit with a hood and ears, middle left sitting on an adult’s lap wearing a white shirt and glasses, middle right in a superhero‑style outfit with a blue star‑patterned background and a red “J” emblem, bottom left in a green shirt and “Handy James” hat holding a red toy toolbox, and bottom right dressed as a doctor in scrubs with a mask, gloves, and stethoscope.
Past Halloween costumes

 

Okay, are you ready for this year’s costume? Stacy really went above and beyond with this one.

 

James seated in an adaptive chair decorated as a Halloween‑themed kissing booth, with a large hand‑drawn “KISSING BOOTH” sign overhead. The chair is integrated into the costume setup, and a clear jar labeled “25¢” with lipstick marks sits on the table in front of him. The scene blends the adaptive equipment with playful holiday props to create a festive, character‑style display.
Kissing Booth Halloween costume

 

Classroom “Kissing Booth” setup with James seated in an adaptive chair behind a small table covered in a red‑and‑white checkered cloth. A large pink “KISSING BOOTH” sign hangs above the booth, and a clear container labeled “25¢” sits on the table in front. Stacy stands beside the booth smiling.
James and Mommy

 

Seriously, how awesome is that?! We’ve entered James in a costume contest so if you like it, please head over to the link below and cast a vote for James:

https://www.wishpond.com/lp/1089431/entries/64347290

 

School

We got James’ school pictures in the mail last week, and it looks like he will be having them retaken.

 

Close‑up of a printed photo bordered in green, showing James seated in a supportive wheelchair, wearing a green‑and‑blue plaid shirt with a black harness. Wooden paneling forms the background, and partial text from the printed page appears along the right edge.
School picture

 

We’ll see if they can do them without the vest and if they can get him to open his eyes.

This past Wednesday his normal one-on-one nurse was out sick, and he had a substitute nurse. He did not have a good day. His oxygen saturations (sats) were in the 80s, when they should be 95-100; he had a 100-degree fever; and he had three seizures. It was weird because he normally doesn’t have seizures when he’s sick.

Stacy went to pick him up from school, gave him a really good suctioning, and put him in the car. Sats were 95 on the way home and he had two seizures. She took his temperature when they got home, and it was 98. Stacy thinks that he either didn’t like the substitute nurse, or just wanted to be home with his momma. Maybe both.

Wednesday night he sounded really gunky and congested. Because James has a habit of winding up in the hospital with pneumonia in November, we didn’t want to chance it and took him to the pediatrician on Thursday. He prescribed an antibiotic as a precautionary measure. While we were there, Stacy asked the doc for a recommendation on a lotion for James’ dry skin. He said that he had just the thing, left the room for a minute, came back and gave us this:

 

Box filled with multiple small tubes of Aveeno Baby Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream, labeled for daily care of eczema‑prone skin. The packaging highlights features like being steroid‑free, fragrance‑free, and allergy‑tested, with ceramide included. The box sits on a red‑and‑white squiggled surface, with another patterned box behind it.
The pediatrician gave us a box of lotion samples

 

He gave us almost a full box of sample lotion!

Stacy started feeling a bit under the weather this weekend. Hopefully whatever she has doesn’t jump to me. We don’t need to all be sick at the same time!

I didn’t know where to throw this picture in so I’m putting it here. This was taken last weekend before sickness started invading our house. I love this kid!

 

James and jeff lying close together, facing the camera: James resting on a pillow in a patterned shirt and Jeff beside him with short hair and facial hair. A smiling stuffed monkey sits in the background along with a red blanket and nearby furniture, creating a cozy, affectionate scene.
Watching cartoons with my buddy

 

November is Epilepsy Awareness Month

Epilepsy‑awareness graphic showing a row of ten jack‑o’‑lanterns, nine in orange and one in purple to highlight the statistic “1 in 10 people will have a seizure in their lifetime.” Beneath the pumpkins, text encourages viewers to share and support epilepsy awareness, along with a website link.

 

It’s that time of year again where we educate and raise awareness about epilepsy. James was officially diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 5 months old, but we believe he had 1st seizure the Tuesday before he was born. Stacy was at lunch with her folks when all of a sudden, she started feeling a bunch of kicks in her belly. It was very strange because James had been very laid back and didn’t move or kick at all throughout the pregnancy. As a matter of fact, the ultrasound tech often had a hard time getting him into the position she wanted him in to take measurements. It wasn’t until after he was born that they discovered he had a stroke in utero, maybe as early as the first trimester.

Stacy will be posting daily epilepsy facts like the one below on the Fans of James Facebook page. It wouldn’t make sense for me to put those daily facts here, but I may do one post on the 15th for days 1 through 15 and a second post on the 30th for days 16 through 30.

 

Epilepsy Awareness Month poster featuring a young child with a thoughtful expression. A purple awareness ribbon appears beside text noting that November is Epilepsy Awareness Month, with a highlighted fact stating that 1 in 20 children are affected by epilepsy. Additional text encourages sharing and educating others, along with a link for more information.

 

For the past couple of years, Stacy has been having “Purple Fundraisers” and donating a portion of her profits from her Thirty-One sales to different epilepsy organizations. This year’s recipient will be The Epilepsy Warriors Foundation. If you are interested in doing a bit of Christmas shopping, or picking up something for yourself, head over to her Tote-ally Stacy Facebook page.