The Aquabats! Part Deux! Electric Bugaloo!

We saw The Aquabats again last night. Simon did me so proud. He's always pretty tired lately, what with the chemo. So it was kind of a crap shoot how he would be. We waited in line outside for about an hour and he was limp and all but asleep. I did not have high expectations.

We managed to get on the guest list for the meet & greet, thanks to some awesome friends. When we went in they played Doing Science and Showtime. Then we went to meet them. Simon just wanted to sit off to the side, but I wouldn't let him. The first we met was Bones. Luckily everyone knew Simon on sight because I'm never sure what to say. Everyone signed his cape and we thanked everyone for the song. We announced he was having his last chemo the next day and I guess we were overheard because some stranger that was there bought Simon the coloring book and told him to "fight the good fight".   Crash was totes adorbs and asked if we could do a picture. I asked if we could do a big group shot since the last one didn't come out so well. Of course they indulged.

Then the most amazing thing happened. Simon climbed out of my arms and had a few Team Simon wristbands and went from Aquabat to Aquabat handing them out. It was the most adorable thing I ever saw. What a huge deal!

Meeting The MCBC was interesting. I told him about my inlaws knowing him way back in the day. He totally remembers my husband's brothers and said he remembers my husband being born. He said his dad and my father in law were good friends. It felt like a feat to sort of blow his mind.



We were invited back stage to do the picture. We waited for a couple of minutes and caught MCBC sans mask and dome. Simon was very curious and looked around as much as he could. We took several pictures but he still wouldn't smile. Finally MCBC got him to smile by tickling him. The only way I could tell is because Simon was hiding his mouth so they couldn't see his huge smile.

While we waited for the opening band, Simon did some Simon stuff, marching around and crazy dancing. He also knew now where The Aquabats were and really wanted to go back and see them again, pointing at the door. I think if we ever do get to see them again he'll do even better. Luckily they had some seats in the back because Simon did not want to get up close. I had no interest in Emily's Army and was glad when they were done.

The Aquabats played a lot of older stuff, like pre FEOD, which is a fairly old album.  There was a group of "punks" "dancing" in a circle but there were also lots of kids. The chicken man came out throwing chicken and a big inflatable dinosaur  tried to get him but MCBC chased him away which Simon cracked a smile at. He made it through the entire thing even though he was so tired.

Round 2

Maybe I should have written sooner. But I haven't yet, so here goes.

The beast has returned. The monster. (As an aside he only a couple of days started to be able to say monster instead of monter.)  The cancer. In his brain this time. He is starting his second round of chemo tonight.

Why did this have to happen?  Why couldn't Dr. Thompson catch me in the hall and quickly tell me what I already knew, that Simon is perfect?  And why does Dr. Thompson have to move away now that everything is getting scary?  I'm literally in tears over it.

He called me about a year ago when I was on a drive for work which was really just an excuse to have my mental breakdown in the privacy of my own car. He asked how I was and I lost it, sobbing nearly uncontrollably. He empathized with me and talked me off a ledge. And then there was the time last chemo when he told his room full of students that Simon is very dear to him.

When we brought Simon to the ER last month, it was the early hours of a Sunday morning when we were told there was an abnormality in his brain. All any doctor could do from that point until Tuesday(?) evening when I finally saw Dr. Thompson is frown and tell me they're sorry and everyone is talking about what to do. Nobody could tell me he had a chance. All I could take from their sorrys is they were sorry my son was going to die. All I kept saying to everyone is I want to see Dr. Thompson.

Once I did I immediately felt better. Simon's cancer is so incredibly rare it's hard to know what will happen but he did say more or less that Simon has a fighting chance. His tumor is inoperable now, but we'll get it down to size with some chemo and possibly radiation.


He has his next MRI in about 3 weeks. That will be the scariest piece of news I may ever receive. Even the news of cancer isn't as scary.  This will tell us if the chemo is working. Bad news will destroy all hope, at least for the short term. And our real doc won't be there. So help me if it's bad news and all I get is a frown and "I'm sorry" I shall not be responsible for my actions.

I think most of the time I'm in denial of the gravity of the situation. I don't think I could survive if I thought my son may not make it to kindergarten. But at night when I rock him I sometimes almost can't put him down because I feel like someday I may wish for just five more minutes with him. Just one more minute. And curse myself for not appreciating what I had.

Chicks & Guns

There is a family that lives across the courtyard from us that has a girl about 6 years old.  She's taken quite a shine to Simon.  He doesn't get to play with kids too much, sadly, so when The Girl is out playing with some boys that live next door, he's very intrigued.  He wants to go see his "friend".  That's what he calls her.  He doesn't use her name.  She's outside quite a bit so we run into her when we go for our evening stroll.  This is after bath time in hopes of seeing Venus or the moon or some other such thing.  So, Simon is in his jammies and I carry him around.

Tonight we went to take out some trash.  He said he wanted to "see his friend."  I said we'd be back after we took out the trash.  When we came back I asked if he wanted to say hi to her.
Simon: "No."
Me: "Do you just want to sit here and watch her?"
Simon: "Yes."

Oh, my.  I had to sit with him and help him watch a girl.  I do realize I'm making more of a thing of it than it was. It was a bit odd, but he's got a bit of a fear of social situations which I more than understand, so I try to be patient with him and help him feel comfortable.

But, I'm not so sure I dig him making friends with The Girl.  Most of her play involves toy guns and she aimed one at me tonight.  The husband and I have made it very clear to Simon that no guns or shooting toys are to ever be aimed at a person.  I know he's a boy and makes shooting noises when he holds a stick and makes cars fight, but I do want to set some limits and living in a gun-crazed state makes me nervous.  I told her that we don't point guns at people and had to talk to Simon again about how just because she does something doesn't mean it's okay with me and Daddy.

The whole situation also brought something to mind.  My show now is Modern Family and there is a mother and son on there that reminds me of how I will be (and how I am).  I'll let another blogger recap the situation.  I've searched high and low for video of this scene and can't.  But as a mother of a son who knows it's going to be hard to let go, it's priceless.  You can read about it here. 

In the premier episode last week, Manny is studying with a girl he has a crush on. She comes to his house where Manny's doting hot Columbian Mama Gloria (Sofia Vergara) makes the kids chocolate milk. The young girl with whom Manny is smitten says that they always add salt to chocolate milk at her home. Gloria, threatened by another 'woman' in Manny's life,  says she doesn't like it that way.  Of course, when she tries it without the two in the room, she really loves it.

I've posted lots of reviews and recipes that call for salt and chocolate. Salt gives chocolate a certain pop, and I think you'll find it very refreshing in chocolate milk. Just don't add too much. A pinch will do.

The Modern Family Chocolate Milk with Salt Showdown:
Gloria: So how is it going?
Manny: Great, Kelly's moving her stuff into my notebook.
Gloria: This is sudden.
Kelly: It just felt right. Oh, you know what you should do, put a pinch of salt in the chocolate milk, it really brings out the flavor.
Gloria: Salt is for the popcorn.
Manny: Sounds good.
Gloria: You wouldn't like it.
Kelly: Maybe we should let Manny decide.
Gloria: Okay, here's the salt. We'll see what he likes.
Manny tries both:
Manny: Wow! It's great! Try it, Mom.
Gloria: I don't care for it. - See more at: http://dyingforchocolate.blogspot.com/2010/09/national-chocolate-milk-day-chocolate.html#sthash.EV9Pl9rj.dpuf

In the premier episode last week, Manny is studying with a girl he has a crush on. She comes to his house where Manny's doting hot Columbian Mama Gloria (Sofia Vergara) makes the kids chocolate milk. The young girl with whom Manny is smitten says that they always add salt to chocolate milk at her home. Gloria, threatened by another 'woman' in Manny's life,  says she doesn't like it that way.  Of course, when she tries it without the two in the room, she really loves it.

I've posted lots of reviews and recipes that call for salt and chocolate. Salt gives chocolate a certain pop, and I think you'll find it very refreshing in chocolate milk. Just don't add too much. A pinch will do.

The Modern Family Chocolate Milk with Salt Showdown:
Gloria: So how is it going?
Manny: Great, Kelly's moving her stuff into my notebook.
Gloria: This is sudden.
Kelly: It just felt right. Oh, you know what you should do, put a pinch of salt in the chocolate milk, it really brings out the flavor.
Gloria: Salt is for the popcorn.
Manny: Sounds good.
Gloria: You wouldn't like it.
Kelly: Maybe we should let Manny decide.
Gloria: Okay, here's the salt. We'll see what he likes.
Manny tries both:
Manny: Wow! It's great! Try it, Mom.
Gloria: I don't care for it. - See more at: http://dyingforchocolate.blogspot.com/2010/09/national-chocolate-milk-day-chocolate.html#sthash.EV9Pl9rj.dpuf

In the premier episode last week, Manny is studying with a girl he has a crush on. She comes to his house where Manny's doting hot Columbian Mama Gloria (Sofia Vergara) makes the kids chocolate milk. The young girl with whom Manny is smitten says that they always add salt to chocolate milk at her home. Gloria, threatened by another 'woman' in Manny's life,  says she doesn't like it that way.  Of course, when she tries it without the two in the room, she really loves it.

I've posted lots of reviews and recipes that call for salt and chocolate. Salt gives chocolate a certain pop, and I think you'll find it very refreshing in chocolate milk. Just don't add too much. A pinch will do.

The Modern Family Chocolate Milk with Salt Showdown:
Gloria: So how is it going?
Manny: Great, Kelly's moving her stuff into my notebook.
Gloria: This is sudden.
Kelly: It just felt right. Oh, you know what you should do, put a pinch of salt in the chocolate milk, it really brings out the flavor.
Gloria: Salt is for the popcorn.
Manny: Sounds good.
Gloria: You wouldn't like it.
Kelly: Maybe we should let Manny decide.
Gloria: Okay, here's the salt. We'll see what he likes.
Manny tries both:
Manny: Wow! It's great! Try it, Mom.
Gloria: I don't care for it. - See more at: http://dyingforchocolate.blogspot.com/2010/09/national-chocolate-milk-day-chocolate.html#sthash.EV9Pl9rj.dpuf

In the premier episode last week, Manny is studying with a girl he has a crush on. She comes to his house where Manny's doting hot Columbian Mama Gloria (Sofia Vergara) makes the kids chocolate milk. The young girl with whom Manny is smitten says that they always add salt to chocolate milk at her home. Gloria, threatened by another 'woman' in Manny's life,  says she doesn't like it that way.  Of course, when she tries it without the two in the room, she really loves it.

I've posted lots of reviews and recipes that call for salt and chocolate. Salt gives chocolate a certain pop, and I think you'll find it very refreshing in chocolate milk. Just don't add too much. A pinch will do.

The Modern Family Chocolate Milk with Salt Showdown:
Gloria: So how is it going?
Manny: Great, Kelly's moving her stuff into my notebook.
Gloria: This is sudden.
Kelly: It just felt right. Oh, you know what you should do, put a pinch of salt in the chocolate milk, it really brings out the flavor.
Gloria: Salt is for the popcorn.
Manny: Sounds good.
Gloria: You wouldn't like it.
Kelly: Maybe we should let Manny decide.
Gloria: Okay, here's the salt. We'll see what he likes.
Manny tries both:
Manny: Wow! It's great! Try it, Mom.
Gloria: I don't care for it. - See more at: http://dyingforchocolate.blogspot.com/2010/09/national-chocolate-milk-day-chocolate.html#sthash.EV9Pl9rj.dpuf

On Second Thought.....

Maybe his wish is to meet Iron Man.  Hmmmm...  Of course, I'd come along to supervise.

Downey and the kid.

Too Old

I've been trying to teach Simon that he's two years old for a while.  Sometimes I wonder how much he learns, but most of the time I chalk it up for he's too busy for my rules, man.  Ain't got time to be my trained pony.  Anyway, it's starting to kind of sink in.  Except if I ask him how old he is, he says "Too old!"  I think he's leaving out the "years".  He knows he's going to be three very soon.  But he only gets two candles on his cake for some reason.  And I'm going to be 3 on my next birthday.  Daddy will also be too old.

Make A Wish

Tomorrow Make A Wish comes to meet Simon.  I'm excited for him.  I'm not sure what to expect, though.  I know my dream is for him to meet these guys:

 And ride in this:

I know they're not Tom Cruise or Brangelina, or whoever the kids are into now, but still, I figure mostly these kids of wishes are for the bald-headed, got-3-months-to-live type kids, which he ain't.  I figure three-year-old former cancer patients with excellent prognoses are more in the "Hope your wish is a night a Chuck E. Cheese, kid!" realm.  Still, a mama can and will dream. 

A Good Day

Lately it seems my Saturdays with Simon haven't gone terribly well.  They've been turning into Battles of Will... not fun.  Not the way I want to spend my one day with my boy.  Sometimes I feel like a single parent that only sees him every few weeks and I gotta pack ALL THE FUN into one day and treat him to whatever I can think of. 

Today was different.  We didn't get a lot of time together.  We both took something like four hour naps and woke up around 2:30 this afternoon.  Then we had some lunch and after an hour of working on him to get him ready to go out to the store we were off.  He was really upset about leaving certain toys behind and was crying so hard, begging to be picked up from the cart.  I'm all about picking up my boy when he needs a hug, but I also have fallen for that one too many times in the store.  It typically results in me holding him by the collar talking to him through gritted teeth. 

We were almost done so I talked him into going to see the dog.  Every time he goes to Target we take him to the wall of TV's to see the commercial with the dog.  Sometimes I feel like I must look like a horrible mother parking him in front of those TV's but there really is a reason.  I feel like I have to justify it to everyone around me.  "Really, he just wants to see the dog.  Honest."

Then we passed the dollar corner with all the whatnot. He found a little stuffed bear with a heart that he fell in love with.  It's kinda shoddy looking, but man, he picked it up and hugged it and kissed it and loved on it.  So he came home with us.  So did a little foam airplane for throwing.  We had some good fun throwing it around the living room.  It's perfect because he can throw it to his heart's content and not hurt anything.

Then, miracle of miracles, he actually ate dinner!  I made tortellini and got out one of his new divided plates.  One spot had tortellini, another had sauce for dipping, and man oh man, the third had PEAS!  He was so flippin excited about those peas.    He ate everything up.  Then we sat on the couch and watched a bit of a movie.  I had my popcorn, he had more peas.  He kept snuggling with me. 

He was silly after his bath, jumping around off his bed.  I tried to take a picture to send Daddy since he was at work.  I got a decent one and was texting it to Daddy and asked Simon what he wants me to tell him.  Simon made his L for Love sign.  My heart almost broke from the sweet.

After I put him to bed I heard him sorta starting to cry and whimper.  I didn't want it to turn into a big thing so I went in to check on him.  He couldn't find Frog.  So we searched all his blankets and found him.  I tucked him back in and kissed him.  He said, "Please turn out the light."  Then my heart did break from the sweet.

Hi, Daddy!

Happy Christmas

It's early Christmas morning.  I'm having one of those mornings/nights where my nose won't cooperate with sleep.  It's an itch/sneeze that is constant.  It's tolerable while awake most of the time but there's no way I'm getting to sleep with it like this.  So, it's 3:28 AM.  I've been up for a couple of hours already.  I'll probably just get back into a nice deep sleep when I'll hear "Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom!"...ad nauseum over the baby monitor. 

Simon's become quite the climber.  He's started climbing up on his crib.  Well, yesterday while he was "napping" he came out of his room and wandered into our room to find Daddy wrapping presents and announced he wasn't tired.  So, Daddy had a new project for the day, one that's been on the list for a week or so anyway.  He trod off to his parents' house to get the toddler bed side.  Simon absolutely loves his "new bed".

 He actually took a nap in it this afternoon before we went over to Grandma's house for dinner.  Once we got there I shuffled him outside with cousins as fast as I could.  

As per usual, he wouldn't eat.  We left in a hurry.  Got him home, in the bath where he watched some of The Grinch, and off to bed.  Then Santa came.  He's gonna lose his mind when he wakes up.

Simon is going to this.

Last year his Gabba pals came to town.  We were kind of torn about him going because it was right at the end of his chemo.  We knew we couldn't expose him to all that, but still... it would be really awesome if he could have gone.  Then his chemo was delayed a week and he ended up being in the hospital getting his last round of chemo when they were here.

Not this time.  I just got him tickets to go to this show.  And not just any tickets.  THESE tickets.  The Party Package. 

Gabba Party Packages!

• One (1) AWESOME Ticket in the first 15 Rows.
• One (1) pass to "Get the Sillies Out" in the private VIP room featuring a super fun party with the Gabba Gang (costumed characters)! Includes music, dancing, healthy snacks and refreshments.
• Hassle-Free Merchandise Shopping. Merchandise table located in the VIP Room.
• Photo Opportunity. This time around our Gabba Friends will be available for individual pictures instead of everyone waiting for one shot with the entire gang. More photos, less waiting, more fun!!!!!
• On Site Yo Gabba Gabba! VIP host and Party Patrol to make sure your experience is... AWESOME!!

And, I got it for the 3:00 show, not the 6:00.  Man, that 6:00 woulda been rough.

He's earned it, and then some.  Merry Christmas, my boy.

Words...

cannot express how much I love this boy.

An Internal Battle

This so makes me cry all the tears.  I can just see Simon and Froggy doing their worst to the mean cancer.

If you can't read what the doctor is saying, it's "Good news, it seems the treatment is starting to work."

Faces

Simon has just now started drawing stuff I can recognize.  The picture on the right is Hulk from yesterday.  I can't so much tell it's Hulk, but I can tell both of them are faces.  The one on the right is from tonight.  He's starting to do awesome things.  He's growing up.  I need to do a better job of teaching him things, though.  But he does know one letter, B.  That only leaves 25 more to go. 

Grateful

Ro & Maya

I've been reading a blog written by a mom who lost her 3-year-old to cancer last year.   I've been up reading it in the middle of the night when my sinuses won't let me sleep.  It, like other things, is making me very grateful for what we didn't have to endure.  I feel for all the other parents who end up in the ER with their child for something innocent enough, only to be thrust into the whirlwind of scans and doctors and being told you're not going home today.  It really is dizzying.  But after those first few days of wrapping our heads around what was going on and what we needed to do, it really was so simple.  Sure, the nights where Simon was angry and had a hard time sleeping wore mighty thin.  I threw myself a great pity party.  I had no idea. 

We never spent more than a week in the hospital, not after that first stint.  I think the greatest blessing we had I never had a clue was a blessing.  We never had to share a room.  TCH has only private rooms, at least on the floors we were on.  From what I'm seeing now that is not the norm.  I can't imagine having to go through that hell and not have my own private space.  And the stories of sharing rooms with mere babies and even older children being left in the rooms with only nurses to look after them for many hours or even days is too much.  We never had to worry about what the right course of treatment was for Simon.  We didn't have to travel across the country or even across the state.  We drove a half hour into the Med Center.  And so far we haven't had to sit across from a doctor who is avoiding our eyes with tears in their eyes as they tell us what no parent wants to hear. 

Maybe I should have questioned more.  Maybe, but I don't think so.  I hope not.  But I also hope we never lose our appreciation for everything about Simon and his bravery and that we're lucky things didn't end up different. 

Raising Money

I've started a fundraising campaign for CureSearch which is a childhood cancer non-profit.  I'd like to make a better future for kids with cancer.  We can do much better for these sweet souls.  Here is a link to more information.

September

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.  I've thought about it more this year than last.  I guess last year I was too busy living it.  What's really brought it home for me this year is reading the daily postings of two mothers with pre-schoolers who lost their battle.  Each one is posting a bit each day throughout the month.  I tend to read about Aidan in the morning and Donna in the evening.  It hits home that not all kids are as lucky as my dear Simon.  I've delighted in their little spirits and my heart has broken with their mothers'.  One mother had to sign a DNR for her son.  The other died a little each time her daughter told her what she'd be doing when she turned 8 or 9, her mother knowing she wouldn't live to see 5.  I've actually been dreading the end of the month for I know what I shall read.  My heart has been heavy today because of what I've read.  I've cried buckets of tears.  I fear I shall also tomorrow.

Why do I do this to myself?  I really thought about that yesterday and today.  I do it to honor the children.  I do it to remind myself that our family is very lucky.  I do it because if we weren't I'd be mad as hell and would be doing just what those mommies are doing.  I'd want everyone to know about Simon to raise awareness.  I'd want to make sure he didn't die in vain.  I'd want everyone to read about him. 

I'm really feeling the need to do something for the hospital or families dealing with this now.  There is one organization that lets you adopt a family for Christmas.  I think I'd like to do that.  I want to do something beautiful in Simon's name.  In a bout of insomnia the other night I happened upon two other moms with kids who have/had clear cell also.  One is going through treatment now.  It takes me back to a year ago.  And speaking of which, here is where we were a year ago.  He doesn't even look like the same boy.  I'm so proud of how far he's come.  He had scans last week (bone and CT) and all came out clear.  I'm so happy. 

Friend

We have a new woman watching Simon now.  She's a lady from church with 5 or so kids of her own.  One is a 3 year old boy.  He just started going there yesterday, but by all accounts it's going swimmingly.  Word on the street is he's been behaving himself and even got a nap today.  Her elementary school daughters came home and loved doting on him.  He didn't even care when Daddy left him there.

This morning after I left I'm told he grabbed his bag and went to the front door.  He kept saying "I friend!"  He was so anxious to go see his friend.  He's been so isolated for so long he hasn't really been around kids except his cousins.  It's so awesome and sweet to know he now has a friend.  It kinda makes me verklempt.  Apparently today when he went over there his pal came to the door and the two of them took off to go play.  It's something so small but it still makes me so proud of him.

L for Love

The picture above is from Dodgeball.  Blaine and I saw this on our honeymoon and it was awesome.  It was us in movie form.  It was nonsense.  It had a filmstrip.  It had a water-skiing squirrel.  It had everyone in it ever.  It had ESPN 8 - The Ocho!  In this picture the wife is making the loser sign and her husband takes it to mean "L for love."  Blaine and I picked it up and do it all the time, especially when saying goodbye.

Lately Simon has taken to doing it too.  He hasn't quite got it down yet.  He kind of points to the top of his head with his fingers all spread out.  But it's the cutest thing ever.  He can't yet say "I love you" but he can do this.  Sadly, someday he's going to grow up and realize how odd his parents are.  Someday he'll probably figure out that it means something else to the rest of the world.

You Are My Sunshine

The husband is working late tonight so I got to tend to Simon all on my own.  I had to work late (yes, really!) and got home a little before 8:00.  Simon had been asleep for about an hour and hadn't really had a proper dinner.  I debated if I should wake him up or let him sleep.  The clincher was that the kid wets through a diaper quicker than I can say piddle so I figured I better at least change his diaper.  When I woke him up I asked if he was hungry.  He said yes, so I changed his diaper and got him up.  I decided to make him a waffle and some eggs.  Man, he tore through the egg so I made him another.  He picked at the waffle.

As an aside, we've been wanting to get a stereo for the living room but haven't gotten around to it yet.  I finally set up the Pandora on the Roku so we have some music now.  Simon is LOVING it.  He dances his little heart out.

We had music on while he ate.  I let him sit on my lap.  It was so quiet and peaceful.  I kept the lights down and kept kissing his head.  I love the smell of his hair.  He held froggy while he ate.  It won't be so much longer before he's too big to sit on my lap, but I can still cuddle him.  I got him in for a quick bath.  He hated every second of it, but it really does help him sleep better.  Then we cuddled on the couch listening to the lullaby station and he fell asleep in my lap as we listened to "To Make You Feel My Love".

We heard "You Are My Sunshine" once or twice which made me think of when he was born.  Eons ago there was this show called "Murphy Brown" that I liked.  She sang that song to her newborn son in the hospital and for some reason it always stuck with me.  When we were waiting to be sprung from the hospital with Simon, Daddy was asleep in the bed and I held Simon in the chair and sang that to him. 

It was such a lovely evening which I needed after a stressful day at work.  To have a quiet evening with Simon is such a treat.

6 Months Later

Simon passed the 6 months clean from chemo mark a few days ago.  I forget just how bald he was.  He never looked terribly sickly to me.  He just looked like Simon.  But looking back it must have been pretty obvious he was a sick little boy because I look at pictures and they don't even look like they're of the same kid.  You did it, son.  You showed cancer who's boss.  And someday you'll show the world you're the boss.  You make your mom proud.

He loved looking at the baby on the thermometer.

The Victor.  Just finished with chemo.

Yakkity Sax

Simon more or less quit growing for the 6 months he was on chemo.  He's starting to catch up a bit but it's still a challenge to find pants that will not fall down.  I think I figured out part of the problem.  The boy does not stop moving.  His latest obsession is falling and tries to climb up stuff to fall off.  He runs back and forth down the hallway of our little apartment constantly also.  I am completely convinced his life would best be viewed at 2x speed set to Yakkity Sax.  Heck, I'm not even sure you need to speed it up all that much.  It is great to see him have energy.