Isaac's 9 Month Check Up

-I took Isaac for his 9 month check up today. He is growing so fast! Dr. Amis said that Isaac was doing GREAT. His growth and development are right on track. He is "small for his age", he weighs 17.5 pounds and is 27 inches tall, putting him in the 5th percentile for both height and weight. He crawls/scoots around everywhere. He loves to be on the go. He just recently started pulling up to his knees. He loves to watch Daniel and Caden play and will get mad if they get out of his sight. He is a "mommy boy", he very much prefers Mommy to hold him and stay in his line of sight but when Mommy is holding him he loves to look at Daddy and loves for Daddy to talk to him. He loves to eat and is not picky about what he eats. He is starting to self-feed and has tried Gerber Puffs, Mum-Mums, mac and cheese and a little donut (curtosy of Caden). He has not gotten the hang of a sippy cup yet but we are working on it. He's a great sleeper, (7 pm - 7 am at night with 2 naps during the day) the problem is getting him to go to sleep - he's a fighter. He is teething - majorly - he got 4 teeth in a matter of days (current teeth count 7 with one coming through). He is always smiling and happy. We have been asked many times if he is always happy and he is but when he is mad he is very mad, it doesn't happen often though. It's hard to imagine that he will be soon be 1 (in less then 3 months). He's the baby of the family. I have already started packing up the baby gear to pass on to another baby (in another family). The baby gear (swings, bouncey seats) may be gone but it is being replaced with toddler gear (train tables, ride ons and too many toys). It's bittersweet to watch Isaac grow. We are so thankful for "our surprise", he has been the best "end" to our family.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Caden!

Caden,

Our rough, tough and lovable little boy, you "keep us on our toes" with your many "adventures". You are growing so fast.
You began your 2nd year of life with your very first sickness. Daniel had pneumonia and passed it on to you. What a way to start a new year!
Your 2nd year has been full of many new adventures. Your BIG big brothers (Everhett and Jarod) were here to help you celebrate the beginning of your 2nd year. We moved to a our new (and hopefully forever) house soon after your turned one. You enjoyed "helping" while we packed and loaded boxes and furniture onto the moving truck and once we got to the new house, you "helped" unpack. You started sharing a room with Daniel when we moved (and you still do). I think you and Daniel would miss each other if we were to seperate you now. You began walking around 14 months old and have been running ever since. We transitioned (moved) you to a toddler bed when you were 15 months old because you were climbing out of the crib. You actually started climbing before you were walking and would (and still will) climbing anything. NO FEAR! You love to explore. We bought child safety locks for the bottom kitchen cabinets and joked that we were "Caden proofing" because you loved to climb through the cabinets. You became a big brother in October (when Isaac arrived). You are a GREAT big brother, very loving (lots of hugs and kisses for Isaac) and you always make sure Isaac has a toy to play with. We think (and hope) that you and Isaac are going to be BIG buddies. We hope (and pray) that you, Daniel and Isaac are always close and the best of friends. You started going to preschool in April. We struggled with this decision but knew in the end it was the best for you, you needed the socialization with kids your age. You cried your first day. (Mommy cried too.) Your teacher (Ms. Lynn) is GREAT, you love her and you love "school" and Mommy feels good about "sending" you to school now.
There is so much we want to remember. You love "Monkey" and sleep with him every night and pick him up through out the day to love on him. You are a "mommy boy" and every morning you have to have some one-on-one "snuggle time" with Mommy. (Mommy has to have this time too.) You are a climber and will turn any item into a stool to assist you with climbing. You have a unique bedtime routine.....when we say it's night-night time you grab "Monkey" and your "collection" that includes some little guys and a car and run the opposite direction of your room. When we finally convinence you to go into your room (meaning we carry you to your room) you get into bed and tell us bye as we cover you up, give you kisses and close your door. Once the door is closed you get out of bed and play for several minutes before getting back into bed and going to sleep. You have developed some "favorites". Your favorite foods are fruits, especially bananas, you will choose a fruit over a cookie for a snack. Your favorite movies are Toy Story and Tinkerball, if we need you to "be still" for several minutes we will put one of those movies in. You are a "Drama King" and are very dramatic in your crying when you fall down, a lot of times you will pretend to fall down and get hurt. You are rough and tough and will hit (usually Daniel or Gus) with a toy but you are also lovable because right after you hit them, you hug and kiss them.
You are right on track with your development, your only delay is speech. You really show no signs of being born 7 weeks early. You weigh right at 27 pounds and are wearing 18-24 month clothes and size 6/7 shoes. You are just a few pounds behind Daniel in weight and just a few inches shorter.
We can't imagine life without you, we would not want to imagine life without you. You bring so much joy, life, laughs and adventure to our family. We love you, KK.

Sleep Study Scheduled

Daniel's sleep study is scheduled for Tuesday, August the 10th. We are to check in at the Vanderbilt Sleep Center which is located on the 5th floor of the Vanderbilt Marriott hotel on Tuesday (8/10) between 7 and 8 p.m., if the night goes well we will be able to leave the next morning (8/11) no later then 7:30 a.m. Please pray with us that the sleep study will give us the answers we are looking for.

Pulmonary Visit

-Daniel had his first appointment in the Pulmonary Clinic today. (The first in 3 years.) This visit was a follow-up since Daniel saw the pulmonary specialist while he was in the hospital 2 weeks ago. We discussed long term preventive care for Daniel's asthma, allergies and reflux. There are 2 major concerns right now. Daniel's heart is enlarged, very specifically the right side of his heart is enlarged which is a sign of pulmonary hypertension. The swallow study that was done 2 weeks ago while Daniel was in the hospital showed an "abnormal swallow". He did not aspirate while in a normal, sitting, eating position but his swallow was not "normal" either. This could could mean that Daniel is aspirating some, especially at night when laying down. Dr. Droemer and Dr. Robinson both feel that the next step should be doing a sleep study on Daniel. The sleep study will hopefully give a lot of answers.....Is Daniel desatting while sleeping? If so how low is his oxygen saturation dropping and how long is it staying down? What is causing the desaturation? Aspiration? Obstructive apnea? Lung function? All 3? There are many things that could happen once we know the result of the sleep study. If Daniel is aspirating he will then see a GI and a feeding therapist and together the medical team will work to solve the aspiration issue (this could be some trial and era). If it is obstructive apnea, Daniel will see an ENT and possibly have his tonsils removed. If it is a combination of all 3 then we will "tackle" all 3 problems as quickly as possible. Daniel's medicines will stay the same for now - Flovent, Zantac, Prevacid, Singular and Zyrtec daily and Albuterol as needed. Daniel will see an allergy specialist on September 21 and will have allergy testing some time after that. We do not know when the sleep study will be scheduled for yet but should know by the end of the week. Dr. Droemer and Dr. Robinson would like Daniel to have the sleep study done before seeing the allergy specialist. While some of the things (enlarged heart) we heard today from the doctor scares us we are also thankful that we seem to be headed in the right direction to finding out the cause of Daniel's yucky lungs and finding the right preventive plan. Please pray with us for Daniel and the team of doctors involved in Daniel's care.

Too Much Party

-Daniel woke up last night with a runny nose, yucky breathing and fever of 102 - all symptoms that we hate that normally require a trip to the doctor and if we are "lucky" 10 days of antibotics, if we are "unlucky" we get to spend a few days at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. He did not have fever this morning and his breathing was better after a night of breathing treatments. He is spending that day at home with Mommy instead of going to school. We are hoping that this won't develop into anything major (pnuemonia) and that Daniel will be going to school tomorrow.

Becoming Healthy

-I am tired of being fat. Yes, I said it.....I AM FAT! The first step to solving the problem is admitting that you have a problem, right? Richard and I have talked the past couple of days about loosing weight and healthy eating - 1.) to actually loose weight and be able to shop in the "skinny section" of clothing departments/stores - 2.) our excessive weight is making us unhealthy and we need to be healthy - 3.) we have 3 boys to keep up with and need all the energy we can get to keep up with them. As of today I have entered "get healthy mode". I am not really going start a diet, I am just going to eat healthier. (This morning I had a Grande Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte from Starbucks - 130 calories, instead of a Venti Caramel Macchiato - 300 calories.) I am going to add "formal exercises" into my daily routine and I am going to be more active (less computer time). I am really motivated to do this. My first goal is to need a new fall/winter wardrobe. I have decided that I will share my success and my failures on here so I can be held accountable and so I can look back and see what I am doing right or wrong. Time to get healthy.....

Daniel is 4!

-Four year ago I was waking up at Southern Hills hospital ready for another long day of hospital bed rest. I was prepared for the day, we (the nurses, doctors, Richard and I) had created a routine - nothing to eat after midnight (for me), ultrasound w/BPP early every morning to check on Daniel and lab work to check my protein levels. Richard would arrive a little before lunch time with food and spend the day with me watching movies, talking and napping. Wednesday, June 21, 2006 would not be like the prior 3 days. The ultrasound showed that the blood flow to Daniel was totally blocked and because of that Daniel would have to be delivered immediately. We were terrifed - Daniel would be born 11 weeks early. The wonderful Neonatologist talked with us about how critical Daniel would be. We called family and friends and the prayer warriors started praying. The nurses and doctors quickly began prepping me for an emergency c-section and we headed to the OR. Daniel let out a little cry when he arrived which gave me a sense of relief. He was taken to the NICU where the wonderful team of doctors and nurses began caring for him. I did not see him until the following day due to getting extremely sick in recovery. Nanny and Daddy divided their time between my room and the NICU and would show me pictures of my tiny baby boy and tell me how he was doing. Daniel spent the next 72 day in the NICU.-This morning, I was up early making breakfast and getting my former 2 pounder ready for school. Daniel has come so far over the past 4 years. He has been a fighter, a tough little guy. He has spent too many days in the hospital since he was born. He is our miracle. It is amazing too see how much he has grown in the past 4 years. He is now a 30 pound little boy who loves cars to the point of obsession, loves "shows" (movies) - his favorites are Cars, Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and Little Rascals, he loves to go to school, he loves big kids - Emma (his cousin) and Kaitlin, Hayden, Hannah and Carmen (teenagers at church) are some of his favorite big kids, he is a "Daddy boy" and he has taken on the role of "big brother" well - telling "CaCa" what to do and making sure "CaCa" does not bother any of his things (cars). Daniel completed his 1st year of preschool at Benny Bills and is currently in the extended school program at Station Camp - he LOVES school and is learning so much. He is still struggles with some developmental delays (mostly speech) but he has come so far since beginning school. He can now say a few 2 and 3 word sentences - "What you doing?", "What is wrong", "I cup (or whatever he wants)", "I to0 (he wants something too)". He can name everyone in our family - Daddy, Mommy, CaCa (Caden), Zac (Isaac), Nanny, PopPop, Memma (Emma), Mary and Matt. He also constantly talks about his friends from school. He still has a long way to go before he is "caught up" and we are okay with that, he is headed in the right direction and we see improvements daily. Daniel is not potty trained. (I know sad at the age of 4) He will sit on the potty and sit and sit but he will not pee-pee or poo-poo. (We are accepting advice and tips.) The past 4 years have been a fun adventure full of lots of joy, celebrations, love and laughs. We are looking forward to life with a 4 year old.