Saturday, December 20, 2008
The Christmas Train
As I've been living in Pittsburg longer, I am finding some new things to do that are pretty cool. The newest thing being the Christmas train. Craig mentioned it offhandedly the other night and I immediately decided that we needed to see this "Christmas train". Zach and I packed up and left Craig and Dylan at home to stay in the warmth. We were so lucky it was a relatively warm night since you have to wait outside the train for awhile to get in to see Santa. Zach was pretty excited about seeing Santa. I was a little nervous that he would be scared of the big man in the red suit, but he was okay b/c he brings him presents, I guess. Although he didn't get to sit in his lap, he did get to yell, "Hi, Santa!" I took some pics and video of the train. It's really neat and free for everyone for the night. The best quote of the evening was as we were leaving. The train plays Christmas music and it was playing Here Comes Santa Claus and the last line is "cause Santa Claus comes tonight." Zach turns and looks at me and says, "Santa Claus comes tonight?" No, Zach not tonight, he comes on Christmas Eve. Bummer.
Zach is 3!
Zach is now officially 3. It's taken me awhile to post this because of all the Christmas craziness going on. He had a week long birthday extravaganza. It started with Chuck E. Cheese with my parents in Indiana while we were there for Thanksgiving. Zach really kind of lucks out with having the birthday close to Thanksgiving but far enough away from Christmas to kind of work it into a month long presentfest. Too bad the rest of the year sucks because he doesn't have any other present events. Oh well, you can't have it all. :) He loved Chuck E Cheese and had a ball riding the little rides and playing the games and of course, picking out the little crap they give you at the end with your tickets you "won". His birthday at school went off okay despite my lack of preparation for his cake. On Saturday his actual birthday we decorated the house for Christmas and opened his presents from Craig and me. His reaction was less than enthusiastic. I thought he would love whatever we got him, but he doesn't deal with change well. I bought a different set of bowling pins than the ones he had seen at the store. These were wooden instead of plastic and he cried, "These not the ones." Really?!?!? Hmm, next he opened a little keyboard that he calls the "can-piano" I don't know why? But it wasn't exactly like the big piano he had played the week before at my great aunt's house so it was "wrong" too. Hmm, onto the guitar that he absolutely was dying to have. That was a hit except he played it for about 3 mins before declaring that it was too hard and he wanted more. Again, really?!?! I then tried to discuss the idea of appreciating what you have and not looking for more. Not at all sure you get that concept when you are 3. Anyway, he does like the toys now so that's good. I have video of this event and he will hate that I bring it up for years to come.
Finally, we had birthday with Craig's family. More fun presents and the highlight - the Spiderman cake. Another rookie mistake on my part- should have planned ahead and not spent $25 on a kids cake. (When you promise a Spiderman cake, make sure you know that the local supermarkets can in fact make a Spiderman cake.) Although, he did love it more than any of his presents so it may have been worth it in the end. And the white cake was fabulous. I'll attach some photos of the cake. I took a ton b/c it cost $25. Did I mention it cost $25? :)
Happy Birthday to my favorite oldest son! We love you buddy!
Finally, we had birthday with Craig's family. More fun presents and the highlight - the Spiderman cake. Another rookie mistake on my part- should have planned ahead and not spent $25 on a kids cake. (When you promise a Spiderman cake, make sure you know that the local supermarkets can in fact make a Spiderman cake.) Although, he did love it more than any of his presents so it may have been worth it in the end. And the white cake was fabulous. I'll attach some photos of the cake. I took a ton b/c it cost $25. Did I mention it cost $25? :)
Happy Birthday to my favorite oldest son! We love you buddy!
The Cake - Notice the Green wall -had to request that just for Zach...loves the green
Family pic - please imagine this just arrived in the mail with Merry Christmas from the Wards!
My Guitar Hero and again, the cake...Family pic - please imagine this just arrived in the mail with Merry Christmas from the Wards!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Dylan - 2 months
Can you believe it's been 2 months already!?!?
Yesterday was his normal pediatrician appointment and he did great. He weighed 12 lbs 4oz, 23 inches long and his head measured 15 1/2 (cm's I think?). His weight and height are 50th percentile and his head is measuring 50th by his pediatrician and 60th based on the neurologist - so accurate?!?!? :) The pediatrician was excited that he was already rolling over and holding his head up well on his tummy. She did notice he didn't have great head control when you pull him up from the table from his back. But nothing too concerning at this point. He got his shots and CRIED a lot...probably more than Zach did with his shots. It's so sad, but again a relief for me - normal is good!
Today we drove to Springfield for his neurologist appt. We had to have an EEG prior to the appointment so he couldn't sleep on the way there. It's about 2 hours away and I didn't do very well keeping him awake. I used cold wet wipes and everything but he was pretty tired. We did manage to keep him up for about an hour before the test. They explained that the brain reacts differently when it hasn't had rest. If your child is older you have to keep them up all night prior to the EEG. What a nightmare! They attached 24 electrodes to his tiny little head by rubbing an exfoliant to his head and then adhesive. Finally, they put tape around his head to keep them in place. I then had to hold him for 20 mins or so while he slept and they flashed strobe lights and watched his brain activity. He slept through the whole thing. I'd say the worst part was taking off all the electrodes and watching his little baby hair get pulled out with the tape. Torture. We immediately got to go to the doc and get the results. His EEG looks good! Good, they said. Not pretty good, but we'll keep an eye on it, just good. I'm thrilled. He can come off his drugs and we don't have to go back for 4 months. The only bummer is you have to taper slowly off the phenobarbital and it's going to take 3 months to taper off. But hey, it's still great news no matter how you look at it! The neurologist also noticed the head control thing, but said not to worry too much about it. He said that's very typical in a child who experienced what Dylan has.
My parents friend, Tina, who works with little ones and physical therapy gave us some exercises to work with him. THANKS TINA! So we'll probably start trying those a little to help his neck muscles along a little.
The best part is he's cooing and smiling a lot. It's just melts my heart and makes me feel so blessed for all that we've come through. I told Craig tonight that I'm just amazed that in two months we went from an EEG that showed "little charge or brain activity" to "looks good". The brain is so amazing! AMEN! What a great Christmas season we are having!
Yesterday was his normal pediatrician appointment and he did great. He weighed 12 lbs 4oz, 23 inches long and his head measured 15 1/2 (cm's I think?). His weight and height are 50th percentile and his head is measuring 50th by his pediatrician and 60th based on the neurologist - so accurate?!?!? :) The pediatrician was excited that he was already rolling over and holding his head up well on his tummy. She did notice he didn't have great head control when you pull him up from the table from his back. But nothing too concerning at this point. He got his shots and CRIED a lot...probably more than Zach did with his shots. It's so sad, but again a relief for me - normal is good!
Today we drove to Springfield for his neurologist appt. We had to have an EEG prior to the appointment so he couldn't sleep on the way there. It's about 2 hours away and I didn't do very well keeping him awake. I used cold wet wipes and everything but he was pretty tired. We did manage to keep him up for about an hour before the test. They explained that the brain reacts differently when it hasn't had rest. If your child is older you have to keep them up all night prior to the EEG. What a nightmare! They attached 24 electrodes to his tiny little head by rubbing an exfoliant to his head and then adhesive. Finally, they put tape around his head to keep them in place. I then had to hold him for 20 mins or so while he slept and they flashed strobe lights and watched his brain activity. He slept through the whole thing. I'd say the worst part was taking off all the electrodes and watching his little baby hair get pulled out with the tape. Torture. We immediately got to go to the doc and get the results. His EEG looks good! Good, they said. Not pretty good, but we'll keep an eye on it, just good. I'm thrilled. He can come off his drugs and we don't have to go back for 4 months. The only bummer is you have to taper slowly off the phenobarbital and it's going to take 3 months to taper off. But hey, it's still great news no matter how you look at it! The neurologist also noticed the head control thing, but said not to worry too much about it. He said that's very typical in a child who experienced what Dylan has.
My parents friend, Tina, who works with little ones and physical therapy gave us some exercises to work with him. THANKS TINA! So we'll probably start trying those a little to help his neck muscles along a little.
The best part is he's cooing and smiling a lot. It's just melts my heart and makes me feel so blessed for all that we've come through. I told Craig tonight that I'm just amazed that in two months we went from an EEG that showed "little charge or brain activity" to "looks good". The brain is so amazing! AMEN! What a great Christmas season we are having!
3 year olds are GREAT!
Zach is turning 3 on Saturday and I'm finding myself laughing at the things that come out of his mouth on a daily basis. He is just so sweet and kind right now. (Yes, he has his moments of tantrums and talking back, but today the sweet outweigh those.)
First, we received great news about Dylan (will share more in another post) and called to update the grandparents. Craig's Mom, Chris, was watching Zach for us while we were in Springfield with Dylan. Zach was in the car with her when we told her the good news. She later told us that when she got off the phone he said he was excited that Dylan was okay. He must have heard the excitement in her voice. I also think he really remembers Dylan in the hospital and having "the tubes". He didn't like seeing his baby brother like that and doesn't want him to have to go back to the hospital. I just think he has such a big heart and is so caring for his little brother. Yes, I know he will "hate" him when he's taking his toys and getting his attention, but for now it's great to watch him love on him so much.
Second, the birthday cake for school. Let me begin by saying that I'm not in the running for mother of the year (but hey, there's always 2009!). Craig reminds me tonight that tomorrow will have to be the day to take cake to school for Zach's birthday. Crap. I had to run to the store at 8:00 to see what I could find for cupcakes, cake, etc. To add to the complication, I don't know how many kids are in his class. The kid working at the bakery loved me when I said I needed a cake for tomorrow. I ended up finding a cookie cake with green icing. I just asked the kid to remove the plastic little margarita glass charms and the "cheers" charms. Add "Happy Birthday Zach" and some clowns and POOF you have a preschoolers dream - take that Martha Stewart! I am my mother's daughter. Anyway, I came home as Zach was finally getting down to bed and told him that he could take the cake tomorrow to school. The look on his face was priceless. He was so excited, he clapped his hands together and said, "oh, yeah." There is nothing better than the innocent excitement of a 3 year old and their birthday! I love it!
Third, just for the record. He officially watched his first showing of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on CBS. It was scary though and he hid under the coffee table and watched it through gaps in his fingers. I never realized how scary the big snow monster was when I watched it. Now the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz, that I remember.
Loving my 3 year old today and just want to eat him up! Oh, also loving that tomorrow I get to watch his class sing Happy Birthday and help with cake. Staying home is such a blessing on days like these.
First, we received great news about Dylan (will share more in another post) and called to update the grandparents. Craig's Mom, Chris, was watching Zach for us while we were in Springfield with Dylan. Zach was in the car with her when we told her the good news. She later told us that when she got off the phone he said he was excited that Dylan was okay. He must have heard the excitement in her voice. I also think he really remembers Dylan in the hospital and having "the tubes". He didn't like seeing his baby brother like that and doesn't want him to have to go back to the hospital. I just think he has such a big heart and is so caring for his little brother. Yes, I know he will "hate" him when he's taking his toys and getting his attention, but for now it's great to watch him love on him so much.
Second, the birthday cake for school. Let me begin by saying that I'm not in the running for mother of the year (but hey, there's always 2009!). Craig reminds me tonight that tomorrow will have to be the day to take cake to school for Zach's birthday. Crap. I had to run to the store at 8:00 to see what I could find for cupcakes, cake, etc. To add to the complication, I don't know how many kids are in his class. The kid working at the bakery loved me when I said I needed a cake for tomorrow. I ended up finding a cookie cake with green icing. I just asked the kid to remove the plastic little margarita glass charms and the "cheers" charms. Add "Happy Birthday Zach" and some clowns and POOF you have a preschoolers dream - take that Martha Stewart! I am my mother's daughter. Anyway, I came home as Zach was finally getting down to bed and told him that he could take the cake tomorrow to school. The look on his face was priceless. He was so excited, he clapped his hands together and said, "oh, yeah." There is nothing better than the innocent excitement of a 3 year old and their birthday! I love it!
Third, just for the record. He officially watched his first showing of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on CBS. It was scary though and he hid under the coffee table and watched it through gaps in his fingers. I never realized how scary the big snow monster was when I watched it. Now the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz, that I remember.
Loving my 3 year old today and just want to eat him up! Oh, also loving that tomorrow I get to watch his class sing Happy Birthday and help with cake. Staying home is such a blessing on days like these.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Today I am a girl...
According to Zach, I am a girl. No longer am I a grill. Grill has been one of the words he's had trouble with and out of the blue, he's saying it properly - girl. He still calls the remote a camort. I'm not really sure why. He'll sound out re-mote, re-mote, re-mote and then say, camort when he's using it in a sentence.
I'm thrilled he's figured out girl and not grill. I really wouldn't want him going on his first date with a grill. But at the same time, it's another reminder that he is indeed growing up!
I'm thrilled he's figured out girl and not grill. I really wouldn't want him going on his first date with a grill. But at the same time, it's another reminder that he is indeed growing up!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
My Miracle Angel Baby
Okay, so I think it's safe for me to say that Dylan is turning out to be my "angel" baby. This is no reflection on me. I believe this is luck of the draw. I also believe this pertains only to the infant stage, no promises for future angelness (just made that word up).
The no crying thing has turned into a reflection of his general state of laid backness. He wakes up and grunts at you and then will cry if not attended to within a reasonable amount of time. He still only cries when he is ignored for too long or is really hurt. Unfortunately, he had an incident with a Thomas the Tank Engine train hitting him in the head for us to realize this. Zach literally decided to throw the train out of the clear blue and it managed to land squarely on Dylan's forehead. He let out a big wail and it managed to just leave a little red mark for a day or so. Zach felt terrible and so did I. I wasn't aware I should create a forcefield around him to protect him from Zach. But part of me was relieved to know he did cry at appropriate times. Zach did immediately run to the freezer and get the little kid ice pack for Dylan's head. He knows from experience what to do with those Owees.
Tonight I realized the ease of putting this baby to bed. We literally have put him in a dark quiet room in his car seat (he doesn't like laying completely flat) all swaddled up and his pacifier and he will just drift off to sleep on his own. What a beautiful thing! It doesn't work every time, but a lot of the times it does. I remember with Zach we would walk around the room bouncing him around or shushing him to get him to stop crying and close his eyes. The minute we would think he was asleep and lay him down - the eyes would come open and he'd start crying. We'd start all over again completely exhausted. Please God let Dylan remain this laid back forever! (It can't hurt to ask, right?)
The sad thing going on right now is the Baby Acne. GASP! It's so sad to look at. He's got little acne all over his face. It's not the little white bumps that all babies get at birth. Those have faded and now they are red acne marks all over. Again, it's my fault. The mother's hormones pass through to the baby at the end of pregnancy. See, it's always the mother's fault. Get use to it, right? They say it should clear up by the time he's 6 months old....really?!?! Surely, it should be sooner than that. Luckily, it's not that severe and seems to have stopped getting any worse. Oh well, it's just appearances and doesn't hurt him. We shall carry on!
The no crying thing has turned into a reflection of his general state of laid backness. He wakes up and grunts at you and then will cry if not attended to within a reasonable amount of time. He still only cries when he is ignored for too long or is really hurt. Unfortunately, he had an incident with a Thomas the Tank Engine train hitting him in the head for us to realize this. Zach literally decided to throw the train out of the clear blue and it managed to land squarely on Dylan's forehead. He let out a big wail and it managed to just leave a little red mark for a day or so. Zach felt terrible and so did I. I wasn't aware I should create a forcefield around him to protect him from Zach. But part of me was relieved to know he did cry at appropriate times. Zach did immediately run to the freezer and get the little kid ice pack for Dylan's head. He knows from experience what to do with those Owees.
Tonight I realized the ease of putting this baby to bed. We literally have put him in a dark quiet room in his car seat (he doesn't like laying completely flat) all swaddled up and his pacifier and he will just drift off to sleep on his own. What a beautiful thing! It doesn't work every time, but a lot of the times it does. I remember with Zach we would walk around the room bouncing him around or shushing him to get him to stop crying and close his eyes. The minute we would think he was asleep and lay him down - the eyes would come open and he'd start crying. We'd start all over again completely exhausted. Please God let Dylan remain this laid back forever! (It can't hurt to ask, right?)
The sad thing going on right now is the Baby Acne. GASP! It's so sad to look at. He's got little acne all over his face. It's not the little white bumps that all babies get at birth. Those have faded and now they are red acne marks all over. Again, it's my fault. The mother's hormones pass through to the baby at the end of pregnancy. See, it's always the mother's fault. Get use to it, right? They say it should clear up by the time he's 6 months old....really?!?! Surely, it should be sooner than that. Luckily, it's not that severe and seems to have stopped getting any worse. Oh well, it's just appearances and doesn't hurt him. We shall carry on!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Zach Stories
I need to update with some funny things Zach has been saying lately. I find most everything is funny these days.
I made French Toast the other morning for him. We don't usually have French Toast. Here's how the conversation went.
Me: Hey Zach, I made some French toast for you this morning.
Zach: Oh good mommy, let's tell Daddy we having fwends toast.
Me: Not friends toast, Zach, French toast.
Zach: Daddy, we having fwends toast. Mommy made fwends toast. DADDY!...
Craig was upstairs so this goes on for about 5 mins until he finds Craig and gets a response. Lots of talking in my house.
The Walmart toy catalog is out for Christmas. Zach has spent the last couple of days looking through it constantly. He's found what he wants from Santa. One of those cars that you can ride in...like the Barbie Jeep but a John Deere little thing or a truck something. Anyway, he's picked it out and was going on and on about it. He starts a lot of sentences with "Maaaybe, I could get..." So maybe he could get this car was going on and on. Well with our budget this year, the car is probably not possible, so I said "maaaybe, we won't be able to get that this year." Tears began to flow, it was very sad. I tried to explain the concept of not getting everything you want all the time. Hard for a 2 year old. Craig went the route of telling him he's not big enough but maybe if he gets bigger he could get it then. Clip to 4 hours later after he wakes up from his nap.
Me: Hey there buddy! I don't think these jammies fit you anymore. You've gotten so big we may have to put them away.
Zach: I have gotten big. I so big mommy.
Me: You are big sweetie.
Zach: Now I can get dat car? I bigger now, so I get dat car?
Me: Laughing. Well, we'll see. I'm not sure you're that big. You really want that car don't you?
Zach: Yes, I wiwee want dat car. I big enough now.
Off he goes to find Daddy and tell him how big he is and how he wiwee wants dat car.
He has a mind like a steel trap. He forgets nothing, beware, whatever you tell him. He will remember and repeat.
I made French Toast the other morning for him. We don't usually have French Toast. Here's how the conversation went.
Me: Hey Zach, I made some French toast for you this morning.
Zach: Oh good mommy, let's tell Daddy we having fwends toast.
Me: Not friends toast, Zach, French toast.
Zach: Daddy, we having fwends toast. Mommy made fwends toast. DADDY!...
Craig was upstairs so this goes on for about 5 mins until he finds Craig and gets a response. Lots of talking in my house.
The Walmart toy catalog is out for Christmas. Zach has spent the last couple of days looking through it constantly. He's found what he wants from Santa. One of those cars that you can ride in...like the Barbie Jeep but a John Deere little thing or a truck something. Anyway, he's picked it out and was going on and on about it. He starts a lot of sentences with "Maaaybe, I could get..." So maybe he could get this car was going on and on. Well with our budget this year, the car is probably not possible, so I said "maaaybe, we won't be able to get that this year." Tears began to flow, it was very sad. I tried to explain the concept of not getting everything you want all the time. Hard for a 2 year old. Craig went the route of telling him he's not big enough but maybe if he gets bigger he could get it then. Clip to 4 hours later after he wakes up from his nap.
Me: Hey there buddy! I don't think these jammies fit you anymore. You've gotten so big we may have to put them away.
Zach: I have gotten big. I so big mommy.
Me: You are big sweetie.
Zach: Now I can get dat car? I bigger now, so I get dat car?
Me: Laughing. Well, we'll see. I'm not sure you're that big. You really want that car don't you?
Zach: Yes, I wiwee want dat car. I big enough now.
Off he goes to find Daddy and tell him how big he is and how he wiwee wants dat car.
He has a mind like a steel trap. He forgets nothing, beware, whatever you tell him. He will remember and repeat.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Dylan Milestone
And so it begins, Dylan is already starting to reach milestones. About a week ago, he smiled for the first time. I find it hard to determine the first real smile because you're never really sure if it's just gas or not. However, in the last week it's become very obvious that it's a smile. Yea! How great are baby smiles?!?!? My favorite (that I forgot about since having Zach) is when they smile while they are sleeping. It's the best look. You just want to be a baby and sleep that peacefully.
Yesterday, he rolled over for the first time from his tummy to his back. It took a little practice but he got it. Both of these seem to be right on track from what Zach did too. This is why the whole, "make sure he's hitting milestone" thing is a problem. Normally, I would think I wouldn't want to compare the two so much because we all know how different siblings can be. However, I've been instructed by the medical profession to do just that. I promise I will stop (at least out loud or in writing) to compare them once Dylan turns 2. Hold me to it. :)
Yesterday, he rolled over for the first time from his tummy to his back. It took a little practice but he got it. Both of these seem to be right on track from what Zach did too. This is why the whole, "make sure he's hitting milestone" thing is a problem. Normally, I would think I wouldn't want to compare the two so much because we all know how different siblings can be. However, I've been instructed by the medical profession to do just that. I promise I will stop (at least out loud or in writing) to compare them once Dylan turns 2. Hold me to it. :)
Monday, November 3, 2008
Happy Election Day!
I haven't written much on the blog about politics. I feel I have to write today because this is historical and I want my kids to know how I've felt the last 20 months watching all of this.
A lot of you know how much I've been into Obama (drank the Kool Aid if you will). He got my attention at the Democratic Convention in 2004 and I thought, "he could be President someday." And lo and behold, here we are now.
Several days out of the past 20 months stand out in my mind. The first - I was able to go to his rally in Denver back in February at University of Denver. I waited in line for a couple of hours and it was pretty cold that day. The train to DU was so full I almost didn't get on (trains are usually not full in Denver or at least they weren't at that time). There were so many people at the rally that everyone didn't get in. I believe there were 14,000 people inside and many more still out on the Lacrosse field where you could see him via big screens. As we were shuttled inside, Amanda and I almost got pushed into a practice gym. We managed a way out and literally ran to find a seat in the main arena. Good thing, the practice gym was, in fact, overflow and he did talk to that crowd for a bit but we were in the main place. Caroline Kennedy spoke, which was a surprise. The Kennedy's had just endorsed him the day or two before, so it was super exciting to see her as well. The day was thrilling, inspiring and made me feel like a true part of history.
The 2nd day I remember was when I got a chance to caucus. Yes, Colorado is a caucus state. I drove down the street to the high school down the road and realized how big this election really was. The parking lot (which is huge) was already filling up. There was a line of cars waiting to just get in the lot. (I've driven by when school is getting in and it is not that busy even then.) It was just the Democratic caucus location so all these people were just Democrats. I waded through a TON of people to find my little lunch table that was my precinct. There were literally only 22 people from my precinct there. (Hundreds in the cafeteria, but only 22 from my voting precinct.) We waited and read through all the rules (kind of scary how little we knew and that we were all in charge - democracy at it's best or worst depending on how you feel about it). By the way, I was in the very early days of my pregnancy with Dylan and was exhausted and nauseated and didn't get a chair. We raised our hands for Obama and Clinton and then they counted. It reminded me of voting in high school for your class president or something. The coolest part of the experience for me was when they counted the votes. It was 12 for Obama and 10 for Clinton. I was chatting with the girl next to me about the whole experience. We realized after the vote that our two votes made the difference of how many delegates Obama got. If we hadn't been there it would have been a tie. Shows how much your vote counts, especially for local races and primaries. Good lesson in democracy!
The third moment that was historical: Watching Obama get the nomination officially at the convention. I cried through most of Michelle Obama's speech, Ted Kennedy's appearance, Joe Biden's speech and then when I heard Hillary Clinton nominate him. It just made me realize how special this was. How great to see the first African American nominated to be the candidate for his party to be President! I made Zach watch even though he won't remember. He will, however, walk by the TV when Obama is on and say, "Look Mommy, Barack Obama." 9 times out of 10 he's correct. Sadly, sometimes it's Tiger Woods or another black man in a suit. Shows you how few people of color are on TV. He also thinks every referee is Granddad...could just be Zach's age too. :)
Finally, tonight. I saw Dixville Notch, NH (who were the drunk guys that came up with that name for a town) tally their votes and overwhelmingly vote for Obama. What a moment. Tomorrow will be so exciting - please God, I hope it goes the way I want. :) If not, I'll be in mourning for the next week or so. Please do not call me. :)
Although, I have to say I'm sad that his grandmother died tonight. It seems so unfair. His parents are both dead as well as his grandfather. All the people who worked so hard to raise him did not get to see this. It makes me tear up just thinking about it. It must be bittersweet. No matter how old we are we want our parents to be proud - no one will be there tomorrow that knew him as a baby. And to think your grandchild could be the first black man ever elected to President and imagine the bigotry they had to deal with while raising him, to not see it come to fruition??? Bittersweet. Thank goodness he was able to see her in her last days.
I'm glad I got to write this down so I will remember how this affected me and my kids will be able to read this someday. I hope that they will read this and not really understand what a big deal this is because they will have seen several nationalities, genders, etc elected to President and upper levels of government. Seriously, God bless America! What a great place to live!
GO VOTE!
A lot of you know how much I've been into Obama (drank the Kool Aid if you will). He got my attention at the Democratic Convention in 2004 and I thought, "he could be President someday." And lo and behold, here we are now.
Several days out of the past 20 months stand out in my mind. The first - I was able to go to his rally in Denver back in February at University of Denver. I waited in line for a couple of hours and it was pretty cold that day. The train to DU was so full I almost didn't get on (trains are usually not full in Denver or at least they weren't at that time). There were so many people at the rally that everyone didn't get in. I believe there were 14,000 people inside and many more still out on the Lacrosse field where you could see him via big screens. As we were shuttled inside, Amanda and I almost got pushed into a practice gym. We managed a way out and literally ran to find a seat in the main arena. Good thing, the practice gym was, in fact, overflow and he did talk to that crowd for a bit but we were in the main place. Caroline Kennedy spoke, which was a surprise. The Kennedy's had just endorsed him the day or two before, so it was super exciting to see her as well. The day was thrilling, inspiring and made me feel like a true part of history.
The 2nd day I remember was when I got a chance to caucus. Yes, Colorado is a caucus state. I drove down the street to the high school down the road and realized how big this election really was. The parking lot (which is huge) was already filling up. There was a line of cars waiting to just get in the lot. (I've driven by when school is getting in and it is not that busy even then.) It was just the Democratic caucus location so all these people were just Democrats. I waded through a TON of people to find my little lunch table that was my precinct. There were literally only 22 people from my precinct there. (Hundreds in the cafeteria, but only 22 from my voting precinct.) We waited and read through all the rules (kind of scary how little we knew and that we were all in charge - democracy at it's best or worst depending on how you feel about it). By the way, I was in the very early days of my pregnancy with Dylan and was exhausted and nauseated and didn't get a chair. We raised our hands for Obama and Clinton and then they counted. It reminded me of voting in high school for your class president or something. The coolest part of the experience for me was when they counted the votes. It was 12 for Obama and 10 for Clinton. I was chatting with the girl next to me about the whole experience. We realized after the vote that our two votes made the difference of how many delegates Obama got. If we hadn't been there it would have been a tie. Shows how much your vote counts, especially for local races and primaries. Good lesson in democracy!
The third moment that was historical: Watching Obama get the nomination officially at the convention. I cried through most of Michelle Obama's speech, Ted Kennedy's appearance, Joe Biden's speech and then when I heard Hillary Clinton nominate him. It just made me realize how special this was. How great to see the first African American nominated to be the candidate for his party to be President! I made Zach watch even though he won't remember. He will, however, walk by the TV when Obama is on and say, "Look Mommy, Barack Obama." 9 times out of 10 he's correct. Sadly, sometimes it's Tiger Woods or another black man in a suit. Shows you how few people of color are on TV. He also thinks every referee is Granddad...could just be Zach's age too. :)
Finally, tonight. I saw Dixville Notch, NH (who were the drunk guys that came up with that name for a town) tally their votes and overwhelmingly vote for Obama. What a moment. Tomorrow will be so exciting - please God, I hope it goes the way I want. :) If not, I'll be in mourning for the next week or so. Please do not call me. :)
Although, I have to say I'm sad that his grandmother died tonight. It seems so unfair. His parents are both dead as well as his grandfather. All the people who worked so hard to raise him did not get to see this. It makes me tear up just thinking about it. It must be bittersweet. No matter how old we are we want our parents to be proud - no one will be there tomorrow that knew him as a baby. And to think your grandchild could be the first black man ever elected to President and imagine the bigotry they had to deal with while raising him, to not see it come to fruition??? Bittersweet. Thank goodness he was able to see her in her last days.
I'm glad I got to write this down so I will remember how this affected me and my kids will be able to read this someday. I hope that they will read this and not really understand what a big deal this is because they will have seen several nationalities, genders, etc elected to President and upper levels of government. Seriously, God bless America! What a great place to live!
GO VOTE!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Halloween
Halloween was a success this year. Costumes were worn, candy was given and received. Zach was Superman and Dylan was my little Pickle. Get it, Dylan...Dill...Pickle. :)
As most of you who know my mom guessed, she made the costume while she was here the last couple of weeks. I think it turned out pretty cute myself. I figured this is the only year I can pick what he wears. Maybe next year, but after that it's all over. :)
Zach had a blast trick or treating. He was ready to run for the door when I mentioned it yesterday afternoon. I know it took what seemed like forever to him for it to get dark. We made it to a couple houses with Dylan. Then Craig and Dylan headed back for the house to hand out treats and Zach and I hit some more houses. There were a couple "scary" houses with spooky things at the door. He wasn't crazy about that, but loved that you could just get candy at all these houses. We had a small pumpkin for him to carry so it limited the amount of candy he got. Thank goodness. He's been on a sugar high ever since. :) We had fun and met some neighbors at the same time.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Pumpkin Patch
My parents were both in town this last weekend so we decided to head to the pumpkin patch for some fun. My Mom was here for two weeks helping me and my Dad came for the weekend to see the newest addition. It was nice having them here and seeing our new house, etc. We got to test the guest room. It seems to have passed the test, as well as the guest shower and the hot water heater.
We had a great time at the Pumpkin Patch. Dylan rode in the Baby Bjorn and after about 20 mins fell asleep for the rest of the afternoon. (I forgot how much newborns sleep.) Zach had a blast. He got to go down a big slide, walk through a hay maze, shoot little pumpkins from a sling shot, play in a big thing of corn (like a sand pile but better) and his favorite, the bouncy house caterpillar thing. I'd say he's about the perfect age for this place. And best of all, it was free to go. The only things we paid for were the pumpkin launch thing, the pumpkins we took home and some snacks. (Thanks Granddad and Grammy!)
We came back to the house and carved the pumpkins. We used the little cutout things you can buy now with the carving kits. I think they turned out great. Although, I had nothing to do with the actual carving. I left that to the other 3 adults. All together it was a fun day!
I put some pics on my Flickr account, but will attach some here too. My mom took a lot of the pics. She never seems to get photo credit, so I'm giving it now. She also took the announcement picture we are using for Dylan's announcement and took Zach's announcement pic too. What would we do without Gaynell and her camera!?!? :)
Our Halloween costumes for a party we went to Sat night. Craig was Magnum PI and I was a Hawaiin girl. I'm wearing a grass skirt - you just can't see it in the pic. The best costume at the party was Portia and Ellen on their wedding day. It was a husband and wife. The husband was Ellen and the wife was Portia. Wish I'd had my camera for a pic. It was classic! Right down to the white sneakers like Ellen's. :)
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Neurologist Appointment
We just got back from our Pediatric Neurologist appointment with Dylan. We had to drive to Springfield as it's the closest Pediatric Neurologist. Things went well. However, the doctor didn't have our chart. He starts off the appointment by saying, so Dylan had some seizures. Was his birth normal? Really?!?! We had to explain everything. And Craig and I realized how little we know about Neurology. Not surprising. Long story, but the Neurologist who read Dylan's EEGs in the hospital was not the same doctor. They hadn't transferred our records so he had NO idea about what had happened. We tried explaining, but then he'd ask us a question like, "What was his APGAR score?" Okay, from talking to the nurses I knew he had a 1 at birth and a 1 at 5 mins and then a 6. So we tell the doc that and he says, what time was the 6? Again, really?!? I'm suppose to know that off the top of my head. Luckily, one of us wasn't on morphine when all this was happening so Craig was able to remember a little more than me.
The exam went well. He tested his reflexes, checked that his eyes track well, dropped him on the table...yes, he really did. It made me nervous, but he did it to check his startle reflex and it was only an inch or two. Still, makes a mom nervous when you drop her baby onto a table. Anyway, he said his exam looked good. We will go back in a month to have another EEG and see if we can take him off his meds. Long term, he said with issues like his at birth you can see seizures that occur later or possibly impaired learning. Just as the other doctors said, you just watch to see if he hits his milestones like he's suppose to and that he continues to grow normally. Great, as if I needed more pressure on hitting the milestones. The next thing I'll read is some article in Parenting magazine about how you shouldn't worry too much about the milestones because all kids will hit them at different ages. All good news though. Still nothing major to be concerned about.
The latest on not crying. We have learned that he can cry (the instance in the car). However, it still seems he just isn't a big cryer. They drew his blood for newborn screening and he didn't even shed a tear. He has cried a couple more times when he's been ignored for too long or held in an awkward position. But still doesn't wake up crying at night for food or anything. My friend, Amanda, has said her boys were like this too, so I'm trying to just chalk it up to normal baby stuff and thank God he's not colicky or anything. It is nice to not have a real cryer, now that I can relax that he's otherwise healthy. And this go around, I'm letting him sleep as long as he wants to...none of that waking a baby to eat at night stuff. He's gaining weight just fine (10lbs, 8oz yesterday), so he's clearly making up for it during the day. He seems to sleep from about 11-4 or 5 some nights. Pretty good for a 1 month old.
So that's the latest on Dylan. I'll post some more pics and will write a little on the Pumpkin Patch trip this weekend with my parents. Fun times. :)
The exam went well. He tested his reflexes, checked that his eyes track well, dropped him on the table...yes, he really did. It made me nervous, but he did it to check his startle reflex and it was only an inch or two. Still, makes a mom nervous when you drop her baby onto a table. Anyway, he said his exam looked good. We will go back in a month to have another EEG and see if we can take him off his meds. Long term, he said with issues like his at birth you can see seizures that occur later or possibly impaired learning. Just as the other doctors said, you just watch to see if he hits his milestones like he's suppose to and that he continues to grow normally. Great, as if I needed more pressure on hitting the milestones. The next thing I'll read is some article in Parenting magazine about how you shouldn't worry too much about the milestones because all kids will hit them at different ages. All good news though. Still nothing major to be concerned about.
The latest on not crying. We have learned that he can cry (the instance in the car). However, it still seems he just isn't a big cryer. They drew his blood for newborn screening and he didn't even shed a tear. He has cried a couple more times when he's been ignored for too long or held in an awkward position. But still doesn't wake up crying at night for food or anything. My friend, Amanda, has said her boys were like this too, so I'm trying to just chalk it up to normal baby stuff and thank God he's not colicky or anything. It is nice to not have a real cryer, now that I can relax that he's otherwise healthy. And this go around, I'm letting him sleep as long as he wants to...none of that waking a baby to eat at night stuff. He's gaining weight just fine (10lbs, 8oz yesterday), so he's clearly making up for it during the day. He seems to sleep from about 11-4 or 5 some nights. Pretty good for a 1 month old.
So that's the latest on Dylan. I'll post some more pics and will write a little on the Pumpkin Patch trip this weekend with my parents. Fun times. :)
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Meatball...
This is just a funny story I have to write down before I forget.
For a little history, Craig's Dad calls Zach "Meatball". Don't ask me why, but more or less because it drives Zach crazy. He normally says in a very irritated tone, "I not Meatball, I Zachy."
During one of the days at the hospital while Zach was staying with Craig's parents, Craig and Zach went on a walk around the halls to catch up and bond a little. Zach turns to Craig and says, "Daddy, you my best friend." Craig asks, "Oh, why's that?" Zach replies, "You no call me Meatball."
I laughed so hard, it hurt my stitches! :)
For a little history, Craig's Dad calls Zach "Meatball". Don't ask me why, but more or less because it drives Zach crazy. He normally says in a very irritated tone, "I not Meatball, I Zachy."
During one of the days at the hospital while Zach was staying with Craig's parents, Craig and Zach went on a walk around the halls to catch up and bond a little. Zach turns to Craig and says, "Daddy, you my best friend." Craig asks, "Oh, why's that?" Zach replies, "You no call me Meatball."
I laughed so hard, it hurt my stitches! :)
Dylan Update
All is going well. We have been home now for a week. Some days it seems like weeks and some days it feels like just a couple of days. He had his 2 week pediatrician appointment on Tuesday and it went well. He's obviously eating well since he has gained 1lb 1oz since birth. So he's 9lbs 12oz. A big growing boy.
He broke the seal on crying. Of course, it was in the car on the way to the Dr and I had to find a place to pull over and adjust his carseat. The same thing happened with Zach, but with Zach it took me a month to figure out why he hated his carseat so much. This time around I was much wiser and realized it is the stupid infant inserts. These are evidently made for petite babies who need a more snug fit. Not an issue with my large babies. Took the insert out for Dylan and he was much happier. Zach was not happy about Dylan's crying. He'd never heard it and was extremely upset at the fact that Dylan was so upset. Zach put his hands over his ears and had tears in his eyes telling me how upset Dylan was. It was very sweet. I had to explain to him how babies cry a lot but they are okay. They are just telling Mommy that they need something. I'm not sure he gets it.
Things seem to be going well. He is still on anti-seizure medication since his last EEG in the hospital showed some "potential" for seizures. He takes the med 2x's a day and will hopefully be able to come off of them within a month or two. Other than that, you really wouldn't know there was ever anything wrong with him. It's really still amazing to me. I just keep marvelling at my little miracle baby.
My mom is here visiting from Florida (for those of you who hadn't heard, the Smith's moved to FL). She's loving being able to spend time with both the boys and has been a great help to me. Laundry, changing diapers, entertaining Zach and letting me nap! I now know why Angelina Jolie can have 5 children. If you get this much help, it seems like 5 kids wouldn't be so bad. My dad is coming in next weekend to see Dylan and Zach too. I think we're going to try and hit the pumpkin patch in town. Should be fun!
Will attach some photos on my Flickr account. I think I can make a link to it? Will try and see how that goes.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
There's no place like home, there's no place like home...
We're home! We came home on Tuesday afternoon. Monday night we were able to stay at the hospital and "room in". They have all NICU babies stay with Mom and Dad overnight the night before they come home. It's a test run to make sure you're comfortable with dealing with baby all alone. (The preemie mom's have it much tougher with some going home on monitors and oxygen to manage - not to mention they are like 4 lbs!) We were grateful to get the test run. Even though we have done the newborn thing, it's a little scary when you are so use to the close monitoring all the time. My mom asked if it was a test, what if we failed? Who would get Dylan!?! I said she could try and fly here and beat Chris to the punch, but it would be an ugly fight. :) I also told her there were some nurses in the NICU that kind of took a liking to him. I pictured them keeping him like the cat at a vets office. Just have him be the little NICU child. HA!
Since we passed with flying colors, off we went back to Pittsburg. We had a car full of stuff we'd accumulated over the week and a "It's a Boy" balloon in the front seat. (I rode in the back to keep an eye on Dylan.) :) Zach came home later in the afternoon to meet his baby brother. He was thrilled and has been such a good big brother so far. All night he kept going over to the bassinet to check on Dylan if he made any little noise. He'd say, "Don't cry baby, it ok." He has quite the heart.
Dylan is doing fabulous. We are all hanging in there and adjusting to life with a newborn and a 2 1/2 year old. The only problem we're having is that Dylan still doesn't cry. The doctor looked at me like I was crazy when I asked about this at the hospital. His first response was, "Maybe he hasn't had anything to cry about. We take pretty good care of him. I'm sure I could make him cry." So I didn't worry too much more about it, but mentioned it to his nurses so they could tell me if they heard him cry. One nurse, Rachel, went with him to his circumcision. We thought for sure she'd hear him cry. He didn't. So when the doctor was dismissing him, she mentioned it to him. Dr. Topper tried to make him cry by pinching etc and no cry. He did note it on his chart. We'll follow up at 6 months to see if anything is still wrong. He thinks it's from the intubation and that his vocal chords are just irritated. The important things like breathing, swallowing properly, etc are fine so it just may be some mild irritation.
Now, you might think, who cares if he can't cry, it's nice to have a baby not cry. Actually, it makes you quite crazy. How do you know when to feed him in the middle of the night if he's not crying? How are you sure that his older brother hasn't thrown a toy in the bassinet and hit him in the head if you don't hear a cry? Just because he can't cry, doesn't me he doesn't need me. I find myself checking on him a lot more than I would have with Zach. Any little grunt/noise, I have to check his face to make sure he's not really uncomfortable. I'm starting to learn his grunts too. I'm hoping this will clear up in a couple of weeks. We'll see.
On top of all this chaos, Craig went to Urgent Care today because he has a kidney stone. Really?!!? This is not the best timing for this. He had one in the past and it was pretty painful. They compare it to childbirth. Ironic, huh?!?! He does have some pain meds to help until he can pass it, but he's pretty uncomfortable right now and not able to do a whole lot around the house. Luckily, I'm recovering nicely and feeling a little more like myself.
I will try and post some pics of Zach and Dylan. They are pretty cute together, if I do say so myself.
***For those of you who know how much I love the Wizard of Oz and now living in Kansas, of course that would be the title of my post! :)
Since we passed with flying colors, off we went back to Pittsburg. We had a car full of stuff we'd accumulated over the week and a "It's a Boy" balloon in the front seat. (I rode in the back to keep an eye on Dylan.) :) Zach came home later in the afternoon to meet his baby brother. He was thrilled and has been such a good big brother so far. All night he kept going over to the bassinet to check on Dylan if he made any little noise. He'd say, "Don't cry baby, it ok." He has quite the heart.
Dylan is doing fabulous. We are all hanging in there and adjusting to life with a newborn and a 2 1/2 year old. The only problem we're having is that Dylan still doesn't cry. The doctor looked at me like I was crazy when I asked about this at the hospital. His first response was, "Maybe he hasn't had anything to cry about. We take pretty good care of him. I'm sure I could make him cry." So I didn't worry too much more about it, but mentioned it to his nurses so they could tell me if they heard him cry. One nurse, Rachel, went with him to his circumcision. We thought for sure she'd hear him cry. He didn't. So when the doctor was dismissing him, she mentioned it to him. Dr. Topper tried to make him cry by pinching etc and no cry. He did note it on his chart. We'll follow up at 6 months to see if anything is still wrong. He thinks it's from the intubation and that his vocal chords are just irritated. The important things like breathing, swallowing properly, etc are fine so it just may be some mild irritation.
Now, you might think, who cares if he can't cry, it's nice to have a baby not cry. Actually, it makes you quite crazy. How do you know when to feed him in the middle of the night if he's not crying? How are you sure that his older brother hasn't thrown a toy in the bassinet and hit him in the head if you don't hear a cry? Just because he can't cry, doesn't me he doesn't need me. I find myself checking on him a lot more than I would have with Zach. Any little grunt/noise, I have to check his face to make sure he's not really uncomfortable. I'm starting to learn his grunts too. I'm hoping this will clear up in a couple of weeks. We'll see.
On top of all this chaos, Craig went to Urgent Care today because he has a kidney stone. Really?!!? This is not the best timing for this. He had one in the past and it was pretty painful. They compare it to childbirth. Ironic, huh?!?! He does have some pain meds to help until he can pass it, but he's pretty uncomfortable right now and not able to do a whole lot around the house. Luckily, I'm recovering nicely and feeling a little more like myself.
I will try and post some pics of Zach and Dylan. They are pretty cute together, if I do say so myself.
***For those of you who know how much I love the Wizard of Oz and now living in Kansas, of course that would be the title of my post! :)
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Thank you!
I'm not sure how to begin this post except to say, "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you." Craig and I have received such an outpouring of love and support over the last week that we feel truly blessed. I have NO doubt that all the prayers are the reason we've seen such dramatic improvement in Dylan.
Warning: I'm about to get on my soapbox.
My faith was first tested and then renewed and stregthened by the events of this week. When things were at their worst, laying on the table wondering what was going to happen to my baby all I could do was pray. There was nothing left for me to do except give it to God and I did. Although I was extremely emotional throughout the week and brought to tears many times (and still am). I never lost a deep seeded feeling that everything was going to be fine. I can NOT explain this unfound sense of peace that I have felt all week other than God holding me tight. I would get nervous about a test result but when they would say, "it looked good." I just felt like, yes, that's what you're suppose to say. All week I told Craig, things are going to be okay. I never felt once Dylan wouldn't make dramatic improvements. When I did start to think about the "what if's", I was reassured that I would get through that too. Some how. Some way. I also wonder how I would act if things had gone a different way, but quickly decide not to dwell on that and just look to the future. I truly believe God has worked a miracle in Dylan's recovery and my ability to deal with this event.
With all that said, everyone's prayers were also a powerful part of that faith. We had so many people praying for us that I'm sure I felt the power of that too. Thank you! Thank you for the emails with such kind, powerful and encouraging words for Craig and me. We again feel truly blessed.
Finally, lots of people have said, "Let us know if we can help." I've often said this to friends when they are going through a tough time. I never know how to help, but really want to be able to offer some support. Most of you are far away, so help with Zach, Dylan or meals is just not possible. I've been doing a lot of thinking and want to extend a way that we would really appreciate your help. We have been staying at the Ronald McDonald house since Wednesday. It has been the best thing for us. Zach can come visit and have a place to play while we hang out with him. It's hard to get him to leave the great playroom and playground outside. He calls Ronald...Mr. Donald and thinks he's from Old MacDonald. We can get to the hospital in literally 5 mins, including parking and walking in. It's inexpensive ($10 a night) and we have a fridge, coffee maker, stove, etc at our disposal. We've also seen many other families here with longer stays ahead of them and probably a tougher budget situation than Craig and me. It's really a great service to this community. With that said, if you'd like, we would love if you made a donation in honor of Dylan to the Ronald McDonald House of the Four States.
Here's the address to send any donation and please note Dylan Ward on the memo line.
Please contact us at:
Ronald McDonald House of the Four States
PO Box 2688
Joplin, MO 64803
or
3402 S. Jackson
Joplin, MO 64804
Phone: (417) 624-CARE
Fax: (417) 624-0270
Again, thank you!
Keep scrolling if you're looking for the update on Dylan's condition.
Warning: I'm about to get on my soapbox.
My faith was first tested and then renewed and stregthened by the events of this week. When things were at their worst, laying on the table wondering what was going to happen to my baby all I could do was pray. There was nothing left for me to do except give it to God and I did. Although I was extremely emotional throughout the week and brought to tears many times (and still am). I never lost a deep seeded feeling that everything was going to be fine. I can NOT explain this unfound sense of peace that I have felt all week other than God holding me tight. I would get nervous about a test result but when they would say, "it looked good." I just felt like, yes, that's what you're suppose to say. All week I told Craig, things are going to be okay. I never felt once Dylan wouldn't make dramatic improvements. When I did start to think about the "what if's", I was reassured that I would get through that too. Some how. Some way. I also wonder how I would act if things had gone a different way, but quickly decide not to dwell on that and just look to the future. I truly believe God has worked a miracle in Dylan's recovery and my ability to deal with this event.
With all that said, everyone's prayers were also a powerful part of that faith. We had so many people praying for us that I'm sure I felt the power of that too. Thank you! Thank you for the emails with such kind, powerful and encouraging words for Craig and me. We again feel truly blessed.
Finally, lots of people have said, "Let us know if we can help." I've often said this to friends when they are going through a tough time. I never know how to help, but really want to be able to offer some support. Most of you are far away, so help with Zach, Dylan or meals is just not possible. I've been doing a lot of thinking and want to extend a way that we would really appreciate your help. We have been staying at the Ronald McDonald house since Wednesday. It has been the best thing for us. Zach can come visit and have a place to play while we hang out with him. It's hard to get him to leave the great playroom and playground outside. He calls Ronald...Mr. Donald and thinks he's from Old MacDonald. We can get to the hospital in literally 5 mins, including parking and walking in. It's inexpensive ($10 a night) and we have a fridge, coffee maker, stove, etc at our disposal. We've also seen many other families here with longer stays ahead of them and probably a tougher budget situation than Craig and me. It's really a great service to this community. With that said, if you'd like, we would love if you made a donation in honor of Dylan to the Ronald McDonald House of the Four States.
Here's the address to send any donation and please note Dylan Ward on the memo line.
Please contact us at:
Ronald McDonald House of the Four States
PO Box 2688
Joplin, MO 64803
or
3402 S. Jackson
Joplin, MO 64804
Phone: (417) 624-CARE
Fax: (417) 624-0270
Again, thank you!
Keep scrolling if you're looking for the update on Dylan's condition.
My Miracle Baby Update - Sunday
I can't believe it's been a week since we had Dylan. It seems more like a month. Days are busy and filled with visits and milestones but tiring with recovery for me and pumping to keep up with Dylan.
To update on his status, he's come off of all IV's as of Friday. They have been able to take blood via his foot and give medicines orally. He really started opening his eyes and looking alert on Thursday/Friday. He was able to try and breastfeed on his own on Thursday, but was too sleepy with meds to really try. Friday we tried again and he latched on but didn't last long when he found out the bottle was much easier. Saturday was also frustrating with little interest in breastfeeding, but a lot of interest in the bottle. I was beginning to see my future of pumping and bottle feeding which would be nearly impossible with a 2 year old at home. This morning he "made me happy" (as Zach would say) b/c he took the breast for 20 mins (just like a typical newborn) and THEN finished his bottle of 2 1/2 oz. I keep saying, "He didn't get to be 8lbs 11oz by being shy about eating." He has a great appetite just like his big brother did. Feeding is going great. The Neonatologist said that the most complex thing a baby does is suck and swallow. He's doing that really well so that's a great sign for his overall health.
MRI was done Thursday and we just found out the results yesterday afternoon. It showed only swelling. Which is good. There were no signs of stroke or any major concerns at this time. Whew! He will need a follow-up EEG on Monday to evaluate improvement from last week. The doctor that examined him on Saturday said that if you didn't know his history you wouldn't know there were any concerns. He's acting just like a typical newborn. Double Whew!
The best news, we received this morning. He's being fed by bottle/breast 100% of the time starting this morning. They took out his feeding tube and his oxygen came off too. No more tubes! He only has some monitors that are just stuck on like stickers. If the EEG goes well and he continues to feed orally and no oxygen problems, he can come home on TUESDAY! That's much earlier than Craig and I had ever expected! We are so thrilled to be able to take him home and start our new family together. Part of me will be very nervous to have him without monitors to tell me he's breathing fine and his heart is at the right rate, etc. But I'm sure we'll be just fine once we get settled into our little routine. :)
I'm posting two videos with this posting. The 1st video Craig took the evening after he was born. I wasn't able to get to the NICU b/c of my recovery and he took video so I could see him again for myself. He has on the ear muffs to keep out noise, the intubation to help him breath and his head has an ice pack on it to keep the swelling down. He's also swollen from all the fluids they needed to give him. His hands are clenched unnaturally too. Craig also calls him Zach in the video. He's quit doing that now. :) The 2nd one we took today and it's Dylan looking absolutely fabulous. The videos next to each other are quite remarkable.
The nurses really do call him a miracle baby. None of them thought he'd do as well as he has done. Amen! Look for another post of all my thank you's for all the prayers, emails, etc!
To update on his status, he's come off of all IV's as of Friday. They have been able to take blood via his foot and give medicines orally. He really started opening his eyes and looking alert on Thursday/Friday. He was able to try and breastfeed on his own on Thursday, but was too sleepy with meds to really try. Friday we tried again and he latched on but didn't last long when he found out the bottle was much easier. Saturday was also frustrating with little interest in breastfeeding, but a lot of interest in the bottle. I was beginning to see my future of pumping and bottle feeding which would be nearly impossible with a 2 year old at home. This morning he "made me happy" (as Zach would say) b/c he took the breast for 20 mins (just like a typical newborn) and THEN finished his bottle of 2 1/2 oz. I keep saying, "He didn't get to be 8lbs 11oz by being shy about eating." He has a great appetite just like his big brother did. Feeding is going great. The Neonatologist said that the most complex thing a baby does is suck and swallow. He's doing that really well so that's a great sign for his overall health.
MRI was done Thursday and we just found out the results yesterday afternoon. It showed only swelling. Which is good. There were no signs of stroke or any major concerns at this time. Whew! He will need a follow-up EEG on Monday to evaluate improvement from last week. The doctor that examined him on Saturday said that if you didn't know his history you wouldn't know there were any concerns. He's acting just like a typical newborn. Double Whew!
The best news, we received this morning. He's being fed by bottle/breast 100% of the time starting this morning. They took out his feeding tube and his oxygen came off too. No more tubes! He only has some monitors that are just stuck on like stickers. If the EEG goes well and he continues to feed orally and no oxygen problems, he can come home on TUESDAY! That's much earlier than Craig and I had ever expected! We are so thrilled to be able to take him home and start our new family together. Part of me will be very nervous to have him without monitors to tell me he's breathing fine and his heart is at the right rate, etc. But I'm sure we'll be just fine once we get settled into our little routine. :)
I'm posting two videos with this posting. The 1st video Craig took the evening after he was born. I wasn't able to get to the NICU b/c of my recovery and he took video so I could see him again for myself. He has on the ear muffs to keep out noise, the intubation to help him breath and his head has an ice pack on it to keep the swelling down. He's also swollen from all the fluids they needed to give him. His hands are clenched unnaturally too. Craig also calls him Zach in the video. He's quit doing that now. :) The 2nd one we took today and it's Dylan looking absolutely fabulous. The videos next to each other are quite remarkable.
The nurses really do call him a miracle baby. None of them thought he'd do as well as he has done. Amen! Look for another post of all my thank you's for all the prayers, emails, etc!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Dylan Randall Ward
Where to start?
How ironic my previous posting title was? No, evidently the 2nd isn't easier.
About 2am Saturday morning it became apparent that I was in full labor and ready to go to the hospital. We arrived in Joplin at about 3:45am and got checked into Labor and Delivery. I got a spinal block and was ready to push around 7:00am, I think. We pushed for awhile and then realized the block was wearing off and I needed another. Received the second block, my blood pressure dropped and Dylan's heartrate dropped dramatically. The nurse and midwife tried for a few mins to adjust me to get better response. The doctor then came in and explained to me that Dylan's heartrate had dropped and now we needed to do an emergency c-section to get baby out immediately. Off I went to the OR. It was organized chaos as they prepped little and cut quickly.
They took Dylan out quickly although I heard nothing. No crying, etc. Scary. I now know he came out with little life in him. If you know about APGAR scores (which I didn't really know too much before now), his was a 1 out of 10. That's not good. They did have to breath for him b/c he wasn't breathing on his own. They did not have to do chest compression b/c his heartrate stayed above 60 the entire time. Hence the 1 score and not a 0. They showed me Dylan and then ran him to the NICU to work on him thoroughly. They finished me up but had to let me "sleep" to finish - have me tell you that story over some drinks sometime - whacky experience for me. I do NOT recommend ketamine (sp?). :)
The first 24 hours were very grim for Dylan. He responded to little. His eyes were reactive to a flashlight and his EEG (brain activity) showed a weak charge but little else. He had many seizures during the day and they pumped him full of phenobarbitol (sp?). He had a tube to do his breathing for him. The NICU nurse, Kelly, said that she went home Saturday and told herself she wouldn't be sad until tomorrow. The 1st 24 hours can change a lot. Since then, he's shown amazing improvement. They got to remove his breathing tube by Sunday and I got to hold him for the 1st time. They have done a CT scan that showed no lesions and no stroke. A follow up EEG was done on Monday and showed great improvement in brain activity. He's loosened his hands (which were tightly up around his neck and rolled in) and his legs have loosened up some too. The seizures stopped almost completely by Sunday or Monday. He opened his eyes some and cried some too (he really didn't like the oxygen hood they put on him). Today was a big day (Wednesday) b/c he took a whole bottle on his own. They will continue to only do 1 or 2 feedings by bottle until he gets the hang of it. I'm really hoping to be able to actually nurse him sooner than later. Friday they will do an MRI to get a better look at the swelling. I believe that's the biggest question right now, how much swelling is in the brain and did it do damage that is not reversable. So far, he's impressing all the nurses. They are just as thrilled as we are when he makes these seemingly tiny baby steps.
So, what's this mean? It means he's doing much better than was expected on Saturday. It means we won't know completely the long term results until he's probably 2 years old or maybe later. It means he's a fighter and has had a rough life the last few days. We just continue to pray that God will make him whole and help him and us through these next few weeks/months, especially. Craig and I have just been so touched at the outpouring of support and love from everyone. Strangers, friends and family alike. People really are amazing. The nurses and doctors here have been so great and encouraging. I will definitely be posting more about all the support and stories I've heard the last 4 days.
I will continue to post updates on how he's doing. We are being kicked out of the hospital today, but will be staying at the Ronald McDonald house just down the street. We are hoping to be home by next Sat. at the latest. Zach has been staying with his grandparents and having a blast. Although he is a little sad he can't hold Baby Di-Wen (so cute). He gets to look through the outside window at his brother. He's colored pics and we've put up pics of Zach for Dylan to look at too. He misses us and of course, we miss him terribly, but he will be able to stay with us at Ronald McDonald some too. He's being a great big brother so far.
Thank you again for all your support and prayers. Please continue to think of us and I'll continue to update everyone as I know more. I'll attach some pics below of our sweetheart. He's really beautiful if I do say so myself - lots of dark hair (?) and yes, he's huge at 8lbs 11oz - no, I don't know where all that baby was! :)
Friday, September 26, 2008
Isn't the 2nd one suppose to be easier????
"Focus on your long-term goal. Your wish will be granted next year." - My fortune cookie last night
Ever wanted to cry over a fortune cookie? Pregnant women who are 39 weeks and just want to have a baby that minute, do. Next year, really?!?!?
That was last night. We went out for Chinese food b/c another old wives tale that it's suppose to help induce labor. I was having good, consistent, mild contractions all day yesterday and was thinking it could be anytime. I went to bed last night, not feeling much and having the contractions settle to about every 15 mins or so. I went for 2 walks around the neighborhood and was considering a trampoline for awhile. (I'm sure the neighbors were talking about the big preggo lady they haven't met walking around the neighborhood.)
This morning I woke up with some stronger contractions coming about 8 mins apart. I called the doc to just see what protocol was for them. Being an hour away from the hospital makes me a little nervous about getting there on time. They said I could come in and get checked just to see what was going on. So I packed up Zach's things and Craig came home. We took Zach to Grandma's and headed to the doc. Turned out we were too late to be seen before their 1 1/2 lunch break so we ended up shopping/walking around all the stores trying to help things along and waste some time. Of course, as we're on our way to the doc's office, my contractions almost completely stop. I was monitored and examined only to find - NO progress. Back home we went. I rested some this evening and drank some of my tea (which I'm starting to doubt now!). Things seem to start to turn for me at about 5am so I'm hoping tomorrow morning I will have some killer contractions and really be ready to have this baby.
Funny thing, this is EXACTLY how Zach's labor went. 1 day of discomfort, 1 day of a false alarm and then the next day was IT...let's pray it keeps going that way. :) I'm also praying for an easier delivery though. Any help would be appreciated (praying for me that is!)! Can't wait to post pics of this guy...soon.
Ever wanted to cry over a fortune cookie? Pregnant women who are 39 weeks and just want to have a baby that minute, do. Next year, really?!?!?
That was last night. We went out for Chinese food b/c another old wives tale that it's suppose to help induce labor. I was having good, consistent, mild contractions all day yesterday and was thinking it could be anytime. I went to bed last night, not feeling much and having the contractions settle to about every 15 mins or so. I went for 2 walks around the neighborhood and was considering a trampoline for awhile. (I'm sure the neighbors were talking about the big preggo lady they haven't met walking around the neighborhood.)
This morning I woke up with some stronger contractions coming about 8 mins apart. I called the doc to just see what protocol was for them. Being an hour away from the hospital makes me a little nervous about getting there on time. They said I could come in and get checked just to see what was going on. So I packed up Zach's things and Craig came home. We took Zach to Grandma's and headed to the doc. Turned out we were too late to be seen before their 1 1/2 lunch break so we ended up shopping/walking around all the stores trying to help things along and waste some time. Of course, as we're on our way to the doc's office, my contractions almost completely stop. I was monitored and examined only to find - NO progress. Back home we went. I rested some this evening and drank some of my tea (which I'm starting to doubt now!). Things seem to start to turn for me at about 5am so I'm hoping tomorrow morning I will have some killer contractions and really be ready to have this baby.
Funny thing, this is EXACTLY how Zach's labor went. 1 day of discomfort, 1 day of a false alarm and then the next day was IT...let's pray it keeps going that way. :) I'm also praying for an easier delivery though. Any help would be appreciated (praying for me that is!)! Can't wait to post pics of this guy...soon.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Update for this week (still 38 weeks)
Well, it's still a "pregnancy" update, so no baby yet...
I went to the doctor on Monday morning. Sunday I had some "signs" that I should be going into labor (according to books I've read) within 24-72 hours. I was a little hopeful that the doctor would see some real progress. There was some progress. I went from 1cm dialated to 2 1/2 cm and from 50% effaced to 75% effaced. (If you don't know what that means, you don't want me to tell you. Just know at time of actual baby delivery you are 10cm and 100%.) So it means there's been some progress by my body but nothing too substantial. I left the doctor's office with another appointment for next Tuesday and the thought that we will schedule an induction on Thursday. Thursday will be my actual, original due date - October 2nd. I NEVER thought in a million years, that I would be making it to my due date. Neither did my doctor. She still is shocked to see me each week. After much consideration, I've decided to just focus on the 2nd and anything sooner than that will be a surprise. He seems to be comfortable and content to stay put where he is. I, however, am not comfortable or content, but am trying to accept things as they are. :) Yes, I'm still drinking my tea and taking some supplements. They are all good things that will only help with labor and I'm finding myself enjoying my tea breaks throughout the day.
Will keep everyone posted as things progress...hopefully! :) I hope you're all enjoying the beautiful fall weather. I'm so happy it's cooled down some and I am enjoying a refreshing change from summer.
I went to the doctor on Monday morning. Sunday I had some "signs" that I should be going into labor (according to books I've read) within 24-72 hours. I was a little hopeful that the doctor would see some real progress. There was some progress. I went from 1cm dialated to 2 1/2 cm and from 50% effaced to 75% effaced. (If you don't know what that means, you don't want me to tell you. Just know at time of actual baby delivery you are 10cm and 100%.) So it means there's been some progress by my body but nothing too substantial. I left the doctor's office with another appointment for next Tuesday and the thought that we will schedule an induction on Thursday. Thursday will be my actual, original due date - October 2nd. I NEVER thought in a million years, that I would be making it to my due date. Neither did my doctor. She still is shocked to see me each week. After much consideration, I've decided to just focus on the 2nd and anything sooner than that will be a surprise. He seems to be comfortable and content to stay put where he is. I, however, am not comfortable or content, but am trying to accept things as they are. :) Yes, I'm still drinking my tea and taking some supplements. They are all good things that will only help with labor and I'm finding myself enjoying my tea breaks throughout the day.
Will keep everyone posted as things progress...hopefully! :) I hope you're all enjoying the beautiful fall weather. I'm so happy it's cooled down some and I am enjoying a refreshing change from summer.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
The Lengths I'll Go To...
You all know me, so you know that I'm not good with just waiting for things to take their course. I feel I must have something to say about everything, even if it's when a baby is born. HA! God laughs at my self-importance. Today I resorted to some herbal teas. I've done some research and found that Red Raspberry Leaf Tea, Chamoille and Evening Primrose are all herbs/teas that will help your body along with preparing for labor. With that said, it "helps prepare" it doesn't start anything that you're body isn't already doing on it's own.
Off I drove to Joplin, to get my tea, as there's no local place that carries much natural food products. I walk into the store and the guy behind the counter asks if he can help me with anything. I said, "Yes, I'm looking for your teas." He says, "Teas, right. Do you need the Red Raspberry Leaf?" I return with, "Is it that obvious?" He proceeds to ask me when I "WAS" due - not am due - WAS. I said, "Oh no, I'm not due for another 2 weeks." He was shocked. I said, "I know, there's no more room for any more baby to grow in here!"
So here I sit with my cup of tea and hoping for things to progress. Patience, Jill, patience.
Off I drove to Joplin, to get my tea, as there's no local place that carries much natural food products. I walk into the store and the guy behind the counter asks if he can help me with anything. I said, "Yes, I'm looking for your teas." He says, "Teas, right. Do you need the Red Raspberry Leaf?" I return with, "Is it that obvious?" He proceeds to ask me when I "WAS" due - not am due - WAS. I said, "Oh no, I'm not due for another 2 weeks." He was shocked. I said, "I know, there's no more room for any more baby to grow in here!"
So here I sit with my cup of tea and hoping for things to progress. Patience, Jill, patience.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Tumble Time
Zach went for his first Tumbling class on Tuesday night. It's a "parent-tot" class so the parent was Craig. This parent wasn't tumbling for anything. It turned out to be succesful evening. He was the only boy and Craig was the only Dad that was participating. (There were other Dad's but they were watching with me on the sidelines.) Both boys did great. Zach had a great time stretching, running and climbing on everything. As the only boy, he was the only one that ran around the gym in circles for about 5 mins. Anything to get out that extra energy is great for me! Especially if I don't have to chase him. I did take a couple of pictures. As he's crawling around like a tiger (one of the activities), I started to take his pic. He turned to me and said "Cheese" and then ran over to the camera to see his picture. I've created a monster! What a ham!
Here's a picture of Zach with one of his future girlfriends. I told him this was the perfect place to meet the ladies.The pic below he is on one of his 40 laps around the little 
gym.
gym.38 Week Pregnancy Update
No baby yet. Sigh. The doctor's appointment went well on Tuesday. No more progress, but still healthy and strong baby. She did finally say that we'd talk about scheduling an induction at our appointment next week. She doesn't like to deliver before 39 weeks, so we'll be looking at no earlier than the week after next. I'd love to have him make his own appearance sooner. My parents are mid-move so it will be a challenge for my Mom to get here after he's born. I'm sure she'll find some way to make it to at least hold him before she has to go back and unpack all her belongings in Florida. They have given their blessing for him to come this weekend (which would be great!). Craig's parents are ready and waiting on call for Zach duty when the time comes. :)Time will tell. I will definitely post when we get some pics and deliver this long awaited baby!
Zach has been asking, "Why that baby not come out yet, mommy?" Oh, Zach, if you only knew... Amen, buddy!
Zach has been asking, "Why that baby not come out yet, mommy?" Oh, Zach, if you only knew... Amen, buddy!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
37 Week Update
Okay, so now I'm really ready to have this baby and have definitely cursed myself into a long pregnancy. This week's appointment was same as last week's. No more progress...bummer. But baby's heart beat sounded great and I couldn't get any idea of how big this little one might be when he comes out. I'm a wee bit concerned about his head since Zach's was so huge. I guess we'll know when we know. :)
Other than that, we are plugging along on the new house. Craig's been working really hard on cleaning up the outside with weeding and trimming all the ovegrown trees. The people that we bought the house from only lived here about 2 years and we think maybe they didn't do ANY yard work in 2 years. Hence, the crazy overgrown weeds and out of control grass, etc. It has lots of potential b/c the previous owners evidently did some great landscaping (according to Alden our friendly neighbor). (Alden reminds me of what my Dad will be in about 30 years - has a great yard that he's always working on and even composts. He's thrilled that Craig and I are working on the house and yard.) We just have to find those plants that are still around and figure out how to get them to grow again. Since our yard was about 50X50 in Denver, this is our first real experience with yard work. It's proving to be challening and a lot more work than we realized.
I wanted to go ahead and put up some pics for fun. One is of me last weekend. I had Craig take it so I could remember exactly how big I get. I'm still not sure if this pic does it justice - I mean, I'm HUGE right now! :) There's NO more room for this baby.
The other pic is of Zach "adjusting" to the new baby coming. This would be the infant car seat we were cleaning up and him with his baby doll watching tv. What is that about "regression"? 
Thursday, September 4, 2008
36 Week Update
Okay, so I'm heading into the home stretch. I went to the doc yesterday. I've had a bad cold/cough and asked the doc if it was possible to cough out a baby. She reassured me that she's only seen that happen during active labor (which is kind of a funny thought in itself). She did my exam and said maybe I had caused some progress with all the coughing. The baby was way down. I'm dilated 1-2 cm and 50% effaced. So progress is happening. However, it really means nothing. A lot of women have this for weeks before delivering. I didn't have this with Zach but I was on bedrest and meds to keep this from happening. We shall see.
The funny thing is that when the baby drops they call it "lightening". Really!?! Cause it feels LOTS heavier to me, not lighter. However, the blessing is the heartburn is somewhat better and I can breath a little easier too now that the lungs have some room to expand. I'll just count my blessings! Bags are packed and fingers are crossed that he comes sooner than later. I've probably cursed myself to 4 more weeks of pregnancy.
The funny thing is that when the baby drops they call it "lightening". Really!?! Cause it feels LOTS heavier to me, not lighter. However, the blessing is the heartburn is somewhat better and I can breath a little easier too now that the lungs have some room to expand. I'll just count my blessings! Bags are packed and fingers are crossed that he comes sooner than later. I've probably cursed myself to 4 more weeks of pregnancy.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Fish Tales!
Zach caught his first fish today. How fun! We went yesterday and tried to catch something with his new fishing pole, but had little success. In fact, I was the only one that caught a fish. So, today Zach and Dad went to try and prove themselves better fishermen. He called me on the way home to tell me "I caught a fish, mommy!". Craig did an excellent job capturing the moment since I wasn't able to go. This picture might need to be framed. I asked Zach if it was a big fish, he said, "No, it tiny." It was tiny but a catch all the same. :)
Congratulations, Zach on your first big catch!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
35 Week Doctor's Appointment
Finally, I'm at the weekly visit point for this pregnancy. Some days it seems like this pregnancy has gone so fast considering all the other things I had going on. Other days it seems like he's never going to make his appearance (usually at night when I'm trying to sleep and can't). This little guy is SO active. You would think that I would have remembered Zach moving this much since I was laying around all day, but I don't. This guy does full flips (it feels like) and you can see the little hand/foot/something move across my tummy. It is still the best/neatest feeling to feel that little guy having a ball in there. He also gets the hiccups. I don't remember Zach getting hiccups like this. The other night I swear there were an hour of little, rhythmic flutters. I wonder if he'll get lots of hiccups when he's outside.
Back to the point of this post, everything looks like he's in for the long haul. After all the drama with Zach and the little scare I had last week, I think this guy is trying to make it to 40 weeks. I'm not sure I'm so thrilled about seeing myself at 40 weeks. Oh well, he should be healthy, right? Oh and no, we still don't have a name picked for him. I have packed a bag and his room and clothes are semi-ready. At least I'm not a complete mess.
Little Boy Ward, we can't wait to meet you. I'd just like to meet you sooner than later!
Back to the point of this post, everything looks like he's in for the long haul. After all the drama with Zach and the little scare I had last week, I think this guy is trying to make it to 40 weeks. I'm not sure I'm so thrilled about seeing myself at 40 weeks. Oh well, he should be healthy, right? Oh and no, we still don't have a name picked for him. I have packed a bag and his room and clothes are semi-ready. At least I'm not a complete mess.
Little Boy Ward, we can't wait to meet you. I'd just like to meet you sooner than later!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Happy Birthday Video
Zach loving on the baby in Mommy's tummy.
Every morning when he gets up he asks, "How's that baby doing mommy?"
Happy Birthday Confusion - 08/22/2008
Pregnancy Update and Birthday news
For the update on Baby Boy Ward II, his official due date is October 2nd. Things have been going fairly well for the last couple of months. The first trimester was a little scary with some issues that seemed to clear up by the 2nd trimester. Last weekend, right before the big move from the apartment to the house, I had some scary/annoying contractions that were pretty consistent. Since it was right before the weekend and move, I called the doc which of course made them subside and return to normal. The last week has been calm in that department and I'm just feeling the usual slowing down and discomfort of a 35 week pregnant lady. I told Craig today that you know the belly is getting bigger when my chest looks small! HA! So, no bedrest for me - thank goodness. 2 more weeks before they will just let me deliver. YEAH!
Celebrated our (Craig and my) birthdays this week. I have a video where Zach displays his true confusion over Mommy and Daddy having a birthday but he doesn't. He sings Happy Birthday to Mommy, Daddy and Zachy. You try and explain to a 2 year old that he's the only one in the house that doesn't have a birthday today. "Zach, you have a birthday too." "Oh, I do? Daddy, I have a birthday too!" "Zach, it's in December" - Returned with confused look and another request to blow out the candles on our cake. :) Will post pics and video when I can recover my camera cords to download pictures!
Celebrated our (Craig and my) birthdays this week. I have a video where Zach displays his true confusion over Mommy and Daddy having a birthday but he doesn't. He sings Happy Birthday to Mommy, Daddy and Zachy. You try and explain to a 2 year old that he's the only one in the house that doesn't have a birthday today. "Zach, you have a birthday too." "Oh, I do? Daddy, I have a birthday too!" "Zach, it's in December" - Returned with confused look and another request to blow out the candles on our cake. :) Will post pics and video when I can recover my camera cords to download pictures!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
First Scary Dream
One of the things I wanted to accomplish was writing down the "firsts" and cute things that Zach and now new baby will be doing.
This week was a first for Zach. He had his first bad/scary dream. He's only been in his "big boy bed" for about a week now. The other night I heard him scream so loud that my heart stopped and I jumped out of bed before I realized what was happening. When I got to him, I thought he'd gotten his leg caught in the little guard we'd put up around his bed. No, he wasn't stuck but was crying. After getting him somewhat calmed down and asking what was wrong, he told me that it was a bad dream. Was it a monster chasing him? No, the terrifying dream that had him screaming was about a pizza that had been chasing him in the kitchen. There was pizza everywhere and he couldn't get it off his feet. The next morning when we went downstairs he showed me the scene of the crime in his dream. He said, "It was on my feet and on the step and all over. It made a big mess." I guess we should layoff the deliveries for awhile.
This week was a first for Zach. He had his first bad/scary dream. He's only been in his "big boy bed" for about a week now. The other night I heard him scream so loud that my heart stopped and I jumped out of bed before I realized what was happening. When I got to him, I thought he'd gotten his leg caught in the little guard we'd put up around his bed. No, he wasn't stuck but was crying. After getting him somewhat calmed down and asking what was wrong, he told me that it was a bad dream. Was it a monster chasing him? No, the terrifying dream that had him screaming was about a pizza that had been chasing him in the kitchen. There was pizza everywhere and he couldn't get it off his feet. The next morning when we went downstairs he showed me the scene of the crime in his dream. He said, "It was on my feet and on the step and all over. It made a big mess." I guess we should layoff the deliveries for awhile.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Blogging Addictive?
So I've been told this will be addictive and yet, I've started this blog. My main reason is to write down all the things that I "mean to" write down and never get a chance to do. I'm always online so this should make it easier, right? I'm just practicing this for now to see what this looks like and how it works. I want to post some pics and possibly video if I can figure it out.
The possible start of bedrest makes me think I'll have time to play around with this too. More on that later...
Okay, I'll try and post a recent video of Zach and see how that works.
So far this seems easier than that diary I wrote in 7th grade for a week!
The possible start of bedrest makes me think I'll have time to play around with this too. More on that later...
Okay, I'll try and post a recent video of Zach and see how that works.
So far this seems easier than that diary I wrote in 7th grade for a week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)