A Day In My Life....

I'm Training him young....

2010-08-04T14:36:00.001-06:00

my future dishwasher....um....or dish 'puller-outer'.....or dishwasher door climber or.....dishwasher door slammer.... LOL! Whatever the case may be, I'm gonna have to start watching those knives! :) The dish washer is his new obsession..... ugh!

Cell Pic Tuesday!

2010-08-03T13:53:00.002-06:00

Mason has pneumonia...

so I told the kids we'd be relaxing at home for a couple of days... My niece coordinated matching PJ's for the morning (polar bear pants).

After a strong antibiotic treatment, Mason woke up with giggles and happiness....at 4:30 this morning! He is finally tolerating feedings! And he thought this little PJ photo session was the funniest thing EVER ;)

The forecast is calling for more severe thunderstorms today.. Last night I fell asleep to the sound of rain... it was heavenly :)

Hoping that after today, we can head to the park, or Garden of the God's for a picnic!

But for now I'm going to enjoy PJ day, thunderstorms, and these crazy kids! :)

Happy Birthday to Jake ;)

Today....

2010-07-29T21:48:00.001-06:00

...we went to Denver to get a 4th and 5th opinion on Mason's Nissen and excess bile issues.

We drove an hour and a half for a 20 minute consult.

Our G.I. doctor (love her) didn't send the film from Mason's upper G.I. and xrays to Children's...

The surgeons couldn't tell us much.

But they do agree with Mason's surgeon in the Springs. They do not want him to have surgery right now.

If his excess bile gets any worse or his Nissen loosens any more, he will face surgery to repair what's going on. (of course all of this was tentative without film).

So, tomorrow I have to arrange to have the film sent up to Denver and wait and see what they say then.

I have a feeling that it won't be much different.

*sigh*.. I have mixed emotions.. relief and concern... I pray that they're not missing anything.

I'm sure these concerns will keep me up at night.

Do I push for more probing?? Do I have them open him up when there might not be anything they can do?

These are the times when I wish life came with a manual.. :)

So, since we drove almost 2 hours for a 20 minute consult...AND because I had to drag Jaiden with me to help keep Mason happy in the back seat (and vent him since he's having a 'bad bile' day), I thought we'd stop by Casa Bonita for an early dinner!

So, the food still sucks LOL (not sure why I thought it would be any different after all this time).

But the sopapilla's were excellent (and free).

Mason enjoyed a taste of honey and the fake palm trees with Christmas lights.

Jaiden enjoyed the diving shows and a few games.

and I set my worries aside for a little bit and enjoyed some time with my boys (and a sopapilla or two...)

I'm Baaaaaaacccckkkkk! :)

2010-07-26T11:05:00.000-06:00

Ok, so CaringBridge was not for me... and I have missed Blogging sooo much!

So much has been going on in our lives since Christmas 2009 (WOW, has it been THAT long??)

Let me start with the BIGGEST thing to happen to Mason.....

Mandible Distraction Surgery...

These puppies below were once attached to Mason's jaw bone (inside)...OUCH!

The green parts on the ends were once together in the middle of the device! Mason's jaw bone was severed and slowly pushed forward with these devices to move it forward as it healed until the green areas were at the ends of the device..

These funky guys below were the external part of the device that Mike and I turned twice a day for almost 8 weeks.. A.K.A curb feelers..

This is Mason (and daddy) before his jaw was moved forward....

and this is Mason with his new and improved Linehan chin :)

It was a really hard decision for us to do this surgery.. but I would like to say that his new chin and airway have CURED HIS SLEEP APNEA!!!!!!!!!!!! He sleeps better at night, wakes up rested and happy, and seems to be doing so well!

No more night time O2! ;) and no more talk of tracheotomy, tracheostomy...etc.

I'll be back with more! :)

Bye Bye Blog.... Hello Caring Bridge

2010-05-16T19:13:00.001-06:00

Well, I hope to keep my blog up and running....maybe... But in the mean time, I've started a Caring Bridge Site to blog about Mason and his health. I hope to start the journaling about him this week to keep family and friends up to date on him! One day I hope to be back on Blogger on a regular basis... ;) Please stop by Caring Bridge in the coming week or so! :)

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/masonlinehan1

Better Late Than Never......Right?

2010-01-21T22:21:00.001-07:00

Christmas 2009 :) collage style!

Mason's list for Santa

2009-12-16T21:19:00.005-07:00

Includes (but isn't limited to)
1. Plastic lids from cans and bottles... red ones are the best! :)

2. Ceiling fans in every room

3. Stale, hard Liquorice Sticks (strawberry or chocolate). He loves to chew on them -supervised of course- :)

4. Plastic rings of all colors and shapes (still a fave)

5. Therapy brushes, and lots of them! (he is obsessed!) LOL!

TOYS SHMOYS! This kid is easy! :)

SANTA, Mike and I had a hard time finding the right toy for Mason this year.... Thankfully, 'we' found a few things we think he'll enjoy... :)

CdLS Families! What sorts of things do your kiddos like?? What have they asked Santa for? What might Santa bring them?? :)

Thank you :)

2009-11-09T11:12:00.003-07:00

and to those of you who helped pray for Gavin Owens. He received his angel wings last night..

Heavy Heart...

2009-11-06T08:04:00.002-07:00

My blogging friend's little boy is beginning his journey Home... Please help me pray for him and his family and that Gavin finds peace at last. He has been an amazing little fighter and he has touched my life and heart!

Gavin Owens

SO FAR TODAY,

2009-11-05T09:57:00.005-07:00

two blog posts have made me cry... Not, that I want any of my friends, family, readers to cry too :), but I just had to share the honesty, pain, and beauty in each post. please take a tissue with you :)

Lisa Leonard 'Reflecting Back'

Nie Nie Dialogues 'Do you still see me?'

this little boy and his family need your prayers and thoughts! please take the time to read about him! thank you :)

Gavin Owens

Our Halloween, Collage Style!

2009-11-02T13:48:00.004-07:00

we had a great time this year! the weather was beautiful! mason enjoyed going with us in his stroller (with a sucker or two to taste along the way:). His costume ended up being a tad small (he WASN'T supposed to be wearing shorts LOL! so we had back up skeleton sweats for the chill) Jaiden had fun being - what we called - an extremely socially inept person a.k.a. nerd... LOL! My sis and I dressed up as vampire victims-of either Vampire Bill, Vampire Sheriff Eric or Edward... we'll take either one-or one of each LOL! ;). and I LOVED being with my family, watching all of our kids enjoy trick or treating together as we did when we were kids! can't wait til' next year!

Hope yours was just as nice!

Birthday Boy Pics :)

2009-11-02T13:09:00.001-07:00

Happy 2nd Birthday my little one! :)

how did mason get that rash on his face?

2009-11-01T09:25:00.004-07:00

LOL! he cried every time I took him off the grass.. so... I let him at it!

Guess who is celebrating his 2nd birthday later today :)? rash and all! :)

Missing........

2009-10-31T12:30:00.005-06:00

Three Innocent Pumpkins!

This one was my favorite because it was shaped like Mason's head :) lol!

The last photo of all of our pumpkins together....

The evidence.. stupid wooden 'head stone' left on the porch

More evidence

The lone survivor will be taken into protective custody to a secret location. He will be lit and enjoyed by trick or treaters tonight! We have not been beaten! We will carry on!!

:) If you had any question whether I'm Flakey or not... I think this post might have answered that for ya! :)

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin....uh.... Patch?

2009-10-21T14:41:00.011-06:00

My sister and I took the kiddos to a farm where they had games, rides, and PUMPKINS! We had a pretty good time! Here are some pics!

Queen of the hay pyramid :)

She's definitely corny (she takes after her dear ol' auntie :)

On the teeter totter...:) she was worried that I wouldn't be a fun teeter partner...one GIANT guess why LOL!

My sister had to get on to help her lift me... and well... they fell off the teeter totter trying to do just that! (Don't kill me Amie!) LOL!

Notice how I instantly dropped the camera to help her out... Sister of the year award goes to moi'

Making a corn angel! oh yes, she is her Aunt's niece fo sho'!
Jaiden going down the slide (he was quite embarrassed to see some cute 12 years olds girls giggling at him.. he didn't go on again LOL!)

This guy was a tad creepy.. he stared at us as if he would like to munch on us.... LOL!

candy corny!

taking a nibble!

YAY! PUMPKINS!

Mason missed out on the Pumpkin farm because of tummy issues.. he and Daddy stayed home and watched football! But he had a lot of fun feeling the pumpkins when we brought them home! and he LOVED the concrete!

aawwee!

sleep..elusive sleep!

2009-09-24T21:37:00.002-06:00

he was woken up .........

1. for PT
2. by the sun shining through that back window of the car
3. to go into his GI appointment (after only a 5 minute snooze).
4. after waiting for the GI doctor to come in to the room (again, after only a five minute snooze)
5. by the sun shining through the back window of the car.. again....darn sun! of all the days you choose to shine this week, it had to be this one!
6. by Mommy trying to hook up his feed once we got home
7. by his tummy and his hiney.... and this time, he WAS NOT A HAPPY CAMPER!

Once he finally fell asleep, he slept for 5 HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He missed his Audiologist, but I got to catch up on some sign language education :) poor sleepy munchkin!
Thank goodness tomorrow is FRIDAY! :)

love these pics of...

2009-09-13T08:31:00.002-06:00

Jaiden and my nephew climbing trees at 6:00 in the morning! :)

I THOUGHT about joining them... but I don't think flip flops and tree climbing go together very well...

Things...

2009-09-12T14:58:00.006-06:00

that Mason and I have learned in the past week.....

1. Sometimes Mic-Key buttons can pop right out of tummies during P.T.... ESPECIALLY if you don't have a spare set or a spare syringe in the diaper bag or car... and ESPECIALLY if you are 25 minutes away from home/hospital....

2. It is probably wise to check the water level in a Mic-Key button balloon on a regular basis to avoid number one... :)

3. Mason learned that if he plops himself on the floor just right(and sends that silly button flying), he can get out of P.T. early and send his mommy and Leeann into a frenzied panic.

4. Traffic lights change a lot faster if I scream profanities at the top of my lungs! NOT REALLY....

5. Mike is wonderful... I should already know that, but I take it for granted sometimes.....

6. Mason learned that although getting out of P.T. early is nice, it isn't so nice to have his car-nap interrupted by Mommy, Daddy, and the NEW Mic-Key button!

7. Mason has very strong and stubborn stomach muscles!

8. Sometimes I make mountains out of mole-hills......

9. I will never leave the house without a Mic-Key syringe again!

10. Glad that the lessons of last week are over and ready to face what I need to learn next week! :)

I heart hot air balloons...

2009-09-12T14:48:00.005-06:00

AND the grumpy 12 year old I 'forced' to come with me three mornings in a row :)

I was excited for Mason to see them this year.. but he didn't share my enthusiasm :)

That is all... :)

I have.........

2009-09-03T16:25:00.003-06:00

a Twelve year old!!!

YIKES!

Happy Birthday Jaiden! :)

Got Milk????

2009-08-20T22:21:00.006-06:00

I've let my little one start a bad habit of chewing on his milk tubing.. I have been trying to work on keeping it away from him. Easier said than done!

I am going to try hard to post more often and to catch up on my blog reading in the next few days! :) I've missed blogging on a regular basis! see you soon! :)

it's about time..... ;)

2009-08-07T18:16:00.007-06:00

Silly Mason,

I've waited over a year to see you sit on your own!

You have been so very stubborn, often throwing your body back in defiance.

I wondered if it would ever happen..

And yesterday you just decided to sit for your P.T. Leeann as if you had been sitting for months!

So, guess what you'll be doing at home

ALL THE TIME, from this day forward ;)

You little stinker!
Love, Mommy

Prayer Request for Ned

2009-07-22T16:32:00.002-06:00

After overcoming Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), this beautiful little boy has a new battle after nearly drowning in the bath. please visit his page and say a prayer for him and his family.

praying for Ned

Busy Bee = Bad Blogger

2009-07-22T13:49:00.004-06:00

Photo by Amie M.

Has it really been a month since I posted last?? I can't believe it! Thought my eyes were deceiving me. So much has been happening around here...

Mason!! He's been 'healthier'!!!! I won't brag about it too much, for fear of him catching a virus while I type this... but it has been pretty nice!

reflux: It is under control right now. His weight is slowly but surely going back up. He is still having episodes of bile filling his stomach, but keeping him vented and elevated has been helping tremendously!

feeding: his therapies have been cut in half until his palate is repaired (we find out on the 27th whether or not the surgery will be scheduled anytime soon..). It all depends on his airway and how it looks.

teething/first signs of self injurious behavior: for a few days, Mason kept scratching at his mouth and he would cry non-stop.. It scared me because I really don't want him to hurt himself and I didn't know what was wrong! The scratches he left on his mouth got infected from his saliva within two days and so I took him into the Doctor where he was put on medicine AND where I first noticed his molars coming in!! I felt so bad that I hadn't noticed them before and that he had gone 3 days without pain relief! Lately pain, crying and self injurious behaviour has been a topic of discussion on our CdLS kids support group. I have learned (from experience AND reading) that when Mason starts to hurt himself, that he is trying to tell me something is hurting him. And over this past weekend, he began to hit and grab at his mouth again. I cut his nails, gave him Tylenol, and immediately began to investigate whether or not there were more teeth coming in.. and I found that his two front teeth are about to pop through the skin (before his molars have even cut through completely!!). He is handling it better this time... but you would not believe the amount of drool pouring out of his mouth lately! LOL!

sitting: well... he's not sitting on his own for more than a second or two (he's gone as long as 30 and then gone right to his belly). Our goal.. BY HIS SECOND BIRTHDAY in Nov. !! he prefers to play on his belly now.. and roll all over the living room!

hearing aids: well, we haven't given up, but it has been hard keeping those puppies in his ears! headbands and hats haven't worked ( his head is small and flat and he can whip those right off), huggies don't work--they just irritate him further and he ends up yanking them out of his ears faster! ... tomorrow we are going to try wig glue..Not too crazy about the idea of wig glue, but I want him to hear!! A few weeks ago, Mason pulled out one of his hearing aids at Target! We had to search up and down the isles until we found it, and he was done with shopping by that point and let the whole store know it! Thankfully, we found it! We do have them insured, but have to pay a $300.00 deductible if we ever need to replace one or both of them..........ugh! I have been frustrated about those little hearing aids! But I am almost more stubborn than Mason, so we are going to keep on trucking! :)

Jaiden!! :) He has really enjoyed playing with his friends this summer! He has discovered the joys of skateboarding and has the injuries on his body to prove it! :) He and I are trying to ride our bikes every evening, and we've tried to keep busy with family and special events on the weekends! I cannot believe that school will be starting before we know it! Summer time goes by way too fast!

Photo by Amie M.

I hope you're having a great summer! :)

Father's Day

2009-06-21T08:06:00.015-06:00

We had an early morning breakfast and now Mike is enjoying a round of golf with his best friend before we head over to a Father's Day B B Q at my aunt's house! This also marks 8 years since I met Mike at a Father's Day picnic where he asked me out! :) It's a beautiful day today!

Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you!!!!!!! :)

Happy Father's Day to all the amazing Dads out there!

Here's a Flash Back!

Originally Posted on Myspace Blog: February 27, 2007

I am in a pretty sappy type mood. I just developed about 20 roles of old film, some of which are about 6 years old. a lot of memories have flooded back to me! This sequence in particular. These pics are of Mike teaching Jaiden how to ride his bike without training wheels when he was about 4 years old. And I thought that they were so damn cute! Jaiden is adorable and looks so happy. And Mike has been a great Father and Dad to him!!

When a single mom goes out on a date with somebody new
It always winds up feeling more like a job interview
My mom used to wonder if she'd ever meet someone
Who wouldn't find out about me and then turn around and run

I met the man I call my dad when I was five years old
He took my mom out to a movie and for once I got to go
A few months later I remember lying there in bed
I overheard him pop the question and prayed that she'd say yes

And then all of a sudden
Oh, it seemed so strange to me
How we went from something's missing
To a family
Looking back all I can say
About all the things he did for me
Is I hope I'm at least half the dad
That he didn't have to be

by brad paisley

Semi-Wordless Wednesday!

2009-06-16T23:02:00.002-06:00

Sharing a toy with Daddy after a long day of work.. :) love it!

Chick Magnet

2009-06-15T21:08:00.004-06:00

Lock up your daughters! :)

Cough Shmough....

2009-06-12T20:51:00.011-06:00

After a round of antibiotics, Mason's cough seems to have gone on vacation... I wish the Cough would have taken Reflux along with it! Now, we just continue to treat Mason's reflux with Prevacid and wait to see if the cough comes back without any other friends (i.e. fever and snot). If it comes back alone we go to plan B-- Medicine change and urgent group consult with our Pulmonary and G.I. specialists. *Sigh*... And that's all I will say on that subject for now! :)

We have been busy bees this week with out of town family and have a ton going on this weekend! I'll be back to share our summer adventures soon! I hope that everyone has a Fabulous weekend!

Summer Chaos, Concerts, and Sleepless Nights!

2009-06-02T09:23:00.009-06:00

Summer vacation has brought us a lot of activity and very little slow down...in fact, it feels as though we are busier than ever! Jaiden is actually having fun in a math and science summer program at his new school. He is so excited to disect a frog and buils a robot! He is getting to know the school and has already made two new friends in two days! He is also about to begin summer sports camps that will have me running all over town! It's nice that he's not complaining about being bored, but it's a bit chaotic for Mason and I!

(J and Jaiden... nothing says Territory Days like two wanna-be Mexican wrestlers!)

My sis at Territory Days
the boys as the rain began to fall
My sister and Princess H running in the rain and dodging lightning!
The kids panning for gold or swine flu.. I went crazy with hand sanitizer after this :)

Mason took the Nuggets' loss to the Lakers really hard... :(

My sister, my good friend Shannon, and I caught No Doubt and Paramore in concert.. it was a great show!

Mason is getting back into 'floor' and tummy time! For the past few days he's been hanging out on his tummy, trying so hard to inch forward toward toys. He is still learning how to sit on his own... we'll get there one of these days!

Mason Chillin' with a ring on his face.. He thought it was pretty hilarious and so did we! (I took about 30 pics of him like this LOL!) He does it quite often!

Mason still has had a cough for over a month now.. He has been waking up at night so uncomfortable... None of us have slept very well lately. Last night, he sounded so wheezy-even after his breathing treatments, I took him to the after hours clinic at 10:00 at night... only to have him sound "clear as a bell" once the doctor listened to him... She mentioned something that I had not even thought of before.. She thinks that his cough could be a 'reflux cough' and diagnosed him with that before we left -usually testing needs to be done to determine if a cough is in fact caused by reflux-... well, that kept me up ALL NIGHT last night worrying and wondering what the heck we are going to do now to treat his reflux (if that is indeed the cause of the cough.. my gut is telling me that reflux is the culprit..). He goes to the doctor tomorrow... I hope we can come up with some kind of remedy without changing formulas a dozen times again.. I feel frustrated.. I can handle every aspect of his CdLS right now.. but his health has me beyond frustrated. I really want him to be HEALTHY!!!!!!!!!!!! But as Mike always says whenever I use the word 'want' --"people in Hell want Ice water!"

I hope to get back into blogging more often this month! x x x hugs x x x

My Graduate!

2009-05-22T21:46:00.003-06:00

Jaiden had a 'Moving On' ceremony at school. He gave a speech to his class (and of course my video camera wasn't charged enough for me to capture it.. I almost cried). Jaiden has been very fortunate to have belonged to a very small school all these years (12 per classroom). Most of the kids have been together since kindergarten and all of the parents know each other well. The teachers are amazing!! But it is bitter sweet. A lot of the kids are going to be separated for middle school due to new boundary lines and because there are so many choices when it comes to what middle school they can go to. Jaiden was accepted into a 'math and science school' that takes children on a limited basis and he will only have one or two classmates going along with him. It makes me sad and a bit scared. Middle School is a tough place for kids sometimes... It made me a little teary eyed today to see how close all of these kids are, and how many of them won't see each other until high school, or maybe never again! I told Jaiden a million times this year to cherish this last year with the friends and teachers that he has grown to know so well. It all changes and Middle School is an entirely different ball game!

My one consolation is that our home is usually 'Grand Central Station' for all of the boys in neighborhood, so I know it won't be a lonely summer for him by a long shot. I have already begun the 'take off your shoes at the door' and the 'get your behinds outside and enjoy the sun' chants for those long hot days!!

I am so proud of him. I am proud of all that he has accomplished and the kiddo that he has become. It shocks me to know that he is no longer an Elmentary student!! So, now I need to lecture myself about making sure I cherish these days and not take them for granted... It won't be long before I am blogging about high school graduation!! YIKES!! I need a glass of wine now! :)

Cell Pic Saturday!

2009-05-16T22:18:00.004-06:00

Playing at the park!

J and Jaiden celebrating WINS and no more practice until fall! :)

Mason in his bubble ;)

In his bubble safe from the cold wind! (wished I had a bubble of my own!)

no explanation necessary!
Today started out rainy and gloomy, but ended up sunny and beautiful! I was able to watch Jaiden's last game from the car and by the time we got to my nephew's game, it was warm and sunny!

Last week, at Jaiden's district track meet, Mason and I braved the freezing wind and made it for the entire 5 hour event. I couldn't stand the thought of no one being there to watch Jaiden!! It ended up being a really fun day and Jaiden and his classmates represented their school very well! I couldn't have made it though without the help of the bubble shown above! It kept most of the wind out and I feel that it was money well spent!

here is the link if you are interested. Stroller Cover

Updates and Boogers Galore! :)

2009-05-13T09:58:00.010-06:00

There is something that I just have to get off of my chest for a sec.....

AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!

Whew! That feels better! :)

We have SNOT again!!!!!!!!!!! This time it is not only Mason, but also Jaiden and Mike! So, this entire past week or so has had me taking care of three sick babies....um...I mean men ;)! And how fitting that the worst of it all happened on Mother's Day?

Mike and Jaiden are much better as of today, but to my frustration, Mason is not. While he doesn't have a fever or anything, he just cannot kick this nasty little cough that he has. I have been feeling a bit discouraged lately. It seems like Mason has been sick more than he's been healthy this year so far. Our Doctor seems to think that his immune system is going haywire right now due to his bad stomach illness/weight loss in January, February and part of March. I just can't help but wonder what I could do differently.. Am I not clean enough? Am I TOO CLEAN :)? Am I exposing him to too many different things out there in the big wide world. Is he not getting enough fresh air? After getting over sinusitus, Mason was only 'healthy' for maybe a week! He hasn't been himself for longer than a few days at a time since late last year. I am hoping and praying that the warmer temperatures find him (and me) some relief for a couple of months.

Last week, Mike and I talked with the surgeon about Mason's Fundoplication redo. After test results and getting a second AND third opinion from three different surgeons, we have decided that the redo surgery isn't in his best interest right now. It is the opinion of all three surgeons that Mason stomach is very deformed and that there would not be enough stomach material in the right place to make a difference in his reflux/vomiting symptoms. Mike and I agree that putting him through a surgery that won't help his symptoms is just not what we want for him right now. It has been an agonizing decision to make, but it makes me feel a bit better knowing that other Doctors agree with our surgeon about it. That's not to say that things won't change in the future. We know that nothing is certain, and we may be facing this dilemma again down the road. So, we are going to continue to treat his reflux with medicine and continue to keep him elevated. He rarely vomits through his Nissen unless he is sick (or if he cries really hard with a full tummy), so that part of it is under control at the moment.

Aside from virus chaos, my mother's day went very well and it was a great opportunity to snuggle and watch movies all day (with lots of Purell and handwashing that is :)! Mike and Jaiden made me breakfast (and tried hard not to sneeze or cough into my french toast :) and they bought me the Wii Fit-which we all had a blast with..... :).... Jaiden also made me lovely cards and I asked Mason for ONE thing for Mother's Day and that was to let me sleep past 5:00 a.m.... AND WE BOTH SLEPT UNTIL 8:00!!!! It was bliss!

I love being a MOM!

I snuck out of the house for an hour on Sunday to spend a little time with my Mom and watch her open her Mother's Day gift. I am hoping we can have a nice lunch together in the next few days to make up for Sunday. My Mom IS one of my best friends! I have learned so much from her strength in life. She is Super Woman for putting up with me as a teenager and for helping me so much when I was a single mom. AND she is one of the hardest working women that you will ever meet! Love You MOM!!

When I captured this video of Mason last week, I could hear the beginnings of a cough brewing.. I don't quite know why I feel compelled to share it, but here it is LOL!

I hope that all the special Mommies in my life had a wonderful Mother's day!!

CdLS Awareness and Contest Information

2009-05-06T21:46:00.007-06:00

May 9 is the 20th annual CdLS Awareness Day!

Most of you know that my little one was born with a rare genetic syndrome called Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS).

In honor of Mason and all of his precious friends, I ask that all of my readers, friends and family please take the time to visit the CdLS Foundation website at http://www.cdlsusa.org/. Thousands of children remain undiagnosed and are in need of the help the CdLS Foundation can offer them and their families.

Also, please know that children and adults with special needs are people who need love and care AND ACCEPTANCE! Mason has made my life richer and brought us so much joy. And also because of him, we have met THE MOST AMAZING PEOPLE!!!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Little Boy Blue's mommy, Heidi, is having a contest on her blog God's Grace in Practice, for ALL bloggers to enter to help spread awareness of CdLS. I encourage ALL my blogging friends and family to take part!!

Thank you all for your love and support!

Teething Bites

2009-04-26T19:34:00.008-06:00

This teething business.... it's for the birds. Mason is getting over his sinusitus, but his new little 'fang' teeth are not being very nice to his body! This morning, not even a plastic ring could calm him down.. He kept swiping at his mouth and he was so uncomfortable. I don't remember Jaiden teething this bad. Heck, I didn't even realize that Jaiden WAS teething until he bit my finger (at 8 months) and I felt the sharp little edge of his first bottom tooth.... He didn't bat an eye!! But, as I have learned and continue to learn, Mason is a whole other story or NOVEL and I am not even through the first chapter yet! :)

Today, I have been calling Mason my little Edward Cullen.. He is SO sweet and loving, but ready to 'bite' anything and everything (and everyone) to sooth his swollen gums! :) Please just get through the skin little teeth!!!!!!!! my little one needs a break! and so does his mama!

Lord of the Rings...

2009-04-21T21:25:00.004-06:00

I'm telling you..these little plastic rings have become very precious in our home!! They sooth the grumpy Mase (who is now teething)... and if for some reason they are dropped or taken (to put arms through sleeves), run for the hills because the keeper of the rings will let you know how he feels.. and it isn't very nice!

Side note/question: CdLS mama's... mason is getting upper teeth, but not the two front teeth (at least not from what we can tell, we do see that he will have a wide gap..but i am hoping it won't be as wide as what i am seeing right now). Just wondering if anyone else has experienced their child getting the little..uh... fang (lack of a better word) teeth before the two front teeth! not worried, just curious.

Friday Fourteen!

2009-04-17T20:41:00.007-06:00

I got this idea from Rachelle at Walk With the Riedmiller Family!! But instead of doing Thursday Thirteen, I got really really bored tonight and decided to do a Friday Fourteen!! And, like Rachelle, I am going to attempt to do the alphabet!!!!! So, I begin this weekly edition with the letter A!!

1. Amie~ My little sister (on the right) and one of my best friends! this is a flash back pic from 1996!!! I was 18 and she was 16! aawwee! I miss my head being that small...sigh.. :)

2. Ashton Kutcher~ Would you think less of me if you knew that I tried to join the 1,000,000 and follow him on Twitter???? And how would you feel about me if you knew that I was bummed that for some reason I CANNOT follow him?? I think he blocked me...;) Oh Yes... it has been a very..... long...... day.........

3. Amoxicillan~ I owe my sanity to you this week. You calmed the tiny hulk and brought back my sweet little 'Bruce Banner'! (however, I still haven't quite forgiven you for giving Jaiden hives...maybe next time).

4. Arse~ I am referring to Mason's... and it is on fire because of #3... therefore he is on yet another..

5. ...antibiotic

6. Apple Jacks~ my favorite cereal... but I must save my hips and resist them endure whole grain toast with sugar free jelly instead! TORTURE!

7. Ava Rose~ Had my little Mase been born a girl, this would have been his name!

8. AIG.... you f$$$$$$ B$$$$$$s!! How dare you treat other human beings the way that you do! Shame on you ALL!

9. Awesome~ I use this word way too much.. so much so that I even annoy myself when I hear it spill from my lips too many times!

10. Ache~ I have a back ache today!! aarrgghh!

11. Apricots~ ate too many as a child and now the sight of them makes me ill...

12. American Idol... I've been watching it for the first time in three years.. and I've got to go with ..

13. Adam Lambert~ he's definitely.......uh...... interesting!

14. aaahhh!! I'm done! :)

Have an AWESOME weekend! :)

Sinusitus a.k.a. Gallons of Snot

2009-04-15T15:29:00.007-06:00

We have been up to our ears in the green stuff , or in Mason's case-the yellow stuff! Thankfully, Mason showed off his yellow boogies and inflamed sinus passages to the Dr. through his cleft palate (sometimes cleft palates can be handy little windows) and he is now on antibiotics! It has been a rough week... one minute he is happier than a clam and then the next minute he is a raging mad-miniature hulk! I haven't been able to get his hearing aids within an inch of his ears without him reeling back in defiance and trying to wriggle out of my lap (we are also suspecting double ear infection from the tiny bit they can see, his canals are bright pink). Today, he broke his own personal record by sneezing 12 sneezes in a row!!! I'm not a huge 'sneezer', so I was pretty amazed at 12... until I realized we were both covered in goo! :) I thought about sharing a video I accidentally caught of him with booger shoe strings coming from his nose, but figured that blogger land would get the idea and didn't really need the visual... I am a little frightened right now about how much I am enjoying writing about mucous.... let's move on...

I wanted to share a video of Mase in his excersaucer... He is getting faster and faster at spinning around in it and is really entertaining himself! Many CdLS children love to spin, and I am fairly certain that he won't be an exception to that! I also wanted to take this time to thank Mason's buddy Hope and her mom (Maureen) for suggesting that we use the excersaucer to help him gain core strength in order to help him sit on his own one of these days! It has been a GREAT help! I think that he is several weeks closer to sitting now, instead of several months!!

(he is laughing in this video :) Sorry for the boogeriness of it all though LOL! (if you watch closely you may catch a bubble pop from his nose... I am disgusting today!)

Pictures and Words :)

2009-04-13T10:32:00.004-06:00

Mason and Jaiden with the Easter Bunny... After several attempts and trying to pry the ring from Mason's hand (he screamed so we put it back), this is what we came up with LOL!
The kiddos dying eggs a few days before Easter and Mason a little under the weather on my sister's couch.. Later we ate tacos, and decorated cookies.. and Mason kept on sleeping.

The Easter Baskets for Mase and Jaiden.

Due to the adverse weather conditions, we held the Easter Egg hunt inside my aunt's house! Princess 'H' found one of the eggs Grandpa was hiding :). The baskets were made by my soon-to-be-aunt L... they are Beautiful, and loaded with every kind of treat you can imagine. We were all spoiled!

My Dad hiding the Easter egg under his cap, Mason groggy and tired on Daddy's shoulder and just SOME of my fam!

Mason has a yucky head cold, so he and I missed Jaiden's very wet, snowy, and cold football game! His team won 25-7!!

Very early this morning, we took Mason in to have a second upper G.I. We haven't discussed all of the details, but his stomach is growing very strangely (downward) because of his surgeries (if you can imagine this, his stomach is sitting up and down and is shaped EXACTLY like a pear instead of growing somewhat to the side...)... and although his Nissen still 'looks' intact, he is refluxing through it pretty easily... We aren't sure what is going to happen or if his Nissen can be successfully repaired. It wasn't the greatest news on earth. We hope to know what the surgeon thinks in the next week or two. I will keep updating on this confusing situation we find ourselves in!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter :).

To Uncle Shawn..

2009-04-05T20:38:00.006-06:00

Be safe on your journey to Washington, everywhere in between, and STAY safe over there in Afghanistan, hurry home.. and see you soon!

Love your nephews.. and their mom and dad :)

TGIF, some warm-fuzzy pics, and a couple of words!

2009-04-03T16:26:00.008-06:00

So glad it is FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This little collage below shows how Mason reacts to seeing Daddy when Mike gathers him from his crib after a nap!! He makes his big, tough Daddy turn to butter and they both melt my heart! :)

All day long (as I cleaned), I had so many ideas to blog about... but the ideas disappeared from my mind the second I sat down tonight to type!! That happens to me a lot! So, this is it for today!! :)

Wishing you a fabulous weekend with lots of heart melting moments!

Kinda Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-01T09:24:00.003-06:00

so happy together!

New Kicks..

2009-03-30T22:09:00.007-06:00

He digs them!

I caught this photo below of Mason contorting his body to look at his shoes a week or two ago and thought I would tell the story behind them!

Mike bought these little shoes for Mason soon after we brought him home from the NICU.. He has been waiting oh so patiently for Mason's feet to grow enough to wear them so one day he can hang them in the rear view mirror of his dump truck! :)! Many children with CdLS are born with very small feet and short ankles. So, socks and 'shoes' can be awkward for our little tykes! Mason still wears newborn socks that I sometimes have to roll at the ankle to keep them from cutting off the circulation in his legs (the socks fit his feet perfectly, but do not fit the ankles well...)! And his tiny feet barely fill HALF of the infant size 2 shoes! Of course these shoes don't help with any skills what so ever and we usually take them off of him after a few minutes or so, but Mason seems to love looking at them, kicking with them and loves untying the laces!

I think that it will be adorable one of these days to see Mike's big bad dump truck sporting these tiny little shoes in the window. But I think that we will get PLENTY of use out of them between now and then...

time for bed! :) G'night!

Photo Frenzy Friday..

2009-03-27T20:45:00.006-06:00

Mason is clean and asleep, the dishes are done, the cat litter is changed (thank goodness), and I have a nice steaming cup of hot chocolate just waiting to travel from my lips and straight to my hips. I've got nothing but time and pictures from my phone!! :) I know you're excited!

Worn out from a strenuous round of P.T.

Thank you firefly wing for pacifying him for the ride home :)

(this picture reminded me of a little turtle eating a piece of lettuce ;)

A sweet little surprise on my phone.. Mike or Jaiden must have taken this :)

enjoying the snow! :)

fun at the arcade

Barney, Mase, and Me... (I'm the non-purple one on the right in case you are confused :) Thank goodness for photo cropping!! :)

Squeaky clean, lubed with baby oil in the hair and aquaphor on the skin ... any other CdLS moms have a hard time with your child having dry skin?? Mason's skin is terrible sometimes.

Jaiden and friends and their fort! (identity has been altered for protection )

well, we went from temperatures in the high 60's in the beginning of the week, to a Blizzard and tons of snow at the end of the week (the blizzard caused all of Mason's 'pre-op' testing to be postponed)... I am keeping my toes crossed that we have a nice weekend and that the snow melts in a hurry! I love snow... but it had every chance to be here during WINTER!!!!!!!!!!!! GIVE ME SPRING DAMN IT! :) sorry...

high of only 42 degrees here tomorrow....looks like Masey and I will miss our football practice and walk around the lake :(

have a great weekend!

He Really Does Still Smile :)

2009-03-23T23:49:00.002-06:00

I got out of the habit of making sure my camera is nearby at all times and therefore haven't captured many smiles from my little guy! Since his formula change.... he is 'smilier' and more giggly than ever.... and he was a happy little camper to begin with! I have to say that I notice differences in him. He is mouthing more. He is interested in tasting food more. His tummy hasn't been as full of gas and he seems to be even more interactive with us. Maybe it is because he is getting older and wiser. But I really do think it has to do with the change in milk.

This weekend, Mike gave Mason a hair cut with the clippers (our family friend who usually cuts Mason's hair moved an hour away)..... It turned out alright... but there are definite areas that are uneven and we lost his precious feuxhawk in the process. I am not a fan of it being so short, but I guess it will take practice. I have considered taking classes just to be able to learn to cut Mason's hair myself. I am so bad at it ( I once tried to cut Mike's and we ended up shaving his head bare as a baby's backside LOL). And the one time I attempted Jaiden's hair a few years ago, I almost took his ear off!! LOL! I think that Mason has enough going on in his life without his Mama lobbing his ear off with a pair of scissors.... ;)

Mason is still awake at this fine hour (12:00 a.m.).... He and Daddy are playing on the bed. I tried and tried to keep Mason awake as long as I could this evening, but he crashed at 6:00 and was wide awake and ready to play by 10:00.... (he did have a three hour nap midday)... So, I must go separate the two knuckle heads (I say that with love) and force sleep upon them ;). Have a great Tuesday!

Weekend Pix!

2009-03-22T22:44:00.005-06:00

my nephew

Jaiden

Oh that poor little bike under Mike.... ;)

Jaiden
'Little Tiny'...

Finally, someone smaller than me!!! (that's what Mason said :)

he's just not as interesting as this lion....

Mase and 'H'

It was a gorgeous weekend here!!!!!!!!! We went to the park, the lake, hung out with family, went to lunch with friends, rode fourwheelers and dirt bikes, and played lots of games! Jaiden is on Spring Break, but of course the weather man is claiming a cold front and possible rain and snow in our future (CO really does need the moisture, but I have been loving the beautiful weather!). Hopefully we aren't cooped up too much!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful and sunny Monday!

Happy St. Patrick's Day and some rambles....

2009-03-17T23:38:00.005-06:00

I have a teensey, bit o' Irish in my blood, but Mike (if you can believe it) is almost half! So, we make a big deal about St. Patrick's Day around here and get into the spirit. We had lots of fun at the parade over the weekend. The kids were healthy, the sun was shining, and there was minimal stress. We didn't get our our green beer this year... but we did get some green milkshakes after school today at our local Velvet Freeze!

A few of my friends have asked me what is going on with Mason and his possible Nissan Fundoplication redo, so here is an update.

Mason may not be a candidate for the surgery due to the fact that his stomach is 'deformed' according to CT scans and upper GI testing a few months ago. The surgeon is hesitant to try a surgery when there may be little or nothing at all to work with as far as his tiny stomach is concerned. There is also some concern about his spleen being enlarged (this may be causing his stomach to appear deformed). So, we are going to have Mason's stomach/spleen looked at through another upper G.I. and CT scan this month and go from there.

But, if everything looks ok on the tests, the surgeon is willing to try to redo his Nissan, but he cautions us that because of complications from CDH and from his stomach being an odd shape, that we might end up putting him through a surgery that may not alleviate his symptoms of reflux and vomiting.

Mike and I are back and forth. Mason almost died during his Nissan Fundoplcation surgery the first time he had it done (due to complications and scarring from his CDH surgery). We don't want to put him through a hard surgery and not get a great result in the end... And we don't want him to be opened up for no reason if they find that they don't have enough stomach to work with after they start the surgery. Our alternative option (Rouen Y surgery/gastric bypass) is invasive and dangerous in many ways..... It is just so hard to decide what to do.

We have also been given two alternatives as far as gastric feeding tubes are concerned... but these two other options just are not what we want for Mason right now.

I will keep posting about what happens. Mason's lungs are being watched closely for aspiration and his reflux is under control. He has gained a pound back already and is handling his hypoallergenic formula nicely! Thanks to everyone for your prayers! If anyone out there has had a similar experience with a Fundoplication redo, please email me (link is on the side bar).

Well, I need my pillow right about now! Have a great Wednesday!

Thank You Thursday...a day late!

2009-03-13T20:08:00.006-06:00

Thank you antibiotics for helping Mason through his latest battle with germs! no more eye goop or ear ache!

Thank you Target peeps for forgetting to take the sale sign off of Mason's brand of formula and saving me $3.00 even though the sale was over!!

Thank you to all my blogging friends who highly recommended the Pedegg and told me where to get one! I got one a couple of days ago from Walgreens and my heals are BEAUTIFUL! LOVE IT! (Now I need to buy the Manegg for Mike so he stops using mine... yes, he uses mine...is that gross? lol)

Thank you Motrin for keeping my pookie semi happy this week when he was feeling his yuckiest!

Thank you Yoville and Facebook for wasting precious moments of my life... LOL!

Thank you for Finally getting here Friday!

Thank you HOT green tea and honey for soothing my throat as I type this.

And thank you star for helping Mason cope with his second tooth coming in! I am forever in your debt!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Fill In

2009-03-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

1. It is really sad that I cannot recall what was my last random act of kindness.

2. Another place would be nice, but I am just happy to have a roof over my head!

3. I wish I had a degree in matters of the heart.

4. Coffee, tea or Margaritas baby!

5. We better not ever have to travel separate paths from eachother... You got that!!

6. Our crazy life reminds me that there is no need to sweat the small stuff .

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to looking at the back of my eyelids, tomorrow my plans include driving to Denver for my cousin's birthday and Sunday, I want to make cinnamon french toast, scrambled eggs, and stay in my P.J.'s until noon or later!

Giving the Snuggie Some LOVE! And Other Nonsense!

2009-03-03T22:13:00.007-07:00

I never, in a million years, thought that I would become an infomercial/t.v. product person... But lately I have been researching some products after I see them on T.V, and have been tempted to purchase them....

my first obsession: The SNUGGIE!

Like most people, I thought this idea was ridiculous.... I too would chuckle at how silly Snuggies seemed. And then, a couple of nights of cold here (there haven't been many in this CO drought and 70 degree weather), I realized how cold my arms and hands get when I would hold my book.... or try to cover Mason and myself enough to keep us both warm as we snuggled on the couch. I began to see the genius behind the Snuggie and imagined tiny little Snuggies made for babies and young children with free hands to do as they pleased and at the same time stay toasty warm. Imagine a blanket you can walk around in, read a book in, drink your hot chocolate in... WHO WOULDA' THOUGHT??? Hell, you could even cook dinner in a Snuggie, do a load of laundry or type a blog post with one! Sure, you can roam the house and be quite cozy in a robe or extra sweater...... but... well, I have no argument for that except that Snuggies are cool..I mean WARM! :) If you're in a hurry you might even wear the Snuggie to the grocery store or to drop your kiddos off at school :)!! PURE GENIUS! I have yet to purchase a Snuggie for myself, but Mike and I dream of the day when we can be in a warm Snuggies together with Mason and Jaiden and change the channel without our arms freezing... (Mike jokes that Snuggies are large enough for me to be able to strangle him pretty easily...yet ANOTHER PLUS!..!! ;)

next crazed obsession: Bumpits!-I want to 'Rock a Pony!'

I don't know why I am drawn to these, but I really want to try them..... Not sure that it is the answer to my flat, fine, boring hair...but I am liking the '50's style' look! The only thing that has kept me from purchasing these for myself is the fear that I will get my hopes up to look 'Jakie O Fab' and then really I will end up looking like I am trying too hard to be Glam and end up with a raggedy Amy Whinehouse esq' bouffont!! And what if the things get stuck in my hair????? My hair brush gets caught in my hair half the time....that would be all that I need... to cut the thing off of the top of my noggin and end up with a mullet. That would happen to me, I swear-I have that kinda luck! sigh... I might still get one though!

next: Pedegg!

I would have bought this this morning if the shipping price had not been so flippin' OUTRAGEOUS!!!!!!! My feet need some filing down before flip flop season gets here. But the really frugal gal inside of me feels that need to boycott the product...They advertise the Pedegg (2 of them with foot cream) for only $10.00 and then they hike that shipping charge as high as they can get it.... but for a chance at silky smooth, soft, flip flop-ready feet...I still might try it one of these days! :)

I have come to the conclusion that I need to stop watching so much t.v.....

So, If anyone out there comes across a woman wearing a Snuggie, a rockin' pony bouffant, and super smooth heals shopping happily (or crazily) at the grocery store... please remove the Snuggie at ONCE and strangle her with it!

Calmer

2009-02-26T17:54:00.007-07:00

Things have settled down here.. including Mason's tummy issues! At the risk of jinxing our relative calm, I will just say that all of the symptoms Mason was having such a hard time with have subsided since he is now on a non-dairy formula. Of course the surgeon is on vacation until the second week of March, but things aren't 'as' urgent as they seemed to be last week...*knocking*. If anything else comes up, we will get him into a different surgeon at the same hospital (the ER knows that Mason is top priority if we need to come in).

I am still keeping a close eye on my little man during feedings, and he is practically sitting up while sleeping. And I have a new place to sleep (my head is at the foot of the bed and Mason's crib is right next to me). I am exhausted, but looking forward to a break tomorrow (Daddy has agreed to take over for a few hours while I spend some time away with my Mom).

Thank you for thoughts and prayers from everyone! I hope to comment on blogs and return emails asap! And I will definitely keep everyone up to date on what happens with the Nissen.

My thoughts and prayers will be with Rachel's little Hannah tomorrow as she gets her Nissen Fundoplication repaired.

These videos were taken by Jaiden! in the first one, we are giggling at the new sound Mason makes when we put him in his exersaucer and he sees his book! He doesn't make that sound for anything else! The second one just shows him being happy and CALM!

warning: these are shaky and my voice is annoying! LOL!

Happy FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!

aarrgghh!

2009-02-22T23:26:00.002-07:00

What a crazy little life we lead.... My little man is sick again and has been sick off and on now for over a month. The stomach 'virus' is back...or never left.... We aren't quite sure.

Early Saturday morning (1:00 a.m.) Mason threw up in his sleep and choked quite a bit. We took him into the ER to make sure that his lungs were ok and to try to get answers to what the heck is going on with him! It took two trips to the ER, two hours of trying to draw blood from him (hint to parents of young CdLS kids--if your child is hard to get blood drawn from, ask the Doctor to try the femoral vein first!! This may save your little one from 10 attempts at arm/leg veins, two cut heals, and lots of crying...I wish I had known this before). And we still don't have a clear answer to what is going on. We just know that Mason's stomach and intestines don't have enough enzymes to break down formula, his intestines are very irritated, and his Nissan Fundoplication needs to be redone asap! His lungs are clear and show no sign of aspiration-thank goodness! And all other tests came back clear (stool sample, nose wash, blood and urine etc....).

I am now watching him at ALL times while he is being fed. I have stopped his night drip and am doing slow bolus feeds every three hours and watching for at least a half hour before I relax to ensure that he doesn't vomit. I am operating on maybe 10 hours of sleep since last Thursday night, but all in all I don't feel too tired right now. I am too worried to be tired!

Tomorrow we will start the procedure to have Mason's Fundo repaired-hopefully in the next week or two and to get in to see the G.I. doctor as soon as possible to try to help him get back to normal. Right now he is on a hypoallergenic formula called Nutramigen and is taking enzyme supplements called Lactobacillus. He is still having tummy issues, but the vomiting has stopped for right now. He finally smiled tonight and attempted to play for the first time in three days, so that is a great sign that maybe things are getting better (fingers crossed and wood knocked). I will keep everyone updated on what happens in the next week or so!

I have felt so helpless these past few days. At 31, I have had a harder time deciding what to for Mason than I did as a 19 year old single mommy! I know that Jaiden and Mason are two VERY different kiddos... but I can't help but feel that I have let Mason down in some way because I haven't always gone with my gut feeling. I have made a new promise to him that I will listen to my own instincts from now on (with help from others who are/have been in my shoes of course! :).

thank you to those I've vented to about this through email! I am so very thankful for the support that I find and would be an even BIGGER basket case without you!!

Right now, I need to start his feed so I can get to bed by 1:30!! I hope that everyone has a wonderful week!

Not Me Monday!

2009-02-16T14:21:00.003-07:00

Thank you to my lovely Blog friend Heidi at God's Grace in Practice for turning me on to Mckmama and 'Not Me Monday!'. I have patiently waited a week and I think that I may have some good 'Not Me's' to share! And I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Mckmama's Blog! Get the info to check her out at the end of this post!!

I so did NOT squeal with delight when I left the house this morning to go grocery shopping BY MYSELF!
I didn't celebrate my alone time with a skinny vanilla latte either!
My eyes did not roll when the overly PERKY teenage boy at Starbucks handed me the latte that I did NOT order and my stomach didn't lurch when he proclaimed loudly "here's your UBER delicious skinny vanilla latte on this super fine morning!!"
I didn't fake a laugh in response :)
I didn't devour an entire box of chocolates by noon yesterday!! uugghh
I would NEVER EVER be secretly happy that Jaiden has a cold, therefore causing me to have to miss the Daytona 500 with Mike's friends... DARN IT!
I did NOT lose my car in the parking lot of the grocery store even though I always park in the same place........
And I am not so out of shape that grocery shopping this morning felt like an aerobic work out! YIKES! lol!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

CdLS Blog Challenge....25 Random Things Mason!

2009-02-15T09:08:00.009-07:00

1. Mason HATES to wear jackets or snow suits.. He either screams or he looks aways and won't move until it is off of his body! (he is awake in the pic.. but PISSED to be in his snow suit! he will keep his eyes closed like that for the ENTIRE time he is in one!)!

2. Sometimes when he is cooing, he sounds like a little pigeon...it is so cute and he is doing it right now as I type this!

3. He gets really excited when Mike comes home at night.. sometimes I get a 'tad' jealous at the smiles and squeals Mike gets....lol! but it is the sweetest sight to see!

4. Mason would prefer it if there were no such thing as P.T. LOL! However, he loves every second of O.T. and loves to play!

5. I think this is really common for CdLS'ers..Mason LOVES ceiling fans and often 'yells' at them and will flail back in our arms to get a gander at them!

6. When he giggles, he sounds like a tiny little elf! It makes everyone laugh to hear him!

7. Mason loves to kick.... EVERYTHING...!!

8. He has not grown out of his head banging, and I think this may be a life long quirk with him.

9. Mason loves to be in the bath, but does NOT appreciate his hair being washed AT ALL!

10. One of his favorite things is his 'burp tube'...he is fascinated at the sight of it and if all else fails, the sight of his burp tube will calm him!

11. When he feels good, he is a lamb..... When something bothers him... he's a LION cub!

12. He LOVES his bear!!

13. And his bee!

14. and his book with the dog and duck! 15. Mason's hair has a mind of it's own... I SWEAR that I do comb it several times a day.. but it never looks like it!

16. I have to use spray detangler on Mason's hair! poor guy!

17. Mason's eyes used to be bright blue, but now we cannot tell if they are different shade of hazel or grey blue!! they are an unusual color!

18. He LOVES to walk around the house with me and look at everything and 'talk' to everything lol!

19. He giggles when I kiss his ears!

20. He giggles when I take his arms out of sleeves!

21. He giggles when I wash behind his ears!

22. He screams when I wash his face!

23. After hair washing, I calm him down by messaging his feet! It works EVERY TIME!

24. He is more snugly now than he was as a tiny baby (he wouldn't tolerate a lot of snuggle time when he was really small.... but he makes up for it now lol).

25. I am blessed to have Mason in my life and thank my lucky stars that I was chosen to be his Mommy. He is an amazing little man who has taught me more about life in 15 months than I learned in 29 years!!!!!!!!!!

CdLS Blog Challenge: 25 Random Things.... ME!

2009-02-15T06:50:00.001-07:00

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you.
(I first did this on Facebook, so this is a repeat for some of my Facebook friends-I added some icons to spice it up a little and to help me in continuing my boycott of laundry!)

1. I love Peanut Butter Sammiches!! Jaiden and Mason are both made out of them! With or without jelly, bananas, apples, honey.... Crunchy or smooth! But please hold the salmonella- I prefer mine without that thanks!

2. I like old techno music... It's not something I'm proud of, but it's random enough i guess.

3. My first taste of alcohol was when I was about 3 or 4 (at a Christmas Party)...... I asked my dad what it was that he was drinking and thought he said 'cherry'... I begged him and begged him for a sip of 'CHERRY' and he finally let me have one........I got the shock of my life when my taste buds tasted SHERRY!! My dad laughed so hard at my reaction and to this day, cherry is not my favorite flavor. but I asked for it LOL!

4. I have a reddish dot in the blue of my left eye.

5. When I was 4, I pet a squirrel in our front yard and it attacked me!! (i just had a scratch) but was traumatized and had to get a rabies shot.... dumb squirrel, I was just trying to be nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you got hit by a.....I mean...I hope you're nicer to sweet, innocent children in heaven little squirrel

6. I'm with my friend Stephani and REALLY miss Mr. Paul's Mac and Cheese Tuesday's where I used to work..... :( it was like crack!

7. I used to get made fun of (to the point of TEARS) for cheering for the Broncos at North Elementary.... and now those same people who teased me are 'huge' Bronco fans.....Go figure! ;)

8. I love to watch reruns of 'I Love Lucy'

9. I cut the neck out of sweat shirts (well, mike cuts them for me) and I wear them 80's style!

10. I have gotten a speeding ticket on the same damn street, buy the same motorcycle cop THREE TIMES in the past three years!! but he didn't get me when I sped past him on Monday-nanny-nanny-boo-boo!! He was filling out paperwork..... whew!

11. I am obsessed with flip flops.....Target has NEW ones for spring!! I was like a kid in a candy store looking at the sparkly, colorful new flip flops........my eyes may have even glossed over a little bit!

12. I am a Clearance Princess....but my mom is the QUEEN!

13. I like to play with pieces of tape!! scotch tape, packing tape, anything sticky really...it is almost a stress reliever.... weird???

14. jeez it's hard to think of 25 things.......

15. I heart Target...........A Lot!! too much!

16. I want to have another baby, but not sure if that is in the cards.

17. Once a young cow chased me while I was on a four wheeler.............I never realized how fast cows can RUN!!! It was scary! Mike laughed and Jaiden got scared for my life LOL!

18. A goose once attacked my legs at the flying W Ranch..... I was four or five and remember like it was yesterday..... I screamed bloody murder!

19. I miss watching John Wayne movies and playing cards with my Grandpa.

20. I miss cruising the 'Ave' in the G-Ride with my friends (the G-Ride was a very old station wagon that got us A LOT of attention LOL! :)

21. I peel the chocolate off of Reeces Peanut butter cups and eat the peanut butter by itself (after I eat the chocolate of course).

22. Only three more to go after this one!

23. My fave animals are penguins and hedgehogs!

24. My dream goal is to become a message therapist for babies and children with special needs.

25. Fancy dinners are nice, but take me to a Football or hockey game, buy me a beer and I am a happy girl!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T12:03:00.004-07:00

We are enjoying our day together and very slowly getting ready to have a karaoke night at my sister's house (possibly with heart shaped pizzas :). I have been spending my days lately trying to fatten Mason up (his bout with the tummy yuckiness has him down to 15.8lbs from 17 lbs....) and I have a new found obsession with Facebook and keeping up with friends, support groups, AND applications on there!! :) I hope that love finds you EVERYDAY and not just today. But I am definitely going to have a couple of extra pieces of chocolate and kick back and enjoy the day a bit more! Beds aren't made yet, this sink is full of dirty dishes, and we are all still in PJ's and that is OK! :)

Update on Mason's tooth! As of Thursday, the little bugger finally pushed through the skin! So, he now officially has a tooth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) It only took a month or so!

Things Mason Has Learned...

2009-02-02T19:18:00.009-07:00

.....the past few days or so.

1. Sleep, and lots of it, helps heal the tummy.

2. Being sick is for the BIRDS!!!

3. Grandpa's glasses are THE MOST fascinating toy to date...

4. Aunts and uncles are fun.... and Raider hats are down right hilarious!

5. That was one HELL of a Superbowl!!
Mason wanted the Cardinals to win because he thinks Kurt Warner is kinda cute..er...uh.. I mean because he ALWAYS roots for the underdog. Congrats to the Steelers and the AFC!

WHEW!!!!!!! What a week we had last week!! I have to say that Mason, us, and the rotavirus just don't mix well AT ALL (rotavirus is suspected but not confirmed)! Mason did not receive the rotateq vaccine because his immunization schedule was off and because his Doctor felt cautious giving it to him because of his stomach surgery... Last week was scary. Until Saturday morning, Mason was lethargic and had me in a constant panic. He has now lost almost two pounds and STILL isn't quite himself yet (today is the very first day that he hasn't been a big crab apple with all of us....) He is over the worst of it, but having a hard time with full feedings. Our Doc said that it could be a couple of weeks before he tolerates feeds and puts his weight back on.... JUST when he was getting used to toddler formula!!!!! I don't wish the rotavirus on my worst enemy!!!! Wash hands, wash hands, wash hands....

I am hoping that everyone had a wonderful weekend and didn't engorge themselves with Superbowl treats the way that I did... I'm going to have to just eat plain lettuce for MONTHS to make up for my day of PURE indulgence... The Superbowl is usually a big deal for my family no matter who is playing.. and we go all out... One sad admission I have is that I often catch myself thinking that Superbowl Sunday is a national holiday and that some stores may be closed...... Lame and flakey, I know. But that is how my silly little mind works sometimes! LOL!

I wish EVERYONE a WONDERFUL week free of POOP (of one kind or another) and full of LOVE!

REWARD For Safe Return of...

2009-01-28T17:28:00.007-07:00

....one terry cloth, well-loved, ragamuffin little Penguin... He is sadly missed by our family and many other children that he has helped get through physical therapy!!

(photo taken in april 2008)

I have misplaced him somewhere.. I am hoping that he is somewhere in the far regions of the underside of our bed.... or behind the couch in a shadow somewhere..but I am sure that he was found and HOPEFULLY taken to a very good home :).

If anyone out there comes across this penguin, or a terry cloth friend who resembles him, please email me! :)

You can read the story of Mr. Penguin by clicking here Mr. P.

Stupid Stomach Virus!! Leave My Pookie Alone!!

2009-01-27T18:28:00.008-07:00

Warning!! This post isn't pretty!

Question of the day: What is more icky than finding your child rolling around in his own diaper contents??

Answer: uuuhhhh....Not a whole lot!!

Last Saturday morning, I set Mason down on a blanket on the floor to practice his rolling skills, and went in to put some muffins in the oven... When I returned to the living room I smelled a very foul smell and realized that Mason wasn't his usual sweet smelling self. I then went to get a clean diaper and wipes out of his room. I came back and began to change his diaper and realized that he was soaked from HEAD TO TOE!! Ok, he was soaked from butt to upper back, but it might as well have been his entire body. Mason, the blanket, and my carpet needed a thorough shampooing PRONTO! I'm sure you can imagine what needed to be shampooed off of the two..

So, now that I've ruined your appetite or day by writing about the P word, I will move onto the rest of this lovely post.

As you can probably tell, my little one is sick sick sick and has lost over 1 lb. in four days!! And I am suffering from some serious worry wart issues! I thought I was bad with my first child.. THAT WAS ALL JUST CAKE compared to my little Mase. For the first time in his 14 months of Pookiness, Mason has a nasty stomach virus and it has been................HELL.. for the lack of a better word. He hasn't been able to keep formula in his body for four days now, and after two trips to the doctor and one ambulance call (i will get to that in a sec), I am ready to do serious battle with the nasty little virus that is camping out in his tummy!!

So, we are taking it slow. No formula for him AT ALL for 24 hours and then we will very slowly introduce it back into his diet. If things don't get better in the next couple of days or so, there will be a toddler formula change (again) and possible admittance into the hospital for tests.. But hopefully he can kick it before all of that is necessary. We are keeping him very well hydrated with pedialyte and making sure he gets plenty of rest.

Earlier today, a bit of panic set in as we were getting ready to leave for Mason's appointment with his Pediatrician. I ended up calling an ambulance (much to Mike's silent dismay) because Mason was throwing up through his Nissen and gagging uncontrollably after I tried to give him a little bit of formula. He did choke a bit... I just didn't know what else to do and he scared me! Of course once the fire department and paramedics showed up, Mason was snuggled sleepily against Mike's shoulder and showed no signs of distress! I was a bit embarrassed, but I would do it all over again just to be sure that he is ok. And I am very grateful to the paramedics and fire department men and women for being so nice and interested in Mason.. They are amazing people! And Mike... the calm before and during all of my storms!! I would be a huge pile of hypochondria if it weren't for his...patience.

Now to continue with my boycott against germs...... I have a bottle of disinfectant and I'm not afraid to use it!!

Get better Masey!

Things I've Learned This Week........

2009-01-22T21:15:00.006-07:00

1. Nothing says good morning like a 3 lb. bottle of Mrs. Butterworth landing on your face....

(my NOSE caught this lovely bottle as I stood below the shelf in my laundry room /pantry/ clutter closet. Amazingly, I didn't bleed and only had a slight bruise...AND I didn't cry..........................very much). The bottle is bigger than it looks, really it is!

2. Unless there is gushing blood, Mike has no sympathy... I didn't have enough evidence of injury, so I only got a chuckle and a head shake when I told my harrowing story of syrup bottle meets honker! (he did say "oh no, a lame story for you to blog about." LOL-boy does he know me!)

3. Free day at Zoo + 65 Degree Weather = MAYHEM

On Monday, we made the trek to Denver to enjoy a FREE day at the Zoo along with our closest friends- THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF COLORADO!

It was hard to see the animals because of the hoards of people, but it was a tremendously fun day spent with my sister and cousin and their families.

4. Hippo Butts are kinda cute!!

Misty hearts Mike forever ;)

5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a bit on the depressing side....

(But even more sad than that movie is the fact that I cheered myself up by watching Encino Man... ) and EVEN more pathetic... I LAUGHED at all of Pauly Shore's lines like I was 14 years old again---or 5 .... *shiver*

6. My nephew's mind works in mysterious ways....

He can make me laugh like no other!! He texted me the picture and text below it. It was a little creepy, but hilarious (he is 8).

I-SEE-YOU

7. Mason is adorable! Ok, so I already knew that!! but he reminds me EVERY SECOND!

(pic by Jaiden)

NieNie is BACK!!

2009-01-16T14:54:00.004-07:00

Click to read her story!

Card Sharp

2009-01-16T07:50:00.004-07:00

Mason showing me what to play next in Canasta!!! :) (pic taken before appearance of tooth) lol.

Yesterday Mason was VERY HAPPY and more like himself once he got rid of the morning 'grumpies'! He even made it through P.T. with minimal crying and drama!! THE tooth is still sticking up in his gum, but has yet to break the skin.... I keep checking to make sure that I'm not wrong, and it sure looks like a tooth coming in! And feels like it! So we'll see what the tooth saga brings in the coming days! It was so nice to have him back yesterday. I spent the day playing with him, shirking all other responsibilities (like feeding Mike and Jaiden lol), and making him giggle non-stop in between therapies and feeding. I even got night time smiles all night long when I would go to his crib and adjust his position (he tends to slink down to the bottom his crib and I try to keep him on his sides and off of the back of his head throughout the night). It was so nice to get those sleepy smiles in the middle of the night! His happiness is definitely my happiness!

The three ladies who commented on my Blog "Pay It Forward" (Jill, Megan, and Devri) Please send me your addresses when you get a chance! here is my email mstylyn97@yahoo.com !!

I hope that everyone has a FABULOUS weekend!!!

Sweet Surprise Via Snail Mail!!

2009-01-15T17:07:00.004-07:00

I received the GOODIES below from my Blogging friend Rachel. I was one of three to comment on her blog post blogging game "Pay it Forward"! And now it is my turn to "Pay it Forward". Read the details below!

This is a FUN blogging game designed to spread kindness and to put a smile on people's faces! The FIRST three people to make a comment to this post will receive a small gift as long as they promise to continue to 'Pay it Forward'.

If you would like to participate, here are the rules!

The focus of this is to do an act of kindness without expecting anything in return other than the recipient will, in their turn, pass the kindness along and "pay it forward."I will send a small gift to the first 3 bloggers who post a comment on this entry. In turn, those three will post this information and the game will continue!! The little something you send can be something you made, bought, were given or found, anything you want!! Just a gift that will make the person's day!! If you are interested in participating, simply be one of the first 3 bloggers to leave a comment!! You have to promise that you will then post about this on your blog, link back to me, and then send something to the first three people who sign up to play along through your blog. Doesn't this sound like fun!!??

I am going to add to the fun!! If you decide to comment, you must tell me your favorite color, favorite collectible, and your favorite hobby!

The gifts don't have to be holiday related!! They just need to be from the heart!!!!!!!!!

Remember NOT to post about this game until AFTER you have received your gift!

Little Tooth...You're a Bad, Bad Boy!!!

2009-01-14T22:26:00.004-07:00

Just reminiscing about life a couple of days BEFORE the tooth! :)

Stranger Among Us..........

2009-01-14T12:38:00.008-07:00

One minute he's like this....

The next minute he is like THAT

We have been wondering where our sweet Mason has been hiding... He doesn't want to be held but doesn't want to be put down. One night he was up ALL night and then yesterday he slept 8 hours, woke up for a half hour and then slept 5 hours more!! He has had us sick with worry wondering what the heck is going on in his little body.. Ear infection? Reflux? Spleen? I have been imagining every possible scenario in my mind....

Imagine my surprise when I realized-by accident last night- that there is a little intruder in Mason's mouth trying to cut it's way through his gum.... DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is getting his first tooth!!!!!!!!!! We have mixed emotions. We are happy that he is getting a tooth, but sad because as soon as this one cuts, we know that the next one will soon follow and wreak further havoc on Mason's normally sweet personality..

Please break through already little tooth from the depths of hell......uh ..... I mean Mason's tiny gums!!!!!!!! We want our Masey and our minds back!!!!!!!!

Hodge Podge Sunday

2009-01-11T15:26:00.006-07:00

The Tiny Feux Hawk

The view from my front door last week...

It's a quiet day around here! :) But nice!

Back on Track?

2009-01-09T14:16:00.005-07:00

I've been a little scarce with my blogging lately..one, because I haven't had much going on that I feel would be 'post worthy' (I haven't snapped a picture in over a week now!), and two, because I have been trying to get organized and back on track for the new year (I went on winter vacation mentally long before the holidays, so my house was a mess, our schedule, etc...). I felt that blogging would interfere with getting back on track, so I've tried to stay away and only READ!! But staying away is hard to do!! :)

Jaiden is back at school and has a new haircut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He came to me over Christmas break and told me he was ready to chop it off! SO, that second, I grabbed the car keys and away we went to get it cut LOL! He loves his hair and is trying to pull off a 'feux hawk', but Mason's hawk has him beat ten fold! I will get a picture up asap!

Mason is still battling his upper respiratory infection. He has now had two chest x-rays to make sure there isn't pneumonia, and his lungs remain clear *knocks on wood*. Yesterday, Mason's audiologist 'tested' his left ear to see how bad the fluid was and for the first time in months it read TOTALLY clear!!!!!!!!!! Wish I could say the same for the right ear, but that sucker has given us heck since birth LOL! For a while there, Mason wouldn't tolerate his hearing aids, but for the past few days now, he has been letting me put them in. Wow, look at that run-on sentence!!

Mason's Doctors are going to continue to monitor his spleen... and possibly run some tests at the end of this month or early in February. On Tuesday, Mason sees his cleft palate Doctor. We will more than likely narrow down his surgery date at that time.

Other than that, all is quiet *knock wood again*.

The video below is one that Jaiden took of Mason a while ago.. If you have a tendency for motion sickness, you may want to avoid watching it!! but I thought it was pretty cute!

I hope that everyone has a great weekend!!! Fingers crossed that the Chargers lose on Sunday!! Everyone else can win but them LOL! (sorry if you're a Chargers fan, disgruntled Bronco fan here!)

Now off to curl up on the couch with a book while Masey naps!

A Fun First Day of 2009!

2009-01-01T19:11:00.004-07:00

We had a fun day at the arcade today!!

Goodbye 2008....CdLS Blog Challenge

2008-12-31T18:56:00.008-07:00

As 2008 comes to a close, take some time to reflect on the past year. Tell us about accomplishments and triumphs, good times and bad times. What will be most memorable for you about 2008?

Well, let me first start off by saying that if you asked me a year ago today if I thought I would make it through this year in one piece, I'm not sure I would've said yes! :) What a year it has been and what a roller coaster of emotions I never knew I was capable of feeling. I believe in my heart that I have changed more in this year than I had in my previous 30 years of existence! I feel that I am a better person.

Of course most of that change has to do with sharing my first year with Mason and all the incredible people that I have met because of him. My life is richer. I certainly don't look at the world the same anymore. I feel that I have gone through an important 'process' this year. One that is so hard to explain unless you've 'been there' and I am too lighthearted to even try to explain it tonight. But I am different. I am better. I am stronger. I am sensitive. I am learning. I couldn't say these things a year ago tonight...

I feel that 2008 tested my relationship with Mike more than EVER. He is an amazing father and he is my best friend. I don't think I would be where I am without him... I have always known this about him, but 2008 MADE sure I wouldn't forget it :) LOL!

2008 brought me to the land of BLOGGING and finding support which has been so wonderful to me..... I would be lost without ALL of my blogging friends and precious kiddos that have touched my heart in so many ways.

2008 has been one of the scariest (2007 was the scariest for me), most wonderful, hardest, frustrating, beautiful, and happy years of my life..... if that makes sense! I am looking forward to 2009.... I am ready for another roller coaster ride!

Happy New year to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! May 2009 bring you joy and happiness!

Roly Poly is Back.. and Test Results

2008-12-27T11:45:00.001-07:00

Mason has begun to roll......with purpose! :) No more accidental little rolls that scare the daylights out of him... he sees something and he goes for it! It has been so much fun to watch him discover that he can move. He does get frustrated a lot during his little excursions, and we all have to help him quite a bit. Now, we focus on sitting... he is no where near able to sit on his own yet.

Mason made a trip to the Pulmonary Specialist on Monday of last week. He was happy to tell us that the CT Mason was given does not show signs of aspiration in the lungs and there is no reason to redo his Nissen at this time!! He does see some scarring in his right lung from his CDH, but there is no fluid! I was on cloud nine when he told us this!!!! But it only lasted a minute or two. The Dr. let us know that the radiologist noted that Mason may have Splenomegaly, which means that his spleen is enlarged. After the appointment, I made a phone call to his surgeon to ask him to look at the CT scan to let us know how he felt about it (Last December, Mason almost lost his spleen during his Nissen Fundoplication and g-tube surgery because of adhesion from his Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia repair). The surgeon told me that he would look at the CT and call me back in the morning..... That left me with an afternoon, and an entire night to look into Splenomegaly and it's causes on the Internet... That was NOT a good thing. I scared myself so bad and ended up being a complete wreck!!!! The surgeon called me back after what seemed like enternity, and let me know that although his spleen is somewhat enlarged, it isn't something to be worried about right now. We now need to watch it closely and also watch his heart. He feels that Mason will need a CT of his spleen in three months to make sure it is not getting bigger, and also more routine echo cardiograms to make sure that his heart is functioning properly.

While the surgeons phone call initially eased my fears, I have since decided that I want Mason's blood to be tested further and his heart to be looked at closely-AND his spleen- to make sure that everything is ok. On Monday I plan on calling his G.I. to ask her to run some tests (problems with a spleen are very often associated with metabolic diseases or anemia-so the pulmonary specialist is sending us that route). Mason's body is a little mystery, and I don't think that we can be too careful when it comes to making sure things are ok.

So, there was some good news and bad this past week. Our Christmas was wonderful despite the fact that Mason has had a cold (upper respiratory infection). But thankfully, two chest xrays show that his lungs are still clear!

Today is a sweats and slippers day for all of us! I hope to be back later to blog some more! :)

Christmas!

2008-12-26T19:05:00.007-07:00

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas!! We sure did!

Special Exposure Wednesday....

2008-12-17T09:50:00.002-07:00

I think that he is trying to make a santa beard out of his drool..... ;) He is talented like that! LOL!

Pookie's Day at the Spa....

2008-12-16T21:34:00.013-07:00

Mason went in to get an echocardiogram at the hospital. As the test was getting started, the tech made a remark about not wanting to torture him..... Mike told her that this was a 'day at the spa' for him compared to what he went through last Friday. He was VERY happy to have Daddy's sunglasses to play with (and I think that he secretly like to kick Daddy while he held his arm in place). He seemed so relaxed and just had a huge smile the whole time as the tech went back and forth on his chest and tummy with the...uh... ultrasound thingamajig.. He also enjoyed the warmth of the gel that she used! It was funny, and a wonderful change from last week!!

Like most of the country, we are in a deep freeze here! (it was a balmy 35 degrees in my neck of the woods today, compared to 7 below zero yesterday). While the snow and cold has helped fuel my Christmas spirit, it is NOT fun to drag Mason out into the frigid temps! Mother Nature, save that stuff for another time when we don't have to venture out so much! :)!

Here are some pics that I caught from over the weekend... we were knee deep candy and cookies....my hips will never be the same!!! (photos are fuzzy because i took them with my phone).

my sis with lightning fast candy making hands!

Alana and Alissa

my cousin, stirring the divinity for me... my arm was about to fall off!

my charlie brown tree :)

or as Mike calls it, the Christmas stick

trouble snoozing
my cousin Jon....not much help in making candy, but very entertaining.
mmmm
enjoying the snow in 10 degree weather!! He is CRAZY

my rascals in front of my aunt's tree

CT Scans, Sedation, Allergic Reactions, Stress...

2008-12-12T16:09:00.006-07:00

Mason's Nissen Fundoplication Saga continued today with a follow up CT scan of his lungs... He was admitted early this morning. The Doctor and nurses -yet again- couldn't get an I.V. into his body after many pokes and stabs. He had to have a central line placed in his neck..... Needless to say, he was NOT a happy camper when he came out of radiology. I completely freaked out when I finally got to the recovery room and saw the condition he was in. Bloody, bruised, dehydrated, pale and totally PISSED OFF!

He gagged uncontrollably after the scan. He couldn't breath and had to have a breathing treatment. He gasped for breath, causing all of the nurses to panic and call the Doctor in. His face swelled so much he couldn't open his eyes. The anesthetic they gave him caused his body to dry up like a piece of jerky. The tube they placed down his throat caused so much irritation, that had he not been so dehydrated, he would have choked on his saliva. uugghh!!

After he left recovery, we were sent to observation where he developed an allergic reaction to the contrast 'stuff' they used during the CT scan. He broke out in hives and had a high fever. After eight hours, a little Tylenol and Benadryl, and lots of visits from three different Doctors, we were aloud to go home!

We find out the results of the tests (he has an ecocardiogram next week) on the 22nd. We will then decide whether or not to have Mason's Nissen Fundoplication repaired...

These pics below were taken after the Benadryl and Tylenol were administered... He was so happy to see the lights above his bed.... Mike and I were chop liver.

Although I question whether the test was worth the stress, I do want to know how his lungs are doing. I have been so scared about aspiration and pneumonia. A little boy in our CdLS online community recently lost his life due to pneumonia... It made me realize that Mason is fragile. I never got to meet the little boy, but his loss hits close to home. I cannot begin to imagine what his parents are feeling and my heart goes out to them... Rest In Peace Angel Nick.

If there is one thing that I have learned this year-especially recently.. it is that life is precious. Hug the ones you love as often as you can and tell them that you love them. Don't let the little stuff ruin what is important...

CdLS Blog Challenge: Holiday Traditions

2008-12-07T12:30:00.010-07:00

(photo of Seven Falls By Brill)
This week's blog challenge is to mention our holiday traditions! If you would like to participate, please leave a comment and your link with Heidi @ God's Grace in Practice

The Holiday season usually kicks off (for me) with Thanksgiving and then my Birthday (on December 1st I turned 25.....LOL...ok 31)

I really get into the spirit when my family and I attend our local Hospice Tree lighting each year. We pay tribute to those we've lost and enjoy each other's company with beautiful music, apple cider, and lights. It is an uplifting way to start the Christmas Season.

I like to put up the tree after Thanksgiving and watch 'A Wonderful Life'. I didn't do that this year... I am the only one that enjoys that movie in my house! LOL!

We have to have advent Calenders... I consider that a tradition! LOL! I got Jaiden and Mason one this year. Mike has opened Mason's and given him tastes of the treats.

I think we may have started a new tradition this year. We went to a tree lighting in the neighborhood where I grew up. We had chilli, hay rides, sang Christmas carols, and Santa! It was a lot of fun!!

Every year we drive around town and look at Christmas lights. We also go to a place called Seven Falls in nearby Cheyenne Mountain and take in the sights, lights, and sounds! We usually get hot chocolate and walk around, and if it isn't icy we climb to the halfway point of the falls. We also have the kiddos visit Santa while we are there. It was always so magical for me to go there as a child and I enjoy taking Jaiden every year. It is BEAUTIFUL when there is a lot of snow. They light up the falls in different colors, and it reflects off of the snow.... I cannot wait to go again this year.

Last night we had our festival of lights parade that we try to catch every year. It was unusually warm last night.

I also LOVE to make fudge, candy, and cookies with my family.

Watching a Charlie Brown Christmas, A Christmas Carol, Rudolph, the Grinch, and a Christmas Story is a MUST! And we HAVE to have hot chocolate and popcorn for each and every one of those movies!

We try to catch a play or a show every year. My personal Favorites are the Nutcracker or Transiberian Orchestra! This year my sister and I are thinking of catching a show called The Gospel According to Scrooge! We'll see if our busy Mommy schedules allow us this year!

Christmas Eve we go to my Mom's and eat and hang out. When we get home, we read T'was the Night Before Christmas...

Christmas Day are woken up at the crack of dawn by a very eager young man, put our slippers and robes on, make some hot chocolate and open gifts. We then make a good breakfast (that usually includes cinnamon rolls) and play with our toys LOL!

We then get ready and head to my Aunt Jenny's house for dinner... This year she claims that my sister will be hosting Christmas dinner.... but not sure where we'll be.

The day after Christmas we go back to my Aunt's and eat leftovers and play games like Aggravation, poker, Conasta, Pictionary, trivial pursuit, karaoke etc.

Love this time of year!

What are your traditions?

Lesson for a Thursday..

2008-12-04T18:35:00.010-07:00

NEVER underestimate your Child's abillities to...MOVE and WIGGLE!
Always make sure to strap your baby in the safety belts, or you may find him contorted like a pretzel when returning to the living room after doing a load of laundry.

He was perfectly content like this.......

But he was happy and giggly when I put him the right position AND STRAPPED HIM IN!! LOL!

Santa and His Elves!

2008-12-03T22:41:00.008-07:00

Mason was head banging Santa's shoulder :)

He was a good sport and one of the coolest guys we've ever met!

Flashback to a 2 year old Jaiden with Santa!

Whew.... We Made It!

2008-11-30T21:04:00.011-07:00

We are back home tonight after four days in Oklahoma visiting Mike's Mom and Step Dad. It was fun to get away for a while! Mason did surprisingly well during the 8 hour trip there and back! He slept well, He tolerated feeds. He played well. He was HAPPY for most of the trip there... We stopped a few times to get him out of his car seat and let him play. But he was GREAT! On the way home today, he slept for four hours of our trip... and didn't cry AT ALL! I am impressed! I think that Jaiden wined more than Mason LOL!

Hal-Muh-Ni (Grandma) and Halabeoji (Grandpa) loved to give Mason massages and 'physical therapy'!! He was a good sport about it and tolerated it so well (much better than he does with me or the therapist)! He had the privilege of laying in their bed with them and playing for hours! Mike, Jaiden, and I were on our own without our Pookie a lot-we weren't quite sure what to do with ourselves without him!

My terrible camera battery died and I forgot the charger!!! After trips to two Walmarts in two small cities, I gave up trying to find a replacement. We got tons of pictures with our phones, so I hope to email and upload soon!

I did manage to get a couple of pictures though!! :)

We were all spoiled and loved for four days. It was hard to say goodbye and I am little blue about getting back to our routine of appointments, tests, and therapists... but such is life! :)

Christmas Survey!

2008-11-28T00:00:00.008-07:00

I stole this from Rachelle! Play along if you like, But try not to be a Scrooge or a Grinch!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? BOTH! But I love to rip into wrapping paper!!
2. Real tree or Artificial? I would love a real one, but I have to use my Charlie Brown Tree due to lack of room ! (I will share pics of it when I get a chance :)
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the day after Thanksgiving
4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's Day
5. Do you like eggnog? I drink only one SMALL glass with my Grandma, and that's usually all that I can handle...
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Probably my Cabbage Patch Doll ...
7. Hardest person to buy for? Mike! He always wants a CHAMPAGNE type of gift and I only have a beer budget!
8. Easiest person to buy for? Myself!! I always know what I want! No, probably my sister because our tastes are similar (and I usually get her what I would love to have)
9. Do you have a nativity scene? no
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Snail Mail!
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? well, Jaiden received kittens and I received a LOT of years of cleaning out their litter!! LOL! but i do it because i love them... not Scrooge-ing
12. Favorite Christmas movie? LOVE A Christmas Story, but I can only watch it ONCE! and I LOVE THE GRINCH! and a Christmas Carol!
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? By Black Friday (usually get it all done that day!) 14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes, I have!
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Mom's sugar cookies and my aunt's fudge... and to drink-hot chocolate with a candy cane (or peppermint shnapps)
16. Lights on the tree? YES!
17. Favorite Christmas song! The Eurythmics Version of Winter Wonderland and Santa Baby :)
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? YES! with a little help from Rachelle that is! You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? I have a star
21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? We usually open one on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning
22 . Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Definitely the rude and rabid people in the stores at this time of year and the Christmas music gets a little annoying after a few weeks!
23. Favorite Ornament theme or color? star ornaments
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? my mom's homemade bread and sweet potatoes
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Just to celebrate our traditions and to be with my family.. that is all that I want and need!

Christmas Flashback!

Last year my most precious gift was that we got to bring Mason home from the hospital the day before Christmas Eve! When we got home we found signs and balloons on our front and back door from my sister, aunts, Grandma, cousins, niece and nephew and JAIDEN! It was wonderful! It was so nice to have him home in time for Christmas.

I hope that Everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

CdLS Blog Challenge: What I'm Thankful For....

2008-11-23T20:21:00.008-07:00

Rivalry In the Family! :)

2008-11-22T10:22:00.003-07:00

This is a big rivalry weekend for the football fanatics in my family!! Michigan -vs- Ohio State.... and then tomorrow the Broncos will stomp the Raiders! And my bro-in-law Shawn happens to love Michigan AND the Raiders!! YIKES! He and Mike are watching the college game together as I type this. I hope they both make it through the game in one piece.

GO OHIO STATE!! Sorry Shawn :P

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday...

2008-11-19T11:58:00.006-07:00

Daddy love and drooly shirt :)

Thinking of Daniella..

Bookworm Award

2008-11-17T20:12:00.004-07:00

Tagged AGAIN :)!! Rachelle at Walk With the Reidmiller Family got me! And I just happen to have a book that I haven't read yet sitting very close to me right now. This will be a sneak peak for me!! LOL!

Anyway, the rules for this award are fun:Pass this on to 5 blogging friends.Open the closest book to you, not your favorite or most intellectual book, but the book closest to you at the moment, to page 56.Write the 5Th sentence, as well as two to five sentences following that.

The book that I am using is Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. It is the fourth book in the Twilight series!! I am currently reading the third book!

"It wasn't nearly as easy to dance with Charlie. He was no better at it than I was, so we moved safely from side to side in a tiny square formation. Edward and Esme spun around us like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers."

I would go on, but it is giving me way too much information than I want right now :), so I will close the book and resist the urge to read more!!

Tag!!!!!!! I cannot narrow down 5 friends, so please play along if you want to!

8 Simple Things!

2008-11-16T22:37:00.003-07:00

I'm 'it' again!! Carissa at Butterfly Kisses tagged me for this one! Thought I would bombard you with tons of useless info about me while I wait to put my clothes in the dryer!! :)

My 8 Favorite TV Shows: I honestly don't watch a lot of t.v.....but here are a few that I try to catch.. I am pretty boring!

My sister and her husband have gotten me hooked to True Blood... It is pretty raunchy-definitely not a family show, but REALLY good if you like vampires!
For some odd reason I love to watch How Clean is Your House? on BBC America! It usually gets me into a cleaning mood! LOL!
Grey's Anatomy- Mostly for McSteamy :)
King of Queens... I never watched it when it was in syndication, but I love the reruns!
Dancing With the Stars, although I am bored with it this year.
Fringe
OK, I will admit it to the world... I am one of those peeps-who isn't a teenager- who watches The Hills! The show about nothing...
Friends reruns!

8 Favorite Restaurants: This one is easy.... I LOVE TO EAT!! LOL!

Mimi's Cafe
Cheesecake Factory
Fargo's
Red Lobster
The Pita Pit
Wahoo's Fish Tacos
Noodles and Co.
Ai

8 Things that happened yesterday:

Went to Starbucks with friends!
Ate at the Cheesecake Factory
Left Denver for home!
Covered My Boys in Kisses!
Did laundry
Did dishes
Watched Mike help carry our drunk neighbor into his house
uploaded pics and blogged!

8 Things I look forward too:

Thanksgiving
My cousin's play
movie night with my mom, sister, and cousin.. We're going to see Twilight!
My birthday!
Taking Mason out to the Christmas parade!!!
Being with family and friends!
Christmas Shopping.... I LOVE IT LOL!
Making Christmas cookies and candy with my family

8 Things I love about Autumn:

The smell of the air!
the colors
sweaters, jeans, and layering
pumpkins
crunching leaves as I walk in the boots I haven't seen in three months
apple cider
watching Jaiden and his friends play in the leaves in our front yard
FOOTBALL!

8 Things on my wish list: some of these are goals for myself... and some of these I pray for.

Happiness for Mason
For Mason not to feel pain
To find a bigger house we can afford in the same area so Jaiden doesn't have to leave his friends next year.
Plenty of/more work for Mike's business....
gas prices stay under $2.00...hopefully I didn't just jinx it!
I want all of us to get better with signing.
For Mason to get approved for vision therapy!
Many many things for my best friend.. she knows what and why :)

TAG!!!!!!! YOU'RE IT!!!!!

CdLS Blog Challenge~~ Thanksgiving Recipe

2008-11-16T17:54:00.003-07:00

This is my favorite!! I don't have a picture, but I hope to make it when we go to Oklahoma this year for Thanksgiving to see Mike's Mom and step Dad... I just have a feeling that I will be the only one who eats it.. It is one of those things you either love or hate!

I always save it for last and go back for seconds!

Grandma Margaret's Sweet Potatoes

6 sweet potatoes

2 cups brown sugar

1 stick of butter

1 can evaporated milk

salt

cinnamon

1 bag of large marshmallows

Wash, peel and boil sweet potatoes until fork tender. Remove from water and let cool. Slice into buttered baking dish. In medium sauce pan melt 1 stick of butter, pour in about 2 cups brown sugar, stir and bring to boil. Pour about 3 tbs. evaporated milk into brown sugar mixture, let boil to thick syrup. Lightly salt potatoes, pour mixture over potatoes, sprinkle with cinnamon. Put in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Take out, cover with marshmallows and put back into oven until marshmallows are golden brown. YUM!!!!!!

Older = Better!!

2008-11-15T18:47:00.024-07:00

WOW!!!!!!!!! If you are even the tiniest fan of NKOTB, I highly recommend gathering some good friends and going to see them in concert! It is well worth the money and the sore throat you may get from screaming your bloody head off!! Yes, I screamed.... I danced.... I sang along and I shook like a school girl. I had a BLAST!!!!!!! I am so glad that I went! And being with friends who lived the 80's with me made it even sweeter... Here are some pics!! :)

'Little' Donnie on the way to Denver!

Heather (the HMC) and me

Me, Shannon BtotheM, Lisa, and Heather

4 ladies we met who fell in love with 'Little' Donnie

kisses

waiting for the concert to begin

our view for the first few songs

they came to the middle of the crowd for the middle few songs!! we were only 20 feet away!!!

Shannon!

'Little' Donnie came in very handy...Not only did the real deal dress like my doll, but BIG Donnie Wahlberg SAW him as I frantically waved him through the air!! :) He smiled and nodded to us :)! It was a great moment! Thank you Mom for finding him and not tossing him years ago!

Big Donnie Wahlberg

Ok, now I have to be an adult again *sigh*!

Childhood Dream Realized....

2008-11-13T22:29:00.006-07:00

Remember these guys?????? I wanted to marry Donnie Walbergh as a metal-mouthed, awkward 12 year old.... and as a 30 year old mama of two... well, I will settle for the concert I only got to see on HBO as a child!! I am going to see them tomorrow night, with three of my childhood buddies (one of which is the author of a very funny blog you should check out sometime ). I cannot WAIT! It will be my first overnight away from Mason. We have booked a hotel and plan on relishing some much need LADY time ( all four of us had babies toward the end of last year!!). I am nervous about being gone for a night, but I leave Mason in the VERY capable hands of his Daddy and big brother! They make a good team!

My mom dug my (shirtless) Donnie doll out of some boxes of crap that I have had a very hard time letting go of... I'm glad I kept him after all these years! :) I hope to have pictures, if my camera behaves. I will share with Bloggerland my unadulterated joy at reliving my preteens all over again, thank goodness I don't have braces and mall hair this time!!

Who was your Favorite NKOTB??? (if you're old/young enough to remember them and not afraid to admit it ;)

Party Pics For Your Eyes!

2008-11-12T21:50:00.010-07:00

November 1, 2008

Jaiden's Award Ceremony

November 2, 2008

Mason's 1st Birthday!!

This is how he spent the first part of his Party :)

Lillian, Uncle Rodney, and Grandma

Dimples :)

Lillian and Mason

The 'pull apart' cake that took 4 of us to make :) Thank you Amie, Val, and Jenny!

I think that he is trying to tell me he doesn't want cake...

How can this be?? The spoon more interesting than PURE SUGAR???

It was a good couple of days! Lots of family, friends, and football! My camera died, so hopefully my sister will send me more pictures from the Mason's big day!! (hint hint) ;P

the end

Toy Review!!

2008-11-08T22:11:00.011-07:00

For Mason's Birthday, I purchased Twilight Turtle! This little guy lights up and puts stars and constellations on the ceiling. I had seen him in a magazine and thought that he was perfect as a little night light for Mason to look at before he nods off to sleep. I did have to order him through the website Sleep Sheep and Friends (can also be found on Amazon, Ebay etc,) because he isn't in any stores in my area. He's a little pricey, but Mason loves to look at the stars on the ceiling at night (he squeals and smiles at them when I put him to bed) and since he still sleeps in our bedroom, Mike and I have rather enjoyed looking at the stars as well! We have had fun trying to pick out the different constellations (of course Mike found them all right away, they all just look like a bunch of darn stars to me!). He turns off automatically, and he is SO CUTE (other products include a sea turtle and ladybug)! I think that I will be giving this guy away as gifts for birthdays and baby showers!!

I still cannot upload pictures from my camera until we install the new hard drive... so I am stuck using internet pics or ones from old albums! I will have some of b-day pics soon....

Answers To Questions!!

2008-11-08T21:42:00.003-07:00

I stole these questions from Rachelle, who stole them from Justine, who stole them from Bridget, who stole them from Raxx, who stole them from Chris, who stole them from Sally. Whew (thought I should keep the chain going LOL)! Anyway ~ here are some answers to some questions that may have been bugging you about me ;). Here you go:

1. Where is your cell phone? In my purse I think

2. Where is your significant other? In the living room watching 'Son's of Anarchy'

3. Your hair color? brown

4. Your Mother? one of my besties and one hard working woman!! :)

5. Your Father? always makes me laugh :)

6. Your favorite thing? right now, i am in love with my grill pan! :)

7. Your dream last night? uuhh... i cannot recall!

8. Your dream goal? to move to a bigger place!!

9. The room you're in? kitchen

10. Your hobby? Reading, blogging, sale shopping. picture taking :)

11. Your fear? Something happening to my children, or something happening to me where i won't be able to be there for my children

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? In a bigger house, hopefully have a new degree in something, and be working at least part time.

13. Where were you last night? At home!

14. What you are not? brilliant

15. One of your wish list items? Definitely for Mason to sit on his own!!

16. Where you grew up? only about 20 miles from where I'm sitting now!

17. The last thing you did? Gave Mason a massage and put him to bed

18. What are you wearing? Pajama pants and tank top

19. Your TV? it's pretty big and takes up way too much room!

20. Your Pet? two cats, Smokey and Bandit (aka Trouble)

21. Your computer? it's an off brand called Star Logic that I've had for almost 10 years!! but it is still fast, and JUST NOW ran out of memory and is able to be upgraded, so I've gotten my money's worth out of it!

22. Your Mood? pretty happy, but dreading shampooing the carpet before bed...

23. Missing someone? Many people!

24. Your car? Olds Alero and Chevy Tahoe (when Mike is home)

25. Something you're not wearing? socks

26. Favorite Store? Need you ask??? TARGET of course!

27. Your summer? It flew by and was pretty tame this year!

28. Love someone? Yes.

29. Your favorite color? blue and coral red

30. When was the last time you laughed? earlier when I put my silly Mason to bed.

31. When was the last time you cried? Mason's birthday, I got teary eyed when we sang happy birthday, but didn't have a full out cry...

I encourage everyone to do this! I enjoyed getting to know Rachelle better!!

CdLS Blog Challenge and Ramblings About Mi Vida Loca:)

2008-11-06T21:47:00.017-07:00

Where You Live~

This week's challenge is to create a photo and/or text blog entry about where you live. It can be about your home, your backyard, your neighborhood or your town. Show off interesting sites, your favorite spots, the local flora and fauna, what you like and don't like about living there.

This picture was taken a few years ago at a park very near to my house. I love that I get to see the mountains up close everyday.. I feel that I live in a very beautiful place, but I haven't lived anywhere else so I am pretty biased! The only thing that would make where I live better would be a beach and an ocean somewhere close by.... but seeing as how that won't happen anytime soon, I will have be content with rivers. lakes, and ponds!!

It has been CRAZY around here, JUST CRAZY! Halloween parties, trick or treating, football parties, MASON's FIRST BIRTHDAY, and the election all came up on me at warp speed! Not to mention that Mason is recovering from pneumonia (from croup, not aspiration thank goodness!!), and we've had to play catch up on all of the appointments we canceled due to his illness in the past three weeks... YIKES!

My computer issues are better, but not resolved completely right now..but I will be sure to share pictures of Mason's big day as soon as possible! Tomorrow we see the neurologist FINALLY! I am interested to see what will happen with that and what testing Mason will get. Not only do we need to talk about his febrile seizure, but they will need to check on his choroid cyst and see how the development of his corpus collasum has come along... (he was born with a valley between the two hemispheres of his brain. It was thought initially that his corpus collasum was completely missing and that he also suffered from hydrocephalus..but in the NICU they did see that he does have a corpus collasum and does not have hydrocephalus... The dr's felt that time would tell how severely this valley would affect Mason's cognitive development and so far he seems to be very far behind in that area (at one year old, Mason seems more like a 4 or 5 month old cognitively).... I am nervous about the appointment and further testing, but I want to know how his brain is developing so he can get all of the help he needs.

Mason has been so much fun to play with and has been a giggle box lately!! He tolerated his birthday and all of the commotion and LOVE from family and friends like a champ! Mason's birthday (and his looming neurology appointment) had me feeling a little discouraged about how far behind he really is compared to typical kiddos his age or even less affected CdLS children. When I voiced my woes to his P.T. Leeann, she went over all that he does now compared to a few months ago, and it lifted my spirits quite a bit. I cannot compare him to typical children... His learning will be slow going. He will fall further behind other kids...but he is making progress in his own little way, tiny bits at a time!! It was hard for me to see those little things without Leeann's help, but I am so PROUD of him!! I just have to continue to take it all a day at a time!!

UUGGHH!!

2008-10-30T21:56:00.004-06:00

My computer is having major issues. I haven't been able to log on for hours.... and as I type this, I am having issues with pop ups from H...E...DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS! I just wanted to post this in case I am scarce the next few days.... I am going to call my Dad to see if he can help and upgrade my computer while he is at it!

I hope that all of my friends in Blogger land have a wonderful Halloween! I cannot WAIT to see pics of all the fun!

I hope to be back soon!

Early Halloween Fun!

2008-10-26T23:27:00.003-06:00

Happy with Daddy

Pumpkin Princess

My hottie sister

Yummy Mummy
Carving Time!
Cheesey
:)
He was not impressed

Not happy to be a Penguin!

sleeping beautty and wolfie

Uncle Shawn and the KIDDOS!

the view on the way to a carnival

We had a busy weekend! Jaiden's last football game! Carving Pumpkins, carnivals and haunted houses! Mason seemed better yesterday-his rash was gone and his cough was better, but I think we did too much a little too soon...today he has been miserable (it's been one of those days for all of us...thought about blogging about it all, but my head is throbbing and I am DRAINED...). My boys are sleeping soundly right now though, which is exactly what I need to be doing! :)

Feeling Better Friday....

2008-10-24T14:52:00.004-06:00

Mason went to the Dr. today, for the third time this week!! He was diagnosed with croup caused by the icky-rash virus! So he is on steroids orally and through a nebulizer and has a back up antibiotic to use if he isn't better by Sunday. WHEW! This little one!! He has been quite demanding, wanting to be held a lot more than usual! On the way to his appointment today, he cried so hard I had to pull over on the highway to keep him from choking on his mucous and saliva.. He definitely keeps me on my toes!

When he isn't being held, he wants to sit like this (picture below) at ALL TIMES! It is nice that he is getting more interested in being upright (it certainly helps his flat little headLOL), but he gets so frustrated and crabby if he is lying down..It has taken some adjusting and getting creative (the Bumbo seat is not popular anymore because he can't move his legs and slam his feet up and down-which sends him into a wicked tantrum).. HE is definitely quirky! Sometimes he slams his feet so hard, I swear that they will be bruised... Just chalk that up to pain tolerance and stimulation I guess.. HE LOVES IT!

I have been pretty busy, flying solo with Jaiden and Mason for over a week while Mike works out of town near the Wyoming border. It has taken some getting used to being a single mommy all over again! But it has helped me appreciate all that Mike does when he is home. I think I need to be reminded sometimes :), but he is a wonderful Daddy and I am glad that he is home for the weekend! Jaiden and Mason were very happy to see him. Mason grabbed his eyebrows in excitement ;) (he always tries to yank them off). So, tonight Mason and I get a break from football practice!! WOO HOO! :)!! Crabby, sick Mason and cold fall nights in the back of my very small car, DO NOT MIX!! But he did well, considering (as long as I was holding him).

After two emergency surgeries and many scares my BFF's hubbie, Alonzo is home from the hospital and getting better!
ok, need to make a run to the pharmacy before the boys head out to football (and before Mason wakes up and wants to be held or sit on the couch-couch sitting takes very close supervsion because Mason will either kick himself toward the edge, or roll forward and sideways toward the edge! YIKES)!!

Hope to be back later!

First Snow... and other Happenings...

2008-10-22T08:12:00.009-06:00

Woke up to SNOW this morning... oooops, shoulda' brought the pumpkins in last night!

Mason is......SICK again! He started getting a rash on his face and neck on Thursday of last week. If you look very closely in the picture below, you can see the rash on his arms... this picture was taken on Sunday at the Doctor's office... As of yesterday he is covered from head to toe and has a nasty nasty cough. I was told it was a virus. So I have been vigilant with breathing treatments and tylenol... He was feeling really bad yesterday and his cough is still gross, so we may be headed back to the Dr. today.

I would like to report that Trouble is getting better everyday with Bumbo sitting.. We are so proud! :)

Alright, I hear my little one talking to his mobile now.. Time to start his day. The day is still young, so I hope to post more later (I have more tags to complete)! Happy Wednesday!

One year...

2008-10-15T00:32:00.011-06:00

I cannot believe it, but it has been one year today that I was told that Mason would not live long, if he survived birth at all.

It is unbelievable what can happen in a year! It is amazing how just one year shared with my little guy can change my life entirely in such a wonderful way. It has NOT been easy by any means. But I am a different person, mind, body, and soul because of Mason and the people that he has brought into my life... (and back into my life ;)

Please take time to learn about the two syndromes that Mason was thought to of had before he was born (testing after birth showed that he does not suffer from any of these condtions/syndromes).

There are many beautiful angels born with these conditions every year, and I feel that it is very important to spread awareness about them...

Trisomy 18

Dandy Walker Syndrome-Malformation

Hydrocephalus

And if you haven't already, please take the time to visit the CdLS Foundation to learn more about Mason.

Memory Loss Meme!

2008-10-11T20:44:00.009-06:00

I've been tagged by Jamie at Final Score: 3 boys, 1 girl!! Thank you :)!!

Here's what you have to do. You need to open your sixth photo folder, and open the sixth photo, and you need to post it. And you need to hope that you remember what it is!!!!

I so remember this!!! :) This is my crazy and dear friend Katie as we were standing in line at Safeway!! We were getting ready to have a girl's night of fun with the rest of the ladies! Katie sometimes stops by my blog and I am hoping she sees this and comments:)!! I miss our fun times and hope to see you again soon silly lady (you need to come back to CO RIGHT NOW :)! I'm glad this picture is my 6th one in the 6th file! It brought back some great memories ..*sigh* .

Now I get to TAG 6!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)!

Jennifer

Evonne

Rachelle

Heidi
Karen @ Ben and his Brothers
Tonya
wait... i am going to add a seventh!
Lori

*an update on my friend for those who have asked and prayed for him... he had emergency surgery this morning after a rough night, but was doing better this afternoon. He has quite a recovery in front of him, but is expected to be ok! Thank you all for your concern!

Friday Night Excitement...

2008-10-10T20:27:00.015-06:00

Mason went to sleep at 6:00 tonight.. which means I will be up at the crack of dawn... well, probably long before the crack of dawn. I don't blame him for being wiped!! He had a busy week this week!

These are patiently waiting to be washed...and I am patiently avoiding them.....

I also have a horrid pile of laundry that is too offensive and obscene to be photographed at this time.

Thank goodness I have my trusty sidekick to help wash those bad boys above (he doesn't know it yet though...when he finds out that smile will cease to exist).

and later, I have a hot date with only ONE of these...okay, maybe three and some milk! (it's ok, I skipped lunch...sort of LOL).... I know, I know.. at this time of night, I really should be snacking on something healthy like.......water!! :)

I am thinking of my good friend Alonzo, who is still very sick in the hospital. Get better soon!!!

Today...

2008-10-07T17:28:00.004-06:00

Today began in a very scary way for me. My best friend called me early and told me that her husband is in the ICU... Mike, Mason and I went to the hospital this morning to see him. He is stable now, but still pretty sick. My friends have been going through a rough time right now, and I am asking anyone and everyone to pray for their health!! I am thinking of you and love you guys!

We met with Mason's surgeon this afternoon. It was a little discouraging...and yet I feel a tremendous amount of relief for the moment. The surgeon believes that Mason's Nissen Fundoplication is still intact!! He thinks that the shape of Mason's stomach and his esophagus may have thrown the radiologist off a bit. Also, he is very hesitant to redo the Nissen... He feels that putting Mason through another surgery that more than likely won't resolve his reflux would be wrong. He is concerned that Mason's stomach and esophagus are shaped very strangely.. and his stomach isn't stretching. If we do try to stretch it (with large bolus feeds), his reflux would be that much worse and he would vomit constantly. So... we will continue to feed Mason slowly...

He did mention a procedure that he would prefer doing if Mason's reflux gets worse. It is a surgery normally used for gastric bypass...The Roux-en-Y surgery. This procedure is absolutely out of the question for Mason... in my opinion. I refuse to let his insides get chopped up and rearranged right now. I told the Dr. that AND Mike and I solidified our convictions against it in the parking lot after the appointment. Inserting a G-J-tube was also mentioned as an alternative to surgery if we feel that the reflux is too bad. So, we will watch Mason closely, feed him slowly..and just wait and see!

Well, it has been one of those days! I need to plant my arse on the couch, drink a nice cup of hot chocolate and kiss my Masey on his ears a few times!!

looks like Trouble has the same idea!!!

Tomorrow.

2008-10-06T18:27:00.008-06:00

We are headed to the surgeon tomorrow! Our G.I. doctor recommends that Mason's Nissen be repaired at least one more time before other measures are taken (if the surgeon feels the same. So, we will see what sort of decisions are made tomorrow afternoon. Our surgeon is a great guy who will only preform the surgery if he feels it absolutely necessary (he gave Mason a lot of time to learn to feed in the NICU and didn't budge when the neonatologists were pushing for the surgery early on).

We are also STILL trying to get Mason in to see the neurologist! We had an appointment set, but it was pushed back another two weeks because of referral issues.

Last week, Mike and I got a wild hair up our rears and decided to give Mason a hair cut... (ok, so Mike did all the work, and I stood back and watched in horror... LOL). It turned out alright, however Mike did make a trip back to our family friend's house for a touch up because Mason resembled Fuzzy Wuzzy.......

This makes FOUR hair cuts in his first year :)! yes, I am counting them ALL, even the touch ups!!!!!!!!!!

I am really considering taking a class to learn how to cut hair!! I am terrible!

Crock of..................

2008-10-06T18:05:00.010-06:00

Chili!!

I love this time of year...my crock pot gets used a lot! Sometimes more than twice a week! It was a cool, breezey day today so I thought I would make some Chili. My Mom would whip these ingredients together on very cold days.. The smell through my house brings back childhood memories! Best of all, it's EASY!! Easy is my middle name.....;)

Thought I would share this version for other chili lovers out there. Watch out... it is spicey! but oh so good with some corn bread muffins!

1 lb. hamburger

1 can of whole tomatoes 16 oz.

1 can tomato sauce 16 oz.

chili powder to taste

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

*1 can red chilli beans 16 oz.

1 large green pepper (chopped)

1 onion (chopped)

brown hamburger in skillet. Add hamburger, whole tomaotes, tomato sauce, chilli powder, chili pepper, onion and green pepper to crock pot and stir.

cook on low 8 hrs.

cook on high 4 hrs.

*add red beans 1/2 hour before you serve

If YOU have a crock pot recipe you don't mind sharing with me, please email me! :) I am also in search of a good Mac and Cheese recipe! I haven't had decent mac anc cheese in a year (the chef at the school I worked at spoiled us with a home made version every Tuesday)...