Monday, May 30, 2011

Ketchup

What a crazy, busy weekend!

Friday...
I sent her to school, all sweet and innocent
And she comes home with a tat! I doesn't even say "mom". :'-/
Granny and Grandpa came in for a visit Friday evening and sent us out on a much needed and appreciated date night.

Saturday:
Play all day with Granny and Granpa

Sunday:
It was Tyler's birthday pool party!

Someone had a good time




Monday:
Our first taste of summer. Enjoyed some good family time. Said bye-bye to Granny and Grandpa. Grilled, stuffed zucchini; its what was for dinner

Fresh key limes for a from scratch Key Lime Pie

And we decided to get bicycles in lieu of a family vacay this summer. The Daddy has been wanting a bike for some time now and he coerced The Mommy that not only is it good exercise, but we could have a lot of family fun time together.

The babies' chariot
So, we went for our first bike ride this evening. My first bike ride in over 15 years! And he was right, it was super fun. The kids enjoyed it and it felt good to be riding. Although, I am acutely aware of even the slightest change in elevation in our neighborhood.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Flippin' Adorable

Today has just been a day full of extreme, adorabubly cuteness.


"I'm a firing princess fairy."

Let me deconstruct the outfit for you:
Firing=fireman=fireman hat
Tutu=princess
Fairy=wings


She is something else.

4:30 could not come fast enough this afternoon.
(especially since our day started before 6... :-/ )
Everyone was super excited for E's first Tumbling class! 
When she came to Houston to visit during Weston's transplant stay, she went to a tumbling class with her cousin Alli. And totally loved it.
She's all about jumping and dare-deviling, so why not channel that into something with foam mats all over the place.
Miss Thang walked into the gym, hands on her hips, like she owned the place.
Jeez almighty, I am really in so much trouble with her!!

They worked her little buns for an hour and by the end, she had done some somersaults and spotted front flips. 
She said she really liked it and that "it was a great idea!'
We are going to trial one more class before we commit
(we all remember ballet last year!)


Future Cheerleader?

And finally, while we are still on the topic of unbelievably cute babies:

Our wonderful and ever so talented friend and photog, Robin, sent me the first peak from last week's sitting.

Check it out for yourself.




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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Lots of Waiting...

It's been loooooong week, and it's only Wednesday.

But, cuteness first:

Sunday Night:

Wes' reaction to his first taste of ice cream.

We spent 6 hours Monday at the lab and other doctors' appointments.
Lab draw went well: one stick, no crying, no tears, not even a flinch.
Then we had the long awaited appointment with the neurosurgeon about his open fontanel.
I realize it is brain surgery, but we waited for over an HOUR in the waiting room.
Then we saw the medical assistant. Then the nurse. Then the Nurse Practitioner.
FINALLY saw the doctor after another hour in the room.

Anyway, the Nurse Practitioner felt he may have a slight developmental delay, because he is not putting himself into a seated position and not pulling up on things.
The doctor said nothing about this, and basically said that he wasn't worried about his fontanel being open. It can be open for up to two years. But, since he is a specialist, he was obligated to do a MRI to make sure that there was nothing inside his head that was causing the bones not to close (ie cyst)
So then we headed over to outpatient imaging. 
I have to admit that I was pretty impressed that they were on time. In the past, that has been another marathon wait.
Weston did GREAT during the scan.
They swaddled him tight so he couldn't wiggle around--didn't care. In fact, LOVED it.
Put his head in this plastic cage-like contraption--so what?
Stuffed the sides of the cage with these foam block to keep him from moving his head--booooring!
He was awesome. 
If you have never had a MRI before, they are LOUD.
I guess he has been conditioned, having lived with her


his entire life. LOL.

So then the waiting started...

Heard from Julie (transplant nurse) that his ALT (a liver enzyme) continued to be elevated. But everything else in the liver panel was normal.
Then we waited to hear what Dr. Fishman thought.

and waited

I gave them a little jingle this afternoon. Seems as though both Drs. Fishman and Goss (transplant surgeon) think that he has something viral going on. I guess something in his CBC tipped them off.
They want to keep everything the same, and then recheck on Wednesday. 
Ugh.
I'm a little frustrated because he is darn near 4 months post transplant and should be off of his steroid now. But, since his labs have been funky this whole month, we only got one step of the weaning done. Once that nasty steroid goes, it takes two pain in the butt friends with it.
On the bright side, we are changing one of his mega pain in the butt meds to a ONCE A MONTH inhaled treatment. 
Yes, so long grape smelling Bactrim, all 11mLs of you.
(if you are not versed in mLs, that's almost half an ounce)
Our Monday, Wednesday, Fridays will be so much more pleasant once you are gone.

But, the waiting doesn't stop there.
We are still waiting to hear about the MRI. 

I think this is God's way of telling me that patience is a virtue which I am seriously lacking.

PS: The Daddy only has 6 more days of school before summer break. IT'S TAKING FOREVER!





Friday, May 20, 2011

CrissCross AppleSauce

Sleeping

Walking with Mom

Cruisin'
Here lately, Little Man has been crossing his little ankles when he sits and sleep. So super cute!!

And, YES, he is in the Big Boy car seat in that last picture. He turned 10 months yesterday.
HOLY MACARONI AND CHEESE.

Oh, and this one:
She'll be THREE in less than a month.

It seriously isn't fair that my babies are growing at lightning speed.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Wordless Wednesday::What Therapists' Dreams are Made of




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Emmy's Summer 'Do

After taking the babies swimming this morning, I got to looking at Miss E's hair...
And decided to lighten it up for summer.

Before



During


AFTER::

Her Flapper Inspired Bob unleashed the Jazz Hands!


Posing


This is what I got when I requested a smile...


It is such a change from the unruly, long tangles.
No doubt cute.
It makes her look like a baby!

Monday, May 16, 2011

Million Dollar Baby

The bill for Weston's transplant finally came. Total charges incurred: $445,941.16
(not including the actual doctor fees)

I'll give you a sec to pick your jaw up off the floor.

Big ticket items include:
80k for Intensive Care
80k for Lab
48k for Room and Board
13.5k for OR services
--AND--
112.5k for "Acquisition of Body Components" aka his new liver

Add in his Kasai and previous hospitalizations, testing and birth...Mr. Weston is truly a million dollar baby.



After seeing that precious smile, that's a bargain, don't you think.

We are so fortunate to have him covered under my insurance from the hospital. We look back, and get chills when we think about the events that took place prior to his birth. I made the move back to the hospital and into the family group that has the only children's hospital in Central Texas.
With the fantastic coverage, we will end up paying ~.1%
amazing!

So, now I feel obligated to do my own version of a MasterCard commercial:

Trip to the OR: $13,506
Drugs and Blood: $58,000
Month-long stay at Hotel TCH: $48,600

Getting to kiss, hug and love a healthy baby boy: PRICELESS



God, hold our Angel Donor close to you tonight.

PS:
A certain little girl has peepee'd in the potty for the past THREE days!!! You go, E!!
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Sunday, May 15, 2011

Daddy's Weekend-In Pictures

Commentary by Mama...




Desitin-The new face paint



REALLY?!



I guess we'll wait on posting them "for sale"...

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Friday, May 13, 2011

Bug Mama

The Easter Bunny sent Emily a Butterfly Garden this year.

She checked on her "bugs" everyday and watched them change from caterpillars to butterflies. And when they "hatched", she couldn't wait to let them go free <3 We convinced her to wait a day or two so she could watch them fly around.

Well, today was the day to let them go. They were hesitant to leave because she was such a good mommy. Well, aside from looking at them and saying "they better not buggle (bug?) me." lol, I can't fault her. There are days I don't want to be buggled either.



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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Wordless Wednesday::Ride 'em Cowgirl




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Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Welcome Back, Frogger

Must be fixin' to be summer, because we busted out the frog and hit the pool with friends!



I am SO proud of my E. She hasn't been swimming since last summer, but she jumped in and paddled across the pool without hesitation!! You go, E!



Check that marker out. Yeah, she's in the deep end!



Dub can't quite go in the pool yet, but he kicked back and lounged.



Our new pal Jay.



And his sweet bro, Dylan.



My baby girl!!
I think someone is ready for swimming lessons!!!


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Sunday, May 8, 2011

Working Mother's Day Woes

Nurse Ashley's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Sunday...which happened to be Mother's Day. Ugh. My feet are killing me.

BUT
I received some very sweet pictures (which always lift my spirits):






Weston! Come into the light!!

AND
Just when I needed a pick me up, I got a super sweet surprise at work...Tiff's Treats from my loving family :-D

7pm couldn't come fast enough.

When I got home, The Daddy had cleaned the house from top to bottom. All the beds made, all the dishes put up, all the clothes clean. WOW. That is just about the best gift a mom could get!! To come home to a spotless house, with no chores to do before bed. Woohoo! I'm one happy mama!
Oh, and this didn't hurt, either:




Happy Mother's Day! Especially to all the working moms that got their butts kicked at work, along side me today.

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Viva Party Season

Seems as though most of Emmy's friends have late spring/summer birthdays. What a coincidence that most of her friends are teachers' kids. Hmmm...

First up to kick off part season, was Brock. Happy Birthday Brock!

Pre-Party Princess



Pre-Party Mayhem



He had a cowboy theme this year



Cupcakes with her Twinkie, Kennedy


W had a little taste test...you know, to make sure it wasn't poisoned ;-p


Post-Party Pooped


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Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Hives


Well, after months of experimenting, we finally found something that Wes is allergic to.
What it is, we are not quite sure, but we have narrowed it down to the following short list:
His many, many medications
Rice cereal
Formula
Emily
Sleeping in his own bed

Check out my poor, itchy man:
So, we paged our liver doc in Houston last night and got the ok for some benadryl.
It seemed to clear up over night, but by noon today, it was back with a vengence.
We took a field trip to the ER.
The nurse repeatedly asked me if we had fleas or bugs in our house, because the hives had bumps in them...
**SMACK**
Long story short, hives of unknown origin; Remedy: mega doses of benadryl; Result: non-itchy snooze-fest



Going...going
Gone! Lights out.

We were able to come home. Yea!
The hives seem to have cleared up for now.
He felt good enough to watch "Minions" with Emmy and play with some toys
(I hope our flea infestation doesn't include the carpet in his room...)
I'm practicing, Coach Brown! I'll be ready to wear the Burnt Orange in 18 years!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Weekend with Daddy

I get the best pictures texted to me when I am at work. It totally brightens my day:




Daddy said it got real quiet and this is what he found.











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