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| My precious pumpkin, 2005 |
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| Mickey Mouse, 2006 |
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| Nemo, 2007 |
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| Jack Sparrow, 2008 |
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| Lightening McQueen Pit Crew, 2009 |
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| Peter Pan, 2010 |
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| Woody, 2011 |
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Trick-Or-Treat
It's that time of year again, Halloween! It's always a lot of fun to get John dressed up and take him around the neighborhood. He can't eat the candy, so that's not the main focus for him. Although, mom and dad can eat the candy, so whatever he gets is just bonus. John really just enjoys being out and about and riding around the neighborhood. He's really a pretty good sport about dressing up too. His first Halloween, he was only 5 months old, so we didn't even take him anywhere. I bought a cute little pumpkin costume and put him in it long enough to take his picture. He fell asleep sitting in his chair with the costume on. Every other year, he has been a Disney character. So each year, it's a lot of fun to go to the Disney website and choose which character he will be this year. I thought it would be fun to do a blog post with pictures of him in all of his costumes over the years. It's fun to see him grow from year to year. I hope you enjoy it too.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Craziness!
The last few weeks have been quite a whirlwind. Our normal routine has been out of sync for about 2 weeks now and it's been crazy. Today is the first day that has felt "normal" in quite a while and hopefully it will stay that way for a while.
Two weekends ago, John began to get sick. On that Sunday night, he didn't sleep well and even woke up during the night crying, which is something he never does. The next morning, I took him to therapy. It was supposed to be his first day of Physical Therapy. About half way through his OT, he started making unhappy faces and he had tears falling from his eyes. I didn't know what was bothering him, but I knew he didn't feel well. So I decided to take him home and skip the physical therapy. It was a school holiday so we just stayed home the rest of the day and rested.
That evening, while eating dinner, his tummy got upset and he vomited everywhere. He really hadn't had much to eat or drink that day, so I was shocked with how much was actually in his stomach. Thank goodness that Tommy was home and he took over the clean up efforts. That was a big mess. So needless to say, he stayed home from school the next day. I thought he was feeling better and would be back to school on Wednesday, but after we put him to bed that night. he got sick again. So he stayed home Wednesday. He managed to stay well all day Wednesday and made it to school on Thursday and Friday.
Saturday, we took a day trip to San Antonio to celebrate the 7th birthday of a very special friend at Morgan's Wonderland. I have talked about Blake before. We met him and his family during the time John spent in the NICU at Texas Children's Hospital. We have been friends and have kept in touch ever since. He will always be John's very first friend. In case you don't remember, Morgan's Wonderland is an ultra accessible park in San Antonio that allows children of all abilities the opportunity to play together. We always enjoy spending time there. After several hours of fun and some yummy birthday cake, we headed home. John got fussy on the car ride home, and that was my first sign that he wasn't feeling 100%.
We got home that evening and John began to have tummy troubles again. This time it was the other end that was giving him trouble. I will spare you the details on that. So after having his diaper changed by the nurse every hour that night and into the morning, we finally gave him some Imodium on Sunday morning and that seemed to take care of it. I planned to keep him home on Monday to rest. Monday night I went to dinner with some friends, and right before we left to come home, Tommy called and told me that John had gotten sick again after going to bed. At this point I felt like it was never going to end. So we kept him home again on Tuesday and this time took him to see the doctor. She said it was just a virus and to keep him hydrated as best as we could.
Meanwhile, Tommy was on vacation this whole week, so he was home and around John more than normal. So while I planned to keep John home again on Wednesday, I did not plan on Tommy waking up Wednesday morning sick. I was having flashes of a terrible week we had a couple of years ago when John had a stomach bug that I eventually got and Tommy had his "near fatal illness" all at the same time. Fortunately, Tommy was only sick for that one day and was feeling back to normal by Thursday. We sent John to school on Thursday, only to get a call 2 hours into the day that he was not feeling well and needed to come home. I think he just didn't have his full strength back yet and didn't have the energy to make it through the day. We sent him to school on Friday and he did well. Today is his third day back to school and he seems to be doing well, but now he's gotten very congested and we are fighting to keep the trach clear of secretions and to keep the area around the trach clean and dry. So it just feels like he is never going to be completely well. I will be so happy to get my John all of the way back.
Friday, I was supposed to sub for Junior High Girl's PE, and then afterward, Tommy and I were leaving to go to Baton Rouge for the LSU/Auburn game. We were planning to leave John home with my parents so we could enjoy the weekend by ourselves. I woke up Friday morning feeling terrible. There was no way I could have made it through the day feeling the way I did. It's hard enough to make it through a day of Junior High when you are at full strength. So I called in sick and stayed home and slept most of the day. I was finally feeling some better, so we decided to go ahead and go to Baton Rouge.
We stayed the weekend with my good friend, ChristyPitre family here in Katy, who sold us their season tickets for that game. The seats couldn't have been better. They were under an overhang so it was shady and there was a nice breeze. The seats also had seat backs so it was more comfortable to sit there. Watching the Tigers beat Auburn pretty bad made me feel so much better. Overall it was a fun weekend.
Yesterday, I did go to work in Junior High Girl's PE, so Tommy took one more day of vacation so he could take John to his therapies and then to school. He seemed to have a good day at school. I went to the doctor to find out why I still had a sore throat and came home with an antibiotic and steroid to hopefully get me well. Today, was the first normal morning we have had in quite a while, and it was nice to get John on the school bus and be able to come in and drink my coffee and relax. Hopefully there are more of these days to come in the near future. Now, if I can figure where to start to get my house put back together.
Two weekends ago, John began to get sick. On that Sunday night, he didn't sleep well and even woke up during the night crying, which is something he never does. The next morning, I took him to therapy. It was supposed to be his first day of Physical Therapy. About half way through his OT, he started making unhappy faces and he had tears falling from his eyes. I didn't know what was bothering him, but I knew he didn't feel well. So I decided to take him home and skip the physical therapy. It was a school holiday so we just stayed home the rest of the day and rested.
That evening, while eating dinner, his tummy got upset and he vomited everywhere. He really hadn't had much to eat or drink that day, so I was shocked with how much was actually in his stomach. Thank goodness that Tommy was home and he took over the clean up efforts. That was a big mess. So needless to say, he stayed home from school the next day. I thought he was feeling better and would be back to school on Wednesday, but after we put him to bed that night. he got sick again. So he stayed home Wednesday. He managed to stay well all day Wednesday and made it to school on Thursday and Friday.
Saturday, we took a day trip to San Antonio to celebrate the 7th birthday of a very special friend at Morgan's Wonderland. I have talked about Blake before. We met him and his family during the time John spent in the NICU at Texas Children's Hospital. We have been friends and have kept in touch ever since. He will always be John's very first friend. In case you don't remember, Morgan's Wonderland is an ultra accessible park in San Antonio that allows children of all abilities the opportunity to play together. We always enjoy spending time there. After several hours of fun and some yummy birthday cake, we headed home. John got fussy on the car ride home, and that was my first sign that he wasn't feeling 100%.
We got home that evening and John began to have tummy troubles again. This time it was the other end that was giving him trouble. I will spare you the details on that. So after having his diaper changed by the nurse every hour that night and into the morning, we finally gave him some Imodium on Sunday morning and that seemed to take care of it. I planned to keep him home on Monday to rest. Monday night I went to dinner with some friends, and right before we left to come home, Tommy called and told me that John had gotten sick again after going to bed. At this point I felt like it was never going to end. So we kept him home again on Tuesday and this time took him to see the doctor. She said it was just a virus and to keep him hydrated as best as we could.
Meanwhile, Tommy was on vacation this whole week, so he was home and around John more than normal. So while I planned to keep John home again on Wednesday, I did not plan on Tommy waking up Wednesday morning sick. I was having flashes of a terrible week we had a couple of years ago when John had a stomach bug that I eventually got and Tommy had his "near fatal illness" all at the same time. Fortunately, Tommy was only sick for that one day and was feeling back to normal by Thursday. We sent John to school on Thursday, only to get a call 2 hours into the day that he was not feeling well and needed to come home. I think he just didn't have his full strength back yet and didn't have the energy to make it through the day. We sent him to school on Friday and he did well. Today is his third day back to school and he seems to be doing well, but now he's gotten very congested and we are fighting to keep the trach clear of secretions and to keep the area around the trach clean and dry. So it just feels like he is never going to be completely well. I will be so happy to get my John all of the way back.
Friday, I was supposed to sub for Junior High Girl's PE, and then afterward, Tommy and I were leaving to go to Baton Rouge for the LSU/Auburn game. We were planning to leave John home with my parents so we could enjoy the weekend by ourselves. I woke up Friday morning feeling terrible. There was no way I could have made it through the day feeling the way I did. It's hard enough to make it through a day of Junior High when you are at full strength. So I called in sick and stayed home and slept most of the day. I was finally feeling some better, so we decided to go ahead and go to Baton Rouge.
We stayed the weekend with my good friend, ChristyPitre family here in Katy, who sold us their season tickets for that game. The seats couldn't have been better. They were under an overhang so it was shady and there was a nice breeze. The seats also had seat backs so it was more comfortable to sit there. Watching the Tigers beat Auburn pretty bad made me feel so much better. Overall it was a fun weekend.
Yesterday, I did go to work in Junior High Girl's PE, so Tommy took one more day of vacation so he could take John to his therapies and then to school. He seemed to have a good day at school. I went to the doctor to find out why I still had a sore throat and came home with an antibiotic and steroid to hopefully get me well. Today, was the first normal morning we have had in quite a while, and it was nice to get John on the school bus and be able to come in and drink my coffee and relax. Hopefully there are more of these days to come in the near future. Now, if I can figure where to start to get my house put back together.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Emotions
Being a mom of a child with special needs is the most rewarding job I've ever done. While it is so tough for me to watch him struggle to do basic things that I take for granted, it is also so exciting and full filling to watch him make progress with those same things. I have never been so excited to get a high five from anyone in my life.
But while it is the most rewarding job I've ever done, it is also by far the hardest thing I've ever done. It is exhausting both mentally and physically. My child cannot walk, so he has to be lifted and carried from place to place. This is taking a huge toll on my body. In the past 6 years, it feels like I have aged twice that amount. But I wouldn't trade having that sweet lovable boy for anything in the world.
This has been an emotional roller coaster for me. While some parents of children with special needs know from day one that their child will never be typical, I did not. I knew he was born early and he was small, but I thought with time he would grow and catch up with other kids his age. And even for probably 2 years after he was born, I still felt that was a possibility. But all of his disabilities began coming one at a time. First it was the feeding, then the trach. Next came his vision impairment and that was followed by his hearing impairment. I finally began to realize that John will never be like other typical kids his age. He is always going to struggle. And with each diagnosis came a new set of tears. I cried when we found out he was going to need a trach. I cried when I found out his vision wasn't normal and I cried when I found out he would need hearing aids. For those of you who have never seen me cry, it isn't pretty. I'm not the type of person who can hide the tears. As soon as I even think about crying, it is visible on my face. So you can imagine what I looked like to all of those doctors who had to give us the news. If they would all just ignore me and leave me alone, the crying would stop sooner, but as soon as someone acknowledges in any way that I am crying, it just makes it worse.
When John was having private physical therapy twice a week, I had a lot of hope that he was going to keep getting stronger and would some day be able to do many of the things I hoped for him to do. When the therapist talked to me and told me that therapy twice a week wasn't producing the results it should and that he should only come once a week, I cried. Right in a waiting room full of people, I cried. It just felt like she no longer had hope for him and that was one thing I couldn't afford to lose. Then his OT told me that she thought he needed a break all together. She had been working for 2 years on the same things and he just wasn't getting it. She didn't think he was at a developmental age where he could understand what to do. Again, it felt like she had lost hope and again I cried. It became a joke that someone isn't an official doctor or caregiver of John until they have seen me cry.
I haven't had one of those emotional days in a while. Things have been good and since John has been in school all day, he has made lots of progress. I even have gotten him back into private OT and PT, which he will start this coming Monday. But today, I had one of those days.
We had his annual ARD scheduled for today. I know a lot of parents that dread these meetings because they can be long and drawn out. For me it has never been something I have dreaded. They have usually been easy and straight forward and I'm always pleased with the reports I get from the teachers and support staff. So I had no reason to think today would be any different. Everything was going along smoothly, just like always, and then the teacher dropped something on me I wasn't expecting. You see, John spends most of his day in the special education classroom. This is where they are most equipped to meet his educational needs and where he does his best learning. But last year and so far this year, he has been going into the regular classroom to be with other kids his age, mainly for the beginning of the day and calendar time. This is a time when they do musical learning and we all know how much John loves music. He also goes with the 1st grade class when they go to Art and Music 2 or 3 times a week. But the teacher recommended that he no longer go to his 1st grade class for the calendar time in the morning. He will continue to go to music and art with them and will also participate in class parties and special events with them. But because he really is unable to participate with the rest of the class, she felt that time would be better spent in the special education classroom working on his goals.
I have done a pretty good job of putting up this facade that I am such a strong person. But when someone sees me cry, it just lets them see that I am not near as strong as I appear to be, and I don't know how to deal with that.
But like I said, I would not trade my son or all of the ups and downs we have had for anything. He shows me that it's okay to struggle, as long as you are persistent and keep trying. And when he wraps his arms around my neck and squeezes tight, it makes me smile, even if there are tears falling.
But while it is the most rewarding job I've ever done, it is also by far the hardest thing I've ever done. It is exhausting both mentally and physically. My child cannot walk, so he has to be lifted and carried from place to place. This is taking a huge toll on my body. In the past 6 years, it feels like I have aged twice that amount. But I wouldn't trade having that sweet lovable boy for anything in the world.
This has been an emotional roller coaster for me. While some parents of children with special needs know from day one that their child will never be typical, I did not. I knew he was born early and he was small, but I thought with time he would grow and catch up with other kids his age. And even for probably 2 years after he was born, I still felt that was a possibility. But all of his disabilities began coming one at a time. First it was the feeding, then the trach. Next came his vision impairment and that was followed by his hearing impairment. I finally began to realize that John will never be like other typical kids his age. He is always going to struggle. And with each diagnosis came a new set of tears. I cried when we found out he was going to need a trach. I cried when I found out his vision wasn't normal and I cried when I found out he would need hearing aids. For those of you who have never seen me cry, it isn't pretty. I'm not the type of person who can hide the tears. As soon as I even think about crying, it is visible on my face. So you can imagine what I looked like to all of those doctors who had to give us the news. If they would all just ignore me and leave me alone, the crying would stop sooner, but as soon as someone acknowledges in any way that I am crying, it just makes it worse.
When John was having private physical therapy twice a week, I had a lot of hope that he was going to keep getting stronger and would some day be able to do many of the things I hoped for him to do. When the therapist talked to me and told me that therapy twice a week wasn't producing the results it should and that he should only come once a week, I cried. Right in a waiting room full of people, I cried. It just felt like she no longer had hope for him and that was one thing I couldn't afford to lose. Then his OT told me that she thought he needed a break all together. She had been working for 2 years on the same things and he just wasn't getting it. She didn't think he was at a developmental age where he could understand what to do. Again, it felt like she had lost hope and again I cried. It became a joke that someone isn't an official doctor or caregiver of John until they have seen me cry.
I haven't had one of those emotional days in a while. Things have been good and since John has been in school all day, he has made lots of progress. I even have gotten him back into private OT and PT, which he will start this coming Monday. But today, I had one of those days.
We had his annual ARD scheduled for today. I know a lot of parents that dread these meetings because they can be long and drawn out. For me it has never been something I have dreaded. They have usually been easy and straight forward and I'm always pleased with the reports I get from the teachers and support staff. So I had no reason to think today would be any different. Everything was going along smoothly, just like always, and then the teacher dropped something on me I wasn't expecting. You see, John spends most of his day in the special education classroom. This is where they are most equipped to meet his educational needs and where he does his best learning. But last year and so far this year, he has been going into the regular classroom to be with other kids his age, mainly for the beginning of the day and calendar time. This is a time when they do musical learning and we all know how much John loves music. He also goes with the 1st grade class when they go to Art and Music 2 or 3 times a week. But the teacher recommended that he no longer go to his 1st grade class for the calendar time in the morning. He will continue to go to music and art with them and will also participate in class parties and special events with them. But because he really is unable to participate with the rest of the class, she felt that time would be better spent in the special education classroom working on his goals.
I have done a pretty good job of putting up this facade that I am such a strong person. But when someone sees me cry, it just lets them see that I am not near as strong as I appear to be, and I don't know how to deal with that.
But like I said, I would not trade my son or all of the ups and downs we have had for anything. He shows me that it's okay to struggle, as long as you are persistent and keep trying. And when he wraps his arms around my neck and squeezes tight, it makes me smile, even if there are tears falling.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Catching Up
I have seriously been lagging behind in the blogging world. I just realized that it has been nearly 2 months since my last post. So I thought, as I sit here waiting on John at therapy, this would be a great time to do a little catching up. But honestly, there hasn't been that much going on.
In August, our summertime nanny, Caitlin, went back to school. We really liked her and John LOVED her. She was exactly what we were looking for and worked perfectly with John. You could see how much she genuinely cared for him and that it wasn't just a job to her. Caitlin was a life saver to me this summer, because I think I might have gone crazy without her. She came to work 5 days a week at 1pm and stayed until we got John in bed. That was perfect because it gave me and John the whole morning to be together. But in the middle of August, it was time for Caitlin to go back to school. We knew we were going to miss her greatly, and we didn't have anyone lined up to take her place. So on her last night with us, we took her out for a nice dinner as a show of our appreciation for helping us this summer. We were very sad to see her go, but hope she'll be able to work for us again during the holidays. Here is a picture she took with John her last night. Can you tell how much he loved her?
Just after Caitlin left, we had an interview with another potential nanny. Her name is Kirstin and she is a student at the University of Houston. We actually had two interviews set up and we weren't going to make a decision until we interviewed them both. But when Kirstin got here and we started talking to her, we quickly changed our minds and decided to hire her on the spot. So she has been working for us for about 1 1/2 months now. She comes every afternoon when John gets out of school and hangs out and takes care of him until bed time. She works an occasional weekend as well. John has gotten very comfortable with her and really enjoys spending time with her. She is a huge help to us also and we are very happy to have found her.
John has continued his Occupational therapy and is really making good progress. The therapist seems to be really impressed with how quickly he is progressing. He goes every Monday morning at 9:00 so he misses the first 2 hours of school. But he is beginning to make better attempts at chewing some of the food she puts in his mouth and he is using his tongue better to move the food to where it needs to go. If he keeps this up, maybe we'll be able to start introducing cheerios to him and continue to progress from there. It will make a huge difference to us if he is finally able to eat solid food without me having to puree it first. Oh I hope that day comes sooner rather than later. He has also been approved to start Physical Therapy again, so I'm waiting to hear back from the coordinator so we can get him on the schedule. She was holding the 10am spot on Mondays for me so he could do both therapies back to back, but I don't know if it's still open. I'm sure hoping it is.
This weekend, 3 of my best girl friends from college came to town. We used to make a point to get together at least once a year, but it had been 5 years since we were all together. So we had a lot of catching up to do. You know you have true friends when you can go that long without seeing each other and then pick up right where you left off. We had so much fun together and laughed so much. A weekend just felt like it wasn't long enough and it was hard to say goodbye to them. But we are already thinking of our next get together and we sure won't let it take 5 years. I have to say a great big thank you to my husband for taking care of John all weekend so that I could have the time with my friends. It was exactly what I needed.
School is going very well for John. I was a little nervous going in because I knew there were all new special education teachers. But everything seems to be working out great. First I found out just before school started that our school got a new nurse this year. She was the nurse at Holland Elementary when John was there for PPCD. She is fantastic and it was so comforting to have a nurse who was familiar with John and who is great at communicating. Then, just a few days before school started, I met at the school with the new nurse, her assistant, both special ed teachers and the two teacher's aides that work with John in order to go over how to take care of his trach. I showed them what the trach looks like and where I kept extra trachs in case his comes out. I showed them how to clean the area and how to suction. The teacher took detailed notes and the nurse wrote on some of the supplies so it would be clear how to use it. This is John's 4th year in school, and they have maybe had to suction him 5 times and have never had the trach come out at school. Well, after 4 years in school, it finally happened. The trach came out while he was standing in his stander. The best part about it is that the teacher noticed it immediately, which shows me she is paying attention, and the nurse came down right away and got a new one in for him with no problems. The nurse called me after the fact to let me know what happened and then after school was out, the teacher called me as well. So already the communication between me and the school is improved 100%. Anytime I have emailed the teacher with a question, she has either returned my email that day or called to talk about it. She is very involved and very invested in her students' education and that makes me feel 100% comfortable with John being there. Tomorrow is John's ARD (or IEP meeting for those in Louisiana). This is when we go over his current goals and either decide to keep them the same or change them to better meet his needs. His Special Ed Teacher will be there along with his 1st grade teacher, his PT and OT, his speech therapist, his Auditory Instructor, and the diagnostician and a principal. Because his teacher hasn't know him but for a couple of months, she asked me to come up this afternoon when school is out to meet with her before the ARD tomorrow. She just wants to make sure we are on the same page. I have to say that I feel very blessed to be in a school district who goes above and beyond to take care of our children and to make sure they are reaching their full potential. I can't wait to see what the future holds for John through his time at school.
This coming weekend, John and I are going to Kinder. My mom is going to Indiana to celebrate her brother's birthday, and my brother Jimmie and his family are coming to Kinder for Jimmie's 20th high school reunion. So I'm going to help my dad keep the kids while Jimmie and Chrystal attend the reunion festivities. I can't wait to see them and spend time with the kids. It should be a fun weekend.
I think that about catches you all up on what's been going on over the last two months. I started writing this while waiting on John at therapy, but concluded after I got home. I will try and do a better job of updating the blog from now on.
In August, our summertime nanny, Caitlin, went back to school. We really liked her and John LOVED her. She was exactly what we were looking for and worked perfectly with John. You could see how much she genuinely cared for him and that it wasn't just a job to her. Caitlin was a life saver to me this summer, because I think I might have gone crazy without her. She came to work 5 days a week at 1pm and stayed until we got John in bed. That was perfect because it gave me and John the whole morning to be together. But in the middle of August, it was time for Caitlin to go back to school. We knew we were going to miss her greatly, and we didn't have anyone lined up to take her place. So on her last night with us, we took her out for a nice dinner as a show of our appreciation for helping us this summer. We were very sad to see her go, but hope she'll be able to work for us again during the holidays. Here is a picture she took with John her last night. Can you tell how much he loved her?
Just after Caitlin left, we had an interview with another potential nanny. Her name is Kirstin and she is a student at the University of Houston. We actually had two interviews set up and we weren't going to make a decision until we interviewed them both. But when Kirstin got here and we started talking to her, we quickly changed our minds and decided to hire her on the spot. So she has been working for us for about 1 1/2 months now. She comes every afternoon when John gets out of school and hangs out and takes care of him until bed time. She works an occasional weekend as well. John has gotten very comfortable with her and really enjoys spending time with her. She is a huge help to us also and we are very happy to have found her.
John has continued his Occupational therapy and is really making good progress. The therapist seems to be really impressed with how quickly he is progressing. He goes every Monday morning at 9:00 so he misses the first 2 hours of school. But he is beginning to make better attempts at chewing some of the food she puts in his mouth and he is using his tongue better to move the food to where it needs to go. If he keeps this up, maybe we'll be able to start introducing cheerios to him and continue to progress from there. It will make a huge difference to us if he is finally able to eat solid food without me having to puree it first. Oh I hope that day comes sooner rather than later. He has also been approved to start Physical Therapy again, so I'm waiting to hear back from the coordinator so we can get him on the schedule. She was holding the 10am spot on Mondays for me so he could do both therapies back to back, but I don't know if it's still open. I'm sure hoping it is.
This weekend, 3 of my best girl friends from college came to town. We used to make a point to get together at least once a year, but it had been 5 years since we were all together. So we had a lot of catching up to do. You know you have true friends when you can go that long without seeing each other and then pick up right where you left off. We had so much fun together and laughed so much. A weekend just felt like it wasn't long enough and it was hard to say goodbye to them. But we are already thinking of our next get together and we sure won't let it take 5 years. I have to say a great big thank you to my husband for taking care of John all weekend so that I could have the time with my friends. It was exactly what I needed.
School is going very well for John. I was a little nervous going in because I knew there were all new special education teachers. But everything seems to be working out great. First I found out just before school started that our school got a new nurse this year. She was the nurse at Holland Elementary when John was there for PPCD. She is fantastic and it was so comforting to have a nurse who was familiar with John and who is great at communicating. Then, just a few days before school started, I met at the school with the new nurse, her assistant, both special ed teachers and the two teacher's aides that work with John in order to go over how to take care of his trach. I showed them what the trach looks like and where I kept extra trachs in case his comes out. I showed them how to clean the area and how to suction. The teacher took detailed notes and the nurse wrote on some of the supplies so it would be clear how to use it. This is John's 4th year in school, and they have maybe had to suction him 5 times and have never had the trach come out at school. Well, after 4 years in school, it finally happened. The trach came out while he was standing in his stander. The best part about it is that the teacher noticed it immediately, which shows me she is paying attention, and the nurse came down right away and got a new one in for him with no problems. The nurse called me after the fact to let me know what happened and then after school was out, the teacher called me as well. So already the communication between me and the school is improved 100%. Anytime I have emailed the teacher with a question, she has either returned my email that day or called to talk about it. She is very involved and very invested in her students' education and that makes me feel 100% comfortable with John being there. Tomorrow is John's ARD (or IEP meeting for those in Louisiana). This is when we go over his current goals and either decide to keep them the same or change them to better meet his needs. His Special Ed Teacher will be there along with his 1st grade teacher, his PT and OT, his speech therapist, his Auditory Instructor, and the diagnostician and a principal. Because his teacher hasn't know him but for a couple of months, she asked me to come up this afternoon when school is out to meet with her before the ARD tomorrow. She just wants to make sure we are on the same page. I have to say that I feel very blessed to be in a school district who goes above and beyond to take care of our children and to make sure they are reaching their full potential. I can't wait to see what the future holds for John through his time at school.
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| Waking up the first day of 1st grade. |
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| Ready for school! |
I think that about catches you all up on what's been going on over the last two months. I started writing this while waiting on John at therapy, but concluded after I got home. I will try and do a better job of updating the blog from now on.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Sweetness!
This weekend we took a quick trip to North Louisiana to see my brother and his family, including sweet baby Reagan. I knew before going that she was going to be small. She weighed 6lbs 1oz when she was born, but at her recent doctor's visit, she was down to 5lbs 9oz. Most of her clothes were huge on her, so I went shopping for her before our trip. I found a few outfits that were up to 5lbs. I thought they would probably fit her and even be a little snug on her.
When I got there, Chrystal was standing at the door holding her and I couldn't believe just how small she really is. I think back to when John was born and the fact that he only weighed a little over 3lbs, and I just can't fathom that he was ever that small. And her new little outfits that I brought her actually fit pretty well.
I enjoyed every minute that I was there, especially the time I got to spend holding her. She sleeps a lot, obviously, but she is just the sweetest and most precious little thing. She is such a snuggler. I was more than happy to feed her a couple of bottles and just watch her fall asleep after like she was completely content. I did get to see her eyes open a few times and I told her when she can stay awake a little longer, we would have a little chat on how to handle those two big brothers.
Speaking of big brothers, those two boys are quite smitten with her. Kash obviously understands a little more than William, but both boys kept coming and giving her kisses on her head and cheek throughout the weekend. What a sweet family they all are. I can't wait to watch her grow. She is going to be a heart breaker.
So I'm going to end this post with a collection of pictures. Some of the pictures aren't the best quality because I left the camera at home and had to use the camera on my phone. But I just couldn't get enough of this little one.
When I got there, Chrystal was standing at the door holding her and I couldn't believe just how small she really is. I think back to when John was born and the fact that he only weighed a little over 3lbs, and I just can't fathom that he was ever that small. And her new little outfits that I brought her actually fit pretty well.
I enjoyed every minute that I was there, especially the time I got to spend holding her. She sleeps a lot, obviously, but she is just the sweetest and most precious little thing. She is such a snuggler. I was more than happy to feed her a couple of bottles and just watch her fall asleep after like she was completely content. I did get to see her eyes open a few times and I told her when she can stay awake a little longer, we would have a little chat on how to handle those two big brothers.
Speaking of big brothers, those two boys are quite smitten with her. Kash obviously understands a little more than William, but both boys kept coming and giving her kisses on her head and cheek throughout the weekend. What a sweet family they all are. I can't wait to watch her grow. She is going to be a heart breaker.
So I'm going to end this post with a collection of pictures. Some of the pictures aren't the best quality because I left the camera at home and had to use the camera on my phone. But I just couldn't get enough of this little one.
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| Before leaving the hospital |
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| Home from the hospital |
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| Big Brother Kash |
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| With Uncle Lee Lee |
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| With Daddy |
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| Sweet Baby Girl |
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| Aunt Jo Jo loves Reagan |
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| Wide Awake |
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| With Mommy |
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| John John loving on his cousin. |
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Sweet Baby Girl!
At 2:35 this morning, July 30, I became an aunt for the 4th time. I now have my second, beautiful niece. Reagan Riley Mayes was born this morning weighing 6lbs 1oz and is 19 inches long. Her proud daddy, my big brother, sent me her first picture just before 3am. She is perfect. She is the baby sister to Kash and William. She has already been given a nickname by Tommy. He calls her Rae Rae. So now we have Uncle Lee Lee (Tommy), Aunt Jo Jo (me), Wee Wee (William) and Rae Rae. We like nicknames apparently.
Being the only girl with two older brothers, I know a little bit about what she is going to be like. She is going to be a tough cookie but she will be well protected by those two boys. Jimmie says William saw her this morning and he doesn't think he realizes that she comes home with them. But he'll figure it out soon and he will love her more than anything. Kash is older and this is his second time to be a big brother, so I have no doubt that he is very excited and will take good care of her. We hope to go and see them next weekend. I can't wait to hold and snuggle with that sweet baby girl. I think she already has her daddy wrapped around her finger. Here are her first pictures.
Being the only girl with two older brothers, I know a little bit about what she is going to be like. She is going to be a tough cookie but she will be well protected by those two boys. Jimmie says William saw her this morning and he doesn't think he realizes that she comes home with them. But he'll figure it out soon and he will love her more than anything. Kash is older and this is his second time to be a big brother, so I have no doubt that he is very excited and will take good care of her. We hope to go and see them next weekend. I can't wait to hold and snuggle with that sweet baby girl. I think she already has her daddy wrapped around her finger. Here are her first pictures.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
July 28
On July 28, 1975, a baby boy was born, weighing in at a whopping 9lbs, 7oz. He was given the name Jason Henry Mayes. (I'm probably going to catch a lot of flack for putting his middle name on here) He was the second son to Chip and Carol Mayes and baby brother to Jimmie Mayes. He later became a big brother to me.
Growing up with Jason was interesting to say the least. He was always the life of the party, being voted Wittiest all four years of high school. He was a member of the Kinder High School band, where he was the first chair trumpet player. He made everyone laugh and always had a lot of friends. And although he and I didn't always see eye to eye, I learned early on that when push came to shove, he would have my back.
Happy Birthday, big brother. I hope your day has been special.
On July 28, 2005, my two month old baby boy went into surgery to get a tracheotomy. We found out only the day before that it was necessary so we didn't have much time to prepare ourselves. I remember being devastated when I found out. The nurse in the NICU put a partition up around me so I could just hold my baby and cry.
The next day, my parents came into town to be with us. We all were able to kiss him goodbye as the nurses took him back to surgery. He was crying because he hadn't been able to eat all day and it broke my heart. I don't know how long the surgery lasted, but it felt like a very long time. Finally we received word that the surgery was over and he had done well. It would be a while before we were allowed to go in and see him. I was not prepared for what I saw. Because the new airway was fresh, it would take a little while before the track would be formed enough to change the trach. So for the next week, they had to keep John completely still. In order to do so, he was given a paralytic drug so he was unable to make any involuntary movements. It was very difficult for me to see him that way and even harder not to be able to hold him or even touch him for the next week.
We were told that the trach was temporary and that he would probably only need it for 6 months to 1 year. Fast forward 6 years and it's still there, although for a different reason. It has become a part of our life and our daily routine. It has made things much more difficult for us, but we know that it is necessary for him. I don't know if or when he will be able to have the trach removed, but I will never forget that day, 6 years ago, when taking care of our son became a lot more difficult.
In honor of the two events that I will remember every year on this date, I wanted to post a few pictures of Jason and John together.
Growing up with Jason was interesting to say the least. He was always the life of the party, being voted Wittiest all four years of high school. He was a member of the Kinder High School band, where he was the first chair trumpet player. He made everyone laugh and always had a lot of friends. And although he and I didn't always see eye to eye, I learned early on that when push came to shove, he would have my back.
Happy Birthday, big brother. I hope your day has been special.
On July 28, 2005, my two month old baby boy went into surgery to get a tracheotomy. We found out only the day before that it was necessary so we didn't have much time to prepare ourselves. I remember being devastated when I found out. The nurse in the NICU put a partition up around me so I could just hold my baby and cry.
The next day, my parents came into town to be with us. We all were able to kiss him goodbye as the nurses took him back to surgery. He was crying because he hadn't been able to eat all day and it broke my heart. I don't know how long the surgery lasted, but it felt like a very long time. Finally we received word that the surgery was over and he had done well. It would be a while before we were allowed to go in and see him. I was not prepared for what I saw. Because the new airway was fresh, it would take a little while before the track would be formed enough to change the trach. So for the next week, they had to keep John completely still. In order to do so, he was given a paralytic drug so he was unable to make any involuntary movements. It was very difficult for me to see him that way and even harder not to be able to hold him or even touch him for the next week.
We were told that the trach was temporary and that he would probably only need it for 6 months to 1 year. Fast forward 6 years and it's still there, although for a different reason. It has become a part of our life and our daily routine. It has made things much more difficult for us, but we know that it is necessary for him. I don't know if or when he will be able to have the trach removed, but I will never forget that day, 6 years ago, when taking care of our son became a lot more difficult.
In honor of the two events that I will remember every year on this date, I wanted to post a few pictures of Jason and John together.
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| The first time they met. |
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| Thanksgiving 2005 |
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| Christmas 2006 |
Monday, July 25, 2011
Technology...Love it or hate it?
With the technology we have available to us today, we are able to do so many incredible things. And one of the biggest ways that technology has changed our culture is in the way we communicate with each other. Today, I used modern technology to communicate in two diffent ways, and I have to say, I didn't have two good experiences.
I spent a good part of today working on updating the format and layout of my blog. I truly do love to blog and keep you all up to date on our lives, but I've always felt it was a little simple and plain. I just wanted to spruce it up a little. So I enlisted the help of a friend who has been blogging longer than me and who has a much better looking blog than I do. What I discovered is that it is hard and very frustrating to get it looking the way you want it. My friend was very patient with me as I didn't have a clue what I was doing. Once we finally got the header looking acceptable (and by we I mean she), I went to add it to my blog and it was huge. We couldn't figure out why or how to fix it. After trying over and over again, I finally noticed a box that said shrink to fit. So I checked it and what do you know. The picture wasn't so big any more. After she left, I spent more time working on backgrounds and colors and after a lot of head scratching, I got it to where it is acceptable. There is still one thing I can't figure out how to fix and I thing some of the design is a work in progress. But I had enough frustration for one day.
Now all technology is not so bad. For instance, I'd like to say to the person who developed skype, you are a genius. Tommy has been gone on a work trip since Thursday night of last week. Since he is out of the country, we don't get to talk very much. We do talk to each other once a day, but I know that John is missing his daddy. The other morning, we skyped with each other, but we only had a few minutes. John seemed more confused by the concept than anything. We didn't get the opportunity to skype yesterday since Tommy had a really long day. So this evening we tried again. This time as soon as John saw his daddy on the screen, he got very excited. We sat there for quite a while as the two of them had a nice conversation. He apparently had a lot to tell his daddy. He also laughed at him a lot. And when Tommy would lean in toward the screen, John would do the same thing. It was the highlight of my day to see him so happy to see his daddy's face. I wish I had some pictures of John's face or better yet a video of him. Maybe that would be a good update for Skype, to allow users to record a video of the conversation.
So you be the judge. Do you love how far technology has come over the last 10 years, or does it make you want to pull your hair out? I know one thing. Once I get my blog just the way I like it, I may never change it again.
I spent a good part of today working on updating the format and layout of my blog. I truly do love to blog and keep you all up to date on our lives, but I've always felt it was a little simple and plain. I just wanted to spruce it up a little. So I enlisted the help of a friend who has been blogging longer than me and who has a much better looking blog than I do. What I discovered is that it is hard and very frustrating to get it looking the way you want it. My friend was very patient with me as I didn't have a clue what I was doing. Once we finally got the header looking acceptable (and by we I mean she), I went to add it to my blog and it was huge. We couldn't figure out why or how to fix it. After trying over and over again, I finally noticed a box that said shrink to fit. So I checked it and what do you know. The picture wasn't so big any more. After she left, I spent more time working on backgrounds and colors and after a lot of head scratching, I got it to where it is acceptable. There is still one thing I can't figure out how to fix and I thing some of the design is a work in progress. But I had enough frustration for one day.
Now all technology is not so bad. For instance, I'd like to say to the person who developed skype, you are a genius. Tommy has been gone on a work trip since Thursday night of last week. Since he is out of the country, we don't get to talk very much. We do talk to each other once a day, but I know that John is missing his daddy. The other morning, we skyped with each other, but we only had a few minutes. John seemed more confused by the concept than anything. We didn't get the opportunity to skype yesterday since Tommy had a really long day. So this evening we tried again. This time as soon as John saw his daddy on the screen, he got very excited. We sat there for quite a while as the two of them had a nice conversation. He apparently had a lot to tell his daddy. He also laughed at him a lot. And when Tommy would lean in toward the screen, John would do the same thing. It was the highlight of my day to see him so happy to see his daddy's face. I wish I had some pictures of John's face or better yet a video of him. Maybe that would be a good update for Skype, to allow users to record a video of the conversation.
So you be the judge. Do you love how far technology has come over the last 10 years, or does it make you want to pull your hair out? I know one thing. Once I get my blog just the way I like it, I may never change it again.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Good start
I had to write an update after talking to John's therapist this morning. The first thing she said was that he likes things with a strong taste. I already knew that because he likes eating things that are a little spicy. Last week when working on chewing, she used something called a nook brush. She would put food on it and then let him bite on the brush so he can get the sensation of chewing while also tasting food. When I tried this at home, he did more grinding of his teeth than chewing up and down. This time she used a slim jim with food on the end for the same reason. Apparently he likes slim jims because he actually chewed up and down on it. This is a good start for him. She also said he is moving his tongue towards the food better. This is something everyone needs to be able to do. We all do it when eating but we just don't realize it.
The second thing they worked on was drinking from a cup. In the past we have concentrated on him drinking through a straw. But today she used something called a nosey cup. This is simply a small plastic cup with a notch cut out of the top rim where the nose would go. Again using something with a strong taste, cranberry juice, she was able to get him to drink 3 ounces out of that cup in a time span of about 5 minutes. I have never been able to get him to drink that much that quickly from anything but a bottle. This is something else for us to continue to work on. I actually have several of those cups at home that I had bought a long time ago when trying different things. In fact, over the years I have bought just about every kind of cup I could find trying to find something that he could use.
So needless to say, I have put slim jims and cranberry juice on my shopping list so we can continue to work on these things at home. Already he is showing more interest and more progress than he showed in the few years of doing OT in the past. I am very encouraged and excited about the progress John is showing. I can't wait to see what he does next week.
The second thing they worked on was drinking from a cup. In the past we have concentrated on him drinking through a straw. But today she used something called a nosey cup. This is simply a small plastic cup with a notch cut out of the top rim where the nose would go. Again using something with a strong taste, cranberry juice, she was able to get him to drink 3 ounces out of that cup in a time span of about 5 minutes. I have never been able to get him to drink that much that quickly from anything but a bottle. This is something else for us to continue to work on. I actually have several of those cups at home that I had bought a long time ago when trying different things. In fact, over the years I have bought just about every kind of cup I could find trying to find something that he could use.
So needless to say, I have put slim jims and cranberry juice on my shopping list so we can continue to work on these things at home. Already he is showing more interest and more progress than he showed in the few years of doing OT in the past. I am very encouraged and excited about the progress John is showing. I can't wait to see what he does next week.
Getting started again
First of all, I am typing this on my iPad. It is very different. So if I have some spelling or punctuation mistakes, that is why. I will try not to type in my usual iPad/iPhone shorthand.
I am sitting in the waiting room at TCH west campus while John is at his occupational therapy appointment. We took a year off from all private therapies when he started kindergarten to let him adjust to the full day school schedule without wearing him out any more. I don't think I really intended to take the whole year off, but that's just the way that it worked out. Now that TCH has a hospital on our side of town, it is much easier to get to therapy. So I thought it was time to get him ba k into PT and OT during the summer so he'll be used to it again when school starts. Last week was our first OT session. Obviously I need to get back into the routine too because I completely forgot about it this morning and we were a little late getting here. Last week he had a good start so hopefully we can build on that and see some improvement with his eating. Some things we are working on is him recognizing that some foods have to be chewed before he can swallow it and drinking from a straw or cup. It's time to get rid of the bottle. We have to find a better way to get him drinking. And if I can stop Pureeing food, there would be a lot more options of food for him to eat. He would love trying new things and we could get him completely off of jarred food.
His PT evaluation isn't scheduled until August. We are still working on the walking and would like to get him a little more steady on his feet. Hopefully he hasn't lost too much since he stopped therapy last year and can pick up where he left off. I'll keep you updated on that progress when we start.
That's all for now. John should be about finished and will be coming out soon. Hoping his session was good today.
I am sitting in the waiting room at TCH west campus while John is at his occupational therapy appointment. We took a year off from all private therapies when he started kindergarten to let him adjust to the full day school schedule without wearing him out any more. I don't think I really intended to take the whole year off, but that's just the way that it worked out. Now that TCH has a hospital on our side of town, it is much easier to get to therapy. So I thought it was time to get him ba k into PT and OT during the summer so he'll be used to it again when school starts. Last week was our first OT session. Obviously I need to get back into the routine too because I completely forgot about it this morning and we were a little late getting here. Last week he had a good start so hopefully we can build on that and see some improvement with his eating. Some things we are working on is him recognizing that some foods have to be chewed before he can swallow it and drinking from a straw or cup. It's time to get rid of the bottle. We have to find a better way to get him drinking. And if I can stop Pureeing food, there would be a lot more options of food for him to eat. He would love trying new things and we could get him completely off of jarred food.
His PT evaluation isn't scheduled until August. We are still working on the walking and would like to get him a little more steady on his feet. Hopefully he hasn't lost too much since he stopped therapy last year and can pick up where he left off. I'll keep you updated on that progress when we start.
That's all for now. John should be about finished and will be coming out soon. Hoping his session was good today.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Happy Anniversary!
On June 30, 2001, I said "I Do" to the love of my life. 10 years later, he is still the love of my life and has also become my best friend. Anytime something happens, good or bad, he's the first person I want to tell. I would rather spend time with him than anyone else. He makes me laugh (and sometimes cry). Over these past 10 years, I have grown to love him more than I ever thought I would.
We decided this was the best time to take our first ever overnight trip without John. I have to say that I never thought this day would come, but we finally made it happen. Well, I have to say that Tommy made it happen. He planned all of the details and just told me where we were going. He arranged for my parents to come and stay with John for the weekend. It worked out perfectly that we were able to get away on July 4th weekend so it was a long weekend. That gave us more time away since my parents didn't have to go home until Monday. And he planned for us to stay two nights at Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop, Texas, which is just outside of Austin. There is actually a funny story that goes with that.
When I took John for his 6 year check-up with his pediatrician, she asked me if we were getting out to the movies or dinner by ourselves like she had ordered us to do. She is great and always making sure that we take care of ourselves as well as John. I told her we were actually planning a trip for our anniversary. She asked where we were going. At the time we had a reservation at Barton Creek in Austin because when Tommy called Lost Pines, they were booked for the weekend. So I told her that. She asked if I wanted her to call Lost Pines and talk them into giving us a reservation. She was dead serious. I didn't think there was anything she could do, but I gave her the number to the resort and the dates that we wanted to check in and out. A week or two later, she called one night and talked to Tommy. She asked if we had heard from the resort and he told her we hadn't. She said she would check into it. The very next weekend, I got a call from the resort, telling us that they had spoken to Dr. Miller and they had a room available for us if we still wanted it. By this time, we had changed our reservation to the Marriott Resort in San Antonio. But since Dr. Miller did what she did for us, we thought we should go ahead and stay at Lost Pines. So I have to say Kudos to you, Dr. Miller. You are definitely our favorite doctor!
The weekend finally arrived and we actually didn't back out. We have tried 2 or 3 times in the past to go away for the weekend, and we always changed our minds for some reason. But this time we stuck to it. We left on Saturday morning. Since our official check-in time wasn't until 3:00, we took a round about way there. We first went to Luling, Texas so we could stop at the Buc cees! If you haven't been to a Buc ees, you have to some time. They are only in Texas, and they are the biggest convenience store around. They also have the cleanest public restrooms you will ever find. They have a gigantic store attached where you can buy t-shirts and plenty of other things. About 1/2 of John's wardrobe has come from Buc ees. After we left from there, we drove a few miles down the road to Lockhart, Texas to eat some barbecue. And then, since we were in the area, we decided to go to the outlet mall in San Marcos. We only went into a couple of stores, but we both came away with new clothes. Finally, we headed to the resort.
Once we got there and got checked in, we changed into our swimsuits and headed out to the pool. They have a lazy river around the pool that is 1000 feet. This is where we spent most of our weekend. If you have never gotten into a tube, let me tell you there is no graceful way to get on or off of one. That provided a few comedic moments for us. Fortunately there are no pictures of it. We stayed on the lazy river until about 6:00 that evening. We had scheduled to do a sunset float on the Colorado River and we had to meet at 6:45 in the lobby. The relaxing float we were expecting turned out to be a rafting trip where we actually had to paddle. It was not a comfortable raft and it was hot and humid. That was not what we wanted to do. But we made it back to the resort and were finally able to get cleaned up.
The next day we actually slept in until 10:30. I haven't slept that late in years. So we had an early lunch and then took a walk around the property. We eventually ended up back at the pool, where we spent most of the rest of the day. That night we cleaned up and then went to their nicest restaurant for our anniversary dinner. We decided to sit out on their balcony overlooking the grounds. It was a nice night and we enjoyed a delicious dinner.
We want to say a special thanks to the people who helped make this trip special. First and foremost, to my parents for keeping John for the weekend. It would never have been possible without them being willing to help out. And I should say that when we got home, John acted like he hadn't missed us one minute. He had a great time with Gram and Pop. Also thanks to Dr. Miller for helping us get the reservation. She went above and beyond typical pediatrician duties for us on this one. But then again, she has done that since the day we met. And a special thank you to our very dear friends who arranged for us to have a bottle of wine waiting for us in our room when we got there. They were just as excited about our getaway as we were. You guys Rock!!!
Although, it has been a very wild and crazy 10 years, I would do it all again. I can't wait to see what the next ten years has in store for us.
We decided this was the best time to take our first ever overnight trip without John. I have to say that I never thought this day would come, but we finally made it happen. Well, I have to say that Tommy made it happen. He planned all of the details and just told me where we were going. He arranged for my parents to come and stay with John for the weekend. It worked out perfectly that we were able to get away on July 4th weekend so it was a long weekend. That gave us more time away since my parents didn't have to go home until Monday. And he planned for us to stay two nights at Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop, Texas, which is just outside of Austin. There is actually a funny story that goes with that.
When I took John for his 6 year check-up with his pediatrician, she asked me if we were getting out to the movies or dinner by ourselves like she had ordered us to do. She is great and always making sure that we take care of ourselves as well as John. I told her we were actually planning a trip for our anniversary. She asked where we were going. At the time we had a reservation at Barton Creek in Austin because when Tommy called Lost Pines, they were booked for the weekend. So I told her that. She asked if I wanted her to call Lost Pines and talk them into giving us a reservation. She was dead serious. I didn't think there was anything she could do, but I gave her the number to the resort and the dates that we wanted to check in and out. A week or two later, she called one night and talked to Tommy. She asked if we had heard from the resort and he told her we hadn't. She said she would check into it. The very next weekend, I got a call from the resort, telling us that they had spoken to Dr. Miller and they had a room available for us if we still wanted it. By this time, we had changed our reservation to the Marriott Resort in San Antonio. But since Dr. Miller did what she did for us, we thought we should go ahead and stay at Lost Pines. So I have to say Kudos to you, Dr. Miller. You are definitely our favorite doctor!
The weekend finally arrived and we actually didn't back out. We have tried 2 or 3 times in the past to go away for the weekend, and we always changed our minds for some reason. But this time we stuck to it. We left on Saturday morning. Since our official check-in time wasn't until 3:00, we took a round about way there. We first went to Luling, Texas so we could stop at the Buc cees! If you haven't been to a Buc ees, you have to some time. They are only in Texas, and they are the biggest convenience store around. They also have the cleanest public restrooms you will ever find. They have a gigantic store attached where you can buy t-shirts and plenty of other things. About 1/2 of John's wardrobe has come from Buc ees. After we left from there, we drove a few miles down the road to Lockhart, Texas to eat some barbecue. And then, since we were in the area, we decided to go to the outlet mall in San Marcos. We only went into a couple of stores, but we both came away with new clothes. Finally, we headed to the resort.
Once we got there and got checked in, we changed into our swimsuits and headed out to the pool. They have a lazy river around the pool that is 1000 feet. This is where we spent most of our weekend. If you have never gotten into a tube, let me tell you there is no graceful way to get on or off of one. That provided a few comedic moments for us. Fortunately there are no pictures of it. We stayed on the lazy river until about 6:00 that evening. We had scheduled to do a sunset float on the Colorado River and we had to meet at 6:45 in the lobby. The relaxing float we were expecting turned out to be a rafting trip where we actually had to paddle. It was not a comfortable raft and it was hot and humid. That was not what we wanted to do. But we made it back to the resort and were finally able to get cleaned up.
The next day we actually slept in until 10:30. I haven't slept that late in years. So we had an early lunch and then took a walk around the property. We eventually ended up back at the pool, where we spent most of the rest of the day. That night we cleaned up and then went to their nicest restaurant for our anniversary dinner. We decided to sit out on their balcony overlooking the grounds. It was a nice night and we enjoyed a delicious dinner.
We want to say a special thanks to the people who helped make this trip special. First and foremost, to my parents for keeping John for the weekend. It would never have been possible without them being willing to help out. And I should say that when we got home, John acted like he hadn't missed us one minute. He had a great time with Gram and Pop. Also thanks to Dr. Miller for helping us get the reservation. She went above and beyond typical pediatrician duties for us on this one. But then again, she has done that since the day we met. And a special thank you to our very dear friends who arranged for us to have a bottle of wine waiting for us in our room when we got there. They were just as excited about our getaway as we were. You guys Rock!!!
Although, it has been a very wild and crazy 10 years, I would do it all again. I can't wait to see what the next ten years has in store for us.
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| My view of the pool |
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| Lounging by the pool. |
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| 10 years of Marriage! |
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Father's Day
There are a lot of great fathers out there, fathers with adult children, fathers with young children and fathers with grandchildren. They all are great for many different reasons, but there are 2 fathers that will always be the greatest in my eyes.
My dad will always be the greatest father I know. He has always been involved in the lives of his three children. Whether we were playing baseball or football or marching in the band, he was always there to show his support. And the thing that sticks with me most is that he never put pressure on us to be better than we were. If we asked his opinion on how we could improve, he was happy to give advice or work with us until we were comfortable. But never did we feel that he would be disappointed if we didn't get a hit or if we made a bad throw.
I have been a daddy's girl my whole life. When we would all go to the mall to do some shopping, Dad and I would sit out in the mall, eating ice cream and people watching, while mom and the boys did their shopping. When I was a very little girl, I walked into my parents' room one night in tears because I decided that I never wanted to get married. Dad quickly chimed in and said that I didn't have to and could live with them for as long as I wanted. I bet he's glad I changed my mind on that one. He never put his job or anything else before his family. We were always the most important part of his life. He taught us to have faith in God and led by example. And as he gave me away on my wedding day, the tears that were in his eyes showed me just how much he loves me. Although, I never had to wonder if he loved me because he told me and showed me every day. No matter how old I live to be, I will always be a daddy's girl.
The other great father that I know is my husband. Before we had John, I didn't really know what to expect from Tommy as a father. He was great with older kids, but never interacted much with infants. But I have to say that the moment our son was born, his daddy instincts kicked in and he has been fantastic with him. And even when things have been the toughest with John, he faced each situation head on and never wavered. He has been by my side every step of the way along this journey and when I sometimes felt like I couldn't go on, he took me by the hand and led the way, showing me that everything will be OK. There is no one I would rather have parenting beside me.
He is a very hands on dad. He has never been afraid to change diapers (even if sometimes he has a yucky look on his face). He gives baths, helps with trach care, sings to John, plays with John, takes him for wagon rides and many other things. When he comes home from work each day, the first thing he does is tell our son hello and asks him how his day was. I sometimes just sit back with a smile on my face and watch as my two boys play together and giggle together. I love the sound of John's laugh when he's playing with his daddy. When he hears his daddy's voice from another room, his eyes light up and he gets the biggest smile on his face. That boys is in love with his daddy and so am I.
So today, I want to wish my two favorite men a very Happy Father's Day. You both mean so much to me and I am a lucky girl to have you both in my life.
My dad will always be the greatest father I know. He has always been involved in the lives of his three children. Whether we were playing baseball or football or marching in the band, he was always there to show his support. And the thing that sticks with me most is that he never put pressure on us to be better than we were. If we asked his opinion on how we could improve, he was happy to give advice or work with us until we were comfortable. But never did we feel that he would be disappointed if we didn't get a hit or if we made a bad throw.
I have been a daddy's girl my whole life. When we would all go to the mall to do some shopping, Dad and I would sit out in the mall, eating ice cream and people watching, while mom and the boys did their shopping. When I was a very little girl, I walked into my parents' room one night in tears because I decided that I never wanted to get married. Dad quickly chimed in and said that I didn't have to and could live with them for as long as I wanted. I bet he's glad I changed my mind on that one. He never put his job or anything else before his family. We were always the most important part of his life. He taught us to have faith in God and led by example. And as he gave me away on my wedding day, the tears that were in his eyes showed me just how much he loves me. Although, I never had to wonder if he loved me because he told me and showed me every day. No matter how old I live to be, I will always be a daddy's girl.
The other great father that I know is my husband. Before we had John, I didn't really know what to expect from Tommy as a father. He was great with older kids, but never interacted much with infants. But I have to say that the moment our son was born, his daddy instincts kicked in and he has been fantastic with him. And even when things have been the toughest with John, he faced each situation head on and never wavered. He has been by my side every step of the way along this journey and when I sometimes felt like I couldn't go on, he took me by the hand and led the way, showing me that everything will be OK. There is no one I would rather have parenting beside me.
He is a very hands on dad. He has never been afraid to change diapers (even if sometimes he has a yucky look on his face). He gives baths, helps with trach care, sings to John, plays with John, takes him for wagon rides and many other things. When he comes home from work each day, the first thing he does is tell our son hello and asks him how his day was. I sometimes just sit back with a smile on my face and watch as my two boys play together and giggle together. I love the sound of John's laugh when he's playing with his daddy. When he hears his daddy's voice from another room, his eyes light up and he gets the biggest smile on his face. That boys is in love with his daddy and so am I.
So today, I want to wish my two favorite men a very Happy Father's Day. You both mean so much to me and I am a lucky girl to have you both in my life.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sick again?
The good news is I figured out why John was a little grumpy at his birthday party. The bad news is it was because he wasn't feeling well. I should have known something was up because he wasn't really interested in drinking much of his milk on Saturday. That is typically a sign that his throat is hurting. But I just chalked it up to having a lot of people in the house and him not being able to concentrate.
Sunday morning was a typical morning. He ate his breakfast and drank his milk without much trouble. At lunch, he ate his food fine, but refused to drink his milk. So we put him down for a nap. While he was napping, Tommy and I left to run a few errands while my mom and dad stayed here with John. They don't get to babysit much, so I don't think they really minded. About 30 minutes or so later, my mom called and said that John had thrown up while he was sleeping. She and dad got him cleaned up and then he crashed in her lap. When we came home, he was still sleeping in her lap. I checked his temperature and it was 101.7. So we got him up and gave him a bath and then Tylenol. We tried to get him to drink some and he would have none of it. All he would do was cry. The problem was, it was a Sunday and the next day was a holiday so the doctor's office wouldn't be opened until Tuesday. I knew he couldn't wait that long.
So we loaded him in the car and took him to the ER. It was our first time to check out the new TCH in Katy. We were so thankful for this new hospital last night. It was nice to be in an ER close to home. And there was no one in the waiting room when we got there.
After we got him in a room and laid him on the bed, he decided that was the best time to throw up again. It took us a while to get him cleaned up and then he was miserable. The doctor came in to see him and decided to give him fluids and do a strep test. She also checked his ears and said one was really red. The strep test came back positive and we had to give him a dose of Zofran for the vomiting since he threw up again after receiving some of the fluids. Finally he began to feel better.
4 hours later we walked out with a prescription for Zofran and Amoxicillan to treat the strep throat and inner ear infection that he had. I had no idea his ear was hurting. We finally got him in bed about midnight.
He felt much better today, and ate better without getting sick. He drank all of his milk today, except for his milk at dinner. Then he fell asleep in my lap. Although he doesn't have any fever and hasn't gotten sick at all today, I think I'm going to keep him home from school tomorrow. I hate for him to miss his last few days before school is out, but I think he'll feel better Wednesday and Thursday if he stays home one more day.
Sunday morning was a typical morning. He ate his breakfast and drank his milk without much trouble. At lunch, he ate his food fine, but refused to drink his milk. So we put him down for a nap. While he was napping, Tommy and I left to run a few errands while my mom and dad stayed here with John. They don't get to babysit much, so I don't think they really minded. About 30 minutes or so later, my mom called and said that John had thrown up while he was sleeping. She and dad got him cleaned up and then he crashed in her lap. When we came home, he was still sleeping in her lap. I checked his temperature and it was 101.7. So we got him up and gave him a bath and then Tylenol. We tried to get him to drink some and he would have none of it. All he would do was cry. The problem was, it was a Sunday and the next day was a holiday so the doctor's office wouldn't be opened until Tuesday. I knew he couldn't wait that long.
So we loaded him in the car and took him to the ER. It was our first time to check out the new TCH in Katy. We were so thankful for this new hospital last night. It was nice to be in an ER close to home. And there was no one in the waiting room when we got there.
After we got him in a room and laid him on the bed, he decided that was the best time to throw up again. It took us a while to get him cleaned up and then he was miserable. The doctor came in to see him and decided to give him fluids and do a strep test. She also checked his ears and said one was really red. The strep test came back positive and we had to give him a dose of Zofran for the vomiting since he threw up again after receiving some of the fluids. Finally he began to feel better.
4 hours later we walked out with a prescription for Zofran and Amoxicillan to treat the strep throat and inner ear infection that he had. I had no idea his ear was hurting. We finally got him in bed about midnight.
He felt much better today, and ate better without getting sick. He drank all of his milk today, except for his milk at dinner. Then he fell asleep in my lap. Although he doesn't have any fever and hasn't gotten sick at all today, I think I'm going to keep him home from school tomorrow. I hate for him to miss his last few days before school is out, but I think he'll feel better Wednesday and Thursday if he stays home one more day.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Birthday Party
Today, we were able to celebrate John's sixth birthday with a fun party. It's always a challenge for me to decide what kind of party to have for him. He isn't able to do the typical parties that kids his age have. I have been fighting the trend to have a fun jump for his birthday. While all of his friends would probably have the best time, John really couldn't participate. Sure I could bring him into one, but he has proven in the past that he really doesn't like them. He ends up crying until I take him out.
I have also been hesitant to have any kind of "wet and wild" party. He could get in a baby pool, but because of his trach, we have to avoid getting him too wet. So sprinklers and splash pads are out for him. I did lean towards doing something like this in our back yard and letting him hang out in a blow up pool. But ultimately, we went with simple.
We decided to have his party at The Little Gym of Katy. This is a fun place that does tumbling and gymnastics type activities as well as plays music and parachute games. They basically will customize your party for the age of the child. I have to say, this was one of the best ideas we have ever had.
Not only do all of the kids have lots of activities to keep them busy and to help burn off some energy, but the staff at the gym are great. Our small group had two activity leaders who took care of everything. They organized the gym activities and then had the party room all set up for cake and ice cream. They supplied all of the balloons, paper goods, drinks for the kids and even the party favors. All we had to do was bring the cake. Sounds easy right? Well for most families that would be simple. But for us, we ran off and left the cake at home. The only thing we had to remember and we forgot it. We didn't realize it until it was time to sing happy birthday and blow out the candles. So while Tommy quickly ran to the grocery store to buy a ready made cake, we broke out the ice cream cups. We even put his number six candle in his ice cream so everyone could sing to him. Nothing like improvising.
Except for that one little screw up on our part, it was a very successful party. And the best part was we didn't have to do all of the set up and when the party was over, there was nothing for us to clean. We just packed our gifts and came home. It is one of the least stressful birthdays we have ever had. I highly recommend this place to any child having a party. The staff was incredible and all of the kids seemed to have a great time.
Our birthday boy was pretty pooped tonight and went to bed early. He should have some pretty sweet dreams. Here are some pictures from the party!
I have also been hesitant to have any kind of "wet and wild" party. He could get in a baby pool, but because of his trach, we have to avoid getting him too wet. So sprinklers and splash pads are out for him. I did lean towards doing something like this in our back yard and letting him hang out in a blow up pool. But ultimately, we went with simple.
We decided to have his party at The Little Gym of Katy. This is a fun place that does tumbling and gymnastics type activities as well as plays music and parachute games. They basically will customize your party for the age of the child. I have to say, this was one of the best ideas we have ever had.
Not only do all of the kids have lots of activities to keep them busy and to help burn off some energy, but the staff at the gym are great. Our small group had two activity leaders who took care of everything. They organized the gym activities and then had the party room all set up for cake and ice cream. They supplied all of the balloons, paper goods, drinks for the kids and even the party favors. All we had to do was bring the cake. Sounds easy right? Well for most families that would be simple. But for us, we ran off and left the cake at home. The only thing we had to remember and we forgot it. We didn't realize it until it was time to sing happy birthday and blow out the candles. So while Tommy quickly ran to the grocery store to buy a ready made cake, we broke out the ice cream cups. We even put his number six candle in his ice cream so everyone could sing to him. Nothing like improvising.
Except for that one little screw up on our part, it was a very successful party. And the best part was we didn't have to do all of the set up and when the party was over, there was nothing for us to clean. We just packed our gifts and came home. It is one of the least stressful birthdays we have ever had. I highly recommend this place to any child having a party. The staff was incredible and all of the kids seemed to have a great time.
Our birthday boy was pretty pooped tonight and went to bed early. He should have some pretty sweet dreams. Here are some pictures from the party!
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| Welcome Sign |
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| The gym |
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| Group Circle. |
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| Center of the parachute |
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| Playing on the floor |
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| Birthday Pose |
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| Air Track, he didn't like this so much. |
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| Party Room |
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| Candle in ice cream |
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| Good store bought cake. |
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| Group Photo |
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
6 Years Old!!!
Where have these past 6 years gone? It seems like my baby boy was born just yesterday, but instead, he turned 6 years old yesterday. I can't believe how fast the years have gone by. He went from being a tiny, scrawny little thing, to a very tall and adorable 6 year old. And he is the light of my life.
He has a very distinct personality. He loves to crawl around the house and get into trouble. He loves his music too. He seems to have a pretty good rhythm too as he bounces along to the beat. He loves to swing and rock in the chair. He has the funniest facial expressions, which in turn prompts me to make ridiculous faces back at him. He loves to cuddle and give hugs and kisses, and my favorite time of every day is when he curls up next to me in the recliner and falls asleep. Yes, he's a lot of work to take care of, but he's worth every minute of it. Even the sleepless nights are worth it. We are so blessed to have this little boy in our lives. He teaches us something new every day.
Yesterday, was also his Kindergarten Graduation day. Not only can I not believe that he's six, but I can't believe he has completed his first full year of school already. He made so much progress this year. It was fun to see the little program that the teachers and kids put on yesterday. And when all of the kids were singing the song they had practices, he watched them all closely and took in every second of it. He's made some sweet friends and has captured the hearts of his teachers, just like he has captured our hearts.
This weekend, we are having his birthday party with a few close friends to celebrate his 6 years. It should be a lot of fun. It's always a fun day for us. And it's nice to have the family gather together to celebrate.
So let me just say, Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!!! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of how far you have come and we look forward to the years ahead just to see what God has in store for you.
Here are a few pictures from his last 6 years.
He has a very distinct personality. He loves to crawl around the house and get into trouble. He loves his music too. He seems to have a pretty good rhythm too as he bounces along to the beat. He loves to swing and rock in the chair. He has the funniest facial expressions, which in turn prompts me to make ridiculous faces back at him. He loves to cuddle and give hugs and kisses, and my favorite time of every day is when he curls up next to me in the recliner and falls asleep. Yes, he's a lot of work to take care of, but he's worth every minute of it. Even the sleepless nights are worth it. We are so blessed to have this little boy in our lives. He teaches us something new every day.
Yesterday, was also his Kindergarten Graduation day. Not only can I not believe that he's six, but I can't believe he has completed his first full year of school already. He made so much progress this year. It was fun to see the little program that the teachers and kids put on yesterday. And when all of the kids were singing the song they had practices, he watched them all closely and took in every second of it. He's made some sweet friends and has captured the hearts of his teachers, just like he has captured our hearts.
This weekend, we are having his birthday party with a few close friends to celebrate his 6 years. It should be a lot of fun. It's always a fun day for us. And it's nice to have the family gather together to celebrate.
So let me just say, Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!!! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of how far you have come and we look forward to the years ahead just to see what God has in store for you.
Here are a few pictures from his last 6 years.
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| This picture show how tiny he was. |
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| Peaceful. |
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| First Birthday! |
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| Chip off the old block! |
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| 2nd Birthday |
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| He loved this jumparoo. |
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| 3rd Birthday! |
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| Graduating from ECI |
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| 4th Birthday |
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| One of my favorite smiles |
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| First Day of Kindergarten |
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| 6 years old! |
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