Jingle Bells

OK, my first attempt at uploading a video of my wonderful boys! Gunner had me dress him up as a present (all the bows). He has been singing Jingle Bells for weeks. It must be a song for their Christmas program at school....we'll find out next week. Anyway, enjoy!

As for all the other happenings:

Brandon is getting several teeth all at once! His first tooth starting coming thru the week of Thanksgiving. A second one broke thru early last week and this week one top tooth is making its way thru. His whole top gum has white spots, so the little guy has not had a lot of fun lately. Needless to say I haven't either. At least he sleeps most of the night, so I can't complain too much.

On top of that, we have all been sick with a terrible cold that lasts about 10 days, no fever, but oh the coughing is yucky. UGH. Everybody's well now, almost. Jeff's at day 10 today.

I've been so busy getting fudge and goodies made for Jeff's office and the Tampa office as well. Everything has now been "delivered" and was a big hit. I actually rested a bit today instead of baking or candy making. I still have our neighbors to WOW. Christmas shopping has been going slow and I still have to get the "big" gifts for Gunner. Gunner is going to a fun day at church Saturday. They're going to make gingerbread houses and other crafts and eat pizza. Maybe I'll have time to get things finished and some wrapping done. In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out what to pack for our trip home.....about 16 hours in the car.

Tomorrow, Gunner and I get our flu shots and Brandon has a checkup on Friday along with the second half of his flu shot. His iron levels were at the very low end of normal at his 9 month checkup, so we're having that checked again. I've been giving him the yucky vitamins with iron and flouride - he gags no matter what I do. Poor guy! Also when he stands he doesn't put down his heels, just stands on his toes, so the doc is going to evaluate that again.

I just seem to stay so busy with all the running and household stuff that I haven't had time to take many photos lately or blog. I have been reading other blogs on occasion. Sorry to hear about all the bad weather in the plains and Ohio valley.........we're having almost record highs. Gunner went to school today in a sleeveless shirt and shorts - shall I remind you that it's December 12??????

I'm also curious......

How much do you pay for a gallon of milk? $4.29 here for store brand, $3.89 at COSTCO

How much are you paying for gas? $2.99/gal here

Thanksgiving

There are so many, many things to be thankful for! I have been wanting to write for quite a while, but couldn't find the time because I was so thankful to be with my family all week I didn't log on the computer but a couple times just to check emails and pay some bills. Jeff was off from work the whole week and Gunner didn't have school. What a blessing for us to have so much family time. I will post some pictures later and fill in the details for the past month or so.......

This time last year we were preparing for our move and I was about 6 1/2 months pregnant. We stayed in Oklahoma for Thanksgiving because we had visited family in Kentucky earlier in the month and would be back again at Christmas. It's hard to believe how much has happened in a year. We are thankful to God because he carried us thru our ups and downs. Reflecting upon all the events makes me realize how much I appreciate my husband, children, family and friends.

May God bless all of you during the next few weeks as we all prepare for the Christmas holidays. Just don't forget to keep your spiritual lives in check during the hectic season......Jesus is the reason for the season!! Celebrate the fact that he came to this cruel world to save us! He didn't have to........he just loved us enough to!!

Time to brag on myself!

Well, I have finally done it! Thursday, November 8th is history for me!

I went shopping on Tuesday because it has cooled off and all of Gunner's long sleeve t-shirts were way, way too small. That child has grown a ton since late spring! The sleeves were about 2 inches too short on his arms and his belly button was almost showing (size 4's and 4T's).

Anyway, I picked out a few shirts on sale for him and decided to go to the misses dept. to look at jeans. I know I had lost weight because all my jeans were just too big. (That feels so great to say!) I didn't have time to try on, so I picked one pair, size 10. Size 10. I honestly can't remember the last pair of jeans I bought that were a size 10. I've been putting off trying them on until this morning. YES! They fit. It wasn't a squeeze. They FIT! Wow. Size 10. I think I might enjoy shopping again. Maybe I should start working out again. Then I could really feel good about myself!! I just had to brag to cyber world!!!!!!!!

By the way, all the shirts I bought for Gunner fit him and he loved them. He is 4 1/2 (Nov 17) and wears a boys 5/6 in shirts and size 5 in pants when I can find them to fit his waist. The adjustable waistbands are nice if you don't have to scrunch them way up. I always have about 6 to 8 holes pulled out on each side and they look terrible. Why don't they make kids clothes to fit????? He is a head taller than the other boys in his preschool class. I wonder if he will always be tall?

A day at the park

Yes I'm posting again tonight. I can't seem to find the time anymore during the day. These photos are from a park near our home (no dogs allowed, so Goldie had to stay home from this venture). We went to play and hike a bit the Sunday afternoon before Halloween and had a great time. Right after we left, it began to rain......it poured. So glad we got to have fun first!

Pop and Brandon played on the swings and then came to find Gunner and me.

Gunner picked up a stick and started writing his name in the sand. He did a great job!

Brandon now enjoys riding on our shoulders.......

Pop and the boys. I love these types of shots. Unfortunately you can barely see the top of Brandon's hat.Here's a good one of all my boys!

This was the best one we could get of me with G and Lil' B.

Halloween photos

October 30

Gunner hard at work on his pumpkin carving (this is all the work he did....I ended up doing ALL the carving!)Me carving Gunner's pumpkin (he was the photographer)
Brotherly love! So happy with their pumpkins. Gunner's is a pirate ship. He picked out the design and it took me forever to carve it. Brandon's ended up being very, very simple! It was such tedious work.

Gunner just loved the pirate ship! This is the decorations before dark. Gunner took the photo because he wanted to get the little ghost he had picked out and placed in the yard.
Gunner wanted a photo in his PJ's with the pumpkins lit up. The lights around the door are on as well, but you can't tell in the photo.Here are the finished products up close.

October 31

Here's Gunner patiently waiting for trick-or-treaters and his friend Justin. He was so excited about going out this year.Gunner and Justin before the trek down the street. Superman and a pirate. Justin's just the cutest pirate ever. They both had "red eyes" and I tried to edit them, but Gunner's turned green and he looks like an evil superman. They really liked their light sticks too.

Gunner's friend Justin and his parents came over to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood. The boys went out with the dads and came back with full buckets and decided they were done. They only went on our street and one other. Brandon stayed with me and Jan to pass out candy at our house. I didn't realize until tonight that I didn't get any photos of him on Halloween night. Oh well, he wore his pumpkin outfit that was in the photos from SEARS. Several people wanted to take my little pumpkin! I told them he wasn't a treat for the taking.

Our neighbor across the street had a really cool setup - a remote control mummy and a smoke machine. He would "scare" the kids as they came up. It was fun to watch from our front porch. Gunner took me over after Justin went home so I could see it up close. He even got to play with the remote. Oh yeah, the weather was awesome and everyone sat outside to hand out their candy.

DESSERT, RUM & FISH LIPS

DESSERT:

Okay, so I haven't posted in over a week and I'm starting with a naughty high-calorie recipe. I just made this dessert to take to a harvest party tonight and I can't wait to sink my teeth in it!!! Gunner helped and the icing sure was tasty.

This recipe came out of Southern Living magazine and Mom said it was really good. She's had rave reviews already, so I thought I'd wow some people tonight. Rather than take the time to write it out, here's the link:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1646476

For other great recipes, check out http://www.southernliving.com/

RUM:

So, the funny story for the week is Gunner playing pirate last night after supper. I had put his milk in a sippy cup because we've been having issues this week with spills. We ate outside on the patio, and when he was finished he said he was going to his ship (swing set) and taking his "rum" with him. Jeff and I just looked at each other wondering where that came from! Anyway, he kept saying he was drinking his rum. The only thing we could come up with is we have said, "Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum" when playing pirate sometimes. Guess we should change the words, huh?!?! Honestly, he has no idea what it is!

FISH LIPS:

Ever seen a baby make fish lips? Brandon can and he does it all the time! He started this a couple weeks ago and I've been unable to catch on film, but the photographer at Sears did yesterday. This photo is not on the Sears link I sent on email earlier, but only on the CD I purchased. LOVE IT!!

This Week.......

I can't believe how much time has passed since my last post, but I have been better about keeping up with this than I thought I would.

Brandon's last two pieces of stitches fell out today! :) The nurse practitioner who found this at his 6 month checkup called Friday afternoon to check on him. How sweet! She just wanted to know how the surgery went and make sure he recovered well. I was very impressed that she had been keeping up with the events.

Friday night, Gunner and Brandon took their first wagon ride together. Jeff was entertaining the boys while I finished mowing the lawn. Yes, I do mow.....I love the physical exercise and the smell of fresh cut grass. I love whenever it works out for me to "do my share"! There's just something about being outside and the sound of the mower drowning out the noise of the day (no whining, no crying, no screaming.....). I find it therapeutic. Call me crazy..........

Our "Who's Coming to Dinner?" party on Saturday night was great! Three couples came and we had met all of them, so none were complete strangers. I really enjoyed hosting and being surprised as to who showed up and brought their "dish" for dinner. I think it would be hard to be the coordinator for the event each month, but I'm sure glad we signed up to be a part of this. As much as I love to cook, having a table full of people, but only having to have the house cleaned up and not worrying about timing the meal preparation is really cool. We played the "Two Truths and a Lie" game. Everyone found it fun - whew!


Brandon woke up from his nap Saturday afternoon with a very runny nose....ugh, another cold. He was not in the best of moods for our company, but we survived it. Brandon stayed home with Jeff on Sunday morning. I took Gunner to church with me. We all headed to the park that afternoon, runny nose and all. It was one of the most pleasant days we've had in months. Just warm with a nice breeze and no humidity to speak of. Gunner enjoyed running around and playing on all the slides, swings, and climbing places. Brandon enjoyed his first park swing (no camera, so no photos). He just grinned although he didn't feel 100%.


Brandon was 8 months old on Monday.


This week Gunner is in charge of snacks for his class at school. He brings home the snack basket each day and we have to fill it with a "healthy" snack for the class. He's having fun choosing what to take (with guidance from me). He's in charge of passing out the snacks each day which makes him feel important. This is our list so far:

• Monday - Lego gummies
• Tuesday - sliced apples and caramel dip
• Wednesday - we bagged Trix cereal, Honey Nut Cheerios and raisins in individual bags
• Thursday - Spiderman Cheese Nips
• Friday - don't know yet

I took the boys shopping for Halloween decorations this afternoon. I couldn't believe how much things were so picked over with 2 1/2 weeks left. Guess I'll have to shop earlier next year. We got a few things for the yard and will finish decorating tomorrow afternoon. Photos at a later date..... Gunner's excited about all the harvest party events and trick or treating this year. Several neighbors have their yards decorated and he loves all the skulls, spiders and tombstones. I wouldn't let him get that kind of stuff for our yard....it creeps me out. I like the "happy" pumpkins and crafty things.



Anyway, just a glimpse into part of our week..................

Party Game Ideas Anyone?

I am still learning about posting on the blog. I think it's really fun, but try to be very careful with my words. Still not sure about the whole world knowing my business. Anyway......

I have now added a few of my favorite sites to the right. I did some research yesterday for party games. Found some neat sites. Are You Game is really cool and they have games I haven't seen in years. Did you know they still make Colorforms? I haven't seen them in the stores, but they are on this website.......Christmas will be here before you know it!

This weekend Jeff and I will be the host for 8 adults and two children for our "Who's Coming to Dinner" event for church. We will be hosting every 2nd Saturday night thru May, except December. I have narrowed down to two games for this first event. Since I don't know "who's coming" it's hard to pick a game that everyone will enjoy, and that can include all adult age groups.

My first choice is to have each adult guest write 3 statements about themselves on a sheet of paper. Two statements must be true and one be false. The papers will be gathered and then one at a time read to the group. The group will have to guess who each person is and then which statement is false. Jeff said this is a great ice breaker; he's used it in training classes before.

My second choice is to have each guest complete "What if....?" on a sheet of paper. The question could be anything. Then the paper gets passed to the guest to the right and then that person has to answer the question. Then we will read each question and answer. Sounds like it could get quite interesting with good imaginations!!!

Does anyone have additional ideas? We don't know people from church very well yet, so I want an easy game. The Dinner is from 6 to 8, so we don't have a lot of time either. As the host, all we do is provide the table, have dinnerware ready for the food that's being brought and make sure everyone has a wonderful time! :)

Recovery Photos

I finally downloaded the photos from the past week after locating the camera cord. I'm still having trouble moving the photos around in my post, so be patient with me as I learn!!! These photos are all out of order date-wise.

The above photo is from Saturday Oct 6. Brandon's eyes are hardly black at all. Granny Patty and Grandpa Pete left that morning and returned safely to KY on Sunday afternoon. We went to church on Sunday and it was Brandon's first trip out since he came home. He seemed to enjoy the ride and seeing so many people smiling at him. God is so good!!!

This photo is from Tuesday, October 2. Brandon was just enjoying some time without being held!

Brandon loves the flowers and balloon we received from church! Photo taken Wed., Oct 3.

Gunner loves his little brother! His eyes look better every day! Photo taken Wed., Oct. 3.

Grandpa Pete and Brandon having a good time together. Photo taken Thurs., Oct. 4.

Granny Patty and Gunner working hard at the games on Noggin.com (Thurs., Oct. 4)

This was Brandon's first afternoon home, Monday Oct. 1. (Gunner took this photo) Gunner gave him the stuffed monkey as a welcome home gift. When you squeeze the foot, it starts laughing hysterically. Brandon and Gunner both love it! Thanks Grandpa Pete for taking Gunner shopping........

Need Stress Relief?

Go to the site below and click on the pig's nose for stress relief.

http://people.ambrosiasw.com/~andrew/funny/piggy.swf

Thanks Cousin Jean - I loved it!!!!!!!

Recovery Day 4

This picture is from yesterday when Granny Patty came to visit.

Brandon and I had a very restful night. The nurse got him up around 5:30 for the heel stick. I nursed him and played a bit, then he went back to sleep. I am starting to feel human again. I think I slept at least 5 or 6 hrs straight last night. I'll probably wake him up in a bit to eat. Jeff's on his way to spend the rest of time here with us.

The report on the blood was about the same, but we have orders from the neurosurgeon to go home today. We have to have the PICU dr. evaluate first, then we go when we're ready. I told her I definitely want to stay until after lunch. Brandon usually naps a bit in the afternoon and that would be a good time to go for a ride.

We have had orders to move to the PCU unit since Saturday, but there has been no room available and we will be dismissed from PICU. The care has been good and since I'm a nursing mom, I could be in the room with him the whole time.

Thanks again for all the prayers for Brandon's recovery and our hearts as we have gone through this. God is so good!

Recovery Day 3

Today's story is much better:

Brandon slept all night in the crib. I slept better than the night before. Our nurse new how bad our day had been, so he left us alone as much as possible. I felt better when I got up. Brandon was a bit swollen. After he'd been awake for a while, the puffiness in his eyes went down. He didn't even awake from pain during the night. Since the surgery he had only had Tylenol with codeine as needed.

About 8:30 am we gave him the Tylenol with codeine to help with the pain for a heel stick. He did great for that about 9 am. He went back to sleep. The levels turned out to be about the same as the day before, but everything else was going so well, no transfusion. That made me relax because they will not have to install the line.

The dr. stopped in before Jeff and my Mom arrived. He said we will be able to go home tomorrow. He said without getting a transfusion, it might take a week or so for Brandon to completely be himself. So, we'll just do another heel stick tomorrow morning to check things out. No more pricking and prodding for today. Thank God!! :-)


He spent a lot of the day eating, sleeping and playing. The corners of his eyes (by his nose) are turning black and blue, but the swelling has gone down in the eye area. Just the sides of his head are swollen. He looks great for what he's been through.


Once Jeff and Mom arrived, we fed him his lunch. Jeff took me home to see Gunner and to SHOWER!! I could have showered at the hospital, but I'd rather go home. I had a great visit and got back about 4 pm. I think Mom really enjoyed getting to spend some time with the little guy. He slept a little, but she held him most of the time. Grannies are so wonderful!!

Brandon and I played a lot this evening. He finally settled down around 10 pm. We'll see how the night goes......

Thanks again for prayers! It has been very wonderful knowing how much everyone cares.

Recovery Day 2

Officially, Day 2 started 24 hrs. after surgery which I think was around 11:30 am.


We had a long night, not due to complications, but due to sleeplessness! I would have thought the little guy would be sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. He sat up and played and "baby talked" with us. Jeff went home around 9 since there was only enough room for one of us to stay the night. I rested between 10:30 pm and midnight, but never went to sleep. Brandon woke up and wanted to eat and play, so I complied. Finally got him back to sleep around 1, and I slept from about 1:30 to 4, then he was up again. He can either sleep in the crib or I can hold him. Holding is the best because his head can stay elevated. That helps with the swelling. The bed mattress is propped up some, but he's still pretty flat there.


This morning (Sat.) was the roughest. They had to draw blood to check things and it did not go well. They first tried to draw back from his IV, and it didn't work. Then they did a heel stick (he's just almost too old for this). It was very painful for him. One test showed that he was in need of a blood transfusion. They didn't get enough for the other test, so they came back later for more blood. That's when it really got bad. They tried to draw back from the IV again and it didn't work. Then they realized they "lost" the IV. They tried to start a new one 4 times so they could give him blood later. I'd had enough and so had Jeff & my mom. Our dr. had arrived and said to quit and get blood at 6 pm so Brandon could rest. Thank goodness. (He wasn't in danger from low blood levels, because all his vitals were normal and stable.)

About 6:30 they did another heel stick and unfortunately the blood clotted before the lab ran the test, so they had to try again around 9 pm. We had the IV Team come in and they tried to start another IV with no success. I said NO MORE, the IV team said no more too. Blood still had to be drawn for the test, so our nurse did another heel stick and the results showed his levels were still low. The Dr. said to wait til the morning and do another heel stick and they would decide then if he would actually need the transfusion. At that point the dr would actually install a line which takes longer, but is less painful since they numb them before they install it.

I'll be praying tonight for healing and restful sleep.

Can you believe this was PUBLISHED?

Can you actually believe this was published in 1955?

(I think you can click on the article and it will enlarge it - if that doesn't work, email me and I'll send the file)

I LOVE being a stay-at-home mom, but these "ideas" are just insane.

Oh yeah, got this from my husband...........of course it was a joke! LOL!!!!!!!

(yes, I am still sitting in ICU - Brandon's peacefully sleeping in the crib for now and I'm about to sign off and get some sleep myself......)

RECOVERY DAY 1

Brandon had his surgery today and is recovering well! PRAISE GOD!!!

Surgery was scheduled for 9:30, but they didn't take him to anesthesia until about 10:30. Brandon had not eaten since about 11:30 pm the night before and although we knew his little body was hungry, he was very calm all morning and just enjoyed being held by us. He even fell asleep in Jeff's arms while we were waiting. We know that this was due to all the prayers on his behalf for today.

An elder from our church came and stayed with us until Brandon was doing fine in recovery. That was so wonderful since my parents had to stay close to the house -- they were in charge of Gunner today.

The surgery only took about 45 minutes and he was awake when I went to see him in recovery. The dr. said the peak of swelling will probably be on Sunday. So far the only swelling is the sides of his head and the top of his forehead. It is expected for his eyes to swell shut, and that will probably cause frustration. We can handle that!!

Overall, he is in a great mood and enjoying the attention. He is sleeping well and eating well (nursing is going fine plus he's had bananas and applesauce). He has only had two doses of Tylenol with codeine to help him rest. He does not seem to be in a lot of pain at this time. He was playing with us around 6:30 pm and chewing on his toys - acting like his normal self!

Jeff and I are amazed at how well he is doing and know that it's all due to the good Lord watching our baby boy and your prayers. We can't thank you enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's been hard not having the ability to use our cell phones in ICU, but we can use our computers. When we move to a room (hopefully tomorrow) I think we will be able to use our phones and not have to go down the hallway.

Thanks again for all the prayers as we came in to today and the prayers for his recovery!
We love you,
Jeff, Jenny and Gunner

Posting Photos

Can anyone help me figure out how to post photos in the middle of my post? They will only post at the beginning!

Superman & Superbaby

Last week while shopping at Target (my FAVORITE store), I was looking at boys' pajamas and found Superman. Gunner had been playing superhero off and on for a while and I thought it would be a great surprise. Price tag $16.99 (plus tax). UGH, for those of you who know me I hate to spend money on clothes, especially PJ's!!

Well, it has definitely been a "priceless" purchase. He has worn them since he got them (I have washed them once and will again today). Jeff has taught him, "It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Superman!!" So he chants that as he flies (runs) thru the house with one arm in the air.

He even wanted to wear them to school on Friday and church on Sunday. Around the house all day and walking Goldie in the neighborhood are OK, but definitely NOT in public - it PJ's for heaven's sake and 90 degrees plus outside and it's long sleeves & pants!! He does put them on when he gets home from school and then back on to sleep in. (Priceless, again) I told him we can get a Superman halloween costume for out in public......what was I thinking?? I'm sure he will decide that when we go shopping for costumes soon......

Anyway, Brandon is to the point of raising his hands and legs while his belly is the only part of his body on the floor. We call him Superbaby.

My two favorite superheroes!!

Surgery being scheduled

Jeff and I met with the pediatric neurologist yesterday. We really like him and found that he is one of the best. Although he specializes in children, he also treats some adults (he helped with Christopher Reeves' case at one point).

Brandon needs surgery to correct the bone growth in his skull. The less invasive procedure needs to be done sooner rather than later, so we are in the process of scheduling the surgery for the end of September. The diagnosis is "craniosynotosis" and Brandon has the second most common form, affecting approximately 1 in 7,000. Craniosynotosis is when the fontanelles grow together prematurely.

The procedure should take about an hour. Recovery is, of course, longer. He will be in ICU for 1 to 2 days and a total hospital stay of 3 to 5 days. Once the incision heals, he will have to have a follow up at a later date to ensure that his skull is growing normally. Basically, once the surgery/healing is done, it's over. We are so thankful that it can be corrected so easily.

Please continue to pray with us for Brandon, his doctor and staff, and quick healing. THANKS!!

ONLY MEN WOULD UNDERSTAND......

Yes, only men would understand this photo. Jeff and Goldie are duck hunters, and Jeff is playing duck hunting with Gunner these days. Gunner has an old duck call to play with (annoy his mother with in the house.....it's so LOUD!)

So, Monday afternoon AFTER Jeff had been watching the boys and I was busy doing my things, what did I find as I entered Brandon's room? (see photo) Voila, the duck call is stuck to the door handle. Only a 4 year old would think to do this. Today is Friday, and I have still not removed it. What's the harm? Also, this same duck call was used by Brandon as a chew toy earlier - it is not an infant toy - but he seems to have enjoyed the manly toy anyway. By the way, his shirt says "My Dad Rules". I guess fathers and their boys just have certain special bonds that mothers don't understand!!

PS - THANKS TO ALL WHO ARE WRITING REGARDING PRAYERS FOR BRANDON. WE ARE NOT OVERLY ANXIOUS OR WORRIED AT THIS POINT SINCE WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO EXPECT. I HOPE TO POST THE DIAGNOSIS FROM THE NEUROLOGIST BY MONDAY NIGHT.

Brandon's initial CT scan diagnosis

BRANDON:

Finally, the call from the dr's office today.....Brandon's fontanelles have prematurely closed in the forehead area; all the others appear normal. Still, the nurse practitioner (Marcia) says not to worry. I have scheduled an appointment with a pediatric neurosurgeon next Monday. He will review the CT scan with us and be able to discuss our situation in depth. Marcia said each case is different and things are always changing in how to handle things. We may be able to monitor and see what happens OR it may be something that will require surgery. The main thing is it needs to be addressed because a baby's brain grows at such a rapid rate the first 2 years. If the skull hinders that growth, then you can have problems. The good thing is that this is not an immediate health concern, and we have time to look at our options. Please continue to pray with us.

Step back to Monday:

We had to complete Gunner's "homework". The teacher had sent home a cutout of a house with a door pasted to a large sheet of construction paper that was folded. We were to place a photo of Gunner behind the door and photos of the family inside. So this was the day we took the digital photos and printed them. Gunner had fun helping cut the photos to size and pasting them on. Jeff helped him write everyone's names and the word "family". It was great to see the finished product.

When we discussed his day at school today, he told me he got to sit in a chair in front of the class and tell about his family.

Today's comic relief:

Gunner got to stay later at school today for "Stay and Play". I picked him up and we were discussing his day while on our way to PetsMart. He's telling me about playing with Sami again. These two seem to have become great playmates. We're walking from the Blazer to the store, still discussing his day, and he says "I'm gonna marry her when I get bigger and move to her house." Then he asks me where she lives, and of course I don't know. He gets upset, but by then we're walking in the doors to get Goldie. End of story.

2nd Post

Hey! I'm back already!
Had some time tonight to play with the settings and figured out how to add my friends' links.

Not much going on today. We went to church and the YMCA. Gunner showed Jeff all the things he'd learned in swimming lessons in August.

By the way, the post from last night was published around 11 pm - I don't know why it says 6 pm!

Have a safe and happy Labor Day! :)

Catching up for August 2007

Well, I figured out how to get a photo posted! This is my first REAL post and just need to catch up on our August happenings. Many, many things are going on.


First, Brandon just (right now) rolled over from back to front for the first time!!! I'm trying to write this post and edit to make sure it sounds right, and he just starts rolling over and over on the floor of his room. He's been rolling from stomach to back since he was 4 months. We've been waiting for this because he's been so close the past week, just getting stuck and going back to his back.


The photo above is from early August one morning while Gunner was playing cowboy. That was his favorite character for the month. Brandon was happy, so I grabbed the camera for a quick shot.


In mid-August we went to Mexico Beach on the panhandle for a last summer "getaway" before Gunner started school. We met up with a coworker of Jeff's and his family. The kids had a great time, and so did we. When we returned home, that's when things really changed.


Monday, August 20 I received an email from a friend in Oklahoma that we had lost a dear sister in Christ. Melinda was 31, had 3 young children and a loving husband. She had fought breast cancer and won! Things went wrong after her second reconstruction surgery and she was very, very ill for a couple weeks and then had heart failure. They found out later she had cancer in her liver. I am still so sad and it's been over two weeks.


Thursday, August 23 Brandon's 6 month checkup. I had postponed it a week because of our trip and he had a cold....who wants to deal with an irritated baby with possible fevers or reactions to immunizations on a weekend getaway?

Our dr. had gone home sick with the stomach flu that morning, so we saw the nurse practitioner. All was well, EXCEPT the nurse practitioner said she thought his fontanelles were prematurely closed. That's the soft spot on the top of a baby's head. It's not supposed to close until they are about 1 to 1 1/2 yrs old. Also, Brandon's head is on the small side. He's only in the 3rd percentile for size. She said not to worry (I'm a mom, I'm going to worry!!) She got one of the other drs in the office to sign an order for xrays of his skull. It's my responsibility to call and get these done.

Friday, August 24 Meet the teacher day at Gunner's school. He had a big time and met some of his classmates. There are 10 children in his class and Mrs. Lynch is great. He didn't want to leave - a very good sign!

I call the hospital to schedule the x-rays, but they don't make appointments. Walk-ins, first come, first served. I call the dr's office to let them know I'll be going Tuesday. Monday is G's first day of school, and I don't want to be late picking him up.

Monday, August 27 Gunner's first day of preK. He was so excited. He pushed his way into the room in front of the other parents, leaving Brandon and me behind. He had a great day.

Tuesday, August 28 After dropping Gunner off at school, I went to the children's hospital to have the x-rays done. The tech took 6 views of Brandon's skull. It didn't take too long. It's the drive there and back. Picked G up from school - another great day for him. About 5:30 pm, the nurse practitioner called. Mostly good news! 5 of 6 views were normal. The other was inconclusive, so we need to get a CT scan done. The scheduling nurse will call me tomorrow.

Wednesday, August 29 Since the scan has to be scheduled, I wait for the nurse to call back with an appointment. I figure it will be in a week or so, maybe more. She said if I'm picky with the times, it could be next YEAR before we get in. I told her to schedule as soon as she could. Now I just wait for her to call with the appointment.

Gunner continues to love school. He tells me about a girl he plays with, Sami. She's a cutie and he loves to make her laugh. I'm not ready for this stuff.

Friday, August 31 Today is Jeff's dad's birthday and we mail his cards today. I'm always late. My dad's birthday is the 2nd, so his cards will be late too since we're mailing them today as well. Gunner wrote his name all by himself on the cards. This was an accomplishment since I've been trying to help him with his letters throughout the summer .....guess school peer pressure really works.

I'm so glad we have cell phones!!! As I'm loading the shopping bags from Target in the Trailblazer, I get a call from the nurse - can I be at the hospital for the CT scan around 1 pm? I immediately say "Yes" and it's 11:50 am. I'm supposed to bring Brandon sleepy and hungry so he can eat during the scan. I asked the nurse about the hunger....I'm breastfeeding, how will I do that while he's having a scan? She said take a bottle. OK, I've got milk in the freezer at home. I think I can grab it, thaw in warm water, change a diaper, etc. and make it there. But, Gunner's at school and I have to pick him up at 1. I call Jeff to fill him in. He said to let him know if I needed anything (he's 45 min away, so I'm not sure what he could do). Now I just hope my friend Jan can pick up G from school so I don't have to get him early and deal with him at the hospital! She's on my pickup list - she says she can, but she needs a car seat. I go by the school, drop off the car seat and explain what's going on. Then I stop at the house, do what I need to do. I checked in about 1:15 (I did speed a little to get there as close to 1 pm as I could!) and we were done before 2. A lot of work for such a short time. The scan was easier than the xrays. Wish we could have done it to begin with. Now we just have to wait. A slim chance we'll hear something Saturday since the dr's office is open.

Saturday, Sept 1 Called the dr's office - the nurses can't give results without dr.'s there. We just have to wait til Tuesday since the office is closed on Monday. We'll keep praying for good results!

Gunner got up at 6:25 this morning and talked and asked questions incessantly today. As a matter of fact, when he'd finished eating breakfast about 7:30, he wanted to call my dad. Their time zone is one hour earlier than us, so we tried to explain they may not be up yet. They were, and he talked for quite a while and sang some songs. Jeff and Gunner enjoyed football throughout the day. We finally got some needed rain, so it was a great day for lounging on the couch.

I'm tired now so I just ask for prayers for Brandon and hope everyone enjoys the long weekend!

Creation

Well, I have entered the world of cyberspace! I have no idea what I'm doing with the setup of this page, so please bear with me at this point. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with this on a regular basis. I will write more later as Gunner is driving me crazy right now!!!