Thankful

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:26:50 -0600

At this point, it would be ridiculous to attempt a full recap of everything that I am behind on, but I do want to post a few pictures of our Thanksgiving celebration in Dallas. We were able to spend time with both sides of the family and even got to see my grandmother from Iowa! This year, Thanksgiving was the weekend before Collin’s surgery and it really gave me a chance to reflect on all the things that we have to be thankful for--most of all, these two precious babies!

Quick Update

Tue, 1 Dec 2009 17:14:37 -0600

I am happy to report that Collin’s shunt surgery went very well and he is doing great! Yesterday was a rough day--he was having trouble keeping down liquids and he was in a lot of pain. It was pretty heartbreaking to see my normally good-natured baby so miserable. There really wasn’t much we could do to comfort him. If we moved at all while we were holding him, he would cry, and he was hooked up to so many wires for the monitors and IVs that it was hard to hold him comfortably.
By the evening, he was more himself and was able to play a little, but we still hadn’t seen that sweet Collin smile. After several hours of being up and down, he woke up at 3 a.m. smiley, happy and ready to play. I knew they were coming to get us at 4 a.m. for a CT scan and X-ray so we just stayed up and played for a while. He has continued to do better and better throughout the day with his appetite increasing, his pain decreasing and lots of flirting and smiling. He has made quite a few friends around here. :)
Collin’s scans this morning show that the shunt is working well. He has three incisions -- one on the top right-side of his head, one above his ear and one on his belly. After surgery, he had a head wrap, but it didn’t stay on too long. There is an antibiotic ointment that we put on his head and we haven’t been able to bathe him yet so he is kind of a gooey mess. Fortunately, they didn’t shave much of his hair and it should grow back quickly to cover the incision and the shunt pump.
We are supposed to be released in the morning. I am so looking forward to taking Collin home and to a hot shower and a nap! We are so thankful for all the ways the Lord has provided for us and sustained us, and for our friends who have e-mailed, texted and called us. We are so blessed by you all.

Collin

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:55:27 -0600

“You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.” -Psalm 139:5

Please join us in praying for Collin tomorrow morning as he undergoes surgery to have a shunt put in his brain. Several months ago, we were concerned that he might have hydrocephalus, but because he didn’t exhibit any of the typical symptoms, we felt like he likely just had a big head and we would wait it out.

Last week, I took him to a follow up visit with his neurosurgeon and based on his head growth and a few other concerns, he was sent for an immediate CT scan. The scan showed that the ventricles in his brain are dilating and that he does have a mild case of hydrocephalus. What does that mean? Basically, he is not able to drain spinal fluid through the ventricles quickly enough and it is causing pressure to build up in his cranium and his head to grow exponentially. He is having surgery tomorrow (Monday) morning at 10 a.m. to have a shunt put in to help drain the fluid. Several of you have asked how you can pray for us specifically and we would love for you to join us in praying:

1. For Collin's neurosurgeon and all of the doctors, nurses and staff in the operating room--Pray that God would go ahead of us in this process and that every step of the procedure will go smoothly. Also, pray for protection over Collin.

2. For his recovery--Pray that we would be able to manage his pain effectively and that he will adjust quickly to the change in pressure in his head. We have been told that the change will probably make him sick (nausea, vomitting, etc.) and it will take a couple of days for everything to settle. Collin will be recovering at the hospital for about 2 days.

3. For our family--Pray for peace and endurance for Kevin and me. Pray for "normalcy" for Savannah Grace as she won't be able to be up at the hospital and things will be a little different in her world this week.

Thank you for praying for our family and our precious little boy!

Eight Months Old

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:03:41 -0600

I seriously wish I could find a pause button and keep Collin right where he is at this very moment. Everything about him is oh so precious right now! I don’t even know where to begin to tell you about this little lovebug. Actually, “little” isn’t quite an accurate description of Mr. Collin. When I took him to the doctor last week, he weighed in at 23 and a half pounds! He has outgrown his infant carrier and is in 12 and 18 month clothes.
Obviously, Collin is quite an eater. He literally cries when he is finished eating because he always wants more. It’s been hard to gauge his “fill line” because he will eat until peas are coming out of his nose! For the most part, he likes just about everything we feed him and is anxious for more. I’ve never seen anything quite like it! He isn’t overly chubby, but he is a pretty solid kid. He has gotten his two bottom teeth and is working on the top two, which makes him a drooly mess and constantly putting everything in his mouth!
Over the last few weeks, Collin has become increasingly mobile. He started by rolling everywhere, and now he is becoming more and more proficient at an inchworm crawl. He hasn’t quite mastered crawling on hands and knees, but he manages to get where he wants to go. Collin’s mobility has changed my life a lot more drastically than when Savannah Grace learned to crawl. When she was a baby, she wanted me to entertain her every moment she was awake, so I was pretty much constantly in her face. Collin has been much more content to sit on a blanket and play with a ball while I run around switching out laundry, cleaning up or helping Savannah. Not anymore. We are making a few adjustments around here!
Collin loves to give slobbery kisses and flirts with everyone he sees. We are frequently stopped during shopping trips because he is batting those big blue eyes and grinning at everyone. Such a sweet and good-natured little boy. He loves his big sister and belly laughs at her crazy antics. It makes my heart melt that she can make him laugh like no one else.
I am so thankful for the life of my precious little man!

Snack Break

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:56:25 -0600

Last weekend, my sister, my mom and my sweet nephew, Luke, came to visit us. The primary reason for the weekend was a shopping trip, but it’s always so much fun to spend time with them and I love watching my kids interact with their cousin Luke. I just know Luke and Collin are going to grow up to be best buds! During a snack break, we grabbed our cameras and got a few cute pictures of the boys!

Fall Pics

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:45:49 -0600

Just wanted to share a few fall pictures:

Fall Festival

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:26:30 -0600

For a little girl with a princess complex, Halloween is a wonderful day! Savannah Grace was over the moon to get to wear her princess outfits in public! We went to a birthday party in the morning and she got to be Ariel, and then we went to our church’s Fall Festival and she got to be Snow White.
We originally picked Snow White for her to wear because I was going to have Collin be one of the seven dwarfs, but I ran out of time and creativity for his costume. Instead, we borrowed Nemo from his cousin Michael. He lasted about 30 minutes before we changed him and let him chill out in his stroller.
Savannah Grace had the greatest time at the Grandview Fall Festival! She loved the fishing game, pumpkin painting and cupcake walk, but I think the treasure dig was her favorite! She is normally not a fan of sand, but she will do just about anything for candy. :)

Goin’ for a ride in a little red wagon

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:06:23 -0600

Last week, we had a surprise visit from Papa! He on his way home from a motorcycle trip to Port Isabel and he stopped to see us for the evening. We had the best time with him!
Papa, Collin and I picked Savannah Grace up from school and then headed to our favorite place -- Sonic -- for an apple juice slush (and Dr. Pepper!). We went for a ride in our little red wagon down to the park where Savannah attempted the monkey bars and Collin enjoyed riding in the wagon and playing with Papa.

When Kevin got home, we had an awesome dinner and then started a fire out on the back patio to make Smores. Savannah Grace was so excited to roast marshmallows. Her very favorite part is blowing them out when they catch on fire! She has been asking to do it again almost every night since then!

We had such a great time with Papa. Come back again soon!

My Girl

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:21:46 -0500

So many of my blog posts (infrequent as they may be) are about Collin lately, but don’t you worry that this princess still rules the castle! I can’t believe that Savannah Grace is almost three! Where does time go? She is already such a big girl and it’s hard to see traces of the baby that she used to be. No more diapers, no more crib. She hardly even uses sippy cups anymore!
Savannah is a chatterbox and talks to me constantly. About everything. I have to be super careful about what I talk about when she is within earshot. More than once she has overheard me talking on the phone and later brought up the subject at an inopportune time. I love learning how her little mind works and having her be able to tell me how she sees the world around her.
Savannah Grace is such a helper. She wants to be right in the middle of everything that we are doing--cooking, baking, laundry, sweeping, and taking care of her brother. A few weeks ago, I asked her to carry some shoes upstairs. As she was helping clean up, I said, “Savannah Grace, it makes Mommy so happy when you help clean up.” She looked at me as said, “Yes, and it makes Jesus happy too.” Sweet, sweet girl!
Her very favorite things to do are play dress up and paint. She wants to do crafts every day, usually in her Cinderella dress. :) In fact, I’m not sure why we have regular clothes at all since she very rarely wears them while we are at home. Disney princesses are starting to take over my house! Oh, and she has imaginary friends that she likes to play with. Is that weird? Yesterday, I asked her to clean up her toys and she said that her friends did it! Unfortunately, when I suggested that they help her clean up, she said they already went home. I often find talking to her friends (bossing them around) and making up games. Today she asked me to take her to the dentist because Alicia wanted to go with her. (Alicia is a character from Diego who SG sometimes says is her sister.) Quite an imaginative little girl. :)
Savannah Grace loves her little brother and I love that she can make him laugh like no one else. It is so precious. In the grocery store yesterday, she had him belly laughing so hard that people were stopping to comment. Silly, silly girl. She likes to help feed him, give him his paci and help him with his toys. She does not like when he pulls her hair or plays with her toys. We’re working on sharing A LOT around here.
I love this sweet little punkin!