Our boys have been blessed with really wonderful grandparents.
We just had a long weekend with my parents and had a great time. The boys were all spoiled and so were Jeff and I. Carter got to make a bird feeder with Grandpa. We put Grandma and Grandpa to work running errands, hanging curtains, and babysitting. We got a date night while they watched the boys. We were planning to put them to work painting, too, but we hadn't gotten enough of the prep work done before they arrived, so we'll have to get them to do that another time. ;)
We get spoiled by Jeff's parents, too. A few weeks ago, they were here to take Carter to the zoo. Oh, my goodness. That boy had a blast. He came home toting his little souvenir binoculars with many stories of all they got to see and do.
Mark and Judi, I know you're looking forward to retirement so you can spend more time with the grandkids, but look out; we have big plans for putting you to work! Just ask Dale and Karen.
We are so grateful to be blessed with wonderfully supportive families. Thank you Grandmas and Grandpas for all you do!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
If you leave a door ajar...
If you leave a door ajar while Gavin is napping, Logan might just barge in when you're busy elsewhere and wake him up. When you discover Logan, you'll whisk him away to his room to find something else to occupy him, hoping Gavin goes back to sleep. When you open the door to Logan and Carter's room, you'll discover that Carter is getting dressed. Carter, who was planning to surprise you by being dressed without being having been told to do so, might be offended. Very offended. He might be devastated that his surprise was discovered and his plan irreparably ruined. He will probably put his pajamas back on in protest. After trying to console him unsuccessfully, you might give up and go back to eating your breakfast, still hoping Gavin will go back to sleep. Then you will hear a door slam. You might react childishly to your child's childishness, and head to his room to read him the riot act for slamming the door. When Carter finally gets a word in edgewise, he will inform you that it was Logan, not him, that slammed the door. You might have to eat humble pie and apologize to you child for yelling at him for something he not only didn't do, but that you shouldn't have been yelling about in the first place. You might have to indicate that you fully expect him to be in his pajamas for the rest of the day, in hopes that he will see another opportunity to "surprise" you. Then you will probably have to give up on Gavin's nap and get him up because he obviously did not go back to sleep with all the commotion. When you put him down for his next nap, you will remember not to leave the door ajar.
Some mornings start out rough, but it's good to be able to laugh about it later.
Some mornings start out rough, but it's good to be able to laugh about it later.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Update on Gavin
Yesterday Gavin re-entered the world of tests and procedures. We took him back to the U of M for his CT scan and a meeting with the surgeon. Our friend, Mary, was kind enough to take on the job of watching both of the other boys for the whole day, and the boys were thrilled about spending some quality time with Aaron and Grace.
The first thing they did once we got to the imaging center was to work on getting an IV into him so they could inject the dye for the scan. That' not an easy thing on a person with very little veins. The nurse tried unsuccessfully to get it in each hand--there was scar tissue in both hands from the NICU IVs that was blocking the way. So we called in someone from "Vascular Access," which is a team of people who sound like they should have their own reality TV show. They are the IV gurus and can get IVs inserted when no one else can. The lady from Vascular Access had an IV in Gavin's arm in no time and we were ready for the scan once again. With all the poking and prodding he'd been through, Gavin was pretty tired, so when the tech got him all wrapped up and strapped down, he was cozy and fell asleep. He stayed asleep through the scan. The actual scan took just a minute or two and we were on our way to lunch.
Since Gavin was undressed to his diaper and wrapped in hospital blankets, they let us borrow the blankets so we didn't have to wake him up. I felt a little guilty walking to Davanni's with the hospital blanket, but I was glad to be able to keep Gavin asleep and happy. After lunch we went back for our meeting with the surgeon.
Unfortunately, the scan hadn't been read by the radiologist yet, so the surgeon was not prepared for our meeting. In retrospect, it was really a waste of time because we knew more about Gavin's situation than the surgeon. We were, however, able to look at the scan, see the mass, and discuss surgery possibilities.
Shortly after we got home from picking up the other boys, the surgeon called to confirm that the diagnosis is a bronchopulmonary sequestration. Whether or not there is still a CCAM remnant left is irrelevant--the sequestration has the potential to cause heart problems, so it has to come out. Since Gavin is doing so well, we still have a little time, though. Right now, the plan is to wait two months and then go back in for a follow-up visit. The goal is to do the surgery in November, when Gavin is six months old. We are hoping that he will be big enough by then so that the surgery can be done with a scope, rather than opening up the whole chest. The instruments would be too big if we tried to do it that way right now.
We are hoping that the November timeline actually happens. While we want Gavin to be as big and strong as possible, we also want to get this done before before the end of the year when our insurance deductible goes back to $0.
So now we go back to waiting and concentrating on normal life until sometime in October, when we will again return to the world of tests and scans to get another update. We are thankful that Gavin is doing well so far and pray that he continues to be our healthy, happy little boy, growing and developing right on target.
The first thing they did once we got to the imaging center was to work on getting an IV into him so they could inject the dye for the scan. That' not an easy thing on a person with very little veins. The nurse tried unsuccessfully to get it in each hand--there was scar tissue in both hands from the NICU IVs that was blocking the way. So we called in someone from "Vascular Access," which is a team of people who sound like they should have their own reality TV show. They are the IV gurus and can get IVs inserted when no one else can. The lady from Vascular Access had an IV in Gavin's arm in no time and we were ready for the scan once again. With all the poking and prodding he'd been through, Gavin was pretty tired, so when the tech got him all wrapped up and strapped down, he was cozy and fell asleep. He stayed asleep through the scan. The actual scan took just a minute or two and we were on our way to lunch.
Since Gavin was undressed to his diaper and wrapped in hospital blankets, they let us borrow the blankets so we didn't have to wake him up. I felt a little guilty walking to Davanni's with the hospital blanket, but I was glad to be able to keep Gavin asleep and happy. After lunch we went back for our meeting with the surgeon.
Unfortunately, the scan hadn't been read by the radiologist yet, so the surgeon was not prepared for our meeting. In retrospect, it was really a waste of time because we knew more about Gavin's situation than the surgeon. We were, however, able to look at the scan, see the mass, and discuss surgery possibilities.
Shortly after we got home from picking up the other boys, the surgeon called to confirm that the diagnosis is a bronchopulmonary sequestration. Whether or not there is still a CCAM remnant left is irrelevant--the sequestration has the potential to cause heart problems, so it has to come out. Since Gavin is doing so well, we still have a little time, though. Right now, the plan is to wait two months and then go back in for a follow-up visit. The goal is to do the surgery in November, when Gavin is six months old. We are hoping that he will be big enough by then so that the surgery can be done with a scope, rather than opening up the whole chest. The instruments would be too big if we tried to do it that way right now.
We are hoping that the November timeline actually happens. While we want Gavin to be as big and strong as possible, we also want to get this done before before the end of the year when our insurance deductible goes back to $0.
So now we go back to waiting and concentrating on normal life until sometime in October, when we will again return to the world of tests and scans to get another update. We are thankful that Gavin is doing well so far and pray that he continues to be our healthy, happy little boy, growing and developing right on target.
Monday, July 25, 2011
A Birthday, an Allergy Test, and an Amazing Big Brother
Last week Logan turned two. We celebrated with pizza, cake and a water balloon fight. I'm finally starting to admit that my second baby is no longer a baby. He is a happy, passionate, always-hungry, always-moving little boy. Somewhere along the road, he turned into a Daddy's Boy. He asks where Jeff is when he's not around, and his enthusiastic exclamation of "DAAAAAAAA!!" when Jeff comes home from work is completely adorable and melts Daddy's heart every time. He is Jeff's little shadow. When Jeff isn't around, he's Carter's shadow. And when Carter is unavailable, he's my shadow. When did I become a last resort?
But I digress...
Along with a birthday comes a doctor visit. And since Carter is allergic to peanuts and a few tree nuts, I thought it was time we had Logan tested. The doctor agreed that we should test him for peanuts and a variety of common food allergens. A lot of blood is needed for allergy tests, so they had to take it from his arm. To get a two-year-old to hold still for a blood draw, they strap him to a board with Velcro (kind of looks like a big swaddle). This was a little horrifying to Mommy, but Logan handled it like a trooper. He only whimpered a little and signed "all done" with his other hand. It was sad, but it was over before we knew it and Logan got down to business examining the cartoon band-aid.
Today, the doctor's office called with the results. The tests were negative. All of them. No allergies. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I was just thinking about emailing Jeff the news when Carter, who had overheard the message, piped up. "Negative? What does that mean? Does Logan have a peanut allergy?" An I stopped short as my eyes welled up with tears.
You see, in the last three years, Carter has mentally processed his allergy in several ways. He's asked questions about why he has an allergy and why other kids don't. He's pretended that he is not allergic to peanut butter and everyone else he knows is. Once, I looked a worksheet that he was working on and asked why he had crossed out all the chickens. He told me that they were all allergic to peanuts and that they had eaten some and so they were "all gone". Yikes. Because he doesn't have regular interaction with anyone else who has a peanut allergy, he feels like he's the only one in the world.
So, in spite of the fact that Logan's diagnosis (or lack there-of) is a wonderful thing, I was suddenly struck by the fact that this could make Carter feel even more alone in his situation, so my words tripped over each other as I tried to explain and make it "ok" at the same time: "No, Logan isn't allergic to peanuts, but he still won't get to have them because we still won't have peanuts in the house. So nothing is going to change."
Carter responded, "But it's good that he's not allergic to peanuts. That way, if I ever get not allergic, we can have them."
"Yes," I said, "it's good that Logan isn't allergic."
And that was the end of our conversation. What a kid. I am thankful that Logan appears to be allergy-free. And I'm thankful that Carter is handling it so well. I have such great kids.
But I digress...
Along with a birthday comes a doctor visit. And since Carter is allergic to peanuts and a few tree nuts, I thought it was time we had Logan tested. The doctor agreed that we should test him for peanuts and a variety of common food allergens. A lot of blood is needed for allergy tests, so they had to take it from his arm. To get a two-year-old to hold still for a blood draw, they strap him to a board with Velcro (kind of looks like a big swaddle). This was a little horrifying to Mommy, but Logan handled it like a trooper. He only whimpered a little and signed "all done" with his other hand. It was sad, but it was over before we knew it and Logan got down to business examining the cartoon band-aid.
Today, the doctor's office called with the results. The tests were negative. All of them. No allergies. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I was just thinking about emailing Jeff the news when Carter, who had overheard the message, piped up. "Negative? What does that mean? Does Logan have a peanut allergy?" An I stopped short as my eyes welled up with tears.
You see, in the last three years, Carter has mentally processed his allergy in several ways. He's asked questions about why he has an allergy and why other kids don't. He's pretended that he is not allergic to peanut butter and everyone else he knows is. Once, I looked a worksheet that he was working on and asked why he had crossed out all the chickens. He told me that they were all allergic to peanuts and that they had eaten some and so they were "all gone". Yikes. Because he doesn't have regular interaction with anyone else who has a peanut allergy, he feels like he's the only one in the world.
So, in spite of the fact that Logan's diagnosis (or lack there-of) is a wonderful thing, I was suddenly struck by the fact that this could make Carter feel even more alone in his situation, so my words tripped over each other as I tried to explain and make it "ok" at the same time: "No, Logan isn't allergic to peanuts, but he still won't get to have them because we still won't have peanuts in the house. So nothing is going to change."
Carter responded, "But it's good that he's not allergic to peanuts. That way, if I ever get not allergic, we can have them."
"Yes," I said, "it's good that Logan isn't allergic."
And that was the end of our conversation. What a kid. I am thankful that Logan appears to be allergy-free. And I'm thankful that Carter is handling it so well. I have such great kids.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Gavin is Two Months Old
This is old news, really. Gavin was two months old on July 6, and he is now over ten weeks old. The time really has gone fast. Having three kids is challenging, but somehow the newborn thing doesn't seem as hard as it used to be.
Gavin had his two month check-up on Wednesday. (Our first doctor visit in SIX weeks! It was a nice break from the world of medicine, but I actually miss my midwife and my MFM doctor a bit. We had such a great team taking care of us.) His two-month stats: weight - 11 lbs. 3 oz., length - 24 inches. He is incredibly healthy in every way except for that pesky area somewhere in his adorable little chest. We have two weeks to go until his CT scan to find out exactly what's going on in there. We're still praying that the mass has disappeared altogether and Gavin won't have to have surgery.
At this point it's hard to think of surgery. We feel like we've left the world of tests and procedures behind and we're totally in new-baby mode. Our greatest concern on any given day is trying to figure out how to juggle everything that needs to get done and still spend some quality time with our boys. If Gavin has to have surgery, it will be hard to hand over our little boy (who appears perfectly healthy and happy) to a team of doctors and nurses. I'm sure Gavin will be as well-taken-care-of through this as he was through pregnancy, but I know it will be hard to hand him over to someone else's care. I just need to keep in mind that he is now and will always be taken care of by his Heavenly Father and that's far better care than I could ever give him.
Gavin had his two month check-up on Wednesday. (Our first doctor visit in SIX weeks! It was a nice break from the world of medicine, but I actually miss my midwife and my MFM doctor a bit. We had such a great team taking care of us.) His two-month stats: weight - 11 lbs. 3 oz., length - 24 inches. He is incredibly healthy in every way except for that pesky area somewhere in his adorable little chest. We have two weeks to go until his CT scan to find out exactly what's going on in there. We're still praying that the mass has disappeared altogether and Gavin won't have to have surgery.
At this point it's hard to think of surgery. We feel like we've left the world of tests and procedures behind and we're totally in new-baby mode. Our greatest concern on any given day is trying to figure out how to juggle everything that needs to get done and still spend some quality time with our boys. If Gavin has to have surgery, it will be hard to hand over our little boy (who appears perfectly healthy and happy) to a team of doctors and nurses. I'm sure Gavin will be as well-taken-care-of through this as he was through pregnancy, but I know it will be hard to hand him over to someone else's care. I just need to keep in mind that he is now and will always be taken care of by his Heavenly Father and that's far better care than I could ever give him.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Great Weekend
We had a wonderful holiday weekend with friends and family. It started on Friday night with dinner with our church Small Group. We had a fun evening and left just as a storm was blowing in. We were very relieved to arrive home in one piece after having to wait out torrential rain and hail under an overpass.
We spent Saturday at Vassars' house, helping re-shingle the roof. The boys and I, of course, were indispensable. We worked hard all day to make sure that food got eaten and all the toys got tested and rearranged. I'm pretty sure Jeff, on the other hand, was up on the roof sunbathing all day. :)
Then on Sunday, we embarked on a brief road trip to Jeff's sister's (our first trip with all three boys). The rest of his family was there for the weekend and most of them didn't know we were coming. Because of a series of minor delays on the way, we happened to arrive exactly when everyone else arrived home from church. The timing was perfect and the surprise was fun. We had a great time. And the boys traveled well enough that we may actually travel with them again. Eventually.
We returned on Monday in time to unload the car and pack it up again, this time for an outing to see fireworks. We met Vassars at Round Lake for an evening of blowing bubbles, chasing balls, snacking, waving sparklers, and watching fireworks. Even the babies liked the fireworks, but it did help that we were prepared. Having an excuse to put a baby in noise-canceling ear muffs really is one of the highlights of the Fourth of July.
All in all, it was a wonderful Fourth of July weekend.
We spent Saturday at Vassars' house, helping re-shingle the roof. The boys and I, of course, were indispensable. We worked hard all day to make sure that food got eaten and all the toys got tested and rearranged. I'm pretty sure Jeff, on the other hand, was up on the roof sunbathing all day. :)
Then on Sunday, we embarked on a brief road trip to Jeff's sister's (our first trip with all three boys). The rest of his family was there for the weekend and most of them didn't know we were coming. Because of a series of minor delays on the way, we happened to arrive exactly when everyone else arrived home from church. The timing was perfect and the surprise was fun. We had a great time. And the boys traveled well enough that we may actually travel with them again. Eventually.
 |
| Maggie and Gavin all ready for fireworks |
All in all, it was a wonderful Fourth of July weekend.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Playing God
Since becoming a parent over five years ago, I've enjoyed observing the parallels between a parent's relationship with a child and God's relationship with us. I love that God has made human relationships reflections (verrrrry imperfect reflections, I might add) of his relationship with us. One parallel that I've observed:
Logan is constantly mad at me for spoiling his fun. I stop him from doing all sorts of wonderful things: climbing on the backs of chairs; running out into the street; eating plants in the yard; stuffing whole bananas into his mouth (you wouldn't think it would fit, but Logan has proven that he can get a lot more in there than you'd think); and stuffing small objects up his nose. This is just the tip of the iceberg, people. All of these things and more sound like really great ideas to him, but they obviously don't to me.
The difference? The ability to see into the future. Not that I can literally see into the future, but I know what is likely to happen if Logan succeeds in getting a hold of the saw that he is so desperately reaching for. He, on the other hand, is clueless.
God can actually see into the future. If I know with my limited knowledge what is good for my son, how much more so does God know what is and isn't good for me? When he directs my path, when he tells me "no," when he throws a wrench into my plans, I may have no idea what catastrophe he is saving me from.
I'm so grateful that I have a heavenly father looking out for me. Because even though I'm all grown up, I still need someone who can see farther into the future than I can to direct my path.
Logan is constantly mad at me for spoiling his fun. I stop him from doing all sorts of wonderful things: climbing on the backs of chairs; running out into the street; eating plants in the yard; stuffing whole bananas into his mouth (you wouldn't think it would fit, but Logan has proven that he can get a lot more in there than you'd think); and stuffing small objects up his nose. This is just the tip of the iceberg, people. All of these things and more sound like really great ideas to him, but they obviously don't to me.
The difference? The ability to see into the future. Not that I can literally see into the future, but I know what is likely to happen if Logan succeeds in getting a hold of the saw that he is so desperately reaching for. He, on the other hand, is clueless.
God can actually see into the future. If I know with my limited knowledge what is good for my son, how much more so does God know what is and isn't good for me? When he directs my path, when he tells me "no," when he throws a wrench into my plans, I may have no idea what catastrophe he is saving me from.
I'm so grateful that I have a heavenly father looking out for me. Because even though I'm all grown up, I still need someone who can see farther into the future than I can to direct my path.
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