Raymond

Okay, so remember my last post yesterday I think where I said that Raymond's EKG came back normal? Well I got a call today about his chest x-ray which they have found that he has what is called a mild cardiac enlargement, meaning his heart might be slightly enlarged.
I'm not heart savvy, so I have no idea what this means at this point. He seems totally normal and healthy, but he has to go get an ultrasound of his heart tomorrow (an ECHO) so they can further test his heart.
Needless to say I have been a basket case since they called this morning at 8:45 am. I have been crying my eyes out and am fretfully worried about his diagnosis. I don't know what I will do if I receive even further bad news. I am worried to death about my baby's health, so please say a prayer for him that he is healthy and fine. I will probably not find out any results until Friday they said so I will keep you all posted.
I just look at him today and fall apart. It is the worst feeling in the world knowing that something might be wrong with your child, something potentially serious. Keep us in your prayers!

It's NOT a Quickie!

Well my long weekend is over and I'm a little bummed but definitely refreshed to work again. It's amazing what a three day weekend can do for the soul!

I had decided to close the daycare on Friday and take a vacation day because Owen had Kindergarten round-up and Raymond had to get an EKG and a chest x-ray (we'll come back to this in a minute), and I had no backup. So I made it a mommy and me day with the boys.

First we slept in a little and then I took Raymond and Judd over to my friend Sheila's house so that I could take Owen to his round-up hands free. As I stated in my previous post I have had apprehensions about the elementary school that he is supposed to go to, and although it is HUGE and chopped up, it is not nearly as bad as I had expected and in fact am now okay with him going there.

Roundup started in the music room where we got a welcome from the Principal and the Vice Principal. The Principal then took us on a thorough tour of the entire school telling us all about it along the way. The tour ended up in the Kindergarten hallway which is in it's own corner of the school, which makes me feel a LOT better. There are 4 teachers and they have their own bathroom, their own playground, and their own dismissal door. The only time they really leave this hallway is to go to lunch or specials, but they stay with their class the whole time during those periods. This gives me SO much relief about envisioning Owen wandering around the school, scared, not knowing what to do or where to go! :(

So, after the tour concluded in the K hallway, we split up between the rooms and got to observe for about 15 minutes. After this we went back up to the music room where we proceeded to fill out registration cards and get the kids all signed up! So he is officially a kindergartner in waiting. He will start school Aug. 17!!

Owen liked the school even though he was being very clingy and shy while were inside the school, but walking out to the car he couldn't stop talking. He'll be fine. He might have a hard first couple of weeks when school starts but he'll LOVE it and adjust quickly I think. The hardest part is going to be going from being away from home three days a week for two hours each time to 5 days a week for 8 hours, with NO nap. He's still not at a no napping point yet. So we'll see.

On to other news...Raymond. For the last couple of weeks off and on, he has complained that his heart hurt. Direct quote. I dismissed it for awhile and thought maybe something hurt but he wasn't sure what it was so he just said his heart. To be honest I wasn't that concerned. Then on Wednesday last week he said it again and wanted to lay down and rest. So that may me worry. I immediately called his Pediatrician and got him in Wed. afternoon. He said everything sounded okay but told me about a couple of rare heart conditions in kids where it has been diagnosed by a child saying their heart hurt. So he sent me up to Children's Hospital on Friday for an EKG and a chest x-ray. Raymo did great! He was a stone statue during the EKG, he didn't look at the lady doing it or blink or maybe even breathe for the 5 minutes it took to do it! :) His x-ray was great too, he sat perfectly still. So not to worry, however, I got the results back on Sat. and everything was normal, and he hasn't complained about it again, but he did end up having a sinus infection on Wed when I took him in and got on an antibiotic, so maybe that was connected to his "heart" pain somehow. I don't feel stupid at all for taking him to the hospital on a three year olds word, because I'd rather pay the $25 co-pay and have nothing be wrong, then to find out down the road that I should have taken him in earlier to save his life! Better safe then sorry.

So then Judd was just along for the ride this weekend. Nothing really to report on him!

I also got Owen and Raymond signed up for T-Ball on Sat. and Tony has volunteered to coach this year, which I am excited for! The boys practiced all day on Sunday with Tony because they were so excited. The season goes from May 30 - July 25, and they are only playing at the YMCA, so it is very laid back and informal, but it teaches them how to play at the same time and gets them exercise! I love it. It's always on Saturdays so that's what we will be doing this summer.

Since there was a big snow storm moving across KS and MO, the boys and I decided to stay home instead of trekking to mom and dads for the weekend. I am glad we did stay home because we got a lot of catch up sleep and relaxed.

Finally, in other news, I have started my weight watchers diet again. Only it's a little scary this time. I follow it online and track my points. I initially lost about 30 pounds, but have a long way to go. Then I sort of slacked off since Dec. But since my last attempt I have since quit nursing Judd, which greatly lowers my number of points allowed in a day!! Holy Cow! I was able to eat 36 points a day when I was nursing, but since I quit, now I only get 27 points a day! That is going to be a very difficult adjustment I think, but we'll see. So think positive for me! My goal is to initially lose 10 pounds over the next couple of weeks, to be below a really big number I don't want to admit I weigh! ;) I'll tell you all later after I have hopefully lost the weight!

So that is our weekend in a nutshell. I don't have a ton of pictures to post at the moment but these few are awfully cute! Have a great week everyone.

Owen and Judd cuddling on the floor. My thumb sucker duo!

The boys crushing corn flakes for fried chicken. What helpers!

Owen and Raymond being silly, as usual!

The boys practicing baseball. Do you see the green grass popping through?

Judd LOVES the slide. He'll go down by himself and was trying to climb back up!

Judd playing in the leaves I still need to rake up in the backyard.

Judd playing in the "play house"

Judd playing in the play house.

Video below: Judd was playing pretend kitchen with his brothers and he was actually pretending to eat anything they gave him. I thought it was amazing and so cute, so I got him "eating" a carrot on video! Enjoy!

Owen Ba-Gowen

After all of the posts about Judd lately I felt that it was time to finally post about someone other than him. It's not that my other two boys aren't doing fun and exciting things, it's just that babies do so much NEW stuff so quickly it's a little easier to write about.

This week is very exciting for Owen though. I took Friday off of work because I had no daycare backup, in order to take Owen to his Kindergarten Roundup. This is an event that takes place every Spring for incoming Kindergartners for the next year. He gets to meet all of the Kindergarten teachers, take a tour of the school, get registered for school, and meet some of the kids he will be going to school with. I am very excited for him and anxious to see the inside of the school he will be attending. I have apprehensions about the school he is supposed to go to. I've heard mixed reviews and it is the largest elementary school in the Omaha Metro area. Owen is a super smart kid and excels in academics. His preschool teachers say that he is probably the most advanced kid in class in fundamentals and other tasks. His downfall is that even though he is playful and outgoing, he is not outspoken. He is very polite and sits quietly and listens to the teacher instead of interrupting and making a scene. He gets shy and though he asks for help when he needs something, he is not very good at getting himself noticed. His teachers say because of the combination of his intelligence and his lack of being noticed, he is likely to fall through the cracks in a large environment. Meaning, that the teachers will think he knows what he is doing and will not pay close enough attention to him and will instead move on to kids that might be behind academically. Then if he ends up struggling, they may not notice. Needless to say the large environment of this elementary school is daunting to me. I'm trying to be very optimistic, but it's hard to imagine your baby being ignored in school and struggling and "falling through the cracks" as is a possible prediction. Aargh, it's so hard!

I do have options however. I intend on filling out a special needs transfer to a different elementary school in my area that is highly recommended by many people, but there is a very big chance he won't be able to transfer there because they will be full. The only other option is to enroll him in a church private school, but that is so darn expensive, especially when you have more than one kid soon to be attending school.

I'll keep you all posted, but for now I am trying to just be very excited for his upcoming visit to the school on Friday. He is looking forward to it and Kindergarten in general, so that is good. I have all summer to try and prepare myself, even though I know I will be a ball of crying mush on his first day of school, no matter how much prep work I do!!!

Since I took the day off on Friday, I am loading up the boys (minus Tony who has to work) to head to St. Louis, MO to finally visit my parents and sister Kelly after 1 1/2 years of being away. I've seen them many, many times in this time period, but haven't been to their neck of the woods in that long. So that will be fun. I'm sad to leave Tony, but his mom will keep him busy and maybe he'll work on the new patio with his mom's husband!! **fingers crossed!**

Owen is the bun in the oven! Oh so long ago...memories!

Owen is here! He was two days old. Crazy how long ago this was! What a cutie!

My almost Kindergartner now! He's such a big boy and my little cuddler. I'm so proud!

Just a few pictures

Here are a few pictures and one video clip of our adventures at the playground on Sunday! Enjoy.

Judd's 1st time swinging

Poor Raymond is suffering from a severe cold and croup. He looks so sick and tired in this picture. I love you Raymo.

Up to my ears in Sh**

Do you ever feel like you are drowning? What do you feel like you are drowning in, debt, bills, sorrow, boredom, etc.? Well I feel like I am drowning in poop. Baby poop, husband poop, dog poop, and "bull" poop.
I change about 9 - 20 diapers/pull ups a day, then I wipe little tushes about 10 times a day, then I have to scrub the toilet bowl every time my husband goes #2, which is a whole other topic. Why is it that when men do their business, it's like an explosion in the toilet? It's disgusting. Then they get up and walk away like you either have to accept the mess or clean up after them. Ugh. What is wrong with you guys?
This weekend I literally picked up about 80-100 pounds of dog poop. I usually stop cleaning up after our two dogs, Ruby and Boscoe in Nov. and don't start again until, well...this last weekend. It's pointless to try and pull dog poop out from under snow and what not. I used three garbage bags full and they weighed combined about that much! Ridiculous!!!
I know this post is graphic in a sense, I just had this epiphany that I am surrounded by lbs. of poop all the time and Tony called me the Poop master, which I don't know if I appreciate or not! So to all you other Poop Master mommies out there, I applaud your poop clean up ability and know that I am right there with you!

Here Comes the Sun...

Today was the most beautiful day of the year so far. It was a sunny 73 degrees. There was a slight breeze, sunny skies with no clouds and just absoultely perfect! We took total advantage of the warm day. We spend all morning in the backyard, that was newly freed of dog waste this last weekend thanks to moi! Then this afternoon we went back outside. Tonight I even BBQ'd some chicken in celebration of the upcoming spring and summer months when this is simply what you do. It was so nice to not be cooped up in the house. Judd crawled all over the yard. Owen and Raymond played hard and Tony took them to the park this afternoon. Then tonight while Tony went to a meeting at church, I loaded up the boys in their wagon and we went for a long walk around the neighborhood. It was like a warm summer night.
It's supposed to be nice tomorrow too then the forcast calls for rain from Wednesday through next week!!! We will be in a swamp.
The warm weather motivates me. It motivates me to actually work on some landscaping in our yard this year, to get it all cleaned up so we can have BBQ parties every weekend, and to be more active with my kids. I want them to learn to play hard and LOVE the outside. I want them to beg to go outside when it rains or when the weather is bad and not just be satisfied watching a movie or doing nothing healthy. I want my boys to be able to eventually ride their bikes around the neighborhood (well, if we move out of the 'hood' someday), and I want them to not be afraid to get dirty, run and climb and be a little rough. Next week I am going to register them both for summer t-ball at the Y and I am so excited for them. I love watching them play sports or do group things!
So, I hope you all had beautiful weather like us today, but if not don't fret it will come! :) All day I've had that song stuck in my head, which I will leave you with..."Here comes the sun..doo da doo doo, here comes the sun and I say, it's all right....."

Professional Pictures

See my previous post for updated pictures on Judd's new hair cut. Here are his professional pictures that I had taken yesterday for his one year old pictures. I don't mean to brag, but could he be any cuter??? Enjoy!

1st Everything!

I know it seems like I have been blogging about nothing but Judd lately, but it is his time to shine, so I suppose it is only appropriate to have another post about him.

Of course he just celebrated his first birthday last week, so to continue on with firsts yesterday I took him to get his one year old pictures taken and to get his first hair cut.

He's had pictures taken before at the studio, but of course as a baby and he didn't know the difference. This time though it took him a little while longer to warm up but I still think his pictures turned out adorable. Judd admittedly has absurdly long hair. Every mom of girls his age are so jealous of how much hair he has, I've been told. It was super cute though. It had curls in the back and little flippy wings on the side and these side swept bangs. I wanted to get his pictures taken with his long hair because that is part of him as his first year of life. I have a strict rule, as I think I've stated before, about getting babies hair cut before their first birthday. I don't think that it should happen. I think that little babies don't need that, but at your first birthday if you are in need of a hair cut then it can take place.

After we left the picture place I took him to get his hair cut with me. He did amazing. He sat perfectly still and sucked his thumb and didn't get worried or cry. The lady did a pretty good job. I told her to leave most of the length but to clean it up and make him look a little more boyish. Since then, however, I am liking his new hair cut less and less. She left certain spots long that should be shorter and she squared his hair across his forehead and around his ears so he looks a little like MO from the 3 stooges. I feel bad for him because he is so dang cute and happy and totally oblivious to his bad hair cut. I thought about cleaning it up myself tonight after baths, but after looking at his pictures taken yesterday with his long hair, I told Tony I want to let his hair grow back out a bit and I NEVER do this, but I admitted that I regretted getting his hair cut. Now for those of you who really know me, you know that I NEVER back down and I argue even if you are probably right. It's just me, I don't know why I do it, that's just the way I am and obviously you all still love me! :) So it must mean a lot if I can admit that I regretted my own decision. Ugh. So he will have to go through a little awkward stage of hair to get it back to the way it was.

Here are a few more fun pictures of the boys including the before and after pictures of Judd's hair cut! Enjoy!

Silly Judd. He was biting the block in just the right spot to make him look like BOZO!

Judd got lots of laughs, so Owen had to copy him. Silly Owen!

A side shot of Judd's long hair (the before picture)

The front before picture of Judd with his long hair.

The after picture. This is not bad with his bangs swept over, but when they come down over his forehead he looks just like one of the Three Stooges. Always a cute boy though.

I think this picture is funny. He was just holding a crayon and babbling, but he looks like his is telling me what's what about not wanting his hair cut! I should have listened!! :(

Happy Birthday Judd!

This week has been a whirlwind. I have been crazy busy trying to finish the church cookbook I offered to create and getting my house caught up on cleaning for company this weekend for Judd's Birthday party, and taking Judd out on his actual birthday.

So here is what went on. First on his actual birthday on Thursday we took him out to eat pizza because he loves pizza. That was a lot of fun and he was so happy! Then on Saturday night we had his actual party. My parents and sisters came, Tonys mom and husband came and so did my friend Sheila and her family. I made a huge lasagna, garlic bread, and an awesome salad. I decided since no one eats birthday cake anymore I would just make my amazing chocolate chip cookies! They were a hit (4 dozen and they were all gone!). Then I just got Judd a little circle cake that he could smash, which he did happily. We ate dinner, opened presents and then watched him smash his cake.

He got presents that I love. Usually the boys always get something that I am like, I know he won't play with that in the next couple of weeks or something, but Judd got a BUNCH of Little People toys, which I love and he does too. He also got almost a whole new Spring and Summer wardrobe which I love because his hand me downs are almost five years old and times have changed, he deserves some new clothes. He was soooo happy all night and played so hard. He has slept a lot today because yesterday was exhausting for him.

When it was time to give him his cake he stuck his fingers right into it. Tony videotaped a couple minutes, and my sister Kelly took a short video of him on my digital camera so I could upload it, but my sister Kimberly videotaped the entire cake process which turned out to be hilarious when he realized that he didn't like the feeling of his hands encased in cake that he couldn't get off! She's going to e-mail that to me so hopefully I can share with you all. It was a lovely birthday.

A year ago Thursday, we went up to the hospital at 7:00 am to be induced. They got the meds started and broke my water and labor progessed. After 7 hours of labor and NO pain medication - yes he was born all natural, no meds, no relief - Judd bug was born. Here's how it went down...my midwife and nurse had me sitting on a birthing ball at the foot of the bed with my head on the bed trying to breath through contractions. My midwife asked me shocked if I felt any pressure yet and I said no. Then all of a sudden a horrible burning sensation ripped through my lower region and I yelled, I think he's coming. Within one minute they had me back up in the bed and Jenda, my midwife, was trying to get her gloves on and get the table with all of the supplies out and ready. Two minutes later he was here. I only had to push for about 2.5 minutes. CRAZY! He weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz. and was 20 in. long. Emotion flooded the room of course but the only thing I could think about was that I wanted Owen and Raymond up there right then. I cried for them in fact. When they came in to meet their little brother, it was one of the best moments in my entire life, I will never forget their faces, their reactions or their emotions. It was amazing! So for your viewing pleasure I have posted birthday photos, a birthday video and some memorable hospital photos from last year. So please forgive the long post! Enjoy. Happy 1st Birthday Judd-a Bug!

Little Judd Bug

Happy Birthday Juddy! Tomorrow is Judd's 1st birthday and today I have been reflecting alot about what has happened in the course of a year. I have also been thinking alot about his birth and how awesome he was when he was born.

It's very hard to believe that an entire year has already gone by. He now has 12 teeth, eats whatever we eat, is down to only nursing at bedtime and that will start to be weaned now over the course of this month, walks, and plays with the big boys. He sings and dances and gives the best open mouthed kisses! His favorite game is peek-a-boo, but he also loves to wrestle with his two older brothers and to play chase. He'll crawl really fast and the older boys will pretend to be scared and scream and run away and Judd will growl and chase them all over the house.

He still surprises me at how good he is at climbing the stairs because I will be upstairs putting clothes away and I turn around to Judd playing with something in my room. He is very quick on the stairs.

He sucks his thumb and plays with his ear and has the longest hair in the baby world (which will be cut after he gets his one year old picture taken hopefully next week!)

He has been taking steps for awhile now, but this week he just stood up and took off walking across the room all by himself. He still gets down and crawls when he knows he wants something fast, but he is officially a "walker", it is already written in his baby book.

Tomorrow on his official birthday we will be doing something fun for him, not sure what yet though. Then Saturday my parents, sisters, Tony's mom and husband, and my friend and her kids are coming over for a lasagna feast and his official birthday party. The theme of his party is....you guessed it....a bug theme to honor his nickname and the fact that this is probably the only birthday I will be able to get away with it!

Since no one eats birthday cake these days, I have opted to only get Judd a little cake for him to smash and make chocolate chip cookies for everyone else. Since he is the third of three boys, unfortunatley for him he may not get a lot of "fun" birthday presents because I have toys literally in every nook and cranny of my house. So we voted for mostly clothes since we are on third round of hand me downs, styles have changed and things are really worn out since Owen was 12 months old.

It will be fun and I will post pictures after Sat. I have taken video of him walking but have a new computer that doesn't have the right video download stuff on it to get them off of my camera yet, so when that happens I will get them posted too!

Happy Birthday Juddy Bug I love you!