Norvell, Party of Four

Don't miss it!

2012-02-15T16:14:00.002-06:00

Don't miss this video I just posted of Caleb at the parade!

James in Speech Therapy

2012-02-07T00:40:00.000-06:00

My mom gave James some awesome flash cards at Christmas that we have just started using in speech therapy. At first, the therapist said that usually kids start with 3-dimensional objects instead of flash cards. But, since we had them, let's try them anyway. Well, James blew us away! He's done this maybe three or four times now at therapy, using 8 cards or more, and gets most of them right!

Catching Up

2012-01-28T15:12:00.002-06:00

You may not have noticed that I've been trying to catch up the blog a little. If you have a blog reader, I'm sorry for the posts that have inundated you from me. I've posted the stories and photos in the time they occurred, to make it easier for me to find later. Here are all the posts so you can go back and enjoy!

Sock Hoarder
Halloween
Little Sweater Man
To the Zoo We Go!
Swingin' Good Time
Homecoming
Caleb's Birthday Party
Brother Play
A New Friend
The Christmas Tree Is Up!

Whew! Well, that got me through the first of December. Just a couple more months, and I'll be caught up!

The Honey Bear

2012-01-25T14:46:00.001-06:00

The first time we visited our Speech therapist--we weren't even starting therapy, yet, just getting evaluated--she stressed the importance of avoiding prolonged use of a sippy cup. She eyed my almost-3-yr-old sucking on his sippy and sent us home with two different cups: one for James and one for Caleb.

Since that day, I have made the transition with Caleb. He uses cups with lids and straws (Take and Toss brand) most of the time, and open cups only at the table. We had a period of time where Caleb knocked his cup over as much as his sippy (the reason we had not transitioned), but it really didn't take him too long to figure it out.

James is still taking bottles, but he is also learning how to use a honey bear cup. It's an actual honey bear (though I think the producer sells them empty) with a silicon straw stuck through the lid. The honey bear is ideal because it's so squeezy. I just squeeze the liquid up into the straw and allow a little into his mouth. He automatically swallows, encouraging more liquid out of the straw. Before you know it, tada! He's learned how to use a straw!

And you know, that's exactly what's happened. It's so cool to see him confidently grab the honey bear and take a big drink. He loves it! He doesn't sustain it long enough for the bear to replace the bottle, but we use it at mealtimes. Next, we'll start working on his ability to use the same Take and Toss cups that Caleb uses. His liquids are thickened so much that I don't think he will be able to use an open cup (imagine drinking applesauce from a cup). But who knows; I never would have guessed he'd skip the sippy, and look at him go!

James Plays Pat-a-Cake

2012-01-05T20:15:00.001-06:00

We've been playing pat-a-cake with James for a long time. And when he started clapping, it got even more fun. Then he showed some "roll 'em up" movements, and occasionally (but not while singing the song), he would throw up his hands in a "throw 'em in the pan!" sort of way. Well, I can proudly say, it's all come together. This boy is a pat-a-cake king, and he thinks it's pretty darn awesome. So do we.

This time last year...

2011-12-14T15:05:00.000-06:00

People often get sentimental around birthdays. One of the moms I read often was very sentimental about her child's first birthday, even to the point of visiting the hospital room in which she gave birth. And it was right for her, because that birth changed the course of her life in a way she'd never imagined. I thought James's first birthday might do the same for me, but it didn't. His birthday was a whirlwind, and it was fun and wonderful, but it wasn't sentimental really.

However, today is the anniversary of James's heart surgery. This day last year, I was handing my tiny boy over to Mike the nurse, and really, by this time in the day, I was learning about chest tubes, how to read all the numbers on the numerous machines gathered around James, how to knit, and how super-scrubbing hands enough times in a day can chap your skin faster than anything else I know.

When the holidays officially began at Thanksgiving, I was reminded how, a year ago, Jon and I had just brought James from an appointment at Children's, where it was decided he would definitely undergo surgery. It was just a few days later when we received a call with potential dates for surgery, and we chose the earliest one. I remember how rushed Christmas seemed, and how unimportant all the hubbub was compared to saving my son's life.

And yes, while we probably could have held the surgery off another week or two past Christmas, I truly believe it saved James's life. His pale pale skin, his listless eyes, his lack of energy to nurse or take a bottle, his overall stillness and perpetual sleep.... Now I cringe when I remember the pre-surgery James. How did we make it those 3 1/2 months of his life? How did HE make it?

When James awoke from surgery, he truly awoke. He drank full bottles of milk, he kicked his legs, and he gave his first beaming smile to his Grandpa when he came to visit. His transformation brings tears to my eyes even as I write this. Our son was finally with us--not struggling to survive, but really with us as a baby should be, to enjoy and be enjoyed.

Now, as I think about James and finding his balance between contentment and striving toward the next milestone, as I think about those few little inches he scooted forward all by himself yesterday, and how the little man who could barely gain an ounce is now weighing in at 20 pounds, I can't help but be sentimental.

Last year, we made it home from the hospital, miraculously, just in time for Christmas Day. It felt a little like having a newborn again, dealing with new things like incisions and eating schedules. It also felt like we could finally get started on our life as a family of four, that we'd all been holding our breath until James was well.

And today, well, today it feels pretty great. I look down at James, who is sitting in my lap, facing me and pushing up strongly on his arms so he can look me in the eyes and giggle, because he had been in the crib crying about not wanting to nap, and now his mama saved him. This time last year was the beginning of James's life. A day that truly changed our lives forever.

The Christmas Tree Is Up!

2011-12-06T15:03:00.000-06:00

"If I just get the paper torn a little bit..."

Tulle from our wedding. A new addition to our tree this year.

Caleb's decorating

You know...kinda makes me want to add dark teal to my Christmas colors next year!

The only picture I could get of the two boys together.

Caleb was not cooperating

Add caption

Scripture hung from our tree to the corners of the room.

Oh, I wonder what's in the big box!

Caleb at the Parade

2011-12-03T16:09:00.000-06:00

We got to take the boys to the Christmas parade this year. There was lots of hubbub, because I'm just as excited about parades as Caleb is. I even convinced Jon to pre-park his truck in a prime spot, so we'd have a place to sit and enjoy! (Does he love me or what!) He even bought me cotton candy when we got there. He's my prince charming.

Well, Caleb loves the band, and so he brought his cymbals to play during the parade. You'll see the part they play in the video.

I had SO much video of the parade. I wanted to remember every minute of it. To remember how much Caleb LOVED it. To hear him squeal when a new float went by, or a new band was coming up. He waved to every Homecoming queen or Miss Jr. Norphlet or whatever pretty girl was sitting on a car, and he yelled, "Hi Princess!!" every time. Made my heart melt! Hopefully this is a good video to show you a little of it all. And excuse this sappy mom for putting over two minutes of some random small-town parade up. :)

Brother Play

2011-12-03T14:48:00.000-06:00

One of Caleb's gifts from his birthday was a bear named Cooper, and a book all about him. The story is also available as a free app on the iPad. As it reads on the iPad (or as I read it from the book), Cooper makes comments about the story! Caleb loves it. And, evidently, so does James!

Getting ready for Christmas!

Caleb's Birthday

2011-11-29T14:42:00.000-06:00

If it's really the thought that matters, let's just say that this party would have been awesome. As it ended up, it was exactly what it needed to be, and Caleb loved it.

We have had a tradition around here to have big parties. Either the entire family is around, or the whole church is invited. However, following the advice of my mother, I decided that a party for a 3-yr-old needed to have three guests. I invited 5, but only 3 could make it, so it worked out just fine.

Caleb was pretty determined that he wanted a train party. He would even mention the train cake that I made for him last year! I couldn't believe he still remembered it!

I didn't particularly mind doing another train party. It was, after all, his party. But it would be fun to do something else, so occasionally I'd ask him about something else. Underwater? Explorer? Dinosaur? Castle?

Well, at the mention of Castle, he changed his tune. A castle party! Yes!

This boy loves kings and queens. His blanket is--among other things--his majestic robe. And how cool could a castle party be?!

First order of the party: the cake. Let's just say we had more than a few difficulties with it. What should have been a castle with turrets looked more like a hippo gone belly-up. And the inside was a mine of toothpicks.

My fork is there to keep the turret from falling.

I didn't know what to do. His party was going to be after church on Sunday, and it was 9pm on Saturday, so it wasn't like I could order a castle cake on such short notice. In short, I gave it up for lost. I told Caleb that I really tried to make him a castle cake, but that it just wasn't going to happen. I let him eat one of the turrets the night before his birthday, and let the others fall off.

When the turrets fell off, things started looking better. I decided to tweak it, add some flags for visual distraction, and it seemed to work! Caleb loved it! I will never make it big with my cake decorating skills, but as long as my boys are happy, it's fine by me.

On to the party! Our first order of business was to make a crown for everyone...moms included!

Posterboard and glitter sheets with adhesive backing cut into shapes. Tada! No glue, and no wait time for the kids to wear them!

Beth and John

Maggie and Amber

Tyler

Caleb, Tyler, Adrienne

Then it was time for a game. We played Pin the Tail on the Dragon. Which the kids were all for except for the covered eyes part. Tyler did it, but everyone else thought they should just put their tail on the dragon they way they wanted. Worked for me!

By the end of the game, there were six tails all around the dragon. Two were wings, the kids told me. Of course, every dragon has wings!

On to the cake! No one let the sub=par decorating stop them from eating it!

The men (Zach with his daughter Lauren, and Jon with Adrienne's boy, Jake) doing bottle duty.

Caleb opened his presents before cake, and I was thankful for the small number of kids. Just a few gifts was just right. He plays with each of them very often, which is great. Here is his new play=doh set.

I had ordered books to give as party favors. The books, of course, came in the day after the party. So we passed them out with our thanks. The book was called "Good Night, Good Knight" and is a funny book for new readers about a knight who has to get 3 little dragons ready for bed.

I think it was a great party overall. Caleb loved it and his friends had fun. He may, however, not be requesting a castle cake next year!

(James, by the way, slept through the entire party, if you were wondering where he was in the pics!)

Sock Hoarder

2011-11-26T10:50:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, I noticed that I was constantly running out of socks for the boys. At first, I didn't think too much about it. Both boys take their socks off all over the house, and drop them, throw them, catapult them everywhere. So...maybe I just hadn't found a few of those.

As the days went by, I got a little more concerned. Where WERE all these socks going?? I pulled James's crib out from the wall--no socks. I checked inside all of Caleb's shoes--no socks. I peered inside the washer and dryer--no socks. Hm.

So, for the sake of warm feet on the cusp of cooler weather, I bought a big pack of socks for each boy. They're Hanes, with the non-skid writing on the bottom. Caleb calls them his "rubber socks" and he loves them. James gets a little more traction for his walker. All in all, a good deal, but still a little mystifying.

As we got ready for Caleb's birthday party, we rearranged the living room. The couch got moved away from the wall.

Lo and behold, a pile of socks. And a missing kitchen towel! I can imagine that one day, after all the laundry was folded and ready to be put away, a little boy found a ball of socks. He wondered what to do with that ball, because it couldn't remain where it was (a little boy's mantra). So he looked around and spied the couch. He'd put things behind the couch before, and it seemed the perfect spot. Plop! Went the little ball of socks. How very satisfying! And look, there's a whole pile of socks and sock balls! Plop, plop, plop! There they all go. Now there are no more socks.

Oh, well. That was fun.

And off he walked, never to think of those socks again.

A new friend

2011-11-17T15:01:00.000-06:00

We have a new friend! Her name is Cara Grace. Her family recently moved here to work at the school. Cara Grace is a year older than Caleb, and they play together so well! I've even started watching Cara Grace twice a week. She's a little bossy pants, and I love it. What I really love is that the two big kids entertain themselves without my needing to be involved. I can be pretty sure that when Cara Grace comes over, I can fold laundry, get some work done, who knows! And having two older kids in the house inspires me to be a little more crafty. They've had lots of fun with their projects.

Can you believe they all smiled at the same time??

One of my favorite photos of James.

Isn't she beautiful?

One of my favorite ever photos of Caleb.

Halloween

2011-11-02T10:13:00.000-05:00

I'm posting this in November, after Halloween, but writing this the following January. Meh...life happens. To keep things simple, I'm just going to add captions to each of the photos. Caleb LOVED his leopard-dragon costume that Great Grandma made him (at his request). But every time it was time to put it on, he threw a big fit...residual from the Homecoming fiasco, I think. Once it was on, he loved it, and "rawred" to everyone...but evidently leopard-dragons do not like being photographed.

We had two events that we attended for Halloween. One was Hope-O-Ween at Hope Landing, where James receives therapy. It was held in the barn, with lots of activities. Neither boy was too interested in activities, but the worst part is that I didn't get any pictures of the barn and all the other people!

The second event was our church's Fall Fest, which was held in our new Family Life Center. Tons of fun!

Nooo...don't take my picture!!!

You can take MY picture!

Cheese!

Me and my boys

Hot dogs at Hope-O-Ween

Look at that cute little dragon!

We pause the Halloween festivities to go to a football game!

Caleb wanted me to make a scary Jack-o-lantern.

Heading to Fall Fest

Caleb running to tell his Daddy hi.

Marsha and Diane, who won the Best Costumes Ever award in my book. I couldn't even tell who they were!

Halloween fuels our love of suckers.

Caleb only ate the purple icing off his cupcake.

Caleb and his friend, Cara Grace.

Caleb and his favorite person in all the world, Miss Debbie. He didn't want to do any of the games until he saw Miss Debbie with the basketball.

He shoots...he scores!!

This was Caleb's first year to really "get" Halloween, and he had lots of fun. James was the cutest giraffe ever, and was happy wherever we were...even when I might have accidentally, maybe, just possibly, walked to the next activity in the gym and left him at the previous one. Boy was my heart beating when I realized his stroller wasn't right next to me. But there he was, enjoying the bean bag toss. Whew.

Our Weekend Adventure

2011-10-27T15:48:00.000-05:00

Last month, Jon thought he needed to take a trip to Hot Springs for something work-related. As I do many times, I thanked the Lord that I am a stay-at-homer, and I suggested we all go for the day. Well, in our conversation, the day turned into an overnight stay, and we finally settled on visiting Lake Catherine, a little ways outside of Hot Springs. When Jon checked the map to re-confirm where he needed to go, he found out that what he needed was right here in town.

Oh. Bummer.

But, hey, why not go anyway? So we did! We had a great time. It was good to get away for a little family adventure. James, for whatever reason, decided he didn't want to sleep that night, and we ended up with all four of us in a small bed. The next day, we set out to hike down to a waterfall. Somehow we started out going the long, grueling route to get there, only to find the waterfall was dried up. Thankfully, a couple was there to set us on the right path back. The hike was beautiful, and worth the tired ankles! The highlights of the weekend were s'mores, ducks, enjoying time as a family, hiking, and just doing something a little different. We really had a great time. I made a Shutterfly book about our trip, and here it is:

Click here to view this photo book larger

Photo Book Tip: Create an adventurous travel photo album at Shutterfly.com.

James in His Walker

2011-10-25T09:04:00.001-05:00

Here comes James down the hall in his walker! This is the first time he really figured out he could move! He heads to the hall bathroom, where Caleb is. I had a feeling once he got mobile, he would follow Caleb wherever he could!

(click the image above to be directed to the video)

James's First Haircut

2011-10-23T15:31:00.000-05:00

After every first birthday comes the first haircut. It's tradition!

I had planned on the first cut being before the party, but my Grandma special-requested to see James in all his baby-hair cuteness, and I obliged. However, his hair was pretty long, so I didn't wait long to give him a cut.

Yay, I'm getting my hair cut!!

Look how long it is in the back!

Mohawk it up, cut it off!

The first cut.

Already looking older!

He didn't mind the scissors, so we stuck with that method instead of bringing out the clippers.

All done!

Nice and short!

I think he likes it!

The clipping saved for posterity.

2011-10-21T15:18:00.000-05:00

Since I'm trying to catch things up around here, here's a quick look at some things Caleb enjoyed this summer.

Every day we tromped around hunting for cicada shells. He was a fan.

And no, he was not naked. He just didn't have a shirt on. Don't you remember how stinking hot it was in August??

He also loves drawing on his "iPad." What struck me about this particular picture is that it was decided beforehand that it would be a lion. And it looks like a lion! See the mane? See it?

Okay...maybe only a mama can see it, but I was proud. And last night he drew a little man, which was an intentional circle with two sticks coming out the bottom for legs. Then he drew a mouth, which had a decided downturn. "He's sad." was the simple explanation.

I'm telling you, it's so cool to see these little changes! I love parenting!

James Turns One...and We All Celebrate!

2011-10-19T15:05:00.000-05:00

Well it took over two years to get Caleb's birth story written, so getting a first birthday post in before James turns two is pretty good!

James's first birthday was a special event. In my view, first birthdays are about family, and should generally be small events. I mean, the kid doesn't even know what's going on, so there's not much reason for a lot of hoopla.

Except...

Except when the little one-year-old has been loved on by so many people, and prayed for fervently. We really felt like James's first birthday was a good chance to thank everyone who has helped us out so much his first year. The fact that we didn't have to go to the grocery store for three weeks after James was born, that our insurance copay was taken care of when we found out about James's surgery, that we were supplied with enough preemie clothes for the months that he wore them, that someone is always willing to hold him or watch him for us, and the list goes on. Our church has been such a support to us--our family, when our family was far away--and that needed to be celebrated. So, we had a big party.

It was County Fair themed. Flags, popcorn, giant pickles, corn dogs, and good ol' mountain music in the background. The best part of the party was that just about our whole family was able to come. Those who weren't, we were able to see the weekend before.

James is Master of the Cheese when it comes to cameras!

Caleb spent most of his time at the watermelon...or trying to get someone to open his sucker for him!

Singing "Happy Birthday." Caleb loved singing!

Here's the candle!

Caleb took his job as "candle blower helper" seriously, and had the candle out before James even had a chance!

I love James's face. "Dude, did you just blow out my candle?!"

James tries frosting!

It was a great weekend. We loved the chaos of the whole family being around. It was a blessing, and our house felt empty when everyone had gone. We are so rich in family and friends!

Check out the rest of the photos from that weekend here:

Swingin' Good Time

2011-10-05T10:25:00.000-05:00

We love our swing!


Yeehaw!

Little Sweater Man

2011-10-03T18:24:00.000-05:00

Seriously? How cute is this.

To the Zoo We Go!

2011-10-03T10:27:00.000-05:00

Little Rock is about halfway between us and Jon's parents, so Nana and Granddad got to meet us at the zoo on this beautiful day. The boys loved seeing the animals.

Look at those cute teeth!

Eating a picnic at the park before heading to the zoo.

Caleb and Granddad.

Pickle Boy.

Sweet Potatoes Boy

Granddad and Caleb off to explore.

Feeding the fishies.

Cool dude at the zoo.

Look, mom! A bird!

Caleb wasn't shy about petting the animals.

One of these things....

Silly family

Poor kid. I forgot to bring him any toys. He had an empty water bottle and his sock.

Caleb and the tigers

Now he's got a good view!

Poor Granddad's face was right by the snake so Caleb could see!

Nana and Granddad and the boys

Homecoming

2011-09-24T17:12:00.000-05:00

A little while back, we learned that one of the high school senior girls was going to be Homecoming Queen, and she asked if Caleb would be her junior attendant. He and a little girl would be with the queen for the festivities, kind of like a ring bearer and flower girl.

Well, we thought that might be pretty great. I mean, Caleb was all about kings and queens! He would love it1 So yes, we said he would do it.

As we got closer to time, we started talking to Caleb about it. He was ecstatic. He was so excited to be with Queen Lillian! And, he would get to ride on a float! And throw CANDY! Pretty soon, he was inviting everyone to the parade, promising he'd throw candy to them.

My parents decided to make the trip to come see little man. He would, after all, be in a tux, and that just can't be missed. I bought a new lens--a nice long one, so I could catch his face as he walked out with the queen on the football field.

Thursday morning, Jon took Caleb for the rehearsal. Halfway through, I received a desperate text. "Things are not going well. You better get here quick. Bring Tootsie Rolls."

I grabbed a bag of Tootsie Rolls, strapped James into our bike trailer, and off we went to the football field. (Yes, I can bike to the school from my house.)

It turns out that Caleb was doing more than just walking with the queen. He had to stand at certain times, sit at certain times, and carry the crown forward at a certain time. All a little too much for our 2-yr-old. He was feeling the pressure, and it was shutting him down.

Caleb getting a pep talk from a football player. The little girl, Lila, is getting tips on the crown, just in case Caleb decides not to go through with it.

Cute boy, but not a happy one.

His only happy walk down the aisle. I had a glimmer of hope when I saw this.

Caleb and his friend Lindsey.

His ONLY smile of the day, brought to you by Lindsey.

Another pep talk. It's about time to walk the red carpet!

Contemplating escape

Mustering the courage.


Looking into the gym where everyone is waiting for him

****
We pause for this brief announcement. The next events were not photographed, because the photographer (aka, me) was carrying a crying child down the red carpet. I pleaded, I promised everything I could think of, but when the moment came, Caleb turned to me and said, "But I just don't want to!" I grabbed his hand and we made it past the doorway into the gym. Lila was having similar issues, but finally made it down the red carpet holding her Daddy's hand. With Caleb's hand tightly in mine, I pretty much dragged him over to the red carpet. I was very aware that everyone else who had walked that red carpet had worn beautiful dresses and tuxes, and here I was wearing shorts, with a camera and purse slung over my shoulder. Woohoo frump mom. As Caleb's whine escalated to a wail, he dug in his heels, and I swooped him up onto my hip, made it down the red carpet, and deposited him with the rest of the royal court. I slunk over to the bleachers and resumed my role as photographer.
****

Caleb receives his bag of candy

Everyone standing for the queen.

Everyone sits down. Except Caleb. Who continues to stand and wail.

****
At this point, Jon reminds me that I'm not a photographer first, I'm a mom, and what in the world was I doing letting him stand there so miserably?? I came to my senses, went back out on the gym floor and saved the poor little tuxedoed mess of misery. He sat with us in the bleachers for the rest of the pep rally.
****

My parents arrive, and I hope that their presence (and the promise of ice cream) will help Caleb make it through the rest of the day.

Out of his tuxedo, Caleb is a new boy. Happy and excited about the parade! (Which he was supposed to be in, but we didn't even attempt it.)

"GIVE US CANDY!!!"

****
After the parade, our day moves on to phase two of the torture: the photo shoot with the royal court. It went....well, you can see how well it went.

Tootsie Rolls are nothing in a crisis like this.

****
As this day is going through, Jon and I are in knots. It's killing us to see Caleb so miserable, and we really felt like we had let everyone down. We knew (now!) that we had made a huge mistake. For whatever reason, Caleb was just not going to cooperate. We wanted to keep trying, thinking that maybe--just maybe--he would pull through for the Big Event on the football field. But the more we pushed, the more upset Caleb became. He knew he was disappointing us, but it was just too much for him.

We moved on to the football field. We decided we would give one last effort, but if Caleb's answer was no, we wouldn't push it any more.

Grandma comes in for the final pep talk.

Ice cream! Queen Lillian needs her crown! We would be so happy! What is it going to take??

Here comes Queen Lillian! Will Caleb do it??

No. Lila takes the reigns and carries the crown to the queen.

We quickly head off the field, relieved that the horrible experience was over. Caleb pulled off his tuxedo and cheered from the bleachers as if nothing had happened. We cheered until halftime, then headed to get the promised ice cream (because let's face it: even if he didn't follow through with his end of the bargain, you think he was going to let us off the hook?). As we passed Queen Lillian (as we still call her to this day), Caleb told her, "But...I just didn't want to give you your crown." Which I think was his way of apologizing. He still mentions it occasionally, but it's definitely an experience we don't want to relive.

Do you think we learned our lesson? I don't know. You tell me.

We signed James up to be Baby Jesus for the Christmas Nativity.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Baby James

2011-08-31T09:37:00.000-05:00

Baby James.

It's a term I've been trying not to use lately, despite Caleb's recent nickname of just "Baby."

You have been my baby this year, my sweet little boy who stayed a baby longer than most. I have enjoyed all the extra cuddles and snuggles. And I'm so happy to see you starting on your independent way. You sit so well, and watch us so closely. I can't wait to see you crawl, and find where you go and what interests you most. I have a feeling you will make a beeline for the cats, and follow your brother whenever and wherever possible! "Baby" James you will no longer be!

I am so proud of you. You make me happy in so many ways. I love your sweet smile.

James and Aunt Leanna

I love your silly grin!

Calvin, James, Caleb

I love that you're pretty okay with most any situation, willing to be held by people you may not have seen in awhile.

James and Grandpa Ken

I love that you smell like a dozen ladies at the end of church on Sundays, because you are just so holdable! And I love how ticklish you are, and quick to laugh.

So what are you doing at the big One Year mark? Well, let's see....

You're sitting up like a champ. You really want to crawl, but can't seem to get your back end to work with your front end just yet! You have two teeth, with a third coming in. You eat baby food, with your favorites probably being applesauce and peas, though you're really not picky. You don't have any words, yet, but you use lots of syllables and LOVE to talk! "Mamama, dadada, bababa, gagaga," and more. You are going to be a talker, I can tell! Other milestones are smaller, and I know them only because of our therapy sessions. Who knew that holding three blocks at once would be an accomplishment, but it is, and you've done it!

You love to play with your brother. You watch him devotedly, and Caleb enjoys the devotion! He showers you with hugs, kisses, and tickles. You also love your Daddy, and I think you just might be a Daddy's boy. He can calm you down and settle you to sleep better than anyone else. Your favorite toy is your exersaucer, where you can jump and play to your heart's content. You are still taking two naps a day, but I have a feeling that's going to change soon. As a second-born, you're bound to the schedule of others, and you take things in stride even when you don't always get your naps and bottles at the normal times.

You've started many therapies just this week, and the new therapists already love you and your sweet countenance. They're proud of how much you've already accomplished, and are confident in your abilities.

You are stubborn when you want to be, and that is why I know you will accomplish all that you desire in life. Your stubbornness...and the fact that people are praying for you! Your family, friends, and even those who haven't met you. Even Kris, the cashier at Wal-Mart, prayed for you when you were so small. She didn't know you, but now she likes to find you and say hi when we are in the store.

James, you have made further strides than most when it comes to opening the hearts of others. You are a blessing, and I am so thankful for you! I love you! Happy birthday, sweet boy.

Visit with Mawmaw and Grandpa Ken

2011-08-29T17:00:00.000-05:00

I always love our visits with my grandparents. I have sweet memories of my childhood visits with them, and I'm so glad that my children get to experience their love and fun as well. I know these moments are fleeting. At the end of every visit, I think, "Why didn't we do this sooner?" and, "We will not wait so long for our next visit." But, alas, living so far away and dealing with church schedules, therapy schedules, and just everyday life, it always feels too long between visits. We do our best, and I love that Caleb knows and loves his great-grandparents very much. James is also getting to know them. And I get to know my grandparents in a new role. I love it! They're even more "grandparenty" with my kids than they were with me! We are truly blessed.

Caleb finally overcame his fear of the scooter

My boys

Mawmaw and Grandpa Ken

Visit to Dave and Karen

2011-08-27T16:44:00.000-05:00

Our visit with Uncle Dave, Aunt Karen, and the newest Norvell. Plus a little side trip to Hard 8 BBQ to visit with Uncle Joe, Aunt Leanna, and Owen.

Kisses for Calvin

Feeeeet

Aunt Karen reads a riveting story

Cheese!! We are all taking pictures!

Caleb and Owen playing at the restaurant

Cousins

Caleb's very comfortable with babies!

To Children's We Shall Go

2011-08-25T00:46:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the photo hiatus...my computer is in the shop. I should have it back this time next week!

It is entirely too late to be blogging, so let me be brief.

James's cardiology appointment went great. He still has an ever-so-slight leak in his valve, but "nothing abnormal" the doctor says. We don't go back for another appointment for 18 months!

Caleb's appointment was in regards to the high fevers he's been getting like clockwork every month the last several months. I had done my own mama research online, and had diagnosed my son with something called PFAPA (pronounced "fappa"). Turns out, I was right! It's a handful of symptoms--high fever, red throat, swollen glands, mouth ulcers--that recur on a very regular schedule. For us, it's about the middle of every month, almost to the day. The cause is uncertain, it's not contagious, it doesn't impede his growth or development, and he will gradually outgrow it. Until then, there are a couple ways to minimize it. The first is to give him a small dose of steroid at the onset each month. His fever should respond within hours (the real test of whether he has PFAPA or not). If that works, we'll continue on that course. The dose is small enough, and infrequent enough, that there are no harmful side effects. A more invasive option is a tonsillectomy, which seems to have a good success rate. However, doctors aren't taking tonsils out like they used to, and are much more careful to ensure that it's absolutely necessary.

Caleb was a trooper! After having his blood drawn a week ago, he was pretty leery of this doctor. The doctor assured him that he didn't have any needles, so Mr. C relaxed and shared his litany of owies. That kid is a walking bruise...much like his mama as a kid! The doctor regarded each scrape and scab and deemed them to be healing nicely. But alas, they needed to draw more blood. After I showered him with stickers pulled from my bag, and the nurse brought him more stickers and bubbles, Caleb sweetly passed out stickers to everyone: the nurse, myself, James, Jon. We all got stickers! I wondered how often the nurses receive stickers from patients, and was thankful for a generous boy. (I repeat that prayer of thanks when he shares his Starbursts with me at the library story hour. We've raised him well.)

Anyway, if this is truly PFAPA, Caleb will have another episode mid-September, and we'll give it the true test of the steroid dose and see what happens!

Conversations with Caleb

2011-08-08T09:00:00.004-05:00

Heard from the direction of the bathroom: "I'M DONE!!!"
"Caleb!" I say in a hoarse whisper as I make my way to the bathroom, "Be quiet! James is asleep!"
"But I want to HOLLER!!"
"Caleb! Hush!" This time my words are sharp, and I see him start to crumple. His lip begins to tremble and pout as he says in a much more subdued tone, "But Daddy said...but...but I wanted to holler...."
Heard from the kitchen: "Oh, that would be my fault. I told him to holler when he was done."

--------------------------

A few minutes later, Jon walks past the bathroom where Caleb and I are still sitting...
A small whisper: "Daddy?"
No response. Caleb makes a small chirping "Hm" sound.
A little louder: "Daddy?"
Still no response, and another chirp from Caleb, accompanied by palms upraised in a I-don't-know-why-he-doesn't-hear-me gesture.
Louder still: "Daddy!"
From the back room: "Yes Caleb?"
"You have to be quiet...James is sleeping!"
"...Okay Caleb."
Caleb looks at me with the same puzzled look as before: "He didn't say thank you! ...You need to say thank you, Daddy!"
From the back room, quietly: "Thank you! Now hush!"
Caleb to me: "What did he say?"

--------------------------

In the car, Caleb points out the window. "What's down that road?"
"The movie theater."
"Can we go see a movie?"
"No, they don't have any good movies."
"Hm. Maybe my movies?"
"You want to let them show your movies?"
"Yes. I think Thomas."
(Thomas the Tank Engine, one of his "favowit" shows, if you were wondering)

--------------------------

In the car, whispering: "Mommy, I have a secret to tell you."
"What is it?"
Still whispering: "You have to ask Daddy what is the magic word."
"Okay, I'll be sure to ask him."

(I've learned to just go with it. He'll eventually figure out how secrets work.)

At home, to Jon, "Mommy has to ask what is the magic word!"
Me: "Yes, Daddy, I'm supposed to ask you what the magic word is."
Jon, "Well, Hm...the best I know is..." and he leans down and whispers in Caleb's ear.
Caleb comes back to me with a big "I love you!"
Then a moment later..."No, that's not the magic word. It's Meeska, Mooska, Mickey Mouse!!"
(From Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, his "favowit" show at church.)

--------------------------

And these are conversations just from yesterday--and a shortened day, at that, since much of it was spent at church! This boy cracks me up.

Caleb's Hot Springs Adventure

2011-08-02T15:43:00.000-05:00

While James was hamming it up on the dock in Hot Springs, Caleb had other activities in mind.

Playing a game with Daddy on the iPad

This is a favorite face of his these days. It means lots of things: I'm sad, It was an accident, I hope I don't get in trouble,....

Our friend and host, Thad, helping Caleb throw bread to the ducks in the water.

Caleb off to the boat!

Hi mom. I'm off to try something new without you. I'll be off to college before you know it.

My camera stayed with me, but Jon tells me that Caleb was pretty quiet on the boat ride, taking it all in. They got in the water and tried out tubing! Caleb seemed to have fun, and came back excited to tell me about it--mostly about how he spilled his water bottle and our friend Mary Elizabeth found a cup holder for him. It's funny what sticks in kids' minds!

Here are the fuzzy iPhone pics of my boys in the water.

James on the dock at Hot Springs

2011-08-01T15:21:00.001-05:00

Like Father, Like Son

2011-07-31T15:21:00.000-05:00

Two men found in the playtime aftermath.

How we spent our Saturday morning

2011-07-10T08:11:00.001-05:00

James: 10-month Check-up

2011-07-06T09:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Caleb and I took James for his 9-month check-up that has been rescheduled so many times, it became his 10-month check-up. Caleb is very much a part of the process, as he feels that he is doing his part as the big brother to bring his little brother to the doctor. Since we have been going monthly for RSV shots, Caleb has gotten the routine down. But I was glad to tell him that James would not be getting a shot on this visit. (As a side note, the "RSV season" has ended, and we won't be getting the shots from now on. I don't know if they'll start back up next season or not.)

The visit was very productive, as Dr. R was more congenial than usual, and answered my many questions. But first, the stats!

Weight: 16 lbs, 6 oz - 50%
Height: 28 in - 75%
Head circ: 41.3 cm - 45%

So my little man has gotten some length on him! I still haven't gotten around to moving him to 9-month clothes, but mostly because he's in shorts all the time. 6-month footies would probably not fit him very well.

Questions I asked:

Circumcision ok? James's circumcision doesn't look like a normal circumcision to me, and Dr. R said that he has adhesions, which my mom says is scar tissue that pulls skin together where it shouldn't. Dr. R said it should break up between ages 2 and 3 years, and if not, James will undergo another circumcision. Yikes. It doesn't seem uncomfortable to James, and it's not causing blockage or any other issues, so we'll just wait it out and make that decision when necessary.
Belly button ok? Ever since James's surgery, his innie belly button has been an outie. That's usually a sign of a hernia, but Dr. R said that if it was a hernia, it was a very small one, and that it should close up on its own. I have noticed the outie is not as much an outie as it used to be, so hopefully that's true.
Chest shape ok? Jame's rib cage is a bit of a mystery to me. It's concave at the top, flares at the bottom, and has a large bump over his heart. Dr. R says that the flare at the bottom is probably a result of his heavy breathing prior to surgery; his lungs pushed his ribs out. The bump over his heart is supposedly normal, and everyone's chest over their heart is larger than the rest of the area. I do not find this to be true in the rest of our family, but whatever. As with the other questions, James's chest shape is nothing to worry about, and should right itself with time.
Diet into his first year? Dr. R said it should be no problem to move James to cow's milk at his first birthday. We'll still thicken it, of course, but he should transition fine from formula. He also said that baby food would be fine, if James wasn't ready for table food. I guess I knew the answers to these questions, but I still wanted to ask to make sure I was on the right track. This is just one of those instances that shows how I feel like a new mom with James!

James and his therapist

Further therapies? I've asked our developmental therapist about starting other therapies with James--speech, physical, occupational--and he has been reticent to recommend it, feeling that what he was doing was sufficient. However, Dr. R feels there's no reason to delay, and I think I agree with him. A faith-based place for special needs children, called Hope Landing, is sending me a large packet of information and forms. Once I've gone through all that, James will be evaluated, and we'll be given a recommendation as to what therapies he currently needs. As a child with DS, he will probably qualify for all of the above therapies, and we could end up going to therapy every day of the week if we chose to. However, we have been cautioned by other families with special needs to not revolve the whole family around one child, and that we don't have to accept every therapy that is offered. Choose the ones that are important for James at the time. So that will take some prayer and wisdom from us when it comes time to make those choices. Hope Landing does not send therapists to the house (unlike the developmental therapist), but it is in town and not too far. It seems like a neat place that incorporates prayer and spiritual development into its plans, plus there are some programs that allow sibling involvement as well. So, I'll probably be writing more about them later.

Little Man loves his toes!

And that's it! That was the doctor's appointment. Very informative, and we don't go back until 12 months. Before that time, James has an appointment with the genetic clinic at Children's and a follow-up appointment with the cardiology department at Children's. I think his heart doctor will be happy to see how much he has grown, and how well he is doing!

James at Nine and a Half Months

2011-06-14T22:48:00.000-05:00

My sweet baby James. How time has flown.

The last month or two have been an awakening for James. It was a sweet moment the first time he really looked at me and reached out his hand to play with my hair. He has been such a content baby that placing toys just out of reach have not been much of an incentive. He'll look at the toy...regard it for a few moments...then decide that things are really fine the way they are. So we all clapped when he lunged for a toy the first time.

He is eating his solid food like a champ, now. He really doesn't seem to like the Gerber Puffs. He prefers the yogurt melts, but still manages to spit them out most of the time. He just can't seem to figure out how to keep it in! I've been using mostly store-bought baby food with him, but I'm going to start incorporating more homemade food. It has more texture, and should be a good stepping stone to solid foods.

James has also gotten a lot more smiley lately. His first big smiles were five months ago in the hospital. Still, it took quite a bit of interaction and eye contact to elicit that smile. Only recently has he started to consistently and quickly respond to people with smiles. If I thought the church members weren't wrapped around his little finger already, he's got them with his smile! And his laughing...sometimes he's on his playmat all by himself just laughing! He is a joyful little boy.

He absolutely adores his brother--a constant in his little life. Caleb can always elicit attention and smiles. Their relationship is truly sweet to see. Recently we went to our outdoor high school graduation. When names were called, all the graduate's friends would whoop and holler, which scared James. He started bawling. Of course, the names kept getting called, and friends kept yelling, so there was no calming him down. Caleb was very concerned, and came in close to James. James held his arms out, and Caleb gave him a big long hug and a kiss, hoping to help him feel better. I have a feeling James will always have a protector in Caleb.

A few days ago, I brought my boys home from a long trip, and the last 30 minutes of the trip (when things are usually at their worst), Caleb was leaning as far as his carseat would allow him toward James. Caleb was laughing a silly, contrived laugh in order to make James smile. And James was certainly smiling! It was fun to see.

James loves to be upright. He has sat unsupported for a few moments by himself, but usually topples over pretty quickly. He's so close, though, and I think he will master it soon!

He's also showing signs of wanting to crawl. He tucks his knees up under him, but leaves his arms slack by his sides. We're encouraging his arms to come out by putting a ball under his belly. He'll get there! Though he is such a content boy, there are times when I know he wishes he could move as he pleases (usually when I'm bathing Caleb in the bath and James is stuck in the bouncy, watching).

At the moment, James moves by rolling. I find him well off the carpet a lot these days! Our floor is too hard for him to be flip-flopping all over the house, but he manages to find enough fun things on the rug to keep him occupied. I think his favorite find is paper. Today he eyed my grocery list through the whole store. I finally gave it to him when I only had a couple items left, and it was a gooey mess in seconds.

Big news: James started waving this last week! It's sort of an awkward arm-flap, and super cute! I love it. I wondered today if he was giving me kisses, but couldn't replicate it, so I'll have to update you on that one some other time.

Ever since he got the jumper figured out, James has been a jumping fiend. I mean, the kid was wearing skin off his toes from jumping! He didn't get blisters or anything, but we started keeping socks on his feet just for jumping. Before that point, James hadn't really put weight on his legs, so I was really happy with this progress. Well, now he won't put weight on his legs except to push off in a jump, so he got banned from the jumper. Sad. But he plays in his exersaucer and just started trying out a walker to encourage sustained standing.

I'm so proud of James. Just like Caleb did (and still does), he makes us smile so much. I love my little cuddle boy. I enjoy all the snuggles, even as I look forward to the day that he says, "Bye Mom. Gotta go play!" as he runs off to join Caleb in some mischief. I'm content to enjoy what I have now, and not worry about when the rest will happen.

Caleb's First Fishing Trip

2011-05-22T13:43:00.000-05:00

Caleb and I have been pretend fishing for quite a while: finding curved sticks in the yard, sitting on our bench/boat, casting, setting the hook, reeling it in...oh! the excitement!...and proudly showing off our leaf-fish to anyone who will look. Then we kindly throw the leaf-fish back. We're still waiting on the Big One.

Well, our youth went fishing in a pond the other night, so Caleb was super-excited to be fishing for real! Though I really wanted the pint-sized Snoopy fishing pole of my youth, I had to settle for the adult-sized pole we already had, but he did really well with it...for the first two or three casts. Then he lost interest, because we weren't having as much luck with real fishing as we did with our get-a-fish-every-time pretend fishing. But it was fun nonetheless.

Before heading out to fish, we played at a friend's house, and Caleb snagged this fashionable number from the toy bin. Why he thought it was appropriate fishing attire, I do not know. But it was super-cute.

My little fisherman.

A fisherman and his pole...and tiger hat.

Reelin' her in!

After fishing was over, and we were back at the friend's house....

Tyler is Caleb's friend, and his first sibling will be born this coming fall. It was sweet to see him with James. He's going to be a good big brother.

James doesn't know what to do with himself: the big boys are giving him all their attention!

Mother's Day Happiness

2011-05-20T14:09:00.001-05:00

For Mother's Day this year, Jon planned a Saturday getaway with just our family of four. He knows exactly what I like, and we had a picnic, feeding ducks, and spending time outdoors on the schedule. We had to drive about an hour to get to the park, but it was well worth it. So much fun!

Ack! Can they get any cuter?!

Here come the ducks!

"I'll pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today...." (Name that cartoon)

James loves to sit!

Finding things to throw into the water.

Happy baby.

Now Daddy and Caleb are going on a trek.

James is sacked out.

Caleb ready to go down the slide, but decided Mommy should come with him.

Here we go!

This boy loves dirt.

And anything interesting.

James's Favorite Activities, in Video!

2011-05-18T13:24:00.001-05:00

As I said, James is getting more and more active these days. It's like he's suddenly awake! He wants to be upright as much as possible, which frees his hands to hold toys, splash, and generally explore. He loves to laugh, and his nighttime giggle-fests with Mama and Daddy sometimes bring Caleb out of his bed to get in on the action. You can hear him in the background; he came out of his room presumably to go potty, but really because we were having so much fun in there!

Here's his new jumping skill! This was taken the very first day he started jumping, and he's only gotten better! This is a skill that Caleb never learned; he just swung in his jumper, and really still can't jump, though he's getting better.

Recently, I started giving James his baths when Caleb was taking a bath. Instead of using the small baby tub, I just plop him in with Caleb, suds him up, rinse him off, and we're done. James of course wants to sit up, so one day I pulled him to upright, and he started splashing away without me even needing to show him what to do! He splashes like it's serious business!

Someone is not ready to grow up

2011-05-17T13:21:00.000-05:00

I've noticed lately that Caleb is having a little more trouble with his little brother. Baby James is no longer the blob in the bouncy seat, content to stare at the world. He is more active, with more toys, and even more attention from church members, if that's even possible. So...some days we get things like this.

Somebody got new rain boots...

2011-04-25T12:07:00.000-05:00

Caleb loves puddles, but--sad to say--we haven't had any rain boots, and I've been depriving him of this boyish joy of jumping in puddles. I'd looked around in the available stores, but I really wanted some cute rain boots, not just plain rain boots. I specifically wanted frog boots.

My mother-in-law came through for me, and I don't know who loves the boots more, Caleb or myself!

Easter weekend was rain-free, so we had to make our own puddle with a water hose.

Trying out the puddle

"Can I do it again?"

Heading back for more!

Splish

Splash!

Caleb Sings Rock a Bye Baby

2011-03-20T17:25:00.000-05:00

James at Six Months

2011-03-06T15:16:00.000-06:00

Our checkups coincide with the monthly RSV shots, which fall mid-month, so we don't have an official 6-month visit for another couple of weeks. However, I thought I'd go ahead and give you the general update.

I'm not sure I ever mentioned this on the blog: The doctor's office finally got a Down Syndrome growth chart, and instead of the 10th and 25th percentiles, James fell right on the 50th percentile for weight and height! That doesn't change the actual measurements, but it does confirm that he's doing just fine. At his last weigh-in (two weeks or so ago), he weighed 13 pounds!

James is becoming a "hip baby." You know, strong enough that I can set him on my hip now instead of cradling him in my arms. His head control is very good, and he loves to sit up--assisted, of course. He can grab toys and bring them to his mouth to chew on them, which is the desire of every baby's heart, I think. After James's surgery, it took awhile for him to want to go on his tummy, but lately he hasn't minded it so much. He can roll from back to tummy (and then back, sometimes), but doesn't yet know that he can go places with his rolling! Mostly he does it to get to a toy just out of reach, or just for something to do.

James is a great sleeper. He sleeps through the night, usually from about 9pm to 7am or so. He still naps several times a day, with usually one long nap in the afternoon (that coincides nicely with Caleb's nap). He still likes to be swaddled, though he's usually out of it by morning. I've tried to just not swaddle him, but he really gets to sleep easier and sleeps longer when he's all wrapped up. Sometimes getting him to sleep is as easy as cradling him with a little jiggling motion. Other times (becoming more common), he wails when it's time to go to sleep. He kicks and screams for a few minutes that feel much longer than they really are. And then he gives in and he's asleep! At some point we'll have to start some sleep-training with him. I do want him to learn how to go to sleep on his own. But when it's this easy to get him to sleep...why fix what ain't broken?

There are some signs that what's "fixed" may be breaking: The fighting sleep that I've already mentioned, and sometimes he'll wake up only a few minutes after I lay him down. When I pick him up, he falls right back to sleep. Lay him down, and he wakes up again. Hm....

James is eating two meals a day now, and normally taking four bottles a day instead of five. He's tried peas and green beans and seems to love them both. Introducing foods has caused him to start sticking his tongue out again--a DS thing that he'd quit in December or so. So we're back to working on that, but he's doing very well swallowing his food.

We recently added more thickener to his bottles because he had a constant rattle of fluid in his throat. I thought it was congestion (and some of it might be), but the rattle has decreased dramatically since we've increased the thickening. Though his suck muscles seem to be getting stronger, his swallow muscles do not. I remember introducing Caleb to water when he started solids. I haven't done that with James, because his fluids are about as thick as his solids. At the moment he doesn't know what he's missing, but can you imagine wanting the juicy goodness of an orange, and biting into it only to find the stickiness of a banana? As we enter the realm of table food in a few months, I'll have to be extra-aware of what James eats.

What else to report? James is very ticklish! I can tickle his sides and back, and it sends him into fits of giggles! It's not failproof, but when it happens, it doesn't fail to make me smile! He has a beautiful smile, but it has to be coaxed out of him with some good eye contact first. He loves faces, and if he can really connect with you by staring at your face while you talk to him, he'll just beam. I know he recognizes me when I pick him up from nursery, but he doesn't give me those gummy smiles that I know will come with time.

James is wearing size 3-6 month clothes. He really zoomed through 0-3 month, and I think it will be the same with 3-6 month. He's only been in them for 3 or 4 weeks now. Everything fits fine except for the sleepers; his toes have to curl up to fit into the footies! I'm hoping for a little more warm weather so he can wear some of the super-cute summer outfits before he outgrows them!

He's also still in size 1 diapers. Can you believe it! But I think he might outgrow those fairly soon, too.

James is easy-going, loves his brother, loves to be held up like he's flying, loves to touch the kitties, loves to cuddle. He's a pretty great kid all around. He's not a tiny baby any more, but he is keeping that tiny baby dependence a little longer than Caleb did, and I'm loving it.

Camping Trip, Part Three

2011-02-28T22:19:00.008-06:00

Considering I had so many photos, I decided the best way to get them up (besides an eight-part series), was to put them in an album. Without further ado...the rest of the trip!

Jon and Caleb slept in the tent that night. Oh, darn, the tent wasn't big enough to hold all four of us.

But I will admit I stood at the window and watched for quite some time, wanting to know exactly what was being said in the tent. Was Jon explaining the joys of camping, surrounded by God's creation? Was Caleb curious about the pockets and zippers that make up a tent?

Jon tells me that they just went straight to sleep. Men.

Caleb woke up around 2am and wanted to go inside, but Jon told him to wait until morning, and that was fine for Caleb; he fell back to sleep.

The next morning, James woke me up extra early, so I was able to again watch out the window, this time waiting for the first signs of wakefulness so I could take a picture. Of course the boys slept horribly outside; isn't that all part of camping? We ate breakfast and played outside until real life had to start again with a morning errand into town. The funny part was that Caleb was ready to go inside. He wanted to go in the minute he woke up. Silly boy. This winter of being cooped up inside has done something to his head!

All in all, it was a great "trip." I'm not sure we're ready for the big leagues, but maybe. Maybe next time we'll try it in someone else's back yard!

Camping Trip, Part Two

2011-02-27T21:39:00.002-06:00

So I said we'd have pics of the tent-raising, but I've changed my mind and decided to put all the camping pics up in a Picasa album. But first I have to post these:

Smiles brought to you by Caleb Norvell, who brightens James's face like nothing else.

Camping Trip, Part One

2011-02-26T21:37:00.000-06:00

Last week was the first breath of Spring after a frigidly cold winter. On a whim, we decided to go camping!

First...enjoying some time on the blanket...this blanket has become our outdoor soft spot!

Caleb found a worm! The joys of nature only found on a camping trip have begun!

Putting the worm back in his hole...disregard the storage shed and the faint hints of a back porch in the background. We're far, far away...roughing it in an outback campground. Really.

Bye bye, worm! (As a side note, I've found that it's much easier for Caleb to stop doing what he's doing if he gets a chance to say bye to it. Odd, but it works!)

Caleb jumped for the first time the day before this, and here he is showing off his skills. It reminds me of The Office Christmas episode, where the employees are trying to take a jumping picture, and Dwight says something about not having military-grade cameras to catch the teeny bit of air between the ground and feet. So it's not an epic jump, but it's still jumping! Caleb was pretty proud of himself.

He's also really gotten into wanting me to take pictures of random objects...like leaves. I try to skirt around it by taking pictures of him, or just looking through the lens and not taking the picture, but then he asks to see the picture...so I end up taking random pictures anyway. This kid needs his own camera.

Got a little brother lovin' here! I have so many sets of photos called "Snuggling" or something similar for these two. And James really enjoyed having bare feet! This is really his first time to go barefoot, and he loves touching his feet together.

And that's enough for today! Next installment: getting the tent up!

Product Review: sippy cups

2011-02-25T07:24:00.000-06:00

Our sippy cups have come to us from gifts, hand-me-downs, and a few picked up in the store. I remember when Caleb was ready for a sippy cup, and I stood in the aisle at Wal-Mart wondering how in the world I was supposed to pick. Silicone mouthpieces that looked similar to a bottle nipple, hard plastic, soft plastic, spill-proof inserts of different kinds, handles, no handles, insulated, not insulated. Good grief!

My first choice was this Gerber soft spout cup. Caleb's first experience with it was to chew on the rubber mouth part with his (then toothless) gums.

squeak squeak, squeak squeak....

Oh, it was irritating! I quickly put that cup back in the cupboard until he got more used to the idea, and opted for a different cup with a hard spout.

Now that we've gotten over a year of sippy cups under our belt, I've noticed a trend. The Gerber cups all have an oval valve that sticks into a big hole inside the spout. Not always, but often, this valve falls out. Caleb drops the cup, throws the cup, sloshes it, whatever, and eventually that valve works its way out, and then the spill-proof cup is no longer spill-proof. Usually I don't find that out until I find the puddle of milk somewhere.

However, the Playtex cups have a different kind of valve. It looks a little more complicated, but washes just as easily in the dishwasher, and rarely ever comes out. Plus, the Playtex lids have a little holder for the valve for when you put it in the dishwasher, so the valve and the lid stay together while they wash.

So, Playtex has been our cup of choice, specifically the insulated ones, because Caleb can't seem to keep track of his cup, and we need all the time we can get to find his milk before it goes bad!

And that's our sippy cup saga! It really came down to the valves for us, more than anything else. Oh, and we avoided straws because straws keep a little bit of liquid in them after every sip, and it gets flicked everywhere. I think pediatricians say straws are better, but you'll have to do your own investigation on that. I gave them up for the sake of keeping my sanity.

Product Review: bottles

2011-02-23T10:51:00.000-06:00

Playtex VentAire bottles. I thought I had done my homework before Caleb was born. My requirements were an angled bottle with a wide nipple, and this is what I found. And I loved those aspects of this bottle. However, there were problems. Really just one big problem. If I needed to warm milk, I couldn't put it in this bottle to warm it.

Something about the fancy venting system coming in contact with water from the outside caused milk to go everywhere! Not only was it a mess, but milk (either breastmilk or formula) is kinda precious, and I was not a happy camper to see milk drain out of the bottle.

There was also the fact that this bottle had no fewer than six parts per bottle. Granted, being able to unscrew the bottom made it easier to wash the bottle itself, but the bottom and the vent were a hassle.

All that said, these bottles worked for us when Caleb was a baby. He nursed most of the time, and the times he took a bottle, we either warmed the milk in a separate, simpler, bottle, or just gave it to him cold (which he didn't mind).

Fast forward to James. When James was born, we started out with little tubes that held only two ounces, and nipples supplied by the hospital. We were documenting every milliliter that he drank, and these Playtex bottles were not accurate enough for us. As he grew and ate more, we switched to the Medela bottles that worked with my pump. These worked much better for us, and it was easy to tell how many milliliters of milk James had taken in.

Then we started thickening his milk, and he started drinking more. We slit open all the bottle nipples to allow the thickened milk through, but eventually he outgrew the 5 oz. size. He also started sucking harder, so we reverted back to the freebie hospital nipples and cut smaller slits in them. By this time, I'd realized that he did just fine with a plain-jane bottle, and we were mangling up the nipples, no matter how advanced, by cutting Xs in them. We no longer had to document every ounce, so we decided to go basic.

Gerber First Essentials. Cheapo, simple, and just what we needed. We're still using the hospital nipples until we run out of our supply, though these nipples look just about the same. James doesn't get gassy, he doesn't get colicky, and we even manage to feed him upright through most of his feeding, despite the lack of an angled bottle. The narrow nipple doesn't seem as natural or comfortable, and if I'm able to nurse my next child, I will probably look for another wide-base nipple to avoid confusion, but for now this works for us.

Product Review: IKEA Dinnerware

2011-02-21T22:50:00.000-06:00

I am a big fan of everything IKEA when it comes to Caleb's eating.

His plates and bowls, his super-coverage bib for Mexican food, his forks, and even his placemat...all IKEA. And once he masters the regular cup, we've got those, too!

We first got this set when Sophie was old enough to use plates, and I didn't have anything that was sturdy plastic. For two dollars for a set of six, it wasn't a big deal for me to grab a set. And we use them all the time now!

If you have kids or have lots of kids over to your house, I'd highly recommend these, especially the plates and bowls.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T07:25:00.002-06:00

James is tickled that Caleb is coming to join him.

I love the look in James's eyes.

Caleb is holding James's hand. "I love you, James."

Holding hands again, even during play

Can't say I didn't see that one coming!

I love little boy socks!

Trying to suck his thumb...or at least chew on it.

Little Boys

2011-02-13T16:16:00.001-06:00

Hey, it's me, Caleb! I'm with my friend Owen!

Owen's silly! He's trying to get me!

Haha! We're funny. I make Owen laugh!

Owen is such a nice baby.

We share secrets.

Let's go, Owen! Let's go play!

Babies

2011-02-11T16:06:00.000-06:00

James with his friend Owen

'Sup? It's me, James, with my friend Owen.

Dude, are you touching me?

Say what?

Listen buddy, if you're trying to take my overalls, you outgrew these a long time ago.

Gotta love babies. Together...and yet not.

King Caleb

2011-02-09T15:57:00.002-06:00

Caleb loves to be a king!

Or a prince.

Either is fine with him.

What I love is that when he gets on these "King Caleb" kicks,

he calls me "Queen Mommy."

Yep. I'm all about that.

all photos taken January 18, 2011

Ready for the Big Game

2011-02-07T15:48:00.001-06:00

James is super cute in his little football outfit.

And Caleb insisted on my getting a picture of the monkey, as well. You'll notice the real monkey in the background.

all photos taken January 5, 2011

James's First Food

2011-02-05T15:48:00.000-06:00

James tried oatmeal for the first time last weekend. He did like every baby new to food--spit it right back out! But I think he likes it. Yesterday we tried green beans, and he seemed to be a fan. Even just a week into it, he's getting the hang of it!

A Mama and Her Boys

2011-01-30T17:14:00.000-06:00

What a blessed mother I am.

photos by Leanna O'Brien...and Joe

3 Week Post-Op Checkup for James

2011-01-11T14:58:00.001-06:00

This past Friday, I took James back to LR for his post-op checkup. We had the typical echocardiogram and x-ray, and I'm proud to report that James did great! His heart function is right where it should be, so we can take him off the meds for that. And there was no fluid on his lungs, so no more meds for that! He is now only taking the synthroid, which he will most likely take the rest of his life. The doctor said that his heart has no residual signs of leakage--it's just like any other healthy heart! (With the exception of a bit of gore-tex, of course.) So it was a great visit, and we don't have to go back for another 6 months.

Whew! I know we will encounter other health issues with James, but for now I kind of feel like we might get a little break for awhile. For the first time I feel like I can start planning things, seeing other people, and get back into the groove of things. Of course, it took a few months to get that feeling after Caleb was born, too.

And I've decided to go ahead and quit nursing. Well, "nursing" hasn't been the right term for over three months. Pumping has taken up a lot of my time in the day, and Jon has been pushed to the limit trying to keep up with things at work and things at home. In a normal situation, nursing is cheap (free!) with no bottles or hassle of keeping milk cold or warming it up. However, in a situation where thickener and formula is added in, nursing has become the most expensive option, with the most hassle. I've felt like I should keep going with it as long as my supply keeps up, but it seems to be keeping up just fine with no end in sight. James has gotten all the immunity benefits in his first weeks, and we know that he can handle formula since it's been added into his milk for several months. And, for the sake of myself and my family, I really can't conceive of keeping up the pumping for James's whole first year. As you can tell from my paragraph of reasons, it's taken me quite an inner battle to make this decision. But it's made, and I'm glad for it. Now I just have to go through the painful process of weaning!

From these pics, you can tell that James's face has got a nice roundness to it these days. He's doing great and gaining weight just great. In the picture below, Caleb was ready to snuggle with James all night long (though I doubt he would have slept a wink!). It's good to see how much these boys love each other.

Checking in on the Household: Caleb

2011-01-05T16:30:00.002-06:00

Oh my goodness, it seems that life has been consumed with new baby, Down Syndrome, 2-yr-birthday, the holidays, the terrible twos....whew! Despite all the craziness, the last few months have been really wonderful. Caleb has bloomed as a big brother, and James loves him like crazy. Jon and I find ways to spend one-on-one time with each of the boys, and we enjoy them both so much. They make us smile and laugh, and sometimes I'm just giddy because my heart is so full with a husband who loves me dearly, and two boys who bring me so much joy. I am very happy and blessed with my house full of boys.

Caleb. What can I say about Caleb? I wish I could give you live streaming of an average day around here, so you could truly get a sense of who Caleb is. Caleb is lively, with a song in his heart and a dance in his step. He beebops around the house humming to himself, or does a happy jig with a delighted, "Look at me, Mommy!" He is very observant, and I have caught him imitating me applying my makeup or tying my shoes. He understands things quickly, and has almost gotten "left" and "right" down. One of his favorite songs is the "Clean Up" song. The way I sing it goes like this:
Clean up, clean up
Everybody, everywhere
Clean up, clean up
It's time to do your share

The way Caleb sings it goes like this:
Clean up, clean up
Everybody do my share!

And that's generally what happens. He's content to sing the song while everyone else cleans up. But, that said, he is very helpful, and the song itself is a good way to get him excited about putting things away. Caleb also loves to help in the kitchen. The minute he sees me in the kitchen, I hear, "I help you!" and then, under his breath, "...yellow stool..." as he heads to the bathroom to obtain this favorite object that grants him access to so many things. He carries the stool to the kitchen and promptly finds the least convenient spot to put it (usually directly between myself and the counter) so that he can "help" me measure and pour, stir and shake. His favorite, of course, is washing dishes. What little kid doesn't love running water and soapy bubbles?

Caleb's favorite playtime right now is with Daddy. All Jon has to do is lay on the guest bedroom bed and put his feet up, and Caleb climbs over, under, and on top of his Daddy. This often happens when Jon gets home from work, and they both love it.

Caleb loves to watch movies, though we haven't really gotten into the more popular ones. We stick to Veggie Tales and I'm trying to introduce the old musical classics to him. It's funny to hear him quote a movie randomly in the day. Quoting from Veggie Tales' story of St. Nicholas, he said, "Thank goodness for snow!" only it sounded like "Tae doodiss fur know!" He was so pleased with himself, but it took several tries before I figured out what he was saying.

He's starting to be the poster child for "Kids Say the Darndest Things"--usually pertaining to his potty habits. He has told me he needs to go potty by saying, "There's poop in my booty" or "There's peepee in my [...]" Once the deed is done, he will categorize his poop by size, and yesterday he decided that that particular offering to the porcelain god was "his favorite." It's hard to keep a straight face when one's little boy is so proud of his poop.

In contrast to his potty humor, Caleb is enamored with royalty. He puts most any object on his head as a crown and proclaims, "I'm king!" He wraps blankets over his shoulders for a majestic train. If he sees a lady dressed to the nines, he will ask, "Her queen?" And we've often discussed the differences between a prince and a princess, as he's as likely to claim himself one as the other. This has led to frequent comments from Caleb about whether someone is a girl or boy. His pronunciation of "girl" is more like "doy-you" and always makes me laugh.

If you haven't gathered from this post (or personal experience), Caleb is a talker. He is always saying something, and if he runs out of things to say, he'll start making nonsense noises. He's full of imagination, and can turn any object into something else. Currently he likes finding see-saws in odd places: a pine branch resting on a pile of things, the bow on my shoe (with the knot being the fulcrum of the see-saw). He imagined that a ball of carpet fuzz was a string of Christmas lights. And his building blocks are always turning into houses or train stations.

His life is full of extremes. Things are "very, very, very, very bad!" or get an approving, "Dat's dood!" He has many "favorites" and is starting to claim his friends (I'm his best friend, by the way).

Not to deceive you, Caleb is definitely two. He throws fits and glowers at us with a frown. He yells and screams, and sometimes outright disobeys us. We spank him, yell at him (because we're not perfect, either), discuss with him, and worry over him. But at the end of the day, we smile.

"No, Mommy. Don't take my picture."

"I said DON'T TAKE MY PICTURE!!!"

When Caleb started acting like a two-year-old, it really threw us for a loop. Jon and I didn't know how to handle this willful being, and I was afraid the terrible twos would cure me of ever wanting any more children. However, we've gotten into the groove of things and learned a little about how Caleb ticks at this age. When he's angry and glaring at Jon, Jon will say, "That's a good angry face! Now show me a happy face." And Caleb would beam, all anger forgotten. And of course, instead of saying, "No more movies" we say, "Hey Caleb, let's go get your dinosaurs!" and we usually avoid a meltdown.

At some point I have to quit talking about my boy, so I'll end with this little clip of a conversation with Caleb:

Signs You Might Be a Seasoned Mom

2011-01-01T20:47:00.001-06:00

You might be a seasoned mom if:

You find yourself humming Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, Baker's man....all day long. (And hear your husband singing a Veggie Tales song to himself.)
A baby spits up on you and you don't run screaming into the bedroom to change clothes.
You refer to yourself in the third person.
Your alarm clock is a tiny human.
The idea of staying up 'til midnight to ring in the new year doesn't even occur to you.
You know the favorite hiding places in your house.
"Daytime TV" consists of Barney and other kids programs.
Your ears are trained to hear the tiniest cries.
A screaming child can make you smile.
You call others at 8am on a Saturday morning and wonder why they don't answer.
You instinctively place permanent markers, scissors, and valuable objects four feet off the ground or higher.
You understand the nuances of baby cries.

Please add to the list!

May the Force Be With You

2010-12-31T20:47:00.000-06:00

Here's James post-surgery, almost 4 months old (taken Dec 27, 2010). He's such a cutie!

4 Month Checkup

2010-12-29T15:34:00.000-06:00

James just had his four month checkup, and I'm happy to report that he has made it onto the growth charts!

He weighed in at 10lbs 8oz, which puts him at the 10th percentile. His length is 24inches, the 25th percentile. All the DermaBond has come off of his incision, and only a pink scar remains.

Everything looks good!

Here is our little man, pre-surgery, at 3 months and one week old.

As a comparison, here is little Caleb at six weeks old.

Home!

2010-12-20T19:24:00.000-06:00

We made it home today!

The chest x-ray yesterday showed that James no longer had much fluid on his lungs, and today's echo showed a big improvement in his heart function. So, as the doctors were explaining this to us, the moment came when they said, "I don't see any reason why we should keep James another day." That was a good moment!

We will be trying to get back in the swing of things over the next couple of days. We are OK with visitors, though the doctors told us that only healthy people should hold him, and only after washing really well. In fact, he told us to keep James secluded for the rest of the winter! We won't be able to wall him off for all that time, but we will be very safe with him.

So, please come by if you want and are feeling OK.

God bless you, just as He has blessed us!

Feeding the Boy

2010-12-19T16:20:00.000-06:00

I nursed Caleb for 14 months, so nursing James was a natural choice. However, it doesn't seem to be in the cards. At first, we started adding a half teaspoon of formula for every ounce of milk to add more calories. At that point I was still hopeful that we could nurse. But now we've added a thickener, which dilutes the milk, and more formula in to counteract the dilution. At this point, only about a third of the milk James drinks is actually breast milk! So the bad news is that it's a hassle trying to get a bottle together. We may start making milk in 24-hour batches. The good news is that there's no worry at this point of my milk supply getting too low. Of the 24 ounces of milk that James is supposed to drink, only about 8 of those ounces are mama-made!

Not much has happened since our last update. For everyone checking the blog multiple times a day, I'm sorry to disappoint you! We're just waiting at this point. Since my mom is taking her laptop, and Jon's is being dumb and not letting us log in to post, we may not be able to post again until we're home.

Today's update

2010-12-19T13:26:00.000-06:00

The weekend is much slower around here, but just because it's Sunday doesn't mean nothing's been done. James had another x-ray this morning, and it showed that the fluid around his lungs is clearing nicely, even with the decreased diuretics. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks he'll be off that medicine completely.

The other medicines he's taking include something to help his heart function and something to help his low thyroid numbers (hypothyroidism is common with DS, and we found out James had it with the pre-op bloodwork). His low heart function is common after heart surgery, but his is a little lower than expected, so the drs have been watching it. They want to give it a little time, which is why it seems as though we're just waiting around at the moment. The nurses brings his meds--which we administer (the oral ones, at least)--and we are in charge of feedings, bathing, and diaper changes. Hopefully Monday's echocardiogram will tell us that his heart function is back to normal, and we can head home!

We've heard a few estimates for our home-going, and none have been later than Tuesday. I can't believe we'll be home for Christmas! I suppose something could still happen, but so far things are going well.

For that reason, my mom is heading home today. My dad came up for the weekend, so they'll head home together and then be on their "Christmas tour" to see all the family. Jon went home last night to check on things, and he's headed back up today. Then it'll just be he and I in charge of our little bundle. Caleb is still with Nana and Grandad and loving it, but I miss him. It'll be good to have our family all together again soon.

The swallow test

2010-12-17T17:10:00.000-06:00

The swallow test was pretty neat. It was a continuous x-ray of James's throat as he swallowed liquids of different consistencies. We found out that he does aspirate some of his food (meaning it goes into his lungs) even though he doesn't cough or show other signs of it most of the time. The liquid just kind of swishes around his mouth and even a little into his nasal passages; it doesn't clear very well. It went much better with the thicker liquid, so we will start adding "honey" into his milk. It's not really honey, but looks like clear hair gel, and is about that same consistency. As he grows, we'll add the thickener to any other liquids (medicines, juice, etc.), and add extra rice cereal into his foods so they're nice and thick. The swallow test will be re-conducted at about a year of age to see how he's doing. Because he doesn't clear his passages very well when he eats, we have to be sure and feed him upright and then we give him a paci to encourage a few "dry swallows" during feeding, so he'll swallow it all down. We were also given some methods of massaging James's cheeks that should help improve his muscle tone there, which will improve his ability to keep a good suction on a bottle.

His feeding is getting more complicated, but hopefully it will encourage him to eat!

We're still on track for leaving on Tuesday, though the wait is mainly for the purpose of getting James off antibiotics and making sure there is no more fever. Hopefully that means that things will be a little slower. Jon and I both got to rest a little today, so that has been nice. Maybe I can finally get to that knitting....

Word from the Doctor

2010-12-17T12:50:00.000-06:00

We just heard from Dr. V, who has been overseeing James through this process of healing. His echo and chest x-ray revealed a slight decrease in heart function (it isn't squeezing as hard). So, he will be getting a new medicine to help his heart pump harder. This isn't abnormal, so no one is really worried about it. Otherwise, the echo showed that the VSD hole was completely closed - he literally no longer has a heart murmur!

Dr. V is also concerned about that little spike in temperature James had overnight. So, we will be giving him his tylenol only as needed instead of every 6 hours, since that can mask a fever. As it turns out, James has already been off of that for several hours and had no fever, so that probably isn't a problem. Even so, blood that was drawn yesterday for cultures to see if James has any infections will be monitored for 48 more hours.

All this means that James will be here until Tuesday, at least. (noon Sunday for the cultures, then the last of his IVs out, and 1 more day to make sure of everything) That isn't as early as we had hoped, but it is way earlier than it could be!

Friday morning...

2010-12-17T10:53:00.000-06:00

Good morning!

We had a little rougher night than we've had before on this hospital stay. James is good, but Lydia and I slept a lot less. Now that James is out of the Cardio-Vascular ICU and in a more normal room, we get to handle most of his care - feedings, diapers, sponge bathes, etc. This is fine and good, but the hospital wants us on a round-the-clock feeding schedule instead of the one we are all used to (ie - sleeping through the night). So, we got James up every 3 hours through the night to eat. He didn't eat nearly as well, but I think that is more due to him wanting to sleep than anything wrong. We did take turns, with Jon (me) handling the 11pm and 5am feedings and Lydia handling the true dead-of-night feeding at 2am. Otherwise, since reaching a more normal awake time, James has eaten perfectly.

We have had a busy morning. James had an echo and chest x-rays done to check to make sure everything is working like it should. I don't expect anything negative to come of this, but they haven't told us one way or the other yet. Of course, the techs who did the tests could tell us, but they aren't allowed to. Oh well!

Later today, at noon, we have to stop feeding James in order to prepare him for a swallow study. Many Down Syndrome kids have difficulty swallowing, and James has sometimes choked a little on his milk. So, we are going to do the test to see if he needs to have his liquids thickened. If he does, this could also help speed up his feedings, as he won't feel choked as he eats and will probably want to continue eating longer at each meal. The study will also help us justify to the insurance people the cost of the thickener, which is apparently not cheap! Is anything cheap?

One minor bump in the road occurred last night. James had a fever again (101). This is due to the nurse forgetting his pain medicine for several hours. I doubt that he would have had this problem, otherwise.

I think that is all for now. Please continue to pray. We love you all.

And to All a Good Night...

2010-12-16T20:50:00.000-06:00

OK, so James is doing extremely well. He's free of nearly all his medicines, his fever is under control, and he is eating very well. In fact, he is continuing to eat fast (for him). You probably won't understand how excited this makes us - his normal feeding has been 45-60 minutes long for 3 or so ounces, but these feedings are 12-15 minutes for the same amount. This translates into 3+ hours of time gained back in our day!

Otherwise, we are really getting excited about the possibility of heading home with him much earlier than we had expected. It seems very possible that this will happen on Saturday! That would be awesome!

In other news, as we've been in the waiting room here, we've been blessed to get to know several other families. Many are facing far more difficult situations than we have with James. Currently, we are sharing a room with baby Reagan. Please pray for her and her family. She has her arteries switched so that she has 2 vascular systems - one circulates blood to the lungs and back to the heart in a circle and another that does the same thing with her body. The only thing that has allowed her to live at all is that she also has holes in her heart allowing a small amount of oxygenated blood to cross over to the body. She has already been through 1 surgery and will have another next week. Please remember these other families as you pray for James.

Well, we are about to settle in for our first night apart. Lydia will be in the room with James, while I get to stay in the waiting room. This is a blessing for Lydia (and not because she gets rid of me!). Even so, we can't wait to get home with our little boy!

Good night!

Update!

2010-12-16T12:40:00.000-06:00

I've somehow managed to not give everyone an update last night, and I'm sorry about that! Things happen so quickly around here, let's see if I can remember it all.

Yesterday, everyone got to hold James to feed him. I was the last one to get the chance. I can't tell you how GOOD it felt to hold my little baby. I couldn't stop smiling.

I'm going to skip to the big news, and that is that we are out of ICU!! James no longer has a chest tube, and the only lines he has going in him is one arterial line for putting meds in, and one line in his hand just in case--a hep lock like the one I had during labor/delivery.

During a feeding in the night, James starting choking and sputtering a bit. It's pretty common with him, but to be honest we hadn't really worried about it. However, an Occupational Therapist came by this morning and gave us some thickener. He swollowed up 3oz of milk in 13 minutes flat! They will be conduction an official swallow study tomorrow to see if it's necessary to keep using the thickener.

And here's some crazy news: the OT wanted to make sure the test happened tomorrow--to get it done before we head home. Ack! I just can't believe it! That does NOT necessarily mean we're going home in two days, but there has been a lot of talk about getting him ready to head home. In general, his heart is doing very well. The doctor's two concerns before sending us home are 1) swallowing, which we will address with the OT tomorrow, and 2) fever. James has had a consistent fever since surgery, which is not abnormal, but it has continued to persist. James has been treated with Tylenol with codeine for pain, but evidently that doesn't give him a full dose of Tylenol (which would help the fever). So they pulled that med and gave him plain Tylenol. That was at the feeding when he spit up some, so he didn't get a really good dose of Tylenol until the morning. Though they haven't taken his temp since then, he's finally fallen into a good, good sleep--his first post-surgery. It's so good to see him sleeping soundly and looking comfortable.

That's it for now. More later! Thank you for your prayers!

Update from Rounds

2010-12-15T13:06:00.000-06:00

The doctors just did their rounds, and let me tell you, it's a little bit mystifying why 6 people file into the room, one takes James's blood pressure, listens to his heart, and tells us he's fine. Then he answers any questions we have, and they all file out. I'm sure there's a purpose for those other members of the entourage, but I can't help but wonder how much they're charging for that little parade.

James ate about an ounce of milk. He had seemed a lot hungrier than that, but I guess he's still sleepy from the morphine and the general healing process.

Speaking of morphine, the doctors will start stepping it down today, and by the end of the day he'll be on Tylenol with codeine. The morphine makes him sleepy and slows his breathing, so it will be good to have it off. But yikes, it kind of makes me shudder. I hope he won't feel any pain. I know the doctors and nurses are doing their best to prevent it.

James has a bit of a fever, which is normal after surgery. Right now the nurse is about to take out his catheter, his arterial line (which was monitoring his blood pressure and allowing a port for meds), and his rectal probe thermometer (James will appreciate that, I'm sure!). He no longer has the oxygen line under his nose. They're expecting to pull the chest tube out tomorrow (which pulled extra fluid out from the body cavity), as well as his lead lines for the external pace maker (those were a precaution which were never needed, praise the Lord!). He's slowly losing all these things attached to him, which is great!

9:00 and All's Well

2010-12-15T09:13:00.000-06:00

The night nurse was quite proactive! She hadn't been here long before she decided that James was struggling too much on the ventilator, so after consulting a doctor, she took it out! And guess what: his oxygen levels went up! He's doing well with just the little tube that goes under his nose, and this morning the nurse said they may even be able to take that off in a little while.

This nurse had her own specific way of doing things. All the tubes were lined up nicely around the bed, taped down to rolled-up blankets, anchored and secured with clamps, and James had a diaper on! (Since he hadn't had any food, and he has a catheter in, there isn't really any need for it, but she makes a policy of giving all her babies diapers.) I really appreciated all she did.

When I went in before shift change this morning, the nurse had also taken out James's NG tube (that was keeping fluids out of his stomach to prevent problems if he were put back on the ventilator), and he had taken 2 ounces of Pedialyte! The nurse was thinking that his next meal would be breast milk. Hooray!

My mom is in with James now. Jon and I had a pretty good night. Certainly not the best sleep we've had, but not the worst, either. It's very interesting how this waiting room turns into a home at night. The lights come on at 8am, at which point everyone cleans up their area, puts away the linens, and takes turns in the shower. There's coffee brewing, but we're heading to the cafeteria now.

Much love to all. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers!

By the way, I have knitted three rows of stitches. The skein of yarn is a jumbled mess (HOW am I supposed to find the end of the yarn??), but I think it's going well.

Update on James and Hospital Life

2010-12-14T17:37:00.000-06:00

James still has the ventilator on, which means he's still sedated. His oxygen level is 93.7% and it needs to be higher than that before they take him off the ventilator.

It's just the three of us here now: myself, Jon, and my mom. My mom will be headed to a motel for the night, since only 2 adults are allowed to stay in the waiting room thru the night. We'll use that motel as our resting place if one of us needs to get away and get some sleep or a nice shower. The waiting room is equipped with chairs that pull out into beds, and a shower, so Jon and I will be camping out here. There are snacks that people donate, toiletries, and even laundry detergent to use with the washing machines when it's time to do laundry.

The hospital has a "pumping room" for nursing moms. It's in the NICU and has curtains partitioning off four areas of a room. The hospital provides the pump and the accessories, and there is a bin of sterile bottles in every pumping area, as well as books and CDs. Once I'm finished pumping, I put the bottles in a box labeled with James's name, lock it with a padlock, and put it in a large glass-front fridge. There are bottles of water there for the moms to take. The nurses then will freeze the milk every day. When James is ready to take milk, the nurses will thaw out enough for a day's worth of feeding, and will provide it to the CVICU. At first they'll give James the milk thru a tube that goes directly to his intestines, and just enough to jump start his digestive system once again.

This is my first time since getting here this morning that I've just been sitting. Maybe it's time for me to bust out my knitting needles and see if I can make heads or tails of my new hobby!

Pictures

2010-12-14T13:23:00.000-06:00

Here is a link to the photos of the day and yesterday. I'm only including a link and not the actual slideshow because it does contain photos of little James with all his tubes. Jon got pretty white seeing the real thing, so don't feel bad if you don't want to see the photos. :)

We saw James!

2010-12-14T13:03:00.000-06:00

Jon and I (and now the rest of the people who've been in the waiting room with us) have seen James! He's sedated, so he only gave an occasional twitch or tongue movement. He's covered in wires and tubes. The best news is that I got to hear the solid "thump thump" of his heart! Yesterday his heart was giving a "whoosh whoosh" that I will never hear again! Praise the Lord.

I'll have pictures up soon. Thanks for your prayers!

Surgeon just visited

2010-12-14T11:56:00.000-06:00

Dr. I just stopped in to say that things are going well. James is all sewn up now. He'll be cleaned up and then headed to his room. We'll get to see him 20-30 minutes after that, once he's all settled in. Dr. I said the hole was very large, though it had mostly been covered by the valve. So we're excited to see what changes we see in him once he's recovered!

Update: As I was typing this, the nurse came back in and said James is in his room. He is doing well, and didn't need any transfusions. He's still on the ventilator, which means he will still be sedated when we go see him. I'm not looking forward to how pitiful he will be, but I'm ready to see my baby boy!

The hole is patched!

2010-12-14T11:14:00.000-06:00

The nurse just came in...

This is my (Lydia's) first time to update since surgery started. Has anyone mentioned how huge the nurse is? His name is Mike, and he's a giant.

Back to business...

We just received the leftover bit of Gore-Tex that was used to patch up James's hole. There is a small circle cut out of the bit, about the size of a dime. Which, when you think about it, a dime-sized hole in an egg-sized heart...that's a pretty big hole.

The doctor also sutured up a small hole between the atriums. This hole had been mentioned at our very first visit, but the dr. then had said that it was common to most babies, and nothing to worry about. I guess the surgeon decided to just take care of it, and that's fine with me!

James's heart is now beating on it's own! The next stage is to add in lines for a temporary pacemaker, put in chest tubes (to get any drainage out of the chest cavity), and then sew him all back up. The nurse will be back in an hour for any other updates.

Repairing...

2010-12-14T10:05:00.000-06:00

OK, our nurse just checked in with us again to tell us that James is now on bypass and that the surgeon is working on patching up his heart.

About to start...

2010-12-14T09:06:00.000-06:00

The nurse just came in to tell us that James is asleep and now has all of the various IV lines in. They should be cutting open his chest right now, and then they will work on getting his heart on bypass. We'll hear more as things progress.

He's in

2010-12-14T07:37:00.000-06:00

The nurse and anesthesiologist just came and picked up James. We've been set up in a private waiting room. The nurse said it will take an hour to an hour and a half to get all the lines and tubes in. At that point the nurse will come out and let us know, then he'll come out every hour to give us updates.

James did very well without food this morning. He only had a small breakdown toward the end of waiting, but he settled when we started walking. He's a trooper!

Tomorrow...

2010-12-13T20:25:00.000-06:00

Well, we all spent this day at Arkansas Children's Hospital getting James checked out and learning all about the surgery he will be having tomorrow morning. It was a long day, but not too bad. What we learned didn't scare us too much, either.

So, please be praying for James tomorrow.

His surgery is set to start at 7am and run until sometime around noon. The first hour will consist of getting him to sleep and plugging in lots of different IV lines and breathing tubes. After all of that, the doctors will get him on the heart/lung machine so they can bypass his heart and get it still to work on it. They will administer some sort of high-potassium medicine to get the heart to stop beating. They will cut into the right atrium and put in a patch made of Gore-Tex, fixing it to cover the hole between his two ventricles. After that is done, they will bring his heart back on and hook his blood vessels back up so that blood starts flowing through it like normal. Then, using a device lowered down his esophagus, they will take an echo-cardiogram to see if the blood is flowing correctly and the hole is fully closed. They told us that there is a chance that it won't be entirely closed and might need a little more work after the heart is brought back on-line. After that, he will be brought out of surgery and we will get to see him. He will likely be on a ventillator for the rest of tomorrow and overnight and in ICU for several days.

We will be using this blog to keep everyone up-to-date with how things are going with James. So, please check here often.

We love you all!

Surgery for my baby boy

2010-12-11T17:24:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry I haven't updated this blog enough over the past few months. Besides the picture posts I am trying to catch up on, I have had so many thoughts and updates about the boys. However, some things just don't get done, and when things get crazy, the blog is one of those things.

James has Down Syndrome. I mentioned that once, and at that point I hardly thought we'd need to mention it much more. His doctor declared him a healthy baby with no problems other than this extra chromosome floating around. However, during the first few weeks of James's life, we struggled to get him to eat, and I believe we really fought for his life. Our doctor was still sure that things would work out just fine as long as we kept doing what we were doing, but we were struggling to get even a milliliter of milk in him, at a time when he should have been taking in hundreds of milliliters. I breastfed him almost exclusively for the first week, until a weigh-in before and after a feeding revealed that he wasn't taking in any milk. At all.

When I think back on that week and realize that he hadn't been getting any kind of food, I shudder. And I thank God for a friend, Kathy, who recognized that James was in trouble. She used to be a neonatal nurse at the hospital, and she supplied me with preemie bottles and nipples, a scale, a daily check-in, and a wealth of information about how to best help James conserve his energy. He slept most of the time, never cried, and was a very lethargic baby.

Slowly...slowly...James gained weight. Our doctor felt that all was going well, and even began to doubt that James had Down Syndrome. However, we finally received the chromosome test that confirmed he indeed had DS, and our doctor referred us to a pediatrician in town (there are very few pediatricians here, so most people take their kids to a family dr.).

Our new doctor, Dr. R, is known for being pretty brusque. Very thorough, but no bedside manner. He came into the room with confidence, and began to examine little James. In the silence, Jon remarked how grateful we were that James's heart was healthy, which is uncommon among Down Syndrome kids. Dr. R looked up sharply.

"Oh James has a heart murmur. A pretty loud one."

Those words confirmed our fears. James's sleepiness, his struggle to gain weight, his hard breathing--we didn't know if that was just a typical DS baby, or if there was something more wrong. A heart murmur made sense.

We were at the Children's Hospital in Little Rock the next day.

Children's confirmed a hole in James's heart, called VSD. The hole was causing some of the chambers of his heart to have high pressure, some to have low. One of his valves wasn't closing correctly because of the hole. There was fluid building in the tissues of his lungs. His heart was working as if he were running all the time. We were sent home with diuretics and formula to add into the breastmilk.

The change in James was dramatic. We began celebrating ounce after ounce of weight gain, and then half pound after half pound. He was awake more often, and then he began to kick his legs, notice his surroundings, and even start to cry a little when he got hungry. However, his breathing was still labored and he was well below the weight he should be. The day before Thanksgiving--our most recent visit--confirmed that the hole was not closing up. The high pressure on his lungs would eventually cause long-term damage, and the aortic valve was starting to show signs of distortion. The doctor gave us strict orders to keep James away from any possibility of contracting RSV (which could land him in the hospital and cause severe damage), and he suggested we come back for surgery within 4-6 weeks. The nurse called the next week with a surgery date in two weeks. The 14th of December.

The past two weeks have been stressful. We've kept James away from infection as much as possible, learned about the surgery and the procedures surrounding it, and come to terms that our tiny baby boy was going to have open heart surgery.

Tomorrow we leave for Little Rock. Monday is a day of pre-op tests and talks with the doctors. Tuesday is the surgery. I'll do my best to keep you updated on this blog. I know so many people are praying for us. God is good, and has shown His provision for us in so many ways these last few months.

October Postings

2010-12-07T00:00:00.000-06:00

I've put up a lot of photos from October in several posts. Either scroll through the October posts, or click each of the following links individually:

Homecoming

Many faces of James

Baby wearing...baby

Pumpkin Patch

Playmat Time

Brothers

Visit with Sophie

Playing with Devin

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-05T22:29:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from the Norvells!

Shutterfly Cards

2010-12-01T13:49:00.000-06:00

So many new babies this year! Many of our friends have added to their families and will want to send photos to friends and family via a holiday card. Shutterfly is offering a huge selection of cards. Use their templates or design your own. Color schemes range from the traditional greens and reds to the more modern blacks, browns, teals, and sage. The card above is one of my favorites: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/classic-monogram-frame-christmas-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93491.
I love the classic "framed" look of this card. It could even be put in an actual frame and displayed! There are other selections which have multiple pictures so you can showcase each child or even your pets! Please go browse through the selections at www. shutterfly.com to see all the wonderful choices for cards this year. Checkout is simple at Shutterfly and delivery is quick.

Personally, I LOVE receiving photo cards from friends and family. I display them on my fridge as a daily reminder to pray for them and to stay in touch (perhaps more often than I am apt to do otherwise). So, I'll be waiting to receive YOUR holiday photo cards in the mail this month!

A tale of two births

2010-11-25T18:00:00.005-06:00

I suppose it might be time to tell you about James's birth. But perhaps I should do things in order and tell you Caleb's birth story first. The two stories are so different that a comparison would be interesting. Let's start from the point labor began....

Caleb: Monday night

I was four days overdue and on bedrest. I had walked, I had my ankles massaged, and I was even going to the chiropractor to try a little "alignment." Jon and I finally decided on one of the (ahem) more common techniques to start labor...and it seemed to work! That night, my contractions started. I stayed awake with a digital watch, timing and recording my contractions. Contractions were only minutes apart, but not painful at all.

James: Saturday night

I was just over 38 weeks pregnant. Following my doctor's recommendation, I had been using a breast pump when I could in order to get my dilation and effacement going before labor began. Pumping usually caused contractions, and this evening was no exception. I didn't worry about timing, and I went to bed. Contractions were very far apart, one every couple of hours.

Caleb: Tuesday

My mom showed up (she got pulled over for speeding and actually got to use the "my daughter is in labor" excuse) and walked me silly! We went everywhere! As long as I was walking, my contractions were regular, but any time I stopped, they stopped. I was so tired!

James: Sunday

Contractions continued to come slow and steady, one every couple of hours.

Caleb: Wednesday

Contractions had slowed, though I had stayed awake through the night with them. A sonogram revealed that my amniotic fluid was not replenishing itself, and I was instructed to head to the hospital for induction. I was scared: it was the first time I'd ever been admitted to a hospital! And it was odd walking in to Labor and Delivery with absolutely no signs of being in labor. Even my belly wasn't the typical, overdue, about-to-pop belly the nurses would have expected. Despite our instructions to get to the hospital by 3pm, we weren't actually checked until until well after that, and didn't start the induction process until 8pm. We started with Cervadil, which caused Caleb's heart rate to become very erratic. So that was pulled, but I continued with natural contractions for the rest of the night. Thus began the constant worry over Caleb's heart rate, and another sleepless night.

James: Monday

Contractions continued at a steady pace, and picked up slowly. One hour apart in the morning, a half-hour apart by lunch, and ten minutes apart by mid-afternoon. I still did not track them or write them down, and took a nap instead! I remember how tired I'd been the first time, and didn't want to repeat that mistake. When Jon got home from a lunch meeting, his eyes bugged out when I told him how close the contractions were coming. He had already sneakily had my mom call that morning so I could tell her to come, but I had told her that things were going slowly and not to worry about it. This time, though, we decided it was time to let my mom know to come on. Contractions continued every 10 minutes. I headed to my ladies' Bunko group that night just like normal, and told my friend Debbie (who was to watch Caleb when we went to the hospital) that it would be a quiet night, and I'd probably see her the next day.

Caleb: Thursday (Thanksgiving Day!)

After a night of contractions, I was devastated to find out that we had made no progress. I cried. I was so tired. The nurses started the pitocin. The whole family was there for Thanksgiving (though we'd pushed the big meal to Friday), and Karen D became my super-great birthing coach. Everyone kind of went in shifts, but she talked me through the worst of the contractions. They started coming in wave after wave. I couldn't refocus after one contraction to prepare for the next. And yet, despite the pain, I was drifting into sleep at any break. Finally I decided on the epidural. My choice going into the hospital had been to have an all-natural birth unless it became so painful that I wasn't aware of what was going on. That moment had come, and I was never so happy to see a dr. as when I saw that anesthesiologist. At that point I was dilated to 6cm. Throughout the whole day there was constant worry about Caleb's heart rate. I was given an oxygen mask.

At 9:15 it was time to push. My Dr. showed up (she was the on-call dr for the holiday, and came and went all through the day) and away we went. I was surprised that the dr. laid me pretty flat on my back--something I'd read was a big no-no, but there really was no other option when my legs had no feeling in them. I started pushing, but I didn't feel like I was pushing hard enough. Everyone had their eyes on the monitor as we watched the rise and fall of contractions. For some reason I could feel a slight pressure at each contraction, so I at least had an idea of when they were coming. Then I heard a nurse say, "We've got mec." Meconium was coming out with the amniotic fluid, a sign that the baby was in distress. Things ratcheted into high gear, I was given the epesiotomy of all epesiotomies, and Dr. K used a vacuum to get Caleb out. 9:32pm and he was born!

He was whisked away to the "french fry warmer" where a neonatal specialist was there to check him out. We had concerns that he would have a cleft palate, so my first thought was not to count his fingers and toes, but to look at his mouth. The room was packed with the normal drs and nurses, but also the NICU drs and nurses. Caleb was declared healthy, and I said aloud, "Oh Jon, he IS cute!" because honestly--well, Jon and I are so different from each other, that some combinations of our features could come out pretty wonky.

By the time the nurses had done everything, the dr has sewn me back up, and Jon and I had our quiet alone time with our firstborn, my mom was knocking on the door: "Um, it's 11:00 at night, and some of us would like to see the baby and go to bed." Will do! The whole family piled in, we took pictures galore, and thus ended Thursday. That night would be another sleepless night as we learned our little newborn.

James: Tuesday

I didn't sleep much that night, and about 3am I sat up in bed. I'd been having contractions for awhile now. I really didn't want to go to the hospital early like last time. And yet...there was such security in having someone else take over. As I sat there in the quiet, I wished my water would break so I'd have a real reason to go to the hospital. Jon asked me about my contractions, and I told him calmly that they were about 5 minutes apart now. Which, technically, was when the dr. had wanted us to check into the hospital, but the contractions were so painless that there was no way I was ready to go to the hospital. We talked it over for a bit and decided that we would start getting ready to go, but we'd take our time and see how things went. We both took showers and finished putting things in bags. My mom woke up and figured something was up, so she started getting ready without our even talking to her. I texted Debbie to let her know that it was time.

When Debbie arrived around 4am, all our things were ready to go to the hospital. Our bags were packed, and most of it was in the van already. But...it just didn't seem like it was time. I was desperately trying to avoid what had happened with Caleb's birth, and I didn't want to get to the hospital only dilated to a 2. I wanted to avoid Pitocin if at all possible, and getting there early could cause the dr to get impatient and opt for Pitocin. So we waited. I kept an eye on the clock. A little before 5, I was finally hit with a contraction that took my breath away. Without a word of discussion, we all gathered the final things and headed to the van. By 5:15 we were in Labor and Delivery. When I walked into the hospital room, tears sprang to my eyes. Tears of relief. I had felt the burden of "going it alone" and was glad to hand the monitoring and expertise over to the nurses and dr. By 6am I was checked in and found out I was dilated to 7cm. SEVEN. Then the tears flowed for real. I'd done it! I stayed home until I really needed to come. I couldn't believe it. And I couldn't believe how (relatively) painless the contractions were. They came every 5 to 10 minutes, which gave me plenty of time to recover, even if they were painful. Jon was my strong man, letting me hang on to him as I made it through each contraction.

I started walking. And walking. And walking. I was thankful for no IVs or poles to carry around. I'd go back to the room to rest and get hooked up to the monitor to see how James's heart rate was doing. Every time I rested, my contractions slowed, so I'd pull myself up again and we'd walk some more. Slowly I dilated. When I got to 9cm, I decided I couldn't do it any more. I wanted to lay down, let my contractions settle a bit, take a nap, and then I'd be ready. The nurse said that it was when a mother feels like she can't do it any more is when it's getting close to time. When the doctor heard my grand idea, she smiled and said, "You can do that, but that baby will still be in there. Or you can have this baby now." Fine...the nurse hooked me up to a wireless monitor so she could watch my contractions while I walked. The monitor base was set up in a different room than mine, so we could no longer watch the endless trail of humps across the page. The nurse said I could not go to the bathroom any more, and to let her know immediately when I had the urge to push. The doctor couldn't believe that I was still talking and smiling between contractions. I couldn't either, really. Compared to the first time I did this, it was hard to believe I was so far along!

As I was leaning on Jon through a contraction, he suggested I squat a little...to assume the position, so to speak. When I did that, I had the oddest feeling of needing to go to the bathroom. I stood up quickly and we called for the nurse. She checked me out, and I was almost to a 10. She suggested I lay down on the bed and give a very small push to see if she could clear the last bit away. A group of student nurses and a med student file into the room (I'd asked if they wanted to join us for the big moment). The head nurse explained that this was an unusual occurrence. This woman, she said with dramatic effect, is doing it all natural. No drugs. Then she turned to me.

One. small. push.

Oh my gosh. Holy cow. I have to push. Right now. I mean really push. PUSH. PUSH!!!

The nurse started talking quickly. "Don't push any more. Let's call the dr and get her in here first. Stop pushing now. Let's wait for the doctor."

The nursing students gathered around, entreating me to do the impossible, to stop pushing this being out into the world that had occupied my body for 9 months.

I heard my mom at my side, "Push honey! Mothers have been having babies without doctors for years! Push!" I pushed.

I can't begin to describe to you the power that was behind those pushes. I yelled like an Amazon woman. And I really wanted the dr to show up. The nurses had me flat on my back, and I knew I didn't want to be there.

Suddenly I saw the eyes of my dr looking at me steadily. She calmly directed the nurses to resituate the bed so I was closer to a sitting position. She explained how I was to push. Between contractions I said, "What am I doing wrong? I just know I'm going to have black eyes from this crazy pushing!" She smiled and said, "Sorry honey, that's just part of it! You're doing fine."

Between contractions, all eyes were on me. With the monitor in another room, the nurses could only rely on me to know when contractions were coming and going.

The doctor said that there was too much pressure at the top of the cervix, and that I was about to have a nasty tear, so she gave me a small epesiotomy with a local anesthetic. And not too much longer after that--only 15 minutes or so of pushing--little James was born at 11:15am. Our tiny baby James who would change our lives just as Caleb had done.

Comparing the two birth stories, the second was by far the easier birth. I know there were several contributing factors, but I do believe that the natural birth was what helped the most. With no Pitocin, the contractions were much more manageable, which allowed me to go without the epidural, which allowed me to be in a more upright position and push harder than I thought possible. And okay, maybe the fact that James was only 5lbs 12oz helped, too. :) I don't regret my choices with the first birth--I can't change the fact that I had low amniotic fluid and needed to be induced--but I do hate the sick feeling I got just thinking about the whole event. I'm thankful that this second time around has left me with a much better taste in my mouth.

The rest of the story of Caleb's life is all through this blog. And James's stories will be added as time goes on!

Video of James Playing

2010-11-08T09:19:00.001-06:00

James is 10 weeks old. Today he's looking at toys and touching them...a big step! You'll also see him follow his brother with his eyes quite a bit, and the beginnings of a little smile! As for Caleb, you'll see just how much this little boy talks!

(Click on the picture to get sent to the video.)

Fall Fest Fun

2010-11-02T21:44:00.000-05:00

I approached Halloween like most holidays, and didn't give it much thought until the week prior to the big day. Even then it was only a thought. I thought I had a blue/white striped pair of overalls for Caleb, and I thought James would look cute as a football.

Hm. Think, think, think.

I thought about sewing a football pouch for my little man to fit into, but that seemed complicated, and I have yet to find the fabric store in our town. So I bought some brown fabric dye, hoping to figure something out.

My mom arrived on Saturday (the day before Halloween, mind you) with an engineer's cap for Caleb. Our first actual costume item!

Sunday afternoon I did not find the overalls I was thinking of, but did find some really great ones that worked perfectly. I dug out a red bandana for Caleb and found our old freshman Baylor line jerseys for Jon and I. Then I dyed a swaddle blanket brown and added some masking tape for laces.

I'm a fan of the homemade costume, so I was happy with the way these turned out. I think Caleb was super cute, James was my perfect little football, and it was low-stress and less than $10.

Our fall fest had a costume contest for each age group. We didn't win, but there we were!

Engineer Caleb taking a break for juice and a hot dog.

He wants his airplane to fly all the way up to the stars, he says!

Caleb and his fried John are working out a deal. Caleb came home with the pin-wheel, and John enjoyed dipping the pencil in bubbles. All were happy!

Peekaboo!

Blowing bubbles.

The youth helped carve this pumpkin, and we won first prize! There were only three entries, and the one not shown in the photo was very similar to the small one in the photo; they were carved by the same kid. I kind of felt bad taking away his prize money, but justified it by deciding to spend it on the youth.

Playing with Devin

2010-10-30T16:21:00.000-05:00

Devin is a pro at making box houses. The minute he stepped in the door of our house, he was ready to take Caleb outside to make a box house for him. Caleb was pretty happy about his house.

Decorating the house

Devin also made a tent inside. I love Caleb's expressions in these photos.

Visit with Sophie

2010-10-24T23:50:00.001-05:00

Holly and Sophie came to visit us! Caleb loved playing with his Fort Worth friend, and Sophie loved seeing Baby James.

First time in a bounce house. This was as far as he got.

Brothers

2010-10-22T23:32:00.000-05:00

Caleb: Yeah, I think I'll keep 'im.

James: *smirk*

Doin' a little jig....

James: Sheesh, is he always this loud?

James: He is???

James: That's it. I'm gettin' outta here.

James: Aw, he loves me.

James: And he thinks I'm funny...or is it funny lookin'?

Let's shake on it.

You think I'm funny lookin' too? It's the shoes, isn't it?

Because it couldn't be this handsome face!

Playmat Time

2010-10-20T23:16:00.000-05:00

A few pictures of our cutie pie enjoying his playtmat.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-16T23:27:00.004-05:00

We took the family to a pumpkin patch and met with Caleb's friend John (as well as our friends Zach and Beth). It was a beautiful day. Click the slideshow to see the larger photos.