How I Woke Up This Morning

Reed-Dad…dad…dad.

Dad doesn’t budge. I check the clock and see that it is 5:38 a.m.

Me-Reed go back to bed for a few more minutes.

R-I got to go potty.

Me-Well go potty and then go get back in your bed for a few more minutes.

Three or four minutes pass.

R-Mom.

Me-Yes?

R-I went potty.

Me-Ok, good…now go get back in your bed.

R-Well, I didn’t wipe my hiney very good.

Deep sigh as I rolled out of bed.

I love my children and do not want them growing up too fast, but I will be thankful when they can take care of that business on their own.

Hope this didn't gross you out.

Love to all,

Brittany

Two

Well gang...our Gaines is two.  I cannot even believe it.  The first year of his life seemed like it took 10 years (and probably took 10 years off my life) but this last one has gone by amazingly fast.  I'm starting to see him progress on a daily basis and the last several weeks and even months have been so good.  I'm not going to lie...I love that child with all my heart, but his first year was H.A.R.D. and there were times this year when I thought I was going to pull my hair out but it seems like now we might have turned a corner.  Don't get me wrong, he's two now and he has two year old fits and two year old power struggles but man...he is so enjoyable lately.  I hope that doesn't come out wrong.  Obviously I enjoy my children but the hard times with Gaines are fewer and fewer.  And I can't tell you how awesome that is.

He's gotten so "big" lately and so grown up.  I can't even really explain it.  He's just doing more grown up things.  He's been going to Gymboree this spring and is doing well there.  He's been eating better now that he's not on his appetite stimulant anymore.  He's also off his diuretics so maybe that's what it is.  Who knows?  At this point we are down to one medicine a day...well two I guess...Prevacid and Flovent (a puffer med so I don't really count it).  If things continue to go well we will start pushing for 4 hours off oxygen this weekend.  The 3 and 3 he's off now has also made such a huge difference.  Not having to haul around an oxygen tank anytime we leave the house is so nice.  I can't wait for it to be like that full time. 

Tomorrow Gaines get's assessed to see if he qualifies for Early Intervention speech therapy.  I feel pretty certain that he will.  He's making improvements but he is still behind in his speech.  I kind of think he'll end up getting it on his own...but if he qualifies for the therapy, I'll take any help he can get. 

Oh...you know how I've said before that I love seeing Gaines do things that Reed does or has done?  Well tonight Gaines was playing in the bathtub laying on his tummy...like Reed does all the time.  It just looked so "little boy playing in the tub". 

Anyway, we celebrated his birthday two weekends ago in Birmingham with Beau's side of the family and last weekend in Andalusia with mine...which was also Easter.  The pictures below are from the past weekend.

 In the swing at the Dream Park.

Loving life outside Saturday afternoon while Reed played in the sprinkler.

Not really loving life so much when the sprinkler hit him. Does it make me a bad mother that this picture makes me laugh?

Sweet brothers playing together.

Happy again.  These pictures don't even do him justice...he is such a beautiful child.

Cooling off with a Capri-Sun.

Sans cannula with Grandaddy (well my grandaddy, his great-grandaddy) at his birthday party.  I am loving seeing that whole face more and more.

Hunting eggs with cousin Sarah Anne.

My family with my grandmama.  I wish I'd gotten pictures with my other grandparents!

Cute little family of four.

Ok...this took a million years to put together.  I'm out for tonight.

Love to all,

Brittany

New Pictures

    Reed ready for his 1st Baseball Game.

                Gaines in the backseat with his shades on.

    Gaines didn't care for the Easter Egg Hunt, but loved the slide.

                                    Gaines and Beau

       Gaines chilling out in a rocking chair without his oxygen.

                                   Gaines Walking!!!

                 Brittany & Reed riding a camel at the Zoo.

                                        Reed and Beau

                         Brittany on the carousel at the Zoo.

Catching Up & Good News

Well I'm back.  Have you missed me?  It's just been so busy around here the last few weeks.  Looking back I can't really remember what all we've been up to...but take my word for it, we've had lots going on.  Since I last posted, Beau's been to DC and I've been to Chicago, Atlanta and Birmingham for work.  We've all been sick and this week we've been working on our taxes (nothing like waiting until the last minute!) and lots of other stuff that is slipping my mind.  I really wish that there was some way for me to think things and it end up on this blog without me having to type it all out.  There would be all kinds of profound and funny things on here.  Maybe one day. 

Anyway, I've got good news to report on Gaines.  He had a pulmonologist visit on Monday...well, let me go back and start by saying that he's been going off oxygen 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon for the last few weeks.  I am SO proud of him and let me tell you...it makes life SO much easier.  But back to the doctor visit...they think that he has now clinically past the point of his diuretics (meds that keep him from retaining fluid which make it harder for him to breathe) being effective.  Basically he's outgrown them.  He's done it at a snails pace, but at least he's done it. 

So, for the next two weeks we are to give him only one dose a day (as opposed to the two he's been getting).  After that, if he's not retaining fluid or working too hard to breathe, we can stop them all together.  Then, after that, we are to work on weaning him to the point of being off oxygen all waking hours.  Now, we won't know for a while if he'll be able to handle all this or how long it will take, but at least the doctors think we are to that point.  Once he's off all waking hours, we are to let them know so that they can set up a sleep study and see how he does at night.  I'm not sure what all that involves but I believe it will just mean a machine that will track him as he sleeps.  Once he passes that test, we are done with oxygen!  I cannot wait!

Now, once again...this is a  process and we don't know how quickly Gaines will be able to do it.  He has really bad lungs...but at least we are to the point of trying.  Can you tell that I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high?  The doctor did go ahead and schedule his next appointment in four months for the BPD (bronchio-pulmonary dysplasia...I think!) graduate clinic because they think he'll be totally off oxygen and a "graduate" by that point.  So, hopefully, we'll have an exciting and cordless summer.  Your prayers for a smooth and swift transition would be much appreciated.

In other exciting Gaines news...he's a walker!  I told y'all I just wanted him to be walking full time before his birthday (coming up in 10 days) and he is there.  His physical therapist actually released him yesterday.  It's been a pretty good week for the Gaineser. 

We are still working on the talking but I believe that its coming.  Its just going to take a little time.  He'll be evaluated soon by Early Intervention and I think they'll recommend speech therapy.  I don't know that he necessarily needs it...I think he'll get it eventually but, technically he's behind so I'm happy to have a little help with it.  I can't even begin to tell y'all what a blessing Early Intervention has been.  Free therapy that comes to your house.  And the two therapists we've had are good people who generally care about helping Gaines.  I mean, he's so cute that it would be hard not to want to help him but they really seem to care about his success. 

Reed is still doing well.  We thought he had chicken pox last week...he didn't.  It was just some sort of skin infection that kept him out of school for two days.  That's something we've been doing...trying to get our house healthy.  The same week Reed had his deal, Gaines had thrush and a viral throat infection and I had strep throat.  PS...I didn't know this but strep throat is more than a just sore throat...I felt like I had the flu for 3 days.  Not cool.  I ended up going to the doctor and getting a shot.  I'm not impressed.  I mean, yeah, my throat felt better the next day but my backside was sore for a week!  I don't know that it was a good trade. 

In other news...
-I painted my toenails an awful color of pink but I'm too lazy to change it right now.  So, if you see me out...just know that I know its bad. 
-Reed wasn't feeling good the other day and I asked him what was wrong.  He said, "I think I drank too much bath water".  At least he's listening! 
-When Beau checked on Gaines tonight, he found him with no pants or diaper on.  Just a little white hiney sticking up.  I'd like to say this is the first time but its becoming a regular occurrence when he's not in zip up pajamas.
-When I came home from work last Friday, I open the door and stepped in about an inch of water.  Reed had put too much toilet paper in there and it was pouring water.  The hardwood floors in my hallway are still drying out.  I really hope there is not permanent damage. 
-Beau got a new phone today and he's driving me crazy with it.  We do not need this much technology in our lives!  I tend to live by the mantra, just because you can, doesn't mean you should.  In all things really...I mean, this world is seriously getting out of control.  What happened to the simple things in life?  I won't even get started on that tonight but I could.  Maybe another day. 
-I do not love to fly.  Also, I do not love that Atlanta's airport now has a "smoking" section.  I don't care if you put up automatic doors, you can still smell it all the way down the concourse.
-Beau's birthday is tomorrow.  He'll be 32.  Happy Birthday Beau!  You are my best friend and I could not imagine life without you.  You are the best husband a girl could ever hope for and your boys love you as much as I do.

I think that's about it for tonight.  It's been a long day (it's been a long year!) and I'm worn out.

Love to all,

Brittany      

A Reed Post

Just some quick things that I wanted to write down about bath time and some things Reed has said lately:

The boys were in the bathtub together and of course, Gaines was trying to drink the bathwater. I again told him not to do it and he again didn’t listen. He got a little choked and started coughing and Reed says “That’s what happens, Gaines”. Pretty sure he’s heard that before.

Also, I wanted to walk you all through Reed’s end of bath time routine. All of this is every night. Gaines has long been out of the tub as Reed likes to stay in and play for about forever. Finally, he’ll decide to get out and will let the water drain but he stays in until all the water is drained. He lays on his stomach head toward the faucet and holds all the toys back from the drain like it’s his job. He yells at the toys, “Nobody wants to get lost!” Once all the water is gone and the threat of losing a toy is gone, he stands up and stomps his feet in the tub as he yells, “FEE, FIE, FOE, FUM…I AM A GIANT. A SCARY, SCARY GIANT”. Then he gets out and runs in his room were one of us wraps him in a towel. Now he’s a bird in an egg. He stays that way until he’s warm enough and then he starts cracking. “Crack, crack, crack, crack” until his towel is all the way off. Then he runs around his room “tweeting” and flapping his wings until he is forced to put on pajamas.

A few other quick things…a couple of them are a little gross.

-We were all in the car over the weekend and Gaines was acting a fool like he does sometimes and almost under his breath Reed says, “What are we going to do with that child?” He might have heard that one before too.

-He likes to call Gaines, “Gaineser Waineser”. I’ve caught myself doing it some too.

-He told Beau the other day that he (Reed) needed to go on a jog so that he could be helpful.

-I caught him picking his nose the other day and told him if he kept doing it, worms would grow in his tummy. He said, “Well, I like worms”. Beau looked at me and smirked.

-I was using bleach in the bathroom the other day to clean something and he was right behind me watching. I kept asking him to leave the room because I didn’t think he should be inhaling bleach fumes. I told him to go in the den because this stuff really stinks and he said, “I know…it smells really, really yucky. It is making the boogers fall out of my nose”. I can assure you, he did not pick up that on from me.

I think that’s about it for now. I just wanted to get a couple of those written down.

Love to all,

Brittany

I Did It!

I'm happy to report tonight that I am typing this blog instead of running.  For the past few weeks I've been training for a half-marathon which means I was running 3 nights a week with long runs on Saturday mornings.  The race was yesterday and I did it!  I haven't mentioned it on here before because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do it...but I did.  Now, yesterday I pretty much thought I was going to have to have orthoscopic surgery on my right knee even though I have no idea what orthoscopic surgery is...but I believe that I'm on the mend today.

So...that's where I've been.  Running and running and running...which doesn't leave much time for blogging.  Especially when you mix in all the work I had going on.  Anyway, I feel like I have a whole new life starting today.  The run was in Seaside so I took last Friday off and made a long weekend out of it.  We shared a house with my friend that I was running with and had a great weekend. 

The picture above was Reed and me after the run.  I gave him my medal and he said, "I love my medal mama.  Thank you for running so hard to get it."  Melt. My. Heart.

Gaines didn't make the trip as he decided he'd rather spend the weekend in Andalusia with my family.  He decided that by not being able to ride in the car for an extended period of time without acting absolutely ridiculous.  That said, the last two times in the car he's been an angel so maybe he learned himself a little lesson. 

Anyway, the Gainser is still doing well.  He's walking more and more which is great and he's been pretty sweet lately.  He loves to say "bravo" these days.  Like, a song will come on tv and when it goes off, he'll clap and say "bravo".  Also he gives himself a "bravo" when he does something good like walk across the room.  Also, he likes to jam out in the backseat from time to time.  On the way to Andalusia the other day the song Lean On Me came on and you would have thought he was at his own private concert with all the swaying and clapping that was going on. 

Just because you never get Beau and Brittany pictures on here. 

Reed's been good too.  He had so much fun at the beach...except for the part where he fell down a flight of stairs. That was probably the only low point in a great weekend for him.  He does have a little bit of a black eye but it matches the scar on that eye that he got at Christmas.  I love the beach and I was so glad to see that he does to.  I'm not so sure that Gaines will love it.  I just don't see him and sand mixing. 

Anyway, a quick story about Reed.  He and I were on the way home last week and we had this conversation:

R:  Mom, when we get home, you will go in the kitchen and fix me some lemonade.

Me: Umm...please?

R:  I will say please and sir on Friday.

Me:  No, you will say please and thank you and sir and mam everyday.

R:  That's not what I said.

Me:  Well, I appreciate your thoughts on the matter but that's the way its going to be.

R:  My thoughts are not on the matter.

Also, the other day Reed was trying to have a discussion with Beau about why he didn't need to put his shoes away and Beau asked him "Reed, are you supposed to tell your Daddy no?"  Reed huffed off to his room for a minute and Beau thought to himself...good, he's doing what I told him to.  Reed came back a few minutes later said, "Daddy, I'm sorry I disobeyed...Can I have a gummy bear?"

That boy know how to work us. 

Anyway, that's it for tonight.  I'm still tired from the weekend.  Thanks for sticking with me.  Here's a couple of recent pictures.

Love to all,

Brittany

Pictures from the Weekend



Hello World!

Hello world. Yes, we are still alive and I do promise to quit starting off every blog post by apologizing and offering lame excuses for my absence…but not today. I’ve been busy! My work has been crazy busy but seems to have settled down some now. A whole week in the office feels like such a luxury. Anyway, I’ve been working away at work and then coming home and working away there (two small children, a husband, dog and house to keep semi-sanitary is not easy) and then running 3 out of 5 nights a week so, by the time all of that is done…I crash. It was so bad that I’d stop in the middle of the day and figure out how many hours until I could get in the bed again.

Anyway, I have lots to report. Item one…Gaines can WALK. Yes, as in the baby that might not walk or might walk funny, can walk across the room. Hallelujah, Praise the Lord! Now, he is by no means a walker and still much prefers to crawl to get around but knowing that he CAN do it, makes my heart so happy. I feel like at this point (and the therapist agrees) that he just needs to keep it up and get stronger and stronger. I hope to report by his birthday in 2 months that he is a walker. Prayers appreciated.

Item two…Gaines can say mama. Yep. He’s 22 months old and FINALLY says mama. I was starting to worry that he physically couldn’t make the M sound, but he can. I came home from being out of town for a couple of days and Beau told me about it. He “forgot” to call me the second that he said it but I won’t hold it against him. Now, another disclaimer, right now he just repeats the word as in, he doesn’t use the word “mama” in reference to the person who spent 6 weeks laying in a hospital bed, 4 months in a city 1200 miles away from everything she knew, countless hours at his bedside praying and watching and hoping; thousands of dollars living in a foreign city, paying for a nanny, medicines and doctors appointments; hundreds of days cleaning up the effects of his reflux, countless wet cat wrestling matches while trying to feed his tiny self, doing leg stretches after leg stretches after leg stretches and about 22 months worrying about how he’s going to turn out…but that’s ok…we’ll get there.

Gaines gained a pound in a month. That is AWESOME. Let’s hope he hold onto it.

I guess those are Gaines’ three biggies.

Reed is into Toy Story big time these days. He got Toy Story 1, 2 and 3 for Christmas and I don’t know that a day goes by that he doesn’t watch one of them. That’s not exactly true but he does love them. I broke down and got him his very own Buzz Lightyear “Actubater” (or and you and I know it, Action Figure). I’ve never seen such joy on the child’s face.  Such a sweet boy. 

Other items of interest:

-I currently rank 3 in Reed’s list of favorite girls. I’m behind two little girls in his class. Not too bad.

-I still have to remind both of my children on a nightly basis (multiple times a night) that we do not drink the bath water.

-Jack is getting very close to being free to a good home. It seems he has forgotten that is his house broken.

-If you put a little lotion in the palm of Gaines’ hand, he’ll freak out.

-I put lotion on Reed yesterday for the first time in a while and he told him he “felt fresh”.

-I have to put the toilet seat down if it’s up for Reed because it’s too loud if he slams it down (makes his ears bleed) and he’s afraid it will pinch him if he lowers it.

-Reed asked me to put the toilet seat down the other day so that he could “poop and frelax”. (That’s relax to you and me).

-When Gaines hides from you (a la peek a boo), he covers his ears.

-Gaines started Gymboree last week. He’s not really into the structured activities but loves to play there.

-Reed asked me the other day why his “sheeps” weren’t on the bed.

That’s going to have to be it for now but I promise to try and do better about updating.

Love to all,

Brittany

New Pictures of Gaines

Worn Slap Out

It's a bullet point kind of night.  My work has been crazy lately and I've been running a lot more at night and on Saturdays and I've just kind of hit a wall this week.  I am worn slap out.  So if you want to read the innerworkings of my mind, you'll just have to read the bullet points.  But thanks for reading!

-My boys are good.  Both of them.  If Gaines didn't have a canula attached to his face you'd never know he had health issues.  We've got permission to wean oxygen up to 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours at night.  I know that he can do 2 and 2 but really I haven't been pushing  him.  I'm focusing on fattening him up and I think him working to breathe burns more calories.  His appetite stimulant has been increased and we are starting to slowly see him eating more. 

-Yesterday we ordered a net type cage for Gaines' crib...to keep him in...because he is trying to climb out and is super close to making it. 

-I can't remember the last time I cooked dinner.  I'm pretty sure it was last week but I don't know what day ir was or what I made.  I usually cook every night (except Friday night...that's pizza night) so that's kind of weird. 

-Beau just made and brought me a hot chocolate...in a glass.  I so appreciate him doing that but it cracks me up drinking hot chocolate out of a glass.  It should be in a mug for those of you that may be confused.  I'm particular about my drinkware...and dinnerware for that matter.

-A Beau highlight, his sweatpants bit the dust this week and I'm thankful for that.  They are in a better place. 

-Gaines is still taking good steps.  He's getting stronger and stronger every day.  That boy is super sweet 80% of the time and pure attitude the other 20%. 

-I started watching Dallas (yes the 80's show) over the weekend and while I've only seen an episode and a half, I'm hooked! 

-I am all for couponing and support the people who do it, but please, if it is going to take you 5 transactions to make your purchases at CVS and the nice girl behind you only has two things in her hands, let her go in front of you.  I'm just saying.

-Oh, and I haven't been keeping up the blog so well because I worked so hard on that last post I did with multiple pictures and only got one little comment on it.  Its boring to type to silence. 

I'm out for tonight. I don't know if I've mentioned it or not but I'm really tired.  Peace out.

Love to all,

Brittany

The Latest

I'm back.  In my mind I've got lots to say...lets see if I can remember any of it.  I'll try and add some pictures too.  I got a new camera for Christmas that I've been practicing with so maybe the pictures will be better.  I'm going to try and add them myself.  That will be a first.  Beau usually handles the technical stuff around here but I just learned to upload my own pictures to the computer so things are looking up for me.  I know that's crazy but I really did just learn. 

Let's see...we had a good Christmas.  Lots of traveling and Gaines was not super awesome but still a good Christmas.  We left Wednesday after work and headed to Birmingham for 2 non-stop days.  Back home on Christmas Eve.  Santa excitement and a delicious breakfast Christmas morning before we headed to Andalusia for about 2 days.  We planned to stay until Monday morning but we decided Sunday evening that we needed to get Gaines back to reality ASAP.  Thank the Lord, he is back to normal now...a little better than normal actually.  He had 4 teeth coming in and they must have all broken through now because we've gone from non-stop whining and crying to a pleasant and lovable child again. 

See below for proof.  This was Gaines checking out what Santa brought him.  The second one cracks me up.

Beau's parents got Gaines a Cozy Coupe for Christmas and Gaines was a big fan.  This is him trying to get in as it was being put together.  This was actually a couple of days before Christmas.

And this is him fighting with Reed during Reed's turn.  He was not really excited about sharing.  As you can see, he's little, but he holds his own.

All in all we had a great Christmas.  We got to see lots of family that were way too generous. 

Let's see...what else.  I went to the mall today.  I don't really get to our mall a lot but it's always interesting to people watch.  There are all kinds of folks in this world.  Sometimes I just don't know...

Oh, check out these pictures I took tonight.  Gaines actually has a little belly.  He never has a belly.  He's the only child I know with a six-pack so I was awfully proud of it.  We had pizza and he ate a good little dinner tonight.  I'm glad he's eating again because he barely ate anything last week with those teeth hurting him.

These are a few others from tonight.  I mean I've just gone picture crazy in this post!

He was going sans oxygen for the bath.  I am so ready to see that cannula free face all the time.  This picture reminds me, does everyone else have to tell their children to not drink the bath water 400 times a night?  Both of mine do it and it grosses me out!  Tonight Reed said, "But I'm thirsty".  Oh...well in that case...drink up. 

Ignore his pizza face.  He got a bath right after I took that.  Yesterday he sat all those tools in the kitchen and told me not to touch them because they were "bery danger-ous".  Also, I'm aware that he needs a haircut.  It's on the list.  Speaking of haircuts...I tried to fix a bad haircut Gaines got a few weeks ago and look what happened. 

I have no idea how I managed that but I have been banned from using scissors on or near the children or dog.

One last picture and a shout out to my mom.  (Beau makes fun of me when I say shout out but whatev).  Check out these stockings she cross-stitched for the boys.  She hopes I know that she "ruined her arm" doing it...but I so appreciate them.

Oh, and one real last thing.  Gaines has an appointment with his pulmonologist on Monday.  Prayers that he'll stay healthy, will fatten up and will get a good report would be much appreciated.  

Peace out and Happy New Year!

Brittany 

A Real Post

So its been awhile...I'm sorry!  We had Beau's side of the family here for Thanksgiving and then Christmas decorating, I had an out of town work event and then the computer got a virus...as my grandmother would say, its been first one thing and two.   

My boys have been good.  They drive me crazy and make my heart happy all in the same minute.  Gaines is still taking steps here and there but still no "real" walking.  I can see him getting stronger everyday and have a peace that the walking will come.  We haven't pushed the oxygen weaning lately since its winter and right now he's got a cold but I'm ok with it.  We'll have oxygen all winter so I don't see much of a reason to push it.  He unplugs himself on a regular basis and we just let him go for a while.  Knowing that he's ok for an hour or two makes life a little easier.  That and the fact that Reed knows how to untangle and reconnect Gaines again. 

Lately he gets into any cabinet that will open and feels the need to slam every door that he encounters.  He's pretty ok with the Christmas trees but I bet I've picked up all the rolls of paper towels 4000 times since Saturday morning.  Oh, he is saying "thank you" now so that's kind of nice. 

The appetite stimulant is not quite the answer to the eating problem that we'd hoped but I do think its helping.  That and a new attitude that I've taken of of not forcing him.  I would literally have to overpower him to get him to drink his cup every night and it turned into a battle of wills that would cause me to be angry with him every night.  I'm more relaxed about the eating these days and life is so much better.  He's not exactly burning up the weight charts but he wasn't before either so I don't feel like it hurts.  I'm hoping it will lead to him eating more food and depend less on the calorie loaded bottles. 

OH...I can't remember if I've mentioned this or not but Gaines is sleeping in his own room now and it makes all the difference in the world.  Our whole house is sleeping better. 

Reed's been pretty great lately too.  He's getting so excited for Christmas.  I bought the Polar Express movie for him right after Thanksgiving and I don't think he blinked the first time he watched it.  After it was over he said, "Mama, Santa will be here any minute".  I laughed and had to explain that it would be a few weeks.  I can't wait to see him this Christmas morning. 

I've been trying to explain to him all along that Christmas is really Jesus' birthday but its tough to get him to understand with Santa and snowmen everywhere.  Anyone with ideas on this...please pipe up. 

Speaking of Santa, a few days ago we were sitting at the dinner table and Reed was talking to Beau and said, "When I get-fat like Mama..."  I think Beau about choked on his drink he was laughing so hard.  After I picked my jaw up off the floor I said, "Reed!  Mama is not fat!"  He said, "Yes you are...you are-fat like Santa".  Completely serious.  I couldn't believe it.  Beau loved it. 

Also, we were in Home Depot over the weekend and some lady had her little Yorkie with her.  Reed saw it and said, "Look mama, a kitty!". 

Ok...I better run for now.  There is a piece (or eight) of fudge in the kitchen calling my name.  It's been freezing down here so I might have to have a cup of hot chocolate too.  Oh, here's a tip for you...McDonald's has great hot chocolate.  Just wanted you to know.  Peace out. 

Oh and there are a couple of new pictures below.

Love to all,

Brittany

Pictures of the Boys

Reed was Spiderman and Gaines was a turtle for Halloween.

We walked around the corner and Reed had pieces of toliet paper on the seat of the toilet like you would do at a public toilet...but this was the toilet in our house.  I guess Reed thinks we need to clean a little bit better.

The boys in front of the Christmass Tree.  We took a few pictures of Gaines with no canula...this was one of those pictures.

The Computer had a virus

Below is what Brittany intended to post just before Thanksgiving.  Then our computer got a virus.  Anyway, the post is below and we will update on Gaines in the next couple of days.


I’ve been thinking that I should do a things I’m thankful for post and last night I guess I dreamed about it or something but I did not sleep well and woke up with it on my mind several times so in an effort to get a better night’s sleep tonight, here goes…in no particular order.

I am thankful:

-for a God who loves me no matter how awful I am and who listens to and answers my prayers. Not always exactly in the manner or timeframe that I want them answered, but answered nonetheless.

-for people who I know and do not know that pray for my family. Those prayers have sustained us for the last 20 months or so and I fully believe are the reason that Gaines is doing so well.

-that Gaines was off oxygen for 2 hours the last couple of days. 2 down, 22 to go.

-that my concerns about Gaines are so drastically different now than they were this time last year. Last year I was so worried that he’d never hold his head up and now…his future looks SO much brighter. He’s almost walking, he says new words everyday, the oxygen weaning is going well, he is on track cognitively…God is so good. I mean, this is a child that almost didn’t make it and he is doing SO well. I’d love to snap my fingers and “fix” him totally but watching this unfold makes me really appreciate the miracle.

-for Reed and the way he keeps me laughing. For the times that he wakes up hungry at 3 am because he didn’t eat his dinner and upon being sent back to bed says, “Will you sleep with me, mama?” For waking me up to fix his breakfast by playing his guitar in the dining room. For being so easy. For just being a precious, precious child 98% of the time.

-for Gaines and his sweet hugs…and the progress he is making on listening and minding.

-for a husband who loves me and puts up with most of my craziness, who doesn’t mind emptying the dishwasher (which I despise), and who is such a great dad to my boys.

-for my little family and my extended family. I grew up surrounded by my extended family and really took it for granted. The older I get the more I realize how much work it takes to stay a family and I’m thankful that all the facets of mine really put forth the effort to make that happen.

-for good parents.

-for my sister.

-for in-laws that I love and enjoy. Not everyone has that. Now, I’m not saying they don’t drive me crazy from time to time but so does the family I was raised with so I consider myself lucky.

-for my house. It will forever be a work in progress (and has been on hiatus since Gaines) but it keeps my little family safe and warm and dry. In a time of foreclosures on every street I feel blessed to have a little piece of this earth to create a home.

-for Jack. He’s pushing his luck these days but he makes me happy and he loves my boys…most of the time.

-for diet wild cherry pepsi. Now, the last time I mentioned this tasty treat on here, my grocery store ran out of it. I don’t think enough people still read this blog to make a dent in the diet wild cherry supply in town but it was certainly annoying. Please leave me a 12 pack next time!

-for pewter fingernail polish because it keeps me cool.

-for my job that I really, really enjoy. It is so nice to enjoy what you do and to work for a great company.

-for Reed’s school and Ms. Kristin. Knowing that your children are safe and taken care of by people that love them is such a blessing.

-for friends…old ones that get me and new ones that are still figuring me out.

-for our pediatrician and our pastor. Two of the only people whose advice I would never question…and that is really saying something.

-for Target and Publix. I just love them. They make shopping such a pleasant experience.

-for my Saturday Publix runs with Reed. It slows me down a bit but I love him helping with my list and his “signing” the items in and out of the cart.

-for having the job of taking Reed to and from school every day. We have the most interesting conversations on those rides.

-for having the job of putting Gaines to bed. It’s the sweetest part of the day with him.

-for Gaines SLEEPING IN HIS OWN ROOM!!! It’s been a week now and our whole house sleeps so much better.

-for the buffalo chicken dip that we eat every Saturday in the fall.

-for rosemary mint shampoo.

-for my new hair straightener.

-for cheese puffs, chocolate pop-tarts, oatmeal cream pies and all the other junk we use to fatten Gaines up.

-for fall.

-for good sunglasses.

-for my favorite gap jeans.

-for the silver necklace that I found at the Ann Taylor outlet and wear every other day.

-for the opportunity to set a pretty table (although I was told by my husband “You are setting a table for 8 people to eat dinner at Brittany , not for a magazine cover”) and decorate for the holidays.

-for the rare occasions that I get to ride in the car by myself with the windows down and the music up.

-for windows that open (they didn’t always).

-for lights on dimmers that help hide the dust.

-for couch cushions that can go in the washing machine.

-for break and bake cookies.

I’m sure there is more but that should be good enough to help me sleep.

Peace, love and happy thanksgiving,

Brittany

Three Items

So, its not quite walking, but Gaines took two steps tonight!  I am SO excited.  I know it is just two steps but when you are told that walking could be a problem for your child, it is HUGE.  I don't want to get ahead of myself because we still have a long way to go but TWO STEPS!!  God is so good. 

Also, just a quick note on my Reed.  Tonight I was making a pound cake and I got the eggs out of the fridge without taking the carton out and Reed looked at me and asked, "Are there birds in there?" 

And...because I know you all have been on the edge of your seats.  I did paint my fingernails pewter(ish) and I'm pretty much twice as cool as I already was. 

More later.  Just wanted to share these three things.

Love to all,

Brittany   

An Hour Off Oxygen

Just a quick note to let y'all know that I took Gaines off oxygen for an hour this evening and he did it!  I'm so proud of him.  I just unplugged him and checked his sats every 5 minutes and he was above 95 everytime.  Yay for Gaines.  Well, let me clarify that, towards the end he'd be at like 93 but I'd hold him still for a minute and sing to him and he'd go to 95, 96, 97.  I think that counts.  It was probably my voice (its like angels) that pumped him back up...or more than likely, that he was actually still and we got a good reading. Either way, I"m pumped!  We'll try an hour each day for the next three days.  I'll keep you posted. 

Love to all,

Brittany

Random Tidbits

Well, I really don’t have too much to report. I’ve had a couple of sweet boys lately and we've just been sort of living and loving life.

Reed had a 3 year checkup this week. He seems to be in good health so that’s good news. Apparently when you turn 3 they like to get a urine sample (sorry for using the word urine so early in this post) and Beau says that Reed was not into going in a cup. This is the conversation that Beau relayed to me:


R-“Daddy, I not want to tee tee in a cup”
B-“I know buddy but just try”
R-“You go first”

No sample was produced.

I’m kind of thankful for that because you never really know how their little minds work and I didn’t want to catch him trying it at home.

In other news, we started Gaines on an appetite stimulant last night. I think it’s too early to tell if it’s working but I think he ate a little more today. Beau and I just decided we were tired of forcing Gaines to eat and getting him in trouble for wanting down at dinner or pushing his cup away. The child just simply isn’t hungry. I’m hoping this will help. We were having to physically overpower him to get cups into his mouth sometimes. He’d usually give in and take it but it was always a struggle. The good news in there is that he’s now totally on sippy cups and off of the bottle. FINALLY. It took a lot of tough love on that one but he’s doing it. He’s not stubborn at all, why do you ask?

Let’s see…what else?

-I’ve been running pretty steadily again so that makes it harder to keep this updated. My non-running nights are spent keeping the house together and running semi-smoothly.

-I noticed yesterday that Beau bought single roll toilet paper instead of double roll. I know it’s really not a big deal but it’s kind of been bothering me all day. The single rolls just run out twice as fast as the double which means people in my house leave empty toilet paper rolls on the holder twice as fast. I am apparently the only one in my house with the coordination and skill that it takes to handle that task. Sorry…got off track there.
-I have become a big fan of diet wild cherry pepsi. I went out on a limb and bought a whole 12 pack and Beau and I have been fighting over them. I had the last one today and I can’t wait to buy more. We will be drinking the diet mountain dews first though…we are not going to waste them.
-I love pumpkin spice candles during the fall. I believe fall is my favorite season.
-Lately, Gaines has been standing up in his high chair and saying “duh” (done). It’s pretty cute but I usually have to sit him back down and tell him that no, he’s not. He seems more and more little boy and less baby every day. He is the sweetest thing at night right before bed. So loving and sweet. I love it.
-Reed has had a hard time adjusting to wearing long pants and many mornings you will catch him trying to roll his jeans up into shorts. It looks really nice. Also, he pushes his shirt sleeves up to his armpits. Another good look.

-I'm super excited that the Pioneer Woman will be on Throwdown with Bobby Flay next week.  Way more excited than I should be. 

-I'm thinking of painting my fingernails pewter.  We'll see how that goes. 

-I think I might have a cookie addiction problem.  I eat them A LOT.  Like seriously a lot and its starting to become a problem.  In my mind, it doesn't matter what I eat if I'm running...wrong.

-I am not editing this post.  Deal with it.
I think that’s about it for now. Catch y’all next time.
Love to all,

Brittany

I'm Back

Well…after a brief hiatus…I’m back, and I have lots to report. Aren’t you lucky? This could get long.

I’ll skip all the excuses about my absence for the last couple of weeks and just dive right in…except, I have been really busy and whenever I had the rare opportunity to do my own thing, I just tried to rest. I was worn out but I think I’ve rested up this week and kind of feel like my life is back in order…or getting there. You know how sometimes you just are so busy that you don’t have time to think? I like to think about things and decide how I’m going to address them or what my plan for the day is going to be…stuff like that. I’ve taken this week to think and make lists and organize and I have miles to go (I always will) but now I feel a little more together. So much for no excuses…moving on…

I have health news to report about Gaines but I’ll get to that in a minute. First, my little Reed turned 3! I cannot believe that we’ve had him around for 3 years now. He is so much fun. He’s so smart and mostly sweet…a little rough. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love that child. He was my bright spot on the hard days with Gaines and he keeps me laughing everyday. I love talking to him on the way to and from school. From what I can tell he never learns anything and most of the time he had no idea what he had for lunch. I’ll always say, “What did you learn at school today, what did you do?” and he’ll say “I rode a motorcycle…but I didn’t ride a motorcycle”. Ooookay…not sure how to take that. Or “What did you have for lunch today?” “I don’t know”. At least I usually can get a straight answer on who he played with that day. One day he told me who he played with but then told on himself and said, “But me and Chase did not listen at Jungle Gems”. Made me laugh. I tell him all the time that he makes my heart happy.

Back to his birthday. We kind of made a weekend out of it. My mom came up and spent the weekend with us so Beau and I left Gaines with her Friday night and took Reed to the fair. We wanted to do something with just Reed and really, Gaines has no business being at the fair right now. Reed had so much fun. He didn’t ride any real rides but he did ride the horses that they had. Really he was much more interested in all of the farm animals. He played a game and won a sword that is about 2 ½ times his size and we ate delicious fair food. When we sat down to eat, Reed looked at me and said, “Mama, thank you for bringing me to the fair.” Beau said, “What about me, Reed?” I looked at Beau and said, “Thanks for coming with us!” He is so good about telling us thank you for taking him places and it makes me want to say, “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go baby.”

Oh, he also fed animals in the petting zoo and gave money to a monkey in exchange for a post card. You know how sometimes you use a sentence that you never thought you’d hear yourself say? It happened to me that night when I said, “Here Reed. Do you want to give this money to the monkey?” I thought to myself, what am I saying? We also hit the little circus that they had there…it was pretty cute. Reed was in awe.

On his actual birthday, we all got up and went to Chick-Fil-A for breakfast. After we ate, Reed and Gaines played on the play equipment and Beau and I smiled when we heard Reed say to Gaines “Come here little buddy”. Gaines was all up in that play equipment right behind Reed but he wouldn’t do the slide. Kind of strange for our little daredevil.

After that we went to the pumpkin patch and had a great time. I picked out a family pumpkin for us and we let Reed pick one for his room. He walked around for a good while looking for a “perfect pumpkin”. I’m pretty sure that by “perfect” he meant tiny because the one that he finally declared “perfect” was about the size of an orange. It didn’t even really have a stem. When he found it he said, “It’s perfect” and there was no convincing him otherwise.

We decided to do his birthday party on Sunday to avoid any football plans and it turned out great. My dad lined off our backyard like a football field and we had a football party. It was so cute. This is the conversation I had with Reed when he first saw the yard. Its so much funnier in his little exaggerated voice.

Me: What is this?

R: It looks like a swimming pool.

Me: I think it looks like a football field. I guess we’ll have to have a football party!  Who do you think did this?

R: I think my pop did it.

Me: Why do you think Pop did it?

R: Because he really, really likes football parties.

Well duh…I should have known.

Switching gears to the Gainser. He’s had a couple of appointments lately so I have lots to report. First, his

hernia follow-up appointment went great (and lasted about 5 minutes from parking lot back to parking lot…I need this doctor to give the others lessons). He is healing nicely and the hernia has not come back. Good to know because I really did not know that was a concern in the first place.

We also met with pulmonology that same day…and of course, Gaines had a cold. Might have had a little something to do with the hay on the hayride at the pumpkin patch but we cannot be sure so no one put me up for mother of the year just yet. Because of this cold, they couldn’t really see how well that I think he is doing but agreed that he seemed to be doing great. He has outgrown one diuretic and is very close on the other so we’ll probably lose those meds after the next appt in January. Blue Cross probably has that date circled on their calendar.

He’d gained some weight but not as much as I’d really like so we are working on that. They did tell me that once Gaines was completely over this cold, we could try little periods of time off of oxygen. Starting with one hour and working our way up to 3 hours twice a day. Now, before we all breakout into song, I am almost certain that they do not think Gaines is ready to handle this and they only through me this bone because I kind of teared up over being so tired of the oxygen at the appointment.

The nurse practitioner was telling me that we’d lose meds first and then oxygen, especially this time of year and I told her that the doctor told me we could do oxygen first. She asked if there was any particular reason I wanted to do that and I just flat out told her, “Well, honestly, having a baby on oxygen kind of sucks”. I don’t normally talk to medical personnel that way but are you kidding me? Why? She’s a very nice lady and didn’t mean to upset me at all and I know that she empathizes but when I teared up and she said, “I understand…”, I said, “No you don’t…unless you’ve had a child on oxygen, you do not understand”. We deal with it and are used to it and answer strangers questions and untangle Gaines 895 times a day and we manage but there will be no tears shed when they come take this oxygen away.

All that said, I’ve come to realize that this is not the end of the world (take a trip to a Children’s Hospital and try and feel sorry for yourself) and it will be over one day but in that particular moment I was just so frustrated! I wanted a great report and I got a fine one. I had already decided what I wanted to hear so anything less was a disappointment. I did come to learn that day that Gaines’ BPD (his lung condition) was categorized as “severe” (as opposed to mild and moderate) when he first saw this doctor and that generally those kids are on oxygen until they are 3 (they think Gaines will be off next spring at age 2) and some are still on ventilators at this point. Kind of made me thankful for a ¼ liter of oxygen.

We got a great developmental report this week too. He was evaluated this week and was found to only be delayed in his Gross Motor skills (walking, basically) and borderline delayed in Adaptive Skills (feeding himself). The feeding himself thing is only because we don’t really let him try much. Every single calorie he gets is so important that we don’t really take chances with missing his mouth. The good news…actually I think its great news, is that he showed no delays in Fine Motor, COGNITIVE (!), Communication and Social/Emotional development. On some of those things he tested within his adjusted age and some he tested for his actual age so that is great. Everyday he seems more and more “little boy” to me. I’ve started noticing him doing things that Reed used to do and to me it means NORMAL ! Normal kids do that!

Now, if we could just get him walking. Please keep walking and weight gain in your prayers. I can’t wait for Gaines to be running around with Reed. Visions of two little boys running around our backyard kept me going when I was on bed rest and in a really, really low place. I know that God has that in store for our family. I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that Gaines is doing this well because of your prayers. I’ve said it before, but Gaines was on his way out of this world and your prayers are the reason he’s here and doing so well. And that is the reason that while I might not do it everyday, I will keep this blog updated so that the people who prayed for Gaines can keep up with their miracle.

Ok…I’m out for now…I’ll try and be back soon because it takes way too much typing to catch-up!

Love to all,

Brittany