Weekend Wrap Up!

Kaden started saying, "Ba" today -or "Bah"!!! (Long a) He has said it over and over and over and will not add anything to it or attempt any other consonant/vowel combinations. It's just funny because it just came out of no where today. He also waves ALL the time now, claps his hands to pat- a cake or to say "YAY!". Kaden is also giving high five and screaming to hear his voice. REALLY SCREAMING, not that baby stuff. He also crossed his arms...it is precious!

We are GLAD to be WELL again. Oh, we were sick forever around here. 2 weeks! I am So glad to be normal again. I am still very tired, but I that is a new normal for me.

School is moving right along. We just finished the second six weeks on Friday, and now we are into the third six weeks tomorrow. One full work week and two days until Thanksgiving break! Hallelujah! Then, three work weeks until Christmas break! Can you tell I LONG for the holidays? I cross off the days on my calendars each day. I long to be off work and with my family.

I went ahead and weighed in tonight. I assume tomorrow may be crazy and I may not get around to posting and I don't want to miss updating my weight loss. Let's see, it has been three weeks? Or four? (That's what being sick does to ya, I can't remember!) Anyway, tonight I weigh (DRUM ROLL PLEASE, YEAH RIGHT!) 147!!!! I have lost 4.8 pounds total in under four weeks. That's exciting. And, only 10 pounds away from pre-prego clothes!!! YAY! I just can't wait to wear my old clothes. It's like I have a whole wardrobe awaiting me. So exciting!

It was against my better judgement to let K wear this cap. It is his first UT hat. Uuuuggghhh! Gig'em Aggies! But, it was a gift, and it just so happens to look cute on him. Imagine that? I think it is only appropriate that if he had to wear a Texas hat, that it is tilted!



He's reading, he LOVES this book!





On the go!



I don't blame you Kaden, I'd take that hat off too!



I just went to check on Kaden. Because tonight is the 7th night he has slept in his room in his crib. (YAY MOMMY!) :( So hard for me! Here's my angel sleeping!



Isn't that precious?


My best buddie, Catherine, sent me some Harry and David Chocolates on Saturday. What a treat to get in the mailbox! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these things and Catherine knows it!

It's just funny how warm and loved I felt after receiving that package! I love you Catherine and I miss you like CRAZY! I miss our silly conversations, shopping excursions, and EATING with you!!!! Oh the memories, and I cherish each and every one of them. I feel like it is more than a friendship, you are truly my family. We have experienced way too much together to not be family! I love you!


My F-I-L, Larry, goes Tuesday for exploratory lung surgery. Please pray!

Have a great week, ya'll!

Just another manic Monday!

Well, it seems like 5:15 this morning was days ago tonight. I'm tired! For some strange reason I decided to go all out for work today and DRESS UP! Ha! I wore a nice pink cartigan sweater, a long denim skirt and my COWBOY boots. So cute! Plus, I accessorized myself with lots of chunky turquoise jewelry. Kaden LOVES JEWELRY!!! I even fixed my hair with a BLOW DRYER this marning and wore make-up, ALL my makeup. Something I haven't done in OVER two weeks! CRAZY, I know, but the week before I was sick I was very BLAH! I think it was coming on for that long. So, today I kind-of felt like a new woman. -OR- let me rephrase, a REFRESHED woman.
I had a lot of catching up to do at work today so the day went by insanely FAST! I even walked a mile around the track on my conference period. Oh! Good NEWS! I weighed in this morning, after all it is MONDAY. I lost 2.4 pounds this week being sick! CRAZY! But, it WORKS for me, and it certainly ENCOURAGES me to keep it up now! So, I weigh in at 147.4 lbs! Starting weight three weeks ago was 151.8 lbs. That's 4.4 lbs I have lost in three weeks and I didn't even work out a wholw week of that, but I did NOT eat and was very sick. At least something positive came out of being sick! My pre-prego weight was 137ish, that's only 10 pounds away! I'm GETTING THERE YA'LL! I'm so excited to have made some progress. Now, I'm not going to lye I ate banana bread with chocolate chips tonight for dinner. I felt Jillian Michaels FROWNING on me while I ate it. But, it was worth it, until the shred workout! OUCH! I'll be working that bread off this week with the shred workout and walking at school.
Kaden is asleep in his crib the third night in a row, he didn't make it ALL the way through the night last night, but longer than the first night. So, maybe we're getting there.
Lance's Dad, Larry, went to Baylor today to a lung specialist, surgeon and radiologist. They are 95% certain that he has lung cancer. They go back to Baylor hospital on Wed. to do a biopsy and to look to see what stage it is in, treatment plan, etc. Please remember him in your prayers. He is really struggling with this and his health, and Lance is so down about his daddy.

Getting Better!

Well, tomorrow morning I am back to the grind...Uuuugggghhh! I have to admit that even though we were VERY sick this last week, I would STILL rather be home than at school any day. I just really have gotten back in to the stay at home mommy role again this week. And, this weekend I have really enjoyed being home with my little family, I've even gotten to cook and bake some. Tonight, I baked Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips, it's YUMMY and so EASY!
Kaden is doing better. His rash is almost completely gone and he is still a little congested and has a runny/snotty nose (something I am getting used to). We did have to top off the week with another visit to the pediatrician on Friday afternoon. K has an ear infection, so we are now an antibiotic for 10 days.
I am doing better. I am still congested, cough and have lots of drainage and my ears are not all better yet. ( I asked the pediatrician if she would look at my ears on Friday, she said they had lots of fluid still, I already knew that! But, I was glad she was willing to check mine out too!) I have two more days of antibiotic.
I had Kaden nap in his crib in his room yesterday and he slept three hours! Then, last night I put him to bed in his crib and 8:30, he slept until 2 a.m. in there. I got up rocked him back to sleep and put him back to bed in his crib, we woke up when I layed him back down and was having none of that! So, off to our bed he came! Then, today he napped for three hours again, (That's not NORMAL for him!) so tonight at 8 p.m. he went to bed in his room in his crib. I am WAITING to hear him CRY! So far, so good. When I stay at home with him and do not have to work I can work a lot harder and longer at getting him in his own bed, but when I'm working and doing it all because hubs works nights, it's hard to fight and I just put him in bed with me. He sleeps SOUND with me and I get to sleep too. But, I am TRYING to get him in his own bed now.

This little man has totally stolen my heart, I can not even begin to explain how much joy he has brought to my life...



I guess boys are just BORN wanting a remote control?



Oh, got it!




Kaden has gotten pretty good at eating his yogurt melts. So, I decided last night to try some solids. He GAGS on stage three baby food with the chunks of noodles and things in it, HE HATES IT! But, he seems to do better with solid items like a cracker piece or cheese that he can feed himself. Plus, the pediatrician recommended at the 9 month well check that we can start playing with textures like breads and crackers. Last night I cut up some small pieces of string cheese, small pieces of saltine crackers and some yogurt melts on his tray. He had a GREAT time feeding himself. He gets so excited that he claps after he gets a bite into his mouth. Ha! It's truly priceless.





After last night though, he got so aggravated trying to eat the textured foods that he didn't want to eat his baby food. So, he was hungry and grouchy and I didn't like that. So, I have decided to hold off on the big kid grub a little longer. Maybe when he has a few more teeth he'll do better. For now, we'll stick with stage 2 baby food and a few snacks to try out texture every once in a while. We have plenty of time!

Have I mentioned that K is crawling and pulling up and CRUISING on furniture????
I DEFINITELY think we'll have a walker by Christmas, if not SOONER! He's pretty determined. And, he look pretty cute in action even though he is only drawn to the things he does not need. Keeping mom VERY busy!!!

I am hoping and praying for a better week, and for us to get healthy again and stay that way!

Sweet Pea

It just doesn't get sweeter than this. Kaden has played his heart out today, fussy, sick and all. He had his dinner and bath about an hour ago, and at 7:30 p.m., he got very quiet, and this is what I found...



He was reading his book and fell asleep all on his own in the floor. So sweet!

He has had a really ruff day and I am very worried about him. He doesn't feel well. Snotty, runny nose, coughing, fussy, irratable, and lots of bowel movements.

His 'rash' is SO much worse today. I just took some pictures. It's hard not to worry about this...









Please say a prayer for my Kaden tonight as well as the families of the soldiers killed today at Ft. Hood. What a terrible tragedy.

The Virus that won't quit!

Geez, I don't know where to begin. Yesterday, Lance had to drive his Mom and Dad to Dallas to the doctor, his dad is still ill with pneumonia/lung infection and they are trying to figure out what is wrong with him. He has been sick since June. Yesterday they gave him a TB shot and are going to check him again on Friday to see if it is TB. Then, more exploratory type surgery if not. Please pray for Lance's Daddy, he has no strength and it's so hard to see him so sick and struggling so much.

These pictures were taken yesterday and they describe Kaden all to well. You can tell in each of these that he doesn't feel well.














Kaden stayed with his Aunt Vicki yesterday for a few hours so that I could rest. (Because ya'll, I'm S-I-C-K!) When Lance returned with his parents from Dallas he picked Kaden up and brought him home with him. Vicki had told Lance that she noticed K had a rash on the back of his neck. I immediately inspected him head to toe. He had these crazy little red dots everywhere. They were/are (he still has them and they look like whelps today) pretty strange/scary looking. Our pediatrician had seen them on Monday in one spot on his face and made mention of them. She said that if they spread out of that one spot or got darker to call her immediately because it can be signs of a severe infection.

So, Lance decided to call the doctor yesterday evening when we noticed the spots where spreading everywhere. The nurse called us back within the hour and said the pediatrician was still with patients and that she would talk to her and call us back. About thirty minutes later (7 p.m.) the doctor called and said we needed to bring him into Children's Medical Center in Dallas to be checked out. She told us to try not to be alarmed and to pack overnight bags in case K was admitted for I.V. antibiotics. CRAZY! (Is this REALLY NECESSARY OR HAPPENING? Lance and I were thinking) We showered, the quickest I've ever taken (b/c I didn't know how long we would be gone) We packed us a bag and K bags and took off the hour and half to Children's Dallas. Our drive was quick! We got there very easily. (8:40 p.m. arrival to hospital)
We waited three hours to be seen along with what seemed like every sick baby in Dallas county. So many SICK babies I felt so sorry for! At 11:45 we finally got called to a room, then waited about another hour for the doctor to come in. They examined K thoroughly. They put in a catheter to get a urine sample, (TRAUMA to K!) then they put in a cath. I.V. to draw blood samples and left it in in case he needed antibiotics. (More trauma for K! HE HATED EVERY SECOND THERE!)
They checked him for urinary infections, blood infections, bacterial infections, and flu. We waiting about an hour for test results. About 2 a.m. they came in and told us he was negative for flu, his blood tests all came back normal and he has no bacterial infection. So, it is all caused by a virus. This particular rash is called viral ex anthem. The rash that they wanted to rule out is called petechiae, pronouced puh-tee-key-uh. It is a very serious rash, and can be signs of serious infections and other serious medical conditions. At that point, we were told to watch his appetite and for high fevers and to treat the symptoms of his "COLD." They removed the i.v. and we were released. We drove home and arrived about 4:40 this morning.

In the end we are VERY relieved that we went and got Kaden checked out. The spots are enough to make any first time mom WORRY. I feel much better now knowing we got him checked out thoroughly.

This reminds me of little Montana, whom I believe if he would have been taken and gotten checked out like we did with Kaden last night might still be here with us. I haven't blogged about it, but after reading his autopsy report I can't help but believe a bad infection is the cause of Montana's death. I am very grateful for my over protective and pro-active pediatrician now. I just wish Montana's pediatrician would have provided him with the same type of care we have received with Kaden. I believe the doctor is to blame for Montana's death. Because he was taken to the doctor and they blew it off as nothing serious.

Sorry, this with Kaden just brought a flood of emotions and thoughts about Montana last night and today. I just they (the doctor) would have done more for Montana.

We are home, trying to rest, Kaden is CRAWLING everywhere, pulling up to a standing position, and a little overly active today for a sick boy. Momma would LOVE to sleep, but that just isn't going to happen. Here are a few pics of kaden this morning, pulling up to a standing position...If you look closely you can see the rash, red dots, my camera's flash makes it were you can't see it very well.








Bless his heart, you can see in these pictures that he just doesn't feel well...








Last night has made us squeeze our Kaden a little tighter and thank God for him a little more. He is absolutely precious to us and we love him with all that we are. We are so thankful that it's just a virus!


So, I've been off work one week tomorrow, and I still feel like crap. I really don't think I have gotten better yet. I may go back to the doctor tomorrow if I'm not feeling better by then. Prayers are appreciated! Off to rest as best we can. Hope you are all well!

Home Time

Kaden & I have already been IN HOUSE ONLY since Saturday morning, except our visit to the ER Saturday, and our visit to the pediatrician on Monday. My loving hubby took me to the doctor yesterday morning, and it's a good thing I went ahead and went. I have the flu, an ear infection, and a sinus infection. So, I got an antibiotic shot, a prescription ant. for the sinus infection, and Mucinex DM for all the other lovely flu symptoms. I've worried myself sick about Kaden now. Because I KNOW he is going to get sicker than he currently is. Right now he has congestion, thick snotty nose, and a low grade fever. I just don't want him to get as sick as I. He had his H1N1 shot on Monday and that now worries me. He has a huge red spot/bruise looking circle around his thigh where the injection was given, it honestly looks like a spider bite or boil. It's pretty gross, and I hope it goes away. The pediatrician says that they tend to have reactions like that when they have a touch of the flu (great!) or are sick already. I'm just concerned about the NEWNESS of this vaccine. Lance got his H1N1 shot yesterday while I saw the Dr. They wouldn't give me one, of course. The doctor says I won't need one because I've got the flu! But, I still think I'll go and get one in a couple weeks.
So, the doctor wrote me off work this week, with no input from my part. He said I MUST rest. Ha! I have a 9 month old who should be entered in the speedy crawlers contest. HE IS FAST!!! And, into EVERYTHING! He is also pulling up on everything.
Looks like I will be in the house a few more days until all our symptoms are gone -OR- until we have to go to the doctor again. Fun! (Sense my sarcasm please)

Monday Weigh-In

I am not quitting ya'll! But, this week nothing happened. I did the shred everyday Sunday thru Thursday plus I walked thru Friday each day at school around the track, and I ate right....until Friday night. Lance, Kaden and I met my best friend, Hil, at the Texas Roadhouse. And, I'm not gonna lye, I ate like a fat girl! I had the rolls with cinnamon butter, some blooming onion, a NY Strip steak and some steamed veggies. Oh, and a little bitty peach margarita. So, that probably alone speaks for why I DIDN'T LOOSE ANY WEIGHT THIS WEEK. I got sick on Friday (sore throat and drainage) and Sat it got worse, and Sun even worse, and today I feel about the same, WORSE! So, I haven't walked or worked out since Fri., nor do I have any intention to until I am feeling better. I just wanted to write that I didn't loose any this week, but I didn't gain any back either, it could always be worse! It sucks that I have to get sick in the middle of being so motivated with this! Hopefully, I'll be back on track soon!

9 months old!

Wow! It's so hard to believe that Kaden Angus has been here with us for 9 months. The time has flown by, my pregnancy honestly felt twice as long as this! He is the light of our lives and we absolutely can not imagine our life without him in it now. It's amazing how much we have changed in our emotions and feelings since Kaden's birth. He is making us into better people everyday.

This is Kaden last night, with some carrot stains on his clothes...ha!



He's precious though, carrot stains and all!

Kaden, you are changing So fast.
What have you been up to this month? You learned to crawl in your 8th month and now you have perfected the skill and cruise all around the house miles a day. Back and forth, you NEVER stop! You LOVE to play with your toys, and you entertain youself very well at this point. Things you love: boxes, empty plastic water bottles, paper (which mommy won't let you have for very long), your blue snuggly bear, your paci, food!

A sample of your daily menu:
6:30 a.m. 6 oz. formula bottle
8:30-9 a.m. Oatmeal/Rice cereal with 1 jar fruit mixed in and juice/water cup
11:00-11:30 6 oz formula bottle
1:00-1:30 Yo baby yogurt or yogurt melt snacks with juice/water cup
3:00-3:30 6oz formula bottle
6:00-6:30 1 Jar (Stage 2) meat & Veggie(of some variety); 1 jar veggie; 1 jar fruit or desert; juice/water cup
9:00 6oz formula bottle

You eat yogurt and yogurt melts, chicken noodle, chicken and veggies, chicken and rice, beef and veggie, chicken and sweet potato, sweet pot., carrots, green beans, peas, squash, mixed veggies, bananas, applesauce, mango, berry mixes, peach and peach cobbler, Hawaiian delight, vanilla custard, and we have just started trying puffs but you aren't crazy about texture yet. So, we'll see!

Your sippy cup just has 1 oz. of apple juice and about 2-3 ozs of water in it.

You are wearing anywhere from 12 months (most are too small) to 18 months primarily, but some 24 months right now. You are still wearing size 4 diapers. You are crawling, clapping, waving bye-bye, laughing, and still sleeping 8-10 hours at night.

This was taken this morning, you were wearing your first aggie t-shirt and your Mickey Mouse toboggan.



At your 9 month well check today you had to get one shot and the H1N1 shot. So, two shots and you are not feeling very well this afternoon, you are sleeping. Mommy is feeling bad today as well, I am achy and lots of drainage. Just wanna sleep!

At the 9 month well check today Kaden weighed in at 23 lbs 8 ozs. (90th percentile)
His height was 30 1/2 inches (over 95th percentile) His head was 18 1/2 inches (90th percentile) Once again, Kaden is an over achiever in the size category.

We sure love our little punkin pie! It has been a WONDERFUL nine months with you!

Why we hate ER

I took myself and my sweet baby to the ER this afternoon because I just had this fear that we had the swine flu. After 6 1/2 hours in the ER we were released. They took both our blood and ran a strep test on me as well. Our flu test came back negative! No flu here. So, the body aches and head being totally congested and all the sneezing, runny nose is a upper respiratory infection and viral. While in the ER, we waited 3 hours to get called back, then over an hour for the doctor to come in. In the process of waiting I decided I would curl up on the ER bed with my little guy since it was past his bedtime at this point anyway. Kaden was almost asleep and I started sneezing and had to have a tissue. I got up into sitting position off the edge of the bed and reached over to the chair for the box of Kleenex. In that 2 second time frame Kaden rolled off the bed HEAD first onto the concrete floor. He immediately screamed bloody murder and I want running with him into the hallway to tell the nurse (how embarrassing that I had let my baby roll of the hospital bed in the ER!) I felt/feel so bad tonight that I guess I really never though he would do that that quick. A nice goose egg popped up and she brought me an ice pack for his head. So we then got moved to the top of the list and got seen next because he hurt his head. They x-rayed his head b/c the cat scan machine was broken. They think he is fine, I am supposed to wake him every two hours tonight though and check on him. I FEEL AWFUL that I let this happen. Poor Baby, his heart was broken, he cryed, and I cryed with him. Anyway, we are home and K is in bed and I am now off to join him. LONG NIGHT!