I am just blown away! Travis and I always check in on the kids before we turn in for the night and both ours mouths dropped open when we entered G's bedroom. There she was with her plug aka thumb in propped on her lower lip with her mouth wide open. What??? She hasn't sucked her thumb for months now. I have to believe that she resorted to this form of comfort as she has been so miserable with this nasty cough for days now. I wanted to document this so I can look back and remember.
Happy Friday!
Friday, March 14, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Trying Couple of Days
Where to start! Gabrielle attended preschool at Ms. Kim's Monday and Tuesday and wouldn't you know her cough is back with a vengeance!!! I was to have kept Bree yesterday which Gabi was really looking forward to but after a rough night of sleep disturbed by one cough after another I contacted Lisa and we both agreed it was best for Bree to keep her distance. I called the pediatrician and the nurse recommended I bring both kids in to be evaluated as Dawson woke up Tuesday and Wednesday morning with a nose full of green snot. The good news is both kids ears are clear, no signs of strep, RSV, the flu, etc. The doctor did put Gabi on an antibiotic as they had documented a phone call I made earlier in the month saying she had a bad cough for 3 days at the time of my call. We are dosing her with prescription strength cough medicine along with her antibiotic so I pray we are on the road to recovery. Dawson apparently just has the common cold however after evaluation and discussion we headed straight from SM Pediatrics to Children's Mercy South Radiology Department to have some x-rays done of his neck. We will return to see the pediatrician in the morning for test results and for Dawson's 6 month well-baby exam. We are scheduled to see the pediatric ophthalmologist on Monday the 24th and the pediatric orthopedist on Thursday the 27th. Last night was the night from the dark side. No lie! Dawson had another bout of extreme blood curdling crying/screaming that lasted off and on for 5 hours. No known cause and nothing, I repeat nothing, provided him any relief. It is in times like this that really surprise myself. I remained 100% calm and at peace. I just cradled him and did what I could to comfort him. My mom spent about an hour of this time with me and it upset her so much to see her grand baby in such distress. I will be so glad to get to the root of what is causing this. I plan to discuss this with Dr. Martin in the morning.
We saw Debbie, his physical therapist, this morning and she applied the tape (taping technique) to his back today in hopes of elongating the muscle on his left side. We can bathe him as usual and then remove the tape on Sunday evening. I will provide an update tomorrow.
I declared today a day off for myself and the kids. My house is screaming for some TLC as a result. It will just have to wait until another day. I did clean out the diaper bag, knock out 4 loads of laundry and did some purging of Gabrielle's summer wardrobe so I have a minimal sense of accomplishment. I am off to play with the kids. Here are a few pictures of Gabrielle enjoying the gorgeous day we had yesterday.
This is Gabi's most famous cheesy camera grin. She has been breaking out this infant hair bow that she wore as a newborn lately. Yesterday she wore it in this fashion (as photographed). Today she wore it as a necklace/neck accessory along with a 1/2 dozen other hair bands. Her imagination gets the best of her sometimes.
I have to give a big shout out to Rene' in celebration of her 32nd birthday today. I love ya girl!!
We saw Debbie, his physical therapist, this morning and she applied the tape (taping technique) to his back today in hopes of elongating the muscle on his left side. We can bathe him as usual and then remove the tape on Sunday evening. I will provide an update tomorrow.
I declared today a day off for myself and the kids. My house is screaming for some TLC as a result. It will just have to wait until another day. I did clean out the diaper bag, knock out 4 loads of laundry and did some purging of Gabrielle's summer wardrobe so I have a minimal sense of accomplishment. I am off to play with the kids. Here are a few pictures of Gabrielle enjoying the gorgeous day we had yesterday.
This is Gabi's most famous cheesy camera grin. She has been breaking out this infant hair bow that she wore as a newborn lately. Yesterday she wore it in this fashion (as photographed). Today she wore it as a necklace/neck accessory along with a 1/2 dozen other hair bands. Her imagination gets the best of her sometimes.
I have to give a big shout out to Rene' in celebration of her 32nd birthday today. I love ya girl!!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Helmet Casting
This is our little man pre-measuring and casting...our usual happy, go lucky little fella
Travis captured a couple of good photos that show the deformity in Dawson's skull and the asymmetry in his facial features. You can see the bulge in his left forehead area and fullness of his cheek.
They placed a little poncho over his shoulders and then a "sock" over his head. As you can see this process did not make him a very happy little camper. Paulette kept saying "I promise I am not hurting him, he is just a little ticked off right now." She spoke words of truth.
The pacifier didn't provide much comfort but did buy us a second or two here and there
Dawson showed us his strength several times by overpowering his Mommy and throwing himself backwards
Almost done ...
It took all of 2 seconds for him to return to his normal calm natured self. All it took was a little sympathy hug and lots of kisses from Mommy.
Travis captured a couple of good photos that show the deformity in Dawson's skull and the asymmetry in his facial features. You can see the bulge in his left forehead area and fullness of his cheek.
They placed a little poncho over his shoulders and then a "sock" over his head. As you can see this process did not make him a very happy little camper. Paulette kept saying "I promise I am not hurting him, he is just a little ticked off right now." She spoke words of truth.
The pacifier didn't provide much comfort but did buy us a second or two here and there
Dawson showed us his strength several times by overpowering his Mommy and throwing himself backwards
Almost done ...
It took all of 2 seconds for him to return to his normal calm natured self. All it took was a little sympathy hug and lots of kisses from Mommy.
We return in 3 weeks for his fitting and helmet education. The expectation is that Dawson will wear the helmet 23 out of 24 hours a day. We are to remove it to sanitize it and allow enough time for it to dry while bathing him. They prepared us by telling us to expect him to perspire pretty profusely while in the helmet. They gave us the analogy of the smell of a dirty, sweaty sock. Pleasing thought huh? I went prepared with several questions as any mother would do. I am at peace knowing we are doing what is best for his development.
Friday, March 7, 2008
God is Good
What a blessing!!! We received a very generous grant in support of Dawson's cranial remolding helmet AND to top that Hanger Orthotic agreed to match the grant (in the form of a write off) to a certain monetary amount which left our family responsible for $300 of the total cost of $2500 for the helmet.
!!!Praise God!!!
I will post pics and tell of our experience at KU today over the weekend.
Here are a few recent pictures of our sweet baby boy
Dawson will play for long stretches of time with the toys on his swing tray
!!!Praise God!!!
I will post pics and tell of our experience at KU today over the weekend.
Here are a few recent pictures of our sweet baby boy
Dawson will play for long stretches of time with the toys on his swing tray
Photo taken 02/27/08
Daddy giving baby D a little lovin'
Photo taken 02/28/08
My most recent fav photo. How can that smile not melt your heart?
Photo taken 03/04/08
Daddy giving baby D a little lovin'
Photo taken 02/28/08
Photo taken 03/04/08
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Deep Thinker
Gabrielle has taken me back with her perplexing thoughts and comments today. This morning as we were getting dressed to head out to Dawson's physical therapy appt (Gabrielle was being dropped off at Rene's to play with Tatum) she asked me "Mommy, did Jesus make baby Evan's heart so it won't pop and bleed anymore?" I said "Yes honey, Jesus fixed Evan's heart. He has a strong heart just like you and Dawson now." She then asked "Does Jesus live in Evan's heart?" I said "Yes." She then wanted to know if Evan lived in Jesus's heart too.
Several minutes later as she observed me nursing Dawson she said "Mommy, those are your boobies (argh, not the boob obsession again!). My boobies are very tiny, but when I get older they will be strong and big like yours." If only she knew my chest is pretty much non-existing. This afternoon as I was changing around laundry she came up behind me, threw her arms around my legs and said "Mommy, I love you. You're my friend. Jesus praises you for being nice to me." She often says "Bless my praises! or Praise Jesus!" I love that she has a toddler size relationship with Jesus Christ. We have been at church so much more often in the past several months that she now asks if she is going to class or going to play with her friends. I think she has established which are true church days and which are MOPS or Bible study "play dates." She always says with excitement in her voice"Here it is, here's my church" as we pull into the parking lot.
On to a different topic. We met with Debbie, Dawson's therapist this morning. She performed a thorough examination of Dawson. We received both good and bad news. The good is that Dawson is right on target developmentally. She is very pleased with his tracking, social skills & his ability to reach and grasp objects. The bad news is that his condition has not improved, rather worsened to the extent that he now has hip involvement. I was taught some stretching exercises that I will put into practice immediately. We will return in one week from today to try a taping technique. Dawson is scheduled for his follow-up consultation tomorrow afternoon at KU Medical Center downtown. I am anxious to receive his measurements to determine if there has been improvement in the shape of his skull in the past five weeks. We are prepared for him to be casted for a helmet if necessary. I will post more on this topic tomorrow when more information is made available to us. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as the past couple of days have been trying as Dawson hasn't been sleeping well and has been dealing with some unknown pain. He cries out in discomfort and is unable to settle himself easily. It breaks my heart to have him cry. He goes from my sweet baby boy one minute to raging baby the next.
This too will pass ...
Several minutes later as she observed me nursing Dawson she said "Mommy, those are your boobies (argh, not the boob obsession again!). My boobies are very tiny, but when I get older they will be strong and big like yours." If only she knew my chest is pretty much non-existing. This afternoon as I was changing around laundry she came up behind me, threw her arms around my legs and said "Mommy, I love you. You're my friend. Jesus praises you for being nice to me." She often says "Bless my praises! or Praise Jesus!" I love that she has a toddler size relationship with Jesus Christ. We have been at church so much more often in the past several months that she now asks if she is going to class or going to play with her friends. I think she has established which are true church days and which are MOPS or Bible study "play dates." She always says with excitement in her voice"Here it is, here's my church" as we pull into the parking lot.
On to a different topic. We met with Debbie, Dawson's therapist this morning. She performed a thorough examination of Dawson. We received both good and bad news. The good is that Dawson is right on target developmentally. She is very pleased with his tracking, social skills & his ability to reach and grasp objects. The bad news is that his condition has not improved, rather worsened to the extent that he now has hip involvement. I was taught some stretching exercises that I will put into practice immediately. We will return in one week from today to try a taping technique. Dawson is scheduled for his follow-up consultation tomorrow afternoon at KU Medical Center downtown. I am anxious to receive his measurements to determine if there has been improvement in the shape of his skull in the past five weeks. We are prepared for him to be casted for a helmet if necessary. I will post more on this topic tomorrow when more information is made available to us. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as the past couple of days have been trying as Dawson hasn't been sleeping well and has been dealing with some unknown pain. He cries out in discomfort and is unable to settle himself easily. It breaks my heart to have him cry. He goes from my sweet baby boy one minute to raging baby the next.
This too will pass ...
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Nursery
My good friend Lisa took some great shots on the exterior/interior of our home this past week so I wanted to take this opportunity to post some quick pics of Dawson's nursery.
I love the look and font of this UpperCase Living "I am a Child of God" wall rubon. The bubbles are stickers that were purchased from JCP that coordinate with his bedding set. Travis isn't so crazy about them, but once again I love them.
I love the look and font of this UpperCase Living "I am a Child of God" wall rubon. The bubbles are stickers that were purchased from JCP that coordinate with his bedding set. Travis isn't so crazy about them, but once again I love them.
GG bought each of the kids something for their bedrooms for Christmas. I picked out this "D" at Hobby Lobby. It is made of metal and adds dimension to the wall.
This little book shelf holds the most value to me. It was my granny Mur's. It isn't of any monetary value, but each time I open it to take a book out to read to the kids I remember how special she was to me.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Finger Painting
Oh my! What fun! What a mess! What a creation!
So, I thought I was creating a controlled environment (notice the painting was done on the floor, on an el-cheapo plastic table cloth, wearing grunge clothes). That lastest all of two minutes! Paint was everywhere as was to be expected. Gabrielle and Bree had so much fun using their little minds to create masterpieces of art. Little did they know the greatest work of art was left on their clothing.
Notice the innocent bystander in the background? He is such a good natured baby!
So, I thought I was creating a controlled environment (notice the painting was done on the floor, on an el-cheapo plastic table cloth, wearing grunge clothes). That lastest all of two minutes! Paint was everywhere as was to be expected. Gabrielle and Bree had so much fun using their little minds to create masterpieces of art. Little did they know the greatest work of art was left on their clothing.
Notice the innocent bystander in the background? He is such a good natured baby!
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