Thursday, July 31, 2008

Boys

Thomas is getting what will hopefully be a good night's rest before his surgery tomorrow. There have been some recent developments that indicate the surgery might (hopefully) not have to be quite as involved as originally planned, so we are thankful for that.

We have to be at the hospital super early, so Gabe will have to come. I hope all goes well in both senses as he has had a couple of terrible mornings with the reflux this week. (No more peaches for Gabriel! Ever!)

Have I mentioned yet just how much I love 'em?

Monday, July 28, 2008

A Girl Can Dream

Just because the boys are keeping me busy doesn't mean I've lost the urge to make stuff. I'm going out of my mind over here with projects and ideas that I'm just holding on to. New to the list:

BYOB [bring your own bag] - Knitty

Estonian Hand Puppet - Spin-Off (I would LOVE to make these for all my nieces and nephews.)

At least 7 of the things pictured here (yes, I counted) - Blue Sky Alpacas

*Sigh* Some day...

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Saturday Sky

It was a stormy evening, and the power flickered on and off a couple of times right as it started to get dark, so I unplugged the TV and prepared things in case we lost it for a while. That meant lighting some candles, grabbing the little lantern and battery operated radio, and of course, making myself a cup of coffee before unplugging the machine!

Saturday, July 26, 2008

A Few Words From Gabe

"What? Come on Mom, I just cut my first tooth yesterday, and the day before that I started creeping. I've been busy! So stop bugging me with the camera, would ya? I'd like to go back to eating my bowl now."

"Mmm."

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Updates

Gabe is sleeping on my lap as I type, and Thomas just built an elaborate train track and is now reading a book about natural disasters. Brian is listening to The Phantom of the Opera on CD while folding laundry. I am, obviously, here. Welcome to Sunday afternoon at my house.

We have a bit more time than usual, this weekend, to relax. Gabe had no daycare last week, so Brian and I had originally planned to both take Monday off and then split the rest of the week off from work, but as it turned out both Gabe and Thomas had important doctor visits scheduled, and Brian ended up taking the whole week. We needed the down time, not that it was terribly relaxing.

Gabe's endoscopy was Tuesday. I know it was a fairly simple procedure, but I'll still never forget holding him in my arms after he awoke from the anesthesia. He was all groggy and sore... I was brought in to try and feed him, but he just wanted to sleep, so I rocked him for an hour or so, until he woke up (happy) after the nurse removed his IV. He's fine now.

His doctor said the procedure went quickly, and aside from some extra bleeding at the bottom of his esophagus, presumably as a result of inflammation, he didn't see anything terribly abnormal. He did take some biopsies. We should get the results in a few days. -We're not expecting much but are still holding onto a little hope for some miracle answer.

For those of you who aren't already aware of Thomas' situation, we had asked about his hearing at his latest physical as he had shown some sensitivity to loud noises and was saying "What?" often enough that it seemed worth mentioning. We really didn't think much of it; he wasn't having any troubles at school and is a typical little boy... who we thought might just be distracted or ignoring us at times, but his doctor did note some hearing loss in one ear, so we went for a more comprehensive hearing evaluation at the clinic.

The results weren't good, so Brian brought Thomas to a specialist a few weeks ago. In addition to a 40% hearing loss in that ear, the specialist said he could see the hearing bones, and that wasn't right, so he sent Thomas for a CT. On Thursday he showed us the films. He found what he explained to be a cholesteatoma. It's basically a tissue growth where there shouldn't be one, and it's filling the space inside the mastoid, which should be empty. It has to be removed so that it doesn't keep growing and end up causing further hearing loss, dizziness, or damage to his facial nerve or even, eventually, reach his brain.

He goes for his first surgery in just under two weeks. The doctor said to expect that Thomas may lose some to all hearing in that ear after the surgery, but in time, depending on several variables including whether or not the cholesteatoma grows back (apparently common in children), he will perform another surgery in which he will attempt to reconstruct the damaged or partially removed hearing bones. That won't be for at least six to twelve months after the first surgery, but if things go well he could eventually have his hearing restored to that ear or even improved... We just won't know until we get there.

The good news is that his other ear is fine, and I must say that Brian and I sure are glad we brought it up at Thomas' physical. Who knows for how long this could have gone on without us knowing!

So on that note, I've returned to this post many times in between diaper changes, feedings, playing, laundry, cleaning, a hail storm, some goodnight kisses, and who knows what else, and it's time for me to close up shop, but I have many less serious things I'd like to post about soon, so I'm sure I'll be back within the next day or two!

Have a wonderful night!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Nana and Gabe


Gabe really liked Nana's baby doll. He was giggling and giggling... By the time I grabbed the camera though, he pretty much just wanted to eat it. =)

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Memories - Old and New

We're back from a long weekend in New Hampshire. Initially we planned the trip around our high school reunion, but we ended up keeping ourselves quite busy with family. It was great to be able to stay with my mom and sister and family all at the same time (since my mom sold her condo and moved in with Becky).

Thomas and Brady are still best buddies, in case you can't tell from the photo. My mom said after we left Brady looked very sad and said he missed Tommy, and when I asked Tommy what his favorite part of the trip was, he said it was playing with Brady. As my mom would say, the were two peas in a pod.

Becky lives within walking distance to a river, and the water was low, so my mom, Becky, and I took Thomas, Brady, Brooke, and Gabe on the short hike down and went wading. We couldn't have asked for nicer weather. We left late in the day, so even though the sun was out and the sky was blue, we weren't too worried about the kids getting too much sun. It was great to see the kids enjoying themselves and being completely free to explore and have fun. Some times I feel like I seem to be always worried about one thing or another, but out in nature with the family, I was reminded of my worry-free childhood days. I grew up by a lake, a small river, and lots of woods. There was a path that led from our driveway directly to a gorge. I spent my summers swimming, canoeing, bike-riding, and hiking, and I couldn't imagine more fond memories than those I harbor from my summers as a kid. I loved being out there again over the weekend, and I can't wait to do it again some time.

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Belated Happy 4th!

I meant to post on Friday but was busy with the family. Brian had to work during the day, but I took Thomas and Gabe out to do some shopping, and we came home and made a cheesecake complete with some festive blueberries and red sprinkles (I didn't have any strawberries) after enjoying a relaxing lunch outside.

For a variety of reasons we decided it would be best to skip the fireworks, so we stayed home and barbecued chicken, and we had corn on the cob to go with it. What a great day it was. The air was warm but not hot. There was a gentle breeze. It wasn't buggy or muggy or dark. It was beautiful.

We had planned to light sparklers for Thomas at dusk, but after checking multiple stores and then finally asking someone, we discovered they were illegal in New York! We had no idea. Thomas was really bummed. We told him we would try to light some at Nana's the next time we go to New Hampshire. I felt bad because he was so excited to try them out this year. Poor guy. He was a pretty good sport though.

Next year maybe we'll have to make it to the fireworks if Gabe is up to it.

I hope you enjoyed a fun-filled weekend. Happy 4th!

Holy Guacamole. When did Gabe get so big?


I can't get over how HUGE Gabe looks in this picture. I swear he can't weigh more than 14 pounds, but he almost looks like a toddler laying on his daddy like that!

Here, a few earlier photos for comparison:



Some times I am amazed at how well he is growing, considering how much tummy trouble he still has. I can't wait until he (hopefully) outgrows those tummy troubles either.

Brian is 100% convinced that Gabe is going to be an early crawler and told me this morning that he wouldn't be surprised if Gabe started crawling within the next couple of weeks. He is a little ball of energy, always wiggling, kicking, rolling, lunging, climbing... It's insane! He always has liked to stand up tall and strong, but Thomas was like that too. Maybe he'll be an early walker like Thomas was. Truthfully it doesn't matter much to me as long as he's healthy, but I will certainly attest to his amazing level of energy and lack of calm moments. He is a very happy baby when his tummy isn't bothering him, but even his happiness is a very excited happiness. He is just go, go, go, go, go! It seems this mommy is in for lots of future adventures, trying to keep up!