Back to the Blogging World

We are back from our long unplanned blogging break.

The Bubeaner and I returned  from our monthly visit to see the grandparents last Thursday.  Bubeaner is an amazing traveler.  We had no problems in the plane.  There were a few flight attendants that needed some lessons from him on attitude.  But, overall, we had a great experience.  Oh, the Bubeaner now has his frequent flier and rapid rewards cards!  This amuses me.

  Not sure what to think about Bella.

During the trip, the Bubeaner kept his feeding schedule unchanged.  However, he did have some sleeping adjustments.  Bubeaner took advantage of the grandparents and aunts/uncles to stay up late.  The moment he was placed in bed he would make a noise and someone would swoop in.... And I have to admit that we would co-sleep part of the night.  Considering how well he did with all the changes, the sleeping issue was not too bad.  Of course, I loved co-sleeping with Bubeaner.  Alas, he went back to his bassinet upon our return.  

I woke up to this beautiful, smiling face after a long tiring night.

Bubeaner woke up and eat every 3 hours.  

Bubeaner enjoyed some time with Grandma, Bella "bird" and Jack "Attack Dog" first.  From there we spent some time with Bito and Bita.  Bubeaner was able to see his Uncle Tony again (BYU gets our earlier than other schools...lucky!).  The last time they spent time together was at Christmas.  

Watching Ses@me Street with Grandma.

Bubeaner cuddling with Bita.

And Bubeaner also met April.  We told Uncle Tony he had competition because Bubeaner kept flirting with her.   I fear Bubeaner is indeed going to be a "playa".  (Nika, we will need you to keep him grounded.)  We did not get to see much of Aunt Lariko because she was still in school.  We were also able to visit with Bis-Bis (his great-grandmother) too.  

 

Showing off with April and Uncle Tony.

Our return was quite uneventful, THANKFULLY, considering the crazy approach and landing.  We are blaming the high wind.  Poor Bubeaner would just open his eyes really wide at every jolt and swerve never taking his eyes off me.  

Playing it cool in his new shades.

(I can't tell with these ones if he is awake or asleep.)

We returned just in time to get Daddy off to enjoy his birthday with his friends for a surprise guys' night out.  He thought we were not going to do anything special this year.  HA!  He had a great time.

Bubeaner meeting Uncle Delwin before the guys left.

In the last couple of weeks the Bubeaner has been learning some cute little tricks.  He now makes himself laugh.  Yes, you heard right.  You can start tickling him (he is QUITE ticklish) and then he will continue to laugh and giggle even if he is not being touched.  He has giggling fits.  It is very contagious and adorable to watch.  I have yet to catch it on video but hopefully soon.

Bubeaner is also FINALLY doing pushups!!! YAY!!!  It only works if I place him on my belly while I am laying down.  Bubeaner loves to stare at his Mommy so he will do the pushups in order to see my face.  He thinks it's a game and giggles throughout our workout.  Not sure why we didn't think of this earlier.  He is getting so much stronger!

It's quite late now.  We will continue with the update tomorrow.  Have a good night!

Bubeaner at the Arboretum

It was such a great morning with sunny sky and refreshing breeze we decided to head to the Dallas Arboretum after church.  We got there so early that we missed most of the sunday crowd.

"Yo, my peeps!"

The arboretum had wonderful children's exhibits.  We are not sure if they were there before and we just never noticed them/avoided those areas.  Bubeaner will really enjoy them when he is older.  For now, Aunt Pau and I had more fun posing him for pictures. 

"We are under attack!"

Captain Bubeaner steering the ship to safety

We must have gone a little picture crazy because he was giving us some dirty looks.

"Really?!?  Dad, they want more pictures!"

"No more pictures!"

"Dad, you better get these women under control.

I am done with pictures."

He stayed awake for almost an hour before succumbing to sleep.  While Bubeaner slept we enjoyed the rest of the plantings.  

Bubeaner did not make it past the first section 

after the children's exhibits.

March for Babies 2009

Our first march together was great.  Bubeaner was a tad bit excited and woke up at 4 am ready to go.  Of course, after eating he took a little nap on our bed while Matt worked and I got things ready.  It was extremely humid, and it even rained on us a few times during our march.  But overall, it was great to know that it did not deter people from attending and enjoying themselves while we raised money.  This year the March of Dimes filmed the Dallas event for their annual video.  You might be able to see shots of the Bubeaner on there. 

He woke us up then fell immediately asleep after eating.

Bubeaner wide awake and ready

Mommy... not so much

With his Baylor badge and waiting to start

Starting our walk with a little drizzle.

It rained for a little while.

And in the interest of full disclosure, we did not actually walk all 5 miles.  When it started to rain (big fat drops) Pam and I decided to go off-roading and cut.  So we actually only walked 4 miles.  

Afterwards waiting at the Baylor tent

Waiting in the shuttle for a ride back to our car.

Home at last!

By 630 pm, Bubeaner had been bathed and fed

and was peacefully sleeping in his bassinet.

Happy 1/2 Birthday Bubeaner!!!

UPDATE:

Bubeaner is currently getting his beauty sleep in preparation for our little adventure tomorrow (March for Babies).  He was pretty fussy this afternoon after his doctor's appointment wanting to be held only by Mommy.  We imagine it's a side effect of the round of shots he received. 

Some stats from the appointment:

• 24" length (32% - up from 30%)  Although at the GI doctor's office, he measured at 25" so who knows which one is correct.
• 12.5 lbs (15% - down from 30%)  The doctor is not concerned.
• 17.25" head (95% - up from 80%)  Yes a big head, but then again have you seen his parents?

Dr. Z has also started us on rice cereal.  Right now it's not for nutritive purposes just to get him used to eating solid foods.  She also figured out John's major frustration with tummy time.  He has more lower body strength and accidentally pushes himself face down when he tries to practice crawling.  Dr. Z gave us some tips that should help with this.

ORIGINAL POST:

Six months ago, Bubeaner graced this world with his presence (sans the Mommy).  

Today's activities?  A doctor's appointment for his well-child check up.  Now that I think about it, that is a pretty bad way to celebrate milestones your first year of life.  Hey, you are born; here's your shot, IV and C-PAP.  Oh, two months now?  Here are some more shots.  Ah, half-way there?  You get a whole bunch more shots and no cake because of your food allergies.  

Random Picture

I just love his chubby little feet!

But we intend to celebrate anyways with pictures and making an imprint of his hands on plaster.  And, of course, LOTS of LOVING! 

Bubeaner loving and cuddling

Bubeaner also gets a Daddy that comes home early today.  Unfortunately, Matt won't be able to hold him because he is getting his second steroid epidural shot today (let's hope this one works).  But it will be nice to enjoy some family time today.

We're Still Here

Bubeaner was extremely fussy today and cried most of the day too.  But the demoralizing part was that once again there was blood in his diaper after more than a week of nothing.  We were so hopeful that the diet was working.  We are considering that maybe formula might be better for him.  It's discouraging.  But we will wait to see Dr. Z for his 6 month check-up on Friday before making any decisions.

One of the few moments of peace & quiet today.

He's holding his lovey!  Cute!

But this was the more common sight today.

(This was taken a few minutes after the one above.)

On a positive note, yesterday we visited the DMA for the King Tut exhibit with Aunt Pau.  Quite an enjoyable experience & John behaved so well!  Well, he slept through it, but that has to count too. 

Little Bubeaner King

Happy Easter!

We were blessed with a beautiful, wet (desert people understand this) and cloudy Easter morning. 

Bubeaner, dressed up, at Aunt Pau's 

before going out for Easter brunch. 

We were up and ready for the 730 mass without a problem.  And Bubeaner looked adorable in his little Easter outfit.  The church was a just a little more full than normal, but we were still able to sit on our bench.  Bubeaner was even awake for most of the service. YAY!  And he got a blessing during communion.  We love being able to share our faith through these holy days with Bubeaner.  We currently read books about the saints and the order of the mass but have not found a good children's Bible.  I have such great memories of reading it with his Aunt Lari when she was little.  Our night time prayer routine was cute too; she had to give thanks and pray for every person AND thing in her life individually.  It was good but just made for a long, long prayer.  I can't wait to share that with Bubeaner.

Don't my boys look adorable?

He did so well during mass today that we will attempt to actually sit in the sanctuary next Sunday.  Let's hope we don't have a repeat of mass on Thursday when he decided to exercise his very healthy lungs.  In his defense, the mass lasted almost 3 hours.

Bubeaner and Aunt Pau

Bluebonnets

Today Bubeaner had an impromptu photo shoot.  We found a field of bluebonnets off a secluded side street (not a major highway) in Las Colinas.

New BFF

John's future BFF, Anton, was born yesterday in Austin.  Although Anton did decide to give the parents a little scare right at birth, we are so thrilled that both mom and baby are doing well.  And hopefully Anton and John won't get into as much trouble as their fathers did in college.

His legs are too short to reach the floor 

even at the lowest setting.

I do not approve of the sideways hats, 

but it was getting in his way.

 

And I have to admit that he looks pretty cute

Growing and Growing

Oh, the peace and quiet of a clean home and a sleeping child!

Bubeaner is really taking to the new schedule.  And, much to our delight, he continues to sleep through the night.  We are also getting better at not checking on him too often.  

Doesn't he look adorable?

Today was a little more trying so he was ready for the pre-bed cuddling time.  He got his blood drawn for some lab work.  I know it was my imagination, but the needle looked HUGE.  And do they really need to take that much blood?  It was almost a full vial!  However, I am grateful that the phlebotomist was amazing.  She was in and out faster than it took me to get him out of the stroller.  And as a consolation prize (since I can't offer ice cream or chocolate), we visited the NICU.  The nurses loved seeing John again, and John enjoyed cuddling with his favorite nurse, Tammie.

Last weekend we bought John a jumperoo.  He now loves sitting up and reaching for things.  The trick was finding one in which he would fit without falling out.  This is a common problem we are encountering.  He is developmentally closer to his chronological age, but he is still closer to his adjusted age in physical stature (i.e. he is little).  He absolutely loves it!  At first he just sat there not knowing what to do.  But after one day, he got the hang of it.  John appears to especially like the new toys at his reach.  An interesting development from it, is that he now splashes even more during bath times.  

"Not sure what I am supposed to do.  

I will just look innocent."

Getting the hang of it.

(I think he looks like me in this one.)

"Mmm, I wonder how this little thing would taste?"

And Monday evening, John turned Aunt Pau to putty; he actually reached for her when she went to pick him up.  It was not a fluke because he did the same thing to me yesterday morning!  Isn't it amazing how "little" things just melt your heart?

Uncle Gary and Aunt AA visited on Sunday.  It had been a while since they'd had their Bubeaner fix due to the DC and ELP trips.  John enjoyed showing off for them and then proceeded to take a nap on Aunt AA.  They also brought John a very special gift following family tradition: a silver cup (for our little prince) from, of course, Haltom's.

Not sure if you can see the engraving

Cuddling with Aunt AA

Chillin' with Uncle Gary

P.S. And thankfully other than a little sore hip, there are no other consequences from my fall yesterday.  WooHoo!

Comedy of Errors

Some days you just shouldn't get out of bed....

We had our appointment with Dr. O, the GI doctor, in FW.  John's feeding time was at the same time as his appointment (he woke up later this morning thus having a later feeding time than normal).  Instead of feeding him too early at home, I chose to wait until we arrived at the doctor's office; we are usually 20-30 minutes early to our appointments and just end up waiting.  Wouldn't you know there was snail-paced traffic today!?!  

We were late; John did not eat prior to meeting Dr. O.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Another naked John waiting for the doctor.

We liked Dr. O.  He also believes it is a protein allergy "until proven otherwise".  He prefers to stick with breast feeding.  The pediatrician previously indicated that it really didn't matter if dairy/soy were part of the ingredients list (i.e. bread, tortillas, etc).  Dr. O said that ANY trace amounts of dairy or soy in food can continue to irritate John's system since he's already developed a sensitivity to it.  This would explain the continued issue even after I eliminated the dairy and soy from my diet (milk, cheese, cream, etc.).  He wants me to try this EXTREME (my words) diet for 2 weeks.  Without an irritant, John's system should be fine by then.  Man, I am going to miss my bread and tortillas.  But let's hope that this works.

Dr. O also tweaked John's reflux medication.  His reflux had been improving until we put him back on the multi-vitamin.  Dr. O ordered some blood work to check his iron levels among other things.

Bubeaner attacking his blanket.

He was hungry!

We spent the afternoon cuddling making up for the doctor's visit and the eating late.  I decided to venture outside with John to pick up the mail before his next feeding.  And as I reached down to pick up  a piece of mail and fought off the nosy dogs, I lost my balance and fell backwards.  Priority one: DO NOT LET JOHN HIT ANYTHING!  Priority two: try not to brake any bones.  I actually did a pretty good roll.  But unfortunately not good enough to eliminate all pain.  Hopefully it's not anything that ibuprofen won't cure.  

Thankfully, John and the dogs thought it was a game and were none the worse for wear. 

Love at First Sight

 A wordy show & tell:

A year ago today we fell in love.  It was the first time we saw a picture of our Bubeaner: a true miracle that left us speechless.  I would not classify infertility as an easy road.  It was not the road we would have chosen for ourselves.  But through this long and sometimes quite painful journey, we have been blessed to be witnesses to life's miracles in a new way, to truly value the amazing miracle of conception and birth that may have otherwise been lost to us, and to learn that there is such a thing as love at first sight.  

John and two of his little siblings 

(whom we shall meet in heaven one day) 

Day 3 after conception...

My parents used to tell me that in order to truly value and cherish 

something you must earn it. I would never presume that we have 

"earned" our right to be parents or are more worthy than others; 

I still believe that is a gift. But I sometimes do wonder how different 

our perspective would be today were it not for infertility. Regardless, 

we are grateful for the gift of hope and renewed appreciation of life.  

And we are grateful for the stumbles, tears, losses, and pain... 

because in the end they brought us to where we are today. And as we 

watch our precious little Bubeaner sleep, play, smile, and grow, 

we give thanks and praise.

Day 368 after conception...

TRULY AMAZING!

A Fruitful Friday

Today was a good day to clean and organize.  And other than some paperwork, the house looks great.  The only problem is that in order to get so much done John spent a lot of time in his bassinet and swing.  Poor tyke probably felt ignored!  We did spend the late afternoon cuddling, singing and talking in order to make up for it.

Aunt Pau and Daddy came in just as we were singing.  John obviously can't "sing" but he will make sounds when he recognizes some of the songs.  Some of them he's been hearing since he was in the womb.

And for the first time, John was caught on tape talking.  He talked for about 6 minutes straight AND the camera was within reach!  Aunt Pau and Daddy were able to watch and listen to our little talker.  

A grumpy and unhappy baby.

(He shall NOT be ignored!)

The wonder of children's programming!

(Don't worry, he only watched for a few minutes)

Doctors and More Doctors

We spent a busy day at the doctors' with the boys.  Matt had his epidural steroid shot today.  He was actually feeling really well right after because of the local anesthetic used.  Unfortunately, as the doctor warned, he is pretty sore right now.  But we are hopeful we will see results in a couple of weeks when Matt will start his physical therapy.

At the same time this morning, John saw his cardiologist, Dr. H.  It appears that he does not have a PDA, but a PFO.  As I understand it, the difference is that with the first one the whole is between the arteries where in the PFO it is between the atrium cavities.  Dr. H does not appear concerned.  She expects for it to close on it's own by John's first birthday.  She was actually more intrigued by my brother's death.  But so far everyone has reassured us that it's quite unlikely that John would have the same problem.

Uncle Jeff was sweet enough to bring AND prepare dinner for us tonight.  He was also able to help with John's bath time.  And John showed off his new tricks for him.  

John was in bed and asleep by 8 tonight.  We have been working on changing his feeding routine in order to allow for an earlier bedtime.  For some reason, I thought it would be better to delay his 6 pm feeding until 730 pm.  Yeah, that was not the wisest decision I

 have made.  He screamed his displeasure both nights.  Then I had a moment of clarity.  We are going to keep his 6 pm feeding time and then "top him off" at 730-8 pm.  DUH!  We will see how he does with this new routine.

Waiting for the doctor....

Still waiting....  

Poor little John only had a diaper, blanket & lovey to keep warm.

The AC was on and quite cold.

Naked John now weighs a hefty 12 lbs (5.48 kgs) compared to his 3 lbs 13 oz (1700+ gms) from birth.  He now spends 15 minutes a day in his bumbo as well as his normal tummy time.  John has definitely gotten the hang of grabbing and swatting at things.

An absolutely adorable John not pleased with Mommy.

Before I forget, we have rescheduled John's baptism for May 9th.  We are pretty excited.  Originally, I was going to get the baptism gown made from my wedding dress, but I don't believe that will end up happening.  So, off to look for an outfit.

Prayer Request

Please send a prayer up for a family friend Rachell and the precious little baby in her womb.  At yesterday's MD appointment, the baby's heart rate was really low at 89 bpm when it should be above 105 bpm.  She goes back to the doctor next week.  We know the power of prayer.  Please remember them in your prayers this week.