Thanksgiving Day

We have had a great week and an even greater weekend! Carson had the week off and although he was sick, it was nice having him home all week. We celebrated our first Thanksgiving on Sunday with my family, then spent the actual day with Carson's side of the family. It's so great to have the majority of our families so close to home.

We drove up to Anthem on Thursday to spend Thanksgiving with Grammy Kathy and Grandpa Brant (Carson's Mom and Step-dad). Auntie Janesa was in town from San Fransisco and the kids were SO excited to spend time with her! We had a quiet afternoon as the girls were all over the house playing dogs...
Owen was stealing the glasses, hats and casts (yes, they have a medical kit with casts) off the dolls...
Daddy was playing Wii and Play Station 3...

Owen was in heaven with all of Grandpa Brants electronics down on his level...

We had to say goodbye to Janesa...she had to catch an early flight back to San Fransisco. We'll see you next month...

The girls continued to play with their dolls, hide and seek in the backyard and chased Owen around the house, which he loves...

When Owen got tired, he would chill in the theatre chairs while Daddy and Connor played PS3 on the jumbo tv in the theatre room....

It was a wonderfully, relaxing Thanksgiving and I'm only sorry I didn't get more pictures. I guess I was a little too relaxed! Thank you Brant and Kathy for a great day!

The next morning was spent shop, shop, shopping and I think I'm almost done Christmas shopping!! Saturday was a day to catch up on housework and I had intentions of putting up the lights and the tree. Today we WILL get the Christmas decor up and we have family pictures this afternoon. Whew. I will have lots of updates and posts this week as things calm down a little.

Black Friday

I am one of the crazy ones that loves to impulse shop on Black Fridays! I get a kick out of getting a smokin' deal on things that I probably never really needed in the first place. Well, today was no exception!

It all started at 11:45pm, when I decided to try and purchase Carson's birthday present on Walmart.com. It was an "in-store only", Black Friday special, but online it said "this item will be available for purchase online and in stores!" The only problem was that they didn't tell you what time they would allow you to start purchasing online.

Back to 11:45pm...

I call Larissa and we get online and continually hit refresh. Nothing. We decide that we will wake up in an hour and try again. Nothing. Then, instead of going to bed, I continue to shop online and continually refresh the screen at Walmart.com. Aha... 1:25am... I snag my deal, with free shipping! No standing in long lines, no loading it up in my car, and I did it all in my pjs.

Back to bed and up at 8. Today just wouldn't be the same without going out and waiting in long lines so off we went... Old Navy, then Ulta, then Walmart. I did get an awesome fake alligator bag and set of hurricane candle holders for FREE!!

I LOVE Black Friday!

So much to be THANKFUL for!

The best part about moving is sorting through closets and getting rid of stuff we don't need. This week, it was time to tackle the scrapbooking and picture closet. As I was attempting to sort through pictures, we couldn't help but laugh and reminisce over each and every photo. Needless to say, we didn't get one single picture in the albums. It didn't matter. We were sitting together as a family, looking back on all the memories we made and we have SO much to be Thankful for!

Kamryn got a kick out of our dating pictures from 11 years ago. I was just a baby, at 19 and Carson was just back from his mission, at 21. We were so smitten with each other. Through the years, we have grown up together. I look back to the time when we got married, I wanted it all. I wanted the house, the new cars, lots of babies and family vacations. I was too young to know about the real importance of life.

Kamryn came to us just six months after we were married. She was as healthy as can be and never even caught a simple cold those first few years. She slept through the night, she was SUCH a smart, and happy girl....she made us a family!

I remember being so frustrated over the next few years when I was unable to conceive. I so badly wanted a sibling for Kamryn more than anything else. Instead of appreciating what I already had... a perfect daughter and a wonderful husband. I would cry when every other person I knew would get pregnant so easily and yet, we were trying to conceive as if it were a science experiment. For those of you that suffer from infertility... you know what I'm talking about.. charting temps, taking ovulation kits, progesterone, counting days in your cycle.

Fast forward a few more years to the spring of 2007. I found out I was conceiving. This was a trying time for our marriage and we were almost broken. Why now? How could it be that after 8 years of trying to conceive, we were all of a sudden pregnant?

At our 20 week ultrasound, we found out that our dream of having another perfect baby, was shattered. We had the option to terminate. I will never forget breaking down in tears and saying "why us?"

If only I could see then, what I know now. I would have seen that everything IS perfect! Kamryn continues to be the healthiest little girl, the perfect child, the most giving and so kind. Our marriage has grown, although still not perfect, but we choose to work on us. Owen is still with us and he has changed us all for the better! I can't imagine our life without him in it.

Carson made me a wife and has given me the opportunity to LOVE. Kamryn has made me a Mother and taught me selflessness and patience. Owen has taught me to appreciate every moment we are given in this life and to never give up hope. How blessed am I to be given so much?

You see, there is SO much to be THANKFUL for!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our family, friends, and fellow bloggers.... I hope you have many things to be Thankful for as well!

An Early Thanksgiving

One turkey dinner is just not enough for us, so we had an early feast this past Sunday. My family came over with the Turkey and grub and we stuffed ourselves until we couldn't move. The kids ate a whole lot of nothing, but they never do. They run around, scream and jump on the furniture instead! And we let them...

(Kamryn, Gigi, Owen and Livvy)

We decided on drawing names for Christmas this year. My family always goes overboard on Christmas gifts and this year we are going to put more thought into the giving and more time into enjoying family. We are all excited about chooing one gift and making it really special! I'm really excited for this Christmas... we have a lot of fun planned in December! But first... we have Thanksgiving at Brant and Kathryn's (Carson's step-dad and mom) house this Thursday and we always have a great time!! Then there is Black Friday and I am a junkie that loves a good rush, and long lines!! Lastly, we have family pictures on Sunday and I'm thinking blues, browns and pinks at an urban location?

I have a few more posts for the week, including a much needed update on Little Miss K.

An Owen Update

Today we are breaking out the Christmas tree and decorations! But first... this week is Thanksgiving and we have two Turkey days planned. It's really just an excuse to eat more turkey and carbs. Our first feast will be at our house tomorrow with my family and we are so excited!!

Well, I am excited. Carson has had a rough stomach bug for past two days and last night he spiked a fever of 104. I kicked him out the door to Urgent Care just 5 minutes before they closed. The good news is that he doesn't have the flu or any respiratory issues. The bad news is that it's most likely a stomach virus and is obviously contagious. I have been feeding my OCD by sanitizing the house after anyone touches anything. He hasn't had any more fevers, thank goodness, and he's sleeping the day away.

I'm praying that Owen hasn't caught Daddy's bug, but he has been puking ALL day long. Every feed I give him he pukes 1/2 way through, then at the end. Not just baby spit-ups, but open up the floodgates and all six ounces come pouring out. Poor guy. He's now on a continuous drip of pediasure and then we'll go back to continuous formula in a while. Thank goodness for the Gtube.

Between feeds, and puking, Owen has wanted to eat by mouth. He is such a great eater and will eat anything offered to him. His only issue is volume. He currently gets 1300 calories of pediasure a day and only gets four, one hour, breaks during the day. His tummy is constantly full and so he wouldn't want to eat a big ol' meal anyway. Our main goal is to keep gaining weight, so we do what we'll do. I'm just surprised that he is so interested in eating orally, even with such a full tummy. Today is was "piiiIIL", which translated is Pickle. He LOVES anything salty.... pickles, peppered beef jerky, chips, vinegar. Oh, and I'm pretty sure he's part rabbit because he loves salad, bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, zucchini, peas in the pod, most veges really. Isn't he such a great eater for a toddler?? Kamryn used to eat Chicken Fingers, Peanut Butter and Bread. That was it.
Owen has decided that he only needs one, one hour, nap a day now. He sleeps for about 10 hours at night from 7:30-5:30, and I really enjoy that 5am wake up, sigh. He then naps sometime in the afternoon, but only for an hour. That's it! The rest of the time, he is up and playing, reading, butt - scooting, doing therapies and running errands with me.In feeding therapy we are working on improving his chewing skills and swallowing large boluses of food. He has come SO far since last year!! His crazy high calories feeds seem to be working a little because Owen has gained almost a pound in the last month. He's up to 25.7lbs.

In occupational therapy we are working on puzzles, putting the correct shapes into the shape sorters, building with blocks (not throwing them) and actually playing with one toy for more than 2 seconds. He's really caught up in OT, but we love his therapist so we keep doing it! Plus she helps out with the eating and also works on PT.

In physical therapy we are working on pulling to stand, building his trunk muscles and standing for longer periods of time. He can stand, but he can't get transition there by himself. I actually have to stand him up against the table and then he can stay there until his legs give out and then back to his tush he goes. He works hard on this all week long and each week he gets a little stronger. I can't imagine pushing myself as hard as he does if I only had 1/2 of a heart (that didn't work so well) and only 75% oxygen levels. We should get his gait trainer sometime in the next two weeks.. insurance approved it and it's been ordered... in shiny red!! Hopefully he will use it around the house a little so we can get him walking.
We just found a new speech therapist that will start next week. Without speech therapy, Owen's communication has taken off! He can tell us "yes or no" for what he wants, he is picking up on syllables (ie: Kamryn taught him 'technology' and he says "eh-o-ah-e"), he imitates everything that we say, "uh-oh" and "dan-dooo" (thank you) are always used in context. He says other stuff, but those are the ones that I can think of right now.

We are so grateful for every moment with have with our mister Owen. He is always happy, dancing, singing, talking and he is a butt-scooting fool. I'm pretty sure if they had Olympic speed for butt-scooting, he would win! Life is so much sweeter with him in it and we pray that we have a lifetime with him!!

Blogging

I started my blog about a month before Owen was born. My main motivation to blog was to keep friends and family updated on the uncertain future of our littlest member. I also wanted to document every moment of his life, as I had no idea how long he would be with us, and I didn't want to forget a second.

I never would have imagined the doors that would be opened to me and the people I would meet. The countless prayers and words of encouragement have gotten me through the roughest of times. I have formed friendships and found support from others that know what it's like to sit by your child's hospital bed and pray that they will just keep fighting!

I have found hope, when I feel helpless. The day we were told that Owen needed a transplant, I had many readers reach out with advice and they were there to answer my questions, because they really knew exactly what it felt like to hear those words.

I love it when I get an email from a reader asking for my advice on feeding issues, Gtubes, oxygen tape, heart surgeries, transplant facilities, doctors, medications or even something as simple as how do I make my blog so cute. I love to help out in anyway I can, as I know that all of you would do the same for me.

I just want to say Thank You to everyone that I have met along the way, to the people that I continue to meet day to day and to my family for giving me the best memories to blog about!!

I'm sure some of you have noticed the Blogher Ads on the sidebars. I have joined the Blogher team and am thrilled to work with them. Everytime you click on our blog, money generated from the ads go straight into Owen's Transplant Fund to help with the cost of his heart transplant. So each time you visit and read up on our day to day adventures, you are helping raise money for Owen!! How great is that??

**I am working on the blog redesign/header tutorial and it will up in the next couple of days. Until then... there will be a much needed Kamryn updated post and Owen updates to follow!

Blog Headers

Would anyone be interested in a tutorial on how to create blog headers??? I was thinking of doing a tutotrial with pics .. in photoshop elements. Let me know whatcha think!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

It's finally cooling off in the desert and Christmas is only six weeks away! Can you believe it?? This is by far my favorite time of year! I love the crowds of people at the stores... don't even get me started on my addiction to Black Friday. I love that I can shop online in my pajamas and get all the gifts delivered to my front door in concealed boxes. I love to find new recipes to whip up in the kitchen and make my house smell irresistible. I love to pull out the box of holiday decorations and watch my kids get excited as we reminisce about years past and make our house light up! I love to crank up the Christmas music and dance around. I love hot cocoa with lots of marshmellows on top. I love to watch all the old Christmas movies... my all time favorite is A Christmas Story. I love to go for drives around the neighborhood with my family marveling at the neighbors that smother their homes in lights. I love family gatherings, one right after the other. Indeed, this is definitely my favorite time of year!!!

The Firehat and My Little People

I will be the first to admit that this week has been a lazy one. There, I said it! L-A-Z-Y!!! The house is sold and it feels great to just sit back and enjoy doing absolutely nothing. Owen had only one therapy this week and no doctor's appointments. It has been a wonderful, (yes, I'll say it again) LAZY week! Never mind the piles of clean laundry sitting in the corner of my bedroom or the toys all over the den... there is always tomorrow for that.

While Kamryn and Daddy are away... Owen and I have been busy at PLAY. Last Sunday we noticed the Gilbert Fire Department Truck parked in front of our house. Owen sat on the doorstep and stared at the truck and watched the firefighters, of course flashing them his toothy grin! A few of them came to the door to say hello and we went to see the firetruck. Owen could care less about the big ol ladder truck, he just soaked up the attention. They gave him a fire hat and he entertained them in return.

While I was in the kitchen making banana bread this afternoon, I caught Owen trying to pull up on the train table to reach his hat. He still can't pull up, but I gave him a little boost. He got his hat, I got my camera, and Owen did what he does best....showed off once again!

Oh, if I wish I could bottle up his sweetness forever!! He has the most outgoing, silly, playful personality and it's contagious.

After school, Kamryn loves to play with Owen! She loves her baby brother, but it's also a sweet way to get out of doing homework. Today I caught them in action.....

How sweet is this???

I love to watch their relationship grow as Owen gets bigger and Kamryn more mature (gulp). Kamryn is naturally a leader and Owen is more than willing to let her take control of the situation and play along. It works out perfectly!

SOLD!!

After two days on the market and eight viewings...

We got THREE offers on our home, two were well above our asking price.

SOLD!!!!

We won't have to move for a few months while we wait on the bank to approve the offer, so we'll spend the holidays in our home and move the first of 2010.

Selling our home wasn't so bad. We are happy for the new buyer, whom is actually a teacher at Kamryn's school (coincidentally) and my niece's teacher this year. Small world. This is her first home and I hope she enjoys every square inch of it!!!

A Quiet Monday

I keep thinking that there must be something I need to do today. Something productive. I worked my tail off last week to get our house ready to put on the market and now it's done. There is nothing else to cross off my "to do" list. Owen and I are sitting in our quiet, very clean home, wondering how we should pass the time.

The house went on the market Saturday and we have had 8 showings and counting. The phone rings now and again with Realtors wanting to do a showing. Owen and I venture out in the neighborhood and come back when they leave. Whoever said selling your house was stressful?? This is the most relaxed I have been in a while!

Last week was another story... getting ready to list the house was insane.

Now, we can sit back and enjoy our clean home with made beds and spotless floors as long as they shall last.... or until we get an offer on the house... whichever comes first!

Lots of Updates

We have had a crazy, busy week and I finally have a second to sit down and breathe! While we were on "vacation" (staying near Palo Alto), Owen celebrated his 21 month birthday. Time has flown by and it's almost time to start planning for the big boy's 2nd birthday party!

Here is what I have been up to lately!!

* I am weighing in at 24.8lbs (11.3 kilos) and measuring 34" tall

* I finally mastered the transition from laying to sitting, but could use some help getting back down. Throwing myself backwards is only working out for me when there is a pillow to soften the fall.

* I prefer to never crawl, and instead I am working on pulling to a stand and bearing more weight in my legs. I will walk when I'm good and ready.

* I have started to jibber jabber all the time. I have so much to say and LOVE to imitate everyone else. I have started to not only imitate, but initiate conversation and I am a pretty funny guy!

* My favorite words are "tank ooo", "wha eva", "uh Oooooooooh", "mooooor", and "nu nu nu NO"... I say a bunch more, but these are just some of my most used.

* While I like the word "nu nu nu NO", I don't appreciate being told "NO", because I have learned I am not going to get my way. Then I do this really great fake cry!

Then everyone laughs at me and then it's all good. That's what I've been up to this month!

Medical Updates

Owen continues to lose weight and I have no idea what to do! He is on 1200cals/day of pediasure and I have been trying to increase that to 1300. His little tummy gets so full that he just pukes. He does relatively well during the day feeds when he's up and active, but at night the pukes can be pretty aweful. I'm working on pushing his tummy during the day with continuous feeds so that I can start to decrease the night drip. Who knew that gaining weight would be so difficult?? He's always just gained and it was so simple. Sigh.

This week, I kept calling Owen the incredible pin cushion! In a one week period, he had 15 needle pokes!

2 pokes of lab draws, 3 pokes for IV access, 3 entrance sites for cardiac cath (thankfully, he didn't feel these ones), 1 poke for H1N1 vaccine, 4 pokes for other vaccines, and 2 pokes for RSV shots.

The worst part of it all, he barely cries anymore because he's used to it. He cringes when he sees the needles, doesn't flinch when they rub on the alcohol (even though he knows what's coming) and then he lets out a holler when they stick him. Bandaid on and it's like nothing ever happened. If that's not TOUGH, I don't know what is.

Volleyball

Today, we ventured out to watch Kamryn in action for her first volleyball game of the season. She is amazing!!! I lost count of how many points she scored for her team, but it was at least six.

As you can see.. Owen had a great time showing off for his sister!! What is this silly face?? Kamryn served the ball like a pro... Team huddle..... my germ phobia got the best of me when the girls kept giving each other high-fives and then they did the team lineup where they give the other team their high-fives. I kept thinking hand sanitizer for ALL... don't touch each other... germs... ahhhhhhh!!! I was a good mom and avoided embarrassing my child, but rushed her to the restroom to wash her hands as soon as the game was over. For Sale

After spending hours and hours getting our house ready to show... we officially put it on the market today. I'm hoping for a quick offer so that I can stop following my family around picking up every little thing that they put down.

Oh, and I did make a sign and put a GIGANTIC bottle of hand sanitizer right by the front door for people to use. We also put a note on the MLS to not come into our home if you are or have been sick recently. Hopefully, this will not scare away potential buyers.. but we'll take our chances. :)

Moving

As I mentioned in an earlier post.. we are moving. The housing market in Phoenix tanked about two years ago. We were the "lucky" ones that purchased our home at the peak of the market.

At the time we purchased our home, people were having bidding wars on homes. People camped out or waited in line for hours for the chance to purchase a home. It seems like forever ago. Well, we were the "lucky" ones that showed up at just the right time and were able to purchase a new build 1400 sq foot home for a ridiculously expensive price!

If only I had listened to my hubby whom said "the housing market can't keep going like this, it's going to tank."

I didn't listen, and I insisted on purchasing a home, rather than renting and riding out the market high. I may never live this down.

We have been "lucky" enough to pay an extreme mortgage payment on a house, now worth, over a hundred thousand less than our existing loan. Lesson learned. Big, expensive, lesson learned.

Our mortgage wasn't an issue when we were both working, while Kamryn was in school during the day. Before Owen was conceived. Before all of his special needs. Before I had to quit working to become a full time nurse to him. Before life changed.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Mortgage companies say that they are "working with people" to stay in their homes. We have been working with them for almost two years now. Just a few weeks ago we got their "offer" to restructure our loan.

Needless to say, the offer was not even close to affordable. So, we have no choice but to move on. We are listing the house for market value and someone will get a smokin' deal on a home.

Everything is working out in perfect timing. We plan on moving closer to Kamryn's school (about 5 miles away), which is also closer to her friends and cousins. We will rent a home, for 1/2 of our current mortgage payment, and stay put for a couple years until the housing market picks back up. We don't know when Owen will need his heart transplant or when I will need to relocate to Palo Alto for a long period of time with him.

Things always happen for a reason. We're ready to move on, say goodbye to our tiny, overpriced home, that we were "lucky" enough to purchase at the time!

Is it strange that I love moving?? Something inside me gets excited to throw away, donate, and organize everything as I pack. Today I cleaned the garage, cleaned off all the porches and wrote my mile long "to do" list. I get excited every time I cross something off the list. It's okay. Call me crazy!!!

Staying Healthy

Owen had an appointment with Dr Stock yesterday and he was just as thrilled as the rest of us! For the first time in 21 months, Owen is finally in an okay place. It takes my breath away.

He is still on massive doses of 7 medications, 1300 calorie a day diet to gain weight, he continues to puke at least once a day and has only a little energy... but he is stable!!!! It is such a relief.

We need to keep him healthy this winter and it appears we are raising yet another germ phobic child. Owen asks numerous times a day for hand sanitizer which he rubs into each and every one of his fingers. He's very thorough.

This morning, we were able to track down an H1N1 vaccine for him (thanks Dr. Jean)! We start RSV shots next week and will continue on with his "catch up" vaccine plan.

I am working on Owen's 21 months post (only a few days late) and I can't wait to tell you what Owen's been up to!!

But for now... I must go buy boxes and clean my house because the Realtor is coming on Thursday. That's right... we are selling our house. Now that Owen is stable, I thought it'd be a good time to stress myself out with the showing and selling the house and moving!

Now, I just need to figure out a way to politely insist that potential home buyers wear a mask and booties and to not touch anything as they look at our home. The last thing we need is people bringing sickies into our home.

Halloween 09'

Introducing....

Dorothy and her Tin Man!!

After our 12 hour drive home from Palo Alto, the kids were exhausted and running on adrenaline. Kamryn was excited to finally wear her red sparkly shoes!!!
Here's Dorothy with a little sass....
Owen loved his Tin Man costume! He was the most perfect Tin Man in every way!
After rushing to get the kids dressed up, dinner in their bellies and out the door, it was too dark to get a great picture of all of them together... such is Halloween.

Kamryn is always looking at the camera and smiling, Livvy was crabby from a long day with no nap, Owen was trying to steal Gigi's pom-poms and pull the spiders out of her hair and Gigi was ready to get the heck out of there!

The kids trick-or-treated for a good hour until they had two baskets FULL of candy. Owen stayed away from all the other ghosts and goblins to avoid the germs. We had a ton of spooky visitors and passed out bags and bags of candy. It was a crazy night!!

It was a blessing to be home!! I couldn't have asked for anything more than to be home with my family trick-or-treating!! With that said, I am not sad that we have 365 days before Halloween 2010.