Disneyland Highlights!

Here are just some of the many highlights of our fun day at Disneyland!
The grounds were beautiful and very clean!

We met many, many fun characters. Buzz was one of Jacks' favorites when he was younger.

Both Jack and Bailey were chosen for Jedi Training Camp! It was so fun to watch them fight Darth Vader and Darth Mal.

The highlight for Bailey was getting to meet all the Princesses.

This was how Bailey rode most of the rides! Eyes closed. This was the Indiana Jones ride. Jack and Daddy and I loved it. Bailey had another opinion.

Jack and I rode most of the rides together because Bailey wanted her Daddy to ride with her. I think Space Mountain was our favorite, Jack and I couldn't stop laughing the whole ride. Bailey said The Matterhorn was her favorite ride. I really enjoyed seeing my sweet kids enjoy everything about Disneyland!

This is for Garrison!

Here are the kids in front of the Queen Mary. Lots of legends surrounding this ship. Some say it is haunted. Garrison really wanted a picture of it with Jack and Bailey in it. It was really hard to get them in the picture. It is a BIG ship. There is also a Russian Submarine docked by the Queen Mary. Both were just a few blocks from our Corporate Apartment. The pier and boardwalk were really fun!

Hollywood

This was the highlight of my day in Hollywood!

We also saw Uma Thurman and one of her kids.(She has red hair now)

We saw someone from the show Prison Break. ( I didn't know them but Greg recognized them)

We saw Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) and Cedric the Entertainer.

You never knew who would pull up beside you at a stop light!

You Know You Are In Hollywood If...

You know you are in Hollywood if the mall "fast food" is Kirbys Steaks and sushi! If the boutiques have adorable $60 t-shirts. Or if you see Brittney Spears buying fancy coffee at the local Starbucks! Our time in Hollywood and Beverly Hills was the most fun for me, not so much for the kids.
We drove into the Hills and got really close to the Hollywood sign. The homes built into the mountain and the views are spectacular.

I wanted to take the kids to see the footprints and hand prints at Graumans Chinese Theatre. Well, we couldn't get to the prints because they were having a movie premiere. We actually stood behind the barricade across from the red carpet. The premiere was "Fred Claus" I love Vince Vaughn and actually got to see him up close. This picture below is of Paul Giamati, who plays Santa in the movie.

This is Oliver from Hannah Montana, the kids were thrilled and jumping up and down hoping to see more Disney stars.

During premieres, I guess, tons of impersonators come out. We got our pictures taken with everyone from Elmo to Jack Sparrow!

After the premiere was over we walked Hollywood Blvd. and then drove Sunset Strip and Rodeo drive. After a rough start this day ended up being a great day for all of us.

Los Angeles Part One...

Our family trip to LA (minus Connor) started out bumpy!
Greg and I were randomly! picked to be searched at the airport which added time to our check in time. Bailey had never been on a plane and she and I were separated from the boys so I got to listen to a million questions and complaints for the entire 3 hour trip! So much for finishing that book on the plane. When we got to LAX we found mine and the kids bag immediately, but Greg's (with his medicine) was no where to be found. There was a green bag that looked exactly like Greg's but had someone elses name on it... you see where I'm going with this. Yes, we called the number on that bag and they had Greg's. So we had to wait at the airport for them to bring it back and trade with us. An hour later we were waiting in line for our car. Finally we were off to the the apartment in Long Beach. This is a new Corporate Apartment in Long Beach and is not furnished yet so we needed to find a Target or Walmart to get sheets and towels and other necessary items. Well the new GPS we took, took us to three CLOSED Targets and Wal-Marts before we found one still open way away from our apartment. Then we were all sleepy and hungry so we stopped and grabbed a bite to eat at 11:00. We finally made it to the apartment and got beds made and fell into bed after midnight. You would think we would all sleep in since we were so beat, NO the kids were up at 6:00!!! So, Greg decided to go get breakfast and we would make our plan for the day. Greg and Jack left and were back in around 15 minutes without breakfast. The first words out of Greg's mouth were, "The car is gone" "It is either stolen or towed." Not what you want to hear at 7 in the morning! We had parked in the underground parking garage in the spot the apartment people told us were our spots. Come to find out another tenant thought it was his spot and he had us towed. Greg took an $18 cab ride to pay another $230 to get the rental out of lockup! Greg comment,"Heads are going to roll!" So we are finally on our way and we need to stop at two of Greg's properties for him to check the books and while we are waiting on daddy, Jack tells me his tummy hurts. So I send him into use the restroom. When we get to the second store he says it hurts again so I send him back in and 20 minutes later he comes out to the car to inform me "I puked". YEA.
At this point I am ready to give up and go home. I am glad I didn't everything gets better from here.
Jack's feeling fine and we decide to hit Hollywood and Beverly Hills today! First we went to the Farmer's Market and walked around and found the American Girl Doll Store for Bailey. For her 6th Birthday she got to spend as much time as she wanted in the store and pick out a new doll. She chose Elizabeth (my favorite too) and I snuck a gift for Christmas in too. We met up with the boys and took pictures of Bailey with her new doll by the Christmas tree they already have up!
Oh yea, around this time I find out Connor got sick two hours after we left town!
Hollywood highlights to come soon...

And the Winners Are...

The Sock Hop was a Big Success!
Bailey won 2nd prize for her costume and Jack won third for costume and for the dance contest!!!
I was going to take a picture of them with their ribbons on but they both came in and stripped off clothes immediately.
We are really enjoying our new school, they make it fun to learn!

Welcome to the Sock Hop!

Jack and Bailey's School has been collecting socks for children and when they reached their goal they got to have a Sock Hop! Aren't my little Fonzie and his best girl adorable?!!!

Fall Festival

Last Sunday was the Annual Family Fall Festival at church. We knew we would be rushed to go at all but couldn't wait to enjoy all the kids in their cute costumes!
Here is the bunch! Emma (Hula Girl), Bailey (Laura Ingalls), Jack (Dirk!!!), Brooke (Beautiful Ballerina) and Connor (Lion). What a cute crew!

After shoving food down us, and playing a few games and riding one slide we were off to Jack (I mean Dirk's) baseball playoffs.

Busy Times!

So much has happened since the last blog that I will simply give the highlights from the last month and a half.

*Both kids are well into the swing of school for this year. Both love their teachers and have made great friends.

*Both older kids are playing soccer and doing a great job.

*Jack is playing baseball and the season is ending this weekend with the tournament.

*Both older kids are taking tennis lessons and are doing really well.

*We took a Labor Day trip to the Dallas Zoo. Our favorite short trip.

*Jack saw the eye doctor and is near-sighted!

*Bailey had pneumonia right after school started.

*We have made the short walk over to the High School football stadium several times this football season.

*We have had two family birthdays.

*Bailey attended a Pearce High School Cheerleader Camp. She loved it and got to cheer before a game one Friday night.

*We took all three kids to the State Fair this year! We went on the busiest day ever recorded at the Fair and had a blast!

*We took Jack and Bailey to the Lion King. WOW!!!

*Connor turned 18 months and is 2 inches taller than his big brother was at 18 months!

I can not believe I got all that has happened lately into such a short blog!

Bailey turns 6 in a week and a half and we are taking her and Jack to Disneyland for her birthday! I will have lots more to blog when we return from California!

Where Has Summer Gone?

Where did Summer go? It was a longer summer but it seemed to fly by. I never feel like I have enough time with my kids now that they are in school. The kids and I spent all day Saturday together doing things we enjoy. Greg was out of town for the weekend and it was just us. First, we went to the cemetery with Mimi to put a flag and red, white and blue flowers on Papa's grave. It was Jack's idea and we all really enjoyed remembering Papa and looking around at the headstones. They love to hear stories about all their relatives that have gone on to heaven. All afternoon we played in the backyard. Our "cheap" pool has already gotten a hole in it so we just squirted the hose and ran around. Jack and Bailey made a "water slide" out of Connor's little slide by putting the hose at the top and then sliding down it.

Connor was a little devil all afternoon. He loved to grab the hose and squirted us. He and Jack fought for it and Connor won! He chased us around and got us really wet. He really loved squirting Jack and Bailey while they jumped on the trampoline.

After a really busy day I had all three in bed by 7:30 and it was really quiet around here!

The First Day!

Bailey hasn't stopped talking about everything that happened today since I picked her up!
Jack hugged his teacher and turned to me with the biggest smile on his cute little face. He told me all about the friends he made and PE and writing about his summer. I felt such relief!!!
We all went for ice cream (a tradition after the first day every year) and fought the crowd because everyone had the same idea. Braums was packed. My favorite thing Bailey said was, "This school has too many rules, mom!" Oh Bailey, just wait...

Northrich Elementary!

We had new clothes, shoes, haircuts, lunchboxes and backpacks! We also had a new school! This was causing a little nervousness and anxiety from my oldest child. All along I thought my Bailey would be the nervous one and Jack would fly through this change. Not so this time. After crying and begging us not to change schools he has finally sort of come around. It is a really long story but the Magnet school we have been at for the last two years was not a good fit for our family and we decided to request a transfer until we could get moved. Well, the transfer that was suppose to be so... easy to get was NOT! We have been through 3 appeals and finally met with the Superintendent and got a transfer to a school we really didn't know anything about. After a lot of prayer and research of the new school we decided it would be a good place to call home for now. So, we began our school year at Northrich Elementary this morning.

Connor could not stand to watch the pictures and had to push in between his big brother and sister for a picture. He actually starts Sunshine School next Thursday and he will have so much fun with his little friends in Mrs. Leslie's Class.

Jack did not want me to take his picture with his new teacher! He wasn't crying or complaining but he just acted like he didn't care. It made mommy sad because he seemed so sad. But, knowing Jack he is already the life of the party and has made tons of friends! My adorable 2nd grader is growing up so fast. He is smart, funny and happy almost all the time. His teacher is Ms. Bradley and she seems really nice.

Bailey was thrilled and couldn't wait to get to class. She loves her teacher already and didn't shed a tear. I am happy to say I didn't shed a tear until I drove away! Her Kindergarten teacher is Mrs. Lehner. She is newly married and very cute. It was an easy transition for her, but I am sure that next week it will hit her and she will be asking if she has to go to school today! Bailey constantly amazes me, she is reading and writing tons. She loves school and being "bossy".

After I dropped the kids off, I ran to Target to get some groceries and then off to meet some "girls" after we all dropped our kids off, for coffee. So, now begins my life with two in school and just me and sweet Connor together alone.

I can't wait to pick them up and hear all about their 1st day of school!

Finally Summer...

We finally have a week with nothing to do! This has been a crazy, busy summer with vacations, swimming, baseball, VBS, birthdays, doctor's visits and many other FUN things! Last week Greg was off all week and we had a great time going swimming and playing with Daddy. Our good friends from Phoenix came into town and we met them for dinner. We are still holding out for them to move to Dallas! They are such a sweet family with a little boy Bailey's age and another little girl on the way this November. So, now what do we do with nothing to do! We played out back all day yesterday. It was so nice not to have to get all four of us dressed to go anywhere.
Connor loved being outside and didn't want to come in for nap time! He followed me around while I hosed down all the outside play toys and ran in front of me so he could get sprayed. He was soaked in a matter of minutes.

The older two love to pretend in the backyard. I think yesterday they were pirates or something and were trying to build a fire on top of the Little Tykes playhouse. It is plastic so I was glad they were there and not on the wooden swing set building a fire!

Connors favorite thing to do was empty Lulu's bowl and pour the water on himself.

I have not had much time to blog this summer. We are always busy but the summer seems even worse than the rest of the year.
Hopefully now I will have more time to catch up on all our news!

The biggest news is that Connor has been fever free for 4 weeks now! We are taking it one day at a time and enjoying this happy little boy so much. We know it will come back and we will deal with it then. With the new specialist and our "plan of action" we feel so much better. He actually fought off a cold last weekend and that is amazing!

Bailey is beginning to talk about school. She is getting so big looking to me! She is going to a High School Musical 2 party next week and is beyond excited. What happened to my sweet little girl who just sat by her mommy and hung on my arm? She is just about as tall as Jack and yes, that bothers him greatly!

Jack is already practicing soccer with his new soccer goal for the yard and is getting excited about the new seasons of sports about to start. I have not missed sports too much. We needed a break. He is excited about starting 2nd grade and about his sister being in school with him. I love that they can look after each other this next year.

That brings me to the school situation! No. we still don't have an answer to our school problem. We have a second appeal this Friday if they don't put it off again. I DO NOT want my kids at ACM again. We would take just about any other school at this point to get them out. Hopefully we will know something this Friday.

Greg started his new job yesterday and he loves it. He is also beginning the process of tapering off his steroids. We are a little nervous. We hope he can come off of them and have no symptoms. If he isn't in remission then we will have to go to plan B.

I plan on enjoying the next few weeks before school starts by doing nothing!!!

I Can't Believe...

We had a fun birthday party at Main Event Bowling. The kids loved bowling and eating and playing fun games!

I can't believe my baby is 7! I still vividly remember your birth.

It was 10 days early, but the doctor thought you were a really big baby so we were heading to the hospital to have you. Mimi flew in from Big D at 9:30 that night and we were to be at the hospital at midnight! After we arrived they took me in and hooked me up to monitor me. After about 15 minutes they came in and everyone started making a big fuss about your heart rate. After several minutes of twisting me and turning me around to try to figure out what was going on they told us that they felt like we couldn't wait for my doctor but needed to do an Emergency C-section. They wheeled me to an operating room and daddy walked out to tell Mimi what was going on and to get the camera, but by the time he got back you were already here. They told me it was the fastest C-section they had done, it took only 3 and 1/2 minutes.

Mommy was asleep for a while and when I woke up I wanted to know right away where my little boy was. Finally, after I cried for a while, Daddy talked them into bringing you in for me to see. I didn't let anyone separate us without a fight for the whole time we were in the hospital. I didn't want to take my eyes or hands off of you! I am still just as protective of you today as I was the day you were born.

The 7 Best Things About Jackson Brantley...

1. His smile.

2. His sense of humor.

3. His big heart.

4. His competitive spirit.

5. His inquisitiveness.

6. His "smarts".

7. His "mama boy" status!!!

My Favorite Beach Pictures

Galveston Island

Our trip to the beach started a little bumpy! Bailey woke up Sunday morning with her eye swollen shut! Yes, pink eye. After getting some medicine and quickly starting her on the drops we packed up the van and headed out. The trip was really quick and not too many times did I hear "How much longer?" "Are we there almost?" On Monday morning we actually got to sleep in a little bit. Jack and Connor were in our giant room (Jack was actually on a blow up bed in our huge closet) and both of them slept past 7:30, in fact Jack slept later than he has in months. Bailey was sharing a room with bunk beds and she and Emma were up rather early and ready to hit the beach! Jack and Bailey love the beach and we were anxious to see how Connor would react this year. Last year he only slept on the beach!
When we crossed the boardwalk and Connor saw the ocean he ran! I had to drop everything I was carrying and chase him down. He really liked the beach, but not the waves. As soon as one knocked him down and he came up sputtering he decided to play in the sand with Brooke. We were really excited when he ventured back out into the ocean many more times so we know he is going to love the water as much as the other two.

Bailey still feels safer with floaties on! She is doing so much better and has even taken swim lessons again this summer and put her face under water!

Jack is like a little fish in the water. He loves to ride the waves. He is also in swim lessons this summer and we actually put in another session to fine tune his stroke. He wants to be on the swim team and we might let him next summer.

I was so sad I didn't get any pictures of all three of them together on the beach. They all had on matching red, white and blue swimsuits.

All in all the beach was a BIG hit this vacation.

Stay tuned for more...

Where Have We Been???

The last month or so has been so crazy that blogging had become a thing of the past. I have a ton to catch up on so I'll take it slowly. I have to start with my kids Lemonade Stand! What a blast they had selling lemonade. I think I made them 5 pitchers during the 2 1/2 hours they sold. We picked a Saturday where our neighbors had a garage sale so it was busy. Our neighbor Hannah came over to help too.
The sale came up when Jack and Bailey were counting there allowance to see how much money they each had to take on vacation with us. Jack knew we were going to visit NASA on our trip so he wanted to take plenty of money to spend.
At the end of the sale they made a total of $27.50! That was a lot of 50 cent lemonade cups!

A Birthday Celebration... Finally!

We finally celebrated Connor's First Birthday. He was 13 months old this week, but more importantly, he has been fever free for a week now! Connor loves lions so I had planned a big circus bash for his party. When we cancelled it I put all the party supplies away. Mimi decided we had to have a dinner for Connor so he could open all his presents and have cake. I pulled the cake pan back out and made his lion cake yesterday afternoon. It turned out really cute. More than how it looked is how it tasted. Connor loved his cake. He had it all over his face and hands but not anywhere else. Is he going to be my neat kid???

At 13 months Connor now has 8 teeth. He is saying new words everyday. He has a wicked sense of humor! Loves to play tug o' war with Lulu. Cries if he doesn't get to go outside with us. Likes to flirt with little old ladies in the grocery store. Goes to the pantry or fridge and hits it and says more, more for food or milk. Still goes to sleep in his bed at the drop of a hat! I love that one.

My prayer for more than a month now has been to heal my baby, and now my prayers are for thanksgiving for a healthly, happy little boy.

Proud Mommy

I really could use something to cheer me up and leave it to my firstborn to do the job!
After one soccer game and three baseball games we decided to go to Sams and do our shopping and eat lunch all at once. We really like Sam's hot dogs! We were eating and the older two were fighting, which seems to happen a lot lately, and Jack jumps up and runs over to a man who was obviously struggling, and he offers to throw his trash away! This older gentleman was using a cane and having a lot of trouble walking and also carrying his trash. The man lite up and said to me, "You have a boy with real good manners!" Something not many people know about Jack is that he has a special way with older people. He loves to talk to them and he really listens and asks them lots of questions. Needless to say I was one proud mommy today!

Bye, Bye April

Well around our house we were glad to see April go. The month of April was a really rough one around here. We still haven't gotten to celebrate my sweet one year olds birthday or my wonderful husbands birthday, but we will as soon as we can.

Now, it seems like May is starting out a little rocky also!

Connor went 3 weeks without catching anything and just when I was beginning to feel safe...

Yes, he is sick and we went to the Doctor yesterday and he is worried about how far his blood counts dropped in just a few days. I can honestly say I have this constant horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. My adorable Connor has been such a trooper through it all. Fever, shots, blood drawn constantly, people poking on him, temperature taken regularly...

So now we are waiting again. If we still have fever tomorrow we go back in for more tests. The Doctor talked to me yesterday about some Syndrome that he is thinking Connor could have and we will research it further if he doesn't get better soon.

On a happier note, both the older two have started baseball now. Both teams are really good and have won all games played so far. Jack loves it and Bailey tolerates it. She just doesn't get as excited as Jack about baseball. She does love soccer this season and is really much better. She actually scored 3 goals so far this season!

Jack finished Soccer last weekend. We were sorry for that season to end. He had a wonderful coach and learned a lot this season. He really is gifted at soccer and watching him play is exciting. He scored 4 goals in the last game of the season and seeing him running the length of the field with his hands up after a score was priceless.

Greg is just working and working and working...

His partner passed away this last month and his work load doubled. He is coping with the loss the best he can. Darryl was from Australia and he and his wife were all he had here. Greg has been trying to help out where he can. He spoke at the funeral and is helping his wife deal with some cleaning out and paperwork. The bank is suppose to get a new person over next week we are hoping. That will help Greg out a lot.

Bailey and I are finishing up Sunshine School this next week. I am really ready for it to be over. I feel like I need to concentrate on Connor for a while.

Jack is finishing up a wonderful 1st grade year. I can't believe I'll have one in 2nd and one in Kindergarten.

As we head into May around our house we are hoping for a much smoother, calmer, healthier month.

Blessed Assurance

The month of April has been filled with so many things.
Sorrow, joy, fear, anticipation, and many memories.
With all the turmoil this month I have not had the time to blog about my Grandfather.
After many years of failing health and depression his body finally gave out and he is home with God. At his memorial I learned some really fascinating facts that I didn't know about him.
I knew his name was J.W. and that it really only stood for J.W. I knew he was a rancher and a fireman for Dallas. What I didn't know was that he grew up on a pear orchard. People came from Dallas to his farm in Kleberg to buy pears by the bushel. For some odd reason I find that life interesting and I would love to know more. My mom actually remembers it because when she was small they still lived there.
Here are just a few more interesting facts:
*He worked at the first movie theater in Mesquite as a projectionist.
*He ran a Curtis Candy route.
*He was a Dallas Fireman for 28 years.
*He was the mayor of Oak Grove.
*He was married to my Memaw for 62 years!
*He had two children.
*He had 6 grandchildren.
*He had 7 great-grandchildren.
The funeral service was full of fond memories from friends and family. We decided to take Jack and Bailey mainly because they both asked to go and say goodbye to Papa. After the funeral began I was so proud of my two kids. Both sat and listened to the Chaplain talk about Papa. Everything was smooth until they opened the coffin for everyone to pay respects. Bailey started crying and couldn't stop. As she sobbed on me she said, "Mommy, Papa's boo-boos are all better now aren't they?" Out of the mouths of babes. "Yes, Bailey, Papa is with God now so his boo-boos are all better." Jack leans over and says,"That is not Papa anymore Bailey, his old body is still here but he is up in heaven."
On the way to the burial the kids got to ride in the limo with Granny, Mimi and Papa and they loved it. The burial was a true Fireman's funeral. We had bagpipes lead us in and after the tradition was explained a bell was rung to call Papa home to God. It was truly moving.
I could go on and on with my childhood memories of Papa. The farm, bringing me donuts after his shift at the Firehouse, riding horses and motorbikes, fishing in the ponds, riding in his truck early in the morning to check on the cattle, snakes!, Mr. Tom and Miss Kitty, sheep, picking vegetables in the garden, Corky, Duke, King, eating only shrimp no chicken, and on and on.
Grandpa truly blessed my life in so many ways. I will miss you and all your knowledge on just about any subject. As the song Blessed Assurance was sung at the service I felt a sadness and a joy at the same time because I knew I would miss him but I also knew he was now in a much better place.

McDreamy to McNightmare

What began as a "normal" hectic day in our house ended as nothing near normal!
Early Thursday morning Greg and I rushed to get all of us ready for a busy Thursday. Kids fed breakfast, lunches made, dressed, etc... Greg had to leave really early for a meeting so I was taking Jack to school then on to Pre-school for Bailey, Connor and myself. During breakfast was the first sign something was wrong. Connor would not eat, he was really fussy and wouldn't even drink his milk. The fact that he was fussy in the morning was a sure sign of trouble. He is the happiest kid in the morning and can't wait to play and eat. When I took a closer look at him his lips were blue. Not just slightly but very blue. So I became concerned and when I was dressing him I felt like his hands and feet were also rather cold. By then I felt like a call to Papa was in order. He told me I should call the Doctor. So, I rushed Jack to school and called Greg a little panicked and he called the after hours number for our Doctor. The nurse called me back by the time I got home and after I described symptoms and answered many questions she told me to go to the ER immediately. In mommy auto-pilot I grabbed Connor and Bailey and left. Called Greg and Mom and Kristen at school on my way and walked into the really nice Children's ER at Medical City. They got me back to the the triage area quickly and asked more questions and took his vitals and now he wasn't cold he was running 103.9 fever! They immediately decided to admit him to the ER for test and observation. I was still at this point thinking it was nothing and I was being silly, but little did I know...
Greg came while we were in the first ER room and so did Mom to take Bailey home. I am so grateful that Mom came and got Bailey, she did not need to see what happened next. While the first Dr. was evaluating him another nurse ran in and said they needed us out of the room immediately. As we left she told us that room was the Psych room and they had a loud patient waiting with the police to get in the room. Great!
So they finally moved us to the Children's ER room and a new nurse and new Doctor.
Then began the tests and IV and fluids and more tests. The IV and urine sample via catheter were the worst to watch. He really didn't put up much of a fight because he was so sick. He had Motrin and then Tylenol both at the hospital and the fever wasn't coming down. After several hours of waiting the Doctor came back with the first results. He said the chest x-rays and electrolytes were good but the blood work was really low and he thought it had to be lab error so he wanted to rerun them. A nurse came back in and took more blood from my baby. I don't know how he had any blood left they took so much. Then we sat for 2 more hours holding a very hot and sleepy baby.
What happened next is still fuzzy in my mind. The Doctor walked back in and looked really somber and started with, "Well, it wasn't an error the lab work was correct." What he followed that with was truly my biggest nightmare. "With the white blood cells being so low they are almost non-existent, we are looking at a form of Leukemia." After he said the "L" word I shut down. I vaguely remember him saying a specialist would be looking at the blood and we would be checked into the hospital immediately and blah, blah, blah...
The next 25 minutes or so we spent in shock and trying to figure out what to do next and praying constantly. I sat and rocked Connor and just kept saying NO, NO, NO over and over. Greg called both of our parents and told them what we had been told. He called Kristen at Pre-school and told her that the labs were not good but we would know more later. He didn't want to panic anyone until we knew what we were dealing with. I remember the nurse came in and asked me if I was ok and if I needed anything. She was so kind and concerned for Connor. I think and hope after the initial shock I would have been calmer and thinking more clearly but I don't know that for sure. I only knew my sweet baby, whom I prayed every night for a year for, was really sick. God heard all the prayers sent up on Connor's behalf and quickly ended our terror. Dr. McDreamy, as I was calling him before the "L" word, came back in and said,"Good News!" That was all I needed to hear. He told us that the Hematologist/Oncologist had looked at the blood and saw no abnormalities. He thought all the low blood counts was a sign that a 12 month old was just having a lot of trouble fighting off a bad virus. I had since renamed McDreamy as Dr. McNightmare, he apologized for the scare but at that point I was just so happy I didn't care. He said the specialist would be looking at all the lab work still to be done and would help us rule out Leukemia for sure. While we waited for a room they began to run more tests. More blood work, an RSV test, IV anti-biotics and who knows what else. Terry came in about now and kept us company and then Rebecca came with lunch for me and held Connor for me. Greg ran home to pick up Jack and get baseball stuff together for both older kids. He dropped Jack off at the Tamplins and took Bailey her clothes at Mom's and picked up clothes for me because he knew I wouldn't leave the hospital until Connor did. Most importantly he grabbed Connor's Elmo for him to hold onto.
By the time they got us to our room Matt came by to check on Connor and then Aunt Stephanie came to keep my mind off the bad stuff. Connor adores Rebecca and Stephanie so I was so grateful they were there to visit and talk to. They got him settled in and the room was really nice. Both Connor and mommy had beds to sleep in although Connor slept with mommy most of the time. Papa and Aunt Tamara came by to check on Connor too. He really just slept on someone all evening. He didn't eat but I could get him to drink something. The nurses worked hard most of the night to get his fever down. I think around midnight it finally broke and I actually put him down in his own baby bed and he slept until they took his vitals around 5:30. He had this awful monitor hooked up to his big toe and from 2:30 on the alarm on it went off every 15 to 20 minutes so I didn't sleep but he managed to sleep through it.
The next morning they came into redo his CBC around 6 and I could even tell they didn't get enough blood to run a test, but...
needless to say, they came back finally around 10:30 to get more blood.
Also, they lost his RSV test from the day before so they redid it too.
He felt so much better Friday with the fever gone that we got to take him into the really nice playroom to pass the time. We met other families there who were not as lucky as us and it really broke my heart to see what some of these families were going through.
Finally, around 2 the specialist came by to visit and explained all the labs to us. He told us that the counts had gone up from a 1 to a 4 and normal was 8. So, he had a ways to go but was on the right track. I asked him if Leukemia was definitely off the table and he said as for as he was concerned we didn't need to worry about that one. YEA!!! He also told us that we might never know for sure what set this in motion and that he thought it might last 5-7 more days with the fever coming back but he thought the white blood count going up meant he was beginning to fight it better.
So, now we are home and Connor is confined to home away from kids with germs. I am not sure how that works since his brother and sister have plenty of germs. If his fever stays away and his blood count continues to go up we can join the world again later in the week.
How can I ever thank everyone who prayed, consoled, called, emailed or visited us during this nightmare. I can't, but you all mean the world to Greg and I and especially to Connor.
If I didn't realize what wonderful family and friends we have during the ordeal with Greg I do so even more now.
Our family is praying that the rest of 2007 be an uneventful year!

The Birthday Boy!

A tradition in our house is to sneak in early in the morning and take a picture of the birthday kid before they wake up. Today was Connor Reid's first such picture. After I snapped the pic it was all down hill quickly. He looked up and started to cry this pitiful hoarse cry. A cry that continued most of the morning. As soon as I picked him up I knew we would be spending his birthday with our favorite Doctor! He didn't want to open his gifts. Even when he pulled out Elmo he still didn't want to even look at it. His favorite breakfast didn't do the trick either. Well, the rest of us really enjoyed Daddy's homemade French Toast. So, after taking his temp and finding it was a whopping 103 I called the Doctor. Our appointment wasn't until 11:30 so until then he just laid on me and slept or tossed and turned on me until we left. The Doctor quickly told me I had a really sad looking Birthday Boy and that he had an extremely bad ear infection. He put us on a fast working new antibiotic and after two doses he seems already back to himself.

Now for the good stuff!

Here is what makes Connor so special.

1. His wonderful hearty laugh.

2. His beautiful smile.

3. The way he loves to hug his mommy.

4. The way he runs to the front door when daddy comes home.

5. The way he looks all around the house for Jack and Bailey.

6. His cute teeth! Yes, he now has 4 teeth. That is one more than his brother and sister had at one.

7. Watching him dance and shake his head when he hears a song he likes.

8. How he tells Lulu No No and shakes his finger at her.
9.Watching him "play" Jack's gamecube with him.

10. Watching him enjoy his bath time. The whole room is soaked when he is done.

11. Our game-he turns the TV off and mommy turns it back on!

12. His new words- I I (bye, bye), wu wu (Lulu) , Hi, ank ou (thank you), love ou.

And finally I really love his big, wet, sloppy kisses!

Connor Reid,

We are so truly blessed to have you in our family. All four of us thank God for you. I can not believe that one year ago exactly I was finally looking down into your sweet face.

You have made it to one and now we look forward to watching you grow and have many more birthdays for us to celebrate.