Happy New Year!

2009 seemed slow mid February, but looking back now I seemed to have lost the summer and fall! I can't believe we're already to 2010. We had a very eventful year, much of a roller coaster ride. Brode went from 3 months old to 15 months old, what a change!

January 2009 - Brode was baptized. We celebrated with family and friends to welcome Brode to the church and journey.

February 2009 - Brode began sleeping through the night, I started school at Oshkosh after a semester off, and Brode started day care!

April 2009 - We were able to travel to LaCrosse so Brode could see of all his friends and "aunties" there.

June 2009 - Brode started swimming lessons, and we were able to enjoy the summer at the cottage, the park, and with friends!

July 2009 - Brode underwent Left Coronal Craniosynostosis surgery at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

September 2009 - Brode celebrated his 1st brithday with a large group of friends and family!

Fall 2009 - We have been very busy with school, work, day care, and family time!

Although 2009 was rough in some spots, it was very fun in others. Watching Brode grow was amazing and each day he amazes us more with what he is learning! I'm not sure what to think about 2010. Things won't be much different, but you can never anticipate what is going to happen. We will all continue working in our same jobs, I will attempt 2 more semesters of Kinesiology, Brode will undergo the same craniosynostosis surgery yet again, and we will watch our baby turn into a troublesome toddler two-year old.

Resolutions? I'm not sure. I'm indecisive in every tiny decision so this year long commitment isn't any better. I have the typical - shed a few pounds, accumulate a cushion in my and Brode's savings accounts, and work on my organization. I do want to aim to work on not getting upset and frustrated at the little things, work on communication, doing more random acts of kindness, become a LOT more independent, etc. I guess we'll have to see what the year brings and where I can apply all of these things! What are yours?

We hope for happiness and good health for all of our friends and families.

Magic Spoon

Medicine is a very big challenge around our house. You would figure we are experienced after Brode has been on many antibiotics from colds, sugery, and pneumonia, but we are highly NOT experienced! The pharmacist insisted that Brode would be much better with the syringe than the spoon even though we knew his gramps could get it to him easily on the spoon. When Brode came home from the hospital after surgery he had to have 6 or 7 ml of antibiotics. This doesn't sound like much but when put into a syringe it is a LOT, especially since it doesn't all fit so you must refill. This time around he only needs 2.5ml of antiobiotic, and 2ml of steroid. I was so happy and thought it would be a lot easier since we were forced to use the syringe. WRONG! First dose of steroid was perfect, first dose of antibiotic was down his shirt, stomach, pants, and high chair. Next dose of steroid down the shirt, but the antibiotic made it to the mouth this time. Clearly this was not going to work. To get optimal results he needs both at the same time. Last night I finally decided we were switching back to the spoon so I measured them out in the syringe, squirted them onto one of his bright colored spoons and his jaw flew open. Because he is on toddler spoons it took 4 and 1/2 spoons fulls to get them both completely down, but he was mad when I had to put it away, he wanted more! Every dose has been perfect ever since and I am a lot less stressed knowing he is getting the perfect dosage. Hopefully now it will start to work and get rid of this cough!

"We're Not Sure"

Christmas was great! All that I expected it to be, and probably even a little more hectic! Christmas Eve we got dressed up, went to church and Brode was great! He sat on Grandpa's lap and made faces at the people behind us the whole time. Afterwards we drove around looking at lights for a while so Brode could take a little rest so he was ready for presents. Church with a 15 month old was my first fear, and starting family time at 8 when Brode goes to bed at 7 was the second. After sleeping for an hour in the car he was great at Grandma and Grandpa's (moms family) with everyone, he even lasted until 11:30! Christmas morning I was more excited than Brode so I was up and ready to go at 7:45 and everyone else was close behind. Opening presents took a lot longer with the little guy, but we all got great things from each other! Christmas Day we had my dads family over, which is very large, so we had a great time together. That night we headed to Matt's moms for Christmas with his family. Brode did well staying up late there, and again we all got great gifts! Matt, Brode, and I slept over at Grandma Beths that night so that we could open stockings and have breakfast together in the morning. We came home to what we thought would be a lazy day, but we were wrong. That night we went to my aunt and uncles, then all came back to our house so we could see what everyone got and play some games. By this time Brode was so worn out from family he was in bed right at his normal time and slept for 13 hours! It was a gerat Christmas, but it may take a while to find places for everything we got!

Among MANY things Brode got a roller coaster.... ... blocks...
... and a Mega Playland!
He also had a fun time playing Wii with Gramps.

Today was back to work and day care, but it didn't start out too well. Brode had his 15 month check up with the nurse practitioner. She said he is great developmentally and is a very smart little boy, but the cough that he can't seem to kick continues to be a concern. Every time he gets a cold or a cough it sticks around for weeks and never seems to get better. Currently he is on a 3 week streak with a hideous cough that she wanted to get checked out. I tried my best to be patient with the x-ray technician but it wasn't working out so well. Brode screamed and cried and she continued to try to get him to sit still on a chair. Not happening lady, he is 15 months old, scared out of his mind, and knows whats going on because he has been through it 13 times before. At this point we had been there an hour and a half so I suggested we use the restraints to make it 20 minutes faster and keep him from moving. After it was all figured out they came back with "We're Not Sure What is Wrong".... that one little phrase we've heard a LOT. "But we'd like to give him a 10 day course of antibiotics and steroids." So once again we're stuck hoping the antibiotics work well and he can finally get rid of this congestion.

Thankful

What a year! Typically everyone gets to New Years Eve and reminisces about the year, but this year I feel it is much more appropriate to be at Christmas. We've had a crazy year, one that I am very thankful we've gotten through with family and friends. It is definetaly a holiday that will be spent together as a family.

We are so lucky to have such great, close families that Brode gets to grow up with. Although Matt and I are both only children we've always been close with our extended families that gave us a great childhood. I love that Brode gets to grow up with large families! This year we've seen an enormous amount of love and support from not only our families, but also all of our friends. Between working and college we've been extremely busy so having friends and family that love to spend time with Brode have made the trip much easier!

All of us have developed new friends this year! We've gotten to know many new people and their families that are there for Brode and have made differences in our lives.

Not only did I feel like I was working for Kimberly Clark and going to college, I also felt like Childrens Hospital, insurance companies, and pediatricians were another part time job. Since December last year Brode has had pneumonia twice, pink eye twice, an ear infection, 3 CT scans, 10 x-rays, 2 physical therapists, an eye doctor, major surgery, and has been seen by over 7 pediatricians. February 2009 we were introduced to craniosynostosis and our planning and phone calls haven't ended. Dr. Denny, Dr. Lew, and their teams have changed our lives. We were so blessed to have Brode's surgery at Children's Hospital. Making arrangments for the entire month of July seemed as if it was going to be extremely stressful, but Denise saved my life. Denise is Dr. Denny's secretary, and boy is she amazing at her job! Calling places that have a long menu and pressing 10 buttons and getting transferred 5 more times is a very large stressor. Lovely Denise took every single one of our calls, getting to know us and Brode personally and took care of everything for the week we were there! We've been able to meet many nurses, PA's, and medical students along with Dr. Denny and Dr. Lew that have made the experience so much more enjoyable. They are all very high on our thankful list this year!

Another large step this year: day care. Brode started day care February 2009 and has loved it! He has been in 2 different centers and they have both been great. Growing up I was at a babysitters and I hated that I couldn't just stay home, and I didn't want Brode to have that feeling. Well, school and work are important if he is going to have a fulfilled life so I didn't have a choice. We've been so extremely lucky that he has had great people caring for him, that truely love him for the wild little boy he is! He is learning sign language, english, spanish, and does hundred of art projects. He has so much fun learning with his friends. I feel so comfortable with him there, the girls are all wonderful!

Finally, Brode. Matt and I love that little boy more than anything, and wow is he sure fun! He has taught us both a lot and has brought a lot of laughter along the way. This year Brode went from 3 months old to 15 months old and changed tremendously. He is learning so much and baffles our minds more every day!

We have had an eventful year that was hard at times, but we're all here, celebrating Christmas together as a family. We're all very lucky to be healthy, have good jobs, and more than we could ask for.

Happy Holidays!

Future Football Player

"FUMBLE".... "FUMBLE".... "BUMBLE"....

We can all thank Brode for the Cowboy victory yesterday. He had a nice practice session on the living room floor in his brand new, straight from Cowboy Stadium, Dallas jersey. Libby has a toy football that we all played with yesterday, throwing it out, jumping on it, and yelling "FUMBLE!" It didn't take long for Brode to pick up on the concept and yell "BUMBLE!" and jump on the ball.

Brode's lip is a bit better yesterday and today. It has started healing so it doesn't look too healthy, but it is all normal. It hasn't been bothering him at all! It's like he doesnt even notice it. It definetaly would have been much worse if he were picking at stitches!

Since our plan of nice Christmas card pictures Friday night failed when Brode split his lip we've had to come up with something else quick. We're thinking the easiest may be doing everyone separate in the new multi-picture cards. Brode has still been a challenge so we've just been following him with a camera attempting to catch a smile!

Change of Plans

I have been waiting and waiting for this weekend! It was going to be the perfect weekend! I had finals all week (7 total) so I have been looking forward to relaxing and enjoying the holidays. I finished school at 11:30 yesterday and was able to get some shopping done before I needed to start getting ready for a friends family Christmas party. I had this, or what seemed to be, marvelous plan that last night would be perfect to take our Christmas card picture when we were all dressed up for the party. I went to pick Brode up and in all of his excitement he had a little accident. Running across the room to get to mommy as fast as possible he tripped and fell directly into the corner of the table. It wasn't long and it was bleeding and we were rushing for towels. Brode has done this before, it bleeds for a minute and you never hear of it again. This was a very different story. After a few minutes his shirt was soaked, he was still screaming, and the teachers and I were struggling to catch all the blood. This time the panic started to set in and it seemed as if everything was going down hill from there. As I was cradling him with paper towels and could see the gash I could only think, we have to go to the ER for stitches. I didn't mind going, I didn't mind waiting, but I could not figure out how we were going to get there when blood was running out of his mouth and his car seat is alone in the backseat. One of the wonderful administrators, Sarah, was able to finally calm Brode down, wash it out a bit, and get an ice pack on his little lip. We decided it would be best to call his doctor and were able to rush over there and get the last appointment.

It was a tough sitiuation because the placement of the laceration was very strange. We quickly learned that the mouth bleeds a LOT, but it also heals very quickly. Much of the cut is on the inside of the mouth which allows for fast healing and little scarring. We got in with one of the doctors in Brodes regular office and he thought it would be best to let it heal and not stitch it but wanted to be sure wih a second opinion. It was getting close to closing time so no one was with patients so we ended up have 3 doctors in the room at one time evaluating what to do. The final decision was to let he cut heal and just watch for infection. It was pretty puffed up and he wasn't the happiest camper all night, therefore the Christmas card was a no go. I finished getting dressed up, Matt and I headed to the Christmas party while Brode slept soundly and it still turned out to be a great evening!

Brode is doing great this morning! He still have a puffy lip, but it is already healing great! I was worried about eating and drinking from the cup but he is doing wonderfully!

Where Are You Christmas

Yesterday, I heard Faith Hill's featured song in The Grinch - "Where are you Christmas" for the first time on the radio. Not only did this remind me of Tiff, but it also made me think what I really want to play out this Christmas. I have been extremely excited for Christmas this year with Brode, but I really don't want it to go too fast. I'm trying to soak it all in, taking him out in the snow, shopping slowly, taking time to wrap, etc. Part of me just can't wait for Christmas morning for Brode to see all of his gifts and hear all those little laughs I know he is going to have when he plays with them all, the other part of me can. I still want to get time in the snow, to look at Christmas lights, to enjoy the music, and see all the classic movies. Tonight I watched Disney Holidays: Behind the Scences of Christmas and Christmas at The White House. It was amazing to see all the thousands of trees, miles of ribbons, and millions of lights! They really got me in the spirit!

On an update level... we haven't been up to much. This weekend my parents were in Dallas so we spent a (not so quiet) weekend at home. Saturday Brode went with Grandma Beth to hang out all morning, have lunch, nap, and play for a few hours. These hours gave me time to do some christmas shopping, study, and scrapbook! Today Brode was a different story. He was not going to give anything to crack a tiny smile. The poor little boy was crabby and whiny all day! It was long afternoon, and needless to say he went to be early without a peep.

Finals week... see you all on Winter Break!

Snow Day

Brode got new pajamas at Cabela's on our Monday trip, they look like deer hunting long underwear. There is a large buck on the front, but the cutest part is the butt flap on the back!

We got snowed in! Today we woke up to over a foot of snow. It drifted pretty high in our driveway, past our knees. Everything started our day late with work closed until 10, day care closed until 8, and school closed all day. We all got up early and had a big breakfast, then Brode and I spent the day together.

The little boy made a big mess while I was cooking lunch, but he loved every minute!

Brode and I had a great day snowed it. We laughed a lot and he showed me how big of a boy he is now! (Like right now as he slams his mini piano against the wood of the desk!)

What A Weekend!

Our busy schedule has started and we've had an eventful few days. I posted below a picture of my gingerbread afternoon on Saturday. Matt and I stayed in and watched a movie Saturday night (Transformers 2, I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it yet). Sunday we had my dads family over for the afternoon/dinner. It was a lot of fun seeing everyone -- our house was packed! There were a lot of little kids everywhere, they all loved playing together, and they were all in love with Brode's toys. Everyone got to see people they haven't seen in a long time, and the kids got to make some great new friends.

Brode got extremely jealous I was holding another baby so he had to climb on my lap as well, then continued by trying to push Wesley off of my lap!

We attempted to get my Grandma and all of her great-grandchildren. Of course Brode had to be the one to cause the trouble!

Today my dad and I took Brode down to Milwaukee for a re-check with Dr. Denny at Children's Hospital. He said everything was looking great and there is a slim chance more reconstructing will need to be done! We weren't there very long so we decided to make a few stops on the way home. First; Cabela's. Brode enjoyed this VERY much! He was in awe of everthing and there was a lot of room to run.

Brode drove the gun safes like boats, with the buzzing lips and everything!

He did not enjoy sitting on the bears lap, even with gramps protection.

When we got home Brode had taken a few naps in the car so we decided it was about time to play in the first snowfall! We bundled him up (which he was extremely NOT happy about, as you can see by the tennis-shoes in the pictures. He was NOT going to sit still for those boots) and took him outside for some fresh air!
We got his sled out for the first time (besides the trips around the living room) and pulled him around the yard. He was very content and loved sledding!

Libby loved getting outside with everyone as well!

Have a great rest of the week!

Gingerbread Houses

I wanted to post some pictures of my gingerbread house! Grandma Beth had me, Matt's cousin Megan, and his Aunt Kay over yesterday to make gingebread houses! I've never made a house before, but it was a lot of fun. I was very nervous it was going to turn out funny looking. If you haven't ever done this before I suggest you try! It was a fun festive project similar to carving pumpkins on Halloween (and possibly just as messy). It was a good girls afternoon activity, it would be fun for older children.... but the boys and men, well Matt proved to us they just want to eat the candy. One suggestion -- you can get them premade with the house part already put together, this is the way to go, it can save you a lot of frustration later when you're deocrating, you don't have to worry about the walls or roof caving.

There are so many different ways you ca decorate them. Even between the 4 of us we had a lot of differences, but also gave each other great ideas!

Books

Brode's table and bookshelf are officially finished! Now that they're all dry and ready to go we got all of his books out. Brode has a LOT of books already. Right when Brode was born Grandma Beth brought some of Matt's old books over, and we saved all of mine in a box in the basement. We pulled them all out today and got it all arranged in his room. It was funny looking back through all of them and remembering which ones I loved the most. I can't wait until Brode wants to sit down and read them all. He pretty much likes only turning the pages right now so you don't have time to get through all of the words.

December

Wow! December! It came quickly, I'm not too sure where November went, but I am VERY excited for this month! We have a LOT going on! School is coming to an end, I'm taking one final today, turning one in tomorrow, and then battling through the next 2 weeks before 4 more finals! I am extremely ready to be done with this semester because the next will be a lot more interesting. I'm finally into all of my Kinesiology classes and have teachers that I know well. Our booked December weekends are starting tomorrow!

Matt's mom and I have always wanted to make Gingerbread houses, and since he never does we've tried to arrange doing it together. Last year when it got to the day we were meeting Brode (3 months old) spiked a dangerously high fever, was diagnosed with pneumonia, and hospitalized so we were unable to do them. Tomorrow we're going to try again with his aunt and his cousin! It should be fun! Sunday we're having our whole family over so we can all visit with our aunt and cousins that are here from Houston. This will be the first time all of the great grandchildren will be in one spot, they're all pretty young, so it will be very wild!

Next weekend is the only weekend we're pretty calm, but I'm sure I'll be spending it studying while my parents are enjoying the warm Dallas weather. The following though, after my last final, is hectic with a friends family christmas parties, neighborhood caroling, and seeing Manheim Steamroller at the PAC for some good christmas music!

The month is going to seem to fly by because it's already Christmas by then! I am very excited for this whole Christmas with Brode. He is going to be so much fun! We finally got our first snow fall so hopefully (not by my liking, but i'll do it for little guy) it piles up soon and we can get his snowsuit out to play!

Everybody stay warm!

Oh yeah, Brode had another first last night: First Power Outage! Our power was out for 4 hours, and Brode enjoyed it very much. It was difficult to feed him in the dark without a stove, oven or microwave, but he made it through. He was very interested in the flashlights, this made it easy for us to tell where he was as he carried them around. Brode also found it very funny that Libby chases the light coming out of the flashlight! We were lucky it came on before we went to bed or it would have been a chilly night, luckily we had the gas fireplace to keep us warm when we were playing with toys!

Little Boy

Brode has been becoming so much more of a little boy, playing with his toys, making new sounds, and exploring more. He is usually pretty good about playing by himself, but once and while just wants to be held. Brode has also been "reading" his books by himself a lot more lately.

Where's the baby?!?

We're getting into holiday season and it should be interesting! We put up the tree so Brode has been checking that out, but it's also going to be an interesting gift season. Brode is outrageously spoiled already and I'm not anticipating this holiday to be any better!