Transition

Today was Day One of the rest of my life.  Reality has hit me hard.  Daddy went back to work last night, leaving us to fend for ourselves today while Daddy sleeps.  Done this a million times with Dominick, not a problem. . .today? Problem.  I feel like today lasted a hundred years.  A hundred AWFUL years.  I've been crying all day.  I am completely,  physically and emotionally exhausted.  I could sit here and give you the ins and outs of the day, but I'm sure you could imagine.  A teething 2 year old and a newborn.  Add to that our first trip out of the house, just the 3 of us = hysterical 4 week old and a temper tantrum in the pediatricians parking lot.  It was ugly and embarrassing.  But hey, it happens.  I know I am not the only new mother to 2 to have gone through something similar, I get that.  Today tho, today was not just that.  For some reason today, on top of all the typical, to be expected stress I have also been overwhelmed with grief.  Grief in so many forms I can't even process it.  I find myself returning to the Down Syndrome birth board for comfort then breaking down crying with the weight of it all.  I am stuck in this in between world.  I have yet to uncover my new reality.  I cannot help but fear the future.  As hard as I try to stay positive, I just can't let go of the pain in my heart.  I have had so many kind and amazing words from family, friends and even strangers to help me see that everything will be ok. I know it will.  My head does, my heart is still in denial. I love my little angel with all my heart.  Sometimes tho, like today,  I think back to just a few short weeks ago and I wish I could go back there, where things seemed so manageable and hopeful.  I would lay on the couch rubbing my baby belly and envision our whole lives.  Who did I think I was?  Now everything just feels so out of control and just flat out scary.  All these fears and feelings of grief have made today so much worse than it needed to be.  I try to imagine what today would have been like if we never got that diagnosis a few weeks ago.  Would it have been any less crazy, scary and frustrating.  The answer is yes, I would have been the old me, the one with all the patience in the world.  The old me that hasn't had to live with these scary emotions for the past month.  I would have been more than up for the challenge.  The new me, not so much.  Will I ever be that person again?  I feel terrible for even feeling that way.  I know, or I hope that someday soon I will look back on today (and probably tomorrow and the day after) and say "what was my problem"??  I long for that day, the day of acceptance and peace.  Until then I only find it in bits and pieces.  I am scared.  My heart hurts.  I never was very good at accepting change or letting go.  I wish I could just let it all go, accept one day at a time and find the patience I so desperately need right now, but today is not that day.  I suppose I need to give myself time to let things become normal, but the more I try to tell myself that, the more my heart hurts with the loss of what that normal was supposed to be.  I am grieving all over again.  Maybe this will happen in many stages.  Maybe every time something comes up that I had so foolishly thought I had mapped out I will feel like this.  I hope not.  I hope eventually these feelings of grief and mourning will pass.  Is it possible to have some sort of combination of the life I dreamed of and the one I am living?  I don't want this to sound like I love my son any less because I could not possibly love him more.  He is the sweetest little being you'll ever meet.  Just writing that made me feel better.  My homework assignment for tomorrow: Every time I feel a twinge of sadness I will look into my sweet baby's eyes or watch him sleep peacefully and let his light shine on me.  He deserves a Mommy who can be in the here and now, not in the could and would have been. 

My eyes hurt,  my head hurts, my heart hurts.  I will go rest them all now so I can be the Mommy I need to be tomorrow.  Wish me luck.

Quick Update

As much as I'd like to update my blog more often, time is not on my side.  I did want to post a quick update on Baby Eddie's cardiologist appointment tho.  We were, of course, very nervous and worried about this particular appointment.  I still feel pretty uninformed about everything regarding Down Syndrome.  I find myself looking at informational websites and zoning out.  It feels like my brain is unwilling to process most of the info.  As part of the Down Syndrome birth board on my baby site I do see a lot of heart issues, some of them requiring open heart surgery.  This was my biggest fear.  I am not going to pretend to know any of the medical details, I was only hoping that my itty bitty did not need any kind of major surgery.  That being said, here is what happened at our appointment. 

Our heart doctor is located at Phoenix Children's Hospital.  When we arrived I was amazed at how beautiful the hospital was.  There must have been 100 Christmas trees on each floor.  It was colorful and gorgeous.  The worst part, naturally, was seeing way too many sick babies and children.  No amount of Christmas trees and colorful couches can make that sight any easier to see.  Ok, back to Baby Eddie.  He got an EKG and an Echocardiogram.  He was a perfect angel for both tests, even fell asleep during the echo as I rubbed his head.  After the tests we waited for what seemed like hours to meet our doctor and get the test results.  When he did finally come in he took out his little heart model and proceeded to go over all the heart issues associated with DS.  I was trying to absorb the info he was giving us but was just so anxious to hear our results I couldn't.  Finally he tells us that Baby Eddie does have a hole in his heart.  (excuse me for lack of medical terms ~ I'm still learning here, barely) He showed us on his model heart where the hole was and says something to the effect that it's in a good spot.  It's not something that needs immediate attention and he even says there are likely people walking around with such a condition and living perfectly normal lives.  OK, I can now breathe.  Basically, the hole is not small, but not huge and all we need to do right now is keep an eye on it.  We go back in 4 months for another Echo.  It's possible that it could close on it's own, but not likely.  The doctor says if it doesn't close on it's own, he will have to have it closed surgically probably by the time he is 2. Scary, but he says the procedure to close his particular hole does not require open heart surgery.  Instead they would go in with a catheter thru a vein in his leg.  A much less invasive procedure. 

Obviously, this news is great.  I feel like every day gets easier for me.  So far all of his symptoms seems mild and manageable.  Our next big hurdle is finding out how much he will be affected mentally and starting physical therapy asap.  We are hoping he puts on some more ozs by next week when we take him in for a weighing. 

As far as his hearing, it seems like he is really reacting to sound much more than he was initially.  I wonder if there really was just fluid build up.  Hopefully the ENT can get a good reading in March when we go back.    Until then I am content knowing he can hear, even if it's just partially.  Side note, the night before last he was having a hard time breathing overnight and yesterday morning.  We were out food shopping, Dada and Dominick in the store, me and Eddie in the car.  He was so uncomfortable not being able to breathe so I took him out of his car seat and noticed a boogie.  I somehow managed to get a fingertip up his nose to pull out that stinker, well, it kept on coming.  I must have tickled his sinuses cuz as I was pulling it out he sneezed.  Well, let me tell you what came out of my baby's nose looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.  It was a huge, hard ---something.  It was black/green and the size of a peanut.  No wonder he couldn't breathe!!  As soon as that sucker was out he was breathing fine and fell asleep almost immediately.  But, what the heck was that thing!??!  Maybe it was something to do with the fluid in his ear?

Anyway, that's my "quick" update.  Dominick has 4 teeth coming in at once.  The sharp ones too (incisors?) so he is in a lovely mood today.  He is currently running around, jumping on the couch and whining the whole time.  Ah.  Help!!!!

Someone Has A Plan For Us

Wow, has it really only been a few days shy of 3 weeks since my precious little Baby Eddie was put on my chest and I looked into his beautiful, almond shaped eyes?  It's been a crazy and emotional couple weeks, probably the most emotionally trying days of my life.  And this is just the beginning of our journey.  Maybe I should start at the beginning....if only I knew where the that was.  Sure I do, the beginning of this particular journey that we have been chosen for started November 18th 2011 at 8:40 am.  The moment Baby Eddie breathed his first breathe.  After pushing all of one time (!!!!!) I was told that my baby was here! Really, one push? The nurse put him on my chest, umbilical cord still attached, goop and all and I immediately cried tears of wonder and joy.  He was perfect, so beautiful, so different than I imagined.  I had pictured a clone of his big brother, instead I got a gorgeous, fair skinned, light hair and light eyed angel.  Just as precious and perfect as his big brother.  He layed there on my chest, we nursed and cuddled for almost 2 hours before they finally took him to be weighed.  It was a miracle.  I will never forget having that precious bonding time with him.  I remember Daddy wondering "But, what does he weigh?" He was so eager to send out the text message with all the stats to all our friends and family.  Such a proud Daddy.  After that things just seemed to go sort of off track.  Daddy went home to get baby brother and bring him back to meet Baby Eddie, in the mean time it was just  Mama and Baby in the hospital room.  That's when the pediatrician came in to check on him.  I think I may have to take you on a trip back in time now, I didn't want to go there, but I think for this story to make sense I will have to.

Rewind to me pregnant about 13 weeks getting a sonogram, a sonogram that we got the same time for Dominick when they told us he was a boy.  That's what I was looking forward to, finding out if we were going to be blessed with another boy.  What I didn't really fully understand at the time was this particular sonogram was looking for signs of anything abnormal with the baby.  The NT scan.  I wasn't even really thinking along those lines, not until the tech said she saw a few "soft markers" for Down Syndrome.  She said the back of his neck, the nuchal fold, was thickened.  There was also a spot on his heart and his kidneys looked to be retaining more fluid.  I have to admit I was in total denial at this point.  We talked to the dr about our odds, I don't even remember what they were, only that they also took a blood test to give me a better picture of what our odds were.  After waiting  a few days for the blood results the dr called and gave me the odds, I don't remember what they were.  I was only focusing on one number.  He told me that based on my blood work, which came back great, along with the NT scan my chances of having a totally normal baby was 97%.  Those were some awesome odds, everything else he said I just didn't want to hear.  I was looking at that 97% as if it were a sure thing.    We went for a level II sonogram a few weeks later and there were no more markers, the kidneys looked good and we were sent to a cardiologist for the spot on the heart.  We got nothing but positive feedback from every dr we saw.  They all said everything looked great and they were nearly positive my baby would be perfectly healthy.  I spent the rest of my pregnancy convinced that they were right, even tho there was a slight chance that something could be wrong, the bigger odds were that all would be fine.  The blood work ruled out 2 out of 3 possible chromosonal disorders, the only one we had to worry about now was Down Syndrome.  The other 2 were described as really awful, I don't remember what they were called, but I was happy that they were ruled out nonetheless.  I didn't tell anyone about what I was going thru with these tests because I refused to believe that anything could possibly be wrong with my perfect little boy.  I decided I would focus on the positive, and hope that the drs were right and all would be fine.

Ok, now back to the future.  Baby Eddie and I are in the hospital room, waiting for Dada and Big Brother anxiously, when our pediatrician comes in to give Baby his first check-up.  She isn't our regular dr, just one from our practice who is doing the rounds that day.  So, when she brought up that she noticed the chance for Down Syndrome in our chart I sort of got annoyed at her.  Wait, who are YOU? Why are you even bringing this up right now?  I didn't say that, I just kind of shrugged her off - she said she would give him an exam and look for signs.  When she was done she said she saw a couple things that could point to DS.  His eyes were almond shaped (SO WHAT?)  He has a space between his toes (YEAH? SO, are YOUR toes perfect!!?) she mentioned something else that I just honestly did not hear.  I was at this point STILL in denial.  These things to me seemed completely unrelated to anything. So what if he has almond shaped eyes?  Seems so silly.  She even mentioned something about a blood test to get a definite diagnosis.  Again, I shrugged her off.  I sent her on her way and picked up my Baby Bundle, looked him over and decided she was wrong.  He was perfect.  He was beautiful.  I can't tell you how long I sat there looking at my sweet baby.  Then I hear something in the hall - it's big brother! YAY they're here!!  I completely forget about what the doctor said or that she was even ever here.  We introduce Baby Eddie to Dominick, I've envisioned this moment a hundred times.  Dominick's first reaction was "OOOH Boogie Bulb", which was in the baby's bassinet, he didn't even see the baby.  Ha.  Too funny.  We snap some pictures and ooh and aah at Baby and Big Brother.  We get a couple visitors.  Everything is perfect.  All the while Baby Eddie is sleeping.  He finally wakes up and Daddy is sitting with me when he says " I dunno hon, there's something with his eyes"  I immediately tense up.  What am I not seeing?  This is when I remember, Oh, yeah, the dr was in here.  I tell him that she mentioned that and that it could be a sign of DS.  Naturally, he was upset.  Why hadn't I told him earlier?? Why did he have to say something to be told such an important message?  I couldn't answer him.  I just didn't even want to consider it, I put it as far in the back of my mind as I could.  Then when he said that I realized "Shoot, maybe I should have told him this earlier!"  Ok, this is when things started getting very crazy for me.  Of course by this time the dr was gone and we had all these questions, well, not we, but Steve did.  I'm still not accepting this as a possibility.  Dominick and Daddy go home for nap leaving me with the Baby.  Honestly, I am not even sure what happened when at this point.  I know we were supposed to leave the next day, Saturday, at 11.  But when they take his biliruben (jaundice) levels it's too high for discharge and we have to now wait to be tested again at 6 pm.  In the mean time they give him a hearing test, which he fails.  Twice.  This is just all too much for me.  I am about to explode.  What is going on? Can my baby not hear me? Is he jaundice? Does he have.... no, this one I can't even bare to ask myself.  When the nurse comes in to tell me the dr wants me to wait for another biliruben test that evening I ask her if I could possibly speak to the dr again.  I want to ask her about the blood test, when it can be done, how long do the results take....The nurse tells me that the dr will tell me to call the office on Monday and is there anything she can answer....I reluctantly tell her my DS blood test question and say the dr said she saw a few signs of DS.  Then she tells me that she, the dr and the other nurses were discussing it (WHAT THE F!) and took notice of the signs too.  The signs that I am still to this day blind to.  How dare she and these other nurses be looking at my baby and making such accusations! I was so upset.  The nurse tells me that the blood test for DS is not taken at birth, but later on when the baby puts on some more weight to be able to withstand it.  I take her at her word, tell Steve what she says and we decide to wait and talk to our regular pediatrician Monday at his 2 day checkup.  Sheesh, I've been in the hospital for just one day and I am so ready to just go home.  Dominick is having trouble sleeping without me and I just want to go home and be a family of 4 already!!  Now, finally 6pm rolls around and the nurse takes my baby for his 2nd biliruben test.  It comes back just slightly out of the risky zone and the nurse tells me to start packing!  I text Steve to come get us!  I'm so excited to get the hell out of that place.   I go into the bathroom to start changing and she comes back in saying "I hope you haven't called your husband yet"  The dr wants to keep baby overnight and check his levels again in the morning.  Um, NO!  We are leaving.  I call Steve and first thing I hear is Dominick in the background singing "Mama, Baby" over and over, he is so happy we are coming home.  I breakdown.  I'm hysterical on the phone, Steve is threatening to go all "John Q" and take me out home regardless of what the dr says.  Now the nurse come back in and says she called the dr and she said I can go home.  Ok, this is just all too much for me.  My head is spinning.  Steve and Dominick show up a little while later and we are all very eager to make our escape, it's now almost 9pm.  I was such a mess that I didn't even change Baby Eddie into his Coming Home Outfit that I spent months fretting over.  The car ride home was AWFUL.  Dominick next to the Baby trying to poke his eyes.  When that doesn't fly he decides he wants to throw a foot in the Baby's seat.  I try to reason with him, no go.  I try everything...nothing works and we both just end up hysterical in the backseat.  We pull up to our house and all I can think of as I cry my eyes out is "What is going on?" "This is not the homecoming I dreamed of"  That night didn't get much better.  Dominick was in rare form, he was as bad as he's ever been.  This is to be expected, of course, but we are both just so emotionally exhausted that it is amplified.  Nothing is certain at this point and all we can do is wait to see the Dr Monday.

Monday:  The Dr comes in, looks the baby over and asks if we have any concerns. . . um, yeah.  So we bring up the dreaded words that I can't even say.  He looks him over again and says he sees a few signs of DS and would like to order the blood test.  I mention that the nurse said it can't be done now, that he is too small.  Well, he was not happy to hear that.  He said she lied to me.  I'd like to believe that she was just misinformed, but that doesn't make it much better.  The important this is we can get the test done ASAP, as in NOW.  We leave the dr's office in shock.  Crying all the way home, pretty much crying for the next 10 days straight.  10 days.  That's how long we had to wait for the results.  This was Monday, we had to celebrate Thanksgiving not knowing and then still wait another week on top of that.  I spent these days in a fog.  I refused to do any online research, I didn't want to scare myself for no reason.  Let's wait for the good news then we can go on with our life without this weight on our shoulders and our hearts.  Every moment of the day felt like a week long.  I cried every night and tried to stay positive during the day for Dominick.  I didn't want him to see me upset, although it did happen a couple times. 

Thursday:  We drop off Dominick at Mama Mona's house, he has proven that he can not sit still in his stroller for more than 3 seconds and we just wanted to be able to get the results without having to worry about him.  Thank God for Mama Mona~!  We arrive early to the dr's office.  On our way in an adorable, bubbly little girl comes running down the corridor . . . she had Down Syndrome.  I turn and look at Steve and something in my heart broke.  I felt this was some kind of sign. We waited for the dr for what felt like hours.  When he came into the room my heart stopped and I looked down at my sleepy little Angel, all wrapped up in his blanky in nothing but a diaper - he needs me.  He needs me to be strong for him.  This is the moment that will define the rest of our lives.  Baby Eddie has Down Syndrome.  It's confirmed.  At first I am numb.  Then the dr starts talking about his other patients, one of them being the little 5 year old girl we just saw running toward us down the corridor.  He tells us we will need to start therapy as early as 6 months, if not earlier.  He tells us he has a few DS patients and each one varies in their strengths and weaknesses.  The 5 year old is his more "normal" patient.  She runs and plays and loves to go to the park.  He also has an 18 month old who can't hold his own weight.  Then there's the 13 year old who can't, or was it won't? speak.  We won't know what Eddie's strengths or weaknesses are for a long time.  There is no way to detect what this syndrome will effect.  This is the hardest part for me.  Until we know we have to treat him as normal as possible.  And he is normal, he's a newborn - itty bitty little boy who needs nothing more than to be fed, changed and loved.  That part I CAN handle.  Today we had an appt with the ENT, they could not get a reading on his ears because his ear canals are so tiny.  So for now we still don't really know how much he can hear.  We have to wait 3 months and hope it's just fluid that made him fail his first 3 tests.  The third test showed that he could hear from his right ear and about 50% from the left.  Today they say there was no reading in each.  I am hoping that it was again just that his canals are so little.  I mean, can you hear one day then not the next? Monday we go to the heart doctor to check his tiny heart.  I will hold my breathe until then - pray and cry and plea that there is no hole and no other complications.  I cannot bare the thought of my baby getting Open Heart Surgery like so many Down syndrome babies have to have. 

I have joined a DS board for support and it's been really good, but some days I just can't even read other peoples stories.  It makes it too real.  I am still very much in the middle of the process of acceptance.  I go thru so many emotions every day that I can barely keep up with myself.  Some days I am so overwhelmed with grief that I don't even want to get out of bed.  Then the next I feel like everything will be ok and I can do this.  I can, I know I can.  We can, together as a family.  I feel guilty for feeling sorry for myself.  I feel terrible for feeling like I was robbed of this dream I had.  My two boys - playing sports together, going to high school together.  I thought for sure they would be like twins.  All of that has been taken from me.  I know that the alternative, the reality of what my boys will be like together will be just as special, I know that in my heart...I'm just still in the process of letting that little boy go. 

The future for me right now is a scary place.  So scary that I can just lose it thinking about it.  So, for now I will follow the advice of many amazing friends and family.  One day at a time.  Concentrate on getting through today, tomorrow can wait. 

The Turkey Has A Name!!

Edward Lawrence

Well, it's official! We have decided on the perfect name for our little Turkey.  This is after much (much) debate.  Funny, it was pretty much staring us in the face the whole time!  We were originally going to have his middle name Edward, then it just came to us.  Edward will be his first name!  Edward Lawrence!

A little history on Dominick's name to show you why it all of a sudden fit so perfectly for me.  Dominick is named after Steve's brother, Nicholas.  Which is why I call him Nicky sometimes.  Also, his middle name is my dad's name, Robert.  So, when we finally came up with Edward Lawrence it all fit into place.  Now baby number 2 will be named after MY brother and Steve's Dad.  It's perfect.  It's more than perfect!  My brother has been more of a father to me than my father was ever able to.  He has been there for me in so many ways since the very day I was born.  He protected me, cared for me, made sure I was fed and loved when sometimes no body else could.  It is only fitting to honor that love and devotion by passing on his name to my son.  I will be absolutely sure to tell little Eddie (hehe) why he was named after his awesome Uncle, and it's not JUST because he IS awesome, but because he is and was so much more than that to me. 

I cannot wait to meet my little Eddie, all I can think of these past few days is how my Mama used to sing to my brother "Eddie, My Love" and I just know that will be passed down, even tho I don't actually know the song.  I guess I'll have to look into that!  Soon enough he will be here with us and I just know he will be perfect.  

Starting To Panic!

So, Sunday I will be 32 weeks pregnant with my L'il Turkey.  32 weeks, that right there is enough to make any normal person panic...right? Well, I was just sitting here thinking about everything that will happen and has to happen within the next 2 + months. OK, I am making my heart pound just thinking about it.  Now, bare with me here because I think I may need to make a quick list.  Feel free to bail if you want, I think I am doing this more for my own mommy/pregnant brain than for your entertainment anyway. If I don't write it down somewhere, something is liable to get missed! AAAH

• Pick out and order nursery furniture
• Pick out colors and paint nursery
• Decorate (curtains and misc) nursery
• Go thru all Dominick's old clothes, separating by size then wash them all  (this one is totally stressing me out)
• Brainstorm on a costume for Dominick
• Order/Buy said costume
• Find the PERFECT coming home outfit for the Turk
• Order Dominick's 2nd birthday party supplies, if I do it before Oct 7th I think I get 30% off!!
• Maybe, probably not, decorate for Halloween
• Shop for last minute baby supplies (mostly just pump accessories and new Baba's and nipples)
• After Turkey comes order Birth Announcements
• Christmas and 2nd Birthday shopping 

AAAAAH!  Oh, and maybe picking out a name for this little guy should make it on the list, eh?  Actually, I may have chosen his name today, but I have to wait for Steve to wake up to discuss it.  I am fairly optimistic that he will like it.  Or, at the very least, not HATE it.

OK, I need to take a deep breathe here and relax, all these things will get done....right? 

Now, from Baby #2 to Baby #1 . .  . Ah, what to say.  He is the best friend I've ever had, the light and sunshine of my every day (and night)  I am absolutely amazed by him at least 100 times a day.  He is saying, learning and doing something new constantly.  It's such a gift to be able to watch him learning and growing.  Of course, I am convinced he is THE SMARTEST 21 month old to ever live, but, I haven't really known too many 21 month olds, to be honest.  I am always saying to myself, and often out loud to whomever will listen "Did you see that?"  "OMG, he is so smart" "Wait, is he supposed to KNOW that already?"  He can put all his alphabets puzzle letters in their correct spots, just by me saying the word associated with it (B is for Basket)!  Ok, so that's normal? Maybe, who cares, he's awesome!!  The other day (and I have a witness) he picked up the G and said Grapes! I was like WHOA.  Well, you get the gist of it, I'm the proudest Mama in the world.  He cracks me up with his little dances and hysterical faces, he's definitely quirky, and I love it!

Break time is over, the prince has awaken from his nap.  Wish me luck on my To Do list! I just know I will think of at least 10 more things before I go to bed tonight!

Oh Dis!

Sitting here, watching A Nightmare Before Christmas and watching my little boy - who could ask for more.  He is dumping all his books and putting them back, saying "Elmo" or "Yo Gabba Gabba", naming every book he puts back.  It's the little things that really get to me. He is so smart.  He does something and says something new every single day and every single day I love and adore him more! Yesterday he said brother for the first time!  I truly can't wait to see how he will react to the new baby.  I know he will want to help with everything and be involved.  He is becoming such a big boy right before my eyes!

Speaking of the new baby, we are still having a very hard time thinking of a name for him!  We have a little joke now that developed over the weekend - the joke being naming him OTIS. hahaha.  Ok, let me explain.  Dominick's catch phrase at the moment is "Oh Dis!" (Oh This!?) as he points to new things.  So we are always saying, "Oh Dis" to eachother and giggling cuz it's just so stinkin' cute how he says it.  Well, in one of the catrillion elevators we were in in Vegas we saw the name "Otis" and when we said it out loud we both started cracking up.  Dominick would already know how to say his name.  Haha.  Ok, maybe it's more funny to us?  Otis Oh Dis! hahaah. 

When I planned on writing this blog post I really thought I had more to say...but, it's kind of hard to concentrate with a little monkey climbing all over you. Looks like it's time to read a few books-says the boss!  More to come!

In The Arms Of The Angels

Ah, time seems to be flying!  Here I am 22 weeks pregnant! 22 WEEKS!? I guess it feels so much faster because, well, because I'm having FUN! Dominick keeps me well entertained.  He has started spewing out new words daily, repeating almost everything I say.  He seems to really love the process too, I can just see how proud of himself he is when he says something new.  Not as proud as me of course, but really who could even compete?  That's not to say it's all been fun and games.  We went through a slight rough patch there last week.  I will admit, I was terrified it would be more than a phase and just a new way of life around here.  But, we're talking about Dominick here.  Mr. Adaptable.  He just out of nowhere decided that he would NOT go to sleep without me holding him or at least sitting next to his crib.  I have no idea where or why it started, but it just came on like lightning!  I spent the whole week trying to diagnose the situation, not being able to wrap my brain around it, until I finally took him to the Dr. to rule out any illness or teething.  As I suspected, nothing was physically wrong with him.  He was just testing his limits.  It took 2 days to get him back on track, but boy oh boy, those few days of guessing and crying were torture.  I really appreciate how well he sleeps even more now. I don't know how you Mamas out there function on little to no sleep.  I was a basket case!  Nevertheless, he is back to himself now, going right down to sleep.  He has decided to start waking up a little earlier, but not quite consistently.  Can't complain about that tho, I am just so grateful to have my happy little sleeper back!

In other news, my skin still gets goosebumps thinking about it, yesterday Dominick did something that just baffled my brain.  (If you've read all this already on facebook, feel free to shut me down.  I won't be offended)  We were hanging out, watching TV when the ASPCA commercial came on, you know, the really super sad one with Sarah McClaughlin's In The Arms Of The Angels playing in the background?  Well, I usually change the station immediately, especially nowadays.  Yesterday I couldn't get to the remote fast enough and by the time I did Dominick was just dancing and singing his little heart out.  He LOVED that song.  I'm not sure why, but he really has a thing for slow, sappy songs.  Not sure where he gets THAT (ehem).  So, immediately I turn my head away from the TV and start dancing and singing right along with him.  He makes me rewind the thing about 3 times. (more! more! more!) Finally I see him struggling with the words "Angel" so I keep singing the song and emphasizing the angel part.  And what does this little munchkin do? He goes over to my end table and points to a picture of my Mommy. Now, he didn't just point TOWARDS the picture, it was turned half way around, he went to it, turned it the right way and pointed right at her, even made sure I was looking.  Now....ok, I totally believe she is around watching over him and all of us.  This is no surprise to me.  The surprise is HOW DOES HE KNOW SHE'S AN ANGEL?  I still can't quite comprehend the magnitude of it all.  Has he seen her? I've never referred to her as an angel or anything other than Grandma.  Was it just an intuitive sort of thing?  Maybe he just read my mind, since that song is a song that has always brought me to tears - thinking of my Mom.  Either way, I cannot get over it.  Maybe he is reading my mind, my Mom used to always tell me that I could read her mind.  So strange.  I really wish she were here to share that story with.  She'd totally get a kick out of it!  I guess she IS here in a sense.

Anyway, I've bored you enough.  Time to make grilled cheeses!!!

I Had To Take A Pause . .. But I'm Back

Well, it's been a while since my last post.  I've been in a bit of a funk.  I couldn't see how I could sit here and write about anything good when my heart was hurting so much.  It still hurts, and most likely will forever, but I can finally breathe a little bit and start to move on.  I know some people would say "oh, it's just a dog", but they'd be wrong.  Reggie was more than JUST a dog to me.  He came into my life within a month of my Mommy dying and he helped me to heal that wound.  And that was just the beginning.  He was there with me through so much more.  I won't bore you all with long winded stories.  Just saying that he wasn't just a dog to me, he was part of me.  I can't remember my life before him and I am still having a very difficult time adjusting to a life without him.  Anyway, I am going to focus on positive things, and there is nothing more positive in my life that my little munchkin man!

I'm sure you saw the video I posted of Dominick finally saying Yo Gabba Gabba, his favorite thing in the world.  I thought it'd never happen!  Although, I have to admit I miss his signature hands waving in the air to tell me he wanted to watch it.  I wish he'd do both, but I guess he has no use for silly hand gestures anymore. 

Aside from Ba Dabba Dabba, he is also saying something new every day!  I am so proud of him.  Last night I asked him what song he wanted to hear, I always ask him this, but last night I got an ANSWER!!  He actually answered me!  It was crazy!  He said "Baby" which could only mean one thing, Rockabye Baby.  My heart was bursting with pride and happiness at that moment!  Not that he's ever had any difficulties communicating what he wants, but to hear his tiny little adorable voice say the word was like music.  I even got a sort of full sentence at lunch yesterday! He said "Mama (pause) More (pause) Nana"  I was like WHOA!  haha.  Ok, I know, I'm a dork.  But watching him grow and learn right before my eyes has been the absolute purpose of my life.  I know this with all my heart. I will be grateful to be this little boy's Mama for the rest of my life, and I'll make sure he knows it!! Poor kid.

Potty Training and Pull Ups? REALLY?

When did THIS happen?? I'm not ready.  Well, I guess it doesn't matter if I'M ready, one handsome little toddler is.   I mean, sheesh, he's only 18 months old.  Wait, did I just say "only"? My ass only.  More like HOW IS MY BABY a YEAR and a HALF!?!?  Time just flies by.  So, these past few weeks Dominick has been showing signs of Potty Training readiness.  Well, OK, maybe training to be trained?  I really don't want to force it on him, actually I really don't even want to accept that we are at this stage at all.  Sigh.  But, he has been pulling at his diaper the minute he does a tiny tinkle or fart.  Poor little guy makes the most grossed out face and comes to me for help.  What's a Mama to do, but help of course.  So, today I bought a downstairs potty and some pull ups.  Now, let's not get too crazy here.  This doesn't mean I will actually start enforcing these things just yet.  I'd like to say that I will leave the potty down here for Dominick to get used to, but in reality I am the one who needs to adjust to this.  The moment it was out of the box he pulled on his diaper and popped a squat.  EASY kiddo, let's not rush this.  Mommy needs some time here.  I mean, who woulda thought that something so silly as potty training (training) would make me cry?  Such a sap.  Maybe I should just blame the pregnancy hormones, they've been getting a lot of fingers pointing at them lately.  But, seriously, he doesn't even TALK yet.  Ok, I suppose I will slowly get used to the idea.  I know that I will be SO proud of him when he makes his first pee pee on the potty, I *almost* can't wait!

In other news.....Dominick still isn't saying much, but he does seem to be more interested in making "sentences", which is totally cute.  I am still working on getting him to say Yo Gabba Gabba, since it is his absolute favorite thing in the world.  He does the hands in the air, universal Yo Gabba Gabba sign ~ like all day and night.  Still no words to accompany them yet.  I mean, you'd think it wouldn't be too hard, isn't Yo Gabba Gabba pretty much baby gibberish to begin with?  I guess why bother saying it when you can use your sign language and get your point across?  

Oh, did I mention the tantrums? Oh Mommy in heaven send me patience.  And I thought I had a lot!  He just will NOT hear the word no.  How dare I deprive him of such things as climbing under the end table to get to wires and touching every button on the TV.  Apparently this is his inherent right.  Well, the Dr. DID say that the terrible 2's started at 18 months.  It's gonna be a LONG year.  Year?  More like years.  

OK, that's my update.  Thanks for listening!

One Proud Mama!

It's been so long since my last post, I don't even know where to start!  So, instead of trying to cover a month's worth of doings, I'll just stick with the present.

Presently Dominick is saying at least one new word a day!  Of course he will only say the word once and NEVER on command.  It still counts tho!  Today's word of the day, well morning is : TEDDY!  hehehe.  And he said Banana for the first time, instead of Manana. ha.  The list of words said clearly are:
Teddy
Banana
Knee
Belly
Elmo
Nemo
I DID IT
Mama, Dada, Hi and ByeBye go without saying, of course.  Actually I am definitely missing some here, and I feel awful that I can't remember them.  That's what I get for not blogging about it IMMEDIATELY.  As if I've had the energy or a sound enough stomach for such things lately.  I have still been feeling awful and really hoping that this morning sickness passes SOON.  Silly me for trying to blog with a maniac monkey munchkin on the loose.  I will try to post more frequently from now on, so I don't miss anything!!

Off to the supermarket we go!

Been a While

Well, it's been a while since I've updated my blog.  I have not been feeling well at all, but today, by some miracle, I feel sort of human.  So, here I am.  Not that I really have all too much to say.  Dominick is still the smartest, sweetest little man in town.  Still growing WAY TOO FAST!

In other news, hubby and I were able to go on a "date" for his birthday Sunday.  It was so nice.  I didn't realize how much I missed him until it was just us.  We went to a movie and dinner and it was amazing!  I have my friend Jenn to thank.  She took on the task of running around after the maniac all afternoon and evening and I am extremely grateful.  Hopefully he didn't ware her out too much, because I fully intend on doing it again! haha.  I honestly don't know what took us so long to take her up on her offer.  But, now that it's done, watch out Jenn!

I am so excited, and totally scared for our trip to NY in a couple weeks.  I am slightly nervous about the plane ride with a 16 month old who does not like to be held for more than 5 minutes, let alone 5 hours~~!!!  Still, it will be worth it once we land and see Aunt Jaime and Uncle Mike!  Uncle Eddie is even making a trip to NY to see us!! I am so excited!!!!

Ok, this stinks, I FINALLY feel ok and wanted to jump in the car with the munchkin and head to the park before it gets too hot.  BUT, hubby stole my car this morning to go to work.  Man!  Oh well, there's always later or tomorrow morning if it gets too hot.

Well. that's my sad attempt at an update.  Hopefully I will be feeling well enough to be doing it more regularly.

Ciao!!

15 Month Check Up

Whether I want to accept it or not, my little baby isn't a little baby anymore.  We had our 15 month check up on Monday and the Dr says he is as big as a 2 year old :)  He weighed in at 26 lbs!  32.5 inches long.  He's a tall, healthy, smart boy!  The past 3 months since his last visit he gained 4 lbs.  I have a feeling he won't gain that much by or 18 month visit.  He's been getting a bit pickier than I'd care to admit.  I am having somewhat of a difficult time trying to get him to eat vegetables.  The only veggie he will eat with no problem is sweet potato.  Any other veggie has to be hidden.  I hide carrots, celery and onion in his turkey meatloaf "muffins" and in his lentil soup.  Other than that he refuses veggies.  :(  I bought a spaghetti squash that I am going to try to get him to eat, but I am more worried about his green veggies.  He will eat spinach when I make it with beans and pasta, but I don't make that dish very often.  Maybe I should make a big batch and leave it in the fridge so he at least gets some green in him.  It's frustrating, but we will figure it out.  He still eats just about every fruit available, and I keep a wide variety in the house at all times, so that makes me feel a little better, at least.

Aside from our food issues, my little honey is just the sweetest little guy ever.  His new thing to say is "I love you".  Which comes out more like Ah La La.  Every time he says it he gives this little smile like he is so proud of himself.  I absolutely love it.  Every time I tell him I love him I get a Ah La La back and it makes my heart smile!  I can't wait to see what his next word or phrase will be.

Well, the little monkey has decided to make Reggie's bed his own.  No Bueno.  Gotta run!

Little Big Boy

I knew this day would come, when I would look at my baby and not see a baby anymore.  I believe today was that day.  Just picking him up this morning, I knew.  I swear he had grown at least an inch overnight.  He's so tall, his cheeks and face are getting more plump, he walks steadier ~ nearly running!  Today we were about to go upstairs for a nap and instead of crawling upstairs, he reached for my hand.  At first I was confused, but then he put his foot up and started walking up the stairs like a big boy.  Of course, it took us about 10 minutes to climb all the stairs, but the whole way I couldn't stop thinking "this is it, no more baby from here on out".  He is starting to make new sounds and experiment with them.  He knows just about every animal noise, where all his body parts (and mine) are, he feeds himself with a spoon, and now he walks up the stairs.  It's not only those little things that he does, it's also a feeling I get.  He is astonishingly aware of his surroundings, so observant and smart.  I can ask him to find me any object in the house and he knows exactly what I am talking about and where it is.  Tonight I said "can you say Mama, I love you" (I've been teaching him how to say I Love You and it comes out Ah La La) and he did it, he said Mama, Ah La La.  Okay, I cried.  I'm a sap, I know.  I just have never felt such love, such pride.  He is my sun and stars, without him I would whither. 

ANYWAY, I have been fiending to get back to my book, A Game of Thrones, since nap time.  I have 2 chapters left and the next book in the series waiting for me.  I'm addicted, it's awesome!!!

Blahberry Muffin

Update: Blueberry Muffins were a fail. :(  They were ok for a bite or two but the blueberries just ended up in a sludgey puddle at the bottom of each muffin.  It was not very appetizing to look at.  I wonder if I put too many, or if I tweaked the recipe too much.  Oh well, I will try again another time.  I had to make it up to myself and the munchkin, so I made a new batch of the Banana Muffins.  So yummy!

Anyway, other than the muffin fail I have been keeping myself busy by trying to keep up with the little man.  I try to get out of the house every day with him, whether it's to shop or go to the park or at the very least for a walk to the small playground around the corner.  The weather here in AZ is absolutely perfect right now.  mid to high 70's, breezy.  When the sun goes down there is just the right about of chill.  I love it!  I have to soak it all up now before it gets too hot to even leave the house, except to go in the pool, of course.  Ugh, the pool.  I am curious to see how this summer will be with my little maniac in the water.  If the bathtub is any indication of how he will be in the pool, I am in for it!  It will be fun ... and nerve wracking, I'm sure.

Ok, time to brag about my munchkin.  I wonder if every baby is as smart as Dominick, or if I just haven't spent enough time around babies.  He totally amazes me with the things he does! Here are a couple examples.
While a friend of ours was watching him, she gave him a few stackable measuring cups to play with.  He sat and examined them carefully.  Then he took them apart and put them together exactly how they were supposed to go.  On the first try! ha, Ok, maybe that's not totally amazing....but, the other day while we were playing I was sitting on our loveseat, which is raised higher than the couch, and I put his toy on top of my head to tease him.  He stopped, looked at the toy and walked away.  I didn't think too much of it until he came back carrying his little toy chair.  He set it down next to the loveseat and proceeded to use it as a step stool to get onto the couch!  He reached up and grabbed it off my head as if to say "Did you think that would stop me Mom? C'mon, you can do better than that!" I was floored.  Did he really just do that!? haha,  he's a little pisser.
At a playgroup the other day he was following around the bigger kids and picking up the toys they had discarded, trying to hand them to them, thinking they just dropped them.  So cute.  Of course, they just ignored him, which made me sad.  But, kids will be kids, and Moms will be Moms.

I think I will go have one of those banana muffins now and getting some reading done while he sleeps, then it's off to the library to play!!

Almost lost this one...But, alas, it is found...Enjoy!

Well, it's been a while since I've blogged.  I think sometimes I feel like I'm just way too boring to expect anyone ~ even myself ~ to be interested.  Even tho I sometimes feel boring, I am certainly not bored!  My little maniac has me chasing after him all day long!  When I'm not chasing him I'm looking up new recipes, trying desperately to figure out some new healthy food for him.  Since the banana muffins I've sort of slowed down.  I made another batch of lentil soup and homemade hummus, but, those are old news now!  This week I am going to try a recipe for Blueberry muffins:

Aunt Blanches Blueberry Muffins

Aunt Blanch is not my Aunt, but I will let you all know how they turn out, whomever's Aunt she is.  I plan on following the advise of one of the comments and use wheat flour, applesauce instead of butter and lower the sugar a bunch.  This way I will feel comfortable giving them to Dominick.

I am currently soaking some black beans and will cook them in the slow cooker overnight.  AND I made a whole bunch of homemade applesauce today, also for the baby, of course.  I don't seem to put nearly as much emphasis on my own healthy eating.  I really should tho, I am feeling very lethargic and just blah lately.  I am positive it is because of my junk food diet.  One of these days I will break out my "Slim in 6" dvd that I bought almost 4 years ago! haha, that sucker may even still be wrapped in the plastic.  Ah, one of these days, one of these days.  For now, I may not be at my healthiest, but I am absolutely at my happiest.  Dominick has brought me more love and happiness than I ever could have imagined.  He is such an amazing little guy, with his own personality, and he surprises me every day with his sense of humor and wide eyed exploration of his world.  As much as I know I was loved as a child, I just can't help but wonder if anyone ever marveled over me, adored, loved and cherished me anywhere near as much as I do Dominick.  I mean, it's a silly thought I guess.  My Mama always made me feel loved, even though she had her flaws and "sickness".  Still, knowing that my parents were well along on their journey into addiction by the time I came along is on my mind a lot lately.  I wish I could take a peek at a day in my life as a 1 year old.  Was there anyone there chasing me around the couch, just to see my face light up with laughter?  Was anyone taking time to find out what makes me giggle? What my favorite animals were?  The more I type, the more I realize, yes, there was.  If not my parents, my big brother was there.  He was 7 when I was 1.  I know in my heart HE was there, watching over me, caring for me, loving and adoring me.  So, thank you Eddie.  I love you for that.

Here Comes Trouble!

Dominick took his first wobbly steps 2 weeks ago, and as of today he is officially a walker.  He walks EVERYwhere.  It is so strange to watch him go.  And go. And go.  I am so proud of him! He is so adorable wobbling around the house, I scoop him up on a regular basis, just to kiss his adorable little smiling face.  Seems so unreal that my itty bitty little munchkin is so independent.  He plays by himself almost all the time, I just sit back and cheer him on when he gets the right shapes or finds the right toys or books that I ask for.  I love that he is independent, but I am also sort of sad.  Sort of, but not really.  Every once in a while he will wobble over to me and grab my hand, asking me to walk with him...maybe he knows it's just what I need, because I know he doesn't actually need my hand to get around anymore.  It's cute and sweet, whatever the reason.  So, if it took him about 2 weeks to go from first steps to walking, does this mean in about that time he will start running? Oh Lord!

So, I've decided to start cooking and baking some more.  I think I already mentioned this in my last post.  So far I've made lentil soup, cauliflower soup, zucchini pie and banana muffins.  Dominick loved everything so far, except the muffins which I made tonight.  I am sure he will love these as well, the little monkey! Here's a pic of my banana muffins, cus I didn't think of taking pics of the others!
 

I will be looking up some more recipes!  I can't wait to start experimenting!  If you have any good, kid friendly recipes, feel free to message them to me!!  Sharing is Caring!! hehe
Ok, I've been cooking and cleaning since 8 pm and now I want to veg for 45 minutes before I hit the hay!

35's not so bad. . .

. . . As long as I don't actually THINK about it!  Blah!  35~that's half of 70!! Waaah!  ::sniffle::

Ok, pity party is over.  Honestly, I have never been happier in my life.  I have a beautiful home, an amazing husband *who cooks!*, an absolutely PERFECT little boy, amazing friends and wonderful family.  No matter how old I am, I am one lucky cookie!  For my birthday this year, the 3 of us went to White Tank Mountains for a picnic!

  
  
I got a brand new camera from my boys! (which I needed, desperately) 
My lovely and amazing sister got me a Pandora bracelet with the cutest charms.  A cupcake and a Mama and Baby Monkey.  I love it so much! I can't wait to add charms to it!
My beautiful friend Jenn got me a bunch of pretty purple things, all in a pretty purple bag.   I just wish I had some pics of the bag before I opened it!  She got me a new, awesome wallet!  Purple flip flops! A Friends frame with my favorite picture of us in. An Audrey Hepburn calender! And Urban Decay "All Nighter" (I think that's the name!) Soooooo exciting!  Can't wait to use it, hopefully this weekend!  Jenn's beautiful Mama got me a necklace I had been eyeballing.  An "R" in glittery stones.  Sooo pretty.  So, as I said, I am one lucky cookie! 
I'm looking forward to going out dancing with Jenn this weekend, if all works out anyway.  It will be so much fun! Hopefully I will be feeling better by then.  I have a head cold that won't go away. 
::sniff sniff:: I think I smell me some lentil soup!  Crossing my fingers that it comes out yummy.  Put it in the slow cooker 2 hours ago and it's starting to smell yummy in here!  If Dominick likes it I will be beyond excited.  The little stinker is a bit more finicky than usual lately.  What he loves today he spits out tomorrow.  No rhyme or reason!

Oh man! The little booger is up from his nap and I never put my face on! Phooey!
Gotta run!

Sleep Savvy

It seems like the theme of my days lately is SLEEP!  Ever since (and even before) we started "sleep training" Dominick he has been sleeping from 830 til 10 or 1030 ... AM!  On top of that he takes 1-3 hour naps every day.  I am completely in shock by this.  I mean, he never really got up super early like some kids, but to be sleeping until 10 am is strange.  As far as I knew ALL babies were early risers.  I thought it was something ingrained into them!  Hey, if it ended tomorrow and he all of a sudden started getting up at 7am I would not be surprised.  I feel like this is just some sort of phase that he will grow out of, because sleeping until 10 AM is truly too good to be true!

Anyway, as of Sunday we started to let Dominick "Cry It Out"...it was a rough night for me because I didn't set out to do that night in particular.  I knew we would do it in the next coming weeks, but that night I was rocking, and rocking, and rocking and ROCKING.  I just couldn't rock no more!  So my nerves got the better of me and I made a very spontaneous decision to lay the suckler down and let him fall asleep on his own.  Within 10 minutes (more like 1 minute) I regretted it.  Not because I didn't want to hear him crying, which of course is heart-breaking, but because I wasn't fully prepared to make that my last official night to rock him to sleep.  He cried big time for about 30 minutes, we went in every 8-10 minutes.  By the 40 minute mark he finally passed out.  The rest of the night I spent with a knot in my stomach and a heavy heart.  I couldn't shake the feeling.  I was not ready to say goodbye to watching my little baby drift off to sleep.  WHY did I make such a big decision!?  I didn't want to revert back to rocking and confuse the poor booger.  By the time I went to bed I couldn't hold it in anymore and let out a huge meltdown.  After getting it all out I realized I don't have to totally give up our routine, I just have to tweak it a little bit.  We still sit in the rocker, we read our ni ni book, I rock him for a few minutes and tell him how much I love him and even sing a song or two.  If he's particularly silly, we even still play our silly night night games: Get The Tickles Out and Baby Monster/Monster Baby.  I feel much better with my decision now.  He only cries for the few seconds it takes for me to lay him down, kiss him and walk out.  By the time the door is closed behind me he has tapered down to a slight whimper then he is out like a light!  I am so proud of my little man.  He is such a good little boy.  He adapts to every and any situation like a pro! 

OK, that was a long story, sorry!

In other news, he is almost ready to take off! He glides around the house, holding on to any and everything and even takes a step or two on his own.  No official walking yet, but I can see it in the very near future!!

Well, off to get some rest, watch a show or two then get some sleep.  Tomorrow is a big day. We get to see Auntie Jenn :) We haven't seen her since New Year's Eve!!!  So, it will be fun!!

So Big!

 

 

 

 

At The Doctor's - About To Get Weighed!!

 

 

 

 

 

So, yesterday we finally had our 12 month check up.  As I already knew, he is doing wonderfully! Still in the 80+ percentile for height at 31 inches long, which means he will be taller than Mama and Dada.  I couldn't help but immediately picture him as a teenager, towering over me.  Made me tear up right in the dr's office!  He's weighing in at 22lbs 5ozs!  My little monka man is getting so big!  He's learning new things and imitating me constantly, it's hilarious!  The bigger he gets the more grateful I am for my life, our lives.  He is the sun in my sky!

The little munchkin sure does love to sleep! He sleeps in until 9-10am every morning and will still take a 2-3 hour nap every day.....sounds like he takes after his Mama!  He is sleeping as I type, I am anxiously waiting for him to wake up so I can give him lunch and get going.  We are going to visit the library at the foot of the White Tank Mountains.  It's beautiful there!


We went to the grand opening a couple months ago and Dominick loved it.  They have a cute kid's area with some play tables that he really liked.  We are going to show our NY visitor the lovely scenery and just to get out of the house.  After, or before, the library we are also going to go to the park! It's been too long since he's been on the swings (weee)!!! So, wake up baby! We're ready to go!!  So far this nap I've actually managed to :
1) cook lunch (bean/cheese/tomato quesidilla)
2) eat lunch
2a) prepare munchkin's lunch (fruit, yogurt, homemade hummus, sliced tomato) ( i had to add this one in when I started thinking about all the things I've done)
3) watch a whole episode of Breaking Bad
4) eat dessert
5) make another quesidilla for our guest
6) read all my BAM threads
7) write this blog!
WOW.....this is some crazy nap!

OK, I have to go check on the monka man ~ maybe he will sense my excitement and wake up!!
Have a great day everybody!!

A New Year

Happy New Year!  A friend of mine who also has a December baby made a point yesterday that I thought was interesting.  Dominick is only 1 year old, but this is the 3rd year he's seen.  I thought that was really cool!! 
I haven't posted in a while, I was so busy with my brother and sister in town for the baby's birthday party, then Christmas, now we have a friend of hubby's in town for a week.  The only good thing about so many visitors is it forces me to keep the house clean.  I don't mind, I need the extra push sometimes and I actually enjoy cleaning once I start.  It's the starting that bogs me down most of the time. 
I'm so sad the holiday season is over and my little baby is officially a toddler.  I know this upcoming year will bring with it many, many wonders and joys, but I still feel heavy hearted about saying goodbye to my itty bitty.  He is becoming more and more like a little boy by the minute!  He's a little happy ham!!  I'm so proud to be his Mama.  I am looking forward to his first steps (I think) and his first sentence and all the firsts that follow!!
I have a prayer for the new year that I send out every night, and often during the day as well.  I pray that my puppy, Reggie is ok and that the seizures he's been having are not a sign of something more serious.  The dr's don't think it is epilepsy this late in his life, but they aren't ruling it out.  They say it is more likely cancer/tumor, but that's not 100% either.  In order to try to find out I'd have to take him in for extensive, and expensive tests.  Reggie is too much of a wimp to put him through all that, especially if in the long run nothing can be done for him anyway.  He has panic attacks if I try to brush him or cut his nails.  If it is something more serious, the last thing I want to do is traumatize him even more with all sorts of blood tests/doctors/xrays/mri's. 
Munchkin is sleeping and I have laundry to fold!
HAPPY, HEALTHY 2011~!!