Happy Birthday Carson!

8 days old

10 months

My sweet baby is already a YEAR OLD!!! His first year flew by. It's been quite eventful as well...fluke illness at 1 month, Spinal Meningitus at 8.5 months and a few ear infections inbetween.

He is a bright star in our family!! Life just wouldn't be the same without him. We all love and adore him so very much!!!

12 month stats:

20.13 pounds

29 3/4 inches

*walks with a push toy and along furniture

*says: mama, dada, meow, woof woof, bye-bye and lots of jibber-jabber

*tenses his whole upper body when asked to show his muscles

*does not sleep through the night...anymore.

*loves to give kisses and will throw in a bite every now and then

*starting to throw fits...so funny.

*LOVES to go bye-bye

*loves to swim and play outside

Cutest face ever!!!

May 2009

This picture is number 539 out of the 884 pictures I have on my cell phone. It is my FAVORITE! I am so lucky he is mine!

We're HOME!

No more of this:

(sitting in the hospital with a sick baby)

And now a whole lot of this:

(look at those fangs!)

We got home on Thursday night! It feels amazing to be back home with my family! I missed all of them SO much! I missed my friends, garden, kitchen, laundry, bathroom, bed, running kids around,

EVERYTHING!

Carson is happy and healthy. We have quite a few follow-ups to attend this summer, but nothing we can't handle.

Thank you all for your prayers and love! We feel that so many of our prayers have been answered and we are so very blessed!

innovative

When you are stuck in the hospital for 14 days it's important to have several forms of entertainment.

UPDATE: Carson's iron levels are pretty low. Normal is about an 11 and his is at 6.2. He is starting iron supplements today and hopefully his levels start going up in 3 days. Thursday is still looking good for going home. As long as no fevers return and they see his iron levels going up. So you know what to pray for. Keep the prayers coming! Thank you all for your prayers, love and concern!!

No fevers!

Carson has not had a fever since early yesterday morning!!
He had his try at some applesauce with rice cereal mixed in and did pretty well until he burped then some came up. So a small vomit.
His iron is pretty low right now, but nothing that can't be helped with some supplements. He has also lost a pound. I'm sure as soon as his body is back to normal all that will come back and level out right where it should be.

Last night Chris and I got to sneak away for about an hour to get a bite to eat together. Grandma stayed with Carson and snuggled him and he slept almost the whole time. It felt so nice to feel the outside air. Especially since it was 6:30pm. We ate at Pei Wei's and then got Dairy Queen. My blizzard was so crappy! I ordered a small Reese's peanut butter cup and there was hardly any candy in it! Very disappointing for sure. I ended up getting a horrible stomachache and felt nauseous for a couple hours. It sucked, but glad I got to get out for a short time.

We are sitting here in our room listening to some sort of drill going on out in the hall. Or at least I think it is a drill.
The other day from our window we saw a fire right off the freeway. We missed the crash, but saw the aftermath. It looked like a van lost control and took out some signs and was majorly on fire! We saw an ambulance, firetruck and police rush to the scene. Hopefully those involved made it out ok.

Today Chris is bringing the kids to visit!!! I am SO excited! I haven't seen my kiddos since last Friday! I've never been away from them that long. Talking on the phone and seeing pictures of them via text is just not good enough! I am SO homesick it hurts sometimes. Especially at night. I think we just might have to throw a little party when we get home! Which by the way, is looking like Thursday June 11th. Hopefully everything continues on the up and we don't have to stay any longer than that. I just want to be home with my family and doing all the "mom" things I use to do.

JUST IN!!! Carson doesn't have to be hooked up to IV fluids anymore! Only when it's time for his antibiotics! Last lab blood culture looked good! He's a free man! Well in that aspect any way!!!! I feel like having a party just for that!!!

Turning point

Today has been an awesome turn around day for Carson! He was crawling all over, went to a sitting position on his own AND pulled himself to standing a couple of times! He is a little shaky, but you can tell he is getting stronger. We are so happy that he is FINALLY showing signs of winning the battle! The days seem to be getting better and better. The night time still seems to be a little rough with a fever and some vomiting. Hopefully that will change real soon.

catching up on updates

Tuesday night: Carson had a fever and vomited a few times. Didn't end up being a restful night like we had hoped. Wednesday morning we made up for it and slept the morning away.

Wednesday: By now for how long he has been on antibiotics the fevers should have subsided. They keep coming back and then he starts vomiting. So today was a day of laying off the Tylenol to see what his fever does. If it reached 102.9 again which was Wednesday early mornings high, then they would be doing an MRI and an eco to see if there is any fluid around the brain or heart. Thankfully his fevers have not reached that high. They seem to be on a slowing down trend.
Last night he got a burst of energy and started to crawl around and even tried to lift himself to standing. He didn't get up off his knees, but he sure was trying.

Thursday: We had a decent night. Around 4am he woke up and vomited. I got him all cleaned up and we laid down and he seemed uncomfortable then he finally pooped. What a mess that was. We got some good sleep after that though!

Right now: He keeps getting a low grade fever and uncomfortable and crabby. After getting some Tylenol he calmed down and is now sleeping peacefully. Yay! Maybe I can finally eat something!

I think the threats of more tests is working. It's time to keep getting better and stronger! Let's hope that's the trend he continues to follow.

bedtime update

Chatting with his big sis, Taylor

Today has been a pretty good day. Although Carson's fevers keep coming back and he is struggling to keep any food down he still manages to show us he is getting better. He is getting pretty dang good at getting control of his neck and head. He can even sit for a short time with a little help. Though a little wobbly he showed off his muscles when Ben and Kim came to visit this evening and got up on his hands and knees for a minute!
Hopefully we both get some good sleep tonight. No nurses coming in from 11pm to 6am! WhooHoo! Pray there won't be any uncomfortable fever or vomiting.

good and bad

Carson's 2nd CT scan looks really good. No fluid build up and pressure. He was playing with some toys and his toes and IV yesterday. He seemed to be feeling a lot better.
Later though, his fever came back. It keeps coming back. This morning at 4 he started vomiting. They are pretty sure it is just from the illness and not stemming from his brain. Thank goodness. Hopefully he will get past this stage and stay out of it very soon.

At 3:30pm yesterday Carson was finally taken back to get his PICC line. It was scheduled for 2:30pm and he had been fasting since 4am. That extra hour was torture. While they were giving him his PICC he got a hearing test done. I imagined myself reporting that all is well.
All is not well.
I was taken into a tiny room and sat down and told that Carson has mild hearing loss in his left ear and severe hearing loss in his right ear.
I was not expecting that. I knew it was a possibility, but I didn't believe it would actually happen. I feel like I should be waking up any second and breathing a sigh of relief that this was all just a very bad dream. Oh how I wish it were.
Chris wasn't here yet when I was given the news. I held onto it for about 2 hours before I actually was able to utter the words. I also didn't want to tell him over the phone.

Today at 4:30pm we meet with the Dr. about Carson's new hearing condition.
I was emotional and in shock when I was given this news that truly blind-sided me. Now I just feel numb. I keep picturing him growing up and all the challenges he may face. I don't like it.
I never thought that we would actually be going through anything like this. Sure there is worse out there. Sure it could have been MUCH worse. Still could. But not ME. Not MY baby.
But yet, here we are.
Sounds selfish I know.
Sorry, I wasn't done when publish post accidentally got hit.
Just want you to know I am not full of complete sorrow.
I know that as we exercise faith that all things are possible through our Father in Heaven. I know that the trials that we are given are meant for our benefit. It is our opportunity to grow and exercise our faith in fasting and prayer. We will get through this and all will be well.

update

Carson was given Zofran last night around 11pm. It kicked right in and he was able to keep his food down. Besides all the interruptions he slept decent. He hasn't had any food or drink since 4am. He will be getting a PICC line and a hearing test done at 2:30pm today. He's a little cranky because he is hungry, but he has to be put under for the procedures so nothing for him for now.

He got some toys to play with and is thoroughly enjoying them. It's so great to see him act like a normal happy baby! I can't wait until he has the strength to sit up, crawl and even hold his head up by himself for longer periods of time.

Thanks so much for all your prayers! Please keep them coming!

Dejavu

We are once again in the hospital with our sweet little Carson. This time it is Spinal Meningitis.
On Monday morning he woke up with a high fever and started throwing up. Preston also woke up sick with the barfs and diarrhea. On Tuesday I came down with it.
By Wednesday he stopped throwing up and his fever went away. We thought Carson's bout was just about over.
Wednesday evening his fever came back and he acted like he was in pain.
Thursday he was becoming more and more lethargic. Thursday evening I noticed Carson had strange breathing happening as he slept. Three quick breaths, pause, three quick breaths, pause. I woke him up and he stopped the scary pattern.
We headed to Phoenix Children's Urgent Care. He was hooked up to IV fluids and highly suspected meningitis. He was given antibiotics and off in an ambulance we went.
When we arrived at Phoenix Children's Hospital at 12:00am on Friday morning. Which happens to be Chris' birthday. He was given a spinal tap and results confirmed Bacterial Meningitis.
So here we are. He will be in the hospital for 10 to 14 days.
As of right now, he is not keeping much down and his fever keeps coming back. He will be getting another CT scan to check for any fluid on the brain.
We are hoping and praying he will recover quickly and fully. Some of the side effects of meningitis are possible hearing loss and brain damage. Please keep him in your prayers.

remember scrumptious?

Valentine's Day 2009

He really loves me.

I really really love him.

He really is so super delicious!

P.S. My blog is 2 years old today!

Big Sis, little bro

Taylor is such a great sister to her baby brother.

He loves being carted around by her and lights up when she walks in the room. She keeps telling me I need to have 3 more babies. Two girls and another boy. She's crazy! I wish I was cut out to have 8 children. But holy cow! Not in our little house!

I sure feel blessed to have her there helping me here and there when she's not out playing with her friends.

She is growing up so fast and is such a beautiful girl! She loves helping others and is so kind to her friends. She tries to be nice to her other siblings, but that isn't always easy when they get into your stuff {Ellie} and make annoying fart sounds with their armpits {Preston}. I am so happy she is my daughter and I hope that we can always have a good close relationship...even when she's a teenager!

Perfect weather to take a nap outside.

Since Macey can't come over everyday to swing with Carson and support his back, it was time to get a new swing that wasn't sun-baked. I'm sad it's getting too hot to play outside in the middle of the day.

Almost 7 months

This sweet thang is nearly 7 months old!

He is growing up way too fast!

He:

*rolls

*sits

*does his own version of crawling

*eats baby food

*loves it when I pump and add rice cereal to his bottle

*giggles histerically when tickled

*loves bathtime

*still sucks his thumb, but only when he's falling asleep

*love love loves his mama!

moo cow

My super talented and cute friend Megan

hand stitched this adorable onsie.

Do you recognize the character? It's one of Sandra Boynton's books.

We LOVE her books!

And we love Megan and I wish I was half as cute and creative as her!

little discoveries

Finding body parts to play with is cheap entertainment.

Hopefully he doesn't play with anything else below the belt.

scrumptious!

From head

to toe

this boy is delicious!

second mommy

Carson is one lucky boy.

He has a big sister who truely loves him and LOVES to play with him. Taylor is such an amazing helper!

She loves to make Carson laugh. In fact she is the only one who is able to get him to laugh histerically every time she tries.

She loves to cart him around in the Baby Bjorn too.

Whenever she goes to the store with me she asks if she can carry him. I haven't let her because I am too worried that people will look at me and think I am a crazy woman that let's her 9 year old carry her baby around!

Little do they know...

a crappy post.

Lately Carson has been pooping once a week. Friday is his day of choice. This morning as I was changing his diaper he tooted and it smelled like something we call a "poo-cloud".

Instantly I remembered last weeks blow-out and thought to myself,
"Today I am going to watch for pooping signs and catch him in the act and hurry and hold him over the toilet to prevent a catastrophic disaster." (It really does work. I've done it several times with Ellie and Peyton when they were babies.)

Carson was happily playing in the exersaucer that I had just cleaned the previous day. So this was his first day with his new toy, which isn't actually new, but new to him.

I was loading the dishwasher in between making silly faces and noises to get big grins and giggles to serinade me through the dirty dishes. Little did I know he was creating a monsterous mess and marking his territory all in one destructive blow.

Suddenly we had a two man clean-up job on our hands.

And poop.