Snow in June?? Only in Nevada!

Yes, the title is correct.  It has been snowing off and on all morning/afternoon! Can you believe that?  Now it is down-pouring.  If you don't already know, Nevada is so unpredictable for it's weather, especially in the spring/early summer time.  I am appreciating it though because our backyard lawn needs all the water it can get!
I know I haven't posted in a while and I am way overdue.  So...here goes nothin'!
Daniel graduated from pre-k...I just can't believe it! The graduation was pretty stinkin' cute. He goes to a preschool at a Lutheran church, so the graduation is held in the sanctuary of the church. All the parents were seated, eagerly waiting their child to walk down the isle (did I mention that they walk down the isle holding their hands in the angle/praying position?...CUTE!) They sang songs that were adorable and even added some dance moves into the mix. Daniel has made a couple of good friends that we are hoping he'll either see during soccer or go to school with. It's neat to see him making friends. They even have nick-names for each other...boys!

Daniel with his teacher, Mrs. Armstrong. 

Mrs. Picket and Mrs. Armstrong have been his teacher for 2 years now...so sad to leave them! 

My offical "kindergartener" and I after graduation

Trying to keep Daniel entertained/busy since school has been out hasn't been the easiest thing.  We've tried a science experiment, baked, played catch, planted flowers, colored, learned a new game...and it's only been a couple weeks since school's been out! I can't wait for the nice weather to permanently be here so we can claim our spot at the pool.  One thing that is nice about Mitch's job is we get free access to the outdoor pool, which we use a lot during the summer! It's been nice taking our time in the morning and not having to rush to get ready for school.  It will come soon enough, so I am trying to be grateful for our lazy summer days!

Mitch has been working so hard and a lot.  The overtime has been nice, but it does eventually take it's toll.  We miss him!  About an hour after he gets home, it's time for bed for the boys, so we try and make the most of his days off...even if it cleaning the garage as a family...we're together and that's all that matters.  I'm just so thankful that God has provided such a great job for my husband.

PJ has been doing good. He is cast-free as of last week!!! Can you believe it?! We were dreading that cast for the longest time...and look, we made it through! It honestly wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be.

He was laughing at first because of the vibrations, but the noise of the saw got to him!  Poor baby! 

Nothing like chewing on his blanket to give him some comfort! 

Good ridance!  May we never see you again!!

The cast removal was rather quick and didn't take as long as I thought it would.  Immediately after the dr. took his cast off, he was placed in a Rhino Cruiser hip brace, which he will wear 24 hours a day (except for diaper changes and baths of course) for 2 months.  He is so much lighter!  Another great thing is that the brace allows for him to still kick his legs.  His left hip, which is his bad hip, is super tight and sensative.  I tried to move it a little this morning and PJ didn't like it.  We are going to start physical therapy hopefully next week to get that loosened up a little.  His hip is still in, which we are praising God for!  We're not doctors, but on the x-ray, both hip sockets looked more alike than they ever have, which beens his left socket is getting deeper! yay! 

He also got a head ultrasound, which showed no change in the ventricles, which originally we were thrilled about.  His head circumference is concerning in the fact that it has increased 3 cm in the last 3 months.  I don't know what is normal and what's not, but the nuero department told us they were concerned.  We don't see dr. Gupta on spina bifida clinic days...in fact we haven't seen him since we left the hospital with PJ.  We usually just see his team of dr.'s.  I got a call today from the dr. we saw on Friday who seemed alarmed by his head circumference and she just got done consulting with dr. Gupta about PJ's progression.  He is concerned as well.  So, when we go back to San Fran in 8 weeks, we will meet with Dr. Gupta personally to talk about what to do.  Usually with hydrocephalus there are a variety of symptoms:  unusual fussiness, lethargy, sunset eyes, and rapid head growth.  PJ hasn't experienced any of these except for the the head growth and the dr. on the phone today said she has seen patients only exibit the head growth symptom and still get a shunt.  She seemed to be preparing us to be aware that we are leaning towards getting a shunt.  It all depends on the next 2 months and PJ's progress.  It was such disappointing news to hear today because we actually thought that PJ was going to be one of the 10% of kids who don't need to get a shunt...he very well still may be one of the 10%.  We will just continue to trust God and lean on Him for answers.  I was reminded of the hymn "What a friend we have in Jesus"...

What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield thee;
thou wilt find a solace there.

Isn't that such a comforting hymn?   It all seems so overwhelming because we really thought we were out of the woods for it.  We know that God has a plan for PJ and for us and He will continue to take care of PJ, provide for our family, give us comfort and strength and He will be glorified through it all!  We are learning to be persistant in our prayer...that's what God asks us to do! 

Philipians 4:6-9 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.   And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.   Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things.   Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me -- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
So, really, it's as easy as that...trusting God, relying on His power, not worrying..seeking Him!
Please continue to pray for PJ and that if it is God's will that PJ's head would remain stable, that God would give us peace about the days ahead and not to worry about anything/everything, and that we could enjoy our summer w/o the constant worry of PJ's progress.  Also, we are still waiting to hear if we have been approved for a medicaid disability waiver for PJ and also SSI (social security income) for PJ.  Even just being approved for one of these would help us out tremendously!  Thank you so much for your prayers.  I know it may seem like I may share too much information on here sometimes, but the prayer support is why I do it.  I know that there are so many of you that truly love us and we can count on your prayer support...it's so awesome to hear that there are so many people that are praying for us.  Thank you God for these people!
This blog is getting out-of-control long, so I will end it with a bunch of pictures...some of here and some of our latest trip to SF.  Enjoy!!

Daniel--being a goofball after swimming at the hotel. 

We had all morning before going to clinic, so we thought we'd go to the Golden Gate Bridge.  It was actually the first time we had done that!  Isn't it beautiful?! 

My boys! We didn't make it very far across the bridge...Daniel said "It's freaking me out mom!"...it was freaking me out too!

Daniel wanted to hold PJ. 

 He was watching cartoons like this...crazy boy!

There was fireworks after the high school graduation, so I had to wake Daniel up and we watched them on our front yard! 

In the hotel--I think PJ had enough of all of us and just wanted to go to bed and be left alone! 

All smiles on the way to get his cast off! 

Last picture of PJ in his cast! 

Daniel doesn't seem excited, but he was! 

See?!  He was laughing....at first! 

If you remember from a couple posts ago, there was a pic of him in his diaper and his left leg didn't look like this.  Now, that his hip is in, it looks just like his right leg...and no, he didn't seem to have lost any of his chunky thighs!! yay! 

At the beach after getting his cast off. 

Daniel and Mitch working on a sand castle!

Well, that's all for now!!  Hope you enjoyed the pictures!  I really need to try to blog more often...we'll see if the boys give me any time!

Bring on the shorts!

Spring is here!!! I just want to scream it from the roof-tops!  It is so beautiful outside...almost to the point where it's almost hot!  I LOVE IT!  There is something about getting those vitamins from the sun and getting some much needed, fresh desert air!  It's so crisp and clear, it's beautiful!  Flowers are blooming, the grass is getting green, and my closet is in much need of a seasonal switch!  Instead of doing a lengthy, detailed blog, I thought I would just post a few pics and let you all know what we've been up to.  Enjoy!

Daniel is loving playing t-ball...in fact, he almost can't contain himself as he is "warming up" with his teammates...he just loves to be around other kids and have a good time, which I appreciate because all too soon are those days of fun going to be gone and transforming into pure competition...Here he is...ready to sneak around the bases!

Can you see the amount of intensity on his face!  I love this photo...it just captures his determination!

PJ and I sitting on the sidelines cheering Daniel on!

The days of 2 hour nap sessions in the afternoon are long gone.  He would take one if I made him, but that means him not being able to go to sleep until 10 at night...it's worth the trade off.  As you can see some of his quiet times get a little too quiet!

PJ still isn't eating much baby food yet.  He seems to be fine on formula alone, but after last night and waking up a couple times, I am going to try and be consistant with it.  He loves baby oatmeal so I thought I would introduce something new...peas!  The photo below shows his initial reaction to the peas and then the next photo captures around his 4th or 5th bite...those taste buds must have finally kicked in!

I discovered we have wisteria growing crazy in our backyard.  We have had wisteria since we've moved in on our side gate, but this is the first year it's bloomed in the back.  It's so beautiful.  I tried to capture it like my talented sister-in-law would, but I can't even come close...this is as good as it's going to get folks!

PJ's bladder medicine has been doubled so we have to be careful.  One of the side effects is overheating and dehydration.  I have noticed his cheeks becoming rosey more often as you can see in this picture.  Not a fun side effect but we are trying to keep it at bay with sips of water between meals.

Other than getting the yard in order, spring cleaning, watching t-ball and our trips to San Fran, we have been having a wonderful spring.  God has been so wonderful and we have been so blessed by many friends, family, and church family.  They are such a blessing to us and we are so thankful to have them all in our lives. Last week we returned to San Fran to make sure PJ's hip is still in and also for the cast to be checked.  His hip is still in!!  Praise God!  Dr. Delgado said that PJ can get his cast off in 4 weeks, which by Friday it will be 3 more weeks! yay!  We are so glad that it is going by quickly!  It was a little frustrating in the fact that we drove 6 hours each way to have a 25 minute appt, but we are thankful for the great news!  We are still waiting to hear from Social Security to see if PJ can get some assistance as well has a medicaid program for disabled children.  We are waiting and praying that he would get approved for one, if not both of those...it would help us out tremedously!  God knows what will happen so we rest in that fact and know that no matter what happens, IT IS FINISHED!

We made it!

Here I am...way behind on blogging, so I feel like I have tons to make up for, which hopefully I can do with pictures!  The past couple months have been crazy busy and I can't believe it is almost May! What?!  Here are a few pics of what's been going on! (details on PJ's surgery below as well)

family picture time on Easter!

Mitch and I finally got a picture of just the two of us love birds! 

Here's the Easter cake Daniel and I made! I stole borrowed this idea from a family friend :)

Daniel is now a t-ball player!  I can't believe he is old enough to be playing already.  His team name is the Blue Claws!  Sounds intimidating right?! hee hee.  Mitch and Daniel have been playing baseball in the backyard for a couple years now, so Daniel is just thrilled to be finally playing on a team.  The games are hilarious to watch.  The first time Daniel was up to bat, he stopped mid-run to first base to pick up a "treasure" that he found.  It was funny and typical, I hear, of first-time t-ball players.  The weather hasn't been cooperative either.   Typical Nevada spring-time is windy, dusty, cold...and just all around yuck for t-ball season.  Hopefully we'll get a nice couple games out of this season!!

 Here's my handsome Blue Claw at opening ceremonies!

This picture he looks a little too old for my liking...how can he be that big?!   

This past weekend we were in San Francisco for PJ's hip surgery this past Monday and he had a urodynamics study done on Friday.  The urodynamics study went well, but it is pretty involved and it included PJ laying on a table naked for an hour waiting for the nurse practioner to show up...needless to say we weren't very pleased with that, but we did receive good news that there is no reflux of urine into his kidneys.  Because of all the nerve damage he has from having Spina Bifida, he is on special medicine for his bladder so we can prevent reflux into his kidneys...we are thankful to hear that he is doing well in that department.
We also met with the pediatric orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Delgado on Friday to go over the surgery on Monday.  She told us that after meeting with other dr.'s about PJ's hip, they all agreed that this was a good decision to go forward with the hip surgery.  However, from the information she gave us, it sounds like there is a chance that this may not fix his hip completely.  They are concerned that it may dislocate again.  If that is the case, they will wait to do a more invasive hip surgery when he is 3 or 4.  So, we are praying that this will work!!  God is the ultimate physician.  Sometimes it's easy to think that it is all in the dr.'s hands, but God is in control and can heal PJ at any moment.  Knowing that PJ is in God's hands and He will protect PJ is such a comforting truth. 
So, after those appts. we had all weekend to do "fun" things to try and distract ourselves with what was going to happen on Monday.  I kept telling Mitch that I just felt like there was this huge impending doom and the countdown was on.  It was hard to have fun when we knew what was happening on Monday.  None-the-less, we tried our hardest and we did create some new, fun memories together.  Here are some pics of the weekend:

We went to the beach on Saturday.  It was so beautiful out and the beach was packed!!  We had a picnic and enjoyed some people watching...which is always interesting in San Fran! 

Mitch and PJ by the shoreline.  I caught this awesome candid photo of father and son...so precious.   It's so neat to sit and look at the ocean and be reminded of how big our God is.  It really puts into perspective how small our problems on this earth are when we think of our Creator and all that He has done for us.  It's overwhelming...in a good way :)

Enjoying the sounds of the ocean! 

Flying high! 

PJ loves the new car seat.  It's like a new world for him.  He is able to see outside of the window now and loves to look at the cars go by.  He is still rear-facing by the way...it looks as if he's not, but he is. 

One of the many pictures I took of our PJ in a diaper so we could remember our chunky little man.  As you can see his left leg doesn't go out like his right leg due to the dislocation.   

We were trying to get the the Golden Gate bridge on Sunday, but our GPS took us to Fisherman's Warf...kinda funny.  But we were up for whatever so we went with it and found free parking!!  I carried PJ around a lot that day...taking advantage of our snuggle time. 

Of course there are tons of street performers down by Fisherman's Warf/Pier 39 and this was pretty cool.  It was a small family band and the drummer couldn't have been more that 4 or 5 and he was really good!!  It was so cute!  There were some other...um...sights that I dare not talk about on here that are burned into my brain, great ol' San Francisco!

Monday morning we were told to be at the hospital at 6:30 in the morning...so we were up at 5...bright and early.  Thankfully we all got a really good night's rest.  We got to the hospital and signed in and waited only a few moments before they called us back to the room to get PJ ready.    

Poor little guy had no idea what was coming!!  So precious in his jammies!

We were only in the room for a few moments before we were greeted by the anesthesiolgist who talked to us about what he was doing.  Soon after that, Dr. Delgado came by and made sure we were ready.  Of course we weren't! ha!  Not too long after that all of the dr.'s/nurses came in and said they were ready for him.  It was one of the worst feelings ever.  Knowing I had to hand my baby over to them.  I squeezed him a few more times knowing I would be able to do that for a while and reluctantly handed him over.  Once they left the room a few tears of fear, sadness, worry fell, but I was soon reminded of God's hand in this whole situation.  I was comforted in knowing that God was in control and whatever happened, He would get us through it.  Then we had to wait.  We hand't had any coffee yet that morning (yikes!) so we hurried to the Starbucks at hospital and grabbed a coffee and came back to wait for PJ.  We sat in the waiting room and thankfully they had a t.v. in there.  We were distracted by Good Morning America.  Never thought I would be so thankful for that show!!  The whole procedure took about two and a half hours.  We were so glad to see Dr. Delgado walking towards us to tell us they were done.  They were able to go in and only cut one tendon instead of a full reduction which requires cutting 3 and some muscle.  She informed us that she had a lot of diffictulty actually getting the hip in the socket but with the other anttending ortho dr helping, they were able to get it in.  She also told us that she wanted him to get a rapid sequence MRI once he was fully awake so they could make sure, after him moving once awake his hip wouldn't dislocate again.  

Here's PJ just moments after we saw him for the first time.  He was crying, but wouldn't open his eyes.  It took him a good hour to wake up.  The cast was hard to look at in the beginning.  His legs are so spread apart and it's just really akward to hold him...but we are getting used to it and are finding our groove.  They had a hard time finding a vain in his chunky hands so there is evidence of 4 pokes on each hand and wrists.  They finally found a vain in his inner elbow.

After he woke up from the anesthesia, we were sent across the street to the other section of the hospital to get the MRI.  Not only were we stressed about getting over there, the process of actually getting him over there was stressful.  He didn't fit in the stroller, so I carried him, akwardly I'm sure across the street.  The MRI itself took about 20 minutes, but it felt like forever because he cried the entire time!  Nothing worse for a mama then to hear her baby crying and you can't do a thing about it! 

 Back to the surgical center waiting for the MRI results, PJ has just had enough!  This seems to be one of his favorite positions so far and we will take any snuggles we can get!! 

The MRI results were good and his hip is in there like it should be.  It's so neat how God gives us strength when we need it most.  The anticipation of it all is killer, but when you are actually in the moment, going through it, God gets you through it with nothing more than what He provides us.  We were so encouraged by family members/friends texting us scripture while we were waiting.  One that I really loved was from my mom...Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God"...isn't that the truth!!!  There is nothing better than being comforted by God's word and knowing that His promises are true and we can rest in that.  God will never leave us or forsake us...even when we feel like things are bad and how could we get through it...we are brought to our knees to surrender our need of control and let God reveal himself in so many ways.  It's so awesome! 

We were going to try and drive home after the surgery but we were all so tired and worn out that we got a hotel room and spent the afternoon resting.  PJ slept the whole day.  He woke for just moments and would drift back to sleep.  If we only knew what the night had in store for us, we would have slept all afternoon too!!  The night was rough.  We knew that PJ was in pain and the shock of not being able to move your legs and the anesthesia made for a rough night.  All in all, we got a total of about 3 hours of sleep.  By 4 am we knew the alarm was going off in an hour so we decided just to get on the road and get home.  It still took us until 2pm to make it home, but we made it!!  God gave us the energy and alertness we needed...and the extra patience!  Now we just take care the casting, which involves rotating him every so often, checking for sores, and making sure we can keep it clean!   We go back to San Francisco next Friday for a follow-up with Dr. Delgado.  They are going to make sure his hip didn't come out of the socket and also have the cast inspected and see whether they will need to make some changes.  I couldn't believe it when they told us that we had to go back so quickly, but whatever helps PJ in the long run, we are going to do it!  He is becoming his old self day by day.  We are trying to find things to entertain him, but he really can only be in a couple positions...most which require his new resting place...the bean bag!  He seems to be most comfortable there anyways so we are SO thankful for that!!  We are so thankful for everyone's prayers and thoughts for our family.  We are so overwhelmed by the support and love we receive from everyone.  We are truly blessed to have such wonderful family and friends...we are so thankful!!

 Daniel at his AWANA awards last night!!  He received his Cubbie award! Isn't he a stud?!

Daniel got his book award for his second year! He is no longer and cubbie and is so proud to tell you that he is a Sparkie now!  We are so thankful for the hard work everyone puts in the bring the word of God to these children...We have been so blessed by the AWANA program! 

Here's my handsome boy...proudly displaying his award for all of hard work!!

I am going to try and do a better job of updating my blog.  I apologize for such a long update!  Oh my goodness...my fingertips hurt!! ha!  Serves me right!  

Change of plans...again!

So, PJ's surgery date has been reschedule due to the chief of orthopedic surgery doing a clinic trial surgery that is 10 hours long on the 16th.  They only do surgeries on Mondays so PJ's got bumped from the 16th to the 23rd.  God has a reason for the change and I'm so thankful for His interventions and His plans...one more week to enjoy those chubby thighs!!

Tubes...round 2!

This past week consisted of yet another trip out of town for a dr.'s visit...and this time it was for our big boy Daniel.  We have been noticing for some time now that he has been having trouble hearing, but didn't know if we should chalk it up to his age and the appropriate selected-hearingness that his age entails, but after a few different people telling us that they have noticed as well that he says, "huh? what? what did you say" too many times, we thought that we would take him to get a hearing test.  And with kindergarten coming up, we knew he needed to be hearing well.  We took him a couple weeks ago to a dr. in Reno and learned that he only had 50% of hearing in his left ear because his tubes were blocked with gunky, thick fluid that was not draining and his right ear looked a little better, but still contained some fluid.  The dr. said that he would need tubes and possibly his adnoids removed.  When Daniel was almost 2 he had tubes put in due to chronic ear infections and the dr. said that because he has already had tubes, usually the second time they take the adnoids out because they are usually the cause of the fluid not draining.
So, this past Tuesday we went down to Reno and did all fun things for Daniel.  We stayed at a fun hotel where Daniel and Mitch went swimming and went to the arcade while PJ and I relaxed in the room.  Daniel even picked out a new stuffed animal (like he doesn't have enough!) to keep him company in the hospital.  We gorged ourselves with mall food, ice cream, and to top it off, Olive Garden for dinner.  I feel kind of sick just thinking about it! :-)
We had to wake up at 5 am to get checked in by 6 am at the hospital.  Once we were admitted, we sat in a little room waiting for them to wheel him off.  That's one of the parts I was dreading.  Daniel was so brave.  I could tell he was nervous and scared, but he was trying so hard to be a big boy, and he was! All in all, the procedure went really good.  He woke up so well, another part I was anxious about.  He didn't even cry, he just laid there quietly.  The nursed kept asking if he was ok.  I think they were kind of surprised at how quiet he was!  After about 30 minutes, we were able to leave and within an hour or so, we had our precious Daniel back to normal.  He is such a strong little man.  Here are some pictures to show that day.

With his hospital jammies on! Big smiles!

Still waiting...you know how it goes!

 Ready to go with his super-hero hat and all!!

PJ was such a good boy the whole day.  We were waiting...waiting...PJ passing the time by finding something to chew on!



This is our sweet boy afterwards.  He was so quiet and just said he wanted to go home...talk about melting my heart!

A couple hours after we left, Daniel was back to his normal self...silly and all!  Praise God.  No matter how big or small surgeries are, they are still that, surgeries.  Not knowing how he would do with anesthesia and all, we are so thankful things went the way they did.  The only trouble we have had is getting Daniel to lay still while we put drops in his ears!  Not too much to complain about here!!! So glad that is over!
Only a couple more weeks before we head back to San Fran for PJ's hip surgery.  We have been getting things in order before we go.  Today I placed a bid on ebay for a car seat made specifically for babies with spica casts.  The beginning bid was $199  GULP!  To buy a brand new one, it ranges from anywhere from $450-$500, so hopefully we win this bidding war and get the car seat!  There is free shipping, so that's something to be thankful for!! ha!  In the mean time we have been enjoying PJ's chunky legs as we won't see them for a while.  He is quite the character these days.  Developing his own little personality and everything...it's so fun!!  We are so blessed with our boys and we are so grateful for God's never-ending love for us.  God is so good!  I know I say that a lot, but I BELIEVE IT a lot!!

March Madness!!

I know I haven't updated in quite a while.  It's honestly hard to find a good chunk of time when I can actually sit down, go through pictures, and write somewhat of an understandable blog :)  The past month or so has been a busy one.  We've taken yet another trip to San Francisco for PJ.  His head was beginning to measure growing too quickly which raised a red flag.  We called the pediatric neurosurgeon and they said that they wanted to see PJ and get an updated ultrasound of his ventricles.  Also, it had been over a month since we had beed down there and since had gotten new braces for his feet and they wanted to check those out as well.  We were ready to go back because we really just wanted to know if everything was alright.  Daniel stayed here with my mom and dad (we wouldn't know what to do with out them!!) and we were able to make it a relatively quick trip down.  My friend Shana rode with us down there because she was picking up a car in SF.  That worked out great for us.  We told her that she was on binky/bottle duty sitting in the back with PJ. ha!  PJ is a sensative boy in that he is very picky to who can hold him, who's around him, etc...but he loves Shana!  It was a blessing having her ride down with us.   Once we got to the Spina Bifida clinic we were told that according to the latest ultrasound showed that there was NO CHANGE in fluid levels!!! Praise God!!  I think that my boys just have big heads...and I say that with all the love a mother can give! :)  We showed one of the dr.'s the braces for his feet and we learned we had to make a couple adjustments to them.  The front strap should be covering his toes more.  All SB babies have a problem with their toes.  They have the muscles and ability to curl them, but not necessarily stretch them out as well.  So in turn they become curled and very tight.  So this brace will not only help the angle at which his feet sit, but also straighten out his toes.  Once we have achieved what we need, I will post before/after pics of his toes.  You will be amazed at how pliable babies' bones are!  We were also able to schedule PJ's hip surgery and spica casting (boo!).  He is scheduled for April 16th for the hip surgery.  The surgery itself is called an "open reduction".  We were reassured by the orthopedic surgeon that it's a very good possiblity that he'll only have to be in the spica cast for 6 weeks and then transfer into a brace.  We are praying for God would heal PJ's hip and we could be through the hard part faster than we imagined.  The 16th of April is a Monday and on the Friday before we will be getting another urodynamics study done.  He received one the day we were discharged from the hospital and they said that he would need to get another one done when he turned 6 months...yes...he is almost 6 months!!  That makes me want to cry...or eat some chocolate.  ha!  The study will tell us what his bladder looks like now and whether or not there has been reflux up into his kidneys.  As you know, we have been cathing him since he was born every 3-4 hours.  We know that won't change, but here's to hoping!  So, we have a big week coming up soon.  Please keep us in your prayers.  Pray that PJ would adjust quickly and well and that those 6 weeks would fly by.  It will be hard at first, healing from surgery along with not being able to move all of the sudden.  It's going to be hairy I think.  I think I'm more worried than anyone about it, but isn't that what moms are supposed to do?! 

Yesterday we spent the day in Reno.  Daniel has had a hard time hearing for the past 6 months or so...but it's so hard at this age because you don't know if they are just being their age, as in selective hearing, or if there really is something else going on.  We took him to an ENT dr. yesterday to get checked out and have a hearing test done.  As soon as the dr. looked into his left ear, he said that it didn't "look so hot"...um..ok?  So, after the hearing test we were shown the results and they were dissapointing.  He doesn't have 50% of his hearing in the left ear because there is so much fluid which as been unable to drain.  So, it looks like he will be getting tubes in his ears.  He had tubes put in when he was 2 due to chronic ear infections and since this is the second time in getting them, he may have his adnoids removed as well.  The dr. will make that decision when he is putting the tubes in.  That surgery is scheduled for March 28th.  I remember from the first time it was a breeze, except for waking up from anesthesia.  Please keep Daniel in your prayers that all will go well and he'll wake up better than expected! 

All of these dr. appts get to be a little overwhelming, but I am constantly reminded that God has a plan for us and to stray from trusting in that is going to do absolutely nothing for me except send me on a tail spin of disaster.  I know that things could always be worse and that God's mercies are new every morning, praise God for that!  God's Word has been such an encouragement to me and reading about His promises for us and knowing that God will keep us safe and even though sometimes it is confusing and we wonder why, that is not for us to understand.  We are to be a light in the world, and being a light through our own times of darkness is what will really reveal God's power and love.  We can only be thankful that God would choose us to be able to testify his glory!

Other than dr.'s appts, we have been busy.  Mitch has been working a ton of overtime, which is needed and we are very thankful for the opportunity for him to do that!  It gets hard towards the end of the rotation, but again, we are thankful.  He is such a hard worker and I am so blessed to have a husband that works so hard and never complains about having to go to work.

The weather has been nice and Daniel and Mitch have played quite a bit of baseball in the backyard.  We've lost quite a few balls due to a few home runs Daniel has hit and I'm sure the neighbor's dogs appreciate the new chew toys.  Daniel has resisted from picking the first crocus' of the season.  But he is all in for looking under the rocks and making mud in the garden.  PJ has made a few trips outside himself, but what can a 5 month old really do outside yet??  When the weather is nice on more of a consistant basis, then I'll get a blanket out and let him lay out in the yard.  I'm sure he'll be amazed!

I've done my share of spring cleaning the past couple weeks!  Everyone's rooms have been deep cleaned and organized.  I've gotten rid of garbage bags full of clothes that are now taking up room in the garage.  Closets look amazing and rooms are spic and span.  I am trying my hardest to keep in that way!  I still have things on my list of spring cleaning projects, but those were some of the biggest and I'm glad to have them out of the way!

I've included some pics for your enjoyment.  I noticed that there was only a couple pics of Daniel, but that is due to him taking weird pictures lately.  I can't get a good one of him!  He makes the goofiest faces...I don't know what to do with him!!! Enjoy the pictures!

 PJ's pajamas have changed due to his braces...thanks to Jen for the baby legs!  Daniel likes to entertain PJ while he is getting his diaper changed...he does a good job at that!

I was reading in the living room and I heard some kids outside.  They were walking to the edge of the parking lot.  We live right across from Daniel's preschool and I spied on him doing a fire drill!  He's the tallest one of the bunch. 



Peek-a-boo PJ!

Mitch and Daniel had a boys day last Saturday that consisted of bowling and burgers!  They had a blast! Daniel was so excited!



PJ was sitting in his bumbo while a cooked dinner.  Look at those gummies!!



 Why do the boys get the best eyelashes?

Good Morning sunshine!!  PJ is a big fan of the mornings!  I get nothing but smiles from this boy!



Here's a pic of his lates braces (AFO's).  Hopefully these will fix his feet and toes!

I just had to post this one because he looks so much older in this pic.

That's what we've been up to this last month.  This blog got a lot longer than I expected! Sorry!!  Hope you all are enjoying spring springing!!  We will be sure to keep you updated through the surgery process.  Thank you for your prayers...as always!!  It's such a comfort to know we have such a huge prayer support out there!