Ringing in the New Year

Happy New Year!

Bring on the new year - we are ready for 2012.  I've never been big on new year resolutions in the past but decided to make a goal list for this year..... here are a few goals from the list

participate in my 365 - eat less, drink more (eh...water!) - run, run, run - more dates with my husband - more bedtime stories with the kids - advocate, advocate, advocate for individuals with disabilities - laugh more and stress less - try new recipes - stay connected with friends and family - post on this blog often from time to time

What are you doing in 2012?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas From Our Family To Yours!

Seven Years Ago Today

Dear Nate,

Seven years ago today, after many days and nights of praying, God blessed us with our first child. The minute you entered the world, all 8lbs 14oz of you, we were madly in love and were the happiest first time parents in the universe. Over the last seven years you have grown from a feisty baby and toddler to a witty and charming boy. You have a curious mind and the biggest heart of anyone I know. You have a tall athletic frame (52 inches!) and are left handed….a future quarterback? Only time will tell.  As for now you play sports just for fun. At age 7 you have already “retired” from lacrosse after two seasons – your words, not ours. You play baseball, basketball and flag football. If playing Angry Birds was a sport you would be on the All Star Travel team. You entered and finished your first Triathlon last month. Although swimming put you behind in your heat and you encountered a crash on the bike course, you brushed yourself off and finished the race. You were mommy and daddy’s real champion that day.

Your favorite things are Legos© and Star Wars. The combination of the two – Lego© Star Wars Sets – has you occupied for hours upon hours. You also have a passion for saving the Earth. No matter where we are or what we are doing (riding bikes, walking Blue, dashing to the bus stop and such) you will take a few seconds to pick up trash and talk about how littering is bad for the Earth. Those moments make my heart swell with pride………… except for a few months ago when you picked up a dollar bill in the park that was smeared with dog poop. I suppose it’s nothing a little soap and hand sanitizer can’t fix.

Today is bittersweet. We are celebrating your 7th Birthday. It is also the day that mommy returns to work from maternity leave after having your sister a few months ago. In seven years, God has blessed your daddy and me with four beautiful children – two boys and two girls. As I leave the house today with a laptop and smartphone in one hand and a breast pump in the other to face work deadlines, early morning meetings, business lunches and occasional late night events, I know there is no other job that is bigger, more important, yet often challenging, than my role as a mother – the mother to you and your siblings. It is the most gratifying job I have ever had and ever will have. God made that possible when he blessed us seven years ago today.

Happy Birthday, Nate. May this year be full of growth, accomplishments and a lot of fun. We love you!

Avery Josephine Ray

Avery Josephine Ray

Miss Ava

July 7, 2011

11:05am

8 pounds 4 ounces and 20 inches

Little Princess to Proud Big Brothers, Nate and Matty, and Big Sister, Ellie

Birth Story:

Our induction was scheduled for Thursday, July 7, 2011 (7.7.11). I initially picked the day because my favorite doctor was scheduled at the hospital but also loved the cool birth date. Brian and I had dinner with the kids on Wednesday evening before leaving for the hospital. The 35 minute ride was peaceful and we shared funny stories and laughed like giddy teenagers. I’m pretty sure we were both thinking to ourselves “holy smokes we are about to have four kids!!”

We were checked into the hospital very quickly. Just like the ride over everything seemed so calm and peaceful. I had been having contractions on and off for a few weeks and was 2 cm dilated at my last appointment on Tuesday. The attendant checked me again once we were settled in our hospital room and I was at 3 cm. The on-call doctor wanted me to rest overnight and get the party started around 7:00am. I took the opportunity to put my own comfortable clothes back on – hospital gowns are the worst – and watch TV. Me in the very uncomfortable hospital bed and Brian on the equally uncomfortable hospital sofa. We dozed off before midnight and by 5:00am I was wide awake walking the halls looking for ice chips……ready to be a mommy of four!

At 7:00am a familiar face walked in the door, Nurse Rasmey followed by our favorite doctor. They were our team during Ellie’s birth. As it would turn out, the rest of the morning was similar to my labor with Ellie. Pitocin and antibiotics were started at 7:00am. Dr. S broke my water shortly thereafter. I started having contractions pretty quickly - 3 minutes apart lasting 1 minute. Our close friend, Sandra, came to the hospital to keep us company. She had graciously cleared her work calendar for the morning to be with us. Sometime before 10:00am I decided to get the epidural. I waited too long when I was in labor with Ellie and the Anesthesiologist was backed up and I almost missed getting it. I didn’t want the same thing to happen again and was glad he arrived a bit more timely. I could barely sit up when he was inserting the epidural and had a lot of pressure. The epidural went in fine and pain free fairly quickly. I was checked again and had progressed to 6cm. What seemed like minutes later I was pretty sure I was fully dilated. Dr. S came back at 10:40am and sure enough we had hit 10. Our feisty nurse, Rasmey, insisted we wait until 11:00am since I had only received four hours of antibiotics. Does 15 minutes matter especially when you are ready to push? Three rounds of pushing and four minutes later our baby girl arrived. We were immediately in love and couldn’t wait for her brothers and sister to meet her……

 

Growing Family

We are soon headed to the hospital and will be meeting our baby girl tomorrow. It’s a bit surreal….I am going to be a mommy of four kids! If someone would have told me seven years ago, while Brian and I were struggling with unviable pregnancies, that we would have four children, I never would have believed them. Our hearts ached for one child, and what has felt like an overnight journey, we are now blessed with four.


While I envision many years of chaos, sleepless nights and a few Griswold like vacations, we thank God for our blessings…all four of them…everyday!

Happy Fifth Birthday Matty

Five years ago today we welcomed our second son, Matthew Brian, into the world. I remember the days and weeks that followed wondering what it would be like when Matty turned five. It was hard at the time not to let my mind wander to the future. Where would Matty be at five?

Here is our boy at five……

The last five years have been busy for Matty and he has come so far.  He is a great little brother to Nate and plays the role of big brother to Ellie very well.  He has a lot of friends and is doing well in school.  Matty plays on a t-ball team and is leading an active social life.....

About a month ago I started having a little anxiety knowing that Matthew’s 5th Birthday was coming up. What is it about turning five? I got a little weepy several times over the last few days but today when he tiptoed into our room before sunrise and gently tapped my arm with a huge smile on his face and said “Hi, mommy”, my heart swelled with happiness and joy. This 36 pound, 39 inch five year old boy has taught me so many things in five years. He has opened my heart and mind to embrace differences as well as the true meaning of acceptance. He has led us down the road less traveled and we have taken the time to enjoy the scenery of our travels. He has taught me patience, how to live life to the fullest and the beauty of the human soul.

Happy Fifth Birthday, Matthew!

It's Been 5 Years

May 2, 2006 I was 33 weeks pregnant and admitted into the hospital for preterm labor.  What followed next was a flurry of activity....

Hospital Admissions

Bed rest

Tests, tests and more tests

Polyhydramnios

Weekly trips to the Perinatologist

Tests, tests and more tests

Visiting websites and blogs about Down syndrome "just because" (we did not have a prenatal diagnosis), crying my eyes out every day and telling no one about it

Meeting with the NICU team and surgeon "just in case they were needed"

Tests, tests and more tests

Making preparations for our baby to be baptized in the hospital immediately after birth

Praying

And today I am making preparations for Matthew's fifth birthday party.  It is hard to believe he will be 5 in a few weeks.  I just reserved a moon bounce for his party and wept when I hung up the phone.  Where does the time go?

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Our baby girl turned 2 this past weekend.  The day started out just like it did one year ago - her older brothers serenading her with “Happy Birthday”.  Last year I think she was a little confused but amused.  This year was a bit different.  Our girl knows how to give a good scowl!

We didn’t plan a birthday party.  You know how it is…. she is the third kid with one more soon to arrive.  Or maybe I’m the only mom that falls into the trap of with each kid things become less and less like pictures, new clothes, activities, birthday parties, etc.  Please tell me I’m not the only one?

To make up for it we did have a great impromptu get together with a couple dear friends to celebrate.  Comfort food, a decorated cake and presents included!  A message Friday night to our friends to be there at lunchtime on Saturday didn’t fail.  They are great friends and all the kids (and adults!) fit like your favorite pair of black yoga pants…comfortable, relaxed and always there when you need them.

Based on a few pictures from our fun impromptu celebration Ellie was just as amused when we sang “Happy Birthday” as she was earlier in the morning.

Happy Birthday to You!

 Happy Birthday to You!

 Happy Birthday Dear Ellie!

  Happy Birthday to You!

She was smiling and back to her old self by that evening.

The highlight of the day for her was the pink birthday shirt and tutu that she suckered me into buying last week.  We made a quick pit stop at the mall and when she saw the pink shirt and tutu she kept repeating in her sweet little girl voice “wow, get it”, “wow, get it”.  So maybe I scored a few points on this one!

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Knock, Knock…Anyone There?

Knock….knock….knock. Anyone?  I didn’t think anyone was still here.  It’s been 364 days since I last updated this blog.  I had no intention of putting the blog on hold but life got busy, one thing led to another and here we are 364 days later.

Since the last post - when I promised pictures and more posts to come soon – we have had a jam packed year of events and milestones.  Just a snippet of the last year…

Nate turned 6 in the fall and started Kindergarten.  He finished three seasons of lacrosse and announced that he was “officially retiring from the sport”.  He is still playing basketball and recently started t-ball.  I can’t believe I have a six year old that has a shoe size of 3.5!  Nate has become a Lego junkie and is addicted to Angry Birds – both skills he inherited from his dad.  He finally lost two of his teeth.  The Tooth Fairy visited our house for the first time last week and again a few days later.  She will return about 78 more times---but who’s counting.

Matthew turned 4 and is in Preschool.  He has made significant progress in his speech.  There is a long road ahead with his Apraxia but we have been so pleased with his progress.  He has become a master on the tricycle and is often seen riding through our cul-de-sac at lightening tricycle speed!  He is also playing t-ball this spring.  Over the last year, he has adjusted very well to his gluten free diet (diagnosed with Celiac disease in January 2010).  We have had a few whoopsies and realized quickly that he has a high sensitivity to gluten.  Our few whoopsies won us Parents of the Year when we inadvertently sent Nate’s lunch in Matty’s backpack – not once, not twice but three times over the year.

The last post was Ellie’s first birthday.  Tomorrow she will be 2.  Our baby girl is growing up fast.  She is wise beyond her years and is Little Miss Independent.  Having two boys first, I’m not sure if this is a girl thing or just her personality.  “Me do it” is her favorite and most common words spoken.  She has pretty much potty trained herself overnight and insists on getting dressed on her own every day.  I find it refreshing, yet get a little emotional knowing she is growing up so quickly.

Over the last year we welcomed a puppy to the family.  Blue joined us in October and has settled in as well as can be in our crazy busy life.  It was a bit of an adjustment becoming pet owners but he seems to be happy and so are the kids.

Our crazy busy life is about to turn up a notch!  We recently announced that we are expecting a baby girl this summer.  I spent the first four months hugging the toilet and wondering if food was ever going to taste good again.  I’m happy to say, although the hips are not as pleased, that food tastes better than ever.  Baby girl should arrive in early July.

I started this blog in 2007 as a journal and a place to share pictures and life stories with our closest family and friends.  I included in my first post:

I want a place to house all of the memories created by our little ones. They have taught us more than we could imagine, leading us down a road less traveled, allowing us to make mistakes along the way and reminding us to live one day at a time and count our blessings.

I miss this blog.  Happy I found my way back.

Happy First Birthday Ellie!

Pictures and more blog posts to come soon!

For now we celebrate the birthday of our Princess.

Spread the Word to End the Word

Today is the day. It's a day of awareness. You can do your part by pledging to help Spread the Word to End the Word. It's time to start using a new r-word....RESPECT.

A letter to the editor written by my dear husband on what this day, and every day we advocate to end the r-word, means to him.

I have learned a great deal about children. Praise is good. Fairness is important. Discipline is required. And never, ever, pre-judge what a child can and cannot do. It is grossly unjust to ...that young man or woman and it has no place in the classroom. When someone tells a child he or she “cannot”, they often will not even try.

As a parent, I watch my children as they grow, succeed, try, fall down try again and win. I will not allow others to define my kids. My children will define themselves by their successes and failures, their beliefs and their choices. When I hear the word “retard”, I hear people pre-judging my middle child, who happens to have Down syndrome. He doesn't know what that means, but I do. He's too busy being a typical 3-year old, mimicking his older brother, being the valiant protector of his little sister, dancing, playing and even throwing the occasional "terrible-three's tantrum." And he is not pre-judged by those around him, which makes all the difference.

As an advocate, I have seen how pre-judging individuals of any background or preference is debilitating and divisive. As a parent, I have experienced how terribly hurtful it can be. To pre-judge is, by its very nature, an act of prejudice.

You can advocate along with us and thousands of other people trying to make a difference. Visit www.r-word.org to pledge today.

Brotherly Love

Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero. ~Marc Brown

Nate and Matthew have always had a great sibling relationship. They are 19 months apart and have been nearly inseparable for the last 3 ½ years. They play well together…..as well as siblings can. We often find them laughing, dancing, playing games, riding bikes, running around outside and through the house, watching TV (these days Elmo and Signing Times per Matthew’s request), superhero dress up and being mischievous – typical boy things. Nate is patient with his brother, can understand a lot of what Matthew is trying to say, and will even dictate to others when they can’t understand him. Nate was Matthew’s biggest cheerleader when he was learning to walk and now leads Matthew in jubilant celebrations on successful days of potty training.

Nate also treats Matthew like any other child, not a child with a disability. We have not had any lengthy conversations with Nate that his brother has Down syndrome or about Down syndrome in general. We openly talk about it and don’t try to hide it, but we haven’t felt up to this point that it was necessary to have an in-depth conversation with him. I know Nate is aware of Matthew’s developmental delays and his features of Down syndrome but rarely mentions it. Every once in a while he will bring it up or ask questions, but for the most part in an innocent way. Such as last year, when Nate and I were dropping Matthew off at preschool. There was a boy in Matthew’s class who was the same age and also has Down syndrome. Nate came over to me and politely said “that little boy looks like Matthew”. When I later asked him why he thought they looked alike, he said “they look alike in the face and they both have a beautiful face, that’s all”. Beautiful face? Spoken from the mouth of a five year old…..bring out the tissues.

When Matthew was born, we had a lot of people tell us that the best therapy for Matthew would be his older brother, Nate. They were so right. Don’t get me wrong, we have our typical sibling rivalries and occasionally some tormenting and fighting but most days you will find the boys enjoying each others company and learning a lot from one another.

Around the holidays, I received a warm and touching email from Nate’s teacher, Ms. K. I was humbled by her words and her recognition of Nate’s love, respect and admiration of his brother.


Hi Ray Family...hope you are having a great weekend.....even with rainy weather.

I wanted to share a couple things that have been on my mind about Nate.

I was very happy to meet his brother Matthew this week....Nate talks about his brother all the time. He shows great love for Matthew...and that deserves a great reward......because it shows how much he cares about his family.

I was almost brought to tears when I saw how he showed his love and care for Matthew on Friday. He talked about how his brother is almost as tall as he is and how his brother goes to school too....and he is getting really tall....all these things were said with a sparkle in his eyes...and very much love. Nate made sure Matthew got to shake butter with the class...and he gave Matthew so many hugs.

When children have that respect for their siblings it is special!!!!

I will give Nate a special reward next week for showing love and care for his brother. It was awesome!

I just wanted you to know what a special boy "Nate" is!!

Blessings on your weekend
Ms K

Nate received a certificate from his teachers and was recognized in front of his classmates. He was so proud!

Photo courtesy of Bethany at Simple Charm Photography

Joining the Celiac Team

It has been 24 hours since we received confirmation that Matthew has Celiac disease....well 98% confirmation, isn't the blood work and pictures of obvious damage in his stomach and intestines proof enough??. The biopsy is due back early next week.

The Celiac diagnosis does not surprise me at all, and although I wasn't prepared for the doctor to confirm it yesterday, I am relieved we have finally found the source of Matthew's issues. For over a year, Matthew has had GI problems and other symptoms that were not directly being addressed by his doctors. We often heard “it’s because of his reflux, it’s because of Down syndrome, it’s a combination of his reflux and poor motility, etc”. We had his first endoscopy and biopsy for Celiac in late 2008. At the time, I was certain that he was going to test positive for Celiac. All my research and online searches kept coming back to Celiac. When the biopsy came back negative I was a bit relieved but still perplexed about his symptoms.

His symptoms continued and a few months ago he developed additional symptoms. We followed up with his GI doctors who ordered a stomach x-ray and blood work for Celiac “just to be on the safe side”. A few weeks went by before I called to get the results. I assumed since we had not heard from his doctor the tests were normal. His blood work this time was far from normal. His TTG levels were 105 (normal for his age is 20). Matthew’s doctor gave us the choice of starting a gluten free diet or repeating the biopsy. Since I knew the gluten free diet was going to be a lifelong journey I wanted him to have the endoscopy and biopsy to confirm he had Celiac.

And he DOES.

And I’m not prepared.

I’m sad, annoyed, angry and not prepared! I know it’s not the end of the world, but really, a gluten free diet forever??? Birthday cake, pizza, pancakes, McDonald’s hamburger, grilled cheese, cheerios and zillions of other food items that he will either not be able to have or will have to have the gluten free version. Perhaps it won’t be so bad to manage at home but how about at school, birthday parties, family get togethers, holidays, weekend road trips?? We will always have to plan and be prepared. And quite frankly, I feel like it is one more thing that will set Matthew apart from others. Yep, I’m sad, annoyed, angry and so not prepared.

I’ll get off my soapbox now. I deserve one chance to be sad, annoyed, angry and not prepared. We will now embrace this new diagnosis and move Matthew to a gluten free diet. I ordered two books a few weeks ago when I thought there was a chance he was going to be diagnosed. Brian went to Yes! Organic Market a few days ago and bought several bags of gluten free products which we have already started to experiment. Day one of gluten free started off well…..until Matthew snuck a few pretzel rods from the pantry…..oops. We haven’t exactly had time to organize ourselves.

I’ll spend the next week or so preparing more. Figuring out school lunches and snacks, meals at home, gluten free foods he likes and dislikes and array of other things.

I’m still not sure how to best manage the rest of the family. Matthew is only three and like any other three year old, he wants to eat what we eat especially his older brother. I would love to hear from other parents who have started gluten free diets with one child (or even the whole family) and the best strategies for doing so.

For now, I'm off to prepare myself a little more……….

Operation C25K

Everyone has a vice, right?

I find my vice these days to be reality TV shows, Facebook, five minutes of uninterrupted me time, and trying to catch as many zzzz’s as possible.

My vice USE to be running………but it wasn’t always. I was a competitive swimmer all throughout childhood until college. I tried other sports as well but year round swimming was my thing. Land drills and running during training season was never that exciting. It wasn’t until after I finished undergrad and moved to Washington DC did I find my love for running. I was tired of gym memberships – paying monthly fees and never going. Who wants to run on a treadmill in a room full of sweaty people huffing and puffing alongside of you…not me! Or my favorite is the person on a treadmill beside you talking on the phone and clicking through the TV channels…nada!

I started running 2-3 miles a few times a week and within a few months was running 5-7 miles on the weekends. A year after I started running, I signed up to train for the 25th Marine Corp Marathon as part of the Whitman Walker Aids Clinic. It was a fantastic experience. I had the chance to meet great people, raise money for a good cause, and had instant running buddies. That year, I went on to finish the Marine Corp Marathon. It was my first race ever…honestly; I had never entered a race, not even a 5k.

After the Marine Corp Marathon, I entered and finished the Washington DC Marathon. I trained with a friend of mine in the middle of winter. During one of our long runs (18 miles) we were slipping on ice and dodging large piles of snow. Winter running can be just as fun as running in the warmer months!

I continued running for a few years for exercise but didn’t enter any more long races.

And then came the babies…….one, two, three….

I have tried to find the energy and restore my love for running a few times but between pregnancy and nursing, it’s been a little tough to sustain – or perhaps I have made a few too many excuses.

Excuses, no more! I have, along with a few friends, committed to Operation C25K (Couch to 5k). Along the journey, we will get our tushies off the couch (and throw away the bonbons) and train for a 5k in 9 weeks. The goal is to run a 5k around St. Patrick’s Day. I also plan to hook up with my childhood swimming buddies and run a 1/2 marathon in the Fall. I know, aggressive!

I’m so excited…

I can’t wait….

I was supposed to start a few days ago….

But I am DEFINITELY starting this evening…

Excuses, no more! Reality TV, Facebook, sleep, my three babies, work, hubby, the house, and my overflowing inbox will all have to wait.

I’m ready to restore my VICE.

Will you join me? You can join Operation C25K and join the Facebook group as well. By visiting the site below you can enter a cool giveaway. Contest ends tomorrow!

I’ll be back soon to report on my progress. In the meantime, wish me luck on Week 1, Day 1…or in C25K language…W1D1.

Happy Running!

Change

I’ve never been adverse to change; in fact, I’m pretty accustomed to it. After all, I did attend 10 different schools in less than 12 years growing up as an Army brat and traveling the world with my family. By far, 2009 has been the year of change for our family. You may or may not, and if you didn’t please don’t burst my bubble have noticed that I’ve been out of the blog world for a few months…..many months! I’ll save you all of the details and instead recap our year of Change! We look forward to 2010 and perhaps a little less change.

· We welcomed our newest addition, Ellie Jean aka Lucky, to our family. The best labor experience of the three. It’s hard to believe she is almost 9 months old.
· We put our house on the market and surprisingly had 3 offers in less than 10 days.
· We spent weeks riding around the DC metro area with our realtor, and newborn in tow, looking for a new home. Fifty houses later we found the perfect home and orchestrated a big move.
· Nate battled strep throat, scarlet fever and impetigo too many times to count. Scheduled a T&A in late summer. He was a brave boy!
· We enjoyed our annual beach trip, moved into our new house, had Nate’s T&A, and I went back to work full time (after a great 4 month maternity leave) all within 2 weeks.
· Nate started a new school in our new neighborhood. A structured, Christian based junior kindergarten program. He has flourished in his new environment and revitalized the power of prayer in our home...…kid style!
· Matthew changed schools and has adjusted well. He has mastered walking, and literally RUNS everywhere. His speech has continued to develop nicely. He is also making great strides with potty training.
· We welcomed an Au Pair into our home; less than two months later we said good-bye…I will really spare you the details on this one. We eagerly await for our new Au Pair who will join us in February.
· I continued by commute to DC (1 hour and 10 minutes one way) for two more months before finding a great gig less than 10 minutes from home.

And if that wasn't enough change.....

· Brian and I were co-chairs of the 5th Annual DSANV Buddy Walk for the second year. We had a great committee. The event was washed out with ridiculous downpours all day but nonetheless we are still pleased with the success of the committee and the event. Team Matty’s Mob raised $6000.00!
· Nate turned Five! And Matthew turned Three!
· Hermie passed away on Thanksgiving morning. A prayer service and burial, led by Nate, took place in our back yard. In the words of Nate; he died, he’s sick, he’s dead…but now he is in crabby heaven.
· We had a great photo shoot of the kids by Bethany over at Simple Charm Photography . Remember the gorgeous newborn photos of Ellie? Highly recommend Bethany!
· Matty continues to struggle with GI issues and is scheduled for a repeat endoscopy and biopsy next week. We appreciate the prayers.


And to add to the change, Bethany from Life with Bubba, Chicky and Nika, is giving our blog a makeover. Now that makes for nice change!

Team Matty's Mob

2009 Buddy Walk - Team Matty's Mob

On Saturday, October 17, we will be walking in the Northern Virginia Buddy Walk, for the fourth straight year, to show our support for the more than 350,000 individuals with Down syndrome in the United States including our son, Matthew.

We want to do our part to make sure that each individual is given every opportunity to reach his or her full potential. Every step we take, every dollar we raise, will help ensure that each individual with Down syndrome in the United States will be able to do just that.

We ask you to Buddy Walk with us to make a difference for people with Down syndrome in our community and help the Down Syndrome Association of Northern Virginia.

Click on the Web site link below to visit our Buddy Walk team page and support Matty's Mob!

You can learn more about Matty by watching his video here.


Thanks for your support! See you at the Northern Virginia Buddy Walk!

Team Matty's Mob

Road to Recovery

If you follow me on Facebook (where I spend too much time these days and often forget about my blog), you may have seen that Nate had surgery last Monday. We had his tonsils removed as he was having too many episodes of strep throat and tonsillitis. Matthew had a T&A almost two years ago so we thought we knew what to expect........wrong! Their surgeries and recovery have been night and day. Matthew was a bit younger when he had his procedure (15 months) or maybe we just conveintly erased the experience from our memory, but Nate's experience has been quite an ordeal. The surgery itself went very well. He had to have a stitch or two to stop the bleeding and was only slightly disoriented coming out of anesthesia. Prior to putting on the mask the anesthesiologist told him the gas would smell like bubble gum. As Nate was waking up from the anesthesia he cried several times that "it tasted like bubble gum and he HATED bubble gum". Poor guy!

The first two days, Nate's spirits were great and he was eating and drinking pretty good. We were so not ready for day three, and for that matter, four, five, six, seven, etc. On day three he had very little to drink and eat despite our begging, pleading and basically prying open his mouth, and he laid lethargically around the house. Day four just happened to be my first day back at work from maternity leave. Before I even arrived to work, Brian called to tell me Nate was vomiting. Within two hours he had vomited several times and refused to eat or drink. I paged his ENT who wanted him sent straight to the ER. As it turns out, the zithromycin the ENT prescribed was too harsh on his stomach and caused the vomiting, plus he was already dehydrated from the previous day. He received two bags of IV fluid and a few additional meds before being sent home. Since then, we have pushed fluids as much as possible. Even when Nate cries out "the water is making me die" we still make him drink and munch on popsicles. His appetite has steadily increased and now on day ten he is doing fairly well with eating and drinking.

We were warned that ear pain could set in around the end of the first week which has happened. Nate has had ear pain on and off for the past few days. His energy is increasing day by day, and he is doing much better with fluid/food intake. I'm pretty sure he has stayed in his pj's most, if not all, of the last 10 days and has watched every kid's DVD we own. The ENT told us to expect 10 to 14 days of recovery.......I'm pretty sure it's going to take every bit of 14 days and perhaps a bit more.

Wordless Wednesday - Broccoli, Anyone?

Summer Beach Trip

Last week we had our annual family beach trip. We went to Sandbridge Beach for the second year in a row. We use to vacation in the Outer Banks but have enjoyed going to Sandbridge - same look and feel as the Outer Banks but the drive is not as far.

The kids had a great time. Nate was a fish in the beach and at the pool all week. He wanted to stay in his swimsuit the entire time.

Nate also managed to convince us to add a member to our family. Meet Hermie......

Hermie survived a few episodes of his cage being shook a little too hard by the boys. We also left him in the hot car while making a pit stop in Williamsburg on our way home. Didn't seem to bother him a bit. I'm anxious to see how long Hermie will be with us.

Matty was much more comfortable in the water this year. By the end of the week he was running in the waves and jumping into the pool on his own. I'm thankful that he didn't eat as much sand this year as he did last year.

Ellie also had fun at the beach......I think. It's a little hard on a baby to be in the hot sun and sand but she managed it like a champ.

We also took a few family photos. Are you digging our colorful shirts? We had a great time!

Wordless Wednesday - Moving Day