Oh, What A Day!!!

Oh, yesterday was a mess!!! It started when Logen found a wooden spoon and decided to go diggin' in my plant (there is a picture on the blog of Logen playing in the SAME plant) He coaxed his little brother into helping him. Its not like they were way off in another room, they were next to the couch where I was sitting. They were both laughing, so I thought I'd leave them be. Plus, I was like 2 steps away from them. When I did happen to peek over the arm of the couch, I see a HUGE pile of dirt and Parker laying on it. Now, it wasn't "just dirt" it had spit up and Logen drool in it. Which made it MUD. We needed to be walking out the door in 10 minutes and I had mud on the door, the curtains, both the living room and kitchen floors, the rug-- EVERYWHERE. Both children despirately needed bathes, but we had an appt to get to. So I get them cleaned and in the van- both crying at this point and me-- frazzled!
(Adam had put a cabinet out at the end of the drive way with a free sign on it Sunday, I forgot it was there)

I started backing up and ran right into it! Lovely-- in my NEW VAN! It did minor damage to the front (I will post a pic as soon as I upload the camera)

That evening-- Parker and I ran to wal-mart to get diapers. Adam and Logen were out back working on the shed. Logen wanted to come inside, so Adam popped in a movie for him. I walk in the door and guess what he's doing--- yes, PLAYING IN THE DIRT!

Today-- Logen only played in the plant once. I was putting on my make-up and walked into the living room to find him!



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Parker got into a sitting position ALL BY HIMSELF today!!! He's pulled up on Logen's chair once so far. Still belly crawling, but getting up onto hands and knees more and more every day!

Logen got "taped" on his left arm today and we noticed IMMEDIATE RESULTS! He reached down and picked up his shirt with the LEFT HAND!!! YAY!!!!! He got completely retaped and they added tape to his calves. I have noticed a difference in his walking just this afternoon. He picks his feet up much higher and is more aware of his walking! I'm loving this stuff!

Sleep Progress

Thursday Night Adam & I decided that Logen HAS to learn to self-soothe and put himself to sleep. So, we explained to him what was going to happen and the "sleeping" reward system. We read books as a family in the living room and then tucked Logen into his bed. (instead of Adam laying down with him)

Thursday night: Logen cried for 1 hour 15 minutes and slept the ENTIRE night!
Friday night: Logen went to bed amazingly-- NO TEARS! Slept all night!
Saturday night: Logen cried for about 20 minutes and slept all night!
Sunday night: Logen didn't cry, but got out of bed 2x. Woke up once, came into our room w/o tears and went back to sleep in his room well.

His reward system: He has a sticker chart. He gets a sticker for no tears and a sticker for not getting out of bed. Last night, he only got one sticker. We use the same chart for potty training. He gets 1 sticker for going #1 and 2 stickers for going #2. I'm not 100% convinced he "gets" this, but he really enjoys putting stickers on his chart. After about 15 stickers- he gets to pick a prize from his "treasure chest" full of cars, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, stretchy slimy critters, bouncy balls, etc.

I'm hoping he continues to do well! It sure is nice to beable to sit on the couch with Adam and not have our children climbing all over us! Big-people time is great!! LOL

What Book Got You Hooked?

I'm HOOKED. First Book has launched a campaign to get children in need hooked on reading: share what book got YOU hooked and you can help choose where to send 50,000 new books. Arkansas is currently # 23. Lets get it moved up the list! Vote DAILY :)

To find out more, visit: http://www.firstbook.org/whatbook/

LOGEN SPEAKS!

His SLP said that Logen officially has ONE WORD! "uh uh" Ya know, the slang for "no".

Logen is also doing WONDERFUL signing!


Here is a list of words he signs:

More
All Done
Help (which he TOTALLY abuses!!!)
Please
Potty
Airplane
Fish
Dog
Drink
Eat (he uses eat for drink most of the time)
Milk
On
(I think there are a few more, I just naturally do them when I talk to him now-- guess I'm having brain farts! hahaha)

We are working on:
Thank You
Up
Out
Butterfly
Mom
Dad
All of his colors
Animals
Bedtime (sleepy)

Logen got "Taped"!!!

Logen got Kinesio taped in PT today. Here are some pics to show you where she put it & what it looks like. The tape is basically like a firm hand rub on the muscles at all times. It's on the front of his legs, the side and his lil' booty. The tape stays on 3-10 days. Depending on any major blow out diapers we may have :( You can shower & swim, etc in the tape. Since this is the 1st time for Logen to wear the tape; we will have to see what happens when we take it off- should we tape in those spots, use larger or smaller tape, etc. When he was squating this afternoon, I did notice that his knees did not 'go in' as much as they do w/o the tape. Cherri (PT) said that she has seen vast improvement in as little as one week of tape wearing!

Bass Pro Shop

Purina Farms

On our way out of town Friday, we stopped by Purina Farms. Logen loved it, Parker didn't care either way!

Child Labor

Logen was all-to-happy to help us push the luggage out to the van upon leaving St Louis last Friday. Talk about cheap labor :) He did very well and actually was able to push the cart, Adam helped to speed the process up!

Anheuser-Bush Tour

We finally made it to Anheuser Bush today after Logen's appt. We had planned on being there most of the afternoon since out previous appt lasted about 4 or 5 hours. But, we got out after only an hour and had free time!! So, went went to tour the brewery! It was pretty neat and even the boys had fun! It was a 7 block walk all together. And, the free beer at the end was a minor perk! LOL


(On "Cars" when Lightning McQueen is teased for his lights being 'stickers' I laughed- I didn't know REAL race cars had stickers as headlights! Adam got onto me for touching the race car... I had to touch to believe! LOL)

Appt With Dr Gutman

Well... The ansthesiologist was RIGHT! The fatty mass is NOTHING to worry about! Infact, he said "you can take the time you spent worrying about this and worry about something else!" Holy Moly! A Dr realizes & admits that parents worry! LOL He said it didn't necessarily need to be removed unless it became bothersome to Logen or if he was self-conscious about the appearance. Since he's a boy and his shorts will always be long, I don't think that will be a problem.

Now, for the "head part". We were really left going "What the heck?" I was under the impression that we would get answers on BOTH today. However, Dr Gutman is a neuro- but deals mainly with neurofibromatosis. So, he said he was leaving the head part to Dr Brunstrom. I said our appt is not until Jan 14!!! I refuse to wait 6 months!! He said, "oh, no she will call you within a couple of weeks" A couple of weeks?!?! WHAT??? What he did say only left us with more questions! He said-- the MRI looks pretty NORMAL? What's that? Normal!? HUH? He said he saw a few minor abnormalities. Again, WHAT???????????????????????????? So, my job for the next few weeks is to annoy the crap out of the CP clinic until I get answers! (there's obviously something going on, he's got somee pretty significant speech/oral issues!)


MORE PRAISE FOR SLCH~ Sheila (the nurse who was with Logen during his MRI yesterday) called this morning to check on him!! How wonderful!

I'll let ya know what we find out. Until then, please just keep on prayin'!

* The pics below are in the Dr's office. Logen pulled the lovely paper gown off rather quickly. Like before he got off the exam table quickly.... *

Appointment Pictures

Cheesecake Factory Dinner

This was the fist time Parker has ever sat in a 'public' highchair! He did rather well! This was also the first time he'd ever eaten any 'real' food at a restuarant! He had baby food- squash! Parker enjoyed his meal! Logen ate mainly bread and fries smothered in ketchup- I hear you all saying "yum" LOL. My pasta was HORRIBLE! Never order the Cxn Romano or something like that. It was nasty...... Our cheesecake was pretty yummy though. Not worth 7 bucks a slice though! Maybe it was just this Cheesecake Factory b/c Karen (my NJ friend) swears it's AWESOME!!!

MRI Day

This morning was off to a very early start! Both boys woke up at 7 am-- that NEVER happens! Logen usually wakes up around 10 or later! He must have known something was up! It about killed me to deprive Logen of food and milk! He was signing "eat" until they 'masked' him with the gas to put him out. My poor lil guy!

We left the hotel around 8. Arrived at the hosp at 8:30. We checked in and were taken to the Procedure Center. The nurse went over the MRI details, checked his BP, pulse O2, etc. Around 9:30 one of the neurologists from the CP Center came to see Logen and talk to us. He wanted to make sure we knew *exactly* what they were doing and what we were looking at/for. The Neuro said they were checking to see if the "birth-mark" was a neurofibroma band the possibility of neurofibromatosis. ECK! After he left, the nurse practitioner came in and talked to us about the same thing and also about the anesthesia. Then, the anesthesiologist came in and gave us the details and worse case scenerio (re: anesthesia). I got to walk back to the room with Logen. They put strawberry smelly stuff into a mask, I layed him down (of course, he was crying b/c he was scared and didn't want momma to lay him down) within 20 seconds my baby was out. I had tears in my eyes. Something about seeing your baby under anesthesia is just scary. I didn't want to leave. The nurse must have told me 10x they had it from there. She took his socks off and I snapped at her b/c his toes were going to get cold! (I'm such a momma!!) We were given a pager (how cool is that??) We could go all over the hospital and they'd page us when he was in recovery. There was a nice waiting room for parents of children in the Procedure Center. We were the only ones in there- Thank goodness b/c Parker is so nosey he wouldn't have nursed with others in there! About 2.5 hours later, we were paged!

We went back in and the nurse handed me my limp little noodle. He was so sweet and cuddly! Oh, I LOVE when he snuggles! (At the present time, he's running all over the hotel room avoiding any snuggling b/c he will pass out if he does- Actually, he's putting things in the microwave. Currently, there is a tractor & a motorcycle in there) I held him and the anesthesiologist came back in and said----- THE MASS IN HIS LEG IS JUST A LIPOMA!!!!!!!!!! Oh, ya- he said it was 'mushy' to! So glad a Dr uses the same terms as me!! LOL Then, he said- he's not at liberty to say that, so we'd have to get the conformation from the Dr at his appt tomorrow. We will just pray that this is really what it is!

I cannot tell you how relieved Adam & I were to hear that this is NOT a neurofibroma! How wonderful! PRAISE GOD! Here is a link explaining what a lipoma is--- http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/Lipoma-Topic-Overview

Tomorrow afternoon we meet with the Neurologist. I am very anxious to hear about the MRI. I have so many questions. Does it look like the previous one? Has anything changed? Where exactly is the damage? I can go on & on!!! I will update tomorrow---

Oh, we were told Logen would be wobbly and probably wouldn't be himself today-- Um about 3 hours after we were home from the hosp Logen was up and walking around the hotel room. We had planned on ordering pizza and hanging out here. But, Logen grabbed the keys and was standing at the door! So, we decided go out. Logen decided....

Thank you all so much for your continued prayers! Keep praying tomorrow's news is just as wonderful!

Dinner at Fitz's

Last night we at at Fitz's. (http://www.fitzsrootbeer.com/) It was voted the # 1 family friendly restuarant, so we had to check it out. The 1st 2 pics are of Logen with a $5 bill in one hand and the van keys in the other. He thought of that on his own! The rest are at the restuarant.

Party Pictures

Saturday was a busy day! We had Bella's 1st Birthday party and then a dual party at the Floyd's. It was Angel's 2nd birthday & Chance's 1st birthday. The 1st 2 pics are at Bella's party. And, that's lil Miss Bella herself, LOVING the chocolate cupcake her momma made her! The 3rd pic is Parker & Chance *fighting* over the frog toy.

We Made It!!!

We are here, finally!! We left at 11:30 am and got to the hotel & checked in by 5:30 pm. The trip was ok. Logen was TERRIFIC! Parker, was, umm--- an 8 month old who isn't fond of long drives pr being pinned into a car seat. We found a gas station that was next to a hotel. It had a neat swing set and play area with 3 big slides. Of course, we stopped to play for about 10 minutes. Logen was sad to leave there! Logen remembered the hotel & was happy to be here! Our biggest decision thus far-- where to have dinner! We have to eat well b/c it will be Logen's last meal until after the MRI tomorrow.

Please keep us in you prayers for tomorrow & Thursday. When we woke up this morning, I was already chuggin' the pepto. Until tomorrow...... PRAY!

Packing, HA

tee-hee tee-hee....... I feel like the frazzled little kitty above! Yes, I SHOULD be using my time wisely, PACKING! Can't say I have ever been terribly great at doing so!!


This afternoon proves to be eventful (what day isn't around here!) I have an appt for an oil change, then Logen has Vital Stim at the Hospital, & back to Mrs. Tabi's for OT. I will ba packing between there! I still need to run to 'glorious' walmart for snacks & drinks- and, while I'm there I am sure I'll pick up a few other items. I have to empty the camera before we leave, so I will most likely be adding new pics at some point in the day....

Trip # 2

We are gearing up for another trip to St Louis. We will be leaving Tuesday. Our agenda is as follows:

Tuesday: driving- yuck! Esp with a baby that dislikes his carseat!

Wednesday: Logen's MRI is at 9:50am. We have to be at the hosp to get checked in at 8:30am. The nurse is suppose to call me next Tuesday to give me the details- ie: sedation, etc. (I will post more on this later) The MRI will be on the "so called birthmark" on the left thigh as well as the brain including the fossa (something). The rest of the day we will be hangin' out at the hotel. Not likely for Logen to want to go out and do anything! He will probably be cranky and tired from the sedation.

Thursday: We see Dr Gutman at 1:30pm. He's the neurofibroma dr. He will be giving us the results from the MRI. I had Ar Chidlren's send St Louie the actual images of his first head MRI so we could compare.

Friday: driving home- we may stop in Springfield so the boys can look around at Bass Pro Shop. Adam has been wanting to go there since January!

I will try and remember not to forget the lap top this trip! I am sure Thursday appt will provide great info. (HOPEFULLY GOOD INFO!)

No Difference

Small as a peanut,

Big as a giant,

We're all the same size

When we turn off the light.

Rich as a sultan,

poor as a mite,

We're all worth the same

When we turn out the light.

Red, black or orange,

Yellow or white,

We all look the same

When we turn out the light.

So maybe the way

To make everything right

Is for God to just reach out

And turn off the light!!!

~*~ Shel Silverstein

** For me, a mom to a special needs child, this poem touched my momma heart. I found it this afternoon when I was reading "Where The Sidewalk Ends" to Logen. **

Parker is now a very mobile baby! He is getting around nicely via army crawling! He's really bugging his big brother now! I feel like the biggest nag! I cannot count the times in a day that I am getting on to Logen for: hitting, climbing on, taking away toys, rolling his brother over, etc.... The list is endless! It's wonderful to see them play together- when they play! Parker has developed a little bit of an attitude and his personality is very cute! He's also getting into the "seperation anxiety" stage. I ran to the grocery store the other day and Parker saw me leave (Adam was here, not to worry) he screamed the entire time I was gone! He's truely a "Momma's Boy!"

Happy Birthday America!

Green Bean Face

Parker got a taste of green beans for the first time Saturday! He liked them much better than that "card-board tastin'" rice cereal!

That's What I Think About That!

Adam & I were getting Logen ready for bed earlier. I brought Logen's PJ's and clean pull-up into the living room for Adam to put on him. I had gone out into the garage to get the dog food to feed Nola. I hadn't closed the door all the way. Logen grabbed his PJ's and made a B-line for the garage. He opened the door and tossed them out into the garage. Then, he tossed out the pull up. Adam & I stood in the living room laughing so hard! He turned around and looked at us with this huge grin, like "That's what I think about going to bed guys!" Things like that really make me wonder what's going on in his little mind. He's such a mess!!! It will be so great when we get the Aug comm device so he can tell us!!!

Happy 8 months Parker!!

Today marks Parker's 8th month birthday!!!! They grow up to fast!!!!!

Aquatic Therapy

Logen's first session of aquatic therapy was a hit! He had a ball! (Parker had fun too)

A Mess! AKA Logen! (The photo)

Here's the photo I managed to take after grabbing the camera with my big toe!! ... I mentioned it in the A Mess! AKA Logen post

Logen's 1st Corn Cob

We had corn (fresh from Uncle Donald's garden) tonight. Logen grabbed mine & started chowing down! He did very well! And managed to get some off the cob too!