There are just no words...

Sorry if I have been MIA... this has been one of the hardest weeks I've had in a while. But that is nothing compared to what my best friend Traci and her family has had to deal with. 
Let me start from the beginning. 5 years ago, Traci's mom passed away leaving Traci, her sister and their dad to grieve such a terrible loss. I've known their family since I was 4 and it was just so devastating to lose such a wonderful person. To save more grief and keep things private for the family's sake, I will not divulge the whole story. Their dad took the loss very hard, as she was the absolute love of his life. I have very rarely seen a couple that still acted like newlyweds whenever I saw them together. They set such a great example of how couples, I think wants to be like. 
Again, for privacy reasons, I will not go into how everything came to be, but Traci's dad passed away last week as well. I don't even know how to begin to describe what this week has been like. It has been just awful. How do you comfort someone who has lost both parents? I have tried my best to do anything I could to help them, be there for them etc. but I just end up feeling so helpless. I just want to take away their pain and hurt and make things all better, but I can't. My only hope is that in time God will heal their pain and sorrow. 
Please keep them in your prayers as no one should have to endure what that family has had to go through. 

To market we will go!

Hello friends! Just a quick update to my last post.. I ended up going to the Dr. and getting diagnosed with Bronchitis and an ear infection! Yuck! But I got on some good meds and I'm feeling much better, but the cough is lingering...boo. 


On a better note though, I have some exciting news!! Since starting my own business and starting to really promote it, I have been thinking of ways to get my name out there. I know my old school does an annual Holiday Market in the fall and I decided to call and find out how I can be a vendor. Lucky for me, they had 1 spot left inside the main building, so I signed up right away! Whohoo!! I quickly realized that I would be a small duck in a big pond being that this is my first market to attend. Most of the others, I'm sure have done this many times before. I began thinking of all the things I've seen at the various markets I've attended and how professional the booths looked. So I found a really cute and very cheap, fabric desktop business card holder and ordered that. It should arrive in the next week or so. I also realized I needed some sort of banner to put on my tablecloth covering my table. I ended up making a cute one on Vistaprint and it was so inexpensive! It should also arrive in the next week!! Yeah! So I am progressively getting everything ready to go! 


Also, I have expanded my ideas on my picture blocks. I have decided that I will do some college-themed blocks as well as sorority-themed ones! I already have someone who wants a sorority one for her daughter! What is so great about this product is the endless possibilities! I can do just about any theme! If you couldn't tell already, I am just so excited about all this! I love being crafty and of course getting paid for that is a bonus too! :-) 


I will post some pictures of all my various pieces that I will be displaying at the market once I get them all finished.. just consider it your sneak peek! 

Ugh.

For the last 3 weeks, our house has been under attack. Under germ warfare if you will. Makayla has had a very bad cough, then I caught the cough. Then Jackson started having a runny nose and sounded so bad. He was running just a slight fever, but then 2 days later, his fever shot up to 103 in the middle of the day. We called our Ped. who advised that we take him to a local Pediatric Urgent Care Center. Yikes! The Dr. said he had a double ear infection!! My poor baby! So he is on some good meds right now and is slowly on the mend. Unfortunately for me though, I have been getting worse. I have had a severe headache for about 3 days now and my cough has gotten a lot worse. In addition to starting to lose my voice, my ears are starting to hurt and now I am starting to run a fever! UGH! I am so tired of feeling like crud!! I had taken some expired Amoxicillin this morning to try and nip this in the bud.. and it did make me feel better for most of this morning, but I guess it's time to go see my Dr. Again, ugh. Sorry to be so cranky and complain, but I HATE getting sick. I know it could be a lot worse, but I hate feeling so run down, but barely ok enough to get up and do the things I have to do, i.e.- take care of my kids, get myself ready, etc. 


Well, if by tomorrow I am still feeling like this, I guess I will surrender and go see the Dr. 

Somewhere I never thought I'd be...

As many of you know, I was diagnosed with Chronic ITP, shortly after our son was born. Luckily though, the condition is not so serious that I have to be on medicine and I do not have to have my spleen removed. (A common treatment in the more severe cases.) I have to go to my Hematologist every 6 months or so to get my platelet levels checked to make sure the condition isn't getting any worse. Just last week, I had an appointment and what occurred next was something Phil and I never thought we would have to be thinking about. 

Before I get into what exactly that is, I just want to make it absolutely clear that I love my children with all my heart. I would do ANYTHING for them, they are my absolute heart and soul and the sole purpose I was put on this earth. 

With that being said, Phil and I had discussed the issue of being done with having children or in several years, possibly trying for another one. If we never had another child, we most certainly would be perfectly content. We just didn't want to completely rule out the possibility. 

In talking to my Hematologist about this, he has advised that Phil and I don't have another baby. He says it will really affect my health since my platelets are low to begin with, and during pregnancy your platelets significantly drop anyway. He said I would have to either get on steroids or have bi-monthly IVIG treatments starting at about 5 months of pregnancy, which are $15,000 each!! Yikes! So basically he said we need to take very serious precautions about getting pregnant. I am on birth control, but every birth control is only 99% effective and honestly I have had friends who got pregnant while on birth control. 

Phil and I first talked about me getting a hysterectomy, but decided that was just too drastic. We then decided that Phil getting a vasectomy would be a better choice. But because I don't want to completely rule out the possibility of a future pregnancy, we may get his "swimmers" frozen first. Even though we probably won't decide to have another baby, I just hate the thought of the door being slammed shut. 

I never in a million years ever thought we would be at this point in our life. Researching Urologists and places that freeze sperm. 

At the corner of Crazy and Psychotic!

I just had the most bizarre interaction with my neighbor tonight. Let me take you back to the beginning. Shortly after Phil and I moved in, our neighbors to the right of us moved and a single guy moved in. My dad helped this guy, since my dad knew his dad. This guy is very nice, but was hardly ever home, which really didn't bother us. But then about a year ago, we started noticing this guy with a big truck that would come and park in the driveway and would stay all night, then leave the next morning. So we figured out that our single friend got himself a roommate. No big deal. The guy never introduced himself or anything, even if we were outside when he came home, just a nod of the head every once in a while. Fast forward to today. I went outside to get our trashcans and he pulls up, gets out and immediately comes over to where I am. He introduces himself (I will call him John for privacy purposes) and says he has his 2 kids (ages 4 & 9) visiting him for 2 weeks. So without him actually telling me, I gather he is divorced. He asks if his 4 yr. old can use our swing, I tell him yes although it is really a baby swing, but he was more than welcome to try it. We say our goodbyes and go into our houses. 
Here's where the real craziness kicks in.....


So after Makayla's nap, I told her we could go outside and play in the sprinkler. She ate dinner and we headed out about 7:30. She had been playing for only 20 min. or so, when a black car pulls into my neighbors driveway and a woman gets out. Of course my daughter who knows NO strangers, calls out to her, "Hey look, I'm playing in the sprinkler!" So the woman comes over and introduces herself as Mary. (Name changed for reason stated above.) At the time she came over, I happened to be talking to my mom on the phone, so the lady just starts talking to Makayla. Next thing I know, the lady puts down her purse, puts her arms around Makayla and they go running through the sprinkler together. I quickly hang up with my mom and the lady then tells me, "Well you know John's kids are here visiting, let me go get them!!!" And she runs off towards the neighbors house. At this point, I am thinking, Ok.. this is getting kinda weird. So she brings out the little girl (age 9) and Makayla and her start talking and playing in the driveway. Mary comes over to me, but no sooner had she sat down that John brings out the little boy (age 4). He tells me that the boy had just woken from a nap. Then out of no where, this is the conversation that Mary and John had RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!! 


Mary: Well.. should we do this?
John: Sure. 
Mary: Hi (insert little boy's name), I'm Mary. Nice to meet you!!
(Little boy doesn't respond)
John: Well he's hungry, so I need to take him in to eat. 
Mary: How about I take him in?? Saying to the boy, Come on honey, let's go in. (She holds her arms out to him, but he just hides his face into his dad's shoulder) 
John: He's just tired and hungry, let me take him in.
Mary: Well, see, you're not giving me a chance.


John at this point just turns around and takes the boy inside. Mary sits next to me and this was our conversation. 


Mary: See.. that's just different parenting right there. 
Me: (Just nods my head)
Mary: Yeah I got me an 18 and 13 yr. old and see John still lets his kids sleep in the bed with him. So when he told me his kids were coming to visit, I told him I guess I wouldn't see him until they were gone. When he asked me why, I said, how is there gonna be enough room for us and the kids in your bed? 
Me: Oh. (At this point, I make the assumption they are bf/gf even though they never introduced themselves this way.)


At this point, John comes back out and says that they need to go in and eat, and I tell Makayla we need to go in as well. She comes over and I make a dress out of her beach towel and she walked back to John, Mary and the little girl and wants them to look at her dress. Mary then scoops her up in her arms and carries her back to me. (I was gathering our stuff up) Then Mary says, Nice to meet you and then gives me this gigantic hug!!! AHHH! Seriously, I thought I was on Candid Camera and someone was gonna jump out with a camera any second and scream, "Gotcha!!!" So I politely say goodbye and as we are walking up our driveway, Mary turns and says, "Hey, what time do your kids get up? I'm just wondering!" Knowing where this was going I said, "Well about 6:30-7:00" She says, "Oh wow, that's way too early for me!" So we say goodbye again and we walked inside. 


Yeah, I'll give you a minute to process that and play it all out in your head. 
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Do I have a sign on my forehead that says, Welcome freaks?! They must have been on drugs right? Or drunk?? Who in the heck introduces their gf to their son for the FIRST time in front of their neighbor, whom them just met themselves for the first time that day???? WHO!??! 


Also, why do I need to know who sleeps in what beds, etc?!


I seriously feel like I am in the Twilight Zone!! After telling my mom the story, she pointed out something. She said, "Well you know why she wanted to know what time you get up right? I bet you anything that John has to work, so Mary is gonna be staying with the kids! She is going to want to hang out with you constantly for the next 2 weeks!" Oh heck no!! I got enough drama of my own than to take on some crazy neighbors!! 


Ok, I feel better that I have gotten that all out. Now it's your turn!! Leave a comment and tell me some bizarre, outrageous story that has happened to you! 

Countdown to School!

Hi all! Well I'm sure most of you are aware that school is just around the corner! (Next week for some of you!) Makayla's school however, doesn't start until Sept. 7th! Which is a blessing and a curse at the same time. Let me explain...
It's been great having all this time to spend with Makayla, but at the same time, with a small baby in the house, it's hard some days to give her all the attention she needs/wants. Some days, Jackson is wonderful and content swinging or playing in his jungle gym, but other days he wants to be held constantly and that's when it gets hard to juggle having 2 kids. I know at school she will have so much fun playing with other children and getting to do projects etc. and will get the attention she so desires. So while I am enjoying my time with her, I am definitely ready for school to start as well! 


Other than that, I am still trying to cope with the hurt I feel from getting let go from my job. I still have connections at the school and was told recently that they have hired 2 brand new, FULL TIME aides. This is after they gave me the BS excuse that they didn't have it in the budget to keep any aides. Of course, these 2 new people have their degrees and teaching certificates, and it blows me away that being that educated, they would take an aide job for probably very little pay. What also hurts is the fact that they just weren't honest with me. If they wanted someone with a teaching certificate, then at least tell me that! Even though I don't have one, at least I have no one else to blame but myself for that! They could have just as easily said they needed people with a little more experience and a cert. for the position and honestly I would have respected that. I have absolutely NO respect for people who lie about something to try and spare my feelings, especially when you know I have friends there and will hear the truth eventually! 


It also makes me sad that I went to this school when I was young and it seems to just be going down the drain. They have way too much turn-over with the Head of School position so they can't ever get a good solid foundation because every couple of years they have someone new who has a different way they want to run things. I really hope that they can get someone in there who wants to stay for the long haul and really wants what is best for the kids and teachers alike. 


Ok, enough of that or else I will start to cry. I am determined to try and see what God has in store for me and what he is trying to tell me. Hello God, it's me, Sharon. I'm listening......

Oops!

So I just checked this blog and realized that I had not written anything on here for over a month! Yikes!! Sorry friends!! Life this summer has been crazy!! Summer school, swim lessons, VBS and then there was the constant rain that kept us indoors for the better part of July!

Summer however, is slowly coming to a close. Makayla has just about 3 weeks left before school starts, and I for one, am really excited! Ha! I love her to death, but this summer has been brutal! With a new brother in the house, it's been very hard to entertain her or give her one on one attention and she has definitely been feeling it. Makayla loves school and they will be able to keep her busy much more than I can at this point. Next summer will be better when Jackson will be 16 months old and we will probably be able to get out and do more things.

As for now, I promise to update more frequently than I have been! Thanks for being patient!!

What happens when you piggy back your 50lb. 4 yr. old ....

Yeah, so this sucks.

4 weeks ago I was rough-housing with Makayla. She was on my back and I was running around the house and I managed to twist my ankle. I didn't hear anything pop, so I knew it wasn't broken, but it was sore and immediately started swelling. I figured that would last maybe a week and would go away, but nope. 4 weeks later and it is still extremely swollen and still tender to the touch. I finally decided enough was enough and went to see the Dr. today. They took a bunch of x-rays and Dr. determined that it is a very bad sprain and there are some damaged ligaments on the top of my foot. He said we HAVE to get the swelling under control or else the tissue in my foot will get damaged, and then I will be in real trouble. So he said I needed a soft cast, which entails some binding inside that will help the swelling redistribute back up my leg. I am supposed to wear this for a week and then cut it off myself. Then I will go back in 2 weeks and he will check on it again. I can't get this thing wet and I basically have to treat it like a hard cast. Boooo. At least it wasn't broken and I can keep my record of no broken bones! Whohoo!

You Capture: Water!

It's that time of week again folks! The You Capture challenge this week was Water. Makayla has been in her little pool non-stop for the last week, so I decided this was the perfect opportunity to take some fun shots! Here is what I got:

My 3 month old son... just because he's cute!

I loved the way the pool looked with all the different colors

My beautiful daughter, Makayla

Spitting water

Splashing water, her favorite thing to do

My Summer List of Fun!

Since I now have 2 kids and will desperately need some entertainment for Makayla, I have included some events that we will be participating in this summer! Very fun activities for under $10!! You can't beat that! Hope you enjoy, and hope this helps some of you other Mommies out there! And if you know of something I haven't included, please leave a comment and I will add it to my list! Thanks!

Summer Fun!

Monday: Kid Krazy days at Kemah Boardwalk - $1.99 Kidmeals at all restaurants (Starts in July)

Pump It Up ~ 9:30 to 11:30am ~ $6 for pop in play

Tuesday: AMC Movie Camp- 10am~$1 admission - June 15-August 10^th

Edwards Marq*E Free Movies ~ 10am (doors open at 9am)

History Museum- Free admission after 2pm

Wednesday: Play dates with Neighbors

Edwards Marq*E Free Movies ~ 10am (doors open at 9am)

Thursday: Free Admission @ Children’s Museum~5-8pm

Pump It Up ~ 9:30 to 11:30am ~ $6 for pop in play

Friday: Mommy & Me Skate(DARR) ~ 10am-12pm ~ $5

Pump It Up ~ 9:30 to 11:30am ~ $6 for pop in play

Fireworks at Kemah Boardwalk ~ 9:30pm

Saturday: George Observatory ~ 5-10pm ~ $5 admission pp- Kids 12 & under are FREE!

SMG: M~Th @ 11am ~ $1-child/$2-adult (Starts June 7^th)

Monkey Joes: M~Th $8.99/ F~Su $10.99 (Opens at 10am)

Tennis Lessons: Mon. ~ Thurs. - July 5-29^th/ 8:15-9:00 or 4:15-5:00

300 Bowling: Sun~Fri. ~ 11am-4pm Free for kids/ $9 for adults

***UPDATE: Just learned about a place called the Fish Gallery (near 59/Kirby) that does a story time every Thurs. at 3:30. Snacks are included and after the story, the kids can pet starfish, turtles, etc.! How cool is that?! And it's all FREE!! ***

You Capture: Fun!

Hey friends,

I stumbled on this from a friend's blog and thought I would join in the fun! Each week the author of this blog: http://www.ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com/category/you-capture asks you to take a picture of whatever the category is that week. You post this pic to your blog and link it to her site and you are all set! Hope you will join me in this!

This weeks category: Fun! Here is my daughter at her school's Field Day. She was having LOTS of fun!! Ha!

Picture taken on Auto/No flash, though I am branching out with the Manual setting..

God is Good!!

We've been so busy that this if my first chance to update you all on Jackson and Makayla's Dr.'s appointments from this past week. First up was Makayla, we took her down to TCH to get a bone age done on her hand. (Basically an x-ray). Phil had a condition when he was younger and we wanted to make sure that Makayla didn't have it as well. Luckily, the x-ray came out great and she doesn't have it! Whohoo!!!

Next up was Jackson. We arrived and after a few min. they call us back to weigh and measure him, then they do the blood work. This usually involves a heel stick and they collect a relatively small sample of blood. But the last 2 times they've stuck him, he will immediately start clotting and they usually have to stick him again to get enough blood. :-( I hate this, but I know it has to be done, but it still makes me sad that he has to be in pain. This time took the cake though. They stuck one heel and sure enough, they had barely gotten a few drops when he started clotting. They tried all kinds of tricks, but nothing would work. So they stuck the other heel and again, after a few drops, it started clotting as well. Luckily Jackson was pretty much sleeping through this. So then they decide to stick his hand. Ugh. I am starting to get frustrated here, as I know it's not the nurses fault, but come on! When they stuck his hand, apparently the vein just wouldn't cooperate and they couldn't get any blood! Grrrr!! So they called in another nurse and they had to go for the big guns. I had to hold Jackson down (this is making me tear up even as I think about it now, 2 days later) while he screamed bloody murder and they went for one of the veins in his arm. After 10-15 min. of poking around with her finger to get the exact spot, they stuck him again. So this makes his total now 4 sticks in an hour's time. But thank goodness they got a good vein and got the blood! My poor baby! But he went right to sleep the minute they were done. He's such a trooper!

So we went back out to the waiting room and it wasn't long before they called us back to a room to wait for the Dr. I am starting to get very nervous at this point. When we had his counts done 2 weeks ago, they had jumped up to 92,000! So I was trying not to get overly excited, but I was very optimistic! Finally the Dr. came in and we made some small talk, then he dropped the bomb. Jackson's platelet level was 263,000!!!! He said that Jackson is cured!! We no longer have to see him and NO MORE STICKS!! I couldn't believe it! I think I had to ask him like 3 times to repeat it! I almost started to cry! This is all over!

I now have 2 completely healthy children! I could not be happier! God is truly in control! I again want to thank everyone for their continued support and prayers through this ordeal!

Blogs!

Hello friends,

My friend Kirsten is having a giveaway contest on her blog: http://www.stillhatepickles.com ! Go check it out! Also, read her stuff, she is one insightful and funny gal! Enjoy!!

Can we say, ANXIETY?

So tomorrow is a really big day for us in the Graf household. Jackson is getting his platelet levels checked and this is a big deal because his Dr. had previously mentioned that most babies grow out of the ITP by 3 months. Well guess what? He is 3 months today! So I am extremely nervous about this visit. To make matters worse (and better, I'll explain why) we are taking Makayla with us to get a bone age x-ray done on her hand. Her daddy had a condition when he was little and we need to make sure that she doesn't have it as well. You might be asking yourself, Why in the world would you schedule 2 dramatic events for one day? Well I'll tell you, because the building we have Jackson's appointments (Hematology/Cancer Dept) is in the Clinical Care Center at Texas Childrens. Take a guess where the X-ray dept is... that's right, in the Clinical Care Center! I figured since I have to be there for Jackson, might as well get her test over at the same time as well. I would have done this on 2 separate days, but with gas what it is, and considering that Tx. Children's isn't just a stones throw away, I figured this would save us at least some money somewhere. And really it will, considering that we usually valet when we go down there, since it would be a hassle with the stroller etc.

So anyway, just say a little prayer for us tomorrow! I hope I don't have a major anxiety attack before it's all over!!

And the drama continues...

So Jackson has had this perpetual rash for the last 6-8 weeks, so I finally took him to a Ped. Allergist to find out what was going on. They tested him for cats, dustmites, soy milk, cows milk, and eggs, but they were all negative! So the Dr. thinks it's something topical. So he told us to change his shampoo, body wash, and lotion. He also said we should see a difference by Tues.! Whoop! Here is Jackson during the testing! Poor baby! But he was a trooper and only cried for a second.

A New Top Ten

This is relatively related to my last post about my new wrap! I have come across things as a parent that are absolute MUST HAVES, so I decided a new Top Ten List was in order. So here are my Top Ten Must Haves for every parent:

1. A wrap of course! How can you argue with being able to have your baby close to you, but able to use your hands?!

2. A Fridge-To-Go. This is a great little invention where it is a cooler to take your formula with you, but it has the ice packs sewn into the cooler itself, so you don't have to worry about remembering to throw one in there. You just stick the whole thing in your freezer for a few hours and then bam! You're ready to go! And it stays cold for over 12 hours!! I love mine!!

3. Dr. Brown bottles and formula mixer. I love these bottles! They have really helped Jackson with having less gas due to the bottles eliminating the air in the formula! We recently got the formula mixer, which is a small pitcher, but it makes like 40 oz.! Of course, we don't make that much at a time, but it's nice to know that we could if we wanted to!

4. Video Monitors. Ok, these things are awesome! We didn't have one with Makayla, but did get one this time around with Jackson. It is so great! I love being able to watch him in there and see what he is doing!

5. Pacifier clip. This has saved us on more than one occasion! We have one clipped to his car seat, so I have one on hand at all times. Jackson LOVES his paci, so I need to have one available at a moments notice!

6. Diaper Genie. If you are dealing with disposable diapers, this is definitely the way to go. I love mine because you just stick the diaper in the pail which is already lined with a bag. When it gets full (and that takes a while), then you just tie the bag off in a knot and toss it in the trash. Then you tie the end in a knot and you're ready to go again!

7. Footed PJ's. We have recently discovered that if Jackson is cold, he wakes up and he cries. But if we try to just put a blanket on him, he will just kick that off. With the footed pj's, when he kicks off the blanket, he at least is still covered and won't get cold! Love these things!

8. Bottle Warmer. We had one with Makayla and are using it again with Jackson. This is especially helpful at night when the newborns don't want to wait too long on a bottle to heat in warm water. You just put water in the basin, pop the bottle in, press a button and in about 1 min. you have a nice warm bottle! It will also heat baby food too! Nice!!

9. Swaddlers. Again, we used this for about the first 2 months of Jackson's life. He loved being swaddled! Keeps them feeling warm and cuddled, love it!

10. Circo Blanket from Target. These things are amazing! It is a fleece blanket and it is the most soft blanket I have ever felt! They come in different colors and patterns and after I received one from a friend, I had to immediately go buy another one as a back-up!

So this is my list, I know some of you might disagree, but these are the things I can't live without! If any of you happen to go get any of these and it makes your life easier, then I couldn't ask for anything more!

I love my wrap! And I'm not talking the Vanilla Ice variety...

There is a lot you learn the second time around when you're a parent. For instance, the bumbo phenomenon. I don't think it was even around when I had Makayla and if it was... no one talked about it. But it seemed like the second I got pregnant with Jackson, every new Mom was telling me the bumbo is a MUST HAVE!! Being that Jackson is still pretty young and can't quite hold his head up for long periods of time yet, we have yet to see if this thing is all it's cracked up to be.

The second product I heard about was the wrap from my neighbor. She had her first child about 2 years after I had Makayla and again, I had not heard anything about wraps. She swears by it, so I vowed that this time around I would try it out.
I have a very talented friend that makes them in all different colors and with different fabric panels, so I picked one out and crossed my fingers. Today she brought it over and I tried it out. WOW! This thing exceeded all my expectations. It is so light weight, easy to use and Jackson loves it too! The minute we put him in it, he fell right asleep! Then I proceeded to do things around the house, all hands-free! I can tell right now, this thing is gonna change my life!

Please go check out my very talented friend Rebecca's website!
http://www.gigglejungle.com/

She makes lots of other fun and creative items and I promise, you won't be disappointed!

Old Before His Time

So Jackson is about to officially turn 2 months old, but with everything we have been through medically, it feels like 6 months has passed. Because of this, I honestly tend to forget that Jackson is really only 8 weeks old and still just a little guy. (Well, not by the looks of him! Ha!) He seemed to have had a few growth spurts in a row and before we knew it, we were feeding him 5 oz. at every feeding. To our credit, he took it just fine and never refused it, but he started getting really gassy and spitting up a lot. So we changed his formula to the Organic version of the same brand, but still no change. So we changed it again to the Hypoallergenic type. I made the executive decision that no matter what, we would keep him on this for no less than a week straight, just to get his tummy settled on one thing. So far, he has been a lot less gassy and the spitting up has gotten a little better.

The other thing Phil and I noticed is that right at 5pm every night, Jackson would want to eat every 2 hours! Seriously, it is crazy! We change him, give him gas drops, swaddle him, give him his paci, but nothing seems to settle him down unless we feed him again! At about 10ish, he seems to settle down for the night and sleeps usually until 4am. (Not bad in my opinion!)

Yesterday, I noticed he started tugging on his ears a little, so I took him in this morning to the Pediatrician just to take a look. (With everything else that has been going on, I didn't want to take any chances!) Luckily, his ears were clear and throat looked fine too! Whew! But the Dr. said that his fussiness in the evenings is probably due to being colic. She said he really shouldn't be eating every 2 hours, so tonight Phil and I try to remedy this situation. Well, that went over like a ton of bricks let me tell ya. He screamed from 6-8pm almost non-stop and guess what? The ONLY thing that seemed to soothe him.... EATING!!! The boy is hungry I'm telling ya! Well he finally settled down around 9:45 and has been sleeping soundly every since. (It is now 11:30)

I guess we just got so caught up with everything that honestly, it is hard to believe that he is still so little! But he is making big strides, he is smiling all the time now! He has even started talking! And by talking, I mean he coos and verbally responds to us! It is SO awesome! He has the most precious little smile too and it just melts my heart every time I see that big gummy grin. Just see for yourself! Seriously... how can I resist that face?!? So stinking adorable!!! He just cracks us up all the time! Love my little (big) guy!!

Dance of the Fluctuating Platelets

Hello all,

Here is the latest info: Jackson's levels were at 50,000. (Normal is between 150,000-450,000) Dr. was not too concerned and said that this was typical for levels to rise and fall. He said it typically takes about 6 months for babies to grow out of this condition. I was really disappointed because I had gotten my hopes up since last time his levels were higher than they've ever been. Oh well. So we will continue to go every other week until his levels get to the normal range. Sigh.

By the way, does the word fluctuating look weird to anyone else or is it just me??

Out of the woods...almost!

So last week we had our checkup with the Dr. and guess what? Jackson's levels were higher than they've ever been! Whohoo! So basically when we go back next week and they are even better, it means he is growing out of this condition! We are cautiously optimistic, so keep praying!

Ok wow. I just figured out that I can now update my blog through my phone by text message. I may have mentioned this before, but I am officially in love with my phone. I may need an intervention... or just start working for Sprint!! Haha!

Reality Show Bound??

I seriously think we should call TLC and have them start a reality show on our family. I am not trying to sound conceited, far from it, but we have so much drama that I seriously just want to start getting paid for it at least!!
So I had prepared myself that we had about 2 weeks before we head back to Tx. Children's and get what may be more bad news and was enjoying my time with my family, that was, until today.
For the last 2 days, Jackson has had these periods of fussiness which has just made me exhausted and then Monday, Makayla started getting sick. She started running a low grade fever which we were maintaining with meds, but then on Tues. afternoon, she started developing this rash on her face. By Wednesday morning, her face was swollen and the rash covered about 90% of her face! I immediately scheduled an appointment with the Dr. and she informed us that it was poison ivy!!!! UGH!! So we have her on some heavy duty steroids for the next 3 days and trying to keep her from itching! My poor girl!!
Apparently the poison ivy is growing from my neighbor's yard through our fence. Makayla plays back there all the time, so I don't know why she would break out now with it. Just another thing for us to deal with this week...

And the drama continues....

Well friends, I had hoped that my next post would be great news of Jackson's road to recovery. Unfortunately that is not the case. Here is what has happened in the last couple of weeks.
After we got discharged from the NICU, we had a follow-up appointment scheduled at the Critical Care Center for a week later. So we go, and they drew blood and tested his platelet level, which was 54,000. I was a little worried since it had gone done since our hospital stay, but the Dr. said that was to be expected and he wasn't too worried about it. He also said that we would need to come in every couple of weeks for the next several months to keep checking his levels until they get back up to a normal range. Other than his numbers being low, Jackson looks great. He has been eating and growing and showing no other symptoms, which the Dr. was very encouraged by.
The Dr. was however, still worried about my levels as well. He wants me to get tested every few weeks as well until my numbers get normal as well. He thinks I probably have chronic ITP, so that's just lovely.

So this past Wednesday was our next visit and I had high hopes that Jackson's levels were going back up, only to have those hopes dashed. His levels were 15,000! I burst into tears and the poor nurse just stared at me. She quickly put us in a room and went to go get the Dr. When he got there, he quickly reassured me that even though the numbers were low, Jackson was in no immediate danger. When your platelet level gets that low, you are in danger of internal bleeding, but because Jackson is so little and not a toddler, where they can fall down a lot or bump into things, he does not pose that much of a risk. The Dr. did want him to get another IVIG treatment though, to boost his levels back up. So we had to go over to the Infusion room, where all the other kids get their chemo treatments and they started his IV.

During this visit also, Phil and I got blood drawn so we could be tested for another genetic marker called NAIT, which is a more severe version of ITP. If Jackson has this, it would be a life long thing, which he would have to take medicine for.

So while Jackson is getting his treatment, they inform us that because it is on a timed release machine, it was going to take a very long time. Since the Infusion center closes at 6:30, and he would still be getting the treatment, they would transfer us to the ER's Short Stay area and get us a room. Basically this area is for patients who stay in the ER for less than 24 hours. That was a little unsettling. Once we got over there, the nurse told us that Jackson was the youngest patient there and the youngest she's ever seen getting an IVIG treatment. We finally got done at about 8:30pm. Our appointment that morning was at 10:30, so we were at Tx. Children's for 10 hours!! We were exhausted!
Our next appointment is in 2 weeks, so at least I have a little break for now. We are still requesting your continued prayers and support as we are still not out of the woods yet. The Dr. is really hoping that he will grow out of this in the next several months, which most of the time happens. But until his numbers get normal, we are looking at many more trips to Tx. Childrens.

First Week of Life Drama!

Ok people, I have just now gotten to a point where I can actually sit down and write this. We had some drama just a mere 3 days after Jackson was born.
Jackson was obviously born on Monday, he then had his circumcision done the following Wednesday. One of the Dr.'s in my Pediatricians office came by to look at Jackson on Thursday and mentioned to me that his circumcision looked a little bloodier than normal. He seemed very concerned, but told me to just keep an eye on it and let them know if it looked any different. Being that I had Makayla first and never seen that kind of thing with a boy, I didn't exactly know what it was supposed to look like anyway. Oh well. So we get discharged on Thursday afternoon, but before they would let me go, they said they needed a platelet count on me. So the nurse came back and said it had to be 90,000 for me to go home and that I was at 88,000. She called my OB, and she said that was an acceptable level and they let me go. (*this is important later...)

So we go home and everything was fine, but Jackson's privates were still bleeding a lot. They had told me to put a piece of gauze with Vaseline on it around the area after every diaper change. But the blood would soak through the back of the gauze. So Phil and I were concerned and called my Pediatrician on Friday afternoon. He said to come in Saturday morning and they would take a look. So we go the next morning and my Dr. was out, but one of the other Dr.'s took a look and said it looked really bad. She then sent us STRAIGHT to the Tx. Children's ER.

Of course at this point, I am a complete wreck, crying hysterically. We get to Tx. Children's and the ER docs said it did look bad, and they took some blood for some initial work up. When they came back, they said Jackson's platelet level was at 16,000 which is EXTREMELY low. (Normal is 150,000) They said we needed to be admitted immediately to the Level 3 NICU and he would definitely need a platelet transfusion to get his levels up. *This is when I remembered my issue with my low platelet count at the hospital at the time of discharge. I told the ER doc and he said that was very important and it sent up some red flags about some possible connections and what could be going on.

So we go up to the NICU, and they started the transfusion. They then took blood every few hours to check his platelet count. At the first draw, his platelet count had gone up to 83,000. So they were encouraged by that. But at the second draw, it went way back down to the 30,000 range. In a way, this was good, because it pointed toward a more definite diagnosis. So because his platelet count went back down, they then gave him an IV drug of Immunoglobulin which tells your body to stop eating up it's own platelets. At the next blood draw, his levels had gone up to 40,000 range, which indicated that it was working and his body was starting to make more platelets.

They waited until this morning to draw more blood because apparently it takes a while for your body to make more and his levels this morning were at 76,000!!! The Hematologist (blood Dr.) was VERY excited and encouraged and said he was on his way to recovery!! The condition he is now diagnosed with is called ITP- Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura. When he was in utero, my body didn't like his platelets and since we share a little blood, my antibodies started attacking his platelets. So when he came out, some of my antibodies were still in his blood and continued to attack. The immunoglobulin they gave him told his body to stop attacking. This also accounted for my low platelet count and they believe I may have chronic ITP.

So he was doing very well and they drew another blood sample Tuesday morning at 6am and the results were great! The platelets were still in the 70,000's and the Hematologist cleared us for discharge! Yeah!! We got to go home and it felt great!

But what is very scary is that I asked what would have happened if we never did see the Pediatrician and left this alone, the Hematologist said he would have started to bleed internally and by the time his blood started to come out of his nose, ears etc. it would have been too late and he would have bled out and died!!!!!! SCARY!!!

We have a follow-up appointment next week with the Hematologist to do another platelet count on Jackson and figure out what's going on with me. I was able to go get a anti-body anti-platelet test at my OB's this past Monday, so we should know the results when we go to this next appointment.

So the immediate danger is over and Jackson should not have any problems in the future, thank goodness! We thank everyone who prayed for us, we definitely felt that his fast healing was due to that!

Here are some pics from his stay in the NICU... not exactly how I pictured his first week of life.

Jackson Philip has arrived!!!

Well hello everyone! Thanks for being patient as we got through these 2 days of craziness!! I know you want all the details and pics, so without further ado....

Jackson Philip was born on Mar. 1, 2010
at 1:26pm
8 lbs. 12 oz. & 20.25 in.

Jackson and Mommy!

Daddy and Jackson!

Makayla was so excited to see Jackson!!

Giving baby brother a kiss!!

Holding Jackson like a Big Sister pro!!

She was just in awe of him!

Mimi and Jackson!

Grand Bubba and Jackson

Here's Aunt Jen!

And Aunt Angie!!

Jackson and Mommy are doing great! He's been eating like a pro and Mommy is slowly but surely recovering! We should be discharged on Thursday! Whohoo! Thanks for all your prayers!