Lone Star Family: July 2009

Baby K has a little reputation as being a "bear" at times and it has become one of his many nicknames. The term colicky has been an understatement these last few months. His fussiness and nonstop crying after trying everything about made me want to call CPS on myself! Although as he heads toward the four month mark it is getting a little better, more smiling less crying. So I find it funny that almost all the stuffed animals given to him are bears. The two pictured here are very special to me. The white one was given to me by my Godmother when I was a little girl. I loved it so much that my mom saved it for me after all these years. She sewed and cleaned it up and gave it back to me to give to Baby K. The brown bear pictured was also a present from my Godmother. It is a special bear that came from her church. It has spent time in the congregation, listened to scriptures read, sermons preached, songs of praise sung, and he is here now to offer Baby K comfort and peace with all the blessings of worship and love. So thoughtful. I look forward to the day when Baby K can pass these special bears off to his own little "bears"!

Women and Wine

My sister recently gave me a painting from one of my favorite artists Kathy Womack. She was even able to meet her and have it signed.
Kathy Womack has a beautiful "Women and Wine" series of paintings that I have always loved. They are beautiful paintings of ladies all dressed up having a good time together. Her inspiration comes from being a busy mom that sometimes just wants to get dressed up, call the babysitter, and hit the town with her girlfriends. Something all girls want to do even if they don't have kids!
My newest favorite is the one my sister got for me, although it is not part of the Women and Wine series I love it just as much because it is of a baby shower. It was her gift to me to welcome Baby K into the world. Isn't it beautiful!?

Mom, Kathy,& My sister Maria

Bitter Sweet

Baby K's ENT called and gave me the results on his MRI, his auditory canal structure is intact as well as his auditory nerve, which means Baby K can get his cochlear implants when he turns 12 months or maybe earlier!

It still kills me that he has to go through all this but at least he is now well on his way to the hearing world!

Now on to dealing with insurance...

Step Two : MRI

Getting prepared with Daddy

Loves the blinking lights

It's been a looong day. I went to bed around 11pm the night before and woke up around 1am thinking about Baby K's MRI. I was then awoken at 4am by Baby K, he was having a party in his crib that I was unaware I was invited to. This party lasted until 5:30 am not leaving me much time to sleep because my alarm was set for 6:15am so we could make it to the hospital by 7 to check in. His actual MRI was scheduled for 8am, but the anesthesiologist that was going to sedate him was stuck in surgery so we didn't get started until 8:45, not so good since Baby K was not allowed to eat prior to the MRI. The nurses got him all settled in, weighing him and taking his vital signs. I was then allowed to carry him into the MRI room and hold him as they began to sedate him. Being a nurse I knew what to expect but it still saddened me as I felt him go limp in my arms. The MRI lasted about an hour and then we were allowed to see him. He was all bundled up in warm blankets looking as cute as ever. It took him a good while to fully wake up. He had to be awake and able to eat some before we could go home. He was so tired he could hardly cry. He just made little cat like noises that just broke your heart. Finally he was awake and eating enough that we able to go home around 11. The doctors warned us that he might be very sleepy and sleep for 3-4 hours when we got home. I thought well good I need a nap, but no Baby K was wide awake only taking two 30 min naps the entire day until he finally tuckered out at 10pm! He had the opposite reaction to the anesthesia and he was very hyperactive, just wanting to play. Now I just hope he will sleep most of the night. We should have his results some time next week until then I think I'm going to be a nervous wreck!

*Pause music at bottom*

Step one: Hearing aids

Today Baby K got his hearing aids...

and this is what he thought of them

I don't believe they hurt him, he just hated being held down and us tugging at his ears.

Much better!

Getting hearing aids is our first step in the Cochlear Implant candidacy.If he benefits from the hearing aids there will be no need for the implants.I pray that he gets some benefit from them but from what I have researched and heard about children with a Connexin 26 mutation, usually they do not and CI's are the next option. I must admit I was little sad when they first put them on his ears. Seeing them on his ears made it all real, this is really happening, our baby is deaf. I didn't cry but my throat hurt a bit from holding it back. This is going to be a long process but I know it will all be worth it in the end. Tomorrow we go for his MRI of his auditory canals to make sure there is nothing structurally wrong that would interfere with getting the implants.

EXTRA EXTRA!!

Baby K has slept the entire night (10-7am) the last five nights in a row!! The last two nights he slept in his crib in his room like a big boy. I'm not sure what made the change from waking up every 3-4 hours to sleeping trough the night. There are several possibilities:

1. Just turned 3 months
2. Trip to visit MeMe in San Angelo over the weekend. He gets soo much attention and is spoiled rotten by his Grandmother.
3. I took him to a pediatric Chiropractor from the advise of my sister & mother-in-law. I had never heard of taking a baby to a chiropractor but Baby K had been sooo colicky, never took naps during the day, and hardly slept at night so I was willing to give it a try. I honestly think it did the trick because after his treatment he took a nap and then slept a full seven hours that night. Hallelujah!!!

The real question is, How long is it going to last??

Getting ready for bed

Lucky in Love...

with my best friend!!

Two years ago I married the man of my dreams.

The number seven has always been my favorite since I was born on the 7th of '77, so I guess meeting my husband in July on our way to the place of Lucky 7's, Vegas, (after 7 canceled flights) it was only fitting we would get married two years later on 07/07/07 and another two years later have a baby born on yes you guessed it the 7th!

Here is part of Kemper's Rehearsal Dinner speech about the Number Seven

Seven Is:
* How many days it took God to create the Heavens and Earth
* The number of spots on a common ladybug
* The number of stellar objects in the solar system visible to the naked eye (Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn)
* What George Costanza on Seinfeld wants to name his first-born child.
* Thought to be the most significant number
* The optimum number of hours of sleep for humans, according to a US scientific study

* There Are:
* 7 days of creation
* 7 wonders of the world
* 7 days in a week
* 7 colors of the rainbow
* 7 notes on a musical scale
* 7 deadly sins (Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Pride)
* 7 virtues (Humility, Liberality, Chastity, Kindness, Abstinence, Patience, and Diligence)

* According to Wikipedia, Hindus wrote the number 7 to look like an upside down uppercase J.
* Studies have shown that when asked to choose a number between 1 and 10, the most common number chosen appears to be 7.
* The first BMW was based on, or licensed reproductions of, the Austin 7.
* There is the seven-year itch, which I WON’T be scratching!!
* The reason for 7 being a lucky number symbolically (such as in the Bible) is because it represents the union of man and woman, since the number for women is 4 and the number for men is 3.
* Helen was born on the 7th of ‘77.
* At a ceremony in Lisbon on 07/07/07 at 7:07, the results of a global vote for the new 7 wonders of the world will be announced.
* 77 is the number, by chance, of diamonds in Helen’s ring.
* TIME magazine called it the “most popular wedding day in history”.

* We must be Lucky in Love
And our latest SEVEN
* Baby K was expected 4/22/09 but made his appearance on the SEVENTH!!!

Here is our story on how we met 4 years earlier

“We met on an airplane to Las Vegas.”

July 7-8, 2005

Kemper had 7 flights in two days delayed and canceled on him until he got put on my flight. There was literally one seat left on my airplane, and he got it using his charm that only he can pull off!!
I was flying with family, but somehow we got scattered all across the airplane, none of us sitting together.
Kemper's seat was 23E, and mine was 23F, and the rest, as they say, is kismet...!

I guess what happens in Vegas, doesn't always stay in Vegas!
We were married on 07/07/07
Our Lucky seven's!!

I also want to wish my my Baby boy a Happy 3 Month Birthday!!

Here are a few things about Baby K @ 3 months

* Loves his bouncy chair
* Loves bath time and swimming in the pool
* Wears size two diapers
* Loves his paci
* Found his fists and loves to put them in his mouth
* holds on to his toys and puts them in his mouth
* Smiles, smiles, smiles
* Loves to spend time on his changing table and look out the window
* Happy in the mornings, stinker at night
* Still likes to nurse every 4-5 hrs ( even at night Boo!)
* Does not like to take naps during the day ( Boo for mommy!)
* Hates tummy time
* Knows his mommy and Daddy