Sunday, November 30, 2008

in other brewer news....

this is the kind of thing that happens in my front yard when i'm not there...yes, that is a deer's head that my precious princess is holding on to...

i expect to hear from the homeowner's association and/or PETA any day now.......

the light at the end of the tunnel...

big sister holds layton for the first time!
i like to be wrapped up like a burrito!
i'm in a big bed, now!
little brother, meet big brother!
this was him, staring up at his big brother!


we are finally seeing it! layton was moved to the imcu~which is the intermediate care unit~today. he's lost all his tubes and wires except the ones monitoring his blood pressure, pulse ox, and respiration. he is looking so good and the surgeon told cory today that he will probably go home in a few days! i just finished feeding and burping him....two things that a mother takes for granted after awhile...but for me, it was heaven! he is starting to really act like a newborn baby...wants to be held a particular way and let's you know his disapproval otherwise. but even his crying sounds wonderful to me! i can't wait to take him home!!!! 

i've posted a few pictures for you...thanks again for all your support!

Friday, November 28, 2008

update...


they removed layton's chest tube and breathing tube today. they also took the iv out of his head. he looked so relieved to have those taken out. he was awake for over an hour and was very alert. i'm sure it helped to see our faces and hear our voices. his color looks great. he still has some fluid on the lungs but they said that is normal. overall, he is recovering very well. when we left him earlier, he was sleeping and looked so peaceful. i took this picture shortly after the breathing tube was removed.








Thursday, November 27, 2008

getting stronger...

layton came through surgery like a champ...he is recovering in the pediatric intensive care unit. he is on a ventilator but is breathing on his own, too. the breathing machine is helping to keep fluid off of his lungs. they are giving him morphine and he is resting very comfortably.

i can't tell you how difficult it is to see your precious little baby hooked up to all those machines.  everytime he opens his eyes, i just want to grab him and run. and while i thought it would get easier leaving him there, it's just getting harder. i can not wait to bring him home. the surgeon told us that he would probably be there a week but if things went well, maybe 4 or 5 days.

thank you again for all your prayers and for all the offers to keep mackenzie. my mother and mother-in-law are here and have been WONDERFUL...they are doing everything from cooking to laundry to looking after mackenzie...which is a full time job!

we will keep you posted on his recovery.

happy thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

it's over...

layton came out of surgery and is doing great...we are still waiting to go back and see him.  we can't thank everyone enough for your thoughts and prayers. it's great to know we have such wonderful friends and family to get us through this.

i'll post some pictures as soon as i can get back to take some!

update on surgery....

we just heard from the nurse and layton's surgery went well and they are closing him up...more details to come as we get them. we are waiting for them to finish and the doctor to come out and talk to us.

keep the prayers coming....i know they are helping!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

day before surgery...





layton is still doing very well...is loving that they are giving him more to eat! they have decided to leave him in the nicu and will take him to surgery in the morning from there. i got to feed him his bottle again today and cory and i both held him. we are cherishing every second we get with him...we are very anxious and nervous about surgery tomorrow. just ready for it to be over.

Monday, November 24, 2008

another good day and more pics.....




we went to see baby layton today...he had a great night and was very happy that they doubled his milk intake! i got to hold him again which was wonderful and gave him a bottle. we toured the pediatric icu and talked to a nurse who explained to us what we can expect on the day of surgery and the days to follow. we learned all about the chest tube and breathing tube. she prepared us for what he'll look like after the surgery....he'll more than likely be puffy/swollen, eyes may be swollen shut and he will be restrained so he doesn't pull out anything. he will be given morphine and will not be in any pain at all. they will let him wake up on his own because the more rest he gets, the better.

it was a lot of information to receive in one day and i had to go have a glass of wine as soon as we left the hospital. as wednesday gets closer, the reality of it all is hitting hard. i'll be glad when it is over and we have a healthy baby boy that we can bring home!

please keep us in your prayers....we really appreciate it.

update and picture...




layton is doing extremely well...the people at the hospital are wonderful! he is definitely in great hands...he finally got to eat and cory was there to give him the first bottle. they are giving him very small amounts and he's eating it up in a matter of seconds! i got to feed him yesterday and it was wonderful...i've also been able to hold him everytime i've been up to see him which is the best medicine. the nurses all say he is super strong and super cute! i'm not prejudice, but i'd have to agree!

surgery is still set for wednesday at 9 am. they will be moving him from the neonatal icu to the pediatric icu tomorrow and he will return there after surgery. we are hoping and praying for a successful surgery and recovery...i want to bring my baby home!

cory just talked to the nurse who said layton was doing wonderful and they are going to give him more milk today, which i'm sure will make him happy!!

thanks again for your prayers and support...

Friday, November 21, 2008

update...

i feel like this is the easiest way to keep everyone informed on what's going on with our new addition, layton. some of you know that he was diagnosed with a heart condition before he was born. we were fully aware of this and knew he would more than likely have to have surgery within days of being born. he was transferred to dell's children medical center today from north austin medical. he will be having surgery on wednesday about 9 a.m. we met with the surgeon today and feel very confident that he is in excellent hands and receiving the best care.

it has been very, very hard. i've only held my baby for a very short time after he was born. he spent the rest of the time in the nicu and, of course, remained there after i was discharged. poor cory hasn't held him at all. i can't explain how difficult it is to watch a dozen strangers hold your baby before you get a chance. 

we are trying to remain positive...this surgery has about a 95% success rate so the odds are definitely in our favor.

we thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers....we need all of them right now!

for those of you interested, layton has a coarctation of the aorta. you can find quite a few things about it on the internet.

again, thank you for your concern and well wishes. it is going to be a rough couple of weeks. we are looking forward to getting him well and home with us! despite it all, he is doing very well, looks great! in fact, you wouldn't even know that anything is wrong with him by looking at him...his color is great and most of the time, he is resting very peacefully. that makes it easier on me.

i will keep you posted on his progress.

love to all!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Sunday, November 9, 2008

a few new pics..





the top two are mackenzie at her friend tyler's bday party at the dude ranch....love the one with her and her papa!
the bottom two are halloween~one from that night out trick-or-treating and the other at her parade at school.

Friday, November 7, 2008

burps, farts, and making mums



i'm sure many of you have been wondering where i've been...maybe i had the baby and have been soooo busy i haven't had time to blog. no. such. luck. i am still pregnant and it feels like i've been pregnant for 15 months. my belly is HUGE. i'm scheduled to be induced two weeks from today. and that is not a moment too soon...i'm slowly but surely losing my dignity with this pregnancy. i find myself belching, like a MAN, all the time...my fifteen year old son heard me the other day, looked at me with this look of total horror on his face. he didn't have to say anything...i could tell what he was thinking...i can't believe that just came out of my mother. i've even had the "walking" farts a few times...don't you try and act like you don't know what i'm talking about! you know what they are....i sound like a motor boat...it's ridiculous.
in other news, blake had his first homecoming dance this year...he looked so handsome. and i'm no fifteen year old boy, but his girlfriend is pretty hot. i wanted to give him a high-five and say "score!" but i thought that was a bit much from his MOM.  i did encounter some stress during homecoming week. blake is usually on the sidelines on friday nights for the varsity game, so i assumed the homecoming game would be no different. he informed me on wednesday evening that he would NOT be on the sidelines and that him and logan (girlfriend) would be going to the game. ok. whatever. about that time, she shows up with his little mum thingy that goes on his arm. she also made mackenzie a little mum which i thought was very sweet. so, great. yea, homecoming...and then it hit me...oh. shit. she's going to need a mum. my brain went into overdrive. i don't know where to get a mum. i don't know how to make a mum. but how hard can it be, right? cory said, "why don't you get on the phone first thing tomorrow and find someone to make her a mum." 

me: "i wouldn't know where to start, plus it's probably a little late. i can make one. how hard can it be? other mom's do it...so can i."

cory said nothing but instead gave me a look like, you've got to be kidding. you SO can't make a mum. you do not have a crafty bone in your body. but i have to disagree. i'm no marthat stewart but i did make a diaper cake for a friend's shower a few months back that i thought turned out great. for those who saw it and don't agree...keep it to yourself. i'd like to hang on to my delusional thinking.

so the next day, with my assistant in tow, aka mackenzie, we headed to hobby lobby for all the mum-making supplies. they had it all in one area. perfect. so i start gathering ribbons, stickers, and any other accessories i thought didn't look too cheesy...and so did mackenzie. note to self: never take a toddler in a section of any store full of shiny, long, beads....they are like moths to a flame. anyhoo, i got what i needed, including a hot glue gun. see, that's how uncrafty i am...i didn't even own a hot glue gun. do now! so $100 later, we head home with all our supplies..all the while praying that i know what the hell i'm doing.

i put the mum together that afternoon and i have to say, i was impressed. for a first time effort, i thought it looked pretty damn good. i was excited for blake to see it. i don't know why. fifteen year old boys don't get excited about much...except for sports and porn. but all i wanted to hear from him was that he wasn't embarrased to give it to her. he said he wasn't. we were good to go.

fast forward to friday night when logan and friend get dropped off at our house before the game. they come in and i notice logan has something hanging from her rather large purse. what? is that? no, it couldn't be! surely, my pregnant eyes are deceiving me. IS THAT A MUM??? DID SHE BRING HER OWN MUM???????? really? this is happening right now? i stressed over making her a mum just to find out that the NEW thing is the girls make their OWN MUM!!!!  i guess blake felt bad for me so he pulled her to the side and explained that i had made her one so she took them both. i didn't want anything said to her because i did not want to embarrass her. 

but, know atleast i know if i need to pull a mum out of my ass, i can do it. yea, me.

the pictures above were taking before the dance...don't you love the one of blake and mac??? she is his #1 girl for sure!!

happy friday!!