TUESDAY FIESTA TEXAS!

well, we are home again and of course we promised alex we would go to fiesta tx...so there we were!! it was FUN and we had a GREAT TIME! but man, we were BEAT by the end of the day! it was nice to come home early and RELAX! james goes back to work tomorrow!! i bet he is happy!!!

WE ARE HOME!!

well, i wake up to james saying, "we are staying the night in OKLAHOMA CITY today because i can't go on.." i tell him, well, i am ready if you want to leave...he suspiciouly says, "No, we are tired, lets take a rest here at the hotel.." it is a little after MIDNIGHT....as we are settling in, he mentions that oklahoma had a BASS PRO SHOPS....hmmm....no WONDER we stopped for the night!! :)

so we had a GREAT NIGHT on BEDS and we ate a great breakfast there at the hotel and off we are going to BASS PRO SHOPS in OKLAHOMA CITY, OK...we were there for about 3 hours and had a GREAT TIME but it was DEFIENTLY smaller than the one in GRAPEVINE, TX! it was nice to look around and DREAM! we are looking at the PONTOON BOATS...might be in the market for one SOON!

well, james drove the rest of the way home. we did have a little drama right outside of dallas in MEDFORD, we got a FLAT!! but super james was able to get it changed and on the road in less than an 1 hour!! we got home about 8:30 pm or so! it was SOOOOO NICE to make it! i hugged chairs and such cause i was excited!!
it was SUCH A GREAT VACATION even with all the drama! i wish we dcould have stayed longer and been able to visit MORE of the state!! ahhhhl...maybe NEXT time!

we are sadly leaving MO today...

TODAY was a quiet day filled with getting stuff together to leave that night. we were planning to head out of town by 5 pm or so and drive thru the night..the families came back in the morning to say good bye to everyone as they were leaving back to st louis....it was sad to see them go because i had such a GREAT time with them!! and also alex had made a new friend out of LANDON one of the youngest...they were EVERYWHERE together yesterday!!

anyway, after they left, we packed up and took aunt and uncle out for some LUNNER at crackle barrel!! YUMMYY!!!! we had a nice lunner!! after we got back, we went to see grandpa before we left. it was nice to sit and talk to him for a bit and just enjoy being with him....james said that he was afraid that this would be the last time we saw him alive....that was sad to hear! GOD WILLING that won't be the case!! we are hoping to make it out there once a year at the least!! it is SOOOO BEAUTIFUL out there!!

anyway, we packed up and headed out by 5pm or so. i had the first shift driving so that james could drive thru the night...did i mention i had night blindness?!?! anyway, i drove for 4 hours (thru KANSAS and thru all that PASTURE LAND where there is NOTHING but COWS!! for more than 2 hours! really! it is BEAUTIFUL but that was the stretch i was worried about with matthew! but THANK GOD we made it!!) we then stopped and james came over to the front and i took over the back....i decided to nap so that i could start driving again. the plan was, to visit BASS PRO SHOP in grapevine tx when we got to dallas on monday...

MET WITH THE FAMILY!!

well, today was the big get together at the nursing home for GRANDPA'S 100TH birthday!!! there was going to be ALOT of people there, family and friends. james was most excited about seeing his cousins LANCE AND LANE and their families. I was excited to meet them!
so, we went over to the home by 2pm and there was a GREAT big cake with a picture of a train....DID I FORGET TO MENTION THAT THIS FAMILY ALL ARE TRAIN PEOPLE? Uncle jr has been working for the railroad for over 30 years and grandpa worked there for over 30 years too! soooo, of course the whole house is FILLED with pictures, books, videos, dvd's, toys, and models of TRAINS TRAINS TRAINS!! alex was in HEAVEN!!

anyway, we got to see old family and friends and it was REALLY really nice! there was alot of people there!! then about 30 mins inot the party the POWER goes off to the whole building!! yep, it is still raining and lighting etc!! but we all stayed there and just had a cake and ice cream and just had a great time! we toook tons of family pics and pics of grandpa! very nice!

well, after the party, LANCE/LANE and family came back over to uncle jrs house for a BBQ. they live in ST. LOUIS so they were spending the night that night. it was sooooooooo nice to talk to our family and just interact with them! they fell in love with the boys and we fell in love with all their great kids! we had ALOT of quality time there with everyone and they were all over my little matthew!! he made some VERY fast friends! and they spoiled him ROTTEN!!! but i loved seeing him with them!! alex also got to play with LANDON his cousin and they had a BLAST playing and running around the yard and house!!

we had a GREAT dinner (steaks, potatoes, hot dogs, sausage, corn, mac & cheese, potatoe salad, desert) and just had a great time with everyone....they got to see matthews presentation too! we had a GREAT TIME!! :)

GREAT DAY ON FRIDAY!!!

well, today, we had a very EVENTFUL time! we actually did some SIGHT SEEING!! my mil wanted to go back thru to FT LEVINGSWORTH and see some VERY old VICTORIAN houses that were out there! so we drove that way and just enjoyed the country scenes...we drove around there and just had a great time!!

then at 5Pm we had the HIGHLIGHT of our day! we actually drove over to BELTON, MO to ride on the BELTON, GRANDVIEW, & KANSAS CITY RAILROAD, CO!! we actually got on this train and drove about 3 or 5 miles out and then back. so the total trip was about 30-40 mins and it was the ICE CREAM trip so they also served ICE CREAM durning the trip!! it was sooooo much fun and alex had STARS in his eyes!! he is all about TRAINS!! never guess what his theme will be this year for his birthday!! THOMAS THE TRAIN!!!


anyway, we went with AUNT KAY, UNCLE JR, their 3 grandchildren, MY MIL, JAMES AND THE 2 KIDS!! fun!!! we were goint to go out for dinner but we had to go back home because matthew needed his meds!!! :( but it was a GREAT WAY to end the day!



AND AND AND.....james and i had a DATE NIGHT!! yep, we took the plunge and left the boys with grandma and we went to THE CASINO!!! yep, we gambled! it was soooooo awesome to be there!! we got there about 11 pm or so and come home by 1 am! you DEFINETLY lose track of time out there!!! we were worried about the boys but they did SOOOOOOOOO WELL!! and grandma is such a BRAVE woman to be taking care of matthew after such a scare not but a couple of days ago! and no, we didn't win anything! we each took only $50 each and both of us came out with only about $20.00...it was fun but i kept losing (we only do the nickle and penny slot machines! y ep, cheap!!) but we had FUN! JAMES was on a winning streak but kept losing after a bit! oh well! THANK GOD we don't have casinos in texas!! :) or at least not nearby!

WENT TO THE MOVIES...

today, we had a GREAT DAY in missouri! we decided that we were going to go to the MOVIES to see CARS for the boys!! we were soooo happy and excited! we went to the early show and just had a GREAT TIME watching this AWESOME movie! i can't wait for it to come out on DVD!!! :) that is MUST BUY!!! then we just had a great time just chilling out at the relatives house! it was NICE but we were still a little gun shy about going anywhere. so it was just a nice relaxing day!!! spent time with grandpa and the family! :)

out of PICU!!!

well, we survived the PICU stay! yeah!!! it was a very uneventful night....the sleeping arrangements for me were not to bad and matthew slept thru the night!! :) very nice!!

the next morning, when the drs saw how good he looked ( he was back to normal, thank you GOD) they were AMAZED!!! when the neurologist came by, he said, "this is a TOTALLY different baby!!!" he was pleased. so, at first they were going to send us to the stepdown unit for a couple of hours and then home but i asked really nice if i could PLEASE leave since we were on vacation and they said that yes, we could!!! YIPPPPEEE!!! so, we were out of there by 11am!! :) can you say HAPPY?


so we left and drove over to the ronald mcdonald house to check out james and alex. matthew was starting to worry me by the time we got to the house...he was trying to drift off and his eyes would drift off to the LEFT!!! i told james, " huh, i think we might have to turn around and go back!!" which were REALLY hard words for me to say since we had such a TERRIBLE time there!! but we just said that we would watch him...he did it TWICE and i knew they could be a form of seizures but.....we went in and it was REALLY a nice place!! i got a quick tour of it. VERY NICE! i was able to get on the computer and email everyone to tell them what had happened...

we left columbia with an EYE ALWAYS on matthew!! it was about a 2.5 hour trip back to platte city where we were staying!! and of course it RAINED the whole way back!! we were sooooo ready to be back with family!

we made THANK YOU GOD and it was nice to be back...today was GRANDPA'S 100TH BIRTHDAY!!! we went over to say hello to him and to wish him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! we were happy to have made it home to be there for this day! he is such a SWEETHEART!! he had been told about matthew being the hospital (we had went by the first day we got to MO so he had met him for the first time ever) and one of the first questions he asked was "HOW IS THE BABY?" AWWWW.......... when we showed him that he was doing fine, he was soooo happy! he even held him!

matthew did great.....but man, we are WATCHING HIM LIKE A HAWK!!!

DRAMA......

ok, the day started off GREAT!! our plans were to go do some "memory lane" type of stuff. we drove about 2 hours away from PLATTE CITY to MARCELINE, MO...this is where WALT DISNEY was born and raised! this is also where my mil grew up in. my hubby use to spend their summers out there. it is BEAUTIFUL little town. their old home is very small...they lived on 14 acres of land with a COAL MINE on it!! in the back, there are actually HILLS of of OLD coal shaft rocks that they pulled from the earth....very nice! i will defiently post some pics VERY SOON .....anyway, we were there for a bit and we started on our way to MOBERLY, MO to visit the graves of my mil mom and sister....it is about an HOUR plus away thru 2 lane roads where there is NOTHING around....so, all is going wellin my world, and both my boys are asleep. james and i are watching a movie, yes while driving. well, i had been looking up at matthew periodically to make sure he is ok...remember, his seizures start during sleep, when i noticed he was SUDDENLY BUBBLING from the mouth...talk about scary! i told james, PULL OVER, i think matthew is having a seizure!!! so we did in the middle of NOWHERE!!! i grab matthew and bring him to the front...james is getting his meds, oxygen and pulse ox...well, he IS having a seizure BUT it was different...he was actually WITH us but still seizing! and then he stopped for about 5 mins and then he started AGAIN with the BIG seizure! so, i decide to take him to the back of the truck and we lay him down and gave him his DIASTAT...our family came back to check on us because we were no longer behind them and we asked where the nearest doctor/hospital was....OVER AN HOUR AWAY!! but they told us there was a clinic in the next town about 8 miles away...and we were off...here is what i SHOULD have done...i should have just dialed 911 and let them come to US bhut i guess we just panicked and wanted to get him SOMEWHERE! so when we get to the clinic THEY ARE CLOSED ON WED!!!! talk about REALLY panicing now! we stopped someone and they directed us to an AMBULANCE company...they were pretty good and took him right away and put him in an ambulance...they had to call in AIRLIFE because we were an HOUR away from the hospital and matthew was STILL seizing. it has now been over 40 mins of seizing! because the helicopter was over 30 mins away, they decided to drive to moberly and meet the copter there...so we are off!~

they give matthew some MORE valium and then i told them that he can STOP breathing and he DID!!!! YEP, he did. so they had to BAG him for over 4 mins to get hip breathing...very scary! thru the whole thing, dad is following in the car!!! anyway, we get there and they transfer him to the 'copter and he is off.


this is were i will FOREVER REGRET not hanging to the SIDE of the 'copter since i couldn't be inside the 'copter!! HONESTLY, i will FOREVER regret that i did not do that....my little boy was ALL BY HIMSELF going to a hospital that did not know him and mommy was not with him....i am just DEVESTATED by these thoughts...it took us over 30 mins to get to the hospital in columbia....when i got there, as i was walking into the room, WITH EVERY CONFIDENCE THAT HE WAS FINALLY WHERE HE NEEDED TO BE (a hospital), i walk in to one of my WORST NIGHTMARES.....my beautiful son, who has already been thru sooooo much, is LAYING there with NO DOCTORS in sight and was STRUGGLING for breath because he was sooooooooo congested. the nurse was just standing there writing in his chart. i walk in and IMMEDIATELY started suctioning him and pulling from his THICK JUNK out of his nose and throat. i ask the nurse, "has the doctor been in to see him" and she tells me "NO, NOT YET" i ask her, "what time did matthew arrive", she said "1602", i look up at the clock and it is 1630!! i was soooooo upset and i ask her to GET a doctor here!! my son, he is lying there, UNRESPONSIVE to me, with HALF OPEN EYES, GURGLING, totally CONGESTED, on 10 liters of oxygen, and having seized for OVER ONE HOUR.............i couldn't believe this happened to my baby! so the dr walks in and says "yes?" i said, nobody has checked him out!!!! i lifted up his eyes and HE IS STILL SIEZING!!!!!!!!! ok, WHAT THE !#$%%^^%$$# IS GOING ON HERE?!?!?!? he looks into his eyes and says, YEP, he is, they TOLD ME he had STOPPED?!?! ok, did NOBODY check his eyes out?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!!?!? so the dr turns around and he left to go order some more adivant (?) but then a couple of minutes later, matthew stops and goes to sleep (matthew).....i am sooooo upset! and still i am asking, " what are the numbers for the blood gas?" they are like, we didn't take one. so i tell them, 'he ALWAYS get's one because he has chronic lung disease and he may look fine but is not..." NOTHING...ANYWAY...that ER was HORRIBLE!!!

fastforward.......we FINALLY got a x-ray on his chest, and CT scan and everything... they did not even do a BLOOD GAS even though i asked for one after explaining what he does etc............we were transfered up to PICU there and he did REALLY WELL. picu was GREAT! :) but man....

a neuroloigst came to see us and was very UPSET at the treatment of matthew. he was WONDERFUL and ordered a dose of phenobarbital....he also talked to our dr here in san antonio..

anyway, they were really nice at the picu and took GREAT care of matthew. i spent the night with matthew and alex and james went to the ronald mcdonald house for the night...man, i miss home!!

and we are OFF....

first, just wanted to let you know you are NOT going crazy!! i JUST started posting these on 6/28/06 on our vacation but am changing the date to reflect what day it happened....i didn't have access to the interent over there on vacation!!!

anyway, we are OFF on our vaction!! i am sooooo excited about this trip! ONE WHOLE WEEK away from the "norm"...we left the house at about 5:30 pm with a CRANKY 3 year old and a TIRED 2 year old! we traveled ALL NIGHT so that we could keep them on their sleep schedule. we did really great and the trip was NICE...it was my hubby james, my mil, and our 2 boys. we had a TRUCK full of stuff!!! it is AMAZING how much stuff you THINK you will need for a week away! AMAZING! BUT thank GOD for an expedition!! we also had an attatchment to put some MORE stuff OUTSIDE the truck!! man! anyway, we took turns driving from san antonio, up I35 thru oklahoma, kansas and onto mosouri...we got to MO by 12:oo pm...very nice drive!! i LOVE road trips!! :) the boys did GREAT on the whole drive....they watched their dvds and just either slept or were watching their shows!!!

ON A SCARY NOTE...

a good friend of mine, sandra, her little boy was taken to the hospital this afternoon for SIEZURES!!! he has NEVER had them and he had them for OVER AN HOUR, how similar that sounds. well i just talk to her and she is REALLY UPSET......i can totally relate. when you have these wonderful little kids that are SPECIAL NEEDS and you are going along doing WELL, all is well, they are well, nothing new to report and then WHAM!!!!! something happens, they get sick, they have a siezure, etc and your lovely world is SHAKEN AGAIN!!! i call it my ROLLER COASTER RIDE....you are ALWAYS waiting for the next drop! i am always on it and i HATE not knowing what is around the corner! but you just HANG ON and PRAY! i feel so bad for her because this weekend she had so many awesome plans...the circus, fathers day bbq and this coming week, his birthday party! now she doesn't know what is going to happen and she is just DEVESTATED that this had happen to this PRECIOUS little boy that has ALREADY been thru sooooo much....

anyway, my thougths and prayers are with them....

somedays i feel like the worst MOMMY...

man, i have been beating myself up because i feel like such an AWEFUL mommy to my precious boy alex......i find myself CONSTATLY getting after him for things like yelling in the house, throwing his toys, jumping on the couch, ETC ALL THINGS LITTLE BOYS DOOOOO!!!! why do i do that? i feel like i am FOREVER just telling him to stop, don't do this, becareful, etc....i keep praying about this because man, i lose it sometimes....i dont' want to be that mother that is a YELLER and i think i have become HER!!! he is SUCH a good little boy!!! and just doing what little boys DO!!! I think i am going to get a rubber band and snap myself to remind myself 'HE IS ONLY A LITTLE BOY!! HE IS THREE YEARS OLD!!"

i can also see the DIFFERENCE of voice i use with matthew vs alex and that is not right either!! but i guess, even though matthew is already two, he is still like a baby in all areas so it is not like he is getting into trouble yet, you know? so, alex sees a BIG boy, not a baby but unfortunatly he is still a baby!! you know? anyway, it made me feel like the LOWEST OF LOWEST form of life when today, on the way to a drs appt for matthew, alex tells me "nobody loves me!!" OMG, i couldn't believe what i was hearing!! my heart BROKE right then and there!!! in my mind , i KNOW it was cause he wanted to take a nap but i kept messing with him so that he would stay awake and he was grumpy but still, to have him say that, i could NOT believe it!! he has NEVER said that!!!!!!!! man, i started to cry... i think it also has to do that daddy, his hero, has been gone for 2 weeks and he is missing him but STILL.....i need to do BETTER....

matthew finally....

sat in the GROCERY BASKET FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!! wooooohoooooo!!! really, he is over 2 and has NEVER NEVER sat in the basket!! why? you ask, well, they are SOOOOOOO DIRTY and we are sooooo cautious of him catching something!! and trust me, almost EVERY time alex has gotten sick it has been from those darn BASKETS even if we wipe them down and then wipe his hands with cleaner!! but i had no choice! i HATE having to ask anyone to go with me so that matthew can sit in his stroller. usually, i don't do ANY grocery shopping or shopping that i will actually need my basket unless james is home and we do it as a family. james is away until this weekend, remember? sometimes, my MIL will offer to go with me. and dont' get me wrong, she is ALWAYS saying she is more than happy to go with me but i just don't like to bother her or anyone, you know? ANYWAY, i wiped down the basket with clorox wipes, then i put on the basket saftey thing we bought for ALEX way back when (incidently we are going to by that one that goes ALL over the basket VERY SOON!!) AND THEN i put a BLANKET all over the basket so he couldn't touch anything but cloth!! i know, worry wart but this kid doesn NOT need to catch anything right now or ever!!! and for him, catching a COLD or BUG means, OXYGEN, NEB TREATMENS EVERY 4 HOURS, SUCTIONING, ORAL STEROIDS, INCREASE OF HIS INHALED STEROIDS, ETC ETC....his lungs are not the best and i just HATE when he gets sick! and now with us changing his siezure meds......which by the way we started last night...so far..so good!

anyway, it was nice....he didnt' know what to make of it at first!! and he is still REALLY FLOPPY so he was not steadily sitting in his seat...i had to keep righting him because he kept going to the side! anyway, he had a blast ESPECIALLY doing the throw down game...he would grab my grocery list and throw it on the floor all the while SCREAMING and laughing and trying to look over the side to see if he could see it! and then getting mad when i would not give it back to him so he could do it all over again!! SUCH A CUTIE! big brother did great too!

i am getting excited because tonight is GIRL NIGHT OUT!!! it was suppose to be tomorrow but there was a change in plans!! anyway, i am having a new buddy bekki come join us! and then i believe sandra might be there too! i think we are going to watch the de vinci code?! we shall see! w e are going to the ALAMO DRAFT HOUSE!!

can't wait for daddy to get home!!! SOOOOOOOONNNNN......

changing siezure meds...

this morning i called the drs office and we went to see him that am at 945....he is changing his siezure meds. we are coming off of KEPPRA and moving him back over to zonegram...he did really good on that when he was a baby so we shall PRAY that it works! we have to wean him off one while increasing his new one!!

i am still soooo nervous about those siezrues...i REALLY HATE THEM!!! i don't like that i don't know when it will happen....with his illness..i see the progression of slight coughing, congested, wheezing etc.....siezures, one minute he is asleep, the next WAMMM!!!! and they are soooo scary! to see him just OUT OF IT and not responding and his little face just grimmacing and his hands clenching, his o2 sats going down....ascary!! and then i have to give him his rectal valium...man, that is scary! especially since it CAN slow down his BREATHING which happen the last time when they had to BAGG HIM!!!!

and then, i was looking for a place to fill his DIASTAT prescription and man, NO ONE CARRIED THEM!!! and i had just used the last one last night!!! but after calling the base, they were able to get me to get it at the main hospital er pharmacy EVEN with a civillian drs prescription! THANK GOD!! i didn't know what i was going to do!!! i didn't realize how IMPORTANT those are for these kids!!! it could mean the difference of non stop siezing or not!!!

anyway, GOD WILLING he will do well on this siezure meds and not have anymore! that would be AWESOME!!

why does this happen....

while i am by myself and james is away? "what" you ask? my beautiful son, matthew, had a BIG SIEZURE again!!! i had JUST moved him cause he was lying on the bottom end of his crib asleep (945pm) and i sat back down and a couple of minutes later 951, he started to cough with a choking cough and i just KNEW what was happening. i jumped up and ran over and at first i thought i was wrong cause he was not doing his facial type, but then i noticed that he was EXCESSIVELY DROOLING and i KNEW that was one of his signs that he was siezing. about 2 sec later, james called on the phone (THANK YOU GOD!!!!:) and i put him on the pulse ox. his sats were only about94...i had dad talk to him as i ran downstairs to get his DIASTAT med...and i had to put him on his oxygen cause his sats had dropped into the 80's!! THANK GOD i was prepared this time around!! anyway, i had to pick him up and move him to the bed so i could give him his meds rectally and THANK YOU GOD they stopped about 7 mins later. i was ready if i had to call EMS again but GOD WILLING i will not have to do that...i don't have any more DIASTAT....talk about not sleeping tonight!! i had to get dressed while he was siezing cause i was SURE we were going!! but after daddy and i was talking to him, he stopped and then he was responding to us again. he even tried to talk to dad but he was REALLY congested...i wish i knew WHY he has these!!! so, i called the neuoologist on call to make sure there was nothing else i had to do and he said to just watch him and be ready. if he had anotherh one i was to take him to the hospital by EMS....PLEASE GOD LET THIS BE A QUITE NIGHT!!!

anyway, any prayers said for this little guy will be appreciated GREATLY!! i just want my baby to be WELL!!!

AND on another note...

today we had PLAYGROUP and we had a blast!! what fun! my guys are REALLY loving getting out of the house!! they probably can't believe we have been going out soooo much recently! they are sooooooooooo use to not being able to REALLY go out and PLAY because of worry about matthew getting any infections etc from others! unfortunatly, this will be the case for a LONG TIME until his lungs can handle colds etc without needing the oxygen!

anyway, we had fun and got to meet and talk to other mommies and kids got to play withother kiddos!!! there was just ONE TIME when SOMETHING happened to alex and he was hidding in the bathroom and i just HAPPEN to look for him and when i went in, i ask what was wrong and with his lips trembling, he started to sob and say, "i'm sad..." awwwww.....it broke my heart to hear crying!!! he said that one of the little boys had hit him or something and i guess it hurt his feelings. but man, he would not come out of that bathroom until he stopped crying! such a cutie! but it seems he is getting the HANG of playing with others!!! YIPPPPPEEEE!!!

ONTO GIRLS NIGHT OUT!!!

james left again...

yep, he is gone again! BUT at least we were able to see him this weekend!! WHAT A TREAT as we thought we would not see him AT ALL for those 2 weeks! he had to come back to CAMP BULLIS to do his AIR ASSAULT training.....POOR GUY! man that is a TOUGH school!!!! REALLY! and he is 36 years YOUNG compared to all those little boys out there! the first day was a breeze (check in go home!) but the next two days, sat and sun were MURDER! SAT, they started off with a 4:30 am 4 mile run....no problems with that...james ENJOYS running and usually runs everyday for AT LEAST 2 miles but usually up to 5 miles somedays!! soooo, he did that fine, and then the rest of the day they spent in class going over what they will be doing etc in sept, the BIG month! during this time, they would "smoke" them: make them stand up and o 100's of arm claps, arm extensions, push ups (diamond ones ?) etc...he did GREAT! he said that he was LAUGHING about it! now, if you know my hubby, this is a normal STATE for him! he is just generally a HAPPY guy (i guess that is where matthew gets it from!!) anyway, the next day, sun, started off with a 6 mile ROADMARCH, in FULL gear, BDU's, BOOTS, AND RUGSACK...it was a timed event. they had to make it with in 1 hour 30 mins....james came in at 1 hour 28 mins!!!!!!! yep, he BARELY made it but HE MADE IT!!!! he had to run a couple of times because he knew he was getting behind. and then they went to the OBSTICAL COURSE and he said that was HECK!!!!! he said that this place must have been made with TALL PEOPLE in mind because he could BARELY get up some of these things! they really do alot of stuff and there was only TWO THINGS he just couldn;t do...climb up a rope and do some kinda of wall...both involved upper body strenght....he tried! he did it over and over but just could do it! this was just TRAINING for the REAL one in sept but MAN he said it was tough! he said that he kept PRAYING and also kept trying soooo hard for his kids and me....what a GREAT guy i have!!! soooo, he came home and could BARELY WALK....he looked BAD! very very sore today and could barely get out of BED!!! he had blisters on his feet and everything!!!

so today, he left......he said he was going to visit the MEDIC area to get those wonderful cure all's the military gives out........800mg MOTRIN!!!

FINALLY...

got that !@#$%^%$$##@@! birthday presentation for matthew DONE!!! it took me FOREVER to be able to FIT it into the right way....i had it done but apparently when you downloaded it or used it on another c ompter, it made it BIG or something so, some of the words were cropped off!!! GRRRRRRR.....

ANYWAY, i got it done, i finished making copies to give to the drs and picu staff etc ....YEAH!!

met up with BEKKI! :)

TODAY, we had a GREAT PLAYDATE! and a great day! first, james got to stay the night with us and stay until about 10am before heading out for his first day of AIR ASSUALT SCHOOL! very excited for him! well, the kids and i packed up and met bekki and 2 of her little ones at the mcd's and we were able to spend some time talking! we have talked on the phone, via email (TONS) and on our groups but never REALLY met and talked together. she did go to the party for matthew with her family but with all the things going on, it was way to hectic to really talk to each other. well, were able to talk a bit and kinda just talk about our two miracle boys, zachary and matthew...they both have TAPVR which is a rare heart defect. and we had pics to show each other and also she was able to see the slide show i had made for matthew. i plan to burn a copy of it for her so that she can REALLY see it...it was kinda hard to see with the glare and all. anyway, the kids had a BLAST and we were able to talk a bit! i hope we get to do it again! i know i loved talking to her!

what a GREAT DAY today!

yep, today was a GREAT DAY! i was really afraid that i was not going to be able to handle everything today....what you say?! well, i got up EARLY today (i say GOT up instead of WAKE up because i was WAKE allllll night due to my firbro/excema!) and got the kids ready on out the door by 8:15 am so that we could go pick up my 2 nieces and 1 nephew!! YEP i was ON TIME for once and BY MYSELF! so, we picked them up which alex was SOOOOO EXCITED ABOUT and we were off to FIESTA TEXAS!!!!! now, here i am, with FIVE KIDS: 12, 10, 7, 3, 2 and one adult ALLLLLL BBBBYYYYY MMMMYYYYYSSSSSEEELLLLLFFFFF and i had a BLAST! we met up with D and her crew of 2, plus J and her crew of 2 and i met a new mom B and she had one little girl and we were able to spend a couple of hours out there as a group. we had a BLAST!! now alex, when daddy is there, doesn't even remember MY NAME but when daddy is NOT there, he is a KLINGY LITTLE TYKE! seriously! he was almost underneath me!! anyway, we were able to get on a couple of rides and even matthew got on a couple of rides TOO! and then i had said we were only going to stay there for about 4 hours but we ended up staying for SIX HOURS!!! we just hung out and my WONDERFUL NEICE is the SWEETEST, BEST LITTLE GIRL EVER! she took care of alex and took him on rides, etc! and it was just soooo awesome! we had soooooooo much FUN!! :) i truely enjoyed myself! and then we went home and the kids spent the night with me and we just all played and then after my 2 small ones went to bed we stayed up and had homemade cookies, and popcorn and watched "WITHOUT A PADDLE" FUUUUUNNNYYYY!!! we laughed sooooo hard! and then, at about 1130pm, i had to go pick up JAMES at work. he had been gone for a week and we got a small TREAT being able to see him!!! it was very nice! soooo, today was a GREAT DAY!

what a FUN day!!

today, we had a GREAT day! we had matthews normal therapy in the am and he did WELL! he said BALL and he is just tooooo smart!

then i took the boys to CHACHO'S on perrin beitel!! WHAT FUN!!! that place is just SOOOO MUCH FUN! alex, after a little drama, had sooooooo much fun with his playgroup buddies! it is soooo awesome to have these ladies there! i have known most of them since alex was 1 years old!!! they are GREAT and have wonderful kiddos! we are now officially up to 13 kids now?!? i think that is right! we have had to be kinda out of the loop during the last ALMOST 2 years for matthew but we are FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY getting back into the swing of things! i actually hosted a playgroup here about a month ago and it was a BLAST!

anyway, then we went to his drs appt and he still hears WHEEZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 can you say SHOCKED>?!?!? i saied, "NO!!" he said YEP! keep doing the treatments on him! you could have floored me with a feather! sooooooo, back to torturing the kid again!

can you say "GOT MILK?"

YEP!! he can have milk now SAFETLY!!!! WOOOOOHOOOOOO!! it was great to know! we were admited yesterday to WHMC (our first time there) and it was NOT BAD at all!! very surprised! i guess you get use to a certain hospital that to go to a NEW one was kinda scary but it was GREAT!! they fell in love with our little man! everyone wanted to see him and meet him and hear his story! so, i must of told TONS of time!!! anyway, he did GREAT! they started him off at 5ml of milk and ended up at 40 mls....then the next day they gave him a bolus of 100cc of milk and he did FINE!!! but BOY were they ready!!! they had the CRASH cart out there ( HELLO!!!) and they had some epipens, some benadryl and some other meds right by his bed. he had a HEPLOCK and was just READY!!! THANK YOU GOD it went GREAT with nothing happening!! but it was scary thinking what COULD have happen! but now, we wait and see...there is still a posibility that in a couple of weeks he may have a LATE reaction to it! sooo we keep an eye on him for now!! but MILK HERE WE COME!!!