16 Months and Antibody Results

Owen is 16 months.

Owen is definetly showing signs that he wants to get up and MOVE. He has recently mastered the butt scoot back and forward, no longer is he stuck doing the butt spin. He's also been working really hard on strengthening his arm muscles so that he can push up on his tummy and pull himself up to a stand. Everyday he works so hard until he is clearly out of breath and a little bit blue. Before we know it, he'll be crawling and walking and I'll wonder what the heck do I do with all the tubes??
Owen's fine motor skills are amazing and he loves to color, play with playdoh, do puzzles, is mastering the shape sorters and this boy can slam out some killer tunes on the keyboard.

Since we Desert Dwellers don't see temps under 100 degrees here in the summer, we live a life of luxury in the pool. Owen has earned his fish gills already. He loves to dunk his head under, kick his little legs, swim all over (as far as the oxygen cord will reach) and take sips of the nasty pool water when nobody is watching. He kicks and grunts when it's time to get out. He will figure out soon enough that getting out of the pool, means jumping into the tubby, which is his second favorite thing to do. It's a tough life.

This picture is just a glimpse a the new "tantrum" that he deemed necessary when he isn't getting his way. He's pretty good at it and even produces real tears. As soon as you give him what he wants.... be it the paper you just removed from his mouth, or the pen he was sticking in the electrical socket, or the Lincoln Log he was sticking in my water bottle... he turns off the saddness and his pearly smile comes back. Maybe he'll be an actor? It doesn't require great heart function does it?

Speaking of heart function....

I got a call from Stanford today and they got the results of Owen's antibody tests back. They run the regular IgG test which shows that Owen is highly sensitized in both Class I and II. We already knew that and yes, he is 99% sensitized, that's crazy high. Stanford also runs a C1Q antibody test and that shows that he is 16% sensitized in class I and 66% in class II. Did I lose you?? Don't worry, I don't understand it either. They did mention that his C1Q antibody test is much lower than they anticipated based on the findings of the IgG antibody test, so that is good news. They are also pretty confident that they can lower the existing antibodies enough with IVIG alone. That would mean no more chemo and no CellCept. This would be an ideal situation, but I don't ever plan for ideal.

We agreed to hold off on IVIG treatments for now. We are still working on getting Owen's meds increased to his crazy high doses and see how he tolerates it. If it doesn't work or if his function decreases, we will then start the IVIG and get him listed for a heart shortly after. Until that happens.. NO IVIG! I couldn't be happier!

We have an appointment at Stanford in September to visit with Cardiology. Until then... no traveling, we'll see Dr. Stock every three weeks, and just increase meds. Can you see me smiling??

Guess who just pulled all the wipes out of the box and threw them on the floor? I bet you'll never guess.

Attention Please??

After a long morning of swimming, splashing and lounging by the pool. We washed the chlorine off us and had ourselves a quiet afternoon. Kami, Gigi and Owen were all coloring away until Owen realized that he was NOT in fact the center of attention. After trying all his regular antics to get Sissy's attention, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He butt scooted his way to her and gently played with her hair while talking in his sweetest voice.

When that didn't work... he got his fingers twisted a little more in her golden locks. His voice got louder and he started yelling something that sounded like this "Ah-Chi-MA-NO-Ka."

Then he decided to tug a little more. Apparently Kamryn's plea of "Buddy, please stop pulling my hair" wasn't enough attention.

He wasn't satisifed until she rolled over and said "you want a piece of me?" YES, he was successful in breaking Sissy out of her Art Mojo! You can see the victory in that smile.

I could sit back and watch these two interact all day. I wondered what their relationship would be like with an 8 year age difference. They adore eachother!

Quick Lil' Update

I have to make this snappy because Owen is chompin' at the bit for a little attention... cause we all know he doesn't get any. The first "official" day of summer break .. ie: no school .. was today. Kamryn went to summer movie fun with Auntie Sussy and her cousins. Then off to their house to play. Then they all came over here, cranked up the Disney music and played entertained Owen. Like I said, he never gets any attention. Kamryn was disppointed that I didn't want to swim again today, so I convinced her that a bath would be just as delightful! Owen obliged as well.

I got a call from our lovely docs at Stanford and they said the HLA lab is still working on Owen's antibody results. We should have an answer by the end of the week. We're praying for some antibodies that are going to surrender when we attack. Meanwhile, I mentioned that I had seen Dr. Stock and we upped Owen's Captopril (heart med) up to 5cc's/3times a day and will go up to 6cc's by next week. I told her we didn't know the protocol for increasing meds, so we improvised until Dr. Stock had a chance to speak with Dr. Rosenthal (at Stanford). She said that ideally we would have doubled his Captopril by now to 10ccs/3 times a day and that the goal was to get him to 20cc's/3 times a day. That's 3 ounces of Captopril a day??!! She said "yep, that's the goal". I'm speechless.

I trust they know their stuff... Owen isn't the first kiddo in heart failure that they've worked with. If he tolerates this amount of increase and his heart function potentially improves, or even stays the same, we can put off transplant THAT much longer. I'm willing to try anything. Anything.

Memorial Day

We took a dip in the pool. Ate some delicious bbq. Spent time with family. The kids (including the hubby) passed out at 8:00. Happy Memorial Day!

Isn't Summer great??

Tubby Time

I admit it. We have been lazy this weekend. We have been less than productive. We have watched many movies. Taken afternoon naps. Laid around the house in our pj's. Eaten takeout. It has been wonderful!

Up until Friday, Owen wouldn't even entertain the thought of getting into a bath. He's only been fond of a hot shower... until now. Sissy was enjoying a warm, bubbly bath when Owen decided he was going to enjoy it too. Now he can't get enough. So to add to our lazy weekend.. Owen has been taking many, many baths. Now we should really buy some bath toys.. plastic cups and tupperware only entertain so long.
Today is Memorial Day and we have swimming, bbq's and lots of yummy food to eat... more on that later.

Our "Normal"

When I was 22 weeks pregnant, we had the ultrasound that revealed our baby boy would be born with a broken heart. For the next 18 weeks, I spent countless hours researching, going to twice weekly doctors appointments and feared for our unborn baby's life. He was born so perfect and breezed through that first open heart surgery. I wished all our worries were over.

I always knew the second open heart surgery would sneak up on us. I didn't mind the feeding tubes, the specialized formula, the many medicines, Drs appointment or daily weight check. I feared sending my child back to the OR for another, risky, open heart surgery. I was thankful when it sneaked up on us faster than anyone expected, due to Owen's increased heart failure, at 3 months. Now that it was out of the way, we only had one more surgery to go. Until then, we would have a couple of years of "normal".

That was not God's plan. During Owen's fourth cardiac catherization, in October 2008, we got the news that the last surgery would never happen. The last surgery that would allow Owen to live a "normal" life. Instead, Owen would need a heart transplant. All that I had known, researched, and planned for had just changed.

Ever since that day, I have been researching, visiting transplant centers, seeking advice from others... just like I did when I was pregnant.

When we finally made it to Stanford this last week. I feel like my searching is over. I have finally found what I have been seeking. A transplant and cardiology team that will do their best to give Owen the best life possible. I know it's out of my hands for now. I trust their decisions and I will continue to being Owen's number one advocate. I also know.... It's in God's hands.

Something else that I have been able to do this last week since returning home.... breathe. For the first time since learning of Owen's diagnosis, I am able to relax and enjoy a "normal" life. There is no surgery coming up at 3 years old, there is no transplant happening in the next couple months, there is nothing but time. Time to treat Owen's sensitized antibodies, increase his medications, visit Drs. 3 times a week, continue his numerous therapies. Time to enjoy life!!

The NG tube isn't going anywhere, the feeding issues are still present. We will continue to see our feeding therapist and make mealtime a fun experience. I will continue to blend his formula in the blender with rice cereal to make it higher in calories so that he will grow strong. I don't stress about it anymore, he eats when he feels like it and that's good enough for me.

We will continue working to build his strength so that he can feel the independence of crawling and walking. We will continue to visit Cardiology every three weeks and increase his medications. We pray that this will works and his heart function will stay steady. It's unlikely that he will lose the oxygen tubes anytime soon. I have accepted the permanency of the dreaded oxygen tanks that adorn our car and living room.

This is our "normal". This is our life. We are at peace with it and we will enjoy every second of it. Owen is still with us. We get to wake up next to this amazing boy every morning. We get to enjoy his laught. We are grateful each day that we are together.

Fox 10 Newscasts

Finally, I got the videos of the Fox 10 News Story they did on Mr. Owen. Oh, and I tried my darndest to talk s-l-o-w, but it's still speedy fast and most of you probably won't understand a word that I say. smile. ENJOY!

5:00 Newscast

9:00 Newscast

5AM Newscast

Obviously these aired before we found out that Owen does in fact have a little time before needing to be listed for a heart, according to Stanford. UCLA and CHLA had differnet opinions. We fully trust the transplant team at Stanford and we continue to treat Owen's heart failure until all efforts have been exhausted. It is much better to live with the failing heart he has, than to prematurely transplant him. Especially with the high risk that comes along with his highly sensitized antibody issue. We are loving the calm, boring summer. Before we know it, we'll be back and forth to Stanford doing IVIG treatments and destroying Owen's immune system with Cellcept in hopes to destroy some of his antibodies. We are grateful that he continues to do so well, considering.

Don't forget to check the last post to find out why skunks stink, according to Kamryn.

"How Skunks Got Their Stink"

Today was the last day of 3rd grade. With that comes all of the journals, yearbooks and assignments that decorated the classroom all year. Kamryn's class wrote stories, with illustrations, that were submitted in a district wide contest. Mrs. H.'s 3rd grade class won out of the entire district. Guess who's story was voted 2nd place by the kids of Mrs. H's 3rd grade class?? You guessed it. Our little Miss Kamryn herself.

"How Skunks Got Their Stink"
by
Kamryn Simmons

In the old days Skunk was the best smelling animal in the forest. In fact she smelled like chocolate roses. She would always invite the other animals to enjoy her wonderful smell.

One day when she was going to Owl's house for a quick visit, a paper flew right in her face, "Oh my!" she said surprised. When she got home she got herself some chocolate to read in style. Then she opened the front door, "In case any guests come by." she said. After that she sat on her soft and silky wool couch and read the paper out loud, "Super Dance Off Tonight!" she read. She decided to go to the dance off, after she was done with her chocolate she practiced for it.

Two hours later, she walked by a perfume shop, and went inside. When she was inside she sniffed around, and smelled something great. She hurriedly picked it up and got it, but she got the wrong one. She got home and sprayed it all over herself, and drank it for some reason. Then she ate two bean burritos.

Later, when the performance started it was her turn. When she got on the stage she danced the hip-hop. When she did the splits she FARTED because of the bean burritos and the perfume which are both stinky. Everybody fainted. It was so embarrassing.

Ever since that embarrassing and smelly moment all skunks have smelled aweful.

(this picture is hard to see, but the skunk on the right says "so embarrasing" and the other animals all fainted cause of the smell.)

Our baby girl is growing up and after a short summer home, she'll be in 4th grade!! We're proud of you Kami, but can you stop growing now? Please.

Great American Picnic

Today was the 3rd grade Immigration program and Great American Picnic. The program was adorable as her class sang "Coming to America" by Neil Diamond. Owen sang along and loved clapping when each class finished singing.

Since tomorrow is the last day of school.. I had to get a picture of Kami with a couple of her friends. We're hoping for a tear-free day tomorrow. Kami is an emotional one on the last day of school.. she gets very attatched to her teachers and friends. It's very sweet actually.
It was drizzling and about 88 degrees out... beautiful. The Great American Picnic included fried chicken, watermelon, pie and soda pop. I don't know what the immigrants ate, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't that.

Owen didn't love the attention he got at the picnic. As you can see, he was just plain miserable.

It was a great afternoon and it was fun to surprise Kamryn. This morning, when I dropped her off, I told her we probably wouldn't be able to make it because I was worried that Owen might get sick being around all the kids. She said "it's okay mom, I understand". HA... little did she know that I wouldn't have missed it for anything. She beamed with excitement when we arrived. It was fantastic!

Quick Cardiology Update

I cleaned my house before we left for California. It was spotless! Today, it looks like a tornado came through. How does this happen?

We went to cardiology at 7:30 am this morning. Dr. Stock hadn't heard from Stanford yet and had no idea of our plan. We are going to get Owen up to 20ccs of Captopril a day... that's ALOT of Captopril (heart function medication). I'm increasing his dose today, then again next week. Side effect... dangerously low blood pressure. I am to keep an eye on him, give him more fluids, back off his meds as I see fit. I really should be a Dr. by now.

We should hear back from Stanford regarding his antibodies somtime this week. Then we'll start that "protocol".

I know, it's all boring stuff. I welcome boring with open arms.

Now, to answer a couple questions.

What brand of tape do I use on Owen's cheeks?
I use Medipore tape. Ugly, white, sticky... but it is the only tape that doesn't irritate his cheeks, dampens in the shower so I peel it off easy and change it, and it sticks well so the tubes don't slide around.

Why isn't Owen immunized?
I do believe in immunizing my kids. Kamryn is up to date on all her shots and Owen would be as well, if he were perfectly healthy. It has been agreed upon to wait on Owen's immunizations for now. He has bigger issues right now. I also agree with parents that choose not to immunize their kids. It's something that should be researched and parents should go with their gut on this one.

What medications is Owen taking?
HA... do you really want to know?
Captopril (heart function med) 15ml's a day
Sildenafil (viagra for hypertension) 6ml's a day
Lasix (diuretic) 3ml's a day
Aldactone (heart function med) 3ml's a day
Digoxin (heart function med) 3ml's a day
Asprin (blood thinner) 1/2 tab a day

These are all set to go up steadily in hopes to put off transplant a bit longer. Have I said that I am thankful for modern medicine???

That's all I have for now. My house needs some TLC. I'm working on a little something for later.

Home At Last

We woke up at 4am.

Drove 12 hours... farmland, mountains, the great city of LA, through the windmills of Palm Springs, then we drove through the desert.

Finally, we are home.

Why does driving all day make me so sore? I feel like I'm walking like I just got off a raging bull ride... whatever that feels like.

I made it through the grocery store and stocked up on food for the week. Unpacked. Ate string cheese for dinner. Off to bed.

It's good to be home.

Our Day in San Fransisco

Before I start on our wonderful day on the Bay....

Proof that Owen loves his Echos and EKG's! He's not sedated, but he always passes out.

Now to our adventurous day at San Fransisco Bay. We started at Fisherman's Wharf to try to miss the afternoon crowds. If you've ever been to the wharf, you'll know that between every restaurant, there is a store to spend your money. The first place we passed by was the "Pearl Store". Kamryn was so excited to pick out her own oyster...
Inside the Oyster is a surprise pearl and you don't know what color or size it will turn out. They did a little Pearl Welcoming Chant "ALOHA" and then opened it up. Here is Kamryn's pearl. It turned out to be big and white... white means "innocence". Perfect. We had it set as a necklace for Kamryn.

This was Owen's reaction to Kamryn showing off her new pearl.
Carson's little brother, Rustyn was in town for business this week. Perfect timing. He moved to Seattle a year ago and we haven't seen much of him since. The kids loved spending time with Uncle Rustyn.

When you walk to the end of Pier 39, you get a fabulous view of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island. This is our attempt at a family picture in front of the bridge. If you look REALLY close, you'll see it in the far distance. Don't you love the pictures where the sun is glaring in your eyes so you squint until it looks like you're sleeping?

Uncle Rustyn and the kids on the same "picture perfect spot", per the sign.

Owen has always loved shoulder rides, but has discovered that pulling your hair out is hilarious, in his opinion.

Owen imitated the sea lions that "bark" on the Pier. Owen would "bark" at them over and over again.

Kamryn enjoyed the sea lions too, just not enough to "bark" at them. Mommy and Mr. Owen

We heard that the Aquarium of the Bay was pretty cool. We saw some cool Jellyfish, sharks, Octopus, and other ocean life. It was cool, but definetly wouldn't go again. Save your money and go to Monterrey Bay Aquarium instead.

Kamryn playing with the starfish.

We couldn't go to San Fransisco without driving across the Golden Gate Bridge. I took this picture out the window as we were sitting in traffic, waiting to drive across the bridge.

We drove across.

Stopped to take this picture.

Then drove across the other way and paid the $6 toll.

We took Rustyn to the Airport on our way back to the hotel.

The kids passed out.

We saved the trolly rides, Lombard Street and China Town for next time. If there is a next time. Tomorrow, 4am, we will drive the 12 hours back to Phoenix. There is nothing like climbing into your own bed again.

Owen's Plan

We spent 6 long hours at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital today. After Owen's echo and ekg, we had a long chat with the cardiologist here that specializes in heart failure.

We already knew Owen's heart is failing. His function is decreased and his tricuspid valve has severe regurge. In Dr. Rosenthal's opinion, we can treat his failure now and hold off on heart transplant. We are thrilled to hear this news. He said Owen's heart function meds can go up (almost double) in volume. There is also a new med that we can introduce to him that could also help increase his function. Over the next six months, we'll know if these treatments are helping, or hurting Owen's function.

I we can improve his heart function, it will allow him more time at home. If his function declines, then we would have to move forward with transplant.

Owen will need a transplant at some point. It's just a matter of when.

Another huge issue with transplant is that Owen's antibodies are sensitized. This means if we transplant a heart and he has positive antibodies against it, then he will reject the heart. LPCH (Lucille Packard Children's Hospital) has their own HLA lab and they run a more extensive antibody test. We already knew that Owen was 95% sensitized, which means he has antibodies built up to 95% of the donor pool. This limits his chances of actually getting a heart to 5%. LPCH uses this extensive testing (and I can't remember the name of it) where they find out if those antibodies are positive or negative ones. Based on those results, we'll know what treatment plan to proceed with.

LPCH received serum from Owen's labs in December and they are currently running extensive testing on those antibodies. They drew more labs today and by next week we should have test results from both tests. We will then have a plan to "attack" those antibodies.

Owen spent the month of January receiving IVIG (immunoglobulin) and Rituxin (chemo) treatments to lower his antibodies. We were told those tests were unsuccessful. LPCH will use more aggressive IVIG the next time around at almost double the dose. They don't commonly use the Rituxin, but rather, they use CellCept. I haven't had time to research the use of CellCept, but something about it attacking the B Cells. I'll have to do some research.

Great News all around! We don't have to stay in Palo Alto, Owen doesn't need to be listed for a heart yet, and we have the luxury of time. We'll start the new medications this week and Dr. Stock (our Phoenix cardiologist) will need to follow him closely as there are side effects to increasing his meds. We'll wait to hear back on the antibody results. Then we'll start a plan of attack.

Tomorrow we are off to play in San Fransisco... the Golden Gate Bridge, Fishermans Warf, the Aquarium, the trollys... it's going to be fun!

Promised Pictures

Day 1... Part 2.

We spent the afternoon doing this.

And the evening eating at a little outside grill/cafe...yum. Owen yelled at the trees that covered the sky above us.

Kamryn was being ... well, silly as usual.

We walked around the fabulous Stanford outdoor mall.

Now we are off to bed.

Day 1 at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital

Today was Day 1 at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital. We met with the social worker in a beautiful little garden with wildflowers everywhere. I think I could get used to this. We toured the hospital and though it's smaller than I imagined, it is comfortable. The CVICU has only private rooms, then the intermediate ICU (or stepdown) has private rooms as well. I know this is boring for some of you, but for a mom that is going to spend countless hours living in the hospital with a toddler... this is important stuff.

We ate lunch outside on a patio surrounded by .. you guessed it... wildflowers and trees. Carson's allergies are driving him crazy, but he'll survive.

After lunch, we toured the Ronald McDonald House ..... WOW!!! It has living rooms, computer rooms, 3 kitchens in one, a private wing just for cardiac kids with little suites, computer rooms, play rooms, many patios full of flowers and beautiful seating, an aquarium, book/dvd rentals, mailing stations ... we were blown away!

There is a gigantic mall with a garden full of wildflowers and greenery that seperate the RMH and the Hospital. We'll be hanging out there tonight. Tomorrow is a full day of clinical appointments and we should know what Owen's plan of care will be. I'll post more then.

I was bummed to have forgotten my camera's memory card today. There were so many wonderful picture opporunities. I will make up for it tomorrow and overload that entry with pictures.

Until then... we are going swimming in our hotel's heated, saltwater pool. Yum.

We Have Arrived

Our 12 hour road trip was L-O-N-G and a tad boring, but we made is to Stanford safetly. The kiddos were perfect as always for the entire car ride. Our hotel isn't as Snazy as I had hoped. BUT...it's clean, it's new, it has free breakfast, pool, internet, cable, and bath robes.. gotta love the bath robes.

We're all exhausted. Ready for bed. All we have tomorrow is a couple appointments with the social worker, childlife and tours of the hospital. I also want to make my way over to the Ronald McDonald house to check it out, seeing as that is where I'll be living for months.

Friday is going to be Owen's busy clinical day. I'll update tomorrow after we have an idea of what this place is all about. First impression.... everything is SO green and there are wildflowers everywhere!!

Night.

Our bags are packed...

...We're ready for bed.

The alarm clock is set for 4am.

The kids are fast asleep in the clothes they will wear for our road trip.

Medicine is drawn up, feeding pumps, blender, feeding tubes, stethescopes, syringes, formula, diapers... Owen has more luggage than all three of us combined!

Kamryn insisted on taking every single dress and pair of shoes she owns.

Tomorrow we will drive 12 hours to Palo Alto, check into our snazy hotel, and crash.

I'll update tomorrow night with pics from our road trip.

Night.

Beat the Heat

There is nothing more refreshing than jumping into an icy cold pool, on a scorching day here in the desert. We spent time soaking up the sunshine, splashing in the pool and eating some seriously delicious BBQ... Happy Mother's Day to ME!!

Owen loves to splash, and splash, and splash......

Kamryn and Gigi made friends and played tag... "1-2-3.. not it!"

Now for a little "Not Me Monday" I absolutely did not have a breakdown and cry like a little baby on Mother's Day because the scale said that I had GAINED weight despite my weight loss efforts. Then proceed to eat a gigantic hunk of ice cream cake to celebrate my weight loss gain. Who would do that?

This morning, while trying to get all the laundry washed and packed, I did not give Owen a remote control, three telephones, and a keyboard to play with so I could get something accomplished.

And just now, I did not let Owen have a humongous chocolate truffle to smash and play with at the table so that I could write this blog post and catch up on emails. Any volunteers to clean up this mess??

I'm off to finish cleaning, packing and running errands.

Happy Mother's Day

It was been H-O-T this weekend and I am pretty sure that I am going to melt. To welcome the blistering heat of 101 degrees, we took our first dip in the pool. Owen absolutely loved the freezing cold water and Kamryn jumped right in. I should explain that freezing cold water is anything less than 90 degrees.

Since Mother's Day is tomorrow, I decided to get a picture of all three Grandkids for my Mom and Grandma. After 70 pictures taken, we got about 5 really good ones! Kamryn is a model machine and always knows the exact position to put her face, body or eyes for the perfect shot. I don't think I have ever taken a bad picture of her. Gigi likes to make cheeseball faces just like her Nanny Andi (that's me). Owen was busy catching the leaves falling from the trees, picking grass, pulling his oxygen tank over or reaching out for me saying "mamamamamamamaMA".. as if I couldn't hear him. We started at 6:30 am and were sweaty, hot and done by 7. Thanks for helping me sis.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

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Just in case the transplant team at Stanford decides to keep Owen and not let him come home, we said our family goodbyes this weekend. We are ready to leave this Wednesday and are excited about our new adventure. Kamryn is excited that our hotel will have a heated pool, complimentary breakfast and CABLE!! We'll have a day or two to spend in San Fransisco. Walking the Golden Gate Bridge, playing on Fisherman's Warf, going to the aquarium, riding a trolly or two. We have two full days of Dr.'s appointments and meetings scheduled on Thursday and Friday. I'll have plenty of updates and pictures next week!

I keep forgetting to respond to a couple of comments I've gotten regarding Owen and why he doesn't have a Gtube instead of an NG tube. Owen has had his NG tube since birth... yikes.. 15 months. At first he aspirated, then he didn't know how to eat, then he learned how to eat but didn't have energy to eat. Eating has been just another adventure with Owen. He LOVES food, all food, all textures, all flavors! He is a two bite wonder and really just won't eat more than that. I've talked to our GI doctor about the Gtube, but Owen is in all honesty, is too fragile to undergo another surgery right now. He hasn't yet been immunized either. Despite what we see, he is a very sick little guy. If he had an issue with his NG tube, I would be more assertive in the matter, but it really doesn't bother him. He doesn't touch it, we only change it every 30 days when it's necessary, and he doesn't have issues with gagging or secretions. I think he's just used to it being there. We will move forward with the Gtube at some point, when we have the go-ahead with cardiology, GI, and his newfound transplant team. I really appreciate all your suggestions and concerns :).

A "Real"ity Addiction

I'll be the first to admit it... I am a reality show JUNKIE. It's an addiction I started back in the day when the only reality show was "The Real World" on MTV. I can't tell you what came next... Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor... I even watched Paradise Hotel (talk about trashy). I am totally addicted!! I draw the line at VH1's Rock of Love, Flava Flave, I love NY.. those cross the line from entertaining to pure trash, I don't know where they find those contestants. Seriously though, the ones on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX... there are some great ones!

Here's my favorites right now... of course they're all coming to an end. More on that later.

The Biggest Loser... it's really inspiring, but I can't help but eat junk food while I watch it and think "WOW... look at them exercise six hours a day... WOW!" Honestly, who has time to work out six hours a day?? Unless of course, you live on the "ranch" and have a personal trainer kick your butt. No thanks. My pick to win the finale next week.... TARA for sure!

Some of you know that I dance.. it's what I do. I LOVE IT! Always have, always will. I kind of don't suck too bad either. In fact, I was in Kamryn's dance recital the year before last when I was preggers with Owen. Hip hop and Jazz... front and center... shaking my groove thing. I'll have to get the videos posted. It was SO much fun. I haven't performed since high school dance company, but it all came back. Anyway.. back to Dancing With the Stars. My pick for the season winner -- TONY and MELISSA. Maybe I'm a little partial to Melissa... since I was addicted to the Bachelor this past season and the Dud totally broke it off on public television. Next up, trying to convince Kamryn to take Ballroom dance.

Americas Next Top Model... you know you love it!!! Kamryn and I have watched every single episode for years. Our pick is for the adorable Doe Eyed, ALLISON. She has definetly shown us her "inner fierceness" (as Tyra calls it ALL the time).

That's not even the half of the reality shows that I can't get enough of. I am a bit bummed that these three are ending next week, BUT... there is no shortage of entertainment for Summer. We have the Bachelorette with Jillian... and my ALL time favorite... SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE???!!!!

Gotta run. The family is asleep so I am going to watch The Hills on MTV online... I missed Monday's drama between Lauren, Brody, Audrina, Heidi and Spencer. I told you.. I'm ADDICTED!!!

Painful Day

After spending 3 hours in the dentist chair, 6 shots of novicane, and 10 cavities filled....I feel less than wonderful. My face is numb, but I can already feel the pain. Just in case you don't believe me.. here's how beautiful I look at this very moment. Make-up free, messy hair, and numbed up lips, nose, cheeks and even my eyes feel puffy... I am so stinkin' hot!

If this is how botox feels, then NO THANK YOU... ever.