Weekly Happenings

 Father's Day was wonderful but I didn't get a chance to take any photos.  On my defense, I was grilling burgers with my pops and dishing up desert.  We had a fun day celebrating Carson, my Dad, my Uncle Rog's bday and Chris (Kel's hubby).  My kids are lucky to have such great relationships with their Grandfather's (Gpa Todd and Gpa Greg).  Uncles that are hands on and spend quality time with them.  Best of all, a Daddy that is there for them 100%! 

 

 This week was also my 36th Birthday and we celebrated with a free lunch at SomeBurros with the kids.  We had a family dinner that evening and came home to sing Happy Birthday with the kids at night.

Kam had an orthodontist appointment and the end of braces may actually be in her near future. We have been taking practice tests for her drivers permit and apparently I should go back to drivers school.  Kam scored way higher than I did on every test.  The High School will be posting school schedules next week so I'm sure she will be excited to see which teachers she got and who is in her classes. 

  Owen is super excited to go to Stanford next week for his biopsy.  Like counting down the days excited!  I would like to say he's excited to go on a one on one trip with mom, but I think he is just an anesthesia addict.  I'm anxious to gather cath data so we will know more about what we are dealing with moving forward.

Every Fri night the food trucks come out in Downtown Gilbert.  Live music and food trucks... we had to check it out!  This was a couple weeks ago when we had our last cool Fri night for a while. 

Logan -- Six Months

I am finally getting around to doing this little guy's SIX month post.  The past six months have flown by and we can't imagine life without our Logi.   At six months Logan is 19.6lbs and about 28".  I just went on a mini shopping spree to buy 12 months clothes because he outgrew everything he had! 

We started solid foods this month and he loves them!  His favorites are meats and veggies, specifically sweet potatoes.  He doesn't like applesauce or pears because of the gritty texture maybe.  He loves fresh fruit in the mesh baby strainer and can't get enough of his sippy cup with ice water in it.  He is always trying to snatch our table food and he sneaks a bite here and there.  He is still taking only about 3-4 ounces of formula at a time.

He is a sleeper and goes to bed around 8pm... wakes at midnight and 4:30.. but is up for good at 5:30am!  My kids are all early risers, even in the summer.  He can self sooth in his crib but sure loves to snuggle.  He takes several daily cat naps, always in someone's arms.. usually mommy's.  It gives me an excuse to sit down and do nothing.

Logi is rolling all over the place, gets up on all fours (not crawling yet), and loves to be on his tummy.  His favorite toys are his sensory balls, rattles, play drums and anything he can stick in his mouth.  He is sitting unassisted but will still fall over too.

We all love to make him laugh and smile.  He loves to take tubs with Owen and try to snatch his ipad.  Kam is his favorite person for everything.  He loves to play with daddy's beard and yank the hair.  Mommy is his favorite when it comes to snuggles and bedtime.  He completes us!  Happy six month little buddy!

 
Here is a fun little comparison of all our babies at six months.  Kam is in the first one and her head was pretty much as bald as the other two.  Owen in the middle and Logi on the right.  I see a resemblance...

 We are blessed!

Great News.. Milestones!!

It has been HOT in the desert as we hit 118 degrees yesterday. We hibernate as much as we can in the nice cool house.  There are some things we cannot avoid.... dentists, therapies, doctor appointments.  I'll start with this little goofball.  He had a dentist appointment this week and once again he is cavity free.  We had another set of labs the same morning and his anti rejection meds are finally at the right level.  Get this... no labs until we go to Stanford on the 1st!  Owen is a little bummed because he likes to pick out a little toy or treat each time he gets poked.  Such a character.

Owen had a cardiology visit on Thursday and we got great news.  His heart function is looking better and his Ejection Fracture is up to 57%!!  That is very close to normal and we finally are seeing improvement over the plateau he has had since discharge.  I am still anxious for the cath/biopsy coming up, but I am so excited that his heart continues to show us how incredible it is.  This heart has been through so much.  Aly dear.. you have your hand in this and your heart is going to continue beating on in Owen for YEARS to come!

Owen is still on a lot of medications that he will be on long term.  His HR is still very elevated at 155.  He is gaining weight and he is getting stronger every day.  We are moving in the right direction.

Yesterday was also our 16 year wedding anniversary!!  I know it's totally not romantic to go out to dinner with all three kids, so we still need to have a date night to celebrate.  I love you babe.  You are my best friend and I am lucky you are mine.  We decided on Mexican food and Owen was probably the most thrilled.  Check out all the salsa!  He passes on the mild, chows down on the hot, and always asks for a sample of the hottest.

Another milestone this week... Mr. Logan turned SIX months!!  How did that happen so fast?  I'll have a post for him with all his milestones, but just a shout out for the cutest baby ever.  The smiles are endless, the giggles are contagious and you are the smartest baby I have ever known.  Happy six months big guy.

We are getting creative at home while we beat the summer heat.  Owen has been begging to make caramel chocolate pretzel rods like we got at Disneyland.  Gourmet pretzel makers we are not.. but they will be delicious nonetheless.

Oh.. and an update on Nana.  We ended up moving her from the hospital into a rehab facility.  Ultimately we had to make the difficult decision to move her into a skilled nursing facility. My Sister got her a room at a fantastic place that already knows and loves her.  She has been going to their day club for the past year and so they are familiar with her.  A room opened up this past weekend so the girls, my Sis and I went to make it feel like home before she moved over.  She seems much happier there and I can't wait to go visit her this weekend.  They did have to move her into more of a hospice care since she continues to fall and can't do much for herself.  They have a hospital bed in there now and she has a nurse.  Prayers for Nana. It's hard watching her progress so quickly with Alzheimers.

That's our weekly wrap up.  Have a Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.  We have something fun planned for all the men in our lives.

Enjoying Summer

Summer break has been wonderful. Lots of lazy days spent in the air conditioned house or poolside. We should see our first 115 degree heat this week.  I schedule all appointments in the early morning so we are home and not driving around dying in this heat.  Owen finally decided he would go back out to the pool.  He is terrified of bees after being stung several times... always around water.  No stings for the O Man yesterday, but Sis took one for the team.  Darn bees just want a drink of water and then the kids go and splash them.  Owen had fun playing with his cousins.  He is still lacking stamina, so he just plays on the steps and throws dive sticks for the girls to go find.

Mr Logi loves the water after he gets used to it.  He isn't a fan of being dunked under water though.  I'll be rethinking the ISR (Infant Swim Resource) this summer. 

Kam gets photo credit for this one.  Kam is without a doubt Logi's favorite person. He just adores his big Sis and smiles whenever she catches his eye.  Look at all that blonde hair sprouting!

Owen loves to antagonize Liv, but the girls were so sweet to swim after his diving sticks and torpedos.  I am sure we'll have many more lazy morning by the pool with these girls. 

I took this photo the other morning while I was cleaning house.  I literally just mopped, vacuumed the house, and was washing the mirror/windows when I stopped to take this photo.  I am happy to clean the house without messes being made. :)

Last night I was doing the nightly routine .. bottles, meds, tube feeds, baths... when I heard giggles coming from my room.   Kam had Logi belly laughing.  Enjoy!

Nothing too exciting has been happening around here.  Still waiting on lab results from last Monday.  More labs after the weekend.  I watch Owen like a hawk and check his vitals a couple times a day.  My dental work is finally completed.  C is busy at work.  The kids just go with the flow.  Life is good.

 

 There's still time to leave me a comment on THIS post telling me what your favorite summer activities are!  You will be entered to win a $100 Walmart GiftCard. :)

Scars (Cardio Update)

A whole week has gone by.   We are enjoying our summer break and the kids are getting their lazy on.  I have big ambitions of organizing closets and sorting through toys but motivation has been tough.   We saw our first triple digit temps this week followed by an evening thunderstorm last night.  Owen had labs twice this week and a cardiology appointment yesterday.  His echo looks the same, maybe a touch better, but not worse.  He is up to 19.6 kilos (43lbs) and gaining!!!  His scars look amazing.  The little dots on his chest are from the broviac line and stitches.  The giant scar on his neck is from the ECMO cannulas and his sternal scar is from being opened up four times.  He loves all his "battle wounds" as he calls them.  I just booked out trip to Stanford for biopsy and transplant clinic with Rosenthal for July 1st.  Everything so far looks promising and I just know this perfect heart is going to recover and shock us all!

My kids are so chill and want to just spend their days kicking it around the house.  Playing games, reading books, watching movies.. they are such homebodies!  We did venture out for Owen's labs, I had dental work done, we went to the mall one day, Owen had his cardio visit, Livvy turned 6 so we celebrated with her, and we have been busy around the house. 

All the time at home is good for Logi and he has not only been rolling all around, he is now sitting up by himself.  He still needs a little help with balance, but he's got it figured out.  Such a happy baby!

Daddy is busy at work and we seriously need a date night out.  It is our 16th wedding anniversary in a couple weeks .. how is that even possible?  Summertime is easy and I am not counting down the days until my kids are back in school.  I am loving having them home all day, no morning rush out the door and afternoon naps with the boys.  Life is good.

Have a wonderful weekend!  Get outside and make some memories.  Then go HERE and share with me what you did and you will be entered to win $100 Walmart Gift Card!