"Crushed It"

Kamryn finally "crushed it" and passed the not-so-easy drivers permit test.  She is very excited and now I am terrified.  I did let her drive the car in our neighborhood and while Owen thought it was thrilling... I was a nervous wreck.  Until later... we will try again.  Eventually she will be driving us to school and home each day.  Time to start pricing car insurance.  Good job baby girl!!

While we are talking BIG milestones here... look who just figured out how to get around! I am so excited for all the exciting things this little man is about to discover.  Owen never crawled and he always had a leash of oxygen and tube feeds followed by an IV pole... he wasn't going far.  Logan has all the freedom in the world.. I better get on my A game!

 

Owen had his best day of second grade yet.  Days two was a struggle and there were tears. Yesterday he had horrible leg cramps that kept him on the couch with heating pads instead of school.  We were working on his homework yesterday and the assignment was short vowels...  "kid, hit, pit, hid, lid... and salid".   Oh this Mr. Owen is hilarious.  Salid does sound a lot like lid and kid.. oh those tricky little vowels.  Owen did get to check out his very first set of library books from the school library... these are about as Owen as you can get!  They read like comic books and he was excited to do his nightly reading homework. :)

 

First Day of 2nd Grade

Today was Owen's first day of second grade. He was completely uninterested.  I have been trying to build up the excitement and get "Mom, it's school.. seriously?  What I am really excited about is the new lego set that comes out this Saturday.. THAT is exciting.  School is just school...not exciting AT ALL."  He was a little nervous he wouldn't make any friends, but said "all kids feel that way."

 We showed up a little early and it was already 95degrees at 8am.  I walked him straight inside to his class, but not before his little legs got tired and he needed to stop on the bench in the shade to rest them.  We finally made it inside and the room was dark.  The other kids line up outside at the playground and wait for the bell but it's still way too hot for this guy.  He explored the classroom and I unpacked all his school stuff.  He doesn't have a 1-on-1 aide this year because I think he can manage, but there is a 2-to-1 aide he shares with another boy in class if he needs her.  His teacher came in and got them all settled before heading off to specials.  How fun to show up to school and get to go straight to art, computers, library and PE.  He was super nervous, but then saw some of his old classmates, including Payton and he was totally fine. "Pick me up in ONE hour!"  He led the line for his class and off to art he went and blew me a kiss as I walked off to my car.  Sweetest boy ever!!

He stayed two hours today and survived. They went to art where he drew a masterpiece of Antman and Yellowjacket.. can't wait to see it!  Then he had a snack in his classroom and they watched WildKratts on PBS.  Then they did a getting to know you game where they wrote down their favorite things.. "I wrote video games, toys, comic books and my favorite color is black."  If he had a fifth piece of paper, I'm sure he would have wrote family.  Tough day big guy, tough day.  He said "It was good!  I think it won't be so bad."  Until tomorrow when we get to hit up labs for blood before school... 

  Just for fun, let's walk down memory lane...

 

 First Grade

(same shoes, same size clothes, but looks way older)

 

Kindergarten (LPCH Hospital School)

Look who I ran into on my way home?  Gigi was at the bus stop in our neighborhood waiting for the Jr. High bus. 

Yesterday was my Dad's bday party.  Kam made him two desserts of 'Too much chocolate, chocolate cake' and pumpkin cheesecake.  Mmmm.  He hair looks beautiful because she was getting ready to get it colored.

Kam wanted to go blonder for her sophomore year.  I can't believe how curly her hair is getting.  My hair is super curly and she always had super straight hair.  Just this last year her hair has started getting really curly on it's own.  Now she is a blondie too.  I'll have to get a better photo in a bit.. it looks fabulous!  Thanks to my Sister for saving me at least a hundred bucks on getting her hair done at a salon.  I did her dishes as a thank you. :)

Before the party, I realized that Logi was at the weight/height limit for his Infant Carseat Carrier.  It was 22lbs and 30" and he is right there for both. Thankfully I had this carseat already waiting for him so I installed it and it's so much better.

Look who we kidnapped and brought to the family party??  Nana escaped from the nursing home for an afternoon of fun.  She was actually having a pretty good day.  Kel picked her up at her nursing home and on the way home grabbed her a Sonic Rootbeer..she was in heaven!  Then told her we were going home and she could see all the grandkids and she replied with "Oh Sh**".  She may not remember who we all are or how to speak, but once in a while that Alzheimers allows her to remember something. :)  We all had a good laugh.  She loved seeing "her baby" Bridgi.

Happy Birthday Pops!

Oh... and look who is trying to crawl but can't quite coordinate so he ends up doing a hundred or so of these planks a day!  He is SO close!  Time to baby proof our home.

After School today Owen requested "fish tacos and spicy salsa" so that's what we did.  Logi ate tons of rice and beans and was very close to getting the water out of the straw on his own.  He sucks and then blows bubbles.. he will get it.

Happy Monday .. it's going to be a great week!!

Logan -- 7 Months

We blinked and now Logan is 7 months! 

This boy is so much fun!  He is changing so quickly. All of his baby hair fell out and now he has tons of new sprouted baby blonde strands. He is happy 95% of the time.  The other 5% usually means he just wants to go to bed, but not before snuggle time. 

 I am finding it's harder to take pictures of a baby on the move.  Owen and Kam used to just sit their so chill and let me take all the photos I wanted.  Logan likes to try to eat my phone or camera strap.. he does not care to have my camera in his face. 

 When I say on the move, I mean it.  He is up on his hands and knee ready to take off.  He hasn't figured out the coordination behind it and usually ends up in a face plant, but it doesn't stop him from getting back up and trying again.  He is sitting up like a champ and transitions to this position a little too swiftly.  He has also mastered rolling over ..so long are the days that he will stay in the place you put him.

While we haven't heard any real words yet, but he sure likes to babble and holler.
 Logi is loving food!  He isn't a fan of pureed baby foods, but is moving straight on to table foods.  Finally, I got myself a good eater.  Each morning he loves his baby yogurt and always says... "mmmm" after each bite.  He will snack on easy to dissolve puffs and fruit pops.  He loves those little baby meat sticks but I don't let him eat the skin, just the mashed up meat.  He has tried mashed taters, angel hair pasta, beans, rice, peaches, bananas, strawberries, and today we will try avacados.  In Logan's words..."mmmmm."  He still won't drink more than 4oz of bottle at a time despite all our efforts.  He only wakes up once or twice most nights for a quick bottle and he's back to sleep in minutes.
We increased a weight class and he's at 21lbs now. I have no idea how long he is, he has his six month checkup and immunizations next month.. I am a bit behind.  He is in size 4 diapers and all 12 month clothes.  We love our happy, healthy little bubba chubba.  Happy 7 months Logi man!

Summer Vaca Coming to an End

This is the end of summer vacation as we know it. We have been prepping for Back To School... you read that right.  It almost seems cruel to send kids back to school in July when it's 110 degrees out.  Owen had his "Meet The Teacher" night last night and when asked if hew as excited to start school... "I am one thousand and twenty four percent NOT ready to start school."   Owen is starting off low key for 2nd grade, just going for three hours in the mornings, and hopefully we will get homebound set up soon to get one on one at home in the afternoon.  The last thing we want to do is over stress him right now. 

We had our annual back to school lunch this week with my Mom and Sister.  The kids picked NYPD pizza this year and thankfully we went when it wasn't busy.  Logan is at such a fun age and he sat in his high chair for the first time.  He was thrilled to drink his ice water out of the straw that the waiter brought him and nibbled on his baby puffs.

Then he took a nap the rest of the time.  He loves to nap on mommy or Kam.  She is getting all the snuggles in that she can before she has to go back to High School on the 5th.

Bridgi gets to stay in preschool.

Gigi is in Junior High.. seriously... 7th grade.  Liv is going to be in 1st grade and Lucy (who was with her mom while we were at lunch) is going into 2nd grade.  Liv and Owen were wresting in the booth after gobbling up their pizza.  Glad we had the place to ourselves.

Earlier that day we had a followup with Owen's local transplant team.  His echo continues to look the same.  He tolerated all his med changes so far.  I have doubled his dose of Carvedilol (beta blocker) and his HR is finally dropping just a tad.  I get excited when I see his HR in the 140 range.  We switched from Enalapril to Lisinopril (once a day).  His Lasix and Aldactone are status quo.  We are dropping the Steroids at a steady pace and he should be off of them by September, which could be a bit risky.  The biopsy in October will be telling for sure!  His weight is still way too low, so I continue to pump him full of calories and hopefully the scale will slowly increase. 

We did get out to see Antman because Owen had it on countdown since his friend from Marvel came to visit at the hospital.  It was pretty darn great and Owen LOVED it!!  If you haven't seen it, you should.  Logan was a rockstar and watched the entire movie.. quietly while playing with chewing on straws.  Best baby ever.

We have one weekend left of summer vacation.  It has gone by way too fast, but we have plenty of breaks and vacation coming up before we know it.  Kam is studying and trying to pass the test to get her drivers permit.  It's going to be weird having her drive home from school pickup each day.  Eek.  I thought I had gray hair from Owen?  Good thing Gray is the new trend.

Owen's Gift -- Two Years Later

It was two years ago today that Owen received his gift of life... the perfect heart.   I will never forget the day we received the call.  It was the afternoon of July 16th, 2013 and we had just arrived back to the RMH from a day of appointments at the hospital.  My body was running on adrenaline and I felt like I just wanted to pass out at the same time.   All I could think about was the heartache of another family.  In the same moment I was trusting that everything was going to work out.  Not only did I pray for Owen to have a successful transplant outcome, but for his donor family to find peace and meaning in all of this.

Fast forward two years...

Owen's donor family, Aly's family, has opened up to us.  They have shared their little girl with us and allowed me to share her with you.  Many of the things shared will remain private and between us.  I did want to share the post that Aly's mom, Sarah, wrote on July 7th of this year.  Her faith is inspiring and I am in awe of her love for our Savior. 

"2 years ago today was the darkest day of my life...... my beautiful daughter Alyson was killed in a car accident. Last year marked the 1 year anniversary, and it was very difficult.

 Today as we stayed around the house doing odds and ends, I couldn't help but feel so much JOY in my heart. I began working out as I normally do to help keep my stress at bay. And while I was kicking my own butt I was hit so strong with an overwhelming JOY. I wanted to sing praises to God. I wanted to dance. I felt as if I was celebrating a birthday. 

 You see I am celebrating a birthday today. It's Alyson's birthday into eternity with THE ONE we love. While there is still so much pain, there truly is so so much peace in this mama's heart! Only God can do that!!!! I have spent many many hours with my Father these last 2 years. I have hurled thousands of questions, thousands of tears. You name it I have given it all to HIM. And you know what the most amazing thing is HE stands there loving me in all of it. I have felt His arms wrapped around me so many times. We have come a long way together I have crawled my way out of the pit the enemy had created for me. But I didn't crawl out alone. GOD was there the entire time. At times it didn't feel like it, but deep down I knew He was there. So today I woke up with a heavy heart. I spent the morning with my Savior. He wrapped His arms around me and has carried me through this day. Today through my tears of mourning I smile with Joy at the birthday celebration going on in Heaven right now. Alyson Rose DeFur, you are my beautiful baby girl whom I love so so much. And miss so so much. But I know I will see you again soon. And we will be celebrating my birthday into eternity with THE ONE that I love so much!"

We are forever grateful for the DeFur family and their love for our Owen.  Aly has left an imprint in our hearts and will forever live on inside our boy.  Owen will always have an angel watching over him and I know she was there the day he received his heart, during his many biopsies and again when we almost lost him in April.  Life is so fragile, so precious. 

Today we celebrate 2 years with a new heart!!!

I just have to share this video once again.  Owen receiving the news...  I smile every time I watch this. 

 

 

Summer Livin'

When my kids say they enjoy doing nothing but relaxing.. they aren't lying.  They spend their long summer days kicking it around the house.  They will do a chore here or there, but they are really loving their free time.  We have been getting lots of back to school shopping out of the way because it's creeping up on us.  Owen starts back on the 27th... of July.  We still have a lot of details to iron out before I can send him back and he will only go a few hours a day, but this little guy is ready for 2nd grade.  Kam has an extra week of summer before she jumps into her Sophomore year.  I am all about letting them be lazy for the next two weeks.. between shopping, appointments, and chores.

We ventured out this weekend to see the new Minion movie.  Owen loved it, but the rest of us could have passed.  Next weekend is Antman, so you can bet Owen is counting down the days. 

Oh and we took Mr Logi to his first movie experience.  He was such an angel and slept on my lap the entire movie.  Best baby ever!

Owen loves to take pictures with the posters.  Another movie he is dying to see.  I'm pretty sure PacMan is supposed to be eating his arm here. 

With lots of time at home, Logan has been trying new foods everyday.  No doubt this boy loves his food!  He isn't impressed with baby food, but would rather eat "real" people foods.  I have moved from pureeds to soft foods and things that dissolve easily.  He also can't get enough of ice water in his sippy cup.  He has mastered the sippy and he is a guzzler.

Love it when you pick him up and the puffs are stuck all over his clothes. We can't get enough of this little hunk.

Owen hasn't been eating as well as his younger counterpart.  He has been so picky!  Even foods I know he loves he decides they are just gross.  He is obsessed with fish tacos right now, but only certain ones.  He also loves his Spicy Kung Pao Chinese food, pretzels and peanuts.  The other morning he asked for strawberries and I looked over to find a feast of crutons and parmesan cheese.  This is the breakfast of champs.  I always encourage him to pick a produce, protein and carb at each meal.. he did just that!

This is really all we are up to.  Endless piles of laundry, housework and appointments keep us busy.  We were going to head to SunSplash today but decided with Owen's low white blood count, I should probably err on the side of caution and not go to a public waterpark right now.  So we played UNO, folded laundry, and watched a movie instead.  Life is good.

July 4th in the Pines

We had a fabulous 4th in Pinetop. We unplugged, played games, explored and had our first family campfire.  It was spontaneous and turned out to be a lot of fun... thanks to Gpa Todd and Gma Monica for booking their timeshare.  After a very busy three day trip to Stanford and back, I quickly unpacked, did laundry and repacked the family.  Relaxing it was not, but totally worth it in the end.  My kids love road trips and were perfect for the 3 hour drive up North.  The weather was cool at 77 degrees, which beats the triple digit heat we get on Phoenix.

This little guy just loved being outdoors all day.  He would kick his little feet and just babble.  We spend so much time indoors from June - August because it's just too darn hot for the majority of the day.  It's a small price to pay for 9 months of amazing weather.

My kids loved exploring.  Owen found this little squirrel, "Chumpy", and he fed him peanuts the entire weekend.  He followed him everywhere!

Owen loved the playground and tetherball courts.  I'm pretty sure I whooped Kam in tetherball, but she won't admit it.  We played air hockey for a good hour and I was brutally defeated by both kids and Carson.

Kam went on a little exploration hike with Gpa and Gma.  Then they rushed back because a thunderstorm was brewing.  Nothing smells quite as good as rain, pine trees, and ribs cooking on the grill. 

Connor, Ry and Tate were all up North visiting their other Grandparent's for the 4th, so they drove down to celebrate the 4th campfire style.  Nobody wanted to battle the firework crowds and after you've seen one firework show, you've seen them all.  We made s'mores and taught Owen how to roast his first marshmallow.  Spending almost six years with oxygen tethered to your face equals no camp fires.  This was the first time he got to just chill fireside and watch his mallows burn.  Of course he wouldn't eat the s'mores or any part of them because they are sugary.. not salty and savory. 

We got up, packed and headed home in the afternoon on Sunday.  It was another gorgeous drive home even though we took another route to avoid traffic.  We live in such a beautiful state.  I was happy to be home and unpacked, but so happy we made this little getaway happen.  It was a great way to celebrate the 4th of July.