More Patient Pictures

This birthday present got a rare smile out of him!
Here he is on Monday!
Here he is on Tuesday - note the clothes are the same. 

The Surgery

Before the surgery - See that smile (we miss that smile)
After the surgery - Chase was having a lot of pain and the medicine that they were giving him was not working so they finally gave him morephine - that did the trick
Being discharged - my poor baby

Chase had is tonsils taken out on Friday. He was so nervous about it that he was sick to his stomach on Thursday. My poor baby! He did really well the first 2 days and I had visions of him bouncing right back and going back to school by Tuesday - NOT! We had been warned by a lot of people that the recovery would take around a week, and they were all correct. He is still having such a hard time. Most of his time is spent laying on the couch sleeping and watching television. I am soooo sick of Animal Planet! He finally smiled last night - it had been a long time. I was so excited thinking that he would be so much better today. This morning he was so sick to his stomach and hurting so bad. It is really hard to watch your baby hurt and not be able to really help him. My poor, sweet baby.

Teacher Lottery

I always worry about the kind of teacher that my boys will get for the year because the teacher makes such a big difference in how the year goes. For the most part, my boys have had excellent teachers. Chase's Kindergarten teacher was wonderful (you were wonderful, Mrs. Kelly). His first grade year had a rough start with a teacher who ended up being gone most of the time with pregnancy complications but the year ended with a wonderful teacher who really loved teaching and brought out the best in her students. He had another excellent teacher for second grade. Dylan had a good Kindergarten teacher. We "requested" (you cannot formally request a teacher) Chase's 1st grade teacher for Dylan and he got her. For Second grade we "requested" that Dylan be placed with the same teacher that Chase had - and he is! You know you have your child in the right class when all of the teacher's children are in that class. Chase has an excellent teacher for 3rd grade. I can tell that he will respond well to her. Even Cade is getting the preschool teachers that I hoped he would get. I feel like we have won the teacher lottery. Big sigh of relief!

Today was the first day of school. Everyone got up on time, had a good breakfast, and left in plenty of time for school. Dylan was sooo excited that he was being super silly (read annoyingly silly). He was also very nervous. He told me about the dream he had last night about all the kids in his class laughing at him. We talked about how you dream about things you are scared about and that is how your brain helps you with your fears. My poor baby! When we got to the classrooms, I was amazed at how all the children were sitting quietly at their desks working on worksheets. It was so organized and calm. Chase was being Mr. Cool. He did not want me to take his picture because it was too embarrassing. I cannot believe that my baby is starting to be too cool for his mom. I know that it will only get worse. Pickup was a disaster! I had to wait in line for close to 30 minutes and then a teacher had sent them where they did not belong so I had to find them. Hopefully tomorrow will go smoother. Dylan said he had a great day at school and Chase said that it was good (another example of the cool factor coming out). I know that this year will be a great year for both of them. 

Get Ready, to Wiggle!

Can you see the excitement in his face!
Notice how their eyes are glued to the stage and not to the camera
Here is the Big Red Car!


I have a secret. I am a Wiggles fan. Great music that encourages kids to move which encourages learning - what is not to like? Wiggles shows are very entertaining. I can't believe I just typed that. I remember making fun of the Wiggles in my ignorance. Sunday I took Cade and Nate to see the Wiggles. Cade was soooo excited. I took him last year for the first time ever. He had never been to a show like that so he was expecting a movie or something like that. When we got there, they were playing Wiggles' shows on the screen. When the credits started to roll Cade said, "It's over". Then, the Big Red Car came unto the stage. Cade was in shock! The real live Wiggles were right in front of him! He loved it! Going to the Wiggles with Cade is one of my favorite Cade memories. This year he knew what to expect and he was excited. He was telling me all about the show last year, I could not believe that he remembered so much about it. Nate went with us too even though he was running a fever (I know, I know but I kept him away from other kids). Cade loved it and Nate loved it! Nate clapped and clapped and clapped and then he would dance and dance and dance. His fever started to come back so I gave him medicine and he fell asleep. The show was very entertaining. The Wiggles seem to really love what they are doing. They ad lib a lot and crack each other up. They really involve the audience and go out in the crowd. We had not so good seats and Jeff (one of the Wiggles) still walked right by our seats. Mark Cuban (owner of the Mavericks) was even involved in the show - how funny is that! The boys had a great time and I really enjoyed the sweet time with them. I can't wait until next year! I hope Cade still likes them next year.

Chase is 9

I can't believe that 9 years ago our precious treasure came into our lives. I remember the night before he was born I started to have contractions. I did not tell Mark because he needed to be rested. I sat on the couch and watched Cheers because that was all that was on at that time of night. After the show was over, I could not remember one single thing that had happened on the show. I was not in pain, but my contractions were regular and I knew that we would be going to the hospital shortly. I took a shower and then began to pack my bag. Mark woke up at that time and asked me what I was doing? That really made me laugh (later that is) because I was 9 months pregnant and packing a bag at almost 3 in the morning - what did he think I was doing? Mark got in high gear and we left for the hospital. I told Mark not to speed until I noticed that my contractions were 3 minutes apart. Mark sped up a little and we arrived at the hospital. I had this huge fear that I would not really be in labor and they would send me right back home. Since I was dilated to a 7 it was definitely labor. I was feeling really good until they broke my water then I was in tremendous pain. The doctor finally came to give me my epidueral and he kept calling me Gina. Sweet relief finally came. At 8:29 a.m. my sweet, baby Chase came into the world. He was grunting, but Mark and I did not realize that anything was wrong. Mark followed him to the nursery but they kicked him out because they told him that Chase was having trouble breathing! Mark came back to the room but did not tell me that anything was wrong. The pediatrician came in to talk to me and let me know what was going on with Chase. Chase aspirated meconium during his birth and developed pneumonia. I was so emotional that morning. Here my precious baby boy was sick. Later we were able to visit him in the nursery but we could only hold him for a short time and only while holding oxygen to his mouth. My sweet baby boy. I thought he was the most beautiful baby whom I had ever seen. He was not able to stay in the room with us, but we were allowed to visit him. I remember that I would wake up in the middle of the night and go and check on him. He was laying under an oxygen tent. One time I went in the middle of the night and he was not under the oxygen! The nurse told me that he had turned the corner and was doing much better. Mark and I had to leave him in the hospital on Friday. That was so hard to leave my baby. Good friends who lived by the hospital let us spend the night at their house so that I could bring milk to Chase (I was not being allowed to breastfeed yet). He was cleared to go home on Saturday after home health was set up (he required intravenous antibiotics for a week after his dismissal). Our insurance company was being very difficult but the pediatrician worked so hard to make it possible for Chase to go home. We finally were able to bring our sweet treasure home. I loved him deeply from the moment of his birth and that love grows stronger every day. He is a wonderful boy and Mark and I are so proud of him. In honor of his 9th birthday, here are 9 things about Chase.

1) He is truly a sweet and kind boy. He is loving (most of the time) to his brothers and to others. He is well liked because of his kindness.

2) He has a sensitive soul. He still prays every night for the babies that we lost.

3) He loves his baby brother and is such a wonderful helper with him - a lot of times without being asked to help with him. His baby brother adores Chase!

4) He already loves God and tries to live like God wants him to live.

5) He loves, loves, loves snakes.

6) He really enjoys science and math.

7) He does not like to read.

8) He loves spaghetti. He is a very healthy eater, always has been.

9) He is a bit of a know-it-all. If he reads something or learns something or thinks he reads something he stores that information and will debate you and debate you if you disagree. It really makes me laugh because I was sooo much like that as a child.

Chase truly is our treasure and we love him so much. God blessed us with Chase's precious soul 9 years ago. Happy Birthday, Chase. We love you! 

Some More Time Flies

Chase at age 5
Not quite 2, taking aim with the sprayer nozzle.
Mark and Chase on Lake Superior. Chase had just thrown up from being sea sick prior to this picture.
One of my favorites! Chase is 2 and Dylan is right around 1. Chase was picking flowers for Dylan.

More Time Flies

Chase trying to be like his daddy - around age 3
Uncle Jared and Chase at the farm Christmas 2000. It snowed over 18" the day after Christmas. We ended up being snowed in for another 3 days. What a wonderful memory!!
Chase's first day of Kindergarten - he starts 3rd grade on Wednesday!
Chase around age 3 playing on the computer - note he has his blue blanket and the thumb!

How Time Flies

Chase at 2 and Dylan at 1
Chase and Dylan on the granite rocks above the Llano River in Llano, Texas.
Chase at 2 showing off his self dressing skills . Notice the shoes! Now you can see where Cade gets his dressing issues from. Monkey see, monkey do!!
Prior to this picture, Chase had talked continously of building a robot snake. Finally, after Mark's weed eater broke down, Chase decided that he could use these parts to build his robot snake. Chase must have spent 3 hours on our back porch taking apart the edger (with a little help from Daddy). Chase is 5 years old in this picture.

More Party Pics

The balloon animal kit was a big hit
 

Chase's Party

For the 4th year straight, Chase had a snake cake!


Silly String War!

Chase had a sleepover party for his birthday. He had 7 friends come to the party and 5 friends spend the night. We ate pizza, had a silly string fight, went to see Monster House, and went swimming at the pool. They had a lot of fun. I can't believe my baby is almost 9! 

Nate Update

Nate changes every single day! I can't stand it!! He took a couple of steps yesterday, but then he realized what he was doing and sat down quick. He can tell you what a dog says and what a camel says - but only if he is in the mood. He blows kisses now. The sweetest thing that he does now is give tight bear hugs complete with pats. Completely melts me! 

A Closer Look

A closer look at Cade's face because it made me laugh!