Short people matter!

A while back, I did a blog post titled "Concentrated Awesome" about Nate and his fight to grow. My reading this week in the Old Testament was along these same lines:

"Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; ...for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)

Through our struggles with Nate, I have come to learn in abundance that we cannot assume that we understand what God sees in people. Our abilities go beyond what our height, weight, or physical appearance provide us with. As we follow the council of this scripture, and try to see people for what is in their heart versus what we can see with our eyes, we give the Lord permission to help us see individuals as He would see them. In my experience, this has brought more love than I could imagine. 

In the New Testament, in Luke 19, we hear a story of Zachaeus. He is of "little stature" and has a problem seeing the Savior as He passed through Jericho. So, he climbs a tree to be able to see the Savior. The Savior sees Zachaeus, calls him by name, tells him to come down, and invites Himself into Zachaeus' home. We read in verse 3 that he didn't know who the Savior was. Why then, is the first word from the Saviors mouth Zachaeus' name? This sent the message to Zachaeus that the Lord knew him. 

He sees us. He sees more than our current hairstyle, our stylish clothes, or our made up face. You can't disguise who you are from the Savior. Who you are will shine through. I'll leave you with this question: Are you pleased with who or what the Savior will see?

He's Concentrated Awesome!! {Nate}

I have been meaning to write this for some time now. The last 18 months with Nate have been a roller coaster. Most of the events that have happened during that period of time have been kept close to my heart. I have a new insight to the scripture "But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." {Luke 2:19} My emotions have been all over the place with support only from a few dear friends. I did this on purpose. Only a few select people knew what has been going on. That was a self preservation move on my part. If I had to go through each story numerous times, I think I would have broke. I am going to list things chronologically before I share some of my personal feelings.

(**Warning - this is going to be a LONG post.  Most of this is for my records, but I have had several questions from dear friends asking for an update - so here you go!**)

October 8, 2015 - Nate's 9 year check-up. At this appointment our pediatrician expressed concern because Nate had fallen off his own growth curve. We'd long since abandoned the "normal" growth curve, as Nate was in the 4% for weight and 3% for height for a very long time. However, he had remained steady on that curve until sometime between July and October of 2015. He feel to the 0% in both weight and height. {Note, this is as low as you can go. You can not fall below 0 on the chart. You can exceed 100 which Kennie and Justin have both done before they were 1, but you can not go lower than 0.} She put in for an x-ray to determine bone age, a series of blood tests, as well as a referral to a pediatric endocrinologist {Will be referred to as PE for the duration of this post.} Due to my anxiety in this area being very high, I put off making the appointment for the PE and completing the bone age. I did take him to get labs drawn and they took 10 vials of blood and tested for EVERYTHING!! All the tests were normal with exception of his growth hormone level, which was 68 {it was only a tad bit low with 85 being the normal.} Picture above was taken right before they took his blood.

December 2015 - I finally scheduled the appointment with the PE and took him to the base and had the x-ray done! He had turned 9 that previous August so he was 112 months and his bone age came back at 60 months.This is obviously a huge difference in where he was and where he should be.

January 2016 - We had our first appointment with our PE. She measured and weighed him (121 cm) and then scheduled an appointment for April for a 3 month follow-up height check. That was the first step. {Very anti-climactic!}

April 2016 - when measure and weighed, he lost .5 lbs and was 120.7 cm. (They did 3 height and weight checks each time!) Due to the lack of growth, he failed the 3 month check and the next step was an 8 hour growth hormone test that he had to be an inpatient for. (This was the appointment where the PE first mentioned the possibility of a pituitary tumor. There will be more on this in a minute.)

May 27, 2016 - the 8 hour test at Summerlin Hospital. We had to be there by 7:00. We sat until 8:40 when they came in to start his IV and access to draw blood. (They had to have 2 ports in case one failed because of the type of test it was.) They took a baseline grown hormone lab (2.1) and then administered the medication. They then did a blood draw at 60 and 90 minutes post medication (.7, and 3.7). Then they did IV administration of arginine over the course of an hour. Then they did a blood draw at 30, 60, and 90. (10.2, 3.0, and 1.7). At this point - 2 pm - he was finally able to eat (the entirety of the test had your be done while fasting. No food after midnight the night before.) He ordered a pretty big meal from the hospital! Hot dog, Mac & Cheese, dinner roll, can of  Coke, and a vanilla milkshake. He was such a trooper. Due to the 10.2, they consider him as have passed this test. This means his diagnosis was Idiopathic Short Stature (ISS) instead of Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD). This diagnosis would make it hard for us to get approval from our insurance for the growth hormone medication. {Side note here: while they were administering the arginine, he fell asleep. This is the first time since he was 2 that he napped during the day. That's just not Nate. I was terrified and the nurse could see that. She had the doctor call and talk me down a cliff explaining that it's quite normal for the kids to fall asleep during the administration of the arginine.}

May 30, 2016 - I received a call from the PE informing me that he passed the test and she was worried that he had a pituitary tumor. During our appointment in April she went into great detail about this concern including the treatment plan, as she was sure this was his problem. We had to do the 8 hour test before our insurance would approve a sedated MRI. Now that he "passed" the test, a tumor was even more likely and we scheduled the sedated MRI.

June 22, 2016 - the date of our sedated MRI. The staff was amazing and he was such a trooper. They gave him the pill to take and he played Skip-Bo on my phone sitting in my lap while we waited for the meds to kick in. Having him sit on my lap and drift off to sleep was the most unexpected blessing. My emotions had been all over the place and being able to just hold him was much needed. The nurses left me alone for a few minutes as I sat there with tears streaming down my face praying with everything that I had that it wasn't a tumor. I didn't want to be strong enough for the Lord to allow us to wade through the waters of that trial.  They gave him headphones and let him pick the station as they did the MRI. The nurses said he was the best kid they had ever had. He didn't move a single muscle, but was awake the whole time, just listening to music.

June 30, 2016 - I received a phone call from the PE. Here is our conversation: PE. "The good news is that his pituitary is perfect." Me: "Okay, what's the bad news?" PE: "what makes you think there's bad news?" Me: "The only time a conversation starts with 'the good news is' is when there is also bad news that follows.  There's bad news, right?" PE: "Well, yes.  He has a Chiari Malformation. It's actually quite a big one and we aren't sure why it hasn't been caught before. You'll need to see a Pediatric Neurosurgeon to be cleared to continue the growth hormone course we are on."

As I tried to digest and research what a Chiari Malformation was, I also tried not to lose it at the thought of being referred to a Pediatric Neurosurgeon (referred to as PNS for the remainder of the blog post.) That is a very scary reality. When Kennie was diagnosed with epilepsy and referred to a neurologist, I was okay. A neurosurgeon is a whole different ballgame. While doing my research, I heard from MANY sources that the PNS here in Vegas wouldn't deal with you unless you were willing to do surgery. (For those unaware of what exactly a Chiari Malformation is, it is a condition in which brain tissue extends into the spinal canal, present at birth.) I wasn't willing to jump on the surgery train unless it was necessary, so I turned to family for help. Aaron's dad has worked with many doctors throughout his career at DMBA and he mentioned a PNS that worked out of the University of Utah hospital that specializes in Chiari's. We made an appointment with him that would overlap a visit to Utah and continued to pray for guidance in this whole process.

August 11, 2016 -  Our appointment with Dr. Brockmeyer was amazing! I am SO impressed with his ability to comfort the scared parents yet at the same time provide an environment where the children are comfortable. {I guess that's why he's the Division Chief of the Pediatric Neurosurgery Program at the University of Utah!} I am SUPER grateful that Aaron's mom accompanied me to this appointment because I was a nervous wreck!! He was shocked and amazed that Nate hadn't had many symptoms. His Chiari is moderate (at 7 mm) and he's had it since birth. {Maybe this was the source of his non-stop crying until he was 9 months old....} He commented that he'd never had a patient with a Chiari 5 or larger without symptoms. {Nate has 1 occasional symptom.  When he has a head cold or URI he will have pain when he coughs or sneezes.  This is caused by the increase in cranial pressure.} We decided not to operate due to the lack of symptoms and just monitor the Chiari. He did clear Nate for us to continue the growth hormone treatment. (I will do a follow-up post with the events of our flight home that day. Oh. My. Heck. Talk about a stressful day...it was the day that didn't want to end!) I'd like to share one thing that I LOVE about Dr. Brockmeyer. He is one of the only neurosurgeons in the world that is doing active research involving Chiari Malformations. Nate and I both had a DNA & blood panel that will be tested and evaluated looking for explanations on how and why Chiari's appear and if there is any preventative measures that can be taken.

November 22, 2016 - Pivotal appointment with the PE. Due to the length of time with no growth (123 cm), Nate's diagnosis was changed from ISS to GHD. This was big!! Immediately our insurance approved the growth hormone therapy instead of denying it as they had done with the ISS diagnosis. I was prepared to fight them to approve the treatment, but was relieved that I didn't have to fight for this! From this point, things happened pretty quick!(Picture to the left taken this day. He had grown less than 2 cm and gained less than a pound in 1 year period.)

December 2016 - I received the Norditropin (Growth Hormone medication) in the mail, but needed to wait until we could get a nurse here to give us the 4-1-1 on how this all works.

January 13, 2017 - Our meeting with the injection therapy nurse. (Norditropin is a pen similar to insulin that is injected per dosage instructions.) She was GREAT!!! Nate connected with her immediately and wouldn't stop talking. I just sat back and let him run the show. Many question the freedom I give my kids when it comes to medical decisions. I am of the opinion that they are the only ones that know the way they feel and I refuse to take away their ability to control that. I have gone the rounds with physicians regarding the denial or insistence of treatment based solely on the go ahead from my kids. (Again, more on this later!) Nate has run the show when it comes to his medical care since the age of 4 and his ADHD diagnosis. It is not my job to determine what he feels, but it IS my job to advocate for him in his health. Our home nurse went through a bunch of information on the way to care for the medication, prepare his body each time, and the ins and outs of the actual injection. It was SO neat to see him advocate for his health and take responsibility for the entirety of the situation. This was the first day of his injections. I believe between then and now he has missed 2 days. Pretty great for a 10 year old if you ask me!  He gives himself the shot everyday (I have only done it once) and has become a pro!

One of the side effects of Norditropin is elevated blood sugars. This was a huge concern to me as my brother was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 14. When he was taken to the doctor for a stomach ache, his sugar level was 836. Upon hearing this information, the PE agreed with me and we decided to do a fasting sugar test each morning. This would help us gauge his response to the medication.

January 20, 2017 - This is the day we started sugar testing. The goal was for his sugar level under 100 (fasting). We did testing for 35 days, and of the 35 days, he was only under 100 ten times, with his highest reading being 152.

February 2017 - We did a repeat bone age x-ray. This came back with a bone age of 72 months (He was 128 months at the time).

March 20, 2017 - Follow-up check with PE. GREAT NEWS - Nate grew 1 inch and gained 3 pounds in 4 months. (It took him 18 months to grow his last inch!) She was significantly concerned by his elevated blood sugars and performed an A1C in the office (result of 4.8%). She ordered thyroid testing as well as a Insulin-like growth factor. His TSH was slightly elevated (4.7) and his IGF was 126.  (Normal for a 10 year old is 97-407).
(Note - in looking at the ranges for the IGF, even someone under 1 year old could have an IGH result of 126 and still be in the normal range.)

That brings us to date. I am currently working with the PE to decide if we should up his growth hormone amount, but for now we are in a routine AND seeing progress. We are cautiously optimistic in his response to the medication. I will be eternally grateful for those who have listened to me, held me while I cried, and were strong when I no longer could be.  

Many have asked how long Nate will have to continue treatment. The short answer is 8ish years.  The long answer is that we will check his progress in 2 years and if we are pleased with his response, we will continue treatment. If not, we will stop. (Strange - right?) The plan is to continue the growth hormone injections until he reaches a bone age of 14 (or 168 months).

Thanks for hanging in! I know that was a lot and I have probably lost everyone! I needed somewhere that would hold the details and feelings of this time. Some of it is housed in my journal, but I haven't been super consistent about writing (I am trying to be better) and needed it all in one place. Throughout the few days it has taken me to record this information, I have come up with some things that I want to remember as well as some things that I want Nate to remember.

• The passion in which you live your life.
• The strength and fortitude that you had as you faced down each and every trial you encountered.
• The way you felt as you fell asleep in my arms waiting for the MRI.
• The look in your eyes as you silently looked to me for assurance and comfort.
• The way you stood up to others when they teased and mocked you, but then dissolved in tears the minute you walked into my arms. 
• The way you tease and joke in order to mask the hurt you feel.
• That he has a purpose on this Earth.  He is indeed a child of a loving Father in Heaven.  He loves Nate even more than I do, and although it's hard for us to comprehend, that is truth.
• How at times I felt so alone and then at other times felt surrounded by angels!
• Each day that I have with him is truly a gift.
• How easy it is for him to make you smile one minute and then the next minute your fuming!
• How facing this trial together has drawn us closer and my heart is bursting with love!    

Thanks for hanging in through all that. Whatever battle you are fighting, know that while you may be alone - you are never alone!! If you feel you can't lean on those around you, I KNOW that there are many people supporting you that you can't see. I have felt the strength that only they can provide. There were times that I was sustained through these angels. If you are struggling and need someone - I am always up for a phone conversation or lunch (for those in Vegas!) There are people would want to love and support you!  The hardest part is reaching out.

I'll leave you with a bit of humor.  This has been our motto around here!

ADHD - Gratitude!

 

ADHD

 

This is a very sensitive subject to most people I meet.  They are ashamed that they or a loved one have it.  A lot of people feel like ADHD is a label and the label will never be removed once a diagnosis is made.  I know that this is true because I was one of those people.  I have learned that ADHD will be a label if you let it.  Don't let it!  When we had Nate diagnosed at age 4, I was terrified that this would follow him his whole life and prohibit him from being able to do the things he wanted in his life.  However, in my heart, I knew that the diagnosis was correct and we needed to take action.

 

I am not scared to admit that Nate has ADHD.  We openly discuss with him his diagnosis and what it means.  We talk about ways to not only control himself but also to be able to help those he sees who could use his help.  He has the ability to pick out kids that need help.  He is such a kind, sweet and caring boy.  He has such an amazing heart.  We also don't let him use his ADHD as an excuse.  His choices are his choices and he needs to take accountability for them. 

 

I ran into a woman today who with only seeing me for a second started to cry and tell me about her problems with her daughter.  I have run across this woman in passing a time or two at the store she works at, but I haven't really had any sort of conversation past the hi, how are you.  When I walked into the store today, it was just her and I.  It remained that way until I left.  I spent over 45 minutes explaining the science behind ADHD and some of that ways that we have dealt with certain issues.  She gave me some examples and asked how I would have handled it and I was 100% honest in my answer.  Again, I have nothing to hide.  She couldn't believe my honesty and my willingness to be so open about what we have learned. 

 

We are only alone in our battles and struggles if we choose to be.  I can fight the ADHD, PTO or church calling alone if I want.  Or, I can open myself up to help and guidance and be willing to learn from other people.  Being alone isn't fun.  I would much rather be with people who could understand how I am feeling and be in a position where we can all help each other.  Today, I am thankful that I have been given trials in my life that have put me in a position to be able to help another.  It's the whole Golden Rule or Good Samaritan thing.  Don't ever be ashamed of the trails in your life.  Don't ever be ashamed of the mistakes you have made.  We are here to live and help each other.  To make mistakes and learn from them.  To grow together.  Sometimes, we may have to ask for help.  I know that's hard, but in todays world, we become so absorbed in our trials that we fail to see someone who needs our assistance.  Lean on those who you love and trust.  Let them, or even complete strangers, help you during your most alone times.  The times when you need help!  Don't be ashamed to be you.  Take what you have learned and help others. Make an impact in someone else's life.  All of what I have been through has prepared me for the here and now to help those who are put in my life. 

 

I am thankful I know this!! 

 

Nate being Nate....

At least we know he can spell his name right!

Nate is 4!!

My little man is 4.  Crazy how fast the time has flown by.  I remember moving to Ohio and being terrified.  New place and 2 months to get comfortable and turn strangers into family.  I would be leaving Kennie and Justin with people who were virtually strangers to deliver my boy!  Crazy to think back now.  I was ready to deliver by myself while Aaron stayed home with my kiddos.  However, in those 2 first months in Ohio, I was home.  My neighbors were my saving grace!  My friends at church saved me.  The Lord truly blessed my life by bringing those very special people into my life! 

Going back a little further, I will never forget going to my 20 week ultrasound.  Aaron had to work, so I took Kennie (who was almost 3)  with me.  He said he was a big enough boy to go!  So cute.  I just didn't want to be alone.  I will never forget the look on Kennie's face when the tech said that it was a boy.  Kennie screamed - "No, it's our baby sister and her name is Baby Anna!!"  He was SO mad.  His/her name was going to be Savannah Marie.  I was so sure that he was a girl.  How glad I am that I was so wrong.  What would we do without our Natey?  :) 

We would have a computer that isn't fried.  (The motherboard is currently fried.  This is after it was fixed by a friend in Ohio last year....)  Our Wii wouldn't have had to be sent off and fixed for the pirate coin that had been inserted in the slot.  He has destroyed a few cell phones, deleted a TON of saved games on the Wii and DSi, cost us a ton in diapers (and still does.....)

He also gives you this look that nothing else matters.  Yep, you know the look.  He climbs up on my lap to read me a book and just melts my heart.  The boy is going to be the scientist that discoverer's how to break into some countries secret plans and saves the world.  I just know it.

These pictures are from last summer, but he hasn't changed a bit and I just had to use them again.  Seriously, they are my favorite that I have had taken of him!!  His stats for 4 years is he is in the 50% for weight and the 25% for height.  (He has his mom's height genes.  Sorry Natey!)

My sweet boy - I Love you!!  Happy 4th birthday angel!

Another Chapter in my Book

I have mentioned this before, but I have been told several times that I should write a book. Well, today would add another unbelievable chapter to this book!

Aaron's choir pianist quit on him just over a month ago (he is choir director.) So, he has been playing the piano and I have been directing. We thought after last weeks Choir Christmas Sacrament meeting, we would be off the hook for a while. Well, we were informed last week that our Ward Conference is next week and the choir needs to preform. So, we put something together this week and had the choir meet for 30 minutes after church to practice.

My mom and dad took Maggie and Justin home after Sacrament meeting. (Justin has a raging fever). So, we have Nate and Kennie through choir practice. Not a problem - right? WRONG! Imagine this:

Aaron is playing the piano and I am leading. Kennie runs up to the front of the Chapel where we were at and tries to get my attention. I finally hear him and look over. He covers his mouth so others can't hear what he is saying and says - "Nate took his pants off and is running around." What? Seriously? So, I tell him to go tell Nate to get his pants and bring them to me so I can put them back on. He comes back, "Nate took his shoes off." To which I replied - "Where are his pants?" Kennie replies - "An older man helped him put them back on." Okay, relief.

So, I later find out that the "older man" was one of the members of the Stake Presidency. Seriously, my 3 year old was running around with his pants and shoes off in front of a member of the Stake Presidency. Humiliation! Plus, this "older man" waited until we got done to tell me that we have a charming son. SERIOUSLY?!?!?!

Enjoy a good laugh at my expense. I was mortified!!

Small Update

Kennie – He is doing well in school but is daily upset by the "fun" homework Justin has and his homework is so boring. He complains daily about being the oldest, but usually just accepts that he can't change it. He likes to pretend he is the boss.

Justin – Thoroughly enjoys school. He is excited about his homework and doing very well with his handwriting skills. He is enjoying reading and is very close to reading chapter books. His favorite part of school is being able to check out a library book and read it home for us to read together. He has brought home books about Snakes, Whales and this week brought home one about an elephant and his 11^th birthday party. He started his allergy shots today and isn't very thrilled about it.

Nate – Well, it's Nate. What more can I say about Nate? He is as destructive as ever and doesn't seem to want to take a break from that. He does his best to keep up with the other boys. He even likes to "read" during their reading time after school. He will occasionally tell me he needs to go potty, but I haven't pushed it at all. I am not ready for that fight. Once he is potty trained, I am thinking about doing a home-school preschool group with a couple other gals in the ward. There would be 3-4 kids so I would only have to teach about one week a month. Totally do-able.

Maggie – Oh boy! She sure is cute!! But, she is in to as many things as Nate is. Always wanting to do what he does. She is talking like crazy. Her favorite words right now are: Costco (love this one), airplane, Mama, Daee, Nennie (Kennie), up, down, stuck and all done. She has learned the signs for help, please, more, all done and thank you. Having a girl is so foreign to me! I tell ya, it's crazy!

Aaron – he is alive! He just finished a week of nights and is trying to recover. Work is very demanding on his time and what he has left is spent on his demanding crazy wife! (Did I just say that out loud? This is Sassy – byw!)

Sassy – Well, I am alive. I have lost 16.5 pounds and have 13.5 left to go. I am so psyched. It has been a tough road, and I have earned every pound, but it feels so good. Once it is all over, I will bask in my glory and MAYBE have a Mountain Dew. That's a big Maybe!!

We are looking forward to the visit of Aaron's parents next week. We are trying to figure out some fun things to do in Alaska in October. We've heard that March and October are the worst months to visit Alaska. Hmmm….what to do? Any suggestions? Oh, and I am going to give myself props for the excellent photograph at the top of this post. Do you know how difficult it is to get all 4 kids to smile at the same time? I DID IT!!! I believe this maybe the first time EVER!! Anyway, off to figure out dinner! Ciao from Alaska!

Serious Help Please...

I am begging you, please help me! Nate is about at the end of his rope with Aaron and I. Look at this:

• He broke the Wii. We are hoping Aaron can fix this with minimal cost. We will see. (In all of his spare time!)
• He pulled the DVD player, cable box and all cables out of the Entertainment cabinet. (Did I mention that he had to undo a child lock on the Entertainment cabinet to get to these and the Wii?)
• He spread Balmex ALL over my new couches, in his hair and in Maggie's hair 2 minutes before we needed to leave. (I was upstairs for 2 minutes to change my clothes!)
• He was put in time out 2 times at "school" today for yelling at the teacher. (He has been going for a few hours a day for PCS care. It's free until your 20 hours runs out.)
• He got in my scrapbook room yesterday and colored ALL over my current layout.
  
• He got in my scrapbook room today and dumped all (I'm talking more than 1000) buttons on the floor. Guess what I'll be doing tonight?
• He broke the fridge child lock so he could get in the fridge and get a crush cup.
• Add this to crashing our hard drive (in Ohio) breaking 2 digital cameras and breaking our DVD/VCR combo. Just to name a few.

We really don't know what else to do with him. We have tried time out, we have tried sitting on his bed, we have tried everything we can think of. I was sure that he just wasn't getting enough one on one attention, but I know that's not the problem now. I have been giving him quite a bit undivided attention lately. He is just getting worse. Please, if you have ANY ideas, let us know. We would forever be in your debt!

Holy Crap!!

Okay, maybe not crap. But, I couldn't use Holy Moly because I just used it but maybe Hooray!! Tonight, before turning the water on for the boys bath, I put Nate on the toilet. Turned the water on and he did a little peeing. HOORAY! This is the first time he has EVER done anything on the potty, even though he sits on it all the time!! Go Nate!

Nate's so funny!

The other day, Nate took a nap (a big no-no at our house!) He wouldn't go to bed when we put the others to bed. So, at 10 pm when Aaron and I went upstairs to watch Law & Order and get ready for bed, we made him go to his room. He cried and cried and ended up laying in the hall. Aaron told him he had to lay in a certain spot on the floor. This is what we found after about 15 minutes. (During some of the time, he sang, talked to the ceiling, made funny noises. It was so funny!!) Isn't he cute?

Couldn't resist this one!

He just looked so cute, I couldn't resist. He put the hat on himself and tipped it to the side. He is getting cuter and cuter with each day. Have a safe and Happy New Year!!

Are you kidding?

Okay, so 3 times today, Nate came to me asking to go potty. Of course, I put him on. He didn't go any of the times, but hey, who can complain?? Maybe?

This and that (it's a long one)

It's been a while since I did a general update, so I am going to do it today. A lot has been happening, so bare with me.

Aaron is enjoying a laid back month this month. He is doing geriatrics at the VA. He doesn't like the VA and is excited to be leaving at the end of the month. However, the first 2 weeks of November are night float, which is never good for me. He works all night and sleeps all day. His only night of the week off is Monday nights. He is going to D.C. the 19th of November and found out he gets to present his case at the conference he is going to. YA!! Maybe that will help him get his fellowship.

Kennie is doing well in first grade. He struggled in the beginning with his writing, since he hadn't been introduced to it. We worked with him conference weekend and now he is doing better. We are working with him on creative writing and including more details in his stories. Once we explain it to him, he is off with it, so it just takes us introducing things to him. He is still the top reader in his class and continues to excel in Math. He is very pleased with himself to say the least.

Justin is currently down with a stomach bug. He has missed the last 3 days of school and will miss today because he doesn't feel good. You can tell when Justin is sick (he acts just like Aaron) and he is sick!! Hopefully we are on the upswing of it and he will be back to "normal" by the weekend! He is enjoying preschool and he has started teaching himself how to read. He is really smart and is doing exactly what Kennie did last year. He has also won 2 of 5 football polls and is very pleased with himself!!

Nate is getting cuter by the day. He is learning all kinds of new words and won't stop talking. While Grandma and Grandpa Lewis were here, we cut out his nap and is doing so much better with it gone. We actually sleep through the night most of the time. Now, we just have to work with him about not throwing objects. I have many a bruises from him.

Maggie (this is where this post will turn into a book. This is more for me to remember than anything, so please bare with me.) We have had a couple of rough months with Maggie. She hasn't been a happy girl since August 13th (the day of her 2month shots.) She cried a lot, went from sleeping a lot to hardly sleeping and just no fun to be around. I was really at the end of my rope and didn't know if I could handle much more, so I took her into the doctor for her excessive crying and a 4 month check-up. Well, she weighed 10 pounds 11 ounces (she was 10 lbs 6 oz at her 2 month check up.) This was quite concerning to the doctor. (Let me take a minute and thank Troy. He is in our ward and just happened to have appointment openings when I needed an appointment. It was so nice to know that the doctor knew my family and my kids more than a normal doctor.) 5 ounces in 2 months isn't good. At her 2 month check-up she was in the 50%. At 4 months, she was in the 2%. Yes, that's right, 2.

What we decided in her appointment is that we upped her Zantac from .5 ml's twice a day to 1 ml 3 times a day. I also cut just about everything that is worth eating out of my diet. Gluten (wheat, barely, and rye to just name a few), dairy, nuts, eggs, sugar, artificial sugar, caffeine (that means chocolate) and carbonation. So, you might be asking yourself what I ate. NOT A WHOLE LOT!!! I was at a loss. It isn't too difficult to do one of those. But to do wheat and dairy was the killer. So, that was last Thursday. I noticed a change by that afternoon. She took an hour and a half nap. By Friday night when Shelby came over to hang for a bit before girls night, she took one look at Maggie and said "welcome back Mags!"

We have our old Maggie back, almost. She isn't quite sleeping through the night again, but we are getting there. I took Maggie back to the doctor today for a weight check and to touch base with the doctor about how things were going (we also did a mini appointment in the halls at church on Sunday and he said that since her change was so immediate, I could introduce wheat back into my diet because it wouldn't change that fast if it was wheat.) Anyway, so today Mags weighed 11 lbs. She gained 5 oz in 1 week. PERFECT. I don't have to go back for another 2 weeks for a weight check.

Now, we had some fun things at our appointment today. Troy heard a slight murmur while listening to Maggie's heart. For those of you who don't know, I also have a slight murmur. My heart is turned almost 180 degrees (they call this dextrocardia). It hasn't caused me much grief other than to limit my sports activity (like they could stop me) but I do have to be careful and I get winded easy. So, if she still has the murmur in 2 weeks, she will have an EKG and maybe an Echo and an X-ray to see if her heart is turned as well.)

There is also a chance that her hip socket is out of place. We will know in the next day or two if it really is. We went and got an X-ray. If her hip is out of place, she will need to wear a brace for 2 months and then we will have it re-examined to make sure all is well.Other than that, Maggie is doing a lot better.

So, you may have noticed that I have left myself out. What more is there to say. With all of this going on, I haven't had much time to do anything. Stamp camp is tomorrow night and I haven't finished the layout. I have a swap due the 1st of November and I haven't even started it. My house is a mess, my laundry is almost caught up (thanks to a throwing up kid I had to wash everything so we could live in this house with the smell.), I haven't exercised in 3 weeks (but have still lost a total of 11 lbs). I go to bed exhausted at the end of the day and wake up exhausted at the beginning of the next day.

I better head to help out with the screaming children in the bathroom who need their teeth brushed, medicine administered, prayers and kisses. Peace!!!Just a quick picture of our new Mags. Enjoy!!

Nate sings his ABC's

Nate started singing his ABC's to our refrigerator magnet the other day. Aaron caught it on his phone. Sorry it's not great quality, it is from a phone. He is so dang cute, I just can't stand it.

My little boy is growing up

So, my mom left to go back to her life today and with her took Nate's paci. (Not really, but that's what we are telling Nate.) So, he had to go to sleep without his paci tonight. On top of that, we put him in his Diego bed. He had some troubles getting to sleep. We will see what the night brings.

Nate's ready to go!

Nate turned 18 months yesterday. It's crazy to realize how time really does fly! He is growing so much and for the most part, he is so much fun. Here is a picture of Nate ready to go!