Happy Halloween!

Things here in the Amick household are good! Both boys have been kind of sniffly (Andrew much more so), but it seems to be getting better without getting any worse, so that is wonderful. I *really* hope Benjamin stays well and doesn't have anything go to his chest. Ugh.

Here is an update in pictures. What else? :)

Wednesday, Andrew went to Trunk-or-Treat at the church of my brother and sister-in-law. Let me just say that Andrew loves his cousins. LOVES. THEM. He evidently had a great time even though he still really doesn't know what all this is about.

Here are the kids on our front porch before they left. Abbie is Cleopatra, Ashlyn is Sharpay from High School Musical, Davis is a hotdog (his nickname), and of course, Andrew is Elmo.



At the church



For the past year, Andrew has had the opportunity to participate in four six-week sessions (30 minutes each) of lapsit at the Collegedale library. It's a program for children ages 18 months to three years. You have to preregister and there's homework (coloring or a simple craft) each week. Several of his little friends have done it, too, and it's been fabulous. The library is a bit of a drive for us, but it's right next to the police station where my dad works (not to mention a great playground), so it was worth it. Technically, we still qualify for one more session (starting in January), but we are on a wait list b/c we have done it four times in the past and there is a long list of people who want to do it. Soooo...yesterday may have been our last one. I was totally verklempt as we went, and I finally took some pictures. (My sister-in-law Edie came to stay with Benjamin while he napped at our house while I took Andrew.)

Andrew and Yampa outside the building:



Our little carpet square:



Getting a hug and kiss from Jerry Giraffe:



Waiting patiently for other kids to get a book out of the book box:



Okay. This story will make you laugh I hope. Or maybe it'll just give you yet another glimpse into my crazy life. Either way, here goes. My best friend since the sixth grade, Joyce, is having a baby in December. Remember, she's the one who lives in NYC and I can't go to her shower next Saturday? So I got online and looked at her baby registry to ship her a present earlier this week. I'm cheap and hate to pay more for something or pay for shipping, so I found a great gift on her registry then found the exact same thing cheaper and with free shipping on Amazon. I ordered it and called her to tell her that I ordered this particular gift so that she could go into her Babies R Us registry and mark it as "bought." That way no one else would buy it and she wouldn't have to deal with multiple items. We discussed the item, which is a Tiny Love Gymini Super Deluxe Lights & Music Playmat (Wow, that's a mouthful...), and how it's supposed to be great, etc. I told her that I was tempted to buy one for Benjamin because he's still playing with things like that, etc., but that maybe I'll buy it for Baby #3. She was excited about it, and I was glad. I received an email on Tuesday that it shipped to her Manhattan apartment.

Yesterday I was able to take a wonderful 70-minute nap (with both cats) while A & B napped. When I woke up, there was a HUGE box from Amazon on the front porch. I was LIVID. I knew when I saw it that they had shipped Joyce's gift to ME instead and now not only would she probably not have it in time for her shower in a week, but I would have to go through the agonizing process of getting it shipped to the right place on Amazon's dime. Benjamin was hungry so I had to nurse him first before I even got it off the porch. After I fed B, I double checked my email just to be sure I had it in print that it was supposed to have been shipped to NYC and not to me. Yes, it was. So I got the box and brought it in. I even hated to open it b/c I knew what it would be. I also knew it would most likely be easier on the return shipping if it were unopened. But I couldn't just not know for sure. The box was opened. I peeked under all the paper wrapping. Yep. A Tiny Love playmat. Ooh...I was hopping mad. Usually Amazon does such a great job. Arg.

Do you see where this is going? Uh, yeah. I looked at the packing slip. Sneaky ol' Joyce (whose birthday is TOMORROW!!! HAPPY BDAY!!) had gone and ordered Benjamin a Tiny Love playmat. Upon reading her sweet note, I burst into tears. I'm such a sap. What a great friend!

Here is the sweet boy on his new toy:



Go, Benjamin, go!



His feet in the air are cracking me up:



Andrew's new thing is playing hide-and-seek. But unless his cousins are around, he is usually playing by himself because I'm usually busy. All day, from all corners of the house, I hear him shouting, "WE'RE WEDDY!"



Andrew was very grateful to Joyce, too, because he loves the box that B's present came in! And the cats love the paper.

These last two pictures are my lame attempts to copy my friend Stephanie, who always posts great pics of things that her three boys leave lying around her house. Granted, I only have one boy who can do that so far, but this is still pretty sorry. (Steph, seeing your last couple of posts made Matthew comment that he really wants another boy so we can live your crazy life. I told him he's nuts.) :)

That's it from our house today! Tonight, Matthew is taking Andrew to our church for a little while to go to their Fall Festival. Then he's watching Benjamin while I take Andrew trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. Tomorrow, my aforementioned cool friend Stephanie is having a HUGE "Fear Not" Fall party in her backyard and so all four of us are going. YAY!!! Have a safe and fun Halloween, everyone!!

Yay for the doctor!!

Hooray! Dr. Stephanie tried a couple of times and was able to get a blood draw from Benjamin's left arm! I was praying up a storm as he was screaming his little head off, and it worked!

Andrew was already gone at this point. When he got his flu shot, all he did was kind of furrow his brow a little. What a guy!! Then he was easily distracted by getting a purple frog (color of his choice) and a Percy sticker. Yampa then took him in his truck to the bank and "Mall-mart."

Benjamin had his hearing rechecked. He passed the right ear with flying colors but will have to have his left ear retested in a month when we return for his second flu shot. (The first time you get a flu shot, you have to get a booster a month later.) He will also need another one of his vaccines b/c they were out of it. (Sara, I did ask the doctor and she said it was fine to get his flu shot and vaccines on the same day.) Poor little guy. He is such a trooper.

He weighed 13lbs, 3 oz, and was 26 1/2 inches long. For the Down syndrome charts, that's 25th percentile for weight and 80th percentile for length. (On the "normal" chart, that's 10th for weight and 25th for length.) He's only gained one pound since his four month checkup, but we'll cut him a break. He *did* have open-heart surgery. ;)

His hemoglobin level was 11.9 (normal is 10 t0 15), so we can cut back on the iron vitamins a little bit, which is good. They totally constipate him! On Friday, I decided not to give it to him for a day, and the next day...POOP EXPLOSION!! Lucky for me, Matthew was out running when I discovered the ten-pound diaper. Yay me.

We started Benjamin on a little baby cereal on Saturday! He had a little on Saturday and a little on Sunday. While he is still clueless about what he's supposed to do with it, he seemed to like it, diving for the spoon. We'll start with some stage one baby foods this week. The doctor said we can start with prunes or peaches to help combat the constipation. I'll be sure to give him those when Matthew is around so he can reap the benefits. Hee hee

Below are some cute pictures. Please forgive the cloudiness. It seems my camera is on the fritz. We bought it in 2004. In digital camera age, that's ancient. I only hope I can make it until Christmas!

Emma's Halloween Party 2007

Our babies were 1 1/2.

L to R is Taylor (a fireman), Andrew (a duck), and Evangeline (a ladybug). We were lucky to catch a peek of Evie in her costume. She kept taking it off. :)



Taylor and Andrew hanging out on the hearth.



The famous hearth pics. As you can see, Andrew is crying *and* his outfit is too short for his long legs. Sigh. What can you do?



Okay. L to R is Andrew, Taylor, Emma (a tiger), and Evangeline.



Fast forward one year. Emma's Halloween Party 2008

Our "babies" are now 2 1/2. (Just as a note--there are *lots* more kids at each party; these are just some of the playdate friends.)

The same hearth and mostly the same kids. Matthew (on the far left) had already removed his Dumbo costume. He wasn't at the 2007 party; I believe he and his parents were stuck in the Miami airport on the way home from a mission trip!

L to R is Matthew (the toddler formerly known as Dumbo), Andrew (Elmo), Taylor (a pirate), Evangeline (Cinderella), and Emma (a ladybug):



Inside the bouncy house. "Ummm...Mom, I'm not so sure about this..."



Elmo, a pirate, and Cinderella. Ready to par-tay.



A couch + a cookie = a happy Elmo



Waiting to play Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin:



Almost got it!



Elmo and Dumbo hanging out by the window:



No, they're *not* supposed to be capri pants...



Nothing says Halloween like black Play-doh and a Mister Potato Head with fangs!

His favorite thing at the party (other than the cookies obviously) was the purple sand. Here he is with Evan (a racecar driver) happily pouring and scooping.

He's talked non-stop about the purple sand. (Diana, we need to find a time for the kids to play in it again!! Let's see if there's a day when it won't be too cold so we can sit outside w/the babies while the "kids" play.)

Finally getting the hang of the bouncy house. Emma (far left) told her daddy to buy one of these. He told her to get a job.

Goodbye, Emma! Thanks for the cool party!! :)

Benjamin's six-month pictures. He still needs *lots* of assistance to sit up in the chair.

Benjamin's first baby cereal

Six months and one day

October 25, 2008

Thanks for looking!! Hope you all have a wonderful day. :)

Did you miss me?

Hello, faithful blog readers! Sorry about the temporary hiatus. To be honest, my 100th post took me SO long to do, I wanted to leave it up long enough to be read! Plus, it's been kind of busy around here. All good things, though, thankfully! Here's a recap:

• We took Benjamin to the cardiologist on Monday for a post-op exam. (This was his local doctor, Dr. Herold.) Benjamin weighed 13lbs, 2 oz. The echo showed that the squeeze on his left side (a concern post-op) still isn't at the optimal level, so he is still on all his medicines. (ARG!) There is still a chance it could improve, but it just needs more time.
• Dr. Herold was a little concerned about the large pneumatacele in his right lung that the heart surgeon discovered during surgery. It was evidently very visible on the x-ray on Monday but Dr. Herold had never seen it before. (I think B's last chest x-ray at Dr. H's office was in July or August.) The pneumatacele is that air bubble that has formed in his lung. It puts him at a greater risk for respiratory infections; he is already at a high risk because of his Down syndrome. Because of this, he is being referred to get synagis shots. This is a series of shots given to at-risk babies (preemies and/or heart babies) once a month from October through March to help prevent illnesses such as RSV. We are praying that he gets approved by insurance b/c they are *very* expensive. If he hadn't had his surgery yet, he'd be approved immediately, but we're hoping the presence of the pneuamatacele will get him approved quickly. He will have to go to a clinic at Children's to get these shots.
• Sigh. Benjamin's poor wrist (where they had to cut to get veins during his surgery) was not closed with enough stitches and is NOT healing well. So they removed the stitches and we're supposed to leave it open and put Bactraban on it. It is going to leave a nasty scar. Poor baby.
• We go to the pediatrician on Monday for Benjamin's six-month well visit. I am bringing Andrew so both boys can get flu shots. (My dad is coming along to take Andrew back to his house after he gets his shot b/c Benjamin and I will be there awhile.) Benjamin, along with his normal vaccines and his flu shot, also has to have his thyroid and hearing checked. The former involves giving blood. Ugh!!! This is the WORST! Down syndrome babies have such thin veins. There is only one RN at our pediatrician's office; the doctor told me that if the RN can't get a successful blood draw from B on the first try, then she will send me to Children's downtown to have the lab do it. I am *really* hoping I don't have to do that! But at least if I do, my dad will have Andrew. Oh, Monday will be a doozy of a day I can tell already.
• We go back to Vanderbilt on Monday, November 3, to meet with the surgeon again. I already know I'm going to be totally nostalgic! Did I mention PIZZA???!?!?!?!?
• On Friday, November 7, we go back to see Dr. Herold. My prayer is that B's heart function has improved and we can start weaning him off his medicines.
• Benjamin will be six months old this Friday. YAY! Happy 1/2 birthday! I suppose I should go get some baby food soon; he's never had anything but breastmilk. Ummm...yeah. And lots and lots of medicines. Oh, and gas drops. Gotta love those!
• Matthew is still training for his first marathon. He runs the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon on Saturday, November 8. He's so excited, and I'm so impressed! :)

For more updates through pictures, see below:

OH MY GOODNESS--THE FOOD!!!!!!! We have been SO blessed with many friends who have been bringing or sending meals to us. Wow. It has been so, so wonderful. I don't think I've cooked once because we have had so much. This one in particular was so pretty (and yummy) I had to take a picture. Thanks, Mary Anna! (She gets a special shout-out for also bringing a six-pack of bottled Dr. Peppers!! She said she knew I'd like them because she reads the blog. YAY!)

On Saturday, October 18, Matthew took Andrew to the Imagination Station playground for his friend Evan's second birthday party. Poor Evan, his birthday was like a month ago and his party had to be postponed b/c he got sick! Anway, here are some of the kids eating pizza. You can see the infamous Emma (pigtails blowing in the wind) and her sister Ellie (in pink in the Baby Bjorn) on the left. Diana, I just noticed you were wearing flip flops in the cold! LOL



Look at this fantastic Thomas cake from Publix!!



Speaking of cake, notice in this picture, Andrew is eating vanilla cake and there are scads of people at and around the table.



And here, Andrew is eating chocolate cake and everyone else has moved on. This boy LOVES his cake!



The Thomas pinata was a big "hit"! But according to Matthew, the even bigger hit (even more so than the candy that came out of the pinata) was the ribbon that was hanging from Thomas. (Notice in the picture below, Andrew is holding onto said ribbon.) Those pieces of ribbon were carried all over the playground and even brought home, where they had to go in the trash when he wasn't looking. (Our male cat Frank likes to eat ribbons and they are not so kind on his tummy.)



Matthew (who took wonderful pictures at the party, don't you think??), Andrew, and Frank. The first two are ready for church.



CHEESE!



LOOK what Benjamin got in the mail today!!! A really cool personalized t-shirt from my friend Amber. Here is the back of the shirt.....



AND THE FRONT!!! How cute is that?!?!?!?!?! Thanks, Amber! I love it!!

Okay, must go. We leave in about an hour to go to Emma's Halloween party. Later I'll post pics of last year's party and this year's party. It is so cool to have kids Andrew's age for him to grow up with. The comparison pics are so great to...ummm....compare!

OH! Most of you know by now, but Susan finally guilted me into joining Facebook. Just kidding, Suse, I love ya, and now I'm hopelessly addicted to FB. So if you have an account and just can't get enough of my mindless dribble over here, feel free to ask for an add! If you don't know what that means, then you probably don't have a FB account. :) My name on there is Angela Crosby Amick. If you don't think I'll recognize your name, just add a brief note of how I know you!

Have a great day!