The Playful Blaze May 29, 2009

Blaze is incredibly happy and playful lately. Yesterday he started doing the oddest thing. He would stick his tongue all the way out, towards the side of his mouth. I kept looking at him saying, "What are you doing?" I just couldn't figure it out. Then I looked at our dog, Maggie. I truly believe my darling 10 month old is imitating our cocker spaniel. How silly! But, it is fun. We are taking him to the photographer's tomorrow. I sure hope he doesn't do it there, though a coworker insists that we need a photo of that for the baby book. We'll see what happens.

Lately there isn't a dull moment. He is constantly on the go...and he is always thinking and considering things. He studies everything carefully. Going to the store is always interesting. Blaze will interact with us, but if anyone else tries to interact with him, he just stares them down. He constantly looks around and wants to see it all. SO...I can't wait to see how he reacts when we take him to Peter Pan tomorrow. They are doing Area Appreciation, so we decided to try it. This is Blaze's first time to see anything "live" besides worship service at church. We are very excited to get to take him! We are looking forward to seeing the actors fly above the audience. Live theater is always fun. I am eager to see how Blaze handles it.

Tonight Blaze's Great-Grandparents are in town. We are going to eat with them and visit where they are staying. It's always nice to spend time with family!

I am constantly reminded at what a blessing Blaze is to our lives. Everything is new and exciting. We are so blessed that he is doing well and thriving the way he is. Thank you for your prayers! We are so grateful for them.

Memorial Day 2009

Blaze seemed to enjoy his Memorial Day weekend, though he still has a bit of a cold. We kept him home Sunday, rather than expose him to other kids in the nursery. We have also noticed that Blaze must hurt when weather fronts move in. He gets so untypically fussy. Unfortunately, it usually takes us quite some time to figure out what is happening and give him Tylenol. Poor baby! He is doing better now.

We did find out this weekend that Blaze is above the 10th percentile on the growth chart now!!! How exciting! In February he had completely fallen off the chart, now he's flying up it! We are so pleased with how he is growing and gaining weight. We never know what he'll be into from one moment to the next. We watched him move a footstool to an area he wanted to be, climb up with both feet on top of the stool and attempt to go on the chair or the table. He swings from his high chair now, too. He stands underneath, grasps the top of the table then raises his feet off the floor. He knows how to get off the couch or the chair now feet first...or he'll go down head first, using his hands and arms. He's still using books to rest his hands on as he crawls across the floor. It's just fun and amazing to watch him think things through and figure out solutions to things. AND he is one determined little fellow! That shouldn't be a shock to any of you who know us. It is incredible to see his spirit.

We are making preparations for Blaze's birthday! We will be hosting a community "thank you" party and you all are invited. We know that so many have helped our family over the last year: prayers, encouragement, meals, donations, gifts, etc. The outpouring of love was incredible. Many of you haven't gotten a chance to see Blaze "in person" due to health concerns. So we are anxious for everyone to get to see Blaze! We don't want you to bring gifts, we just want you to come and have a good time! We will give the details of when and where soon, but keep some Saturdays in early July open!

Tim and I are constantly amazed and reminded on how blessed we are. Thank you for your continued encouragement!

Blaze's Cardiology Appointment May 20, 2009

Blaze is still trying to get over a really rotten cold, but he was such a good boy at his doctors' appointments this week! Monday Blaze had an eye exam and he has terrific vision! That was not a surprise to us, but we were very pleased to hear it. The BIG doctor's appointment this week was yesterday's cardiology appointment. We had terrific news! Since Blaze was there last in early March he had gained 2 pounds and grown an inch and a half! His pulse/ox stats were in the 90s. His blood pressure was great. Dr. Tong did hear a murmur that he had not heard before, but he was nice enough to literally draw me a picture of what is going on and explain why not to worry about it. I have complete confidence in Dr. Tong and will not worry, but it was nice to be told that it was there. I recently heard a client talk about a doctor who had heard a heart murmur but did not tell the family what was going on. It is good to know I can trust Blaze's cardiologist to tell us what is happening, even if it does not change his treatment or it is not considered important. It helps build my trust for the doctor. Anyway, Dr. Tong predicts that Blaze will probably not need his third surgery until after his third birthday! We are very excited to have this grace period.

Blaze is so funny. He now finds books to put his hands on and slides himself across the floor. He crawls with his legs but just scoots around, not having to move his hands, as he slides with the slick book. Now he is doing this with large toys or anything he can slide. I was cooking the other day and gave Blaze a small skillet to play with. He slid into the living room and then tried to turn the skillet over to slide. Of course, he couldn't go anywhere with the upside down skillet, which with his weight added to it, was pressed down into the carpet. He grunted his frustration, flipped it back over, and slid into the kitchen, once again, smooth side down. He's figuring out which toys make noise when they are upside down and slid across the carpet.

He also turns the pages of one of his books at the right place, when we read it to him. This is a counting book and it's one of his favorites, so we read it to him a lot. It's just a bit odd to have the 10 month old turn the page for you. He has been looking at this Star Wars book What is a Wookie? a lot lately. He still hasn't figured out what a Wookie is, though...he looks at the picture of Chewbacca on the cover and says "Dog" every time. He also says "duck" when he sees a rubber duckie. For awhile he was saying "ber duck" for rubber duckie, but now he's just saying "duck." It's so much fun.

Sunday he climbed onto the couch with no assistance. I've watched him eyeing the entertainment center, trying to figure out if he can go up it, but he hasn't figured it out yet. He loves getting into things, literally. We have a football toy chest and he loves to be put inside it. We are constantly on alert, chasing him, crawling on the floor behind him, swooping him out of Maggie's dog food bowl and taking him down from things...and I am going to be quite honest...we love it. He is alive, he is thriving…and it is so comforting to know he is doing so well. He does wear us out, and challenges us, but he is so worth it.

In the midst of all this praise, I do have a request I want to share with you. When Blaze was in the CICU, two or three days after surgery (at the time he was standing up in bed, trying to get out of it) I met a couple who were touring the CICU. Their baby was diagnosed with the same heart condition with Blaze. They were encouraged with how Blaze was doing and have been on the website. Rebecca, the mom, emailed me this week. Their son, Drew, was born on March 30th. He is now 6 weeks old and still in the CICU. He had many things wrong in his heart and an intact atrial septum caused his lungs to be very immature. He has a lung disease called P.I.G. The surgeons cannot work on his heart until his lungs get better. The lung docs say his lung disease will go away in time (possible 6 months), then Dr. Huddleston can do his first heart surgery. Right now his parents can just sit with him and hold his hand. At this time they still have not been able to hold him, since he is on a ventilator. It is the prayer of his parents that his lungs show improvement. Please pray for Drew and his parents, Andrew and Rebecca. It's so stressful to be in the CICU every day and the uncertainty is so draining. Thank you for your prayers.

We love you all!

Mother's Day, 2009

Mother's Day was wonderful. Mine lasted all weekend long. Glorious! Friday Tim gave me my first present. Saturday he had lined up a hair appointment, where I could have done anything I wanted and then he set up an hour long massage...and paid it all himself. It was WONDERFUL. I had a nice long nap in the afternoon and then I had time with Blaze. It was just so thoughtful.

On Mother's Day we dedicated Blaze at church. Baby dedications were something I wasn't really familiar with before I moved here. There were four babies dedicated yesterday. The pastor spoke about each child. He then read a responsive reading. We pledged to raise Blaze in a Christian household, where we would teach Blaze about God and demonstrate a loving environment for him. Then the congregation pledged to pray for us as we raised Blaze and to be good examples for our family as we strive to raise Blaze. We were given a certificate and a little white New Testament with "Blaze" on it. It was a lovely ceremony. For us this was just an outward expression of our commitment in raising Blaze. We had already given Blaze up to God a long time ago. We knew early on that we weren't in control, we had to trust God to do what was best for Blaze. This doesn't mean that Blaze is saved. When he is old enough, he will need to make a personal decision to follow Jesus. That isn't something we can do for him. It simply shows our commitment to raise him in a Christ-centered home and be good models for him. It was a lovely service. Blaze's great-grandmothers were both in attendance, as well as his great-grandfather. Grandma Cathy, Uncle Gary and Aunt Barb were all there, as well. His cousins Erica (with whom he shares a birthday) and Tiffany also came. His Uncle John (my younger brother) also got to come. His "Aunt Karen" was there, too. She is my friend and co-worker who watches Blaze for us some evenings when Tim & I need a night out. It was so wonderful!!! I think we were the biggest family there for a baby. It was so nice. Then, my family went out to eat with us.

When Melissa got off work, she gave me a Mother's Day present from her and Blaze. She had Blaze pick it out for me! It was a great gift, too! So sweet and thoughtful.

Blaze also came out of the nursery with a card for me. The workers told us we should have named him "Blur" instead of "Blaze." Apparently he wouldn't stop moving. He was constantly on the "go" wanting to look at one thing, then another. They could hardly get him to settle down to put his hand on the paper for my card. As you can imagine, he is into EVERYTHING now. Nothing is safe from his little grasp. He's climbing on things that he shouldn't be on. He does stop, but cries when you tell him "no." It's just amazing. In all the craziness, I have to say I love it and wouldn't have it any other way. I love that we're raising a climber who wants to constantly be moving. I love his energy and take comfort in the fact he's into everything. It reassures me that he is doing so well.

His next cardiology appointment is next week!

We are going a hundred different directions this week. I will be at the Lake for a conference a couple of days this week. Friday, John's graduating from MSU. Sunday Megan (my niece) and Sarah (my cousin) will be graduating from Nevada High School. My cousin, Dan, is also graduating that day from Law School in Columbia-we won't make it to that one! Plus we have something going on every night this week. We've been in such a cocoon with Blaze from his birth through February that we aren't used to varying off our schedules too much. It's interesting to have been isolated and come out in the world again.

We appreciate your prayers. Thanks so much, too, for your friendship!

What a Roller Coaster! May 6, 2009

Thankfully, Blaze is doing amazingly well! He is just so sweet. He is also one fast crawler and into everything! I had to take dog food out of his mouth last night. He loves to investigate and explore. We have one area where we all throw our shoes into a basket. I put a pair of his shoes in the basket and he keeps climbing in to get them out. It's quite funny.

Yesterday, Blaze was a little angel baby. I can't express in words how pleased I was with him. Melissa, my niece and Blaze's nanny, called me at work to say she needed to go back into Urgent Care. We had gone on Sunday night, where she was told she had a bad infection and needed to take antibiotics and anti-nausea medicines. Tuesday they were saying she might need to have her gallbladder taken out. Blaze was so good while we waited at two different medical facilities. He talked all during her ultrasound. He has had enough echoes on his heart so the room and set up were not scary to him. I told her Blaze was telling her how good she was and how brave she was being to not cry! HA! We didn't hear any results until after 2 p.m. today. She does not need to have her gall bladder out, but she will need some different medication. If she is still sick on Saturday, then she will need another test.

Tim had an upper GI scope done on Monday. What they thought was the problem wasn't, so it was good they checked things out. He was groggy on Monday and felt icky on Tuesday. They took two places out for a biopsy, so those areas felt especially sore. He has some medicine which will hopefully help.

On Monday a lab puppy decided to call our front porch home. He kept coming inside, he got in the car with us, Maggie couldn't go out without him bugging her. It was pretty obvious that he was really hungry. We have called animal control to come get him, so Tim went ahead and fed him last night. The first day I took Blaze outside to look at the puppy. The pup jumped on me, trying to get to Blaze. I yelped and raised Blaze up a bit higher and Maggie crouched low and gave the defender growl. Blaze and I got back in the house quickly, dog fight avoided. The puppy looked so confused! He would be the perfect "boy" dog. I voted to try to keep him, but I was vetoed. We need to get things a little more together before tackling a project like he would be. If we had a fenced in yard, we would keep the uncoordinated mammoth, but we don't and he needs to find a better home. In the meantime he sits by the front door, randomly crying and throwing his body against the door. At first we all jumped and looked horrified at the sound from the door. Now we don’t even blink at it. I spent a lot of time Monday night thanking God we don't live in an area with bears, wild cats or the like to worry about. A friendly puppy has us held hostage. I can’t imagine living in the wild.

Last night with Melissa sick, Tim feeling oogey, the puppy trapping us in the house, Blaze finally in bed, I got another call. My grandmother had some dental work done and was feeling very ill. Mom stayed the night with her. Mom also let me know that my aunt's dog had to be put to sleep. He was a family favorite and will be missed. It was a bummer ending to a very chaotic day.

Hopefully things will settle down for awhile now! We shall see!