Thursday morning, Grant will have his third of (hopefully) four surgeries related to the scalp nevus he was born with. It's been a humbling experience and he has done remarkably well through it all. We're so hopeful that this time through will close almost the entire scar and the fourth surgery in the fall will just make it almost unnoticeable.
I'm a teeny bit anxious about tomorrow realizing that he's at the age where he will remember the hospital and what went on there 6 months ago. But, we've been talking a lot about it, looking at his head in the mirror showing him what's going to happen, and he seems ready to go.
Please pray for our sweet Grant that it's as uneventful as last time!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Not the Mom, Just the Stork
Sooooo....
I'm about to take you all on a little adventure. Huge, actually. Want to come along?? I think you might :)
Check it out: http://www.faithhopesurrogacy.blogspot.com/
I'm about to take you all on a little adventure. Huge, actually. Want to come along?? I think you might :)
Check it out: http://www.faithhopesurrogacy.blogspot.com/
Thursday, March 15, 2012
9 Months
Sam the Man is offically 9 months old! He is just the sweetest little thing. To catch you up on what he's been into:
- has 6 teeth and likes to bite...mommy especially - OUCH!
- started sleeping through the night last week...it only took 8 and a half months!
- loves watching his brother and sister play near him - you can tell he's ready to get in on the action soon
- got pink eye for the first time this week :(
- started at a new daycare last Monday and made the transition with no problems - we love it there!
Love you Sammy!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Round Three
We're nearing the end of Grant's journey with surgeries to remove the scar his nevus left three years ago. His third out of four total procedures is scheduled for next Thursday. Based on how well he did in September I don't think we're nervous at all, but it's still a little scary. He's a brave little guy! If you would, please keep Grant in your prayers on the 22nd :) We'll be sure to keep you updated!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Some Answers
Not that I meant to keep you all waiting, but we got Grant's results back from the sleep study about a month ago. We are so thankful and relieved that everything physical (seizures, sleep apnea, etc.) was completely ruled out as a cause of his disrupted sleep. The episodes that they captured during the sleep study were classic nightmares and night terror activity. There's no cause we can pinpoint as to why he's been having them so frequently and the only prevention is healthy sleep habits (trust me...we've worked hard to keep that structure!). The only other thing a little less than "average" for a child Grant's age was his light sleeping. No surprise with me as his mama!
So, we're at peace with it. Our attitudes have changed about it. We no longer freak out when the bad nights happen, we just work to get through it. He still has disrupted sleep three or four nights a week, but we're realizing that it could be much worse. He'll grow out of this...it could be next month, or 10 years from now, but at least we know there's an end to it for him.
Sleep, to an outsider, for the Kegleys is not the usual, but we're making it our normal and learning to accept it. Grant and Lilly crawl into bed with us EVERY night around midnight or 1am. Sam is STILL not sleeping through the night at almost nine months. He'll still cry for an hour before he puts himself back to sleep or I give in to him. Then he's up at 4:30 or 5 every morning. Oh, the saga continues :)
You know what though? On the days like today, when Sam woke up at 4:18 with no hope of going back to sleep, we make the best of it. We're sitting in the living room right now together in the dark with a little Bollywood style music on the music channels dancing in front of the mirror. He's loving it :)
So, we're at peace with it. Our attitudes have changed about it. We no longer freak out when the bad nights happen, we just work to get through it. He still has disrupted sleep three or four nights a week, but we're realizing that it could be much worse. He'll grow out of this...it could be next month, or 10 years from now, but at least we know there's an end to it for him.
Sleep, to an outsider, for the Kegleys is not the usual, but we're making it our normal and learning to accept it. Grant and Lilly crawl into bed with us EVERY night around midnight or 1am. Sam is STILL not sleeping through the night at almost nine months. He'll still cry for an hour before he puts himself back to sleep or I give in to him. Then he's up at 4:30 or 5 every morning. Oh, the saga continues :)
You know what though? On the days like today, when Sam woke up at 4:18 with no hope of going back to sleep, we make the best of it. We're sitting in the living room right now together in the dark with a little Bollywood style music on the music channels dancing in front of the mirror. He's loving it :)
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Waving the White Flag
The fact that we have less than average sleepers in his house in NO secret. The most I sleep at a stretch is about three hours. That happens rarely. It's usually more like an hour here, forty-five minutes there, etc., all courtesy of our sweet babies who couldn't care less about getting a visit from Mr.Sandman.
Grant has never been average in the sleeping world. He didn't sleep through the night until 9 months and has been a light sleeper ever since. He's been having what's called parasomnias for a little over a year. Ever night is a little different but on the bad ones, he'll wake up screaming, thrashing, totally confused, and looking like he's in pain. Disturbing and awful to watch. He's not necessarily awake so trying to talk him down doesn't work...we just have to let it pass. What a helpless feeling and trust me, I've shed many tears over it.
My mom and I have spent many hours researching online, talked to our pediatrician several times, inquired with Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, but to no avail. We just can't figure it out.
Other than sending a formal request to appear on Supernanny, we have tried everything. Literally. Here's the list:
-Eliminating TV
-changing diet
-different lighting...on/off, low wattage, an arsenal of all styles of nightlights
-different temperatures
-light PJs, no PJs, heavy PJs
-different diapers/PullUps depending on what stage of potty training we were in
-different bed time routines...from short to really long
-homeopathic stuff that claims to be sleep aids
-sticker charts
-daytime activities that will surely wear out a typical toddler
-other stuff I know I'm not remembering...my brain is not functioning lately!
Bottom line: none of it has worked. No changes. Not even close.
We haven't slept through the night since November of 2010. I can't even believe that as I type it.
Lilly no longer sleeps through the night either. She's in our bed 6 nights out of 7 by midnight. Taking her back to her own room is similar to the worst temper tantrum you've witnessed in the middle of Wal-Mart on a busy Saturday morning. Just not pretty. And really not worth the fight.
Sam wakes every night 4 to 5 times and I give in to nurse him usually twice just so he goes right back to sleep and I can grab another hour of precious shut-eye.
See the mess we're in?!
I thought I knew what sleep deprivation was when I was nursing our kids as newborns all night long, but this is unreal. Tim and I can't even perform basic tasks without being confused. I've driven the wrong way on routes I take every day. I forget even the simplest things. I slur my speech...not particularly helpful when in sales. My patience is nearly non-exsistant. Oh, and the bags under my eyes are totally hot.
We had enough of this mess after a few weeks of out of control nights and I called a local children's hospital. We need answers. We need help. We are at a loss. We're feeling a little hopeless that this will ever improve.
We accomplished the first step last night. Grant underwent a sleep study. We saw a sleep specialist who recommended a study right away after we reviewed his history. She threw out all types of possibilities. Restless Leg Syndrome. Seizures. Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. Not the worst, but still not what I wanted to hear.
He had a full panel of probes and monitors all over his sweet little body. Wires all over his head, a snoring monitor taped to his neck, belts across his chest, oxygen monitor on his toe, stuff on his chin to see if he grinds his teeth, EEG stuff on his chest...just to name a few. He did amazing. And had an episode! I was sad, but happy that we can hopefully get some answers to help him sleep more comfortably every night.
I'm praying that the next time I post about sleeping that it'll be a little more positive! We should know something in two weeks. Until then, the madness continues...
Grant has never been average in the sleeping world. He didn't sleep through the night until 9 months and has been a light sleeper ever since. He's been having what's called parasomnias for a little over a year. Ever night is a little different but on the bad ones, he'll wake up screaming, thrashing, totally confused, and looking like he's in pain. Disturbing and awful to watch. He's not necessarily awake so trying to talk him down doesn't work...we just have to let it pass. What a helpless feeling and trust me, I've shed many tears over it.
My mom and I have spent many hours researching online, talked to our pediatrician several times, inquired with Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, but to no avail. We just can't figure it out.
Other than sending a formal request to appear on Supernanny, we have tried everything. Literally. Here's the list:
-Eliminating TV
-changing diet
-different lighting...on/off, low wattage, an arsenal of all styles of nightlights
-different temperatures
-light PJs, no PJs, heavy PJs
-different diapers/PullUps depending on what stage of potty training we were in
-different bed time routines...from short to really long
-homeopathic stuff that claims to be sleep aids
-sticker charts
-daytime activities that will surely wear out a typical toddler
-other stuff I know I'm not remembering...my brain is not functioning lately!
Bottom line: none of it has worked. No changes. Not even close.
We haven't slept through the night since November of 2010. I can't even believe that as I type it.
Lilly no longer sleeps through the night either. She's in our bed 6 nights out of 7 by midnight. Taking her back to her own room is similar to the worst temper tantrum you've witnessed in the middle of Wal-Mart on a busy Saturday morning. Just not pretty. And really not worth the fight.
Sam wakes every night 4 to 5 times and I give in to nurse him usually twice just so he goes right back to sleep and I can grab another hour of precious shut-eye.
See the mess we're in?!
I thought I knew what sleep deprivation was when I was nursing our kids as newborns all night long, but this is unreal. Tim and I can't even perform basic tasks without being confused. I've driven the wrong way on routes I take every day. I forget even the simplest things. I slur my speech...not particularly helpful when in sales. My patience is nearly non-exsistant. Oh, and the bags under my eyes are totally hot.
We had enough of this mess after a few weeks of out of control nights and I called a local children's hospital. We need answers. We need help. We are at a loss. We're feeling a little hopeless that this will ever improve.
We accomplished the first step last night. Grant underwent a sleep study. We saw a sleep specialist who recommended a study right away after we reviewed his history. She threw out all types of possibilities. Restless Leg Syndrome. Seizures. Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. Not the worst, but still not what I wanted to hear.
He had a full panel of probes and monitors all over his sweet little body. Wires all over his head, a snoring monitor taped to his neck, belts across his chest, oxygen monitor on his toe, stuff on his chin to see if he grinds his teeth, EEG stuff on his chest...just to name a few. He did amazing. And had an episode! I was sad, but happy that we can hopefully get some answers to help him sleep more comfortably every night.
I'm praying that the next time I post about sleeping that it'll be a little more positive! We should know something in two weeks. Until then, the madness continues...
Friday, January 13, 2012
Slacker Alert!
Fall has clearly come and gone, but I had to show you these...it's becoming a yearly tradition and we LOVE LOVE LOVE our photographer who we've used since our wedding - Chad Franz. You have to check him out!!!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Late as Usual
Monday, January 9, 2012
6 Months
Pretty unbelievable that 6 months has so quickly passed! Sam is such a sweet boy, but he's had a rough few weeks! First we have the sleeping situation. Sleep training is well...challenging. Yeah, that's a nice way to put it. I'd rather listen to hours of nails on chalkboards than my poor baby cry, but I'm convinced the only way he's going to figure it out is this method. Otherwise, I would be nursing him back to sleep every two hours. Not so excited about that. Again - my children are seriously cursed with my sleeping genes. It's just not what we like to do...we should be doing something productive :) Hmmm...another little Type A running around the house!
Then we have teething, which I pretty much think is the devil. No Baby Oragel, Motrin, frozen washcloths, or fancy schmancy teething toy will rival my Sammy's intolerance to the pain. He hasn't been the same content baby we knew and I'm ready for these two pearly whites (or as Sammy would probably refer to them - knives) poking through his poor little gums to give it a break!
Oh, but to hear my little baldy laugh, smile with his entire body, and "talk" melts my heart. I'm so lucky to be his mommy!
Then we have teething, which I pretty much think is the devil. No Baby Oragel, Motrin, frozen washcloths, or fancy schmancy teething toy will rival my Sammy's intolerance to the pain. He hasn't been the same content baby we knew and I'm ready for these two pearly whites (or as Sammy would probably refer to them - knives) poking through his poor little gums to give it a break!
Oh, but to hear my little baldy laugh, smile with his entire body, and "talk" melts my heart. I'm so lucky to be his mommy!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Shiny Noses
137 Rudolphs helped us celebrate the Christmas season this year...they were spread all over the eastern half of the US! Sidenote...has anyone noticed how stinking expensive it is to ship anything lately??? It cost me $11 to ship 2 cookies (NOT heavy) in a teeny little box to Ohio...seriously?! I LOVE this idea I found searching around for a new Christmas cookie idea. They were so fun!!
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About Me
- Mama K
- Life as a working mama with three precious children and an amazing husband keeps me on my toes and on the go!! Days are filled with sweet baby giggles, hugs, too many diapers, and lots of toddler sized bumps and bruises. The Lord is my rock and I'm excited to be growing in my faith with my husband by my side! And now for the next chapter - becoming a surrogate mother!
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