The Fam Damily Comes to Town

What a vast difference ONE month can make!  This is the view outside of my kitchen window...I remember back in April thinking, "Wow, this is SO depressing."  There was no sign of spring.  It was freezing cold and raining constantly.  As a mother to a child with special needs there is only so much you can do inside a house.  Jett and I were going crazy to say the least.  We needed some sunshine!  Thank goodness spring finally hit Omaha.  Check out those green leaves!  We love spending time outdoors now.  It makes me happy inside and makes the day go by a lot quicker for some reason.

Over Mother's Day weekend, both sides of the family came out to witness Cody receive his "White Coat" for Dental School.  This basically means that Cody has worked hard enough in school to start clinical work on real patients.  Yeaaaahhh buddy!!  The ceremony itself was super boring; in fact as we were sitting in the auditorium, Maddie, my niece, said, "We drove ALL the way out here for some guy to read a list of names???"  Yes, unfortunately, you did drive all the way to Omaha for some guy to read a list of names.  As unexciting as the ceremony was for a 7-year-old, we did get to witness Cody receive his white coat, however...and that, my friends was exciting.  He is now 50% a dentist!!  The other 50% is still the accordion-playing, wakeboarding, humorous, Mr. Fix-It, and handsome guy I married.  Hopefully that NEVER changes once he is 100% dentist.  We wouldn't want him to get all super boring on us, now would we??

                       I think Jett was a little bored with all of the picture-taking shenanigans taking place.  Either that, or his medication was kicking in...I'll bank on that one.

In this first picture, I'm sure Cody is thinking, "Take the freaking picture!"...he was standing in front of about 500+ people and I kept making him pose differently. 

The White Coat ceremony was how we conned our families into coming out here, but really we just wanted a babysitter for Jett.  Okay, just kidding.  No, we really wanted to see them and show them how BIG Jett has grown!  Over the last couple months, Jett has gained over 3 lbs thanks to his new medication; a medication that helps his tight muscles relax.  Three pounds doesn't seem like a lot, but when you are going from 13 to 16 lbs, you can definitely see (and feel) the difference! 

Of course, all of the grandparents had to cuddle with our little cuddle bug...yes, he cuddles!  It is the best thing ever.  Since starting this new med, Jett has been so much more comfortable and happy.  He is starting to be more responsive and interactive. I feel like now, as parents, we are just dealing with his disability rather than trying to figure out why he is in pain.  I hope it doesn't come out as insensitive that we are "just dealing with his disability", but I feel like we can cope a whole lot better just knowing that he is not in pain all of the time.

Since Jett was healthy and happy this go-around, we took him and our families around Omaha.  We hit up some great restaurants and the Farmers Market in Old Market, went antique shopping, walked across the pedestrian bridge into Iowa, went to the Omaha Zoo, and enjoyed celebrating Mother's Day together.  I especially had so much fun with my niece and nephew, Maddie and Sean.  They are the happiest and funniest kids!  On Mother's Day, I took pictures of Tiffany (my sis) and them in front of my favorite graffiti-covered building.  I am no photographer, but I think the pictures turned out great.  Of course, having cute, photogenic subjects might have helped a bit.

Oh man, I love them!

Here we are with Cody's parents in Old Market, which is only 5 minutes from our house.  We ate at a yummy restaurant called Blackstone.  I highly recommend it!  The best part was that it was finally a nice day in Omaha and we sat out on the patio.

Now, please take note of the picture BELOW...

notice how "nice" my husband is when he finds out that I BIFFED it big time on the slides.

Yeah, real nice.

Okay, and I HAD to add the picture below because we're going to play a quick game of "I Spy"...

I spot a large piece of equipment that probably weighs 10 lbs and uses VHS tapes.

Love you Dad! Haha.

 

 

The last day that our family was here, I planned a piano recital so that they could hear all of my cute students play.  My students did a great job and Jett, also, did not disappoint.  He threw up TWICE during the recital. I don't think the little dude was feeling that great, but I think Sean helped him feel better by giving him head tickles.

 

 

Aren't my piano students the cutest?  We all had to flex our piano-playin' muscles.

After the recital, my side of the family had to leave.  It was a sad goodbye for all of us.  I love this picture below of my parents and then the one of Tiffany.  Jett might not look the best (he had just vomited), but you can see the love in my parents' eyes for my little boy.  They are so sweet for making the trip out here to see us.  I know that they would drive across the entire country to see Jett so I'm glad that Omaha is, at least, only a day's drive away.  We can't wait for the next visit!

 

 Cody's mom, Sherrie had to leave a couple days later.  However, before she left, we went boating on Manawa Ocean...ahem...I mean Manawa Lake.  The water was super rough, but we still had a good time.  Jett loved his cuddle time with Grandma!  

We miss them ALL already!  Can't you all just come back??

Let's Remember the GOOD

Darn it!  Another hospital stay with our Jett man.  

He had been doing really well too...those darn $#&@%$ viruses will get you every time.  I'll give you quick details on the hospital stay, but then I really want to focus on how GREAT Jett's month really has been.

On Thursday, Jett started showing signs that he may be sick.  He had been congested for the previous week, but I attributed that to allergies.  In fact, that very day, I had gotten a prescription for Claritin in hopes that it would help his stuffy, mucousy (is this is word?) nose.  Well, he began to develop a fever.  Tylenol and Motrin weren't helping.  I went to teach dance in the afternoon and came back to a very irritable and hot baby.  His temperature was at 102, which is never fun, but a temperature I can deal with.

Over the course of two hours his fever jumped up to 105...and that, my friends, is when Cody and I jumped in the car and took him to the hospital (Omaha Children's Hospital).  Usually we feel comfortable keeping him at home when he's sick since we have all of the medical equipment, but when a temperature reaches 105 it can get scary...and it did.  Within minutes of his temperature reaching these dangerous heights, Jett began seizing (small seizures), his teeth started to chatter, and his color turned blue.  Cody and I immediately put him on our pulsoximeter to check his oxygen levels.  He was dipping down into the 70's.  Not good.  Luckily we have oxygen tanks in our home.  Even though Jett hated every second of it, we taped the oxygen cannula to his face and away we went to the hospital.

At the hospital, Jett received all kinds of needle pokes and tests.  Results came back positive for Parainfluenza 3 and Rhino Enterovirus.  Poor Jett had TWO viruses to fight.  The docs quickly booked him into a room and observed him from there.  They also had Cody and I update Jett's DNR.  If you don't know what a DNR is, consider yourself lucky.  We really do not like making those difficult decisions.

I captured this sweet moment at the hospital.  It was about 1 a.m. and Jett was miserable.
Daddy to the rescue!

In these two pictures, Jett is saying, "It's okay Mom...I got this."  What a stud.

He was able to come off of oxygen within 24 hours and is now resting up to get rid of that stinkin' fever.  We are at home now and Jett is loving his snuggle buddy...a doggy rice bag. 

 Random, I know, but he loves it. He smooshes his face into it as he is sleeping. The last I checked, he didn't have a temperature so hopefully we're on the up and up!

Now, for the details of Jett's FANTASTIC month...

Up until the beginning of March, no medication could even TOUCH Jett's chorea.  He was miserable almost 24/7 because his poor little body couldn't stop tensing up and moving.  It was really painful for Jett and extremely painful for us to watch. Well, the neurologist decided to try Jett on a new medication that is only used in the adult population...Adults who suffer from Huntington's Disease.  At this point, we were desperate to try anything.  The medication, itself, you are unable to get in a regular pharmacy.  Therefore, we had to wait for it to be shipped to us.  I won't get into the nasty details of HOW blasted LONG it took to get to our doorstep, but we were super excited when it showed up.

The drug is called Xenazine (Tetrabenazine) for those who are curious and I feel that it has done wonders for Jett.  He is a different kid! Not only has it calmed him, but he has become more aware of his surroundings as well.  He focuses more on our faces and listens very intently to anything we say.    We are also discovering his unique ways of interacting with us, including MORE SMILES!  An even bigger bonus, Jett is gaining weight finally.  He is now up to a stout 13 lbs 10 oz.

I gave Jett his first popsicle!  He loved it, but then choked on the juices.  It's all good, I just had to suction him out.  It was still worth it for the smiles.

Jett went on his first road trip to Kansas City.  He was seriously an angel the entire time.  

For more on that trip, click HERE

 We also visited the Lego sculptures at the botanical gardens that are right by our house.  Jett learned how to push a lawnmower with daddy.

He dressed up with me for St. Patrick's Day and also took a horsey ride on Kusaba. (Bottom left pic)

We visited the zoo and the jellyfish were Jett's favorite part. 

 He loved the bright colors and how slow they were moving.  We probably stood there for an hour.  Im sure people were like, "Get a move on, lady!"

We've enjoyed the spring weather that is headed our way and hopefully here to stay...

and Kusaba stays true to form by always photobombing our pictures. Good doggie.

 Jett also learned to bite my nose.  

It's a shame that such great progress had to be impeded by sickness, but we are going to focus on the positive and kick these viruses in the a@@!  Better days are ahead.

Spray Tanning Adventures

Does anyone remember the Friends episode where Ross gets a spray tan??

Hilarious.

This episode has been replaying in my mind ever since I decided to order my own spray tanning system. In my pre-kid days (before I had Jett), I used to get a spray tan every couple of weeks.  It gave my skin a nice little glow and made me look less freckly and pale.  I loved it! Well nowadays, it is a little more difficult to go ANYWHERE, let alone, a tanning salon with a child.  Who has the time (or the money for that matter) for that?? Heck, I'm lucky if I shower each day.

The initial cost of the system was pricey so I saved up my pennies for a couple of months so that I could buy it.  The plan is to provide spray tanning for my neighbors and friends, too!  I won't charge nearly as much as the salons and it will be a lot more convenient for all of the stay-at-home moms who live nearby.  We will all get to enjoy the glow of a cancer-free, fake tan.  Sounds appealing, right???

 Here is what I got:

I am obviously pretty excited about this new venture.

Up until the day I received my tanning system, I hadn't spray tanned ANYONE a day in my life.  So guess who got to be my guinea pig??  Poor Cody.  He was definitely a good sport about it and I think was happy with the outcome. Check out his BEFORE and AFTER pics below.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I don't want to toot my own horn or anything, but I think I did a pretty good job.  

Is anyone else willing to be my guinea pig??  

Okay, okay...so my first experience spray tanning with Cody didn't go quite this well.  It did make for some good laughs, however.  I don't think Cody and I have ever laughed that hard in our entire lives.  It was SO bad that he won't let me post the pictures.  Let's just say he had to shower promptly following his spray tan (that probably felt more like a fire hose).  

I do have to say that I have redeemed myself.  A couple of my friends have offered to be my guinea pigs and their tans look amazing.  I'll definitely keep practicing until I have it perfect. 

Wish me luck.

Sometimes...

Sometimes...we go swimming in our bath tub.

Take that, WINTER.

The Art of Taking Family Pictures

First off, I have to mention that this is our 200th post to this blog.  Woot woot!! 

I will celebrate by eating 200 M&M's today. 

Let's all hope and pray that I actually don't, but somedays my chocolate consumption reaches dangerous levels, especially when I have cute St. Patrick's Day M&M's sitting on my kitchen table.

Second off, it's finally March.  Hallelujah! Is it just me or does January AND February draaaaaaaaggggg?

Now back to the title of this post, "The Art of Taking Family Pictures".  Do you ever look at other families' pictures and think, "They just take the best pictures ever" or "They are so perfect, why can't my family pictures look that good?"  Well, I NEVER think that...I was just wondering if you do. 

Family pictures are the bane of my existence.  You can guarantee at least two fights will ensue between Cody and me...and a couple weeks ago, we did not disappoint.

I never hire a photographer because I end up feeling like I wasted my money.  We're lucky if we get one good picture out of the whole thing and even that good picture has to be edited a gazillion times.

So a couple weeks ago, I decided it was time for a new family picture.  I was going to be a guest blogger on This Little Miggy and wanted to attempt to get a good picture of Jett.  Cody's mom was in town and I assigned her to be our photographer.  She was SUCH a good sport and probably a good referee too (between me and Cody).

Ladies?  When you take family pictures, do you pick out what your husband will wear?  Apparently that is a crime in our household.  I had picked out Cody's clothes and laid them nicely on the bed for him to change into.  When he got home from school, he tried to convince me that his wrinkly shirt and dirty jeans that he was wearing were perfect for our family photo. 

Cue Fight #1

Well, I won the fight and he changed clothes, but was super bitter about it....which in turn, made me super bitter about everything.  In addition to all of this going on, Jett was experiencing some pretty severe chorea (uncontrolled movements and muscle contractions) and was not happy about it.  This painted the perfect scenario for some great family pictures, obviously.  

We arrived at our destination.  Here in Omaha exists a wonderful building that I am OBSESSED with...the Bancroft Street Market.  The entire building is covered in graffiti and I love it.  If it wasn't in such a ghetto area, I would love to own it someday and turn it into a fitness studio. I thought the colorful exterior walls would be a great backdrop for our photos.

From start to finish, pictures probably took about 5 minutes.

Between the incessant wind blowing in our faces and our oh-so-lovely attitudes, that is all we could handle.  Below are some pictures for you to enjoy.  The next time you think that someone else's family pictures always turn out perfect, just remember us and you'll feel better about life.

I'm pretty sure in this pic I had just told Cody to button his shirt.

Ladies...this is a NO-NO to tell your husband. 

Me=Fake Smile

Cody=Not faking anything, he's mad

More fake smiles

I'm telling Jett, "This is torture, isn't it?"

Cue Fight #2...Cody thought it would be hilarious to pose in front of this sign.  If you know us well, you know that we (out of anyone) like to see the humor in everything.  On a normal day, I probably would have laughed.  Not today...my face says it all.

Sometimes your pants just fall down.

Sometimes you fart in dad's hands.

And then sometimes you just need to be distracted in between pictures.

By the end, we were a little more cheery thanks to Jett...and we got ONE good picture.  Phew!