Our Stay With the Ashe Family

Our stay in the Land of Enchantment began Monday with a visit to our fabulous friends Auntie Bol and Uncle Mr. Ashe (aka Jon and Valerie) at their beautiful home in Bosque Farms, just south of Albuquerque. They graciously let us stay with them for a couple of days.

We had a blast with them and Valerie and I especially enjoyed watching the finale of Dancing with the Stars Tuesday night.

Christian was especially taken with the spaciousness of their home and their cat, Watson. It was so cute to watch the two play with a ball together.

We'd like to thank the Ashes for so graciously hosting us. Our stay was all-too-short and we miss you already!

The Long Journey ...

Our long journey actually began the night before when we found a sizeable scorpion in the house. In case you're not familiar with desert critters: scorpions are bad news and since we have Christian, we are very concerned about scorpions. In extreme cases, a scorpion sting can kill a child. Jonathan tried to kill it, but it just made its way down the sink drain. Jonathan ran a lot of water, I poured a lot of bleach. So I hope its either dead (sorry, PETA) or on its way to the sewage system.

We have since learned scorpions travel in pairs (and often with babies). So ... I guess there is one more in the house somewhere. We put out "sticky pads" in some key areas with the hopes that the other scorpion might get caught in our absence.

The travel morning started with a visit to Christian's new doctor, Dr. Diaz who is an absolutely wonderful, kind and compassionate man. I'm going to have to devote an entire blog post to telling you about Dr. Diaz (some day).

Christian and I were upstairs getting ready (okay, he was playing, I was getting ready) and Jonathan was downstairs loading the car up. I heard Jonathan say, "Hi, Christian!" ... and i was confused when I saw the baby gate was still up, but the voice came from downstairs. Turns out we've got a little escape artist on our hands ... Christian managed to get through the gap between the gate and the stair railing. I have no idea how he did that, but it appears we need to come up with a new solution for keeping him from going downstairs. I am just thankful he didn't fall down. He's actually very good at getting up and down the stairs on his own ... but it only takes one moment of distraction for him to loose his footing ... and down he goes (as I witnessed back in February). So knowing he bypassed the gate and got downstairs without my knowledge really got my heart racing!

Our drive started close to 11:00am (much too late) and we assumed since that was Christian's usual nap time, he'd take a nap. The nap lasted an hour or so ... and didn't resume until we got close to Albuquerque. So, he was pretty cranky for some of the drive. And since he's not walking, we couldn't put him down on the floor when we stopped and got out (the picture to the right is a stop outside Grants, NM). So, he was either in the car seat, in our arms, or in a high chair for the entire day. And that is no fun for a kiddo who is used to being able to crawl all over the place and explore the world.

Christian's spirits picked back up when we arrived in Bosque Farms (just outside ABQ) to stay with our friends, Jon and Valerie. And he was too excited to go to sleep. I think we got him down at around 10:30pm. And sure enough ... he was awake at his usual time this morning (5:00am Arizona time).

It was a rough day for our lil' guy ... and consequently a rough day for us all.

It could have been worse, of course ... but I have informed Jonathan that next time we must go to Albuquerque, it will be on a plane.

Heading to the 505

We're leaving today for a few days in Albuquerque. My friend, Carrie is getting married on 5/23 ... and Jonathan's parents are driving down from Denver to visit us Christian, whom they haven't seen since July. Chrisitian is a completely different kiddo now, and won't remember them ... so we're hoping he'll warm up quickly and he and his Granny and Grandpa will get to spend a lot of time having fun together!

The last time we made this long round-trip drive between Phoenix and Albuquerque was back in January 2008, when Christian was just a couple of months old. And that was a rough trip. So it will be interesting to see how he does now that he's older and much more interactive. I expect he'll sleep thorugh the first portion of the drive. After that ... we'll just hope for the best!

I hope to be able to update the blog frequently through the week with stories and photos. (and I still need to post about Christian's latest doctor visits, too). So, stay tuned!

In the meantime, enjoy some photos of today's lunch ... RAVIOLI! Who knew Christian would like ravioli so much?

Actually, he's been eating A LOT lately ... so maybe he's going through a growth spurt! :)

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday - A Daddy and His Boys

Christian Turns 18 Months Old

Happy 18th Month Birthday to Our Sweet Boy!

Today was the big day. Christian caught some kind of bug at daycare yesterday and had been throwing up ... so there was no celebratory cake for our little guy.

Christian is just such a joy for us! He's happy, curious, energetic and full of life and laughter. He likes taking baths, and will brush his own teeth (though, he won't Mommy do it for him ... EVER). He goes down for naps without a fuss and sleeps for 3 -4 hours. He goes to bed at 8:00pm just find and dandy and wakes up close to 6:00am.

He's still a very picky eater, so we just do the best we can. But he drinks his milk and water like a champ, and for that we are grateful.

And it goes without saying ... CHRISTIAN LOVES ELMO!

His "reading" continues to make progress. If we hold up a card that reads, "bellybutton," Christian will lift up our shirts in search of a bellybutton. And we don't even have to say the word ... he READS the card - no kidding! We finally convinced him that he has a bellybutton, too. So, he likes to sit down and lift up his chubby belly and find his very own bellybutton. Its adorable!

He likes to walk along with his push car ... and is still working on standing on his own without the help of a wall or furniture. When he stands up, we give him a ton of praise and smiles and say, "Do it again!" And he'll get excited and stand up again. He's not walking on his own yet.

Christian is doing really great at daycare. All I have to say is, "Let's go see Melissa!" and he gets all excited and rushes downstairs so we can go. It is so cute to walk in and see him sitting at the table eating lunch with three other kiddos when I arrive to pick him up from daycare!

Christian is making new noises lately ... lots of "ma ma ma ma ma ma maaaaaaaaa" and "me me me me me ..." and "rah" and "buh buh" (which can be bubbles, or bath or bye-bye ... depends on the context.

And he calls Elmo, "Aden." Not sure why. When we say "Aden" back to him ... he doesn't know we're talking about Elmo. But if we say "Elmo," he knows exactly who we are talking about.

So he says "Aden" and we say "Elmo" and therefore, much of the time what comes out of my mouth my mistake is "Eldon." And Eldon is Christian's uncle ... so it makes me laugh every time I accidentally say "Eldon" when referring to Elmo.

Christian has his 18 month exam with a new doctor on Monday. I'm sure I'll have lots to report, so stay tuned!

Jennifer

Wordless Wednesday

A Little Practice Walking

I bought Christian a little car he can push so he can practice his walking skills, as he's still not walking on his own. He really likes his new car, so it's a good start!

Christian's beloved Elmo is always a nice "lure" to get him to cross the room. :)

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday Videos

Your Smile for Today!

You've got to watch this adorable video. Guaranteed to make you smile!

More than 200 dancers were performing their version of "Do Re Mi" in the Central Station of Antwerp. With just 2 rehearsals they created this amazing stunt! Those 4 fantastic minutes started the 23 of march 2009, 08:00 AM. It is a promotion stunt for a Belgian television program, where they are looking for someone to play the leading role, in the musical of "The Sound of Music."

Happy Resurrection Day!

Resurrection Day - also known as Easter - is the most important day of the year for Christians around the world. I encourage you to read "MckMama's Blog" (Stellan's mommy). She's given a wonderful missive on this important day.

I love this line in her post: Whether you believe in something or not does not have any bearing on whether or not it is really true!

Our day started with going to church and learning after the service that Christian was the only child in the nursery who didn't cry. YAY!

We returned home where Christian got to see the nice gifts his Granny sent him: An Elmo Easter basket, an Elmo book and stuffed animal, Elmo jammies, a "toss the bunny" game and coin filled eggs!!! Notice a theme here ... ELMO! Christian LOVES ELMO!

Later in the day, we drove out to Liz's house for some visiting and dinner. Jonathan and I got play "Rock Band." Since we don't have any "cool toys" at home, this game was particularly thrilling!

Meanwhile, Christian's biggest thrill was watching FISH! He usually sticks pretty close to us (especially these days when he seems to have a bit of separation anxiety), but he was willing to let Liz or Terrill hold him if the destination was the fish tank. So that was pretty cute!

A fabulous, God and family-filled day!

Easter Artwork

Christian produced some lovely artwork at daycare yesterday. The bunny's ears are Christian's handprints (or an attempt at them). Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww ... that's my boy! :)

Wordless Wednesday

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Wordless Wednesday - Christian's First Painting

Can You Say Esophagogastroduodenoscopy?

Neither can I (unless I very slowly pronounce every single letter)!

So what does it mean? Its a procedure where a gastroenterologist looks at my esophagus and stomach with a flexible scope attached to micro video equipment.

At long last, I'm on the road to discovering why I've had chronic acid reflux (or GERD, if you want to get technical) for years. Tomorrow I'm getting an esophagastroduodenoscopy.

I love this part of the paperwork I was given to prepare for the procedure:

There are always some risks to any endoscopic examination. The
complications of upper endoscopy include, but are not limited to perforation (a
hole in the food pipe or the stomach that may require surgery to be fixed),
infection, bleeding (which may require a blood transfusion), drug reactions, and even death.

My brother-in-law, Eldon, had this procedure just last week and did fine. So I'm not to worried about the procedure itself ... and the doctor performing the procedure is very nice.

I'll let ya'll know how it goes!

Jennifer

An update: The procedure went fine (aside from having a nurse who was snippy with me because 1) I had been chewing gum - nobody told me not to and 2) I had eaten a small meal before 8:30am that morning - that was the instructions from my Dr. Typically a patient isn't instructed to eat after midnight the night before. Well, my doctor told me to eat ... so I did.) Apparently my esophagus is "normal." Two polyps were removed for biopsy (which I'm hoping is standard procedure and nothing to get concerned over). Yesterday (4/8), I had a barium swallow test at the hospital. The technician commented that I had "a little reflux." My next Dr. appt. is on 4/21, so I'll find out the results of the biopsy and my doctor's interpretation of the barium swallow test.

More information on the procedure: I've noticed several people have arrived at this blog posting by doing a Google search for "Esophagogastroduodenoscopy" (which is really an impressive word to say ... so learn how to pronounce it and amaze your friends, family and co-workers!), so I wanted to provide the details of my own experience so anybody facing this procedure knows what to expect (because fear of the unknown just stinks!).

First: You will be unconscious during this procedure, so you will need to have somebody bring you and take you home.

My procedure was scheduled at 1:30pm. I was told by the nurse at the gastroenterologist's office that I could have 1 boiled egg and one piece of dry white toast before 8:30am. Nothing was said to me about not taking medication, so I took my daily Aciphex pill, as usual.

I hate having a dry, stale mouth ... so I was chewing gum when I arrived at the hospital. The nurse saw me toss it and just about had a fit. She informed me I wasn't supposed to "eat anything" prior to the procedure (um, since when does chewing gum constitute "eating" something?). She then asked me if I ate breakfast ... and when I told her I did indeed eat breakfast, she just about had a fit again. I informed her I was TOLD to eat. She also got cranky when I told her I took an Aciphex pill with my breakfast. I had NOT been told to hold off on meds. Again, she was not happy.

So, be very clear on the instructions your gastroenerologist gives you for the procedure. This particular nurse had called me two days prior to the procedure and asked me all sorts of questions, filled out paperwork over the phone, etc. As a matter of fact, I asked her about the meal my doctor told me to have, and she told me that if he said its okay ... to do what he said. And she said nothing about not chewing gum.

I was taken back to a prep room and told to take off my shoes and any clothing on my upper torso and put on a gown. No jewelry allowed, either. I was given an IV (which didn't hurt anywhere near like the IV hurt for my c-section, so I was relieved). The anesthesiologist came in and also commented on the fact that I had eaten, and that I "shouldn't have." And I'm thinking, "Um, then ya'll need to speak with my doctor directly because he approved the meal."

The anesthesiologist noticed me squinting during the IV insertion, as the nurse was having a hard time with it. He gave me some "Versed" and informed it it would help me forget. I had heard of the drug prior to the procedure. Basically, you forget what has happened during the time the drug is in effect, but until you are put under, you are still able to talk, communicate, answer questions, etc. You just don't remember it later on.

The last thing I remember was that my vision got blurry and I asked if that was normal. He said, "Yes."

And then I was opening my eyes to see my son and husband in the room with me. Procedure done!

I had been told I'd be loopy for a bit ... but I wasn't. But I was relaxed ... and just content. Not bothered about anything ... not stressed about anything ... I was just happy as a clam. And that is a good place to be, you know? :)

The doctor took out two polyps from my stomach, but I was able to eat right after the procedure. No alcohol for 24 hours was the only thing. I was expecting a soar throat from the scope ... but didn't have one. I was really as if nothing had happened!

So I hope that story helps anybody who might be feeling anxious about their own procedure. Its not big deal ... really ... I promise!

A Trip to the White Tank Mountains

We live just on the east side of the White Tank Mountains. They don't look too impressive from a distance, but when you go up inside, its a little treasure of trails, picnic areas, playgrounds, and majestic Saguaro cacti. I hear there is a lovely waterfall when it rains (we've been without rain for 50+ days now).

Christian's Second Haircut

I didn't expect Christian would need another haircut for several months. However, his hair grew very quickly after his first haircut back in February. His hair is a mixture of curly, straight and wavy and its difficult to keep nice and neat. And if you've noticed Jonathan's haircut ... the men in our home keep a very short, neat cut. :)

His first haircut went rather smoothly ... which is a far cry from how today's appointment went. Christian flipped out! Nothing was soothing him ... his books, his mommy, my sunglasses (usually his favorite object to hold). Not even bringing out the camera (his obsession!) was going to soothe my precious baby.

So that you can share in the joy known as "Christian's Second Haircut," here are the pictures.

Gone are my baby's curls (which I, of course, scraped of the floor to keep!).

Wordless Wednesday - Video Day!

Wordless Wednesday

St. Patrick's Day Slideshow

Click here to see what Christian looked like last St. Patrick's Day. Awwwwwwwwwwwwww!

A Budding Soccer Player

Hot off the presses ... Christian and Daddy playing a bit of soccer this afternoon.

Wordless Wednesday - Christian's First Drawing

Okay, I can't make this a truly Wordless Wednesday today because I must tell you of the evolution of this toy.

Christian's Granny gave him this tablet for his birthday in November. For months, he preferred to turn it over to the back and bang the stylus on the back. Then he learned how to move the orange knob side-to-side to erase whatever we've drawn. Recently, I've tried to get him to grab the stylus and draw with it. At last ... success! So this is Christian's first drawing all by himself! I can't stand to erase it .... but eventually I must, so I captured this first work of art on camera.

Bella the Chunk

Jonathan took Bella to the vet today for her yearly exam. Turns out, Bella's clean-up duty after Christian throws food on the floor eats has caused her to gain FIVE pounds since her most recent vet visit late last year.

I gotta say ... I laughed at that news and proclaimed, "Bella's just like her Mom!" Who knows how much weight I've gained because I eat what Christian doesn't. As the old saying goes: "Waste not, want not!"

Jonathan informed me that five pounds is not good, as its 10% of her body weight that she's gained.

Well, I still think its funny. Really funny! :)

Jonathan is now calling her, "Bella Big Butt." I have made the proclamation that nobody had better assign the same nickname to me.

Bella Big Butt

How to Get Your Husband to Do Anything ...

Want to do something "girly," like say ... go to a "Flower and Garden Show" and you want your husband to go with you? Here's how you get around it: Make sure at least two of the three things on this list are present:

1) FOOD
2) Cool cars
3) A major sports venue

Turns out, this Flower and Garden show was being held at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale ... AKA "Home of the Arizona Cardinals!" and last year's Super Bowl.

In all honesty, the Flower and Garden show was a dud. But, it was the first time we'd been to the new stadium, so Jonathan was especially excited. He's hopeful that his beloved Colorado Buffs will play there during this upcoming college football season.

The area surrounding the stadium also has the Jobbing.com arena which is where the Arizona Coyotes hockey team plays and it also hold major concerts. Its where I saw the Celine Dion concert recently. The are is called "Westgate" and its filled with shopping, entertainment and restaurants. Jonathan has wanted to check out Westgate for a while, so there was an additional incentive to check the area out.

We had recently learned that the Gardunos restaurants in the Phoenix area had closed down. We reluctantly had lunch at the restaurant that replaced it, Camarones. However, we were happy to learn that Camarones is actually the same restaurant ... same food .... but there is a name change (which I'm confused by, as the waiter indicated it was owned by the same people who own Gardunos), and menu items are named differently. My beloved Chile Rojo is still there, just under a new name.

So it was a win-win-win-win situation for all of us. :)