Blink Of An Eye

It's crazy to me how quickly life unfolds before your eyes. It feels like just yesterday when I carried you home from the hospital.

and today you are clapping your hands....

slow down please.

The Kick Off

To kick off this holiday season we headed down to Mill Avenue for the annual "Parade of Lights".

We got there a little early to grab a good seat and a bite to eat. Which was a good thing because it got crazy crowded. It worked out perfect going with friends so the kids could run around and entertain each other and the adults could sit and chat.

How fun to go to a Christmas parade in just a jacket, no scarf or beanie!

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving

Dan's favorite holiday is thanksgiving. He loves it because there is no pressure to give or receive any gifts. He says this is the one holiday you can just enjoy. When he first told me it was his favorite holiday I thought he was weird. But after the reasoning behind it, I was sorta embarrassed I didn't think of that myself. Although mashed potatoes and gravy are top on his list of things to eat, I doubt that has anything to do with it. He's just sweet, right?

I was scheduled to work that morning, but surprisingly got put on call and was able to attend dinner at our friends house. While driving to dinner we asked Camden what he was thankful for. I was positive he'd say, "the best parents in the world", but was just as happy with "dinosaurs...T-Rex dinosaurs".

Both Dan and I feel so blessed to have such great friends that take us in during the holidays. But there is something special about spending Thanksgiving with your family. I missed that! I'm hopeful that someday we will live closer to our family, and our kids can enjoy the mass chaos like I did growing up.

Say What?

Q: Hey Camden, what animal is that?

A: HippoDApotamus

Q:Hey Camden, what show do you wanna watch?

A: Mickey DA Mouse

Q: Hey Camden, what's Jace's favorite game?

A: Peek aDA boo

It's Magic

Last week this big guy went to bed with 3 teeth and woke up doubling that amount.

He now sports his 4 top front teeth and 2 front bottom. I may or may not have shed a tear or two because this makes him look grown up. He melts my heart.

Happy Birthday Old Man

Old age is like everything else, to make a success of it you've got to start young.

WWYD

What do you say to your new-ish neighbor whose innocent daughter leaves things like this on your house?
Yes, the same daughter who has walked into your house uninvited multiple times, and asked why you're yelling. Or why your son made a mess in YOUR house.

The same daughter who runs around unsupervised all day, everyday.

The same daughter who yelled, "We're not home" as you knocked on their door for the 5th time that night.

The same daughter whose mom pretends to be on her phone EVERY time she is outside the same time as you.

The same daughter whose mom you uncomfortably saw in the car with her boyfriend...kissing.

The same daughter and mom who won't answer the door when you knock!

Tell me...what would you do?

FHE

Last week as I was leaving with my Young Women, Camden asked where I was going. I told him we were going to the temple and he quickly responded with, "I go to temple. See Prophet".

I don't remember sitting down with Camden and talking about the temple. I recently told him about the prophet during General Conference. I guess it's just hitting me that he retains more than I think he does. Sometimes I forget how smart he is and then he says something like that. I guess you could say I had an "ah ha" moment and realized the importance of teaching him, especially while he is young. He gets it.

So tonight we had FHE. We learned about and went to see the temple. While driving over to see it we sang, "I Love To See The Temple". One of the lines in that song says, "... For the temple is a HOLY PLACE..." and after he heard that he kept saying, "holy place" over and over.

Thanks for reminding mom of the importance of FHE and learning good things!

6 Months

I finally got around to taking Jace Man in for his 6 month check up. He weighed in at a whopping 20lbs 1oz and is 28 3/4in tall. His head is the perfect size measuring 44cm around.

He eats like a champ downing 1-2 jars of baby food 3 times a day, followed by 6-8oz of formula to wash it down. He was taking 2 naps a day, but lately finds himself napping for 1-2 hours only once a day. Which leads to one exhausted baby come bedtime. But seeing how he sleeps from 7pm to 7 or 8am, I'm totally fine with that.

He's very even tempered and entertains himself really well. His latest obsession is hearing himself happy scream for the heck of it. He and Camden(ok I might join in every now and again) take turns yelling back and forth to see who is louder. It's pretty funny!

His hair gets a fair amount of comments, and has since day one. He has had several snips around the ears where his hair grows into wings, but other than that I'm just not ready to cut it.

I love how interactive he has become. He looks when you walk in or out of the room, his eyes light up when he sees you(especially his brother). He laughs all the time and smiles even more. He has been such an easy baby.

He loves this new sense of freedom which comes from sitting up. He moves all over the places by rolling around and I often find him doing "push-ups". Okay maybe not push-ups, but he holds his entire body above the ground by pushing himself up using just his hands and toes. It's incredible, I'm dying to get it on camera. He loves his bouncer and standing up while you hold his hands. He is one tough cookie.

He has several teeth wanting to break through, but most recently acquired his third on the top right. It just might be the cutest darn snaggle tooth I've ever seen.

He is getting so big, so fast!

Unanswered

Back in July we were told Camden had sleep apnea. In August we had his tonsils removed to clear up the obstructive part. In October we went back for his follow up sleep study. These results showed he still has central sleep apnea, which is basically were the brain forgets to tell the body to breath.

After following the advise of two different doctors, I drove two tired boys(and a mom for that matter) 35 minutes to see the only "sleep specialist" in Arizona. Before the doctor even sat down, or shook my hand, or introduced himself, he told me there was nothing he could do for Camden. It took everything I had inside of me to stay sitting in his office and not walk away right then demanding my money back. After a grueling 10 minutes I left even more frustrated than before stepping foot in that office.

The specialist took my money and far too much of my time, just to tell me Camden's sleep study results were abnormal. The results clearly stated Camden had 12 central events and 132 spontaneous arousal's in 8 hours of sleep. I didn't need him to tell me that was abnormal, I'm aware. Afterall, I'm the one getting up with him 5+ times every night for the last year and a half! That's what they taught you in school? You definitely got your money's worth, you should be proud.

After leaving his office almost in tears because of my frustration, I called my pediatrician. I asked him if I was pushing an issue that didn't need pushing. My son is a normal, healthy 2 year old, and I never would have taken him to a specialist had I not had this sleep study in the first place. But because he needed his tonsils out, and the insurance needed a sleep study to prove that, here we are. My pediatrician was just as frustrated as I was. He was at a loss for words. He told me he would talk with a few neurologists and pulmonologist and together with our ENT figure something out.

This is one of the many parts of parenting that was in fine print when I signed up.

I'm not looking for a grim diagnosis. I'm looking for an answer other than "your son is a pain", as to why his study was abnormal. If I drove a car with a problem I could fix, I would. If Camden has a problem that can be fixed, I want to know how. If it can't be fixed, why not? Will it go away on it's own? Is it something neurological?

I have a few questions that need answering and then I'll be fine. I'm anxious to hear from the pediatrician.