Please pray for Luke

When we moved here, we met the Mooney's. All of us became fast friends and they have the sweetest children. Luke, the youngest, is only 6 weeks older than Mason. Mason has fun with all three of the Mooney kids, but he and Luke have a special bond and are best buds. Did I mention that Luke and Taylor are going to get married? He tells Taylor he loves her all the time and calls her his girlfriend. Didn't you know, arranged marriages are all the rage!

I had the pleasure of watching Luke for a couple of months in the fall, and Mason had the best time playing with Luke everyday. Here are a few pictures I took back in September, when I took the boys to the park. They both look so young in the pictures. It's crazy to think that they will both be 2 yrs. old in the coming months.

Saturday morning, Luke was playing around and fell and hit the back of his head. He cried, but settled down and went about playing. Shortly after that, Marissa noticed Luke could cross his eyes. She used to do this at a young age and didn't think too much of it. Later in the morning, when we saw them, he continued to do it. We laughed about it, thinking he was just trying to show off, but it was weird to see a little boy his age cross his eyes.

As the weekend progressed, Marissa noticed Luke was crossing his eyes more and more. Concerned, she called the doctor, and went into to see him Monday afternoon. Dr. Shah commented that his eye was sunk in and that he needed to see Dr. Hair, an Opthamologist here in Bakersfield and then he would most likely refer them to a specialist at UCLA. Tuesday morning, they couldn't get in to see Dr. Hair so Dr. Shah made a call to the specialist at UCLA and ordered a CT Scan that afternoon.

They didn't get the results of the CT Scan until this morning and it came back abnormal. Within 2 minutes of their appointment with the specialist at UCLA, he diagnosed Luke with what he believes is Chiari Malformation and referred them to a Neurosurgeon. After meeting with the Neurosurgeon this afternoon, he also believes the same thing. In order to confirm it, Luke must undergo an MRI.

The MRI will either be scheduled for tomorrow or Tuesday and they will need to sedate Luke for the procedure. If the MRI confirms that it's Chiari Malformation, then it's very likely he will need surgery. I will be sure to keep everyone posted on how Luke is doing. Please lift Luke and the rest of their family up in your prayers.

Funny story

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about whether or not to start potty training Mason. After that post, which I received some great feedback, I decided to wait a little longer before I embark on the scary journey. Well now I'm not sure anymore.

The other day I went to wake Mason up from his nap, because he had been asleep for 3 hours and was still asleep. I walk over to his crib and notice that his shorts are off, along with his diaper, with his butt in the air. I immediately felt around to see if his sheets, blankets or anything else in the crib was wet. No! Thank goodness. As I leaned in to grab him, I realized the carpet was wet. Dang it, he peed on the floor. At least he was smart enough to realize that if he peed in this bed, then it would be wet. I try to find the upside of things.

He didn't want to lay on the changing table, so I put him down and told him to go into the living room, where I would put his diaper on. After I grabbed a diaper, I walked in the living room and Mason looked me in the eye and pointed down and began to pee. I said no and he began to cry. I didn't mean to scare him, but I also didn't want pee on my carpet. After a 15 minute battle, I finally was able to get his diaper on. The boy thinks it's funny to run around the house naked.

I couldn't help but laugh after everything happened. What else can you do? So I've decided we will attempt to try potty training this summer, but I won't push it. If he is ready, then it will happen and if not, we will revisit it when he is. Seriously, what is the fascination with taking off your diaper and peeing on the floor.

Mason & Taylor at 5 weeks old

Mason
Taylor

Taylor 4-5 Week Pictures

Taylor with her Snugglie
5 weeks old

She's keeping an eye on you!

Sleeping on Daddy

All dressed for her first day at Church

I have a very similar photo of Mason

I love you!

1 month stats

Taylor's 1 month (5 Weeks) stats:

Weight: 10lbs 12oz
Height: 22 inches

The doctor was very pleased with how well she is doing. I had mentioned to him that I was worried that she might be Colicky, and he said he didn't believe that was the case. She doesn't cry and if she does, it doesn't last long. She had been crying on and off from 7 to 10 pm three nights a week for two weeks, but that has since gone away. It was nothing to stress about, but I just wanted to make sure.

Obviously Taylor likes to eat. I still feed her every 2-3 hours and at night she goes anywhere from 3-4 hours in between feedings. Breastfeeding is going very well this time around. It has been such a blessing. With Mason, I had already stopped breastfeeding at this age because I had Mastitis and couldn't push through it. Our late night feedings are probably my favorite. It's our cuddle time. I miss my sleep and can't wait for a full nights sleep again, but I'm making sure to treasure every minute, because it goes by so fast.

1 month

Last Friday, Taylor celebrated her one month birthday. It's amazing how your lives can change in a months span. In the past month, we went from a family of three to a family of four. We now have an adorable little boy and a gorgeous baby girl. It's still crazy to think that we have two kids. In the past month, I went from getting a full nights sleep to maybe getting a total of 4 to 5 hours, if I'm lucky. She is a great sleeper, but she loves to cuddle and snuggle with her mommy in the middle of the night. I find that she makes the sweetest faces during this time. In the past month, I went from having a big pregnant belly and being uncomfortable, to being able to wear my old clothes again. I will start working out again in the next week and I can't wait. I always feel so much better after a good run.

Taylor is changing too! You can tell she likes to eat because she has the cutest little chubby cheeks. They are still relatively small, but she is filling out and starting to get a little chunk on her. Her hair is still as blonde as ever and loves to wear her bows. She is all about accessories! Although she is still wearing all of her newborn outfits, it won't be too long before she will outgrow them and be in 0-3 months.

Have I mentioned that she is a champ at holding her head up? Minutes after she was born and placed on my chest, she was holding her head up and looking around. She is awake and alert usually in the evening. From 7-10pm, she has her colic period (not yet diagnosed by the doctor). It's not bad and nothing to complain about, she just likes to be held and tends to be very gassy during this time. She will cry off and on, but mostly grunts as she looks over around the room. Overall, she is a very laid back and easy going baby, just like her brother.

Wednesday is her 1 month checkup. Adam won't be able to join us because of work, so I will be taking Mason and Taylor out by myself. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little nervous, but I'm hopeful that everything will go smoothly.

Mimi & Granddad's Visit

My parents came to visit this past weekend. Not only was it Easter weekend, but it was the first time they got to meet their first grand-daughter. Everyone knew it would be a short trip, but no one expected it to go by so quickly. Nothing beats watching Mason & Taylor with their grandparents. So special!

Thursday afternoon, I received the call from my mom telling me that there was a strong possibility that they might not be able to get on a flight out of Houston to L.A. Since my dad works for Continental, they fly standby. It was Spring Break in California last week and if you add to the fact that it was also Easter weekend, meant all the flights were overbooked. I tried not to worry, but I knew that if they didn't make a flight out on Thursday, they wouldn't be able to come out at all. After waiting for awhile at the airport, they were able to get the last two seats on the plane. Thank you to the couple that decided not to take that flight after all.

Mason normally goes to bed at 7pm, but I wanted to keep him up to see his Mimi & Granddad. At 8pm, Mama & Daddy pulled into the driveway and we were standing outside to greet them. Mason was thrilled to see them and immediately went into entertainer mode. He was showing off all of his toys and loved staying up late.

Taylor captured their hearts right away. It was love at first sight. Taylor loved snuggling and cuddling with each of them. Around 10pm, everyone headed to bed. It had been a very long day for everyone.

Friday morning, Mimi made a delicious breakfast for everyone. I love my mom's cooking! Afterwards, Mason & Granddad took Mason to the park. Mimi had some one-on-one time with Taylor. That evening, we met up with our friends Ray & Marissa for dinner at Rosemary's. Last time my parents visited, they didn't get the chance to meet Ray or hang out with their kids.

Saturday we woke up to another great breakfast, but unfortunately, Mason wasn't feeling very good. The poor boy was backed up and in pain. It was to the point that he couldn't sit without crying and just wanted to be held by everyone. My heart broke seeing him in pain and not being able to do much about it. It was like this for 5 hours. Luckily, he was able to go that afternoon, and was back to his normal self.

Mama & I spent the afternoon doing a little shopping and picked out some cute outfits for the kids. It was a short shopping trip, so that we could get back in time to take pictures before the sun set that evening. My dad and I both love to take pictures, and I wanted to get some shots of Mason and Taylor with their grandparents, and some family shots. Unfortunately, Mason didn't take a nap that day. When you add that to the fact that it's hard to get a toddler to sit still for posed pictures, makes for no pictures of Mason & Taylor with Adam & I as a family. However, we did get several with them separately, and some great candid's of Mason.

We ended the evening eating my favorite, Steak & Baked Potatoes. It was the perfect Easter meal. Mama & Daddy had to leave early the next morning, so they had to say goodbye to Mason that night before he went to bed. It broke my heart to know that Mason would be looking for them in the morning and wondering where they went. After we put him to bed, I cried and cried. I was so glad they came to visit, but I didn't want to say goodbye. It was a hard evening.

Sunday morning, we woke up at 5am and said our goodbyes. The flights were even worse going back to Houston. They were told that they would not be able to get out until the next day. But they sat at the airport and waited to see if they could get on any flights. Fortunately, they were able to get on the 3pm flight. We took several pictures this weekend and I'm sorry for the long post, but I wanted to make sure to capture every minute of this weekend.

Mimi holding Taylor for the first time.



Cuddle time with Mimi.





Granddad holding Taylor for the first time.

Sweet kisses

Mason showing off.

Cuddle time with Granddad.

Taylor

Funny faces

Mason likes to put his fingers in his ears and pretend he can't hear you.

Coverston's, Kaye's and Mooney's outside of Rosemary's.

Taylor cuddling with her Daddy.

Mason wanted his Mimi and laid on her almost the entire 5 hours he didn't feel good.

Mason & Mimi


We didn't get a chance to get Granddad in the picture because Mason was all over the place.

With our baby girl

Daddy and his little girl.

Mommy and her little girl.

Granddad with his little Princess.

So much love to give.

Mimi was in heaven.

Three generations

My boys!

Mason loved the buttons on my jacket.

My little doodle bug.

Giving his cheesey smile.

The only picture we could get of Mason & Taylor with their grandparents.